bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous Multislice Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of the Kidney
Authors: Kenkel David , Barth Borna K. , Piccirelli Marco , Filli Lukas , Finkenstädt Tim , Reiner Cäcilia S. , Boss Andreas
Published: September 2016

Objectives

The aims of this study were to implement a protocol for simultaneous multislice (SMS) accelerated diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the kidneys and to perform a systematic analysis of image quality of the data sets.

Materials and Methods

Ten healthy subjects and 5 patients with renal masses underwent DWI of the kidney in this prospective institutional review board–approved study on a 3 T magnetic resonance scanner. Simultaneous multislice DWI echo-planar sequences (acceleration factors [AFs] 2 and 3) were compared with conventional echo-planar DWI as reference standard for each acquisition scheme. The following 3 acquisition schemes were applied: comparison A, with increased number of acquisitions at constant scan time; comparison B, with reduction of acquisition time; and comparison C, with increased slice resolution (constant acquisition time, increasing number of slices). Interreader reliability was analyzed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Qualitative image quality features were evaluated by 2 independent radiologists on a 5-point Likert scale. Quantification accuracy of the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were assessed by region of interest analysis. Furthermore, lesion conspicuity in the 5 patients was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale by 2 independent radiologists.

Results

Interreader agreement was substantial with an ICC of 0.68 for the overall image quality and an ICC of 0.73 for the analysis of artifacts. In comparison A, AF2 resulted in increased SNR (P < 0.05) by 21% at stable image quality scores (image quality: P = 0.76, artifacts: P = 0.21). In comparison B, applying AF2, the scan time could be reduced by 46% without significant reduction in qualitative image quality scores (P = 0.059) or SNR (P = 0.126). In comparison C, slice resolution could be improved by 28% using AF2 with stable image quality scores and SNR. In general, AF3 resulted in reduced image quality and SNR. Significantly reduced ADC values were observed for AF3 in comparison C (cortex: P = 0.003; medulla: P = 0.001) compared with the standard echo-planar imaging sequence. The conventional DWI and the SMS DWI with AF2 showed stable lesion conspicuity ([AF1/AF2]: reader 1 [1.8/1.4] and reader 2 [1.8/1.4]). The lesion conspicuity was lower using AF3 (reader 1: 2.2 and reader 2: 1.8).

Conclusions

In conclusion, SMS DWI of the kidney is a potential tool to substantially reduce scan time without negative effects on SNR, ADC quantification accuracy, and image quality if an AF2 is used. Although AF3 results in even higher scan time reduction, a negative impact on image quality, SNR, ADC quantification accuracy, and lesion conspicuity must be considered.
Gut microbiota, 1013 new pieces in the Parkinson's disease puzzle
Authors: Scheperjans Filip
Published: September 2016

Purpose of review

Gastrointestinal dysfunction is highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease and may precede motor symptoms by more than a decade. It has been proposed that the neurodegenerative cascade may actually be initiated in the gut with subsequent spreading to the brain and that gut microbiota could be involved in this process. This review provides a short introduction into the methodology of microbiome-wide association studies and discusses the recently published first comprehensive assessments of gut microbiota in Parkinson's disease.

Recent findings

Three case–control studies have studied gut microbiota composition in Parkinson's disease and all found significant differences between Parkinson's disease patients and controls. However, most of the differentially abundant taxa as well as associations of microbiota with clinical variables differed between studies. This may at least in part be explained by methodological differences between studies in terms of selection of participants, analysis pipelines, statistical analysis, and confounder control.

Current evidence suggests that there are alterations of gut microbiota in Parkinson's disease, but the exact nature of these changes is not established. Future larger studies should assess gut microbiota in Parkinson's disease covering diverse geographical regions, ethnicities, disease stages, and phenotypes using well-defined selection criteria for patients and controls and standardized methodology.
Neurologic complications of immune checkpoint inhibitors
Authors: Hottinger Andreas F.
Published: September 2016

Purpose of review

In recent years, advances in the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of the immune system has led to the development of new approaches for cancer treatment. Currently, immune checkpoint inhibitors are the first successful examples of this approach and several agents that target cytotoxic lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) have been approved for various oncologic situations. The aim of this review is to describe the neurologic adverse event profiles for these new immune therapeutic approaches and to discuss their appropriate management.

Recent findings

The immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab against CTLA-4 and nivolumab or pembrolizumab against PD-1 show a unique spectrum of toxic effects. The most common toxicities include rash, colitis, hepatitis, endocrinopathies, and pneumonitis. Neurologic side-effects are rare but include cases of immune polyneuropathies, Guillain Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, aseptic meningitis, enteric neuropathy, transverse myelitis as well as immune encephalitis.

It is essential that neurologic immune-related adverse events are recognized and treated as soon as possible, as early treatment increases the odds of a complete recovery.
A Case of Reduplicative Paramnesia for Home
Authors: Peckins Christopher S. , Khorashadi Leila , Wolpow Edward R.
Published: September 2016

We present the case of a high-functioning 88-year-old woman who suddenly developed the persistent and disturbing belief that her home of 40 years was not genuine, but rather an accurate replica. Her episode was probably caused by a small stroke that left her with this single extremely specific deficit. We describe the patient in detail and link to a video interview of her 3 months after the onset of the delusion, eloquently describing her experience. We summarize some of the many reports and discussions of our patient’s delusion, reduplicative paramnesia, as well as other delusional misidentification syndromes.
Stable isotope dimethyl labelling for quantitative proteomics and beyond
Authors: Hsu Jue-Liang , Chen Shu-Hui
Published: September 2016

Stable-isotope reductive dimethylation, a cost-effective, simple, robust, reliable and easy-to- multiplex labelling method, is widely applied to quantitative proteomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This review focuses on biological applications of stable-isotope dimethyl labelling for a large-scale comparative analysis of protein expression and post-translational modifications based on its unique properties of the labelling chemistry. Some other applications of the labelling method for sample preparation and mass spectrometry-based protein identification and characterization are also summarized.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Good quantification practices of flavours and fragrances by mass spectrometry
Authors: Begnaud Frédéric , Chaintreau Alain
Published: September 2016

Over the past 15 years, chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometric detection have been increasingly used to monitor the rapidly expanded list of regulated flavour and fragrance ingredients. This trend entails a need for good quantification practices suitable for complex media, especially for multi-analytes. In this article, we present experimental precautions needed to perform the analyses and ways to process the data according to the most recent approaches. This notably includes the identification of analytes during their quantification and method validation, when applied to real matrices, based on accuracy profiles. A brief survey of application studies based on such practices is given.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Quantitative proteomics and terminomics to elucidate the role of ubiquitination and proteolysis in adaptive immunity
Authors: Klein Theo , Viner Rosa I. , Overall Christopher M.
Published: September 2016

Adaptive immunity is the specialized defence mechanism in vertebrates that evolved to eliminate pathogens. Specialized lymphocytes recognize specific protein epitopes through antigen receptors to mount potent immune responses, many of which are initiated by nuclear factor-kappa B activation and gene transcription. Most, if not all, pathways in adaptive immunity are further regulated by post-translational modification (PTM) of signalling proteins, e.g. phosphorylation, citrullination, ubiquitination and proteolytic processing. The importance of PTMs is reflected by genetic or acquired defects in these pathways that lead to a dysfunctional immune response. Here we discuss the state of the art in targeted proteomics and systems biology approaches to dissect the PTM landscape specifically regarding ubiquitination and proteolysis in B- and T-cell activation. Recent advances have occurred in methods for specific enrichment and targeted quantitation. Together with improved instrument sensitivity, these advances enable the accurate analysis of often rare PTM events that are opaque to conventional proteomics approaches, now rendering in-depth analysis and pathway dissection possible. We discuss published approaches, including as a case study the profiling of the N-terminome of lymphocytes of a rare patient with a genetic defect in the paracaspase protease MALT1, a key regulator protease in antigen-driven signalling, which was manifested by elevated linear ubiquitination.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Revisiting the quantitative features of surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric analysis
Authors: Wu Ching-Yi , Lee Kai-Chieh , Kuo Yen-Ling , Chen Yu-Chie
Published: September 2016

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) is frequently used to analyse small organics owing to its clean background. Inorganic materials can be used as energy absorbers and the transfer medium to facilitate the desorption/ionization of analytes; thus, they are used as SALDI-assisting materials. Many studies have demonstrated the usefulness of SALDI-MS in quantitative analysis of small organics. However, some characteristics occurring in SALDI-MS require certain attention to ensure the reliability of the quantitative analysis results. The appearance of a coffee-ring effect in SALDI sample preparation is the primary factor that can affect quantitative SALDI-MS analysis results. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports relating to quantitative SALDI-MS analysis that discuss or consider this effect. In this study, the coffee-ring effect is discussed using nanoparticles and nanostructured substrates as SALDI-assisting materials to show how this effect influences SALDI-MS analysis results. Potential solutions for overcoming the existing problems are also suggested.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Quantitative mass spectrometry of unconventional human biological matrices
Authors: Dutkiewicz Ewelina P. , Urban Pawel L.
Published: September 2016

The development of sensitive and versatile mass spectrometric methodology has fuelled interest in the analysis of metabolites and drugs in unconventional biological specimens. Here, we discuss the analysis of eight human matrices—hair, nail, breath, saliva, tears, meibum, nasal mucus and skin excretions (including sweat)—by mass spectrometry (MS). The use of such specimens brings a number of advantages, the most important being non-invasive sampling, the limited risk of adulteration and the ability to obtain information that complements blood and urine tests. The most often studied matrices are hair, breath and saliva. This review primarily focuses on endogenous (e.g. potential biomarkers, hormones) and exogenous (e.g. drugs, environmental contaminants) small molecules. The majority of analytical methods used chromatographic separation prior to MS; however, such a hyphenated methodology greatly limits analytical throughput. On the other hand, the mass spectrometric methods that exclude chromatographic separation are fast but suffer from matrix interferences. To enable development of quantitative assays for unconventional matrices, it is desirable to standardize the protocols for the analysis of each specimen and create appropriate certified reference materials. Overcoming these challenges will make analysis of unconventional human biological matrices more common in a clinical setting.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Quantitative mass spectrometry: an overview
Authors: Urban Pawel L.
Published: September 2016

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a mainstream chemical analysis technique in the twenty-first century. It has contributed to numerous discoveries in chemistry, physics and biochemistry. Hundreds of research laboratories scattered all over the world use MS every day to investigate fundamental phenomena on the molecular level. MS is also widely used by industry—especially in drug discovery, quality control and food safety protocols. In some cases, mass spectrometers are indispensable and irreplaceable by any other metrological tools. The uniqueness of MS is due to the fact that it enables direct identification of molecules based on the mass-to-charge ratios as well as fragmentation patterns. Thus, for several decades now, MS has been used in qualitative chemical analysis. To address the pressing need for quantitative molecular measurements, a number of laboratories focused on technological and methodological improvements that could render MS a fully quantitative metrological platform. In this theme issue, the experts working for some of those laboratories share their knowledge and enthusiasm about quantitative MS. I hope this theme issue will benefit readers, and foster fundamental and applied research based on quantitative MS measurements.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Dynamic Brain Connectivity Patterns in Conscious and Unconscious Brain
Authors: Ma Yuncong , Hamilton Christina , Zhang Nanyin
Published: September 2016

Brain functional connectivity undergoes dynamic changes from the awake to unconscious states. However, how the dynamics of functional connectivity patterns are linked to consciousness at the behavioral level remains elusive. Here we acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data during wakefulness and graded levels of consciousness in rats. Data were analyzed using a dynamic approach combining the sliding-window method and k-means clustering. Our results demonstrate that whole-brain networks contain several quasi-stable patterns that dynamically recurred from the awake state into anesthetized states. Remarkably, two brain connectivity states with distinct spatial similarity to the structure of anatomical connectivity were strongly biased toward high and low consciousness levels, respectively. These results provide compelling neuroimaging evidence linking the dynamics of whole-brain functional connectivity patterns and states of consciousness at the behavioral level.

Conflict of interest

none.
Mapping eQTLs With RNA-Seq Reveals Novel SLE Susceptibility Genes, Non-Coding RNAs, and Alternative-Splicing Events That Are Concealed Using Microarrays
Authors: Odhams Christopher A. , Cortini Andrea , Chen Lingyan , Roberts Amy L. , Vinuela Ana , Buil Alfonso , Small Kerrin S. , Dermitzakis Emmanouil T. , Morris David L. , Vyse Timothy J. , Cunninghame Graham Deborah S.
Published: September 2016

Studies attempting to functionally interpret complex-disease susceptibility loci by GWAS and eQTL integration have predominantly employed microarrays to quantify gene-expression. RNA-Seq has the potential to discover a more comprehensive set of eQTLs and illuminate the underlying molecular consequence. We examine the functional outcome of 39 variants associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) through integration of GWAS and eQTL data from the TwinsUK microarray and RNA-Seq cohort in lymphoblastoid cell lines. We use conditional analysis and a Bayesian colocalisation method to provide evidence of a shared causal-variant, then compare the ability of each quantification type to detect disease relevant eQTLs and eGenes. We discovered a greater frequency of candidate-causal eQTLs using RNA-Seq, and identified novel SLE susceptibility genes that were concealed using microarrays (e.g.NADSYN1,SKP1, andTCF7). Many of these eQTLs were found to influence the expression of several genes, suggesting risk haplotypes may harbour multiple functional effects. We pinpointed eQTLs modulating expression of four non-coding RNAs; three of which were replicated in whole-blood. Novel SLE associated splicing events were identified in the T-reg restricted transcription factor,IKZF2, the autophagy-related geneWDFY4, and the redox coenzymeNADSYN1, through asQTL mapping using the Geuvadis cohort. We have significantly increased our understanding of the genetic control of gene-expression in SLE by maximising the leverage of RNA-Seq and performing integrative GWAS-eQTL analysis against gene, exon, and splice-junction quantifications. In doing so, we have identified novel SLE candidate genes and specific molecular mechanisms that will serve as the basis for targeted follow-up studies.
De novotranscriptome assembly for the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)
Authors: Mamrot Jared , Legaie Roxane , Ellery Stacey J , Wilson Trevor , Gardner David K. , Walker David W. , Temple-Smith Peter , Papenfuss Anthony T. , Dickinson Hayley
Published: September 2016

Background: Spiny mice of the genusAcomysare small desert-dwelling rodents that display physiological characteristics not typically found in rodents. Recent investigations have reported a menstrual cycle and scar free-wound healing in this species; characteristics that are exceedingly rare in mammals, and of considerable interest to the scientific community. These unique physiological traits, and the potential for spiny mice to accurately model human diseases, are driving increased use of this genus in biomedical research. However, little genetic information is currently available forAcomys, limiting the application of some modern investigative techniques. This project aimed to generate a reference transcriptome assembly for the common spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus).

Results: Illumina RNA sequencing of male and female spiny mice produced 451 million, 150bp paired-end reads from 15 organ types. An extensive survey ofde novotranscriptome assembly approaches of high-quality reads using Trinity, SOAPdenovo-Trans, and Velvet/Oases at multiple kmer lengths was conducted with 49 single-kmer assemblies generated from this dataset, with and withoutin siliconormalization and probabilistic error correction. Merging transcripts from 49 individual single-kmer assemblies into a single meta-assembly of non-redundant transcripts using the EvidentialGene ‘tr2aacds’ pipeline produced the highest quality transcriptome assembly, comprised of 880,080 contigs, of which 189,925 transcripts were annotated using the SwissProt/Uniprot database.

Conclusions: This study provides the first detailed characterization of the spiny mouse transcriptome. It validates the application of the EvidentialGene ‘tr2aacds’ pipeline to generate a high-quality reference transcriptome assembly in a mammalian species, and provides a valuable scientific resource for further investigation into the unique physiological characteristics inherent in the genusAcomys.
High throughput estimation of functional cell activities reveals disease mechanisms and predicts relevant clinical outcomes
Authors: Hidalgo Marta R. , Cubuk Cankut , Amadoz Alicia , Salavert Francisco , Carbonell-Caballero José , Dopazo Joaquin
Published: September 2016

Understanding the aspects of the cell functionality that account for disease or drug action mechanisms is a main challenge for precision medicine. Here we propose a new method that models cell signaling using biological knowledge on signal transduction. The method recodes individual gene expression values (and/or gene mutations) into accurate measurements of changes in the activity of signaling circuits, which ultimately constitute high-throughput estimations of cell functionalities caused by gene activity within the pathway. Moreover, such estimations can be obtained either at cohort-level, in case/control comparisons, or personalized for individual patients. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated in an extensive analysis involving 5640 patients from 12 different cancer types. Circuit activity measurements not only have a high diagnostic value but also can be related to relevant disease outcomes such as survival, and can be used to assess therapeutic interventions.
Correcting subtle stratification in summary association statistics
Authors: Bhatia Gaurav , Furlotte Nicholas A. , Loh Po-Ru , Liu Xuanyao , Finucane Hilary K. , Gusev Alexander , Price Alkes L.
Published: September 2016

Population stratification is a well-documented confounder in GWASes, and is often addressed by including principal component (PC) covariates computed from common SNPs (SNP-PCs). In our analyses of summary statistics from 36 GWASes (mean n=88k), including 20 GWASes using 23andMe data that included SNP-PC covariates, we observed a significantly inflated LD score regression (LDSC) intercept for several traits—suggesting that residual stratification remains a concern, even when SNPPC covariates are included.

Here we propose a new method, PC loading regression, to correct for stratification in summary statistics by leveraging SNP loadings for PCs computed in a large reference panel. In addition to SNP-PCs, the method can be applied to haploSNP-PCs, i.e. PCs computed from a larger number of rare haplotype variants that better capture subtle structure. Using simulations based on real genotypes from 54,000 individuals of diverse European ancestry from the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) cohort, we show that PC loading regression effectively corrects for stratification along top PCs.

We applied PC loading regression to several traits with inflated LDSC intercepts. Correcting for the top four SNP-PCs in GERA data, we observe a significant reduction in LDSC intercept height summary statistics from the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium, but not for 23andMe summary statistics, which already included SNP-PC covariates. However, when correcting for additional haploSNP-PCs in 23andMe GWASes, inflation in the LDSC intercept was eliminated for eye color, hair color, and skin color and substantially reduced for height (1.41 to 1.16; n=430k). Correcting for haploSNP-PCs in GIANT height summary statistics eliminated inflation in the LDSC intercept (from 1.35 to 1.00; n=250k), eliminating 27 significant association signals including one at theLCTlocus, which is highly differentiated among European populations and widely known to produce spurious signals. Overall, our results suggest that uncorrected population stratification is a concern in GWASes of large sample size and that PC loading regression can correct for this stratification.
Translational plasticity facilitates the accumulation of nonsense genetic variants in the human population
Authors: Jagannathan Sujatha , Bradley Robert K.
Published: September 2016

Genetic variants that disrupt protein-coding DNA are ubiquitous in the human population, with about 100 such loss-of-function variants per individual. While most loss-of-function variants are rare, a subset have risen to high frequency and occur in a homozygous state in healthy individuals. It is unknown why these common variants are well tolerated, even though some affect essential genes implicated in Mendelian disease. Here, we combine genomic, proteomic, and biochemical data to demonstrate that many common nonsense variants do not ablate protein production from their host genes. We provide computational and experimental evidence for diverse mechanisms of gene rescue, including alternative splicing, stop codon readthrough, alternative translation initiation, and C-terminal truncation. Our results suggest a molecular explanation for the mild fitness costs of many common nonsense variants and indicate that translational plasticity plays a prominent role in shaping human genetic diversity.
Comprehensive variation discovery and recovery of missing sequence in the pig genome using multiple de novo assemblies
Authors: Li Mingzhou , Chen Lei , Tian Shilin , Lin Yu , Tang Qianzi , Zhou Xuming , Li Diyan , Yeung Carol K.L. , Che Tiandong , Jin Long , Fu Yuhua , Ma Jideng , Wang Xun , Jiang Anan , Lan Jing , Pan Qi , Liu Yingkai , Luo Zonggang , Guo Zongyi , Liu Haifeng , Zhu Li , Shuai Surong , Tang Guoqing , Zhao Jiugang , Jiang Yanzhi , Bai Lin , Zhang Shunhua , Mai Miaomiao , Li Changchun , Wang Dawei , Gu Yiren , Wang Guosong , Lu Hongfeng , Li Yan , Zhu Haihao , Li Zongwen , Li Ming , Gladyshev Vadim N. , Jiang Zhi , Zhao Shuhong , Wang Jinyong , Li Ruiqiang , Li Xuewei
Published: September 2016

Uncovering genetic variation through resequencing is limited by the fact that only sequences with similarity to the reference genome are examined. Reference genomes are often incomplete and cannot represent the full range of genetic diversity as a result of geographical divergence and independent demographic events. To more comprehensively characterize genetic variation of pigs (Sus scrofa), we generated de novo assemblies of nine geographically and phenotypically representative pigs from Eurasia. By comparing them to the reference pig assembly, we uncovered a substantial number of novel SNPs and structural variants, as well as 137.02-Mb sequences harboring 1737 protein-coding genes that were absent in the reference assembly, revealing variants left by selection. Our results illustrate the power of whole-genome de novo sequencing relative to resequencing and provide valuable genetic resources that enable effective use of pigs in both agricultural production and biomedical research.
Using the patent term changes in assessing the evolution of patent valuation from filing to maturity
Authors: Drivas Kyriakos , Panagopoulos Andreas
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The authors argue that the patent term change introduced in Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in the USA inadvertently offered a metric of self-valuation of patents at the time of filing, affirming the ability of Drugs and Chemical patents to offer greater R&D incentives than other technology fields. As renewals also offer a metric of self-valuation, the authors find that upon renewal Computer patents are found to offer greater R&D incentives than Drugs and Chemicals. The purpose of this paper is to inquire as to why Computer patents are considered as more valuable in the post grant period, even though they were not considered as valuable upon filing. The authors advance the idea that patents can increase in value if encompassed in a patent portfolio.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ the introduction of the TRIPS agreement in the USA. In order to facilitate the move to TRIPS, the USPTO (unexpectedly) allowed applicants who filed prior to June 8, 1995 a patent length that was equal to the maximum of two regimes. Therefore, applicants that filed before the deadline were given a possible small extension of their patent’s time length. The authors use this change and renewal data to infer firms’ self-valuation of patents. For this reason, the authors acquire information for all utility patents that were filed around June 8, 1995 data project.

Findings

The authors offer an additional explanation that is related to the increasingly commonplace build up of patent portfolios: patents can increase in value if encompassed in a portfolio. Such portfolios are bundles of patents whose means to an end lays in their strength in numbers. As Lanjouw and Schankerman (2004) note, when a patent is added to a portfolio the cost of defending a technology against infringement allegations decreases. To rephrase, a patent is regarded as the additional foot-soldier who aids the firm, arm-in-arm, in defending its technological territory and in fulfilling its strategic goal.

Originality/value

The originality stemming from the paper is that policy makers that aim to tackle patent proliferation should not focus their attention to individual patents. Instead, they should target policies toward patent portfolios, because they provide the means of endowing patents with the extra weight that makes filing and renewing irrelevant patents worthwhile.
The role of spatial and non-spatial forms of proximity in knowledge transfer
Authors: Kuttim Merle
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance the comprehension of the role that geographic proximity plays in relation to non-spatial proximity in the context of international university-industry knowledge transfer.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is designed as a multiple-case study. It looks at selected instances of contract research at Tallinn University of Technology that represents a typical technical university in Central and Eastern Europe characterised by relatively short period of market economy and university-industry cooperation.

Findings

The results indicate that there emerge different configurations of proximity nationally and internationally. In case of domestic cooperation cognitive (education), organisational, social and institutional (institutional setting) proximity exist simultaneously with geographic proximity. International cooperation is characterised by lack of geographical proximity, but the existence of cognitive and social proximity indicating a substitution.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to analysing instances of contract research and relations between spatial and non-spatial forms of proximity. Further research could consider the differences between various channels of knowledge transfer and address the relationship between non-spatial forms of proximity.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by using proximity dimensions operationalised at aggregate and individual levels to study the university knowledge network. It is proposed in this paper that attention has to be paid to distinguishing between organisational and individual levels of analysis and their differing results. Proximity at organisational level does not necessarily translate into proximity between individuals and vice versa.
Czech copreneur orientations to business and family responsibilities
Authors: Jurik Nancy , Křížková Alena , Pospíšilová (Dlouhá) Marie
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to utilize a mixed-embeddedness approach to examine how state welfare policies, employment conditions and gender norms shape orientations to divisions of business and domestic labor among Czech copreneurs, i.e. romantic couples involved in businesses together.

Design/methodology/approach

Twelve copreneur couples were interviewed; male and female partners were interviewed separately. Women’s narratives are centered in analyzing motivations for business, divisions of labor, orientation to business/family and state policies. After detailing women’s orientations, correspondence with male partner orientations is considered.

Findings

Analysis reveals how state policies, employment conditions and gender norms inform copreneur narratives about business and family life in the Czech Republic. Female respondents expressed three orientations: business as opportunity, business for family and business/home as teamwork. Women tended both business and family, whereas most male partners focused exclusively on business.

Research limitations/implications

Although the small, purposive sample was not representative of all Czech copreneurs, findings detail how social context frames business/family dynamics.

Practical implications

This mixed-embeddedness perspective demonstrates how gender norms, state taxation and welfare shape the organization of Czech copreneurships and can support or discourage women’s entrepreneurship.

Social implications

Mechanisms producing gender inequality in copreneur businesses are revealed.

Originality/value

Findings identify connections between female copreneur business/family orientations and the context of gender regimes, state policy and employment practices in a post-socialist country. Also revealed are changing orientations across family and business stages.
Feminist perspectives on social entrepreneurship: critique and new directions
Authors: Clark Muntean Susan , Ozkazanc-Pan Banu
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The authors bring diverse feminist perspectives to bear on social entrepreneurship research and practice to challenge existing assumptions and approaches while providing new directions for research at the intersections of gender, social and commercial entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply liberal feminist, socialist feminist and transnational/post-colonial feminist perspectives to critically examine issues of gender in the field of social entrepreneurship.

Findings

By way of three distinct feminist lenses, the analyses suggest that the social entrepreneurship field does not recognize gender as an organizing principle in society. Further to this, a focus on women within this field replicates problematic gendered assumptions underlying the field of women’s entrepreneurship research.

Practical implications

The arguments and suggestions provide a critical gender perspective to inform the strategies and programmes adopted by practitioners and the types of research questions entrepreneurship scholars ask.

Social implications

The authors redirect the conversation away from limited status quo approaches towards the explicit and implicit aim of social entrepreneurship and women’s entrepreneurship: that is, economic and social equality for women across the globe.

Originality/value

The authors explicitly adopt a cultural, institutional and transnational analysis to interrogate the intersection of gender and social entrepreneurship.
The formation of networks in the diaspora
Authors: Epstein Gil S. , Heizler (Cohen) Odelia
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine possible types of network formation among immigrants in the diaspora and between those immigrants and the locals in different countries. The authors present the model by considering different possible interactions between immigrants and the new society in their host country. Spread of migrants from the same origin in the diaspora may well increase international trade between the different countries, depending on the types of networks formed. The authors present possible applications of network structure on the country of origin, such as on international trade. The authors find that when the size of the diaspora is sufficiently large, the natives in the different countries will be willing to bear the linking cost with the immigrants because the possible benefits increase with increasing size of the diaspora.

Design/methodology/approach

Developing a theoretical approach for the formation of networks in the diaspora.

Findings

Those that immigrated first determine the outcome. Policy maker can affect the type of network formed by allocating resources to the first immigrants. They can approve subsidies and tax reductions for international trade. The type of network formed (assimilation, integration, separation or marginalization) affects the level of, and benefits from international trade worldwide, as well as the composition of the imported products. The authors show how leadership is established and how leadership increases over time. More immigrants from the same origin become established all over the world, and new linkages are created with the first immigrant, increasing the possibilities for global trade.

Originality/value

The research in this paper is original.
Grades or labels? Beef prices and quality
Authors: Mann Stefan , Erdin Daniel
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The difference between quality grades and quality labels is that the latter are awarded on the basis of production processes, whilst the former are conferred on the strength of the actual production results. In the course of a de-ideologisation of society, it might be assumed that the price differences between quality grades would grow larger and larger, while those between quality labels would tend to shrink. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test this hypothesis.

Design/methodology/approach

Regressions for the calf market on the one hand and for 4,180 cattle-market data sets on the other are run with Stata.

Findings

The results largely confirm the rising importance of grades between 2000 and 2014. In the period under consideration, a price spread occurs between the individual grades of the Swiss grading system, whilst the surcharge for organic products shrinks. No price discrimination is identified a priori for conventional labels.

Practical implications

The focus of both chain management and policy makers should be put on effective grading systems rather than on labelling production methods.

Originality/value

This is the first econometrical comparison of the price effect of both grades and labels.
Direct effects of quality management on competitive advantage
Authors: Elshaer Ibrahim A. , Augustyn Marcjanna M.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine direct effects of quality management on competitive advantage within the context of the resource-based view of a firm.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data have been obtained from 288 general managers of luxury hotels in Egypt. The authors have used six dimensions and 22 indicators of quality management, two indicators of competitive advantage that manifest the hotel’s above average financial performance relative to competitors within the study sample, and a multi-group analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The results indicate that quality management may be a source of competitive advantage. Top management leadership and supplier management differentiate hotels with above average financial performance from its competitors. The role of customer focus and employee management in generating competitive advantage is questionable while process management and quality data and reporting may not contribute to achieving competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications

Only direct effects of quality management on competitive advantage are examined within the context of a luxury hotel industry in Egypt. Similar studies within other contexts and models that study indirect effects of quality management on competitive advantage with factors that might moderate these effects are needed. Future studies could compare effects of quality management on competitive advantage with effects of quality management on other business outcomes.

Practical implications

The results may inform management decision making concerning the development of capabilities that may generate competitive advantage.

Social implications

The current study contributes in providing further evidence that may contribute to enhancing the understanding and knowledge of the relationship between quality management and competitive advantage.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the debate on strategic value of quality management and resource-based sources of competitive advantage. Methodologically, this study shows an alternative approach to measuring competitive advantage and indicates that applying a multi-group analysis in SEM may contribute to producing original results.
In search of “Muda” through the TKJ diagram
Authors: Suárez-Barraza Manuel F. , Dahlgaard-Park Su Mi , Rodríguez-González Francisco G. , Durán-Arechiga Carolina
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Muda is a Japanese term literally meaning futility, uselessness, idleness, superfluity, waste, wastage or wastefulness. The term was introduced by the Japanese engineer Taiichi Ohno of Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1960s. Therefore, reducing and minimizing Muda is an effective way to increase the operational efficiency and productivity of an organization’s processes. In turn, the technique known as the affinity or TKJ diagram represents a practical way of sorting data or ideas into groups classified by common patterns; it can be regarded as one of the new seven tools of quality. The purpose of this paper is to discover Muda by applying the affinity or TKJ diagram in Mexican organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Using theoretical sampling, the authors identified and analyzed data from a kaizen training course. Each course workshop was organized by the Universidad de las Americas Puebla and consulting firm “Mi Empresa”, and given to employees of various organizations in various sectors over three years from January 2012 to January 2015.

Findings

The research provided the first evidence of Muda in Mexican organizations. The Muda of Ohno’s classification was confirmed, but new common patterns of Muda in twenty-first-century organizations also arose. Furthermore, the TKJ diagram proved to be an effective tool of quality to detect it.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has the same limitations as all other qualitative research, including analysis subjectivity and questionable generalization of findings. It is also important to highlight the seven KJ diagrams, a seemingly abundant figure. However, it is a small sample for the number of companies and processes to be found in Mexico.

Practical implications

This paper may prove to be valuable for practitioners and managers involved in the operations and continuous improvement fields. Getting to know Muda in organizations is of great importance for continuously improving organizational processes. This classification will allow greater insight and easier detection.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the limited existing literature on total quality management, lean thinking and kaizen, and subsequently disseminates this information to provide impetus, guidance and support toward improving the quality of organizational processes.
A method for diagnosing healthcare provision process based on failure cases
Authors: Kaneko Masaaki
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to systematize the analytic viewpoints, establish the diagnosis procedure and develop the needed tool. To conduct proper work process diagnosis based on failure cases, the necessary analytic viewpoints must be sufficiently systematized for hospital medical staff unfamiliar with the above analysis models to utilize them relatively quickly. Finally, the authors confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method by applying it in Hospital A.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors identify the necessary conditions of the ideal process model that can provide high-quality healthcare services by examining them from the viewpoint of process structure, contents and operational management style. After establishing the general diagnosis procedure based on the failure cases, the analytic viewpoint used in each step of the diagnosis is specified and shaped into one analytic template.

Findings

The authors proposed a method for diagnosing the healthcare provision process based on failure cases and applied it in several real cases in Hospital A. As a result, the authors can confirm that the proposed diagnosis method leads medical staffs to review their own healthcare provision process systematically, to find the key factors of the failure case effectively and to devise various types of countermeasures compared with the previous studies.

Originality/value

The perspectives for the process diagnosis in this study were systematized based on what kind of components the higher-performance work process should have. Therefore, the proposed method allows medical staff to find existing problems in the targeted process more appropriately. Secondly, this study proposed not only the perspectives for process diagnosis but also the analytic template that details the order in which each perspective should be utilized by a medical staff. This means that it is useful for a medical staff who is not familiar with process to select and utilize the proper perspectives when analyzing a failure case.
Process based system models for detecting opportunities and threats – the case of World Cement Production
Authors: Isaksson Raine
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Visualising change needs could be complex. One way of sense-making is to use process-based system models. Global warming requires major changes in many fields and especially for cement manufacturing, which represents a growing portion of man-made carbon emissions. The industry has proposed measures for change, but it is difficult to assess how good these are and more sense-making is needed to clarify the situation. The purpose of this paper is to visualise opportunities and threats for global cement manufacturing in the context of global warming, using a process-based system model.

Design/methodology/approach

Available data for cement manufacturing and for carbon emissions are combined both historically and as predictions based on chosen key performance indicators. These indicators are related to a chosen process-based system model.

Findings

The results indicate that the global cement industry does not have a viable plan to reduce carbon emissions sufficiently to comply with the objectives of maintaining global warming below 2°C. The application of the process-based system model indicates that it has the ability to visualise important opportunities and threats at the level of global processes.

Practical implications

The challenges of the world cement industry with reducing carbon emissions are highlighted. This information could be useful as a driver for change.

Originality/value

The paper provides insights into process-based improvement work related to cement industry carbon emissions.