bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Effects of Isoflurane on the Long QT Syndrome 1–associated A341V Mutant
Authors: Mikuni Ikuomi , Torres Carlos G. , Bakshi Tania , Tampo Akihito , Carlson Brian E. , Bienengraeber Martin W. , Kwok Wai-Meng 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAbstract
The long QT syndrome–associated A341V mutation rendered the slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium (IKs) channel more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of isoflurane compared to wild-type IKs in transfected cell lines.

Background:
The impact of volatile anesthetics on patients with inherited long QT syndrome (LQTS) is not well understood. This is further complicated by the different genotypes underlying LQTS. No studies have reported on the direct effects of volatile anesthetics on specific LQTS-associated mutations. We investigated the effects of isoflurane on a common LQTS type 1 mutation, A341V, with an unusually severe phenotype.

Methods:
Whole cell potassium currents (IKs) were recorded from HEK293 and HL-1 cells transiently expressing/coexpressing wild-type KCNQ1 (α-subunit), mutant KCNQ1, wild-type KCNE1 (β-subunit), and fusion KCNQ1 + KCNE1. Current was monitored in the absence and presence of clinically relevant concentration of isoflurane (0.54 ± 0.05 mM, 1.14 vol %). Computer simulations determined the resulting impact on the cardiac action potential.

Results:
Isoflurane had significantly greater inhibitory effect on A341V + KCNE1 (62.2 ± 3.4%, n = 8) than on wild-type KCNQ1 + KCNE1 (40.7 ± 4.5%; n = 9) in transfected HEK293 cells. Under heterozygous conditions, isoflurane inhibited A341V + KCNQ1 + KCNE1 by 65.2 ± 3.0% (n = 13) and wild-type KCNQ1 + KCNE1 (2:1 ratio) by 32.0 ± 4.5% (n = 11). A341V exerted a dominant negative effect on IKs. Similar differential effects of isoflurane were also observed in experiments using the cardiac HL-1 cells. Mutations of the neighboring F340 residue significantly attenuated the effects of isoflurane, and fusion proteins revealed the modulatory effect of KCNE1. Action potential simulations revealed a stimulation frequency–dependent effect of A341V.

Conclusions:
The LQTS-associated A341V mutation rendered the IKs channel more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of isoflurane compared to wild-type IKs in transfected cell lines; F340 is a key residue for anesthetic action.
The effect of message framing on pro-environmental behavior intentions
Authors: Chang Meng-Chen , Wu Chao-Chan 
Published: January 2015

Purpose
– A considerable amount of research suggests that the way information is processed may influence a purchasing decision; however, this seems to be an issue rarely investigated in green marketing studies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to draw on the literature related to the Heuristic-Systematic Model of information processing to provide a deeper insight into the factors affecting pro-environmental behavior intention.

Design/methodology/approach
– The framework highlights the moderator role of environmental motivation and environmental knowledge in the relationships among message framing and pro-environmental behavior intention. The study used an internet survey to help reduce the social desirability bias associated with a face-to-face survey. In total, 497 questionnaires were collected, of which 68 were invalid and 429 were valid.

Findings
– The results indicate that it might be beneficial for green marketing proprietors to provide product-related information stressing the potential negative consequences of not buying organic food products. This effect, however, is moderated by the degree of the customer’s environmental motivation and environmental knowledge.

Originality/value
– This stands in marked contrast to the traditional information which emphasizes the positive consequences to motivate customers to purchase organic food products.
Measuring retail supply chain performance
Authors: Anand Neeraj , Grover Neha 
Published: January 2015

Purpose
– A growing body of literature has begun in the direction of supply chain performance measurement. However, selecting the appropriate set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring supply chain performance have always remained a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to identify the KPIs and categorize them specifically for measuring retail supply chain performance.

Design/methodology/approach
– A qualitative approach, based on literature has been adopted. Published literature from refereed journals on supply chain performance measurement has been considered and various approaches for developing KPIs have been studied to develop a theoretical framework for performance measurement in retail supply chain.

Findings
– The paper identifies key indicators for performance measurement and classifies them into four major categories: transport optimization, information technology optimization, inventory optimization and resource optimization. These key indicators are arranged precisely for retail industry. A theoretical framework is proposed to link the performance of these constructs on financial performance of the firm.

Research limitations/implications
– Future research can be carried out to validate the relevance and applicability of identified indicators. The study can be further conducted to measure the interrelationships between the KPIs and their impact on financial performance of the firm.

Practical implications
– This study proposes a list of indicators for retail industry, which are presented in appropriate categories so that it can be used by the focussed teams for further improvement.

Originality/value
– To the best of authors’ knowledge, no other study has categorized the KPIs into groups, specifically for measuring retail supply chain performance. The researcher also intends to carry out further empirical study to test the proposed theoretical framework.
Antecedents of user satisfaction with ERP systems: mediation analyses
Authors: Al-Jabri Ibrahim M. 
Published: January 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of four important influencing factors on user satisfaction with an in-house developed ERP module in a large oil and gas company in Saudi Arabia. It explores whether communication campaigns, training, benefits, ease of use (EoU) are key antecedents of user satisfaction, and examine the mediating effects of EoU and benefits on satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a sample of 104 ERP users who were actively engaged in the ERP system implementation process. The partial least square method was used to test the research model. Baron and Kenny’s approach was used to test the mediating effects.

Findings
– The proposed research model explained 62.7 percent of the variance in ERP user satisfaction. The results showed that EoU fully mediates the relationship between the training and communications and the benefits. Both EoU and benefits fully mediate the relationship between training and satisfaction and partially mediate the relationship between communications and satisfaction.

Practical implications
– The findings of this study imply that training programs and communication campaigns should be designed in such a way that foster the EoU and convey and convince the ERP stakeholders about the benefits and values of ERP systems.

Originality/value
– This study extends the understanding of salient factors affecting the ERP satisfaction in a different setting, namely in an oil & gas industry of a developing country. Although academic research of ERP satisfaction is abundant, this study contributes to the field by examining the mediating effects which rarely tackled in the extant research studies.
Implementing a nationwide quality improvement approach in health services
Authors: Sahel Amina , DeBrouwere Vincent , Dujardin Bruno , Kegels Guy , Belkaab Nejoua , Alaoui Belghiti Abdelali 
Published: January 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative quality improvement intervention developed in Morocco and discuss its implementation. Until 2004, the Moroccan Ministry of Health (MoH) encouraged pilots of quality improvement approaches but none of them were revealed to be sustainable. Internal assessments pinpointed factors such as lack of recognition of the participating team’s efforts and lack of pressure on managers to become more accountable. In 2005, Morocco opted for an intervention called “Quality Contest” (QC) targeting health centres, hospitals and health district offices and combining quality measurement with structures ranking, performance disclosure and reward system.

Design/methodology/approach
– The QC is organized every 18 months. After the self-assessment and external audit step, the participating structures are ranked according to their scores. Their performances are then disseminated and the highest performing structures are rewarded.

Findings
– The results showed an improvement in performance among participating structures, constructive exchange of successful experiences between structures, as well as communication of constraints, needs and expectations between MoH managers at central and local levels; the use of peer-auditors was appreciated as it enabled an exchange of best practices between auditors and audited teams but this was mitigated by the difficulty of ensuring their neutrality; and the recognition of efforts was appreciated but seemed insufficient to ensure a sense of justice and maintain motivation.

Originality/value
– This intervention is an example of MoH leadership that has succeeded in introducing transparency and accountability mechanisms (ranking and performance disclosure) as leverage to change the management culture of the public health services; setting up a reward system to reinforce motivation and adapting continuously the intervention to enhance its sustainability and acceptability.
Conducting semi-structured interviews with the Vietnamese
Authors: Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang 
Published: January 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to discuss several cultural and psychological aspects that the author experienced in the interview fieldwork with Vietnamese and the strategies to deal with these methodological issues. It aims to assist non-Vietnamese researchers planning their qualitative fieldwork with Vietnamese participants.

Design/methodology/approach
– The results are drawn from using an autoethnographic approach, in which the author presents and analyses the experiences of conducting individual semi-structured interviews with 15 Vietnamese college teachers in the PhD qualitative study on the Vietnamese concept of face – thê diên.

Findings
– The author argues that in interviews with Vietnamese participants, an interviewer should be mindful of the interviewees’ unfamiliarity with the ethics approval procedure, their reliance on relationship and trust, their self-face concern and low level of elaboration. It is important that the interviewer be seen as an “insider” by the Vietnamese interviewees, not an “objective” outsider researcher. In addition, an interviewer needs to be sensitive to detect any subtle cues that may emerge, and be flexible enough to adjust the interview questions if necessary and employ suitable techniques to adapt to these changes.

Research limitations/implications
– The findings were limited to the scope of experiences within a PhD study with a small group of college teachers. Experiences with larger groups of Vietnamese participants from diverse backgrounds may be needed to confirm the findings of this paper.

Originality/value
– This paper addresses the gap in the discussion of conducting qualitative research with the Vietnamese. It also discusses several issues that have not been discussed before, such as the Vietnamese unfamiliarity with the paperwork required for ethics approval and their face concerns in interviews.
Behind closed doors: negotiating the Ethical Borgs in qualitative inquiry
Authors: Cacciattolo Marcelle , Vicars Mark , McKenna Tarquam 
Published: January 2015

Purpose– The Ethical Borgs are a fictional panel of a set of people who have the task of attending to the manner in which research “should” occur. The scenario is a series of “fictionalised encounters” between two researchers presenting their research proposals to the panel for approval. The purpose of this paper is to revisit and play out two researchers’ individual and collective experiences of gaining ethical clearance as emergent researchers. The tension of their place and status in academia drives their identity.Design/methodology/approach– This paper is presented in the form of a short play. The focus is on the manner in which the performance of the academic self as researcher can be impeded or assisted by the deliberations of the “Ethical Borgs”. These fictional encounters demonstrate the tension of being located in the in-between worlds of researchers in-waiting who need to negotiate their roles and whose ethical anxieties are critiqued through the lens of the “naive inquirer” the “too hard don’t touch inquirer” and the “medicalised” lens inquirer.Findings– The major themes examined in this paper address how the Ethical Borgs increasingly exercise power and have authority to authorise social inquiry.Originality/value– Questions that are also raised include what academic approval is required to inquire? How does a naive inquirer manoeuvre his or her way through institutionalised and bureaucratic procedures?
SF‐36 healty survey on psoriasis quality‐of‐life: A study of 414 Taiwanese patients
Authors: Ng Chau Yee , Yang Ya‐Wen , Liu Su‐Hsun , Lu Jui‐Fen R , Yang Li‐Chen , Yang Chih‐Hsun , Huang Yu‐Huei 
Published: January 2015

AbstractPsoriasis is a chronic debilitating disease that impairs patients' physical and social functioning. The assessment of health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) provides a comprehensive insight into the actual disease burden that are not captured by the traditional clinical parameters. The objective of this study is to identify factors that may impact patients' HRQoL. We conducted a cross‐sectional study, recruiting a total of 414 psoriasis vulgaris patients between January 2008 and December 2011. Our study found no significant correlation between disease severity or duration of psoriasis with HRQoL. Female patients have poorer HRQoL. Psoriatic arthritis, nail involvement, burning and itching sensation have a detrimental effect on HRQoL. This study highlighted that specific disease‐associated symptoms such as itching and burning sensation, nail involvement and/or concomitant arthritis were important factors that may impact patients' HRQoL devoid of clinical severity. Physicians should carefully consider these factors when treating psoriasis patients.
Host life history and host–parasite syntopy predict behavioural resistance and tolerance of parasites
Authors: Sears Brittany F. , Snyder Paul W. , Rohr Jason R. 
Published: January 2015

Summary

There is growing interest in the role that life‐history traits of hosts, such as their ‘pace‐of‐life’, play in the evolution of resistance and tolerance to parasites.

Theory suggests that, relative to host species that have high syntopy (local spatial and temporal overlap) with parasites, host species with low syntopy should have lower selection pressures for more constitutive (always present) and costly defences, such as tolerance, and greater reliance on more inducible and cheaper defences, such as behaviour. Consequently, we postulated that the degree of host–parasite syntopy, which is negatively correlated with host pace‐of‐life (an axis reflecting the developmental rate of tadpoles and the inverse of their size at metamorphosis) in our tadpole–parasitic cercarial (trematode) system, would be a negative and positive predictor of behavioural resistance and tolerance, respectively.

To test these hypotheses, we exposed seven tadpole species to a range of parasite (cercarial) doses crossed with anaesthesia treatments that controlled for anti‐parasite behaviour. We quantified host behaviour, successful and unsuccessful infections, and each species’ reaction norm for behavioural resistance and tolerance, defined as the slope between cercarial exposure (or attempted infections) and anti‐cercarial behaviours and mass change, respectively. Hence, tolerance is capturing any cost of parasite exposure.

As hypothesized, tadpole pace‐of‐life was a significant positive predictor of behavioural resistance and negative predictor of tolerance, a result that is consistent with a trade‐off between behavioural resistance and tolerance across species that warrants further investigation. Moreover, these results were robust to considerations of phylogeny, all possible re‐orderings of the three fastest or slowest paced species, and various measurements of tolerance.

These results suggest that host pace‐of‐life and host–parasite syntopy are powerful drivers of both the strength and type of host defence strategies against parasites. Future research should evaluate how often and how strongly host pace‐of‐life and host–parasite syntopy are correlated and which is the better predictor of the strength and type of host investments in anti‐parasite defences.
Comparison of the cardioprotective and renoprotective effects of the L/N‐type calcium channel blocker, cilnidipine, in adriamycin‐treated spontaneously‐hypertensive rats
Authors: Aritomi Shizuka , Harada Eri , Sugino Kazumi , Nishimura Mai , Nakamura Tarou , Takahara Akira 
Published: January 2015

SummaryCilnidipine is an L/N‐type calcium channel blocker (CCB). The effects of cilnidipine on N‐type channels give it unique organ‐protective properties via the suppression of hyperactivity in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS). In the present study, we compared the effects of cilnidipine and amlodipine (an L‐type CCB) on cardiac and renal functions in spontaneously‐hypertensive rats injected with adriamycin (ADR). After the weekly administration of ADR for 3 weeks, spontaneously‐hypertensive rats were orally administered cilnidipine (20 mg/kg per day), amlodipine (3 mg/kg per day), or vehicle once daily for 4 weeks. A control group received saline rather than ADR, followed by vehicle for 4 weeks. Cilnidipine and amlodipine produced similar reductions in blood pressure after 4 weeks. Cilnidipine ameliorated ADR‐induced heart and kidney damage, whereas amlodipine slightly improved cardiac echocardiographic parameters, but did not protect against ADR‐induced renal damage. Cilnidipine (but not amlodipine) suppressed the reflex SNS and RAAS hyperactivity caused by their antihypertensive effects. Furthermore, cilnidipine and amlodipine treatment decreased the urinary levels of adrenocortical hormones. The protective effects of cilnidipine against ADR‐induced renal and cardiac dysfunction might be associated with its blockade of N‐type calcium channels, in addition to its pleiotropic actions, which include the inhibition of the RAAS.
Urban Carbon Governance Experiments: The Role of Australian Local Governments
Authors: MCGUIRK PAULINE , DOWLING ROBYN , BRENNAN CLARE , BULKELEY HARRIET 
Published: January 2015

AbstractCities, and particularly urban local governments, are now widely recognised for their part in the complex, multilevel landscape of climate governance and carbon reduction. Nonetheless local government projects and initiatives are often framed as of limited value, outside the formal governance framework, and unable to contribute systematically. In contrast, this paper locates these initiatives as already part of the way in which governing climate and carbon is conducted and as governance experiments. We provide a descriptive analysis of these initiatives across Australia's capital cities, highlighting the domains, mechanisms, and partners through which they operate. We illustrate the enactment of experimentation through a detailed examination of the Sydney‐based initiative termed Treading Lightly, drawing out in particular the workings of institutional experimentation and experimentation in governance practices. We conclude with brief reflections on the governance implications of such experimentation and their importance as a site in the emergent politics of urban carbon governance.
Identification of Nanoscale Ingredients in Commercial Food Products and their Induction of Mitochondrially Mediated Cytotoxic Effects on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Athinarayanan Jegan , Alshatwi Ali A. , Periasamy Vaiyapuri S. , Al‐Warthan Abdulrahman A. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractTitanium dioxide (E171) and silicon dioxide (E551) are common additives found in food products, personal‐care products, and many other consumer products used in daily life. Recent studies have reported that these food additives (manufactured E171 and E551) contain nanosized particles of less than 100 nm. However, the particle size distribution and morphology of added TiO2 and SiO2 particles are not typically stated on the package label. Furthermore, there is an increasing debate regarding health and safety concerns related to the use of synthetic food additives containing nanosized ingredients in consumer products. In this study, we identified the size and morphology of TiO2 and SiO2 particles in commercially available food products by using transmission electron microscope (TEM). In addition, the in vitro toxicological effects of E171 and E551 on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), an adult stem cell‐based model, were assessed using the MTT assay and a flow cytometry‐based JC‐1 assay. Our TEM results confirmed the presence of nanoscale ingredients in food products, and the in vitro toxicology results indicated that the nanoscale E171 and E551 ingredients induced dose‐dependent cytotoxicity, changes in cellular morphology, and the loss of mitochondrial trans‐membrane potential in hMSCs. These preliminary results clearly demonstrated that the nanoscale E171 and E551 particles had adverse effects on hMSCs by inducing oxidative stress‐mediated cell death. Accordingly, further studies are needed to identify the specific pathway involved, with an emphasis on differential gene expression in hMSCs.
Temperature response of root‐lesion nematode (Pratylenchus thornei) reproduction on wheat cultivars has implications for resistance screening and wheat production
Authors: Thompson J.P. , Clewett T.G. , O'Reilly M.M. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe root‐lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei is a major pathogen of wheat and other field crops, particularly in the northern grain region of sub‐tropical eastern Australia. Research was conducted into the temperature requirements of P. thornei for reproduction on wheat to increase the reliability of selection in resistance tests for wheat breeding. Final population densities (Pf) of P. thornei were determined on four wheat cultivars (Gatcher, GS50a, Potam and Suneca) at fortnightly intervals from 8 to 18 weeks at a range of six soil temperatures (15°C, 20°C, 22.5°C, 25°C, 27.5°C and 30°C) in a glasshouse experiment. Pratylenchus thornei had the highest Pf in the temperature range of 20–25°C on all wheat cultivars at all growth times after sowing, with no nematode reproduction measured at 30°C and very little at 15°C. The wheat cv. GS50a consistently produced lower Pf than cvs Gatcher, Potam and Suneca in the optimum temperature range of 20–25°C. In carrot disc cultures, P. thornei had an optimum temperature of 25°C with little reproduction at 17.5°C and none detectable at 30°C. A standard soil temperature of 23°C was chosen to maximise differences in nematode reproduction between resistant and susceptible wheat genotypes for selection in wheat breeding, and to improve reproducibility among successive experiments. The relationships derived from these experiments will be valuable for simulation of P. thornei reproduction in crop growth models. They also indicate that early sowing of wheat into cool soil (≤15°C) in farmers' fields of the northern grain region should favour wheat growth over nematode reproduction and increase grain yield.