bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the practical viability of internationally recognised standards in preventing the movement of money for the purposes of terrorism
Authors: Gilmour Nicholas , Hicks Tristram , Dilloway Simon
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine – using crime script analysis – the practical effectiveness of internationally endorsed and universally recognised counter-terrorism financing (CTF) standards in preventing the movement of money for the purposes of terrorism. The paper does not seek to examine the originating circumstances of terrorist finances or how laundered value is assigned.

Design/methodology/approach

Preliminary evaluation focuses on the discrepancies between the practices of money laundering and terrorist financing. Following an introduction to crime scripts, internationally endorsed anti money laundering (AML)/CTF practices are discussed to identify the process used to trace, prevent and limit money laundering and terrorist financing. Several terrorist financing case studies are then aligned to the process of crime script analysis to determine whether existing AML/CTF practices are effective in preventing terrorist financing.

Findings

The AML model “Placement, layering, integration” is only relevant to CTF in the comparatively rare cases when the origin of the money is crime. This creates a false sense of security through over reliance on AML/CTF for CTF purposes. A crime script approach can be applied to terrorist finance, but it is currently hindered by insufficient reporting of low level financing of terrorists, their addresses and associates. Law enforcement make insufficient use of financial intelligence – as a routine practice – in their crime and terrorist investigations; they have not adopted parallel investigation as a routine approach and consequently remain largely unconnected with the AML/CTF regime.

Practical implications

Utilising terrorist financing case studies, this paper identifies that existing AML/CTF international standards and practices are not adequate for controlling the movement of funds for financing terrorism because of the lack of focus on a specific script that aligns to known terrorist finance methodologies. While the paper identifies that existing AML/CTF international standards are thorough, the process underpinning the financing of terrorism is too dissimilar to the process of money laundering, namely, placement, layering, and integration, to support practices associated with terrorism prevention and detection.

Originality/value

This paper provides an examination of the practicalities behind the countering of terrorist financing from a compliance and investigative perspective. The paper is of interest to those involved in policy, compliance and investigations associated with terrorist financing.
An assessment of adults’ views on white-collar crime
Authors: Dearden Thomas E.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to update our understanding of the public’s opinion of white-collar crime and explains perceptions of white-collar crime using self-interest, political affiliation and in-group/out-group characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

A state-wide phone survey of adults in North Carolina was conducted, and 421 adults responded. They provided their views of white-collar crime, the need for government intervention and whether they were more concerned about white-collar crime in the public or private sector.

Findings

In the survey, 74 per cent of the responders agreed or strongly agreed that white-collar crime is one of the leading problems in this decade, and 74 per cent of the responders suggested that it is not being adequately addressed by our legislators. Evidence suggests that individuals who are conservative, have high confidence in their economic circumstances or are demographically similar to stereotypical white-collar criminals perceive white-collar crime to be less of a problem than individuals without these characteristics.

Originality/value

This study shows that perceptions of the dangers of white-collar crime have increased since its inception. Additionally, this study extends our understanding about why certain demographics are more likely to care (and why high-ranking politicians are less likely to care) about white-collar crime.
Predicting fraudulent financial reporting using artificial neural network
Authors: Omar Normah , Johari Zulaikha ‘Amirah , Smith Malcolm
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of an artificial neural network (ANN) in predicting fraudulent financial reporting in small market capitalization companies in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the concepts of ANN, a mathematical model was developed to compare non-fraud and fraud companies selected from among small market capitalization companies in Malaysia; the fraud companies had already been charged by the Securities Commission for falsification of financial statements. Ten financial ratios are used as fraud risk indicators to predict fraudulent financial reporting using ANN.

Findings

The findings indicate that the proposed ANN methodology outperforms other statistical techniques widely used for predicting fraudulent financial reporting.

Originality/value

The study is one of few to adopt the ANN approach for the prediction of financial reporting fraud.
Facility management maturity and research
Authors: Roper Kathy O.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

A look at the progress of facility management and some expectations for future needs is proposed by a senior facility management practitioner turned professor/researcher. Research from other fields informs methodologies for how more mature fields disseminate knowledge into practice, and integration of concepts to simplify and unify facility management competencies for more recognition worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review of mature industries provides insight into how dissemination of research findings is utilized and taken up by practice. Review of facility management competencies by the large professional associations is also presented to recommend a path forward for integration in a simplified manner with global potential for impacts.

Findings

The maturity of facility management over the past 35 plus years indicates time for more connection between research findings and their adoption into practice. Methodologies from industries as diverse as healthcare and engineering provide insights to how facility management research dissemination may provide more standardized use in practice. Additional synergy from examination of worldwide competencies indicates that focus is a key issue for more advancement and connectivity of research into practice in the facility management realm.

Research limitations/implications

Understanding what is needed by industry and delivering research findings that are implementable is accomplished in many industries. Facility management can benefit from understanding how this could be done and adopting similar strategies. Focusing on core competencies rather than detailing minute variations of practice would help the industry overall by providing better understanding of the value facility professionals provide to the senior leadership of organizations. The need for best practice sharing worldwide is highlighted, as well.

Originality value

A long-term viewpoint from early development of facility management to current integration and standardization is provided in this paper. Having practiced and then taught and researched facility practices, the author provides recommendations for continuing advancement and professionalization of facility management.
Nordic workplace concept development from office as a city to city as an office
Authors: Nenonen Suvi Päivikki , Lindahl Goran
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe, discuss and analyze forerunner cases from three different decades in workplace concept development in Sweden and Finland and discuss the transformation over time to better facilitate management of office development and disseminate Nordic experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

The reflecting paper is discussing the development of workplace concepts. It is based on case studies collected from 1980s to the new millennium. The reflection is based on the perspective of Nordic culture. The characteristics of the Nordic culture used in the paper are low power distance and individualism.

Findings

The evolution from “office as a city” to “city as an office” has taken place in both countries and Nordic cultural values have provided fruitful platform for them. However, the layer of organizational culture in the studied workplaces also has an impact on the development and implication of the concepts.

Research limitations/implications

The selection of case studies is limited to two Nordic countries only. The comparison of all five Nordic countries could increase the understanding of Nordic culture and similarities and differences between the countries. The study could be deepened by a more thorough literature review including not only Nordic but also European cases.

Practical implications

The dilemma of management when designing workspaces for the changing world is in that individuals increasingly choose where to work, when, with whom and how. Facilitating that freedom of choice is a balancing act in modern workspace design where people is a scarcer resource than space. It requires an active management that sees their facilities as a part of their system not as a costly box top put it in.

Social implications

Easy access seems to be the key to the workspace of the future when decision power shifts from organizations to individuals. Simultaneously, individuals need to take more and more responsibility and action to get their job done: the cases illustrate how this has been done and that the integration and interaction between office concepts and office work will need to be on business agendas.

Originality/value

The perspective of Nordic workplace concept development from 1980s provide the material for future development, without an understanding of the past one cannot understand the future.
High blood pressure awareness among residents in Lagos State, Nigeria
Authors: Zaid Yetunde Abosede
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This study examines the level of awareness about high blood pressure and the role of librarians in the dissemination of health information among residents in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The population comprised high blood pressure patients at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital in Lagos State, Nigeria. A sample of 900 patients was taken from the existing population of high blood pressure patients comprising male and female aged 15-55 years and above. Data for the study were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Few in-depth interviews were also conducted to enrich the data from the structured questionnaire. Some descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyze the data obtained from the structured questionnaire, while the data obtained from the in-depth interviews were subjected to content analysis.

Findings

The findings revealed that awareness about high blood pressure was generally low among the study population. It was also discovered that the librarians working in the medical and public libraries in Lagos State provided information services to members of the communities. However, the librarians affirmed that their role in the dissemination of information to the public was inadequate.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to the high blood pressure patients at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, while the patients attending other hospitals in Lagos State were not included as a result of time factor and lack of funding for the research. The views of the excluded category of patients on the level of awareness of high blood pressure may vary.

Originality/value

Good health is the bedrock of human development, and awareness is the first step in the battle against the scourge of ill-health. Recognizing the need for increased level of awareness and the value of disseminating useful information are vital to patients in the management of high blood pressure.
User services in the digital environment
Authors: Patrickson Stewart Sonia G. , Newman Nadine
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain from literature, ways in which information technology is being utilized in the provision of user services in academic libraries in developed and developing countries; explore the implications of the under-utilization of information technology in offering user services to patrons in academic libraries in the English-speaking Caribbean; and offer suggestions regarding the acquisition of information technology to enhance user services in academic libraries in the English-speaking Caribbean. With the advent of new technology, user services in information-centered institutions must adapt and make changes in the way information is presented and accessed.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have undertaken a review of literature from available scholarly papers to discover the expectations of modern library users, and how inventive academic libraries have to become to create a paradigm shift from the “antiquated” to “modern” user services to meet client expectations and to stay relevant in the information age.

Findings

The reviewed literature highlighted the various ways in which academic libraries, particularly those in developed countries, are employing information technology in their service offerings. The literature highlights the necessity for Academic Libraries in the English-speaking Caribbean to also utilize information technology for optimum user service if they are to attain international standard.

Originality value

This is one of the first attempts at examining and documenting the need for changes in user services in the English-speaking Caribbean. While the literature is replete with information on ways in which academic libraries are using information technology to serve their patrons, this paper offers a synopsis of the developments in this regard.
Aligning accreditation and academic program reviews: a Canadian case study
Authors: Bowker Lynne
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the potential benefits and limitations associated with aligning accreditation and academic program reviews in post-secondary institutions, using a descriptive case study approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes two Canadian graduate programs that are subject to both external professional accreditation and institutional cyclical reviews, as they underwent an aligned review. The process was developed as a collaborative effort between the academic units, the professional associations and the university’s graduate-level quality assurance office. For each program, a single self-study was developed, a single review panel was constituted, and a single site visit was conducted. The merits and challenges posed by the alignment process are discussed.

Findings

Initial feedback from the academic units suggests that the alignment of accreditation and program reviews is perceived as reducing the burden on programs with regard to the time and effort invested by faculty, staff and other stakeholders, as well as in terms of financial expenses. Based on this feedback, along with input from reviewers and program evaluation committee members, 14 recommendations emerged for ways in which an aligned review process can be set up for success.

Practical implications

The results suggest that aligned reviews are not only resource-efficient but also allow reviewers to provide more holistic feedback that faculty may be more willing to engage with for program enhancement.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge about conducting aligned reviews in response to external accreditation requirements or institutional needs. It summarizes the potential benefits and limitations and offers recommendations for potential best practices for carrying out aligned reviews for policymakers and practitioners.
Comparing perceived learning experiences of two concurrent cohorts under curriculum reform in Hong Kong
Authors: Zhao Yue , Huen Jenny M.Y. , Prosser Michael
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Hong Kong has undergone extensive curriculum reform and shifted from a three-year to a four-year university system. With a nuanced look at the impact of the curriculum reform, the purpose of the present study was to compare two concurrent cohorts by examining the extent to which the students in each cohort perceived their learning environment and learning outcomes differently and to what extent their perceptions differed.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 3,102 first-year students enrolled at a Hong Kong university responded to the student learning experience questionnaire (SLEQ). The perceived learning experiences between the two cohorts were tapped through several latent factors and validated through tests of measurement invariance. Latent mean differences were then compared. A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach was used.

Findings

The findings suggested that measurement invariance of the scales of the SLEQ was established and that the two cohorts of students perceived largely similar learning experiences. The latent mean differences were statistically significant on the scales of feedback from teacher, clear goals and standards, personal integrity and ethics, intercultural competence, global perspective and civic commitment.

Practical implications

The results facilitate the understanding of perceived student learning experiences with evidence-based implications for enhancing student learning experiences and refining the four-year curriculum under the new curriculum reform conditions.

Originality/value

This is the first institution-wide study that compares student learning experiences of two concurrent cohorts under curriculum reform initiatives of Hong Kong. It provides a meaningful and pertinent example for educators and researchers worldwide to analyze the impact of curriculum reform from the perspective of students’ perceived learning experiences. Similar studies adopting rigorous approaches in the measurement of students’ perceived learning experiences are relatively rare in higher education. Such efforts are encouraged for accountability and quality improvement purposes.
How do family entrepreneurs recognize opportunities? Three propositions
Authors: Tegtmeier Silke , Classen Christina
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Opportunity recognition (OR) is a key factor in the entrepreneurial process. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate on whether OR, such as related to internationalization strategies, by/in family businesses differs from OR by other companies or individuals, and if yes, to what extent.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking a conceptual perspective, the authors combine OR and family business knowledge to develop propositions on how family entrepreneurs recognize opportunities.

Findings

The authors develop three propositions about OR in entrepreneurial families. Specifically, they suggest that storytelling strengthens OR in family businesses and helps to hold on to tacit opportunities. They also address their special human capital resources. These advantages together with their long-term orientation lead to the proposition that family businesses are more likely to recognize opportunities than non-family businesses.

Research limitations/implications

These findings contribute to an increased understanding of the role of OR in family business research and offer an operational base for future quantitative and qualitative studies.

Practical implications

The insights in this paper are valuable for practitioners and policymakers as well. Practitioners will get feedback on their own family business management by reflecting on the findings reported and will be able to put the theses into a wider context. Politicians wishing to support family businesses need to understand the specifics of this entrepreneurial process to create good conditions for their development and sustainability.

Originality/value

This conceptual paper marries the two parallel “streams” of theory and practice of entrepreneurship and family business.
Cognitive psychology and tourism research: state of the art
Authors: Skavronskaya Liubov , Scott Noel , Moyle Brent , Le Dung , Hadinejad Arghavan , Zhang Rui , Gardiner Sarah , Coghlan Alexandra , Shakeela Aishath
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This review aims to discuss concepts and theories from cognitive psychology, identifies tourism studies applying them and discusses key areas for future research. The paper aims to demonstrate the usefulness of cognitive psychology for understanding why tourists and particularly pleasure travellers demonstrate the behaviour they exhibit.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews 165 papers from the cognitive psychology and literature regarding pleasure travel related to consciousness, mindfulness, flow, retrospection, prospection, attention, schema and memory, feelings and emotions. The papers are chosen to demonstrate the state of the art of the literature and provide guidance on how these concepts are vital for further research.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that research has favoured a behaviourist rather than cognitive approach to the study of hedonic travel. Cognitive psychology can help to understand the mental processes connecting perception of stimuli with behaviour. Numerous examples are provided: top-down and bottom-up attention processes help to understand advertising effectiveness, theories of consciousness and memory processes help to distinguish between lived and recalled experience, cognitive appraisal theory predicts the emotion elicited based on a small number of appraisal dimensions such as surprise and goals, knowledge of the mental organisation of autobiographical memory and schema support understanding of destination image formation and change and the effect of storytelling on decision-making, reconstructive bias in prospection or retrospection about a holiday inform the study of pleasurable experience. These findings indicate need for further cognitive psychology research in tourism generally and studies of holiday travel experiences.

Research limitations/implications

This review is limited to cognitive psychology and excludes psychoanalytic studies.

Practical implications

Cognitive psychology provides insight into key areas of practical importance. In general, the use of a cognitive approach allows further understanding of leisure tourists’ behaviour. The concept of attention is vital to understand destination advertising effectiveness, biases in memory process help to understand visitor satisfaction and experience design and so on. Use of cognitive psychology theory will lead to better practical outcomes for tourists seeking pleasurable experiences and destination managers.

Originality value

This is the first review that examines the application of concepts from cognitive psychology to the study of leisure tourism in particular. The concepts studied are also applicable to study of travellers generally.
Dominance of agility in tourism value chains: evidence from India
Authors: Mandal Santanu , Korasiga Venkateswara Rao , Das Payel
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Tourism supply chains (SCs) are recently gaining importance and there is a dire need for empirical testing and theory development in allied areas. The current investigation aims to explore the importance of management learning, relationship development, shared vision, inter-firm integration and technology perception as essential management capabilities required for the development of dynamic capability of tourism SC agility. Furthermore, the study explores the agile influence on competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

The study collected perceptual responses from 233 active participants and respondents in the tourism sector. The collected data were analyzed for the validity of the proposed relationships through partial least squares.

Findings

Findings suggest relationship development, shared vision, inter-firm integration and technology perception as significant enablers. Furthermore, tourism SC agility was found to enhance competitive advantage.

Originality/value

The study further advances theory development and empirical testing through extending the concept of agility to tourism SCs and examining its enablers. Furthermore, the study developed measured for the utilized enablers of tourism SC agility through appropriate development in tourism contexts.
Maternal effects are no match for stressful conditions: a test of the maternal match hypothesis in a common zooplankter
Authors: Beyer Jessica E. , Hambright K. David
Published: May 2017

Anticipatory parental effects modulate population responses to environmental conditions and so are predicted to play a large role in the responses of organisms to global change.

In response to one such aspect of global change, the eutrophication of freshwaters and associated blooms of the toxin‐producing cyanobacteria species Microcystis aeruginosa, the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus produces larger offspring.

We hypothesized that rotifers, with their short generational times, exposed to highly predictable cyanobacteria bloom conditions, may adaptively increase offspring investment and offspring fitness (i.e. the maternal match hypothesis).

We explicitly tested the consequences of this differential investment by rearing offspring produced by rotifers reared under Microcystis and the nontoxigenic green alga Chlamydomonas, in a full factorial design, where offspring were raised under the maternal diet or the opposite food source.

We measured age‐specific fecundity, survival and population growth rates under these conditions and found that maternal exposure to Microcystis decreased offspring survival and fecundity, regardless of offspring diet. Population growth rates, tested using aster models, differed significantly among maternal and neonate diets, but there was no significant interaction between the two factors.

Our evidence thus leads us to reject the maternal match hypothesis in this case of rotifer–toxigenic algal bloom interactions and provides further support that toxigenic algal blooms may have extensive effects on grazer populations in ways that are not evaluated using traditional, single‐generation experimental methods.

A lay summary is available for this article.
The Jack Wills crowd: towards a sociology of an elite subculture
Authors: King Anthony , Smith Daniel
Published: May 2017

British sociologists have long been interested in youth sub‐cultures. However British sociologists have tended to focus on working class subcultures and avoided engagement with exclusive sub‐cultures of elite social groups. This article seeks to attend to this gap by examining the subculture of a British elite: ex‐public school students at select universities in the UK in the twenty‐first century. This group consists of a relatively small group of young adults, aged between 18 and 23, who attended public schools, especially one of the nine Clarendon schools (Eton, Winchester, Westminster, St. Paul's, Merchant Taylor's, Shrewsbury, Rugby, Harrow and Charterhouse), and were students at a selective group of British universities, primarily Oxford and Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Exeter, Bath, Manchester, St Andrews and Edinburgh. The article examines the way in which this group has reconfigured and re‐constituted itself in the face of globalizing challenges. Specifically, it examines the way in which participation of ex‐public school students in events run by and under the patronage of the high street retailing company, Jack Wills, has played a galvanising role for this group in the last decade. The Jack Wills crowd is an example of how some young adults form exclusive social networks and reproduce prevailing forms of privilege. The social networks built around the Jack Wills subculture is likely to provide them with advantages in the job market through a prodigious network of connections and patrons. The Jack Wills subculture potentially contributions to the socio‐economic reproduction of the higher professional middle classes.
That's what friends are for: how intergroup friendships promote historically disadvantaged groups’ substantive political representation
Authors: Kokkonen Andrej , Karlsson David
Published: May 2017

The interests of historically disadvantaged groups risk being overlooked if they are not present in the decision‐making process. However, a mere presence in politics does not guarantee political success. Often groups need allies to promote their interests successfully. We argue that one way to identify such allies is to judge politicians by whether they have friends in historically disadvantaged groups, as intergroup friendships have been shown to make people understand and feel empathy for outgroups. In other words, intergroup friendships may function as an important complement to descriptive representation. We test our argument with a unique survey that asks all elected political representatives in Sweden's 290 municipalities (response rate 79 per cent) about their friendship ties to, and their representation of, five historically disadvantaged groups: women, immigrants, youths, pensioners and blue‐collar workers. We find a strong correlation between representatives’ friendship ties to these groups and their commitment to represent them. The correlation is especially strong for youths and blue‐collar workers, which likely can be explained by the fact that these groups usually lack crucial political resources (such as experience and education). We conclude that friendship ties function as an important complement to descriptive representation for achieving substantive representation.
Prognostic Value of Predialysis Indices for Technique Failure and Mortality in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Matsui Masaru , Akai Yasuhiro , Samejima Ken‐ichi , Tsushima Hideo , Tanabe Kaori , Morimoto Katsuhiko , Tagawa Miho , Saito Yoshihiko
Published: May 2017

Technique failure remains a frequent cause of peritoneal dialysis (PD) withdrawal. Many post‐commencement predictors of PD technique failure have been identified, while predialysis predictors have remained unclear. The aim of this study was to identify predialysis indices for technique failure in PD patients. We recruited 206 consecutive PD patients who were treated at Nara Medical University Hospital between 1 April 1997 and 31 December 2012. Forty‐eight patients were excluded because of transition from hemodialysis (HD) or withdrawal from PD within 3 months, leaving 158 patients for analysis. Clinical characteristics and laboratory data from within 3 months preceding PD commencement were analyzed. The primary outcome was the composite of time to combined use of HD, transition to HD, and all‐cause mortality within 2 years after PD commencement. During the study period, the primary outcome was observed in 50 patients. Using multivariate analysis, greater age (odds ratios (ORs) [95%CI], 3.08 [1.72–5.61]), anemia (ORs [95%CI], 2.12 [1.08–4.43]), overweight/obesity (ORs [95%CI], 2.09 [1.16–3.72]), and hypocalcemia (ORs [95%CI], 1.86 [1.04–3.35]) were independently associated with technique failure. Adding corrected calcium to the model incorporating age, body mass index, and hemoglobin significantly increased the c‐statistic from 0.678 to 0.755 (P = 0.048) relative to the model incorporating age alone. The integrated discrimination improvement was 0.085 (95% CI 0.036–0.134, P < 0.001) and the continuous net reclassification improvement was 0.395 (95% CI 0.066–0.724, P = 0.02). In conclusion, the combination of predialysis indices comprising age, overweight/obesity, anemia, and corrected calcium could provide a significant predictive value for technique failure of PD.
Differential expression of microRNA related to irritable bowel syndrome in a rabbit model
Authors: Yang Qin Qin , Xu Xiao Ping , Zhao Hong Shu , Cai Yue Qin , Pan Yong Ming , Xu Jian Qin , Ma Quan Xin , Chen Min Li
Published: May 2017

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the differential expressions of microRNAs (miRNAs) in white hair black eye (WHBE) rabbits of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

METHODS

WHBE and Japanese white (JW) rabbits were divided into the control and IBS groups. The IBS groups were exposed to moist heat, stress and low‐dose laxatives. Their intestinal movement rate was measured. Blood samples were taken to detect serum 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) and dopamine levels and colonic tissues were obtained to detect c‐Fos expression by immunohistochemistry. Deep sequencing technology was used to obtain miRNA sequences in the intestinal tissues of WHBE and JW control groups. Expressions of 14 miRNAs were measured by real‐time polymerase chain reaction in both the control and the IBS model groups.

RESULTS

Serum 5‐HT and dopamine levels, intestinal movement rate and c‐Fos expressions in the WHBE rabbits were significantly increased compared with the control group. MiR‐29a‐3p, miR‐24‐3p, miR‐221‐3p, let‐7f‐5p, let‐7g‐5p, let‐7i‐5p, miR‐192‐5p, miR‐126‐3p and miR‐130b‐3p expressions in WHBE IBS rabbits at day 14 were significantly higher than those in the control group while miR‐324‐3p and miR‐132 were downregulated. MiR‐29a‐3p, let‐7i‐5p, miR‐192‐5p and miR‐126‐3p were significantly upregulated only in JW IBS rabbits at day 14 and miR‐324‐3p, miR‐223‐3p and miR‐132 were significantly downregulated in JW IBS group. MiR‐24‐3p, miR‐221‐3p, let‐7f‐5p, miR‐126‐3p and miR‐130b‐3p expressions in WHBE IBS rabbits were higher than that in JW IBS rabbits.

CONCLUSIONS

Twelve miRNAs were differentially expressed in IBS rabbits. Five are specific in WHBE IBS rabbits, suggesting that they play a role in increased sensitivity to IBS.
Role of diffusion‐weighted imaging in distinguishing thoracoabdominal neuroblastic tumours of various histological types and differentiation grades
Authors: Wen Yang , Peng Yun , Duan Xiao Min , Zhang Nan
Published: May 2017

Introduction

Diffusion‐weighted MR imaging (DWI) has demonstrated a great potential to help distinguish benign from malignant tumours in paediatric body. Our purpose is to evaluate whether DWI allow discrimination of thoracoabdominal neuroblastic tumours of various histological types and differentiation grades.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed DWI scans of the thoracoabdominal neuroblastic tumours in 25 children (11 girls, 14 boys). DWI was performed with two b‐values of 0 and 800 s/mm2 on a 3.0T MR scanner. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of different classifications of tumours were compared with Independent‐Samples T Test.

Results

In the 25 cases, ganglioneuroma (GN) was in 3 cases, ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB) in 7 (GNB‐Intermixed in 4, GNB‐Nodular in 3) and neuroblastoma (NB) in 15. In three cases of GNB‐Nodular, two cases had poorly differentiated nodules and another had differentiated nodules. In 15 cases of NB, poorly differentiated, differentiated and undifferentiated tumours were, respectively, in eight, five and two cases. The ADC value of the NB was significantly lower than that of GN/GNB (P < 0.001). The ADC of GNB‐Nodular/NB was significantly less than that of GN/GNB‐Intermixed (P < 0.0001). In GNB‐Nodular/NB detection, there was a cut‐off value of 1.165 × 10−3 mm2/s. In GNB‐Nodular/NB, the tumours with poorly differentiated and undifferentiated lesions (n = 12) had significantly smaller ADC than those with differentiated composition (n = 6) (P = 0.0012).

Conclusion

ADC of DWI is highly valuable for discriminating thoracoabdominal neuroblastic tumours of different histological types and differentiation grades.
Comparison of the time taken for localised breast surgery pre‐ and post‐introduction of intra‐operative digital specimen mammography
Authors: Carraro do Nascimento Vinicius , Bourke Anita G
Published: May 2017

Introduction

More than half of the patients with an impalpable malignant breast lesion have a mammographically detected and imaged‐guided localisation, which can be technically challenging for the breast surgeon. Specimen imaging is used to confirm successful excision of the localised index lesion and has improved the operating list efficiency resulting in a higher number of excisions per surgical list. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether introducing IDSM (intra‐operative digital specimen mammography) saved operation time for localised breast surgery.

Methods

A single‐centre retrospective review was undertaken to compare the operation time (from incision to wound closure) taken for excision of 114 consecutive image‐guided localised impalpable breast lesions, performed using departmental specimen radiography (DSR), 6 months prior to the introduction of IDSM (Hologic, Trident®) in March 2013, with the theatre time taken for excision of 121 consecutive image‐guided localised impalpable breast lesions in the 6 months following introduction of IDSM.

Results

There was no significant difference in mean surgical time, which were 47.8 (±27.3) minutes in the CSR group and 48.8 (±25.7) minutes in the IDSM group.

Conclusion

We were expecting to confirm a reduction in theatre time with the introduction of IDSM. Surprisingly, no difference in operating times was demonstrated. Factors that influenced the impact of IDSM included the proximity of the imaging department to the operating theatre.
The effect of sodium hypochlorite concentration and irrigation needle extension on biofilm removal from a simulated root canal model
Authors: Mohmmed Saifalarab A. , Vianna Morgana E. , Penny Matthew R. , Hilton Stephen T. , Knowles Jonathan C.
Published: May 2017

To investigate the effect of sodium hypochlorite concentration and needle extension on removal of Enterococcus faecalis biofilm, sixty root canal models were 3D printed. Biofilms were grown on the apical 3 mm of the canal for 10 days. Irrigation for 60s with 9 mL of either 5.25% or 2.5% NaOCl or water was performed using a needle inserted either 3 or 2 mm from the canal terminus and imaged using fluorescence microscopy and residual biofilm percentages were calculated using imaging software. The data were analysed using analysis of covariance and two‐sample t‐tests. A significance level of 0.05 was used throughout. Residual biofilm was less using 5.25% than with 2.5% NaOCl. Statistically significant biofilm removal was evident with the needle placed closer to the canal terminus. A greater reduction of available chlorine and pH was noted as the concentration increased. One‐minute irrigation was not sufficient for complete biofilm removal.
Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) communities of metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, and implications for managing pest and public health risks
Authors: Janes Ryan , Jardine Andrew , Neville Peter J , Nicholson Jay , Lindsay Michael D A
Published: May 2017

Mosquito population data in the Perth Metropolitan area are limited. This research aimed to determine mosquito species abundance and composition within three local government areas of inner metropolitan Perth. A secondary aim was to determine whether mosquito species abundance and composition in the study area were related to proximity of known saltmarsh mosquito breeding sites along two major tidal estuary systems. Eleven mosquito species were collected, of which four were found in high abundance: Aedes vigilax, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex annulirostris and Aedes notoscriptus. The majority of mosquitoes were collected within 1 km of the tidal estuary systems, suggesting that productive mosquito breeding habitat is likely to be located along the fringe of the estuaries. The implication for mosquito management is that saltmarsh mosquitoes are not the only type of mosquito species in the study area. Broadening surveillance and management methods to include freshwater and container breeding species will reduce nuisance concerns for the public and is also likely to reduce incidence of disease in the area.
Functional properties of peripheral CD8+ T cells in patients with repeated implantation failure
Authors: Yin Biao , Zeng Yong , Wu Tonghua , Yu Shuyi , Xu Jian , Liu Su , Diao Lianghui , Zhao Zhenfu , Liang Desheng , Li Yuye
Published: May 2017

CD8+ T cells are the main candidates to recognize and respond to fetal HLA‐C at the fetal‐maternal interface, but data on the amount of peripheral CD8+ T cells and their functions during the window of implantation in recurrent implantation failure (RIF) patients are limited. Peripheral blood was obtained from 56 women with RIF and 16 fertile women in the mid‐luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and the CD8+ T cells were determined by FACS analysis. No statistical differences in the proportion of peripheral CD8+ T cells were observed among the women with RIF and the control group. However, the levels of IFN‐γ+ and TNF‐α+ CD8+ T cells in the RIF group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The cytolytic activity and regulatory proportion of CD8+ T cells in RIF were similar to that in the control group. Our data indicated that the elevated expression levels of IFN‐γ and TNF‐α in peripheral CD8+ T cells may contribute to an impaired immune tolerance in women with RIF.
Changing diagnosis coding routines may confound the results of longitudinal childhood pneumonia studies
Authors: Eriksson Margareta , Nilsson Anna , Bennet Rutger
Published: May 2017

Aim

This Swedish study compared the discharge diagnosis codes used for children up to the age of five hospitalised for acute lower respiratory tract infections before and after the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in 2007.

Methods

The International Classification of Diseases–10th revision codes were used. We compared the discharge diagnosis codes at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2007 (n=1,127) and 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2013 (n=1,240) in relation to the diagnostic methods used.

Results

There was a 54% reduction in the rate of all‐cause pneumonia from the first to the second period in children aged 0–1 years, but some of this could have been due to the improved diagnosis of viral infections and us changing the code for respiratory syncytial virus infection from pneumonia to bronchiolitis. The overall rate of acute lower respiratory tract infections was unchanged.

Conclusion

We could not determine how much of the reduction in bacterial pneumonia in children under one was because of the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, based solely on discharge codes. Longitudinal register studies should take changes in diagnosis codes into account.
The specialisation of the third metacarpal and hand in arboreal frogs: Adaptation for arboreal habitat?
Authors: Dang Ning‐Xin , Wang Ji‐Shan , Liang Jin , Jiang De‐Chun , Liu Jun , Wang Li , Li Jia‐Tang
Published: May 2017

Skeletal morphology is directly associated with habitat characteristics. To investigate the arboreal adaptation, we studied the osteological morphology of the forelimbs and the third metacarpals of arboreal frogs (Rhacophoridae and Hylidae) and non‐arboreal frogs (Bombinatoridae, Bufonidae, Megophryidae, Ranidae, and Microhylidae) using transparent specimens or X‐rays of skeletons. Our results revealed that the bony knob on the third metacarpal, which formed by a dilated and elongated lateral articular cartilage (AL) through endochondral ossification, occurred only in species of Rhacophorinae. The results of the phylogenetic comparative methods and correlation analysis strongly supported the conclusion that the bony knob is a phylogenetic independent evolution trait and had a significant correlation with the arboreal habitat. Furthermore, anatomical observation showed that a muscle adhered to the bony knob. Therefore, we speculated that the bony knob might act as an enlarged attachment point for larger or more musculatures to help with grasping. In addition, the relative length of the hand showed a significant difference between arboreal and non‐arboreal species (p = .007), suggesting that longer hands might be an arboreal adaptive trait. Overall, this study leads to a deeper understanding of the arboreal adaptation.
Serological weak D phenotypes: a review and guidance for interpreting the RhD blood type using the RHD genotype
Authors: Sandler S. Gerald , Chen Leonard N. , Flegel Willy A.
Published: May 2017

Approximately 0·2–1% of routine RhD blood typings result in a “serological weak D phenotype.” For more than 50 years, serological weak D phenotypes have been managed by policies to protect RhD‐negative women of child‐bearing potential from exposure to weak D antigens. Typically, blood donors with a serological weak D phenotype have been managed as RhD‐positive, in contrast to transfusion recipients and pregnant women, who have been managed as RhD‐negative. Most serological weak D phenotypes in Caucasians express molecularly defined weak D types 1, 2 or 3 and can be managed safely as RhD‐positive, eliminating unnecessary injections of Rh immune globulin and conserving limited supplies of RhD‐negative RBCs. If laboratories in the UK, Ireland and other European countries validated the use of potent anti‐D reagents to result in weak D types 1, 2 and 3 typing initially as RhD‐positive, such laboratory results would not require further testing. When serological weak D phenotypes are detected, laboratories should complete RhD testing by determining RHD genotypes (internally or by referral). Individuals with a serological weak D phenotype should be managed as RhD‐positive or RhD‐negative, according to their RHD genotype.
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND MACROECONOMIC VOLATILITY
Authors: Ma Yong , Song Ke
Published: May 2017

Using cross‐country panel data over the period 1996–2012, this paper examines the impact of financial development on macroeconomic volatility using GMM estimators. In contrast to the linear relationship identified in many previous studies, we present robust evidence suggesting that the effect of financial development on macroeconomic volatility is nonlinear and U‐shaped. We also investigate the potential differences between developed and developing countries. The results of the paper add new evidence and shed interesting insights into the recent debate on the role of finance in macroeconomic fluctuations.
Molecular events leading to death of Leishmania donovani under spermidine starvation after hypericin treatment
Authors: Singh Shalini , Kumari Ekta , Bhardwaj Ruchika , Kumar Ritesh , Dubey Vikash Kumar
Published: May 2017

We have previously reported that the hypericin treatment caused spermidine starvation and death of Leishmania parasite. Here, we report different molecular events under spermidine starvation and potential role of spermidine in processes other than redox homeostasis of the parasite. We have analyzed changes in expression of several genes by using quantitative gene expression analysis. Further, these changes at molecular level were also confirmed by using biochemical and cellular studies. Altered expression of several genes involved in redox metabolism, hypusine modification of eIF5A, DNA repair pathway and autophagy was observed. There was decrease in Sir2RP expression after hypericin treatment and this decrease has been found to be associated with induced ROS due to hypericin treatment as it has been rescued by either trypanothione or spermidine supplementation. Translation initiation in the parasite was decreased upon spermidine starvation. We also observed increased AMPK expression upon hypericin treatment. The increase in intracellular ATP and NAD+ levels as well as decrease in Sir2RP expression of the parasite are cytoprotective mechanism towards generated ROS due to hypericin treatment possibly by inducing autophagy as indicated by increase in autophagy related gene expression and acridine orange staining. However, the autophagy needs to be established using more rigorous methodologies.