bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Charge carrier hopping transport based on Marcus theory and variable-range hopping theory in organic semiconductors
Authors: Lu Nianduan , Li Ling , Banerjee Writam , Sun Pengxiao , Gao Nan , Liu Ming
Published: July 2015

Charge carrier hopping transport is generally taken from Miller-Abrahams and Marcus transition rates. Based on the Miller-Abrahams theory and nearest-neighbour range hopping theory, Apsley and Hughes developed a concise calculation method (A-H method) to study the hopping conduction in disordered systems. Here, we improve the A-H method to investigate the charge carrier hopping transport by introducing polaron effect and electric field based on Marcus theory and variable-range hopping theory. This improved method can well describe the contribution of polaron effect, energetic disorder, carrier density, and electric field to the charge carrier transport in disordered organic semiconductor. In addition, the calculated results clearly show that the charge carrier mobility represents different polaron effect dependence with the polaron activation energy and decreases with increasing electric field strength for large fields.
Mid-infrared laser emission from Fe:ZnSe cladding waveguides
Authors: Lancaster A. , Cook G. , McDaniel S. A. , Evans J. , Berry P. A. , Shephard J. D. , Kar A. K.
Published: July 2015

The authors present a mid-IR depressed cladding waveguide laser in Fe:ZnSe. The laser produced a maximum output power of 76 mW at 4122 nm and laser thresholds as low as 154 mW were demonstrated. This represents a 44% reduction in threshold power compared with the bulk laser system demonstrated in this paper. The waveguide laser was found to have a narrow spectral linewidth of 6 nm FHWM compared to the 50 nm typical of bulk Fe:ZnSe lasers.
Controlled-motion of floating macro-objects induced by light
Authors: Lucchetta Daniele E. , Simoni Francesco , Nucara Luca , Castagna Riccardo
Published: July 2015

Photons energy can be conventionally converted to mechanical work through a series of energy-expensive steps such as for example delivery and storage. However, these steps can be bypassed obtaining a straightforward conversion of photons energy to mechanical work. As an example, in literature, high power near infrared light is used to move small objects floating on fluid surfaces, exploiting the Marangoni effect. In this work we use a low power non-collimated visible laser-light to induce thermal surface tension gradients, resulting in the movement of objects floating on fluid surfaces. By real time tracking of the object trajectories, we evaluate the average applied driving force caused by the light irradiation. In addition we show how transparent objects can be moved by light when the supporting fluids are properly doped.
Integration of quantum cascade lasers and passive waveguides
Authors: Montoya Juan , Wang Christine , Goyal Anish , Creedon Kevin , Connors Michael , Daulton Jeffrey , Donnelly Joseph , Missaggia Leo , Aleshire Chris , Sanchez-Rubio Antonio , Herzog William
Published: July 2015

We report on monolithic integration of active quantum cascade laser (QCL) materials with passive waveguides formed by using proton implantation. Proton implantation reduces the electron concentration in the QCL layers by creating deep levels that trap carriers. This strongly reduces the intersubband absorption and the free-carrier absorption in the gain region and surrounding layers, thus significantly reducing optical loss. We have measured loss as low as α = 0.33 cm−1 in λ = 9.6 μm wavelength proton-implanted QCL material. We have also demonstrated lasing in active-passive integrated waveguides. This simple integration technique is anticipated to enable low-cost fabrication in infrared photonic integrated circuits in the mid-infrared (λ ∼ 3–16 μm).
Multi-resonant wideband energy harvester based on a folded asymmetric M-shaped cantilever
Authors: Wu Meng , Ou Yi , Mao Haiyang , Li Zhigang , Liu Ruiwen , Ming Anjie , Ou Wen
Published: July 2015

This article reports a compact wideband piezoelectric vibration energy harvester consisting of three proof masses and an asymmetric M-shaped cantilever. The M-shaped beam comprises a main beam and two folded and dimension varied auxiliary beams interconnected through the proof mass at the end of the main cantilever. Such an arrangement constitutes a three degree-of-freedom vibrating body, which can tune the resonant frequencies of its first three orders close enough to obtain a utility wide bandwidth. The finite element simulation results and the experimental results are well matched. The operation bandwidth comprises three adjacent voltage peaks on account of the frequency interval shortening mechanism. The result shows that the proposed piezoelectric energy harvester could be efficient and adaptive in practical vibration circumstance based on multiple resonant modes.
The effects of growth anomaly on susceptibility of Montipora capitata to turf algal overgrowth
Authors: Claar D. C. , Takabayashi M.
Published: July 2015

One of the most prominent coral diseases in Hawai‘i is growth anomaly (GA) of the skeleton. GA reduces key biological functions of Montipora capitata, but the effect of this disease on the ecological competitiveness of the coral has not been investigated. This study evaluated the effect of the GA on the susceptibility of an endemic Hawaiian coral M. capitata to algal overgrowth at Wai‘ōpae, Hawai‘i. Field surveys and photo analyses were conducted to collect epizootiological data. A relationship was found between GA severity and turf algal growth at the colony level; however, this relationship was weaker than expected. Despite the fact that GA lesions can provide areas of protuberant exposed coral skeleton, turf algal overgrowth was no more prevalent on GA-affected colonies than on unaffected colonies. As algal overgrowth is ephemeral compared to the progression of GA, we suggest that filamentous algae takes advantage of ideal environmental conditions regardless of the availability of new surfaces to invade presented by GA lesions.
A role for the mevalonate pathway in early plant symbiotic signaling
Authors: Venkateshwaran Muthusubramanian , Jayaraman Dhileepkumar , Chabaud Mireille , Genre Andrea , Balloon Allison J. , Maeda Junko , Forshey Kari , den Os Désirée , Kwiecien Nicholas W. , Coon Joshua J. , Barker David G. , Ané Jean-Michel
Published: July 2015

Significance

Metabolites of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway play essential roles in the regulation of growth and development in many organisms. In this study, we demonstrate that a key regulatory enzyme of the MVA pathway is directly involved in the signaling pathway that transduces endosymbiotic microbial signals in
Medicago truncatula
. Furthermore, we show that exogenous MVA application is sufficient to activate this transduction pathway. The use of mutants in the signaling pathway and a heterologous expression system provides evidence that the MVA pathway is a missing link between the initial perception of microbial signals at the host plasma membrane and the regulation of symbiotic gene expression in the nucleus.
Tissue fusion over nonadhering surfaces
Authors: Nier Vincent , Deforet Maxime , Duclos Guillaume , Yevick Hannah G. , Cochet-Escartin Olivier , Marcq Philippe , Silberzan Pascal
Published: July 2015

Significance

Tissue fusion is a frequent and important event in embryonic development during which two facing identical tissues meet and bridge collectively over a gap before merging into a continuous structure. Illustrations of tissue fusion include the formation of the palate or epithelial wound healing. In vivo fusion events, particularly in embryonic development, often involve the purse-string contraction of a pluricellular actomyosin cable present at the free edge. By studying the fusion of a monolayer over imprinted nonadherent domains, we provide evidence and characterize the purse-string mechanism in the situation where cells do not develop adhesions with their underlying substrate. A model that also involves active epithelial fluctuations describes well the experimental observations.
Modulation of the cGAS-STING DNA sensing pathway by gammaherpesviruses
Authors: Ma Zhe , Jacobs Sarah R. , West John A. , Stopford Charles , Zhang Zhigang , Davis Zoe , Barber Glen N. , Glaunsinger Britt A. , Dittmer Dirk P. , Damania Blossom
Published: July 2015

Significance

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a DNA virus that is linked to several human malignancies. The cGMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is able to detect KSHV during primary infection and regulates the reactivation of KSHV from latency. We screened KSHV proteins for their ability to inhibit this pathway and block IFN-β activation. One KSHV protein, vIRF1, inhibited this pathway by preventing STING from interacting with TBK1 and inhibiting STING’s phosphorylation and concomitant activation. Moreover, depletion of vIRF1 in the context of KSHV infection prevented efficient viral reactivation and replication, and increased the host IFN response to KSHV. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the modulation of this pathway is important for viral transmission and the lifelong persistence of gammaherpesviruses in the human population.
Simultaneous deletion of the methylcytosine oxidases Tet1 and Tet3 increases transcriptome variability in early embryogenesis
Authors: Kang Jinsuk , Lienhard Matthias , Pastor William A. , Chawla Ashu , Novotny Mark , Tsagaratou Ageliki , Lasken Roger S. , Thompson Elizabeth C. , Surani M. Azim , Koralov Sergei B. , Kalantry Sundeep , Chavez Lukas , Rao Anjana
Published: July 2015

Significance

Development of preimplantation embryos entails global DNA demethylation on the zygotic genome. The original thought was that TET-deficient embryos would be unlikely to survive early embryogenesis because they would be unable to mediate genome-wide demethylation in the zygote and preimplantation embryo. However, mice lacking the individual TET proteins Tet1, Tet2, or Tet3 have survived until birth and beyond, suggesting redundancy among TET proteins in the early embryogenesis. Here we report that preimplantation embryos doubly disrupted for
Tet1
and
Tet3
show abnormal embryonic phenotypes, whose incomplete penetrance correlates with a high variability of transcriptional profiles and DNA methylation status. Our data suggest that in addition to facilitating DNA demethylation, TET proteins and oxidized methylcytosines may regulate the consistency of gene transcription during embryogenesis.
Analysis of Short-Term Cortisol Stress Response in Channel Catfish by Anesthetization with Metomidate Hydrochloride and Tricaine Methanesulfonate
Authors: Smith M. S. , Booth N. J. , Peterson B. C. , Stephens W. S. , Goudie C. A. , Simco B. A.
Published: July 2015

The ability of the anesthetics metomidate hydrochloride and tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) to mitigate the cortisol stress response of Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus was evaluated during a 10-min confinement stress. The cortisol concentrations of Channel Catfish anesthetized in metomidate hydrochloride remained consistent throughout the 10-min exposure; however, for fish anesthetized with MS-222 and nonanesthetized fish, cortisol concentrations were approximately 7- and 22-fold higher, respectively, than the baseline concentrations. While both anesthetics reduced cortisol concentrations relative to those of nonanesthetized fish, these results suggest that MS-222 is an appropriate anesthetic to use during the initial 5 min of sedation and that metomidate hydrochloride is appropriate for longer periods of sedation.

Received November 18, 2014; accepted April 9, 2015
Asia‐Pacific Integration with China versus the United States: Examining Trade Patterns under Heterogeneous Agricultural Sectors
Authors: Heerman Kari E. R. , Arita Shawn , Gopinath Munisamy
Published: July 2015

This article examines bilateral trade patterns in the Asia‐Pacific using a new model in which comparative advantage within the agricultural sector is linked to agro‐ecological characteristics, and trade costs are product‐specific. Bilateral market share is a function of productivity and trade costs. However, countries with similar land and climate characteristics systematically have high productivity in similar products making them disproportionately sensitive to changes in each other's trade costs. We use a random coefficients logit model to estimate a parametric distribution of comparative advantage and trade costs across products and calculate regional trade liberalization elasticities for each exporter in each import market. Unlike most existing models, the value of the elasticity depends on the degree to which liberalization includes competitors with similar comparative advantage within the agricultural sector. We find disproportionately larger trade elasticities under China‐led liberalization relative to U.S.‐led liberalization among close U.S. competitors compared to countries whose agricultural products are unlikely to compete head‐to‐head with U.S. exports. For the United States, we find that the “lost opportunity” cost of exclusion from regional liberalization is increasing in the extent to which its close competitors gain new access.
CEMAsuite: open source degenerate PCR primer design
Authors: Lane Courtney E. , Hulgan Daniel , O’Quinn Kelly , Benton Michael G.
Published: July 2015

Summary: The codon-equivalent multiple alignment suite begins conservational analysis for polymerase chain reaction primer design at the protein level, allowing the user to design consensus primers capable of detecting homologous coding sequences even when low-to-moderate sequence information is available. This package also condenses the wealth of information associated with multiple sequence alignments and presents them in an intuitive manner, allowing the user to quickly and effectively address degenerate primer design considerations.

Availability and implementation:  https://sourceforge.net/projects/cemasuite/.

Contact:  benton@lsu.edu or cemasuite@gmail.com

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Roary: rapid large-scale prokaryote pan genome analysis
Authors: Page Andrew J. , Cummins Carla A. , Hunt Martin , Wong Vanessa K. , Reuter Sandra , Holden Matthew T.G. , Fookes Maria , Falush Daniel , Keane Jacqueline A. , Parkhill Julian
Published: July 2015

Summary: A typical prokaryote population sequencing study can now consist of hundreds or thousands of isolates. Interrogating these datasets can provide detailed insights into the genetic structure of prokaryotic genomes. We introduce Roary, a tool that rapidly builds large-scale pan genomes, identifying the core and accessory genes. Roary makes construction of the pan genome of thousands of prokaryote samples possible on a standard desktop without compromising on the accuracy of results. Using a single CPU Roary can produce a pan genome consisting of 1000 isolates in 4.5 hours using 13 GB of RAM, with further speedups possible using multiple processors.

Availability and implementation: Roary is implemented in Perl and is freely available under an open source GPLv3 license from http://sanger-pathogens.github.io/Roary

Contact:  roary@sanger.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
SMART on FHIR Genomics: facilitating standardized clinico-genomic apps
Authors: Alterovitz Gil , Warner Jeremy , Zhang Peijin , Chen Yishen , Ullman-Cullere Mollie , Kreda David , Kohane Isaac S.
Published: July 2015

Background Supporting clinical decision support for personalized medicine will require linking genome and phenome variants to a patient’s electronic health record (EHR), at times on a vast scale. Clinico-genomic data standards will be needed to unify how genomic variant data are accessed from different sequencing systems.

Methods A specification for the basis of a clinic-genomic standard, building upon the current Health Level Seven International Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard, was developed. An FHIR application protocol interface (API) layer was attached to proprietary sequencing platforms and EHRs in order to expose gene variant data for presentation to the end-user. Three representative apps based on the SMART platform were built to test end-to-end feasibility, including integration of genomic and clinical data.

Results Successful design, deployment, and use of the API was demonstrated and adopted by HL7 Clinical Genomics Workgroup. Feasibility was shown through development of three apps by various types of users with background levels and locations.

Conclusion This prototyping work suggests that an entirely data (and web) standards-based approach could prove both effective and efficient for advancing personalized medicine.
Preparation of Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) for Genetic Characterization and Morphological Examination
Authors: Bahder B. W. , Bollinger M. L. , Sudarshana M. R. , Zalom F. G.
Published: July 2015

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are economically significant agricultural pests on many different crops. Because of their small size and lack of easily visible characters for identification, determination of their taxonomic status is difficult and requires technical competency to prepare a slide-mounted specimen. The standard mounting technique does not allow for analysis of the genome of the specimen. Conversely, preparatory techniques for genetic analysis of mealybugs cause either loss of the entire individual or physical damage that can make morphology-based identification difficult. This study describes a simple protocol that does not impact physical integrity of the specimen for fixation and microscopic examination yet enables simultaneous DNA extraction for DNA-based identification of four mealybug species. All species prepared yielded high quality slide mounts, identified as Planococcus citri Risso, Pseudococcus viburni Signoret, Rhizoecus kondonis Kuwana, or Rhizoecus californicus Ferris. DNA extracted in this manner had higher purity and yield in the final eluate than in samples extracted using standard methods. DNA extracted was successfully amplified by polymerase chain reaction using primers for the cytochrome oxidase I gene and subsequently sequenced for all specimens. This protocol is likely to be applicable to other Hemiptera taxa that are preserved by slide mounting, allowing for both the preparation of a high-quality voucher specimen for morphological identification and simultaneous analysis of DNA for the same specimen. The methods used are technically less challenging than current standard procedures.
Automatic Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Pulmonary CT Phantoms
Authors: Jimenez-Carretero Daniel , Jose Estepar Raul San , Cacio Mario Diaz , Ledesma-Carbayo Maria J
Published: July 2015

The great density and structural complexity of pulmonary vessels and airways impose limitations on the generation of accurate reference standards, which are critical in training and in the validation of image processing methods for features such as pulmonary vessel segmentation or artery–vein (AV) separations. The design of synthetic computed tomography (CT) images of the lung could overcome these difficulties by providing a database of pseudorealistic cases in a constrained and controlled scenario where each part of the image is differentiated unequivocally. This work demonstrates a complete framework to generate computational anthropomorphic CT phantoms of the human lung automatically. Starting from biological and image-based knowledge about the topology and relationships between structures, the system is able to generate synthetic pulmonary arteries, veins, and airways using iterative growth methods that can be merged into a final simulated lung with realistic features. Visual examination and quantitative measurements of intensity distributions, dispersion of structures and relationships between pulmonary air and blood flow systems show good correspondence between real and synthetic lungs.
Purging of deleterious variants due to drift and founder effect in Italian populations with extended autozygosity
Authors: Cocca Massimiliano , Pybus Marc , Palamara Pier Francesco , Garrison Erik , Traglia Michela , Sala Cinzia F , Uiivi Sheila , Memari Yasin , Kolb-Kokocinski Anja , McCarthy Shane , Durbin Richard , Gasparini Paolo , Toniolo Daniela , Soranzo Nicole , Colonna Vincenza
Published: July 2015

Purging through inbreeding occurs when consanguineous marriages increases the rate at which deleterious alleles are present in a homozygous state. In this study we carried out low-read depth (4-10x) whole-genome sequencing in 568 individuals from three Italian founder populations, and compared it to data from other Italian and European populations from the 1000 Genomes Project. We show extended consanguinity and depletion of homozygous genotypes at potentially detrimental sites in the founder populations compared to outbred populations. However these patterns are not compatible with the hypothesis of consanguinity driving the purging of highly deleterious mutations according to simulations. Therefore we conclude that genetic drift and the founder effect should be responsible for the observed purging of deleterious variants.
Nanoscale architecture of the axon initial segment reveals an organized and robust scaffold
Authors: Leterrier Christophe , Potier Jean , Caillol Ghislaine , Debarnot Claire , Rueda Boroni Fanny , Dargent Bénédicte
Published: July 2015

The Axon Initial Segment [AIS], located within the first 30 μm of the axon, has two essential roles in generating action potentials and maintaining axonal identity. AIS assembly depends on a βIV-spectrin / ankyrin G scaffold, but its macromolecular arrangement is not well understood. Here we quantitatively determined the AIS nanoscale architecture using STochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy [STORM]. First we directly demonstrate that the 190-nm periodicity of the AIS submembrane lattice results from longitudinal, head-to-head βIV-spectrin molecules connecting actin rings. Using multicolor 3D-STORM, we resolve the nanoscale organization of ankyrin G: its aminoterminus associates with the submembrane lattice, whereas the carboxyterminus radially extends (~32 nm on average) toward the cytosol. This AIS nano-architecture is highly resistant to cytoskeletal perturbations, advocating its role in structural stabilization. Our findings provide a comprehensive view of the AIS molecular architecture, and will help understanding the crucial physiological functions of this compartment.
Calcineurin B-Like Protein-Interacting Protein Kinase CIPK21 Regulates Osmotic and Salt Stress Responses in Arabidopsis
Authors: Pandey Girdhar K. , Kanwar Poonam , Singh Amarjeet , Steinhorst Leonie , Pandey Amita , Yadav Akhlilesh K. , Tokas Indu , Sanyal Sibaji K. , Kim Beom-Gi , Lee Sung-Chul , Cheong Yong-Hwa , Kudla Jörg , Luan Sheng
Published: July 2015

The role of calcium-mediated signaling has been extensively studied in plant responses to abiotic stress signals. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) constitute a complex signaling network acting in diverse plant stress responses. Osmotic stress imposed by soil salinity and drought is a major abiotic stress that impedes plant growth and development and involves calcium-signaling processes. In this study, we report the functional analysis of CIPK21, an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CBL-interacting protein kinase, ubiquitously expressed in plant tissues and up-regulated under multiple abiotic stress conditions. The growth of a loss-of-function mutant of CIPK21, cipk21, was hypersensitive to high salt and osmotic stress conditions. The calcium sensors CBL2 and CBL3 were found to physically interact with CIPK21 and target this kinase to the tonoplast. Moreover, preferential localization of CIPK21 to the tonoplast was detected under salt stress condition when coexpressed with CBL2 or CBL3. These findings suggest that CIPK21 mediates responses to salt stress condition in Arabidopsis, at least in part, by regulating ion and water homeostasis across the vacuolar membranes.
A subassembly identification method for truss structures manufacturing based on community detection
Authors: Cao Hao , Mo Rong , Wan Neng , Shang Fang , Li Chunlei , Zhang Dongliang
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an automated method for complicated truss structure subassembly identification.

Design/methodology/approach

– A community-detecting algorithm is introduced and adapted to reach the target. The ratio between oriented bounding boxes of parts is used as the weight to reflect the compact degree of assembly relationships. The authors also propose a method to merge nodes together at cut-vertex in model, by which the solving process could be accelerated.

Findings

– This method could identify the subassemblies of complex truss structures according to the specific requirements.

Research limitations/implications

– This research area is limited to truss structures. This research offers a new method in assembly sequences planning area. It could identify subassemblies in complex truss structures, with which the existing method is not adequate to deal.

Practical implications

– This method could facilitate the complex truss structures assembly planning, lower the human errors and reduce the planning time.

Social implications

– The method could inspire general assembly analysis planning.

Originality/value

– All authors of this paper confirm that this manuscript is original and has not been submitted or published elsewhere.
Trajectory classes of job performance
Authors: Miraglia Mariella , Alessandri Guido , Borgogni Laura
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Previous literature has recognized the variability of job performance, calling attention to the inter-individual differences in performance change. Building on Murphy’s (1989) theoretical model of performance, the purpose of this paper is to verify the existence of two distinct classes of performance, reflecting stable and increasing trends, and to investigate which personal conditions prompt the inclusion of individuals in one class rather than the other.

Design/methodology/approach

– Overall job performance was obtained from supervisory ratings for four consecutive years for 410 professionals of a large Italian company going through significant reorganization. Objective data were merged with employees’ organizational tenure and self-efficacy. Growth Mixture Modeling was used.

Findings

– Two main groups were identified: the first one started at higher levels of performance and showed a stable trajectory over time (stable class); the second group started at lower levels and reported an increasing trajectory (increasing class). Employees’ with stronger efficacy beliefs and lower tenure were more likely to belong to the stable class.

Originality/value

– Through a powerful longitudinal database, the nature, the structure and the inter-individual differences in job performance over time are clarified. The study extends Murphy’s (1989) model, showing how transition stages in job performance may occur also as a result of organizational transformation. Moreover, it demonstrates the essential role of self-efficacy in maintaining high performance levels over time.
Antecedents of perceived overqualification: a three-wave study
Authors: Guerrero Laura , Hatala John-Paul
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of job search on perceived overqualification by applying the theory of planned behavior and including financial need and openness to experience as moderators.

Design/methodology/approach

– Three questionnaires were given at weeks 1, 8 and 12 to 436 practice firm participants. A total of 119 completed all three questionnaires. The authors used partial least squares to analyze the data.

Findings

– Job search self-efficacy was positively related to job search intentions and to outcome expectations. Job search intentions were positively related to job search intensity. Financial need acted as a moderator of the relationship between job search intensity and perceived overqualification such that for those with high-financial need higher levels of job search intensity resulted in higher perceived overqualification.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors found little support for the theory of planned behavior in the model. The authors found strong support for the role of job search self-efficacy and job search intentions. The use of a three-wave design resulted in a relatively low sample size and the use of the practice firm reduces the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that increasing job search self-efficacy and job search intentions while managing the anticipations of job seekers is likely to yield better job search outcomes.

Originality/value

– This study investigates the role of job search on perceived overqualification. Findings suggest that malleable attitudes during job search such as job search self-efficacy, job search intentions, and anticipations are likely to impact perceived overqualification.
Takaful insurance efficiency in the GCC countries
Authors: Al-Amri Khalid
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of the Takaful insurance firms in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and do a relative analysis for its different units.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper analyzes the technical, pure technical, cost and allocative efficiency of Takaful firms in the GCC countries using data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology.

Findings

– The Takaful insurance industry in GCC is highly technical and pure technical efficient. However, it is moderately cost efficient, and there is a large opportunity for improvement. UAE and Qatar score the highest technical efficiency, while Saudi Arabia and UAE are the most cost efficient among the GCC countries.

Originality/value

– The primary contribution of this paper is to provide the first DEA analysis of the Takaful industry in the GCC countries. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study on the Takaful insurance industry that uses different types of efficiency measures, namely technical, pure technical, allocative and cost efficiency, in the GCC countries. This paper also contributes in the literature of the inputs and outputs selection for the Takaful insurance efficiency calculation.
Socially responsible stocks: a boon for investors in India
Authors: Tripathi Vanita , Bhandari Varun
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the performance of socially responsible stocks portfolio vis-à-vis portfolios of general companies in the Indian stock market.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study has used absolute rate of return as well as various risk adjusted measures like Sharpe ratio, Treynor ratio, Jensen’s α, Information ratio, Fama’s decomposition measure and dummy regression model to evaluate the performance of various portfolios.

Findings

– Socially responsible stocks portfolios are found to have lower relative risk despite having higher systematic risk. Further the authors find that during crisis and post-crisis period, socially responsible stocks portfolio generated significantly higher return as compared to other portfolios in the Indian stock market. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) Index and GREENEX Index provided positive net selectivity returns in all the three sub periods, especially during crisis period. GREENEX and ESG outperformed NIFTY and SENSEX even on net selectivity basis. This indicates that the compromise made with respect to diversification by investing in socially responsible stocks portfolios was well rewarded in terms of higher returns in Indian context.

Practical implications

– The findings lend support to the case of socially responsible investing (SRI) in India and are relevant for companies, regulators, policy makers and investors at large. Mutual funds and other investment funds should launch schemes which invest in socially responsible stocks so as to provide the benefits of SRI even to small investors in India.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to the related literature by analysing the performance of socially responsible stocks portfolios in Indian stock market which is one of the emerging markets.
Infrastructure and core quality practices in Indian manufacturing organizations
Authors: Patyal Vishal Singh , Koilakuntla Maddulety
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a scale for infrastructure and core practices, including total quality management (TQM) and Six Sigma practices, in the Indian manufacturing organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, a psychometric systematic scale development procedure has been adopted and executed, which includes three phases. Phase 1 includes item generation and selection through expert opinion. In Phase 2, scale refinement using item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and convergent and discriminant validity have been carried out. Finally, in Phase 3, scale validation through the replication of CFA and nomological validity assessment has been conducted. Also, a higher order measurement and structural model has been used to assess predictive validity of infrastructure and core practices.

Findings

– The findings of the empirical study resulted in a 45-item scale that measures Infrastructure practices (top management commitment, workforce management, supplier relationship, customer relationship management, Six Sigma role structure) and core practices (process management, product/service design, quality information and analysis, Six Sigma metric, Six Sigma structure), considering both TQM and Six Sigma practices. Also, the higher order predictive validity assessment model suggested that core practices have a higher impact on quality performance than infrastructure practices.

Research limitations/implications

– This study considered TQM and Six Sigma practices for defining infrastructure and core practices. However, future studies may include other quality tools in infrastructure and core quality practices such as Lean, Kaizen, and others in the measurement model to get more concrete results.

Practical implications

– This reliable and valid scale will help managers measure the level of QM in order to enhance business performance.

Originality/value

– This study symbolizes a first-time attempt for developing a validated tool to measure infrastructure and core practices in the Indian manufacturing organizations.
Impact of procedural justice perception on team commitment
Authors: Ganesh M. P. , Gupta Meenakshi
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of procedural justice on team members’ commitment and the role of task routineness and participatory safety in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– Survey method was used to collect data from 177 respondents from 33 software development teams. Participatory Safety Scale from Anderson and West’s Team Climate Inventory, Colquitt’s Procedural Justice Scale, a modified version of Mowdayet al.’s Organizational Commitment Scale and Daft and Macintosh’s Task Routineness Scale were used to measure the variables studied. Regression analysis was used to test the main, mediating and moderating effects.

Findings

– Results showed a significant positive impact of procedural justice perception on participatory safety dimensions and team commitment. Task routineness did not show any significant moderation effect. Perception of participatory safety had a partial mediation effect.

Research limitations/implications

– A relatively smaller sample size, purposive sampling technique and absence of relevant control variables are the key limitations of this study.

Practical implications

– The findings will provide managers insights on designing the team tasks and procedures to nurture participatory safety and commitment in teams.

Originality/value

– The study is unique in terms of selection of variables, design (moderation and mediating effects) and the context (software development teams). The study provides a holistic picture of team dynamics by studying variables related to procedures, task and psychological states of the individual.
Emergency relief supply chain design and trade-off analysis
Authors: Hong Jae-Dong , Jeong Ki-Young , Feng Keli
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Emergency relief supply chain (ERSC) design is an important strategic decision that significantly affects the overall performance of emergency management activities. The performance of an ERSC can be measured by several performance measures some of which may conflict with each other. The purpose of this paper is to propose an ERSC design framework by simultaneously taking total logistics cost (TLC), risk level, and amount of demands covered in an ERSC into consideration.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study considers TLC of an ERSC as the sum of logistics cost from distribution warehouses (DWHs) to Break of Bulbs (BOBs) and from BOBs to affected neighborhoods. The risk level of an ERSC is measured by estimating the expected number of disrupted relief items (EDI) distributed from DWHs through BOBs to neighborhoods. The covered demand (CDM) is defined as total populations that are supported in case of an emergency, the populations within the maximal coverage distance (MCD) from relief facilities. Based on these performance measures, the authors formulate a Goal Programming (GP) model to distribute emergency relief items to affected locations. Ideal values of these performance measures are decided, and the GP model seeks to minimize the weighted sum of the percentage deviations of those performance measures from the ideal values. The relationships among performance measures have been thoroughly analyzed through detailed trade-off studies under two realistic case studies by changing weights of each performance measure.

Findings

– Three performance measures are interdependent over specific values of weights. TLC and EDI have a trade-off relationship when the weight on each measure increases. TLC and CDM also have a trade-off relationship when the weight on EDI increases. However, this relationship becomes less apparent when the MCD increases. EDI and CDM also have the same trade-off relationship when the weight on TLC changes. Therefore, decision makers should thoroughly analyze these trade-off relationships when they design ERSCs. Overall, the study identified that an ERSC with higher MCD outperforms one with lower MCD in terms of TLC, EDI, and CDM.

Originality/value

– The study presents a design framework to generate more balanced ERSCs by simultaneously taking three conflicting performance measures into consideration, and demonstrated the feasibility of the framework through realistic case studies. The trade-off analysis provides useful insights and theoretical knowledge to researchers and practitioners in the discipline of emergency logistics management. The results from this study are expected to contribute to the development of more balanced ERSCs.
Reverse logistics in humanitarian operations: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Peretti Umberto , Tatham Peter , Wu Yong , Sgarbossa Fabio
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Whilst implementation of a broad range of reverse logistics (RL) practices is increasingly the norm within commercial supply chain management, they have had limited impact in the humanitarian logistics (HL) sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the challenges and opportunities for the application of RL in a HL context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through a broad review of both the academic and practitioner literature, supplemented by informal discussions with senior humanitarian logisticians, the paper summarises the current state of RL within the HL sector before recommending ways in which practices that are increasingly found in a commercial context could be implemented.

Findings

– The findings indicate that, to date, the use of commercial RL practices is extremely limited within the HL sector, but there are a number of areas where their introduction be possible in the future.

Research limitations/implications

– Whilst the reviews of the literature were comprehensive, further and more detailed research into the RL practices (if any) undertaken by aid agencies needs to be undertaken in order that appropriate lessons and experiences can be implemented across the sector as a whole.

Practical implications

– Given the overall desire of humanitarian agencies to “do no harm” it will be increasingly important for such organisations to embrace RL practices in order to improve the sustainability of their disaster preparation and response activities.

Social implications

– In light of the generally increased awareness of the need to reduce the environmental footprint as well as improving the social and economic impacts of their supply chain activities, there is likely to be increasing pressure on aid agencies to adopt RL practices. This paper identifies some of the potential areas in which this can be undertaken, and the associated barriers to be overcome.

Originality/value

– To date, it would appear that no academic research has been undertaken into the RL practices within the HL sector. To this extent, the research represents a first look at a new sub-topic within the overall HL field.
Serological aggravation of autoimmune thyroid disease in two cases receiving nivolumab
Authors: Narita Tomohiko , Oiso Naoki , Taketomo Yasunori , Okahashi Kazunori , Yamauchi Kohei , Sato Masako , Uchida Shusuke , Matsuda Hiromasa , Kawada Akira
Published: July 2015

Nivolumab, a blockade of programmed cell death 1, is now administrated for advanced malignant melanomas. Nivolumab‐associated adverse events include organ‐specific autoimmune disorders; autoimmune thyroid disease, vitiligo and insulin‐dependent diabetes. However, predisposed persons are currently unknown. Here, we report serological aggravation of autoimmune thyroid disease in two cases receiving nivolumab: one with Hashimoto disease and another with probable subclinical Hashimoto disease. We should verify if nivolumab‐related hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are predisposed to occur in euthyroid individuals with subclinical autoimmune thyroid disease.
Probiotic properties of Enterococcus strains isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in China
Authors: Guo Lidong , Li Tingting , Tang Yaru , Yang Lijie , Huo Guicheng
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the probiotic properties of Enterococcus strains isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in China. Four Enterococcus isolates showed high cholesterol removal ability in media were identified as Enterococcus durans (KLDS 6.0930 and 6.0933) and Enterococcus faecalis (KLDS 6.0934 and 6.0935) by 16S rRNA and pheS gene sequences, respectively, and selected for further evaluation. In order to assess the probiotic potential and safety of these strains, the property of four Enterococcus strains were examined, including acid and bile tolerance, adherence to Caco‐2 cells and antibiotics susceptibility. All four strains showed potential cholesterol assimilation, de‐conjugation of bile salts and/or cholesterol degradation to remove cholesterol in vitro. In addition, the potential effect of E. durans KLDS 6.0930 on serum cholesterol levels was evaluated in Sprague‐Dawley rats. After 4 weeks administration, compared with rats fed a high‐cholesterol diet without lactic acid bacteria supplementation, there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the serum of rats treated with KLDS 6.0930. Furthermore, total bile acid level in the feces was significantly (P < 0.05) increased after KLDS 6.0930 administration. These observations suggested that the strain E. durans KLDS 6.0930 may be used in the future as a good candidate for lowering human serum cholesterol levels.
Do major histocompatibility complex tag single nucleotide polymorphisms accurately identify HLA‐B27 in the Turkish population?
Authors: Akar Servet , Igci Yusuf Z. , Sari Ismail , Pala Elif , Geyik Esra , Tas Mehmet N. , Solmaz Dilek , Çetin Pinar , Akkoc Nurullah
Published: July 2015

Objective

To evaluate the performance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐B27 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by polymerase chain reaction – restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP).

Methods

We genotyped three SNPs (rs116488202, rs13202464 and rs4349859). The primers were designed using Primer3 algorithm via primer‐BLAST interface. PCR products were digested by using NlaIII, BmrI and TaqαI enzymes. Quality control was performed by DNA sequence analysis.

Results

In total, 207 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 32 healthy controls were included in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of SNPs rs116488202 and rs4349859 in identifying HLA‐B27 were identical and adequate at 0.946 and 1.000, respectively. On the other hand, the sensitivity and specificity for rs13202464 was 0.878 and 0.934, respectively. The presence of another SNP (rs141774149) in close proximity to rs116488202 complicated the analysis for RFLP and required that we sequence all the T allele carrying samples.

Conclusion

The SNPs rs116488202 and rs4349859 may have a place in the identification of HLA‐B27 in the Turkish population; however, methods other than PCR–RFLP should be considered.
Progressive retinal atrophy in Shetland sheepdog is associated with a mutation in the CNGA1 gene
Authors: Wiik A. C. , Ropstad E. O. , Ekesten B. , Karlstam L. , Wade C. M. , Lingaas F.
Published: July 2015

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is the collective name of a class of hereditary retinal dystrophies in the dog and is often described as the equivalent of retinitis pigmentosa in humans. PRA is characterized by visual impairment due to degeneration of the photoreceptors in the retina, usually leading to blindness. PRA has been reported in dogs from more than 100 breeds and can be genetically heterogeneous both between and within breeds. The disease can be subdivided by age at onset and rate of progression. Using genome‐wide association with 15 Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) cases and 14 controls, we identified a novel PRA locus on CFA13 (Praw = 8.55 × 10−7, Pgenome = 1.7 × 10−4). CNGA1, which is known to be involved in human cases of retinitis pigmentosa, was located within the associated region and was considered a likely candidate gene. Sequencing of this gene identified a 4‐bp deletion in exon 9 (c.1752_1755delAACT), leading to a frameshift and a premature stop codon. The study indicated genetic heterogeneity as the mutation was present in all PRA‐affected individuals in one large family of Shelties, whereas some other cases in the studied Sheltie population were not associated with this CNGA1 mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a mutation in CNGA1 causing PRA in dogs.