bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The process of developing a non-medical (advanced allied health) botulinum toxin A prescribing and injecting model of care in a public rehabilitation setting
Authors: Kuipers Kathy , Cox Ruth , Doherty Dominique , Grudzinskas Kathy
Published: November 2013

Objective The aim of this paper was to describe the process undertaken to develop a non-medical (advanced allied health extended role) botulinum toxin A prescription and injection project for adults with upper and lower limb spasticity secondary to an acquired brain injury. The hypertonicity clinic in the present study was located in a metropolitan public hospital in Queensland where multidisciplinary services are provided by a rehabilitation specialist and an advanced occupational therapist and physiotherapist. Methods The process of developing the model included establishing potential benefits for the role extension project and documentation of a project plan. Results Project outcomes included the development of a relevant governance structure, a research evidence-based project evaluation framework, a draft research ethics application, delineation of the key eligibility criteria and competencies required for physiotherapist and occupational therapist prescribers, and a final project report. Conclusion Non-medical prescribing has the potential to increase patient access to botulinum toxin A injection for the management of focal spasticity. A process that supports early patient engagement, extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, a strong governance structure, a high-quality research project and a long lead time may maximise the potential for successful completion of advanced allied health role extension projects, including prescription and injection of botulinum toxin A. What is known about the topic? Non-medical prescribing has been recommended as a strategy for facilitating responsive health care and addressing health workforce shortages in Australia and overseas. What does this paper add? A detailed description of the process used to develop a non-medical prescribing and injecting project within a public hospital rehabilitation unit, as well as an analysis of the facilitators and barriers to progression. What are the implications for practitioners? A process that supports early patient engagement, extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, a strong governance structure, a high-quality research project and a long lead time may maximise the potential for successful completion of advanced allied health role extension projects, including prescription and injection of botulinum toxin A.
Taxes, Subsidies, and Advertising Efficacy in Changing Eating Behavior: An Experimental Study
Authors: Streletskaya Nadia A. , Rusmevichientong Pimbucha , Amatyakul Wansopin , Kaiser Harry M.
Published: November 2013

Using a lab experiment with 258 adult non‐student participants, we examined whether unhealthy foods taxes, healthy foods subsidies, anti‐obesity advertising, and healthy foods advertising have an impact on changing consumers' choices of lunch items and the nutrient content of their choices for a selected meal. A difference‐in‐difference regression model was used to determine the efficacy of the various policy treatments. The results indicate that the unhealthy foods tax, healthy foods advertising, and unhealthy foods tax combined with anti‐obesity advertising significantly reduced the content of some nutrients of concern, such as calories, calories from fat, carbohydrates, and cholesterol in meal selections. We also find that when combined with healthy foods subsidy, the healthy foods advertising has very little effect on nutrient consumption; the anti‐obesity advertising on its own, however, is not efficient at changing dietary behavior. We discuss the policy implications of our findings and venues for future research.
Testing multiple biological mediators simultaneously
Authors: Boca Simina M. , Sinha Rashmi , Cross Amanda J. , Moore Steven C. , Sampson Joshua N.
Published: November 2013

Motivation: Modern biomedical and epidemiological studies often measure hundreds or thousands of biomarkers, such as gene expression or metabolite levels. Although there is an extensive statistical literature on adjusting for ‘multiple comparisons’ when testing whether these biomarkers are directly associated with a disease, testing whether they are biological mediators between a known risk factor and a disease requires a more complex null hypothesis, thus offering additional methodological challenges.

Results: We propose a permutation approach that tests multiple putative mediators and controls the family wise error rate. We demonstrate that, unlike when testing direct associations, replacing the Bonferroni correction with a permutation approach that focuses on the maximum of the test statistics can significantly improve the power to detect mediators even when all biomarkers are independent. Through simulations, we show the power of our method is 2–5× larger than the power achieved by Bonferroni correction. Finally, we apply our permutation test to a case-control study of dietary risk factors and colorectal adenoma to show that, of 149 test metabolites, docosahexaenoate is a possible mediator between fish consumption and decreased colorectal adenoma risk.

Availability and implementation: R-package included in online Supplementary Material.

Contact: joshua.sampson@nih.gov

Supplementary information: Supplementary materials are available at Bioinformatics online.
Computing cavities, channels, pores and pockets in proteins from non-spherical ligands models
Authors: Benkaidali Lydia , André François , Maouche Boubekeur , Siregar Pridi , Benyettou Mohamed , Maurel François , Petitjean Michel
Published: November 2013

Motivation: Identifying protein cavities, channels and pockets accessible to ligands is a major step to predict potential protein–ligands complexes. It is also essential for preparation of protein–ligand docking experiments in the context of enzymatic activity mechanism and structure-based drug design.

Results: We introduce a new method, implemented in a program named CCCPP, which computes the void parts of the proteins, i.e. cavities, channels and pockets. The present approach is a variant of the alpha shapes method, with the advantage of taking into account the size and the shape of the ligand. We show that the widely used spherical model of ligands is most of the time inadequate and that cylindrical shapes are more realistic. The analysis of the void parts of the protein is done via a network of channels depending on the ligand. The performance of CCCPP is tested with known substrates of cytochromes P450 (CYP) 1A2 and 3A4 involved in xenobiotics metabolism. The test results indicate that CCCPP is able to find pathways to the buried heminic P450 active site even for high molecular weight CYP 3A4 substrates such as two ketoconazoles together, an experimentally observed situation.

Availability: Free binaries are available through a software repository at http://petitjeanmichel.free.fr/itoweb.petitjean.freeware.html

Contact:  michel.petitjean@univ-paris-diderot.fr
Novel mutations in Lrp6 orthologs in mouse and human neural tube defects affect a highly dosage-sensitive Wnt non-canonical planar cell polarity pathway
Authors: Allache Redouane , Lachance Stéphanie , Guyot Marie Claude , De Marco Patrizia , Merello Elisa , Justice Monica J. , Capra Valeria , Kibar Zoha
Published: November 2013

Wnt signaling has been classified as canonical Wnt/β-catenin-dependent or non-canonical planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Misregulation of either pathway is linked mainly to cancer or neural tube defects (NTDs), respectively. Both pathways seem to antagonize each other, and recent studies have implicated a number of molecular switches that activate one pathway while simultaneously inhibiting the other thereby partially mediating this antagonism. The lipoprotein receptor–related protein Lrp6 is crucial for the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, but its function in Wnt/PCP signaling remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the role of Lrp6 as a molecular switch between both Wnt pathways in a novel ENU mouse mutant of Lrp6 (Skax26m1Jus) and in human NTDs. We demonstrate that Skax26m1Jus represents a hypermorphic allele of Lrp6 with increased Wnt canonical and abolished PCP-induced JNK activities. We also show that Lrp6Skax26-Jus genetically interacts with a PCP mutant (Vangl2Lp) where double heterozygotes showed an increased frequency of NTDs and defects in cochlear hair cells’ polarity. Importantly, our study also demonstrates the association of rare and novel missense mutations in LRP6 that is an inhibitor rather than an activator of the PCP pathway with human NTDs. We show that three LRP6 mutations in NTDs led to a reduced Wnt canonical activity and enhanced PCP signaling. Our data confirm an inhibitory role of Lrp6 in PCP signaling in neurulation and indicate the importance of a tightly regulated and highly dosage-sensitive antagonism between both Wnt pathways in this process.
Functional characterization ofSIM1-associated enhancers
Authors: Kim Mee J. , Oksenberg Nir , Hoffmann Thomas J. , Vaisse Christian , Ahituv Nadav
Published: November 2013

Haploinsufficiency of the single-minded homology 1 (SIM1) gene in humans and mice leads to severe obesity, suggesting that altered expression of SIM1, by way of regulatory elements such as enhancers, could predispose individuals to obesity. Here, we identified transcriptional enhancers that could regulate SIM1, using comparative genomics coupled with zebrafish and mouse transgenic enhancer assays. Owing to the dual role of Sim1 in hypothalamic development and in adult energy homeostasis, the enhancer activity of these sequences was annotated from embryonic to adult age. Of the seventeen tested sequences, two SIM1 candidate enhancers (SCE2 and SCE8) were found to have brain-enhancer activity in zebrafish. Both SCE2 and SCE8 also exhibited embryonic brain-enhancer expression in mice, and time course analysis of SCE2 activity showed overlapping expression with Sim1 from embryonic to adult age, notably in the hypothalamus in adult mice. Using a deletion series, we identified the critical region in SCE2 that is needed for enhancer activity in the developing brain. Sequencing this region in obese and lean cohorts revealed a higher prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were unique to obese individuals, with one variant reducing developmental-enhancer activity in zebrafish. In summary, we have characterized two brain enhancers in the SIM1 locus and identified a set of obesity-specific SNPs within one of them, which may predispose individuals to obesity.
Positive and negative selection using the tetA-sacB cassette: recombineering and P1 transduction in Escherichia coli
Authors: Li Xin-tian , Thomason Lynn C. , Sawitzke James A. , Costantino Nina , Court Donald L.
Published: November 2013

The two-step process of selection and counter-selection is a standard way to enable genetic modification and engineering of bacterial genomes using homologous recombination methods. The tetA and sacB genes are contained in a DNA cassette and confer a novel dual counter-selection system. Expression of tetA confers bacterial resistance to tetracycline (TcR) and also causes sensitivity to the lipophillic chelator fusaric acid; sacB causes sensitivity to sucrose. These two genes are introduced as a joint DNA cassette into Escherichia coli by selection for TcR. A medium containing both fusaric acid and sucrose has been developed, in which, coexpression of tetA-sacB is orders of magnitude more sensitive as a counter-selection agent than either gene alone. In conjunction with the homologous recombination methods of recombineering and P1 transduction, this powerful system has been used to select changes in the bacterial genome that cannot be directly detected by other counter-selection systems.
Estimating the Production and Release of Ascospores from a Field-Scale Source of Fusarium graminearum Inoculum
Authors: Prussin Aaron J. , Szanyi Nicole A. , Welling Patricia I. , Ross Shane D. , Schmale David G.
Published: November 2013

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease of wheat and barley caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum. The fungus produces spores that may be transported over long distances in the atmosphere. In order to predict the atmospheric transport of F. graminearum, the production and release of ascospores must be known. We conducted a series of laboratory and field experiments to estimate perithecia production and ascospore release from a field-scale source of F. graminearum inoculum. Perithecia were generated on artificial (carrot agar) and natural (corn stalk) substrates. Artificial substrates produced 15 ± 0.4 perithecia/cm2, and natural substrates produced 44 ± 2 perithecia/cm2. Eighty perithecia were excised from both substrate types and allowed to release ascospores every 24 h. Perithecia generated from artificial and natural substrates released a mean of 104 ± 5 and 276 ± 16 ascospores over 10 days, respectively. A volumetric spore trap was placed inside a 1-acre clonal source of inoculum in 2011 and 2012. Results indicated that ascospores were released predominantly during the night (1900 to 0700). Estimates of ascospore production for our field-scale sources of inoculum were approximately 400 million ascospores/day for 10 days. Mathematical models can use estimates of ascospore production to assist in predicting the transport of F. graminearum.
Characterization of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance and Deoxynivalenol Accumulation in Hulled and Hulless Winter Barley
Authors: Berger Gregory , Green Andrew , Khatibi Piyum , Brooks Wynse , Rosso Luciana , Liu Shuyu , Chao Shiaoman , Griffey Carl , Schmale David
Published: November 2013

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most serious diseases impacting the U.S. barley (Hordeum vulgare) industry. The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), produced by the pathogen, renders grain unmarketable if concentrations exceed threshold values set for end-use markets. Development of cultivars with improved FHB resistance and reduced DON accumulation is necessary to ensure minimal losses. Elite hulled and hulless genotypes developed by the Virginia Tech winter barley breeding program were screened in inoculated, mist-irrigated FHB nurseries over 2 years at two locations in Virginia to validate resistance levels over years and locations. Results demonstrated that barley genotypes varied significantly for resistance to FHB and DON accumulation. The hulled ‘Nomini’, hulless ‘Eve’, and hulless line VA06H-48 were consistently resistant across locations to both FHB and DON accumulation. Screening the genotypes with molecular markers on chromosomes 2H and 6H for FHB and DON revealed quantitative trait loci regions which may confer resistance in the Virginia Tech germplasm. Ongoing and future work with mapping populations seeks to identify novel regions for resistance to FHB and DON accumulation unique to the Virginia Tech breeding program.
Resistance to Fluopyram, Fluxapyroxad, and Penthiopyrad in Botrytis cinerea from Strawberry
Authors: Amiri Achour , Heath Stacy M. , Peres Natalia A.
Published: November 2013

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) constitute a mainstay in management of gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in strawberry and several other crops. In this study, we investigated the risks of resistance development to three newer SDHIs (i.e., fluopyram, fluxapyroxad, and penthiopyrad) and their cross-resistance with the previously registered boscalid. We investigated the mutations in the SdhB subunit and evaluated their impact on microbial fitness in field populations of B. cinerea. Amino acid substitutions associated with resistance to SDHIs were detected at three codons of the SdhB subunit (BH272R/Y/L, BP225F, and BN230I) in the succinate dehydrogenase gene of field isolates from Florida. The BH272R, BH272Y, BH272L, BP225F, and BN230I mutations were detected at frequencies of 51.5, 28.0, 0.5, 2.5, and 4%, respectively. Strong cross-resistance patterns were evident between boscalid and fluxapyroxad and penthiopyrad but not with fluopyram, except in BH272L, BP225F, and BN230I mutants. All five mutations conferred moderate to very high resistance to boscalid whereas the BH272Y conferred resistance to fluxapyroxad and penthiopyrad. The BH272L, BN230I, and BP225F mutations conferred high resistance to all four SDHIs tested. Resistance monitoring following the first use of penthiopyrad in strawberry fields in Florida in 2013 suggests potential for quick selection for highly resistant populations and warrants careful use of the newer SDHIs. No evidence of major fitness costs due to the mutations in the SdhB subunit was found, which indicates the potential ability of the mutants to survive and compete with wild-type isolates. Our study suggests high risks for rapid widespread occurrence of B. cinerea populations resistant to the novel SDHIs unless appropriate rotation strategies are implemented immediately upon registration.
First Report of Brown Rot of Apricot Caused by Monilia mumecola
Authors: Yin L. F. , Chen S. N. , Cai M. L. , Li G. Q. , Luo C. X.
Published: November 2013

In May 2013, apricot (Prunus armeniaca) fruits covered with grayish, conidial masses were collected from an unknown cultivar in an experimental field of Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province. About 3 to 5% of fruit was infected and affected apricots had tan to white zones of sporulation, which resembled brown rot caused by Monilia species. Conidia were harvested from the surface of the sporulating apricot fruit and spread onto shallow potato dextrose agar (PDA) media (about 2 mm in thickness) using sterile cotton swabs. Conidia were lemon-shaped and mean size was 15.7 (10 to 22.5) × 25 (16.25 to 35) μm. Conidia on PDA were incubated at 23°C for 3 h in darkness, then observed under microscope. More than two germ tubes were produced from each conidium, which was the distinctive trait of Monilia mumecola species (2). Single-spore isolates were obtained and 3 isolates were cultured on PDA in petri dishes. Mycelium grew at an average of 15 mm per day, and the colony showed concentric rings of mycelium with lobbed margins at 23°C in darkness. A 712-bp fragment was PCR amplified from β-tubulin gene (TUB2) of all the nine isolates investigated indicative of M. mumecola (2). The ribosomal ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 regions of nine isolates were also PCR-amplified from genomic DNA using primers ITS1 and ITS4 and then sequenced (4). ITS sequences were identical to ITS sequences of M. mumecola from China (HQ908786) and Japan (AB125613, AB125614, and AB125620), but only has 98% and 97% identity with the closest species M. laxa (EU042149) and M. fructicola (HQ908789) according to BLAST search in GenBank. Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculating mycelial plugs of three isolates into six surface-sterilized apricots wounded with a 6-mm diameter sterile cork borer. Control fruit received plain PDA plugs and was incubated in a moist chamber at 23°C with 12 h light/12 h dark. All inoculated fruit developed typical brown rot symptoms with sporulating areas as described above after 3 days of incubation, while control fruits remained healthy. The developing spores on inoculated fruit were re-isolated and confirmed to be M. mumecola. M. mumecola was first isolated from Prunus mume in Japan in 1982 as an unknown Monilia species (3), then identified and the nomenclature was provided in 2004 (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. mumecola on P. armeniaca indicating that M. mumecola has spread to different hosts.

References: (1) Y. Harada et al. J. Gen. Plant Pathol. 70:297, 2004. (2) M. J. Hu et al. Plos One, 6(9):e24990, 2011. (3) S. Nakao. Kongetsu-no-noyaku, 1:92, 1992. (4) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, San Diego, 1990.
4-(3-Fluoro-4-methylanilino)-2-methylidene-4-oxobutanoic acid
Authors: Nayak Prakash S. , Narayana B. , Jasinski Jerry P. , Yathirajan H. S. , Kaur Manpreet
Published: November 2013

The title compound, C12H12FNO3, crystallizes with two independent molecules (AandB) in the asymmetric unit. The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the 3-fluoro-4-methylphenyl ring and the oxoamine group is 25.7 (7)° in moleculeAand 71.3 (7)° in moleculeB, while the mean plane of the 2-methylidene-4-oxobutanoic acid group is twisted by 76.2 (1)° from that of the oxoamine group in moleculeAand by 76.2 (4)° in moleculeB. In the crystal, N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds [the latter forming anR22(8) graph-set motif] link the molecules into a two-dimensional network parallel to theacplane.
Bis{4-[(E)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethenyl]-1-methylpyridinium} 4-chlorobenzenesulfonate nitrate
Authors: Fun Hoong-Kun , Quah Ching Kheng , Boonnak Nawong , Chantrapromma Suchada
Published: November 2013

In the title mixed salt, 2C16H15N2+·C6H4ClO3S−·NO3−, one of the cations shows whole molecule disorder over two sets of sites in a 0.711 (7):0.289 (7) ratio. The 4-chorobenzenesulfonate anion is also disordered over two orientations in a 0.503 (6):0.497 (6) ratio. The cations are close to planar, the dihedral angles between the pyridinium and indole rings being 1.48 (3)° in the ordered cation, and 5.62 (3) and 2.45 (3)°, respectively, for the major and minor components of the disordered cation. In the crystal, the cations are stacked in an antiparallel manner approximately along thea-axis direction and linked with the anionsviaN—H...O hydrogen bonds and C—H...O interactions, generating a three-dimensional network. Weak C—H...π and π–π interactions [with centroid–centroid distances of 3.561 (2)–3.969 (7) Å] are also observed.
Hexa-μ-acetato-1:2κ4O,O′;1:2κ2O:O;2:3κ4O,O′;2:3κ2O:O-bis(4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)-1κ2N,N′;3κ2N,N′-2-calcium-1,3-dizinc
Authors: Pramanik Avijit , Fronczek Frank R. , Venkatraman Ramaiyer , Hossain Md. Alamgir
Published: November 2013

In the centrosymmetric trinuclear ZnII...CaII...ZnIItitle complex, [CaZn2(CH3COO)6(C12H12N2)2], the CaIIion lies on an inversion centre and is octahedrally coordinated by six acetate O atoms. The ZnIIion is coordinated by two N atoms from a bidentate dimethylbipyridine ligand and three O atoms from acetate ligands bridging to the CaIIion, leading to a distorted square-pyramidal coordination sphere. The Zn...Ca distance is 3.4668 (5) Å.
5,5′-Bis(benzyloxy)-2,2′-[hydrazinediylidenebis(methanylylidene)]diphenol
Authors: Sajitha N. R. , Sithambaresan M. , Kurup M. R. Prathapachandra
Published: November 2013

The title azine molecule, C28H24N2O4, lies about a center of inversion. The dihedral angle between the phenyl ring and the hydroxy-substituted ring is 70.3 (5)°. The phenolic O–H group forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond to the azine N atom.
N,N′-Dimethyl-N′′-(trichloroacetyl)phosphoramide
Authors: Ovchynnikov Vladimir
Published: November 2013

In the title compound, C4H9Cl3N3O2P or CCl3C(O)NHP(O)(NHCH3)2, the P atom has a strongly distorted tetrahedral geometry due to the formation of intermolecular strong hydrogen bonds involving the N atoms. In the crystal, N—H...O=P and N—H...O=C hydrogen bonds connect the molecules into a two-dimensional array parallel to (100). An intramolecular P...O contact [P...O = 2.975 (3) Å] is observed. The CCl3group is rotationally disordered, with occupancies of 0.60 (3) and 0.40 (3)
Why producers of music use discourses of consumption (and why we shouldn’t think that makes them prosumers)
Authors: Cluley Robert
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how people making music represent their production activities using images of consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

– Supporting evidence is based on in-depth interviews with musicians and support personnel. The data are structured through a thematic analysis.

Findings

– The paper argues that consumption serves as a discursive resource that allows cultural producers to make sense of production activities which do not conform to an image of production as an alienated form of labour.

Originality/value

– Relating the analysis to the ongoing attempts to conceptualise cultural producers through the concept of prosumption, the paper concludes that there are limits to cultural producers’ abilities to represent their production activities as production rather than a structural change in social or economic organisation, as suggested by some consumer researchers.
Sustainable touring: exploring value creation through social marketing
Authors: Henderson Stephen
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the social marketing-based approach to live performance adopted by Jack Johnson and its potential as the basis of a developmental model for sustainable touring.

Design/methodology/approach

– Musician Jack Johnson has been recognised as a leader in his approach to sustainable touring. The research approach uses stakeholder interviews to examine his “Sleep Through the Static” tour from a phenomenological perspective.

Findings

– The activities adopted during the global tour provide “upstream” contributions to social change agendas as well as “downstream” contributions to change behaviour. “Downstream” contribution leans towards closed behaviour settings for the corporate community and open behaviour settings for the social community. Limitations are the extent of resources required; better understanding of audience targets and their perceived value of behaviour change.

Research limitations/implications

– The use of a single example means that consideration of the success of this model is limited to one approach when others might offer other options. However, the phenomenological approach is sufficient to begin to understand the value creation process at work here.

Practical implications

– A range of performers in different cultural areas might consider the potential of this approach as a means to contribute to sustainable touring goals.

Originality/value

– Much of the literature available for event managers focuses on environmental concerns to the neglect of other dimensions of sustainability. This work highlights how the social marketing of sustainable development offers a wider scope to touring performers.
Contemporary career concepts and their fit for the Arabian Gulf context
Authors: Forstenlechner Ingo , Baruch Yehuda
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– The contemporary nature of careers has changed significantly in Western societies, yet studies on the nature of this change in different cultures are sparse. The aim of this paper is to explore how career theories and concepts from Western origin fit the Middle East, particularly within the emerging Arabian Gulf economy, putting in context explanatory propositions expanding the Western view of career theory and applying it to the environment of a rapidly changing society.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research uses a conceptual analysis approach.

Findings

– Owing to demographic changes, and increasing awareness of the societal, economic and political concerns, the country cannot maintain that implicit promise. The old psychological contract has been breached as the country cannot keep offering similar jobs to the growing number of young people entering the labour market.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first aiming to explain emerging Middle Eastern countries' labour markets in their entirety, using existing Western career theories and concepts. Implications for individuals and employers in the global private sector who may consider a move to the Gulf are offered.
Personality and political skill as distal and proximal predictors of leadership evaluations
Authors: A. Gentry William , B. Leslie Jean , C. Gilmore David , Parker Ellen III B. , R. Ferris Gerald , C. Treadway Darren
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– Although individual difference variables are important in the prediction of leadership effectiveness, comparatively little empirical research has examined distal and proximal traits/characteristics that help managers lead effectively in organizations. The aim of this paper is to extend previous research by examining whether and how specific distal, narrow personality traits and the more proximal characteristic of political skill are related to decisiveness, a specific competency of leadership effectiveness, as rated from direct reports and peers.

Design/methodology/approach

– Self-report data on political skill and personality traits (i.e. perceptiveness and affability) from 225 practicing managers from the US, together with other-report (i.e. peer and subordinate) ratings of their leadership effectiveness (i.e. decisiveness) were used to test the mediating effects of political skill.

Findings

– Results show that political skill (i.e. the social astuteness dimension) mediated the relationships between narrow personality traits and evaluations of leadership effectiveness as rated by some, but not other rater sources. Specifically, the social astuteness dimension of political skill mediated the relationship between perceptiveness and decisiveness ratings from direct reports but not for ratings from peers, and the full political skill composite measure mediated the relationship between affability and decisiveness ratings from peers but not for ratings from direct reports.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations include the availability of only two narrow personality traits, which constrained the scope of the possible mediation tests of all individual dimensions of political skill.

Practical implications

– Political skill is shown to be a more proximal predictor of leadership effectiveness than personality dimensions. Thus, political skill should be considered over personality for emerging leaders. Further, differences in ratings due to source (i.e. peer and subordinate) indicate the need for organizational leaders to consider the source when evaluating effectiveness reports.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the first to integrate the Ferris et al. model of political skill and the Zaccaro et al. distal-proximal trait model of leadership effectiveness.
Understanding employees' informal workplace learning
Authors: Bernadette van Rijn Monique , Yang Huadong , Sanders Karin
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the joint influence of employees' career motivation and their self-construal on their engagement in three informal workplace learning activities: keeping up-to-date, asking for feedback from supervisors and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through an online questionnaire from 323 employees from four Dutch Vocational Education and Training (VET) schools. Regression analyses were used to test the hypothesis.

Findings

– Career motivation is positively related to all three informal learning activities. Employees' individual self-construal strengthens the relationship between career motivation and engagement in the learning activity of keeping up-to-date, while employees' collective self-construal strengthens the relationship between career motivation and engagement in the learning activity of knowledge sharing. Contrary to expectations, employees' relational self-construal does not strengthen the relationship between career motivation and engagement in the learning activity of feedback asking from supervisors.

Research limitations/implications

– The use of cross-sectional data collection made this study vulnerable to common method bias. Future studies should consider using a longitudinal research approach to overcome this limitation.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that both the motivational issue of “what do you want” and the self-identity issue of “who you are” are important for employee informal workplace learning. For human resource (HR) professionals this suggests that they should stimulate employees' career motivation, while for employees this suggests that they should engage in informal learning activities in keeping with their own style.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first studies to provide empirical support for the joint influence of career motivation and self-construal on employees' informal workplace learning.
The regulatory environment of comparative advertisement in India – an analysis
Authors: Kaur Rajinder , Aggarwal Rashmi
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to compile the present situation of comparative advertisement in Indian markets and the existing legal remedies by citing some factual cases from the industry and important judicial pronouncements.

Design/methodology/approach

– It is a qualitative research based on primary and secondary source of information. Secondary sources comprise of statutory provisions of relevant act, articles/news items available in academic/trade journals and information generated from Government of India web sites. Primary research involved face-to-face interactions with practising advocates from Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India in the area of trademarks. Information was collected on parameters related to efficacy, applicability, enforceability, monitoring, and legal issues of trademarks and disparagements.

Findings

– In India, comparative advertisement is relatively a new concept and the lawful remedies are not that strong as that is other countries. In the absence of the stringent laws, the practice of comparative advertisement has seen many derogatory consequences a few are mentioned here. The paper concludes by giving recommendations on the issues of legal aspects of comparative advertisement in India.

Originality/value

– This research paper attempts to provide an overall understanding of judicial environment on comparative advertisement in India which is still at its nascent stage.
Significant changes to rules for private securities offerings
Authors: Engvall David , Martin David , Caywood Warren , Wawrzyniak James
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explain changes to the SEC rules governing private offerings of securities, permitting general solicitation and general advertising in certain private placements conducted under Rule 506 of Regulation D under the US Securities Act of 1933, and amending Rule 506 to disqualify certain “bad actors” from private placements conducted under the rule.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper explains the new Rule 506(c), which removes the prohibition on general solicitation and general advertising provided that all purchasers are accredited investors and the issuer has taken all reasonable steps to verify that they are accredited investors. The paper explains the final rules relating to bad-actor disqualifications, and also explains several amendments to Regulation D that the SEC has proposed to give the Commission additional insight into the market and help prevent potential fraud.

Findings

– In adopting these rule amendments simultaneously, the SEC balanced the often counterpoised considerations of promoting capital formation and protecting investors.

Practical implications

– Issuers engaging in offerings under the new Rule 506(c) must develop adequate processes to verify the accredited investor status of purchasers and to identify bad actors as defined in the rule.

Originality/value

– The paper provides practical guidance from experienced financial services lawyers.
To purchase or not to purchase US products: role of religiosity, animosity, and ethno-centrism among Malaysian consumers
Authors: Ahmed Zafar , Anang Rosdin , Othman Nor , Sambasivan Murali
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– The main purpose of this research is to empirically test how animosity, religiosity, and ethnocentrism interact to affect judgment about US products and purchase action of consumers in a progressive Islamic country like Malaysia. There are many studies that have been conducted in conservative Islamic countries such as Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The product chosen for this research is US fast food restaurants. A questionnaire was constructed and responses were obtained from 410 Malaysian consumers from different ethnic backgrounds. The authors tested the framework using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

– Based on the test results, the authors conclude the following significant relationships: animosity on purchase action of consumers, ethnocentric tendencies on animosity of consumers, religiosity on ethnocentric tendencies of consumers, religiosity on animosity of consumers, ethnocentric tendencies of consumers on judgment of foreign product, foreign product judgment of consumers on purchase action, and animosity and ethnocentrism play mediating roles.

Originality/value

– The current study adds significantly to the body of knowledge on consumer behavior, especially the roles of animosity, religiosity, and ethnocentrism. The findings can help marketing managers to formulate appropriate strategies when consumers decide to boycott US products.
Corporate volunteering programs and consumer perceptions: an information processing perspective
Authors: S. Mattila Anna , Hanks Lydia
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to understand how consumers perceive corporate volunteering programs. In particular, the author examines the moderating role of information processing and customer relationship status on consumer attitudes towards two types of volunteering programs: employee vs customer.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a scenario method, the author manipulated customer relationship status and program type while information processing was measured.

Findings

– The author's results demonstrate that elaborate processing has a positive impact on credibility of the program and altruistic motivation of the firm. Less involved processing led to lower favorable trait attributions with employee rather than customer-based volunteering programs. Finally, relationship type moderated the impact of program type on attitudes towards the company.

Originality/value

– These findings contribute to the understanding of customer reactions to corporate volunteering programs by examining the ways in which processing level, loyalty status, and program type interact to influence the customer's perception of the company.
Alleviating the negative impact of delayed recovery: process- versus outcome-focused explanations
Authors: Chang Chia-Chi , Chen Chia-Yi
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– Limited research has explored the potential marketing strategies to counter the damage associated with delayed recovery. Based on the construal level theory, this study seeks to suggest that customers tend to focus on different aspects of the compensation according to the speed of recovery. Thus, providing an adequate explanation to customers corresponding to expected recovery speed can effectively alleviate customer dissatisfaction with a delayed recovery.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study examined the proposed hypotheses using a 2 (immediate vs delayed) by 2 (explanation: process-focused vs outcome-focused) experimental design.

Findings

– The analytical results show that when an immediate recovery is available, an outcome-focused explanation will result in higher post-failure satisfaction than will a process-focused explanation. Conversely, when a delayed recovery is expected, post-failure satisfaction is higher for customers who receive a process-focused explanation than for those who receive an outcome-focused explanation.

Practical implications

– This study thus recommends that firms should provide explanations compatible with expected recovery speed to better enhance post-failure satisfaction.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the body of service recovery literature by examining the differential effectiveness of outcome-focused and process-focused explanations under immediate and delayed recovery conditions. The findings provide a guideline that managers can use to formulate suitable explanations to alleviate the detrimental effects of delayed recovery.
Maternal and paternal contributions to pathogen resistance dependent on development stage in a whitefish (Salmonidae)
Authors: Clark Emily S. , Pompini Manuel , Marques da Cunha Lucas , Wedekind Claus
Published: November 2013

It is often assumed that maternal and paternal contributions to offspring phenotype change over the lifetime of an individual. However, studies on parental effects typically suffer from the problems that heritabilities and maternal environmental effects are difficult to separate, and that both may depend on environmental factors and developmental stage.

In order to experimentally disentangle maternal from paternal contributions and the likely effects of developmental stage from ecological effects, we sampled a natural population of the whitefish Coregonus palaea, used gametes for full‐factorial in vitro fertilizations, raised over 10 000 of the resulting offspring singly at controlled conditions, and exposed them at different points during embryonic development to one of two strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens that differed in their virulence characteristics (only one caused mortality, while both delayed hatching and reduced growth).

Vulnerability to infection increased markedly over embryo development. This change coincided with a distinct shift in the importance of maternal to additive genetic effects on survival. Timing of exposure also affected the variance components for hatching time and larval length, but in a less consistent direction than the variance components for mortality. No significant genetic variation was found for any reaction norms across time points of exposure, indicating a uniformity among genotypes in how susceptibility changed over development. Phenotypes were also typically correlated across time points, which could constrain the evolution of the reaction norms.

Our experiment demonstrates that the relative maternal and paternal contributions to susceptibility to an infection, and hence the evolutionary potential to respond to pathogen‐induced selection, depends not only on the kind of pathogenic stress but also on the timing of the challenge.
How grasshoppers respond to road noise: developmental plasticity and population differentiation in acoustic signalling
Authors: Lampe Ulrike , Reinhold Klaus , Schmoll Tim
Published: November 2013

Increasing levels of anthropogenic noise have the potential to mask signals of acoustically communicating species in their natural habitats. Animals in noise‐polluted habitats typically adjust their signals away from high background noise levels to ensure successful signal transmission under challenging environmental conditions. Earlier we demonstrated that male Chorthippus biguttulus grasshoppers from roadside habitats produce courtship signals with elevated frequency components compared to conspecifics from non‐roadside habitats.

Here, we use a common garden approach to study the mechanisms underlying this response. We transferred grasshopper nymphs from seven roadside as well as five non‐roadside habitats to the laboratory to rear half of them under noisy and the other half under quiet conditions in a full factorial two‐by‐two design. Courtship songs of adult males were later recorded under standardized quiet conditions.

Males exposed to road noise as nymphs produced signals with higher frequency components compared to males reared under quiet conditions, indicating developmental plasticity as a mechanism underlying the signal adjustment to anthropogenic noise in grasshoppers.

In addition, males originating from roadside habitats produced signals with higher frequency components and an increased syllable to pause ratio – a sexually selected signal trait – compared to males from non‐roadside habitats.

Our results demonstrate for the first time that developmental plasticity may play an important role in song trait modifications in response to anthropogenic noise. Furthermore, they suggest that multiple roadside populations may have diverged in parallel, possibly in response to selection for minimizing signal masking by road noise.
The impact of geographic reputation on the value created inChampagne
Authors: Menival David , Charters Steve
Published: November 2013

With asymmetric information, consumers need to rely on the reputation of wine to define quality before the purchasing. Amongst the tools available for underlining reputation, geographic location is considered to offer high potential. Today, some wines benefit from a country's reputation, some from the renown of a region and some from the local reputation of one specific vineyard, whilst conversely some providers suffer from a weak geographic reputation. There can be a split between producers within one vineyard or region based on varying geographic reputation. This kind of split appears in Champagne, with a range of well‐known and less well‐known brands and is particularly significant to the small growers who sell wine. This study used a representative sample of these growers to examine how their location impacts on their reputation. The results show that their selling price is influenced by the local system of grading vineyard quality, their distance from traditional regional centres and the presence in their village of growers cited in a national guide.
Organizational Cultural Perpetuation: A Case Study of an English Premier League Football Club
Authors: Ogbonna Emmanuel , Harris Lloyd C.
Published: November 2013

Although the prevalence of studies of cultural change initiatives has encouraged some researchers to suggest that a greater understanding of the enduring nature of organizational culture is important, there is a dearth of illustration of this aspect of the cultural phenomenon in organizations. This paper provides an empirical description of the factors that are associated with the perpetuation of organizational culture, thereby making it resistant to forced change. We achieve this by presenting evidence of an attempt by executives in a top English Premier League football club (organization) to transform the culture of their organization. We elucidate the espoused rationale for change, the approach adopted and the outcomes of the change efforts. Thereafter, we highlight the impact of the strong forces perpetuating the culture of the organization and impeding the planned actions of managers.
Uninvited U.S. Investors? Economic Consequences of Involuntary Cross‐Listings
Authors: ILIEV PETER , MILLER DARIUS P. , ROTH LUKAS
Published: November 2013

We study the economic consequences of a recent Securities and Exchange Commission securities regulation change that grants foreign firms trading on the U.S. over‐the‐counter (OTC) market an automatic exemption from the reporting requirements of the 1934 Securities Act. We document that the number of voluntary (sponsored) OTC cross‐listings did not increase following the regulation change, suggesting that it did not achieve its intended purpose of increasing voluntary OTC cross‐listings through a reduction in compliance costs. We do find that the design of the regulation allowed financial intermediaries to create an unprecedented number of involuntary (unsponsored) OTC ADRs: 1,700 unsponsored ADR programs for 920 firms were created for companies that had previously chosen not to cross‐list in the United States. Our difference‐in‐differences analysis based on a matched sample approach documents that foreign firms forced into the U.S. capital markets experience a significant decrease in firm value, and we further show that the decrease in firm value is related to an increase in U.S. litigation risk. We also find that depositary banks’ propensity to involuntarily cross‐list firms is positively related to banks’ expected fee revenue, and that banks chose firms that incur high costs when involuntarily cross‐listed. Our results provide evidence that securities regulation can be exploited for private gain and result in costly unintended consequences.