bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cutaneous Larva Migrans Associated With Löffler’s Syndrome in a 6-Year-Old Boy
Authors: Wang Shan , Xu Wei , Li Lin-feng
Published: March 2017

Cutaneous larva migrans is a frequent dermatologic problem among travelers in tropical areas, but its association with Löffler’s syndrome is an extremely rare condition, particularly in children. Here, we describe a 6-year-old boy presenting cutaneous larva migrans associated with Löffler’s syndrome.
The Bundled Care Disruption
Authors: Boston-Fleischhauer Carol Anne
Published: March 2017

The new administration and Congress will wrestle with the Affordable Care Act and options. In the meantime, several reimbursement programs designed to disrupt current approaches to patient care delivery continue, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services bundled payment program. Chief nurse executives must prepare to advance processes and care models that align with bundled payments and the broader ambition to eliminate care variation.
Building Research Infrastructure in Magnet® Hospitals
Authors: Johantgen Meg , Weiss Marianne , Lundmark Vicki , Newhouse Robin , Haller Karen , Unruh Lynn , Shirey Maria
Published: March 2017

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the infrastructures supporting research in Magnet® hospitals.

BACKGROUND

Hospitals undertaking the journey toward Magnet designation must build research and evidence-based practice (EBP) infrastructures that support the infusion of research and EBP into clinical practice.

METHODS

An electronic survey was developed and distributed to the chief nursing officer or Magnet coordinator of all Magnet hospitals between June 10, 2015, and July 8, 2015.

RESULTS

Of the 418 Magnet hospitals invited, 249 responses (60%) were received. Resources dedicated to nursing research were difficult to isolate from those for EBP. Supporting clinical nurses’ time away from the bedside remains a challenge. Nearly half (44%) indicated that research is conducted within the nurses’ usual clinical hours, and 40% indicated that nurses participate on their own time.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospitals use a variety of resources and mentor arrangements to support research and EBP, often the same resources. More targeted resources are needed to fully integrate research into clinical practice.
A 16-Year Journey in the Study of Rheumatoid Hand Disease
Authors: Chung Kevin C. , Kotsis Sandra V.
Published: March 2017

Evidence-based medicine is a relatively new concept in hand surgery. A lack of high-level evidence often leads to uncertainty in the effectiveness of various procedures and regional variation in their use. Rheumatoid hand surgery has been plagued by a lack of quality data that has caused controversy between rheumatologists and hand surgeons. Research over the past 16 years has strived to provide data that can be used to provide evidence-based care for rheumatoid arthritis patients. The Silicone Arthroplasty in Rheumatoid Arthritis study is a prospective, long-term cohort study of rheumatoid arthritis patients with severe metacarpophalangeal joint deformity who have elected to undergo or not to undergo metacarpophalangeal joint arthroplasty; the study was funded for 10 years by the National Institutes of Health and has provided invaluable results on the effectiveness of this procedure in terms of outcomes and cost, improving knowledge for both physicians and patients.
The Impact of Laparoscopic-assisted Colorectal Surgery Using 3-dimensional Reconstruction for Highly Obese Patients With Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Miyamoto Ryoichi , Tadano Sosuke , Sano Naoki , Inagawa Satoshi , Yamamoto Masayoshi
Published: March 2017

Objectives:

During laparoscopic-assisted colorectal surgery (LACS), precise recognition of the anatomic variations and relationships among tumor and vessels is required. However, in highly obese patients, it is more difficult to grasp the surgical anatomy due to the presence of dense mesenteric fat tissue. We utilized a 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructed image for preoperative simulation and intraoperative navigation for LACS. In this study, we examined the correlation between patient obesity and 3D-simulated perioperative outcomes.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively analyzed 124 patients who underwent LACS using 3D surgical simulation at Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital. We sequentially divided our cohort into 2 groups: patients with a low body mass index (BMI<25 kg/m2, n=60) and patients with a high BMI (BMI ≥25 kg/m2, n=64). Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes, including conversion rate, postoperative complications, operating time, intraoperative blood loss, and length of postoperative hospital stay, were compared for these 2 groups.

Results:

There were no significant differences in patient background between the 2 groups.

We found it more difficult to grasp the surgical anatomy, including vessel arrangement, for high-BMI patients than for low-BMI patients because of the dense mesenteric fat tissue in high-BMI patients. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with respect to perioperative outcomes.

Conclusions:

The utilized reconstructed 3D images were useful for understanding anatomic relationships, including vessel arrangement, during LACS, particularly in highly obese patients.
Can human embryonic stem cell-derived stromal cells serve a starting material for myoblasts?
Authors: Ando Yu , Saito Marie , Machida Masakazu , Noro Chikako , Takahashi Masataka , Toyoda Masashi , Umezawa Akihiro
Published: March 2017

A large number of myocytes is necessary to treat intractable muscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy with cell-based therapies. However, starting materials for cellular therapy products such as myoblasts, marrow stromal cells, menstrual blood-derived cells and placenta-derived cells have a limited lifespan and cease to proliferatein vitro. From the viewpoints of manufacturing and quality control, cells with a long lifespan are more suitable as a starting material. In this study, we generated stromal cells for future myoblast therapy from a working cell bank of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The ESC-derived CD105+cells with extensivein vitroproliferation capability exhibited myogenesis and genetic stabilityin vitro. These results imply that ESC-derived CD105+cells are another cell source for myoblasts in cell-based therapy for patients with genetic muscular disorders. Since ESCs are immortal, mesenchymal stromal cells generated from ESCs can be manufactured at a large scale in one lot for pharmaceutical purposes.
On the relationship between epistasis and genetic variance-heterogeneity
Authors: Forsberg Simon , Carlborg Örjan
Published: March 2017

Epistasis and genetic variance heterogeneity are two non-additive genetic inheritance patterns that are often, but not always, related. Here we use theoretical examples and empirical results from analyses of experimental data to illustrate the connection between the two. This includes an introduction to the relationship between epistatic gene-action, statistical epistasis and genetic variance heterogeneity and a brief discussion about how other genetic processes than epistasis can also give rise to genetic variance heterogeneity.

Highlight

Genetic effects on the trait variance, rather than the mean, have been found in several studies. Here we discuss how this sometimes, but not always, can be caused by epistasis.
Discovering complete quasispecies in bacterial genomes
Authors: Bertels Frederic , Gokhale Chaitanya S. , Traulsen Arne
Published: March 2017

Mobile genetic elements can be found in almost all genomes. Possibly the most common non-autonomous mobile genetic elements in bacteria are REPINs that can occur hundreds of times within a genome. The sum of all REPINs within a genome are an evolving populations because they replicate and mutate. We know the exact composition of this population and the sequence of each member of a REPIN population, in contrast to most other biological populations. Here, we model the evolution of REPINs as quasispecies. We fit our quasispecies model to ten different REPIN populations from ten different bacterial strains and estimate duplication rates. We find that our estimated duplication rates range from about 5 × 10−9to 37 × 10−9duplications per generation per genome. The small range and the low level of the REPIN duplication rates suggest a universal trade-off between the survival of the REPIN population and the reduction of the mutational load for the host genome. The REPIN populations we investigated also possess features typical of other natural populations. One population shows hallmarks of a population that is going extinct, another population seems to be growing in size and we also see an example of competition between two REPIN populations.
From word models to executable models of signaling networks using automated assembly
Authors: Gyori Benjamin M , Bachman John A , Subramanian Kartik , Muhlich Jeremy L , Galescu Lucian , Sorger Peter K
Published: March 2017

Word models (natural language descriptions of molecular mechanisms) are a common currency in spoken and written communication in biomedicine but are of limited use in predicting the behavior of complex biological networks. We present an approach to building computational models directly from natural language using automated assembly. Molecular mechanisms described in simple English are read by natural language processing algorithms, converted into an intermediate representation and assembled into executable or network models. We have implemented this approach in the Integrated Network and Dynamical Reasoning Assembler (INDRA), which draws on existing natural language processing systems as well as pathway information in Pathway Commons and other online resources. We demonstrate the use of INDRA and natural language to model three biological processes of increasing scope: (i) p53 dynamics in response to DNA damage; (ii) adaptive drug resistance in BRAF-V600E mutant melanomas; and (iii) the RAS signaling pathway. The use of natural language for modeling makes routine tasks more efficient for modeling practitioners and increases the accessibility and transparency of models for the broader biology community.

Standfirst text

INDRA uses natural language processing systems to read descriptions of molecular mechanisms and assembles them into executable models.

Highlights

INDRA decouples the curation of knowledge as word models from model implementation

INDRA is connected to multiple natural language processing systems and can draw on information from curated databases

INDRA can assemble dynamical models in rule-based and reaction network formalisms, as well as Boolean networks and visualization formats

We used INDRA to build models of p53 dynamics, resistance to targeted inhibitors of BRAF in melanoma, and the Ras signaling pathway from natural language
Back-exchange of deuterium in neutron crystallography: characterization by IR spectroscopy
Authors: Yee Ai Woon , Blakeley Matthew P. , Moulin Martine , Haertlein Michael , Mitchell Edward , Forsyth V. Trevor
Published: March 2017

The application of IR spectroscopy to the characterization and quality control of samples used in neutron crystallography is described. While neutron crystallography is a growing field, the limited availability of neutron beamtime means that there may be a delay between crystallogenesis and data collection. Since essentially all neutron crystallographic work is carried out using D2O-based solvent buffers, a particular concern for these experiments is the possibility of H2O back-exchange across reservoir or capillary sealants. This may limit the quality of neutron scattering length density maps and of the associated analysis. Given the expense of central facility beamtime and the effort that goes into the production of suitably sized (usually perdeuterated) crystals, a systematic method of exploiting IR spectroscopy for the analysis of back-exchange phenomena in the reservoirs used for crystal growth is valuable. Examples are given in which the characterization of D2O/H2O back-exchange in transthyretin crystals is described.
Crystal structures of two platinum(II) complexes containing ethyl eugenoxyacetate and 2-aminopyridine
Authors: Le Thi Hong Hai , Nguyen Thu Thao , Nguyen Hien , Van Meervelt Luc
Published: March 2017

In the title complexes,trans-(2-aminopyridine-κN)dichlorido{4-ethoxycarbonylmethoxy-3-methoxy-1-[(2,3-η)-prop-2-en-1-yl]benzene}platinum(II), [PtCl2(C5H6N2)(C14H18O4)], (I), and (2-aminopyridine-κN)chlorido{5-ethoxycarbonylmethoxy-4-methoxy-1-[(2,3-η)-prop-2-en-1-yl]phenyl-κC1}platinum(II), [Pt(C14H17O4)Cl(C5H6N2)], (II), the central PtIImetal atom displays a distorted square-planar coordination, with the PtIIatom coordinated by the pyridine N atom, the C=C double bond of the eugenol ligand and two Cl atoms for (I) or one Cl atom and a C atom of the phenyl ring for (II). The allyl fragment in (I) is disordered, with population parameters 0.614 (14) and 0.386 (14) for the two positions of the central C atom. The least-squares planes through the two aromatic ring systems make a dihedral angle of 51.10 (13)° for (I) and 78.5 (2)° for (II). Intramolecular N—H...O and N—H...π interactions occur in (I). In (I), inversion dimers formed by C—H...Cl interactions are further linked into chains parallel to thebaxis by C—H...O hydrogen bonds. Both aromatic rings are involved in π–π interactions, with centroid-to-centroid distances of 3.508 (3) and 3.791 (3) Å. In (II), inversion dimers form chains parallel to thebaxis by C—H...O interactions.
(3S)-3,8-Dibromo-4-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,5-benzodiazapin-2-one
Authors: Essaghouani Abdelhanine , Boulhaoua Mohammed , Lahmidi Sanae , Mohamed Abdelahi Mohamed Mokhtar , Essassi El Mokhtar , Mague Joel T.
Published: March 2017

In the title compound, C15H10Br2N2O, one Br atom is disordered over two non-chemically equivalent sites, and as a consequence, the crystallized sample contains a mixture of isomers, viz. 98.4% of 3,8-dibromo-4-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,5-benzodiazapin-2-one and 1.6% of 3,6-dibromo-4-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,5-benzodiazapin-2-one. The seven-membered ring adopts a boat conformation. In the crystal, pairwise N—H...O hydrogen bonds form centrosymmetric dimers, which are associated in the crystal through a combination of π–π stacking and C—H...π(ring) interactions.
3,4-Dihydro-2H-benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazin-3-ol
Authors: El Ouasif Latifa , El Ghoul Mostafa , Achour Redouane , Saadi Mohamed , El Ammari Lahcen
Published: March 2017

In the title compound, C10H10N2OS, the benzimidazole ring system is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.007 Å), whereas the heterocyclic six-membered thiazine ring has an envelope conformation, with the hydroxy-substituted C atom as the flap. In the crystal, molecules are linked by O—H...N hydrogen bonds to form zigzag chains running along the b-axis direction. The chains are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds and C—H...π interactions, forming layers parallel to the bc plane.
Ethyl 2-(6-nitro-1H-indazol-1-yl)acetate
Authors: Mohamed Abdelahi Mohamed Mokhtar , El Bakri Youness , Benchidmi Mohammed , Essassi El Mokhtar , Mague Joel T.
Published: March 2017

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C11H11N3O4, comprises two independent molecules, both of which display positional disorder of their ethyl chains in 0.868 (4):0.132 (4) and 0.839 (4):0.161 (4) ratios. The packing is directed by a combination of C—H...O hydrogen bonds and N—O...π interactions between nitro groups and the aromatic rings.
Ethyl 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-methyl-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxylate
Authors: Naveen S. , Kumar Vasantha , Poojary Boja , Kumar Naveen , Jarrar Nora , Lokanath N. K. , Warad Ismail
Published: March 2017

In the title benzimidazole derivative, C18H18N2O3, the methoxyphenyl ring is twisted with respect to the benzimidazole ring system, making a dihedral angle of 28.81 (5)°. The pendant ethyl chain has an extended conformation. Within the imidazole ring, the C—N single bonds have a partial double-bond character. In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak C—H...π interactions and π–π stacking [the centroid-to-centroid distances being 3.6468 (7), 3.7279 (7) and 3.7481 (7) Å].
Development of a web-based system for managing suppliers’ performance and knowledge sharing in construction project
Authors: Qian Li Zi , Chen Tan Hai , Anumba Chimay , Choy Chia Fah
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a web-based system that provides an efficient means for managing suppliers’ performance which also facilitates the leveraging of suppliers’ knowledge for the benefit of the on-going projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Case study approach is adopted. In total, 12 semi-structured interviews are conducted with Malaysia-based public listed construction companies to study their current practice and the requirements for the development of an information and communication technology (ICT) aided system for the purpose. Subsequently, a web-based system for managing suppliers’ performance is developed using ASP.net and MSSQL database.

Findings

Most of the case study companies are found to have low levels of ICT adoption and still resort to handling the majority of the tasks involved in the selection and management of suppliers’ performance manually. An ICT-based system that can improve the recording of important information about the suppliers, provide a function for supplier selection and facilitate the capture of useful reusable knowledge of the suppliers is needed.

Originality/value

The paper has shown empirically that a web-based suppliers’ performance management system eases the supplier selection process and the monitoring of suppliers’ performance. In addition, it demonstrates how such systems can be designed to capture and facilitate the leveraging of suppliers’ knowledge, and how suppliers’ knowledge contribution can be recognised as part of their performance. The system adopts a novel two-way communication model which provides the suppliers the access to their own performance records to identify room for improvements.
Improving the cost estimates of complex projects in the project-based industries
Authors: Sridarran Pournima , Keraminiyage Kaushal , Herszon Leon
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Project-based industries face major challenges in controlling project cost and completing within the budget. This is a critical issue as it often connects to the main objectives of any project. However, accurate estimation at the beginning of the project is difficult. Scholars argue that project complexity is a major contributor to cost estimation inaccuracies. Therefore, recognising the priorities of acknowledging complexity dimensions in cost estimation across similar industries is beneficial in identifying effective practices to reduce cost implications. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to identify the level of importance given to different complexity dimensions in cost estimation and to recognise best practices to improve cost estimation accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire survey was conducted among professionals including estimators, project managers, and quantity surveyors to rank the identified complexity dimensions based on their impacts in cost estimation accuracy. Besides, in-depth interviews were conducted among experts and practitioners from different industries, in order to extract effective practices to improve the cost estimation process of complex projects.

Findings

Study results show that risk, project and product size, and time frame are the high-impact complexity dimensions on cost estimation, which need more attention in reducing unforeseen cost implications. Moreover, study suggests that implementing a knowledge sharing system will be beneficial to acquire reliable and adequate information for cost estimation. Further, appropriate staffing, network enhancement, risk management, and circumspect estimation are some of the suggestions to improve cost estimation of complex projects.

Originality/value

The study finally provides suggestions to improve cost estimation in complex projects. Further, the results are expected to be beneficial to learn lessons from different industries and to exchange best practices.
From international travelling consumer to place ambassador
Authors: De Nisco Alessandro , Papadopoulos Nicolas , Elliot Statia
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend international marketing theory by examining country image effects simultaneously from the perspectives of Product-Country Image (PCI), Tourism Destination Image (TDI), and General Country Image (GCI), and by using tourism satisfaction as the central construct in a comprehensive model that investigates post-visit effects in both the product and tourism domains.

Design/methodology/approach

International tourists from multiple countries were intercepted at the end of a tourism trip and interviewed in-person using a structured questionnaire, resulting in 498 usable responses for data analysis. The model comprised seven constructs measured with 28 variables and was tested with structural equation modelling.

Findings

The study uncovers a number of cross-effects between a country as destination and as producer, and establishes tourism satisfaction as a core construct that is relevant to both the tourism and product facets of place image.

Practical implications

Above all, the study’s findings argue strongly in favour of greater coordination between the “product” and “tourism” sides of place marketing.

Originality/value

The study is original in its integrative analysis of GCI, PCI, and TDI constructs as antecedents and consequences of the tourism experience and, among other original contributions, is the first to investigate the direct link between product beliefs, tourism satisfaction, and post-visit product-related intentions.
What everybody knows: embodied information in serious leisure
Authors: Cox Andrew M. , Griffin Brian , Hartel Jenna
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reconsider the role of the body in information in serious leisure by reviewing existing work in information behaviour that theorises the role of the body, and by drawing selectively on literature from beyond information studies to extend our understanding.

Design/methodology/approach

After finding a lack of attention to the body in most influential works on information behaviour, the paper identifies a number of important authors who do offer theorisations. It then explores what can be learnt by examining studies of embodied information in the hobbies of running, music and the liberal arts, published outside the discipline.

Findings

Auto-ethnographic studies influenced by phenomenology show that embodied information is central to the hobby of running, both through the diverse sensory information the runner uses and through the dissemination of information by the body as a sign. Studies of music drawing on the theory of embodied cognition, similarly suggest that it is a key part of amateur music information behaviour. Even when considering the liberal arts hobby, the core activity, reading, has been shown to be in significant ways embodied. The examples reveal how it is not only in more obviously embodied leisure activities such as sports, in which the body must be considered.

Research limitations/implications

Embodied information refers to how the authors receive information from the senses and the way the body is a sign that can be read by others. To fully understand this, more empirical and theoretical work is needed to reconcile insights from practice theory, phenomenology, embodied cognition and sensory studies.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates how and why the body has been neglected in information behaviour research, reviews current work and identifies perspectives from other disciplines that can begin to fill the gap.
Working framework of semantic interoperability for CRIS with heterogeneous data sources
Authors: Leiva-Mederos Amed , Senso Jose A. , Hidalgo-Delgado Yusniel , Hipola Pedro
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Information from Current Research Information Systems (CRIS) is stored in different formats, in platforms that are not compatible, or even in independent networks. It would be helpful to have a well-defined methodology to allow for management data processing from a single site, so as to take advantage of the capacity to link disperse data found in different systems, platforms, sources and/or formats. Based on functionalities and materials of the VLIR project, the purpose of this paper is to present a model that provides for interoperability by means of semantic alignment techniques and metadata crosswalks, and facilitates the fusion of information stored in diverse sources.

Design/methodology/approach

After reviewing the state of the art regarding the diverse mechanisms for achieving semantic interoperability, the paper analyzes the following: the specific coverage of the data sets (type of data, thematic coverage and geographic coverage); the technical specifications needed to retrieve and analyze a distribution of the data set (format, protocol, etc.); the conditions of re-utilization (copyright and licenses); and the “dimensions” included in the data set as well as the semantics of these dimensions (the syntax and the taxonomies of reference). The semantic interoperability framework here presented implements semantic alignment and metadata crosswalk to convert information from three different systems (ABCD, Moodle and DSpace) to integrate all the databases in a single RDF file.

Findings

The paper also includes an evaluation based on the comparison – by means of calculations of recall and precision – of the proposed model and identical consultations made on Open Archives Initiative and SQL, in order to estimate its efficiency. The results have been satisfactory enough, due to the fact that the semantic interoperability facilitates the exact retrieval of information.

Originality/value

The proposed model enhances management of the syntactic and semantic interoperability of the CRIS system designed. In a real setting of use it achieves very positive results.
State of business statistics education in MENA region
Authors: Hijazi Rafiq , Zoubeidi Taoufik
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the state of undergraduate business statistics education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and assess its alignment with the best practices in equipping business graduates with the knowledge and skills demanded by the labor market.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 108 instructors from 80 business schools in 17 MENA countries was conducted to gauge information on the delivery of business statistics courses. The survey results were benchmarked to a proposed framework for best practices in business statistics education.

Findings

The gap analysis identified deficiencies in the delivery of business statistics education in the region as compared to international best practices. This study revealed a need to revise statistics education as part of a comprehensive reform of business education with the aim to meet international quality standards in business education.

Research limitations/implications

The study relied on the self-reported responses of business statistics instructors in MENA. One hundred eight questionnaires were completed, corresponding to a response rate of 40 per cent. Moreover, the study did not measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning in business statistics courses.

Practical implications

Recommendations from the study are intended to guide business statistics instructors in improving the quality of business statistics education through adopting more effective ways to enhance student learning experience and graduate employability.

Originality/value

This study is the first of its kind to investigate and assess the business statistics education in the MENA region.
Teaching giants to learn: lessons from army learning in World War II
Authors: Visser Max
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the “truism” that learning organizations cannot be large organizations and, conversely, that large organizations cannot be learning organizations. This paper analyzes learning in the German and US armies in the Second World War, based on a four-dimensional model of the learning organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper entails a secondary analysis of historical and military sources and data.

Findings

It is found that the German and US armies differed in learning capacity, which can be plausibly, but not exclusively, related to differences in the battlefield performance between those armies in the Second World War.

Research limitations/implications

The research scope of the paper is limited to the analysis of two particular armies in the Second World War. Implications of theory reside in the importance of organizational learning capacity and its dimensions for learning in current organizations.

Practical implications

The paper has clear practical implications for large organizations wishing to become effective and responsible learning organizations.

Originality/value

This is among the first organizational papers to analyze army learning in the Second World War and to derive lessons from that analysis for current large organizations.
Why is organizing human resource development so problematic?
Authors: Poell Rob F. , van der Krogt Ferd
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Human resource development (HRD) is an important field within management. Developing employees is often regarded as an instrument to improve the internal labor market and support organizational change. Organizing HRD to these ends, however, is frequently a problematic affair, in terms of training effectiveness, participant motivation and added value. This study, which consists of two parts, aims to investigate the question of why this is the case. In this first part, the problem is stated and the backgrounds and basic tenets of learning-network theory are addressed.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first describes three approaches to organizing HRD, namely, as a training issue: customization by HRD practitioners; as a learning issue: didactic self-direction by employees; and as a strategic issue for employees and managers: micro-politics. The learning-network theory is then introduced as an integration of these three approaches. It presents a number of key organizational actors that organize four HRD processes, each operating strategically in their own way.

Findings

Organizing HRD is mostly viewed as designing training courses and instruction sessions for employees; it is also predominantly understood as a tool of management. A network perspective on organizing HRD is better able to guide organizational actors than other approaches can.

Originality/value

The study argues that organizing HRD needs to take into account learning experiences that employees can gain from participating in work and career development as well (besides formal training); moreover, that employees’ HRD strategies are at least as important as those used by line managers and HR practitioners.
Genetic structure in chloroplast and nuclear microsatellites in Rosa rugosa around sea straits in northern Japan
Authors: Nagamitsu Teruyoshi
Published: March 2017

Sea‐strait geological history and seawater dispersal patterns can affect the genetic structure of coastal plants. We investigated microsatellite (simple sequence repeat, SSR) variations in chloroplast (cp) and nuclear (n) DNA of the coastal shrub
R

osa rugosa, native to northeastern Asia, and three species closely related to it. In northern Japan, we sampled
R.
rugosa along coasts around the Soya and Tsugaru straits with different histories of the Quaternary land formation as a result of different water depths. Both cpSSR and nSSR variations suggest rare hybridization between
R

. rugosa and the closely related species. Variations in one of two cpSSRs showed genetic differentiation between eastern and western Hokkaido. This genetic structure may result from introgression from
R.
davurica in eastern Hokkaido and/or isolation between the eastern and western coastlines of Hokkaido as a result of the Quaternary land formation in the Soya Strait. On the other hand, variations in 10 nSSRs were geographically homogeneous with weak isolation by distance along coastlines. These results suggest that extensive gene flow has been homogenizing the genetic structure of
R

. rugosa in northern Japan.
Firm Value, Corporate Cash Holdings and Financial Constraint: A Study from a Developing Market
Authors: Nguyen Thi Lien Hoa , Nguyen Le Ngan Trang , Le Thi Phuong Vy
Published: March 2017

This paper investigates the nonlinear relationship between firm value and corporate cash holdings in a sample of non‐financial Vietnamese firms from 2008 to 2013. We focus on both static and dynamic regressions to test for a nonlinear relationship. Our results reveal an ‘inverse U‐shape’ relationship between firm value and cash holdings, which is in line with trade‐off theory. Specially, we further test whether the optimal cash level changes under different financial conditions. In turn, this paper shows evidence of a nonlinear relationship between firm value and cash holdings under different financial circumstances and that each type of firm will adjust its optimal cash level based on business conditions.
Margins of freedom: a field‐theoretic approach to class‐based health dispositions and practices
Authors: Burnett Patrick John , Veenstra Gerry
Published: March 2017

Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice situates social practices in the relational interplay between experiential mental phenomena (habitus), resources (capitals) and objective social structures (fields). When applied to class‐based practices in particular, the overarching field of power within which social classes are potentially made manifest is the primary field of interest. Applying relational statistical techniques to original survey data from Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, we investigated whether smoking, engaging in physical activity and consuming fruit and vegetables are dispersed in a three‐dimensional field of power shaped by economic and cultural capitals and cultural dispositions and practices. We find that aesthetic dispositions and flexibility of developing and established dispositions are associated with positioning in the Canadian field of power and embedded in the logics of the health practices dispersed in the field. From this field‐theoretic perspective, behavioural change requires the disruption of existing relations of harmony between the habitus of agents, the fields within which the practices are enacted and the capitals that inform and enforce the mores and regularities of the fields.

The three‐dimensional model can be explored at: https://www.sociologix.ca/margins-freedom.html [Correction made on 2 December 2020, after issue publication: link to the three‐dimensional model has been updated in this version.]
The effect of senior obstetric presence on maternal and neonatal outcomes in UK NHS maternity units: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Reid HE , Hayes DJL , Wittkowski A , Vause S , Whitcombe J , Heazell AEP
Published: March 2017

Background

There is little consensus regarding the hypothesised link between obstetric consultant presence and maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Objectives

To pool existing data on the impact of consultant presence on the outcomes of women who have given birth in UK National Health Service (NHS) maternity units.

Search strategy

Twelve databases, grey literature, and reference lists were searched.

Selection criteria

Studies conducted in UK NHS maternity units comparing outcomes during lesser consultant presence versus increased consultant presence that reported mode of delivery and adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes.

Data collection and analysis

Studies were divided into three groups by type of comparison: (1) hours of rostered consultant presence during the weekend versus hours of rostered consultant presence during the week; (2) hours per week of rostered consultant presence pre‐increase versus hours per week of rostered consultant presence post‐increase; and (3) no rostered consultant presence versus rostered consultant presence. A random‐effects meta‐analysis was performed.

Main results

Fifteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, presenting data from 125 856 births. Overall, there was no significant difference between lesser and increased consultant presence for any outcome. When data were stratified by comparison type, the likelihood of emergency caesarean section was significantly lower (odds ratio, OR 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.86–0.96) and the likelihood of non‐instrumental vaginal delivery was significantly higher (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.02–1.12) when the rostered hours of consultant presence per week were increased.

Conclusions

Increased consultant presence has some effect on mode of delivery, but no evidence for a benefit for adverse outcomes was found.

Tweetable abstract

Increasing hours of NHS obstetric consultant presence may increase chance of non‐instrumental vaginal delivery.
Green human resource management practices: scale development and validity
Authors: Tang Guiyao , Chen Yang , Jiang Yuan , Paillé Pascal , Jia Jin
Published: March 2017

Previous studies on green human resource management (GHRM) are mainly positioned at theoretical or qualitative level. There is urgent need to develop a valid measurement of GHRM and then to offer more insights into the implication of it on individual or organizational performance. The aim of this study was to propose and validate an instrument to measure GHRM. Based on exploratory analysis (study 1), it was established that GHRM includes five dimensions: green recruitment and selection, green training, green performance management, green pay and reward, and green involvement. Confirmatory factor analysis (study 2) was used to confirm the factor structure of study 1. The results indicated that the proposed measurement is valid. This study is the first and also the most comprehensive one to measure main human resource practices for environmental management, which can provide broader focus for further research and for practitioners.
JUVENILE WAIVER AS A MECHANISM OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: A FOCUS ON HUMAN CAPITAL*
Authors: AUGUSTYN MEGAN BEARS , LOUGHRAN THOMAS A.
Published: March 2017

The historic transformations of the criminal justice system must be justified and interpreted through the effects on criminals (Maruna and Immarigeon, 2011). The push for harsher sentencing policies for juvenile offenders specifically through the use of juvenile waiver to criminal court is one such policy that is not well understood in terms of its effects on offenders, especially in terms of broader outcomes beyond recidivism. We use data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, which consists of a sample of adolescent offenders followed for 7 years postadjudication, to investigate the effect juvenile waiver has on human capital acquisition and yield among 557 adolescents from Maricopa County, Arizona. By using various matching specifications, our findings demonstrate that juveniles transferred to adult court experience no deleterious effects on human capital in terms of educational acquisition compared with similar youth retained in the juvenile system, yet they still earn considerably less income 7 years postadjudication. These results suggest that an important and unintended collateral consequence of juvenile waiver is an increase in social stratification potentially through labeling and labor market discrimination.
‘Stones of use’: Cobalt, Spar and the Utility of Architectural Materials
Authors: Ferng Jennifer
Published: March 2017

This article advances a greater understanding of building materials, specifically stone, as a scientific object of experimentation that moved from the realm of natural philosophy and into architectural design and industry trades in eighteenth‐century England. Revd William Borlase contemplated stone's pragmatic use in disciplinary fields that lay beyond the scientist's chemical laboratory or the antiquarian's personal collections. Cobalt, spar and other specimens of stone acted as heuristic models of architectural materials that were tested as they were being conceived in practice. These conceptions of stone gradually transformed these building materials into more industry‐ready incarnations, predicted by naturalists like Borlase.
Low prevalence of knee chondrocalcinosis and its catabolic association with serum matrix metalloproteinase 3: A rural Japanese population study
Authors: Chiba Daisuke , Tsuda Eiichi , Sasaki Eiji , Takahashi Ippei , Nakaji Shigeyuki , Ishibashi Yasuyuki
Published: March 2017

Aim

This study aimed to elucidate the prevalence of radiographic knee chondrocalcinosis (CC) and to clarify whether CC is correlated with self‐reported knee symptoms and a serum catabolic biomarker.

Methods

A total of 1278 volunteers participated. Plain radiographs of both knees were obtained. Identification of a linear calcification in the knee joint space was defined as CC. Patients with a Kellgren‐Lawrence grade of 2 or more were considered to have knee osteoarthritis (OA). Symptoms were evaluated using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Pain scale, and serum matrix metalloproteinase‐3 (MMP‐3) concentration was determined. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine whether CC was correlated with OA, the KOOS Pain scale and MMP‐3 concentration.

Results

Twenty‐eight subjects were found to have CC (2.2%), and 389 had OA (30.4%). CC was correlated with OA (odds ratio: 5.797; P = 0.006). Additionally, CC was correlated with MMP‐3 concentration (B = 11.415, β = 0.059, P = 0.014), but not with KOOS Pain scale.

Conclusions

The prevalence of CC was low in the Japanese population evaluated in this study. While CC was not correlated with self‐reported knee symptoms, it was positively correlated with serum MMP‐3 concentration.
TRADD, TRAF2, RIP1 and TAK1 are required for TNF‐α‐induced pro‐labour mediators in human primary myometrial cells
Authors: Lim Ratana , Barker Gillian , Lappas Martha
Published: March 2017

Problem

TNF‐α plays a central role in the processes of human labour and delivery. This study sought to determine the role of the adaptor proteins TNFR1‐associated death domain protein (TRADD), TNF receptor‐associated factor 2 (TRAF2), receptor interacting protein 1 (RIP1) and transforming growth factor beta‐activated kinase 1 (TAK1) in TNF‐α‐induced formation of pro‐labour mediators.

Method of study

Human primary myometrial cells were transfected with siRNA against TRADD (siTRADD), TRAF2 (siTRAF2), RIP1 (siRIP1) or TAK1 (siTAK1), treated with TNF‐α, and assayed for pro‐inflammatory mediators expression.

Results

siTRADD, siTRAF2, siRIP1 and siTAK1 significantly decreased TNF‐α‐induced IL‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, MCP‐1 mRNA expression and release of IL‐6, IL‐8 and MCP‐1; and cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 expression and release of prostaglandin PGF2α. There was a significant attenuation of TNF‐α‐induced expression of adhesion molecules ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1 mRNA with siTRADD, siTRAF2 or siRIP1. siTRADD and siRIP1 significantly attenuated TNF‐α‐induced MMP‐9 mRNA expression and release and nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) transcriptional activity. There was a significant increase in TNF‐α‐induced sVCAM‐1 release, MMP‐9 mRNA expression and NF‐κB activity with siTAK1.

Conclusion

TRADD, TRAF2, RIP1 and TAK1 are involved in TNF‐α signalling in human myometrium. Further studies are required to determine whether inhibition of these proteins can prevent preterm birth.
Goodbye ‘Racial Democracy’?Brazilian Identity, Official Discourse and the Making of a ‘Black’ Heritage Site inRiodeJaneiro
Authors: CICALO ANDRÉ
Published: March 2017

This article explores the racial thinking in Brazilian governance exposed during the creation of a Circuit of African Heritage in the port area of Rio de Janeiro from 2011 on. The Circuit and the policy discourses that have surrounded its establishment are visibly framed within a philosophy of ethno‐racial recognition and multiculturalism, which apparently suggests a rupture from the long‐established discourse of mixture and racial democracy in Brazil. Nonetheless, a careful analysis of the creation of the Circuit of African Heritage indicates that policy discourse is not conclusively unsettling the country's traditional faith in a shared, colour‐blind national identity.
Piperazine‐linked 4‐aminoquinoline‐chalcone/ferrocenyl‐chalcone conjugates: Synthesis and antiplasmodial evaluation
Authors: Singh Amandeep , Rani Anu , Gut Jiri , Rosenthal Philip J. , Kumar Vipan
Published: March 2017

A series of piperazine‐linked 4‐aminoquinoline‐chalcone/ferrocenyl‐chalcone conjugates were prepared with a view to evaluate their activities against Plasmodium falciparum. The synthesized conjugates had in vitro IC50 values from 0.41 to 2.38 μm against chloroquine‐resistant and mefloquine‐sensitive W2 strain of P. falciparum. The submicromolar activities of most of the synthesized conjugates suggest that such molecular frameworks can act as therapeutic templates for the design and synthesis of new antimalarials.
Peer Influence on Ethnic‐Racial Identity Development: A Multi‐Site Investigation
Authors: Santos Carlos E. , Kornienko Olga , Rivas‐Drake Deborah
Published: March 2017

The peer context features prominently in theory, and increasingly in empirical research, about ethnic‐racial identity (ERI) development, but no studies have assessed peer influence on ERI using methods designed to properly assess peer influence. We examined peer influence on ERI centrality, private, and public regard using longitudinal social network analysis. Data were drawn from two sites: a predominantly Latina/o Southwestern (SW) school (N = 1034; Mage = 12.10) and a diverse Midwestern (MW) school (N = 513; Mage = 11.99). Findings showed that peers influenced each other's public regard over time at both sites. However, peer influence on centrality was evident in the SW site, whereas peer influence on private regard was evident in the MW site. Importantly, peer influence was evident after controlling for selection effects. Our integration of developmental, contextual, and social network perspectives offers a fruitful approach to explicate how ERI content may shift in early adolescence as a function of peer influence.
Once‐daily glatiramer acetate decreases magnetic resonance imaging disease activity in Japanese patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Yamamura Takashi , Ashtamker Natalia , Ladkani David , Fukazawa Toshiyuki , Houzen Hideki , Tanaka Masami , Miura Toshiro , Knappertz Volker
Published: March 2017

Objective

Multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence, clinical patterns, and treatment responses vary between races and geographical latitudes. Glatiramer acetate (GA; Copaxone) has provided a safe, effective treatment option for relapsing–remitting MS patients in the USA, European nations, and other countries for decades. The objective of the present study was to assess the safety and efficacy of GA in reducing magnetic resonance imaging disease activity in Japanese patients with active relapsing–remitting MS.

Methods

This phase 2, multicenter, open‐label, single‐arm, 52‐week study measured the effect of GA 20 mg once‐daily on magnetic resonance imaging disease activity. GA efficacy was evaluated through week 36, and safety through week 52. The primary end‐point was change in the mean number of T1‐weighted gadolinium‐enhancing (GdE) lesions from pretreatment (weeks –8, –4 and baseline) to weeks 28, 32 and 36. Secondary end‐points included a change in mean number of new T2‐weighted lesions, GdE lesion and T2 lesion volumes, annualized relapse rate, and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores.

Results

GA therapy reduced the number of new GdE lesions by 65.66% (95% CI 33.19–82.35%). The number of new T2 lesions and GdE lesion volume were also reduced from pretreatment. The annualized relapse rate was reduced by 42% compared with the 1 year before treatment. Changes in T2 lesion volume and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were favorable, but less pronounced. Most common adverse events were injection‐site reactions.

Conclusions

The present study confirmed the well‐established safety, tolerability and efficacy profile of GA in Japanese MS patients.