bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality of life of patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis
Authors: San Giorgi Michel R. M. , Aaltonen Leena‐Maija , Rihkanen Heikki , Tjon Pian Gi Robin E. A. , van der Laan Bernard F. A. M. , Hoekstra‐Weebers Josette E. H. M. , Dikkers Frederik G. 
Published: November 2016

Objectives/HypothesisRecurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a disease with a high disease burden. Few studies have assessed quality of life (QoL) of RRP patients. This study compares QoL of these patients with controls. Associations between QoL and sociodemographic and illness‐related factors are examined, as is uptake of psychosocial care and speech therapy.Study DesignProspective cross‐sectional questionnaire research.MethodsNinety‐one RRP patients (response = 67%) from two university hospitals in the Netherlands and Finland completed the following patient reported outcome measures: (HADS), 15‐dimensional health‐related quality‐of‐life scale (15D), Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the RAND 36‐item health‐related quality‐of‐life survey instrument (RAND‐36) assessing health‐related QoL and voice handicap, and they provided sociodemographic, illness‐related, and allied healthcare use. Descriptive analyses, χ2tests,ttests, analysis of variance tests, and Pearson correlations were computed to describe the study population and to examine differences between groups.ResultsRRP patients had significantly higher mean scores on depression, health‐related QoL (15D) and on voice problems (VHI), and significantly lower mean scores on anxiety than controls. Dutch patients had more pain and a decreased general health perception (RAND‐36) than controls. Dutch patients and older patients were more depressed, women were more anxious, older patients had lower health‐related QoL, and smoking was significantly associated with voice handicap. Patients who had received psychosocial care had significantly higher HADS‐depression mean scores than patients who did not receive psychosocial care.ConclusionsHaving RRP has significant effect on voice‐related QoL and depression, but has no negative effect on anxiety and health‐related QoL. Risk factors for decreased functioning are different than previously hypothesized by many authors. Prevention should be aimed at these risk factors.Level of Evidence4.Laryngoscope, 127:1826–1831, 2017
Amazon River influence on nitrogen fixation and export production in the western tropical North Atlantic
Authors: Weber Sarah C. , Carpenter Edward J. , Coles Victoria J. , Yager Patricia L. , Goes Joaquim , Montoya Joseph P. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAs part of the ANACONDAS program, we investigated the role of the Amazon plume in stimulating offshore nitrogen fixation and export production during the river's high‐discharge period (May–June 2010). Using the shipboard underway system, we performed high‐resolution sampling of over 450,000 km2 of surface waters, characterizing the distribution of nutrients, phytoplankton, particulate organic matter (POM), and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of POM in the offshore plume. We found distinct regional variations in diazotroph communities, with the Diatom‐Diazotroph Associations (DDA) Hemiaulus hauckii – Richelia intracellularis dominating the low N : P mesohaline waters to the northwest of the plume axis and Trichodesmium spp. primarily occupying oceanic waters to the east. Nutrient availability broadly shaped diazotroph distributions along the salinity gradient, but habitat longevity may also play a role in the finer‐scale distributions of communities, particularly of DDAs. H. hauckii and Trichodesmium spp. affected the nitrogen and carbon budgets in fundamentally different ways within the plume‐influenced regions, with H. hauckii making much greater contributions to the particulate nitrogen pool and to CO2 drawdown than Trichodesmium spp., leading to much higher export fluxes. Our findings provide an important constraint on the role of the Amazon plume in creating distinct niches and roles for diazotrophs in the nutrient and carbon budgets of the western tropical North Atlantic.
Ordination obscures the influence of environment on plankton metacommunity structure
Authors: Dallas Tad A. , Kramer Andrew M. , Zokan Marcus , Drake John M. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe composition of plankton communities in individual habitats is often influenced by environmental conditions like pH or hydroperiod. At larger scales, environmental gradients can influence community structure across interconnected local communities. Detecting the role of environmental and spatial factors on metacommunity structure depends on the ordering of sites and species prior to analysis. We investigated this ordination in two wetland metacommunities; a well‐sampled, hyper‐diverse zooplankton metacommunity, and a Central American phytoplankton metacommunity. We calculated coherence, turnover, and boundary clumping to classify the structure of the metacommunity, and we propose a statistic that responds to variation in both coherence and turnover. Traditional ordination approaches failed to discern metacommunity structure, while significant structure existed along abiotic gradients in both zooplankton and phytoplankton systems. This shows that abiotic controls on community composition may not be detectable with traditional analyses, and suggests an alternative of ordering sites by known abiotic gradients.
Stone/tissue differentiation for Holmium laser lithotripsy using autofluorescence: Clinical proof of concept study
Authors: Lange Birgit , Jocham Dieter , Brinkmann Ralf , Cordes Jens 
Published: November 2016

Background and ObjectivesHolmium laser lithotripsy is the gold standard for intracorporeal fragmentation of urinary calculi. Usually, a visible beam is superimposed on the IR treatment laser as an aiming beam to guide the surgeon. In vitro tests showed that this aiming beam (532 nm, power <1 mW) excites strong fluorescence on human calculi. Tissue, in contrast, emitted much weaker fluorescence. If this is verified in vivo, the fluorescence signal induced by the aiming beam could be used to implement a feedback loop, preventing the Holmium laser being fired on tissue.Materials and MethodsFluorescence signals of 67 tissue and 68 stone spots were measured in a clinical proof of concept study with eight patients. For this, a modulated excitation/detection scheme (lock‐in technique) was implemented. A frequency‐doubled, diode‐pumped solid‐state laser module (532 nm, modulation frequency 66 Hz, average power 0.3 mW) was coupled via a dichroic mirror with the Holmium lithotripsy laser into the treatment fiber. The fluorescence signal entering the treatment fiber was detected via another dichroic mirror with a photodiode and a lock‐in amplifier.ResultsIn most instances (94%), the calculus of a patient gave a signal which was at least twice the maximum signal of ureteral tissue.ConclusionThe results of our proof of concept study indicate that measuring the fluorescence signal of a green aiming beam could be used to implement a feedback loop for Holmium laser lithotripsy. Preventing the laser being fired on tissue, this would increase the safety of the procedure. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:361–365, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Photodynamic diagnosis with 5‐aminolevulinic acid for intraoperative detection of peritoneal metastases of ovarian cancer: A feasibility and dose finding study
Authors: Hillemanns Peter , Wimberger Pauline , Reif Jessica , Stepp Herbert , Klapdor Rüdiger 
Published: November 2016

ObjectiveWith a prospective feasibility study, we aimed to analyse the effect of different time points for application and dosage of preoperative oral 5‐aminolevulinic acid administration for photodynamic diagnosis of peritoneal metastases in ovarian cancer patients.Materials and MethodsIn this prospective cohort study patients were randomly divided into three different groups. 5‐Aminolevulinic acid was orally administered 3–14 hours before surgery using a dosage of 1 mg/kg, 4–9 hours using 10 mg/kg, and 9–16 hours using 10 mg/kg, respectively. Fluorescence was recorded intraoperatively using endoscopic equipment. The number and localization, of fluorescing nodules were documented. To analyze sensitivity and specificity samples from fluorescent and non‐fluorescent tissues were evaluated histologically. Plasma protoporphyrin concentrations as well as any adverse events were assessed perioperatively.ResultsIn total, 26 patients suspected for ovarian cancer underwent intraoperative photodynamic diagnosis with 5‐aminolevulinic acid. Most of them suffered from advanced cancer, 72% from FIGO‐Stage IIIc. No severe adverse events were observed. Orally applied 5‐aminolevulinic acid with a dosage of 1 mg/kg revealed no detectable fluorescence. However, at a dosage of 10 mg/kg fluorescence of metastatic tissue was significantly stronger than of non‐affected tissue. If administered 4–9 hours preoperatively best detection rates for peritoneal metastases were obtained resulting in a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 100%.ConclusionsPhotodynamic diagnosis with 5‐aminolevulinic acid leads to safe and specific fluorescence detection of peritoneal metastases. 5‐Aminolevulinic acid should be used at a dosage of at least 10 mg/kg 4–9 hours preoperatively. Further phase I–II studies are recommended. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:169–176, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of gold nanoparticles on wound healing treatment in rat model: Photobiomodulation therapy
Authors: Lau PikSuan , Bidin Noriah , Islam Shumaila , Shukri Wan Norsyuhada Binti Wan Mohd , Zakaria Nurlaily , Musa Nurfatin , Krishnan Ganesan 
Published: November 2016

Background and ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on wound healing process.Materials and MethodsAuNPs are synthesized by Q‐switched Nd:YAG laser ablation technique. Cutaneous wound are induced on 45 Sprague Dawley rats on its dorsal part and then randomly divided into three groups. One group serves as non‐treatment group (GC) and another two groups are subjected to AuNPs with and without PBMT. About 808 nm diode laser with output power of 100 mW is used as a light source for PBMT. The treatment was carried out daily with exposure duration of 50 seconds and total fluence of 5 J/cm2. Wound area is monitored for 9 consecutive days using a digital camera, and histological examination is performed at 3rd, 6th, and 9th day through hematoxylin and eosin stain as well as Masson's trichrome stain.ResultsThe group of rats subjected to AuNPs with PBMT shows significantly accelerated wound closure compared to other groups. Histological results indicate that AuNPs and PBMT group is more effective in stimulating angiogenesis and triggers inflammatory response at early stage.ConclusionThe application of AuNPs in PBMT has potential to accelerate wound healing due to enhanced epithelialization, collagen deposition and fast vascularization. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:380–386, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Osmogen‐Mediated One‐Step Technique of Fabricating Hollow Microparticles for Encapsulation and Delivery of Bioactive Molecules
Authors: Kharel Sharad , Lee Wei Li , Lee Xuan Yi , Loo Say Chye Joachim 
Published: November 2016

Microparticulate systems composed of biodegradable polymers, such as poly(d,l‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA), are widely used for controlled release of bioactive molecules. However, the acidic microenvironment within these microparticles, as they degrade, has been reported to perturb the configuration of most encapsulated proteins. In addition, these polymer particles are also reported to suffer from unrealistically slow and incomplete release of proteins. To address these drawbacks, hollow PLGA microparticles are fabricated through a novel one‐step oil‐in‐water emulsion solvent evaporation technique, by capitalizing on the osmotic property of an osmogen. The effects of fabrication para­meters on particle size and morphology, i.e., volume space of hollow cavity and shell thickness, are also studied. These hollow microparticles are subsequently loaded with bovine insulin microcrystals. It is shown that insulin release profiles can be tuned by simply changing the amount of osmogen in the formulation. At the same time, these hollow microparticles are shown to be effective in maintaining the bioactivity of the encapsulated protein.
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Enhanced Sealing by Hydrophobic Modification of Alaska Pollock‐Derived Gelatin‐Based Surgical Sealants for the Treatment of Pulmonary Air Leaks
Authors: Mizuta Ryo , Taguchi Tetsushi 
Published: November 2016

Pulmonary air leaks are medical complications of thoracic surgery for which fibrin sealant is the main treatment. In this study, innovative sealants based on hydrophobically modified Alaska pollock‐derived gelatin (hm‐ApGltn) and a poly(ethylene)glycol‐based 4‐armed cross‐linker (4S‐PEG) have been developed and their burst strengths have been evaluated using fresh rat lung. The developed sealants show higher lung burst strength compared with the nonmodified original ApGltn (Org‐ApGltn)‐based sealant and a commercial fibrin sealant. The maximum burst strength of the hm‐ApGltn‐based sealant is 1.6‐fold higher than the Org‐ApGltn‐based sealant (n = 5, p < 0.05), and 2.1‐fold higher than the commercial fibrin sealant (n = 5, p < 0.05). Cell culture experiments show that modification of ApGltn with cholesteryl or stearoyl groups effectively enhances anchoring to the cell surface. In addition, binding constants between hm‐ApGltn and extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin and fibrillin are increased. Therefore, the new hm‐ApGltn/4S‐PEG‐based sealant has the potential for applications in thoracic surgery.
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Social Networks on Cashback Websites
Authors: Ballestar María Teresa , Sainz Jorge , Torrent‐Sellens Joan 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTThe relevance of Cashback sites as a profitable business model has grown considerably over the last decade, where customer's social networks have been one of the most important keys of success. Hence, the success of cashback websites business model not only lays on strategies such as offering a wide portfolio of affiliate merchants and competitive cashbacks per transaction to attract new customers, but also on their ability of engaging them and enrolling new target customers through recommendation in a word‐of‐mouth marketing strategy. By a applying this kind of strategies, both the recommender and the referee benefit from referee's transactions in the network, meaning that benefits for customers and companies grow at the same time that the customer's social network grows and become more active. Consequently, this research focuses on the analysis of the impact of customer's social network on cashback websites from two different perspectives. From the customer's perspective, determining the impact of the social network composition and their activity in customer's benefits of cashback. Second, the research focuses on the ecommerce's perspective, testing which kind of customers, characterized by whether they have social network or not, are more profitable to the brand in terms of purchase behavior and loyalty. The findings are a step forward to understand customer behaviour and the relevance of social networks on cashback websites business model and help the companies to establish the basis to develop new digital marketing strategies less concentrated in media advertisements and oriented to increase customer acquisition, retention, and profitability.
eWOM on Travel Agency Selection: Specialized versus Private Label
Authors: Bigné Enrique , Caplliure Eva‐María , Miquel María‐José 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTIn the travel industry, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) elicits a major influence on consumers’ decision making. Travel retailers are facing the new challenges derived from the different nature of their competitors—big hypermarkets, for instance, are extending their brands to travel services—and the challenges derived from online comments that consumers have access to. With a sample of 263 tourists, and using a fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis data analysis, this paper shows how the selection between a specialized travel agency and a private label (PL) agency is influenced by five factors: the usefulness attached to online reviews by users and the valence of those online reviews, attitude and experience with PL, and the individual's value consciousness. The contribution of this paper not only comes from the novelty of considering PL in the context of travel agencies, but also from using a relatively novel data analysis approach useful for analyzing management issues.
Cross‐cultural Perceptions of Onshore Guided Tours: A Qualitative Approach Based on eWOM
Authors: Buzova Daniela , Sanz‐Blas Silvia , Cervera‐Taulet Amparo 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTRecognizing the importance of the study of guided tour experiences and being aware of the cross‐cultural variations of services’ perceptions, the purpose of this article is to examine if cruise tourists from the two main generating markets (Europe and North America) perceive differently a port of call guided tour based on the content of the eWOM generated. The data set was comprised of 334 reviews on guided tours undertaken in Spanish ports of call and published during the period 2009–2015 on the major travel Web site Tripadvisor. The thematic content analysis of the data was performed using the text mining software Leximancer. The results yielded different pictures for the experiences described by both cultures, with Europeans valuing the tour in terms of efficiency and North Americans praising guide's performance and tailor‐made tour services. Based on these findings, practical implications are discussed.
Motivation Recipes for Brand‐Related Social Media Use: A Boolean—fsQCA Approach
Authors: Saridakis Charalampos , Baltas George , Oghazi Pejvak , Hultman Magnus 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTSocial media Web sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provide various means for users to interact with others, by creating, sharing, and commenting on content about anything, including brands and products. Such online brand‐related activities may significantly influence a firm's operations. To effectively manage these influences, marketers should understand consumer's motivations to engage in brand‐related social media use. This paper is one of the very few efforts to come to such an understanding. In this direction, a set‐theoretic comparative approach is implemented—namely, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis—as a means to capitalize on the merits of both qualitative and quantitative techniques, and provide a more nuanced coverage of how motives and their combinations affect social media use. The results of the proposed approach are compared with the results derived from the implementation of a mainstream quantitative analytical technique (i.e., multiple regression analysis), as well as the results of the qualitative study of Muntinga, Moorman, and Smit ()—the only study so far examining different types of brand‐related social media use and their motivations. By examining motivations for the full spectrum of social media use types (i.e., consuming, contributing and creating), the paper provides marketers and brand managers with valuable insights into online consumer behavior in a social media dominated era.
Consumer Trust in User‐Generated Brand Recommendations on Facebook
Authors: Chari Simos , Christodoulides George , Presi Caterina , Wenhold Jil , Casaletto John P. 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTThe transparency of social Web paves the way for user‐generated content (UGC) to become a trusted form of brand communication. Research offers little guidance on UGC and trust development in social networking sites (SNS) and has yet to debate the effects of ad‐skepticism in the context of UGC and SNS. This study builds on theory to develop a conceptual framework that yields insights into the development of consumer trust toward user‐generated brand recommendations (UGBR). A set‐theoretic approach using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis is applied to data derived from 303 consumers. The study findings suggest that high levels of trust in UGBR are associated with high levels of trust toward Facebook friends and provide support for the moderating role of ad‐skepticism. Benevolence and integrity are found to be necessary/core conditions for the development of trust toward Facebook friends. Ability and disposition to trust are of peripheral importance. The significance of the findings and their implications are discussed.
Standardization, Adaptation, and Personalization of International Corporate Social Media Communications
Authors: Hatzithomas Leonidas , Fotiadis Thomas A. , Coudounaris Dafnis N. 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTThis research examines both the standardization versus adaptation of Vodafone's international corporate social media communications strategy in Study 1 and consumers’ attitudes toward this strategy in Study 2. Study 1 investigates Vodafone's strategy in Facebook through a content analysis and Study 2 focuses on consumers’ attitudes through a qualitative approach of 12 Facebook fans: 6 in the UK and 6 in Greece. The findings reveal that Vodafone implements a local strategy in corporate Facebook campaigns, taking into account the cultural differences between these countries. The results also indicate that the debate on the international corporate Facebook communications strategy should extend beyond the standardization/adaptation dichotomy, pointing out the pivotal role of personalization.
Strategizing for Financial Technology Platforms: Findings from Four Russian Case Studies
Authors: Kabakova Oksana , Plaksenkov Evgeny , Korovkin Vladimir 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTThis article studies the business strategy of digital financial platforms and creation of ecosystems. The authors assume the general methodological approach of grounded theory to study four cases of financial technology platforms from Russia; the sample represents companies focusing both on solutions for the front end (consumers) and back end (middle of the value chain). The research finds that the top executives of the companies, which create and operate the digital platforms, have an approach to business strategy that is significantly different from that of the traditional business. They defy the pragmatism of predicting the market development and planning the company's actions in accordance with such predictions. Strategic paradigm of these companies is based on the notions of inclusivity, dynamism, and reliance on independent participants of a business ecosystem. Though a radical departure from the traditional business strategy, such an approach has brought demonstrable business success across the time span of a decade. The idea of “platform–ecosystem” can also be fruitful as a tool of solving important socioeconomic issues such as financial inclusion in the emerging markets.