bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An application of retailing service quality practices influencing customer loyalty toward retailers
Authors: Sivapalan Achchuthan , Jebarajakirthy Charles 
Published: September 2017

Purpose
Enhancing retailing service quality (RSQ) serves as a basic strategy for gaining competitive advantage in the retailing industry and enables retailers to make a loyal customer base. The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically investigate a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retail stores via service quality practices. This study suggests information on retailers can be the antecedent of the RSQ and its dimensions, thereby proposing a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retailers.

Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected using questionnaire surveys from 2,375 customers of three main supermarkets in Sri Lanka. After testing the measurement model, two structural models were run to test hypotheses.

Findings
The findings showed that the RSQ positively influenced customer loyalty. From all the RSQ dimensions, the store’s physical aspects, personal interaction and policy had a significant influence on customer loyalty. The findings also demonstrated that information on retailers contributes to enhancing a customer’s favorable evaluation of the supermarket’s physical aspects, personal interaction and retailing policy.

Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted with supermarket customers in one country using the cross-sectional data. Hence, the model should be replicated among retail customers in other countries with the longitudinal data.

Practical implications
Practically, this study recommends to retailers which dimensions of service quality they need to focus to enhance customer loyalty to their business. The study furthermore recommends certain dimensions that need to be emphasized while retailers design their promotional and communication programs.

Originality/value
Information on retailers has been suggested as an antecedent for enhancing supermarkets’ service quality practices. Thus, this study proposes a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retailers via service quality practices.
Suicidal Decapitation by Hanging—A Population‐based Study
Authors: Byard Roger W. , Gilbert John D. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractA prospective study was undertaken at Forensic Science SA over a 15‐year period from July 2002 to June 2017 for all cases of adult (>18 years) suicidal hangings with decapitation. A total of 1446 cases of suicidal hangings were identified from a general population of approximately 1.5 million (1206 males—age range 18–97 years, average 42.6; and 240 females—age range 18–96 years, average 40.1). Only three cases of decapitation were found, all from long‐drop hangings; these consisted of three males (ages 32–55 years; average 45 years). Spinal transections had occurred between the first and second, second and third, and third and fourth cervical vertebrae, respectively. In this study, the number of suicidal hangings with decapitation represented only 0.2% of the total number of hangings. These events are therefore extremely rare, most likely due to most suicidal hangings occurring from relatively low levels in a domestic environment.
Identification of Nursing Diagnosis–Outcome–Intervention Linkages for Inpatients in the Obstetrics Department Nursing Unit in South Korea
Authors: Yang Min Ji , Kim Hye Young , Ko Eun , Kim Hyun Kyung 
Published: September 2017

PURPOSETo identify the NANDA‐I–NOC–NIC (NNN) linkages for inpatients of the obstetrics nursing unit using electronic nursing records.METHODSIn this retrospective, descriptive survey, the electronic nursing records for 220 adult patients aged ≥18 years who were discharged after obstetrics nursing unit were analyzed.FINDINGSThe 7 most frequent nursing diagnoses were found to be associated with 9 nursing outcomes and 26 nursing interventions.CONCLUSIONSHerein, the list of nursing diagnoses was observed to comprise the safety/protection domain, the list of nursing outcomes the physiological health domain, and the list of nursing interventions the physiological: complex domain.IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICEThis result can contribute to improving the nursing quality and will help continuing education and documentation system refinement.
TGF‐β1 attenuated branching morphogenesis of embryonic murine submandibular gland through Smad3 activation
Authors: Gao P. , Qiao X.‐H. , Gou L.‐M. , Huang Y. , Li Q.‐H. , Li L.‐J. , Wang X.‐Y. , Li C.‐J. 
Published: September 2017

SummaryTransforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) plays several crucial regulatory roles in multiple physiological and pathological processes. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of TGF‐β1 in branching morphogenesis of salivary gland. We harvested and cultured submandibular salivary glands (SMGs) from murine embryos, which were then treated with exogenous TGF‐β1, or its neutralized antibody, Smad3 inhibitor, or Smad3 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Our results suggested that TGF‐β1 attenuated branching morphogenesis of embryonic murine SMG via Smad3 activation, thus playing a negative regulatory role in salivary gland development.
Analysis of Restricted Mean Survival Time for Length-biased Data
Authors: Lee Chi Hyun , Ning Jing , Shen Yu 
Published: September 2017

Summary
In clinical studies with time-to-event outcomes, the restricted mean survival time (RMST) has attracted substantial attention as a summary measurement for its straightforward clinical interpretation. When the data are subject to length-biased sampling, which is frequently encountered in observational cohort studies, existing methods to estimate the RMST are not applicable. In this article, we consider nonparametric and semiparametric regression methods to estimate the RMST under the setting of length-biased sampling. To assess the covariate effects on the RMST, a semiparametric regression model that directly relates the covariates and the RMST is assumed. Based on the model, we develop unbiased estimating equations to obtain consistent estimators of covariate effects by properly adjusting for informative censoring and length bias. Stochastic process theories are used to establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators. We investigate the finite sample performance through simulations and illustrate the methods by analyzing a prevalent cohort study of dementia in Canada.
Fraction magnitude understanding and its unique role in predicting general mathematics achievement at two early stages of fraction instruction
Authors: Liu Yingyi 
Published: September 2017

BackgroundPrior studies on fraction magnitude understanding focused mainly on students with relatively sufficient formal instruction on fractions whose fraction magnitude understanding is relatively mature.AimThis study fills a research gap by investigating fraction magnitude understanding in the early stages of fraction instruction. It extends previous findings to children with limited and primary formal fraction instruction.Sample(s)Thirty‐five fourth graders with limited fraction instruction and forty fourth graders with primary fraction instruction were recruited from a Chinese primary school.MethodsChildren's fraction magnitude understanding was assessed with a fraction number line estimation task. Approximate number system (ANS) acuity was assessed with a dot discrimination task. Whole number knowledge was assessed with a whole number line estimation task. General reading and mathematics achievements were collected concurrently and 1 year later.ResultsIn children with limited fraction instruction, fraction representation was linear and fraction magnitude understanding was concurrently related to both ANS and whole number knowledge. In children with primary fraction instruction, fraction magnitude understanding appeared to (marginally) significantly predict general mathematics achievement 1 year later.ConclusionsFraction magnitude understanding emerged early during formal instruction of fractions. ANS and whole number knowledge were related to fraction magnitude understanding when children first began to learn about fractions in school. The predictive value of fraction magnitude understanding is likely constrained by its sophistication level.
Forest fragmentation and loss reduce richness, availability, and specialization in tropical hummingbird communities
Authors: Hadley Adam S. , Frey Sarah J. K. , Robinson W. Douglas , Betts Matthew G. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractHummingbirds are important pollinators of many native Neotropical plants but their abundance and diversity in landscapes dominated by intensive human uses such as agriculture have rarely been examined, despite such land‐uses prevailing in the tropics. We examined how tropical deforestation affects hummingbird community structure in premontane forest patches embedded in a tropical countryside of Coto Brus Canton, Costa Rica. We captured hummingbirds in fourteen landscapes representing a gradient in patch size and forest amount, and tested for the effects of these variables on (1) hummingbird captures at flowers (pollinator availability); (2) species richness; and (3) filtering of functional traits. After accounting for sampling effects, both hummingbird availability and species richness declined by 40% and 50%, respectively, across the gradient in deforestation that we observed (9–66% forest within 1000 m). Focal patch size was the strongest predictor, even after statistically accounting for the amount of forest and matrix composition of landscapes. These reductions in availability and richness were well predicted by functional traits; morphologically specialized species with the capacity to transport long‐distance outcrossed pollen and low functional redundancy within the pollinator network showed the greatest sensitivity to landscape change. We hypothesize that declines in hummingbird availability, diversity, and functional traits are important mechanisms driving the observed pollen limitation of ornithophilous flowers in fragmented tropical landscapes. Efforts to conserve large forest patches and enhance matrix permeability are critical for maintaining forest hummingbird communities and pollination services under current and predicted deforestation regimes.
A retro‐prospective effectiveness study on 3448 implant operations at one referral clinic: A multifactorial analysis. Part II: Clinical factors associated to peri‐implantitis surgery and late implant failures
Authors: Jemt Torsten 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundLittle knowledge is available on implant treatment in large effectiveness studies in routine practice.PurposeTo report retro‐prospective data on prevalence of peri‐implantitis surgery and late implant failures in a large number of routine patients at 1 referral clinic.Materials and methodsAltogether 9582 implants with an anodized surface (Nobel Biocare AB) were consecutively placed between 2003 and 2011 and followed‐up to end of 2015. All peri‐implantitis operations and late implant failures were consecutively identified. A logistic multivariate data analysis was performed to identify association between the complications and different clinical factors. Furthermore, data on prevalence on risk for inflammation and bone loss at implants (“peri‐implantitis”) and surgery related to peri‐implantitis was collected for another reference group of about 10 000 implant patients during 3 consecutive years (2013‐2015).ResultsCumulative survival rates for implant operations without peri‐implantitis surgery or implant failures were calculated to 96.4% (95% CI: 97.3‐95.4) and 95.0% (95% CI: 96.0‐94.1) after 10 years, respectively. Risk for “peri‐implantitis surgery” showed a significant association (P < .05) to number of placed implants (hazard ratio [HR] 1.40; 95% CI: 1.24‐1.59). Three factors showed significant association to risk for “late implant failures,” where “treatment in lower jaw” had the highest risk; HR 2.03. “Overall implant failures” were associated to 4 significant factors where “surgeon” (HR 2.50) showed highest impact on risk. “Numbers of implants” and “bone resorption” at surgery were the 2 significant factors that were consistent for all the time periods of failures during follow‐up (early/late/total). On an average 7.4% of examined patients in the reference group were denoted with highest risk group (“peri‐implantitis”) of which on an average 12.7% of these patients had surgery related to peri‐implantitis.Conclusions“The dentist” involved in the surgical and prosthetic rehabilitation of the implant patients, “number of implants” and degree of “bone resorption” seem to have most impact on overall implant complications and failures in the present patient group.
Prenatal alcohol exposure enhances the susceptibility to NMDA‐induced generalized tonic‐clonic seizures in developing rats
Authors: Cho Sue J. , Lovinger David M. , N'Gouemo Prosper 
Published: September 2017

SummaryAimsPrenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with a higher likelihood of developing generalized tonic‐clonic seizures (GTCS) in infants and children. However, experimental studies of PAE‐related seizures have yielded conflicting results. Here, we investigated the effect of acute PAE on N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA)‐induced seizures in developing rats.MethodsPregnant Sprague Dawley rats were given an oral dose of either ethanol (5 g/kg body weight) or vehicle on embryonic day 18. The offspring were tested for susceptibility to NMDA‐induced seizures on postnatal day 7 (P7), 21 (P21), 35 (P35), and 42 (P42). Specifically, the prevalence and latency of NMDA‐induced continuous wild running‐like behaviors (CWR), flexion seizures (FS), wild running seizures (WRS), GTCS, and tonic seizures (TS) were recorded and analyzed.ResultsN‐methyl‐D‐aspartate‐induced seizures consisted of CWR, FS, GTCS, and TS in <P21 rats, while WRS, GTCS, and TS were observed in >P21 rats. Thus, GTCS were consistently observed during development. PAE significantly increases the prevalence of GTCS in female and male P7‐P21 rats and P7‐P35 rats, respectively, but not in older rats. PAE also increases the prevalence of TS in male, but not female P21‐P35 rats.ConclusionsThe PAE animal model of GTCS may provide a new opportunity to investigate the mechanisms that underlie neuronal hyperexcitability in developing animals prenatally‐exposed to alcohol.
An exploratory wastewater analysis study of drug use in Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Lai Foon Yin , Wilkins Chris , Thai Phong , Mueller Jochen F. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIntroduction and AimsNew Zealand is considered to have unusual drug use patterns by international standards. However, this understanding has largely been obtained from social surveys where respondents self‐report use. The aim of this paper is to conduct the first wastewater study of drug use in Auckland.Design and MethodsWastewater sampling was completed from 2 May to 18 July 2014 at 2 Auckland wastewater treatment plants which service 1.3 million people. Samples were analysed for 17 drug residues by using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Consumption of methamphetamine, 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cocaine, codeine and methadone (mg/day/1000 people) was estimated by using a back‐calculation formula.ResultsMethamphetamine, codeine, morphine and methadone were detected with high frequency (80‐100%), followed by amphetamine (~60%), MDMA (~7%, i.e. 8 occasions) and methylone (3 occasions). An overall mean of 360 mg of methamphetamine and 60 mg of MDMA was estimated to have been consumed per day per 1000 people. Methamphetamine consumption was found at similar levels in both catchments (377 and 351 mg/day/1000 people). Cocaine was only detected in 1 catchment and on only 8 occasions. JWH‐018 was detected in 1 catchment and only on 1 occasion. Methamphetamine, codeine and other opioids were detected at a consistent level throughout the week. 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and methylone were detected only during the weekends.ConclusionsWastewater analysis confirms that methamphetamine was one of the most commonly detected illegal drugs in Auckland and was detected consistently throughout the week. In contrast, cocaine and MDMA were rarely detected, with detection limited to weekends. [Lai FY, Wilkins C, Thai P, Mueller JF. An exploratory wastewater analysis study of drug use in Auckland, New Zealand. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;00:000‐000]
Mistrust of physicians in China: society, institution, and interaction as root causes
Authors: Chan Cheris Shun‐ching 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBased on two years’ ethnographic research on doctor‐patient relations in urban China, this paper examines the causes of patients’ mistrust of physicians. I identify the major factors at the societal, institutional, and interpersonal levels that lead to patients’ mistrust of physicians. First, I set the context by describing the extent of mistrust at the societal level. Then, I investigate the institutional sources of mistrust. I argue that the financing mechanism of public hospitals and physicians’ income structures are the most crucial factors in inducing patients’ mistrust. Hospitals’ heavy reliance on self‐finance has basically caused public hospitals to run like private hospitals, resulting in blatant conflicts of interest between hospitals and patients. Related to this is physicians’ reliance on bonuses and commissions as part of their regular incomes, which has inevitably resulted in overtreatment and, hence, mistrust from the patients. At the interpersonal level, I describe how individual physicians’ attitudes toward and interaction with patients may also affect patients’ sense of trust or mistrust in physicians. In conclusion, I discuss the ethical implications of the mistrust problem, and suggest changes at the institutional and interpersonal levels to mitigate the problem.
Do Co‐Opted Directors Influence Dividend Policy?
Authors: Jiraporn Pornsit , Lee Sang Mook 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWe explore how co‐opted directors affect dividend policy. Co‐opted directors are those appointed after the incumbent chief executive officer (CEO) assumes office. Our results show that co‐opted directors lead to a weaker propensity to pay dividends and, for dividend‐paying firms, significantly lower dividend payouts. We also show that board co‐option has more explanatory power for dividend policy than does the traditional measure of board effectiveness, that is, board independence. Exploiting the passage of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act as a natural experiment, we show that the effect of board co‐option on dividend policy is more likely causal, rather than merely an association.
JOHANN GOTTFRIED HERDERS FORDERUNG EINER BERÜCKSICHTIGUNG DER MUSIKALISCHEN ASPEKTE VON SPRACHE IN WISSENSCHAFTSTEXTEN
Authors: Danneck Martin 
Published: September 2017

ABSTRACTThis paper argues that we can find in Johann Gottfried Herder's thoughts on the poetics of scientific style implicit references to a claim to consider the musical aspects of language in the style of scientific prose. This claim is based on the assumption that cognition is a process that contains bodily and intellectual aspects. In his idea of ‘schöne Prose’ Herder develops the stylistic ideal of a holistic scientific language that contains a synthesis of rational‐logical and poetic stylistic elements. The semantic and denotative part of this stylistic ideal refers to the visual aspect of language whereas its poetic part refers to its musical aspect. In this way Herder describes poetic language as a mode of language in which its musical aspect is marked by stressing the auditory correspondence between signifier and signified. In doing so, Herder is pointing to the idea that the relationship between man and world is conveyed by the sound of language. Therefore, the integration of poetic elements in the idea of ‘schöne Prose’ can be interpreted as an implicit claim to consider the musical aspects in the style of scientific prose.
Short‐term feeding of fermentable dietary fibres influences the gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity in rats
Authors: Paturi Gunaranjan , Butts Christine A. , Stoklosinski Halina , Herath Thanuja D. , Monro John A. 
Published: September 2017

SummaryThis study investigated the effects of dietary fibres on gut bacterial abundance and metabolic activity in rats fed short‐term. Faecal samples from rats fed for 7 days showed differences in the effects of dietary fibres on gut bacterial populations. Broccoli fibre, inulin, potato fibre and potato resistant starch significantly increased the faecal Bacteroides‐Prevotella‐Porphyromonas group compared with cellulose. Growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. was decreased significantly in rats fed barley β‐glucan, citrus pectin, inulin and broccoli fibre diets. An increase in Bifidobacterium spp. and butyric acid levels, the so‐called bifidogenic and butyrogenic effects, was observed in rats fed inulin and potato fibre diets. Organic acid concentrations and polysaccharide contents in the rat faeces confirm the fermentability of dietary fibres in the gut. This study demonstrates the positive effects of plant‐sourced dietary fibres on gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity.
Purification and characterisation of a novel α‐L‐rhamnosidase exhibiting transglycosylating activity from Aspergillus oryzae
Authors: Ge Lin , Xie Jingcong , Wu Tao , Zhang Shanshan , Zhao Linguo , Ding Gang , Wang Zhenzhong , Xiao Wei 
Published: September 2017

SummaryA novel α‐L‐rhamnosidase was isolated and purified from Aspergillus oryzae NL‐1. The enzyme was purified 13.2‐fold by ultrafiltration, ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography with an overall recovery of 6.4% and specific activity of 224.4 U/mg, and the molecular mass of its subunit was approximately 75 kDa. Its optimal temperature and pH were 65 °C and 4.5, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the pH range 3.5–7.0, and it showed good thermostability at higher temperatures. The KM, kcat and kcat/KM values were 5.2 mm, 1624 s−1 and 312 s−1 mm−1 using pNPR as substrates, respectively. Moreover, the enzyme exhibited transglycosylating activity, which could synthesise rhamnosyl mannitol through the reactions of transglycosylation with inexpensive rhamnose as the glycosyl donor. Our findings indicate that the enzyme has potential value for glycoside synthesis in the food industry.
Physical properties and chemical forces of extruded corn starch fortified with soy protein isolate
Authors: Chen Biying , Yu Chen , Liu Junfei , Yang Yuling , Shen Xinchun , Liu Shaowei , Tang Xiaozhi 
Published: September 2017

SummaryThe effect of soy protein addition on physical properties of extruded corn starch was studied. The correlations between the chemical bonds in proteins and the physical properties of extrudates were analysed. Increasing soy protein isolate content resulted in higher expansion ratio (ER) but lower bulk density (BD), hardness, water solubility index (WSI), degree of starch gelatinisation (DSG), content of sulphydryl (SH) groups and protein solubility in phosphate buffer. In the other hand, increasing the processing temperature resulted in higher ER, water absorption index, DSG, contents of the SH group and disulphide (SS) bond but in lower specific mechanical energy, BD, hardness and WSI. The results indicated that changes in the chemical bonds in proteins had a significant effect on the apparent physical properties of extrudates. More protein–protein and protein–starch cross‐linking reactions occurred through new chemical linkages, such as the nondisulphide covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds, which are beneficial to the expansion of starch‐based products.