bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transitions in interaction landscapes of multidrug combinations
Authors: Kang Tina Manzhu , Østman Bjørn , Cruz-Loya Mauricio , Ann Lozano Natalie , Damoiseaux Robert , Savage Van M. , Yeh Pamela J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractDrug combinations are a promising strategy to increase killing efficiency and to decrease the likelihood of evolving resistance. A major challenge is to gain a detailed understanding of how drugs interact in a dose-specific manner, especially for interactions involving more than two drugs. Here we introduce a direct and intuitive visual representation that we term “interaction landscapes”. We use these landscapes to clearly show that the interaction type of two drugs typically transitions smoothly from antagonism to no interaction to synergy as drug doses increase. This finding contradicts prevailing assumptions that interaction type is always the same. Our results, from 56 interaction landscapes, are derived from all possible three-drug combinations among 8 antibiotics, each varied across a range of 7 concentrations and applied to a pathogenic Escherichia coli strain. Such comprehensive data and analysis are only recently possible through implementation of an automated high-throughput drug-delivery system and an explicit mathematical framework that disentangles pairwise versus three-way as well as net (any effect) versus emergent (requiring all three drugs) interactions. Altogether, these landscapes partly capture and encapsulate selective pressures that correspond to different dose regions and could help optimize treatment strategies. Consequently, interaction landscapes have profound consequences for choosing effective drug-dose combinations because there are regions where small changes in dose can cause large changes in pathogen killing efficiency and selective pressure.
Improving accuracy of conceptual cost estimation using MRA and ANFIS in Indonesian building projects
Authors: Jumas Dwifitra , Mohd-Rahim Faizul Azli , Zainon Nurshuhada , Utama Wayudi P. 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual cost estimation (CCE) model for building project by using a pragmatic approach, which is a mix of tools drawn from multiple regression analysis (MRA) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), to improve the accuracy of cost estimation at an early stage.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a set of MRA and integrating MRA with ANFIS or MRANFIS. A simultaneous regression analysis was developed to determine the main cost factors from 12 variables as input variables in the ANFIS model. Cost data from 78 projects of state building in West Sumatra, Indonesia were used to indicate the advantages of the proposed model.

Findings
The result shows that the proposed model, MRANFIS, has successfully improved the mean absolute percent error (MAPE) by 2.8 percent from MRA of 10.7–7.9 percent for closeness of fit to the model data and by 3.1 percent from MRA of 9.8–6.7 percent for prediction performance to the new data.

Research limitations/implications
Because the significant variables are different for each building type, the model may be not appropriate for other buildings depending on the characteristics of building. The models can be used and analyzed based on the own historical project data for each case so that the model can be applied.

Originality/value
The study thus provides better accuracy of CCE at an early stage for state building projects in West Sumatra, Indonesia by using the integrated model of MRA and ANFIS.
Cellular automata-based approach for digital image scrambling
Authors: Jeelani Zubair , Qadir Fasel 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate two-dimensional outer totalistic cellular automata (2D-OTCA) rules other than the Game of Life rule for image scrambling. This paper presents a digital image scrambling (DIS) technique based on 2D-OTCA for improving the scrambling degree. The comparison of scrambling performance and computational effort of proposed technique with existing CA-based image scrambling techniques is also presented.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a DIS technique based on 2D-OTCA with von Neumann neighborhood (NvN) is proposed. Effect of three important cellular automata (CA) parameters on gray difference degree (GDD) is analyzed: first the OTCA rules, afterwards two different boundary conditions and finally the number of CA generations (k) are tested. The authors selected a random sample of gray-scale images from the Berkeley Segmentation Data set and Benchmark, BSDS300 (www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Research/Projects/CS/vision/bsds/) for the experiments. Initially, the CA is setup with a random initial configuration and the GDD is computed by testing all OTCA rules, one by one, for CA generations ranging from 1 to 10. A subset of these tested rules produces high GDD values and shows positive correlation with the k values. Subsequently, this sample of rules is used with different boundary conditions and applied to the sample image data set to analyze the effect of these boundary conditions on GDD. Finally, in order to compare the scrambling performance of the proposed technique with the existing CA-based image scrambling techniques, the authors use same initial CA configuration, number of CA generations, k=10, periodic boundary conditions and the same test images.

Findings
The experimental results are evaluated and analyzed using GDD parameter and then compared with existing techniques. The technique results in better GDD values with 2D-OTCA rule 171 when compared with existing techniques. The CPU running time of the proposed algorithm is also considerably small as compared to existing techniques.

Originality/value
In this paper, the authors focused on using von Neumann neighborhood (NvN) to evolve the CA for image scrambling. The use of NvN reduced the computational effort on one hand, and reduced the CA rule space to 1,024 as compared to about 2.62 lakh rule space available with Moore neighborhood (NM) on the other. The results of this paper are based on original analysis of the proposed work.
Job characteristics, employee well-being, and job performance of public sector employees in Malaysia
Authors: Johari Johanim , Mohd Shamsudin Faridahwati , Fee Yean Tan , Yahya Khulida Kirana , Adnan Zurina 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the structural relationships between the job itself (i.e. job characteristics), employee well-being and job performance in light of the new administrative reform called the Government Transformation Program in Malaysia that stresses on measurable performance outputs.Design/methodology/approachA total of 208 public sector employees from various public agencies and departments in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia were surveyed. Some of the agencies that took part in the study include state departments, the fishery department, agriculture-related agencies and the rural development agency.FindingsThe authors observed that feedback positively influenced employee well-being, which served as a significant mediator in the relationship between feedback and job performance. The results indicated that 26.4 percent of the variance that explained employee well-being was accounted for by the different characteristics of a job. The authors also demonstrated that employee well-being accounted for 41.8 percent of job performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors recommended that public sector managers consider the element of feedback and enhance employee well-being to improve job performance.Originality/valueThis study offers an insight into the effect of perceived changes in the job itself on employee well-being and subsequent job performance in light of government reforms.
Defecting wine club members: an exploratory study
Authors: Newton Sandra K. , Nowak Linda I. , Kelkar Mayuresh 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the range of explanations for why wine club members defect and move on.

Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative research study uses data from US wine consumers, gathered through an online survey of 399 former wine club members who had quit their membership in the recent past. Consistent with literature on customer churn rates in subscription markets, data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, hierarchical multiple regression and analysis of variance.

Findings
The results reported by respondents indicate that higher levels of perceived product quality, fair value in pricing, variety seeking and commitment to customer service at the beginning and at the end of a wine club membership lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and a desire to recommend the club to others even after quitting. Though variety seeking is more commonplace among experienced wine drinkers, the good news for wineries is that consumers are more likely to recommend a wine club to others if at least a year has passed after they decided to quit.

Practical implications
The results provide implications for wine club managers seeking to improve wine club retention with suggested means for mitigating the rate of customer attrition.

Originality/value
This paper presents original research addressing a variety of reasons why wine club members quit. The extant research has found that factors such as product quality, fair pricing, service commitments and variety-seeking behavior affect members’ satisfaction with their wine club, as well as their desire to recommend it to others. The authors have attempted to combine all these factors into a single study to gain insight into wine club members’ switching behavior, and to find out what the wineries can do to improve customer loyalty.
The communicative power of an extreme territory – the Italian island of Pantelleria and its passito wine
Authors: Ingrassia Marzia , Altamore Luca , Columba Pietro , Bacarella Simona , Chironi Stefania 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to examine how Pantelleria’s wineries communicate the extreme territory of Pantelleria through its passito wine and whether this may be a value added for consumers. Specifically examines which dimensions of communication are effectively used by wineries to stimulate, in wine consumers, emotions that link passito wine with the territory of Pantelleria.

Design/methodology/approach
All websites of wineries producing passito wine in Pantelleria were analyzed using the adaptation, goal-attainment, integration and latent pattern maintenance (AGIL) scheme for measuring communication dimensions.

Findings
Results suggest that wineries and stakeholders should apply territory-based marketing strategies to add value to passito wine, the symbol of the island. Synergistically, Pantelleria, through the use of its symbolic product, may enhance its touristic activities. This approach provides useful elements to evaluate the potential of communication in other regions with extreme agriculture, with other agro-food products to promote, due to the replicability of the method.

Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this study is the application of the AGIL method to a population of wineries located in a small wine region; however, regions where heroic agriculture is practiced are generally small.

Practical implications
The findings demonstrate a unique approach that provides an alternative form of wine communication strategy, in which the extreme territory becomes the communication tool of the product linked to it, adding value, regardless of the brand, while, simultaneously, the product becomes the symbol of the territory.

Originality/value
It contributes to the literature by providing the first application of the AGIL scheme to the wine sector, and it shows a new approach for communication strategies in wine marketing.
Blockade of the cholinergic system during sensitization enhances lung responsiveness to allergen in rats
Authors: Malaspinas Iliona , Petak Ferenc , Baudat Aurélie , Doras Camille , Eigenmann Philippe A. , Habre Walid 
Published: July 2018

SummaryAlthough acute prophylactic administration of atropine modulates airway responsiveness, the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in the pathogenesis of sensitization and in antigen‐induced bronchoconstriction remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to determine whether blocking muscarinic receptors during chronic allergen exposure modulates lung responsiveness to the specific allergen. Forty rats were randomly assigned to one of the following five treatment groups: sensitization with saline vehicle, intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (1 mg) with or without atropine treatment (10 mg/kg per day) and repeated ovalbumin aerosol (1.25 mg/mL for 20 minutes) either alone or combined with atropine. Lung responsiveness to methacholine (4–16 μg/kg per minute) and intravenous ovalbumin (2 mg) was established before and 21 days after treatment with forced oscillations following bilateral vagotomy. Lung cellularity was determined by analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). A lung inflammatory response in all sensitized animals was defined as an increase in the number of inflammatory cells in the BALF. Baseline respiratory mechanics and methacholine responsiveness on Days 0 and 21 were comparable in all groups. However, increases in airway resistance following intravenous allergen challenge were significantly exacerbated in rats that received atropine. Inhibition of the cholinergic nervous system during allergic sensitization potentiates bronchoconstriction following exposure to the specific allergen. These findings highlight the role of the cholinergic neuronal pathway in airway sensitization to a specific allergen.
Integration or Black Power?
Authors: Waters Rob 
Published: July 2018

AbstractIntegration politics experienced a postcolonial crisis in the late 1960s. This was a crisis driven by the simultaneous and inter‐related eruption of Powellism and Black Power. This article uses the crisis of integration politics to show the Powellite conjuncture from its other side, as it played out in the reconstitution of black British politics. It shows how black activists responded to the rise of Powellism by demanding that the politics of integration be either abandoned or reframed, to more fully shake out the colonial inheritances that lurked within it. The integration proposed by the postwar project of race relations was problematic from its inception; Black Power used Powell's intervention to expose these problems and demand change.
The West Midlands and Powell's Birmingham Speech
Authors: Reekes Andrew 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThis article examines how the changing political debate in West Midlands’ constituencies influenced Powell's thinking, and how the area reacted to his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. It looks at local perceptions of Commonwealth immigration in the West Midlands. It contrasts largely tolerant Wolverhampton with attitudes in nearby Smethwick; here a small number of race propagandists shaped local feeling through the columns of the Smethwick Telephone. The article considers their campaign, and the notorious victory of the hardliner Peter Griffiths in the 1964 general election. Powell and allies learnt there was electoral mileage in the ‘race card’, then campaigning on the issue. The article details the strength of subsequent local support after his Midlands Hotel speech, a loyalty only fortified in response to the execration of a horrified metropolitan elite and lasting until his defection from the Conservative party in 1974.
Risk factors of acute kidney injury in children after cardiac surgery
Authors: Lee Ji‐Hyun , Jung Ji‐Yoon , Park Sun‐Woo , Song In‐Kyung , Kim Eun‐Hee , Kim Hee‐Soo , Kim Jin‐Tae 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundThe objective of this retrospective study was to determine the risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI), including albumin, in children who underwent cardiac surgery. In addition, we evaluated the association between preoperative serum albumin level and postoperative AKI in these patients.MethodsThis retrospective study included 505 pediatric patients who underwent congenital cardiac surgery. Preoperative and perioperative risk factors for AKI, including serum albumin level, were assessed. AKI incidence within 7 postoperative days was determined using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between possible risk factors and postoperative AKI.ResultsOf 505 pediatric patients, 185 (36.6%) developed postoperative AKI. The preoperative serum albumin level was associated with postoperative AKI (odds ratio [OR] 0.506, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.325‐0.788; P = 0.003). Other independent factors associated with AKI were age <12 months (OR 1.911, 95% CI 1.166‐3.132; P = 0.007), preoperative pulmonary hypertension (OR 1.853, 95% CI 1.182‐2.907; P = 0.01), and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) duration (OR 1.006, 95% CI 1.003‐1.009; P = 0.002). Patients with AKI had higher incidence of postoperative complications, longer mechanical ventilation times, and more prolonged intensive care unit and hospital stays than patients without AKI.ConclusionsPreoperative serum albumin level, age <12 months, preoperative pulmonary hypertension, and CPB duration were associated with risk for postoperative AKI in children who underwent congenital cardiac surgery.
Genetic diversity, population structure and phylogenetic relationships of three indigenous pig breeds from Jiangxi Province, China, in a worldwide panel of pigs
Authors: Wang X. , Wang C. , Huang M. , Tang J. , Fan Y. , Li Y. , Li X. , Ji H. , Ren J. , Ding N. 
Published: July 2018

SummaryDongxiang Spotted, Pingxiang Two‐End‐Black and Yushan Black pigs are three indigenous breeds in Jiangxi Province, China, that have been listed in the national conservation program for Chinese indigenous livestock germplasm. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of the nucleus populations of these three breeds in a worldwide context of European and Chinese pigs using Illumina Porcine 60K chips. Our data indicate that Dongxiang Spotted and Yushan Black pigs have recently experienced severe inbreeding. The two breeds show large runs‐of‐homozygosity values, long‐range extents of linkage disequilibrium and reduced observed heterozygosity. In contrast, Pingxiang Two‐End‐Black pigs are rich in genetic diversity and have few inbred individuals. Both phylogenetic and admixture analyses illustrate that Dongxiang Spotted and Yushan Black pigs are genetically close to their geographical neighbors in East China and that Pingxiang Two‐End‐Black pigs have a close relationship with three other Two‐End‐Black breeds in central China. Finally, we reconstructed the family structures of the three breeds and propose a reliable breeding strategy to better conserve these breeds.
CHRNA3 rs1051730 and CHRNA5 rs16969968 polymorphisms are associated with heavy smoking, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a mexican population
Authors: Pérez‐Morales Rebeca , González‐Zamora Alberto , González‐Delgado María Fernanda , Calleros Rincón Esperanza Y. , Olivas Calderón Edgar H. , Martínez‐Ramírez Ollin Celeste , Rubio Julieta 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBackground and purposeSmoking is a major public health problem worldwide. Polymorphisms in CHRNA3, CHRNA5, and CHRNB4 receptors play a critical role in nicotine dependence, lung cancer (LC) risk, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study characterized the CHRNA3 rs1051730 and CHRNA5 rs16969968 polymorphisms in a Mexican population and its association with nicotine dependence, LC, and COPD.MethodsThe study included 312 healthy individuals, 74 LC cases and 117 COPD cases. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan probes, and the data were analyzed using logistic regression adjusted for covariates.ResultsThe polymorphism CHRNA3 rs1051730 and CHRNA5 rs16969968 were in the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and the allelic frequency of the A allele was 0.15, for both polymorphisms. The smokers were stratified in heavy smokers and moderate/light smokers, and we found in A alleles an OR = 2.86 (P = 0.01) to CHRNA3 rs1051730 and OR = 3.12 (P = 0.03) to CHRNA5 rs16969968. In addition, the A alleles in CHRNA3 rs1051730 and CHRNA5 rs16969968 were associated with the risk for LC (OR = 1.66, P = 0.07 and OR = 1.57, P = 0.1, respectively) and for COPD (OR = 2.04, P = 0.01 and OR = 1.91, P = 0.02, respectively).ConclusionCHRNA3/5 polymorphisms are associated with nicotine dependence, LC, and COPD in Mexicans.
Ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness show sexual dimorphism in children of three to five years of age
Authors: Kelso Anne , Vogel Katharina , Steinacker Jürgen M. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAimA standard approach to measure subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) using ultrasound has proved successful in adults, but has not been studied in children. This study addressed that gap in children aged three to five years.MethodsIn autumn 2016, 24 preschools in Southwest Germany, recruited via mail, agreed to take part in this study and 274 children (51.4% boys) with a mean age of 4.6 ± 0.7 years participated in measurements of SAT and anthropometry. Differences in measurements were explored between the sexes and anthropometric predictors of mean SAT thickness were identified. Intra‐observer reliability for ultrasound measurements of SAT was also assessed.ResultsThe mean SAT thickness showed significant differences between the boys and girls (5.3 ± 2.0 and 6.3 ± 2.0 mm, respectively, p < 0.01). The children's body mass, height and sex explained 66% of the variance in the mean SAT thickness, as SAT was larger with a higher body mass, a smaller stature and in girls. Intra‐observer reliability resulted in an intra‐class correlation coefficient of 0.994 (p < 0.01) with a 95% confidence interval of 0.983–0.998.ConclusionSubcutaneous adipose tissue thickness differed between boys and girls with a mean age of 4.6 years. Intra‐observer reliability was excellent. This standardised approach enabled high‐precision measurements of SAT in a paediatric population.
An Entity Theory of Intelligence Predicts Higher Cortisol Levels When High School Grades Are Declining
Authors: Lee Hae Yeon , Jamieson Jeremy P. , Miu Adriana S. , Josephs Robert A. , Yeager David S. 
Published: July 2018

Grades often decline during the high school transition, creating stress. The present research integrates the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat with the implicit theories model to understand who shows maladaptive stress responses. A diary study measured declines in grades in the first few months of high school: salivary cortisol (N = 360 students, N = 3,045 observations) and daily stress appraisals (N = 499 students, N = 3,854 observations). Students who reported an entity theory of intelligence (i.e., the belief that intelligence is fixed) showed higher cortisol when grades were declining. Moreover, daily academic stressors showed a different lingering effect on the next day's cortisol for those with different implicit theories. Findings support a process model through which beliefs affect biological stress responses during difficult adolescent transitions.