bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Scale of Socioemotional Dysfunction in Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Barsuglia Joseph P. , Kaiser Natalie C. , Wilkins Stacy Schantz , Karve Simantini J. , Barrows Robin J. , Paholpak Pongsatorn , Panchal Hemali Vijay , Jimenez Elvira E. , Mather Michelle J. , Mendez Mario F.
Published: October 2014

Early social dysfunction is a hallmark symptom of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD); however, validated measures for assessing social deficits in dementia are needed. The purpose of the current study was to examine the utility of a novel informant-based measure of social impairment, the Socioemotional Dysfunction Scale (SDS) in early-onset dementia. Sixteen bvFTD and 18 early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD) participants received standard clinical neuropsychological measures and neuroimaging. Caregiver informants were administered the SDS. Individuals with bvFTD exhibited greater social dysfunction on the SDS compared with the EOAD group; t(32) = 6.32, p < .001. The scale demonstrated preliminary evidence for discriminating these frequently misdiagnosed groups (area under the curve = 0.920, p = <.001) and internal consistency α = 0.977. The SDS demonstrated initial evidence as an effective measure for detecting abnormal social behavior and discriminating bvFTD from EOAD. Future validation is recommended in larger and more diverse patient groups.
Seed: a user-friendly tool for exploring and visualizing microbial community data
Authors: Beck Daniel , Dennis Christopher , Foster James A.
Published: October 2014

Summary: In this article we present Simple Exploration of Ecological Data (Seed), a data exploration tool for microbial communities. Seed is written in R using the Shiny library. This provides access to powerful R-based functions and libraries through a simple user interface. Seed allows users to explore ecological datasets using principal coordinate analyses, scatter plots, bar plots, hierarchal clustering and heatmaps.

Availability and implementation: Seed is open source and available at https://github.com/danlbek/Seed.

Contact: danlbek@gmail.com

Supplementary information:  Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Frequency and Type of K-RAS Mutations in Mexican Patients With Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Cárdenas-Ramos Susana G. , Alcázar-González Gregorio , Reyes-Cortés Luisa M. , Torres-Grimaldo Abdiel A. , Calderón-Garcidueñas Ana L. , Morales-Casas José , Flores-Sánchez Patricia , De León-Escobedo Raúl , Gómez-Díaz Antonio , Moreno-Bringas Carmen , Sánchez-Guillén Jorge , Ramos-Salazar Pedro , González-de León César , Barrera-Saldaña Hugo A.
Published: October 2014

Background:

Current metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) therapy uses monoclonal antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor. This treatment is only useful in the absence of K-RAS gene mutations; therefore the study of such mutations is part of a personalized treatment. The aim of this work is to determine the frequency and type of the most common K-RAS mutations in Mexican patients with metastatic disease by nucleotide sequencing.

Patients and Methods:

We studied 888 patients with mCRC from different regions of Mexico. The presence of mutations in exon 2, codons 12 and 13, of the K-RAS gene was determined by nucleotide sequencing.

Results:

Patients exhibited K-RAS gene mutations in 35% (310/888) of cases. Mutation frequency of codons 12 and 13 was 71% (221/310) and 29% (89/310), respectively. The most common mutation (45.7%) in codon 12 was c.35G>A (p.G12D), whereas the one in codon 13 was c.38G>A (p.G13D) (78.7%).

Discussion:

Given the frequency of K-RAS mutations in Mexicans, making a genetic study before deciding to treat mCRC patients with monoclonal antibodies is indispensable.
Dissipative shocks behind bacteria gliding
Authors: Virga Epifanio G.
Published: October 2014

Gliding
is a means of locomotion on rigid substrates used by a number of bacteria, including myxobacteria and cyanobacteria. One of the hypotheses advanced to explain this motility mechanism hinges on the role played by the slime filaments continuously extruded from gliding bacteria. This paper solves, in full, a non-linear mechanical theory that treats as
dissipative shocks
both the point where the extruded slime filament comes into contact with the substrate, called the filament’s
foot
, and the pore on the bacterium outer surface from where the filament is ejected. I prove that kinematic compatibility for shock propagation requires that the bacterium uniform gliding velocity (relative to the substrate) and the slime ejecting velocity (relative to the bacterium) must be equal, a coincidence that seems to have already been observed.
Automated Recovery of Three-Dimensional Models of Plant Shoots from Multiple Color Images
Authors: Pound Michael P. , French Andrew P. , Murchie Erik H. , Pridmore Tony P.
Published: October 2014

Increased adoption of the systems approach to biological research has focused attention on the use of quantitative models of biological objects. This includes a need for realistic three-dimensional (3D) representations of plant shoots for quantification and modeling. Previous limitations in single-view or multiple-view stereo algorithms have led to a reliance on volumetric methods or expensive hardware to record plant structure. We present a fully automatic approach to image-based 3D plant reconstruction that can be achieved using a single low-cost camera. The reconstructed plants are represented as a series of small planar sections that together model the more complex architecture of the leaf surfaces. The boundary of each leaf patch is refined using the level-set method, optimizing the model based on image information, curvature constraints, and the position of neighboring surfaces. The reconstruction process makes few assumptions about the nature of the plant material being reconstructed and, as such, is applicable to a wide variety of plant species and topologies and can be extended to canopy-scale imaging. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on data sets of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rice (Oryza sativa) plants as well as a unique virtual data set that allows us to compute quantitative measures of reconstruction accuracy. The output is a 3D mesh structure that is suitable for modeling applications in a format that can be imported in the majority of 3D graphics and software packages.
Intellectual disability and mental health: is psychology prepared?
Authors: J. Razza Nancy , Schwartz Dayan Laura , Tomasulo Daniel , S. Ballan Michelle
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is threefold: to document the relationship between intellectual disability (ID) and psychopathology; to raise awareness of the ongoing lag in professional training for psychologists in the area of mental health treatment for people with intellectual disabilities; and, to provide recommendations for advancing professional education and, ultimately, adequate mental health treatment availability for people with intellectual disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reviews the literature on prevalence of mental health problems in people with intellectual disabilities. At the same time, the paper reviews the training of psychologists relative to the burgeoning growth in awareness of the mental health needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

Findings

– The paper concludes that ID is a significant risk factor for psychopathology. In addition, the paper concludes that the education of psychologists regarding the mental health needs of people with intellectual disabilities is insufficient. The authors document the need for incorporating research and treatment advances related to intellectual disabilities and mental health into to the professional training of psychologists. The paper also describe the potential this training holds for improving both the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and the overall competence of psychologists.

Practical implications

– This paper provides a literature-based rationale for the need to include education in the mental health needs of people with intellectual disabilities into the general training of mental health professionals. In addition, it provides specific recommendations for how such training can be incorporated into graduate psychology programs.

Originality/value

– This paper provides mental health professionals with a review of the growth in understanding of the enormous, unmet mental health needs of people intellectual disabilities, and of the critical role of ID in development of mental health problems. Moreover, this paper builds the case for an important revision in the training of psychologists to include competence in understanding and treating mental health problems across the full spectrum of intellectual functioning.
Undergraduate intellectual disability teaching – a medical student's experience
Authors: Campbell Iona
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe a medical student's experience of undergraduate teaching in intellectual disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper presents the reflections of a medical student on the undergraduate intellectual disability teaching. It describes experiences of a placement in this field, and how it may influence future practice.

Findings

– It is apparent that exposure to intellectual disability training in the undergraduate curriculum can be limited. Much of the work in this area highlights the negative consequences of this when it comes to medical care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. This paper proposes that positive changes may be achieved, by providing medical students with more training in this area.

Originality/value

– By reflecting on an individual experience through medical school, this paper highlights the positive impact that teaching on intellectual disability can have on medical students, suggesting its value in the undergraduate curriculum.
The relationship between international business travel and sleep problems via work-family conflict
Authors: Mäkelä Liisa , Bergbom Barbara , Tanskanen Jussi , Kinnunen Ulla
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study well-being among the internationally mobile work force by exploring the relationships between international business traveling, work-family conflict (WFC), and health issues. In this study, these relationships are examined on the basis of the health impairment process of the job demands-resources model. More specifically, the study examines the role of WFC as a mediator between international business travel and sleep problems using a full panel design.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data for this study are drawn from Finnish employees whose work involved international business travel (n=868) and who answered two surveys with a one-year time lag.

Findings

– The results showed that international business travel in terms of the number of travel days per year, while not predicting sleep problems directly over time, did significantly increase WFC, which in turn increased sleep problems. Thus, WFC functioned as a mediator in the relationship between business travel and subsequent sleep problems.

Practical implications

– The results indicate that family-friendly HR policies and practices might help international business travelers (IBTs) reduce levels of WFC, which could in turn protect them from harmful health effects, particularly sleep problems.

Originality/value

– The study examines the understudied professional group of IBTs and contributes to the knowledge on their well-being and WFC issues.
Short industrial placements – developing an activity framework to support teaching and learning
Authors: Shawcross Judith K. , Ridgman Tom W.
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper identifies the activities to be undertaken by students during short industrial placements. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of what students do during their placements and provide a framework that supports both teaching and learning. This research focuses on a masters-level programme that contains a series of four, two week industrial placements where groups of two students work on a real and significant issue for the host company.

Design/methodology/approach

– A framework, developed from literature, describes a placement in terms of 17 high-level activity groups. A multi-stage action research method was applied to test the framework and develop a more detailed level framework. This used insights gathered from students, tutors and researchers on all 80 placements undertaken during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Findings

– The 17 high-level activity groups and their configuration in the framework were confirmed. For the 12 process activity groups, 64 activities were identified and included into a detailed level framework. For the five through-placement activity groups some specific activities were captured and further work remains to capture the others.

Originality/value

– These complex industrial placements can now be described consistently to students, companies and tutors using an evidence-based framework. Literature searches have not identified any other equivalent research-based frameworks. Other HE programmes also use similar industrial placements and this framework will provide a basis to support these and add to the body of knowledge in work integrated learning.
Nonlinearity of housing price structure
Authors: Shimizu Chihiro , Karato Koji , Nishimura Kiyohiko
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article, starting from linear regression, was to estimate a switching regression model, nonparametric model and generalized additive model as a semi-parametric model, perform function estimation with multiple nonlinear estimation methods and conduct comparative analysis of their predictive accuracy. The theoretical importance of estimating hedonic functions using a nonlinear function form has been pointed out in ample previous research (e.g. Heckmanet al. (2010).

Design/methodology/approach

– The distinctive features of this study include not only our estimation of multiple nonlinear model function forms but also the method of verifying predictive accuracy. Using out-of-sample testing, we predicted and verified predictive accuracy by performing random sampling 500 times without replacement for 9,682 data items (the same number used in model estimation), based on data for the years before and after the year used for model estimation.

Findings

– As a result of estimating multiple models, we believe that when it comes to hedonic function estimation, nonlinear models are superior based on the strength of predictive accuracy viewed in statistical terms and on graphic comparisons. However, when we examined predictive accuracy using out-of-sample testing, we found that the predictive accuracy was inferior to linear models for all nonlinear models.

Research limitations/implications

– In terms of the reason why the predictive accuracy was inferior, it is possible that there was an overfitting in the function estimation. Because this research was conducted for a specific period of time, it needs to be developed by expanding it to multiple periods over which the market fluctuates dynamically and conducting further analysis.

Practical implications

– Many studies compare predictive accuracy by separating the estimation model and verification model using data at the same point in time. However, when attempting practical application for auto-appraisal systems and the like, it is necessary to estimate a model using past data and make predictions with respect to current transactions. It is possible to apply this study to auto-appraisal systems.

Social implications

– It is recognized that housing price fluctuations caused by the subprime crisis had a massive impact on the financial system. The findings of this study are expected to serve as a tool for measuring housing price fluctuation risks in the financial system.

Originality/value

– While the importance of nonlinear estimation when estimating hedonic functions has been pointed out in theoretical terms, there is a noticeable lag when it comes to testing based on actual data. Given this, we believe that our verification of nonlinear estimation’s validity using multiple nonlinear models is significant not just from an academic perspective – it may also have practical applications.
Strategic sourcing management’s mindset: strategic sourcing orientation and its implications
Authors: Eltantawy Reham , Giunipero Larry , Handfield Robert
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Recently, focus in strategic sourcing (SS) has shifted from the exchange of tangible goods toward the exchange of intangibles, such as specialized skills, knowledge, and processes. The purpose of this paper is to aim to delineate the domain of, and operationally test, strategic sourcing orientation (SSO); a management philosophy directed at identifying and meeting the needs and goals of SS.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a mixed-methods research design and underpinned by a service dominant logic (SDL) inspired resource-based view (RBV), the authors first use the qualitative input of 41 top sourcing executives in four focus groups to derive four first-order “orientations” (learning, performance, planning, and relational-process) that were found to reflect SSO. Second, the authors propose a theoretically grounded operationalization of SSO derived from the qualitative data and extant literature. A sample of 174 top sourcing executives was used to test the proposed SSO and its impact on SS reputation, supplier management, and performance outcomes.

Findings

– The results indicate strong support for the theorized SSO and its impact on SS reputation and supplier management, and, consequently, on performance outcomes.

Originality/value

– While many firms encourage a culture to enable SS to realize enhanced performance, research has failed to provide a holistic account of this orientation. This study employs a mixed-methods research design to conceptualize and operationalize such orientation.
Room for improvement: the impact of bad losses on board quality
Authors: B. Mulcahy Mark
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between reporting a loss and changes in board quality. Low quality corporate governance is associated with adverse accounting outcomes and is characterised by the lack of non-executive and independent directors on the board. Changes in these board quality indicators in response to the reporting of a loss and conditioned by the severity of the loss are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses four years of board information spanning the report of an initial loss for companies listed on the UK stock exchange. An industry and size matched control sample is used in a difference-in-difference analysis to isolate the impact of the loss from underlying changes in board quality.

Findings

– Overall the results indicate that more severe initial loss events precipitate improvements in board quality over and above the control sample as well as less severe loss events.

Research limitations/implications

– Although unambiguous, the reporting of a loss is only one measure of underperformance. Also the board quality indicators used in this study are two from several individual corporate governance variables and amalgamations used in the extent literature.

Practical implications

– The findings demonstrate that the relationship between corporate governance and performance is endogenous and that the majority of any improvement in board quality actually anticipates the reporting of the loss. Any celebration of improvements in governance need to be tempered by an understanding of the precariousness of the firms at which these improvements are made.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to a research stream that examines negative shocks, and losses in particular, as an event likely to precipitate firm-level changes in board quality, i.e. firms tend not to make improvements to board quality without the impetus to do so.
Company specific determinants of greenhouse gases disclosures
Authors: Chithambo Lyton , Tauringana Venancio
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between company-specific factors and the extent of greenhouse gas (GHG) disclosures.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on a sample of 210 FTSE 350 companies and uses the disclosure index to quantify GHG disclosures made in the annual reports, sustainability reports and web sites in 2011. Ordinary least squares regression is employed to model the relationship between the company-specific factors and the extent of GHG disclosures.

Findings

– The results indicate that company size, gearing, financial slack and two industries (consumer services and industrials) are significantly associated with GHG disclosures while profitability, liquidity and capital expenditure are not. When the authors disaggregate GHG disclosures into qualitative and quantitative, the results suggest that the effect of some company factors differ depending on the type of GHG disclosures.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is cross-sectional. A longitudinal study is necessary to understand the dynamics of GHG disclosures as firms may change their disclosure policy as the importance of GHG increases. The results imply that policy makers need to take into account certain company-specific factors when formulating policy aimed at improving GHG disclosures.

Originality/value

– The results add evidence to the growing body of research focusing on the relationship between company-specific factors and GHG disclosure. The study also provides evidence that the effect of some company-specific factors on GHG disclosures differ depending on whether the GHG disclosures are quantitative or qualitative.
Hunter-gatherers on the best-seller list: Steven Pinker and the “Bellicose School's” treatment of forager violence
Authors: B. Lee Richard
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The question of violence in hunter-gatherer society has animated philosophical debates since at least the seventeenth century. Steven Pinker has sought to affirm that civilization, is superior to the state of humanity during its long history of hunting and gathering. The purpose of this paper is to draw upon a series of recent studies that assert a baseline of primordial violence by hunters and gatherers. In challenging this position the author draws on four decades of ethnographic and historical research on hunting and gathering peoples.

Design/methodology/approach

– At the empirical heart of this question is the evidence pro- and con- for high rates of violent death in pre-farming human populations. The author evaluates the ethnographic and historical evidence for warfare in recorded hunting and gathering societies, and the archaeological evidence for warfare in pre-history prior to the advent of agriculture.

Findings

– The view of Steven Pinker and others of high rates of lethal violence in hunters and gatherers is not sustained. In contrast to early farmers, their foraging precursors lived more lightly on the land and had other ways of resolving conflict. With little or no fixed property they could easily disperse to diffuse conflict. The evidence points to markedly lower levels of violence for foragers compared to post-Neolithic societies.

Research limitations/implications

– This conclusion raises serious caveats about the grand evolutionary theory asserted by Steven Pinker, Richard Wrangham and others. Instead of being “killer apes” in the Pleistocene and Holocene, the evidence indicates that early humans lived as relatively peaceful hunter-gathers for some 7,000 generations, from the emergence of Homo sapiens up until the invention of agriculture. Therefore there is a major gap between the purported violence of the chimp-like ancestors and the documented violence of post-Neolithic humanity.

Originality/value

– This is a critical analysis of published claims by authors who contend that ancient and recent hunter-gatherers typically committed high levels of violent acts. It reveals a number of serious flaws in their arguments and use of data.
Earnings persistence and stock prices: empirical evidence from an emerging market
Authors: Dawar Varun
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to investigate the persistence ability of accounting variables, namely, abnormal earnings, book value, accruals and cash flows over a period of time and their valuation relevance in Indian scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study utilizes the generalized version of the Ohlson model which links market prices with abnormal earnings, book value and earning components (accruals and cash flows). Fixed-effect panel data regression is used to analyze six years of data on the sample units to determine the persistence and valuation relevance.

Findings

– The findings provide evidence on the construct of persistence and value relevance of earnings and book value of equity in the Indian context. The findings further confirm that investors in India are fixated on earnings and fail to attend separately to the cash flow and accrual components of earnings while undertaking their investment decisions.

Practical implications

– The empirical findings of the study will enable the analysts and investors to understand the relevance and persistence of accounting variables in case of an emerging market like India.

Originality/value

– The study extends the extant literature on value relevance studies in developed markets to an emerging market like India and enriches it in several ways.
Board and auditor interlocks and voluntary disclosure in annual reports
Authors: Braam Geert , Borghans Lex
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to explore whether interlock ties between the board of directors and the external auditors facilitate the cross-firm diffusion of voluntary disclosures in annual reports.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a sample of 149 non-financial companies publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Euronext Amsterdam, we use ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis to examine the relationships between the incidence of financial and non-financial voluntary disclosures in the focal firms’ annual reports and the annual reports of other companies to which the firms are related via the interlock ties of its board members and external auditor.

Findings

– The results show significant associations between financial and non-financial voluntary disclosures in the focal and related firms’ annual reports when there were board interlocks. Differences in the diffusion of specific types of disclosures are found depending on the type of interlocking director. The results also show that interlock ties of the external auditors positively influence the associations with voluntary financial disclosures in the annual reports.

Practical implications

– We find clear indications that board and auditor interlocks form important sources of inter-organisational information exchange that can drive changes in voluntary disclosure practices in annual reports. The networks of social relationships between firms may play a significant incremental role in the cross-firm diffusion of corporate voluntary disclosure practices, particularly in complex and ambiguous situations.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first empirical study to investigate how board and external auditor interlock ties are related to the levels of financial and non-financial voluntary disclosures in the focal and related firms’ annual reports.
Stock option modification under SFAS 123(R)
Authors: Balsam Steven , Kim Il-woon , Ryan David , Song Hakjoon
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations for and variations in terms of stock option modifications under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 123(R). Stock options are used to motivate and retain employees. Unfortunately, when stock prices decline, existing options lose their incentive value. In response, firms look for ways to re-incentivize their employees. Their choices include issuing additional options and/or modifying existing grants.

Design/methodology/approach

– We investigate the economic determinants of stock option modification post SFAS 123(R), such as financial reporting cost, shareholder/political cost and employee incentive and retention. Our analysis is based on 67 sample firms that modify their stock option plans from 2005 to 2008 and 67 control firms constructed based on size, industry, year and stock price performance for the prior five years.

Findings

– The results show that loss firms are more likely to modify their options, which supports the argument that financial reporting costs influence the decision to modify. We find support for the shareholder/political costs hypothesis, as the overhang ratio is positively associated with the decision to modify. However, we find no evidence that modifications substitute for additional option grants. We find that politically sensitive larger firms are more likely to incorporate more shareholder friendly measures such as excluding executives from modification or providing shareholders the opportunity to vote on modification.

Originality/value

– This is the first paper examining the economic determinants of stock option modification under SFAS 123(R). Our findings provide some insights regarding economic determinants of SFAS 123(R) for accounting policy-makers and investors.
Integrating innovation and absorptive capacity into the place branding process
Authors: J. Daspit Joshua , M. Zavattaro Staci
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to integrate organizational capabilities into the place branding process to showcase how a lead destination marketing organization (DMO) can influence a customer-based brand equity outcome. Doing so highlights the strategic, relational nature of place branding. The authors focus specifically on first- and zero-order capabilities, integrating absorptive capacity (first-order) and an innovation capability (zero-order) into a place branding framework. We define an innovation capability within a place branding context and offer absorptive capacity as a mechanism through which DMO leaders can exploit external knowledge acquisition.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper presents a theoretical framework of the place branding process that integrates firm capabilities. A framework based on analyzing existing place branding models and integrating organizational capabilities, which find root in strategic management literature, was developed.

Findings

– Findings indicate that existing frameworks address operational and customer capabilities in some manner yet largely ignore innovation capabilities. A definition of an innovation capability for place brand managers and scholars is offered, and offer absorptive capacity as means to integrate external knowledge into the DMO. Utilizing multiple levels of capabilities allows a firm to influence customer-based brand equity. Testable propositions based on the authors' framework are offered.

Practical implications

– Managerial implications of integrating stakeholder capabilities into place branding include appreciating a culture of innovation within DMOs, learning from external stakeholders meaningfully and regularly and encouraging creative thinking that can produce new processes, policies or services.

Originality/value

– By integrating organizational capabilities, attention is drawn to internal aspects of the place branding process the place can control directly. Capabilities dictate how an organization sees itself; learns from its stakeholders; and then integrates that knowledge into organizational, stakeholder and innovation capabilities. Therefore, capabilities are inherently internal mechanisms through which a DMO can influence place brand outcomes, which are understood here as brand equity elements.
Let them do the work: a participatory place branding approach
Authors: Zenker Sebastian , Erfgen Carsten
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to develop a participatory approach to place branding. In doing so, it offers guidance on how to implement a participatory place branding strategy within place management practice.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on theoretical insights drawn from the combination of distinct literatures on place branding, general marketing and collaborative governance.

Findings

– The paper highlights the importance of residents in the place branding process and argues that their special functions as ambassadors for the place constitute the most valuable assets in place branding. Thus, a participatory place branding approach involving residents is needed. To implement this approach, three stages are necessary: (stage 1) defining a shared vision for the place including core place elements; (stage 2) implementing a structure for participation; (stage 3) supporting residents in their own place branding projects.

Originality/value

– The inclusion of residents is often requested in contemporary place branding literature. Unfortunately, none of these articles offer a real strategy for participatory place branding so far. Thus, this conceptual essay provides a participatory place branding approach to help place managers implement such structure.
Using needs assessment as a learning tool in the product development process
Authors: M. Cumberland Denise , P. Githens Rod
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this case study was threefold. First, to examine whether a needs assessment can work in the context of an organization’s new product development process to identify the gap between what “is” occurring and what “should” be occurring. Second, to investigate how a well-known stakeholder classification system can be adopted in a practitioner setting. Third, to identify why the new product development process derailed in a quick-service restaurant chain.

Design/methodology/approach

– A Fortune 200 quick-service restaurant chain provided the setting for a case study on the new product development (NPD) process. Data were gathered from multiple stakeholder groups using interviews and a survey questionnaire.

Findings

– Findings support the adaptability of needs assessment as a learning tool to help organizations identify and address performance gaps. A second finding was the applicability of the Mitchell et al. (1997) classification system to identify and prioritize groups of stakeholders. Finally, this study revealed that the specific activities involved in the NPD process were not codified, and that the restaurant chains cross-functional team was not adhering to the process due to a lack of training.

Research limitations/implications

– The specific setting may limit the generalizability of findings. Future research could determine the applicability in other settings.

Practical implications

– This study provides useful insights for applying needs assessments in conjunction with a stakeholder analysis when problems arise in the product development process.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to understanding around product development learning tools and provides impetus for the adoption of needs assessments and stakeholder analysis when deficiencies in the process occur.
Modeling of current-voltage characteristic of the intergranular barrier in metal oxide varistor ceramics
Authors: S. Tonkoshkur Alexander , V. Ivanchenko Alexander
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a generalized model of the nonlinear conductivity of varistor ceramic suitable for solving problems of prediction and control of ceramic nonlinearity, stability of varistor properties.

Design/methodology/approach

– The modeling of current-voltage characteristic of the intergranular barrier in metal oxide varistor ceramics is based on the development of the algorithm. It includes all the known mechanisms of electrotransfer in a wide range of voltages and currents of the current-voltage characteristics, and also takes into account the deviation of the barrier form the Schottky barrier.

Findings

– The models of double Schottky barrier and double barrier of arbitrary form, as well as the algorithms for calculating the current-voltage characteristics of a single intergranular potential barrier and a separate “microvaristor” with the use of the most well-established understanding of the main mechanisms of electrical are developed. The results of current-voltage characteristics modeling correspond to the existing understanding of the nonlinear electrical conductivity varistor ceramics are based on zinc oxide. The model of double barrier of arbitrary form takes into account the deviation of the barrier form the Schottky barrier which is important in predicting the deformation of the current-voltage characteristics of the varistor products in the process of degradation.

Originality/value

– The relation between the form of the current-voltage characteristic and the distribution profile of the donor concentration in the surface regions of the semiconductor crystallites constituting the intergranular potential barrier is established. The accumulation of donors in the space charge region leads to the increase in the current on the prebreakdown region of the current-voltage characteristic and the reduction of voltage corresponding to the breakdown region beginning of the current-voltage characteristic. The significant role of the interlayer in the formation of current-voltage characteristic of the intergranular potential barrier is shown.
Effect of heat and mass transfer and rotation on peristaltic flow through a porous medium with compliant walls
Authors: Abd-Alla A.M. , Abo-Dahab S.M. , Kilicman A. , El-Semiry R.D.
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the peristaltic flow of an incompressible Newtonian fluid in a channel with compliant walls. The effects of rotation and heat and mass transfer are also taken into account. The governing equations of two dimensional fluid have been simplified under long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximation. An exact solutions is presented for the stream function, temperature, concentration field, velocity and heat transfer coefficient.

Design/methodology/approach

– The effect of the concentration distribution, heat and mass transfer and rotation on the wave frame are analyzed theoretically and computed numerically. Numerical results are given and illustrated graphically in each case considered. Comparison was made with the results obtained in the presence and absence of rotation and heat and mass transfer.

Findings

– The results indicate that the effect of the permeability and rotation are very pronounced in the phenomena.

Originality/value

– The objective of the present analysis is to analyze the effects of rotation, heat and mass transfer and compliant walls on the peristaltic flow of a viscous fluid.
A structural VAR analysis of Islamic financing in Malaysia
Authors: H. Ibrahim Mansor , Sufian Fadzlan
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is evaluate the interrelations between Islamic financing and key economic and financial variables including real output, price level, interest rate and stock prices for the case of Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper makes use of a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model to discern the influences of key economic and financial variables on the behavior of Islamic financing.

Findings

– The basic results indicate that Islamic financing responds positively to innovations in real output. In addition, the price level shocks also tend to have significant but lagged effects on the financing provision of Islamic banks. Most interestingly, Islamic financing is impacted negatively and immediately by positive interest rate shocks, contradicting the argument that Islamic bank operations are shielded from interest rate fluctuations. Indeed, the excess sensitivity of Islamic banks to interest rate fluctuations and their lagged responses to price level shocks are found to be robust across alternative SVAR specifications.

Practical implications

– Operating under a dual banking system, Islamic banks are not immune from monetary conditions of the country. Indeed, it seems to be exposed to the interest rate risk, an aspect that needs to be accounted for by Islamic banks in their risk management.

Originality/value

– With the emergence of Islamic finance industry, understanding the implications of various macroeconomic factors on Islamic financing is essential. This study adds to this understanding, which has received limited attention.
Supporting new graduate professional development: A clinical learning framework
Authors: Fitzgerald Cate , Moores Alis , Coleman Allison , Fleming Jennifer
Published: October 2014

Background/aims

New graduate occupational therapists are required to competently deliver health‐care practices within complex care environments. An occupational therapy clinical education programme within a large public sector health service sought to investigate methods to support new graduates in their clinical learning and professional development.

Methods

Three cycles of an insider action research approach each using the steps of planning, action, critical observation and reflection were undertaken to investigate new graduate learning strategies, develop a learning framework and pilot its utility. Qualitative research methods were used to analyse data gathered during the action research cycles.

Results

Action research identified variations in current practices to support new graduate learning and to the development of the Occupational Therapy Clinical Learning Framework (OTCLF). Investigation into the utility of the OTCLF revealed two themes associated with its implementation namely (i) contribution to learning goal development and (ii) compatibility with existing learning supports.

Conclusions and significance of the study

The action research cycles aimed to review current practices to support new graduate learning. The learning framework developed encourages reflection to identify learning needs and the review, discussion of, and engagement in, goal setting and learning strategies. Preliminary evidence indicates that the OTCLF has potential as an approach to guide new graduate goal development supported by supervision. Future opportunity to implement a similar learning framework in other allied health professions was identified, enabling a continuation of the cyclical nature of enquiry, integral to this research approach within the workplace.
Microbial cargo: do bacteria on symbiotic propagules reinforce the microbiome of lichens?
Authors: Aschenbrenner Ines Aline , Cardinale Massimiliano , Berg Gabriele , Grube Martin
Published: October 2014

According to recent research, bacteria contribute as recurrent associates to the lichen symbiosis. Yet, the variation of the microbiomes within species and across geographically separated populations remained largely elusive. As a quite common dispersal mode, lichens evolved vertical transmission of both fungal and algal partners in specifically designed mitotic propagules. Bacteria, if co‐transmitted with these symbiotic propagules, could contribute to a geographical structure of lichen‐associated microbiomes.

The lung lichen was sampled from three localities in easternAustria to analyse their associated bacterial communities by bar‐coded pyrosequencing, network analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization. For the first time, bacteria were documented to colonize symbiotic propagules of lichens developed for short‐distance transmission of the symbionts. The propagules share the overall bacterial community structure with the thalli at class level, except for filamentousCyanobacteria(Nostocophycideae), and withAlphaproteobacteriaas predominant group. All three sampling sites share a core fraction of the microbiome. Bacterial communities of lichen thalli from the same sampling site showed higher similarity than those of distant populations. This variation and the potential co‐dispersal of a microbiome fraction with structures of the host organism contribute new aspects to the ‘everything is everywhere’ hypothesis.
Autonomy and the intercultural: interpreting the history of Australian Aboriginal water management in the Roper River catchment, Northern Territory
Authors: Barber Marcus , Jackson Sue
Published: October 2014

Integrated discussions of the multi‐valency of objects and the use and appropriation of natural resources in colonial contexts are uncommon. By combining previously scattered historical, legal, and ethnographic sources, this article examinesAustralianAboriginal dam and weir construction along theRoperRiver, focusing on the repeated re‐purposing, re‐contextualization and reinterpretation of the structures over time by bothAboriginal and non‐Aboriginal protagonists. Through that process, it contributes to contemporary theoretical debates about intercultural colonial relations and about the relative autonomy of indigenous peoples within colonizing societies. In particular, the article highlights the historical evolution of constraints on local autonomy in colonial contexts and the role of individual agency in constituting and/or reconfiguring intercultural relations. Previously little known, these temporary water regulation structures are now the best historically documented instance ofAboriginal water management inAustralia, enabling a diverse array of interpretations and the critical evaluation of key contemporary social‐theoretical concepts.
A relational approach to a Papua New Guinea male ritual cycle
Authors: Bonnemère Pascale
Published: October 2014

The article analyses the male ritual cycle of the Ankave‐Anga in Papua New Guinea. In the 1980s, male initiations in this region were interpreted as institutions for the reproduction of male domination. And yet, looking at the ritual gestures performed at the same time by the men in the forest and by the women in the village, it becomes possible to offer another interpretation, one that, following Marilyn Strathern, underscores a relational dimension. But, whereas Strathern saw these rituals as times when boys went from a ‘cross‐sex’ state to a ‘single‐sex’ state capable of reproduction, following a process of extraction, the article argues that the Ankave ritual cycle can be read as an ordered series of transformations of the relations between the boys and their mothers and sisters, in the presence of these female relatives. At the heart of these initiations lies the boys' accession to the capacity to act for others. Such an analysis of specific ethnographic Melanesian material makes possible a critical appraisal of the Strathernian notions of partibility and detachability, which have often been taken as given by researchers outside the region.
Why Worry? Motivation for Crisis Preparedness Work among Municipal Leaders in Sweden
Authors: Enander Ann , Hede Susanne , Lajksjö Örjan
Published: October 2014

Much of the responsibility for societal safety and crisis preparedness rests with local municipal leaders. These tasks are demanding, and often insufficiently prioritized and supported. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing motivation to work with these issues, and to explore relationships among such factors. Two datasets, formed the basis of the analysis. From the qualitative analysis, a model was developed describing three main categories of motivational factors: person‐related, organizational and activity‐related. Actual crisis experience was found to influence factors in all three categories. Differences regarding motivational forces could be identified among different roles among officials. Self‐determination theory is applied to the model, illustrating possible ways to influence motivation for work with preparedness issues.