bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Type III secretion system ofPseudomonas aeruginosaaffects mucin gene expression via NF-κB and AKT signaling in human carcinoma epithelial cells and a pneumonia mouse model
Authors: Park Ji-Won , Shin In-Sik , Oh Sei-Ryang , Ha Un-Hwan , Ahn Kyung-Seop
Published: October 2018

The type III secretion system (T3SS) inPseudomonas aeruginosahas been linked to severe disease and poor clinical outcomes in animal and human studies. Of the various T3SS effector genes, ExoS and ExoT showed mutually exclusive distributions, and these two genes showed varied virulence. We aimed to investigate whether the ExoS and ExoT effector proteins ofP. aeruginosaaffect the expression of the proinflammatory mediators Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 via the NF-κB and AKT signaling pathways. To understand the role of the T3SS, we used AExoS, AExoT, and T3SS transcriptional activator ExsA mutants (ExsA∷Ω), as well as A549 cells stimulated withP. aeruginosastrain K (PAK). We investigated the effects of ΔExoS, ΔExoT, and ExsA∷Ω on the development of pneumonia in a mouse model and on Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 production in A549 cells. ΔExoS and ΔExoT markedly decreased the neutrophil count in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, with a reduction in Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 expression ΔExoS andΔExoT reduced NF-κB and AKT phosphorylation, together with Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 expression in PAK-infected mice and A549 cells. In conclusion,P. aeruginosainfection induced the expression of Mucus, and theP. aeruginosaT3SS appeared to be a key player in Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 expression, which is further controlled by NF-κB and AKT signaling. These findings might be useful to devise a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic pulmonary infections by targeting ExoS and ExoT.

Author Summary

Pseudomonas aeruginosais a ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium causing serious infections. Many clinical isolates ofP. aeruginosahave a specialized apparatus for injecting toxins into eukaryotic cells, namely, the type III secretion system (T3SS). The T3SS is a syringe-like apparatus on the bacterial surface, with 4 effector toxins: ExoS, ExoT, ExoY, and ExoU. We investigated the effect of ExoS and ExoT of the T3SS ofP. aeruginosaK strain (PAK). Mucus plays a vital role in protecting the lungs from environmental factors, but conversely, in muco-obstructive airway disease, mucus becomes pathologic. We showed that infection with ExoS and ExoT induced Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 expression in host cells. PAK clinical strains induce proinflammatory cytokine production through the T3SS, and this involves NF-κB and SP1/AKT activation in pneumonia mouse models. Mucus induction in response to ExoS and ExoT infection relied on NF-κB and SP1/AKT activation. Our findings highlight the roles of Muc7, Muc13, Muc15, and Muc19 in inducing proinflammatory cytokine expression during ExoS and ExoT exposure in PAK infections, paving the way for a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of pulmonary infections.
Analyzing Human Movements - Introducing A Framework To Extract And Evaluate Biomechanical Data
Authors: Richter Chris , King Enda , Strike Siobhan , Franklyn-Miller Andrew
Published: October 2018

This study discusses possible sources of discrepancy between findings of previous human motion studies and presents a framework that seeks to address these issues. Motion analysis systems are widely employed to identify movement deficiencies - e.g. patterns that potentially increase the risk of injury or inhibit performance. However, findings across studies are often conflicting in respect to what a movement deficiency is or the magnitude of the relationship to a specific injury. To test the information content of movement data, a framework was build to differentiate between movements performed by a control (NORM) and abnormal (IMP-L and IMP-C) cohort using solely movement data. Movement data was recorded during jumping, hopping and change of direction exercises and was mathematically decomposed into subject scores. Subjects scores were then used to identify the most appropriate machine learning technique, which was subsequently utilized to create a prediction model that classified if a movement was performed by: IMP-L, IMP-C or NORM. The Monte Carlo method was used to obtain a measure of expected accuracy for each step within the analysis. Findings demonstrate that even the worst classification model outperformed the best guess observed and that not all members of the NORM group represent a NORM pattern as they were repeatedly classified as IMP-L or IMP-C. This highlights that some NORM limbs share movement characteristics with the abnormal group and consequently should not be considered when describing NORM.
Strengthening risk prediction using statistical learning in children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Tanu Tanu , Kakkar Deepti
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the prediction ability in children with ASD in the risk-involving situations and compute the impact of statistical learning (SL) in strengthening their risk knowledge. The learning index and stability with time are also calculated by comparing their performance over three consecutive weekly sessions (session 1, session 2 and session 3).

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were presented with a series of images, showing simple and complex risk-involving situations, using the psychophysical experimental paradigm. The stimuli in the experiment were provided with different levels of difficulty in order to keep the legacy of the prediction and SL-based experiment intact.

Findings

The first phase of experimental work showed that children with ASD accurately discriminated the risk, although performed poorly as compared to neurotypical. The attenuated response in differentiating risk levels indicates that children with ASD have a poor and underdeveloped sense of risk. The second phase investigated their capability to extract the information from repetitive patterns and calculated SL stability value in time. The learning curve shows that SL is intact and stable with time (average session r=0.74) in children with ASD.

Research limitations/implications

The present work concludes that impaired action prediction could possibly be one of the factors underlying underdeveloped sense of risk in children with ASD. Their SL capability shows that risk knowledge can be strengthened in them. In future, the studies should investigate the impact of age and individual differences, by using knowledge from repetitive trials, on the learning rate and trajectories.

Practical implications

SL, being an integral part of different therapies, rehabilitation schemes and intervention systems, has the potential to enhance the cognitive and functional abilities of children with ASD.

Originality/value

Past studies have provided evidence regarding the work on the prediction ability in individuals with ASD. However, it is unclear whether the risk-involving/dangerous situations play any certain role to enhance the prediction ability in children with ASD. Also, there are limited studies predicting risk knowledge in them. Based on this, the current work has investigated the risk prediction in children with ASD.
A risk-responsive framework for green retrofit projects in Sri Lanka
Authors: Ranawaka Indeewari , Mallawaarachchi Harshini
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the risks associated with green retrofit projects in Sri Lanka in order to develop a risk responsive framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey method under the quantitative approach was selected as the research methodology as this research is required evaluating the risks associated with green retrofit projects. Both preliminary survey and the main questionnaire survey were conducted to collect the data. The survey data were evaluated and analysed by using mode value as a descriptive statistical analysis technique, and the risk rating matrix.

Findings

The overall results of risk assessment deliberated that there are ten “critical” risk factors, such as construction cost, inflation, energy saving uncertainty, warranty risk, delay in project completion, productivity and quality risks, requirement of permits and their approval, design changes, damage to structure or property and procurement delay influencing green retrofitting. Finally, a risk responsive framework was developed by proposing suitable strategies for mitigating the risks associated with green retrofitting.

Practical implications

The developed framework can be used as a basis to mitigate the risks associated with green retrofitting projects. An abundant upgrade of existing high-rise buildings into green can be reached.

Originality/value

A little attention paid on green retrofitting and the absence of proper risk management strategy for green retrofit projects in current practice have made this research a paramount need and a focal point.
Consumer adoption of online food shopping in China
Authors: Wang Ou , Somogyi Simon
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of innovation-adoption characteristics on Chinese consumers’ adoption of online food shopping. It also examines consumers’ online purchase preferences for specific food categories and the consumer segments shopping for food online in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through a web-based survey (n=643, in three cities: Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing). Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis and structural equation modeling were employed for data analysis.

Findings

Participants had strong online purchase intentions toward snack and imported food, while they had weak online purchase intentions toward fresh food products such as meat, eggs, vegetables, fish and seafood. Two consumer segments were found: online-food-conservative (42 percent) and online-food-pioneer (58 percent). Factor analysis resulted in an adjusted factorial structure of the innovation-adoption characteristics, which was considered more appropriate within the context of Chinese consumers when shopping for food online. Path analysis found that Chinese consumers’ attitudes and/or purchase intentions were positively linked to their perceived incentives and negatively associated with their perceived complexity for online food shopping.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore consumer segments, consumption psychology (innovation-adoption characteristics) and product preferences related to online food shopping with a sample from China, the largest e-commerce country. The findings can help food producers and marketers to better understand Chinese consumers’ online food shopping behaviors in order to meet the needs of consumers and have further success in this major market.
Business processes exceptions in relation to operational performance
Authors: Dijkman Remco , Turetken Oktay , van IJzendoorn Geoffrey Robert , de Vries Meint
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Business process models describe the way of working in an organization. Typically, business process models distinguish between the normal flow of work and exceptions to that normal flow. However, they often present an idealized view. This means that unexpected exceptions – exceptions that are not modeled in the business process model – can also occur in practice. This has an effect on the efficiency of the organization, because information systems are not developed to handle unexpected exceptions. The purpose of this paper is to study the relation between the occurrence of exceptions and operational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper does this by analyzing the execution logs of business processes from five organizations, classifying execution paths as normal or exceptional. Subsequently, it analyzes the differences between normal and exceptional paths.

Findings

The results show that exceptions are related to worse operational performance in terms of a longer throughput time and that unexpected exceptions relate to a stronger increase in throughput time than expected exceptions.

Practical implications

These findings lead to practical implications on policies that can be followed with respect to exceptions. Most importantly, unexpected exceptions should be avoided by incorporating them into the process – and thus transforming them into expected exceptions – as much as possible. Also, as not all exceptions lead to longer throughput times, continuous improvement should be employed to continuously monitor the occurrence of exceptions and make decisions on their desirability in the process.

Originality/value

While work exists on analyzing the occurrence of exceptions in business processes, especially in the context of process conformance analysis, to the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first work that analyzes the possible consequences of such exceptions.
Know to grow: the role of knowledge integration in marketing dynamic capabilities
Authors: Zhang Xun , Xu Biao
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Based on the knowledge-based view, this paper aims to uncover the formation mechanism of marketing dynamic capabilities (MDCs) in international firms and to examine the moderating effects of learning culture, organizational structure and institutional distance on knowledge and knowledge integration.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a survey of 223 Chinese international firms and applied partial least squares path modeling to test the conceptual model.

Findings

The results indicated that both market knowledge dimensions (i.e. knowledge breadth and knowledge depth) and knowledge integration constitute important sources of MDCs. Specifically, knowledge breadth has direct and indirect effect on MDCs, while knowledge depth has indirect effect on MDCs; knowledge integration mediates the effects of knowledge dimensions on MDCs. Formalization and institutional distance significantly moderate the relationship between the breadth of knowledge and knowledge integration, whereas the learning culture shows little moderating effect on the above paths.

Originality/value

The authors identify an association between the knowledge-based view and the dynamic capability view, suggesting that a firm’s essential capability of knowledge integration constitutes a genesis of MDCs. In addition, while knowledge breadth strengthens MDCs, knowledge depth carries no direct effect, indicating that the attributes of knowledge have asymmetric influences on MDCs. The indirect effects of knowledge on MDCs through knowledge integration vary under different organizational conditions and institutional distances.
Contextual determinants of HR professionals’ self-perceptions of unethical HRM practices
Authors: Simões Eduardo , Duarte Ana Patricia , Neves José , Silva Vítor Hugo
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine human resources (HR) professionals’ self-perceptions of ethically questionable human resource management (HRM) practices (i.e. disregard for the individual, favoring those in power and discrimination). The research sought specifically to determine how these perceptions are influenced by their organizations’ ethical infrastructure and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 134 HR professionals using an anonymous structured questionnaire.

Findings

The scope of organizations’ ethics programs and the degree of importance given to developing an ethical infrastructure were found to predict the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices related to discrimination. These practices are also less acceptable to professionals from organizations that are perceived as more socially responsible regarding their employees.

Research limitations/implications

Additional studies with larger samples are needed to determine more clearly not only the influence of contextual determinants, but also the practical consequences of high levels of acceptance of unethical practices in HRM.

Practical implications

Organizations can decrease their HR professionals’ acceptance of ethically questionable HRM practices by developing and emphasizing a strong ethical infrastructure and CSR practices, especially those affecting employees.

Originality/value

HR professionals’ perceptions of ethical issues have rarely been analyzed using empirically tested methods. By surveying HR professionals, this study contributes to a fuller understanding of their perceptions regarding the ethics of their own practices. The results show that contextual determinants play an important role in predicting the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices, especially those leading to discrimination.
Postmoney theory: value function in the domain of postmoney
Authors: Ivantchev Boyan Christov
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to research the latest quantitative and qualitative transformations of money and its interaction with the market economy and societies in terms of their influence on the inner nature of money and its transformation from a simple tool to an aim per se, i.e. postmoney. Transforming the perception of the intrinsic value and “soul” of the money into the postmoney, influenced by the rising longevity and wide expectation for the ability to scientifically prolong the human life, will be discussed. This transformation will be confirmed by analysing the results from a national representative sociological survey (panel study with sample size n = 1,000).

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses the following philosophical methodological approaches – comparative-constructive, phenomenological, cognitive and deconstructive analysis.

Findings

The objective and qualitative reasons offered by the postmoney theory (PMT) for the transformation of money into postmoney, are related to the being of temporality, as well as to technologization and the sixth factor of production, scientific exponentiality and mental changes in the human being. A current postmoney survey gives a strong base to believe that the perception of an intrinsic value of postmoney changes the shape of a value function – from logarithmic to linear or even stochastic. This is the reason to believe that increasing of a postmoney quantity will lead to a qualitative transformation and psychological increase of postmoney sensitivity.

Research limitations/implications

The author intends to expand the postmoney survey on the international level so to confirm local findings.

Practical implications

Postmoney survey might be used as a powerful tool in creating and legalizing non-monistic money based on blockchain technologies and philosophical and socio-economic research of the postmoney issue.

Social implications

The future of money is of great importance for the exponentiality of the socio-economic environment and societies. Social impact of the money will be inevitably rising in the domain of postmoney perception.

Originality/value

The author of the current paper coined for the first-time notion of postmoney and now is expanding research developing PMT. As per the best knowledge of the author, shape of the curve of value function was not questioned and believes it might be of help to better understand the money phenomenon.
Numerical investigation of laminar forced convection for a non-Newtonian nanofluids flowing inside an elliptical duct under convective boundary condition
Authors: Ragueb Haroun , Mansouri Kacem
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the thermal response of the laminar non-Newtonian fluid flow in elliptical duct subjected to a third-kind boundary condition with a particular interest to a non-Newtonian nanofluid case. The effects of Biot number, aspect ratio and fluid flow behavior index on the heat transfer have been examined carefully.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the mathematical problem has been formulated in dimensionless form, and then the curvilinear elliptical coordinates transform is applied to transform the original elliptical shape of the duct to an equivalent rectangular numerical domain. This transformation has been adopted to overcome the inherent mathematical deficiency due to the dependence of the ellipsis contour on the variables x and y. The yielded problem has been successfully solved using the dynamic alternating direction implicit method. With the available temperature field, several parameters have been computed for the analysis purpose such as bulk temperature, Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficient.

Findings

The results showed that the use of elliptical duct enhances significantly the heat transfer coefficient and reduces the duct’s length needed to achieve the thermal equilibrium. For some cases, the reduction in the duct’s length can reach almost 50 per cent compared to the circular pipe. In addition, the analysis of the non-Newtonian nanofluid case showed that the addition of nanoparticles to the base fluid improves the heat transfer coefficient up to 25 per cent. The combination of using an elliptical duct and the addition of nanoparticles has a spectacular effect on the overall heat transfer coefficient with an enhancement of 50-70 per cent. From the engineering applications view, the results demonstrate the potential of elliptical duct in building light-weighted compact shell-and-tube heat exchangers.

Originality/value

A complete investigation of the heat transfer of a fully developed laminar flow of power law fluids in elliptical ducts subject to the convective boundary condition with application to non-Newtonian nanofluids is addressed.
Heat transfer enhancement of circular and square LED geometry
Authors: Ben Salah Sana , Ben Hamida Mohamed Bechir
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the thermal effect between square and circular geometry of light emitting diode (LED) with respect of the same surface for the intent of reducing the junction temperature.

Design/methodology/approach

The heat equation is presented in a dimensionless form. To solve it numerically subject to the boundary conditions, the authors realized a three-dimensional code with Comsol Multiphysics.

Findings

The model is validated with previously published works. The authors found a good agreement.

Originality/value

New design of heat sink is improved for circular LED and a reduction of 18 per cent of the junction temperature is permitted. The authors study the influence of various parameters: number and length of fins and number and width of splits. New distribution of multichip LED in circular geometry permits to put 42 chips instead of 36 chips with respect of the same surface and pitch and with reduction of the junction temperature by 16 per cent.
Investment and wage gap in India: a general equilibrium analysis
Authors: Chattopadhyay Subhasankar
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to theoretically find out whether investments could close the formal-informal wage gap in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds a general equilibrium model of a developing economy with a large informal sector and a capital-intensive formal sector with sector-specific capital and incorporates endogenous demand.

Findings

With homothetic preferences, a small initial wage premium and elastic relative demand, investment in the formal sector is likely to close the wage gap, but the gap persists with non-homothetic preferences. However, investment in the informal sector is unlikely to close the wage gap with either type of preferences.

Originality/value

Though labour market distortions in developing economies leading to a formal-informal wage gap are well-documented in the development literature, little attention has been given to the question of whether such a gap would close over time.
Self-organised cruiser’s expenditures in a port of call: the interaction effect between city interface satisfaction and super-sized ships
Authors: Di Vaio Assunta , Lepore Luigi , Varriale Luisa
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of self-organised cruiser’s expenditures, analysing the effect of city interface satisfaction (CIS) on total monetary impact on land (TMIoL) for cruisers travelling without touristic guide and investigating the size of cruise ships, such as those labelled super-sized ships (SSSh), as a moderator variable.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted through an interview-based semi-structured questionnaire administered to 812 self-organised cruisers visiting one of main ports of call in the Mediterranean region.

Findings

The findings highlight that CIS positively influences TMIoL; the relationship is moderated by SSSh; age, cruise experience and time on land are confirmed to be critical predictors of cruiser’s expenditures in the tourism destination.

Originality/value

The increase in cruiser flows and vessel sizes has a significant economic and non-economic impact on cruise destinations. More players are involved in the value creation process and its sharing, such as port destinations, local governments and cruise liners. Value measurement and knowledge of its determinants (e.g. port facilities, destination attractiveness, cruiser satisfaction and experiences) are essential, in terms of competitiveness, for practitioner’s decision-making processes and scholars interested in analysing the cruise phenomenon. This paper contributes to the existing literature as it provides results concerning value creation that is not managed by any one single player, such as cruise companies, port destination or local government. Such knowledge can be useful above all for local governments because self-organised cruisers visit the city destination not as cruise tourists but as land tourists.
Assessing fitness to drive after stroke
Authors: Stack Aisling Helen , Duggan Orla , Stapleton Tadhg
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The assessment of fitness to drive after stroke is an emerging area of occupational therapy practice in Ireland. Despite this, little is known about occupational therapists’ evaluation practices, and there are no internationally agreed clinical guidelines to inform best practice. The purpose of this paper is to investigate occupational therapy evaluation practices for fitness to drive after stroke in Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a cross-sectional study design targeting occupational therapists working with people after stroke using an online survey. Summary and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the returned surveys.

Findings

In total, 47 occupational therapists participated. Off-road driving assessment was completed by 68 per cent of respondents. Functional assessment and non-driving-specific assessments were most widely used and perceived to be the most useful in informing the off-road assessment. A total of 89 per cent referred clients for on-road assessments; however, some referred without first completing an off-road assessment. The therapists who completed formal post graduate education/training in driving assessment reported greater confidence and competence in their skills and ability to assess fitness to drive. A vast majority of participants agreed that clinical guidelines regarding best practice in this area would be beneficial.

Research limitations/implications

A majority of occupational therapists are assessing fitness to drive after stroke in Ireland with non-driving-specific assessments and functional observations; however, there are many gaps and wide variations between services. Education/training in evaluating fitness to drive after stroke is recommended. The development of clinical guidelines to inform practice would facilitate a consistent approach nationally.

Originality/value

This is the first study completed in Ireland to investigate occupational therapy evaluation practices for fitness to drive after stroke.
Implementation plan for a new mineral policy development framework and mining cadastre system for Pakistan
Authors: Ashraf Hamid , Cawood Frederick
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an implementation plan for the new mineral policy development framework and mining cadastre system for Pakistan, which was developed in the first two papers of this series.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an implementation plan based on three fundamental building blocks, namely, implementing an enabling institutional framework and other key elements of mineral policy framework (building block 1); mineral database and mining cadastre system (building block 2); and monitoring and evaluation (building block 3).

Findings

A new Ministry of Mineral Development (MMD) is suggested to be developed. A Mineral Development Advisory Committee (MDAC) is also suggested to be constituted under the Ministry of Planning and Development to oversee the development of the new MMD and to implement the actions suggested in the mineral policy development framework. The MDAC will implement the seven key elements of mineral policy development framework.

Practical implications

The design schema of PakMining Cadastre System for secure mineral rights system to attract local and foreign investments is presented. The implementation of institutional reforms, constitution of Mining Cadastre Directorate and implementation of other policy development frameworks is suggested for enabling environment. A comprehensive account of implementation and monitoring strategy is devised to be followed initially by the advisory committee and then by the MMD.

Originality/value

This paper presents original work on the implementation plan for a new mineral policy framework and mining cadastre system for Pakistan to extract maximum benefit from its mineral resources.
The supply and demand of social systems: towards a systems theory of the firm
Authors: Valentinov Vladislav , Thompson Spencer
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The economic theory of the firm apparently concurs with Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems with regard to the primary function of the firm to be complexity reduction, i.e. the alleviation of the cognitive burden on agents whose cognitive capacities are limited. At the same time, however, the theory of the firm ignores the attendant issues of societal sustainability emphasised by Luhmann. The paper aims to fill this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking a theoretical approach, the paper builds on the conceptual construct of “the complexity-sustainability trade-off”, which combines two contrasting aspects of the relationship between a system and its environment, namely, the precariousness highlighted by Luhmann and the embeddedness highlighted by open systems theory. These themes are respectively reflected in the principles of complexity reduction and environmental dependence which constitute the trade-off.

Findings

Drawing inspiration from the classic Marshallian presentation of supply and demand in modern economics, the paper argues that the principles of complexity reduction and critical dependence translate into the demand for and supply of social systems. In the proposed systems-theoretic interpretation of the theory of the firm, demand and supply refer to the imperatives of achieving coordination and securing cooperation within the firm, respectively. Thus, in the theory of the firm, the complexity-sustainability trade-off manifests itself as a trade-off between coordination and cooperation.

Originality/value

The implicit focus of the theory of the firm on complexity reduction disregards the nature, importance and fragility of cooperation in real-world firms. In so doing, it impedes the authors’ understanding of unconventional types of business organisation, such as cooperatives. These defects can be corrected by reorienting the theory of the firm according to the proposed systems-theoretic approach, which holds that firms should not be governed or studied in isolation from their environment, as they too often are – and, accordingly, that apparently anomalous forms of organisation should be taken seriously, as they too often are not.
Music librarianship and creativity
Authors: Lavranos Charilaos
Published: October 2018

Purpose

International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML) aims to promote activities and cooperation between music libraries worldwide. IAML configures policies affecting to set up their working framework as well as music information services at national and international level. Furthermore, IAML’s function promotes the role of music libraries linking the cultural life of every place, fostering musical creativity. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present the crucial role of IAML’s function in enhancing musical creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides theoretical and practical issues on topics related to music information employed for musical creativity in the context of music librarianship. It presents the function of music information management organizations and especially that of IAML as a mechanism for enhancing musical creativity, and at the same time it discusses suggestions and practices for the interrelation between them. More specifically, it discusses perspectives about educational programs on information literacy for musical creativity, the enhancement of the digital presence of all musical trends (the long tail to the demand of music information services), the strengthening of the culture of openness to a wider scale and the use of music information management software, as well as the linkage and stimulation of synergies between music information management organizations for the benefit of various music communities.

Findings

The outcomes of the study set up a theoretical connection between music librarianship issues and musical creativity, in terms of identifying that musical creativity is directly linked to music information and to the operation of the music libraries, and it can also be influenced by the availability of music information services and the information profile of the musicians involved.

Originality/value

The significance and originality of the study should be emphasized since it is the first study providing theoretical and practical issues linking music librarianship with musical creativity.
Rust belt or revitalization: competing narratives in entrepreneurial ecosystems
Authors: Roundy Philip T.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Entrepreneurial ecosystems, the inter-connected set of organizing forces that produce and sustain regional entrepreneurial activity, are receiving heightened attention. This research finds that narratives about ecosystem participants discursively construct entrepreneurial ecosystems. However, the studies do not emphasize ecosystem and region-level narratives, focus on ecosystems in which narratives are uncontested and, thus, do not examine how ecosystem narratives compete with other regional narratives. The purpose of this paper is to develop a theory that explains how narratives and entrepreneurial ecosystems emerge and change in response to existing regional narratives.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal process model is proposed to explain how entrepreneurial ecosystem narratives emerge and compete with other regional narratives. To illustrate the phases of the model, archival data were collected from three entrepreneurial ecosystems where new narratives have had to overcome entrenched economic and cultural narratives.

Findings

It is theorized that entrepreneurial ecosystems emerge, in part, through discourse. For an entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop, a narrative must take hold that allows participants to make sense of the new entrepreneurial activities and the changes to the region. A four-phase process model is presented to explain how entrepreneurial ecosystem narratives compete with other regional narratives and, particularly, negative economic narratives.

Originality/value

The theory developed in this paper contributes to the research on entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizational narratives and generates practical implications for policymakers and entrepreneurs seeking to promote entrepreneurship as a tool for economic development.
The influence of sentiments on property owners in post-disaster rebuild
Authors: Chukwudumogu Ikenna Cosmos , Levy Deborah , Perkins Harvey
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a nuanced understanding of the complex factors driving the decision of commercial property owners (investors and developers) to stay and rebuild after a major disaster. The study examines what happens in the post-disaster rebuild of a central business district (CBD) from the perspective of commercial property owners in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretive approach is adopted to understand what it takes to rebuild in a post-disaster environment through the lens and experiences of property owners. The study has observed the significant physical changes that have occurred in the Christchurch CBD as a result of the earthquakes. For this study, qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews from 20 purposively identified property owners rebuilding the Christchurch CBD. The interview findings were subjected to a thematic analysis used to provide a factual way of characterising the viewpoints of those interviewed.

Findings

The findings have highlighted that the decision-making behaviour of property owners in Christchurch’s CBD post-disaster rebuild has been driven significantly by an emotional attachments to people and place.

Practical implications

The global trend in increasing destruction from natural disasters has raised the need for more efficient and effective post-disaster responses and activities. The paper has developed a knowledge base required to inform public policy and advice all those involved in the rebuilding of cities after a major disaster.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the property literature and debates about the decision-making behaviour of commercial property owners who are engaged in rebuilding after a major natural disaster. The qualitative methodology used presents a novel approach to property research. The findings challenge the underlying premises of much of the mainstream property literature on normative investment behaviour and decision making.
Additive manufactured multi-material structure with directional specific mechanical properties based upon classical lamination theory
Authors: M. Sugavaneswaran , G. Arumaikkannu
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to additive manufacture (AM) the multi-material (MM) structure with directional-specific mechanical properties based on the classical lamination theory of composite materials.

Design/methodology/approach

The polyjet three-dimensional printing (3DP) process is used to fabricate the MM structure with directional-specific mechanical properties. MMs within a layer are positioned and oriented based on the classical lamination theory to achieve directional-specific properties. Mechanical behavior of the AM structure was examined under various loading conditions to justify the directional-specific properties.

Findings

With MM processing capabilities of the polyjet 3DP machine, AM MM structures with directional-specific mechanical properties were fabricated. From experimentation, it was observed that the AM MM structure with a quasi-isotropic laminate has superior tensile and flexural strength, and the AM MM structure with an angle ply laminate has superior shear strength. Various mechanical properties determined through testing will be useful for the selection of an appropriate layup arrangement within a structure for appropriate loading conditions.

Originality/value

This study presents the innovative methodology for the fabrication of AM MM structures with tailor-made mechanical properties. The developed methodology paves way for using the polyjet 3DP MM structure for applications such as the complaint mechanism, snap fits and thin features, which require directional-specific properties.
“Toxic Masculinity” in the age of #MeToo: ritual, morality and gender archetypes across cultures
Authors: Veissière Samuel Paul Louis
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to take the “toxic masculinity” (TM) trope as a starting point to examine recent cultural shifts in common assumptions about gender, morality and relations between the sexes. TM is a transculturally widespread archetype or moral trope about the kind of man one should not be.

Design/methodology/approach

The author revisits his earlier fieldwork on transnational sexualities against a broader analysis of the historical, ethnographic and evolutionary record. The author describes the broad cross-cultural recurrence of similar ideal types of men and women (good and bad) and the rituals through which they are culturally encouraged and avoided.

Findings

The author argues that the TM trope is normatively useful if and only if it is presented alongside a nuanced spectrum of other gender archetypes (positive and negative) and discussed in the context of human universality and evolved complementariness between the sexes.

Social implications

The author concludes by discussing stoic virtue models for the initiation of boys and argues that they are compatible with the normative commitments of inclusive societies that recognize gender fluidity along the biological sex spectrum.

Originality/value

The author makes a case for the importance of strong gender roles and the rites and rituals through which they are cultivated as an antidote to current moral panics about oppression and victimhood.
Supply chain integration capabilities, green design strategy and performance: a comparative study in the auto industry
Authors: Liu Yang , Blome Constantin , Sanderson Joe , Paulraj Antony
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how supply chain integration capabilities inform green design strategy adoption and whether green design strategy can lead to higher levels of environmental and economic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey-based approach was used to empirically test the study hypotheses. Based on 216 usable responses collected from automakers around the globe, the authors compared the results from two different data groups (i.e. Chinese firms vs Western firms) using the structural equation modeling approach.

Findings

In the Chinese context, both internal and external supply chain integration capabilities are significantly related to the successful adoption of a green design strategy. However, the relationships are not significant in Western context. Green design is found to positively impact environmental performance in both contexts; however, no significant relationship is revealed between green design and economic performance in either context. Finally, environmental performance was found to have a significant and positive impact on economic performance in both contexts.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional survey design that was focused only on the auto industry may affect the inferences of causality and generalizability of this study.

Practical implications

Managers should understand their specific organizational context first, and then strategically develop their external and internal supply chain integration capabilities to maximize their green design efforts for improved environmental performance. Companies can be certain that the more gains made in environmental management, the more economic returns can be expected.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the existing resource-based view literature by linking supply chain integration capabilities to green design strategy adoption in different organizational contexts. It also sheds a light on the association between green design and different performance dimensions and adds value to the current debate on the association between environmental performance and economic performance.
Selective fluorescence sensing ofp-nitroaniline and Fe3+ions by luminescent Eu-based metal-organic framework
Authors: Pu Yanyan , Yu Zongchao , Wang Fengqin , Fu Yiyuan , Yan Tao , Cheng Honglin
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop luminescence sensors for the detection of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and metal ions to protect human health and prevent environmental pollution.

Design/methodology/approach

The composition and morphology of Eu-metal-organic frameworks (MOF) (1) were well characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The emission spectrum displays that 1 has significant characteristic emission bands of Eu(III) ions. The authors further investigated the fluorescence sensing performances of 1 to NACs and metal ions.

Findings

The results show that Eu-MOF (1) exhibits significant fluorescence quenching effect toward p-nitroaniline and Fe3+ions with good stability and recyclability. This means that 1 can be used as a multifunctional sensing material for the detection of p-nitroaniline and Fe3+ions.

Originality/value

The authors have successfully synthesized a fluorescence Eu-based sensing material under hydrothermal conditions. In addition, the fluorescence property and sensing performances for detecting NACs and metal ions were studied. The results suggest that 1 has highly selective fluorescence quenching toward p-nitroaniline and Fe3+ions with not only high sensitivity and selectivity but also excellent stability and recyclability. Furthermore, this study has confirmed that the multifunctional MOF material is very useful in environment pollutants’ detection and monitoring.
Energizing middle managers’ practice in organizational learning
Authors: McKenzie Jane , Varney Sharon
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to consider middle managers’ influence on organizational learning by exploring how they cope with demands and tensions in their role and whether their practice affects available team energy.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 43 managers from three large organizations involved in major change assessed their group’s energy using a tested and validated instrument, the OEQ12©. This generated six distinct categories of team energy, from highly productive to corrosive. Thirty-four of these managers, spread across the six categories, completed a Twenty Statements Test and a follow-up interview to explore their cognitive, affective and behavioural responses to coping with resource constraints and tensions in their role.

Findings

The research provides preliminary insights into what distinguishes a middle manager persona co-ordinating teams with highly productive energy from those managing groups with less available energy to engage with knowledge and learning. It considers why these distinctions may affect collective sensitivities in the organizational learning process.

Research limitations/implications

Informants were not equally distributed across the six team energy categories; therefore, some middle manager personas are more indicative than others.

Practical implications

This research suggests areas where middle manager development could potentially improve organizational learning.

Originality/value

This study offers early empirical evidence that middle managers’ orientation to their role is entangled with the process of energizing their teams in organizational learning during change.