bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Infectious Diseases Physician-Led Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at a Small Community Hospital Associated With Improved Susceptibility Patterns and Cost-Savings After the First Year
Authors: Day Shandra R. , Smith Dennis , Harris Karen , Cox Heather L. , Mathers Amy J.
Published: May 2015

The importance of antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly recognized, yet data from community hospitals are limited. Despite an initially low acceptance rate, an Infectious Diseases physician-led program at a 70-bed rural hospital was associated with a 42% decrease in anti-infective expenditures and susceptibility improvement in Pseudomonas aeruginosa over 3 years.
Management of body stuffers presenting to the emergency department
Authors: Yamamoto Takahiro , Malavasi Elisa , Archer John R.H. , Dargan Paul I. , Wood David M.
Published: May 2015

Objective

The aim of this study was to establish a management protocol for body stuffers presenting to the emergency department.

Methods

This is a retrospective observational case series of patients presenting to the emergency department of a large inner-city hospital as ‘body stuffers’ during the period between 1 January 2006 and 31 October 2011, irrespective of the type of drug ingested. We reviewed demographic data, ingestion characteristics, clinical progress and outcome.

Results

A total of 126 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 31±8.10 years (range 15–58 years), among whom 106 were male (84%). Drugs ingested were as follows: heroin (n=61, 48%), cocaine (n=58, 46%), other drugs (n=20, 16%) and unknown (n=10, 8%). Of the patients, 23 (18%) ingested more than one drug. At presentation, 96 had features of drug toxicity. The presence of depressant drug toxidrome was more commonly observed among heroin users, but stimulant drug toxidromes were seen across all groups. Of the patients, 12 developed changes in clinical state, with a mean time to development of symptoms of 2 h 50 min±1 h 39 min (range from 1 h 0 min to 5 h 36 min). Abdominal radiography showed the presence of foreign bodies in 8% of the tests performed, and packets were recovered from one patient who underwent gut decontamination.

Conclusion

Patients developed new or worsening features of drug toxicity within 6 h of presentation. Toxidromes observed are often not drug/class specific, and treatment including gut decontamination and radiography do not aid in expediting discharge. We propose an observation period of 6 h from the time of admission as the time required if the patient is asymptomatic or there is resolution of presenting signs and symptoms.
A case management intervention targeted to reduce healthcare consumption for frequent Emergency Department visitors: results from an adaptive randomized trial
Authors: Edgren Gustaf , Anderson Jacqueline , Dolk Anders , Torgerson Jarl , Nyberg Svante , Skau Tommy , Forsberg Birger C. , Werr Joachim , Öhlen Gunnar
Published: May 2015

Background

A small group of frequent visitors to Emergency Departments accounts for a disproportionally large fraction of healthcare consumption including unplanned hospitalizations and overall healthcare costs. In response, several case and disease management programs aimed at reducing healthcare consumption in this group have been tested; however, results vary widely.

Objectives

To investigate whether a telephone-based, nurse-led case management intervention can reduce healthcare consumption for frequent Emergency Department visitors in a large-scale setup.

Methods

A total of 12 181 frequent Emergency Department users in three counties in Sweden were randomized using Zelen’s design or a traditional randomized design to receive either a nurse-led case management intervention or no intervention, and were followed for healthcare consumption for up to 2 years.

Results

The traditional design showed an overall 12% (95% confidence interval 4–19%) decreased rate of hospitalization, which was mostly driven by effects in the last year. Similar results were achieved in the Zelen studies, with a significant reduction in hospitalization in the last year, but mixed results in the early development of the project.

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence that a carefully designed telephone-based intervention with accurate and systematic patient selection and appropriate staff training in a centralized setup can lead to significant decreases in healthcare consumption and costs. Further, our results also show that the effects are sensitive to the delivery model chosen.
Diagnosis of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: a multicentre cohort study
Authors: Metcalfe David , Sugand Kapil , Thrumurthy Sri G. , Thompson Matthew M. , Holt Peter J. , Karthikesalingam Alan Prasanna
Published: May 2015

Objective

The aim of this study was to describe the presentation of patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) and identify factors contributing toward misdiagnosis.

Methods

This was an observational study of cases with a final diagnosis of rAAA assessed at nine Emergency Departments and managed at one of two regional vascular centres in the UK.

Results

Eighty-five consecutive cases were included. Seventeen [20.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 11.5–28.5%] patients reported important symptoms up to 3 weeks before index presentation. In the Emergency Department, most patients complained of abdominal and/or back pain, seven (8.2%, 95% CI 2.4–14.0%) additionally reported atypical pain and ten (11.8%, 95% CI 4.9–18.7%) denied pain altogether. Hypotension (36.5%, 95% CI 26.3–46.7%), tachycardia (18.8%, 95% CI 10.5–27.1%) and syncope (36.5%, 95% CI 26.3–46.7%) were documented in a minority of cases. Distracting symptoms were present in 33 (38.8%, 95% CI 28.4–49.2%) patients. The median time to diagnosis was 17.5 min (range immediate–12 days), and 21 (25.6%, 95% CI 16.3–34.9%) patients were misdiagnosed during clinical assessment.

Conclusion

The classical signs and symptoms or rAAA are not always present and patients frequently show additional features that may confound the diagnosis. A high level of suspicion should be adopted for rAAA alongside a low threshold for immediate computed tomography. Further research is required to develop an objective clinical risk score or predictive tool for characterizing patients at risk.
Red clothing increases perceived dominance, aggression and anger
Authors: Wiedemann Diana , Burt D. Michael , Hill Russell A. , Barton Robert A.
Published: May 2015

The presence and intensity of red coloration correlate with male dominance and testosterone in a variety of animal species, and even artificial red stimuli can influence dominance interactions. In humans, red stimuli are perceived as more threatening and dominant than other colours, and wearing red increases the probability of winning sporting contests. We investigated whether red clothing biases the perception of aggression and dominance outside of competitive settings, and whether red influences decoding of emotional expressions. Participants rated digitally manipulated images of men for aggression and dominance and categorized the emotional state of these stimuli. Men were rated as more aggressive and more dominant when presented in red than when presented in either blue or grey. The effect on perceived aggression was found for male and female raters, but only male raters were sensitive to red as a signal of dominance. In a categorization test, images were significantly more often categorized as ‘angry’ when presented in the red condition, demonstrating that colour stimuli affect perceptions of emotions. This suggests that the colour red may be a cue used to predict propensity for dominance and aggression in human males.
Mixed mechanisms of multi-site phosphorylation
Authors: Suwanmajo Thapanar , Krishnan J.
Published: May 2015

Multi-site phosphorylation is ubiquitous in cell biology and has been widely studied experimentally and theoretically. The underlying chemical modification mechanisms are typically assumed to be distributive or processive. In this paper, we study the behaviour of mixed mechanisms that can arise either because phosphorylation and dephosphorylation involve different mechanisms or because phosphorylation and/or dephosphorylation can occur through a combination of mechanisms. We examine a hierarchy of models to assess chemical information processing through different mixed mechanisms, using simulations, bifurcation analysis and analytical work. We demonstrate how mixed mechanisms can show important and unintuitive differences from pure distributive and processive mechanisms, in some cases resulting in monostable behaviour with simple dose–response behaviour, while in other cases generating new behaviour-like oscillations. Our results also suggest patterns of information processing that are relevant as the number of modification sites increases. Overall, our work creates a framework to examine information processing arising from complexities of multi-site modification mechanisms and their impact on signal transduction.
Cerebral oxygenation and optimal vascular brain organization
Authors: Hadjistassou Constantinos , Bejan Adrian , Ventikos Yiannis
Published: May 2015

The cerebral vascular network has evolved in such a way so as to minimize transport time and energy expenditure. This is accomplished by a subtle combination of the optimal arrangement of arteries, arterioles and capillaries and the transport mechanisms of convection and diffusion. Elucidating the interaction between cerebral vascular architectonics and the latter physical mechanisms can catalyse progress in treating cerebral pathologies such as stroke, brain tumours, dementia and targeted drug delivery. Here, we show that brain microvascular organization is predicated on commensurate intracapillary oxygen convection and parenchymal diffusion times. Cross-species grey matter results for the rat, cat, rabbit and human reveal very good correlation between the cerebral capillary and tissue mean axial oxygen convective and diffusion time intervals. These findings agree with the constructal principle.
Semi-adaptive response and noise attenuation in bone morphogenetic protein signalling
Authors: Hong Tian , Fung Ernest S. , Zhang Lei , Huynh Grace , Monuki Edwin S. , Nie Qing
Published: May 2015

Temporal dynamics of morphogen-driven signalling events are critical for proper embryonic development. During development, cells translate extracellular bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) gradients, often subject to noise, into graded intracellular tail-phosphorylated SMAD (TP-SMAD) levels. Using modelling and experimental approaches, we found that BMPs induce TP-SMAD responses in neural precursor cells in a concentration-dependent manner, which are semi-adaptive within a specific intermediate range of BMP concentration. These semi-adaptive TP-SMAD responses involve an intrinsically slow deactivation of BMP receptors, which attenuates noise by prolonging SMAD deactivation time after BMP withdrawal, but increases response time. Interestingly, negative feedback on BMP receptors is also required for semi-adaptation, which benefits both noise attenuation and response time, and therefore balances the trade-off seen with slow BMP receptor deactivation. These results highlight the rich dynamics of SMAD regulation in response to graded BMP concentration, and elucidate general design principles for balancing noise attenuation and activation speed in signalling systems.
Natural selection on floral morphology can be influenced by climate
Authors: Campbell Diane R. , Powers John M.
Published: May 2015

Climate has the potential to influence evolution, but how it influences the strength or direction of natural selection is largely unknown. We quantified the strength of selection on four floral traits of the subalpine herb
Ipomopsis
sp. in 10 years that differed in precipitation, causing extreme temporal variation in the date of snowmelt in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The chosen floral traits were under selection by hummingbird and hawkmoth pollinators, with hawkmoth abundance highly variable across years. Selection for flower length showed environmental sensitivity, with stronger selection in years with later snowmelt, as higher water resources can allow translation of pollination success into fitness based on seed production. Selection on corolla width also varied across years, favouring narrower corolla tubes in two unusual years with hawkmoths, and wider corollas in another late snowmelt year. Our results illustrate how changes in climate could alter natural selection even when the primary selective agent is not directly influenced.
Partner choice creates fairness in humans
Authors: Debove Stéphane , André Jean-Baptiste , Baumard Nicolas
Published: May 2015

Many studies demonstrate that partner choice has played an important role in the evolution of human cooperation, but little work has tested its impact on the evolution of human fairness. In experiments involving divisions of money, people become either over-generous or over-selfish when they are in competition to be chosen as cooperative partners. Hence, it is difficult to see how partner choice could result in the evolution of fair, equal divisions. Here, we show that this puzzle can be solved if we consider the outside options on which partner choice operates. We conduct a behavioural experiment, run agent-based simulations and analyse a game-theoretic model to understand how outside options affect partner choice and fairness. All support the conclusion that partner choice leads to fairness only when individuals have equal outside options. We discuss how this condition has been met in our evolutionary history, and the implications of these findings for our understanding of other aspects of fairness less specific than preferences for equal divisions of resources.
Hearing conspecific vocal signals alters peripheral auditory sensitivity
Authors: Gall Megan D. , Wilczynski Walter
Published: May 2015

We investigated whether hearing advertisement calls over several nights, as happens in natural frog choruses, modified the responses of the peripheral auditory system in the green treefrog,Hyla cinerea. Using auditory evoked potentials (AEP), we found that exposure to 10 nights of a simulated male chorus lowered auditory thresholds in males and females, while exposure to random tones had no effect in males, but did result in lower thresholds in females. The threshold change was larger at the lower frequencies stimulating the amphibian papilla than at higher frequencies stimulating the basilar papilla. Suprathreshold responses to tonal stimuli were assessed for two peaks in the AEP recordings. For the peak P1 (assessed for 0.8–1.25 kHz), peak amplitude increased following chorus exposure. For peak P2 (assessed for 2–4 kHz), peak amplitude decreased at frequencies between 2.5 and 4.0 kHz, but remained unaltered at 2.0 kHz. Our results show for the first time, to our knowledge, that hearing dynamic social stimuli, like frog choruses, can alter the responses of the auditory periphery in a way that could enhance the detection of and response to conspecific acoustic communication signals.
Flavobacterium procerum sp. nov., isolated from freshwater
Authors: Feng Qingqing , Han Lu , Yuan Xin , Tan Xu , Gao Yuan , Lv Jie
Published: May 2015

A Gram-reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain T3T, was isolated from freshwater of Chishui River flowing through Maotai town, Guizhou, south-west China. Analysis of the16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain T3Twas a member of the genusFlavobacteriumand closely related toFlavobacterium resistensDSM 19382T(96.8  %). The novel strain was able to grow at 10–34 °C (optimum 28 °C), pH 6.0–11.0 (optimum pH 8.0–9.0) and with 0–2.0  % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0  %). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unknown glycolipids, five unknown aminolipids and four unidentified lipids, and the major respiratory quinone was MK-6. The predominant fatty acids were C16  :  1ω7cand/or C16  :  1ω6cand iso-C15  :  0. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 36 mol  %. Based on these data, strain T3Trepresents a novel species of the genusFlavobacterium, for which the nameFlavobacterium procerumsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is T3T( = CGMCC 1.12926T = JCM 30113T).
The structure of haemoglobin bound to the haemoglobin receptor IsdH fromStaphylococcus aureusshows disruption of the native α-globin haem pocket
Authors: Dickson Claire F. , Jacques David A. , Clubb Robert T. , Guss J. Mitchell , Gell David A.
Published: May 2015

Staphylococcus aureusis a common and serious cause of infection in humans. The bacterium expresses a cell-surface receptor that binds to, and strips haem from, human haemoglobin (Hb). The binding interface has previously been identified; however, the structural changes that promote haem release from haemoglobin were unknown. Here, the structure of the receptor–Hb complex is reported at 2.6 Å resolution, which reveals a conformational change in the α-globin F helix that disrupts the haem-pocket structure and alters the Hb quaternary interactions. These features suggest potential mechanisms by which theS. aureusHb receptor induces haem release from Hb.
A two-dimensional layered CdIIcoordination polymer with a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture incorporating mixed multidentateN- andO-donor ligands
Authors: Huang Qiu-Ying , Su Ming-Yang , Meng Xiang-Ru
Published: May 2015

The combination of N-heterocyclic and multicarboxylate ligands is a good choice for the construction of metal–organic frameworks. In the title coordination polymer, poly[bis{μ2-1-[(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)methyl]-1H-tetrazole-κ2N3:N4}(μ4-butanedioato-κ4O1:O1′:O4:O4′)(μ2-butanedioato-κ2O1:O4)dicadmium], [Cd(C4H4O4)(C9H8N6)]n, each CdIIion exhibits an irregular octahedral CdO4N2coordination geometry and is coordinated by four O atoms from three carboxylate groups of three succinate (butanedioate) ligands and two N atoms from two 1-[(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)methyl]-1H-tetrazole (bimt) ligands. CdIIions are connected by two kinds of crystallographically independent succinate ligands to generate a two-dimensional layered structure with bimt ligands located on each side of the layer. Adjacent layers are further connected by hydrogen bonding, leading to a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture in the solid state. Thermogravimetric analysis of the title polymer shows that it is stable up to 529 K and then loses weight from 529 to 918 K, corresponding to the decomposition of the bimt ligands and succinate groups. The polymer exhibits a strong fluorescence emission in the solid state at room temperature.
A tale of two cohorts: identifying differences in group work perceptions
Authors: Prokofieva Maria , Jackling Beverley , Natoli Riccardo
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate group work perceptions of international and domestic accounting students. Although prior studies have demonstrated differences between domestic and international students in terms of their generic skill development, the present study explores this development via the use of a group work assessment task and offers practical suggestions for accounting instructors.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper utilises non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney) and a thematic analysis to identify differences between the two accounting student cohorts.

Findings

– The findings reveal that international accounting students were more optimistic about participating in group work and enjoyed higher levels of perceived generic skill development arising from the group work activity. However, domestic students gained more in terms of discipline-specific content knowledge while language barriers between the two cohorts were viewed as an obstacle to effective group work.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is based on the data collected from a single university and would benefit with replication at other institutions. For accounting educators of similar cohorts, suggestions are given as to how group work activities can be incorporated into an effective teaching practice.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to the existing literature by examining differences between international and domestic accounting students’ attitudes of group work and their perceived generic skill development.
Islamic banking services adoption as a new banking restructure
Authors: Jamshidi Dariyoush , Hussin Nazimah , Lai Wan Hooi
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to identify the main influential factors of Islamic banking services adoption in Malaysia. Islamic banking as a new banking method represents its multiple services around the world. Different groups of bank customers use these services in their daily financing and banking activities. However, the usage and adoption rate of these services in Malaysia seems to be under expected level.

Design/methodology/approach

– Therefore, this study attempts to discover the main influential factors of Islamic banking services adoption in Malaysia as a country with the dual banking system.

Findings

– The study concluded that perceived attributes of innovation, namely, relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and finally observability of Islamic banking services with customers’ desire will influence them to use these novel banking services.

Originality/value

– As discussed in the previous part of this study, the usage rate of Islamic banking services has not achieved the expected rate by customers. Consequently, it is crucial to focus on finding the determinant factors that are able to increase the acceptance as well as usage of these services among bank consumers. This information would afford researchers as well as banking service providers a better understanding of how to facilitate future adoption of this Islamic facility.
Evaluating effects of mobile CRM on employees’ performance
Authors: Kim Changsu , Lee In-Seok , Wang Tao , Mirusmonov Mirsobit
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine employees’ personal performance after mobile customer relationship management (m-CRM) use based on an updated model of information system (IS) success. The authors also investigate whether personal performance of employees varies according to the period of m-CRM use.

Design/methodology/approach

– Bootstrapping is employed to analyze data collected from a survey of firms using m-CRM. The survey targeted executives and staff members in departments related to the development and application of m-CRM systems.

Findings

– The results indicate that some of the factors had no significant effect on employees’ personal performance through employee satisfaction and system use as mediators. Overall, however, the three types of quality had significant effects on employees’ personal performance through employee satisfaction and system use.

Practical implications

– The study provides a number of strategies that managers or executives might deploy within organizations to improve employees’ personal performance through the implementation of m-CRM systems. It is of paramount importance for managers or executives to develop m-CRM systems that provide high-quality information and service including sufficient customer-based analysis, up-to-date customer information, barrier-free design and personalized service.

Originality/value

– It is the first study to empirically test the role of m-CRM characteristics in predicting employees’ personal performance. This study will not only add contribution to the DeLone and McLean’s theory, but also contribute to the IS literature in IS success. The findings will also provide useful insights for guiding managers or executives in formulating and executing effective strategies to enhance the level of m-CRM use and employee satisfaction which in turn promote personal performance.
Lean principles and simulation optimization for emergency department layout design
Authors: Wang Teng-Kuan , Yang Taho , Yang Chih-Yao , Chan Felix T.S.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use lean principles and simulation optimization on solving a combined hospital emergency department (ED) layout design and staff assignment problem.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study is based on value stream mapping for the design and analysis of the ED. Subsequently, the authors investigate cellular manufacturing design, which addresses the decisions of continuous steps in a cell simultaneously and considers the optimal staff assignment. A simulation based on the case study is used for these methodologies. Simulation optimization is then used to optimize the staff assignments, minimize the waiting time and maximize the service level.

Findings

– The linear layout outperformed in both waiting time and service level. The patients’ average waiting time is reduced from 78 to 38 minutes. The service level increased from 54.86 to 88.55 percent. Moreover, the number of nurses was reduced from nine to six.

Research limitations/implications

– First, the tests for model accuracy were performed using the actual arrival rate; however, seasonal variation should be reflected. Second, the staffing levels varied were not tracked. Third, the accuracy of individual patient treatment paths can be dynamic. Fourth, the 25 percent of delays in transferring a patient to an inpatient bed will be discussed in future studies.

Practical implications

– A practical case is adopted for empirical illustrations.

Originality/value

– The proposed methodology innovatively solved a practical application and the results are promising.
Analyzing technological convergence trends in a business ecosystem
Authors: Suh Jungwoo , Sohn So Young
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding core technological competencies and identifying the trends on the technological convergence of a business ecosystem using the patent information of leading firms in the system.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed framework is composed of two steps: time-sequential text clustering analysis for comprehending changes in general technological fields and association rule analysis for identifying the trends of convergences in each field. The authors applied the proposed framework to the patents applied to United States Patent Trademark Office by Samsung Electronics, a market leader of the electronics industry, during the period from 2000 to 2011.

Findings

– In the sequential text clustering analysis, trends of 14 technological fields such as data storage medium and data processing, mobile, lights and heats and memory are identified. Moreover, changes of technological convergence in each field are identified using association rule analysis. For instance, in the case of technologies related to lights and heats, convergences occurred between radio transmission systems and modulated-carrier systems during the period from 2000 to 2001. However, recent convergences appeared between technologies regarding controlling lights and liquid crystal materials since 2008.

Originality/value

– Utilization of the framework will suggest new business opportunities to SMEs in a business ecosystem by identifying the trends of technological convergences.
The bottom-up formation and maintenance of a Twitter community
Authors: Ch'ng Eugene
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the formation, maintenance and disintegration of a fringe Twitter community in order to understand if offline community structure applies to online communities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research adopted Big Data methodological approaches in tracking user-generated contents over a series of months and mapped online Twitter interactions as a multimodal, longitudinal “social information landscape”. Centrality measures were employed to gauge the importance of particular user nodes within the complete network and time-series analysis were used to track ego centralities in order to see if this particular online communities were maintained by specific egos.

Findings

– The case study shows that communities with distinct boundaries and memberships can form and exist within Twitter’s limited user content and sequential policies, which unlike other social media services, do not support formal groups, demonstrating the resilience of desperate online users when their ideology overcome social media limitations. Analysis in this paper using social networks approaches also reveals that communities are formed and maintained from the bottom-up.

Research limitations/implications

– The research data is based on a particular data set which occurred within a specific time and space. However, due to the rapid, polarising group behaviour, growth, disintegration and decline of the online community, the data set presents a “laboratory” case from which many other online community can be compared with. It is highly possible that the case can be generalised to a broader range of communities and from which online community theories can be proved/disproved.

Practical implications

– The paper showed that particular group of egos with high activities, if removed, could entirely break the cohesiveness of the community. Conversely, strengthening such egos will reinforce the community strength. The questions mooted within the paper and the methodology outlined can potentially be applied in a variety of social science research areas. The contribution to the understanding of a complex social and political arena, as outlined in the paper, is a key example of such an application within an increasingly strategic research area – and this will surely be applied and developed further by the computer science and security community.

Originality/value

– The majority of researches that cover these domains have not focused on communities that are multimodal and longitudinal. This is mainly due to the challenges associated with the collection and analysis of continuous data sets that have high volume and velocity. Such data sets are therefore unexploited with regards to cyber-community research.
Calculating NWoW office space with the PACT model
Authors: De Bruyne Evi , Beijer Marion
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the working of the PACT calculation model, a tool to determine office space dimensions. New ways of working (NWoW) seem to have become a fixed value in facility management (FM) practice in The Netherlands today. Stimulated by new technological possibilities, companies are rethinking their office environments to make workplaces more flexible and their use “activity related”. However, this requires a different approach to quantify the needed space and determine the types of workplaces to fit organizations’ processes. The PLaces and ACTivities (PACT) calculation model allows (facility) managers to gain an insight in the number and type of spaces needed, modulated by different scenarios and fitting to the organization and its work processes.

Design/methodology/approach

– This article mainly aims to present the PACT model: an office space calculation tool. A case study is presented and calculated to compare an actual work environment of an organization to the PACT calculated results. As input for the model, data were used that were available before the work environment changes in 2007. Additionally, one scenario of a different workplace use is calculated which helped to visualize the accuracy and validity of the model.

Findings

– When comparing the post hoc PACT calculated space to the real-life work environment, the number of calculated workplaces and the ratio to the number of employees do not seem to differ strongly. However, substantially less meeting space is calculated by the model, and some elements might require more testing to verify it completely. The scenario calculation shows that the model output changes to adapt to a more flexible work process.

Originality/value

– Even though calculation and simulation models for office space are available, the described model puts together many different elements to provide a more holistic calculation. Elements like, for instance, absence, activities and occupational choices are combined.
Professional identity and role transitions in clinical managers
Authors: Spehar Ivan , Frich Jan C , Kjekshus Lars Erik
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how clinicians’ professional background influences their transition into the managerial role and identity as clinical managers.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors interviewed and observed 30 clinicians in managerial positions in Norwegian hospitals.

Findings

– A central finding was that doctors experienced difficulties in reconciling the role as health professional with the role as manager. They maintained a health professional identity and reported to find meaning and satisfaction from clinical work. Doctors also emphasized clinical work as a way of gaining legitimacy and respect from medical colleagues. Nurses recounted a faster and more positive transition into the manager role, and were more fully engaged in the managerial aspects of the role.

Practical implications

– The authors advance that health care organizations need to focus on role, identity and need satisfaction when recruiting and developing clinicians to become clinical managers.

Originality/value

– The study suggests that the inclusion of aspects from identity and need satisfaction literature expands on and enriches the study of clinical managers.
Psychological contract breach among allied health professionals
Authors: Rodwell John , Gulyas Andre
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Allied health professionals are vital for effective healthcare yet there are continuing shortages of these employees. Building on work with other healthcare professionals, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of psychological contract (PC) breach and types of organisational justice on variables important to retention among allied health professionals: mental health and organisational commitment. The potential effects of justice on the negative outcomes of breach were examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– Multiple regressions analysed data from 113 allied health professionals working in a medium-large Australian healthcare organisation.

Findings

– The main negative impacts on respondents’ mental health and commitment were from high PC breach, low procedural and distributive justice and less respectful treatment from organisational representatives. The interaction between procedural justice and breach illustrates that breach may be forgivable if processes are fair. Surprisingly, a betrayal or “aggravated breach effect” may occur after a breach when interpersonal justice is high. Further, negative affectivity was negatively related to respondents’ mental health (affective outcomes) but not commitment (work-related attitude).

Practical implications

– Healthcare organisations should ensure the fairness of decisions and avoid breaking promises within their control. If promises cannot reasonably be kept, transparency of processes behind the breach may allow allied health professionals to understand that the organisation did not purposefully fail to fulfil expectations.

Originality/value

– This study offers insights into how breach and four types of justice interact to influence employee mental health and work attitudes among allied health professionals.
Mediators of transformational leadership and the work-family relationship
Authors: Hammond Michelle , Cleveland Jeanette N. , O'Neill John W. , Stawski Robert S. , Jones Tate April
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which leaders influence follower’s work-life management. Specifically, the authors propose that personal (positive affect), social (managerial support for work-family balance), and job (autonomy) resources mediate the relationships between transformational leadership and work-family conflict (WFC) and enrichment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The sample included 411 managers in 37 hotel properties across the USA.

Findings

– The relationship between TL and WFC was mediated by autonomy, positive affect and managerial support for work-family balance, whereas the relationship between TL and WFE was mediated by managerial support for work-family balance and positive affect.

Research limitations/implications

– This study constructs a foundation for future integration of leadership and work and family literatures. It also provides preliminary support for work-family enrichment theory (Greenhaus and Powell, 2006), as well as the value of examining leadership through a resource-based perspective.

Practical implications

– Interventions designed to enhance leadership may be effective not only in the workplace, but also for reducing WFC and promoting enrichment.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to directly examine the effect of transformational leadership and both WFC and enrichment. Further, it specifies mediating variables that underlie these relationships.
Workplace romances: examining attitudes experience, conscientiousness, and policies
Authors: Doll Jessica L. , Rosopa Patrick J.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate whether employee attitudes, prior engagement in workplace romances, conscientiousness, and organizational policies predicted the willingness to engage in workplace romances.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 148 full-time employees completed an online survey measuring antecedents of workplace romances. Participants were also randomly assigned to read vignettes that varied the strictness of organizational workplace romance policies. Then, participants completed measures of their willingness to engage in a workplace romance.

Findings

– Favorable attitudes about, and prior engagement in, workplace romances were positively related to the willingness to engage in a workplace romance. Prior engagement in workplace romances and conscientiousness were both related to attitudes about workplace romances. Additionally, the interaction between conscientiousness and organizational workplace romance policies significantly predicted the willingness to engage in a workplace romance.

Research limitations/implications

– The current study used hypothetical scenarios and a convenience sample to collect data, which may affect the study’s external validity.

Practical implications

– Organizations grappling with the issue of workplace romances should consider how employee characteristics may interact with policies regulating workplace romances.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to examine the links between both prior engagement in workplace romances and personality variables (i.e. conscientiousness) and their relation to the willingness to engage in workplace romances. In addition, this is the first experimental study to examine the interaction between personality (i.e. conscientiousness) and organizational policy in predicting the willingness to engage workplace romances.
The impact of business strategy on leadership
Authors: Marx Thomas G.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test the proposition that business strategy affects leadership functions, skills, traits, and styles, and to assess the implications of these effects for the practice of both leadership and strategic planning.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is an empirical study based on over 450 responses to an online survey. Continuous rating scales allowed the use of regression analysis to test the impacts of different strategies on leadership.

Findings

– The results provide strong empirical evidence that Product (Differentiation vs Low Cost strategies), Best Value, and Blue Ocean strategies have significant effects on leadership. Market strategies (Broad vs Niche strategies) have limited impacts. The greater complexity of Product, Best Value, and Blue Ocean strategies underlie these findings.

Research limitations/implications

– This study explores the effects of strategy on leadership. Future studies need to explore if these effects are moderated by external, competitive conditions, and if strategy mediates the impacts of leadership on organizational performance.

Practical implications

– The practical implications of these findings are that leaders must adjust their behavior and leadership styles to effectively implement alternative strategies, and planners must assess their organization’s leadership capabilities when formulating strategy.

Originality/value

– There have been numerous studies of the impacts of external/internal conditions on leadership, but this is one of the first studies of the critical impacts of strategy on leadership.
A comparative perspective of knowledge management via social media: India and China
Authors: Liu Michelle , Rao Pramila
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This research paper aims to showcase current knowledge management (KM) practices via social media that is being adopted by organizations in India and China. India and China are considered leading economies in today’s global market. Any understanding of management practices in these countries will help practitioners in doing businesses in these nations.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper analyzes KM practices in India and China using an in-depth analysis of the extant literature to provide a comparative perspective of KM policies in these two economies. This paper has used a wide range of scholarly and non-scholarly databases from ABI Global Inform to Business Source Complete to Google Scholar among others.

Findings

– This research offers valuable insights into characteristic KM trends followed by Indian and Chinese firms. This paper also highlights different approaches adopted by these two cultures in managing their KM practices. The study also provides hypotheses that can be tested by potential scholars. This paper also offers theoretical models to understand this concept better.

Practical implications

– This paper also provides implications for practice by identifying guidelines for global managers. These frameworks might serve as preliminary parameters for practitioners planning to establish KM practices in India and China.

Originality/value

– This paper compares and contrasts KM practices in one of the two largest BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies which have not been addressed in the literature before. It also combines two theoretical frameworks from different fields (information technology and human resource management) providing a richer viewpoint on the subject.
B‐type natriuretic peptide and heart failure: what can we learn from clinical trials?
Authors: Binoun‐A‐Egom Christian , Andreas Angelo , Klimas Jan , Valentova Vanda , Kruzliak Peter , Egom Emmanuel E
Published: May 2015

The B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) may favour natriuresis and diuresis, making it an ideal drug to aid in diuresing a fluid‐overloaded patient with poor or worsening renal function. Several randomized clinical trials have tested the hypothesis that infusions of pharmacological doses of BNP to acute heart failure (HF) patients may enhance decongestion and preserve renal function in this clinical setting. Unfortunately, none of these has resulted in a better outcome. The current challenge for BNP research in acute HF lies in a failure of concept and reluctance to abandon a demonstrably ineffectual research model. Future success will necessitate a detailed understanding of the mechanism of action of BNP as well as a better integration of basic and clinical science.
Inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase counteracts the development of renal dysfunction and progression of congestive heart failure in Ren‐2 transgenic hypertensive rats with aorto‐caval fistula
Authors: Červenka Luděk , Melenovský Vojtěch , Husková Zuzana , Škaroupková Petra , Nishiyama Akira , Sadowski Janusz
Published: May 2015

The detailed mechanisms determining the course of congestive heart failure (CHF) in hypertensive subjects with associated renal dysfunction remain unclear. In Ren‐2 transgenic rats (TGR), a model of angiotensin II (ANG II)‐dependent hypertension, CHF was induced by volume overload achieved by creation of the aorto‐caval fistula (ACF). In these rats we investigated the putative pathophysiological contribution of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and compared it with the role of the renin‐angiotensin system (RAS). We found that untreated ACF TGR exhibited marked intrarenal and myocardial deficiency of EETs and impairment of renal function. Chronic treatment of these rats with cis‐4‐[4‐(3‐adamantan‐1‐yl‐ureido)cyclohexyloxy]benzoic acid (c‐AUCB, 3 mg/L in drinking water), an inhibitor of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) which normally degrades EETs, increased intrarenal and myocardial EETs, markedly improved survival rate, and increased renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate and fractional sodium excretion, without altering RAS activity. Chronic angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibition (ACEi) with trandolapril, (6 mg/L in drinking water) improved survival rate even more, and also inhibited the development of renal dysfunction; these beneficial actions were associated with significant suppression of the vasoconstrictor/sodium retaining axis and further activation of the vasodilatory/natriuretic axis of the systemic and intrarenal RAS, without modifying tissue availability of biologically active fatty acid epoxides. In conclusion, these findings strongly suggest that chronic sEH inhibition and chronic treatment with ACEi, each of them altering a different vasoactive system, delay or even prevent the onset of decompensation of CHF in ACF TGR, probably by preventing the development of renal dysfunction.
The dynamic cerebral autoregulatory adaptive response to noradrenaline is attenuated during systemic inflammation in humans
Authors: Berg Ronan MG , Plovsing Ronni R , Bailey Damian M , Holstein‐Rathlou Niels‐Henrik , Møller Kirsten
Published: May 2015

Vasopressor support is used widely for maintaining vital organ perfusion pressure in septic shock, with implications for dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA). This study investigated whether a noradrenaline‐induced steady state increase in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) would enhance dCA following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infusion, a human‐experimental model of the systemic inflammatory response during early sepsis. The dCA in eight healthy males was examined prior to and during an intended noradrenaline‐induced MAP increase of approximately 30 mmHg. This was performed at baseline and repeated after a 4‐h intravenous LPS infusion. The assessments of dCA were based on transfer function analysis of spontaneous oscillations between MAP and middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasound in the low frequency range (0.07–0.20 Hz). Prior to LPS, noradrenaline administration was associated with a decrease in gain (1.18 (1.12–1.35) vs 0.93 (0.87–0.97) cm/mmHg per s; P < 0.05) with no effect on phase (0.71 (0.93–0.66) vs 0.94 (0.81–1.10) radians; P = 0.58). After LPS, noradrenaline administration changed neither gain (0.91 (0.85–1.01) vs 0.87 (0.81–0.97) cm/mmHg per s; P = 0.46) nor phase (1.10 (1.04–1.30) vs 1.37 (1.23–1.51) radians; P = 0.64). The improvement of dCA to a steady state increase in MAP is attenuated during an LPS‐induced systemic inflammatory response. This may suggest that vasopressor treatment with noradrenaline offers no additional neuroprotective effect by enhancing dCA in patients with early sepsis.
Stressed SIRT7: facing a crossroad of senescence and immortality
Authors: Liu Jun‐Ping , Chen Ruping
Published: May 2015

SIRT7 with coenzyme NAD catalyzes protein de‐acetylation. In stress response, SIRT7 regulates protein folding in mitochondria with unknown mechanisms. Decreases in SIRT7 entrain hematopoietic stem cell senescence, but increasing SIRT7 causes elevation of hematopoietic stem cell regenerative function. We discuss the recent findings on SIRT7 and its binding proteins, NRF1 and GABPβ1, in decision making between the choices of inducing cell aging and immortality.