bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond early development: observing zebrafish over 6 weeks with hybrid optical and optoacoustic imaging
Authors: Vetschera Paul , Koberstein-Schwarz Benno , Schmitt-Manderbach Tobias , Dietrich Christian , Hellmich Wibke , Chekkoury Andrei , Symvoulidis Panagiotis , Reber Josefine , Westmeyer Gil , López-Schier Hernán , Omar Murad , Ntziachristos Vasilis
Published: March 2019

Zebrafish animal models have traditionally been used in developmental biology studies but have recently become promising models of cancer, tissue regeneration and metabolic disorders, as well as efficient platforms for functional genomics and phenotype-based drug discovery. Most studies of zebrafish have examined only the embryonic or larval stages of development, yet many questions in developmental biology and biomedicine require analysis of adults, when zebrafish are large and opaque. Conventional microscopy methods are highly sensitive to light scattering and therefore cannot be applied to zebrafish older than a few weeks. We describe a novel multi-modality system that can observe zebrafish from the larval stage to adulthood. Using a hybrid platform for concurrent selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) and optoacoustic mesoscopy we show continuous imaging of fish growth over 47 days of development at a similar object size-to-resolution ratio. Using multiple wavelength illumination over the visible and short-wavelength infrared regions, we reveal that the optoacoustic method can follow GFP-based contrast used in SPIM, enabling molecular imaging interrogation in adult fish. Moreover we optoacoustically reveal many other features of zebrafish based on optical contrast not present in SPIM, including contrast from endogenous blood, water and lipids. The hybrid method presented can extend optical imaging to adult zebrafish employed as model systems for studying long-term processes in development, cancer, diabetes and other disorders.
Recovery of trait heritability from whole genome sequence data
Authors: Wainschtein Pierrick , Jain Deepti , Zheng Zhili ,   TOPMed Anthropometry Working Group,   NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Consortium, Cupples L. Adrienne , Shadyab Aladdin H. , McKnight Barbara , Shoemaker Benjamin M. , Mitchell Braxton D. , Psaty Bruce M. , Kooperberg Charles , Liu Ching-Ti , Albert Christine M. , Roden Dan , Chasman Daniel I. , Darbar Dawood , Lloyd-Jones Donald M , Arnett Donna K. , Regan Elizabeth A. , Boerwinkle Eric , Rotter Jerome I. , O’Connell Jeffrey R. , Yanek Lisa R. , de Andrade Mariza , Allison Matthew A. , McDonald Merry-Lynn N. , Chung Mina K , Fornage Myriam , Chami Nathalie , Smith Nicholas L. , Ellinor Patrick T. , Vasan Ramachandran S. , Mathias Rasika A. , Loos Ruth J.F. , Rich Stephen S. , Lubitz Steven A. , Heckbert Susan R. , Redline Susan , Guo Xiuqing , Chen Y.-D Ida , Laurie Cecelia A. , Hernandez Ryan D. , McGarvey Stephen T. , Goddard Michael E. , Laurie Cathy C. , North Kari E. , Lange Leslie A. , Weir Bruce S. , Yengo Loic , Yang Jian , Visscher Peter M.
Published: March 2019

Heritability, the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by genetic factors, can be estimated from pedigree data 1, but such estimates are uninformative with respect to the underlying genetic architecture. Analyses of data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on unrelated individuals have shown that for human traits and disease, approximately one-third to two-thirds of heritability is captured by common SNPs 2–5. It is not known whether the remaining heritability is due to the imperfect tagging of causal variants by common SNPs, in particular if the causal variants are rare, or other reasons such as overestimation of heritability from pedigree data. Here we show that pedigree heritability for height and body mass index (BMI) appears to be largely recovered from whole-genome sequence (WGS) data on 25,465 unrelated individuals of European ancestry. We assigned 33.7 million genetic variants to groups based upon their minor allele frequencies (MAF) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) with variants nearby, and estimated and partitioned genetic variance accordingly. The estimated heritability was 0.68 (SE 0.10) for height and 0.30 (SE 0.10) for BMI, with a range of ~0.60 – 0.71 for height and ~0.25 – 0.35 for BMI, depending on quality control and analysis strategies. Low-MAF variants in low LD with neighbouring variants were enriched for heritability, to a greater extent for protein-altering variants, consistent with negative selection thereon. Cumulatively variants with 0.0001 < MAF < 0.1 explained 0.47 (SE 0.07) and 0.30 (SE 0.10) of heritability for height and BMI, respectively. Our results imply that rare variants, in particular those in regions of low LD, is a major source of the still missing heritability of complex traits and disease.
Magnus Representation of Genome Sequences
Authors: Wu Chengyuan , Ren Shiquan , Wu Jie , Xia Kelin
Published: March 2019

We introduce an alignment-free method, the Magnus Representation, to analyze genome sequences. The Magnus Representation captures higher-order information in genome sequences. We combine our approach with the idea ofk-mers to define an effectively computable Mean Magnus Vector. We perform phylogenetic analysis on three datasets: mosquito-borne viruses, filoviruses, and bacterial genomes. Our results on ebolaviruses are consistent with previous phylogenetic analyses, and confirm the modern viewpoint that the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak likely originated from Central Africa. Our analysis also confirms the close relationship betweenBundibugyo ebolavirusandTaï Forest ebolavirus. For bacterial genomes, our method is able to classify relatively well at the family and genus level, as well as at higher levels such as phylum level. The bacterial genomes are also separated well into Gram-positive and Gram-negative subgroups.
Bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging reveals translationally active subpopulations of the cystic fibrosis lung microbiota
Authors: Valentini Talia D. , Lucas Sarah K. , Binder Kelsey A. , Cameron Lydia C. , Motl Jason A. , Dunitz Jordan M. , Hunter Ryan C.
Published: March 2019

Culture-independent studies of cystic fibrosis lung microbiota have provided few mechanistic insights into the polymicrobial basis of disease. Deciphering the specific contributions of individual taxa to CF pathogenesis requires a comprehensive understanding of theirin situecophysiology. We applied bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), a ‘click’ chemistry-based metabolic labeling approach, to quantify and visualize translational activity among CF microbiota. Using BONCAT-based fluorescent imaging on sputum collected from stable CF subjects, we reveal that only a subset of bacteria are translationally active. We also combined BONCAT with fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to assign taxonomy to the active subpopulation and found that the most dominant taxa are indeed translationally active. On average, only ∼12-18% of bacterial cells were BONCAT labeled, suggesting a heterogeneous growth strategy widely employed by most airway microbiota. Differentiating translationally active populations from those that are dormant adds to our evolving understanding of the polymicrobial basis of CF lung disease and may help guide patient-specific therapeutic strategies targeting active bacterial populations that are most likely to be susceptible.
Direct genome editing of patient-derived xenografts using CRISPR-Cas9 enables rapid in vivo functional genomics
Authors: Hulton Christopher H. , Costa Emily A. , Shah Nisargbhai S. , Quintanal-Villalonga Alvaro , Heller Glenn , Stanchina Elisa de , Rudin Charles M. , Poirier John T
Published: March 2019

Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) constitute a powerful set of preclinical models for in vivo cancer research, reflecting the spectrum of genomic alterations and therapeutic liabilities of human cancers1-4. In contrast to either cancer cell lines or genetically engineered mouse models, the utility of PDXs has been limited by the inability to perform targeted genome editing of these tumors. To address this limitation, we have generated a lentiviral platform for CRISPR-Cas9 editing of PDXs using a tightly regulated, inducible Cas9 vector that does not require in vitro culture for selection of transduced cells. We demonstrate the utility of this platform in PDXs (1) to analyze genetic dependencies by targeted gene disruption and (2) to analyze mechanisms of acquired drug resistance by site-specific gene editing using templated homology-directed repair. This flexible system has broad application to other explant models and substantially augments the utility of PDXs as genetically programmable models of human cancer.
Low-background Acyl-biotinyl Exchange Largely Eliminates the Co-isolation of Non-S-acylated Proteins and Enables Deep S-acylproteomic Analysis
Authors: Zhou Bo , Wang Yang , Yan Yiwu , Mariscal Javier , Di Vizio Dolores , Freeman Michael R. , Yang Wei
Published: March 2019

ProteinS-acylation (also called palmitoylation) is a common post-translational modification whose deregulation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Acyl-biotinyl exchange (ABE), a widely used method for the enrichment ofS-acylated proteins, has the potential of capturing the entireS-acylproteome in any types of biological samples. Here, we showed that current ABE methods suffer from high background arising from the co-isolation of non-S-acylated proteins. The background can be substantially reduced by an additional blockage of residual free cysteine residues with 2,2’-dithiodipyridine prior to biotin-HPDP reaction. Coupling the low-background ABE (LB-ABE) method with label-free quantitative proteomics, 2,895 high-confidence candidateS-acylated proteins (including 1,591 knownS-acylated proteins) were identified from human prostate cancer LNCaP cells, representing so-far the largestS-acylproteome dataset identified in a single study. Immunoblotting analysis confirmed theS-acylation of five known and five novel prostate cancer-relatedS-acylated proteins in LNCaP cells and suggested that theirS-acylation levels were about 0.6-1.8%. In summary, the LB-ABE method largely eliminates the co-isolation of non-S-acylated proteins and enables deepS-acylproteomic analysis. It is expected to facilitate much more comprehensive and accurate quantification ofS-acylproteomes than previous ABE methods.
A major role for Eco1 in regulating cohesin-mediated mitotic chromosome folding
Authors: Dauban Lise , Montagne Rémi , Thierry Agnès , Lazar-Stefanita Luciana , Gadal Olivier , Cournac Axel , Koszul Romain , Beckouët Frederic
Published: March 2019

Understanding how chromatin organizes spatially into chromatid and how sister chromatids are maintained together during mitosis is of fundamental importance in chromosome biology. Cohesin, a member of the Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complex family, holds sister chromatids together 1–3 and promotes long-range intra-chromatid DNA looping 4,5. These cohesin-mediated DNA loops are important for both higher-order mitotic chromatin compaction6,7 and, in some organisms, compartmentalization of chromosomes during interphase into topologically associating domains (TADs) 8,9. Our understanding of the mechanism(s) by which cohesin generates large DNA loops remains incomplete. It involves a combination of molecular partners and active expansion/extrusion of DNA loops. Here we dissect the roles on loop formation of three partners of the cohesin complex: Pds5 10, Wpl1 11 and Eco1 acetylase 12, during yeast mitosis. We identify a new function for Eco1 in negatively regulating cohesin translocase activity, which powers loop extrusion. In the absence of negative regulation, the main barrier to DNA loop expansion appears to be the centromere. Those results provide new insights on the mechanisms regulating cohesin dependent DNA looping.
Gene-level quantitative trait mapping in an expandedC. elegansmultiparent experimental evolution panel
Authors: Noble Luke M. , Rockman Matthew V. , Teotónio Henrique
Published: March 2019

TheCaenorhabditis elegansmultiparental experimental evolution (CeMEE) panel is a collection of genome-sequenced, cryopreserved recombinant inbred lines useful for mapping the genetic basis and evolution of quantitative traits. We have expanded the resource with new lines and new populations, and here report updated additive and epistatic mapping simulations and the genetic and haplotypic composition of CeMEE version 2. Additive QTL explaining 3% of trait variance are detected with >80% power, and the median detection interval is around the length of a single gene on the highly recombinant chromosome arms. Although CeMEE populations are derived from a long-term evolution experiment, genetic structure is dominated by variation present in the ancestral population and is not obviously associated with phenotypic differentiation.C. elegansprovides exceptional experimental advantages for the study of phenotypic evolution.
Phase separation of zonula occludens proteins drives formation of tight junctions
Authors: Beutel Oliver , Maraspini Riccardo , Pombo-Garcia Karina , Martin-Lemaitre Cécilie , Honigmann Alf
Published: March 2019

Tight junctions are cell adhesion complexes that seal tissues and are involved in cell polarity and signalling. Supra-molecular assembly and positioning of tight junctions as continuous networks of adhesion strands is dependent on the two membrane associated scaffolding proteins ZO1 and ZO2. To understand how ZO proteins organize junction assembly, we performed quantitative cell biology andin vitroreconstitution experiments. We discovered that ZO proteins self-organize membrane attached compartments via phase separation. We identified the multivalent interactions of the conserved PDZ-SH3-GuK supra-domain as the driver of phase separation. These interactions are regulated by phosphorylation and intra-molecular binding. Formation of condensed ZO protein compartments is sufficient to specifically enrich and localize tight junction proteins including adhesion receptors, cytoskeletal adapters and transcription factors. Our results suggest that an active phase transition of ZO proteins into a condensed membrane bound compartment drives claudin polymerization and coalescence of a continuous tight junction belt.
Near-optimal combination of disparity across a log-polar scaled visual field
Authors: Maiello Guido , Chessa Manuela , Bex Peter J. , Solari Fabio
Published: March 2019

The human visual system is foveated: we can see fine spatial details in central vision, whereas resolution is poor in our peripheral visual field, and this loss of resolution follows an approximately logarithmic decrease. Additionally, our brain organizes visual input in polar coordinates. Therefore, the image projection occurring between retina and primary visual cortex can be mathematically described by the log-polar transform. Here, we test and model how this space-variant visual processing affects how we process binocular disparity, a key component of human depth perception. We observe that the fovea preferentially processes disparities at fine spatial scales, whereas the visual periphery is tuned for coarse spatial scales, in line with the naturally occurring distributions of depths and disparities in the real-world. We further show that the visual field integrates disparity information across the visual field, in a near-optimal fashion. We develop a foveated, log-polar model that mimics the processing of depth information in primary visual cortex and that can process disparity directly in the cortical domain representation. This model takes real images as input and recreates the observed topography of disparity sensitivity in man. Our findings support the notion that our foveated, binocular visual system has been moulded by the statistics of our visual environment.

Author summary

We investigate how humans perceive depth from binocular disparity at different spatial scales and across different regions of the visual field. We show that small changes in disparity-defined depth are detected best in central vision, whereas peripheral vision best captures the coarser structure of the environment. We also demonstrate that depth information extracted from different regions of the visual field is combined into a unified depth percept. We then construct an image-computable model of disparity processing that takes into account how our brain organizes the visual input at our retinae. The model operates directly in cortical image space, and neatly accounts for human depth perception across the visual field.
A Simple way to Improve a Conventional A/O-MBR for High Simultaneous Carbon and Nutrients Removal from Synthetic Municipal Wastewater
Authors: Dome Adoonsook , Chang Chia-Yuan , Aunnop Wongrueng , Chayakorn Pumas
Published: March 2019

In this study, two anoxic-oxic-MBR systems (conventional and biofilm) were operated in parallel under complete SRT to compare system performance and microbial community composition. Moreover, with the microbial communities, comparisons were made between adhesive stage and suspended stage. High average removal of COD, NH4+-N and TN was achieved in both systems. However, TP removal efficiency was remarkably higher in BF-A/O-MBR when compared with C-A/O-MBR. TP mass balance analysis suggested that under complete SRT, sponges play a key role in both phosphorus release and accumulation. The qPCR analysis showed that sponge biomass could maintain higher abundance of total bacteria than suspended sludge. Meanwhile, AOB and denitrifiers were enriched in the suspended sludge rather than the sponge biomass. Results of pyrosequencing reveal that the compacted sponge in BF-A/O-MBR could promote the growth of bacteria involved in nutrient removal and reduce the filamentous and bacterial related to membrane fouling in the suspended sludge.
Poor seed quality, reduced germination, and decreased seedling vigor in soybean is linked to exposure of the maternal lines to drought stress
Authors: Wijewardana Chathurika , Reddy K. Raja , Krutz L. Jason , Gao Wei , Bellaloui Nacer
Published: March 2019

Effects of environmental stressors on the parent may be transmitted to the F1 generation of plants that support global food, oil, and energy production for humans and animals. This study was conducted to determine if the effects of drought stress on parental soybean plants are transmitted to the F1 generation. The germination and seedling vigor of F1 soybean whose maternal parents, Asgrow AG5332 and Progeny P5333RY, were exposed to soil moisture stress, that is, 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20% replacement of evapotranspiration (ET) during reproductive growth, were evaluated under controlled conditions. Pooled over cultivars, effects of soil moisture stress on the parents caused a reduction in the seed germination rate, maximum seed germination, and overall seedling performance in the F1 generation. The effect of soil moisture stress on the parent induced an irreversible change in the seed quality in the F1 generation and the effects on seed quality in the F1 generation were exasperated when exposed to increasing levels of drought stress. Results indicate that seed weight and storage reserve are key factors influencing germination traits and seedling growth. Our data confirm that the effects of drought stress on soybean are transferable, causing reduced germination, seedling vigor, and seed quality in the F1 generation.
Computational prediction and analysis of very high risk single nucleotide polymorphisms in human cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase gene
Authors: Benet Bosco Dhas D , Rajalakshmi K , Suganya S , Pavani P , Yaswanth K
Published: March 2019

Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) is a highly polymorphic gene which is involved in metabolism of drugs and steroids through transfer of electron from NADPH to all CYP enzymes. In this study, we attempt to identify the very high risk single nucleotide polymorphisms in POR gene that would affect phenotype of the enzyme. The genetic variants in POR gene were retrieved from databases and analyzed with appropriate online computation tools. Very high risk non-synonymous SNPs were identified with 12 different sequence and structure homology based tools and evolutionary conservation tool (Consurf). Further the phenotype effect of the variant was assessed with MutPred2 and LigPlot. The very high risk non-coding variants were predicted with HaploReg V4 and RegulomeDB tools. The very high risk SNPs that may affect miRNA target sites were screened using PolymiRTs v3.0, miRNA SNP v2.0 and MirSNP. Among 4,601 variants in POR gene, 58 missense variants, 8 non-coding variants and three SNPs in miRNA target sites were found to be very high risk. These very high risk variants may regulate the expression and activity of cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase enzyme leading to differential drug and steroid metabolism by CYP enzymes.
Design and control of a climbing robot for inspection of high mast lighting
Authors: Li Peng , Duan Xingguang , Sun Guangli , Li Xiang , Zhou Yang , Liu Yunhui
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a climbing robot to help people inspect lamps of high-mast lighting.

Design/methodology/approach

The robot consists of driving mechanism, suspension mechanism and compression mechanism. The driving mechanism is realized by link chains and sprockets, which are arranged opposite to each other, to form a dual caterpillar mechanism. The compression mechanism squeezes the caterpillar, and rubber feet “grasps” the steel rope to generate enough adhesion forces. The suspension mechanism is used to compensate the contraction or extension of the chains. The robot is equipped with a DC motor with a rated power of 250 W and a wireless module to communicate with the operator’s console. The dynamic model of the robot and the control strategy is derived, and the stability of the controller is proofed.

Findings

The payload experiment shows the robot can afford up to 3.7 times payload versus its own weight. Even when the payload is 30 kg, the robot can maintain a speed of the 1 m/s. The experiments also show that the tracking error of the robot reaches zero.

Practical implications

The proposed moving mechanism has a high load/weight ratio, which is a verified solution for the cable inspection purpose.

Originality/value

A rope climbing robot for high mast lighting inspection is proposed. The developed mechanism can reach a speed of 1 m/s with the payload of 30 kg, while its own weight is only 15.6 kg. The payload/weight ratio of the robot is 2.24; this value is rather good in many climbing robots reported in other renowned journal.
A hybrid conjugated method for assembly sequence generation and explode view generation
Authors: Bahubalendruni M.V.A. Raju , Gulivindala Anil , Kumar Manish , Biswal Bibhuti Bhusan , Annepu Lakshumu Naidu
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient hybrid method that can collectively address assembly sequence generation (ASG) and exploded view generation (EVG) problem effectively. ASG is an act of finding feasible collision free movement of components of a mechanical product in accordance with the assembly design. Although the execution of ASG is complex and time-consuming in calculation, it is highly essential for efficient manufacturing process. Because of numerous limitations of the ASG algorithms, a definite method is still unavailable in the computer-aided design (CAD) software, and therefore the explosion of the product is not found to be in accordance with any feasible disassembly sequence (disassembly sequence is reverse progression of assembly sequence). The existing EVG algorithms in the CAD software result in visualization of the entire constituent parts of the product over single screen without taking into consideration the feasible order of assembly operations; thus, it becomes necessary to formulate an algorithm which effectively solves ASG and EVG problem in conjugation. This requirement has also been documented as standard in the “General Information Concerning Patents: 1.84 Standards for drawings” in the United States Patent and Trademark office (2005) which states that the exploded view created for any product should show the relationship or order of assembly of various parts that are permissible.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a unique ASG method has been proposed and is further extended for EVG. The ASG follows a deterministic approach to avoid redundant data collection and calculation. The proposed method is effectively applied on products which require such feasible paths of disassembly other than canonical directions.

Findings

The method is capable of organizing the assembly operations as linear or parallel progression of assembly such that the assembly task is completed in minimum number of stages. This result is further taken for EVG and is found to be proven effective.

Originality/value

Assembly sequence planning (ASP) is performed most of the times considering the geometric feasibility along canonical axes without considering parallel possibility of assembly operations. In this paper, the proposed method is robust to address this issue. Exploded view generation considering feasible ASP is also one of the novel approaches illustrated in this paper.
Helping autistic women thrive
Authors: Zener Dori
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline a clinical framework developed for autistic women. INVEST (Identify Needs, Validate, Educate, Strengthen and Thrive) is a strengths-based neurodiversity therapeutic approach. Autistic individuals are treated with respect and are believed to have the capacity to make meaningful changes in their lives.

Design/methodology/approach

The author’s clinical experiences working as an individual, couple and family therapist specializing in girls and women with autism inform this paper. The innovative therapeutic approach will be described including reasons for seeking therapy, the theoretical underpinnings and case examples that bring each component of INVEST to life.

Findings

Women with autism are very responsive to a therapeutic process that validates their experiences. Helping individuals and their support systems learn more about autism and their unique profile can enhance understanding and self-acceptance. Strategies to increase emotional awareness and reduce victimization are emphasized. Understanding sensory triggers and executive functioning challenges enable individuals to make useful adaptations. Building skills and setting parameters on time and energy help to stave off autistic burnout.

Practical implications

The impact of the INVEST model goes beyond the therapist’s office and can be applied to multiple settings. All professionals have the opportunity to treat autistic women with respect, validation and an assumption of competence.

Originality/value

Clinical program are scarce for individuals with autism, especially women. The INVEST model is the beginning of a discussion of what can help autistic women thrive.
The impact of customer equity drivers on loyalty intentions among Chinese banking customers
Authors: Razzaq Zohaib , Razzaq Ali , Yousaf Salman , Akram Umair , Hong Zhao
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The implementation of customer equity drivers (CED) as a crucial marketing tactic to surge customer loyalty intentions has received a considerable importance in the literature. However, most of the research done in the past has mainly centralized around western societies. To make it even more interesting is the fact that the significance of customer emotions has been ignored by the previous studies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper to explore the impacts of CED on loyalty intentions along with exploring the moderating role of customer emotions (positive emotions and negative emotions).

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 661 Chinese banking customers was collected by making the use of store-intercept survey design. The gathered data were then utilized to empirically validate the proposed model by making the use of hierarchical moderated regression.

Findings

Loyalty intentions were found to be driven by emotions of Chinese banking customers. Consequently, in order to better forecast the loyalty intentions of the customers, the emotional aspect is vital and therefore should be incorporated along with other cognitive aspects (value equity, brand equity and relationship equity).

Practical implications

The managers of the banks should make every effort to make the visit of their customers as pleasant as possible as the emotional responses of customers have a significant impact on the formation of loyalty intentions.

Originality/value

The current study holds its unique contribution by including emotions in the service-oriented settings.
Exploring the bank selection criteria in India: scale development and validation
Authors: Arora Sangeeta , Kaur Harpreet
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop, measure and empirically validate a scale that captures the full dimensionality of selection attributes considered by customers when choosing a bank.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus group interviews were conducted and a well-structured questionnaire was designed. The validity of this scale was tested in accordance with the psychometric scale development procedure.

Findings

Contrary to some assertions in past literature, the results suggested service delivery and cost/price as among the most important determinants of the bank selection decisions of consumers.

Practical implications

The practical implications drawn from this study involve the seven constructs which could be adopted by the bank managers, advertising executives and marketing experts in providing good quality services resulting in overall higher levels of customer satisfaction. These decision makers can apply the constructs from the study to identify factors most appealing to both potential and existing customers and build up effective marketing strategies to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

Originality/value

This research paper signifies the leading studies for advancing a validated tool to measure the customers’ selection decisions for banks. As a result, this valid and reliable scale would bring standardization to research conducted in the field of bank selection attributes.
Making educational organizations able to change: a literature review
Authors: Palumbo Rocco , Manna Rosalba
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Educational organizations have to continuously adapt their structures, processes and practices to meet the evolving institutional and social challenges raised by the external environment. From this point of view, organizational change is a fundamental ingredient of the recipe for success in educational management. The purpose of this paper is to contextualize organizational change to educational institutions, pointing out its determinants, barriers and consequences.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was performed. On the whole, it concerned 330 scientific contributions. Manuscripts were searched in two large citation databases. Tailored selection and inclusion criteria were designed in order to exclusively focus on papers investigating organizational change dynamics in the educational environment. In sum, 41 contributions were included in this literature review.

Findings

Organizational change in the educational context paves the way for various managerial challenges. First, the internal and external triggers of change should be concomitantly handled, in order to curb isomorphic pressures and steer organizational evolution. Second, specific strategies should be implemented to overcome the barriers to organizational change, including ambiguity and uncertainty. Finally, yet importantly, the side effects of organizational change should be recognized, in an attempt to attenuate their drawbacks on employees’ working conditions.

Practical implications

Organizational change should be understood as an iterative process, rather than as a circumscribed event. Educational managers should design specific approaches and deploy ad hoc tools to effectively implement organizational change.

Originality/value

This study attempts to systemize the current scientific literature about organizational change in the field of educational management, illuminating some intriguing avenues for further research.
Broad span of supply chain integration: theory development
Authors: Perdana Yandra Rahadian , Ciptono Wakhid Slamet , Setiawan Kusdhianto
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how theoretical lenses have been used to analyze the supply chain integration (SCI) theory. Furthermore, this paper elaborates theories derived from SCI research, in the form of propositions and a framework to explain the concept of the broader span of SCI.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a systematic review of 194 research articles from Q1 to Q4 international journals over the period 1980–2017. Issues are explored under the integration keywords: “supply chain integration,” “internal integration,” “supplier integration,” “customer integration,” “third party logistics integration” and “logistics service provider integration.”

Findings

Conceptually, SCI can be interpreted as a span that illustrates the internal integration of the focal organization, and the integration of the focal organization with suppliers, logistics service providers (LSPs) and customers. However, the result from the systematic literature review shows the SCI’s span still neglects LSPs. Based on that gap, a resource-based view (RBV) integrated with the resource dependence theory (RDT) is used to propose a broader SCI span that consists of internal, supplier, LSP and customer. Using both theories, this paper conceptualizes resources, dependence and uncertainty as the antecedents of the broader span of SCI.

Originality/value

This paper provides a theoretical contribution that integrates the RBV and RDT as a basis for developing the broader span of SCI.
Imperative challenge for luxury brands
Authors: Kim Jung-Hwan
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether any differences exist between high- and low/middle-income Generation Y luxury consumers in terms of their service quality perceptions on luxury fashion brands’ own official e-commerce sites.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focused on actual luxury consumers who purchased luxury fashion items from luxury fashion brands’ e-commerce sites. An online survey asked participants to evaluate their perceptions of e-service attributes available on luxury fashion brands’ own official e-commerce sites based on their experience with the site. A total of 123 usable respondents obtained.

Findings

Of the nine e-service quality dimensions identified, efficiency and web appearance were significant dimensions affecting high-income Generation Y luxury fashion consumers’ overall e-satisfaction. For low/middle-income Generation Y luxury fashion consumers, order/delivery management, personalization and trust were crucial factors that affected overall e-satisfaction.

Originality/value

Despite the growth of luxury e-commerce sales and the increasing interest in luxury consumption by consumers from a variety of demographic groups, little research has focused on how luxury consumers perceive luxury brands’ own official e-commerce site and how luxury fashion brands develop their own e-commerce sites to meet demographically dissimilar customers’ necessities. The findings of the study provide valuable practical implications to luxury fashion brands by proving that luxury consumers are unalike and that their perceptions on e-service quality are dissimilar based on different income levels.
The performance of Islamic banks during the 2008 global financial crisis
Authors: Hussien Mohammed Ebrahim , Alam Md. Mahmudul , Murad Md. Wahid , Wahid Abu N.M.
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the profitability performance of Islamic banks (IBs) of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region during 2008 global financial crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

Bank-specific data are taken from the Bank Scope database and macroeconomic data are collected from International Financial Statistics. Using a panel data series of 30 banks for the period of 2005 to 2011, the study shows the evidence of structural break for the crisis year as well as the factors that impact the profitability of IBs.

Findings

The performance of GCC IBs was significantly influenced during the crisis period by capital adequacy, credit risk, financial risk, operational efficiency, liquidity, bank size, gross domestic product, growth rate of money supply, bank sector development and inflation rate. The study also finds that there is a structural change before and after the global financial crisis.

Originality/value

This is an original study that shows that the Sharīʿah-compliant banks have performed better during the crisis and are not affected based on their internal performance records; rather, they have been affected indirectly from the macro shock owing to the overall economic crisis.
Academic malaise among future Muslim accountants: role of piety
Authors: Nahar Hairul Suhaimi
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine two specific research issues among future members of the Malaysian accountancy profession. First, it explores the extent of committed academic dishonesty (AD) among accounting students in two institutions of higher learning in which Islamic orientation and emphasis are observably different. Second, it investigates whether pious accounting students are dishonesty-resistant, premising the investigation on the maintained assumption based on the Islamic religious scriptures that piety should be placed at the forefront of the crusade against academic malaise particularly AD.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a questionnaire survey to measure both AD and piety, the usable responses were analyzed using mean score and independent sample t-tests.

Findings

The results indicate that AD practices are within the safe and non-disturbing limit. The results on piety which form the crux of the research suggest that findings are sensitive to different piety measurement, indicating the need for a refine piety proxy in future Islamic piety research.

Originality/value

Notwithstanding the small sample based on only two universities, the results provide a critical basis for reality check and policy input on issues relating to AD and piety for all stakeholders, particularly in designing the relevant and necessary trainings and relevant policy formulation in addressing integrity issues in accounting education.
Performance measurement in Australian water utilities. Current state and future directions
Authors: Akimov Alexandr , Simshauser Paul
Published: March 2019

Ensuring universal and affordable water supply is a central objective of government. An efficient water supply sector plays a primary role in ensuring this objective is met. Scale economies and capital‐intensive immobile assets means monopoly emerges as the dominant organizational form, and when combined with an essential character, a strong case exists for economic and technical regulation. Yet diversity in water service provider scale means economic regulation, which is costly, is not always viable. A comprehensive performance monitoring and reporting regime for water service providers is thus crucial. It is crucial for oversight of unregulated entities, and for regulated entities in generating competition by comparison. In this article, we undertake an expansive literature review and summarize approaches to performance measurement by the water industry. Academic literature reveals researchers have centered their approach using comprehensive methods such as data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis. With the exception of the Victorian Essential Services Commission, the Australian Industry persists with partial indicators. Given water and sewerage price increases of more than 100% in real terms from 2005 to 2014, we find a strong case for implementing advanced methods to address the task of providing a holistic picture of utility performance.
Genetic predisposition to gestational glucose metabolism and gestational diabetes mellitus risk in a Chinese population
Authors: Xie Kaipeng , Zhang Yue , Wen Juan , Chen Ting , Kong Jing , Zhang Jinyu , Wu Xiaoli , Hu Chen , Xu Bo , Ji Chenbo , Guo Xirong , Wu Jiangping
Published: March 2019

Background

Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genetic variants affecting gestational glucose metabolism. However, information regarding their known associations with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk remains scarce.

Methods

This study examined the associations of 12 gestational glucose metabolism‐related variants with GDM risk in a Chinese population (964 GDM cases, 1021 controls). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by logistic regression analysis.

Results

Rs10830963 in melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) was found to be associated with an increased risk of GDM, after adjusting for age, prepregnancy body mass index, parity, abnormal pregnancy history, and family history of diabetes (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.05‐1.36; P = 0.007). Compared with women with a family history of diabetes, there was a significant association of rs7936247 with GDM risk among pregnant women without a family history of diabetes (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.04‐1.38; P = 0.014; Pheterogeneity = 0.035). Further functional annotations showed that rs10830963 and rs7936247 fell in the functional elements of human pancreatic islets. Genotype‐phenotype associations indicated that the variants may contribute to GDM risk by affecting the expression of nearby or distant genes.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that rs10830963 and rs7936247 may be markers for susceptibility to GDM in a Chinese population. Additional studies are warranted to validate our findings and clarify the underlying mechanism.
The construction of accountant identity in a transitioning economy: the case of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Lisa‐Uyen
Published: March 2019

This study investigates the complex and multi‐faceted ways in which Vietnamese accountants have (re)constructed their occupational identity within a context of ongoing socio‐political and economic development. The concept of ‘identity work’ and Bourdieu's notions of field, habitus and capital guide the investigation, with the evidence base comprising a series of interviews with Vietnamese accountants. Three interpretive schemes are identified as ‘operating principles’ that characterise accountants’ identity construction. These patterns are outcomes of the negotiations of accountants with their respective institutional environment in which accountants’ negotiating power is fuelled by their experience (habitus) and capital (economic, social and cultural capital).
Monetary policy responses of Asian countries to spillovers from US monetary policy
Authors: Pham Trinh T. T. , Nguyen Phuc T.
Published: March 2019

Regional integration in Asia has been considerably enhanced over the past 20 years or so. Whether integration helps Asian countries reduce their vulnerability to external shocks or is a channel for spreading external shocks remains an open question. This paper assesses the spillovers from US monetary policy shocks to Asian countries while taking into account country‐specific characteristics in explaining differences in timing and magnitude of responses across Asian countries. The results indicate that policy interest rates in Asian countries generally respond to innovations in the Fed rate in the same direction, but typically with a lag of one quarter. However, the size of the responses varies across Asian countries with respect to country‐specific characteristics. These results suggest that an independent monetary policy may not be feasible for an Asian developing country that adopts a pegged rate regime while being extensively integrated into the world economy. However, the hypothesis of the impossible trinity may not be relevant in the case of China.
Perpetrator effects of ciclosporin (P‐glycoprotein inhibitor) and its combination with fluconazole (CYP3A inhibitor) on the pharmacokinetics of rivaroxaban in healthy volunteers
Authors: Brings Antonia , Lehmann Marie‐Louise , Foerster Kathrin I. , Burhenne Jürgen , Weiss Johanna , Haefeli Walter E. , Czock David
Published: March 2019

Aims

Rivaroxaban exposure is considerably increased by drugs that are combined P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) and strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A inhibitors (e.g. ketoconazole). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the potent P‐gp inhibitor ciclosporin and its combination with the moderate CYP3A inhibitor fluconazole on rivaroxaban pharmacokinetics and on CYP3A activity.

Methods

Twelve healthy volunteers received 20 mg rivaroxaban orally alone, in combination with ciclosporin (dose‐individualized oral regimen), and in combination with ciclosporin and fluconazole (400 mg day−1 orally). CYP3A4 activity was estimated using a midazolam microdose. Pharmacokinetics was analysed using noncompartmental and compartmental methods.

Results

Compared to baseline, ciclosporin increased rivaroxaban average exposure by 47% (90% confidence interval 28–68%), maximum concentration by 104% (70–146%), and decreased CYP3A4 activity by 34% (25–42%). Ciclosporin combined with fluconazole increased rivaroxaban average exposure by 86% (58–119%) and maximum concentration by 115% (83–153%), which was considerably stronger than observed in historical controls receiving rivaroxaban with fluconazole alone, and decreased CYP3A4 activity by 79% (76–82%).

Conclusion

Patients treated with rivaroxaban in combination with single modulators of multiple elimination pathways or multiple modulators of single elimination pathways (CYP3A, P‐gp) require particular care.
Assessing item‐feature effects with item response tree models
Authors: Böckenholt Ulf
Published: March 2019

Recent applications of item response tree models demonstrate that this model class is well suited to detect midpoint and extremity response style effects in both attitudinal and personality measurements. This paper proposes an extension of this approach that goes beyond measuring response styles and allows us to examine item‐feature effects. In a reanalysis of three published data sets, it is shown that the proposed extension captures item‐feature effects across affirmative and reverse‐worded items in a psychological test. These effects are found to affect directional responses but not midpoint and extremity preferences. Moreover, accounting for item‐feature effects substantially improves model fit and interpretation of the construct measurement. The proposed extension can be implemented readily with current software programs that facilitate maximum likelihood estimation of item response models with missing data.