bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Homology-based loop modelling yields more complete crystallographic protein structures
Authors: van Beusekom Bart , Joosten Krista , Hekkelman Maarten L. , Joosten Robbie P. , Perrakis Anastassis
Published: May 2018

Inherent protein flexibility, poor or low-resolution diffraction data, or poor electron density maps, often inhibit building complete structural models during X-ray structure determination. However, advances in crystallographic refinement and model building nowadays often allow to complete previously missing parts. Here, we present algorithms that identify regions missing in a certain model but present in homologous structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), and “graft” these regions of interest. These new regions are refined and validated in a fully automated procedure. Including these developments in our PDB-REDO pipeline, allowed to build 24,962 missing loops in the PDB. The models and the automated procedures are publically available through the PDB-REDO databank and web server (https://pdb-redo.eu). More complete protein structure models enable a higher quality public archive, but also a better understanding of protein function, better comparison between homologous structures, and more complete data mining in structural bioinformatics projects.

Synopsis

Thousands of missing regions in existing protein structure models are completed using new methods based on homology.
Emergence of a Dengue virus serotype 2 causing the largest ever dengue epidemic in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wijewickrama Ananda , Fernando Samitha , Bandara Jayerathne Geethal S. , Perera Pathum Asela , Abeynaike S.A. , Gomes Laksiri , Jeewandara Chandima , Tippalagama Rashmi , Dilani Desha , Rajendran Anishgoby , Abeyesekere Ranmalie , Goonawardhana Suraj , De Silva Aruna Dharshan , Malavige Gathsaurie Neelika
Published: May 2018

Background

Sri Lanka experienced the largest ever dengue outbreak in year 2017, which coincided with the shift of the predominant circulating dengue virus (DENV) 1 to DENV2 after 9 years. As it was felt that more patients appeared to develop complications and severe dengue, we compared clinical features of patients with acute dengue, with the previous circulating serotype (DENV1) and also sequenced the new virus, to determine the lineage of the virus.

Methodology/Principal findings

We studied the clinical and laboratory features of 172 adult patients with acute DENV1 (n=79) and DENV2 (n=93) infection. 65 (82.3%) of those with DENV1 and 86 (92.4%) of those with DENV2 were experiencing a secondary infection. The risk of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) was significantly higher (=0.005, odds ratio=2.5) in those infected with DENV2 (54.8%) when compared to DENV1(32.9%), even though similar proportions of patients had a secondary dengue infection. Patients with DENV2 infection developed leakage significantly earlier (p<0.0001, median= 3, days) when compared to those with a DENV1 infection (median 5 days) and were more likely to develop significant bleeding and to require blood transfusions. Furthermore, patients with DENV2 were more likely to have significantly lower platelet counts during day 3, 4 and 5 since onset of illness.

Whole genome sequencing showed that these DENV-2 isolates belonged to a cosmopolitan strain and was genetically more distant than the DENV-2 strains that circulated from 1981 to 2004 in Sri Lanka.

Conclusions/significance

Since this DENV2 strain appears to cause more severe forms of clinical disease, it would be important to determine variations in the virus genome or other factors that could have contributed to severe disease.

Author summary

Sri Lanka experienced the largest ever dengue outbreak in year 2017, which coincided with the shift of the predominant circulating dengue virus (DENV) 1 to DENV2 after 9 years. We studied the clinical and laboratory features of 172 adult patients with acute DENV1 (n=79) and DENV2 (n=93) infection. The risk of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever was significantly higher (=0.005, odds ratio=2.5) in those infected with DENV2 (54.8%) when compared to DENV1(32.9%), even though similar proportions of patients had a secondary dengue infection. Patients with DENV2 infection developed leakage significantly earlier (p<0.0001, median= 3, days) when compared to those with a DENV1 infection (median 5 days) and were more likely to develop significant bleeding. Whole genome sequencing showed that these DENV-2 isolates belonged to cosmopolitan strain and was genetically more distant to the DENV-2 strains that circulated from 1981 to 2004 in Sri Lanka.
How meaningful activities influence the recovery process
Authors: Nordaunet Ole Martin , Sælør Knut Tore
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore two research questions: how do people with concurrent substance abuse and mental health disorders (concurrent conditions) experience and describe meaningful activities? And how do meaningful activities influence the recovery process?

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study uses an explorative and interpretive design in a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Transcribed interviews are analysed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method for researching lived experience. The study was submitted to the Norwegian Center for Research Data where it was approved (Case No. 54661).

Findings

Structural analysis resulted in three overarching themes: achieving a positive identity through actions and feeling worthwhile; physically outside but inside the norms of society, and idleness, isolation, and obstacles on the road to recovery. Meaningful activities, considered a cornerstone in the recovery process, vary widely and are primarily described in social contexts, thereby confirming the significance of social aspects of recovery in addition to recovery as an individual journey. The findings also show that experiencing meaningful activities contributes to recovery capital and the development of recovery-promotive identities.

Research limitations/implications

The study consisted of a small sample size, recruited at one location which served as a primary research limitation.

Practical implications

This paper provides insights for health care practitioners and health care decision makers regarding the importance of meaningful activities viewed through a recovery perspective.

Originality/value

Few studies to date have used a comprehensive approach to describe the influence of experiencing meaningful activities on the recovery process.
Evaluating the project success index of public-private partnership projects in Hong Kong
Authors: Osei-Kyei Robert , Chan Albert P.C.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

Since 1960, many public–private partnership (PPP) projects have been implemented in Hong Kong. Some projects have been considered as very successful, whereas others are seen as less successful. Unfortunately, these success outcomes have remained abstract because they are not in quantifiable terms. This paper aims to develop a model that can quantify the success outcome of PPP projects in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were adopted for the study. First, a questionnaire survey was conducted with PPP practitioners in Hong Kong, and thereafter, the fuzzy synthetic evaluation technique was used to develop a project success index for PPP projects in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Cross-Harbour Tunnel project was used as a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the pragmatic model.

Findings

The success index model developed consists of four unrelated success criteria groupings: cost effectiveness, quality of services and technical specification, environmental impact and long-term partnership. Further, the computed success index for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel project is 4.06, which indicates that the tunnel project has been highly successful.

Originality/value

The outputs of this study will enable PPP practitioners in Hong Kong to reliably evaluate the success levels of their projects. In addition, local practitioners can now compare the success levels of two or more PPP projects on the same basis.
“Why aren’t there enough of our stories to read?”
Authors: Rosario-Ramos Enid Marie
Published: May 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to draw on the analysis of instruction and student work in an English Language Arts classroom to discuss how teachers may support dispossessed students’ journeys toward radical healing (Ginwright, 2010) by using critically caring pedagogies – pedagogies grounded in teachers’ deep understanding of the systemic inequalities faced by their students and a strong commitment to contributing to social justice. Radical healing involves naming and redefining individual experiences of oppression as collective struggle to express desire and hope (Winn, 2012; 2013; Tuck, 2009).

Design/methodology/approach

The data used for this paper included video data from a two-week writing unit and fieldnotes from preceding lessons, classroom documents and handouts and final work from students. Data were analyzed through a process of open and focused coding (Coffey and Atkinson 1996; Miles and Huberman, 1994).

Findings

Three major practices emerged from the analysis of instruction: affirming student experience, connecting individual and community struggles and using writing as a space for expressing desire and hope. Student work showed how students used their writing to engage in the kind of analysis that autoethnographies encourage – reflection on individual lives as collective experiences and the expression of hope – which the author aligns with the goals of radical healing. Students wrote about enduring difficult life circumstances. They also found connections between their experiences and the lives of their peers and communities. Finally, they used their writing to express desire and hope.

Originality/value

The teacher’s pedagogy provides an illustration of teaching critically caring literacies (Camangian, 2010) that may lead to radical healing (Ginwright, 2010) – a pedagogy that seeks justice and encourages resilience, particularly for youth who have experienced great injustices. This kind of pedagogy requires not only the willingness to feel critical hope (Duncan-Andrade, 2009) with students but also a commitment to challenging disciplinary canons by allowing students’ lives to enter the classroom. In her classroom, the teacher created a space for her students to reflect on their lives and experience radical healing by encouraging them to contextualize their experiences within socio-historical processes and social, economic and political structures that were designed to create and sustain inequity. The autoethnography unit provided an opportunity for students to evaluate their own histories, come to terms with the past and begin to express desire and imagine hopeful futures (Tuck, 2009; Winn, 2012; 2013).
Dynamics of succession planning for Indian family-owned businesses: learning from successful organizations
Authors: Budhiraja Sunil , Pathak Ujjwal Kumar
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the process and challenges faced by Indian family-owned businesses (FoBs) during succession planning and examine the recent advancements in succession planning of successful Indian FoBs.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors make use of recent developments in terms of succession planning by FoBs to prepare their impartial comments and summary.

Findings

It is evident that India has the third highest number of FoBs after China and the USA. The challenges for these organizations during the transition of the ownership to the next generation start from finding a competent family member to manage the conflict between the family and the board.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insight into leading FoBs in India for creating a systematic and robust succession plan in their respective organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information, and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Value co-creation mechanisms of enterprises and users under crowdsource-based open innovation
Authors: Liu Qian , Zhao Xin , Sun Baowen
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the existing research and summarize the value co-creation mechanism between enterprises and users in crowdsource-based open innovation (COI).

Design/methodology/approach

Crowdsourcing is an effective means for enterprises to launch open innovation. This paper will first introduce the concepts and forms of open innovation and crowdsourcing, and then define COI.

Findings

This paper will analyze the key parties in innovative tasks, value co-creation mechanism that creates ideas, the interaction of key participants and the process of integrating internal and external resources to realize open innovation.

Research limitations/implications

In the end, this paper will put forward the theoretical framework for future studies on the development of COI from the perspective of value co-creation.

Originality/value

This thesis will first introduce the concepts and forms of open innovation and outsourcing and then define COI. Then it will systematically review the existing research studies and summarize the value co-creation mechanism between enterprises and users under COI model by analyzing the key parties in innovative tasks, value co-creation mechanism that creates ideas, the interaction mode of key participants and the process of enterprises integrating internal and external resources to realize open innovation.
Financing family firms in the Middle East: the choice between Islamic and conventional finance
Authors: Bizri Rima , Jardali Rayan , Bizri Marwa F.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of non-economic factors on the financing decisions of family firms in the Middle East. To contextualize the study, the authors steer away from the traditional capital structure debate toward the choice of financing paradigm: conventional vs Islamic.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior due to its ability to delineate the influence of non-economic motivational factors on the financing decisions of family firms. This study also examines the influence of “familial stewardship (FS),” another non-economic factor which is highly relevant in a collectivistic context. The authors initially use SEM with Amos to analyze 115 surveys of family firm owner-managers. For deeper probing, the authors undertook an additionalpost hocqualitative analysis of six case studies using semi-structured interviews.

Findings

The findings of this study suggest that owner-managers’ attitude toward Islamic finance plays a primary motivational role in influencing their intentions to use it. More importantly, the findings depict a significant influence of “FS” and subjective norm on the attitudes of owner-managers. This implies that financing decisions which involve religious beliefs are directly influenced by the decision maker’s personal attitude, which, in turn, is significantly influenced by familial and social pressures.

Originality/value

This study fills a gap in the family-firm financing literature by suggesting that when choosing religion-related financial products, attitude plays a far more significant role than other motivational factors. This study also contributes to the “familiness” area of research by empirically demonstrating that FS has a significant influence on owner-managers’ attitude toward financing choices.
Me, myself and I
Authors: Steinbach Torsten , Wallenburg Carl Marcus , Selviaridis Kostas
Published: May 2018

Purpose

This research focuses on the role of customer behavior in service outsourcing relationships that are governed by outcome-oriented contracts. The purpose of this paper is to explain how non-collaborative customer behavior impedes the effectiveness of outcome-oriented contracts to align the goals and incentives of the customer and service provider, and leads to service provider opportunism.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine hypotheses are developed regarding customer behavior and the reaction of the service provider to this. These are tested using structural equation modeling with data from 213 service outsourcing relationships.

Findings

Outcome-orientated contracts in service outsourcing may have unintended consequences because they create value attribution ambiguity. This ambiguity induces non-collaborative customer behavior, which, in turn, results in service provider opportunism. This reveals a paradox, where customer behavior aimed at curbing service provider opportunism instead induces such opportunism. This chain of effects can be counteracted by increased outcome attributability, which reduces the ambiguity and, thus, the motivation for non-collaborative customer behavior.

Originality/value

This research extends the existing literature by stressing that non-collaborative customer behavior is a key reason why outcome-oriented contracts fail in effectively governing outsourcing relationships, and that this can be counteracted by increased outcome attributability.
Organizational effects of digitalization: A literature review
Authors: Kuusisto Markku
Published: May 2018

The effect of digitalization on organizations has been studied separately but there has been very little research done on the overall "big" picture of the effects. However, the digitalization of society and business is marching forward at an ever increasing speed, calling for more converged research on the phenomenon. The main areas of effects elicited from the literature are organizational learning, digital innovations, organizational agility, business ecosystems, and organizational structures. More minor influences have been gathered in the framework of digitalization presented in this article. It can be seen as a tool for managers to explore their organizations capabilities on the digitalization front.
Sustainable leadership: An empirical investigation of its effect on organizational effectiveness1
Authors: Lee Hyung-Woo
Published: May 2018

The concept of sustainable leadership is increasingly gaining popularity among organizational scholars. However, empirical evidences for the effectiveness of sustainable leadership are still lacking. This study investigated whether and how diverse elements of sustainable leadership influence the effectiveness of organization. Analyzing the large data collected from the employees of diverse U.S. federal agencies, this study found that sustainable leadership practices explained a significant variance of diverse aspects of organizational effectiveness. However, the different elements of sustainable leadership influenced the different aspects of organizational effectiveness to a different degree. The results showed that the relative strengths of the effects of each element of sustainable leadership differed across different aspects of organizational effectiveness. For example, promoting work/life balance was the most significant predictors of employee satisfaction, while its effect diminished when investigated against other aspects of organizational effectiveness.
The sound of smashing looms and the future of corporate purpose
Authors: Hirsch Peter Buell
Published: May 2018

Purpose

This viewpoint reviews the current golden age of corporate purpose and raises the question as to the efficacy of corporate purpose and contributions to social value. The author warns that in the context of global populism, decades of stagnant real wages may bring back the era of contentious capital/labor relations and fundamental questions about the capitalist system.

Design/methodology/approach

The viewpoint reflects on longer-term economic and social changes drawn from the literature and uses secondary sources on corporate purpose and the changing nature of work to suggest that corporations need to look at their corporate purpose efforts more critically.

Findings

The author finds that there is indeed a growing cause for concern in recent events that reflect new anger at income inequality and its root causes.

Research limitations/implications

As a viewpoint, the findings are, by definition, the author’s own interpretation of the forces at work in capital/labor relations and, therefore, largely subjective.

Practical implications

The corporations that are persuaded to take a more focused look at their wage and labor practices may reap significant reputational benefits in an increasingly contentious environment.

Social implications

Great upheavals cause great change, but also great suffering. If a movement to reframe capital/labor relations can take hold before the next abrupt caesura, much social conflict can be avoided.

Originality/value

While there is widespread discussion about new ideas such as the universal minimum, it is largely taking place in academia not in the policy space and less still inside corporations.
Operating at the edge: firefighters, networks and lessons for minimal disruption during crisis
Authors: Berthod Olivier
Published: May 2018

Purpose

This study aims to point at the vulnerability of the networks on which companies rely, willingly or not. This vulnerability, it is argued, can be harnessed if firms proactively engage with their partners toward collective crisis management.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study relies on a three-year fieldwork, including over 100 interviews and 560 hours of observations at a public organization specialized in crisis and emergency management.

Findings

This case study shows how practitioners who are trained in emergency management prepare for crisis mitigation via the harnessing of networks. The paper translates these insights into networking practices and heuristics for business settings.

Originality/value

Because it reports on an extreme organization specialized in crisis and emergency management, this case study reports on observations that are derived from the best. Promising practical implications for businesses are discussed.
Successful rebounds: how firms overcome their middle age crisis
Authors: Ten Brink Candace , Gelb Betsy D. , Keller Robert
Published: May 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine technology-based firms that successfully turned around a decline in performance, to report what they did and what characterized the firms themselves, relating those actions and characteristics to effective rebounds.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use published data, including financial data, to examine 59 successful rebounds, and then apply regression analyses to relate firm actions and characteristics to performance.

Findings

Strategic moves by these firms included layoffs, new products and new inter-company relationships. However, none of those actions predicted rebound success, either individually or in combination. Successful rebounds were associated only with smaller size and a deeper decline – from exceeding the industry performance median to falling far below it.

Research limitations/implications

Technology firms may or may not represent all middle-aged companies in terms of authors’ implications, that a one-size-fits-all turnaround formula is unavailable.

Practical implications

Wise managers will therefore consider various scenarios to prepare for decline and test several if possible. Further, the finding that dramatic drops in performance are associated with successful rebounds should warn managers who think that a competitor’s major problems mean they will disappear; they may be likelier to rebound than a competitor experiencing only a mild performance decline.

Originality/value

Managers who think they have THE answer to decline can profit from the news that one cannot count on layoffs, on new products or on new relationships to turn around performance decline. And, the small-is-beautiful (for rebounds) result suggests rethinking the assumption that bigger is better and making organizational changes in large organizations to allow them to imitate the flexibility advantages that a smaller firm achieves.
Embedding funding consultation in library services
Authors: Wu Jiang , Cai Jingxuan , Jin Miao , Dong Ke
Published: May 2018

Purpose

Although interdisciplinary research is an increasing trend in scientific funding projects, they are suffering from a lower probability of being funded. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current situation on successful case of funding application and provides suggestions on how libraries can expand services to help scientific funding application.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilizes the co-occurrences of disciplinary application codes to construct an interdisciplinary knowledge flow network. Based on 193517 sponsored projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the authors study the interdisciplinary flow of knowledge and investigate the evolution of network structure using social network analysis.

Findings

Results show that the interdisciplinary knowledge flow network is not only a small-world network but also a scale-free network. Two main knowledge flow paths across scientific departments exist, showing the heterogeneity of knowledge distributions across scientific disciplines. The authors also find that if two disciplines in the same scientific department both have a wide influence to other disciplines, they are more prone to link together and create a knowledge chain.

Originality/value

Funding consultation currently has not occupied an advisory role either in library services or in the research team. This paper conducts a co-occurrences network analysis of interdisciplinary knowledge flow in scientific funding projects. Considering the complexity of funding application and the advantage of traditional library services on information collection, integration, and utilization, the authors conclude the possibility and necessity of embedding funding consultation in traditional library services.
Unveiling the diversification benefits of Islamic equities and commodities
Authors: Sakti Muhammad Rizky Prima , Masih Mansur , Saiti Buerhan , Tareq Mohammad Ali
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the Indonesian Shariah compliant investors can benefit from the portfolio diversification with the Islamic indices of its trading partners and selected commodities such as gold, crude oil, and cocoa.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use daily time series data covering both Islamic and commodity indices starting from June 4, 2007 until December 30, 2016 by the application of multivariate-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic and continuous wavelet analysis.

Findings

The findings tend to indicate that investors with exposure in Shariah compliant indices of Indonesia and wanting to gain more diversification benefits should invest either in the USA or India Islamic equity. Instead, the greater benefits will be obtained by Shariah compliant investors if they invest in the USA Islamic indices during long-term investment horizons. If investors want to invest in medium investment horizons, investing in India Islamic equity is a viable option. The findings further suggest that gold has a role of diversification benefits as a “safe haven” instrument for investors. It is advisable for the investors that have exposure in commodities (gold, crude oil, and cocoa) and want to invest in Indonesian Islamic equity, they should hold the portfolio for not more than 16 days to gain diversification benefits.

Originality/value

The results of this study are expected to have crucial implications for the Indonesia Shariah compliant investors and portfolio managers because it will help them to understand portfolio diversification benefits with different stock holding periods or investment horizons.
Perceived person-organization fit and turnover intention in medical centers
Authors: Abdalla Ahmed , Elsetouhi Ahmed , Negm Abdelhakim , Abdou Hussein
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to fill gaps in the existing fit and turnover intention (TI) literature by investigating a more comprehensive model, in which TI is proposed to be influenced by the interplays of three multidimensional types of fit including, person-organization (P-O) fit, person-group (P-G) fit, and person-job (P-J) fit.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were selected from different specializations within Mansoura University medical centers, where each medical center was represented proportionately within the sample. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Questionnaires were provided to 850 employees who agreed to participate. Of the 850 questionnaires distributed, 385 were valid and complete (n=385). Partial least squares analysis was utilized for the analyses.

Findings

Results showed that P-O fit, P-G fit, and P-J fit were positively related to each other and negatively related to TI. Furthermore, the negative relationship between P-O fit and TI is partially mediated by P-G fit and P-J fit.

Originality/value

The present study simultaneously examines the multidimensional effects of different fit perceptions on TI. In doing so, we identify which of the fit perspectives influence TI more intensely. Moreover, the authors advance current insights by investigating the mediating roles of P-G fit and P-J fit in the relationship between P-O fit and TI.
Sustainability and company attractiveness
Authors: Presley Adrien , Presley Theresa , Blum Michael
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether a company’s sustainability practices affect job seekers’ perceptions of the attractiveness of the company as a potential employer.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey completed by 259 university students assessed the respondents’ attitudes toward sustainability. Participants were then presented a series of scenarios describing the sustainable practices of hypothetical companies using the triple bottom line factors of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) and were asked how attractive they found the company to be and the likelihood that they would accept a job offer from the company.

Findings

The findings indicate that sustainability as a single concept and each sustainability factor individually influenced the attractiveness of a company to potential employees.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the study add to the body of job choice research, specifically as related to sustainability practices of companies. It furthers the body of work related to signaling theory and job attractiveness.

Practical implications

The results of this study indicate that sustainability performance is an important factor in determining the attractiveness of a company to potential applicants.

Social implications

The research highlights the importance of sustainability to potential job applicants. Companies should be aware that positive sustainability performance can make it more attractive to these applicants. The results reported from this research provides additional motivation for companies to pursue efforts in sustainability.

Originality/value

The research builds upon existing research in the fields of sustainability and job choice. While previous research has looked at many factors regarding applicants and job choice including, no other research was found which explicitly considered the triple bottom line factors of sustainability.
Three value-focused strategic questions for continuously updating your business model
Authors: Biloshapka Vladyslav , Osiyevskyy Oleksiy
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The article describes how a well-functioning, competent system of self-evaluation of customer value creation and delivery can be an essential part of a corporate initiative to reach or sustain the winner state.”

Design/methodology/approach

The true value the firm’s customers are obtaining from interactions with the firm can be assessed by obtaining candid answers to the following three strategic value-focused business model questions: 10;(1)9;How do you make sure you are offering the benefits your customers really appreciate most? 10;(2)9;What group of customers is the primary focus of your efforts? 10;(3)9;How do you help your customers fully appreciate the delivery of the benefits offered? 10;These three questions were derived from an in-depth investigation of the business models of real-world firms that succeeded in moving to and remaining in the winner state, an ongoing longitudinal study undertaken by the authors’ team in North America, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Findings

Based on the authors’ research, companies with sustainable winning business models institutionalize the processes of systematic, ongoing collection of the information about customer value, integrating it into the strategic decision making processes.

Practical implications

To be effective, according to our research, the analysis needs to consider value proposition (what is promised), value targeting (who is the primary recipient) and value delivery (how the promise is fulfilled) separately, which most companies don’t do.

Originality/value

The article offers top executives, marketing executives and board members process for updating and adjusting the business model so that it continues to produce superior revenue, operating profit and ongoing customer and shareholder satisfaction.
Review Paper: A semi‐empirical model of strain sensitivity for 4D seismic interpretation
Authors: MacBeth Colin , Kudarova Asiya , Hatchell Paul
Published: May 2018

We reformulate the original model of Hatchell and Bourne and Røste, Stovas and Landrø that couples fractional velocity change to subsurface strain via a fundamental constant R. The new model combines elastic compressibility of a dual‐porosity system for a sand–shale mixture with horizontal planes of inter‐granular weakness. The majority of observed R‐factor magnitudes from post‐stack 4D seismic data in both the reservoir and overburden can thus be explained. R is predicted to depend strongly on lithology and also initial strain state. The model is also extended to predict the observed angle‐dependence of time‐lapse time‐shifts from pre‐stack data. An expression for the gradient of time‐shift with incidence angle is obtained in terms of the background VP/VS, and also the ratio of tangential to normal compliances BT/BN representing loss or creation of inter‐granular coupling. If accurately estimated from data, this compliance ratio can be used as an additional parameter to assess the post‐production state of the overburden. It is concluded that whilst R remains the over‐arching parameter controlling the magnitude of time‐shifts measured from 4D seismic data, BT/BN is a subtler parameter that may also prove of future value.
Phenomenology‐Based Ethnography for Management Studies and Organizational Analysis
Authors: vom Lehn Dirk
Published: May 2018

This paper introduces phenomenology‐based ethnography as a novel ethnographic approach for research in management studies and organizational analysis and describes three methods that have been developed from this approach: life‐world analytical ethnography, focused ethnography and go‐along ethnography. Phenomenology‐based ethnography has emerged from developments in sociology that draw on ‘social phenomenology’ developed by Alfred Schütz. These developments involve the use of phenomenology‐based ethnographic methods that shift the focus of research onto participants’ subjective experiences of the field further than has been required by other ethnographic approaches. This paper uses a set of dimensions that allow a comparison of these phenomenology‐based methods’ aims, techniques of data collection and analysis, and required effort. These three methods are then compared with current ethnographic methods used in organizational research and management studies. The paper concludes with a discussion that explores and addresses the critique of how phenomenology‐based ethnography conceives the relationship between the researcher and the research subject.
A New Method for Computational Cladistics: An Afro‐Asiatic Case Study
Authors: Bacovcin Hezekiah Akiva , Wilson David
Published: May 2018

This paper makes two contributions. First, we introduce a new method for computational cladistics that produces a rooted tree by minimising the number of homoplasies. This method is compared with lexicostatistics and maximum parsimony. We validate the method on Indo‐European data and show that the tree derived is consistent with current understanding of the internal cladistics of that family. Secondly, we turn the method to treat the less well studied problem of the internal cladistics of Afro‐Asiatic. We show that there is good evidence for a North/South division in Afro‐Asiatic with Berber, Egyptian and Semitic in the North and Chadic, Cushitic and Omotic in the South. There is also tentative evidence for further grouping of Egyptian with Semitic and Cushitic with Omotic.
Decomposing Vietnamese gender equality in terms of wage distribution
Authors: Vu Tien M. , Yamada Hiroyuki
Published: May 2018

We decompose the gender wage gap in terms of wage distribution in Vietnam during 2002–2014 using two methods. The first method uses two estimated counterfactual distributions; the second uses an estimated recentred influence function. We focus on the formal sector and find evidence for a consistent gender wage gap, with the price of skills being the main contributor. In contrast, labour market discrimination does not have a crucial influence. Some gender equality gained by the distribution of skills can be explained by the rise in women's education and women's participation in specific industries, occupations and the growing private sector.
Clindamycin to reduce preterm birth in a low resource setting: a randomised placebo‐controlled clinical trial
Authors: Bellad MB , Hoffman MK , Mallapur AA , Charantimath US , Katageri GM , Ganachari MS , Kavi A , Ramdurg UY , Bannale SG , Revankar AP , Sloan NL , Kodkany BS , Goudar SS , Derman RJ
Published: May 2018

Objective

To determine whether oral clindamycin reduces the risk of preterm birth (PTB) in women with abnormal vaginal microflora as evidenced by a vaginal pH ≥5.0.

Design

Randomised double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial.

Setting

Rural southern India.

Population

Pregnant women with a singleton fetus between 13+0/7 weeks and 20+6/7 weeks.

Methods

Pregnant women were recruited during prenatal visits in Karnataka, India, from October 2013 to July 2015. Women were required to have a singleton fetus between 13+0/7 weeks and 20+6/7 weeks and an elevated vaginal pH (≥5.0) by colorimetric assessment. Participants were randomised to either oral clindamycin 300 mg twice daily for 5 days or an identical‐appearing placebo.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was the incidence of PTB, defined as delivery before 37+0/7 weeks.

Results

Of the 6476 screened women, 1727 women were randomised (block randomised in groups of six; clindamycin n = 866, placebo n = 861). The demographic, reproductive, and anthropomorphometric characteristics of the study groups were similar. Compliance was high, with over 94% of capsules being taken. The rate of PTB before 37 weeks was comparable between the two groups [clindamycin 115/826 (13.9%) versus placebo 111/806 (13.8%), between‐group difference 0.2% (95% CI −3.2 to 3.5%, P = 0.93)], as was PTB at less than 34 weeks [clindamycin 40/826 (4.8%) versus placebo group 37/806 (4.6%), between‐group difference 0.3% (95% CI −1.8 to 2.3%, P = 0.81)]. No differences were detected in the incidence of birthweight of<2500 g, <1500 g, miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.

Conclusion

In this setting, oral clindamycin did not decrease PTB among women with vaginal pH ≥5.0.

Tweetable abstract

Oral clindamycin between 13+0/7 and 20+6/7 weeks does not prevent preterm birth in women with a vaginal pH ≥5.0.
Vaginal microbiome in early pregnancy and subsequent risk of spontaneous preterm birth: a case–control study
Authors: Tabatabaei N , Eren AM , Barreiro LB , Yotova V , Dumaine A , Allard C , Fraser WD
Published: May 2018

Objectives

To explore differences in the vaginal microbiome between preterm and term deliveries.

Design

Nested case–control study in 3D cohort (design, develop, discover).

Setting

Quebec, Canada.

Sample

Ninety‐four women with spontaneous preterm birth as cases [17 early (<34 weeks) and 77 late (34–36 weeks) preterm birth] and 356 women as controls with term delivery (≥37 weeks).

Methods

To assess the vaginal microbiome by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene in swabs self‐collected during early pregnancy.

Main outcome measures

Comparison of relative abundance of bacterial operational taxonomic units and oligotypes and identifying vaginal community state types (CSTs) in early or late spontaneous preterm and term deliveries.

Results

Lactobacillus gasseri/ Lactobacillus johnsonii (coefficient −5.36, 95% CI −8.07 to −2.65), Lactobacillus crispatus (99%)/ Lactobacillus acidophilus (99%) (−4.58, 95% CI −6.20 to −2.96), Lactobacillus iners (99%)/ Ralstonia solanacearum (99%) (−3.98, 95% CI −6.48 to −1.47) and Bifidobacterium longum/ Bifidobacterium breve (−8.84, 95% CI −12.96 to −4.73) were associated with decreased risk of early but not late preterm birth. Six vaginal CSTs were identified: four dominated by Lactobacillus; one with presence of bacterial vaginosis‐associated bacteria (Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae and Veillonellaceae bacterium) (CST IV); and one with nondominance of Lactobacillus (CST VI). CST IV was associated with increased risk of early (4.22, 95% CI 1.24–24.85) but not late (1.63, 95% CI 0.68–5.04) preterm birth, compared with CST VI.

Conclusions

Lactobacillus gasseri/L. johnsonii, L. crispatus/L. acidophilus, L. iners/R. solanacearum and B. longum/B. breve may be associated with decreased risk of early preterm birth. A bacterial vaginosis‐related vaginal CST versus a CST nondominated by Lactobacillus may be associated with increased risk of early preterm birth.

Tweetable abstract

Largest study of its kind finds certain species of vaginal Lactobacillus + Bifidobacterium may relate to lower risk of preterm birth.
Getting What We Pay For: How Do Risk‐Based Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Compare with Alternative Measures of Beneficiary Health Risk?
Authors: Jacobs Paul D. , Kronick Richard
Published: May 2018

Objective

To estimate the relative health risk of Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries compared to those in Traditional Medicare (TM).

Data Sources/Study Setting

Medicare claims and enrollment records for the sample of beneficiaries enrolled in Part D between 2008 and 2015.

Study Design

We assigned therapeutic classes to Medicare beneficiaries based on their prescription drug utilization. We then regressed nondrug health spending for TM beneficiaries in 2015 on demographic and therapeutic class identifiers for 2014 and used coefficients from this regression to predict relative risk of both MA and TM beneficiaries.

Principal Findings

Based on prescription drug utilization data, beneficiaries enrolled in MA in 2015 had 6.9 percent lower health risk than beneficiaries in TM, but differences based on coded diagnoses suggested MA beneficiaries were 6.2 percent higher risk. The relative health risk based on drug usage of MA beneficiaries compared to those in TM increased by 3.4 p.p. from 2008 to 2015, while the relative risk using diagnoses increased 9.8 p.p.

Conclusions

Our results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting MA receives favorable, or, at worst, neutral selection. If MA beneficiaries are no healthier and no sicker than similar beneficiaries in TM, then payments to MA plans exceed what is warranted based on their health status.
Physical Therapy as the First Point of Care to Treat Low Back Pain: An Instrumental Variables Approach to Estimate Impact on Opioid Prescription, Health Care Utilization, and Costs
Authors: Frogner Bianca K. , Harwood Kenneth , Andrilla C. Holly A. , Schwartz Malaika , Pines Jesse M.
Published: May 2018

Objective

To compare differences in opioid prescription, health care utilization, and costs among patients with low back pain (LBP) who saw a physical therapist (PT) at the first point of care, at any time during the episode or not at all.

Data Sources

Commercial health insurance claims data, 2009–2013.

Study Design

Retrospective analyses using two‐stage residual inclusion instrumental variable models to estimate rates for opioid prescriptions, imaging services, emergency department visits, hospitalization, and health care costs.

Data Extraction

Patients aged 18–64 years with a new primary diagnosis of LBP, living in the northwest United States, were observed over a 1‐year period.

Principal Findings

Compared to patients who saw a PT later or never, patients who saw a PT first had lower probability of having an opioid prescription (89.4 percent), any advanced imaging services (27.9 percent), and an Emergency Department visit (14.7 percent), yet 19.3 percent higher probability of hospitalization (all p < .001). These patients also had significantly lower out‐of‐pocket costs, and costs appeared to shift away from outpatient and pharmacy toward provider settings.

Conclusions

When LBP patients saw a PT first, there was lower utilization of high‐cost medical services as well as lower opioid use, and cost shifts reflecting the change in utilization.
Suppressing tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) by RNAi technology
Authors: Meng Jia , Lei Jiaxin , Davitt Andrew , Holt Jocelyn R. , Huang Jian , Gold Roger , Vargo Edward L. , Tarone Aaron M. , Zhu‐Salzman Keyan
Published: May 2018

The tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) is a new invasive pest in the United States. At present, its management mainly relies on the use of synthetic insecticides, which are generally ineffective at producing lasting control of the pest, necessitating alternative environmentally friendly measures. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of gene silencing to control this ant species. Six housekeeping genes encoding actin (NfActin), coatomer subunit β (NfCOPβ), arginine kinase (NfArgK), and V‐type proton ATPase subunits A (NfvATPaseA), B (NfvATPaseB) and E (NfvATPaseE) were cloned. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high sequence similarity to homologs from other ant species, particularly the Florida carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus). To silence these genes, vector L4440 was used to generate six specific RNAi constructs for bacterial expression. Heat‐inactivated, dsRNA‐expressing Escherichia coli were incorporated into artificial diet. Worker ants exhibited reduced endogenous gene expression after feeding on such diet for 9 d. However, only ingestion of dsRNAs of NfCOPβ (a gene involved in protein trafficking) and NfArgK (a cellular energy reserve regulatory gene in invertebrates) caused modest but significantly higher ant mortality than the control. These results suggest that bacterially expressed dsRNA can be orally delivered to ant cells as a mean to target its vulnerabilities. Improved efficacy is necessary for the RNAi‐based approach to be useful in tawny crazy ant management.