bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tensorial blind source separation for improved analysis of multi-omic data
Authors: Teschendorff Andrew E , Han Jing , Paul Dirk S , Virta Joni , Nordhausen Klaus
Published: April 2018

There is an increased need for integrative analyses of multi-omic data. Although several algorithms for analysing multi-omic data exist, no study has yet performed a detailed comparison of these methods in biologically relevant contexts. Here we benchmark a novel tensorial independent component analysis (tICA) algorithm against current state-of-the-art methods. Using simulated and real multi-omic data, we find that tICA outperforms established methods in identifying biological sources of data variation at a significantly reduced computational cost. Using two independent multi cell-type EWAS, we further demonstrate how tICA can identify, in the absence of genotype information, mQTLs at a higher sensitivity than competing multi-way algorithms. We validate mQTLs found with tICA in an independent set, and demonstrate that approximately 75% of mQTLs are independent of blood cell subtype. In an application to multi-omic cancer data, tICA identifies many gene modules whose expression variation across tumors is driven by copy number or DNA methylation changes, but whose deregulation relative to the normal state is independent such alterations, an important finding that we confirm by direct analysis of individual data types. In summary, tICA is a powerful novel algorithm for decomposing multi-omic data, which will be of great value to the research community.
Exosomes exploit the virus entry machinery and pathway to transmit IFN-α-induced antiviral activity
Authors: Yao Zhenlan , Li Xiaofang , Chen Jieliang , Qiao Yunsheng , Shen Fang , Shi Bisheng , Liu Jia , Ding Jiahui , Peng Lu , Li Jianhua , Yuan Zhenghong
Published: April 2018

Interferon-α (IFN-α) induces the transfer of resistance to hepatitis B virus (HBV) from liver nonparenchymal cells (LNPCs) to hepatocytes via exosomes. However, little is known about the entry machinery and pathway involved in the transmission of IFN-α-induced antiviral activity. Here, we found that macrophage exosomes depend on T cell immunoglobulin and mucin receptor 1 (TIM-1), a hepatitis A virus (HAV) receptor, to enter hepatocytes for delivering IFN-α-induced anti-HBV activity. Moreover, two primary endocytic routes for virus infection, clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and macropinocytosis, collaborate to permit exosome entry and anti-HBV activity transfer. Subsequently, lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA), an anionic lipid closely related to endosome penetration of virus, facilitates membrane fusion of exosomes in late endosomes/ multivesicular bodies (LEs/MVBs) and the accompanying exosomal cargo uncoating. Together, this study provides comprehensive insights into the transmission route of macrophage exosomes to efficiently deliver IFN-α-induced anti-HBV activity and highlights the similarities between the entry mechanisms of exosomes and virus.

Importance

Our previous study showed that LNPC-derived exosomes could transmit IFN-α-induced antiviral activity to HBV replicating hepatocytes, but the concrete transmission mechanisms which include exosome entry and exosomal cargo release remain unclear. In this study, we found that virus entry machinery and pathway were also applied to exosome-mediated cell-to-cell antiviral activity transfer. Macrophage-derived exosomes exploit hepatitis A virus receptor for access to hepatocytes. Later, CME and macropinocytosis are utilized by exosomes which is followed by exosome-endosome fusion for efficient transfer of IFN-α-induced anti-HBV activity. Dissecting the similarities between exosome and virus entry will be beneficial to designing exosomes as efficient vehicles for antiviral therapy.
Deleterious genetic variants inNOTCH1are a major contributor to the incidence of non-syndromic Tetralogy of Fallot
Authors: Page Donna J. , Miossec Matthieu J. , Williams Simon G. , Fotiou Elisavet , Monaghan Richard M. , Cordell Heather J. , Sutcliffe Louise , Topf Ana , Bourgey Mathieu , Bourque Guillaume , Eveleigh Robert , Dunwoodie Sally L. , Winlaw David S. , Bhattacharya Shoumo , Breckpot Jeroen , Devriendt Koenraad , Gewillig Marc , Brook David , Setchfield Kerry , Bu’Lock Frances A. , O’Sullivan John , Stuart Graham , Bezzina Connie , Mulder Barbara J.M. , Postma Alex V. , Bentham James R. , Baron Martin , Bhaskar Sanjeev S. , Black Graeme C. , Newman William G. , Hentges Kathryn E. , Lathrop Mark , Santibanez-Koref Mauro , Keavney Bernard D.
Published: April 2018

Aims

Familial recurrence studies provide strong evidence for a genetic component to the predisposition to sporadic, non-syndromic Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) phenotype. Rare genetic variants have been identified as important contributors to the risk of CHD, but relatively small numbers of TOF cases have been studied to date. Here, we use whole exome sequencing to assess the prevalence of rare, potentially deleterious variants in candidate genes previously associated with both syndromic and non-syndromic TOF, in the largest cohort of non-syndromic TOF patients reported to date.

Methods & Results

829 non-syndromic TOF patients underwent whole exome sequencing. A systematic review of the literature was conducted which revealed 77 genes in which mutations had been reported in patients with TOF. The presence of rare, deleterious variants in the 77 candidate genes was determined, defined by a minor allele frequency of ≤ 0.001 and scaled combined annotation-dependent depletion (CADD) score of ≥ 20. We found a clustering of heterozygous rare, deleterious variants inNOTCH1(P=1.89E-15),DOCK6(P=2.93E-07),MYOM2(P= 7.35E-05),TTC37(P=0.016),MESP1(P=0.024) andTBX1(P=0.039), after correcting for multiple testing.NOTCH1was most frequently found to harbour deleterious variants. Changes were observed in 49 patients (6%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.5% - 7.8%) and included six truncating/frameshift variants and forty missense variants. Sanger sequencing of the unaffected parents of thirteen cases identified fivede novovariants. Variants were not confined to a single functional domain of the NOTCH1 protein but significant clustering of variants was evident in the EGF-like repeats (P=0.018). ThreeNOTCH1missense variants (p.G200R, p.C607Y andde novop.N1875S) were subjected to functional evaluation and showed a reduction in Jagged1 ligand-induced NOTCH signalling. p.C607Y, which exhibited the most significant reduction in signalling, also perturbed S1 cleavage of the NOTCH1 receptor in the Golgi.

Conclusion

TheNOTCH1locus is a frequent site of genetic variants predisposing to non-syndromic TOF with 6% of patients exhibiting rare, deleterious variants. Our data supports the polygenic origin of TOF and suggests larger studies may identify additional loci.
CAMISIM: Simulating metagenomes and microbial communities
Authors: Fritz Adrian , Hofmann Peter , Majda Stephan , Dahms Eik , Dröge Johannes , Fiedler Jessika , Lesker Till R. , Belmann Peter , Demaere Matthew Z. , Darling Aaron E. , Sczyrba Alexander , Bremges Andreas , Mchardy Alice C.
Published: April 2018

Shotgun metagenome data sets of microbial communities are highly diverse, not only due to the natural variation of the underlying biological systems, but also due to differences in laboratory protocols, replicate numbers, and sequencing technologies. Accordingly, to effectively assess the performance of metagenomic analysis software, a wide range of benchmark data sets are required. Here, we describe the CAMISIM microbial community and metagenome simulator. The software can model different microbial abundance profiles, multi-sample time series and differential abundance studies, includes real and simulated strain-level diversity, and generates second and third generation sequencing data from taxonomic profiles or de novo. Gold standards are created for sequence assembly, genome binning, taxonomic binning, and taxonomic profiling. CAMSIM generated the benchmark data sets of the first CAMI challenge. For two simulated multi-sample data sets of the human and mouse gut microbiomes we observed high functional congruence to the real data. As further applications, we investigated the effect of varying evolutionary genome divergence, sequencing depth, and read error profiles on two popular metagenome assemblers, MEGAHIT and metaSPAdes, on several thousand small data sets generated with CAMISIM. CAMISIM can simulate a wide variety of microbial communities and metagenome data sets together with truth standards for method evaluation. All data sets and the software are freely available at: https://github.com/CAMI-challenge/CAMISIM
Phyla-specific Correlated Dynamics in Tropomyosin
Authors: James J.K. , Nanda V.
Published: April 2018

Tropomyosin (Tpm) is a continuous α-helical coiled-coil homodimer that regulates actinomyosin interactions in muscle. We examined extended molecular simulations of four Tpms, two from the vertebrate phylum Chordata (rat and pig), and two from the invertebrate Arthropoda (shrimp and lobster), and found that despite extensive sequence and structural homologyacross metazoans, dynamic behavior – particularly long range structural fluctuations – were clearly distinct between phyla. Vertebrate Tpms were flexible and sampled complex, multi-state conformational landscapes. Invertebrate Tpms were rigid, sampling highly constrained harmonic landscapes. Filtering of trajectories by PCA into essential subspaces showed significant overlap within but not between phyla. In vertebrate Tpms, hinge-regions decoupled long-range inter-helical motions and suggested distinct domains. In contrast, crustacean Tpms lacked significant long range dynamic correlations – behaving more like a single rigid rod. Although Tpm sequence and structure has highly conserved over the last 0.6-billion years since the split of ancestral bilateria into protostomes and deuterostomes, divergence seems to have occurred at the level of long-range correlated dynamics, reflecting adaptations to phyla-specific requirements of actin binding and muscle contraction.
Transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α contains a novel CBP80-binding motif that orchestrates efficient target gene expression
Authors: Cho Hana , Rambout Xavier , Gleghorn Michael L. , Nguyen Phuong Quoc Thuc , Phipps Christopher R. , Miyoshi Keita , Myers Jason R. , Kataoka Naoyuki , Fasan Rudi , Maquat Lynne E.
Published: April 2018

Although peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is a well-established transcriptional coactivator for the metabolic adaptation of mammalian cells to diverse physiological stresses, the molecular mechanism by which it functions is incompletely understood. Here we used in vitro binding assays, X-ray crystallography, and immunoprecipitations of mouse myoblast cell lysates to define a previously unknown cap-binding protein 80 (CBP80)-binding motif (CBM) in the C terminus of PGC-1α. We show that the CBM, which consists of a nine-amino-acid α helix, is critical for the association of PGC-1α with CBP80 at the 5′ cap of target transcripts. Results from RNA sequencing demonstrate that the PGC-1α CBM promotes RNA synthesis from promyogenic genes. Our findings reveal a new conduit between DNA-associated and RNA-associated proteins that functions in a cap-binding protein surveillance mechanism, without which efficient differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes fails to occur.
A novel k-mer set memory (KSM) motif representation improves regulatory variant prediction
Authors: Guo Yuchun , Tian Kevin , Zeng Haoyang , Guo Xiaoyun , Gifford David Kenneth
Published: April 2018

The representation and discovery of transcription factor (TF) sequence binding specificities is critical for understanding gene regulatory networks and interpreting the impact of disease-associated noncoding genetic variants. We present a novel TF binding motif representation, the k-mer set memory (KSM), which consists of a set of aligned k-mers that are overrepresented at TF binding sites, and a new method called KMAC for de novo discovery of KSMs. We find that KSMs more accurately predict in vivo binding sites than position weight matrix (PWM) models and other more complex motif models across a large set of ChIP-seq experiments. Furthermore, KSMs outperform PWMs and more complex motif models in predicting in vitro binding sites. KMAC also identifies correct motifs in more experiments than five state-of-the-art motif discovery methods. In addition, KSM-derived features outperform both PWM and deep learning model derived sequence features in predicting differential regulatory activities of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) alleles. Finally, we have applied KMAC to 1600 ENCODE TF ChIP-seq data sets and created a public resource of KSM and PWM motifs. We expect that the KSM representation and KMAC method will be valuable in characterizing TF binding specificities and in interpreting the effects of noncoding genetic variations.
Three-dimensional-printing aids in visualizing the optical properties of crystals
Authors: Casas Lluís
Published: April 2018

Crystal optics is an essential topic in mineralogy and is also relevant at postgraduate level in solid-state chemistry and physics. The emergence of low-cost three-dimensional-printing technologies makes possible the creation of tangible objects for multiple educational purposes. Within the field of crystallography and chemistry, some examples of applications of such educational objects have been recently published. These were intended for teaching and learning of crystal and molecular symmetry concepts. In this paper, three-dimensional-printing applications have been extended to crystal optics. A number of tangible models of optical indicatrices have been designed and printed. These models were conceived as dissection puzzles and allow students to actively work on assembling them and analyzing their geometrical features and relevant sections. The STL files of the presented models are made available with this paper.
Resolving pseudosymmetry in γ-TiAl using cross-correlation electron backscatter diffraction with dynamically simulated reference patterns
Authors: Jackson Brian , Fullwood David , Christensen Jordan , Wright Stuart
Published: April 2018

Pseudosymmetry is a phenomenon that occurs when grains with different lattice parameters produce nearly identical diffraction patterns such that conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques are unable to unambiguously differentiate the lattice orientations. This commonly occurs in materials with near-unity tetragonality, such as γ-TiAl. The current study uses cross-correlation EBSD to resolve pseudosymmetry in γ-TiAl. Three dynamically simulated reference patterns are generated for each point in the scan, one for each of the three potential pseudosymmetric orientations, which are subsequently correlated with the original pattern using six different methods in order to identify the correct orientation. The methods are first applied to a scan of dynamically simulated patterns, which is used to evaluate the sensitivity of the method to pattern resolution, pattern noise and pattern center error. It was determined that all six methods were 100% successful up to about 13 µm of pattern center error and pattern resolutions of about 80 × 80 pixels, and hence the methods were applied to an experimental sample of lamellar γ-TiAl. A hybrid combination of two of the methods was shown to successfully select the correct pseudosymmetry for about 96% of the points in the scan, improving upon the 70% accuracy of the Hough-based methods for the current study and 90% accuracy for previous studies resolving pseudosymmetry in lamellar γ-TiAl.
Calculation of pair distribution functions for multiphase systems
Authors: Sławiński Wojciech A.
Published: April 2018

The total scattering method is becoming increasingly popular because of its ability to investigate the structures of disordered crystalline and amorphous materials. Also, in recent years, significant development of total scattering instruments and sample environments has allowed for the study of increasingly complex materials, including multiphase samples. The total scattering formalism has already been well described in the paper by Keen [J. Appl. Cryst. (2001), 34, 172–177] but it was limited to the single phase case. In the present paper the formulae for multiple phase samples (consisting of a physical mixture of two or more distinct phases) are derived for the calculation of pair distribution functions for analysis using reverse Monte Carlo and other methods. The equations for conversion between different representations of the pair distribution function are also provided.
Automatic fault detection for Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems using time series methods
Authors: Shahandashti Mohsen , Ashuri Baabak , Mostaan Kia
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Faults in the actual outdoor performance of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems can go unnoticed for several months since the energy productions are subject to significant variations that could mask faulty behaviors. Even large BIPV energy deficits could be hard to detect. The purpose of this paper is to develop a cost-effective approach to automatically detect faults in the energy productions of BIPV systems using historical BIPV energy productions as the only source of information that is typically collected in all BIPV systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Energy productions of BIPV systems are time series in nature. Therefore, time series methods are used to automatically detect two categories of faults (outliers and structure changes) in the monthly energy productions of BIPV systems. The research methodology consists of the automatic detection of outliers in energy productions, and automatic detection of structure changes in energy productions.

Findings

The proposed approach is applied to detect faults in the monthly energy productions of 89 BIPV systems. The results confirm that outliers and structure changes can be automatically detected in the monthly energy productions of BIPV systems using time series methods in presence of short-term variations, monthly seasonality, and long-term degradation in performance.

Originality/value

Unlike existing methods, the proposed approach does not require performance ratio calculation, operating condition data, such as solar irradiation, or the output of neighboring BIPV systems. It only uses the historical information about the BIPV energy productions to distinguish between faults and other time series properties including seasonality, short-term variations, and degradation trends.
Modeling a transformational route to infrastructure sustainability in South Africa
Authors: Isa Rasheed , Emuze Fidelis , Das Dillip , Awuzie Bankole Osita
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for operationalizing the integrated use of lean and sustainability concepts for infrastructure delivery. This model is premised on the need for the attainment of a sustainable built environment through efficient infrastructure delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study research design was used in assessing five purposively selected cases within Gauteng province in South Africa. These facilities attained Green Building Council of South Africa ratings of 5- to 6-star, for the rating of green buildings and available evidence of integration of lean principles at the developmental stage. Questionnaires were administered to project’s role-players and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the users and facility managers, in order to elicit data for the model development. Questionnaire survey was adopted for the model validation.

Findings

The lean-sustainability platform for infrastructure delivery demonstrates features such as resources, drivers, barriers, activities, outputs, the results, and the ultimate impact. The findings give insight into various components of the model. It validates its robustness and highlights leadership among other critical factors necessary for successful operationalization of the lean-sustainability ethos required to transform the delivery of infrastructure.

Practical implications

The developed model provides a transformational route for achieving infrastructure sustainability. The lean-sustainable indicators identified will serve as evaluation tools for assessing lean-sustainability ethos during the delivery phases of infrastructure projects.

Originality/value

The model provides a new way of thinking about infrastructure project delivery regarding the need to promote sustainability in the built environment.
Governance in the Sendai: a way ahead?
Authors: Raju Emmanuel , da Costa Karen
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how governance and accountability have been addressed in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is mainly based on the analysis of the SFDRR; scientific literature, particularly recent publications covering the SFDRR. The paper also takes into account grey literature.

Findings

The SFDRR does address issues of governance and accountability in disasters. However, more needs to be done to translate it into practice – particularly with regard to accountability.

Originality/value

The paper covers a topic that has not attracted considerable academic attention, despite the fact that the need to address accountability in disaster risk management, notably in DRR, has been generally acknowledged. By addressing governance and accountability in the most recent international DRR framework the paper adds value to the literature.
Determinants of building consistent human resources management systems
Authors: García-Carbonell Natalia , Martín-Alcázar Fernando , Sanchez-Gardey Gonzalo
Published: April 2018

Purpose

While previous human resources management (HRM) studies have focused on human resources (HR) practices to explain the strategic HRM-performance link, organizational communication is studied as a key HRM process and an alternative perspective explains the factors influencing communication implementation and subsequently internal HRM system consistency. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

HR decision makers’ human capital is examined as a determinant of communication implementation by applying the partial least squares approach to a sample of 120 Spanish HR managers.

Findings

The results confirm the relevance of HR decision makers’ cognitive skills, showing that communication of HRM strategy does not appear to require a particular cognitive approach but rather a balance of creative and rational skills. Additionally, the findings suggest that appropriate communication implementation improves the internal consistency of the HRM system by creating coherent HR messages about the implemented practices.

Originality/value

This study presents three main contributions: analyzing conditions that promote more appropriate communication implementation; providing a process perspective instead of the traditional content focus to explain HRM, and deepening the ways in which communication affects the internal consistency of the HRM system.
Valuation of employment decision criteria
Authors: Gajderowicz Tomasz
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expand our understanding of the decisions on labour supply, with particular attention given to the role of conditions of a contract between an employer and an employee. In the paper the value, from the employee’s perspective, of different characteristics of an employment contract are assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

Discrete choice experiment methodology is applied to evaluate employment attributes. Using data from a dedicated survey of students and graduates of social sciences in Poland, parameters of the employment-related utility function are estimated with a multinomial logit model and random parameter logistic regression. Due to the opt-out alternative in the design, reservation wages for different types of contracts are calculated.

Findings

The paper suggests that development conditions and psychological aspects of work are extremely important for employees’ decisions and their reservation wages.

Research limitations/implications

Due to limitations related to data generation process, generalisation of the results to the whole population is not possible.

Practical implications

The results of the study may help to develop tools of contract optimisation and remuneration systems. Such tools might lead to improvements in the efficiency of contracts in the labour market by simultaneously reducing employment costs and increasing workers’ utility.

Originality/value

The analysis of preferences and reservation wages contributes to our understanding of the observed wage differentials. It also helps to understand some apparent paradoxes of the labour supply behaviour, which are impossible to explain within the traditional approach to wage modelling.
Brazilian managers’ ageism: a multiplex perspective
Authors: Rego Arménio , Vitória Andreia , Tupinambá António , Júnior Dálcio Reis , Reis Dálcio , Cunha Miguel Pina e , Lourenço-Gil Rui
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the Brazilian managers’ attitudes toward older workers, and how those attitudes explain HRM decisions in hypothetical scenarios.

Design/methodology/approach

Brazilian managers (n=201) reported their attitudes toward older workers and their decisions in scenarios involving an older vs a younger applicant/worker.

Findings

In spite of expressing positive attitudes toward older workers, a significant number of managers chose a younger one even when the older worker is described as more productive. To build a better understanding of how attitudes predict decisions, it is necessary to identify attitudinal profiles and the interplay between attitudinal dimensions, rather than simply studying each dimension separately. Attitudinal profiling also shows that some managers discriminate against younger workers, a finding, that is, ignored when (only) regressions are taken into account. The managers’ attitudes and behavioral intentions relate with their age. Evidence does not support the double jeopardy effect against older women workers.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is small. The scenarios cover a reduced number of HRM decisions. The data about attitudes and decisions were collected simultaneously from a single source. The findings may be influenced by idiosyncrasies of the context. Future studies should also consider real situations, not hypothetical ones.

Practical implications

Efforts must be made (e.g. via training and development) to raise managers’ awareness about the consequences of ageism in organizations.

Originality/value

Empirical studies about managers’ perceptions/attitudes toward older workers are scarce. Studies in the Brazilian context are even scarcer.
What is the Iron Triangle, and how has it changed?
Authors: Pollack Julien , Helm Jane , Adler Daniel
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The Iron Triangle, also called the Triple Constraint, is a central concept to project management research and practice, representing the relationship between key performance criteria. However, there is disagreement about which criteria should be represented on the vertices of this triangle. The purpose of this paper is to explore which concepts are part of the Iron Triangle, and how these concepts have changed over time.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explores 45 years of project management research, drawing on a database of 109,804 records from 1970 to 2015. Three corpora were constructed, representing the project management and Time, Cost, and Quality Management literature. Time and Cost are consistently identified as part of the Iron Triangle. However, the status of quality is contested. Key concepts in the project management literature were explored using scientometric research techniques, to understand the relationship between these concepts.

Findings

Significant links were found between Time, Cost, and Quality, verifying these concepts as the vertices on the Iron Triangle. These links were significantly stronger than links to alternatives, such as Scope, Performance, or Requirements. Other concepts that are core to the Iron Triangle were also identified, and how these have changed over time.

Originality/value

This research develops the understanding of a key project management concept by clarifying which concepts are part of the Iron Triangle, based on evidence of how the concept is used in research. This paper also reveals the context in which this concept is used, and how this has changed over the last 45 years.
Why people participate in the sharing economy: an empirical investigation of Uber
Authors: Lee Zach W.Y. , Chan Tommy K.H. , Balaji M.S. , Chong Alain Yee-Loong
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of inhibiting, motivating, and technological factors on users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-reported online survey was conducted among Uber users in Hong Kong. A total of 295 valid responses were collected. The research model was empirically tested using the structural equation modeling technique.

Findings

The results suggested that perceived risks, perceived benefits, trust in the platform, and perceived platform qualities were significant predictors of users’ intention to participate in Uber.

Research limitations/implications

This study bridged the research gaps in the sharing economy literature by examining the effects of perceived risks, perceived benefits, and trust in the platform on users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy. Moreover, this study enriched the extended valence framework by incorporating perceived platform qualities into the research model, responding to the calls for the inclusion of technological variables in information systems research.

Practical implications

The findings provided practitioners with insights into enhancing users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy.

Originality/value

This study presented one of the first attempts to systematically examine the effects of inhibiting, motivating, and technological factors on users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy.
The influence of creative accounting on the credibility of accounting reports
Authors: Akpanuko Essien Ekerette , Umoren Ntiedo John
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The extent to which accounting reports and disclosures provide shareholders and other interested parties with reliable information to permit informed investment decisions and true valuation of firms, has remained in doubts. The presumed bane for the failure of these reports to live up to expectation has been creative accounting. Most studies view this practice as unethical and should be stopped; others admit that although it contributes to enterprise failures, loss of investments and economic crisis, it as a necessary and legitimate practice. This paper aims to evaluate the extent to which this creativity has contributed to the failures of enterprises, identifies motivations for this practices and the challenges to true and fair reporting and transparent disclosures.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts the survey method. Questionnaire were administered to 80 accountants in banks and other enterprises with parents companies outside Nigeria and secondary data collected on failed enterprises in the world. The data collected were descriptively analysed.

Findings

The findings were different from findings of previous studies. It was discovered that accounting creativity is euphemism and contributes 90% to the unfair reporting of firms operations. The creativity in those practices is motivated by greed and intended to deceive the public, potential investors and shareholders and increases the rate of enterprise failures at a decreasing rate. However, the study revealed that the many regulations without adequate checks, punishments and rewards complement creative accounting in providing the foundation for make-believe, cosmetic and unfair reporting.

Research limitations/implications

The use of questionnaire and the subjective nature of the responses are the limitations of this study.

Practical implications

Improved reporting and valuation of firms are the practical implications.

Social implications

Reduction in failures may result in loss of employment and other social implications.

Originality/value

The research is original and born out of the desire to improve accounting reports and shareholders value.
Consumers’ perception of usability of product packaging and impulse buying
Authors: Bahrainizad Manijeh , Rajabi Azadeh
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of consumers’ perception of usability of product packaging on impulse buying in terms of its shape, color, material, label and size.

Design/methodology/approach

A structural equation model was used for testing the conceptual model. The present research is an applied research and a descriptive survey. By using non-probability sampling, 388 customers of different malls in Shiraz City (Iran) were selected and surveyed by using questionnaires.

Findings

Results showed that appropriate material, shape and labeling of packaging have a significant positive influence on consumers’ perception of usability of product packaging, while color and size of packaging do not have an impact on consumers’ perception of a product usability. Moreover, results showed that consumers’ perception of the usability of packaging has a significant positive influence on impulse buying. Consumers’ mood and time pressure had also positive influence on impulse buying, but their moderating role in their influence of consumers’ perception on impulse buying decision was not supported.

Research limitations/implications

Although this research contributes to the product management literature, it has some limitations. For instance, the research model was tested in only one city in Iran (Shiraz). Besides, it is specific to only two product categories and concentrates mainly on consumers’ mood and time pressure as moderating factors.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first research which examines the structural relationship of packaging elements on consumers’ perception of reusability of packaging and impulse buying while considering consumers’ moods and time pressure as moderator variables.
Characterizing queries in cross-device OPAC search: a large-scale log study
Authors: Wu Dan , Liang Shaobo , Bi Renmin
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The study focused on online public access catalog (OPAC) users’ cross-device search behavior. The purpose of this paper is to understand the characteristics of cross-device OPAC searches, and to identify query reformulation (QR) patterns during device transitions.

Design/methodology/approach

The transaction log from a university library, spanning six months, was used to conduct the quantitative analysis. The query vocabulary richness, which refers to the average number of unique words each query contains in a search session, can evaluate query diversity, and contribute to the analysis of QR.

Findings

The results show that PC-PC transition is the most important pattern of device transition. The time interval of device transition was different to the time interval of transitions in web searches. Short device transitions mainly occurred in daytime, and the number of transitions that occurred in less than one minute was higher than on the web. Searches for Industry and Technology triggered the most device transitions, and the users tended to choose the same search field. In addition, the authors made a detailed analysis of the reasons for same-type device transitions and different-type device transitions. Furthermore, the authors focused on the characteristics of adjacent QR patterns. The authors not only refined the concept of cross-device to include the same-type device transition, but also summarized the characteristics of the cross-device QR patterns, which can be used to predict post-switch queries.

Originality/value

This study extends research into cross-device interaction and cross-device search to the domain of digital library research. The authors also introduced QR perspective on cross-device interaction on OPAC.
Stereolithography process optimization for tensile strength improvement of products
Authors: Kazemi Mehdi , Rahimi Abdolreza
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Stereolithography (SLA) is a broadly used technology in the field of rapid prototyping. One of the disadvantages of SLA is poor mechanical properties of its products. To approach the mechanical properties of original part, the mechanical properties of SLA part, such as tensile strength, should be optimized. In this process, there are many parameters that affect the tensile strength of parts. However, the “layer thickness”, “fabrication orientation” and “post curing time” are the most significant ones. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of these parameters on tensile strength of SLA parts.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the obtained results from experiments based on the “full factorial” method, an empirical equation was developed for the tensile strength in terms of the effective parameters by using regression analysis. Considering this empirical equation, the process parameters were optimized to maximize the tensile strength by using genetic algorithm. Finally, the tensile tests of the specimens were simulated via the general-purpose finite element package of ABAQUS.

Findings

The outputs of the numerical simulations were in good agreement with experimental results. Both experimental and numerical results show that the increase of layer thickness and the decrease in post curing time increase the tensile strength. Furthermore, the tensile strength of parts produced in vertical orientation is higher than that of parts produced in horizontal orientation.

Originality/value

This is a complete study about the tensile strength of the SLA parts from experimental and analytical viewpoints.
A hybrid method for MEMS gyroscope signal error compensation
Authors: Guo Xiaoting , Sun Changku , Wang Peng , Huang Lu
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a hybrid method based on polynomial fitting bias self-compensation, grey forward-backward linear prediction (GFBLP) and moving average filter (MAF) for error compensation in micro-electromechanical system gyroscope signal especially under motion state.

Design/methodology/approach

The error compensation can be divided into two processes: bias correction and noise reduction. A polynomial drift angle fitting algorithm is used to correct bias before denoising processing. For noise reduction, operation can be taken in two stages: detection and processing. First, sample variances are used to judge motion state. According to the detection results, algorithmic system switches between grey GFBLP and MAF to ensure fast convergence rate and small steady-state error.

Findings

Experimental results show that the proposed method can correct bias effectively for practical gyroscope signal, and can eliminate noise effectively for both practical gyroscope signal and synthetic signal, which indicates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Originality/value

Bias correction and noise reduction are considerations. Noise contained in practical or synthetic signal can be reduced rapidly and effectively, which benefits from the new idea of combination grey GFBLP, MAF and sample variances. And most importantly, it is applicable for signal denoising under arbitrary motion state condition, which is different from other methods where the convergence performance is seldom analyzed.
Quality of Corporate Governance on Dividend Payouts: The Case of Nigeria
Authors: Odeleye Anthonia T.
Published: April 2018

Corporate governance (CG) safeguards shareholders’ portfolios and ensures optimal returns in terms of dividend payouts (DPs) on investment. The association between CG and DPs could be significant in relation to risk exposure, operational and financing activities across firms and sectors. The relationship between CG and DPs has been well documented, however; the role of industry classification on the relationship has not been given adequate consideration in the literature. This study, therefore, examines the moderating effects of sector classification of CG on DPs in Nigeria. Agency theory underpins the model which captures the effects of CG on DPs. Governance indicators and dividend per share of 97 non‐financial listed companies in Nigeria from 1995–2012 are utilized. The system generalized method of moments estimation technique is employed in the analysis. The empirical findings indicate a positive association between CG and DP. Additionally, the analysis underlines the importance of the mode of operations (sector classification) in the relationship between CG practices and DPs in Nigeria. Based on the results of the study, it is suggested that more independent directors should be on the boards of corporate firms and the proportion of institutional shareholding also be increased to improve monitoring.
The Effects of Education on Labour Force Participation in Cameroon: A Gender Perspective
Authors: Totouom Armand , Mboutchouang Vincent De Paul , Kaffo Fotio Hervé
Published: April 2018

This paper seeks to understand if education can be an effective tool in achieving gender equality in labour force participation in Cameroon. For this purpose, the multinomial and binary logit models are estimated. The paper accounts for the potential endogeneity of education in the equation of labour force participation by using the instrumental variables approach. Data used are data on employment and the informal sector obtained from the National Institute of Statistics in Cameroon. The findings shed light on the negative impact of being a woman on the probability of getting a job. They also show that education and the interaction term between gender and education has a positive and statistically significant impact on the probability of working in the public and the formal private sectors. These results suggest that education yields a premium skill which offsets the negative effect of being a woman.
The Role of Property Rights in the Relationship between Capital Flows and Economic Growth in SSA: Do Natural Resources Endowment and Country Income Level Matter?
Authors: Coulibaly Sionfou Seydou , Gakpa Lewis Landry , Soumaré Issouf
Published: April 2018

This paper studies the role played by the quality of property rights in the linkages of international capital flows into sub‐Saharan African (SSA) economies. Using panel data of 36 SSA countries over the period 1996–2015 and the ARDL procedure with the Pooled Mean Group regression method appropriate for non‐stationary panel data estimation, we account for the joint effects of property rights quality and openness to foreign capital flows on economic growth. We uncover the existence of a property rights quality threshold beyond which property rights either amplifies the spillovers effects or attenuates the negative effect of capital flows on economic growth. For instance, it takes a level of property rights of at least 60 to have a positive long‐term impact of capital flows on economic growth in natural resource‐poor African countries. The quality of property rights matters more to obtain spillover effects of capital flows on growth in natural resource‐poor countries than in their peer natural resource‐rich countries. Finally, with regard to the countries' income levels, capital flows have significant long‐term spillovers effects on economic growth in advanced African economies than in their low‐income peers.
Theoretical and hands‐on guidance from dental hygienists promotes good oral health in elderly people living in nursing homes, a pilot study
Authors: Seleskog B , Lindqvist L , Wårdh I , Engström A , von Bültzingslöwen I
Published: April 2018

Objectives

Oral health in nursing homes for elderly is often unsatisfactory, and oral health education to nursing staff has not shown sufficient results why there is need for novel approaches. The aim of the study was to trial a new oral healthcare educational programme and to evaluate the effects on residents’ oral health. In addition, attitudes among the nursing staff in the intervention nursing home were explored.

Methods

In a controlled clinical trial, two comparable nursing homes were randomly assigned for intervention or control. Interventions included weekly theoretical and hands‐on guidance from dental hygienists on oral hygiene procedures and discussions on oral care routines. The residents’ oral health, measured by the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG), dental plaque and gingival bleeding were evaluated at baseline and after 3 months. Attitudes among the staff to oral health care were measured at the intervention nursing home.

Results

Revised Oral Assessment Guide gums and lips scores showed a tendency to decrease in the intervention group, but remained high in the control group. Plaque levels improved significantly after intervention, and a trend towards less gingival bleeding was observed. The intervention nursing staff seemed to be more aware of their own limitations concerning oral health care after intervention and valued more frequent contact with dental services to a greater extent.

Conclusions

The oral healthcare situation for elderly people today is so complex that theoretical education at the group level regarding different aspects of oral health is not sufficient. Individual hands‐on guidance by dental hygienists on a regular basis in everyday care may be a new approach.
Long‐term persistence with mirabegron in a real‐world clinical setting
Authors: Wada Naoki , Watanabe Masaki , Banjo Hiroko , Tsuchida Miyu , Hori Junichi , Tamaki Gaku , Azumi Makoto , Kita Masafumi , Kakizaki Hidehiro
Published: April 2018

Objectives

To examine the long‐term persistence rate with mirabegron in a real‐world clinical setting.

Methods

We retrospectively collected the data of patients who were prescribed mirabegron. We investigated the persistence rate and the reason for the discontinuation. The analysis included patient's age, diagnosis, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, prostatic volume, the prescription by specialists for lower urinary tract dysfunction, drug‐naïve patients, replacement of antimuscarinics or add‐on therapy to antimuscarinics.

Results

A total of 556 patients were included. Among them, 401 patients (72%) had overactive bladder and the other 155 (28%) were categorized as having other storage symptoms. During the observation period, 170 patients (42%) with overactive bladder discontinued mirabegron. The reasons for discontinuation in patients with overactive bladder included unmet expectation of treatment (45 patients, 26%), any adverse events (38 patients, 22%) or symptom improvement (37 patients, 22%). The persistence or discontinuation was not related with age, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, prostatic volume or the prescription by specialists, while older male patients tended to continue mirabegron. The 3‐year persistence rates in female and male overactive bladder patients were 46% and 51%, respectively, and these were better than those in patients with storage symptoms without urgency. In female overactive bladder patients, the persistence rate with mirabegron used as add‐on therapy to antimuscarinics was higher than that in the drug‐naïve patients on the Kaplan–Meier curve.

Conclusions

The present study shows a relatively good long‐term persistence rate with mirabegron in overactive bladder patients, notwithstanding the retrospective study in an academic hospital. The combined treatment with antimuscarinics could result in a good persistence rate with mirabegron.