bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An analysis of the antecedents of loyalty and the moderating role of customer demographics in an emerging mobile phone industry
Authors: Qayyum Abdul , Ba Khang Do , Krairit Donyaprueth
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how various antecedents influence customer loyalty in the mobile phone industry and how customer demographic variables moderate such relationships. A comprehensive model is proposed and tested empirically that features six antecedents identified in recent industry literature – customer satisfaction, perceived service quality, value, switching costs, trust, and corporate image – and common demographic variables.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected using a field questionnaire survey of mobile phone users in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM evaluate direct and moderating effects.

Findings

– Findings suggest that of six antecedents, customer satisfaction, perceived switching costs, service quality, and perceived value have positive and significant relationships with customer loyalty. Among the demographic variables, only income and area of residence moderate the relationships between customer loyalty and the antecedents.

Research limitations/implications

– The research was conducted in an Asian country where – due to recent liberalization – the telecommunications industry is emerging. The cultural and socio-economic diversity in Asia limits generalization of findings.

Practical implications

– Resource allocation that promotes customer loyalty in the mobile phone industry and improves customer satisfaction, perceived service quality, value, and switching costs can be optimized by implementing different measures for demographic groups. Policies should require mobile phone operators to invest more in rural areas to enhance and expand services.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive model that includes the most important antecedents of customer loyalty and customer demographics in the mobile phone industry. The model is validated empirically in the context of emerging Asian economies with new field data sourced from Pakistan.
Do emerging multinational enterprises possess South-South FDI advantages?
Authors: Arita Shawn
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The apparent success of emerging market multinational (EMNE) operations in the Global South has led some to launch a claim of competitive advantage in investing in markets with higher institutional risk. However, there has not been sufficient econometric investigation into all the forces driving South-South foreign direct investment (FDI). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the claim of institutional advantage and to further our understanding of South-South FDI.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper employs a simple econometric model of FDI flows to investigate the differences between the factors driving FDI from developed country MNEs and EMNEs. The model is tested on a bilateral sample of FDI stock data of 21 developed and 22 emerging source economies and over 80 host countries.

Findings

– Contrary to the contention of the previous literature, the empirical results find little support for the claim to EMNE institutional advantage. EMNEs are just as sensitive to institutional risk as MNEs. The relatively higher participation of EMNE FDI in the Global South may be explained by other shared similarity factors across developing markets and competitive disadvantages in entering developed markets.

Originality/value

– The findings of this paper cast some doubts on the hope that EMNEs will improve the FDI demands of least developed countries (LDCs). Healthy institutions are an important prerequisite for attracting FDI, regardless of whether it originates from developed or emerging economies.
Design of cumulative count of conforming charts for high yield processes based on average number of items inspected
Authors: Chen Jung-Tai
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to propose a new approach to setting the control limits to promote the control performance of the cumulative count of conforming chart (CCC-r chart), in terms of the average number of items inspected (ANI).

Design/methodology/approach

– In contemporary high-yield manufacturing processes, the CCC-r chart is often an alternative of p charts or np charts for monitoring the fraction nonconforming (p). When a CCC-r chart is used, the traditional approach based on the equal-tail probabilities to setting control limits demonstrates a poor performance in terms of ANI as p deviates upward from its nominal value p
0. To improve the performance of CCC-r charts, this research uses a search method based on some analytical results to find the control limits such that the in-control ANI (ANI
0) is near-maximal and near-unbiased.

Findings

– Analytical validation confirms that the proposed approach outperforms the traditional one in terms of the maximum and the unbiasedness of ANI
0. When p
0 is not given, simulation results show that the minimum-variance unbiased estimator tends to perform better than the maximum likelihood estimator.

Originality/value

– This study numerically shows that the use of the proposed approach achieves the goal of the near-maximal and near-unbiased ANI
0, and hence improves the performance of CCC-r charts. In addition, because the proposed approach is computational intensive, this study also develops a Visual Basic project to help practitioners obtain the control limits using the proposed approach.
Performance analysis of repairable system using GA and fuzzy Lambda-Tau methodology
Authors: Kumar Ajay , Sharma S.P. , Kumar Dinesh
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach for computing various performance measures such as reliability, availability, MTBF, ENOF, etc. for any industrial system.

Design/methodology/approach

– Pulping system, the main functionary part of paper industry, is the subject of the study. The interactions among the working components are shown using Petri nets (PNs). Failure and repair rates are represented using triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs), as they allow expert opinion, linguistic variables, operating conditions, uncertainty and imprecision in reliability information, to be incorporated into system model. The failure rates and repair times of all constituent components are obtained using genetic algorithms (GAs) and then various performance measures are computed using fuzzy Lambda-Tau methodology (FLTM).

Findings

– The proposed methodology provides a better understanding about the behavior of any repairable system through its graphical representation.

Originality/value

– A new approach has been given to compute various performance measures and based on calculated reliability parameters, a structured framework has been developed that may help the maintenance engineers to analyze and predict the system behavior.
Measuring retail customer experience
Authors: Bagdare Shilpa , Jain Rajnish
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This study aims at developing a reliable and valid measure of retail customer experience.

Design/methodology/approach

– Scientific scale development process has been followed. Survey methodology was used to collect data. The results are tested for reliability and validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Findings

– The study conceptualizes retail customer experience as a reliable and valid multidimensional construct, explained in four dimensions: leisure, joy, distinctive and mood.

Research limitations/implications

– It was confined to only “brick and mortar” personal lifestyle retail stores. Mediating and moderating effects of contextual variables and the influence of antecedents have not been studied. It provides insights into the “delivered” retail customer experience as perceived by the shoppers for future research.

Practical implications

– The scale can be used to measure the experiential responses of retail customers and provide directions for retailing strategies.

Originality/value

– The study presents psychometrically valid scale to measure retail customer experience scale.
The influence of visual packaging design on perceived food product quality, value, and brand preference
Authors: S.T. Wang Edward
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Although the increase in point-of-purchase decisions heightens the communication potential of food product packaging, empirical research on understanding how visual packaging affects consumers' subsequent product and brand evaluations and perceptions is scant. This study seeks to develop a theoretical model to show the effects of consumer attitudes toward visual food packaging on perceived product quality, product value, and brand preference.

Design/methodology/approach

– A self-administered questionnaire developed from the literature was conducted, and 315 undergraduate students participated in the study.

Findings

– The empirical results show that attitudes toward visual packaging directly influence consumer-perceived food product quality and brand preference. Perceived food product quality also directly and indirectly (through product value) affects brand preference.

Originality/value

– This paper offers directions for understanding the effects of visual packaging on positive consumer product and brand evaluations. Based on the study findings, food firms should emphasize the visual packaging design factors such as color, typeface, logo, graphics, and size to form consumers' positive perceptions and brand preference.
The role of diaspora in attracting Indian outward FDI
Authors: Anwar Amar , Mughal Mazhar
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the Indian migrants' role in attracting outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from India to their respective host countries. Diasporas play a crucial role in augmenting trade, foreign direct investment and prosperity of a country. They facilitate acquisition and exchange of technical knowhow, market information and physical capital, and are therefore considered as social capital.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper employs mixed effect model using data for the period 1999-2008.

Findings

– This paper finds that the presence of Indian diaspora has a substantial positive effect on the volume of Indian overseas investments in the developed countries. This is particularly the case with Indian OFDI to Asia Pacific, whereas those to Europe appear to be affected by the Indian migrant community only in the presence of bilateral investment treaties (BITs). The author findings highlight the role of Indian diaspora in promoting trade and investment links between India and other Asia Pacific countries.

Originality/value

– This is the first empirical analysis of the role of Indian overseas community in attracting Indian OFDI.
Domestic banks' responses to the entry of foreign banks in China
Authors: Lin Horn-Chern , Zeng Tao
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper examines the effect that foreign bank entry into China had on transaction fees and service fees charged by domestic Chinese banks.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is an empirical study using financial data for listed Chinese banks collected from the China Stock Market Financial Statement Database.

Findings

– This paper finds that domestic banks cut transaction fees and service fees shortly before the entry into China of foreign banks, and domestic banks did not cut transaction fees and service fees after foreign banks entered into China.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper does not examine any non-price strategies employed by local Chinese banks in response to the entry of foreign banks.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to examine transaction fees and service fees charged by domestic Chinese banks in response to the entry of foreign banks into China.
Can indigenous enterprises upgrade under open economy? The case of China
Authors: Dai Xiang
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to econometrically examine whether indigenous enterprises can upgrade under open economy by using micro-firm data.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to make clear the impact of outward development on the indigenous manufacturing export enterprises' productivity from micro level and to propose policy recommendation, the research group selected indigenous manufacturing export enterprises in Kunshan China as research objects and made a large-scale survey. Based on micro-firm data from survey, the paper carries out empirical analysis.

Findings

– After controlling some other variables including innovation activity, human capital and enterprises scale, empirical result shows that export activity, establishing connections with FDI enterprises, industry clusters formed under open economy all have significant and positive effect on upgrading of indigenous enterprises.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first to use micro-firm data obtained from survey to examine factors affecting indigenous enterprises' upgrading capability of China.
A classification scheme for content analyses of YouTube video comments
Authors: Madden Amy , Ruthven Ian , McMenemy David
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The video-sharing website YouTube encourages interaction between its users via the provision of a user comments facility. This was originally envisaged as a way for viewers to provide information about and reactions to videos, but is employed for other communicative purposes including sharing ideas, paying tributes, social networking, and question answering. This study seeks to examine and categorise the types of comments created by YouTube users to highlight the various ways in which this interactive feature has been employed as a means of communication and self-expression.

Design/methodology/approach

– By conducting a content analysis of 66,637 user comments on YouTube videos the authors created a classification schema which may be used to categorise the types of comments users leave.

Findings

– The schema reveals ten broad categories, and 58 subcategories which reflect the wide-ranging use of the YouTube comments facility.

Research limitations/implications

– As YouTube continues to evolve, new types of comments that do not appear in the scheme outlined will appear. However, this schema will provide an initial structure upon which other investigations can build when analysing the ongoing use of the YouTube comments feature as a communication device.

Practical implications

– This scheme may be used for researchers in a variety of disciplines who are interested in using user-generated content. The scheme will aid in the description and mining of this content and provides a way of structuring this content into categories representing user intent.

Social implications

– This study highlights the variety of purposes to which the user commenting facility of YouTube is employed. These include purposes such as reminiscence, grieving, giving advice and communication.

Originality/value

– This is the first detailed, content-based analysis of the types of comments created by YouTube users. The classification scheme facilitates the analysis of these comments for a variety of purposes, including marketing, communication studies and studies of information seeking.
Structural equation model for analysing critical risks associated with facilities management outsourcing and its impact on firm performance
Authors: I. Ikediashi Dubem , O. Ogunlana Stephen , Udo Godfrey
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This study aimed to develop and empirically test a structural equation model for investigating risk factors associated with outsourcing of facilities management (FM) services and its impact on firm performance (FP).

Design/methodology/approach

– Using data derived from an earlier study, a conceptual model was hypothesized and empirically tested to clarify causal relationships between risk variables and how they influence FP.

Findings

– Supported by empirical evidence, the study established that only vendor risk variables have marginal impact on FP. There were however significant positive relationship between vendor risks factors and relationship risk factors, client based factors (CBF) and relationship risk factors, client based risks and vendor related risks, and contract risks factors and relationship risk.

Practical implications

– The final structural equation model has revealed key risk components that would require standard mitigation measures in order to achieve outsourcing success in the FM sector. It is a sector that is thriving in Nigeria and requires every effort to make it an international recognised market.

Originality/value

– This paper provides a greater understanding of the interactions between key elements of outsourcing risks associated with FM provision as well as the degree of relationship between them.
Specific competencies in humanitarian logistics education
Authors: Bölsche Dorit , Klumpp Matthias , Abidi Hella
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the research paper is to provide the humanitarian logistics community with an overall picture about competencies and skills in humanitarian logistics and if there is a lack of professionalization of the logistics function in humanitarian context from an international perspective. Further this research elaborates practical approaches how the skills and competencies can be enhanced and developed for international education programs.

Design/methodology/approach

– An empirical survey as approach was used. Hereby a descriptive analysis provides in a comprehensive way education, skills and competencies in humanitarian logistics. The respondents are from different countries and continents as well as from different humanitarian sector, e.g. humanitarian organizations (HOs), logistics service providers, military services and researchers.

Findings

– In general, the findings of the research paper present valuable insights of mandatory contents of education in humanitarian logistics as well as competencies and skills on different levels based on European Qualification Framework (EQF). This research paper explores these and offers suggestions to improve and promote market and professional competencies and skills for the humanitarian logistics sector and to minimize their impacts.

Research limitations/implications

– The field survey was due to access and motivation restriction mainly answered by academics in the field of humanitarian logistics or by leadership personnel with very high academic merits (MA/PhD). Further the objective of this research paper was purposefully limited to describing the education requirements, not gap analysis with existing education offers or development of new curricula content – this should be a task for further research setups.

Practical implications

– Specific requirements regarding negotiation and legal competences are named in the survey as well as the objective of specific, country-related adaptions and the time schedule form of education trainings in humanitarian logistics (during a professional career with as much time absent for learning as feasible).

Social implications

– The paper highlights the increasing demand and still existing gap regarding education and training in humanitarian logistics in the field. All included institutions and persons have to re-evaluate their prioritization and budgeting in order to support further education and training for personnel in humanitarian logistics according to the results of the survey and addressing the need of logisticians in the humlog management and operations.

Originality/value

– This paper adds to the knowledge about the implications of education and training and measurement of skills and competencies based on EQF for theory and practice. Further the humanitarian logistics community requires rudimentary humanitarian logistics education to enhance the logistics operation in case of disaster toward the affected people.
Islamic banking and economic growth in GCC & East Asia countries
Authors: Mohd. Yusof Rosylin , Bahlous Mejda
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the contribution of Islamic finance to economic growth in countries that were early adopters of Islamic banking: Malaysia, Indonesia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through panel cointegration analysis, variance decompositions (VDCs) and impulse response functions, this study investigates the Islamic finance and growth nexus.

Findings

– Islamic banking is found to contribute to economic growth both in the long run and the short run for both GCC countries and the selected East Asia (EA) countries. In the short run however, Islamic banking contributes more to economic growth in Malaysia and Indonesia compared to the GCC countries.

Practical implications

– The results lend support to the view that Islamic intermediation not only leads to economic benefits but also; increases managers' entrepreneurial skills through the involvement of the lender in the decision making and the partnership like relationship between the fund provider and the entrepreneur and also; reduces agency costs which produces positive impact on both the economy and the development of the society. This serves as a motivation for other countries to continuously promote Islamic finance.

Originality/value

– To assess the importance of Islamic finance to economic growth, this study compares two main regional Islamic financial hubs, the GCC and EA countries. Another novel aspect of this study is in the methodology; it employs panel cointegration analysis, VDCs and impulse response functions on the set of annual data for period of 2000-2009.
University students' needs and satisfaction with their host city
Authors: Insch Andrea , Sun Benjamin
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was threefold: to identify which attributes of the host university city are important to students; to assess students' satisfaction with the key attributes of their host university city; and to determine the drivers of students' overall satisfaction with their host university city.

Design/methodology/approach

– A two stage, mixed methods research design was selected for this study. Focus groups comprised the first stage and a survey of 159 full time university students attending the university of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, comprised the second stage.

Findings

– The survey findings indicate that students at the university of Otago perceive accommodation, socialising and sense of community, safety and cultural scene as the most important attributes of their host university city. Alternatively, the results of the regression analysis which assessed the relative strength of city attributes in explaining their overall satisfaction with Dunedin, demonstrated that shopping and dining, appeal and vibrancy, socialising and sense of community and public transport were the key drivers of their overall satisfaction with the city.

Research limitations/implications

– Students' overall satisfaction with the city is relatively positive and they are most satisfied with socialising and sense of community, community assets, and the city's natural environment. Overall, students' expectations of the city's attributes were reached and exceeded. However, their satisfaction with accommodation, the attribute that they ranked as the most important, was unmet. This shortfall in expectations has the potential to negatively impact the university's image and encourage students to transfer somewhere else for further study if their most important need is not addressed.

Practical implications

– As an important city stakeholder for university cities, students' perceptions and satisfaction with their host city need to be given priority. University administrators in collaboration with city place managers should put effort into maintaining the city attributes which are important to students and which drive their satisfaction with the city experience, since they represent a large proportion of residents in university host cities. The consequences of their inattention to students' needs could be harmful in the long-term.

Originality/value

– Tertiary student perceptions and satisfaction with their host cities have been largely ignored. This study addresses this gap by identifying which attributes of cities are important to students, gauging students' perception of their host city according to these attributes, and identifying the city attributes driving their satisfaction with their host city.
Investigating work engagement in the service environment
Authors: C. Barnes Donald , E. Collier Joel
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Frontline employees (FLEs) represent a major source of value creation for the modern firm. As such, firms are constantly evaluating different attributes of potential and current employees in the hopes of attracting, retaining, and rewarding key employees. Recently, the construct of work engagement has garnered interest as an important indicator of employee performance. However, much is unknown about this construct with regards to antecedents, outcomes and measurement. Thus, the purpose of the current research is to contribute to the developing literature on work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from FLEs across high and low customer contact service contexts. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

– This research provides empirical evidence that service climate, job satisfaction and affective commitment influence work engagement. Employee's work engagement subsequently impacts constructs such as career commitment and adaptability. Furthermore, the authors conceptualize work engagement as a multidimensional higher order construct that exhibits a superior fit compared to a simple first order conceptualization.

Research limitations/implications

– This research provides guidance on how to measure work engagement as well as identifying both antecedent and outcomes variables associated with the construct.

Practical implications

– Results suggest that the service firm has some impact on the level of work engagement FLEs exhibit. Furthermore, this research highlights the importance of the link between positive emotions and FLE performance.

Originality/value

– By utilizing the contemporary broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, this research makes contributions in the developing understanding of the impact of positive emotions on FLEs.
The effect of implicit service guarantees on business performance
Authors: Shin Hyunju , E. Ellinger Alexander
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Although service guarantees are generally believed to give firms a competitive edge, much remains to be learned about the value of, and return on, this customer relationship management strategy. This study aims to examine the influence of implicit service guarantees on two important aspects of business performance: customer satisfaction and return on investment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study hypotheses are tested utilizing three different sources of secondary data to assess the study variables.

Findings

– Over a four-year period, top implicit service guarantee provider firms generated superior market and financial performance in terms of customer satisfaction and return on investment than their industry peers

.

Research limitations/implications

Research limitations/implications

– The number of top implicit service guarantee provider firms used to test the study hypotheses is relatively small due to inherent constraints associated with using secondary data. Testing more exemplar firms against their respective industry averages would have been preferable and may have yielded even more robust findings.

Practical implications

– Firms recognized for leveraging customer service skills and resources to “make right” any sources of customer dissatisfaction may achieve positional advantages associated with superior business performance. Therefore, focusing on building a firm's reputation for exceptional customer service provision may be a more effective approach than offering an explicit service guarantee.

Originality/value

– This research offers support for contentions that customers value the implicit service guarantees associated with firms recognized for outstanding customer service and responds to calls for research that evaluates the specific information that must be communicated to customers to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of service guarantees.
Effect of guanxi and ethical orientations on Chinese auditors' ethical reasoning
Authors: Liu Mingzhi
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Chinese auditors' personal values (guanxi and ethical orientations) on their ethical reasoning (ethical judgments and behavioral intentions). In addition, this study aims to explore the joint effect of guanxi and ethical orientation on auditors' ethical reasoning.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study is based on a field survey of 191 auditors working in Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms that operate in the People's Republic of China (China).

Findings

– The main findings indicate that guanxi and relativism orientations negatively associate with, while idealism orientation positively associates with, auditors' ethical judgments and behavioral intentions. However, when decomposing the overall ethical judgment into three judgment groups, the main effects of guanxi and ethical orientations on auditors' ethical judgments become marginal and those effects fully hold only when using acceptability as criteria to judge questionable behavior in the vignettes. In addition, the results of the joint effect of guanxi and ethical orientations indicate that guanxi orientation weakens both the positive effect of idealism and the negative effect of relativism orientations on auditors' ethical reasoning.

Originality/value

– This study contributes the literature by investigating the ethical reasoning of auditors in a country with a relatively weak legal system that relies on guanxi (literally, interpersonal relationships and connections) culture to operate business. Furthermore, this study extends the literature by documenting the moderating effect of guanxi orientation on the relation between auditors' ethical orientation and their ethical reasoning.
What does the future hold for quality professionals in organisations of the twenty-first century?
Authors: Antony Jiju
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide various perspectives on the future of quality professionals from a number of leading academics and practitioners around the world.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach taken was to collate opinions from a number of leading academics and practitioners from different countries. It was also important to ensure that all participants in the study had a good knowledge and expertise in the field of quality and operations management. Most of the participants had over 30 years of experience in quality and related disciplines and some of them are pioneers in their respective fields of quality management/engineering.

Findings

– As the global economic forces were radically changing, it is essential that quality managers face the future with quality-based integrated management programmes that fit the new business era rather than continuing with systems that may have worked in the past.

Research limitations/implications

– Due to time constraints, the number of people participated in the study was relatively small. However, the author is currently pursuing a larger study looking into the future of quality professionals within the context of Scottish Manufacturing and Service companies.

Originality/value

– The paper provides an excellent resource for many researchers and practitioners equally who are engaged in research and applications on this topic. Moreover it was observed during the review of current literature that very few studies are related to the topic on the future of quality professionals and their future roles in modern organisations.
Business excellence through sustainable change management
Authors: K. Vora Manu
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to make a case for achieving business excellence through sustainable change management. Business excellence is defined through the Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria. Sustainable change management has three pillars: enlightened leadership to provide change direction, great project management to manage technical aspects of change, and excellent talent management for implementing the change. All three pillars will be discussed in this paper along with successful examples of sustainable change management practices from various sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is a synopsis of professional work done by the author over 38 years in achieving business excellence and managing sustainable change in professional and personal arena.

Findings

– The paper provides insights about how sustainable change is achieved to propel an entity toward business excellence. It suggests that leadership is central in initiating the change for the benefit of the enterprise. To successfully manage change, strong project management skills are crucial. Without proper talent management, change initiatives will falter.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfills a global need on how to achieve business excellence through sustainable change management.
Landscape and environmental controls over leaf and ecosystem carbon dioxide fluxes under woody plant expansion
Authors: Barron‐Gafford Greg A. , Scott Russell L. , Jenerette G. Darrel , Hamerlynck Erik P. , Huxman Travis E.
Published: September 2013

Many regions of the globe are experiencing a simultaneous change in the dominant plant functional type and regional climatology. We explored how atmospheric temperature and precipitation control leaf‐ and ecosystem‐scale carbon fluxes within a pair of semi‐arid shrublands, one upland and one riparian, that have undergone woody plant expansion.

Through a combination of leaf‐level measurements on individual bunchgrasses and mesquites shrubs and ecosystem‐scale monitoring using eddy covariance techniques, we sought to quantify rates of net carbon dioxide (CO2) flux, CO2 flux temperature sensitivity and the responsiveness of these parameters to seasonal rains and periods of soil dry‐down.

We found significant differences in physiological acclimation between the two plant functional types, in that the shrubs consistently conducted photosynthesis across a broader temperature range than co‐occurring grasses during dry periods, yet maximum photosynthetic rates in grasses were twice that of mesquites during the wetter monsoon season. Landscape position modulated these temperature sensitivities, as the range of functional temperatures and maximum rates of photosynthesis were two to three times greater within the riparian shrubland in dry times.

Also, it was unexpected that ecosystem‐scale CO2 uptake within both shrublands would become most temperature sensitive within the monsoon, when mesquites and grasses had their broadest range of function. This is probably explained by the changing contributions of component photosynthetic fluxes, in that the more temperature sensitive grasses, which had higher maximal rates of photosynthesis, became a larger component of the ecosystem flux.

Synthesis: Given projections of more variable precipitation and increased temperatures, it is important to understand differences in physiological activity between growth forms, as they are likely to drive patterns of ecosystem‐scale CO2 flux. As access to stable subsurface water declines with decreased precipitation, these differential patterns of temperature sensitivity among growth forms, which are dependent on connectivity to groundwater, will only become more important in determining ecosystem carbon source/sink status.
Outpatient calcium‐channel blockers and the risk of postpartum haemorrhage: a cohort study
Authors: Bateman BT , Hernandez‐Diaz S , Huybrechts KF , Palmsten K , Mogun H , Ecker JL , Seely EW , Fischer MA
Published: September 2013

Objective

To determine whether outpatient exposure to calcium‐channel blockers (CCBs) at the time of delivery is associated with an increased risk for postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

United States of America.

Population or sample

Medicaid beneficiaries.

Methods

We identified a cohort of 9750 patients with outpatient prescriptions for CCBs, methyldopa, or labetalol for pre‐existing or gestational hypertension whose days of supply overlapped with delivery; 1226 were exposed to CCBs. The risk of PPH was compared in those exposed to CCBs to those exposed to methyldopa or labetalol. Propensity score matching and stratification were used to address potential confounding.

Main outcome measures

The occurrence of PPH during the delivery hospitalisation.

Results

There were 27 patients exposed to CCBs (2.2%) and 232 patients exposed to methyldopa or labetalol (2.7%) who experienced PPH. After accounting for confounders, there was no meaningful association between CCB exposure and PPH in the propensity score matched (odds ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.50–1.18) or stratified (odds ratio 0.79, 95% CI 0.53–1.19) analyses. Similar results were obtained across multiple sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions

The outpatient use of CCBs in late pregnancy for the treatment of hypertension does not increase the risk of PPH.
Optimizing Experimental Design Using the House Mouse (Mus musculus L.) as a Model for Determining Grain Feeding Preferences
Authors: Fuerst E. Patrick , Morris Craig F. , Dasgupta Nairanjana , McLean Derek J.
Published: September 2013

There is little research evaluating flavor preferences among wheat varieties. We previously demonstrated that mice exert very strong preferences when given binary mixtures of wheat varieties. We plan to utilize mice to identify wheat genes associated with flavor, and then relate this back to human preferences. Here we explore the effects of experimental design including the number of days (from 1 to 4) and number of mice (from 2 to 15) in order to identify designs that provide significant statistical inferences while minimizing requirements for labor and animals. When mice expressed a significant preference between 2 wheat varieties, increasing the number of days (for a given number of mice) increased the significance level (decreased P‐values) for their preference, as expected, but with diminishing benefit as more days were added. However, increasing the number of mice (for a given number of days) provided a more dramatic log‐linear decrease in P‐values and thus increased statistical power. In conclusion, when evaluating mouse feeding preferences in binary mixtures of grain, an efficient experimental design would emphasize fewer days rather than fewer animals thus shortening the experiment duration and reducing the overall requirement for labor and animals.
Sequencing‐based gene network analysis provides a core set of gene resource for understanding thermal adaptation in Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri
Authors: Fu X. , Sun Y. , Wang J. , Xing Q. , Zou J. , Li R. , Wang Z. , Wang S. , Hu X. , Zhang L. , Bao Z.
Published: September 2013

Marine organisms are commonly exposed to variable environmental conditions, and many of them are under threat from increased sea temperatures caused by global climate change. Generating transcriptomic resources under different stress conditions are crucial for understanding molecular mechanisms underlying thermal adaptation. In this study, we conducted transcriptome‐wide gene expression profiling of the scallop Chlamys farreri challenged by acute and chronic heat stress. Of the 13 953 unique tags, more than 850 were significantly differentially expressed at each time point after acute heat stress, which was more than the number of tags differentially expressed (320–350) under chronic heat stress. To obtain a systemic view of gene expression alterations during thermal stress, a weighted gene coexpression network was constructed. Six modules were identified as acute heat stress‐responsive modules. Among them, four modules involved in apoptosis regulation, mRNA binding, mitochondrial envelope formation and oxidation reduction were downregulated. The remaining two modules were upregulated. One was enriched with chaperone and the other with microsatellite sequences, whose coexpression may originate from a transcription factor binding site. These results indicated that C. farreri triggered several cellular processes to acclimate to elevated temperature. No modules responded to chronic heat stress, suggesting that the scallops might have acclimated to elevated temperature within 3 days. This study represents the first sequencing‐based gene network analysis in a nonmodel aquatic species and provides valuable gene resources for the study of thermal adaptation, which should assist in the development of heat‐tolerant scallop lines for aquaculture.
The management of secondary pelvi‐ureteric junction obstruction – a comparison of pyeloplasty and endopyelotomy
Authors: Vannahme Milena , Mathur Sunil , Davenport Kim , Timoney Anthony G. , Keeley Francis X.
Published: September 2013

Objective

To review our experience in the management of secondary pelvi‐ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) comparing endopyelotomy with pyeloplasty.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively analysed our database of 58 patients having undergone operative management of PUJO after failed primary management, including 41 with failed pyeloplasty and 17 failed endopyelotomy.

Outcomes included mercapto‐acetyltriglycine (MAG3) drainage capacity, symptomatic control and need for further intervention. Success was defined as freedom from failure in all three.

Results

Patients undergoing secondary pyeloplasty had better outcomes than endopyelotomy for symptomatic success (87.5% vs 74%), resolution of obstruction on MAG3 renography (96% vs 74%), and no need for further intervention (96% vs 71%).

Overall success was 87.5% for pyeloplasty compared with 44% after secondary endopyelotomy.

Conclusion

Outcomes of pyelopasty for secondary PUJO were superior when compared with endopyelotomy.
Myopia and the long‐term incidence of cataract and cataract surgery: the Blue Mountains Eye Study
Authors: Kanthan Gowri L , Mitchell Paul , Rochtchina Elena , Cumming Robert G , Wang Jie Jin
Published: September 2013

Background

To assess the association between refractive errors and the 10‐year incidence of cataract and cataract surgery.

Design

Population‐based prospective study.

Participants

Three thousand six hundred fifty‐four persons aged 49+ years living in a well‐defined geographical region were examined at baseline; 2564 were re‐examined after 5 and/or 10 years.

Methods

Baseline refractive error was measured using autorefraction with subjective refinement. Lens photographs were taken at each visit and assessed using the Wisconsin Cataract Grading System.

Main Outcome Measures

Long‐term incidence of cataract and cataract surgery.

Results

Compared with emmetropia, high myopia was associated with increased incidence of nuclear cataract (adjusted odds ratio 3.01, 95% confidence intervals 1.35–6.71). Low (odds ratio 1.86, confidence interval 1.03–3.35) and high myopia (odds ratio 7.80, confidence interval 3.51–17.35) were significantly associated with higher incidence of posterior subcapsular cataract. Low, moderate and high myopia were associated with increased incidence of cataract surgery (odds ratio 2.54, confidence interval 1.76–3.68; odds ratio 2.61, confidence interval 1.45–4.69; and odds ratio 4.81, confidence interval 2.33–9.93, respectively). Either any (odds ratio 1.35, confidence interval 1.08–1.69) or moderate hyperopia (odds ratio 1.76, confidence interval 1.32–2.34) was associated with increased incidence of nuclear cataract.

Conclusion

Our longitudinal study confirms the association between myopia and an increased risk of nuclear and posterior subcapsular cataract. It also suggests that hyperopia may increase the risk of nuclear cataract.
The impact of next generation sequencing on the analysis of breast cancer susceptibility: a role for extremely rare genetic variation?
Authors: Hilbers FSM , Vreeswijk MPG , van Asperen CJ , Devilee P
Published: September 2013

Women with a family history of breast cancer have an approximately twofold elevated risk of the disease. Even though an array of genes has been associated with breast cancer risk the past two decades, variants within these genes jointly explain at most 40% of this familial risk. Many explanations for this ‘missing heritability’ have been proposed, including the existence of many very rare variants, interactions between genetic and environmental factors and structural genetic variation. In this review, we discuss how next generation sequencing will teach us more about the genetic architecture of breast cancer, with a specific focus on very rare genetic variants. While such variants potentially explain a substantial proportion of familial breast cancer, assessing the breast cancer risks conferred by them remains challenging, even if this risk is relatively high. To assess more moderate risks, epidemiological approaches will require very large patient cohorts to be genotyped for the variant, only achievable through international collaboration. How well we will be able to eventually resolve the missing heritability for breast cancer in a clinically meaningful way crucially depends on the underlying complexity of the genetic architecture.
Aleukemic cutaneous myeloid sarcoma
Authors: Aboutalebi Amir , Korman John B. , Sohani Aliyah R. , Hasserjian Robert P. , Louissaint Abner , Le Long , Kraft Stefan , Duncan Lyn M. , Nazarian Rosalynn M.
Published: September 2013

Background

Aleukemic cutaneous myeloid sarcoma (CMS) represents an important yet rare entity denoting the presence of a cutaneous myeloid leukemic infiltrate without concurrent peripheral blood or bone marrow disease. The clinicopathologic diagnosis remains elusive due to isolated skin findings and variable immunostaining. Cytogenetic and molecular findings have infrequently been reported.

Methods

Twenty‐five patients with CMS were identified in the Massachusetts General Hospital pathology database between 2004 and 2012. Patients were excluded if concurrent blood or marrow acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome or lymphoproliferative disorder were diagnosed.

Results

Three patients were identified: a neonate with recurrent CMS and marrow disease that never met diagnostic criteria for AML and two patients relapsing as CMS without concurrent blood or marrow disease following chemotherapy‐induced complete remission. Histology showed atypical mononuclear cell interstitial dermal infiltrates. All cases were CD68+, lysozyme+ and CD117−; one of two were CD34+; two of three were myeloperoxidase negative. 11q23 rearrangement, t(1;14), NPM1 (nucleophosmin I), FLT3‐ITD (Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3‐internal tandem duplication), and novel FLT3‐D835 mutations were identified.

Conclusion

An isolated atypical cutaneous infiltrate may represent aleukemic CMS and should prompt a search for other extramedullary sites of involvement. Immunohistochemistry, molecular and cytogenetic studies can help differentiate aleukemic CMS from benign and malignant, monocytic and histiocytic mimickers, and may potentially indicate therapy and prognosis.
How to improve neurodevelopmental and quality of life outcomes following early surgery for congenital heart disease?
Authors: Tabbutt Sarah
Published: September 2013

This commentary is on the original article by Schaefer et al. on pages 1143–1149 of this issue.