bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and correlates of Mycoplasma genitalium infection among prostatitis patients in Shanghai, China
Authors: Mo Xiaohui , Zhu Caixia , Gan Jin , Wang Chong , Wei Fang , Gong Weiming , Cai Qiliang
Published: July 2016

Background: Mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) has been shown to be involved in chronic non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). However, the prevalence and determinants of this emerging sexually transmissible infection among prostatitis patients remain obscure. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-five patients diagnosed with prostatitis and 152 health controls from sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics in Shanghai, China, were selected. M. genitalium was detected in the initial voided urine (VB1), midstream of urine (VB2), expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) and the opening urine after massage (VB3) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) targeting the Mycoplasma genitalium adhesion protein (MgPa). An infection of the prostate was considered positive if a uropathogen was found only in the EPS sample or VB3, or if it was at least four-fold greater in EPS or VB3 than in VB1 or VB2. The prostatitis patients with M. genitalium infection were treated with azithromycin. Results: The prevalence of M. genitalium infection was significantly higher among the prostatitis group than the control group (10 vs 3%, P = 0.005). Among the prostatitis group, M. genitalium infection was significantly associated with those patients who received treatment for genitourinary infection previously than those patients who did not (17 vs 6%; adjusted OR, 4.011; 95% CI, 1.562–10.300). The symptoms were totally or partially improved in 83% per cent (19/23) of prostatitis patients with M. genitalium, positive in EPS and M. genitalium turned negative after azithromycin treatment. Conclusions: M. genitalium was prevalent in the patients with prostatitis, particularly in those who received ineffective antibiotic treatment for the bacterium, and was identified as having a significant association of prostatitis.
An observational study of the impact of the 2014 XX Commonwealth Games on the sexual and reproductive health services in Glasgow, Scotland
Authors: Metcalfe Rebecca , Acquah Rebecca R. , Simpson Janine , Allardice Gwendolyn , Winter Andrew
Published: July 2016

Background: Large sporting events have raised concerns about the effect on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of visiting and resident populations to the host city and increased demand on SRH services. However, there is little evidence to support these concerns. The aim of this study is to investigate if the 2014 XX Commonwealth Games had an effect on the service demands of a Glasgow city-wide integrated SRH service. Methods: Electronic patient records, city-wide pharmacy data and case note review was used to assess aspects of SRH; this included overall attendance at integrated services, clinic and community emergency contraception prescriptions, victims of sexual assault, acute sexually transmissible infections (STIs), post exposure prophylaxis after sexual exposure (PEPSE) prescriptions, condom distribution and termination of pregnancy. Results: There was a significant decrease in core sexual health attendances, total acute STIs and emergency hormonal contraception prescriptions. There was no change in PEPSE prescriptions or the number of reported sexual assaults throughout the city. Conclusions: This study found no evidence that the 2014 XX Commonwealth Games placed any increased demand on the local SRH services, and showed no increase in STIs, emergency hormonal contraception prescriptions or sexual assaults. These findings will help service planning in host cities hosting future large sporting events.
Effect of enhanced efficiency fertilisers on nitrous oxide emissions in a sub-tropical cereal cropping system
Authors: Scheer Clemens , Rowlings David W. , De Antoni Migliorati Massimiliano , Lester David W. , Bell Mike J. , Grace Peter R.
Published: July 2016

To meet the global food demand in the coming decades, crop yields per unit area must increase. This can only be achieved by a further intensification of existing cropping systems and will require even higher inputs of N fertilisers, which may result in increased losses of nitrous oxide (N2O) from cropped soils. Enhanced efficiency fertilisers (EEFs) have been promoted as a potential strategy to mitigate N2O emissions and improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereal cropping systems. However, only limited data are currently available on the use of different EEF products in sub-tropical cereal systems. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three different EEFs on N2O emissions, NUE and yield in a sub-tropical summer cereal cropping system in Australia. Over an entire year soil N2O fluxes were monitored continuously (3h sampling frequency) with a fully-automated measuring system. The experimental site was fertilised with different nitrogen (N) fertilisers applied at 170kgNha–1, namely conventional urea (Urea), urea with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), polymer-coated urea (PCU), and urea with the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin (Nitrapyrin). Nitrous oxide emissions were highly episodic and mainly controlled by heavy rainfall events within two months of planting and fertiliser N application. Annual N2O emissions in the four treatments amounted to 2.31, 0.40, 0.69 and 1.58kgN2O-Nha–1year–1 for Urea, DMPP, PCU and Nitrapyrin treatments, respectively, while unfertilised plots produced an average of 0.16kgN2O-Nha–1year–1. Two of the tested products (DMPP and PCU) were found to be highly effective, decreasing annual N2O losses by 83% and 70%, respectively, but did not affect yield or NUE. This study shows that EEFs have a high potential to decrease N2O emissions from sub-tropical cereal cropping systems. More research is needed to assess if the increased costs of EEFs can be compensated by lower fertiliser application rates and/or yield increases.
Multi-device studies of pedestal physics and confinement in the I-mode regime
Authors: Hubbard A.E. , Osborne T. , Ryter F. , Austin M. , Barrera Orte L. , Churchill R.M. , Cziegler I. , Fenstermacher M. , Fischer R. , Gerhardt S. , Groebner R. , Gohil P. , Happel T. , Hughes J.W. , Loarte A. , Maingi R. , Manz P. , Marinoni A. , Marmar E.S. , McDermott R.M. , McKee G. , Rhodes T.L. , Rice J.E. , Schmitz L. , Theiler C. , Viezzer E. , Walk J.R. , White A. , Whyte D. , Wolfe S. , Wolfrum E. , Yan Z.
Published: July 2016

This paper describes joint ITPA studies of the I-mode regime, which features an edge thermal barrier together with L-mode-like particle and impurity transport and no edge localized modes (ELMs). The regime has been demonstrated on the Alcator C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D tokamaks, over a wide range of device parameters and pedestal conditions. Dimensionless parameters at the pedestal show overlap across devices and extend to low collisionality. When they are matched, pedestal temperature profiles are also similar. Pedestals are stable to peeling–ballooning modes, consistent with lack of ELMs. Access to I-mode is independent of heating method (neutral beam injection, ion cyclotron and/or electron cyclotron resonance heating). Normalized energy confinement H
98,y2  ⩾  1 has been achieved for a range of 3  ⩽  q
95  ⩽  4.9 and scales favourably with power. Changes in turbulence in the pedestal region accompany the transition from L-mode to I-mode. The L–I threshold increases with plasma density and current, and with device size, but has a weak dependence on toroidal magnetic field B
T. The upper limit of power for I-modes, which is set by I–H transitions, increases with B
T and the power range is largest on Alcator C-Mod at B  >  5 T. Issues for extrapolation to ITER and other future fusion devices are discussed.
SwiSpot: modeling riboswitches by spotting out switching sequences
Authors: Barsacchi Marco , Novoa Eva Maria , Kellis Manolis , Bechini Alessio
Published: July 2016

Motivation: Riboswitches are cis-regulatory elements in mRNA, mostly found in Bacteria, which exhibit two main secondary structure conformations. Although one of them prevents the gene from being expressed, the other conformation allows its expression, and this switching process is typically driven by the presence of a specific ligand. Although there are a handful of known riboswitches, our knowledge in this field has been greatly limited due to our inability to identify their alternate structures from their sequences. Indeed, current methods are not able to predict the presence of the two functionally distinct conformations just from the knowledge of the plain RNA nucleotide sequence. Whether this would be possible, for which cases, and what prediction accuracy can be achieved, are currently open questions.

Results: Here we show that the two alternate secondary structures of riboswitches can be accurately predicted once the ‘switching sequence’ of the riboswitch has been properly identified. The proposed SwiSpot approach is capable of identifying the switching sequence inside a putative, complete riboswitch sequence, on the basis of pairing behaviors, which are evaluated on proper sets of configurations. Moreover, it is able to model the switching behavior of riboswitches whose generated ensemble covers both alternate configurations. Beyond structural predictions, the approach can also be paired to homology-based riboswitch searches.

Availability and Implementation: SwiSpot software, along with the reference dataset files, is available at: http://www.iet.unipi.it/a.bechini/swispot/

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Contact:  a.bechini@ing.unipi.it
P2X receptors
Authors: North R. Alan
Published: July 2016

Extracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) activates cell surface P2X and P2Y receptors. P2X receptors are membrane ion channels preferably permeable to sodium, potassium and calcium that open within milliseconds of the binding of ATP. In molecular architecture, they form a unique structural family. The receptor is a trimer, the binding of ATP between subunits causes them to flex together within the ectodomain and separate in the membrane-spanning region so as to open a central channel. P2X receptors have a widespread tissue distribution. On some smooth muscle cells, P2X receptors mediate the fast excitatory junction potential that leads to depolarization and contraction. In the central nervous system, activation of P2X receptors allows calcium to enter neurons and this can evoke slower neuromodulatory responses such as the trafficking of receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate. In primary afferent nerves, P2X receptors are critical for the initiation of action potentials when they respond to ATP released from sensory cells such as taste buds, chemoreceptors or urothelium. In immune cells, activation of P2X receptors triggers the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1β. The development of selective blockers of different P2X receptors has led to clinical trials of their effectiveness in the management of cough, pain, inflammation and certain neurodegenerative diseases.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolution brings Ca2+and ATP together to control life and death’.
The homeostatic astroglia emerges from evolutionary specialization of neural cells
Authors: Verkhratsky Alexei , Nedergaard Maiken
Published: July 2016

Evolution of the nervous system progressed through cellular diversification and specialization of functions. Conceptually, the nervous system is composed from electrically excitable neuronal networks connected with chemical synapses and non-excitable glial cells that provide for homeostasis and defence. Astrocytes are integrated into neural networks through multipartite synapses; astroglial perisynaptic processes closely enwrap synaptic contacts and control homeostasis of the synaptic cleft, supply neurons with glutamate and GABA obligatory precursor glutamine and contribute to synaptic plasticity, learning and memory. In neuropathology, astrocytes may undergo reactive remodelling or degeneration; to a large extent, astroglial reactions define progression of the pathology and neurological outcome.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolution brings Ca2+and ATP together to control life and death’.
Loss of flight in the Galapagos cormorant mirrors human skeletal ciliopathies
Authors: Burga Alejandro , Wang Weiguang , Wolf Paul C. , Ramey Andrew M. , Verdugo Claudio , Lyons Karen , Parker Patricia G. , Kruglyak Leonid
Published: July 2016

Changes in the size and proportion of limbs and other structures have played a key role in the adaptive evolution of species. However, despite the ubiquity of these modifications, we have a very limited idea of how these changes occur on the genetic and molecular levels. To fill this gap, we studied a recent and extreme case of wing and pectoral skeleton size reduction leading to flightlessness in the Galapagos cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi). We sequenced and de novo assembled the genomes of four closely related cormorant species and applied a joint predictive and comparative genomics approach to find candidate variants. Here we report that function-altering variants in genes necessary for both the correct transcriptional regulation and function of the primary cilium contributed to the evolution of loss of flight inP. harrisi. Cilia are essential for Hedgehog signaling, and humans affected by skeletal ciliopathies suffer from premature arrest of bone growth, mirroring the skeletal features associated with loss of flight.
Anisotropic Correction of Beam-induced Motion for Improved Single-particle Electron Cryo-microscopy
Authors: Zheng Shawn Q. , Palovcak Eugene , Armache Jean-Paul , Cheng Yifan , Agard David A.
Published: July 2016

Correction of electron beam-induced sample motion is one of the major factors contributing to the recent resolution breakthroughs in cryo-electron microscopy. Improving the accuracy and efficiency of motion correction can lead to further resolution improvement. Based on observations that the electron beam induces doming of the thin vitreous ice layer, we developed an algorithm to correct anisotropic image motion at the single pixel level across the whole frame, suitable for both single particle and tomographic images. Iterative, patch-based motion detection is combined with spatial and temporal constraints and dose weighting. The multi-GPU accelerated program, MotionCor2, is sufficiently fast to keep up with automated data collection. The result is an exceptionally robust strategy that can work on a wide range of data sets, including those very close to focus or with very short integration times, obviating the need for particle polishing. Application significantly improves Thon ring quality and 3D reconstruction resolution.
HRM practices and post-promotion managerial performance
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala , Samaratunga Melanie
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and post-promotion performance of managers from subordinates’ perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

– For the study, survey methodology was used and 391 respondents who fulfilled selection criteria set for the study responded. The hypothesised relationships were examined by regression analysis.

Findings

– It was found that the job description and promotion practices have significant relationship with post-promotion performance.

Practical implications

– The findings imply the importance of promotion practices and the need of maintaining and using job descriptions in facilitating post-promotion performance.

Originality/value

– Several previous studies investigated the post-promotion managerial performance based on mathematical modelling and single firm case studies. However, it is very rare to find academic research that investigated the relationship between HRM practices and post-promotion performance of managers.
Assessing beneficiaries’ needs and expectations as a determinant of residential satisfaction in South Africa
Authors: Aigbavboa Clinton
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– There is an integral link between theory and measurement suggesting that validation of measures should be the first stage of theory testing. The purpose of this paper is to validate the factorial validity of needs and expectations (NAE) features as determinants of low-income residents’ housing satisfaction in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical data were collected by a questionnaire survey conducted among 751 low-income housing residents’ in three metropolitan and one district municipality in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data gathered via the questionnaire survey were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) version 6.2 which was used to assess the factorial structure of the constructs.

Findings

– SEM analysis revealed that the internal consistency coefficients were over 0.70 criterion for acceptability and the constructs showed a good mode fit to the sample data. The Z-statistics analysis revealed that the construct (NAE) have direct influence in determining low-income residents’ satisfaction with their houses.

Originality/value

– The SEM result advocates a practical consideration of the construct and its respective indicator variables in future development of low-income housing in South Africa.
Arbitrator acceptability in international commercial arbitration
Authors: Chung Yongkyun , Ha Hong-Youl
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the determinants of arbitrator acceptability and investigate whether the perceived costs of arbitration moderate the relationship between arbitrator acceptability and arbitrator characteristics in international commercial arbitration.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-stage analytic process is used to test the dimensionality, reliability and validity of each construct and then the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The findings show that the five constructs of arbitrator characteristics – reputation, practical expertise, legal expertise, experience and procedural justice – statistically significantly explain arbitrator acceptability. Moreover, perceived cost of arbitration moderates the relationship between arbitrator acceptability and arbitrator characteristics. However, the moderating effect of perceived costs of arbitration is not equal across characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

Knowledge regarding potential moderators of the strength of the indicators of arbitrator acceptability will be useful to future researchers in determining which variables to study in arbitrator selection research.

Practical implications

Useful guidelines in the selection of an international arbitrator are proposed.

Originality/value

This study contributes to arbitrator acceptability literature through the suggestion of a hypothesized model of arbitrator acceptability with auxiliary hypothesis of reputation in international contexts. In addition, this study investigates the moderating role of perceived cost of arbitration on the relationship between arbitrator acceptability and arbitrator characteristics.
Professionals and their workplaces in emerging markets – a research agenda
Authors: Brock David M.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Although professionals and the professions are vital players in all economic and business areas, there is a chronic shortage of research on professionals and their organizations in emerging markets. The purpose of this paper is to explain many fascinating and vital opportunities for research in these areas.

Design/methodology/approach

– As a framework the author uses the five categories of professional organization research developed by Brocket al.(2014); and as such discusses: organizational models and structures, micro-organizational issues, diversity, new professions, and societal issues. For each category the author begins with a recent news item concerning emerging market professionals, outlines underlying scholarly issues, and presents some examples of significant indicative research. Finally, the importance and opportunities for research in emerging economies is presented along with some examples and directions for future work.

Findings

– This short essay has endeavoured to show the importance of research in professionals and professional organization, to explain its relevance to contemporary society in general, and to present a concomitant research agenda.

Originality/value

– First, it is crucial to understand that professional work is vital to the development of all developing markets. Further, research into professional work and organizations in emerging markets is severely lacking. Finally, this essay explains five areas with special research potential, each with examples from the emerging market context, and presents directions for future work.
Capital market openness and volatility: an investigation of five Sub-Saharan treasury bill rates
Authors: Charteris Ailie Heather , Strydom Barry
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to model the volatility of treasury bill (T-bill) rates in five Sub-Saharan capital markets to investigate whether or not differences in capital mobility affect volatility.

Design/methodology/approach

– Primary data was collected from weekly T-bill auctions in five Sub-Saharan countries and was analysed using a range of Generalised Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models in order to determine the volatility characteristics of each of these instruments. Differences in the institutional arrangements for each market are used to interpret the results of the econometric analysis.

Findings

– Evidence is presented that indicates that the size and financial liberalisation of capital markets affect volatility. While the markets with the greatest exposure to international investors exhibit greater volatility in the long-run, the presence of non-residents in the market appears to contribute to more efficient pricing of these instruments.

Research limitations/implications

– The limited sample restricts the ability to generalise these findings, however, the finding that differences exist in the volatility of these markets even though they are geographically similar indicates the value of this methodological approach.

Practical implications

– The finding that greater capital mobility may result in increased volatility and greater efficiency has significant policy implications for governments and market regulators who have to weigh the costs and benefits of financial liberalisation.

Originality/value

– The paper employs a unique data set to model the volatility characteristics of the selected T-bills to improve the understanding of the behaviour of these important instruments in Sub-Saharan frontier markets. More specifically the study provides a novel empirical approach to addressing the question of whether capital mobility is linked to increased volatility. The finding that capital mobility is linked to greater market efficiency offers a fresh insight to this debate.
The effects of relationship maintenance and relationship investment on self-service technology relationship performance
Authors: Chang Hsin Hsin , Fu Chen Su , Fang Po Wen , Cheng Yu-Cheng
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to extend the utilitarian value of the dedication-based relationship maintenance mechanism of social exchange theory and customer perceived relationship investment to investigate the relationship performance of a retailer launching a self-service technology (SST). Computer anxiety and time consciousness are hypothesized to moderate the effects among these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

– The results of the structural equation model, with in-store kiosk use experience data collected for 211 respondents, supported the research model. Multiple regression analysis was used for testing the moderating effects.

Findings

– The utilitarian value of dedication-based relationship maintenance is related to perceived relationship investment. Higher levels of customer-perceived relationship investment impact relationship performance. Computer anxiety and time consciousness act separately as both partial and full moderators.

Research limitations/implications

– First, this study did not consider different kinds of products/services to have different effects with regard to customer cognition. Second, most of the respondents were students, and this is a limitation in business research, because of such factors as lower incomes and higher information technology ability as compared to individuals with other occupations. Third, it is difficult to distinguish whether the level of perceived convenience is due to the convenience stores per se or the in-store kiosks that they have. Future research may thus consider analyzing in more detail how perceived convenience is evoked. Finally, future research can consider constraint-based relationship maintenance mechanisms with regard to operating in-store kiosk businesses.

Practical implications

– Retailers who are willing to continually launch SSTs should tie such efforts to their relationship marketing strategies. Moreover, retailers who are willing to launch e-businesses should establish strategies designed to enhance customer experience with regard to the use of technology. Finally, launching SSTs should involve the continual development of an effective purchasing process and functional relationship marketing strategies.

Originality/value

– This paper can help managers organize relationship maintenance mechanisms, especially with regard to the development of user utilitarian value, in order to obtain improved relationship performance.
Facilitating organisational decision making: a change risk assessment model case study
Authors: Apostolopoulos Charalampos , Halikias George , Maroukian Krikor , Tsaramirsis Georgios
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to take the challenge to propose a novel modelling approach named Change Risk Assessment Model (CRAM), which will contribute significantly to the missing formality of business models especially in the change risk assessment area and decision-making. Organisational change risks are assessed with the aid of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in an attempt to define the internal dynamics of organisational change management within project management eliciting also risk cause-and-effect relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The study discusses interviews/survey/AHP.

Findings

The study presents the following findings. Change risk factors assessment (identification and prioritisation) recommendations (see Case Study) integration of change management; project management; risk management top four risk factors, namely, leadership, communication, project management team and culture.

Research limitations/implications

As projects can be different in a variety of factors (quality, scope), an exhaustive list of risk factors cannot be identified. There is a continuous risk identification process throughout the projects’ life cycle. For example, many risks can be classified initially as unknown and can be refined after the initiation phase of the project. AHP factors limitation (eight per level) possible bias (survey analysis).

Practical implications

With the aid of modelling and especially CRAM, business change risks can be assessed numerically and prioritised. Several risk factors and related attributes were identified and categorised. This empowers project managers or other stakeholders to make proper decisions about whether to take on or abandon respective organisational or project changes.

Social implications

One of the values of CRAM is that it can be regarded as a global change risk assessment method that can be applied regardless of project type, size or organisation. Moreover, it has the advantage that it can be used by any kind of project, as the method is designed to be tailored to specific needs, taking significant environmental change risk factors into account. AHP has numerous uses in operational research, in project management and in general in areas where decisions (evaluation and selection) have to be made. The analysis of the case study presented, indicated that it is vital to assess the degree (impact) that each risk attribute poses to address complex organisational decisions.

Originality/value

CRAM aims to bridge the gap between theoretical and applied work in the integrated research field of change management, project management and risk management. Furthermore, the approach attempts to develop a novel systematic methodology (model) for assigning probabilities in attributes (criteria) pair-wise comparison and more specifically, modelling and assessing change management risks, adding a different perspective and technique to the research area.
Managing deliberation: tools for structuring discussions and analyzing representation
Authors: Hansson Karin , Ekenberg Love
Published: July 2016

Purpose

In this paper, the authors address the lack of methodologies and tools that support community and consensus processes in online settings while also acknowledging agonistic conflicts and a diversity of interest communities. The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology and tool support for analysing discursive processes, as well as for creating structural support for better informed deliberative processes.

Design/methodology/approach

This participatory design is based on two case studies of urban planning projects in Swedish municipalities. An ethnographic study of information practises among municipality officials and residents exposed a need for supporting the direct communication with citizens and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as democratic processes within groups.

Findings

The authors show how a general participatory methodology on different levels of governance can be supported using a standard type of interface and analytical tools for structured discussions and statistics.

Research limitations/implications

The tool design has not been tested in any larger scale. The tool is at present foremost useful for communicating in participatory contexts. The actor perspective in the methodology used means that the actors, rather than organisations, are highlighted as the owners of specific questions. It also means that a survey or discussion initiated by a government can have competition from other actors using the same instruments or data.

Practical implications

Except for being an analytical tool for analysing participatory attributes and for better understanding of how decisions are formed, the platform also includes tools for more elaborated decision support, as well as support for voting and pro/con argumentation integrated with discussion forum for providing reasonable conditions for a broader more well-structured participation.

Social implications

The actor perspective in the suggested methodology and tool support means that the actors, rather than organisations, are highlighted as the owners of specific questions. It also means that a survey or discussion initiated by a government can have competition from other actors using the same instruments or data.

Originality/value

This platform provides integrated analytical tools and elaborated decision support for individual users, to support democracy from a micro-perspective rather than from a government perspective, and reaches significantly beyond the capacities of similar tools and methods presently available. The traditional dichotomy between the government and the citizens in e-government research is, thus, avoided by developing a tool that takes the individual actor as the starting point rather than an abstract collective.
Tourism clusters in Russia: What are their key features? The case of Vologda region
Authors: Alexandrova Anna , Vladimirov Yury
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review tourism cluster initiatives in Russia, particularly, tourism cluster formation processes, and investigate the role of local and federal government in promoting domestic tourism destinations with the help of tourism clusters.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is formulated using a case study approach based on the lessons learned and the common practices in the Vologda region of the Russian Federation. Some results and key findings from field research were also used in the paper, as well as analysis of local and federal government activities, in attempting to promote domestic tourism in Russia.

Findings

Based on the analyses of the case study and review of common practices of tourism cluster creation and management, the paper draws on a review of the Vologda tourism cluster and profiles its main characteristic features: The context of “cluster” in Russian economy; Vologda tourism cluster was created by state initiative; Vologda tourism cluster indeed has its unique set of local (natural) competitive advantages; The rights of private companies (cluster members) are only consultative; Considerable funds are allocated by the Russian Federal Government and local government to cluster development; Vologda cluster is in an initial stage of formation, by the number and composition of members, Vologda cluster could be defined as a small cluster; There are no established cluster-specific quality of service standards; There is no defined cluster core in Vologda cluster; Cluster efficiency is measured by a set of metrics (gain in number of tourists, hotel rooms, etc.); Among the factors limiting Vologda cluster development, disunity on the federal and local government levels is substantial.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is currently limited in scope to the Vologda region case study and some results and key findings from field research selected by the researchers. The conditions for the selected case studies may not be identical in other Russian tourism clusters and locations (such as the Altay region cluster), and thus, the findings cannot be applied to other Russian tourism clusters without comparison studies.

Originality/value

The main output of this paper is a review of Russian tourism cluster formation and development based on the example of the Vologda region. It is of value to practitioners, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders specializing in cluster research and tourism cluster development.
Russian hospitality and tourism: what needs to be addressed?
Authors: Sheresheva Marina
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review contributions made to the strategic question about the main trends, opportunities, challenges and success factors in the Russian hospitality and tourism market in the experience economy era.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the strategic question, a critical analysis of each contribution was carried out to identify the key themes and the issues, impacts and findings related to each theme.

Findings

The findings show nine key themes related to the sustainable development of the Russian hospitality and tourism market.

Research limitations/implications

The findings create a framework to boost discussion between all stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry in Russia. There are ways to improve the competitiveness of the country as a tourist destination in spite of a number of impediments, both internal and external. Overall, this theme issue provides a useful framework for discussions with a wider range of stakeholders as the implications arising are of importance to all stakeholder groups.

Originality/value

All nine articles have contributed different perspectives to the topic, and all confirm that networking is critical in the experience economy era to ensure that aspirations and concerns of all key stakeholders are taken into account.
The experience economy approach to marketing Les Plus Beaux Villages brand in Russia
Authors: Karpov Anatoly , Merzlov Alexander
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the possibilities for the development of an association of the most beautiful villages of Russia using an experience economy approach.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a case study approach based on the practices of the federation of the most beautiful villages of the Earth and the associations of the most beautiful villages of France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany.

Findings

Based on the analysis of the case studies of beautiful villages marketing in different countries and the methodology of the experience economy, the paper recommends essential changes in the management practices of the association of the most beautiful villages of Russia and its participants.

Practical implications

Several recommendations have been suggested for exploring, scripting and staging the experiences in beautiful villages of Russia.

Originality/value

The main output of this study is designed to provide guidance for the management of the association of the most beautiful villages of Russia, inhabitants of the most beautiful villages, rural tourism companies and local authorities in transition to the new experience economy approach accelerating the socioeconomic development of beautiful villages.
Lianas and soil nutrients predict fine‐scale distribution of above‐ground biomass in a tropical moist forest
Authors: Ledo Alicia , Illian Janine B. , Schnitzer Stefan A. , Wright S. Joseph , Dalling James W. , Burslem David F. R. P.
Published: July 2016

Prediction of carbon dynamics in response to global climate change requires an understanding of the processes that govern the distribution of carbon stocks. Above‐ground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests is regulated by variation in soil fertility, climate, species composition and topography at regional scales, but the drivers of fine‐scale variation in tropical forestAGBare poorly understood. The factors that control the growth and mortality of individual trees may be obscured by the low resolution of studies at regional scales.

In this paper, we evaluated the effects of soil nutrients, topography and liana abundance on the fine‐scale spatial distribution ofAGBand density of trees for a lowland tropical moist forest in Panama using additive regression models.

Areas with larger values ofAGBwere negatively associated with the presence of lianas, which may reflect competition with lianas and/or the association of lianas with disturbed or open‐canopy patches within forests.AGBwas positively associated with soils possessing higherpHand K concentrations, reflecting the importance of below‐ground resource availability onAGBindependently of stem density.

Synthesis. Our results shed new light on the factors that influence fine‐scale treeAGBand carbon stocks in tropical forests: liana abundance is the strongest predictor, having a negative impact on treeAGB. The availability of soil nutrients was also revealed as an important driver of fine‐scale spatial variation in treeAGB.
Antipodean agricultural and resource economics at 60: environmental economics
Authors: Bennett Jeff , Randall Alan
Published: July 2016

Environmental economics has been an increasingly significant focus for AARES and its members. Significant contributions began in the 1960s and 1970s with conceptual insights into the causes for market failure and the design of appropriate policy responses. The practical orientation of the profession led to the development and application of analytical tools in a wide array of contexts. Prominent amongst these have been nonmarket valuation, market‐based policy instruments and the private sector provision of environmental protection. Interaction with natural and social scientists has been a feature. Cross‐fertilisation has resulted to define emergent fields such as behavioural economics and ecological economics. Multidisciplinary endeavours have also grown in areas such as ecosystem service provision and integrated assessment modelling. These areas are likely to expand further with the ongoing contribution of core elements of the economics discipline.
Open Water Data in Space and Time
Authors: Maidment David R.
Published: July 2016

An Open Water Data Initiative has been established by the federal government to enhance water information sharing across the United States (U.S.) using standardized web services for geospatial and temporal data. In a parallel effort, the National Weather Service has established a new National Water Center on the Tuscaloosa campus of the University of Alabama, at which a new National Water Model starts operations in June 2016, to continually simulate and forecast streamflow discharge throughout the continental U.S. These two developments support the interoperability of streamflow and hydrologic information in time and space from modeled and observed sources through the use of open standards to share water information.
Effects of metformin treatment on blood leptin and ghrelin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Ida Satoshi , Murata Kazuya , Kaneko Ryutaro
Published: July 2016

Background

The aim of the present study was to conduct a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of metformin on blood leptin and ghrelin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

Literature searches were performed using MEDLINE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, and ClinicalTrials.gov, and RCTs that investigated the effects of metformin on blood leptin and ghrelin levels in patients with T2DM were selected. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results

Twelve RCTs met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta‐analysis. There was no significant difference in blood leptin between the metformin and control groups (SMD 0.03; 95 % CI −0.35 %, 0.42 %; P = 0.86), although there was a significant difference in blood leptin levels between the metformin group and the group on oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) other than metformin (SMD −0.39; 95 % CI −0.76 %, −0.01 %; P = 0.04). There were no significant differences in blood ghrelin levels.

Conclusions

Metformin treatment was not associated with a decrease in blood leptin levels in patients with T2DM compared with levels in patients in the control group. Moreover, metformin treatment was not associated with increases in blood ghrelin levels compared with the control and other OADs groups. However, blood leptin levels were significantly lower in the metformin compared with the other OADs group.
Diagnostic reference levels of paediatric computed tomography examinations performed at a dedicated Australian paediatric hospital
Authors: Bibbo Giovanni , Brown Scott , Linke Rebecca
Published: July 2016

Introduction

Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRL) of procedures involving ionizing radiation are important tools to optimizing radiation doses delivered to patients and in identifying cases where the levels of doses are unusually high. This is particularly important for paediatric patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) examinations as these examinations are associated with relatively high‐dose.

Methods

Paediatric CT studies, performed at our institution from January 2010 to March 2014, have been retrospectively analysed to determine the 75th and 95th percentiles of both the volume computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol) and dose‐length product (DLP) for the most commonly performed studies to:

establish local diagnostic reference levels for paediatric computed tomography examinations performed at our institution,

benchmark our DRL with national and international published paediatric values, and

determine the compliance of CT radiographer with established protocols.

Results

The derived local 75th percentile DRL have been found to be acceptable when compared with those published by the Australian National Radiation Dose Register and two national children's hospitals, and at the international level with the National Reference Doses for the UK. The 95th percentiles of CTDIvol for the various CT examinations have been found to be acceptable values for the CT scanner Dose‐Check Notification. Benchmarking CT radiographers shows that they follow the set protocols for the various examinations without significant variations in the machine setting factors.

Conclusion

The derivation of DRL has given us the tool to evaluate and improve the performance of our CT service by improved compliance and a reduction in radiation dose to our paediatric patients. We have also been able to benchmark our performance with similar national and international institutions.
A practical approach to ichthyoses with systemic manifestations
Authors: Saral S. , Vural A. , Wollenberg A. , Ruzicka T.
Published: July 2016

Inherited ichthyoses are rare disorders in terms of patient numbers, but abundant in terms of clinical‐genetic subtypes. These disorders are often associated with severe systemic manifestations, in addition to significant medical, cosmetic and social problems. There are 17 subtypes of syndromic ichthyosis identified so far and most patients with these syndromes are living in countries with high consanguinity rates. Frequently, clinicians cannot make a definitive diagnosis and patients are not managed properly owing to the rarity and complexity of these disorders. These difficulties make this group of ichthyosis and the patients living with them ‘orphan’. After skin and skin appendages, nervous system is the most frequently involved system in ichthyosis syndromes. Thus, association of ichthyosis with neurological symptoms provides an important clue for diagnosis. In this article, we aim to increase clinicians' comprehension of ichthyosis syndromes by providing a symptomatology‐based approach based on this observation. Additionally, we provide a review of ichthyosis syndromes, with special emphasis on neurological symptoms, hoping to attract interest to this complicated field.
Can hyaluronan injections augment deficient papillae at implant‐supported crowns in the anterior maxilla? A randomized controlled clinical trial with 6 months follow‐up
Authors: Bertl Kristina , Gotfredsen Klaus , Jensen Simon S. , Bruckmann Corinna , Stavropoulos Andreas
Published: July 2016

Objectives

The present randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effect of hyaluronan (HY) injections to augment deficient interproximal papillae at implant‐supported crowns in the anterior maxilla.

Methods

Twenty‐two patients with a deficient papilla in the anterior maxilla next to an implant‐supported crown were randomly assigned to receive twice eitherHY(test) or saline solution (control) injection. The following parameters were recorded prior to injection (baseline) and 3 and 6 months after injection: distance between the papilla tip and contact point (PT‐CP), modified papilla index score (MPIS), and standard clinical periodontal parameters. Pain level after injection was recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The deficient area was evaluated on clinical photographs, and the esthetic appearance was recorded on aVAS. Differences in mucosal volume were assessed after 3 months by intraoral scans. The bone level was assessed on periapical radiographs.

Results

No differences were observed between groups, neither at baseline nor at 3 and 6 months post‐treatment. MeanPT‐CPranged between 1.8 mm and 2.3 mm without significant differences between groups or over time within groups;MPISwas 2 for all patients at all time points. Similarly, insignificant differences between groups or time points were observed for deficient area, gingival volume changes, bone level, and esthetic appearance. There were no differences in pain level between groups during injection, but discomfort after injection lasted longer in the test group.

Conclusions

Injection ofHYadjacent to maxillary anterior implant‐supported crowns did not result in any clinical conspicuous volume augmentation of deficient papillae.