bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring factors hindering SMEs’ growth: evidence from Nambia
Authors: Baporikar Neeta , Nambira Geoffrey , Gomxos Geroldine 
Published: July 2016

Purpose
This study aims to explore factors hindering small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) growth in Khomas region in Nambia.

Methodology/design/approach
Methodology adopted is qualitative approach with a case study research design including in-depth interviews and deep observations.

Findings
Findings indicate that these SMEs experience stealing, security problems and fights from the customers, which hinder business growth. In addition, though they understand the importance of technology in boosting business growth, they are not able to keep the pace with changing technology, which impacts their business development. It was further found that access to finance, appropriate marketing strategies, lack of skilled manpower and poor customer service also hinder their business growth.

Research limitations/implications
The special aspect of case study design is that it defines the delimitation of the research study and may find it necessary to adjust the boundaries that in any case have initially been determined arbitrarily. Being a case approach, it may be difficult to generalize for all kinds of SMEs.

Practical implications
The problem faced by business owners as explored in this study brings a further dimension to the current literature on factors that hinder growth of SMEs. According to literature studies on factors hindering business growth, especially for SMEs selling alcoholic beverages, factors such as fighting, stealing and insulting as found in this study provide a new dimension on popular businesses especially in high-density areas or locations as they are popularly known in Namibia.

Originality/value
The originality of this study is the line of business - SMEs selling alcoholic beverages. This line of business is very popular and many venture into this because of the demand and profitability but because there are no studies, this paper will contribute and provide a framework to ensure success and business growth for future entrepreneurs in this line of business.
Partial unilateral lentiginosis is mosaic neurofibromatosis type 1 or not?
Authors: Yaşar Şirin , Ersanli Ayşegül , Göktay Fatih , Aytekin Sema , Cebeci Dua , Güneş Pembegül 
Published: July 2016

AbstractPartial unilateral lentiginosis (PUL) is a rare pigmentation disorder characterized by numerous lentigines with sharp margins in the midline in one or more dermatomes. Its segmental pattern suggests that this presentation accompanied by café‐au‐lait spots, Lisch nodule or neurofibromas has a close relationship with mosaic neurofibromatosis type 1 or segmental neurofibromatosis (NF) in particular.In a group of 16 patients with PUL, who presented at the dermatology outpatient clinic between 1998 and 2015, an examination was made of consanguineous marriage in the family history, the presence of a similar lesion or NF in first‐degree relatives, neurofibroma in the physical examination, the involvement pattern, axillary/inguinal freckling and the presence and number of café‐au‐lait spots. The ophthalmological examination investigated Lisch nodule and optic glioma. The skeletal system was examined for NF involvement.Of 16 patients, 13 (81.2%) were female and three (18.8%) were male with a mean age of 31.19 years (range, 15–48). There was no family history of PUL in any case. Consanguineous marriage was absent in 15 patients (93.8%). While there were accompanying café‐au‐lait spots in three patients (18.8%). Lisch nodule was an accompanying finding in three patients (18.8%). Axillary freckling was detected in four (25%) patients. Neurofibroma was found in only one patient.Although café‐au‐lait spots, axillary freckling, neurofibroma and Lisch nodule were present in a small number of the patients, the presence of the findings may be considered to be specific to NF suggests that PUL is a variant of mosaic NF‐1. Genetic studies will help to further elucidate this subject.
World Cities and the Uneven Geographies of Financialization: Unveiling Stratification and Hierarchy in the World City Archipelago
Authors: Van Meeteren Michiel , Bassens David 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis article critically evaluates the network‐centrism of much of contemporary world cities research and queries its capacity to unveil key accumulation processes under financialized globalization. Our object of inquiry is the world city archipelago (WCA), a material yet non‐contiguous space of world city ‘islands', which is (re)produced through the socio‐spatial practices of advanced producer services (APS) firms as they assist in constructing (financial) accumulation strategies for their clients. Scrutinizing the WCA with a singular focus on networks can veil dynamics that lead to internal stratification and hierarchy between world cities and their constitutive outside. Alternatively, these veiled dimensions are better grasped by territorial, scalar and place‐based abstractions. As an example, we unveil WCA space by studying the space of APS practices in three recent cases of Eurobond issuance. By comparing these three instances through an encompassing approach, a bounded geography of a financialized accumulation space is identified, which contains London and other world cities as a necessary space of dependence but also stretches out to various contingent spaces of engagement at the fringes of the WCA network: offshore jurisdictions and places of debt origination. We conclude by making the case for a heightened sensitivity in respect of core–periphery structures that exist between the WCA and its outside, but also within the WCA itself.
Alcohol, Tannins, and Mannoprotein and their Interactions Influence the Sensory Properties of Selected Commercial Merlot Wines: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Diako Charles , McMahon Kenneth , Mattinson Scott , Evans Marc , Ross Carolyn 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe objective of this study was to assess the influence of the interaction among alcohol, tannins, and mannoproteins on the aroma, flavor, taste, and mouthfeel characteristics of selected commercial Merlot wines. Merlot wines (n = 61) were characterized for wine chemistry parameters, including pH, titratable acidity, alcohol, glucose, fructose, tannin profile, total proteins, and mannoprotein content. Agglomerative clustering of these physicochemical characteristics revealed 6 groups of wines. Two wines were selected from each group (n = 12) and profiled by a trained sensory evaluation panel. One wine from each group was evaluated using the electronic tongue (e‐tongue). Sensory evaluation results showed complex effects among tannins, alcohol, and mannoproteins on the perception of most aromas, flavors, tastes, and mouthfeel attributes (P < 0.05). The e‐tongue showed distinct differences among the taste attributes of the 6 groups of wines as indicated by a high discrimination index (DI = 95). Strong correlations (r2 > 0.930) were reported between the e‐tongue and sensory perception of sweet, sour, bitter, burning, astringent, and metallic. This study showed that interactions among wine matrix components influence the resulting sensory perceptions. The strong correlation between the e‐tongue and trained panel evaluations indicated the e‐tongue can complement sensory evaluations to improve wine quality assessment.
The Role of Education in the Implementation of Shared Decision Making in Emergency Medicine: A Research Agenda
Authors: Chen Esther H. , Kanzaria Hemal K. , Itakura Kaoru , Booker‐Vaughns Juanita , Yadav Kabir , Kane Bryan G. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractShared decision making (SDM) is a patient‐centered communication skill that is essential for all physicians to provide quality care. Like any competency or procedural skill, it can and should be introduced to medical students during their clerkships (undergraduate medical education), taught and assessed during residency training (graduate medical education), and have documentation of maintenance throughout an emergency physician's career (denoted as continuing medical education). A subgroup representing academic emergency medicine (EM) faculty, residents, content experts, and patients convened at the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on SDM to develop a research agenda toward improving implementation of SDM through sustainable education efforts. After developing a list of potential priorities, the subgroup presented the priorities in turn to the consensus group, to the EM program directors (CORD‐EM), and finally at the conference itself. The two highest‐priority questions were related to determining or developing EM‐applicable available tools and on‐shift interventions for SDM and working to determine the proportion of the broader SDM curriculum that should be taught and assessed at each level of training. Educating patients and the community about SDM was also raised as an important concept for consideration. The remaining research priorities were divided into high‐, moderate‐, and lower‐priority groups. Moreover, there was consensus that the overall approach to SDM should be consistent with the high‐quality educational design utilized for other pertinent topics in EM.
Alcohol consumption as a cause of cancer
Authors: Connor Jennie 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackground and aimsThere is increasing research evidence about the causal role of alcohol in cancer, accompanied by unclear and conflicting messages in the media. This paper aimed to clarify the strength of the evidence for alcohol as a cause of cancer, and the meaning of cause in this context.MethodsRecent epidemiological and biological research on alcohol and cancer was reviewed and summarized, drawing upon published meta‐analyses identified from the Medline database and the archives of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. More recent epidemiological studies not included in these publications were also reviewed. A brief description of the nature of causal inference in epidemiology was used to frame discussion of the strength of the evidence that alcohol causes cancer, and contrast this with the case for a protective association of alcohol with cardiovascular disease.ResultsThe usual epidemiological understanding of a cause is a factor that increases the incidence of a condition in the population. In the context of a body of epidemiological evidence of an association of alcohol consumption with a disease, the inference that it is a causal association requires alternative explanations of the observed finding to be judged unlikely. Even without complete knowledge of biological mechanisms, the epidemiological evidence can support the judgement that alcohol causes cancer of the oropharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum and breast. The measured associations exhibit gradients of effect that are biologically plausible, and there is some evidence of reversibility of risk in laryngeal, pharyngeal and liver cancers when consumption ceases. The limitations of cohort studies mean that the true effects may be somewhat weaker or stronger than estimated currently, but are unlikely to be qualitatively different. The same, or similar, epidemiological studies also commonly report protection from cardiovascular disease associated with drinking but a high level of scepticism regarding these findings is now warranted.ConclusionsThere is strong evidence that alcohol causes cancer at seven sites in the body and probably others. Current estimates suggest that alcohol‐attributable cancers at these sites make up 5.8% of all cancer deaths world‐wide. Confirmation of specific biological mechanisms by which alcohol increases the incidence of each type of cancer is not required to infer that alcohol is a cause.
Ultrastructural Aspects of the Prenatal Bovine Ovary Differentiation with a Special Focus on the Interstitial Cells
Authors: Kenngott R. A.‐M. , Scholz W. , Sinowatz F. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryThe aim of this investigation was to study the ultrastructural features during the development of fetal bovine ovaries (crown rump length ranging from 11.4 to 94.0 cm). An interesting observation was the occurrence of big elongated cells containing a variety of electron dense granules and light homogenous vacuoles/bodies. They were located between the stroma cells surrounding the germ cell cord ends, adjacent to the first formed primordial follicles, typically situated near blood vessels. ER alpha and ER beta receptor positive cells could be detected in the same regions by means of immunohistochemistry. Intercellular bridges linked the germ cells nests oogonia. Germ cell cords consisted of centrally located, large, pale oogonia, surrounded by elongated somatic cells with very long cytoplasm extensions. Primordial follicles with flat pale follicular cells could be observed on the inner end of the cords. Extrusions of the outer nuclear membrane could often been recognised in voluminous oocytes.
Quetiapine adverse events in older adults in Australia
Authors: El‐Saifi Najwan , Jones Cindy , Moyle Wendy 
Published: July 2016

AimTo characterise quetiapine reported adverse drug events (ADEs) in older Australians in terms of type, frequency, severity and outcome, and to compare these characteristics with those of younger Australians.MethodsBasic descriptive analyses were used to examine patient characteristics. The characteristics of reported ADEs were compared between older and younger Australians using odds ratios and chi‐squared tests.ResultsThe most frequently reported ADEs in older people were nervous system disorders (23.7%). There were significantly more reports of skin and subcutaneous ADEs and hepatobiliary ADEs for older people than for younger people. More severe ADEs were reported in older people with death more likely to occur in older than in younger peopleConclusionSignificant differences between older and younger people in terms of reported ADEs, severity and mortality were found. There is a need for further prospective studies in older people on quetiapine to confirm the findings of this study.
Does sequence matter? Productive failure and designing online authentic learning for process engineering
Authors: Lai Polly K. , Portolese Alisha , Jacobson Michael J. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis paper presents a study that applied both productive failure (PF) and authentic learning instructional approaches in online learning activities for early‐career process engineers' professional development. This study compares participants learning with either a PF (low‐to‐high [LH]) or a more traditional (high‐to‐low) learning sequence—the only difference between groups was the sequence of activities. In line with recent research on PF, this simple learning design tweak had a substantial effect—participants in the LH condition demonstrated significantly higher learning gains than those in the high‐to‐low condition on measures of conceptual knowledge and transfer. This paper concludes with implications for designing online learning experiences and discusses how careful attention to design decisions, such as activity sequence, can have a meaningful impact without increasing learning time.
Dispersal by generalist frugivores affects management of an invasive plant
Authors: Ramaswami Geetha , Kaushik Monica , Prasad Soumya , Sukumar Raman , Westcott David 
Published: July 2016

AbstractIn the past century, our understanding of the processes driving plant invasion and its consequences for natural and anthropogenic systems has increased considerably. However, the management of invasive plants remains a challenge despite ever more resources being allocated to their removal. Often invasive plants targeted for ‘eradication’ are well‐established, have multiple modes of reproduction, long‐term seed banks, and strong associations with native and non‐native mutualists that ensure dispersal and facilitate spread. The pantropical weed, Lantana camara (Lantana), is one of the most invasive woody plants globally. We illustrate that, for Lantana, eradication is an unrealistic management goal given the short‐term removal approaches, irrespective of the effectiveness of removal methods. We assessed the role of dispersal by avian frugivores in the recolonization of managed areas by Lantana in the seasonally dry, tropical forests of northern and southern India. We estimated the distribution of Lantana, its dispersal potential and the proximity between managed areas and source populations. We found that Lantana was dispersed by many generalist frugivorous birds and that most managed areas were well within the median dispersal distance from source plants facilitating rapid recolonization of managed areas. We conclude that given the difficulty of eradicating long‐established invasive plants, management practices should entail long‐term monitoring and control in priority areas for as long as Lantana occurs in the landscape.
Effects of tree species diversity on a community of weaver spiders in a tropical forest plantation
Authors: Esquivel‐Gómez Luis , Abdala‐Roberts Luis , Pinkus‐Rendón Miguel , Parra‐Tabla Víctor 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe effects of producer diversity on predators have received little attention in arboreal plant communities, particularly in the tropics. This is particularly true in the case of tree diversity effects on web‐building spiders, one of the most important groups of invertebrate predators in terrestrial plant communities. We evaluated the effects of tree species diversity on the community of weaver spiders associated with big‐leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in 19, 21 × 21‐m plots (64 plants/plot) of a tropical forest plantation which were either mahogany monocultures (12 plots) or polycultures (seven plots) that included mahogany and three other tree species. We conducted two surveys of weaver spiders on mahogany trees to evaluate the effects of tree diversity on spider abundance, species richness, diversity, and species composition associated with mahogany. Our results indicated that tree species mixtures exhibited significantly greater spider abundance, species richness, and diversity, as well as differences in spider species composition relative to monocultures. These results could be due to species polycultures providing a broader range of microhabitat conditions favoring spider species with different habitat requirements, a greater availability of web‐building sites, or due to increased diversity or abundance of prey. Accordingly, these results emphasize the importance of mixed forest plantations for boosting predator abundance and diversity and potentially enhancing herbivore pest suppression. Future work is necessary to determine the specific mechanisms underlying these patterns as well as the top‐down effects of increased spider abundance and species richness on herbivore abundance and damage.
Country characteristics and the incidence of capital income taxation on wages: An empirical assessment
Authors: Azémar Céline , Hubbard R. Glenn 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis paper examines the incidence of corporate income taxes on wages using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for 13 OECD countries. Within a wage‐bargaining framework, our econometric analysis shows that a substantial share of the corporate tax burden is shifted from capital to labour. However, the magnitude of this shift is influenced importantly by country characteristics affecting the process of wage determination, such as the degree of capital mobility, a country's relative influence over the world price of output and trade unions’ strength.
Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder casts a long shadow: findings from a population‐based study of adult women with self‐reported ADHD
Authors: Fuller‐Thomson E. , Lewis D. A. , Agbeyaka S. K. 
Published: July 2016

SummaryBackgroundTo develop a sociodemographic and health profile of women with self‐reported attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in comparison to women without.MethodsChi‐square tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted on data from the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey‐Mental Health (2012) comparing 107 women aged 20 to 39 years (inclusive) with ADHD to 3801 without ADHD. Depression, generalized anxiety disorder and substance abuse were measured using the WHO‐CIDI.ResultsWomen with ADHD had triple the prevalence of insomnia, chronic pain, suicidal ideation, childhood sexual abuse and generalized anxiety disorder and double the prevalence of substance abuse, current smoking, depressive disorders, severe poverty and childhood physical abuse in comparison with women without ADHD (all P < 0.001). Even after adjustments for age, race, education and income, women with ADHD had substantially higher odds of a wide range of problems.ConclusionOur results suggest that women with ADHD are particularly vulnerable to early adversities, health and mental health problems.
L‐3‐n‐butylphthalide Rescues Hippocampal Synaptic Failure and Attenuates Neuropathology in AgedAPP/PS1 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Zhang Yu , Huang Long‐Jian , Shi Si , Xu Shao‐Feng , Wang Xiao‐Liang , Peng Ying 
Published: July 2016

SummaryAimsOur previous studies showed that L‐3‐n‐butylphthalide (L‐NBP), an extract from seeds of Apium graveolens Linn (Chinese celery), improved cognitive ability in animal models of cerebral ischemia, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is well known that cognitive deficit ofADis caused by synaptic dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the effect of L‐NBPon hippocampal synaptic function inAPP/PS1ADtransgenic mice and related mechanisms.MethodsEighteen‐month‐oldAPP/PS1 transgenic (Tg) mice were administrated 15 mg/kg L‐NBPby oral gavage for 3 months. Synaptic morphology and the thickness of postsynaptic density (PSD) in hippocampal neurons were investigated by electron microscope. The dendritic spines, Aβplaques, and glial activation were detected by staining. The expressions of synapse‐related proteins were observed by Western blotting.ResultsL‐NBPtreatment significantly increased the number of synapses and apical dendritic thorns and the thickness ofPSD, increased the expression levels of synapse‐associated proteins includingPSD95, synaptophysin (SYN),β‐catenin, andGSK‐3β, and attenuated Aβplaques and neuroinflammatory responses in agedAPP/PS1 Tg mice.ConclusionL‐NBPmay restore synaptic and spine function in agedAPPTg mice through inhibiting Aβplaques deposition and neuroinflammatory response. Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway may be involved in L‐NBP‐related restoration of synaptic function.
Standardized technique for single‐docking robotic rectal surgery
Authors: Ahmed J. , Siddiqi N. , Khan L. , Kuzu A. , Parvaiz A. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractAimThe aim of this technical note is to describe our standardized technique for rectal surgery using a single‐docking totally robotic approach.MethodThe data related to patients who underwent single‐docking robotic rectal surgery were analysed for the feasibility of this approach.ResultsThis technique was used in 124 consecutive patients who underwent rectal resection since July 2013. Male to female ratio of patients was 2:1 while median age was 67 years (range 24–92). The median operating time was 240 min (range 105–456), whilst blood loss was 10 ml (range 0–200). There was no evidence of intra‐operative complications or conversions to either a laparoscopic or an open procedure. The median length of stay was 7 days (range 3–48).ConclusionA single‐docking technique for robotic rectal surgery is safe and feasible. It can be considered as standard approach for pelvic robotic surgery.