bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of market orientation on Chinese retailers' channel relationships
Authors: Chung Jae‐Eun , Huang Ying , Jin Byoungho , Sternquist Brenda
Published: January 2014

Purpose

This study seeks to examine the influence of market orientation on Chinese buyer‐supplier relations. A model is proposed depicting relationships among retailer market orientation, supplier market intelligence, supplier role performance, and retailer economic and social satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 99 chain store buyers and managers from 25 cities in China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

A retailer's market orientation is critical for its own economic and social satisfaction by increasing supplier market intelligence (MI) and supplier role performance.

Practical implications

Retailers' MO increased supplier MI and role performance. This study found that economic performance was more important in channel relationships than social relationships. Therefore, suppliers should focus on improving retailers' economic satisfaction through role performance and market intelligence rather than social satisfaction.

Originality/value

Previous MO literature has focused primarily on the firm's performance and ignored the interactive aspect of business performance among channel members. The current study fills this gap by demonstrating the significant influences of retailer MO on supplier MI and on supplier role performance, as well as on retailer satisfaction – both the economic and social components. To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first to relate retailer MO, supplier MI, and supplier role performance to two types of retailer satisfaction – i.e. economic and social satisfaction.
A counting history
Authors: Kumarasinghe Sriya
Published: January 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the historical evidence of accounting practices in the ancient Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

The work is a philosophical poem.

Findings

Accounting and auditing had been used in Asia, especially in ancient Ceylon and India before “double‐entry accounting” emerged in the Europe. Archaeological evidence proves that rulers in the ancient era were accountable to the people.

Research limitations/implications

Though Sri Lankan history is more than 2,600 years old, the significance of the archaeological findings in terms of accounting history has not been much investigated. This poem draws researchers' attention to that area of study.

Originality/value

The work raises, in poetic form, the matter of unexplored, ancient accounting practices.
Risk assessment
Authors: Butt Maggie
Published: January 2014

Purpose

This short poem seeks to encapsulate a cynical view of the value of risk assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

The poem was written at the time of the collapse of the banks, despite their elaborate risk assessments. It juxtaposes modern belief in risk assessment with other historical and fallible means of prediction. The poem is a triolet, a medieval French form comprising one eight‐line stanza with a regular rhyming scheme and repetition of lines. It is concise, with nursery rhyme simplicity, and a refrain that sinks into the conscious.

Findings

The images of runes, the tarot, and astrology counterbalance the scientific language and basis of risk assessment and the hard‐nosed, factual business of insurance.

Research limitations/implications

The poem reminds us that the greatest risk is the one that is impossible to foresee.

Originality/value

The poem is unique in its use of a medieval French form to examine a modern phenomenon.
Understanding multifaceted job satisfaction of retail employees
Authors: Chung Te‐Lin , Rutherford Brian , Park Jungkun
Published: January 2014

Purpose

This study aims to examine the multi‐faceted job satisfaction of retail employees. In addition, it seeks to investigate the moderating effect of gender on the relations between proposed antecedents and multifaceted job satisfaction. The seven facets of job satisfaction include satisfaction with supervision, overall job satisfaction, company policy and support, promotion, pay, co‐workers, and customers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study constitute a subset of a larger study examining salespeople from both business‐to‐business (B‐T‐B) and retail sales contexts in the USA. A total of 352 usable responses from retail employees were retained. Hypothesized relationships were tested by multiple regression analyses, Chow equality tests, and hierarchical regression analyses.

Findings

The study suggests that perceived organizational support, role ambiguity, and emotional exhaustion are the most influential factors for most facets of retail employees' job satisfaction. Role conflict and work‐family conflict only predict satisfaction with promotion, and family‐work conflict does not predict any facets of job satisfaction. Gender differences only played a part in satisfaction with customers. All other variables, such as perceived organizational support, work‐family conflict, family‐work conflict, and emotional exhaustion affect male and female employees differently.

Practical implications

The study provides managerial implications, suggesting that there is no one perfect policy to satisfy retail employees in all aspects and retailers should be more careful in assigning tasks to employees.

Originality/value

The literature concerning multifaceted job satisfaction has contributed significantly to understanding sales personnel job satisfaction. However, as many of the job characteristics for B‐T‐B and retail are different, a separate examination of factors influencing retail employees' job satisfaction is necessary. This study extends the current literature examining the job satisfaction of retail employees by borrowing from retail literature concerning global job satisfaction and from sales management literature about multifaceted job satisfaction.
Retail Insights ‐ Winter 1996
Authors: Fojt Martin
Published: January 2014

Downsizing is a necessary evil when times get tough or when corporations get bloated. It is not, however, a viable long‐term business strategy. Even in the short run, downsizing produces relatively weak returns. A Mercer Management Consulting study of the 1,000 largest US companies, comparing the stock market performance of successful cost‐cutters with that of successful growth companies, found that investors will pay considerably more for a dollar of profits generated through revenue growth than for that same dollar generated through cost reduction. The message is clear: a company cannot shrink to greatness. It has to grow.
Retail Insights ‐ Autumn 1999
Authors: Pollitt David
Published: January 2014

Arguably, businesses are facing their most challenging moment in time as we enter the twenty‐first century. Companies that have relied on industrial‐age advantages such as access to distribution channels, mass production, economies of scale, capital investments, switching costs, and even government policy, have all but been rendered obsolete in today’s blisteringly fast‐paced business environment ‐ an environment that is now based on information and knowledge. Today’s business environment
is anything but stable and predictable. In fact, it moves in real time. Technological advancements, deregulation, and globalization are generating upheavals in both organizations and products and services. Markets are fragmenting. Barriers to entry are crumbling ‐ even in capital‐intensive industries. New businesses are starting up in venues that did not even exist a few years ago. The Internet and its World Wide Web alone have created ‐ almost overnight ‐ a borderless global economy. Customers can be of any
creed, religion, color or race. Matching products, services and employees to customers will become a key and critical ingredient for business and financial survival in the twenty‐first
century. The challenge will be to find, acquire and retain the right customers ‐ who could come from anywhere in the world ‐ in order to fuel long‐term business success. This will require keen attention, and a holistic focus, on customers themselves. This will require customer relationship management.
Open source deployment in local government
Authors: Allen Jonathan P. , Geller Dave
Published: January 2014

Purpose

This paper aims to present a theory of the perceived outcomes of open source software adoption for an organizational IT department.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an interpretive case study of three open source pilot projects in local government, based on interviews with IT management, IT staff, and users. Data analysis based on constructivist grounded theory is used to generate theory about the perceived organizational outcomes of open source adoption.

Findings

Open source adoption is perceived as an occasion for rapidly developing effective new business applications, even in the context of shrinking IT resources and a poor relationship between IT and the rest of the organization. IT management and staff see the potential to improve their strained relationship with users, and improve their image of themselves as product developers and explorers. Disruptive project strategies, that keep open source adoptions outside of normal resource allocation processes, are consistently associated with open source success.

Research limitations/implications

While only exploratory, the case study shows that open source deployments can have a significant impact on the wider organization, up to and including the announcement of the first municipal government policy in the USA requiring that open source be considered for all future software acquisitions.

Practical implications

The case study offers a pathway for IT departments to achieve better perceived organizational outcomes, using fewer resources, under challenging circumstances.

Originality/value

The paper offers new conjectures on post‐adoption outcomes for open source researchers, and a new mechanism for IT department transformation in the information systems literature.
Estimates of success rates of remote arbitrary code execution attacks
Authors: Sommestad Teodor , Holm Hannes , Ekstedt Mathias
Published: January 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance of the factors that influence the success rate of remote arbitrary code execution attacks. In other words, attacks which use software vulnerabilities to execute the attacker's own code on targeted machines. Both attacks against servers and attacks against clients are studied.

Design/methodology/approach

The success rates of attacks are assessed for 24 scenarios: 16 scenarios for server‐side attacks and eight for client‐side attacks. The assessment is made through domain experts and is synthesized using Cooke's classical method, an established method for weighting experts' judgments. The variables included in the study were selected based on the literature, a pilot study, and interviews with domain experts.

Findings

Depending on the scenario in question, the expected success rate varies between 15 and 67 percent for server‐side attacks and between 43 and 67 percent for client‐side attacks. Based on these scenarios, the influence of different protective measures is identified.

Practical implications

The results of this study offer guidance to decision makers on how to best secure their assets against remote code execution attacks. These results also indicate the overall risk posed by this type of attack.

Originality/value

Attacks that use software vulnerabilities to execute code on targeted machines are common and pose a serious risk to most enterprises. However, there are no quantitative data on how difficult such attacks are to execute or on how effective security measures are against them. The paper provides such data using a structured technique to combine expert judgments.
Sonic logos: can sound influence willingness to pay?
Authors: Krishnan Vijaykumar , Kellaris James J. , Aurand Timothy W.
Published: January 2014

Purpose

Auditory branding is the association of a non‐verbal, auditory identity for a brand. Sonic logos, or “sogos,” are a key element of sonic branding. This paper seeks to examine the systematic influence of an objective property, the number of tones in a sogo, on consumers' willingness‐to‐pay for the associated brand.

Design/methodology/approach

A laboratory experiment was conducted to test hypotheses.

Findings

Findings suggest that the number of tones in a sogo systematically influences willingness‐to‐pay in a non‐linear manner. Sogos with very few (three) tones or numerous (nine) tones are perceived to be less valuable than sogos with a moderate number (six) tones. This influence is mediated by the fluency with which the sogos are processed.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study examines only one objective property of a sogo, it lays the theoretical foundation for a new research stream by connecting the processing fluency literature and logo literature to provide objective design guidelines for auditory branding elements. Future research could address the influence of other objective properties such as the contour (ascending/descending) of a sogo.

Practical implications

Although sogos are important and costly branding devices, their creation depends on intuition rather than objective parameters. Findings demonstrate that number of tones in a sogo systematically influences willingness‐to‐pay for the associated brand – a direct economic practical implication.

Originality/value

Despite its undeniably central role, sonic branding is a sparsely researched area. This paper demonstrates a strategic outcome for a brand leveraging sound as information.
Generative potential and the business development manager
Authors: Bantock Clinton
Published: January 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of understanding of the social processes involved in business engagement and understanding of the role of knowledge transfer practitioners. It is also to provide the first outlines of a theoretical framework of business engagement between higher education institutions and business, through the lens of complexity theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on research that explored the actions of a group of actors within a university Business School as they attempted to develop a range of business engagement activities. The data were analysed using a narrative event sequence methodology designed to deal systematically with the relationship between events occurring over time. The events were linked into a progression to create temporal maps which provided the basis for data collection and conceptual analysis.

Findings

A space of possibilities was created by participants in the faculty to engage with industry that was adjacent to the teaching and learning space. The adjacent space set out to provide the business development team different expectations they could exploit to generate new interactions beyond the boundaries of the teaching and learning space. It was for the business development team to exploit the generative potential of the adjacent space by creating emergent events which developed halting as a non‐linear progression that juxtaposed extinction and emergent events. In their interactions the business development managers had continually to reconcile the tension between compliance and generative potential through use of individual judgement.

Practical implications

In developing business engagement activity consideration should be given to the contradictory world the business development managers act within and the constraints they experience. Through the examination of the events, lessons can be learned that enhance the generative potential of the business development manager.

Originality/value

The theoretical outline of this paper provides an initial framework within which to examine the role of the business development manager.
NETS: a design tool for activating social networks
Authors: Mortati Marzia , Cruickshank Leon
Published: January 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address social network theory from the perspective of design research and propose a new conceptual approach to understanding and developing social networks. These ideas are embodied in a new strategic tool to help companies appreciate, proactively develop and exploit their social networks through visualisation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors illustrate how design‐inspired approaches can transform the understanding of social networks through a practical tool to foster innovation and transformation in and between firms. This was developed through an action‐research process and tested with 22 high‐tech, small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

Findings

Entrepreneurs are found to benefit from their network by activating the most useful nodes to solve a problem. Conceptually a sub‐group of contacts exists that are activated at different times to extract different resources, that is nodes operate depending on the use they are put to. The authors call these NETS, highly functional portions of networks that catch things. By visualising parts of a network while looking at a number of dimensions, the authors have successfully demonstrated a tool that helps the exploration of a wide variety of relationships to build a strategy for innovation.

Practical implications

The NETS concept represents a tool for facilitating innovation by helping entrepreneurs understand and exploit their social network. It fills the gap between theoretical findings in social network literature and successful application of such ideas.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the highly debated field of social networks by introducing new activities for engagement and analysis crossing the academic/outreach divide; it opens up a new interface between social networks and design research.
Kalimantan's biodiversity: developing accounting models to prevent its economic destruction
Authors: Khan Tehmina
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to explore the current and historical state of accounting for biodiversity in Kalimantan (Borneo). It is also to evaluate various models for stand-alone biodiversity reporting in the context of the work undertaken in Kalimantan by the United Nations Collaborative Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (the REDD program). Economics and politics play a dominant role in hindering biodiversity conservation in the region. This article develops and presents an integrated biodiversity measuring, monitoring and reporting model with the aim of undermining the biodiversity damaging activities in the region. The model enables the provision of comprehensive information on biodiversity to support and inform stakeholders' decision-making and economic activities in relation to Kalimantan.

Design/methodology/approach

– Kalimantan was selected as a case study site to identify the destruction of biodiversity caused by businesses driven by narrow and selfish economic motives. A number of measuring, monitoring and reporting models for biodiversity are analysed under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD's) Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership's reporting framework.

Findings

– Various social, political and economic impediments to the conservation of Kalimantan's biodiversity currently exist. A comprehensive and multifaceted framework of biodiversity reporting and disclosure needs to be implemented in order to promote accountability for Kalimantan's biodiversity. Such a framework is needed to ensure transparency in relation to the activities of stakeholders that impact biodiversity in the region. Biodiversity reporting can also promote the monitoring and control of the use of Kalimantan's land and labour by businesses. It can inform the economic decision-making at both the international and regional levels that needs to occur in order to protect and rehabilitate Kalimantan's biodiversity and biodiversity habitat.

Practical implications

– In this article an integrated biodiversity measuring, monitoring and reporting model is presented. In addition to Kalimantan, this model can also be applied to biodiversity reporting in any economically developing region that requires international intervention, investment and guidance to ensure the protection of its biodiversity. The framework developed expands on the current REDD reporting framework for Kalimantan.

Originality/value

– This is an original research paper.
Information literacy skills of secondary school students in Singapore
Authors: Foo Schubert , Majid Shaheen , Azura Mokhtar Intan , Zhang Xue , Chang Yun-Ke , Luyt Brendan , Theng Yin-Leng
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This study aimed to acquire knowledge about Singapore secondary school (ages 13 to 16 years old) students' skills in searching, evaluating and using information.

Design/methodology/approach

– A comprehensive instrument encompassing the basic information literacy (IL) skills, as well as a new dimension of ethical usage of information and collaborative information seeking was used for data collection. From August to November 2010, a total of eight schools comprising 3,164 students participated in this study.

Findings

– It was a matter of concern that various kinds of libraries, including school libraries, were found to be under-utilized. From the test that was administered to assess the IL skills of students, the results were found to be generally unsatisfactory as each of the major categories of IL skills recorded a score that is below 50 (out of a maximum of 100) except for “task definition”. For skills related to “information seeking strategies”, “location & access” and “information use”, the types of schools, academic streams of study, and students' family background seemed to have significant influences.

Originality/value

– This study is the first large-scale survey conducted in Singapore that sought to test the IL skills of secondary school students. The findings are useful in assessing the current effectiveness of IL integration, and the need for a more planned approach towards IL competency training within the school curriculum in Singapore.
Private and national brand consumers' images of fashion stores
Authors: Herstein Ram , Gilboa Shaked , Gamliel Eyal
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The present study aims to investigate the role of brand store image in the context of private and national fashion brands. The study examines two issues: do private brand consumers differ from national brand consumers in their perception of the attributes they value in their store image? And, do fashion consumers in general differ in their perception of the attributes they value in a store image?

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through a field survey comprising 395 respondents: 195 private brand consumers and 200 national brand consumers.

Findings

– Findings indicate that the two groups of consumers do not differ in their perception of store image. Cluster analysis reveals two groups of consumers: “Brand Store Image Enthusiasts” who are high in their perception of their brand store image attributes, and “Brand Store Image Indifferent” consumers who are low in their perception of their brand store image attributes. The first group was also found to have greater brand loyalty.

Practical implications

– Different marketing strategies are offered to each fashion sector. In addition, distributors in the fashion industry should build a strategy for Brand Store Image Enthusiasts who are high in their perception of all three brand store attributes. It is essential to point out the psychological meaning of the brand when appealing them.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to the consumer behavior literature by tying the well-established construct of brand store image to the fashion sector in the context of private and national labels.
Greek fiscal crisis and repercussions for the property market
Authors: Vlamis Prodromos
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The aim of the paper is to present a review of the fiscal imbalances and debt crisis in Greece and identify the possible links with the recent developments in the Greek property market.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author follows a non-technical approach to discuss a number of factors that have contributed to the fiscal crisis that Greece has been experiencing since October 2009. The author critically analyses both the “internal” causes of the deteriorating fiscal stance of the Greek economy (that is the prolonged macroeconomic imbalances that the Greek economy faces and the credibility problem of macroeconomic policy) and the “external” factors that might have contributed to the Greek fiscal crisis (that is implications of the recent financial turmoil and the timing of the response of Europe to the Greek fiscal crisis). The author then studies the extent to which fiscal imbalances and the debt crisis have affected the Greek property sector.

Findings

– The analysis indicates that the current fiscal stance of the Greek economy and the Greek property market crisis are intertwined.

Practical implications

– The author believes that these results are useful, make a contribution to the existing knowledge and provide some evidence that current economic recession has a considerable adverse effect on the property sector in Greece.

Originality/value

– One of the distinctive features of the paper is to critically discuss the direct and indirect effects of the prolonged macroeconomic imbalances on the Greek property sector. To the best of the author's knowledge, none of the existing studies in this area provides systematic treatment of the Greek fiscal crisis as a contributory factor in explaining the current crisis in the Greek property market.
Initiatives towards formation of academic library consortium in Malaysia
Authors: Mohd Hafsah , Yusof Rosnah , Umar Rohaya
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to report on several initiatives towards formation of national consortium among academic libraries in Malaysia. The consortium focused on subscription of online databases.

Design/methodology/approach

– In July 2004, CDC on behalf of PERPUN members made several initiatives towards formation of national consortium of Malaysian academic libraries. Proposal paper on the formation of the consortium has been submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education. Through “loose consortia” formed, CDC and later known as Malaysian Online E-Resources Consortium (MOLEC) succeeded in negotiating for subscription of online databases and was able to get financial aid from the Ministry of Education to subscribe several databases since 2002.

Findings

– A commercial databases committee (CDC) was formed in year 2000 as a platform for academic libraries to evaluate, select, negotiate and manage the online databases. Complications involved in online databases subscriptions such as cost increase, license agreement, various formats of usage statistics, merger and takeover of publishers have made PERPUN (Malaysian Standing Conference of National and University Libraries) realize that there is a need for a formal consortium to be formed.

Research limitations/implications

– An improved service was established for the benefit of the academic libraries in Malaysia.

Practical implications

– A more coordinated approach to consortial dealings is being established in Malaysia.

Originality/value

– This is a report on the process and outcomes.
Changes in chemical characteristics of surface soils in hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) forests induced by the invasion of exoticMoso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) in centralJapan
Authors: Umemura Mitsutoshi , Takenaka Chisato
Published: January 2014

Invasion of contiguous forests by a giant bamboo (Moso bamboo,Phyllostachys pubescens) has the potential to induce changes in the chemical characteristics of soils due to the high growth rate of this species. We evaluated the impact of bamboo invasion into hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) forests on soil properties under varying conditions of shoot density at three study sites (Kanpachi,Seto, andNoguchi) in centralJapan. We established three successive quadrats along bamboo invasion (allotted to a bamboo stand, a mixed stand of bamboo and hinoki, and a hinoki stand) at every site. Then, we measured the density and basal area of bamboo and hinoki shoots. Surface soil was sampled from each quadrat to analyzepH, water content, and exchangeable cation contents. The values of soilpHwere significantly higher in the mixed stands than the hinoki stands at all sites, showing positive correlations with exchangeableCacontents in the soil. ExchangeableKandMgcontents in the soil of the mixed stand showed significant differences compared with the hinoki stand only in Seto, but these values in the mixed stand were similar to those in the bamboo stand. This characteristic is consistent with the invasion degree determined from the density ratio of living bamboo culms to living hinoki trunks:Seto > Kanpachi > Noguchi. We conclude that increases in the soilpHdue to bamboo invasion into hinoki forests resulted in distinct and sensitive changes in the soil chemistry.
Product Differentiation with Credence Attributes and Private Labels: The Case of Whitefish in UK Supermarkets
Authors: Sogn‐Grundvåg Geir , Larsen Thomas Andre , Young James A.
Published: January 2014

The retail market for seafood is dynamic with substantial competition both amongst retailers and between private labels and national brands. New product attributes are added in attempts to differentiate products and to attract consumers. Credence attributes, in particular those related to eco‐labels and fishing method, have become more common. But little is known about how these and other credence attributes are valued in the retail market. In addition, little is known about price differences between private labels. To estimate the value of these attributes, weekly in‐store observations of selected frozen whitefish products were conducted in seven UK retail chains in the city of Glasgow. An estimated hedonic model shows a substantial price premium for fishing method (line‐caught), a premium for both home (Scottish) and non‐home country of origin (Icelandic) and a premium for the Marine Stewardship Council eco‐label. An uncertified eco‐label owned by a large seafood manufacturer leads to reduced price. The study also reveals substantial price differences between private labels for whitefish. The results contribute new insights regarding opportunities for differentiation by credence attributes which may lead to more sustainable and effective resource use along the value chain for frozen whitefish.
What Drives Marginal Abatement Costs of Greenhouse Gases on Dairy Farms? A Meta‐modelling Approach
Authors: Lengers Bernd , Britz Wolfgang , Holm‐Müller Karin
Published: January 2014

This paper examines the relationships between the marginal abatement costs (MAC) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on dairy farms and factors such as herd size, milk yield and available farm labour, on the one hand, and prices, GHG indicators and GHG reduction levels, on the other. A two‐stage Heckman procedure is used to estimate these relationships from a systematically designed set of simulations with a highly detailed mixed integer bio‐economic farm‐level model. The resulting meta‐models are then used to analyse how MAC vary across farm‐level conditions and GHG measures. We find that simpler GHG indicators lead to significantly higher MAC, and that MAC strongly increase beyond a 1–5% emission reduction, depending on farm attributes and the chosen indicator. MAC decrease rapidly with increasing farm size, but the effect levels off beyond a herd size of 40 cows. As expected, the main factors driving gross margins per dairy cow also significantly influence mitigation costs. Our results indicate high variability of MAC on real life farms. In contrast to time consuming simulations with the complex mixed integer bio‐economic programming model, the meta‐models allow the distribution of MAC in a farm population to be efficiently derived and thus could be used to upscale to regional or sector level.
High temperature slows down growth in tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta larvae) under food restriction
Authors: Hayes Matthew B. , Jiao Lihong , Tsao Tsu‐hsuan , King Ian , Jennings Michael , Hou Chen
Published: January 2014

When fed ad libitum (AL), ectothermic animals usually grow faster and have higher metabolic rate at higher ambient temperature. However, if food supply is limited, there is an energy tradeoff between growth and metabolism. Here we hypothesize that for ectothermic animals under food restriction (FR), high temperature will lead to a high metabolic rate, but growth will slow down to compensate for the high metabolism. We measure the rates of growth and metabolism of 4 cohorts of 5th instar hornworms (Manduca sexta larvae) reared at 2 levels of food supply (AL and FR) and 2 temperatures (20 and 30 °C). Our results show that, compared to the cohorts reared at 20 °C, the ones reared at 30 °C have high metabolic rates under both AL and FR conditions, but a high growth rate under AL and a low growth rate under FR, supporting this hypothesis.
Effect of Citrate Ions on the Softening of Root Crops Prepared with Freeze‐thaw Impregnation of Macerating Enzymes
Authors: Nakatsu Sayaka , Shimoda Mitsuya , Shibata Kenya , Kajihara Ryo , Ishihara Masako , Sakamoto Koji
Published: January 2014

Freeze‐thaw impregnation is a technique used for the rapid impregnation of substances into foodstuffs. Freeze‐thaw impregnation with macerating enzymes has been applied to soften foodstuffs, while retaining their original shapes and flavors. In this study, we found that co‐impregnation with citrate ions and macerating enzymes significantly facilitated the softening of root crops. When burdock roots were processed by the impregnating solution at pH 4.0–5.0, co‐impregnated burdock roots exhibited 1/6–1/3 firmness values compared with burdock roots impregnated with only enzymes. The impregnation with citrate ions alone at pH 4.0 to 5.0 did not soften burdock roots. The firmness of burdock roots was positively correlated with the amount of water‐insoluble calcium in the samples. The results suggested that the degradation of pectins by pectinolytic activities could promote contact with citrate to bridging‐calcium ions interacting with the pectin chains. Therefore, the softening by the synergistic effect of citrate ions and macerating enzymes was related to the amount of pectins contained in root crops. That is, the synergistic effect was significant with burdock roots and carrots (from which 50% of polysaccharides are pectins) unlike with lotus rhizomes and bamboo shoots (from which 30% and 10% of polysaccharides are pectins, respectively).

Practical Application

Freeze‐thaw impregnation with macerating enzymes and citrate ions can be applied for the production of care foods which can be eaten without chewing. The softened products induce the pleasure of eating for consumers because their original shapes and flavors are retained.
Using microwaves to prepare gastropods forDNAbarcoding
Authors: Galindo L. A. , Puillandre N. , Strong E. E. , Bouchet P.
Published: January 2014

ExtractingDNAfrom gastropods presents particular difficulties due to the capacity of the living animal to retract into the shell, resulting in poor penetration of the ethanol into the tissues. Because the shell is essential to establish the link between sequences and traditional taxonomic identity, cracking the shell to facilitate fixation is not ideal. Several methods are currently in routine use to overcome this difficulty, including chemical relaxation, drilling the shell and boiling. Most of these methods are time‐consuming, may be safety hazards and constitute a bottleneck in the preparation of large numbers of specimens in the field. We have experimented with a method traditionally used to clean shells that involves placing the living gastropods in a microwave (MW) oven; the electromagnetic radiation very quickly heats both the animal and the water trapped inside the shell, resulting in separation of the muscles that anchor the animal to the shell. Done properly, the body can be removed intact from the shell and the shell voucher is preserved undamaged. To test the method, the bodies of live‐collected specimens from two gastropod species were separated from their shell by microwaving and by anesthetizing/drilling. After identical extraction andPCRprocedures, the gels showed no difference inDNAquantity or quality, and the resulting sequences are identical within species. The method was then implemented on a large scale during expeditions, resulting in higher percentage ofDNAextraction success. The MWs are also effective for quickly and easily removing other molluscs from their shells, that is, bivalves and scaphopods. Workflows implementing the MW technique show a three‐ to fivefold increase in productivity compared with other methods.
Trends in the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in southern Sweden, 2003–2012
Authors: Ignell Claes , Claesson Rickard , Anderberg Eva , Berntorp Kerstin
Published: January 2014

There is accumulating evidence that gestational diabetes is a growing problem. The lack of internationally standardized diagnostic procedures prevents consistent diagnosis and the burden of gestational diabetes must be determined in country‐specific studies. In southern Sweden, gestational diabetes is defined as a 2‐h capillary plasma glucose concentration of ≥10.0 mmol/L during a universal 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test. We report the crude prevalence of gestational diabetes during the years 2003–2012. Of 156 144 women who gave birth, 2.2% were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. When the effect of time on the prevalence of gestational diabetes was assessed in a log‐linear Poisson model, an overall increase in prevalence of 35% was predicted, corresponding to an average annual increase of 3.4%. Predicted prevalence was 1.9 (95% CI 1.8–2.0) in 2003 and 2.6 (95% CI 2.4–2.7) in 2012 (p < 0.0001). Due to a simultaneous rise in birth rate, the number of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes increased by 64%.
Laparoscopic abdominosacral resection for locally advanced primary rectal cancer after treatment with mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab, followed by preoperative chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Nagasaki Toshiya , Akiyoshi Takashi , Ueno Masashi , Fukunaga Yosuke , Nagayama Satoshi , Fujimoto Yoshiya , Konishi Tsuyoshi , Yamaguchi Toshiharu
Published: January 2014

Abdominosacral resection may be the only curative procedure for locally advanced rectal cancer involving the presacral fascia or sacrum. Multimodal therapy might be necessary to prevent local and distant recurrence for such tumors. A 67‐year‐old man was diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer widely involving the right pelvic sidewall and presacral fascia near the S4/5 junction on the right posterolateral side. We performed laparoscopic abdominosacral resection (S4/5) with en bloc right lateral lymph node dissection and seminal vesicle resection to obtain a clear resection margin after systemic chemotherapy with mFOLFOX6 (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and 5‐fluorouracil) plus bevacizumab, followed by preoperative chemoradiotherapy. The total operative time was 660 min, and the estimated blood loss was 550 mL. The final pathological findings revealed no residual cancer cells (pathological complete response). Laparoscopic abdominosacral resection appears to be safe and feasible in selected patients.
Effects of different levels of protein supplementary diet on gene expressions related to intramuscular deposition in early‐weaned yaks
Authors: Zhang Hai‐bo , Wang Zhi Sheng , Peng Quan‐Hui , Tan Cui , Zou Hua‐Wei
Published: January 2014

This study was conducted to estimate different levels of protein supplementary diet on gene expressions related to intramuscular deposition in early‐weaned yaks. Results showed that supplementary dietary protein significantly increased final weight, average daily gain (ADG), intramuscular fat (IMF), serum free fatty acid (FFA), total triglycerides, total cholesterol (Ch), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) content. There was a quadratic response of ADG, IMF, FFA, Ch, HDL and LDL to dietary crude protein (CP) level. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC) enzyme activities were significantly increased by supplementary dietary CP, while hormone‐sensitive lipase (HSL) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase‐1 (CPT‐1) activities were significantly decreased. LPL, ACC and FAS enzyme activities showed quadratic increase as dietary CP increased. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ), LPL, FAS, sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP‐1), ACC, stearoyl‐CoA desaturase (SCD) and heart fatty‐acid binding protein (H‐FABP) gene expression were significantly increased by supplementary dietary CP, while HSL and CPT‐1 gene expression were significantly decreased. PPARγ, LPL, SREBP‐1, ACC and H‐FABP gene expression showed quadratic increase as dietary CP increased. These results indicated that supplementary dietary protein increased IMF accumulation mainly to increased intramuscular lipogenic gene expression and decreased lipolytic gene expression.
Increased risk of cancer in patients with early‐onset cataracts: A nationwide population‐based study
Authors: Chiang Chun Chi , Lin Cheng‐Li , Peng Chiao‐Ling , Sung Fung‐Chang , Tsai Yi‐Yu
Published: January 2014

Early‐onset cataracts are associated with insufficient antioxidative activity, and, therefore, a potential risk of cancer. This study investigated the risk of cancer after being diagnosed with early‐onset cataracts. Retrospective claims data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were analyzed. Study subjects were comprised of patients with early‐onset cataracts, aged 20–55 years (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD‐9‐CM] code 366.00, 366.01, 366.02, 366.03, 366.04, 366.09, 366.17 and 366.18) and newly diagnosed between 1997 and 2010 (n = 1281), and a comparison cohort without the disease (n = 5124). Both cohorts were followed up until 2010 to estimate the incidences of cancer. We used the Poisson regression model to compare incidence rate ratios and the 95% confidence interval (CI). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the hazard ratio (HR) of cancer associated with early‐onset cataracts. The overall incidence rate of all cancers was 2.19‐fold higher in the early‐onset cataract cohort than in the comparison cohort (8.06 vs 3.68 per 1000 person‐years) with an adjusted HR of 2.13 (95% CI = 1.48, 3.07). The site‐specific analysis also showed a strong relationship, with adjusted HR of 3.24 ((95% CI = 1.30, 8.10) for head and neck cancer, 3.29 (95% CI 1.16, 9.31) for hepatoma and 3.19 (95% CI 1.34, 7.58) for breast cancer. The present study suggests that patients with early‐onset cataracts are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer in subsequent years.
Does dental indifference influence the oral health‐related quality of life of prisoners?
Authors: Marshman Zoe , Baker Sarah R. , Robinson Peter G.
Published: January 2014

Objectives

Prisoners have worse oral health and greater unmet dental treatment needs than the general population. However, little is known about the impact of the mouth, or attitudes such as dental indifference and consequent patterns of dental service use in this disadvantaged group.

The aim was to determine whether dental indifference was associated with the oral health‐related quality of life (OHQoL) of prisoners using Andersen's behavioural model of service utilization as the theoretical framework.

Methods

The sample was male prisoners aged 20–35 years attending three prisons in the north of England. Participants took part in interviews and oral examinations. The variables were selected to populate Andersen's model including: predisposing characteristics (socioeconomic status), enabling resources (dental indifference and dental attendance patterns before prison), perceived need (perceived treatment need, satisfaction with appearance of teeth, global rating of oral health), evaluated need (number of decayed teeth), health behaviours (use of dental services while in prison) and health outcomes (OHQoL). Structural equation modelling was used to estimate direct and indirect pathways between variables.

Results

Of the 700 men approached, 659 completed the interview and clinical examination. Worse OHQoL was associated with less dental indifference (i.e. greater interest in oral health), previous regular use of dental services, perceived need for treatment and use of prison dental services. The number of decayed teeth and predisposing factors such as qualifications and employment did not predict OHQoL.

Conclusions

Dental indifference was related to the OHQoL of prisoners in addition to previous regular use of dental services, a perceived need for treatment and use of dental services while in prison. Dental services in prisons might incorporate methods to address dental indifference in their attempts to improve oral health. The findings also have general implications for the assessment of population oral health needs.
Suicidal ideation and self‐harm among youths in Norway: associations with verbal, physical and sexual abuse
Authors: Mossige Svein , Huang Lihong , Straiton Malanie , Roen Katrina
Published: January 2014

Using data from a national survey (n = 6979) of young people in their last year in Norwegian secondary schools in 2007 (aged 18–19), this paper explores the relationship between sexual abuse and experiences of violence among young people in Norway and their reporting of suicidal ideation and self‐harm. This investigation includes three types of abuse experienced by young people: non‐physical, physical and sexual. We investigate suicidal ideation and two types of self‐harming behaviour: non‐suicidal self‐injury and suicidal self‐injury. The analyses that are reported involve descriptive analysis, chi‐square and t‐tests, and logistic regression. The hypothesis that was confirmed by the analysis was that being subject to sexual abuse or other violence was associated with increased risk of self‐harm. The hypothesis that was partially supported by the analysis was that violence experienced during childhood would have more effect on suicidal ideation and self‐harm than violence experienced at a later age. Contrary to our expectations, it was found that peer bullying has a stronger effect on young people's suicidal ideation and self‐harming behaviours than sexual abuse or physical violence. The implications of these findings for practitioners working with children and youth involve raising awareness about the long‐term effects of verbal, physical, sexual and witnessed abuse.