bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Granzyme B degradation by autophagy decreases tumor cell susceptibility to natural killer-mediated lysis under hypoxia
Authors: Baginska Joanna , Viry Elodie , Berchem Guy , Poli Aurélie , Noman Muhammad Zaeem , van Moer Kris , Medves Sandrine , Zimmer Jacques , Oudin Anaïs , Niclou Simone P. , Bleackley R. Chris , Goping Ing Swie , Chouaib Salem , Janji Bassam
Published: October 2013

Significance

Natural killer (NK) cells are effectors of the antitumor immunity, able to kill cancer cells through the release of the cytotoxic protease granzyme B. NK-based therapies have recently emerged as promising anticancer strategies. It is well established that hypoxic microenvironment interferes with the function of antitumor immune cells and constitutes a major obstacle for cancer immunotherapies. We showed that breast cancer cells evade effective NK-mediated killing under hypoxia by activating autophagy that we have identified to be responsible for the degradation of NK-derived granzyme B. We demonstrated that blocking autophagy restored NK-mediated lysis in vitro, and facilitated breast tumor elimination by NK cells in mice. We provided evidence that targeting autophagy may pave the way to achieve more effective NK-based anticancer immunotherapy.
HIF isoforms in the skin differentially regulate systemic arterial pressure
Authors: Cowburn Andrew S. , Takeda Norihiko , Boutin Adam T. , Kim Jung-Whan , Sterling Jane C. , Nakasaki Manando , Southwood Mark , Goldrath Ananda W. , Jamora Colin , Nizet Victor , Chilvers Edwin R. , Johnson Randall S.
Published: October 2013

Significance

The differential expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α) isoforms in the skin of mice influences vascular resistance and is correlated with homeostatic regulation of nitric oxide synthesis. A correlation between HIF isoform expression and hypertension was found in skin biopsies from human subjects, and may indicate a mechanism in the etiology of idiopathic hypertension.
Pressure-decoupled magnetic and structural transitions of the parent compound of iron-based 122 superconductors BaFe
2
As
2
Authors: Wu J. J. , Lin Jung-Fu , Wang X. C. , Liu Q. Q. , Zhu J. L. , Xiao Y. M. , Chow P. , Jin Changqing
Published: October 2013

Significance

Superconductivity and magnetism have been considered to be in competition with each other. The discovery of high-
T
C
superconductivity in iron-based compounds, however, drastically alters this concept, as the origin of its superconductivity is closely related to magnetism of iron. Here we report the interplay of magnetic and structural transitions in a parent compound of iron-based superconductor BaFe
2
As
2
at high pressures, in which magnetic ordering precedes the structural transition at high pressures. Our results can be understood in terms of spin fluctuations in the emerging nematic phase before long-range magnetic order. Our findings provide valuable insights into exploring the interplay between magnetism and structure hence to better understand the superconductivity in iron-based compounds.
High diversity of West African bat malaria parasites and a tight link with rodentPlasmodiumtaxa
Authors: Schaer Juliane , Perkins Susan L. , Decher Jan , Leendertz Fabian H. , Fahr Jakob , Weber Natalie , Matuschewski Kai
Published: October 2013

Significance

Understanding the evolution of malaria parasites and their phylogenetic context is key to understanding this important human disease. We report an unexpected high diversity of malaria parasite genera in bats from West African forest ecosystems. Two lineages are closely related toPlasmodiumparasites from rodents, which are common laboratory model systems, and the results are consistent with switches between these hosts over their evolutionary history. Bats are considered important reservoir hosts for many pathogens, particularly viruses, and have unusually high immunological tolerances. The abundant malaria parasite infections are consistent with this exceptional immunology and suggest that in bats the parasites repeatedly evolved life cycles away from disease-causing replication in red blood cells to less pathogenic propagation in liver tissue.
Menin promotes hepatocellular carcinogenesis and epigenetically up-regulates Yap1 transcription
Authors: Xu Bin , Li Shan-Hua , Zheng Rong , Gao Shu-Bin , Ding Li-Hong , Yin Zhen-Yu , Lin Xiao , Feng Zi-Jie , Zhang Sheng , Wang Xiao-Min , Jin Guang-Hui
Published: October 2013

Significance

Epigenetic changes commonly occur in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are associated with aberrant gene expression. Most studies have focused on epigenetic gene-silencing events; therefore, the mechanism that promotes gene activation in HCC is not well established. We identify an epigenetic activation mechanism whereby menin promotes Yes-associated protein (Yap1) transcription, which is associated with a poor prognosis for HCC patients. Substantial overexpression of the menin–mixed-lineage leukemia complex is associated with increased histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation at certain loci of the tumor promoter in HCC. Heterozygous ablation of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (
Men1)
in mice reduces diethylnitrosamine-induced development of HCC. Our findings reveal that menin plays an important epigenetic role in up-regulating Yap1 transcription, leading to liver tumorigenesis.
Pooled RNAi screen identifies ubiquitin ligase Itch as crucial for influenza A virus release from the endosome during virus entry
Authors: Su Wen-Chi , Chen Yung-Chia , Tseng Chung-Hsin , Hsu Paul Wei-Che , Tung Kuo-Feng , Jeng King-Song , Lai Michael M. C.
Published: October 2013

Significance

Seasonal epidemics and recurring pandemics of influenza viruses threaten public health and the global economy severely. Host factors that are essential for viral growth provide potential drug targets and are crucial for understanding the mechanism of viral infection. This paper presents a unique genetic screening approach to identify such host factors. A cellular enzyme termed Itch ubiquitin ligase was identified and found to be essential for influenza viral entry into cells. It allows the viral genome to escape from the trapping of the cells to initiate infection. This host factor fills the critical gap in our understanding of the beginning event of influenza viral infection.
Design principles governing the motility of myosin V
Authors: Hinczewski Michael , Tehver Riina , Thirumalai D.
Published: October 2013

Significance

Myosin V, a two-headed motor protein, ferries cellular cargo by walking hand-over-hand on actin filaments. Interplay between ATP-driven conformational changes in the heads and stress due to load produces a variety of stepping dynamics: The motor can step forward or backward, or “stomp,” where one head detaches and rebinds to the same site. We created an analytically solvable theory capturing all these behaviors, quantitatively matching a wide array of single-molecule experiments. We describe the structural and chemical design principles underlying the motor’s robust function, providing a guide for how bioengineering might alter its dynamics.
Mining the O-mannose glycoproteome reveals cadherins as major O-mannosylated glycoproteins
Authors: Vester-Christensen Malene B. , Halim Adnan , Joshi Hiren Jitendra , Steentoft Catharina , Bennett Eric P. , Levery Steven B. , Vakhrushev Sergey Y. , Clausen Henrik
Published: October 2013

Significance

Protein O-mannosylation is believed to be an abundant modification of proteins, but only very few glycoproteins with O-mannose have been identified to date. Here, we present a unique strategy for proteome-wide discovery of O-mannosylated glycoproteins, and using this strategy we find that the important cadherin and plexin families of cell membrane receptors are O-mannosylated. The presented strategy invites the opportunity for wider exploration of the O-mannose glycoproteome and studies of the functions of O-mannose glycans.
Oral delivery system prolongs blood circulation of docetaxel nanocapsules via lymphatic absorption
Authors: Attili-Qadri Suha , Karra Nour , Nemirovski Alina , Schwob Ouri , Talmon Yeshayahu , Nassar Taher , Benita Simon
Published: October 2013

Significance

Oral drug delivery is the most convenient administration route for patients. Docetaxel, a potent anticancer drug, elicits severe side effects following intravenous administration. Furthermore, oral docetaxel absorption is prevented by biochemical barriers in the intestine. An oral formulation of docetaxel nanocapsules (NCs) embedded in microparticles was developed and elicited higher plasma docetaxel concentrations than intravenous administration of the commercial product. These unexpected results were explained by the penetration of the docetaxel NCs within the enterocytes, circumventing the barriers, where their coating was reinforced prior reaching, intact, the circulation via the lymphatic system. The oral formulation significantly improves docetaxel anticancer efficacy. This delivery concept has potential for clinical translation, allowing docetaxel chemotherapy to be switched from intravenous to oral delivery.
Tooth wear and dentoalveolar remodeling are key factors of morphological variation in the Dmanisi mandibles
Authors: Margvelashvili Ann , Zollikofer Christoph P. E. , Lordkipanidze David , Peltomäki Timo , Ponce de León Marcia S.
Published: October 2013

Significance

The mandibles of the early Pleistocene hominins from Dmanisi, Georgia, exhibit wide morphological variation, but the causes of diversity remain largely unknown. Here we quantify the effects of heavy tooth wear and wear-related bone remodeling on mandibular variation. Using modern hunter–gatherer populations as a reference, we show that features such as dental arcade form, mandibular corpus height, and symphyseal inclination change substantially with progressive tooth wear. These data indicate that the Dmanisi mandibles reflect normal within-population variation augmented by interindividual differences in wear-related bone remodeling. Dmanisi further provides the first clear evidence for toothpick-induced local periodontitis. This study illustrates how excessive tooth wear leads to dentognathic pathology and complete tooth loss, which was evidently compensated for by culturally mediated food processing.
miRNA and mRNA cancer signatures determined by analysis of expression levels in large cohorts of patients
Authors: Zadran Sohila , Remacle F. , Levine R. D.
Published: October 2013

Significance

The study of mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles of cells and tissue has become a major tool for therapeutic development. The results of such experiments are expected to change the methods used in the diagnosis and prognosis of disease. We introduce surprisal analysis, an information-theoretic approach grounded in thermodynamics, to compactly transform the information acquired from microarray studies into applicable knowledge about the cancer phenotypic state. The analysis of mRNA and miRNA expression data from ovarian serous carcinoma, prostate adenocarcinoma, breast invasive carcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma cancer patients and organ-specific control patients identifies cancer-specific signatures. We experimentally examine these signatures and their respective networks as possible therapeutic targets for cancer in single-cell experiments.
Conference interpreters — the stars of the translation profession?
Authors: Dam Helle V. , Zethsen Karen Korning
Published: October 2013

This article reports on a study which is part of an ongoing project, investigating occupational status within the translation profession by focusing on professional translators and interpreters of different kinds and in different contexts. The study is specifically concerned with the job status of the category generally regarded as the stars of the profession, i.e. conference interpreters. It investigates the self-perceived occupational status of a group of Danish staff interpreters at the European Union, comparing it to that of Danish staff translators in the same organization. The research is based on data from an online survey, completed by 86 respondents (23 interpreters and 63 translators). The study hypothesis was that the conference interpreters would position themselves at the very top of the status continuum for the translation profession as a whole, and that the translators would situate themselves at a lower level — though not at the very bottom, considering their profile as staff translators in a prestigious international context. This hypothesis was only partially borne out by the research findings.
An inquiry into unidirectionality as a foundational element of grammaticalization
Authors: Fischer Olga
Published: October 2013

This paper assumes that in order to explain rather than describe language change, historical linguists should not only consider what happens diachronically at the language output level but also, crucially, what speaker-listeners do at the processing level. The reason for this is that the structure of the language is shaped by the properties of the neurolinguistic mechanism underlying both language use and language learning. It will be argued that analogy as an important principle in grammar formation is the main mechanism in grammaticalization and in change in general when looked at from a processing point of view. The paper discusses the workings of analogy in a number of cases in the history of English which have traditionally been interpreted as unidirectional cases of grammaticalization . It will be shown instead that multiple source constructions were involved, which influenced one another and thus gave direction to the change.
Self-Regulation of the Okanagan Lake Kokanee Recreational Fishery: Dynamic Angler Effort Response to Varying Fish Abundance and Productivity
Authors: Askey P. J. , Johnston N. T.
Published: October 2013

The fishery for kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka in Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, exemplifies three common issues in the management of recreational fisheries: time-varying stock–recruit parameters, mixed stocks within a single fishing area, and open-access fishing effort. The aggregate kokanee stock (consisting of stream-spawning and shore-spawning stocks) declined 50-fold between 1971 and 1998 and then partially recovered in the most recent decade. This contrast in fish abundance provides an opportunity to gain insights into the predator–prey dynamics of anglers and fish in an open-access sport fishery. Structural variations in the Ricker stock–recruit function were fitted to the time series of spawner escapements and fishery data to estimate the relative role of nonstationary stock–recruit parameters versus angler harvest in the observed time series. The optimal model structures selected by Akaike's information criterion suggested that kokanee dynamics were driven by external factors (e.g., lake nutrient concentration or opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana abundance) as opposed to fishery harvest. The functional response of angler catch rates to fish abundance was well predicted by a type I function (i.e., no density dependence in catchability). Conversely, the angler effort numerical response to variation in kokanee density was sigmoid, with a steep transition at an average catch rate between 1 and 2 fish/d. The interaction of angler response functions with fish recruitment dynamics led to an open-access recreational fishery that never harvested the lower-productivity (stream-spawning) stock to a level below the optimal escapement abundance, despite dramatic declines in stock productivity (i.e., recruits per spawner at low abundance) over time. Standard management reactions to declining fish abundance (successive reductions in daily bag limits) were largely ineffective in altering harvest rate or effort dynamics. Our results show that the Okanagan Lake kokanee fishery was self-regulating over a large range in fish densities and that the declines in kokanee abundance resulted from time-varying stock productivity rather than from overharvest.

Received January 15, 2013; accepted June 17, 2013
Detecting Noncompliance in the Summer Flounder Recreational Fishery Using a Mark–Recapture Growth Model
Authors: Henderson Mark J. , Fabrizio Mary C.
Published: October 2013

We used a mark–recapture growth model to investigate recreational angler compliance with minimum length regulations in a popular Chesapeake Bay fishery. Angler noncompliance can severely degrade the ability of fishery managers to avoid overexploitation and to achieve objectives of rebuilding plans. To discern noncompliance in the recreational fishery for Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus, we fitted a growth model to 3,474 recapture records from a tagging study conducted by volunteer anglers in Virginia from 2000 to 2011. Most of the tagged fish were small (i.e., sublegal size), and the average time at liberty was 86 d. Based on the growth model, Summer Flounder growth patterns changed at 34.7 cm, possibly representing the length at which the majority of fish reach maturity. The mean size of harvested fish increased in response to increases in the minimum size limit, although harvest of sublegal fish continued. Throughout the 12 years of the study, 33–79% of the tagged fish that were recaptured and harvested were predicted to be sublegal based on the growth model. The percentage of sublegal fish that were harvested increased dramatically when large (≥5 cm) increases in minimum size limits were implemented. We conclude that Virginia recreational anglers responded to management regulations by adjusting the minimum size of harvested fish but that some anglers continued to harvest sublegal fish.

Received April 9, 2013; accepted June 18, 2013
Effects of Catfish Angler Catch-Related Attitudes on Fishing Trip Preferences
Authors: Hutt Clifford P. , Hunt Kevin M. , Schlechte J. Warren , Buckmeier David L.
Published: October 2013

To assist the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in developing a statewide catfish management plan, we surveyed 1,078 freshwater catfish anglers to examine their catch-related attitudes and trip preferences by using a stated choice experiment. Respondents were presented with a series of paired hypothetical fishing trip scenarios for catfish and were asked to choose the trips that they most preferred. Trip scenarios varied by the relative number of catfish that were caught and harvested, relative size of catfish that were caught, water body type, level of site development, and distance traveled (i.e., representing travel costs). A conditional logit model was fitted to analyze angler preferences by determining the influence of trip attributes on angler choice. Model results indicated that anglers’ choice of fishing trips was most influenced by distance traveled, followed by the catch-related aspects of the trip, with catfish size having a greater influence than the numbers of catfish caught or harvested. We then conducted a latent class analysis of catfish anglers, which involved the use of cluster analysis to assign anglers to five groups based on their catch-related attitude scores, and we reran the stated choice model for each cluster. Clusters ranged from harvest-oriented anglers to size-oriented anglers that were focused on catching large trophy fish. Results from these models can assist fisheries managers in setting management goals and objectives that best meet the needs of their clientele.

Received December 17, 2012; accepted June 27, 2013
An in vitro assay for entry into cilia reveals unique properties of the soluble diffusion barrier
Authors: Breslow David K. , Koslover Elena F. , Seydel Federica , Spakowitz Andrew J. , Nachury Maxence V.
Published: October 2013

Specific proteins are concentrated within primary cilia, whereas others remain excluded. To understand the mechanistic basis of entry into cilia, we developed an in vitro assay using cells in which the plasma membrane was permeabilized, but the ciliary membrane was left intact. Using a diffusion-to-capture system and quantitative analysis, we find that proteins >9 nm in diameter (∼100 kD) are restricted from entering cilia, and we confirm these findings in vivo. Interference with the nuclear pore complex (NPC) or the actin cytoskeleton in permeabilized cells demonstrated that the ciliary diffusion barrier is mechanistically distinct from those of the NPC or the axon initial segment. Moreover, applying a mass transport model to this system revealed diffusion coefficients for soluble and membrane proteins within cilia that are compatible with rapid exploration of the ciliary space in the absence of active transport. Our results indicate that large proteins require active transport for entry into cilia but not necessarily for movement inside cilia.
Sequestration of CDH1 by MAD2L2 prevents premature APC/C activation prior to anaphase onset
Authors: Listovsky Tamar , Sale Julian E.
Published: October 2013

The switch from activation of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) by CDC20 to CDH1 during anaphase is crucial for accurate mitosis. APC/CCDC20 ubiquitinates a limited set of substrates for subsequent degradation, including Cyclin B1 and Securin, whereas APC/CCDH1 has a broader specificity. This switch depends on dephosphorylation of CDH1 and the APC/C, and on the degradation of CDC20. Here we show, in human cells, that the APC/C inhibitor MAD2L2 also contributes to ensuring the sequential activation of the APC/C by CDC20 and CDH1. In prometaphase, MAD2L2 sequestered free CDH1 away from the APC/C. At the onset of anaphase, MAD2L2 was rapidly degraded by APC/CCDC20, releasing CDH1 to activate the dephosphorylated APC/C. Loss of MAD2L2 led to premature association of CDH1 with the APC/C, early destruction of APC/CCDH1 substrates, and accelerated mitosis with frequent mitotic aberrations. Thus, MAD2L2 helps to ensure a robustly bistable switch between APC/CCDC20 and APC/CCDH1 during the metaphase-to-anaphase transition, thereby contributing to mitotic fidelity.
Patronin mediates a switch from kinesin-13–dependent poleward flux to anaphase B spindle elongation
Authors: Wang Haifeng , Brust-Mascher Ingrid , Civelekoglu-Scholey Gul , Scholey Jonathan M.
Published: October 2013

Anaphase B spindle elongation contributes to chromosome segregation during Drosophila melanogaster embryo mitosis. We propose that this process is driven by a kinesin-5–generated interpolar microtubule (MT; ipMT) sliding filament mechanism that engages when poleward flux is turned off. In this paper, we present evidence that anaphase B is induced by the minus end–stabilizing protein Patronin, which antagonizes the kinesin-13 depolymerase KLP10A at spindle poles, thereby switching off the depolymerization of the minus ends of outwardly sliding ipMTs to suppress flux. Although intact cortices, kinetochore MTs, and midzone augmentation are dispensable, this Patronin-based change in ipMT minus-end dynamics is sufficient to induce the elongation of spindles capable of separating chromosomes.
Transcription factor Runx2 controls the development and migration of plasmacytoid dendritic cells
Authors: Sawai Catherine M. , Sisirak Vanja , Ghosh Hiyaa S. , Hou Esther Z. , Ceribelli Michele , Staudt Louis M. , Reizis Boris
Published: October 2013

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) rapidly produce type I interferon (IFN-I) in response to viruses and are essential for antiviral immune responses. Although related to classical DCs (cDCs) in their development and expression profile, pDCs possess many distinct features. Unlike cDCs, pDCs develop in the bone marrow (BM) and emerge into peripheral lymphoid organs and tissues as fully differentiated cells. We now report that pDCs specifically express Runx2, a Runt family transcription factor that is essential for bone development. pDCs in Runx2-deficient mice developed normally in the BM but were greatly reduced in the periphery. The defect was cell-intrinsic and was associated with the retention of mature Ly49Q+ pDCs in the BM. Runx2 was required for the expression of several pDC-enriched genes, including the chemokine receptors Ccr2 and Ccr5. Mature pDCs expressed high levels of Ccr5 at the cell surface, and Ccr5-deficient pDCs in a competitive setting were reduced in the periphery relative to the BM. Thus, Runx2 is required for the emergence of mature BM pDCs into the periphery, in a process that is partially dependent on Ccr5. These results establish Runx2 as a lineage-specific regulator of immune system development.
Nutritional situation for larval Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) in two nursery areas in the western Baltic Sea
Authors: Paulsen Matthias , Hammer Cornelius , Malzahn Arne M. , Polte Patrick , von Dorrien Christian , Clemmesen Catriona
Published: October 2013

The Greifswalder Bodden (GWB) is considered to be the most important spawning and nursery area for the western Baltic spring-spawning herring. However, the biotic and abiotic reasons for this are still unclear. Consequently, we investigated larval growth conditions in the GWB and in the Kiel Canal (KC), another nursery and spawning area of Baltic herring. We investigated prey quantity and quality [copepod abundance and essential fatty acid (EFA) concentration] as well as biochemically derived growth rates and fatty acid content of larval herring in spring 2011. A significant correlation between larval growth and larval EFA concentration could be observed in the GWB. The highest growth rates and EFA concentrations in the larval herring coincided with high food quality. Compensating effects of food quality on food quantity and vice versa could be observed in both the GWB and the KC. While larval growth rates in the KC were high early in the season, highest growth rates in the GWB were achieved late in the season. In conclusion, neither area was superior to the other, indicating similar growth conditions for larval herring within the region.
The development of tool manufacture in humans: what helps young children make innovative tools?
Authors: Chappell Jackie , Cutting Nicola , Apperly Ian A. , Beck Sarah R.
Published: October 2013

We know that even young children are proficient tool users, but until recently, little was known about how they make tools. Here, we will explore the concepts underlying tool making, and the kinds of information and putative cognitive abilities required for children to manufacture novel tools. We will review the evidence for novel tool manufacture from the comparative literature and present a growing body of data from children suggesting that innovation of the solution to a problem by making a tool is a much more challenging task than previously thought. Children's difficulty with these kinds of tasks does not seem to be explained by perseveration with unmodified tools, difficulty with switching to alternative strategies, task pragmatics or issues with permission. Rather, making novel tools (without having seen an example of the required tool within the context of the task) appears to be hard, because it is an example of an ‘ill-structured problem’. In this type of ill-structured problem, the starting conditions and end goal are known, but the transformations and/or actions required to get from one to the other are not specified. We will discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the development of problem-solving in humans and other animals.
‘Captivity bias’ in animal tool use and its implications for the evolution of hominin technology
Authors: Haslam Michael
Published: October 2013

Animals in captive or laboratory settings may outperform wild animals of the same species in both frequency and diversity of tool use, a phenomenon here termed ‘captivity bias’. Although speculative at this stage, a logical conclusion from this concept is that animals whose tool-use behaviour is observed solely under natural conditions may be judged cognitively or physically inferior than if they had also been tested or observed under controlled captive conditions. In turn, this situation creates a potential problem for studies of the behaviour of extinct members of the human family tree—the hominins—as hominin cognitive abilities are often judged on material evidence of tool-use behaviour left in the archaeological record. In this review, potential factors contributing to captivity bias in primates (including increased contact between individuals engaged in tool use, guidance or shaping of tool-use behaviour by other tool-users and increased free time and energy) are identified and assessed for their possible effects on the behaviour of the Late Pleistocene homininHomo floresiensis. The captivity bias concept provides one way to uncouple hominin tool use from cognition, by considering hominins as subject to the same adaptive influences as other tool-using animals.
Use of short tandem repeat fingerprinting to validate sample origins in hepatitis C virus molecular epidemiology studies
Authors: Edwards Victoria C. , McClure C. Patrick , Brown Richard J. P. , Thompson Emma , Irving William L. , Ball Jonathan K.
Published: October 2013

Sequence analysis is used to define the molecular epidemiology and evolution of the hepatitis C virus. Whilst most studies have shown that individual patients harbour viruses that are derived from a limited number of highly related strains, some recent reports have shown that some patients can be co-infected with very distinct variants whose frequency can fluctuate greatly. Whilst co-infection with highly divergent strains is possible, an alternative explanation is that such data represent contamination or sample mix-up. In this study, we have shown that DNA fingerprinting techniques can accurately assess sample provenance and differentiate between samples that are truly exhibiting mixed infection from those that harbour distinct virus populations due to sample mix-up. We have argued that this approach should be adopted routinely in virus sequence analyses to validate sample provenance.
The accounting profession's influence on academe: South African evidence
Authors: Retief Venter Elmar , de Villiers Charl
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the influence of academics who are members of the profession on academic institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

– An analytic autoethnography of the influence of accounting academics who are members of the profession on South African universities, supported by publicly available information, such as policy and other documents, web sites, and published material; documentation the authors are able to gather as participants; and formal and informal interviews the authors conduct with academic managers.

Findings

– The paper finds that profession-identifying academics create and maintain rules and structures within academe, rules and structures that suit the profession. Managers who are members of the profession identify more closely with the profession than with their university. The analysis reveals the mechanics of this influence, as well as the consequences.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to theory by synthesizing the creation of profession-inspired institutions framework and the maintenance of an institutions framework into a single framework. It also applies the theory by providing an example of a profession creating and maintaining institutionalization in an adjacent institution. The findings have implications for academia in cases where academic staff members are members of professional bodies, such as engineering and law faculties. The insights highlighted here may also be of interest to Australasian, UK and US accounting academics, because the literature contains evidence of pressures from professional bodies there.
Implementation of benchmarking concepts in Indian automobile industry – an empirical study
Authors: Panwar Avinash , Nepal Bimal , Jain Rakesh , Prakash Yadav Om
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to present existence comprehensive analysis of state of implementation of benchmarking concepts in Indian automotive companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is carried out through a mixed method of research approach comprising of a survey of 300 auto companies in India. Out of 300, 48 valid responses together with three additional case studies were used in the data analysis. Inclusion of case studies was aspired to get deeper insight into the issues pertaining to adoption of best practices, and subsequently the implementation of benchmarking activities.

Findings

– Benchmarking has been unanimously accepted as an effective performance and productivity improvement tool by Indian auto companies. However, Indian automobile manufacturers still see benchmarking as a tool to compare product attributes, quality attributes, operations, and processes. Moreover, it has been perceived as being less applicable at strategic level. Results also show that benchmarking is in its primary stage in the Indian automotive industry, and it still needs much more commitment from top management for its proliferation. Lesser significance is given to competitor benchmarking due to the fear of losing competitive advantage, and the problem of confidentiality. Reasons identified in this study for not using benchmarking include “lack of human resources” as most important, followed by “financial constraints”, and “lack of internal expertise”.

Research limitations/implications

– Research results should be generalized and reproduced with a larger sample size. Owing to the scarce application of benchmarking in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), separate study should be carried out to find ways to encourage benchmarking implementation in Indian auto component manufacturing SMEs.

Originality/value

– The paper provides insight into the extent of implementation of benchmarking concepts in Indian automobile industry. This study is the first attempt to understand propagation of benchmarking concepts, exclusively among Indian auto companies.
Benchmarking the interactions among barriers in third-party logistics implementation
Authors: Diabat Ali , Khreishah Abdallah , Kannan Govindan , Panikar Vinay , Gunasekaran Angappa
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the interaction among some of the major barriers that may hinder the implementation of third-party logistics (TPL) in manufacturing industries.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology to analyze the interactions among the barriers.

Findings

– It is beneficial for the management of any firm to be aware of significant barriers and to diagnose those that could be integral to the organization's future survival. Many works have focused on identifying barriers for TPL implementation, but a model for such barriers is lacking. This paper attempts to develop a model for the barriers using an ISM methodology and analyzes the mutual interactions among the barriers. The model differentiates between the barriers so that driving barriers, which can intensify other barriers, and dependent barriers are identified separately.

Originality/value

– In this research, eight barriers are considered. Interactions between the barriers are evaluated with the help of the ISM matrix. Of the eight barriers, three barriers, including the lack of application and knowledge of advanced information technology, congested roadways and ports, and fear of employees of the firm, demonstrate both strong driving power and strong dependence power, as illustrated in the MICMAC analysis.
Evaluating medical tourism enablers with interpretive structural modeling
Authors: Ranjan Debata Bikash , Sree Kumar , Patnaik Bhaswati , Sankar Mahapatra Siba
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework to identify and classify key medical tourism enablers (MTEs) and to study the direct and indirect effects of each enabler on the growth of medical tourism in India.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, an integrated approach using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Fuzzy Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (FMICMAC) analysis has been developed to identify and classify the key MTEs, typically identified by a comprehensive review of literature and expert opinion. The key enablers are also modeled to find their role and mutual influence.

Findings

– The key finding of this modeling helps to identify and classify the enablers which may be useful for medical tourism decision makers to employ this model for formulating strategies in order to overcome challenges and to become a preferred medical tourism destination. Integrated model reveals enablers such as medicine insurance coverage, international healthcare collaboration, and efficient information system as dependent enablers. No enabler is found to be autonomous enablers. The important enablers like healthcare infrastructure facilities and global competition are found as the linkage enablers. Research in medicine and pharmaceutical science, medical tourism market, transplantation law, top management commitment, national healthcare policy, competent medical and para-medical staffs are found as the independent enablers. Integrated model also establishes the direct and indirect relationship among various enablers.

Originality/value

– The research provides an integrated model using ISM and FMICMAC to identify and classify various key enablers of medical tourism in India. In conventional cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification analysis, binary relationship of various enablers is considered. FMICMAC analysis helps to establish possibility of relationship among various enablers so that low-key hidden factors can be identified. The low-key hidden factors may initially exhibit marginal influence but they may show significant influence later on during analysis. The uncertainty and fuzziness of relationship among various enablers can be conveniently handled by FMICMAC and expert opinions can easily be captured. This research will help medical tourism decision makers to select right enablers for the growth of medical tourism in India.
Business service market share, international operation strategy and performance
Authors: Lee Chia-Chi
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the relationship between market share and performance of large accounting firms. It also investigates whether the performance of international accounting firms is better than that of non-international accounting firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper divides the empirical analysis into two stages. The first stage constructs a multiple regression model to explore the relationship between market share, international operations and the performance of large accounting firms. The second stage uses the Tobit regression model to identify the determinants of market share of international accounting firms.

Findings

– Empirical results show that there is a significant, positive relationship between market share and performance, and that the performance of international accounting firms is better than that of non-international accounting firms. Second, from the perspective of business characteristics, the scope of the most international accounting firms is traditional auditing services; namely financial attestation and tax business services.

Practical implications

– From the clients' viewpoint, market share is one of the key indices in determining the quality of the accounting firms' service.

Originality/value

– As the market for auditing services in Taiwan is saturated, in the future, the accounting industry will be concerned with non-auditing services. It is suggested that the large accounting firms could follow the demand changes of their clients: employ professionals in various fields to provide specialized services, adjust the range of transnational and management consultant services, and operate management consultant services more aggressively. These measures would have advantages in a fiercely competitive market.
Human resource management practices and the HRM-performance link in public and private sector organizations in three Western societal clusters
Authors: Vanhala Sinikka , Stavrou Eleni
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to explore HRM practices and HRM-performance (HRM-P) link in public and private sector organizations across three societal clusters: the Anglo, the Germanic, and the Nordic European.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article is based on international Cranet HRM survey data collected from large private and public organizations.

Findings

– According to results, HRM is more advanced in private companies than in public sector organizations, even across three societal clusters. Instead, the analyses related to HRM-P link in private and public organizations refer to interesting similarities but also differences between organizational sectors (public versus private) and societal clusters.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limitation is retaining in those performance indicators that are applicable in both private and public organizations: subjective measures of productivity and service quality, only. Performance measures relevant especially in the public sector (e.g. qualitative targets, attaining budget frames) were not available, and the operationalization of HRM as an index covering the main areas of HRM may have reduced differences between public and private organizations. More in-depth research designs are needed in public sector HRM-P research.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to HRM-P research by showing that the level of HRM and the HRM-P relationship varies to some extent according to sector and across Western societal clusters.
Transnational corporations, socio-economic change and recurrent crisis
Authors: Ackroyd Stephen , Murphy Jonathan
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The paper's aim is to consider the effects of recurrent economic crisis on the management and organisational structures of transnational companies based in the UK by considering contemporary evidence and scholarly views of the processes involved, and especially to consider the contributions of the papers that follow in this special issue of the journal.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper provides a summary overview of some of the key evidence and arguments concerning the origin of recent continuing crises in Western capitalism. The paper places in context and assesses the contribution of five papers especially selected by the editors to be included in this special issue which bear on different aspects.

Findings

– The paper suggests several key processes are at work in contemporary capitalism, which can be summed up as increasing financialisation. This is the process by which businesses are increasingly orientated to the extraction of value, and success is primarily assessed in terms of the rate of return to capital employed. In their different ways the papers in the special issue illustrate aspects of the process of financialisation, including: the operation of a new set of financial institutions including private equity and hedge funds, and the effects of these on the various policies and priorities of the executive leaders of large businesses in such areas as human resource management and the adoption of new organisational forms. The discussion extends to the consideration of the effects of change on international finance and argues for the origins of changes in changed class relations.

Research limitations/implications

– The implications of this work are that the character and reach of current economic change are further illuminated – including especially the underlying causes of the present economic crisis.

Social implications

– Financialisation represents both a reorganisation of the processes of capitalist production and a class strategy of international elites to entrench their advantages in the new conditions of international political economy opened through the intellectual and policy triumph of neoliberal thinking.

Originality/value

– The work brings together scattered insights and viewpoints and builds them into a coherent synthesis. It thus moves beyond limited conceptions and insights.
Towards a disaster risk assessment methodology for communities underlain by dolomite
Authors: Coetzee Christo , Van Niekerk Dewald
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to provide a robust and simple methodology for disaster risk management officials to assess the total disaster risk posed by dolomite in urban areas of South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to develop the methodology the basic principles of disaster risk assessment, incapsulated in the notation R=H×V, was applied to provide a vehicle to quantify hazard and vulnerability aspects related to dolomite risk. Specifically existing knowledge on inherent dolomite risk classes (hazard component) was aligned to issues of vulnerability (in this case ageing water infrastructure) to attain a total dolomite disaster risk score for a specific area.

Findings

– The results from the practical application of the method indicated that the proposed dolomite risk assessment methodology is not only robust but easy to comprehend and to apply. The simplicity of the method also allows for easy integration into existing urban planning and integrated development planning process.

Originality/value

– The creation of the method not only provides a much-needed tool for assessing the total disaster risk posed by dolomite in urban areas but also adds value to the entire urban and community development process.
Promoting earthquake disaster mitigation in Lebanon through civic engagement
Authors: Baytiyeh Hoda , Naja Mohamad
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Lebanon are among the most active groups supporting community welfare and advocating for human rights and policy reform. However, these organizations still lack the basic awareness and commitment needed to expand their role in earthquake disaster risk reduction. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the exposure of Lebanon to destructive earthquakes and to address the urgent need for CSOs to expand its contribution in earthquake disaster risk reduction supporting public awareness programs and strategic mitigation plans.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper sets out to alert CSOs about the seismic hazards of Lebanon and offers a discussion for an active engagement role of Lebanese CSOs in future earthquake disaster risk reduction. The focus is to outline a strategy that may facilitate the engagement of CSOs in building the resilience of Lebanese community against destructive earthquakes.

Findings

– The proposed strategic plan suggests a leading role of Lebanese universities that call for the establishment of a disaster mitigation coalition leading to CSOs active involvement and effective contribution in collaborating with government and private sector to enhance the resilience capacity of the Lebanese community against future earthquake events.

Originality/value

– The implication of the paper is beneficial to community leaders of Lebanon because it highlights the importance of direct engagement of CSOs in earthquake disaster risk reduction which has never been previously emphasized, evaluated or even discussed in the Lebanese studies.