bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Promoting customer brand engagement and brand loyalty through customer brand identification and value congruity
Authors: Rather Raouf Ahmad , Tehseen Shehnaz , Parrey Shakir Hussain 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
On the basis of the social identity and congruity theories, the present research aims to propose that value congruity directly affects customer–brand identification (CBI), affective brand commitment and customer–brand engagement (CBE), which, in turn, paves the way for advancing consumer relationships with hospitality brands, as measured through brand loyalty. As such, this study serves to enhance existing insight into customer relationship management dynamics, with a particular focus on hospitality brands.

Design/methodology/approach
The present study develops a theoretical framework that is empirically investigated by using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling analyses. Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire of 340 customers of four- and five-star hotel brands in India.

Findings
The results suggest value congruity as an important driver of CBI, affective commitment and CBE within hospitality brands. The results also reveal CBI to act as a significant predictor of affective commitment, CBE and brand loyalty. Furthermore, affective commitment and CBE are the significant drivers of loyalty to hospitality brands.

Research limitations/implications
The research is exploratory in nature and is restricted to four- and five-star hotel customers, thereby reflecting important limitations of this study. Given these issues, ample opportunities exist for further research to further explore and/or validate the reported findings.

Practical implications
The current research provides new insights for marketing practitioners planning or implementing long-term customer relationship management strategi3es that centre on customer–brand identification, customer–brand engagement and brand loyalty.

Originality/value
Despite existing insights, empirical investigation into the proposed conceptual relationships remains limited to date, particularly in the hospitality industry. By offering empirical evidence in this area, this study adds to the extant body of knowledge on CBI/CBE-centric customer relationship management.
Influence of visual targets and landmarks on honey bee foraging and waggle dancing
Authors: Kheradmand Bahram , Cassano Julian , Gray Selena , Nieh James C. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAnimals use diverse sensory stimuli to navigate their environment and to recognize rewarding food sources. Honey bees use visual attributes of the targeted food source, such as its color, shape, size, direction and distance from the hive, and the landmarks around it to navigate during foraging. They transmit the location information of the food source to other bees if it is highly rewarding. To investigate the relative importance of these attributes, we trained bees to feeders in two different experiments. In the first experiment, we asked whether bees prefer to land on (a) a similar feeder at a different distance on the same heading or on (b) a visually distinct feeder located at the exact same location. We found that, within a short foraging range, bees relied heavily on the color and the shape of the food source and to a lesser extent on its distance from the hive. In the second experiment, we asked if moving the main landmark or the feeder (visual target) influenced recruitment dancing for the feeder. We found that foragers took longer to land and danced fewer circuits when the location of the food source, or a major landmark associated with it, changed. These results demonstrate that prominent visual attributes of food sources and landmarks are evidently more reliable than distance information and that foraging bees heavily utilize these visual cues at the later stages of their journey.
Upstream therapeutic strategies of valsartan and fluvastatin on hypertensive patients with non‐permanent atrial fibrillation
Authors: Zhao Zhiqiang , Niu Xiaowei , Dong Zhaojie , Qi Wenwei , Liu Enzhao , Liu Tong , Li Lifeng , Liang Yingzi , Li Guangping 
Published: November 2018

SummaryAimTo investigate the upstream therapeutic effects of fluvastatin and valsartan on hypertensive patients with non‐permanent atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsA total of 189 patients who were admitted to outpatient and inpatient department from eight medical centers in China, diagnosed as hypertension with non‐permanent AF, were divided into four groups randomly: the CCBs group (group A, n = 45); CCB + fluvastatin group (group B, n = 48); valsartan group (group C, n = 46); valsartan + fluvastatin group (group D, n = 50). The four groups were followed up for 24 months. The blood routine, biochemical examination, echocardiography, high sensitive C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP), the maintenance rate of sinus rhythm, and the recurrence of paroxysmal AF or persistent AF incidence were observed in these groups before and after 24 months' treatment.ResultsAfter 24 months of follow‐up, there were 178 cases of patients who have completed the study. (a) There was no significant difference in blood routine, liver, and renal function in each group (P > 0.05). (b) The blood lipids level in groups B and D was significantly reduced after treatment (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference of hs‐CRP level in group A (P > 0.05). The left ventricular remodeling was significantly alleviated in group C and group D (P < 0.05). The NT‐ProBNP level was significantly decreased in group D (P < 0.05). (c) The sinus rhythm maintenance rate of group B, group C, and group D was higher than group A (77.78%, 70.45%, 79.17% vs 43.90%), the occurrence of persistent AF was significantly lower than group A (11.11%, 14.29%, 8.33% vs 31.71%; P < 0.05).ConclusionsCCB plus fluvastatin and valsartan can reduce the recurrence rate of non‐permanent AF and to delay the progression from non‐permanent AF to permanent AF in patients with hypertension. The combined application of valsartan and fluvastatin is more effective than valsartan or CCB alone in the upstream therapies of AF.
Genome‐wide analysis of long non‐coding RNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma reveals their potential role in invasion and metastasis
Authors: Wang Jihua , Sun Dianshui , Wu Kai , Liu Jie , Zhao Miaoqing , Li Xiaomei , Xu Ying , Li Baosheng 
Published: November 2018

BackgroundA high lymphatic metastasis rate and strong local invasive ability are the key characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that affect patient survival, and long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may play a crucial role. We performed genome‐wide analysis of lncRNAs to identify novel biomarkers associated with local invasion and lymphatic metastasis in ESCC.MethodsSix pairs of ESCC tumor and para‐tumor tissues were subjected to microarray analysis to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs, and 25 pairs of tissues samples were used to verify the effectiveness of screened lncRNAs using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The correlations between verified lncRNAs and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed to confirm specific lncRNAs associated with the local invasion and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC, and gene co‐expression analysis was used to predict potential mechanisms.ResultsMicroarray analysis identified 1850 lncRNAs with significant differential expression in ESCC. Of 22 lncRNAs selected for quantitative reverse transcription PCR verification, four were significantly upregulated and one was significantly downregulated in ESCC cancer compared to para‐cancer tissues. ENST00000508406.1 was significantly associated with T, N, and tumor node metastasis stages, and NR_037652.1 was significantly associated with N stage. Moreover, 49 lncRNA‐messenger RNA pairs were significantly associated with the two dysregulated lncRNAs and possibly involved in the regulation of local invasion and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC.ConclusionThe present genome‐wide analysis identified two novel and tumor‐specific lncRNAs for predicting ESCC local invasion and lymphatic metastasis, providing insight into the potential underlying mechanism, which warrants further investigation.
Relative vulnerability to hurricane disturbance for endangered mammals in Mexico: a call for adaptation strategies under uncertainty
Authors: Ameca E. I. , Mace G. M. , Cowlishaw G. , Pettorelli N. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractMost climate change vulnerability assessments of species focus on characterizing the degree to which species are likely to be affected by changes in mean climatic conditions. Yet, there has been little progress in the explicit assessment of species vulnerability to extreme climatic events (ECEs) which have the potential to cause substantial environmental disturbance and potentially catastrophic declines of wildlife populations. Using a trait‐based approach, we assessed the relative vulnerability of populations of wild animal species to hurricanes, focusing on 25 terrestrial mammals at high risk of extinction in Mexico. Our assessment uses biological traits associated with heightened sensitivity (low vagility and territoriality) and low adaptive capacity (restricted diet and habitat specialization) in relation to their predicted exposure to hurricanes, based on records of occurrence of hurricanes in their geographical range over the past 45 years. We found that territoriality was present in most of the species assessed (n = 20) followed by habitat specialization (n = 6), low vagility (n = 6) and diet specialization (n = 3). Two subspecies of spider monkeys Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus and A. g. yucatanensis, two howler monkeys Alouatta pigra and Alouatta palliata mexicana and the silky anteater Cyclopes didactylus all emerged from this assessment as highly vulnerable to population declines from exposure to hurricanes. In the absence of any robust predictive framework for assessing risk to species from ECEs we suggest that the integration of data on hurricane exposure and species’ intrinsic biology, as presented here, represents a coherent and informative basis for risk evaluation and the design of possible mitigation strategies.
Efficacy of lateral eyelid‐block excision with canthoplasty and full‐thickness skin grafting in lower eyelid cicatricial ectropion
Authors: Mol Ilse , Paridaens Dion 
Published: November 2018

AbstractPurposeTo report on the outcomes of our preferred surgical technique for the correction of lower eyelid cicatricial ectropionMethodsWe conducted a retrospective, nonrandomized, interventional analysis of a consecutive case series of patients with cicatricial lower lid ectropion treated with adhesiolysis, lateral eyelid‐block excision with canthoplasty and full‐thickness skin grafting. Donor sites included the ipsi‐ or contralateral upper eyelid and pre‐ or retroauricular skin. All patients were treated by one of our oculoplastic surgeons in the period from January 2005 to January 2017 in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital/Focus Clinic Rotterdam. We assessed postoperative lower eyelid apposition, the occurrence of intra‐ and postoperative complications and the reoperation rate.ResultsWe included 38 eyelids of 32 patients, of whom 17 were male and 15 were female. The minimal postoperative follow‐up was 3 months. A total of 27 of 38 eyelids showed good postoperative apposition. Skin graft donor sites were the ipsi‐ or contralateral upper eyelid (47% and 16%, respectively) and the pre‐ or retroauricular skin (26% and 11%, respectively). No intraoperative complications occurred, but one patient developed a transient allergic contact dermatitis in the early postoperative phase. Two of 38 eyelids (two of 32 patients) required another surgical intervention (block excision) for residual or recurrent ectropion, with favourable outcomes. There was 100% viability of the skin grafts.ConclusionRepair of lower eyelid ectropion with lateral block excision, canthoplasty and full‐thickness skin grafting is an effective procedure with minimal donor site morbidity, excellent graft survival rates and a low reoperation rate.
A Bayesian Semiparametric Approach to Correlated ROC Surfaces With Stochastic Order Constraints
Authors: Chen Zhen , Hwang Beom Seuk 
Published: November 2018

AbstractIn application of diagnostic accuracy, it is possible that a priori information may exist regarding the test score distributions, either between different disease populations for a single test or between multiple correlated tests. Few have considered constrained diagnostic accuracy analysis when the true disease status is binary; almost none when the disease status is ordinal. Motivated by a study on diagnosing endometriosis, we propose an approach to estimating diagnostic accuracy measures that can incorporate different stochastic order constraints on the test scores when an ordinal true disease status is in consideration. We show that the Dirichlet process mixture provides a convenient framework to both flexibly model the test score distributions and embed the a priori ordering constraints. We also utilize the Dirichlet process mixture to model the correlation between multiple tests. In taking a Bayesian perspective to inference, we develop an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to sample from the posterior distribution and provide posterior estimates of the receiver operating characteristic surfaces and the associated summary measures. The proposed approach is evaluated with extensive simulation studies, and is demonstrated with an application to the endometriosis study.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide increases apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting the cAMP/Bcl‐xL pathway
Authors: Hara Masaki , Takeba Yuko , Iiri Taroh , Ohta Yuki , Ootaki Masanori , Watanabe Minoru , Watanabe Daiki , Koizumi Satoshi , Otsubo Takehito , Matsumoto Naoki 
Published: November 2018

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a modulator of inflammatory responses. VIP receptors are expressed in several tumor types, such as colorectal carcinoma. The study described herein was conducted to confirm the presence of VIP and its receptors (VPAC1 and VPAC2) in surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and in the HCC cell line Huh7. The mechanism responsible for apoptosis of HCC cells was then examined because VIP treatment (10−10 M) significantly suppressed proliferation of Huh7 cells. In examining apoptosis‐related proteins, we found caspase‐3 to be significantly increased and Bcl‐xL and cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element‐binding protein (CREB) to be significantly decreased in Huh7 cells cultured with VIP. Furthermore, the CREB level and phosphorylation were reduced. These effects were reversed by the addition of VIP receptor antagonist or cAMP antagonist Rp‐cAMPS. Pretreatment with cAMP analogue blocked the increased apoptosis, suggesting that VIP induces apoptosis via a PKA‐independent signaling mechanism. Our data indicate that VIP prevents the progression of HCC by apoptosis through the cAMP/Bcl‐xL pathway.
Learning Landscapes: Where the Science of Learning Meets Architectural Design
Authors: Bustamante Andres S. , Hassinger‐Das Brenna , Hirsh‐Pasek Kathy , Golinkoff Roberta M. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractRich learning opportunities in and out of school are critical for children to develop positively. Learning Landscapes is a new initiative that marries the fields of urban design and developmental science to bring playful learning opportunities to places where children and families spend time. Through this initiative, we have transformed parks, bus stops, grocery stores, and other public places into venues for playful learning interactions. In this article, we review the research on these projects, and map the vision and next steps of this initiative. By bringing learning opportunities to children and families who need it most, our goal is to equip parents and educators with the contexts and tools they need to support all children in developing the skills for success in school and life.
Relation between hysterectomy, oophorectomy and the risk of incident differentiated thyroid cancer: The E3N cohort
Authors: Guenego Agathe , Mesrine Sylvie , Dartois Laureen , Leenhardt Laurence , Clavel‐Chapelon Françoise , Kvaskoff Marina , Boutron‐Ruault Marie‐Christine , Bonnet Fabrice 
Published: November 2018

SummaryBackgroundThyroid cancers are threefold more frequent in women than in men. A role of reproductive or hormonal factors has been suggested but with contradictory results. We investigated potential associations between history of hysterectomy, with or without oophorectomy, and history of benign gynaecological disease (uterine fibroids, endometriosis) and the incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer, in a large French prospective cohort.MethodsA total of 89 340 women from the E3N cohort were followed up between 1990 and 2012. Gynaecological diseases treated by surgery were self‐reported. Thyroid cancers were validated by histological reports. Time‐dependent covariates included smoking status, BMI and history of benign thyroid disease. Cox proportional hazard models with age as timescale were used to estimate Hazard Ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsA total of 412 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed during follow‐up. A history of hysterectomy was associated with an increased risk of differentiated thyroid cancer (adjusted HR=2.05; 95%CI: 1.65‐2.55). The association was not altered after further adjustment for reproductive factors. Endometriosis, uterine polyps, ovarian cysts and oophorectomy without hysterectomy were not associated with the risk of thyroid cancer. A history of fibroids was also significantly related to the risk of thyroid cancer over the follow‐up period (adjusted HR=1.91; 95%CI: 1.50‐2.44) and the increased risk persisted after adjustment for history of hysterectomy.ConclusionsWomen who had either a history of fibroids or hysterectomy had an increased risk of differentiated thyroid cancer. These findings suggest shared biological mechanisms between fibroids and thyroid cancer, which deserve to be further dissected.
Generalization and Search in Risky Environments
Authors: Schulz Eric , Wu Charley M. , Huys Quentin J. M. , Krause Andreas , Speekenbrink Maarten 
Published: November 2018

AbstractHow do people pursue rewards in risky environments, where some outcomes should be avoided at all costs? We investigate how participant search for spatially correlated rewards in scenarios where one must avoid sampling rewards below a given threshold. This requires not only the balancing of exploration and exploitation, but also reasoning about how to avoid potentially risky areas of the search space. Within risky versions of the spatially correlated multi‐armed bandit task, we show that participants’ behavior is aligned well with a Gaussian process function learning algorithm, which chooses points based on a safe optimization routine. Moreover, using leave‐one‐block‐out cross‐validation, we find that participants adapt their sampling behavior to the riskiness of the task, although the underlying function learning mechanism remains relatively unchanged. These results show that participants can adapt their search behavior to the adversity of the environment and enrich our understanding of adaptive behavior in the face of risk and uncertainty.
Bargaining externalities in a privatization programme
Authors: Bennett John , Maw James 
Published: November 2018

AbstractIn privatization programmes, the state commonly keeps a minority ownership stake in firms. We provide an explanation based on the externality that privatization of one firm has on the profitability of others. If this externality is negative, as with oligopolistic firms, the government can gain a strategic advantage in bargaining over the sale of one firm if it keeps an ownership share in another. We consider both the simultaneous and the sequential sale of firms. The results apply to the period in which privatization takes place, and are consistent with the delayed sale of minority ownership often observed in practice.
CD79B mutations in primary vitreoretinal lymphoma: Diagnostic and prognostic potential
Authors: Yonese Ichiro , Takase Hiroshi , Yoshimori Mayumi , Onozawa Erika , Tsuzura Akiho , Miki Tohru , Mochizuki Manabu , Miura Osamu , Arai Ayako 
Published: November 2018

AbstractObjectivePrimary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) is a rare type of lymphoma wherein the lesions are limited to the eyes. PVRL is difficult to diagnose because of the challenges related to obtaining sufficient samples for biopsy. Moreover, PVRL has poor outcomes and often leads to the development of central nervous system (CNS) lesions during its course. Two studies recently reported that approximately 70%‐80% of patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma have MYD88L265P, which is frequently mutated in primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL). PCNSL is closely associated with PVRL. The mutation of CD79BY196 has been also frequently detected in PCNSL. Thus, we examined the mutation in PVRL to clarify its diagnostic and prognostic potential.MethodBy using direct sequencing and allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction, we examined the mutation of CD79BY196 and MYD88L265P in the DNA extracted from the vitreous fluid of 17 patients with PVRL upon diagnosis. We also retrospectively analyzed their prognostic potential for PVRL.ResultsAmong the included patients, six patients (35%) were found with CD79BY196 mutations. Twelve (71%) patients were positive for MYD88L265P, and six samples from patients with benign uveitis were negative for both mutations. Interestingly, six patients with CD79BY196 mutations developed CNS diseases significantly earlier (16.5 months) than 11 patients with CD79BWT (67 months; P = 0.0135).ConclusionDetecting CD79BY196 in vitreous DNA may contribute to the confirmation of the diagnosis and may have a prognostic potential for patients with PVRL.