bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of house characteristics on the bargaining outcome
Authors: Semeraro Patrizia , Fregonara Elena
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The paper proposes a statistical approach to investigate the role played by each house characteristic on the selling process. The paper aims to compare the impact of building characteristics, apartment characteristics and location on the bargaining outcome based on a case study in the Italian real estate market.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper first measures the overall contribution of characteristics and location to prices and bargaining outcome. Second, it studies the association between each characteristic and list price – the starting point of the selling process – and between each characteristic and selling price, i.e. the price agreed on to close a transaction. In order to focus on bargaining, the paper computed the association between each characteristic and bargaining outcome.

Findings

– Structural characteristics empirically showed low association with bargaining outcome. In contrast, the paper found that location had a significant impact on the bargaining: location is the most important factor in negotiation. On the other hand, location amenities and disamenities may be attractive or unattractive depending on the buyers, and this could influence the bargaining outcome.

Originality/value

– The paper findings confirm that factors influencing house prices are not always important factors in negotiation, in line with the literature on negotiation. Hedonic analysis showed the importance of house characteristics to explain house prices. Nevertheless, structural characteristics did not explain bargaining outcome variation. The findings also support the importance of a geographical segmentation to improve price prediction and bargaining outcome variation.
The role of personal cultural orientation in consumer ethnocentrism among Indian consumers
Authors: Kumar Archana , Fairhurst Ann , Kim Youn-Kyung
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of personal cultural orientation variables as antecedents of ethnocentric tendencies of Indian consumers. The impact of ethnocentric tendencies on attitudes toward both foreign and domestic products and services is also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected by means of a pen-and-paper survey from 800 Indian consumers using a geographical cluster sampling method. A structural equation modeling approach was employed to analyze the data.

Findings

– The findings suggest that Indian consumers with high ethnocentric tendencies prefer domestic product/service while those with low ethnocentric tendencies prefer foreign product/service. Ethnocentrism is influenced by personal cultural orientations of Indian consumers (i.e. collectivism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance).

Practical implications

– The results reveal that both domestic and foreign marketers need to pay attention to personal cultural orientation in order to understand their customer's ethnocentricity. This could lead to development of better strategies as ethnocentrism has a direct impact on attitudes toward their products/services.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the limited literature on the ethnocentric tendencies of Indian consumers.
Managing knowledge capital in public libraries for a knowledge-driven socioeconomic environment
Authors: A. Kostagiolas Petros
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify issues related to the management of intellectual capital in libraries. Intellectual capital and public libraries are closely related in our experiences and in our minds. In this viewpoint, the libraries and the information professionals, consciously or unconsciously, have been deeply involved in the management of library's knowledge capital resources. Understanding and managing the public libraries' knowledge capital is essential since conventional capital alone is no longer a sufficient condition for success.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper provides a review of the fundamentals of intellectual capital and knowledge assets management for public libraries.

Findings

– A number of intricate management issues are discussed including social value creation and intellectual capital, library goodwill, cooperation and competition (co-opetition) dynamics within library networks and the physical location effect on library knowledge capital.

Originality/value

– The awareness of intellectual capital management in libraries is augmented and management guidance is provided.
Empirical results of academic librarians' attitudes toward knowledge management in Pakistan
Authors: Rahmatullah Shah Syed , Mahmood Khalid
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate librarians' attitude toward knowledge management in the academic environment of Pakistan. Personality characteristics and situational characteristics of behaviour were discussed in the context of a Pakistani university setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is quantitative research with closed-ended questionnaire as the tool for data collection. In data analysis, Pearson correlations of self-esteem, self-efficacy, threat and challenge with factors of knowledge management and Pearson correlations of experience with attitudes toward knowledge management were calculated. In addition, independent samples-ttests for gender and sector were applied.

Findings

– Significant positive correlations of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and challenges with librarians' attitudes toward knowledge management were calculated. On the other hand, research results proved that attitudes toward knowledge management had no relation with experience of librarians. Similarly, no gender wise and sector wise significant differences were observed in librarians' attitudes toward knowledge management.

Research limitations/implications

– This research suggests new roles, trends, and vocational settings for library and information science professionals in the field of knowledge management as the topic of future research.

Practical implications

– This research clarifies the personality characteristics and situational characteristics for knowledge management practices with special reference to librarianship and it contributes to the promotion of knowledge culture in Pakistan.

Originality/value

– This literary contribution is unique in the sense that it presents knowledge management perspectives in Pakistani librarianship. It is useful for decision makers who are involved in knowledge management attempts. It helps in selection of proper person for the proper task for knowledge management.
Moderating role of Type-A personality on stress-outcome relationships
Authors: K. Billing Tejinder , Steverson Pamela
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of Type A/Type B personality on job stress-work and non-work outcomes. While research on the etiology of this predisposition has become important in recent years, there seems to be a lack of agreement regarding its exact moderating effects on important work and non-work outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data collected from US-based organizations were analyzed using moderated regression analyses.

Findings

– The results of the study reveal that Type A personality moderates the relationships between job stress and job satisfaction, job involvement and personal life satisfaction. Findings indicate that individuals with Type A personalities do not necessarily experience concomitant decreases in these outcome measures when organizational stress increases.

Originality/value

– Although there has been an increased interest on the significance of Type A/Type B personality in the area of human stress and cognition, there is no consensus in the literature as to how it might act as a moderator or buffer of the effects of work stress on organizationally and personally valued outcomes. By examining the moderating role of these personality dispositions, our study provides important insights for organizational stress literature.
An experience of developing Quran ontology with contextual information support
Authors: Iqbal Rizwan , Mustapha Aida , Mohd. Yusoff Zulkifli
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Ontologies play an important role in enabling machines to understand and navigate a knowledge base. Currently, a number of ontologies covering specific topic in the Quran have been created to serve a particular application. However, these existing Quran ontologies are limited in scope and knowledge. Specifically, existing ontologies do not support contextual information that is considered necessary for correct interpretation of the verses of Quran. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to fill this gap, this paper reports development of an ontology for Juz' Amma that encapsulates contextual information support, which are the translations, revelations place, tafsir, and hadiths.

Findings

– The developed ontology was evaluated and was found to satisfy the requirements specification.

Originality/value

– In addition, this ontology can be reused and further enhanced to support many Quran-related semantic applications in the future.
Information visualization techniques for presenting Qur'an histories and atlas
Authors: Raja-Yusof Raja-Jamilah , Akmal Jananatul , Jomhari Nazean
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study suitable visualization techniques representing Qur'an history and atlas. It focuses on analyzing the effectiveness of the concept map and the hyperbolic tree visualization techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

– The effectiveness is measured in the aspects of the task time to complete a search based on questions provided. The task time is predicted using a task analysis technique called keystroke level model – goal operator methods and selection rules (KLM-GOMS). It is suitable to produce the hypothesis of which visualization techniques are able to maneuver the users to complete the task goals in the shortest time. The scope presented is the histories and locations related to selected chapters in part 30 of the Qur'an.

Findings

– Hyperbolic tree is more time effective compared with concept map visualization technique. Concept map visualization system has been voted as the most satisfying visualization technique even though the difference is only 1.3 seconds. The more important aspect for this analysis is the presentation of the information. Information should be presented clearly rather than hidden although the hidden function should be provided for users to use. However, both techniques are predicted to support conceptual understanding.

Research limitations/implications

– The focus of the analysis was data structure and how to get to the right nodes before retrieving the final output.

Social implications

– Assisting developers of Qur'anic systems therefore improves the effectiveness of users of Qur'anic system in finding information.

Originality/value

– Analysis on visualization techniques in context Qur'an history and atlas using KLM-GOMS study in terms of locations that lead to the birth of various chapters in Qur'an is rarely being discussed. Previous studies focus on development and implementation of textual Qur'an systems while this study focuses on user analysis using techniques mentioned above.
Automated tajweed checking rules engine for Quranic learning
Authors: Jamaliah Ibrahim Noor , Yamani Idna Idris Mohd , Razak Zaidi , Naemah Abdul Rahman Noor
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a structural overview of speech recognition system for developing Quranic verse recitation recognition with tajweed checking rules function. This function has been introduced, due to support the existing and manual method of talaqqi and musyafahah method in Quranic learning process, which described as face-to-face learning process between students and teachers. Here, the process of listening, correction and repetition of the correct Al-Quran recitation took place in real-time condition. However, this method is believed to become less effective and unattractive to be implemented, especially towards the young Muslim generation who are more attracted to the latest technology.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper focuses on the development of software prototype, mainly for developing an automated Tajweed checking rules engine, purposely for Quranic learning. It has been implemented and tested towards the j-QAF students at primary school in Malaysia.

Findings

– The paper provides empirical insight about the viability and implementation of Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) algorithm of feature extraction technique and hidden Markov model (HMM) classification for recognition part, with the results of recognition rate reached to 91.95 percent (ayates) and 86.41 percent (phonemes), after been tested on sourate Al-Fatihah.

Originality/value

– Based on the result, proved that the engine has a potential to be used as an educational tool, which helps the students read Al-Quran better, even without the presence of teachers (Mudarris)/parents to monitor them. Automated system with Tajweed checking rules capability functions could be another alternative due to support the existing method of manual skills of Quranic learning process, without denying the main role of teachers in teaching Al-Quran.
A public trust: libraries and data curation
Authors: Medeiros Norm
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This article aims to describe a curatorial role for libraries regarding data and other digital objects supplemental to published papers.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article focuses on an undergraduate project that incorporates a data management component as part of a larger protocol.

Findings

– The article finds that instructors value partnering with librarians, especially in cases where digital object description and management are required.

Originality/value

– The article provides a case study of a faculty/librarian collaboration that supports pedagogical and data management principles.
The art and science of data curation
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– For the past decade, as universities have increased their research commitments, the production of large data sets has become prevalent. Up to this point, the storage and curation of these data sets has been somewhat ad hoc and voluntary. Given recent mandatory stipulations coming from government funding sources regarding the handling of data sets, it is imperative that libraries step into this gap and provision data management services for their institutions. This column aims to explore two primary areas in which libraries can provision services for their parent institutions regarding data management.

Design/methodology/approach

– The column is exploratory in nature.

Practical implications

– As academic libraries take the lead in data management services, there are many positive implications for their parent institutions. Organizing and preserving important data sets could have a significant impact on the worldwide research community.

Originality/value

– All academic libraries, no matter their size, have a level of responsibility regarding the collection and curation of data sets. This is a responsibility not only to the local institution, but also to the wider scope of researchers who may make use of those data sets. This column is an exhortation for academic libraries to take the lead in the area of data management.
The logistics service providers in eco-efficiency innovation: an empirical study
Authors: Rossi Silvia , Colicchia Claudia , Cozzolino Alessandra , Christopher Martin
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Sustainability and the search for solutions that are both efficient and ecologically sound (eco-efficient) have become topics of great interest. However, companies seeking to develop supply chain solutions that are eco-efficient are often hampered by their ability to control the wider supply chain and they may need to draw on external support from logistics service providers (LSPs). This paper aims to explore the innovative strategies undertaken by LSPs in the eco-efficiency arena and the logistics and learning capabilities needed to achieve eco-efficiency in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

– The insights derived from a systematic literature review approach to identify the most relevant articles to be included in the analysis represented the starting point for building the authors empirical investigation, based on case studies with in-depth interviews to investigate the phenomenon under consideration and to explore trends and evolving paradigms.

Findings

– The systematic literature review enriches the existing literature by drawing on three bodies of knowledge, i.e. logistics service providers, eco-efficiency and logistics innovation, and putting them into a single framework. The findings from the interviews suggest that although LSPs are well placed to implement innovative initiatives for eco-efficiency there is a range of inhibitors that prevent major change programmes.

Research limitations/implications

– The research reported in this paper is exploratory and limited in its scope. It is based on in-depth interviews within six companies. However, it does provide a platform from which more detailed research may be conducted.

Practical implications

– The managerial implications arising from the research offer a wide range of current practices in sustainability, from which strategic and operative directions to compete can be derived.

Originality/value

– There is little existing literature that addresses the innovative strategies undertaken by LSPs in influencing and moving supply chains towards eco-efficiency and hence the present paper is meant to help fill this gap.
Supply and demand chain management: the effect of adding services to product offerings
Authors: F. Bustinza Oscar , C. Parry Glenn , Vendrell-Herrero Ferran
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand how firms manage their product and service offerings, integrating supply chain management (SCM) and demand chain management (DCM) strategies. Adding services to the product portfolio of a firm may bring benefits to an organisation, but requires a reconsideration of the supply chain management approach.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey is used to collect data, with valid questionnaires obtained for 4,227 UK-based respondents. Empirical analysis utilises structural equation modelling (SEM).

Findings

– The paper proposes that a combination of management approaches is required by firms which add services to their portfolio of traditional product offerings. A supply chain management approach may be suitable for traditional product offerings. The management of the services value chain, where the customers' role as value creator is a central feature of the construct, is better served by integration of the market orientation of DCM.

Originality/value

– The paper addresses a research gap related to the shift in traditional activities carried out by a firm moving from purely product to a product service offer and reconsiders the supply and demand chain management approach. The paper is from a Business to Consumer (B2C) perspective. In this context, the work pioneers analysis into a particular case where a firm's product and service offerings may be substitutes for each other in the eyes of the customer.
Shade‐grown cacao supports a self‐sustaining population of two‐toed but not three‐toed sloths
Authors: Peery M. Zachariah , Pauli Jonathan N.
Published: October 2013

The development of shade‐grown agro‐ecosystems has increasingly been identified as a strategy for conserving tropical biodiversity. While biodiversity tends to be higher in agro‐ecosystems than in monocultures, the extent to which shade‐grown crops support viable populations of sensitive and specialized tropical species has not been assessed.

We conducted a comparative demographic study between Hoffmann's two‐toed sloth Choloepus hoffmanni and the brown‐throated three‐toed sloth Bradypus variegatus in a shade‐grown cacao farm in Costa Rica.

Choloepus hoffmanni bred year‐round, whereas B. variegatus bred seasonally, with females giving birth to young over a 6‐month period peaking in late February. Relatively short time to offspring independence allowed B. variegatus females to breed annually, but longer periods of maternal care prevented C. hoffmanni from doing so.

Annual survival rates for adult males of both species derived from radiomarking and known fates models were high (>0·90). Most adult mortality was the result of predation by domestic dogs Canis lupus familiaris and coyotes Canis latrans.

Estimates of population growth rates derived from a matrix population model indicated that the abundance of C. hoffmanni, but not B. variegatus, was stable in the absence of immigration. However, genetic parentage methods indicated that significant immigration of B. variegatus into the study area occurred and that the local population may be stable.

Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that shade‐grown crops embedded within an agro‐ecosystem can support viable populations of some specialized tropical animals; other species, however, may require immigration from surrounding forests to maintain stable populations. More broadly, the value of human‐modified landscapes for biodiversity may be overestimated when some species are dependent on immigration from intact habitats.
The regional economic effects of a reduction in carbon emissions
Authors: Chen Anping , Groenewold Nicolaas , Hagger Alfred J.
Published: October 2013

Concern about climate change has led to policy to reduceCO2emissions although it is likely that policy will have differential regional impacts. While regional impacts will be politically important, very little analysis of them has been carried out. This paper contributes to the analysis of this issue by building a small model involving two regions, incorporating the right to emitCO2as a factor of production with the level of permitted emissions set by the national government. We argue that there is likely to be pressure on governments to use other policies to offset the possible adverse regional economic consequences of the pollution‐reduction policy; we also consider a range of such policies. Using numerical simulation, we find that a 10 per cent reduction has relatively small but regionally differentiated economic effects. Standard fiscal policies are generally ineffective or counterproductive while labour market policies are more useful in offsetting the adverse effects.
Management Forecast Consistency
Authors: HILARY GILLES , HSU CHARLES , WANG RENCHENG
Published: October 2013

We posit that management forecasts, which are predictable transformations of realized earnings without random errors, are more informative than unbiased forecasts, which manifest small but unpredictable errors, even if biased forecasts are less accurate. Consistent with this intuition, we find that managers who make consistent forecasting errors have a greater ability to influence investor reactions and analyst revisions, even after controlling for the effect of accuracy. This effect is more economically significant and statistically robust than that of forecast accuracy. More sophisticated investors and experienced analysts are found to have a better understanding of the benefits of consistent management forecasts.
Defining the Public Health Threat of Dietary Supplement Fraud
Authors: Wheatley Virginia M. , Spink John
Published: October 2013

Adverse health events resulting from dietary supplement fraud (DSF)—fraud conducted for economic gain using dietary supplements—have received increased recognition from agencies and industry. There is a growing awareness that this issue represents a significant public health threat. With increasing consumption of supplements, there are increasing consequences—good and bad—for food science and food safety. “Dietary supplements” are a special category of food that consists of finished products (for example, a vitamin D tablet) that contain 1 or more dietary ingredients. “Dietary ingredients” are the components of those finished products (for example, vitamin D added to a food product such as breakfast cereal). Due to a number of factors, potentially harmful dietary supplements reach—and often remain—in the market. DSF is a type of product fraud, as is food fraud, which is often classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as Economically Motivated Adulteration (EMA). Since the adulterants are unconventional, DSF may represent an even greater public health threat than traditional dietary supplement safety issues (though it is important to note that adulteration is only one type of fraud). Criminology concepts such as situational crime prevention and the crime triangle deepen understanding of the relationship of fraud opportunity as it relates to fraudsters and established hurdles to fraud. The purpose of this research is to provide a comprehensive overview on the public health threat of DSF, and to focus on altering current intervention and response‐based approaches that are prevention‐based.
Insect host–parasite coevolution in the light of experimental evolution
Authors: Kerstes Niels A. G. , Martin Oliver Y.
Published: October 2013

The many ways parasites can impact their host species have been the focus of intense study using a range of approaches. A particularly promising but under‐used method in this context is experimental evolution, because it allows targeted manipulation of known populations exposed to contrasting conditions. The strong potential of applying this method to the study of insect hosts and their associated parasites is demonstrated by the few available long‐term experiments where insects have been exposed to parasites. In this review, we summarize these studies, which have delivered valuable insights into the evolution of resistance in response to parasite pressure, the underlying mechanisms, as well as correlated genetic responses. We further assess findings from relevant artificial selection studies in the interrelated contexts of immunity, life history, and reproduction. In addition, we discuss a number of well‐studied Tribolium castaneum–Nosema whitei coevolution experiments in more detail and provide suggestions for research. Specifically, we suggest that future experiments should also be performed using nonmodel hosts and should incorporate contrasting experimental conditions, such as population sizes or environments. Finally, we expect that adding a third partner, for example, a second parasite or symbiont, to a host–parasite system could strongly impact (co)evolutionary dynamics.
Role of premixed insulin analogues in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review (预混胰岛素类似物在2型糖尿病治疗中的作用：叙述性综述)
Authors: Elizarova Svetlana , Galstyan Gagik R. , Wolffenbuttel Bruce H.R.
Published: October 2013

Because of the progressive nature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), insulin therapy will eventually become necessary in most patients. Recent evidence suggests that maintaining optimal glycemic control by early insulin therapy can reduce the risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with T2DM. The present review focuses on relevant clinical evidence supporting the use of premixed insulin analogues in T2DM when intensifying therapy, and as starter insulins in insulin‐naïve patients. Our aim is to provide relevant facts and clinical evidence useful in the decision‐making process of treatment selection and individualized treatment goal setting to obtain sustained blood glucose control.
StreamingTrim 1.0: a Java software for dynamic trimming of 16S rRNA sequence data from metagenetic studies
Authors: Bacci G. , Bazzicalupo M. , Benedetti A. , Mengoni A.
Published: October 2013

Next‐generation sequencing technologies are extensively used in the field of molecular microbial ecology to describe taxonomic composition and to infer functionality of microbial communities. In particular, the so‐called barcode or metagenetic applications that are based on PCR amplicon library sequencing are very popular at present. One of the problems, related to the utilization of the data of these libraries, is the analysis of reads quality and removal (trimming) of low‐quality segments, while retaining sufficient information for subsequent analyses (e.g. taxonomic assignment). Here, we present StreamingTrim, a DNA reads trimming software, written in Java, with which researchers are able to analyse the quality of DNA sequences in fastq files and to search for low‐quality zones in a very conservative way. This software has been developed with the aim to provide a tool capable of trimming amplicon library data, retaining as much as taxonomic information as possible. This software is equipped with a graphical user interface for a user‐friendly usage. Moreover, from a computational point of view, StreamingTrim reads and analyses sequences one by one from an input fastq file, without keeping anything in memory, permitting to run the computation on a normal desktop PC or even a laptop. Trimmed sequences are saved in an output file, and a statistics summary is displayed that contains the mean and standard deviation of the length and quality of the whole sequence file. Compiled software, a manual and example data sets are available under the BSD‐2‐Clause License at the GitHub repository at https://github.com/GiBacci/StreamingTrim/.
DNA metabarcoding multiplexing and validation of data accuracy for diet assessment: application to omnivorous diet
Authors: De Barba M. , Miquel C. , Boyer F. , Mercier C. , Rioux D. , Coissac E. , Taberlet P.
Published: October 2013

Ecological understanding of the role of consumer–resource interactions in natural food webs is limited by the difficulty of accurately and efficiently determining the complex variety of food types animals have eaten in the field. We developed a method based on DNA metabarcoding multiplexing and next‐generation sequencing to uncover different taxonomic groups of organisms from complex diet samples. We validated this approach on 91 faeces of a large omnivorous mammal, the brown bear, using DNA metabarcoding markers targeting the plant, vertebrate and invertebrate components of the diet. We included internal controls in the experiments and performed PCR replication for accuracy validation in postsequencing data analysis. Using our multiplexing strategy, we significantly simplified the experimental procedure and accurately and concurrently identified different prey DNA corresponding to the targeted taxonomic groups, with ≥60% of taxa of all diet components identified to genus/species level. The systematic application of internal controls and replication was a useful and simple way to evaluate the performance of our experimental procedure, standardize the selection of sequence filtering parameters for each marker data and validate the accuracy of the results. Our general approach can be adapted to the analysis of dietary samples of various predator species in different ecosystems, for a number of conservation and ecological applications entailing large‐scale population level diet assessment through cost‐effective screening of multiple DNA metabarcodes, and the detection of fine dietary variation among samples or individuals and of rare food items.
Incomplete specimens in geometric morphometric analyses
Authors: Arbour Jessica H. , Brown Caleb M.
Published: October 2013

The analysis of morphological diversity frequently relies on the use of multivariate methods for characterizing biological shape. However, many of these methods are intolerant of missing data, which can limit the use of rare taxa and hinder the study of broad patterns of ecological diversity and morphological evolution. This study applied a mutli‐data set approach to compare variation in missing data estimation and its effect on geometric morphometric analyses across taxonomically variable groups, landmark position and sample sizes.

Missing morphometric landmark data were simulated from five real, complete data sets, including modern fish, primates and extinct theropod dinosaurs. Missing landmarks were then estimated using several standard approaches and a geometric‐morphometric‐specific method. The accuracy of missing data estimation was determined for each estimation method, landmark position and morphological data set. Procrustes superimposition was used to compare the eigenvectors and principal component scores of a geometric morphometric analysis of the original landmark data, to data sets with A) missing values estimated, or B) simulated incomplete specimens excluded, for varying levels of specimens incompleteness and sample sizes.

Standard estimation techniques were more reliable estimators and had lower impacts on morphometric analysis compared with a geometric‐morphometric‐specific estimator. For most data sets and estimation techniques, estimating missing data produced a better fit to the structure of the original data than exclusion of incomplete specimens, and this was maintained even at considerably reduced sample sizes. The impact of missing data on geometric morphometric analysis was disproportionately affected by the most fragmentary specimens.

Missing data estimation was influenced by variability of specific anatomical features and may be improved by a better understanding of shape variation present in a data set. Our results suggest that the inclusion of incomplete specimens through the use of effective missing data estimators better reflects the patterns of shape variation within a data set than using only complete specimens; however, the effectiveness of missing data estimation can be maximized by excluding only the most incomplete specimens. It is advised that missing data estimators be evaluated for each data set and landmark independently, as the effectiveness of estimators can vary strongly and unpredictably between different taxa and structures.
The cerebellum and addiction: insights gained from neuroimaging research
Authors: Moulton Eric A. , Elman Igor , Becerra Lino R. , Goldstein Rita Z. , Borsook David
Published: October 2013

Although cerebellar alterations have been consistently noted in the addiction literature, the pathophysiology of this link remains unclear. The cerebellum is commonly classified as a motor structure, but human functional neuroimaging along with clinical observations in cerebellar stroke patients and anatomical tract tracing in non‐human primates suggests its involvement in cognitive and affective processing. A comprehensive literature search on the role of the cerebellum in addiction was performed. This review article (1) considers the potential role of the cerebellum in addiction; (2) summarizes the cerebellar structural alterations linked to addiction; (3) presents the functional neuroimaging evidence linking the cerebellum with addiction; and (4) proposes a model for addiction that underscores the role of the cerebellum. The data implicate the cerebellum as an intermediary between motor and reward, motivation and cognitive control systems, as all are relevant etiologic factors in addiction. Furthermore, consideration of these findings could contribute to deeper and more sophisticated insights into normal reward and motivational function. The goal of this review is to spread awareness of cerebellar involvement in addictive processes, and to suggest a preliminary model for its potential role.
Accuracy of tympanic and forehead thermometers in private paediatric practice
Authors: Teller J , Ragazzi M , Simonetti GD , Lava SAG
Published: October 2013

Aim

To compare infrared tympanic and infrared contact forehead thermometer measurements with traditional rectal digital thermometers.

Methods

A total of 254 children (137 girls) aged one to 24 months (median 7 months) consulting a private paediatric practice because of fever were prospectively recruited. Body temperature was measured using the three different devices.

Results

The median and interquartile range for rectal, tympanic and forehead thermometers were 37.6 (37.1–38.4)°C, 37.5 (37.0–38.1)°C and 37.5 (37.1–37.9)°C, respectively (p < 0.01). The limits of agreement in the Bland‐Altman plots were −0.73 to +1.04°C for the tympanic thermometer and −1.18 to +1.64°C for the forehead thermometer. The specificity of both the tympanic and forehead thermometers for detecting fever above 38°C was good, but sensitivity was low. Forehead measurements were susceptible to the use of a radiant warmer.

Conclusion

Both the tympanic and forehead devices recorded lower temperatures than the rectal thermometers. The limits of agreement were particularly wide for the forehead thermometer and considerable for the tympanic thermometer. In the absence of valid alternatives, because of the ease to use and little degree of discomfort, tympanic thermometers can still be used with some reservations. Forehead thermometers should not be used in paediatric practice.
Effect of a non‐forage fiber of red bean hulls on ruminal mat characteristics, chewing activity and milk production in dairy cows
Authors: Izumi Kenichi , Miwa Junpei , Ishizuka Kenta
Published: October 2013

The evaluation of red bean hulls (RBH) as a non‐forage fiber source on ruminal mat formation, chewing activity and milk production was determined using two experiments. In experiment 1, four non‐lactating, rumen‐cannulated Holstein cows were offered a control diet of 60.1% forage, and an RBH diet of 51.6% forage and 9.4% RBH. Although the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake was higher with the RBH diet than the control diet, the physically effective NDF (peNDF) intake was lower. The rumination period tended to be longer with the RBH diet than with the control diet and the ruminal mat was formed even when the RBH diet was consumed. Ruminal fermentation parameters were not affected by treatment. In experiment 2, 40 lactating cows were fed a control diet of 53.4% forage or an RBH diet of 50.3% forage and 8.1% RBH. Dry matter intake, chewing activity and milk production were not affected by diet. Cows sorted against NDF in the control diet, but not in the RBH diet. It is concluded that normal ruminal function can be maintained because the ruminal mat was stratified and rumination activity was not reduced even when a low peNDF diet that contained RBH was given to dairy cows.
Haplotype C of growth hormone (GH) gene in Japanese Black cattle: Structure of GH protein and a novel method for detection of the gene
Authors: Bahrami Abolfazl , Ardiyanti Astrid , Tonosaki Kaoru , Suzuki Keiichi , Tanida Nanako , Hirayama Takuji , Roh Sang‐Gun , Nishio Takeshi , Katoh Kazuo
Published: October 2013

From a series of studies on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine growth hormone (GH) gene of Japanese Black cattle, the type‐C (127Val and 172Met) that is specific for this breed has been intensively focused upon because of the economic importance for carcass traits, such as intramuscular oleic acid contents. In the present study, we intended to analyze the 3‐D structure of GH of haplotype C, and developed a novel method to detect the type C gene. Three‐D analysis of the type C protein showed that the amino acid residues (127Val and 172Met), which are present in the third and fourth helixes, respectively, and are important for binding with GH receptors, are shifted to deeper positions in the molecule compared with that for type A (127Leu and 172Thr), implying the alteration of binding interaction with receptors. A novel, efficient and cost‐effective method (Dot‐blot‐SNP technique) for type C genotyping was successfully established, of which the basal method was a reported genotyping of SNPs for a large number of plants, reducing the cost to 10% or less of direct sequencing.
Defining a therapeutic window for the novel TGF‐β inhibitor LY2157299 monohydrate based on a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model
Authors: Gueorguieva Ivelina , Cleverly Ann L. , Stauber Anja , Pillay N. Sada , Rodon Jordi A. , Miles Colin P. , Yingling Jonathan M. , Lahn Michael M.
Published: October 2013

Aims

To identify prospectively a safe therapeutic window for administration of a novel oral transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) inhibitor, LY2157299 monohydrate, based on a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model. Simulations of population plasma exposures and biomarker responses in tumour were performed for future trials of LY2157299 in glioblastoma and other cancer populations.

Methods

The model was updated after completion of each cohort during the first‐in‐human dose (FHD) study. The flexible design allowed continuous assessment of PK variability by recruiting the required number of patients in each cohort. Based on 30% inhibition of TGF‐β RI kinase phosphorylates (pSMAD), biologically effective exposures were anticipated to be reached from 160 mg onwards. The therapeutic window was predicted, based on animal data, to be between 160 and 360 mg.

Results

No medically significant safety issues were observed and no dose limiting toxicities were established in this study. Observed plasma exposures (medians 2.43 to 3.7 mg l−1 h, respectively) with doses of 160 mg to 300 mg were within the predicted therapeutic window. Responses, based on the MacDonald criteria, were observed in these patients.

Conclusions

A therapeutic window for the clinical investigation of LY2157299 in cancer patients was defined using a targeted PK/PD approach, which integrated translational biomarkers and preclinical toxicity. The study supports using a therapeutic window based on a PK/PD model in early oncology development.
Assessing the Causal Effect of Organ Transplantation on the Distribution of Residual Lifetime
Authors: Vock David M. , Tsiatis Anastasios A. , Davidian Marie , Laber Eric B. , Tsuang Wayne M. , Finlen Copeland C. Ashley , Palmer Scott M.
Published: October 2013

Because the number of patients waiting for organ transplants exceeds the number of organs available, a better understanding of how transplantation affects the distribution of residual lifetime is needed to improve organ allocation. However, there has been little work to assess the survival benefit of transplantation from a causal perspective. Previous methods developed to estimate the causal effects of treatment in the presence of time-varying confounders have assumed that treatment assignment was independent across patients, which is not true for organ transplantation. We develop a version of G-estimation that accounts for the fact that treatment assignment is not independent across individuals to estimate the parameters of a structural nested failure time model. We derive the asymptotic properties of our estimator and confirm through simulation studies that our method leads to valid inference of the effect of transplantation on the distribution of residual lifetime. We demonstrate our method on the survival benefit of lung transplantation using data from the United Network for Organ Sharing.
Bayesian Spatial Transformation Models with Applications in Neuroimaging Data
Authors: Miranda Michelle F. , Zhu Hongtu , Ibrahim Joseph G.
Published: October 2013

The aim of this article is to develop a class of spatial transformation models (STM) to spatially model the varying association between imaging measures in a three-dimensional (3D) volume (or 2D surface) and a set of covariates. The proposed STM include a varying Box–Cox transformation model for dealing with the issue of non-Gaussian distributed imaging data and a Gaussian Markov random field model for incorporating spatial smoothness of the imaging data. Posterior computation proceeds via an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Simulations and real data analysis demonstrate that the STM significantly outperforms the voxel-wise linear model with Gaussian noise in recovering meaningful geometric patterns. Our STM is able to reveal important brain regions with morphological changes in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Environmental and individual correlates of distress: Testing Karasek's Demand‐Control model in 99 primary care clinical environments
Authors: Presseau Justin , Johnston Marie , Johnston Derek W. , Elovainio Marko , Hrisos Susan , Steen Nick , Stamp Elaine , Francis Jill J. , Grimshaw Jeremy M. , Hawthorne Gillian , Hunter Margaret , Eccles Martin P.
Published: October 2013

Objectives

Karasek's job demand‐control model postulates that demand, control, and distress are environmental rather than individual features although these levels are often confounded. The objective was to investigate whether job demand, control, and demand × control predict environmental and individual distress in primary care clinicians, and the mediating role of distress in the relationships between demand and control with intention to leave and absenteeism.

Design

Predictive national survey.

Methods

We invited 2,079 staff from 99 general practices in the United Kingdom (843 GPs and nurses, 1,236 administrators) to complete postal questionnaires assessing distress, intention to leave, absenteeism, job demand, and control. Random intercept multilevel models and bootstrapped mediation models were run to test the study hypotheses.

Results

One thousand five hundred and ninety staff completed questionnaires (77% staff‐level response rate; complete responses by ≥80% of all workers in 68 work environments). There was evidence of environmental variation between practices in intention to leave, absenteeism, job demand, and control, but not distress. Job demand and control both significantly predicted distress, and control moderated the relationship between demand and distress with the effects of demand being reduced at low levels by high control. A small indirect effect via distress was observed for the relationship between job demand and absenteeism, and between job control and intention to leave. No support was found for environmental effects of work settings on distress, but there was evidence of individual‐level effects.

Conclusions

There is a need for considering environmental and individual levels and a danger of generalizing conclusions from one level to the other.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

Karasek's job demand‐control model shows consistent prediction of distress in health professionals.

Environmental and individual features of distress, demand, and control are often confounded.

What does this study add?

Nationally representative UK survey of doctors, nurses, and admin primary care staff.

Test individual and environment effect of demand and control on distress, absenteeism, leaving intention.

Indirect effect of demand on absenteeism via distress and of control on intention to leave via distress.