bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Locus of control, psychological empowerment and intrinsic motivation relation to performance
Authors: Li Yi , Wei Feng , Ren Shenggang , Di Yang 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between psychological empowerment and R & D employees’ performance. The moderating effect of locus of control and the mediating effect of intrinsic work motivation are also examined.Design/methodology/approach– The questionnaires were completed by 209 R & D employees and their immediate supervisors of a large foreign-funded R & D institute in China. Hierarchical regression and bias-corrected bootstrap procedures were used to test the hypotheses.Findings– Results demonstrate that psychological empowerment is positively related to R & D employees’ task, contextual and innovation performance. The relationship between psychological empowerment and contextual and innovation performance was found to have been moderated by locus of control. Intrinsic work motivation partially mediates the psychological empowerment-work performance relationship.Research limitations/implications– This is a cross-sectional study, with data limited to a large R & D institute in Shanghai. It did not consider organizational level variables, such as organizational structure and job characteristics.Practical implications– This study highlights the importance of enhancing psychological empowerment and intrinsic work motivation to promote employees’ work performance. Moreover, the results provide evidence in favor of managerial interventions aimed at motivating employees who differ on locus of control.Originality/value– This study extends the psychological empowerment literature by first examining the psychological mechanism through which empowerment affects work performance and how this effect is contingent upon individual locus of control. It also provides insight into motivating R & D employees in Chinese context.
The role of emotion in workplace incivility
Authors: Sears Karen , Humiston Gail Sears 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organizational support (POS) as moderators of the relationship between psychological contract violation and workplace incivility.Design/methodology/approach– An online survey was administered to employed adults.Findings– The association between violation and incivility was more pronounced when levels of LMX and POS were higher.Research limitations/implications– The correlation design limits the ability to draw causal inferences. Affect models, including but not limited to affect infusion model (AIM), offer a useful framework for enhancing understanding of incivility and other forms of counterproductive work behaviors.Practical implications– The study has contributed to knowledge about contract violation’s implications for work behaviors, such as incivility. Managers sensitive to the dynamics of contract breach may prevent feelings of violation by communicating clearly and often about expectations, resources, and procedures.Social implications– Organizational and societal leaders may be well served by knowledge about preventing people’s intense responses to perceived violation by appropriately responding to perceived breach.Originality/value– The study draws upon AIM as a novel approach to understanding conditions under which negative emotions are most likely to relate to workplace incivility. Moreover, the roles of social exchange variables LMX and POS have heretofore been unexplored as moderators of the violation-incivility relationship.
Organizational learning and power dynamics: a study in a Brazilian University
Authors: Santos Jane Lucia Silva , Steil Andrea Valéria 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to describe and analyze organizational learning processes and power dynamics during the adoption and use of an information system (IS) at a Brazilian public organization.

Design/methodology/approach
– A case study was chosen as the research method. Data were gathered from documents and interviews with key informants.

Findings
– The results indicate the existence of two learning cycles during the adoption of the IS at the organization. In the first cycle, learning occurred only at the individual level. In the second cycle, cognitive and social processes of individual and group learning were associated with power dynamics, enabling learning at the organizational level. These results reveal a relationship between the organizational learning process and the specific modes of power, notably discipline, influence, force and domination.

Originality/value
– The study presents empirical evidence about the conceptual relation between the organizational learning process and different forms of power in organizations. There has been limited empirical research on this topic worldwide to date, and none in the context of Brazilian organizations published in Brazil or abroad.
High‐nature‐value grasslands have the capacity to cope with nutrient impoverishment induced by mowing and livestock grazing
Authors: Mládková Pavla , Mládek Jan , Hejduk Stanislav , Hejcman Michal , Cruz Pablo , Jouany Claire , Pakeman Robin J. 
Published: May 2015

Summary

Management of high‐nature‐value (HNV) grasslands follows agri‐environmental schemes across large areas of Europe. Long‐term agreements and restrictions of fertilizers cause soil nutrient impoverishment, but remarkably this quite often does not reduce biomass production. Therefore, we tested how species‐rich vegetation copes with nutrient impoverishment under the most frequently used treatments, that is summer mowing and livestock grazing.

During 2011–2012 we studied, simultaneously, plant species composition, soil and biomass chemical properties in two equally designed experiments where mowing, grazing or leaving fallow have been applied since 2004. We asked whether soil‐based (Corg : Ntot, plant‐available P and K) and plant‐based measures (N : P, N : K, K : P ratios and N‐, P‐, K‐nutrition indices) indicate the same pattern of nutrient limitation as the observed productivity gradient.

Seven years of management application resulted in the lowest plant‐available P under grazing and the lowest plant‐available K under mowing, but neither grazed nor mown plots produced less biomass than fallow ones. Grazing supported dominance of grasses while mowing that of non‐leguminous forbs.

Projection of nutrition indices to a common framework with nutrient ratios suggests that critical thresholds for diagnosis of nutrient limitation are a function of N deficiency. At biomass production of 2 t ha−1 a N‐nutrition index of 50 yielded threshold N : P = 14·0; hence, all our treatments with N : P of 9·9–12·5 should be N limited.

Inspecting the productivity gradient separately for each management, we found only soil Corg : Ntot negatively related to biomass production in mown plots indicating N limitation. However in grazed plots, positive association of biomass production with plant‐available P and negative with biomass N : P and N : K suggested PK co‐limitation.

Synthesis and applications. Mowing and grazing induced different patterns of soil nutrient impoverishment and nutrient limitation, but they did not reduce biomass production of high‐nature‐value grasslands. Non‐leguminous forbs prevailing under mowing precluded shortage of P, while grasses dominating under grazing efficiently captured N. We recommend designing agri‐environmental measures that will encourage alternating mowing and grazing. This should promote coexistence of multiple forbs and grasses, balance nutrient limitation and ensure stable biomass production under future low‐input scenarios.
A population‐based study elicits a reverse correlation between age and overall survival in elderly patients with rectal carcinoma receiving adjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Shan Jin‐Lu , Li Qing , He Zhi‐Xu , Ren Tao , Zhou Shu‐Feng , Wang Dong 
Published: May 2015

SummaryColorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer‐related death globally. This population‐based study aimed to explore the predictive factors that affected the overall survival of rectal cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy plus radical surgery using a Cox proportional hazards modeling approach. A total of 619 patients with rectal cancer who underwent surgery were enrolled between October 2006 and May 2013. Clinical characteristics of the patients were compared among the groups and potential prognostic factors were analyzed using the spss program, version 19.0. Patients aged ≥ 70 years have distinctive characteristics such as lager tumour size (≥ 5 cm), damaged micturition and higher incidence of diabetes compared to younger and middle‐aged patients. Male gender, tumour size (≥ 5 cm), poor differentiation, later stage, adjuvant chemotherapy, damaged micturition, hypertension or diabetes are associated with a worse prognosis for rectal cancer patients (P < 0.05). However, smoking is a favourable factor to the patients (P = 0.018). Age of ≥ 70 years is an independent prognostic factor for patients with rectal cancer after surgery (P = 0.000) and elderly patients with Stage II and III disease receiving adjuvant chemotherapy show a favourable prognosis. The elderly patients who suffered from diabetes receiving adjuvant chemotherapy have a poor prognosis. Further prospective and large population studies are warranted to confirm the findings of this study.
Intragenus competition between coccolithoviruses: an insight on how a select few can come to dominate many
Authors: Nissimov Jozef I. , Napier Johnathan A. , Allen Michael J. , Kimmance Susan A. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryViruses are a major cause of coccolithophore bloom demise in both temperate and sub‐temperate oceanic regions. Most infection studies on coccolithoviruses have been conducted with a single virus strain, and the effect of intragenus competition by closely related coccolithoviruses has been ignored. Here we conducted combined infection experiments, infecting Emiliania huxleyi CCMP 2090 with two coccolithoviruses: EhV‐86 and EhV‐207 both simultaneously and independently. EhV‐207 displayed a shorter lytic cycle and increased production potential than EhV‐86 and was remarkably superior under competitive conditions. Although the viruses displayed identical adsorption kinetics in the first 2 h post infection, EhV‐207 gained a numerical advantage as early as 8 h post infection. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that when infecting in combination, EhV‐207 was not affected by the presence of EhV‐86, whereas EhV‐86 was quickly out‐competed, and a significant reduction in free and cell‐associated EhV‐86 was seen as early as 2 days after the initial infection. The observation of such clear phenotypic differences between genetically distinct, yet similar, coccolithovirus strains, by flow cytometry and quantitative real‐time PCR allowed tentative links to the burgeoning genomic, transcriptomic and metabolic data to be made and the factors driving their selection, in particular to the de novo coccolithovirus‐encoded sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway. This work illustrates that, even within a family, not all viruses are created equally, and the potential exists for relatively small genetic changes to infer disproportionately large competitive advantages for one coccolithovirus over another, ultimately leading to a few viruses dominating the many.
Inhibition of Gallic Acid on the Growth and Biofilm Formation of Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Shao Dongyan , Li Jing , Li Ji , Tang Ruihua , Liu Liu , Shi Junling , Huang Qingsheng , Yang Hui 
Published: May 2015

AbstractNew strategies for biofilm inhibition are becoming highly necessary because of the concerns to synthetic additives. As gallic acid (GA) is a hydrolysated natural product of tannin in Chinese gall, this research studied the effects of GA on the growth and biofilm formation of bacteria (Escherichia coli [Gram‐negative] and Streptococcus mutans [Gram‐positive]) under different conditions, such as nutrient levels, temperatures (25 and 37 °C) and incubation times (24 and 48 h). The minimum antimicrobial concentration of GA against the two pathogenic organisms was determined as 8 mg/mL. GA significantly affected the growth curves of both test strains at 25 and 37 °C. The nutrient level, temperature, and treatment time influenced the inhibition activity of GA on both growth and biofim formation of tested pathogens. The inhibition effect of GA on biofilm could be due to other factors in addition to the antibacterial effect. Overall, GA was most effective against cultures incubated at 37 °C for 24 h and at 25 °C for 48 h in various concentrations of nutrients and in vegetable wash waters, which indicated the potential of GA as emergent sources of biofilm control products.
Effects of the invasive plant Eupatorium adenophorum on the exotic mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and their natural enemies
Authors: Zhou Aiming , Bi Jinqi , Xu Jianxiong , Wang Man-Qun 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley and the plant Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng are highly invasive species in China. Previous studies have shown that E. adenophorum is a suitable reservoir for the development of P. solenopsis populations. The natural enemies of P. solenopsis (predator Menochilus sexmaculata and parasitoid Aenasius bambawalei) were infrequently present on E. adenophorum. We hypothesize that E. adenophorum facilitates the colony growth of P. solenopsis by excluding their enemies.
We measured the biological parameters of P. solenopsis on E. adenophorum and two cultivated host plants (Gossypium hirsutum and Hibiscus rosa‐sinensis). The results show that, when reared by E. adenophorum, female mealybugs had a shorter developmental duration, greater fecundity, higher survival and larger populations.
Compared with cultivated plants, M. sexmaculata experienced lower predatory performance and fecundity on E. adenophorum. Phenacoccus solenopsis also exhibited a lower percentage of parasitism on E. adenophorum. Both predator and parasitoids avoided colonizing the mealybug infested and uninfested E. adenophorum plants in a significant way. These results suggest that E. adenophorum may facilitate the colony growth of P. solenopsis by excluding enemies through their chemical cues.
Treatment of permanent chemotherapy‐induced alopecia with low dose oral minoxidil
Authors: Yang Xinyi , Thai Keng‐Ee 
Published: May 2015

AbstractChemotherapy‐induced alopecia is a well‐established cause of major distress to patients. Permanent chemotherapy‐induced alopecia (PCIA) is the absence of or incomplete hair regrowth lasting longer than 6 months after the cessation of chemotherapy and it does not respond to standard treatments of scalp cooling or topical minoxidil. The increasing numbers of reports of PCIA highlight the need for research into an effective treatment. We report a case of a 39 year‐old woman with cosmetically significant regrowth after continuous therapy with oral minoxidil.
Patch testing in Australia: Is it adequate?
Authors: Tizi Stephanie , Nixon Rosemary L 
Published: May 2015

AbstractBackground/ObjectivesPatch testing (PT) is essential for making the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). However, the extent of PT undertaken by Australian dermatologists is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine the rate and type of PT in Australia, the perceived obstacles to PT, and to explore the exposure to PT in dermatology training.MethodsData were collected on private PT (analysing Medicare item numbers) and public hospital‐based PT (estimated via verbal reports). An online survey on PT was sent to Fellows of the Australasian College of Dermatologists.ResultsIt was found that total PT numbers, combining Medicare item number and public hospital data, were below the suggested optimum in all states and in Australia overall. Of the 173 respondents to the survey, 61% reported they patch tested and 78% reported they referred for PT. TrueTest was the most commonly used PT system, although it is known to be inadequate. Dermatologists who PT as registrars were significantly more likely to PT as consultants (P value = 0.0029). Cost, expertise required and staffing were considered major obstacles to performing PT. Accessibility and cost to the patient were common obstacles to referral.ConclusionsThe combination of suboptimal PT rates and inadequate PT means that patients are missing out on being diagnosed with ACD in Australia. Increasing the exposure of registrars to PT, supporting specialised centres, the development of the Australian Baseline Series and the Contact Allergen Bank will, it is hoped, improve the rates of comprehensive PT in Australia.
Attenuation of food allergy symptoms following treatment with human milk oligosaccharides in a mouse model
Authors: Castillo‐Courtade L. , Han S. , Lee S. , Mian F. M. , Buck R. , Forsythe P. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractBackgroundThe prebiotic nature of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and increasing evidence of direct immunomodulatory effects of these sugars suggest that they may have some therapeutic potential in allergy. Here, we assess the effect of two HMOs, 2’‐fucosyllactose and 6’‐sialyllactose, on symptomatology and immune responses in an ovalbumin‐sensitized mouse model of food allergy.MethodsThe effects of oral treatment with 2′‐fucosyllactose and 6′‐sialyllactose on anaphylactic symptoms induced by oral ovalbumin (OVA) challenge in sensitized mice were investigated. Mast cell functions in response to oral HMO treatment were also measured in the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis model, and direct effects on IgE‐mediated degranulation of mast cells were assessed.ResultsDaily oral treatment with 2′‐fucosyllactose or 6′‐sialyllactose attenuated food allergy symptoms including diarrhea and hypothermia. Treatment with HMOs also suppressed antigen‐induced increases in mouse mast cell protease‐1 in serum and mast cell numbers in the intestine. These effects were associated with increases in the CD4+CD25+IL‐10+ cell populations in the Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes, while 6′‐sialyllactose also induced increased IL‐10 and decreased TNF production in antigen‐stimulated splenocytes. Both 2′‐fucosyllactose and 6′‐sialyllactose reduced the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis response, but only 6′‐sialyllactose directly inhibited mast cell degranulation in vitro, at high concentrations.ConclusionsOur results suggest that 2′‐fucosyllactose and 6′‐sialyllactose reduce the symptoms of food allergy through induction of IL‐10+ T regulatory cells and indirect stabilization of mast cells. Thus, human milk oligosaccharides may have therapeutic potential in allergic disease.
Evaluation of the QT effect of a combination of piperaquine and a novel anti‐malarial drug candidate OZ439, for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria
Authors: Darpo Borje , Ferber Georg , Siegl Peter , Laurijssens Bart , Macintyre Fiona , Toovey Stephen , Duparc Stephan 
Published: May 2015

AimsThe aim was to investigate the QT effect of a single dose combination regimen of piperaquine phosphate (PQP) and a novel aromatic trioxolane, OZ439, for malaria treatment.MethodsExposure–response (ER) analysis was performed on data from a placebo‐controlled, single dose, study with OZ439 and PQP. Fifty‐nine healthy subjects aged 18 to 55 years received OZ439 alone or placebo in a first period, followed by OZ439 plus PQP or matching placebos in period 2. OZ439 and PQP doses ranged from 100–800 mg and 160–1440 mg, respectively. Twelve‐lead ECG tracings and PK samples were collected serially pre‐ and post‐dosing.ResultsA significant relation between plasma concentrations and placebo‐corrected change from baseline QTcF (ΔΔQTcF) was demonstrated for piperaquine, but not for OZ439, with a mean slope of 0.047 ms per ng ml−1 (90% CI 0.038, 0.057). Using an ER model that accounts for plasma concentrations of both piperaquine and OZ439, a largest mean QTcF effect of 14 ms (90% CI 10, 18 ms) and 18 ms (90% CI 14, 22 ms) was predicted at expected plasma concentrations of a single dose 800 mg OZ439 combined with PQP 960 mg (188 ng ml−1) and 1440 mg (281 ng ml−1), respectively, administered in the fasted state.ConclusionsPiperaquine prolongs the QTc interval in a concentration‐dependent way. A single dose regimen combining 800 mg OZ439 with 960 mg or 1440 mg PQP is expected to result in lower peak piperaquine plasma concentrations compared with available 3 day PQP‐artemisinin combinations and can therefore be predicted to cause less QTc prolongation.
Adverse Events During Immunotherapy Against Grass Pollen‐Induced Allergic Rhinitis – Differences Between Subcutaneous and Sublingual Treatment
Authors: Aasbjerg Kristian , Dalhoff Kim Peder , Backer Vibeke 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAllergic rhinitis (AR) triggered by grass pollen is a common disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. Treatment consists of symptom‐alleviating drugs, such as topical corticosteroids or antihistamines. Another option is potentially curative immunotherapy, currently available as sublingual and subcutaneous treatment. We investigated the potential differences in the prevalence and severity of adverse events related to subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) against grass pollen‐induced AR. A thorough literature search was performed with PubMed and EMBASE. The findings were compared with the available summaries of product characteristics (SPC) and with commercial pharmacology databases (Micromedex). The majority of available safety data originate from registered products of standardized allergens. A surprisingly large percentage of drugs, especially those used in the United States, have no systematically collected safety data. No sufficiently powered randomized trials comparing sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) were available, but general safety assessments indicate that sublingual tablet treatment is safer than subcutaneous treatment. Not all commonly used immunotherapy drugs are officially registered, and not all have systematically collected safety data. This is especially true for older drugs used in the United States. In contrast, newer drugs that have undergone extensive clinical testing have better documentation, but unified collection of safety data is still lacking. Considering the evidence available, most drugs elicit similar side effects from the same organ systems, and symptoms from the sublingual drug classes are probably less severe. However, a head‐to‐head comparison of safety and efficacy is lacking.
How we treat delayed haemolytic transfusion reactions in patients with sickle cell disease
Authors: Gardner Kate , Hoppe Carolyn , Mijovic Aleksandar , Thein Swee L. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryTransfusion therapy is effective in the prevention and treatment of many complications of sickle cell disease (SCD). However, its benefits must be balanced against its risks, including delayed haemolytic transfusion reactions (DHTR). Not only is the relative rate of alloimmunization higher in patients with SCD than in other patient populations, but attendant risks associated with DHTR are even greater in SCD. Clinicians' awareness of DHTR events is poor because symptoms of DHTR mimic acute vaso‐occlusive pain and immunohaematology findings are often negative. Transfusions delivered in the acute rather than elective setting appear to confer a higher risk of DHTR. Management of DHTR in SCD depends on the clinical severity, ranging from supportive care to immunosuppression, and optimization of erythropoiesis. DHTR must be considered in any recently transfused patient presenting with acute sickle cell pain. Meticulous documentation of transfusion and immunohaematology history is key. We anticipate an increase in DHTR events in SCD patients with the increasing use of red blood cell transfusion therapy.