bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Conjunctiva in Normal Tension Glaucoma Patients is Thinner Than in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients: A Comparative Histologic Study
Authors: Van Ginderdeuren Rita , Vandewalle Evelien , Pinto Luis Abegão , Stalmans Ingeborg , Zeyen Thierry 
Published: February 2016

Purpose:
To compare histologically the thickness of conjunctival specimens of normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.

Materials and Methods:
In this prospective study, 54 patients scheduled for trabeculectomy were categorized into NTG and POAG based on their maximum untreated intraocular pressure at any time (IOPmax) as measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry. Sixteen patients with NTG (IOPmax≤21 mm Hg) and 36 patients with high tension POAG (IOPmax>21 mm Hg) were included in the study. Biopsies were taken from the superior bulbar conjunctiva during trabeculectomy. The specimens were fixed in formalin, embedded in methacrylate, histologically sectioned, stained with toluidine blue, and analyzed with a light microscope. The stromal conjunctival thickness (CT) was measured in a standardized way and compared between the 2 groups. Intergroup comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and the Fisher exact test for categorical variables. The correlation between the central cornea thickness (CCT) and the CT was investigated by the Spearman test.

Results:
The stromal CT was significantly thinner in NTG compared with POAG (64±31 vs. 103±44 µm, respectively; P=0.002). Stromal CT of the whole group was positively correlated with IOPmax (r=0.41; P=0.002; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.62) but not with central cornea thickness (r=−0.005; P=0.97; 95% confidence interval, −0.28 to 0.27).

Conclusions:
The conjunctiva in patients with NTG was thinner than in POAG patients. This finding is an additional feature in the pattern of thinner ocular structures in patients with NTG.
Hypertransaminasemia in Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Patients With Celiac Disease
Authors: Lee Grace J. , Boyle Brendan , Ediger Tracy , Hill Ivor 
Published: February 2016

AbstractObjectives:The aim of the present study was to determine the proportion of pediatric patients with celiac disease (CD) who had transaminases obtained at diagnosis and to determine the proportion with hypertransaminasemia.Methods:Data from newly diagnosed patients with CD at Nationwide Children's Hospital from February 2007 to March 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) values at diagnosis and after initiation of a gluten‐free diet (GFD) were assessed.Results:Of 388 patients (mean age 10.1 ± 4.4 years, 235 girls), 185 (47.7%) had transaminases obtained at the time of diagnosis. Twenty‐eight of one hundred eighty‐five (15.1%) had an elevated ALT and/or AST level with an average ALT 2.52 × upper limit of normal (ULN) and AST 1.87 × ULN. Those with hypertransaminasemia were younger than those with normal levels (6.31 ± 4.75 vs 11.00 ± 4.28 years, P < 0.0001). Sex, symptoms at diagnosis, and weight, height, and body mass index z scores were not predictive of elevated transaminases. Of the 21 patients with hypertransaminasemia at diagnosis who had repeat laboratory test results after starting the GFD, 15 (71.4%) normalized whereas 6 (28.6%) remained elevated.Conclusions:There is variation in practice among pediatric gastroenterologists in the assessment of transaminases in children with CD. Hypertransaminasemia is present at diagnosis in a significant proportion of children with CD although at a lower frequency than previously reported. Younger patients are more likely to have an elevation in transaminases. Abnormal transaminases normalize in the majority of patients within 1 year after initiation of a GFD.
High Prevalence of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease in Children With Intestinal Failure
Authors: Stamm Danielle A. , Hait Elizabeth , Litman Heather J. , Mitchell Paul D. , Duggan Christopher 
Published: February 2016

AbstractObjectives:The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence and clinical features of gastrointestinal (GI) eosinophilic inflammation among pediatric patients with intestinal failure (IF).Methods:Medical records of all patients studied in our institution's IF program who underwent GI endoscopy over a 15‐year period were reviewed, and clinical, pathologic, nutrition, and laboratory data collected.Results:One hundred five patients underwent 208 GI endoscopic procedures with biopsy. The overall prevalence of eosinophilic inflammation, defined as increased eosinophils in at least 1 tissue type on at least 1 endoscopy, was 39 of 105 (37%). The tissue‐specific prevalence of eosinophilic inflammation ranged widely, with the colon/rectosigmoid being the most common (18/68, 26%), followed by the esophagus (17/83, 20%), ileum (9/54, 17%), duodenum (4/83, 5%), and stomach (3/83, 4%). Higher peripheral eosinophil count and hematochezia were associated with eosinophilic inflammation in the colon (P = 0.002 and 0.0004, respectively). The use of a strict elemental diet for 3 months before endoscopy was not associated with a decreased frequency of eosinophilic inflammation in any tissue.Conclusions:Eosinophilic inflammation is a common histopathological finding in patients with IF. Colonic eosinophilic inflammation is associated with clinical symptoms of GI blood loss, and peripheral eosinophilia, and was not abrogated by a strict elemental diet.
Increasing the Efficiency of Genome-wide Association Mapping via Hidden Markov Models
Authors: Gao Hong , Tang Hua , Bustamante Carlos D. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWith the rapid production of high dimensional genetic data, one major challenge in genome-wide association studies is to develop effective and efficient statistical tools to resolve the low power problem of detecting causal SNPs with low to moderate susceptibility, whose effects are often obscured by substantial background noises. Here we present a novel method that serves as an optimal technique for reducing background noises and improving detection power in genome-wide association studies. The approach uses hidden Markov model and its derivate Markov hidden Markov model to estimate the posterior probabilities of a markers being in an associated state. We conducted extensive simulations based on the human whole genome genotype data from the GlaxoSmithKline-POPRES project to calibrate the sensitivity and specificity of our method and compared with many popular approaches for detecting positive signals including theχ2test for association and the Cochran-Armitage trend test. Our simulation results suggested that at very low false positive rates (< 10−6), our method reaches the power of 0.9, and is more powerful than any other approaches, when the allelic effect of the causal variant is non-additive or unknown. Application of our method to the data set generated by Welcome Trust Case Control Consortium using 14,000 cases and 3,000 controls confirmed its powerfulness and efficiency under the context of the large-scale genome-wide association studies.
Salmonid chromosome evolution as revealed by a novel method for comparing RADseq linkage maps
Authors: Sutherland Ben J. G. , Gosselin Thierry , Normandeau Eric , Lamothe Manuel , Isabel Nathalie , Audet Céline , Bernatchez Louis 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWhole genome duplication (WGD) can provide material for evolutionary innovation. Assembly of large, outbred eukaryotic genomes can be difficult, but structural rearrangements within such taxa can be investigated using linkage maps. RAD sequencing provides unprecedented ability to generate high-density linkage maps for non-model species, but can result in low numbers of homologous markers between species due to phylogenetic distance or differences in library preparation. Family Salmonidae is ideal for studying the effects of WGD as the ancestral salmonid underwent WGD relatively recently, around 65 million years ago, then rediploidized and diversified. Extensive synteny between orthologous chromosomes occurs in extant salmonids, but each species has both conserved and unique chromosome arm fusions and fissions. Here we generate a high-density linkage map (3826 markers) for theSalvelinusgenera (Brook CharrS. fontinalis), and then identify orthologous chromosome arms among the other available salmonid high-density linkage maps, including six species ofOncorhynchus, and one species for each ofSalmoandCoregonus, as well as the sister group for the salmonids,Esox luciusfor homeolog designation. To this end, we developedMapComp, a program that identifies identical and proximal markers between linkage maps using a reference genome of a related species as an intermediate. This approach increases the number of comparable markers between linkage maps by 5-fold, enabling a characterization of the most likely history of retained chromosomal rearrangements post-WGD, and identifying several conserved chromosomal inversions. Analyses of RADseq-based linkage maps from other taxa will also benefit fromMapComp, available at:https://github.com/enormandeau/mapcomp/
Efficient Breeding by Genomic Mating
Authors: Akdemir Deniz , Isidro Sánchez Julio 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIn this article, we propose an approach to breeding which focuses on mating instead of truncation selection, our method uses genome-wide marker information in a similar fashion to genomic selection so we refer it to as genomic mating. Using concepts of estimated breeding values, risk (usefulness) and inbreeding, an efficient mating approach is formulated for improvement of breeding values in the long run. We have used a genetic algorithm to find solutions to this optimization problem. Results from our simulations point to the efficiency of genomic mating for breeding complex traits compared to truncation selection.
Light adaptation explains different linearity of ON and OFF responses
Authors: Carandini Matteo 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe visual system separates the responses to dark and light stimuli into OFF and ON channels. Recordings in visual thalamus indicate that these channels exhibit marked asymmetries in linearity: OFF responses grow roughly linearly with intensity decrements, but ON responses can saturate with small intensity increments. Here I show that this asymmetry is likely to originate in photoreceptors, as it follows from the classical description of their light responses and of their properties of light adaptation. Under this interpretation, the surprising aspect of the recordings is that the visual system does so little to change this asymmetry in subsequent stages.
Rewiring of an ancestral Tbx1/10-Ebf-Mrf network for pharyngeal muscle specification in distinct embryonic lineages
Authors: Tolkin Theadora , Christiaen Lionel 
Published: February 2016

ABSTRACTSkeletal muscles arise from diverse embryonic origins, yet converge on common regulatory programs involving muscle regulatory factor (MRF)-family genes. Here, we compare the molecular basis of myogenesis in two separate muscle groups in the simple chordateCiona:theatrial andoralsiphonmuscles. Here, we describe the ontogeny of OSM progenitors and characterize the clonal origins of OSM founders to compare mechanisms of OSM specification to what has been established for ASM. We determined that, as is the case in the ASM,Ebf and Tbx1/10are both expressed and function upstream ofMrfin the OSM founder cells. However, regulatory relationships betweenTbx1/10, EbfandMrfdiffer between the OSM and ASM lineages: whileTbx1/10, EbfandMrfform a linear cascade in the ASM,EbfandTbx1/10are expressed in the inverse temporal order and are required together in order to activateMrfin the OSM founder cells.
The perception of public sector auditors on performance audit in Malaysia: an exploratory study
Authors: Loke Chew Har , Ismail Suhaiza , Hamid Fatima Abdul 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception of public sector auditors on performance audit in Malaysian public sector entities. In particular, this study elicits the respondents’ opinions on the elements of performance audit, the need for involvement of auditors in policy making, relevant experts to undertake a performance audit, major constraints in carrying out performance audit and the potential of performance audit to improve public administration.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study employed a postal questionnaire method to seek the perception of the auditors. The questionnaire was distributed to the population of public sector auditors in the National Audit Department in Malaysia and a total of 503 usable responses were received. The responses were analysed using descriptive statistical analysis including mean score and mean score ranking.

Findings
– The results reveal that auditors were of the opinion that effectiveness element should be one of the performance audit elements and that public sector auditors should be given the opportunity to influence policy decisions. In addition, the results show that the public auditor is not the only profession that can carry out performance audit, but can team up with other professions. In relation to constraints in performance audit, “Lack of cooperation and commitment from auditees in conducting a performance audit” was claimed to be the topmost constraint. Furthermore, performance audit was claimed to be able to enhance public accountability, as well as to enable more economical, efficient and effective utilising of public resources.

Originality/value
– This paper is one of few studies on public sector auditing particularly on performance auditing in the context of a developing country (i.e Malaysia).
What makes consumers believe: the impacts of priming and sequential service experiences on consumer emotions and willingness to pay
Authors: Chou Ting-Jui , Chang En-Chung , Zheng Yanan , Tang Xiaofei 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of priming on consumer emotions and willingness to pay as consumers experience two services with two opposite valences.

Design/methodology/approach
A 2 (service experience sequence: failure–success, success–failure) × 3(priming: positive, negative, no priming) between-subject experiment was conducted with 230 college students in China.

Findings
Results indicate that when priming information is included, people give greater decision weight to the second service. Specifically, in the failure–success scenario, priming information between two services increases positive emotions and decreases negative emotions, raising willingness to pay. In the success–failure scenario, priming information decreases positive emotions and increases negative emotions, thus lowering willingness to pay.

Practical implications
First, if businesses discover the possibility of a service failure, then disclosing negative information is better than whitewashing the truth. Second, services following a campaign of positively framed messages should be carefully rendered. The damage of pre-failure positive priming is most certainly irreparable. Finally, in terms of communication, businesses and service providers should cater to consumers exposed to different levels of information accordingly.

Originality/value
Previous investigations focusing on a single purchase have argued that priming effects should cause consumers of varying tastes to react in a more unified manner to a service. This study extends the research scope to more realistic situations ”sequential service experiences with opposite valences” and asserts that differences in service experiences alter the influence of priming information.
Unlocking the potential of branding in social marketing services: utilising brand personality and brand personality appeal
Authors: Gordon Ross , Zainuddin Nadia , Magee Christopher 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate the utility of branding theory for social marketing services. Specifically, this is to our knowledge the first to investigate brand personality (BP) and brand personality appeal (BPA) in a single study as predictors for consumer attitudes and intentions to engage with a service.

Design/methodology/approach
The associations between BP and BPA and their subsequent associations with attitudes and intentions are tested in two service types, i.e. a commercial marketing service (banking) and a social marketing service (health screening). This involved a cross-sectional dual online survey administered to a sample of 395 women 50-69 years old in Queensland, Australia. This sampling criterion represented the primary target audience for the social marketing service, which was breastscreening and was maintained for the banking services sample. Multiple mediation analysis using a bootstrapping approach was conducted using Mplus 6.11.

Findings
BP and BPA perform similarly across the two service types. BP and BPA are related and have direct and indirect associations with consumer attitudes and behavioural intentions towards both commercial and social marketing services. Specifically, the BP traits of responsibility and activity were found to have significant direct and indirect relationships with attitudes and behavioural intentions towards both commercial and social marketing services. The relationships for the emotionality and simplicity traits were non-significant. The results also suggest that the attractiveness, favourability and clarity BPA traits had the strongest associations with consumer responses.

Originality/value
This study demonstrates the utility of using branding in social marketing services, which to date has been under-utilised. It also offers originality by combining BP and BPA in the same empirical inquiry, which to date has been examined separately. A new and alternative factor structure for BPA is provided, and future research is recommended to further examine BPA in this and other contexts.
As time goes by ... maintaining longitudinal satisfaction: a perspective of hedonic adaptation
Authors: Ying Yu , Jing Fengjie , Nguyen Bang , Chen Junsong 
Published: February 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of how firms can maintain longitudinal satisfaction. Previous research on longitudinal satisfaction demonstrates that the product attributes weight on satisfaction shifts over time. However, the existing literature lacks an understanding of the intervening mechanism. Inspired by the hedonic adaptation theory, this research first argues that the shift depends on the attribute’s variability. Then, it posits that hedonic adaptation might play a mediation role in connecting the attribute’s weight and longitudinal satisfaction. Finally, the research incorporates consumer intentional activities into the antecedents of longitudinal satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test a series of hypotheses across two studies. Using the Slope-shift Parameter Theory and Structural Equation Modeling, data collected from smartphone owners in four MBA classes (Study 1) and eight business venues in China (Study 2) are analyzed to confirm the research model.FindingsThe findings suggest that hedonic adaptation occurs during the ownership process. It is revealed that both the attribute’s variability and consumption behavior play important roles in sustaining long-term satisfaction, confirming the mediating effects of hedonic adaptation on the relationship above.Originality/valueThe hedonic adaptation theory is applied to study the mediating role of product attribute variability and consumption behavior in sustaining customer satisfaction over time. Three contributions are offered: First, hedonic adaptation occurs during the ownership process; second, the attribute’s variability and consumption behavior both play important roles in sustaining longitudinal satisfaction; third, the mediating effects of hedonic adaptation are confirmed for the relationship between attribute’s variability and sustaining satisfaction and consumption behavior and sustaining satisfaction.
Innovation creation, innovation adoption, and firm characteristics in the construction industry
Authors: Kamal Ernawati Mustafa , Yusof Nor'Aini , Iranmanesh Mohammad 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– This study aims to assess the construction firm’s innovation orientation and to investigate its relationship with firm characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach
– A structured survey was conducted among 105 firms in the Malaysian construction industry. The results of the factor analysis revealed two underlying dimensions of innovation, namely, innovation creation and innovation adoption. For the cluster analysis, the firms were segmented into four subgroups according to four dimensions, namely, non-innovative, innovation-creator, imitator and innovative firms.

Findings
– Firm’s business scale and age significantly affected the innovation orientation of construction firms.

Originality/value
– This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by adding a new firm characteristic, business scale, as a potential predictor of firms’ innovativeness. This study is the first to explore the effect of firm characteristics on the innovation orientation of firms.
Digital oases and digital deserts in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Wentrup Robert , Ström Patrik , Nakamura H. Richard 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate whether Sub-Saharan African countries are catching up with the rest of the world in terms of online usage. Online service usage is an important component of the discourse of the “digital divide”, an emblematic term for the inequality of information and communication technology access.Design/methodology/approach– This paper is a quantitative analysis of internet and Facebook penetration coupled with economic strength (GDP/capita), literacy and degree of rural population.Findings– The findings reveal a heterogeneous pattern with a few African countries being digital oases and close to European levels, whereas the majority of the countries are still digital deserts. A strong correlation is found between economic strength and internet penetration. A generalist picture that Sub-Saharan is on the trajectory of closing the digital divide is an imprecise reflection of the reality.Research limitations/implications– It is argued that instead of measuring supply-side data, which has been the trend till now, the use of demand-side elements such as online service usage tells more about digital inequalities between countries.Practical implications– The research encourages internet firms to open up their eyes for Sub-Saharan Africa as an investment opportunity with an untapped gap of online usage.Social implications– The three-billion internet users on the planet are unevenly spread and under-represented in Africa. By drawing a heterogeneous online usage landscape, digital policy can be accurately steered toward countries with the largest needs.Originality/value– There is a paucity of research going into the depth of online usage in Africa. The paper is a contribution to fill that gap.