bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postoperative Patient- and Parent-Reported Outcomes for Children with Congenital Hand Differences: A Systematic Review
Authors: Bickham Rebecca S. , Waljee Jennifer F. , Chung Kevin C. , Adkinson Joshua M.
Published: May 2017

Background:

Patient- and parent-reported outcomes are increasingly considered as measures of treatment effectiveness for congenital conditions. The authors’ specific aim was to review the use of patient- and parent-reported outcomes of quality of life, activities of daily living, perception of hand appearance, and satisfaction after reconstruction for congenital hand differences.

Methods:

The authors reviewed articles addressing congenital hand differences from PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE published between January of 1966 and October of 2016. The authors excluded studies that did not include reconstruction or lacked patient- or parent-reported outcomes. Investigators reviewed 48 studies and extracted the following: study type, level of evidence, type of congenital hand differences, sample size, procedure performed, length of follow-up, and domains and results of patient-satisfaction questionnaires.

Results:

Multiple studies across several types of congenital hand differences showed that a majority of patients and parents report improvements and are satisfied with postoperative outcomes. However, there were several patient cohorts (e.g., thumb duplication, thumb hypoplasia, radial longitudinal deficiency) who expressed dissatisfaction with outcomes and continue to experience decreased health-related quality of life.

Conclusions:

Overall, patient satisfaction and reports of health-related quality of life among children with congenital hand differences are favorable. Patients seem to cope and adapt well, but teasing and social relationships remain problematic, particularly as children enter school. This article highlights addressing these concerns before embarking on reconstruction.
Is Rotation a Concern with Anatomical Breast Implants? A Statistical Analysis of Factors Predisposing to Rotation
Authors: Montemurro Paolo , Papas Athanasios , Hedén Per
Published: May 2017

Background:

Since their introduction in 1993, anatomical implants have provided a more natural appearance in breast augmentation, and many surgeons advocate their use and promote the good aesthetic results. However, the risk of implant rotation makes some of them reluctant to use these devices. The rotation rate varies among authors.

Methods:

The authors present a 6.5-year series of 531 patients who underwent primary breast augmentation with macrotextured anatomical implants in a Swedish facility performed by one consultant surgeon (P.M.). The authors examined the rotation rate and the correlation with possible predisposing factors such as preoperative breast cup size, childbirth, and body mass index.

Results:

A total of 20 implants (1.88 percent; 95 percent CI, 1.15 to 2.89 percent) in 19 patients (3.58 percent; 95 percent CI, 2.17 to 5.53 percent) were rotated. In one patient (0.22 percent), both implants rotated, whereas in the remaining patients, the rotation was unilateral. The authors were unable to establish a statistically significant correlation between implant rotation and previous childbirth or increased body mass index. However, there was a relation between rotation rate and preoperative breast cup size that showed an upward trend as the cup size increased from A to C.

Conclusion:

The authors believe that if the implant is correctly selected and the operation is performed meticulously with proper pocket dissection, the rotation rate is minimal and it should not be considered a disadvantage for the use of anatomical implants.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Risk, III.
A Review of 101 Consecutive Subcutaneous Mastectomies and Male Chest Contouring Using the Concentric Circular and Free Nipple Graft Techniques in Female-to-Male Transgender Patients
Authors: Knox Aaron D. C. , Ho Adelyn L. , Leung Leslie , Hynes Sally , Tashakkor A. Yashar , Park Yoon Soo , Macadam Sheina A. , Bowman Cameron C.
Published: May 2017

Background:

Many techniques exist for subcutaneous mastectomy in female-to-male transgender patients. The authors review outcomes for two techniques and present an algorithm to aid surgeons in technique selection.

Methods:

One hundred one consecutive female-to-male transgender patients undergoing subcutaneous mastectomy using the concentric circular or free nipple graft technique were retrospectively reviewed. An algorithm for procedure selection was created using classification and regression tree analysis. Aesthetic results (nipple-areola complex, scar, and chest contour) were also independently reviewed.

Results:

Two hundred two subcutaneous mastectomies were performed (concentric circular, 92 breasts; free nipple graft, 110 breasts). The overall complication rate was 21.3 percent, with 6.4 percent requiring operative intervention (free nipple graft, 1 percent; concentric circular, 13 percent; p < 0.001). The overall revision rate was 23.8 percent (free nipple graft, 12.7 percent; concentric circular, 37.0 percent; p < 0.001). In the concentric circular group, there were 3.3 times the odds of total complications (p = 0.03) and 4.0 times the odds of revision surgery (p < 0.001). Mean aesthetic scores for the concentric circular technique were superior to free nipple graft for scar (3.39 versus 2.62; p < 0.001) and contour (3.82 versus 3.34; p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

In patients who meet selection criteria, the concentric circular technique is preferred because of fewer scars, improved aesthetic contour, and potential for retained nipple sensation. These patients must be counseled regarding the higher rate of complications and revisions. It was determined that smokers and those with a nipple-to–inframammary fold distance greater than 7 cm or nipple-to–inframammary fold distance less than 7 cm and a body mass index greater than 27 kg/m2 should undergo the free nipple graft technique because of the increased risk of complications with the concentric circular technique.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, III.
Learning fast and slow: deviations from the matching law can reflect an optimal strategy under uncertainty
Authors: Iigaya Kiyohito , Ahmadian Yashar , Sugrue Leo P. , Corrado Greg S. , Loewenstein Yonatan , Newsome William T. , Fusi Stefano
Published: May 2017

Behavior which deviates from our normative expectations often appears irrational. A classic example concerns the question of how choice should be distributed among multiple alternatives. The so-called matching law predicts that the fraction of choices made to any option should match the fraction of total rewards earned from the option. This choice strategy can maximize reward in a stationary reward schedule. Empirically, however, behavior often deviates from this ideal. While such deviations have often been interpreted as reflecting ‘noisy’, suboptimal, decision-making, here we instead suggest that they reflect a strategy which is adaptive in nonstationary and uncertain environments. We analyze the results of a dynamic foraging task. Animals exhibited significant deviations from matching, and animals turned out to be able to collect more rewards when deviation was larger. We show that this behavior can be understood if one considers that animals had incomplete information about the environments dynamics. In particular, using computational models, we show that in such nonstationary environments, learning on both fast and slow timescales is beneficial. Learning on fast timescales means that an animal can react to sudden changes in the environment, though this inevitably introduces large fluctuations (variance) in value estimates. Concurrently, learning on slow timescales reduces the amplitude of these fluctuations at the price of introducing abiasthat causes systematic deviations. We confirm this prediction in data – monkeys indeed solved the bias-variance tradeoff by combining learning on both fast and slow timescales. Our work suggests that multi-timescale learning could be a biologically plausible mechanism for optimizing decisions under uncertainty.
The complete connectome of a learning and memory center in an insect brain
Authors: Eichler Katharina , Li Feng , Litwin-Kumar Ashok , Park Youngser , Andrade Ingrid , Schneider-Mizell Casey M. , Saumweber Timo , Huser Annina , Eschbach Claire , Gerber Bertram , Fetter Richard D. , Truman James W. , Priebe Carey E. , Abbott L. F. , Thum Andreas S. , Zlatic Marta , Cardona Albert
Published: May 2017

Associating stimuli with positive or negative reinforcement is essential for survival, but a complete wiring diagram of a higherorder circuit supporting associative memory has not been previously available. We reconstructed one such circuit at synaptic resolution, theDrosophilalarval mushroom body, and found that most Kenyon cells integrate random combinations of inputs but a subset receives stereotyped inputs from single projection neurons. This organization maximizes performance of a model output neuron on a stimulus discrimination task. We also report a novel canonical circuit in each mushroom body compartment with previously unidentified connections: reciprocal Kenyon cell to modulatory neuron connections, modulatory neuron to output neuron connections, and a surprisingly high number of recurrent connections between Kenyon cells. Stereotyped connections between output neurons could enhance the selection of learned responses. The complete circuit map of the mushroom body should guide future functional studies of this learning and memory center.
High lumenal chloride in the lysosome is critical for lysosome function
Authors: Chakraborty Kasturi , Leung KaHo , Krishnan Yamuna
Published: May 2017

Lysosomes are organelles responsible for the breakdown and recycling of cellular machinery. Dysfunctional lysosomes give rise to lysosomal storage disorders as well as common neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we use a DNA-based, fluorescent chloride reporter to measure lysosomal chloride inCaenorhabditis elegansas well as murine and human cell culture models of lysosomal diseases. We find that the lysosome is highly enriched in chloride, and that chloride reduction correlates directly with a loss in the degradative function of the lysosome. In nematodes and mammalian cell culture models of diverse lysosomal disorders, where previously only lysosomal pH dysregulation has been described, massive reduction of lumenal chloride is observed that is ~104-fold greater than the accompanying pH change. Reducing chloride within the lysosome impacts Ca2+release from the lysosome and impedes the activity of specific lysosomal enzymes indicating a broader role for chloride in lysosomal function. −149 words.
Anxiety modulates perception of facial fear in a pathway-specific, lateralized, manner
Authors: Im Hee Yeon , Adams Reginald B. , Boshyan Jasmine , Ward Noreen , Cushing Cody A. , Kveraga Kestutis
Published: May 2017

Facial expression and eye gaze provide a shared signal about threats. While averted-gaze fear clearly points to the source of threat, direct-gaze fear renders the source of threat ambiguous. Dual processing routes have been proposed to mediate these processes: reflexive processing via magnocellular (M-) pathway and reflective processing via parvocellular (P-) pathway. We investigated how observers’ trait anxiety modulates Mand P-pathway processing of clear and ambiguous threat cues. We performed fMRI on a large cohort (N=108) widely ranging in trait anxiety while they viewed fearful or neutral faces with averted or directed gaze. We adjusted luminance and color of the stimuli to selectively engage M- or P-pathway processing. We found that higher anxietyfacilitatedprocessing of averted-gaze fear projected to M-pathway, butimpairedperception of direct-gaze fear projected to P-pathway. Increased right amygdala reactivity was associated with higher anxiety, only for averted-gaze fear presented to M-pathway. Conversely, increased left amygdala reactivity was associated with higher anxiety for P-biased, direct-gaze fear. This lateralization was more pronounced with higher anxiety. Our findings suggest that trait anxiety has differential effects on perception of clear and ambiguous facial threat cues via selective engagement of M and P pathways and lateralization of amygdala reactivity.
Phenotype prediction in anEscherichia colistrain panel
Authors: Galardin Marco , Koumoutsi Alexandra , Herrera-Dominguez Lucia , Varela Juan Antonio Cordero , Telzerow Anja , Wagih Omar , Wartel Morgane , Clermont Olivier , Denamur Erick , Typas Athanasios , Beltrao Pedro
Published: May 2017

Understanding how genetic variation contributes to phenotypic differences is a fundamental question in biology. Here, we set to predict fitness defects of an individual using mechanistic models of the impact of genetic variants combined with prior knowledge of gene function. We assembled a diverse panel of 696Escherichia colistrains for which we obtained genomes and measured growth phenotypes in 214 conditions. We integrated variant effect predictors to derive gene-level probabilities of loss of function for every gene across strains. We combined these probabilities with information on conditional gene essentiality in the reference K-12 strain to predict the strains’ growth defects, providing significant predictions for up to 38% of tested conditions. The putative causal variants were validated in complementation assays highlighting commonly perturbed pathways in evolution for the emergence of growth phenotypes. Altogether, our work illustrates the power of integrating high-throughput gene function assays to predict the phenotypes of individuals.

Highlights

Assembled a reference panel ofE. colistrains

Genotyped and high-throughput phenotyped theE. colireference strain panel

Reliably predicted the impact of genetic variants in up to 38% of tested conditions

Highlighted common genetic pathways for the emergence of deleterious phenotypes
Rare non-coding variants are associated with plasma lipid traits in a founder population
Authors: Igartua Catherine , Mozaffari Sahar V , Nicolae Dan L , Ober Carole
Published: May 2017

Founder populations are ideally suited for studies on the clinical effects of alleles that are rare in general populations but occur at higher frequencies in these isolated populations. Whole genome sequencing in 98 South Dakota Hutterites, a founder population of European descent, and subsequent imputation to the Hutterite pedigree revealed 660,238 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; 98.9% non-coding) that are rare (<1%) or absent in European populations, but occur at frequencies greater than 1% in the Hutterites. We examined the effects of these rare in European variants on plasma levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) in 828 Hutterites and applied a Bayesian hierarchical framework to prioritize potentially causal variants based on functional annotations. We identified two novel non-coding rare variants associated with LDL-C (rs17242388 inLDLR) and HDL-C (rs189679427 betweenGOT2andAPOOP5), and replicated previous associations of a splice variant inAPOC3(rs138326449) with TG and HDL-C. All three variants are at well-replicated loci in genome wide association study (GWAS) but are independent from and have larger effect sizes than the known common variation in these regions. We also identified variants at two novel loci (rs191020975 inEPHA6and chr1:224811120 inCNIH3) at suggestive levels of significance with LDL-C. Candidate expression quantitative loci (eQTL) analyses in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) in the Hutterites suggest that these rare non-coding variants are likely to mediate their effects on lipid traits by regulating gene expression. Overall, we provide insights into the mechanisms regulating lipid traits and potentially new therapeutic targets.
Interface-sensitive imaging by an image reconstruction aided X-ray reflectivity technique
Authors: Jiang Jinxing , Hirano Keiichi , Sakurai Kenji
Published: May 2017

Recently, the authors have succeeded in realizing X-ray reflectivity imaging of heterogeneous ultrathin films at specific wavevector transfers by applying a wide parallel beam and an area detector. By combining in-plane angle and grazing-incidence angle scans, it is possible to reconstruct a series of interface-sensitive X-ray reflectivity images at different grazing-incidence angles (proportional to wavevector transfers). The physical meaning of a reconstructed X-ray reflectivity image at a specific wavevector transfer is the two-dimensional reflectivity distribution of the sample. In this manner, it is possible to retrieve the micro-X-ray reflectivity (where the pixel size is on the microscale) profiles at different local positions on the sample.
A twofold interpenetrating three-dimensional heterometallic metal–organic framework with pcu topology based on 2-methylbiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid
Authors: Guo Pei-Ying , Ma De-Yun , Guo Hai-Fu
Published: May 2017

The 2-methylbiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate (mbpdc2−) ligand has versatile coordination modes and can be used to construct multinuclear structures. Despite this, reports of the synthesis of coordination complexes involving this ligand are scarce. The title compound, poly[[triaquadi-μ3-hydroxido-hexakis(μ4-2-methylbiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylato)calcium(II)hexazinc(II)] monohydrate], {[CaZn6(C15H10O4)6(OH)2(H2O)3]·H2O}
n
, has been prepared by the hydrothermal assembly of Zn(NO3)2·6H2O, CaCl2 and 2-methylbiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid. Two ZnII atoms adopt a four-coordinated distorted tetrahedral geometry by bonding to three O atoms from three different 2-methylbiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate (mbpdc2−) dianionic ligands and one bridging hydroxide O atom. For the remaining ZnII atom, a five-coordinate environment is completed half the time by one carboxylate O atom, and then the same carboxylate O atom and an aqua O atom are present the other half of the time, giving a six-coordinate environment. The CaII atom is coordinated by six O atoms to give an octahedral coordination geometry. The supramolecular secondary building unit (SBU) is a hamburger-like heptanuclear unit (Zn6CaO30) and these units are interconnected through mbpdc2− carboxylate groups to generate a three-dimensional framework with the pcu topology. The single net leaves voids that are filled by mutual interpenetration of an independent equivalent framework in a twofold interpenetrating architecture. The title compound shows thermal stability up to 673 K. The excitation and luminescence data showed the emission of a bright-blue fluorescence.
A charge-transfer salt composed of methyl viologen and hexacyanidoferrate(II)
Authors: Tanaka Rikako , Matsushita Nobuyuki
Published: May 2017

The methyl viologen dication, used under the name Paraquat as an agricultural reagent, is a well-known electron-acceptor species that can participate in charge-transfer (CT) interactions. The determination of the crystal structure of this species is important for accessing the CT interaction and CT-based properties. The title hydrated salt, bis(1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridine-1,1′-diium) hexacyanidoferrate(II) octahydrate, (C12H14N2)2[Fe(CN)6]·8H2O or (MV)2[Fe(CN)6]·8H2O [MV2+ is the 1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridine-1,1′-diium (methyl viologen) dication], crystallizes in the space group P21/c with one MV2+ cation, half of an [Fe(CN)6]4− anion and four water molecules in the asymmetric unit. The FeII atom of the [Fe(CN)6]4− anion lies on an inversion centre and has an octahedral coordination sphere defined by six cyanide ligands. The MV2+ cation is located on a general position and adopts a noncoplanar structure, with a dihedral angle of 40.32 (7)° between the planes of the pyridine rings. In the crystal, layers of electron-donor [Fe(CN)6]4− anions and layers of electron-acceptor MV2+ cations are formed and are stacked in an alternating manner parallel to the direction of the −2a + c axis, resulting in an alternate layered structure.
Crystal structure of the active form of native human thymidylate synthase in the absence of bound substrates
Authors: Deschamps P. , Réty S. , Bareille J. , Leulliot N.
Published: May 2017

Human thymidylate synthase (hTS) provides the solede novointracellular source of thymidine 5′-monophosphate (dTMP). hTS is required for DNA replication prior to cell division, making it an attractive target for anticancer chemotherapy and drug discovery. hTS binds 2′-deoxyuridine 5′-monophosphate (dUMP) and the folate co-substrateN5,N10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (meTHF) in a pocket near the catalytic residue Cys195. The catalytic loop, which is composed of amino-acid residues 181–197, can adopt two distinct conformations related by a 180° rotation. In the active conformation Cys195 is close to the active site, while in the inactive conformation it is rotated and Cys195 is too distant from the active site for catalysis. Several hTS structures, either native or engineered, have been solved in the active conformation in complex with ligands or inhibitors and at different salt concentrations. However, apo hTS structures have been solved in an inactive conformation in high-salt and low-salt conditions (PDB entries 1ypv, 4h1i, 4gyh, 3egy and 3ehi). Here, the structure of apo hTS crystallized in the active form with sulfate ions coordinated by the arginine residue that binds dUMP is reported.
Relationships between golf range users’ participation motivation, satisfaction, and exercise adherence intention
Authors: Shim Kyoung-Ran , Paek Byung-Joo , Yi Ho-Taek , Huh Jong-Ho
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the relationship between participation motivation, satisfaction and exercise adherence intention of golf range users on the basis of self-determination theory.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, the authors proposed research questions and a conceptual research model as well. Then, the authors surveyed users of golf ranges located in Seoul Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi-do province.

Findings

By applying convenience sampling, the authors received a total of 313 questionnaires. Results were as follows. First, among the participation motivation sub-factors, health-oriented motivation, achievement motivation, pleasure-oriented motivation and self-displayed motivation had a significant effect on emotional satisfaction, while achievement motivation and pleasure-orientation motivation had a significant effect on performance satisfaction. Second, the following participation motivation factors had a significant effect on exercise adherence intention: health-orientation motivation, achievement motivation and pleasure-orientation motivation. Third, among the satisfaction factors, emotional satisfaction and performance satisfaction both had a significant effect on exercise adherence intention.

Originality/value

This is one of the first papers to examine the relationships that exist between golf range users’ participation motivation, satisfaction and exercise adherence intention.
Cost-benefit analysis for regenerative energy storage in metro
Authors: Li Xiang , Gao Ziyou
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Regenerative braking is an efficient energy saving technology in urban rail system, in which the recovery energy from braking trains is collected by some equipments and released to accelerating trains when needed. However, the high cost and low lifetime of storage devices prevent the widespread use of this technology. The purpose of this paper is to conduct thorough cost-benefit analysis to facilitate China’s urban rail companies to make decisions on the use of such technology.

Design/methodology/approach

To evaluate the benefit from regenerative energy storage, the authors formulate an improved integrated scheduling and speed control model to calculate the net energy consumption associated with different energy recovery rates and then define the benefit as the amount of energy saving arising from the usage of storage equipments. With the frequent charge/discharge operations on storage equipments, the energy recovery rate generally decreases which lowers the benefit, but the maintenance cost increases. By trading-off benefit and cost, the authors derive the optimal scrapping time, the maximum profit and the profitability condition for storage devices.

Findings

Simulation studies based on the Beijing Metro Yizhuang Line of China are given. The results show that compared with the current timetable and speed profile, the integrated scheduling and speed control approach with energy recovery rate of 0.5 can reduce the net energy consumption by 12.69 per cent; the net energy consumption can be well approximated as a linear function of energy recovery rate; and the maximum profit and the optimal scrapping time on regenerative energy storage devices are both positively related to the electricity price. The allowance proportion and the number of service trains such that busy lines with higher electricity price or allowance proportion have advantages to use the regenerative energy storage devices.

Research limitations/implications

In this work, a linear energy recovery rate and a linear maintenance cost are used in the cost-benefit analysis process. In future research, the more accurate expressions on energy recovery rate and maintenance cost should be considered if more data on recovery rate and maintenance cost can be gathered.

Originality/value

The main values of this paper are to develop the integrated optimization approaches for train scheduling and speed control and, on this basis, make thorough cost-benefit analysis for regenerative energy storage to improve the operations management of urban rail transit.
Critical management issues in China’s socio-economic transformation
Authors: Tachia Chin , Ren-huai Liu
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce ten studies included in this themed issue that illustrate from multifaceted angles some critical management issues and context-specific challenges on strategy and innovation facing the State and enterprises during China’s socio-economic transition. Instead of focusing on topics from the literature, this special issue (SI) pays more attention to characterising unique Chinese business practices in the transformation period.

Design/methodology/approach

The ten manuscripts were selected for this SI so that readers can compare how scholars used different research designs and multiple analytical and statistical approaches to draw conclusions.

Findings

These studies involve a wide range of aspects, as well as diversified perspectives demonstrating some critical management issues and context-specific phenomenon associated with the development of strategy and innovation in contemporary China. The results show that while pollution-related issues have had a damaging effect on China’s business environment, the Chinese government has to enact and enforce stricter environmental laws to promote technology innovation in a healthier manner; moreover, Chinese firms should pay greater attention to the trade-off between the increasing of resource consumption for growth and the reducing of energy use for the sake of the planet. In response to the grand innovation challenges Chinese manufacturing is confronted with, these papers suggest that policy support may not always be beneficial but sometimes detrimental to independent innovation, and that Chinese manufacturers may ultimately get access to the key and core technology of forerunners by forming a R&D strategic alliance in periphery knowledge/technology first. Overall, the outcomes of these studies provide a bigger picture and intriguing implications that may inspire practitioners, policymakers and academics to further ponder relevant issues in a more comprehensive way.

Originality/value

All ten studies based on original data were not reported elsewhere and demonstrated results that have not been addressed in prior research. This paper enriches one’s understanding of how Chinese firms have been deliberately seeking their own distinctive trajectories of developing strategy and innovation dissimilar to those of advanced economy companies, given the peculiar cultural background and institutional systems. Future research trends and opportunities are also outlined.
How China’s manufacturers achieve technological catch-up
Authors: Li Weibao , Wu Weiwei , Liu Yexin , Yu Bo
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how China’s manufacturers catch up with the forerunners through R&D cooperation by developing a new mode of latecomer–forerunner R&D cooperation, i.e. the periphery–core mode, which provides a viable way for China’s manufacturers to obtain forerunners’ core knowledge from their periphery knowledge via knowledge spillover and knowledge transfer.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first reviews the literature on R&D cooperation process in the catching-up context and knowledge management in R&D cooperation. Then, three cases of R&D cooperation between China’s advanced technology manufacturers and their forerunners are introduced, with emphasis on interactivities in R&D cooperation and knowledge spillover. On the basis of the multi-case study, the periphery–core mode of R&D cooperation between latecomers and forerunners is conducted.

Findings

The paper finds that the latecomers can catch up with their forerunners by acquiring forerunners’ core technology used in periphery R&D activities. Through formal and informal interactions, the forerunners’ core technology can be extracted and transferred to latecomers, which the latecomers can then absorb and further develop. Thus, it can be concluded that the periphery–core mode of R&D cooperation is a viable way for the latecomers to get access to forerunners’ core technology.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on the catching-up theory by developing the periphery–core mode as a new mode for the latecomers to catch up with the forerunners. It expands the understanding of the latecomer–forerunner R&D cooperation by focusing on the way that China’s manufacturers as latecomers catch up with the forerunners by accessing the forerunners’ core knowledge from their R&D cooperation in periphery knowledge. The paper shows the mechanism of knowledge transfer and spillover in R&D cooperation. The role of communications, especially informal communication between cooperation partners, is emphasized in this process. This study also provides a new perspective for cooperation partner selection by arguing that latecomers can choose their cooperation partners according to the periphery and core knowledge they possess, other than the relationship between them. Besides, this paper emphasizes the mutual support between knowledge transfer, knowledge spillover and knowledge absorption, which is necessary for latecomers to achieve successful catching up in periphery–core R&D cooperation.
A memory theory perspective of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity
Authors: Lee Richard , Lee Kyung Tae , Li Jianyao
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This study contends that consumer ethnocentrism and animosity rest on semantic and episodic memory, respectively. It further examines how the influence of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on consumer boycott behaviour may vary over time and use the memory theory to explain these temporal differences.

Design/methodology/approach

Part 1 involved an experiment to demonstrate the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism/animosity and semantic/episodic memory. To determine the temporal characteristics of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity, Part 2 involved two quantitative surveys (one each in China and Japan), followed by another two surveys six months later.

Findings

Part 1 showed that consumer ethnocentrism and animosity were underpinned by semantic and episodic memory, respectively. Consistent with memory theory, Part 2 found that consumer ethnocentrism was temporally more stable than animosity. Consumer animosity influenced boycott behaviour during but not after the dispute, whereas consumer ethnocentrism influenced boycott behaviour during as well as the dispute. Finally, consumer ethnocentrism was antecedent to consumer animosity, siding with the relationship between semantic and episodic memory.

Research limitations/implications

Limited to two countries, both with collectivistic culture. A longitudinal approach over multiple phases would further enhance the robustness of the findings.

Practical implications

Understanding the psychological underpinning of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity would allow firms to develop effective marketing strategies to appeal to consumers’ ethnocentric and animosity dispositions.

Originality/value

The first study to examine the psychological underpinnings of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity by drawing on the memory theory.
Theorizing with managers: Nenonen et al. are right on!
Authors: Kohli Ajay K.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect and comment upon Nenonen et al.’s paper on theorizing with managers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a personal comment and reflection.

Findings

The author finds much to support in Nenonen et al.’s work, although also some areas where future work could build on it further.

Originality/value

This commentary extends Nenonen et al.’s work.
Style before substance? Building loyalty through marketing communication congruity
Authors: Berezan Orie , Krishen Anjala Selena , Tanford Sarah , Raab Carola
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Because communication channels are inherently unique, they may differentially affect customers depending on their preferred communication style. Therefore, the information that firms provide might not have the intended effect, which is to increase program loyalty. The purpose of the current study is to present a marketing communication model that focuses on promoting program loyalty via self-congruity with the communication style of information channels.

Design/methodology/approach

The study introduces a self-congruity theory-based structural equation model, which is validated through an online sample of 575 respondents. The model begins with communication style and investigates its impact on satisfaction and loyalty in relation to hotel loyalty program members.

Findings

The model confirms that different forms of communication have varying levels of relevance to program loyalty. Communication style, information quality, self-congruity and satisfaction are all significant predictors of program loyalty.

Practical implications

Management can cultivate a community of loyal program members through the recognition of self-image congruence and its relationship with communication style, along with a solid understanding of target markets.

Originality/value

Despite the apparent influence that communication has on loyalty, very little research evaluates the typologies (firm-created and customer-created), dimensions (electronic and in-person) and attributes of information in terms of their effects on program loyalty.
Knowledge capture to inform sustainable maritime operations
Authors: Kuznetsov Andrei , Dinwoodie John , Gibbs David , Sansom Mark , Knowles Harriet
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report an explicit taxonomy of maritime operations (MO) to guide harbour masters (HMs) of smaller ports in planning more sustainable operations.

Design/methodology/approach

This research presents strategies for building theory to promote more sustainable port management in a two-stage research design. Starting from a base taxonomy in research Stage 1, ethnographic content analysis (ECA) of a sparse prior literature on MO generated a tentative taxonomy. In Stage 2, interviews to capture tacit practitioner knowledge refined the tentative taxonomy into a credible practitioner-informed final taxonomy.

Findings

ECA offers researchers a powerful tool to analyse complex operational problems. In this paper MOs are represented in an explicit taxonomy.

Practical implications

A final taxonomy of MOs guides sustainability strategy formulation by HMs and assists them to protect vital commercial revenues which serve supply chains and local communities.

Originality/value

An explicit final taxonomy of MO is derived using a novel methodology. The taxonomy guides sustainability strategy formulation and underpins subsequent planning of sustainable development policies.
Information literacy
Authors: Walton Geoff , Cleland Jamie
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a qualitative investigation into whether online textual postings, produced by undergraduate students as part of an undergraduate module, can demonstrate their information literacy (IL) capabilities as a discursive competence and socially enacted practice. It also asks whether these online postings embody power relations between students, tutors and librarians.

Design/methodology/approach

Foucault’s notion of discursive competence and the separate but complementary concept of practice architectures (specifically focussing on “sayings”) devised by Lloyd were used as thematic lenses to categorise online discussion board postings from a formative online peer assessment exercise created for first-year UK undergraduate students. Online postings were the node of analysis used to identify patterns of language across online conversation. These postings were inductively analysed through manual content analysis. Subject’s responses were initially categorised using open coding.

Findings

Postings appeared to embody student’s discursive competence and information practice in IL, especially their level of information discernment and what constituted a quality “reference” for an assignment. However, they also demonstrated that the notion of “references” (information artefacts such as a journal article) perform a certain function in reproducing the discursive practices of an academic discipline as an agreed construct between tutor, student and librarian.

Practical implications

Students were engaged in the process of becoming good scholars by using appropriate online postings to create valid arguments through assessing other’s work, but what they did not do was question received meanings regarding the quality of information they used as evidence. Far from exhibiting the desired outcome of critical thinking (a cornerstone of IL) students who appeared most articulate in discussion tended to emulate the “strong discourse” put forward by their tutors and librarians.

Originality/value

This research uses practice architectures and discourse analysis to analyse students’ IL capabilities and the context in which they are developed. An approach not employed hitherto. This has practical implications for the ways in which academics and librarians introduce students to the academic discourse of their discipline and the ways in which the production, communication and exchange of information in academic contexts is characterised.
Research status, hotspots and trends for information behavior in China using bibliometric and co-word analysis
Authors: Shen Lining , Xiong Bing , Hu Jiming
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the research status and outputs of information behavior in China in order to reveal its in-depth research pattern and trends.

Design/methodology/approach

The author collected literature during the past 29 years from China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database. Bibliometric analysis, including publication growth analysis, core authors and collaborative degree analysis, core journals analysis, and institutions distribution, was performed. The temporal visualization map of burst term was drawn, and the co-occurrence matrix of these keywords was analyzed by the hierarchical cluster analysis, strategic diagram, and social network analysis.

Findings

The earliest article on information behavior in China was published in 1987. And the number of articles has risen continually since then, which follows the logical growth law of literature. The collaborative degree of authors is on the rise in general. The distribution of these articles obeys the Bradford’s Law of Scattering. School of Information Management of Wuhan University remarkably ranks the top in most publications. In all, ten important research directions were identified, which are in the imbalanced development. And a newly appearing topic with great potential for further development, namely information seeking and information security, is identified.

Originality/value

This study provides important insights into the research status and trends on information behavior in China, which might provide a potential guide for the future research.
Epistemic warrant for categorizational activities and the development of controlled vocabularies
Authors: Martínez-Ávila Daniel , Budd John M.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to update and review the concept of warrant in Library and Information Science (LIS) and to introduce the concept of epistemic warrant from philosophy. Epistemic warrant can be used to assess the content of a work; and therefore, it can be a complement to existing warrants, such as literary warrant, in the development of controlled vocabularies. In this proposal, the authors aim to activate a theoretical discussion on warrant in order to revise and improve the validity of the concept of warrant from the user and classifier context to the classificationist context.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have conducted an extensive literary review and close reading of the concept of warrant in LIS and knowledge organization in order to detect the different stances and gaps in which the concept of epistemic warrant might apply. The authors adopted an epistemological approach, in the vein of some of the previous commenters on warrant, such as Hope Olson and Birger Hjørland, and built upon the theoretical framework of different authors working with the concept of warrant outside knowledge organization, such as Alvin Plantinga and Alvin Goldman.

Findings

There are some authors and critics in the literature that have voiced for a more epistemological approach to warrant (in opposition to a predominantly ontological approach). In this sense, epistemic warrant would be an epistemological warrant and also a step forward toward pragmatism in a prominently empiricist context such as the justification of the inclusion of terms in a controlled vocabulary. Epistemic warrant can be used to complement literary warrant in the development of controlled vocabularies as well as in the classification of works.

Originality/value

This paper presents an exhaustive update and revision of the concept of warrant, analyzing, systematizing, and reviewing the different warrants discussed in the LIS literary warrant in a critical way. The concept of epistemic warrant for categorizational activities is introduced to the LIS field for the first time. This paper, and the proposal of epistemic warrant, has the potential to contribute to the theoretical and practical discussions on the development of controlled vocabularies and assessment of the content of works.
An analysis of energy and cost saving opportunities
Authors: Kang Mihyun , Hebert Paulette Robert , Thompsen Rebekah , VanDusen Abby
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate and document existing lighting systems and lighting levels, to compare findings to the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) lighting standards (Rodgers, 1998) and to make lighting recommendation for energy and cost savings.

Design/methodology/approach

Lighting examinations and field measurements were conducted at a large, existing Midwestern institutional food-service facility that has been continuously operational since 1976. Lighting levels of the dining room, checkout line, buffet, kitchen, storage room and conference room were measured and then compared to the IES lighting standards. Recommendations were then made for energy and cost savings.

Findings

The average light levels in the dining room, checkout line, buffet, storage room and conference room exceeded the industry-recommended light levels. The energy and cost savings were calculated for this study, and the energy- and cost-saving strategies recommended included delamping, replacing lamps and luminaires and installing occupancy sensors. If existing lighting can be updated in an energy- and cost-saving manner, institutional food-service facilities might be made appropriate through renovation, thus extending the life of these facilities.

Practical implications

This study has practical implications for the many existing institutional food service facilities in workplaces across the USA that could save energy and costs through renovated lighting systems.

Originality/value

This research constitutes an in situ case study, which gathered empirical lighting data at an existing institutional food-service facility and made recommendations for lighting renovations. Although lighting systems influence dining and kitchen environments, lighting has not always been fully considered in institutional food-service facilities.
An analysis of SEC comment letters and IFRS
Authors: Linthicum Cheryl L. , McLelland Andrew J. , Schuldt Michael A.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This study investigates the influence of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the interpretation and application of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by examining a group of SEC-selected foreign private issuers filing 2005 annual reports in the USA and reporting using IFRS for the first time.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses hand-collected information from SEC comment letters to analyze IFRS topics and documents the ultimate resolution of each SEC comment (no change to filing, current change to filing or prospective change to future filing). The authors use descriptive statistical analyses, as well as a logistic regression model involving the resolution of each SEC comment, to examine the SEC’s influence on the interpretation of IFRS.

Findings

The study finds both higher comment totals, and higher numbers of required filing modifications, for those IFRS pronouncements which were identified as needing improvement during the 2006-2008 convergence efforts by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Additionally, the study documents a decreasing likelihood of a filing modification when US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) guidance is referenced in comment letter correspondence involving IFRS topics.

Originality/value

The study extends the IFRS literature and the SEC comment letter literature by focusing on the resolution of comments directed at IFRS disclosures, as well as exploring the factors which influence whether a comment ultimately requires a filing modification.
Residential care and criminalisation: the impact of system abuse
Authors: Shaw Julie
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and explore the findings of part of the author’s research study, an aim of which is to illuminate factors at policy, practice and procedural levels that contribute to the criminalisation of children in residential care in England.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilises semi-structured interviews with children, young people, and professional adults in the care system.

Findings

Through analysis of the semi-structured interviews, the paper highlights how “system abuse” can contribute to poor outcomes, including involvement with the youth justice system.

Originality/value

The paper concludes by arguing that in order to successfully decrease criminalisation, it is necessary to employ an approach which, while acknowledging individual culpability, both recognises and focuses on the contribution of wider systemic failings.