bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Message testing to create effective health communication campaigns
Authors: Domigan Juliane , Glassman Tavis J. , Miller Jeff , Hug Heather , Diehr Aaron J.
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to assess a health communication campaign designed to reduce distracted driving among college students within the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– Utilizing central interviewing techniques, participants were asked qualitative and quantitative items soliciting feedback concerning the efficacy of the messages.

Findings

– The findings indicated students understood, believed, found the messages appealing, and thought the campaign discouraged distracted driving. Several themes emerged from the qualitative analysis, including the prominence of the logo, recommendation to use bright colors, and the suggestion to use more intense graphics.

Research limitations/implications

– First, the data were collected by conducting interviews, potentially leading to some shortcomings associated with self-reported data. Second, while the results indicated that participants perceived that the messages discouraged distracted driving, none of the central intercept interview items assessed participants’ intentions to change their behavior. Third, a convenience sample was used, and thus the generalizability of the results are limited and warrant further research. Finally, because multiple researchers conducted the interviews, it is possible that data were interpreted differently, which could pose a threat to inter-rater reliability.

Practical implications

– Message testing provides practitioners with invaluable feedback in designing effective messages. However, suggestions from the target audience need to be carefully considered before revising messages, as the lay public are not experts in prevention.

Originality/value

– Message testing provides health educators with a specific method to receive feedback from the target audience to ensure they understand and are motivated by the message, resulting in a more effective health communication campaign.
What health-related information flows through you every day? A content analysis of microblog messages on air pollution
Authors: Yang Qinghua (Candy) , Yang Fan , Zhou Chun
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the information about haze, a term used in China to describe the air pollution problem, is portrayed on Chinese social media by different types of organizations using the theoretical framework of the health belief model (HBM).

Design/methodology/approach

– A content analysis was conducted based on the 756 posts retrieved from Sina Weibo, the top microbloging platform in China, following the simple random sampling method. χ2 analysis was conducted to examine the relationships across the three types of organizations (governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and corporations) and the use of the HBM concepts (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action) in terms of haze and its threat to health.

Findings

– The results of this study indicated that corporations posted more Weibo messages categorized as perceived benefit and most of these posts are related to their products, while governmental organizations posted fewer Weibo messages categorized as perceived severity.

Social implications

– This study provides health decision makers and media consumers with knowledge about how to use social media more effectively in terms of haze-related issues.

Originality/value

– Given the severity of air pollution and the influential role microblogging takes, the study aims to fill the gap in the limited literature on haze information dissemination on social media in China. In addition, this study aims to shed theoretical light on HBM as applied to a non-westernized context.
Recruitment lessons learned from a tailored web-based health intervention Project Y.E.A.H. (Young Adults Eating and Active for Health)
Authors: Brown Onikia , Quick Virginia , Colby Sarah , Greene Geoffrey , Horacek Tanya M. , Hoerr Sharon , Koenings Mallory , Kidd Tandalayo , Morrell Jesse , Olfert Melissa , Phillips Beatrice , Shelnutt Karla , White Adrienne , Kattelmann Kendra
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Recruiting college students for research studies can be challenging. The purpose of this paper is to describe the lessons learned in the various recruitment strategies used for enrolling college students in a theory-based, tailored, and web-delivered health intervention at 13 US universities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The community-based participatory research (CBPR) model was used to develop a staged-tailored, web-based, randomized control trial, focussing on eating behavior, physical activity, and stress management. Participant feedback during baseline assessments was used to evaluate recruitment strategies.

Findings

– Findings from this feedback suggest that traditional recruitment strategies, such as newspaper ads and flyers, may not be the best approach for recruiting college students; instead, web-based efforts proved to be a better recruitment strategy.

Research limitations/implications

– This project included results from 13 US universities and thus may not be generalizable: more research is needed to determine successful recruitment methods for 18-24 years old college students.

Originality/value

– This paper lessens the gap regarding successful recruitment strategies for 18-24 years old college students.
The stress of anonymous online reviews: a conceptual model and research agenda
Authors: Bradley Graham L. , Sparks Beverley A. , Weber Karin
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The paper aims to examine the impact of customer-generated negative online reviews on hospitality employees and businesses. It introduces the concept of negative online review stress, or NOR_Stress (occupational stress due to being targeted by negative online reviews), and present strategies for researching and managing the impact of negative online reviews.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper sets forth a framework, based on the stress, services and hospitality literature, within which negative online reviews, NOR_Stress, and their impact on individuals and businesses can be understood. Aspects of the framework are illustrated by application of online archival material.

Findings

– The paper demonstrates how negative online reviews can have adverse and diverse effects on restaurant industry employees and businesses.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper sets out a research agenda relating to negative online reviews and NOR_Stress causes, consequences and countermeasures. Multiple research questions are posed, to be investigated through a combination of qualitative, survey and experimental methods.

Practical implications

– Four types of countermeasures are presented: preventative, protective, positive and palliative.

Social implications

– Negative online reviews can exact a hefty toll, potentially resulting not only in reduced customer patronage and company profitability but also in human and social consequences in the form of adverse stress reactions, loss of face and damaged personal and professional relationships.

Originality/value

– Negative online reviews have proliferated over the past decade and will continue to grow. This paper is the first to critically examine the human and business impacts of this growing threat to the hospitality industry.
Social media utilization of tourists for travel-related purposes
Authors: Öz Mustafa
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to determine social media use by consumers for travel-related purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantitative study was conducted after reviewing the related literature. The primary data were collected by means of an online questionnaire, and the results were analyzed using a statistical package program.

Findings

– The respondents use social media intensively both in their daily lives (
>
96 per cent) and in travel-related activities (95 per cent). In addition to the detailed analyses of their usage, a model was developed to identify the factors behind social media use for travel-related purposes.

Research limitations/implications

– As a result of an online questionnaire method, only consumers having an Internet access could respond to the survey. Additionally, the sample was not random, and the respondents were selected only from Turkey. Consequently, the study may suffer from a generalization problem, especially for markets with major different cultural characteristics.

Practical implications

– The findings of the study may assist academics and practitioners to better understand social media and Web 2.0 technologies and their effects on consumers.

Originality/value

– One of the dominant trends affecting consumer behavior and tourism marketing in recent years is the use of social media. It is critical to understand such developments and their effects on consumer behavior that may impact on the distribution and accessibility of travel-related information.
Will hotel employees’ perception of unethical managerial behavior affect their job satisfaction?
Authors: Wong Simon Chak-keung , Li Jane Shiyin
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to investigate how Chinese hotel employees (Zhejiang province in mainland China) perceive unethical managerial behavior. It targets to identify any underlying dimensions that exist among the hotel employees. This study also aims to discover any relationship between overall job satisfaction and the derived dimensions. The effects of demographic variables on employees’ job satisfaction and its relationship with unethical managerial behavior are also investigated. Recommendations are presented to hoteliers and human resources practitioners on developing an ethical climate in the hotel industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– Quantitative mixed methods incorporated both in-depth interviews on identifying 20 unethical managerial behaviors among hotel employees, and statistical analyses of the dimensions of the said behaviors were applied to this research. As quantitative analysis was the principal data analysis method adopted to test the hypotheses on hotel employees’ perception of unethical managerial behavior and job satisfaction, a self-administrated questionnaire was developed. A total of 268 completed questionnaires were collected, and factor analysis, multiple regression, independentt-test and ANOVA were conducted to analyze the data.

Findings

– Three factors of unethical managerial behavior were developed: unethical treatment of employees; unfair and broken promises to employees; and inequity and unsympathetic treatment of employees. “Unethical treatment of employees” was found to be significantly related to overall job satisfaction among hotel employees in multiple regression analysis. Demographic differences were also found to exert effects on the three factors and overall job satisfaction.

Practical implications

– This paper successfully identified three underlying dimensions that exist among Chinese hotel employees’ perception of unethical managerial behavior. Three recommendations are presented to hoteliers as well as human resources practitioners for developing an ethical climate in the hotel industry.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to advance the understanding of the hotel employees’ perception of unethical managerial behavior. The relationship between job satisfaction and the derived three underlying dimensions is discovered.
Foodservice employee substance abuse: is anyone getting the message?
Authors: Kitterlin Miranda , Moll Lisa , Moreno Gabriela
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to investigate foodservice industry employees’ experiences and perceptions related to substance abuse prevention measures in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative approach was used for this foundational study, and data collection occurred by conducting in-depth interviews with 30 foodservice employees.

Findings

– Participants reported that, in their perceptions, substance abuse prevention measures were virtually non-existent at their places of employment. The few participants that were aware of such policies indicated that they had never seen the policy actually enforced.

Practical implications

– The results of this exploratory study suggest that foodservice employees may not be receiving adequate messages about workplace substance abuse prevention policies nor are they developing an adequate awareness of such policies. Further, where such policies are in place, they may not being adequately enforced, implying negligent business practices. Failure to display a presence and communication of workplace substance abuse policies and prevention efforts for this potentially high-risk population is both organizationally and socially irresponsible. Suggestions for the implementation of such harm reduction strategies are also provided, as is a call for further research conducted in a quantifiable method to offer more generalizable results.

Originality/value

– No previous study has investigated employee awareness of substance abuse policies and prevention measures or harm reduction strategies in the foodservice workplace. This study provides a step toward understanding foodservice employee substance abuse and prevention that was previously lacking in the literature.
The Holy Grail
Authors: Pereira-Moliner Jorge , Font Xavier , Tarí Juan José , Molina-Azorin Jose F. , Lopez-Gamero Maria D. , Pertusa-Ortega Eva M.
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to analyse the influence of environmental proactivity on cost and differentiation competitive advantages, and to explore the double relationship between environmental proactivity and business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The population consists of all three- to five-star hotels in Spain. A sample of 350 hotels was classified according to environmental proactivity and performance levels, employing a two-step cluster analysis. Significant differences between groups were examined.

Findings

– The results show two types of environmental behaviour (reactive and proactive), with proactive hotels developing significantly better on both cost and differentiation competitive advantage and achieving significantly higher performance levels. Hotels which achieve above average business performance levels are significantly more environmentally proactive.

Research limitations/implications

– The present paper demonstrates that environmental management is related to competitive advantages and business performance. Environmental management systems are more developed in higher category, chain-affiliated and larger hotels. This could be due to having more resources to develop their environmental capability. The environmental proactivity scale employed in this study is presented as a reference measure for hotel managers to benchmark their current practices and implement environmental improvements.

Originality/value

– First, measuring environmental proactivity using four managerial systems (operative, information, strategic and technical) is innovative and provides a more detailed approach to measuring environmental proactivity. Second, demonstrating a double association between environmental proactivity and performance provides fresh insights into the relationship between these variables.
Allocation of marketing budgets to customer acquisition and retention spending based on decision calculus
Authors: Koosha Hamidreza , Albadvi Amir
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to allocate marketing budgets in complex environments, where data are scarce and management judgment is available. In this research, marketing budgets are allocated, to maximize customer equity as a long-term profitability measure.

Design/methodology/approach

– The researchers provide a model for allocation of marketing budgets based on both decision calculus and econometric models and combine it with the concept of Markov chain model to cope with data scarcity. Dynamic programming is used to find the optimal solution.

Findings

– The authors examine the model in telecommunication industry. Applicability of the model is supported by an illustrative example. To allocate marketing budgets, researchers consider three strategies for each period: do nothing, retention-focused strategy and acquisition-focused strategy. The results show the applicability and effectiveness of the model to find the best strategy.

Research limitations/implications

– As the suggested approach is based on management judgment, it is useful in situations, as the authors have experts or experienced managers to achieve reliable data. In situations which the authors do not have access to experienced managers, the results may be unreliable.

Practical implications

– The suggested approach is useful in situations of data scarcity, where experienced managers are accessible. The researchers have focused on telecommunication industry cases; however, the model is useful in other industries like the insurance industry.

Originality/value

– The main contribution of the research lies in the suggestion of a new approach to allocate marketing budgets in data scarcity situations in multi-period planning horizons. The researchers use both decision calculus and econometric tools to find the transition matrices of marketing plans.
Modelling the SCM implementation barriers
Authors: Gorane S. J. , Kant Ravi
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop the relationships among the identified supply chain management barriers (SCMBs) and understand mutual influences of these SCMBs on supply chain implementation. Further, this paper seeks to identify driving and dependent SCMBs using an interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and fuzzy MICMAC (Matrix of Cross-Impact Multiplications Applied to Classification) analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodology used in the paper is the ISM with a view to evolving mutual relationships among SCMBs. The identified SCMBs have been classified further, based on their driving and dependence power using fuzzy MICMAC analysis.

Findings

– This paper has identified 15 key SCMBs which hinder the successful supply chain management (SCM) implementation in an organization and has developed the relationships among the SCMBs using the ISM methodology. Further, this paper analyses the driving and dependent SCMBs using fuzzy MICMAC analysis. The integrated approach is developed here, as the ISM model provides only binary relationship among SCMBs. The fuzzy MICMAC analysis is adopted here, as it is useful in specific analysis related to driving and the dependence power of SCMBs.

Research limitations/implications

– The weightage for the ISM model development and fuzzy MICMAC is obtained through the judgement of academics and industry experts. Further, validation of the model is necessary through questionnaire survey.

Practical implications

– The identification of SCMBs, ISM model development and fuzzy MICMAC analysis provide academics and managers a macro picture of the challenges posed by the SCM implementation in an organization.

Originality/value

– The results will be useful for business managers to understand the SCMBs and overcome these SCMBs during the SCM implementation in an organization.
Efficiency improvement based upon overall value judgment and weight restriction
Authors: Zha Yong , Wang Jun , Linlin Zhao , Liang Liang
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider the following problem: the authors consider a new constructed unit system to indicate the characteristics of the inputs and outputs of different decision-making units (DMUs) and propose several modified models to calculate their efficiencies based on overall value judgment and weight restriction in the production process.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper applies principal component analysis (PCA) to analyze the original value judgment information, and the key indices in the production process are extracted. The modified data envelopment analysis (DEA) models are proposed and DEA efficiencies and their projections are calculated.

Findings

– By incorporate PCA and DEA, the authors propose new virtual DMUs composed of unique optimal multipliers of each DMU. Crucial indexes are extracted and the weights of inputs and output are ranked through using PCA by taking the preference and value judgments of all DMUs into consideration. Weight constraints from the ranking are utilized to improve the traditional CCR-DEA model. The empirical results validate the feasibility of the approach.

Practical implications

– The method can be used in many organizations which have excessive amounts of inputs and outputs variables, such as banks, chain stores, car factory, etc.

Originality/value

– This paper presents an integrated methodology of using PCA and DEA for considering the preferences of the inputs and outputs and value judgment of all DMUs and ranks the importance of the indicators from the overall perspectives.
MADM method considering attribute aspirations with an application to selection of wastewater treatment technologies
Authors: Gao Guang-Xin , Fan Zhi-Ping , Zhang Yao
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for solving the multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) problem in which the decision maker can provide the five types of attribute aspirations, namely: benefit type with requirements; cost type with requirements; interval type; benefit type; and cost type.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, for each type of attribute aspiration, the calculation formula of utility values of alternative concerning attributes is given. Then, using the calculation formulae, the attribute values are transformed into the corresponding utility values. On the basis of this, the overall ranking value of each alternative is calculated. Further, a ranking order of alternatives can be determined according to the obtained overall ranking values.

Findings

– Research shows that it is necessary to develop the method for MADM with attribute aspirations. The example shows that the proposed method is applicable.

Practical implications

– The proposed method can be applied to the selection of wastewater treatment technologies or other areas.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a new MADM method with multiple types of attribute aspirations. It develops and enriches the existing MADM methods.
A product-service system using requirement analysis and knowledge management technologies
Authors: Zhu Haihua , Gao James , Cai Qixiang
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Product-service system (PSS) has been attracting attentions of global manufacturing to providing high-value added services in addition to their traditional product development and manufacturing business. For this reason, it is of great importance to research PSS. The purpose of this paper is to establish a systematic strategy and a system tool for PSS design.

Design/methodology/approach

– A requirement-driven product-service system (RdPPS) is developed using requirements analysis and knowledge management technologies. A framework is proposed to support RdPPS by providing tools and methods for requirement analysis and processing, formalization of PSS by ontology-based knowledge representation, reasoning method for PSS solution finding, and solution optimizing and assessing. Finally, the design support strategies for RdPPS are investigated to demonstrate the usability and functioning of the developed system.

Findings

– Many conventional design methods did not consider the influence of customer requirements (CRs) during the planning phase of PSS design. Moreover, a broader range of knowledge is required to PSS design, since both products and services are considered.

Research limitations/implications

– This research provides a solid foundation for PSS, and promotes an effective means for PSS design.

Originality/value

– A RdPSS is presented. CRs are considered during the design phase of PSS as well as both product and service knowledge.
The effect of fairness preference on managerial entrenchment: an experimental analysis
Authors: Niu Xiaoqin , Li Bingxiang , Niu Xiaodong
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of fairness psychology on the motivation and behavior that drives managerial entrenchment. The paper also provides a theoretical basis to set up an effective incentive and restraining mechanism for corporations.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper conducts an experiment to investigate the effect of fairness preference on managerial entrenchment in enterprises.

Findings

– The results of the experiment show that managers are very concerned about fair payoffs, i.e. the comparison of the principals’ earnings with managers’ market average levels of pay. The worse managers’ fairness preference becomes, the greater are the degrees of managerial entrenchment exhibited. In addition, a large payoff gap between managers and principals produces a higher sensitivity in high-ability managers, while a large payoff gap between managers and managers elsewhere in a market leads to a higher sensitivity in low-ability managers.

Originality/value

– This paper provides new insights into incentives and constraints affecting the behaviors of managers at the corporate board level. Maintaining equity between managers’ payoffs, principals’ earnings and managers’ market average pay levels can restrain both the entrenchment behavior of managers caused by unfair psychology and also the increasing costs of staff switching jobs, thus producing greater profits for companies.
The impact of TMT functional background on firm performance
Authors: Wang Xueli , Ma Lin , Wang Yanli
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of different aspects of top management team (TMT) functional background on short-term performance, long-term performance, innovation performance and oversea performance separately. This research aims to verify whether the social categorization theory and information and decision-making theory are applicable in listed companies of China’s information technology (IT) industry so as to provide key theoretical references for TMT enhancement ad corporate performance improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper takes A-share listed companies in Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange as its study subjects, and it chooses the data from 2004 to 2010 in all of the 105 companies in IT industry in terms of the classification of Wind Database. The stepwise multiple regressions were run utilizing the regression program in Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS).

Findings

– The research results show that the social categorization theory can better explain TMT’s influence on corporate performance. TMT functional heterogeneity does not contribute to improving corporate performance and shows significant negative influence on short-term performance and innovation performance in particular. Among the three basic functional backgrounds, TMTs dominated by “throughput” backgrounds show significant positive influence on short-term performance, long-term performance, innovation performance and overseas performance, and the influence turns out to be the largest among these three backgrounds. In terms of the three special professional experiences, top executives with overseas backgrounds have significant positive influence on all of short-term, long-term, innovation and overseas performances. Externally hired executives, however, would impede corporate innovation development, while those with government background would increase corporate overseas performance.

Originality/value

– This paper analyzes the relationship between TMT functional background and corporate performance in a comprehensive way for the first time and then takes the lead in considering the dynamics and complexity of corporate performance as well as discussing the influence of TMT functional background on four corporate performances. This study not only supports the effect that the social categorization theory has on TMTs but also offers some inspirations on the development of China’s IT companies.
Visual and odour cues: plant responses to pollination and herbivory affect the behaviour of flower visitors
Authors: Lucas‐Barbosa Dani , Sun Pulu , Hakman Anouk , van Beek Teris A. , van Loon Joop J.A. , Dicke Marcel
Published: July 2015

Plants evolved strategies to attract pollinators that are essential for reproduction. However, plant defence against herbivores may trade off with pollinator attraction.

Here, we investigated the role of inducible plant secondary metabolites in such a trade‐off. Our objective was to reveal the mechanisms underlying the effects of induced plant responses to pollination and herbivory. We assessed how responses of plants to pollination and insect herbivory affect the behaviour of flower visitors. Subsequently, we investigated how the production of volatile and non‐volatile compounds changes after pollination and herbivory.

Both herbivores and pollinators induced important phenotypic changes in flowers.Brassica nigraplants respond to pollination and herbivory with changes in the profile of volatiles and non‐volatiles of their flowers. Our results show that butterflies use different cues when searching for an oviposition site or a nectar source. Pollination status influenced the behaviour of butterflies, but not that of syrphid flies.

We discuss the results in the context of the trade‐off between defence and reproduction in plants and suggest that systemic responses to herbivores can interfere with local responses to pollination. Therefore, these responses must be addressed in an integrated way because, in nature, plants are simultaneously exposed to herbivores and pollinators.
Macrophysiology – progress and prospects
Authors: Chown Steven L. , Gaston Kevin J.
Published: July 2015

Macrophysiology is the investigation of variation in physiological traits over large geographic and temporal scales and the ecological implications of this variation. It has now been undertaken, as a defined field, for a decade.

Here, we overview its conceptual foundations, methodological approaches and insights, together with challenges the field is facing currently.

Macrophysiology builds on approaches that investigate the ecological and evolutionary significance of physiological trait variation and feedbacks in these processes. One of its key strengths is its ability to provide a basis for examining interactions among the intraspecific, interspecific and assemblage levels.

Macrophysiology is distinct from and typically concerns larger spatial and temporal scales than conservation physiology, whereas it is in several respects similar to, but antecedes, functional biogeography. Contrary to some claims, macrophysiology is not concerned only with the implications for geographic ranges of physiological trait variation.

Several insights, which would not otherwise have been achieved, have arisen from the field, notably the understanding of variation in global patterns of upper and lower lethal temperature limits and organism performance, which have important implications for forecasting the impacts of climate change.

Ten major challenges are identified for the field of macroecology, including better integration of approaches and information for plants and animals. Nonetheless, the prospects for macrophysiology as a significant way to understand our world remain bright.
Complementarity in both plant and mycorrhizal fungal communities are not necessarily increased by diversity in the other
Authors: Wagg Cameron , Barendregt Christoph , Jansa Jan , van der Heijden Marcel G.A.
Published: July 2015

Higher species diversity can improve community performance within a species guild when different species complement each other in their use of the available niche, such as through resource partitioning. However, species in one guild of organisms may act as resources for another such that the diversity in one guild alters the realized niche for species in another. Yet, it remains largely untested as to whether diversity in one guild of organisms influences species complementarity in another.

The productivity and diversity in plant and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities can be positively associated with each other through their typically mutualistic exchange of resources. Here, we utilized these two interacting species guilds to determine whether greater diversity in one influences species complementarity in the other. This was performed by creating monocultures and a mixture of a grass, forb and legume in a full factorial design with monocultures and a mixture of fourAMfungi.

The presence ofAMfungi reduced differences in the performance among plant species and greater diversity of fungi generally improved plant productivity over the average of the fungal monocultures. However, plant species complementarity was not greatest with a higher diversity of fungi and was only positive with a particular fungal monoculture.

AMfungal abundance was not affected by plant diversity, but was greatly reduced in the grass monoculture compared to the other plant communities. Variation in fungal complementarity among plant communities was low overall and was little influenced by plant diversity.

Synthesis. Using a model plant‐mycorrhizal system, our results suggest that the composition rather than the diversity of species within one guild may be more influential in determining how species function within an associated species guild. However, our model system does not represent a broad gradient of diversity in either plant or fungal communities and only assesses the initial growth phase. Nonetheless, our results highlight that changes in species compositions in one species guild can affect the functioning of species diversity in another.
Fertility treatments and adverse perinatal outcomes in a population‐based sampling of births in Florida, Maryland, and Utah: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Stanford JB , Simonsen SE , Baksh L
Published: July 2015

Objective

To investigate perinatal outcomes associated with fertility treatments, including assisted reproductive technology (ART), intrauterine insemination with ovulation stimulation (IUI), and ovulation stimulation alone (OS).

Design

Population‐representative cross‐sectional survey of women with live births, 2004–2008.

Setting

Florida, Maryland, and Utah, USA.

Sample

21 803 women, weighted to represent 1 022 597 women.

Methods

Survey and birth certificate data were analysed with logistic regression models adjusted for age, education, race, income, and parity, using separate models for singletons and all births. We used two referent groups: (1) women who never used fertility treatment and (2) subfertile women conceiving without treatment.

Main outcome measures

Preterm birth (<37 weeks), very preterm birth (<34 weeks), low birthweight (<2500 g), and very low birthweight (<1500 g).

Results

Referent group 1: In singletons, ART was associated with preterm birth (OR 3.28; 95% CI 1.74, 6.20) and low birthweight (OR 2.91; 95% CI 1.99, 4.26). OS was also associated with low birthweight (OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.19, 2.19). Including all births, treatment was associated with preterm birth and low birthweight: ART (OR 6.21; 95% CI 4.21, 9.16 and OR 6.51; 95% CI 4.85, 8.73); IUI (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.24, 3.56 and OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.54, 3.76); OS (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.01, 1.94 and OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.60, 2.75), respectively. Referent group 2: ART was associated with both outcomes in all births, but not singletons.

Conclusions

Preterm birth and low birthweight associated with fertility treatments are largely attributable to multiple gestation, but are also related to underlying subfertility.

Tweetable abstract

Preterm birth is associated with subfertility, and with fertility treatments through multiple gestation.
Effects of Changes in Diabetes Pay‐for‐Performance Incentive Designs on Patient Risk Selection
Authors: Hsieh Hui‐Min , Tsai Shu‐Ling , Mau Lih‐Wen , Chiu Herng‐Chia
Published: July 2015

Objective

Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) Program implemented a Diabetes Pay‐for‐Performance Program (P4P) based on process‐of‐care measures in 2001. In late 2006, that P4P program was reformed to also include achievement of intermediate health outcomes. This study examined how the change in design affected patient risk selection.

Designs/Study Populations

Study populations were identified from a 2002 to 2003 period (Phase 1) and a 2007 to 2008 period (Phase 2), spanning pre‐ and postimplementation of reforms in the P4P incentive design. Phase 1 had 74,529 newly enrolled P4P patients and 215,572 non‐P4P patients, and Phase 2 had 76,901 newly enrolled P4P patients and 299,573 non‐P4P patients. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of changes in design on P4P patient selection.

Principal Findings

Patients with greater disease severity and comorbidity were more likely to be excluded from the P4P program in both phases. Furthermore, the additional financial incentive for patients' intermediate outcomes moderately worsened patient risk selection.

Conclusions

Policy makers need to carefully monitor the care of the diabetes patients with more severe and complex disease statuses after the changes of P4P financial incentive design.
A new era for paid maternity leave policy: women inSriLanka
Authors: Kodagoda Thilakshi , Samaratunge Ramanie
Published: July 2015

SriLanka is one of the two Asian countries that continue to be in the top 50 for global gender equality. Yet in practice, as this paper shows through 22 targeted interviews of professionals in the health and education sectors, women continue to be highly disadvantaged. This research has demonstrated how gender ideologies and external constraints such as state intervention limit the capacity to reconcile the competing demands of motherhood and employment. Apparently progressive state policy interventions have been unable to ameliorate gender inequality in the workplaces studied. The paper argues that it is time to think again about the drawbacks of the traditional maternity leave scheme inSriLanka, as it applies to women in the public sector, and to develop a work–life policy that is appropriate to the contemporarySriLankan context.
Discussion of “Does the Identity of Engagement Partner Matter? An Analysis of Audit Partner Reporting Decisions”
Authors: Kinney William R.
Published: July 2015

The authors of this provocative study apply commonly used audit quality surrogate measures to a large and unique set of financial and other data on statutory audits of small private companies in Sweden. The paper has received unparalleled attention by the financial press and the PCAOB for its presumed support for regulatory intervention in standards for U.S. public company audits. In this Discussant Comment, I review the paper's content, analyze its predictive validity, and discuss its multiple implications plus, following Conference instructions, I provide constructive suggestions for improvements. Based on predictive validity analysis, I conclude that engagement partner assignment strategy is an important and acknowledged omitted variable that affects the study's internal validity via both the independent variable (partner's prior performance measure) and the dependent variable (borrower's cost of debt capital). The omission also affects construct validities and, if audit firms are applying a plausible assignment strategy, then interpretation of the study's main results would be reversed. Finally, the lack of a standards intervention noted by the authors and the extreme size and other differences between audits of Swedish private companies and U.S. public companies impair external validity and generalization to the U.S. intervention. As to improvements, I suggest that the authors (i) ask Swedish lenders to validate their presumed use of partner performance ratings in determining a borrower's interest rate, and (ii) ask Swedish Big 4 audit firms to provide a few internal partner performance ratings for comparison with the external performance measures used in the study. This two‐pronged, multimethod approach might confirm or deny critical assumptions underlying the present study and may substantively inform standards setters, evidence‐based standards, and fellow researchers about the validity of commonly applied surrogates for audit quality and the study's stated conclusion.
Cyclic fatigue analysis of Reciproc R25® instruments with different kinematics
Authors: Arslan Hakan , Alsancak Meltem , Doğanay Ezgi , Karataş Ertuğrul , Davut Çapar İsmail , Ertas Huseyin
Published: July 2015

This study aimed to compare the cyclic fatigue resistance of Reciproc® instruments when used with different kinematics (150° counterclockwise (CCW)–30° clockwise (CW), 270° CCW–30° CW, 360° CCW–30° CW and continuous rotation). Various kinematics were tested in steel canals with a 3 mm radius and a 60° angle of curvature as follows (n = 20): 150° CCW–30° CW, 270° CCW–30° CW, 360° CCW–30° CW and 360° CCW (rotary motion). Reciproc R25® instruments were used until fracture occurred. The time to fracture was recorded in seconds. The data were statistically analysed using a one‐way analysis of variance and Tukey's post‐hoc tests (P = .05). The cyclic fatigue resistance of Reciproc R25® instruments used with various kinematics in decreasing order was as follows: 150° CCW–30° CW > 270° CCW–30° CW = 360° CCW–30° CW > 360° CCW rotary motion. The 150° CCW–30° CW reciprocating motion had the best performance in time to fracture. All reciprocating motions (150° CCW–30° CW, 270° CCW–30° CW and 360° CCW–30° CW) resulted in a longer mean duration to failure compared with the 360° CCW rotary motion.
The Problem of Political Science: Political Relevance and Scientific Rigor in Aristotle's “Philosophy of Human Affairs”
Authors: Sebell Dustin
Published: July 2015

Treatments of Aristotle's moral‐political science have largely disregarded the methodological statements that he delivers as he embarks on his “philosophy of human affairs” in book I of the Nicomachean Ethics. A consideration of these statements, however, lends critical support to the view that Aristotle sought to give the sharpest possible expression to ordinary moral‐political opinion. Moreover, apart from revealing the by‐no‐means ordinary reasons that induced Aristotle to do so (and to do so in contrast to Plato), such a consideration sheds light on the source of the vagueness or ambiguity that defines moral‐political opinion as such. Indeed, the methodological statements are perhaps the first entries in the old quarrel of “relevance versus rigor.” And, through them, Aristotle suggests how political scientists today might walk a fine line between “politics,” on one hand, and “science,” on the other, without losing sight of the ultimate tension between them.
Is the Romantic–Sexual Kiss a Near Human Universal?
Authors: Jankowiak William R. , Volsche Shelly L. , Garcia Justin R.
Published: July 2015

Scholars from a wide range of human social and behavioral sciences have become interested in the romantic–sexual kiss. This research, and its public dissemination, often includes statements about the ubiquity of kissing, particularly romantic–sexual kissing, across cultures. Yet, to date there is no evidence to support or reject this claim. Employing standard cross‐cultural methods, this research report is the first attempt to use a large sample set (eHRAF World Cultures, SCCS, and a selective ethnographer survey) to document the presence or absence of the romantic–sexual kiss (n = 168 cultures). We defined romantic–sexual kissing as lip‐to‐lip contact that may or may not be prolonged. Despite frequent depictions of kissing in a wide range of material culture, we found no evidence that the romantic–sexual kiss is a human universal or even a near universal. The romantic–sexual kiss was present in a minority of cultures sampled (46%). Moreover, there is a strong correlation between the frequency of the romantic–sexual kiss and a society's relative social complexity: the more socially complex the culture, the higher frequency of romantic–sexual kissing. [kiss, kissing, romantic, sexual, intimate]
Evaluation of the prototype Anaesthetic Non‐technical Skills for Anaesthetic Practitioners (ANTS‐AP) system: a behavioural rating system to assess the non‐technical skills used by staff assisting the anaesthetist
Authors: Rutherford J. S. , Flin R. , Irwin A. , McFadyen A. K.
Published: July 2015

This study tested the reliability, validity and usability of a prototype behavioural rating system for the non‐technical skills of assistants working with the anaesthetist. Anaesthetic nurses and operating department practitioners (n = 48) used the prototype Anaesthetic Non‐technical Skills for Anaesthetic Practitioners (ANTS‐AP) system to rate the non‐technical skills of anaesthetic assistants in 12 videos of simulated theatre work. Test–retest reliability was assessed with a sub‐sample (n = 12). The skill categories assessed were ‘situation awareness’, ‘teamwork and communication’ and ‘task management’. The internal consistency for the ratings of elements in categories was acceptable (Cronbach's α of 0.78, 0.77 and 0.69, respectively), with more modest inter‐rater reliability (intraclass correlations for categories 0.54, 0.70, 0.86), test–retest reliability (intraclass correlations 0.68, 0.58, 0.38) and accuracy (weighted kappa 0.39). Most participants considered the system complete (n = 42, 87%), the wording clear (n = 48, 100%) and the system useful for structuring observation (n = 48, 100%).
Potential Danger of Pre‐Pump Clamping on Negative Pressure‐Associated Gaseous Microemboli Generation During Extracorporeal Life Support—An In Vitro Study
Authors: Wang Shigang , Chin Brian J. , Gentile Frank , Kunselman Allen R. , Palanzo David , Ündar Akif
Published: July 2015

The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between revolution speed of a conventional centrifugal pump and negative pressure at the inlet of the pump by clamping the tubing upstream of the pump, and to verify whether negative pressure leads to gaseous microemboli (GME) production in a simulated adult extracorporeal life support (ECLS) system. The experimental circuit, including a Maquet Rotaflow centrifugal pump and a Medos Hilite 7000 LT polymethyl‐pentene membrane oxygenator, was primed with packed red blood cells (hematocrit 35%). Negative pressure was created in the circuit by clamping the tubing upstream of the pump for 10 s, and then releasing the clamp. An emboli detection and classification quantifier was used to record GME volume and count at pre‐oxygenator and post‐oxygenator sites, and pressure and flow rate data were collected using a custom‐based data acquisition system. All trials were conducted at 36°C at revolution speeds of 2000–4000 rpm (500 rpm increment). The flow rates were 1092.5–4708.4 mL/min at the revolution speeds of 2000–4000 rpm. Higher revolution speed generated higher negative pressure at the pre‐pump site when clamping the tubing upstream of the pump (−108.3 ± 0.1 to −462.0 ± 0.5 mm Hg at 2000–4000 rpm). Moreover, higher negative pressure was associated with a larger number and volume of GME at pre‐oxygenator site after de‐clamp (GME count 10 573 ± 271 at pre‐oxygenator site at 4000 rpm). The results showed that there was a potential danger of delivering GME to the patient when clamping pre‐pump tubing during ECLS using a centrifugal pump. Our results warrant further clinical studies to investigate this phenomenon.