bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Service quality of student services and student satisfaction: the mediating effect of cross-functional collaboration
Authors: Alsheyadi Anwar Khamis , Albalushi Jawaher 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the interaction of tangibles, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy dimensions of the service quality (SERVQUAL) and student satisfaction (SS), and second, to explore the mediating role of cross-functional collaboration (CFC) on these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and mediated effect models using data collected through a survey of 352 students from 18 higher education institutes (HEIs) in Oman.FindingsThe statistical analysis confirms our main hypotheses. First, the centrality of tangibles, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy dimensions of the service quality was established in the direct effect model, while the importance of tangibles and responsiveness was not confirmed in the mediated effect model. Second, it approved the partial mediation effect of CFC on the five dimensions of SERVQUAL and satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsService quality, level of CFC and relative SS in higher education could be subjected to contextual verification and evaluation of these internal and external contextual factors should be considered.Practical implicationsSeveral implications are highlighted for the effective development of the service quality of student affairs departments (SADs), the development of CFC for effective management, development and deployment of various student affairs initiatives.Originality/valueThis paper satisfies the need to validate the SERVQUAL model in different contexts such as SADs, and the need to investigate the possible mediating effect of other factors on SERVQUAL dimensions and satisfaction to show how the latter can be achieved.
Impacts of global environmental change drivers on non‐structural carbohydrates in terrestrial plants
Authors: Du Ying , Lu Ruiling , Xia Jianyang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNon‐structural carbohydrates (NSCs, including soluble sugars and starch) are essential to support the growth and survival of terrestrial plants. Starch and sugars play different roles in multiple plant ecological functions such as drought tolerance, growth and plant defence, and several other processes which are being rapidly shaped by global environmental change. However, it is uncertain whether soluble sugars and starch show different responses across plant functional types, tissue types and treatment conditions (i.e. the intensity and duration of environmental variability) to global‐change drivers.Here based on a database of 275 plants (including 17 plant functional types), we conducted a meta‐analysis to examine the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2concentration (eCO2), nitrogen (N) addition, drought and warming on NSCs and its components.We found NSCs responses to global environmental change were mainly driven by (a) soluble sugar changes in response to N addition and drought, as well as (b) starch changes in response to eCO2and warming. The different responses between soluble sugars and starch were more evident under eCO2and drought, especially in herbs or leaves. Interactive effects of multiple environmental change drivers on soluble sugars and starch were mainly additive. The divergent main and interactive effects on soluble sugars and starch depend on experimental conditions. For example, the starch responses to eCO2and its interaction with N addition were the strongest in short‐term experiments.Overall, our study shows the divergent responses of soluble sugars and starch in terrestrial plants to different global environmental change drivers, suggesting a changed carbon sink–source balance in plants under future global changes. The findings also highlight that predicting plant functional changes into the future requires a mechanistic understanding of how NSCs and its components are linked to specific environmental change drivers.A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Prioritizing conservation actions for Pacific salmon in Canada
Authors: Walsh Jessica C. , Connors Katrina , Hertz Eric , Kehoe Laura , Martin Tara G. , Connors Brendan , Bradford Michael J. , Freshwater Cameron , Frid Alejandro , Halverson Jessica , Moore Jonathan W. , Price Michael H. H. , Reynolds John D. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Current investment in conservation is insufficient to adequately protect and recover all ecosystems and species. The challenge of allocating limited funds is acute for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. in Canada, which lack a strategic approach to ensure that resources are spent on actions most likely to cost‐effectively recover diminished populations.

We applied the Priority Threat Management framework to prioritize strategies most likely to maximize the number of thriving Pacific salmon populations on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. These included 79 genetically, ecologically and spatially distinct population groups called conservation units (CUs) for five salmon species. This region has high salmon biodiversity and spans the territories of four First Nations: the Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Kitasoo/Xai'xais and Wuikinuxv.

Using structured expert elicitation of Indigenous and other experts, we quantified the estimated benefits, costs and feasibility of implementing 10 strategies. Under a business‐as‐usual scenario (i.e. no additional investments in salmon conservation or management), experts predicted that only one in four CUs would have >50% chance of achieving a thriving status within 20 years. Limiting future industrial development in salmon habitats, which was predicted to safeguard CUs from future declines, was identified as the most cost‐effective strategy. Investment in three strategies: (a) removal of artificial barriers to fish migration, (b) watershed protection and (c) stream restoration—at 11.3M CAD per year—was predicted to result in nearly half (34 of 79) of the CUs having a >60% chance of meeting the conservation objective.

If all conservation strategies were implemented, experts estimated a >50% probability of achieving a thriving status for 78 of 79 CUs, at an annual cost of 17.3M CAD. However, even with the implementation of all strategies, most sockeye salmon CUs were unlikely to achieve higher probability targets of reaching the objective.

Policy implications. We illustrate how Priority Threat Management can incorporate the perspectives and expertise of Indigenous peoples and other experts to prioritize conservation strategies based on their cost, benefit and feasibility. Implementation of this framework can help safeguard and recover Pacific salmon in Canada, and could also be used to prioritize actions for other conservation issues globally.
Heidegger's Theory of Truth and its Importance for the Quality of Qualitative Research
Authors: Huttunen Rauno , Kakkori Leena 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
When reliability and validity were introduced as validation criteria for empirical research in the human sciences, quantitative research methods prevailed, and theory of science relied on neopositivism (Vienna Circle) or postpositivism (scientific realism). Within this worldview, notions of reliability and validity as criteria of scientific goodness were introduced. Reliability and validity were associated with the correspondence theory of truth, which is mostly ill-suited to the needs of qualitative research. For that reason, qualitative research must look for other kinds of validation criteria. The article elaborates the problems arising when the correspondence theory of truth is used as an ultimate criterion in evaluating qualitative research and proposes Heidegger's hermeneutical or alethetical idea of truth as a more suitable approach.
Integrative demographic study of the Iberian painted frog (Discoglossus galganoi): inter‐annual variation in the effective to census population size ratio, with insights on mating system and breeding success
Authors: OLARTE Óscar , SÁNCHEZ‐MONTES Gregorio , MARTÍNEZ‐SOLANO Íñigo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn the face of worldwide amphibian declines, integrative studies combining individual‐based information and genetic data represent a powerful approach to produce robust, reliable, and comparable assessments of demographic dynamics. The Iberian painted frog (Discoglossus galganoi) is endemic to Spain and Portugal and shows decreasing population trends across its range, but few studies have attempted to estimate census sizes or assess genetic diversity in wild populations, and little is known about their reproductive biology. We applied an integrative approach based on the combination of capture‐mark‐recapture data and multilocus genotypes to monitor a breeding population of D. galganoi in central Spain during two consecutive breeding seasons, focusing on the estimation of demographic parameters and their temporal variation. Specifically, we estimated the number of adults (Na), the effective population size (Ne), and the effective number of breeders (Nb), as well as survival and migration rates. We documented a >50% decrease in the estimated number of adults of both sexes between the breeding seasons of 2018 and 2019, probably associated with reduced rainfall in the latter. Estimates of Nb and the Nb/Na ratio were low in both seasons, with a 20–30% decrease in Nb and a 47% increase in the Nb/Na ratio in 2019. Based on the reconstruction of pedigrees from larval and adult genotypes, we provide the first genetic evidence of polygamy in males and females of D. galganoi and the first estimates of breeding success in the species.
Ultrasound applications in poultry meat processing: A systematic review
Authors: Al‐Hilphy Asaad R. , Al‐Temimi Ammar B. , Al Rubaiy Hassan Hadi Mehdi , Anand Uttpal , Delgado‐Pando Gonzalo , Lakhssassi Naoufal 
Published: April 2020

AbstractUltrasound (US) is classified as a nonthermal treatment and it is used in food processing at a frequency range between 20 kHz and 1 MHz. Cavitation bubbles occur when the US strength is high enough to generate rarefaction that exceeds the intermolecular attraction forces in the medium. Currently, US is widely used in meat industries to enhance procedures, such as meat tenderization, emulsification mass transfer, marination, freezing, homogenization, crystallization, drying, and microorganism inactivation. In addition, combining ultrasonic energy with a sanitizing agent has a synergistic effect on microbial reduction. When poultry meat is treated using US, the expected quality is often better than the traditional methods, such as sanitization and freezing. US can be considered as a novel green technology for tenderizing and decontamination of poultry meat since both Escherichia coli and Salmonella are sensible to US. US improves the physical and chemical properties of meat proteins and can lead to a decrease in the α‐helix in intramuscular protease complex in addition to a reduction in the viscosity coefficients. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment can be applied to enhance the textural properties of chicken meat. US can also be used to improve the drying rate when used under vacuum, compared with other traditional techniques. This review focuses on the potential of US applications in the management of poultry industries as the demand for good quality meat proteins is increasing worldwide.
Innovation and Corporate Tax Planning: The Distinct Effects of Patents and R&D*
Authors: Cheng C. S. Agnes , Guo Peng , Weng Chia‐Hsiang , Wu Qiang 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACTUsing a large US sample, we find a significant and positive relation between patents and corporate tax planning, and the effect is incremental to the effect of R&D on tax planning. We employ a quasi‐natural experiment based on staggered industry‐level innovation shocks to identify the positive causal effect of patents on corporate tax planning. We also find that patents are not associated with tax planning for domestic firms, but their association with tax planning is concentrated in multinational firms, which have the ability to shift domestic income to low‐tax countries. Moreover, we find that the identified effect mainly exists in the post–check‐the‐box (CTB) rule period when shifting income among affiliates becomes more flexible and convenient. Finally, we use two income‐shifting models and find that patents, rather than R&D, facilitate tax planning through an income‐shifting channel. Overall, our results suggest that R&D and patents facilitate firms' tax planning in distinct ways: R&D facilitates tax planning as intended through tax credits and deductions, whereas patents are used by taxpayers to avoid taxes aggressively through income shifting.
Chronic Binge Alcohol Exposure During Pregnancy Alters mTOR System in Rat Fetal Hippocampus
Authors: Lee Jehoon , Lunde‐Young Raine , Naik Vishal , Ramirez Josue , Orzabal Marcus , Ramadoss Jayanth 
Published: April 2020

BackgroundGestational alcohol exposure can contribute to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), an array of cognitive, behavioral, and physical developmental impairments. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a key role in regulating protein synthesis in response to neuronal activity, thereby modulating synaptic plasticity and long‐term memory formation in the brain. Based on our previous quantitative mass spectrometry proteomic studies, we hypothesized that gestational chronic binge alcohol exposure alters mTOR signaling and downstream pathways in the fetal hippocampus.MethodsPregnant Sprague‐Dawley rats were assigned to either a pair‐fed control (PF‐Cont) or a binge alcohol (Alcohol) treatment group. Alcohol dams were acclimatized via a once‐daily orogastric gavage of 4.5 g/kg alcohol (peak BAC, 216 mg/dl) from GD 5–10 and progressed to 6 g/kg alcohol (peak BAC, 289 mg/dl) from GD 11–21. Pair‐fed dams similarly received isocaloric maltose dextrin.ResultsIn the Alcohol group, following this exposure paradigm, fetal body weight and crown‐rump length were decreased. The phosphorylation level of mTOR (P‐mTOR) in the fetal hippocampus was decreased in the Alcohol group compared with controls. Alcohol exposure resulted in dysregulation of fetal hippocampal mTORC1 signaling, as evidenced by an increase in total 4E‐BP1 expression. Phosphorylation levels of 4E‐BP1 and p70 S6K were also increased following alcohol exposure. P‐mTOR and P‐4E‐BP1 were exclusively detected in the dentate gyrus and oriens layer of the fetal hippocampus, respectively. DEPTOR and RICTOR expression levels in the fetal hippocampus were increased; however, RAPTOR was not altered by chronic binge alcohol exposure.ConclusionWe conclude that chronic binge alcohol exposure during pregnancy alters mTORC1 signaling pathway in the fetal hippocampus. We conjecture that this dysregulation of mTOR protein expression, its activity, and downstream proteins may play a critical role in FASD neurobiological phenotypes.
Estimated televised alcohol advertising exposure in the past year and associations with past 30‐day drinking behavior among American adults: results from a secondary analysis of large‐scale advertising and survey data
Authors: Niederdeppe Jeff , Avery Rosemary J. , Tabor Emmett , Lee Nathaniel W. , Welch Brendan , Skurka Christofer 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAimsTo estimate the volume of past‐year televised alcohol advertising exposure by product category and demographic group among adults living in the United States and test associations between estimated alcohol advertising exposure and past 30‐day drinking behavior.DesignSecondary analysis of data from two national‐level US data sets: Kantar data on appearances of televised alcohol advertisements and data from the Simmons National Consumer Survey (NCS), a large national mail survey on television viewing patterns and consumer behavior.SettingUnited States.ParticipantsA total of 54 671 adults, aged 21 years and older, who were randomly selected to participate in the Simmons NCS.MeasurementsEstimated exposure to televised advertisements for beer, wine and spirits, self‐reported alcohol use in the past year and number of drinks consumed in the past 30 days.FindingsThe average respondent was exposed to an estimated 576 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 570–582] televised alcohol advertisements in the year preceding their survey. Exposure was higher among males versus females and African Americans versus whites. A 1% increase in the estimated volume of advertisement exposure was associated with a 0.11 (95% CI = 0.08–0.13) percentage point increase in the odds of having at least one drink in the last 30 days and, among past 30‐day drinkers, a 0.05 (95% CI = 0.04–0.07) per cent increase in the number of alcoholic drinks consumed. Associations were consistent across product categories and demographics.ConclusionsThere appears to be a small but consistent positive association between alcohol advertising exposure and drinking behavior among American adults.
Nitrous Oxide Inhalant Use Disorder Preceding Symptoms Concerning for Primary Psychotic Illness
Authors: Roberts Daniel , Farahmand Pantea , Wolkin Adam 
Published: April 2020

Background and ObjectiveNitrous oxide has long been used recreationally for its ability to induce euphoria and other deliriant effects. In modern times, it remains a popular, legal, and widely available option for those seeking altered states. Though substance‐induced psychotic symptoms have been mentioned in the literature, the potential long‐term negative neuropsychiatric effects related to its use have not been well established.Methods and ResultsThis is a patient case report of a young man (N = 1) who initially presented with acute neurological symptoms requiring hospitalization due to heavy nitrous oxide inhalant use, and went on to present with symptoms concerning for a primary psychotic illness over multiple inpatient admissions. He provided both verbal and written consent to share his story for this case report.Discussion and ConclusionsIt is important to consider nitrous oxide use as a possible contributing factor to the development of primary psychotic illness.Scientific SignificanceCurrent literature suggests that psychosis associated with nitrous oxide use is transient and resolves upon cessation and treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency. Here, we present a patient with risk factors for psychotic illness developing psychotic illness following extensive nitrous oxide use. This report offers a unique perspective of longitudinal follow‐up (often not provided with reports on this topic), and illustrates the importance of healthcare providers inquiring about nitrous oxide abuse in patients presenting with early psychotic symptoms. (Am J Addict 2020;29:525–527)
Very short cervix in low‐risk asymptomatic singleton pregnancies: Outcome according to treatment and cervical length at diagnosis
Authors: Souka Athena P. , Papamihail Maria , Pilalis Athanasios 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIntroductionThe aim of this study was to explore the outcome of low‐risk singleton pregnancies with very short cervical length (CL ≤15 mm) according to method of treatment and CL at diagnosis.Material and methodsRetrospective study on singleton pregnancies devoid of risk factors for spontaneous preterm delivery identified in the course of universal screening programs by vaginal sonography at 20‐24 weeks of gestation to have very short CL ≤ 15 mm.ResultsThe study group consisted of 233 pregnancies with CL ≤ 15 mm of which 88 had cervical cerclage inserted and the remaining 145 were treated with vaginal progesterone. Mean CL at diagnosis was significantly shorter in the cerclage group (5 mm) compared with the progesterone group (12 mm). Regardless of treatment there was no difference in the rate of spontaneous preterm delivery at <32 weeks of gestation in women with CL ≥ 9 mm at screening (11% and 12% in the cerclage and progesterone groups, respectively). In contrast, in the subgroup with CL ≤ 8 mm cervical cerclage resulted in significantly lower rates of spontaneous preterm delivery at <32 weeks of gestation compared with progesterone treatment (20% and 45%, respectively, P = .009) and the median gestational age at birth was significantly greater (37 weeks vs 36 weeks, respectively, P = .013).ConclusionsThe majority of asymptomatic singleton pregnancies with short CL will remain undelivered until 32 weeks of gestation whether treated with progesterone or cerclage. Women with extreme cervical shortening appear to benefit more from cervical cerclage.
Diagnostic ability of spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness to discriminate glaucoma patients from controls in an elderly population (The MONTRACHET study)
Authors: Arnould Louis , De Lazzer Aurélie , Seydou Alassane , Binquet Christine , Bron Alain M. , Creuzot‐Garcher Catherine 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the capacity of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness measured by SD‐OCT to discriminate glaucoma patients from controls in an elderly population.MethodsThe MONTRACHET (Maculopathy, Optic Nerve, nuTRition, neurovAsCular and HEarT diseases) Study is a population‐based study including participants aged 75 years and over. All participants underwent a complete eye examination with optic nerve photographs, visual field testing and OCT peripapillary RNFL thickness measurement. Glaucoma was defined according to the ISGEO (International Society for Epidemiologic and Geographical Ophthalmology) classification. Performance indicators were calculated including area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUC), likelihood ratios (LR) and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR).ResultsIn total, 1061 participants were included in the study, of whom 89 were classified as having glaucoma and 972 were classified as normal. The mean (SD) age of the population was 82.3 (3.7) years. The average RNFL thickness was significantly lower in the glaucoma group than in controls 64.0 (14.9) µm versus 88.9 (12.4) µm, respectively, p < 0.001) and in all sectors compared with controls. The average RNFL thickness had the highest AUC (0.901) followed by the temporal‐inferior (0.879) and temporal‐superior sectors (0.862). When RNFL thickness was classified as abnormal by SD‐OCT, the average RNFL thickness had the best sensitivity (83.75%) followed by the temporal‐inferior sector (75.64%). The specificity for these two parameters was 87.34% and 91.08%, respectively. The highest DOR was 28.70 for average RNFL thickness and reached 34.84 when using the reference database of the OCT manufacturer.ConclusionThis study confirms that SD‐OCT could be useful as an additional test to discriminate glaucoma patients from controls in an elderly population.