bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of dielectric thickness on diffuse nanosecond dielectric barrier discharges using a needle array-plate electrode configuration in air at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Liu Zhi-jie , Wang Wen-chun , Yang De-zheng , Zhang Shuai , Yang Yang , Tang Kai
Published: June 2013

A stable diffuse large-area air plasma with low gas temperature is developed under different dielectric thicknesses by using a needle array-plate electrode configuration in air at atmospheric pressure, which is excited by a bipolar nanosecond pulse power with about 20 ns rising time. The images of the diffuse discharge, electric characteristics, and the optical emission spectra emitted from the diffuse discharge are obtained under different dielectric thicknesses. The discharge area, the average power, the power density, and the emission intensities of N2 (C3Πu → B3Πg, 0-0) and N2+ (B2Σu+ → X2Σg+, 0-0) of the nanosecond dielectric barrier discharges are investigated under different dielectric thicknesses based on the waveforms of discharge voltage and discharge current and the optical emission spectra. The gas temperature of plasma is determined to be approximately 385±5 K by measuring the optical emission spectra of the N2+ (B2Σu+ → X2Σg+, 0-0), and decreases gradually with increasing dielectric thickness. Consistently, an area of approximately 2000 mm2 plasma region under 7 needle electrodes can be formed at 1 mm thick dielectric layer.
Quantitative magnetic imaging at the nanometer scale by ballistic electron magnetic microscopy
Authors: Hervé M. , Tricot S. , Guézo S. , Delhaye G. , Lépine B. , Schieffer P. , Turban P.
Published: June 2013

We demonstrate quantitative ballistic electron magnetic microscopy (BEMM) imaging of simple model Fe(001) nanostructures. We use in situ nanostencil shadow mask resistless patterning combined with molecular beam epitaxy deposition to prepare under ultra-high vacuum conditions nanostructured epitaxial Fe/Au/Fe/GaAs(001) spin-valves. In this epitaxial system, the magnetization of the bottom Fe/GaAs(001) electrode is parallel to the [110] direction, defining accurately the analysis direction for the BEMM experiments. The large hot-electron magnetoresistance of the Fe/Au/Fe/GaAs(001) epitaxial spin-valve allows us to image various stable magnetic configurations on the as-grown Fe(001) microstructures with a high sensitivity, even for small misalignments of both magnetic electrodes. The angular dependence of the hot-electron magnetocurrent is used to convert magnetization maps calculated by micromagnetic simulations into simulated BEMM images. The calculated BEMM images and magnetization rotation profiles show quantitative agreement with experiments and allow us to investigate the magnetic phase diagram of these model Fe(001) microstructures. Finally, magnetic domain reversals are observed under high current density pulses. This opens the way for further BEMM investigations of current-induced magnetization dynamics.
Influences of Riparian Vegetation on Trout Stream Temperatures in Central Wisconsin
Authors: Cross Benjamin K. , Bozek Michael A. , Mitro Matthew G.
Published: June 2013

Summer stream temperatures limit the distribution of Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis and are affected by riparian vegetation. We used riparian and instream habitat surveys along with stream temperature loggers placed throughout streams to determine the potential for riparian vegetation shading to increase the length of stream that is thermally suitable for Brook Trout. Twelve streams located throughout central Wisconsin were evaluated in the summers of 2007 and 2008. Across all streams, nonparametric ANCOVA modeling was used to identify spatial temperature patterns within a year for individual stream segments. Riparian tree-vegetated segments had a significantly lower mean change in stream temperature per kilometer of stream compared with grass-vegetated segments during the periods of maximum daily and weekly average temperatures, when we accounted for upstream temperature. Riparian grass-vegetated segments increased on average 1.19°C/km (SE, 0.44) during the maximum daily average temperature period and 0.93°C/km (SE, 0.39) during the maximum weekly average temperature period, whereas tree-vegetated segments decreased 0.48°C/km (SE, 0.39) and 0.30°C/km (SE, 0.25) during those respective time periods. Maximum weekly average temperatures were also modeled with different shading levels using a heat budget temperature model, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Stream Segment Temperature Model. Across 11 study streams (one stream model could not be calibrated), modeled stream temperatures in equilibrium with their environmental conditions ranging from 23.2°C to 28.3°C at 0% shading could be reduced to 18.8–23.5°C with 75% shading. Modeled increases in shade up to 75% from the current average of 34% increased the length of surveyed stream thermally suitable to Brook Trout by 4.9 km on Sucker Creek. We conclude that riparian forests are important for maintaining thermal conditions suitable for Brook Trout in central Wisconsin streams and can be managed to increase the amount of stream habitat thermally suitable for Brook Trout.

Received February 10, 2012; accepted March 11, 2013
ChroMoS: an integrated web tool for SNP classification, prioritization and functional interpretation
Authors: Barenboim Maxim , Manke Thomas
Published: June 2013

Summary: Genome-wide association studies and re-sequencing projects are revealing an increasing number of disease-associated SNPs, a large fraction of which are non-coding. Although they could have relevance for disease susceptibility and progression, the lack of information about regulatory regions impedes the assessment of their functionality. Here we present a web server, ChroMoS (Chromatin Modified SNPs), which combines genetic and epigenetic data with the goal of facilitating SNPs' classification, prioritization and prediction of their functional consequences. ChroMoS uses a large database of SNPs and chromatin states, but allows a user to provide his/her own genetic information. Based on the SNP classification and interactive prioritization, a user can compute the functional impact of multiple SNPs using two prediction tools, one for differential analysis of transcription factor binding (sTRAP) and another for SNPs with potential impact on binding of miRNAs (MicroSNiPer).

Availability: Web server, ChroMoS, is freely available at http://epicenter.immunbio.mpg.de/services/chromos.

Contact:  barenboim@ie-freiburg.mpg.de or manke@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
The Alteration of Plant Morphology by Small Peptides Released from the Proteolytic Processing of the Bacterial Peptide TENGU
Authors: Sugawara Kyoko , Honma Youhei , Komatsu Ken , Himeno Misako , Oshima Kenro , Namba Shigetou
Published: June 2013

Phytoplasmas are insect-borne plant pathogenic bacteria that alter host morphology. TENGU, a small peptide of 38 residues, is a virulence factor secreted by phytoplasmas that induces dwarfism and witches’ broom in the host plant. In this study, we demonstrate that plants process TENGU in order to generate small functional peptides. First, virus vector-mediated transient expression demonstrated that the amino-terminal 11 amino acids of TENGU are capable of causing symptom development in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The deletion of the 11th residue significantly diminished the symptom-inducing activity of TENGU, suggesting that these 11 amino acids constitute a functional domain. Second, we found that TENGU undergoes proteolytic processing in vitro, generating peptides of 19 and 21 residues including the functional domain. Third, we observed similar processing of TENGU in planta, and an alanine substitution mutant of TENGU, for which processing was compromised, showed reduced symptom induction activity. All TENGU homologs from several phytoplasma strains possessed similar symptom induction activity and went through processing, which suggests that the processing of TENGU might be related to its function.
CEO business education and firm financial performance: a case for humility rather than hubris
Authors: Lindorff Margaret , Prior Jonson Elizabeth
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between CEO business education and firm financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

An analysis of the relationship between three‐year and five‐year shareholder return as measured by dividend and change in share price and CEO educational qualification was performed.

Findings

No relationship was found between CEO MBA, business, or other qualification and firm financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

More research, particularly in the form of multinational longitudinal studies, should be undertaken on the relationship between CEO business and other qualifications and objective outcomes. A limitation of this study is that it was undertaken in one country and measured only firm financial performance.

Practical implications

It is possible that business education has been over‐emphasized as a prerequisite to successful management practice. It is also possible that the kind of management education that students have received is no longer appropriate to leadership at CEO level.

Originality/value

Although many have blamed the GFC on business schools, there has been no examination of the relationship between CEO qualifications and firm financial performance in Australia, and little elsewhere. This study therefore fills a research gap.
Linking power, risk, and governance: a survey research in new product development relationships
Authors: Bazyar Afshar , Teimoury Ebrahim , Fesharaki Mehdi , Moini Alireza , Mohammadi Shahriar
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Inter‐organizational arrangements are increasingly playing an important role in new product development (NPD). This article aims to investigate the links among power, risk, and governance in these kinds of relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigated the links based on the data collected from 112 respondents representing 112 different NPD relationships.

Findings

The results of structural equation modeling revealed that, in the situation where coercive power is imbalanced between partner firms, the weaker partner perceives relational risk while imbalances in non‐coercive power do not influence relational risk perception significantly. The results also showed that relational risk perception is strongly associated with governance modes in such a way that negatively influences trust and the norm of information sharing, and positively affects vertical control, respectively. Further investigations revealed that the influence of power bases on governance modes was mediated through the relational risk perception.

Originality/value

This article contributes to a better appreciation of the factors that account for important determinants of opportunistic behavior of partner firms (i.e. power asymmetries) and governance modes that are available for companies in order to impede relational risks.
Advancing Africa through management knowledge and practice: the way forward
Authors: Acquaah Moses , Zoogah David B. , Kwesiga Eileen N.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review and summarizes the articles that were accepted for the special issue focusing on “Advancing Africa through management knowledge and practice”. The paper also provides suggestions for future research focus for researchers on management issues in and about Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a conceptual review the distinctiveness of the five articles in the special issue which focus a personal reflection about management research and education in Africa, effective leadership development in Africa and the African diaspora, performance management implementation in the public sector; internationalization process of African businesses with special reference to banks; and strategic factors that could be emphasized by African firms to improve their performance. These papers are synthesized to present a coherent management research framework for Africa.

Findings

African management research requires a strategic choice approach, which asks interesting questions focusing on issues relevant to the growth of African businesses and the development of African national economies. African management research needs an identity that is uniquely African such as the intersection of private and public (including governments) interests; and the blurred nature of the formal and informal sectors.

Originality/value

The paper presents some opportunities and value of conducting management research in and about Africa in the areas of leadership and also followership.
What's in a relationship?
Authors: Lay-Hwa Bowden Jana
Published: June 2013

Purpose

– Increasingly, higher education institutions are being held to account for the performance of their students internally in terms of academic performance and timely program completion, as well as externally through job placement. This challenge is compounded by a range of additional factors including fluctuating, international economic conditions, an increasingly globalised, competitive environment, widespread provision of online qualifications, and high student drop-out rates. There is a pressing need therefore to understand the factors which contribute to positive perceptions of institutional services and the way in which these drive student retention, especially within the first year experience. This research aims to explore the role of affective commitment in students' perceived satisfaction within the student-university relationship and the effect of this on retention in an Australian tertiary context.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative approach was adopted using four focus groups and eight in-depth interviews with first year undergraduate students enrolled at a large metropolitan Australian university. In addition, an online expert forum was used to obtain qualitative verbatim from 22 internationally-based faculty educators.

Findings

– The results of this study suggest that the development of deeply entrenched emotional bonds with students is important in facilitating high levels of satisfaction during the first year experience. In addition, a sense of belonging was perceived by faculty as being the primary mechanism for ensuring the retention of students beyond the first year of enrolment.

Practical implications

– From a managerial perspective, uncovering the nature of student-institution relationships and the importance of affective forms of commitment will enable higher education institutions to develop more targeted relationship marketing programs to increase student retention.

Originality/value

– In a unique contribution, this research examines this issue from the perspective of first year students, as well as from an international faculty perspective, enabling a multi-dimensional comparison to be drawn between the perceptions of the student, and the service provider.
Roles of customer involvement in rapport and satisfaction
Authors: Kayeser Fatima Johra , Abdur Razzaque Mohammed
Published: June 2013

Purpose

– The study investigates different roles (antecedent, mediator and moderator roles) of customer involvement in rapport and satisfaction. It is also designed to reveal the comparative impact of three types of relational benefits (confidential, social and special treatment benefits) on customer involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

– Structural equation modeling (using Amos) is used for analyzing the data, collected from a survey of 212 sample respondents of the private commercial banking sector.

Findings

– Results suggest that customer involvement does have antecedent and mediated influence on rapport-satisfaction link while the moderation impact of customer involvement is not supported. In contrast, social treatment benefit is found as the most important relational benefit for developing customer involvement in Bangladesh followed by confidence and special treatment benefit.

Research limitations/implications

– Findings will assist bank management to set effective future strategies and to manage successful relationships with customers in order to motivate customer satisfaction with the bank. But the study may suffer from lack of generalization and poor sample representation as it focuses on a single country (Bangladesh) and a single industry (banking sector).

Originality/value

– The paper for the first time attempts to reveal antecedent, mediator and moderator role of customer involvement in rapport and satisfaction. It also identifies the level of importance among three relational benefits for Bangladeshi bank customers.
Grey‐based and fuzzy TOPSIS decision‐making approach for agility evaluation of mass customization systems
Authors: Mishra S. , Datta S. , Mahapatra S.S.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an agility evaluation approach to determine the most suitable agile system for implementing mass customization (MC) strategies. Evaluating the alternatives and comparing across them, the best practices of the efficient organization can be identified and transferred to different organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Grey relation approach is a simple mathematical technique useful in situations where the information is not known precisely. Grey relation approach has been applied to measure the agility of various organizations based on agile entities and accordingly the organizations are ranked. The ranking so obtained is compared with the ranking obtained by a popular multi‐attribute decision making (MADM) process known as Fuzzy TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) to test the robustness of the proposed method. It is to be noted that grey theory considers the condition of the fuzziness and can deal flexibly with the fuzziness situation.

Findings

It is demonstrated that the grey approach is an appropriate method for solving MADM problems in an uncertain situation with less computational efforts. The alternatives can easily be benchmarked and the best agile system can be selected. As the ranking obtained through grey relation approach closely agree with the ranking found from Fuzzy TOPSIS method, the robustness of the proposed approach is validated. Both the methods lead to choosing a suitable agile system related to mass customization.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, the proposed approach has been compared with Fuzzy TOPSIS method to test the robustness of the method. Other MADM approaches may be used for comparison purpose to gain insight into the methodology of the proposed approach.

Originality/value

An alternative approach for MADM is proposed to obtain good decisions in an uncertain environment and used for agility evaluation in selected organizations. As agile manufacturing is relatively a new concept, certain and complete information on systems are not available. In such situations, the proposed method can deal with the issue conveniently and results in workable solutions.
Users’ satisfaction survey on building maintenance in public housing
Authors: Lai Anthony W.Y. , Lai W.M.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

A building maintenance scheme introduced by the Hong Kong Housing Authority in January 2006 employed contractors and public housing owner's frontline representatives to provide inspection in the public rental housing tenants’ units and arrange corresponding repair works. This study aims to base on the public rental housing (PRH) tenants’ perceptions to measure maintenance contractor service quality performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire is used as the assessment tool which is derived based on the SERVQUAL approach to measure public rental housing tenants’ expectations and perceptions on maintenance contractor performance.

Findings

The findings illustrate that dimensions of “tangible” and “reliability” have the largest discrepancy between expectation level and perception level. They are mainly related to the concern of disturbance to PRH tenants brought by maintenance contractors in respect of manpower arrangement. These findings support that there is a need for maintenance contractors to impose more manpower resources to minimize the adverse impacts to PRH tenants.

Research limitations/implications

The service quality performance survey could provide a reference for conducting the survey continuously which could help develop a systematic benchmark in matching service delivery and expectation for future improvement. The SERVQUAL gap analysis would help identify any gaps between expectations and perceptions among various concerned parties, i.e. services providers (contractors) and direct customers (owner's frontline representatives).

Practical implications

The service quality gap findings could provide a reference for the frontline representatives to organize and improve services of the building maintenance scheme to be implemented in other public rental housing units.

Social implications

The paper promotes the awareness of the building maintenance contractors of the service quality to the public rental housing tenants.

Originality/value

The value of this study could serve as a framework for further study in conducting service quality performance survey in other public housings and extend the performance measurement approach to other similar tasks in construction project areas.
The influence of socio‐demographic variables on customer satisfaction and loyalty in the private banking industry
Authors: Seiler Volker , Rudolf Markus , Krume Tim
Published: June 2013

Purpose

In this paper the authors aim to study the impact of customer demographics on service value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in the private banking industry, i.e. a high‐involvement context.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors estimate a structural equation model with the help of partial least squares (PLS). In order to examine the influence of socio‐demographic variables, they conduct an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test for differences in the means of the constructs. Furthermore, they conduct an analysis of mediation to test for an indirect influence of service value on customer loyalty.

Findings

The authors find that customer satisfaction has a strong positive impact on customer loyalty. However, service value has no significant direct effect on customer loyalty; the impact of service value on customer loyalty is completely mediated by customer satisfaction. With regards to customer demographics, the authors find significant differences in mean scores as to employment status, type of private banking service provider, and size of liquid assets.

Research limitations/implications

Further research should analyse potential moderating effects of different customer‐related variables. A replication study should be conducted in order to underline the authors’ findings.

Practical implications

The authors find significant differences for customer satisfaction and customer loyalty ratings as to employment status and size of liquid assets. Hence, managers should focus on high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals as these segments show higher satisfaction and loyalty ratings. Furthermore, customers should be segmented as to employment status in addition to size of liquid assets.

Originality/value

The authors conduct their analysis in a high‐involvement setting. Using a unique sample of 286 questionnaires of private banking customers, they find direct effects of socio‐demographic variables on service value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Thus, the authors’ findings have important implications for managers in the private banking industry and marketing researchers alike.
Consumer trust in high‐consequence decisions: a study of medical services
Authors: da Silva Terres Mellina , Pizzutti dos Santos Cristiane
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the impact of affect (as opposed to cognition) on patient trust in high‐consequence exchanges. The authors also investigate the mediator's role of trust in the relationship between affect and cognition, and behavioural intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Using undergraduate students from a large North American university, three between‐subjects experiments were performed.

Findings

Study 1 findings demonstrate that affect and cognition elements equally influence trust in high‐consequence decisions. Also, trust is an important mediator between affect and cognition and the intention to continue the relationship and to seek a second opinion. Study 2 reinforces the importance of trust for the patient's evaluations, showing that when trust is low, the second opinion influences patient satisfaction. However, when patient trust is high, the second opinion (the same or different, compared with the first diagnosis) does not affect patient satisfaction. Study 3 shows that, in low‐consequence choices, cognition is a more relevant antecedent of trust than affect. Affect is important when cognition aspects (e.g. the competence of the doctor) are perceived as low.

Originality/value

As an original contribution, this study addresses the different impacts of affect and cognition aspects on patient trust, in high‐ and low‐consequence exchanges. Also, it highlights the importance of patient trust in the doctor when a second opinion is sought: a different diagnosis depletes patient satisfaction only for patients with low levels of trust in the doctor.
Safety lighting: exterior illumination at an existing US government facility
Authors: Hebert Paulette , Kang Mihyun , Kramp Jessy
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine safety lighting at an existing US government facility.

Design/methodology/approach

Field measurements of exterior illumination were conducted at four building sites housing laboratories, offices and a cafeteria at night and the findings were compared to the industry recommendations, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) safety lighting recommendations.

Findings

Laboratory, office and cafeteria building exteriors were classified as “high hazard” due to area wildlife, potentially dangerous equipment and chemicals, the threat of intruders, and uneven terrain. Some sites' existing light levels fell far below industry recommendations and others greatly exceeded recommendations. Most of the existing lighting was uneven, unsustainable, rendered colors poorly, produced glare and/or remained energized when no one was present.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by the small number of sites and limited geographical area of the sites. Lighting field studies can improve user safety, save energy and reduce facilities' waste.

Practical implications

This study employs a relatively simple approach to examine safety lighting that facility managers could adapt for their own facilities to inform improvements.

Originality/value

The current lack of lighting field studies, safety lighting research and case studies regarding government facilities is addressed by contributions of this research.
More diversity than celebrity: a typology of role model interaction
Authors: Brace‐Govan Jan
Published: June 2013

Purpose

An important concept for social marketing, role modelling has rarely been considered in detail. Instead the focus often lies with celebrity endorsement and has tended to be about product sales rather than behaviour change. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the role model is complex and offers a typology to identify variations that need consideration by social marketers in selecting the most appropriate role model. Gen Y provides a context for this discussion because they are a significant target market for social marketers.

Design/methodology/approach

The article evaluates four theoretical perspectives of role modelling. Following this, an assessment is made of the types of interaction that can be instigated by role modelling variations.

Findings

Social marketers often use role models in behaviour change interventions. The typology of role model interactions offers a starting point for research and a more nuanced view of role modelling.

Originality/value

The design of role modelling programs is under‐researched. Through the provision of a typology of role model interaction the article begins to address this gap.
Sabar:body politics among middle‐aged migrantPakistani women
Authors: Qureshi Kaveri
Published: June 2013

This article explores the relationship among suffering, Islamic moral concepts, subjectivity, and agency within a cohort of middle‐aged women who migrated fromPakistan to Britain in the 1960s and 1970s as the wives or daughters of industrial workers. These women were preoccupied with their ageing bodies and complained about the cumulative assaults on their health they had experienced, and which they felt had been neglected by health professionals and family alike. By examining how these women bear chronic illness through a discourse ofsabar(patience or silent forbearance), I show how women were able to transform their illness into a selfless and virtuous consequence of shouldering the burdens of kinship.Sabarsuggests passive acceptance or fatalism to some observers, but attending to how women situate their illness in a religious and eschatological frame, we see that they actively appropriate rather than passively imbibe the norm ofsabar. Moreover, turning from narratives to everyday contexts of friendship, family, and inter‐generational relations, we see that there are tensions between self‐sublimation and self‐assertion in the practice ofsabar. It is argued that ethnographic attention to subjectivity and reflexivity are crucial to understandingsabaras an agential capacity.
‘We are the true guardians of the environment’: human‐environment relations and debates about the future of the Chagos Archipelago
Authors: Jeffery Laura
Published: June 2013

This article applies Ingold's conceptualization of environmental outlooks ranging from the ‘globe’ to the ‘sphere’ to explore human‐environment relations and debates about the future of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Chagossians and conservationists broadly represent the two extremes of the engaged lifeworld of the sphere and the detached worldview of the globe, respectively, but I argue that this does not necessarily determine their environmental outlooks for the future. It is not simply the case either that Chagossians uniformly advocate resettlement of Chagos or that conservationists uniformly oppose resettlement. Within each group two distinct environmental outlooks are identified: engagement versus withdrawal amongst Chagossians, and exclusion versus participation amongst conservationists. The article demonstrates, then, that environmental outlooks are influenced not only by understandings of human‐environment relations but also by pragmatic and ideological considerations.
Cardiac Inhibitory Reflex as a Cause/Mechanism of Death
Authors: Suárez‐Peñaranda Jose M. , Cordeiro Cristina , Rodríguez‐Calvo Marisol , Vieira Duarte N. , Muñoz‐Barús Jose Ignacio
Published: June 2013

The role of cardiac inhibitory reflex as a potential cause of death is still a matter of debate. This study reports two cases of death under unusual circumstances. Case 1 corresponds to a man found hanging where the role of ligature compression of the carotid sinus became relevant as a possible explanation of death. In Case 2, the participation of a vasovagal syncope was clearly triggered by the laryngoscopic procedure. It is proposed that cardiac inhibitory reflex should be taken into account in those cases of unexpected death, which fulfills the following three criteria: (i) The investigation of the circumstances of the death is consistent with a hypothesis of cardiac arrest. (ii) A typical triggering peripheral stimulus is present. (iii) The performance of a complete autopsy cannot rule out the participation of a cardiac inhibitory reflex in the cause of death.
Changes in hospital admissions and inpatient tariff associated with a Diabetes Integrated Care Initiative: Preliminary findings (与糖尿病综合护理计划相关的住院以及住院费用的变化：初步调查结果)
Authors: Simmons David , Yu Dahai , Wenzel Helmut
Published: June 2013

Background

The Diabetes Integrated Care Initiative (DICI) has tested whether hospital admissions and total amounts paid for inpatient care have declined through closer (integrated) working between primary, secondary and community diabetes services in Cambridgeshire.

Method

Poisson regression models were used to compare the percentage change in hospital admissions, and tariff paid, before and after each of 43 months (April 2007 – November 2010). East Cambridgeshire and Fenland (ECF) practices were divided into those fully (n = 10) and less (n = 7) “engaged” with the intervention defined by the extent of their uptake of intervention components between July 2009 and June 2010. Other parts of the county were “controls”.

Results

Among patients with diabetes in the fully engaged ECF practices, the monthly average hospital admission rate was 19.0% (13.9, 24.2) higher (7.7 hospital admissions per 1000 patients) and the monthly tariff paid was 28.8% (28.7, 28.9) higher (£19.60 per patient per month), at the time of introducing the DICI versus the pre‐implementation period (April 2007 to June 2009). These differences, had dropped to 8.7% (1.9, 15.6) and 13.4% (13.2, 13.5) (£9.92 per patient per month) higher 12 months after introduction. Comparable reductions in the rate of increase were not seen among those without diabetes or in control areas.

Conclusion

During the DICI, patients with diabetes from “fully engaged” practices experienced increased hospitalization and amount paid for in‐patient care, the extent of which trended downwards by 12 months. Further time is needed to monitor whether this trend is sustained.
Modular versus all‐polyethylene tibial components: comparison of pre‐ and early post‐operative patient scores in total knee replacement
Authors: De Carvalho Bruno R. , Yassaie Omid S. , Muir Dawson C. W.
Published: June 2013

Introduction

All‐polyethylene (AP) tibial components of total knee replacement (TKR) are substantially cheaper than their modular counterparts. It is well established that their survivorship and radiographic outcomes are comparable. In this study, patient‐derived outcome measures were used to compare these two implant types.

Methods

A cohort of 456 primary TKRs (142 AP, 314 modular) were assessed with preoperative and 1‐year post‐operative Oxford Knee Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index and Short Form – 12 scores.

Results

Both groups performed well with no significant difference in improvement and final scores at 1 year. Although there was a significant difference in mean age among the groups (P < 0.001) age‐adjusted scores continued to show no significant difference between the two groups.

Discussion

Our results support the more frequent use of AP tibial components for uncomplicated TKR.
Risk of septic arthritis after intra‐articular medication: a study of 16,624 injections in Thoroughbred racehorses
Authors: Steel CM , Pannirselvam RR , Anderson GA
Published: June 2013

Objectives

The aims of this study were to determine the risk of septic arthritis after intra‐articular medication (IAM) and to identify potential risk factors for this complication.

Design

A retrospective and prospective descriptive study of prevalence, and matched case–control study for risk factors.

Results

Of 16,624 joints injected in 1103 horses at 6695 horse‐visits, septic arthritis occurred as a complication in 13 joints (13 horses). The risk of septic arthritis following IAM was 7.8 cases per 10,000 injections or 1 case per 1279 injections. Veterinarian and type of corticosteroid were identified as risk factors.

Conclusions

Septic arthritis is an uncommon complication of IAM in horses, yet the risk is substantially higher than that reported in humans. The risk was higher for some veterinarians; identifying the reason for this was beyond the scope of this study, yet we presume they may have paid less attention to strict aseptic technique. A larger study may be needed to clarify whether the risk is greater with certain types of corticosteroids and to identify additional risk factors.
What determines species richness of parasitic organisms? A meta‐analysis across animal, plant and fungal hosts
Authors: Kamiya Tsukushi , O'Dwyer Katie , Nakagawa Shinichi , Poulin Robert
Published: June 2013

Although a small set of external factors account for much of the spatial variation in plant and animal diversity, the search continues for general drivers of variation in parasite species richness among host species. Qualitative reviews of existing evidence suggest idiosyncrasies and inconsistent predictive power for all proposed determinants of parasite richness. Here, we provide the first quantitative synthesis of the evidence using a meta‐analysis of 62 original studies testing the relationship between parasite richness across animal, plant and fungal hosts, and each of its four most widely used presumed predictors: host body size, host geographical range size, host population density, and latitude. We uncover three universal predictors of parasite richness across host species, namely host body size, geographical range size and population density, applicable regardless of the taxa considered and independently of most aspects of study design. A proper match in the primary studies between the focal predictor and both the spatial scale of study and the level at which parasite species richness was quantified (i.e. within host populations or tallied across a host species' entire range) also affected the magnitude of effect sizes. By contrast, except for a couple of indicative trends in subsets of the full dataset, there was no strong evidence for an effect of latitude on parasite species richness; where found, this effect ran counter to the general latitude gradient in diversity, with parasite species richness tending to be higher further from the equator. Finally, the meta‐analysis also revealed a negative relationship between the magnitude of effect sizes and the year of publication of original studies (i.e. a time‐lag bias). This temporal bias may be due to the increasing use of phylogenetic correction in comparative analyses of parasite richness over time, as this correction yields more conservative effect sizes. Overall, these findings point to common underlying processes of parasite diversification fundamentally different from those controlling the diversity of free‐living organisms.
Identification of integrin α3 as a molecular marker of cells undergoing epithelial–mesenchymal transition and of cancer cells with aggressive phenotypes
Authors: Shirakihara Takuya , Kawasaki Tomonori , Fukagawa Akihiko , Semba Kentaro , Sakai Ryuichi , Miyazono Kohei , Miyazawa Keiji , Saitoh Masao
Published: June 2013

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial event in wound healing, tissue repair, and cancer progression in adult tissues. Transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β induces EMT in mouse epithelial cells. During prolonged treatment, TGF‐β successively induces myofibroblastic differentiation with increased expression of myofibroblast marker proteins, including smooth muscle α actin and calponin. We recently showed that fibroblast growth factor‐2 prevented myofibroblastic differentiation induced by TGF‐β, and transdifferentiated the cells to those with much more aggressive characteristics (enhanced EMT). To identify the molecular markers specifically expressed in cells undergoing enhanced EMT induced by the combination of TGF‐β and fibroblast growth factor‐2, we carried out a microarray‐based analysis and found that integrin α3 (ITGA3) and Ret were upregulated. Intriguingly, ITGA3 was also overexpressed in breast cancer cells with aggressive phenotypes and its expression was correlated with that of δEF‐1, a key regulator of EMT. Moreover, the expression of both genes was downregulated by U0126, a MEK 1/2 inhibitor. Therefore, ITGA3 is a potential marker protein for cells undergoing enhanced EMT and for cancer cells with aggressive phenotypes, which is positively regulated by δEF‐1 and the MEK–ERK pathway.
Long‐term effects of maternal prevention on children's dental decay and need for restorative treatment
Authors: Laitala Marja L. , Alanen Pentti , Isokangas Pauli , Söderling Eva , Pienihäkkinen Kaisu
Published: June 2013

Objectives

In a Finnish study carried out in 1990s, high‐caries‐risk mothers used xylitol gum on daily basis when their child was 3–24‐month old, whereas the high‐risk control mothers received biannual fluoride or chlorhexidine treatments. The maternal prevention reduced colonization of mutans streptococci and early childhood caries in children. The present retrospective study aimed to extend the post‐trial follow‐up to 10‐year‐old children (n = 148). Additionally, the dental health of these high‐caries‐risk children was compared with a reference group comprising the rest of the children in the same age cohort (n = 359).

Methods

The annual data on dental health and treatments were gathered from public dental care registers.

Results

The median caries‐free age (dmft = 0 and DMFT = 0) was 8.2 in the xylitol, 5.8 in the control, and 8.1 in the reference group (xylitol versus control, P = 0.005, HR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.18–2.60, reference versus xylitol, P = 0.410, HR = 1.13; 95% CI 0.84–1.51 Cox regression). Thus, the children in the xylitol group had caries‐free teeth longer than the control group. Compared to the reference group, the xylitol group did not show notable difference. Up to 4 years of age, figures for cumulative restorative treatment visits were 0.2 in the xylitol, 0.7 in the control, and 0.4 in the reference group (xylitol versus control P = 0.006, Student's t‐test).

Conclusions

The reduced mother–child transmission of mutans streptococci seems to have long‐term effects on children's dental health. The maternal use of xylitol reduces caries occurrence and need for restorative treatment in assumed high‐caries‐risk children to the average level of the whole age cohort.
Nursery sources and cohort strength of young‐of‐the‐year common carp (Cyprinus carpio) under differing flow regimes in a regulated floodplain river
Authors: Macdonald Jed I. , Crook David A.
Published: June 2013

Otolith chemistry and standardised catch data were used to identify key nursery sources for common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the mid‐Murray River region, south‐east Australia, and to quantify annual young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) cohort strength under varying hydrological conditions across 4 years (2005/2006–2008/2009). Analysis of trace element concentrations (i.e., Mg:Ca, Mn:Ca, Sr:Ca, Ba:Ca) near the otolith core of post‐larval carp (< 1 month of age) resulted in moderate to very high spatial discrimination of nursery sources within years. Otolith elemental concentrations were not stable across years at all nurseries, necessitating resampling of post‐larvae each spawning season to characterise nursery sources. Annual electrofishing surveys detected a strong cohort of YOY carp (4–6 months of age) in 2006, following a period of natural and artificially augmented high flows in the Murray River main channel and tributaries and extended floodplain inundation in the Barmah‐Millewa Forest (BMF). Few YOY were captured in 2007, 2008 or 2009 – years characterised by low flow conditions in the region and no floodplain inundation in BMF. Maximum likelihood estimation of nursery origins indicated that the BMF was the primary source for YOY fish captured from main channel (Torrumbarry Weir) and tributary (lower Goulburn River) sites in 2006, with the lower Goulburn River making a smaller contribution to the YOY cohort. These results demonstrate the importance of hydrology in determining spatial and temporal patterns of carp recruitment in regulated rivers and highlight the need to consider such factors when attempting to optimise ecological outcomes from environmental flow delivery.
Smart shoppers? Using QR codes and ‘green’ smartphone apps to mobilize sustainable consumption in the retail environment
Authors: Atkinson Lucy
Published: June 2013

Smartphone‐based mobile advertising is a promising marketing vehicle, especially in retail and point‐of‐purchase environments, yet we still do not know enough about what motivates consumers to turn to mobile advertising. This is particularly true of new forms of mobile advertising, like quick response (QR) codes, which rely on pull‐based approaches, rather than push‐style advertising. The study clarifies this omission by exploring various antecedents that encourage consumer use of mobile advertising. Relying on the uses and gratifications approach as a theoretical framework, this study tests three antecedents of new media adoption: institutional trust, involvement and market mavenism. Data are drawn from a representative sample of 401 American adults and their willingness to use QR codes in shopping environments within the context of purchasing sustainable products. The data were analysed using ordinary least squares regression. Results indicate government trust, buycotting and market mavenism are positively related to consumers' willingness to use mobile phone‐based QR code advertising whereas corporate trust is negatively related. The results offer important theoretical and managerial implications: first, there is a need to include broader institutional trust variables in the uses and gratifications framework of new media use; second, QR code content should be carefully crafted to provide meaningful, usable information for involved consumers; and third, market mavens' tendency to share information should be harnessed by providing QR code content that is relevant, interesting and easily passed on to other consumers.
The impact of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus on hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infections in young children: Slovenia, 2006–2011
Authors: Učakar Veronika , Sočan Maja , Trilar Katarina Prosenc
Published: June 2013

Background

Influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) are important viral pathogens in childhood.

Objectives

Our aim was to estimate the effect of influenza and RSV on excess hospitalizations for acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTI) in children aged ≤5.

Methods

Retrospective, population‐based study was performed for five seasons (2006–2011). Slovenian national hospital discharge data and surveillance data were used to estimate the effect of influenza and/or RSV on ALRTI hospitalizations (acute bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and acute bronchitis) using rate difference method.

Results

An excess was observed in average weekly ALRTI hospitalizations per 100 000 among children aged ≤5 in all five seasons during influenza and/or RSV active period. During three seasons, there was higher excess in ALRTI hospitalizations in the period when influenza/RSV cocirculated compared with the RSV period. In pandemic season (2009/2010), the only one without influenza/RSV overlap, excess hospitalization was higher in RSV period. The highest excess of hospitalizations was found among the youngest children (0‐5 months old). In all five seasons, acute bronchiolitis was the most common ALRTI recorded in hospitalized young children.

Conclusions

Respiratory syncytial viruses was leading viral pathogen associated with ALRTI hospitalizations in children aged ≤5. The cocirculation of influenza virus increased the burden of ALRTI hospitalizations especially in seasons with A(H3) predominance.