bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcome of Long-term Maintenance Steroid Therapy Cessation in Patients With Autoimmune Pancreatitis
Authors: Hirano Kenji , Tada Minoru , Isayama Hiroyuki , Sasahira Naoki , Umefune Gyotane , Akiyama Dai , Watanabe Takeo , Saito Tomotaka , Takagi Kaoru , Takahara Naminatsu , Hamada Tsuyoshi , Mizuno Suguru , Miyabayashi Koji , Mohri Dai , Kogure Hirofumi , Yamamoto Natsuyo , Nakai Yousuke , Arizumi Toshihiko , Toda Nobuo , Koike Kazuhiko 
Published: November 2015

Objective:
To predict the duration of steroid maintenance therapy required to achieve good prognosis in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis.

Patients and Methods:
The study sample comprised 21 patients with autoimmune pancreatitis who met the following criteria: (1) they received steroid therapy (ST) for at least 3 years without clinical relapse; and (2) immunoglobulin (Ig) G<1600 mg/dL was observed in the past year with a prednisolone maintenance dose ≤5 mg. All patients could be diagnosed with international consensus diagnostic criteria. Patients were prospectively followed up after tapering and cessation of steroids. Clinical relapse was defined as the need to resume ST. Serological relapse was defined as having an IgG level of >1600 mg/dL.

Results:
During the 43-month (range, 19 to 48 mo) follow-up period, clinical relapse occurred in 10 patients: pancreatic lesion in 4; coronary lesion in 2; submandibular lesion in 1; both pulmonary and renal lesions in 1; pulmonary, retroperitoneal, and submandibular lesions in 1; and bronchial asthma in 1. Serological relapse was observed in 12 patients. Although clinical and serological relapse occurred concomitantly in 3 patients, serological relapse preceded clinical relapse in 4 patients. Five patients experienced serological relapse alone, and no clinical or serological relapse occurred in 6 patients. According to Cox proportional hazard analysis, the duration of ST before tapering was a significant predictive parameter (hazard ratio, 0.969/month; 95% confidence interval, 0.940-0.998; P=0.038).

Conclusions:
ST cessation resulted in a high rate of clinical relapses, even in patients with long-term maintenance therapy. Therefore, it appears desirable to continue steroid maintenance therapy for a period >3 years to prevent relapse.
Serum Ammonia is Associated With Transplant-free Survival in Hospitalized Patients With Acutely Decompensated Cirrhosis
Authors: Patwardhan Vilas R. , Jiang Zhengui G. , Risech-Neiman Yesenia , Piatkowski Gail , Afdhal Nezam H. , Mukamal Kenneth , Curry Michael P. , Tapper Elliot B. 
Published: November 2015

Background:
As ammonia metabolism is a complex multiorgan process, we sought to determine whether serum ammonia concentrations were associated with transplant-free survival in patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).

Methods:
We studied 494 consecutive patients hospitalized with cirrhosis between April 2007 and September 2012 with venous ammonia measured on hospital admission. The primary outcome was transplant-free survival.

Results:
Overall, rates of death or transplant within 30 and 90 days were 23.1% (n=114) and 37.7% (n=186), respectively. Forty-six patients (9.2%) underwent liver transplantation within 90 days. In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, ammonia concentration was independently associated with death or transplantation within 30 and 90 days after adjusting for model for end-stage liver disease, sodium, white blood cells, and number of ACLF organ failures; every doubling of ammonia was associated with respective hazard ratios of 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.38) and 1.21 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.44) for 90- and 30-day transplant or mortality. Notably, after adjusting for ammonia, organ failures were not predictive of outcomes. In a Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with admission ammonia concentrations >60 μmol/L had significantly lower 90-day transplant-free survival (P=0.0004). Patients with admission ammonia concentrations >60 μmol/L had higher 90- and 30-day risk of death or transplantation (45.2% vs. 31.2%, P=0.001; and 31.6% vs. 15.7%, P<0.0001, respectively).

Conclusion:
For patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis, an elevated serum ammonia concentration on admission is associated with reduced 90-day transplant-free survival after adjusting for established predictors.
A case of abscess after BCG vaccine in an immunocompetent child without other clinical signs
Authors: d'Aleo Francesco , Bonanno Roberta , Costantino Antonella Lo Presti , Arena Salvatore , Midiri Angelina , Mancuso Giuseppe , Biondo Carmelo , Beninati Concetta 
Published: November 2015

Introduction:
Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG), an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, is a rare cause of infection, with few published cases in immunocompetent individuals.

Case presentation:
We present the case of a cutaneous abscess in an immunocompetent infant returning from Morocco, where he received a BCG vaccination. The abscess developed at the site of inoculation in the forearm (a non-recommended site) in the absence of lymphadenopathy or systemic signs. The lesion did not recur after aspiration of the abscess and further treatment was not required.

Conclusion:
Infections caused by M. bovis BCG may be difficult to diagnose without systemic signs or lymphadenopathy but should be suspected in children returning from regions where BCG vaccination is widely applied. The present report suggests that abscess formation after BCG vaccination is a continuing problem, particularly in tuberculosis-endemic areas and when recommendations concerning dosage or injection techniques are not followed. Moreover, we highlight here the importance of combining phenotypic and genotypic methods for quick identification of Mycobacterium bovis BCG in abscess drainage fluids.
An association between sexes of successive siblings in the data from Demographic and Health Survey program
Authors: Monakhov Mikhail 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe prediction of future child’s sex is a question of keen public interest. The probability of having a child of either sex is close to 50%, although multiple factors may slightly change this value. Some demographic studies suggested that sex determination can be influenced by previous pregnancies, although this hypothesis was not commonly accepted. This paper explores the correlations between siblings’ sexes using data from the Demographic and Health Survey program. In the sample of about 2,214,601 women (7,985,855 children), the frequencies of sibships with multiple siblings of the same sex were significantly higher than can be expected by chance. A formal modelling demonstrated that sexes of the children were dependent on three kinds of sex ratio variation: a variation between families (Lexian), a variation within a family (Poisson) and a variation contingent upon the sex of preceding sibling (Markovian). There was a positive correlation between the sexes of successive siblings (coefficient = 0.067, p < 0.001), i.e. a child was more likely to be of the same sex as its preceding sibling. This correlation could be caused by secondary sex ratio adjustmentin uterosince the effect was decreasing with the length of birth-to-birth interval, and the birth-to-birth interval was longer for siblings with unlike sex.
Scan-o-matic: high-resolution microbial phenomics at a massive scale
Authors: Zackrisson Martin , Hallin Johan , Ottosson Lars-Göran , Dahl Peter , Fernandez-Parada Esteban , Ländström Erik , Fernandez-Ricaud Luciano , Kaferle Petra , Skyman Andreas , Omholt Stig , Petrovic Uros , Warringer Jonas , Blomberg Anders 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACTThe capacity to map traits over large cohorts of individuals – phenomics – lags far behind the explosive development in genomics. For microbes the estimation of growth is the key phenotype. We introduce an automated microbial phenomics framework that delivers accurate and highly resolved growth phenotypes at an unprecedented scale. Advancements were achieved through introduction of transmissive scanning hardware and software technology, frequent acquisition of precise colony population size measurements, extraction of population growth rates from growth curves and removal of spatial bias by reference-surface normalization. Our prototype arrangement automatically records and analyses 100,000 experiments in parallel. We demonstrate the power of the approach by extending and nuancing the known salt defence biology in baker’s yeast. The introduced framework will have a transformative impact by providing high-quality microbial phenomics data for extensive cohorts of individuals and generating well-populated and standardized phenomics databases.
Self-directed career attitude as predictor of career and life satisfaction in Chinese employees
Authors: Zhang Chunyu , Hirschi Andreas , Herrmann Anne , Wei Jia , Zhang Jinfu 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to test if the effects of a self-directed career attitude on career and life satisfaction are mediated by a person’s sense of calling and moderated by job insecurity in a sample of Chinese employees.Design/methodology/approach– Among a sample of Chinese employees (n=263), in this paper, a moderated mediation analysis with bootstrapping was applied to test the hypotheses.Findings– The results showed that calling mediates the effects of a self-directed career attitude on career satisfaction and life satisfaction. Job insecurity moderated the effect on life satisfaction but not on career satisfaction. The effect on life satisfaction were stronger under higher levels of job insecurity.Research limitations/implications– These results suggest that a self-directed career attitude may help people develop a calling, which in turn relates to increased subjective career success and well-being. In addition, the notion of a calling may be especially important for well-being in unstable job circumstances.Originality/value– This study is the first to explore a calling and a self-directed career attitude in a sample of Chinese employees. Corresponding to contemporary China’s rapidly changing context of economy and career development, a self-directed career orientation plays an important role in Chinese employees’ calling and subjective career success.
Attenuation of negative sponsorship effects in the context of rival sports teams’ fans
Authors: Grohs Reinhard , Reisinger Heribert , Woisetschläger David M. 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to understand the occurrence, formation and magnitude of negative effects for sponsors of rival sports teams and to identify means to counteract negative sponsorship effects.

Design/methodology/approach
– Surveys measure fans’ identification with their team as well as attitudes toward rival teams and their sponsors in a soccer context. An experiment introduces sponsorship communication activities that aim at mitigating negative sponsorship effects by shifting the focus of the sponsorship.

Findings
– Results from surveys and experiments demonstrate that identification with a sports team negatively affects perceptions of a rival team, negative perceptions of a rival team negatively affect perceptions of its sponsors, this effect is stronger for fans with higher levels of team identification, companies can improve perceptions of rival team sponsors by shifting the focus of sponsorship-linked communication activities, but attenuating negative sponsorship effects is more difficult to achieve for fans with higher levels of identification with their team.

Research limitations/implications
– Further studies need to disentangle mitigating effects of framing sponsorship communication and investigate in greater depth conditions under which sponsorship leverage can emphasize specific social identities of sports fans and enhance the inclusiveness of fans’ self-categorization.

Practical implications
– Companies can learn from this study how they can frame, design and use sponsorship communication activities to mitigate negative sponsorship effects in the context of rival-team sponsorship.

Originality/value
– The study is one of the few studies addressing negative effects of sponsorship. In particular, the study provides first insights into how social identity theory, social categorization theory and framing theory work together with theories of image transfer in both the formation and the attenuation of negative sponsorship outcomes.
Service workers’ job performance
Authors: He Hongwei , Wang Weiyue , Zhu Weichun , Harris Lloyd 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to advance the literature by testing the boundary of this relationship with reference to a key construct in employee performance in the service domain: employee customer orientation. Organizational identification refers to employees’ perceived oneness and belongingness to their work organization, and has been argued to be associated with higher employee performance.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected based on a sample of call center service workers. Employees rated their organizational identification, customer orientation and personality traits. Supervisors independently rated their subordinates’ performance. Variables statistic tools were used to analyze the data and test a series of hypotheses.Findings– It was found that customer orientation strengthens the relationship between organizational identification and service workers’ job performance, and it enhances the mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between service workers’ personality trait (i.e. agreeableness) and their performance.Originality/value– This research advances an argument that employee customer orientation moderates the relationship between employee organizational identification and employee job performance in the call center service provision domain. In addition, this is a pioneering study examining the roles of personality traits on employee organizational identification.
Commentary
Authors: Lowe Ben 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a viewpoint about the role of cost transparency in consumer markets and whether or not consumers should request cost transparency from sellers, in light of the article by Antonis et al. (2015).

Design/methodology/approach
– Research in the area of cost transparency, pricing and related theoretical domains is analysed to understand the potential role for buyers and sellers in consumer markets.

Findings
– Although there are an increasing number of examples of greater operational transparency in supply chains, cost transparency in consumer markets is not widespread. Increased cost transparency represents an important product attribute for consumers, enhancing fairness perceptions and affective evaluations. For sellers, it is a potentially powerful complement to price moves and, through enhancing trust among consumers, can positively influence brand value(s).

Research limitations/implications
– Operational and cost transparency holds much promise as an emerging area in marketing but research into cost transparency in consumer markets is in its early stages and the limited number of field examples reduces the scope for empirical work. However, using carefully controlled lab experiments, much can be done to understand the generalisability and boundary conditions to its effect.

Originality/value
– This paper takes a balanced view about value to consumers and the implementation of cost transparency in consumer markets, highlighting key mechanisms through which greater transparency may influence consumer product evaluations and concluding with some caveats in relation to its practice.
Commentary: what’s behind the price tag: understanding cost transparency?
Authors: Singh Nitish 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to understand “Why Should Companies Embrace Cost Transparency”.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper is a thought piece in response to the paper by Simintiras et al. (2015), “Should Consumer’s Request Cost Transparency?”

Findings
– Arguments based on past research and company practices show that companies practicing cost transparency can increase their customer following, brand loyalty, differentiation and ultimately the profits.

Practical implications
– The paper showcases examples of how companies have implemented cost transparency to differentiate their customer offerings. The paper also shows that conscious consumers are now demanding more cost transparency, and companies have already started to heed this call.

Originality/value
– The paper specifically outlines arguments and recent examples to show why companies should embrace cost transparency.
Attention, emotions and cause-related marketing effectiveness
Authors: Guerreiro João , Rita Paulo , Trigueiros Duarte 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to explain how cognitive and emotional responses may influence decisions to purchase cause-related products.

Design/methodology/approach
– An experimental design clarifies how autonomic reactions determine altruistic choices in a simulated shopping environment. Eye-tracking and electrodermal response measurements were set to predict choices of hedonic vs utilitarian cause-related vs unrelated products.

Findings
– Emotional arousal, pleasure and attention to the cause-related bundle are associated with altruistic behaviour in hedonic choices. When facing utilitarian choices, customers focus on brand logo and donation amount while experiencing pleasure, but emotional arousal does not increase marketing effectiveness in this case.

Research limitations/implications
– The experiment may be replicated in the real-world shopping environment, but spurious influences will be difficult to control. Distracting cues such as background music and scents used to increase positive emotions may affect intensity of emotive and cognitive processes.

Practical implications
– The results highlight the prominence of automatic reactions in customers’ choices. In the present instance, managers’ effort should be directed to the raising of altruistic visual cues of the donation-based promotion and positive emotional responses through guilt reducing effects.

Originality/value
– The study pioneers the use of eye-tracking coupled with skin conductance measurement in experimental designs aimed at clarifying the role of autonomic reactions such as emotional arousal, pleasure and attention in the effectiveness of emotionally charged marketing campaigns.
Sexual abuses of left-behind children of migrant women: community-perceived vulnerabilities and barriers in prevention
Authors: Senaratna Chamara 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to describe hitherto unexplored issues related to sexual abuse of left-behind children of migrant women in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approach– This qualitative study was conducted in high labour-sending districts. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with school teachers, community youth groups and members of civil organisations, and semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with community leaders, religious leaders, social workers, and primary healthcare workers. Data were analysed using content analysis, and emerging themes were mapped.Findings– Community members reported that sexual abuses of migrant women’s children, although not uncommon, are scarcely notified due to societal and institutional factors. They have a high awareness on types of sexual abuses faced by migrants’ children, extent of such abuses, and physical, emotional, and social complications of such abuses. They also reported factors that increase these children’s vulnerability to abuse. Role perceived to be played by state and non-state social institutions and authorised personnel in protecting children is inadequate, leading to low reporting and community cooperation.Practical implications– High community awareness found provides a good platform to launch culturally sensitive child protection interventions.Social implications– Findings of barriers and opportunities indicate that effective policy instruments and cogent and functional programmes interlinking all stakeholder-institutions are required to protect migrant women’s children.Originality/value– This study provided first in-depth exploration of issues related to sexual abuses of migrant women’s children in Sri Lanka and possible opportunities for community-based interventions.
Health disparities of Latino immigrant workers in the United States
Authors: Hege Adam , Vallejos Quirina M. , Apostolopoulos Yorghos , Lemke Michael Kenneth 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature pertaining to occupational health disparities experienced by Latino immigrant workers in the USA and to advance a general framework based on systems science to inform epidemiological and intervention research.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using papers and other sources from 2000 to the present, the authors examined the employment conditions and health outcomes of Latino immigrant workers and critically analyzed the pervasive evidence of health disparities, including causal mechanisms and associated intervention programs.

Findings
– The occupations, including the work environment and resultant living conditions, frequently performed by Latino immigrants in the USA represent a distinct trigger of increased injury risk and poor health outcomes. Extant intervention programs have had modest results at best and are in need of more comprehensive approaches to address the complex nature of health disparities.

Practical implications
– An integrated, systems-based framework concerning occupational health disparities among Latino immigrant workers allows for a holistic approach encompassing innovative methods and can inform high-leverage interventions including public policy.

Originality/value
– Reductionist approaches to health disparities have had significant limitations and miss the complete picture of the many influences. The framework the authors have provided elucidates a valuable method for reducing occupational health disparities among Latino immigrant workers as well as other populations.