bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting undergraduates’ selection of online library resources in academic tasks
Authors: Joo Soohyung , Choi Namjoo
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore multiple factors affecting online library resource selection by undergraduate students. Three dimensions of factors are investigated including usefulness and ease-of-use, resource quality, and individual differences.

Design/methodology/approach

– An instrument was developed to measure various aspect factors and online library resource use intention. A survey was administered to 332 undergraduate students. Quantitative analysis, including structural equation modeling, ANOVA, and t-tests, was used to statistically examine the effects of the identified 11 factors on the use intention of online library resources.

Findings

– The findings indicated that both usefulness and ease-of-use positively influenced the undergraduates’ use intention of online library resources. Also, five resource quality constructs – accessibility, credibility, coverage, currency, and format – were the determinants of online library resources use intention. Interestingly, the effect of accessibility was the strongest, while that of credibility was the weakest. In addition, this study found that familiarity with sources and use of good search skills had a significant effect on users’ use intention at the individual user level.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the few studies investigating multiple factors comprehensively that influence online library resource selection.
Smart talking robot Xiaotu: participatory library service based on artificial intelligence
Authors: Yao Fei , Zhang Chengyu , Chen Wu
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to introduce a participatory library service based on artificial intelligence (AI).

Design/methodology/approach

– AI technologies and various technologies for facilitating the use of the currently existing libraries and the third-party resources are combined in the new mobile and social networking environments to provide an innovative real-time virtual reference service. Special aesthetic design and library marketing measures are adopted to expand the gains of the service. Questionnaire survey, in-depth interview, and statistical analysis are conducted to evaluate the effects of the service.

Findings

– A smart talking robot called Xiaotu (female) is developed. This robot is regarded as a promising new online reference service modus operandi. Four factors contribute to the success of the robot, namely, AI, self-learning, vivid logo and language, and modular architecture.

Practical implications

– Xiaotu presents a participatory library service, in which users participate in the resources collection and become content co-creators. Her presence at anytime and anywhere on any kind of terminal maximizes her potential for the delivery of virtual reference services. Xiaotu has the potential to be a general reference robot or a costumed institute robot.

Originality/value

– AI is adopted in libraries to form an innovative online reference service. The participatory library service is practiced through a high-featured interactive communication. The aesthetic design of Xiaotu and the related promotions are new in libraries as well.
An empirical study on the performance evaluation of scientific data sharing platforms in China
Authors: Si Li , Li Yueting , Zhuang Xiaozhe , Xing Wenming , Hua Xiaoqin , Li Xin , Xin Juanjuan
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to conduct performance evaluation of eight main scientific data sharing platforms in China and find existing problems, thus providing reference for maximizing the value of scientific data and enhancing scientific research efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, the authors built an evaluation indicator system for the performance of scientific data sharing platforms. Next, the analytic hierarchy process was employed to set indicator weights. Then, the authors use experts grading method to give scored for each indicator and calculated the scoring results of the scientific data sharing platform performance evaluation. Finally, an analysis of the results was conducted.

Findings

– The performance evaluation of eight platforms is arranged by descending order by the value of F: the Data Sharing Infrastructure of Earth System Science (76.962), the Basic Science Data Sharing Center (76.595), the National Scientific Data Sharing Platform for Population and Health (71.577), the China Earthquake Data Center (66.296), the China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System (65.159), the National Agricultural Scientific Data Sharing Center (55.068), the Chinese Forestry Science Data Center (56.894) and the National Scientific Data Sharing & Service Network on Material Environmental Corrosion (Aging) (52.528). And some existing shortcomings such as the relevant policies and regulation, standards of data description and organization, data availability and the services should be improved.

Originality/value

– This paper is mainly discussing about the performance evaluation system covering operation management, data resource, platform function, service efficiency and influence of eight scientific data sharing centers and made comparative analysis. It reflected the reality development of scientific data sharing in China.
Cloud storage for digital preservation: optimal uses of Amazon S3 and Glacier
Authors: Han Yan
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use cloud storage in digital preservation by analyzing the pricing and data retrieval models. The author recommends strategies to minimize the costs and believes cloud storage is worthy of serious consideration.

Design/methodology/approach

– Few articles have been published to show the uses of cloud storage in libraries. The cost is the main concern. An overview of cloud storage pricing shows a price drop once every one or one-and-a-half years. The author emphasize the data transfer-out costs and demonstrate a case study. Comparisons and analysis of S3 and Glacier have been conducted to show the differences in retrieval and costs.

Findings

– Cloud storage solutions like Glacier can be very attractive for long-term digital preservation if data can be operated within the provider’s same data zone and data transfer-out can be minimized.

Practical implications

– Institutions can benefit from cloud storage by understanding the cost models and data retrieval models. Multiple strategies are suggested to minimize the costs.

Originality/value

– The paper is intended to bridge the gap of uses of cloud storage. Cloud storage pricing especially data transfer-out pricing charts are presented to show the price drops over the past eight years. Costs and analysis of storing and retrieving data in Amazon S3 and Glacier are discussed in details. Comparisons of S3 and Glacier show that Glacier has uniqueness and advantages over other cloud storage solutions. Finally strategies are suggested to minimize the costs of using cloud storage. The analysis shows that cloud storage can be very useful in digital preservation.
Introduction of e-reserves at the De La Salle University – Manila libraries
Authors: Yap Joseph Marmol
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– In introducing e-reserves as an added service of the De La Salle University (DLSU) libraries, the purpose of this paper is to identify the best practices of handling e-reserves and its legal implications as one of the factors that might affect the introduction, development and implementation of such service.

Design/methodology/approach

– Four universities were considered based from the 2013 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) university rankings in Asia. Only one academic library was maintaining an e-reserve system. It was consulted to know more about their e-reserve practices.

Findings

– The paper recommends to prepare the relevant e-reserve guidelines before it fully operates. Moreover, the Libraries should also collaborate with the office handling learning management systems so as to decide on how to manage the e-reserves. A needs assessment survey for faculty members is also being prepared so as to solicit responses from the teaching faculty if e-reserves is possible for DLSU to be established.

Originality/value

– The paper attempts to document the existing e-reserve system in Philippine academic libraries.
Is disposition related to momentum in Chinese market?
Authors: Kong Liu Liu , Bai Min , Wang Peiming
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the framework of Prospect Theory and Mental Accounting proposed by Grinblatt and Han (2005) can be applied to analyzing the relationship between the disposition effect and momentum in the Chinese stock market.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper applies the methodology proposed by Grinblatt and Han (2005).

Findings

– Using firm-level data, with a sample period from January 1998 to June 2013, the authors find evidence that the momentum effect in the Chinese stock market is not driven by the disposition effect, contradicting the findings of Grinblatt and Han (2005) concerning the US stock market. The discrepancies in the findings between the Chinese and US stock markets are robust and independent of sample periods.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings suggest that Grinblatt and Han’s model may not be applicable to the Chinese stock market. This is possibly because of the regulatory differences between the two stock markets and cross-national variation in investor behavior; in particular, the short-selling prohibition in the Chinese stock market and greater reference point adaptation to unrealized gains/losses among Chinese compared to Americans.

Originality/value

– This study provides evidence of the inapplicability of Grinblatt and Han’s model for the Chinese stock market, and shows the differences in the relationship between disposition effect and momentum between the Chinese and US stock markets.
The selection of popular trading strategies
Authors: Chung Yi-Tsai , Liao Tung Liang , Chiang Yi-Chein
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The relative performance of five popular nonzero-investment strategies, including Size, book-to-market ratios, earnings-to-price (E/P) ratios, cash flow-to-price (CF/P) ratios and dividend-to-price ratios, and their corresponding zero-investment strategies (also known as premiums) are first examined altogether for equally weighted (EW) and value-weighted (VW) methods to check whether a certain strategy (or some strategies) could be recommended to portfolio managers as the best (better) strategy (strategies). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses the stochastic dominance (SD) approach, a non-parametric test, to investigate the relative performance among various strategies and help investors search for the best or better strategy (strategies).

Findings

– The main results show that both the highest E/P and CF/P strategies (and their corresponding premiums) generally produce higher returns than the other three strategies (and their corresponding premiums) through allocating investors’ capital between the risky and risk-free assets for the EW and VW methods, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

– This study only examines US stock markets by SD approach, whether the results are consistent with non-US markets still needs further investigation. The findings imply that investors can benefit by investing in the highest E/P or CF/P stocks (or their corresponding premiums) to make more profit or less loss for US stock markets.

Practical implications

– First, the SD findings suggest that investors or portfolio managers can allocate their funds between risky and risk-free assets to maximize their profits. Next, the simulation results again prove that the profits of each nonzero-investment or zero-investment strategy for EW portfolios are higher than those of each corresponding strategy for VW portfolios. Finally, the findings imply that portfolio managers or investors can invest in the highest E/P or CF/P stocks (or their corresponding premiums) to make more profit or less loss.

Originality/value

– This study first uses an extensive data set (1952-2009) to examine the relative performance of nonzero-investment strategies and their corresponding zero-investment strategies for the five popular indicators altogether for the EW and VW methods with the SD approach for US stock markets. Moreover, the results reveal that the investors or portfolio managers can invest in the highest E/P and/or CF/P portfolios (or their corresponding premiums) to make more profit or less loss.
Finance and growth: new evidence from meta-analysis
Authors: Asongu Simplice A.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap between the pros and cons of a questionable finance-growth nexus.

Design/methodology/approach

– Over 20 fundamental characteristics that have influenced the debate over the last decades have been examined. The empirical evidence is based on 196 outcomes from 20 studies. The author assesses the degree of heterogeneity and identify causes of the observed differentiation.

Findings

– The findings also show evidence of publication bias. Overall, a genuine effect exists between financial development and economic growth. A finance-growth nexus might not be appealing in our era because of: endogeneity-based estimations, publication bias, and effects of financial activity. A historical justification has also been discussed.

Practical implications

– Encouraging the publication of results with findings that are not consistent with the mainstream positive finance-growth nexus should provide new scholarly insights into the relationship. Depending on the specific context of sampled countries, the role of policy has also been to encourage financial development through measures that may expose countries to negative external shocks like financial crises. Policy makers that have been viewing the challenges of development exclusively from this point of view for the rewards of growth may not be getting the financial dynamics correctly.

Originality/value

– Very few meta-analysis studies have focused on the finance-growth nexus.
How important are early investment experiences on subsequent investment decisions? A laboratory experiment on asset allocation
Authors: Papadovasilaki Dimitra , Guerrero Federico , Sundali James , Stone Gregory
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of early investment experiences on subsequent portfolio allocation decisions in a laboratory setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– In an experiment in which the task consisted of allocating a portfolio between a risky and riskless asset for 20 periods, two groups of subjects were confronted with either a market boom or bust in the initial four periods.

Findings

– The findings suggest that after controlling for demographic characteristics, the timing of a boom or bust during the investment lifecycle matters greatly. Subjects that faced a bust early in their investment lifecycle held less of the risky asset in subsequent periods compared to subjects who experienced an early boom.

Originality/value

– To the best of the authors knowledge this is the first laboratory study investigating the role of early aggregate shocks on subsequent investment behavior.
Is the construction industry aware of supply chain management? The Portuguese contractors’ perspective
Authors: Arantes Amílcar , Ferreira Luís Miguel D. F. , Costa António Aguiar
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the understanding and behaviour of construction companies in relation to supply chain management (SCM) and how those relationships can impact the adoption of the SCM concept.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper adopted a descriptive study method based on a cross-section survey. A literature review and focus group interviews were used to design the survey questionnaire. The focus group interviews were also used to discuss the results of the survey and draw conclusions.

Findings

– The results show that the global awareness level of SCM and the relationships level among the entities in the Portuguese construction industry are low, which is in alignment with previous research work. These results also show that SCM in the construction industry is a complex task due to the fact that the relationships between the entities are different, and also often contractors and subcontractors change roles from project-to-project.

Research limitations/implications

– The limited number of valid responses in the research, particularly when considering categories based on the size of the contractors, can be considered a major limitation of this research, which might have reduced the quality of the statistic tests performed.

Practical implications

– Construction companies should foster a proper understanding of “the language” and core concepts underpinning SCM practices and should pay particular attention to a systemic and network perspective, avoiding the traditional focus on the management of dyadic relationships. Accordingly, care must be taken to avoid the “simple and direct” transfer of the SCM concept to the construction sector.

Originality/value

– This paper provides contributions to understanding the awareness of SCM within the construction industry and to the field of SCM, confirming that it is the specifics, and not the context, of the construction sector that are not well-adapted to the assumptions underpinning SCM and related concepts.
Exploring information sharing in the extended supply chain: an interdependence perspective
Authors: Kembro Joakim , Selviaridis Kostas
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to empirically explore demand-related information sharing in the extended supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through a single, embedded case design, a range of methods are used to collect data from companies representing three different supply chain tiers, including focal company, first-tier suppliers and first-tier customers. The collected data are analysed through the theoretical lens of interdependence.

Findings

– The findings indicate that the supply chain actors adapt information sharing to the pooled, serial or reciprocal type of interdependence. Information sharing is thus increased with key dyadic partners representing, for example, unique offerings and high market shares as percentage of total expenditure/sales. The study also unearths several barriers to information sharing beyond dyadic ties, including problems related to dis-aggregated, misinterpreted and/or incomplete information.

Research limitations/implications

– The study empirically contributes to the existing literature by exploring information sharing in the extended supply chain and by suggesting different approaches to information sharing depending on the type and intensity of interdependence between supply chain partners. Further, the paper contributes to the existing literature on barriers of information sharing in supply chains by identifying barriers specific to multi-tier information sharing. “Meta-information” (i.e. information about the shared information) is needed to overcome some of the barriers of sharing information in cases of weak, pooled interdependencies in the supply chain.

Practical implications

– Similar to previous empirical research, this exploratory study indicates that companies, in general, refrain from sharing information beyond dyadic ties. Supply chain managers would instead mostly focus on stronger, reciprocal interdependencies and emphasise dyadic information sharing. To further guide managers, a demand profiling framework considering market share and demand uncertainty is presented. It may be interesting to engage in multi-tier information sharing in particular cases where strong interdependence exists between three or more partners.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to existing research on information sharing in supply chains by empirically studying information sharing in an extended supply chain, applying interdependence theory as its analytical framework and unearthing several barriers that are specific to multi-tier information sharing.
Going above and beyond: how sustainability culture and entrepreneurial orientation drive social sustainability supply chain practice adoption
Authors: Marshall Donna , McCarthy Lucy , McGrath Paul , Claudy Marius
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine what drives the adoption of different social sustainability supply chain practices. Research has shown that certain factors drive the adoption of environmental sustainability practices but few focus on social supply chain practices, delineate which practices are adopted or what drives their adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors examine the facilitative role of sustainability culture to explain the adoption of social sustainability supply chain practices: basic practices, consisting of monitoring and management systems and advanced practices, which are new product and process development and strategic redefinition. The authors then explore the role played by a firm’s entrepreneurial orientation in shaping and reinforcing the adoption of social sustainability supply chain practices. A survey of 156 supply chain managers in multiple industries in Ireland was conducted to test the relationship between the variables.

Findings

– The findings show that sustainability culture is positively related to all the practices, and entrepreneurial orientation impacts and moderates social sustainability culture in advanced social sustainability supply chain adoption.

Research limitations/implications

– As with any survey, this is a single point in time with a single respondent. Implications for managers include finding the right culture in the organisation to implement social sustainability supply chain management practices that go beyond monitoring to behavioural changes in the supply chain with implications beyond the dyad of buyer and supplier to lower tier suppliers and the community surrounding the supply chain.

Practical implications

– The implications for managers include developing and fostering cultural attributes in the organisation to implement social sustainability supply chain management practices that go beyond monitoring suppliers to behavioural changes in the supply chain with implications beyond the dyad of buyer and supplier to lower tier suppliers and the community surrounding the supply chain.

Originality/value

– This is the first time, to the authors’ knowledge, that cultural and entrepreneurial variables have been tested for social sustainability supply chain practices, giving them new insights into how and why social sustainability supply chain practices are adopted.
Synergistic effects of fire and elephants on arboreal animals in an African savanna
Authors: Pringle Robert M. , Kimuyu Duncan M. , Sensenig Ryan L. , Palmer Todd M. , Riginos Corinna , Veblen Kari E. , Young Truman P.
Published: June 2015

Disturbance is a crucial determinant of animal abundance, distribution and community structure in many ecosystems, but the ways in which multiple disturbance types interact remain poorly understood. The effects of multiple‐disturbance interactions can be additive, subadditive or super‐additive (synergistic). Synergistic effects in particular can accelerate ecological change; thus, characterizing such synergies, the conditions under which they arise, and how long they persist has been identified as a major goal of ecology.

We factorially manipulated two principal sources of disturbance in African savannas, fire and elephants, and measured their independent and interactive effects on the numerically dominant vertebrate (the arboreal gekkonid lizard Lygodactylus keniensis) and invertebrate (a guild of symbiotic Acacia ants) animal species in a semi‐arid Kenyan savanna.

Elephant exclusion alone (minus fire) had negligible effects on gecko density. Fire alone (minus elephants) had negligible effects on gecko density after 4 months, but increased gecko density twofold after 16 months, likely because the decay of fire‐damaged woody biomass created refuges and nest sites for geckos. In the presence of elephants, fire increased gecko density nearly threefold within 4 months of the experimental burn; this occurred because fire increased the incidence of elephant damage to trees, which in turn improved microhabitat quality for geckos. However, this synergistic positive effect of fire and elephants attenuated over the ensuing year, such that only the main effect of fire was evident after 16 months.

Fire also altered the structure of symbiotic plant‐ant assemblages occupying the dominant tree species (Acacia drepanolobium); this influenced gecko habitat selection but did not explain the synergistic effect of fire and elephants. However, fire‐driven shifts in plant‐ant occupancy may have indirectly mediated this effect by increasing trees' susceptibility to elephant damage.

Our findings confirm the importance of fire × elephant interactions in structuring arboreal wildlife populations. Where habitat modification by megaherbivores facilitates co‐occurring species, fire may amplify these effects in the short term by increasing the frequency or intensity of herbivory, leading to synergy. In the longer term, tree mortality due to both top kill by fire and toppling by large herbivores may reduce overall microhabitat availability, eliminating the synergy.
Is it Just Me? Exploring Perceptions of Organizational Culture Change
Authors: Gover Laura , Halinski Michael , Duxbury Linda
Published: June 2015

A review of the literature on organizational culture change suggests that the field might benefit from studies combining both etic (researcher) and emic (employee) perspectives to examine individuals’ views regarding how and why their culture has changed. This paper seeks to deepen researchers’ knowledge of how individuals perceive organizational culture change by undertaking a two‐part study within an organization that has undergone planned cultural change initiatives. More specifically survey (i.e. etic view) data and interview (i.e. emic view) data are used to explore: (1) factors associated with (a) whether an individual will perceive that culture change has occurred, and (b) whether they categorize this change as for the better, for the worse or one that could not be categorized using these two labels; and (2) individuals’ rationales for why the culture has changed. The findings are mixed regarding the extent to which they support or refute existing research on organizational culture change.
Entrepreneurship among the Displaced and Dispossessed: Exploring the Limits of Emancipatory Entrepreneuring
Authors: Al‐Dajani Haya , Carter Sara , Shaw Eleanor , Marlow Susan
Published: June 2015

This paper explores the links between entrepreneurship, emancipation and gender within the international development arena. Through a longitudinal analysis of a micro‐enterprise development project in which intermediary organizations contract traditional handicrafts from female home‐based producers, we focus on the impact of contracting policies on the ability of the desperately poor to improve their disadvantaged position. Our critical analysis reveals how intermediaries who impose exclusive contracting conditions, supposedly to protect the women's interests, actually constrain the emancipatory potential of the women's entrepreneurial activities. However, such contractual limitations generate collaborative networks enabling the women to challenge these constraints in an effort to assert control over their activities. Accordingly, this paper contributes to contemporary debates concerning the emancipatory potential of entrepreneurship within the context of development. We advance this analysis through a gendered evaluation of the role of intermediary organizations on entrepreneurial emancipation and related empowerment.
Moving Slowly up the Ladder of Political Engagement: A ‘Spill-over’ Model of Internet Participation
Authors: Cantijoch Marta , Cutts David , Gibson Rachel
Published: June 2015

This article: Confirms that e-participation is multi-dimensional with prior modes of participation emerging online. Shows that these online activities have mobilising effects and that this relationship appears to work largely in a step-wise or ‘spill-over’ manner. Demonstrates that accessing online news and information acts as a ‘gateway’ or first step into participation. Argues that the more active modes of online participation do not appear to exert any mobilising effects on other types of post-election engagement. Shows that the dynamics of Internet participation are more complex than the ‘one size fits all’ approach that dominates the current literature.

In this study we test whether a range of online political activities undertaken during the campaign affect the propensity to engage in non-electoral types of online and offline political engagement subsequently. We develop three hypotheses accounting for this linkage based on a ‘spill-over’ logic about (1) the effort required for the action; (2) the type of activity undertaken (formal versus informal); and (3) the medium on which the action occurs (online or offline). We test our hypotheses with a pre/post-election panel dataset from the UK 2010 General Election. The results show that after controlling for prior political engagement, online information seeking during the campaign has a significant and positive effect on further engagement in ‘softer’ discussion modes of participation. The findings are seen to confirm that Internet-based political mobilisation works in a ‘step-wise’ manner whereby lower intensity activities spill-over to move individuals a little further up the participation ladder.
Why Do Voters Lose Trust in Governments? Public Perceptions of Government Honesty and Trustworthiness in Britain 2000–2013
Authors: Whiteley Paul , Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne
Published: June 2015

This article: Notes that public perceptions that governments are honest and trustworthy are surprisingly volatile over time, but they move together in a long-term equilibrium relationship with indicators of policy performance and perceptions of fairness of the decision-making process. Argues that if individuals feel that policy delivery, particularly in relation to the economy, is working well then they will trust the government of the day even if they oppose a particular decision. Maintains that if they feel that the process of governing is unfair then they are likely to view the government as being both dishonest and untrustworthy. Indicates that evaluations of political leaders are powerful heuristics for allowing voters to judge the honesty and trustworthiness of a government. Provides evidence that there is a long-term trend decline in perceptions of government honesty even after taking into account policy process and performance.

The aim of this article is to analyse trends in public perceptions of the honesty and trustworthiness of British governments over the period 2000 to 2013, years of great political and economic change in British society. These perceptions are surprisingly volatile over time, but they are stimulated by general elections and even more so by a change of government. Perceptions of government honesty can be understood to be the product of both policy delivery and public attitudes to the way democracy works in Britain. If individuals feel that economic policies and the delivery of public services are working well and also that democracy is effective, then they will trust the government of the day. In addition perceptions of government trustworthiness are strongly influenced by the public’s evaluations of the Prime Minister, since the voters use this as a heuristic to judge the honesty of a government.
Bile duct kinking after adult living donor liver transplantation: Case reports and literature review
Authors: Wan Ping , Xia Qiang , Zhang Jian Jun , Li Qi Gen , Xu Ning , Zhang Ming , Chen Xiao Song , Han Long Zhi
Published: June 2015

Regeneration of the partial allograft and the growth of children may cause kinking of the biliary tract after pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), but bile duct kinking after adult LDLT is rarely reported. We herein presented two patients who suffered from anastomotic strictures caused by severe bile duct kinking after LDLT. The first patient was a 57‐year‐old woman with hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related liver cirrhosis, who developed biliary stricture 5 months after receiving right‐lobe LDLT. Subsequently, endoscopic and percutaneous treatments were attempted, but both failed to solve the problem. The second was a 44‐year‐old woman also having HBV‐related liver cirrhosis. Biliary stricture occurred 14 months after LDLT. Likewise, the guide wire failed to pass through the stricture when endoscopic interventions were conducted. Afterwards, both of the two cases underwent reexploration, showing that compensatory hypertrophy of the allografts resulted in kinking and sharp angulation of the bile ducts, and the anastomotic sites were found to be severely stenotic. Finally, re‐anastomosis by Roux‐en‐Y procedure was successfully performed, and long‐term stenosis‐free survival was achieved in both of them. Our experience suggests that bile duct kinking after LDLT may play a role in the high incidence of anastomotic strictures in adult LDLT recipients, which may also result in the treatment failure of the non‐surgical techniques for anastomotic strictures. Re‐anastomosis in the form of Roux‐en‐Y hepaticojejunostomy is an effective surgical option for the treatment of such a condition.
Elite Female Authors in the Field of Power in Eighteenth‐Century Portugal: Epistolary Writing as Part of a Political Strategy
Authors: Bello Vázquez Raquel
Published: June 2015

This paper explores the role of Enlightenment women through an analysis of their social behaviour. The semi‐public and semi‐private features of an epistolary corpus reveal the boundaries marking the accepted pattern for women's intervention in the cultural field at that time, and behaviours that transgress these boundaries. This research focuses on eighteenth‐century Portugal in the context of other cultural spaces, in order to establish parameters useful for the study of the role of women's in eighteenth‐century cultural fields.
Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block after robot‐assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy: a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Torup H. , Bøgeskov M. , Hansen E. G. , Palle C. , Rosenberg J. , Mitchell A. U. , Petersen P. L. , Mathiesen O. , Dahl J. B. , Møller A. M.
Published: June 2015

Background

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is widely used as a part of pain management after various abdominal surgeries. We evaluated the effect of TAP block as an add‐on to the routine analgesic regimen in patients undergoing robot‐assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Methods

In a prospective blinded study, 70 patients scheduled for elective robot‐assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy were randomised to receive either TAP block (ropivacaine 0.5%, 20 ml on each side) or sham block (isotonic saline 0.9%, 20 ml on each side). All patients had patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine on top of paracetamol and ibuprofen or diclofenac. For the first 24 post‐operative hours, we monitored PCA morphine consumption and pain scores with visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and while coughing. Post‐operative nausea and number of vomits (PONV) were recorded.

Results

Sixty‐five patients completed the study, 34 receiving TAP block with ropivacaine and 31 receiving sham block with isotonic saline. We found no differences in median (interquartile range) morphine consumption the first 24 h between the TAP block group [17.5 mg (6.9–36.0 mg)] and the placebo group [17.5 mg (2.9–38.0 mg)] (95% confidence interval 10.0–22.6 mg, P = 0.648). No differences were found for VAS scores between the two groups, calculated as area under the curve/1–24 h, neither at rest (P = 0.112) nor while coughing (P = 0.345), or for PONV between groups.

Conclusions

In our study, the TAP block combined with paracetamol and Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAID) treatment, had no effect on morphine consumption, VAS pain scores, or frequency of nausea and vomiting after robot‐assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy compared with paracetamol and NSAID alone.
Theory of Mind Difficulties in Patients with Alcohol Dependence: Beyond the Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction Hypothesis
Authors: Maurage François , de Timary Philippe , Tecco Juan Martin , Lechantre Stéphane , Samson Dana
Published: June 2015

Background

Previous studies have shown that alcohol‐dependent (AD) individuals have difficulties inferring other people's emotion, understanding humor, and detecting a faux pas. This study aimed at further understanding the nature of such “Theory of Mind” (ToM) difficulties.

Methods

A total of 34 recently detoxified AD and 34 paired controls were compared based on 2 nonverbal and video‐based false belief tasks. These tasks were designed to identify 3 different types of deficits: (i) a deficit in dealing with the general task demands, (ii) a selective deficit in self‐perspective inhibition, and (iii) a deficit in tracking the other person's mental state. (i) and (ii) are compatible with the hypothesis of a prefrontal cortex dysfunction being at the origin of AD individuals’ social difficulties, while (iii) would suggest the possible contribution of a dysfunction of the temporo‐parietal junction in explaining the social difficulties.

Results

Group analyses highlighted that AD individuals performed worse on the 2 false belief tasks than controls. Individual analyses showed, however, that just under half of the AD individuals were impaired compared to controls. Moreover, most of the AD individuals who were impaired showed a deficit in tracking the other person's belief. This deficit was linked to disease‐related factors such as illness duration, average alcohol consumption, and craving but not to general reasoning abilities, depression, anxiety, or demographic variables.

Conclusions

Just under half of the AD individuals tested showed a ToM deficit, and in most cases, the deficit concerned the tracking of other people's mental states. Such a type of deficit has previously been associated with lesions to the temporo‐parietal brain areas, indicating that a prefrontal cortex dysfunction may not be the sole origin of the social cognition deficits observed in alcohol dependence.
Clinical and demographic characteristics predictive of treatment outcomes for certolizumab pegol in moderate to severe Crohn's disease: analyses from the 7‐year PRECiSE 3 study
Authors: Sandborn W. J. , Melmed G. Y. , McGovern D. P. B. , Loftus E. V. , Choi J. M. , Cho J. H. , Abraham B. , Gutierrez A. , Lichtenstein G. , Lee S. D. , Randall C. W. , Schwartz D. A. , Regueiro M. , Siegel C. A. , Spearman M. , Kosutic G. , Pierre‐Louis B. , Coarse J. , Schreiber S.
Published: June 2015

Background

Clinical factors were previously identified as predictors of short‐term treatment efficacy in Crohn's disease (CD). The PRECiSE 3 (P3) 7‐year trial provides an opportunity to study predictors of short‐ and long‐term clinical remission among CD patients treated with certolizumab pegol (CZP).

Aim

To identify factors that influence long‐term remission of CD with CZP treatment.

Methods

Patients who had completed placebo‐controlled studies (PRECiSE 1/PRECiSE 2, P1/P2) enrolled in P3 and received open‐label CZP 400 mg every 4 weeks up to 7 years. Baseline predictors included, but were not limited to, smoking status, disease duration, prior inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) surgery, Harvey–Bradshaw Index (HBI), albumin, haematocrit and CZP exposure; association with time to initial remission (HBI ≤4) was tested for patients who received CZP in P1/P2; time to loss of remission/frequency of maintenance of remission was also tested. Univariate analyses and multivariate Cox or logistic regression models were used.

Results

Predictors for initial remission (N = 377) included age, haematocrit, prior IBD surgery and entry HBI (P < 0.05 for all). Predictors for loss of remission (N = 437) included HBI, serum albumin concentration, haematocrit, smoking status and exposure. Predictors of maintenance of remission (N = 437) included haematocrit, IBD surgery, HBI, disease duration, serum albumin concentration and exposure. Significant predictors were confirmed with stepwise multivariate regression models.

Conclusions

These analyses identified several influential parameters for short‐and long‐term remission of Crohn's disease with certolizumab pegol treatment. The data yield valuable hypotheses regarding factors that influence certolizumab pegol treatment. More investigation is needed.

(ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00552058).
Guideline of guidelines: urinary incontinence
Authors: Syan Raveen , Brucker Benjamin M.
Published: June 2015

The objective of the article is to review key guidelines on the management of urinary incontinence (UI) to guide clinical management in a practical way. Guidelines produced by the European Association of Urology (updated in 2014), the Canadian Urological Association (updated in 2012), the International Consultation on Incontinence (updated in 2012), and the National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health (updated in 2013) were examined and their recommendations compared. In addition, specialised guidelines produced by the collaboration between the American Urological Association and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction on overactive bladder and the use of urodynamics were reviewed. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE) instrument was used to evaluate the quality of these guidelines. There is general agreement between the groups on the recommended initial evaluation and the use of conservative therapies for first‐line treatment, with a limited role for imaging or invasive testing in the uncomplicated patient. These groups have greater variability in their recommendations for invasive procedures; however, generally the mid‐urethral sling is recommended for uncomplicated stress UI, with different recommendations on the approach, as well as the comparability to other treatments, such as the autologous fascial sling. This ‘Guideline of Guidelines’ provides a summary of the salient similarities and differences between prominent groups on the management of UI.
Clinical characteristics and quality‐of‐life in patients surviving a decade of prostate cancer with bone metastases
Authors: Klaff Rami , Berglund Anders , Varenhorst Eberhard , Hedlund Per Olov , Jǿnler Morten , Sandblom Gabriel ,   the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group (SPCG) Study No. 5
Published: June 2015

Objective

To describe characteristics and quality‐of‐life (QoL), and to define factors associated with long‐term survival in a subgroup of patients with prostate cancer with M1b disease.

Patients and Methods

The study was based on 915 patients from a prospective randomised multicentre trial (No. 5) by the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group, comparing parenteral oestrogen with total androgen blockade. Long‐term survival was defined as patients having an overall survival of ≥10 years, and logistic regression models were constructed to identity clinical predictors of survival. QoL during follow‐up was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality‐of‐Life Questionnaire – C30 version 1 (EORTC‐C30) ratings.

Results

In all, 40 (4.4%) of the 915 men survived for >10 years. Factors significantly associated with increased likelihood of surviving for >10 years in the univariate analyses were: absence of cancer‐related pain; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of <2; negligible analgesic consumption; T‐category of 1–2; prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of <231 μg/L; and a Soloway score of 1. In the multivariate analyses, ECOG performance status of <2, PSA level of <231 μg/L, and Soloway score of 1, were all independent predictors of long‐term survival. All subscales of the EORTC‐C30 were higher in this group than for patients with short survival, but slowly declined over the decade.

Conclusion

A subgroup of patients with prostate cancer with M1b disease and certain characteristics showed a positive long‐term response to androgen‐deprivation therapy with an acceptable QoL over a decade or more. Independent predictors of long‐term survival were identified as ECOG performance status of <2, limited extent of bone metastases (Soloway score of 1), and a PSA level of <231 μg/L at the time of enrolment.
The Swiss National Registry for Primary Immunodeficiencies: report on the first 6 years’ activity from 2008 to 2014
Authors: Marschall K , Hoernes M , Bitzenhofer-Grüber M , Jandus P , Duppenthaler A , Wuillemin W A , Rischewski J , Boyman O , Heininger U , Hauser T , Steiner U , Posfay-Barbe K , Seebach J , Recher M , Hess C , Helbling A , Reichenbach J ,   Swiss PID Registry Working Group
Published: June 2015

The Swiss National Registry for Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PID) was established in 2008, constituting a nationwide network of paediatric and adult departments involved in the care of patients with PID at university medical centres, affiliated teaching hospitals and medical institutions. The registry collects anonymized clinical and genetic information on PID patients and is set up within the framework of the European database for PID, run by the European Society of Immunodeficiency Diseases. To date, a total of 348 patients are registered in Switzerland, indicating an estimated minimal prevalence of 4·2 patients per 100 000 inhabitants. Distribution of different PID categories, age and gender are similar to the European cohort of currently 19 091 registered patients: ‘predominantly antibody disorders’ are the most common diseases observed (n = 217/348, 62%), followed by ‘phagocytic disorders’ (n = 31/348, 9%). As expected, ‘predominantly antibody disorders’ are more prevalent in adults than in children (78 versus 31%). Within this category, ‘common variable immunodeficiency disorder’ (CVID) is the most prevalent PID (n = 98/217, 45%), followed by ‘other hypogammaglobulinaemias’ (i.e. a group of non-classified hypogammaglobulinaemias) (n = 54/217, 25%). Among ‘phagocytic disorders’, ‘chronic granulomatous disease’ is the most prevalent PID (n = 27/31, 87%). The diagnostic delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis is high, with a median of 6 years for CVID and more than 3 years for ‘other hypogammaglobulinaemias’.