bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RiboDiff: Detecting Changes of Translation Efficiency from Ribosome Footprints
Authors: Zhong Yi , Karaletsos Theofanis , Drewe Philipp , T Sreedharan Vipin Thankam , Kuo David , Singh Kamini , Wendel Hans-Guido , Rätsch Gunnar
Published: March 2015

Motivation: Deep sequencing based ribosome footprint profiling can provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms of protein translation. However, the observed ribosome profile is fundamentally confounded by transcriptional activity. In order to decipher principles of translation regulation, tools that can reliably detect changes in translation efficiency in case-control studies are needed. Results: We present a statistical framework and analysis tool, RiboDiff, to detect genes with changes in translation efficiency across experimental treatments. RiboDiff uses generalized linear models to estimate the over-dispersion of RNA-Seq and ribosome profiling measurements separately, and performs a statistical test for differential translation efficiency using both mRNA abundance and ribosome occupancy. Availability: Source code and documentation are available at http://github.com/ratschlab/ribodiff. Supplementary Material can be found at http://bioweb.me/ribo.
Genetic variability under the seedbank coalescent
Authors: Blath Jochen , Casanova Adrián , Eldon Bjarki , Kurt Noemi , Wilke-Berenguer Maite
Published: March 2015

We analyse patterns of genetic variability of populations in the presence of a large seedbank with the help of a new coalescent structure called the seedbank coalescent. This ancestral process appears naturally as scaling limit of the genealogy of large populations that sustain seedbanks, if the seedbank size and individual dormancy times are of the same order as the active population. Mutations appear as Poisson processes on the active lineages, and potentially at reduced rate also on the dormant lineages. The presence of ‘dormant’ lineages leads to qualitatively altered times to the most recent common ancestor and non-classical patterns of genetic diversity. To illustrate this we provide a Wright-Fisher model with seedbank component and mutation, motivated from recent models of microbial dormancy, whose genealogy can be described by the seedbank coalescent. Based on our coalescent model, we derive recursions for the expectation and variance of the time to most recent common ancestor, number of segregating sites, pairwise differences, and singletons. Estimates (obtained by simulations) of the distributions of commonly employed distance statistics, in the presence and absence of a seedbank, are compared. The effect of a seedbank on the expected site-frequency spectrum is also investigated using simulations. Our results indicate that the presence of a large seedbank considerably alters the distribution of some distance statistics, as well as the site-frequency spectrum. Thus, one should be able to detect from genetic data the presence of a large seedbank in natural populations.
Disturbance of poised chromatin coincides with increased expression of developmental genes in cancer
Authors: Bernhart Stephan H , Kretzmer Helene , Jühling Frank , Stadler Peter F , Hoffmann Steve
Published: March 2015

Poised (bivalent or paused) chromatin comprises activating and repressing histone modifications at the same location (Voigt et al., 2013). This combination of epigenetic marks keeps genes expressed at low levels but poised for rapid activation (Margaritis and Holstege, 2008; Mikkelsen et al., 2007). Typically, DNA at poised promoters carries low levels of methylation in normal cells (Meissner et al., 2008; Roadmap Epigenomics Consortium et al., 2015), but frequently shows elevated methylation levels in cancer samples (Hinoue et al., 2012; Gal-Yam et al., 2008; Ohm et al., 2007; Rodriguez et al., 2008; Easwaran et al., 2012). Although higher levels of methylation are normally associated with transcriptional silencing, recently counter-intuitive positive correlations between methylation and expression levels have been reported for two cancer types (Hahn et al., 2014; Kretzmer et al.,). Here, we analyze one of the largest combined expression and methylation data-sets to date, comprising over 5,000 samples and demonstrate that the hypermethylation of poised chromatin in conjunction with up-regulation of the corresponding genes is a general phenomenon in cancer. This up-regulation affects developmental genes and transcription factors, including many genes implicated in cancer. From analysis of 7,000 methylation data sets, we built a universal classifier that can identify cancer samples solely from the hypermethylation status of originally poised chromatin. We reason that the alteration of the epigenetic status of poised chromatin is intimately linked to tumorigenesis.
Network analysis of genome-wide selective constraint reveals a gene network active in early fetal brain intolerant of mutation
Authors: Choi Jinmyung , Shooshtari Parisa , Samocha Kaitlin E , Daly Mark J , Cotsapas Chris
Published: March 2015

Using robust, integrated analysis of multiple genomic datasets, we show that genes depleted for non-synonymousde novomutations form a subnetwork of 72 members under strong selective constraint. We further show this subnetwork is preferentially expressed in the early development of the human hippocampus and is enriched for genes mutated in neurological, but not other, Mendelian disorders. We thus conclude that carefully orchestrated developmental processes are under strong constraint in early brain development, and perturbations caused by mutation have adverse outcomes subject to strong purifying selection. Our findings demonstrate that selective forces can act on groups of genes involved in the same process, supporting the notion that adaptation can act coordinately on multiple genes. Our approach provides a statistically robust, interpretable way to identify the tissues and developmental times where groups of disease genes are active. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the interactions between genes when analyzing genome-wide sequence data.
Large-volume protein crystal growth for neutron macromolecular crystallography
Authors: Ng Joseph D. , Baird James K. , Coates Leighton , Garcia-Ruiz Juan M. , Hodge Teresa A. , Huang Sijay
Published: March 2015

Neutron macromolecular crystallography (NMC) is the prevailing method for the accurate determination of the positions of H atoms in macromolecules. As neutron sources are becoming more available to general users, finding means to optimize the growth of protein crystals to sizes suitable for NMC is extremely important. Historically, much has been learned about growing crystals for X-ray diffraction. However, owing to new-generation synchrotron X-ray facilities and sensitive detectors, protein crystal sizes as small as in the nano-range have become adequate for structure determination, lessening the necessity to grow large crystals. Here, some of the approaches, techniques and considerations for the growth of crystals to significant dimensions that are now relevant to NMC are revisited. These include experimental strategies utilizing solubility diagrams, ripening effects, classical crystallization techniques, microgravity and theoretical considerations.
Sustainability index of micro finance institutions (MFIs) and contributory factors
Authors: Bhanot Disha , Bapat Varadraj
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the sustainability of micro finance institutions (MFIs) in a holistic manner. The idea is to create an index of sustainability for MFIs which includes financial and outreach aspects of sustainability. Further, it also discerns the factors which contribute to high (low) sustainability scores of MFIs.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data on Indian MFIs was collected from Microfinance Information Exchange database. Using the technique of order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), an Index of sustainability is built by aggregating multiple indicators (operational self-sufficiency ratio, the average loan balance per borrower and the number of active borrowers) to arrive at composite sustainability score of MFIs. Contributory factors of sustainability were identified using a multiple regression model.

Findings

– The sustainability score for MFIs ranges from a maximum score of 0.80 to a minimum of 0.26. Gross loan portfolio, No. of borrower per staff member, portfolio at risk>30 days and return on assets, are significant contributors to sustainability scores of Indian MFIs.

Practical implications

– The index of sustainability is a useful tool to rank the MFIs on a multi-dimensional construct of sustainability. The study also helps to unravel factors that significantly contribute to sustainability of Indian MFIs.

Originality/value

– This study is novel in its attempt to measure sustainability in a holistic fashion by focussing not just on the financial performance of the MFI but also on outreach dimensions. It is also unique in its approach to adopt a multi criteria decision-making technique of TOPSIS to measure sustainability of Indian MFIs.
Gender and other repayment determinants of microfinancing in Indonesia and Sri Lanka
Authors: Nanayakkara Gemunu , Stewart Jenny
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The repayment performance of microfinancing loans funded by donors amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars is an important issue, because it indicates the effectiveness of utilising these funds to alleviate poverty. The purpose of this paper is to develop models to predict the repayment success of microfinancing loans.

Design/methodology/approach

– Analysing data relating to 1,109 random loan records from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, the study develops models to predict the repayment probability of microfinancing loans using logistic regression.

Findings

– There are significant differences between the two countries. In Sri Lanka, the time to approve and disburse the loan, loan cycle, gender and age of the borrower, whether a group or individual borrower, the purpose for which the loan is used and visiting frequency by the loan officers were found to be significant when predicting the repayment. Only three factors were significant in Indonesia: time to approve and disburse the loan, interest repayment frequency and gender. Both models have over 70 per cent prediction accuracy.

Originality/value

– The models developed can be used in the loan appraisal stage to improve the repayment performance of microfinancing institutions saving hundreds of millions of dollars in bad debt write offs.
Financial service outreach correlates
Authors: Nkundabanyanga Stephen Korutaro , Opiso Julius , Balunywa Waswa , Nkote Isaac Nabeeta
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between managerial competence, managerial risk-taking behaviour and financial service outreach of microfinance institutions (MFIs).

Design/methodology/approach

– In this cross-sectional and correlational study, the authors surveyed 52 branches of MFIs from a population of 60 branches of 20 MFIs in eastern Uganda. Two respondents, a branch manager and a senior loan officer, were the units of enquiry for each branch. The authors put forward and tested four hypotheses relating to the significance of the relationship between perceived managerial competence, risk-taking behaviour and financial service outreach using SPSS version 20. The authors established the hypothesized relationships using Pearson correlation coefficients and obtain a mediating effect of risk-taking behaviour using partial corrections and regression analysis.

Findings

– The results suggest positive and significant relationships between perceived managerial competence, risk-taking behaviour and financial service outreach. However, while the direct relationship between managerial competence and financial service outreach without the mediation effect of risk-taking behaviour of managers was found to be significant, its magnitude reduces when mediation of risk-taking behaviour is allowed. Thus the entire effect does not only go through managerial competence but majorly also, through risk-taking behaviour of managers.

Research limitations/implications

– This study did not control for environmental factors such as laws and regulations. As such the model may have been under fitted. Nevertheless, the study has introduced a clearer understanding that outreach performance in MFIs rests with competent managers in strategic positions operating in synergy with their risk-taking behaviour. The study informs policy makers that outreach performance of the MFIs depends on the quality of the competence managers have in addition to their risk-taking propensities.

Practical implications

– Efforts by the stakeholders to improve financial service outreach must be matched with appropriate competences and risk-taking behaviour of managers.

Originality/value

– The results contribute to extant literature by investigating two explanatory variables for financial service outreach and provide initial evidence of the mediating effect of intrinsic high risk-taking behaviour of managers. Results add to the conceptual improvement in risk-taking behaviour and lend considerable support for the behavioural perspective in the study of financial service outreach of MFIs.
Natural experiments and debt-driven financial crises: mortgage finance booms in the 1920s and 2000s
Authors: Leathers Charles G. , Raines J. Patrick , Richardson-Bono Heather R.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The role of debt in episodes of financial stability is a topic of increasing important as the global economy struggles to recover from the worst crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mortgage finance booms of the 1920s and 2000s as natural experiments, new insights into debt-driven financial crises are gained.

Design/methodology/approach

– The general methodology is interpreting anomalous historical events as natural experiments. The specific methodology is the approach to natural experiments provided by Joseph A. Schumpeter and Milton Friedman. The hypothesis tested is that laxity in lending standards was the prime contributor to the mortgage debt booms. In each case, we explain why factors other than laxity in lending standards would be secondary factors, with the pre-boom and post-boom lending standards providing the control groups of natural experiments. The two episodes of mortgage debt booms occurring under very different general economic and financial conditions provide an especially strong test of the hypothesized functional relationship.

Findings

– The results of the two natural experiments support the hypothesis that lax lending standards were the prime contributors to the two episodes of debt-driven financial crisis.

Originality/value

– From a social economics perspective, the insights gained are important because a major social goal has been to encourage greater opportunities for home ownership. The results of these natural experiments provide guidance for policymakers in the search for a viable balance between achieving that social goal and maintaining financial stability.
The long run impact of immigration on labor market in an advanced economy
Authors: Islam Faridul , Khan Saleheen
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamic relationship among immigration rate, GDP per capita, and and real wage rates in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper implements the Johansen-Juselius (1990, 1992) cointegration technique to test for a long-run relationship; and for short-run dynamics the authors apply Granger causality tests under the vector error-correction model.

Findings

– The results show that the long-run causality runs from GDP per capita to immigration, not vice versa. Growing economy attracts immigrants. The authors also find that immigration flow depresses average weekly earnings of the natives in the long-run.

Originality/value

– The authors are not aware of any study on the USA addressing the impact of immigrants on labor market using a tripartite approach by explicitly incorporating economic growth. It is therefore important to pursue a theoretically justified empirical model in search of a relation to resolve on apparent immigration debate.
Trade openness and economic growth in the Asian region
Authors: Tahir Muhammad , Khan Imran
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to focus on the Asian developing countries to examine the impact of trade openness on economic growth.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical analysis is carried out with the help of panel econometric techniques and two-stages least squares method.

Findings

– The results show that trade openness has contributed significantly to the growth process of the developing countries located in the Asian region. It is also found that domestic investment has influenced economic growth for the sampled countries. Further, the results show that human capital has adversely affected economic growth despite the fact that different proxy variables are used.

Research limitations/implications

– No positive relationship between education and economic growth could be established despite using different measures of education. However, this issue has been brought to the attention of researchers for further investigation.

Practical implications

– Developing countries located in the Asian region, therefore, are suggested to speed up the process of trade liberalization and also pay favourable attention to other determinants of economic growth to accelerate long-run economic growth.

Originality/value

– The results presented in the paper are original. Some insights about the impact of education on economic growth have been highlighted.
The importance of talent management: a study of Chinese organisations
Authors: Liu Yi , Pearson Cecil A.L.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the importance of talent management (TM) as a fundamental component of management philosophy and practice to auger contemporary competitiveness in Chinese organisations, which have forged transformational synergies with traditional forms of political intervention and capital investment.

Design/methodology/approach

– A pluralist design was used, in which the quantitative and qualitative assessment was adopted with Chinese decision-making executives of corporations operating in the global arena. By using managerial responses, this paper offered a more nuanced and grounded understanding of TM in general.

Findings

– Although the results revealed that the concept of TM gained a significant footprint in the studied organisations, the influence of cultural nuances and organisational structural processes restrict the practice of TM, and, indeed, there is a need to have a Chinese characteristic.

Research limitations/implications

– This research underlies the importance of intensifying critical scrutiny of the relativity of TM, organisational practices and cultural heritage when developing future organisational leaders.

Practical implications

– The instruments for assessing the phenomena of TM and related concepts encourage legitimacy to extend the limited empirical research with more industries across different geographical regions in China.

Originality/value

– This paper addresses an under-researched area of world importance, namely, the critical role of TM, which is to optimise these scant resources in the worthy pursuit of economic and political stability in both the domestic and global contexts.
Promoting appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
Authors: Block Karen , Gibbs Lisa , Macfarlane Susie , Townsend Mardie
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present emergent findings from an evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG) Program showing that the program promoted appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion of culturally diverse groups.

Design/methodology/approach

– The findings reported here are from the qualitative component of a mixed-method, nonrandomized, pre- and post-comparison evaluation study. Focus groups and interviews were held with school principals, teachers, program specialist staff, parents, volunteers and children at the program schools.

Findings

– In a culturally diverse school, the program enhanced the school’s capacity to engage and include children and families from migrant backgrounds. In less diverse settings, the program provided opportunities for schools to teach children about cultural diversity.

Research limitations/implications

– Assessing the program’s impact on multicultural education was not a specific objective of this study, rather these findings emerged as an unanticipated outcome during interviews and focus groups that explored participants’ views on important changes to schools associated with the program. Thus, the quantitative component of the evaluation did not assess the extent of this program impact and further research is recommended.

Practical implications

– The program may have particular value in culturally diverse schools, providing benefits in terms of engagement of children and families and potentially, in the longer term, associated improvements in learning outcomes.

Social implications

– These findings suggest that the program can help to promote social equity and inclusion for culturally diverse groups.

Originality/value

– This paper highlights critical equity implications associated with school-based programs’ capacity to include culturally and linguistically diverse groups.
Debunking the “language gap”
Authors: Johnson Eric J.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to outline the misguided underpinnings of the “word gap” concept promoted by Hart and Risley (1995). This concept posits that a “30 million word gap” between children of poverty and those from affluent households accounts for widespread academic disparities. Based on this premise, there has been a recent surge in educational programs that are based on a deficit view toward the language patterns of families from economically impoverished backgrounds.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is a discussion piece to debunk the “word gap” concept.

Findings

– Describing the language patterns of families in poverty as inferior is linguistically false and culturally insensitive. The aim of this paper is to explain why this is and suggest alternative approaches for supporting students who live in poverty.

Originality/value

– This paper is an original look at the so-called “language gap” and suggests strategies for helping students who might otherwise struggle to reach their potential.
Redefining social marketing: beyond behavioural change
Authors: Saunders Stephen G. , Barrington Dani J. , Sridharan Srinivas
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to present a definition of social marketing that considers the purpose and role of social marketing beyond behaviour change.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reviews present social marketing definitions and then bolsters its underlying theoretical structure with insights distilled from three schools of thought: macromarketing, transformative consumer research and the capability approach.

Findings

– Guided by the three theoretical streams, we introduce our definition, namely: social marketing is the application of marketing principles to enable individual and collective ideas and actions in the pursuit of effective, efficient, equitable, fair and sustained social transformation.

Practical implications

– We present a list of practical implications derived from our definition of social marketing. We stress that our social marketing definition better reflects the need to balance the effects (efficiency and effectiveness) and the process (equity, fairness and sustainability) of social marketing practices. By our definition of social marketing, the marketer becomes a facilitator and participant rather than a behaviour change agent.

Originality/value

– The paper introduces into social marketing three streams of thought that represent the most contemporary aspects of economic, market and consumer philosophy. We believe our definition can better guide social marketing in its quest to transform societies to be capable, free, equitable, fair and sustainable.
A better life is possible: the ultimate purpose of social marketing
Authors: Carvalho Hamilton Coimbra , Mazzon Jose Afonso
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss a broader societal trend toward the full realization of human potential and the points of convergence with social marketing. The ultimate goal of social marketing is to increase social good. The paper defines social good in a new light and makes the connection to well-being clearer, proposing an agenda for social marketers and highlighting the opportunities for a better positioning of social marketing in the marketplace of ideas.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper presents an overview of concepts and evidence on the drivers of human well-being. It also discusses some important questions at a broader societal level, such as the role of money and income on happiness and well-being. It presents the connections between this body of knowledge and social marketing, including a literature review from both fields.

Findings

– Eliminating ill-being no longer seems satisfactory from a societal point of view in the current Zeitgeist. Societies have been searching for ways to alleviate illnesses and to increase the well-being of its citizens. Social marketing, as a powerful social technology for behavior change, must be part of this broader movement, achieving a better positioning in the marketplace of ideas. The paper proposes a six-point agenda to reach these goals.

Research limitations/implications

– The main theoretical implication is a call for social marketers to see the ultimate goal of the discipline (social good) under a new lens. This requires an update in the conceptual frameworks that orient the discipline. Another implication is the need for better upstream conceptual models in social marketing.

Practical implications

– The paper suggest some practical implications, such as the opportunity to expand social marketing to countries that do not use it, the use of well-being drivers as inputs, means and outcomes in social marketing programs, and the role of the discipline in both alleviating poverty and in demarketing efforts.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes by taking an outside perspective and a transdisciplinary approach. The fulfillment of human potential demands the attention to different drivers of human behavior and the search for new social solutions. It also requires a clear understanding of the role of factors like money and social connectedness. This paper approaches these questions with answers grounded on the existing evidence while providing some points for the development of social marketing theory and practice.
Social negative option marketing
Authors: Von Bergen C.W. , Miles Morgan P.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to address one of Spotswood et al.’s (2012) “uncomfortable questions”. The paper applies negative option marketing, the use of defaults as a behavioral engineering tool to shape choice, to social marketing and then uses the Hunt-Vitell (1986, 1993, 2006) Theory of Marketing Ethics to evaluate it against President Kennedy’s (1962) Consumer Bill of Rights and the American Marketing Association’s (2014) statement of marketing ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

– A conceptual assessment of the ethics of negative option social marketing (NOSM) using the Hunt-Vitell (1986, 1993, 2006) Theory of Marketing Ethics as the evaluative framework.

Findings

– When assessed using the Hunt-Vitell (1986, 1993, 2006) Theory of Marketing Ethics, NOSM possesses neither ethically sound means nor socially desirable ends.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the emerging debate on the use of nudges in a social marketing context and is a partial response to Spotswood et al. (2012).
But I AM normal: safe? driving in Vietnam
Authors: Hue Duong Trong , Brennan Linda , Parker Lukas , Florian Michael
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to elucidate perceptions of safe driving and social norms in relation to driving motorbikes in the Vietnamese context.

Design/methodology/approach

– A series of focus groups was undertaken in relation to driving practices from a number of groups: adolescents, families and adult males and females. The discussion centred on how driving behaviours were socialised within the various groups.

Findings

– The research highlighted some very interesting social dynamics in relation to how safe driving habits are established and supported within the social context. In particular, the separation of descriptive and injunctive norms and the role such norms play in socialising driving behaviours, safe or otherwise.

Practical implications

– The implications for social marketing practice are considerable, especially in the Vietnamese context where injunctive norms are difficult to portray, given the dynamics of the media landscape. Social marketing campaigns will need to have a broader consideration of how to establish descriptive norms, bearing in mind the social milieu in which the behaviours occur.

Originality/value

– This research is the first of its kind in the Vietnamese context. While much practice-led innovation is occurring in the region, there is little extant research on the topic of social norms and the socialisation of behaviours within the Southeast Asian region.
Field burning practices in a southern region of Brazil
Authors: Gonçalves Roberto Birch , Dorion Eric Charles Henri , Nodari Cristine Hermann , Lazzari Fernanda , Olea Pelayo Munhoz
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The practice of field burning has been used for many years in the south regions of Brazil as an ideal way to maintain pastures. The purpose of this paper is to understand if such activity is logically explicable or if it is the result of a cultural reality, being “prisoner” of this technique because of path dependence, within the paradigm of the path dependence theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– This present research is exploratory. The use of cases study was the most appropriate technique to explore the field burning practices and their impact in this specific region of Brazil, while describing its context, for which limits are not clearly defined. Thus, this research carries out a multi-case study that provides a greater perception than a single case and has an identical methodological structure.

Findings

– This paper analyzed the reasons why the producers insist with the procedure and identified these reasons are not merely economical. The study demonstrates a clear path dependent process and it became obvious that once the technique is part of the family use history, it anchors a strong conviction that field burning is actually the best technique to be used for land maintenance.

Research limitations/implications

– This work suggests a need for other specific researches to substantially complement field burning practices to other phenomenon.

Practical implications

– The fact that alternative techniques are rejected, giving priority to field burning, it may suggest that other situations and practices may be tied to inadequate or less profitable technologies as well (milk, confined raising, pasturing). The study raises the question on the validity of such practice as a paradigm of reason and pragmatism, or as a “Platoons Cavern” in which they are “trapped” in their decision process developed over time.

Originality/value

– Presence and implications of environmental laws, which tend to be observed by the producers much more because they fear punishment than because they really understand the benefits of its application; showing the government’s failure in teaching and informing the producers about environmental laws.
Urban technology analysis matrix
Authors: Branchi Pablo Emilio , Fernández-Valdivielso Carlos , Matías Ignacio Raúl
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for better analyzing the utility and impact of new technologies on smart cities. The authors have designed a tool that will evaluate new technologies according to a three-pronged scoring system that considers the impact on physical space, environmental issues and city residents. The purpose of this tool is to be used by city planners as part of a strategic approach to the implementation of a smart city initiative in order to reduce unnecessary public spending and ensure the optimal allocation of city resources.

Design/methodology/approach

– The information and communication technologies that manage and transform twenty-first century cities must be reviewed, analyzing their impact on new social behaviors that shape the spaces and means of communication, developing a new methodology and setting the basis for an analysis matrix to score the different and technologies that affect a smart city environment.

Research limitations/implications

– Traditional technological scenarios have been challenged, and smart cities have become the center of urban competitiveness. A lack of clarity has been detected in the way of describing what smart cities are, and the authors try to establish a methodology for urban policy makers to do so. As a dynamic process that affects several aspects, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed solution further.

Practical implications

– After a review of the state-of-the-art, the authors found that there are no existing systems for assessing smart city strategies regarding new, evolving technologies. The methodology attempts to design a simple tool to bring urban developers and policy makers closer to the technology and to have an instrument with which to compare different alternatives before choosing one.

Social implications

– Helped by new technologies, citizens are the ones who have the power to define new urban scenarios. For this reason the methodology the authors propose must have citizens and their needs as the ultimate reference, considering all the social, physical and environmental effects on people before selecting a new technology for urban strategies.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfills an identified need to study how new technologies could affect urban scenarios before being applied, developing an analysis system in the form of a matrix to be used by urban planners and policy makers to decide how best to use them.
The use of the risk assessment in the life cycle assessment framework
Authors: Milazzo Maria Francesca , Spina Francesco
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to quantify the human health impacts of soy-biodiesel production with the aim to discuss about its environmental sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

– The integrated use of two current approaches, risk assessment (RA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), has allowed improvement of the potentialities of both in obtaining a more complete analysis. The implementation of a life cycle indicator for the assessment of the impacts on the human health, integrating the features of both approaches, is the main focus of this paper.

Findings

– It has been found that, although the biodiesel is a green fuel, it has some criticalities in its life cycle, which cannot be disregarded. In fact, even if biodiesel is essentially a clean fuel there are some phases, prior to the industrial phase, that can cause negative effects on human health and ecosystems.

Practical implications

– Results suggest some measures which can be adopted to substantially reduce human health impacts. Further alternative could be analysed in future to gain more insight about the use of biodiesel fuels.

Originality/value

– The estimation of the impacts of a process producing biodiesel has been made by using a novel approach. The novelty is associated with the calculation of the impacts on human health by using the transfer factors applied in RA. The use of such factors, properly modified in order to estimate the impacts on a wider scale than a site-dimension, allows defining a holistic approach, as LCA and RA are used as complete units but at the same time can be related to each other.
Sustainable transportation strategies for decoupling road vehicle transport and carbon dioxide emissions
Authors: Velazquez Luis , Munguia Nora E , Will Markus , Zavala Andrea G , Verdugo Sara Patricia , Delakowitz Bernd , Giannetti Biagio
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify research priorities to guide transportation stakeholders in their practice, education, and research.

Design/methodology/approach

– A literature review of published, conference proceedings, agency reports, books, and web site documents was conducted, aiming at the identification of the diverging strategies and practices undertaken by transportation stakeholders in order to be able to generate initial meaningful insights about a sustainable transportation system.

Findings

– Sustainable transportation systems are in certain way a new paradigm where a business-as-usual approach is not possible. Vehicle makers produce more energy efficient vehicles. Nevertheless, fossil fuel is still the predominant source of energy. Regarding the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, non-motorized transport modes are preferable over motorized transport modes, and public transportation modes preferable to private transportation modes. It is also import to include environmental consideration along the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of the transportation infrastructure. While vehicles powered by alternate fuel such as biofuel, electricity, and/or fuel cell are becoming more popular, shifting to more sustainable transport modes would also require changes on commuter behaviors and individual preferences.

Practical implications

– The paper discusses the efforts that are underway for decoupling transport and CO2 emissions, being useful for transportation stakeholders to implement or improve the effectiveness of their potential or current sustainability transport initiatives through the identification of strategies, opportunities, and barriers.

Originality/value

– Although there is plenty of good information about sustainability and transportation modes in literature, most of the articles analyzed focus on specific factors of the whole transportation system. The originality/value of this paper is found in the holistic perspective, here presented, of the state of the art issues that a sustainable transport system would encompass.
Modelling transition policy to a sustainable regional transport system
Authors: Barisa Aiga , Roša Marika
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address the difficulty of implementing the European Union renewable energy policy in the transport sector. The authors describe a case study illustrating the capacity of the three Baltic States to meet the binding target of 10 per cent renewable energy in the transport sector by 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

– An excel-based mathematical model is developed and applied to evaluate the effect of a selected set of measures according to the sustainable transportation concept.

Findings

– The findings demonstrate that the projected renewable energy targets in the transport sector of the Baltic States cannot be achieved without unwavering political commitment towards the promotion of alternative fuel vehicles. Increasing the share of mandatory biofuel blends has a major effect, however, it is not enough to meet the 10 per cent goal. Other measures such as lower transport demand and mode shift are included but do not offer significant benefits under a realistic scenario.

Practical implications

– The findings are expected to serve as a basis to conduct further studies into sustainable transport development in the Baltic region. Moreover, policy makers may find these results useful in formulating a national position.

Originality/value

– The methodology and the findings reported in this study could be also used for analysing renewable transport policies in other European countries.
Preservation and preemption in Japan’s Shirakami Sanchi World Heritage Area
Authors: Mason Robert J
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine developments in Japan with regard to protected-area management. The focus is on ecological protection, citizen engagement, and the traditional users of the Shirakami Sanchi World Heritage Area.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on an extensive review of literature, interviews with key actors, and field observations.

Findings

– This study of Shirakami Sanchi World Heritage Area, an area of ancient beech forest in northern Japan whose ecological integrity was threatened by construction of a forest road in the 1980s, points to a successful case of ecological preservation and an expanded governmental commitment to citizen engagement in protected-area planning, accompanied by a marginalization of the small number of remaining traditional users of the forest’s resources.

Research limitations/implications

– This study points to the challenges inherent in balancing civic engagement, ecological protection, cultural heritage, and administrative expediency in protected-areas management. The findings are directed toward researchers engaged with issues surrounding management of parks and protected areas.

Practical implications

– Park and protected-areas managers can learn from this experience about balancing ecosystem protection, civic engagement, inclusion of traditional users, and administrative optimization in planning and management of protected areas.

Originality/value

– The field elements of the study are original contributions. The paper will be of value to scholars and practitioners involved with protected-area management.
Geogenic contamination of groundwater in shallow aquifers in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria
Authors: Amanambu Amobichukwu Chukwudi , Egbinola Christiana Ndidi
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the presence of geogenic contaminants in groundwater from shallow aquifers of the crystalline basement complex rocks of Ibadan south-western, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 30 drinking water samples, (six samples each from the five major lithologic formations of the study area) were collected from hand dug wells during the rainy season. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to determine concentrations of arsenic, iron and fluoride in drinking water samples and also concentrations of other chemical parameters that could affect the concentrations of the geogenic contaminants including pH, Ca, Mg, Na and SO42−. Descriptive statistics, multiple correlation and analysis of variance were used to examine the relationship between the geogenic contaminants and concentration of other chemical parameters while inverse distance weighting was used to produce risk maps.

Findings

– The results showed Arsenic concentration exceeding the WHO recommended concentration for drinking water in all the samples within the area. Samples from 16.6 per cent of the wells exceeded the recommended limit for fluoride while iron was present in most of the samples within acceptable limits. The study also revealed no significant difference in concentration of contaminants between the geologic formations.

Originality/value

– Geogenic contamination has been scarcely studied in Nigeria. This research, therefore, is a paradigm shift in the study of groundwater contamination which had been mainly focused on anthropogenic contaminants. The outcome of this research will engender policy makers and researchers to pay more attention to geogenic contamination than anthropogenic contaminants in Nigeria.
The SERVICE Framework: A Public‐service‐dominant Approach to Sustainable Public Services
Authors: Osborne Stephen P. , Radnor Zoe , Kinder Tony , Vidal Isabel
Published: March 2015

In this paper we argue that the new public management has been a flawed paradigm for public services delivery that has produced very internally efficient but externally ineffective public service organizations. Subsequently we develop the SERVICE framework for sustainable public services and public service organizations. This framework is rooted within the public‐service‐dominant business logic and emphasizes the need for a focus on external value creation rather than internal efficiency alone.
Foraging activity and population estimation of Microtermes mycophagus Desneux (Isoptera: Termitidae: Macrotermitinae) in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Iqbal Naeem , Saeed Shafqat , Evans Theodore A. , Kwon Yong Jung
Published: March 2015

The knowledge of the seasonal foraging activity and the numbers of foragers in a colony would be helpful for designing effective termite baiting programs. The current study presents the seasonal activity of Microtermes mycophagus Desneux in a tree plantation in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, using silk cotton tree wood traps during 2011–2013. The population of M. mycophagus was also estimated using the constant removal method. The number of workers in the underground traps showed a seasonal trend with the highest capture rate occurring during summer and the lowest during winter. The peak in the population (1139 workers/trap) was observed in October after the rainy season. Positive and significant correlation was found between the mean air temperature and the numbers of M. mycophagus workers captured. The constant removal population estimates revealed 16 499–40 265 individuals in the colony of M. mycophagus. Our results suggest that for cost–effective management of the termite species, baiting programs should be started immediately after August when rapid increases in activity of M. mycophagus have been recorded.
Effects of gamma radiation on different developmental stages of the oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Park Jeong Sun , Lee Joo Young , Jeong Su Yeon , Ahn Seung‐Joon , Kim Iksoo
Published: March 2015

Ionizing radiation is increasingly used as an alternative to post‐harvest crop fumigation by methyl bromide. We studied the effects of gamma irradiation on Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) at different stages of development to determine the minimal dose for the prevention of normal emergence of adults. We selected five doses of gamma rays (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Gy) based on preliminary experiments and irradiated eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. A dose of 100 Gy to eggs allowed 21.83% of larvae to pupate, but these all died during the pupal stage. A dose of 100 Gy to last‐instar larvae caused larval or pupal death, or the emergence of abnormal adults; no normal adults developed. Irradiation of pupae with doses of 300 Gy and above resulted either in their death or emergence of abnormal adults; however, after 100 or 200 Gy, normal adults emerged and F1 eggs were produced, but no eggs hatched. Following irradiation of adults, eggs were produced at all doses, although the numbers were significantly decreased compared to untreated controls (P < 0.05; 69.45–125.50 vs. 475.05 eggs per female); however, none of the eggs hatched. As prevention of normal emergence is a key outcome for measuring the effectiveness of radiation, then the 100 Gy dose was effective for irradiation of eggs and larvae, and 300 Gy for pupae.