bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Composition and bandgap control of AlxGa1−xN films synthesized by plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Cai Hua , Liang Peipei , Hübner René , Zhou Shengqiang , Li Yanli , Sun Jian , Xu Ning , Wu Jiada
Published: April 2015

Ternary AlxGa1−xN films with different Al compositions were synthesized on sapphire and Si substrates by pulsed laser co-ablation of a polycrystalline GaAs target and a metallic Al target in nitrogen plasma generated by electron cyclotron resonance discharge of N2 gas.
Understanding Limited Use of Amplification in Infants and Children Who Are Hard of Hearing
Authors: McCreery Ryan W. , Walker Elizabeth A. , Spratford Meredith
Published: April 2015

The effectiveness of amplification for infants and children can be mediated by how much the child uses the device. Existing research suggests that establishing hearing aid use can be challenging. A wide range of factors can influence hearing aid use in children, including the child's age, degree of hearing loss, and socioeconomic status. Audiological interventions, including using validated prescriptive approaches and verification, performing on-going training and orientation, and communicating with caregivers about hearing aid use can also increase hearing aid use by infants and children. Case examples are used to highlight the factors that influence hearing aid use. Potential management strategies and future research needs are also discussed.
Hearing Aid Use for Children With Hearing Loss: A Literature Review
Authors: Muñoz Karen , Hill Melanie M.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to complete a comprehensive literature review related to hearing aid use during early childhood.

Method

A rapid evidence assessment was completed to provide a summary of information published or presented between 1980 and 2012. A qualitative assessment was completed for all eligible material, emergent themes related to hearing aid use were synthesized, and a narrative summary was generated.

Results

Eight publications, one conference proceeding, and one presentation were identified. Three themes emerged from the review: hours of hearing aid use, factors influencing use, and suggestions about how to increase use from parents and professionals.

Conclusion

Minimal research has been done related to hearing aid use for young children with hearing loss. Further research is needed to address influences such as quality of fit, parent factors, multiple disabilities, and cultural differences and to investigate effective strategies for increasing hearing aid use.
The linac coherent light source single particle imaging road map
Authors: Aquila A. , Barty A. , Bostedt C. , Boutet S. , Carini G. , dePonte D. , Drell P. , Doniach S. , Downing K. H. , Earnest T. , Elmlund H. , Elser V. , Gühr M. , Hajdu J. , Hastings J. , Hau-Riege S. P. , Huang Z. , Lattman E. E. , Maia F. R. N. C. , Marchesini S. , Ourmazd A. , Pellegrini C. , Santra R. , Schlichting I. , Schroer C. , Spence J. C. H. , Vartanyants I. A. , Wakatsuki S. , Weis W. I. , Williams G. J.
Published: April 2015

Intense femtosecond x-ray pulses from free-electron laser sources allow the imaging of individual particles in a single shot. Early experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have led to rapid progress in the field and, so far, coherent diffractive images have been recorded from biological specimens, aerosols, and quantum systems with a few-tens-of-nanometers resolution. In March 2014, LCLS held a workshop to discuss the scientific and technical challenges for reaching the ultimate goal of atomic resolution with single-shot coherent diffractive imaging. This paper summarizes the workshop findings and presents the roadmap toward reaching atomic resolution, 3D imaging at free-electron laser sources.
Donor-acceptor-pair emission in fluorescent 4H-SiC grown by PVT method
Authors: Liu Xi , Zhuo Shi-Yi , Gao Pan , Huang Wei , Yan Cheng-Feng , Shi Er-Wei
Published: April 2015

Fluorescent SiC, which contains donor and acceptor impurities with optimum concentrations, can work as a phosphor for visible light emission by donor-acceptor-pair (DAP) recombination. In this work, 3 inch N-B-Al co-doped fluorescent 4H-SiC crystals are prepared by PVT method. The p-type fluorescent 4H-SiC with low aluminum doping concentration can show intensive yellow-green fluorescence at room temperature. N-B DAP peak wavelength shifts from 578nm to 525nm and weak N-Al DAP emission occurred 403/420 nm quenches, when the temperature increases from 4K to 298K. The aluminum doping induces higher defect concentration in the fluorescent crystal and decreases optical transmissivity of the crystal in the visible light range. It triggers more non-radiative recombination and light absorption losses in the crystal.
Interface-state capture cross section—Why does it vary so much?
Authors: Ryan J. T. , Matsuda A. , Campbell J. P. , Cheung K. P.
Published: April 2015

A capture cross section value is often assigned to Si–SiO2 interface defects. Using a kinetic variation of the charge pumping technique and transition state theory, we show that the value of capture cross section is extremely sensitive to the measurement approach and does not provide any meaningful insight into the physics involved. We argue that capture cross section is neither a physical property of interface defects nor is there any need to assign capture cross section values.
Immune system, inflammation and nutrition in dairy cattle
Authors: Bertoni G. , Minuti A. , Trevisi E.
Published: April 2015

Good health is essential for good performance and the welfare of dairy cows, and nutrition is an important component of good health. Health is influenced by the interaction between the innate adaptive components of the immune system and other factors, such as the local and systemic inflammatory response, which can sometimes be more harmful than useful. Therefore, for dairy cows, particularly those in the periparturient period, it is important to avoid, or reduce as much as possible, any kind of infectious, parasitic or metabolic disease and the associated inflammation. Such inflammation can impair cow performance by lowering milk yield, dry matter intake, fertility and energy efficiency, and can reduce liver function. Good nutrition is essential in maintaining a functional immune system, while also avoiding other causes of inflammation, such as tissue damage, and digestive and metabolic syndrome-related disorders. Provision of appropriate nutrients, such as antioxidants, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid and vitamin D can have anti-inflammatory effects. In the future, ways to reduce inflammation while maintaining a good immune defence must be developed and the susceptibility of the cow to diseases and inflammation evaluated. Ideally, we would be able to selectively breed for cows with a lower susceptibility to both diseases and inflammation.
Tailoring of Morphology and Optical Properties of Bishydrazone-Capped ZnSe Nanorods
Authors: Florence S. Sasi , Umadevi M. , Arockiasamy D. Lawrence , John Rita
Published: April 2015

Hydrazone derivatives containing heterocyclic moieties have interesting ligational features. Various heterocyclic base ligands have been gradually used to synthesize nanomaterials; however, adapting task-specific ligand systems to guide the synthesis path towards desirable nanostructures and morphologies is rare. In this article, bishydrazone was used as a ligand to purposely modify the morphological structure of the zinc selenide nanostructures via wet chemical reaction method at room temperature. The as-prepared ZnSe nanorods are relatively uniform with an average diameter of ~100 nm at the core and top diameter of 8–10 nm. UV-Vis spectrum of the products displayed absorption maxima at 390 nm. Therefore, the obtained ZnSe nanorods may have promising applications in blue emitters, catalysts, and gas sensors. The presence of bishydrazone in the ZnSe nanorods is confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared spectrum. It would be expected that bishydrazone could be used to prepare other nanoscale metal selenides with special morphologies and improved properties on a large scale.
Spatio-specific regulation of endocrine-responsive gene transcription by periovulatory endocrine profiles in the bovine reproductive tract
Authors: Araújo Estela R. , Sponchiado Mariana , Pugliesi Guilherme , Van Hoeck Veerle , Mesquita Fernando S. , Membrive Claudia M. B. , Binelli Mario
Published: April 2015

In cattle, pro-oestrous oestradiol and dioestrous progesterone concentrations modulate endometrial gene expression and fertility. The aim was to compare the effects of different periovulatory endocrine profiles on the expression of progesterone receptor (PGR), oestrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), oxytocin receptor (OXTR), member C4 of aldo–keto reductase family 1 (AKR1C4), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), solute carrier family 2, member 1 (SLC2A1) and serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A member 14 (SERPINA14): (1) between uterine horns ipsi- and contralateral to the corpus luteum (CL), (2) between regions of the ipsilateral horn and (3) in the vagina. Endometrium and vagina tissue samples were collected from cows that ovulated a larger (large follicle-large CL, LF-LCL; n = 6) or smaller follicle (small follicle-small CL, SF-SCL; n = 6) 7 days after oestrus. Cows in the LF-LCL group had a greater abundance of transcripts encoding ESR2, AKR1C4, LPL, SLC2A1 and SERPINA14, but a reduced expression of PGR and OXTR in the endometrium versus the SF-SCL group (P < 0.05). Expression of PGR and OXTR was greater in the contralateral compared with the ipsilateral horn (P < 0.05). Regardless of group, the anterior region of the ipsilateral horn had increased expression of PGR, ESR2, LPL, SLC2A1 and SERPINA14 (P < 0.05). Different periovulatory endocrine profiles, i.e. LF-LCL or SF-SCL, did not influence gene expression in the vagina and had no interaction with inter- or intra-uterine horn gene expression. In conclusion, inter- and intra-uterine horn variations in gene expression indicate that the expression of specific genes in the bovine reproductive tract is location dependent. However, spatial distribution of transcripts was not influenced by distinct periovulatory sex-steroid environments.
Oogonial stem cells as a model to study age-associated infertility in women
Authors: Garg Neha , Sinclair David A.
Published: April 2015

Fertility is the first biological process to break down during aging, thereby making it a useful tool to understand fundamental processes of aging. Reproductive aging in females is associated with a loss of ovarian function characterised by a reduction in the number and quality of oocytes. The central dogma, namely that females are born with a fixed pool of oocytes that progressively decline with increasing maternal age, has been challenged by evidence supporting postnatal oogenesis in mammals. Reports demonstrating formation of new oocytes from newly discovered germline stem cells, referred to as oogonial stem cells (OSCs), has opened new avenues for treatment of female infertility. In this review we discuss why the OSCs possibly lose their regenerative potential over time, and focus specifically on the aging process in germline stem cells as a possible mechanism for understanding female age-related infertility and how we can slow or delay ovarian aging.
Fuel accumulation and forest structure change following hazardous fuel reduction treatments throughout California
Authors: Vaillant Nicole M. , Noonan-Wright Erin K. , Reiner Alicia L. , Ewell Carol M. , Rau Benjamin M. , Fites-Kaufman Josephine A. , Dailey Scott N.
Published: April 2015

Altered fuel conditions coupled with changing climate have disrupted fire regimes of forests historically characterised by high-frequency and low-to-moderate-severity fire. Managers use fuel treatments to abate undesirable fire behaviour and effects. Short-term effectiveness of fuel treatments to alter fire behaviour and effects is well documented; however, long-term effectiveness is not well known. We evaluated surface fuel load, vegetation cover and forest structure before and after mechanical and fire-only treatments over 8 years across 11 National Forests in California. Eight years post treatment, total surface fuel load returned to 67 to 79% and 55 to 103% of pretreatment levels following fire-only and mechanical treatments respectively. Herbaceous or shrub cover exceeded pretreatment levels two-thirds of the time 8 years after treatment. Fire-only treatments warranted re-entry at 8 years post treatment owing to the accumulation of live and dead fuels and minimal impact on canopy bulk density. In general, mechanical treatments were more effective at reducing canopy bulk density and initially increasing canopy base height than prescribed fire. However, elevated surface fuel loads, canopy base height reductions in later years and lack of restoration of fire as an ecological process suggest that including prescribed fire would be beneficial.
Mutualistic and predatory interactions are driven by rodent body size and seed traits in a rodent–seed system in warm-temperate forest in northern China
Authors: Zhang Hongmao , Wang Zhenzhen , Zeng Qinghuan , Chang Gang , Wang Zhenyu , Zhang Zhibin
Published: April 2015

Context
Mutualistic interactions between animals and plants shape the structure of plant–animal systems and, subsequently, affect plant-community structure and regeneration.

Aims
To assess the effects of plant and rodent functional traits on the formation of mutualistic and predatory interactions regarding seed dispersal and predation in a warm-temperate forest.

Methods
Seed scatter-hoarding and predation by six sympatric rodent species on seeds belonging to five sympatric tree species were tested under enclosure conditions.

Key results
Functional traits (i.e. rodent body size and seed traits) are important to mutualism/predation in this seed–rodent system. The rodent–seed network is highly nested: large-sized rodents have mutualistic or predatory interactions with both large- and small-sized seed species, but small-sized rodents interacted with small-sized seed species only. Large seeds or seeds with hard coats enhanced mutualism and reduced predation.

Conclusion
Body size of rodents and seed traits such as handling time and nutritional value are key factors in the formation of mutualistic and predatory interactions within seed–rodent systems.

Implications
To promote seedling establishment in degenerated forests, introducing or protecting large-sized scatter hoarders and reducing the density of pure seed eaters are needed.
Iterative adaptive radiations of fossil canids show no evidence for diversity-dependent trait evolution
Authors: Slater Graham J.
Published: April 2015

Significance

Many of the most diverse lineages of animals and plants are hypothesized to have arisen via the process of adaptive radiation. Most modern definitions of adaptive radiation focus on the role of ecological opportunity in regulating rates of morphological diversification. Using the rich fossil record of North American canids (wolves, foxes, and their relatives), I found no relationship between past diversity and rates of body size or tooth shape evolution. Instead, phenotypic evolution is directed toward adaptively optimal morphologies, such as large size or broad molars, without changes in the rate at which diversity accumulates. If these kinds of processes are common, we may need to rethink many of our ideas about the origins of morphological diversity.
The advent of animals: The view from the Ediacaran
Authors: Droser Mary L. , Gehling James G.
Published: April 2015

Significance

Patterns of evolution, origination, and extinction of early animal life on this planet are largely interpreted from fossils of the soft-bodied Ediacara Biota, Earth’s earliest multicellular communities preserved globally. The record of these organisms predates the well-known Cambrian Explosion by nearly 40 million years and provides critical information concerning early experimentation with complex life-forms on Earth. Here we show that, although in appearance, these organisms look very strange and unfamiliar, many of them may have had a biology and/or ecology similar to animals today, and some were most certainly bilaterians, cnidarians, and poriferans.
Fossils, phylogenies, and the challenge of preserving evolutionary history in the face of anthropogenic extinctions
Authors: Huang Danwei , Goldberg Emma E. , Roy Kaustuv
Published: April 2015

Significance

Anthropogenic impacts are endangering many species, potentially leading to a disproportionate loss of evolutionary history (EH) in the future. However, surprisingly little is known about the loss of EH during extinctions in the geological past, and thus we do not know whether anthropogenic extinctions are pruning the tree of life in a manner that is unique in Earth's history. Comparisons of EH loss during past and ongoing extinctions is difficult because of conceptual differences in how ages are estimated from paleontological data versus molecular phylogenies. We used simulations and empirical analyses to show that the differences between the two data types do not preclude such comparisons, which are essential for improving evolutionarily informed models of conservation prioritization.
The genome of cultivated sweet potato contains
Agrobacterium
T-DNAs with expressed genes: An example of a naturally transgenic food crop
Authors: Kyndt Tina , Quispe Dora , Zhai Hong , Jarret Robert , Ghislain Marc , Liu Qingchang , Gheysen Godelieve , Kreuze Jan F.
Published: April 2015

Significance

We communicate the rather remarkable observation that among 291 tested accessions of cultivated sweet potato, all contain one or more transfer DNA (T-DNA) sequences. These sequences, which are shown to be expressed in a cultivated sweet potato clone (“Huachano”) that was analyzed in detail, suggest that an
Agrobacterium
infection occurred in evolutionary times. One of the T-DNAs is apparently present in all cultivated sweet potato clones, but not in the crop’s closely related wild relatives, suggesting the T-DNA provided a trait or traits that were selected for during domestication. This finding draws attention to the importance of plant–microbe interactions, and given that this crop has been eaten for millennia, it may change the paradigm governing the “unnatural” status of transgenic crops.
Covariation between human pelvis shape, stature, and head size alleviates the obstetric dilemma
Authors: Fischer Barbara , Mitteroecker Philipp
Published: April 2015

Significance

Because of the tight fit of the large human neonate through the narrow maternal birth canal, childbirth is remarkably difficult. In this study we show that the dimensions of head, stature, and pelvis in a human body are linked in a complex way that was not recognized before and that contributes to ameliorate this tight fit. We show that females with a large head possess a birth canal that can better accommodate large-headed neonates. Because mothers with large heads usually give birth to neonates with large heads, the detected pattern of covariation contributes to ease childbirth and has likely evolved in response to strong selection.
Identification of DNA cleavage- and recombination-specific hnRNP cofactors for activation-induced cytidine deaminase
Authors: Hu Wenjun , Begum Nasim A. , Mondal Samiran , Stanlie Andre , Honjo Tasuku
Published: April 2015

Significance

The B-cell–specific antibody gene-diversifying enzyme activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) shows high homology with apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC1), which edits apolipoprotein B-100 mRNA in the presence of cofactor APOBEC1 complementation factor/APOBEC complementation factor (A1CF/ACF). Here we show that the DNA cleavage and recombination functions of AID depend critically on its RNA-dependent interaction with distinct heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) cofactors. Depletion of hnRNP K inhibited DNA cleavage essential to both class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation, but depletion of hnRNP L blocked the CSR-associated recombination. Thus this is the first report, to our knowledge, identifying A1CF-like hnRNP-family editing cofactors for AID.
The impact of the electoral system on the level of women’s legislative representation in post-apartheid South Africa
Authors: Nkala Sizo , Ogunnubi Olusola
Published: April 2015

In just two decades after the demise of apartheid in South Africa, women’s legislative representation has grown in leaps and bounds rising from nearly nothing to over 40%, which is twice the world average of 20%. While this trend can be attributed to a number of factors, this paper casts a spotlight on the role of the electoral system structure vis-à-vis the changes in women’s representation. The paper investigates how the proportional representation system and its associated features such as the use of closed lists, multimember constituencies and a large district magnitude have influenced increased women’s electoral representation in post-apartheid South Africa. The paper further argues that while the electoral system has played an important role in the rise of women’s representation, this explanation is hardly sufficient as statistics show that the rapid increase of female representatives is linked, among other factors, to the African National Congress 50/50 gender quota which has seen it contributing more than 75% of women representation in the National Assembly.
Acquired macrolide resistance genes in Haemophilus influenzae?
Authors: Atkinson Christopher T. , Kunde Dale A. , Tristram Stephen G.
Published: April 2015

Objectives

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of specific acquired macrolide resistance genes previously reported as present in clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae.

Methods

A collection of 172 clinical respiratory isolates of H. influenzae, including 59 isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and 27 from non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis patients with significant prior macrolide use, was established. This collection was tested for azithromycin susceptibility using Etest and screened for the presence of erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), erm(F), mef(A) and mef(E) using locked nucleic acid dual-labelled hydrolysis probes.

Results

The azithromycin MICs ranged from 0.09 to >256 mg/L, with 2 (1.2%) isolates susceptible, 163 (94.8%) intermediate and 7 (4%) resistant according to EUCAST breakpoints (susceptible, ≤0.12 mg/L; resistant, >4 mg/L). None of the acquired macrolide resistance genes erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), erm(F), mef(A) or mef(E) was detected in any of the isolates.

Conclusions

The specific acquired macrolide resistance genes are not widespread in H. influenzae and the high prevalence of these genes previously reported might be unique to the specific circumstances of that study.
Leucothrix pacifica sp. nov., isolated from seawater, and emended description of the genus Leucothrix
Authors: Zhang Zenghu , Gao Xin , Wang Long , Zhang Xiao-Hua
Published: April 2015

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated, non-gliding, oxidase- and catalase-positive, white-pigmented and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain XH122T, was isolated from a surface seawater sample collected from the South Pacific Gyre (45° 58′ E 163° 11′ S) during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 329.Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain XH122Tbelonged to the genus Leucothrix and showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Leucothrix mucor DSM 2157T(94.3 %). It showed lower sequence similarities ( < 90.7 %) with all other representatives of the classGammaproteobacteria. Optimal growth occurred in the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 8.0 and at 28 °C. The DNA G+C content of strain XH122Twas 46.2 mol%. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, C16 : 1ω9cand C18 : 1ω9c. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. On the basis of data from this polyphasic study, strain XH122Tis considered to represent a novel species of the genusLeucothrix, for which the nameLeucothrix pacificasp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XH122T( = DSM 25984T = JCM 18388T).
The E–Id protein axis modulates the activities of the PI3K–AKT–mTORC1–Hif1a and c-myc/p19Arf pathways to suppress innate variant TFH cell development, thymocyte expansion, and lymphomagenesis
Authors: Miyazaki Masaki , Miyazaki Kazuko , Chen Shuwen , Chandra Vivek , Wagatsuma Keisuke , Agata Yasutoshi , Rodewald Hans-Reimer , Saito Rintaro , Chang Aaron N. , Varki Nissi , Kawamoto Hiroshi , Murre Cornelis
Published: April 2015

It is now well established that the E and Id protein axis regulates multiple steps in lymphocyte development. However, it remains unknown how E and Id proteins mechanistically enforce and maintain the naïve T-cell fate. Here we show that Id2 and Id3 suppressed the development and expansion of innate variant follicular helper T (TFH) cells. Innate variant TFH cells required major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-like signaling and were associated with germinal center B cells. We found that Id2 and Id3 induced Foxo1 and Foxp1 expression to antagonize the activation of a TFH transcription signature. We show that Id2 and Id3 acted upstream of the Hif1a/Foxo/AKT/mTORC1 pathway as well as the c-myc/p19Arf module to control cellular expansion. We found that mice depleted for Id2 and Id3 expression developed colitis and αβ T-cell lymphomas. Lymphomas depleted for Id2 and Id3 expression displayed elevated levels of c-myc, whereas p19Arf abundance declined. Transcription signatures of Id2- and Id3-depleted lymphomas revealed similarities to genetic deficiencies associated with Burkitt lymphoma. We propose that, in response to antigen receptor and/or cytokine signaling, the E–Id protein axis modulates the activities of the PI3K–AKT–mTORC1–Hif1a and c-myc/p19Arf pathways to control cellular expansion and homeostatic proliferation.
The Ino80 complex prevents invasion of euchromatin into silent chromatin
Authors: Xue Yong , Van Christopher , Pradhan Suman K. , Su Trent , Gehrke Jason , Kuryan Benjamin G. , Kitada Tasuku , Vashisht Ajay , Tran Nancy , Wohlschlegel James , Peterson Craig L. , Kurdistani Siavash K. , Carey Michael F.
Published: April 2015

Here we show that the Ino80 chromatin remodeling complex (Ino80C) directly prevents euchromatin from invading transcriptionally silent chromatin within intergenic regions and at the border of euchromatin and heterochromatin. Deletion of Ino80C subunits leads to increased H3K79 methylation and noncoding RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription centered at the Ino80C-binding sites. The effect of Ino80C is direct, as it blocks H3K79 methylation by Dot1 in vitro. Heterochromatin stimulates the binding of Ino80C in vitro and in vivo. Our data reveal that Ino80C serves as a general silencing complex that restricts transcription to gene units in euchromatin.
Crystal structure of 4-bromophenyl-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate
Authors: Devarajegowda H. C. , Suchetan P. A. , Srinivasa H. T. , Sreenivasa S. , Palakshamurthy B. S.
Published: April 2015

In the title compound, C16H9BrO4, the coumarin ring system is approximately planar, with an r.m.s deviation of the ten fitted non-H atoms of 0.031 Å, and forms a dihedral angle of 25.85 (10)° with the bromobenzene ring. The carbonyl atoms aresyn. In the crystal, molecules are connected along [001]viaC—H...O interactions, formingC(6) chains. NeighbouringC(6) chains are connectedviaseveral π–π interactions [range of centroid–centroid distances = 3.7254 (15)–3.7716 (16) Å], leading to sheets propagating in thebcplane.
Analysis of cyberbullying sensitivity levels of high school students and their perceived social support levels
Authors: Akturk Ahmet Oguz
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine the cyberbullying sensitivity levels of high school students and their perceived social supports levels, and analyze the variables that predict cyberbullying sensitivity. In addition, whether cyberbullying sensitivity levels and social support levels differed according to gender was also investigated. While current communication technologies such as mobile phones, the Internet and social network sites provide new opportunities for learning and interaction, they may also pose a threat to personal security. The rapid increase in access to information and communication technologies by young people can also cause those technologies to be used for bullying their peers – called cyberbullying.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, the cyberbullying sensitivity levels of high school students and their perceived social support levels were determined, and some variables (perceived social support, gender and academic success) which predicted sensitivity related to cyberbullying were analyzed. A total of 433 students studying in a large public high school located at the middle part of Turkey voluntarily participated in this study.

Findings

– The findings of this research show that both the cyberbullying sensitivities of the students and their levels of the perceived social support were high and that both the cyberbullying sensitivities of the female students and their perceived social support levels were higher than the ones of the male students. Based on the result of stepwise regression analysis that investigate the predicting factors related to cyberbullying sensitivities of the students, perceived social support was found to be the strongest predicting factor.

Originality/value

– It can be seen that most young people have little information about cyberbullying and they lack information about basic e-security applications. Accordingly, most young people are victims or potential victims of cyberbullying. In conclusion, to remove victimhood due to cyberbullying or reduce it to a minimum from an optimistic point of view, not only risky processes but also how the environment should protect young people from developing incompatible behaviors and how to increase their sensitivity should be taken into consideration. It may be said that the findings that we obtained in our research may contribute to relevant studies from the point of developing preventive programs against cyberbullying.
An educational system to help students assess website features and identify high-risk websites
Authors: Kajiyama Tomoko , Echizen Isao
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective educational system to help students assess Web site risk by providing an environment in which students can better understand a Web site’s features and determine the risks of accessing the Web site for themselves.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors have enhanced a prototype visualization system for helping students assess Web site features and use them to identify risky Web sites. The system was implemented with our graphical search interface for multi-attribute metadata called “Concentric Ring View” and was tested using 13,386 actual and dummy Web sites and 11 Web site attributes.

Findings

– The testing revealed several distinguishing attributes of risky Web sites, including being related to “play”, having monotone colors, having many images, having many links and having many pages with much text in smaller font size. A usability test with 12 teenaged female students demonstrated that they could learn to identify some features of risky Web sites.

Originality/value

– As students cannot live in a safe cyberspace environment forever, they should be taught how to identify risky Web sites. We proposed an educational system to help students assess Web site features and identify high-risk Web site and verified the effectiveness of this system.
Keyword extraction from Arabic legal texts
Authors: Rammal Mahmoud , Bahsoun Zeinab , Al Achkar Jabbour Mona
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to apply local grammar (LG) to develop an indexing system which automatically extracts keywords from titles of Lebanese official journals.

Design/methodology/approach

– To build LG for our system, the first word that plays the determinant role in understanding the meaning of a title is analyzed and grouped as the initial state. These steps are repeated recursively for the whole words. As a new title is introduced, the first word determines which LG should be applied to suggest or generate further potential keywords based on a set of features calculated for each node of a title.

Findings

– The overall performance of our system is 67 per cent, which means that 67 per cent of the keywords extracted manually have been extracted by our system. This empirical result shows the validity of this study’s approach after taking into consideration the below-mentioned limitations.

Research limitations/implications

– The system has two limitations. First, it is applied to a sample of 5,747 titles and it can be developed to generate all finite state automata for all titles. The other limitation is that named entities are not processed due to their varieties that require specific ontology.

Originality/value

– Almost all keyword extraction systems apply statistical, linguistic or hybrid approaches to extract keywords from texts. This paper contributes to the development of an automatic indexing system to replace the expensive human indexing by taking advantages of LG, which is mainly applied to extract time, date and proper names from texts.
Operations strategy development in project based production – a political process perspective
Authors: Koch Christian , Friis Ole
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study how operations strategy (OS) innovation occurs in a project-centred production and organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

– A longitudinal case study encompassing the processes at the headquarters of the company and in two projects using lean.

Findings

– The operation strategy development commences at a middle level in the organisation, is underpinned and embedded in production projects and only after several years becomes embedded in the corporate operation strategy. Projects use lean principles in a differentiated manner.

Research limitations/implications

– A qualitative case study provides insight into only a single occasion of change in OS. More case studies would probably reveal several paths of OS development. OS development need to be handled as emergent, political and with contributions from several managers and management levels, bridging the vertical divides between projects and headquarter.

Practical implications

– A conscious and systematic vertical integration and interaction is crucial in project-based companies doing operation strategy development, something critically difficult at building contractors.

Originality/value

– The present study contributes to the small body of studies of OS development processes, by providing insight in how project-based companies renew their operation strategy.
Retrieval time performance in puzzle-based storage systems
Authors: Kota Venkat R. , Taylor Don , Gue Kevin R.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– Puzzle-based storage is a novel approach enabling very dense storage. Previous analytical studies have focussed on retrieval time when one or more usable escort locations (empty slots) are located near the system input/output location, and on simulation results for more complex situations. The purpose of this paper is to extend analytical results to determine retrieval time performance when multiple escorts are randomly located within the system.

Design/methodology/approach

– Closed-form expressions for retrieval time are developed and proven for cases in which the number of free, randomly placed escorts is equal to one or two. Heuristics with associated worst case bounds are proposed for larger numbers of free escorts.

Findings

– Puzzle-based storage systems are practical and viable ways to achieve storage density, but retrieval time is heavily dependent upon suitable use of escort locations. Analytical and heuristic methods developed within the paper provide worst-case retrieval time performance in a variety of settings.

Research limitations/implications

– As the number of free, randomly located escorts increases, optimal analytical solutions are difficult to obtain. Heuristics provide viable retrieval strategies in these situations, and worst-case bounds are relatively easily developed.

Originality/value

– The primarily contribution of this paper is to make theoretical extensions of optimal methods for puzzle-based storage systems. It motivates additional research in multiple-escort systems and provides insights that should prove useful for the development of 3-dimensional puzzle-based systems and for systems in which concurrent item movement is permitted.
Consumer ethnocentrism vs. intercultural competence as moderators in intercultural service encounters
Authors: Sharma Piyush , Wu Zhan
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the moderating effects of consumer ethnocentrism and intercultural competence on the impact of service outcome and perceived cultural distance, respectively, on interaction comfort and perceived service quality in intercultural service encounters.

Design/methodology/approach

– A 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design with university students was used, using service encounter scenarios to manipulate service outcome (failure or success) and photos of service employees to manipulate perceived cultural distance (low vs high).

Findings

– As hypothesized, the impact of service outcome on interaction comfort and perceived service quality is moderated negatively by consumer ethnocentrism, whereas the impact of perceived cultural distance is moderated positively by intercultural competence.

Research limitations/implications

– An experimental design using imaginary service scenarios was used in a single service context (i.e. restaurant) with university students as participants, which may restrict the generalizability of our findings.

Practical implications

– Managers in service firms with multicultural customers should try to recruit service employees with high intercultural competence and low consumer ethnocentrism. They should also develop employee training programs that help minimize the adverse impact of these variables on interaction comfort and service quality in intercultural service encounters.

Originality/value

– This paper extends prior research by exploring the moderating effects of consumer ethnocentrism and intercultural competence on the direct and indirect effects of service outcome and perceived cultural distance on interaction comfort, service quality and satisfaction.
Enhancing the transparency of accounting research: the case of narrative analysis
Authors: De Loo Ivo , Cooper Stuart , Manochin Melina
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to clarify what ‘narrative analysis’ may entail when it is assumed that interview accounts can be treated as (collections of) narratives. What is considered a narrative and how these may be analyzed is open to debate. After suggesting an approach of how to deal with narrative analysis, the authors critically discuss how far it might offer insights into a particular accounting case.

Design/methodology/approach

– After having explained what the authors’ view on narrative analysis is, and how this is linked with the extant literature, the authors examine the socialisation processes of two early career accountants that have been articulated in an interview context.

Findings

– The approach to narrative analysis set out in this paper could help to clarify how and why certain interpretations from an interview are generated by a researcher. The authors emphasise the importance of discussing a researcher’s process of discovery when an interpretive approach to research is adopted.

Research limitations/implications

– The application of any method, and what a researcher thinks can be distilled from this, depends on the research outlook he/she has. As the authors adopt an interpretive approach to research in this paper, they acknowledge that the interpretations of narratives, and what they deem to be narratives, will be infused by their own perceptions.

Practical implications

– The authors believe that the writing-up of qualitative research from an interpretive stance would benefit from an explicit acceptance of the equivocal nature of interpretation. The way in which they present and discuss the narrative analyses in this paper intends to bring this to the fore.

Originality/value

– Whenever someone says he/she engages in narrative analysis, both the “narrative” and “analysis” part of “narrative analysis” need to be explicated. The authors believe that this only happens every so often. This paper puts forward an approach of how more clarity on this might be achieved by combining two frameworks in the extant literature, so that the transparency of the research is enhanced.
Cost consciousness: conceptual development from a management accounting perspective
Authors: Velasquez Santiago , Suomala Petri , Järvenpää Marko
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to take note of the need to better understand cost consciousness from a management accounting perspective and serves as an exploratory study striving to analyze how the notion has been addressed by management accounting scholars.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper presents the findings of a thorough literature review identifying the drivers, interpretations, definitions and results which management accounting scholars have associated with cost consciousness.

Findings

– This paper has synthesized the definitions and interpretations by considering their conceptual broadness and the subjects that cost consciousness characterizes. In addition, various potential drivers of cost consciousness have been identified where management control systems play a major role. Also, this paper summarizes both the positive and negative outcomes which scholars seem to expect from an increase of cost consciousness.

Research limitations/implications

– Given that no prior work has focused on the conceptual development of cost consciousness, it was necessary to infer most of the interpretations, drivers and results which management accounting scholars have associated to the cost consciousness notion.

Originality/value

– Cost consciousness is a concept that appears in hundreds of peer-reviewed articles on management accounting. However, only a handful of management accounting scholars have defined or evaluated this concept to a certain degree. As a result, what management accountants believe cost consciousness to be, how it is driven and what result may be expected from it, is nowhere to be found in any synthesized manner. The findings of this paper develop the concept of cost consciousness by illuminating the common use of the construct across various disciplines.
A hybrid approach to innovation by social enterprises: lessons from Africa
Authors: Gupta Sudheer , Beninger Stefanie , Ganesh Jai
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to provide a detailed analysis of the key capabilities needed for social enterprises to succeed in the context of extreme poverty. Facilitating growth and alleviating poverty in the world’s most impoverished regions requires introducing innovative solutions to achieve social impact while generating financial returns.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper studies two social enterprises operating in Africa. Semi-structured interviewers were conducted with co-founders of the organizations. The transcribed interviews were analyzed through an open coding process, iterated to overarching categories, and compared between the organizations using a grounded theory approach. Secondary archival data and respondent validation were used to triangulate these findings.

Findings

– This paper proposes a model that highlights five key capabilities social enterprises need to tackle complex societal challenges while overcoming resource constraints and institutional voids. The processes followed to develop and deploy these capabilities are delineated, and the necessity of hybrid mechanisms that blend non-profit and private-sector approaches is shown as a key enabler for social enterprises to meet their dual objectives.

Research limitations/implications

– This research is limited to two cases studies from two different industries in Africa. Future research would refine and extend the proposed model to increase generalizability.

Originality/value

– This paper addresses a gap in the literature on understanding innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa, and it proposes a model for innovation derived from data. This paper also offers insights to the growing community of social entrepreneurs looking to develop sustainable solutions to societal challenges.
Social support for improved work integration
Authors: Chan Andrea Nga Wai
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the ways in which social supports can promote enduring attachments to work and improve overall well-being of disadvantaged workers, within the context of social purpose enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

– With coordinators, managers and directors as informants, this mixed-methods study uses a survey and interviews to establish the availability and importance of different social supports found in social purpose enterprises across Canada, and to explore the reasons for such support mobilization and the influences that determine whether social supports are sought or accepted.

Findings

– Findings substantiate the prevalence and importance of work-centred social supports. Social supports can promote more sustainable attachment to work by addressing work process challenges, ameliorating workplace conflict, attending to non-vocational work barriers and building workers’ self-confidence and self-belief. The source of a support, as well as the relationship between support providers and recipients, contributes to whether supports will be beneficial to recipients.

Research limitations/implications

– Future studies require corroboration directly from the employees and training participants of social purpose enterprises. The limitations on the sampling and the survey response rate may limit generalizability of findings.

Practical implications

– Findings contribute to knowledge on more effective social support provision for improved work outcomes and overall well-being of employees and training participants.

Originality/value

– Applying theory from social support research brings greater clarity to the potential of work-centred supports for addressing both vocational and non-vocational barriers to employment and job training for disadvantaged workers.
High-performance work practices, career satisfaction, and service recovery performance: a study of flight attendants
Authors: Karatepe Osman M. , Vatankhah Sanaz
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a conceptual model that examines career satisfaction (CSAT) as a mediator of the effects of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) on service recovery performance, drawing from social information processing and Bagozzi’s (1992) reformulation of attitude theories.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were gathered from flight attendants, with a time lag of two weeks in the private airline companies in Iran. The relationships were gauged using structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The results suggest that career opportunities seem to be the most important indicator of HPWPs, followed by rewards, selective staffing, empowerment, teamwork, job security and training. The results further suggest that the availability of HPWPs boosts flight attendants’ CSAT and that, in turn, results in elevated levels of service recovery performance.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the current literature by linking HPWPs, as manifested by selective staffing, job security, training, empowerment, rewards, teamwork and career opportunities, to service recovery performance through CSAT based on data obtained from flight attendants.