bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High Level of Biofilm Formation and Virulence Factors in Enterococci Species Isolated From Clinical and Normal Flora Samples
Authors: Esmaeili Zahra , Sadeghi Javad , Razavi Shabnam , Oshaghi Mojgan , Sayyahfar Shirin , Rahbar Mohammad , Talebi Malihe
Published: August 2017

Enterococci are gram-positive bacteria, and they are members of normal intestinal microflora of humans as well as animals. However, recently, they evolved from common avirulent commensal bacteria into a multidrug-resistant health care–associated pathogen. In this study, 147 isolates were collected from clinical and healthy people. The presence of 7 genes including ace, ebp, efaA, ebrB, ecbA, fsrB, and sgrA were investigated by polymerase chain reaction method. Finally, for detection of biofilm formation, Congo red agar and microliter plate methods were used. Our results showed that ace (94.6%), efaA (94.6%), and ebp (92.5%) were present almost in all of the isolates, followed by fsrB (53.7%), sgrA (36%), ecbA (33.3%), and ebrB (13.6%). By Congo red method, 38% of our isolates formed black colonies on Congo red agar (biofilm producer), whereas others (62%) had red colonies (nonbiofilm producer). Finally, by using microliter plate method, 23.8% of isolates were able to form biofilm. These results indicate that normal flora isolates can constitute as a reservoir for virulent Enterococcus isolates.
Socialized Risk and Privatized Profit
Authors: Fornili Katherine S.
Published: August 2017

The aim of this column is to provide an overview of the positive impacts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) on improved health care access, quality, and outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), including opioid use disorders and opioid overdose deaths. Addictions nurses should be alerted to the serious, often lethal consequences that individuals with SUDs will experience if the ACA is repealed. Proposed legislation to reverse major provisions of the ACA include the American Health Care Act of 2017 (H. R. 1628), passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, and the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (H. R. 1628, Senate Amendment, June 26, 2017), which was made public just before this writing, amid much secrecy and lack of transparency. This column focuses on ACA-related Medicaid expansion and the impact that future cuts to Medicaid and other insurance coverage would have on individuals in need of SUD treatment. Finally, this column addresses the moral, ethical, and professional obligations of nurses and others involved in health care and health policy. Intensified advocacy efforts are required to ensure that recent ACA-related gains in insurance coverage and access to quality behavioral health treatment are not only preserved but also expanded. Access to health insurance coverage and health care, especially among vulnerable, high-risk populations, including those at elevated risk for opioid overdose and other SUD-related morbidity and mortality risks, is one of the most important social justice issues of our time.
Development and Validation of a Fertility Intention Scale in Breast Cancer Survivors
Authors: LI Chin-Ching , HUANG Sheng-Miauh , LAI Jerry Cheng-Yen , HSIUNG Yvonne , CHEN Yi-Heng , LEE Ching-Fang
Published: August 2017

Background:

Evidence indicates that breast cancer survivors with reproductive concerns have a poorer quality of life than survivors without fertility concerns. There is a lack of reliable and valid assessments of fertility intention among breast cancer survivors.

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Fertility Intention Scale (FIS) that is sensitive to the fertility intention of women with breast cancer.

Methods:

A literature review and a qualitative study were conducted to generate the items in the scale. Content validity was evaluated by 15 experts, and face validity was assessed by 10 patients with cancer. Factor analysis was used to assess construct validity, and criterion validity was evaluated using two percentile items of fertility willingness. We developed and examined the validity and reliability of the FIS using a sample of 178 patients with breast cancer who had completed chemotherapy.

Results:

The Cronbach’s alpha calculated for the FIS (15 items) was .88. The factor analysis performed for the construct validity of the scale identified four factors that accounted for approximately 68.72% of the total variance. These four factors were pregnancy risk, disease control, social support, and happiness. There was a significant correlation between the total FIS and the level of desiring fertility preservation or pregnancy.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice:

The FIS has acceptable reliability, content validity, and construct validity. This scale is appropriate for use in research and clinical practice settings to evaluate the risk–benefit perceptions of pregnancy in patients with breast cancer.
Training and Mentoring End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Educators in India
Authors: Chrastek Joan “Jody” Ramer , Gordon Phebe
Published: August 2017

India is the world's most populous nation with an estimated 1 million new cases of cancer a year, yet less than 1% has access to palliative care. There are excellent centers offering palliative care but not enough to meet the need for education and care. Nurses outnumber physicians in India and are essential in building a strong national palliative care program. This pilot project has aimed to use a culturally adapted version of End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium train-the-trainer and distance mentoring to enable trainees to educate nurses in their institution. A secondary goal was to evaluate the training on nurses' knowledge and attitudes to pediatric palliative care and pain management. The 2-day train-the-trainer End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium seminars, with online mentoring between the sessions, provided palliative care education for 26 nurse trainers from across India. A pretest and posttest showed an increase in knowledge and a positive change in practice. Because of lack of reliable computer access for the nurses, mentoring was conducted online via Facebook. There were good results including multiple trainings across India and important lessons learned from this pilot project to help international training and mentoring projects.
Variability in Acuity in Acute Care
Authors: Garcia Amy L.
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to describe variable acuity among 1 population of acute care patients.

BACKGROUND

Acuity, defined as the individual patient need for nursing care, can inform level of care, nurse staffing, and the nurse-to-patient assignment. Nurse-generated data in the electronic health record can be mined and analyzed for decision support.

METHODS

This study used a descriptive, retrospective analysis of repeated measures of acuity generated from 28 739 nursing assessments of 405 consecutive subjects treated for heart failure (HF) in a 455-bed southern hospital.

RESULTS

Patients treated for HF have variable care needs throughout the course of treatment. Univariate analysis of variance and post hoc analysis found that gender, age, type of unit, and length of stay (LOS) had a significant impact on acuity, P < .01, with a very small effect of less than 1%, indicating that acuity should be measured instead of assumed. Patients in medical-surgical and step-down units had highly variable acuity, ranging from ready to discharge to acuity levels consistent with critical care. Across the LOS, the mean acuity stabilized at 12 hours after admission, decreased until 88 hours, then increased steadily through discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the variability in acuity within an individual patient, or a specific patient population, will contribute to decision support levels of patient care, staffing, nurse-patient assignments, and the cost of care. Frequent, sequential, and real-time measures of acuity may be valuable for tracking patient progress or measuring response to nursing interventions.
Fumarate Hydratase Mutations and Alterations in Leiomyoma With Bizarre Nuclei
Authors: Zhang Qing , Poropatich Kate , Ubago Julianne , Xie Jia , Xu Xiuhua , Frizzell Norma , Kim Julie , Kong Beihua , Wei Jian-Jun
Published: August 2017

Leiomyoma with bizarre nuclei (LM-BN), is a variant of uterine smooth muscle tumor with atypical histologic features. Although some LM-BN share several significant genetic alterations with leiomyosarcoma, including p16 and p53, the underlying tumorigenesis of LM-BN remains largely unknown. As we previously reported, LM-BN can be divided into 2 subtypes, type I and type II, based on different nuclear features. Type I LM-BN have similar histologic features as uterine smooth muscle tumors with fumarate hydratase (FH) alterations. In this study, we examined FH expression and FH mutations in 77 LM-BN (40 type I cases and 37 type II cases). FH expression was examined by immunohistochemistry using S-(2-succino)-cysteine antibodies (2SC, a protein modification associated with FH inactivation and subsequent fumarate accumulation) and FH antibodies (FH gene products). Seventy-two LM-BN tumors underwent Sanger sequencing to detect FH mutations. We found that 51% (39/77) of LM-BN showed FH alterations detected by immunohistochemistry with both 2SC and FH. Mutational analysis showed that 21% (15/72) of LM-BN harbored FH gene mutations. Further analysis revealed that 85% (34/40) of those with FH alterations were type I LM-BN while 19% (7/37) were type II LM-BN. Our findings suggest that over half of histologically diagnosed LM-BN may be related to FH alterations or FH mutations and the majority of these have the characteristic histologic features of type I LM-BN.
Proposal for the reclassification of obligately purine-fermenting bacteria Clostridium acidurici (Barker 1938) and Clostridium purinilyticum (Dürre et al. 1981) as Gottschalkia acidurici gen. nov. comb. nov. and Gottschalkia
purinilytica comb. nov. and of Eubacterium angustum (Beuscher and Andreesen 1985) as Andreesenia angusta gen. nov. comb. nov. in the family Gottschalkiaceae fam. nov.
Authors: Poehlein Anja , Yutin Natalya , Daniel Rolf , Galperin Michael Y.
Published: August 2017

Several strictly anaerobic bacteria that are Gram-stain-positive have the ability to use uric acid as the sole source of carbon and energy. The phylogeny of three such species,

Clostridium acidurici

,

Clostridium purinilyticum

, and

Eubacterium angustum

, members of the

Clostridium

cluster XII that ferment purines, but not most amino acids or carbohydrates, has been re-examined, taking advantage of their recently sequenced genomes. Phylogenetic analyses, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, protein sequences of RpoB and GyrB, and on a concatenated alignment of 50 ribosomal proteins, revealed tight clustering of

C. acidurici

and

C. purinilyticum
.
Eubacterium angustum

showed consistent association with

C. acidurici

and

C. purinilyticum

, but differed from these two in terms of the genome size, G+C content of its chromosomal DNA and its inability to form spores. We propose reassigning

C. acidurici

and

C. purinilyticum

to the novel genus Gottschalkia as Gottschalkia acidurici gen. nov. comb. nov. (the type species of the genus) and Gottschalkia purinilytica comb. nov., respectively.

Eubacterium angustum

is proposed to be reclassified as Andreesenia angusta gen. nov. comb. nov. Furthermore, based on the phylogenetic data and similar metabolic properties, we propose assigning genera Gottschalkia and Andreesenia to the novel family Gottschalkiaceae. Metagenomic sequencing data indicate the widespread distibution of organisms falling within the radiation of the proposed family Gottschalkiaceae in terrestrial and aquatic habitats from upstate New York to Antarctica, most likely due to their ability to metabolize avian-produced uric acid.
Polycipiviridae: a proposed new family of polycistronic picorna-like RNA viruses
Authors: Olendraite Ingrida , Lukhovitskaya Nina I. , Porter Sanford D. , Valles Steven M. , Firth Andrew E.
Published: August 2017

Solenopsis invicta virus 2 is a single-stranded positive-sense picorna-like RNA virus with an unusual genome structure. The monopartite genome of approximately 11 kb contains four open reading frames in its 5′ third, three of which encode proteins with homology to picornavirus-like jelly-roll fold capsid proteins. These are followed by an intergenic region, and then a single long open reading frame that covers the 3′ two-thirds of the genome. The polypeptide translation of this 3′ open reading frame contains motifs characteristic of picornavirus-like helicase, protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domains. An inspection of public transcriptome shotgun assembly sequences revealed five related apparently nearly complete virus genomes isolated from ant species and one from a dipteran insect. By high-throughput sequencing and in silico assembly of RNA isolated from Solenopsis invicta and four other ant species, followed by targeted Sanger sequencing, we obtained nearly complete genomes for four further viruses in the group. Four further sequences were obtained from a recent large-scale invertebrate virus study. The 15 sequences are highly divergent (pairwise amino acid identities of as low as 17 % in the non-structural polyprotein), but possess the same overall polycistronic genome structure, which is distinct from all other characterized picorna-like viruses. Consequently, we propose the formation of a new virus family, Polycipiviridae, to classify this clade of arthropod-infecting polycistronic picorna-like viruses. We further propose that this family be divided into three genera: Chipolycivirus (2 species), Hupolycivirus (2 species) and Sopolycivirus (11 species), with members of the latter infecting ants in at least 3 different subfamilies.
Early alterations of social brain networks in young children with autism
Authors: Franz Sperdin Holger , Coito Ana , Kojovic Nada , Rihs Tonia , Jan Reem Kais , Franchini Martina , Plomp Gijs , Vulliémoz Serge , Eliez Stéphan , Martin Michel Christoph , Schaer Marie
Published: August 2017

Social impairments are a hallmark of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but empirical evidence for early brain network alterations in response to social stimuli is scant in ASD. Here, we recorded the gaze patterns and brain activity of toddlers and preschoolers with ASD and their typically developing (TD) peers while they explored dynamic social scenes. Source-space directed functional connectivity analyses revealed the presence of network alterations in the theta frequency band, manifesting as increased driving (hyper-activity) and stronger connections (hyper-connectivity) from key nodes of the social brain associated with autism. Further analyses of brain-behavioural relationships within the ASD group suggested that compensatory mechanisms from dorsomedial frontal, inferior temporal and insular cortical regions were associated with lower clinical impairment and less atypical gaze patterns. Our results provide strong evidence that directed functional connectivity alterations of social brain networks is a core component of atypical brain development at early stages of ASD.
PrimerServer: a high-throughput primer design and specificity-checking platform
Authors: Zhu Tao , Liang Chengzhen , Meng Zhigang , Li Yanyan , Wu Yayu , Guo Sandui , Zhang Rui
Published: August 2017

Designing specific primers for multiple sites across the whole genome is still challenging, especially in species with complex genomes. Here we present PrimerServer, a high-throughput primer design and specificity-checking platform with both web and command-line interfaces. This platform efficiently integrates site selection, primer design, specificity checking and data presentation. In our case study, PrimerServer achieved high accuracy and a fast running speed for a large number of sites, suggesting its potential for molecular biology applications such as molecular breeding or medical testing.

Availability and Implementation

Source code for PrimerServer is available athttps://github.com/billzt/PrimerServer. A demo server is freely accessible athttps://primerserver.org, with all major browsers supported.

Contact

zhangrui@caas.cnorguosandui@caas.cn
Abro1 maintains genome stability and limits replication stress by protecting replication fork stability
Authors: Xu Shengfeng , Wu Xiao , Wu Ling , Castillo Andy , Liu Jianxin , Atkinson Erin , Paul Atanu , Su Dan , Schlacher Katharina , Komatsu Yoshihiro , You M. James , Wang Bin
Published: August 2017

Protection of the stalled replication fork is crucial for responding to replication stress and minimizing its impact on chromosome instability, thus preventing diseases, including cancer. We found a new component, Abro1, in the protection of stalled replication fork integrity. Abro1 deficiency results in increased chromosome instability, and Abro1-null mice are tumor-prone. We show that Abro1 protects stalled replication fork stability by inhibiting DNA2 nuclease/WRN helicase-mediated degradation of stalled forks. Depletion of RAD51 prevents the DNA2/WRN-dependent degradation of stalled forks in Abro1-deficient cells. This mechanism is distinct from the BRCA2-dependent fork protection pathway, in which stable RAD51 filament formation prevents MRE11-dependent degradation of the newly synthesized DNA at stalled forks. Thus, our data reveal a new aspect of regulated protection of stalled replication forks that involves Abro1.
The Mobile Element Locator Tool (MELT): population-scale mobile element discovery and biology
Authors: Gardner Eugene J. , Lam Vincent K. , Harris Daniel N. , Chuang Nelson T. , Scott Emma C. , Pittard W. Stephen , Mills Ryan E. ,   The 1000 Genomes Project Consortium, Devine Scott E.
Published: August 2017

Mobile element insertions (MEIs) represent ∼25% of all structural variants in human genomes. Moreover, when they disrupt genes, MEIs can influence human traits and diseases. Therefore, MEIs should be fully discovered along with other forms of genetic variation in whole genome sequencing (WGS) projects involving population genetics, human diseases, and clinical genomics. Here, we describe the Mobile Element Locator Tool (MELT), which was developed as part of the 1000 Genomes Project to perform MEI discovery on a population scale. Using both Illumina WGS data and simulations, we demonstrate that MELT outperforms existing MEI discovery tools in terms of speed, scalability, specificity, and sensitivity, while also detecting a broader spectrum of MEI-associated features. Several run modes were developed to perform MEI discovery on local and cloud systems. In addition to using MELT to discover MEIs in modern humans as part of the 1000 Genomes Project, we also used it to discover MEIs in chimpanzees and ancient (Neanderthal and Denisovan) hominids. We detected diverse patterns of MEI stratification across these populations that likely were caused by (1) diverse rates of MEI production from source elements, (2) diverse patterns of MEI inheritance, and (3) the introgression of ancient MEIs into modern human genomes. Overall, our study provides the most comprehensive map of MEIs to date spanning chimpanzees, ancient hominids, and modern humans and reveals new aspects of MEI biology in these lineages. We also demonstrate that MELT is a robust platform for MEI discovery and analysis in a variety of experimental settings.
Protein crystallization and initial neutron diffraction studies of the photosystem II subunit PsbO
Authors: Bommer Martin , Coates Leighton , Dau Holger , Zouni Athina , Dobbek Holger
Published: August 2017

The PsbO protein of photosystem II stabilizes the active-site manganese cluster and is thought to act as a proton antenna. To enable neutron diffraction studies, crystals of the β-barrel core of PsbO were grown in capillaries. The crystals were optimized by screening additives in a counter-diffusion setup in which the protein and reservoir solutions were separated by a 1% agarose plug. Crystals were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. Initial neutron diffraction data were collected from a 0.25 mm3crystal at room temperature using the MaNDi single-crystal diffractometer at the Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
2-Amino-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-5,6-dihydro-4H-cyclopenta[b]thiophene-3-carboxamide
Authors: Chandra Kumar K. , Balasaraswathy S. , Rajesh B. M. , Chandra
Published: August 2017

In the title compound, C13H14N2O2S, the dihedral angle between the furan and cyclopentathiophene groups is 89.88 (14)°. The carboximidamide unit is in an anticlinal conformation with respect to the cycloheptathiophene moiety and an intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond closes anS(6) ring. In the crystal, N—H...O hydogen bonds link the molecules into [010]C(6) chains and a very weak C—H...O interaction is also observed.
4-Methylbenzylammonium chloride hemihydrate
Authors: Aarthi R. , Thiruvalluvar A. , Ramachandra Raja C.
Published: August 2017

In the title hydrated salt, C8H12N+·Cl−·0.5H2O, the water O atom lies on a crystallographic twofold axis. In the crystal, the cation, anion and water molecule are linked to one anotherviaC—H...Cl, O—H...Cl, N—H...O and N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds. The crystal structure is further stabilized by two weak C—H...π interactions involving the benzene ring to form a three-dimensional network.
2-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine
Authors: Abe Ryosuke , Takase Tsugiko , Oyama Dai
Published: August 2017

The title compound, C13H9N3, has three symmetry-independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The dihedral angles between the naphthyridine ring system and the pyridine group are in the range 3.927 (4)–7.362 (4)°. In the crystal, C—H...N interactions and aromatic π–π stacking [centroid–centroid distances = 3.5755 (7) and 3.6544 (7) Å] generate a three-dimensional network.
rac-1,1,1,6,6,6-Hexachlorohex-3-yne-2,5-diol hemihydrate
Authors: Detert Heiner , Schollmeyer Dieter
Published: August 2017

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C6H4Cl6O2·0.5H2O, contains one molecule of 1,1,1,6,6,6-hexachlorohex-3-yne-2,5-diol and half a water molecule located on a twofold rotation axis. In the crystal, pairs of hexachlorohexynediol molecules form centrosymmetric dimers connectedviapairwise O—H...O hydrogen bonds. These dimers are connected by water molecules, resulting in layers parallel to theabplane.
Understanding IPTV churning behaviors: focus on users in South Korea
Authors: Kim Myung-Joong , Kim Juil , Park Sun-Young
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This study aims to investigate customers’ churning out of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service, one of the most prevalent forms of IT convergence.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the review of current literature, a research model is introduced to depict the effects of select independent variables on customer churning behavior. First of all, the two groups are compared in terms of predictor variables, including switching barriers, voice of customer (VOC), membership period and degree of contents usage. Then, a curvilinear regression was applied to understand the association relationship between the level of IPTV contents usage and variables of switching barriers, VOC and membership period. Third, a logit regression was performed to predict customer churning through the variables of switching barriers, VOC, membership period and level of IPTV contents usage.

Findings

Through the empirical analysis, this study analyzed the factors affecting customer churning behavior of IPTV service providers based on switching barriers, VOC and contents usage.

Originality/value

Although several studies on IPTV have been undertaken globally, they have largely depended on self-reporting surveys to examine dynamics between antecedent variables and IPTV performance in terms of customer satisfaction, usage intension and customer retention. This empirical study is performed to understand influential factors of IPTV service defection through the weblog analysis of 3,906 service users, who represented both service defectors and non-defectors during a specific month.
The effects of emotional labor on work engagement and boundary spanner creativity
Authors: Yoo Jaewon , Jeong Jicheol
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of employees’ emotional labor on work engagement and boundary-spanner creativity based on the job demands-resources model from the perspective of salespeople.

Design/methodology/approach

To analyze the data, a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling procedure using LISREL 8.5 were used. Next, the conditional process modeling was fitted to test the moderated mediation hypotheses.

Findings

The analysis results showed that deep acting has a positive effect on work engagement, whereas surface acting has a negative effect, indicating that work engagement of sales representatives is differently related to each factor of emotional labor. Second, work engagement of salespeople has a positive effect on boundary spanner creativity. Next, entrepreneurship has a moderate effect in the relationship between emotional labor and work engagement with customer stewardship and has a positive moderating effect in the relationship between work engagement and boundary spanner creativity.

Practical implications

Considering the positive effect of boundary spanner creativity on work engagement, it is important to maintain interaction with customers, including adaptive behaviors and customer orientation, as customers’ demand increases. The individual competence and capability of salespeople such as entrepreneurship are directly related to interaction with customers, so when the right strategy is defined for each type of entrepreneurship of salespeople, it will create a positive corporate culture and lead to performance improvement.

Originality/value

Compared with most studies, more direct factors of emotional labor were assessed to detect positive effects in this study. More specifically, when salespeople were forced to fake their feelings, they were more likely to recognize stress or burnout due to emotional dissonance between what they really felt and what they had to express to comply with organizational regulations.
The impact of brand concept on brand equity
Authors: Jeon Joo-Eon
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Researches on the impact brand equity have grown considerably in recent years, as it has been shown to have significant impact on a company’s financial performance. This paper aims to empirically test the relationships between brand concepts and brand equity, while exploring the mediating roles of emotional attachment and customer commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

The research investigates the effect of brand concept on the customer–brand relationship and brand performance. Additionally, it examines how the relationship between brand concept and brand equity is mediated by customer–brand relationships such as emotional attachment and commitment.

Findings

The results empirically demonstrate the important contribution of the three brand concepts to brand equity. The results empirically demonstrate the important contribution of the three-brand concept to customer commitment and to brand equity that has been predicted by prior research.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this study is to demonstrate the effects of the brand concepts related to aesthetic, functional and symbolic benefits on brand equity. From this, brand equity may be viewed as a link in the path of effects that indirectly connects brand concepts with market performance. Brand concept, emotional attachment and customer commitment are relevant constructs underlying brand equity, and commitment and loyalty are key mediating variables in relational exchanges.
Case study on adoption of new technology for innovation
Authors: Han Junghee , Park Chang-min
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims at investigating the role of institutional entrepreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship to cope with firm’ impasses by adoption of the new technology ahead of other firms. Also, this paper elucidates the importance of own specific institutional and corporate entrepreneurship created from firm’s norm.

Design/methodology/approach

The utilized research frame is as follows: first, perspective of studies on institutional and corporate entrepreneurship are performed using prior literature and preliminary references; second, analytical research frame was proposed; finally, phase-based cases are conducted so as to identify research objective.

Findings

Kumho Tire was the first tire manufacturer in the world to exploit the utilization of radio-frequency identification for passenger carâ’s tire. Kumho Tire takes great satisfaction in lots of failures to develop the cutting edge technology using advanced information and communication technology cultivated by heterogeneous institution and corporate entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

The firm concentrated its resources into building the organization’s communication process and enhancing the quality of its human resources from the early stages of their birth so as to create distinguishable corporate entrepreneurship.
Finding m-similar users in social networks using the m-representative skyline query
Authors: Ting Kuo-Cheng , Wang Ruei-Ping , Chen Yi-Chung , Yang Don-Lin , Chen Hsi-Min
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Using social networks to identify users with traits similar to those of the target user has proven highly effective in the development of personalized recommendation systems. Existing methods treat all dimensions of user data as a whole, despite the fact that most of the information related to different dimensions is discrete. This has prompted researchers to adopt the skyline query for such search functions. Unfortunately, researchers have run into problems of instability in the number of users identified using this approach.

Design/methodology/approach

We thus propose the m-representative skyline queries to provide control over the number of similar users that are returned. We also developed an R-tree-based algorithm to implement the m-representative skyline queries.

Findings

By using the R-tree based algorithm, the processing speed of the m-representative skyline queries can now be accelerated. Experiment results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.

Originality/value

Note that with this new way of finding similar users in the social network, the performance of the personalized recommendation systems is expected to be enhanced.
Teachers’ views on implementing intercultural education in Greece: the case of 13 primary schools
Authors: Tsaliki Evanthia
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ and head teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of intercultural education within the 13 intercultural primary schools (IPSs) in Greece.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology adopted is a mixed-method approach. It has been employed to add breadth and depth to the analysis and to achieve a better understanding of the issue examined. The research methods used include questionnaires administered and interviews conducted with teachers and head teachers.

Findings

The results indicate that great importance is attributed to the use of cooperative learning, group work and the interdisciplinary approach to implementing intercultural education. The findings provide suggestions for the creation of a school environment in which the intercultural dimension will be promoted, so as to meet the educational needs of native, foreign and, repatriate pupils attending both intercultural and mainstream primary schools.

Research limitations/implications

The research study focusses on primary education. Nonetheless, some of the findings may be applicable to secondary education.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study to the topic examined is significant since this is a country-scale research conducted among the 13 IPSs – and there has been no previous research conducted in all 13 IPSs in Greece – and different pupil populations. Therefore, teachers’ views and practices allow international readership to be informed of the Greek intercultural context as well as to reflect a variety of teaching approaches and methods that can be well adopted by intercultural practitioners and which in turn can contribute to the improvement of the entire spectrum of pedagogy and pursue further research.
Implementation of lean manufacturing and situational leadership styles
Authors: Tortorella Guilherme , Fogliatto Flávio
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine leadership styles at each hierarchic level that best support the LM implementation process in a given company.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve that, the authors propose a method that combines information from two sources in three major steps. First, using opinions from experts on lean implementation from an activity sector of interest the authors determine leadership styles that best suit each phase of the LM roadmap for that sector. Next, the authors analyze a specific company within the activity sector to determine: at which lean roadmap phase the company is at the moment; and the style of its current leaderships at each hierarchical level. Finally, the authors combine information from previous steps to diagnose the suitability of company’s leaderships to its lean implementation needs.

Findings

The method points at improvement alternatives that may be developed simultaneously at different leadership hierarchical levels in companies. Further, using the matrix of ideal leadership styles, companies may be able to identify implementation phases in the lean process that are poorly served by current leadership styles, anticipating problems and developing HRM practices to mitigate them. That is quite relevant, since changes in leadership behaviors and expectations may take longer time to be implemented; therefore, it is important to understand these opportunities and have a clear vision of current gaps within the company.

Originality/value

The identification of leaderships’ attributes and behaviors in companies at different phases of the lean implementation roadmap contributes to the existing body of knowledge on lean manufacturing. The method is intended as a supporting tool for lean implementation, as it enables the assessment of gaps in leadership behaviors in the organization, and directs to improvements according to the phase of lean implementation. The goal is to complement existing lean roadmaps by driving improvements in leadership-related aspects of the implementation process.
Relationships between religious work values, sustainable work behaviours and sustainable energy consumptions
Authors: Ab. Wahab Mastura
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent religious work values such as Islamic work values (IWVs) could have an influence on sustainable work behaviours and sustainable energy consumptions among employees in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through survey questionnaires. The sample consisted of 264 Muslim employees who work in the private and public organisations in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was conducted using a second-order model.

Findings

The results showed that religious values (i.e. IWVs) have a significant relationship with sustainable work behaviours and sustainable energy consumptions. The effect on sustainable work behaviours was stronger than its effect on sustainable energy consumptions.

Practical implications

This study suggests that the policy makers and pundits should pay attention to employees rather than focussing on just the CEO or the managers as the key players in the industries. This would help reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses and other environmental degradations.

Originality/value

With regard to sustainability, past studies have mostly used general values rather than religious values in analysing work behaviours or energy consumptions. Furthermore, most previous studies have used behavioural intentions in their theory and concepts when explaining sustainable behaviours. This study extends the literature by conceptualising the value-attitude-behaviour theory which focusses on actual behaviours rather than on intentions in explaining the effect of religious work values on sustainable behaviours and energy consumptions.
Opening up the strategy process – a network perspective
Authors: Hautz Julia
Published: August 2017

Purpose

While strategy was traditionally perceived as exclusive, and limited to small groups within organizations, recently a shift toward greater openness through inclusion of a larger number and variety of actors is emerging. The purpose of this paper is to adopt a social network perspective to develop a theoretical framework on how this increased openness has a varying impact in the different phases of the strategy process.

Design/methodology/approach

The author suggests that the strategy process is shaped through social interactions between individuals. Specifically the author conceptualizes how introducing openness affects individuals’ structural and relational characteristics, which impact generating new strategic ideas (variation), and selecting (selection), and integrating them into the existing set of routines (retention).

Findings

The framework shows that benefits and costs of increased openness balance differently. While substantial benefits may be realized in the idea generation phase, costs may outweigh the benefits in the selection and retention phase.

Practical implications

Based on the framework, implications can be drawn on how openness should be introduced in the different phases of the strategy process. Specifically the author discusses appropriate open strategy tools based on social technologies, which organizations can use to benefit from openness in the different stages.

Originality/value

Open strategy is a newly emerging phenomenon, which seems to fundamentally change the strategist’s work. More open, inclusive ways of strategizing offer new benefits but also create costs in the strategy process. This paper deepens the theoretical understanding of the consequences of openness in the strategy process.
Bonding and spreading
Authors: Choi Hwanho , Burnes Bernard
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Although social media proficiency and use are key business and marketing practices in today’s digital environment, research has failed to offer sufficient insights into what drives small firms to use social media and how they vitalise co-creative social media environments with consumers. In response, the purpose of this paper is to examine how small firms utilise social media to interact and build bonds with consumers. These bonds become an important tool in the development of successful, profitable businesses and marketing practices in the digital age.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine how small firms use social media to engage with consumers and vice versa, the authors utilised a case-study approach and collected qualitative data by conducting semi-structured interviews.

Findings

The results showed that the small firms in this research seek to establish relationships and facilitate interactions with their core consumers in order to co-create value. In particular, the data demonstrate that producers engage in two distinctive practices: bonding (i.e. cultivating emotional ties with music fans) and spreading (i.e. encouraging expressive circulation by fans). Altogether, the findings indicate that the representative firms in this research use social media to develop synergistic relationships with consumers and to tap into the collective energy of consumers in their business environments.

Originality/value

The authors show that small companies use social media to establish relationships and interact with fans in order to co-create value and vitalise collective consumption, engagement, and participation. The case blurs the traditional distinction between production and consumption and suggests that the value of goods is a social creation, not merely a manufactured product.
When the investors speak: intellectual capital disclosure and the Web 2.0
Authors: Massaro Maurizio , Dumay John , Bagnoli Carlo
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate intellectual capital (IC) discussions held between investors using Web 2.0 tools. More precisely, this paper investigates the determinants of IC disclosures (ICDs) on internet stock message boards (IMBs).

Design/methodology/approach

Four hypotheses were developed and tested through content analysis of 60,996 messages posted on two main IMBs, Yahoo!Finance and TheLion.com, followed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression testing.

Findings

The findings show that Web 2.0 is bringing new opportunities to disclose IC. Traditional theories, such as agency, stakeholder, signalling, and legitimacy theory, cannot be applied to the Web 2.0 context. Therefore, a new approach that focusses more on the personal motivations for disclosing IC is called for. At a glance, the results show that IC is disclosed on IMBs, and several elements influence both the quantity and quality of those disclosures. Sometimes “trolls” disturb the dialogue and discourage participation by other investors. Conversely, online influencers facilitate ICD. To filter messages, the time of posting, the length of the messages, and the sentiment the messages contain should be considered along with the author of the message.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating the IC disclosed on IMBs. The findings provide insights about how ICDs are developed using Web 2.0 tools.
Subnational institutions and open innovation: evidence from China
Authors: Sun Fei , Hong Junjie , Ma Xiuying , Wang Chengqi
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how subnational institutions within a country explain the performance consequences of open innovation (OI) in emerging market enterprises (EMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducts a regression analysis by using a novel panel data set comprising of 438 innovative Chinese firms over the period of 2008-2011.

Findings

The authors show that although on average openness to external actors improves innovation performance this effect is pronounced for EMEs that operate in subnational regions with a higher level of intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement and of factor market development. The findings point to the context-dependent nature of OI strategy and the complementary effect of institutional parameters in emerging markets and help to reconcile the contrasting findings regarding the effect of OI in the prior literature.

Originality/value

This paper extends the literature on OI by suggesting that the analysis of the performance consequences of OI strategy should go beyond the nexus between OI and firm performance, and instead, focus on subnational-specific institutions, such as region-specific IPR enforcement, factor market development and intermediation market development, that may facilitate or constrain the effect of OI model.
Quality dimensions in online communities influence purchase intentions
Authors: Wang Chung-Yu , Lee Hsiao-Ching , Wu Li-Wei , Liu Chih-Chung
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how quality dimensions in independently owned online brand communities influence purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction and the role of involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

This work validates the model and hypotheses through non-probabilistic sampling. The online questionnaire was made on the website of MySurvey and an invitation letter was posted to the forums. The respondents received the questionnaire items translated into Chinese. The final survey sample consisted of 235 respondents.

Findings

Empirical results confirm that as for independently owned online brand communities, their information quality and relationship quality are effective tools for influencing purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction. In addition, the authors demonstrate that involvement has a positively moderating influence on the relationship between uncertainty reduction and purchase intentions.

Originality/value

The current study moves beyond uncertainty reduction to demonstrate that information quality and relationship quality of forums influenced purchase intention via uncertainty reduction and the moderating variable such as involvement.
Do trade area grades really affect credit ratings of small businesses? An application of big data
Authors: Pan Huifeng , Kang Man-Su , Ha Hong-Youl
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Although the study of credit ratings has focused on traditional credit bureau resources, scholars have recently emphasized the importance of big data. The purpose of this paper is to examine both how these data affect the credit evaluations of small businesses and how financial managers use them to stabilize their risks.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from 97,889 data points for normal guarantees and 1,678 data points for accidents in public funds, the authors explore the effects of trade area grades as well as the superiority of the use of big data when evaluating credit ratings for small businesses.

Findings

The results indicate that the grade information of trade areas is useful in predicting accident rates, particularly for small businesses with high credit scores (AAA-A). On the other hand, the accident rates of small businesses with low credit scores increased from 3.15-16.67 to 3.20-33.3 percent. These findings demonstrate that accident rates for the businesses with high credit scores decrease, but accident rates for businesses with low credit scores increase when using the grades of trade areas.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the literature in two ways. First, this study provides one of the first investigations on information on trade areas through public financial perspectives, thereby extending the financial risk and retail literature. Second, the current study extends the research on the credit evaluation of small businesses through the big data application of real transaction-based trade areas, answering the call of Park et al. (2012), who recommended an exploration of the relationship between business start-ups and financial risk.