bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conditional Cash Transfers to Increase Retention in PMTCT Care, Antiretroviral Adherence, and Postpartum Virological Suppression: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yotebieng Marcel , Thirumurthy Harsha , Moracco Kathryn E. , Edmonds Andrew , Tabala Martine , Kawende Bienvenu , Wenzi Landry K. , Okitolonda Emile W. , Behets Frieda 
Published: July 2016

Background:
Novel strategies are needed to increase retention in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services. We have recently shown that small, incremental cash transfers conditional on attending clinic resulted in increased retention along the PMTCT cascade. However, whether women who receive incentives to attend clinic visits are as adherent to antiretrovirals (ARV) as those who do not was unknown.

Objective:
To determine whether HIV-infected women who received incentives to remain in care were as adherent to antiretroviral treatment and achieved the same level of viral suppression at 6 weeks postpartum as those who did not receive incentives but also remained in care.

Methods:
Newly diagnosed HIV-infected women at ≤32 weeks gestational age were recruited at antenatal care clinics in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Women were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to an intervention or control group. The intervention group received compensation ($5, plus $1 increment at each subsequent visit) conditional on attending scheduled clinic visits and accepting offered PMTCT services, whereas the control group received usual care. The proportion of participants who remained in care, were fully adherent (took all their pills at each visit) or with undetectable viral load at 6 weeks postpartum were compared across group.

Results:
Among 433 women randomized (216 in intervention group and 217 in control group), 332 (76.7%) remained in care at 6 weeks postpartum, including 174 (80.6%) in the intervention group and 158 (72.8%) in the control group, (P = 0.04). Data on pill count were available for 297 participants (89.5%), including 156 (89.7%) and 141 (89.2%) in the intervention and control groups, respectively; 69.9% (109/156) and 68.1% (96/141) in the intervention and control groups had perfect adherence [risk difference, 0.02; 95% CI: −0.06 to 0.09]. Viral load results were available for 171 (98.3%) and 155 (98.7%) women in the intervention and control groups, respectively; 66.1% (113/171) in the intervention group and 69.7% (108/155) in the control group had an undetectable viral load (risk difference, −0.04; 95% CI: −0.14 to 0.07). Results were similar after adjusting for marital status, age, education, baseline CD4 count, viral load, gestational age, and initial ARV regimen.

Conclusions:
Although the provision of cash incentives to HIV-infected pregnant women led to higher retention in care at 6 weeks postpartum, among those retained in care, adherence to ARVs and virologic suppression did not differ by study group.
Inseparable tandem: evolution chooses ATP and Ca2+to control life, death and cellular signalling
Authors: Plattner Helmut , Verkhratsky Alexei 
Published: July 2016

From the very dawn of biological evolution, ATP was selected as a multipurpose energy-storing molecule. Metabolism of ATP required intracellular free Ca2+to be set at exceedingly low concentrations, which in turn provided the background for the role of Ca2+as a universal signalling molecule. The early-eukaryote life forms also evolved functional compartmentalization and vesicle trafficking, which used Ca2+as a universal signalling ion; similarly, Ca2+is needed for regulation of ciliary and flagellar beat, amoeboid movement, intracellular transport, as well as of numerous metabolic processes. Thus, during evolution, exploitation of atmospheric oxygen and increasingly efficient ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation by bacterial endosymbionts were a first step for the emergence of complex eukaryotic cells. Simultaneously, Ca2+started to be exploited for short-range signalling, despite restrictions by the preset phosphate-based energy metabolism, when both phosphates and Ca2+interfere with each other because of the low solubility of calcium phosphates. The need to keep cytosolic Ca2+low forced cells to restrict Ca2+signals in space and time and to develop energetically favourable Ca2+signalling and Ca2+microdomains. These steps in tandem dominated further evolution. The ATP molecule (often released by Ca2+-regulated exocytosis) rapidly grew to be the universal chemical messenger for intercellular communication; ATP effects are mediated by an extended family of purinoceptors often linked to Ca2+signalling. Similar to atmospheric oxygen, Ca2+must have been reverted from a deleterious agent to a most useful (intra- and extracellular) signalling molecule. Invention of intracellular trafficking further increased the role for Ca2+homeostasis that became critical for regulation of cell survival and cell death. Several mutually interdependent effects of Ca2+and ATP have been exploited in evolution, thus turning an originally unholy alliance into a fascinating success story.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolution brings Ca2+and ATP together to control life and death’.
Store-operated Ca2+channels in airway epithelial cell function and implications for asthma
Authors: Samanta Krishna , Parekh Anant B. 
Published: July 2016

The epithelial cells of the lung are at the interface of a host and its environment and are therefore directly exposed to the inhaled air-borne particles. Rather than serving as a simple physical barrier, airway epithelia detect allergens and other irritants and then help organize the subsequent immune response through release of a plethora of secreted signals. Many of these signals are generated in response to opening of store-operated Ca2+channels in the plasma membrane. In this review, we describe the properties of airway store-operated channels and their role in regulating airway epithelial cell function.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolution brings Ca2+and ATP together to control life and death’.
Running out of time: the decline of channel activity and nucleotide activation in adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K-channels
Authors: Proks Peter , Puljung Michael C. , Vedovato Natascia , Sachse Gregor , Mulvaney Rachel , Ashcroft Frances M. 
Published: July 2016

KATPchannels act as key regulators of electrical excitability by coupling metabolic cues—mainly intracellular adenine nucleotide concentrations—to cellular potassium ion efflux. However, their study has been hindered by their rapid loss of activity in excised membrane patches (rundown), and by a second phenomenon, thedecline ofactivation byMg-nucleotides (DAMN). Degradation of PI(4,5)P2and other phosphoinositides is the strongest candidate for the molecular cause of rundown. Broad evidence indicates that most other determinants of rundown (e.g. phosphorylation, intracellular calcium, channel mutations that affect rundown) also act by influencing KATPchannel regulation by phosphoinositides. Unfortunately, experimental conditions that reproducibly prevent rundown have remained elusive, necessitatingpost hocdata compensation. Rundown is clearly distinct from DAMN. While the former is associated with pore-forming Kir6.2 subunits, DAMN is generally a slower process involving the regulatory sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) subunits. We speculate that it arises when SUR subunits enter non-physiological conformational states associated with the loss of SUR nucleotide-binding domain dimerization following prolonged exposure to nucleotide-free conditions. This review presents new information on both rundown and DAMN, summarizes our current understanding of these processes and considers their physiological roles.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolution brings Ca2+and ATP together to control life and death’.
Novel agonist of GDNF family ligand receptor RET for the treatment of experimental neuropathy
Authors: Bespalov Maxim M. , Sidorova Yulia A. , Suleymanova Ilida , Thompson James , Kambur Oleg , Jokinen Viljami , Lilius Tuomas , Karelson Gunnar , Puusepp Laura , Rauhala Pekka , Kalso Eija , Karelson Mati , Saarma Mart 
Published: July 2016

AbstractNeuropathic pain is a chronic pain condition caused by lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system. The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family ligands (GFLs) alleviate symptoms of NP and stimulate regeneration of sensory neuronsin vivo. Here we report the development of the compound BT18 that selectively activates GFLreceptors, alleviates pain and restores damaged dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in rat models of NP.Significance statementNeuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic syndrome caused by different diseases and lesions affecting nervous system. Earlier studies demonstrated that neurotrophic factors - the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and artemin - could reverse the damage done by lesions in animal models of NP. We demonstrate for the first time that a small molecule can activate receptor of GDNF and artemin, it alleviates pain symptomsin vivoin two animal models of NP and restores to normal the molecular markers expressed in sensory neurons. This compound, termed BT18, can pave way for creating novel disease modifying therapies for NP.
Ecological homogenisation in North American urban yards: vegetation diversity, composition, and structure
Authors: Pearse William D. , Cavender-Bares Jeannine , Hobbie Sarah E. , Avolio Meghan , Bettez Neil , Chowdhury Rinku Roy , Groffman Peter M. , Grove Morgan , Hall Sharon J. , Heffernan James B. , Learned Jennifer , Neill Christopher , Nelson Kristen C. , Pataki Diane E. , Ruddell Benjamin L. , Steele Meredith E. , Trammell Tara L. E. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractUrban ecosystems are widely hypothesised to be more ecologically homogeneous than natural ecosystems. We argue that urban plant communities assemble from a complex mix of horticultural and regional species pools and thus evaluate the homogenisation hypothesis by comparing cultivated and spontaneously occurring urban vegetation to natural area vegetation across seven major US cities. Urban yards were homogenised across cities in terms of their diversity, composition, and structure. First, cultivated and spontaneous yard flora had higher numbers of species than did natural areas but similar phylogenetic diversity, indicating that yard species were drawn from a relatively small number of lineages. Second, yards were compositionally more similar across regions than were natural areas. Finally, vegetation structure, specifically cultivated tree density, was less variable in yards than natural areas across cities. Biodiversity homogenisation likely reflects similar horticultural source pools, homeowner preferences, management practices, and environmental filters across US cities.
Modelling the transcription factor DNA-binding affinity using genome-wide ChIP-based data
Authors: Alhamdoosh Monther , Wang Dianhui 
Published: July 2016

Understanding protein-DNA binding affinity is still a mystery for many transcription factors (TFs). Although several approaches have been proposed in the literature to model the DNA-binding specificity of TFs, they still have some limitations. Most of the methods require a cut-off threshold in order to classify a K-mer as a binding site (BS) and finding such a threshold is usually done by handcraft rather than a science. Some other approaches use a prior knowledge on the biological context of regulatory elements in the genome along with machine learning algorithms to build classifier models for TFBSs. Noticeably, these methods deliberately select the training and testing datasets so that they are very separable. Hence, the current methods do not actually capture the TF-DNA binding relationship. In this paper, we present a threshold-free framework based on a novel ensemble learning algorithm in order to locate TFBSs in DNA sequences. Our proposed approach creates TF-specific classifier models using genome-wide DNA-binding experiments and a prior biological knowledge on DNA sequences and TF binding preferences. Systematic background filtering algorithms are utilized to remove non-functional K-mers from training and testing datasets. To reduce the complexity of classifier models, a fast feature selection algorithm is employed. Finally, the created classifier models are used to scan new DNA sequences and identify potential binding sites. The analysis results show that our proposed approach is able to identify novel binding sites in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome.Contactmonther.alhamdoosh@unimelb.edu.au,dh.wang@latrobe.edu.auAvailabilityhttp://homepage.cs.latrobe.edu.au/dwang/DNNESCANweb
The international political economy of worker satisfaction: a cross-national HLM analysis
Authors: Westover Jonathan H. 
Published: July 2016

Purpose– There is a growing body of comparative research examining country differences in job satisfaction and its determinants. However, existing research cannot explain similarities in job satisfaction levels across very different countries, nor can it explain the differences between seemingly similar countries. Moreover, there has been no significant research conducted to date that has examined the country-level contextual conditions that are poised to impact worker satisfaction and its determinants. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– In this research, the author address this existing gap in the academic literature on job satisfaction by using non-panel longitudinal data from the International Social Survey Program (Work Orientations I, II, and III: 1989, 1997, and 2005) to examine cross-national differences in job satisfaction and its determinants. The author compare and combine previous international political economy theoretical work and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine global macro-level variables and their impact on worker satisfaction cross-nationally.Findings– Study results demonstrate that both intrinsic and extrinsic work characteristics strongly impact worker job satisfaction. Furthermore, country by country regression and HLM results suggest that there are important country differences in both the perceived importance of various work characteristics and workers’ self-report experiences with both intrinsic and extrinsic work characteristics.Research limitations/implications– To get a clearer picture in the HLM analysis as to the full impact of these various country-contextual impacts on differences in perceived job characteristics and worker satisfaction, future research needs to examine a greater number and wider variety of countries, while exploring other theoretically relevant country-level variables that may help to explore country-level differences from these various cross-national theoretical frameworks. Additionally, a more diverse and greater number of participating countries would also potentially help in achieving levels of significance in the level-2 covariates in the HLM models.Practical implications– Due to the fact the worker job satisfaction impacts firm performance and various measures of worker well-being, firms (regardless of economic sector or private/public status) need to be cognizant of these differences and unique challenges and work to tailor management philosophy and policy to create a unique work atmosphere that will benefit the interests of both the employer and the employee, as well as society at large.Originality/value– While the nature of work has changed dramatically in the post-war era in response to economic shifts and an increasingly global economy, particularly over the past two decades, this paper examines the previously unexamined country-level contextual and global macro-historical variables driving differences in work quality and perceived worker satisfaction.
Extending credit to small and medium size companies
Authors: Wong Alfred , Lu Wei , Tjosvold Dean , Yang Jie 
Published: July 2016

PurposeFunding small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be especially valuable in China to stimulate innovation and its emerging market economy. These firms have been advised to build on the Chinese value of guanxi to manage conflicts and develop relationships with banks. This study aims to explore the nature of relationships that help SMEs inform banks and convince them to provide credit.Design/methodology/approachAs this study’s theorizing is about whether banks and firms that manage their conflicts for mutual benefit set the foundation for bank’s confidence in extending credit, therefore, both the bank officers and the company managers were asked to provide information for the study. In total, 106 pairs of bank officers in the loan department of four banks and SME managers in Shanghai, China, completed a questionnaire survey for this study.FindingsResults support the argument that marketing research on customer orientation and organization behavior research on conflict management identify how to develop effective marketing relationships between SMEs and banks in China. Banks that were customer-oriented laid the groundwork for managing conflict cooperatively and not competitively with borrowing firms. Cooperative conflict management in turn was found to convince banks that they could confidently provide credit and to convince borrowers that their transaction costs will be reasonable.Originality/valueThis study identifies that developing guanxi and the capacity to manage conflict cooperatively are an important foundation for providing credit to SMEs in China.
The link between guanxi and customer–salesperson collusion
Authors: Tseng Lu-Ming 
Published: July 2016

PurposeIn the insurance industry, it is common for the insurance salespeople to sell insurance products to friends, relatives and associates. However, permitting (or encouraging) salespeople to sell insurance through personal relationships may result in some ethical conflicts. For example, some insurance salespeople may help relatives or friends with pre-existing medical conditions buy the health insurance. Previous studies on insurance fraud have rarely focused on this problem. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effects of guanxi (guanxi refers to the durable social connections and relationships a Chinese person uses to exchange favors for a specific purpose) on the salespeople’s acceptance of customer–salesperson collusions. Two types of guanxi are discussed in the research. The author further focuses on how the ethical attitudes and intentions are affected by the salespeople’s guanxi considerations, consequence evaluations, perception of peers’ attitudes, perceived harm to other policyholders and perceived probability of being caught.Design/methodology/approachFull-time life insurance salespeople from Taiwan were surveyed, and partial least squares method was used in the study.FindingsThe results showed that the types of guanxi, guanxi considerations, consequence evaluations, perception of peers’ attitudes and perceived harm to other policyholders were important in forming the salespeople’s ethical decision-making in the customer–salesperson collusions.Originality/valueThis is the first time that guanxi has been studied as the factor influencing collusive behaviors in the problems of insurance fraud. The results challenged an established belief that the insurance salespeople should first target close relations as they build their portfolio of customers.
Conflict management and age in service professions
Authors: Beitler Lena Aline , Machowski Sabine , Johnson Sheena , Zapf Dieter 
Published: July 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to examine age differences in conflict management strategy use, effectiveness and in exposure to customer stressors in service interactions.Design/methodology/approachModerated regression and mediation analyses were conducted to test hypotheses in a sample of 444 German service employees from different service branches with frequent customer contact.FindingsResults revealed that older service employees experienced fewer customer stressors. Customer stressors mediated the negative relationship between age and burnout. Age was associated with use of passive avoidant (avoiding) and active constructive (problem solving) conflict management strategies. Furthermore, older employees used those strategies more effectively. Especially when avoiding conflicts, older employees reported more professional efficacy than younger colleagues. In contrast, younger employees benefited considerably less from strategy use and reported higher levels of burnout in general. Thus, results suggest older employees’ effective conflict management and their positive perception of customer stressors contribute to lower levels of burnout.Practical implicationsResults speak against a general deficit model for older workers as they show specific strengths of older employees in social conflicts. Their expertise in dealing with negative social interactions represents an important resource for organizations and training interventions, such as mentoring programs.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to examine age-related conflict management skills with regard to customer conflicts, employee health and effectiveness of strategy use. It replicates existing findings on age and conflict management and extends them in several ways thereby ruling out alternative explanations for age effects.
Structural equation test of relationship quality
Authors: Izogo Ernest Emeka 
Published: July 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine how companies can influence customers’ repurchase intention and willingness to recommend through relationship quality (RQ hereafter) constructs by leveraging customer orientation, expertise and information sharing.

Design/methodology/approach
– The research informants were recruited from a Southeastern Nigerian city. Data analysis was based on 303 qualified cases extracted from the 332 valid responses retrieved from the customers of retail banking services through a bank-intercept method and online survey.

Findings
– Except customer orientation, all the antecedents of RQ were directly related to trust and satisfaction. Whereas satisfaction was both directly and indirectly related to repurchase intention and willingness to recommend, trust was directly and indirectly related to repurchase intention but was not directly related to willingness to recommend. It was only indirectly related to willingness to recommend through satisfaction and repurchase intention. Trust and satisfaction mediate the link between RQ antecedents and repurchase intention and willingness to recommend. The research model explained 67 per cent of the total variance in willingness to recommend.

Research limitations/implications
– The mediating role of RQ in the link between customer orientation, expertise and information sharing and repurchase intention and willingness to recommend remains largely untested in the literature. This provides an avenue for future studies to extend RQ research to the nature of the construct’s behaviour when it is tested as a mediator in the relationship between its antecedents and consequences especially in West Africa where substantive research is scarce.

Practical implications
– One of the key measures that retail banks can use to keep customers’ patronage and spur them into making business referrals is to build trust and deliver pleasurable satisfaction by leveraging customer orientation, expertise and information sharing.

Originality/value
– As far as could be established, this paper represents the first attempt to simultaneously explore the indirect effects of customer orientation, expertise and information sharing on repurchase intention and willingness to recommend through the constructs of RQ. The paper further demonstrates that the relationships estimated within the model are not moderated by gender and occupation differences.