bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A process model of managing organizational change during business process redesign
Authors: Sikdar Arijit , Payyazhi Jayashree
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Business process implementation has been primarily seen as a redesign of the workflow with the consequent organizational change assumed to be taking place automatically or through a process of “muddling through”. Although evidence suggests that 70 per cent of business process reengineering programmes have failed due to lack of alignment with corporate change strategy, the question of alignment of workflow redesign with the organizational change process has not received adequate attention. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for managing organizational change in a structured manner during workflow redesign, a perspective missing in the literature on business process management (BPM) implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper attempts to integrate the 8-S dimensions of Higgins model across the different phases of workflow redesign to develop a process framework of managing organizational change during BPM workflow redesign. As an exploratory study the paper draws on existing literature on BPM and change alignment to conceptualize an alignment framework of associated managerial activities involved during different phases of BPM workflow redesign. The framework is evaluated against two case studies of business process implementation to substantiate how lack of alignment leads to failure in BPM implementation.

Findings

– The paper provides a conceptual framework of how organizational change should be managed during BPM implementation. The model suggests the sequence of alignment of the 8-S dimensions (Higgins, 2005) with the different phases of the workflow redesign and identifies the role of the managerial levels in the organization in managing the alignment of the 8-S dimensions during business process change.

Practical implications

– This framework would provide managers with an execution template of how to achieve alignment of the workflow redesign with the 8-S dimensions thus facilitating effective organizational change during business process implementation.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a process model of how organizational elements should be aligned with the workflow redesign during business process change implementation. No such model is available in BPM literature proposing alignment between hard and soft factors.
Tata Power Ltd: innovation in financing growth
Authors: Joshipura Mayank , Sivaraman Vasant , Nawani Sameer M.
Published: October 2014

Subject area

Corporate finance, strategic financial management, financial innovation and financial engineering.

Study level/applicability

The case is suitable for graduate level management students.

Case overview

In early April 2011, Mr Ramakrishnan, the CFO of Tata Power Ltd and members of his team were busy re-evaluating fundraising options for financing Tata Power's capital expenditure requirements, for refinancing of debt, for working capital related to current projects and for liquidity to support potential acquisition bids. The team had the task of evaluating different innovative funding options as the challenge was to strike a fine balance between maintaining the owners' equity without dilution of control and avoiding any adverse impact on credit rating that could increase the cost of capital; these constraints reduced flexibility for fund raising. Keeping in mind the global market scenario and estimating the investor appetite were factors critical to the structuring of a funding instrument.

Expected learning outcomes

The case will help students to be comfortable in thinking about evaluating markets, financial instruments and weigh rating considerations and regulatory constraints for taking capital structure decisions.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Are adequate fluid challenges prescribed for severe sepsis?
Authors: Courtney Michael , Gopinath Bussa , Toward Matthew , Jain Rajesh , Rao Milind
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Managing severe sepsis early has several benefits. Correct early management includes delivering an appropriate fluid challenge. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether junior doctors prescribe adequate fluid challenges to severely septic patients.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire outlining three scenarios, each involving a patient with severe sepsis, but with varying weights (50/75/100 kg), was distributed to junior doctors, working in two UK hospitals, managing surgical patients. Participants were asked the fluid volume challenge that they would prescribe for each patient. Responses were compared with the Surviving Sepsis Campaign's recommended volume during the study (20 ml/kg).

Findings

– Totally, 77 questionnaires were completed. There were 15/231 (6.5 per cent) correct responses. The median volume chosen in each scenario was 500 ml, equating to 5-10 ml/kg. There was no significant difference between doctor grades (FY1 and SHO) in any scenario. With most junior doctors (FY1), there was no difference in responses according to weight; for SHOs the only significant difference was between the 75 and 100 kg scenarios.

Practical implications

– Junior doctors are not following guidelines when prescribing fluid challenges to severely septic patients, giving too little and not adjusting volume according to body weight. This implies that high-prevalence, high-mortality conditions are not being treated appropriately by those most likely to treat these patients. More teaching, training and reassessment is required to improve care.

Originality/value

– This, the first case-based survey the authors could find, highlights an issue requiring significant improvement. The implications are likely to be relevant to clinicians in all UK hospitals.
CRIB conditional on gender: nonparametric ROC curve
Authors: Filipa Mourão Maria , Cristina Braga Ana , Nuno Oliveira Pedro
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use the kernel method to produce a smoothed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and show how baby gender can influence Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB) scale according to survival risks.

Design/methodology/approach

– To obtain the ROC curve, conditioned by covariates, two methods may be followed: first, indirect adjustment, in which the covariate is first modeled within groups and then by generating a modified distribution curve; second, direct smoothing in which covariate effects is modeled within the ROC curve itself. To verify if new-born gender and weight affects the classification according to the CRIB scale, the authors use the direct method. The authors sampled 160 Portuguese babies.

Findings

– The smoothing applied to the ROC curves indicates that the curve's original shape does not change when a bandwidthh=0.1 is used. Furthermore, gender seems to be a significant covariate in predicting baby deaths. A higher value was obtained for the area under curve (AUC) when conditional on female babies.

Practical implications

– The challenge is to determine whether gender discriminates between dead and surviving babies.

Originality/value

– The authors constructed empirical ROC curves for CRIB data and empirical ROC curves conditioned on gender. The authors calculate the corresponding AUC and tested the difference between them. The authors also constructed smooth ROC curves for two approaches.
Patient-clinician concordance, face-time and access
Authors: E. Stahl James , A. Drew Mark , Boer Kimball Alexa
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– People in socially disadvantageous positions may receive less time with their clinicians and consequently reduced access to healthcare resources, potentially magnifying health disparities. Socio-cultural characteristics of clinicians and patients may influence the time spent together. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between clinician/patient time and clinician and patient characteristics using real-time location systems (RTLS).

Design/methodology/approach

– In the MGH/MGPO Outpatient RFID (radio-frequency identification) project clinicians and patients wore RTLS tags during the workday to measure face-time (FT), the duration patients and clinicians are co-located, wait time (WT); i.e. from registration to clinical encounter and flow time (FLT) from registration to discharge. Demographic data were derived from the health system's electronic medical record (EMR). The RTLS and EMR data were synthesized and analyzed using standard structured-query language and statistical analytic methods.

Findings

– From January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2011, 1,593 clinical encounters were associated with RTLS measured FTs, which differed with socioeconomic status and gender: women and lower income people received greater FT. WT was significantly longer for lower socioeconomic patients and for patients seeing trainee clinicians, women or majority ethnic group clinicians (Caucasian). FLT was shortest for men, higher socioeconomic status and for attending physician patients. Demographic concordance between patient and clinician did not significantly affect process times.

Research limitations/implications

– The study demonstrates the feasibility of using RTLS to capture clinically relevant process measures and suggests that the clinical delivery system surrounding a clinical encounter may more significantly influence access to clinician time than individual patient and clinician characteristics.

Originality/value

– Applying RTLS to healthcare is coming. We can now successfully install and run these systems in healthcare settings and extract useful information from them. Interactions with the clinical delivery system are at least as important as interactions with clinicians for providing access to care: measure FT, WT and FLT with RTLS; link clinical behavior, e.g. FT, with patient characteristics; explore how individual characteristics interact with system behavior.
The determinants influencing the extent of CSR disclosure
Authors: Giannarakis Grigoris
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of corporate governance and financial characteristics on the extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure focusing on the US companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The sample consists of 366 companies from the Fortune 500 list for 2011. The environmental, social and governance disclosure score calculated by Bloomberg is used as a proxy for the extent of CSR disclosure. Multiple regression analysis was developed to identify factors that affect the extent of CSR disclosure.

Findings

– Results show that company and board size is significantly and positively related to the extent of CSR disclosure, and companies with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) duality characteristics publish less information on their CSR disclosure, while there are significant differences between different industries and the extent of CSR disclosure.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is based only on the presence or the absence of CSR disclosure without receiving the quality aspect of the CSR disclosure which could lead to misinterpretation. The results should not be generalized as the sample was based on large-size US companies for 2011.

Originality/value

– This study extends the scope of previous studies by introducing new independent and dependent variables. It contributes to the understanding of determinants of CSR disclosure to improve the implementation of disclosure guidelines.
Rent-seeking resource and institutional challenges in Ghana’s nascent oil economy
Authors: Dartey-Baah Kwasi , Amponsah-Tawiah Kwesi , Aratuo David
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The paper aims to assess the institutional readiness of Ghana prior to and after the production of her first oil. The paper also assesses the influence of politics in directing the appropriate use of the oil rents in facilitating the developmental needs of the country.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses a literature review of the main theories regarding national politics and institutional policies in explaining the economic demise of a country due to a natural resource find. It also uses the natural resource find in Norway as a case study, drawing lessons from the effectiveness of Norway’s institutional policies in harnessing maximum benefits from their oil find and how developing nations such as Ghana can do same.

Findings

– The paper establishes that Ghana’s institutional architecture as regards the production of oil and gas is fraught with inadequacies on all fronts as regards regulations, regulators and the needed logistics. Additionally, the paper also highlights the role of Ghana’s political elite in perpetuating these institutional inadequacies.

Originality/value

– The paper highlights the insufficiencies in the institutional readiness for Ghana’s oil find and brings to the fore the influence of Ghana’s politics in contributing to these inadequacies.
Reinforcing users’ confidence in statutory audit during a post-crisis period
Authors: Aziz Umar-Farook , Omoteso Kamil
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that are perceived as important for the statutory audit function to restore confidence in the financial statements, its value relevance and decision usefulness in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research used a structured questionnaire to collect data from practising accountants, auditors and accounting academics within the UK. A factor analysis was undertaken to examine the potential inter-correlations that could exist between different factors obtained from the literature. The analysis reduced these variables into the more important factors which were subsequently modelled in a logistic regression analysis.

Findings

– The paper identified, as critical factors for enhancing statutory audits, “a continuously updated accounting curriculum”, “expansion of the auditor's role”, “frequent meetings between regulators and auditors”, “mandatory rotation of auditors”, “limiting the provision of non-audit services”, “knowledge requirements from disciplines other than accounting” and “encouraging joint audits”. It is hoped that addressing these issues might improve confidence in the audit profession, thereby reinforcing its value relevance.

Research limitations/implications

– The study's findings imply that professional accountancy bodies, accounting educators and accounting firms will need to incorporate the key factors identified in this study into their curriculum and training schemes. However, the generalisability of these findings might be limited as the research data were primarily obtained from UK accountants alone.

Originality/value

– This study extends the frontiers of knowledge on critical factors that could reinforce users’ confidence in the statutory audit function and have implications for policy and practice.
Contradictions and identity work: insights from early-career experiences
Authors: D. Vakkayil Jacob
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore identity work in response to various types of contradictions experienced by employees in outsourced software development in the initial stages of their careers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative methodology is adopted. Data are generated primarily through in-depth interviews with participants who had less than five years of work experience in outsourced software development.

Findings

– Four dimensions of contradictions in the setting are identified and behaviors associated with identity work driven by these contradictions are explored. While responses included regression, despair, resignation and disengagement, behaviors in the direction of adjustment and development were also reported. The importance of various kinds of resources for developmental identity work is pointed out.

Originality/value

– This work contributes to discussions on identity work by bringing to light how contradictions influence it in the context of outsourced software work.
Price-quality relationship in pricing strategies for private labels
Authors: Olbrich Rainer , Christian Jansen Hans
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This article aims to close some research gaps by differentiating between brand types and price tiers. Many consumers perceive high prices as signals of high quality, yet researchers tend to find only low average correlations between price and objective quality. Previous studies do not account for market shares and paid prices though.

Design/methodology/approach

– A German consumer panel with more than 30,000 households reveals market shares and paid prices. Combining these data with product test ratings, the authors evaluate price-quality relationships with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients and distinguish food from non-food products, national brands and private labels and three price tiers.

Findings

– High price-quality correlations for national brands and non-food private labels indicate that a higher price signals greater product quality. For food private labels, negative correlation coefficients inhibit the use of price as a quality indicator. The price-quality relationship for food private labels implies strong competition among brand owners, based on the price and quality of their products.

Originality/value

– This article investigates price-quality correlations by accounting for paid prices and product market shares; it also reveals differences across food and non-food products, national brands and private labels and different price tiers against the background of competition strategies. By addressing when consumers use price as a quality indicator, it outlines important managerial implications for manufacturers, retailers and consumers.
Non-price cues utilization during social coupon purchasing-decision
Authors: Nakhata Chinintorn , Kuo Hsiao-Ching
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine how two non-price cues – consumer rating and number of purchased social coupons (SCs) – serve as risk-relievers for high and low variety-seekers and subsequently impact their purchase decision for SCs offered by unfamiliar brands.

Design/methodology/approach

– Participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk online panels participated in three scenario-based experiments.

Findings

– Low (vs high) variety-seekers perceive greater risk and indicate lower likelihood of purchasing SCs offered by unfamiliar brands. Both high and low variety-seekers utilize the two non-priced cues – consumer rating and number of purchased SCs – as risk-relievers sequentially. That is, consumer rating constantly has a substantial impact on purchase likelihood for such SCs, whereas number of purchased SCs is influential only when consumer rating becomes ambiguous. Specifically, low (vs high) variety-seekers have a greater tendency to rely on number of purchased SCs in addition to consumer rating as a risk-reliever.

Originality/value

– This paper examines cue utilization process in the SC context and suggests that high and low variety-seekers respond to the two non-price cues differently and sequentially. This provides theoretical insights on consumers’ cue utilization process and managerial insights regarding how managers could strategically handle the cues on SC provider websites. Further, this paper identifies situations where high variety-seekers may not prefer unfamiliar experiences and low variety-seekers may become more likely to embrace unfamiliar experiences.
Can advertising creativity affect product perceptions and retailer evaluations?
Authors: Modig Erik , Rosengren Sara
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the impact of advertising creativity on consumer perceptions of product quality, value, retailer brand attitude and purchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 shows the impact of creativity (high/low) for two product categories (mineral water and chewing gum) and one known retailer. The findings are replicated and extended in Study 2 for four categories (mineral water, chewing gum, batteries and detergent) and two known retailers.

Findings

– The results show that advertising creativity positively signals perceived product quality, which increases perceived value. These effects fully mediate a positive impact on retailer brand attitude and purchase intentions. The positive effect of advertising creativity on perceived product quality is mediated by perceived advertisement effort.

Practical implications

– This study introduces advertising creativity as a way for retailers to increase perceived product quality and value. The results show that advertising creativity increases perceived effort on behalf of the sender, which positively influences purchase intentions.

Originality/value

– The current study shows that advertising creativity can work as a signal of product quality, which has positive effects for retailers.
Learning to learn through university accredited work-based learning: a threshold conception
Authors: Ramage Charlotte
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of the experience of qualified nurses managing the process of learning through work when enrolled on a work-based learning module.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study was based on constructivist grounded theory using semi-structured interviews with purposive and theoretical sampling of 13 health professionals across acute and community settings. Constant comparative method of data analysis used.

Findings

– A core category revealed a social process of learning to learn through work as the nurse shifted from a relatively passive view of the self in the workplace to one that actively constructed an environment that facilitated the realisation of learning objectives. The outcome was the development of metacognition skills of learning to learn promoting intentional learning behaviour towards a lifelong learning attitude.

Research limitations/implications

– If knowledge generated from work-based learning is to nourish the organisation, there needs to be opportunities for knowledge exchange in the workplace, consistent mentor support, protective time and a positive attitude to learning in work from colleagues. The study did not include master's students.

Originality/value

– While studies have highlighted the influence and impact of organisations on the quality and scope of learning through work, less is known about how health care professionals, in particular qualified nurses, learn to learn in the workplace. This study is of value to those investigating and supporting individuals learning through work-based learning. Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge introduce a creative perspective to explore the meaning of learning through work.
Adaptive acceleration in growth and development of salamander hatchlings in cannibalistic situations
Authors: Kishida Osamu , Tezuka Ayumi , Ikeda Akiko , Takatsu Kunio , Michimae Hirofumi
Published: October 2014

In most animal species, the hatchling stage is a highly vulnerable life‐history stage. In many fish and amphibian species, hatchling abundance varies substantially among sites and years, with the result that selection strength in conspecific interactions such as cannibalism is also variable. The variability of selection leads species to evolve phenotypic plasticity, and adaptive trait changes in hatchlings that depend on the density of conspecifics can therefore be expected. However, plasticity strategies in response to cannibalistic interactions in this vulnerable life‐history stage have received little attention.

Because cannibalism success is dependent on the size balance between predator capturing organ and prey body, and also on the prey‐capturing ability of the cannibal and the escape ability of its prey, we hypothesize that hatchlings will exhibit faster growth and development in response to conspecific interactions. We performed a series of experiments to test this hypothesis, using pre‐feeding larvae of a cannibalistic salamander (Hynobius retardatus).

Many traits of the hatchlings reared with conspecifics were larger than the same traits in those reared alone, because the former hatchlings grew faster and were more advanced developmentally. The time to the beginning of feeding was shorter, and swimming speed as an indicator of escape performance was faster, for hatchlings reared with conspecifics.

Hatchlings reared with conspecifics more successfully cannibalized small hatchlings and were also highly resistant to being cannibalized by large conspecifics, compared with hatchlings reared alone. These differences in cannibalism success and avoidance of cannibalization were well explained by differences in gape and head size, respectively, between the interacting hatchlings. Therefore, acceleration of growth and development of hatchlings in the proximate presence of conspecifics may confer significant fitness advantages on hatchlings in a high‐density cannibalistic situation.

Developmental and growth plasticity may thus be a powerful adaptive mechanism that allows individuals to respond to the dynamic character of salamander populations in nature.
Can community outreach alleviate poaching pressure and recover wildlife in South‐East Asian protected areas?
Authors: Steinmetz Robert , Srirattanaporn Surasak , Mor‐Tip Jirati , Seuaturien Naret
Published: October 2014

Many interventions to stem wildlife poaching have overlooked insights into human behaviour offered by the social sciences. South‐East Asia suffers the world's highest rate of wildlife declines, due mainly to poaching, yet there is little scientific attention on behaviour change, and few evaluations of the effectiveness of different approaches for stemming poaching.

We used social‐psychology principles to design a community outreach programme aimed at reducing poaching in a reserve in Thailand, and we monitored biological and social outcomes over 4‐6 years. Outreach aimed to build trust, raise awareness, motivate, offer opportunities for action, increase perceived behavioural control of villagers and generate social pressure against poaching. Behaviour change is promoted when these conditions converge.

We conducted 116 outreach events, focusing on adult farmers, children and local leaders. We assessed poaching trends using encounter rates with poaching signs and questionnaires. We monitored population status of six hunted mammal species (five ungulates and one rodent) using sign‐based occupancy surveys and camera trapping.

Poaching pressure dropped by a factor of four across the park, with multiple short‐term declines (usually to zero) immediately following outreach in seven of nine patrol zones. Park patrol effort was uncorrelated with poaching trends, contrary to expectations. Questionnaire responses (n = 311) corresponded to empirical observations: 88% stated that poaching declined over previous years; the top reason given for this decline was park outreach.

In response to safer conditions, occupancy and abundance of five of the six focal species increased significantly or was stable in all three monitoring sites. Patrol effort was statistically unrelated to wildlife trends.

Synthesis and applications. The weight of evidence in our study points to outreach as the main driver of a biologically significant decline in poaching that initiated the recovery of hunted species within the national park. This experiment provides one of the first demonstrations that scientifically designed and proactive park outreach activities might suppress poaching and initiate wildlife recovery in South‐East Asia.
Computerised pinch dynamometry in the assessment of adult hand spasticity
Authors: Barden Hannah L. H. , Baguley Ian J. , Nott Melissa T. , Heard Robert , Chapparo Christine
Published: October 2014

Background/aim

The hand engages with the environment through the grasp, stabilisation, manipulation and release of objects during everyday tasks, activities and routines. Upper motor neuron syndrome following acquired brain injury may negatively impact hand function, reducing strength, range of motion and motor control. It is important for clinicians to reliably measure such impacts, particularly for the impact of intervention and to monitor change in performance over time. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the test–retest reliability and construct validity of Dynamic Computerised pinch Dynamometry for measuring fine hand motor performance following acquired brain injury.

Methods

The Dynamic Computerised pinch Dynamometry protocol was completed by 36 community dwelling adults and 27 healthy adults using a simulated pinch and release task in lateral and pincer grip positions. Measurements were conducted over two testing occasions approximately five weeks apart. Dynamic Computerised pinch Dynamometry output was evaluated to determine the test–retest reliability and construct validity of the measure.

Results

Test–retest reliability scores using Kendall coefficient of concordance ranged from W = 0.61–0.94. Dynamic Computerised pinch Dynamometry discriminated between participants with and without acquired brain injury (z = 4.97–6.50, P < 0.05) and between the affected and non‐affected hand of participants with acquired brain injury (z = 3.37–5.22, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Dynamic Computerised pinch Dynamometry in both lateral and pincer positions had fair to excellent test–retest reliability, and had good construct validity for discrimination between participants with and without acquired brain injury as well as between the affected and non‐affected hand of participants with acquired brain injury.
The susceptibility of weathered versus unweathered schist to biological colonization in the Côa Valley Archaeological Park (north‐east Portugal)
Authors: Marques Joana , Vázquez‐Nion Daniel , Paz‐Bermúdez Graciela , Prieto Beatriz
Published: October 2014

This study addresses the primary and secondary bioreceptivity of schist used as a support for prehistoric rock art in the Côa Valley Archaeological Park (north‐east Portugal) and provides some parameters that can be related to the risk of biologically induced schist weathering. Samples of freshly quarried and naturally weathered schist were characterized in terms of their intrinsic properties and maintained in controlled environmental conditions after inoculation with biofilm‐forming cyanobacteria. The physical properties of the studied schist, as well as its abrasion pH, all varied according to the weathering degree of the samples and so did its susceptibility to colonization by biofilm‐forming cyanobacteria. Complete separation between weathered and unweathered schist samples in terms of laboratory‐induced photosynthetic biomass was obtained by measuring total colour change in the CIE (International Commission on Illumination) L*a*b* colour space. Weathered schist was more bioreceptive than unweathered schist, associated with increased open porosity, water saturation, capillary water and capillarity coefficient and decreased abrasion pH. In the future, it might be possible to determine the susceptibility of schist surfaces to biological colonization through evaluation of colour differences associated with the different weathering degrees presented by those surfaces prior to colonization.
Uncivil society: the politics of HIV activism in Pakistan
Authors: Qureshi Ayaz
Published: October 2014

This article presents an ethnography of the Association of the People Living with HIV in Pakistan, established under the auspices of UNAIDS, international NGOs, and the government's AIDS control department as an attempt to strengthen ‘civil society’. It was initially run by formerly marginalized HIV‐positive leaders of community‐based organizations (CBOs), until a young university‐educated HIV‐positive man from America was selected as its national co‐ordinator. One of the ways in which this new entrant undermined the dominance of long‐established leaders of the ‘PLHIV’ (People Living with HIV) sector was to democratize the Association by attempting to hold country‐wide elections among HIV‐positive people and de‐linking the Association from the CBOs. The resulting tug of war between the pioneers of HIV activism and a privileged newcomer with a savvy agenda revealed the politics of community, the importance of numbers, the ideal of democracy, and the breaking down of monopolies. This article explores how the Association became a site of contested claims instead of serving its envisaged purpose of bringing HIV‐positive people together on a common platform and agenda for a shared good. I argue that the recent literature that examines the activism of HIV‐positive people in terms of ‘biological citizenship’, or their organizations as spaces where people are subjectivated as ‘therapeutic citizens’ with a potential for world‐wide solidarity, must be reconsidered in light of the local histories and sociologies of HIV, and would benefit from a greater appreciation of the activists’ moral complexity.
Intersubjectivity and the creation of meaning in the analytic process
Authors: Maier Christian
Published: October 2014

By means of a clinical illustration, the author describes how the intersubjective exchanges involved in an analytic process facilitate the representation of affects and memories which have been buried in the unconscious or indeed have never been available to consciousness. As a result of projective identificatory processes in the analytic relationship, in this example the analyst falls into a situation of helplessness which connects with his own traumatic experiences. Then he gets into a formal regression of the ego and responds with a so‐to‐speak hallucinatory reaction—an internal image which enables him to keep the analytic process on track and, later on, to construct an early traumatic experience of the analysand.
Phenolic Compounds and Plant Phenolic Extracts as Natural Antioxidants in Prevention of Lipid Oxidation in Seafood: A Detailed Review
Authors: Maqsood Sajid , Benjakul Soottawat , Abushelaibi Aisha , Alam Asifa
Published: October 2014

Lipid oxidation is the principal cause of quality loss in seafood, which is known to contain high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Such quality deterioration, associated with the development of off‐flavor as well as lowering of nutritive value, can be retarded by incorporation of additives having antioxidative properties. The use of synthetic antioxidants has long been practiced in retarding lipid oxidation. However, due to the potential health concerns of synthetic antioxidants, polyphenolic compounds, which are found in different plants and their manufactured by‐products, have been used as an alternative natural antioxidants to retard lipid oxidation in different seafood systems. Both pure phenolic compounds and crude plant phenolic extracts have been successfully used in delaying oxidation in fish muscle, fish oil, and fish oil‐in‐water emulsions. This article reviews in detail the phenolic antioxidants and their natural sources as well as focuses on the role of pure phenolic compounds and crude plant phenolic extracts on the prevention of lipid oxidation in different seafood systems.
Do Variable Rates of Alcohol Drinking Alter the Ability to Use Transdermal Alcohol Monitors to Estimate Peak Breath Alcohol and Total Number of Drinks?
Authors: Hill‐Kapturczak Nathalie , Lake Sarah L. , Roache John D. , Cates Sharon E. , Liang Yuanyuan , Dougherty Donald M.
Published: October 2014

Background

Transdermal alcohol monitoring is a noninvasive method that continuously gathers transdermal alcohol concentrations (TAC) in real time; thus, its use is becoming increasingly more common in alcohol research. In previous studies, we developed models that use TAC data to estimate peak breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) and standard units consumed when the rate of consumption was tightly controlled.

Methods

Twenty‐two healthy participants aged 21 to 52 who reported consuming alcohol on 1 to 4 days per week were recruited from the community. The final study sample included 11 men and 8 women. Both TAC and BrAC were monitored while each participant drank 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 beers in the laboratory on 5 separate days. In contrast to previous studies, a self‐paced alcohol administration procedure was used.

Results

While there was considerable variation in the times it took to consume each beer, key TAC parameters were not affected by pace of drinking. TAC data were then used in combination with the previously derived equations and estimated peak BrAC and standard units of alcohol consumed.

Conclusions

Transdermal alcohol monitoring can be used to reliably estimate peak BrAC and standard number of units consumed regardless of the rate of consumption, further demonstrating its usefulness in clinical research.
Breed‐specific expression of DROSHA, DICER and AGO2 is regulated by glucocorticoid‐mediated miRNAs in the liver of newborn piglets
Authors: Li Runsheng , Jia Yimin , Zou Huafeng , Zhao Ruqian
Published: October 2014

MicroRNA (miRNA) biogenesis is determined mainly by Drosha, Dicer and Argonaute2 (Ago2). Different breeds of pigs with vast differences in serum cortisol level demonstrate distinct profiles of hepatic miRNA expression. As yet, little is known about whether glucocorticoid contributes to the breed differences in miRNA biogenesis. Here, we used newborn Large White (LW) and Erhualian (EHL) piglets to investigate the role of glucocorticoid in breed‐specific hepatic miRNA biogenesis. Erhualian piglets showing significantly higher serum cortisol level, as compared to LW, demonstrated higher hepatic expression of Drosha, Dicer and Ago2 at the protein level, but not at the mRNA level. At the post‐transcriptional level, miRNAs that are predicted to target these proteins may be involved in the regulation. Hepatic expression of miR‐15b and miR‐222 was significantly lower in EHL piglets and was associated with higher glucocorticoid receptor binding to the respective promoter regions of miR‐15b and miR‐222 genes. The inhibitory effect of glucocorticoid on miR‐15b and miR‐222 expression was further verified in HepG2 cells, in which dexamethasone significantly downregulated the expression of primary transcripts of miR‐15b and miR‐222 genes. In conclusion, the higher protein content of Drosha, Dicer and Ago2 in the liver of EHL piglets is post‐transcriptionally regulated, at least in part, by glucocorticoid‐mediated repression of miR‐15b and miR‐222.
Localised pityriasis rosea‐like eruption during radiotherapy. Report of 2 cases
Authors: Moloney Gary R , Goh Michelle SY , Mitchell Catherine , McCormack Chris J
Published: October 2014

Pityriasis rosea is a common skin condition that presents acutely with asymptomatic, scaly and oval plaques, usually in a well‐recognised distribution over the trunk. Two men developed ovoid, scaly and annular lesions limited to the radiotherapy field during treatment for pelvic malignancies and without a preceding herald patch. Other causes of the eruption were excluded on clinical and pathological grounds and the histopathological features were consistent with a pityriasis rosea‐like eruption. In both cases the lesions resolved spontaneously by 8 weeks. These are the first reported cases of a localised pityriasis rosea‐like eruption arising during radiotherapy.
Chemotactic Activity of Gestational Tissues Through Late Pregnancy, Term Labor, and RU486‐Induced Preterm Labor in Guinea Pigs
Authors: Gomez‐Lopez Nardhy , Tong Wing‐Chiu , Arenas‐Hernandez Marcia , Tanaka Satomi , Hajar Omar , Olson David M. , Taggart Michael J. , Mitchell Bryan F.
Published: October 2014

Problem

Is increased leukocyte chemotactic activity (CA) from gestational tissues necessary for term or preterm labor in guinea pigs?

Method of Study

Tissue extracts were prepared from pregnant guinea pig decidua–myometrium, cervix, fetal membranes (amniochorion), and placenta during early third trimester (n = 8), term not in labor (TNL, n = 5), and term spontaneous labor (TL, n = 6), RU486‐induced preterm labor (PTL, n = 6), or controls (cPTL, n = 5). Leukocyte CA was assessed using a modified Boyden chamber assay. Extract chemokine and maternal progesterone concentrations were quantified by enzyme immunoassay.

Results

Only the extracts from amniochorion demonstrated increased CA through late gestation and labor. In contrast, CA was decreased in extracts from amniochorion and cervix from animals after RU486‐induced PTL. Maternal progesterone concentrations remained high in all groups.

Conclusion

Leukocyte CA of intrauterine tissues is increased in term spontaneous labor. However, RU486‐induced preterm labor occurs in the absence of increased CA.
How to select immotile but viable spermatozoa on the day of intracytoplasmic sperm injection? An embryologist's view
Authors: Nordhoff V.
Published: October 2014

A viable spermatozoon is the prerequisite for initiating fertilization in intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Usually motility is the primary sign used to determine a sperm's viability. However, in every in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory cases are observed in which none or only few spermatozoa are motile. This can occur in treatment cycles involving ejaculated samples but is most common in cases where surgically extracted testicular spermatozoa are used. To aid in selection, several techniques have been developed to identify viable spermatozoa from the immotile fraction. Amongst the more commonly used approaches are (i) the hypo‐osmotic swelling test (ii) chemical substances for induction of tail movements (iii) the sperm tail flexibility test and (iv) laser‐assisted immotile sperm selection. All can be used routinely in an IVF laboratory with each having both strengths and weaknesses. It is the purpose of this short review to focus on the technical issues involved in the performance of each of these techniques and to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
Characterization of reactive oxygen species in diaphragm
Authors: Zuo L. , Best T. M. , Roberts W. J. , Diaz P. T. , Wagner P. D.
Published: October 2014

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) exist as natural mediators of metabolism to maintain cellular homeostasis. However, ROS production may significantly increase in response to environmental stressors, resulting in extensive cellular damage. Although several potential sources of increased ROS have been proposed, exact mechanisms of their generation have not been completely elucidated. This is particularly true for diaphragmatic skeletal muscle, the key muscle used for respiration. Several experimental models have focused on detection of ROS generation in rodent diaphragm tissue under stressful conditions, including hypoxia, exercise, and heat, as well as ROS formation in single myofibres. Identification methods include direct detection of ROS with confocal or fluorescent microscopy and indirect detection of ROS through end product analysis. This article explores implications of ROS generation and oxidative stress, and also evaluates potential mechanisms of cellular ROS formation in diaphragmatic skeletal muscle.
Climatic characterization of forest zones across administrative boundaries improves conservation planning
Authors: Klassen Heather A. , Burton Philip J.
Published: October 2014

Aim

This paper demonstrates methods to extend standardized vegetation zone descriptions and mapped distributions across political boundaries. An extended climate niche for North America's Coastal Douglas‐fir (CDF) forest zone is determined and projected to evaluate its potential distribution under a changing climate and to identify climate refugia for conservation planning.

Location

Pacific Northwest temperate rain forest in British Columbia (BC), CA, and nearby Washington (WA) and Oregon (OR), US.

Methods

Using a combination of ecosystem polygon mapping and ecological plot data with climate interpolation tools, forests characterized as CDF under BC's biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification system were identified in the neighbouring US. Current (baseline) limits to CDF distribution were identified and used to map its potential distribution and climate refugia under future climate conditions using ensemble Global Climate Model projections.

Results

The extended CDF climate niche covers 76 725 km2 under baseline conditions, with the majority of the area in the Pacific Northwest US. The extended CDF forest zone includes a vegetation assemblage consistent with existing definitions of BC's CDF moist maritime subzone, but also an additional vegetation assemblage representing a drier maritime subzone. Projections of future climate suggest a northerly shift (~150 km) and a decrease (−91.5%) in overall CDF area. Climate refugia are projected for discontinuous patches of CDF forest on Vancouver Island and adjacent mainland.

Conclusions

This project combined georeferenced ecological plot data and digital maps, thereby facilitating the international mapping of ecosystem distributions in adjacent administrative areas that do not currently use the same ecosystem classification and mapping systems. This approach and the concept of climate niche definition, distribution and persistence are applicable to the management, restoration and conservation of plant communities, particularly in evaluating future ecosystem range shifts and disruptions associated with a changing climate. The potential for dramatic reductions in the range of the Coastal Douglas‐fir zone, with persistence in <15% of its current area, suggest that most of the extended CDF zone is marginally suitable for the characteristic CDF ecosystems and that slight shifts in climate or disturbance regime may greatly alter the character of the vegetation. The full climatic niche for British Columbia's Coastal Douglas‐fir forest zone is determined from its mapped distribution and georeferenced plot data in the neighbouring USA. A new subzone is characterized, and the potential distribution of the extended zone is projected under a changing climate to identify climate refugia. For sensitive ecosystems with multi‐jurisdictional distributions, this approach helps focus conservation efforts.
Mobile apps for reflection in learning: A design research in K‐12 education
Authors: Leinonen Teemu , Keune Anna , Veermans Marjaana , Toikkanen Tarmo
Published: October 2014

This study takes a design‐based research approach to explore how applications designed for mobile devices could support reflection in learning in K‐12 education. Use of mobile devices is increasing in schools. Most of the educational apps support single‐person use of interactive learning materials, simulations and learning games. Apps designed to correspond to collaborative learning paradigms, such as collaborative progressive inquiry or project‐based learning, are scarce. In these pedagogical approaches, reflection plays an important role. This paper presents a design‐based research study of mobile device apps, ReFlex and TeamUp, that are specifically designed for use in student‐centred and collaborative school learning, in which continuous reflection is an important part of the learning process. The design of the apps has relied on earlier research on digital tools for reflection and research about mobile devices in classroom learning. The design of the apps was accomplished as part of the qualitative design‐based research conducted with a total of 165 teachers in 13 European countries. As a characteristic for a design‐based research, the results of the study are twofold: practical and theoretical. The apps designed, ReFlex and TeamUp, are practical results of the qualitative research carried out in schools with teachers and students to understand the design challenges and opportunities in schools, to renew their pedagogical practices and to take new tools in use. To understand better the capacity of the apps to facilitate reflection, we analysed the apps in light of earlier studies concerning the levels of reflection that digital tools may support and categorisations of affordances that mobile device apps may provide for classroom learning. Our research indicates that there is potential for fostering the practice of reflection in classroom learning through the use of apps for audio‐visual recordings.