bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fighting African conflicts and crimes: which governance tools matter?
Authors: Asongu Simplice , Kodila-Tedika Oasis
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Crimes and conflicts are seriously undermining African development. The purpose of this paper is to assess the best governance tools in the fight against the scourges.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors assess a sample of 38 African countries. Owing to the cross-sectional structure of the data set, the authors adopt a heteroscedasticity consistent ordinary least squares estimation technique. For further robustness purposes, the authors employ Ramsey’s regression equation specification error test.

Findings

– The following findings are established. First, democracy, autocracy and voice and accountability have no significant negative correlations with crime. Second, the increasing relevance of government quality in the fight is as follows: regulation quality, government effectiveness, political stability, rule of law and corruption-control. Third, corruption-control is the most effective mechanism in fighting crime (conflicts).

Practical implications

– The findings are significantly strong when controlling for age dependency, number of police (and security) officers, per capita economic prosperity, educational level and population density. Justifications for the edge of corruption-control (as the most effective governance tool) and policy implications are discussed.

Originality/value

– The study is timely given the political instability, wars and conflicts currently marring African development.
Editorial and note on the writing of management history
Authors: Bowden Bradley
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The aim of this study is to outline principles for the writing of management history. First, it is argued that if management history is to advance, pessimism of both purpose and intellect must be dispelled. Authors must bring with them a sense of how their research leads to better organisations, institutions, workplaces, economies and social relationships. Second, it holds that the utilisation of the scientific method, based around the testing of research theses, drawn from our existing knowledge and contributing to that knowledge, is management history’s methodological bedrock.

Design/methodology/approach

Much opposition to scientific methods in historical research, most notably from postmodernists and poststructuralists, is based on false premises. Drawing on Poincare’s La Science et L’Hypothese (1902), this paper notes that there are no fundamental differences between research in the natural and historical sciences. All studies are conditional.

Findings

This editorial recommends five steps in writing management history. First, know how your sources were put together, by whom, for what purposes, what they sought to record and what they did not. Second, use multiple sources. Third, keep your research questions in mind, modifying them as evidence demands. As E.H. Carr observed, research theses are “the indispensable tools of thought”. Fourth, understand the social, intellectual and economic contexts of the study. Context is the key to understanding change. The more severe the restraint on change, the more significant is any change that breaks these bonds. Finally, use numbers as numbers count in history. While statistics must be subordinate to the theses, they allow more complex stories, be they of a society or micro-events within a firm.

Originality/value

The growth of postmodernist and poststructuralist research paradigms has created uncertainty with regards to both methods and purpose among management and business historians. This editorial includes a defence of the values of empirically based scientific research.
Do US pharmaceutical companies strategically shift income to international affiliates?
Authors: Brajcich Andrew M. , Friesner Daniel L. , Schibik Tim J.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to empirically identify incentives that drive resource shifting by US pharmaceutical firms to comparatively low-tax jurisdictions.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a panel of publicly listed companies, we investigate whether resource shifting is facilitated by two underlying factors. First, we examine whether pharmaceutical manufacturers whose intangible assets are disproportionately held as intellectual property are more or less likely to shift resources to jurisdictions outside of the USA. Second, we empirically determine whether manufacturers that derive most of their revenues from producing a specific type of product are more or less likely to shift income-producing resources to their international affiliates.

Findings

The empirical results suggest that pharmaceutical factors do practice strategic resource shifting. Moreover, pharmaceutical manufacturers which produce biologic medications are significantly less likely than other manufacturers to practice resource shifting. We find no evidence to suggest that firms whose intangible assets are more composed of intellectual property are any more or less likely to practice resource shifting.

Originality/value

To date, a plethora of studies exist which examine resource shifting in a large, general population of multinational corporations. However, there are relatively few studies that examine international resource shifting in the pharmaceutical industry.
Social reports in Italian universities: disclosures and preparers’ perspective
Authors: Sordo Carlotta Del , Farneti Federica , Guthrie James , Pazzi Silvia , Siboni Benedetta
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Although there is no mandatory requirement for Italian universities to report beyond a financial report, several universities have produced a social report, despite the context of increasing pressure to cut financial resources. This study aims to investigate if Italian state universities produce voluntary social reports and, if so, what they disclose. Also to explore their motivations to do so and the main difficulties encountered.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis is applied to the total pool of Italian universities’ social reports obtained. Also, a subsequent online survey was undertaken with preparers of those social reports.

Findings

The findings indicate that a social report is not a common practice in Italian universities. Subsequent online interviews and thematic analysis found that a key individual within the university played a pivotal role in developing a social report. In the pool of reports examined, there were few social and environmental aspects disclosed. Also the respondents to the survey highlighted that the main difficulty in the development of social reports was the lack of systematic collection of non-financial information within the university.

Researchlimitations/implications

The study is limited to the Italian university social reports produced and those answering the online survey.

Originality/value

Most of the prior Italian literature on social reports is normative in nature and focuses on what should be reported, rather than on what was actually reported. This study is an attempt at analysing the pool of Italian universities’ social reports and is useful for understanding how and why organisations voluntarily produce social reports.
Occupational therapists’ perceptions of occupation in practice: An exploratory study
Authors: Di Tommaso Amelia , Isbel Stephen , Scarvell Jennie , Wicks Alison
Published: April 2016

Background/aim

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists’ minimum standards state occupation and its relationship with health must be concepts covered in occupational therapy education. Therefore, it is assumed that Australian graduates have sound knowledge of the principles of occupation‐based practice. In some practice settings, the link to occupation may not be explicit and graduates could face challenges to being occupation‐based. The aims of this pilot study were to explore graduates’ perceptions of occupation in their practice and to investigate whether graduates felt sufficiently prepared for occupation‐based practice.

Methods

Two focus groups with eight therapists in total were employed to uncover experiences and perceptions of occupation. Themes were synthesised using Braun and Clarke's method of thematic analysis, where line by line coding was employed to inductively build themes.

Results

Participants believed that occupation‐based practice was important but did not necessarily need to be implemented as a means of intervention. From the participants’ perspective, simply striving for occupation as the end goal of therapy was acceptable. A strong focus on impairment‐based practice hindered some therapists from exploring the use of occupation‐based practice. For recent graduates, workplace culture was pervasive and inhibited the use of occupation. In addition, participants felt university educators did not provide an integrated or consistent approach when teaching how to apply occupation in practice.

Conclusion

Workplace expectations and limited power to influence practice are impeding graduates from authentically applying occupation in practice. Insights from recently graduated therapists about occupation have the potential to inform future directions of occupation‐based practice.
Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors in cardiac energy metabolism and cardiovascular disease
Authors: Ajith Thekkuttuparambil Ananthanarayanan , Jayakumar Thankamani Gopinathan
Published: April 2016

Cardiomyocytes mainly depend on energy produced from the oxidation of fatty acids and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Shortage of energy or excessive fat accumulation can lead to cardiac disorders. High saturated fat intake and a sedentary life style have a major influence in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARs), one of the nuclear receptor super family members, play critical role in the metabolism of lipids by regulating their oxidation and storage. Furthermore, they are involved in glucose homeostasis as well. PPARs, mainly alpha (α) and beta/delta (β/δ), have a significant effect on the lipid metabolism and anti‐inflammation in endothelial cells (ECs), vascular smooth muscle cells, and also in cardiomyocytes. Pro‐inflammatory cytokines, mainly tumour necrosis factor‐α, released at the site of inflammation in the sub‐ECs of coronary arteries can inactivate the PPARs which can eventually lead to decreased energy production in the myocardium. Various synthetic ligands of PPAR‐α and β/δ have many favourable effects in modulating the vascular diseases and heart failure. Despite the adverse effects from therapy using PPAR‐ gamma ligands, several laboratories are now focused on synthesizing partial activators which may combine their beneficial effects with lowering of undesirable side effects. This review discusses the role of isoforms of PPAR in the cardiomyocytes energy balance and CVD. The knowledge will help in the synthesis of ligands for their partial activation in order to render energy balance and protection from CVD.
An investigation of the influence of patient‐related factors and comedications on lamotrigine clearance in patients with epilepsy
Authors: Baldoni André Oliveira , Freitas‐Lima Priscila , de Santi Ferreira Flávia Isaura , Martinez Edson Zangiacomi , Queiroz Regina Helena Costa , Sakamoto Americo Ceiki , Alexandre Veriano , Perucca Emilio , Pereira Leonardo Regis Leira
Published: April 2016

Lamotrigine (LTG) is one of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs. Confusion still exists in the literature as to the relative influence of age, body weight, and concomitant drug therapy on LTG pharmacokinetics. So, the objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of patient‐related factors and comedication on LTG apparent oral clearance (CL/F). A therapeutic drug‐monitoring database was used to identify steady‐state plasma LTG concentrations in 210 patients. LTG CL/F values were calculated for each patient according to the equation CL/F (L/h per kg) = LTG daily dose (mg/kg)/Css (steady state concentration) (mg/L) × 24 h. A linear‐regression model was used to assess the influence of gender, dose, age, and body weight in LTG CL/F. The influence of comedication on LTG CL/F was investigated by applying the Bonferroni post‐test. The lowest LTG CL/F was found in patients comedicated with valproate (VPA) (mean, 0.0183 L/h per kg), followed by patients receiving VPA + enzyme inducers (0.0271 L/h per kg), patients on LTG monotherapy (0.0298 L/h per kg) and patients comedicated with enzyme inducers (0.056 L/h per kg) LTG CL/F correlated significantly with LTG dose (P < 0.01), but showed no significant relationship with gender, weight, and age. LTG CL/F is influenced by the type of antiepileptic comedication. The correlation with dose may be a spurious finding related to the fact that physicians, in adjusting dosage according to clinical response, are more likely to use larger doses in patients with high clearance values.
A Bonfire of the Regulations, or Business as Usual? The UK Labour Market and the Political Economy of Brexit
Authors: Coulter Steve , Hancké Bob
Published: April 2016

Employment and labour market regulation initially appeared as one of the solid red lines in the UK's renegotiation of the country's place in the EU. The basic argument is that the UK's more deregulated labour market would sit uneasily in the more organised models, based on statutory instruments or collective bargaining, found on the continent. While there is a legitimate problem here, EU employment regulations appear manageable from the point of view of business, while unions see them as important tools for socially responsible economic restructuring. Most of UK employment case law is now deeply entangled with EU law; labour market regulations have, on the whole, become part of the way of doing business in the Single Market; and a simple cost–benefit analysis appears impossible because some costs are not quantifiable and the costs of others are reduced when taken as a bundle. Labour unions agree that transposition of European law needs to be done taking into account local sensitivities, while internationally oriented companies do not see EU regulations on the whole as detrimental to business. Importantly, though, the costs and benefits of EU employment regulations are not symmetrically distributed across different companies: large companies are better able to reap the rewards and accommodate the costs of operating in the Single Market than smaller companies.
No (,) More Bolam Please: Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board
Authors: Hobson Clark
Published: April 2016

Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board concerned a negligent non‐disclose of certain risks involved in natural birth. The Supreme Court departed from Sidaway v Bethlem Royal Hospital, which formerly governed negligent risk disclosure. A new test was adopted: risks that are material must be disclosed, the materiality of a risk to be decided by reference to a reasonable person in the patient's position, or where the medical professional should be reasonably aware a particular patient is likely to attach significance to that risk. The Court emphasised risk disclosure practices must focus on what the patient wants to know. Yet the Court's portrayal of this change as a development of Sidaway is questionable. The decision is problematic in its engagement with precedent, the new test's future implications and statements regarding therapeutic privilege. Despite rejecting Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee's relevance to risk disclosure, this case is likely to remain relevant.
Actions Speak Louder than Words: A Behavioral Analysis of 183 Individuals Convicted for Terrorist Offenses in the United States from 1995 to 2012
Authors: Horgan John , Shortland Neil , Abbasciano Suzzette , Walsh Shaun
Published: April 2016

Involvement in terrorism has traditionally been discussed in relatively simplistic ways with little effort spent on developing a deeper understanding of what involvement actually entails, and how it differs from person to person. In this paper, we present the results of a three‐year project focused on 183 individuals associated with the global jihadist movement who were convicted in the United States, for terrorist offenses, between 1995 and 2012. These data were developed by a large‐scale, open‐source data collection activity that involved a coding dictionary of more than 120 variables. We identify and explore the diversity of behaviors that constitute involvement in terrorism. We also compare lone actors and those who acted as part of a group, finding that lone actors differed from group‐based actors in key demographic attributes and were more likely to be involved in attack execution behaviors. Implications for counterterrorism are then discussed.
A case of end‐to‐end anastomotic repair for the proximal main pancreatic duct injury in a child
Authors: Aoi Shigeyoshi , Kimura Kouseki , Tsuda Tomoki , Takahashi Shigeru
Published: April 2016

The therapeutic strategies for the proximal transection of pancreas in children, consequently accompanying main pancreatic duct (MPD) damages, remain controversial for its rare incidence. We experienced one case of proximal MPD injury in a child and performed end‐to‐end anastomotic repair easily without major postoperative complications using intraoperative ultrasonography. Such patients could be discharged from hospital after a short period; however, the long‐term result must be clarified.
Benefits and perspectives on the use of biofuels
Authors: Ramos Juan‐Luis , Valdivia Miguel , García‐Lorente Francisco , Segura Ana
Published: April 2016

The current primary obstacle to biofuels is the current low price of fossil fuels, and the primary incentive to 2G biofuels is the growing world population and need to increase food suplies. Both of these will be increasingly subject to political, regulatory and legislative changes that will be positive for 2G biofuels.
Relative importance of advective flow versus environmental gradient in shaping aquatic ammonium oxidizers near the Three Gorges Dam of the Yangtze River, China
Authors: Huang Liuqin , Dong Hailiang , Jiang Hongchen , Wang Shang , Yang Jian
Published: April 2016

Construction of a dam in a large river alters its hydrodynamic condition and geochemical gradient, but the effect of such anthropogenic activity on microbial ecology remains poorly understood. To assess this effect, we investigated the relative importance of advective flow versus environmental condition in shaping ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) community from 110 km upstream to the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) of the Yangtze River, China. Water physicochemical conditions, including turbidity, conductivity, redox state and nutrient level, were fairly constant from 110 to 45 km upstream of the TGD, but significantly oscillated near the dam. AOB and AOA in the Yangtze River were dominated by Nitrosospira‐ and Nitrosopumilus‐affiliated clusters, respectively, and these compositions were invariant throughout the sampled 110 km flow path, suggesting that AOB and AOA communities in the river were largely transported from upstream by advection with minor local and transient inputs from surrounding soils and tributaries. However, the abundance of AOB and AOA was influenced by local geochemical conditions, possibly via the growth/decay mechanisms. The source of AOB in the Yangtze River appeared to be derived from soil near the headwater, but its abundance was enhanced during downstream transport, likely due to survival and growth.
Utility of serum periostin and free IgE levels in evaluating responsiveness to omalizumab in patients with severe asthma
Authors: Tajiri T. , Matsumoto H. , Gon Y. , Ito R. , Hashimoto S. , Izuhara K. , Suzukawa M. , Ohta K. , Ono J. , Ohta S. , Ito I. , Oguma T. , Inoue H. , Iwata T. , Kanemitsu Y. , Nagasaki T. , Niimi A. , Mishima M.
Published: April 2016

Background

Omalizumab, a humanized anti‐IgE monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated efficacy in patients with severe allergic asthma. However, treatment responses vary widely among individuals. Despite a lack of data, free serum IgE levels following omalizumab treatment have been proposed as a marker of treatment responsiveness.

Methods

In this prospective, observational study, we assessed the utility of biomarkers of type 2 inflammation in predicting omalizumab treatment responses, as determined by the absence of asthma exacerbation during the first year of treatment. Free serum IgE levels were monitored for 2 years to examine their association with baseline biomarker levels and the number of exacerbations.

Results

We enrolled thirty patients who had been treated with omalizumab for at least 1 year, of whom 27 were treated for 2 years. Baseline serum periostin levels and blood eosinophil counts were significantly higher in patients without exacerbations during the first year of treatment than in patients with exacerbations. Baseline serum periostin levels, but not eosinophil counts, were negatively associated with free serum IgE levels after 16 or 32 weeks of treatment. Reduced free serum IgE levels during treatment from those at baseline were associated with reduced exacerbation numbers at 2 years. In 14 patients who continued to have exacerbations during the first year of treatment, exacerbation numbers gradually and significantly decreased over the 2‐year study period, with concurrent significant reductions in free serum IgE levels.

Conclusion

Baseline serum periostin levels and serum free IgE levels during treatment follow‐up may be useful in evaluating responses to omalizumab treatment.
The Waxing and Waning of the Politics of Authenticity: The Situation of Urban‐Based Māori through the Lens of Municipal Politics
Authors: GAGNÉ NATACHA
Published: April 2016

In Aotearoa/New Zealand, during the period known as the Māori cultural renaissance, developing rhetoric about Māori authenticity has emphasized distinctions between tribal and urban Māori. This has been in part due to the juridification of Māori property by the state and the concomitant retribalization. In recent years, however, there are signs that this essentializing tendency might be lessening as the passing of time has brought Māori successes in many fields. The process of reasserting themselves and renegotiating their relations with non‐Māori involves issues of participation and political representation, including at the local government level. This paper looks at these changes and at the debate around Māori representation on Auckland's new Super City Council and the resulting present situation. It shows that concerns about authenticity wax and wane, depending on the larger political context. [Māori, New Zealand, authenticity, political representation, local government]
“Inventing New Places”: Urban Aboriginal Visibility and the Co‐Construction of Citizenship in Val‐d'Or (Québec)
Authors: DESBIENS CAROLINE , LÉVESQUE CAROLE , COMAT IOANA
Published: April 2016

The presence of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in the urban centres of Québec (Canada) is no longer simply the result of individual trajectories; it is also the result of collective and institutional initiatives. Aboriginal collective action is changing, and, as a consequence, new forms of Aboriginal citizenship are emerging, as well as new expressions of Aboriginal identity. These transformations have repercussions across the whole of Québec society. With cultural territories being materialized—and Indigenous identities symbolized—in the cityscape, new conceptions of Québécois citizenship and identity have emerged. Using the approaches of historical and cultural geography, we explore, firstly, the spatial dimensions of Indigeneity and of Canada's Indian policy. Secondly, we analyse two spaces of civic engagement that have emerged in the city of Val‐d'Or—the Abinodjic Miguam Daycare and the Gabriel Commanda March Against Racism—as they relate to urban Aboriginal visibility and the co‐construction of citizenship. [Urban Aboriginals; Native Friendship Centres; Visibility; Citizenship; Indian Act; Cultural geography; Val‐d'Or; Québec; Canada]
Evaluating mortality rates with a novel integrated framework for nonmonogamous species
Authors: Tenan Simone , Iemma Aaron , Bragalanti Natalia , Pedrini Paolo , De Barba Marta , Randi Ettore , Groff Claudio , Genovart Meritxell
Published: April 2016

The conservation of wildlife requires management based on quantitative evidence, and especially for large carnivores, unraveling cause‐specific mortalities and understanding their impact on population dynamics is crucial. Acquiring this knowledge is challenging because it is difficult to obtain robust long‐term data sets on endangered populations and, usually, data are collected through diverse sampling strategies. Integrated population models (IPMs) offer a way to integrate data generated through different processes. However, IPMs are female‐based models that cannot account for mate availability, and this feature limits their applicability to monogamous species only. We extended classical IPMs to a two‐sex framework that allows investigation of population dynamics and quantification of cause‐specific mortality rates in nonmonogamous species. We illustrated our approach by simultaneously modeling different types of data from a reintroduced, unhunted brown bear (Ursus arctos) population living in an area with a dense human population. In a population mainly driven by adult survival, we estimated that on average 11% of cubs and 61% of adults died from human‐related causes. Although the population is currently not at risk, adult survival and thus population dynamics are driven by anthropogenic mortality. Given the recent increase of human‐bear conflicts in the area, removal of individuals for management purposes and through poaching may increase, reversing the positive population growth rate. Our approach can be generalized to other species affected by cause‐specific mortality and will be useful to inform conservation decisions for other nonmonogamous species, such as most large carnivores, for which data are scarce and diverse and thus data integration is highly desirable.
Integration of ecological–biological thresholds in conservation decision making
Authors: Mavrommati Georgia , Bithas Kostas , Borsuk Mark E. , Howarth Richard B.
Published: April 2016

In the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well‐being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real‐world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological–biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary‐boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological–biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization.
Pressure profiles of sport compression stockings
Authors: Reich‐Schupke Stefanie , Surhoff Stefan , Stücker Markus
Published: April 2016

Background

While sport compression stockings (SCS) have become increasingly popular, there is no regulatory norm as exists for medical compression stockings (MCS). The objective of this pilot study was to compare five SCS with respect to their pressure profiles ex vivo and in vivo, and in relation to German standards for MCS (RAL norm).

Patients and methods

In vivo (10 competitive athletes; standardized procedure using the Kikuhime pressure monitor) and ex vivo (tested at the Hohenstein Institute) pressure profiles were tested for the following products: CEP Running Progressive Socks, Falke Running Energizing, Sigvaris Performance, X‐Socks Speed Metal Energizer, and 2XU Compression Race Socks.

Results

Ex vivo ankle pressures of CEP (25.6 mmHg) and 2XU (23.2 mmHg) corresponded to class 2 MCS; that of Sigvaris (20.8 mmHg), to class 1 MCS. The remaining SCS achieved lower pressure values. The pressure gradients showed marked differences, and did not meet MCS standards. Average in vivo pressures were higher for 2XU, CEP, and Sigvaris than for Falke and X‐Socks. However, in vivo values for all SCS were below those of class 1 MCS. None of the SCS showed the decreasing pressure gradient (from distal to proximal) required for MCS.

Conclusions

In vivo and ex vivo pressure profiles of all SCS examined showed marked heterogeneity, and did not meet MCS standards. Consequently, the clinical and practical effects of SCS cannot be compared, either. It would therefore be desirable to establish a classification that allows for the categorization and comparison of various SCS as well as their selection based on individual preferences and needs (high vs. low pressure, progressive vs. degressive profile).
Temporal and associated disorders of perception in infants born extremely preterm
Authors: Dutton Gordon N
Published: April 2016

This commentary is on the original article by Pel et al. on pages 1030–1035 of this issue.
Why grow up?Aperspective on insect strategies to avoid metamorphosis
Authors: MCMAHON DINO P. , HAYWARD ALEXANDER
Published: April 2016

1. Insects with complete metamorphosis (holometaboly) are extremely successful, constituting over 60% of all described animal species. Complete metamorphosis confers significant advantages because it enables organisms to optimise life‐history components through temporal partitioning, and thereby to exploit multiple ecological niches. Yet holometaboly can also impose costs, and several lineages have evolved life cycle modifications to avoid complete metamorphosis.

2. In this review, we discuss different strategies that have evolved that result in the loss of complete metamorphosis (type I and type II paedomorphosis). In addition, the ecological pressures and developmental modifications that facilitate this avoidance are considered, as well as the importance of life cycle complexity in life‐history evolution.

3. Interestingly, only female holometabolous insects have entirely avoided complete metamorphosis, and it is always the ancestrally juvenile morphology that is retained. These findings point to a strong sex‐biased trade‐off between investment in reproduction and development. While the loss of complete metamorphosis in females has occurred independently on several occasions across holometabolous insects, only a small number of species possessing this ability have been described.

4. Thus, complete metamorphosis, which originated only once in insects, appears to have been almost fully retained. This indicates that significant modifications to the holometabolan metamorphic ground plan are highly constrained, and suggests that the transition to complete metamorphosis is evolutionarily irreversible.
Immunomodulatory effects of bone marrow versus adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells on NK cells: implications in the transplantation setting
Authors: Blanco Belén , Herrero‐Sánchez María del Carmen , Rodríguez‐Serrano Concepción , García‐Martínez María Lourdes , Blanco Juan F. , Muntión Sandra , García‐Arranz Mariano , Sánchez‐Guijo Fermín , del Cañizo Consuelo
Published: April 2016

Introduction

The ability of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) to suppress T‐cell function has prompted their therapeutic use for graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) control. However, as MSC also modulate the activity of NK cells, which play an important role in graft‐versus‐leukemia (GVL) reaction, their administration could hamper this beneficial effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. MSC can be expanded from several sources, especially bone marrow and fat, but it is not well established if the cell source makes a difference in their immunoregulatory capacity.

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare the immunomodulatory effect of MSC derived from bone marrow (BM‐CSM) or adipose tissue (AT‐MSC) on NK cells, to determine whether the use of MSC from one or the other origin could be more favorable to preserve NK cell activity and, therefore, GVL.

Methods

Human NK cells were stimulated with IL‐15 in the presence of BM‐MSC or AT‐MSC. The effect of both MSC populations on NK cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and CD56 expression was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cytokine secretion was measured by ELISA, and cytotoxic activity was assessed by calcein release assays.

Results

Although both BM‐MSC and AT‐MSC induced a similar inhibition of NK cell proliferation, only BM‐MSC decreased significantly NK cell cytotoxic activity and showed a trend for a higher reduction of IFN‐γ secretion.

Conclusion

These results suggest that, in the context of GVHD inhibition, the use of AT‐MSC rather than BM‐MSC could further preserve NK cell activity and, thus, favor GVL.
Urinary incontinence in multiple sclerosis: prevalence, severity and impact on patients’ quality of life
Authors: Zecca C. , Riccitelli G. C. , Disanto G. , Singh A. , Digesu G. A. , Panicari L. , Puccini F. , Mattioli M. , Tubaro A. , Gobbi C.
Published: April 2016

Background and purpose

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) including frequent urination, nocturia and urge urinary incontinence negatively impact quality of life. This project aimed at characterizing the prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and its association with demographic and clinical features.

Methods

In all, 403 consecutive clinically stable MS patients answered the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) and the Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC) questionnaire. Demographic and clinical parameters including the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate linear regression models.

Results

Females represented 72%, relapsing−remitting patients 82%. The mean (SD) disease duration and EDSS were 11.8 (8.6) years and 3.1 (1.9) respectively. Approximately 35% of patients reported urine incontinence. ICIQ scores were positively associated with EDSS, female gender, presence of LUTS therapies and absence of disease modifying treatments (P < 0.001). PPBC scores were positively associated with EDSS and the presence of LUTS therapies (P < 0.001).

Discussion

Urinary incontinence is frequent in MS, prevailing in more disabled and female patients. Currently available LUTS therapies appear insufficient in the treatment of this symptom. The negative impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life is high and requires more attention in clinical management and research.
Relationship between advanced glycation end‐product accumulation and low skeletal muscle mass in Japanese men and women
Authors: Kato Michitaka , Kubo Akira , Sugioka Yosuke , Mitsui Rie , Fukuhara Nobuki , Nihei Fumi , Takeda Yoshihiko
Published: April 2016

Aim

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between advanced glycation end‐product accumulation and skeletal muscle mass among middle‐aged and older Japanese men and women.

Methods

A total of 132 participants enrolled in this cross‐sectional study. Skin autofluorescence was assessed as a measure of advanced glycation‐end products. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, and skeletal muscle index was calculated by dividing appendicular skeletal muscle mass by height squared. Participants were divided into two groups (low skeletal muscle index and normal skeletal muscle index) using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia's skeletal muscle index criteria for diagnosing sarcopenia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were used to determine significant factors associated with low skeletal muscle index.

Results

Participants consisted of 70 men (mean age 57 ± 10 years) and 62 women (mean age 60 ± 11 years). There were 31 and 101 participants in the low and normal skeletal muscle index groups, respectively. Skin autofluorescence was significantly higher in the low skeletal muscle index group compared with the normal skeletal muscle index group (P < 0.01). Skin autofluorescence was a significant independent factor associated with low skeletal muscle index based on multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 15.7, 95% confidence interval 1.85–133.01; P = 0.012). The cut‐off for skin autofluorescence was 2.45 arbitrary units, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and specificity of 0.91.

Conclusions

Skin autofluorescence was an independent factor associated with low skeletal muscle index among middle‐aged and older Japanese men and women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 785–790.
Women's participation in self‐help groups as a pathway to women's empowerment: A case of Nepal
Authors: Atteraya Madhu Sudhan , Gnawali Shreejana , Palley Elizabeth
Published: April 2016

Non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) and the government of Nepal have made some effort to reduce poverty in Nepal by creating women's affiliation groups, some of which are micro‐credit organizations. Using capabilities as defined by Amartya Sen (Development as freedom, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2000), which includes employment opportunities, women's ownership in productive resources such as land and/or homes, educational opportunities, and women's participation in decision‐making in the family, this study evaluated the extent to which women's ethnic group or caste affiliation affected a woman's likelihood of being empowered by participation in these groups. We analyzed a sample of 8,973 women which was taken from the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Previous research has demonstrated that participation in gender‐based groups is correlated with higher economic status. This study adds to the literature on women's affiliation groups by investigating the impact of structural factors, such as caste and ethnicity, on women's self‐help group participation (women's groups and credit groups).
Migrant workers and involuntary non‐permanent jobs: agencies as new IR actors?
Authors: Hopkins Benjamin , Dawson Chris
Published: April 2016

Using Quarterly Labour Force Survey data this article illustrates the involuntary crowding of migrants from Central and Eastern Europe into non‐permanent work when moving to the United Kingdom. The role of agencies in mediating this relationship is examined, as is their new role as actors in industrial relations systems.
Designing business models for cloud platforms
Authors: Giessmann Andrea , Legner Christine
Published: April 2016

Platform as a service (PaaS) has become a strategic option for software vendors who expect to benefit from value co‐creation with partners by developing complementary components and applications. In reality, however, established and new software vendors are battling to redefine their offering to embrace PaaS. They face the challenges of transforming, configuring and calibrating their PaaS business models to align them with existing business models, customer expectations and competitive pressures. This motivates our research question: How can software providers design viable business models for PaaS? Our study develops a design theory for PaaS business models. This theory is grounded on a 12‐month action design research study at one of the largest global software companies (here called Alpha) with mixed PaaS experiences in the past. Our primary research contribution is a set of design principles that guide software providers to define a viable PaaS business model in order to create a flourishing software ecosystem for their cloud platform. By synthesizing prescriptive knowledge related to business model design for emerging cloud platforms, our study advances PaaS research towards the existing body of research on software platforms and business models.
New Perspectives on the Gas–Solid Reaction of α‐Si3N4 Powder in Wet Air at High Temperature
Authors: Wang Enhui , Chen Junhong , Hu Xiaojun , Chou Kuo‐Chih , Hou Xinmei
Published: April 2016

The reaction behavior of chemically vapor‐deposited silicon nitride (α‐Si3N4) powder in wet air at 1673–1873 K for 10 h has been investigated. The oxidation and volatilization reaction coexist initially while volatilization reaction progressively becomes the limiting step with extended reaction time. Based on the experimental curves, a new kinetic model regarding both solid product layer and hypothetically volatile product layer has been developed to interpret its short‐term reaction and predict long‐term corrosion behavior. The calculated results agree well with the experimental data. Predictably, this new kinetic model can not only be used to treat the reaction of Si3N4 powder in wet air but also can be applied to deal with the gas–solid reaction of other ceramic powders.
Bankers Trust and the Birth of Modern Risk Management
Authors: Guill Gene D.
Published: April 2016

A leading financial practitioner traces the origins of the risk management concepts and applications widely used in today's financial institutions to their development at Bankers Trust in the 1970s. The bank became a pioneer out of necessity and entrepreneurship. Lacking the relationships with large corporations enjoyed by J.P. Morgan and Chase, Bankers Trust had to find ways to offer financial products its well‐established competitors could not.

The innovations in risk management came from the Bank's “Resources Management” group, which was responsible for its trading and funding activities (but not corporate lending). By applying probability theory to its trading positions, the bank found an effective way to measure “market risk.” Extensions and refinements of this methodology were then used to measure credit risk and, later, liquidity risk and operational risk.

These statistical methods and probabilistic concepts were brought together in a metric called Risk Adjusted Return On Capital, or “RAROC,” as it eventually became known throughout the financial services industry. RAROC was a concise way to measure and communicate the economic profits that had been generated by a transaction, product, or business unit, given the amount of “risk‐based” equity capital that was necessary to generate that profit. At Bankers Trust, RAROC eventually was used not only to evaluate profitability, but to guide strategic planning, capital allocation, and incentive compensation. And tools incorporating the same concepts, but with names like Value at Risk (or VaR), were later adopted by many other banks as well as regulators, including the framers of the Basel Accords.

The author closes by suggesting how and why Bankers Trust's risk management culture began to deteriorate after 1995, and the bank was acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.
Seeking Capital Abroad: Motivations, Process, and Suggestions for Success
Authors: Bell Greg , Rasheed Abdul A.
Published: April 2016

Until fairly recently, the ownership of companies has remained largely with investors in home countries with stocks listed only on domestic exchanges. But a growing number of firms are now raising equity capital on foreign stock exchanges in response to opportunities created by the increasing integration of global capital markets. The authors identify several reasons why seeking capital abroad is an attractive strategy for companies, including greater access to capital, a more liquid share price, easier means of offering employees equity interests in the firm, greater opportunities to make acquisitions, and at least the potential for a stronger reputation and higher valuation, stemming in part from better governance law and greater protection for minority investors in certain jurisdictions. But along with such potential benefits, companies that raise capital abroad also inevitably face liabilities of foreignness (LOF) in their dealings with foreign investors and capital markets. The authors propose a number of ways of minimizing such liabilities, that including signalling the firm's commitment to strengthening its internal governance system, adopting host country business practices, and enlisting the help of reputational intermediaries.
Polymorphism in exon 2 encoding the putative ligand binding pocket of the bovine insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor affects milk traits in four different cattle breeds
Authors: Szewczuk M.
Published: April 2016

As a member of the somatotropic axis, insulin‐like growth factor I receptor (IGF1R) seems to be a promising candidate gene. Two silent polymorphisms, identified by MspI and TaqI restriction enzymes, were selected within exon 2, encoding the majority of the putative ligand binding pocket. A total of 1169 cows of four pure breeds (Polish Holstein Friesian, Montbeliarde, Jersey and Holstein Friesian) were genotyped. The T (IGF1R/e2/MspI) and G (IGF1R/e2/TaqI) alleles were found to be prevalent. Three combinations of genotypes (TT/GG, TT/AG and CT/GG) were associated with the highest productivity (milk, protein and fat yields) among all breeds under study, as opposed to individuals carrying the worst CC/AA combination. In view of the specific structure of the ligand binding pocket and the significance of insulin‐like growth factor I signalling promoting the development and differentiation in a variety of tissues (not only limited to mammary gland), the existence of missense mutation is unlikely. Potential mutations are likely limited to mRNA transcription and further post‐transcriptional modifications. Further investigations should follow searching for the most useful IGF1R haplotypes, associated with higher milk production traits, exerting at the same time positive or neutral impact on health and welfare of individuals.
Impaired sperm quality, delayed mating but no costs for offspring fitness in crickets winning a fight
Authors: Tuni C. , Perdigón Ferreira J. , Fritz Y. , Munoz Meneses A. , Gasparini C.
Published: April 2016

The outcome of male–male contest competition is known to affect male mating success and is believed to confer fitness benefits to females through preference for dominant males. However, by mating with contest winners, females can incur significant costs spanning from decreased fecundity to negative effects on offspring. Hence, identifying costs and benefits of male dominance on female fitness is crucial to unravel the potential for a conflict of interests between the sexes. Here, we investigated males' pre‐ and post‐copulatory reproductive investment and its effect on female fitness after a single contest a using the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We allowed males to fight and immediately measured their mating behaviour, sperm quality and offspring viability. We found that males experiencing a fight, independently of the outcome, delayed matings, but their courtship effort was not affected. However, winners produced sperm of lower quality (viability) compared to losers and to males that did not experience fighting. Results suggest a trade‐off in resource allocation between pre‐ and post‐mating episodes of sexual selection. Despite lower ejaculate quality, we found no fitness costs (fecundity and viability of offspring) for females mated to winners. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering fighting ability when assessing male reproductive success, as winners may be impaired in their competitiveness at a post‐mating level.