bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Multi-layer, Self-aligning Hydrogel Micro-molding Process Offering a Fabrication Route to Perfusable 3D In-Vitro Microvasculature
Authors: Heidari Hossein , Taylor Hayden 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe in-vitro fabrication of hierarchical biological systems such as human vasculature, which are made up of two or more cell types with intricate co-culture architectures, is by far one of the most complicated challenges that tissue engineers have faced. Here, we introduce a versatile method to create multi-layered, cell-laden hydrogel microstructures with coaxial geometries and heterogeneous mechanical and biological properties. The technique can be used to build in-vitro vascular networks that are fully embedded in hydrogels of physiologically realistic mechanical stiffness. Our technique produces free-standing 3D structures, eliminating rigid polymeric surfaces from the vicinity of cells and allowing layers of multiple cell types to be defined with tailored extracellular matrix (ECM) composition and stiffness, and in direct contact with each other. We demonstrate co-axial geometries with diameters ranging from 200–2000 μm and layer thicknesses as small as 50–200 µm in agarose– collagen (AC) composite hydrogels. Coaxial geometries with such fine feature sizes are beyond the capabilities of most bioprinting techniques. A potential application of such a structure is to simulate vascular networks in the brain with endothelial cells surrounded by multiple layers of pericytes and other glial cells. For this purpose, the composition and mechanical properties of the composite AC hydrogels have been optimized for cell viability and biological performance of endothelial and glial cell types in both 2D and 3D culture modes. Multi-layered vascular constructs with an endothelial layer surrounded by layers of glial cells have been fabricated. This prototype in-vitro model resembles vascular geometries and opens the way for complex multi-luminal blood vessels to be fabricated.
Human capital and financial performance in professional football: the role of governance mechanisms
Authors: Scafarto Vincenzo , Dimitropoulos Panagiotis 
Published: January 2018

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between human capital investments and financial performance in the professional football industry. The authors examine this association by controlling for internal (club-level) mechanisms of governance. Specifically, as they deal with a context of highly concentrated ownership and familial control of football clubs, they posit that the degree of family board representation and a dual leadership structure exert a moderating effect on the decision to spend on playing talent.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis employs a fixed-effect econometric model on a panel data set of 16 Italian football clubs that spans a nine-year time period ending up with 144 firm-year observations.FindingsThe main novel finding of this investigation is that clubs with CEO duality and a high degree of family board representation manage to profit from investments in player contracts as opposed to clubs which lack these governance mechanisms.Research limitations/implicationsA clear implication is that the presence of corporate governance mechanisms at club level may be value-enhancing. In terms of policy direction, the finding makes the case that regulatory bodies should consider the imposition of governance mechanisms at club level as a means to promote actual financial discipline and a further ally to current regulations that are restricted to monitoring processes tied to accounting data.Originality/valueThis study attempts to explain the financial outcomes of player investments by combining insights from the mainstream governance and family business literature. Prior works in the field are restricted to testing the direct relation between player investments and performance, but fail to consider the potential moderators of this association.
ISO 9001 and supply chain quality in the USA
Authors: Dellana Scott , Kros John 
Published: January 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of ISO 9001 certification and diffusion in the USA in relation to organizational supply chain position, quality maturity, and supplier quality maturity.Design/methodology/approachData for comparison in this study comes from an e-mail survey questionnaire of supply chain professionals across the USA. A pilot survey was initially e-mailed to 100 supply chain professionals and preliminary data from 27 respondents were used to revise the questionnaire. Respondents to the revised questionnaire returned 565 e-mailed questionnaires out of 2,924 active e-mail addresses.FindingsThe results suggest that companies adopting ISO 9001 are likely doing so as part of an overall quality management program more so than from direct market pressure. It appears that ISO 9001 certification rates differ by organizational position in the supply chain. ISO 9001 certified organizations are more likely to have quality programs of greater maturity and suppliers with greater quality maturity than organizations that are not ISO 9001 certified. Certified organizations are also more likely to use suppliers that are ISO 9001 capable or certified than non-ISO 9001 organizations.Research limitations/implicationsNot all industry groups or supply chain positions were well-represented due to some small sub-group sizes.Practical implicationsThe study of ISO 9001 certification in US organizations has been lacking in the literature. Given the weak adoption rate of ISO 9001 in the USA, this study helps characterize ISO 9001 certification from a supply chain perspective and explores possible reasons for low certification rates.Originality/valueThis research extends the knowledge of quality management in the supply chain by studying ISO 9001 certification in relation to supply chain position and differences in quality maturity between certified and non-certified organizations in the USA.
Community perceptions of Nigerian oil companies commitment to social and environmental concerns
Authors: Odera Odhiambo , Scott Albert , Gow Jeff 
Published: January 2018

PurposeThis paper aims to identify factors influencing and shaping community perceptions of oil companies which present fertile ground for a better understanding of their actions.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative methodology is adopted where primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews from members of three communities in the Niger Delta: Ogbunabali community in Port Harcourt (Rivers State), Biogbolo community in Yenagoa (Bayelsa State) and Ogunu community in Warri (Delta State). The interview data were recorded, transcribed and qualitatively analysed using content analysis with NVivo software.FindingsPerceptions regarding negative and positive aspects of the oil companies were identified. These included environmental concerns; lack of compensation; health effects; lack of social development; neglect of communities; not creating employment opportunities; and providing community and educational support.Research limitations/implicationsA major limitation regards the small number of respondents selected from the communities. The sample of the interviewees was constrained by their availability and accessibility, which might have injected some bias. Gathering data from other stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations, consumers, investors and creditors may provide a deeper understanding of social and environmental practices. Another approach would be to extend this study by examining the perceptions of relevant government officials towards social and environmental concerns in developing countries.Originality/valueThe qualitative research methodology utilised in this study uses content analysis to examine views of communities about oil companies’ commitments to their social and environmental concerns. An understanding of social and environmental commitments allows diverse stakeholders such as communities to become more engaged with issues affecting them.
Environmental responsibility: millennial values and cultural dimensions
Authors: Hanson-Rasmussen Nancy J. , Lauver Kristy J. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose
This study aims to examine how students in business colleges across three countries, the United States, India and China, interpret environmental sustainability. This study also explores where students from different cultures believe responsibility lies in caring for the environment and how these beliefs represent their cultural and millennial values. The purpose of this study, then, is to investigate millennial business students’ perspectives toward the environment across the three countries holding the largest ecological footprint.

Design/methodology/approach
College of business students from the United States, India and China were surveyed. Student responses regarding environmental sustainability were compared to values of the millennial generation and placement of responsibility compared to national culture dimensions.

Findings
An average of 66.3 per cent of the coded responses reflect the optimism of the generation. Concern for future generations was a frequent theme. Most responses assigned responsibility for environmental sustainability to “all”. Results support the work of Husted (2005) and Park et al. (2007) as well as the expectations of the millennial generation’s values related to environmental sustainability.

Originality/value
The authors connect national cultural research to environmental sustainability. This study explores where students from different cultures believe responsibility lies in caring for the environment and how these beliefs represent their cultural and millennial values. National cultural combined with millennial opinion is an important area of research for understanding the assignment of responsibility related to environmental sustainability.
A pilot evaluation of the reading intervention ‘Own‐voice Intensive Phonics’
Authors: Gwernan‐Jones Ruth , Macmillan Philip , Norwich Brahm 
Published: January 2018

This paper describes the mixed methodology evaluation of the Own‐Voice Intensive Phonics (OVIP) programme with 33 secondary students with persistent literacy difficulties. The evaluation involved a quasi‐experimental evaluation in which 33 students in years 7–9 in four schools used OVIP over an 8 week period and were monitored at three times for their word reading, phonic decoding and phonological skills. Students, teaching assistants and teachers involved were also interviewed about the use of OVIP, the perceived processes and outcomes. Assessment results showed that OVIP was associated with greater gains in word reading than these students' usual teaching/intervention approaches. Those interviewed also experienced benefits associated with using OVIP. It was further found that word reading gains were not related to a measure of being at risk of significant literacy difficulties. Participants identified the use of their own voice, the student's agency and working at their own pace as key factors relevant to how OVIP worked. These factors aligned with a working OVIP programme theory. The findings are discussed in terms of further development and research related to an own voice approach to addressing persistent literacy difficulties.
Markov‐modulated Poisson processes as a new framework for analysing capture–recapture data
Authors: Choquet Rémi 
Published: January 2018

Abstract

Opportunistic capture–recapture data consists of observations over non‐constant time intervals and so fails to satisfy the basic assumptions of traditional capture‐recapture models. Analysing opportunistic capture–recapture data is often done by discretizing time intervals or summarizing data, but without taking into account the continuous time process of the state and/or the capture.

To deal with non‐constant time‐intervals, continuous time closed capture–recapture models have been proposed by Yip, Huggins, and Lin (), Hwang and Chao (), Schofield, Barker, and Gelling () for estimating population size. More recently, a continuous time Cormack–Jolly–Seber model has been proposed by Fouchet, Santin‐Janin, Sauvage, Yoccoz, and Pontier () to reduce bias in survival rates, and a two‐state process has been proposed by Choquet, Garnier, Awuve, and Besnard () to estimate reproduction rates and survival rates of young within a season.

The aim of the current study is to demonstrate how an approach based on a Markov‐modulated Poisson process (MMPP) (Freed & Shepp, ) allows, in a similar way to a multistate model, to model opportunistic data, using several states. To this end, several multistate models were rewritten as MMPP models, showing, the potential for this approach to address the ecological questions as multistate models, but using an extended data framework. In particular, it is a useful framework for dealing with data that has unordered levels of uncertainty.

The methods were illustrated using simulations and analysis of data on the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex).
Oral mucosa lesions and gingival bleeding can indicate the progression of liver disease in children and adolescents aged two to 18 years
Authors: Olczak‐Kowalczyk Dorota , Krasuska‐Sławińska Ewa , Gozdowski Dariusz , Kowalczyk Wojciech , Pawłowska Joanna 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimThis study assessed correlations between systemic disturbances of paediatric chronic liver diseases (CLD) and oral symptoms in subjects aged 2–18 years.MethodsIt was carried out during outpatient appointments at the Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland, from 2010 to 2015 and comprised 52 CLD patients with a mean age of 12.3 ± 4.6. We also recruited 54 generally healthy controls with a mean age of 12.0 ± 3.7 from the Department of Paediatric Dentistry at the Medical University of Warsaw. The study used various measures, including the Child–Pugh score, which assesses CLD prognosis. We also assessed the causes of liver disease and the medication taken by the patients with CLD.ResultsA total of 24 patients received a Child–Pugh score of seven or more points, while 28 patients were awarded five or six points. More severe cases of gingivitis and a greater prevalence of oral lesions were evident in patients suffering from liver disease. Oral candidiasis, telangiectasia, bald tongue, cracked strawberry lip, yellowish‐brown gum discoloration, petechiae and gingival bleeding all correlated with the severity of liver dysfunction, coagulopathy, protein, bilirubin and creatinine levels and portal hypertension.ConclusionThis study found that oral lesions and gingival bleeding may indicate the progression of liver failure.
Video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery can help enable the complete resection of a mediastinal tumor caused by immunoglobulin G4‐related disease and avoid the need for postoperative medication: A case report
Authors: Uchida Tsuyoshi , Matsubara Hirochika , Nagasaka Satoshi , Kina Satsuki , Ichihara Tomofumi , Matsuoka Hiroyasu , Nakajima Hiroyuki 
Published: January 2018

AbstractImmunoglobulin (Ig) G4‐related disease has various clinical signs and symptoms, and steroidal therapy with corticosteroids has been found to be effective for treatment. Few cases of IgG4‐related disease associated with paravertebral tumor have been reported, and there have been no reports on complete resection of such a tumor. Here, we report a case of IgG4‐related disease associated with a paravertebral tumor that was successfully resected without the need for postoperative medication. An 84‐year‐old woman was admitted to our hospital with a paravertebral tumor. She underwent thoracoscopic surgery, and pathological examination of the tumor specimen revealed that the tumor resulted from IgG4‐related disease. After resection, there was no need for postoperative medication. Our case indicates the rare possibility of a paravertebral tumor associated with IgG4‐related disease and the potential for complete resection as a treatment for such a tumor.
Effects of an immune stimulant, inactivated Mycobacterium phlei, on the growth performance as well as meat quality of fattening pigs
Authors: Zhong Jin‐Feng , Wu Wei‐Gao , Tastan Aseyinjan , Zhang Xiao‐Qing , Wang Bin , Tang Xiao‐Peng , Fang Re‐Jun 
Published: January 2018

AbstractInactivated mycobacterium phlei (M. phlei) is well known for its immune‐stimulatory functions in humans and livestock, but less information is available about the influence on meat quality of pigs when used as a feed additive. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of inactivated M. phlei on growth performance as well as meat quality of fattening pigs. A total of 240 cross‐bred pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) with initial body weight of 80.14 ± 0.29 kg were randomly allocated to five treatments, each of which consisted of eight replicates with 6six pigs per replicate. The basal diet supplemented with five levels of inactivated M. phlei preparations (0, 3.5 × 109 [0.1% w/w], 7 × 109 [0.2%], 1.4 × 1010 [0.4%] or 2.1 × 1010 [0.6%] colony‐forming units/kg) was respectively fed to the control group and four treatment groups for 30 days. Adding 0.4% of inactivated M. phlei to diet increased the average daily feed intake and average daily gain of pigs. Importantly, intramuscular fat percentage in the Longissimus dorsi (LD) was increased by feeding diet containing 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% of inactivated M. phlei, despite the pH value, drip loss, cooking loss and filter paper fluid uptake not being influenced. Analysis of the fatty acid components showed that some saturated fatty acids were decreased in LD after feeding inactivated M. phlei, but some monounsaturated fat acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids were increased (PUFAs), which induced the total contents of MUFAs and PUFAs were improved. RT‐PCR assay revealed that feeding inactivated M. phlei up‐regulated genes implicated in fat metabolism in muscle, including ELOVL6, FASN, SCD1 and H‐FABP. This study revealed that feeding inactivated M. phlei not only increased growth performance of fattening pigs, but also improved the meat quality by increasing intramuscular fat content, thus inactivated M. phlei probably has high utilization value in modern pig production.
Simulation study to determine why only some termites are active during tunneling activity
Authors: Song Hark‐Soo , Lee Sang‐Hee 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIt has been known that some termites are responsible for tunnel excavation for foraging, while others are not involved in the excavation. The biological reason for this is that the resting termites are a backup for the termites that have used up their energy in the tunneling activity. In this study, we build an agent‐based model (ABM) wherein agents (simulated termites) follow simple rules that govern their behavior. In this model, the agents are endowed with a directional vector that has been shown to exist in real termites, but they do not communicate through pheromonal or physical marking of excavation sites. They move toward the tunnel tips, tunnel when their progress in that direction is blocked, and transport the excavated soil. Using the model, we investigated the work efficiency of termites in constructing tunnels and transporting food; the efficiency was defined as the inverse value of tunnel connectivity plus tunnel expansion speed. Biologically, the connectivity is related to the energy to be used for termites to transport food through tunnels, and the tunnel expansion speed is related to the energy required for constructing tunnels. Simulation results showed that the efficiency was maximized at an intermediate number of termites. This means that termites were better to be inactive to maintain the high efficiency when too many workers are present in the colony. We briefly discuss the strength and weakness of the ABM and the values of this study in relation to termite foraging strategy.
Sports and the city
Authors: Koch Natalie 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis article reviews how sport has been engaged in urban geography and related fields. Across the social sciences, there has been an explosion of research on “sporting mega‐events,” such as the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. While much of this scholarship has examined the effects of these events for cities and city residents, I emphasize a longer and deeper history of research on sports and the city. I trace three lines of inquiry to illuminate the broader state of the field: (1) sport, (post)colonialism, and modernity; (2) sports, identity, and belonging in the city; and (3) sport, neoliberalism, and urban transformation. Not limited to the work of geographers, this review considers important overlaps between sports geography, urban geography, and a number of other disciplines. I suggest that sports studies has just as much to offer urban geography as the other way around, and in closing, I point to some key directions that might deepen urban geographers' contribution to the interdisciplinary research on sport, as well as critical approaches to urbanism.
Control of ferroelectric and linear piezoelectric response of PZT films through texture
Authors: Das Debashish , Sanchez Luz , Martin Joel , Power Brian , Isaacson Steven , Polcawich Ronald G. , Chasiotis Ioannis 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe high and low field ferroelectric response of freestanding PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) films, with texture varying from 100% (001) to 100% (111) was investigated via 500 nm thick PZT unimorphs deposited on the same substrate. It is shown that the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties depend strongly on texture, and the effective transverse strain and stress coefficients vary linearly with %(001) and %(111) texture factors. PZT films with 100% (001) orientation displayed 150%, 140%, and 80% larger linear piezoelectric strain coefficient, saturated strain coefficient, and saturated stress coefficient, respectively, compared to films with 100% (111) orientation. As a result, pure (001) textured PZT films with 20% higher dielectric constant have 50% higher figure of merit in sensing than films with pure (111) texture. The piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of all but one combinations of (001) and (111) texture were shown for the first time to be bounded by the values for 100% (001) and 100% (111) texture. A notable exception was PZT films comprised of 73% (001) and 27% (111) texture which showed stable piezoelectric coefficients at all electric fields, with major technological implication to low power microdevices. Finally, the coercive field was shown to decrease with (001) texture factor and excess‐Pb in the PZT and the PbTiO3 seed layer.