bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Jeotgalibaca dankookensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Carnobacteriaceae, isolated from seujeot (Korean traditional food)
Authors: Lee Dong-Geol , Trujillo Martha E. , Kang Heecheol , Ahn Tae-Young
Published: February 2014

A novel, Gram-stain-positive bacterium, designated strain EX-07T, was isolated from seujeot (Korean traditional food). The strain was aerobic, halotolerant and non-motile; it formed cocci that grouped into tetrads and sarcinae or formed irregular conglomerates. Growth occurred at pH 7–9, at 10–37 °C and with up to 9 % NaCl. Isolate EX-07T was catalase- and oxidase-negative and used sugars and organic acids as carbon sources. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the novel strain showed 94.2–94.5 % similarity with the type strains of

Trichococcus pasteurii

,

Trichococcus patagoniensis

,

Trichococcus collinsii

,

Trichococcus flocculiformis

and

Trichococcus palustris

and only 92.2 % with representatives of the genera

Bavariicoccus

,

Carnobacterium

and

Granulicatella

. Sequence similarities based on the groEL gene ranged from 81.3 to 82.8 % between the novel isolate and the type strains of all species of the genus

Trichococcus

, and only 74.2 and 75.3 % with type strains of members of the genera

Bavariicoccus

and

Granulicatella

, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 39.6 mol%. The predominant fatty acids were C16 : 1ω9c, C18 : 1ω9c, C16 : 0 and C14 : 0. The polar lipid profile was very complex and included phosphatidylethanolamine and several unidentified aminolipids, glycolipids and phospholipids. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic results obtained in this study, it is proposed that isolate EX-07T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family

Carnobacteriaceae

for which the name Jeotgalibaca dankookensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Jeotgalibaca dankookensis is EX-07T ( = KCCM 90229T = JCM 19215T).
Bacillus ligniniphilus sp. nov., an alkaliphilic and halotolerant bacterium isolated from sediments of the South China Sea
Authors: Zhu Daochen , Tanabe Shoko-Hosoi , Xie Changxiao , Honda Daiske , Sun Jianzhong , Ai Lianzhong
Published: February 2014

An alkaliphilic and halotolerant Gram-stain-positive bacterium, which was isolated from sediment samples from the South China Sea, was subjected to a taxonomic study. The isolate, strain L1T, grew well at a wide range of temperatures and pH values, 10.0–45.0 °C and pH 6–11, with optima at 30 °C and pH 9.0, respectively. The growth of strain L1T occurred at total salt concentrations of 0–10 % (w/v) with an optimum at 2 % (w/v). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequence comparison indicated that the isolate represented a member of the genus

Bacillus

. The strains most closely related to strain L1T were

Bacillus nanhaiisediminis

JCM 16507T,

Bacillus halodurans

DSM 497T and

Bacillus pseudofirmus

DSM 8715T, with 16S rRNA similarities of 96.5 %, 95.9 % and 95.7 %, respectively. DNA–DNA hybridization of strain L1T with the type strains of the most closely related species,

B. nanhaiisediminis

JCM 16507T,

B. halodurans

DSM 497T and

B. pseudofirmus

DSM 8715T, showed reassociation values of about 21.7 %, 14.3 % and 13.9 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content of strain L1 T was 40.76 mol%. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The predominant cellular fatty acids of strain L1T were iso-C14 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, it is proposed that strain L1T ( = JCM 18543T = DSM 26145T) should be classified as the type strain of Bacillus ligniniphilus sp. nov.
Widespread signals of convergent adaptation to high altitude in Asia and America
Authors: Foll Matthieu , Gaggiotti Oscar E. , Daub Josephine T. , Vatsiou Alexandra , Excoffier Laurent
Published: February 2014

Living at high-altitude is one of the most difficult challenges that humans had to cope with during their evolution. Whereas several genomic studies have revealed some of the genetic bases of adaptations in Tibetan, Andean and Ethiopian populations, relatively little evidence of convergent evolution to altitude in different continents has accumulated. This lack of evidence can be due to truly different evolutionary responses, but it can be also due to the low power of former studies that have mainly focused on populations from a single geographical region or performed separate analyses on multiple pairs of populations to avoid problems linked to shared histories between some populations. We introduce here a hierarchical Bayesian method to detect local adaptation that can deal with complex demographic histories. Our method can identify selection occurring at different scales, as well as convergent adaptation in different regions. We apply our approach to the analysis of a large SNP dataset from low- and high-altitude human populations from America and Asia. The simultaneous analysis of these two geographic areas allows us to identify several candidate genome regions for altitudinal selection, and we show that convergent evolution among continents has been quite common. In addition to identifying several genes and biological processes involved in high altitude adaptation, we identify two specific biological pathways that could have evolved in both continents to counter toxic effects induced by hypoxia.
Dysgranular retrosplenial cortex lesions in rats disrupt cross-modal object recognition
Authors: Hindley Emma L. , Nelson Andrew J.D. , Aggleton John P. , Vann Seralynne D.
Published: February 2014

The retrosplenial cortex supports navigation, with one role thought to be the integration of different spatial cue types. This hypothesis was extended by examining the integration of nonspatial cues. Rats with lesions in either the dysgranular subregion of retrosplenial cortex (area 30) or lesions in both the granular and dysgranular subregions (areas 29 and 30) were tested on cross-modal object recognition (Experiment 1). In these tests, rats used different sensory modalities when exploring and subsequently recognizing the same test objects. The objects were first presented either in the dark, i.e., giving tactile and olfactory cues, or in the light behind a clear Perspex barrier, i.e., giving visual cues. Animals were then tested with either constant combinations of sample and test conditions (light to light, dark to dark), or changed “cross-modal” combinations (light to dark, dark to light). In Experiment 2, visual object recognition was tested without Perspex barriers, but using objects that could not be distinguished in the dark. The dysgranular retrosplenial cortex lesions selectively impaired cross-modal recognition when cue conditions switched from dark to light between initial sampling and subsequent object recognition, but no impairment was seen when the cue conditions remained constant, whether dark or light. The combined (areas 29 and 30) lesioned rats also failed the dark to light cross-modal problem but this impairment was less selective. The present findings suggest a role for the dysgranular retrosplenial cortex in mediating the integration of information across multiple cue types, a role that potentially applies to both spatial and nonspatial domains.
Learning enhances intrinsic excitability in a subset of lateral amygdala neurons
Authors: Sehgal Megha , Ehlers Vanessa L. , Moyer James R.
Published: February 2014

Learning-induced modulation of neuronal intrinsic excitability is a metaplasticity mechanism that can impact the acquisition of new memories. Although the amygdala is important for emotional learning and other behaviors, including fear and anxiety, whether learning alters intrinsic excitability within the amygdala has received very little attention. Fear conditioning was combined with intracellular recordings to investigate the effects of learning on the intrinsic excitability of lateral amygdala (LA) neurons. To assess time-dependent changes, brain slices were prepared either immediately or 24-h post-conditioning. Fear conditioning significantly enhanced excitability of LA neurons, as evidenced by both decreased afterhyperpolarization (AHP) and increased neuronal firing. These changes were time-dependent such that reduced AHPs were evident at both time points whereas increased neuronal firing was only observed at the later (24-h) time point. Moreover, these changes occurred within a subset (32%) of LA neurons. Previous work also demonstrated that learning-related changes in synaptic plasticity are also evident in less than one-third of amygdala neurons, suggesting that the neurons undergoing intrinsic plasticity may be critical for fear memory. These data may be clinically relevant as enhanced LA excitability following fear learning could influence future amygdala-dependent behaviors.
Corrosion resistance of magnetoelectropolished AISI 316L SS biomaterial
Authors: Hryniewicz Tadeusz , Rokosz Krzysztof
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Corrosion resistance measurements were performed on AISI 316L stainless steel biomaterial samples after three types of treatments: abrasive finishing (MP), standard electropolishing (EP), and magnetoelectropolishing (MEP). The corrosion studies were carried out in Ringer's solution at a room temperature. Potentiodynamic plots obtained were the basis for the analysis of measurement accuracy and uncertainty with the statistical tests results done in Statistica 64/10 software. The results of corrosion studies indicate a significant difference in the breaking potential (Epit) values, dependent on surface treatment. The highest mean values have been obtained on samples after MEP (Epit=961 mV), much lower – after a standard electropolishing EP (Epit=525 mV), and the lowest – after the abrasive treatment MP (Epit=222 mV), all of them measured against a saturated calomel electrode SCE potential. The corrosion results obtained are well correlated with the nanoindentation measurement results (Young's modulus and nanohardness). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel samples served for the study. There were 11 (MP) and 14 (EP) samples used for each of the treatment, and 31 samples used for magnetoelectropolishing MEP. All polarization measurements were made after one hour immersion in the Ringer's solution. Statistical tests were used to treat the results obtained.

Findings

– After magnetoelectropolishing MEP130, the pitting corrosion resistance is much better than that after abrasive polishing MP and/or a standard electropolishing EP130. It was proved on a big statistical sample that the pitting corrosion potential Epit after MEP130 is over 1.8 times higher than that after EP130 and over 4.3 times higher than that after MP. The results obtained are in good agreement with the nanoindentation measurement results.

Originality/value

– This is an original study of the corrosion resistance of AISI 316L SS in Ringer's solution. The breaking potential Eb obtained is comparable with that of NiTi alloys, not reported anywhere before. The results have been well confirmed statistically (on 31 samples after MEP).
Preparation of supramolecular corrosion inhibitor based on hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin/octadecylamine and its anti-corrosion properties in the simulated condensate water
Authors: Fan Baomin , Wei Gang , Zhang Zhan , Qiao Ning
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This work was focused upon the main factors that influence the formation of a hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) supramolecular complex with octadecylamine (ODA) and their optimal processing conditions. The anti-corrosion properties of the products in the simulated boiler water condensate of power plants also needed to be tested. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– A grinding method was applied to synthesize the supramolecular structures. Using Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), the specific structures of the complex were clarified. The anti-corrosion properties were obtained from gravimetric results, potentiodynamic polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements.

Findings

– The results reveal the highly soluble supramolecular complex could be formed between two HP-β-CD molecules and one ODA molecule at 85°C with a processing period of 15 minutes. In the condensate, the corrosion inhibition efficiency of the complex was over 95 percent, much higher than the inhibition efficiency of the hydrophobic ODA compound.

Practical implications

– The supramolecular corrosion inhibitor could be used as an anti-corrosion method for industrial boiler condensate to reduce the content of corrosive ions. In this way, it is easier to reuse the condensate without re-polishing.

Originality/value

– The research introduces supramolecular chemistry into corrosion science for the first time. The results provide a new option to modify the traditional corrosion inhibitors.
Corporate failure diagnosis in SMEs
Authors: Kosmidis Kosmas , Stavropoulos Antonios
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The main purposes of this paper are to provide evidence about corporate failure diagnosis in SMEs, identify the predictor variables that enhance the accuracy of the corporate failure diagnosis models, and perform comparative analysis of the proposed models with the existing literature. The paper supports the proposition that the majority of the proposed corporate failure diagnosis models in the literature exhibit an endogenous drawback since their construction is based on large entities or listed corporations' samples.

Design/methodology/approach

– The present study employs multiple discriminant analysis, logit analysis, and probit analysis to construct corporate failure diagnosis models based on SMEs longitudinal data from Greece.

Findings

– The paper provides evidence that the contribution of human capital is immensely more important to the viability of SMEs than to the viability of large corporations. Moreover, this study identifies interactions among seemingly insignificant variables that exhibit incremental information content and attribute massive discriminant power to the proposed corporate failure diagnosis models.

Practical implications

– The results of this study encourage regulatory authorities to adopt enhancements to the Basel II framework and financial institutions as regards to constructing their corporate failure diagnosis models. The models is based upon internal default experience and mapping to external data incorporating both quantitative and qualitative variables.

Originality/value

– The contribution of this paper is the proposition of new value-relevant variables that enhance the accuracy of existing corporate failure diagnosis models for SMEs.
The inflation-hedging characteristics of Malaysian residential property
Authors: Lin Lee Chyi
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to extend the current literature by examining the inflation-hedging effectiveness of Malaysian residential property in the short run and long run. Malaysia is an emerging market and has some unique characteristics. Therefore, a dedicated study in this market is critical.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis of this study involves two stages. The first stage is to estimate the inflation-hedging ability of Malaysian residential property in the short run. The Fama and Schwert model was employed. Thereafter, the long-run inflation-hedging effectiveness was assessed by using a dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) model.

Findings

– The Fama and Schwert tests reveal that Malaysian residential property does provide some satisfactory hedge against the expected inflation component over the short run. However, variations are evident among different types of residential property. The DOLS results provide strong evidence to support that housing is an effective hedge against the expected inflation in the long run, whereas no comparable evidence is found for the unexpected inflation component.

Practical implications

– The findings enable more informed and practical investment decision-making regarding the role of housing in inflation risk management.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first study to offer empirical evidence of the inflation-hedging attributes of Malaysian residential property. Moreover, the inflation-hedging effectiveness of different types of residential property is also compared for the first time.
Effects of socioeconomic factors on regional housing prices in the USA
Authors: Lin Wei-Shong , Tou Jen-Chun , Lin Shu-Yi , Yeh Ming-Yih
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the determinants of socioeconomic factors on housing prices and their differential effects among regions.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study employs a hierarchical linear model to analyze the housing and socioeconomic data of 363 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the USA.

Findings

– This study generates four findings. First, the population, the percentage of the elderly in population, violent crime rates, and foreclosure rates produce greater effects on housing prices in the Northeast than those in the West. Second, the population produces a greater effect on housing prices in the Northeast than those in the Midwest. Third, mortgage rates produce less significant effects on housing prices in the Northeast than those in the Midwest. Fourth, the population, the percentage of the elderly in population, and rent-income ratio produce greater effects on housing prices in the Northeast than those in the South.

Research limitations/implications

– Based on data collected for 2010, this study analyzes socioeconomic factors on the demand side under the implicit assumption that supply side remains constant. Future research can lift the restriction on fixed supply assumption.

Practical implications

– The results can provide information to buyers and sellers about how socioeconomic factors affect housing prices. Moreover, this study also provides useful information for the government to design and implement relevant housing policies.

Originality/value

– This is the pioneering study to examine the differential effect of socioeconomic factors on metropolitan housing prices among regions by employing dummy regional variables to detect changes in slope coefficients. These detailed conclusions would enhance the efficiency of transaction in housing markets.
Significant reforms in public sector audit – staying relevant in times of change and challenge
Authors: Pearson Des
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to talk about the changes to auditing practice in the context of broader changes in the public sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– A personal reflection on the issue using prior experiences as a former auditor-general of two Australian states.

Findings

– The role for government audit will always mirror the change in the public sector. Whether audit fulfils this role depends on having the right legislation and the right approach. While audit legislation lags behind recent shifts in public sector approaches, government auditors are continuing to explore new ways to give parliament, as well as the sector, authoritative opinions and commentary that is relevant and valuable.

Practical implications

– Increased understanding of the changing role of the Auditor-General's Office that affects the efficiency and effectives of public sector entities will help practitioners in improving strategic directions of their operations. This will also help academic researchers in developing ideas for future research.

Originality/value

– Reflections presented here are based on the author's practical experiences over the past 40 years as a program manager and as a government auditor.
Manufacturing strategy and organisational performance
Authors: Mia Lokman , Winata Lanita
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The extant literature suggests that an increasing number of organisations are adopting manufacturing strategies such as JIT practices to continuously improve provision of products and associated services desired by customers. The authors aim to investigate the relationship between adoption (implementation) of JIT practices and organisational performance taking into account the role of market competition and managerial use of management accounting system (MAS) information.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data for the study were collected from 92 general managers of Australian manufacturing organisations. Mailed questionnaire and personal interviews were used to collect the data.

Findings

– The results reveal that market competition and managerial use of MAS (hereafter, the use of MAS) information impact the relationship between an organisation's adoption of JIT practices and its financial performance. The results reported in prior studies on the relationship are mixed; some studies report a positive relationship while others report no relationship. This study explains with empirical evidence when adoption of JIT practices provides financial benefits and when it does not.

Research limitations/implications

– The results are of interest to researchers and managers to understand performance implications of adoption of JIT practices and the use of MAS information. For researchers, the results make an incremental contribution to knowledge by revealing that adoption of JIT practices is beneficial in situations where it is supported by the use of MAS information in high competition market. For managers, the results highlight that an organisation will perform better in competitive market if it adopts JIT practices and its managers' information needs are met by its MAS. Specifically, the results will help managers to decide when adoption of JIT practices is beneficial, thereby help prevention of suboptimal decisions and the associated costs.

Originality/value

– The study challenges the inconclusive results reported in previous studies on the relationship between firms' adoption of JIT practices and financial performance and offers explanations for those results. The results show that benefits from an organisation's adoption of JIT practices are not universal. Rather, the benefits occur in situations where the use of MAS information and market competition are high.
Financial feasibility and value engineering principles integrated quality function deployment for a manufacturing organization
Authors: Rajiv P. , Logesh R. , Vinodh Sekar , Rajanayagam D.
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report a case study in which financial feasibility integrated quality function deployment (QFD) approach was implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

– Customer complaints were systematically gathered. The house of quality (HoQ) matrix was developed. The technical descriptors were prioritized and subjected to the financial feasibility study. The cost calculations were carried out and the actions were derived. A set of value engineering (VE) principles was used during this case study.

Findings

– The study reported in this paper indicated the need for integrating financial feasibility study with QFD for enhancing the effectiveness of the method. The measures taken to prevent the customer complaints will be of considerable value to the manufacturing organizations.

Research limitations/implications

– During the conduct of case study, high-cost factors restricted the selection of materials which would exhibit higher performance. The case study was carried out in a single electronic switches manufacturing organization.

Practical implications

– The manufacturing costs incurred have been reduced by incorporating changes in the part material. The outcomes of the study have been considered for further implementation in the case organisation which indicated the practicality of the study.

Originality/value

– The concept of apportionment of HoQ cost developed with the idea of integrating the same with QFD is the original contribution of the authors.
Market centricity and producibility
Authors: Walters David
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Operations management and marketing have played important roles in contributing towards an ongoing corporate objective of delivering enhanced customer satisfaction. Focusing on the concept of producibility, this paper aims to explore the potential for developing an inter-disciplinary approach to market centric value delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

– For its approach, the paper uses a review of the literature and analyses a number of company examples to highlight the benefits of extending design for manufacture and assembly (DMFA) into the operational processes of physical distribution and service support management.

Findings

– A solution will be an increase in design for manufacturing or producibility engineering. Changes to achieve this will not only reflect the short-term “drivers” of performance, cost and time management but also “industry performance drivers” such as knowledge management, technology management, relationship management, and process management. In the development of an interdisciplinary approach, R&D and design would be a logical candidate for such an integration.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper is based on specific examples, but there are general implications as business organisations have been able to increasing levels of sophistication in the processes used to understand the customer and to effect delivery.

Practical implications

– The new directions for operations management have practical implications for information communications technology (ICT) as well as the technical capabilities and capacities of production.

Originality/value

– By exploring some novel approaches from practice, the paper offers an original perspective from which to deliver enhanced customer satisfaction.
Integrating knowledge with suppliers at the R&D-manufacturing interface
Authors: T. Rosell David , Lakemond Nicolette , Nazli Wasti S.
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Many manufacturing firms source components and subsystems from suppliers. Consequently, the suppliers' product and manufacturing knowledge is a central concern at the interface between R&D and manufacturing. This paper aims to specifically investigate how supplier knowledge is integrated and what role trust plays in knowledge integration with suppliers at the R&D-manufacturing interface.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on qualitative case studies of two different collaborations with suppliers at one firm.

Findings

– Two distinct processes are identified. First, capturing represents knowledge integration through decoupling, for which a basic level of trust specifically with regard to the competence of the supplier is necessary. Capturing can take place through interactions that are limited in time and scope. Second, joint learning represents a coupled knowledge integration process and takes place during a more extended period of time preceding and following the R&D-manufacturing interface and builds on relational-based trust.

Practical implications

– The interface between R&D and manufacturing needs to be extended to include a focus on suppliers' contributions in terms of product and manufacturing knowledge. The choice for suitable knowledge integration processes needs to be guided by concerns about the level of trust and the character of the supplier contributions.

Originality/value

– The paper adds new insights to previous literature by distinguishing between different types of knowledge integration processes and levels of trust. It bridges the gap between innovation and operations management and clearly shows that the interface between R&D and manufacturing crosses organizational borders.
Performance drivers of German institutional property funds
Authors: van den Heuvel Tom , Morawski Jaroslaw
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to improve the understanding of what drives the performance of non-listed real estate funds.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors performed a panel regression analysis on the basis of an extensive sample from Investment Property Databank (IPD) covering returns and selected characteristics of German Spezialfonds over a period of five years from 2006 until 2010. The analysis was performed for the whole sample as well as separately for three distinctively different subperiods: the boom of 2006-2007, the downturn of 2008-2009 and the recovery of 2010.

Findings

– The analysis uncovered significant differences in the drivers across the cyclical phases. During the boom phase, leverage and global portfolio allocation positively affected returns, while allocation to Germany had a negative effect. In contrast, fund volume, management costs and allocation to offices led to underperformance. Finally, in the recovery of 2010, leverage, allocation to Germany and diversification across property types improved performance, while higher liquidity and focus on retail had a negative impact.

Practical implications

– In addition to providing extensive and unique insights into the determinants of performance of the German Spezialfonds, the results should be of interest to fund managers looking for advice on the optimal positioning of their funds in response to changing economic environments.

Originality/value

– Despite the significant practical importance of the topic for the real estate fund industry, it has been addressed by few researchers so far.
Business continuity management: a systemic framework for implementation
Authors: Bajgoric Nijaz
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The paper aims at defining a systemic framework for the implementation of business continuity management (BCM). The framework is based on the assertion that the implementation of BCM should be done through the systemic implementation of an “always-on” enterprise information system.

Design/methodology/approach

– Systems approach is used in order to design a systemic framework for the implementation of continuous computing technologies within the concept of an always-on enterprise information system.

Findings

– A conceptual framework has been proposed to develop a framework for a systemic implementation of several continuous computing technologies that enhance business continuity (BC) in the form of an “always-on” enterprise information system.

Originality/value

– The paper identifies BC as a business pressure in internet era and suggests a systemic framework for implementation.
Tackling obesity and its complications in secure settings
Authors: Long Clive , Rowell Arleen , Gayton Anita , Hodgson Elizabeth , Dolley Olga
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the incidence of obesity and its complications in secure psychiatric settings; and to assess changes in body mass index (BMI).

Design/methodology/approach

– Electronic patient records were used to determine levels of obesity and weight change over a three-year period. BMI levels were related to status, medication and patient characteristics.

Findings

– The incidence of obesity (34 per cent) in the sample (n=351) was higher than in the general population. One-third of patients were on medication for hyperlipidaemia and 10 per cent were diagnosed with type II diabetes. Patients on regular antipsychotic drugs and sodium valproate and who were less active had higher BMIs. Gender differences over a three-year period showed a tendency for women's weight to continue to increase which may be linked to lower levels of engagement in activities of moderate or vigorous intensity.

Originality/value

– Previous surveys using secure psychiatric populations have been point in time reviews. The current study tracks changes over a three-year time period and related this to a range of interventions.
Determinants of positive mental health: a path model
Authors: S. Ganga Nima , Raman Kutty V. , Thomas Immanuel
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– A public health approach for promoting mental health has become a major health policy agenda of many governments. Despite this worldwide attention on research addressing population mental health and general wellbeing, very little is heard on positive mental health from the low-and middle-income countries. This paper aims to present an attempt to develop a model of positive mental health among young people. This could be used for integrating the concept of positive mental health (PMH) into public health interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study was conducted in the state of Kerala, India. The paper administered the “Achutha Menon Centre Positive Mental health Scale” to a sample of 453 (230 men and 223 women) in the age group 18-24, along with an interview schedule exploring the relationship of PMH with many explanatory variables such as sex, beliefs, religion, education, employment and social capital. The paper developed an input path model through a series of multiple regressions explaining the levels of PMH in the community, which was then tested statistically (using AMOS version 7.0). The input model was created by identifying the determinants and correlates of PMH based on their predictive power on the outcome variable, the PMH score. The input diagram was used to test the model fit of the data.

Findings

– The path model (Figure 1) clearly specified the determinants of PMH. Among them, the variables that have a direct determinant effect on PMH are: quality of home learning environment, employment status, education status, marital status, self-perception on possession of skills, happiness with life, membership in social organizations and socializing capability.

Research limitations/implications

– In this study, path model is used to confirm relationships among observed and latent variables. The path diagram assesses the comparative strength of the correlations between the variables and does not test the directionality. Or, the model itself cannot prove causation.

Practical implications

– Determinants of PMH those are amenable to interventions as well as those which help in recognizing characteristic groups for intervention could help to plan future intervention programs.

Originality/value

– Original paper based on primary data collected through a cross-sectional survey.
The integration of corporate non-market and market strategies: why, what, and how
Authors: Xie Peihong , Li Xin , Xie Xuemei
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to systematically examine the key notion of integration of non-market and market strategies in the increasingly popular study of corporate non-market strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is based on a brief literature review of the non-market strategy (NMS) research that shows the existing literature does not offer a clear and systematic account of the key notion of integration. It suggests any systematic account of integration should address at least three interrelated questions, i.e. why, what and how to integrate non-market and market strategies?

Findings

– For the why question, the authors use a formal model to demonstrate that the essence of the most important type of integration synergy lies in the positive spillover or externality from non-market to market strategies. For the what question, the authors identify the contents of integration at three levels, i.e. the level of non-market environment analysis, the level of NMS choice, and the level of non-market dynamic interactions. For the how question, the authors argue that the combination of non-market and market strategies should be seamless in terms of horizontal, vertical and intentional coordination. Overall, the authors argue, only when the right contents are combined and seamlessly coordinated will there be high synergies from integration of non-market and market strategies.

Practical implications

– Managers are advised to give non-market strategies full attention. Managers charged with non-market tasks should explore how to seamlessly coordinate non-market and market strategies in order to gain maximal synergies.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first to examine the key notion of integration in a systematic manner. It is the first to propose a three-question solution to systematic understanding of the notion and the first to propose the seamless coordination concept and its associated three aspects of seamless coordination.
Prioritizing 5S activities by Kano model with modified CS coefficient for a semiconductor wafer fabrication during ramp-up stage
Authors: Chang Yung-Chia , Chen Chuan-Yung
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Semiconductor wafer fabrication (FAB) is recognized as one of the most complex manufacturing systems. A newly built FAB has to pass various audits from its customer before the customer's wafers are initially produced. 5S audit is among one of them. When building a state-of-the-art 300 mm/130 μm FAB, it is common to find hundreds of action items to complete in order to comply with the customer's (auditor) expectations toward 5S practice. The purpose of this paper is to assist wafer fabrication managers in allocating the limited resources on 5S practice to the places that are valued most by their customer.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study proposes an application of the Kano model with a modified customer satisfaction coefficient (CS coefficient) to effectively prioritize thousands of action items for a wafer fabrication.

Findings

– Some new discoveries associated with shop floor management that may be neglected by academicians and practitioners are presented here. Surprisingly, greatly substantial non-linear contributions of attractive to-scene management are revealed with little efforts on the 5S practice. These attributes prove to be impressive to customers and typical instructions beneficial to future 5S practice are embraced as well.

Practical implications

– A real case drawn from a 300 mm semiconductor wafer FAB in Taiwan is analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.

Originality/value

– From the adoption of this proposed methodology, an influential set of specific required checkpoints for 5S practice is transformed from subjective, conceptual and linguistic practice to be identified, quantified and prioritized for semiconductor wafer fabrication under resources constraints to cater the customer's 5S expectations and to generate more attentions in building-up a much more robust scene management.
The impact of human resource management practices on performance
Authors: Amin Muslim , Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail Wan , Zaleha Abdul Rasid Siti , Daverson Andrew Selemani Richard
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 300 employees from a public university comprising of both academicians and support staff responded to the survey. The survey questionnaire had 46 items covering selected HRM practices and university performance.

Findings

– The study has found that human resource practices: recruitment, training, performance appraisal, career planning, employee participation, job definition and compensation have a significant relationship with university performance.

Research limitations/implications

– The results come from a cross-sectional study which was done at the convenience of the researcher. The results may not be generalized across the country. The application of the results to other universities must be done with maximum care.

Practical implications

– If the university is to increase its performance to higher levels, it should emphasize more on job definition, training and employee participation. Some improvement needs to be done on the other HRM practices-recruitment, performance appraisal, career planning and compensation in order to increase their effectiveness on the university performance.

Originality/value

– Most studies on impact of HRM practices on firm performance have focussed on private sectors in Malaysia. In other countries, the studies have focussed only on academicians as a sample. This study has attempted to add to the body of knowledge on the impact of HRM practices on university performance in Malaysia combining both the academicians and administration staff.
Why TQM programmes fail? A pathology approach
Authors: Mohammad Mosadeghrad Ali
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Implementing total quality management (TQM) is not without difficulties and achieving its promised benefits is not easy. The purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers to TQM successful implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

– A literature review has been done to explore the major reasons for the failure of TQM programmes.

Findings

– An examination of 54 TQM empirical studies identified 54 obstacles to successful TQM implementation. There are both theoretical and practical difficulties in applying TQM in organisations. An ineffective TQM package, inappropriate TQM implementation methods and an inappropriate environment for implementing TQM are the main reasons for TQM failure. The most frequently mentioned reasons for TQM implementation failures include insufficient education and training, lack of employees’ involvement, lack of top management support, inadequate resources, deficient leadership, lack of a quality-oriented culture, poor communication, lack of a plan for change and employee resistance to the change programme.

Research limitations/implications

– The review was limited to articles written in English language during the past 30 years (1980-2010).

Practical implications

– TQM does deliver better performance when an appropriate model of TQM is appropriately implemented in a supportive environment. The findings of this paper provide managers with a practical understanding of the factors that are likely to obstruct TQM implementation. Managers should overcome these barriers to achieve the TQM benefits.

Originality/value

– Understanding the factors that are likely to obstruct TQM implementation will help organisations in planning better TQM models.
Understanding the ecosystem implications of the angiosperm rise to dominance: leaf litter decomposability among magnoliids and other basal angiosperms
Authors: Liu Guofang , Cornwell William K. , Pan Xu , Cao Kunfang , Ye Xuehua , Huang Zhenying , Dong Ming , Cornelissen Johannes H. C.
Published: February 2014

Litter decomposition has been a key driver of carbon and nutrient cycling in the present and past. Based on extant species data, there is a great deal of variation in litter decomposability among major plant lineages, suggesting potential shifts in plant effects on carbon and nutrient cycling during the early evolutionary history of angiosperms.

Existing data suggest that eudicot species produce faster decomposing litter compared to gymnosperms, ferns and mosses. One of the missing puzzle pieces in this transition is the basal angiosperms, the functional role of which in past carbon and nutrient cycling has seldom been investigated. We hypothesized that owing to constraints on leaf and plant design related to hydraulic capacity, basal angiosperm trees should generally have resource conservative leaves of low decomposability and that fast‐decomposing leaves may only be found in short‐statured taxa.

We performed a litterbag experiment with simultaneous outdoor incubation of leaf litters in a common environment, including 86 basal angiosperm species (including the magnoliid lineage), 33 eudicots, five gymnosperms and four ferns. We fit a nonlinear model to the decomposition data, and each species’ decomposability was estimated using the proportional rate of mass loss through the experiment.

The mass loss rates were 59.2% lower in basal angiosperms than in eudicot trees. There was one exceptional group within basal angiosperms: the Piperales had higherkvalues than other magnoliid lineages, but all of the free‐standing species were short. Eudicots had higherkvalues overall and covered a range of plant statures from small‐statured herbs to big woody trees.

Synthesis. Understanding the ecosystem‐level effects of the angiosperm rise to dominance is a crucial goal. Our results indicated that, among generally slow‐decomposing magnoliid lineages, only the Piperales have fast decomposition rate associated with small plant statures. Thus it is unlikely that early magnoliid trees were both forest canopy dominants and produced resource acquisitive leaves turning into fast decomposable litter during the evolutionary history of angiosperms.
Ecological and evolutionary lability of plant traits affecting carbon and nutrient cycling
Authors: Donovan Lisa A. , Mason Chase M. , Bowsher Alan W. , Goolsby Eric W. , Ishibashi Caitlin D. A.
Published: February 2014

Efforts to understand the effects of plant traits on carbon and nutrient cycling have recently focused on species variation and the potential for species data to improve predictions of past, present and future variation in ecosystems. However, the evolutionary lability of relevant traits among closely related species and the extent of intraspecific variation warrant further consideration.

Here, we examine interspecific and intraspecific variation in leaf N, LMA, root N and SRL at multiple scales, using Helianthus as a representative study system.

Substantial evolutionary lability of traits is demonstrated by interspecific variation in phylogenetically explicit analyses of closely related Helianthus species, and population differentiation of wild H. anomalus and cultivated H. annuus.

Intraspecific variation in leaf N and LMA, including genetic, environmental and ontogenetic responses, demonstrates that trait values for a single species can encompass a surprisingly large portion of the range encompassed by species in the leaf economics spectrum.

Synthesis. We recommend using data from selected natural populations to model effects of leaf N and LMA on decomposition, while using data from common garden experiments to determine evolutionary lability and thus inform potential for evolutionary change. If the high evolutionary lability of traits demonstrated for Helianthus is found for other important genera, this would suggest that these key ecophysiological traits are likely to respond to the selective pressures of global climate and land‐use change.
A phenotypic plasticity framework for assessing intraspecific variation in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal traits
Authors: Behm Jocelyn E. , Kiers E. Toby
Published: February 2014

Statistical models of ecosystem functioning based on species traits are valuable tools for predicting how nutrient cycling will respond to global change. However, species such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have evolved high intraspecific trait variation, making trait characterization and inclusion in functional trait models difficult.

We present a five‐part framework based on experimental designs from the phenotypic plasticity literature to quantify AMF intraspecific trait variation in a nutrient cycling context.

Framework experiments involve exposing AMF replicates to different environmental conditions and recording trait values to quantify the (i) degree of variation, (ii) reversibility of traits, (iii) relationships among traits, (iv) adaptive nature of traits and (v) potential for trait variation to evolve. We include a phenotypic trajectory analysis of a simulated data set to illustrate relationships among traits.

To focus future research, we provide a synthesis of AMF traits whose evolution is particularly relevant to nutrient cycling and environmental factors that induce variation in those traits.

Synthesis. Characterizing the depth and range of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal trait variation is essential for predicting responses to natural and anthropogenic environmental changes, as well as understanding past and future fungal trait evolutionary trajectories in the Tree of Life.