bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disrupting differentDistal-lessexons leads to ectopic and missing eyespots accurately modeled by reaction-diffusion mechanisms
Authors: Connahs Heidi , Tlili Sham , van Creij Jelle , Loo Tricia Y. J. , Banerjee Tirtha , Saunders Timothy E. , Monteiro Antónia
Published: September 2017

Eyespots on the wings of nymphalid butterflies represent colorful examples of the process of pattern formation, yet the developmental origins and the mechanisms behind eyespot differentiation are still not fully understood. Here we re-examine the function ofDistal-less (Dll)in eyespot development, which is still unclear. We show that CRISPR-Cas9 induced exon 2 mutations inBicyclus anynanaleads to exon skipping and ectopic eyespots on the wing. Exon 3 mutations, however, lead to null/missense transcripts, missing eyespots, lighter wing coloration, loss of scales, and a variety of other phenotypes implicatingDllin the process of eyespot differentiation. Reaction-diffusion modeling enabled exploration of the function ofDllin eyespot formation, and accurately replicated a wide-range of mutant phenotypes. These results confirm thatDllis a required activator of eyespot development, scale growth and melanization and point to a new mechanism of alternative splicing to achieveDllover-expression phenotypes.
Exploring population responses to environmental change when there’s never enough data; a factor analytic approach
Authors: Hindle Bethan J. , Rees Mark , Sheppard Andy W. , Quintana-Ascencio Pedro F. , Menges Eric S. , Childs Dylan Z.
Published: September 2017

Temporal variability in the environment drives variation in individuals’ vital rates, with consequences for population dynamics and life history evolution. Integral projection models (IPMs) are data-driven models widely used to study population dynamics and life history evolution of structured populations in temporally variable environments. However, many data sets have insufficient temporal replication for the environmental drivers of vital rates to be identified with confidence, limiting their use for evaluating population level responses to environmental change.

Parameter selection, where the kernel is constructed at each time step by randomly selecting the time-varying parameters from their joint probability distribution, is one approach to including stochasticity in IPMs. We consider a factor analytic (FA) approach for modelling the covariance matrix of time-varying parameters, whereby latent variable(s) describe the covariance among vital rate parameters. This decreases the number of parameters to estimate and, where the covariance is positive, the latent variable can be interpreted as a measure of environmental quality. We demonstrate this using simulation studies and two case studies.

The simulation studies suggest the FA approach provides similarly accurate estimates of stochastic population growth rate to estimating an unstructured covariance matrix. We demonstrate how the latent parameter can be perturbed to show how selection on reproductive delays in the monocarpCarduus nutanschanges under different environmental conditions. We develop a demographic model of the fire dependent herbEryngium cuneifoliumto show how a causal indicator (i.e. a driver of the changes in the environmental quality) can be incorporated with the addition of a single parameter. Using perturbation analyses we determine optimal management strategies for this species.

This approach estimates fewer parameters than previous approaches and allows novel eco-evolutionary insights. Predictions on population dynamics and life history evolution under different environmental conditions can be made without necessarily identifying causal factors. Environmental drivers can be incorporated with relatively few parameters, allowing for predictions on how populations will be affected by changes to these drivers.
LRSDAY: Long-read Sequencing Data Analysis for Yeasts
Authors: Yue Jia-Xing , Liti Gianni
Published: September 2017

Long-read sequencing technologies have become increasingly popular in genome projects due to their strengths in resolving complex genomic regions. As a leading model organism with small genome size and great biotechnological importance, the budding yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has many isolates currently being sequenced with long reads. However, analyzing long-read sequencing data to produce high-quality genome assembly and annotation remains challenging. Here we present LRSDAY, the first one-stop solution to streamline this process. LRSDAY can produce chromosome-level end-to-end genome assembly and comprehensive annotations for various genomic features (including centromeres, protein-coding genes, tRNAs, transposable elements and telomere-associated elements) that are ready for downstream analysis. Although tailored forS. cerevisiae, we designed LRSDAY to be highly modular and customizable, making it adaptable for virtually any eukaryotic organisms. Applying LRSDAY to aS. cerevisiaestrain takes ∼43 hrs to generate a complete and well-annotated genome from ∼100X Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) reads using four threads.
Biological influence of extracts of cryopreserved fragments of piglets’ heart and skin
Authors: Rohoza Liliia A. , Bespalova Iryna G. , Chizh Mykola O. , Halchenko Sergiy Ye. , Sandomirsky Boris P.
Published: September 2017

One of the new directions on which the searches used to find the methods to effectively correct the regeneration in case of different pathologies is the application of biologically active peptides and their mixtures. In the work there was investigated the biological influence of extracts of cryopreserved fragments of skin and heart of newborn piglets with the cold wound of skin and myocardial ischemia in rats respectively. For investigations the extracts were obtained from cryopreserved fragments of newborn piglets’ skin and heart. Cold wound of skin was modelled in rats by 10 mm copper applicator cooled in liquid nitrogen down to -196°C; the areas of wounds were determined by planimetric method, the white blood cells’ counts were analysed. In rats with myocardial ischemia there were studied the electrocardiograms, heart rate variability and proliferative activity of heart cells. The injection of extracts of cryopreserved fragments of skin to the animal’s abdominal cavity accelerates the healing of cold wound of skin and normalizes the response of immune system to an injury. After the injection during 2 months to the animals with myocardial ischemia with extracts of cryopreserved fragments of heart the normalization of electrophysiological indices of heart activity was observed that testified about the improved blood supply to a heart muscle. Being injected to healthy animals and those with myocardial ischemia the extracts of cryopreserved fragments of heart resulted in an increase in proliferative activity of heart cells. The studied extracts have a high biological effect and can be applied when designing the drugs for regenerative medicine.

Summary statement

The extracts of cryopreserved fragments of piglets’ heart or skin were shown as stimulating reparative regeneration of heart tissues in myocardial ischemia of rats and skin in a cold wound, respectively.
The Moran coalescent in a discrete one-dimensional spatial model
Authors: Shpak Max , Lu Jie , Townsend Jeffrey P.
Published: September 2017

Among many organisms, offspring are constrained to occur at sites adjacent to their parents. This applies to plants and animals with limited dispersal ability, to colonies of microbes in biofilms, and to other genetically heterogeneous aggregates of cells, such as cancerous tumors. The spatial structure of such populations leads to greater relatedness among proximate individuals while increasing the genetic divergence between distant individuals. In this study, we analyze a Moran coa-lescent in a one-dimensional spatial model where a randomly selected individual dies and is replaced by the progeny of an adjacent neighbor in every generation. We derive a recursive system of equations using the spatial distance among haplotypes as a state variable to compute coalescent probabilities and coalescent times. The coalescent probabilities near the branch termini are smaller than in the unstructured Moran model (except fort= 1, where they are equal), corresponding to longer branch lengths and greater expected pairwise coalescent times. The lower terminal coalescent probabilities result from a spatial separation of lineages, i.e. a coalescent event between a haplotype and its neighbor in one spatial direction at timetcannot co-occur with a coalescent event with a haplotype in the opposite direction att+ 1. The concomitant increased pairwise genetic distance among randomly sampled haplotypes in spatially constrained populations could lead to incorrect inferences of recent diversifying selection or of population bottlenecks when analyzed using an unconstrained coalescent model as a null hypothesis.
The reality of “food porn”: Larger brain responses to food-related cues than to erotic images predict cue-induced eating
Authors: Versace Francesco , Frank David W. , Stevens Elise M. , Deweese Menton M. , Guindani Michele , Schembre Susan M.
Published: September 2017

While some individuals can defy the lure of temptation, many others find appetizing food irresistible. Using event-related potentials, we showed that individuals who find food-related images more motivationally relevant than erotic ones (“sign-trackers”) are more susceptible to cue-induced eating and, in the presence of a palatable food option, eat twice as much as individuals with the opposite brain reactivity profile (“goal-trackers”). These findings contribute to the understanding of the neurobiological basis of vulnerability to cue-induced behaviors.
Using DNase Hi-C techniques to map global and local three-dimensional genome architecture at high resolution
Authors: Ma Wenxiu , Ay Ferhat , Lee Choli , Gulsoy Gunhan , Deng Xinxian , Cook Savannah , Hesson Jennifer , Cavanaugh Christopher , Ware Carol B. , Krumm Anton , Shendure Jay , Blau C. Anthony , Disteche Christine M. , Noble William S. , Duan ZhiJun
Published: September 2017

The folding and three-dimensional (3D) organization of chromatin in the nucleus critically impacts genome function. The past decade has witnessed rapid advances in genomic tools for delineating 3D genome architecture. Among them, chromosome conformation capture (3C)-based methods such as Hi-C are the most widely used techniques for mapping chromatin interactions. However, traditional Hi-C protocols rely on restriction enzymes (REs) to fragment chromatin and are therefore limited in resolution. We recently developed DNase Hi-C for mapping 3D genome organization, which uses DNase I for chromatin fragmentation. DNase Hi-C overcomes RE-related limitations associated with traditional Hi-C methods, leading to improved methodological resolution. Furthermore, combining this method with DNA capture technology provides a high-throughput approach (targeted DNase Hi-C) that allows for mapping fine-scale chromatin architecture at exceptionally high resolution. Hence, targeted DNase Hi-C will be valuable for delineating the physical landscapes ofcis-regulatory networks that control gene expression and for characterizing phenotype-associated chromatin 3D signatures. Here, we provide a detailed description of method design and step-by-step working protocols for these two methods.

Highlights

DNase Hi-C, a method for comprehensive mapping of chromatin contacts on a whole-genome scale, is based on random chromatin fragmentation by DNase I digestion instead of sequence-specific restriction enzyme (RE) digestion.

Targeted DNase Hi-C, which combines DNase Hi-C with DNA capture technology, is a high-throughput method for mapping fine-scale chromatin architecture of genomic loci of interest at a resolution comparable to that of genomic annotations of functional elements.

DNase Hi-C and targeted DNase Hi-C provide the first high-throughput way to overcome the RE-digestion-associated resolution limit of 3C-based methods.

Step-by-step whole-genome and targeted DNase Hi-C protocols for mapping global and local 3D genome architecture, respectively, are described.
Climbing Legumes: An Underutilized Resource With Significant Potential to Intensify Farming on Terrace Walls (FTW) for Smallholder Farmers
Authors: Clark Jaclyn C. , Raizada Manish N.
Published: September 2017

Millions of subsistence farmers cultivate crops on terraces. These farmers face unique challenges including severe shortages of arable land and remoteness leading to poor access to inputs including nitrogen fertilizer. These challenges contribute to human and livestock malnutrition. Terrace walls (risers) as a vertical surface to grow climbing or trailing legumes represents an opportunity to help overcome these challenges. These crops are rich in minerals and protein, and their associated microbes produce nitrogen fertilizer. Rice bean is already grown on terrace risers in South Asia. This paper reviews the literature concerning crops that are currently farmed on terrace walls (FTW), then surveys climbing legume species that have potential for FTW, focusing on crops that are nutritious and tolerate shade (caused by the terrace wall) and resist drought (many terrace farms experience an extended dry season). A total of 29 legume species are discussed including climbing varieties of jack bean, common bean, cowpea, winged bean, horse gram and velvet bean. The review concludes by discussing the practical challenges of farmer adoption of FTW and makes concrete recommendations. Terrace wall cultivation of legumes represents an opportunity to intensify agriculture and increase resiliency in remote mountainous areas.
Corporate anti-corruption disclosure
Authors: Blanc Renata , Islam Muhammad Azizul , Patten Dennis M. , Branco Manuel Castelo
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether differences in media exposure regarding corporate corruption appear to influence companies’ anti-corruption disclosures. The authors also examine whether the level of press freedom in firms’ home countries affects disclosure and the impact of media exposure in different ways.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use Transparency International’s 2012 ratings of anti-corruption disclosure by the 105 largest multinational firms in the world, press freedom assessments from the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, and media exposure measures based on a search using the Dow Jones Factiva database. The authors assess relations using regression analysis controlling for other firm-specific factors potentially impacting disclosure choices. Finally, the authors consider the potential effect of other country-level factors.

Findings

The results indicate that media exposure, using either an existence or an extensiveness measure, is positively related to differences in sample companies’ anti-corruption disclosures. The authors also find that disclosure is more (less) extensive where home country press freedom is less (more) restricted and that reduced press freedom appears to reduce the impact of media exposure on the disclosure. The authors further document that press freedom levels explain more difference in anti-corruption disclosures than other country-level factors potentially influencing the practice.

Research limitations/implications

Because the investigation is limited to very large international firms for a single year, the degree to which the findings apply to other companies and time periods cannot be assessed. Further, the authors cannot determine how the findings would hold using an alternative disclosure rating scheme. Finally, the authors do not assess whether differences in the source of media exposure impact the findings.

Social implications

The findings suggest that, to the extent that improved anti-corruption disclosure reflects greater corporate attention to corruption issues, the media may be a powerful player in addressing this social ill. Unfortunately, the results also indicate that media efforts may not be sufficient to bring about change in locations where the freedom of the press is limited. Further, the results suggest that disclosure appears to be a function of exposure to social and political exposures, and the authors therefore question whether it will actually lead to improved corruption performance.

Originality/value

The study is the first to consider the impacts of media exposure and press freedom on corporate social disclosures.
United Nations Decade on Biodiversity
Authors: Adler Ralph , Mansi Mansi , Pandey Rakesh , Stringer Carolyn
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the biodiversity reporting practices and trends of the top 50 Australian mining companies before and after the United Nations (UN) declared the period 2011-2020 as the “Decade on Biodiversity”.

Design/methodology/approach

Using content analysis and interviews, this study compares the extent and type of biodiversity disclosures made by the Australian Stock Exchange’s top 50 metals and mining companies both before and after the UN’s “Decade on Biodiversity” declaration in 2010.

Findings

A significant increase in the amount of biodiversity reporting is observed between the 2010 fiscal year preceding the UN’s declaration and the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years following the declaration. The findings reveal, however, that the extent of biodiversity reporting is quite variable, with some companies showing substantial increases in their biodiversity reporting and others showing modest or no increases. In particular, the larger companies in the sample showed a statistically significant increase in their disclosures on biodiversity in 2013 compared with 2010, while the increase in biodiversity disclosures by smaller companies was not significant. While interviewees spoke about their companies being more open and transparent, the biodiversity information that is being reported would not enable external parties to assess the company’s biodiversity performance.

Research limitations/implications

To minimise an organisation’s use of biodiversity reporting as an impression management tool, it is suggested that biodiversity reporting should be more impact based and organisations should provide a report of their activities and their direct and tangible impacts on short-term and long-term biodiversity in and around their operating sites. A possible limitation of the present study pertains to its focus on companies’ voluntary disclosures made in their annual reports and sustainability reports, as opposed to other possible formal or even informal disclosure mediums.

Social implications

Australia is one of 17 mega-diverse wildlife countries in the world. Finding ways to support the country’s biodiversity framework and strategy are crucial to this continued status. Due to the mining industry’s significant impact on Australia’s biodiversity, a strong need exists for biodiversity reporting by this industry. Furthermore, this reporting should be provided on a site-by-site basis. At present, the reporting aggregation typically conducted by mining companies produces obscure information that is neither useful for stakeholders who are impacted by the mining companies’ activities nor for policymakers who are vested with responsibility for protecting and sustaining the world’s biodiversity.

Originality/value

This study examines the biodiversity reporting and discourse practices of mining companies in Australia and develops a 50-item biodiversity reporting index to measure the biodiversity reporting practices.
Active disturbance rejection control for small unmanned helicopters via Levy flight-based pigeon-inspired optimization
Authors: Zhang Daifeng , Duan Haibin , Yang Yijun
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a control approach for small unmanned helicopters, and a novel swarm intelligence algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the proposed controller.

Design/methodology/approach

Small unmanned helicopters have many advantages over other unmanned aerial vehicles. However, the manual operation process is difficult because the model is always instable and coupling. In this paper, a novel optimized active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) approach is presented for small unmanned helicopters. First, a linear attitude model is built in hovering condition according to small perturbation linearization. To realize decoupling, this model is divided into two parts, and each part is equipped with an ADRC controller. Finally, a novel Levy flight-based pigeon-inspired optimization (LFPIO) algorithm is developed to find the optimal ADRC parameters and enhance the performance of controller.

Findings

This paper applies ADRC method to the attitude control of small unmanned helicopters so that it can be implemented in practical flight under complex environments. Besides, a novel LFPIO algorithm is proposed to optimize the parameters of ADRC and is proved to be more efficient than other homogenous methods.

Research limitations/implications

The model of proposed controller is built in the hovering action, whereas it cannot be used in other flight modes.

Practical implications

The optimized ADRC method can be implemented in actual flight, and the proposed LFPIO algorithm can be developed in other practical optimization problems.

Originality/value

ADRC method can enhance the response and robustness of unmanned helicopters which make it valuable in actual environments. The proposed LFPIO algorithm is proved to be an effective swarm intelligence optimizer, and it is convenient and valuable to apply it in other optimized systems.
Towards structural health monitoring of space vehicles
Authors: Ursu Ioan , Enciu Daniela , Toader Adrian
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a recent project of complex tests on the survival of structural health monitoring (SHM) technology with piezo wafer active sensors (PWAS) and electromechanical impedance spectroscopy (EMIS) at simulating the concomitant action of harsh conditions of outer space: extreme temperatures, radiations, vacuum.

Design/methodology/approach

The tests were conducted on PWAS, consists in adhesive and aluminium discs as structural specimens, with PWAS bonded on them. The substantiating of PWAS-EMIS-based SHM technique consists the fact that real part of the PWAS electromechanical impedance spectrum follows with fidelity the resonance behaviour of the structure vibrating under the PWAS excitation. This EMIS signature is very sensitive to any structural changes and, on this basis, can be monitored the onset and progress of structural damages such as fatigue, cracks, corrosion, etc.

Findings

The conclusion of the tests is that the cumulative impact of severe conditions of temperature, radiation and vacuum has not generated decommissioning of sensors or adhesive, which would have meant the compromise of the methodology. A second important outcome is linked to the capability of this methodology to distinguish between the damages of mechanical origin and the false ones, caused by environmental conditions, which are, basically, harmless.

Originality/value

The question of transfer of PWAS-EMIS-based SHM technology to space vehicles and applications received, as a novelty, a first and encouraging response.
Design of MPCs for a fixed wing UAV
Authors: Ülker Hakan , Baykara Cemal , Özsoy Can
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to examine a fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as it undergoes five flight scenarios under straight and level, level climb, level turn, climbing turn and level steady heading sideslip conditions in a desired and controlled manner using constrained multi input multi output (MIMO) model predictive controllers (MPCs).

Design/methodology/approach

An MPC strategy based on the lateral and longitudinal linear models is proposed for the flight control design. Simulations are carried out for the nonlinear closed-loop aircraft Simulink model available from the University of Minnesota UAV research group with the implemented MIMO MPCs designed in this paper.

Findings

The results of the simulations show that the MIMO MPCs can achieve satisfactory performance and flying qualities under three different test conditions in terms of existing unmeasured outputs and unmeasured output disturbances.

Practical Implications

The MPCs designed in this paper can be implemented to UAVs. Therefore, the implementation is considered as an advanced research.

Originality/value

The proposed MPC design in this paper provides more flexibility in terms of tracking complex trajectories comparing with the classical controllers in the literature. Besides they provide to change more than one reference of the states at any time.
Statistical and measurement pitfalls in the use of meta-regression in meta-analysis
Authors: Schmidt Frank L.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

Meta-regression is widely used and misused today in meta-analyses in psychology, organizational behavior, marketing, management, and other social sciences, as an approach to the identification and calibration of moderators, with most users being unaware of serious problems in its use. The purpose of this paper is to describe nine serious methodological problems that plague applications of meta-regression.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is methodological in nature and is based on well-established principles of measurement and statistics. These principles are used to illuminate the potential pitfalls in typical applications of meta-regression.

Findings

The analysis in this paper demonstrates that many of the nine statistical and measurement pitfalls in the use of meta-regression are nearly universal in applications in the literature, leading to the conclusion that few meta-regressions in the literature today are trustworthy. A second conclusion is that in almost all cases, hierarchical subgrouping of studies is superior to meta-regression as a method of identifying and calibrating moderators. Finally, a third conclusion is that, contrary to popular belief among researchers, the process of accurately identifying and calibrating moderators, even with the best available methods, is complex, difficult, and data demanding.

Practical implications

This paper provides useful guidance to meta-analytic researchers that will improve the practice of moderator identification and calibration in social science research literatures.

Social implications

Today, many important decisions are made on the basis of the results of meta-analyses. These include decisions in medicine, pharmacology, applied psychology, management, marketing, social policy, and other social sciences. The guidance provided in this paper will improve the quality of such decisions by improving the accuracy and trustworthiness of meta-analytic results.

Originality/value

This paper is original and valuable in that there is no similar listing and discussion of the pitfalls in the use of meta-regression in the literature, and there is currently a widespread lack of knowledge of these problems among meta-analytic researchers in all disciplines.
A meta-analytic investigation of demographic differences in protean, boundaryless, and proactive career orientations
Authors: Kostal Jack W. , Wiernik Brenton M.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The protean and boundaryless career concepts have dominated recent career research. Demographic groups are posited to differ on these “new career orientations,” with implications for career development and social equity. The purpose of this paper is to test these hypotheses by systematically reviewing research on demographic differences in new career orientations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper meta-analyzes demographic differences in protean, boundaryless, and proactive career orientations using data from 29,605 individuals (74 samples).

Findings

Demographic differences in new career orientations are generally negligible to small, with organizational mobility preferences showing the largest differences across demographic characteristics. Age showed curvilinear relations with new career orientations. National economic development moderated new career orientation-educational level relations.

Research limitations/implications

Results support the construct validity of “proactive career orientation” as a unifying construct encompassing protean and psychological mobility boundaryless orientations (cf. Wiernik and Kostal, 2017). Future research should continue to explore career development in diverse economic/cultural contexts.

Practical implications

Small demographic differences suggest that potential benefits of new career orientations are not limited to members of particular groups. Age and education relations were large enough to indicate that large population segments may benefit from additional interventions to support career mobility and development.

Originality/value

This paper uses meta-analytic techniques to investigate demographic differences in career orientations with larger samples than possible in a single primary study. The meta-analytic design permitted investigation of a variety of methodological and cultural/economic moderators not previously considered in career orientation research.
Maximizing visitors at college football bowl games
Authors: Popp Nels , Jensen Jonathan , Jackson Rhett
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to isolate factors predictive of event attendees, and assist tourism professionals such as members of host committees, in maximizing the number of out-of-town visitors to their region and optimizing tourism-related revenue when hosting college football bowl games.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 16 demand variables were entered into a hierarchical regression model, including the stature of the event and market-related variables, as well as team-related variables reflecting team or program stature and current season performance.

Findings

A final model containing seven variables (bowl age, market population, conference affiliation, bowl game stature, season wins, home attendance, and distance traveled) predicted 77.5 percent of the variance in bowl game attendance.

Research limitations/implications

This paper illustrates the use of predictive modeling for major sport event attendance with a unique sample and variables explored. Future research may build off the model to explore attendance for other populations or events.

Practical implications

The applied nature of this study allows practitioners working in the tourism and event management field to incorporate a predictive model to best select participants in sporting events to maximize event attendees.

Originality/value

Understanding the variables which predict event attendees in the context of college football bowl games provide useful data to practitioners. This study advances this area of research by treating event participants as unique observations (something which has not been done in prior studies), and looking at a new data set which incorporates the College Football Playoff era.
Segmentation of the spectators attending a festival based on musical preferences
Authors: Pérez-Gálvez Jesús Claudio , Lopez-Guzman Tomas , Gomez-Casero Gema , Fruet Cardozo Juan Vicente
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is the segmentation of the spectators attending a music festival in the city of Córdoba, Spain, according to their musical preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve this objective, the methodology used in the research consisted of the application of a group of multivariable techniques and in the realisation of apost hocsingle-variate ANOVA analysis.

Findings

The principal conclusion resulting from this research is that there are different musical preferences with respect to the spectators at a music festival.

Practical implications

The main practical application of this research focusses on knowing the principal factors that determine musical preferences of the persons attending the festival.

Originality/value

The principal originality factor and innovation is analysing how the spectators of a music festival that has been held for many years attend with different motivations with respect to their musical preferences.
Revisiting leader-member exchange theory: insights into stadia management
Authors: Megheirkouni Majd
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating impacts of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory on the relationship between job satisfaction, organisational commitment and performance of staff operating in stadia and arenas hosting sport events.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative methods approach was used to gather the data. In total, 146 surveys were completed from stadia hosting sport events in London, Dubai and Doha. Data were analysed using SPSS.

Findings

LMX fully mediated the relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. LMX fully mediated the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. In addition, job satisfaction was positively and directly related to job performance as well as organisational commitment.

Research limitations/implications

In-depth interviews approach is also needed to understand how employees perceive their supervisors, managers, or leaders in stadia hosting sport events.

Originality/value

The paper advances leadership research in stadia hosting sport events that links the impacts of LMX theory on job satisfaction, organisational commitment and performance.
Public administration research since 1980: slipping away from the real world?
Authors: Pollitt Christopher
Published: September 2017

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore one particular aspect of recent PA research: the apparently widening gap between top academic research and practitioner concerns. This topic was commissioned by the Editor ofIJPSM. Evidence of this sliding away from the “real world” is presented. The reasons for it are discussed including Q1 increased measurement, competition and professionalization within academia. Whilst these trends bring significant benefits, a case can nevertheless be made for re-balancing PA research. The purpose of this paper Q2 is to sketch some ways of approaching these trends.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper was commissioned by the editor. The author has chosen to examine the often-cited gap between academic research and current practitioner concerns. The author has done this using as the author’s main evidence base all the main articles published by the highest impact journals over the years 2015 and 2016.

Findings

Over the past 30 years more and more of the PA research published in the highest impact journals has become further and further removed from the immediate concerns of practicing administrators and managers. At the same time publication in these journals has become more salient for academic careers.

Research limitations/implications

Whilst the identified trends bring significant benefits (in terms of increasing professionalization and methodological sophistication) they also carry negative consequences for the historically important dialogue between academics and practitioners. A case can be made for attempting to re-balance PA research. Some ways of approaching this are sketched.

Practical implications

The academic practitioner dialogue, which, historically, has been vital for academic PA, is currently under some stress. Professionalization and competition within the academic world seem to have widened the gap between the top journals and the “real world.” A case is made that the PA academic community needs to find ways of giving this issue more systematic discussion.

Originality/value

If the argument is largely correct, then current trends threaten the future of academic PA research. This paper is not the first to identify this threat, but it is one of the first to give it extended consideration and systematically to consider possible causes and remedies.
Three decades, four phases
Authors: Randma-Liiv Tiina , Drechsler Wolfgang
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the public administration (PA) development in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) from anex postperspective covering the past three decades.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews prior literature on CEE and PA paradigms. The authors propose to distinguish between four main phases of public sector development in new democracies: post-communist transition, EU accession, post-accession fine-tuning, and e-governance.

Findings

There were many common features in the polities and PAs of the CEE countries at the beginning of the 1990s because of their common communist legacy, and also during the EU accession period, stemming from the “administrative capacity” requirement by the EU. However, domestic decisions of individual CEE governments following accession have moved them apart from each other. While some CEE countries face reversals of democratic public governance reforms, others are leading e-government initiatives – the current phase of public sector development.

Research limitations/implications

The choice of countries is limited to the new member states of the European Union.

Originality/value

The paper shows that it is increasingly difficult to generalize findings, let alone to offer recommendations, that apply to all CEE countries. This is likely to lead to an end of a specific CEE administrative tradition as previously conceptualized in academic literature.
Sixteen years of the Brooklands Thinking Skills Offender Programme
Authors: Hickman Gareth , Thrift Su , Dhaliwal Rani , Taylor Chénelle
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the Brooklands Thinking Skills Offender Programme (BTSOP), a social problem-solving skills group programme developed and provided to people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) detained in conditions of medium and low security. The programme has been running and evolving since 2001 and has undergone consistent development over this time. Within the past five years, there have been significant developments of the Secure Service Treatment Pathway and the current paper describes the integration of the BTSOP within this new pathway model.

Design/methodology/approach

The programme was evaluated over five years using self-report psychometric measures related to treatment targets. Evaluation data in relation to attrition rates, discharges, transfers, treatment engagement and recidivism are also provided from a 16-year period. The updated treatment pathway and a description of the programme are provided.

Findings

Results showed statistically significant improvements in Rational Problem Solving, increased internal locus of control and decreased external locus of control. Reflection on the limitations and challenges to outcome assessment in this area is offered.

Originality/value

This paper builds on the existing evidence base of interventions focused on developing social problem-solving skills in offenders and presents evidence of the effectiveness of such programmes with offenders with IDs.
Ranking maintenance strategies for sustainable maintenance plan in manufacturing systems using fuzzy axiomatic design principle and fuzzy-TOPSIS
Authors: Ighravwe Desmond Eseoghene , Ayoola Oke Sunday
Published: September 2017

Purpose

Maintenance plans are programmes, which follow maintenance appraisals, contain information of what to do and the time approximates for accomplishments. They also deal with how to carry out maintenance jobs. In contemporary period, curiosity has proliferated about how sustainability affects manufacturing plans. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive notion of maintenance sustainability in maintenance planning. The literature has downplayed maintenance sustainability but may support in understanding how to crack the present company-community conflicts about the negative influence of manufacturing on the environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This study develops the idea of selecting the proper maintenance strategy based on integrated fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) principle and fuzzy-TOPSIS. This work suggests that the maintenance function is an uncertain, activity-oriented system. To fully appreciate the proposed framework, the work employs data from a cement manufacturing plant to test the structure. This study offers 20 influential factors on which it build the fundamental structure of maintenance system sustainability for manufacturing concerns. A novel literature contribution that departs from existing conceptions is the classical determination of weights of each sustainability factor, employing fuzzy entropy weighting approach. Furthermore, work innovatively determines the ranking of some important tenets of sustainability in maintenance and optimises the maintenance consumables employing the FAD principle.

Findings

Interestingly, the output of the investigation revealed differences as the work adopts fuzzy-TOPSIS in comparison with FAD principle.

Originality/value

Case examination of a real-life manufacturing venture validated the claims, showing maintenance workforce training as a top-echelon strategy for maintenance system sustainability.
Risk factors for project success in the Chinese construction industry
Authors: Wu Ziyu , Nisar Tahir , Kapletia Dharm , Prabhakar Guru
Published: September 2017

Purpose

To achieve project success, an effective project risk management procedure is inevitable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of risk factors on project success in the Chinese construction industry context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study by way of utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods has examined risk factors that are closely linked to project success in the Chinese construction industry.

Findings

After a thorough survey and analysis, risk factors related to designer, contractor, subcontractor, client and government are shown to affect project success to some extent.

Originality/value

It is suggested that the present research may be made more generalizable by a larger, more representative samples across various industries and regions of China.
Prioritizing decision criteria of flexible manufacturing systems using fuzzy TOPSIS
Authors: Siddiquie Reshma Yasmin , Khan Zahid A. , Siddiquee Arshad Noor
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically demonstrate the use of an effective multiple criteria decision-making technique, i.e. fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) in ranking the decision criteria of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS).

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire is specially designed and served to the industry experts to collect their opinion on several FMS decision criteria. Subsequently, fuzzy TOPSIS is used to prioritize the decision criteria.

Findings

Fuzzy TOPSIS multiple criteria decision-making technique is explained and applied to determine relative importance of the several decision criteria of FMS. This will help management of organizations in taking decision for implementing FMS in their organizations. From this study, it is found that customer satisfaction is the top most criterion among several other criteria for the successful implementation of FMS.

Research limitations/implications

In situation like the one considered in this research, there are dependencies and interactions among the criteria and, therefore, other techniques such as fuzzy analytic network process would have been a better choice. Nevertheless, fuzzy TOPSIS also provides good result as it incorporates vagueness associated with the decision maker’s opinion pertaining to the several FMS decision criteria.

Originality/value

This paper presents a fuzzy TOSIS model to help managers understand the relative importance of the several FMS decision criteria so that they can use this information for successful implementation of this advanced manufacturing technology in their organizations.
Consumer Redress Legislation: Simplifying or Subverting the Law of Contract
Authors: Bant Elise , Paterson Jeannie Marie
Published: September 2017

The growth of statutory consumer protection regimes in modern commercial societies has the potential profoundly to disrupt the private law landscape. Such schemes aim to increase access to justice for consumers by offering simplified and clear suites of rights and corresponding remedies. In so doing, however, they affect core areas of private law rights and remedies, and may come to undermine or replace existing contractual principles and policies. The result could be an incoherent system of private law with different principles and rules applying to commercial and consumer transactions. Coherence in the law requires that lawyers abandon their traditional ‘oil and water’ attitudes to legislative schemes and confront directly the interactions between these two bodies of law. This paper engages in that enquiry by considering the relationship between the relatively new consumer redress provisions in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and general law principles.
The impact of the Second World War on postwar social spending
Authors: OBINGER HERBERT , SCHMITT CARINA
Published: September 2017

The huge quantitative literature on postwar social spending almost entirely neglected war as a possible explanatory factor of social spending dynamics. Given the mass carnage and the enormous social needs caused by the Second World War, this is quite astonishing. This article examines for the first time, whether, and in what ways, the Second World War affected cross‐national differences in public social spending of 18 Western welfare states over the course of the Golden Age. Using panel regressions, it is found that the war strongly affected social spending until the late 1960s. The evidence demonstrates that the Second World War is not simply a temporal watershed structuring different phases of welfare state development, but rather a crucial factor for understanding cross‐national differences in welfare efforts and social expenditure dynamics in the postwar period.
Successful treatment with doxorubicin and ifosfamide for mediastinal malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with loss of H3K27me3 expression
Authors: Seno Noriko , Fukushima Toshirou , Gomi Daisuke , Kobayashi Takashi , Sekiguchi Nodoka , Matsushita Hidehiro , Ozawa Takesumi , Tsukahara Yoshiko , Mamiya Keiko , Koizumi Tomonobu , Sano Kenji
Published: September 2017

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) in the thorax is an extremely rare disease, and half of all cases of MPNST are associated with neurofibromatosis type I. Sporadic intrathoracic MPNST is difficult to diagnose and treat. Because of the rarity of intrathoracic MPNST, the optimal method of diagnosis and the efficacy of chemotherapy are unknown. Herein, we present a case of inoperable mediastinal MPNST, in which the diagnosis was immunohistochemically made by the loss of H3K27me3 expression in a transbronchial needle biopsy specimen. The patient showed a good response to doxorubicin plus ifosfamide chemotherapy. The present case highlights that MPNST should be included in the differential diagnosis of non‐posterior mediastinum thoracic lesions, and that appropriate diagnosis and treatment for intrathoracic MPNST should be considered in patients with a thoracic mass.
DuPont Analysis, Earnings Persistence, and Return on Equity: Evidence from Mandatory IFRS Adoption in Canada
Authors: Jin Yan
Published: September 2017

This paper proposes four new models to forecast one‐year‐ahead return on equity (ROE) and change in ROE based on prior research in the DuPont analysis and earnings persistence, and also examines whether the persistence of ROE has improved upon mandatory IFRS adoption in Canada. Using the Granger causality test to establish the usefulness of additional explanatory variables in forecasting future earnings, I show that the DuPont components are useful in predicting one‐year‐ahead ROE, and that the persistence of ROE has decreased since Canadian firms adopted IFRS in 2011. This paper contributes to accounting research in two ways. First, it introduces a new approach to forecasting one‐year‐ahead ROE. Second, it sheds some light on the impact of IFRS adoption on reporting quality in Canada.