bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conversion of T cells to B cells by inactivation of polycomb-mediated epigenetic suppression of the B-lineage program
Authors: Ikawa Tomokatsu , Masuda Kyoko , Endo Takaho A. , Endo Mitsuhiro , Isono Kyoichi , Koseki Yoko , Nakagawa Rinako , Kometani Kohei , Takano Junichiro , Agata Yasutoshi , Katsura Yoshimoto , Kurosaki Tomohiro , Vidal Miguel , Koseki Haruhiko , Kawamoto Hiroshi
Published: December 2016

In general, cell fate is determined primarily by transcription factors, followed by epigenetic mechanisms fixing the status. While the importance of transcription factors controlling cell fate has been well characterized, epigenetic regulation of cell fate maintenance remains to be elucidated. Here we provide an obvious fate conversion case, in which the inactivation of polycomb-medicated epigenetic regulation results in conversion of T-lineage progenitors to the B-cell fate. In T-cell-specific Ring1A/B-deficient mice, T-cell development was severely blocked at an immature stage. We found that these developmentally arrested T-cell precursors gave rise to functional B cells upon transfer to immunodeficient mice. We further demonstrated that the arrest was almost completely canceled by additional deletion of Pax5. These results indicate that the maintenance of T-cell fate critically requires epigenetic suppression of the B-lineage gene program.
Private sector firms, social responsibility and poverty reduction
Authors: Hipsher Scott
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perspectives of workers in one of the least developed economies (Cambodia) on the creation of new job and livelihood opportunities created by foreign firms or foreign investment.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative: randomly selected interviews of individuals.

Findings

Individuals working in international organizations find international business activities increase their livelihood options and therefore help to improve their lives.

Research limitations/implications

An exploratory approach using convenience sampling was taken which limits generalizing the results to a broader population.

Practical implications

The concepts explored can be used by individual firms when formulating their social responsibility programmes and the ethical implications of their business practices in emerging markets as well as by governments in creating public policies concerning poverty reduction.

Social implications

Presents and respects the views of lower income individuals working in the tourism industry whose voices are often overlooked when corporate social responsibility and public policies are designed.

Originality/value

Provides a perspective about poverty reduction of individuals from low-income backgrounds whose lives are directly impacted by international investment and trade.
Organic consumers’ price knowledge, willingness-to-pay and purchase decision
Authors: Rödiger Manika , Plaßmann Sabine , Hamm Ulrich
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain insights into organic consumers’ price sensitivity by investigating price knowledge, willingness-to-pay and real purchase decision.

Design/methodology/approach

Organic food consumers’ price knowledge, willingness-to-pay and real purchase decision were examined in a comprehensive field study with 642 respondents. An innovative method was used to collect data for products that were truly relevant to the respondents: before entering the shop, respondents were asked about the items on their shopping list, the prices they expected to find and the maximum prices they were willing to pay. If respondents stated a willingness-to-pay value below the actual store price, they were approached again after shopping to verify their purchase decision.

Findings

The great majority of respondents failed to estimate the correct store price. The deviation between the estimated price and the actual store price was on average 19.9 per cent. The respondents were willing to pay on average 52.7 per cent above store prices. It was revealed that in 67.0 per cent of the cases, respondents bought a product even though the store price was higher than the willingness-to-pay they stated upon entering the store.

Practical implications

Category-specific insights into price knowledge and willingness-to-pay of organic consumers might be used for price differentiation strategies.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate organic consumers’ item- and store-specific price knowledge, willingness-to-pay and real purchase decision in a single-source approach.
Festival connections
Authors: Black Niki
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of small-scale, rural festivals to the social sustainability of their host communities. Small-scale, community originated festivals proliferate the rural landscape throughout the UK and yet despite this, festival research has focussed predominantly on large, urban events and on their economic impact (Wood, 2009; Gibson and Connell, 2011). This paper seeks to address the perceived research gap by examining these events through a lens of social sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses a case study approach focussed on four festivals in Northumberland, UK. Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with festival organisers, key figures and visitors. Following a constructivist grounded theory method four principle indicators were identified to determine festival contribution to community social sustainability. These indicators are: contribution to community pride and localness, enhancement of knowledge and understanding, contribution to the continuity of local culture and enablement of networks of connectivity.

Findings

The findings demonstrate the networks of connections which festivals enable between the culture, heritage and people (individuals and groups) of a place. By focussing on four indicators the paper shows the social impact of connections through the festival processes and content. The paper argues that small-scale festivals in rural locations can contribute to social sustainability if they demonstrate a balance of both consistency and innovation and accessibility and openness within the locale.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the gap in social impact research into rural festivals and presents an original approach to identify festival impact on community social sustainability.
A 3E typology of visitors at an electronic dance music festival
Authors: Kruger Martinette , Saayman Melville
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the motives of visitors to an electronic dance music (EDM) festival in South Africa and clustered the participants according to these motives.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a visitor survey at the oldest EDM festival in South Africa, namely, H2O, five motives for attending H2O were identified (fun and dance; novelty; excitement, group identity and entertainment; lifestyle and well-being; and travel and escape), while the results revealed three clusters of EDM festival visitors: enthusiasts, energizers and electros. The results demonstrated that clustering EDM festival visitors based on their motives is a useful market segmentation tool as it yields a clear and direct profile and understanding of different types of attendees and their preferences.

Findings

The results as well as findings emphasize how EDM events can play a role in expanding tourism, especially youth travel, by hosting more EDM festivals in the country.

Originality/value

The study proposes a 3E typology of EDM festival visitors that could be applied to other EDM festival and event markets. This research, therefore, makes a clear contribution to the literature on EDM festivals and events and the market that this distinct music genre attracts.
Constructs of quality in higher education services
Authors: Sunder M. Vijaya
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present various quality constructs, their application, success and shortcomings, in higher education (HE) services.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims at reviewing the quality constructs in higher education services through a general review. The paper is organised to highlight different quality practices which higher education institutions have followed from 1990s till date. The paper is scoped to discuss about total quality management (TQM), Kaizen, Six Sigma, Lean and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) comparing their value addition and shortcoming in imbibing quality into the higher education. Publications indexed in Scopus database are considered for the review. The focus of the search in the selected publications was to identify the success and shortcomings of various quality constructs in HE services.

Findings

The requirement for a quality construct in higher education industry is an important finding of the paper. Alongside this, the reasons behind the shortcoming of quality practices used in higher education system were highlighted. The findings include the opportunities for future research for imbibing quality culture in HE.

Research limitations/implications

The literature discussed in the part of the paper is restricted to TQM, Kaizen, Six Sigma, Lean and LSS. Though the usage of such quality practices in HE originated in 1990s, there is no one robust sustainable practice till date, which proved to be a pacesetter. This paper validates this assertion, which helps both academicians and practitioners with a new perspective.

Originality/value

This paper would serve as an excellent resource for both academicians and practitioners to understand the history of quality which contributed to the improvement in HE services, and how the quality excellence has evolved over the years. The paper concludes with a discussion on opportunities for future research to develop quality frameworks for HE services.
Measuring business performance in the airport context: a critical review of literature
Authors: Fasone Vincenzo , Zapata-Aguirre Sandra
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Over 15 years have passed since the first paper was published applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure airport productivity. Since then, a wave of studies has appeared refining and validating this technique as one of the most reliable in the airport context. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a critical review of this accumulated literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an exhaustive review of approximately 60 peer-reviewed published papers on business performance measurement through DEA applications in the airport industry.

Findings

The paper analyses the research on DEA technique chronologically and by geography. Managerial and academic practitioners’ interest in conducting performance measurement studies has grown and benchmarking techniques have become more sophisticated.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the popularity of the methodological framework of DEA, it can be improved by further research to continue refining and exploiting deeply the basic DEA scores. Some innovations have appeared from studies using alternative approaches to DEA, e.g. a Bayesian approach.

Practical implications

The conclusions explore the research contribution, its final value delivered to airport management and some practical aspects and recommendations for the selected field of work.

Originality/value

The paper explores the contribution of research to final value delivered to airport management by describing the main complementary procedures refining DEA technique scores for improving the operational efficiencies of airports through benchmarking. As well as by presenting the results of the assessment of major determinants of efficiency at airports around the world.
Healthcare service quality model
Authors: Sumaedi Sik , Yarmen Medi , Yuda Bakti I. Gede Mahatma
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a multi-level healthcare service quality (HSQ) model in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used a quantitative research method. Data were collected via a survey with questionnaire. The respondents are 154 patients of a healthcare institution in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Findings

The research result shows a multi-level HSQ model. The HSQ model consists of three primary dimensions, namely, healthcare service outcome, healthcare service interaction, and healthcare service environment. Healthcare service outcome has three subdimensions, i.e. waiting time, medicine, and effectiveness. Healthcare service interaction has three dimensions, namely, soft interaction, medical personnel expertise, and hard interaction. Healthcare service environment has two dimensions, which are equipment condition and ambient condition.

Research limitations/implications

This research was only conducted in one healthcare institution in Jakarta, Indonesia. The data collection using convenience sampling method as well as the use of small sample size caused the limitation of the research results in representing across the customer of the healthcare institution. This study can be replicated with larger sample size and involving more healthcare institutions in order to examine the stability of the HSQ model.

Practical implications

Healthcare institution’s managers can use the HSQ model to monitor, measure, and improve their service quality.

Originality/value

There is a lack of research that develops and tests HSQ model based on multi-level approach in the context of developing country. This paper has fulfilled the gap.
Effect of bank-specific and governance-specific variables on the productivity and profitability of banks
Authors: Narwal Karam Pal , Pathneja Shweta
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of bank-related variables and corporate governance-related variables on the productivity and profitability of public and private sector banks in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The Malmquist productivity index is applied to determine the productivity of different banks. Further, return on average assets is used as profitability of banks. The regression analysis is further used to assess the effect of different bank-related and governance-related variables on performance of banks.

Findings

Nearly all the bank-specific variables explain the productivity and profitability of banks but a weak relationship is observed between individual governance variables and performance variables. Two governance variables, i.e. board meetings and remuneration explicate the profitability of the public sector banks and only duality explains the profitability of the private sector banks. No significance is found between productivity and governance variables.

Originality/value

The study addresses the embryonic issue of corporate governance in the banking sector. The uniqueness of the paper lies in that no study has evaluated the effect of these variables on productivity and profitability of banks simultaneously.
An examination of the status and evolution of country image research
Authors: Lu Irene R.R. , Heslop Louise A. , Thomas D. Roland , Kwan Ernest
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Country image (CI) has been one of the most studied topics in international business, marketing, and consumer behaviour of the past five decades. Nevertheless, there has been no critical assessment of this field of research. The purpose of this paper is to understand the status and evolution of CI research.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review 554 articles published in academic journals over 35 years. The authors examine publication, authorship, and research procedure trends in these articles as an empirical and quantitative assessment of the field. The authors identify weaknesses and strengths, and the authors address disconcerting and encouraging trends.

Findings

The authors find a number of laudatory trends: CI research is becoming less US-centric, more theory driven, more sophisticated in methodology, evaluating more diverse product categories, and making use of multiple cue studies. There are, however, two major methodological concerns: poor replication and questionable generalizability of findings. The authors also noted the influence of CI articles has been decreasing, as well as their rate of publication in top tier journals.

Originality/value

Since the authors present data that reflect actual practices in the field and how such practices have changed across time, the authors believe the study is of substantial value to CI researchers, journal editors, and instructors whose curriculum includes CI. The critical assessment and subsequent recommendations are accordingly empirically justified.
The variable nature of country-to-brand association and its impact on the strength of the country-of-origin effect
Authors: Andéhn Mikael , L’Espoir Decosta Patrick
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Recent research has shown that the country-of-origin (COO) effect – the influence on consumers’ attitudes and purchase behavior derived from a brand’s perceived association with a country – is inextricably linked to consumer perception. The purpose of this paper is to examine this shift by considering origin as a characteristic derived from perceived association and also by proposing that this association varies by degree, rather than simply acting as a binary attribute in its effect on consumer attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from a test series in which respondents (n=100) rated 38 brand-country pairs were put to split-half multi-group analysis tests to capture the moderating influence of association strength (AS) on several facets of country image (CI) simultaneously.

Findings

AS is a variable that exerts a moderating influence on how different dimensions of CI influence consumers’ evaluation of brands.

Research limitations/implications

The findings indicate that origin, as a characteristic, should be considered an association that is variable by degree and not as dichotomous. The implications of such a shift are broad, not only for the theoretical understanding of the COO effect but also for marketing and brand management practice. Accounting for AS allows for more accurate prediction of how consumers will react to COO.

Originality/value

The paper explicitly demonstrates that the strength of country-brand association moderates COO’s influence on brand equity. Such a relationship had previously only been theoretically implied but had not been empirically tested across multiple categories of products on multiple levels of CI.
Factors influencing online learning in an organisational context
Authors: Montgomerie Kristina , Edwards Margot , Thorn Kaye
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors perceived to influence successful online learning in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilising an exploratory, qualitative approach, 20 participants were involved in semi-structured interviews before, during and after their involvement in an online development programme.

Findings

Key factors perceived to influence participants’ learning, in order of their perceived influence, are online considerations (such as time allocation and discipline), peer support and technical delivery. Organisational culture was also found to have some influence, however further research is required to establish the extent this influence. The compounding or mitigating effect of the interplays of these factors was highlighted.

Research limitations/implications

Although the study is limited by its small sample, it provides a basis for the further exploration of online learning in an organisational context and draws attention to the effect of the interplay of factors affecting learning. Research into the longitudinal influence of online learning in organisations, and particularly research which enables breakdown by learning style may assist in the development of programmes suitable for most participants.

Originality/value

Online learning is becoming a common tool for employee development in the workplace and yet little is known about the factors that influence learning in this environment. This paper offers new insights into that gap through a progressive evaluation of factors facilitating or inhibiting online learning.
Burden of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in Japanese adults 60 years of age or older: Results from an observational, prospective, physician practice‐based cohort study
Authors: Sato Keiko , Adachi Koichi , Nakamura Hiroyuki , Asano Kazuhiro , Watanabe Akihiro , Adachi Riri , Kiuchi Mariko , Kobayashi Keiju , Matsuki Taizo , Kaise Toshihiko , Gopala Kusuma , Holl Katsiaryna
Published: December 2016

Approximately one in three persons will develop herpes zoster during their lifetime, and it can lead to serious complications such as postherpetic neuralgia. However, evidence on burden of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in Japan is limited. This prospective, observational, multicenter, physician practice‐based cohort study was conducted in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01873365) to assess the incidence and hospitalization rates of herpes zoster, and the proportion, clinical burden and risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia in adults aged 60 years or more. Within the study area, 800 subjects developed herpes zoster and 412 were eligible for the study. Herpes zoster incidence was 10.2/1000 person‐years and higher among women and older subjects. Subjects with herpes zoster required on average 5.7 outpatient consultations. Herpes zoster‐associated hospitalization rate was 3.4% (27/800). The proportion of postherpetic neuralgia and other complications was 9.2% (38/412) and 26.5% (109/412), respectively. Statistically significant association with the development of postherpetic neuralgia was male sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17–5.38), age of 70–74 years (OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 1.09–11.3), immunosuppressive therapy (OR, 6.44; 95% CI, 1.26–32.9), severe herpes zoster pain at first consultation (OR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.10–8.62) and rash on upper arms (vs no rash on upper arms; OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.10–10.9). Considerable herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia burden exists among elderly in Japan, and there may be predictive factors at the first visit which could be indicative of the risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia.
Joined‐Up for What? Response to Carey and Harris on Adaptive Collaboration
Authors: Scott Rodney James , Boyd Ross
Published: December 2016

Carey and Harris present the concept of adaptive management as a practice for supporting effective collaboration, suggesting that performance information be used to modify actions. They observe that end‐outcome performance information is less useful because of long delays between actions and effects, and recommend instead that the performance information should concern the collaborative process itself. The New Zealand government has followed a similar path to the Australian journey described by Carey and Harris. First, New Zealand tried using end outcomes to drive collaboration. Then, New Zealand tried using process measures, but found that the resulting collaboration lacked purpose and urgency. More recently, New Zealand has found great success in using intermediate‐outcome measures to drive adaptive collaboration: measures with intrinsic value, but short delay between action and effect. We echo Carey and Harris’ call for adaptive collaboration, but write to suggest that intermediate outcomes, rather than process measures, may drive more purposive management.
Might constraint be compatible with care? Home care as a situational ethics
Authors: Hennion Antoine , Vidal‐Naquet Pierre A.
Published: December 2016

Respecting the autonomy and will of people has legitimately led to strictly control the use of constraint in care activities, and promote a care ethics centred around people's needs and wills. But constraint is underlying in any action aiming at making people do something, even with their consent, especially when their ability to evaluate what is best for them may be altered. Ceaselessly present in care, this ordinary, silent constraint should not be only deemed as a necessary evil to be prevented. In contrast with this legally‐based view, the paper adopts a pragmatic perspective. Leaning on minute case studies carried out at disable people's homes, the empirical section takes up some key troubling moments between caregivers and patients as trials capable of revealing ‘constraint in practice’: a situation of uncertainty, doubt, hesitations on the appraisal of what is happening and how to deal with it, banning any clear‐cut distinction between technical gestures and moral values. Having outlined the characters of such a ‘situational ethics’, the authors argue in conclusion that, provided caregivers are never quits with its use, constraint is compatible with care, and assume that care theories could fruitfully support this advocacy to ‘maintaining the trouble’ in care practices.
Constructing and enacting kinship in sister‐to‐sister egg donation families: a multi‐family member interview study
Authors: Van Parys Hanna , Provoost Veerle , Zeiler Kristin , De Sutter Petra , Pennings Guido , Buysse Ann
Published: December 2016

Although intra‐familial egg donation has been practiced for more than 15 years in several countries, little is known about family relationships in this family type. Framed within the new kinship studies, this article focuses on the experiential dimension of kinship in sister‐to‐sister egg donation families: how is kinship ‘unpacked’ and ‘reconstructed’ in this specific family constellation? Qualitative data analysis of interviews with receiving parents, their donating sisters and the donor children revealed six themes: (1) being connected as an extended family; (2) disambiguating motherhood; (3) giving and receiving as structuring processes; (4) acknowledging and managing the ‘special’ link between donor and child; (5) making sense of the union between father and donor; and (6) kinship constructions being challenged. This study showed the complex and continuous balancing of meanings related to the mother‐child dyad, the donor‐child dyad and the donor‐father dyad. What stood out was the complexity of, on the one hand cherishing the genetic link with the child allowed by the sisters’ egg donation, while, on the other, managing the meanings related to this link, by, for instance, acknowledging, downsizing, symbolising, and differentiating it from the mother‐child bond.

(A Virtual Abstract of this paper can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_979cmCmR9rLrKuD7z0ycA)
An Examination of Consumer–Company Identification as a Key Predictor of Consumer Responses in Corporate Crisis
Authors: Zhang Xiaochen Angela , Kim Sora
Published: December 2016

Through an experiment, this study examined how varying degrees of consumer–company identification, crisis severity and different crisis response messages (i.e., two‐sided vs. one‐sided) affected consumers’ responses to corporate crisis and the crisis‐affected company. Results suggested that two‐sided response messages were more effective in reducing the attribution of crisis responsibility than one‐sided positive response messages for weak identifiers, while one‐sided positive response messages were more effective than two‐sided response messages for strong identifiers. But this message effect was only found in low but not high severity crisis. Findings of the study indicated that consumer–company identification may serve as one of the key factors in predicting consumer reactions to crisis.
Controlled study of the impact on child behaviour problems of intensive interaction for children with ASD
Authors: Tee Abi , Reed Phil
Published: December 2016

Pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) received 6 months of intensive interaction or treatment as usual. They were assessed for behaviour problems at the start and end of the period, and changes were related to child and parent factors. Intensive interaction did not offer any greater advantages to child behaviour than treatment as usual. However, intensive interaction was more effective for pupils with less challenging behaviour. Levels of depression in mothers were related negatively to changes in child behaviours. These data suggest that intensive interaction may be of limited utility for reducing problem behaviours of pupils with ASD, but that the approach could be effective with less behaviourally challenging pupils and that levels of parent distress may reduce its impact.
Distinct intrinsic functional brain network abnormalities in methamphetamine‐dependent patients with and without a history of psychosis
Authors: Ipser Jonathan C. , Uhlmann Anne , Taylor Paul , Harvey Brian H. , Wilson Don , Stein Dan J.
Published: December 2016

Chronic methamphetamine use is associated with executive functioning deficits that suggest dysfunctional cognitive control networks (CCNs) in the brain. Likewise, abnormal connectivity between intrinsic CCNs and default mode networks (DMNs) has also been associated with poor cognitive function in clinical populations. Accordingly, we tested the extent to which methamphetamine use predicts abnormal connectivity between these networks, and whether, as predicted, these abnormalities are compounded in patients with a history of methamphetamine‐associated psychosis (MAP). Resting‐state fMRI data were acquired from 46 methamphetamine‐dependent patients [19 with MAP, 27 without (MD)], as well as 26 healthy controls (CTRL). Multivariate network modelling and whole‐brain voxel‐wise connectivity analyses were conducted to identify group differences in intrinsic connectivity across four cognitive control and three DMN networks identified using an independent components analysis approach (meta‐ICA). The relationship of network connectivity and psychotic symptom severity, as well as antipsychotic treatment and methamphetamine use variables, was also investigated. Robust evidence of hyper‐connectivity was observed between the right frontoparietal and anterior DMN networks in MAP patients, and ‘normalized’ with increased duration of treatment with antipsychotics. Attenuation of anticorrelated anterior DMN–dorsal attention network activity was also restricted to this group. Elevated coupling detected in MD participants between anterior and posterior DMN networks became less apparent with increasing duration of abstinence from methamphetamine. In summary, we observed both alterations of RSN connectivity between DMN networks with chronic methamphetamine exposure, as well as DMN‐CCN coupling abnormalities consistent with possible MAP‐specific frontoparietal deficits in the biasing of task‐appropriate network activity.
Grassland connectivity explains entomophilous plant species assemblages in an agricultural landscape of the Pampa Region, Argentina
Authors: Herrera Lorena , Sabatino Malena , Gastón Aitor , Saura Santiago
Published: December 2016

The Pampa grassland of Argentina is one of the most highly threatened biomes in the world. A high proportion of the original grassland cover has been transformed into land for agriculture or degraded. In the southern part of the region, fragmented semi‐natural grasslands over exposed rock still persist and connectivity between them is assumed to be crucial for maintaining viable populations. We quantified overall connectivity of grassland patches in a sector of the Southern Pampa region, and investigated the degree to which landscape connectivity explains entomophilous plant species assemblages in a subset of patches. We characterized each of the 301 patches in the landscape by their degree of intra‐patch and inter‐patch connectivity based on graph theory, and considering threshold dispersal distances from 100 to 1000 m. We surveyed entomophilous plant species in 39 grassland patches and classified the species in three categories (annual herbs, perennial herbs and shrubs) considering their different growth form and longevity. The influence of connectivity variables on entomophilous plant species assemblages variation was explored using Canonical Correspondence Analysis. Although grassland patches were poorly connected at all threshold distances, some of them were found to be critical for global connectivity. Connectivity significantly explained total, annual‐biennial and shrub assemblages for all threshold dispersal distances (6–13% of total variation). Variation in annual species assemblages was associated with intra‐patch and inter‐patch connectivity at short distance (100 m), while variation in shrub species assemblages was explained by intra‐patch and inter‐patch connectivity for distances between 100 m and 1000 m. This study evidenced the low connectivity of the study system, allowed the identification of critical areas for conservation, and provided valuable information to develop management strategies in increasingly human‐dominated landscapes.
Materialism lowers well‐being: The mediating role of the need for autonomy – correlational and experimental evidence
Authors: Nagpaul Tania , Pang Joyce S.
Published: December 2016

While there is evidence from the self‐determination perspective for the mediation of basic needs satisfaction in the materialism–well‐being link, no research to date has attempted to examine the relative contribution of the three needs to the mediating effect. Given that the predictive value of psychological needs on well‐being depends upon the match between the need and life domains, in two studies we investigate the differential mediating role of all three needs in the negative relationship between materialism and well‐being. In study 1, 231 adult participants self‐reported their materialistic attitudes, basic needs satisfaction and well‐being. In study 2 (N = 82 undergraduates), we experimentally activated materialistic thoughts and examined their effects on need satisfaction and state well‐being as compared to a neutral control condition. Study 1 furnished cross‐sectional evidence that materialism diminishes well‐being through lower satisfaction of the psychological need for autonomy only. Study 2 showed that experimental activation of materialism via short‐term exposure to pictorial consumer‐cues leads to lower satisfaction of the need for autonomy, which in turn produces higher negative affect among participants. The findings point towards the importance of considering the specific role of the psychological need for autonomy in the materialism–well‐being link.
Performing good death at the veterinary clinic: experiences of pet euthanasia in Finland
Authors: Schuurman Nora
Published: December 2016

In contemporary pet‐keeping culture, the death of an animal is managed by the veterinary profession. The situation of euthanising the pet at the clinic is not an easy one for the owner of the animal, who has to manage the emotions involved in the death of a pet, while at the same time worrying about animal welfare in euthanasia. In this paper I explore the performances of good death in pet euthanasia. Drawing on pet owners’ experiences, I scrutinise the practice of euthanasia in the space of the veterinary clinic, emotions felt by owners about pet loss, the role of animal agency and the expertise of the veterinarian in providing the animal with an ending to its life. Theoretically, the paper draws on recent discussions about human–animal relationships as performances, as productive processes in which the relationship comes into being. The data consists of written narratives from a nationwide writing collection organised in Finland in 2014–2015. According to the analysis, the veterinary clinic as a site of pet euthanasia makes the human–pet relationship vulnerable by shifting it away from the home, the space in which the relationship is otherwise experienced and lived. Pet euthanasia nevertheless has the potential to become a relational achievement between the agency and bodies of the owner, the veterinarian and the pet. As such, it is a situated practice in which the animal can be killed at the same time that its relationship with humans is celebrated – an act of responsible killing and of care, with a possibility to provide the animal a good ending to its life.
The effect of prescriber education on medication‐related patient harm in the hospital: a systematic review
Authors: Bos Jacqueline M. , van den Bemt Patricia M.L.A. , de Smet Peter A.G.M. , Kramers Cornelis
Published: December 2016

Aims

Educating prescribers is a strategy to reduce prescription errors in hospitals. The present systematic review gives an overview of original research papers on the education of prescribers and reporting outcomes on (potential) patient harm.

Methods

A search of the databases Embase and Medline, using the Ovid interface, was performed. Research on the effect of physician education in order to prevent medication‐related problems in inpatients, and on reporting original data and outcomes on prescribing errors and/or (potential) patient harm, was included. The assessment of methodological quality and risk of bias was performed using the Methodological Index for Non‐Randomized studies (MINORS) checklist and the suggested risk of bias criteria for Effective Practice and Organization of Care (EPOC) reviews.

Results

Eight studies investigated an intervention on education alone, and in seven studies education was the main part of a multifaceted intervention. All studies were small and had short follow‐up periods. The educational programmes varied and were given to physicians of different specialties and levels of experience. Most studies reported intermediate process parameters as the outcome. The risk of performance and reporting bias were high.

Conclusion

All included studies suffered from poor methodology. The majority, especially studies in which education was part of a multifaceted intervention, reported effectiveness on intermediate outcome markers as prescription errors and potential adverse drug events. However, we found no firm evidence that educating prescribers in the hospital leads to a decrease in patient harm. Further work is needed to develop educational programmes, accompanied by more high‐quality research with outcomes on the improvement of patient care.
Radio‐guided sentinel lymph node detection and lymph node mapping in invasive urinary bladder cancer: a prospective clinical study
Authors: Aljabery Firas , Shabo Ivan , Olsson Hans , Gimm Oliver , Jahnson Staffan
Published: December 2016

Objectives

To investigate the possibility of detecting sentinel lymph nodes (SNs) in patients with urinary bladder cancer (BCa) intra‐operatively and whether the histopathological status of the identified SNs reflected that of the lymphatic field.

Patients and Methods

We studied 103 patients with BCa pathological stage T1–T4 who were treated with cystectomy and pelvic lymph node (LN) dissection during 2005–2011 at the Department of Urology, Linköping University Hospital. Radioactive tracer Nanocoll 70 MBq and blue dye were injected into the bladder wall around the primary tumour before surgery. SNs were detected ex vivo during the operation with a handheld Geiger probe (Gamma Detection System; Neoprobe Corp., Dublin, OH, USA). All LNs were formalin‐fixed, sectioned three times, mounted on slides and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. An experienced uropathologist evaluated the slides.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 69 years, and 80 (77%) were male. Pathological staging was T1–12 (12%), T2–20 (19%), T3–48 (47%) and T4–23 (22%). A mean (range) number of 31 (7–68) nodes per patient were examined, totalling 3 253 nodes. LN metastases were found in 41 patients (40%). SNs were detected in 83 of the 103 patients (80%). Sensitivity and specificity for detecting metastatic disease by SN biopsy (SNB) varied between LN stations, with average values of 67% and 90%, respectively. LN metastatic density (LNMD) had a significant prognostic impact; a value of ≥8% was significantly related to shorter survival. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) occurred in 65% of patients (n = 67) and was significantly associated with shorter cancer‐specific survival (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

We conclude that SNB is not a reliable technique for peri‐operative localization of LN metastases during cystectomy for BCa; however, LNMD has a significant prognostic value in BCa and may be useful in the clinical context and in BCa oncological and surgical research. LVI was also found to be a prognostic factor.
Guidelines for the presentation of contact allergy case reports
Authors: Uter Wolfgang , Goossens An , Gonçalo Margarida , Johansen Jeanne D. ,   , on behalf of the EECDRG
Published: December 2016

Case reports constitute a classic publication format that is being increasingly appreciated, for example because of its educational value. In the field of contact dermatitis research, case reports often serve as sentinel publications concerning new allergens, or new exposures to known allergens, or regarding other conditions leading to contact dermatitis. The CARE guideline published in 2013 addresses standardized and complete reporting of case reports in all fields of medicine. The present article takes up the CARE suggestions, and further specifies these in terms of application to case reports in the field of contact dermatitis. The objective of this structured guidance is to provide junior or inexperienced doctors and researchers with an annotated list, against which the fulfilment of essential or optional items of a complete, high‐quality case report to be submitted to Contact Dermatitis or other journals can be checked.
Do Eurasian minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus L.) inhabiting brackish water enter fresh water to reproduce: Evidence from a study on otolith microchemistry
Authors: Svirgsden Roland , Rohtla Mehis , Albert Anu , Taal Imre , Saks Lauri , Verliin Aare , Vetemaa Markus
Published: December 2016

Dynamics of coastal fish assemblages in the Baltic Sea are still rather poorly understood. In particular, little information is available on migrations and movements of the small‐bodied littoral fish species like Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus L.). Minnow is considered typically as a river and lake species, but it also inhabits brackish coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. In this study, we investigated movement patterns of brackish water inhabiting minnows using otolith microchemistry. Fish were collected from four different sites (from two bays and two stream mouths) around Saaremaa Island. The results indicated that at least three distinct migration patterns exist: (i) seawater residency, (ii) fast springtime migrations to fresh water or to bays with lower salinities (areas near stream mouths) and (iii) prolonged migrations to fresh water (some cases overwintering in streams). Migration patterns listed above were not evenly distributed among sites, and some individuals did not migrate to fresh water in every year. None of the analysed fish were freshwater residents. Additionally, potentially ontogenetic effects on Mn and Sr concentrations were observed in the otolith core regions, which may have important implications for the interpretation of otolith chemistry data. The overall findings of this study demonstrate that much more complex migration patterns exists in brackish water inhabiting minnow populations than previously thought and at least some individuals do enter freshwater to reproduce.
Fibrinogen and D‐dimer levels elevate in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: High pretreatment fibrinogen levels predict poor outcomes
Authors: Liu Zhikun , Guo Haijun , Gao Feng , Shan Qiaonan , Li Jie , Xie Haiyang , Zhou Lin , Xu Xiao , Zheng Shusen
Published: December 2016

Aim

Plasma fibrinogen and D‐dimer have been reported to predict survival in several types of malignancies. The aim of this study is to investigate their predictive value in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed plasma fibrinogen and D‐dimer levels from 252 subjects: control (n = 20), hepatitis (n = 20), cirrhosis (n = 20), and HCC (n = 192) subjects. The clinical involvement and prognostic value of fibrinogen and D‐dimer was analyzed in HCC subjects. To confirm the effects of tumor on hypercoagulability and fibrinolysis, fibrinogen and D‐dimer levels were measured in nude mice following HCC inoculation.

Results

Fibrinogen decreased and D‐dimer increased in cirrhosis subjects relative to other groups. In HCC subjects, elevated fibrinogen and D‐dimer levels were significantly associated with adverse tumor features (increased size, stage, and grade) and systemic inflammation. Patients with HCC with either elevated fibrinogen or D‐dimer levels had significantly higher 3‐year tumor recurrence rates (65% vs. 41%, P < 0.001 for fibrinogen; 67% vs. 40%, P = 0.011 for D‐dimer) and significantly lower 3‐year overall survival rates (57% vs. 79%, P < 0.001 for fibrinogen; 56% vs. 80%, P = 0.001 for D‐dimer). After multivariate analysis, elevated fibrinogen levels remained an independent predictor of poor prognosis in HCC patients. Finally, elevated levels of fibrinogen and D‐dimer were confirmed in nude mice following tumor inoculation.

Conclusion

The fibrinogen and D‐dimer levels, elevating after carcinogenesis, may serve as simple but effective predictors of adverse tumor profiles and outcomes in HCC.
Towards robust evolutionary inference with integral projection models
Authors: Janeiro M. J. , Coltman D. W. , Festa‐Bianchet M. , Pelletier F. , Morrissey M. B.
Published: December 2016

Integral projection models (IPMs) are extremely flexible tools for ecological and evolutionary inference. IPMs track the distribution of phenotype in populations through time, using functions describing phenotype‐dependent development, inheritance, survival and fecundity. For evolutionary inference, two important features of any model are the ability to (i) characterize relationships among traits (including values of the same traits across ages) within individuals, and (ii) characterize similarity between individuals and their descendants. In IPM analyses, the former depends on regressions of observed trait values at each age on values at the previous age (development functions), and the latter on regressions of offspring values at birth on parent values as adults (inheritance functions). We show analytically that development functions, characterized this way, will typically underestimate covariances of trait values across ages, due to compounding of regression to the mean across projection steps. Similarly, we show that inheritance, characterized this way, is inconsistent with a modern understanding of inheritance, and underestimates the degree to which relatives are phenotypically similar. Additionally, we show that the use of a constant biometric inheritance function, particularly with a constant intercept, is incompatible with evolution. Consequently, current implementations of IPMs will predict little or no phenotypic evolution, purely as artefacts of their construction. We present alternative approaches to constructing development and inheritance functions, based on a quantitative genetic approach, and show analytically and through an empirical example on a population of bighorn sheep how they can potentially recover patterns that are critical to evolutionary inference.