bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality characteristics of cookies added with Spergularia marina Griseb powder
Authors: Son Hee-Kyoung , Kong Hyeon-Mi , Cha Seon-Suk , Choi You-Jung , Lee Jae-Joon
Published: May 2015

In this study, the quality characteristics of cookies with the addition of Spergularia marina Griseb powder (SMGP) were investigated and analyzed by through chemical and sensory evaluation. Cookies were prepared with different levels of SMGP (0, 1, 3, and 9%). Their moisture and crude protein contents decreased after the addition of SMGP, as did their spread factor (p<0.05). Their Hunter's color L and a values significantly decreased with the increase in SMGP level, whereas their b value increased (p<0.05). In the texture analysis, the hardness of the cookies increased according to the increase in concentration of SMGP and showed a significantly high level in the cookies with the addition of 9% SMGP (p<0.05). In the sensory evaluation, the cookies with the addition of 3% and 9% of SMGP had the highest scores in flavor, taste, and texture (p<0.05). The cookies with 3% SMGP addition had the best score in total acceptability. This study suggests that SMGP is a good ingredient for improving the acceptability and functionality of cookies.
Physicochemical properties and microencapsulation process of rice fermented with Bacillus subtilis CBD2
Authors: Lee Dae-Hoon , Park Hye-Mi , Hong Joo-Heon
Published: May 2015

This study was conducted to examine the physicochemical properties and micro-encapsulation process of rice fermented with Bacillus subtilis CBD2. The viable bacterial cell, pH, and amylase activity of the rice liquid culture were 7.61 log CFU/mL, pH 5.08 and 159.43 units/mL, respectively. The micro-encapsulated rice liquid culture was manufactured via spray drying with different forming agents: i.e., alginic acid 1.0% and chitosan 0.3%, 0.5%, and 1.0%. The moisture contents of the spray-dried powders were approximately 2.90~3.68%. The color of the L and a value decreased whereas that of the b and ΔE value increased. The particle size and outer topology of the spray-dried rice liquid culture were 48.13~68.48 μm and globular, respectively. The water absorption index of the spray-dried powder (2.40~2.65) was lower than that of the freeze-dried powder (2.66). The water solubility index of the spray-dried powder (9.17~10.89%) was higher than that of the freeze-dried powder (7.12%). The in vitro dissolution was measured for five hours in pH 1.2 simulated gastric fluid, and pH 6.8 and pH 7.4 simulated intestinal fluids, using a dissolution tester at 37°C with 50 rpm agitation. The amylase survival in the fermented rice was 85.93% through the spray-drying and it was very effectively controlled.
Sensory properties of Satsuma mandarin by quantitative descriptive analysis
Authors: Ku Kyung Hyung , Lee Kyung-A , Choi Jeong Hee
Published: May 2015

This study investigated the sensory attributes of Satsuma mandarins to provide basic data for the establishment of a quality grade establishment of mandarins. Samples of the mandarins in different sizes (small, medium, and large) were collected via organic green house cultivation, conventional cultivation without pesticides and conventional cultivation in Jeju Island. Eight trained panels performed the triplicate measurements. From the results of the quantitative descriptive analysis, mandarin samples were selected with five types of appearances (gloss intensity, color intensity, peel width, damage degree, and peel texture), three types of odors (sour, sweet, fresh), six types of tastes (sour, sweet, bitter, fresh, tasteless, and off flavor) four types of texture (hardness, granule toughness, juicy, and tough feel), and three types of after-tastes (sour, sweet, and bitter). The results of the analysis of the quality characteristics of the samples showed that their, pH, total acidity and solids contents differed depending on the size of the samples more than their cultivation methods. The correlation coefficients between the quality properties of the mandarins showed that their, sample size was positively correlated with their peel width and toughness. Moreover, the soluble solid of sample was positively correlated with its color intensity, sweet and fresh orange flavor. However, soluble solid content of the samples was negatively coreelated with their bitter flavor, tastelessness, and off flavor. In the principal component analysis of the sensory attributes data, PC1 represented the soluble solid, gross intensity, orange color, sour and sweet odor, unique mandarin flavor (sweet and, fresh orange), etc., and PC2 (26.77%) the size, pH, sample acidity, and peel texture.
Optimized pH condition of protein extraction of Gastrodia elata Blume by alkaline method
Authors: Jang Hye-Lim , Yoon Kyung-Young
Published: May 2015

This study investigated the optimum pH condition for the efficient extraction of protein from Gastrodia elata Blume. Five extraction pH values (8, 9, 10, 11, and 12) and three precipitation pH values (2, 4, and 6) were used. The protein content, browning degree, and recovery yield of the protein obtained under each pH condition were determined. Most of the G. elata Blume was made up of carbohydrates, and its protein content was also high. The amount of the extracted protein increased according to the increase in the extraction pH, but did not significantly differ between pH 8 and pH 9. The browning degree of the protein significantly increased as the extraction pH increased. The greatest amount of protein was precipitated at pH 4, the recovery yield of which was also the highest. As a result, it was found that the combination of extraction pH 9 and precipitation pH 4, which resulted in a 38.7% recovery yield and a low browning degree, is the optimum condition for the efficient extraction of protein from G. elata Blume.
Quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of onion peel extracts by extraction methods
Authors: Jeong Da-Som , Back Da-Ae , Kwon Yu-Ri , Kwon Gi-Man , Youn Kwang-Sup
Published: May 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activities and the quality characteristics of 70% ethanol extracts from onion peels with different extraction methods (autoclave extraction, AE; low temperature high pressure extraction, LTPE; reflux extraction, RE; and stirrer extraction, SE). The yields of AE, LTPE, RE and SE were 9.00%, 5.39%, 13.21% and 12.41%, respectively. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents in the AE were significantly higher than in the other extracts. The DPPH radical scavenging abilities with a concentration of 100 mg% (w/v) were : AE, 28.9%; RE, 26.07%; LTPE, 24.35%; and SE, 19.53%. The ABTS radical scavenging ability and the nitrite scavenging activity showed the same tendency as that of the DPPH radical scavenging ability. The angiotensin –converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of the LTPE and AE were higher than those of the RE and SE. The α-Glucosidase inhibitory activity of the RE was higher than that of the extracts with other extraction methods. The nitrite scavenging activities with a concentration of 10 mg/mL were: AE. 33.97%; RE, 35.47%; LTPE, 21.86%; and SE, 21.71%. The ferrous ion chelating activity of the LTPE (54.73%) was significantly higher than that of the other extracts. These results suggest that AE is the superior method for the enhancement of anti-oxidant activity, and onion peel can be used as a natural antioxidant material for health foods and can be a good ingredient of functional foods.
Antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activity of seaweed extracts
Authors: Kim Jin-Hak , Kang Hye-Min , Lee Shin-Ho , Lee Ju-Young , Park La-Young
Published: May 2015

The antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities of 10 kinds of seaweeds Ecklonia cava (EC), Ecklonia stolonifera (ES), Eisenia bicyclis (EB), Capsosiphon fulvescens (CF), Sargassum fulvellum (SF), Undaria pinnatifida (UP), Sargassum thunbergii (ST), Codium fragile (CFr), Hizikia fusiformis (HF), and Enteromorpha prolifera (EP) were investigated. Among all the tested seaweed extracts, the total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of the EB extract were highest 150.81 mg/g and 77.02 mg/g, respectively. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging abilities of the EB ethanol extract (1 mg/mL) were 86.26% and 99.71%, respectively, and its SOD-like activity and reducing power were 21.34% and 1.710 (OD700). The α-glucosidase inhibition activities of the EC, EB, and ST were above 98% at the 0.1 mg/mL concentration. These results suggest that seaweed extracts effectively prevent the what of antioxidants and decrease the blood glucose level, and may be used to develop various functional products.
A delicate balance: intervention with mothers with dual diagnosis and their infants
Authors: Tsantefski Menka , Jackson Alun C. , Humphreys Cathy
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Women with mental illness, substance-dependence or dual diagnosis are at increased risk of losing care of their children which leads to poorer outcomes for mothers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the service response to substance-dependent mothers, many of whom had a dual diagnosis, and reports outcomes for their infants from the perinatal period to the end of each infant's first year.

Design/methodology/approach

– This was a longitudinal case study of 20 women substance-dependent women and their associated care. Semi-structured interviews were held with mothers recruited from a specialist alcohol and other drug obstetric service at infant age six weeks, six and 12 months. Structured interviews were also held with counsellors from the obstetric service at infant age six weeks. Child protection (CP) workers were interviewed at infant age six weeks, six and 12 months regarding mothers involved with the service.

Findings

– By 12-month follow-up, CP services had been involved with 14 mothers and eight had lost the legal care of their infant. Mothers who retained legal care were more likely to have addressed their drug use and less likely to be in a domestically violent relationship. Domestic violence, homelessness and maternal recidivism to crime tipped the scales in favour of protection of the infant through removal from maternal care, essentially leaving mothers with minimal support for reunification and reduced incentive for treatment.

Research limitations/implications

– Reliance on mothers’ self-reports was a limitation of the study. The small sample size restricts generalisability of findings.

Practical implications

– Key workers should engage women (and their partners) during the perinatal period to provide support, advocacy and case-management to enable substance-dependent mothers to safely parent.

Originality/value

– This is one of few studies to report long-term outcomes for mother/infant dyads when substance-dependence and/or mental health are present that allows women to speak for themselves. The prospective design provides a contemporaneous account of events as they unfolded in situ.
Identifying and responding to alcohol misuse in memory clinics: current practice, barriers and facilitators
Authors: Thake Anna , Wadd Sarah , Edwards Kim , Randall-James James
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore current practice, barriers and facilitators to identifying and responding to alcohol problems in memory clinics.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire sent to professionals in 55 memory clinics in England, Wales and the Isle of Wight and two focus groups with professionals from three memory clinics in England.

Findings

– Only 1/35 clinics that responded to the questionnaire was using a standardised alcohol screening tool but all attempted to gain some information about alcohol use. Without screening tools, practitioners found it difficult to determine whether alcohol use was problematic. Barriers to identification/intervention included cognitive impairment, service-user being “on guard” during assessment, presence of family members/carers, time constraints and a perception that brief interventions were not within the remit of memory clinics. Facilitators were obtaining visual clues of problem drinking during home visits and collateral information from family members/carers.

Research limitations/implications

– Focus group participants were recruited through convenience sampling and a small number of professionals took part. This means that the findings may be subject to selection bias and limits the generalisability of the findings.

Practical implications

– Memory clinics should provide guidance and training for practitioners on how to intervene and respond to alcohol misuse. Further research is required to determine the most effective way to identify alcohol problems in people with cognitive impairment and how to deliver brief alcohol interventions that take account of cognitive deficits.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to examine alcohol screening and interventions in memory clinics and identifies a need for guidance, training and further research.
Investigating demand for biofortified seeds in developing countries
Authors: Birol Ekin , Asare-Marfo Dorene , Karandikar Bhushana , Roy Devesh , Diressie Michael Tedla
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore farmer acceptance of a biofortified staple food crop in a developing country prior to its commercialization. The paper focuses on the hypothetical introduction of a high-iron pearl millet variety in Maharashtra, India, where pearl millet is among the most important staple crops.

Design/methodology/approach

– A choice experiment is used to investigate farmer preferences for and trade-offs among various production and consumption attributes of pearl millet. The key pearl millet attributes studied include days it takes pearl millet to mature, color of the roti (flat bread) the grain produces, the presence of high-iron content (nutritional attribute), and the price of the pearl millet seed. Choice data come from 630 pearl millet-producing households from three purposefully selected districts of Maharashtra. A latent class model is used to investigate the heterogeneity in farmers’ preferences for pearl millet attributes and to profile farmers who are more or less likely to choose high-iron varieties of pearl millet.

Findings

– The results reveal that there are three distinct segments in the sample, and there is significant heterogeneity in farmer preferences across these segments. High-iron pearl millet is valued the most by larger households that produce mainly for household consumption and currently have lower quality diets. Households that mainly produce for market sales, on the other hand, derive lower benefits from consumption characteristics such as color and nutrition.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limitation of the study is that it uses a stated preference choice experiment method, which suffers from hypothetical bias. At the time of implementing this study biofortified high-iron pearl millet varieties were not yet developed, therefore the authors could not have implemented revealed preference elicitation methods with real products and payment.

Originality/value

– The method used (stated preference choice experiment method) is commonly used to value non-market goods such as environmental goods and products that are not yet in the market. It’s application to agriculture and in developing countries is increasing. As far as the authors know this is the first choice experiment implemented to investigate farmer/consumer preferences for biofortified crops. The study presents valuable information for development and delivery of biofortified crops for reducing micronutrient deficiencies.
Successful organizational change through win-win
Authors: Will Matthias Georg
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to show new ways of overcoming resistance during organizational change by applying insights from New Institutional Economics.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a conceptual paper that adapts findings from New Institutional Economics.

Findings

– The paper highlights the relevance of interactions between managers and employees for value creation processes: interactions can generate either win–win or lose–lose situations. By altering the restrictions on managers’ and employees’ behavior, change managers can create mutual benefits for the staff and the firm. The paper thus explicitly considers the individual interests of employees and managers and highlights an approach to link individual interests with the collective interests of the firm by means of appropriate interactions. Additionally, the paper elaborates the relevant factors that determine the success of classical change management measures, like communication or participation, to overcome resistance during organizational change.

Research limitations/implications

– The developed framework also indicates important conditions where approaches inspired by management, psychological and sociological theories can be successfully applied and where change management will benefit from being complemented by New Institutional Economics.

Practical implications

– Change managers can optimize inter-organizational competition or cooperation to generate a win–win situation by means of appropriate formal or informal restrictions (like incentives or binding mechanisms).

Originality/value

– This paper applies insights from New Institutional Economics to show how organizational change can be facilitated by producing mutual benefits. This paper postulates that organizational change often fails or, at the very least, meets with stiff resistance due to dysfunctional interactions within the company. However, such interactions actually contain great opportunities for change managers: by shifting the focus of these interactions, they can generate the potential for win–win situations. In this approach, mutual benefits are a decisive factor in increasing the acceptance to organizational change and overcoming resistance.
Explaining the variation in adoption rates of the information content of environmental disclosure
Authors: Fallan Even
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore whether internal context – decision-makers’ perception of characteristics of the information content – might predict the variation in adoption rates of different types of content, and whether innovation adoption theory might represent important factors of this decision-making process Corporate management decides what types of environmental information content to disclose/adopt.

Design/methodology/approach

– Actual adoption rates of 13 information content categories are computed using content analysis of annual reports for 62 listed companies. Each content category is seen as an innovation the company decides to adopt or not. Interviews with management in several companies illustrate the decision process of disclosure, and help predict adoption rates. Predicted and actual adoption rates are compared.

Findings

– Adoption rates vary considerably among the 13 types of content. The absolute level of adoption rates is affected by company size and environmental risk. However, those content categories that have either relatively high or low adoption rates are consistent among the subsamples, regardless of these corporate characteristics. This consistent variation in adoption rates seems to be predicted well by innovation adoption theory and its focus on the five attributes of the information itself: compatibility, trialability, complexity, observability and relative advantage.

Research limitations/implications

– The theoretical framework allows for different or changing internal and general contexts, and should be applicable to other settings, even though the particular predictions for adoption rates in this paper may not be applied as such.

Originality/value

– The level of analysis is changed from company level, which dominates previous research, to information content (individual content categories). Perceived attributes of the information content itself and innovation adoption theory are used for the first time to explain reason for the reporting practice, and are considered fruitful tools to predict consistent variations in adoption rates among different types of content. This approach provides new insight into the driving forces of supply of disclosure.
Market reaction to enterprise applications: a multicultural perspective
Authors: Silva Ana C. , Lorenzo Oswaldo , Chavez Gonzalo Arturo
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to identify the relationship between national culture, enterprise application (EA) implementations and firm value for a sample of the largest and most actively traded firms in Japan, the United Kingdom and the USA. The study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the cultural traits that play a role in successful technological innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using 11 years of price and accounting data, as well as corporate announcements from English- and Japanese-speaking sources, this study applies event study methodology and fixed-effects regressions to a sample of international adopters of enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management and firm-specific applications.

Findings

– The results show a country-related contrast in the way investors perceive value in EAs. Investors with national cultures that are more collectivist perceive their firms to be well-prepared to extract value from large-scale technologies. In contrast, individualistic cultures seem to face more implementation challenges.

Research limitations/implications

– Although the study provides statistically significant results, a larger sample of countries and enterprise systems adopters would further enhance a generalization of results.

Practical implications

– The empirical results provide evidence of the national culture traits that seem to increase the likelihood of success in enterprise systems implementations as seen from the perspective of actual investors.

Originality/value

– The empirical study of how multiple EAs (ERP, SCR, CRM and SPECIFIC) and national culture differences interact with a market-based metric of value (stock market prices), while also using an international sample of firms from three distinct regions, is novel to the existent literature.
Exploring the organizational socialization of engineers in Taiwan
Authors: Korte Russell , Li Jessica
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was to better understand the more complex social, technical and personal socialization experiences of engineers when they started new jobs in Taiwan. Much of the research and practice on the socialization of newly hired employees is narrowly focused on newcomer learning.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is a qualitative, case study approach designed to collect in-depth data about the socialization experiences of engineers in Taiwan. Thirteen participants reported their experiences from when they began new jobs, and the researchers collected and analyzed data from semi-structured interviews. The analysis followed qualitative analysis methods for content analysis.

Findings

– The findings indicated that interpersonal relationships are critical to successful socialization, and the relational structures encountered by newcomers reflect the broader culture of Confucianism and the social interactions of guanxi in the Taiwanese workplace. Three main dimensions of socialization emerged from the data referring to social, technical and personal learning experiences.

Practical implications

– The findings identify what is working (mentoring) and what is not working well (training). Human Resource managers and supervisors of newcomers can take actions to better manage the multiple dimensions of socialization.

Originality/value

– Unlike most studies of socialization in Asia, this study took an in-depth, qualitative look into the experiences of newcomers. What emerged from the analysis of the data was a framework composed of three interdependent dimensions of socialization experiences. The findings inform both managers and newly hired employees about socialization experiences and how they can be improved.
Can good impression and feedback-seeking behavior help Chinese graduates get a job?
Authors: Ren Run , Sun Judy Y , Zhang Yichi , Chen Yunyun , Liu Chunching
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of feedback seeking (FBS) and impression management (IM) on candidates’ evaluative performance and final hiring decision in a recruiting assessment center (AC) by a multinational corporation (MNC) in China.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors adopted a mixed-methods design. The authors first surveyed 234 candidates and 12 recruiting managers as assessors in four Chinese cities in one year. The authors then collected 23 candidates’ qualitative data in the forms of online blogs, diaries or letters sharing their recruitment experiences from 2005 to 2014.

Findings

– The quantitative results showed that both candidates’ FBS and IM behaviors were positively related to their evaluative performance, yet with no significant effects on hiring decision. However, the interaction of FBS and IM significantly reduced the likelihood of a positive evaluative performance and hiring decision. Qualitative findings showed that IM was adopted by the candidates, and encouraged by the firm in the initial period of AC. Implicit FBS behavior was also found in the qualitative data.

Practical implications

– The results offer important practical implications. For applicants, success in job search depends on one’s overall ability and capacity, while proper FBS and initial IM may be helpful to get in the race. At the firm level, MNCs need to adopt innovative strategies to win the “war for talent” in campus recruiting to cope with the deficiency in the educational focus.

Originality/value

– The authors adopted a mixed-methods approach to examining the dynamics of AC process in campus recruiting processes. This study is among the first examining the interactions of FBS and IM in the selection research.
“It’s the context all the way down!”
Authors: Wang Greg G. , Lamond David , Worm Verner
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to emphasize the importance of Chinese institutional contexts beyond “culture” by analyzing a few non-cultural institution-dependent contexts in Chinese HRM research, using an institutional theory perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors review existing Chinese indigenous management research from an institutional theoretical perspective and provide a critique of the research from that perspective.

Findings

– Chinese contexts are more than Confucianism. Focusing on this aspect of culture without integrating other institutional contexts, while informative, is unlikely to identify and explain the uniqueness of Chinese individual and organizational behaviors. Informed by institutional theory, the authors examine how institutional language context influences Chinese institutional behavior. The authors also argue that theguanxiphenomenon is more strongly dependent on institutional forces than on culture in the recent Chinese history. Incorporating these “non-cultural” institutional contexts in research enables us to describe the “what” and explore the “why” and “how” in theory development, rather than placing value judgments on the institutional arrangements.

Research limitations/implications

– While societal culture provides an important institutional context, China’s broad culture is not unique among countries with similar Confucian traditions. Chinese management scholars are encouraged to be mindful of pervasive institutional contexts in exploring and theorizing local organizational phenomena. Research without considering non-cultural institutional contexts may prevent a finer-grained understanding of Chinese organizational phenomena for developing Chinese management theory, and it is unlikely to identify the uniqueness of Chinese organizational phenomena among countries influenced by similar Confucian cultural traditions.

Originality/value

– Built on previous literature, this paper is among the first to specify and examine explicitly non-Confucian Chinese institutional contexts as a basis for the exploration of Chinese organizational phenomena.
For better or for worse: the changing life of academic staff in French business schools
Authors: Lichy Jessica , Pon Kevin
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how the work of teachers in French schools of Management has evolved over the years and to see how these changes are perceived by the teachers themselves.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire was developed with open ended questions and sent out to academic staff in various fields of business and management and then examined to see if there were any common factors to business schools. The perception of these changes were also examined through the questionnaire.

Findings

– There were many positive aspects found concerning these changes where staff had a certain amount of power over these changes.

Research limitations/implications

– The research was limited to a certain type of business school and within France.

Originality/value

– The paper highlights a number of positive changes to the work of academics staff in France and gives insight to how the staff themselves can have the power to change their work as they wish. It is therefore complimentary to research which lays the emphasis on the negative aspects of the profession.
Interprofessional training on brief intervention for older adults
Authors: Coogle Constance L , Owens Myra G
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– In recent years, Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) has become increasingly available to older adults who engage in at-risk drinking behaviors. The results of SBI training sessions that targeted hospital-based healthcare providers, as well as mental health service providers in community-based clinics, are reported. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 93 participants attended SBI active learning training sessions. The responses of physicians/physicians in training about their intentions to apply the information in professional practice and their willingness to recommend the training to others in their profession were compared to practitioners in other professions.

Findings

– Although there were no differences in terms of commitment to apply the information or level of comfort using the techniques, physicians/physicians in training were less interested in promoting the SBI training among their colleagues.

Research limitations/implications

– The results are limited with respect to the number of training participants engaged and the geography entailed, yet implications for addressing barriers to widespread implementation and training challenges are explored.

Practical implications

– Although it may be more difficult to promote SBI training in locations that do not primarily provide mental health services, hospitals, and other primary care settings are precisely where training may be most useful.

Social implications

– The importance of training approaches to SBI that are disseminated within the context of a public health model of clinical preventive services is highlighted.

Originality/value

– Original research is presented to highlight the need to improve training receptivity and facilitate the translation into practice.
Out with the old and in with the new: a study of new kit sponsorship and brand associations in the Barclays Premier League
Authors: Thomas Robert James
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of brand associations and the formation of attitudes towards a new sponsor. Specifically, the paper evaluates the Under Armour brand and its anomalous position in the Barclay’s Premier League.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research design is longitudinal, qualitative and interpretivistic, utilising 26 online focus groups with 213 participants over a 24-month period encompassing the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 Premier League seasons.

Findings

– The results indicate that Under Armour’s lack of football (soccer) presence in the context of the Premier League offered significant differentiation, as it diminished “common ground” with other fans, offered the opportunity to create personal identities beyond the club and the consumption of kit apparel, and was seen as positive given the articulation that brands such as Nike and Adidas were “forced” onto fans. Additionally, for the first time in the sports sponsorship literature, the findings reveal fans engaging with brands in a utilitarian manner, expressing concerns relating to cost, durability, functionality and value for money.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is exploratory in nature and highly contextualised, and a larger-scale study of the phenomenon is desirable. This study extends the literature on fans’ perceptions of sponsoring brands and shows that a new sponsor, without prior league or club associations, can generate significant brand interest and elicit consumption behaviours beyond team apparel.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that there are considerable opportunities for “outside” brands to garner a market share and instigate loyalty through sponsorship. Subsequently, kit manufacturers should consider strategies that encompass entry into new sporting areas.

Originality/value

– The study reveals that fans seek uniqueness and differentiation in a sponsoring brand, with brand image paramount in relation to the club and to both social and personal identity.
An exploratory study of factors influencing emergency response performance
Authors: French Monique L. , Fan Ying , Stading Gary L.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to develop a conceptual model for future theory building and provides guidance to emergency managers by identifying important organizational factors influencing emergency response performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– A conceptual framework is developed linking organizational characteristics and incident types to emergency response performance, focusing on the “prepare” and “respond” stages in emergency management. Archival data are used to test the framework, using ANOVA to analyze 12,057 incidents over a nine-year period.

Findings

– The results indicate that organizational characteristics impact emergency response performance through Knowledge of Location. Several organizational factors impact Knowledge of Location, which then serves, with incident type, as a significant indicator for emergency response performance.

Research limitations/implications

– Researchers are constrained by the data collected in the database used for the study; however, the use of this commonly collected data to operationalize our variables for model testing facilitates analysis of other emergency management organizations for validation. Future model extension is possible by identifying other important variables.

Practical implications

– The analysis emphasizes the importance of area familiarization training in improving emergency response as well as the impact of organizational structure changes on response. Emergency managers should ensure clear lines of authority and communication during times of change.

Originality/value

– This is one of the few studies to use empirical data from a large-scale, real-world database to study emergency response performance. In contrast to previous modeling-based research, this study emphasizes organizational characteristics with an empirical perspective.
Going It Alone or Playing to the Crowd? A Critique of Individual Budgets and the Personalisation of Health Care in the English National Health Service
Authors: Williams Iestyn , Dickinson Helen
Published: May 2015

The introduction of individual budgets into English health care is a recent example of the pervasive drive towards personalisation in welfare sector organisation and delivery. As a heavily centralised and highly bureaucratic institution, the National Health Service (NHS) is an obvious target for personalisation. On the other hand, as a symbol of solidarity and nationhood it retains a powerful place within the collective psyche, such that radical reform might expect to encounter resistance. This paper analyses the assumptions that are inherent in personalisation and raises concerns over its ability to transform health‐care services. At the heart of these concerns is the tension between appeals to tailored service provision and empowerment on the one hand, and promotion of a strong social contract, public trust in institutions, and collective identity on the other. Lessons are drawn for personalisation in other sectors and settings.
Maternal, fetal, and placental conditions associated with medically indicated late preterm and early term delivery: a retrospective study
Authors: Brown HK , Speechley KN , Macnab J , Natale R , Campbell MK
Published: May 2015

Objective

Our objectives were: (1) to examine the association between maternal, fetal, and placental phenotypes of preterm delivery and medically indicated early delivery of singletons during the late preterm and early term periods; and (2) to identify the specific maternal, fetal, and placental conditions associated with these early deliveries.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

City of London and Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.

Sample

Singleton live deliveries, at 34–41 weeks of gestation to women in London and Middlesex.

Methods

We obtained data from a city‐wide perinatal database (2002–2011; n = 25 699). We used multinomial logistic regression for multivariable analyses.

Main outcome measure

The outcome was the occurrence of medically indicated late preterm (34–36 weeks of gestation) and early term (37–38 weeks of gestation) delivery, versus delivery at full term (39–41 weeks of gestation).

Results

After controlling for confounding factors, all phenotypes were associated with increased odds of medically indicated late preterm and early term delivery. Within the maternal phenotype, chronic maternal medical conditions were associated with increased odds of medically indicated early term delivery (e.g. for gastrointestinal disease, adjusted odds ratio, aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.47–2.00; for anaemia, aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.20–1.63), but not late preterm delivery.

Conclusions

The aetiology of medically indicated early delivery close to full term is heterogeneous. Patterns of associations suggest slightly different conditions underlying the late preterm and early term phenotypes, with chronic maternal medical conditions being associated with early term delivery but not with late preterm delivery. These results have implications for the prevention of early delivery as well as the identification of high‐risk groups among those born early.

Tweetable Abstract

The aetiology of medically indicated late preterm and early term delivery is heterogeneous.
Timing and duration of the life cycle of Asian longhorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in southern England
Authors: Straw Nigel A. , Tilbury Christine , Fielding Nick J. , Williams David T. , Cull Thomas
Published: May 2015

In March 2012, an outbreak of Asian longhorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a quarantine pest that is highly damaging to broadleaved trees, was discovered at Paddock Wood in southern England.

Infested trees were felled as part of an eradication programme, but material that contained A. glabripennis life stages was retained and analyzed to provide information on the timing and length of the life cycle, as an aid to future management and surveillance.

A total of 366 A. glabripennis larvae were recovered, including 69 first‐ and second‐instar larvae found in June and July before any adults were found in the samples or had emerged, which indicated that the majority of eggs were laid in the previous autumn and over‐wintered before hatching.

Tree ring analysis and predictions of the timing of adult emergence based on degree‐day accumulation also indicated that adults emerged late in the season, from August onwards, when lower temperatures would have caused most eggs to delay hatching until the next year.

Two cohorts of older, established larvae were present in the samples, corresponding to larvae that had over‐wintered once and twice, respectively. Thus, most larvae required two seasons to complete their development after hatching and a total of 3 years to complete the full life cycle from egg to adult.
Image Processing Strategies Based on a Visual Saliency Model for Object Recognition Under Simulated Prosthetic Vision
Authors: Wang Jing , Li Heng , Fu Weizhen , Chen Yao , Li Liming , Lyu Qing , Han Tingting , Chai Xinyu
Published: May 2015

Retinal prostheses have the potential to restore partial vision. Object recognition in scenes of daily life is one of the essential tasks for implant wearers. Still limited by the low‐resolution visual percepts provided by retinal prostheses, it is important to investigate and apply image processing methods to convey more useful visual information to the wearers. We proposed two image processing strategies based on Itti's visual saliency map, region of interest (ROI) extraction, and image segmentation. Itti's saliency model generated a saliency map from the original image, in which salient regions were grouped into ROI by the fuzzy c‐means clustering. Then Grabcut generated a proto‐object from the ROI labeled image which was recombined with background and enhanced in two ways—8‐4 separated pixelization (8‐4 SP) and background edge extraction (BEE). Results showed that both 8‐4 SP and BEE had significantly higher recognition accuracy in comparison with direct pixelization (DP). Each saliency‐based image processing strategy was subject to the performance of image segmentation. Under good and perfect segmentation conditions, BEE and 8‐4 SP obtained noticeably higher recognition accuracy than DP, and under bad segmentation condition, only BEE boosted the performance. The application of saliency‐based image processing strategies was verified to be beneficial to object recognition in daily scenes under simulated prosthetic vision. They are hoped to help the development of the image processing module for future retinal prostheses, and thus provide more benefit for the patients.
Health‐related quality of life after cataract surgery with the phacoemulsification technique and intraocular lens implantation
Authors: Porela‐Tiihonen Susanna , Roine Risto P. , Sintonen Harri , Kaarniranta Kai , Kokki Merja , Kokki Hannu
Published: May 2015

Purpose

Disease‐specific instruments have shown significant gains in measuring health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in subjects having cataract surgery. However, the usage of generic instruments has resulted in conflicting evidence.

Methods

In this prospective study, we have evaluated the impact of cataract surgery on subjects’HRQoL measured with a 15‐dimension generic instrument, the 15D. TheHRQoL of cataract subjects was compared with that of an age‐ and gender‐standardized sample of the general population in Finland. A total of 152 subjects (mean age 74 years, 66% females) with a first‐eye cataract surgery completed the 15D questionnaire both before and 12 months after cataract surgery.

Results

When compared with the general population, cataract subjects had much lowerHRQoL at baseline (mean difference 0.037 (95%CI: 0.020, 0.054), p < 0.001). At 12 months after cataract surgery, the overall utility index improved from the mean of 0.837 to 0.855 (mean difference 0.018 (95%CI: 0.007, 0.029), p = 0.002). Significant improvement was observed on the following five dimensions: seeing, moving, hearing, usual activities and discomfort/symptoms in the 15D questionnaire.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that at 12 months after first‐eye cataract surgery, patients’HRQoL is slightly better than that before surgery. However, patients’ postoperativeHRQoL may remain lower than that of an age‐and gender‐standardized control population.
High rate of sickle cell anaemia in Sub‐Saharan Africa underlines the need to screen all children with severe anaemia for the disease
Authors: Kadima Bertin Tshimanga , Gini Ehungu Jean Lambert , Ngiyulu René Makwala , Ekulu Pépé Mfutu , Aloni Michel Ntetani
Published: May 2015

Aim

Neonatal screening for sickle cell anaemia is not common practice in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we determined the prevalence in children with unknown electrophoresis of haemoglobin and anaemia.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted in four hospitals in the country's capital Kinshasa.

Results

We screened 807 patients with anaemia (Hb < 6 g/dL) for sickle cell disease. The overall mean age at presentation was 42.7 months ± 29.7 months, and most patients (76.3%) were less than five years of age, with a peak incidence at seven to 36 months of age (45%). The median age at the first transfusion was 29 months (range 4–159 months). Of these 807 children, 36 (4.5%) were homozygous for haemoglobin S disease and 45 (5.6%) were heterozygotes. The proportion of patients with homozygous sickle cell anaemia was slightly higher in children with a medical history of hand foot syndrome, in children who had received more than three transfusions and in children up to 36 months of age at their first transfusion.

Conclusion

The high prevalence of sickle cell anaemia in children in Sub‐Saharan Africa underlines the need for neonatal screening or, if that is not possible, screening of all children with severe anaemia to identify patients with the disease and provide early management.
The Suzanne Mackenzie Memorial Lecture: Rethinking the politics of feminist knowledge production in Anglo‐American geography
Authors: Peake Linda J.
Published: May 2015

It was Suzanne Mackenzie who first introduced me to the radical potential of a feminist mode of knowledge production in geography. In this paper, in Suzanne's honour, I ask how well feminist work in Anglo‐American geography is faring in terms of still generating new possibilities of knowledge and of existence. In asking this question I explore the work feminist interventions have done, and not done, in advancing possibilities within the discipline. I examine three aspects of feminist work in geography: looking back to (the collective forgetting of) feminist work prior to the 1960s; looking around at (the limitations of) feminist approaches to methodologies and methods; and looking ahead, in this current era characterized by anxiety and precarity, to (the as yet not undertaken) work on addressing these issues in the academy. I conclude by discussing the future of knowledge production in feminist geography.