bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causes and Consequences of Straying into Small Populations of Pacific Salmon
Authors: Bett Nolan N. , Hinch Scott G. , Burnett Nicholas J. , Donaldson Michael R. , Naman Sean M.
Published: March 2017

Most Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. migrate to their natal sites to spawn. Some, however, stray into nonnatal habitats and interact (e.g., reproduce) with individuals from other populations. Pacific salmon straying has been heavily studied for several decades, particularly from the perspective of the populations that donate the stray migrants. Conservation consequences are experienced primarily by the populations that receive strays, though, and there is recent evidence of significant levels of genetic introgression in small recipient populations, which could contribute to the loss of local adaptations. Straying may also provide the benefit of a demographic rescue effect that could save declining recipient populations from extirpation. We highlight the influence of population abundances on the magnitude of straying into recipient populations and demonstrate this using evidence we collected from a small population of Sockeye Salmon O. nerka in British Columbia, Canada. We also review potential factors that might promote higher donor stray rates and therefore recipient straying. Evidence of factors that affect straying is limited and we identify several knowledge gaps, as well as anthropogenic activities that could promote straying. We encourage further discussion and research on the potential effects of recipient straying and the factors that affect straying rates.
The Atmosphere: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Palmer Paul I.
Published: March 2017

The atmosphere is the thin, diffuse fluid that envelops the Earth’s surface. Despite its apparent fragility, the existence of this fluid is vital for human and other life on Earth. The Atmosphere: A Very Short Introduction describes the physical and chemical characteristics of different layers in the atmosphere, and shows how the atmosphere’s interactions with land, ocean, and ice affect these properties. It also looks at how movement in the atmosphere, driven by heat from the Sun, transports heat from lower latitudes to higher latitudes. Finally, it presents an overview of the types of measurements used to understand different parts of the atmosphere, and identifies future challenges in the light of climate change.
Organic Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Patrick Graham
Published: March 2017

Organic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds of carbon. As well as being central to life, in the form of large molecules such as nucleic acids and proteins, organic compounds are essential to many areas of industry. Organic Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction covers the whole range of organic compounds and their roles. Beginning with the structures and properties of the basic groups of organic compounds, it goes on to consider organic compounds in the areas of pharmaceuticals, polymers, food and drink, petrochemicals, and nanotechnology. It explores how new materials, such as graphene, are opening up exciting new possibilities for applications, and also discusses the particular challenges of working with carbon compounds, many of which are colourless.
Pattern fusion analysis by adaptive alignment of multiple heterogeneous omics data
Authors: Shi Qianqian , Zhang Chuanchao , Peng Minrui , Yu Xiangtian , Zeng Tao , Liu Juan , Chen Luonan
Published: March 2017

Motivation

Integrating different omics profiles is a challenging task, which provides a comprehensive way to understand complex diseases in a multi-view manner. One key for such an integration is to extract intrinsic patterns in concordance with data structures, so as to discover consistent information across various data types even with noise pollution. Thus, we proposed a novel framework called ‘pattern fusion analysis’ (PFA), which performs automated information alignment and bias correction, to fuse local sample-patterns (e.g. from each data type) into a global sample-pattern corresponding to phenotypes (e.g. across most data types). In particular, PFA can identify significant sample-patterns from different omics profiles by optimally adjusting the effects of each data type to the patterns, thereby alleviating the problems to process different platforms and different reliability levels of heterogeneous data.

Results

To validate the effectiveness of our method, we first tested PFA on various synthetic datasets, and found that PFA can not only capture the intrinsic sample clustering structures from the multi-omics data in contrast to the state-of-the-art methods, such as iClusterPlus, SNF and moCluster, but also provide an automatic weight-scheme to measure the corresponding contributions by data types or even samples. In addition, the computational results show that PFA can reveal shared and complementary sample-patterns across data types with distinct signal-to-noise ratios in Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) datasets, and outperforms over other works at identifying clinically distinct cancer subtypes in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets.

Availability and implementation

PFA has been implemented as a Matlab package, which is available at http://www.sysbio.ac.cn/cb/chenlab/images/PFApackage_0.1.rar.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Relativistic radiative transfer and relativistic spherical flows: Relation between the mass-loss rate and terminal speed
Authors: Fukue Jun
Published: March 2017

Radiatively driven relativistic spherical flows are numerically investigated under the fully special relativistic treatment and relativistic radiative transfer. We first solve the relativistic radiative transfer equation for spherically symmetric outflows iteratively, using a trial velocity distribution, and obtain specific intensities as well as moment quantities, and the Eddington factor. Using the obtained comoving flux, we next solve the relativistic equation of motion, and obtain the refined velocity distribution, the mass-loss rate being determined as an eigenvalue. Until both the intensity and velocity distributions converge, we repeat these double iteration processes. We found that the flows are quickly accelerated near to the central lumious core to reach the terminal speed. The Eddington factor has a complicated behavior, depending on the optical depth and flow speed. We further found that a relation between the flow terminal speed βout normalized by the speed of light and the mass-loss rate $\dot{m}$ normalized by the critical one is roughly approximated as $\dot{m} \propto \tau _* \beta _{\rm out}^{-5/2}$, where τ* is a typical optical depth of the flow, whereas we can analytically derive the relation of $\dot{m} \propto \tau _* \beta _{\rm out}^{-2}$ using a back-of-the-envelope calculation in the nonrelativistic case.
Exploring Functionality of Hard and Soft Wheat Flour Blends for Improved End‐Use Quality Prediction
Authors: Issarny Cyrielle , Cao Wei , Falk Duane , Seetharaman Koushik , Bock Jayne E.
Published: March 2017

Blending wheat or flour to meet end‐use requirements is a critical part of the production process to deliver consistent quality products. The functionality of commercial Canadian hard red wheat flour (HWF) and soft red wheat flour (SWF) blends with ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 (HWF/SWF, w/w) was investigated with new and standard methods to discern which functional properties may be indicators of bread quality and processing performance. Rheological characteristics including farinograph water absorption behavior, dough development time (DT), stability, extensigraph extensibility, and gluten aggregation of wheat flours were significantly influenced by the proportion of HWF in blends of SWF and HWF (P < 0.05). The SWF content in the blends had negative linear relationships with the protein content, lactic acid solvent retention capacity, water absorption, and GlutoPeak peak torque. Polynomial relationships were observed for sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation volume, DT, stability, extensibility, resistance, GlutoPeak peak time, and bread loaf volume with the amount of SWF in blends. The results indicate that linear responses may be more closely tied to protein content, whereas polynomial responses may be more indicative of protein quality and baking performance. The GlutoPeak peak time was sensitive to the addition of HWF in the blends, showing a significant change in gluten aggregation kinetics between the 0 and 25% HWF samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that GlutoPeak peak time was a significant factor in differentiating the 0% HWF. Protein secondary structures identified in the final baked bread were also PCA factors differentiating the 0% HWF sample. Although the 0% bread sample did not deviate from the observed polynomial trend for bread loaf volume, the differences in bread protein secondary structures may translate into differences in processing tolerance in commercial settings.
Virulence Diversity of Phakopsora pachyrhizi Isolates From East Africa Compared to a Geographically Diverse Collection
Authors: Murithi H. M. , Haudenshield J. S. , Beed F. , Mahuku G. , Joosten M. H. A. J. , Hartman G. L.
Published: March 2017

Soybean rust, caused by the biotrophic pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is a highly destructive disease causing substantial yield losses in many soybean producing regions throughout the world. Knowledge about P. pachyrhizi virulence is needed to guide development and deployment of soybean germplasm with durable resistance against all pathogen populations. To assess the virulence diversity of P. pachyrhizi, 25 isolates from eight countries, including 17 isolates from Africa, were characterized on 11 soybean genotypes serving as differentials. All the isolates induced tan lesions with abundant sporulation on genotypes without any known resistance genes and on soybean genotypes with resistance genes Rpp4 and Rpp5b. The most durable gene was Rpp2, where 96% of the isolates induced reddish brown lesions with little or no sporulation. Of the African isolates tested, the South African isolate was the most virulent, whereas those from Kenya, Malawi, and some of the isolates from Tanzania had the lowest virulence. An Argentinian isolate was virulent on most host differentials, including two cultivars carrying multiple resistance genes. Ten distinct pathotypes were identified, four of which comprised the African isolates representing considerable P. pachyrhizi virulence. Soybean genotypes carrying Rpp1b, Rpp2, Rpp3, and Rpp5 resistance genes and cultivars Hyuuga and UG5 were observed to be resistant against most of the African isolates and therefore may be useful for soybean-breeding programs in Africa or elsewhere.
Accurate cytogenetic biodosimetry through automation of dicentric chromosome curation and metaphase cell selection
Authors: Liu Jin , Li Yanxin , Wilkins Ruth , Flegal Farrah , Knoll Joan H. , Rogan Peter K.
Published: March 2017

Software to automate digital pathology relies on image quality and the rates of false positive and negative objects in these images. Cytogenetic biodosimetry detects dicentric chromosomes (DCs) that arise from exposure to ionizing radiation, and determines radiation dose received from the frequency of DCs. We present image segmentation methods to rank high quality cytogenetic images and eliminate suboptimal metaphase cell data based on novel quality measures. Improvements in DC recognition increase the accuracy of dose estimates, by reducing false positive (FP) DC detection. A set of chromosome morphology segmentation methods selectively filtered out false DCs, arising primarily from extended prometaphase chromosomes, sister chromatid separation and chromosome fragmentation. This reduced FPs by 55% and was highly specific to the abnormal structures (≥97.7%). Additional procedures were then developed to fully automate image review, resulting in 6 image-level filters that, when combined, selectively remove images with consistently unparsable or incorrectly segmented chromosome morphologies. Overall, these filters can eliminate half of the FPs detected by manual image review. Optimal image selection and FP DCs are minimized by combining multiple feature based segmentation filters and a novel image sorting procedure based on the known distribution of chromosome lengths. Applying the same segmentation filtering procedures to both calibration and test sample image data reduced the average dose estimation error from 0.4Gy to <0.2Gy, obviating the need to first manually review these images. This reliable and scalable solution enables batch processing multiple samples of unknown dose, and meets current requirements for triage radiation biodosimetry of high quality metaphase cell preparations.
Distinguishing signal from autofluorescence in cryogenic correlated light and electron microscopy of mammalian cells
Authors: Carter Stephen D. , Mageswaran Shrawan K. , Farino Zachary J. , Mamede João I. , Oikonomou Catherine M. , Hope Thomas J. , Freyberg Zachary , Jensen Grant J.
Published: March 2017

Cryogenic correlated light and electron microscopy (cryo-CLEM) is a valuable tool for studying biological processesin situ. In cryo-CLEM, a target protein of interest is tagged with a fluorophore and the location of the corresponding fluorescent signal is used to identify the structure in low-contrast but feature-rich cryo-EM images. To date, cryo-CLEM studies of mammalian cells have relied on very bright organic dyes or fluorescent protein tags concentrated in virus particles. Here we describe a method to expand the application of cryo-CLEM to cells harboring genetically-encoded fluorescent proteins. We discovered that a variety of mammalian cells exhibit strong punctate autofluorescence when imaged under cryogenic conditions (80K). Compared to fluorescent protein tags, these sources of autofluorescence exhibit a broader spectrum of fluorescence, which we exploited to develop a simple, robust approach to discriminate between the two. We validate this method in INS-1 E cells using a mitochondrial marker, and apply it to study the ultrastructural variability of secretory granules in a near-native state within intact INS-1E pancreatic cells by high-resolution 3D electron cryotomography.
Exome-capture RNA-sequencing of decade-old breast cancers and matched decalcified bone metastases identifies clinically actionable targets
Authors: Priedigkeit Nolan , Watters Rebecca J. , Lucas Peter C. , Basudan Ahmed , Bhargava Rohit , Horne William , Kolls Jay K. , Fang Zhou , Rosenzweig Margaret Q. , Brufsky Adam M. , Weiss Kurt R. , Oesterreich Steffi , Lee Adrian V.
Published: March 2017

Bone metastases (BoM) are a significant cause of morbidity in patients with Estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, yet characterizations of human specimens are limited. In this study, exome-capture RNA-sequencing (ecRNA-seq) on aged (8-12 years), formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and decalcified cancer specimens was first evaluated. Gene expression values and RNA-seq quality metrics from FFPE or decalcified tumor RNA showed minimal differences when compared to matched flash-frozen or non-decalcified tumors. ecRNA-seq was then applied on a longitudinal collection of 11 primary breast cancers and patient-matchedde novoor recurrent BoM. BoMs harbored shifts to more Her2 and LumB PAM50 intrinsic subtypes, temporally influenced expression evolution, recurrently dysregulated prognostic gene sets and altered expression of clinically actionable genes, particularly in the CDK-Rb-E2F and FGFR-signaling pathways. Taken together, this study demonstrates the use of ecRNA-seq on decade-old and decalcified specimens and defines expression-based tumor evolution in long-term, estrogen-deprived metastases that may have immediate clinical implications.

Grant Support

Research funding for this project was provided in part by a Susan G. Komen Scholar award to AVL and to SO, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (AVL and SO), the Fashion Footwear Association of New York, the Magee-Women’s Research Institute and Foundation, and through a Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to RJW from the Department of Defense (BC123242). NP was supported by a training grant from the NIH/NIGMS (2T32GM008424-21) and an individual fellowship from the NIH/NCI (5F30CA203095).

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure

No relevant conflicts of interest disclosed for this study.

Author Contributions

Study concept and design (NP, RJW, SO, AVL); acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data (all authors); drafting of the manuscript (NP, RJW, SO, AVL); critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content (all authors); administrative, technical, or material support (PCL, AB, RB, KRW, WH, JK, MR, ZF, AMB).
Task-dependent recurrent dynamics in visual cortex
Authors: Tajima Satohiro , Koida Kowa , Tajima Chihiro I. , Suzuki Hideyuki , Aihara Kazuyuki , Komatsu Hidehiko
Published: March 2017

The capacity for flexible sensory-action association in animals has been related to context-dependent attractor dynamics outside the sensory cortices. Here we report a line of evidence that flexibly modulated attractor dynamics during task switching are already present in the higher visual cortex in macaque monkeys. With a nonlinear decoding approach, we can extract the particular aspect of the neural population response that reflects the task-induced emergence of bistable attractor dynamics in a neural population, which could be obscured by standard unsupervised dimensionality reductions such as PCA. The dynamical modulation selectively increases the information relevant to task demands, indicating that such modulation is beneficial for perceptual decisions. A computational model that features nonlinear recurrent interaction among neurons with a task-dependent background input replicates the key properties observed in the experimental data. These results suggest that the context-dependent attractor dynamics involving the sensory cortex can underlie flexible perceptual abilities.
Multi-omics biomarker pipeline reveals elevated levels of protein-glutamine gamma-glutamyltransferase 4 in seminal plasma of prostate cancer patients
Authors: Drabovich Andrei P. , Saraon Punit , Drabovich Mikalai , Karakosta Theano D. , Dimitromanolakis Apostolos , Hyndman M. Eric , Jarvi Keith , Diamandis Eleftherios P.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Prostate-specific antigen, a blood serum biomarker of prostate cancer, lacks specificity and prognostic significance, so considerable efforts are devoted to developing novel biomarkers. Seminal plasma, due to its proximity to prostate, is a promising fluid for biomarker discovery and non-invasive diagnostics. In this study, we investigated if seminal plasma proteins could increase specificity of detecting primary prostate cancer and discriminate between high- and low-grade cancers.

Experimental Design

To select 148 most promising biomarker candidates, we combined proteins identified through five independent data mining or experimental approaches: tissue transcriptomics, seminal plasma proteomics, cell secretomics, tissue specificity and androgen regulation. A rigorous biomarker development pipeline based on targeted proteomics assays was designed to evaluate the most promising candidates.

Results

We qualified 77 and verified 19 proteins in seminal plasma of 67 negative biopsy and 155 prostate cancer patients. Verification revealed a prostate-specific, secreted and androgen-regulated protein-glutamine gamma-glutamyltransferase 4 (TGM4), which could predict prostate cancer on biopsy and outperformed age and serum PSA. Machine-learning approaches also revealed improved multi-marker combinations for diagnosis and prognosis. In the independent verification set measured by an inhouse ELISA, TGM4 was up-regulated 3.7-fold (P=0.006) and revealed AUC 0.66 for detecting prostate cancer on biopsy for patients with serum PSA≥4 ng/mL and age≥50. Low levels of TGM4 (median 120 pg/mL) were detected in blood serum, but could not differentiate between negative biopsy, prostate cancer or prostate inflammation.

Conclusions

Performance of TGM4 warrants its further investigation within the distinct genomic subtypes and evaluation for the inclusion into emerging multi-biomarker panels.
The relevance of global sector influence in African sector portfolios
Authors: Boamah Nicholas Addai
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative importance of global sector effects in African sector portfolios (ASPs). It explores the dynamics of the rate of change and the level of global sector effects in their respective ASPs.

Design/methodology/approach

The variance of African industry returns is decomposed to the component attributable to the corresponding global industry and the proportion that is African industry specific. The authors then scale the global component by the African sector-specific component to obtain the relative global sector influences in their corresponding ASP returns.

Findings

The evidence suggests that global sector effects are dominated by African industry-specific influences on the African markets; however, in the recent period the global sector influence has risen in importance. Additionally, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis had significant impact in the relative global sector effects in the ASPs. Turning points in the rate of change of and the relative importance of the corresponding global sector effects in the ASPs are identified. The findings infer time-varying global sector effects in their respective ASPs. The evidence suggests sector-level differences in the diversification gain of the ASPs.

Originality/value

The ASPs offer global investors the opportunity for diversification gains when included in geographically diversified portfolio within the same sector, although, global sector effects on the African markets have increased recently.
Can GBS be a preferable aid modality under SDGs?
Authors: Furukawa Mitsuaki , Takahata Junichiro
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to verify whether general budget support is a favorable aid modality under SDGs in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use panel data on government revenue, expenditure, and social indicators for the ten-year period from 1997 to 2006 to reflect the result for sustainable development goals (SDGs). The authors focus on the health sector as a representative social sector.

Findings

The results show that GBS in fact increases the budget allocation for the health sector more than tax revenue does. However, the effect of government health expenditure on health indicators is not necessarily improved by the introduction of GBS, which indicates that the introduction of GBS alone has limited impact.

Social implications

The paper suggests that the complementarity between GBS and projects/programs focusing on human and institutional capacity development should be seriously considered. These results shall be considered even under SDGs.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to assess the effect of GBS in developing countries by using panel data on government revenue, expenditure, and social indicators for the ten-year period from 1997 to 2006 to reflect the result for SDGs.
Structural change, employment and education in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Sparreboom Theo
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between advances in educational attainment on the one hand, and structural change in employment on the other, in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for selected periods.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a decomposition of changes in education intensity, which is complemented by an analysis of rates of return to education. For all countries the analysis is based on labour market microdata from nationally representative household surveys, and on economic data from national accounts.

Findings

It is demonstrated that if countries want to exploit structural change, levels of education need to rise. Low levels of education explain why the increase in educational attainment in Tanzania was barely sufficient to keep up with structural change in this country, and Mozambique would have been in the same situation if structural change would have occurred. In Ghana and Namibia, levels of educational attainment are much higher, and the paper demonstrates how education was used differently to accommodate structural change in these countries. Rates of return to education in all four countries appear consistent with patterns of education intensity.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis demonstrates that labour market monitoring should not be limited to (broad) sectoral aggregates. The analysis of more detailed breakdowns of employment is needed to gain insights into economies and labour markets of countries, including with regard to the role of education.

Originality/value

The paper is original in that an identical methodology is used in four African countries to decompose changes in education intensity, to relate these changes to employment patterns and to calculate rates of return to education. Although such work has been undertaken in individual countries, it is rarely done in a comparative way.
The impact of sovereign credit ratings on corporate credit ratings in South Africa
Authors: Ntsalaze Zuziwe , Boako Gideon , Alagidede Paul
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of sovereign credit ratings on corporations in South Africa by assessing whether the sovereign rating assigned to South Africa by credit rating agencies acts as a ceiling/constraint for credit ratings assigned to corporations that operate within the country. The question of whether sovereign ratings are significant in determining corporate ratings was also explored.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypothesis regarding the rating of corporates relative to sovereigns, a longitudinal panel design was followed. The analysis employed fixed effects and generalized method of moments techniques.

Findings

The main findings are that sovereign ratings both act as a ceiling for corporate ratings and are important determinants of corporate ratings in South Africa. The findings however indicated that company specific variables (accounting variables) are not significant in explaining credit risk ratings assigned to corporates.

Research limitations/implications

This study only looked at the rating activity done by Standard and Poor’s (S&P). A possible further study could explore the hypothesis tested in this research using data from multiple rating agencies and contrast the results across different agencies. Future studies could also look at crisis periods and how the transfer risk discussed in this paper manifests during the transfer period.

Practical implications

The results have implications for the borrowing costs incurred by corporates in South Africa when participating in the international debt market. The implication is that if the sovereign is poorly rated, the corporates may be limited in their ability to secure investor funding at competitive rates from the international financial markets. Thus, should South Africa be downgraded to non-investment grade by S&P, the implications may be that South African corporates on average may suffer the same fate.

Originality/value

Extant literature predominantly utilizes foreign currency ratings. To the extent that this study uses local currency ratings, it adds a new dimension in the body of related studies.
Organizational adoption of digital information and technology: a theoretical review
Authors: Molinillo Sebastian , Japutra Arnold
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to review previous studies on how organizations, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), adopt digital information and technology, especially on the drivers and the outcomes of the adoption itself.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study follows a literature review design. Previous studies that examine SMEs’ digital information and technology adoption are taken into account in building the conclusion.

Findings

The review reveals that digital information and technology that is used for marketing-related position allows SMEs to be more competitive. In general, there are three main theories that have been used to understand the adoption process (i.e. diffusion of innovation theory, technology-organization-environment framework and institutional theory). These theories should be used in conjunction with each other to better explain the adoption process. Additionally, there are three characteristics (i.e. innovation, firm and environmental) that are related to the risks and barriers of the adoption process.

Originality/value

This theoretical review is among the few that put forward the findings reported in research articles on the digital information and technology adoption process within SMEs. Moreover, this paper summarizes the issues (i.e. drivers, outcomes, risks and barriers) related to the adoption process.
Status of collection in agricultural libraries of Northern India with an overview of the trend in acquisition
Authors: Bhat Nazir Ahmad , Ganaie Shabir Ahmad
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper of this study is to attempt to explore the status of collection in agricultural libraries of Northern India and assess the magnitude of impact of the advent of electronic information resources (EIRs) on the contemporary acquisition.

Design/methodology/approach

While adhering to the survey method, the questionnaire was used as a data collection tool to collect data from university librarians. Telephonic interaction and e-mail correspondence were also used to clear doubts, remove ambiguities and obtain data of higher significance from the respondents.

Findings

The majority of the agricultural libraries in Northern India have a sound collection of information resources in the print form, which may continue to act as a source of attraction for users in the future for a long time to come. Yet, the acquisition of information resources in the print form across the studied libraries continues at routine pace, and as such the advent of e-resources seems to have not yet laid any prominent impact on acquisition of resources in print form. E-Books have not yet been fully incorporated into the library collection and that e-journal collection “CeRA” (Consortium for Electronic Resources in Agriculture) seems to gratify the needs of users of these libraries, as no additional e-journals are seen to be subscribed to at present.

Research limitations/implications

Only seven agricultural libraries have been taken as a sample. Moreover, the work is confined to only two aspects, i.e. current status and the impact of EIRs on acquisition of information resources. Other aspects like those of collection development, storage and accommodation, preservation, library functionality and library services need to also be studied.

Originality/value

This is first work of its nature in Northern India with agricultural libraries as their domain. The findings will help the librarians and the library advisory committees decide on logical grounds about the proportion at which the print and electronic forms of information resources need to be acquired.
Does better corporate governance increase operational performance?
Authors: Wandroski Peris Renata , Contani Eduardo , Ferreira Savoia José Roberto , Reed Bergmann Daniel
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This study aims to examine the association between the adoption of corporate governance practices and operational performance in companies listed on the Brazilian Stock Exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample comprises the 80 largest companies in market value present in the Brazil Stocks Index in 2014. Principal component and cluster analyses techniques are used to evaluate performance and capital structure, and a regression model is applied to identify the relationship between key variables.

Findings

The findings show that the incidence of a high level of corporate governance in Brazil occurs among smaller companies with less desirable operational performance, rather than the biggest (blue chip) companies. Using a regression model with the return on assets as a dependent variable, a dummy variable for “governance”, and the size of the companies as a control variable, the authors find no association with good practices of corporate governance and operational performance for the companies in the sample.

Practical implications

Newer companies are more likely to exhibit a higher level of corporate governance because of the actions of foreign investors who demand the adoption of stronger corporate governance practices. Although there is demand from wealthy local institutional investors, many older traditional firms could still restructure to achieve higher levels of governance, especially in the case of emerging economies with less mature stock exchanges

Originality/value

This study contributes to the recent debates in the literature by identifying evidence for an association between operational performance and corporate governance rather than a causal relationship.
Multi-unit price promotions and their impact on purchase decisions and sales
Authors: Drechsler Salome , Leeflang Peter S.H. , Bijmolt Tammo H.A. , Natter Martin
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the impact of different multi-unit promotions (MUPs) and a single-unit promotion (SUP) on store-level sales and consumer-level purchase probability and quantity decision.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines two empirical studies. Study 1 applies a hierarchical multiplicative model to store-level sales data for four product categories provided by a large Dutch retail chain. Study 2 presents a laboratory experiment in which the quantity requirements of the two focal MUP frames are manipulated to assess their impact on consumer purchase decisions.

Findings

The paper provides empirical evidence for the superiority of the “X for $Y” above “X + N free”, which confirms the hypotheses based on prospect theory, mental accounting and theory about gift-giving. Quantity requirements of four to five units show the largest effects. In addition, the superiority of the “X for $Y” frame holds for functional product categories, but not for the hedonic categories.

Practical implications

The paper provides managerial insights into the relative effectiveness of alternative MUPs and an SUP and how this promotional effectiveness depends on the type of product category and quantity requirements.

Originality/value

This paper combines actual sales data and experimental data. This “mixed approach” extends existing knowledge by comprehensively evaluating two MUP frames, namely, “X + N free” and “X for $Y” promotions, and an SUP.
Migration in response to climate change and its impact in China
Authors: Sun Yi , Xu Chengjin , Zhang Hailing , Wang Zheng
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Climate change will have a significant impact on China’s potential agricultural production and change the distribution of the population in various regions of China, thus producing population migration. This paper aims to analyze China’s population migration in response to climate change and its socio-economic impact.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the Potential Agriculture Production Index is introduced as an analytical tool with which to estimate the scale of the population migration induced by climate change. Also, this paper constructs a multi-regional computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and analyzes the effect of change in the population distribution pattern on regional economies, regional disparity and resident welfare.

Findings

The key finding of this paper is that, as a result of changes in potential agricultural production induced by climate change, the Circum-Bohai-Sea region, the industrialized region and the industrializing region, which are the main destination regions of the migrating population, will face a severe labor shortage. In response to population migration, the economic growth rate of the immigrating population regions has accelerated. Correspondingly, the economic growth rate of the emigrating population regions has decreased. In addition, the larger the scale of population migration is, the larger the economic impact is. Migration increases inner-regional disparity and decreases inter-regional disparity. However, overall regional disparity is only somewhat decreased.

Originality/value

This paper introduces a Potential Agriculture Production Index to estimate the scale of the population migration and introduce a multi-regional CGE model to analyze the correlated social-economic impacts.
Climatic changes and vulnerability of household food accessibility
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Siwar Chamhuri , Talib Basri Abdul , Wahid Abu N.M.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Sustainable food security at the household level is one of the emerging issues for all nations. Several factors such as social, economic, political, demographic, natural and livelihood strategies cause vulnerability in the status of household food security. This study aims to examine the vulnerability of the factors of household food accessibility and its linkage with the climatic changes in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on primary data collected in the months of July-October, 2012, through a questionnaire survey on 460 low-income households from the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) in Malaysia. The samples were selected from E-Kasih poor household database, based on the cluster random sampling technique. The questionnaire uses a five-point Likert scale, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA F statistics for chi-square two-sample test.

Findings

The study finds that the vulnerability of the factors of household food accessibility has increased statistically and significantly over the past five years in Malaysia, whereas the contributions of climatic factors are low on these changes. This study suggests that the food security programs in Malaysia need to be integrated with the climatic change adaptation programs to ensure more effective and sustainable household food security in the future.

Originality/value

This study is an original work based on primary data that empirically measures the vulnerability of the factors of household food accessibility, one of the important dimensions of household food security, and its linkage with climatic changes.
Assessing university student perceptions and comprehension of climate change (Portugal, Mexico and Mozambique)
Authors: Morgado Fernando , Bacelar-Nicolau Paula , Rendon von Osten Jaime , Santos Paulo , Bacelar-Nicolau Leonor , Farooq Harith , Alves Fátima , Soares Amadeu M.V.M. , Azeiteiro Ulisses M.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Higher education system has a critical role to play in educating environmentally aware and participant citizens about global climate change (CC). And, as shown by the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Climate Change – COP 21, held in Paris in December 2015, there is still a path to be followed regarding the role played by universities in the negotiations and in influencing decision-making on a matter of such global importance. The purpose of this first study conducted within Portuguese (Europe), Mexican (Spanish-speaking North America University) and Mozambican (Africa) universities is to investigate higher education system students’ perceptions on CC.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through a questionnaire aiming at characterising students from the socio-demography, and from their perceptions, motivations, attitudes and knowledge relating to the topic of CC. Statistical analysis was used to compare and characterise the three national groups under study.

Findings

This study did not show significant perception differences among the analysed subsamples, although there was a tendency for Mexican students to express lesser belief that CC was happening, and for Mozambicans to show a greater belief in CC issues and motivation to mitigate its effects which may be related to the specifics contexts. The results show that relevant differences among nationalities mostly concerned the magnitude of choices (e.g. most respondents of each nationality expressed interest in CC issues, but the magnitude of this expression differed according to nationality). The principal component analysis (second and third components) clearly embodied nationality profiles (discussed in the context of different cultures, educational structures and CC impacts).

Research limitations/implications

Further research is warranted to understand the integration of CC into higher education curriculum to improve and target educational efforts to suit students’ needs.

Practical implications

How CC perceptions vary cross-nationally and how research studies that examine the integration of CC into higher education curriculum are areas for which more research is needed.

Originality/value

The results highlight the importance of socio-cultural dimensions of each country in relation to the understanding or perception of CC issues, namely, in what concerns aspects related with gender roles, age, active learning and citizenship. This study’s data evidenced that despite the surveyed students being familiarized with CC phenomena, this knowledge does not translate necessarily into concrete mitigation practices and behaviours.
Perceptions of the effects of floods and droughts on livelihoods: lessons from arid Kenya
Authors: Quandt Amy , Kimathi Yunus Antony
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how people practicing natural resource-based livelihoods in arid Kenya perceive that their livelihoods are being affected by floods and droughts and how to integrate these local perceptions of impacts into larger-scale climate change adaptation initiatives and policy.

Design/methodology/approach

In Isiolo County, Kenya, 270 households were surveyed in seven communities, six focus group discussions were held and a document review was conducted.

Findings

The major livelihood practiced in Isiolo is pastoralism (71 per cent), but agriculture and non-agro-pastoral activities also play an important role, with 53 per cent of the respondents practicing more than one type of livelihood. In Isiolo, floods have a large impact on agriculture (193 respondents out of 270), while droughts impact both agriculture (104 respondents) and livestock (120 respondents), and more specifically, cattle-keeping (70 respondents).

Research limitations/implications

The research may have implications for the importance of using local perceptions of the effects of climate change on livelihoods for larger-scale interventions. It also provides a case study of local perceptions of the effects of floods and droughts on livelihoods in an arid area with natural resource-dependent livelihoods.

Practical implications

To understand local perceptions and use local perceptions for larger-scale adaptation interventions and policy.

Originality/value

This paper provides a specific example of a climate change adaptation initiative integrating local perceptions of the impacts of floods and droughts into livelihood-focused interventions.
A phase-specific analysis of negotiation styles
Authors: Preuss Melanie , van der Wijst Per
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze whether negotiators stick to one single negotiation style or whether their styles vary during the negotiation process. The paper seeks to identify different combinations of phase-specific negotiation styles and investigates the relationship between these combinations and negotiation performance and satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a large online negotiation simulation that allows a phase-specific analysis of negotiation styles via an elaborate coding scheme.

Findings

The findings reveal that negotiators generally do not limit themselves to a single negotiation style. Instead, they vary their style in the course of different negotiation phases. The authors distinguish between five distinct phase-specific negotiation style patterns that differ with regard to their impact on negotiation performance but not negotiation satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The study demonstrates that a phase-specific analysis of negotiation styles allows deeper insights into a negotiator’s style behavior. For future studies, the authors recommend taking a phase-specific view when analyzing negotiation styles.

Practical implications

Negotiation practitioners get to know different phase-specific negotiation style patterns and get insights into which pattern is the most promising for negotiation performance. As a result, they can acquire this phase-specific negotiation style pattern to enhance their performance.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to existing negotiation style literature, because it is the first to analyze negotiation styles from a phase-specific point of view.
Why teams achieve higher negotiation profits than individuals: the mediating role of deceptive tactics
Authors: Aykac Tayfun , Wilken Robert , Jacob Frank , Prime Nathalie
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the use of deceptive negotiation tactics to explain why teams can attain higher negotiation profits than individual negotiators. The study distinguishes deception by commission (i.e. active misrepresentation of preferences) from deception by omission (i.e. passive misrepresentation of preferences).

Design/methodology/approach

The sample used to test the mediation hypothesis was made up of data from two electronically mediated negotiation simulations encompassing 75 negotiation dyads with 278 participants. The methodology involved coding deceptive negotiation tactics from the log files by counting utterances related to indifference options that enabled negotiation parties to deceive.

Findings

The results show that teams do apply deceptive negotiation tactics more frequently than individual negotiators and that this behavior helps them increase their negotiation profits.

Originality/value

The findings are valuable for two reasons. First, the study included controls for other important antecedents of deceptive behavior and negotiation outcome (e.g. negotiators’ nationalities, first bids). Consequently, the empirical results underline the importance of considering team size to understand its impact on profits through the use of deceptive tactics. Second, although this study does show that deception increases negotiation profits, the absolute level of deception is rather small (on average just one deceptive statement per negotiation).
The four horsemen of power at the bargaining table
Authors: Galinsky Adam D. , Schaerer Michael , Magee Joe C.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and discuss four major sources of power in negotiations.

Findings

The four sources of power are alternatives, information, status and social capital. Each of these sources of power can enhance a negotiator’s likelihood of obtaining their ideal outcome because power allows negotiators to be more confident and proactive, and it shields them from the bargaining tactics of their opponents.

Practical implications

The paper discusses how negotiators can utilize each source of power to improve their negotiation outcomes.

Originality/value

The paper provides a parsimonious definition of power in negotiations, identifies the four major sources of negotiator powers and highlights two pathways by which power affects negotiation outcomes.