bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Q-switched Erbium-doped fiber laser at 1600 nm for photoacoustic imaging application
Authors: Piao Zhonglie , Zeng Lvming , Chen Zhongping , Kim Chang-Seok
Published: April 2016

We present a nanosecond Q-switched Erbium-doped fiber (EDF) laser system operating at 1600 nm with a tunable repetition rate from 100 kHz to 1 MHz. A compact fiber coupled, acousto-optic modulator-based EDF ring cavity was used to generate a nanosecond seed laser at 1600 nm, and a double-cladding EDF based power amplifier was applied to achieve the maximum average power of 250 mW. In addition, 12 ns laser pulses with the maximum pulse energy of 2.4 μJ were obtained at 100 kHz. Furthermore, the Stokes shift by Raman scattering over a 25 km long fiber was measured, indicating that the laser can be potentially used to generate the high repetition rate pulses at the 1.7 μm region. Finally, we detected the photoacoustic signal from a human hair at 200 kHz repetition rate with a pulse energy of 1.2 μJ, which demonstrates that a Q-switched Er-doped fiber laser can be a promising light source for the high speed functional photoacoustic imaging.
Empowering citizens to effect change – a case study of zoo-based community conservation
Authors: Dunstan Emily , Fairbrother Belinda , Van Sluys Monique
Published: April 2016

There is little doubt that humans are directly impacting our planet, with biodiversity loss now rated as the most critical global environmental threat alongside climate change. The imperative to act is urgent, and the definition of wildlife conservation is expanding to include humans as central to the solution. Increasingly, behaviour change theories are becoming critical to community campaigns led by zoos, in order to increase the uptake of pro-environmental behaviours. Zoos are in a unique position to address biodiversity loss and can do so by working to inspire and influence their many visitors to change their behaviour in order to help wildlife. By engaging their visitors through interactive encounters with wildlife and by creating emotive experiences, zoos can foster a connection between people and nature that can lead to action and enable the public to help secure a future that meets the needs of both wildlife and people. Here, we critically examine a community conservation campaign aimed at increasing uptake of sustainable palm oil (and thus reducing the use of unsustainable palm oil) led by zoos in Australia and New Zealand. Here, we share the elements of success and key learning to build understanding and improvement of these programs globally.
Psychopathy and internalism
Authors: Kumar Victor
Published: April 2016

Do psychopaths make moral judgments but lack motivation? Or are psychopaths’ judgments are not genuinely moral? Both sides of this debate seem to assume either externalist or internalist criteria for the presence of moral judgment. However, if moral judgment is a natural kind, we can arrive at a theory-neutral criterion for moral judgment. A leading naturalistic criterion suggests that psychopaths have an impaired capacity for moral judgment; the capacity is neither fully present nor fully absent. Psychopaths are therefore not counterexamples to internalism. Nonetheless, internalism is empirically problematic because it is unable to explain psychopaths’ moral deficits.
Clenbuterol changes phosphorylated FOXO1 localization and decreases protein degradation in the sartorius muscle of neonatal chicks
Authors: Shimamoto Saki , Ijiri Daichi , Nakashima Kazuki , Kawaguchi Mana , Ishimaru Yoshitaka , Furukawa Airi , Ohtsuka Akira
Published: April 2016

To investigate the intracellular signaling mechanisms by which clenbuterol reduces muscle protein degradation, we examined the phosphorylation level and intracellular localization of FOXO1 in the sartorius muscle of neonatal chicks. One-day-old chicks were given a single intraperitoneal injection of clenbuterol (0.1 mg/kg body weight). Three hours after injection, AKT protein was phosphorylated in the sartorius muscle by clenbuterol injection. Coincidentally, clenbuterol increased cytosolic level of phosphorylated FOXO1 protein, while it decreased nuclear level of FOXO1 protein in the sartorius muscle. Furthermore, clenbuterol decreased the expression of mRNAs for muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases (atrogin-1/MAFbx and MuRF1) in the sartorius muscle accompanied by decreased plasma 3-methylhistidine concentration, an index of muscle protein degradation, at 3 h after injection. These results suggested that, in the sartorius muscle of the chicks, clenbuterol changed the intracellular localization of phosphorylated FOXO1, and consequently decreased protein degradation via suppressing the expression of genes encoding muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases.
Reactive Oxygen Species–Associated Molecular Signature Predicts Survival in Patients with Sepsis
Authors: Bime Christian , Zhou Tong , Wang Ting , Slepian Marvin J. , Garcia Joe G. N. , Hecker Louise
Published: April 2016

Sepsis‐related multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is a leading cause of death in intensive care units. There is overwhelming evidence that oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of sepsis‐associated multiple organ failure; however, reactive oxygen species (ROS)–associated biomarkers and/or diagnostics that define mortality or predict survival in sepsis are lacking. Lung or peripheral blood gene expression analysis has gained increasing recognition as a potential prognostic and/or diagnostic tool. The objective of this study was to identify ROS‐associated biomarkers predictive of survival in patients with sepsis. In‐silico analyses of expression profiles allowed the identification of a 21‐gene ROS‐associated molecular signature that predicts survival in sepsis patients. Importantly, this signature performed well in a validation cohort consisting of sepsis patients aggregated from distinct patient populations recruited from different sites. Our signature outperforms randomly generated signatures of the same signature gene size. Our findings further validate the critical role of ROSs in the pathogenesis of sepsis and provide a novel gene signature that predicts survival in sepsis patients. These results also highlight the utility of peripheral blood molecular signatures as biomarkers for predicting mortality risk in patients with sepsis, which could facilitate the development of personalized therapies.
MGEScan: a Galaxy-based system for identifying retrotransposons in genomes
Authors: Lee Hyungro , Lee Minsu , Mohammed Ismail Wazim , Rho Mina , Fox Geoffrey C. , Oh Sangyoon , Tang Haixu
Published: April 2016

Summary: MGEScan-long terminal repeat (LTR) and MGEScan-non-LTR are successfully used programs for identifying LTRs and non-LTR retrotransposons in eukaryotic genome sequences. However, these programs are not supported by easy-to-use interfaces nor well suited for data visualization in general data formats. Here, we present MGEScan, a user-friendly system that combines these two programs with a Galaxy workflow system accelerated with MPI and Python threading on compute clusters. MGEScan and Galaxy empower researchers to identify transposable elements in a graphical user interface with ready-to-use workflows. MGEScan also visualizes the custom annotation tracks for mobile genetic elements in public genome browsers. A maximum speed-up of 3.26× is attained for execution time using concurrent processing and MPI on four virtual cores. MGEScan provides four operational modes: as a command line tool, as a Galaxy Toolshed, on a Galaxy-based web server, and on a virtual cluster on the Amazon cloud.

Availability and implementation: MGEScan tutorials and source code are available at http://mgescan.readthedocs.org/

Contact:  hatang@indiana.edu or syoh@ajou.ac.kr

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Immune checkpoint inhibition in ovarian cancer
Authors: Hamanishi Junzo , Mandai Masaki , Konishi Ikuo
Published: April 2016

Recent studies have shown that tumor cells acquire escape mechanisms to evade host immunity in the tumor microenvironment. Two key immune checkpoint pathways mediated by immunosuppressive co-signaling, the first via programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) and the second via CTLA-4 and B7 (CTLA-4/B7), have been previously described. Several clinical trials have revealed an outstanding anti-tumor efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-CTLA-4 antibody, anti-PD-1 antibody and/or anti-PD-L1 antibody) in patients with various types of solid malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, renal cell cancer and ovarian cancer. In this review, we examine pre-clinical studies that described the local immune status and immune checkpoint signals in ovarian cancer, highlight recent clinical trials that evaluated immune checkpoint inhibitors against ovarian cancer and discuss the clinical issues regarding immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Retrospective Study of Cryptococcal Meningitis With Elevated Minimum Inhibitory Concentration to Fluconazole in Immunocompromised Patients
Authors: Nasri Hashem , Kabbani Sarah , Bou Alwan Melhim , Wang Yun F. , Rebolledo Paulina A. , Kraft Colleen S. , Nguyen Minh L. , Anderson Albert M. , Rouphael Nadine
Published: April 2016

Background.  Mortality for cryptococcal meningitis remains significant, in spite of available treatment. Resistance to first-line maintenance therapy, particularly fluconazole, has been reported.

Methods.  A retrospective chart review was performed on immunocompromised patients with cryptococcal meningitis, who had susceptibility testing performed between January 2001 and December 2011, at 3 hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia.

Results.  A total of 35 immunocompromised patients with cryptococcal meningitis were identified, 13 (37.1%) of whom had an elevated minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to fluconazole (MIC ≥16 µg/mL). Eighty percent of patients were males with African American predominance, the median age was 37 years, and 80% of the patients were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive. Subsequent recurrence of cryptococcal meningitis was more likely in HIV patients compared with solid organ transplant patients (P = .0366). Overall, there was a statistically significant increase in an elevated MIC to fluconazole in patients who had a history of prior azole use (odds ratio, 10.12; 95% confidence interval, 2.04–50.16). Patients with an elevated MIC to fluconazole and those with a high cerebrospinal fluid cryptococcal antigen load (≥1:512) were more likely to have central nervous system complications (P = .0358 and P = .023, respectively). Although no association was observed between an elevated MIC to fluconazole and mortality, those who received voriconazole or high-dose fluconazole (≥800 mg) for maintenance therapy were more likely to survive (P = .0288).

Conclusions.  Additional studies are required to further investigate the morbidity and mortality associated with an elevated MIC to fluconazole in cryptococcal meningitis, to determine when it is appropriate to perform susceptibility testing, and to evaluate its cost effectiveness.
Accurate measurement of the effects of all amino-acid mutations to influenza hemagglutinin
Authors: Doud Michael B. , Bloom Jesse D.
Published: April 2016

Influenza genes evolve mostly via point mutations, and so knowing the effect of every amino-acid mutation provides information about evolutionary paths available to the virus. We previously used high-throughput mutagenesis and deep sequencing to estimate the effects of all mutations to an H1 influenza hemagglutinin on viral replication in cell culture (Thyagarajan and Bloom, 2014); however, these measurements suffered from sub-stantial noise. Here we describe advances that greatly improve the accuracy and reproducibility of our measurements. The largest improvements come from using a helper virus to reduce bottlenecks when generating viruses from plasmids. Our measurements confirm that antigenic sites on the globular head of hemagglutinin are highly tolerant of mutations. However, other regions – including stalk epitopes targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies – have a limited capacity to evolve. The ability to accurately measure the effects of all influenza mutations should enhance efforts to understand and predict viral evolution.
PolySUMOylation by Siz2 and Mms21 triggers relocation of DNA breaks to nuclear pores through the Slx5/Slx8 STUbL
Authors: Horigome Chihiro , Bustard Denise E. , Marcomini Isabella , Delgoshaie Neda , Tsai-Pflugfelder Monika , Cobb Jennifer A. , Gasser Susan M.
Published: April 2016

High-resolution imaging shows that persistent DNA damage in budding yeast localizes in distinct perinuclear foci for repair. The signals that trigger DNA double-strand break (DSB) relocation or determine their destination are unknown. We show here that DSB relocation to the nuclear envelope depends on SUMOylation mediated by the E3 ligases Siz2 and Mms21. In G1, a polySUMOylation signal deposited coordinately by Mms21 and Siz2 recruits the SUMO targeted ubiquitin ligase Slx5/Slx8 to persistent breaks. Both Slx5 and Slx8 are necessary for damage relocation to nuclear pores. When targeted to an undamaged locus, however, Slx5 alone can mediate relocation in G1-phase cells, bypassing the requirement for polySUMOylation. In contrast, in S-phase cells, monoSUMOylation mediated by the Rtt107-stabilized SMC5/6–Mms21 E3 complex drives DSBs to the SUN domain protein Mps3 in a manner independent of Slx5. Slx5/Slx8 and binding to pores favor repair by ectopic break-induced replication and imprecise end-joining.
Collaboration of RAG2 with RAG1-like proteins during the evolution of V(D)J recombination
Authors: Carmona Lina Marcela , Fugmann Sebastian D. , Schatz David G.
Published: April 2016

The recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1) and RAG2 proteins initiate V(D)J recombination, the process that assembles the B- and T-lymphocyte antigen receptor genes of jawed vertebrates. RAG1 and RAG2 are thought to have arisen from a transposable element, but the origins of this element are not understood. We show that two ancestral RAG1 proteins, Transib transposase and purple sea urchin RAG1-like, have a latent ability to initiate V(D)J recombination when coexpressed with RAG2 and that in vitro transposition by Transib transposase is stimulated by RAG2. Conversely, we report low levels of V(D)J recombination by RAG1 in the absence of RAG2. Recombination by RAG1 alone differs from canonical V(D)J recombination in having lost the requirement for asymmetric DNA substrates, implicating RAG2 in the origins of the “12/23 rule,” a fundamental regulatory feature of the reaction. We propose that evolution of RAG1/RAG2 began with a Transib transposon whose intrinsic recombination activity was enhanced by capture of an ancestral RAG2, allowing for the development of adaptive immunity.
Clustered mutations in hominid genome evolution are consistent with APOBEC3G enzymatic activity
Authors: Pinto Yishay , Gabay Orshay , Arbiza Leonardo , Sams Aaron J. , Keinan Alon , Levanon Erez Y.
Published: April 2016

The gradual accumulation of mutations by any of a number of mutational processes is a major driving force of divergence and evolution. Here, we investigate a potentially novel mutational process that is based on the activity of members of the AID/APOBEC family of deaminases. This gene family has been recently shown to introduce—in multiple types of cancer—enzyme-induced clusters of co-occurring somatic mutations caused by cytosine deamination. Going beyond somatic mutations, we hypothesized that APOBEC3—following its rapid expansion in primates—can introduce unique germline mutation clusters that can play a role in primate evolution. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by performing a comprehensive comparative genomic screen for APOBEC3-induced mutagenesis patterns across different hominids. We detected thousands of mutation clusters introduced along primate evolution which exhibit features that strongly fit the known patterns of APOBEC3G mutagenesis. These results suggest that APOBEC3G-induced mutations have contributed to the evolution of all genomes we studied. This is the first indication of site-directed, enzyme-induced genome evolution, which played a role in the evolution of both modern and archaic humans. This novel mutational mechanism exhibits several unique features, such as its higher tendency to mutate transcribed regions and regulatory elements and its ability to generate clusters of concurrent point mutations that all occur in a single generation. Our discovery demonstrates the exaptation of an anti-viral mechanism as a new source of genomic variation in hominids with a strong potential for functional consequences.
Crystal structures of (Z)-5-[2-(benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-1-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]-1H-tetrazole and (Z)-5-[2-(benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]-1H-tetrazole
Authors: Penthala Narsimha Reddy , Yadlapalli Jaishankar K. B. , Parkin Sean , Crooks Peter A.
Published: April 2016

(Z)-5-[2-(Benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-1-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]-1H-tetrazole methanol monosolvate, C19H16N4O2S·CH3OH, (I), was prepared by the reaction of (Z)-3-(benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylonitrile with tributyltin azideviaa [3 + 2]cycloaddition azide condensation reaction. The structurally related compound (Z)-5-[2-(benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]-1H-tetrazole, C20H18N4O3S, (II), was prepared by the reaction of (Z)-3-(benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acrylonitrile with tributyltin azide. Crystals of (I) have two molecules in the asymmetric unit (Z′ = 2), whereas crystals of (II) haveZ′ = 1. The benzothiophene rings in (I) and (II) are almost planar, with r.m.s deviations from the mean plane of 0.0084 and 0.0037 Å in (I) and 0.0084 Å in (II). The tetrazole rings of (I) and (II) make dihedral angles with the mean planes of the benzothiophene rings of 88.81 (13) and 88.92 (13)° in (I), and 60.94 (6)° in (II). The dimethoxyphenyl and trimethoxyphenyl rings make dihedral angles with the benzothiophene rings of 23.91 (8) and 24.99 (8)° in (I) and 84.47 (3)° in (II). In both structures, molecules are linked into hydrogen-bonded chains. In (I), these chains involve both tetrazole and methanol, and are parallel to thebaxis. In (II), molecules are linked into chains parallel to theaaxis by N—H...N hydrogen bonds between adjacent tetrazole rings.
Crystal structure oftrans-diaquabis(nicotinamide-κN1)bis(4-nitrobenzoato-κO)manganese(II)
Authors: Aşkın Gülçin Şefiye , Necefoğlu Hacali , Tonbul Ali Murat , Dilek Nefise , Hökelek Tuncer
Published: April 2016

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Mn(C7H4NO4)2(C6H6N2O)2(H2O)2], contains one MnIIatom, one 4-nitrobenzoate (NB) anion, one nicotinamide (NA) ligand and one water molecule; NA and NB each act as a monodentate ligand. The MnIIatom, lying on an inversion centre, is coordinated by four O atoms and two pyridine N atoms in a distorted octahedral geometry. The water molecules are hydrogen bonded to the carboxylate O atoms. The dihedral angle between the carboxylate group and the adjacent benzene ring is 24.4 (3)°, while the benzene and pyridine rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 86.63 (11)°. In the crystal, O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules, forming a layer parallel to theabplane. The layers are further linkedviaweak C—H...O hydrogen bonds, a π–π stacking interaction [centroid–centroid distance = 3.868 (2) Å] and a weak C—H...π interaction, resulting in a three-dimensional network.
Supramolecular interactions in a 1:1 co-crystal of acridine and 3-chlorothiophene-2-carboxylic acid
Authors: Prajina Olakkandiyil , Thomas Muthiah Packianathan , Perdih Franc
Published: April 2016

In the title co-crystal, C5H3ClO2S·C13H9N, the components interact with each otherviaan O—H...N hydrogen bond. Acridine–acridine stacking, thiophene–thiophene stacking and acridine–thiophene C—H...π interactions also occur in the crystal.
(4Z,5E,9E,10Z)-N4,N5,N9,N10-Tetrakis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraimine
Authors: Williams Owen M. , Cowley Alan H.
Published: April 2016

The title molecule, C64H74N4, consists of a pyrene backbone with imine moieties located on the 4-, 5-, 9-, and 10-positions of the ring system. The aryl groups on these imines are sterically bulky 2,6-diisopropylphenyl units. As a consequence, the backbone itself is twisted, with an angle of 15.29 (6)° between the mean planes (r.m.s. deviations = 0.006 and 0.009 Å) of the phenyl units. The N=C—C=N units are significantly twisted and feature torsion angles of −48.8 (2) and −46.3 (3)°. The non-planarity of the backbone and short C—N distances [ranging from 1.281 (2) to 1.285 (2) Å] indicate the lack of conjugation in the molecule and double-bond nature of the imines. Weak intramolecular and intermolecular C—H...π interactions are observed.
(1R,2R)-8-Bromo-1-[(E)-2-(4-bromophenyl)ethenyl]-2-nitro-1,2-dihydronaphtho[2,1-b]furan
Authors: Fang Xiaoqin , Wang Yifeng
Published: April 2016

The title compound,C20H13Br2NO3, contains the dihydrobenzofuran moiety, which is present in the physiologically active components of many medicinal plants. The naphthyl ring system is nearly perpendicular to the phenyl ring, while the mean plane of the double bond is almost coplanar with the phenyl ring [dihedral angles of 79.14 (3) and 13.56 (1)°, respectively]. The nitro group and bromobenzene alkenyl group aretransto one another on opposite sides of the furan ring. There are two stereogenic centres, and each has theRconfiguration. In the crystal, there are very weak intermolecular C—H...Br interactions.
(E)-2-[(Pyren-1-ylimino)methyl]quinolin-8-ol
Authors: Mukherjee Soma , Talukder Shrabani , Stoeckli-Evans Helen
Published: April 2016

In the title compound, C26H16N2O, the pyrene ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.021 Å) is inclined to the planar quinoline ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.017 Å) by 30.62 (5)°, and the conformation about the bridging N=C bond isE. There is an intramolecular O—H...N hydrogen bond with anS(5) ring motif present. In the crystal, molecules are linked by pairs of C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with anR22(14) ring motif, flanked by twoR21(7) ring motifs. The dimers stack along thebaxis with slipped parallel π–π interactions involving neighbouring molecules; the shortest π–π interaction involves aromatic rings of the quinoline ring system [inter-centroid distance = 3.6267 (11) Å].
1-Benzyl-5-bromoindoline-2,3-dione
Authors: Kharbach Yassine , Kandri Rodi Youssef , Renard Catherine , Essassi El Mokhtar , El Ammari Lahcen
Published: April 2016

In the title compound, C15H10BrNO2, the indoline ring system, the two ketone O atoms and the Br atom lie in a common plane, with the largest deviation from the mean plane being 0.073 (1) Å for the Br atom. The fused-ring system is nearly perpendicular to the benzyl ring, as indicated by the dihedral angle between them of 74.58 (10)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds and by π–π interactions [inter-centroid distance = 3.625 (2) Å], forming a two-dimensional structure.
Reverse innovation antecedents
Authors: Borini Felipe Mendes , Costa Sidney , Oliveira Junior Moacir de Miranda
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine the antecedents of reverse innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through an online survey administered using telephone assistance and sent to the 1,000 largest (in terms of revenue) foreign subsidiaries in Brazil. The responding companies numbered 167. For the data analysis, the authors chose the statistical technique of structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The paper shows that reverse innovation is related to headquarters’ support, autonomy, and integration. Specifically, the authors consider the power of strategic integration between headquarters and subsidiaries as one of the important antecedents of reverse innovation.

Practical implications

– Integration has an important role to reverse innovation. In order to stimulate integration, the executive of a subsidiary can make such efforts as invest in the mechanism of the relationship and exchange knowledge with headquarters. For example, it is recommended to encourage travel to the headquarters to more accurately align perceptions of parent and subsidiary executives and to utilize expatriates from headquarters to provide knowledge to subsidiaries about the main processes of the company and to promote subsidiary innovations.

Originality/value

– Literature contains some articles discussing and relating some cases of reverse innovation. However, this paper shows the organizational structure necessary for reverse innovation.
Is collective efficiency in subsistence clusters a growth strategy? The case of the wood industry in Oberá, Argentina
Authors: F-Jardon Carlos M. , Pagani Regina Negri
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which main objective is to satisfy the basic needs of the entrepreneur, when geographically concentrated make up subsistence clusters. The purpose of this paper is to analyze collective efficiency in subsistence clusters as growth strategy and how is the process through which the relational capital and territorial proximity altogether improve performance of firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research uses partial least squares techniques applied to a sample of 113 SMEs of wood industry in Oberá, Argentina.

Findings

– SMEs in subsistence clusters can use relational capital and territory as resources to generate competitive advantages. These competitive advantages foster performance. In consequence, collective efficiency appears as growth strategy in subsistence SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

– Data are cross-sectional and in a conjuncture of economy expansion, future research should monitor the sample of firms using panel data to assess the development of relations. Sample is in a particular region and sector and generalizations should be done carefully.

Practical implications

– SMEs probably should integrate and share industrial and business structures to develop systemic competitive advantages with a collective character. SMEs should leverage their spatial interaction to build trust and establish networks of cooperation that will be the source of their collective efficiency. These collaboration networks should base in the local knowledge.

Social implications

– Subsistence SMEs have strong impact on the most disadvantaged areas in developing countries. Growth strategies to professionalize these SMEs will have a major impact on the endogenous development of those territories.

Originality/value

– The research provides a mechanism through which collective efficiency leads to better performance for subsistence SMEs.
Towards a calculative model of supply chain enabling IT implementation
Authors: Power Damien , Gruner Richard L.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Research provides inconsistent findings regarding motivations for the implementation of information technology (IT) in the supply chain. Two main theoretical perspectives emerge from the literature. The first predicts a logical progressive implementation of technology over time. The second views situational factors as moderating progressive implementation over time. We propose a third, calculative IT implementation model and empirically assess the validity of these diverging models.

Design/methodology/approach

We took a qualitative, theory-testing approach. Cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2001 and 2011 – yielding responses from 62 matching firms – showed dynamic IT implementation patterns over time and allowed the selection of nine case studies for comparison.

Findings

Results provide substantial support for a calculative model alongside the situational and progressive perspectives. This model addresses three problematic assumptions that underpin the progressive and situational perspectives: (1) that IT implementation will follow logical stages, (2) that implementation of these technologies represents a rational choice, and (3) that managers implement these technologies to improve the performance of entire supply chains.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical investigations were limited to Australian manufacturers. Further studies should extend the generalisability of the findings and study the phenomenon in different contexts.

Practical implications

The study enhances practitioners’ understanding of the difficulties and complexities of IT implementation decisions among supply chain partners. Such an understanding may motivate managers to pursue IT adoption that goes beyond addressing locally focused performance metrics.

Originality/value

Our findings make a significant theoretical and practical contribution and provide the basis for isolating and operationalising the calculative model for further empirical testing.
Mitigating uncertainty for industrial service operations: a multi case study
Authors: Durugbo Christopher , Erkoyuncu John Ahmet
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This article aims to explore the evolution of industrial service uncertainties and the approaches for mitigating these uncertainties. The article also sheds light on how the interplay of potential uncertainties due to service operation challenges shapes the decisiveness of product-centric businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

To better understand how industrial firms mitigate uncertainties of industrial service provision by their supply chains, we adopted a qualitative multi-case logic methodology. Our approach is based on a research model of uncertainty avoidance and uncertainty reduction which we applied in an exploratory study with three major multi-national firms in the aerospace industry: BAE systems, Lockheed Martin and Rolls-Royce.

Findings

From the analysis, we found that to mitigate industrial service uncertainty, there is a need for aftermarket-oriented organisation, audit-oriented governance, relationship-oriented intelligence and lifecycle-oriented contracts. We also found that value uncertainty originating from unpredictability in client needs and project scope and structural uncertainty caused by volatility and variability of business structures are also important quandaries in decision making situations of firms towards their supply chains for industrial services.

Originality/value

The article makes two useful contributions. First it provides an assessment of the nature of uncertainty within operations for providing industrial services. Second, the paper identifies orientations for industrial service uncertainty mitigation. Whereas product-centric businesses firms tend to vary in their states for uncertainty avoidance and reduction, our work suggest similar orientations for uncertainty mitigation across these firms.
Signaling strategies for ISO 26000: a firm-level approach
Authors: Moratis Lars
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to shed light on some important limitations of the ISO 26000 standard for corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the credible communication of corporate CSR claims. The article aims to identify and explore firm-level strategies to signal adherence to the standard effectively and their legitimacy consequences for the standard.

Design/methodology/approach

The identification of firm-level signaling strategies is mainly derived from an institutional description of the ISO 26000 standard and based on anecdotal evidence from current business practice, initiatives that have been taken worldwide by organizations such as national standards institutes, the ISO 26000 text and adjacent ISO documents, including ISO post-publication surveys. The article is grounded in signalling theory.

Findings

Five signaling strategies for firms are derived and explored which may reduce information asymmetries and engage in efficacious signaling of their underlying CSR quality and thus guide the communication of firms’ adherence to the ISO 26000 standard.

Research limitations/implications

The findings urge to empirically investigate the use of ISO 26000 signaling strategies including their legitimacy consequences for firms.

Practical implications

The findings of this article have implications for decisions firms make when considering working with ISO 26000 and communicating their adherence, notably regarding the enhancement of the credibility of their CSR claims. Also, it offers suggestions for certification organizations, national standards bodies and policy makers that want to encourage the adoption of CSR standards, ISO 26000 in particular.

Originality/value

This article is the first one to address inherent signaling problems of ISO 26000 and to identify signaling strategies to counter these problems in a structured way.
A supplier development adoption framework using expectancy theory
Authors: Chen Liang , Ellis Scott C. , Suresh Nallan
Published: April 2016

Purpose

We apply expectancy theory to advance a conceptual framework which identifies factors that motivate and affect the adoption of supplier development activities.

Design/methodology/approach

We conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify salient contributions and conceptual gaps within prior supplier development studies. These conceptual gaps motivate our use of expectancy theory and the broader management literature to develop a conceptual framework of supplier development adoption.

Findings

Our study results in the development of a two-stage conceptual framework in which two behavioral constructs – supplier development expectancy and valence – play an important role in mediating the effects of activity-, firm-, interfirm-, and environment-level factors on the adoption of supplier development activities. Accordingly, we advance eleven testable propositions that underlie the logical development of our framework.

Research limitations/implications

Our application of expectancy theory facilitates the integration of constructs culled from disparate theories into a cohesive conceptual framework. Highlighting the central role of motivational force, our conceptual development provides a behavioral explanation for the indirect effects of activity-, firm-, interfirm-, and environment-level factors on supplier development adoption.

Practical implications

We advance a set of factors associated with three successive stages of the supplier development planning process – partner selection, activity selection, and scope selection – that managers should consider when adopting a supplier development activity.

Originality/value

In contrast to prior research, which largely draws from economic or strategic theories, we employ a behavioral approach to advance a novel set of factors that influence supplier development adoption.
Waste in NPD processes of German SMEs
Authors: Woschke Tino , Haase Heiko , Lautenschläger Arndt
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– This study deals with waste in New Product Development (NPD) processes of SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to reveal opportunities for SMEs to overcome resource constraints in their NPD process.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors employed qualitative key informant interviews. This design was chosen because research in this field is still limited. The authors performed 49 interviews in engineering-oriented German SMEs to examine the dimension of waste in NPD processes. The data were collected by conducting semi-structured, face-to-face interviews.

Findings

– The study highlights substantial waste types such as waiting times, rework and duplication of work. In contrast to contemporary literature, waste of material is considered to be relevant in particular for NPD processes of SMEs. In addition to that, the authors found that waste drivers differ to a great extent between the study and the hitherto literature on larger companies.

Research limitations/implications

– The overall outcome of this study can help organisations to address waste in NPD more thoroughly. The research presented was not specifically designed to draw statistical generalisations. For this reason, the results may not be applicable to all SMEs.

Practical implications

– Based on waiting times as the major waste type in NPD processes of SMEs, the authors claim that firms should pay special attention to disruptions of these processes.

Originality/value

– The paper gives insights into current waste types in the NPD processes of SMEs. Moreover, it uncovers the NPD activities which can lead to waste.
Influence of human factors on organisational performance
Authors: Habtoor Nasser
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of human factors in quality management on quality improvement practices and organisational performance in the Yemeni industrial sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected via a quantitative survey with a questionnaire distributed to 261 managers from 87 industrial companies. Replies from 210 managers give a response rate of 80 per cent. Data were analysed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16.0, including factor analysis, reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis. Structural equation modelling was carried out using Amos to evaluate the model and hypotheses.

Findings

– Human factors influence positively quality improvement practices and organisational performance. Quality improvement practices positively influence organisational performance. Human factors indirectly and significantly influence organisational performance via the mediator of quality improvement practices.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings will be useful to both researchers and managers, especially those in Yemeni industrial companies. For further work, this study can be expanded to cover companies in other Middle East countries, and it may include more human factors.

Originality/value

– The study is one of a few that investigate the influence of human factors on quality management. Additionally, this study is the first to carry out such research in the Yemen and the Middle East region.
Towards lean warehouse: transformation and assessment using RTD and ANP
Authors: Sharma Sanjay , Shah Bhavin
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to represent a unique combined Real time Delphi (RTD) – analytic network process (ANP) approach considering efficient decision making with practical validation.

Design/methodology/approach

– An ANP model encounters invisible relationship and interdependency among qualitative and quantitative criteria for assessment. RTD supports continuous assessment and improvement in team building, modeling, developing, implementing and validating the procedure. To illustrate practical validation of the model, the authors apply it in a manufacturing firm. A case illustrating the model, finds improved results and judgments followed by conclusion.

Findings

– A case illustrating the model, finds improved results and judgments. This model improves warehouse performance by integrating lean and people issues. The outcome results in an efficient decision making and consensus judgments. It also fosters high trust and coordination level among people in warehouse.

Originality/value

– Previous studies have assessed leanness either at enterprise or manufacturing level. As lean transformation and assessment both are continuous and long-term procedure, first the concept should apply to single function and should lead toward enterprise level. A web-based approach and multi criteria decision-making techniques like analytic hierarchy process, and ANP had been applied individually to measure leanness at enterprise level. Because of the warehouse contributing significantly to the total wastes and costs for an organization, such operations are considered presently.
Characteristics of relationships, types and strategies in a Brazilian cluster
Authors: Tristão Hélcio Martins , Oprime Pedro Carlos , Pimenta Márcio Lopes
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the theoretical development of the theme by the proposition of an industrial cluster typology method considering that the set of local variables related to the firms characteristics are essential for the strengthening of the interfirms’ relationship and consequently their performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The theoretical basis of this study are the types of clusters found in literature and the research. A survey with several types of actors were performed with companies from footwear production chain in the region of Franca, Brazil. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics techniques as well as multivariate exploratory methods.

Findings

– This study highlight multiple characteristics derived from different cluster typologies within the same productive chain.

Originality/value

– From a theoretical standpoint, the research results extended the perspective about the strategic role played by the local cooperation and also offer to managers and representative institutions a possibility to reflect on different types of governance principles adopted in collective actions.
Quality costing: a survey in Greek supermarkets using multiple correspondence analysis
Authors: CHATZIPETROU EYRIKLEIA , Moschidis Odysseas
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The present paper is an effort towards an integrated depiction of the quality costs of supermarkets in Greece. The purpose of the survey was to investigate to what extent the P-A-F model is used by Greek trade companies in the years of economic turmoil. Furthermore, it analyses how the quality costing process differentiates itself according to a number of demographic variables (size, number of employees, number of branches, ISO/HACCP certification).

Design/methodology/approach

The survey was conducted in 159 Greek supermarkets via a questionnaire. The method of Multiple Correspondence Analysis was successfully implemented in the process of answering the above mentioned questions.

Findings

The survey highlighted the limited use of quality costing practices among supermarkets. The way companies monitor quality costs proved to be highly dependent on their size, the economic circumstances and other variables (i.e. ISO/HACCP certification). Furthermore, our research provides evidence that prevention plus appraisal costs “balance” with failure costs at 83% of quality conformance.

Originality/value

The present study offers a first insight into the attitude of Greek supermarkets towards quality costing implementation. Moreover, it is enriched with empirical findings on the interrelations among the quality cost categories, which support and verify “the new COQ model”. Finally, given the fact that the majority of published research papers focus on quality costing in manufacturing companies, we chose to examine supermarkets, as a first attempt towards the analysis of quality costing in retail companies in Greece.
The impact of TQM practices on organizational learning
case study: automobile part manufacturing and suppliers of Iran
Authors: Yazdani Bita , Attafar Ali , Shahin Arash , Kheradmandnia Manouchehr
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the correlations between TQM and organizational learning in the context of automobile part manufacturing and suppliers of Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

A research project is carried out in 191 automobile part manufacturing and suppliers plants, using the questionnaire method. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is applied to assess the measurement instrument reliability and validity. The correlations between latent constructs are examined through Partial Least Squares (PLS) method.

Findings

Findings indicate that, both, the core and infrastructure aspects of QM practices have significant positive effect on organizational learning. At the lower levels, HRM and information and analysis contribute to enhancement of the organizational learning.

Research limitations/implications

It is recommended that a more complete construct be designed for measuring the organizational learning. Some contextual factors such as culture need to be noticed in future researches.

Practical implications

in this article some beneficial insights are addressed to assist managers in recognizing the organizational problems which weaken the organizational learning.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the TQM advance, organizational learning research literature and provides better foundations for organizational learning improvement through TQM practices in the Middle East. By investigating the correlations between infrastructure and core QM practices and organizational learning, this study fills the current gap in this field.
A system dynamics model of the nutritional stages of the Colombian population
Authors: Meisel Jose D , Sarmiento Olga L. , Olaya Camilo , Valdivia Juan A , Zarama Roberto
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity have in recent years become an important public health problem worldwide. Investigations that study obesity using a systemic approach in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study the nutritional stages dynamics within the Colombian urban population.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors used a population-level systems dynamics (SD) model that captures the transitions of population by body mass index (BMI) categories. The authors proposed a heuristic to estimate the transference rates (TRs) between BMI categories using data from the Colombian Demographic and Health Survey 2005 and 2010.

Findings

– The Colombian urban population is moving to overweight and obese categories. The TRs from not overweight to overweight and from overweight to obese (0.0076 and 0.0054, respectively) are higher than the TRs from obese to overweight and from overweight to not-overweight (1.025×10e−7 and 3.47×10e−7, respectively). The simulation results show that the prevalences of overweight and obesity will increase by 6.2 and 7.5 percent by 2015, and by 13.4 and 18.9 percent by 2030, respectively.

Originality/value

– Investigations that study obesity using a systemic approach in LMICs are limited. A SD model was proposed to examine changes in the population’s nutritional stages using population accumulation structures by BMI categories. The authors propose a heuristic to estimate the TRs of individuals between BMI categories. The proposed model can be used to study the effects of policy interventions to prevent overweight and obesity. The authors analyze a few policy intervention strategies.
Developing a general scientific methodology on tenets from Mario Bunges philosophy
Authors: Adriaenssen Daniel Joh. , Johannessen Jon-Arild
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a general scientific methodology on tenets from Mario Bunge’s philosophy.

Design/methodology/approach

– Systemic thinking and conceptual generalisation.

Findings

– A general scientific methodology based on tenets from Mario Bunge’s philosophy of social science.

Research limitations/implications

– Using quantitative methods to conduct a research to test Asplunds motivation theory and North’s action theory.

Practical implications

– How to conduct a research based on a systemic perspective.

Social implications

– An advantage of linking a systemic perspective to organisational psychology studies is that it may result in new ways of looking at old problems and bring new perspectives to the methods used. One explanation may be the fact that while researchers within various organisational psychology subject fields are largely specialists, the systemic perspective is oriented towards general scientific methodology.

Originality/value

– The authors have not seen anybody who have tried to apply systemic thinking as a general methodology for research.