bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Servant leadership and perceptions of service quality provided by front-line service workers in hotels in Turkey
Authors: Koyuncu Mustafa , J. Burke Ronald , Astakhova Marina , Eren Duygu , Cetin Hayrullah
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this article is to examine the relationship of service employees perceptions of servant leadership provided by their supervisors/managers and employee’s reports of service quality provided to clients by their hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from 221 frontline employees, a 37 per cent response rate, working in four- and five-star hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey. Previously developed and validated measures of servant leadership (Lidenet al., 2008) and service quality (Parasuramanet al., 1988) were used and both were found to be highly reliable in this study.

Findings

– Respondents were generally young, had relatively short organizational tenure and had high school educations. Respondents having longer organizational tenures and those working in five-star hotels reported lower levels of servant leadership. Longer tenured employees, and males, rated some dimensions of service quality lower as well. Service employees reporting higher levels of servant leadership from their supervisors/managers generally indicated higher levels of service quality.

Research limitations/implications

– Some limitations should be noted. First, all data were collected using respondent self-reports, raising the limited possibility of response set tendencies. Second, the sample, while reasonably large, may not be representative of all hotel employees in Turkey. Third, all properties were located in one region of Turkey and may not be representative of hotel employees in other regions of the country.

Practical implications

– First, organizations could select individuals exhibiting higher levels of servant leadership potential based on indications that these individuals are interested in developing long-term relationships with staff and co-workers and in helping them become more skilled in doing their jobs. Selection can also be augmented by servant leadership training (Fulmer and Conger, 2004). Supervisors/managers could be coached to help them develop their staff and help them meet their unique goals (Raelin, 2003). Finally, workplace cultural value supportive of both servant leadership and service quality can be identified, modeled by senior level managers, supported and rewarded.

Originality/value

– Most studies focus on defining and measuring servant leadership or service quality. This study investigates the relationship between servant leadership and service quality.
Rhetoric and narratives as equipment for living: spinning in Borgen
Authors: Soetaert Ronald , Rutten Kris
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical background for studying rhetoric and narratives as equipment for living. Analyzing a case study on spinning and the spin doctor in recent narratives with a major focus on the Danish TV-seriesBorgen. Arguing that narratives can be equipment for teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

– Introducing rhetorical concepts as tools for an analysis of narratives (based on the work of Kenneth Burke).

Findings

– The authors argue for the importance of rhetoric and narrative as tools for meaning-making, illustrate how spinning has become a major topic in recent fiction (and the TV-seriesBorgenin particular), and focus on howBorgencan be equipment for living from different “terministic screens.”

Originality/value

– The authors analyze how a popular narrative asBorgencan be read as equipment for living, focussing on how the spin doctor has become a major character in fiction, and illustrate what the authors can learn from narratives about rhetoric and spinning.
Rhetoric and the foundation of the Service-Dominant Logic
Authors: Miles Chris
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of rhetorical and narrative strategies in the foundational text of Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic. The author argues that the success of Vargo and Lusch's (2004a) paper in establishing the foundational premises of the new S-D Logic is greatly aided by their persuasive use of classical rhetorical techniques of word choice, metaphor, and framing as well as the careful construction of a narrative that is guaranteed to be attractive to their audience.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author uses techniques of rhetorical and narrative analysis to closely examine some of the principle argument in the foundational text of S-D Logic.

Findings

– The author finds that Vargo and Lusch (2004a) make use of a powerful narrative of redemption in which marketing is seen to be saved from a potentially destructive internal struggle by a revelatory shift in perspective. The choice of key framing terms such as “logic”, “evolution”, and “paradigm” is found to have an important rhetorical effect in supporting this persuasive narrative and helping to cast it in a scientifically “inevitable” light.

Originality/value

– The findings speak to the vital role played in academic marketing, and in the successful promulgation of a new movement within the academic marketing community, of persuasive language and narrative.
Context and time in brand image constructions
Authors: Rindell Anne , Iglesias Oriol
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to further understanding of the roles that time and context play in consumers’ evolving brand image construction processes over time.

Design/methodology/approach

– This exploratory, qualitative research is based on the analysis and interpretation of 164 online consumer narratives pertaining to the consumers’ most memorable coffee moments.

Findings

– Consumers build images of a brand through both fleeting moments over time linked to special occasions and everyday moments in their lives over time. Understanding image construction processes thus must go beyond just physical (location) and psychological (social) circumstances. Activity processes (“When I am doing […]”) also are central to this understanding.

Research limitations/implications

– Time and context emerge as key determinants of consumers’ brand image processes and should hence be explicitly recognised in branding research. This study focuses only on brand admirers; because the study context refers to a business-to-consumer product, the focus is the product brand.

Practical implications

– Considering the key role of memorable past moments (time and context) in consumers’ brand image construction processes, branding strategies should reflect systematic efforts to identify these moments. Such an approach can provide opportunities for companies to deepen their consumer understanding and achieve a favourable presence in consumer contexts during which brand images get constructed.

Originality/value

– This study identifies key dimensions of time and context and thus furthers understanding of these dimensions in relation to brand images.
Visual narratives on organizational space
Authors: Höykinpuro Ritva , Ropo Arja
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a visual perspective to the narrative management research by exploring the potential of drawings to construct organizational space. This study is explorative in nature and aims to open up a discussion on the importance of visuality within the narrative research. Visual narratives combined with written ones are constructed and analyzed in the paper.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical illustrations of visual narratives outline students’ first-time encounters of the university campus. Their drawings and stories are used to describe and analyze their personal and subjective experiences of how they relate to the campus space. The students were asked to recall the moment they encountered the university campus for the first time and to draw their memories on a paper. Furthermore, they were asked to describe the drawings in a written narrative. Following that, the storyline was identified through a content analysis of both the drawings and the written narratives. This participatory research approach considers informants as co-researchers in producing data and emphasizes the inter-subjective nature of the study.

Findings

– The study points out valuable aspects in visual narrative organization research. The drawings and written narratives were found to complement each other revealing different things of the experiences. The drawings were very rich and detailed. They captured and revealed emotions, symbolic meanings and interpretations that were not explicated in the written stories. Finally, categories of visual narratives on organizational space were developed.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the development of visual methodology in narrative management research. Moreover, this paper provides a methodological contribution to study organizational space. It sheds light on the potential of using visual narrative materials, especially self-produced drawings to construct organizational space. The study develops and illustrates a visual research method that combines written narratives with drawings. The study points out the importance to involve the informants as co-creators of a narrative study to capture the emotional richness of visual narratives. The authors envision that visual aspects of narratives will be a future direction in the narrative research, because visuality may capture hidden emotional aspects, symbols and artifacts that are not easily revealed in the told or written stories.
Stories affording new pathways: bridging the divide between aged and disability care
Authors: Dawson Patrick , Sykes Christopher , McLean Peter , Zanko Michael , Marciano Heather
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the early stages of change and the way that stories can open up forms of collaborative dialogue and creative thinking among divergent stakeholders on known but “intractable” problems by enabling multiple voices to be heard in the co-construction of future possibilities for change. The empirical focus is on a project undertaken by two organizations located in Australia. The organizations – AAC, a large aged care provider and Southern Disability Services, a disability support service – collaborated with the researchers in identifying and re-characterizing the nature of the problem in the process of storying new pathways for tackling the transitioning needs of people with intellectual disabilities into aged care services.

Design/methodology/approach

– An action research approach was used in conducting interviews in the case organizations to ascertain the key dimensions of the presenting problem and to identify change options, this was followed by an ethnographic study of a Pilot Project used to trial the provision of disability day service programmes within an aged care setting.

Findings

– A key finding of the study centres on the importance of stories at the early stages of change in widening the arena of innovative opportunities, in facilitating collective acceptance of new ideas and in initiating action to resolve problems. The paper demonstrates how stories are used not only in retrospective sensemaking of existing problems but also in giving prospective sense to the possibilities for resolving protracted problems through innovative solutions that in turn facilitates a level of collective acceptance and commitment to opening up new pathways for change.

Originality/value

– The paper focuses on problem characterization during the early stages of change and bring to the fore the often hidden notion of time in utilizing concepts from a range of literatures in examining temporality, stories and sensemaking in a context in which future possibilities are made sense of in the present through restorying experiences and events from the past. On a practical and policy front, the paper demonstrates the power of stories to mobilize commitment and action and presents material for rethinking change possibilities in the delivery of aged and disability care.
Searching and searching again – finding meaning through arts-based research
Authors: McLaren Mary-Rose
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelation of form and meaning in arts-based research and in academic writing.

Design/methodology/approach

– It draws on two arts-based projects: one a study of Shakespeare undertaken with undergraduate students; the other a play written to convey a young boy's experiences of Second world War in an Australian country town. Both projects were arts-based research, aimed at extending knowledge of individual experiences, and the ways in which individuals bring knowledge and interpretation to their worlds.

Findings

– It is hoped by examining the experiences of individuals the authors also learn about collective experiences and ways of building and communicating understanding. The paper proposes that intuitive ways of knowing are of equal value to other ways of knowing, and the Arts provide a space where intuition can be valued and explored.

Originality/value

– The paper is also an experiment in form, seeking to find forms which reflect the nature of the research. Consequently it is constructed primarily from a piece of iambic pentameter, a play script and a sonnet. These three forms are used, in conjunction, to reflect upon and explore the nature of arts-based research for individuals and collectively.
‘It's the Demography, Stupid’: Ethnic Change and Opposition to Immigration
Authors: KAUFMANN ERIC
Published: October 2014

It is often forgotten that, regardless of time or place, periods of high immigration are almost always periods of high anti‐immigration sentiment. When ethnic change is rapid, driven by immigration or differences in ethnic natural increase, the ethnic majority often responds with a politics of immigration. This was true, for instance, in Britain in the 1960s, in the US during 1890–1925 and in interwar Scotland. I show that White British people in locales experiencing rapid ethnic change are more likely to call for lower immigration and to vote BNP. On the other hand, where there is already a high level of ethnic minorities, white opinion is less hostile to immigration: UKIP does poorly among whites in diverse areas. Habituation to change, typically within a decade, and assimilation—especially of Europeans—over a generation reduces hostility to immigration. If the rate of ethnic change slows, we should therefore expect a reduction in the salience of immigration. Ironically, because the children of European migrants are more readily accepted into the ethnic majority than is the case for non‐Europeans, a shift from EU free movement to non‐European skilled migrants, as is advocated by UKIP, could run counter to the wishes of its own supporters.
Liberal Nationalism, Imagined Immigration and the Progressive Dilemma
Authors: LEDDY‐OWEN CHARLES
Published: October 2014

The article critically evaluates liberal nationalist perspectives on immigration by drawing on findings from a qualitative research project undertaken in 2014 among White British interviewees in England. From one perspective the study's participants' attitudes seem to support arguments made by David Goodhart and other liberal nationalists regarding immigration, social trust and integration. However, further analysis suggests that these attitudes are to a very significant extent drawn first from partially imagined ideas surrounding immigration and second from potentially unreliable sources. These findings thus provoke the question of whether social trust and notions of a national community are actually being disrupted by immigration, or whether they are being disrupted by prejudiced nationalist and xenophobic perceptions about immigration and immigrants. The article will conclude by arguing for more nuanced research into attitudes towards immigration and in favour of a sceptical approach to nationalist frameworks for interpreting society and politics in Britain today.
Perceptions and Reality: Ten Things We Should Know About Attitudes to Immigration in the UK
Authors: DUFFY BOBBY
Published: October 2014

Immigration is one of the most frequently covered issues in opinion surveys—but the volume and type of questions asked has actually obscured many of the key facts about our attitudes. This article summarises a year‐long project to draw together as much of the published polling as possible in one place, in as neutral a way as possible. The overall picture is one of genuine concern about immigration among a large proportion of the population—but more nuance on specific aspects, and a number of important gaps between perceptions and reality. Also highlighted are the increasingly polarised views on immigration between generations and different class and education groupings. The lower level of concern among younger generations and the growing graduate class suggests that immigration may be less of a concern in the future—but that the electoral weight of the more concerned older generations means that restrictive rhetoric and policy on immigration will be a key feature of the 2015 general election.
Understanding UKIP: Identity, Social Change and the Left Behind
Authors: FORD ROBERT , GOODWIN MATTHEW
Published: October 2014

In this article we explore the structural shifts which help explain the emergence of UKIP as a major radical‐right political force in Britain. There are two distinct, but related, aspects to this story. The first is the changes to Britain's economic and social structure that have pushed to the margins a class of voters who we describe as the ‘left behind’: older, working‐class, white voters with few educational qualifications. The second is long‐term generational changes in the values that guide British society and shape the outlook of voters. These value shifts have also left older white working‐class voters behind, as a worldview which was once seen as mainstream has become regarded as parochial and intolerant by the younger, university‐educated, more socially liberal elites who define the political consensus of twenty‐first‐century Britain. We then move to consider the political changes that have further marginalised these voters, as first Labour and then the Conservatives focused their energies on recruiting and retaining support from middle‐class, moderate swing voters. Finally, we show how UKIP has developed into an effective electoral machine which looks to win and retain the loyalties of these voters. Finally, we discuss the longer‐term implications of the radical‐right revolt, which has the potential to change the nature of party competition in Britain in the 2015 election and beyond.
Superdiversity and the Browning of Labour
Authors: PHILLIPS TREVOR , WEBBER RICHARD
Published: October 2014

Superdiversity across Europe has focused attention on the increasing significance of ethnic minorities to electoral outcomes. We use unique Origins software to analyse a sample of minority voters in the May 2014 European elections; drawing on the work of the Ethnic Minority British Election Study (EMBES), we show that the growth of non‐White minorities will combine with a persistent preference for Labour to produce some unexpected consequences. We also compute the different ethnic penalties suffered by minority Labour and Conservative supporters, and demonstrate their likely trend between now and mid‐century. The analysis shows the increased importance of social and cultural factors in determining political preferences, and illustrates the way in which Big Data‐derived tools such as Origins can be used to produce fresh insights.
National Identity, Plurality and Interculturalism
Authors: CANTLE TED
Published: October 2014

This article examines the similarities and differences between multiculturalism and interculturalism, with particular reference to the impact of globalisation and changing patterns of diversity. It reflects briefly on the origins of multiculturalism—largely from a European perspective—with its focus on ‘race’ and the socio‐economic analysis that accompanied it. The article suggests that while multiculturalism was right to continue to focus on inequalities, it failed to adapt to super‐diversity and the multifaceted aspects of difference and ‘otherness’, including those based on disability, age and gender. Further, while multiculturalism became rooted in intra‐national differences, between minority and majority populations, an intercultural approach is now necessary to support the changing patterns of national identity and respond to the recent challenge posed by the growth of far‐right and popular extremist parties (PEPs).
Missing the Point on Hard and Soft Power?
Authors: KALDOR MARY
Published: October 2014

This article is a critique of two reports of parliamentary inquiries, into intervention and soft power, respectively. Neither report includes any discussion of Britain's involvement in and culpability for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite a more radical approach taken by the report on soft power, the article argues that the failure to address recent wars is symptomatic of a deeper and more dangerous inability to face up to profound and dangerous changes taking place in the world.
Is the Future of Electoral Reform Local?
Authors: RENWICK ALAN
Published: October 2014

The Electoral Reform Society has recently published two reports putting the case for electoral reform in local government. These suggest acceptance, in the wake of defeat in the 2011 Alternative Vote referendum, that the group's ultimate goal of change to the Westminster electoral system is unlikely to be fulfilled soon and that a more gradual strategy is therefore needed. This paper examines this shift by asking three questions. First, is Westminster electoral reform really a dead letter? Second, is local electoral reform more likely—and, if so, just how much more likely? Third, would local electoral reform matter in itself?
Whiteness, Class and Grassroots Perspectives on Social Change and Difference
Authors: BEIDER HARRIS
Published: October 2014

This paper suggests that the definition of the white working class, as an ethnic majority, is fluid and shifting, in contrast to its conventional portrayal as a fixed and static group. They are more than simply voiceless and ‘left behind’, especially with regard to views of multiculturalism, immigration and social change. Using data from two recent studies, we see a range of views expressed by white working class communities, which underlines the need for care to be taken when attempting to describe common‐sense views on these polemical subjects.
Marketing trends and future challenges: A review of dairy industry in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Sadi Muhammad A
Published: October 2014

This paper reviews the challenges facing the Saudi Arabian dairy industry dominated by a few companies engaged in aggressive price war strategies. The key players and the main drivers for milk production and consumption are discussed in detail. The latest developments in the ‘Saudisation’ policy and ‘Nitaqat’ scheme have also affected the quality of the labour force in the industry. The paper concludes that although the future prospects are promising, smaller milk‐producing companies might not survive unless they adopt alternate strategies. The latest push for job replacement with the domestic labour will also create difficulties for dairy firms to produce high quality products at a sustaining labour cost.
Development of a method employing reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography for establishing milk fat purity with respect to adulteration with vegetable oils
Authors: Upadhyay Neelam , Kumar Anil , Rathod Gopal , Goyal Ankit , Lal Darshan
Published: October 2014

A systematic study was conducted using reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography wherein unsaponifiable matter of samples namely, pure cow and buffalo milk fats, vegetable oils (groundnut oil, soya bean oil and sunflower oil) and milk fats adulterated with vegetable oils (≥1%) were run along with the reference standards using two new solvent systems to detect adulteration in milk fat. The results of the study revealed that adulteration at even a 1% level could easily be detected using this rapid, reliable and reproducible method based on the presence of β‐sitosterol as a marker and some additional spots ascribable to their occurrence in vegetable oils only.
Aligning product development and user perspectives: social–behavioural dimensions of multipurpose prevention technologies
Authors: Brady M , Tolley E
Published: October 2014

Multipurpose prevention technologies provide a compelling response to the multiple and reinforcing sexual and reproductive health risks faced by women globally. To ensure that this potential is realised, product‐specific characteristics and their social–behavioural correlates must be considered early in the product development process. This paper provides an overview of the key user‐related social and behavioural dimensions of three broad categories of multipurpose prevention technologies: 1) sustained release vaginal rings, 2) pericoital vaginal products, and 3) co‐formulated or co‐administered injectables. The authors build upon the broad parameters of Target Product Profiles for such products, aligning them with user perspective considerations.
Interest in multipurpose prevention of HIV and pregnancy: perspectives of women, men, health professionals and community stakeholders in two vaginal gel studies in southern Africa
Authors: Woodsong C , Musara P , Chandipwisa A , Montgomery E , Alleman P , Chirenje M , Chipato T , Martinson F , Hoffman I
Published: October 2014

Objective

The pipeline of vaginal microbicides for HIV prevention has expanded to include products for multipurpose prevention, but the interests of potential users and those advising on use have not been sufficiently investigated. Rather, assumptions about interest in multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) are inferred from what is known about acceptability and use of microbicides or contraceptives.

Design and setting

This paper presents data on concerns and preferences for multipurpose prevention of HIV and pregnancy. Data were collected in two microbicide gel studies in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Participants were women using candidate vaginal products, their male partners, health professionals and community stakeholders.

Methods

An individual interview was conducted with participants. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed, coded for content and analysed for key themes.

Results

Participants indicated strong interest in a vaginal HIV prevention product that could also prevent pregnancy. Reasons for this interest were convenience, problems with adverse effects with current contraceptive methods, concerns about long‐term effects of contraceptives, and concerns about the health burdens of HIV infection during pregnancy. The main disadvantage of an MPT was recognition that while interest in preventing HIV is constant, contraceptive needs change over time.

Conclusion

The study population indicated support for an MPT to prevent HIV and pregnancy. This support may be further strengthened if the product is also available for prevention of only HIV. Women and men will be more willing to use an MPT if they can be reassured that its use will have no long‐term effect on fertility.
Economics of salt‐induced land degradation and restoration
Authors: Qadir M. , Quillérou E. , Nangia V. , Murtaza G. , Singh M. , Thomas R.J. , Drechsel P. , Noble A.D.
Published: October 2014

Food security concerns and the scarcity of new productive land have put productivity enhancement of degraded lands back on the political agenda. In such a context, salt‐affected lands are a valuable resource that cannot be neglected nor easily abandoned even with their lower crop yields, especially in areas where significant investments have already been made in irrigation and drainage infrastructure. A review of previous studies shows a very limited number of highly variable estimates of the costs of salt‐induced land degradation combined with methodological and contextual differences. Simple extrapolation suggests that the global annual cost of salt‐induced land degradation in irrigated areas could be US$ 27.3 billion because of lost crop production. We present selected case studies that highlight the potential for economic and environmental benefits of taking action to remediate salt‐affected lands. The findings indicate that it can be cost‐effective to invest in sustainable land management in countries confronting salt‐induced land degradation. Such investments in effective remediation of salt‐affected lands should form part of a broader strategy for food security and be defined in national action plans. This broader strategy is required to ensure the identification and effective removal of barriers to the adoption of sustainable land management, such as perverse subsidies. Whereas reversing salt‐induced land degradation would require several years, interim salinity management strategies could provide a pathway for effective remediation and further showcase the importance of reversing land degradation and the rewards of investing in sustainable land management.
Prehospital paediatric burn care: New priorities in paramedic reporting
Authors: Fein Mikaela , Quinn Jamie , Watt Kerrianne , Nichols Tara , Kimble Roy , Cuttle Leila
Published: October 2014

Objective

The present study evaluates the prehospital care of paediatric burn patients in Queensland (QLD). As first aid (FA) treatment has been shown to affect burn progression and outcome, the FA treatment and the risk of associated hypothermia in paediatric patients were specifically examined in the context of paramedic management of burn patients.

Methods

Data were retrospectively collected from electronic ambulance response forms (eARFs) for paediatric burn patients (0–5 years) who were attended by Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) from 2008 to 2010. Data were collected from 117 eARFs of incidents occurring within the Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns regions.

Results

Initial FA measures were recorded in 77.8% of cases, with cool running water FA administered in 56.4% of cases. The duration of FA was recorded in 29.9% of reports. The duration of FA was significantly shorter for patients in Northern QLD (median = 10 min, n = 10) compared with Brisbane (median = 15 min, n = 18), P = 0.005. Patient temperatures were recorded significantly more often in Brisbane than in other regions (P = 0.041); however, in total, only 24.8% of all patients had documented temperature readings. Of these, six (5%) were recorded as having temperatures ≤36.0°C. BurnaidTM was the most commonly used dressing and was applied to 55.6% of all patients; however, it was applied with a variety of different outer dressings. Brisbane paramedics applied Burnaid significantly less often (44.3%) compared with paramedics from Northern QLD (72.7%) and Far Northern QLD (60.9%), P = 0.025.

Conclusions

Despite FA and patient temperatures being important prognostic factors for burn patients, paramedic documentation of these was often incomplete, and there was no consistent use of burns dressings.
Genetic structure of Korean populations of bumblebees Bombus ignitus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as revealed by microsatellite markers
Authors: Han Taeman , Park Haechul , Park In Gyun , Yoon Hyung Joo , Kim Ki‐Hwan , Lee Hyuk Je
Published: October 2014

Bumblebee Bombus ignitus, which is indigenous to Korea, Japan, and China, has been recognized as a valuable pollinator for both crops and wild plants. Bombus ignitus has now become commercially important as a pollinator because of its use in the agricultural industry, particularly for greenhouse pollination. For long‐term management and effective conservation of B. ignitus, an understanding of the genetic structure of its naturally occurring populations is practically important. In this study, the genetic structure among the five populations of B. ignitus in South Korea was assessed using nine microsatellite loci. These markers showed high levels of genetic variability, with the number of alleles ranging from 6 to 22 (mean = 13.4) and the frequency of the most common allele ranging from 0.11 to 0.66. Only the Sabuk (SB) population showed a genetic signature of a recent bottleneck, which was further supported by the lowest level of allelic richness (AR) (mean AR = 3.944). Genetic differentiation was highly significant among all pairs of populations (P < 0.001) across the nine microsatellite markers, suggesting a lack of gene flow among those populations. Interestingly, FST (and RST and Dest) values were always greater for the Taebaek population than for the four remaining populations. The phylogenetic analysis showed evidence supporting our hypothesis that the Taebaek population is genetically more divergent than the other populations. Overall, our results suggest that the Korean populations of B. ignitus might have undergone geographic isolation and have become highly separated spatially from one another, thereby having a limited range of migration among their local habitats.
Circulating dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 activity correlates with measures of hepatocyte apoptosis and fibrosis in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity: A dual cohort cross‐sectional study
Authors: Williams Kathryn H. , Vieira De Ribeiro Ana Júlia , Prakoso Emilia , Veillard Anne‐Sophie , Shackel Nicholas A. , Brooks Belinda , Bu Yangmin , Cavanagh Erika , Raleigh Jim , McLennan Susan V. , McCaughan Geoffrey W. , Keane Fiona M. , Zekry Amany , Gorrell Mark D. , Twigg Stephen M.
Published: October 2014

Background

Intrahepatic expression of dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP4), and circulating DPP4 (cDPP4) levels and its enzymatic activity, are increased in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and in type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or obesity. DPP4 has been implicated as a causative factor in NAFLD progression but few studies have examined associations between cDPP4 activity and NAFLD severity in humans. This study aimed to examine the relationship of cDPP4 activity with measures of liver disease severity in NAFLD in subjects with diabetes and/or obesity.

Methods

cDPP4 was measured in 106 individuals with type 2 diabetes who had transient elastography (Cohort 1) and 145 individuals with morbid obesity who had liver biopsy (Cohort 2). Both cohorts had caspase‐cleaved keratin‐18 (ccK18) measured as a marker of apoptosis.

Results

Natural log increases in cDPP4 activity were associated with increasing quartiles of ccK18 (Cohorts 1 and 2) and with median liver stiffness ≥10.3 kPa (Cohort 1) and significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2) on liver biopsy (Cohort 2).

Conclusions

In diabetes and/or obesity, cDPP4 activity is associated with current apoptosis and liver fibrosis. Given the pathogenic mechanisms by which DPP4 may progress NAFLD, measurement of cDPP4 activity may have utility to predict disease progression and DPP4 inhibition may improve liver histology over time.
Depression in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: associations with hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and poor treatment adherence
Authors: Zhang Yuying , Ting Rose ZW , Yang Wenying , Jia Weiping , Li Wenhui , Ji Linong , Guo Xiaohui , Kong Alice PS , Wing Yun‐Kwok , Luk Andrea OY , Sartorius Norman , Morisky Donald E , Oldenburg Brian , Weng Jianping , Chan Juliana CN ,   China Depression in Chinese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (DD2) Study Group
Published: October 2014

Background

We hypothesize that depression in type 2 diabetes might be associated with poor glycemic control, in part due to suboptimal self‐care. We tested this hypothesis by examining the associations of depression with clinical and laboratory findings in a multicenter survey of Chinese type 2 diabetic patients.

Method

2538 patients aged 18–75 years attending hospital‐based clinics in four cities in China underwent detailed clinical‐psychological‐behavioral assessment during a 12‐month period between 2011 and 2012. Depression was diagnosed if Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) score ≥10. Diabetes self‐care and medication adherence were assessed using the Summary of Diabetes Self‐care Activities and the 4‐item Morisky medication adherence scale respectively.

Results

In this cross‐sectional study (mean age: 56.4 ± 10.5[SD] years, 53% men), 6.1% (n = 155) had depression. After controlling for study sites, patients with depression had higher HbA1c (7.9 ± 2.0 vs. 7.7 ± 2.0%, P = 0.008) and were less likely to achieve HbA1c goal of <7.0% (36.2% vs 45.6%, P = 0.004) than those without depression. They were more likely to report hypoglycemia and to have fewer days of being adherent to their recommended diet, exercise, foot care and medication. In logistic regression, apart from young age, poor education, long disease duration, tobacco use, high body mass index, use of insulin, depression was independently associated with failure to attain HbA1c target (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.56, 95%CI:1.05–2.32, P = 0.028). The association between depression and glycemic control became non‐significant after inclusion of adherence to diet, exercise and medication (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 0.99–2.21, P = 0.058).

Conclusion

Depression in type 2 diabetes was closely associated with hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, which might be partly mediated through poor treatment adherence.
Dysregulation of anergy‐related factors involved in regulatory T cells defects in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients: Rapamycin and Vitamin D efficacy in restoring regulatory T cells
Authors: Banica Leontina M. , Besliu Alina N. , Pistol Gina C. , Stavaru Crina , Vlad Violeta , Predeteanu Denisa , Ionescu Ruxandra , Stefanescu Maria , Matache Cristiana
Published: October 2014

Aim

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients display dysfunctions in T cell activation and anergy. Therefore the aims of our study were to explore the expression of anergy‐related factors in CD4+ T cells in relationship with regulatory T cells (Tregs) frequency in SLE patients and to identify strategies to redress these defects.

Method

Casitas B‐cell lymphoma b (Cbl‐b) and ‘gene related to anergy in lymphocytes' (GRAIL) proteins were analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from SLE patients and healthy donors (HD) by immunoblotting. cbl‐b, grail, growth response factors (egr)2 and egr3 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were evaluated by real‐time polymerase chain reaction in SLE and HD PBMCs and CD4+ T cells. Phenotypic and functional characterization of CD4+ T cells was performed by flow cytometry. Tregs expansion protocol consisted in culturing CD4+ T cells for 14 or 21 days of experimental activation with anti‐CD3 and anti‐CD28 monoclonal antibodies, human recombinant interleukin (hrIL)‐2, in the absence or presence of rapamycin (Rapa) or 1,25‐(OH)2D3 (vitamin D: VitD).

Results

SLE PBMCs expressed low levels of Cbl‐b and GRAIL proteins. Both SLE PBMCs and CD4+ T cells expressed low levels of egr2/3 mRNAs. SLE patients had a reduced number of Tregs with impaired suppressive activity. An association between egr2 mRNA level in CD4+ T cells and Tregs percentage was identified. Experimental activation of CD4+ T cells in the presence of hrIL‐2 and Rapa or VitD induced the expansion of SLE Tregs. However, on long‐term, only Rapa exposure of SLE CD4+ T cells yielded high numbers of Tregs with sustained suppressive activity.

Conclusion

Our results suggest a new strategy to correct defects in CD4+ T cell tolerance mechanisms that may prove beneficial in SLE.
Evaluation of the usefulness of interferon‐gamma release assays and the tuberculin skin test for the detection of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in Korean rheumatic patients who are candidates for biologic agents
Authors: Kim Jae‐Hoon , Won Soyoung , Choi Chan‐Bum , Sung Yoon‐Kyoung , Song Gwan Gyu , Bae Sang‐Cheol
Published: October 2014

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of active tuberculosis (TB) in patients who received both an interferon‐gamma release assay (the QuantiFERON‐TB Gold In‐Tube test [QFT‐GIT]) and tuberculin skin test (TST) in comparison with those who received QFT‐GIT or TST alone for the detection of latent TB infection (LTBI).

Methods

In total, 842 patients who received QFT‐GIT or TST and used biologic agents between January 2007 and December 2012 were recruited to determine the usefulness of LTBI screening tests. The incidence of active TB was calculated relative to the LTBI screening method as the number of events per 100 000 person‐years exposure.

Results

TB occurred in two of the patients who complied with an LTBI prophylaxis strategy. The TB incidence in the group that received both QFT‐GIT and TST was 151.05 (95% confidence interval [CI] 150.11–151.98)/100 000 person‐years, and the incidence was 169.78 (95% CI 168.73–170.84)/100 000 person‐years in the group that received only TST.

Conclusion

TB occurred even in some patients who received LTBI prophylaxis in compliance with national guidelines. The incidence of TB in patients who received either the QFT‐GIT plus TST prophylaxis strategy or the TST prophylaxis strategy alone was higher than the annual incidence of the general population of the Republic of Korea. It is not possible to conclude which of the LTBI prophylaxis strategies is superior.
A severe reduction in the cytochrome C content of Geobacter sulfurreducens eliminates its capacity for extracellular electron transfer
Authors: Estevez‐Canales Marta , Kuzume Akiyoshi , Borjas Zulema , Füeg Michael , Lovley Derek , Wandlowski Thomas , Esteve‐Núñez Abraham
Published: October 2014

The ability of Geobacter species to transfer electrons outside the cell enables them to play an important role in a number of biogeochemical and bioenergy processes. Gene deletion studies have implicated periplasmic and outer‐surface c‐type cytochromes in this extracellular electron transfer. However, even when as many as five c‐type cytochrome genes have been deleted, some capacity for extracellular electron transfer remains. In order to evaluate the role of c‐type cytochromes in extracellular electron transfer, Geobacter sulfurreducens was grown in a low‐iron medium that included the iron chelator (2,2′‐bipyridine) to further sequester iron. Haem‐staining revealed that the cytochrome content of cells grown in this manner was 15‐fold lower than in cells exposed to a standard iron‐containing medium. The low cytochrome abundance was confirmed by in situ nanoparticle‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (NERS). The cytochrome‐depleted cells reduced fumarate to succinate as well as the cytochrome‐replete cells do, but were unable to reduce Fe(III) citrate or to exchange electrons with a graphite electrode. These results demonstrate that c‐type cytochromes are essential for extracellular electron transfer by G. sulfurreducens. The strategy for growing cytochrome‐depleted G. sulfurreducens will also greatly aid future physiological studies of Geobacter species and other microorganisms capable of extracellular electron transfer.
Investigation on ‘bois noir’ epidemiology in north‐eastern Italian vineyards through a multidisciplinary approach
Authors: Mori N. , Quaglino F. , Tessari F. , Pozzebon A. , Bulgari D. , Casati P. , Bianco P.A.
Published: October 2014

A multidisciplinary approach, based on field surveys, molecular biology techniques, and spatial data analyses, was utilised to investigate the Bois noir (BN) epidemiology in north‐eastern Italian vineyards during the years 2010–12. Symptomatic grapevines, weeds and specimens of the insect vector Hyalesthes obsoletus were monitored and mapped. Leaf samples from symptomatic grapevines and weeds, and captured insect specimens were analyzed by real‐time PCR to identify BN phytoplasma (BNp; ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ species), the etiological agent of BN. Data spatial distribution was analyzed using SADIE (Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs). Bois noir phytoplasma strains identified in weed candidates for an epidemiological role were characterised by RFLP‐based analyses of tuf gene amplicons. Results highlighted that, in the examined areas, the host systems Convolvulus arvensis – H. obsoletus and Urtica dioica – H. obsoletus play the main role in BN diffusion. It was also evidenced that other weeds (i.e. Chenopodium album and Malva sylvestris) spatially associated with symptomatic grapevines and/or insect vectors and infected by the same tuf type identified in grapevines and insects, could play a role in BN diffusion. On the other hand, some weeds (i.e. Trifolium repens) were uninfected and not associated with symptomatic grapevines and/or insect vectors. The synergic application of our multidisciplinary approach improved the knowledge of BN epidemiology, and provided helpful indication for designing experimental plans to contain BN spreading in vineyards through weed management. The approach described in the present work could be used to investigate the complex epidemiology of other phytoplasma diseases.
The Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia: towards a chronology of settlement
Authors: Cooper John P. , Zazzaro Chiara
Published: October 2014

An archaeological survey of Saudi Arabia's Farasan Islands in May 2010 recorded a broad range of sites that have not previously been documented. The survey concentrated on Greater Farasan and Segid islands, and comprised a rapid recording of sites shown to the authors by representatives of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. The sites were photographed, their positions logged, sketch drawings made of the principal features and surface pottery drawn and photographed. Detailed drawings were made of a stone anchor and a well with possible Ancient South Arabian carved decoration. The sites visited included settlements, wells, cemeteries and a cave. Several sites included the remains of buildings made of massive ashlar blocks, as well as others of rubble‐stone construction. Datable material at the sites points to several periods of occupation, from the early first millennium BC to early modern times. Some locations were characterised by long periods of settlement. Apart from the findings of this survey, most of the sites remain largely uninvestigated, and suggest significant potential for future research into settlement on the archipelago, as well as into past maritime activity and technology in the southern Red Sea region and beyond.
Determination of ‘recruited volume’ following a PEEP step is not a measure of lung recruitability
Authors: STAHL C. A. , MÖLLER K. , STEINMANN D. , HENZLER D. , LUNDIN S. , STENQVIST O.
Published: October 2014

Background

It has been proposed that the analysis of positive end‐expiratory pressure (PEEP)‐induced volume changes can quantify alveolar recruitment. The potential of a lung to be recruited is expected to be high in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), where collapsed lung tissue is very common. The volume change that is beyond the delta volume because of the patient's compliance has been termed ‘recruited volume’ (RecV). However, data of patients with low and high RecV showed less severe lung disease in high ‘recruiters’, indicating that RecV may not equal the ‘potentially recruitable lung tissue’ seen in computed tomography scans. We hypothesized that RecV is higher in lung‐healthy (LH) patients with little collapsed lung compared with ARDS patients.

Methods

RecV and inspiratory capacity (IC) were determined in 12 LH and in 25 ARDS patients during incremental PEEP (steps of 2 cmH2O). RecV was determined as the time‐dependent increase in end‐expiratory volume following the first expiration to the new PEEP level (ΔTDV). Gas distribution in LH patients was analyzed by electric impedance tomography.

Results

Cumulative RecV(ΔTDV) and IC were higher (P < 0.01) in LH compared with ARDS patients, 1739 ml vs. 832 ml and 4432 ml vs. 2020 ml, respectively. In both groups, RecV correlated excellently with IC (R2 = 0.86). In LH, RecV emanated mainly from nondependent lung regions at PEEP below 15 cmH2O. Maximum plateau pressure was reached with fewer PEEP steps in ARDS compared with LH patients (11 vs. 14, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that RecV predominately measures a slow fraction of inflation of already aerated lung tissue and not recruitment of collapsed alveoli.