bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Parenthood and employment: the impact of policies and culture on gender inequality in Switzerland
Authors: Epple Ruedi , Gasser Martin , Kersten Sarah , Nollert Michael , Schief Sebastian 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of cantonal social policies and cultural settings (in Switzerland) on women’s and men’s employment behaviour. Special consideration is given to the transition to parenthood.Design/methodology/approach– Based on data from the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS) this paper conducts multilevel analyses to test individual and cantonal effects on the probability of employment and on working hours. To analyse the effect of parenthood, models for women and men with children under three are contrasted with models for women and men without children or with older children.Findings– The paper documents the persistence of gender inequality in employment linked to parenthood. How the reconciliation of work and family life can be realised for women and men strongly depends on a set of policies and cultural conditions. Moreover, individual characteristics such as education or marriage are important predictors.Research limitations/implications– A shortcoming of this study is the focus on the individual employment use and not on household-level division of labour. This disadvantage is due to the design of the SLFS, which is (at present) the only available survey to allow regionalisation at the cantonal level. However, the paper adds important results to the debate about gender inequality and parenthood in Switzerland as previous research has focused only little on cantonal diversity.Originality/value– The paper connects to previous cantonal comparative studies of female employment but extends their analyses in three important ways. By analysing cantonal differences in policies and culture this paper takes the diversity of framework conditions in Switzerland into account. Furthermore it simultaneously analyses male and female employment behaviour to get a better understanding of gender inequality and parenthood.
Determination of distance ease of pants using 3D scanning data
Authors: Su Junqiang , Gu Bingfei , Liu Guolian , Xu Bugao 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the determination of distance ease of pants from the 3D scanning data of a clothed and unclothed body.

Design/methodology/approach
– A human model whose body size conformed to the Chinese dummy standard and four pairs of suit pants were chosen for the study. The scanned surfaces of both the body and the pant were superimposed based on the preset markers. The circumferences at four important positions – abdomen, hip, thigh and knee – were selected for pant ease determination. At one position (e.g. hip), the two cross-sections were divided into several characteristic sections and the distance ease, i.e. the space between the cross-sections at each section was measured. The regression equations between the distance ease and ease allowance were then derived so that the distance ease can be estimated.

Findings
– The relationship was found between the distance ease and the ease allowance. Meanwhile, a mathematic model was established to convert the distance ease into the increments of a pant pattern, which helps to develop an individual pant pattern automatically.

Social implications
– The paper provided the concept and the method to customize a pant by using the 3D scanning data of body. It created a link between the 3D distance ease and the 2D ease allowance, and the model to calculate the distance ease increments which warrant proper ease distributions. The method helps to develop an individualized garment pattern automatically from a basic and tight pant pattern.

Originality/value
– Understanding the relationship between the distance ease and the ease allowance and increments of pattern could help develop an individual apparel pattern from 3D measurements. This paper showed a way to solve the problem of distribution of the apparel ease in a virtual environment and convert body measurements from a 3D scanner into personalized apparel patterns.
LIBOR, base rate spreads and the UK housing market
Authors: Hinch Martin , Berry Jim , McGreal William , Grissom Terry 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse how London Interbank Offered Rate Index (LIBOR) and the spread between LIBOR and the base rate of interest as set by the Bank of England (BoE) influences the variation in house prices in the UK.Design/methodology/approach– This paper uses monthly data over a long time series, since 1986, to investigate the relationships between house price and LIBOR. Data are drawn from several different sources to include housing, financial and macro-economic variables. The time series is sub-divided into a series of splines based on stages in the economic and property market cycle. Both value-based and percentage change models are developed.Findings– The results show that BoE base/LIBOR margin variable has a strong positive and significant effect on house price; however, the percentage change model infers a weaker and inverse relationship. The spline analysis re-emphasised the significance of the BoE base/LIBOR margin variable. Where variation between base rates and LIBOR is reduced, a significant positive effect can be observed in the average house price; however, where significant variation exists, the BoE base/LIBOR margin has little effect and LIBOR itself becomes a significant driver.Research limitations/implications– The results highlight that the predictive qualities of the BoE base/LIBOR margin, as the contribution of this margin to the explanation of house price, exceeds both the base rate and LIBOR variables individually. Also highlighted is the contribution of unemployment to the explanation of house price. In both the value and percentage change models, unemployment is shown as a negative and highly significant contributor.Originality/value– Previous papers have demonstrated the important linkage between house price and interest rates, the originality in this paper lies in examining the impact of LIBOR and the spreads between LIBOR and base rate as key variables influencing variation in UK house prices.
A discussion paper on valuations for mortgage and the level of house prices
Authors: Bowcock Philip 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The aim of the present paper is to consider the effect of the current approach to valuations for mortgage on the level of house prices during the housing bubble of 2000-2008 which has been a major contributor to the following recession followed previous smaller bubbles in 1972 and 1990. Despite a warning from the International Monetary Fund in 2004 that prices were too high and home buyers should “exercise particular caution”, no fundamental research appears to have been done into the contribution to this of those responsible for valuation for mortgage.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data from the Nationwide Quarterly Index were used as a basis and compared with the writer’s professional experience in carrying out valuations for mortgage.

Findings
– Instructions to valuers advising on the properties offered as security for a mortgage loan have requested only a valuation based on the market as it existed at the time of the valuation without regard to the possibility that a change in economic circumstances could cause a fall in the value of the security. Many mortgagors have found on sale or repossession that their liability to repay their mortgage is greater than the value of the property.

Originality/value
– Valuations for mortgage should include an indication of the possible risks involved, including the results of changes in the global economic environment.
Impressions in action: the socially situated construction of expertise in the workplace
Authors: Johri Aditya 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The impressions of others’ expertise are fundamental to workplace dynamics. Identifying expertise is essential for workplace functions such as task assignment, task completion, and knowledge generation. Although prior work has examined both the nature of expertise and its importance for work, formation of expertise impressions in the workplace has not received much attention. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– In this paper the author addresses the question – how do we form expertise impressions in the workplace – using data from an ethnographic study of a workplace setting. The author employs a case study of project team formation to synthesize a process framework of impression formation.Findings– The author proposes a framework that integrates sociocultural and interactional accounts to argue that actors utilize situational and institutional frames to socially construct their expertise impressions of others. These frames emerge as actors engage in activities within a community of practice.Originality/value– This practice-based explication of expertise construction moves beyond narrow conceptions of personality-based traits or credentials as signals of expertise. It explains why sharing of expertise within organizations through the use of information technology continues to be problematic – expertise is an enactment and therefore it defies reification through knowledge management.
Narratives of enterprise revisited: methodological appendices in ethnographic books
Authors: Down Simon 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This paper is the first in a series that reprints methodological appendices or methods chapters found in workplace and organisational ethnographic books, and provides an opportunity for reflection by the author through an introductory commentary. Simon Down, the author of Narratives of Enterprise (Down, 2006) reflects on the writing and the research underpinning his ethnography. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– The reprinting of such chapters will enhance access to key ethnographic texts, and facilitate reflection on methodological choices authors made. In so doing this paper will provide insights into methodological ethnographic writing, and show how sensibilities and fashions change over time.Findings– Narratives of Enterprise (Down, 2006) examined how two small business managers in a single firm construct an entrepreneurial self-identity, and what this process of self-creation means for the individuals and how the firm is managed. The key topics explored in the book, self-identity as a conceptual tool and enterprise as a social and economic reality, have both grown in relevance and importance since the research was conducted. Down also reflects on that nature and dynamism of friendship in research practice.Originality/value– Reflection on choices made at some distance can provide particular and valuable insights into the development of research practice.
The Crc/CrcZ‐CrcY global regulatory system helps the integration of gluconeogenic and glycolytic metabolism in Pseudomonas putida
Authors: La Rosa Ruggero , Nogales Juan , Rojo Fernando 
Published: February 2015

SummaryIn metabolically versatile bacteria, carbon catabolite repression (CCR) facilitates the preferential assimilation of the most efficient carbon sources, improving growth rates and fitness. In Pseudomonas putida, the Crc and Hfq proteins and the CrcZ and CrcY small RNAs, which are believed to antagonize Crc/Hfq, are key players in CCR. Unlike that seen in other bacterial species, succinate and glucose elicit weak CCR in this bacterium. In the present work, metabolic, transcriptomic and constraint‐based metabolic flux analyses were combined to clarify whether P. putida prefers succinate or glucose, and to identify the role of the Crc protein in the metabolism of these compounds. When provided simultaneously, succinate was consumed faster than glucose, although both compounds were metabolized. CrcZ and CrcY levels were lower when both substrates were present than when only one was provided, suggesting a role for Crc in coordinating metabolism of these compounds. Flux distribution analysis suggested that, when both substrates are present, Crc works to organize a metabolism in which carbon compounds flow in opposite directions: from glucose to pyruvate, and from succinate to pyruvate. Thus, our results support that Crc not only favours the assimilation of preferred compounds, but balances carbon fluxes, optimizing metabolism and growth.
Microbial community dynamics during the early stages of plant polymer breakdown in paddy soil
Authors: Wegner Carl‐Eric , Liesack Werner 
Published: February 2015

SummaryWe used paddy soil slurries amended with rice straw to identify the microbial populations involved in the methanogenic breakdown of plant polymers. Rice straw greatly stimulated microbial activity over the 28‐day incubation period. On day 7, the transient peak concentration of acetate (24 mM) coincided with the onset of increased methane production. Microbial 16S rRNA transcript numbers increased by one to two orders of magnitude, but not the 16S rRNA gene copy numbers. Using metatranscriptomic rRNA, Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Veillonellaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were identified to be the most abundant and the most dynamic bacterial groups. Changes in methanogen rRNA and mRNA abundances corresponded well with methanogenic activity. Acetate determined the abundance ratio between Methanosarcinaceae and Methanosaetaceae. Methanocellaceae dominated hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Transcript levels of mRNA families involved in plant polymer breakdown increased slightly with time. Glycosyl hydrolase (GH) transcripts involved in cellulose and chitin breakdown were predominantly expressed by the Firmicutes, whereas those involved in hemicellulose breakdown exhibited more diverse taxonomic sources, including Acidobacteria, Bacteriodetes and Chloroflexi. Taken together, we observed strong population dynamics and the expression of taxonomically diverse GH families, suggesting that not only Firmicutes, but also less abundant groups play a major functional role in the decomposition of rice straw.
Ice cover extent drives phytoplankton and bacterial community structure in a large north‐temperate lake: implications for a warming climate
Authors: Beall B. F. N. , Twiss M. R. , Smith D. E. , Oyserman B. O. , Rozmarynowycz M. J. , Binding C. E. , Bourbonniere R. A. , Bullerjahn G. S. , Palmer M. E. , Reavie E. D. , Waters LCDR M. K. , Woityra LCDR W. C. , McKay R. M. L. 
Published: February 2015

SummaryMid‐winter limnological surveys of Lake Erie captured extremes in ice extent ranging from expansive ice cover in 2010 and 2011 to nearly ice‐free waters in 2012. Consistent with a warming climate, ice cover on the Great Lakes is in decline, thus the ice‐free condition encountered may foreshadow the lakes future winter state. Here, we show that pronounced changes in annual ice cover are accompanied by equally important shifts in phytoplankton and bacterial community structure. Expansive ice cover supported phytoplankton blooms of filamentous diatoms. By comparison, ice free conditions promoted the growth of smaller sized cells that attained lower total biomass. We propose that isothermal mixing and elevated turbidity in the absence of ice cover resulted in light limitation of the phytoplankton during winter. Additional insights into microbial community dynamics were gleaned from short 16S rRNA tag (Itag) Illumina sequencing. UniFrac analysis of Itag sequences showed clear separation of microbial communities related to presence or absence of ice cover. Whereas the ecological implications of the changing bacterial community are unclear at this time, it is likely that the observed shift from a phytoplankton community dominated by filamentous diatoms to smaller cells will have far reaching ecosystem effects including food web disruptions.
Mapping diversity indices: not a trivial issue
Authors: Granger Victoria , Bez Nicolas , Fromentin Jean‐Marc , Meynard Christine , Jadaud Angélique , Mérigot Bastien 
Published: February 2015

Summary

Mapping diversity indices, that is estimating values in all locations of a given area from some sampled locations, is central to numerous research and applied fields in ecology.

Two approaches are used to map diversity indices without including abiotic or biotic variables: (i) the indirect approach, which consists in estimating each individual species distribution over the area, then stacking the distributions of all species to estimate and map a posteriori the diversity index, (ii) the direct approach, which relies on computing a diversity index in each sampled locations and then to interpolate these values to all locations of the studied area for mapping.

For both approaches, we document drawbacks from theoretical and practical viewpoints and argue about the need for adequate interpolation methods. First, we point out that the indirect approach is problematic because of the high proportion of rare species in natural communities. This leads to zero‐inflated distributions, which cannot be interpolated using standard statistical approaches. Secondly, the direct approach is inaccurate because diversity indices are not spatially additive, that is the diversity of a studied area (e.g. region) is not the sum of the local diversities. Therefore, the arithmetic variance and some of its derivatives, such as the variogram, are not appropriate to ecologically measure variation in diversity indices. For the direct approach, we propose to consider the β‐diversity, which quantifies diversity variations between locations, by the mean of a β‐gram within the interpolation procedure. We applied this method, as well as the traditional interpolation methods for comparison purposes on different faunistic and floristic data sets collected from scientific surveys. We considered two common diversity indices, the species richness and the Rao's quadratic entropy, knowing that the above issues are true for complementary species diversity indices as well as those dealing with other biodiversity levels such as genetic diversity.

We conclude that none of the approaches provided an accurate mapping of diversity indices and that further methodological developments are still needed. We finally discuss lines of research that may resolve this key issue, dealing with conditional simulations and models taking into account biotic and abiotic explanatory variables.
Emergency Department Quality Improvement Activity: An Inventory From the American Board of Emergency Medicine Maintenance of Certification Program
Authors: Kowalenko Terry , Carius Michael L. , Korte Robert C. , Miller Michele C. , Reisdorff Earl J. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractObjectivesThe American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program requires every ABEM‐certified physician to attest to participating in a quality improvement (QI) activity every 5 years. Understanding the type and frequency of these QI activities could inform the emergency medicine community about the variety of QI activities in which emergency physicians (EPs) are involved. These QI activities could provide ideas for the development of additional quality measures.MethodsThis was a retrospective descriptive study of self‐reported QI activity attestations from the ABEM MOC program during 2013. Attestations were provided by ABEM‐certified EPs using the ABEM MOC website. The type, number, and cumulative frequency of activities are reported.ResultsABEM received 9,380 attestations for QI activities in 91 different categories. The three most commonly reported activities were acute myocardial infarction‐percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes of arrival (includes door‐to‐balloon time), door‐to‐doctor times, and throughput time measures. These three activities comprised 36.4% of attestations. More than half (54.4%) of the attestations were captured by the five most frequently attested activities, 67.1% by the top seven categories, and 89.9% by the top 21 categories. Of these 21 categories, 10 involved clinical protocols, nine were time‐centered measures, and two were patient‐centered activities.ConclusionsThis report demonstrates that diverse QI activities occur in emergency departments (EDs) across the United States. The majority of reported projects are nested in a few categories, following recognized areas of emphasis in emergency care, particularly in areas using time‐sensitive metrics.
Phase I study of tivantinib in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Distinctive pharmacokinetic profiles from other solid tumors
Authors: Okusaka Takuji , Aramaki Takeshi , Inaba Yoshitaka , Nakamura Shinichiro , Morimoto Manabu , Moriguchi Michihisa , Sato Takashi , Ikawa Yuta , Ikeda Masafumi , Furuse Junji 
Published: February 2015

A c‐Met inhibitor tivantinib is a candidate anticancer agent for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and CYP2C19 is the key metabolic enzyme for tivantinib. Previous Japanese phase I studies in patients with solid tumors (except HCC) recommend 360 mg twice daily (BID) and 240 mg BID for CYP2C19 extensive metabolizers (EM) and poor metabolizers (PM), respectively. In this study, Japanese patients with HCC in whom sorafenib treatment has failed were enrolled to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of oral tivantinib as a single agent. The dose was escalated separately in EM and PM, from 120 mg BID to 240 mg BID, in both capsule and tablet formulations. A total of 28 patients (EM: 21, PM: 7) received tivantinib. At a dose of 120 mg BID, dose‐limiting toxicities (DLT) did not develop in 12 EM (capsule: 6, tablet: 6) and 7 PM (capsule: 4, tablet: 3) during the DLT‐observation period (for 29 days after first dosing). At this dose, the pharmacokinetic profiles of tivantinib (AUC0–12 and Cmax) did not remarkably differ between EM and PM. When treated with 240 mg BID, 5 of 9 EM (capsule: 4 of 6, tablet: 1 of 3) developed neutropenia‐related DLT accompanying plasma tivantinib concentration higher than expected from the previous studies. Consequently, PM did not receive 240 mg BID. In conclusion, 120 mg BID of tivantinib is recommended among Japanese patients with HCC regardless of CYP2C19 phenotype.
Intrinsic membrane plasticity via increased persistent sodium conductance of cholinergic neurons in the rat laterodorsal tegmental nucleus contributes to cocaine‐induced addictive behavior
Authors: Kamii Hironori , Kurosawa Ryo , Taoka Naofumi , Shinohara Fumiya , Minami Masabumi , Kaneda Katsuyuki 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThe laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) is a brainstem nucleus implicated in reward processing and is one of the main sources of cholinergic afferents to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Neuroplasticity in this structure may affect the excitability ofVTAdopamine neurons and mesocorticolimbic circuitry. Here, we provide evidence that cocaine‐induced intrinsic membrane plasticity inLDTcholinergic neurons is involved in addictive behaviors. After repeated experimenter‐delivered cocaine exposure,ex vivowhole‐cell recordings obtained fromLDTcholinergic neurons revealed an induction of intrinsic membrane plasticity in regular‐ but not burst‐type neurons, resulting in increased firing activity. Pharmacological examinations showed that increased riluzole‐sensitive persistent sodium currents, but not changes in Ca2+‐activatedBK,SKor voltage‐dependent A‐type potassium conductance, mediated this plasticity. In addition, bilateral microinjection of riluzole into theLDTimmediately before the test session in a cocaine‐induced conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm inhibited the expression of cocaine‐inducedCPP. These findings suggest that intrinsic membrane plasticity inLDTcholinergic neurons is causally involved in the development of cocaine‐induced addictive behaviors.