bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dysfunctional auditing behaviour: empirical evidence on auditors' behaviour in Macau
Authors: Yuen Desmond C.Y. , Law Philip K.F. , Lu Chan , Qi Guan Jie
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that may result in a high turnover rate of auditors in Macau. The factors considered include client importance, task complexity, time budget constraints, auditor independence and acceptance of dysfunctional behaviour by Macau's audit firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involved three stages. In the first stage, interviews were carried out with auditors from Big‐4 (seven interviewees) and local non‐Big‐4 firms (three interviewees) in Macau to investigate the reasons for the high turnover rate amongst auditors in Macau. They were asked to speculate about common explanatory factors. The second stage involved 141 auditors from Big‐4 and local non‐Big‐4 accounting firms who were asked to complete a questionnaire survey for the explanatory factors. A total of 135 usable questionnaires were included in the multiple regression data analysis. The third stage of research comprised follow‐up interviews aimed at learning more about the reasons for dysfunctional behaviour.

Findings

This research provides valuable information for audit firms in Macau and will potentially help them to reduce their turnover rate and identify the factors affecting dysfunctional behaviour amongst auditors. The results extend the literature by focusing on the effect of perceived responsibility on professional responses to time budget pressures, task complexity, pressure from clients, and professional and ethical issues.

Practical implications

The challenge facing auditors today is to expand their auditing practices and evolve standards for adequately monitoring the operations of business entities. The current high turnover rate alarms audit firms, which are concerned with training and the provision of sufficient resources to solve the problems that auditors face in the workplace.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to examine the reason for turnover intentions in Macau. This study sheds light on the factors that contribute to individual auditor differences in the acceptance of dysfunctional behaviour that may result from the stressful nature of their duties.
Multi campus investigation of academic dishonesty in higher education of Pakistan
Authors: Ellahi Abida , Mushtaq Rabia , Bashir Khan Mohammed
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The worst scandals of the world's top companies have turned the attention of researchers towards the function of academic institutions in ethical training of future business leaders because the issue of dishonest behaviour of students becomes very severe, when they exercise the same practice at their place of work. Therefore, the understanding of the factors that affect student's decisions to engage in academic dishonesty is important for academic institutions, in order to reduce its occurrence. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of individual factors, situational factors and ethical factors on academic dishonesty behaviour of students in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire‐based field survey was conducted with 500 students across four universities in Pakistan.

Findings

It has been found that individual, situational and ethical factors affect on rationalisation of academic dishonesty and this rationalisation shapes actual conduct of academic dishonesty. Moreover, lack of well‐defined policies of the academic dishonesty in higher education is a major determinant of academic dishonesty among students.

Practical implications

The results provide a strong implication for academics. By discouraging such behaviour, academic institutions can help ensure the integrity of the degrees they offer, and help to level the fair grade competition among students.

Originality/value

The research provides a profound investigation of individual, situational and ethical factors as predictors of students’ academic dishonesty. The study is pioneering in its nature to explore two common forms of academic dishonesty, i.e. plagiarism and dual submission among university students. Furthermore, the study used rationalisation of academic dishonesty as a determinant of the actual act of academic dishonesty.
Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital on needle stick injury
Authors: Bhargava Aradhana , Mishra Bibhabati , Thakur Archana , Dogra Vinita , Loomba Poonam , Gupta Sonal
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The study aims to assess healthcare workers' needle‐stick injury (NSI) knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP).

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional study was conducted in a 600‐bedded hospital throughout six months. The data were collected using an anonymous, self‐reporting questionnaire. Participants were various healthcare workers (HCW) drawn through stratified random sampling and their knowledge, attitude and practice regarding NSI were assessed.

Findings

There is significant difference in the mean knowledge, attitude and practice scores among healthcare workers. Even though scores are better for doctors and nurses, practice scores were better for technical staff. Healthcare workers, who had better practice scores, had suffered fewer NSIs. Since this study is a cross‐sectional, the population's NSI incidence could not be calculated.

Practical implications

This study emphasizes that applying knowledge to practice is required to prevent NSIs. Various recommendations to help prevent and deal with NSIs are made.

Originality/value

This study analyses healthcare workers' NSI knowledge, attitude and practices, and also assesses their correlation with NSI incidence, which has not been done previously.
Improving laboratory data entry quality using Six Sigma
Authors: Elbireer Ali , Le Chasseur Julie , Jackson Brooks
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The Uganda Makerere University provides clinical laboratory support to over 70 clients in Uganda. With increased volume, manual data entry errors have steadily increased, prompting laboratory managers to employ the Six Sigma method to evaluate and reduce their problems. The purpose of this paper is to describe how laboratory data entry quality was improved by using Six Sigma.

Design/methodology/approach

The Six Sigma Quality Improvement (QI) project team followed a sequence of steps, starting with defining project goals, measuring data entry errors to assess current performance, analyzing data and determining data‐entry error root causes. Finally the team implemented changes and control measures to address the root causes and to maintain improvements. Establishing the Six Sigma project required considerable resources and maintaining the gains requires additional personnel time and dedicated resources.

Findings

After initiating the Six Sigma project, there was a 60.5 percent reduction in data entry errors from 423 errors a month (i.e. 4.34 Six Sigma) in the first month, down to an average 166 errors/month (i.e. 4.65 Six Sigma) over 12 months. The team estimated the average cost of identifying and fixing a data entry error to be $16.25 per error. Thus, reducing errors by an average of 257 errors per month over one year has saved the laboratory an estimated $50,115 a year.

Practical implications

The Six Sigma QI project provides a replicable framework for Ugandan laboratory staff and other resource‐limited organizations to promote quality environment. Laboratory staff can deliver excellent care at a lower cost, by applying QI principles.

Originality/value

This innovative QI method of reducing data entry errors in medical laboratories may improve the clinical workflow processes and make cost savings across the health care continuum.
Online retailer reputation and consumer response: examining cross cultural differences
Authors: Kim Jiyoung , Yang Kiseol , Yong Kim Bu
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate cross cultural differences in the impact of online retailer reputation and retail quality on consumers' emotional and cognitive (i.e. perceived risk) reactions, which lead to purchase intention, based on stimulus‐organism‐response (S‐O‐R) model.

Design/methodology/approach

Two cultures, US (individualism, low uncertainty avoidance) and South Korea (collectivism, high uncertainty avoidance) were chosen for comparison for their contrast in cultural characteristics. Multiple group analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed in order to compare the structural model in two different cultures.

Findings

The results indicate that while the overall mechanism underlying the decision making process is similar for the two countries, differences are found in the relative importance of the factors determining consumers' cognitive and emotional reactions as well as their intention to purchase online.

Research implications/limitations

The majority of the respondents were female and their evaluation was mostly towards online apparel websites. It did not bias the result of this study as the two sample sets were comparable in their demographics and online shopping behavior, yet the result may be generalized to a limited extent.

Practical implications

The results suggest that retailing strategy may vary in response to cultural differences. In East Asian countries that share Confucian values, targeting consumer emotion through experiential cues may not yield as significant result as it may in the USA.

Originality/value

This study will add value to the current literature by examining the cultural difference in consumer psychological process and its consequent effect on purchase intention focusing on reputation as key external stimuli.
An exploratory analysis of social commonalities and subjective discounts
Authors: Rosenbaum Mark S. , Massiah Carolyn , Wozniak Richard
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This article seeks to illustrate how social commonalities between employees and their customers often result in customers believing that they are entitled to discounts in retail settings.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs survey methodology to reveal the extent to which various social commonalities between customers and service providers encourage customers to believe that they are entitled to financial discounts.

Findings

The findings show that commonalities may cause customers to adhere to narcissism – that is, many customers may expect discounts even when they know that employees may jeopardize their jobs by providing them.

Research limitations/implications

Customer relationships dramatically change with commonalities, as customers believe that social relationships propel them to “best customer status” and that they are entitled to discounts.

Practical implications

Customers who become increasingly connected with employees expect relational benefits that usually require time to develop. Retailers that encourage their employees to develop social media bonds with their customers must realize that customers desire to be financially rewarded for maintaining these linkages.

Originality/value

This work reveals that customers who maintain social commonalities with employees expect to receive some type of financial benefit from doing so.
In‐store shopping experience in China and France
Authors: Ling Xu‐Priour Dong , Cliquet Gérard
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypotheses about whether the effects of consumer enjoyment shopping experience, derived from seven aspects of recreational shopping (i.e. social aspects of retail environment, service quality, browsing, bargain hunting, social interaction, enduring involvement and brand experience) on consumer attitude towards stores channels are comparable between France and Chinese cosmetic shoppers.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this objective, a questionnaire of 500 French and 480 Chinese working females were conducted. Both the convergence and habituation theories were applied.

Findings

Results of the multiple regression analysis support the above assumptions and suggest that customer enjoyment shopping experience and its relation with consumer attitudes towards store channels in China tends to be more in line with those in developed countries.

Research limitations/implications

The findings presented are the views of women's in‐store enjoyment shopping experiences in two cities in French and Chinese cosmetic markets. To ensure the generalizability of the findings, other products, consumer groups and regions (i.e. Indian etc.) can be envisaged.

Practical implications

Multinational retailers and cosmetics vendors have to recognize these customer enjoyment shopping experiences in both retail settings. In particular in the Chinese retail market, to improve these experiences so as to achieve positive consumer attitude towards retail outlets and finally strike the deal in this numerous market.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to employ convergent and habituation theory to examine the stability or change of the aforesaid relation between China and France. Hence, it adds to international marketing theory concerning the usefulness of these growing important theories in explaining the comparability between developed countries and developing ones in relation between constructs.
A research framework for social commerce adoption
Authors: Hajli Mahmood
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Social relationships on the internet through the emergence of Web 2.0 applications created new opportunities for business. This is mainly because of the growth of social networking sites, which has also developed e‐commerce. The current development in e‐commerce opened a new stream, entitled social commerce, which is using social technologies to create an environment for generating social interactions. These social interactions can drive online social support in e‐commerce, which in turn is creating trust and an increased intention to use social commerce.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used social support theory and related theories on intention to use to propose a theoretical framework for the adoption of social commerce.

Findings

The model predicts that forums and communities, ratings, reviews, referrals and recommendations are helping to introduce new business plans for e‐vendors. The model also shows trust is an on‐going issue in e‐commerce and can be built through social commerce constructs.

Research limitations/implications

There is limited research in the area of social commerce which this study seeks to redress. This study proposes a new model which can be extended by other constructs. However, the research needs to empirically test the constructs of the proposed model and their relationship.

Originality/value

This paper introduces social commerce constructs, namely; recommendations and referrals, forums and communities and rating and reviews. The bases of the model proposed in this research are IT adoption and literature in the area such as PU and intention to buy or trust. These highlight the key role of ICT in the behaviour of online customers. This can be a development for e‐commerce adoption models and the results signify that IS has a reference discipline for the behaviour of online consumers. This is an issue in marketing where not enough attention is paid to the importance of IT and IS.
Evaluating and enriching information and communication technologies compliance frameworks with regard to privacy
Authors: Lambrinoudakis Costas
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to highlight gaps in compliance environments regarding information privacy and provide recommendations for global information privacy standards.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws conceptually upon an existing security standard's framework and omissions in information privacy compliance frameworks are recognized. As a result, an extended framework of information security and privacy standards is developed. Moreover, taking into account the different attributes and focus of information privacy as compared to information security, the elicitation of usability criteria for web applications and interfaces that will assist users to protect their privacy, is being proposed.

Findings

Within ICT standards numerous information security standards exist, which enable a common understanding of security requirements and promote global rules and practices for security mechanisms. Through their usage, designed information systems ultimately reach a commonly accepted security level and interoperate with other systems in an efficient and secure way. Nevertheless, a similar compliance environment is missing with regard to information privacy. Often security controls are seen as the solution to privacy protection and security compliance frameworks are regarded as guidance to information privacy as well. This is clearly the wrong approach since the main security and privacy attributes are different; information security refers to information stored, processed and transmitted for completing the information system's functions and purpose, while information privacy is the protection of the information's subject identity.

Research limitations/implications

The identified gaps in compliance environments are based on extensive literature review, while the proposed enhancements for the information privacy standards are, at this stage, an opinion‐based piece of work.

Originality/value

Currently, information privacy is treated mostly as a legal compliance requirement and thus is not adequately handled by security standards. The paper provides recommendations and further guidance in managerial, procedural and technical level for handling information privacy.
Sex differences in verbal aggression use in romantic relationships: a meta‐analytic study and review
Authors: Stockdale Laura , Tackett Sarah , Coyne Sarah M.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The current study aimed to investigate potential sex differences in the use of verbal aggression in romantic relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study used meta‐analytic methodology to analyze 20 studies to understand gender differences in the use of verbal aggression in romantic relationships.

Findings

The results found that women used more verbal aggression than men in romantic relationships; however, overall levels of verbal aggression use were relatively high regardless of sex.

Research imitations/implications

Limitations of the current research, such as calling for less exploratory research and the need for theories grounded in human coupling research, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Practical implications

Advice for clinicians and practitioners regarding verbal aggression in romantic relationships is discussed with particular emphasis on the possibility of including measures against verbal aggression in interventions on positive couple communication.

Originality/value

The current study adds to the literature by addressing which sex uses more verbal aggression in romantic relationships and providing a critical review of the existing literature with recommendations and limitations of the field.
Service‐dominant networks
Authors: Löbler Helge
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This article seeks to advance a novel service network perspective, based on the service‐dominant logic, designated as service‐dominant networks (SDN).

Design/methodology/approach

Service‐dominant logic components serve to build and describe SDN. Specifically, resources and actors are key components, combined with activities and the process by which they become resources. A case study details the features of SDNs.

Findings

Service‐dominant networks exhibit unique, previously unaddressed features. According to the service‐dominant logic, components only become resources when they are integrated; thus, they disappear as resources after their integration, which means SDNs are fugacious: they (be‐)come and go. In addition, SDNs comprise one or more main intended activities that explain their existence, though these intended activities do not necessarily initiate any particular SDN. Rather, other critical incidents can initiate SDNs.

Research limitations/implications

The features of SDNs proposed in this article have not been a focus of prior research. In particular, the dynamics and fugaciousness of SDNs are challenges for research and management.

Originality/value

This article offers the first proposal of a novel, service‐dominant network perspective. In a very general and abstract form, it identifies the features of SDNs.
Relative importance of satisfaction dimensions on service performance
Authors: Frimpong Kwabena , Wilson Alan
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the relevance of some existing Western motivation and job design theories in explaining employees' service performance, termed service orientation in delivery, in a developing country context.

Design/methodology/approach

The satisfaction‐performance thesis and the two factor theory (motivation and hygiene factors) are tested using a case study from a developing economy, Ghana. Survey data were collected from 535 retail bank employees of two large commercial banks across 85 branches in the final phase of the research. Multiple and hierarchical regression as well as split sample analyses were used to examine data.

Findings

Overall, the findings indicate some support for the validity and relevance of the satisfaction‐service performance thesis even in a non‐developed economy. Some outcomes, however, seem to challenge the validity of the two factor theory: context/hygiene satisfaction elements emerged as better predictors of service performance than content/motivator factors. In particular, context satisfaction dimension relating to co‐workers appeared to be the most important predictor. Satisfaction with pay and rewards, however, appeared unimportant to the service performance of the bank employees surveyed.

Research limitations/implications

As the research was limited to the banking sector from only one developing country, generalisations and applications of its findings should be made with caution. Future studies which provide broader conceptual and empirical views, in terms of how specific co‐worker attitudes and behaviours motivate or discourage service‐oriented performances in multi‐country studies, could be useful.

Practical implications

Despite its limitations, the confirmation of the satisfaction‐performance thesis in this paper may indicate to managers that some, if not all, of the management theories taught in American/European schools may be equally relevant to developing economies such as Ghana. In addition, the findings provide managers with insights regarding the potential importance of context satisfaction elements to employees' service performance.

Originality/value

Overall, the broad findings from the study indicate some support for the relevance of the satisfaction‐service performance thesis even in a non‐developed economy, characterised by relatively challenging economic conditions. However, some outcomes reported in this paper seem to challenge the validity of the two factor theory and its relevance for job motivation and design.
Facing the challenge of mental ill health in the workplace
Authors: Joyce Jill
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to outline the extent and cost of work‐related mental ill health and the challenges it causes in the workplace. It focuses on what employers can do to facilitate an early return to work for those absent from work. It argues for a proactive approach to the management of mental ill health in the workplace and highlights the important role of the line manager. Good practice from Europe is reported.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews evidence from the HSE, EU_OSHA and IOSH.

Findings

Rather than only dealing reactively with cases of mental ill health in the workplace, it is more effective for an employer to adopt a proactive approach, recognising that employees are a valuable asset, assessing psychosocial risks and promoting health and wellbeing. This involves not only protecting their employees from work‐related health and safety risks, but also helping employees with minor conditions to stay at work, for example, by negotiating flexible hours. Employees also need opportunities to look after their own health and wellbeing at work. Finally, it is important to create a culture where working with a mental health condition is accepted by other employees as normal.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the importance of a proactive management approach to managing mental ill health.
Forward from Foresight: the uses of the new economics foundation's well‐being work
Authors: Michaelson Juliet
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to first introduce, and then review the uses of, the Five Ways to Well‐being communication messages and the dynamic model of well‐being, developed by the new economics foundation (nef) for the 2008 Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing.

Design/methodology/approach

The article describes an informal review of those uses of the Five Ways to Well‐being and the dynamic model of well‐being which have come to nef's attention.

Findings

The Five Ways to Well‐being messages are found to have been widely used, both in public health and a variety of other settings. They have been used: to directly promote well‐being to individuals; to help frame organisational strategy; and indirectly, in initiatives with headline objectives other than promoting well‐being. A number of examples of their use are given in different contexts. The dynamic model of well‐being is shown to be a deep influence on nef's continuing well‐being work and the work of those influenced in turn by nef, particularly in ensuring that policy and practice takes account of both external conditions as well as personal resources; and of people's feelings as well as their functioning.

Practical implications

Future directions for nef's work are highlighted, particularly measurement of involvement in the Five Ways to Well‐being activities and exploration of the ways in which different well‐being measures impact on policy.

Originality/value

The article provides, for the first time, an overview of how nef's contributions to the Foresight Project have been used since their publication, and will be of interest to those in a range of policy and practice settings who value real‐life examples of the implementation of a “well‐being approach”.
Firm size and risk taking in Malaysia's insurance industry
Authors: Hock Ng Tuan , Lee Chong Lee , Ismail Hishamuddin
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on how a firm's size is related to risk taking of Malaysia's insurance companies, from 2000‐2010.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample used for empirical testing in this study comprised direct insurance firms licensed under Malaysia's Insurance Act 1996, for the time frame between 2000 and 2010. Pearson's correlation, fixed and random effects models, and the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) method were used in this study.

Findings

Both the fixed effects and the system GMM panel data regression models suggested a positive link between the insurance firm size and underwriting risk. For the robustness test, the results of the analysis using changes in data broadly resemble the outputs of the levels estimation.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of this study is limited to Malaysia's insurance sector only.

Originality/value

Advocates of the too‐big‐to‐fail (TBTF) theory believe that government support and the guarantee of a financial bailout are warranted for large financial institutions facing crises, for the main purpose of avoiding disruptions within a country's economy. The drawback, however, may be that the TBTF doctrine is the culprit behind excessive risk taking by insurance firms of large proportions. A number of regulatory concerns have been raised and addressed from this study.
The mental health surveillance of adolescents, within a school setting
Authors: Sinclair John , Holden Stephanie
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This article aims to demonstrate a different approach to identify and assess adolescents experiencing mental health problems, within a school setting. Presently we rely on primary care professionals to identify mental health problems and adolescents are often reluctant to access such services. One of the benefits of utilising a mental health surveillance screening tool is to identify mental health problems in adolescents and to implement early intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional survey of school pupils from a secondary school was conducted, using the Paediatric Symptom Checklist for Youths (PSCY). The self‐administered questionnaire was completed and identified adolescents were then assessed by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Out of 247 pupils, 84 per cent of the adolescents completed the questionnaire.

Findings

From the screening tool, 25 per cent were identified for assessment. During their assessment 64 per cent of the young people were given self‐help guides and health promotion advice. The remaining 26 per cent of the adolescents were provided treatment sessions by CAMHS or by Children's Service Worker. Only 10 per cent of these adolescents had been previously seen within the CAMHS.

Research limitations/implications

The PSCY is a useful tool for identifying and assessing adolescents with mental health problems. However, these results are the preliminary findings of a feasibility study. This subject area is a rich source for future research.

Practical implications

Findings from this project will influence wider mental health surveillance of our adolescent population.

Social implications

This approach will also influence future service provision, for such a vulnerable population.

Originality/value

No comparative studies of this nature were found in the United Kingdom.
Central European hardwood trees in a high‐CO2 future: synthesis of an 8‐year forest canopy CO2 enrichment project
Authors: Bader Martin K.‐F. , Leuzinger Sebastian , Keel Sonja G. , Siegwolf Rolf T.W. , Hagedorn Frank , Schleppi Patrick , Körner Christian
Published: July 2013

Rapidly increasing atmospheric CO2 is not only changing the climate system but may also affect the biosphere directly through stimulation of plant growth and ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling. Although forest ecosystems play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, experimental information on forest responses to rising CO2 is scarce, due to the sheer size of trees.

Here, we present a synthesis of the only study world‐wide where a diverse set of mature broadleaved trees growing in a natural forest has been exposed to future atmospheric CO2 levels (c. 550 ppm) by free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE). We show that litter production, leaf traits and radial growth across the studied hardwood species remained unaffected by elevated CO2 over 8 years.

CO2 enrichment reduced tree water consumption resulting in detectable soil moisture savings. Soil air CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon both increased suggesting enhanced below‐ground activity. Carbon release to the rhizosphere and/or higher soil moisture primed nitrification and nitrate leaching under elevated CO2; however, the export of dissolved organic carbon remained unaltered.

Synthesis. Our findings provide no evidence for carbon‐limitation in five central European hardwood trees at current ambient CO2 concentrations. The results of this long‐term study challenge the idea of a universal CO2 fertilization effect on forests, as commonly assumed in climate–carbon cycle models.
The Legionella pneumophila kai operon is implicated in stress response and confers fitness in competitive environments
Authors: Loza‐Correa Maria , Sahr Tobias , Rolando Monica , Daniels Craig , Petit Pierre , Skarina Tania , Gomez Valero Laura , Dervins‐Ravault Delphine , Honoré Nadine , Savchenko Aleksey , Buchrieser Carmen
Published: July 2013

Legionella pneumophila uses aquatic protozoa as replication niche and protection from harsh environments. Although L. pneumophila is not known to have a circadian clock, it encodes homologues of the KaiBC proteins of Cyanobacteria that regulate circadian gene expression. We show that L. pneumophila kaiB, kaiC and the downstream gene lpp1114, are transcribed as a unit under the control of the stress sigma factor RpoS. KaiC and KaiB of L. pneumophila do not interact as evidenced by yeast and bacterial two‐hybrid analyses. Fusion of the C‐terminal residues of cyanobacterial KaiB to Legionella KaiB restores their interaction. In contrast, KaiC of L. pneumophila conserved autophosphorylation activity, but KaiB does not trigger the dephosphorylation of KaiC like in Cyanobacteria. The crystal structure of L. pneumophila KaiB suggests that it is an oxidoreductase‐like protein with a typical thioredoxin fold. Indeed, mutant analyses revealed that the kai operon‐encoded proteins increase fitness of L. pneumophila in competitive environments, and confer higher resistance to oxidative and sodium stress. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that L. pneumophila KaiBC resemble Synechosystis KaiC2B2 and not circadian KaiB1C1. Thus, the L. pneumophila Kai proteins do not encode a circadian clock, but enhance stress resistance and adaption to changes in the environments.
Khat: Chewing on a bitter controversy (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: McGonigle Ian Vincent
Published: July 2013

When the slender green succulent leaves of the khat tree are chewed, a mild natural amphetamine called cathinone is gradually released, and absorbed into the bloodstream through the mouth and cheek tissues. The effects, which last for several hours, include the softening of one's temper, increased gregariousness, and a piqued sexual appetite, while at the same time inhibiting hunger, anxiety, and feelings of fatigue. In the Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa, where khat is autochthonous, men have been chewing it recreationally for hundreds of years. Khat chewing has recently burgeoned to a global and pointed controversy, however, featuring in academic ethnopharmacology journals, the official publications of neoliberal development organizations, and worldwide in popular news media outlets. Khat has thus received multitudinous accusations of it being: an obstacle to economic growth; a pernicious narcotic; a positive mediator of political discourse in the public sphere; a public health concern; and a barrier to national development. Of these ambiguous tensions, Klein et al. (2012: 1) say that ‘Khat provides a unique example of a herbal stimulant that is defined as an ordinary vegetable in some countries and a controlled drug in others’, fingering khat as an exemplar of a globally contested object of concern – constituting different political stakes when viewed from distinct situated perspectives – and ready prey for anthropological critique. This essay interrogates some of the divergent formulations that khat has taken across the distinct political arenas that orchestrate the ‘controversy’. Following a Latourian actor‐network approach, I argue against a universal ontology of khat, suggesting instead that khat might be more meaningfully traced and apprehended through the political work it achieves in its various contexts and situated deployments. This critical reading of khat as a ‘thing in movement’ should therefore speak to the anthropology of controversy more broadly.
Parallel patterns and trends in functional structures in extinct island mammals
Authors: VAN DER GEER Alexandra A. E.
Published: July 2013

Endemic mammalian species on islands are generally known to have followed a different evolutionary pathway than their mainland relatives. General patterns, such as body size trends, have been described regularly. However, most island mammal species are unique and each of them is adapted to a specific local niche as part of an equally specific ecological assemblage. Therefore, comparing island species across taxa, islands and time is inherently dangerous without understanding the adaptational value of the studied feature in the compared taxa and without taking the ecological setting of the taxa into account. In this contribution, general and recurring patterns are described per taxon. Some features, like body mass change and sturdy limbs, are relatively general, whereas most features, like bone fusions and change of orbital axis, occur only in a very few taxa. Some features are even contradictory, such as brain size and degree of hypsodonty, with each taxon having its own particular design. In conclusion, general patterns are more often than not just trends and need to be applied with caution.
Environmental distribution of two widespread uncultured freshwater Euryarchaeota clades unveiled by specific primers and quantitative PCR
Authors: Restrepo‐Ortiz Claudia X. , Casamayor Emilio O.
Published: July 2013

Quantitative environmental distribution of two widely distributed uncultured freshwater Euryarchaeota with unknown functional role was explored by newly designed quantitative PCR primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene of clades Miscellaneous Euryarchaeota Group (MEG, containing the groups pMC2A384 and VALII/Eury4) and Deep‐Sea Euryarchaeotal Groups (DSEG, targeting the cluster named VALIII containing the DHVE‐3/DSEG, BC07‐2A‐27/DSEG‐3 and DSEG‐2 groups), respectively. The summer surface plankton of 28 lakes was analysed, and one additional dimictic deep alpine lake, Lake Redon, was temporally and vertically surveyed covering seasonal limnological variability. A trophic range between 0.2 and 5.2 μg l−1 Chl a, and pH span from 3.8 to 9.5 was explored at altitudes between 632 and 2590 m above sea level. The primers showed to be highly selective with c. 85% coverage and 100% specificity. Only pH significantly explained the changes observed in gene abundances and environment. In Lake Redon, DSEG bloomed in deep stratified waters both in summer and early spring, and MEG at intermediate depths during the ice‐cover period. Overall, MEG and DSEG showed a differential ecological distribution although correlational analyses indicated lack of coupling of both Euryarchaeota with phytoplankton (chlorophyll a). However, an intriguing positive and significant relationship was found between DSEG and putative ammonia oxidizing thaumarchaeota.
Use of locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) regression to study selection signatures inPiedmontese andItalianBrown cattle breeds
Authors: Pintus Elia , Sorbolini Silvia , Albera Andrea , Gaspa Giustino , Dimauro Corrado , Steri Roberto , Marras Gabriele , Macciotta Nicolò P. P.
Published: July 2013

Selection is the major force affecting local levels of genetic variation in species. The availability of dense marker maps offers new opportunities for a detailed understanding of genetic diversity distribution across the animal genome. Over the last 50 years, cattle breeds have been subjected to intense artificial selection. Consequently, regions controlling traits of economic importance are expected to exhibit selection signatures. The fixation index (Fst) is an estimate of population differentiation, based on genetic polymorphism data, and it is calculated using the relationship between inbreeding and heterozygosity. In the present study, locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) regression and a control chart approach were used to investigate selection signatures in two cattle breeds with different production aptitudes (dairy and beef).Fstwas calculated for 42 514SNPmarker loci distributed across the genome in 749 Italian Brown and 364 Piedmontese bulls. The statistical significance ofFstvalues was assessed using a control chart. TheLOWESStechnique was efficient in removing noise from the raw data and was able to highlight selection signatures in chromosomes known to harbour genes affecting dairy and beef traits. Examples include the peaks detected forBTA2 in the region where themyostatingene is located and forBTA6 in the region harbouring theABCG2locus. Moreover, several loci not previously reported in cattle studies were detected.
Should bypass or stoma creation be undertaken for unresectable stage IV colorectal carcinoma?
Authors: Liang Jennifer , Church James M. , Stocchi Luca , Fazio Victor , Kiran Ravi P.
Published: July 2013

Background

When patients with stage IV colorectal cancer are deemed to have an unresectable primary colorectal cancer or extensive metastases at surgery, bypass or stoma creation may be the only surgical options. Whether this surgical approach provides extra months of life or instead leads to prohibitive post‐operative morbidity and mortality has not previously been well characterized. This study was conducted to evaluate early and long‐term outcomes for stage IV colorectal cancer patients with unresectable primary tumour.

Methods

Patients with unresectable colorectal cancer who underwent palliative bypass or stoma creation were identified from a prospective colorectal cancer database. Early and long‐term outcomes were evaluated. Survival was determined using Kaplan–Meier survival curves.

Results

From 1980 to 2008, 81 patients with stage IV colorectal cancer had an unresectable primary or extensive metastases and underwent palliative bypass or stoma creation. Mean age was 61.5 ± 13.9 years, 44 (54.3%) were male. Location of the colorectal cancer was left‐sided in 82.7%. Of the patients, 38.3% had emergency or urgent surgery. Sixty‐two (76.5%) patients underwent a diverting stoma, 15 (18.5%) underwent enteric bypass procedures and 4 (4.9%) had both a diverting stoma and proximal bypass created. Twenty‐five complications occurred in 24 patients (29.6%) with 2 patients (2.5%) requiring further re‐operation. There was no anastomotic leak. Mean length of hospital stay was 13.8 ± 11.2 days. Thirty‐day mortality rate was 16%. The median overall survival was 4.7 months, while the overall survival at 1 year was 24.7%. At 2 years, 6.1% patients were alive, all with a stoma.

Conclusion

Palliative bypass or stoma creation is associated with survival for several months for a significant proportion of patients with stage IV colorectal cancers, who have unresectable primaries or extensive metastases. The findings of this study support the use of bypass or diversion when faced with an unresectable primary in patients with colorectal cancer with metastases.
The Effect of Executive Function on Biological Reasoning in Young Children: An Individual Differences Study
Authors: Zaitchik Deborah , Iqbal Yeshim , Carey Susan
Published: July 2013

There is substantial variance in the age at which children construct and deploy their first explicit theory of biology. This study tests the hypothesis that this variance is due, at least in part, to individual differences in their executive function (EF) abilities. A group of 79 boys and girls aged 5–7 years (with a mean age of 6½ years) were presented with two test batteries: (a) a biology battery that probed their understanding of life, death, and body functions and (b) an EF battery that tested working memory, inhibition, and set‐shifting skills. Individuals' EF scores significantly predict their biology scores, even after controlling for age and verbal IQ.
Long‐term outcomes of very preterm birth: ‘white matter’ matters
Authors: de Kieviet Jorrit F
Published: July 2013

This commentary is on the original article by Duerden et al. on pages 952–958 of this issue.
Transitions Study of predictors of illness progression in young people with mental ill health: study methodology
Authors: Purcell R. , Jorm A.F. , Hickie I.B. , Yung A.R. , Pantelis C. , Amminger G.P. , Glozier N. , Killackey E. , Phillips L. , Wood S.J. , Mackinnon A. , Scott E. , Kenyon A. , Mundy L. , Nichles A. , Scaffidi A. , Spiliotacopoulos D. , Taylor L. , Tong J.P.Y. , Wiltink S. , Zmicerevska N. , Hermens Daniel , Guastella Adam , McGorry P.D.
Published: July 2013

Aim

An estimated 75% of mental disorders begin before the age of 24 and approximately 25% of 13–24‐year‐olds are affected by mental disorders at any one time. To better understand and ideally prevent the onset of post‐pubertal mental disorders, a clinical staging model has been proposed that provides a longitudinal perspective of illness development. This heuristic model takes account of the differential effects of both genetic and environmental risk factors, as well as markers relevant to the stage of illness, course or prognosis. The aim of the Transitions Study is to test empirically the assumptions that underpin the clinical staging model. Additionally, it will permit investigation of a range of psychological, social and genetic markers in terms of their capacity to define current clinical stage or predict transition from less severe or enduring to more severe and persistent stages of mental disorder.

Method

This paper describes the study methodology, which involves a longitudinal cohort design implemented within four headspace youth mental health services in Australia. Participants are young people aged 12–25 years who have sought help at headspace and consented to complete a comprehensive assessment of clinical state and psychosocial risk factors. A total of 802 young people (66% female) completed baseline assessments. Annual follow‐up assessments have commenced.

Conclusions

The results of this study may have implications for the way mental disorders are diagnosed and treated, and progress our understanding of the pathophysiologies of complex mental disorders by identifying genetic or psychosocial markers of illness stage or progression.
Miltefosine‐unresponsive Leishmania donovani has a greater ability than miltefosine‐responsive L. donovani to resist reactive oxygen species
Authors: Das Mousumi , Saudagar Prakash , Sundar Shyam , Dubey Vikash K.
Published: July 2013

Resistance of Leishmania parasites to miltefosine, which is only available oral drug, is a great concern. We have analyzed global gene expression profiles of miltefosine‐unresponsive and miltefosine‐responsive Leishmania donovani in order to understand the various metabolic processes involved in miltefosine drug resistance. The microarray data clearly indicated a role of oxidative metabolism in miltefosine resistance. Furthermore, fluorescence microscopy experiments suggested that miltefosine‐unresponsive L. donovani resists the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent mitochondrial membrane damage leading to apoptotic death. In contrast, in miltefosine‐responsive L. donovani, the accumulation of reactive oxygen species causes apoptotic death. Overall, this study provides fundamental insights into miltefosine resistance in L. donovani.

Database

The microarray data have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus database under the accession number GSE45496