bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of perceived media richness of marketing channels on online channel usage
Authors: Lipowski Marcin , Bondos Ilona
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the differences in the perceived media richness of three marketing channels by different consumer generations as well as to indicate the importance of the perceived media richness of each of channel for the intention of online use at pre-purchase stage.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a sample of 1,103 consumers in Poland, which research sample included three generations: Baby Boomers, X generation and Y generation. Computer-assisted personal interview method was used with a standardised questionnaire; the research sample was determined using a quota-random method, with the quotas referring to age and gender and the nature of the place of residence (provincial town, town/city other than a provincial one, or a village) – the structure of the sample was maintained at the regional level.

Findings

Analysed channels (online, offline, phone) have different perceived media richness. Consumers from different generations can perceive media richness of the same marketing channels in various ways. Perceived media richness of the analysed marketing channels has an impact on the intention to use the channel online.

Research limitations/implications

First, the fact of blurring differences between consumers generation, particularly X and Y generation. As well the fact that each generation has identified an internal diversity. Second limitation refers to the type of marketing channels included in research. Finally, limitation also applies to spatial extent of the study. The above limitations can also be some directions of future research – taking into account some other marketing channels and verifying the conclusions on other consumer groups.

Practical implications

General recommendation refers to the need for treating customers in each marketing channel in the same way – immediate response is one of the aspects of this recommended unified customer service in multichannel environment. Online channel communications with customers should be supported by giving consumers more personalised communication via phone, chat and social media. For older consumers, it is recommended to gradually redirect them to an online channel. Information search is a good start for online customer journey, because this channel at the pre-purchase stage is the most useful and least risky for the consumer unfamiliar with online environment.

Social implications

Better understanding of the needs of different customers generations and their perception of different marketing channel at the pre-purchase stage.

Originality/value

Identification of intergenerational differences in the perception of media richness of online, phone and offline channels.
The role of Yin-Yang leadership and cosmopolitan followership in fostering employee commitment in China
Authors: Lee Hyun-Jung , Reade Carol
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Utilizing a paradox perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the leadership-followership dynamic in foreign firms in China, specifically, the extent to which Yin-Yang leadership behaviors of Japanese expatriates and cosmopolitanism of Chinese employees influence employee commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through an online survey of Chinese employees who directly report to a Japanese supervisor in a Japanese subsidiary in China. Based on responses from 97 Chinese employees in three Japanese subsidiaries in China, the authors test if their cosmopolitan orientation and perceived Yin-Yang leadership behaviors of Japanese supervisors are related to employee commitment.

Findings

Yin-Yang leadership and cosmopolitan followership have a positive effect on employee commitment. Further, cosmopolitanism moderates the link between Yin-Yang leadership and employee commitment such that the follower’s cosmopolitanism compensates for lower levels of Yin-Yang leadership, especially a relative lack of Yin leadership behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

Results suggest that Yin-Yang leadership and cosmopolitan followership work together as a two-way street of cultural adaptability to build employee commitment, highlighting the interplay between leadership and followership in multinational enterprises. Future research should attempt to further refine the Yin-Yang leadership construct, and to gain a larger sample representing multiple expatriate nationalities to corroborate the relationships found in this study.

Originality/value

The study applies a context-based approach to developing culturally relevant leadership, through analyzing both the emic and etic concepts of culture in China. In doing so, the authors extend the application of paradox theories to the cross-cultural leadership literature utilizing the Yin-Yang principle, which is particularly relevant in societal contexts where rapid and dramatic change brings to the fore competing values, needs and employee preferences.
Multi-level framework of push-pull entrepreneurship: comparing American and Lebanese women
Authors: Zgheib Philippe
Published: April 2018

Purpose

American and Lebanese women may feel they have different needs and therefore have different wants. This distinction brings to the fore the importance of an integrative analysis of forced and voluntary (push-pull) factors that influence entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to compare Lebanese and American women to determine their push-pull drive for entrepreneurship. Background: women entrepreneurship is developing in various cultural settings internationally as well as domestically. This research paper attempts to address the inference of autonomy, creativity, and non-conformity in comparing American and Lebanese women entrepreneurs with respect to the push-pull framework of entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretive analysis of 102 extensive in-depth interviews with women entrepreneurs from the USA and Lebanon allows the exploration of the relevance and salience of the proposed push-pull gender related entrepreneurship framework. Contrasting American and Lebanese women responses explains why the number and rate of women entrepreneurs is greater in the USA than in the Arab world, and attempts to answer why American women are more entrepreneurial and how the environment impacts them.

Findings

Emerging patterns of female business entrepreneurship in this analysis demonstrate that forced push entrepreneurship is more prevalent among women from a developing economy such as Lebanon than in industrially advanced USA. By contrast voluntary pull entrepreneurship claims more global validity as discovered in the US business culture. Entrepreneurial dimensions analyzed include autonomy, creativity, and non-conformity.

Originality/value

The dynamic interplay of micro, meso, and macro levels of the integrated framework of gender entrepreneurship is taken into further depth by exploring the gender autonomy debate, and highlighting creativity and non-conformity within the push-pull framework of entrepreneurship. This research contributes to reach scopes of practice and research. At the practice level the results show that the economic need is more than the self-satisfaction need to the initiation of new start-up business enterprises for Lebanese women compared to American women. This research sheds a new light on the balancing act of women entrepreneurs between tradition and modernity, between Oriental and Western cultures, and between Americans and Lebanese Arabs.
The social organization of workplace mental health: local and translocal ruling relations
Authors: Malachowski Cindy , Boydell Katherine , Kirsh Bonnie
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make visible the ways in which peoples’ experiences of mental ill health are coordinated and produced in the workplace setting.

Design/methodology/approach

This institutional ethnography draws from data collected from 16 informants in one Canadian industrial manufacturing plant to explicate how texts organize activities and align worker consciousness and actions with company expectations of a “bona fide” illness.

Findings

The findings demonstrate how a “bona fide” illness is textually mediated by biomedical and physical work restrictions, thus creating a significant disjuncture between an experiential and ruling perspective of mental ill health.

Research limitations/implications

The work of employees living with self-reported depression becomes organized locally and translocally around the discourse of “mental illness is an illness like any other.” This presents a profound disjuncture between the embodied experience of being too unwell to mentally perform work duties, and the textually coordinated practices of what it means to access sick time for a “bona fide illness” within a biomedical-based attendance management protocol.

Originality/value

The current study adds to the literature by shedding light on the disjuncture created between the embodied experience of mental health issues and the ruling perspective of what constitutes a bona fide illness, adding a unique focus on how people’s use of attendance management-related supports in the workplace.
Home and away: volunteering among ultra-Orthodox men in Israel
Authors: Malchi Asaf , Ben-Porat Guy
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Religious minority groups often enjoy strong support systems and high levels of trust, providing for volunteering within the community, but under what conditions are members of these groups likely to volunteer outside their community? Or, would they prefer the security, intimacy and commitment to their own communities. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

To answer this question, the authors examine the motivations of ultra-Orthodox young men who volunteered for National Civil Service in Israel, and compare the choices of volunteer frameworks: separatist-religious volunteering within the community compared to volunteering in secular institutions outside the community.

Findings

The authors associate the interest and motivations with different types of social capital, “bonding” and “bridging.”

Research limitations/implications

Research based on one case study.

Practical implications

Guidelines for encouraging volunteering among closed groups.

Social implications

Understanding of motivations and concerns among religious groups.

Originality/value

An original study of a relatively new phenomenon.
Facilitating cultural change in social enterprises
Authors: Eti-Tofinga Buriata , Singh Gurmeet , Douglas Heather
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships and influences of change enablers for social enterprises in organizations undergoing cultural change.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a survey of social enterprises in two Pacific Island nations, and analyzed with Pearson and regression analyses.

Findings

The study finds that social enterprises are better equipped to implement cultural change when they exploit a robust entrepreneurial capability while optimizing strategic, financial and adaptive capabilities. These capabilities should be aligned with the enterprise’s culture and processes associated with transitioning the organizational culture to access resources and achieve its mission. Based on these results, a Cultural Change Enabling (CCE) Framework is proposed to help social enterprises leverage the dynamic interactions between the enterprise, its capabilities and environment, and organizational change processes.

Practical implications

Using the CCE Framework will benefit leaders of public benefit organizations, including social enterprises, to identify their capabilities, and develop an enabling culture to advance their trading activities and social mission so that social enterprises might operate sustainably.

Originality/value

As one of the first studies to examine the readiness for organizational change in social enterprises, this study provides new insights on the capabilities for organizational change, and the dynamics of organizations undergoing cultural transformation.
When implementation falters: the challenge of having peripheral issues stick in organisations
Authors: Sundström Mikael , Holmberg Robert
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study a class of issues that in spite of recognised needs and explicit managerial demands have proven hard to have “stick” in organisations (information security is used as an example). It offers a theory-driven rationale why superficially different issue areas can indeed be considered as instances of the identified class, and builds on complexity leadership theory (CLT) to explain how the related strategic challenges can be explained and possibly alleviated.

Design/methodology/approach

A. Kenneth Rice’s notion of organisations’ “primary task” is used to home in on its opposite that is here labelled “peripherality”. Existing strands of organisation research that can be related to this notion are then revisited to ground the fundamental concept theoretically. The CLT is finally used to provide a detailed understanding of the underlying dynamics.

Findings

The paper explains how and why certain issue areas seem resistant to common managerial intervention methods even though it would seem that organisational members are in fact favouring proposed changes (a state that would normally increase the chances of success). It also offers ideas how these challenges may fruitfully be approached.

Originality/value

Problems related to the suggested “peripherality” class of issues have thus far been approached as wholly unrelated (and for that reason as idiosyncratic). The proposed framework offers a hitherto never attempted way systematically to link these challenges – and so structure and concentrate discussion about possibly common remedies.
Despotic leadership and organizational deviance
Authors: Erkutlu Hakan , Chafra Jamel
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Drawing on the social exchange theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between despotic leadership and employee’s organizational deviance. Specifically, the authors take a relational approach by introducing employee’s organizational identification as the mediator. The moderating role of value congruence in the relationship between despotic leadership and organizational deviance is also considered.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 15 universities in Turkey. The sample included 1,219 randomly chosen faculty members along with their department chairs. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the proposed model.

Findings

The results of this study supported the positive effect of despotic leadership on employee’s organizational deviance as well as the mediating effect of employee’s organizational identification. Moreover, when the level of value congruence is high, the relationship between organizational identification and organizational deviance is strong, whereas the effect is weak when the level of value congruence is low.

Practical implications

The findings of this study suggest that educational administrators in the higher education should be sensitive in treating their subordinates, as it will lead to positive interpersonal relationship, which, in turn, will reduce organizational deviance. Moreover, they should pay more attention to the buffering role of value congruence for those subordinates with high distrust and showing organizational deviance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on workplace deviance by revealing the relational mechanism between despotic leadership and employee organizational deviance. The paper also offers a practical assistance to employees in the higher education and their leaders interested in building trust, increasing leader-employee relationship and reducing organizational deviance.
The elephant in the room of mutual forbearance
Authors: Konduk Burak Cem
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain how a multi-market firm develops the motivation to forbear from competition.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-way fixed effects model with Driscoll and Kraay standard errors investigates the research question with panel data collected from the US scheduled passenger airline industry.

Findings

The results demonstrate that although the interaction of multi-market contact with strategic similarity impairs a firm’s forbearance from competition, the same interaction promotes it as firm performance deteriorates, supporting the hypotheses.

Research limitations/implications

Performance explains not only how forbearance emerges out of coincidental multi-market contact but also reconciles the mixed evidence for the impact of the two-way interaction between multi-market contact and strategic similarity on forbearance.

Practical implications

Antitrust authorities should pay more attention to low performing firms than to high performing firms in their investigations. Also, managers of multi-market firms should identify multi-market rivals with low performance as targets for the initiation of forbearance.

Originality/value

This study revises the mutual forbearance theory to align it with the accumulating empirical evidence that otherwise refutes its assumption and thereby improves theory’s descriptive and predictive power.
The need for requisite variety to support growth: an organizational life cycle perspective
Authors: Palumbo Rocco , Manna Rosalba
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Drawing on the “Giffoni Experience” case study, the purpose of this paper is to establish a conceptual link between requisite variety and organizational life cycle. The law of requisite variety states that – to be viable – a system should be able to achieve the minimum number of states which are required to deal with environmental uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive case study approach was taken, which allowed a holistic analysis of the subject being investigated. Multiple sources and different techniques were used to collect relevant data, including: document analysis, unstructured interviews with key informants, and participant observation.

Findings

The development of requisite variety is intended to fill the gap between organizational adaptability and increased environmental complexity. The process of requisite variety generation is influenced by the organizational life cycle stages, turning out to be reactive in the early phases of life and proactive in the maturity ones. Ultimately, the development of requisite variety makes the organization able to establish a co-evolving relationship with the environment, which paves the way for greater organizational adaptability and effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings are not generalizable; besides, the exploratory nature of this study did not allow to point out a consistent relationship between requisite variety and the organizational life cycle.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to examine requisite variety adopting the conceptual lenses of organizational life cycle. Empirical research works dealing with requisite variety are uncommon and generally overlooked by management scholars and practitioners.
Social media marketing in luxury brands
Authors: Arrigo Elisa
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Digital technologies and social media have improved the connectivity and collaboration between firms and customers in all sectors. However, in the luxury sector, the approach to social media and digital technologies has been slower than in other industries. The purpose of this paper is to review the academic literature on social media marketing in luxury brands to highlight the current state of the art, the addressed key research themes and the implications for management research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review of academic research on social media marketing has been conducted to gather, examine and synthetize studies related to luxury brands. By following a review protocol based on both automatic and manual search on the Scopus database, all relevant studies on luxury brands were identified and analyzed.

Findings

A critical conceptualization of social media marketing in luxury brands has been provided and the emerging key research themes have been categorized into four main areas.

Originality/value

Academic literature about social media marketing activities in luxury firms is very limited and existing studies focus only on certain aspects, contexts or single cases. In contrast, the value of this study, for both academics and practitioners, lies in providing, for the first time, a comprehensive and critical systematization of social media marketing academic literature in the field of luxury brands.
The causes of firm performance variation in the Czech food processing industry in the context of the outlier effect
Authors: Blažková Ivana , Dvouletý Ondřej
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse to what extent industry, year and firm effects influence the profitability of the firms operating in the Czech food processing industry. The authors’ interest is also to investigate whether the profitability of a few firms (regarded as outliers) is able to influence the relative importance of year, firm and industry effects and to find out the relative importance of these effects for the majority of the firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The effects are tested using the fixed effects regression models on the unbalanced panel dataset which consists of 10,509 observations for 1,804 enterprises across the ten food sectors over the period 2003-2014. To ensure the consistency of the results, the authors use the three different measures of profitability: return on assets, return on equity and price-cost margin.

Findings

The results suggest that, on average, industry and year effects have little impact on firm profitability variance, and firm-specific effects dominate when seeking to explain firm profitability variance. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the obtained results are supported by most of the previously published studies.

Practical implications

Based on the findings, the authors encourage future researchers to add, as explanatory factors, governmental policies and to test their impact on firm profitability.

Originality/value

The study helps to fill in the research gap in the field of agribusiness, as, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has been conducted yet in the Czech agribusiness environment. Considering the approach distinguishing the “average” and dominant firms in the sectors, they aim at a methodological contribution to this field of research dealing with firm profitability variation.
An agile planning and operations framework
Authors: Jaggars Damon , Jones DeEtta
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of an agile planning and operations framework for an academic research library, designed to facilitate an ongoing organizational conversation about the organization’s strategic intent and how it plans to move from intention to reality. The goals motivating the implementation of such a framework include creating iterative, open-ended planning and management processes that enable increased flexibility and openness to unforeseen opportunities, as well as the ongoing integration of library faculty, staff, and external stakeholder voices into planning, management, and assessment discussions.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework seeks to harmonize planning, management, and assessment processes over 18-24-month rolling time horizons, during which organizational efforts and investments would be reviewed and revised in an iterative fashion.

Findings

The authors share results and analyses from stakeholder assessments used to develop foundational mission, vision, values, and strategic directions documentation and discuss the structural, cultural, and organizational development challenges confronted and gains experienced in implementing the framework.

Originality/value

Many academic libraries are exploring new approaches to strategic planning, ways to enhance organizational health, and manage change. The authors are unaware of an academic or research library that has attempted to design and implement a similar approach to strategic planning and its assessment. The agile planning framework provides an alternative to traditional “waterfall” approaches to strategic planning for libraries.
Characterization of Heterobasidion occidentale transcriptomes reveals candidate genes and DNA polymorphisms for virulence variations
Authors: Liu Jun‐Jun , Shamoun Simon Francis , Leal Isabel , Kowbel Robert , Sumampong Grace , Zamany Arezoo
Published: April 2018

Characterization of genes involved in differentiation of pathogen species and isolates with variations of virulence traits provides valuable information to control tree diseases for meeting the challenges of sustainable forest health and phytosanitary trade issues. Lack of genetic knowledge and genomic resources hinders novel gene discovery, molecular mechanism studies and development of diagnostic tools in the management of forest pathogens. Here, we report on transcriptome profiling of Heterobasidion occidentale isolates with contrasting virulence levels. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified orthologous groups exclusive to H. occidentale and its isolates, revealing biological processes involved in the differentiation of isolates. Further bioinformatics analyses identified an H. occidentale secretome, CYPome and other candidate effectors, from which genes with species‐ and isolate‐specific expression were characterized. A large proportion of differentially expressed genes were revealed to have putative activities as cell wall modification enzymes and transcription factors, suggesting their potential roles in virulence and fungal pathogenesis. Next, large numbers of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, including more than 14 000 interisolate non‐synonymous SNPs. These polymorphic loci and species/isolate‐specific genes may contribute to virulence variations and provide ideal DNA markers for development of diagnostic tools and investigation of genetic diversity.
Are PR3 positive and MPO positive GPA the same disease?
Authors: Fordham Sarah , Mukhtyar Chetan
Published: April 2018

Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis is a necrotising systemic vasculitis predominantly affecting small and medium sized vessels. It is predominantly associated with antibodies directed against proteinase 3, but a small number of individuals with this disease have antibodies directed against myeloperoxidase. The premise of this paper is to explore the possibility that these two serotypes maybe two separate diseases. There is evidence that the same single nucleotide polymorphisms in the TLR 9 gene is associated with increased risk for PR3 ANCA positivity but protects against MPO ANCA positivity. There is some evidence that MPO ANCA positive GPA disease may be ‘limited’ in its expression and be associated with the more indolent phenotype. The genotype may affect the serotype, and the serotype might affect the phenotype. There has been limited success in identifying how the difference in phenotype might affect outcomes. We are at a very early stage in our understanding of how these serotypes might be treated differently. This paper attempts to critically appraise the evidence available so far.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with ethnicity and knee pain in a multi‐ethnic South‐East Asian nation: Results from Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR)
Authors: Mat Sumaiyah , Jaafar Mohamad Hasif , Sockalingam Sargunan , Raja Jasmin , Kamaruzzaman Shahrul Bahyah , Chin Ai‐Vyrn , Abbas Azlina Amir , Chan Chee Ken , Hairi Noran Naqiah , Othman Sajaratulnisah , Cumming Robert , Tan Maw Pin
Published: April 2018

Aim

To determine the association between vitamin D and knee pain among participants of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study.

Method

This was a cross‐sectional study from the MELoR study consisting of a representative group of 1011 community‐dwelling older persons (57% female), mean age 86.5 (54–94) years; 313 were Malays, 367 Chinese and 330 Indians. Participants were asked if they had knee pain. Levels of serum 25‐hydroxy cholecalciferol (25‐[OH]D), an indicator of vitamin D status, were measured using routine laboratory techniques.

Results

In unadjusted analysis, presence of knee pain was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency (odds ratio [OR] 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08–1.85, P 0.011). Vitamin D levels were significantly associated with ethnicity differences where Malays (OR 7.08; 95% CI 4.94–10.15) and Indians (OR 6.10; 95% CI 4.28–9.71) have lower levels of vitamin D compared to Chinese. Subsequent multivariate analysis revealed that the association between vitamin D deficiency and knee pain was confounded by ethnic differences.

Conclusion

A previous study suggested that vitamin D deficiency was associated with knee pain. This relationship was reproduced in our study, but we further established that the association was explained by ethnic variations. As vitamin D status is dependent on skin tone, diet and sunlight exposure, which are all effected by ethnicity, future studies are now required to determine whether a true relationship exists between vitamin D and knee pain.
Fingerprints of partial oxidation of biogenic magnetite from cultivated and natural marine magnetotactic bacteria using synchrotron radiation
Authors: Rodelli D. , Jovane L. , Roberts A.P. , Cypriano J. , Abreu F. , Lins U.
Published: April 2018

Magnetotactic bacteria are a multi‐phyletic group of bacteria that synthesize membrane‐bound magnetic minerals. Understanding the preservation of these minerals in various environments (e.g., with varying oxygen concentrations and iron supply) is important for understanding their role as carriers of primary magnetizations in sediments and sedimentary rocks. Here we present X‐ray near edge structure (XANES) spectra for Fe in magnetotactic bacteria samples from recent sediments to assess surface oxidation and crystal structure changes in bacterial magnetite during early burial. Our results are compared with a XANES spectrum of cultivated Magnetofaba australis samples, and with magnetic properties, and indicate that oxidation of magnetite to maghemite increases with depth in the sediment due to longer exposure to molecular oxygen. These results are relevant to understanding magnetic signatures carried by magnetofossils in oxic sediments and sedimentary rocks of different ages.
Intra‐ and Interindividual Variability in the Behavioral, Affective, and Perceptual Effects of Alcohol Consumption in a Social Context
Authors: Franzen Minita , Sadikaj Gentiana , Moskowitz Debbie. S. , Ostafin Brian D. , aan het Rot Marije
Published: April 2018

Background

We examined the influence of interindividual differences in alcohol use on the intraindividual associations of drinking occurrence with interpersonal behaviors, affect, and perceptions of others during naturally occurring social interactions.

Methods

For 14 consecutive days, 219 psychology freshmen (55% female; Mage = 20.7 years, SD = 2.18) recorded their behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions soon after an interpersonal event occurred. Interpersonal behaviors and perceptions were assessed in terms of dominance–submissiveness and agreeableness–quarrelsomeness. Participants also reported the number of alcoholic drinks consumed within 3 hours of each interaction. We considered the intraindividual associations of (i) having a drinking episode and (ii) the number of drinks during an episode with behaviors, affect, and perceptions and examined interindividual differences in drinking frequency and intensity during social interactions as potential moderators of these associations.

Results

Social drinking frequency and intensity moderated the associations between drinking episode and behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions. During a drinking episode, more frequent social drinkers perceived others as more dominant than less frequent social drinkers. During a drinking episode in which more alcohol was consumed than usual, more frequent social drinkers also reported behaving more dominantly and experiencing less pleasant affect.

Conclusions

As more frequent social drinkers had different interpersonal responses to drinking than less frequent social drinkers, including when they had consumed larger amounts of alcohol than usual, our results suggest a differential susceptibility to the effects of alcohol during naturally occurring social interactions among drinkers with varying drinking frequency.
Nurse‐led multidisciplinary initiatives to improve outcomes and reduce hospital admissions for older adults: The Care coordination through Emergency Department, Residential Aged Care and Primary Health Collaboration project
Authors: Marsden Elizabeth , Craswell Alison , Taylor Andrea , Coates Kaye , Crilly Julia , Broadbent Marc , Glenwright Amanda , Johnston Colleen , Wallis Marianne
Published: April 2018

Objectives

This article describes the Care coordination through Emergency Department, Residential Aged Care and Primary Health Collaboration (CEDRiC) project.

Methods

CEDRiC is designed to improve the health outcomes for older people with an acute illness. It attempts this via enhanced primary care in residential aged care facilities, focused and streamlined care in the emergency department and enhanced intersectoral communication and referral.

Results

Implementing this approach has the potential to decrease inappropriate hospital admissions while improving care for older people in residential aged care and community settings.

Conclusion

This article discusses an innovative way of caring for older adults in an ageing population utilising the existing evidence. A formal evaluation is currently underway.
Stabilisation of acute‐on‐chronic liver failure patients before liver transplantation predicts post‐transplant survival
Authors: Huebener P. , Sterneck M. R. , Bangert K. , Drolz A. , Lohse A. W. , Kluge S. , Fischer L. , Fuhrmann V.
Published: April 2018

Background

Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe complication of liver cirrhosis associated with excess short‐term mortality rates. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a potentially life‐saving therapeutic modality for acute‐on‐chronic liver failure patients, but selection of transplant candidates with an acceptable post‐transplant outcome is difficult.

Aim

To assess the risk of liver transplantation in patients with ACLF, and to determine parameters that predict post‐transplant survival in this patient cohort.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed all 250 patients with cirrhosis who underwent their first liver transplantation between 2009 and 2014 at our institution, and assessed post‐transplant outcomes.

Results

Of 250 cirrhotic liver transplant recipients, 98 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for acute‐on‐chronic liver failure in the 3‐month pre‐transplant period. Compared to non‐ACLF patients, ACLF was associated with significantly higher short‐term morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation (90‐day patient survival 96.1% non‐ACLF vs 72.4% ACLF patients, P < 0.0001). Clinical improvement in the pre‐transplant period, as defined by recovery of at least one previously failed organ system, was observed in 37 of 98 acute‐on‐chronic liver failure patients, mostly within several days after diagnosis. Most notably, clinical improvement prior to liver transplantation was associated with excellent post‐transplant survival rates that approximated non‐ACLF transplant recipients. Following the 90‐day post‐transplant period, patient survival and long‐term graft functions were comparable between ACLF and non‐ACLF liver transplant recipients for up to 5 years.

Conclusions

Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure predicts adverse outcome after orthotopic liver transplantation. Given the dismal prognosis without transplantation, however, our results indicate that ACLF patients can be transplanted with comparably good outcomes, in particular patients who improve under conservative therapeutic measures.
Outcomes of early versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis performed at a single institution
Authors: Kohga Atsushi , Suzuki Kenji , Okumura Takuya , Yamashita Kimihiro , Isogaki Jun , Kawabe Akihiro , Kimura Taizo
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Debate continues regarding the clinical outcomes of early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ELC) versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy (DLC) for acute cholecystitis (AC). The aim of this retrospective study was to compare clinical outcomes of ELC and DLC.

Methods

This study consisted of 465 patients who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy for AC between January 2000 and February 2017. Patients were divided between an ELC group (patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 6 days of symptom onset, n = 288) and a DLC group (patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at least 7 days from symptom onset, n = 177), and clinical outcomes were compared.

Results

Operation time (105 vs 124 min), length of postoperative hospital stay (4 vs 4 days), conversion rate (1.3% vs 10.7%), bile leak (0.3% vs 3.3%), residual calculus (2.4% vs 6.7%), and readmission (1.0% vs 6.7%) were significantly better in the ELC group. A history of upper abdominal surgery, grade II or grade III AC, preoperative percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage, and time between symptom onset and surgery of more than 7 days were independent risk factors for conversion.

Conclusions

ELC for AC yields more favorable clinical outcomes than DLC.
Bond offerings in China
Authors: Klein Paul‐Olivier , Weill Laurent
Published: April 2018

This study appraises the value created by a bond offering in China, where high levels of state ownership and insider ownership raise concerns about the use of the proceeds. To estimate the impact of a bond issue on the firm's value, we apply an event‐study methodology on a sample of 481 issues of 347 Chinese companies over the period 2009–2013. It turns out that state ownership has a positive impact on the value of a bond offering for shareholders, which is consistent with an implicit guarantee of the issue by the state. For privately owned companies, insider ownership exerts a nonlinear impact on the firm's value, supporting an aligning effect in the use of the proceeds. Overall, the study confirms the key role of ownership structure in Chinese firms.
A Review of Recent Research on Individual‐Level Score Reports
Authors: Gotch Chad M. , Roduta Roberts Mary
Published: April 2018

As the primary interface between test developers and multiple educational stakeholders, score reports are a critical component to the success (or failure) of any assessment program. The purpose of this review is to document recent research on individual‐level score reporting to advance the research and practice of score reporting. We conducted a search for research studies published or presented between 2005 and 2015, examining 60 scholarly works for (1) the research focus, (2) stated or implied theoretical frameworks of communication, and (3) the characteristics of data sets employed in the studies. Results show that research on score properties, especially subscores, and score report design/layout are well‐represented in the literature base. The predominant approach to score reporting has been through a cybernetics tradition of communication. Data sets were often small or localized to a single context. We present example research questions from novel communication frameworks, and encourage our colleagues to adopt new roles in their relationships to stakeholders to advance score reporting research and practice.
Innovation in local economic development strategy: The Wireless Research Center of North Carolina
Authors: Clayton Paige A.
Published: April 2018

Innovation in local economic development strategy is necessary to support struggling regions and foster growth across municipalities with varying resources and needs. This paper presents a case of innovation in local economic development strategy to illustrate how institutional entrepreneurship can be used as a tool to help local governments innovatively approach economic development strategy. Through the creation of the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina, institutional entrepreneurs transformed the institutionalized role for local government in economic development, while simultaneously creating a new institutional form that would support local development goals.
Screening for oropharyngeal dysphagia in older adults: A systematic review of self‐reported questionnaires
Authors: Magalhães Junior Hipólito V. , Pernambuco Leandro de Araújo , Lima Kenio C. , Ferreira Maria Angela F.
Published: April 2018

Background

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a swallowing disorder with signs and symptoms which may be present in older adults, but they are rarely noticed as a health concern by older people. The earliest possible identification of this clinical condition is needed by self‐reported population‐based screening questionnaire, which are valid and reliable for preventing risks to nutritional status, increased morbidity and mortality.

Objective

The aim of this systematic review was to identify self‐reported screening questionnaires for oropharyngeal dysphagia in older adults to evaluate their methodological quality for population‐based studies.

Methods

An extensive search of electronic databases (PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid MEDLINE(R), Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science (WOS), PsycINFO (APA), Lilacs and Scielo) was conducted in the period from April to May 2017 using previously established search strategies by the two evaluators. The methodological quality and the psychometric properties of the included studies were evaluated by the COSMIN (Consensus based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments) checklist and the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues, respectively.

Results

The analysed information was extracted from three articles which had conducted studies on the prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia by self‐reported screening questionnaires, showing poor methodological quality and flaws in the methodological description to demonstrate its psychometric properties.

Conclusion

This study did not find any self‐reported screening questionnaires for oropharyngeal dysphagia with suitable methodological quality and appropriate evidence in its psychometric properties for elders. Therefore, the self‐reported questionnaires within the diagnostic proposal require greater details in its process for obtaining valid and reliable evidence.
Effects of intermediate energy heavy‐ion irradiation on the microstructure of rutile TiO2 single crystal
Authors: Smith Kassiopeia A. , Savva Andreas I. , Wu Yaqiao , Tenne Dmitri A. , Butt Darryl P. , Xiong Hui , Wharry Janelle P.
Published: April 2018

This study reports the microstructure evolution of single crystal rutile TiO2 under 3 MeV Nb+ ion irradiation, with the irradiating ions incident on the {100} plane. A complex, multi‐layered microstructure evolution is observed with 4 distinct regions: (i) short‐range disorder in the first 60 nm below the specimen surface, (ii) dislocation loops oriented parallel to the incident ion beam direction, located along the increasing slope of the irradiation damage profile at ~60‐650 nm from the surface, (iii) loops oriented perpendicular to the incident ion beam direction, at depths encompassing the ion implantation and irradiation damage peaks ~650‐1250 nm, and (iv) a high density of nano‐scale atomic rearrangements with long‐range order, located at depths ~1250‐1750 nm. These results present evidence that multiple defect mechanisms occur during irradiation including ion channeling, nuclear stopping, and electronic stopping interactions as a function of depth and disorder accumulation.
Morphological Redescription ofOpalina undulataNie 1932 fromFejervarya limnochariswith Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Opalinids (Heterokonta, Opalinea)
Authors: Li Ming , Ponce‐Gordo Francisco , Grim J. Norman , Li Can , Zou Hong , Li Wenxiang , Wu Shangong , Wang Guitang
Published: April 2018

The redescription ofOpalina undulataNie 1932, collected from the rectum of the frogFejervarya limnocharis, is presented in this paper based on detailed morphological information and molecular data. Our results revealed that specimens collected from Diaocha Lake in late August were larger and had more nuclei than those collected from the same site in early May. We sequenced theirSSU rDNA‐ITS1‐5.8SrDNA‐ITS2‐LSU rDNA(5′ end) and found that they were completely identical, which means that the two populations belonged to the same species. These facts gave us a hint that body dimension and number of nuclei are not reliable taxonomic parameters for opalinids during their life cycle. Therefore, we recommended that the specific identification of opalinids based on morphological features should be carried out during seasons except spring. Meanwhile, our molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed the monophyly of Opalinata. Within Opalinata, Opalinea were monophyletic with all opalinid species grouping together. Karotomorpha and Proteromonas did not group together confirming the paraphyly of Proteromonadea.
A new procedure for surface contamination of food products using absorbent paper
Authors: Tucci Patrizia , Sperandii Anna Franca , Salini Romolo , Centorotola Gabriella , Neri Diana , Iannetti Luigi , Migliorati Giacomo , Pomilio Francesco
Published: April 2018

A new method was developed for artificial contamination of food products during challenge test studies, in products where superficial contamination is needed. Rinds of Gorgonzola cheese wheels were divided into quarters and then squares with 12 cm of side and contaminated with absorbent paper soaked with a bacterial suspension of Listeria monocytogenes left in contact with the surface of the blue‐veined cheese, in order to achieve homogenous contamination of the whole surface. To verify the performance of the method of contamination, after 24 hr L. monocytogenes was enumerated to evaluate surface contamination. With the method described, an average concentration of about 5 log10cfu/cm2 or MPN/cm2 was obtained starting from a contaminated suspension of 8 log10cfu/ml. The homogeneity of the contamination was demonstrated by the application of statistical tests.

Practical applications

Challenge tests are carried out to simulate contaminations as they happen during the processing and aging of cheeses, cured meats or ready‐to‐eat foods, for cross contamination studies, for applications of predictive microbiology, and to evaluate potential dragging of bacteria during the cutting of slices. In all cases, the inoculum should be applied on the product using the appropriate technique, in order to mimic natural contamination. This study reports a new method of contamination that allows the achievement of homogeneous microbial distribution on the whole flat surface of foods, using absorbent paper soaked with a bacterial suspension of Listeria monocytogenes. It was tested in the framework of challenge tests aimed to quantify the dragging of bacteria from Gorgonzola cheese rinds to paste during different processing steps. The procedure could be, however, profitably used also in other food products, when uniform surface contamination is required.