bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of subinhibitory concentrations of tigecycline and ciprofloxacin on the expression of biofilm-associated genes and biofilm structure of Staphylococcus epidermidis
Authors: Szczuka Ewa , Jabłońska Lucyna , Kaznowski Adam
Published: May 2017

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a leading cause of foreign body-associated infections. This is related to the bacterium's ability to form biofilms on synthetic materials. Bacteria within a biofilm may be exposed to subinhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antibiotics because of an agent's limited penetration into the biofilm core. Here, we investigated the effect of sub-MICs of tigecycline and ciprofloxacin on the expression of biofilm-associated genes, i.e. icaA, altE and sigB, and the biofilm structure of five clinical isolates of S. epidermidis. For most tested isolates, the expression of these genes increased after exposure to 0.25 MIC and 0.5 MIC tigecycline. A slight decrease in icaAmRNA levels was observed only in two isolates in the presence of 0.25 MIC tigecycline. The effect of ciprofloxacin exposure was isolate-dependent. At 0.5 MIC, ciprofloxacin induced an increase of sigB and icaAmRNA levels in three of the five tested isolates. At the same time, expression of the altE gene increased in all isolates (from 1.3-fold to 42-fold, depending on the strain). Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis indicated that sub-MIC ciprofloxacin decreased biofilm formation, whereas tigecycline stimulated this process. Our data suggest that sub-MIC tigecycline may have bearing on the outcome of infections.
Malthusian Catastrophe: Species Extinction Caused by Oversized Population
Authors: Pan Xubin
Published: May 2017

There is one pseudo-extinction debt and four occurring conditions for real extinction debt. Since small and oversized populations have a high extinction risk, Pan threshold (upper limit) was calculated for Verhulst-Pear “logistic” growth model and logistic model with the Allee effect, an important parameter corresponding to Allee threshold (lower limit).
An expanded value of college GPA in recruitment? As related to US organizations
Authors: Lyons Paul , Bandura Randall
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to offer a viewpoint that grade point average (GPA) does more than generally predict success on the job; it also helps predict whether a recruit or employee has a tendency to engage in voluntary, helpful behavior in the service of co-workers and the organization. If GPA helps predict both job success or performance, and one’s predisposition to freely offer helpful behavior in the work environment, then the GPA metric has increased value.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of recent and past research demonstrates that voluntary, helpful behavior on the job, adjunct to competent performance of required tasks, results in desirable consequences for the organization, co-workers and the employee. A summary of key points of several studies and some details of a recent study makes clear the link between GPA and helpful behavior.

Findings

Supervisor ratings and two brief surveys have been found to correlate positively and significantly with voluntary, helpful employee behavior. The same surveys also correlate positively and significantly with collegiate GPA.

Originality/value

The combination of metrics identified in this paper is rarely studied or used. The surveys, in particular, may assist recruiters and managers to identify employee value across a broad spectrum of performance.
Innovative partnerships resulting from high-skilled emigration
Authors: Briggs Kristie
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether emigration of high-skilled labor creates a positive effect in the home country by generating multi-country joint patent relationships between home and destination country-pairs.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel of data that uniquely captures the country of origin of patent applicants is used to assess if and how high-skilled emigration contributes to the prevalence of multi-country joint patents in a country. The analysis is conducted both in aggregate and across sub-samples based on the per capita income level of the home country. Finally, the role of absorptive capacity as a control variable is robustly considered.

Findings

Results suggest that emigration of high-skilled labor positively impacts the prevalence of multi-country joint patent ownership when emigration originates from middle- and high-income countries. Support for such “brain gain” via knowledge sharing in innovation is absent when high-skilled labor emigrates from low-income countries.

Originality/value

The analysis highlights a specific avenue by which the home country benefits from high-skilled emigration. It also provides comparative analysis across home countries of different income levels, which can provide insight into the external validity of papers using high-income country samples of innovative performance when assessing knowledge spillovers.
An owner-driven reconstruction in Bihar
Authors: Vahanvati Mittul , Beza Beau
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify “key processes” during the owner-driven reconstruction (ODR) process by implementing agencies, to enhance the long-term disaster-resilience of housing and community.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods methodology and “case-study” approach is adopted to compare good practice reconstruction projects in India in the past 15 years. This paper discusses findings from investigations conducted in two settlements of Bihar – Orlaha and Puraini, after major flooding in 2008. The sites were visited during 2012 and 2014.

Findings

One of the key processes that lead to the success of the ODR process in terms of its effect on the long-term disaster-resilience in Bihar is community mobilisation it functions primarily as an information and communication device promoting the success (or otherwise) of the reconstruction project.

Originality/value

The findings are based on empirical evidence gathered during in-field investigations and interviews to post-disaster reconstructed villages. While these findings represent a snapshot of diverse and complex disaster experiences in the Indian context, the comparison offers insight on how to turn the rhetoric surrounding “owner-driven” or “built back better” into positive long-term community outcomes.
An empirical test of the balanced theory of port competitiveness
Authors: Hales Douglas N. , Chang Y.T. , Lam Jasmine Siu Lee , Desplebin Olivier , Dholakia Nikhilesh , Al-Wugayan Adel
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test a new theory called the balanced theory of port competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from multiple respondents in 72 of the largest container ports. The instrument was translated into English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and French. The data were collected through online and paper-based surveys. The data were analyzed using analytical hierarchy process.

Findings

The theory was shown to explain the behavior of port stakeholders in improving competitiveness by balancing the need to attract new customers with that of attracting new investors when making decisions, which can often be contradictory. The analysis showed significant effects for the five variables of volume competitiveness (VC) and the five variables of investment competitiveness.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited in that it only tested the balanced theory on the largest container ports. The decisions by port managers may differ at smaller ports or those that do not handle containers.

Practical implications

Port stakeholders now have a ten-variable model of the factors needed to attract new customers and investors. These variables, and their tradeoffs, can evaluate the impact of managerial decisions on port competitiveness.

Originality/value

This study informs the literature by being the first to test a new theory that explains a greater level of port stakeholder behavior when improving competitiveness. Prior to this study, VC and investor competitiveness had only been studied separately, although they were related in practice.
Assessment of logistics service quality using the Kano model in a logistics-triadic relationship
Authors: Sohn Jea-Il , Woo Su-Han , Kim Taek-Won
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate logistics service quality using the Kano’s service quality model in the logistics-triadic context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study undertakes a survey research in semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) industry. Logistics service quality is categorized using Kano’s classification and a comparison is made of the perception of three sample groups who are SME firms, semiconductor manufacturers (SMs) and third-party logistics (TPL) providers.

Findings

Several attributes of logistics service quality are evaluated as “Must-be” quality which does not contribute to customer satisfaction, indicating existence of the non-linear relationship between some logistics service quality attributes and customers’ satisfaction. The group comparison reveals that TPL firms perceive most quality attributes as “Attractive” and “One-dimensional” whereas SMs and SME firms perceive more attributes as “Must-be.”

Research limitations/implications

Logistics service quality elements should not be used in the same way assuming the same effect of logistics service elements on customer satisfaction. It should be also noted that logistics service quality attributes have different effect on satisfaction according to the positions in the logistics triad.

Practical implications

This paper provides SME firms with useful information on how to manage their logistics service quality to improve customer satisfaction. SME firms and TPL providers need to arrange a collaborative format where logistics service quality is regularly monitored and three members discuss solutions to improve their quality performance.

Originality/value

This study is a rare empirical investigation to actually assess and compare perception on logistics service quality among the entities in a logistics triad. This study applies the Kano model to the triadic relationship in logistics service provision, which may be the first attempt to the authors’ best knowledge.
Detecting disturbances in supply chains: the case of capacity constraints
Authors: Shukla Vinaya , Naim Mohamed
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The ability to detect disturbances quickly as they arise in a supply chain helps to manage them efficiently and effectively. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of automatically and therefore quickly detecting a specific disturbance, which is constrained capacity at a supply chain echelon.

Design/methodology/approach

Different supply chain echelons of a simulated four echelon supply chain were individually capacity constrained to assess their impacts on the profiles of system variables, and to develop a signature that related the profiles to the echelon location of the capacity constraint. A review of disturbance detection techniques across various domains formed the basis for considering the signature-based technique.

Findings

The signature for detecting a capacity constrained echelon was found to be based on cluster profiles of shipping and net inventory variables for that echelon as well as other echelons in a supply chain, where the variables are represented as spectra.

Originality/value

Detection of disturbances in a supply chain including that of constrained capacity at an echelon has seen limited research where this study makes a contribution.
Prioritizing high-risk sub-groups in a multi-manufacturer vaccine distribution program
Authors: Hovav Sharon , Herbon Avi
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Annual influenza epidemics cause great losses in both human and financial terms. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for optimizing a large-scale influenza vaccination program (VP). The goal is to minimize the total cost of the vaccination supply chain while guaranteeing a sufficiently high level of population protection. From a practical point of view, the analysis returns the number of shipments and the quantity of vaccines in each periodic shipment that should be delivered from the manufacturers to the distribution center (DC), from the DC to the clinics, and from the clinics to each sub-group of customers during the vaccination season.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-integer programming optimization model is developed to describe the problem for a supply chain consisting of vaccine manufacturers, the healthcare organization (HCO) (comprising the DC and clinics), and the population being vaccinated (customers). The model suggests a VP that implemented by a nation-wide HCO.

Findings

The benefits of the proposed approach are shown to be particularly salient in cases of limited resources, as the model distributes demand backlogs in an efficient manner, prioritizing high-risk sub-groups of the population over lower-risk sub-groups. In particular, the authors show a reduction in direct medical burden of consumers, such as the need for doctors, hospitalization resources, and reduction of indirect, non-medical burden, such as loss of workdays.

Practical implications

Drawing from the extended enterprise paradigm, and, in particular, taking consumer benefits into account, the authors suggest an operational-strategic model that creates impressive added value in a highly constrained supply chain. The model constitutes a powerful decision tool for the deployment of large-scale seasonal products, and its implementation can yield multiple benefits for various consumer segments.

Originality/value

The model proposed herein constitutes a decision support tool comprising operational-tactical and tactical-strategic perspectives, which logistics managers can utilize to create an enterprise-oriented plan that takes into account medical and non-medical costs.
Measuring quality performance between public and private hospitals in Malaysia
Authors: Ahmed Selim , Abd Manaf Noor Hazilah , Islam Rafikul
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This study aims to measure quality performance of the Malaysian hospitals based on eight items, namely, progress of quality management, medical service cost, reduce errors in medical services, patient waiting time, reduce waste in processes, patient complaint, employee job satisfaction and patient satisfaction. Mainly, it identifies difference or conformance between public and private hospitals on quality performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study distributed 1,007 self-administered survey questionnaires to the hospital staff (i.e. doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medical laboratory technologists), resulting in 438 useful responses (43.5 per cent response rate). Research data were analysed based on descriptive analysis and independent samples’ t-tests using SPSS version 23.

Findings

The findings of this study indicate that there are significant differences between public and private hospital staff on progress of quality improvement process, patient satisfaction and cost of the medical services. Private hospital staff believed that their hospital’s quality management process and patient satisfaction has been improved over the past years compared to public hospital. However, private hospital staff does not perceive their medical service cost has been reduced over the past years compared to public hospital.

Research limitations/implications

This research focused solely on quality performance of the Malaysian health sector and, thus, the results might not be applicable to other countries.

Originality/value

Present research findings provide guidelines for enhancing quality performance in Malaysian public and private healthcare sectors and other countries.
Internationalization vs family ownership and management: the case of Portuguese wine firms
Authors: Pacheco Luis Miguel
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between the firms’ ownership and control structure and their export performance. The literature is traditionally focused on the relationship between firms’ performance and internationalization, with the relationship between ownership and control structure with internationalization being much less studied, particularly in the context of family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors focus their study on the Portuguese wine firms due to their increasing importance in the Portuguese economy and in the promotion of the country’s exports and image abroad. They used a balanced panel data sample of 82 firms for the period from 2011 to 2015 and applied a random effects model and a Tobit specification.

Findings

The degree of family involvement shows a negative and significant relationship with internationalization, meaning that family firms that intend to internationalize should be open to receive external managers with international experience and increase their internal competencies to enhance internationalization.

Originality/value

This paper extends the literature since assesses, at the light of the agency theory, the presence of differences in the internationalization degree and export intensity between family firms that are managed and controlled by the owners and family firms that are managed by non-family members, with an application to a less studied sector and country.
Perceptions, preferences of scholarly publishing in open access routes
Authors: Baro Ebikabowei Emmanuel , Eze Monica Eberechukwu
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to know the various factors librarians consider while selecting open access (OA) journal for publication, and to know the challenges librarians face with OA journal publishing.

Design/methodology/approach

Online questionnaire was designed to collect data using SurveyMonkey software from 335 academic librarians in 57 institutions (Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education) in Nigeria.

Findings

The findings of the study revealed that majority of the academic librarians are aware of the gold and green publishing routes, while the majority of academic librarians are not aware of the diamond publishing route. The study also revealed that when considering where to publish, reputation and impact factor of journal were rated as very important among the factors that inform their choice of OA. The study further revealed that academic librarians have little or no knowledge about the existence of institutional repositories in their institutions, and only a few actual use institutional repositories and ResearchGate to self-archive their publications. The majority of the academic librarians agreed that author fees (Article Processing Charges) and low impact factor of journal are barriers to publishing in OA journals. Training on OA publishing is recommended for librarians to increase their knowledge and confidence to discuss OA with faculty members in future.

Practical implications

Knowledge of authors’ attitude toward OA publishing models will help OA advocates focus on the factors that are meaningful that are raised in this study.

Originality/value

The study is an original research work that investigated academic librarians’ perception and engagement with OA publishing as they lead the OA campaign in their institutions.
The psychological contract of international volunteers: an exploratory study
Authors: Barrett Mary , Cox Anne , Woodward Blake
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the psychological contracts (PCs) of international volunteers (IVs) in international aid and development organizations (IADS). Specifically, it explores four questions: how IVs form PCs; what the content of these PCs is; how IVs’ PCs are maintained; and how they are fulfilled or breached.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used an inductive analysis of qualitative data: interviews with 27 IVs from a range of IADS.

Findings

The findings take the form of research propositions: RP1: IVs’ PCs, like those of domestic volunteers, include relational, transactional and, especially, values-based elements, but the balance of these is influenced by their values-based PC; the self-directed way IVs join their organizations; and reliance on peers rather than the organization’s management hierarchy. RP2: the PCs of IVs working for faith-based organizations have an additional element: spiritual support. RP3: the values-based PC means many transactional elements can be “adjusted away”, making it difficult to breach these PCs. RP4: experienced volunteers have very minimal PCs, but are more likely than inexperienced volunteers to expect basic safety and adequately skilled colleagues.

Research limitations/implications

The authors suggest areas of new inquiry and specific ways each research proposition could be tested empirically.

Practical implications

To alleviate IVs’ expatriation and repatriation adjustment problems, international aid organizations could facilitate the ways IVs already help each other. This would also help fulfill IVs’ PCs.

Originality/value

IVs are a growing but underexplored group and aspects of their PCs may be unique.
Capability transformation through acquisitions
Authors: Goussevskaia Anna , Arruda Carlos , Lótfi Samir
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Firms across many industries use acquisitions as a vehicle for renewing their capabilities. Many such acquisitions fail to achieve their goals, mainly because of the trade-offs involved in managing the post-acquisition integration process. The acquisition integration process not only is an important phenomenon by itself but also offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into how firms transform their capabilities more generally. Recent strategic management literature has begun to recognize the importance of incorporating individual-level cognitive, motivational and behavioral mechanisms into firm-level explanations, although empirical studies within this vein have been scarce.

Design/methodology/approach

This longitudinal inductive study traces the process of capability transformation in an acquisition of a medium-size entrepreneurial firm by a larger corporation.

Findings

The authors found that capability transformation involved a continuous interplay of knowledge leveraging and interest alignment mechanisms, converging around a set of practices that were considered critical for the capability. Only after firms achieved an agreement about this set of practices that knowledge leveraging efforts translated into actual performance.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature on competitive advantage by developing a better link between the potential advantage derived from the availability of knowledge-based resources and the translation of this availability into actual firm performance. This study also advances knowledge on managing post-acquisition integration process by demonstrating which managerial skills and actions contribute to the integration capability.
Strategic alliances of shopping centers in Brazil: network perspective
Authors: Gomes Renata Maria de Almeida Bastos , Paula Fabio de Oliveira , Macedo-Soares T. Diana L. van Aduard de
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The shopping center (SC) industry in emerging countries has grown fast over the past decade; however, recently, it is showing signs of slowing down. Nevertheless, some SC-companies perform well. As those firms operate in alliance networks, relational opportunities and risks should be considered in their strategic analyses. Although there is a significant amount of research on SC from a marketing perspective, there is a dearth of research on strategic alliances from an SC management perspective. This paper aims at answering the following question: How do characteristics of the alliance networks of leading SC-companies contribute to their success by mitigating the structural threats the SC-industry in Brazil is facing?

Design

The case study method was adopted for analyzing two leading Brazilian SC-companies. Several data sources were used to allow for data triangulation. The lack of literature on strategic alliances and the SC-industry, as well as the research’s exploratory nature, justified this choice.

Findings

The research made evident that the SC-companies’ alliance network characteristics not only mitigate some of the structural industry threats but also enhance opportunities. It illustrated how firms can conduct a strategic analysis from a network perspective with the right tools. It also made evident how much more accurate the results of a comprehensive relational analysis are compared with traditional analyses that do not consider the strategic implications of relational factors.

Practical implications

The research contributed to SC management by highlighting the importance of taking into account the network characteristics of their relationships with key partners and of considering these as alliances and not merely contractual arrangements.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of research on the strategic implications of alliances of firms that own and manage a portfolio of SCs, as well as of their relationships with other actors in the industry, such as retailers and real estate owners, from a network perspective.
Frontline employee empowerment and perceived customer satisfaction
Authors: Proenca Teresa , Torres Ana , Sampaio Ana Sofia
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and intrinsic motivation on perceived customer satisfaction in contact centers.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was conducted among 703 employees of a contact center. Data analysis was based on structural equation modeling.

Findings

Structural empowerment results in higher levels of perceived customer satisfaction through psychological empowerment and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, structural empowerment effect on psychological empowerment is mediated by intrinsic motivation.

Practical implications

Previous predictions regarding counterproductive impact of empowerment in a low-service heterogeneity sector, such as contact center are challenged and a transformative message is disclosed in what concerns human resource management (HRM) in contact centers.

Originality/value

The research provides valuable insights for both scholars and practitioners regarding the process through which employees’ psychological empowerment and intrinsic motivation improves customer satisfaction in the context of contact centers.
Individual versus pseudo‐repeatability in behaviour: Lessons from translocation experiments in a wild insect
Authors: Niemelä Petri T. , Dingemanse Niels J.
Published: May 2017

Repeatability represents a key parameter in ecological and evolutionary research. Repeatability is underpinned by developmental plasticity and genetic variation but may become biased upwards by repeatable differences in environments to which individuals respond plastically. The extent of upward bias caused by the latter mechanism (causing “pseudo‐repeatability”) is important yet rarely investigated in ecological research.

We repeatedly assayed a key behaviour (flight initiation distance) affecting longevity in a wild cricket population (Gryllus campestris). We used naturally moving, translocated and forced‐stationary individuals to study bias in repeatability caused by spatial variability in environmental conditions.

Our experiments acknowledged that translocations might themselves bias repeatability estimates if animals respond to handling procedures (a necessary component of translocations). Individuals were, therefore, either (i) repeatedly translocated and assayed or (ii) assayed at multiple burrows as part of natural movements. This enabled estimation of behavioural variance attributable to individual, burrow and residual components within each treatment; comparison across treatments addressed whether translocations caused bias. We also calculated repeatability for individuals that were forced to be stationary to investigate whether this led to upward bias of repeatability.

For adult crickets, individual explained 17.8% versus 17.2%, and burrow 8.7% versus 10.3%, of the behavioural variance in translocated versus natural‐movement treatments. Repeatability for forced‐stationary adults was 31.1%, thereby demonstrating experimentally that certain study designs bias repeatability upwards. For translocated juveniles, individual explained 10.0% and burrow 6.0% of the variance, while in the natural‐movement treatment, those components could not be separated as juveniles do not switch burrows. Translocations did not lead to detectable biases in behavioural mean or variance.

Repeatability was not biased for adults subjected to the natural‐movement treatment because individuals were assayed under many different environments, facilitating the separation of individual from burrow effects. Upward bias would have occurred with less optimal sampling schemes: if individuals had been assayed repeatedly at the same burrow. We, therefore, recommend that translocation experiments are more commonly applied, particularly in stationary species, to ensure the unbiased estimation of repeatability.
Immunotherapy‐induced sarcoidosis in patients with melanoma treated with PD‐1 checkpoint inhibitors: Case series and immunophenotypic analysis
Authors: Lomax Anna J. , McGuire Helen M. , McNeil Catriona , Choi Clara J. , Hersey Peter , Karikios Deme , Shannon Kerwin , van Hal Sebastian , Carr Urszula , Crotty Anne , Gupta Sandeep K. , Hollingsworth Jane , Kim Haewon , Fazekas de St Groth Barbara , McGill Neil
Published: May 2017

Aim

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease. This condition has a documented association with the diagnosis of melanoma and can be induced in melanoma patients receiving anti‐neoplastic therapy. We evaluated a case series of melanoma patients who developed immunotherapy‐induced sarcoidosis.

Methods

Three patients with melanoma (n = 1 resected Stage III, n = 2 metastatic) treated with anti‐programmed cell death (PD)‐1 antibody therapy at two institutions developed biopsy‐proven sarcoidosis. We used mass cytometry to determine expression of the relevant chemokine receptors (CR) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells for two of the three patients who developed sarcoidosis and 13 melanoma patients who did not. Blood samples were collected before receiving PD‐1 checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Results

Immunophenotypic analysis demonstrated abnormally high numbers of circulating Th17.1 (CCR6+CCR4−CXCR3+CCR10−) cells prior to commencing PD‐1 checkpoint inhibitor therapy in five of 15 melanoma patients, including both the patients who developed sarcoidosis during the course of therapy.

Conclusion

Our findings support prior literature implicating Th17.1 cells in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. However, we demonstrate these findings in patients with melanoma prior to administration of checkpoint therapy and before the onset of clinically symptomatic sarcoidosis. The identification of elevated Th17.1 cells in melanoma patients who have not developed sarcoidosis may reflect the established association between melanoma and sarcoidosis. With some patients receiving these agents over a prolonged period, the clinical course of immunotherapy‐induced sarcoidosis is uncertain.
Corneal endothelial cell loss and corneal biomechanical characteristics after two‐step sequential or combined phaco‐vitrectomy surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane
Authors: Hamoudi Hassan , Christensen Ulrik Correll , La Cour Morten
Published: May 2017

Purpose

To assess the impact of sequential and combined surgery [cataract surgery and 23‐gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with peeling] on corneal endothelium cell density (CED) and corneal biomechanical characteristics.

Methods

Phakic eyes with epiretinal membrane (ERM) were prospectively allocated to (i) cataract surgery and subsequent PPV (CAT group), (ii) PPV and subsequent cataract surgery (VIT group) or (iii) phacovitrectomy (COMBI group). Eyes were examined at baseline, 1 month after each surgery, and at 3 and 12 months follow‐up. Corneal endothelium cell density (CED) was assessed with non‐contact specular microscopy. Pachymetry [central cornea thickness (CCT)], keratometry and cornea volume (CV) were measured with Pentacam Scheimpflug camera. Primary outcome was change in CED after 12 months; secondary outcomes were changes in CCT and CV after 12 months.

Results

Sixty‐two eyes were enrolled and allocated to the three groups. The mean preoperative CED was 2776, 2794 and 2653 cells/mm2, which decreased significantly at 12 months by 15.3, 20.0 and 19.3% in the CAT, VIT and COMBI group. There was no significant difference in percentage cell loss between the groups at final follow‐up. The CED decreased significantly after cataract surgery, but was unaffected by PPV. Central cornea thickness (CCT) increased by 10 μm (p = 0.005) and CV by 1.38 mm3 (2.3%, p < 0.001) in the COMBI group. There were no significant differences in CCT or CV between the groups at final follow‐up.

Conclusion

Combined and sequential surgery in ERM leads to a small decrease in CED. Performing cataract surgery before, after or in combination with vitrectomy did not make any significant difference with respect to final CED, CCT or CV.
Functional Multiple Indicators, Multiple Causes Measurement Error Models
Authors: Tekwe Carmen D. , Zoh Roger S. , Bazer Fuller W. , Wu Guoyao , Carroll Raymond J.
Published: May 2017

Objective measures of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production by mammals are used to predict their energy expenditure. Since energy expenditure is not directly observable, it can be viewed as a latent construct with multiple physical indirect measures such as respiratory quotient, volumetric oxygen consumption, and volumetric carbon dioxide production. Metabolic rate is defined as the rate at which metabolism occurs in the body. Metabolic rate is also not directly observable. However, heat is produced as a result of metabolic processes within the body. Therefore, metabolic rate can be approximated by heat production plus some errors. While energy expenditure and metabolic rates are correlated, they are not equivalent. Energy expenditure results from physical function, while metabolism can occur within the body without the occurrence of physical activities. In this manuscript, we present a novel approach for studying the relationship between metabolic rate and indicators of energy expenditure. We do so by extending our previous work on MIMIC ME models to allow responses that are sparsely observed functional data, defining the sparse functional multiple indicators, multiple cause measurement error (FMIMIC ME) models. The mean curves in our proposed methodology are modeled using basis splines. A novel approach for estimating the variance of the classical measurement error based on functional principal components is presented. The model parameters are estimated using the EM algorithm and a discussion of the model's identifiability is provided. We show that the defined model is not a trivial extension of longitudinal or functional data methods, due to the presence of the latent construct. Results from its application to data collected on Zucker diabetic fatty rats are provided. Simulation results investigating the properties of our approach are also presented.
Integrative Analysis of Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Data via Sparse Canonical Correlation Analysis with Incorporation of Biological Information
Authors: Safo Sandra E. , Li Shuzhao , Long Qi
Published: May 2017

Integrative analysis of high dimensional omics data is becoming increasingly popular. At the same time, incorporating known functional relationships among variables in analysis of omics data has been shown to help elucidate underlying mechanisms for complex diseases. In this article, our goal is to assess association between transcriptomic and metabolomic data from a Predictive Health Institute (PHI) study that includes healthy adults at a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Adopting a strategy that is both data-driven and knowledge-based, we develop statistical methods for sparse canonical correlation analysis (CCA) with incorporation of known biological information. Our proposed methods use prior network structural information among genes and among metabolites to guide selection of relevant genes and metabolites in sparse CCA, providing insight on the molecular underpinning of cardiovascular disease. Our simulations demonstrate that the structured sparse CCA methods outperform several existing sparse CCA methods in selecting relevant genes and metabolites when structural information is informative and are robust to mis-specified structural information. Our analysis of the PHI study reveals that a number of gene and metabolic pathways including some known to be associated with cardiovascular diseases are enriched in the set of genes and metabolites selected by our proposed approach.
Guideline for translation and national validation of the Quality of Life in Hand Eczema Questionnaire (QOLHEQ)
Authors: Oosterhaven Jart A. F. , Schuttelaar Marie L. A. , Apfelbacher Christian , Diepgen Thomas L. , Ofenloch Robert F.
Published: May 2017

There is a need for well‐developed and validated questionnaires to measure patient reported outcomes. The Quality of Life in Hand Eczema Questionnaire (QOLHEQ) is such a validated instrument measuring disease‐specific health‐related quality of life in hand eczema patients. A re‐validation of measurement properties is required before an instrument is used in a new population. With the objective of arriving at a guideline for translation and national validation of the QOLHEQ, we have developed the design of a reference study on how to adequately assess measurement properties of the QOLHEQ based on interdisciplinary discussions and current standards. We present a step‐by‐step guideline to assess translation (including cross‐cultural adaptation), scale structure, validity, reproducibility, responsiveness, and interpretability. We describe which outcomes should be reported for each measurement property, and give advice on how to calculate these. It is also specified which sample size is needed, how to deal with missing data, and which cutoff values should be applied for the measurement properties assessed during the validation process. In conclusion, this guideline, presenting a reference validation study for the QOLHEQ, creates the possibility to harmonize the national validation of the various language versions of the QOLHEQ.
Restorative proctocolectomy: an example of how surgery evolves in response to paradigm shifts in care
Authors: Remzi F. H. , Lavryk O. A. , Ashburn J. H. , Hull T. L. , Lavery I. C. , Dietz D. W. , Kessler H. , Church J. M.
Published: May 2017

Aim

Surgical technique constantly evolves in response to the pressure of progress. Ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) is a good example. We analysed the effect of changes in practice on the technique of IPAA and its outcomes.

Method

Patients undergoing primary IPAA at this institution were divided into three groups by date of the IPAA: those operated from 1983 to 1993, from 1994 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2015. Demographics, patient comorbidity, surgical techniques, postoperative outcomes, pouch function and quality of life were analysed.

Results

In all, 4525 patients had a primary IPAA. With each decade, increasing numbers of surgeons were involved (decade I, 8; II, 16; III, 31), patients tended to be sicker (higher American Society of Anesthesiologists score) and three‐staged pouches became more common. After an initial popularity of the S pouch, J pouches became dominant and a mucosectomy rate of 12% was standard. The laparoscopic technique blossomed in the last decade. 90‐day postoperative morbidity by decade was 38.3% vs 50% vs 48% (P < 0.0001), but late morbidity decreased from 74.2% through 67.1% to 30% (P < 0.0001). Functional results improved, but quality of life scores did not. Pouch survival rate at 10 years was maintained (94% vs 95.2% vs 95.2%; P = 0.06).

Conclusion

IPAA is still evolving. Despite new generations of surgeons, a more accurate diagnosis, appropriate staging and the laparoscopic technique have made IPAA a safer, more effective and enduring operation.
Monetary and Multidimensional Child Poverty: A Contradiction in Terms?
Authors: Roelen Keetie
Published: May 2017

Although the multidimensional nature of poverty is widely recognized, the extent to which monetary measures can serve as a proxy for non‐monetary measures remains unresolved. This is of particular concern for children given their dependence on others for fulfilment of basic needs and assumptions about intra‐household distribution that underpin monetary measures. This article adopts an innovative mixed‐methods approach to investigate child poverty overlap and mismatch in the low‐ and middle‐income countries of Ethiopia and Vietnam using secondary longitudinal survey data and primary qualitative data from adults and children. Findings indicate that monetary and multidimensional poverty are distinct constructs that are linked, but cannot serve as a proxy for one another. While the degree of dissonance depends on the types of indicators under consideration, poverty mismatch persists regardless of time, place and multidimensional measure under consideration.
The World Bank on Mind, Behaviour and Society
Authors: Klein Elise
Published: May 2017

This article critically analyses the use of psychological and behavioural knowledge in development policy and practice with reference to the World Development Report 2015. It examines the main proposition of the WDR 2015, highlighting the behavioural change framework and policy techniques promoted in the report. The shifts that have taken place in development policy are reviewed from a governmentality perspective which offers a critical view on the psychological and behavioural focus in contemporary development policy. The article focuses specifically on the behavioural techniques the WDR 2015 promotes to show how a certain kind of subjectivity is advanced which not only homogenizes and problematizes non‐Western knowledge systems, subjectivities and agency, but also justifies the economization of social life through development.
Predation effects on matrotrophy, superfetation and other life history traits in Phalloceros harpagos
Authors: Gorini‐Pacheco Bruno , Zandonà Eugenia , Mazzoni Rosana
Published: May 2017

This study investigates the effect of a predation gradient on the female life history traits of the poeciliid live‐bearing fish Phalloceros harpagos from a tropical stream in Brazil. Females’ length at maturity, somatic dry mass, reproductive allotment and fecundity varied significantly among predation sites. Phalloceros harpagos from the high‐predation site showed smaller size at maturity and somatic dry mass, greater reproductive allotment and higher fecundity than the nonpredation site. In all sites, we observed superfetation: pregnant females with two broods at different developmental stages. The presence of superfetation was not observed before in other congeneric species, and it may represent an additional independent evolutionary origin of superfetation in the fish family Poeciliidae. Matrotrophy, the postfertilisation maternal provisioning of nutrients to developing embryos throughout gestation, was observed in all three sites, with values of the matrotrophy index above two. The population under high predation pressure showed the highest degree of matrotrophy (embryos quadruplicate their dry mass during development) and the greatest percentage of females with superfetation (44.4%). Some life history traits responded more strongly to predators’ presence and others to predator density. These results suggest that different predation regimes shape female life history traits, increasing fecundity in high‐predation sites. The results also suggest a link between the cost of reproduction and the evolution of matrotrophy and superfetation, potentially to reduce the risk of predation without reducing fecundity.
The ecology of cooperative breeding behaviour
Authors: Shen Sheng‐Feng , Emlen Stephen T. , Koenig Walter D. , Rubenstein Dustin R.
Published: May 2017

Ecology is a fundamental driving force for the evolutionary transition from solitary living to breeding cooperatively in groups. However, the fact that both benign and harsh, as well as stable and fluctuating, environments can favour the evolution of cooperative breeding behaviour constitutes a paradox of environmental quality and sociality. Here, we propose a new model – the dual benefits framework – for resolving this paradox. Our framework distinguishes between two categories of grouping benefits – resource defence benefits that derive from group‐defended critical resources and collective action benefits that result from social cooperation among group members – and uses insider–outsider conflict theory to simultaneously consider the interests of current group members (insiders) and potential joiners (outsiders) in determining optimal group size. We argue that the different grouping benefits realised from resource defence and collective action profoundly affect insider–outsider conflict resolution, resulting in predictable differences in theper capitaproductivity, stable group size, kin structure and stability of the social group. We also suggest that different types of environmental variation (spatial vs. temporal) select for societies that form because of the different grouping benefits, thus helping to resolve the paradox of why cooperative breeding evolves in such different types of environments.
Efficacy and safety of pramipexole extended‐release in Parkinson's disease: a review based on meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Shen T. , Ye R. , Zhang B.
Published: May 2017

Background and purpose

We performed a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pramipexole extended‐release (pramipexole ER) versus pramipexole immediate‐release (pramipexole IR) or placebo in Parkinson's disease.

Methods

We performed a systematic online search for clinical trials for pramipexole ER treatment up to 1 August 2016. We assessed differences in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores, percentage of ‘on’ time or ‘off’ time, withdrawals, adverse events (AEs) and life quality between pramipexole ER and pramipexole IR or placebo. Data analyses were performed by the Cochrane Collaboration's Review Manager 5.3 software.

Results

Six randomized controlled trials were included. Compared with placebo, pramipexole ER achieved a significant improvement in the UPDRS Part II + III score [weighted mean difference, −4.81; 95% confidence interval (CI), −6.40 to −3.23], whereas no significant difference was found in the UPDRS Part III + III score between pramipexole ER and pramipexole IR groups (weighted mean difference, −0.26; 95% CI, −1.15 to 0.64). No differences were found in total AEs (relative risk, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.03), drug‐related AEs (relative risk, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.03) or the commonly reported AEs between pramipexole ER and pramipexole IR.

Conclusions

Pramipexole ER is as safe and effective as pramipexole IR in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.