bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Preoperative β-Blocker Use on Clinical Outcomes after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Authors: Kohsaka Shun , Miyata Hiroaki , Motomura Noboru , Imanaka Kazuhito , Fukuda Keiichi , Kyo Shunei , Takamoto Shinichi 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAbstract
Using a Japanese national cardiovascular surgical registry, the authors compared patients undergoing bypass grafting who were taking β-blockers preoperatively with those were not. Unadjusted results favored chronic β-blocker use. But after adjustment (the presumably more reliable results), β-blocker use did not alter complications, in-hospital mortality, or 30-day mortality
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Background
The authors evaluated the effect of preoperative β-blocker use on early outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Japan.

Methods
The authors analyzed 34,980 cases of isolated CABGs, performed between 2008 and 2011, at the 333 sites recorded in the Japanese Cardiovascular Surgical Database. In addition to the use of multivariate models, a one-to-one matched analysis, based on estimated propensity scores for patients with or without preoperative β-blocker use, was performed.

Results
The study population (mean age, 68 yr) comprised 20% women, and β-blockers were used in 10,496 patients (30%), who were more likely to have risk factors and comorbidities than patients in whom β-blockers were not used. In the β-blocker and non-β-blocker groups, the crude in-hospital mortality rate was 1.7 versus 2.5%, whereas the composite complication rate was 9.7 versus 11.6%, respectively. However, after adjustment, preoperative β-blocker use was not a predictor of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.21) or complications (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.08). When the outcomes of the two propensity-matched patient groups were compared, differences were not seen in the 30-day operative mortality (1.6 vs. 1.5%, respectively; P = 0.49) or postoperative complication (9.8 vs. 9.7%; P = 1.00) rates. The main findings were broadly consistent in a subgroup analysis of low-risk and high-risk groups.

Conclusion
In this nationwide registry, the use of preoperative β-blockers did not affect short-term mortality or morbidity in patients undergoing CABG.
Disseminated Aspergillosis in a Previously Immunocompetent Host
Authors: Smith Joshua , Noor Aliya , Hage Chadi 
Published: October 2015

Abstract

Aspergillus infection can manifest in a variety of ways ranging from allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis to disseminated aspergillosis. Invasive disease is typically seen in the immunocompromised population but may rarely affect immunocompetent hosts. We present a case of a 48-year-old previously healthy man initially presenting with septic shock and multiorgan system failure. After stabilization, he developed persistent fevers with worsening mental status. Imaging of the brain revealed multiple hemorrhages with impending brain herniation. Postmortem examination revealed purulent abscesses in multiple organs with culture and microscopic evaluation revealing Aspergillus fumigatus.
Inferring extrinsic noise from single-cell gene expression data using Approximate Bayesian Computation
Authors: Lenive Oleg , Kirk Paul DW , Stumpf Michael PH 
Published: October 2015

ABSTRACTBackgroundGene expression is known to be an intrinsically stochastic process which can involve single-digit numbers of mRNA molecules in a cell at any given time. The modelling of such processes calls for the use of exact stochastic simulation methods, most notably the Gillespie algorithm. However, this stochasticity, also termed “intrinsic noise”, does not account for all the variability between genetically identical cells growing in a homogeneous environment. Despite substantial experimental efforts, determining appropriate model parameters continues to be a challenge. Methods based on approximate Bayesian computation can be used to obtain posterior parameter distributions given the observed data. However, such inference procedures require large numbers of simulations of the model and exact stochastic simulation is computationally costly. In this work we focus on the specific case of trying to infer model parameters describing reaction rates and extrinsic noise on the basis of measurements of molecule numbers in individual cells at a given time point.ResultsTo make the problem computationally tractable we develop an exact, model-specific, stochastic simulation algorithm for the commonly used two-state model of gene expression. This algorithm relies on certain assumptions and favourable properties of the model to forgo the simulation of the whole temporal trajectory of protein numbers in the system, instead returning only the number of protein and mRNA molecules present in the system at a specified time point. The computational gain is proportional to the number of protein molecules created in the system and becomes significant for systems involving hundreds or thousands of protein molecules. We employ this algorithm, approximate Bayesian computation, and published gene expression data forEscherichia colito simultaneously infer the model’s rate parameters and parameters describing extrinsic noise for 86 genes.
Does employee performance affect customer loyalty in pharmacy services?
Authors: Rabbanee Fazlul K. , Burford Oksana , Ramaseshan B. 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– Employees in community pharmacies play a far significant and distinct role compared to the employees in traditional retail stores. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of employee performance (EP) on customer loyalty of pharmacy services.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected through a self-administered survey filled in by the customers of 25 community pharmacies. A total of 679 completely filled-in questionnaires were analysed. The proposed model was tested through structural equation modelling using AMOS 22.Findings– EP positively affects pharmacy customers’ perceived value (PV), trust and loyalty. PV and trust fully mediates the relationships between EP and customers’ attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Unlike short-term customers, the long-term relational customers’ PV was found to have significant impact on their trust and behavioural loyalty.Research limitations/implications– This study is based on the Australian community pharmacy industries; hence, caution must be exercised in the generalization of the results to other countries. The study has considered only PV and trust in examining the link between the EP and customer loyalty. Other variables such as commitment could possibly influence the link, which has not been considered in this study.Originality/value– The study contributes to the existing literature by focusing on how EP affects both attitudinal and behavioural loyalty of pharmacy customers. It shows empirical evidence that EP influences customers’ PV and trust en-route to influencing their loyalty. The study measures EP based on both empathy and service provider performance covering a broader spectrum of the construct.
The role of service fairness in the service quality – relationship quality – customer loyalty chain
Authors: Giovanis Apostolos , Athanasopoulou Pinelopi , Tsoukatos Evangelos 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to extend the well-established nomological network of service quality-relationship quality-customer loyalty by introducing service fairness – a distinct service evaluation concept. Specifically, the study aims to investigate the impact of service fairness on relationship quality as a complementary to service quality driver, and the direct and indirect effect of service fairness on customer loyalty in the presence of service quality and relationship quality in a no failure/recovery effort service context.

Design/methodology/approach
– A telephone survey of a random sample of 408 customers of auto repair and maintenance services was implemented using a structured questionnaire with established scales. Data were analyzed with partial least squares path methodology, a structural equation modeling methodology.

Findings
– Interactional fairness is the most important formative determinant of customers’ overall fairness perception, followed by procedural and distributive fairness. Relationship quality measured as a higher order construct, made of satisfaction; trust; affective and calculative commitment, is the main determinant of customer loyalty. Also, it partially mediates, along with service quality, the relationship between service fairness and customer loyalty and fully mediates the effect of service quality on customer loyalty. Finally, service fairness has the highest overall effect on customer loyalty.

Research limitations/implications
– The sample is industry-specific and this may affect generalizability of findings. Also, the cross-sectional design adopted does not reflect temporal changes.

Practical implications
– Interactional fairness is of utmost importance to customers of the investigated industry. So, customers should be fairly treated at every point of contact. Also, service quality is heavily affected by service fairness. Thus, fair service leads to high-perceived service quality. Third, service quality affects customer loyalty only through relationship quality. Only when service quality is coupled by long-term quality relationships, signs of customer loyalty appear. Finally, service fairness influences customer loyalty mainly through service and relationship quality and has the highest overall effect on customer loyalty. So, fairly treating customers is crucial for developing long-term relationships that lead to customer loyalty.

Originality/value
– The role of service fairness in the service quality-relationship quality-customer loyalty chain is investigated and using a higher order construct for relationship quality.
The Indonesian Government’s coercive pressure on labour disclosures
Authors: Cahaya Fitra Roman , Porter Stacey , Tower Greg , Brown Alistair 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to focus on corporate social responsibility and workplace well-being by examining Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX)-listed companies’ labour disclosures.Design/methodology/approach– Year-ending 2007 and 2010 annual report disclosures of 31 IDX-listed companies are analysed. The widely acknowledged Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines are used as the disclosure index checklist.Findings– The results reveal that the overall labour disclosure level increases from 21.84 per cent in 2007 to 30.52 per cent in 2010. The levels of four of the five specific labour disclosures also increase with employment being the exception. The results further show that the Indonesian Government does not influence the increase in the levels of the overall labour disclosure or the four categories showing increased disclosure but, surprisingly, does significantly affect the decrease in the level of the employment category.Research limitations/implications– It is implied that the government is at best ambiguous given that, on one side, the government regulates all corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and reporting but appears to coercively pressure companies to hide employment-specific issues.Practical implications– It is implied that Indonesian companies need to have “strong and influential” independent commissioners on the boards to counter any possible pressures from the government resulting in lower disclosure levels.Originality/value– This paper provides insights into the “journey” of labour-related CSR disclosure practices in Indonesia and contributes to the literature by testing one specific variant of isomorphic institutional theory, namely, coercive isomorphism.
World Anti-Doping Agency: a meta-organizational perspective
Authors: Malcourant Emilie , Vas Alain , Zintz Thierry 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) through the theoretical framework of meta-organizations that focusses on organizations that are themselves made up of organizations.Design/methodology/approach– The data are drawn from a unique case study based on interviews with WADA experts and documentary analysis.Findings– The authors analyzed WADA through the organizational and strategic dimensions of meta-organizations, which are themselves each defined by two criteria: the mission and scope of the organization vs the hierarchical stratification and decision-making process. The findings suggest that the WADA can be examined through the lens of meta-organizational theory. The criterion of consensus in the decision-making process has already been put forward by scholars, but it needs to be nuanced in the study since it is not the only process used by WADA in its decision-making.Research limitations/implications– The paper enhances the understanding of a specific international sports organization at the heart of current major sports issues and enriches the literature on meta-organizational theory, which is a relatively recent development. A next step is a longitudinal study, focussing on the decision-making process and the evolution of a meta-organization over time.Originality/value– While the meta-organization has been considered recently in the management literature, this paper seeks to advance the discussion by linking it to the international sports field to gain more insight into its complexity.
Effects of captopril, telmisartan and bardoxolone methyl (CDDO‐Me) in ischemia‐reperfusion‐induced acute kidney injury in rats: an experimental comparative study
Authors: Kocak Cengiz , Kocak Fatma Emel , Akcilar Raziye , Bayat Zeynep , Aras Bekir , Metineren Mehmet Huseyin , Yucel Mehmet , Simsek Hasan 
Published: October 2015

SummaryRenal ischemia‐reperfusion (IR) injury is one of the most common causes of acute kidney injury. This study investigated the effects of captopril (CAP), telmisartan (TEL) and bardoxolone methyl (BM) in animals with renal IR injury. Adult male Wistar–Albino rats were divided into six groups: control, vehicle, IR, IR with CAP, IR with TEL and IR with BM. Before IR was induced, drugs were administered by oral gavage. After a 60‐min ischemia and a 120‐min reperfusion period, bilateral nephrectomies were performed. Serum urea, creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels, tissue total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), total thiol (TT), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activity were measured. Tissue mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐ɣ (PPAR‐ɣ), nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB) were analyzed. In addition, renal tissues were evaluated histopathologically and immunohistochemically. All tested drugs reduced renal damage, apoptosis, urea, creatinine, NGAL, TOS, nitric oxide (NO) and ADMA levels, NF‐κB, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) expressions (P < 0.001). All tested drugs increased SOD activity, GSH‐Px activity, TAS levels, TT levels, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolases (DDAHs) expression, Nrf2 expression and PPAR‐ɣ expression (P < 0.001, P < 0.003). These results suggest that CAP, TEL and BM pretreatment could reduce renal IR injury via anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant and anti‐apoptotic effects.
Better common than rare? Effects of low reproductive success, scarce pollinator visits and interspecific gene flow in threatened and common species of Tibouchina (Melastomataceae)
Authors: Ruilova Xavier Rojas , Marques Isabel 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe reasons for plant rarity have been the focus of many studies, especially because rare species are more prone to extinction than common species. Under the same habitat conditions, rare plants are expected to attract fewer flower visitors and to show some limitation in their reproductive success. Here, using one of the most emblematic Neotropical plant genus (Tibouchina) we tested whether narrow endemic and threatened species in Ecuador have a lower reproductive success or are visited by fewer pollinators than common species, in 13 populations monitored from 2011 to 2013. We also assessed whether interspecific gene flow could be considered a threat to the rare species. However, contrary to expectations, we found that few pollinators visited the flowers, independently of species rarity. Natural outcross pollinations were always very low in all small‐size populations, leading to high levels of pollen limitation. Interspecific crossing experiments also revealed weak reproductive barriers in some species. This study reveals that both narrow and common species of Tibouchina have similar reproductive and pollinator patterns in Ecuador and, therefore, other causes of the rarity of these species should be considered.
HydroShare: Sharing Diverse Environmental Data Types and Models as Social Objects with Application to the Hydrology Domain
Authors: Horsburgh Jeffery S. , Morsy Mohamed M. , Castronova Anthony M. , Goodall Jonathan L. , Gan Tian , Yi Hong , Stealey Michael J. , Tarboton David G. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe types of data and models used within the hydrologic science community are diverse. New repositories have succeeded in making data and models more accessible, but are, in most cases, limited to particular types or classes of data or models and also lack the type of collaborative and iterative functionality needed to enable shared data collection and modeling workflows. File sharing systems currently used within many scientific communities for private sharing of preliminary and intermediate data and modeling products do not support collaborative data capture, description, visualization, and annotation. In this article, we cast hydrologic datasets and models as “social objects” that can be published, collaborated around, annotated, discovered, and accessed. This article describes the generic data model and content packaging scheme for diverse hydrologic datasets and models used by a new hydrologic collaborative environment called HydroShare to enable storage, management, sharing, publication, and annotation of the diverse types of data and models used by hydrologic scientists. The flexibility of HydroShare's data model and packaging scheme is demonstrated using multiple hydrologic data and model use cases that highlight its features.
Pulling habits out of rats: adenosine 2A receptor antagonism in dorsomedial striatum rescues meth‐amphetamine‐induced deficits in goal‐directed action
Authors: Furlong Teri M. , Supit Alva S.A. , Corbit Laura H. , Killcross Simon , Balleine Bernard W. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAddiction is characterized by a persistent loss of behavioral control resulting in insensitivity to negative feedback and abnormal decision‐making. Here, we investigated the influence of methamphetamine (METH)‐paired contextual cues on decision‐making in rats. Choice between goal‐directed actions was sensitive to outcome devaluation in a saline‐paired context but was impaired in the METH‐paired context, a deficit that was also found when negative feedback was provided. Reductions in c‐Fos‐related immunoreactivity were found in dorsomedial striatum (DMS) but not dorsolateral striatum after exposure to the METH context suggesting this effect reflected a loss specifically in goal‐directed control in the METH context. This reduction in c‐Fos was localized to non‐enkephalin‐expressing neurons in the DMS, likely dopamine D1‐expressing direct pathway neurons, suggesting a relative change in control by the D1‐direct versus D2‐indirect pathways originating in the DMS may have been induced by METH‐context exposure. To test this suggestion, we infused the adenosine 2A receptor antagonist ZM241385 into the DMS prior to test to reduce activity in D2 neurons relative to D1 neurons in the hope of reducing the inhibitory output from this region of the striatum. We found that this treatment fully restored sensitivity to negative feedback in a test conducted in the METH‐paired context. These results suggest that drug exposure alters decision‐making by downregulation of the circuitry mediating goal‐directed action, an effect that can be ameliorated by acute A2A receptor inhibition in this circuit.
Detection of genetic variants affecting cattle behaviour and their impact on milk production: a genome‐wide association study
Authors: Friedrich Juliane , Brand Bodo , Ponsuksili Siriluck , Graunke Katharina L. , Langbein Jan , Knaust Jacqueline , Kühn Christa , Schwerin Manfred 
Published: October 2015

SummaryBehaviour traits of cattle have been reported to affect important production traits, such as meat quality and milk performance as well as reproduction and health. Genetic predisposition is, together with environmental stimuli, undoubtedly involved in the development of behaviour phenotypes. Underlying molecular mechanisms affecting behaviour in general and behaviour and productions traits in particular still have to be studied in detail. Therefore, we performed a genome‐wide association study in an F2 Charolais × German Holstein cross‐breed population to identify genetic variants that affect behaviour‐related traits assessed in an open‐field and novel‐object test and analysed their putative impact on milk performance. Of 37 201 tested single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), four showed a genome‐wide and 37 a chromosome‐wide significant association with behaviour traits assessed in both tests. Nine of the SNPs that were associated with behaviour traits likewise showed a nominal significant association with milk performance traits. On chromosomes 14 and 29, six SNPs were identified to be associated with exploratory behaviour and inactivity during the novel‐object test as well as with milk yield traits. Least squares means for behaviour and milk performance traits for these SNPs revealed that genotypes associated with higher inactivity and less exploratory behaviour promote higher milk yields. Whether these results are due to molecular mechanisms simultaneously affecting behaviour and milk performance or due to a behaviour predisposition, which causes indirect effects on milk performance by influencing individual reactivity, needs further investigation.
Association of uterine wall thickness with pregnancy outcome following uterine‐sparing surgery for diffuse uterine adenomyosis
Authors: Otsubo Yasuo , Nishida Masato , Arai Yuko , Ichikawa Ryota , Taneichi Akiyo , Sakanaka Miyako 
Published: October 2015

BackgroundThe risk of uterine rupture is a major concern for women who become pregnant after undergoing an adenomyomectomy.AimsThe aim of this study was to investigate the association of uterine wall thickness with pregnancy outcome.Materials and MethodsUterine wall thickness was measured using sonography and/or magnetic resonance imaging in 23 pregnant women who underwent uterine‐sparing surgery for diffuse uterine adenomyosis prior to conception.ResultsOf the 23 women, 10 (43.5%) had an early miscarriage and 13 (56.5%) proceeded to delivery. Of the ten early miscarriage cases, two had a uterine rupture caused by excision of the uterine wall to within 7 mm.ConclusionsWall thickness of the excised uterus was highly associated with uterine rupture. We concluded that optimum wall thickness for conception and preventing uterine rupture during pregnancy may range from 9 to 15 mm.