bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adverse perinatal outcomes for obese women are influenced by the presence of comorbid diabetes and hypertensive disorders
Authors: Aubry Evelyne M. , Oelhafen Stephan , Fankhauser Niklaus , Raio Luigi , Cignacco Eva L.
Published: March 2019

Maternal obesity often occurs together with comorbid diabetes and hypertensive disorders. All three conditions are independently associated with negative perinatal outcomes. Our objective was to determine the risk and burden of adverse perinatal outcome that could attributed to maternal obesity in combination with a comorbid status.

We analyzed data from 349’755 singleton deliveries in Switzerland between 2005 and 2016. For the association of maternal obesity in the presence or absence of comorbidities with various perinatal outcomes, we estimated adjusted relative risk (RR) using multivariate regression modeling and determined the multivariate-adjusted attributable fraction (AFp).

Regardless of comorbidities, obesity was a main predictor for macrosomia, fracture of the clavicle, plexus paresis, failure to progress in labor and prolonged labor. However, we identified a second subset of outcomes, including neonatal hyperglycemia and preterm birth, that was only significantly linked to obesity in the presence of comorbidities. A third subset of outcomes was independently influenced by either obesity or comorbidities.

We suggest that comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertensive disorders should be considered when relating maternal obesity to adverse perinatal outcomes.
A geometric representation unveils learning dynamics in primate neurons
Authors: Cohen Yarden , Schneidman Elad , Paz Rony
Published: March 2019

Primates can quickly and advantageously adopt new behaviors based on changing stimuli relationships. We studied acquisition of a classification task while recording single neurons in the dorsal-anterior-cingulate-cortex (dACC) and the Striatum. Monkeys performed trial-by-trial classification on a rich set of multi-cue patterns, allowing de-novo learning every few days. To examine neural dynamics during the learning itself, we represent each rule with a spanning set of the space formed by the stimuli features. Because neural preference can be expressed by feature combinations, we can track neural dynamics in geometrical terms in this space, allowing a compact description of neural trajectories by observing changes in either vector-magnitude and/or angle-to- rule. We find that a large fraction of cells in both regions follow the behavior during learning. Neurons in the dACC mainly rotate towards the policy, suggesting an increase in selectivity that approximates the rule; whereas in the Putamen we also find a prominent magnitude increase, suggesting strengthening of confidence. Additionally, magnitude increases in the striatum followed rotation in the dACC. Finally, the neural representation at the end of the session predicted next-day behavior. The use of this novel framework enables tracking of neural dynamics during learning and suggests differential yet complementing roles for these brain regions.
Non-homologous end joining minimizes errors by coordinating DNA processing with ligation
Authors: Stinson Benjamin M. , Moreno Andrew T. , Walter Johannes C. , Loparo Joseph J.
Published: March 2019

Genome stability requires efficient and faithful repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The predominant DSB repair pathway in human cells is non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), which directly ligates DNA ends1–5. Broken DNA ends at DSBs are chemically diverse, and many are not compatible for direct ligation by the NHEJ-associated DNA Ligase IV (Lig4). To solve this problem, NHEJ end-processing enzymes including polymerases and nucleases modify ends until they are ligatable. How cells regulate end processing to minimize unnecessary genomic alterations6during repair of pathological DSBs remains unknown. Using a biochemical system that recapitulates key features of cellular NHEJ, we previously demonstrated that DNA ends are initially tethered at a distance, followed by Lig4-mediated formation of a “short-range synaptic complex” in which DNA ends are closely aligned for ligation7. Here, we show that a wide variety of end-processing activities all depend on formation of the short-range complex. Moreover, using real-time single molecule imaging, we find that end processing occurs within the short-range complex. Confining end processing to the Lig4-dependent short-range synaptic complex promotes immediate ligation of compatible ends and ensures that incompatible ends are ligated as soon as they become compatible, thereby minimizing end processing. Our results elucidate how NHEJ exploits end processing to achieve versatility while minimizing errors that cause genome instability.
GCIB-SEM: A path to 10 nm isotropic imaging of cubic millimeter volumes
Authors: Hayworth K.J. , Peale D. , Januszewski M. , Knott G.W. , Lu Z. , Xu C.S. , Hess H.F.
Published: March 2019

Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) generates 3D datasets optimally suited for segmentation of cell ultrastructure and automated connectome tracing but is limited to small fields of view and is therefore incompatible with the new generation of ultrafast multibeam SEMs. In contrast, section-based techniques are multibeam-compatible but are limited in z-resolution making automatic segmentation of cellular ultrastructure difficult. Here we demonstrate a novel 3D electron microscopy technique, Gas Cluster Ion Beam SEM (GCIB-SEM), in which top-down, wide-area ion milling is performed on a series of thick sections, acquiring < 10 nm isotropic datasets of each which are then stitched together to span the full sectioned volume. Based on our results, incorporating GCIB-SEM into existing single beam and multibeam SEM workflows should be straightforward and should dramatically increase reliability while simultaneously improving z-resolution by a factor of 3 or more.
Development of a Comprehensive Antibody Staining Database using a Standardized Analytics Pipeline
Authors: Amir El-ad David , Lee Brian , Badoual Paul , Gordon Martin , Guo Xinzheng V. , Merad Miriam , Rahman Adeeb H.
Published: March 2019

Large-scale immune monitoring experiments (such as clinical trials) are a promising direction for biomarker discovery and responder stratification in immunotherapy. Mass cytometry is one of the tools in the immune monitoring arsenal. We propose a standardized workflow for the acquisition and analysis of large-scale mass cytometry experiments. The workflow includes two-tiered barcoding, a broad lyophilized panel, and the incorporation of a fully automated, cloud-based analysis platform. We applied the workflow to a large antibody staining screen using the LEGENDScreen kit, resulting in single-cell data for 350 antibodies over 71 profiling subsets. The screen recapitulates many known trends in the immune system and reveals potential markers for delineating MAIT cells. Additionally, we examine the effect of fixation on staining intensity and identify several markers where fixation leads to either gain or loss of signal. The standardized workflow can be seamlessly integrated into existing trials. Finally, the antibody staining data set is available as an online resource for researchers who are designing mass cytometry experiments in suspension and tissue.
High-throughput targeted gene deletion in the model mushroom Schizophyllum commune using pre-assembled Cas9 ribonucleoproteins
Authors: Vonk Peter Jan , Escobar Natalia , Wösten Han A. B. , Lugones Luis G. , Ohm Robin A.
Published: March 2019

Efficient gene deletion methods are essential for the high-throughput study of gene function. Compared to most ascomycete model systems, gene deletion is more laborious in mushroom-forming basidiomycetes due to the relatively low incidence of homologous recombination (HR) and relatively high incidence of non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Here, we describe the use of pre-assembled Cas9-sgRNA ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) to efficiently delete the homeodomain transcription factor gene hom2 in the mushroom-forming basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune by replacing it with a selectable marker. All components (Cas9 protein, sgRNA, and repair template with selectable marker) were supplied to wild type protoplasts by PEG-mediated transformation, abolishing the need to optimize the expression of cas9 and sgRNAs. A Δku80 background further increased the efficiency of gene deletion. A repair template with homology arms of 250 bp was sufficient to induce homologous recombination, whereas 100 bp was not. This is the first report of the use of pre-assembled Cas9 RNPs in a mushroom-forming basidiomycete and this approach may also improve the genetic accessibility of non-model species.
Evaluating the within-host dynamics of Ranavirus infection with mechanistic disease models and experimental data
Authors: Mihaljevic Joseph R. , Greer Amy L. , Brunner Jesse L.
Published: March 2019

Mechanistic models are critical for our understanding of both within-host dynamics (i.e., pathogen population growth and immune system processes) and among-host dynamics (i.e., transmission). Rarely, however, have within-host models been synthesized with data to infer processes, validate hypotheses, or generate new theories. In this study we use mechanistic models and empirical, time-series data of viral titer to better understand the growth of ranaviruses within their amphibian hosts and the immune dynamics that limit viral replication. Specifically, we fit a suite of potential models to our data, where each model represents a hypothesis about the interactions between viral growth and immune defense. Through formal model comparison, we find a parsimonious model that captures key features of our time-series data: the viral titer rises and falls through time, likely due to an immune system response, and that the initial viral dosage affects both the peak viral titer and the timing of the peak. Importantly, our model makes several predictions, including the existence of long-term viral infections, that can be validated in future studies.
Toward a Catalog of Human Genes and Proteins: Sequencing and Analysis of 500 Novel Complete Protein Coding Human cDNAs
Authors: Wiemann Stefan , Weil Bernd , Wellenreuther Ruth , Gassenhuber Johannes , Glassl Sabine , Ansorge Wilhelm , Böcher Michael , Blöcker Helmut , Bauersachs Stefan , Blum Helmut , Lauber Jürgen , Düsterhöft Andreas , Beyer Andreas , Köhrer Karl , Strack Normann , Mewes Hans-Werner , Ottenwälder Birgit , Obermaier Brigitte , Tampe Jens , Heubner Dagmar , Wambutt Rolf , Korn Bernhard , Klein Michaela , Poustka Annemarie
Published: March 2019

With the complete human genomic sequence being unraveled, the focus will shift to gene identification and to the functional analysis of gene products. The generation of a set of cDNAs, both sequences and physical clones, which contains the complete and noninterrupted protein coding regions of all human genes will provide the indispensable tools for the systematic and comprehensive analysis of protein function to eventually understand the molecular basis of man. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of 500 novel human cDNAs containing the complete protein coding frame. Assignment to functional categories was possible for 52% (259) of the encoded proteins, the remaining fraction having no similarities with known proteins. By aligning the cDNA sequences with the sequences of the finished chromosomes 21 and 22 we identified a number of genes that either had been completely missed in the analysis of the genomic sequences or had been wrongly predicted. Three of these genes appear to be present in several copies. We conclude that full-length cDNA sequencing continues to be crucial also for the accurate identification of genes. The set of 500 novel cDNAs, and another 1000 full-coding cDNAs of known transcripts we have identified, adds up to cDNA representations covering 2%–5 % of all human genes. We thus substantially contribute to the generation of a gene catalog, consisting of both full-coding cDNA sequences and clones, which should be made freely available and will become an invaluable tool for detailed functional studies.

[The sequence data described in this paper have been submitted to the EMBL database under the accession nos. given in Table 2.]
Long and Accurate Polymerase Chain Reaction (LA PCR)
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: March 2019

The standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is easily capable of amplifying segments of DNA smaller than ∼3 kb in length—sufficient for most purposes, but not enough to amplify an entire mammalian gene, nor even a cDNA of average dimensions. Instead of full-length products, standard PCR amplification of longer templates generates variously sized truncated molecules that appear as unattractive smears on a gel. Long and accurate PCR (LA PCR) addresses the issue in part by using a mixture of two different thermostable DNA polymerases to catalyze the amplification reaction. The first polymerase is an efficient but error-prone workhorse (e.g., Taq), whereas the second, used in much smaller amounts, provides a proofreading 3′ → 5′ exonuclease function that resects mismatched 3′ ends. These improvements generate high yields and accurate copies of long targets.
Measurement of Radioactivity in Nucleic Acids
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: March 2019

Radioactive isotopes are used as tracers to monitor the progress of many reactions used to synthesize DNA and RNA. To calculate the efficiency of such reactions, it is necessary to measure accurately the proportion of the radioactive precursor incorporated into the desired product. An effective method to achieve this goal is differential precipitation of the nucleic acid products with trichloroacetic acid (TCA).
Do dimensions of transformational leadership have an effect on workaholism?
Authors: Morkevičiūtė Modesta , Endriulaitienė Auksė , Jočienė Evelina
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between dimensions of the perceived transformational leadership style and the employees’ workaholism.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach with a cross-sectional research design was adopted in the present study. The study involved 250 employees working in different Lithuanian organisations. The perceived transformational leadership style was assessed with the help of the Transformational Leadership Inventory (Podsakoffet al., 1990). The ten-item Dutch Work Addiction Scale developed by Schaufeliet al.(2009) was used for measuring workaholism.

Findings

The results revealed a significant positive correlation between the perceived high expectations of the manager, employees’ excessive work and general workaholism. The perceived individualised support was negatively related to the employees’ excessive, compulsive work and general workaholism. It was also found that high performance expectations could predict the employees’ greater excessive work and general workaholism. Moreover, a higher level of individualised support appears to be the most important factor decreasing the employees’ excessive work and proneness to general workaholism. It was further found that the probability of higher levels of workaholism was stronger among the middle managers than among the non-executive employees.

Originality/value

This study contributes to limited empirical research into the negative effect of the transformational leadership style in determining the employees’ health-damaging work behaviour.
The antecedents of innovation performance: the moderating role of top management team diversity
Authors: Li Peng-Yu , Huang Kuo-Feng
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate why firms engaged in R&D investment and international diversification produce different results in innovation performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a sample of 283 Taiwanese manufacturing firms in the information technology industry.

Findings

The findings showed that in the top management teams (TMTs) with greater tenure diversity there was a stronger relationship between R&D investment and innovation performance. In addition, the TMTs with greater educational diversity enhanced the relationship between international diversification and innovation performance.

Originality/value

This study stresses the vital role of TMT diversity in resource allocation and information processing during the process of innovation. The authors examined the critical role of TMT educational diversity in bringing a wider range of network resources and the role of TMT tenure diversity in the allocation of firm-specific resources. The TMT diversity causes firms to experience different innovation results during the innovation process.
Post-disaster redevelopment and the “knowledge city”: limitations of an urban imaginary in L’Aquila
Authors: Koukoufikis Giorgos
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the “knowledge city” spatial socio-economic imaginary used in the post-earthquake city of L’Aquila, Italy, to promote its socio-economic redevelopment.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper counters primary and secondary data with the expected qualities of a knowledge city. The analysis is supported by the literature review on knowledge-cities and post-disaster redevelopment, local and national documentation review, on-site observations and an inquiry of the case of the Gran Sasso Science Institute, the leading project towards the implementation of the knowledge-city agenda through interviews with key actors and a survey among its researchers.

Findings

Post-disaster realities and path-dependency leave little room for a positive path-shaping redevelopment trajectory related to a knowledge-city urban archetype. This vision promotes materialism and intellectualism from local, national and international stakeholders; however, the city lacks specific urban qualities to attract and maintain highly skilled labour and investments, while negative socio-economic trends still continue a decade after the earthquake.

Research limitations/implications

The city’s post-disaster recovery and redevelopment contain certain degrees of inertia. The early stage of it, the lack of certain secondary data, and the focus of the paper on specific indicators limit the opportunity for stronger reasoning.

Originality/value

The analysis reveals that the redevelopment vision of the knowledge city was hastily adopted. The mismatch between reality and expectations highlights the need for post-disaster territories to avoid overestimation of their capabilities and adjusts their redevelopment strategies to local characteristics adopting modest future projections.
From Botswana to Namibia: getting the Trans-Kalahari railway on track
Authors: Simon-Agolory Katrina Michelle
Published: March 2019

Learning outcomes

By the end of the case and class discussion, students will be able to estimate project costs and benefits, both tangible and intangible, analyse enterprise environmental factors that may impact a project, identify the complexities of managing a multinational project and evaluate a project status and determine if continuation or cessation is the best option.

Case overview/synopsis

This case narrates the story to connect landlocked Botswana’s rich coalfields with the Namibian coast. In 2005, the Governments of Botswana and Namibia started discussions to bring forth a 1,500-km railway that traverses the two countries to the Port of Walvis Bay. In total, 10 years and many lengthy negotiations later, the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) Project Management Office finally opened in Windhoek in April 2015. The project is expected to cost US$14.2bn and will be developed via a public-private partnership approach based on a DBOOT contractual arrangement, whereby a developer undertakes the financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the project. This case illustrates the complexities of managing a multinational project. After much slower than expected progress, the viability of the project is questioned.

Complexity academic level

This case is intended for post-graduate business students and MBA students who are studying in a management curriculum. It is primarily written for students in a project management course but may also be used for other courses, such as a negotiation class. The case can be used with undergraduate students by modifying the case questions.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 7: Management science.
Digital creativity: learning by story driven digital production
Authors: Spante Maria
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The goal to stimulate perspective taking and inference making on social phenomena, such as gender roles in society, has proven to be difficult to achieve in general and in particular for primary school students. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to develop creative models and concepts for learning that provide guidance addressing these challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study methodology, including classroom observations, teacher interviews and analysis of videos created by students, was applied within a large-scale action research project related to cross-border collaboration for educational purposes supported by information and communication technologies among Danish, Norwegian and Swedish schools.

Findings

This study reports on how teachers organized group work for their sixth grades students to reimagine and videoing fairy tales endings of Cinderella in order to explore and learn about gender roles in society in a cross-border setting. The personal, emotional and social negotiations of working with peers and giving feedback to students in other schools from other countries enhanced their learning. Results suggest that adding the framework of boundary object-driven design helps to improve the process by its focus on a shared understanding, common practice and sense-making.

Originality/value

The study incorporates the framework on boundary objects as a “mental design device” into a story-driven digital production project, suggesting that creativity in combination with a specific yet open task for student group work enhances learning in social science.
Vietnamese industrial development: following Washington on the road to Beijing
Authors: Di Tommaso Marco Rodolfo , Angelino Antonio
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the main features of the Vietnamese economic transition and industrial development pattern analyzing the evolution of the industrial policy formulation in the light of the changes in the country’s productive specialization and competitive position in the international division of labor. The authors also aim at stressing the role exerted by different external paradigm of influence on the Vietnamese policy making and the function of selectivity as an instrument to upgrade the competitiveness of the Vietnamese production system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a descriptive analysis of the Vietnamese recent economic trends and structural transformation dynamics. It realizes a literature review concerning the academic debate on the role and the effects of industrial policy in Vietnam identifying a categorization between different theoretical perspectives. In addition, it implements an in-depth analysis of the main industrial planning strategies promoted by the government investigating the evolution of the lines of the country’s economic policy agenda. On the basis of the previous analyses, the paper draws out some conclusions about the application of selective criteria in Vietnamese industrial policy interventions.

Findings

An in-depth examination of the planning prescriptions suggests that the Vietnamese government has undertaken a pronounced paradigm change in the course of last 15 years. The Vietnamese planning approach displays a shift toward a systematic and extended vision concerning the role of industrial policy, which result to be in clear discontinuity with respect to the market-friendly approach supported by Washington institutions. Nevertheless, this configuration outlines several limits characterizing the Vietnamese planning activity, connected to the lack of transparency and efficiency of the governance mechanisms that risk to undermine the effectiveness of the upgrading policies.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on Vietnam, an emerging economy in transition whose development trajectory has been characterized by peculiar economic and policy dynamics. The hybrid character of the government policy-making approach makes it difficult to identify univocal interpretations concerning the country’s industrial development dynamics and the resulting policy implications. In this perspective, the analysis has shed light on the mechanisms conditioning the formulation of industrial policy in Vietnam, focusing on the external influences exerted on its definition and on the domestic interactions associated to its implementation.
Do high-performance HR practices augment OCBs? The role of psychological climate and work engagement
Authors: Kataria Aakanksha , Garg Pooja , Rastogi Renu
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between high-performance HR practices (HPHRPs), psychological climate (PC), work engagement (WE) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) among IT professionals. This study further intends to provide a framework to understand and predict factors affecting organizational citizenship performance in the Indian IT sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a sample of 464 IT employees working in 29 information-intensive global organizations, and the statistical method employed is structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of the present study demonstrated the significance of employees’ perceptions of PC through which HPHRPs can boost employees’ WE, which, in turn, has come out to be the principal mechanism through which HPHRPs and PC have impact on OCBs.

Research limitations/implications

The results have established a platform where HR managers can be motivated to open up new avenues to employees where they can be psychologically involved in work roles and feel highly motivated to bring their good spirits at the workplace in order to benefit the organization at large.

Originality/value

This research explores the changing dynamics of Indian business scenario in the IT context. IT professionals may perceive and react differently to the HR system in the organization and have higher expectations of congenial working conditions that enhance their capability to employ personal skills and resources in the realization of organizational goals. Thus, the study tries to tap their experiences and perceptions and map their performances in the organization.
Exploring hate crime amongst a cohort of Scottish prisoners: an exploratory study
Authors: Penrice Kirsty , Birch Philip , McAlpine Stephan
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the motives a person adopts in order to engage in hate-related behaviours within a prison setting. A subsidiary aim of the study was to compare this cohort of prisoners with prisoners who have been convicted for aggravated racism in the community.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to gather data, an exploratory research design was adopted, utilising the method of semi-structured interviews. In total, a number of nine interviews were conducted. Qualitative analysis was then employed allowing for an examination of meaning in relation to the motives behind the commission of hate crimes to occur.

Findings

The findings revealed the presence of racist beliefs and attitudes in both groups involved in the study. Further similarities between the two groups included the perception of inequality and beliefs about racism. The differences between the two groups included poor emotional regulation and an inability to manage beliefs and subsequent behaviours about people from different ethnic groups, with those in custody seeming to be more reactive.

Practical implications

The findings provide a preliminary insight into enhancing inmate safety. The environmental implications begin to reveal the complexity of hate-related behaviours in custody. There are differences between the context of hate crime committed in a prison environment compared to that committed in the community that require different solutions for addressing such behaviour. Further implications are considered in the final section of the paper.

Originality/value

A large body of research has been conducted on prison violence, seldom does this research examine this issue within the context of hate crime. This preliminary study offers an insight into prison-based hate crime.
Investigating “circular business models” in the manufacturing and service sectors
Authors: Upadhyay Arvind , Akter Shaheda , Adams Lindsay , Kumar Vikas , Varma Nikhil
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the different circular business models (CBMs) in the manufacturing and service sector and apply this in the context of the food industry (FI), through a systematic literature review of related published journals and articles. The research study is designed to illustrate the impact of CBMs in the manufacturing and service sectors through a combination of real-life examples and direct references to existing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The underlying research study follows a systematic literature review approach where the relevant CBMs are explored in the context of the manufacturing and service sector (FI.) The journals most cited in the context of CBMs and their implication in the manufacturing and service sector were chosen for this study. There was no fixed timeframe applied to complete the research. A total of 54 articles were selected which referenced: discussion in the context of the concept of CBMs; different types of CBM; definition of the manufacturing sector; definition of the service sector (FI); application of different CBMs in these two sectors; and included a comparison of the application of CBMs. In total, 40 of the 54 articles were shortlisted for best relevance and used in the research study.

Findings

The underlying research study was limited to 40 articles and the data contained within them. The article search was limited to the keywords of the CBM; the implication of CBM; the CBM in manufacturing (textiles); circular business in service (FI); and comparison and application of the CBM.

Practical implications

The final analysis demonstrates that circular business promotes sustainability by allowing companies to generate maximum return from given resources and reach zero waste targets. Greater customer satisfaction is also achieved through service innovation that cuts down negative impact on the environment. These findings are relevant and applicable to the FI.

Originality/value

A review of existing literature showed that whilst there is significant research on the implications of the CBM in general, there has been little focus on the use of different CBMs specifically in the manufacturing and service industry (FI). This research study is designed to tease out the specific benefits of CBMs in this context, highlighting the contribution they can make to efficiency in both the manufacturing and service sectors (FI) through useful comparison.
Social media’s effectiveness for activating social declarations and motivating personal discussions to improve organ donation consent rates
Authors: Dahl Andrew J. , Barber Kenyatta , Peltier James
Published: March 2019

Purpose

While the support for organ donation and registered donors continue to increase, next of kin consent remains a critical issue for the organ donation community. Despite the increased usage of social media campaigns for organ donor registration, there is a lack of understanding of how social media can be used to motivate individuals to socially declare their support for organ donation and encourage them to engage in personal discussions about organ donation with their next of kin. The purpose of this study is to better understand the link between social and personal discussions and organ donation consent rates.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses structural equation modeling to examine the precursors to activating organ donor registration social media advocacy that leads to increased support for organ donation and motivates personal discussions about organ donation.

Findings

The results provide the organ donation and transplant community insight on the value of using social media to increase social advocacy, support for donation and social declarations and personal discussions on organ donation to improve next of kin’s consent rates.

Practical implications

Social causes similar to organ donation increasingly turn to social media for grassroots marketing efforts to engage others in the cause and motivate action.

Originality/value

The authors proposed an omni-channel IMC Framework and a research agenda for advancing the field. As this is a new area of inquiry, the authors argue for the development of other comprehensive frameworks, both for general omni-channel IMC conceptualizations.
Effect of optimal routing on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption of waste collection trucks
Authors: Sulemana Alhassan , Donkor Emmanuel Amponsah , Forkuo Eric Kwabena , Oduro-Kwarteng Sampson
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to determine the effect of route optimization on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption of municipal solid waste (MSW) collection trucks.

Design/methodology/approach

The study modeled the existing waste collection routes in three local authorities in Ghana and proposed optimal routes using Esri’s ArcGIS Network Analyst Extension. The system generated optimal distances and times were validated by subjecting collection trucks to the optimal routes. Paired sample t-test was used to analyze the differences in means of the existing and optimal outcomes. The collected data were subjected to correlation and uncertainty analyses.

Findings

Results from the study indicated that weekly travel distance reduced by 81.27 km, translating into saving of 4.79 percent when trucks used the optimal routes. Travel time and fuel consumption reduced by 853.59 min and 145.86 L, making savings of 14.21 and 10.81 percent, respectively. Significant differences occurred between the means of the existing and optimal routes for travel time and fuel consumption, for each of the three local authorities.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted in Ghana using data collected from three local authorities.

Practical implications

Significant reduction of MSW collection cost can be achieved by waste management practitioners through route optimization.

Originality/value

The effect of route optimization on travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption has been established. Statistical analyses of the existing and optimal outcomes of the three local authorities have been provided. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that optimal routes reduce operating cost through savings in travel distance, travel time and fuel consumption.
Walking to a public transport station
Authors: Sarker Rumana Islam , Mailer Markus , Sikder Sujit Kumar
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the actual walking distance to public transport (PuT) stations and to report passenger perceptions on route choice.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic case study has been conducted after administrating a tailor-made paper-based intercept survey in a German city (Munich). It can determine the interrelation between the accessibility of the transit service and evaluation on walking distance acceptance. Statistical analysis and geo-spatial approach were completed for obtaining major findings.

Findings

Statistical and geo-spatial analysis shows that respondents living in low-density areas walk longer than residents living in nearby inner city areas. In terms of PuT modes, residents walk longer for suburban train and subway/metro (U-Bahn) than for bus/tram services. Transit users accept a longer walking distance to reach a train station than other PuT modes and they choose the most direct and quickest route to reach PuT stations.

Research limitations/implications

Findings of this study would help to formulate future strategies and standards for the sustainable planning of public transportation systems in the context of Munich and many other cities around the globe with similar conditions. However, future research should be conducted using a large-scale survey for evaluating the comprehensive picture of walking patterns to PuT stations. Accessibility to PuT stations can also be modeled and evaluated by adopting open data and voluntary social media information. Unfortunately, this study only presents a partial evaluation of walking focused on accessibility at selected PuT stations in different settings of the urban fabric.

Social implications

This empirical study can be considered as an initial finding in the favor of the city transport authority to provide a design scale for improved accessibility of transit users; however, further investigation should be conducted using a large-scale survey for evaluating the comprehensive walking patterns.

Originality/value

A systematic case study has been conducted after administrating a tailor-made paper-based intercept survey in a German city (Munich). Findings of this study would help to formulate future strategies and standard for the sustainable planning of the public transportation system in the context of Munich and many other cities in the globe with similar conditions.
Foraging mode, relative prey size and diet breadth: A phylogenetically explicit analysis of snake feeding ecology
Authors: Glaudas Xavier , Glennon Kelsey L. , Martins Marcio , Luiselli Luca , Fearn Simon , Trembath Dane F. , Jelić Dušan , Alexander Graham J.
Published: March 2019

Foraging modes (ambush vs. active foraging) are often correlated with a suite of morphological, physiological, behavioural and ecological traits known as the "adaptive syndrome" or "syndrome hypothesis." In snakes, an ecological correlate often reported in the literature is that ambush‐hunting snakes have a higher relative meal size compared to actively foraging snakes which feed on smaller prey items. This “large meal versus small meal” feeding hypothesis between ambush and active foragers has become a widely accepted paradigm of snake feeding ecology, despite the fact that no rigorous meta‐analysis has been conducted to support this generalization.

We conducted a phylogenetically explicit meta‐analysis, which included ca. 100 species, to test this paradigm of snake feeding ecology.

We gathered data on prey size by inducing regurgitation by palpation in free‐ranging snakes and by examining the stomach contents of preserved museum specimens. When we found prey, we recorded both snake and prey mass to estimate relative prey mass (prey mass/snake mass). We also reviewed published studies of snake feeding ecology to gather similar information for other species.

Ambush and active foragers did not differ in minimum or average meal size but the maximum meal sizes consumed by ambush‐foraging snakes were larger than the maximum meal sizes eaten by active foragers. This results in ambush‐foraging snakes consuming a significantly wider range of meal sizes, rather than being large meal specialists compared to active foragers. We argue that ambush foragers evolved to be more opportunistic predators because they encounter prey less frequently compared to active foragers. This hypothesis is further supported by the fact that ambush foragers also exhibited marginally wider diet breadths, consuming a broader range of prey types in comparison with active foragers.

Our study challenges aspects of the foraging syndrome as it is currently conceived, and our results have important implications for our understanding of how foraging mode has shaped the behaviour and physiology of ambush‐foraging snakes.
Designing markets for biodiversity offsets: Lessons from tradable pollution permits
Authors: Needham Katherine , de Vries Frans P. , Armsworth Paul R. , Hanley Nick
Published: March 2019

Globally, governments and regulators face an ongoing trade‐off between meeting economic development needs and conserving biodiversity. Markets for biodiversity offsets are one tool which could secure biodiversity protection at lower costs to society whilst allowing some economic development to still take place.

We provide a new perspective on biodiversity offset markets by focussing on what can be learnt from one of the best‐researched environmental markets: the market for tradable pollution permits. We argue there are four key design parameters in terms of how and what to trade. These design parameters likely determine the ecological effectiveness and economic efficiency of any market in biodiversity offsets.

Policy Implications. Applying lessons from tradable pollution permit markets will be important if the benefits of biodiversity offset markets are to be realized more fully in future. A well‐functioning market for biodiversity offsets dually minimizes the economic costs of preventing future losses in biodiversity due to development and provides an economic incentive for landowners to invest in biodiversity conservation. The most crucial aspect of the market is what to trade (the currency in the offset market), and this has significant implications on the other key aspects of market design; the trading ratio which governs the rate of exchange between offsets at different points in space and time; the scale of the market; and how the market is regulated. We argue that markets function best where the conservation priority is a well‐defined unit of biodiversity which can be readily measured and monitored. In situations where there are already strong regulations safeguarding biodiversity, the benefit of biodiversity offset markets is in reducing the aggregate costs of conservation. We believe biodiversity offset markets will offer the highest potential in developing countries with weaker environmental protection and a greater need to reconcile economic development needs with conservation under limited funding.
Urban Waterscapes: The Hydro‐Politics of Flooding in a Sinking City
Authors: Goh Kian
Published: March 2019

The threat of flooding in cities is often compounded by political and economic decisions made on watershed management, land development and water infrastructure and provisioning. It has also become a point of conflict between cities’ objectives for development and modernization, and the struggles of marginalized residents living in low‐lying coastal and riverine areas to remain in place. Flooding takes on different forms depending on one's point of view. It is a biophysical issue, involving geology, geography, meteorology and ecology. It is one of urban governance, involving planning and maintenance of infrastructure and land use. And it is sociopolitical, involving historical social and spatial marginalization and contestation. This article, based on mixed‐methods research in Jakarta, Indonesia, traces the conceptual and physical contours of urban waterscapes across these conflicting ideas and narratives. It brings into dialogue theories of urban political ecology, landscape ecology and environmental ethnography to explore the interrelationships between biophysical and sociopolitical factors behind urban flooding. In the article the focus is on the varying materialities and scales involved, including the ecological scales of the watershed, the infrastructural scales associated with flood protection, and the urban scales of planning, governance and social activism. The article concludes with a proposition for a multidimensional approach to thinking and acting on problems of urban ecological change.
Entrepreneurship Dynamics in Australia: Lessons from Micro‐data
Authors: Bakhtiari Sasan
Published: March 2019

Using a large firm‐level dataset covering the years 2002–2015, I explore the dynamics of entrepreneurship in Australia and their evolution over time. Put briefly, the Australian entrepreneurial landscape has become less dynamic and more hazardous over the observed period. With time passing, relatively fewer entrepreneurs are entering the market, and those that enter are more likely to exit than their counterparts that entered in earlier years. In particular, there is a seemingly permanent increase in exit probability followed by a spike after the global financial crisis. Despite fewer firms entering, the share of young firms from job creation has been steadily high. I finish by offering a few thoughts to help understand these changes.
Intensity of SLX predicts distance of tumor spread through alveolar spaces in stage I lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Hara Kantaro , Mizuguchi Shinjiro , Okada Satoshi , Izumi Nobuhiro , Tsukioka Takuma , Komatsu Hiroaki , Ohsawa Masahiko , Inaba Mayumi , Shibata Toshihiko , Nishiyama Noritoshi
Published: March 2019

Background

Tumor spread through alveolar spaces (STAS) is a recently described invasive pattern associated with the prognosis and recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma. This study was performed to determine whether the presence and distance of STAS can be predicted by the immunohistochemical intensity of SLX, a well‐known cell adhesion protein.

Methods

In total, 245 patients with pathological stage I lung adenocarcinoma who underwent lobectomy with radical mediastinal lymph node dissection were identified from 1998 to 2012. Recurrence‐free survival (RFS) was compared between patients stratified by STAS and the immunohistochemical intensity of SLX in the main tumor. Patients were divided into three groups based on the intensity of SLX staining: high (n = 108), moderate (n = 48), and low (n = 89).

Results

STAS was observed in 71 patients (29.0%). Patients with STAS had significantly poorer five‐year RFS (67.1%) than those without STAS (84.8%). Although no relationship was observed between the existence of STAS and SLX intensity, the distance between STAS cells and the main tumor was significantly shorter in the moderate group (median 0.9 mm, range: 0.2–1.2 mm) than in the other two groups (median 1.2 mm, range: 0.4–5.0 mm). The five‐year RFS rates in the high, moderate, and low groups were 80.0%, 96.0%, and 75.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that pathological stage, lymphatic/vascular invasion, and SLX intensity were independent predictors of recurrence.

Conclusion

SLX staining cannot predict the presence of STAS; however, it can predict the distance between STAS and the main tumor in stage I lung adenocarcinoma.