bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuromuscular problems in the ICU
Authors: Damian Maxwell S. , Srinivasan Ravi
Published: July 2017

Purpose of review

Patients with acute life-threatening neuromuscular disease require close cooperation between neuromuscular and intensive care specialists to achieve the best possible outcomes. The problems encountered by these patients are different from those in traditional neuromuscular practice, and neurologists consulting in the ICU need a specific skill set to provide useful guidance. However, outcomes can be very good if treatment is instituted effectively. This review aims to provide an overview of the most important neuromuscular conditions encountered in the ICU and enable a practical approach to patient management.

Recent findings

New research has provided improved knowledge of the impact of acute neuromuscular failure on the mechanics of respiration, on the categories of neuromuscular disease in the ICU, and on the main factors influencing outcomes. Pitfalls and risks in ICU treatment are better understood.

Evidence-based algorithms for monitoring and treatment have been developed. These advances enhance the role of the neuromuscular specialist in acute care. The principles of best practice are discussed in this review.
Conventional oil and natural gas infrastructure increases brown-headed cowbird (
Molothrus ater
) relative abundance and parasitism in mixed-grass prairie
Authors: Bernath-Plaisted Jacy , Nenninger Heather , Koper Nicola
Published: July 2017

The rapid expansion of oil and natural gas development across the Northern Great Plains has contributed to habitat fragmentation, which may facilitate brood parasitism of ground-nesting grassland songbird nests by brown-headed cowbirds (
Molothrus ater
), an obligate brood parasite, through the introduction of perches and anthropogenic edges. We tested this hypothesis by measuring brown-headed cowbird relative abundance and brood parasitism rates of Savannah sparrow (
Passerculus sandwichensis
) nests in relation to the presence of infrastructure features and proximity to potential perches and edge habitat. The presence of oil and natural gas infrastructure increased brown-headed cowbird relative abundance by a magnitude of four times, which resulted in four times greater brood parasitism rates at infrastructure sites. While the presence of infrastructure and the proximity to roads were influential in predicting brood parasitism rates, the proximity of perch sites was not. This suggests that brood parasitism associated with oil and natural gas infrastructure may result in additional pressures that reduce productivity of this declining grassland songbird.
Local interactions and global properties of wild, free-ranging stickleback shoals
Authors: Ward Ashley J. W. , Schaerf Timothy M. , Herbert-Read James E. , Morrell Lesley , Sumpter David J. T. , Webster Mike M.
Published: July 2017

Collective motion describes the global properties of moving groups of animals and the self-organized, coordinated patterns of individual behaviour that produce them. We examined the group-level patterns and local interactions between individuals in wild, free-ranging shoals of three-spine sticklebacks,
Gasterosteus aculeatus
. Our data reveal that the highest frequencies of near-neighbour encounters occur at between one and two body lengths from a focal fish, with the peak frequency alongside a focal individual. Fish also show the highest alignment with these laterally placed individuals, and generally with animals in front of themselves. Furthermore, fish are more closely matched in size, speed and orientation to their near neighbours than to more distant neighbours, indicating local organization within groups. Among the group-level properties reported here, we find that polarization is strongly influenced by group speed, but also the variation in speed among individuals and the nearest neighbour distances of group members. While we find no relationship between group order and group size, we do find that larger groups tend to have lower nearest neighbour distances, which in turn may be important in maintaining group order.
Global biogeographic patterns in bipolar moss species
Authors: Biersma E. M. , Jackson J. A. , Hyvönen J. , Koskinen S. , Linse K. , Griffiths H. , Convey P.
Published: July 2017

A bipolar disjunction is an extreme, yet common, biogeographic pattern in non-vascular plants, yet its underlying mechanisms (vicariance or long-distance dispersal), origin and timing remain poorly understood. Here, combining a large-scale population dataset and multiple dating analyses, we examine the biogeography of four bipolar Polytrichales mosses, common to the Holarctic (temperate and polar Northern Hemisphere regions) and the Antarctic region (Antarctic, sub-Antarctic, southern South America) and other Southern Hemisphere (SH) regions. Our data reveal contrasting patterns, for three species were of Holarctic origin, with subsequent dispersal to the SH, while one, currently a particularly common species in the Holarctic (
Polytrichum juniperinum
), diversified in the Antarctic region and
from
here colonized both the Holarctic and other SH regions. Our findings suggest long-distance dispersal as the driver of bipolar disjunctions. We find such inter-hemispheric dispersals are rare, occurring on multi-million-year timescales. High-altitude tropical populations did not act as trans-equatorial ‘stepping-stones’, but rather were derived from later dispersal events. All arrivals to the Antarctic region occurred well before the Last Glacial Maximum and previous glaciations, suggesting that, despite the harsh climate during these past glacial maxima, plants have had a much longer presence in this southern region than previously thought.
Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon
Authors: Chenoweth Ellen M. , Straley Janice M. , McPhee Megan V. , Atkinson Shannon , Reifenstuhl Steve
Published: July 2017

Humpback whales are remarkable for the behavioural plasticity of their feeding tactics and the diversity of their diets. Within the last decade at hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales have begun exploiting juvenile salmon, a previously undocumented prey. The anthropogenic source of these salmon and their important contribution to local fisheries makes the emergence of humpback whale predation a concern for the Southeast Alaska economy. Here, we describe the frequency of observing humpback whales, examine the role of temporal and spatial variables affecting the probability of sighting humpback whales and describe prey capture behaviours at five hatchery release sites. We coordinated twice-daily 15 min observations during the spring release seasons 2010–2015. Using logistic regression, we determined that the probability of occurrence of humpback whales increased after releases began and decreased after releases concluded. The probability of whale occurrence varied among release sites but did not increase significantly over the 6 year study period. Whales were reported to be feeding on juvenile chum, Chinook and coho salmon, with photographic and video records of whales feeding on coho salmon. The ability to adapt to new prey sources may be key to sustaining their population in a changing ocean.
Context-dependent female mate choice maintains variation in male sexual activity
Authors: Sommer-Trembo Carolin , Plath Martin , Gismann Jakob , Helfrich Claudia , Bierbach David
Published: July 2017

The existence of individual variation in males' motivation to mate remains a conundrum as directional selection should favour high mating frequencies. Balancing selection resulting from (context-dependent) female mate choice could contribute to the maintenance of this behavioural polymorphism. In dichotomous choice tests, mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) females preferred virtual males showing intermediate mating frequencies, reflecting females' tendencies to avoid harassment by highly sexually active males. When tested in the presence of a female shoal—which protects females from male harassment—focal females showed significantly stronger preferences for high sexual activity. A trade-off between (indirect) benefits and (direct) costs of mating with sexually active males probably explains context-dependent female mate choice, as costs depend on the social environment in which females choose their mates. No preference was observed when we tested virgin females, suggesting that the behavioural pattern described here is part of the learned behavioural repertoire ofG. holbrookifemales.
Electrospinning preparation of oxygen-deficient nano TiO
2-x
/carbon fibre membrane as a self-standing high performance anode for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Jing Mao-xiang , Li Jing-quan , Han Chong , Yao Shan-shan , Zhang Ji , Zhai Hong-ai , Chen Li-li , Shen Xiang-qian , Xiao Ke-song
Published: July 2017

Improving the specific capacity and electronic conductivity of TiO
2
can boost its practical application as a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries. In this work, a three-dimensional networking oxygen-deficient nano TiO
2-x
/carbon fibre membrane was achieved by combining the electrospinning process with a hot-press sintering method and directly used as a self-standing anode. With the synergistic effects of three-dimensional conductive networks, surface oxygen deficiency, high specific surface area and high porosity, binder-free and self-standing structure, etc., the nano TiO
2-x
/carbon fibre membrane electrode displays a high electrochemical reaction kinetics and a high specific capacity. The reversible capacity could be jointly generated from porous carbon, full-lithiation of TiO
2
and interfacial lithium storage. At a current density of 100 mA g
−1
, the reversible discharge capacity can reach 464 mA h g
−1
. Even at 500 mA g
−1
, the discharge capacity still remains at 312 mA h g
−1
. Compared with pure carbon fibre and TiO
2
powder, the TiO
2-x
/C fibre membrane electrode also exhibits an excellent cycle performance with a discharge capacity of 209 mA h g
−1
after 700 cycles at the current density of 300 mA g
−1
, and the coulombic efficiency always remains at approximately 100%.
Locomotor performance of cane toads differs between native-range and invasive populations
Authors: Kosmala Georgia , Christian Keith , Brown Gregory , Shine Richard
Published: July 2017

Invasive species provide a robust opportunity to evaluate how animals deal with novel environmental challenges. Shifts in locomotor performance—and thus the ability to disperse—(and especially, the degree to which it is constrained by thermal and hydric extremes) are of special importance, because they might affect the rate that an invader can spread. We studied cane toads (Rhinella marina) across a broad geographical range: two populations within the species' native range in Brazil, two invasive populations on the island of Hawai'i and eight invasive populations encompassing the eastern, western and southern limits of the toad invasion in Australia. A toad's locomotor performance on a circular raceway was strongly affected by both its temperature and its hydration state, but the nature and magnitude of those constraints differed across populations. In their native range, cane toads exhibited relatively low performance (even under optimal test conditions) and a rapid decrease in performance at lower temperatures and hydration levels. At the other extreme, performance was high in toads from southern Australia, and virtually unaffected by desiccation. Hawai'ian toads broadly resembled their Brazilian conspecifics, plausibly reflecting similar climatic conditions. The invasion of Australia has been accompanied by a dramatic enhancement in the toads' locomotor abilities, and (in some populations) by an ability to maintain locomotor performance even when the animal is cold and/or dehydrated. The geographical divergences in performance among cane toad populations graphically attest to the adaptability of invasive species in the face of novel abiotic challenges.
Modelling the fear of crime
Authors: Prieto Curiel Rafael , Bishop Steven
Published: July 2017

How secure people feel in a particular region is obviously linked to the actual crime suffered in that region but the exact relationship between crime and its fear is quite subtle. Two regions may have the same crime rate but their local perception of security may differ. Equally, two places may have the same perception of security even though one may have a significantly lower crime rate. Furthermore, a negative perception might persist for many years, even when crime rates drop. Here, we develop a model for the dynamics of the perception of security of a region based on the distribution of crime suffered by the population using concepts similar to those used for opinion dynamics. Simulations under a variety of conditions illustrate different scenarios and help us determine the impact of suffering more, or less, crime. The inhomogeneous concentration of crime together with a memory loss process is incorporated into the model for the perception of security, and results explain why people are often more fearful than actually victimized; why a region is perceived as being insecure despite a low crime rate; and why a decrease in the crime rate might not significantly improve the perception of security.
A note on flow reversal in a wavy channel filled with anisotropic porous material
Authors: Karmakar Timir , Raja Sekhar G. P.
Published: July 2017

Viscous flow through a symmetric wavy channel filled with anisotropic porous material is investigated analytically. Flow inside the porous bed is assumed to be governed by the anisotropic Brinkman equation. It is assumed that the ratio of the channel width to the wavelength is small (i.e.
δ
2
≪1). The problem is solved up to
O
(
δ
2
) assuming that
δ
2
λ
2
≪1, where
λ
is the anisotropic ratio. The key purpose of this paper is to study the effect of anisotropic permeability on flow near the crests of the wavy channel which causes flow reversal. We present a detailed analysis of the flow reversal at the crests. The ratio of the permeabilities (anisotropic ratio) is responsible for the flow separation near the crests of the wall where viscous forces are effective. For a flow configuration (say, low amplitude parameter) in which there is no separation if the porous media is isotropic, introducing anisotropy causes flow separation. On the other hand, interestingly, flow separation occurs even in the case of isotropic porous medium if the amplitude parameter
a
is large.
A non-local asymptotic theory for thin elastic plates
Authors: Chebakov R. , Kaplunov J. , Rogerson G. A.
Published: July 2017

The three-dimensional dynamic non-local elasticity equations for a thin plate are subject to asymptotic analysis assuming the plate thickness to be much greater than a typical microscale size. The integral constitutive relations, incorporating the variation of an exponential non-local kernel across the thickness, are adopted. Long-wave low-frequency approximations are derived for both bending and extensional motions. Boundary layers specific for non-local behaviour are revealed near the plate faces. It is established that the effect of the boundary layers leads to the first-order corrections to the bending and extensional stiffness in the classical two-dimensional plate equations.
Evolution of ageing, costs of reproduction and the fecundity–longevity trade-off in eusocial insects
Authors: Blacher Pierre , Huggins Timothy J. , Bourke Andrew F. G.
Published: July 2017

Eusocial insects provide special opportunities to elucidate the evolution of ageing as queens have apparently evaded costs of reproduction and reversed the fecundity–longevity trade-off generally observed in non-social organisms. But how reproduction affects longevity in eusocial insects has rarely been tested experimentally. In this study, we took advantage of the reproductive plasticity of workers to test the causal role of reproduction in determining longevity in eusocial insects. Using the eusocial bumblebee
Bombus terrestris
, we found that, in whole colonies, in which workers could freely ‘choose’ whether to become reproductive, workers' level of ovarian activation was significantly positively associated with longevity and ovary-active workers significantly outlived ovary-inactive workers. By contrast, when reproductivity was experimentally induced in randomly selected workers, thereby decoupling it from other traits, workers' level of ovarian activation was significantly negatively associated with longevity and ovary-active workers were significantly less long-lived than ovary-inactive workers. These findings show that workers experience costs of reproduction and suggest that intrinsically high-quality individuals can overcome these costs. They also raise the possibility that eusocial insect queens exhibit condition-dependent longevity and hence call into question whether eusociality entails a truly reversed fecundity–longevity trade-off involving a fundamental remodelling of conserved genetic and endocrine networks underpinning ageing.
Common species link global ecosystems to climate change: dynamical evidence in the planktonic fossil record
Authors: Hannisdal Bjarte , Haaga Kristian Agasøster , Reitan Trond , Diego David , Liow Lee Hsiang
Published: July 2017

Common species shape the world around us, and changes in their commonness signify large-scale shifts in ecosystem structure and function. However, our understanding of long-term ecosystem response to environmental forcing in the deep past is centred on species richness, neglecting the disproportional impact of common species. Here, we use common and widespread species of planktonic foraminifera in deep-sea sediments to track changes in observed global occupancy (proportion of sampled sites at which a species is present and observed) through the turbulent climatic history of the last 65 Myr. Our approach is sensitive to relative changes in global abundance of the species set and robust to factors that bias richness estimators. Using three independent methods for detecting causality, we show that the observed global occupancy of planktonic foraminifera has been dynamically coupled to past oceanographic changes captured in deep-ocean temperature reconstructions. The causal inference does not imply a direct mechanism, but is consistent with an indirect, time-delayed causal linkage. Given the strong quantitative evidence that a dynamical coupling exists, we hypothesize that mixotrophy (symbiont hosting) may be an ecological factor linking the global abundance of planktonic foraminifera to long-term climate changes via the relative extent of oligotrophic oceans.
Experimental evidence of human recreational disturbance effects on bird-territory establishment
Authors: Bötsch Yves , Tablado Zulima , Jenni Lukas
Published: July 2017

The worldwide increase in human outdoor activities raises concerns for wildlife. Human disturbances, even at low levels, are likely to impact species during sensitive periods of the annual cycle. However, experimental studies during the putative sensitive period of territory establishment of birds which not only investigate low disturbance levels, but which also exclude the effect of habitat modification (e.g. walking trails) are lacking. Here, we experimentally disturbed birds in forest plots by walking through twice a day during territory establishment. Later we compared the breeding bird community of experimentally disturbed plots with that of undisturbed control plots. We discovered that the number of territories (−15.0%) and species richness (−15.2%) in disturbed plots were substantially reduced compared with control plots. Species most affected included those sensitive to human presence (assessed by flight-initiation distances), open-cup nesters and above-ground foragers. Long-distance migrants, however, were unaffected due to their arrival after experimental disturbance took place. These findings highlight how territory establishment is a sensitive period for birds, when even low levels of human recreation may be perceived as threatening, and alter settlement decisions. This can have important implications for the conservation of species, which might go unnoticed when focusing only on already established birds.
A cosmopolitan late Ediacaran biotic assemblage: new fossils from Nevada and Namibia support a global biostratigraphic link
Authors: Smith E. F. , Nelson L. L. , Tweedt S. M. , Zeng H. , Workman J. B.
Published: July 2017

Owing to the lack of temporally well-constrained Ediacaran fossil localities containing overlapping biotic assemblages, it has remained uncertain if the latest Ediacaran (
ca
550–541 Ma) assemblages reflect systematic biological turnover or environmental, taphonomic or biogeographic biases. Here, we report new latest Ediacaran fossil discoveries from the lower member of the Wood Canyon Formation in Nye County, Nevada, including the first figured reports of erniettomorphs,
Gaojiashania
,
Conotubus
and other problematic fossils. The fossils are spectacularly preserved in three taphonomic windows and occur in greater than 11 stratigraphic horizons, all of which are below the first appearance of
Treptichnus pedum
and the nadir of a large negative δ
13
C excursion that is a chemostratigraphic marker of the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary. The co-occurrence of morphologically diverse tubular fossils and erniettomorphs in Nevada provides a biostratigraphic link among latest Ediacaran fossil localities globally. Integrated with a new report of
Gaojiashania
from Namibia, previous fossil reports and existing age constraints, these finds demonstrate a distinctive late Ediacaran fossil assemblage comprising at least two groups of macroscopic organisms with dissimilar body plans that ecologically and temporally overlapped for at least 6 Myr at the close of the Ediacaran Period. This cosmopolitan biotic assemblage disappeared from the fossil record at the end of the Ediacaran Period, prior to the Cambrian radiation.
Live Cell Imaging of Bioorthogonally Labelled Proteins Generated With a Single Pyrrolysine tRNA Gene
Authors: Aloush Noa , Schvartz Tomer , König Andres I. , Cohen Sarit , Brozgol Eugene , Tam Benjamin , Nachmias Dikla , Ben-David Oshrit , Garini Yuval , Elia Natalie , Arbely Eyal
Published: July 2017

Genetic code expansion enables the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into expressed proteins. ncAAs are usually encoded by a stop codon that is decoded by an exogenous orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase and its cognate suppressor tRNA, such as the pyrrolysine synthetase/pair. In such systems, stop codon suppression is dependent on the intracellular levels of the exogenous tRNA. Therefore, multiple copies of the tRNAPylgene (PylT) are encoded to improve ncAA incorporation. However, certain applications in mammalian cells, such as live-cell imaging applications, where labelled tRNA contributes to background fluorescence, can benefit from the use of less invasive minimal expression systems. Accordingly, we studied the effect of tRNAPylon live-cell fluorescence imaging of bioorthogonally-labelled intracellular proteins. We found that in COS7 cells, a decrease in PylT copy numbers had no measurable effect on protein expression levels. Importantly, reducing PylT copy numbers improved the quality of live-cells images by enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio and reducing an immobile tRNAPylpopulation. This enabled us to improve live cell imaging of bioorthogonally labelled intracellular proteins, and to simultaneously label two different proteins in a cell. Our results indicate that the number of introduced PylT genes can be minimized according to the transfected cell line, incorporated ncAA, and application.
A dual-mode mobile phone microscope using the onboard camera flash and ambient light
Authors: Orth A. , Wilson E. R. , Thompson J. G. , Gibson B. C.
Published: July 2017

Mobile phone microscopes are a natural platform for point-of-care imaging, but current solutions require an externally powered illumination source, thereby adding bulk and cost. We present a mobile phone microscope that uses the internal flash or sunlight as the illumination source, thereby reducing complexity whilst maintaining functionality and performance. The microscope is capable of both brightfield and darkfield imaging modes, enabling microscopic visualization of samples ranging from plant to mammalian cells. We describe the microscope design principles, assembly process, and demonstrate its imaging capabilities through the visualization of unlabelled cell nuclei to observing the motility of cattle sperm.
Text mining of 15 million full-text scientific articles
Authors: Westergaard David , Stærfeldt Hans-Henrik , Tønsberg Christian , Jensen Lars Juhl , Brunak Søren
Published: July 2017

Across academia and industry, text mining has become a popular strategy for keeping up with the rapid growth of the scientific literature. Text mining of the scientific literature has mostly been carried out on collections of abstracts, due to their availability. Here we present an analysis of 15 million English scientific full-text articles published during the period 1823–2016. We describe the development in article length and publication sub-topics during these nearly 250 years. We showcase the potential of text mining by extracting published protein–protein, disease–gene, and protein subcellular associations using a named entity recognition system, and quantitatively report on their accuracy using gold standard benchmark data sets. We subsequently compare the findings to corresponding results obtained on 16.5 million abstracts included in MEDLINE and show that text mining of full-text articles consistently outperforms using abstracts only.
A Careful Consideration of the Influence of Structure, Partial charges and Basis Sets on Collision Cross Sections of Monosaccharides when Comparing Values from DFT Calculated Conformers to those Obtained Experimentally
Authors: Migas Lukasz G. , Gray Christopher J. , Flitsch Sabine L. , Barran Perdita E.
Published: July 2017

Molecular modelling is routinely employed to assign 3D structures to collision cross sections (CCSs) derived from ion mobility mass spectrometry experiments (IM-MS). The assignment of model structures to the experimental CCSs remains an ambiguous task, where one of several methods may be used to obtain a CCS from a given set of coordinates. The most reliable of the commonly used techniques, the Trajectory Method, starts with atomic coordinates which can be accompanied by partial atomic charges, obtained usingab initiomethods. Here, we use lithiated α- and β-glucose ions as exemplar molecules to detect the effect conformational modification and changes to the partial charge distribution have on computed collision cross sections. Six popular charge schemes (Mulliken, APT, CHelpG, MK, HLY and NPA) were examined in combination with three functionals (Hartree-Fock, B3LYP and M05) and five basis sets (STO-3G, 3-21G, 6-31G, 6-31+G and 6-31G*) on twenty unique structures. Our findings indicate that molecular conformation makes a significant contribution to fluctuations of partial charges in Electrostatic Potential (ESP) and Mulliken charge scheme; Partial charges derived using Natural Population Analysis (NPA) and ESP methods are largely independent of functional and basis set selection; and both selection of the charge scheme and functional/basis set combination play a large role in the resultant CCS, often causing few percent fluctuations in the computed values.
Prdm16 is required for the maintenance of neural stem cells in the postnatal forebrain and their differentiation into ependymal cells
Authors: Shimada Issei S. , Acar Melih , Burgess Rebecca J. , Zhao Zhiyu , Morrison Sean J.
Published: July 2017

We and others showed previously that PR domain-containing 16 (Prdm16) is a transcriptional regulator required for stem cell function in multiple fetal and neonatal tissues, including the nervous system. However, Prdm16 germline knockout mice died neonatally, preventing us from testing whether Prdm16 is also required for adult stem cell function. Here we demonstrate that Prdm16 is required for neural stem cell maintenance and neurogenesis in the adult lateral ventricle subventricular zone and dentate gyrus. We also discovered that Prdm16 is required for the formation of ciliated ependymal cells in the lateral ventricle. Conditional Prdm16 deletion during fetal development using Nestin-Cre prevented the formation of ependymal cells, disrupting cerebrospinal fluid flow and causing hydrocephalus. Postnatal Prdm16 deletion using Nestin-CreERT2 did not cause hydrocephalus or prevent the formation of ciliated ependymal cells but caused defects in their differentiation. Prdm16 was required in neural stem/progenitor cells for the expression of Foxj1, a transcription factor that promotes ependymal cell differentiation. These studies show that Prdm16 is required for adult neural stem cell maintenance and neurogenesis as well as the formation of ependymal cells.
Crystal structure of (E)-N′-(3-fluoro-2-hydroxybenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide
Authors: Jiajaroen Suwadee , Chainok Kittipong , Kielar Filip
Published: July 2017

In the title compound, C13H10FN3O2, the molecule has an E conformation with respect to the C=N bond of the hydrazone bridge. The dihedral angle between the isonicotinoyl and fluorophenol moieties is 4.03 (4)°, and an intramolecular O—H...N hydrogen bond generates an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...N and C—H...N hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along the a-axis direction. The chains are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds, resulting in the formation of layers lying parallel to the ab plane. The crystal structure also features π–π interactions [centroid-to-centroid distance = 3.6887 (8) Å].
Synthesis and crystal structure of a disubstituted nickel(II) bis[(dimethylaminophenylimino)ethyl]pyridine chloride complex
Authors: Matthews Morgan , Sendzik Madison , Bruggeman Adrienne , Kearns Claire , Oliver Allen G. , Babbini Dominic C.
Published: July 2017

The solvated title compound, bis[2,6-bis(1-{[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]imino-κN}ethyl)pyridine-κN]nickel(II) dichloride–dichloromethane–water (1/2/2), [Ni(C25H29N5)2]Cl2·2CH2Cl2·2H2O, represents a nickel(II) bis(pyridine diimine) complex with electron-donating dimethylaminophenyl substituents. The complex crystallizes as a water/dichloromethane solvate with Z′ = 2, thus the asymmetric unit consists of two NiII complex cations, four chloride anions, four adventitious water and four dichloromethane solvent molecules. Around each octahedrally coordinated NiII cation, one pendant phenyl group on each of the two ligands has an intramolecular π–π interaction with the pyridine ring of the other chelating ligand. In the crystal, pairs of water molecules are hydrogen bonded to pairs of chlorine atoms. The dichloromethane solvent molecules are likewise hydrogen bonded to the chloride anions.
A one-dimensional coordination polymer, catena-poly[[[[N-ethyl-N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)dithiocarbamato-κ2
S,S′]zinc(II)]-μ2-N-ethyl-N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)dithiocarbamato-κ3
S,S′:N] 4-methylpyridine hemisolvate]
Authors: Poplaukhin Pavel , Arman Hadi D. , Tiekink Edward R. T.
Published: July 2017

The title compound, {[Zn(C9H11N2S2)2]·0.5C6H7N}
n
, comprises two independent, but chemically similar, Zn[S2CN(Et)CH2py]2 residues and a 4-methylpyridine solvent molecule in the asymmetric unit. The Zn-containing units are connected into a one-dimensional coordination polymer (zigzag topology) propagating in the [010] direction, with one dithiocarbamate ligand bridging in a μ2-κ3 mode, employing one pyridyl N and both dithiocarbamate S atoms, while the other is κ2-chelating. In each case, the resultant ZnNS4 coordination geometry approximates a square pyramid, with the pyridyl N atom in the apical position. In the crystal, the chains are linked into a three-dimensional architecture by methyl- and pyridyl-C—H...S, methylene-C—H...N(pyridyl) and pyridyl-C—H...π(ZnS2C) interactions. The connection between the chain and the 4-methylpyridine solvent molecule is of the type pyridyl-C—H...N(4-methylpyridine).
Trust in ag-related marketing claims: a segmentation with German consumers
Authors: Kühl Sarah , Schlüterbusch Lea , Spiller Achim
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Agricultural-related food marketing claims are gaining in importance. The challenge for the industry is to claim real production characteristics while being in line with consumers’ expectations. Looking at the example of marketing pasture-raised milk year-round and the fact that cows only have access to pasture in summer, the purpose of this paper is to analyse consumer expectations, the potential of deception and the acceptance of more credible marketing strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

An online access panel was used for data collection. The data include 310 German milk buyers, who were grouped using cluster analysis to examine the different target groups for the year-round and seasonal marketing of pasture-raised milk.

Findings

The study distinguished two different consumer groups: one with lower expectations accepting year-round marketing (32.5 per cent) and the other with higher demands, who feel deceived by year-round marketing (46.7 per cent). Furthermore, one part of the last group is also sceptical towards the more precise seasonal marketing due to their general scepticism towards ag-related marketing claims.

Practical implications

To generate consumer trust in ag-related marketing claims, it is beneficial to meet consumers’ expectations. Producers have to decide if they orient their products to more modest or more critical consumer segments. While it is easier to implement lower standards, there is the risk to disappoint (and thereby lose) the most interesting target group of highly involved consumers characterised by some general doubts regarding food marketing claims.

Originality/value

The study is the first to demonstrate the existence of two consumer segments that differ in their expectations towards and acceptance of ag-related marketing claims for food products.
Motives and barriers of organic food demand among Polish consumers
Authors: Wojciechowska-Solis Julia , Soroka Andrzej
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the intentions and behaviors of consumers of the Poland which recently puts emphasis on the promotion of organic food, healthy diet of its population and shows concern for the protection of natural environment. The conducted studies aim to identify types of products and determine motives that Polish adults take into consideration when buying organic food. The studies have been also conducted to indicate the most common barriers that appear when purchasing this type of products. The above-mentioned aims are carried out in the context of a level of education among consumers of organic food.

Design/methodology/approach

A diagnostic survey method with authors’ questionnaire was used in the studies to examine 3436 respondents from all over the Poland. The studies were conducted in 2015. After the use of construction and validation procedures, a five-point Likert scale was applied to measure the attitudes. An indicator of scale reliability was calculated where Cronbach’s α was 0.85. The education was a criterion that divided respondents into study groups.

Findings

The population was divided taking into account the place of residence: villages, towns up to 30 thousand inhabitants and towns over 30 thousand inhabitants. In the next stage of sample selection, respondents were proportionally divided according to their sex. Women constituted 51.3 percent, while men 48.7 percent. All respondents were of legal age. These methodological procedures allowed calculating a size of sample, where the level of confidence was set at 0.95, the estimated size fraction at 0.50 and the maximum error at 0.05.

Originality/value

There is a need for increased education on the importance of organic food and its influence on human health, especially among the young generation of Polish consumers. The conducted education should be aimed at encouraging producers and in particular sellers to promote sale of organic food in their stores, and thus to label it appropriately for easier identification by consumers. The barriers and motives presented in this paper which occur when buying organic food are identical to those that occur in developed and developing countries.
Could new information influence attitudes to foods supplemented with edible insects?
Authors: Barsics Fanny , Caparros Megido Rudy , Brostaux Yves , Barsics Catherine , Blecker Christophe , Haubruge Eric , Francis Frédéric
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Broader acceptance of entomophagy (i.e. human consumption of insects) will depend on factors that impact consumers’ perceptions of edible insects. The purpose of this paper is to examine how a broad-based information session would affect consumers’ perceptions and attitudes about an edible insect product.

Design/methodology/approach

During a taste testing session, preceded or followed by an information session about entomophagy, participants rated the organoleptic characteristics of two bread samples on nine-point hedonic scales. The two bread samples were identical, though one was faux-labelled as containing an insect product.

Findings

Generalised linear model (GLM) analysis showed effects of gender, information session exposure, entomophagy familiarity, and entomophagy experience on participants’ ratings of the samples. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney ranked sum tests showed that appearance, flavour, and overall liking were significantly better rated for the bread sample labelled as insect free by participants who attended the presentation a priori. Potential ways to improve information content and delivery in favour of encouraging dietary shifts are discussed.

Practical implications

This study shows that information about insect-based products could change consumers’ perceptions of such products. The results provide clues regarding how the food industry can adapt communication for target audiences.

Originality/value

Actual edible insect products were not used in this study. Paradoxically, it is the first to show the impact of an information session on the acceptability of edible insect products, by revealing participants’ perceptual expectations.
Workplace resources and employee resilience: the role of regulatory profiles
Authors: Kuntz Joana , Connell Philippa , Näswall Katharina
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the independent and joint effects of regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) on the relationship between workplace resources (support and feedback) and employee resilience. It proposed that, at high levels of resource availability, a high promotion-high prevention profile would elicit the highest levels of employee resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was completed by 162 white collar employees from four organisations. In addition to the main effects, two- and three-way interactions were examined to test hypotheses.

Findings

Promotion focus was positively associated with employee resilience, and though the relationship between prevention focus and resilience was non-significant, both regulatory foci buffered against the negative effects of low resources. Employees with high promotion-high prevention focus displayed the highest levels of resilience, especially at high levels of feedback. Conversely, the resilience of low promotion-low prevention individuals was susceptible to feedback availability.

Practical implications

Employee resilience development and demonstration are contingent not only on resources, but also on psychological processes, particularly regulatory focus. Organisations will develop resilience to the extent that they provide workplace resources, and, importantly, stimulate both promotion and prevention perspectives on resource management.

Originality/value

This study extends the research on regulatory focus theory by testing the joint effects of promotion and prevention foci on workplace resources, and the relationship between regulatory foci and employee resilience.
Using game theory to stimulate provision of local public facilities
Authors: Gauteplass Asle A. , Hopland Arnt O.
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study how the central government can use well-known game-theoretical concepts in order to stimulate provision of local public facilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use the classical adverse selection framework to discuss how the central government can use investment transfers as efficiently as possible to stimulate increased provision of local public facilities.

Findings

The benefits of local public facilities, such as kindergartens, schools, and primary healthcare institutions are greater than what each local government takes into account. Consequently, the central government, which maximizes social welfare in total, wants more local public facilities than the individual local government find optimal to supply. The central government thus would want to stimulate additional provision of local public facilities using contracts where local governments receive a transfer as compensation for increasing their supply. Since local governments differ regarding their efficiency in supplying facilities, the required amount of facilities and the corresponding transfer size should be allowed to vary across local governments.

Originality/value

Almost all countries are organized with multiple tiers of government, and local governments are important providers of many important welfare services. After labor, facilities are probably the second most important input in production of local public services. This paper offers insights into how the central government can efficiently stimulate the production of local public facilities.
Critical strategic issues for the integration of facilities management into the development process
Authors: Tucker Matthew Paul , Masuri Mohd Rayme Anang , Cotgrave Alison
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical strategic issues for the integration of facilities management (FM) into the development process (DP). It explains the factors that limit the integration and recognises the best practices applied in the property development industry in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs a qualitative research approach through semi-structured interviews from the FM and property development industry in the UK.

Findings

The study discovered that the recognition of FM in the property development industry is encouraging. However, FM has been given a low priority in the property development industry, resulting in facilities managers being inadequately integrated into the DP.

Originality/value

The paper suggests that it is imperative to understand these strategic issues to promote best practice in the industry that improve the position of FM in the property development industry.
Prediction of performance outcomes for procurement of public-sector construction consultants for property management
Authors: Lam Terence
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Public-sector construction clients in the UK and Australia have a clear objective to maximise potential and value for construction and infrastructure projects. Outcome-based performance predictive models, which link influencing factors to individual performance outcomes, were developed for the public-sector property management clients. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Combined qualitative-quantitative methods were used to examine the causal relationships between performance outcomes and input economic and job performance factors. Hypotheses on individual relationships generated by a literature review were refined using the findings from a qualitative multiple-case study of three universities, and then tested by a quantitative hierarchical regression analysis using data from 60 consultancies collected from a questionnaire survey sent to the estate management offices of the universities, which form a unique public sector. Each performance project outcome was regressed against influencing factors. Performance predictive models were established in the form of regression equations.

Findings

Five performance outcomes are identified: time, cost, quality, innovations and working relationship with the client. These can be significantly predicted by regression models, based on performance influencing factors of project staff, competence of firm, execution approach, size of firm, consultant framework and competition level.

Research limitations/implications

The performance predictive models developed should be regarded as “conceptual”. Public-sector clients may have different organisation objectives and hence different requirements for performance outcomes, which may further vary according to specific project situations. The models should be adapted to suit individual needs. Adjustments can be made by using the combined qualitative-quantitative methods adopted in this research, thus creating customised models for property management and construction-related clients.

Practical implications

The client’s professional team should focus on the significant performance influencing factors and take advantage of the performance predictive models to select quality consultants. Construction consultants should address the factors in the tender proposals in order to add value to the project and benefit the client.

Originality/value

The existing input-based assessment approach applied at the tender stage cannot guarantee the strategic project objectives to be achieved. The performance predictive models are adaptable for property management and construction disciplines within the wider public sector, thus contributing to achievement of the government construction policy.
A potential pitfall in studies of biological shape: Does size matter?
Authors: Outomuro David , Johansson Frank
Published: July 2017

The number of published studies using geometric morphometrics (GM) for analysing biological shape has increased steadily since the beginning of the 1990s, covering multiple research areas such as ecology, evolution, development, taxonomy and palaeontology. Unfortunately, we have observed that many published studies usingGMdo not evaluate the potential allometric effects of size on shape, which normally require consideration or assessment. This might lead to misinterpretations and flawed conclusions in certain cases, especially when size effects explain a large part of the shape variation.

We assessed, for the first time and in a systematic manner, how often published studies that have appliedGMconsider the potential effects of allometry on shape.

We reviewed the 300 most recent published papers that usedGMfor studying biological shape. We also estimated how much of the shape variation was explained by allometric effects in the reviewed papers.

More than one‐third (38%) of the reviewed studies did not consider the allometric component of shape variation. In studies where the allometric component was taken into account, it was significant in 88% of the cases, explaining up to 87.3% of total shape variation. We believe that one reason that may cause the observed results is a misunderstanding of the process that superimposes landmark configurations, i.e. the Generalized Procrustes Analysis, which removes isometric effects of size on shape, but not allometric effects.

Allometry can be a crucial component of shape variation. We urge authors to address, and report, size effects in studies of biological shape. However, we do not propose to always remove size effects, but rather to evaluate the research question with and without the allometric component of shape variation. This approach can certainly provide a thorough understanding of how much size contributes to the observed shaped variation.