bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bidding competitiveness: a comparative analysis of different bid auctions in Malaysia
Authors: Azman Mohd Azrai
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This research aims to contrast bid competitiveness with respect to the average bid auction (ABA) and the non-ABA bidding formats used by the Public Works Department (PWD) of Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses the ordinary least square regression and the Monte–Carlo simulation to point out significant predictors which affect the bid ratio and fitting probability distributions to bidding data, respectively.

Findings

This research shows that the bidding strategy adopted is dependent on the different formats used. In the ABA format, bidders are more likely to submit identical bid prices. In the non-ABA format, they bid according to the first-price auction strategy, which suggests greater variation between bid prices as a winning strategy and the reduction in the bid price to an estimated price ratio when more bidders bid.

Practical implications

Bidders lose more money when the distance between the project location and a firm’s operational office is greater. Best-fit probability density functions follow a gamma distribution for the ABA format and a Weibull distribution for the non-ABA format. The location and number of bidders affect bidders’ strategy to win.

Originality/value

This research presents empirical insights concerning the comparisons of different type of bidding formats practiced by PWD of Malaysia and its implications on the construction companies’ bidding behaviors especially when it comes to its economic consequences. The significant factors that affect the different auction mechanisms used can serve as a basis for improving the present methods employed by PWD and in other countries.
The relevance of intervention participants’ process appraisal for change in well-being and lean work processes of entire teams
Authors: Füllemann Désirée , Fridrich Annemarie , Jenny Gregor James , Brauchli Rebecca , Inauen Alice , Bauer Georg Friedrich
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether intervention participants’ process appraisals relate to change in well-being and lean outcomes of entire teams. For this purpose, the study focussed on two main characteristics of a lean implementation process – workshop quality and outcome expectancy – and their interaction with the participation rate, and examined their association with leaner work processes and affective well-being in nursing teams.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a lean implementation project within 29 nursing wards of a university hospital. Employee surveys covering lean work processes and affective well-being at work were conducted before the implementation of four-day lean workshops in each nursing ward and six months after. The participating employee representatives evaluated the workshop quality and outcome expectancy of the workshops.

Findings

Multilevel analyses indicated that workshop quality did not relate to leaner work processes, but was associated with enhanced affective well-being after six months. By contrast, outcome expectancy was associated with leaner work processes, but did not relate to well-being. No moderation effects with participation rate were found.

Practical implications

The study shows the importance of monitoring process indicators in the early stages of implementation and optimising workshop contents and formats accordingly to ensure positive outcomes for entire teams.

Originality/value

The present study considers intervention participants’ process appraisals of workshop quality and outcome expectancy as good indicators of future change in lean work processes and the well-being of entire teams.
Modernization of central library and establishment of an e-resource center at Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU): a case study
Authors: Rahman Md. Habibur , Rahman Md. Zillur
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain how the author carried out the modernization project of the central library and establishment of an e-resource center at Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), stated the implementation of integrated library system (ILS) in a library and encouraged library professionals by sharing practical experience to implement modernization project in their libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the authors’ practical experiences regarding implementation of the modernization project of the central library and establishment of an e-resource center at CVASU using open-source ILS and library management systems (LMSs).

Findings

The study reveals practical and systematic approach toward implementation of the modernization project starting from the project proposals, fund release, vendor selection, mode of procurement, manpower selection, selection of ILS and LMS solution to the library’s day-to-day activities and a series of communication with the funding organization.

Practical implications

This paper will help librarians implement the modernization project in a practical way to their libraries. This paper stands as a unique case study for the new applicant and for those who have got University Grants Commission funding for library modernization.

Originality/value

The paper provides a practical experience in the implementation of a library modernization project complying all the procedures of funding agencies. The content of the paper was not published before in any form other than the internal workshop and presentation.
Lessons learned from designing flipped lessons for fourth grade students: implications for school librarians
Authors: Smith Daniella
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine student perceptions of flipped learning lessons designed to teach information literacy skills.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method design was implemented using a paper-based survey and an online focus group. The survey asked questions about the participants’ perceptions of the flipped lessons. The focus group was used to clarify the participants’ responses to the survey questions.

Findings

A majority of the students enjoyed completing the lessons. Responses also indicated that a majority of the students felt that the lessons helped them prepare for class. However, issues with computers and internet connectivity at home resulted in some of the students completing the lessons before or after school.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to a class of 21 students enrolled in a public school in North Texas.

Originality/value

There is limited research supporting the value of flipped learning in relation to the technology implementation role of school librarians. This study provides insights into how school librarians can develop flipped learning lessons in collaboration with classroom teachers to improve the information literacy skills of students.
You better work! Be the super model of technology in your schools
Authors: Alexander Desiree H.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Technology has so many myths associated with it. One of the biggest is that we do not need to use or teach technology in schools because students know it better than we do.

Design/methodology/approach

While it is true for certain uses of technology, many students are not equipped to use it in a work or school setting for educational or career purposes.

Findings

Ask your students to open a Word document, create a table of information and then take that information out of the table format and make a three-column list with it.

Originality/value

The confused looks on their faces will tell you that we are failing them with this type of thinking. Because many librarians have such a unique position as being a person who deals with everyone in their school and in their community, we have a unique perspective.
The challenge of knowledge corruption in high velocity, turbulent environments
Authors: Mahon John F. , Jones Nory B.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore a new concept of knowledge corruption (KC) within knowledge management with a focus on KC in high-velocity, turbulent environments (HVTEs) and its impact on business and military competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual paper explores existing literature and then develops new models involving the impact of KC on knowledge transfer and the moderating variables of culture and leadership in HVTEs.

Findings

Several new models are proposed including knowledge transfer and corruption in HVTEs with possible forms of KC, the relationships of variables in tacit knowledge transfer (TKT) and KC in HVTEs and organizational archetypes for TKT and KC.

Research limitations/implications

While the literature review provides a decent analysis of existing theories and models, the review is not exhaustive, and there may be alternative models and theories not covered.

Practical implications

The development of new models and theories within the field of knowledge management on KC in HVTEs represents important practical knowledge for management to reduce KC within their organizations to improve more effective knowledge transfer for sustainable innovation and better decision-making.

Originality/value

This paper provides a new, unique look at aspects of knowledge management that are currently underserved. The concepts of KC and HVTEs represent original content within this field.
Physical exercise remodels visceral adipose tissue and mitochondrial lipid metabolism in rats fed a high‐fat diet
Authors: Rocha‐Rodrigues Sílvia , Rodríguez Amaia , Becerril Sara , Ramírez Beatriz , Gonçalves Inês O , Beleza Jorge , Frühbeck Gema , Ascensão António , Magalhães José
Published: November 2016

We aimed to investigate the effects of two physical exercise models, voluntary physical activity (VPA) and endurance training (ET) as preventive and therapeutic strategies, respectively, on lipid accumulation regulators and mitochondrial content in VAT of rats fed a high‐fat diet (HFD). Sprague‐Dawley rats (6 weeks old, n=60) were assigned into sedentary and VPA groups fed isoenergetic diets: standard (S, 35 kcal% fat) or HFD (71 kcal% fat). The VPA groups had free access to wheel running during the entire protocol. After 9 weeks, half of the sedentary animals were exercised on a treadmill while maintaining the dietary treatments. The HFD induced no changes in plasma non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and glycerol levels and decreased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) subunit IV and increased truncated/full‐length sterol regulatory element‐binding transcription factor 1c (SREBP1c) ratio in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT). VPA decreased plasma glycerol levels, aquaglyceroporin 7 (AQP7) and increased subunit I of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) protein, in standard diet fed animals. Eight weeks of ET decreased body weight, visceral adiposity and adipocyte size and plasma NEFA and glycerol levels, as well as AQP7 protein expression in eWAT. ET increased fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36), mitochondrial content of complexes IV and V subunits, mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamic (mitofusins and optic atrophy 1)‐related proteins. Moreover, lipogenesis‐related markers (SREBP1c and acetyl CoA carboxylase) were reduced after 8 weeks of ET. In conclusion, ET‐induced alterations reflect a positive effect on mitochondrial function and the overall VAT metabolism of HFD‐induced obese rats.
Adjusting Health Expenditures for Inflation: A Review of Measures for Health Services Research in the United States
Authors: Dunn Abe , Grosse Scott D. , Zuvekas Samuel H.
Published: November 2016

Objective

To provide guidance on selecting the most appropriate price index for adjusting health expenditures or costs for inflation.

Data Sources

Major price index series produced by federal statistical agencies.

Study Design

We compare the key characteristics of each index and develop suggestions on specific indexes to use in many common situations and general guidance in others.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Price series and methodological documentation were downloaded from federal websites and supplemented with literature scans.

Principal Findings

The gross domestic product implicit price deflator or the overall Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index is preferable to the Consumer Price Index (CPI‐U) to adjust for general inflation, in most cases. The Personal Health Care (PHC) index or thePCEhealth‐by‐function index is generally preferred to adjust total medical expenditures for inflation. TheCPImedical care index is preferred for the adjustment of consumer out‐of‐pocket expenditures for inflation. A new, experimental disease‐specific Medical Care Expenditure Index is now available to adjust payments for disease treatment episodes.

Conclusions

There is no single gold standard for adjusting health expenditures for inflation. Our discussion of best practices can help researchers select the index best suited to their study.
Worth the Risk? The Behavioural Path to Well‐Being
Authors: Howley Peter , Dillon Emma , Heanue Kevin , Meredith David
Published: November 2016

There is increasing interest in the ‘economics of happiness’, reflected in the volume of articles appearing in mainstream economics journals exploring the major determinants of self‐reported well‐being. We contribute by exploring the factors influencing how satisfied farmers are with their quality of life. We find that farm income, subjective perceptions relating to the adequacy of household income, debt, health and personal characteristics such as age and relationship status are significantly associated with farmers’ self‐reported life satisfaction. While significantly associated with farm income, farm structural variables such as farm size, farm type and the presence of a farm successor were not found to be significantly related with life satisfaction. Our results also suggest that farmers who are more risk averse enjoy significantly lower levels of both life satisfaction and farm income than their more risk seeking or risk neutral counterparts. We suggest that, in the same way that risk aversion inhibits farmers from making choices that could lead to an increase in their income, it may also constrain farmers (and the wider public at large) from engaging in certain types of behaviours that could lead to an increase in their self‐reported quality of life. Finally, we find that while farm income is significantly related to self‐reported life satisfaction, the direct correlation between these variables is weak, suggesting that farmer life satisfaction can be distinct from business success.
Synthesis and Analysis of Glucuronic Acid‐Conjugated Metabolites of 4‐Bromo‐2,5‐Dimethoxyphenethylamine
Authors: Kanamori Tatsuyuki , Yamamuro Tadashi , Kuwayama Kenji , Tsujikawa Kenji , Iwata Yuko T. , Inoue Hiroyuki
Published: November 2016

In the study reported here, two glucuronic acid‐conjugated metabolites of 4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C‐B)—a ring‐substituted psychoactive phenethylamine—were chemically synthesized for the first time and a method for analyzing them in urine was developed. β‐D‐Glucuronide of 4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenylethylalcohol was successfully synthesized using methyl 2,3,4‐tri‐Ο‐acetyl‐1‐O‐(trichloroacetimidoyl)‐α‐D‐glucuronate as a glucuronyl donor and boron trifluoride diethylether complex as a Lewis acid catalyst. β‐D‐Glucuronide of 4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenylacetic acid was synthesized by condensing 4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenylacetic acid and benzyl D‐glucuronate followed by benzyl group deprotection based on catalytic hydrogenation. Two glucuronic acid‐conjugated metabolites of 2C‐B in urine were qualitatively and semiquantitatively evaluated via direct liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis of a diluted urine sample. The simple method proposed is expected to be useful for studying the metabolic fate of 2C‐B.
Nitrate and Nitrite Determination in Gunshot Residue Samples by Capillary Electrophoresis in Acidic Run Buffer,
Authors: Erol Özge Ö. , Erdoğan Behice Y. , Onar Atiye N.
Published: November 2016

Simultaneous determination of nitrate and nitrite in gunshot residue has been conducted by capillary electrophoresis using an acidic run buffer (pH 3.5). In previously developed capillary electrophoretic methods, alkaline pH separation buffers were used where nitrite and nitrate possess similar electrophoretic mobility. In this study, the electroosmotic flow has been reversed by using low pH running buffer without any additives. As a result of reversing the electroosmotic flow, very fast analysis has been actualized, well‐defined and separated ion peaks emerge in less than 4 min. Besides, the limit of detection was improved by employing large volume sample stacking. Limit of detection values were 6.7 and 4.3 μM for nitrate and nitrite, respectively. In traditional procedure, mechanical agitation is employed for extraction, while in this work the extraction efficiency of ultrasound mixing for 30 min was found sufficient. The proposed method was successfully applied to authentic gunshot residue samples.
Influences of Superheated Steam Roasting and Water Activity Control as Oxidation Mitigation Methods on Physicochemical Properties, Lipid Oxidation, and Free Fatty Acids Compositions of Roasted Rice
Authors: Yodkaew Panupong , Chindapan Nathamol , Devahastin Sakamon
Published: November 2016

The feasibility of using superheated steam roasting and wetting to control the water activity in an optimal range to mitigate oxidation of roasted rice was evaluated. Changes in the bed temperature as well as rice kernel moisture content, water activity, and color were monitored during fluidized bed roasting with superheated steam and hot air at 170, 190, and 210 °C. Air‐roasted rice was rewetted to raise its water activity to 0.30 to 0.35. All the samples were analyzed for the total oil content, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, and free fatty acids (FFA) content and compositions. Higher roasting temperatures, especially at 210 °C, led to a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in the total oil content of the roasted rice. Wetting led to a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in the TBA value of the air‐roasted rice, although the total FFA content significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased. Rice roasted in superheated steam at 210 °C exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower PV and TBA value; their total FFA content also tended to decrease, which is desirable for a longer shelf life.
‘The Cheapest Work Ever Printed’: Illustrating the Classics in Limbird's British Novelist
Authors: Dillard Leigh Grey
Published: November 2016

Limbird's Novelist draws inspiration from eighteenth‐century sources, reprinting some of the most popular novels of that era for a nineteenth‐century readership. Often overlooked, Limbird's work in the 1820s' reprint trade places him in a long line of publishers who hawked affordable editions enhanced by illustrations. While Limbird was certainly not the only nineteenth‐century stationer engaging in illustrated reprints, his wood‐engraved endeavour offers a compelling visual response to familiar narratives. As an heir to the reprint tradition of James Harrison and Charles Cooke, Limbird's collection adapts scenes and illustrations from eighteenth‐century novels for a new edition and a new medium.
From the Familiar to the New: Frontispiece Engravings to Fiction in England from 1690 to 1740
Authors: Cole Helen
Published: November 2016

As an emerging genre in eighteenth‐century England, the novel was characterised by playfulness and experimentation. In many cases illustrators responded in kind, matching verbal with visual inventiveness. Examples of graphic illustration that capture this spirit of innovation feature throughout this special issue of the Journal for Eighteenth Century Studies. This article asks what we can learn, conversely, from instances in which an illustration closely followed an earlier design for the same title, or a particular graphic image continued to illustrate a novel over time, unchanged from one edition to the next.
Lip b 1 is a novel allergenic protein isolated from the booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila
Authors: Ishibashi O. , Sakuragi K. , Fukutomi Y. , Kawakami Y. , Kamata Y. , Sakurai M. , Nakayama S. , Uchiyama H. , Kobayashi H. , Kojima H. , Inui T.
Published: November 2016

Background

Booklice, belonging to the order Psocoptera, are small household insect pests that are distributed worldwide. Liposcelis bostrychophila, a common home‐inhabiting species of booklouse, infests old books, sheets of paper, and stored food. Recent entomological and serological studies demonstrated that L. bostrychophila accounted for the majority of detectable insects in house dust and could be a potent inducer of respiratory allergy. Our recent proteomic analysis identified a potent allergenic protein from L. bostrychophila, designated Lip b 1, and determined its partial amino acid sequences.

Methods

Cloning of cDNAs for Lip b 1 was performed by large‐scale transcriptome analysis (RNA‐seq) and subsequent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The full‐length amino acid sequences deduced from Lip b 1 cDNAs were bioinformatically analyzed. The recombinant proteins of glutathione S‐transferase (GST)‐fused Lip b 1 were analyzed by Western blot and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Lip b 1 cDNAs encoding two types of 254‐amino acid proteins were cloned. The clones shared 87% identity, and the deduced molecular weights and isoelectric points were consistent with those determined in our previous study. The two types of Lip b 1 proteins in the GST‐fused form were similarly reactive with sera from allergic patients sensitized with L. bostrychophila.

Conclusions

Lip b 1 is a novel protein possibly causing booklouse allergy.
Defining pollen exposure times for clinical trials of allergen immunotherapy for pollen‐induced rhinoconjunctivitis – an EAACI position paper
Authors: Pfaar O. , Bastl K. , Berger U. , Buters J. , Calderon M. A. , Clot B. , Darsow U. , Demoly P. , Durham S. R. , Galán C. , Gehrig R. , Gerth van Wijk R. , Jacobsen L. , Klimek L. , Sofiev M. , Thibaudon M. , Bergmann K. C.
Published: November 2016

Background

Clinical efficacy of pollen allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been broadly documented in randomized controlled trials. The underlying clinical endpoints are analysed in seasonal time periods predefined based on the background pollen concentration. However, any validated or generally accepted definition from academia or regulatory authorities for this relevant pollen exposure intensity or period of time (season) is currently not available. Therefore, this Task Force initiative of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) aimed to propose definitions based on expert consensus.

Methods

A Task Force of the Immunotherapy and Aerobiology and Pollution Interest Groups of the EAACI reviewed the literature on pollen exposure in the context of defining relevant time intervals for evaluation of efficacy in AIT trials. Underlying principles in measuring pollen exposure and associated methodological problems and limitations were considered to achieve a consensus.

Results

The Task Force achieved a comprehensive position in defining pollen exposure times for different pollen types. Definitions are presented for ‘pollen season’, ‘high pollen season’ (or ‘peak pollen period’) and ‘high pollen days’.

Conclusion

This EAACI position paper provides definitions of pollen exposures for different pollen types for use in AIT trials. Their validity as standards remains to be tested in future studies.
Airway eosinophil migration into lymph nodes in mice depends on leukotriene C4
Authors: Wang H.‐B. , Akuthota P. , Kanaoka Y. , Weller P. F.
Published: November 2016

Background

We previously demonstrated in mice that airway eosinophils traffic from the airway lumen into lung‐draining paratracheal lymph nodes. However, mechanisms whereby eosinophils traverse from the lungs and home to paratracheal lymph nodes remain unclear. We investigated roles of cysteinyl leukotrienes in mediating eosinophil trafficking from lungs to paratracheal lymph nodes.

Methods

The expression of CCR7 was determined by flow cytometry. Transwell assays were used to test chemotactic responses of leukotriene C4 synthase‐deficient and control airway eosinophils to the chemokine CCL19 ex vivo. Eosinophils from the spleens of IL‐5 transgenic mice, fluorescently labeled ex vivo, were intratracheally injected into ovalbumin‐sensitized and ovalbumin aerosol‐challenged leukotriene C4 synthase‐deficient and control mice. Eosinophils were identified by microscopy and flow cytometry in the lungs and paratracheal lymph nodes.

Results

Mouse eosinophils expressed CCR7, the receptor for CCL19, and responded chemotactically to CCL19. Leukotriene C4 synthase‐deficient eosinophils exhibited impaired chemotaxis to CCL19 that was restored by exogenous leukotriene C4. The migration of intratracheally injected eosinophils into paratracheal lymph nodes from distal alveolar lung was diminished in leukotriene C4 synthase‐deficient mice compared with wild‐type mice, with increased retention of eosinophils in the lungs of leukotriene C4 synthase‐deficient mice. Exogenous administration of leukotriene C4 restored trafficking of eosinophils to paratracheal lymph nodes in leukotriene C4 synthase‐deficient mice.

Conclusions

Our findings that cysteinyl leukotrienes are involved in regulating airway and lung eosinophil migration into paratracheal lymph nodes identify previously unrecognized roles for the cysteinyl leukotrienes in regulating the pulmonary trafficking of eosinophils in experimental allergic asthma.
The cross‐publics of ethnography: The case of “the Muslimwoman”
Authors: ABU‐LUGHOD LILA
Published: November 2016

Engaged anthropology, public anthropology, and public ethnography are names for a long tradition of trying to make a difference beyond the academy. The passionate and polarized responses of both nonacademic publics and engaged scholars in adjacent fields to my attempt to intervene in public debates about Muslim women's rights raise questions about the ethics, politics, and potentials of ethnography's travels across fractured global publics. They illuminate the geopolitical terrain of current debates about feminism and Islamophobia and reveal that ethnography may be most effective in interrupting or unsettling hegemonic representations and political formations when it makes available alternative accounts of lives and communities that can then authorize and give substance to critics’ arguments. Does this instrumentalization of ethnography benefit those whose lives anthropologists share through fieldwork? [engaged anthropology, public ethnography, rights, ethics, feminism, Islamophobia, Muslim women]
A civilized revolution: Aesthetics and political action in Egypt
Authors: WINEGAR JESSICA
Published: November 2016

Acts of aesthetic ordering dominated Egyptian protest and civic activity in 2011, around the time of former president Hosni Mubarak's downfall. They played a central role in motivating collective political action, giving form to a nationalist utopian vision and legitimizing ordinary Egyptians as active agents and upright citizens. Yet they also reproduced exclusionary middle‐class aspirations tied up with state projects and related forms of citizenship that center on surveillance, individualism, and consumption. Examining such acts of aesthetic ordering reveals the tensions at the heart of many political movements, especially as people attempt to enact their utopian visions in public space. The precarity of both middle classness and utopian schemes of revolution render aesthetics a key battleground of political action. [activism,social movements,aesthetics,space,middle class,waste,Egypt]
The ends of cutting in Ghana: Blood loss, scarcity, and slow harm after NGOs
Authors: HODŽIĆ SAIDA
Published: November 2016

Female genital cutting is waning in northeastern Ghana, even though NGO and state discourses suggest otherwise. Women who no longer perform the practice do not, as anthropologists often posit, resist anticutting advocacy. Rather, they critique what NGO and state interventions leave unaddressed. These women understand the ending of cutting as an index of food scarcity and governance that saps their blood and vitality. Cutting had to stop, they say, because they could no longer afford to lose more blood. Drawing on indigenous and biomedical understandings of health and popular notions of occult economies, they critique the contemporary governance that simultaneously invests in their lives and causes bodily attrition. “Slow harm” reveals how the invisible violence of neoliberal democracy produces ordinary crises and makes bodies vulnerable.
Producing iyashi: Healing and labor in Tokyo's sex industry
Authors: KOCH GABRIELE
Published: November 2016

Women working in the Japanese sex industry provide deeply gendered affective labor to male white‐collar workers. Their services center on iyashi (healing), a carefully constructed performance of intimacy that commingles maternal care with sexual gratification. Sex workers value this labor as providing socially necessary care to men who work in valorized sectors of the Japanese economy. Yet their own labor is produced within conditions of economic precarity. Moreover, intimate encounters in the sex industry are never divorced from the terms of a gendered economy. Sex workers use gendered discourses of productivity that reflect hierarchies of the value of labor to shape their performances of intimate care. These discourses demonstrate the centrality of gendered assumptions to conceptions of production and the economy. [affective labor, gender, sex work, productivity, care, precarity, Japan]

現代の日本性風俗業界で働いている女性は、 ジェンダー化された感情労働を、とりわけホワイトカラー層の男性客に提供している。セックスワーカーのサービスは「癒し: healing」を中心として成り立っている。ここで議論される 「癒し」とは、母性的なケアと性欲処理を混合させる事によって親密さを入念に演出する、構成されたパフォーマンスである。セックスワーカー達は、自身の労働が日本経済において重要な地位を占める男性から必要とされているのだから価値があると思っているが、性風俗の仕事は経済的に不安定な条件の中で営まれている。それに加え性風俗業界内での親密な出会いは、ジェンダー化された経済の条件から切り離す事はできない。セックスワーカーは生産性に関するジェンダー化した言説を用いるが、それは彼女らの親密なケアを形成する労働の価値の階層を映し出している。これらの言説は、「生産」や「経済」の概念形成の中心に、ジェンダー的前提が存在していることを明証している。「感情労働、ジェンダー、セックスワーク、生産性、ケア、不安定さ、日本」
Impact of Residual Mitral Regurgitation on Right Ventricular Systolic Function After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
Authors: Ertugay Serkan , Kemal Hatice S. , Kahraman Umit , Engin Catagay , Nalbantgil Sanem , Yagdi Tahir , Ozbaran Mustafa
Published: November 2016

Significant mitral regurgitation (MR) is thought to decrease after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, and therefore repair of mitral valve is not indicated in current practice. However, residual moderate and severe MR leads to pulmonary artery pressure increase, thereby resulting in right ventricular (RV) dysfunction during follow‐up. We examined the impact of residual MR on systolic function of the right ventricle by echocardiography after LVAD implantation. This study included 90 patients (mean age: 51.7 ± 10.9 years, 14.4% female) who underwent LVAD implantation (HeartMate II = 21, HeartWare = 69) in a single center between December 2010 and June 2014. Echocardiograms obtained at 3–6 months and over after implantation were analyzed retrospectively. RV systolic function was graded as normal, mild, moderate, and severely depressed. MR (≥moderate) was observed in 43 and 44% of patients at early and late period, respectively. Systolic function of the RV was severely depressed in 16 and 9% of all patients. Initial analysis (mean duration of support 174.3 ± 42.5 days) showed a statistically significant correlation between less MR and improved systolic function of RV (P = 0.01). Secondary echocardiographic analysis (following a mean duration of support of 435.1 ± 203 days) was also statistically significant for MR degree and RV systolic dysfunction (P = 0.008). Residual MR after LVAD implantation may cause deterioration of RV systolic function and cause right‐sided heart failure symptoms. Repair of severe MR, in selected patients such as those with severe pulmonary hypertension and depressed RV, may be considered to improve the patient's clinical course during pump support.
Correlation of vitamin D levels with tear film stability and secretion in patients with dry eye syndrome
Authors: Jin Ki Won , Ro Jin Woo , Shin Young Joo , Hyon Joon Young , Wee Won Ryang , Park Shin Goo
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To investigate tear film stability and secretion according to serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels in dry eye patients.

Methods

In this retrospective observational study, the medical charts of 92 patients who visited the Department of Ophthalmology at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital from April to August 2015 were reviewed. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured. Subjects were divided into three groups according to serum 25(OH)D levels: sufficient, inadequate or deficient group. Eye discomfort was measured by ocular surface disease index (OSDI). Tear break‐up time (TBUT), fluorescein staining score and Schirmer's tear secretion test were measured.

Results

The mean age was 53.38 ± 13.69 years. Mean serum 25(OH)D level was 14.41 ± 5.98 ng/ml. Tear break‐up time (TBUT) and tear secretion were positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D levels (r = 0.389, p = 0.001; and r = 0.428, p < 0.001, Pearson correlation test). Tear break‐up time (TBUT) and tear secretion were shorter in the vitamin D‐deficient group compared to the sufficient group (p = 0.022 and p = 0.004). Fluorescein staining scores and OSDI scores were not different between the three groups.

Conclusion

Tear break‐up time (TBUT) and secretion were correlated with serum vitamin D levels. Vitamin D status may be an important factor for dry eye syndrome.
Predicting the intereye asymmetry in functional and structural damage in glaucoma using automated pupillography
Authors: Rao Harsha L. , Kadambi Sujatha V. , Dasari Srilakshmi , Reddy Hemanth B. , Palakurthy Meena , Riyazuddin Mohammed , Puttaiah Narendra K. , Pradhan Zia S. , Rao Dhanaraj A. S. , Shetty Rohit
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To predict the intereye asymmetry in functional (mean deviation, MD on visual field, VF) and structural (retinal nerve fibre layer, RNFL and ganglion cell complex, GCC thickness on spectral domain optical coherence tomography, SDOCT) measurements in glaucoma using the automated pupillography parameters.

Methods

Fifty‐nine subjects with a diagnosis of either glaucoma or glaucoma suspect underwent automated pupillography along with VF and SDOCT examinations. Association between pupillography and the absolute intereye difference in MD, RNFL and GCC measurements was evaluated using regression analysis after accounting for the multicollinearity.

Results

Univariate regression analysis showed statistically significant associations (p < 0.05) between multiple pupillography parameters and the intereye difference in MD, RNFL and GCC thickness measurements. Multivariate regression with less strongly correlated parameters identified intereye difference in amplitude change (Ac) per cent to be the parameter that best predicted the intereye asymmetry in MD (Intereye asymmetry in MD = 2.20 + 1.33*intereye difference in Ac per cent, R2 = 0.36), RNFL thickness (3.38 + 3.55*intereye difference in Ac per cent, R2 = 0.49) and GCC thickness (4.49 + 2.06* intereye difference in Ac per cent, R2 = 0.41). Ability of intereye Ac per cent difference to predict intereye asymmetry in MD, RNFL and GCC thickness was better in patients with angle closure disease (R2 = 0.38, 0.79, 0.66, respectively) compared to those with open angles (R2 = 0.25, 0.15, 0.16, respectively).

Conclusions

Intereye asymmetry in MD, RNFL and GCC thickness measurements was best predicted by the intereye difference in Ac per cent on automated pupillography. The predicting ability was better in patients with angle closure compared to those with open angles.
Outcome of intra‐arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma and its influencing factors: a retrospective study
Authors: Chen Miaojuan , Jiang Hua , Zhang Jing , Shen Gang , Jiang Yizhou , Li Haibo , Liu Zhenyin
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Intra‐arterial chemotherapy (IAC) has become an essential technique for the treatment of advanced and relapsed intra‐ocular retinoblastoma. The outcome of IAC for retinoblastoma is influenced by a variety of medical and non‐medical factors. In this study, we aimed to examine the outcome of IAC and determine the factors influencing clinical outcome.

Methods

A total of 107 eyes of 73 patients with retinoblastoma undergoing IAC between January 2011 and April 2013 were retrospectively reviewed for clinical outcomes. The factors influencing clinical outcomes were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

After IAC, an overall globe salvage rate of 78.5% was observed during follow‐up periods. Specifically, globe salvage was achieved in Group B (100%), Group C (100%), Group D (78.6%), and Group E (62%). Short‐term ocular adverse events included eyelid oedema (14%), bulbar conjunctiva congestion (29.9%) and excessive tearing (9.3%). Long‐term complications included vitreous haemorrhage (8.4%), subretinal haemorrhage (9.3%), retinal vasculopathy (7.5%) and ophthalmic artery spasm with reperfusion (4.7%). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the globe salvage of IAC was significantly associated with tumour staging and previous treatment (p < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusion

Intra‐arterial chemotherapy (IAC) is safe and effective for the management of retinoblastoma. Patients with advanced retinoblastoma and previous failed treatment may have a poor outcome after IAC.
A comparison of left and right atrial fibroblasts reveals different collagen production activity and stress‐induced mitogen‐activated protein kinase signalling in rats
Authors: Chung C.‐C. , Kao Y.‐H. , Yao C.‐J. , Lin Y.‐K. , Chen Y.‐J.
Published: November 2016

Aim

Atrial fibrosis plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). The left atrium (LA) experiences greater fibrosis than the right atrium (RA) during HF. It is not clear whether LA cardiac fibroblasts contain distinctive activities that predispose LA to fibrosis.

Methods

LA and RA fibrosis were evaluated in healthy and isoproterenol‐induced HF Sprague Dawley rats. Rat LA and RA primary isolated fibroblasts were subjected to proliferation assay, oxidative stress assay, cell migration analysis, collagen measurement, cytokine array and Western blot.

Results

Healthy rat LA and RA had a similar extent of collagen deposition. HF significantly increased fibrosis to a greater severity in LA than in RA. Compared to isolated RA fibroblasts, the in vitro experiments showed that isolated LA fibroblasts had higher oxidative stress and exhibited higher collagen, transforming growth factor‐β1, connective tissue growth factor production and less vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production, but had similar migration, myofibroblast differentiation and proliferation activities. VEGF significantly increased the collagen production ability of LA fibroblasts, but not RA fibroblasts. LA fibroblasts had more phosphorylated ERK1/2 and P38 expression. ERK inhibitor (PD98059, 50 μmol L−1) significantly attenuated collagen production and increased VEGF production in RA fibroblasts but not in LA fibroblasts. P38 inhibitor (SB203580, 30 μmol L−1) significantly attenuated collagen production in LA fibroblasts but not in RA fibroblasts. P38 inhibitor also significantly increased VEGF production in RA and LA fibroblasts.

Conclusions

Differences in profibrotic activity between LA and RA fibroblasts may be caused by different responses to mitogen‐activated protein kinase signalling.
SSRI and SNRI use during pregnancy and the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
Authors: Bérard Anick , Sheehy Odile , Zhao Jin‐Ping , Vinet Évelyne , Bernatsky Sasha , Abrahamowicz Michal
Published: November 2016

Aim

The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in late pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Limited data are available on the risk of PPHN associated with serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). We aimed to quantify both associations.

Methods

Using data from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort between 1998 and 2009, we included women covered by the provincial drug plan who had a singleton live birth. Exposure categories were SSRI, SNRI and other antidepressant use; non‐users were considered as the reference category. Generalized estimating equation models were used to obtain risk estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Confounding by indication was minimized by adjusting for history of maternal depression/anxiety before pregnancy.

Results

Overall, 143 281 pregnancies were included; PPHN was identified in 0.2% of newborns. Adjusting for maternal depression, and other potential confounders, SSRI use during the second half of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of PPHN [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.29, 95% CI 1.34, 13.77] compared with non‐use of antidepressants; SNRI use during the same time window was not statistically associated with the risk of PPHN (aOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.06, 5.62). Use of SSRIs and SNRIs before the 20th week of gestation was not associated with the risk of PPHN.

Conclusions

Use of SSRIs in the second half of pregnancy was associated with the risk of PPHN. Given our results on SNRIs and the lack of statistical power for these analyses, it is unclear whether SNRI use during pregnancy also increases the risk of PPHN.
Glucose and lipid levels with lanreotide autogel 120 mg in treatment‐naïve patients with acromegaly: data from the PRIMARYS study
Authors: Caron Philippe J. , Petersenn Stephan , Houchard Aude , Sert Caroline , Bevan John S. ,   the PRIMARYS Study Group
Published: November 2016

Objective

Impaired glycaemic control, characteristic of acromegaly, can be exacerbated by treatment with somatostatin analogues (SSAs), particularly those with multireceptor activity. We present data from the PRIMARYS study on the impact of the SSA lanreotide, associated with tumour volume and hormonal improvements, on glucose and other metabolic parameters in acromegaly.

Design

PRIMARYS was a 48‐week open‐label single‐arm phase 3b study of lanreotide autogel 120 mg/4 weeks. A priori and post hoc metabolic profile data are reported for the overall population, patients with/without diabetes and patients achieving/not achieving hormonal control.

Patients

Treatment‐naïve adults with pituitary macroadenoma, mean growth hormone >1 μg/l and elevated insulin‐like growth factor‐1 levels (n = 90).

Measurements

Glycaemic parameters [glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels] assessed at baseline and weeks 12, 24 and 48. Lipid‐profile data (triglycerides, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) collected at baseline and study end.

Results

In patients with diabetes (n = 24), HbA1c showed a clinically relevant decrease during treatment [mean change from baseline to week 48, −1·44% (95% CI: −2·52, −0·36)]. In the overall population, in patients without diabetes, or in patients with/without hormonal control, HbA1c did not significantly change by week 48. Mean FPG levels showed no significant change by week 48 in all populations. Individually, increases and decreases in glycaemic parameters affected some patients in all populations. Glycaemic status as a composite measure of HbA1c and FPG (classification as normal, mild or diabetic) was stable from baseline to study end in most patients (overall, 70%; patients with diabetes, 50%; patients without diabetes, 76%), but worsened by week 48 in nine (15%) patients [seven (50%) with diabetes at baseline] and improved in nine (15%) patients (none with diabetes). Changes in lipid profiles were not considered clinically meaningful.

Conclusions

Glucose and lipid levels were not detrimentally affected in most patients, while only a relatively small proportion showed deterioration in glucose control.
Compound heterozygous mutations in the IFT140 gene cause Opitz trigonocephaly C syndrome in a patient with typical features of a ciliopathy
Authors: Peña‐Padilla C. , Marshall C.R. , Walker S. , Scherer S.W. , Tavares‐Macías G. , Razo‐Jiménez G. , Bobadilla‐Morales L. , Acosta‐Fernández E. , Corona‐Rivera A. , Mendoza‐Londono R. , Corona‐Rivera J. R.
Published: November 2016

〈 We report on an infant with Opitz trigonocephaly C syndrome (OTCS), who also had manifestations of ciliopathy, including short ribs (non‐asphyxiating), trident acetabular roofs, postaxial polydactyly cone‐shaped epiphyses, and dysplasia of the renal, hepatic and pancreatic tissues. To investigate the molecular cause, we used an exome sequencing strategy followed by Sanger sequencing. Two rare variants, both predicted to result in loss of functional protein, were identified in the IFT140 gene; a substitution at the splice donor site of exon 24 (c.723 + 1 G > T) and a 17 bp deletion, impacting the first coding exon (c.‐11_6del). The variants were confirmed as being biallelic using Sanger sequencing, showing that the splice variant was inherited from the propositus mother and the deletion from the father. To date, Mainzer–Saldino syndrome, Jeune syndrome, and a form of nonsyndromic retinal dystrophy, have been identified as ciliopathies caused by IFT140 mutations. We provide the first description of an OTCS phenotype that appears to result from IFT140 mutations. The presentation of this patient is consistent with previous reports showing that OTCS already exhibited skeleletal and nonskeletal features of a ciliopathy.
Attention allocation towards own face is pronounced during middle adolescence: an eye‐tracking study
Authors: Doi Hirokazu , Shinohara Kazuyuki
Published: November 2016

Increased interest in the self has long been deemed to be one of the most peculiar characteristics of adolescence. On the basis of this, we conjectured that attentiveness towards self‐relevant information, especially one's own face, becomes more pronounced during the middle adolescence. The present study tested this hypothesis by comparing the pattern of visuospatial attention allocation to their own face among early, middle and late adolescent males using an eye‐tracking methodology. The results have shown a clear pattern of increased attention allocation towards their own face over a close friend's and a stranger's face in middle adolescents, but fixation durations on their own and a friend's face did not differ from each other in early and late adolescents. In addition, middle adolescents showed higher public self‐consciousness and a lower level of self‐esteem than early and late adolescents, respectively. These results indicate that attention allocation towards one's own face is more pronounced during middle adolescence, and is associated with increased interest in their own attributes.