bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal, environmental, and biological drivers of the mucosal microbiome in a wild marine fish,Scomber japonicus
Authors: Minich Jeremiah J , Petrus Semar , Michael Julius D , Michael Todd P , Knight Rob , Allen Eric E.
Published: August 2019

Changing ocean conditions driven by anthropogenic activity may have a negative impact on fisheries by increasing stress and disease with the mucosal microbiome as a potentially important intermediate role. To understand how environment and host biology drives mucosal microbiomes in a marine fish, we surveyed five body sites (gill, skin, digesta, GI, and pyloric caeca) from 229 Pacific chub mackerel,Scomber japonicus, collected across 38 time points spanning one year from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Pier, making this the largest and longest wild marine fish microbiome survey. Mucosal sites had unique communities significantly different from the surrounding sea water and sediment communities with over 10 times more diversity than sea water alone. Although, external surfaces such as skin and gill were more similar to sea water, digesta was similar to sediment. Both alpha and beta diversity of the skin and gill was explained by environmental and biological factors, especially sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a, and fish age, consistent with an exposure gradient relationship. We verified that seasonal microbial changes were not confounded by migrations of chub mackerel sub-populations by nanopore sequencing a 14 769 bp region of the 16 568 bp mitochondria. A cosmopolitan pathogen,Photobacterium damselae, was prevalent across multiple body sites all year, but highest in the skin, GI, and digesta between June and September. Our study evaluates the extent which the environment and host biology drives mucosal microbial ecology, establishing a baseline for long term monitoring surveys for linking environment stressors to mucosal health of wild marine fish.
Pdl1 and icosl discriminate human secretory and helper dendritic cells
Authors: Hoffmann Caroline , Noel Floriane , Grandclaudon Maximilien , Michea Paula , Surun Aurore , Faucheux Lilith , Sirven Philemon , Lantz Olivier , Rochefort Juliette , Klijanienko Jerzy , Lecerf Charlotte , Kamal Maud , Le Tourneau Christophe , Guillot-Delost Maude , Soumelis Vassili
Published: August 2019

Dendritic cells (DC) are described as immature at the steady state, with a high antigen capture capacity, turning into a mature state with a strong T cell stimulatory capacity upon activation. Using 16 different stimuli in vitro (130 observations), we describe two states of human activated dendritic cells. PDL1highICOSLlow “secretory DC” produced large amounts of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines but induced very low levels of T helper (Th) cytokines following DC-T co-culture; conversely PDL1lowICOSLhigh “helper DC” produced low levels of secreted factors but induced high levels of Th cytokines characteristic of a broad range of Th subsets. Secretory DC were phenotypically identified in T cell inflamed primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. RNAseq analysis showed that they expressed a typical secretory DC signature, including CD40, PVR, IL1B, TNF, and CCL19. This novel and universal functional dichotomy of human DC opens broad perspectives for the characterization of inflammatory diseases, and for immunotherapy.
Staphylococcus pasteuri isolates (Spvs) from human atherosclerotic plaques mediate virulence, intracellular resistance and transendothelial invasion of macrophages: A mechanistic paradigm for microbial pathogenicity in atherosclerosis
Authors: Haque Nasreen S. , Modi Jayesh , Haque Niloufar , Laskpwski Igor , Mateo Romeo B. , Babu Sateesh C. , Barasch Samuel , Fallon John , Amar Solomon
Published: August 2019

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of multifactorial etiology, is the leading cause of death worldwide. The concept of ‘bacterial persistence’ has been proposed as one of several contributing factors to this disease. We hypothesized that the infectious agent(s) found at the site of the atheroma may be dormant but perpetuate virulence in response to host defense and other physiological triggers. In this study, we sought to identify the source of persistent infection in human atherosclerotic plaque and define how pathogen virulence and host defenses mediate plaque vulnerability. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to identify bacteria from pure cultures obtained from atherosclerotic tissues of living subjects diagnosed with more than 70% occlusion of the carotid artery undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CE). WGS identified the predominant species as S. pasteuri (Spv) in all CE isolates grown in pure culture except one isolate which was identified as B. licheniformis. All S. pasteuri isolates (Spvs) were found to contain genes for widespread virulence, invasion, and intracellular resistance. As macrophages (Mφs) play a decisive role at all stages of this disease we treated mouse Mφs (RAW 264.7) with Spvs. While all Spvs tested demonstrated their ability to survive phagocytosis, the highly virulent Spvs also activated Mφs and induced trans-endothelial cell migration of these cells which was mediated via the CC chemokine CCL1 and its receptor CCR8. In conclusion, we show that Spvs are found in CE plaques, have the capacity to survive phagocytosis and induce the transmigration of Mφs across an endothelial barrier in a CCL1-CCR8 dependent process. These findings highlight the significance of carotid vessels as a reservoir for S. pasteuri, a pathogen found in products used routinely in human consumption; this may explain how microbial pathogenicity modulates plaque vulnerability in atherosclerosis.
A carbonic anhydrase pseudogene sensitizes selectBrucellalineages to low CO2tension
Authors: Varesio Lydia M. , Willett Jonathan W. , Fiebig Aretha , Crosson Sean
Published: August 2019

Brucellaare intracellular pathogens that cause a disease known as brucellosis. Though the genus is highly monomorphic at the genetic level, species have animal host preferences and some defining physiologic characteristics. Of note is the requirement for increased CO2tension to cultivate particular species, which confounded early efforts to isolateB. abortusfrom diseased cattle. Differences in the capacity ofBrucellaspecies to assimilate CO2are determined by mutations in the carbonic anhydrase gene,bcaA. Ancestral single nucleotide insertions inbcaAhave resulted in frameshifted pseudogenes inB. abortusandB. ovislineages, which underlie their inability to grow under the low CO2tension of a standard atmosphere. Incubation of wild-typeB. ovisin air selects for mutations that “rescue” a functionalbcaAreading frame, which enables growth under low CO2and enhances growth rate in high CO2. Consistent with this result, we show that heterologous expression of functionalE. colicarbonic anhydrases enablesB. ovisgrowth in air. Growth of wild-typeB. ovisis acutely sensitive to a reduction in CO2tension, while frame-rescuedB. ovismutants are completely insensitive to CO2shifts. Wild-typeB. ovisinitiates a gene expression program upon CO2downshift that resembles the stringent response and results in activation of itsvirBtype IV secretion system. Our study provides evidence that loss-of-function insertion mutations inbcaAsensitize the response ofB. ovisandB. abortusto reduced CO2tension relative to otherBrucellalineages. CO2-dependent starvation and virulence gene expression programs in these species may influence persistence or transmission in natural hosts.

Importance

Brucellaspp. are highly related, but exhibit differences in animal host preference that must be determined by genome sequence differences.B. ovisand the majority ofB. abortusstrains require increased CO2tension to be cultivatedin vitro, and harbor conserved insertional mutations in the carbonic anhydrase,bcaA, which underlie this trait. Mutants that grow in a standard atmosphere, first reported nearly a century ago, are easily selected in the laboratory. These mutants harbor varied indel polymorphisms inbcaAthat restore its consensus reading frame and rescue its function. Loss ofbcaAfunction has evolved independently in theB. ovisandB. abortuslineages, and results in a dramatically increased sensitivity to CO2limitation.
Floral organs act as environmental filters and interact with pollinators to structure the yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) floral microbiome
Authors: Gómez María Rebolleda , Ashman Tia-Lynn
Published: August 2019

Assembly of microbial communities is the result of neutral and selective processes. However, the relative importance of these processes is still debated. Microbial communities of flowers, in particular, have gained recent attention because of their potential impact to plant fitness and plant-pollinator interactions. However, the role of selection and dispersal in the assembly of these communities remains poorly understood. We evaluated the role of pollinator-mediated dispersal on the contribution of neutral and selective processes in the assembly of floral microbiomes of the yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus). We sampled floral organs from flowers in the presence and absence of pollinators within five different serpentine seeps in CA and obtained 16S amplicon data on the epiphytic bacterial communities. Consistent with strong micro-environment selection within flowers we observed significant differences in community composition across floral organs and only a small effect of geographic distance. Pollinator exposure affected the contribution of environmental selection and depended on the rate and “intimacy” of interactions with flower visitors. This study provides evidence of the importance of dispersal and within-flower heterogeneity in shaping epiphytic bacterial communities of flowers, and highlights the complex interplay between pollinator behavior, environmental selection and additional abiotic factors in shaping the epiphytic bacterial communities of flowers.
Genetic and functional evidence relates a missense variant inB4GALT1to lower LDL-C and fibrinogen
Authors: Montasser May E. , Hout Cristopher V.Van , McFarland Rebecca , Rosenberg Avraham , Callaway Myrasol , Shen Biao , Li Ning , Daly Thomas J. , Howard Alicia D. , Lin Wei , Mao Yuan , Ye Bin , Gatta Giusy Della , Tzoneva Gannie , Perry James , Ryan Kathleen A. , Miloscio Lawrence , Economides Aris N. ,   Regeneron Genetics Center,   NHLBI TOPMed Program, Sztalryd-Woodle Carole , Mitchell Braxton D. , Healy Matthew , Streeten Elizabeth , Zaghloul Norann A. , Taylor Simeon I. , O’Connell Jeffrey R. , Shuldiner Alan R.
Published: August 2019

Increased LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and fibrinogen are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We identified novel associations between an Amish-enriched missense variant (p.Asn352Ser) in a functional domain of beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (B4GALT1) and 13.5 mg/dl lower LDL-C (p=1.6E-15), and 26 mg/dl lower plasma fibrinogen (p= 9.8E-05). N-linked glycan profiling found p.Asn352Ser to be associated (p-values from 1.4E-06 to 1.0E-17) with decreased glycosylation of glycoproteins including: fibrinogen, ApoB100, immunoglobulin G (IgG), and transferrin.In vitroassays found that the mutant (352Ser) protein had 50% lower galactosyltransferase activity compared to wild type (352Asn) protein. Knockdown ofb4galt1in zebrafish embryos resulted in significantly lower LDL-C compared to control, which was fully rescued by co-expression of 352Asn humanB4GALT1mRNA but only partially rescued by co-expression of 352Ser humanB4GALT1mRNA. Our findings establishB4GALT1as a novel gene associated with lower LDL-C and fibrinogen and suggest that targeted modulation of protein glycosylation may represent a therapeutic approach to decrease CVD risk.
Impaired Therapeutic Efficacy of Bone Marrow Cells from Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients in the TIME and LateTIME Clinical Trials
Authors: Wang Xiaoyin , Derakhshandeh Ronak , Rodriguez Hilda J. , Han Daniel D. , Kostyushev Dmitry S. , Henry Timothy D. , Traverse Jay H. , Moyé Lem , Simari Robert D. , Taylor Doris A. , Springer Matthew L.
Published: August 2019

Implantation of bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) into mouse hearts post-myocardial infarction (MI) limits cardiac functional decline. However, clinical trials of post-MI BMC therapy have yielded conflicting results. While most laboratory experiments use healthy BMC donor mice, clinical trials use post-MI autologous BMCs. Post-MI mouse BMCs are therapeutically impaired, due to inflammatory changes in BMC composition. Thus, therapeutic efficacy of the BMCs progressively worsens after MI but recovers as donor inflammatory response resolves. The availability of post-MI patient BM mononuclear cells (MNCs) from the TIME and LateTIME clinical trials enabled us to test if human post-MI MNCs undergo a similar period of impaired efficacy. We hypothesized that MNCs from TIME trial patients would be less therapeutic than healthy human donor MNCs when implanted into post-MI mouse hearts, and that therapeutic properties would be restored in MNCs from LateTIME trial patients. Post-MI SCID mice received MNCs from healthy donors, TIME patients, or LateTIME patients. Cardiac function improved considerably in the healthy donor group, but neither the TIME nor LateTIME group showed therapeutic effect. Conclusion: post-MI human MNCs lack therapeutic benefits possessed by healthy MNCs, which may partially explain why BMC clinical trials have been less successful than mouse studies.
Short and long TNF-alpha exposure recapitulates canonical astrogliosis events in human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived astrocytes
Authors: Trindade Pablo , Loiola Erick Correia , Gasparotto Juciano , Ribeiro Camila Tiefensee , Leal Cardozo Pablo , Devalle Sylvie , Salerno José Alexandre , Ornelas Isis Moraes , Ledur Pitia Flores , Ribeiro Fabiola Mara , Ventura Ana Lucia Marques , Moreira José Claudio Fonseca , Gelain Daniel Pens , Porciúncula Lisiane Oliveira , Rehen Stevens Kastrup
Published: August 2019

Astrogliosis comprises a variety of changes in astrocytes that occur in a context-specific manner, triggered by temporally diverse signaling events that vary with the nature and severity of brain insults. However, most mechanisms underlying astrogliosis were described using animal models, which fail to reproduce some aspects of human astroglial signaling. Here, we report an in vitro model to study astrogliosis using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived astrocytes which replicates aspects temporally intertwined of reactive astrocytes in vivo. We analyzed the time course of astrogliosis by measuring nuclear translocation of NF-kB, secretion of cytokines and changes in morphological phenotypes of human iPSC-derived astrocytes exposed to TNF-α. It was observed the NF-kB nuclear translocation, increases either in the inflammation-related cytokines secretion and gene expression for IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α following 24 h TNF-α stimulation. After 5 days, human iPSC-derived astrocytes exposed to TNF-α exhibited increases in vimentin and GFAP immunolabeling, elongated shape and shrinkage of nuclei, which is typical phenotypes of astrogliosis. Moreover, about a 50% decrease in D-[3H] aspartate uptake was observed over the astrogliosis course with no evident cell damage, which suggests astrocytic dysfunction. Taken together, our results indicate that cultured human iPSC-derived astrocytes reproduce canonical events associated to astrogliosis in a time dependent fashion. Our findings may contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms governing human astrogliosis. Furthermore, the approach described here presents a potential applicability as a platform to uncover novel biomarkers and new drug targets to refrain astrogliosis associated to human brain disorders.
Lateral occipitotemporal cortex encodes perceptual components of social actions rather than abstract representations of sociality
Authors: Wurm Moritz. F. , Caramazza Alfonso
Published: August 2019

Neuroimaging studies suggest that areas in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC) play an important role in the perception of social actions. However, it is unclear what precisely about social actions these areas represent: perceptual features that may be indicative of social actions – such as the presence of persons in a scene, their orientation toward each other, and in particular the directedness of action movements toward persons or other targets – or more abstract representations that capture whether an action is meant to be social. In two fMRI experiments, we used representational similarity analysis (RSA) to test whether LOTC is sensitive to perceptual action components important for social interpretation and/or more general representations of sociality (Experiment 1) and implied person-directedness (Experiment 2). We found that LOTC is sensitive to perceptual action components (person presence, person orientation, and action directedness toward different types of recipients). By contrast, more general levels of sociality and implied person-directedness were not captured by LOTC. Our findings suggest that regions in LOTC provide the perceptual basis for social action interpretation but challenge accounts that posit specialization at more general levels sensitive to social actions and sociality as such. We propose that the interpretation of an action – in terms of sociality or other intentional aspects – arises from the interaction of multiple areas in processing relevant action components in a situation-dependent manner.
Inferring immunological control mechanisms from TKI dose alterations in CML patients
Authors: Hähnel Tom , Baldow Christoph , Fassoni Artur C. , Guilhot Joëlle , Guilhot François , Saussele Susanne , Mustjoki Satu , Jilg Stefanie , Jost Philipp J. , Dulucq Stephanie , Mahon François-Xavier , Roeder Ingo , Glauche Ingmar
Published: August 2019

Recent clinical findings in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients suggest that the risk of molecular recurrence after stopping tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) treatment substantially depend on an individual, leukemia-specific immune response. However, it is still not possible to prospectively identify patients that will most likely remain in a long-term treatment free remission (TFR). Here, we use a mathematical model for CML, which explicitly includes an anti-leukemic (presumably immunological) effect and apply it to a set of patients (n=60) for whom BCR-ABL/ABL time courses had been quantified before and after TKI stop. We demonstrate that such a feedback control is conceptually necessary to explain long-term remission as observed in about half of the patients. Based on simulation results we classify the patient data sets into three different groups according to their predicted immune system configuration. While one class of patients requires a complete CML eradication to achieve TFR, other patients are able to control the leukemia after treatment cessation. Among them, we identified a third class of patients, which only maintains TFR if an optimal balance between leukemia abundance and immunological activation is achieved before treatment cessation. Further, we demonstrate that the immune response classification of the patients cannot be obtained solely from BCR-ABL measurements before treatment cessation. However, our results strongly suggest that changes in the BCR-ABL dynamics arising after system perturbations, such as TKI dose reduction, holds the information to predict the individual outcome after treatment cessation.
Dissection of acute stimulus-inducible nucleosome remodeling in mammalian cells
Authors: Comoglio Federico , Simonatto Marta , Polletti Sara , Liu Xin , Smale Stephen T. , Barozzi Iros , Natoli Gioacchino
Published: August 2019

Accessibility of the genomic regulatory information is largely controlled by the nucleosome-organizing activity of transcription factors (TFs). While stimulus-induced TFs bind to genomic regions that are maintained accessible by lineage-determining TFs, they also increase accessibility of thousands ofcis-regulatory elements. Nucleosome remodeling events underlying such changes and their interplay with basal positioning are unknown. Here, we devised a novel quantitative framework discriminating different types of nucleosome remodeling events in micrococcal nuclease ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation [ChIP] combined with high-throughput sequencing) data sets and used it to analyze nucleosome dynamics at stimulus-regulatedcis-regulatory elements. At enhancers, remodeling preferentially affected poorly positioned nucleosomes while sparing well-positioned nucleosomes flanking the enhancer core, indicating that inducible TFs do not suffice to overrule basal nucleosomal organization maintained by lineage-determining TFs. Remodeling events appeared to be combinatorially driven by multiple TFs, with distinct TFs showing, however, different remodeling efficiencies. Overall, these data provide a systematic view of the impact of stimulation on nucleosome organization and genome accessibility in mammalian cells.
Resolving dynamic fragmentation of liquids at the nanoscale with ultrafast small-angle X-ray scattering
Authors: Chen Sen , Chai Hai-Wei , He An-Min , Tschentscher Thomas , Cai Yang , Luo Sheng-Nian
Published: August 2019

High-brightness coherent ultrashort X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) are promising in resolving nanoscale structures at the highest temporal resolution (∼10 fs). The feasibility is explored of resolving ultrafast fragmentation of liquids at the nanoscale with single-shot small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) on the basis of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Fragmentation of liquid sheets under adiabatic expansion is investigated. From the simulated SAXS patterns, particle-volume size distributions are obtained with the regularization method and average particle sizes with the weighted Guinier method, at different expansion rates. The particle sizes obtained from simulated SAXS are in excellent agreement with direct cluster analysis. Pulse-width effects on SAXS measurements are examined. The results demonstrate the feasibility of resolving the nanoscale dynamics of fragmentation and similar processes with SAXS, and provide guidance for future XFEL experiments and data interpretation.
Revealing phase boundaries by weighted parametric structural refinement
Authors: Marlton Frederick , Checchia Stefano , Daniels John
Published: August 2019

Parametric Rietveld refinement from powder diffraction data has been utilized in a variety of situations to understand structural phase transitions of materials in situ. However, when analysing data from lower-resolution two-dimensional detectors or from samples with overlapping Bragg peaks, such transitions become difficult to observe. In this study, a weighted parametric method is demonstrated whereby the scale factor is restrained via an inverse tan function, making the phase boundary composition a refinable parameter. This is demonstrated using compositionally graded samples within the lead-free piezoelectric (BiFeO3)
x
(Bi0.5K0.5TiO3)
y
(Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3)1–x–y
and (Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3)
x
(BaTiO3)1–x
systems. This has proven to be an effective method for diffraction experiments with relatively low resolution, weak peak splitting or compositionally complex multiphase samples.
Situational factors in alcoholic beverage consumption
Authors: Calvo-Porral Cristina , Levy-Mangin Jean-Pierre
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Situational factors influence food and drink consumption, being how, when and where, not fully researched. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to address the influence of “where” in alcoholic beverage consumption. That is, the authors examine the influence of the place of consumption, comparing consumer behaviour at home and at hostelry outlets.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, beer was selected as the alcoholic beverage category. Then, a conceptual model of consumer behaviour was proposed and empirically tested through multi-group structural equation modelling (SEM) on a sample of 525 beer consumers (home consumers=209 and hostelry consumers=316.

Findings

The findings show that the place of consumption influences alcoholic beverage consumer behaviour. While home consumers demand value for money, hostelry consumers seek for product perceived quality.

Practical implications

This research suggests the applicability of situational factors to the beverages market, providing a starting point for situational segmentation.

Originality/value

The authors’ major contribution is the empirical examination into how alcoholic beverage consumption behaviour is situational dependent.
The role of species for the acceptance of edible insects: evidence from a consumer survey
Authors: Schäufele Isabel , Barrera Albores Eric , Hamm Ulrich
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Even though insect products increasingly receive attention as a sustainable food alternative to meat, consumer acceptance remains low. The purpose of this paper is to test consumer acceptance of two different insect species with varying degrees of processing which led to different degrees of insects’ visibility.

Design/methodology/approach

Insect dishes that varied according to species and degree of visibility were presented to participants of a self-administered personal survey within a meal context. Consumer acceptance was measured through the willingness-to-try the different dishes, and a hierarchical linear regression was applied to estimate the role of insect species.

Findings

Consumer acceptance can be improved by focusing on different forms of food processing and different insect species. The lower the visibility of insects, the higher the consumer acceptance, independent of insect species. However, this is not sufficient to overcome consumers’ widely held rejection. Main barriers for consumer acceptance seem to be low social and cultural acceptance, fear of trying unknown products and a lack of taste experience.

Originality/value

A huge body of literature has examined determinants of insect consumption, but the majority of these studies did not consider the effects of insect species. The study’s main objective is to close this research gap while checking the most relevant individual traits as identified through a literature review: food neophobia and familiarity, social and cultural norms, awareness of benefits of insect production, meat consumption and socio-demographics.
A sensory perspective in the Italian beer market
Authors: Cillo Valentina , Gavinelli Laura , Ceruti Francesca , Perano Mirko , Solima Ludovico
Published: August 2019

Purpose

From literature, an uncovered issue around the customer-based brand equity (CBBE) is detected: the influence of sensorial preferences on the relationship between social media communication and CBBE. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects produced by social media brand communication – both firm-created content (FCC) and user-generated content (UGC) – on CBBE, according to the sensorial preferences in the beer industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review has been used to develop a research model and hypotheses. The research is based on online survey carried out on a sample of 183 valid questionnaires of Italian active fans and followers in the beer industry. A multi-group analysis applied to structural equation modeling is used.

Findings

The sensory dimension prevails limiting the operating range of brand awareness that does not strongly affect CBBE. In brand equity development’ process, non-sensorial users do not consider sensorial preferences. The brand equity can become stronger by stimulating the reaction of customers through firms’ communication by using social media platforms. Therefore, the quality of peer interactions in the social media communication has a positive impact on brand loyalty. When firms use social media communication to increase overall brand equity, they have to foster and monitor FCC and UGC responses that affect different CBBE components.

Originality/value

The paper provides empirical evidence about the relationship between social media communication and CBBE, according to the importance given to sensorial preferences by beer lovers. This can be considered as the first study on this specific topic focused on the CBBE issue.
The relevance of socially responsible blue-collar human resource management
Authors: Lin-Hi Nick , Rothenhöfer Lisa , Blumberg Igor
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Chinese factories can attract and retain blue-collar workers. While higher wages are typically considered to be an effective HR instrument in this regard, this paper argues for the relevance of ethics in the HR domain. To this end, the paper develops and tests the concept of socially responsible blue-collar human resource management (SRBC-HRM).

Design/methodology/approach

In a scenario-based experiment, 296 blue-collar employees from a Chinese garment factory responded to questionnaires measuring their job choice determinants regarding a fictitious employer. In the scenarios, pay level (average vs above average) and SRBC-HRM (good vs poor) were manipulated.

Findings

The results revealed significantly positive relationships between SRBC-HRM and Chinese blue-collar workers’ job choice determinants (employer attractiveness, employer prestige and recommendation intentions), which were moderated by workers’ perceived importance of employer prestige. However, there was no significant effect of above-average pay on the three job choice determinants. Moreover, average pay in combination with good SRBC-HRM had stronger effects on job choice determinants than above-average pay in combination with poor SRBC-HRM.

Practical implications

The study highlights the economic relevance of the ethical treatment of employees in the manufacturing sector. In addition, the findings challenge the predominant managerial view that monetary rewards are the most important factor for instilling productive employee attitudes and intentions.

Social implications

Poor labor practices are still widespread in factories in emerging countries. By indicating that SRBC-HRM improves factories’ bottom line, the study provides a powerful rationale for factory managers to improve working conditions.

Originality/value

The present paper introduces the concept of SRBC-HRM specifically tailored to the context of blue-collar workers in emerging countries, who have received little attention in the literature. In addition, the findings demonstrate the economic relevance of SRBC-HRM.
An effect of fabrics thickness and structure on moisture management properties of 3D spacer fabrics
Authors: T. Palani Rajan , C. Prakash , G. Ramakrishnan
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Polyester multifilament is used to produce the face and back layer of warp knitted spacer fabric (WKSF) and these two layers are connected by polyester monofilament as a middle layer. This fabric has unique and extraordinary characteristics, and different possibilities of fabric structure and the middle layer thickness are tried to find out the moisture management properties. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigates the influence of fabric thickness and structure on moisture management properties.

Findings

Polyester monofilament quickly up takes the water molecule from the water reservoir and transfers it by capillary action. The gravitational force and the availability space between the two outer surface layers restrict the movement of water molecules, although the pressure develops to push the molecules from the water reservoir. As a result, all the spacer fabric samples attain the equilibrium state very quickly. WKSF and the hexagonal net structure prove to be better in vertical wicking.

Originality/value

The liquid movement is quick in the front side of the spacer fabric, and the rate of wicking is higher in open structure than in the closed structure. It confirms that the hexagonal net structure produces high pore size on fabric and it reaches maximum wicking values. Fabric thickness does not have much influence on the vertical wicking properties of all fabric samples, and the rate of liquid movement produces a similar trend. In in-plane wicking, the polyester monofilament in the middle layer of spacer fabric plays a major role rather than the outer surface layers of fabric.
The role of NGOs on health and peace development through implementing support programs for victims of child abuse
Authors: Naderi Somayeh , Naderi Samira
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The reduction of the violence and child abuse requires the cooperation of national and international health-related organizations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of NGOs in health and peace development through administrating supportive programs for child abuse and violence victims.

Design/methodology/approach

The present research was a mixed method research, and the type of research was a descriptive-analytic study. To collect data, library and field methods were used. The research sample included 137 staff members of the NGOs supporting children in Tehran. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software.

Findings

According to authorities and members of the NGOs supporting children, networking and affective factors played a significant role in the development of health and peace (P<0.01). This was feasible by controlling the factors affecting violence and child abuse.

Practical implications

Given the fact that NGOs are contributing to the development and establishment of peace through effective participation and networking, trying to support the victims of child abuse and violence, the need for more attention from governments is recommended in order to support these organizations, especially legislative and financial support is needed to expand the activities of such organizations.

Originality/value

This paper is original in its method, topic and findings. The first is mixed method research, which has studied the role of networking of NGOs for peace development through implementing support programs for victims of child abuse and violence.
Classification and positioning of TQM practices for implementation in steel industries
Authors: Bajaj Shweta , Garg Ruchi , Sethi Monika , Dey Sujit
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to classify the total quality management (TQM) practices and position them based on their importance in the implementation of TQM in steel industries for obtaining improved business performance and customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study undergoes a deep literature review to recognise the TQM practices necessary for the implementation of TQM in the steel industry. The identified 17 practices were grouped under three activities such as “breakthrough activities”, “improvement activities” and “routine operational and maintenance activities” with experts’ suggestion. The positioning of 17 TQM practices and 3 activities of TQM was done using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique as per their relevance in TQM implementation.

Findings

The findings of the research show that though all the 17 practices and 3 activities of TQM play a vital role in the successful implementation of TQM in steel industries, breakthrough activities have gained more weightage as compared to the other two activities. Top management commitment, quality system and continuous improvement are relatively more important than the other practices.

Research limitations/implications

The research has limitation analogous to the AHP technique. The technique considers all the sub-sets of each nod to be independent from each other, whereas in real world this does not stand true.

Practical implications

The study positions the TQM practices and activities on the basis of their relevance in TQM implementation in the steel industry, thus helping the managers in understanding which practice has to give how much importance for TQM implementation in steel industries. By following the practices according to the weights, the managers can achieve the results desired from TQM implementation.

Originality/value

The study gives the implementation priorities of TQM practices in the steel industry. To the best knowledge of researcher, it is the first study in the steel sector for TQM implementation. The lacuna was reported by the literature, and the researcher has made an attempt to fill that gap.
Moving past sporadic eruptions, discursive killing, and running amok: recognizing the convergence of the serial and spree killer
Authors: Yaksic Enzo
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Rapid sequence homicide offenders (RSHOs), formerly spree killers, are an understudied population due to the confusion surrounding their classification in relation to serial murderers. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory, comparative analysis of 56 RSHOs and 60 serial murderers was conducted on US-based data from 2014 to 2018 derived from the Consolidated Serial Homicide Offender Database to determine similarities and differences between the cohorts.

Findings

RSHOs and serial murderers are similar in that they often kill their victims using a singular method, have limited mobility, kill a similar number of victims both known and unknown to them and are both supremely motivated by domestic anger. There is an inverse relationship between serial murderers and RSHOs: as one group increases in prevalence the other decreases.

Practical implications

In order to divert men into more pro-social activities, attention must be dedicated to increasing mental health services that provide them with the tools to diffuse their hatred and couple that with effective gun control strategies and ways to enhance the compromised anger management skills of a generation of volatile men.

Originality/value

Academicians have been hesitant to juxtapose these offenders but based this conclusion on surface-level differences. A reimagining of these categorical structures is needed. The once clear delineation between these cohorts may continue to shrink and synchronize until one subsumes the other.
What leads victims to resist? Factors that influence victim resistance in sexual assaults
Authors: Balemba Samantha , Beauregard Eric
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Victim resistance has been shown to have an important impact on the outcome of sexual assaults. Thus, the factors that affect a victim’s likelihood of various levels of resistance are relevant to consider, given the possibly detrimental effect these actions can have on crime outcome. While not intended to blame the victim in any way, it is important to examine the role the victim plays within a sexually coercive interchange in order to completely understand the sex crime event and, thus, be able to inform potential victims as to the patterns that increase resistance and, potentially, overall violence. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Sequential logistic regression analyses were conducted on a sample of 613 sex offenses (incorporating both adult and child victims) to examine the individual and combined effects of offender lifestyle, disinhibitors, victim vulnerability, situational impediments and offender modus operandi on victim resistance levels.

Findings

Results suggest that indicators of offender mindset are significant, particularly the use of pornography prior to the crime, and affect victim interpretation and response to the offender’s actions during the course of the assault. Other relevant factors include the victim’s age and the degree of violence present in the offender’s approach and subsequent offending strategies.

Originality/value

This information would be helpful to incorporate into victim education programs so that past and future potential victims can better understand the criminal event and the causes and effects of their own actions within that event.
Salutogenic workplace design
Authors: Roskams Michael , Haynes Barry
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss opportunities for health promotion through the workplace environment, adopting a “salutogenic” perspective of health which more explicitly focuses on factors that support human health and well-being, as opposed to factors which cause disease.

Design/methodology/approach

In the introduction, the salutogenic model of health and the Environmental Demands-Resources model are discussed, providing a conceptual framework to represent the workplace environment as a composite of pathogenic “demands” and salutogenic “resources”. Subsequently, a narrative review is performed to discuss the existing literature from the perspective of this novel framework, identifying environmental resources which might strengthen the three components of an employee’s “sense of coherence” (comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness), an individual orientation associated with more positive health outcomes.

Findings

Comprehensibility can be supported by effectively implementing a clear set of rules governing the use of the workplace. Manageability can be supported through biophilic design solutions, and through design which supports social cohesion and physical activity. Meaningfulness can be supported by recognising the importance of personal identity expression and through design which reinforces the employees’ sense of purpose.

Originality/value

The salutogenic perspective is a potentially valuable but relatively under-considered paradigm in workplace practice. The key contribution of this paper is to encourage researchers and practitioners to recognise the crucial role that an individual’s sense of coherence plays in supporting higher levels of physical and mental health, so that they increase their ability to provide truly “healthy” workplaces, capable of promoting health as well as minimising the risk of disease.
An investigation of mechanical behavior of concrete containing crushed waste glass
Authors: Asa Eric , Anna Ahmed Shaker , Baffoe-Twum Edmund
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the evaluation of the compressive and splitting tensile strength of concrete mixes containing different proportions of up to 20 per cent glass aggregate. Portions of sand in concretes with and without admixtures were replaced with measurements of glass aggregates.

Design/methodology/approach

“Glascrete” is a term used for concrete in which crushed glass is used as a substitute for all or part of the aggregates. Glass can be recycled many times without changing its properties, making it an ideal material in concrete. Overall, 144 cubes and 144 cylinders of glascretes were prepared with different admixtures and subjected to compressive and splitting tensile strength test.

Findings

A comparison with a 21-day control mix indicated that glass aggregates are replacing sand in concrete ranging from 5 to 20 per cent by volume, resulting in 3.8-10.6 per cent and 3.9-16.4 per cent fall in compressive and tensile strength, respectively. However, the use of mineral admixture improved the properties of the mixes at 3, 7, 14 and 21 days.

Social implications

Cities worldwide are congested, and even those with the best waste-management system would have issues with waste disposal after the year 2030. Consequently, waste management is a current issue for cities all over the world.

Originality/value

This study aims to evaluate the physical properties of mortar mixes that contain different volumes of waste glass as substitutes for fine aggregate with or without additives. Mineral additives are used to improve the mechanical properties of glascrete mixes in addition to its chemical resistance by absorbing the OH− ions responsible for the possible alkali-silica reaction (ASR). It also reduces the adverse effects of mix-dimensional stability. Water-reducing admixtures are used to reduce the impact of the ASR by minimizing the amount of moisture in concrete, in effect decreasing the possible expansion of any produced gel. In this research, compressive and splitting tensile strength of concrete mortar containing waste glass of limited substitutions is evaluated.
IS outsourcing satisfaction and the IS managers’ job
Authors: Gonzalez Reyes , Gasco Jose , Llopis Juan
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine information system (IS) outsourcing success through the satisfaction achieved therewith. It simultaneously analyzes how IS outsourcing may influence the IS managers’ job.

Design/methodology/approach

The results obtained in a survey on this topic carried out over a 12-year period are described. The proposal consists in a model that relates the degree of outsourcing with the satisfaction achieved therewith, in which the influence exerted by IS on the systems manager’s job acts as a mediating variable.

Findings

The study concludes that the way in which outsourcing affects the IS managers positively influences the satisfaction achieved with this service.

Research limitations/implications

Outsourcing poses a great challenge for IS managers because they must devote more time to their managerial functions, and they need more knowledge too. These greater requirements or demands will most probably make these executives feel unsatisfied with outsourcing. However, the paper shows that satisfaction increases insofar as, despite all these demands, the working post characteristics improve, and the satisfaction and autonomy of IS managers grows and most importantly, they believe that their job has a higher added value.

Originality/value

No studies had, hitherto, related outsourcing success and the implications of outsourcing for IS managers.
Inter-governmental relations and procurement non-compliance in African local government systems
Authors: Pastory Parestico
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the implications of inter-governmental relations on procurement compliance in local government.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 68 in-depth interviews with local government officials and councillors in four different local government authorities, members of parliament in the local authorities accounts committee and a committee clerk were carried out in addition to documentary review.

Findings

Evidences from in-depth interviews and documentary analysis point to central government as one of key reasons for procurement non-compliance. The nature of inter-governmental relations enables the central government to issue encroaching directives on local government procurement plans or take handicapping actions on the financial ability of the local governments to execute procurement plans.

Practical implications

The study adds inter-governmental relations on strategies for improving procurement compliance in African local government systems.

Originality/value

Despite increasing research on procurement compliance, the complexity of regulatory non-compliance in local government procurement has not been adequately analysed. The current study uses an inter-governmental relations perspective to contribute knowledge on procurement compliance in local government systems of the Third World, sub-Saharan Africa in particular.