bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Family involvement in publicly traded firms and firm performance: a meta-analysis
Authors: Taras Vas , Memili Esra , Wang Zhonghui , Harms Henrik 
Published: March 2018

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of family involvement in corporations on firm performance. It remains unclear whether family-owned companies, or companies with other forms of family involvement in the corporate governance, perform better than firms with no family involvement. Furthermore, the study focuses on family involvement in publicly traded firms, which are different from private family firms. Hence, knowledge about family firms will be enriched through a closer look at the publicly traded family firms and shed further light onto the heterogeneity among family firms.Design/methodology/approachThe present study uses a meta-analysis of the extant research on family involvement and publicly traded family firm performance. The authors synthesize past research, identify and reconcile mixed findings and expand the understanding of the phenomenon.FindingsInvolvement of the founding family members in firm governance tends to improve firm performance, albeit the effect is rather weak. However, the effect varies greatly depending on the type of family involvement and the measure of performance. The authors also identify regional differences, as well as variations by the firm size and study design. Furthermore, under-researched areas are identified for future research.Practical implicationsThe results of the study would be useful in guiding organizational design and investment decisions.Originality/valueBy using the meta-analytic approach, the present study provides a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence available on the issue so far. Most importantly, the authors were able to conduct a series of tests to assess the moderating effects of a number of factors that could not be evaluated in any individual study in the meta-analytic database.
Continued source level reduction during attack in the low‐amplitude bat Barbastella barbastellus prevents moth evasive flight
Authors: Lewanzik Daniel , Goerlitz Holger R. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Ears evolved independently in many insect taxa due to the selection pressure of echolocating bats. Eared moths perform evasive flight manoeuvres upon hearing approaching bats, thereby substantially increasing survival probability. Accordingly, eared moths constitute only a minor portion of many bats’ diets. In contrast, the barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus almost exclusively feeds on eared moths by emitting low‐amplitude stealth echolocation calls that are undetectable by distant moths. While closing in on the prey, however, the calls might become audible. We thus hypothesised that barbastelle bats lower the source level of their calls even further while closing in, such that the level at the moth's ear remains below the moth's hearing threshold and the moth fails to elicit its evasive manoeuvre.

We tested these hypotheses by offering tethered moths to barbastelle bats in the wild and in captivity. We reconstructed the bats’ three‐dimensional flight paths based on time‐of‐arrival differences of the echolocation calls at four microphones, measured the received sound levels at the moth's position with an additional miniature microphone, and calculated call source levels.

We show that barbastelle bats continuously reduced source level upon detecting a moth, thereby delaying the time and shortening the distance when the moth might detect the bat. The received level at the targeted moth never exceeded the moth's neuronal hearing threshold by more than 10 dB, which is likely sufficiently low to prevent moth evasive flight.

Barbastelle bats emit low‐amplitude calls to counter moth hearing. Continued amplitude reduction during an attack extends the time before the prey becomes aware of the predator, if at all. In combination, these two strategies allowed barbastelle bats to access a food resource which is largely unavailable to competing species, thereby probably altering competition between sympatric predators.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
An aposematic colour‐polymorphic moth seen through the eyes of conspecifics and predators – Sensitivity and colour discrimination in a tiger moth
Authors: Henze Miriam J. , Lind Olle , Mappes Johanna , Rojas Bibiana , Kelber Almut 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Although predation is commonly thought to exert the strongest selective pressure on coloration in aposematic species, sexual selection may also influence coloration. Specifically, polymorphism in aposematic species cannot be explained by natural selection alone.

Males of the aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) are polymorphic for hindwing coloration throughout most of their range. In Scandinavia, they display either white or yellow hindwings. Female hindwing coloration varies continuously from bright orange to red. Redder females and yellow males suffer least from bird predation.

White males often have higher mating success than yellow males. Therefore, we ask whether females can discriminate the two male morphs by colour. Males approach females by following pheromone plumes from a distance, but search visually at short range. This raises the questions whether males discriminate female coloration and, in turn, whether female coloration is also sexually selected.

Using electroretinograms, we found significantly larger retinal responses in male than female A. plantaginis, but similar spectral sensitivities in both sexes, with peaks in the UV (349 nm), blue (457 nm) and green (521 nm) wavelength range.

According to colour vision models, conspecifics can discriminate white and yellow males as separate morphs, but not orange and red females. For moths and birds (Cyanistes caeruleus), white males are more conspicuous against green and brown backgrounds, mostly due to UV reflectivity, and red females are slightly more conspicuous than orange females.

The costly red coloration among females is likely selected by predator pressure, not by conspecifics, whereas male colour polymorphism is probably maintained, at least partly, by the opposing forces of predation pressure favouring yellow males, and female preference for white males. Whether or not the preference for white males is based on visual cues requires further testing.

The evolution of polymorphic aposematic animals can be better understood when the visual system of the species and their predators is taken into consideration.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
A heritable symbiont and host‐associated factors shape fungal endophyte communities across spatial scales
Authors: Harrison Joshua G. , Parchman Thomas L. , Cook Daniel , Gardner Dale R. , Forister Matthew L. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Microbial ecologists are intensely interested in the processes governing microbial community assembly; however, progress has been limited by a lack of studies that span multiple geographical scales and levels of biological organization.

We used high throughput sequencing to characterize foliar fungal endophyte communities and host plant genetic structure both within and among 24 populations of spotted locoweed Astragalus lentiginosus across the Great Basin Desert.

Across the Great Basin, both within and among populations of the host plant, fungal endophyte richness was predicted by plant size and variation in the seed‐borne, heritable fungus, Alternaria fulva, which produces the bioactive alkaloid swainsonine.

The degree of between‐plant turnover in the endophyte community was inversely related to host plant inbreeding and average plant size and positively related to the relative abundance of A. fulva. Plant size was inversely related to endophyte community richness, both among and within populations. The genetic and physical distance between host populations was not predictive of differences in fungal community structure.

Synthesis. Through pairing intensive local and regional sampling, we uncovered a primacy of deterministic forces imposed by a heritable symbiont on the community structure of locoweed endophytes.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody significantly increases the risk of hand–foot skin reaction to multikinase inhibitors (MKIs): A systematic literature review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhu Yi , Zhang Xiaochen , Lou Xiaoe , Chen Min , Luo Peihua , He Qiaojun 
Published: March 2018

SummaryWith the use of multikinase inhibitors (MKIs) having emerged in recent years, skin toxicities such as hand–foot skin reaction (HFSR) are primary side effects, and they lack effective prediction methods. Here, we updated a previous systematic review by establishing a meta‐analysis of the risk of developing HFSR among patients receiving MKIs and antivascular endothelial growth factor antibody. Publications from PubMed and abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting up to February 5, 2015, were searched to identify relevant studies, and a total of 236 patients with metastatic tumours in nine trials were included for analysis. In the meta‐analysis, the pooled incidence rates of all‐grade and high‐grade HFSR among patients who received the combination therapy were 56.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 45%‐71.1%] and 14.3% (95% CI, 9%‐24.2%), respectively, with significant differences observed with MKI monotherapy (P < .05). Further subgroup analysis demonstrated that increasing the dosages of bevacizumab (77.8% vs 51.1%, P = .04) and MKIs (64.3% vs 52.6%, P = .02) significantly increased HFSR incidence. Moreover, combination with chemotherapy exerted a minimal effect on HFSR risk (61% vs 55.3%, P = .5). This updated review and meta‐analysis confirm the increased risk of HFSR incidence due to the use of MKIs and antivascular endothelial growth factor antibody. Thus, using these therapies requires safety standards.
Introducing client feedback into marriage and family therapy supervision: a qualitative study examining the transition to empirically informed supervision
Authors: McComb Jennifer L. , Diamond Rachel M. , Breunlin Douglas C. , Chambers Anthony L. , Murray Kimberly S. F. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe use of client feedback in clinical supervision provides a way for supervisors to access clients' experiences of the treatment process and monitor clinical progress of their trainees' cases. The present qualitative study investigated a marriage and family therapy training programme's early experience of introducing the Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change (STIC®; Pinsof et al., 2009) into clinical supervision. Supervisors (N = 8) and trainees (N = 14) were interviewed to elicit their experience using the STIC in supervision with a focus on understanding the frequency of use as well as the facilitators and constraints to implementation. The analysis of the narratives resulted in the development of five themes (time, supervisors' expectations, broader training system influences, client feedback training, and perceived helpfulness) that contributed to decreased usage over time. Recommendations to the field for integrating client feedback into empirically informed training and supervision are provided.Practitioner points

Training programmes should consider the potential benefits of utilizing client feedback measures for outcome‐based training and supervision

Training programmes adopting a client feedback measure need to be aware of the potential challenges of implementation

The additional time needed to use a client feedback measure in the clinical supervision process must be considered as it is the most notable constraint to implementation
Recapturing the household: reflections on labour, productive relations, and economic value
Authors: Melhuus Marit 
Published: March 2018

AbstractLabour regimes organize the economy; they also organize lives. With the continued deregulation of the labour market and the simultaneous drive to cut labour costs, there lies a challenge to grasp not only the workings of capital but also the way such processes impact on the organization of everyday labouring lives. This implies a focus that is attentive to value, combining political economy with moral economy. I suggest that household analysis represents one way to address such issues. Household analysis provides a means of ethnographic access to a particular temporal dynamic that is revealing of a layered texture of precariousness, capturing at one and the same time the material realities and the intimate relations of living. Regimes of labour and regimes of value can thus be brought into the same frame, indicating relational dependencies as well as structures of social inequality. Drawing on earlier ethnography amongst landless tobacco growers in Corrientes, Argentina, I draw attention to the potentials of a particular perspective, all the while paying attention to the specific historical and political context. Anthropology is well placed to grasp contemporary configurations of labour and how these both are framed by and contribute towards reproducing social and economic inequalities, not only locally but also at a more global scale.
Impact of a New York City Supportive Housing Program on Housing Stability and Preventable Health Care among Homeless Families
Authors: Lim Sungwoo , Singh Tejinder P. , Hall Gerod , Walters Sarah , Gould L. Hannah 
Published: March 2018

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of a New York City supportive housing program on housing stability and preventable emergency department (ED) visits/hospitalizations among heads of homeless families with mental and physical health conditions or substance use disorders.Data SourcesMultiple administrative data from New York City and New York State for 966 heads of families eligible for the program during 2007–12.Study DesignWe captured housing events and health care service utilization during 2 years prior to the first program eligibility date (baseline) and 2 years postbaseline. We performed sequence analysis to measure housing stability and compared housing stability and preventable ED visits and hospitalizations between program participants (treatment group) and eligible applicants not placed in the program (comparison group) via marginal structural modeling.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsWe matched electronically collected data.Principal FindingsEighty‐seven percent of supportive housing tenants experienced housing stability in 2 years postbaseline. Compared with unstably housed heads of families in the comparison group, those in the treatment group were 0.60 times as likely to make preventable ED visits postbaseline (95% CI = 0.38, 0.96).ConclusionsSupportive housing placement was associated with improved housing stability and reduced preventable health care visits among homeless families.
Exposure, Occurrence, and Chemistry of Fumonisins and their Cryptic Derivatives
Authors: Braun Markus Santhosh , Wink Michael 
Published: March 2018

AbstractFumonisins are mycotoxins mainly produced by Fusarium proliferatum and Fusarium verticillioides. Because of their wide distribution, the potential health hazard, and economic significance, they are considered one of the most important mycotoxin classes. Epidemiological evidence suggests a relationship between the Fusarium load in corn, exposure to fumonisins, and esophageal cancer. However, mechanisms of actions of fumonisins are not yet fully resolved and epidemiological studies suffer from various confounding factors. Correspondingly, the most relevant congener of the fumonisin family (fumonisin B1) has been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans and maximum limits have been set for corn and corn‐based products. However, many non‐corn‐based products are also susceptible to fumonisin contamination. Indeed, some of them contain very high amounts of fumonisins, but enter the market legally. Furthermore, fumonisin exposure of consumers is probably consistently being underestimated because only a fraction of fumonisins can be detected by routine analysis. The bioavailability and toxicity of most nondetectable (cryptic) forms has not been resolved. In this work, we review the developments of cancer research into fumonisins since their discovery in 1988 until today and provide an overview of the contributions of various foodstuffs to fumonisin exposure, including those products that have been largely neglected in the past. In conclusion, (1) corn remains the principal source of fumonisin ingestion, but fumonisins in non‐corn‐based commodities require continuous monitoring; (2) cryptic fumonisins should be included in risk assessment studies; and (3) certain population groups (for example children) may suffer from enhanced exposure and could face increased health risks.
Synthesis of Galactooligosaccharides in Milk and Whey: A Review
Authors: Fischer Christin , Kleinschmidt Thomas 
Published: March 2018

AbstractGalactooligosaccharides (GOS) are synthesized by the enzyme β‐galactosidase during the hydrolysis of lactose. In this so‐called transgalactosylation reaction the galactosyl moiety is transferred to another sugar molecule instead of water resulting in oligosaccharides of different chain lengths and glycosidic linkages. Because their structures are similar to oligosaccharides present in human breast milk, they act as prebiotics, which has been shown for infants and adults to be alike. While so far most of the research to maximize GOS yield has been carried out using buffered lactose solution as a starting material, more and more work is now conducted with dairy by‐products such as whey and whey permeate, or even milk, for direct GOS synthesis in order to develop new GOS‐enriched dairy products. This review aims to summarize the results obtained with various dairy liquids, and it rates their suitabilities to act as raw material for GOS production. Most of the studies using whey or milk have been carried out with enzymes from Aspergillus oryzae, Kluyveromyces lactis, Bacillus circulans, Streptococcus thermophilus, and several Lactobacillus species. As the initial lactose concentration (ILC) is known to be a crucial factor for high GOS yield, most of the research has been done with concentrated or supplemented milk and whey. However, a clear dependency on ILC could only be observed for the A. oryzae lactase, indicating a strong influence of milk components like minerals and proteins on the transfer activities of most enzymes.
The empowerment expectation–perception gap: An examination of three alternative models
Authors: Wong Sut I. , Kuvaas Bård 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPrevious empowerment research has focused on subordinate perceptions of empowering leadership and its outcomes. Met‐expectations theory suggests that subordinate expectations of leader behaviours are essential in forming their a posteriori evaluations. To address the lack of investigation of individual expectations in the empowerment literature, in this study, we explore how subordinates' empowerment expectations and perceptions combine to influence their job satisfaction and psychological empowerment based on three alternative, theoretically derived met‐expectation models, namely, the disconfirmation model, the ideal‐point model, and the experiences‐only model. The results of a 2‐stage study of 114 respondents indicate that employees are more satisfied with their work when perceived empowerment exceeds expectations. However, both empowerment perceptions and expectations positively contribute to higher psychological empowerment. We then discuss implications and directions for future research.
Phenotypic trait matching predicts the topology of an insular plant–bird pollination network
Authors: BIDDICK Matthew , BURNS Kevin C. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractConceptualizing species interactions as networks has broadened our understanding of ecological communities. However, the factors shaping interaction patterns among species and, therefore, network structure remain unclear. One potentially important factor is the matching of phenotypic traits. Here, we tested for trait matching in a bird–flower visitation network from New Zealand. We first quantified the overall network structure and tested whether flower size could account for differences in the visitation rates of flowering plants. We then explored the relationship between the flower size and bill size. The results showed that the interaction network is nested. Plant species with large flowers received more visits from birds than plant species with small flowers. Moreover, plant species with large flowers were visited more frequently by birds with large bills, while species with smaller flowers were visited more frequently by birds with small bills. Overall, the interaction patterns between birds and flowering plants could be predicted by their morphology, suggesting that phenotypic trait matching is an important predictor of network structure.
The Effects of Residual Air and Viscosity on the Rate of Heat Penetration of Retort Food Simulant in Pouch When Using Static and Oscillating Motions
Authors: MacNaughton Mollye S. , Whiteside William S. , Rieck James R. , Thomas Ronald L. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe objectives of this work were to determine the effect of 3 levels of residual air and 2 different retort motions on the value of the average heating slope of the rate of heat penetration of 3 different viscosities of a food simulant in flexible retort pouches. Pouches were thermally processed in a water spray automated batch retort system using 2 different methods of motion: static and oscillating continuously at a speed of 10.5 rotations per min (RPM) with an angle of 15°. Nine residual air and viscosity combinations were processed during each experimental run: low viscosity with no residual air (LV‐NRA), medium viscosity with no residual air (MV‐NRA), high viscosity with no residual air (HV‐NRA), low viscosity with medium residual air (LV‐MRA), medium viscosity with medium residual air (MV‐MRA), high viscosity with medium residual air (HV‐MRA), low viscosity with high residual air (LV‐HRA), medium viscosity with high residual air (MV‐HRA), and high viscosity with high residual air (HV‐HRA). As the amount of residual air in the pouches increased, the average heating slope value decreased in both static and oscillating motions. As the viscosity of the product increased the amount of residual air affected the average heating slope less in static and oscillating motions. Overall, the oscillating motion resulted in faster rates of heat penetration in all viscosities compared to static mode. The oscillating motion reduced processing times up to 27% compared to static mode.Practical ApplicationThis research can be applied to food manufacturers that are retorting foods in pouches. Residual air in pouches has been studied previously; however, with the development of new retort motions, more research needs to be conducted about the effect of residual air in a pouch using the different motions. Food manufacturers can use this information to optimize their amount of residual air based on their product viscosity and retort motion. This could dramatically lower processing time which would save money and increase output as well as potentially increases product quality. This research is aimed at influencing food manufacturers, process authorities, and product developers.