bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Empirical analysis of factors influencing the price of solar modules
Authors: Taghizadeh-Hesary Farhad , Yoshino Naoyuki , Inagaki Yugo
Published: October 2018

Purpose

One of the key drivers behind the recent growth in the global solar energy market is the decline in solar module prices. Many empirical analyses have been carried out to identify the mechanism behind this price reduction. However, studies on the price reduction mechanism of solar modules over the years have focused purely on the technological aspect of manufacturing. The purpose of this study is to consider the influence of economic and monetary factors such as the interest rate and exchange rate on solar module pricing in addition to other factors that considered in earlier studies including technology, wage rate and other energy prices.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, an oligopolistic model and econometric method are used to determine the economic factors that have an influence on solar module prices. The paper constructs a solar module pricing model and conducts a fully modified ordinary least squares analysis to estimate the influence of each factor. Analysis is conducted for the top five solar module producing countries in the world from 1997 to 2015. The five countries are the People’s Republic of China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the USA.

Findings

Empirical analysis provides several findings concerning the solar module pricing mechanism. These vary for each country. However, generally the interest rate has a positive correlation with solar module prices, while the exchange rate, knowledge stock and oil price have a negative correlation with solar module prices.

Practical implications

First, the government must expand channels for renewable energy funding. As renewable industries are high-tech, the influence that capital cost has on technology price is significant. Government efforts to provide industries with low-interest finance will accelerate renewable business. There have been many attempts to lower interest rates for renewable energy technology to accelerate growth in the green technology market. Second, the government must expand research and development (R&D) expenditures focused on renewable energy technology. The technological advancements acquired through R&D enhance module performance efficiency, thereby reducing costs. Therefore, government policies aimed at increasing targeted R&D expenditure will be an effective means of expanding the installation of renewable energies.

Originality/value

Studies on the price reduction mechanism of solar modules over the years have focused purely on the technological aspect of the manufacturing. This is the first research to bring economic, monetary and technological factors of solar module pricing together.
Lean manufacturing as a vehicle for improving productivity and customer satisfaction
Authors: Goshime Yichalewal , Kitaw Daniel , Jilcha Kassu
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This study aims to improve productivity and customer satisfaction through lean manufacturing for metals and engineering industries. Its aims also to understand the concept of lean manufacturing, various tools and techniques of lean, lean implementation benefits and barrier toward its implementation. Then, on the basis of the result, a conceptual frame work was developed to reduce the existing gaps.

Design/methodology/approach

Lean thinking is one of the methods that can bring productivity and customer’s demand improvement for manufacturing and service giving industries. To arrive at the lean thinking productivity improvement and customer satisfaction of the sector (MEIs), intensive literature review and secondary data investigation were conducted.

Findings

Articles and secondary data related to the case were reviewed and found the existing gaps. The gaps identified such as missing energy waste, space waste and material waste, waste of knowledge or talents. In addition to the 5 S of kaizen, this study added safety as the sixth on the existing Kaizen’s strategies. In lean practice, managers give priority to waste reduction and ignore the product quality aspect, which lead to dissatisfaction among customers. Fragmented implementation of lean manufacturing and the conflict between human resource waste and unemployment were reconciled in this study. A model that can improve productivity and increase customer satisfaction was developed. Solutions to alleviate the problems and speed up development were forwarded.

Research limitations/implications

This study focused solely on the manufacturing industries of developing countries, specifically deals with basic metals and engineering industries. In addition to this, the research didn’t take a case study on a specific firm as it is a literature review.

Practical implications

The findings of this study emphasized that lean manufacturing is the key for wise resource utilization, which enables a firm for cost, lead time and waste reductions on one hand and productivity and flexibility improvements on the other. To the end, lean can bring sustainable development and bright images to firms, and wellbeing life to workers together with customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

The gaps that have not been identified by other researchers were clearly discussed, and on the basis of the gaps, a new conceptual model was developed. This is useful to basic metals and engineering industries in overcoming resource-limitation problems by eliminating wastes.
A phase-wise approach to implement lean manufacturing
Authors: Chauhan Gulshan , Chauhan Viral
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Today, manufacturing companies are facing a fierce competition and are under great pressure to cut costs for survival in the market. So emphasis is given to enhance quality, minimize waste, customer delight and increasing productivity through reduction in wastage of resources. But, most companies hesitate to implement all measures simultaneously to acquire lean manufacturing because of some practical/ capital constraints. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop a phase-wise approach to implement lean manufacturing.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper opted for an exploratory study using the qualitative flexible system methodology framework proposed by Sushil (1994) and options field methodology proposed by Warfield (1982, 1990) including rigorous group discussion comprising the employees representing middle and senior management with productivity improvement backgrounds. The response of experts was recorded using a specially designed instrument in the light of the parameters suggested in group discussion. The measures/ actions were arranged in the decreasing order of their cumulative score.

Findings

The paper provides a phase-wise approach to implement lean manufacturing. Mixed approach is preferred over the other three approaches to implement lean manufacturing. Thirty measures/actions contributing to mixed approach are identified to implement lean manufacturing in three phases. A three-phase approach is developed: 10, 14 and six measures in the first, second and third phases, respectively, are identified to implement lean manufacturing after considering the practical constraints faced by the companies.

Research limitations/implications

All the measures/actions suggested to implement lean manufacturing are focused on the engineering manufacturing industry. Thus, the research results may lack generalizability and are limited to engineering manufacturing industry. The model developed in this research is based upon experts’ opinions. The experts’ opinion may be biased. The results of the model may vary in the real-world setting.

Practical implications

The present paper provides guidelines to practitioners for implementing lean manufacturing in phases. Hopefully, this study will motivate the firm’s management for implementing lean manufacturing and limiting the effect of practical constraints and scarcity of resources.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills and identifies the need to develop an approach to implement lean manufacturing phase wise because of practical constraints.
Reconceptualizing TQM in service ecosystems: an integrated framework
Authors: Polese Francesco , Vesci Massimiliano , Troisi Orlando , Grimaldi Mara
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reconceptualize Total Quality Management (TQM) in the light of service ecosystem view through the identification of dimensions underlying both the approaches and a clarification of the relationship between the two theories.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview on service ecosystems and on TQM is conducted, with particular focus on the main dimensions of the two frameworks derived from extant research. Consequently, an assessment of the key features of both theories is performed.

Findings

The work identifies four recurring dimensions in TQM, suggesting their rereading in the light of the assessed five recurring dimensions of service ecosystem. Moreover, a reconceptualization of TQM in the light of service ecosystem view is proposed.

Originality/value

This paper compares and proposes an integration between TQM and service ecosystem view. Such a reinterpretation of “traditional” view of quality management in the light of current trend of Service-Dominant (S-D) logic can represent a starting point for further research aimed at analysing the mechanisms underlying joint production of value in service delivery.
Fabrication and tribological study of AA6061 hybrid metal matrix composites reinforced with SiC/B4C nanoparticles
Authors: Das Shubhajit , M. Chandrasekaran , Samanta Sutanu , Kayaroganam Palanikumar , J. Paulo Davim
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Composite materials are replacing the traditional materials because of their remarkable properties and the addition of nanoparticles making a new trend in material world. The nano addition effect on tribological properties is essential to be used in automotive and industrial applications. The current work investigates the sliding wear behavior of an aluminum alloy (AA) 6061-based hybrid metal matrix composites (HMMCs) reinforced with SiC and B4C ceramic nanoparticles.

Design/methodology/approach

The hybrid composites are fabricated using stir casting process. Two different compositions were fabricated by varying the weight percentage of the ceramic reinforcements. An attempt has been made to study the wear and friction behavior of the composites using pin-on-disc tribometer to consider the effects of sliding speed, sliding distance and the normal load applied.

Findings

The tribological tests are carried out and the performances were compared. Increase in sliding speed to 500 rpm resulted in the rise of temperature of the contacting tribo-surface which intensified the wear rate at 30N load for the HMMC. The presence of the ceramic particles further reduced the contact region of the mating surface thus reducing the coefficient of friction at higher sliding speeds. Oxidation, adhesion, and abrasion were identified to be the main wear mechanisms which were further confirmed using energy dispersive spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) of the worn out samples.

Practical implications

The enhancement of wear properties is achieved because of the addition of the SiC and B4C ceramic nanoparticles, in which these composites can be applied to automobile, aerospace and industrial products where the mating parts with less weight is required.

Originality/value

The influence of nanoparticles on the tribological performance is studied in detail comprising of two different ceramic particles which is almost new research. The sliding effect of hybrid composites with nano materials paves the way for using these materials in engineering and domestic applications.
Beyond artificial intelligence: why companies need to go the extra step
Authors: Lichtenthaler Ulrich
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to underscore the need for developing a meta-intelligence in companies based on a conceptual framework for combining artificial and human intelligence.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper, which draws on the insights from extant theoretical and empirical research.

Findings

In light of a growing trend towards artificial intelligence (AI), most companies face substantial difficulties, which often derive from an excessive emphasis on merely replacing human intelligence by means of AI. To capture the complementary benefits of artificial and human intelligence beyond mere cost savings, firms do not only need to enhance their advanced analytics while continuing to develop their human intelligence. Rather, they additionally need a meta-intelligence for transforming their intelligence architecture in line with corporate strategy. Consequently, the firms need intelligence3– comprising AI, human intelligence and the meta-intelligence.

Originality/value

The new concept of a meta-intelligence for renewing and recombining artificial and human intelligence helps to reconcile diverse findings in prior research. Without this meta-intelligence, most AI initiatives will be isolated endeavors, which may have positive effects but likely will not live up to the expectations.
Problems of human capital development when employing migrant workers
Authors: Sha Xinlei , Taylor Bill
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how human capital of rural migrant workers is regulated and manipulated at ten petrol stations in one Chinese coastal city. The research is based on ethnographic research with participatory observation at forecourts and interviews with managers and workers. This paper argues that human capital development is inhibited by patterns of discrimination, such as in the treatment of rural migrants in China’s coastal urban areas. Instead, human capital is developed as migrant workers learn to resist management rules by relying on social capital networks. This requires management to confront or acquits some control to workers, which itself may benefit employers in certain circumstances. There has been a tendency towards analysing non-financial capital in positivist frameworks within human resource management (HRM), in which human capital and social capital are seen in terms of their contribution to profits. There has also been a tendency within Chinese HRM to sometimes understand social networks in normative cultural terms, in which Chinese identities as being or seeking harmonies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper, based on a qualitative research, shows that a more nuanced approach may be needed, one that understands tensions and countervailing forces. The research is based on ethnographic research with intensive participatory observation at forecourts and interviews with managers and workers.

Findings

The way human capital can be developed to restrict management prerogative, though this may benefit employer’s interests.

Originality/value

There has been a tendency towards analysing non-financial capital in positivist frameworks within HRM, in which human capital and social capital are seen in terms of their contribution to profits. There has also been a tendency within Chinese HRM to sometimes understand social networks in normative cultural terms, in which Chinese identities as being or seeking harmonies. This paper shows a more nuanced approach may be needed, one that understands tensions and countervailing forces.
Academic communities
Authors: Wakeling Simon , Spezi Valerie , Fry Jenny , Creaser Claire , Pinfield Stephen , Willett Peter
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into publication practices from the perspective of academics working within four disciplinary communities: biosciences, astronomy/physics, education and history. The paper explores the ways in which these multiple overlapping communities intersect with the journal landscape and the implications for the adoption and use of new players in the scholarly communication system, particularly open-access mega-journals (OAMJs). OAMJs (e.g. PLOS ONE and Scientific Reports) are large, broad scope, open-access journals that base editorial decisions solely on the technical/scientific soundness of the article.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus groups with active researchers in these fields were held in five UK Higher Education Institutions across Great Britain, and were complemented by interviews with pro-vice-chancellors for research at each institution.

Findings

A strong finding to emerge from the data is the notion of researchers belonging to multiple overlapping communities, with some inherent tensions in meeting the requirements for these different audiences. Researcher perceptions of evaluation mechanisms were found to play a major role in attitudes towards OAMJs, and interviews with the pro-vice-chancellors for research indicate that there is a difference between researchers’ perceptions and the values embedded in institutional frameworks.

Originality/value

This is the first purely qualitative study relating to researcher perspectives on OAMJs. The findings of the paper will be of interest to publishers, policy-makers, research managers and academics.
Photogrammetric analysis of additive manufactured metallic open cell porous structures
Authors: Evans Samuel , Jones Eric , Fox Peter , Sutcliffe Chris
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce a novel method for the analysis of open cell porous components fabricated by laser-based powder bed metal additive manufacturing (AM) for the purpose of quality control. This method uses photogrammetric analysis, the extraction of geometric information from an image through the use of algorithms. By applying this technique to porous AM components, a rapid, low-cost inspection of geometric properties such as material thickness and pore size is achieved. Such measurements take on greater importance, as the production of porous additive manufactured orthopaedic devices increases in number, causing other, slower and more expensive methods of analysis to become impractical.

Design/methodology/approach

Here the development of the photogrammetric method is discussed and compared to standard techniques including scanning electron microscopy, micro computed tomography scanning and the recently developed focus variation (FV) imaging. The system is also validated against test graticules and simple wire geometries of known size, prior to the more complex orthopaedic structures.

Findings

The photogrammetric method shows an ability to analyse the variability in build fidelity of AM porous structures for use in inspection purposes to compare component properties. While measured values for material thickness and pore size differed from those of other techniques, the new photogrammetric technique demonstrated a low deviation when repeating measurements, and was able to analyse components at a much faster rate and lower cost than the competing systems, with less requirement for specific expertise or training.

Originality/value

The advantages demonstrated by the image-based technique described indicate the system to be suitable for implementation as a means of in-line process control for quality and inspection applications, particularly for high-volume production where existing methods would be impractical.
CSR perceptions and employee creativity: examining serial mediation effects of meaningfulness and work engagement
Authors: Chaudhary Richa , Akhouri Anuja
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This study aims to explore how corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions foster employee creativity. Specifically, an attempt is made to investigate the intervening role of meaningfulness and work engagement to explain the above linkage.

Design/methodology/approach

The study sample consisted of 316 employees from different information technology firms in India. Ordinary least square regression procedures were used to test the study hypotheses with the help of SPSS Process macro.

Findings

Employees’ perceptions of CSR were found to show both direct and indirect effect on their creativity. Work engagement was found to partially mediate the relationship of perceived CSR and creativity. In addition, results supported the serial mediation model where CSR was found to exercise its influence on creativity via meaningfulness and work engagement in a sequential manner.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that being a good corporate citizen can pay employers in terms of enhanced employee engagement and creativity, which can provide competitive advantage to the organizations in this highly competitive business environment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of micro-foundations of CSR by showing whether and how employees’ perceptions of CSR relate to various workplace outcomes. Further, by investigating the complex serial mediation process, it contributes to the extant literature by advancing the understanding of the underlying mechanisms through which CSR influences employee creativity.
Beware hospitality industry: the robots are coming
Authors: Bowen John , Morosan Cristian
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of how artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics can and will be utilized by the hospitality industry, providing a glimpse of what their use will look like in 2030.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviewed both academic and trade literature to provide an overview of how robots will affect the hospitality industry during the 2030s.

Findings

Experts predict that by 2030, robots will make up about 25 per cent of the “workforce” in the hospitality industry. The paper also explains the industry challenges the robots will solve, as well as other benefits they provide. One of the findings is that the adoption of robots by the industry will be a disruptive paradigm shift. It will create successful new hospitality companies while putting others out of business. Finally, this paper discusses how to keep the hospitality in hospitality businesses, when machines replace employees.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to discuss the disruption that robots will cause in the industry. One of the findings is service delivery systems will need to be redesigned to maximize the benefits of robots, while still maintaining the hospitality of a customer service orientation.
Data science for hospitality and tourism
Authors: Rita Paulo , Rita Nicole , Oliveira Cristina
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to embrace the challenge of performing a state-of-the-art scientific literature analysis in data science for hospitality and tourism. This is important because relatively little contemporary analysis has been published.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on over 800 publications were collected from the Scopus database and analyzed by the differing types of publications, evolution of publications across time, top publishers and outlets, publications per area and per topic, top keywords used, most cited papers and most productive authors.

Findings

Conclusions are drawn and some suggestions are offered regarding topics that are likely to provide opportunities for future research.

Originality/value

This paper identifies the need for analysis on state-of-the-art academic research published to-date on the application of methods and techniques relating to data science in hospitality and tourism.
Sustainability as a key driver to address challenges
Authors: Veiga Célia , Santos Margarida Custódio , Águas Paulo , Santos José António C.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This study aims to address the paradigm changes currently affecting tourism: the increasingly recognisable signs of irreversible climate change and the consequences of this and overtourism for service providers, destinations and tourists’ experiences. A more specific objective was to identify good practices carried out by destinations and companies in different tourism sectors to increase sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The research involved examining the academic, institutional and trade literature to develop an overview of the most important challenges and an accurate portrayal of how innovative and proactive companies and destination managers are addressing these issues.

Findings

Increased tourism demand has contributed to social and environmental unsustainability in tourism. Although the tourism sector has already implemented sustainable initiatives, an accurate quantification and measurement of these practices’ real impacts on global tourism’s sustainability is not yet possible.

Originality/value

This study’s value arises from the systematic identification of the implications of climate change and overtourism as major features of a paradigm shift in tourism. This paper also presents a set of good practices to provide tourism stakeholders with more sustainable strategies and inspire these entities to adopt appropriate measures.
Main challenges, trends and opportunities for wine tourism in Portugal
Authors: Ramos Paulo , Santos Vasco Ribeiro , Almeida Nuno
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to define the boundaries of wine tourism to identify the main challenges, trends and opportunities of wine tourism in Portugal, providing some critical recommendations for those operating in this sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on a literature review and content analysis of prior and ongoing work.

Findings

The main challenges, trends and opportunities for the wine tourism industry in Portugal are identified, as well as suggestions and practical recommendations/contributions for managers, stakeholders, players and marketers. The paper concludes with some key points that could form the basis of a strategic agenda for future action.

Originality/value

Based on the reviewed literature, some benchmarks for the wine tourism industry in Portugal were developed.
The cycle of uncertainty: parents’ experiences of childhood epilepsy
Authors: Webster Michelle
Published: October 2018

Uncertainty has been highlighted as an important aspect of experiences of chronic conditions generally and epilepsy in particular. However, there is little research exploring the extent to which uncertainty features in the experiences of family members or the form that this uncertainty may take. Drawing on in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with 27 parents who had a child with epilepsy, this article explores parents’ experiences of uncertainty and the way in which their views on childhood and epilepsy interacted and contributed to the uncertainties they experienced. It is argued that the occurrence of epilepsy during childhood shaped parents’ experiences as they used their ‘social clocks’ in order to interpret symptoms. Furthermore, parents described what has been termed a ‘cycle of uncertainty’. Indeed, the combination of epilepsy (a condition with various inherent forms of uncertainty) and childhood (a period in the life course that is seen as a time of development) meant that parents could not be sure which changes in their child were a result of the condition and which were a normal part of the ageing process. Overall, this article demonstrates that it is important to contextualise experiences of chronic conditions in relation to different stages in the life course.
Assessing the Synchronicity and Nature of Australian State Business Cycles
Authors: Poon Aubrey
Published: October 2018

This paper assesses the synchronicity and nature of Australian state business cycles. To this end, I develop a time‐varying parameter panel Bayesian vector autoregression (BVAR) with a novel common stochastic volatility factor in the error structure, which is estimated in an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The common stochastic volatility factor reveals that macroeconomic volatility was more pronounced during the Asian financial crisis than during the more recent global financial crisis. Next, the panel BVAR's common, state‐ and variable‐specific indicators capture several interesting economic facts. In particular, the fluctuations of the common indicator closely follow the trend line of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development composite leading indicators for Australia, making it a good proxy for nationwide business cycle fluctuations. Furthermore, despite significant co‐movements of Australian state and territory business cycles during times of economic contractions, the state indicators suggest that the average degree of synchronisation across the Australian state and territory cycles in the 2000s is only half of that in the 1990s. Given that aggregate macroeconomic activity is determined by cumulative activity of each of the states, the results suggests that the federal government should consider granting state governments greater autonomy in handling state‐specific cyclical fluctuations.
Aphid populations showing differential levels of virulence on Capsicum accessions
Authors: Sun Mengjing , Voorrips Roeland E. , Vosman Ben
Published: October 2018

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, is one of the most threatening pests in pepper cultivation and growers would benefit from resistant varieties. Previously, we identified two Capsicum accessions as susceptible and three as resistant to M. persicae using an aphid population originating from the Netherlands (NL). Later on we identified an aphid population originating from a different geographical region (Switserland, SW) that was virulent on all tested Capsicum accessions. The objective of the current work is to describe in detail different aspects of the interaction between two aphid populations and two selected Capsicum accessions (one that was susceptible [PB2013046] and one that was resistant [PB2013071] to population NL), including biochemical processes involved. Electrical penetration graph (EPG) recordings showed similar feeding activities for both aphid populations on PB2013046. On accession PB2013071 the aphid population SW was able to devote significantly more time to phloem ingestion than population NL. We also studied plant defense response and found that plants of accession PB2013046 could not induce an accumulation of reactive oxygen species and callose formation after infestation with either aphid population. However, plants of PB2013071 induced a stronger defense response after infestation by population NL than after infestation by population SW. Based on these results, population SW of M. persicae seems to have overcome the resistance of PB2013071 that prevented feeding of aphids from NL population. The potential mechanism by which SW population overcomes the resistance is discussed.
Better Oral Hygiene Habits Are Associated With a Lower Incidence of Peritoneal Dialysis‐Related Peritonitis
Authors: Oka Hideaki , Yamada Shunsuke , Kamimura Taro , Aihara Seishi , Hyodo Masahide , Terakado Nagaaki , Harada Atsumi , Nakano Toshiaki , Tsuruya Kazuhiko , Kitazono Takanari
Published: October 2018

Some peritoneal dialysis (PD)‐related peritonitis cases are thought to be caused by the pathogens in the oral cavity; however, the relationship between peritonitis and oral hygiene habits is unclear. In this study, we retrospectively examined the relationship between oral hygiene habits and peritonitis in patients who agreed to a questionnaire survey. Of the 75 patients, 37 patients developed PD‐related peritonitis during the observation period. Peritonitis‐free survival was significantly higher in patients who spent more time on oral hygiene daily and in patients who replaced their toothbrush more frequently (P < 0.05). According to multivariable analysis, increased daily oral hygiene duration and more frequent toothbrush replacement were associated with a significantly (P < 0.01) lower risk for peritonitis (hazard ratio [HR] 0.37 [95% CI, 0.18–0.77] and HR 0.35 [95% CI, 0.17–0.70], respectively). In conclusion, PD patients with superior oral hygiene habits showed a lower risk for PD‐related peritonitis.
McSwan: A joint site frequency spectrum method to detect and date selective sweeps across multiple population genomes
Authors: Tournebize Rémi , Poncet Valérie , Jakobsson Mattias , Vigouroux Yves , Manel Stéphanie
Published: October 2018

Inferring the mode and tempo of natural selection helps further our understanding of adaptation to past environmental changes. Here, we introduce McSwan, a method to detect and date past and recent natural selection events in the case of a hard sweep. The method is based on the comparison of site frequency spectra obtained under various demographic models that include selection. McSwan demonstrated high power (high sensitivity and specificity) in capturing hard selective sweep events without requiring haplotype phasing. It performed slightly better than SweeD when the recent effective population size was low and the genomic region was small. We then applied our method to a European (CEU) and an African (LWK) human re‐sequencing data set. Most hard sweeps were detected in the CEU population (96%). Moreover, hard sweeps in the African population were estimated to have occurred further back in time (mode: 43,625 years BP) compared to those of Europeans (mode: 24,850 years BP). Most of the estimated ages of hard sweeps in Europeans were associated with the Last Glacial Maximum and were enriched in immunity‐associated genes.
Growth, yield and water productivity of selected lowland Thai rice varieties under different cultivation methods and alternate wetting and drying irrigation
Authors: Ullah Hayat , Mohammadi Abdulhamid , Datta Avishek
Published: October 2018

Development of water‐saving techniques for irrigated lowland rice production system is a requirement in the context of increasing irrigation water scarcity. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of selected lowland Thai rice varieties grown under different cultivation methods subjected to alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation. Treatments consisted of three varieties (Pathumthani 1, RD57 and RD41), three cultivation methods (dry direct seeding [DDS], wet direct seeding [WDS] and transplanting [TP]) and four AWD irrigation levels (re‐watered when soil water potential reached at 0, −5, −15 and −30 kPa). DDS resulted in higher grain yield at −5 and −15 kPa (74 and 68 g/pot, respectively) with a respective reduction of 15 and 34% under WDS and TP at −5 kPa, and 15 and 28% at −15 kPa. The highest water productivity was recorded at −30 kPa under DDS, which was reduced by 17–61% for other soil water potentials irrespective of varieties; however, grain yield was also reduced by 12–19% at −30 kPa. All varieties responded similarly to water‐saving techniques (direct seeding and different levels of AWD) with non‐significant differences in grain yield and water productivity; therefore, could be recommended to grow these varieties using water‐saving techniques. The optimum threshold level of AWD could be −15 kPa for its high grain yield and water productivity.
The change in the value relevance of accounting information after mergers and acquisitions: evidence from the adoption of SFAS 141(R)
Authors: Kwon Shin Hyoung , Wang Guannan
Published: October 2018

This study examines how and why investors change the use of their information sources in valuation between book value and earnings after mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in both pre‐ and post‐SFAS 141(R) periods. We find that investors generally put less weight on earnings but more weight on book value after M&A than before M&A, and that such a change is particularly strong after the adoption of SFAS 141(R). By looking at goodwill, other intangible assets and other balance sheet accounts that SFAS 141(R) amended, we further find that SFAS 141(R) improves the value relevance of book value components after M&A.
Gender differences and similarities in aggression, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric comorbidity in borderline personality disorder
Authors: Sher L. , Rutter S. B. , New A. S. , Siever L. J. , Hazlett E. A.
Published: October 2018

Objective

We examined gender differences and similarities in aggression, impulsivity, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric comorbidity in men and women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) compared with healthy controls.

Method

A community sample of 511 participants (healthy controls: 81 men and 82 women; BPD patients: 145 men and 203 women) were rigorously characterized using structured diagnostic interviews and symptom severity assessments.

Results

In comparison with women with BPD, men were less educated, had higher total Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), BIS—motoric impulsiveness and BIS—non‐planning impulsiveness subscale, total Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), and BPAQ—physical aggression subscale scores. Men with BPD were more likely to have comorbid narcissistic, antisocial, paranoid, and schizotypal personality disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders but less likely to have dependent and obsessive–compulsive personality disorders compared to women with BPD. There was a trend toward higher maximum lethality of suicide attempts in men suicide attempters compared with women suicide attempters but no difference between men and women with regard to the proportion of suicide attempters or the number of suicide attempts.

Conclusion

Men with BPD are more impaired and may be at higher risk of dying by suicide compared to women with BPD.
The clinical usefulness of a novel grading system for varicocoeles using duplex Doppler ultrasound examination based on postsurgical modifications of seminal parameters
Authors: Cavallini G. , Scroppo F. I. , Colpi G. M.
Published: October 2018

Background

The existing classifications of varicocoeles have poor predictive value regarding the effects of surgery on sperm count.

Objective

To develop a new grading system for varicocoeles, useful as an indication for surgery.

Materials and methods

This is a three‐center prospective study which examined 173 men having clinically detectable left varicocoeles and oligo ± astheno ± terato‐spermia. The patients underwent medical history collection, objective examination, duplex Doppler ultrasound scrotal examination, hormonal profiles, two semen analyses before surgery, and two semen analyses after surgery. Sperm concentration, motility, and morphology (standard semen parameters) were evaluated 6 months after surgery in function of the following preoperative variables: patient age, follicle‐stimulating hormone, clinical grade of varicocoele, right and left testicular volume, extension of venous reflux, and semen parameters. The venous reflux was graded in two centers using duplex Doppler ultrasound: reflux visible only with Valsalva and continuous reflux. Spearman's rank semiquantitative analysis was used. All patients had their varicocoeles corrected according to the Colpi technique.

Results

The variables capable of determining an improvement in semen parameters after varicocoele correction were in order of decreasing importance: venous reflux extent assessed by scrotal duplex Doppler ultrasound examination, varicocoele clinical grade, basal semen parameters, and follicle‐stimulating hormone. Male age did not influence postoperative semen quality. Only patients with continuous reflux had their standard semen parameters improved after surgery.

Discussion

Venous reflux extent is the most critical variable capable of predicting semen improvement after varicocoelectomy.

Conclusions

A correct duplex Doppler assessment of venous reflux is mandatory for predicting postoperative improvement of the sperm count.
Metabolic syndrome and some of its components in relation to risk of cataract extraction. A prospective cohort study of men
Authors: Lindblad Birgitta Ejdervik , Håkansson Niclas , Wolk Alicja
Published: October 2018

Purpose

To evaluate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and some of its components with the incidence of cataract extraction.

Methods

A population‐based prospective cohort with a total of 45 049 men, aged 45–79 years, from the Cohort of Swedish Men completed in 1997 a self‐administered questionnaire concerning anthropometric measurements and lifestyle factors. The men were followed from 1 January 1998 through 31 December 2012, and the cohort was matched with registers of cataract extraction. The main outcome measure was incident cases of age‐related cataract extraction.

Results

Over the 15‐years of follow‐up, 7573 incident cases of cataract extraction were identified. After controlling for potential confounders, the association between single components of metabolic syndrome, abdominal adiposity, diabetes and hypertension and risk of cataract extraction was rate ratio (RR): 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99–1.10, RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.64–1.92 and RR: 1.06; 95% CI 1.00–1.13, respectively. The risk of cataract extraction increased with increasing numbers of metabolic syndrome components (p < 0.0001). Men aged 65 years or younger at baseline with all three components of the metabolic syndrome had a relative risk of 2.43 (95% CI: 1.95–3.01) for cataract extraction.

Conclusion

In this cohort of middle‐aged and elderly men, metabolic syndrome with the combination of abdominal adiposity, diabetes and hypertension was associated with an increased risk for cataract extraction, especially among men aged 65 years or younger. These findings put emphasis on the importance of weight control and healthy lifestyle behaviours in order to prevent cataract.
Justice versus fairness in the family business workplace: A socioemotional wealth approach
Authors: Samara Georges , Paul Karen
Published: October 2018

The organizational justice literature and the family business literature have developed independently, which limits our understanding of fairness and justice in the family business workplace. So far, the concepts of justice and fairness have been used interchangeably in the family business literature, as if objective measures that aim to increase justice in the workplace will automatically translate into fairness perceptions among family business employees. By integrating the organizational justice literature and the family business literature, we first differentiate between the two concepts of justice and fairness and argue that a utilitarian conceptualization of justice may come into direct conflict with fairness perceptions in the family business workplace. Second, we shed light on the importance of incorporating socioemotional goals, particularly those that reveal a bright side of socioemotional wealth, into rules and regulations designed to increase justice in the workplace, which, we argue, contributes to increasing fairness perceptions among employees and to building and maintaining an ethical family business workplace. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed at the end of the paper.
Automated Feature Selection of Predictors in Electronic Medical Records Data
Authors: Gronsbell Jessica , Minnier Jessica , Yu Sheng , Liao Katherine , Cai Tianxi
Published: October 2018

The use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) for translational research can be challenging due to difficulty in extracting accurate disease phenotype data. Historically, EHR algorithms for annotating phenotypes have been either rule-based or trained with billing codes and gold standard labels curated via labor intensive medical chart review. These simplistic algorithms tend to have unpredictable portability across institutions and low accuracy for many disease phenotypes due to imprecise billing codes. Recently, more sophisticated machine learning algorithms have been developed to improve the robustness and accuracy of EHR phenotyping algorithms. These algorithms are typically trained via supervised learning, relating gold standard labels to a wide range of candidate features including billing codes, procedure codes, medication prescriptions and relevant clinical concepts extracted from narrative notes via Natural Language Processing (NLP). However, due to the time intensiveness of gold standard labeling, the size of the training set is often insufficient to build a generalizable algorithm with the large number of candidate features extracted from EHR. To reduce the number of candidate predictors and in turn improve model performance, we present an automated feature selection method based entirely on unlabeled observations. The proposed method generates a comprehensive surrogate for the underlying phenotype with an unsupervised clustering of disease status based on several highly predictive features such as diagnosis codes and mentions of the disease in text fields available in the entire set of EHR data. A sparse regression model is then built with the estimated outcomes and remaining covariates to identify those features most informative of the phenotype of interest. Relying on the results of Li and Duan (1989), we demonstrate that variable selection for the underlying phenotype model can be achieved by fitting the surrogate-based model. We explore the performance of our methods in numerical simulations and present the results of a prediction model for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) built on a large EHR data mart from the Partners Health System consisting of billing codes and NLP terms. Empirical results suggest that our procedure reduces the number of gold-standard labels necessary for phenotyping thereby harnessing the automated power of EHR data and improving efficiency.
Structure‐based pharmacophore models to probe anticancer activity of inhibitors of protein kinase B‐beta (PKB β)
Authors: Akhtar Noreen , Jabeen Ishrat , Jalal Nasir , Antilla Jon
Published: October 2018

Protein kinase B‐beta (PKBβ/Akt2) is a non‐receptor kinase that has attracted a great deal of attention as a promising cancer therapy drug target. In mammalian cells, hyperactivation of Akt2 exclusively facilitates the survival of solid tumors by interfering with cell cycle progression. This definite function of Akt2 in tumor survival/maintenance provides the basis for the development of its antagonists with the aim of desensitizing cell proliferation. In order to find novel and potent Akt2 inhibitors, structure‐based pharmacophore models have been developed and validated by the test set prediction. The final pharmacophore model was used for hits identification using public chemical databases. The hits were further prioritized using drug‐like filters which revealed 14 potential hit compounds having novel chemical scaffolds. Our results elucidate the importance of three hydrogen bond acceptors (A), one hydrogen bond donor (D), one hydrophobic group (H), and one positive ionic charge (P) toward inhibition of the Ak2. One of our selected hits showed 68% cell apoptosis at 8 μg/ml concentration. We proposed various chemical scaffolds including benzamide, carboxamide, and methyl benzimidazole targeting Akt2 and thus may act as potential leads for the further development of new anticancer agents.
Median momentum
Authors: Chen Tsung‐Yu , Chou Pin‐Huang
Published: October 2018

The median is a better measure of a sample's central tendency in the presence of extreme observations. We propose an alternative momentum strategy formed by buying (shorting) stocks with high (low) average median returns over a formation period of 3–12 months. The median momentum strategy outperforms the traditional price momentum strategy for all holding periods from 1 month to 5 years, with no long‐term reversal. This same return pattern is observed for all G7 countries. Further analysis indicates that median momentum profitability is an underreaction‐only phenomenon and shows behavioral patterns related to short‐sale restrictions and investor sentiment.