bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Staying afloat
Authors: Branchik Blaine
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to recount the history of the marketing of the maritime passenger industry (known today as the cruise industry). This is a unique industry that has survived and thrived for almost 175 years despite dramatic environmental changes. This history focuses on passenger shipping in and out of the USA first from/to European ports, later focusing on cruises from the USA to the Caribbean, today’s most popular cruise destination.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study adapts the Hollanderet al.(2005) approach and incorporates primary data such as fare lists, advertisements and promotional materials, as well as secondary data from a variety of expert works and government reports.

Findings

– This study finds that the industry’s marketing history can be divided into six periods or phases: immigration and luxury (mid-nineteenth century to 1914); World War I (1914-1918); tourism, alcohol and luxury (1918-1939); World War II (1939-1946); jet age emergence (1946-1970); and cruising for all (1970 to the present day). Continuing industry growth; increasing focus on new geographic, and every-smaller demographic and psychographic markets; promotional emphasis on cuisine and activities; and positioning as a mass-consumed luxury are trends for the future.

Research limitations/implications

– Space constraints limit the information mostly to Europe-to-North America sailings of British and German transatlantic lines early in the paper, and to USA-to-Caribbean cruises in later phases.

Practical implications

– This study illustrates how an industry can completely reinvent all elements of its marketing strategy in response to changing social and technological forces. It adds to a growing body of industry marketing histories.

Originality/value

– Although much has been written about maritime history, no known work has examined the history of the marketing of the maritime passenger industry. It augments the growing body of industry-specific marketing histories.
Retail evolution
Authors: A. Ingene Charles
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to enhance students’ ability to use theory to assess facts logically and creatively. To achieve this end, the author explicates theevolution of retailingfrom its pre-industrial genesis to its Internet descendants in a historically based retail strategy class that investigates the determinants ofnewretail formats (major retail innovations– MRIs) over a > 200 year span. MRIs entail a major reconfiguration of the retail mix (i.e. price, product, place, promotion and personnel) , take significant business from existing formats that sell the same goods, generate greater benefits to customers than do rival formats and are widely imitated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author chronologically presents how the industrial revolution generated major environmental changes that facilitated a creative and highly effective re-organization of the retail mix.

Findings

– Changes in environmental factors (e.g. mass production, transportation, location of population and communication) made possible retail formats that could not have existed earlier.

Research limitations/implications

– The course is based on two theories that are linked by the retail mix; one theory relates to consumer store choice, while the other relates to the minimum market size required for a retail format to be viable. To illustrate, more personnel raises service, drawing customers from rivals while raising costs; higher costs raise the needed market size.

Originality/value

– All six MRIs are derived from the two aforementioned theories. Experience indicates these theories are valid for assessing retailing at all stages of economic development. The course is based on the authors own material.
The barriers of knowledge generation, storage, distribution and application that impede learning in gas and petroleum companies
Authors: Ranjbarfard Mina , Aghdasi Mohammad , López-Sáez Pedro , Emilio Navas López José
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to find and rank the barriers of the four knowledge management (KM) processes including generation, storage, distribution and application in the gas and petroleum sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– Reviewing the literature of KM and organizational learning, this paper extracted all of the barriers which impede KM processes. Then it designed a questionnaire for validating, ranking and categorizing barriers. Totally, 190 completed questionnaires were gathered from 26 gas and petroleum companies in Iran. Some statistical tests such asT, Friedman, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney were used for analyzing data.

Findings

– Findings reviewed the current literature of KM barriers, validated and ranked the barriers of knowledge generation, storage, distribution and application separately. The importance of knowledge generation and knowledge application barriers were significantly different between gas and petroleum companies. Hence they were disjointedly ranked for gas and petroleum. Finally, KM barriers were ranked according to their contribution to KM processes and the average mean of their importance in KM processes.

Practical implications

– From the practical point of view, this paper suggests managers of gas and petroleum companies to emphasize solving high-priority barriers according to the KM process which they are focused on. Furthermore, the study provides a checklist that can be used as an assessment tool for evaluating KM processes considering barriers.

Originality/value

– This paper finds the importance of each barrier for each of the four KM processes and ranks the “critical barriers” according to their contribution to four KM processes in the gas and petroleum sector.
Substructures of perceived knowledge quality and interactions with knowledge sharing and innovativeness: a sensemaking perspective
Authors: Kyoon Yoo Dong
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap by addressing the substructures of perceived knowledge quality (PKQ) drawn upon the theory of sensemaking. It also examines interactions of the substructures which, in turn, have differing impacts on innovativeness. Additionally, this study illustrates which PKQ substructure is most affected by knowledge sharing. PKQ has become imperative, not an option, for innovativeness in the environment characterized by knowledge overload. However, there is little research on PKQ due to its abundant, variable nature.

Design/methodology/approach

– The survey methodology was used to collect data. A total of 368 individuals in the USA participated in the study. The partial least squares analysis for structural equation modeling was used to test the research model.

Findings

– Perceived intrinsic knowledge quality is most affected by knowledge sharing, while knowledge sharing is a critical determinant of three PKQ substructures (i.e. perceived intrinsic, contextual and actionable knowledge quality). Perceived intrinsic knowledge quality, however, is inadequate by itself and should be transformed into perceived contextual, actionable knowledge quality to produce innovativeness.

Research limitations/implications

– This study addresses the shortfall of understanding the dynamics of PKQ’s substructures and unfolds theoretical links to knowledge sharing and innovativeness.

Practical implications

– This study offers valuable insights to managers who face ongoing challenges in sharing knowledge and improving knowledge quality, thereby leading their quality of knowledge into innovativeness.

Originality/value

– Despite growing recognition, few empirical studies on PKQ are present in the literature. This study contributes to understanding a holistic view of PKQ and its substructures with unique relationships by knowledge sharing and innovativeness.
Knowledge-centered culture and knowledge sharing: the moderator role of trust propensity
Authors: Ferreira Peralta Carlos , Francisca Saldanha Maria
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This research aims to evaluate if knowledge-centered culture (KCC) fosters knowledge sharing equally across employees with different levels of trust propensity, an enduring individual characteristic.

Design/methodology/approach

– A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted with 128 US-based employees.

Findings

– The authors found that KCC only promoted knowledge sharing in individuals with high levels of trust propensity. For individuals with low levels of trust propensity, KCC had no effect on knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors focused exclusively on trust propensity as a moderator. Future research could analyze the role of other enduring individual differences in the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing.

Practical implications

– A KCC may be inefficient in promoting knowledge sharing in employees with low propensity to trust. Recruitment and selection of individuals with a high propensity to trust is a possible solution to enhance the association between KCC and knowledge sharing in organizations.

Originality/value

– By identifying an enduring individual characteristic that shapes the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing, the authors move toward the development of a contingent view of KCC and show that KCC fosters knowledge sharing differently across employees.
Changing management history, gender moderating pay to job satisfaction for IS users
Authors: E. Maamari Bassem
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the impact of pay on job satisfaction. Moreover, it studies the changes in the structure of the work force, as well as in the way work is done, on the pay to job satisfaction relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– A confirmatory survey is conducted, and results are presented.

Findings

– The study suggests that gender is a variable affecting the relationship of pay to employees’ job satisfaction. It highlights the roles of education and training in user participation and system usage. The study investigates the current situation in Lebanese commercial banks.

Research limitations/implications

– The outcome of the study could have significant implications on managerial decision-making in the process of implementing novel technologies in banks. It also points to policy changes needed at the human resource management levels.

Practical implications

– The study findings suggest a needed change at the policy-making levels of corporate human resource management, as more and more employees are becoming extensive information system users on the job.

Social implications

– If the suggested practical implications are applied, the social implications derived therefrom will generate a social drift in attitude toward gender differentials.

Originality/value

– The paper is based on a large sample collection from the services sector, commercial banking in Lebanon. The quantitative survey results highlight a number of correlations and tests a suggested model. It puts forth a linear relationship between the different variables under consideration and suggests recommendations for practitioners.
A robust pricing of specific structured bonds with coupons
Authors: Evgenidis Anastasios , Siriopoulos Costas
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative model to evaluate the fair price of a subset of structured products for a hypothetical US structured bond.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors assume that interest rates dynamics are described by the Cox–Ingersoll–Ross process. They conduct robustness checks by stress testing against parameter and model uncertainty.

Findings

– The fair value of the bond is robust under any parameter or model misspecification. In addition, a change in the price seems to be more sensitive to long-term yields rather than short-or mid-term yields. The authors provide a better understanding of the relationship between bond prices and business cycles: a slight change in the current structure would have a significant effect on the bond price only during economic expansions.

Social implications

– The recent global financial crisis has led policymakers and the financial press to blame financial innovation through accusations of structured products being highly complex. Much of the criticism is based on the fact that investors were not able to properly price and fully understand the risks of their investments. Regulators should ensure proper pricing of these products to protect both the investors and the system. Fair pricing is important for bond issuers, governments or corporations to design their product at an attractive price for investors.

Originality/value

– This paper fills a gap in the extant literature by providing an innovative model based on an Euler–Maruyama Monte Carlo scheme to price structured products.
Fundamental indexation for bond markets
Authors: de Jong Marielle , Wu Hongwen
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to build alternative indices weighing using a measure of fundamental value rather than debt size. The official bond indices built to reflect general price trends are market weighted, meaning that the bonds are weighted by their debt size. The more indebted, the more weight in the index, which mechanically increments the investment risks that are inherent. Those market indices are shown to be return-to-risk inefficient in recent studies compared to indices with alternative weighting schemes. The authors contribute to this growing literature, which mostly focuses on equities, by testing on bonds.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors build alternative indices weighing using a measure of fundamental value rather than debt size. The authors have done this for sovereign bonds using gross domestic product (GDP) figures and for corporates taking sales revenues.

Findings

– The authors find in empirical tests that the fundamental indices build tend to outperform the market-weighted indices.

Originality/value

– This article builds on two articles by Arnott et al. (2005, 2010), in the Financial Analysts Journal and Journal of Portfolio Management, respectively, and adds value in the sense that – it takes an appreciation-free fundamental measure, – tests on the European as opposed to the US bond markets.
Operational drivers affecting credit risk of mutual guarantee institutions
Authors: Gai Lorenzo , Ielasi Federica
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the drivers influencing the risk of default on mutual guaranteed loans. The authors aim to verify whether default is influenced by the specific business policies of mutual guarantee institutions (MGIs) and to recommend guidelines for directing their operating management.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors analyse the guaranteed portfolios of 19 Italian MGIs and investigate the determinants of the defaulted positions at the end of June 2011. The sample consists of 167,777 guaranteed loans, of which 11,349 are in default. Using regression models, we identify the variables related to the business model of MGIs that are significantly associated with default on their positions.

Findings

– The defaulted positions of MGIs are significantly correlated with the type of issued guarantees. This condition should be considered in defining product and price policies.

Practical implications

– The authors identify some critical issues in the risk-taking processes of MGIs. The tested hypothesis highlights the opportunities for the optimisation of guaranteed loan portfolios, which is necessary for reducing the profitability/liquidity pressures of these financial institutions and enhancing their efficiency as instruments for mitigating the effects of credit rationing and promoting the revitalisation of small-and medium-sized enterprises.

Originality/value

– The results are based on an original and reserved dataset, which is not available in public financial statements or public statistics, but is collected directly from the MGIs that are part of the study.
Measuring corporate sustainability: a Thai approach
Authors: Kantabutra Sooksan
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to measure the Thai approach of corporate sustainability. In the corporate world, the Thai philosophy of Sufficiency Economy can be applied to ensure corporate sustainability. Derived from the literature, a structural model expressing relationships between six independent variables of Sufficiency Economy indicators and three dependent variables of sustainability performance outcomes is formed accordingly, followed by hypotheses to be tested.

Design/methodology/approach

– The model is tested through a random sample of 294 chief executive officers (CEOs) in Thailand who were asked to respond to a questionnaire. Factor and regression analyses are adopted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– Findings indicate that “perseverance” and “resilience” are two direct predictors of three sustainability outcomes of the firm’s enhanced capacity to deliver strong performance, endure social and economic crises and deliver public benefits. “Geosocial development” is a direct predictor of firm’s enhanced capacity to deliver public benefits and an indirect predictor of firm’s enhanced capacity to deliver strong performance and to endure social and economic crises. “Moderation” is an indirect predictor of the firm’s capacity to endure social and economic crises, while “sharing” is an indirect predictor of all three sustainability performance outcomes.

Practical implications

– Small- and medium-sized enterprises business leaders should develop a “perseverance” culture in their organizations and practice “resilience” to enhance their corporate sustainability prospect. Moreover, they should adopt “geosocial development”, “moderation” and “sharing” practices in their organizations, as these practices positively affect corporate sustainability performance directly or indirectly.

Originality/value

– This study is among the first few studies that identify corporate sustainability performance predictors.
Analysis of the profitability of the Spanish business sector with investment presence in China
Authors: Marin-Anglada Quico , Campa-Planas Fernando , Beatriz Hernandez-Lara Ana
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This article aims to compare the average profitability by sector for companies that have invested in China during 2008-2011, with the average profitability for Spanish firms from the same sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– Analysis done through Analysis System of Iberian Balances (SABI) database.

Findings

– The results show that companies that invest in China gain economic rewards that are greater than those that do not invest in China, with the most profitable sectors comparatively being the metallurgy and the wholesale trade.

Originality/value

– We have not found previous analysis in this way.
Adapting the high performance organization framework to the Thai context
Authors: A. de Waal Andre , Goedegebuure Robert , Tan Akaraborworn Chiraprapha
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is evaluate whether the high performance organization (HPO) framework can satisfy the recent urgent request of Thai business leaders to create a unique organization which is better able to deal with unpredictable circumstances and increased competition. To establish the suitability of the HPO Framework it first has to be made sure that this framework is applicable to the Thai business context as previous research has shown that management techniques originating from the Western world cannot be indiscriminately transferred into non-Western contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

– During several workshops and seminars in Bangkok, participants were asked to complete the HPO questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using a second-order confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate whether the data on the 35 items in the HPO framework group into the five independent factors: continuous improvement, openness and action orientation, management quality, workforce quality and long-term orientation.

Findings

– The data yielded, with a high reliability, four of the five HPO factors as present in the original HPO framework. The dropped items were either confounded with other factors or items that may be another dimension in the data or a sub-dimension of other factors. The long-term orientation factor was dropped, as the accompanying items did not unidimensionally measure this construct. This did not mean that long-term orientation (LTO) is not relevant in the Thai context; there simply were no items included that measured LTO properly in the Thai context.

Research implications

– The HPO framework proved to be a validated and valuable technique for Thai organizations to improve in a sustainable way. Further research should focus on testing the HPO framework in practice by implementing the framework in Thai organizations and then tracking the performance of these organizations over time. In this way, it can be evaluated if the advantages experienced by organizations while applying the HPO framework can also be enjoyed by Thai organizations.

Originality/value

– This is the first research into the validity of the HPO framework in the specific Thai context.
Moving towards agility: the contribution of a modified balanced scorecard system
Authors: Gurd Bruce , Ifandoudas Panayiotis
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how agility as a central focus of an organization can be achieved through a modified balanced scorecard (BSC) system.

Design/methodology/approach

– An action research approach in a single organization is used to investigate the practicality and usefulness of an agility-focused BSC.

Findings

– While the theory of constraints (TOC)-based approach was improving agility, it is too short-term. Using a BSC, based on agility principles, staff in the organization had their direction focused on drivers of important strategic issues and enabled a more agile environment.

Practical implications

– Managers using the TOC have a way forward to use the TOC system, but build a performance measurement system that leads to agility and more sustained competitive advantage.

Originality/value

– The role of a BSC in enabling agility in an environment using TOC has not been previously investigated.
Stock repurchase effect with loan or idle fund
Authors: Chieh Liang Wei , Chun Tsao Yao , Kuei Chen Wen , Chau Tseng Hsing , Jian Yu Ke
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to integrate Modigliani-Miller (MM) theory and stock repurchases strategy to procure a practical concept for capital decision.

Design/methodology/approach

– No-arbitrage proof model deduction was used in this study. The authors consider corporate tax and funding sources as two crucial factors drawn in the model. The paper derives some propositions by trichotomy property and keeps the key assumptions of MM Capital Structure Theory.

Findings

– There are two different effects on firm's value through stock repurchases. The positive effect occurs on firm's value through stock repurchases with loan fund. And the negative impact exists on firm's value through stock repurchases with idle fund.

Research limitations/implications

– Notably, in the real world there are three limitations with such an arbitrage transaction (Stulz, 2000). The first one is the default risk, and the second one is transaction costs and the last one is the perfect credit market assumption. In the near future, the authors suggest it would be interesting to involve the interest rate factor and contingent tax variable into our model.

Originality/value

– On the basis of no arbitrage opportunity, this paper considers both trichotomy property and MM theory. It proves the share repurchase strategy should be financed by borrowing fund. In contrast, share repurchase should not be executed with idle fund because of opportunity cost.
The long jump
Authors: Martínez-del-Rio Javier , Pérez-Valls Miguel
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to help Ibero-American researchers identify the key challenges and benefits of moving to an Anglo-Saxon university for a period in their careers.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a review of the insights provided by a number of prominent Ibero-American scholars based on the main experiences they have encountered.

Findings

– The paper analyzes three situations: a research visit, searching for a long-term position in North America (NA) and pursuing a PhD program in NA. The paper introduces some principles to succeed in these situations.

Originality/value

– The paper defines different strategies to take full advantage of a professional stage in an Anglo-Saxon/US university.
Culture in small-sized Portuguese family businesses
Authors: Casimiro Mafalda , José Chambel Maria
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to empirically identify cultural patterns in the family business: paternalistic,laissez-faire, participative and professional. Our second goal is to understand whether, besides the variable generation, there are other aspects that are based on the different cultural patterns in first and second generations. Dyer (1986) proposed a theoretical model to exploit cultural change in the family business, describing a typical temporal sequence of cultural patterns throughout the succession process.

Design/methodology/approach

– We selected a qualitative research approach with multiple case studies. Six small-sized Portuguese family businesses were selected. Data were collected from in-depth and semi-structured interviews with the family leaders and those directly responsible for human resource management.

Findings

– We empirically identified paternalistic,laissez-faireand participative cultural patterns. We also verified that, besides the generation, there are other factors that are at the root of the emergence of a cultural pattern within family businesses: the founder’s age and academic level and the presence of a human resource technician, in the case of businesses managed by founders and the presence of the founder in the case of businesses managed by second generation.

Originality/value

– By identifying different cultural patterns, we were able to verify that culture is an important variable to explain the relationship between the members of the family businesses and the way they are managed. Furthermore, this study suggests that more complex models, which consider multiple variables, are required to understand culture in the context of family businesses.
Celtic literature and mythology reference sources: a general review
Authors: K. Miller Lisa
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This bibliography explores reference sources related to Celtic literature and mythology.

Design/methodology/approach

– This article provides an overview of and commentary on the available resources in the subjects of Celtic literature and mythology, focusing on those that are most valuable.

Findings

– Students, historians and genealogy researchers have all demonstrated a strong interest in the field of Celtic studies, especially the areas pertaining to Celtic literature and Celtic mythology. Surveying and providing access to resources on these topics is necessary to effective research in these subjects.

Originality/value

– Resources on Celtic studies are particularly useful for researchers – the sheer number of descendants of Celtic people currently in America ensures that this topic will continue to be relevant for those studying history and genealogy.
Fatal Fentanyl Patch Misuse in a Hospitalized Patient with a Postmortem Increase in Fentanyl Blood Concentration
Authors: Moore Philip W. , Palmer Robert B. , Donovan Joseph Ward
Published: July 2014

Opioid‐related mortality happens, even in healthcare settings. We describe serial postmortem fentanyl blood concentrations in a hospital inpatient who fatally abused transdermal fentanyl. This is a single‐patient case report. A 42‐year‐old man with lymphoma was started on transdermal fentanyl therapy while hospitalized for chronic abdominal pain. The patient was last seen awake 1.3 h prior to being found apneic and cyanotic. During the resuscitation attempt, a small square‐shaped film was removed from the patient's oropharynx. Femoral blood was collected 0.5 and 2 h postmortem, and the measured fentanyl concentration increased from 1.6 to 14 ng/mL. Study limitations include potential laboratory or collection errors and missing data. (i) Providers must be vigilant for signs of fentanyl patch abuse. (ii) Postmortem blood concentrations are not static postmortem, likely secondary to decreasing pH, increased aqueous solubility, and tissue redistribution, and are therefore unlikely to accurately represent antemortem blood concentrations.
Optimization of Homogenization–Evaporation Process for Lycopene Nanoemulsion Production and Its Beverage Applications
Authors: Kim Sang Oh , Ha Thi Van Anh , Choi Young Jin , Ko Sanghoon
Published: July 2014

Lycopene is a natural antioxidant which has several health benefits. Undesirable oxidation of lycopene compromises its health benefits and also affects the sensory quality of food products containing lycopene. Health benefits associated with lycopene in food preparations can be enhanced by preventing its degradation by incorporating it into the oil phase of an oil‐in‐water nanoemulsion. In this study, lycopene nanoemulsions were prepared from a low‐concentration lycopene extract using an emulsification–evaporation technique. The effects of the concentrations of the lycopene extract (0.015 to 0.085 mg/mL) and emulsifier (0.3 to 0.7 mg/mL), and the number of homogenization cycles (2 to 4) on the droplet size, emulsification efficiency (EE), and nanoemulsion stability were investigated and optimized by statistical analysis using a Box‐Behnken design. Regression analysis was used to determine the 2nd‐order polynomial model relationship of independent and dependent variables, with multiple regression coefficients (R2) of 0.924, 0.933, and 0.872, for the droplet size, EE, and nanoemulsion stability, respectively. Analysis of variance showed that the lycopene extract concentration has the most significant effect on all the response variables. Response surface methodology predicted that a formulation containing 0.085 mg/mL of lycopene extract and 0.7 mg/mL of emulsifier, subjected to 3 homogenization cycles, is optimal for achieving the smallest droplet size, greatest emulsion stability, and acceptable EE. The observed responses were in agreement with the predicted values of the optimized formulation. This study provided important information about the statistical design of lycopene nanoemulsion preparation.
Halotolerance and Survival Kinetics of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Jalapeño Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fermentation
Authors: González‐Quijano Génesis Karendash , Dorantes‐Alvarez Lidia , Hernández‐Sánchez Humberto , Jaramillo‐Flores María Eugenia , de Jesús Perea‐Flores María , Vera‐Ponce de León Arturo , Hernández‐Rodríguez César
Published: July 2014

The microbiota associated with spontaneous fermentation of vegetables in a saline substrate may represent an important group of bacteria in the food industry. In this work, the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) Weissella cibaria, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paraplantarum, and Leuconostoc citreum were identified by partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. In addition, entophytic bacteria such as Pantoea eucalypti, Pantoea anthophila, Enterobacter cowanii, and Enterobacter asburiae were detected, but they were irrelevant for the fermentation process and were inhibited after 12 h of fermentation when the pH decreased from 6.5 to 4.9. Moreover, 2 species of yeast were isolated and identified as Hanseniaspora pseudoguilliermondii and Kodamaea ohmeri by their partial 26S rRNA gene sequence. The growth of LAB was evaluated at different sodium chloride contents. L. citreum was the most halotolerant species followed by L. plantarum and W. cibaria with a concentration index to obtain a 50% population reduction (IC50) of 7.2%, 6.6%, and 5.2%, respectively. Furthermore, the growth of LAB and Escherichia coli O157:H7 was evaluated in the presence of the main phenylpropanoids from chilli peppers such as p‐coumaric and ferulic acid. It was determined that LAB can grow in both acids at 4 mM, unlike E. coli O157:H7, whose growth is inhibited in the presence of these acids.
Effects of Frozen Storage on Survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterotoxin Production in Precooked Tuna Meat
Authors: Wu Xulei , Su Yi‐Cheng
Published: July 2014

This study investigated the survival of Staphylococcus aureus in precooked tuna meat for producing canned products during frozen storage (−20 ± 2 °C) as well as its growth and enterotoxin production at 35 to 37 °C after the storage. Samples (50 ± 5 g) of precooked albacore (loin, chunk, and flake) and skipjack (chunk and flake) tuna were inoculated with 5 enterotoxin‐producing strains of S. aureus at a level of approximately 3.5 log CFU/g and individually packed in a vacuum bag after 3 h incubation at 35 to 37 °C. Vacuum‐packed samples were stored in a freezer (−20 ± 2 °C) for 4 wk. The frozen samples were then thawed in 37 °C circulating water for 2 h and incubated at 35 to 37 °C for 22 h. Populations of S. aureus in all precooked tuna samples decreased slightly (<0.7 log CFU/g) after 4 wk of storage at −20 ± 2 °C, but increased rapidly once the samples were thawed and held at 35 to 37 °C. Total S. aureus counts in albacore and skipjack samples increased by greater than 3 log CFU/g after 6 and 8 h of exposure to 35 to 37 °C, respectively. All samples became spoiled after 10 h of exposure to 35 to 37 °C, while no enterotoxin was detected in any samples. However, enterotoxins were detected in albacore loin and other samples after 12 and 24 h of incubation at 35 to 37 °C, respectively. Frozen precooked tuna meat should be used for producing canned tuna within 6 to 8 h of thawing to avoid product spoilage and potential enterotoxin production by S. aureus in contaminated precooked tuna meat.
Pathological manifestation of difference in washout pattern of adrenal hyperplasia on dynamic CT
Authors: Nishie Akihiro , Asayama Yoshiki , Ishigami Kousei , Kakihara Daisuke , Nakayama Tomohiro , Ushijima Yasuhiro , Takayama Yukihisa , Yokomizo Akira , Tatsugami Katsunori , Inokuchi Junichi , Fujita Nobuhiro , Kubo Yuichiro , Aishima Shinichi , Hirakawa Masakazu , Honda Hiroshi
Published: July 2014

Introduction

The relationship between the washout pattern and constituent cell in adrenal hyperplasia (AH) has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the radiological or pathological factors determining the washout pattern of AH on dynamic CT.

Methods

Ten patients with 14 surgically proven AHs were enrolled. Dynamic CT was scanned before (pre‐contrast image) and 60 seconds (early phase) and 240 seconds (delayed phase) after administration of iodine contrast. The absolute percentage washout (APW) of each nodular lesion was calculated using the following formula: APW(%) = (TAearly‐TAdelay)/(TAearly‐TApre) × 100, when TApre, TAearly and TAdelay were defined as tumour attenuation values of pre‐contrast, early and delayed phases, respectively. Pathologically, the clear cell ratio (CCR) constituting each nodular lesion was qualitatively assessed. Regression analysis was performed to evaluate a correlation between each pair of CCR, TApre, (TAearly‐TAdelay) and APW.

Results

There was a significant correlation between each pair of CCR, TApre and APW. CCR decreased as TApre increased (r = 0.81, P < 0.001). APW increased as CCR decreased (r = 0.80, P < 0.001) or as TApre increased (r = 0.74, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The key factors of washout pattern of AH on dynamic CT were CCR and TApre. The difference in constituent cell was associated with variability in APW of AH.
Adolescent Alcohol Abuse and Adverse Adult Outcomes: Evaluating Confounds with Drinking‐Discordant Twins
Authors: Rose Richard J. , Winter Torsten , Viken Richard J. , Kaprio Jaakko
Published: July 2014

Background

Adolescent alcohol abuse is associated with adverse outcomes in early adulthood, but differences in familial status and structure and household and community environments correlate with both adolescent drinking and adverse adult outcomes and may explain their association. We studied drinking‐discordant twin pairs to evaluate such confounds to ask: Will between‐family associations replicate in within‐family comparisons?

Methods

With longitudinal data from >3,000 Finnish twins, we associated drinking problems at age 18½ with 13 outcomes assessed at age 25; included were sustained substance abuse, poor health, physical symptoms, early coital debut, multiple sexual partners, life dissatisfaction, truncated education, and financial problems. We assessed associations among twins as individuals with linear regression adjusted for correlated observations; within‐family analyses of discordant twin pairs followed, comparing paired means for adult outcomes among co‐twins discordant for adolescent problem drinking. Defining discordance by extreme scores on self‐reported problem drinking at age 18½ permitted parallel analyses of twins as individuals and discordant twin pairs. Alternate definitions of pair‐wise discordance and difference score correlations across the entire twin sample yielded supplementary analyses.

Results

All individual associations were highly significant for all definitions of discordance we employed. Depending on definitions of discordance, 11 to 13 comparisons of all drinking‐discordant twin pairs and 3 to 6 comparisons of discordant monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs replicated between‐family associations. For most outcomes, effect size attenuated from individual‐level analysis to that within discordant MZ twin pairs providing evidence of partial confounding in associations reported in earlier research. The exception was the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ); at age 25, GHQ‐12 had equivalent associations with age 18½ Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index across all comparisons.

Conclusions

Our analyses control for shared family background, and, partly or fully, for shared genes, to yield within‐family replications and more compelling evidence than previously available that adolescent alcohol abuse disrupts transitions into early adulthood.
On the Cornea of Healthy Merino Sheep: A Detailed Ex Vivo Confocal, Histological and Ultrastructural Study
Authors: Cafaro T. A. , Suarez M. F. , Maldonado C. , Croxatto J. O. , Insfrán C. , Urrets‐Zavalía J. A. , Serra H. M.
Published: July 2014

Our study performed qualitative and quantitative studies on the corneal ultrastructure of healthy female Merino sheep of ages 4 months and 6 years old from the Argentinean Pampa. The corneas were evaluated using ex vivo laser‐scanning confocal microscopy, light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Those studies allowed us to obtain detailed images of the corneal layers as well as quantitative data of the cellular and sub‐basal nerve densities in the cornea from sheep of different ages. The density of the corneal cells was significantly different in the anterior versus the posterior epithelium and stroma. Moreover, the density of the epithelial, stromal cells and endothelial cells, as well as the sub‐basal nerve density were significantly lower in adult than in young animals. Our work provided a wide‐ranging description of the corneal ultrastructure of healthy female Merino sheep, which adds to the current knowledge about the ophthalmological aspects of this species and undoubtedly benefits veterinarians.
Sudden Paradoxical QT‐Interval Prolongation Exacerbating T‐Wave Alternans in a Patient with Type 3 Long QT Syndrome
Authors: Takasugi Nobuhiro , Goto Hiroko , Kuwahara Takashi , Verrier Richard L.
Published: July 2014

We report a case with type 3 congenital long QT syndrome, who exhibited a sudden paradoxical QT‐interval prolongation during a progressive increase in heart rate, which exacerbated T‐wave alternans.
Metabolomic analysis of breath volatile organic compounds reveals unique breathprints in children with inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study
Authors: Patel N. , Alkhouri N. , Eng K. , Cikach F. , Mahajan L. , Yan C. , Grove D. , Rome E. S. , Lopez R. , Dweik R. A.
Published: July 2014

Background

Breath testing is becoming an important diagnostic method to evaluate many disease states. In the light of rising healthcare costs, is important to develop a simple non‐invasive tool to potentially identify paediatric patients who need endoscopy for suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Aim

To analyse exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and investigate the presence of a unique breath patterns to differentiate paediatric patients with (IBD) from healthy controls.

Methods

A cross‐sectional, single‐centre study included paediatric IBD patients and healthy controls (age range, 5–21 years). The diagnosis of IBD was confirmed by endoscopic, histological and radiographic data. Exhaled breath was collected and analysed using a selective ion flow tube mass spectroscopy (SIFT‐MS) to identify new markers or patterns of IBD.

Results

One hundred and seventeen patients (62 with IBD and 55 healthy controls) were included in the study. Linear discriminant analysis and principle component analysis of mass scanning ion peak data demonstrated 21 pre‐selected VOCs correctly classify patients with IBD or as healthy controls; P < 0.0001. Multivariable logistic regression analysis further showed three specific VOCs (1‐octene, 1‐decene, (E)‐2‐nonene) had excellent accuracy for predicting the presence of IBD with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93–0.99). No significant difference in VOCs was found between patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, and no significant correlation was seen with disease activity.

Conclusion

These pilot data support the hypothesis that a unique breathprint potentially exists for paediatric IBD in the exhaled metabolome.
Polycystic ovary syndrome and anti‐Müllerian hormone: role of insulin resistance, androgens, obesity and gonadotrophins
Authors: Cassar Samantha , Teede Helena J. , Moran Lisa J. , Joham Anju E. , Harrison Cheryce L. , Strauss Boyd J. , Stepto Nigel K.
Published: July 2014

Objective

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder associated with insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, obesity, altered gonadotrophin release and anovulatory infertility. Anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) has been proposed as a marker of ovarian function and fertility. Across a cohort of lean and overweight women with and without PCOS, we investigated the association of AMH with insulin resistance and body composition using gold standard measures. A secondary aim was to examine whether AMH was useful to determine PCOS status.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Patients

A total of 22 lean and 21 overweight women with PCOS and 19 lean and 16 overweight non‐PCOS healthy controls were recruited. PCOS was diagnosed based on the Rotterdam criteria.

Measurements

Euglycaemic‐hyperinsulinaemic clamp for assessing insulin resistance, dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry and computed tomography for assessing adiposity, and blood sampling for the assessment of androgens, gonadotrophins and AMH.

Results

Anti‐Müllerian hormone levels were increased in women with PCOS (P <0·001) regardless of adiposity, with this increase associated with testosterone (P <0·001) rather than insulin resistance (P = 0·79), adiposity (P = 0·98) or gonadotrophins. In assessing the ability of AMH to predict PCOS, a value of 30 pmol/l or higher indicated 79% of women with PCOS were correctly identified as having the condition.

Conclusion

Anti‐Müllerian hormone appears primarily related to androgen status suggesting a direct and predominant role of androgens in the pathophysiology of reproductive dysfunction in PCOS. As AMH reflects PCOS status, it may also be useful in PCOS diagnosis.
Sampling phylogenetic tree space with the generalized Gibbs sampler
Authors: Keith Jonathan M.
Published: July 2014

A recent article published in Cladistics is critical of a number of heuristic methods for phylogenetic inference based on parsimony scores. One of my papers is among those criticized, and I would appreciate the opportunity to make a public response. The specific criticism is that I have re‐invented an algorithm for economizing parsimony calculations on trees that differ by a subtree pruning and regrafting (SPR) rearrangement. This criticism is justified, and I apologize for incorrectly claiming originality for my presentation of this algorithm. However, I would like to clarify the intent of my paper, if I can do so without detracting from the sincerity of my apology. My paper is not about that algorithm, nor even primarily about parsimony. Rather, it is about a novel strategy for Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in a state space consisting of trees. The sampler involves drawing from conditional distributions over sets of trees: a Gibbs‐like strategy that had not previously been used to sample tree‐space. I would like to see this technique incorporated into MCMC samplers for phylogenetics, as it may have advantages over commonly used Metropolis‐like strategies. I have recently used it to sample phylogenies of a biological invasion, and I am finding many applications for it in agent‐based Bayesian ecological modelling. It is thus my contention that my 2005 paper retains substantial value.
Increase of homogenous new bone formation using osteoinductive factor rhGDF‐5 during sinus floor augmentation in Goettingen Minipigs
Authors: Brockmeyer Phillipp , Lange Katharina , Hahn Wolfram , Schliephake Henning , Matthias Gruber Rudolf
Published: July 2014

Objectives

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that recombinant human growth and differentiation factor‐5 (rhGDF‐5) induces an increased and homogenous distribution of new bone formation across the entire volume of sinus floor augmentation in 12 Goettingen Minipigs.

Material and Methods

In a randomized split‐mouth design, one maxillary sinus was augmented with the bone substitute β‐TCP, whereas a combination of β‐TCP and the osteoinductive growth factor rhGDF‐5 was used on the contralateral side. To evaluate the influence of dose and time on the effectiveness of the factor, two different concentrations of rhGDF‐5 (400 μg and 800 μg) and healing periods (4 and 12 weeks) were each analysed.

Results

After 4 weeks, a homogenous gradient of bone formation could be observed for all dosage groups, with decreasing bone density from the local bone towards the sinus membrane. Both test groups, however, achieved a higher total level of bone formation compared with the control group, which was only significant in the low‐dose group (P = 0.0184). After 12 weeks, the influence of the growth factor significantly depends on the region (P = 0.023). In the low‐dose group, the new bone formation did not differ significantly within the examined regions of the graft (P = 0.1118), suggesting a homogeneous bone formation over the entire augmentation. The gradient of the high‐dose group was similar to the control group with a decrease of local bone development.

Conclusions

rhGDF‐5 delivered on a β‐TCP scaffold material leads to an increase in homogeneous new bone formation across the entire volume of the sinus floor augmentation.