bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of glycaemic and lipid risk factors in mediating the effect of BMI on coronary heart disease: A two-step, two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Xu Lin , Borges Maria Carolina , Hemani Gibran , Lawlor Deborah A 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe extent to which effects of BMI on coronary heart disease (CHD) are mediated by gylcaemic and lipid risk factors is unclear.MethodsWe used two-sample Mendelian randomization to determine the causal effect of: (i) BMI on CHD (60,801 cases; 123, 504 controls), type 2 diabetes (T2DM; 34,840 cases; 114,981 controls), fasting glucose (n=46,186), insulin (n=38,238), HbA1c(n=46,368), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (n=188,577); (ii) glycaemic and lipids traits on CHD; and (iii) extent to which these traits mediated any effect of BMI on CHD.FindingsOne standard deviation (SD) increase in BMI (~ 4.5kg/m2) increased CHD (odds ratio=1.45 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27, 1.66)) and T2DM (1.96 (1.35, 2.83)), and levels of fasting glucose (0.07mmol/l (95%CI 0.03, 0.11)), HbA1c(0.05% (95%CI 0.01, 0.08)), fasting insulin (0.18log pmol/l (95%CI 0.14, 0.22)) and triglycerides (0.20 SD (95%CI 0.14, 0.26)), and lowered levels of HDL-C (−0.23 SD (95%CI −0.32, −0.15)). BMI was not causally related to LDL-C. After accounting for potential pleiotropy, triglycerides, HbA1cand T2DM were causally related to CHD. The BMI-CHD effect reduced from 1.45 to 1.16 (95%CI 0.99, 1.36) and to 1.36 (95%CI 1.19, 1.57) with genetic adjustment for triglycerides or HbA1crespectively, and to 1.09 (95%CI 0.94, 1.27) with adjustment for both.InterpretationIncreased triglyceride levels and poor glycaemic control appear to mediate much of the effect of BMI on CHD.FundingEuropean Research Council (669545), European Union (733206), China Medical Board (CMB_2015/16), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12013/5).
Sex-associated autosomal DNA methylation differences are wide-spread and stable throughout childhood
Authors: Suderman Matthew , Simpkin Andrew , Sharp Gemma , Gaunt Tom , Lyttleton Oliver , McArdle Wendy , Ring Susan , Davey Smith George , Relton Caroline 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAlmost all species show sexual discordance in many traits and diseases. DNA methylation is known to contribute to these differences through well-established mechanisms including X-inactivation in females, imprinting and parent-of-origin effects. Here we investigate sex discordance in DNA methylation throughout childhood in a sample of 700 individuals from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We show that autosomal sex-discordant methylation is widespread, affecting approximately 12,000 CpG sites at any given age, and stable; at least 8,500 sites are consistently different across all time points and a large proportion discordant in both the fetal and adult brain cortices. Just over 1,000 methylation differences change from birth to late adolescence, 90% of these between birth and around age seven. Sexually discordant CpG sites are enriched in genomic loci containing androgen but not estrogen targets and in genes involved in tissue development but not housekeeping functions. A methylation-derived sex score capturing the variance was calculated at each time point and found to be highly correlated between time points. This score is nominally associated with sex hormone levels in childhood as well as some phenotypes previously linked to sex hormone levels. These findings suggest that sex-discordant autosomal DNA methylation is widespread throughout the genome, likely due to the first androgen exposuresin utero.It is then stably maintained from birth to late adolescence. Methylation variation at sex-discordant sites within the sexes, as summarized by the methylation sex score, likely reflectsin uteroandrogen exposure which is relevant to human health.Significance StatementAlthough we know that sex hormones are critical for establishing sexual discordance, less is known about how this discordance is achieved and maintained. Here we present evidence for widespread differences in DNA methylation between male and female children. We show that most of these differences are established prenatally, likely due to the first androgen exposuresin utero,and then stably maintained throughout childhood, despite extreme fluctuations in the levels of these very same hormones. Our results support a role for DNA methylation as a means for recording and maintaining the effects of exposure to sex hormones and thus to better understand sexual variation and how it is driven by the prenatal environment.
Are the neural correlates of consciousness in the front or in the back of the cerebral cortex? Clinical and neuroimaging evidence
Authors: Boly Melanie , Massimini Marcello , Tsychiya Naotsugu , Postle Bradley R. , Koch Christof , Tononi Giulio 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe role of the frontal cortex in consciousness remains a matter of debate. In this Perspective, we will critically review the clinical and neuroimaging evidence for the involvement of the front versus back of the cortex in specifying conscious contents and discuss promising research avenues.
Population genomics and the evolution of virulence in the fungal pathogenCryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Desjardins Christopher A. , Giamberardino Charles , Sykes Sean M. , Yu Chen-Hsin , Tenor Jennifer L. , Chen Yuan , Yang Timothy , Jones Alexander M. , Sun Sheng , Haverkamp Miriam R. , Heitman Joseph , Litvintseva Anastasia P. , Perfect John R. , Cuomo Christina A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractCryptococcus neoformansis an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes approximately 625,000 deaths per year from nervous system infections. Here, we leveraged a unique, genetically diverse population ofC. neoformansfrom sub-Saharan Africa, commonly isolated from mopane trees, to determine how selective pressures in the environment coincidentally adaptedC. neoformansfor human virulence. Genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 387 isolates, representing the global VNI and African VNB lineages, highlighted a deep, non-recombining split in VNB (herein VNBI and VNBII). VNBII was enriched for clinical samples relative to VNBI, while phenotypic profiling of 183 isolates demonstrated that VNBI isolates were significantly more resistant to oxidative stress and more heavily melanized than VNBII isolates. Lack of melanization in both lineages was associated with loss-of-function mutations in theBZP4transcription factor. A genome-wide association study across all VNB isolates revealed sequence differences between clinical and environmental isolates in virulence factors and stress response genes. Inositol transporters and catabolism genes, which process sugars present in plants and the human nervous system, were identified as targets of selection in all three lineages. Further phylogenetic and population genomic analyses revealed extensive loss of genetic diversity in VNBI, suggestive of a history of population bottlenecks, along with unique evolutionary trajectories for mating type loci. These data highlight the complex evolutionary interplay between adaptation to natural environments and opportunistic infections, and that selection on specific pathways may predispose isolates to human virulence.
Genotyping of zebrafish embryos fixed by paraformaldehyde
Authors: Yang Xiaojie , Gu Qilin 
Published: March 2017

SummaryThe rapid generation of various species and strains of zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 technology has dramatically accelerated the interrogation of gene function invivo. So far, several approaches for genotyping of unfixed genome-modified animals have been successfully developed, such as Surveyor assays, T7 endonuclease 1 (T7E1) assays, High Resolution Melt Analysis (HRMA) and PAGE-based genotyping approach. However, there is few published genotyping protocol for the embryos of lethal zebrafish mutants fixed by paraformaldehyde. We have designed this genotyping protocol so that it can be performed in a single step with reliable results. The protocol covers all steps to obtain the genotypes.
Analysis of food insufficiency transition and determinants in rural Nigeria
Authors: Apata Temidayo 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics of food insufficiency and its determinants among farming households in Southwestern Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach
A combination of cluster and systematic random sampling was used to select 40 households in each local government area of the selected two states. This gives a total of 160 households per state and 320 households in all for the first data collection. Visiting the same households during the second data collection, only 150 households’ data were useful for analysis. Panel primary data were adopted and they were collected in two periods of late and early rain, respectively, over a period of nine months. Primary data were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, administered on farming households in the area of study. The needed information was collected through the use of interview schedules/questionnaires.

Findings
The transition of food insufficiency households to food sufficiency indicated a differential of 4.25 percent, and the transition of food sufficiency to food insufficiency a differential of 9.33 percent. During the agricultural harvest season more households moved to food sufficiency status (16 percent), while off season insufficiency status was 25.3 percent. The probability of households escaping food insufficiency is 0.25, and the probability of households entering food insufficiency is 0.38. The study provides evidence of transient and high incidence of food insufficiency.

Originality/value
Past studies of this nature only captured the food insufficiency status of households using a snapshot study. Hence, this study brought in innovation by examining the dynamics of food sufficiency/insufficiency in two periods. Therefore the question this study asks is: can a farm-household be food sufficient over a particular period of time and food insufficient in other time?
Behavioral approach to food waste: an experiment
Authors: Jagau Henrik Luis , Vyrastekova Jana 
Published: March 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of behavioral interventions and nudging in dealing with the food waste problem. In particular, the authors implement an information campaign aiming to increase consumers’ awareness of the food waste problem.Design/methodology/approachIn the period of three weeks, the authors observe intentions to prevent food waste and actual food waste of the consumers in a university restaurant serving ready meals. During the intervention period, consumers are exposed to an information campaign, designed to avoid consumers’ insufficient planning problem.FindingsConsumers are willing to pay the same price for less food more often during the campaign than before the campaign, but the approximated impact on the food waste is not significant. Social emotions of guilt and shame are linked to consumers’ intentions to prevent food waste, suggesting channels to be included in a successful information campaign nudging consumers toward food waste reduction.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors were not able to measure precisely food waste, but observed consumers in a real-life context. Consumers were not aware of the study, and made daily purchase decisions before and after the information campaign.Social implicationsConsumer behavior is at the core of the food waste problem in developed countries. It is important to understand how consumers can be nudged at low cost, using an information campaign, to change their attitude to food waste, and to decrease food waste.Originality/valueThe authors collected an original dataset on the impact of an information campaign, observing behavior of consumers in a real-life context.
Nutritional evaluation and utilisation of composite whole flours for making functional cookies rich in β-glucan and isoflavones
Authors: Kaur Jaspreet , Kaur Amarjeet , Singh Jaspreet 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the bioactive ingredients of whole flours of oat, maize and soyabean, utilise them for developing functional cookies and evaluate their physical and nutritional quality parameters.

Design/methodology/approach
Cookies were prepared from blends of whole flours of wheat, oats, maize and full fat soyabean. Whole wheat and oat flours were blend in different proportions (100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60 and 20:80 and 0:100, wheat:oat, w/w) and supplemented with quality protein maize (QPM) and full fat soyabean flours, at 10 per cent (w/w) each, of the total blend. Cookies were studied for their physical attributes, proximate and nutritional compositions. A significant (p=0.05) increase in spread ratio, crude protein, crude fat and crude fibre contents of the cookies was observed with increase in the proportion of oat flour in the blend.

Findings
Cookies prepared from blend containing QPM and soyabean flours had higher antioxidant activity than control whole wheat cookies. An increase in extractable β-glucan content and in-vitro protein digestibility was also observed with the increase in the proportion of oat flour. The highest overall acceptability was observed for cookies prepared from blends having a wheat–oat proportion of 60:40. These cookies also had a 17.5 per cent higher genistein content as compared to their raw flour blend. Higher genistein levels were observed in the composite cookies.

Originality/value
The cookies prepared from composite whole flours rich in isoflavones and β-glucan reflect their potential as a new functional food for the prevention and management of diseases such as cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.
The food safety culture in a large South African food service complex
Authors: Griffith Christopher J. , Jackson Linda M. , Lues Ryk 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess elements of food safety management and food safety culture within a prominent South African entertainment, hotel and food service complex.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper a qualitative case study approach was used. Following a comprehensive literature review, based on factors known to be important in developing a food safety culture, in combination with national and international food safety standards, an interview guide was constructed and utilised in a series of semi-structured interviews. The interviewees represented different management levels involved in food delivery but did not include board level managers.

Findings
Many of the factors considered important in good food safety management, including the presence of a formal food safety policy and the creation and maintenance of a positive food safety culture, were absent. Although a formal system of internal hygiene auditing existed and food safety training was provided to food handlers they were not integrated into a comprehensive approach to food safety management. Food safety leadership, communication and support were considered deficient with little motivation for staff to practise good hygiene.

Originality/value
Food safety culture is increasingly recognised as a contributory factor in foodborne disease outbreaks and is the focus of increasing research. However, although every food business has a unique food safety culture there are relatively few published papers concerning its analysis, application and use within specific businesses. This case study has identified food safety culture shortcomings within a large food service facility suggesting there was a potentially significant food safety risk and indicates ways in which food safety could be improved and the risk reduced. The results also suggest further work is needed in the subject of food safety culture and its potential for reducing foodborne disease.
The effects of customer accountability and knowledge sharing on voluntary organizations’ (VOs) effectiveness
Authors: Mohd Noor Nurul Hidayana , Abu Bakar Ah Siti Hajar , Idris Mohd Awang 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
This study aims to examine how the relationship between customer accountability and voluntary organizations’ effectiveness is mediated by knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a cross-sectional survey and a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 349 employees of Malaysian voluntary organizations (VOs). Baron and Kenny’s (1986) procedures for mediation testing were adopted for the main analysis.

Findings
Results of structural equation modelling indicated that knowledge sharing partially mediates the relationship between and voluntary organizations’ effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications
Despite the authors’ contribution on the current academia, this study only investigated 349 employees representing VOs located in a single area, which is the Klang Valley area, Malaysia. Further research could identify a larger sample that would strengthen the inferences and conclusions.

Practical implications
The main practical implication is that Malaysian VOs need to be aware of the impact of customer accountability upon their voluntary organizations’ effectiveness, and they need to inculcate their employees’ knowledge sharing behaviour to foster the impact of customer accountability on voluntary organizations’ effectiveness.

Originality/value
This paper is unique in that it is the first attempt to combine the previous direct effect relationship into a new model that shows the effect of customer accountability on voluntary organizations’ effectiveness and the role of knowledge sharing as a mediator in the context of Malaysian voluntary sector.
Accomplishments and relevance of consumer protection organizations
Authors: Ryngelblum Arnaldo L. , Vianna Nadia 
Published: March 2017

PurposeDespite the special attention given to consumers by the business and academic literature, the dissatisfaction of Brazilian consumers has increased significantly. This manifest mainly through the initiation of complaints’ procedures against companies at Procon and other civil society consumer protection organizations (CPOs) that began to take over these issues complementarily to governmental action. This paper aims to examine the accomplishments and relevance of these organizations in protecting consumers and in preparation of related public policies.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study was conducted involving an in-depth collection of information about a restricted system, which included multiple sources. The information was obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted with CPOs’ executives and documents from the other participating organizations in the consumer protection field.FindingsThe CPOs have been positively evaluated by participants from the consumer protection field, for their effective action in the intermediation of complaints and in proposing laws and regulations on consumer protection. However, this picture is contrasted with the difficulties imposed by the practices of other field logics, such as legal procedures, media priorities and business interests that, however, collaborate in various occasions.Research limitations/implicationsCPOs’ relevance is more easily evaluated through social legitimation such as endorsements and declarations by the media, the public, by the CPOs’ own publicity and so on. As consumers can choose from alternative channels for redress, firms should be updated with the different procedural norms of each.Originality/valueThis paper draws a picture of the work developed by CPOs and indicates a possible assessment of their relevance in a scenario of logics complexity, which can be useful for policy makers.
Evaluation and prioritization of service quality dimensions based on gap analysis with analytic network process
Authors: Dabestani Reza , Shahin Arash , Saljoughian Mohammad 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify customers’ critical demands through evaluating and prioritizing service quality dimensions (SQDs) based on service quality (SQ) gaps.

Design/methodology/approach
The customers of four-star hotels were asked to report on their expectations and perceptions about the service they were receiving. Afterwards, the gap between the customers’ expectations and perceptions was calculated. Eventually, the three sets of data were exploited to prioritize SQDs through analytic network process (ANP).

Findings
Findings suggest that security and confidentiality, price, and tangibles are the most crucial factors.

Practical implications
The results can provide hotel managers with insightful hints about those aspects of service that form their customers’ perception of SQ in order to assign their invaluable, but restricted, resources appropriately to offer a more competitive service to the customers through paying attention to those dimensions.

Originality/value
The innovativeness of the methodology was in that the authors proposed a noble method in filling out the difficult-to-complete ANP matrix. The authors also managed to consider the mutual relationship between SQD criteria, which is difficult to do in ordinary methods.
Implementation of Lean Six Sigma in Saudi Arabian organisations
Authors: Albliwi Saja Ahmed , Antony Jiju , Arshed Norin , Ghadge Abhijeet 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
Although the popularity of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology has illustrated many benefits over the years for those organisations who have implemented it, this strategy has received less attention in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to critically assess the current status of LSS implementation in Saudi Arabian organisations.

Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on a descriptive survey questionnaire which has been derived from two systematic literature reviews. The survey was distributed to 400 organisations in Saudi Arabia using Qualtrics online software. In total, 146 responses were received where 102 responses were completed and analysed.

Findings
The findings of the survey highlighted that the implementation of LSS is still in the early stages in organisations within Saudi Arabia. This was clearly shown by many factors such as years of deploying LSS, LSS infrastructure, level of awareness of LSS, impact of LSS on business functions and so on.

Research limitations/implications
The primary limitation of this study is that data has been collected from an online survey and therefore no deeper insights could have been captured from the survey. This calls for future research to be undertaken by executing semi-structured interviews in selective organisations within Saudi Arabia.

Originality/value
This paper contributes to the current status of LSS in Saudi Arabian organisations. It also gives recommendations to guide the future of LSS in Saudi organisations by comparing LSS literature with best practice.