bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disordered animal multilayer reflectors and the localization of light
Authors: Jordan T. M. , Partridge J. C. , Roberts N. W.
Published: October 2014

Multilayer optical reflectors constructed from ‘stacks’ of alternating layers of high and low refractive index dielectric materials are present in many animals. For example, stacks of guanine crystals with cytoplasm gaps occur within the skin and scales of fish, and stacks of protein platelets with cytoplasm gaps occur within the iridophores of cephalopods. Common to all these animal multilayer reflectors are different degrees of random variation in the thicknesses of the individual layers in the stack, ranging from highly periodic structures to strongly disordered systems. However, previous discussions of the optical effects of such thickness disorder have been made without quantitative reference to the propagation of light within the reflector. Here, we demonstrate that Anderson localization provides a general theoretical framework to explain the common coherent interference and optical properties of these biological reflectors. Firstly, we illustrate how the localization length enables the spectral properties of the reflections from more weakly disordered ‘coloured’ and more strongly disordered ‘silvery’ reflectors to be explained by the same physical process. Secondly, we show how the polarization properties of reflection can be controlled within guanine–cytoplasm reflectors, with an interplay of birefringence and thickness disorder explaining the origin of broadband polarization-insensitive reflectivity.
An intermittent control model of flexible human gait using a stable manifold of saddle-type unstable limit cycle dynamics
Authors: Fu Chunjiang , Suzuki Yasuyuki , Kiyono Ken , Morasso Pietro , Nomura Taishin
Published: October 2014

Stability of human gait is the ability to maintain upright posture during walking against external perturbations. It is a complex process determined by a number of cross-related factors, including gait trajectory, joint impedance and neural control strategies. Here, we consider a control strategy that can achieve stable steady-state periodic gait while maintaining joint flexibility with the lowest possible joint impedance. To this end, we carried out a simulation study of a heel-toe footed biped model with hip, knee and ankle joints and a heavy head-arms-trunk element, working in the sagittal plane. For simplicity, the model assumes a periodic desired joint angle trajectory and joint torques generated by a set of feed-forward and proportional-derivative feedback controllers, whereby the joint impedance is parametrized by the feedback gains. We could show that a desired steady-state gait accompanied by the desired joint angle trajectory can be established as a stable limit cycle (LC) for the feedback controller with an appropriate set of large feedback gains. Moreover, as the feedback gains are decreased for lowering the joint stiffness, stability of the LC is lost only in a few dimensions, while leaving the remaining large number of dimensions quite stable: this means that the LC becomes saddle-type, with a low-dimensional unstable manifold and a high-dimensional stable manifold. Remarkably, the unstable manifold remains of low dimensionality even when the feedback gains are decreased far below the instability point. We then developed an intermittent neural feedback controller that is activated only for short periods of time at an optimal phase of each gait stride. We characterized the robustness of this design by showing that it can better stabilize the unstable LC with small feedback gains, leading to a flexible gait, and in particular we demonstrated that such an intermittent controller performs better if it drives the state point to the stable manifold, rather than directly to the LC. The proposed intermittent control strategy might have a high affinity for the inverted pendulum analogy of biped gait, providing a dynamic view of how the step-to-step transition from one pendular stance to the next can be achieved stably in a robust manner by a well-timed neural intervention that exploits the stable modes embedded in the unstable dynamics.
Microcapsules functionalized with neuraminidase can enter vascular endothelial cells
in vitro
Authors: Liu Weizhi , Wang Xiaocong , Bai Ke , Lin Miao , Sukhorukov Gleb , Wang Wen
Published: October 2014

Microcapsules made of polyelectrolyte multilayers exhibit no or low toxicity, appropriate mechanical stability, variable controllable degradation and can incorporate remote release mechanisms triggered by various stimuli, making them well suited for targeted drug delivery to live cells. This study investigates interactions between microcapsules made of synthetic (i.e. polystyrenesulfonate sodium salt/polyallylamine hydrochloride) or natural (i.e. dextran sulfate/poly-
l
-arginine) polyelectrolyte and human umbilical vein endothelial cells with particular focus on the effect of the glycocalyx layer on the intake of microcapsules by endothelial cells. Neuraminidase cleaves
N
-acetyl neuraminic acid residues of glycoproteins and targets the sialic acid component of the glycocalyx on the cell membrane. Three-dimensional confocal images reveal that microcapsules, functionalized with neuraminidase, can be internalized by endothelial cells. Capsules without neuraminidase are blocked by the glycocalyx layer. Uptake of the microcapsules is most significant in the first 2 h. Following their internalization by endothelial cells, biodegradable DS/PArg capsules rupture by day 5; however, there is no obvious change in the shape and integrity of PSS/PAH capsules within the period of observation. Results from the study support our hypothesis that the glycocalyx functions as an endothelial barrier to cross-membrane movement of microcapsules. Neuraminidase-loaded microcapsules can enter endothelial cells by localized cleavage of glycocalyx components with minimum disruption of the glycocalyx layer and therefore have high potential to act as drug delivery vehicles to reach tissues beyond the endothelial barrier of blood vessels.
Dynamics of a planar vortex filament under the quantum local induction approximation
Authors: Van Gorder Robert A.
Published: October 2014

The Hasimoto planar vortex filament is one of the rare exact solutions to the classical local induction approximation (LIA). This solution persists in the absence of friction or other disturbances, and it maintains its form over time. As such, the dynamics of such a filament have not been extended to more complicated physical situations. We consider the planar vortex filament under the quantum LIA, which accounts for mutual friction and the velocity of a normal fluid impinging on the filament. We show that, for most interesting situations, a filament which is planar in the absence of mutual friction at zero temperature will gradually deform owing to friction effects and the normal fluid flow corresponding to warmer temperatures. The influence of friction is to induce torsion, so the filaments bend as they rotate. Furthermore, the flow of a normal fluid along the vortex filament length will result in a growth in space of the initial planar perturbations of a line filament. For warmer temperatures, these effects increase in magnitude, since the growth in space scales with the mutual friction coefficient. A number of nice qualitative results are analytical in nature, and these results are verified numerically for physically interesting cases.
Wave energy devices with compressible volumes
Authors: Kurniawan Adi , Greaves Deborah , Chaplin John
Published: October 2014

We present an analysis of wave energy devices with air-filled compressible submerged volumes, where variability of volume is achieved by means of a horizontal surface free to move up and down relative to the body. An analysis of bodies without power take-off (PTO) systems is first presented to demonstrate the positive effects a compressible volume could have on the body response. Subsequently, two compressible device variations are analysed. In the first variation, the compressible volume is connected to a fixed volume via an air turbine for PTO. In the second variation, a water column separates the compressible volume from another volume, which is fitted with an air turbine open to the atmosphere. Both floating and bottom-fixed, axisymmetric, configurations are considered, and linear analysis is employed throughout. Advantages and disadvantages of each device are examined in detail. Some configurations with displaced volumes less than 2000 m
3
and with constant turbine coefficients are shown to be capable of achieving 80% of the theoretical maximum absorbed power over a wave period range of about 4 s.
The ‘
I
3
’ generalization of the Galileo–Rankine tension criterion
Authors: Lagioia R. , Panteghini A. , Puzrin A. M.
Published: October 2014

The paper presents a new tension failure criterion which generalizes the so-called Galileo–Rankine formulation. The criterion can be used as a component of the so-called
perfectly no-tension
model for masonry and cements as well as for establishing a tension cut-off in complex constitutive models for soils, granular materials and powders. The criterion is described by means of a very concise equation based on the third invariant of the stress tensor, approximating the boundaries of the compressive octant of the principal stress space. This sheds new light on the physical significance of the third invariant of the stress tensor. The new criterion has been validated against two known analytical solutions for
no-tension
materials and also effectively applied for solving two geotechnical and structural engineering problems. The proposed formulation allows for an efficient implementation in finite-element programmes, removing some of the numerical difficulties associated with the Galileo–Rankine criterion.
Host group formation decreases exposure to vector-borne disease: a field experiment in a ‘hotspot’ of West Nile virus transmission
Authors: Krebs Bethany L. , Anderson Tavis K. , Goldberg Tony L. , Hamer Gabriel L. , Kitron Uriel D. , Newman Christina M. , Ruiz Marilyn O. , Walker Edward D. , Brawn Jeffrey D.
Published: October 2014

Animals can decrease their individual risk of predation by forming groups. The encounter-dilution hypothesis extends the potential benefits of gregariousness to biting insects and vector-borne disease by predicting that theper capitanumber of insect bites should decrease within larger host groups. Although vector-borne diseases are common and can exert strong selective pressures on hosts, there have been few tests of the encounter-dilution effect in natural systems. We conducted an experimental test of the encounter-dilution hypothesis using the American robin (Turdus migratorius), a common host species for the West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne pathogen. By using sentinel hosts (house sparrows,Passer domesticus) caged in naturally occurring communal roosts in the suburbs of Chicago, we assessed sentinel host risk of WNV exposure inside and outside of roosts. We also estimatedper capitahost exposure to infected vectors inside roosts and outside of roosts. Sentinel birds caged inside roosts seroconverted to WNV more slowly than those outside of roosts, suggesting that social groups decreaseper capitaexposure to infected mosquitoes. These results therefore support the encounter-dilution hypothesis in a vector-borne disease system. Our results suggest that disease-related selective pressures on sociality may depend on the mode of disease transmission.
Sexual selection and the evolutionary dynamics of the major histocompatibility complex
Authors: Jan Ejsmond Maciej , Radwan Jacek , Wilson Anthony B.
Published: October 2014

The genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are a key component of the adaptive immune system and among the most variable loci in the vertebrate genome. Pathogen-mediated natural selection and MHC-based disassortative mating are both thought to structure MHC polymorphism, but their effects have proven difficult to discriminate in natural systems. Using the first model of MHC dynamics incorporating both survival and reproduction, we demonstrate that natural and sexual selection produce distinctive signatures of MHC allelic diversity with critical implications for understanding host–pathogen dynamics. While natural selection produces the Red Queen dynamics characteristic of host–parasite interactions, disassortative mating stabilizes allele frequencies, damping major fluctuations in dominant alleles and protecting functional variants against drift. This subtle difference generates a complex interaction between MHC allelic diversity and population size. In small populations, the stabilizing effects of sexual selection moderate the effects of drift, whereas pathogen-mediated selection accelerates the loss of functionally important genetic diversity. Natural selection enhances MHC allelic variation in larger populations, with the highest levels of diversity generated by the combined action of pathogen-mediated selection and disassortative mating. MHC-based sexual selection may help to explain how functionally important genetic variation can be maintained in populations of conservation concern.
What motivates consumers to buy traditional food products? Evidence from Croatia and Austria using word association and laddering interviews
Authors: Cerjak Marija , Haas Rainer , Brunner Florian , Tomić Marina
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between consumer motives regarding purchase of traditional food in two European countries (Croatia and Austria) with a different history and development in regards to traditional and/or regional food.

Design/methodology/approach

– A word association test and soft laddering interviews were used to elicit consumers’ perception and purchasing motives for traditional food. Additionally, the questionnaire contained socio-demographics and questions about shopping habits concerning traditional food. Semi-structured, individual, face-to-face interviews were performed with 31 Croatian and 28 Austrian respondents.

Findings

– The most frequent associations/definition in both countries refers to heritage (food of generations) and elaboration (traditional receipt). The meaning of traditional food is for both samples positive. Hierarchical value maps for both countries contain ladders standing for health or support of local farmers. Additionally, the Austrians connect traditional food with environmental friendly production while for the Croatians sentimental hedonism ladder starts with perception of traditional food as a mean to connect with the childhood.

Practical implications

– The findings can be used by traditional food producers in order to better understand consumers’ motives and accordingly adapt their marketing strategies.

Originality/value

– This is the first work which uses free association test and laddering interviews to reveal consumers perception and motives for purchase of traditional food both in Croatia as well as in Austria.
Comparative multi criteria analysis and dependent optimisation through integrated supply chain
Authors: Sharma Sanjay , Sisodia Akshat
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to compare various inventory policies and their effect on various performance metrics at different levels of a multi stage supply chain. Later the model is integrated to include optimization of entire supply chain through implementation of collaborative supply chain model.

Design/methodology/approach

– Alternative inventory policies have been developed at different echelons and a comparison reflecting the usability on various factors such as inventory level, inventory cost and service level is presented so as to support the decision-making process. Various inventory policies such as economic order quantity, periodic ordering (T, M) and stock to demand have been considered. Along with the basic assumptions; lead time, demand variability, variability in demand during lead time, stock out costs have also been included to make the model more applicable to practical situations.

Findings

– After the selection of most appropriate inventory policy at each level through a decision matrix, the total cost of operating such a supply chain is calculated along with other parameters such as service level and inventory turns. The approach is of aggregating the optimized value at each echelon referred to as aggregated supply chain in the paper. Then the concept of integrated supply chain is introduced which optimizes the supply chain as a whole, rather than aggregating local optima. The comparison is made between the two approaches that prove the integrated supply chain's superiority. Furthermore, dependent optimization is run as it is not practically possible for each echelon to optimize at the same time.

Originality/value

– Each echelon is allowed to optimize at a time and other echelons assume corresponding values. This final comparative multi criterion analysis is based on the three factors, i.e. inventory cost, customer service level and inventory turnover with different weights assigned to each factor at different levels of a supply chain. Finally a consolidation of results is made to reflect the overall preference which proves that an integrated supply chain best serves all the parameters combined together.
Supervisor conflict management, justice, and strain: multilevel relationships
Authors: A. Way Kirsten , L. Jimmieson Nerina , Bordia Prashant
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test a multilevel model of the main and mediating effects of supervisor conflict management style (SCMS) climate and procedural justice (PJ) climate on employee strain. It is hypothesized that workgroup-level climate induced by SCMS can fall into four types: collaborative climate, yielding climate, forcing climate, or avoiding climate; that these group-level perceptions will have differential effects on employee strain, and will be mediated by PJ climate.

Design/methodology/approach

– Multilevel SEM was used to analyze data from 420 employees nested in 61 workgroups.

Findings

– Workgroups that perceived high supervisor collaborating climate reported lower sleep disturbance, job dissatisfaction, and action-taking cognitions. Workgroups that perceived high supervisor yielding climate and high supervisor forcing climate reported higher anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, job dissatisfaction, and action-taking cognitions. Results supported a PJ climate mediation model when supervisors’ behavior was reported to be collaborative and yielding.

Research limitations/implications

– The cross-sectional research design places limitations on conclusions about causality; thus, longitudinal studies are recommended.

Practical implications

– Supervisor behavior in response to conflict may have far-reaching effects beyond those who are a party to the conflict. The more visible use of supervisor collaborative CMS may be beneficial.

Social implications

– The economic costs associated with workplace conflict may be reduced through the application of these findings.

Originality/value

– By applying multilevel theory and analysis, we extend workplace conflict theory.
Linking pre-meeting communication to meeting effectiveness
Authors: A. Allen Joseph , Lehmann-Willenbrock Nale , Landowski Nicole
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of communication that occurs just before workplace meetings (i.e. pre-meeting talk). The paper explores how four specific types of pre-meeting talk (small talk, work talk, meeting preparatory talk, and shop talk) impact participants’ experiences of meeting effectiveness. Moreover, the authors investigate the role of participants’ personality in the link between pre-meeting talk and perceived meeting effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were obtained using an online survey of working adults (n=252). Because pre-meeting talk has not been studied previously, a new survey measure of meeting talk was developed.

Findings

– Pre-meeting small talk was a significant predictor of meeting effectiveness, even while considering good meeting procedures. Extraversion was identified as a moderator in this context, such that the relationship between pre-meeting talk and perceived meeting effectiveness was stronger for less extraverted participants.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings provide the first empirical support for the ripple effect, in terms of meetings producing pre-meeting talk, and suggest that pre-meeting talk meaningfully impact employees’ meeting experiences and perceptions of meeting effectiveness. To address limitations inherent in the cross-section correlational design of the study, future research should experimentally test whether pre-meeting talk actually causes changes in meeting processes and outcomes.

Practical implications

– Managers should encourage their employees to arrive in time to participate in pre-meeting talk. Side conversations before a scheduled meeting starts can have beneficial effects for meeting outcomes and should be fostered.

Originality/value

– There is very limited research on the role of pre-meeting talk. The authors identify that small talk is a predictor of meeting effectiveness even after considering previously studied good meeting procedures.
How interpersonal leadership relates to employee engagement
Authors: Hansen Anne , Byrne Zinta , Kiersch Christa
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational identification as an underlying mechanism for how perceptions of interpersonal leadership are related to employee engagement, and its relationship with commitment and job tension.

Design/methodology/approach

– A sample of 451 full-time employees at an international firm completed a web-based survey.

Findings

– Organizational identification mediated the relationship between perceived interpersonal leadership and engagement, which mediated the relationship between perceived interpersonal leadership and commitment. Engagement mediated the relationship between identification and job tension.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations include cross-sectional data. Strengths include a large field sample. Implication is that leaders who encourage employees’ identification with the organization may also encourage their engagement.

Practical implications

– Interpersonal leadership characteristics can be developed, and are positively related to employees’ identification, commitment, and engagement, which are negatively related to job tension.

Social implications

– Interpersonal leaders are positively associated with employees’ engagement; high engagement has been related to positive employee health and well-being. A healthy workforce translates into a healthy society.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the few to examine the underlying mechanisms through which leadership relates to engagement.
The linkage between status-leveling symbols and work attitudes
Authors: Zhang Lu , Morand David
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between status-leveling symbols (i.e. the symbols used by organizations to remove, blur, or downplay hierarchical distinctions) and employees’ work attitudes, as mediated through perceptions of trust, justice, and leader-member exchange. The study intends to provide some empirical support relative to the role of symbolic-leveling symbols as a social influence process in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, the authors developed a measure of organizational status leveling by focussing on three symbols – physical space, dress, and forms of address. Data were collected from 147 employees who were enrolled in a part-time MBA program. The paper used path analysis to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– Results fully supported the theoretical model except the mediating role of justice perceptions in the relationship between status-leveling symbols and affective commitment.

Practical implications

– The results of the study provide guidance for design of physical workspaces and setting or reinforcing norms regarding forms of address and dress codes. Such practices need to be integrated with other high-involvement HR practices so as to create and sustain the culture desired by the organization.

Originality/value

– The paper is the first to measure status-leveling symbols in organizations, and the first to investigate the linkages between symbolic-leveling symbols and relevant work-related outcomes.
Different actors’ roles in small companies service innovation
Authors: Gottfridsson Patrik
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of the study is to create an initial understanding of how various internal and external actors contribute to the development of new services based on the research question considering “which different actor takes part in small companies’ service development processes in order giving access to the resources needed and what roles do they play?”

Design/methodology/approach

– Due to the lack of previous studies within the area, the focus in this study has been to use a qualitative method to reach a deeper insight about how small companies’ service development could be described, as seen from an actor’s perspective.

Findings

– Based on the empirical analysis, the study identifies seven main categories of actors who were involved in the service-development process that contributes with different types of resources and their role varies during the development process. The actors and their roles are presented in a model giving initial understanding how various internal and external actors contribute to the development of new services.

Research limitations/implications

– Using a qualitative approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Instead, the findings should be seen as an initial starting point for further studies.

Practical implications

– The paper’s highlight a number of actor roles that need to be handled to create possibilities for small companies’ service development.

Originality/value

– The paper fills a research gap in the service innovation research. Traditionally, this research has been focused on larger companies, with a focus on what happens inside the companies.
The differentiated effects of CSR actions in the service industry
Authors: B. Casado-Díaz Ana , L. Nicolau-Gonzálbez Juan , Ruiz-Moreno Felipe , Sellers-Rubio Ricardo
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to attempt to explain why the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives may be different and/or more important in service firms compared to manufacturing firms. CSR is becoming a common strategy, hence its extensive research. Central to it is the analysis of the effect of CSR on a firm’s performance, whose outcome depends on firm-specific and industry-related factors.

Design/methodology/approach

– The event study methodology is applied to all the 248 companies that have ever traded on the Spanish Stock Market between 1990 and 2007. A regression analysis examines potential different effects of CSR on service and goods firms.

Findings

– The results show that CSR activities have a positive impact on firm performance that is higher for service firms than for manufacturing firms. Actions related to the environment, responsible labor relationships and good corporate governance are especially important in the service context.

Research limitations/implications

– This research is focused on shareholders’ performance, but it does not consider other stakeholders, such as real consumer behavior or employees’ commitment and productivity.

Practical implications

– Service firms are likely to gain from focusing on some CSR activities (environment, employees and good corporate governance) and should use their responsible behavior as a valuable tool for public relations and differentiation in the market.

Originality/value

– This article is the first attempt to empirically test and explain why the relationship between CSR and firm performance may be different (more positive) for service vs manufacturing firms.
PPP for public infrastructure in Italy: opportunity and challenges
Authors: Carbonara Nunzia , Pellegrino Roberta
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in Italy in order to highlight challenges and opportunities for a more effective adoption of PPP in Italy. In particular we analyze three key aspects that affect the PPP adoption and implementation, namely the institutional, organizational, and financial ones, and their changes over time.

Design/methodology/approach

– To reach the aim, we have conducted an empirical research, gathering qualitative and quantitative relevant information, to characterize three key dimensions affecting the PPP adoption and its effective implementation, namely the institutional, organizational, and financial dimension.

Findings

– The analysis of PPP in Italy reveals that, although it is a relatively recent practice, its use is widely spread in delivering public infrastructures. Nevertheless, there are still some shortcomings, related to administrative, financial, and legal issues, that make the application and use of PPP, although considerable in size, less effective and efficient in Italy than in some other countries. In order to overcome these limitations, different interventions are required in order to strength the practices and advance the body of knowledge.

Practical implications

– The study formulates useful recommendations for an effective implementation of PPP based on the analysis of the main constraints for the PPP's development in Italy.

Originality/value

– The study overcomes the gap of the existing literature on the Italian PPP that have analyzed the phenomenon under two different approaches. Some researchers have investigated the key aspects characterizing PPPs, by adopting a mono-dimensional perspective. Other studies have analyzed the extent of adoption and diffusion of PPP in Italy, by presenting data on PPP projects by sector and/or by types. This paper contributes to fill this gap by providing both a comprehensive analysis of PPP, based on three key dimensions characterizing the PPP adoption and implementation, as well as by presenting an updated picture of the PPP in Italy.
PPPs as strategic alliances: from technocratic to multidimensional risk governance
Authors: d'Alessandro Laura , Bailey Stephen J. , Giorgino Marco
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are characterised by contracts which are necessarily incomplete due to the complexity of their contractual specifications for the contracted services combined with the long-term legal obligations they create. This creates high transaction costs including sharing (and so bearing) risks. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between risk sharing and governance, providing a new perspective for analysis with less emphasis on transaction costs and more on PPPs as strategic alliances.

Design/methodology/approach

– Three main issues are analysed. First, the definition of PPP in terms of both the type of arrangements and the actors involved, structures varying from one country to another and between contracts. Second, the definition of strategic alliance, identifying which form(s) of PPP is a strategic partnership. Third, reconsideration of incomplete contract theory to identify the circumstances where a strategic alliance can accommodate high transaction costs.

Findings

– The paper concludes that establishing PPPs as strategic alliances could rectify problems of incomplete contracts by implementing a multidimensional (rather than technocratic) approach to risk governance.

Originality/value

– The contribution to knowledge provided by this study is rooted in the conceptualization of PPPs as strategic alliances by distinguishing the tangible characteristics of strategic alliance related to the letter of the contract from the intangible characteristics related to the spirit of the contract with the main purpose being to create both public and private value.
Theory of value co-creation: a systematic literature review
Authors: Galvagno Marco , Dalli Daniele
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to summarize and classify extant research and to better understand the past, present, and future state of the theory of value co-creation. Its main objectives are: to identify the different theoretical perspectives and research streams that characterize and define the co-creation literature, and to highlight the connections between them; to look for emerging trends and gaps in the literature by comparing the most recent papers with those representing the field's core.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper relies on bibliometric data: co-citation techniques were employed to select, analyze, and interpret citation patterns within the co-creation literature.

Findings

– The paper identified two main clusters, as well as specific research streams and common themes, representing scholarly journals’ publications on co-creation over the past years. These research streams and themes apply three different theoretical perspectives: service science, innovation and technology management, and marketing and consumer research. Data from the most recent publications has been used to verify if and how the original streams and themes are reflected in the contemporary debate.

Research limitations/implications

– Inevitably, the findings of the analysis have limitations related to the research design, the databases, and the applied bibliometric methods.

Practical implications

– From a practical perspective, the research impacts on theory building, management decision making, and teaching.

Originality/value

– This study depicts the remarkable development of the literature on co-creation and shows the latent structure underlying its different research streams. To the best knowledge, this study is the first to determine co-citation frequencies from both the SSCI and Scopus databases.
Being me whilst learning Danish. A story of narrative identity work during the process of learning a foreign language
Authors: Winkler Ingo
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Telling the story of the author’s attempts acquiring the Danish language over the past three and a half years, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how identity work is narratively accomplished within organisational contexts. It aims at developing an in-depth understanding of the process of identity work.

Design/methodology/approach

– The autoethnographic study illuminates narratives of subjectivity that inform notions of identity during the author’s journey of learning Danish and how this enterprise is embedded in the workplace surroundings.

Findings

– The autoethnography carves out seven distinct, yet, inter-related narratives of subjectivity constituting the notion of who I am and what I should do within the process of learning Danish as a foreign language.

Originality/value

– Instead of only describing different self-notions within identity work, the process view adopted in this research enables understanding of the various tensions, struggles and contradictions inherent in identity work. Examining the process of identity work sheds light on the multiplicity of self-notions emerging and re-emerging over time, co-existing, replacing each other, intertwining, struggling for dominance, and through this constituting the precarious and ongoing sense of identity.
Does more detailed information mean better performance? An experiment in information explicitness
Authors: Shang Zilu , Brooks Chris , McCloy Rachel
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Investors are now able to analyse more noise-free news to inform their trading decisions than ever before. Their expectation that more information means better performance is not supported by previous psychological experiments which argue that too much information actually impairs performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the degree of information explicitness improves stock market performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– An experiment is conducted in a computer laboratory to examine a trading simulation manipulated from a real market-shock. Participants’ performance efficiency and effectiveness are measured separately.

Findings

– The results indicate that the explicitness of information neither improves nor impairs participants’ performance effectiveness from the perspectives of returns, share and cash positions, and trading volumes. However, participants’ performance efficiency is significantly affected by information explicitness.

Originality/value

– The novel approach and findings of this research add to the knowledge of the impact of information explicitness on the quality of decision making in a financial market environment.
Part‐Peasants: Incomplete Rural–Urban Labour Migration in China
Authors: Cai Yinyin , Ng Yew‐Kwang
Published: October 2014

The institutional settings in China, including the land allocation system and the household registration system, lead to a rural–urban labour migration pattern that differs from that in other countries. Individual peasants' labour is often split (typically over different times of the year) into two or more parts as a result of institutional factors. Individuals work both as peasants on the land and as temporary migrant workers in urban areas (or in rural non‐agricultural sectors). We examine this issue using province‐level panel data. The present study provides a new interpretation of the phenomenon of labour shortages in coastal cities and rising rural migrant wages in China in recent years, and discusses whether the Lewisian turning point has been reached. Under part migration, the rural labour supply to urban areas is smaller than would be the case with full migration of workers to urban areas, so that the Lewisian turning point occurs earlier. This finding has important policy implications for China's future development.
Assimilation of Hong Kong Immigrants in Canada
Authors: Chan Jackie M. L.
Published: October 2014

A flood of emigration from Hong Kong to Canada was observed prior to the handover from Britain back to China in 1997. I pool Canadian Census data from 1991 to 2006 to study the labour market assimilation of Hong Kong immigrants. The findings suggest that these immigrants faced a significant negative wage gap upon entry in comparison with Canadian‐born individuals, and this was larger for cohorts arriving closer to 1997, suggesting a decline in cohort quality. The results also indicate that earnings convergence with the Canadian‐born was slow for the majority of these immigrants.
The context of employment discrimination: interpreting the findings of a field experiment
Authors: Midtbøen Arnfinn H.
Published: October 2014

Although field experiments have documented the contemporary relevance of discrimination in employment, theories developed to explain the dynamics of differential treatment cannot account for differences across organizational and institutional contexts. In this article, I address this shortcoming by presenting the main empirical findings from a multi‐method research project, in which a field experiment of ethnic discrimination in the Norwegian labour market was complemented with forty‐two in‐depth interviews with employers who were observed in the first stage of the study. While the experimental data support earlier findings in documenting that ethnic discrimination indeed takes place, the qualitative material suggests that theorizing in the field experiment literature have been too concerned with individual and intra‐psychic explanations. Discriminatory outcomes in employment processes seems to be more dependent on contextual factors such as the number of applications received, whether requirements are specified, and the degree to which recruitment procedures are formalized. I argue that different contexts of employment provide different opportunity structures for discrimination, a finding with important theoretical and methodological implications.
Ecosystem risk assessment for Cumberland Plain Woodland, New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Tozer Mark G. , Leishman Michelle R. , Auld Tony D.
Published: October 2014

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has proposed a standard global assessment protocol for the evaluation of conservation risks to ecosystems. The assessment criteria mirror the IUCN protocol for the assessment of species, however there are relatively few case studies available to demonstrate their utility across a broad range of ecosystems. We applied the IUCN protocol to assess the conservation status of the Cumberland Plain Woodland (CPW) located in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The ecosystem has been the focus of extensive survey and research and has been determined to be critically endangered under NSW and Australian Government legislation, primarily as a consequence of its history of extensive clearing. The outcome of the risk assessment for CPW using the IUCN protocol was identical to those under the NSW and Australian legislation. Data for risk assessment fell into two categories, each with different limitations. Phytosocialogical data and distribution models provided a strong basis for quantifying past and future changes in the distribution of CPW, but offered only indirect measures of functional symptoms of decline. Conversely, local case studies documenting declines in ecosystem function due to weed invasion, soil disturbance and alteration of fire regimes could not easily be extrapolated in order to evaluate the assessment criteria. The critically endangered rating was based solely on the historic reduction in geographic distribution (92–94%), however clearing poses an ongoing threat to the ecosystem. The contemporary clearing rate of CPW is approximately half the historical average but there is evidence that the rate will double in the next decade as a consequence of ongoing urbanisation and Government policy of biodiversity offsets. A systematic approach to documenting the extent of environmental degradation and disruption to biotic processes would assist the assessment of CPW and other ecosystems against the IUCN criteria.
Immunological significance of the accumulation of autophagy components in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Sakakura Koichi , Takahashi Hideyuki , Kaira Kyoichi , Toyoda Minoru , Oyama Tetsunari , Chikamatsu Kazuaki
Published: October 2014

The immunological significance of autophagy in the tumor microenvironment remains unclear. To explore the relationship between autophagy and anti‐tumor immune responses, we investigated the expression of autophagy‐related proteins and infiltration of immune cells using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The expression of three representative autophagy components, LC3, Beclin‐1 and p62/SQSTM1, as well as the number of dendritic cells (DC), T cells and NK cells were examined by IHC in 74 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The relationship between the expression of autophagy‐associated molecules and various clinicopathological parameters was also evaluated. The expression of both LC3 and p62/SQSTM1 in the peripheral site significantly correlated with an increase in the infiltration of T cells. Furthermore, the expression of p62/SQSTM1 and Beclin‐1 correlated with that of HLA class I and class II in tumor cells, respectively. In addition, several unfavorable clinicopathological parameters correlated with an increase in the expression of LC3 in the peripheral site. The correlation observed between LC3 or p62/SQSTM1 and the infiltration of T cells suggests that autophagy may actively mobilize immune cells toward the cancer bed. Meanwhile, the three autophagy‐associated proteins examined were linked to malignant potential and an unfavorable prognosis.
Development and evaluation of The KIT: Keeping It Together™ for Youth (the ‘Youth KIT’) to assist youth with disabilities in managing information
Authors: Freeman M. , Stewart D. , Shimmell L. , Missiuna C. , Burke‐Gaffney J. , Jaffer S. , Law M.
Published: October 2014

Background

This article presents findings from the development and evaluation of The KIT: Keeping It Together™ for Youth (the ‘Youth KIT’). The Youth KIT is a resource intended to assist youth with disabilities during their teenage years and during the transition to adulthood to give information to others about themselves, get from others about themselves, and organize their own information to the best of their ability.

Methods

Thirty‐six youth between the ages of 12 and 25 with physical and developmental disabilities were active participants in the development of the Youth KIT and partnered with a multidisciplinary team to conduct the qualitative evaluation. Focus groups and individual interviews were used in three phases of evaluation.

Results

The results of qualitative content analysis found the Youth KIT to be useful for a variety of youth in different contexts. The themes that emerged about the utility and impact of the Youth KIT were: (1) self‐discovery for youth; and (2) the importance of the ‘fit’ between youth and mentors to support youth as they started to use the Youth KIT.

Conclusion

Clinical implications for healthcare providers working with youth during the transition to adulthood include recognition that discussions about adult goals should be a continuous dialogue throughout adolescence rather than a ‘special’ conversation occurring at the time of discharge from paediatric services.
A Novel Tool for Making Policy Recommendations Based on PVA: Helping Theory Become Practice
Authors: Robinson Orin J. , Lockwood Julie L. , Stringham Oliver C. , Fefferman Nina H.
Published: October 2014

Mathematical models have long been used to aid in conservation decision‐making, however there are many objections to their use by conservation practitioners. Two common objections are that model outputs are too uncertain and are often not communicated effectively. Population viability analysis (PVA) often makes use of mathematical models and has become a mainstay in conservation management; however, it is not immune to these problems. Here we provide a simple method for using the output of PVA models to calculate the probability of management achieving “success” and “failure,” as well as the probability that implementing management will be no more effective than doing nothing at all. Using our method with 14 previously published PVAs, we show that expected probability of success varied from 0.14 to 0.98, failure from 0.054 to 0.6, and the probability management was not needed varied from 0.015 to 0.47. Calculating and reporting these probabilities provide conservation practitioners and policy‐makers with more intuitive and tangible ways of identifying potential risks and rewards to their actions.