bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modelling Competition for Nutrients between Microbial Populations Growing on a Solid Agar Surface
Authors: Daniel Boocock , Lawless Conor 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTMotivationGrowth rate is a major component of the evolutionary fitness of microbial organisms and an excellent surrogate for cell health. In the high-throughput procedures QFA and SGA, microbial cultures are inoculated in an array on solid agar, and growth is measured to obtain quantitative fitness estimates. Neighbouring cultures, which are often different genetic strains, consume nutrients at different rates, creating gradients in nutrient density. We believe that diffusion of nutrients between cultures is affecting growth in these experiments. Current analysis does not account for this; instead, it is assumed that cultures grow independently. I use a network model of nutrient diffusion and nutrient-dependent growth, to correct for competition, to try to improve the accuracy and precision of fitness estimates. I test the model against QFA data from studies on telomere function inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Ultimately, the model might be used to improve the reliability of screens for genetic interaction and drug sensitivity.ResultsI fit the competition model to a QFA plate from Addinall et al. (2011). Using far fewer parameters (387 vs 1152), the new model fits timecourses with similar closeness to the previous model. Fitness estimates are less precise for the fastest growing strains, but more precise for the majority of strains (36 out of 50). Fitness rankings agree in the positions of the fastest and slowest growing strains, but disagree in the middle positions. In a cross-plate validation experiment, the competition model overestimates timecourses to a similar degree that the previous model underestimates. A different method of fitting is required to find globally optimal solutions which might improve reliability.Availability and ImplementationCANS, a Python package developed for the analysis in this paper, is freely available athttps://github.com/lwlss/CANS.
The case against full probability distributions in perceptual decision making
Authors: Rahnev Dobromir 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHow are perceptual decisions made? The answer to this seemingly simple question necessitates that we specify the nature of perceptual representations on which decisions are based. Recent work has taken for granted that the representation at the decision stage consists of a full probability distribution over all possible stimuli. However, to date, no empirical evidence has supported this assumption. Here I present five possible perceptual representation schemes that allow the extraction of different levels of sensory uncertainty. I review the empirical evidence from both continuous and discrete judgments and show that, at present, only the most primitive scheme based on a single point estimate can be rejected. In other words, at least four different representational schemes are consistent with the available data and therefore full probability distributions cannot be assumed. There is an urgent need for empirical research to adjudicate between these theoretical possibilities.
Estimating environmental suitability
Authors: Drake John M. , Richards Robert L. 
Published: February 2017

Author statementJD proposed the model, JD and RR wrote the code and performed the analysis, JD wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors contributed substantially to revisions.AbstractMethods for modeling species, distributions in nature are typically evaluated empirically with respect to data from observations of species occurrence and, occasionally, absence at surveyed locations. Such models are relatively “theory-free”. In contrast, theories for explaining species, distributions draw on concepts likefitness, niche,andenvironmental suitability. This paper proposes that environmental suitability be defined as the conditional probability of occurrence of a species given the state of the environment at a location. Any quantity that is proportional to this probability is a measure of relative suitability and the support of this probability is the niche. This formulation suggests new methods for presence-background modeling of species distributions that unify statistical methodology with the conceptual framework of niche theory. One method, the plug-and-play approach, is introduced for the first time. Variations on the plug-and-play approach were studied with respect to their numerical performance on 106 species from an exhaustively sampled presence/absence survey of vegetation in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Additionally, we looked at the robustness of these methods to the presence of irrelevant information and sample size. Although irrelevant variables eroded the predictive performance of all methods, these methods were found to be both numerically and statistically robust.
The only constant is change
Authors: McRostie Donna 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at the journey and approach to responding to the needs of researchers in an academic library.

Design/methodology/approach
Research practice continues to evolve, technology is advancing at a rapid pace and the volume of research data produce is unprecedented in human history. To add complexity to the equation legislative requirements are being introduce to make data and research output available in open ways to be accountable for public funding.

Findings
It is within this context the academic library is well positioned with its foundation as a keeper and curator of knowledge to support and add value to the research endeavor. While many of the traditional roles in the library are still relevant it is clear that new skills and capability are required to be responsive (and proactive) to the needs of institutional researchers. At the University of Melbourne the authors have has looked closely at what value we can bring to the research endeavor in a meaningful and sustainable manner. The library has established the Research Information Management group to consolidate and expand the University Library’s capability and capacity to deliver cohesive and visible research support services.

Originality/value
Provides an example of an approach to respond to the needs of the academic community in an environment of data deluge by building new services, skills and capability.
Complaint-handling as antecedent of customer engagement: do consumer characteristics matter?
Authors: Cambra-Fierro Jesus , Melero-Polo Iguacel 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the degree of customer engagement resulting from complaint-handling processes. The authors will also analyze the extent to which consumer demographics play a moderating role in this context.

Design/methodology/approach
To this end, the study analyzes the Spanish mobile phone sector based on a survey of individuals who filed a complaint and were provided with a solution by their mobile carrier. Data analysis was carried out using SmartPLS structural equation software.

Findings
The findings indicate that effective complaint-handling processes result in engaged customers. Moreover, socio-demographic variables such as age and gender do not have a significant impact on post-complaint-handling satisfaction or on customer engagement levels.

Research limitations/implications
This study has focused on only one industry – the mobile phone sector – which in Spain exhibits particular characteristics.

Practical implications
Firms which effectively employ complaint-handling strategies when service failures occur can count on an increase in customer engagement which, theoretically, will boost company value and have a positive impact on business performance.

Originality/value
The small body of research in this area assumes initial customer satisfaction. No evidence was found of the existing literature assessing customer engagement in dissatisfied customer contexts.
Moderation-mediation effect of market demand and organization culture on innovation and performance relationship
Authors: Anning-Dorson Thomas 
Published: February 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of market demand on innovation-firm performance relationship in service firms. The paper further analyzes the extent to which market demand influences the effect of product innovation on firm performance and how such effect could be managed by a specific type of cultural orientation that is critical to strategic management.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from different service sub-sectors of an emerging economy with a fast-growing services sector. Causal modeling methods through different model comparisons are used in analyzing the relationship between innovation and service firm performance and environmental mediating and moderating effects.FindingsThe findings suggest that though product innovation has a positive effect on firm performance, high market demand dampens and negate this effect. However, a service firm’s ability to build an innovative culture, that supports strategy implementation, assuages this negative effect and restores the positive relationship between product innovation and firm performance, even in the face of environmental coercion.Originality/valueThis paper shows that market demand will dampen the effect of product innovation on performance and as such must be managed in a way that mitigates this negative effect. The building of an organizational culture that is innovative is therefore recommended to mitigate this negative effect to render product innovation still relevant even in periods where market conditions prevent favorable performance effects.
Slice data representation and format for multi-material objects for additive manufacturing processes
Authors: Zhang Zhengyan , Joshi Sanjay 
Published: February 2017

PurposeThis paper aims to develop a slice-based representation of geometry and material information of a multi-material object to be produced by additive manufacturing. Representation of complex heterogeneous material allowing for the additive manufacturing-based build of a wide range of objects that are limited only by the constraints of the manufacturing process.Design/methodology/approachInitial 3D CAD models are created with multiple and functionally graded materials using an assembly model to create a single part with well-defined material regions. These models are then sliced to create the geometry and material boundaries required for each layer to enable layer-by-layer fabrication.FindingsA representation schema is proposed to add multi-material attributes to a sliced file for additive manufacturing using the combination of material index and material geometry region. A modified common layer interface data format is proposed to allow for representation of a wide range of homogeneous and heterogeneous material for each slice. This format allows for a generic input for tool paths to be generated for each material of the layer.Originality/valueThe proposed approach allows for slice data representation for any material combination that can be defined mathematically. Three different material types, namely, composite material, functionally graded materials and combination thereof, are provided as examples. These data form the input data for subsequent tool path planning.
Smooth geometry generation in additive manufacturing file format: problem study and new formulation
Authors: Yu Kai-Ming , Wang Yu , Wang Charlie C.L. 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
In the newly released ASTM standard specification for additive manufacturing file (AMF) format – version 1.1 – Hermite curve-based interpolation is used to refine input triangles to generate denser mesh with smoother geometry. This paper aims to study the problems of constructing smooth geometry based on Hermite interpolation on curves and proposes a solution to overcome these problems.

Design/methodology/approach
A formulation using triangular Bézier patch is proposed to generate smooth geometry from input polygonal models. Different configurations on the boundary curves in the formulation are analyzed to further enrich this formulation.

Findings
The study shows that the formulation given in the AMF format (version 1.1) can lead to the problems of inconsistent normals and undefined end-tangents.

Research limitations/implications
The scheme has requirements on the input normals of a model, only C0 interpolation can be generated on those cases with less-proper input.

Originality/value
To overcome the problems of smooth geometry generation in the AMF format, the authors propose an enriched scheme for computing smooth geometry by using triangular Bézier patch. For the configurations with less-proper input, the authors adopt the Boolean sum and the Nielson’s point-opposite edge interpolation for triangular Coons patch to generate the smooth geometry as a C0 interpolant.
Combining human acceptance and habitat suitability in a unified socio‐ecological suitability model: a case study of the wolf in Switzerland
Authors: Behr Dominik M. , Ozgul Arpat , Cozzi Gabriele 
Published: February 2017

Summary

Habitat suitability models (HSMs) are commonly used in conservation practise to assess the potential of an area to be occupied and colonised. A major limitation of these models, however, is the omission of spatially explicit understanding of human acceptance towards the focal species. As wildlife is more and more subject to human‐dominated landscapes, ignoring the sociological component will result in misrepresentation of the observed processes and inappropriate management.

We distributed 10 000 questionnaires across Switzerland and identified key socio‐demographical factors correlated with human acceptance of the wolf. We then created a spatially explicit acceptance model based on geo‐referenced socio‐demographical, social and geographical information. Finally, we combined our acceptance model with a HSM to obtain a unified socio‐ecological suitability model, which included human and ecological components.

We showed that the key factors associated with human acceptance were perception of how harmful the wolf is, interest in wolf‐related issues, need for livestock protection, and fear of the wolf. Perceived harmfulness was in turn correlated with direct and indirect experience with the wolf, and level of education.

Our acceptance map predicted decreasing acceptance with increasing altitude of residency and proximity to locations of confirmed wolf presence. This resulted in the overall opposition to the wolf for the Alpine region, albeit substantial regional differences.

We found little spatial overlap (6% of Switzerland) between areas where the wolf was accepted and areas of suitable habitat. These areas of socio‐ecological suitability were concentrated in the Jura Mountains and in the eastern and southern Alps, and were absent in the western and central Alps. Particularly in the Jura region, which is yet to be colonised, management of human acceptance will be a crucial conservation target.

Synthesis and applications. We developed an integrative, socio‐ecological approach that allowed us to accurately reproduce recent wolf recolonisation. We anticipate our framework to be a powerful tool to reliably evaluate overall suitable habitats and predict short to medium‐term range expansion for species whose distribution is also dependent on human attitudes. Because our approach is sensitive to both the ecological and human component, it is ideally suited to identify key regions where proactive and targeted socio‐ecological management plans are needed.
Mass production of Diglyphus isaea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a biological control agent of a Korean population of potato leaf miner Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)
Authors: Maharjan Rameswor , Kwon Min , Kim JuIl , Jung Chuleui 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe potato leaf miner, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), is an important pest of potato throughout the world, including Korea. A method was developed for mass rearing the parasitoid Diglyphus isaea (Walker) using faba bean, Vicia faba L. (Fabaceae), as the host‐plant and L. huidobrensis as the insect host. Faba bean plants were planted in pots and maintained in a greenhouse for about 15 d. Pots were then exposed to adult leaf miners in oviposition cages for 4 h. Plants containing late second to early third instar larvae were exposed to adult D. isaea in parasitoid cages for 24 h. The leaf area per pot after 15 d was 597.9 cm2, which produced 103.33 larvae per pot. The number of adult parasitoids emerging per pot was 72.5; about 41% of these were female. The daily cost of parasitoid production was USD20.95 per 1000 individual parasitoids. The methodology developed for D. isaea could be used to rear other ectoparasitoids such as Hemiptarsenus spp. and Pnigalio sp. with different insect hosts like L. trifolii. This is why this mass‐rearing information is important for securing test insect materials for ecological and biological study of Liriomyza species, and also for developing a biological control for Liriomyza species other than L. huidobrensis by mass production of associated natural enemies. We are facing rapid agro‐ecosystem changes including pest systems. Continuous monitoring of Liriomyza in solanaceous crops is needed.
DNA amplification in the field: move over PCR, here comes LAMP
Authors: Lee Patricia L. M. 
Published: February 2017

It would not be an exaggeration to say that among molecular technologies, it is PCR (polymerase chain reaction) that underpins the discipline of molecular ecology as we know it today. With PCR, it has been possible to target the amplification of particular fragments of DNA, which can then be analysed in a multitude of ways. The capability of PCR to amplify DNA from a mere handful of copies further means that conservationists and ecologists are able to sample DNA unobtrusively and with minimal disturbance to the environment and the organisms of interest. However, a key disadvantage of PCR‐based methods has been the necessity for a generally non‐portable, laboratory setting to undertake the time‐consuming thermocycling protocols. LAMP (loop‐mediated isothermal amplification) offers a logistically simpler protocol: a relatively rapid DNA amplification reaction occurs at one temperature, and the products are visualized with a colour change within the reaction tubes. In the first field application of LAMP for an ecological study, Centeno‐Cuadros et al. () demonstrates how LAMP can be used to determine the sex of three raptor species. By enabling DNA amplification in situ and in ‘real‐time’, LAMP promises to revolutionize how molecular ecology is practised in the field.
Burden of rheumatoid arthritis from a societal perspective: A prevalence‐based study on cost of this illness for patients in China
Authors: Hu Hao , Luan Luan , Yang Keqin , Li Shu‐Chuen 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAimTo provide a comprehensive estimation of the economic burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China, especially for patients from less developed areas, and to explore the cost transferability between regions to assist healthcare decision‐making.MethodsThe study was conducted in south and north China from May 2013 to December 2013. The burden of RA was investigated by interviewing participants with a questionnaire battery containing socio‐demographic, cost of illness (COI) and medical treatments. The COI questionnaire captured direct, indirect and intangible costs. Direct costs included hospitalizations, outpatient visits and medications. Indirect costs were estimated using the human capital approach, and intangible costs valued through the willingness‐to‐pay approach. All cost data were converted to 2013 US dollars by purchasing power parity, and then summarized descriptively and analyzed with mixed models.ResultsQuestionnaires were administered to 133 RA patients. The average direct costs were $1917.21 ± $2559.06 per patient year, with medications at $1283.89 ± $1898.15 comprising more than 50% of the total. The average indirect costs were $492.88 ± $1739.74 per patient year, while intangible costs were $20396.30 ± $31145.10. There was no significant difference detected between regions. Recent hospitalization was tested as a significant predictor of the direct costs. Age and income were significantly associated with indirect and intangible costs.ConclusionsBesides the substantial burden in terms of direct medical costs and productivity lost, there were notable intangible costs, especially among older patients. This conclusion could be potentially expanded to other provinces in China or even other countries through the adjustments for transferability.
Diffuse scarring alopecia in a female pattern hair loss distribution
Authors: Fergie Bonnie , Khaira Gurpreet , Howard Vicki , de Zwaan Sally 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWe describe three cases of hair loss in a female pattern hair loss (FPHL) distribution with histologic features of lichen planopilaris (LPP). All patients had a history of diffuse, gradual hair loss in a Christmas tree pattern that clinically presented as FPHL on gross and dermoscopic examination. Notably, there were no characteristic clinical signs of LPP and no histologic features of FPHL. These cases are most consistent with cicatricial pattern hair loss (CPHL). This relatively new entity is similar to fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution (FAPD) in that they are both scarring alopecias confined to a FPHL distribution, but CPHL lacks the clinical signs of perifollicular erythema and perifollicular keratosis seen in FAPD. These three cases may present an early, subtle form of CPHL and will be of interest to clinicians and histopathologists alike.
A granulomatous conundrum: Concurrent necrobiosis lipoidica, cutaneous sarcoidosis and erythema nodosum in a nondiabetic patient
Authors: Valecha Nishant , Bennett Genevieve , Yip Leona 
Published: February 2017

AbstractNecrobiosis lipoidica (NL) and cutaneous sarcoidosis are granulomatous disorders with a largely unknown aetiopathogenesis. Evidence of co‐existing NL and sarcoidosis in the same patient may suggest a degree of overlap between these entities through shared granulomatous inflammatory pathways. Occasionally, one condition can mimic the other, making their distinction difficult. We report a novel case of a non‐diabetic woman who presented with concurrent NL, cutaneous sarcoidosis and erythema nodosum. We discuss some of the complexities distinguishing these entities and propose that they may represent different stages of the same granulomatous process linked through yet unknown pathomechanisms.
Reasons for rarity of anal melanocytic naevi
Authors: Aljufairi Eman , Alhilli Fayek 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn the last 16 years only seven definite cases of anal melanocytic naevi have been reported in the literature. We describe three new cases, none of which were suspected clinically and were incidentally diagnosed on histological examination of haemorrhoidectomy specimens. The infrequency of these special site flexural melanocytic lesions may be related to changes in the involutionary mechanisms of the anal melanocyte proliferation. However, other factors related to the low detection rates by clinicians and pathologists need also to be considered.