bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Amelioration of thermal stress impacts in dairy cows
Authors: Dunshea Frank R. , Leury Brian J. , Fahri Fahri , DiGiacomo Kristy , Hung Alex , Chauhan Surinder , Clarke Iain J. , Collier Robert , Little Stephen , Baumgard Lance , Gaughan John B.
Published: July 2013

Heat stress negatively impacts on a variety of animal production parameters. Advances in management strategies have alleviated some of the negative impacts of thermal stress on farm animals, but production continues to markedly decrease during heat events in summer, particularly in dairy cattle. In this paper we introduce a Dairy Risk Assessment Program (DRAP). The DRAP is a user-friendly software package designed to assist users in predicting heat loads in dairy cow herds. DRAP was developed over three Australian summers using climatic data (temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed), cow production data (milk yield and milk quality), and physiological data (respiration rate and body temperature). The data were used to develop mathematical algorithms which can predict animal response to climatic variables. This software package is designed to be used by the dairy industry to better manage cows during times of elevated environmental temperatures by equipping producers, managers, and dairy industry personnel with Dairy Heat Load Index (DHLI) values which were calculated based upon site information, stock characteristics, management practices, and mitigation variables specific to their dairy production unit. When a heat event is imminent producers can then introduce management strategies such as providing shade or additional water troughs or implementation of nutritional strategies. Some of these nutritional strategies include dietary chromium picolinate, betaine and antioxidant supplementation or altering the rate of starch fermentation. These nutritional strategies are discussed at some length in this paper.
Pressing need for more evidence to guide efforts to address substance use among young Indigenous Australians
Authors: Lee K. S. Kylie , Jagtenberg Monique , Ellis Charles M. , Conigrave Katherine M.
Published: July 2013

Issue addressed

There are no systematic reviews available to guide the delivery of programs to prevent or address substance misuse among young Indigenous Australians

Methods

A search was conducted for peer‐reviewed journal articles published between 1990 and 2011 that evaluated interventions targeting young Indigenous Australians (aged 8–25 years) with the primary aim of reducing substance use. A comprehensive search was conducted of electronic databases (Cochrane, DRUG, Embase, Informit, Medline, Nursing and Allied Health, PreMedline and PsychInfo). Retrieved manuscripts were analysed using a narrative synthesis methodology.

Results

Eight published studies were found. Nearly all had major methodological limitations. Of the four projects that reported reductions in substance use, two included recreational or cultural activities and had strong community support, and one included supply control combined with employment opportunities. Two programs that provided education alone did not show changes in substance use.

Conclusions

Increased systematic evaluation of efforts to prevent and treat substance use among young Indigenous Australians is needed.

So what?

The limited data support multiprong interventions, designed with community input, to protect young Indigenous people against substance misuse, rather than simple facts‐based education. However, more research is needed.
Post-Release Survival and Behavior of Adult Shoal Bass in the Flint River, Georgia
Authors: Ingram Travis R. , Tannehill Josh E. , Young Shawn P.
Published: July 2013

We conducted a telemetry study of Shoal Bass Micropterus cataractae in the lower Flint River, Georgia, during 2010. Our objectives were to (1) characterize Shoal Bass migration from communal spawning habitats and (2) evaluate the effects of translocation on survival of adult Shoal Bass and determine its value as a viable restoration and management tool. Twenty-seven adult Shoal Bass (TL ≥305 mm) were fitted with hydroacoustic tags. Thirteen fish (control group) were released at the site of capture, and the remaining 14 individuals were transported 75 river kilometers (rkm) downstream prior to release (translocated group). Telemetry data suggested that spawning congregations are composed of fish from local (<3 rkm) and distant (>3 rkm) home ranges. Initially, within 14 d, translocated fish remained near their release site significantly longer than control fish remained at the original capture site. After 90 d at large, the distance that control Shoal Bass dispersed from the release site was similar to distances dispersed by the translocated group, 1.6–23.0 rkm and 2.6–28.6 rkm, respectively. After 90 d, translocated Shoal Bass had not returned to the same river reach that was occupied by control fish. No sex-specific differences were found between groups. Postrelease survival after 90 d was 92% for both translocated and control groups. Telemetry results indicated that Shoal Bass in the Flint River undergo substantial migrations to spawning habitats. Stockpiling of Shoal Bass from live-release tournaments may occur in the short term, and relocation away from home ranges may occur in the long term, thus affecting adult Shoal Bass distribution. The high survival rates and the eventual dispersal of most translocated fish observed in this study suggest Shoal Bass can cope with translocation.

Received February 24, 2012; accepted May 15, 2013
p53 SUMOylation promotes its nuclear export by facilitating its release from the nuclear export receptor CRM1
Authors: Santiago Aleixo , Li Dawei , Zhao Lisa Y. , Godsey Adam , Liao Daiqing
Published: July 2013

Chromosomal region maintenance 1 (CRM1) mediates p53 nuclear export. Although p53 SUMOylation promotes its nuclear export, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we show that tethering of a small, ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) moiety to p53 markedly increases its cytoplasmic localization. SUMO attachment to p53 does not affect its oligomerization, suggesting that subunit dissociation required for exposing p53’s nuclear export signal (NES) is unnecessary for p53 nuclear export. Surprisingly, SUMO-mediated p53 nuclear export depends on the SUMO-interacting motif (SIM)-binding pocket of SUMO-1. The CRM1 C-terminal domain lacking the NES-binding groove interacts with tetrameric p53, and the proper folding of the p53 core domain, rather than the presence of the N- or C-terminal tails, appears to be important for p53–CRM1 interaction. The CRM1 Huntington, EF3, a subunit of PP2A, and TOR1 9 (HEAT9) loop, which regulates GTP-binding nuclear protein Ran binding and cargo release, contains a prototypical SIM. Remarkably, disruption of this SIM in conjunction with a mutated SIM-binding groove of SUMO-1 markedly enhances the binding of CRM1 to p53-SUMO-1 and their accumulation in the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), as well as their persistent association in the cytoplasm. We propose that SUMOylation of a CRM1 cargo such as p53 at the NPCs unlocks the HEAT9 loop of CRM1 to facilitate the disassembly of the transporting complex and cargo release to the cytoplasm.
Reggies/flotillins interact with Rab11a and SNX4 at the tubulovesicular recycling compartment and function in transferrin receptor and E-cadherin trafficking
Authors: Solis Gonzalo P. , Hülsbusch Nikola , Radon Yvonne , Katanaev Vladimir L. , Plattner Helmut , Stuermer Claudia A. O.
Published: July 2013

The lipid raft proteins reggie-1 and -2 (flotillins) are implicated in membrane protein trafficking but exactly how has been elusive. We find that reggie-1 and -2 associate with the Rab11a, SNX4, and EHD1–decorated tubulovesicular recycling compartment in HeLa cells and that reggie-1 directly interacts with Rab11a and SNX4. Short hairpin RNA–mediated down-regulation of reggie-1 (and -2) in HeLa cells reduces association of Rab11a with tubular structures and impairs recycling of the transferrin–transferrin receptor (TfR) complex to the plasma membrane. Overexpression of constitutively active Rab11a rescues TfR recycling in reggie-deficient HeLa cells. Similarly, in a Ca2+ switch assay in reggie-depleted A431 cells, internalized E-cadherin is not efficiently recycled to the plasma membrane upon Ca2+ repletion. E-cadherin recycling is rescued, however, by overexpression of constitutively active Rab11a or SNX4 in reggie-deficient A431 cells. This suggests that the function of reggie-1 in sorting and recycling occurs in association with Rab11a and SNX4. Of interest, impaired recycling in reggie-deficient cells leads to de novo E-cadherin biosynthesis and cell contact reformation, showing that cells have ways to compensate the loss of reggies. Together our results identify reggie-1 as a regulator of the Rab11a/SNX4-controlled sorting and recycling pathway, which is, like reggies, evolutionarily conserved.
Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of C1 Laminectomy Without Fusion in Patients With Cervical Myelopathy That Is Associated With a Retro-odontoid Pseudotumor
Authors: Takemoto Mitsuru , Neo Masashi , Fujibayashi Shunsuke , Sakamoto Takeshi , Ota Masato , Otsuki Bungo , Kaneko Hiroki , Umebayashi Takeshi
Published: July 2013

Purpose:

A retro-odontoid pseudotumor that is not associated with rheumatoid arthritis or hemodialysis is clinically rare. The majority of surgeons select transoral resection as the surgical treatment, often followed by posterior fusion or posterior decompression and fusion. In contrast, some authors have reported success with simple decompression without posterior stabilization in cases where atlanto-axial instability (AAI) is either absent or minor. In this study, we have evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes of C1 laminectomy without fusion as the surgical treatment for patients with cervical myelopathy that is associated with a retro-odontoid pseudotumor.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review was conducted on 10 patients who underwent C1 laminectomy without fusion for cervical myelopathy associated with a retro-odontoid pseudotumor.

Results:

The average follow-up time was 29 months. All cases were graded as Ranawat grade 3a or 3b. After surgery, myelopathy improved in all of the patients. In 2 patients, the atlas-dens interval increased in the flexed position; however, this did not result in any clinical problems. The size of the retro-odontoid mass (measured on magnetic resonance images at least 12 mo after surgery) decreased in 4 of the 10 cases.

Conclusions:

AAI progression and mass enlargement were our primary concerns for this surgical option; however, C1 laminectomy did not cause severe AAI progression, no patients showed serious mass enlargement, and all patients demonstrated neurological improvement. This surgical strategy is beneficial especially for elderly patients given the risks of other surgical options that use an anterior transoral approach or posterior fusion.
Economic uncertainty and money demand stability in Turkey
Authors: Azim Özdemir K. , Saygılı Mesut
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the inclusion of uncertainty variables in the demand for money function can produce a stable relationship in Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

The stability of a money demand function is studied by testing parameter constancy of long‐run money demand function. To this end, the authors perform Nymblom type tests in the context of the Coingtegrated VAR methodology.

Findings

The findings show that inclusion of appropriate measure of uncertainty is necessary to estimate a stable and consistent money demand function for Turkey.

Originality/value

The empirical application of Nymblom type stability tests on cointegrated VAR money demand systems is very recent and to the authors' knowledge there has been no application of this methodology on emerging market economies. Therefore, this paper extends the literature to the emerging market economies.
Moving a repository of scholarly content to a cloud
Authors: Zainab A.N. , Chong C.Y. , Chaw L.T.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the problems faced by MyAIS, an open access repository of scholarly content, the reasons for moving to a cloud infrastructure and the design of the system.

Design/methodology/approach

MyAIS is supported by an IBM HS22V multiple blade server using virtualization technology. A single blade server runs both MyAIS's back‐end that handles the processing of digital repository and front‐end that handles the web server. The whole system runs on a Linux platform. The virtualized servers deliver an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) to the Faculty of Computer Science, University of Malaya researchers as well as students.

Findings

Sharing resources in the cloud cuts maintenance cost and leaves a smaller carbon footprint due to its modular design. Virtualization makes it easy to monitor access traffic and usage of hardware resources on‐the‐fly. The scalability and expansion of MyAIS is improved. It allows for faster system recovery in case of hard disk failure and speedy file move during migration. Larger bandwidth improves reliability and management of bottlenecks.

Research limitations/implications

There are still bottlenecks at the wide area network level resulting in sluggishness during peak hours.

Practical implications

There is significant improvement in storage expansion through shared hardware resources.

Originality/value

Cloud as an IaaS helps reduce the total cost of ownership and maintenance, increase system scalability to handle increased traffic, meet increasing demand for storage space for full text resources, and reduce downtime. It makes backup and disaster recovery easier. It is possible to accommodate other university repositories in future.
Local contents and the development of open access institutional repositories in Nigeria University libraries
Authors: Ezema Ifeanyi J.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This study seeks to examine the management of local content materials for open access institutional repositories in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 85 librarians from seven government funded universities in South East Nigeria were used for the study.

Findings

From the findings 15 local content materials were identified as relevant for publication in institutional repositories. Similarly a major method of acquiring these local contents is by encouraging staff to deposit their publications in the university libraries. It was also found out that providing a subject index to the local contents and their digitization were effective methods of organizing the materials for the institutional repository. The findings also showed that an increase in the visibility of the authors, promotion of university ranking and efficient dissemination of research findings were among the benefits of publishing in institutional repositories. The problems and strategies of publishing in institutional repositories were also identified through the findings.

Practical implications

This study will serve as a useful guide for university administrators and librarians who are interested in developing their institutional repositories using local contents available to them. It will also be of great value to project managers who are engaged in the digitization of their local contents.

Social implications

Research works generated in Nigeria and other developing countries are poorly disseminated and therefore lack global visibility. The publication of these research findings in institutional repositories of individual universities will not only improve the visibility and utilization of the research but will also increase the global ranking of the universities and researchers who have published the works in the repository.

Originality/value

This paper is on the use of local content information resources in building institutional repositories in Nigerian university libraries. These studies will be useful for university libraries, particularly in developing countries, that intend to build their institutional repositories.
The effects of service on multichannel retailers
'
brand equity
Authors: C. White Ryan , Joseph-Mathews Sacha , M. Voorhees Clay
Published: July 2013

Purpose

– This research aims to provide insight on the interactive effects of service quality and e-service quality on perceptions of retailer brand equity and also extend and test the efficacy of Baker
'
s service environment typology in both offline and online service experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

– A within-subjects, simulated shopping experience immerses consumers in both offline and online shopping environments and, subsequently, consumers are surveyed regarding both offline and online quality as well as aggregated evaluations of retailer brand equity.

Findings

– Results demonstrate that consumer perceptions of offline and online service quality have a positive effect on retailer brand equity and service quality and e-service quality interact, such that e-service quality has a stronger effect on brand equity offline quality is low. The results also support the application of offline service environment frameworks for online retailing.

Research limitations/implications

– The results demonstrate the applicability of Baker
'
s typology in both online and offline environments and reveal that customer perceptions of offline and online operations can interact to affect global attitudes toward the retailer.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that retailers can improve quality perceptions by enhancing both their offline and online service environments and that these quality improvements can result in enhanced consumer perceptions of brand equity.

Originality/value

– This study provides a first look at the applicability of offline frameworks for the service environment in an online context. Moreover, the results provide an initial assessment of how consumers update global attitudes toward a brand by consolidating perceptions across both offline and online interactions.
The role of employee job satisfaction in strengthening customer repurchase intentions
Authors: Gounaris Spiros , Boukis Achilleas
Published: July 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of front line employee job satisfaction in customers ' behavioral intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

– Research design is nested with data collected from both first line employees and customers. Data are collected from multiple branches of a single bank to eliminate the possibility of other parameters such as design of operations and physical evidence from masking the true effects of the variables under investigation.

Findings

– Employee job satisfaction influences a customer ' s perception of quality, customer satisfaction and the development of high relational switching cost. Hence the effect on repurchase intention is indirect but significant and strong while moderated by branch size and age of the employee.

Research limitations/implications

– The degree of employee job satisfaction is a resource of strategic nature for these companies aiming to improve customer retention rates. Such companies should protect their ability to build employee job satisfaction and restrain themselves from policies that threaten to slim down the satisfaction their employees derive from their job.

Originality/value

– Using a hierarchical research design, this is the first study that manages to establish the relationship between employee job satisfaction and customers ' behavioral intentions while eliminating the effect of complementary marketing mix parameters such as operations design effectiveness and aesthetics.
Recovery in mental health and substance misuse services: a commentary on recent policy development in the United Kingdom
Authors: Roberts Marcus , Bell Andy
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the two visions of recovery that are now being developed in the UK are consistent with each other and question what impact the development of parallel approaches will have on people at the intersections between them.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper looks first at the origins and current implementation of the two approaches and then examines the commonalities and differences in the context of what they might mean for people using both sets of services simultaneously.

Findings

The ideas behind Recovery in mental health and substance misuse services have some differences but significant common ground in focusing on improving quality of life.

Research limitations/implications

This paper points to the need to understand recovery in both services from the perspectives of those who have a dual diagnosis and need support from each service.

Practical implications

This paper could be used to develop new approaches to supporting people with a dual diagnosis with a consistent Recovery focus.

Originality/value

Placing personal recovery at the heart of both mental health and substance misuse services may, over time, improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
Modeling hydrological impacts of climate change in different climatic zones
Authors: Ejigu Eregno Fasil , Xu Chong‐Yu , Kitterød Nils‐Otto
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Recent advances in hydrological impact studies point that the response of specific catchments to climate change scenario using a single model approach is questionable. This study was aimed at investigating the impact of climate change on three river basins in China, Ethiopia and Norway using WASMOD and HBV hydrological models.

Design/methodology/approach

First, hydrological models' parameters were determined using current hydro‐climatic data inputs. Second, the historical time series of climatic data was adjusted according to the climate change scenarios. Third, the hydrological characteristics of the catchments under the adjusted climatic conditions were simulated using the calibrated hydrological models. Finally, comparisons of the model simulations of the current and possible future hydrological characteristics were performed. Responses were evaluated in terms of runoff, actual evapotranspiration and soil moisture change for incremental precipitation and temperature change scenarios.

Findings

From the results obtained, it can be inferred that two equally well calibrated models gave different hydrological response to hypothetical climatic scenarios. The authors' findings support the concern that climate change analysis using lumped hydrological models may lead to unreliable conclusions.

Practical implications

Extrapolation of driving forces (temperature and precipitation) beyond the range of parameter calibration yields unreliable response. It is beyond the scope of this study to reduce this model ambiguity, but reduction of uncertainty is a challenge for further research.

Originality/value

The research was conducted based on the primary time series data using the existing two hydrological models to test the magnitude differences one can expect when using different hydrological models to simulate hydrological response of climate changes in different climate zones.
Trade integration of Thailand with Mekong region
Authors: Taguchi Hiroyuki
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of the trade integration of Thailand with the Mekong region in comparison with its trade integration with the other major partners (advanced ASEAN, China, India, Japan, and the USA).

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts the gravity trade model as an analytical framework, for the period from the 1980s through the 2000s.

Findings

It is found that Thailand's trade integration with the Mekong region has remarkably grown from the 1980s to the 2000s, in the sense that Thailand's total trade with the Mekong region, which lies below the gravity‐model standard in the 1980s, exceeds the standard in the 1990s and the 2000s. However, it is also found that the intensity of Thailand's trade integration with the Mekong region is still behind that with advanced ASEAN even in the 2000s. It might come from the higher service‐link costs that prevent the Mekong region from being fully involved in the international production network.

Originality/value

The paper may be valuable to the policy makers and researchers in the Mekong region, since it contributes to reviewing the two‐decade progress of the regional cooperation of the Greater Mekong Subregion from such quantitative perspectives as trade integration.
Comparative advertising: citing or not the leading brand and its price
Authors: Dianoux Christian , Herrmann Jean‐Luc , Zeitoun Helen
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of direct comparative advertising on brand information processing and purchase intentions compared with that of indirect comparative advertising in non‐forced exposure conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The overall sample of 240 female consumers (aged between 25 and 51 years, and representative of French women in terms of region and profession) was divided into two equal groups. These two groups viewed a televised montage that followed GfK's pretest methodology for TV advertising (a 20‐minute television show, an advertising break with seven commercials, a short questionnaire, a 20‐minute television show, an advertising break with four commercials, and a longer questionnaire), which favors a low involvement context in laboratory conditions. These two groups were respectively exposed to two 20‐second ads for a well‐known challenger brand (identical except for whether they name the leading brand and its price or “brand X” without price information).

Findings

This research provides original evidence that the comparative ad that cites the name and price of the leading brand increases purchase intentions for the sponsored brand, more than an equivalent that uses brand X. This effect operates through an increased probability of message processing, which in turn enhances the perceived compelling character of ad content.

Originality/value

Despite the many studies of comparative advertising in existing literature, little research has been devoted to the potential alternative of replacing a “brand X” designation with the name of a competing brand. Moreover, previous research often includes participants (e.g. students) engaged in deliberate processing of a single advertisement in conditions of artificial exposure.
Organization of dreams: the dream of organization – dreaming organization
Authors: Desmond John
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing the Dream of Irma's Injection, to illustrate psychic organization and the relation of psychic to social organization; The Dream of the Failed Dinner Party, to illustrate the inter‐individual context of dreaming; and finally The Dream of the Burning Child, to briefly discuss analogous processes to dreams in relation to the ethics of organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper consists of a critical conceptual review of literature in the fields of psychoanalysis and organization.

Findings

A psychoanalytic focus on dreams acknowledges the importance of the organization of the psyche, highlighting the continuing importance of childhood experience and of repressed desire for adult neurotics. The social organization of the psyche illustrates the importance of understanding that different character types produce different phantasies of organization. It is argued that the inter‐individual context is important to understanding the contagious nature of hysterical desire. Finally, given that traumatic dreams unsettle and destabilize our conscious understanding as good, rational, individual subjects, the paper discusses the analogous roles for dreaming, which might be related to organization ethics.

Practical implications

By highlighting unconscious processes, the psychoanalytic understanding of dreams asks organizational theorists to enquire into material that is withheld from consciousness.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the understanding of dreams in relation to the organization of the psyche; the relation of psychic organization to social organization; and the inter‐individual context.
Services and organisational innovation: the right mix for value creation
Authors: Gallego Jorge , Rubalcaba Luis , Hipp Christiane
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The paper aims to discuss how services and service innovation are inter‐linked and support organisational innovation. In particular, the reorganisation of operations and the introduction of new organisational arrangements are examined and conceptualised for further empirical analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the analysis of the different, most recent developments in the literature and practical experiences, a conceptual framework is developed that incorporates service and organisational innovation.

Findings

The developed conceptualisation focuses on the role of services and service innovation, and the emerging interactions between organisations and services providers, where facilitators play a role. Accordingly, services are no longer a secondary instrument of the value chain. Instead, they have become essential and may add value from their involvement, for example, in product design, business management, procurement in global markets, and support to customers' participation in value creation.

Research limitations/implications

The paper provides a concept derived from an in‐depth literature analysis. In a next step an empirical analysis based on the proposed concept would complete the theoretical findings.

Practical implications

The proposed conceptual framework supports the overall recognition of service and organisational innovation as a powerful mechanism to gain competitive advantage for companies.

Originality/value

This paper proposes for the first time a conceptual framework that shows that organisational innovation turns into a prevailing tool that facilitates the integration of service innovations into the value chains of companies, and thus the increasing level of inter‐connectedness required for firms' competitiveness.
Adoption of e‐government services: an empirical study of the online tax filing system in Taiwan
Authors: Liang Shih‐wu , Lu Hsi‐peng
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence the willingness of the public to adopt online tax filing services.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted from which 400 valid questionnaires were recovered. The questionnaire data were used to research the degree of acceptance among Taiwanese taxpayers with regard to the online tax filing system. Respondents were classified into existing users (who were sub‐categorised into early adopters and late adopters) and potential adopters.

Findings

The results demonstrate that the perceived attributes of trialability and observability significantly influence the adoption intention of late adopters. However, these attributes did not have a significant influence on early adopters. Social norms and the perceived attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity significantly influence the adoption intention of current users. For potential adopters, only social norms had a significant effect on their intention to use the online tax filing system.

Practical implications

This study recommends that a more convenient and user‐friendly design for online tax‐filing processes would enhance the perception of the system and encourage taxpayers to continue or consider using this e‐government service.

Originality/value

While online tax‐filing systems are getting more attention in e‐government development, little is known about why people are willing to use them. This paper investigates the reasons by applying innovation diffusion theory, social cognitive theory and contingency theory. The results could be applicable to other e‐government services.
The Police and Crime Commissioner elections, November 2012
Authors: Joyce Peter , Wain Neil
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). It seeks to analyse the policies put forward by the candidates and evaluate the significance of the elections for the future landscape of policing.

Design/methodology/approach

The research for this paper is library based, making particular use of primary source material. The objectives for this research are organised around key themes – preparations for the elections, the election contest, the election campaign and key issues that were raised, the election results and the significance of the introduction of the office of PCC for the future landscape of policing.

Findings

The research established that most candidates put forward policies that would seek to skew policing towards combating low level crime and disorder. It highlighted issues relevant to the future landscape of policing, including the relationships forged between chief constables and PCCs, the politicisation of policing and the extent to which PCCs are held adequately accountable for their actions.

Research limitations/implications

The research focuses on the 2012 PCC elections and identifies a number of key issues that may need to be addressed in the future, either by academic or political investigation.

Practical implications

The research suggests that future PCC election contests should receive improved publicity and attention should also be paid to the candidates’ deposit. It suggests that the future operation of the office should be subject to thorough investigation by the Home Affairs Committee.

Social implications

The creation of the office of PCC was designed to empower communities and those who resided within them. However, this goal cannot be realised without effort on the part of government to urge their involvement in future PCC election contests.

Originality/value

The subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by both academic and practitioner perspectives.
Developing competencies of supply chain professionals in Australia: collaboration between businesses, universities and industry associations
Authors: Sohal Amrik S.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe collaboration between businesses, universities and industry associations in Australia with the aim of developing an appropriate set of competencies for supply chain professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

Three related initiatives are described involving questionnaire surveys (Initiatives 1 and 3) and a series of meetings involving representatives from businesses, universities and industry associations (Initiative 2).

Findings

Initiative 1 identifies that although supply chain professionals in Australia are highly educated, they had limited training in relation to supply chain management. Initiative 2 developed a set of 20 competencies for supply chain professionals and their importance was then assessed in Initiative 3. Generally, high importance is highlighted for the set of competencies. Maintaining momentum of the collaboration is identified as a challenge.

Research limitations/implications

One specific limitation is the somewhat low response rates achieved for the two questionnaire surveys conducted: 15 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively. Australia is unique in many respects; hence generalisation of the findings is limited.

Practical implications

The paper identifies Australian industry needs reflected in the set of competencies developed. The paper highlights the value of collaboration between business, universities/colleges and industry associations.

Originality/value

This paper identifies a set of supply chain competencies considered highly important by supply chain professionals in Australia. These can be used by academic institutions in developing future programs, by businesses for assessing performance of supply chain professionals that they employ and by industry associations in developing appropriate services for their members.
Perceived work climate and employee performance in public security organizations in the UAE
Authors: Suliman Abubakr , Al Harethi Bader
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential relationships between perceived work climate and work performance in security organizations. Furthermore, the relationship of various factors related to work climate and work performance are studied and investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected from a public security organization in the UAE. Using a self‐managed questionnaire, a sample of 500 full‐time employees was surveyed – randomly selected from top, middle and lower level of management.

Findings

The results show that organizational climate and its components significantly predict work performance and its factors.

Practical implications

The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed in the paper, together with some recommendations for managing work climate and performance in security organizations.

Originality/value

The paper examines the links between climate and performance for the first time in public security organizations in the UAE and the Arabic context.
Effect of organizational factors on interoperability adoption for Indian portals
Authors: Tripathi Rakhi , Gupta M.P. , Bhattacharya Jaijit
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of organizational factors on the adoption of interoperability technology for Indian portals.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory study was conducted through a survey questionnaire from 300 portals of government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) in India. Data were also collected from portals of Indian companies.

Findings

The study finds that adoption of interoperability for Indian portals is highly associated with certain organizational factors. In addition, multiple regression analysis reveals that the functionalities of government portals in India are significantly related to four organizational factors.

Practical implications

The research provides insights for government officials and practitioners to understand and improve the level of interoperability in government portals. The study also provides a 2 by 2 matrix framework that helps the government officials to focus on the relevant organizational factors.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine the effect of organizational factors on interoperability adoption in Indian portals. The results lead to a number of recommendations for achieving interoperability for government portals in India.
Website quality in government
Authors: Sørum Hanne , Normann Andersen Kim , Clemmensen Torkil
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to investigate how webmasters within government bodies explain quality of websites. Despite the central position for advancing the communication, bridging usability tests and design, there are surprisingly few studies on how webmasters perceive, experience and explain website quality or design issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors' unit of analysis is webmasters from Norwegian web‐award‐winning organizations. Eight webmasters from four types of websites were interviewed. The websites were purposefully sampled, using the strategy of maximal variation sampling to maximize difference between the four types of websites.

Findings

The findings reveal that issues concerning usability are found to be an important dimension of website quality. The authors' analysis of how webmasters explain website quality reveals substantial variance in explanation of website quality. Repeated keywords of website quality are mainly related to user‐friendliness, effective website usage, content‐related issues and accessibility (WAI‐principles).

Research limitations/implications

This study includes webmasters from award‐winning websites. In upcoming research contributions, it would add to the richness of the study if webmasters from non‐award‐winning websites were included. Measurement of website quality and success is widely addressed within the research literature. This paper offers the opportunity to understand how practitioners (i.e. webmasters) facilitate for website quality, grounded in their perception and explanations of which quality aspects they found to be of importance.

Practical implications

The website quality aspects identified in this paper can be used as insights for how to develop and improve the quality of websites with the public sector.

Social implications

The overall digital enabled transformation of government appears to be guided by a rather heterogeneous set of quality standards. While a variance of quality standards might stimulate innovation in websites, it can also lead to a substantial difference in digital services provided to citizens. Thus, the authors' research stimulates the awareness of diversity of quality parameters and could have as an implication that national and international standards beyond accessibility standards are more explicitly shared and debated.

Originality/value

The aim of this paper is to provide insights into website practitioners' (i.e. webmasters') perception and explanation of quality aspects in websites. Webmasters are important contributors to the quality of available websites, and it is of particular benefit to learn about their suggestions. Most studies tackle perception of website quality from a user's point of view, while the added knowledge in this paper is the webmaster's explanation.
The localization of key Bacillus subtilis penicillin binding proteins during cell growth is determined by substrate availability
Authors: Lages Marta Carolina Afonso , Beilharz Katrin , Morales Angeles Danae , Veening Jan‐Willem , Scheffers Dirk‐Jan
Published: July 2013

The shape of bacteria is maintained by the cell wall. The main component of the cell wall is peptidoglycan (PG) that is synthesized by penicillin binding proteins (PBPs). The correct positioning of PBPs is essential for the maintenance of cell shape. In the literature, two different models for localization of PBPs have been proposed – localization through interaction with a cytoskeletal structure or localization through the presence of substrate. Here, we show that the localization of PBPs critical for the rod shape of Bacillus subtilis is altered when the substrate LipidII is delocalized by treatment of the cells with nisin. Alteration of this localization is only seen in a LipidII‐dependent manner and is not influenced by dissipation of the membrane potential, a secondary effect of nisin treatment. Our results strongly suggest that the localization of PG synthesis at the periphery of the cell is substrate‐driven, even in bacteria that contain actin‐like MreB cytoskeletal structures.
Sevelamer Hydrochloride Dose‐Dependent Increase in Prevalence of Severe Acidosis in Hemodialysis Patients: Analysis of Nationwide Statistical Survey in Japan
Authors: Oka Yoshinari , Miyazaki Masashi , Matsuda Hiroaki , Takatsu Shigeko , Katsube Ryouichi , Mori Toshiko , Takehara Kiyoto , Umeda Yuzo , Uno Futoshi
Published: July 2013

Metabolic acidosis has a negative impact on prognosis of dialysis patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of severe metabolic acidosis in dialysis patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride. In 2004, a nationwide survey (101 516 dialysis patients) was conducted by the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy. We analyzed 32 686 dialysis patients whose bicarbonate levels were measured in the survey. Sevelamer hydrochloride was prescribed to 9231 dialysis patients while 23 455 dialysis patients were not prescribed sevelamer hydrochloride. In the present study, we defined severe acidosis as bicarbonate <15.8 mmol/L. The mean serum bicarbonate level correlated significantly and negatively with the daily dose of sevelamer hydrochloride (R2 = 0.806, P < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the percentage of patients with severe acidosis increased significantly with increased dose of sevelamer hydrochloride (R2 = 0.885, P < 0.00001). The estimated doses of sevelamer hydrochloride associated with severe acidosis in 10% and 15% of patients were 3.5 g/day (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 2.8‐4.4) and 7.7 g/day (95%CI = 5.9–10.9), respectively. Severe acidosis was noted in 4.5% of patients who were not treated with sevelamer hydrochloride and in 16.1% of patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride at ≥5.25 g/day (P < 0.0001). The results call for careful monitoring of serum bicarbonate level in hemodialysis patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride.
Clinician‐performed ultrasound in assessing potentially malignant thyroid nodules
Authors: Hamer Peter W. , Aspinall Sebastian R. , Malycha Peter L.
Published: July 2013

Background

Ultrasound (US) is used in the workup of thyroid nodules. Ultrasonographic characteristics, such as an ill‐defined margin, hypoechoicity or fine calcifications, are known to be associated with malignant thyroid lesions. The association between these characteristics and the risk of malignancy has been reported predominantly from series published where US is performed in radiology departments. Clinician‐performed ultrasound (CPU) is increasingly being used as a modality, although there is little published literature validating this practice.

Method

A prospectively collected database of known ultrasonographic characteristics of malignancy as determined by CPU on thyroid nodules is reported and correlated against adequate cytology or operative histopathology.

Results

In total, 157 thyroid nodules (28 malignant, 129 benign) were included and characteristics of poorly defined capsule (sensitivity 46%, specificity 91%), absence of halo (sensitivity 54%, specificity 80%), hypoechoicity (sensitivity 79%, specificity 54%), heterogeneity (sensitivity 64%, specificity 68%), fine calcifications (sensitivity 36%, specificity 95%) and central blood supply (sensitivity 71%, specificity 69%) were found to be associated with malignant thyroid nodules. Negative‐predictive values (NPVs) for these characteristics were consistently high (89%, 89%, 92%, 90%, 87% and 94%, respectively).

Discussion

These results are consistent with the previously published datasets of ultrasonographic characteristics of malignancy and validate the use of CPU. The consistently high NPV suggests that the absence of ultrasonographic characteristics of malignancy correlates well with benign lesions. CPU is a reliable and useful tool in the hands of surgeons assessing and following potentially malignancy thyroid nodules.