bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of stakeholders on corporate social responsibility of Islamic Banks in Jordan
Authors: Di Bella Venere , Al-Fayoumi Nedal
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the various perceptions of stakeholders on corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Islamic Banks in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data are collected from multiple stakeholder groups of two Islamic Banks in particular: Jordan Islamic Bank for Finance and Investment and Islamic International Arab Bank. The methods adopted to examine the data are the descriptive analysis and analysis of variance. With regard to the purpose of this research, the concept of Islamic CSR and its dimensions have been considered as: rooted in the Islamic ethical system, represented through the profit and loss arrangements, embedded within the principles behind financial services provided by Islamic Banks, and benchmarked by the Accounting and Auditing Organization of Islamic Financial Institutions’ (AAOIFI) corporate governance standard.

Findings

– The results indicate that stakeholders have expressed a positive attitude toward the concept of CSR. Proving that the issue of CSR is an important factor in Islamic banking and to the perception of various stakeholders’ groups, the focus shifted into identifying the dimensions which shape the Islamic CSR. In reference to previous research results, the Islamic banking sector in Jordan has an in-built dimension that promotes social responsibility.

Practical implications

– The study recommends that Islamic Banks improve CSR activities in order to better exploit this commitment with a cultural identity yet again. This identity has a direct influence on the branding of Islamic finance in local markets. The structure of offered products reflects regional beliefs and provides a suite of services. In terms of services, the services provided are geared toward specific market segments within local communities. This as a result directs a number of strategic decisions made by Islamic Banks, which are based on the structure of their offerings, brand identity and customer service levels.

Originality/value

– In Jordan, studies about the perception of stakeholders on CSR from an Islamic perspective are almost non-existent. Thus, providing solutions for study questions and presenting empirical evidence regarding CSR issues will certainly add a new dimension to the literature. Moreover, the conclusions and recommendations may help regulators and decision makers in enhancing the competitiveness and the sustainability of the Islamic banking sector in Jordan.
Enhancing customer loyalty: critical switching cost factors
Authors: El-Manstrly Dahlia
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderator effects of switching costs, classified by type (relational, procedural, and financial) and direction (positive and negative), on the relationships between customer-perceived value, trust, and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study reports on quantitative data from a survey of two service contexts which vary in their degree of customer-employee contact and customization. In total, 360 usable questionnaires were collected, and the data were analyzed using multi-group structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The results demonstrate that switching costs moderate, in different ways, the relationships between customer loyalty, trust and perceived value. Moreover, the strength of the moderator effects vary according to service type.

Research limitations/implications

– This study provides new insight into understanding the moderating role of switching costs thus, reduces inconsistencies about the direction and the strength of the moderator effect of switching costs in loyalty frameworks.

Practical implications

– This study helps managers choose the most effective loyalty strategy for specific service industries and perceptions of switching costs, and to look beyond their service boundaries in order to cross-fertilize strategies for handling switching costs.

Originality/value

– No empirical study to date has simultaneously examined the moderator effect of switching costs classified by type and direction on the relationships between customer-perceived value, trust, and customer loyalty across two different service contexts in a single framework.
Shopping experiences in visually complex environments: a self-regulation account
Authors: Orth Ulrich R. , Wirtz Jochen , McKinney Amelia
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Providing satisfying shopping experiences is a major goal in retail management because satisfaction guides re-patronage behavior. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the visual complexity of an environment’s interior design (i.e. the overall amount of visual information in an environment) influences the shopping experience by impairing customers’ information processing and self-regulation resources.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two quasi-experimental field studies were conducted in two different cultural contexts (i.e. Germany and Singapore) to enhance the external validity and robustness of the findings.

Findings

– Both studies provide evidence that an environment’s visual complexity impairs the shopping experience. Study 1 shows that visual complexity places a perceptual load on customers which mediates the complexity-experience relationship. Study 2 replicates this finding in a different setting and extends it by showing that load relates to lower self-control, which in turn, mars the experience. Furthermore, the negative effect of complexity on the experience is more pronounced with shoppers pursuing utilitarian rather than hedonic shopping goals.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings in a supermarket context may not transfer to environments in which the visual design is an important component of the value proposition and where shopping goals are largely hedonic in nature.

Practical implications

– The findings advance theory by showing that it is perceptual load and its outcome, reduced perceived self-control, which are largely responsible for the negative effect of visual complexity on the shopping experience. This finding should encourage managers to proactively manage and reduce the complexity of their service environments.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to show how the visual complexity of a retail environment influences a customer’s shopping experience. It offers novel insights into the underlying mechanism of perceptual load and self-control as process mediators of visual complexity on the shopping experience.
Value proposition test-driving for service innovation: how frontline employees innovate value propositions
Authors: Åkesson Maria , Skålén Per , Edvardsson Bo , Stålhammar Anna
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This article investigates the role of frontline employees in service innovation from a service-dominant logic perspective. Frontline employees lack a formal innovation obligation. Service innovation is a resource integration process resulting in the creation of new value propositions.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study of service innovation projects that includes three different businesses in the IT sector and personal interviews with 25 frontline employees.

Findings

The findings suggest that frontline employees contribute to service innovation by test-driving potential value propositions. Three types of value proposition test-driving have been identified: cognitive, practical, and discursive. The findings suggest interdependencies between the different modes of value proposition test-driving, as well as specific phases of the service innovation process dominated by one form or another.

Research limitations/implications

Value proposition test-driving offers a fruitful context for managers to involve frontline employees and use their creativity and expertise. The case study approach, however, limits the statistical generalizability of the findings.

Originality/value

The study is novel in that it (a) introduces the notion of value proposition test-driving for service innovation; (b) provides a systematic empirical analysis of how frontline employees contribute to service innovation by test-driving value propositions; (c) offers a service innovation model informed by the service-dominant logic; and (d) contributes to the service-dominant logic by detailing how service innovation occurs in practice.
Structured selection of partners in open innovation: an IF-TOPSIS based approach
Authors: Aloini Davide , Dulmin Riccardo , Farina Giulia , Mininno Valeria , Pellegrini Luisa
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Open innovation (OI) literature suggests that firms can improve their innovation performance by learning from a large set of actors in the innovation process. However, the extant literature has overlooked the “who” question: which partners should be included in the different phases of the innovation funnel? How should they be selected? This paper aims to offer, while focusing in the early phases of the innovation process, a list of possible criteria for partner evaluation and suggests a structured methodology for their selection.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical test of both the criteria and the methodology is presented with reference to a company operating in the Advanced Underwater Systems sector. The authors propose a peer-based modification of intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) multi-criteria group decision-making with TOPSIS method (peer IF-TOPSIS). IF-TOPSIS allows coping with subjectivity, imprecision and vagueness in group decision-making problem under multiple criteria.

Findings

The paper proposes an innovative application of a peer-modified version of IF-TOPSIS to a challenging and complex decision problem – partner selection for OI – which is usually subjected to uncertainty and evaluation from multiple experts.

Originality/value

This work contributes to the extant literature advancing the criteria that could be used in the selection process, avoiding focusing on single specific aspects of the collaboration phases or on specific types of partners (suppliers).
Social capital and export performance within exporter-intermediary relationships
Authors: Pinho José Carlos
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper draw insights from social capital theory and examines the synergistic effect of several constructs on export performance within the context of exporter–intermediary relationships. Specifically, it assumes that social capital and the set of resources embedded therein strongly influence the extent to which both commitment and cooperation occur, and how these, in turn, impact on export performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a quantitative methodological approach, a survey is applied to a sample of small and medium-sized enterprise exporters, to empirically test the proposed conceptual model. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to test the empirical model.

Findings

The findings reveal that there is a positive and direct impact of social capital on export performance. Results also confirm that the presence of high social capital between exporters and intermediaries affects both high commitment and high cooperation. The study also confirms the mediation effect of cooperation in the relationship between social capital and export performance.

Practical implications

One possible shortfall of this research relates to the fact that this analysis only incorporates the view of one actor, the view of exporter firms. This limitation could open a rewarding direction for future research, which would be to analyze the view of both sides in a dyadic relationship.

Originality/value

This paper presents the original approach of looking at the relational antecedents of export performance.
The Design and Evaluation of a Clothing System for Use in the Care of Premature Infants Part I - The Design ofthe Clothing System
Authors: Yi Lin KWOK , HARLOCK S.C. , TAM A.Y.C. , LO T.Y.
Published: April 2016

This paper presents the design of clothing for premature infants. This includes the development of suitable designs by taking into account physiological requirements of premature infants together with the nursing practices that affect a premature infant’s thermal environment. The result of this research has shown that it is feasible to construct garments that meet the criteria and may allow some premature infants to be transferred from incubators with cots at an earlier age than normal, thereby releasing valuable incubator space.

Part I considers the design of the style of garments.
ApPLICATION OF KINANTHROPOMETRY AND SOMATOTYPING TO THE STUDY OF THE PHYSIQUE OF HONG KONG-CHINESE DISCIPLINED PERSONNEL
Authors: B. TSANG , K. CHAN , G. Taylor
Published: April 2016

The application of kinanthropometry has been widely used in predicting the secular trend in increased body size of and among different ethnic groups world-wide. The criteria developed for this research can be used as standards for physical recruitment in the disciplined forces, as
well as for streamlining and improving the basic measurement scale for the manufacture of uniforms.

Kinanthropometry is defined as “ the study of human size, shape, proportion, composition, maturation, and gross function, in order to understand growth, exercise, performance, and nutrition” (Day, A.P. 1984). It is similar to the mechanistic approach to human motion, i.e. anthropometry. However, the study of anthropometry is confined to width, length and girth measurements, rather than changes that occur in the human physique as a result of physical training. Somatotyping provides classification of the human body into three basic types: ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph (Sheldon, W.H. 1940). Therefore, through the application of kinanthropometry together with somatotyping in the study of the human physique, the clothing industry can improve traditional sizing systems by means of reference to the structure and function ofthe human body.

This paper is mainly an introduction of the concept and methodology for a future survey. It consists of three parts. The first part is an introduction of the basic concepts, the second part is the description of the application of the somatotyping method, and the last part is the conclusion of this paper.
A Study of Techniques, Processes and Procedures Enabling Creation of Seamless Fashion Towards Innovative Ends
Authors: Ng Frankie M.C.
Published: April 2016

“Clothes from heaven are without seam (Tian Yi Wu Feng)”, the Chinese idiom says. A study has been carried out to investigate the past and present techniques, processes and procedures that enable creation of seamless fashion towards innovative ends. This paper puts the study into context, summarises these techniques and processes as well as their procedures in creating seamless objects and/or clothing items. and further appraises the favourability of these techniques towards the ends of seamless fashion creation.
Scientific and Technical Cultural Images
Authors: Wang Yi-Meei
Published: April 2016

At the end of the 20th century when the new millennium approaches, the economic development: of the textile and clothing industry in Taiwan, the Republic of China, has encountered the strong pressure of techniques upgrade and improvement on the traditional industries. The textile and clothing companies within have struggled to survive from the tough circumstances, such as the impact from the newly economic growths of other developing countries and the trend of the inevitable free global market in the whole earth village.

The survival of the industry development has then result from the high-tech, high-efficient and
high-quality textile creative designs emerging from the environmental realization, the research and understanding on the cultural tradition, as well as the digital information automation. The study of the innovative textile designs includes analysis of the traditional drawing skills combined with the realization of the creative CAM-oriented graphic. The other key point is the study on the design method, that is the overall presentation of the design strategies, design motives, and design method research as well as the application of the basic design theory and management concepts to the traditional culture essence.
Surface Modification of Polyamides Materials with Low Temperature Plasma
Authors: Yip Joanne , Chan Kwong , Sin Kwan Moon , Shui Lau Kai
Published: April 2016

The surface properties of materials are often the important determinants of their usefulness, and many of the chemical treatments now in use are aimed at modifying these properties. The important properties of polymer materials such as adhesion, friction, wetting, penetrability and biological compatibility are strongly influenced by their surface characteristics. Low Temperature Plasma (LTP) is a technology which can produce not only interesting morphological modification on the surface of the polymers, but also can replace less environmental-friendly finishing processes. In this paper, four non-polymerizing plasma gases: oxygen, argon, tetrafluoromethane and 75%/25% nitrogen/hydrogen mixture were used to modify Nylon 6 filaments and fabrics. The results of SEM study reveals that interesting morphological changes on the surface of treated samples. Besides, with the appropriate LTP treatment, the fabric properties, such as the hydrophobicity of polyamides, surface luster, etc. can be greatly modified.
The Appearance of Pneumatic Spliced Short Staple Ring Spun Yarns
Authors: Cheng K.P.S. , Lam H.L.I.
Published: April 2016

The appearance of a yarn is one of the most important yarn physical properties no matter it is for normal yarns, fancy yarns or the spliced yarns. As for the spliced yarns, the appearance of the splices will be used as an indicator to indicate whether the splice is acceptable or not for providing the necessary strength for further processing. When splicing the yarns under different splicer and yarn parameters, different spliced yarn appearance will be obtained. The appearance of the splices were then compared with the parent yarns and a grade (1 to 5) was then given to the splice with, 1 equals to Fail and 5 equals to Identical. The results indicated that the yarn linear density and the length of the yarn tails are the most important parameters that affect the appearance of the spliced yarn.
STRAIN MEASUREMENT IN FABRICS. PART V: A NON-CONTACT METHOD OF DETERMINING FINITE STRAINS – APPLICATION TO STRAIN FIELDS IN INDUSTRIAL TEXTILES
Authors: Lloyd D.W. , Price C.D. , Wild C. , Brook D.B.
Published: April 2016

The method of measuring strain fields in fabrics, described earlier, is applied to an example of heavy industrial fabrics. The example chosen is that of heavy woven conveyor belts. Conveyor belts are limited in their load rating and fatigue life by the means used to join them together. Two forms of joint are used, mechanical joints and spliced joints. Experimentally determined strain fields are used to explain the mechanisms of failure of each type of joint, and to assess the effectiveness of a modified joint. Measurements of strains through the thickness of spliced joints are used to contribute to the understanding of failure mechanisms in such joints.
THE NOVEL TECHNOLOGY OF FUNCTIONAL FABRICS COMPOSED OF POLYPROPYLENE NONWOVEN SELVAGE/POLYESTER/STAINLESS STEEL
Authors: Lin J.H. , Lou C.W.
Published: April 2016

Nowadays, the Green Environment Protection is popular, and the synthetic fiber nonwoven is recyclable and reusable to fabricate functional products with high additional values. It is because that the synthetic fibers used in the nonwoven industry are almost thermoplastic polymer. In this study, we adopted stainless steel filament as functional metal fiber, polypropylene nonwoven waste as filled material and reinforced it with polyester filament. Our process and products were innovative and creative. In order to produce multifunctional fiber products, we combined two or more different kinds of fibers, instead of one single fiber, to spin the ply yarn and weave them into fabrics in the hope that the final products would meet our requirements. The process in this research was innovative and high technical. The ply yarn and fabrics we made possessed high performance and diversity, and they were recyclable and practical. The functional ply yarn and its fabric responded to the electrical functional demands. The products can be applied on the anti-electrostatic fabric or processed into artificial composites.

In this research, the functional ply yarn was produced with an innovative rotor-wrappingtwister. The yarn consisted of polyester filaments, stainless steel filament and polypropylene nonwoven selvages. The speed of the rotor-wrapping-twister and the wrapping counts were the parameters in the manufacturing process. Then the ply yarn was woven into plain fabrics with a rapier loom. Finally, we investigated the tensile properties and maximum breaking strength utilization factors of the fabrics. The maximum breaking strength and elongation of the PS group (core materials were polyester filaments and polypropylene nonwoven selvages, and wrapping material was a stainless steel filament) were better at higher rotor speed (8000 rpm). The influence of the wrapping counts on the tensile properties was different while we used different wrapping materials. After the measurement of electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, we found the fabrics that fabricated with the ply yarn could take as the electromagnetic shielding materials. The weight percentage of the metallic fiber was only 3.52 ∼ 4.58 wt % and the value of the shielding effectiveness was 10 ∼ 25 dB.
POLYMERIC CELLULAR TEXTILE COMPOSITES FOR ENERGY ABSORPTION
Authors: Lam S.W. , Tao X.M. , Yu T.X.
Published: April 2016

This review paper is concerned with polymeric cellular textile composites with high specific energy absorption capacity. These cellular textile composites, particularly grid domed structure, have been characterized and the deformation mechanisms are described. The energy absorption capacity of the cellular structures may be varied by the geometrical parameters, cell density and the panel arrangement. Various fabrication processes of polymeric cellular textile composties are described, covering selection of reinforcing fibre and thermoset resin/ thermoplastic matrix material systems, methods of preform preparation by textile processing, and the manufacturing techniques of composite consolidation. The potential applications of cellular textile composites are the protective devices such as safety helmets, energy absorbing vehicle door or other light weight devices where high energy absorption capacity is of great importance.
THE ROLE OF GLOBALIZATION DRIVERS AND CULTURAL DISTANCE IN THE SELECTION OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETS BY U.S. APPAREL SPECIALTY RETAILERS
Authors: Hyllegard Karen , Eckman Molly
Published: April 2016

This exploratory study examines the relative importance of the evaluative criteria used by U.S. apparel specialty retailers in the selection of international markets. Specific competitive, cost, government and market factors that influence international expansion by U.S. apparel specialty retailers are identified. A purposive sample of U.S. apparel specialty retailers identified multiple cost and market criteria as important to international expansion decisionmaking, thus suggesting that real estate, construction, infrastructure, labor, and operation costs as well as age of population, household expenditures on clothing, total population, official language, and percentage of population living in urban areas all contribute to market selection. Patterns of international expansion among U.S. apparel specialty retailers and the role of cultural distance in retailers’ selection of countries for first international market entry were also explored. Findings provide insight into the importance of cultural similarity among retailers’ home country and countries of selection for entry, as well as into U.S. retailers' sense of social responsibility as it relates to their international expansion activities.
ANALYSIS OF FABRIC DRAPE AND GARMENT DRAPE
Authors: Ng S.F. , Hui C.L. , Tam F.Y.
Published: April 2016

Drape is a unique property that allows a fabric to be bent in more than one direction with double curvature. For many years, researchers studied fabric drape in order to evaluate the aesthetic performance of finished garments. However, the behaviour of fabric drape may not be same as the behaviour of garment drape stand on the same object by visually observation. Such difference would affect the prediction of garment drape based on fabric drape. At present, the study of the difference between the behaviour of fabric drape and garment drape is very limited. This study aims to examine the difference of the behaviour of fabric drape and garment drape through drape coefficient analysis and drape profile analysis. The effects of fabric mechanical properties on fabric drape and garment drape are also investigated experimentally. The outcomes of this study can improve apparel design and fabric end-use applications, and it also contributes to improve the prediction of garment drape for the apparel CAD system.
BIOTECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF WOOL
Authors: Sedelnik Natalia
Published: April 2016

Following in the footsteps of pharmacy and food processing the textile industry makes recourse to enzymes on an increasing scale. Biotechnology makes the textile processes more ecological. In the 1990's, attempts were made in Poland to lessen the undesirable effect of carbonization by using enzymes to remove vegetable impurities from wool. Pre-treatment of wool with an enzyme bath in the carbonizing process helped reduce the concentration of sulphuric acid from 6% to 1.5%. The developed technology of cleaning wool from vegetable impurities is conventionally described as the 'BIOCARBO of Wool'.

This paper presents the results of laboratory and technological trails of using enzymatic treatments for remove vegetable impurities from wool. Enzymes, which are complex proteins, are specifically active only in relation to certain substances. This is an advantage as far as grease wool is concerned, since wool and its vegetable impurities have different chemical structures. In addition, the properties of uncleaned wool and of wool cleaned by the biological method are discussed.
RELATIONS BETWEEN THE LOCATION OF FIBRES AND FILTRATION PROPERTIES
Authors: Hruza Jakub , Havlicek Petr
Published: April 2016

This contribution is focused on the relations between the fibre orientation and the air filtration properties. The fiber orientation is intended as the orientation of fibre to main stream or as the alignment of fibres each other. There are two reasons to study this problem. The relation between theoretical model and real filter and the possibility how to increase the filter quality due to fiber orientation.

The definitions of the filter characteristics, filter properties and the filtration mechanisms are noted and short view to velocity field is outlined.

The first examined model is the "cube" model where the same aligned fibrous object is oriented in different directions to the main stream. This model provides interesting information but some discrepancies too.

The second examined model compare the flat filters with different alignment of fibres each other. It seems that this parameter affect the filter properties markedly.

Both models are examined in relation to the drop in pressure and the filter efficiency.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEENAGER'S SELF-MONITORING AND BUYING BEHAVIOUR
Authors: Yu Pris W.S. , Chan Priscilla Y.L. , Choi K.F.
Published: April 2016

People differ in the degree to which they exercise control over their expressive behaviour and self-presentation. This can be measured by a self-monitoring scale. Studies have shown that the consumer behaviour of high and low self-monitors is always different and that an understanding of the relationship can help marketers and advertisers develop effective marketing promotions and strategies to capture their target consumers. The teenage years are a period of transition from childhood to adulthood, and teenagers use clothing as a way of expressing their identity. Teenagers also make up a large part of the market and are therefore of interest for researchers.

This paper investigates the relationship between the buying behaviour and self-monitoring of teenagers (13-19 ages old) using Snyder’s Self-Monitoring Scale. The results show that teenagers exhibit different consumer behaviour. A cluster analysis of consumer attitudes towards the selection of apparel can be classified into three major types: practical, brand- and quality-oriented, as well as easy-going.
Deforestation in a tropical compact city part a: understanding its socio-ecological impacts
Authors: Tan Puay Yok , Feng Yuanqiu , Hwang Yun Hye
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Secondary forest loss in Singapore has recently emerged as a contentious issue that tests the relationships between state, public and civil society, but debates on this issue have occurred without the benefit of supporting information on the spatial extent, and understanding of multiple socio-ecological impacts arising from their gradual disappearance. The purpose of this paper is to fill these knowledge gaps to contribute to development of approaches to manage land developments on secondary forests.

Design/methodology/approach

This study evaluated the past and potential future losses of spontaneous re-growth forest through spatial analyses of vegetation cover maps combined with national land use plans using remote sensing and GIS. The socio-ecological impacts of such losses were interpreted from published writings, which comprise scientific publications and public opinion in news media.

Findings

Secondary forest losses accounted for more than half of total vegetation cover reduction between 2007 and 2012, and future potential losses amount to about 4,700 ha of land if these are fully developed over the next 10-15 years. The socio-ecological consequences of such losses are identified. Strong public opinion are reflected in the large number of news article on the topic over the last four years, pointing to the emergence of a contentious issue that requires careful management.

Originality/value

This paper conducted the first assessment of the spatial extent of secondary forests losses, and an extensive review of public opinion of the matter, and the results validated the significance of this topic.
What influences persistence with medicines? A multinational discrete choice experiment of 2549 patients
Authors: Holmes Emily A. F. , Morrison Valerie L. , Hughes Dyfrig A.
Published: April 2016

Aim

The aim was to examine patients' stated preferences to persist with medicines and to explore the influence of psychosocial and sociocognitive factors.

Methods

Community‐dwelling, hypertensive patients recruited from nine European countries were invited to complete a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with attributes for treatment benefits, mild yet common adverse drug reactions (ADRs), rare but potentially life‐threatening ADRs and dosing frequency. Patients responded to the binary choice of which medicine would they be most likely to continue taking. Data were analyzed using a random effects logit model.

Results

Two thousand five hundred and forty‐nine patients from Austria (n = 321), Belgium (n = 175), England (n = 315), Germany (n = 266), Greece (n = 288), Hungary (n = 322), the Netherlands (n = 231), Poland (n = 312) and Wales (n = 319) completed the DCE. All attributes significantly influenced patients' stated preference to persist with medications (P < 0.05). Patients were willing to accept decreases in treatment benefits of 50.6 percentage points (95% CI 46.1, 57.9) for a very rare (as opposed to rare) risk of severe ADR, 28.3 percentage points (95% CI 25.2, 33.1) for a once daily instead of twice daily dosing and 0.74 percentage points (95% CI 0.67, 0.85) for a 1% point reduction in mild ADRs. Models accounting for psychosocial and sociocognitive characteristics were significantly different from the base case.

Conclusion

Patients' intention to persist with treatment was associated with their willingness to trade potential benefits, harms and dosing frequency. Psychosocial and sociocognitive factors influenced the extent of trading. The utility model may have value in assessing patients' likelihood of persisting with medicines and to tailor treatment to maximize persistence.
The design and implementation of authentic learning with mobile technology in vocational nursing practice course
Authors: Pu Ying‐Hung , Wu Ting‐Ting , Chiu Po‐Sheng , Huang Yueh‐Min
Published: April 2016

In recent years, along with the development of mobile technology, vocational nursing education has improved greatly. In light of this emerging mobile technology, it brings the clinical practice of vocational nursing education closer to authentic learning than ever. In fact, some studies revealed that learners’ learn states and learning outcomes would be directly or indirectly influenced with mobile technology. Therefore, this study proposed an authentic learning model for vocational nursing education, validated by home‐visiting activities with the assistance of the mobile technology for a nursing practice course of 60 nursing students at a vocational nursing school in Taiwan. The research was based on the framework of the paradigm of authentic learning to derive authentic learning evaluation scales. Then, the scales were employed to evaluate usability and satisfaction of the students engaging in home‐visiting activities by using the mobile technology. Through the empirical experiment, our findings show that the nursing students’ authenticity experience and professional skill development can be enhanced through the assessment of the proposed authentical evaluation scales.
Invasion risk of the pond slider turtle is underestimated when niche expansion occurs
Authors: Rodrigues João F. M. , Coelho Marco T. P. , Varela Sara , Diniz‐Filho José A. F.
Published: April 2016

In recent years, changes have been detected in the climatic niches of several non‐native species. In spite of this, and although Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) assume species show climatic niche conservatism, most studies still useENMto assess the risks of invasion by alien species. In this study, we tested how niche expansion of the pond slider (Trachemys scripta) differs in invaded continents and how the performance ofENMs is affected by different niche shift scenarios.

We described niche equivalence (whether native and invaded niches are identical), unfilling (native niche not present in invasive niche), expansion (invasive niche not present in native niche) and stability, based on the pond slider native and invaded occurrence points. We created anENMusing a Maxent method, based on the native occurrences of this turtle, and evaluated the model's performance using invasive records.

Our results indicate that the pond slider niche changed when new areas that were either warmer (Asia and Latin America) or colder (Europe) than its native niche were invaded. Processes related to niche shift (stability, unfilling, and expansion) varied between continents. We also found that niche expansion is not a good predictor ofENMperformance, which may indicate that the effects of this process on model performance are more complex than a simple direct effect. Finally, ENMs had especially poor performance when evaluated for sensitivity (percentage of presence records correctly predicted as presences in the models), reiterating the problems of usingENMs and their traditional evaluation methods when focal species do not conserve their native niche.

We draw attention to important mitigatory measures, such as environmental education and strong control of trade to manage invasion by the pond slider turtle, since we still lack standard methods to predict the potential invasion risks for new areas when focal species do not conserve their native niche.
Coral bleaching response index: a new tool to standardize and compare susceptibility to thermal bleaching
Authors: Swain Timothy D. , Vega‐Perkins Jesse B. , Oestreich William K. , Triebold Conrad , DuBois Emily , Henss Jillian , Baird Andrew , Siple Margaret , Backman Vadim , Marcelino Luisa
Published: April 2016

As coral bleaching events become more frequent and intense, our ability to predict and mitigate future events depends upon our capacity to interpret patterns within previous episodes. Responses to thermal stress vary among coral species; however the diversity of coral assemblages, environmental conditions, assessment protocols, and severity criteria applied in the global effort to document bleaching patterns creates challenges for the development of a systemic metric of taxon‐specific response. Here, we describe and validate a novel framework to standardize bleaching response records and estimate their measurement uncertainties. Taxon‐specific bleaching and mortality records (2036) of 374 coral taxa (during 1982–2006) at 316 sites were standardized to average percent tissue area affected and a taxon‐specific bleaching response index (taxon‐BRI) was calculated by averaging taxon‐specific response over all sites where a taxon was present. Differential bleaching among corals was widely variable (mean taxon‐BRI = 25.06 ± 18.44%, ±SE). Coral response may differ because holobionts are biologically different (intrinsic factors), they were exposed to different environmental conditions (extrinsic factors), or inconsistencies in reporting (measurement uncertainty). We found that both extrinsic and intrinsic factors have comparable influence within a given site and event (60% and 40% of bleaching response variance of all records explained, respectively). However, when responses of individual taxa are averaged across sites to obtain taxon‐BRI, differential response was primarily driven by intrinsic differences among taxa (65% of taxon‐BRI variance explained), not conditions across sites (6% explained), nor measurement uncertainty (29% explained). Thus, taxon‐BRI is a robust metric of intrinsic susceptibility of coral taxa. Taxon‐BRI provides a broadly applicable framework for standardization and error estimation for disparate historical records and collection of novel data, allowing for unprecedented accuracy in parameterization of mechanistic and predictive models and conservation plans.
Recognition of a sequence: more growth before birth, longer telomeres at birth, more lean mass after birth
Authors: de Zegher F. , Díaz M. , Lopez‐Bermejo A. , Ibáñez L.
Published: April 2016

Background

Telomere length at birth is a major determinant of telomere length in late adulthood. However, the prenatal setting of telomere length is poorly understood. Individuals born large from non‐diabetic mothers are at lower risk for later‐life disorders than those born small, a feature of their longer health span being a higher lean mass that provides more muscle strength and that is already present in infancy.

Methods

At birth, we studied leukocyte telomere length (by quantitative polymerase chain reaction) in 103 small‐for‐gestational‐age, appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age or large‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA, AGA or LGA) infants born after uncomplicated, term, singleton pregnancies. All infants were breastfed for ≥4 months. At 2 weeks and 12 months, body composition was assessed by dual X‐ray absorptiometry.

Results

Telomere lengths were shorter in SGA newborns and longer in LGA newborns than in AGA newborns (P < 0.001), also after adjustment for maternal age, pre‐gestational body mass index, gestational weight gain and gestational age. Telomere length at birth associated (all P ≤ 0.001) to birthweight (r = 0.50) and to both lean mass (r = 0.43) and fat mass (r = 0.48) at age 2 weeks, but only to lean mass at 12 months (r = 0.51).

Conclusion

Higher weight and longer telomeres at birth are followed by more lean mass in late infancy. Relatively large, breastfed infants from non‐diabetic mothers may become models of how to make a healthy start.
Individual responses to climate change: Framing effects on pro‐environmental behaviors
Authors: Sapiains Rodolfo , Beeton Robert J. S. , Walker Iain A.
Published: April 2016

Promoting effective responses to climate change, especially among people who reject its anthropogenic causes, has been challenging. Following a qualitative study, we experimentally induce one of four frames of reference (identity, biodiversity conservation, economic prosperity, and climate change), and assess their effects on participants’ behavioral intentions using three scales (consumption‐investment, consumption‐reduction, and political participation). The sample (N = 156) included people who thought climate change is natural and those who thought it is human‐induced. Results show a significant impact of the identity frame, relative to the climate‐change frame, for both consumption scales, in the total sample, and among those who reject the anthropogenic causes. These results offer a way to address behavioral resistances associated with antagonistic views on climate change.
Coastal saltpans are a good alternative breeding habitat for Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus when umbrella species are present
Authors: Rocha Afonso D. , Fonseca Daniela , Masero José A. , Ramos Jaime A.
Published: April 2016

The loss and degradation of natural habitats in coastal areas worldwide has adversely affected many waterbird species, changing their breeding distribution and reducing their productivity. Anthropogenic habitats such as saltpans can provide alternative or complementary habitats for waterbirds and mitigate the increasing human impact on natural coastal habitats. Unvegetated linear paths between salt ponds are used by ground‐nesting waterbird species to breed but their linear structure may facilitate the detection of nests by predators. This negative effect may, however, be counterbalanced by the advantages of breeding in mixed colonies. To evaluate the importance and the risks of breeding in saltpans we used the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus breeding in coastal saltpans of southern Portugal as a model species. Specifically, we assessed the role of nest‐site characteristics, predation and nesting proximity to species with aggressive antipredator behaviour (black‐winged stilt Himantopus himantopus) on their breeding success. Kentish plovers selected nest‐sites on the edges of paths, with about 20% of water around the nest, and a mean visibility of more than 72%; however nest‐site characteristics were not correlated with nesting success. Predation was the main cause of nest loss in saltpans (42%); carrion crows Corvus corone were responsible for most daylight nest predation (58%) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes; 73%) for night predation. An 8‐yr monitoring plan of a Kentish plover population showed a linear increase in their breeding success as their breeding season increasingly overlapped with that of the black‐winged stilt. An experiment with artificial nests showed a significant increase in the number of exposure days (7 to 12) when these nests were within close distance of black‐winged stilt nests. Overall, our results showed that saltpans are an important alternative breeding habitat for the Kentish plover, especially for the maintenance of mixed species colonies.
Communal roosting, thermoregulatory benefits and breeding group size predictability in cooperatively breeding sociable weavers
Authors: Paquet Matthieu , Doutrelant Claire , Loubon Maxime , Theron Franck , Rat Margaux , Covas Rita
Published: April 2016

Extreme temperatures impose energy costs on endotherms through thermoregulation and different adaptations help individuals to cope with these conditions. In social species, communal roosting and huddling are thought to decrease the energetic requirement of thermoregulation under low temperatures. This is likely to represent an important mechanism by which individuals save energy during the coldest parts of the year and hence to represent a non‐breeding benefit of sociality. Here, we investigate the potential thermoregulatory benefits of group living in roosting groups of sociable weavers Philetairus socius, a colonial cooperatively breeding passerine that builds communally a massive nest structure with several independent chambers wherein individuals breed and roost throughout the year. To investigate the benefits of sociality during the non‐breeding season, we studied the thermal environment during roosting in relation to group size. In addition, to understand the link between non‐breeding and breeding sociality in this species we studied group size stability between the pre‐breeding and breeding periods. As expected, we found that the nest chamber's night‐time temperature is strongly related to the number of birds roosting together, especially during cold nights. Specifically, birds in larger groups spent less time below the critical thermal minimum temperature (i.e. the temperature below which energy expenditure increases substantially). They were less exposed to external temperature variations. We also found a positive relationship between the number of birds roosting during winter and the breeding group size, indicating breeding group size predictability. In cooperative breeders such as the sociable weaver, the costs and benefits of sociality are usually studied during the breeding period. This study shows that a better understanding of non‐breeding benefits of group membership and group dynamics between the non‐breeding and breeding periods are necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the benefits of sociality.
Age and growth of the mutton hamlet Alphestes afer, with a review of the size and age of sex change among epinephelids
Authors: Marques S. , Ferreira B. P.
Published: April 2016

This paper presents results on the age, growth and population structure of a small grouper, the mutton hamlet Alphestes afer, and discusses the observed size and age structure patterns in relation to reproductive strategies among the epinephelids. Ages were determined by examination of sectioned otoliths, which showed a distinct pattern of alternating translucent and opaque zones that formed annually, as validated with tetracycline labelling. The von Bertalanffy growth function was adjusted to the length‐at‐age data of the males and females, but no significant differences were observed between the resulting parameters. The females, however, were older at given sizes and attained larger sizes and ages, with a maximum observed longevity of 13 years and a total length (LT) of 26 cm, while the males attained maximum longevities of only 10 years and a 22 cm maximum LT. The LT and age range for the sex change was 16–25 cm and 3–11 years. The total mortality rate (Z) was estimated to be 0·55 for females and 0·82 for males. With the males younger and smaller than the females, this species differed from the pattern commonly observed for protogynous epinephelids. Males had slower growth after maturation, probably due to energy allocation to sperm production during sexual development. This study shows that demography is an important tool to understand the pathways for reproductive strategies in grouper populations.