bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parental alcohol consumption and risk of leukemia in the offspring: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Karalexi Maria A. , Dessypris Nick , Thomopoulos Thomas P. , Ntouvelis Evangelos , Kantzanou Maria , Diamantaras Andreas-Antonios , Moschovi Maria , Baka Margarita , Hatzipantelis Emmanuel , Kourti Maria , Polychronopoulou Sophia , Stiakaki Eftichia , Mora Ana-M. , Wunsch-Filho Victor , Infante-Rivard Claire , Loutradis Dimitrios , Petridou Eleni Th.
Published: April 2017

Parental alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy has been linked to adverse outcomes in the offspring including leukemogenesis. We, therefore, aimed to systematically assess and quantitatively synthesize published data on the association of paternal consumption during preconception and maternal consumption during pregnancy with leukemia risk in childhood (0–14 years). Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we searched PubMed (until February 2016) and the reference lists of the relevant studies. Observational studies examining the association between parental alcohol consumption and childhood leukemia were considered eligible. Data extracted from 39 case–control studies (over 16 000 leukemia cases and 30 000 controls) were pooled and summary-effect estimates were calculated. Subgroup analyses were carried out by main acute leukemia type [lymphoblastic or myeloid), cytogenetics/genetic polymorphisms, and specific alcohol beverages. We found a statistically significant dose–response association of any level of maternal alcohol consumption compared with nondrinking during pregnancy exclusively with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [odds ratio (OR)moderate consumption: 1.64, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.23–2.17 and ORhigh consumption: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.60–3.49]. In contrast, no association of paternal preconception consumption with any leukemia type was noted. In beverage-specific analyses, only a positive association of maternal wine drinking with childhood AML was found, which was more pronounced in analyses including only studies on infant leukemia (ORwine: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.16–3.90). The largest ever meta-analysis shows a sizeable, statistically significant dose–response association of maternal alcohol consumption during index pregnancy with AML risk. Future research exploring the role of genetic polymorphisms is anticipated to shed light on the underlying pathophysiology.
Cost-Effectiveness of Pediatric Cochlear Implantation in Rural China
Authors: Qiu Jianxin , Yu Chongxian , Ariyaratne Thathya V. , Foteff Chris , Ke Zhangmin , Sun Yi , Zhang Li , Qin Feifei , Sanderson Georgina
Published: April 2017

Objectives:

To evaluate the cost utility of cochlear implantation (CI) for severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) among children from rural settings in P.R. China (China).

Research Design:

A cost-utility analysis (CUA) was undertaken using data generated from a single-center substudy of the CochlearTM Pediatric Implanted Recipient Observational Study (Cochlear P-IROS). The data were projected over a 20-year time horizon using a decision tree model.

Setting:

The Chinese healthcare payer and patient perspectives were adopted.

Intervention:

Unilateral CI of children with a severe-to-profound SNHL compared with their preimplantation state of no treatment or amplification with hearing aids (“no CI” status).

Main Outcome Measure/s:

Incremental costs per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained.

Results:

The mean total discounted cost of unilateral CI was CNY 252,506 (37,876 USD), compared with CNY 29,005 (4,351 USD) for the no CI status from the healthcare payer plus patient perspective. A total discounted benefit of 8.9 QALYs was estimated for CI recipients compared with 6.7 QALYs for the no CI status. From the healthcare payer plus patient perspective, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for unilateral CI compared with no CI was CNY 100,561 (15,084 USD) per QALY. The healthcare payer perspective yielded an ICER of CNY 40,929 (6,139 USD) per QALY. Both ICERs fell within one to three times China's gross domestic product per capita (GDP, 2011–2015), considered “cost-effective” by World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

Conclusions:

Treatment with unilateral CI is a cost-effective hearing solution for children with severe to profound SNHL in rural China. Increased access to mainstream education and greater opportunities for employment, are potential downstream benefits of CI that may yield further societal and economic benefits. CI may be considered favorably for broader inclusion in medical insurance schemes across China.
Metrics save lives: value and hurdles faced
Authors: Goodloe Jeffrey M. , Idris Ahamed H.
Published: April 2017

Purpose of review

Affirmation of the importance of precision in fundamentals of resuscitation practices with improving neurologically intact survival from sudden cardiac arrest, correlated with both measurements of resuscitation metrics generically and recently further refined metric parameters specifically.

Recent findings

Quality of baseline cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in historic intervention trials may not be ‘high quality’ as once assumed. Optimal chest compression rates are within the narrow spectrum of 106–108/min for adults. Optimal ventilation rates remain within the 8–10/min range.

Although traditional CPR teaching of ‘hard and fast’ chest compressions has promoted a relatively easy to remember directive, the reality is that laypersons and medical professionals alike may unwittingly provide markedly suboptimal chest compression depths and rates. Prior resuscitation studies that focused upon airway adjuncts, defibrillation strategies, and/or pharmaceutical interventions that did not simultaneously gauge the underlying CPR chest compression rates, chest compression fraction of time, and ventilation rates should be cautiously interpreted in light of discovery that assumption of ‘high-quality CPR’ without measurement of the metrics of such is likely a faulty assumption.
Early Hospital Readmissions and Mortality in Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis Enrolled in a Large National Health Insurance Administrative Database
Authors: Scaglione Steven J. , Metcalfe Leanne , Kliethermes Stephanie , Vasilyev Ivan , Tsang Rebecca , Caines Allyce , Mumtaz Shaham , Goyal Vik , Khalid Asra , Shoham David , Markossian Talar , Luke Amy , Underwood Howard , Cotler Scott J.
Published: April 2017

Background:

Patients with decompensated cirrhosis have high rates of morbidity and mortality and frequently require hospital admission. Few studies have examined early readmission as an indicator of 90 day and overall mortality. Analysis of large databases is needed to evaluate the association between early readmission and mortality in decompensated cirrhosis.

Methods:

We analyzed 5 years of private, employer-based, health insurance claims data associated with HealthCare Services Corporation on 13.5 million members over 4 states from 2010 to 2014. We defined early readmission as an admission to a general acute care hospital within 30 days of an index hospitalization and compared mortality to those who were readmitted after 30 days (late readmission). Univariable analysis was used to compare clinical and patient characteristics associated with early readmission. Cox proportional hazard models with time-varying covariates were used to assess if an early readmission was an independent risk factor for death.

Results:

A total of 16,107 patients with decompensated cirrhosis were analyzed. During the study period, 82% of patients with decompensated cirrhosis were hospitalized at least once. Over 50% of hospitalized patients experienced an early readmission. Patients with an early readmission received blood transfusions, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, paracentesis, thoracentesis, and upper endoscopies more frequently than those with a late readmission. Cirrhotics with an early readmission had higher rates of hepatorenal syndrome, sepsis, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic encephalopathy, and ascites. Patients experiencing an early readmission had greater 90 day, 1 year and overall mortality. Early readmission was an independent predictor of worse survival when adjusting for other conditions associated with mortality in patients with cirrhosis, but the impact of an early readmission dissipated after 1 year.

Conclusions:

Patients with decompensated cirrhosis have high rates of hospitalization and frequently experience an early readmission. An early readmission to an acute care hospital is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with decompensated cirrhosis for at least 1 year following initial hospitalization.
Joint ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN Guidelines for the Management of Helicobacter pylori in Children and Adolescents (Update 2016)
Authors: Jones Nicola L. , Koletzko Sibylle , Goodman Karen , Bontems Patrick , Cadranel Samy , Casswall Thomas , Czinn Steve , Gold Benjamin D. , Guarner Jeannette , Elitsur Yoram , Homan Matjaž , Kalach Nicolas , Kori Michal , Madrazo Armando , Megraud Francis , Papadopoulou Alexandra , Rowland Marion ,   ESPGHAN, NASPGHAN
Published: April 2017

Background:

Because of the changing epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection and low efficacy of currently recommended therapies, an update of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition/North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommendations for the diagnosis and management of H pylori infection in children and adolescents is required.

Methods:

A systematic review of the literature (time period: 2009–2014) was performed. Representatives of both societies evaluated the quality of evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) to formulate recommendations, which were voted upon and finalized using a Delphi process and face‐to‐face meeting.

Results:

The consensus group recommended that invasive diagnostic testing for H pylori be performed only when treatment will be offered if tests are positive. To reach the aim of a 90% eradication rate with initial therapy, antibiotics should be tailored according to susceptibility testing. Therapy should be administered for 14 days, emphasizing strict adherence. Clarithromycin‐containing regimens should be restricted to children infected with susceptible strains. When antibiotic susceptibility profiles are not known, high‐dose triple therapy with proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, and metronidazole for 14 days or bismuth‐based quadruple therapy is recommended. Success of therapy should be monitored after 4 to 8 weeks by reliable noninvasive tests.

Conclusions:

The primary goal of clinical investigation is to identify the cause of upper gastrointestinal symptoms rather than H pylori infection. Therefore, we recommend against a test and treat strategy. Decreasing eradication rates with previously recommended treatments call for changes to first‐line therapies and broader availability of culture or molecular‐based testing to tailor treatment to the individual child.
Medically Graded Honey Supplementation Formula to Preterm Infants as a Prebiotic
Authors: Aly Hany , Said Reem N. , Wali Iman E. , Elwakkad Amany , Soliman Yssra , Awad Alaa R. , Shawky Mahmoud A. , Alam Mohamed S. Abu , Mohamed Mohamed A.
Published: April 2017

Objectives:

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of medically graded enteral honey supplementation on the intestinal microbiota, immune response, and somatic growth of preterm infants.

Methods:

A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted on preterm infants with gestational age ⩽34 weeks and postnatal age >3 days. After reaching 1/2 goal enteral feeds, medically graded bee honey was added to milk at a dose of 5, 10, 15, and 0 g/day for 2 weeks in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively. Anthropometric measurements, CD4 and CD8 cytokines, stool cultures, and stool polymerase chain reaction assays for molecular detection of microbiomes were performed at 0, 7, and 14 days of intervention. Analysis of variance test was used to detect differences among the 4 groups.

Results:

A total of 40 subjects were enrolled; 10 in each arm of the study. Compared with group D, all 3 intervention groups demonstrated significant increase in weight (P < 0.0001). Head circumference increased in groups B and C (P = 0.0056). There were no changes in CD4 or CD8 cytokines (P = 0.24 and P = 0.11, respectively). Enterobacter stool colonization decreased in groups A and B (P = 0.002), whereas Bifidobacterium bifidum colony counts increased in groups A, B, and C (P = 0.002) and lactobacilli colony counts increased in group B (P < 0.0001). Applying real‐time polymerase chain reaction, B bifidum and lactobacilli increased in group C (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

Supplementation of milk formula with medically graded honey was associated with changes in physical growth and colonic microbiota of preterm infants. Further studies are needed to examine the sustainability of these effects and associated long‐term outcomes.
Measurement as a Performance Driver: The Case for a National Measurement System to Improve Patient Safety
Authors: Krause Thomas R. , Bell Kristen J. , Pronovost Peter , Etchegaray Jason M.
Published: April 2017

Safety metrics in healthcare settings stand apart from those in all other industries. Despite improvements in the measurement and prevention of adverse health outcomes following the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, no fully operational national-level program for monitoring patient harm exists. Here, we review the annual rate of fatal adverse events in healthcare settings in the United States on the basis of previous research, assess the current state of measurements of patient harm, propose a national standard to both quantify harm and act as a performance driver for improved safety, and discuss additional considerations such as accountability and implications for tort reform under this standard. On the basis of experiences in other sectors, we propose a federally mandated, nonpunitive national system that relies on accurate measurement as a driver of performance.
Climate change mitigation: potential benefits and pitfalls of enhanced rock weathering in tropical agriculture
Authors: Edwards David P. , Lim Felix , James Rachael H. , Pearce Christopher R. , Scholes Julie , Freckleton Robert P. , Beerling David J.
Published: April 2017

Restricting future global temperature increase to 2°C or less requires the adoption of negative emissions technologies for carbon capture and storage. We review the potential for deployment of enhanced weathering (EW), via the application of crushed reactive silicate rocks (such as basalt), on over 680 million hectares of tropical agricultural and tree plantations to offset fossil fuel CO
2
emissions. Warm tropical climates and productive crops will substantially enhance weathering rates, with potential co-benefits including decreased soil acidification and increased phosphorus supply promoting higher crop yields sparing forest for conservation, and reduced cultural eutrophication. Potential pitfalls include the impacts of mining operations on deforestation, producing the energy to crush and transport silicates and the erosion of silicates into rivers and coral reefs that increases inorganic turbidity, sedimentation and pH, with unknown impacts for biodiversity. We identify nine priority research areas for untapping the potential of EW in the tropics, including effectiveness of tropical agriculture at EW for major crops in relation to particle sizes and soil types, impacts on human health, and effects on farmland, adjacent forest and stream-water biodiversity.
Quantification of the efficacy of collagen cross-linking agents to induce stiffening of rat sclera
Authors: Campbell Ian C. , Hannon Bailey G. , Read A. Thomas , Sherwood Joseph M. , Schwaner Stephen A. , Ethier C. Ross
Published: April 2017

The concept of scleral stiffening therapies has emerged as a novel theoretical approach for treating the ocular disorders glaucoma and myopia. Deformation of specific regions of the posterior eye is innately involved in the pathophysiology of these diseases, and thus targeted scleral stiffening could resist these changes and slow or prevent progression of these diseases. Here, we present the first systematic screen and direct comparison of the stiffening effect of small molecule collagen cross-linking agents in the posterior globe, namely using glyceraldehyde, genipin and methylglyoxal (also called pyruvaldehyde). To establish a dose–response relationship, we used inflation testing to simulate the effects of increasing intraocular pressure in freshly harvested rat eyes stiffened with multiple concentrations of each agent. We used digital image correlation to compute the mechanical strain in the tissue as a metric of stiffness, using a novel treatment paradigm for screening relative stiffening by incubating half of each eye in cross-linker and using the opposite half as an internal control. We identified the doses necessary to increase stiffness by approximately 100%, namely 30 mM for glyceraldehyde, 1 mM for genipin and 7 mM for methylglyoxal, and we also identified the range of stiffening it was possible to achieve with such agents. Such findings will inform development of
in vivo
studies of scleral stiffening to treat glaucoma and myopia.
A puzzling homology: a brittle star using a putative cnidarian-type luciferase for bioluminescence
Authors: Delroisse Jérôme , Ullrich-Lüter Esther , Blaue Stefanie , Ortega-Martinez Olga , Eeckhaut Igor , Flammang Patrick , Mallefet Jérôme
Published: April 2017

Bioluminescence relies on the oxidation of a luciferin substrate catalysed by a luciferase enzyme. Luciferins and luciferases are generic terms used to describe a large variety of substrates and enzymes. Whereas luciferins can be shared by phylogenetically distant organisms which feed on organisms producing them, luciferases have been thought to be lineage-specific enzymes. Numerous light emission systems would then have co-emerged independently along the tree of life resulting in a plethora of non-homologous luciferases. Here, we identify for the first time a candidate luciferase of a luminous echinoderm, the ophiuroidAmphiura filiformis. Phylogenomic analyses identified the brittle star predicted luciferase as homologous to the luciferase of the sea pansyRenilla(Cnidaria), contradicting with the traditional viewpoint according to which luciferases would generally be of convergent origins. The similarity between theRenillaandAmphiuraluciferases allowed us to detect the latter using anti-Renillaluciferase antibodies. Luciferase expression was specifically localized in the spines which were demonstrated to be the bioluminescent organsin vivo. However, enzymes homologous to theRenillaluciferase but unable to trigger light emission were also identified in non-luminous echinoderms and metazoans. Our findings strongly indicate that those enzymes, belonging to the haloalkane dehalogenase family, might then have been convergently co-opted into luciferases in cnidarians and echinoderms. In these two benthic suspension-feeding species, similar ecological pressures would constitute strong selective forces for the functional shift of these enzymes and the emergence of bioluminescence.
Skin microbiota differs drastically between co-occurring frogs and newts
Authors: Bletz Molly C. , Perl R. G. Bina , Vences Miguel
Published: April 2017

Diverse microbial assemblages inhabit amphibian skin and are known to differ among species; however, few studies have analysed these differences in systems that minimize confounding factors, such as season, location or host ecology. We used high-throughput amplicon sequencing to compare cutaneous microbiotas among two ranid frogs (
Rana dalmatina, R. temporaria
) and four salamandrid newts (
Ichthyosaura alpestris, Lissotriton helveticus, L. vulgaris, Triturus cristatus
) breeding simultaneously in two ponds near Braunschweig, Germany. We found that bacterial communities differed strongly and consistently between these two distinct amphibian clades. While frogs and newts had similar cutaneous bacterial richness, their bacterial composition strongly differed. Average Jaccard distances between frogs and newts were over 0.5, while between species within these groups distances were only 0.387 and 0.407 for frogs and newts, respectively. At the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) level, 31 taxa exhibited significantly different relative abundances between frogs and newts. This finding suggests that chemical or physical characteristics of these amphibians' mucosal environments provide highly selective conditions for bacterial colonizers. Multi-omics analyses of hosts and their microbiota as well as directed efforts to understand chemical differences in the mucosal environments (e.g. pH), and the specificities of host-produced compounds against potential colonizers will help to better understand this intriguing pattern.
Rational design of a novel pollinator interaction
Authors: Byers Kelsey J.R.P. , Bradshaw H.D.
Published: April 2017

Diversification of theca. 250,000 extant flowering plant species has been driven in large part by coevolution with animal pollinators. A recurring pattern of pollinator shifts from hummingbird to hawkmoth pollination has characterized plant speciation in many western North American plant taxa, but in the genusMimulus(monkeyflowers) sectionErythranthethe evolution of hawkmoth pollination from hummingbird-pollinated ancestors has not occurred. We manipulated two flower color loci and tested the attractiveness of the resulting four color phenotypes (red, yellow, pink, white) to naïve hawkmoths. Hawkmoths strongly prefer derived colors (yellow, pink, white) over the ancestral red, and prefer the two-locus change (white) to either of the single-locus changes (yellow, pink). The simple flower color genetics underlying this innate pollinator preference suggests a potential path for speciation into an unfilled hawkmoth-pollinated niche, and the deliberate design of a hawkmoth-pollinated flower demonstrates a new, predictive method for studying pollination syndrome evolution.
Landmark Kernel tICA for Conformational Dynamics
Authors: Harrigan Matthew P. , Pande Vijay S.
Published: April 2017

Molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecules produce a very high dimensional time-series dataset. Performing analysis necessarily involves projection onto a lower dimensional space.A prioriselection of projection coordinates requires (perhaps unavailable) prior information or intuition about the system. At best, such a projection can only confirm the intuition. At worst, a poor projection can obscure new features of the system absent from the intuition. Previous statistical methods such a time-structure based independent component analysis (tICA) and Markov state modeling (MSMs) have offered relatively unbiased means of projecting conformations onto coordinates or state labels, respectively. These analyses are underpinned by the propagator formalism and the assumption that slow dynamics are biologically interesting. Although arising from the same mathematics, tICA and MSMs have different strengths and weaknesses. We introduce a unifying method which we term “landmark kernel tICA” (lktICA) which uses a variant of the Nyström kernel approximation to permit approximate non-linear solutions to the tICA problem. We show that lktICA is equivalent to MSMs with “soft” states. We demonstrate the advantages of this united method by finding improved projections of (a) a 1D potential surface (b) a peptide folding trajectory and (c) an ion channel conformational change.
Generation and attenuation of variability in a bacterial signaling network revealed by single-cell FRET
Authors: Keegstra J.M. , Kamino K. , Anquez F. , Lazova M.D. , Emonet T. , Shimizu T.S.
Published: April 2017

We presentin vivosingle-cell FRET measurements in theEscherichia colichemotaxis system that reveal pervasive signaling variability, both across cells in isogenic populations and within individual cells over time. We quantify cell-to-cell variability of adaptation, ligand response, as well as steady-state output level, and analyze the role of network design in shaping this diversity from gene expression noise. In the absence of changes in gene expression, we find that single cells demonstrate strong temporal fluctuations. We provide evidence that such signaling noise can arise from at least two sources: (i) stochastic activities of adaptation enzymes, and (ii) receptor-kinase dynamics in the absence of adaptation. We demonstrate that under certain conditions, (ii) can generate giant fluctuations that drive signaling activity of the entire cell into a stochastic two-state switching regime. Our findings underscore the importance of molecular noise, arising not only in gene expression but also in protein networks.
FtsEX-mediated regulation of inner membrane fusion and cell separation reveals morphogenetic plasticity inCaulobacter crescentus
Authors: Meier Elizabeth L. , Yao Qing , Daitch Allison K. , Jensen Grant J. , Goley Erin D.
Published: April 2017

During its life cycle,Caulobacter crescentusundergoes a series of coordinated shape changes, including generation of a polar stalk and reshaping of the cell envelope to produce new daughter cells through the process of cytokinesis. The mechanisms by which these morphogenetic processes are coordinated in time and space remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the conserved division complex FtsEX controls both the early and late stages of cytokinesis inC. crescentus, namely initiation of constriction and final cell separation. ΔftsEcells display a striking phenotype: cells are chained, with skinny connections between cell bodies resulting from defects in inner membrane fusion and cell separation. Surprisingly, the thin connections in ΔftsEcells share morphological and molecular features withC. crescentusstalks. Our data uncover unanticipated morphogenetic plasticity inC. crescentus, with loss of FtsE causing a stalk-like program to take over at failed division sites and yield novel cell morphology.

Author Summary

Bacterial cell shape is genetically hardwired and is critical for fitness and, in certain cases, pathogenesis. In most bacteria, a semi-rigid structure called the cell wall surrounds the inner membrane, offering protection against cell lysis while simultaneously maintaining cell shape. A highly dynamic macromolecular structure, the cell wall undergoes extensive remodeling as bacterial cells grow and divide. We demonstrate that a broadly conserved cell division complex, FtsEX, relays signals from the cytoplasm to the cell wall to regulate key developmental shape changes in the α-proteobacteriumCaulobacter crescentus. Consistent with studies in diverse bacteria, we observe strong synthetic interactions betweenftsEand cell wall hydrolytic factors, suggesting that regulation of cell wall remodeling is a conserved function of FtsEX. Loss of FtsE causes morphological defects associated with both the early and late stages of division. Intriguingly, without FtsE, cells frequently fail to separate and instead elaborate a thin, tubular structure between cell bodies, a growth mode observed in other α-proteobacteria. Overall, our results highlight the plasticity of bacterial cell shape and demonstrate how altering the activity of one morphogenetic program can produce diverse morphologies resembling those of other bacteria in nature.
Accounting, cultural hybridisation and colonial globalisation: a case of British civilising mission in Fiji
Authors: Davie Shanta Shareel , McLean Tom
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This historical study explores accounting’s association with processes of cultural hybridisation involving themes such as image-(un)making, alliance-formation and norm-setting as part of Britain’s civilising mission during the era of modern globalisation. In doing so, the purpose of this paper is to examine the manner in which accounting may be implicated in micro-practices through which multi-layered socio-political relations of inequality are produced.

Design/methodology/approach

Archival materials enable an accounting understanding of the historical processes of image-(un)making, norm-setting and formation of a hybrid form of rule through elite indigenous alliances.

Findings

The study finds that the British Empire’s colonial project on civilising the indigenous peoples in British Fiji involved: the (un)making of indigenous identities and their moralities; and the elaboration of difference through ambiguous, partial and contradictory application of accounting in attempts to support the globalised civilising course. The globalising challenges indigenous peoples faced included accounting training to change habits in order to gain integration into the global imperial order. The study also finds that the colonised indigenous Fijians had emancipatory capacities in their negotiation of and resistance to accounting.

Research limitations/implications

The paper identifies avenues for further accounting examination of such processes in the context of post-colonialism and current forms of neo-liberal globalisation.

Originality/value

By investigating accounting’s association with processes of cultural hybridisation, this paper makes a significant contribution by providing the detail on the role of accounting records kept by the British Empire to facilitate Britain’s domination and control over the colony of Fiji and its residents.
Fault diagnosis for rolling bearing based on SIFT-KPCA and SVM
Authors: Cheng Yujie , Yuan Hang , Liu Hongmei , Lu Chen
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a fault diagnosis method for rolling bearings, in which the fault feature extraction is realized in a two-dimensional domain using scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm. This method is different from those methods extracting fault feature directly from the traditional one-dimensional domain.

Design/methodology/approach

The vibration signal of rolling bearings is first transformed into a two-dimensional image. Then, the SIFT algorithm is applied to the image to extract the scale invariant feature vector which is highly distinctive and insensitive to noises and working condition variation. As the extracted feature vector is high-dimensional, kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) algorithm is utilized to reduce the dimension of the feature vector, and singular value decomposition technique is used to extract the singular values of the reduced feature vector. Finally, these singular values are introduced into a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to realize fault classification.

Findings

The experiment results show a high fault classification accuracy based on the proposed method.

Originality/value

The proposed approach for rolling bearing fault diagnosis based on SIFT-KPCA and SVM is highly effective in the experiment. The practical value in engineering application of this method can be researched in the future.
Facilities maintenance employees’ priority of safety management practices
Authors: Jaafar Saharani bin , Choong Weng Wai , Mohamed Abdul Hakim bin
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the facilities maintenance employees’ priority on safety management practices and relationship to safety performance. The study aims to increase the safety performance among the facilities maintenance contractor by implementing safety management practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected by distributing questionnaire forms to the employees of selected facilities maintenance contractors representing general workers, technicians and executive- and the management-level employees. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation and multiple regressions.

Findings

The descriptive results revealed that the employee priority on safety management practices is fairly “low”. The correlation and regression analyses tested and satisfied that management commitment, workers involvement in safety, safety training, safety communication and feedback, safety rules and procedures, and safety promotion policies significantly and strongly correlate with the degree and level of satisfaction to the safety performance.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses only on facilities maintenance contractors working in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is possible that respondents from other areas or states may allow comparisons across different locations.

Practical implications

There are many factors affecting safety performance. By implementing safety management practices, high safety performance can be achieved in the facilities maintenance organisations in Malaysia.

Originality/value

This paper presents empirical findings on the relationship between employee priority on safety management practices elements and safety performance.
Effects of transformational leadership on turnover intentions in IT SMEs
Authors: Mittal Swati
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of transformational leadership (TL) on building trust and hence, its influence on the commitment level of the employees to achieve the desired work outcomes. It also examined whether transformational leaders were able to psychologically empower employees so as to increase their commitment level and thus reduce the employee turnover intentions (TIs) in the small- and medium-sized (SME) IT companies operating in Delhi NCR, India.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 420 employees (168 females and 252 males) of SME IT companies operational in Delhi NCR, India. They responded to questions about their leader’s TL and their own psychological empowerment (PE), commitment and trust.

Findings

The findings of the study show that transformational leaders were able to create a higher level of PE and trust amongst their employees. Further, it was also found that this led to an increase in their commitment level and hence, a decrease in their TI. The findings of the study also suggest that trust, commitment and PE act as mediators.

Research limitations/implications

Limited sample size is a possible limitation of the study. One more limitation of the study is the data collection method, i.e. through survey. It was self-reported, taking only the perspective of the employees; it may not be a completely accurate response.

Practical implications

With TL, leaders can psychologically empower followers to do things in a better way and can develop trust in employees resulting in high commitment; highly committed employees in turn reduce the TIs. If followers do not have faith in their own capability, it may not be possible for them to complete their job effectively.

Originality/value

This study adds to the existing literature; it clarifies the process by which transformational leaders enhance followers’ meaning in life through PE and develop trust resulting in high commitment.
Renegotiating power in adult safeguarding: the role of advocacy
Authors: Lonbay Sarah P. , Brandon Toby
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The increased involvement of adults at risk in the safeguarding process has become a prominent issue within English safeguarding policy. However, there is evidence to suggest that actual levels of involvement are still low. The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a PhD study in relation to the benefits of advocacy in supporting this involvement in adult safeguarding for older people.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants in the study included advocates and social workers who had experience of working with older people through the safeguarding process within two North East England local authorities. A critical realist approach through in-depth interviews was taken with all the participants.

Findings

The research findings in relation to the benefits of advocacy in supporting older people going through safeguarding processes are reported. The practical limitations and factors which help and hinder advocacy support within the process are also considered. The theoretical implications for power, empowerment, and advocacy are also explored.

Research limitations/implications

A key limitation of this research is that it did not include older people who had been through safeguarding amongst the participants.

Practical implications

Key implications for practice and policy are discussed.

Originality/value

The paper provides an overview and critique of empowerment in adult safeguarding and the role that advocates play in promoting this key principle.
Development of a triple bottom line stakeholder satisfaction model
Authors: Amarah Burhan , Langston Craig
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for producing an objective and holistic assessment of organisational decision-making to measure the procurement success of built facilities from the perspective of six key stakeholder groups (i.e. company, staff, customers, community, government and the environment).

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on grounded theory. The methodology comprises a number of sequenced but interdependent steps. The first step involves reviewing the underpinning literature, whereas the second and third steps involve a detailed case study of actual practice and identification of stakeholder models that have been previously published, respectively. A knowledge gap is then highlighted from which a conceptual framework using a six-star rating algorithm as an integration metric is developed. The final steps seek an expert panel to validate the framework through focus group discussion ultimately leading to suggestions for further improvements.

Findings

It is found that the developed stakeholder satisfaction model is capable of assessing the sustainable procurement of built infrastructure using a generic six-star rating algorithm. The overall rating can be used to compare and rank performance across a range of portfolio assets, although some modification is required for non-built assets.

Originality/value

This research makes a contribution to knowledge through the presentation of a model, grounded in practice, that combines the economic, social and environmental performance of organisational decision-making from a stakeholder satisfaction perspective. It is acknowledged that there are a number of techniques that could be used to assess each stakeholder group, although the ones chosen in this research are mostly drawn from existing approaches developed and validated by others.
Women’s career development in the construction industry across 15 years: main barriers
Authors: Navarro-Astor Elena , Román-Onsalo Marisa , Infante-Perea Margarita
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Through a systematic literature review covering 15 years, this paper aims to identify and annotate the barriers that hinder the career development of women working in the construction industry. Furthermore, it describes publication trends that have contributed to the evolution of the topic.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review of credible sources in different databases has been carried out for the period from 2000 to 2015. By means of thematic analysis, a data set of 60 articles has been analysed.

Findings

The topic has been and still is of interest to the research community. Women who work in the construction industry in different countries confront numerous career barriers, the more frequent being the difficulty of balancing work and family, and the lack of professionalism in human resource management.

Research limitations/implications

Some publications related to the topic might have been inadvertently omitted. Hopefully, this paper can be valuable for informing future research directions.

Practical implications

The paper is useful to human resource managers to understand how their practices influence women’s career development, gender equity and organisational injustice, and how to improve them. It informs policies to reduce gender discrimination and guides researchers interested in gender diversity in the industry.

Social implications

A clear vision of career barriers affecting women is required to find solutions and improve the fairness and justice of business practices.

Originality/value

Previous studies do not offer a comprehensive and up-to-date review covering such a wide time period and so many countries. It will have implications in the identification of initiatives critical to achieving lasting change in gender equity in the construction industry.
Prerequisite for lateral knowledge flow in manufacturing networks
Authors: Scherrer Maike , Deflorin Patricia
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the prerequisites for lateral knowledge transfer in manufacturing networks.

Design/methodology/approach

Data stem from a single case study involving 26 interviews at the management level of a manufacturing network and a survey of 17 manufacturing plants in the network.

Findings

The requirements for lateral knowledge transfer between knowledge-sending and knowledge-receiving plants are similar strategic orientation, product portfolio similarity and process similarity. If the knowledge-sending and knowledge-receiving plants meet at least one of these requirements, then knowledge transfer is facilitated. Plant age, functional ties and geographical proximity do not seem to be important in lateral knowledge transfer.

Research limitations/implications

The results come from a single case study, limiting their generalisability. Further research should consider the influence of the network’s coordination mechanism on lateral knowledge transfer.

Originality/value

The paper investigates prerequisites for lateral knowledge transfer in manufacturing networks, shedding light on the fundamental factors that must be in place at the knowledge-sending and knowledge-receiving plants.
From green buildings to green supply chains
Authors: Mohamed Abdul Ghani N. Muhammad Aslaam , Egilmez Gokhan , Kucukvar Murat , S. Bhutta M. Khurrum
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on tracing GHG emissions across the supply chain industries associated with the US residential, commercial and industrial building stock and provides optimized GHG reduction policy plans for sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-step hierarchical approach is developed. First, Economic Input-Output-based Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) is utilized to quantify the GHG emissions associated with the US residential, commercial and industrial building stock. Second, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) based optimization framework is developed to identify the optimal GHG emissions’ reduction (percent) for each industry across the supply chain network of the US economy.

Findings

The results indicated that “ready-mix concrete manufacturing”, “electric power generation, transmission and distribution” and “lighting fixture manufacturing” sectors were found to be the main culprits in the GHG emissions’ stock. Additionally, the majorly responsible industries in the supply chains of each building construction categories were also highlighted as the hot-spots in the supply chains with respect to the GHG emission reduction (percent) requirements.

Practical implications

The decision making in terms of construction-related expenses and energy use options have considerable impacts across the supply chains. Therefore, regulations and actions should be re-organized around the systematic understanding considering the principles of “circular economy” within the context of sustainable development.

Originality/value

Although the literature is abundant with works that address quantifying environmental impacts of building structures, environmental life cycle impact-based optimization methods are scarce. This paper successfully fills this gap by integrating EIO-LCA and MILP frameworks to identify the most pollutant industries in the supply chains of building structures.
Managerial ability, growth opportunities, and IPO performance
Authors: Cox Justin S.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain whether the level of managerial quality and growth opportunities influences the operating and return performance between single and dual class IPOs.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample includes 281 initial public offerings under a dual class share structure. This paper measures managerial ability using a score method design produced by (Demerjian et al., 2012). This paper follows (Chemmanur et al., 2011) in measuring post-IPO operating performance between dual and single-class firms. This paper follows Lyon et al. (1999) and Chemmanur et al. (2011) in measuring long-term post-IPO buy-and-hold return performance. This paper employs two measures of growth/investment using Tobin’s q and expenditures such as capital, research and development, and selling, general and administrative scaled to total assets (Daniel et al., 2016).

Findings

Firms with high-quality managers experience more underpricing than low-quality managers. Likewise, dual class firms of all manager and growth types hold less cash and leverage. Using Tobin’s q as a proxy for growth, dual class firms experience higher post-IPO operating performance regardless of managerial quality. Furthermore, the findings indicate minimal evidence that dual class firms underperform single-class IPOs, lending minimal support for the managerial entrenchment hypothesis.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to partition dual and single-class IPOs based on managerial quality and growth opportunities to test long-term differences in operating and return performance.
Incentives in Swedish commercial real estate companies: the property manager function
Authors: Palm Peter
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors on the property management level for analysing incentives for an effective property management with a focus on organising it in-house.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on an interview study of 11 firm representatives from the Swedish commercial real estate sector with in-house property management.

Findings

The study concludes that the property management organisation in the in-house setting is governed in an informal way, with a large portion of “freedom with responsibilities” setup instead of regulations.

Research limitations/implications

The research in this paper is limited to the Swedish commercial real estate sector.

Practical implications

The insights into the paper regarding how decision makers create incentives for the property management organisation can provide inspiration to design incentives for effort.

Originality/value

It provides an insight regarding how the commercial real estate industry prioritises different work tasks and how incentives are created to enable effort.
Evaluation of recombinant adenovirus vaccines based on glycoprotein D and truncated UL25 against herpes simplex virus type 2 in mice
Authors: Liu Wei , Zhou Yan , Wang Ziyan , Zhang Zeqiang , Wang Qizhi , Su Weiheng , Chen Yan , Zhang Yan , Gao Feng , Jiang Chunlai , Kong Wei
Published: April 2017

The high prevalence of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV‐2) infections in humans necessitates the development of a safe and effective vaccine that will need to induce vigorous T‐cell responses to control viral infection and transmission. We designed rAd‐gD2, rAd‐gD2ΔUL25, and rAd‐ΔUL25 to investigate whether recombinant replication‐defective adenoviruses vaccine could induce specific T‐cell responses and protect mice against intravaginal HSV‐2 challenge compared with FI‐HSV‐2. In the present study, recombinant adenovirus‐based HSV‐2 showed higher reductions in mortality and stronger antigen‐specific T‐cell responses compared with FI‐HSV‐2 and the severity of genital lesions in mice immunized with rAd‐gD2ΔUL25 was significantly decreased by eliciting IFN‐γ‐secreting T‐cell responses compared with rAd‐gD2 and rAd‐ΔUL25 groups. Our results demonstrated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant adenovirus vaccines in acute HSV‐2 infection following intravaginal challenge in mice.