bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long non-coding RNALINC00152plays an oncogenic role via targeting STAT3 and c-MYC signaling in esophageal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhao Honglin , Xiao Matthew , Zhao Huijie , Wang Zhuwen , Nancarrow Derek , Chen Guoan
Published: February 2020

Objective

Esophageal cancer remains a threat to public health with an increasing incidence and low survival rate worldwide. In the past thirty years the rates for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) have increased over 500%. Prior studies have linked Barret’s esophagus (BE), Low grade dysplasia (LGD), and High grade dysplasia (HGD) as general precursors to EAC. However, the exact pathways by which EAC occurs have not been uncovered. Recent genomic studies have discovered a new family of active RNA species named long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Of which,LINC00152has been linked to several human cancers and shown to promote cell proliferation in lung, gastric, hepatocellular, colorectal, and clear cell renal carcinoma. This study is to investigate the roles ofLINC00152in EAC using EAC patient data and EAC cell lines.

Methods

We usedLINC00152specific siRNAs to knockdownLINC00152and used the Gateway cloning method to generate stable overexpression ofLINC00152in Flo, OE19, and OE33 cell lines forin vitrostudy. The cells were tested for changes in cell proliferation, colony formation, invasion and migration. Real-time PCR assay was used for detecting mRNA expression and Western blot was used for examining altered protein expressions affected byLINC00152. Data analysis were performed using excel and Prism. Statistical differences were assessed using the Student’s T-test. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan–Meier estimates.

Results

This study found that high levels ofLINC00152correlated positively with tumor progression, invasive potential, and TNM stage advancement in EAC.LINC00152knockdown could inhibit cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell invasion. Western blot and Real-time PCR results suggests thatLINC00152may active via STAT3 and c-MYC signaling as both demonstrated changes following knockdown and overexpression experiments.

Conclusions

This study indicated thatLINC00152might be used as both a biomarker and a novel therapeutic target to improve the outcome for EAC patients. Further characterization ofLINC00152as a novel therapeutic target for EAC is warranted.
Metabolic Buffer Analysis Reveals the Simultaneous, Independent Control of ATP and Adenylate Energy Ratios
Authors: Hancock Edward J. , Krycer James , Ang Jordan
Published: February 2020

Determining the underlying principles behind biological regulation is important for understanding the principles of life, treating complex diseases, and creatingde novosynthetic biology. Buffering - the use of reservoirs of molecules to maintain molecular concentrations - is a widespread and important mechanism for biological regulation. However, a lack of theory has limited our understanding of its roles and quantified effects. Here, we study buffering in energy metabolism using control theory and novel buffer analysis. We find that buffering can enable the simultaneous, independent control of multiple coupled outputs. In metabolism, adenylate kinase and AMP deaminase enable simultaneous control of ATP and adenylate energy ratios, while feedback on metabolic pathways is fundamentally limited to controlling one of these outputs. We also quantify the regulatory effects of the phosphagen system - the above buffers and creatine kinase - revealing which mechanisms regulate which outputs. The results are supported by human muscle and mouse adipocyte data. Together, these results illustrate the synergy of feedback and buffering in molecular biology to simultaneously control multiple outputs.
Long-read cDNA Sequencing Enables a ‘Gene-Like’ Transcript Annotation of Arabidopsis Transposable Elements
Authors: Panda Kaushik , Slotkin R. Keith
Published: February 2020

High-quality transcript-based annotations of genes facilitates both genome-wide analyses and detailed single locus research. In contrast, transposable element (TE) annotations are rudimentary, consisting of only information on location and type of TE. When analyzing TEs, their repetitiveness and limited annotation prevents the ability to distinguish between potentially functional expressed elements and degraded copies. To improve genome-wide TE bioinformatics, we performed long-read Oxford Nanopore sequencing of cDNAs from Arabidopsis lines deficient in multiple layers of TE repression. We used these uniquely-mapping transcripts to identify the set of TEs able to generate mRNAs, and created a new transcript-based annotation of TEs that we have layered upon the existing high-quality community standard TAIR10 annotation. The improved annotation enables us to test specific standing hypotheses in the TE field. We demonstrate that inefficient TE splicing does not trigger small RNA production, and the cell more strongly targets DNA methylation to TEs that have the potential to make mRNAs. This work provides a transcript-based TE annotation for Arabidopsis, and serves as a blueprint to reduce the genomic complexity associated with repetitive TEs in any organism.
Facilitating women entrepreneurship in Canada: the case of WEKH
Authors: Cukier Wendy , Hassannezhad Chavoushi Zohreh
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a multi-level framework for exploring women entrepreneurship in Canada. The authors examine the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), a platform to advance women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze the major elements associated with the processes and strategies in WEKH through a case study approach.

Findings

The findings presented in this paper clearly show how creating an inclusive innovation ecosystem linking micro-, meso- and macro-level factors has the potential to advance women entrepreneurship

Research limitations/implications

This case study presented here is in the early phase and results are not yet available.

Practical implications

The lessons from WEKH provides a model for other countries.

Social implications

Entrepreneurship drives economic development and gender equality is a critical sustainable development goal. WEKH activities will advance opportunities for women by creating a more inclusive innovation ecosystem.

Originality/value

WEKH is a knowledge hub in Canada that aims to help foster women entrepreneurship in Canada related to the women entrepreneurship strategy national program.
Supply chain quality management and firm performance in China's food industry—the moderating role of social co-regulation
Authors: Hong Jiangtao , Zhou Zhihua , Li Xin , Lau Kwok Hung
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between supply chain quality management (SCQM) and firm performance (including quality safety performance and sales performance) leveraging social co-regulation as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey data collected from 203 food manufacturers in China, a series of hierarchical linear modeling analyses were conducted to test hypotheses on the relationships between SCQM and firm performance.

Findings

The findings are threefold. First, all three dimensions of food SCQM practices, i.e., supplier quality management, internal quality management, and customer quality management, have significant positive effects on an enterprise's quality safety performance and sales performance. Second, SCQM practices can also increase sales performance indirectly through quality safety performance as a mediator. Third, while social co-regulation has no significant effect on the relationship between supplier quality management and quality safety performance, it has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between internal quality management and quality safety performance, customer quality management and quality safety performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study not only integrates SCQM with social co-regulation but also explores the regulating effect of social co-regulation through empirical analysis, thereby providing a theoretical base for future research. However, this research is confined to China and so the results are not necessarily generalizable to other countries.

Practical implications

The findings inform managers of the importance in enhancing awareness of food quality and safety as well as in improving their sensitivity to salient quality demands of external stakeholders in order to achieve better SCQM practices. The findings can also inform policymakers of the significance in designing a systematic multi-agent cooperation mechanism for food SCQM as well as to build an effective information sharing mechanism for social co-regulation of food safety.

Originality/value

This study contributes to knowledge by empirically examining the relationships of SCQM practices with firm performance. It also expands the scope of SCQM research by incorporating social co-regulation in the study framework.
Negotiating meaning within healthcare to improve suicide prevention
Authors: Doyle Susanna
Published: February 2020

Purpose

A framework for “negotiating meaning” was applied to a healthcare service to achieve a collaboratively developed suicide prevention clinical pathway.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework was originally developed during a previous study that drew on the theory of philosophical hermeneutics to enable a researcher to better understand the experience of older people. This approach was then applied to a healthcare setting and the development of a suicide prevention clinical pathway. Clinical front-line staff engaged effectively and meaningfully with each other, consumers, family members and management to develop a clinical guideline that reflected best practice and improved care provision. An additional outcome involved establishing a supportive culture in which the shared meanings underpinning the experience of working with people expressing suicidality were explored.

Findings

An evidence-based suicide prevention clinical pathway was developed collaboratively with clinicians taking the lead in the process, and leading to the agreement being reached on the final guideline and processes established. The negotiation process brought the perspectives of the different parties together enabling the sharing of underlying meaning inherent in the experience of losing a consumer tragically to suicide. A commitment to taking joint action to reduce the likelihood of further incidents occurring also grew from the shared understanding that developed.

Originality/value

This paper describes the approach that was applied to facilitate engagement processes between clinicians and service management that also challenged the power differentials that usually exist within healthcare and led to positive engagement that supported the safety and quality agenda.
The application of venture capital strategies tomusharakahfinancing
Authors: Abdul Rahman Aisyah , Mohd Nor Shifa , Salmat Mohd Fadzli
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the strategies used by venture capital (VC) firms in assisting entrepreneurs who have business potential but lack capital. The study also aims to investigate whether the VC strategy can be adopted by Islamic banks throughmusharakahfinancing.

Design/methodology/approach

Apart from content analysis, primary data were gathered from several interview sessions with the management of three VC firms and two Islamic banks.

Findings

Islamic banks in Malaysia have great potential to offermusharakahfinancing and mitigate risk by adopting the following five VC strategies: method of selection, channelling of funds, monitoring, non-capital assistance and period of investment. We propose the channelling of corporate social responsibility funds formusharakahfinancing as an initial step in applying VC strategy.

Research limitations/implications

Given the limited number of willing and eligible respondents in Malaysia, the scope of this study can be widened to a cross-country analysis wheremusharakahfinancing is widely adopted.

Practical implications

This study motivates regulatory bodies and Islamic banks to considermusharakahfinancing using the risk monitoring strategy adopted from the VC industry.

Originality/value

This study is the first to empirically explore the strategy adopted by VC companies and evaluate whether such a strategy is suitable for the concept ofmusharakahfinancing.
Qualitative analysis to determine decision-makers’ attitudes towards e-government services in a De-Facto state
Authors: Kaya Tuğberk , Sağsan Mustafa , Medeni Tunç , Medeni Tolga , Yıldız Mete
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The manner in which people, businesses and governments perform is changing because of the spread of technology. Digitalization of governments can be considered a necessity as we are now entering the era of the Internet-of-Things. The advantages and disadvantages of electronic governments have been examined in several research studies. This study aims to examine the attitudes of decision-makers towards e-government. The research aims are as follows: to determine the problems related with e-government usage, to establish the factors which decrease the usage of e-government services and to propose recommendations for the effective application of e-government practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative research has been used for the study. Participants were chosen by the snowball sampling method, and face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with all decision-makers. In-depth interviews are more efficient and enable the acquisition of better qualitative information, in-depth knowledge and statistics, as the distance between the interviewer and interviewee is reduced (Stokes and Bergin, 2006). Questions asked can be categorized under two sections, where the questions in the first section are related to the decision-maker’s management style/managerial proposition, and in the second section, technological questions are asked in terms of the preferred communication method and the decision-makers’ attitudes towards e-government practices.

Findings

Decision-makers perceive electronic government to be important, while the level of importance is observed to be different among the decision-makers. Chronic problems exist in many countries, such as nepotism, where the decision-makers have conflicting arguments about e-government and the resulting effect on nepotism. Furthermore, the study also indicates that decision-makers are aware of the importance of mobile government, although they acknowledge that more time is required, as their country is still developing. Electronic voting is also perceived to be important, although the decision-makers believe that security and privacy issues need to be solved before related projects can be initiated.

Originality/value

This research can be a benchmark study for the decision-makers of small island developing states by means of e-government. The impediments preventing the effective application of e-government practices are also discussed in the study. This study will be useful to highlight the triggers and obstacles for e-government development in the context of a developing country. Internet penetration has increased significantly since the 2000s, and therefore, decision-makers need to consider the shift in citizens’ behaviour, such as the high usage of smartphones and the emergence of the Internet-of-Things (Kaya and Bicen, 2016; Kumar et al., 2017).
Witnessing verbal aggression: role of customers’ self-conscious emotions
Authors: Okan Mehmet , Elmadag Ayse Banu
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the widespread effects of service actors’ verbal aggression on witness customers’ intentions toward the service organizations through their self-conscious emotions. The moderating roles of the witness customers’ empathic tendencies and the source of aggression are also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

In two scenario-based experiments and by adopting a multifoci approach, severity of mistreatment (aggression vs incivility vs no-mistreatment) and source of mistreatment (employee-to-employee and customer-to-customer) were manipulated to test distinctive effects of witnessing aggression on self-conscious emotions and intentions.

Findings

This study shows that witnessing aggression during service experiences negatively influences customers’ intentions towards the service organization through self-conscious emotions. Moreover, empathic tendencies of customers make these effects more pronounced. It is also shown that witnessing employee-to-employee aggression has a stronger effect on self-conscious emotions and intentions than customer-to-customer aggression.

Research limitations/implications

This paper uncovers the distinctive effects of aggressive behaviors of service actors on self-conscious emotions from the third-party perspective. It is also shown that empathic tendencies can be detrimental to service organizations in certain conditions.

Practical implications

The results warn service managers against verbal aggression because of its negative effects on witness customers. It is suggested that they should try to clarify the incident and restore justice in front of the witnesses.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first attempts to investigate the distinctive effects of witnessing aggression during service experiences and the roles of self-conscious emotions and emphatic tendencies.
The artification of corporate identity: aesthetic convergences of culture and capital
Authors: Bargenda Angela
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the claim that artworks and corporate art collections contribute a qualitative dimension to corporate identity by satisfying aesthetic, social and cultural standards.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore the qualitative research purpose, the theoretical framework is supplemented with in-depth interview data from five European banks.

Findings

The findings show that corporate art achieves synergies between culture and capital, internal and external communication and thus offers significant opportunities for innovative marketing communication and identity-building strategies.

Practical implications

The paper provides insights into how the arts interface with branding-related innovations, assisting managers in long-term decisions on value-based branding and identity construction.

Social implications

Increased arts engagement by corporations creates new synergies between cultural institutions and corporations through partnerships and philanthropic initiatives.

Originality/value

The originality of the paper is twofold. It thematically explores the under-researched field of art in marketing scholarship. From a methodological point of view, the research design is multidisciplinary and thus delineates new avenues for marketing practice and scholarship.
Internationalisation and branding strategy
Authors: Hinson Robert E. , Osabutey Ellis , Kosiba John Paul , Asiedu Frederick O.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse how professional football clubs have attained success with internationalisation and branding strategies in foreign markets.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an inductive approach, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyse the perceptions of Ghanaian fans of four English Premier League teams.

Findings

The findings of this study highlight that the strength of professional football brand equity is jointly determined by the level of brand awareness, brand loyalty and perceived quality. However, increasing competition in international markets require professional football clubs to clearly define their marketing strategies to improve how fans perceive them.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the few studies to use country-of-origin paradigm and signalling theory to explain football brand equity building, thereby extending the earlier work of Chanavat and Bodet (2009). Its empirical focus on Africa is also unique and provides evidence to suggest that global marketers have the opportunity to capitalise on market expansion opportunities in developing economies.
Small states and strategic hedging: the United Arab Emirates’ policy towards Iran
Authors: El-Dessouki Ayman , Mansour Ola Rafik
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to unveil the main changes in the UAE’s policy towards Iran since its foundation in 1971. The UAE favored strategic hedging, extending its commercial and diplomatic relations with Iran, in addition to developing its military capabilities and maintaining military/security alliances with Saudi Arabia and the USA. However, the UAE started to reorient its policy towards Iran by adopting some sort of balancing strategy in the aftermath of the Arab Spring of 2011. This paper examines how and why the UAE had to change course and explores whether it would revert back to strategic hedging with Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

The study will be carried out based on a theoretical framework drawn from strategic hedging theory, a new structural theory in international relations, to examine the shifts in UAE policy towards Iran. Previous literature suggests that small states prefer hedging over balancing or bandwagoning. The authors also undertake a descriptive analysis and deploy a longitudinal within-case method to investigate changes in UAE policy towards Iran and identify the causal mechanisms behind these changes. That method allows investigating the impact of a particular event on a case by comparing the same case before and after that event occurred.

Findings

The main finding of this study is that the UAE hedging strategy towards Iran allowed maximizing the political and economic returns from the cooperation with Iran and mitigating the long-range national security risks without breaking up the consistent and beneficial ties with other regional and global powers. Hedging achieved the desired outcome, which is preventing direct military confrontation with Iran. Hard balancing, adopted by Abu Dhabi after the 2011 Arab Spring, has proved to have some negative effects, most importantly provoking Tehran. Some recent indicators suggest, though that the UAE may revert back to its long-established hedging policy towards Iran.

Originality/value

Strategic hedging is a new structural theory in international relation, although hedging behavior in states’ foreign policies is far from new. It is new enough, thus, not have been researched sufficiently, strategic hedging still needs theorizing and comparison. This paper highlights the importance of strategic hedging as the most appropriate strategy for small states. It provides an important contribution to the application of the theory to the case of UAE policy towards Iran. The paper also assesses the conventional wisdom that small states prefer hedging over balancing in the light of the changes in the UAE foreign policy since 2011.
Commentary on “depression and people with a learning disability: a way forward”
Authors: McGill Peter
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Andrew Jahoda’s article “Depression and people with a learning disability: a way forward”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper considers depression and other issues of psychological well-being from the perspective of the eligibility criteria for social care in England as enshrined in the 2014 Care Act.

Findings

There is a danger of issues of psychological well-being being seen as health rather than social care needs. A more integrated perspective is required.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates the importance of the role of social care provision in promoting the well-being of people with learning disabilities.
The adoption of cloud computing in small and medium enterprises: a developing country perspective
Authors: Khayer Abul , Jahan Nusrat , Hossain Md. Nahin , Hossain Md. Yahin
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of cloud computing adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), further, to measure the effect of cloud computing adoption on cloud-supported firm performance through enhancing organisational agility.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model is developed by combining two popular theoretical models, namely, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the technology–organisation–environment (TOE) framework. Data are collected from 372 SMEs to test the model. The strengths of widely used structural equation modelling (SEM) are applied to analyse the data.

Findings

This study reveals that the significant predictors of cloud computing adoption are performance expectancy; effort expectancy; absorptive capacity; data security and privacy; and perceived trust. Also, cloud computing adoption positively influences firm performance directly and through organisational agility. The results of importance–performance map analysis indicate that effort expectancy falls in the critical zone, which needs to be improved.

Originality/value

This research is one of few that blends the strengths of UTAUT and TOE framework. The research outcomes yield noteworthy suggestions to cloud providers, managers and government policymakers on ways of motivating the spread of cloud computing in developing countries.
Citizenship and Unauthorised Migration: a Dialectical Relationship
Authors: Salomon Stefan
Published: February 2020

The relationship between citizenship and immigration law is often conceived as a conceptual dichotomy in which the former functions as the rhetorical domain of inclusion while immigration law does the dirty work of detention, deportation and snooping into peoples’ lives in order to uphold the inclusive values of the internal domain. States however employ a variety of practices of immigration control that infringe citizens’ rights and produce lasting dilatory effects on citizenship itself. Focusing on two specific case studies – racial profiling in identity checks carried out for immigration purposes and the standards of interpretation developed by the European Court of Human Rights in regard to the right to family life in expulsion cases – this article argues that current practices of immigration control result in a transformation of citizenship along racialised lines, which hollows citizenship's normative core of equality and liberty.
The dialectics of universality: The heterodox critical social theory of Robert Fine
Authors: Chernilo Daniel
Published: February 2020

Robert Fine was among the most original social theorists in Britain of the past 30 years, and the aim of this paper is to offer a first systematic assessment of his intellectual contribution. There are sound intellectual reasons to explore Fine’s scholarship. He maintained a problematic relation with mainstream sociology and, against the reduction of sociology to questions of method, culture, or class, he argued that sociologists must continue to ask difficult normative questions as part of the social world they ought to explain. And there are also pressing political concerns that justify a reconsideration of his writings. Global politics is currently marked by a populist wave that decries the very ideas and values that were central to Fine’s social theory: the need to uphold the rule of law at home and abroad, the politics of cosmopolitan solidarity, and the significance of antisemitism and its relationships with different forms of authoritarian politics. My main argument is that there is a dialectics of universality that drives forward Fine’s intellectual project. By this, I mean that a universalistic idea of humanity—an all‐inclusive conception of all human beings—is the most important normative intuition of modern times. This idea of humanity moves forward in history through a dual process of emancipation and domination: successful forms of social, legal, and political inclusion help make visible previous dynamics of exclusion but may also create or recreate discriminatory practices. Building on the work of French historian Michael Löwy on heterodox Jewish thinkers, I explain the three main tenets of Fine’s work: (a) his reconstruction of critical social theory; (b) the notion of cosmopolitan solidarity; and (c) the significance and main features of modern antisemitism.
Graduate capabilities required of South African food science and technology students
Authors: Metcalfe Denise J. A. , Fourie Cornelius M. , Myburgh Christoffel P. H.
Published: February 2020

South African societal stakeholders are in general not satisfied with the work preparedness of newly graduated food science and technology students. There is currently little local literature available that defines the graduate capabilities required of newly graduated food scientists and technologists in South Africa. Therefore, the outcomes of an empirical analysis conducted through stakeholder engagement to identify the required graduate capabilities of newly graduated students in food science and technology are reported in this article. A self‐developed questionnaire, administered as a web‐based survey, was used to conduct a needs analysis to identify the required graduate capabilities. The results of this study showed that the identified graduate capabilities composed of generic graduate attributes, including the related employability skills and characteristics of graduateness, the desirable personal attributes, and the foundational food science and technology knowledge, skills, and competencies required to be an effective food science and/or technology graduate that meets the expectations of stakeholders within the South African context. Comparison with the minimum educational requirements of international food science and technology organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologists 2018 “Standards and Essential Learning Outcomes,” showed considerable overlap with the required graduate capabilities identified in this study. However, it was also shown that within the South African context some additional skills and competencies in food science and technology are required from South African graduates and that existing curricula must be aligned to fully prepare students to be workplace ready.
Impact of infliximab administration before plasma exchange therapy on patients with Kawasaki disease
Authors: Shimada Shun , Matsuoka Daisuke , Murase Tsubasa , Hachiya Akira , Motoki Noriko , Nakazawa Yozo
Published: February 2020

Plasma exchange is a therapeutic option in refractory Kawasaki disease (KD). However, the effects of other immunosuppressive treatments on plasma exchange therapy have not been studied. We investigated the effect of infliximab on plasma exchange in KD as well as on the outcome in patients with KD. We studied 16 patients with intravenous immunoglobulin‐resistant KD who finally underwent plasma exchange. The patients were divided into two groups: patients who received infliximab before plasma exchange (infliximab group) and patients who did not (non‐infliximab group). The infliximab group showed a lesser median number of required total plasma exchange sessions (P = .002) and higher change and reduction rates in C‐reactive protein before and after the first plasma exchange (both P = .027) than that of the non‐infliximab group. Infliximab administered before plasma exchange reduced the number of total plasma exchange sessions and improved the plasma exchange efficacy.
Isolation and identification of antioxidant peptides from tartary buckwheat albumin (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) and their antioxidant activities
Authors: Luo Xiaoyu , Fei Ye , Xu Qingzhong , Lei Tingwen , Mo Xiaochuan , Wang Zhuting , Zhang Lilin , Mou Xia , Li Hongmei
Published: February 2020

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) albumin was hydrolyzed by alkaline protease, and three new antioxidant peptides (P1, P2, and P3) were successfully separated from the hydrolysate (TBAH). The sequences of the three antioxidant peptides were Gly‐Glu‐Val‐Pro‐Trp (GEVPW), Tyr‐Met‐Glu‐Asn‐Phe (YMENF), and Ala‐Phe‐Tyr‐Arg‐Trp (AFYRW), and their molecular weights were 586.65, 702.79, and 741.85 Da, respectively. All three peptides have a good antioxidant capacity, and P3 (AFYRW) demonstrates the best antioxidant activity of the three. The IC50 values of AFYRW for scavenging hydroxyl radicals (OH·) and (1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl) DPPH· free radicals were 0.65 and 0.64 mM, respectively. In addition, AFYRW exhibits the strongest lipid peroxidation inhibition ability and the highest reducing power. The results of this research indicate that the three isolated peptides can be used in the development of various antioxidant additives in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Chemical and cytological evaluation of honeybee pollen antioxidant ability
Authors: Yang Yue , Liu Mingchang , Wang Kai , Yang Yange , Su Ning , Huang Wensheng , Wu Yajun
Published: February 2020

The crude flavonoid extract of pollen (CFP) of four species of honeybee pollens were extracted with ethanol, and the total flavonoid contents ranged from 3.4 to 14.5 mg rutin/g dry weight. The antioxidant activities of the CFPs were evaluated from both chemical and cytological aspects. Comprehensive antioxidant scores were determined based on these two evaluation systems. The results showed that canola CFP had the highest antioxidant capacity among the four CFPs. A cytotoxicity assay was conducted to assess the safety threshold of the CFPs, and canola CFP was proved to be the least toxic to vascular endothelial cell. Of the four tested CFPs, this research suggests that canola CFP is the most promising natural antioxidant. In addition, high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis detected seven flavonoid glycosides in the hydrolysates of the four CFPs. Among them, quercetin and kaempferol were present in all four honeybee pollen extracts, but there were significant differences between their contents. A correlation analysis revealed a strong correlation between the content of quercetin in the pollen extract and the extract's antioxidant activity.

Practical Application

Many varieties of honeybee pollen are commercially available. The results of this study help guide consumers to choose honeybee pollens that have a better antioxidant effect. This report can also provide guidance and data in support of the development of honeybee pollen health products.
pH‐adjusted solvent extraction and reversed‐phase HPLC quantification of isoflavones from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)
Authors: Cho Chi‐Heung , Jung Young Sung , Nam Tae Gyu , Rha Chan‐Su , Ko Min‐Ji , Jang Davin , Kim Hong‐Sik , Kim Dae‐Ok
Published: February 2020

Soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr., are among the most important food crops worldwide. Isoflavones are major bioactive phytochemicals in soybeans, and have a variety of health benefits, including antioxidative, antiatherosclerotic, antiinflammatory, and weak estrogen‐like effects. The isoflavone content and composition of soybeans vary according to the cultivar and the extraction solvent conditions. Therefore, we investigated the effects of three different solvent pHs (1.0, 5.5, and 10.0) on the isoflavone, total phenolic, and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacities of eight soybean cultivars developed in Korea. Twelve isoflavones in soybeans were efficiently separated and identified on a reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. The percentage distribution of isoflavones measured by HPLC in the eight soybean cultivars at various extraction pHs decreased as follows: malonyl isoflavones (67.2% to 81.3%) > isoflavone glucosides (16.2% to 29.0%; as nonacylated form) > acetyl isoflavones (1.6% to 5.9%). The highest contents of isoflavone glucosides, malonyl derivatives, and acetyl derivatives were extracted at solvent pHs of 10.0, 1.0, and 5.5, respectively. The solvent extraction at pH 1.0 yielded a lower total isoflavone content than those at pHs 5.5 and 10.0. However, the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents were extracted from soybeans at pH 1.0. Soybeans extracted at pH 10.0 displayed the highest antioxidant capacities in the 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) radical assay. Taken together, these results suggest that proper solvent pH adjustment is needed to maximize the extraction of targeted forms of isoflavones from soybeans.

Practical Application

Soybeans contain a variety of bioactive compounds, including isoflavones, which function as antioxidants and weak phytoestrogens. Chemical and instrumental analyses can facilitate the selection of soybean cultivars with high amounts of isoflavones for soybean breeding and isoflavone‐enriched product development. Proper solvent pH adjustment allows for the efficient extraction of high amounts of targeted isoflavone subgroups (acetyl and malonyl forms) from soybeans for functional food products.
Cost‐effectiveness of the triple procedure – phacovitrectomy with posterior capsulotomy compared to phacovitrectomy and sequential procedures
Authors: Hertzberg Silvia N. W. , Veiby Nina C. B. B. , Bragadottir Ragnheidur , Eriksen Ketil , Moe Morten C. , Petrovski Beáta É. , Petrovski Goran
Published: February 2020

Purpose

To evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of the triple procedure (phacovitrectomy + posterior capsulotomy, PhacoPPVc) compared to the double‐ (phacovitrectomy, PhacoPPV) or single sequential procedures.

Methods

Prospective study on 31 eyes from 31 patients (mean age: 72.1 ± 9.1 years; 55% females) was performed with a preoperative decision to undergo only pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) (26%) or PhacoPPV (74%) and/or posterior capsulotomy based upon presence or absence of lens opacification or pseudophakia. Time during and between surgeries, surgical procedure codes, medical and transport costs, outcome and likelihood of complications after surgery were all included in the analysis. Societal perspectives and visual acuity were considered as measures of quality of adjusted life years (QALYs).

Results

About 23 eyes underwent triple procedure and eight eyes underwent vitrectomy only (mean surgery times: 35.9 and 24.0 min, respectively). Posterior capsulotomy took on average 30 s, while preparation and cataract procedure took 13.0 min. The patients travelled on average 80km (average cost: $280.12) to the surgery unit. The average reimbursement fee for the day procedures ranged between $174.17 (YAG capsulotomy; Diagnosis Related Group (DRG): 0.034), $1045.48 (Phaco + intraocular lens (IOL); DRG: 0.204) and $1701.32 (PPV; DRG: 0.332). The combined procedures excluded lens and laser reimbursements, while the calculated reimbursements for the double/triple procedures were $2713.08/$2901.45, respectively, without significant loss of QALYs. PhacoPPVc was found to be unequivocally cost‐effective, while PhacoPPV remained cost saving compared to sequential procedures.

Conclusion

This study confirms that the triple procedure has benefits to the patients, health institution and surgeon. For patients, it saves them travel and healing time; for health institution, it justifies the calculated higher costs and need for higher reimbursement for the double/triple procedures, which are cost saving.
Analyzing the Dynamic Relationships between Physical Infrastructure, Financial Development and Economic Growth in India
Authors: Mohanty Ranjan K. , Bhanumurthy N. R.
Published: February 2020

This paper investigates the dynamic relationships between physical infrastructure, financial development and economic growth in the case of India, using the autoregressive distributed lag and the Toda–Yamamoto causality approach for the period 1980 to 2016. A physical infrastructure index and a financial development index are constructed using the principal component analysis. The empirical results suggest that physical infrastructure has a positive effect on economic growth both in the long run and short run, whereas financial development, although significant, has a weak impact on economic growth. The causality test supports a bidirectional causal relationship between infrastructure development and economic growth, while it finds unidirectional causation running from economic growth to financial development. As India is aiming for higher growth for a sustained period, our results suggest that there is a need for government intervention in expanding the physical infrastructure and this, in turn, could lead to economic growth as well as financial sector development.
The effects of meclizine on motion sickness revisited
Authors: Wibble Tobias , Engström Johanna , Verrecchia Luca , Pansell Tony
Published: February 2020

Aims

Antihistamines make up the first line of treatments against motion‐sickness. Still, their efficacy and specific mechanism have come into question. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of meclizine on motion‐sensitivity.

Methods

This study was carried out as a triple‐blinded randomized trial involving 12 healthy subjects who were exposed to (i) vestibular (VES), (ii) visual (VIS) and (iii) visual–vestibular (VIS+VES) stimulations in the roll plane. Subjects were divided into 2 groups by stratified randomization, receiving either meclizine or a placebo. Stimulations were carried out before, and after, drug administration, presented at 2 intensity levels of 14 and 28°/s2. Eye movements were tracked, and torsional slow‐phase velocities, amplitudes and nystagmus beats were retrieved. Subjects initially graded for their motion‐sickness susceptibility.

Results

Susceptibility had no effect on intervention outcome. Despite large variations, repeated ANOVAS showed that meclizine led to a relative increase in torsional velocity compared to placebo during vestibular stimulation for both intensities: 2.36 (7.65) from −0.01 (4.17) during low intensities, and 2.61 (6.67) from −3.49 (4.76) during high. The visual–vestibular stimuli yielded a decrease during low acceleration, −0.40 (3.87) from 3.75 (5.62), but increased during high, 3.88 (6.51) from −3.88 (8.55).

Conclusions

Meclizine had an inhibitory effect on eye movement reflexes for low accelerations during VIS+VES trials. This indicates that meclizine may not primarily work through sensory‐specific mechanisms, but rather on a more central level. Practically, meclizine shows promise in targeting motion‐sickness evoked by everyday activities, but its use may be counterproductive in high‐acceleration environments.
Cannabidiol protects against high glucose‐induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in cardiac voltage‐gated sodium channels
Authors: Fouda Mohamed A. , Ghovanloo Mohammad‐Reza , Ruben Peter C.
Published: February 2020

Background and Purpose

Cardiovascular complications are the major cause of mortality in diabetic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetes‐associated arrhythmias are unclear. We hypothesized that high glucose could adversely affect Nav1.5, the major cardiac sodium channel isoform of the heart, at least partially via oxidative stress. We further hypothesized that cannabidiol (CBD), one of the main constituents of Cannabis sativa, through its effects on Nav1.5, could protect against high glucose‐elicited oxidative stress and cytotoxicity.

Experimental Approach

To test these ideas, we used CHO cells transiently co‐transfected with cDNA encoding human Nav1.5 α‐subunit under control and high glucose conditions (50 or 100 mM for 24 hr). Several experimental and computational techniques were used, including voltage clamp of heterologous expression systems, cell viability assays, fluorescence assays and action potential modelling.

Key Results

High glucose evoked cell death associated with elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) right shifted the voltage dependence of conductance and steady‐state fast inactivation, and increased persistent current leading to computational prolongation of action potential (hyperexcitability) which could result in long QT3 arrhythmia. CBD mitigated all the deleterious effects provoked by high glucose. Perfusion with lidocaine (a well‐known sodium channel inhibitor with antioxidant effects) or co‐incubation of Tempol (a well‐known antioxidant) elicited protection, comparable to CBD, against the deleterious effects of high glucose.

Conclusion and Implications

These findings suggest that, through its favourable antioxidant and sodium channel inhibitory effects, CBD may protect against high glucose‐induced arrhythmia and cytotoxicity.
Design and the customer experience: The challenge of embodying new meaning in a new service
Authors: Artusi Federico , Bellini Emilio
Published: February 2020

Innovation of Meaning (IoM) is a framework that aims to innovate the “reason why” people use a product or service. However, as current research is limited to the strategic generation phase, and we lack an understanding of how to embody new meaning in a new solution. This gap is critical, as development teams may pursue a reinterpretation of meaning strategy, causing the perceived meaning to substantially differ from the one strategically conceived. Moreover, the current dominant approaches derive from the design disciplines, which are founded on the opposite principles (outside‐in vs inside‐out). This study presents a new conceptual method in line with the core principles of the IoM framework, testing its effectiveness through an experiment with 77 managers from 33 Italian retailers. The findings indicate that the service concept needs to be simple and focused on one specific element (moment) in the customer journey. This “Moment of Meaning” takes the role of a metaphor for the whole service, and allows a coherent but flexible operationalization of the new meaning strategy in the customer experience.
Job satisfaction and co‐worker pay in Canadian firms
Authors: Javdani Mohsen , Krauth Brian
Published: February 2020

One reason to be concerned about income inequality is the idea that people care about not only their own absolute income but also their income relative to various reference groups (co‐workers, friends, neighbours, relatives, etc.). We use Canadian linked employer–employee data to estimate the casual effect of co‐worker pay on a worker's reported job and pay satisfaction. Since worker satisfaction can affect the worker's productivity, organizational commitment, turnover, creativity and innovation as well as the firm's productivity and profitability, this is an issue that requires more attention and careful examination. In models that control for a rich set of workplace characteristics, we find that co‐worker pay has a large positive and significant effect on both pay and job satisfaction. In our preferred models with establishment‐level fixed effects, the effect of co‐worker pay on pay satisfaction is half as large and the effect on job satisfaction completely disappears, suggesting that part (all) of what previous studies attribute to the effect of co‐worker pay on worker pay (job) satisfaction is driven by unobserved heterogeneity across firms or establishments. Our results also suggest that the effect of co‐worker pay on worker satisfaction is much stronger for workers who leave their job during the following year. Finally, we find that while co‐worker pay has a positive effect on pay satisfaction among Canadian‐born whites, it has a negative effect among immigrants and Canadian‐born visible minorities.