bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linking transformational leadership to turnover intention in the public sector
Authors: Gyensare Michael Asiedu , Kumedzro Lucky Enyonam , Sanda Aminu , Boso Nathaniel
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how employee engagement and affective commitment mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and voluntary turnover intention. The study also investigates the moderating role of psychological climate in the relationship between affective organisational commitment and voluntary turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a cross-sectional design as its framework. In addition, hierarchical linear modelling with bootstrapping analysis was conducted using data from a sample of 336 employees in a large public sector organisation in Ghana.

Findings

The results showed that transformational leadership positively influenced engagement, which was then negatively related to employee turnover intention. Furthermore, employee engagement was found to mediate the link between transformational leadership and affective organisational commitment, whereas both employee engagement and affective organisational commitment were found to mediate the link between transformational leadership and voluntary turnover intention. Finally, psychological climate was found to moderate the link between affective commitment and voluntary turnover intention.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the practical significance of this study in lessening the turnover decision of employees, the study has some limitations. Most significantly, the sample size of this cross-sectional study was small and limited to employees from only one large public sector organisation in Ghana. Findings of this study could be generalised by using large samples from other sectors and geographical areas. Furthermore, future studies should consider positive outcomes such as OCB and innovative work behaviour to help extend our conceptual framework.

Originality/value

Overall, findings of this study provide tentative support to the proposition that employee engagement and affective commitment help to minimise the decision of employees to leave the organisation regardless of how they perceive the leadership style of their immediate supervisors. Most importantly, psychological climate which is referred to as individual employee perceptions of their work environment had a strong contingent effect on the negative relationship between affective commitment and turnover intention such that employees’ positive perception of the work environment weakens the link between commitment and turnover, whereas a negative perception of the working environment strengthens the relationship between commitment and turnover. As a result, employees’ positive perception of their work environment decreased their turnover intention decisions.
Corporate message strategies for global CSR campaigns
Authors: Rim Hyejoon , Song Doori
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine multinational corporations’ (MNCs) response strategy in social media to effectively communicate their international CSR practices.

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment was conducted by adopting a case of an MNC’s globalized CSR campaign in United Arab Emirates. The interaction effects of corporate communication strategy and company’s response sidedness were examined as well as a mediating role of the perceived altruism.

Findings

The current study suggests how two-sided response strategy can be applied and benefits MNCs’ international CSR campaigns. The findings demonstrate that a company’s two-sided response helps to increase people’s attitude toward the company and word-of-mouth intention through enhanced perceived altruism when the company has no prior CSR experience in a host country.

Practical implications

The current study provides insights on how to respond to negative publicity in social media. MNCs are suggested to use different response strategies based on their prior CSR experience in a host country.

Originality/value

The success of CSR depends on how consumers take the message and perceive a company’s motive of CSR. The current study examines how to best respond to the consumers’ criticism by utilizing message sidedness strategies depending on the company’s presence of CSR.
The effects of supply chain fairness and the buyer’s power sources on the innovation performance of the supplier: a mediating role of social capital accumulation
Authors: Kim Kyung-Tae , Lee Jung Seung , Lee Su-Yol
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of contractual fairness and power sources on the relationship between the buyer and supplier on the innovation performance of the supplier. The mediating role of social capital accumulation between fairness, power and innovation performance was empirically explored.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were developed to investigate the relationships between supply chain fairness, power sources, social capital and innovation performance. Using structural equation modeling, the hypotheses were tested on data of 209 responses collected from supplying firms in South Korea.

Findings

This study finds that supply chain contractual fairness and referent power use contribute to the innovation performance of the supplier through social capital accumulation between the buyer and supplier. Coercive power, in contrast, impedes the performance improvement of the supplier.

Originality/value

This study provides supply chain practitioners, academics and policy-makers with guidance on how to facilitate and enhance innovation capabilities and performance across the supply chain. By applying social capital theory, this study also provides theoretical underpinning of the literature on supply chain fairness, power and innovation.
When is it necessary to localise product packaging?
Authors: Khan Huda , Lockshin Larry , Lee Richard , Corsi Armando
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The common market practice by global consumer brands to create localised packaging for foreign markets conflicts with findings that cast doubt on this strategy. By examining the differential influence of standard (Western) and local (Chinese) packaging on Chinese consumers’ perceptions and choice behaviour, this study aims to examine whether this strategy is effective or even necessary.

Design/methodology/approach

A pre-test first identified suitable products and brands. Using a multiple methods approach, online participants in China first rated the brands and packaging of hedonic and utilitarian products. The ratings were then validated by triangulating with the results of a discrete choice experiment that captured participants’ choice behaviour.

Findings

For hedonic products, standard packaging is rated more positively and chosen more often than local packaging. For utilitarian products, there are no differences in ratings and choice. For hedonic products, brand likeability is higher for standard packaging than for local packaging. For utilitarian products, brand likeability does not differ between the two packaging types.

Research limitations/implications

These findings cast doubt on the effectiveness of indiscriminate packaging localisation. International marketers need to rethink their approach, particularly in non-Western markets. Interviews with five brand managers in charge of major consumer brands in China revealed their actual market practice and further illuminate this study’s findings.

Originality/value

This is first study to question the common market practice of packaging localisation and investigate the differential effects of standard versus local packaging of foreign products on consumers’ perceptions and choice behaviour.
Organisational climate change is here: memory curators in the digital age
Authors: McFadzean Andrew James
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to describe two themes of information and knowledge management in building corporate memory through curation in complex systems. The first theme describes the skillsets of new memory curators: curation; appraisal; strategist and manager. The second theme describes four concepts that support information management in complex systems: David Snowden’s just-in-time process; Polanyi’s personal knowing; Wenger’s transactive memory system; and David Snowden’s ASHEN database schema.

Design/methodology/approach

Academic journals and professional publications were analysed for educational requirements for information professionals in complex adaptive systems.

Findings

The skills described should be readily applied and useful in a complex adaptive system with the four concepts described. The four concepts displayed features indicating each separate concept could be aligned and integrated with the other concepts to create an information sharing model based on synergy between reasoning and computing.

Research limitations/implications

Research is needed into the capability and potential of folksonomies using recordkeeping metadata and archival appraisal to support peer production information and communication systems.

Originality/value

The author has not found any research that links archival appraisal, user-generated metadata tagging, folksonomies and transactive memory systems governance policy to support digital online, co-innovation peer production.
Current and Forward‐Looking Approaches to Technological and Nutritional Improvements of Gluten‐Free Bread with Legume Flours: A Critical Review
Authors: Melini Francesca , Melini Valentina , Luziatelli Francesca , Ruzzi Maurizio
Published: July 2017

The gluten‐free market currently offers a range of products which can be safely consumed by patients affected by celiac disease. Nevertheless, challenges for optimal formulation remain on the way in terms of appreciable texture, flavor, and adequate nutritional characteristics. Within that framework, legumes have recently attracted attention among scientists as structure‐ and texture‐forming agents, as source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, and as a low‐glycemic‐index ingredient. This work aims at providing an updated and comprehensive overview of the advantages and disadvantages in the use of legumes in gluten‐free breadmaking. It also shows how legumes can contribute to tackling the main technological, nutritional, and organoleptic challenges. From this critical analysis, it emerged that viscoelastic properties of gluten‐free bread batter can be enhanced by the use of carob germ, chickpea, lupin, and soybean. Gluten‐free bread organoleptic acceptability can be improved by incorporating leguminous flours, such as carob, chickpea, lupin, and soybean. Moreover, a better nutritional quality of gluten‐free bread can be obtained by the addition of chickpea and soybean. Gaps and needs in the use of legumes in gluten‐free breadmaking emerged and were gathered together to have a sound basis for future studies. The technological and nutritional potential of sourdough should be more extensively exploited. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo studies should be prompted to understand the health benefits of bread formulated with legumes. A holistic approach, interfacing food science, nutrition, and health might help to have, on the market, products with improved sensory properties and nutritional profile.
Environmental filtering is the main assembly rule of ground beetles in the forest and its edge but not in the adjacent grassland
Authors: Magura Tibor , Lövei Gábor L.
Published: July 2017

In a fragmented landscape, transitional zones between neighboring habitats are common, and our understanding of community organizational forces across such habitats is important. Edge studies are numerous, but the majority of them utilize information on species richness and abundance. Abundance and taxonomic diversity, however, provide little information on the functioning and phylogeny of the co‐existing species. Combining the evaluation of their functional and phylogenetic relationships, we aimed to assess whether ground beetle assemblages are deterministically or stochastically structured along grassland–forest gradients. Our results showed different community assembly rules on opposite sides of the forest edge. In the grassland, co‐occurring species were functionally and phylogenetically not different from the random null model, indicating a random assembly process. Contrary to this, at the forest edge and the interior, co‐occurring species showed functional and phylogenetic clustering, thus environmental filtering was the likely process structuring carabid assemblages. Community assembly in the grassland was considerably affected by asymmetrical species flows (spillover) across the forest edge: more forest species penetrated into the grassland than open‐habitat and generalist species entered into the forest. This asymmetrical species flow underlines the importance of the filter function of forest edges. As unfavorable, human‐induced changes to the structure, composition and characteristics of forest edges may alter their filter function, edges have to be specifically considered during conservation management.
Sensory and Physical Effects of Sugar Reduction in a Caramel Coating System
Authors: Mayhew Emily J. , Schmidt Shelly J. , Lee Soo‐Yeun
Published: July 2017

Sugar reduction in processed foods is a pressing and complex problem, as sugars contribute important sensory and physical properties to foods. Composed of sugars and lipids, caramel coating systems, like the coating in caramel popcorns, exemplify this challenge. In order to probe the feasibility and consequences of sugar reduction, both sensory and physical properties were measured for 3 types of caramel coating systems. Four commonly used sugar alcohols, isomalt, maltitol, mannitol, and sorbitol, with different thermal properties and relative sweetness values were chosen to replace sugar in the caramel coating systems at 25% and 50% sugar reduction levels. Full sugar (control) and reduced sugar caramel coating samples were prepared in duplicate. Ten trained panelists participated in a 6‐wk descriptive analysis panel to define and quantify the intensity of important sensory characteristics. All 24 sensory terms generated by the panel differed significantly across caramel type and sugar replacer. Thermal properties were measured through differential scanning calorimetry, and textural properties were measured through texture profile analysis. Replacement of sugar with sugar alcohols was found to decrease the glass transition temperature and systematically alter the hardness and resilience of caramel samples. Principal component analysis of sensory and physical data revealed that caramel coating type dictates caramel aroma, aroma by mouth, taste, and aftertaste, while sugar replacer and replacement level dictate texture. This research represents the first comprehensive study of the effects of sugar reduction in a caramel coating system and suggests successful strategies for sugar reduction and key parameters to control in reduced sugar systems.
Intrahost milieu modulates production of outer membrane vesicles, vesicle‐associated Shiga toxin 2a and cytotoxicity in Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O104:H4
Authors: Bauwens Andreas , Kunsmann Lisa , Marejková Monika , Zhang Wenlan , Karch Helge , Bielaszewska Martina , Mellmann Alexander
Published: July 2017

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are important virulence tools of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), but other biological functions of these nanostructures are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that modulation of OMV production enables EHEC to resist the intrahost environment during infection by investigating if simulated human gastrointestinal conditions affect OMV production in EHEC O157:H7 and O104:H4. All the conditions tested including a low pH, simulated ileal and colonic media, presence of mucin, intestinal epithelial cell lysate or antimicrobial peptides, as well as iron limitation, significantly increased OMV production by these pathogens. Accordingly, a maximum vesiculation in EHEC O104:H4 was observed immediately after its isolation from a patient's intestine, and rapidly decreased during passages in vitro. Most of the simulated intrahost conditions also upregulated the OMV‐associated Shiga toxin 2a (Stx2a), the major EHEC virulence factor, and, as a result, OMV cytotoxicity. The data indicates that upregulation of OMV production by the human gastrointestinal milieu contributes to EHEC survival and adaptation within the host during infection. Moreover, the intrahost increase of vesiculation and OMV‐associated Stx2a may augment EHEC virulence.
Fictitious Freedom: A Polanyian Critique of the Republican Revival
Authors: Klein Steven
Published: July 2017

Prominent republican theorists invoke anonymous orders such as the market as mechanisms that secure freedom as non‐domination. Drawing on Karl Polanyi's account of fictitious commodities and demonstration of the impossibility of a just and rational market society, this article critically scrutinizes neo‐republican assumptions regarding the market, develops an alternate social theory within which to situate the ideal of non‐domination, and illustrates the importance of this reconfiguration for the kind of collective agents and political strategies that can be expected to advance republican freedom in the economy.
Vitamin D supplementation in primary allergy prevention: Systematic review of randomized and non‐randomized studies
Authors: Yepes‐Nuñez J. J. , Brożek J. L. , Fiocchi A. , Pawankar R. , Cuello‐García C. , Zhang Y. , Morgano G. P. , Agarwal Arnav , Gandhi S. , Terracciano L. , Schünemann H. J.
Published: July 2017

Background

To date, a systematic review of the evidence regarding the association between vitamin D and allergic diseases development has not yet been undertaken.

Objective

To review the efficacy and safety of vitamin D supplementation when compared to no supplementation in pregnant women, breastfeeding women, infants, and children for the prevention of allergies.

Methods

Three databases were searched through January 30, 2016, including randomized (RCT) and nonrandomized studies (NRS). Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the certainty in the body of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Results

Among the 1932 articles identified, one RCT and four NRS were eligible. Very low certainty in the body of evidence across examined studies suggests that vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants may not decrease the risk of developing allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis (in pregnant women), allergic rhinitis (in pregnant women and infants), asthma and/or wheezing (in pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants), or food allergies (in pregnant women). We found no studies of primary prevention of allergic diseases in children.

Conclusion

Limited information is available addressing primary prevention of allergic diseases after vitamin D supplementation, and its potential impact remains uncertain.
Estimating the causal effect of body mass index on hay fever, asthma and lung function using Mendelian randomization
Authors: Skaaby T. , Taylor A. E. , Thuesen B. H. , Jacobsen R. K. , Friedrich N. , Møllehave L. T. , Hansen S. , Larsen S. C. , Völker U. , Nauck M. , Völzke H. , Hansen T. , Pedersen O. , Jørgensen T. , Paternoster L. , Munafò M. , Grarup N. , Linneberg A.
Published: July 2017

Background

Observational studies have shown that body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with asthma. However, observational data are prone to confounding and reverse causation. In Mendelian randomization, genetic variants are used as unconfounded markers of exposures to examine causal effects. We examined the causal effect of BMI on asthma, hay fever, allergic sensitization, serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), forced expiratory volume in one‐second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC).

Methods

We included 490 497 participants in the observational and 162 124 participants in the genetic analyses. A genetic risk score (GRS) was created using 26 BMI‐associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results were pooled in meta‐analyses and expressed as odds ratios (ORs) or β‐estimates with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

The GRS was significantly associated with asthma (OR=1.009; 95% CI: 1.004, 1.013), but not with hay fever (OR= 0.998; 95% CI: 0.994, 1.002) or allergic sensitization (OR=0.999; 95% CI: 0.986, 1.012) per BMI‐increasing allele. The GRS was significantly associated with decrease in FEV1: β=−0.0012 (95% CI: −0.0019, −0.0006) and FVC: β=−0.0022 (95% CI: −0.0031, −0.0014) per BMI‐increasing allele. Effect sizes estimated by instrumental variable analyses were OR=1.07 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.10) for asthma, a 9 ml decrease in FEV1 (95% CI: 2.0‐15 mL decrease) and a 16 ml decrease in FVC (95% CI: 7.0‐24 mL decrease) per 1 kg/m2 higher BMI.

Conclusions

The results support the conclusion that increasing BMI is causally related to higher prevalence of asthma and decreased lung function, but not with hay fever or biomarkers of allergy.
Current and predicted distribution of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Colombia, a hotspot of amphibian biodiversity
Authors: Flechas Sandra V. , Paz Andrea , Crawford Andrew J. , Sarmiento Carolina , Acevedo Aldemar A. , Arboleda Alejandro , Bolívar‐García Wilmar , Echeverry‐Sandoval Claudia L. , Franco Rosmery , Mojica Cindy , Muñoz Amanda , Palacios‐Rodríguez Pablo , Posso‐Terranova Andrés M. , Quintero‐Marín Paulina , Rueda‐Solano Luis A. , Castro‐Herrera Fernando , Amézquita Adolfo
Published: July 2017

Global amphibian declines have been attributed to several factors including the chytrid fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), that infects hosts’ skin and causes death by inhibiting immune response and impairing osmoregulatory function. Here, we integrate extensive new field data with previously published locality records of Bd in Colombia, a megadiverse and environmentally heterogeneous country in northwestern South America, to determine the relative importance of environmental variables and reproductive mode for predicting the risk of Bd infection in amphibians. We surveyed 81 localities across Colombia and sampled 2876 individual amphibians belonging to 14 taxonomic families. Through a combination of end‐point PCR and real‐time PCR analyses, Bd was detected in 338 individuals (12%) representing 43 localities (53%) distributed from sea level to 3200 m. We found that annual mean temperature and variables related with seasonality in precipitation and temperature appeared to define the most suitable areas for the establishment of the pathogen. In addition, prevalence of infection appeared to be higher in species with a terrestrial reproductive mode. Our study provides the first large‐scale study of the current and potential distribution of Bd in the biodiversity hotspot centered on Colombia. We hope the newly provided information on the extent of the distribution of the pathogen and the potential areas where Bd may impact the amphibian fauna will inform decision making by environmental authorities and future conservation action.
Novel pyrrolocycloalkylpyrazole analogues as CB1 ligands
Authors: Asproni Battistina , Manca Ilaria , Pinna Giansalvo , Cichero Elena , Fossa Paola , Murineddu Gabriele , Lazzari Paolo , Loriga Giovanni , Pinna Gérard A.
Published: July 2017

Novel 1,4‐dihydropyrazolo[3,4‐a]pyrrolizine‐, 4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazolo[4,3‐g]indolizine‐ and 1,4,5,6‐tetrahydropyrazolo[3,4‐c]pyrrolo[1,2‐a]azepine‐3‐carboxamide‐based compounds were designed and synthesized for cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor interactions. Any of the new synthesized compounds showed high affinity for CB2 receptor with Ki values superior to 314 nm, whereas some of them showed moderate affinity for CB1 receptor with Ki values inferior to 400 nm. 7‐Chloro‐1‐(2,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐N‐(homopiperidin‐1‐yl)‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazolo[4,3‐g]indolizine‐3‐carboxamide (2j) exhibited good affinity for CB1 receptor (KiCB1 = 81 nm) and the highest CB2/CB1 selectively ratio (>12). Docking studies carried out on such compounds were performed using the hCB1 X‐ray in complex with the close pyrazole analogue AM6538 and disclosed specific pattern of interactions related to the tricyclic pyrrolopyrazole scaffolds as CB1 ligands.
Computing Contour Trees for 2D Piecewise Polynomial Functions
Authors: Nucha Girijanandan , Bonneau Georges‐Pierre , Hahmann Stefanie , Natarajan Vijay
Published: July 2017

Contour trees are extensively used in scalar field analysis. The contour tree is a data structure that tracks the evolution of level set topology in a scalar field. Scalar fields are typically available as samples at vertices of a mesh and are linearly interpolated within each cell of the mesh. A more suitable way of representing scalar fields, especially when a smoother function needs to be modeled, is via higher order interpolants. We propose an algorithm to compute the contour tree for such functions. The algorithm computes a local structure by connecting critical points using a numerically stable monotone path tracing procedure. Such structures are computed for each cell and are stitched together to obtain the contour tree of the function. The algorithm is scalable to higher degree interpolants whereas previous methods were restricted to quadratic or linear interpolants. The algorithm is intrinsically parallelizable and has potential applications to isosurface extraction.
Visual Analysis of Confocal Raman Spectroscopy Data using Cascaded Transfer Function Design
Authors: Schikora Christoph M. , Plack Markus , Bornemann Rainer , Bolívar Peter Haring , Kolb Andreas
Published: July 2017

2D Confocal Raman Microscopy (CRM) data consist of high dimensional per‐pixel spectral data of 1000 bands and allows for complex spectral and spatial‐spectral analysis tasks, i.e., in material discrimination, material thickness, and spatial material distributions. Currently, simple integral methods are commonly applied as visual analysis solutions to CRM data which exhibit restricted discrimination power in various regards.

In this paper we present a novel approach for the visual analysis of 2D multispectral CRM data using multi‐variate visualization techniques. Due to the large amount of data and the demand of an explorative approach without a‐priori restriction, our system allows for arbitrary interactive (de)selection of varaibles w/o limitation and an unrestricted online definition/construction of new, combined properties. Our approach integrates CRM specific quantitative measures and handles material‐related features for mixed materials in a quantitative manner. Technically, we realize the online definition/construction of new, combined properties as semi‐automatic, cascaded, 1D and 2D multidimensional transfer functions (MD‐TFs). By interactively incorporating new (raw or derived) properties, the dimensionality of the MD‐TF space grows during the exploration procedure and is virtually unlimited. The final visualization is achieved by an enhanced color mixing step which improves saturation and contrast.
Graffinity: Visualizing Connectivity in Large Graphs
Authors: Kerzner E. , Lex A. , Sigulinsky C.L. , Urness T. , Jones B.W. , Marc R.E. , Meyer M.
Published: July 2017

Multivariate graphs are prolific across many fields, including transportation and neuroscience. A key task in graph analysis is the exploration of connectivity, to, for example, analyze how signals flow through neurons, or to explore how well different cities are connected by flights. While standard node‐link diagrams are helpful in judging connectivity, they do not scale to large networks. Adjacency matrices also do not scale to large networks and are only suitable to judge connectivity of adjacent nodes. A key approach to realize scalable graph visualization are queries: instead of displaying the whole network, only a relevant subset is shown. Query‐based techniques for analyzing connectivity in graphs, however, can also easily suffer from cluttering if the query result is big enough. To remedy this, we introduce techniques that provide an overview of the connectivity and reveal details on demand. We have two main contributions: (1) two novel visualization techniques that work in concert for summarizing graph connectivity; and (2) Graffinity, an open‐source implementation of these visualizations supplemented by detail views to enable a complete analysis workflow. Graffinity was designed in a close collaboration with neuroscientists and is optimized for connectomics data analysis, yet the technique is applicable across domains. We validate the connectivity overview and our open‐source tool with illustrative examples using flight and connectomics data.
Graph Layouts by t‐SNE
Authors: Kruiger J. F. , Rauber P. E. , Martins R. M. , Kerren A. , Kobourov S. , Telea A. C.
Published: July 2017

We propose a new graph layout method based on a modification of the t‐distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t‐SNE) dimensionality reduction technique. Although t‐SNE is one of the best techniques for visualizing high‐dimensional data as 2D scatterplots, t‐SNE has not been used in the context of classical graph layout. We propose a new graph layout method, tsNET, based on representing a graph with a distance matrix, which together with a modified t‐SNE cost function results in desirable layouts. We evaluate our method by a formal comparison with state‐of‐the‐art methods, both visually and via established quality metrics on a comprehensive benchmark, containing real‐world and synthetic graphs. As evidenced by the quality metrics and visual inspection, tsNET produces excellent layouts.
Comparative Visual Analysis of Structure‐Performance Relations in Complex Bulk‐Heterojunction Morphologies
Authors: Aboulhassan A. , Sicat R. , Baum D. , Wodo O. , Hadwiger M.
Published: July 2017

The structure of Bulk‐Heterojunction (BHJ) materials, the main component of organic photovoltaic solar cells, is very complex, and the relationship between structure and performance is still largely an open question. Overall, there is a wide spectrum of fabrication configurations resulting in different BHJ morphologies and correspondingly different performances. Current state‐of‐the‐art methods for assessing the performance of BHJ morphologies are either based on global quantification of morphological features or simply on visual inspection of the morphology based on experimental imaging. This makes finding optimal BHJ structures very challenging. Moreover, finding the optimal fabrication parameters to get an optimal structure is still an open question. In this paper, we propose a visual analysis framework to help answer these questions through comparative visualization and parameter space exploration for local morphology features. With our approach, we enable scientists to explore multivariate correlations between local features and performance indicators of BHJ morphologies. Our framework is built on shape‐based clustering of local cubical regions of the morphology that we call patches. This enables correlating the features of clusters with intuition‐based performance indicators computed from geometrical and topological features of charge paths.
Visualizing Probabilistic Multi‐Phase Fluid Simulation Data using a Sampling Approach
Authors: Hummel M. , Jöckel L. , Schäfer J. , Hlawitschka M. W. , Garth C.
Published: July 2017

Eulerian Method of Moment (MoM) solvers are gaining popularity for multi‐phase CFD simulation involving bubbles or droplets in process engineering. Because the actual positions of bubbles are uncertain, the spatial distribution of bubbles is described by scalar fields of moments, which can be interpreted as probability density functions. Visualizing these simulation results and comparing them to physical experiments is challenging, because neither the shape nor the distribution of bubbles described by the moments lend themselves to visual interpretation.

In this work, we describe a visualization approach that provides explicit instances of the bubble distribution and produces bubble geometry based on local flow properties. To facilitate animation, the instancing of the bubble distribution provides coherence over time by advancing bubbles between time steps and updating the distribution. Our approach provides an intuitive visualization and enables direct visual comparison of simulation results to physical experiments.
Uncertainty Footprint: Visualization of Nonuniform Behavior of Iterative Algorithms Applied to 4D Cell Tracking
Authors: Wan Y. , Hansen C.
Published: July 2017

Research on microscopy data from developing biological samples usually requires tracking individual cells over time. When cells are three‐dimensionally and densely packed in a time‐dependent scan of volumes, tracking results can become unreliable and uncertain. Not only are cell segmentation results often inaccurate to start with, but it also lacks a simple method to evaluate the tracking outcome. Previous cell tracking methods have been validated against benchmark data from real scans or artificial data, whose ground truth results are established by manual work or simulation. However, the wide variety of real‐world data makes an exhaustive validation impossible. Established cell tracking tools often fail on new data, whose issues are also difficult to diagnose with only manual examinations. Therefore, data‐independent tracking evaluation methods are desired for an explosion of microscopy data with increasing scale and resolution. In this paper, we propose the uncertainty footprint, an uncertainty quantification and visualization technique that examines nonuniformity at local convergence for an iterative evaluation process on a spatial domain supported by partially overlapping bases. We demonstrate that the patterns revealed by the uncertainty footprint indicate data processing quality in two algorithms from a typical cell tracking workflow – cell identification and association. A detailed analysis of the patterns further allows us to diagnose issues and design methods for improvements. A 4D cell tracking workflow equipped with the uncertainty footprint is capable of self diagnosis and correction for a higher accuracy than previous methods whose evaluation is limited by manual examinations.
CoreFlow: Extracting and Visualizing Branching Patterns from Event Sequences
Authors: Liu Zhicheng , Kerr Bernard , Dontcheva Mira , Grover Justin , Hoffman Matthew , Wilson Alan
Published: July 2017

Event sequence datasets with high event cardinality and long sequences are difficult to visualize and analyze. In particular, it is hard to generate a high level visual summary of paths and volume of flow. Existing approaches of mining and visualizing frequent sequential patterns look promising, but have limitations in terms of scalability, interpretability and utility. We propose CoreFlow, a technique that automatically extracts and visualizes branching patterns in event sequences. CoreFlow constructs a tree by recursively applying a three‐step procedure: rank events, divide sequences into groups, and trim sequences by the chosen event. The resulting tree contains key events as nodes, and links represent aggregated flows between key events. Based on CoreFlow, we have developed an interactive system for event sequence analysis. Our approach can compute branching patterns for millions of events in a few seconds, with improved interpretability of extracted patterns compared to previous work. We also present case studies of using the system in three different domains and discuss success and failure cases of applying CoreFlow to real‐world analytic problems. These case studies call forth future research on metrics and models to evaluate the quality of visual summaries of event sequences.
On the Stability of Functional Maps and Shape Difference Operators
Authors: Huang R. , Chazal F. , Ovsjanikov M.
Published: July 2017

In this paper, we provide stability guarantees for two frameworks that are based on the notion of functional maps—the framework of shape difference operators and the one of analyzing and visualizing the deformations between shapes. We consider two types of perturbations in our analysis: one is on the input shapes and the other is on the change in scale. In theory, we formulate and justify the robustness that has been observed in practical implementations of those frameworks. Inspired by our theoretical results, we propose a pipeline for constructing shape difference operators on point clouds and show numerically that the results are robust and informative. In particular, we show that both the shape difference operators and the derived areas of highest distortion are stable with respect to changes in shape representation and change of scale. Remarkably, this is in contrast with the well‐known instability of the eigenfunctions of the Laplace–Beltrami operator computed on point clouds compared to those obtained on triangle meshes.
Biological monitoring of dermal and air exposure to cobalt at a Swedish hard metal production plant: does dermal exposure contribute to uptake?
Authors: Klasson Maria , Lindberg Magnus , Bryngelsson Ing‐Liss , Arvidsson Helena , Pettersson Carin , Husby Bente , Westberg Håkan
Published: July 2017

Background

Occupational exposure to cobalt is well established in hard metal manufacture. Cobalt is known to cause contact allergy, asthma, hard metal lung disease, and lung cancer. The relationship between skin exposure and uptake determined in blood has not been extensively investigated.

Objective

To examine whether skin and inhalable air exposure to cobalt contributes to uptake, determined as cobalt in blood, in a hard metal manufacturing factory.

Methods

The amount of cobalt on the skin found with an acid wash technique, the air concentrations of inhalable cobalt and cobalt blood concentrations were determined and correlated in exposed workers.

Results

We found a significant rank correlation for cobalt concentrations on the skin, in inhalable air, and in blood (0.376–0.498). Multiple linear regression showed significant regression coefficients for cobalt skin exposure and blood (B = 0.01, p < 0.05) and for inhalable cobalt in air and blood (B = 49.1, p < 0.001). According to our model based on data from the regression analyses, a twofold increase in skin exposure levels at different air concentrations caused a 3–14% increase in blood levels.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that skin exposure to cobalt in the hard metal industry could affect the total uptake at the same order of magnitude as air exposure.
Knowing When Help Is Needed: A Developing Sense of Causal Complexity
Authors: Kominsky Jonathan F. , Zamm Anna P. , Keil Frank C.
Published: July 2017

Research on the division of cognitive labor has found that adults and children as young as age 5 are able to find appropriate experts for different causal systems. However, little work has explored how children and adults decide when to seek out expert knowledge in the first place. We propose that children and adults rely (in part) on “mechanism metadata,” information about mechanism information. We argue that mechanism metadata is relatively consistent across individuals exposed to similar amounts of mechanism information, and it is applicable to a wide range of causal systems. In three experiments, we show that adults and children as young as 5 years of age have a consistent sense of the causal complexity of different causal systems, and that this sense of complexity is related to decisions about when to seek expert knowledge, but over development there is a shift in focus from procedural information to internal mechanism information.
The Burden of the “False‐Negatives” in Clinical Development: Analyses of Current and Alternative Scenarios and Corrective Measures
Authors: Burt T , Button KS , Thom HHZ , Noveck RJ , Munafò MR
Published: July 2017

The “false‐negatives” of clinical development are the effective treatments wrongly determined ineffective. Statistical errors leading to “false‐negatives” are larger than those leading to “false‐positives,” especially in typically underpowered early‐phase trials. In addition, “false‐negatives” are usually eliminated from further testing, thereby limiting the information available on them. We simulated the impact of early‐phase power on economic productivity in three developmental scenarios. Scenario 1, representing the current status quo, assumed 50% statistical power at phase II and 90% at phase III. Scenario 2 assumed increased power (80%), and Scenario 3, increased stringency of alpha (1%) at phase II. Scenario 2 led, on average, to a 60.4% increase in productivity and 52.4% increase in profit. Scenario 3 had no meaningful advantages. Our results suggest that additional costs incurred by increasing the power of phase II studies are offset by the increase in productivity. We discuss the implications of our results and propose corrective measures.
Intravenous Hydroxypropyl β‐Cyclodextrin Formulation of Letermovir: A Phase I, Randomized, Single‐Ascending, and Multiple‐Dose Trial
Authors: Erb‐Zohar K , Kropeit D , Scheuenpflug J , Stobernack H‐P , Hulskotte EGJ , van Schanke A , Zimmermann H , Rübsamen‐Schaeff H
Published: July 2017

Letermovir is a novel antiviral in clinical development for prophylaxis against human cytomegalovirus in immunocompromised transplant recipients. This two‐part, single‐center, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial evaluated the safety and pharmacokinetics of a hydroxypropyl β‐cyclodextrin (HPβCD)‐based intravenous formulation of letermovir in healthy women. Subjects received single, escalating doses (120, 240, 480, 720, and 960 mg; 6 letermovir, 2 placebo per cohort) or multiple, once‐daily doses (240 mg; 8 letermovir, 4 placebo) of HPβCD‐formulated letermovir and the associated pharmacokinetic profiles and adverse events were investigated. Single‐dose and multiple‐dose regimens were generally well tolerated. Single‐dose escalation resulted in a slightly more‐than‐dose‐proportional increase in the area under the letermovir plasma concentration–time curve (AUC), whereas increase in the maximal observed letermovir plasma concentration (Cmax) was dose proportional. After once‐daily dosing, accumulation ratios in AUC and Cmax were 1.22 and 1.03, respectively. The terminal half‐life was 28.3 h, supporting once‐daily dosing (EudraCT Number: 2012‐001603‐20).
Acral angiokeratoma‐like pseudolymphoma in a middle‐aged woman
Authors: Geller Shamir , Markova Alina , Pulitzer Melissa , Myskowski Patricia L.
Published: July 2017

Acral angiokeratoma‐like pseudolymphoma is a rare type of pseudolymphoma presenting as dark‐red papules on the hand or foot. We describe a 59‐year‐old woman who presented with an unusual unilateral, clustered aggregate of scaly violaceous papules on the toe with an indolent course. Skin biopsy showed a prominent vascular proliferation associated with a dermal infiltrate of monoclonally rearranged T‐follicular helper phenotype T‐cells, in keeping with CD4+ small/medium T‐cell lymphoproliferative disorder (SMPTC‐LPD). Based on the unique clinical morphology, distribution of the lesions and dermoscopic appearance, a clinicopathologic diagnosis of acral angiokeratoma‐like pseudolymphoma was favored. This case demonstrates the importance of clinicopathological correlation in such diagnostically challenging patients who present with overlapping features on the spectrum of pseudolymphoma and cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma.
The challenges of achieving postprandial glucose control using closed‐loop systems in patients with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Gingras Véronique , Taleb Nadine , Roy‐Fleming Amélie , Legault Laurent , Rabasa‐Lhoret Rémi
Published: July 2017

For patients with type 1 diabetes, closed‐loop delivery systems (CLS) combining an insulin pump, a glucose sensor and a dosing algorithm allowing a dynamic hormonal infusion have been shown to improve glucose control when compared with conventional therapy. Yet, reducing glucose excursion and simplification of prandial insulin doses remain a challenge. The objective of this literature review is to examine current meal‐time strategies in the context of automated delivery systems in adults and children with type 1 diabetes. Current challenges and considerations for post‐meal glucose control will also be discussed. Despite promising results with meal detection, the fully automated CLS has yet failed to provide comparable glucose control to CLS with carbohydrate‐matched bolus in the post‐meal period. The latter strategy has been efficient in controlling post‐meal glucose using different algorithms and in various settings, but at the cost of a meal carbohydrate counting burden for patients. Further improvements in meal detection algorithms or simplified meal‐priming boluses may represent interesting avenues. The greatest challenges remain in regards to the pharmacokinetic and dynamic profiles of available rapid insulins as well as sensor accuracy and lag‐time. New and upcoming faster acting insulins could provide important benefits. Multi‐hormone CLS (eg, dual‐hormone combining insulin with glucagon or pramlintide) and adjunctive therapy (eg, GLP‐1 and SGLT2 inhibitors) also represent promising options. Meal glucose control with the artificial pancreas remains an important challenge for which the optimal strategy is still to be determined.
Reviving Cochrane's contribution to evidence‐based medicine: bridging the gap between evidence of efficacy and evidence of effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness
Authors: James Jack E.
Published: July 2017

Keypoints

Throughout the quarter century since the advent of evidence‐based medicine (EBM), medical research has prioritized ‘efficacy’ (i.e. internal validity) using randomized controlled trials.

EBM has consistently neglected ‘effectiveness’ and ‘cost‐effectiveness’, identified in the pioneering work of Archie Cochrane as essential for establishing the external (i.e. clinical) validity of health care interventions.

Neither Cochrane nor other early pioneers appear to have foreseen the extent to which EBM would be appropriated by the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries, which are responsible for extensive biases in clinical research due to selective reporting, exaggeration of benefits, minimization of risks, and misrepresentation of data.

The promise of EBM to effect transformational change in health care will remain unfulfilled until (i) studies of effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness are pursued with some of the same fervour that previously succeeded in elevating the status of the randomized controlled trial, and (ii) ways are found to defeat threats to scientific integrity posed by commercial conflicts of interest.