bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Understanding restaurant firms” debt-equity financing
Authors: Mun Sung Gyun , Jang SooCheong (Shawn)
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to extend the understanding of restaurant firms’ overall debt and equity financing practices by considering what drives equity financing. More importantly, this study attempted to identify whether an optimal financial leverage point exists in the relationship between debt financing and equity financing for restaurant firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used fixed-effects regression models with a sample of 1,549 unbalanced firm-year panel data to identify restaurant firms’ financial practices and the impacts of financial constraints.

Findings

First, restaurant firms tend to issue long-term debt to pay back existing debt. However, the amount of debt does not exactly match the debt’s maturity. Second, small restaurant firms’ net debt financing, as well as net equity financing, has an inverted-U-shaped relationship with financial leverage. Finally, the effect of financial leverage on external financing significantly differs between small and large restaurant firms.

Practical implications

Restaurant firms routinely use both debt and equity financing interchangeably to manage their financial constraints and target debt ratio. Further, firm size is an important indicator of financial constraints, while equity financing plays an important role in managing an optimal target debt ratio.

Originality/value

This study is unique in that it considers determinants of restaurant firms’ long-term debt financing as well as equity financing. This study also examines differences in long-term debt and equity financing practices between financially constrained and unconstrained firms.
Online friendships in a hospitality exchange network: a sharing economy perspective
Authors: Chung Jin Young
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The present study aims to clarify how online friendships between local residents and tourists are made in a hospitality exchange network, one of the not-for-profit sharing economy platforms. Specifically, the study empirically examines three topics: the properties of dyadic relationships in the platform; the effect of face-to-face interactions on online friendships in the platform; and the role of locals in building host-guest relationships in the hospitality exchange network.

Design/methodology/approach

Social networks data in CouchSurfing.org were collected and analyzed using a social network analysis (SNA) program. Along with the descriptive analysis of the actors in the online hospitality network, several SNA indicators, including the degree of centrality, density and centralization, were measured to explore the nature of the network and identify the gatekeepers.

Findings

Findings suggest that latent ties between tourists and hosts are likely to be manifested through face-to-face events. In particular, local people play central roles in establishing host-guest relationships.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the sharing economy in hospitality by synthesizing two areas in the literature, the host-guest framework and the online hospitality networks.

Originality/value

The social psychological aspects of the sharing economy have yet to receive attention from hospitality scholars. In addition, studies have largely focused on profit-driven models in the sharing economy (e.g. Airbnb). This study fills this gap by examining the host and guest behavior empirically in one of the not-for-profit hospitality sharing economy platforms.
How does perceived corporate social responsibility contribute to green consumer behavior of Chinese tourists
Authors: Su Lujun , Swanson Scott R. , Hsu Maxwell , Chen Xiaohong
Published: October 2017

Purpose

This study aims to examine consumption emotions and customer–company identification as mediating variables to explore the association of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) on green consumer behavior in a hospitality–lodging context.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a stimulus–organism–response framework, an integrated model is developed. The hypothesized relationships of the research model are tested using the structural equation modeling technique. Data were gathered from hotel guests at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China.

Findings

Perceived CSR directly affects positive emotions, negative emotions and customer–company identification. Positive emotions significantly influence customer–company identification. Positive emotions and customer–company identification partially mediate the relationship between perceived CSR and green consumer behavior. Hotel type was not found to be a moderating factor.

Research limitations/implications

Perceived CSR can act to influence consumers’ behaviors more broadly via an increased likelihood of engaging in green consumer behavior. Implementing CSR strategies at the company level may provide additional benefits to society as a whole. The proposed relationships need to be replicated in other service organizations, segments and cultures to better assess the generalizability of the findings.

Originality/value

This study investigates the association between consumption emotions and customer–company identification, which has been missing in the tourism/hospitality literature. This study also extends previous CSR literature by examining the potential moderating role of hospitality type.
Revisited: how gender role stereotypes affect the image of entrepreneurs among young adults
Authors: Meyer Verena , Tegtmeier Silke , Pakura Stefanie
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Entrepreneurship is shaped by a male norm, which has been widely demonstrated in qualitative studies. The authors strive to complement these methods by a quantitative approach. First, gender role stereotypes were measured in entrepreneurship. Second, the explicit notions of participants were captured when they described entrepreneurs. Therefore, this paper aims to revisit gender role stereotypes among young adults.

Design/methodology/approach

To measure stereotyping, participants were asked to describe entrepreneurs in general and either women or men in general. The Schein Descriptive Index (SDI) for characterization was used. Following the procedures of Schein (1975), intra-class-correlation was calculated as a measure of congruence. This approach was complemented by controlling explicit notions, i.e. the image that participants had when describing entrepreneurs.

Findings

The images of men and entrepreneurs show a high and significant congruence (r= 0.803), mostly in those adjectives that are untypical for men and entrepreneurs. The congruence of women and entrepreneurs was low (r= 0.152) and insignificant. Contrary to the participants’ beliefs, their explicit notions did not have any effect on measures of congruence. However, young adults who knew business owners in their surroundings rated the congruence of women and entrepreneurs significantly higher (r= 0.272) than average.

Originality/value

This study is unique in combining “implicit” stereotypes and explicit notions. It demonstrates that gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship are powerful. The image of the entrepreneur remains male, independent of explicit notions. As young adults who knew business owners in their surroundings rated the congruence of women and entrepreneurs higher, this could be a starting point for education programmes.
Evaluating students’ learning achievement and flow experience with tablet PCs based on AR and tangible technology in u-learning
Authors: Huang Yueh-Min , Lin Pei Hsuan
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Advances in technology have led to continuous innovations in teaching and learning methods. Ubiquitous-learning (u-learning) practices are still in the development stages. The current lack of effective learning strategy tools means that students often experience difficulty focusing on the learning objectives. Little research has been done on the educational benefits of integrating augmented reality (AR) technology running on tablet PCs (TPCs), either in the classroom or in a u-learning environment. Still, classroom instruction using TPCs has been shown to be attractive to students and able to effectively increase their motivation to learn. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a TPC game (an app called SkyView) to help young students understand the theory and practically implement the astronomy concepts of prograde and retrograde motion. The study design is based on the use of AR technology, and the authors divide students into “tablet PC application” (experimental group) and “astrolabe” (control group) games. The authors investigate whether the experimental group surpasses the control group in terms of learning motivation, flow experience (FE), self-efficacy regarding technology, self-efficacy regarding science, positive feelings about the learning experience, and satisfaction with the learning approach (SL).

Findings

The findings show that students in the experimental group performed better in regards to learning achievement. In general, the improved FE helped students enjoy the learning activity to the point that they did not notice the passage of time. In regards to SL, the findings show that the students in the experimental group had an increased willingness to use the TPC to learn.

Originality/value

There is a lack of research investigating the effects of the FE with tangible and AR technology in learning environments. The results of this study show the responses and performance of elementary students who participated in such a learning experience, in terms of their feelings regarding the method and tools, and in terms of their motivation, willingness to learn, and actual learning achievement.
Understanding regional characteristics through crowd preference and confidence mining in P2P accommodation rental service
Authors: Abdar Moloud , Yen Neil Y.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

This research intends to look at the regional characteristics through an analysis of crowd preference and confidence, and investigates how regional characteristics are going to affect human beings at all aspects in a scenario of sharing economy. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an approach to provide an understandable rating score. Furthermore, the paper aims to find the relationships between different features classified in this study by using machine learning methods. Furthermore, due to the importance of performance of methods, the performance of the features is also improved.

Design/methodology/approach

The Rating Matching Rate (RMRate) approach is proposed to provide score in terms of simplicity and understandability for all features. The relationships between features can be extracted from accommodation data set using decision tree (DT) algorithms (J48, HoeffdingTree, and REPTree). Usability of these methods was evaluated using different metrics. Two techniques, “ClassBalancer” and “SpreadSubsample,” are applied to improve the performance of algorithms.

Findings

Experimental outcomes using the RMRate approach show that the scores are very easy to understand. Three property types are very popular almost in all of selected countries in this study (“apartment”, “house”, and “bed and breakfast”). The findings also indicate that “Entire home/apt” is the most common room-type and 4.5 and 5 star-rating are the most given star-rating by users. The proposed DT algorithms can find the relationships between features significantly. In addition, applied CB and SS techniques could improve the performance of algorithms efficiently.

Originality/value

This study gives precise details about the guests’ preferences and hosts’ preferences. The proposed techniques can effectively improve the performance in predicting the behavior of users in sharing economy. The findings can also help group decision making in P2P platforms efficiently.
Human behavior analysis in the production and consumption of scientific knowledge across regions
Authors: Qasim Muhammad Awais , Ul Hassan Saeed , Aljohani Naif Radi , Lytras Miltiadis D.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The latest developments in Data Science and in advanced Scientometrics set a very challenging context for the analysis and the understanding of human behavior toward the design of value adding library services and sophisticated information systems. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative research that integrates the creation and the consumption of scientific knowledge across regions. From a human behavior point of view, this is significant since it provides an advanced decision-making layer for bringing together researchers from all over the world.

Design/methodology/approach

More specific in this paper, the authors analyze the production and consumption of scientific knowledge across the regions in an important field of sustainable and renewable energy – using publications and citations data indexed in Scopus. As a case study, the authors select the USA a major producer of scientific publications in the field. At first, the authors identify the topics produced by the USA. Further topics produced by the scientific communities outside the USA that consume the knowledge produced by the USA are identified. The authors generate topics by employing the proposed topic model with distance matrix – an extension of classic latent Dirichlet allocation model.

Findings

The results show that research topics produced by the USA are consumed in different international contexts, interestingly. Consuming the knowledge produced by the USA, Chinese scientific community heavily produces topics related to biomass – to produce renewable energy. In contrast, Japanese scientific community produces topics related to fuel cell – used for the production of hybrid and electronic vehicles. Whereas the Taiwanese scientific community shows remarkable competency in solar cells. Among the European nations, while the German scientific community produces topics related to photovoltaic, the French scientific community covers topics related to Energy Storage and Green Chemistry. The authors believe that such analyses may be helpful in establishing more effective multi-national research collaborations by understating the actual consumption of produced knowledge.

Practical implications

Overall, the study provides a new dimension to comprehensively understand production and consumption of knowledge using scientific literature. From a human behavior analysis view in the context of sophisticated library systems, this is a significant contribution.

Originality/value

The use of advanced Data Mining and computing methods for deriving critical insights for the use of scientific knowledge is a bold action toward the global knowledge society vision.
A comparative study of cuckoo search and flower pollination algorithm on solving global optimization problems
Authors: Abdel-Basset Mohamed , Shawky Laila A. , Sangaiah Arun Kumar
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a comparison between two well-known Lévy-based meta-heuristics called cuckoo search (CS) and flower pollination algorithm (FPA).

Design/methodology/approach

Both the algorithms (Lévy-based meta-heuristics called CS and Flower Pollination) are tested on selected benchmarks from CEC 2017. In addition, this study discussed all CS and FPA comparisons that were included implicitly in other works.

Findings

The experimental results show that CS is superior in global convergence to the optimal solution, while FPA outperforms CS in terms of time complexity.

Originality/value

This paper compares the working flow and significance of FPA and CS which seems to have many similarities in order to help the researchers deeply understand the differences between both algorithms. The experimental results are clearly shown to solve the global optimization problem.
A practical guide for inferring reliable dominance hierarchies and estimating their uncertainty
Authors: Sánchez‐Tójar Alfredo , Schroeder Julia , Farine Damien Roger
Published: October 2017

Many animal social structures are organized hierarchically, with some individuals monopolizing resources. Dominance hierarchies have received great attention from behavioural and evolutionary ecologists.

There are many methods for inferring hierarchies from social interactions. Yet, there are no clear guidelines about how many observed dominance interactions (i.e. sampling effort) are necessary for inferring reliable dominance hierarchies, nor are there any established tools for quantifying their uncertainty.

We simulate interactions (winners and losers) in scenarios of varying steepness (the probability that a dominant defeats a subordinate based on their difference in rank). Using these data, we (1) quantify how the number of interactions recorded and the steepness of the hierarchy affect the performance of five methods for inferring hierarchies, (2) propose an amendment that improves the performance of a popular method, and (3) suggest two easy procedures to measure uncertainty and steepness in the inferred hierarchy.

We find that the ratio of interactions to individuals required to infer reliable hierarchies is surprisingly low, but depends on the steepness of the hierarchy and the method used. We show that David's score and our novel randomized Elo‐rating are the best methods when hierarchies are not extremely steep, where the original Elo‐rating, the I&SI and the recently described ADAGIO perform less well. In addition, we show that two simple methods can be used to estimate uncertainty at the individual and group level, and that the randomized Elo‐rating repeatability provides researchers with a standardized measure valid for comparing the steepness of different hierarchies. We provide several worked examples to guide researchers interested in studying dominance hierarchies.

Methods for inferring dominance hierarchies are relatively robust. We recommend that a ratio of observed interactions to individuals of at least 10 (for steep hierarchies), and ideally 20 serves as a good benchmark. Our simple procedures for estimating uncertainty in the observed data will facilitate evaluating whether sufficient data have been collected, while plotting the shape of the hierarchy will provide new insights into the social structure of the study organism.
Local‐scale attributes determine the suitability of woodland creation sites for Diptera
Authors: Fuller Lauren , Fuentes‐Montemayor Elisa , Watts Kevin , Macgregor Nicholas A. , Bitenc Katja , Park Kirsty J.
Published: October 2017

New native woodlands are typically created in a small and isolated configuration, potentially reducing their value as a resource for biodiversity. The use of ecological networks for habitat restoration and creation could be beneficial for woodland biodiversity. This approach is conceptualised as local‐ and landscape‐scale conservation actions designed to increase the area, quality, amount and connectivity of habitat types. However, there is limited evidence about the value of secondary woodlands and the relative or combined effects of network variables for woodland insects.

Seventy‐eight woodland sites created in the last 160 years across England and Scotland were sampled for hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and craneflies (Diptera:Tipuloidea), using two Malaise net traps placed in the centre of each woodland. The diversity of insects supported by created woodland patches was analysed using measures of dissimilarity, and the relative direct and indirect effects of ecological network variables on their abundance and species richness were assessed using structural equation models.

We found 27% of British woodland hoverfly species and 43% of British woodland cranefly species in the study sites, indicating that woodland insects are colonising created native woodlands, despite their fragmented nature. However, these species communities were highly variable across woodland patches.

Landscape‐scale variables had no effect on woodland‐associated hoverflies or craneflies relative to local‐scale variables. Local‐scale variables relating to habitat quality (i.e. structural heterogeneity of trees and understorey cover) had the strongest influence on abundance and species richness.

Synthesis and applications. To benefit woodland‐associated Diptera, woodland creation and restoration should maintain a focus on habitat quality. This should include active management to facilitate a diverse tree and understorey vegetation structure. Many woodlands in theUKare privately owned, and landowners should be encouraged to plant and actively manage their woodlands to increase structural heterogeneity and resources for woodland insects.
Asymmetric Trading Costs Prior to Earnings Announcements: Implications for Price Discovery and Returns
Authors: JOHNSON TRAVIS L. , SO ERIC C.
Published: October 2017

We show that the cost of trading on negative news, relative to positive news, increases before earnings announcements. Our evidence suggests that this asymmetry is due to financial intermediaries reducing their exposure to announcement risks by providing liquidity asymmetrically. This asymmetry creates a predictable upward bias in prices that increases preannouncement, and subsequently reverses, confounding short‐window announcement returns as measures of earnings news and risk premia. These findings provide an alternative explanation for asymmetric return reactions to firms' earnings news, and help explain puzzling prior evidence that announcement risk premia precede the actual announcements. Our study informs methods for research centering on earnings announcements and offers a possible explanation for patterns in returns around anticipated periods of heightened inventory risks, including alternative firm‐level, industry‐level, and macroeconomic information events.
Delivery by Design (DbD): A Standardized Approach to the Development of Efficacious Nanoparticle‐ and Microparticle‐Based Delivery Systems
Authors: McClements David Julian
Published: October 2017

The design and development of nanoparticle‐ and microparticle‐based delivery systems for the encapsulation, protection, and controlled release of active agents has grown considerably in the agrochemical, cosmetic, food, personal care, and pharmaceutical industries. These colloidal delivery systems can be utilized to overcome problems such as poor solubility, low activity, and chemical instability of active agents, as well as to create novel functional attributes such as controlled or targeted delivery. The purpose of this article is to develop a systematic approach, referred to as “delivery‐by‐design” (DbD), to make the design and fabrication process more efficient and effective. Initially, a brief review of some of the challenges associated with incorporating active agents into commercial products is given, and then an overview of different kinds of simple and complex colloidal delivery systems is given. The DbD approach is then presented as a series of stages: (1) definition of the molecular and physicochemical properties of the active agent; (2) definition of the required physicochemical, sensory, and functional attributes of the end‐product; (3) specification of the required attributes of the colloidal delivery system; (4) specification of particle properties and delivery system selection; (5) optimization of delivery system manufacturing process; (6) establishment and implementation of delivery system testing protocol; and (7) optimization of delivery system performance. Utilization of the DbD approach may lead to more rapid design of efficacious and economically viable colloidal delivery systems for commercial applications.
Potential Use in Forensics of a Novel Hybrid Gelatin—Dynamic Impact Assessment
Authors: Zecheru Teodora , Dena Alexandru , Cîrmaci Marius , Său Ciprian , Zaharia Cătălin , Lăzăroaie Claudiu
Published: October 2017

Ballistic gelatin as simulant of the human body and organs is a support in forensics. After having obtained very good results for a new gelatin‐based composite in terms of physicochemical and rheological properties, this study focused on this material's mechanical behavior during stabbing and shooting versus bovine and porcine organs and standard ballistic gelatin. The hybrid gelatin has a predominantly elastic behavior at 23°C, whereas the elastic modulus becomes practically constant in the 10–0.1 Hz frequency range. In terms of stabbing behavior, the small variations obtained between porcine organs and surrogate are below 5%, the perforation indicating a good similarity. From the ballistic test results using 10 × 28T rubber balls, it has been seen that the hybrid ballistic gelatin conducts to more reliable and reproducible values of perforation/penetration versus standard gelatin, making from it a real candidate for use in forensic tests.
Self‐Strangulation Turning into Partial Hanging for a Suicide Victim
Authors: Swain Rajanikanta , Bakshi Mantaran Singh , Dhaka Shivani , Singh Krishna Kumar , Sikary Asit Kumar
Published: October 2017

Hanging is the most common asphyxial method of suicide, whereas suicide by strangulation is unusual. Here, we are reporting a particular methodology of the asphyxial method of suicide in which a case of self‐strangulation culminated into partial hanging. A 30‐year‐old male wrapped one end of the cable wire around his neck. He then passed the other end over a curtain rod and tied that end around the right hand. He pulled the hand down, using the curtain rod as a fulcrum, to tighten the noose around the neck in an attempt to strangulate himself. However, he lost consciousness during the process and the body slipped down, pulling the right hand up which got stuck at the curtain rod. This led the body hanged in the kneeling position. This bizarre scenario raised suspicion of homicide but the crime scene, autopsy and victim characteristics were in favor of suicide.
The ecology of predispersal insect herbivory on tree reproductive structures in natural forest ecosystems
Authors: Boivin Thomas , Doublet Violette , Candau Jean‐Noël
Published: October 2017

Plant–insect interactions are key model systems to assess how some species affect the distribution, the abundance, and the evolution of others. Tree reproductive structures represent a critical resource for many insect species, which can be likely drivers of demography, spatial distribution, and trait diversification of plants. In this review, we present the ecological implications of predispersal herbivory on tree reproductive structures by insects (PIHR) in forest ecosystems. Both insect's and tree's perspectives are addressed with an emphasis on how spatiotemporal variation and unpredictability in seed availability can shape such particular plant–animal interactions. Reproductive structure insects show strong trophic specialization and guild diversification. Insects evolved host selection and spatiotemporal dispersal strategies in response to variable and unpredictable abundance of reproductive structures in both space and time. If PIHR patterns have been well documented in numerous systems, evidences of the subsequent demographic and evolutionary impacts on tree populations are still constrained by time‐scale challenges of experimenting on such long‐lived organisms, and modeling approaches of tree dynamics rarely consider PIHR when including biotic interactions in their processes. We suggest that spatially explicit and mechanistic approaches of the interactions between individual tree fecundity and insect dynamics will clarify predictions of the demogenetic implications of PIHR in tree populations. In a global change context, further experimental and theoretical contributions to the likelihood of life‐cycle disruptions between plants and their specialized herbivores, and to how these changes may generate novel dynamic patterns in each partner of the interaction are increasingly critical.
Influence of High‐Pressure Processing at Low Temperature and Nisin on Listeria innocua Survival and Sensory Preference of Dry‐Cured Cold‐Smoked Salmon
Authors: Lebow Noelle K. , DesRocher Lisa D. , Younce Frank L. , Zhu Mei‐Jun , Ross Carolyn F. , Smith Denise M.
Published: October 2017

Cold‐smoked salmon (CSS) production lacks a validated kill step for Listeria monocytogenes. Although Listeria spp. are reduced by nisin or high‐pressure processing (HPP), CSS muscle discoloration is often observed after HPP. Effects of nisin and low‐temperature HPP on L. innocua survival (nonpathogenic surrogate for L. monocytogenes), spoilage organism growth, color, and sensory preference and peelability of CSS were studied. Cold‐smoked sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) fillets ± nisin (10 μg/g) were inoculated with a 3‐strain L. innocua cocktail, vacuum‐packaged, frozen at – 30 °C, and high‐pressure processed in an ice slurry within an insulated sleeve. Initial experiments indicated that nisin and HPP for 120 s at 450 MPa (N450) and 600 MPa (N600) were most effective against L. innocua, and thus were selected for further storage studies. L. innocua in N450 and N600‐treated CSS was reduced 2.63 ± 0.15 and 3.99 ± 0.34 Log CFU/g, respectively, immediately after HPP. L. innocua and spoilage growth were not observed in HPP‐treated CSS during 36 d storage at 4 °C. Low‐temperature HPP showed a smaller increase in lightness of CSS compared to ambient‐temperature HPP performed in previous studies. Sensory evaluation indicated that overall liking of CSS treated with N450 and N600 were preferred over the control by 61% and 62% of panelists, respectively (P < 0.05). Peelability of sliced CSS was reduced by HPP (P < 0.05). Nisin in combination with low‐temperature HPP was effective in controlling L. innocua in CSS while maintaining consumer acceptability.

Practical Application

Cold‐smoked salmon is a high‐risk ready‐to‐eat product that may be contaminated with L. monocytogenes. Results showed that nisin combined with high‐pressure processing at low temperature, reduced the population of Listeria and controlled the spoilage organisms during storage. As an added benefit, high‐pressure processing at low temperature may reduce lightening of the salmon flesh, leading to enhanced consumer preference.
Two‐year persistence of golimumab as second‐line biologic agent in rheumatoid arthritis as compared to other subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor inhibitors: real‐life data from the LORHEN registry
Authors: Favalli Ennio G. , Sinigaglia Luigi , Becciolini Andrea , Grosso Vittorio , Gorla Roberto , Bazzani Chiara , Atzeni Fabiola , Sarzi Puttini Pier C. , Fusaro Enrico , Pellerito Raffaele , Caporali Roberto
Published: October 2017

Objectives

To evaluate the 2‐year retention rate of golimumab compared with etanercept and adalimumab as second‐line biologic agent in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who failed a previous tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi).

Methods

Data on RA patients treated with a second‐line subcutaneous TNFi were extracted from a multicentric Italian cohort (the LORHEN registry). The analysis was limited to etanercept, adalimumab and golimumab in the period when all were available in Italy (since October 2010). The 2‐year retention rate was calculated by Kaplan–Meier method and the comparative risk for discontinuation among individual TNFi was compared by a stratified log‐rank test.

Results

One hundred and ninety‐five RA patients treated with etanercept (n = 76), adalimumab (n = 68) or golimumab (n = 51) were included in the analysis. The 2‐year retention rate (40% with a median time‐on‐drug of 12.9 months in the whole population) was significantly lower for adalimumab (31.2%, P = 0.018) and numerically lower for etanercept (39.8%, P = 0.068) compared with golimumab (53.4%) because of a higher discontinuation rate due to adverse events (P = 0.042 and P = 0.038 versus golimumab, respectively). Drug survival was greater in concomitant synthetic disease modifying anti‐rheumatic drug (sDMARD) users (44.2%) compared with TNFi monotherapy (22.5%, P = 0.036). No difference was found in survival analysis according to first‐line TNFi reason for discontinuation and pattern of TNFi switch (antibody‐receptor, antibody‐antibody or receptor‐antibody).

Conclusions

Our real‐life data confirmed switching to a second TNFi as a good option for treating first‐line TNFi failures in RA, especially in combination with sDMARDs. Second‐line golimumab showed an overall better 2‐year drug survival compared with adalimumab and etanercept.
Impact of unplanned events on early postoperative results of minimally invasive esophagectomy
Authors: Guo Xufeng , Ye Bo , Yang Yu , Sun Yifeng , Hua Rong , Zhang Xiaobing , Mao Teng , Li Zhigang
Published: October 2017

Background

Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is increasingly performed worldwide. Unplanned events during thoracoscopy or laparoscopy can jeopardize the procedure, sometimes necessitating conversion to open surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of unplanned events on early postoperative outcomes after MIE.

Method

A consecutive group of 303 patients who underwent MIE between January 2011 and December 2015 were reviewed. The patients were allocated to two groups comprising those with (G‐UPE, 85 patients) and without unplanned events (G‐Regular, 218 patients). Unplanned events, defined as events that clearly changed or prolonged the procedure included intraoperative bleeding, chest and/or peritoneal adhesions, tumor invasion (sT4a + T4b), non‐radical resection (R2 resection), and conversion for any reason. Differences in postoperative complications between the groups were analyzed.

Results

The most common unplanned events were pleural and/or peritoneal adhesions (28/89, 31.5%), followed by intraoperative discovery of tumor invasion (sT4a + T4b, 25/89, 28.1%). There were significant differences in the incidence of respiratory (57.6% vs. 8.3%) and nervous system complications (10.6% vs. 2.7%), postoperative infection (32.9% vs. 5.0%), and chylothorax (8.2% vs. 0.9%) between the G‐UPE and G‐Regular groups, respectively (P < 0.05). The most common reasons for conversion to open procedures were pleural and/or peritoneal adhesions (9/38, 23.8%) and intraoperative bleeding (7/38, 18.4%). The main reasons for R2 resection were tumor invasion of the trachea or bronchus (7/21, 33.2%) and of the aorta (5/21, 23.8%).

Conclusion

Unplanned events during MIE increase the incidence of postoperative complications. Improved clinical staging and more careful surgery minimize unplanned events.
The Information Content of Tax Expense: A Discount Rate Explanation
Authors: Henry Erin
Published: October 2017

I investigate the information content of income tax expense using variance decomposition to separate stock returns into cash flow and discount rate news components. While prior literature has focused on linking tax expense with expected future cash flows, I argue that tax expense should also be informative about discount rates because of its ability to summarize fundamental economic performance. Consistent with my arguments, I find that tax expense surprises are correlated with both revisions in future cash flows and revisions in discount rates; however, the economic magnitude of tax expense's impact on returns is primarily through the discount rate channel. I also perform cross‐sectional tests, which reveal that the discount rate implications of tax expense are due not only to its ability to capture fundamental economic performance but also to its ability to convey information about a firm's earnings management and tax avoidance activities.
Modelling the area of occupancy of habitat types with remote sensing
Authors: Álvarez‐Martínez Jose Manuel , Jiménez‐Alfaro Borja , Barquín José , Ondiviela Bárbara , Recio María , Silió‐Calzada Ana , Juanes Jose Antonio
Published: October 2017

A current challenge of biodiversity and conservation is the estimation of the spatial extent of habitat types across broad territories. In the absence of fine‐resolution maps, predictive modelling helps in assessing the spatial distribution of vegetation cover. However, such approaches are still uncommon in regional planning and management. Here, we present a framework for mapping the area of occupancy (AOO) of habitat types that allows highly suitable estimates at different scales.

We model the potential AOO with abiotic variables related to topography and climate, resulting in broad AOO estimates that are subsequently downscaled to the local AOO with remote sensing. The combination of individual local AOO estimates allows the defining of the realized AOO, comprising locations with a high suitability and low uncertainty for each habitat. We applied this framework to mapping 24 protected habitat types of Natura 2000 sites in northern Spain.

Local and realized AOO were highly accurate, with a 70% overall accuracy for the realized AOO. Remote sensing data, and especially LiDAR, were the most important predictors in habitat types related to forests and shrubs, followed by rock outcrops and pastures. Environmental variables were also relevant for specific habitats subject to abiotic constraints.

The combination of ecological modelling with remote sensing offers multiple advantages over traditional field surveys and image interpretation, allowing the harmonization of habitat maps across large regions and through time. This is particularly useful for implementing conservation actions under Natura 2000 principles or assessing IUCN criteria for ecosystems.
Analysis of nectar from low‐volume flowers: A comparison of collection methods for free amino acids
Authors: Power Eileen F. , Stabler Daniel , Borland Anne M. , Barnes Jeremy , Wright Geraldine A.
Published: October 2017

Floral nectar is a reward offered by flowering plants to visiting pollinators. Nectar chemistry is important for understanding plant nutrient allocation and plant–pollinator interactions. However, many plant species are difficult to sample as their flowers are small and produce low amounts of nectar.

We compared the effects of different methods of nectar collection on the amino acid composition of flowers with low volumes of nectar. We used five methods to collect nectar from 60 (5 × 12) Calluna vulgaris flowers: microcapillary tubes, a low‐volume flower rinse (the micro‐rinse method, using 2 μl water), filter paper, a high‐volume flower rinse (2 ml water) and a flower wash (2 ml water). We analysed the samples for free amino acids using quantitative UHPLC methods .

We found that the micro‐rinse method (rinsing the nectary with enough water to only cover the nectary) recovered amino acid proportions similar to raw nectar extracted using microcapillary tubes. The filter paper, 2 ml rinse and 2 ml wash methods measured significantly higher values of free amino acids and also altered the profile of amino acids. We discuss our concerns about the increased contamination risk of the filter paper and high‐volume rinse and wash samples from dried nectar across the floral tissue (nectar unavailable to floral visitors), pollen, vascular fluid and cellular fluid.

Our study will enable researchers to make informed decisions about nectar collection methods depending on their intended chemical analysis. These methods of sampling will enable researchers to examine a larger array of plant species' flowers to include those with low volumes of nectar.
Traffic noise impacts on urban forest soundscapes in south‐eastern Australia
Authors: Munro Jasmine , Williamson Ian , Fuller Susan
Published: October 2017

While the negative impacts of road infrastructure on faunal diversity and abundance have been extensively studied, many traffic noise studies have been conducted in the presence of confounding factors. Therefore, the extent to which traffic noise alone is responsible for impacts is not well known and a better understanding is required to inform urban planning and management decisions. We examined the impact of traffic noise on soundscape patterns at road edges in urban forests. Acoustic sensors were deployed at road and powerline edges, as well as within interior habitat, at three sites in south‐east Queensland, Australia. Powerline edges were included to separate edge effects from traffic noise impacts. We used soundscape power (normalized watts per kHz) of technophony (traffic noise in the 1–2 kHz range) and biophony (animal sounds in the 3–11 kHz range) to investigate soundscape patterns. The results showed that biophony was consistently lower at road edges and was negatively correlated with traffic noise and positively correlated with distance to road edge. Technophony was higher at road edges and was found to correlate negatively with distance to road edge and positively with traffic noise. Technophony and biophony at powerline edges generally exhibited values comparable to interior habitat. These results indicate that traffic noise affects urban forest soundscape patterns at road edges in south‐eastern Australia.
Breastfeeding and autoimmunity: Programing health from the beginning
Authors: Vieira Borba Vânia , Sharif Kassem , Shoenfeld Yehuda
Published: October 2017

Breast milk is not only a completely adapted nutrition source for the newborn but also an impressive array of immune‐active molecules that afford protection against infections and shape mucosal immune responses. Decisive imprinting events might be modulated during the first months of life with potential health long‐term effects, enhancing the importance of breastfeeding as a major influence on the immune system correct development and modifying disease susceptibility. The aim of this review was to clarify the link between breastfeeding and autoimmune diseases, inquiring the related mechanisms, based on data available in the literature. Being breastfed was associated with a lower incidence of diabetes, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis and asthma, explained by the protection against early infections, anti‐inflammatory properties, antigen‐specific tolerance induction, and regulation of infant's microbiome. The protective role of human milk in idiopathic juvenile arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases remains controversial. On the other hand, the breastfeeding mother faces a health‐challenging period in life. High levels of prolactin may lead either to the development of autoimmune diseases in susceptible mothers or exacerbations of current immune‐mediated disorders. These features raise the question if mothers with autoimmune diseases, mainly systemic lupus erythematosus, should avoid breastfeeding.
Pigeon tick bite: A neglected cause of idiopathic nocturnal anaphylaxis
Authors: Rolla G. , Heffler E. , Boita M. , Doyen V. , Mairesse M. , Cvackova M. , Debarbieux S. , Kleine‐Tebbe J. , Ollert M. , Raulf M. , Bircher A. J. , Hilger C.
Published: October 2017

Anaphylaxis is a serious systemic allergic reaction with rapid onset and potentially life‐threatening. We report in detail a case of severe nocturnal anaphylaxis due to pigeon tick bite showing the diagnostic value of the extract and the recombinant allergen in the diagnostic procedures (basophil activation test, IgE immunoblot, and experimental ImmunoCAP). Apart from the presented case, we describe that during the last 10 years, we have collected 28 cases of allergy to Argas reflexus from several European countries. We suspect that this allergy is underdiagnosed because of the lack of diagnostic reagents. Because of the growing number of pigeons in Middle and Southern Europe cities, some cases of idiopathic anaphylaxis could potentially be caused by A. reflexus in those countries. The identification of pigeon ticks as a trigger of anaphylaxis would greatly improve medical care and advice for these patients as the parasite can be exterminated by eradication measures to avoid further incidents.
Navigating the Fault Lines: Race and Class in Philadelphia's Solidarity Economy
Authors: Borowiak Craig , Safri Maliha , Healy Stephen , Pavlovskaya Marianna
Published: October 2017

In debates over post‐capitalist politics, growing attention has been paid to thesolidarity economy(SE), a framework that draws together diverse practices ranging from co‐ops to community gardens. Despite proponents’ commitment to inclusion, racial and class divides suffuse the SE movement. Using qualitative fieldwork and an original SE dataset, this article examines the geospatial composition of the SE within the segregated geography of Philadelphia. We find that though the SE as a whole is widely distributed across the city, it is, with the exception of community gardens, largely absent from poor neighborhoods of color. We also identify SE clusters in racially and economically diverse border areas rather than in predominantly affluent White neighborhoods. Such findings complicate claims about the SE's emancipatory potential and underscore the need for its realignment towards people of color and the poor. We conclude with examples of how the SE might more fully address racial injustice.
Application of DNA markers for discrimination between Japanese and Australian Wagyu beef
Authors: Kawaguchi Fuki , Kitamura Yuto , Nakajima Ryuji , Takahashi Masayoshi , Goto Hiroaki , Washida Yuichi , Yamamoto Yoshikazu , Sasazaki Shinji , Mannen Hideyuki
Published: October 2017

The objective of this study was to discriminate between original Japanese and Australian Wagyu beef, which is sold in the Singapore markets, using six previously developed DNA markers. To effectively evaluate the six markers for breed identification, the probability of identification as Australian Wagyu beef was calculated based on the estimated allele frequencies using 130 Australian Wagyu individuals. The combined use of six markers would allow the discrimination of Australian Wagyu beef with an estimated probability of 0.776. The probability to discriminate Australian Wagyu from Japanese Wagyu beef was sufficiently high. In addition, Australian Wagyu has maternal mitochondrial DNA of Bos indicus cattle with moderate high frequency of 0.377. The DNA marker system could also be used as a deterrent force against false sales, and contribute to the reduction and prevention of incorrect or falsified labeling of beef.
Outcomes of adults and children with primary mediastinal B‐cell lymphoma treated with dose‐adjusted EPOCH‐R
Authors: Giulino‐Roth Lisa , O'Donohue Tara , Chen Zhengming , Bartlett Nancy L. , LaCasce Ann , Martin‐Doyle William , Barth Matthew J. , Davies Kimberly , Blum Kristie A. , Christian Beth , Casulo Carla , Smith Sonali M. , Godfrey James , Termuhlen Amanda , Oberley Matthew J. , Alexander Sarah , Weitzman Sheila , Appel Burton , Mizukawa Benjamin , Svoboda Jakub , Afify Zeinab , Pauly Melinda , Dave Hema , Gardner Rebecca , Stephens Deborah M. , Zeitler William A. , Forlenza Christopher , Levine Jennifer , Williams Michael E. , Sima Jody L. , Bollard Catherine M. , Leonard John P.
Published: October 2017

Treatment with dose‐adjusted EPOCH (etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone) chemotherapy and rituximab (DA‐EPOCH‐R) has become the standard of care for primary mediastinal B‐cell lymphoma (PMBCL) at many institutions despite limited data in the multi‐centre setting. We report a large, multi‐centre retrospective analysis of children and adults with PMBCL treated with DA‐EPOCH‐R to characterize outcomes and evaluate prognostic factors. We assessed 156 patients with PMBCL treated with DA‐EPOCH‐R across 24 academic centres, including 38 children and 118 adults. All patients received at least one cycle of DA‐EPOCH‐R. Radiation therapy was administered in 14·9% of patients. With median follow‐up of 22·6 months, the estimated 3‐year event‐free survival (EFS) was 85·9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 80·3–91·5] and overall survival was 95·4% (95% CI 91·8–99·0). Outcomes were not statistically different between paediatric and adult patients. Thrombotic complications were reported in 28·2% of patients and were more common in paediatric patients (45·9% vs. 22·9%, P = 0·011). Seventy‐five per cent of patients had a negative fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) scan at the completion of DA‐EPOCH‐R, defined as Deauville score 1–3. Negative FDG‐PET at end‐of‐therapy was associated with improved EFS (95·4% vs. 54·9%, P < 0·001). Our data support the use of DA‐EPOCH‐R for the treatment of PMBCL in children and adults. Patients with a positive end‐of‐therapy FDG‐PET scan have an inferior outcome.