bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The strategic role of financial slack on alliance formation
Authors: Bizzi Lorenzo
Published: March 2017

Purpose

While previous research has developed unclear positions about the role of organizational resources on alliance formation, the purpose of this paper is to focus on financial slack resources to clarify the conditions that facilitate the formation of strategic alliances. Building on the behavioral theory of the firm, this paper theorizes that internal and external financial slack resources, measured as cash holdings and financial leverage, incentivize managers to form alliances, because they protect them against the risk of alliance failure.

Design/methodology/approach

Complete data were collected from 400 biotech public companies for the period from 2000 to 2015. The data set considered alliances among over 2,200 public and private companies. Hypothesis testing relied on generalized estimating equations.

Findings

Cash holdings positively impact alliance formation; financial leverage negatively impacts alliance formation; cash holdings and financial leverage interact in the prediction of alliance formation.

Research limitations/implications

While research in financial slack resources shows equivocal results, this study illustrates that they exercise a significant effect when it comes to the choice of forming strategic alliances. Limitations include the focus on multiple forms of alliances, possible restrictions in the external validity of the findings, and a lack of measurement of explanatory mechanisms.

Practical implications

Findings help managers understand the financial conditions in which they should choose to form or avoid alliances; findings help managers select alliance partners.

Originality/value

The study contributes by proposing a new outlook on alliances; identifying financial resources as alliance predictors when previous research focused on intangible resources; offering new insights into the often equivocal outcomes of financial slack; building an uncharted bridge between the finance and alliance literatures.
Confucian ethics perspective
Authors: Chang Christina Ling-hsing
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the information ethics (IE) of students appear to improve more through adoption of the technology mediated learning (TML) platform rather than face-to-face (FTF) approach. In addition, it shows the pattern changes in each scenario resulting from the ethics training and analyses them from the Confucian ethics perspective, indicating that researchers should consider this aspect in future models.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed non-parametric methods to test the outcome of the “information ethics course” of two kinds of training platforms. FTF training: 193 students; TML training: 185 students.

Findings

The TML platform produces a more significant improvement in the students’ respect for rules, privacy, accessibility, and intellectual property (IP) cognition, rather than the FTF method. Based on the findings, two propositions (eight sub-propositions) are formulated and revised two sub-propositions.

Research limitations/implications

However, this study has a few limitations that can be enhanced by further research in the future: first, the data were only collected from one university (National Pingtung University), thus, the external validity is not satisfactory for all Chinese context students. Second, it is necessary to collect both of scenario-based and qualitative data from different cultural context students (such as Mainland China, the USA, Europe, Arabia, etc.) and then compare their results, thereby making further contributions to the current study. Third, the study was intentionally used as the measure of progress in ethical understanding without highlighting the difference between intentionality and actual behavior.

Originality/value

Teachers should draw upon the principles of Ren, Yi, and Li, from the Confucian ethics perspective to encourage students to respect the IE for Chinese context students. In addition, emphasis should be placed on the ability of students to build their information ethics cognition through the cognitive information processing learning methods, which can enhance the “accessibility,” “accuracy,” “privacy,” and “IP” cognition of Chinese students in both the FTF and TML platform learning process. This will help to reduce students’ unethical behavior as they advance in their future careers.
Definition, sampling and results in business angels’ research: toward a consensus
Authors: Argerich Jaume , Cruz-Cázares Claudio
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The lack of a standard definition and data sources makes it hard to compare findings and advance our knowledge in the business angel’s domain. The purpose of this paper is to tackle this problem by presenting a proposal of a potential definition of business angels that it based on ten issues identified in 30 years of business angels’ research.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews 24 studies on business angels and classifies definition inconsistencies found in ten different issues. Those differences are compared with methodological choices on sampling and with subsequent results.

Findings

The authors observe a connection between definitional and sampling choices, and the results obtained. Inconsistent definitions can lead to results that are more than 400 times higher in terms of investment per project, for example.

Research limitations/implications

The authors believe that the main implication of proposing a standard definition of business angles could help the academia in decreasing the great observed diversity which is actually leading to inconsistent and incomparable results that limit our understanding of this phenomenon.

Originality/value

This paper differs from previous studies as it tackles the problem by identifying the definitional issues and presents a framework in order to build a consensus definition, rather than just comparing definitions.
An examination of the curvilinear relationship between workplace ostracism and knowledge hoarding
Authors: Zhao Hongdan , Xia Qing
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the curvilinear relationship between workplace ostracism (supervisor ostracism and co-worker ostracism) and knowledge hoarding by using the conservation of resources theory. In addition, the paper predicts one possible situational context (political skill) that may influence employees’ reaction to ostracism.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a two-wave research design, the authors collected data from 240 samples in a Chinese diversified company. Hierarchical regression models were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The authors found that the relationship between workplace ostracism (supervisor ostracism and co-worker ostracism) and knowledge hoarding was U-shaped. Moreover, political skill moderated the linkage between workplace ostracism and knowledge hoarding such that the U-shaped association was stronger for people higher, rather than lower, in political skill.

Originality/value

By exploring a curvilinear relationship between ostracism and knowledge hoarding, the study enriches the knowledge hoarding literature by adding a substantive predictor of knowledge hoarding. The findings can also extend the workplace ostracism literature by providing a new conceptual analysis of interpreting the inconsistent findings involving the influence of workplace ostracism. Moreover, identifying political skill as a moderator can gain a better understanding of when and why an ostracized employee’s knowledge hoarding behavior can be less likely.
Taxation in a mixed economy: the case of China
Authors: Sinclair Davidson , Li Larry
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Chinese firms’ ownership structure is related to their effective tax rate. The People’s Republic of China provides an interesting environment to examine the corporate income tax. Government has significant ownership stakes in the for-profit economy and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are liable to the corporate income tax. This is very different to most other economies where SOE tends to dominate the not-for-profit economy and pays no corporate income tax. Government ownership also varies between the central government and local government in addition to state asset management bureaus. This provides a rich institutional background to examining the corporate income tax.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel data analysis approach is used to examine relationship between ownership structure and effective tax rates of all public firms in China from 1999 to 2009.

Findings

The authors report that effective tax rates do appear to vary across the ownership types, but that SOEs pay a statistically higher effective tax rate than to non-state-owned. In addition, local government owned SOE pay higher effective tax rates than central government and SAMB owned SOE. The authors also investigate Zimmerman’s (1983) political cost hypothesis. Unfortunately, these results are econometrically fragile with the statistical significance of those results varying by empirical technique.

Originality/value

This paper provides insight into government ownership and taxation in China.
Elevated serum MFG‐E8 level is possibly associated with the presence of high‐intensity cerebral lesions on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Kishi Chikako , Motegi Sei‐ichiro , Ishikawa Osamu
Published: March 2017

Human milk fat globule‐EGF factor 8 (MFG‐E8), also known as lactadherin, is a secreted glycoprotein that plays essential roles in the clearance of apoptotic cells and angiogenesis. It has been reported that serum MFG‐E8 levels are higher in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients compared with in healthy controls; however, a previous study reported no correlation between serum MFG‐E8 levels and SLE disease activity. The objective of this study was to assess serum MFG‐E8 levels and their clinical associations in patients with SLE. Serum MFG‐E8 levels in 49 Japanese patients with SLE, eight with cutaneous LE, and 28 healthy controls were examined. Serum MFG‐E8 levels in SLE patients were significantly higher than those in cutaneous LE patients and healthy individuals. In addition, serum MFG‐E8 levels were positively correlated with the SLE Disease Activity Index score, which reflects the disease activity of SLE. Notably, the frequency of the presence of high‐intensity cerebral lesions on MRI in the SLE patients with elevated serum MFG‐E8 levels was significantly higher than that in SLE patients with normal serum MFG‐E8 levels. These findings suggest that elevated serum MFG‐E8 levels may be associated with cerebrovascular diseases or neuropsychiatric SLE in patients with SLE, and that the measurement of serum MFG‐E8 levels in SLE patients is useful for risk stratification of cerebrovascular disease or cerebrovascular disease‐related neuropsychiatric SLE.
Relapsing polychondritis associated with psoriasis vulgaris successfully treated with adalimumab: A case report with published work review
Authors: Matsuo Haruka , Asahina Akihiko , Fukuda Takeshi , Umezawa Yoshinori , Nakagawa Hidemi
Published: March 2017

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune‐mediated disease characterized by inflammation involving cartilaginous tissues. We report here a case of RP in a 38‐year‐old Japanese man with 13‐year duration of psoriasis vulgaris treated with topical steroids and vitamin D3. The patient presented with tender swelling and erythema of both auricles, and the antibody to type II collagen was detected. The biopsy specimen revealed a dense mixed cell infiltration over the auricular cartilage. We reviewed eight cases with the association of RP and psoriasis, and in all cases the clinical course of psoriasis did not correlate with that of RP. The severity of RP was mild in the majority of cases, and our case was unique in that the patient had no joint symptoms. Adalimumab treatment was effective for both RP and psoriasis. Fat‐suppressed contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was beneficial, not only to demonstrate subclinical inflammation in the nasal septum, but also to subjectively assess the improvement of RP.
Plant functional traits and environmental conditions shape community assembly and ecosystem functioning during restoration
Authors: Zirbel Chad R. , Bassett Tyler , Grman Emily , Brudvig Lars A.
Published: March 2017

Recovering biological diversity and ecosystem functioning are primary objectives of ecological restoration, yet these outcomes are often unpredictable. Assessments based on functional traits may help with interpreting variability in both community composition and ecosystem functioning because of their mechanistic and generalizable nature. This promise remains poorly realized, however, because tests linking environmental conditions, functional traits, and ecosystem functioning in restoration are rare.

Here, we provide such a test through what is to our knowledge the first empirical application of the ‘response–effect trait framework’ to restoration. This framework provides a trait‐based bridge between community assembly and ecosystem functioning by describing how species respond to environmental conditions based on traits and how the traits of species affect ecosystem functioning.

Our study took place across 29 prairies restored from former agricultural fields in southwestern Michigan. We considered how environmental conditions affect ecosystem functioning through and independently of measured functional traits. To do so, we paired field‐collected trait data with data on plant community composition and measures of ecosystem functioning and used structural equation modelling to determine relationships between environmental conditions, community‐weighted means of functional traits and ecosystem functioning.

Environmental conditions were predictive of trait composition. Sites restored directly from tillage (as opposed to those allowed to fallow) supported taller species with larger seeds and higher specific leaf area (SLA). Site age and fire frequency were both negatively related to SLA. We also found a positive relationship between soil moisture and SLA.

Both trait composition and environmental conditions predicted ecosystem functioning, but these relationships varied among the measured functions. Pollination mode (animal pollination) increased and fire frequency decreased floral resource availability, seed mass had a negative effect on below‐ground biomass production, and vegetative height increased decomposition rate. Soil moisture and fire frequency both increased while site age decreased above‐ground biomass production, and site age and soil moisture both increased decomposition rate.

Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that both trait composition and environmental conditions play a role in shaping ecosystem function during restoration, and the importance of each is dependent on the function of interest. Because of this, environmental heterogeneity will be necessary to promote multiple ecosystem functions across restored landscapes. A trait‐based approach to restoration can aid interpretation of variable outcomes through insights into community assembly and ecosystem functioning.
Beyond Health Insurance: Remaining Disparities in US Health Care in the Post‐ACA Era
Authors: SOMMERS BENJAMIN D. , McMURTRY CAITLIN L. , BLENDON ROBERT J. , BENSON JOHN M. , SAYDE JUSTIN M.
Published: March 2017

Policy Points:

In a national survey of approximately 8,000 adults in 2015, we found large income‐ and race‐based disparities in perceived health care quality, affordability, and use of emergency departments.

Lack of health insurance is one factor that contributes to worse health care experiences among lower‐income Americans and racial/ethnic minorities, but it only explains a small to moderate portion of these disparities.

While the Affordable Care Act has led to significant improvements in health care access and affordability, large gaps remain. Repeal of the law would undo much of this progress, but even if the law remains in effect, policymakers need to address other social determinants that contribute to ongoing income‐ and race‐based disparities in health care.

Context

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has reduced the US uninsured rate to a historic low. But coverage is only one of many factors contributing to race‐ and income‐based disparities in health care access, affordability, and quality.

Methods

Using a novel 2015 national survey of more than 8,000 Americans, we examined disparities between low‐income and high‐income adults and between racial/ethnic minorities and whites. We conducted a series of regression analyses, starting with models that only took into account income or race, and then sequentially adjusted for health insurance, state of residence, demographics, and health status. We examined self‐reported quality of care, cost‐related delays in care, and emergency department (ED) use due to lack of available appointments. Then we used multivariate regression to assess respondents’ views of whether quality and affordability had improved over the past 2 years and whether the ACA was helping them.

Findings

Quality of care ratings were significantly worse among lower‐income adults than higher‐income adults. Only 10%‐25% of this gap was explained by health insurance coverage. Cost‐related delays in care and ED use due to lack of available appointments were nearly twice as common in the lowest‐income group, and less than 40% of these disparities was explained by insurance. There were significant racial/ethnic gaps: reported quality of care was worse among blacks and Latinos than whites, with 16%‐70% explained by insurance. In contrast to these disparities, lower‐income and minority groups were generally more likely than whites or higher‐income adults to say that the ACA was helping them and that the quality and/or affordability of care had improved in recent years.

Conclusions

Our post–health reform survey shows ongoing stark income and racial disparities in the health care experiences of Americans. While the ACA has narrowed these gaps, insurance expansion alone will not be enough to achieve health care equity.
Information Blocking: Is It Occurring and What Policy Strategies Can Address It?
Authors: ADLER‐MILSTEIN JULIA , PFEIFER ERIC
Published: March 2017

Policy Points:

Congress has expressed concern about electronic health record (EHR) vendors and health care providers knowingly interfering with the electronic exchange of patient health information. These “information blocking” practices would privately benefit vendors and providers but limit the societal quality and efficiency benefits from EHR adoption.

We found that information blocking is reported to frequently occur among EHR vendors as well as hospitals and health systems, and that it is perceived to be motivated by opportunities for revenue gain.

Because information blocking is largely legal today, the most effective policy response likely involves a combination of direct enforcement and the altering of market conditions that promote information blocking.

Context

Congress has raised concerns about providers and electronic health record (EHR) vendors knowingly engaging in business practices that interfere with electronic health information exchange (HIE). Such “information blocking” is presumed to occur because providers and vendors reap financial benefits, but these practices harm public good and substantially limit the value to be gained from EHR adoption. Crafting a policy response has been difficult because, beyond anecdotes, there is no data that captures the extent of information blocking.

Methods

We conducted a national survey of leaders of HIE efforts who work to enable HIE across provider organizations. We asked them about the frequency of information blocking, its specific forms, and the effectiveness of various policy strategies to address it. We received responses from 60 individuals (57% response rate). We calculated descriptive statistics across responses.

Findings

Half of respondents reported that EHR vendors routinely engage in information blocking, and 25% of respondents reported that hospitals and health systems routinely do so. Among EHR vendors, the most common form of information blocking was deploying products with limited interoperability. Among hospitals and health systems, the most common form was coercing providers to adopt particular EHR or HIE technology. Increasing transparency of EHR vendor business practices and product performance, stronger financial incentives for providers to share information, and making information blocking illegal were perceived as the most effective policy remedies.

Conclusions

Information blocking appears to be real and fairly widespread. Policymakers have some existing levers that can be used to curb information blocking and help information flow to where it is needed to improve patient care. However, because information blocking is largely legal today, a strong response will involve new legislation and associated enforcement actions.
Value‐Based Physician Payment in Oncology: Public and Private Insurer Initiatives
Authors: ROBINSON JAMES C.
Published: March 2017

Policy Points:

Public and private insurers are implementing payment mechanisms to improve coordination and reduce the cost of drug, hospital, and ancillary services for cancer patients. Some target unnecessary hospitalization, while others create incentives for prescribing lower‐cost chemotherapies and biologics.

Physician payment methods in oncology require a balance between incentives for cost control and incentives for patient access to expensive specialty drugs.

None of the initiatives adopt bundled methods out of concern for shifting excessive financial risk onto physicians in the context of rapid pharmaceutical innovation.

Context

High‐value oncology requires physicians to monitor and coordinate all aspects of care, educate and engage their patients, and adopt cost‐effective drug treatments. However, oncology practices in the United States traditionally have been reimbursed based on the number of office visits performed and through cost‐plus margins from prescription of expensive drugs. Public and private payers now are experimenting with methods of payment that include monthly care management fees, annual bonuses, and incentives for conservative choice among alternative drug regimens.

Methods

This paper uses case study methods to examine oncology payment initiatives at Medicare, Anthem, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest public and private health insurance plans.

Findings

The 4 insurers supplement traditional fee‐for‐service payment with payment methods designed to promote coordination of care and conservative use of health care resources. Medicare, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare reward oncology practices that reduce per‐patient spending, targeting unnecessary patient visits to emergency departments and hospitals. Anthem offers monthly payments to practices that adhere to lower‐cost drug treatment pathways; Aetna increases the percentage markup on low‐cost generic chemotherapies but not on high‐cost biologics; and UnitedHealthcare removes the linkage between physician payment and spending on office‐infused drugs. As a condition for receiving the new payments, each of the initiatives requires participating practices to report and, in some cases, improve performance on quality metrics. None of the initiatives bundles payment for oncology drugs together with payment for other oncology services, out of concern for shifting financial risk onto physicians and creating access barriers for patients.

Conclusions

The emerging “value‐based” methods of oncology payment supplement fee‐for‐service and cost‐based reimbursements with per‐month and per‐episode payments, but none of the payers bundle spending on cancer drugs with payments for other services. Payers recognize that bundled payment could create access barriers for patients and undermine innovation in effective but expensive new pharmaceuticals.
Angiotensin converting enzyme‐inhibitory activity and antimicrobial effect of fermented camel milk (Camelus dromedarius)
Authors: Alhaj Omar A , Metwalli Ali A , Ismail Elsayed A , Ali Hatem S , Al‐Khalifa Abdulrahman S , Kanekanian Ara D
Published: March 2017

This study aimed to determine the angiotensin converting enzyme‐inhibitory activity and antimicrobial effect of fermented camel milk. Samples were prepared either using Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilus or Lactobacillus helveticus and Str. thermophilus and labelled as S1 and S2, respectively. The IC50 values of S1 and S2 samples ranged between 113–200 and 70–133 μg/mL, respectively. The antimicrobial effects of S1 and S2 samples against Bacillus cereus, Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus were apparent after 12 h of incubation and continued until 15 days of storage, whereas unfermented camel milk exhibited no antimicrobial effects against any of the tested pathogens.
Mindfulness and job performance: a study of Australian leaders
Authors: King Elizabeth , Haar Jarrod M
Published: March 2017

Mindfulness relates to being aware of the present reality and living in the moment, and, while linked to well‐being, it has only recently been tested on specific leader samples. Despite attention, the links between mindfulness and job performance are scarce, with the performance of leaders especially so. The present study tests self‐reported mindfulness from 84 Australian leaders towards two forms of leadership performance as rated by their immediate manager. Using structural equation modelling, we find mindfulness is positively related to leadership self‐mastery and leadership organizational‐transformation. The best fit for the data was a full mediation model: mindfulness predicting leadership self‐mastery, predicting leadership organizational‐transformation. Furthermore, we tested for the moderating effects of tenure duration and found that mindfulness was especially beneficial for leadership self‐mastery at low tenure duration. Findings suggest that leadership performance may ultimately be enhanced by having leaders who are more mindful and present at work.
Effects of dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease: Meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials using unadjusted data
Authors: Yang Man , Wang Ling , Gu Lijie , Yuan Weijie
Published: March 2017

Background

Three meta‐analyses recently evaluated the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)‐4 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the combination of adjusted and unadjusted data in these meta‐analyses may be questionable. The present study performed a meta‐analysis of the effects of DPP‐4 inhibitors in T2D patients with moderate to severe CKD using unadjusted data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods

The PubMed, Embase (via Ovid), and Cochrane Central databases were searched for papers regarding the effects of DPP‐4 inhibitors in CKD patients published before 1 August 2016. Data were independently extracted by two authors. A pooled analysis of unadjusted data was performed using random‐effects models.

Results

Twelve studies representing 10 RCTs were included in the present analysis. Comparing mean HbA1c change between placebo and treatment, DPP‐4 inhibitors significantly improved HbA1c levels at 12 weeks (mean difference [MD] –0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] –0.54, −0.29), but improvements in HbA1c were seen only in dialysis patients at 24 weeks (MD –0.52; 95% CI –0.72, –0.32)*. Improvements in HbA1c were equivalent between DPP‐4 inhibitors and sulfonylureas at 52 or 54 weeks. There were no significant differences in the incidence of severe or any hypoglycemic events between DPP‐4 inhibitors and control (placebo or sulfonylureas) at 12, 24, and 52 or 54 weeks. However, DPP‐4 inhibitors induced fewer symptomatic hypoglycemic events compared with sulfonylureas at 52 or 54 weeks. *[Correction added on 30 October 2017, after first online publication: The value ‘0.32’ has been corrected to ‘−0.32’.]

Conclusions

The present analysis shows that DPP‐4 inhibitors are effective and comparable with sulfonylureas in T2D patients with moderate to severe CKD.
Intertwining phylogenetic trees and networks
Authors: Schliep Klaus , Potts Alastair J. , Morrison David A. , Grimm Guido W.
Published: March 2017

The fields of phylogenetic tree and network inference have dramatically advanced in the past decade, but independently with few attempts to bridge them.

Here we provide a framework, implemented in the phangorn library in R, to transfer information between trees and networks.

This includes: (i) identifying and labelling equivalent tree branches and network edges, (ii) transferring tree branch support to network edges, and (iii) mapping bipartition support from a sample of trees (e.g. from bootstrapping or Bayesian inference) onto network edges.

The ability to readily combine tree and network information should lead to more comprehensive evolutionary comparisons and inferences.
The Right to the World
Authors: Nevins Joseph
Published: March 2017

The global number of refugees, asylum seekers, and those displaced within their countries are at record levels in the post‐World War II era. Meanwhile, efforts by relatively wealthy and powerful nation‐states to exclude unwanted migrants through enhanced territorial control have reached unprecedented heights, producing great harm–most notably premature death–for many. The factors driving out‐migration from homelands made unviable, coupled with multiple forms of violence experienced by migrants, demonstrate the need for an expansion of rights–conceived of as both entitlements and sites of struggle. So, herein, I assert the need for “the right to the world”–specifically a right to mobility and a just share of the Earth's resources–to help realize the promise of a dignified life for all. In making the case for such, the article offers a critical analysis of the contemporary human rights regime and of the “right to the city”.
Efficacy and safety of nivolumab in Japanese patients with advanced or recurrent squamous non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Hida Toyoaki , Nishio Makoto , Nogami Naoyuki , Ohe Yuichiro , Nokihara Hiroshi , Sakai Hiroshi , Satouchi Miyako , Nakagawa Kazuhiko , Takenoyama Mitsuhiro , Isobe Hiroshi , Fujita Shiro , Tanaka Hiroshi , Minato Koichi , Takahashi Toshiaki , Maemondo Makoto , Takeda Koji , Saka Hideo , Goto Koichi , Atagi Shinji , Hirashima Tomonori , Sumiyoshi Naoki , Tamura Tomohide
Published: March 2017

Limited treatment options are available for stage IIIB/IV non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nivolumab, a programmed cell death‐1 immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody, has been shown to be effective for the treatment of NSCLC. The present study investigated the effectiveness and safety of nivolumab in Japanese patients with advanced or recurrent squamous NSCLC that progressed after platinum‐containing chemotherapy. In this multicenter phase II study, patients were treated with nivolumab (3 mg/kg, i.v.) every 2 weeks until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity was seen. Primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) assessed by independent radiology review committee (IRC) and secondary endpoints included a study site‐assessed ORR, overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), duration of response, time to response, best overall response (BOR), and safety. The study included 35 patients from 17 sites in Japan. Patients had IRC‐assessed ORR of 25.7% (95% CI 14.2, 42.1) and the study site‐assessed ORR was 20.0% (95% CI 10.0, 35.9). Median OS, median time to response and median PFS were 16.3 (95% CI 12.4–25.4), 2.7 (range 1.2–5.5) and 4.2 (95% CI 1.4–7.1) months, respectively. The IRC‐assessed BOR was partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease for 25.7%, 28.6%, and 45.7% of patients, respectively. Treatment‐related adverse events were reported in 24 patients (68.6%), most of which resolved with appropriate treatment including steroid therapy or ‎discontinuation of nivolumab. Nivolumab was effective and well tolerated in Japanese patients with advanced or recurrent squamous NSCLC that progressed after platinum‐containing chemotherapy. Clinical trial registration number: JapicCTI‐132072
Phase 1 study of OCV‐C02, a peptide vaccine consisting of two peptide epitopes for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: Taniguchi Hiroya , Iwasa Satoru , Yamazaki Kentaro , Yoshino Takayuki , Kiryu Chika , Naka Yoshiharu , Liew Ei Leen , Sakata Yuh
Published: March 2017

OCV‐C02 is a peptide vaccine consisting of two peptide epitopes derived from ring finger protein 43 (RNF43) and translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 34 (TOMM34). This Phase 1 study assessed the safety, preliminary efficacy and immunological responses following OCV‐C02 administration in patients with advanced or relapsed colorectal cancer who were intolerant or refractory to standard chemotherapy. Primary endpoint was any occurrence of dose‐limiting toxicity (DLT) during cycle 1. Secondary endpoints were treatment‐emergent adverse events, efficacy and immunological responses. Efficacy was evaluated based on overall response rate, disease control rate, time to treatment failure and overall survival. Immunological responses were evaluated by measuring CTL, delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Twenty‐four patients who were HLA‐A*24:02‐positive were enrolled and grouped into four cohorts of six patients each: cohorts 1, 2, 3, and 4 which received s.c. OCV‐C02 (emulsifying agent: Montanide™ ISA 51 VG) 0.3, 1, 3, and 6 mg/body, respectively. After cycle 1, patients who were eligible and willing to continue vaccination proceeded to the extended treatment period. No DLT occurred in cycle 1 and no major safety problems were reported throughout the trial. One patient in cohort 2, three patients in cohort 3 and two patients in cohort 4 achieved stable disease. CTL and DTH responses following vaccination were also observed across the four cohorts. OCV‐C02 at 0.3 to 6 mg/body was found to be safe and well tolerated. Trial registrations: JAPIC clinical trials registry (ID: JapicCTI‐132075) and ClinicalTrials.Gov (ID: NCT01801930).
Overall survival of first‐line axitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Japanese subgroup analysis from phase II study
Authors: Oya Mototsugu , Tomita Yoshihiko , Fukasawa Satoshi , Shinohara Nobuo , Habuchi Tomonori , Rini Brian I. , Fujii Yosuke , Kamei Yoichi , Umeyama Yoshiko , Bair Angel H. , Uemura Hirotsugu
Published: March 2017

Subgroup analyses of a randomized global phase II study of axitinib showed objective response rate of 66% and median progression‐free survival of 27.6 months in treatment‐naïve Japanese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This analysis evaluated overall survival (OS) and safety in 44 Japanese patients and compared the results with 169 non‐Japanese patients. In addition, baseline characteristics for predictive factors that may influence OS in first‐line metastatic RCC were explored in all patients using a Cox proportional hazard model. With median follow‐up of 33 months, fewer than half (16 of 44) of the Japanese patients had died and median OS was not reached (95% confidence interval [CI], 38.8 months–not estimable), whereas 107 of 169 (63%) non‐Japanese patients had died and median OS was 33.9 months (95% CI, 28.9–42.7). Estimated 1‐year, 2‐year and 3‐year survival probability (95% CI) was 86.4% (76.2–96.5), 75.0% (62.2–87.8) and 68.2% (54.4–81.9), respectively, in Japanese patients, and was higher than that in non‐Japanese patients (75.1% [68.4–81.8], 62.1% [54.5–69.7] and 47.2% [39.3–55.1], respectively). The updated safety analysis did not reveal any new adverse events of concern among Japanese or non‐Japanese patients. The multivariate analysis identified that lower baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, lower baseline tumor burden, and longer time from histopathological diagnosis to treatment were significant positive predictors of OS. The current analysis confirmed the clinical activity of axitinib in treatment‐naïve Japanese patients with metastatic RCC, with an acceptable toxicity profile.
Locus on chromosome 16 is significantly associated with increased tendency to lose pups in females of the RR/Sgn inbred mouse strain
Authors: Suto Jun‐ichi
Published: March 2017

Females of the inbred mouse strain RR/Sgn have an apparent tendency to lose pups during rearing. To identify genes underlying this abnormal maternal phenotype, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping in 349 (C57BL/6 J × RR/Sgn) F1 × RR/Sgn backcross mice and identified one significant and one suggestive QTL on chromosomes 16 and 4, respectively. We assigned the gene symbol nurturing ability QTL 3 (Naq3) to the QTL on chromosome 16. Twenty of the 21 mothers who lost entire litters were homozygous for RR/Sgn allele at Naq3; i.e., the significant association of Naq3 with pup loss was further confirmed by binomial tests. We tentatively propose that Mapk1, Kalrn, and Vps8 are potential candidate genes for Naq3.
Cutaneous dermal non‐neural granular cell tumor is a granular cell dermal root sheath fibroma
Authors: Fernandez‐Flores Angel , Cassarino David S. , Riveiro‐Falkenbach Erica , Rodriguez‐Peralto José Luis , Fernandez‐Figueras Maria Teresa , Monteagudo Carlos
Published: March 2017

Dermal non‐neural granular cell tumor (NNGCT) was first described in 1991 as an S100‐negative polypoid non‐melanocytic tumor. Although originally introduced in the literature as a primary cutaneous tumor, it was later emphasized that such qualification could not be held until the line of differentiation was clarified. It was also demonstrated that not all cases were polypoid. In the current study we try to further characterize this entity by presenting 5 cases of NNGCT. As expected, not all of them were polypoid. The ages of the patients varied from 10 to 43 (mean age 22). They all were composed of S100‐negative granular cells with variable atypia and mitotic figures. None of them recurred in follow‐up of up to 12 years (mean 8.2 years). We found evidence of folliculocentricity in 4 cases (in 1 case, this feature could not be investigated because the biopsy was a small shave specimen), that is, tumors were always surrounding, embedding, or following a hair follicle. In some occasions, such features were better demonstrated by immunohistochemistry against the arrector pili muscle. Our cases showed intense immunoexpression of CD10 and CD68. We conclude that NNGCT is morphologically related to the hair follicle and we believe that it is a granular cell dermal root sheath fibroma.
A Narrative Analysis of the Political Economy Shaping Policy on Child Undernutrition in India
Authors: Nisbett Nicholas
Published: March 2017

This article examines two narratives on the subject of child undernutrition in India espoused by competing sides of the policy elite. It argues that undertaking narrative policy analysis in a structured fashion helps to elucidate a clearer sense of the underlying positions within this important area of development discourse. India's high rates of child undernutrition have become a battleground of positions on the country's growth trajectory, revealing of the wider assumptions, ideologies and manifestations of power of the various actors espousing particular positions. Recent debates have brought into focus not only the contestation of various causalities and remedies, but also the politics of measurement, data and their interpretation. The results of this analysis are relevant elsewhere in their illumination of the politically public nature of technocratic debates on nutrition and the way in which this public discourse extends beyond the immediate topic to wider ideological divisions and assumptions on growth, equity and recent history.
Multiple aneurysmatic involvement of sinus of Valsalva
Authors: Guner Ahmet , Celik Mehmet , Kahyaoglu Muzaffer , Candan Ozkan , Havan Nuri , Ak Adnan , Karaman Ozge , Hakgor Aykun , Onal Cagatay , Gecmen Cetin
Published: March 2017

Forty‐five‐year‐old male patient presented with chest pain and dyspnea lasting for three weeks. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated a huge right sinus of Valsalva aneurysm. Contrast‐enhanced cardiac computed tomography was performed and revealed three large unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms.
Effects of short‐term N addition on plant biomass allocation and C and N pools of the Sibiraea angustata scrub ecosystem
Authors: Wang D. , He H. L. , Gao Q. , Zhao C. Z. , Zhao W. Q. , Yin C. Y. , Chen X. L. , Ma Z. L. , Li D. D. , Sun D. D. , Cheng X. Y. , Liu Q.
Published: March 2017

To explain the effects of short‐term N addition on plant biomass allocation and on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools in an alpine scrub ecosystem, we carried out a field experiment in Sibiraea angustata scrubland on the eastern margin of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau of China. After one and a half years of N addition at four rates (N0, control; N20, 20; N50, 50; N100, 100 kg N ha−1 year−1), we investigated the amount and allocation of biomass and the C and N pools in several parts of the ecosystem, including shrubs (leaves, shoots and branches, coarse roots and fine roots), grass (above‐ and below‐ground) and litter (wood and leaf debris) components, and seven depth intervals within the soil (0–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–50, 50–70 and 70–100 cm). The results were as follows: (i) total vegetation biomass showed a linear increase with the increase in N (P < 0.05), mainly from the increased root biomass in both shrubs and grasses, (ii) the ecosystem C and N storage were 36 and 3.26 kg m−2, respectively, of which the shrub, grass, litter and soil components contributed 11.08, 0.47, 0.25 and 88%, respectively, to the C pool and 3.07, 0.16, 0.08 and 97%, respectively, to the N pool, (iii) the ecosystem N pool did not change in response to the addition of N, whereas the ecosystem C pool responded linearly to increasing N (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the alpine scrub ecosystem functions as a net C sink under increasing atmospheric N deposition, mainly by promoting belowground C sequestration.

Highlights

Effects of short‐term N addition on biomass allocation and C and N pools in alpine scrub.

Response to N addition in C pool of components of the ecosystem and soil at depth (0–100 cm).

Root:shoot ratio of vegetation and ecosystem C pool increased linearly with increasing N.

Alpine scrub ecosystem may function as a net C sink under increasing atmospheric N deposition.
Effects of warming on predator–prey interactions – a resource‐based approach and a theoretical synthesis
Authors: Uszko Wojciech , Diehl Sebastian , Englund Göran , Amarasekare Priyanga
Published: March 2017

We theoretically explore consequences of warming for predator–prey dynamics, broadening previous approaches in three ways: we include beyond‐optimal temperatures, predators may have a type III functional response, and prey carrying capacity depends on explicitly modelled resources. Several robust patterns arise. The relationship between prey carrying capacity and temperature can range from near‐independence to monotonically declining/increasing to hump‐shaped. Predators persist in a U‐shaped region in resource supply (=enrichment)‐temperature space. Type II responses yield stable persistence in a U‐shaped band inside this region, giving way to limit cycles with enrichment at all temperatures. In contrast, type III responses convey stability at intermediate temperatures and confine cycles to low and high temperatures. Warming‐induced state shifts can be predicted from system trajectories crossing stability and persistence boundaries in enrichment‐temperature space. Results of earlier studies with more restricted assumptions map onto this graph as special cases. Our approach thus provides a unifying framework for understanding warming effects on trophic dynamics.
CO‐CREATING CHARACTERS WITH EMPATHY: FONTANE'S UNWIEDERBRINGLICH
Authors: Taylor Nadine
Published: March 2017

This article focuses on how readers create characters in their imagination by drawing both on the information provided by the text and on their own emotional reactions to the story. Building on the theory of the ‘New Reader’, as well as drawing from other disciplines such as cognitive science, the effect of textual elements on the reader is examined. A reading of Fontane's Unwiederbringlich, a novel that tells the story of two spouses who fail to bridge the gulf that opens between them, exemplifies this approach. Christine and Holk increasingly fail to understand and relate to one another with empathy, while readers are trying to comprehend, alongside them, who these characters are, why they act the way they do, and how to feel about both. The novel plays with our expectations and sympathies, subtly recreating in its readers the emotions felt by its main characters. If readers remain aware of their own process of characterisation as well as their emotional responses, they can maintain empathy with both characters instead of being drawn into identifying with only one of them. This leads to a much richer and more nuanced reading of Unwiederbringlich.

Dieser Artikel untersucht, wie Leser, mithilfe der Informationen des Textes und ihren eigenen emotionalen Reaktionen darauf, fiktionale Charaktere zum Leben erwecken. Der Effekt verschiedener Textelemente wird analysiert, aufbauend auf der ‘New Reader’ Theorie sowie den Erkenntnissen anderer Disziplinen wie der Psychologie. Theodor Fontanes Roman Unwiederbringlich, in welchem ein Ehepaar versucht, wieder zueinander zu finden, veranschaulicht diese Herangehensweise. Christine und Holk fällt es zunehmend schwer, einander zu verstehen und miteinander zu fühlen, während die Leser, genau wie die Protagonisten selbst, versuchen zu begreifen, wer diese Charaktere sind, was ihre Handlungen motiviert und was sie als Leser darüber denken und fühlen. Der Roman spielt mit unseren Erwartungen und Sympathien; die Emotionen der Charaktere werden geschickt in der Leseerfahrung gespiegelt. Wenn es den Lesern gelingt, sich ihres eigenen kognitiven sowie emotionalen Charakterisierungsprozesses bewusst zu werden, können sie sich beiden Hauptfiguren empathisch nähern, anstatt sich mit nur einer von ihnen zu identifizieren. Dieser Ansatz eröffnet eine reichere und differenziertere Leseerfahrung von Unwiederbringlich.