bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning through foresight
Authors: Baškarada Saša , Shrimpton Diana , Ng Simon
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how and why foresight may affect individual and organizational learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds on prior research through a qualitative study with 13 foresight practitioners.

Findings

This paper derives four broad foresight capabilities that are underpinned by a number of interdependent factors and relates those to the wider literature on individual and organizational learning.

Practical implications

Practitioners may use this paper’s findings to enhance any individual and organizational learning effects of foresight activities. Deriving four broad foresight capabilities via a range of interdependent factors may assist practitioners with evaluating and/or enhancing the effectiveness of these capabilities in an organized fashion. Additionally, the findings show that foresight mode, with its strong relationship to foresight-related accountabilities and incentives, plays a central role in all four foresight capabilities. This stresses the importance of having a continuous foresight capability with strong top management commitment, effective governance and clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Originality/value

This paper makes a number of theoretical contributions. First, it contributes toward further operationalizing foresight. Second, it demonstrates a substantial overlap between the concepts of foresight and absorptive capacity, which suggests that foresight scholars and practitioners may benefit from a large and mature related body of literature. Third, it identifies explicit links between specific foresight and individual/organizational learning constructs.
Perceived uncertainty and organizational health in public schools
Authors: Hameiri Lior , Nir Adam
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– Public schools operate in a changing and dynamic environment evident in technological innovations, increased social heterogeneity and competition, all contributing to school leaders’ uncertainty. Such changes inevitably influence schools’ inner dynamic and may therefore undermine schools’ organizational health. School leaders have a crucial role in buffering these external influences and promoting schools’ organizational health. The purpose of this paper is to assess the role transformational school leaders play in mediating the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and schools’ organizational health in a context characterized by uncertainty and instability which follow political instability.

Design/methodology/approach

– The researchers administered questionnaires to 954 teachers coming from 191 randomly sampled public elementary schools in Israel.

Findings

– Results indicate a negative impact that perceived environmental uncertainty has on schools’ organizational health evident in the degree of academic emphasis and staff affiliation with the school, in the school’s institutional integrity, and in the principal’s ability to both secure resources for the school and demonstrate collegiality toward teachers. Findings also show that transformational school principals are able to moderate the negative impact environmental uncertainty has on schools’ organizational health.

Originality/value

– The findings validate the growing uncertainty characterizing the environment in which public schools operate. They further strengthen existing knowledge on the transformational leadership style in light of its unique capacity to buffer negative external influences imposed on schools and maintain their organizational health.
Chinese teachers’ attitudes toward performance pay: the cases of three schools
Authors: Liu Shujie , Zhao Decheng , Xie Wei
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate Chinese teachers’ attitudes toward performance pay. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which Chinese teachers supported performance-pay programs. The study also examined the effects of these programs on teachers, particularly on their levels of collaboration, work motivation, and job stress.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research was conducted in a northeastern city of China. Criteria sampling and maximum variation sampling techniques were used to select three schools, representing different characteristics of teacher performance pay (TPP) programs. In all, 150 questionnaires were administered to each of the three schools. The questionnaire contained three parts. Part 1 asked about respondents’ overall attitude toward pay-for-performance in general. Part 2 was composed of 20 closed-ended items asking respondents to rate their levels of agreement with various aspects of implementation of performance pay. Part 3 of the questionnaire comprised open-ended items.

Findings

– Approximately 48.5 percent of the teachers supported the teacher-performance-pay programs. This indicated a low support of Chinese teachers in comparison to that in some countries. Regarding how teachers’ attitudes toward performance pay are related to teacher characteristics (e.g. teaching experience, professional ranking), the ANOVAs results showed no significant differences in any of the factors. This quantitative result was different from the qualitative result of this study (e.g. veteran teachers complained about the implementation of performance pay). In spite of the differences between quantitative and qualitative findings, some findings from the current study are consistent with those found in western countries.

Research limitations/implications

– One limitation of this study was the small sample size for quantitative analyses. Future research should consider a larger sample size to conduct more advanced statistical analyses such as structural equation modeling to examine further the relations among, for example, how much the incentive pay should be, and what proportion of teachers should receive it, the level of teacher stress, their work enthusiasm, and peer relationships. Another limitation of this study was that the qualitative data were collected through open-ended questions of the questionnaire. Future research should interview teachers and principals to obtain richer voices from the teachers.

Originality/value

– Very few articles published in Chinese journals surveyed the implementation of TPP. In addition, these few articles were not well-designed from an empirical sense. So far research of teacher opinions about performance pay was a missing area in China’s educational discourse. The present study provides information to non-Chinese readers who are interested in Chinese teachers’ attitudes toward TPP. It is hoped the present study adds knowledge to the literature of TPP from the perspective of Chinese teachers.
A conceptual framework for evaluating higher education institutions
Authors: Chinta Ravi , Kebritchi Mansureh , Ellias Janelle
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– Performance evaluation is a topic that has been researched and practiced extensively in business organizations but has received scant attention in higher education institutions. A review of literature revealed that context, input, process, product (CIPP) model is an appropriate performance evaluation model for higher education institutions. However, little guidance exists for choosing appropriate metrics and benchmarks in implementing the CIPP model. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework using CIPP model for performance evaluation of higher education institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

– To achieve the purpose of the study, a review of literature was conducted to identify an appropriate evaluation model. Then metrics and benchmarks framework were formed based on practical approaches used in a large university in the USA.

Findings

– Nine perspectives in performance evaluation using the CIPP model and their application in higher education institutions were developed and discussed. The discussion provides examples, relative prevalence including frequency of usage, advantages and limitations of each of the nine perspectives of performance evaluation in higher education institutions. An actual application of the suggested CIPP model in the USA largest university, by student enrollment, was provided. Implications for institutional assessment and continuous improvement for higher education institutions were made.

Originality/value

– The study provides a practical framework, model and guidelines that can be used by higher education institutions to evaluate and enhance their performances and better prepare students to effectively work in society.
Labour supply behaviour of married women in Toronto
Authors: Thenuwara Wasanthi , Morgan Bryan
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the connection between labour supply and the wages of married women of different ages in Toronto using data from the 2010 Labour Force Survey of Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors employ three econometric techniques, ordinary least square, 2 stage least square and the Heckman two-step method to estimate the supply elasticities. The first two focus on the wage rate and hours conditional on the subjects being employed whereas the third method controls for sample selectivity bias by including the unemployed. Bootstrap test statistics are produced when the normality assumption for the error terms is found to be violated.

Findings

– The aggregate labour supply elasticity for married women in Toronto is estimated to be 0.053 which similar to value found for Canada for a whole in a previous study even though Toronto is much more diverse culturally than average. The labour supply elasticities for 25-34 year old and 35-44 year old married are estimated to be 0.108 and 0.079, respectively. The supply elasticity for married women aged 45-59 is not significantly different from 0.

Originality/value

– The paper shows that younger married women in Toronto are more responsive to an increase in wages than older women. The estimation procedure and the testing of the significance of coefficients are more rigorous than previous studies.
Communication behavior and online knowledge collaboration: evidence from Wikipedia
Authors: Park Hyunjung , Park Sung Joo
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to elucidate the collaborative mechanism of knowledge collaboration in online communities. The effects of participant communication behaviors enabling knowledge collaboration, such as public discussion, private messaging and registration, are comprehensively investigated in relation to individual and group performances.

Design/methodology/approach

Eight communication categories of participants are defined according to their communication behaviors, and the average number of knowledge contributions at the individual level and the helpfulness toward collaboration efficiency at the group level are compared across the participant categories.

Findings

The results show that simultaneous participation in both task-oriented public discussion and relationship-oriented private messaging has a synergistic effect in promoting individual knowledge sharing, and that additional registration – disclosing one’s identity – significantly enhances efficiency in group collaboration. The role of public discussion appears to be as significant as that of private messaging with regard to online knowledge collaboration.

Practical implications

First, encouraging members to participate in both task-oriented discussion and casual personal communication is important for eliciting more knowledge contributions. Second, although social capital based on one-to-one private messaging has attracted much attention with respect to knowledge sharing, many-to-many public discussions that more deeply and broadly influence knowledge conversion should be more highly emphasized. Third, the perceptions of shared value and reputation based on registration also need to be cultivated to increase collaboration efficiency.

Originality/value

In contrast to most previous research that focused on only one type of communication, this study offers a big-picture view of the relationship between communication and online knowledge collaboration by adopting a comprehensive approach to participant communication behavior. A systematic classification of communication behaviors enables this work to illuminate the diverse effects of different communication types or styles on both individual- and group-level performances, thereby improving the understanding of the overall collaborative mechanism. This study thus provides fresh insights on effective management of online communities.
Knowledge diversity and firm performance: an ecological view
Authors: Chen Deng-Neng , Liang Ting-Peng
Published: August 2016

Purpose

Knowledge has been considered a crucial organizational asset for gaining competitive advantages. It is critical for a firm to maintain a knowledge composition that is productive. This study aims to examine the applicability of the diversity–stability principle in ecology to knowledge management and further investigate the impact of knowledge diversity on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical framework for knowledge diversity and firm performance is proposed; a questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the research framework. Fifty-eight valid responses from experts were collected to measure knowledge strength and diversity of 20 enterprises in four industries, and financial indexes of the 20 enterprises from 2008 to 2012 were collected to analyze the research model.

Findings

The results show that higher information technology (IT) capabilities in a firm lead to higher levels of knowledge strength and diversity. The strength and diversity of knowledge in a company can improve average company performance and reduce performance variations.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents a new perspective that applies the ecological concept of diversity to examine the value of knowledge in organizations. The findings expand our understanding of the role of IT and knowledge in organizational performance. A limitation is that the sample size is relatively small, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

CEOs and chief knowledge officers can apply the findings herein to assess their organizational knowledge profiles and maintain a healthy knowledge ecology in strategic planning. They should be aware that both knowledge strength and knowledge diversity are crucial to the stability of firm performance.

Originality/value

The ecological view of knowledge management stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy intensity and diversity of knowledge at the macro level and indicates a new direction for knowledge management.
Knowledge sharing and individual work performance: an empirical study of a public sector organisation
Authors: Henttonen Kaisa , Kianto Aino , Ritala Paavo
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether individual-level knowledge sharing (in terms of attitudes, benefit estimations, self-efficacy and actualised behaviours) affects individual work performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses are tested through structural equation modelling of survey data collected from 595 members of a public organisation.

Findings

The findings confirm the hypothesis that knowledge-sharing propensity impacts positively on knowledge-sharing behaviour. Additionally, knowledge-sharing behaviour mediates the relationship between knowledge-sharing propensity and individual performance. The latter effect is also significant amongst the most highly educated members of the organisation but not among those with the lowest educational levels.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights into the knowledge-sharing–attitude–behaviour–work performance linkage. It thus addresses a relatively neglected area in knowledge management (KM) research, namely, that of individual knowledge behaviours and their performance impact, with an aim to better understand the micro-foundations of KM. It also contributes to knowledge on KM in the public sector.
Knowledge sharing is knowledge transfer: a misconception in the literature
Authors: Tangaraja Gangeswari , Mohd Rasdi Roziah , Abu Samah Bahaman , Ismail Maimunah
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The paper aims to clearly differentiate knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge transfer (KT) besides exemplifying their interconnections to minimize the current confusions in the knowledge management (KM) literature.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review method was used to analyse relevant literature on both KS and KT to clearly delineate their differences and their interconnections.

Findings

The paper found that KS is a subset of KT (using personalization strategy), whereas KT as a whole is a broader concept, if compared with KS. However, KS is not one of the immediate processes involved in KT (using codification strategy). The processes involved in KS and KT differ according to the strategy used (in KT) and perspective chosen (in KS). Other findings include KS (unidirectional) as reflective concept (viewed so far), whereas KS (bidirectional), KT (personalization) and KT (codification) as formative concepts.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this paper were based on the review of selected relevant articles only.

Practical Implications

The paper will minimize the current confusions in the KM literature and will assist future researches on both KS and KT to ensure what these concepts entail to avoid construct underrepresentation.

Originality/value

As compared to previous attempts, the present paper has shown the interconnections between KS and KT, as well as the differences based on the two perspectives of KS (unidirectional/bidirectional) and the two strategies of KT (personalization/codification), and such effort is new in the literature.
Developing a knowledge management policy for ISO 9001: 2015
Authors: Wilson John P. , Campbell Larry
Published: August 2016

Purpose

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001: 2015 quality management systems places an obligation on organizations to consider the role of organizational knowledge as a resource. The purpose of this paper is to systematically relate the key fundamentals of knowledge management to the seven quality management principles of ISO 9001: 2015. It is the first to consider this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper traces the history of quality standards and the background to the inclusion of an organizational knowledge clause in ISO 9001: 2015. It then systematically considers the seven quality management principles in relation to knowledge management principles.

Findings

The core elements of the knowledge management standard are incorporated with the organizational knowledge clause. Explicit and tacit knowledge are addressed by the ISO standard. Knowledge and its management will become increasingly important in organizations driven by ISO certification requirements.

Research limitations/implications

ISO 9001: 2015 was released in September 2015 which means that organizations have yet to apply the organizational knowledge clause. This paper is a conceptual one which needs to be complemented with empirical research.

Practical implications

This paper identifies the role of knowledge management principles as they apply to ISO 9001: 2015 and the seven quality management principles. More than 1.1 million organizations are certified to ISO 9001, plus many others who use the standard informally. Those involved with organizational quality will need to understand the role of knowledge in the organization.

Social implications

Quality services and products need to be underpinned with strategic knowledge management.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to discuss knowledge management in relation to the seven quality management principles which assist the development of policy for quality management.
Exploring use and benefit of corporate social software
Authors: Stocker Alexander , Müller Johannes
Published: August 2016

Purpose

To measure the success of corporate social software (CSS), interviews, surveys, content and usage data analysis have been commonly used in practice. While interviews and surveys are only capable of making perceived use and benefits transparent, usage data analysis reveals many objective facts but does not allow insights into potential user-benefits. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to link both perspectives to advance CSS success measuring.

Design/methodology/approach

The research case is References+, a Corporate Social Software developed at Siemens to facilitate worldwide sharing of knowledge, experiences, and best practices since 2005. References+ currently has around 15,000 registered members located in more than 80 countries. This paper evaluates results from a user survey with nearly 1,500 responding employees and links all survey results to the corresponding participant’s data on platform use to generate additional insights.

Findings

The paper generates findings on how CSS is used in practice and how it is perceived by employees of a large-scale enterprise. Furthermore, it explores how a combination of subjective and objective evaluation methods can be applied to advance the state-of-the-art in measuring use and benefits. By linking CSS usage data to corresponding survey data, the paper provides results on what type of use of CSS may create what type of benefit.

Practical implications

This study encourages practitioners to take advantage of a variety of instruments for measuring the benefits of CSS. It generates numerous arguments for practitioners on how to make the benefit of CSS more transparent to financial-oriented decision-makers to successfully defend knowledge management projects against shrinking IT budgets.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first attempts to explore the relationship between “perceived use” and “perceived benefits” measured by surveys and “factual use” measured by CSS usage statistics for knowledge management research. The findings of this paper may empower the role of user surveys in generating additional insights on use and benefits.
Recovery from schizophrenia: developing context utilising the literature
Authors: Ford Keith
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– Recovery has been debated in mental health for some time. Attempts to clarify and make recovery operational have served to add confusion and uncertainty. This has failed to unite service users and service providers due to differing approaches, despite the rhetoric. The purpose of this paper is to offer an overview and to position the context from a humanistic and salutogenic perspective appreciating new approaches and influences for people in their journey of recovery having been given a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Design/methodology/approach

– All literature available could not be included and therefore the author did not select papers purely demonstrating outcome statistics. The preference was to address papers looking at the connections people have and the important factors they feel contribute towards recovery.

Findings

– An agreed definition of recovery cannot be established, but differing perspectives need to be appreciated and considered if recovery is to be successfully achieved. Some mental health practitioners may feel they have an understanding of recovery, yet evidence continues to point to the uncertainty in practice and delivery of services. Newer incentives and recovery networks are establishing themselves to meet areas missed by traditional approaches.

Originality/value

– The value of this literature review is to highlight some of the areas already observed and to provoke the potential for fresh thinking in relation to a salutogenic approach taking into account the perceptions of the stakeholder groups. This would enable people to re-evaluate their thoughts and practice and contextualise where we are in relation to recovery for people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
How included are mental health service users in decisions about their medication?
Authors: Holttum Sue
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider four recent articles relating to how included service users are in decision making about their medication in mental health services.

Design/methodology/approach

– One article describes conversations between a psychiatrist and service users about medication. The second paper describes a study in which young people were supported with the aim of developing their confidence to challenge medication decisions. The third paper reports on interviews with both professionals and service users about medication decisions. The fourth paper presents a theory of how the wider context can affect medication decision making in mental health.

Findings

– The first paper shows how a psychiatrist can persuade service users to accept medication decisions. The second paper shows how some young people can challenge medication decisions if they have the right support. The third paper illustrates how both professionals and service users may doubt service users’ ability to decide about medication, and pessimistically suggests that shared decision making may be unrealistic. In contrast to this, the fourth paper offers hope of changing how mental health services are organised in order to enable service users to be more empowered about medication decisions.

Originality/value

– A model of shared decision making is being imported into mental health from physical health. These four papers illustrate problems with a simple transfer from physical to mental health. The present paper points to differences in apparent awareness of different clinical researchers of the need to tackle service users’ disempowerment in mental health care, showing how some researchers are tackling this.
Teaching the reference interview through practice-based assignments
Authors: Saunders Laura
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This study aims to explore the effectiveness and learning outcomes of two reference interview assignments – one in which students worked with a family member or friend and a “practice-based” assignment in which students were paired with other graduate students working on a class assignment.

Design/methodology/approach

Students completed reflective essay and submitted a survey rating their perceptions of their patrons’ satisfaction, completeness of the answer and overall success of the transaction.

Findings

Students in both classes were successful and applied the skills and competencies of the reference interview, but students with the practice-based assignment had a more realistic experience and were somewhat less confident about their performance.

Practical implications

The study offers some implications and suggestions for a more effective and realistic approach to teaching the reference interview.

Originality/value

There is a lack of literature on how to teach the reference interview and on the effectiveness of different types of assignments. This study addresses that gap and the results of this study will be of interest to Library and Information Science faculty, as well as library directors and reference managers who might offer training to staff.
Impact of web-scale discovery on reference inquiry
Authors: Copenhaver Kimberly , Koclanes Alyssa
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine shifts in the volume and complexity of reference questions received at a small liberal arts college following the implementation of a Web-scale discovery service.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers used the Warner model of reference classification to review and classify reference questions from the academic year prior to the implementation of EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and the academic year following EDS implementation to evaluate the change in volume of questions and complexity.

Findings

Research findings are significant as they document a 34 per cent decline in overall volume of reference activity following the integration of a Web-scale discovery service into the research process. Notably, the question category rated as the highest level of reference complexity (level IV) registered an 18.5 per cent increase in volume, post-EDS implementation. Question levels I-III all saw declines in volume ranging from 45 to 14 per cent.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the study relate to multiple librarians having recorded questions as they were received by reference services and, as a result, some variation in transaction description should be expected. The concurrent deployment of a Web-scale discovery service and an integrated link resolver made delineation of the respective impact of each tool difficult.

Practical implications

Libraries contemplating the integration of a Web-scale discovery service into the research process will be able to use the research analysis to contemplate service redesign in advance of discovery implementation. The research results support additional training of reference personnel to service higher levels of in-depth inquiries. A redesign of reference services incorporating a tiered reference model using proactive chat with referrals to library faculty for in-depth research consultations is recommended.

Originality/value

After a literature review of relevant research, the researchers discovered few similar studies. As a result, this analysis will be of significant value to the library profession.
Adaptation to heat stress reduces phenotypic and transcriptional plasticity in a marine copepod
Authors: Kelly Morgan W. , Pankey M. Sabrina , DeBiasse Melissa B. , Plachetzki David C.
Published: August 2016

Organisms may respond to changing environments through phenotypic plasticity or adaptive evolution. These two processes are not mutually exclusive and may either dampen or strengthen each other's effects, depending on the genetic correlation between trait values and the slopes of their norms of reaction.

To examine the effect of adaptation to heat stress on the plasticity of heat tolerance, we hybridized populations of the crustacean Tigriopus californicus that show divergent phenotypes for heat tolerance. We then selected for increased heat tolerance in hybrids and measured heat tolerance and the phenotypic plasticity of heat tolerance in both selected lines and unselected controls.

To test whether the changes in phenotypic plasticity were associated with changes in the plasticity of gene expression, we also sequenced transcriptomes of selected and unselected lines, both under heat shock and at ambient temperatures.

We observed increased heat tolerance in selected lines, but also lower phenotypic and transcriptional plasticity in response to heat stress. The plastic response to heat stress was highly enriched for hydrolytic and catalytic activities, suggesting a prominent role for degradation of misfolded proteins.

Our findings have important implications for biological responses to climate change: if adaptation to environmental stress reduces plasticity, then plasticity and adaptive evolution will make overlapping, rather than additive contributions to buffering populations from environmental change.
Noise from a phantom road experiment alters the age structure of a community of migrating birds
Authors: McClure C. J. W. , Ware H. E. , Carlisle J. D. , Barber J. R.
Published: August 2016

Several past studies have demonstrated the effects of anthropogenic noise on populations of animals. Yet, differing effects of noise by age and subsequent changes in the age structure of populations are poorly understood. We experimentally tested the effects of traffic noise alone on the age structure of a community of migrating birds at a fall stopover site in south‐western Idaho using an array of speakers – creating a phantom road – that replicated the sound of a roadway without other confounding aspects of roads. Both hatch‐year and adult birds were negatively affected by noise – having lower capture rates, lower body condition and lower stopover efficiency along the phantom road when the noise was on compared to control conditions. However, hatch‐year birds responded more strongly which lead to a significant shift in the ratio of hatch‐year to adult birds under noisy conditions. Our previous work using the phantom road demonstrated that traffic noise can degrade the quality of a stopover site by affecting the ability of migrating birds to gain body condition. Here, we demonstrate differences between age classes such that although noise degrades habitat for both hatch‐year and adult migrants, there are still differences in responses to noise between age groups. Despite alternative explanations of our results such as changes in behavior affecting capture likelihood, evidence suggests that younger birds avoided the phantom road more than adult birds perhaps because of different tradeoffs between foraging and predation risk and differing strategies of site selection during migration.
Promising effects of oxytocin on social and food‐related behaviour in young children with Prader–Willi syndrome: a randomized, double‐blind, controlled crossover trial
Authors: Kuppens R.J. , Donze S.H. , Hokken‐Koelega A.C.S.
Published: August 2016

Background

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is known for hyperphagia with impaired satiety and a specific behavioural phenotype with stubbornness, temper tantrums, manipulative and controlling behaviour and obsessive–compulsive features. PWS is associated with hypothalamic and oxytocinergic dysfunction. In humans without PWS, intranasal oxytocin administration had positive effects on social and eating behaviour, and weight balance.

Objective and hypotheses

To evaluate the effects of intranasal oxytocin compared to placebo administration on social behaviour and hyperphagia in children with PWS.

Design

Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover study in a PWS Reference Center in the Netherlands.

Method

Crossover intervention with twice daily intranasal oxytocin (dose range 24‐48 IU/day) and placebo administration, both during 4 weeks, in 25 children with PWS (aged 6 to 14 years).

Results

In the total group, no significant effects of oxytocin on social behaviour or hyperphagia were found, but in the 17 children younger than 11 years, parents reported significantly less anger (P = 0·001), sadness (P = 0·005), conflicts (P = 0·010) and food‐related behaviour (P = 0·011), and improvement of social behaviour (P = 0·018) during oxytocin treatment compared with placebo. In the eight children older than 11 years, the items happiness (P = 0·039), anger (P = 0·042) and sadness (P = 0·042) were negatively influenced by oxytocin treatment compared to placebo. There were no side effects or adverse events.

Conclusions

This randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study suggests that intranasal oxytocin administration has beneficial effects on social behaviour and food‐related behaviour in children with PWS younger than 11 years of age, but not in those older than 11 years of age.
Face off against ROS: Tcof1/Treacle safeguards neuroepithelial cells and progenitor neural crest cells from oxidative stress during craniofacial development
Authors: Sakai Daisuke , Trainor Paul A.
Published: August 2016

One‐third of all congenital birth defects affect the head and face, and most craniofacial anomalies are considered to arise through defects in the development of cranial neural crest cells. Cranial neural crest cells give rise to the majority of craniofacial bones, cartilages and connective tissues. Therefore, understanding the events that control normal cranial neural crest and subsequent craniofacial development is important for elucidating the pathogenetic mechanisms of craniofacial anomalies and for the exploring potential therapeutic avenues for their prevention. Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a congenital disorder characterized by severe craniofacial anomalies. An animal model of TCS, generated through mutation of Tcof1, the mouse (Mus musculus) homologue of the gene primarily mutated in association with TCS in humans, has recently revealed significant insights into the pathogenesis of TCS. Apoptotic elimination of neuroepithelial cells including neural crest cells is the primary cause of craniofacial defects in Tcof1 mutant embryos. However, our understanding of the mechanisms that induce tissue‐specific apoptosis remains incomplete. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis TCS. Furthermore, we discuss the role of Tcof1 in normal embryonic development, the correlation between genetic and environmental factors on the severity of craniofacial abnormalities, and the prospect for prenatal prevention of craniofacial anomalies.
Lipid changes during basal insulin peglispro, insulin glargine, or NPH treatment in six IMAGINE trials
Authors: Ginsberg Henry , Cariou Bertrand , Orchard Trevor , Chen Lei , Luo Junxiang , Bastyr Edward J. , Bue‐Valleskey Juliana , Chang Annette M. , Ivanyi Tibor , Jacober Scott J. , Hoogwerf Byron J.
Published: August 2016

Basal insulin peglispro (BIL) is a novel basal insulin with hepato‐preferential action resulting from reduced peripheral effects. This report provides an integrated summary of lipid changes at 26 weeks with BIL and comparator insulins (glargine, NPH) from phase III studies in type 1 diabetes (T1D), insulin‐naïve patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), patients with T2D on basal insulin only and patients with T2D on basal‐bolus therapy. BIL treatment had little effect on HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in all patients. The effect of both BIL and glargine treatment on triglycerides (TG) depended on whether patients had been previously treated with insulin. When BIL replaced conventional insulin glargine or NPH treatments, increases in TG levels were observed. When BIL or comparator insulins were given for 26 weeks to insulin‐naïve patients with T2D, TG levels were unchanged from baseline with BIL but decreased with either glargine or NPH. The decreased peripheral action of BIL may reduce suppression of lipolysis in peripheral adipose tissue resulting in increased free fatty acid delivery to the liver and, hence, increased hepatic TG synthesis and secretion.
AGE, TIME, VINTAGE, AND PRICE INDEXES: MEASURING THE DEPRECIATION PATTERN OF HOUSES
Authors: Syed Iqbal A. , De Haan Jan
Published: August 2016

Age, time, and vintage are key determinants of house prices, yet they cannot be included together linearly or as dichotomous variables in hedonic regressions as construction time + age of house = sale time. We introduce a method where the estimates of the age, time, and vintage effects on prices are obtained in a flexible manner, without requiring us to specify a pre‐determined functional form for any of these variables. Applying our method to Dutch data, we find that the estimated depreciation pattern over the life of houses does not follow the functional forms typically specified for the age of houses in hedonic regressions. (JEL C43, E01, E31, R31)
The Emergence of Heterotopia as a Heuristic Concept to Study Organization
Authors: Bazin Yoann , Naccache Philippe
Published: August 2016

Ever since Michel Foucault shared a number of intuitions on ‘other spaces’ at a conference in 1967, a growing number of studies in social sciences have been focusing on what he then called heterotopias. Over the past 10 years, organization scholars have started to use the concept in their analysis, from leadership and marketing to queer practices and critical management studies (CMS). This article presents the origin and diffusion of the concept of heterotopia in management, using social movements as an illustration of its heuristic potential. We conclude by presenting two promising future avenues of research in our field: heterotopic entrepreneurship and organizational heterotopology.
Advanced oxidation protein products induce apoptosis of human chondrocyte through reactive oxygen species‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways
Authors: Ye Wenbin , Zhu Siyuan , Liao Congrui , Xiao Jun , Wu Qian , Lin Zhen , Chen Jianting
Published: August 2016

Advanced oxidation production products (AOPPs) have been confirmed to accumulate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previous study demonstrated that AOPPs could accelerate cartilage destruction in rabbit arthritis model. However, the effect of AOPP stimulation on apoptosis of human chondrocyte and the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. This study demonstrated that exposure of chondrocyte to AOPPs resulted in cell apoptosis. AOPP stimulation triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which induced mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) resulted in caspase activation. Furthermore, an antioxidant, N‐acetylcysteine, markedly blocked these signals. Our study demonstrated that AOPPs induce apoptosis via ROS‐related mitochondria‐ and ER‐dependent signals in human chondrocyte. Targeting AOPP‐triggered ROS generation might be as a promising option for patients with RA.
MTHFR and ACE Polymorphisms Do Not Increase Susceptibility to Migraine Neither Alone Nor in Combination
Authors: Essmeister Rafaela , Kress Hans‐Georg , Zierz Stephan , Griffith Lyn , Lea Rod , Wieser Thomas
Published: August 2016

Objective

The aim of this study was to confirm previous reports in order to substantiate the hypothesis that functional variants of two genes, namely methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and angiotensin I converting enzyme, both involved in an important pathway of migraine, increase migraine susceptibility when present in combination.

Background

Migraine is a complex genetic disease. The migraine attack is thought to be the result of an interaction of neuronal and vascular events, possibly originating in the brainstem leading to activation of the pain processing trigeminovascular system. Functional variants in the methylenetetrahydrofolate gene and the angiotensin I converting enzyme have influence on vascular mechanism and have been investigated intensively in migraine. The published results were inconsistent; however, both polymorphisms in combination have been shown to increase migraine susceptibility.

Methods

In this genetic association study, the prevalence of the functionally relevant polymorphisms C677T in the MTHFR gene and I/D polymorphism in the ACE gene was compared in 420 patients with migraine vs 258 migraine‐free controls using a chi‐square statistic and binary logistic regression.

Results

Susceptibility to any type of migraine (migraine with aura, migraine without aura, and both types combined) was neither increased by each polymorphism on its own, nor in combination (MTHFR: X2 = 0.18 [P = .91]; ACE: X2 = 1.62 [P = .45]; combined: OR = 1.02 [95% CI 0.98‐1.05] P = .97).

Conclusions

We could not replicate a previous study that showed significant increase in migraine susceptibility for two functional polymorphisms in genes affecting relevant pathways.
From ZikV genome to vaccine: in silico approach for the epitope‐based peptide vaccine against Zika virus envelope glycoprotein
Authors: Alam Aftab , Ali Shahnawaz , Ahamad Shahzaib , Malik Md. Zubbair , Ishrat Romana
Published: August 2016

Zika virus (ZikV) has emerged as a potential threat to human health worldwide. A member of the Flaviviridae, ZikV is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It is related to other pathogenic vector‐borne flaviviruses including dengue, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses, but produces a comparatively mild disease in humans. As a result of its epidemic outbreak and the lack of potential medication, there is a need for improved vaccine/drugs. Computational techniques will provide further information about this virus. Comparative analysis of ZikV genomes should lead to the identification of the core characteristics that define a virus family, as well as its unique properties, while phylogenetic analysis will show the evolutionary relationships and provide clues about the protein's ancestry. Envelope glycoprotein of ZikV was obtained from a protein database and the most immunogenic epitope for T cells and B cells involved in cell‐mediated immunity, whereas B cells are primarily responsible for humoral immunity. We mainly focused on MHC class I potential peptides. YRIMLSVHG, VLIFLSTAV and MMLELDPPF, GLDFSDLYY are the most potent peptides predicted as epitopes for CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, respectively, whereas MMLELDPPF and GLDFSDLYY had the highest pMHC‐I immunogenicity score and these are further tested for interaction against the HLA molecules, using in silico docking techniques to verify the binding cleft epitope. However, this is an introductory approach to design an epitope‐based peptide vaccine against ZikV; we hope that this model will be helpful in designing and predicting novel vaccine candidates.
Low‐Temperature Rapid Synthesis of Rod‐Like ZrB2 Powders by Molten‐Salt and Microwave Co‐Assisted Carbothermal Reduction
Authors: Liu Jianghao , Huang Zhong , Huo Chaoge , Li Faliang , Zhang Haijun , Zhang Shaowei
Published: August 2016

A novel molten‐salt and microwave coassisted carbothermal reduction (termed as MSM‐CTR) method was developed to prepare ZrB2 powders from raw materials of ZrO2, B4C, and amorphous carbon. The results indicated that the carbothermal reduction reaction for synthesizing ZrB2 was initiated at the temperature as low as 1150°C, and phase pure ZrB2 powders were obtained after only 20 min at 1200°C, which were significantly milder than that of the conventional CTR method as well as the modified CTR method even using active metal as additional reducing agents. More interestingly, the as‐obtained ZrB2 powders consisted of well‐defined single‐crystalline nanorods, which had diameters of 40–80 nm and high aspect ratios of >10. These results demonstrated that the MSM‐CTR is a simple and efficient route for preparation of high‐quality ZrB2 powders.
Contemporary methodological issues in drug development: the functionality of blinding is poorly studied
Authors: Bello Segun
Published: August 2016

Blinding is an important methodological principle in drug development. This article reviews the functionality of blinding within the context of bias minimizing structures of randomized clinical trials. Blinding is not well understood and not well studied. The risk of bias domain ‘blinding’ is commonly assumed to be ‘low‐risk’ whenever readers come across randomized clinical trials labeled as ‘blinded’. However, empirical evidence has shown that this assumption cannot be taken for granted. The functionality of blinding techniques in preventing bias requires further studies.