bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of customer participation for enhancing repurchase intention
Authors: Chen Chih-Cheng Volvic , Chen Chih-Jou 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer participation in the service delivery process by designing and testing an empirical model with the customers’ point of view in mind.

Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected from 176 customers in the context of professional financial insurance services. The proposed model is analyzed with partial least squares (PLS) path modeling in SmartPLS 2.0 software.

Findings
The results of the study show that customer participation produces positive effects on customer satisfaction and affective commitment through the customer relational value. Affective commitment is a strong predictor of repurchase intention, but no relationship between customer satisfaction and repurchase intention was found.

Practical implications
This study suggests that customer participation can be a win-win situation for customers and the service firm. Customers who create relational value with their service providers effectively enjoy their services more and are more likely to build and maintain long-term relationships with their service firm.

Originality/value
The findings highlight the roles of the customer and indicate the heuristic value of viewing customer satisfaction and affective commitment as consequences of customer participation. By identifying the effects of customer participation in the service interaction, organizations can determine optimum roles for customers in the service delivery process that will yield a more efficient use of organization resources and improve operational performance.
The bright side and dark side of co-production: a dyadic analysis
Authors: Wu Li-Wei 
Published: April 2017

PurposeMuch research has emphasized the importance of service employees as boundary spanners that interact with customers by co-production. Service employees frequently engage in emotional labor in response to co-production requirements. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that explores the links between co-production, emotional labor, employee satisfaction, value co-creation, co-production intensity, and their effects on customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThis study involved collecting and analyzing 322 questionnaires from the dyads of service employees and customers of the financial service industry in Taiwan. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested by using a structural equation model.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that co-production influences deep acting, surface acting, value co-creation, and co-production intensity. Deep acting and surface acting have different effects on employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, employee satisfaction and value co-creation increase customer satisfaction, whereas co-production intensity decreases customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThe findings provide interesting theoretical insights and valuable managerial implications regarding the positive and negative aspects of co-production and encourage service employees to perform deep acting while minimizing surface acting.
Revisiting the relationship between corporate social responsibility and national culture
Authors: Halkos George , Skouloudis Antonis 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the macro-level and well-established dimensions of national culture offered by Hofstede’s framework.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors employ a composite index for quantifying CSR proliferation and present new findings on the role of cultural specificity – proxied by Hofstede’s dimensions – on CSR endorsement among national business sectors.

Findings
Results indicate that cultural perspectives pertaining to “long-term vs short-term orientation” as well as “indulgence vs restraint” affect positively the composite CSR index, while “uncertainty avoidance” has a negative impact. In contrast, the effect of “power distance,” “individualism” and “masculinity” is found to be insignificant.

Originality/value
The study offers new insights to institutional theorists as well as political economy researchers for a deeper investigation of informal institutions, such as culture, which shape national or regional specificities of CSR and retain a moderating effect on the voluntary/self-regulation activities of business entities.
Going European from American: does style matter?
Authors: Pathak Rajesh , Kumar Satish , Ranajee Ranajee 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the cross-sectional predictive power and the information content of volatility smirks for future stock returns using single stock options.

Design/methodology/approach
The study uses Fama-Macbeth procedure and portfolio approach to investigate the predictability and informativeness in a setup when options settlement style is changed from American to European.

Findings
The study reports that the volatility smirk of European style options, unlike American style options, predict the underlying cross-sectional equity returns. Firms with steepest volatility smirk underperform firms with flatter volatility smirks, by an average of 3.28 and 4.01 per cent annually for American and European options, respectively. The results are robust to the control of idiosyncratic and systematic risk factors.

Practical implications
The results confirm that a trader with negative information prefers to trade out-of-the-money put options. The more pronounced results of European options designate the trader’s preference to less risky European style stock options. Results are robust and signify the delay of equity market in incorporating information impounded in the volatility smirk.

Originality/value
Very few studies examine smirk and returns relationship and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study exists that examine the unique case of change in options style and its role in affecting relationship between smirk and future returns.
The impact of the quality of VC financing and monitoring on the survival of IPO firms
Authors: Pommet Sophie 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of venture capital (VC) involvement on the survival rate of French initial public offerings (IPOs) during the period 1996-2006. The paper examines the link between the survival rates of IPO companies, and several proxies for the quality of venture capitalist financing and monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach
To analyze the impact of the involvement of VC on both long and short run post-IPO survival, two methods are used: survival analysis (the Cox proportional hazard), and a logit model.

Findings
This paper shows that the quality of venture capitalist monitoring, measured by the duration of their investment before the IPO, is positively correlated with company survival rates. However, the author does not find the expected result when the author considers the experience of venture capitalists measured by their age.

Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to a sample of VC-backed companies that went public.

Practical implications
The findings have implications for entrepreneurs. When analyzing the advantages and disadvantages linked to the presence of VC firms in the capital of their companies, entrepreneurs should consider that certain types of venture capitalists might be more or less able to be involved in the monitoring and value adding process.

Originality/value
To date, there is no comprehensive study on the French IPO market analyzing both long and short run post-IPO survival of VC-backed companies. This paper fills this gap.
Adequacy of core knowledge and soft skills in the performance of professional employees of real estate firms in Nigeria
Authors: Oladokun Sunday Olarinre , Gbadegesin Job Taiwo 
Published: April 2017

PurposeReal estate professionals are a vital resource to the property firms and the industry at large. Employees’ skills, knowledge and competence contribute in great measure to organization’s business performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the adequacy of core knowledge and soft skills possessed by professional employees within the Nigerian real estate practicing firms. It also assesses the performance of the employees and establishes the correlation among the soft skills possessed by employees.Design/methodology/approachData for this study were elicited through the administration of questionnaires on principal partners/branch managers (the employers) of the practicing estate surveying and valuation firms in Lagos metropolis. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-samplet-test and correlation analysis.FindingsThe result indicates that employees of estate firms in Nigeria demonstrate adequate knowledge in ten out of 21 core areas of real estate practice, while real estate agency has the highest mean, and inadequate knowledge in six others with least mean score in environmental impact assessment. The study also revealed that employees possess good listening and communication skills but are deficient in courteousness and writing skill, among others. It was also found that real estate employees were performing the best in inspection functions but below average in report writing and handling of transaction. The study also established a significant relationship among all the soft skills except communication skill and courteousness.Research limitations/implicationsFurther study that looks at the performance of real estate graduates working in other sectors/organizations other than estate companies is required to establish their competence level in global employment market. Further study is also needed to cover the views of the employees in Nigerian market as this study focuses on the views of the employers.Originality/valueThis study provides an important feedback for the policy makers in the design/review of curriculum for real estate education towards enhancing employability of the graduates. This study also serves as the research blueprint in giving attention to assessment of soft skills among real estate employees in Nigerian real estate industry.
Determining normal values of urinary phosphorus excretion in 3913 healthy children aged 2–18 to aid early diagnosis and treatment for urolithiasis
Authors: Taranta‐Janusz Katarzyna , Łabieniec Łukasz , Porowski Tadeusz , Szymański Krzysztof , Porowska Halina , Wasilewska Anna 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAimThis study determined the specific reference values for urinary phosphorus excretion in healthy children and adolescents aged 2–18 years and evaluated whether they changed with age during growth and were gender dependent.MethodsWe enrolled 3913 healthy children and adolescents aged 2–18 years to this study. The study population was divided into age groups, and the analysis was performed in one‐year periods, separately for boys and girls. Urinary phosphorus excretion was analysed using four categories: P1 in mmol/24 hour units, P2 in mmol/kg/24 hours, P3 in mmol/1.73 m2/24 hours and P4 in mmol/mmol creatinine.ResultsClear differences in urinary exertion for girls and boys were observed as well as systematic changes with age. The boys presented with significantly higher daily urinary phosphorus excretion independent of its manner of expression (p < 0.001). The median urinary phosphorus (P1) rose with age (p < 0.001). Percentile tables of phosphorous exertion are presented.ConclusionThis was the largest study of urinary phosphate excretion based on a randomly selected sample of girls and boys aged 2–18 years. It highlights the importance of determining phosphorus reference values for children of different ages to provide early diagnosis and treatment for urolithiasis.
Early growth response‐1‐mediated down‐regulation of drebrin correlates with loss of dendritic spines
Authors: Cho Chulmin , MacDonald Ryen , Shang Jijun , Cho Moon Jeong , Chalifour Lorraine E. , Paudel Hemant K. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractPost‐synaptic dendritic spines are structurally composed of actin cytoskeleton, which undergoes dynamic morphological changes to accommodate incoming synaptic activity. Drebrin is an actin‐binding protein highly expressed in dendritic spines that serves an important role in regulating spine morphology. Functionally, loss of drebrin directly correlates with deficits in learning and memory, as is the case observed in Alzheimer's disease. Despite these findings, the regulatory factor responsible for drebrin loss remains unclear. Here, we show that early growth response‐1 (Egr‐1), an inducible zinc finger transcription factor, down‐regulates drebrin expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses identified Egr‐1 binding sites upstream of the drebrin start site in neuronal cells. Over‐expression of Egr‐1 in vitro in primary hippocampal neurons or in vivo in homogenates prepared from the hippocampi of an inducible mouse model of Egr‐1 show reduced drebrin mRNA and protein levels. Conversely, increased drebrin was detected in hippocampal samples isolated from Egr‐1‐deficient brain. These data demonstrate that Egr‐1 interacts with the drebrin promoter and negatively regulates drebrin expression. Furthermore, immunocytochemical and Golgi staining analyses revealed reduced drebrin protein and dendritic spine density as well as reduced expression of synaptic markers in in vitro hippocampal neurons over‐expressing Egr‐1 and in vivo inducible mouse model of Egr‐1. In contrast, increased drebrin expression correlated with increased dendritic spine density was detected in samples from Egr‐1‐deficient mice. These data provide evidence that Egr‐1 is a novel regulator of drebrin expression, which is linked to changes in dendritic spine density.
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Recent advances in gut immunology
Authors: Powell N. , MacDonald T. T. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryIn recent years, there have been significant advances in our understanding of the mucosal immune system. In addition to unravelling some of the complexities of this system, including the discovery of completely new cells types, further insights into the three‐way interactions between mucosal immune cells, the intestinal epithelium and the microbial communities colonizing the GI tract promise to redefine our understanding of how intestinal homeostasis is maintained, but also how dysregulation of these highly integrated interactions conspires to cause disease. In this review, we will discuss major recent advances in the role of key immune players in the gut, including innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), mucosa‐associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) and cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), including how these cells interact with the intestinal epithelial and their crosstalk with components of the intestinal microbiota, and how these interactions shape host health.
Diverse genome organization following 13 independent mesopolyploid events in Brassicaceae contrasts with convergent patterns of gene retention
Authors: Mandáková Terezie , Li Zheng , Barker Michael S. , Lysak Martin A. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryHybridization and polyploidy followed by genome‐wide diploidization had a significant impact on the diversification of land plants. The ancient At‐α whole‐genome duplication (WGD) preceded the diversification of crucifers (Brassicaceae). Some genera and tribes also experienced younger, mesopolyploid WGDs concealed by subsequent genome diploidization. Here we tested if multiple base chromosome numbers originated due to genome diploidization after independent mesopolyploid WGDs and how diploidization affected post‐polyploid gene retention. Sixteen species representing 10 Brassicaceae tribes were analyzed by comparative chromosome painting and/or whole‐transcriptome analysis of gene age distributions and phylogenetic analyses of gene duplications. Overall, we found evidence for at least 13 independent mesopolyploidies followed by different degrees of diploidization across the Brassicaceae. New mesotetraploid events were uncovered for the tribes Anastaticeae, Iberideae and Schizopetaleae, and mesohexaploid WGDs for Cochlearieae and Physarieae. In contrast, we found convergent patterns of gene retention and loss among these independent WGDs. Our combined analyses of genomic data for Brassicaceae indicate that extant chromosome number variation in many plant groups, and especially monophyletic taxa with multiple base chromosome numbers, can result from clade‐specific genome duplications followed by diploidization. Our observation of parallel gene retention and loss across multiple independent WGDs provides one of the first multi‐species tests of the predictability of patterns of post‐polyploid genome evolution.
Analyses of whole transverse momentum distributions in pp̄ and pp collisions by using a modified version of Hagedorn’s formula
Authors: Mizoguchi Takuya , Biyajima Minoru , Suzuki Naomichi 
Published: April 2017

To describe the transverse momentum [Formula: see text] distribution of charged hadrons at 1.96 TeV observed by the CDF collaboration, we propose a formula with two components, namely, hadron gas distributions and inverse power laws inspired by QCD calculus. The new formula based on a formula by Hagedorn in 1983 includes an integration of pseudo-rapidity [Formula: see text]. The data collected at 0.9, 2.76, 7 and 13 TeV by the ALICE, CMS, and ATLAS collaborations are also analyzed using various models including single component models as well as two-component models. The results by the use of the modified version of Hagedorn’s formula are compared with those by the use of the two-component model proposed by Bylinkin, Rostovtsev and Ryskin (BRR). We investigate whether or not there is an interrelation among our modified formula, a formula proposed by ATLAS collaboration, and the BRR formula. Moreover, formulas for the [Formula: see text] distributions in the nonextensive approach are discussed.
Telomere Length and Neighborhood Circumstances: Evaluating Biological Response to Unfavorable Exposures
Authors: Lynch Shannon M. , Mitra Nandita , Ravichandran Krithika , Mitchell Jonathan , Spangler Elaine , Zhou Wenting , Paskett Electra D. , Gehlert Sarah , DeGraffinreid Cecilia , Stowe Raymond , Dubowitz Tamara , Riethman Harold , Branas Charles C. , Peek M.K. , Rebbeck Timothy R. 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Background: Multilevel frameworks suggest neighborhood circumstances influence biology; however, this relationship is not well studied. Telomere length (TL) shortening has been associated with individual-level and neighborhood-level exposures and disease and may provide insights into underlying biologic mechanisms linking neighborhood with biology. To support neighborhood–biology investigations, we sought to determine the independent effect of neighborhood exposures on TL using standard multilevel linear regression models and quantile regression, a nonlinear, social science method applicable for testing the biologic hypothesis that extremes of the TL distribution are related to poor outcomes.
Methods: In a multicenter, cross-sectional study, blood TL was measured in 1,488 individuals from 127 census tracts in three U.S. regions using terminal restriction fragment assays. Multilevel linear and quantile regression models were adjusted for individual-level race, education, perceived stress, and depression. Neighborhood exposures included population density, urban/residential crowding, residential stability/mobility, and socioeconomic status.
Results: TL was not associated with any neighborhood variable using linear models, but quantile regression revealed inverse associations between population density and urban crowding at the lower tails of the TL distribution [5th (population density P = 0.03; urban crowding P = 0.002), 50th (both P &lt; 0.001), 75th percentiles (both P &lt; 0.001)]. TL was related to residential stability at the upper tail (95th percentile P = 0.006).
Conclusions: Findings support the use of nonlinear statistical methods in TL research and suggest that neighborhood exposures can result in biological effects.
Impact: TL may serve as an underlying example of a biologic mechanism that can link neighborhood with biology, thus supporting multilevel investigations in future studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(4); 553–60. ©2017 AACR.
See all the articles in this CEBP Focus section, “Geospatial Approaches to Cancer Control and Population Sciences.”
Pancreatic Cancer: “A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery inside an Enigma”
Authors: Borazanci Erkut , Dang Chi V. , Robey Robert W. , Bates Susan E. , Chabot John A. , Von Hoff Daniel D. 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most difficult-to-treat cancers. With an increasing incidence and inability to make major progress, it represents the very definition of unmet medical need. Progress has been made in understanding the basic biology—systematic genomic sequencing has led to the recognition that PDAC is not typically a heavily mutated tumor, although there are exceptions. The most consistently mutated genes are KRAS, CDKN2A, TP53, and SMAD4/DPC4. Study of familial PDAC has led to the recognition that a variety of defects in DNA repair genes can be associated with the emergence of pancreatic cancer. Recent studies suggest that epigenetics may play a larger role than previously recognized. A major new understanding is the recognition that PDAC should be considered a composite of tumor cells, as well as pancreatic stellate cells, immune cells, and extracellular matrix. The individual components contribute to metabolic aberration, immune dysfunction, and chemotherapy resistance, and therapeutic innovations may be needed to address them individually. It has also been recognized that metastatic seeding from PDAC occurs very early in the disease course—in an estimated 73% of cases, once the tumor reaches 2 cm. The implication of this is that therapies directed toward micrometastatic disease and increasing fractional cell kill are most needed. Neoadjuvant approaches have been taken to increase resectability and improve outcome. So much work remains, and most critical is the need to understand how this tumor originates and develops. Clin Cancer Res; 23(7); 1629–37. ©2017 AACR.
See all articles in this CCR Focus section, “Pancreatic Cancer: Challenge and Inspiration.”
MET in Lung Cancer: Biomarker Selection Based on Scientific Rationale
Authors: Salgia Ravi 
Published: April 2017

AbstractMET or hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor pathway signaling mediates wound healing and hepatic regeneration, with pivotal roles in embryonic, neuronal, and muscle development. However, dysregulation of MET signaling mediates proliferation, apoptosis, and migration and is implicated in a number of malignancies. In non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), aberrant MET signaling can occur through a number of mechanisms that collectively represent a significant proportion of patients. These include MET or HGF protein overexpression, MET gene amplification, MET gene mutation or fusion/rearrangement, or aberrations in downstream signaling or regulatory components. Responses to MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been documented in clinical trials in patients with MET-amplified or MET-overexpressing NSCLC, and case studies or case series have shown that MET mutation/deletion is a biomarker that is also predictive of response to these agents. However, other recent clinical data have highlighted an urgent need to elucidate optimal biomarkers based on genetic and/or protein diagnostics to correctly identify patients most likely to benefit in ongoing clinical trials of an array of MET-targeted therapies of differing class. The latest advances in the development of MET biomarkers in NSCLC have been reviewed, toward establishing appropriate MET biomarker selection based on a scientific rationale. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(4); 555–65. ©2017 AACR.