bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
7. Registered land
Authors: MacKenzie Judith-Anne
Published: October 2016

Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. The Land Registration Act 1925, which governed the system of registered land, was repealed and replaced by the Land Registration Act 2002, which in the main came into force on 13 October 2003. This chapter focuses on the terms of the new Act and the rules made under it (Land Registration Rules 2003). The discussions cover what can be registered; registering title for the first time; dealings with a registered estate; buying a house with registered title; interests protected by entries on the register; interests that override a registered disposition; interests of persons in actual occupation; discovering encumbrances; alteration of the register and indemnity; transfer and completion by registration; the priority of competing equitable interests; and electronic conveyancing.
14. Commonhold
Authors: MacKenzie Judith-Anne
Published: October 2016

Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter provides a brief account of a new form of landholding, called ‘commonhold’. Commonhold is a new system of land-holding introduced by Part 1 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, which came into force on 27 September 2004. Commonhold was designed to facilitate freehold ownership of ‘interdependent properties’; that is, individual units such as flats in an apartment building, homes in a retirement village, and workshops or offices on an industrial estate. The chapter discusses the disadvantages of leasehold ownership; how commonhold works; and the current lack of interest in the commonhold system.
17. Trusts of land
Authors: MacKenzie Judith-Anne
Published: October 2016

Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter begins by discussing changes introduced by the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA 1996). The operation of the new trust of land is regulated by Part 1 of TOLATA 1996, and the rest of the chapter deals with these provisions. These are illustrated by reference to: Mary Brown, the owner of 10 Trant Way, who needs advice about creating a settlement in her will; and six students who hold 8 Trant Way as co-owners, and are therefore subject to a statutory trust of land. Three special dispositions which would previously have created Settled Land Act settlements but now give rise to trusts of land are also identified.
18. Settled Land Act settlements
Authors: MacKenzie Judith-Anne
Published: October 2016

Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter briefly discusses the Settled Land Act (SLA) settlement, the other form of trust which still exists in relation to land. It addresses the following three questions: who holds the legal estate in settled land? Are there trustees? What sort of property may be subject to a SLA settlement?
22. Nature of a licence
Authors: MacKenzie Judith-Anne
Published: October 2016

Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter briefly considers the nature of a licence. It discusses how to distinguish a lease from a licence, and how to distinguish an easement or profit from a licence.
25. Priorities in relation to mortgages and charges
Authors: MacKenzie Judith-Anne
Published: October 2016

Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter explains the rules relating to priorities between successive mortgages and charges and between mortgages and charges and other estates and interests in land. It covers the priorities of mortgages of an equitable interest; the priorities of mortgages of a legal estate; the priorities of three or more mortgages; mortgagee’s right to tack further advances; and interests prior to the mortgage.
3. Lifting the veil
Authors: Dignam Alan , Lowry John
Published: October 2016

Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. This chapter discusses ‘lifting the veil’, a phrase that refers to situations where the judiciary or the legislature have decided that the separation of corporate personality from the members must not be maintained. In this case, the veil of incorporation is said to be lifted. ‘Lifting’ is also known as ‘peeping’, ‘penetrating’, ‘piercing’, or ‘parting’. The chapter presents statutory examples of veil lifting, many of which involve corporate group structures and others involve straightforward shareholder limitation of liability issues. It also considers cases of veil lifting by the courts as well as classical veil lifting during the periods of 1897 to 1966, 1966 to 1989, and 1989 to the present. Three cases are highlighted: Creasey v Breachwood Motors Ltd (1993), Ord v Belhaven Pubs Ltd (1998), and Trustor AB v Smallbone (No 2) (2001). The chapter also examines claims of tortious liability, the liability of a parent company for personal injury, and commercial tort. Finally, it looks at the costs and benefits of limited liability.
9. Classes of shares and variation of class rights
Authors: Dignam Alan , Lowry John
Published: October 2016

Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. This chapter focuses on the rights and liabilities of a shareholder which are the incident of the general nature of a share, as well as his particular rights and liabilities by virtue of owning a particular type or class of share. It first considers the legal nature of a shareholding and the different types of share capital and typical class rights of a shareholder, as well as the statutory procedure required of a company before it can effect a variation of shareholders’ class rights. Examples of classes of shares are then given, and preferential rights attached to preference shares are discussed. The chapter concludes by looking at European Union initiatives on shareholders’ rights.
11. Statutory shareholder remedies
Authors: Dignam Alan , Lowry John
Published: October 2016

Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. This chapter deals with statutory remedies available to aggrieved minority shareholders, particularly their right to seek relief through a winding-up order on the just and equitable ground. It first considers the classic case of Ebrahimi v Westbourne Galleries Ltd (1973), which addressed the scope of the court’s jurisdiction under the just and equitable ground, and presents illustrations of the grounds which will support a petition under s 122(1)(g) of the Insolvency Act 1986. It also examines the issue of whether the principles promulgated in Ebrahimi extend beyond the statutory context of just and equitable winding-up by focusing on the case of Clemens v Clemens Bros Ltd (1976). In addition, the chapter gives examples of unfair prejudice; explains locus standi and procedural aspects of s 994 of the Companies Act 2006; and looks at other specific statutory rights available to aggrieved minority shareholders. Finally, it explains the Law Commission’s proposed reforms for the unfair prejudice provision.
14. Directors’ duties
Authors: Dignam Alan , Lowry John
Published: October 2016

Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. This chapter is concerned with the duties which a director owes to the company, including duty to act within powers, duty to promote the company’s success, duty to exercise independent judgement, duty not to accept benefits from third parties, and duty to avoid conflicts of interest. After reviewing the general duties of directors under Part 10 of the Companies Act 2006, the chapter discusses the fiduciary position of directors, the remedies for breach of directors’ duties, and the liability of those who assist a director in the course of a breach of fiduciary duty. Finally, it considers three ways in which a director who is in breach of duty may be relieved from liability.
Mayson, French & Ryan on Company Law
Authors: French Derek , Mayson Stephen , Ryan Christopher
Published: October 2016

Mayson, French & Ryan on Company Law looks at all aspects of current and past company law. The 33rd edition continues the tradition of providing accurate technical detail, examination of theory, and quotations from key cases. The volume starts with an introduction to the topic. Next it looks at the area of establishment. It moves on to consider finance which includes an examination of shares, accounts, loans, market abuse, capital, and borrowing. The next part of the text considers governance. It looks at shareholders, directors, duties of directors, corporate officers and promoters, remedies, and acting for a company. The last section of the text examines insolvency and liquidation.
1. Introduction
Authors: French Derek , Mayson Stephen W. , Ryan Christopher L.
Published: October 2016

Overview of the work’s contents: overview of English company law, the context in which it has developed, its purpose and history, controversy over company law and its fundamental nature. Introduces the idea of a company as a separate, artificial person capable of owning property, being a party to contracts, and being a claimant or defendant in legal proceedings. Discusses other main themes that recur in the book, including ownership and control of a company and corporate governance, corporate finance, transparency and disclosure, the distinction between public and private companies, and picking up the pieces after things go wrong. Deals with the nature of corporations in general and companies in particular; differences between incorporated companies and two other legal forms used by businesses, partnership, and sole proprietorship; the sources of company law in statute, case law, and European law; and the purposes company law should serve.
3. Articles of Association
Authors: French Derek , Mayson Stephen W. , Ryan Christopher L.
Published: October 2016

This chapter deals with articles of association, the principal element of a company’s constitution, under the Companies Act 2006. It describes the content of the articles, model articles of association which can be adopted by limited companies (either in whole or in part) on registration, and the function of articles as a contract between the company and its members and between the members themselves. It also considers provisions of articles that may be incorporated in other contracts, the right of members of a company to amend its articles, and provision allowing a company to restrict its objects. The chapter discusses a number of particularly significant court cases, including Allen v Gold Reefs of West Africa Ltd [1900] 1 Ch 656 and Quin and Axtens Ltd v Salmon [1909] AC 442.
6. Shares
Authors: French Derek , Mayson Stephen W. , Ryan Christopher L.
Published: October 2016

This chapter considers one way of becoming a shareholder of a company with a share capital: by taking shares from the company in exchange for a contribution of capital. The number and class of shares of the company that the member holds determines the extent of his or her undertaking to contribute capital, and of entitlement to share in distributions and vote at meetings. Share allotment in exchange for a capital contribution is explained, and the need for public companies to have a minimum contributed capital is emphasised. The chapter also looks at possible remedies available to a person who has been induced to take an allotment of shares by a misrepresentation, including rescission of contract. Finally, it examines ways of altering a company’s share capital. The principles of financial accounting are briefly addressed in order to appreciate the subjects discussed.
13. Market abuse
Authors: French Derek , Mayson Stephen W. , Ryan Christopher L.
Published: October 2016

This chapter deals with abuses committed in the trading of stocks, with particular reference to insider dealing and market manipulation, and the laws intended to control them. After considering objections to the control of insider dealing, the chapter turns to forms of control to prevent market abuse under three key pieces of legislation: the Criminal Justice Act 1993, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and the Financial Services Act 2012. It then looks at regulations governing disclosure to regulated markets and the fiduciary duty of directors, the Financial Conduct Authority’s Model Code for listed companies, and offences involving insider dealing and creating a false market. The chapter analyses a particularly significant case: Percival v Wright [1902] 2 Ch 421.
20. Company insolvency and liquidation
Authors: French Derek , Mayson Stephen W. , Ryan Christopher L.
Published: October 2016

This chapter deals with procedures and legislation governing the insolvency and liquidation of a company and who are qualified as insolvency practitioners. It first discusses insolvency procedures such as administrative receivership, administration, voluntary arrangement, creditors’ voluntary winding up, winding up by the court, and the appointment of a provisional liquidator. It then considers the effect of insolvency and liquidation procedures on floating charges, court control of insolvency and liquidation procedures, and liability for wrongful trading. The legal principles underlying disqualification orders against a company’s directors, the use of an insolvent company’s name, the order of the application of assets in liquidation, and the dissolution of a company are also examined.
A Rare Case of Solitary Hemorrhagic Mycosis Fungoides With Angiocentric Features
Authors: Belousova Irena E. , Samtsov Alexey V. , Kazakov Dmitry V.
Published: October 2016

Unilesional (solitary) mycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare variant characterized clinically by the presence of a single contiguous area of skin involvement covering less than 5% of the body surface and histopathologically by features identical to those seen in classical MF. Angiocentricity (angiodestruction) is mostly a feature of primary or secondary cutaneous lymphomas with an aggressive course and poor outcome, with only very few reports of MF with angiocentric pattern. The authors report an unusual case of solitary patch-stage MF with hemorrhagic features, characterized histologically by epidermotropic and angiocentric (angiodestructive) infiltrate and a reactive B-cell component appearing as lymphoid follicles.
Melanocytic Matrical Carcinoma Mimicking Melanoma
Authors: Ji Chao , Zhang Yue , Heller Patricia , Guo Ying
Published: October 2016

Melanocytic matrical carcinoma is a very uncommon malignant neoplasm with follicular differentiation. The lesion often presents as a solitary nodule on sun-exposed skin of elderly patients. Histopathologically, it is characterized by proliferation of atypical matrical cells admixed with an increased number of melanocytes, and some atypical matrical cells may have cytoplasmic pigment. When melanocytic proliferation or melanin pigment is prominent, melanocytic metrical carcinoma can mimic melanoma. Here, we present a novel case of melanocytic matrical carcinoma mimicking melanoma in an 80-year-old man with our findings in histopathologic and immunohistochemical study.
Xanthomatized Neutrophilic Dermatosis in a Patient With Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Authors: Ferris Gina J. , Fabbro Stephanie , Gru Alejandro , Kaffenberger Jessica
Published: October 2016

We present an original case report of a 58-year-old man with a history of histiocytoid Sweet and myelodysplastic syndrome who presented with a new onset of tender plaques on his oral commissures. A biopsy revealed a dense dermal neutrophilic infiltrate, leukocytoclasis without frank vasculitis, and, most notably, the presence of many xanthomatized cells. Clinical presentation and histologic features were most consistent with an acute neutrophilic dermatosis, which we believe to be a xanthomized variant of Sweet syndrome. Recent cases have described patients with similar clinical features and neutrophilic dermatosis in the setting of a normolipemic xanthomatosis. These cases were ultimately diagnosed as neutrophilic xanthoma, suggesting a possible histologic overlap between neutrophilic xanthoma and Sweet syndrome. Given these findings, we propose xanthomatized Sweet syndrome as a new histologic variant.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma using transarterial chemoembolization: a real-life, single-centre study from Southern Brazil
Authors: Lionço Lívia C. , de Mattos Angelo A. , Horbe Alex F. , Costabeber Ane M. , de Mattos Ângelo Z. , Tarasconi Dorvaldo P.
Published: October 2016

Objective

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the real-life survival rates of patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study involving 95 patients was conducted and the studied variables were analysed according to survival. Treatment response was determined using the Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors assessment. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression were used to analyse survival.

Results

Most (72.6%) patients were male, with a mean age of 64.8±9.7 years and mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 10.4±3.0. The median α-fetoprotein (AFP) level was 29.3 ng/ml. Complications were observed in 31.6% of the patients. A target response assessment revealed that 35.8% of patients exhibited complete response, 22.1% a partial response, 27.4% stable disease and 14.7% progressive disease. According to overall response rates, 63.2% exhibited progressive disease. Mean survival time was 32 months. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 80, 59, 44 and 29%, respectively. In the multivariate model adjusted for overall response rates, only AFP level more than or equal to 100 ng/ml (hazard ratio=2.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.06–5.18, P=0.035) was associated with death.

Conclusion

Transarterial chemoembolization is an effective therapy; however, AFP levels more than or equal to 100 ng/ml are associated with poorer prognosis.
Planning, Designing, Building, and Moving a Large Volume Maternity Service to a New Labor and Birth Unit
Authors: VonBehren Diane , Killion Molly M. , Burke Carol , Finkelmeier Betsy , Zamora Brigit
Published: October 2016

Three teams of perinatal expert nurses participated in planning and designing a new maternity unit, operationalizing the move to the new space, and evaluating care processes and workflows after the move. The hospitals involved were University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, Prentice Women's Hospital of Northwestern Memorial Healthcare in Chicago, IL, and Florida Hospital Orlando, Florida Hospital for Women. Although each team discussed specific details and lessons learned, there is remarkable consistency among the experiences of these teams and with the discussion of the process by the team at Mercy Hospital St. Louis published in this issue of MCN The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. Extensive planning, flexibility, involving key stakeholders, evaluating and simulating workflows, and adequate staffing and patient safety on move-day were reported to be essential to success. Reevaluation after settling in to the new unit and making changes as needed were discussed. Being part of the leadership team involved in planning and moving to a new maternity unit in what was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience was viewed as a career highlight. Their commentary adds to what is known about planning and designing new maternity units, moving into the new space, and adjusting unit operations and care after making the new unit home.
Effects of Marijuana on Ictal and Interictal EEG Activities in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy
Authors: Sivakumar Sanjeev , Zutshi Deepti , Seraji-Bozorgzad Navid , Shah Aashit K.
Published: October 2016

Marijuana-based treatment for refractory epilepsy shows promise in surveys, case series, and clinical trials. However, literature on their EEG effects is sparse. Our objective is to analyze the effect of marijuana on EEG in a 24-year-old patient with idiopathic generalized epilepsy treated with cannabis. We blindly reviewed 3 long-term EEGs—a 24-hour study while only on antiepileptic drugs, a 72-hour EEG with Cannabis indica smoked on days 1 and 3 in addition to antiepileptic drugs, and a 48-hour EEG with combination C indica/sativa smoked on day 1 plus antiepileptic drugs. Generalized spike–wave discharges and diffuse paroxysmal fast activity were categorized as interictal and ictal, based on duration of less than 10 seconds or greater, respectively. Data from three studies concatenated into contiguous time series, with usage of marijuana modeled as time-dependent discrete variable while interictal and ictal events constituted dependent variables. Analysis of variance as initial test for significance followed by time series analysis using Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model was performed. Statistical significance for lower interictal events (analysis of variance P = 0.001) was seen during C indica use, but not for C indica/sativa mixture (P = 0.629) or ictal events (P = 0.087). However, time series analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between marijuana use, with interictal (P < 0.0004) and ictal (P = 0.002) event rates. Using a novel approach to EEG data, we demonstrate a decrease in interictal and ictal electrographic events during marijuana use. Larger samples of patients and EEG, with standardized cannabinoid formulation and dosing, are needed to validate our findings.
Synchronization and collective swimming patterns in fish (Hemigrammus bleheri)
Authors: Ashraf I. , Godoy-Diana R. , Halloy J. , Collignon B. , Thiria B.
Published: October 2016

In this work, we address the case of red nose tetra fishHemigrammus bleheriswimming in groups in a uniform flow, giving special attention to the basic interactions and cooperative swimming of a single pair of fish. We first bring evidence of synchronization of the two fish, where the swimming modes are dominated by ‘out-phase’ and ‘in-phase’ configurations. We show that the transition to this synchronization state is correlated with the swimming speed (i.e. the flow rate), and thus with the magnitude of the hydrodynamic pressure generated by the fish body during each swimming cycle. From a careful spatio-temporal analysis corresponding to those synchronized modes, we characterize the distances between the two individuals in a pair in the basic schooling pattern. We test the conclusions of the analysis of fish pairs with a second set of experiments using groups of three fish. By identifying the typical spatial configurations, we explain how the nearest neighbour interactions constitute the building blocks of collective fish swimming.
Adhesion force mapping on wood by atomic force microscopy: influence of surface roughness and tip geometry
Authors: Jin X. , Kasal B.
Published: October 2016

This study attempts to address the interpretation of atomic force microscopy (AFM) adhesion force measurements conducted on the heterogeneous rough surface of wood and natural fibre materials. The influences of wood surface roughness, tip geometry and wear on the adhesion force distribution are examined by cyclic measurements conducted on wood surface under dry inert conditions. It was found that both the variation of tip and surface roughness of wood can widen the distribution of adhesion forces, which are essential for data interpretation. When a common Si AFM tip with nanometre size is used, the influence of tip wear can be significant. Therefore, control experiments should take the sequence of measurements into consideration, e.g. repeated experiments with used tip. In comparison, colloidal tips provide highly reproducible results. Similar average values but different distributions are shown for the adhesion measured on two major components of wood surface (cell wall and lumen). Evidence supports the hypothesis that the difference of the adhesion force distribution on these two locations was mainly induced by their surface roughness.
Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals
Authors: Ripple William J. , Abernethy Katharine , Betts Matthew G. , Chapron Guillaume , Dirzo Rodolfo , Galetti Mauro , Levi Taal , Lindsey Peter A. , Macdonald David W. , Machovina Brian , Newsome Thomas M. , Peres Carlos A. , Wallach Arian D. , Wolf Christopher , Young Hillary
Published: October 2016

Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world, but many of the drivers, patterns and consequences of this decline remain poorly understood. Here we provide an analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food and medicinal products is driving a global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species are threatened with extinction. Nearly all of these threatened species occur in developing countries where major coexisting threats include deforestation, agricultural expansion, human encroachment and competition with livestock. The unrelenting decline of mammals suggests many vital ecological and socio-economic services that these species provide will be lost, potentially changing ecosystems irrevocably. We discuss options and current obstacles to achieving effective conservation, alongside consequences of failure to stem such anthropogenic mammalian extirpation. We propose a multi-pronged conservation strategy to help save threatened mammals from immediate extinction and avoid a collapse of food security for hundreds of millions of people.
Anthropogenic disruption of the night sky darkness in urban and rural areas
Authors: Bará Salvador
Published: October 2016

The growing emissions of artificial light to the atmosphere are producing, among other effects, a significant increase of the night sky brightness (NSB) above its expected natural values. A permanent sensor network has been deployed in Galicia (northwest of Iberian peninsula) to monitor the anthropogenic disruption of the night sky darkness in a countrywide area. The network is composed of 14 detectors integrated in automated weather stations of MeteoGalicia, the Galician public meteorological agency. Zenithal NSB readings are taken every minute and the results are openly available in real time for researchers, interested stakeholders and the public at large through a dedicated website. The measurements allow one to assess the extent of the loss of the natural night in urban, periurban, transition and dark rural sites, as well as its daily and monthly time courses. Two metrics are introduced here to characterize the disruption of the night darkness across the year: the
significant magnitude
(
m
1/3
) and the
moonlight modulation factor
(
γ
). The significant magnitude shows that in clear and moonless nights the zenithal night sky in the analysed urban settings is typically 14–23 times brighter than expected from a nominal natural dark sky. This factor lies in the range 7–8 in periurban sites, 1.6–2.5 in transition regions and 0.8–1.6 in rural and mountain dark sky places. The presence of clouds in urban areas strongly enhances the amount of scattered light, easily reaching amplification factors in excess of 25, in comparison with the light scattered in the same places under clear sky conditions. The periodic NSB modulation due to the Moon, still clearly visible in transition and rural places, is barely notable at periurban locations and is practically lost at urban sites.
Influence of shear stress magnitude and direction on atherosclerotic plaque composition
Authors: Pedrigi Ryan M. , Mehta Vikram V. , Bovens Sandra M. , Mohri Zahra , Poulsen Christian Bo , Gsell Willy , Tremoleda Jordi L. , Towhidi Leila , de Silva Ranil , Petretto Enrico , Krams Rob
Published: October 2016

The precise flow characteristics that promote different atherosclerotic plaque types remain unclear. We previously developed a blood flow-modifying cuff for ApoE
−/−
mice that induces the development of advanced plaques with vulnerable and stable features upstream and downstream of the cuff, respectively. Herein, we sought to test the hypothesis that changes in flow magnitude promote formation of the upstream (vulnerable) plaque, whereas altered flow direction is important for development of the downstream (stable) plaque. We instrumented ApoE
−/−
mice (
n
 = 7) with a cuff around the left carotid artery and imaged them with micro-CT (39.6 µm resolution) eight to nine weeks after cuff placement. Computational fluid dynamics was then performed to compute six metrics that describe different aspects of atherogenic flow in terms of wall shear stress magnitude and/or direction. In a subset of four imaged animals, we performed histology to confirm the presence of advanced plaques and measure plaque length in each segment. Relative to the control artery, the region upstream of the cuff exhibited changes in shear stress magnitude only (
p
 < 0.05), whereas the region downstream of the cuff exhibited changes in shear stress magnitude and direction (
p
 < 0.05). These data suggest that shear stress magnitude contributes to the formation of advanced plaques with a vulnerable phenotype, whereas variations in both magnitude and direction promote the formation of plaques with stable features.
HOMINID: A framework for identifying associations between host genetic variation and microbiome composition
Authors: Lynch Joshua , Tang Karen , Priya Sambhawa , Sands Joanna , Sands Margaret , Tang Evan , Mukherjee Sayan , Knights Dan , Blekhman Ran
Published: October 2016

Recent studies have uncovered a strong effect of host genetic variation on the composition of host-associated microbiota. Here, we present HOMINID, a computational approach based on Lasso linear regression, that given host genetic variation and microbiome composition data, identifies host SNPs that are correlated with microbial taxa abundances. Using simulated data we show that HOMINID has accuracy in identifying associated SNPs, and performs better compared to existing methods. We also show that HOMINID can accurately identify the microbial taxa that are correlated with associated SNPs. Lastly, by using HOMINID on real data of human genetic variation and microbiome composition, we identified 13 human SNPs in which genetic variation is correlated with microbiome taxonomic composition across body sites. In conclusion, HOMINID is a powerful method to detect host genetic variants linked to microbiome composition, and can facilitate discovery of mechanisms controlling host-microbiome interactions.

Availability and implementation

Software, code, tutorial, installation and setup details, and synthetic data are available in the project homepage:https://github.com/blekhmanlab/hominid.

Real dataset used here is from Blekhman et al. (Blekhman et al. 2015); 16S rRNA gene sequence data and OTU tables are available on the HMP DACC website (www.hmpdacc.org), and host genetic data are deposited in dbGaP under project number phs000228.
Seeking the “beauty center” in the brain: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies of beautiful human faces and visual art
Authors: Hu Chuan-Peng , Huang Yi , Eickhoff Simon B. , Peng Kaiping , Sui Jie
Published: October 2016

The existence of a common beauty is a long-standing debate in philosophy and related disciplines. In the last two decades, cognitive neuroscientists have sought to elucidate this issue by exploring the common neural basis of the experience of beauty. Still, empirical evidence for such common neural basis of different forms of beauty is not conclusive. To address this question, we performed an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on the existing neuroimaging studies of beauty appreciation of faces and visual art by non-expert adults (49 studies, 982 participants, meta-data are available athttps://osf.io/s9xds/). We observed that perceiving these two forms of beauty activated distinct brain regions: while the beauty of faces convergently activated the left ventral striatum, the beauty of visual art convergently activated the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC). However, a conjunction analysis failed to reveal any common brain regions for the beauty of visual art and faces. The implications of these results are discussed.
Overlapping long sequence reads: Current innovations and challenges in developing sensitive, specific and scalable algorithms
Authors: Chu Justin , Mohamadi Hamid , Warren René L , Yang Chen , Birol Inanc
Published: October 2016

Identifying overlaps between error-prone long reads, specifically those from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Pacific Biosciences (PB), is essential for certain downstream applications, including error correction andde novoassembly. Though akin to the read-to-reference alignment problem, read-to-read overlap detection is a distinct problem that can benefit from specialized algorithms that perform efficiently and robustly on high error rate long reads. Here, we review the current state-of-the-art read-to-read overlap tools for error-prone long reads, including BLASR, DALIGNER, MHAP, GraphMap, and Minimap. These specialized bioinformatics tools differ not just in their algorithmic designs and methodology, but also in their robustness of performance on a variety of datasets, time and memory efficiency, and scalability. We highlight the algorithmic features of these tools, as well as their potential issues and biases when utilizing any particular method. We benchmarked these tools, tracking their resource needs and computational performance, and assessed the specificity and precision of each. The concepts surveyed may apply to future sequencing technologies, as scalability is becoming more relevant with increased sequencing throughput.

Contact

cjustin@bcgsc.ca;ibirol@bcgsc.ca

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available atBioinformaticsonline.
FSA farm loan repayment under economic recession and drought conditions
Authors: Escalante Cesar , Song Minrong , Dodson Charles
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the repayment records of Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrowers in two distinct US farming regions that have been experienced serious drought conditions even as the US economy was going through a recession. The analysis will identify factors that significantly influence both the probability of FSA borrowers’ survival (capability to remain in good credit standing) and temporal endurance (or length of period of good standing with creditor).

Design/methodology/approach

This analysis utilizes a data set of farm borrowers of the Farm Service Agency that regular farm lenders have classified as “marginal” relative to other borrowers. The research goal is addressed by confining this study’s regional focus to the Southeast and Midwest that have both dealt with financial stress arising from abnormal natural and economic conditions prevailing during the same time period. A split population duration model is employed to separately identify determinants of the probability and duration of survival (condition of good credit standing).

Findings

This study’s results indicate that larger loan balances, declining commodity prices, and the severity of drought conditions have adversely affected both the borrowing farms’ probability of survival and temporal endurance in terms of maintaining non-delinquent borrower standing. Notably, Midwestern farms have been relatively less affected by drought conditions compared to Southeastern farms. This study’s results validate the contention that the farms’ capability to survive and the duration of their survival can be attributed to differences in regional resource endowments, farming activities, and business structures.

Originality/value

This study’s analytical framework departs from the basic duration model approach by considering temporal endurance, in addition to survival probability analysis. This study’s original contributions are enhanced by its specific focus on the contrasting farm business structures and operating environments in the Midwest and Southeast regions.
Values, motivation, commitment, performance and rewards: analysis model
Authors: Monteiro de Castro Marcela Lage , Reis Neto Mário Teixeira , Ferreira Cláudia Aparecida Avelar , Gomes Jorge Filipe da Silva
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how construct values, motivation, commitment, performance and reward are associated with professionals from different countries, from the framework of a hypothetical structural model.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey was cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative. The sample of individuals corresponding to three different countries, with information collected from a sample of 406 respondents, and from a convenience sample of two companies, one company in the oil and gas sector, surveyed in Mexico and the USA, and the other company in the electronics industry, researched in Brazil.

Findings

Thus, the association of the construct values with motivation in Mexico, demonstrated a better balance of the proposed hypothetical structural model. The study identified six groups (clusters) of different individuals according to values, and also, its associative relationship according to the variables of the proposed hypothetical structural model. The identification of each cluster was possible, according to the variables of the hypothetical structural model, and the groups with greater proximity between Mexico and USA were very similar, mostly because US companies have many Mexicans in their staff.

Research limitations/implications

Therefore, it is understood that the approach used in this work could eventually be replicated in other regions to seek confirmations and/or contradictions of the results, contributing to future studies to relate such constructs.

Practical implications

It is expected that this work can stimulate others that aim to explore the hypothetical structural model in more countries or organizations in order to understand the influence of the constructs in or ganizational management, enabling people management area to be more effective in conducting relevant management processes for each organization.

Originality/value

The proposed model has shown that organizational management allowed the verification of the association between constructs motivation, commitment, performance and reward, excluding the construct values.
Adult child migration and elderly parental health in rural China
Authors: Chang Fang , Shi Yaojiang , Yi Hongmei , Johnson Natalie
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of adult children migration on the health status of elderly parents. Increased labor migration in developing countries that lack adequate social security systems and institutionalized care for the elderly is a phenomenon that is important to understand. When their adult children go away to work, it is not clear what effect there will be on “left-behind” elderly parents.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs nearly nationally representative data from five provinces, 25 counties, 101 villages and 2,000 households, collected from two waves of data in 2007 and 2011. This sample comprises a subset of households which include both elderly individuals (above 60 years old) and their grown (working-aged) children in order to estimate the impact of adult child migration on the health of elderly parents in rural China.

Findings

This study finds that adult child migration has a significant positive impact on the health of elderly family members.

Practical implications

These findings are consistent with the explanation that migration raises family resources, which in turn may contribute to better health outcomes for elderly household members.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to attempt to identify the relationship between household migration and the health of elderly parents within the Chinese context.
What most attracts potential candidates? Innovative perks, training, or ethics?
Authors: Renaud Stéphane , Morin Lucie , Fray Anne Marie
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of two instrumental organizational attributes (innovative perks and training) and one symbolic organizational attribute (ethics) on applicant attraction.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of business undergraduates in their final year (n=339) and a policy-capturing approach, the authors tested a 2 (absence/presence of innovative perks) ×2 (few/many training opportunities) ×2 (ethics is not very important/is important) quasi-experimental design using ANCOVA.

Findings

In regard to main effects, results show that all attributes have a significant effect on applicant attraction, the “ethics” organizational attribute having the strongest direct effect followed by “training” and then “innovative perks.” In regard to all interaction effects, findings are only significant for two two-way interaction effects: “innovative perks×training” and “innovative perks×ethics.” Specifically, results indicate that offering innovative perks only had a positive and significant effect on applicant attraction when: a firm offered few training opportunities and ethics was important for the firm.

Originality/value

This study compared three key organizational attributes where most studies only tested one. Understanding which organizational attributes have the greatest influence on potential candidates’ attraction can help organizations optimize recruiting. The results suggest that developing an organizational brand that focuses particularly on ethics and training constitutes a winning recruitment strategy. This experiment is the first to provide causal conclusions on the relationship between innovative perks and attraction.
College experiences and career barriers among semi-professional student-athletes
Authors: Huang Chung-Ju , Chou Chien-Chih , Hung Tsung-Min
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the levels of athletic identity influenced the relationships among college experiences, career self-efficacy, and the career barriers faced by semi-professional student-athletes in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data of athletic identity, college experiences (involvement in social, academic, career orientation activities, etc.), career self-efficacy, and career barriers (inherent difficulties in career exploration in a dual student-professional role) were collected from 345 varsity student-athletes in Taiwan sport universities. The conditional process analysis was conducted to test whether the mediating role of career self-efficacy in the association between college experiences and career barriers was dependent on athletic identity levels.

Findings

The results indicated that enriching college experiences contributed to fewer barriers regarding career exploration post graduation through high levels of career self-efficacy. Particularly for assorted and social experiences, the indirect effect reduced as the levels of athletic identity increased.

Practical implications

These findings may be applied to athletes who pursue early specialization and students who engage heavily in a specific sport or other co-curricular activities while neglecting the importance of scholastic learning and career exploration. Career counseling practitioners and sport psychologists are advised to take account of athletic identity and contextual specificity while providing career interventions to student-athletes.

Originality/value

This study extends the understanding of the impacts of athletic identity on college student-athletes’ career explorations within a specific sport context.
Leveraging autobiographical memory for two-factor online authentication
Authors: Al-Ameen Mahdi Nasrullah , Haque S.M. Taiabul , Wright Matthew
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Two-factor authentication is being implemented more broadly to improve security against phishing, shoulder surfing, keyloggers and password guessing attacks. Although passwords serve as the first authentication factor, a common approach to implementing the second factor is sending a one-time code, either via e-mail or text message. The prevalence of smartphones, however, creates security risks in which a stolen phone leads to user’s accounts being accessed. Physical tokens such as RSA’s SecurID create extra burdens for users and cannot be used on many accounts at once. This study aims to improve the usability and security for two-factor online authentication.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a novel second authentication factor that, similar to passwords, is also based on something the user knows but operates similarly to a one-time code for security purposes. The authors design this component to provide higher security guarantee with minimal memory burden and does not require any additional communication channels or hardware. Motivated by psychology research, the authors leverage users’ autobiographical memory in a novel way to create a secure and memorable component for two-factor authentication.

Findings

In a multi-session lab study, all of the participants were able to log in successfully on the first attempt after a one-week delay from registration and reported satisfaction on the usability of the scheme.

Originality/value

The results indicate that the proposed approach to leverage autobiographical memory is a promising direction for further research on second authentication factor based on something the user knows.
Fostering incremental and radical innovation through performance-based contracting in buyer-supplier relationships
Authors: Sumo Regien , van der Valk Wendy , van Weele Arjan , Bode Christoph
Published: October 2016

Purpose

While anecdotal evidence suggests that performance-based contracts (PBCs) may foster innovation in buyer-supplier relationships, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms is limited to date. The purpose of this paper is to draw on transaction cost economics and agency theory to develop a theoretical model that explains how PBCs may lead to innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data on 106 inter-organizational relationships from the Dutch maintenance industry, the authors investigate how the two main features of PBCs – low-term specificity and performance-based rewards – affect incremental and radical innovation.

Findings

The authors find that term specificity has an inverse-U-shaped effect on incremental innovation and a non-significant negative effect on radical innovation. Furthermore, pay-for-performance has a stronger positive effect on radical innovation than on incremental innovation. The findings suggest that in pursuit of incremental innovation, organizations should draft contracts with low, but not too low, term specificity and incorporate performance-based rewards. Radical innovation may be achieved by rewarding suppliers for their performance only.

Originality/value

The findings suggest that in pursuit of incremental innovation, organizations should draft contracts with low, but not too low, term specificity and incorporate performance-based rewards. Radical innovation requires rewarding suppliers for their performance only.