bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public procurement and the BLS: operationalizing occupational duties
Authors: Steinfeld Joshua M. , Prier Eric , McCue Clifford
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Procurement is a specific, yet dynamic area of work and study that is recognized as an occupation by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, there is growing literature that substantiates differences in theory and practice, between procurement practitioners in the private and public sectors. The purpose of this paper is to validate the procurement occupational duties identified by the BLS with actual job activities performed and managed by public sector practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a survey of public sector practitioners to obtain information with regards to occupational duties and job activities in public procurement, as compared to a BLS proxy for procurement.

Findings

– Public procurement practitioners complete the occupational duties identified by BLS, yet there is one occupational duty in public procurement that is absent from the BLS description for procurement.

Practical implications

– Empirical data and analysis identifies the potential for public procurement to be considered its own occupation separate from private sector procurement, providing a foundation for development, management, and professionalization of the field.

Originality/value

– The public procurement practitioners who completed the survey have a high degree of professional orientation based on certifications held and professional association membership, a foundation for generating applicatory results for studying the actual occupational duties in procurement. The specialized job activities performed and managed in perhaps the fastest growing occupation within public sector management are catalogued in this study.
Governance of procurement relationships in the wine industry
Authors: Wilson Mark M.J. , MacDonald Ian A. , Monnane Monnane M.
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to examine three governance structures (market, contract and vertical integration) that are commonly used to coordinate procurement relationships between grape growers and winemakers in the wine industry. This paper aims to adopt a multi-theoretical approach combining transaction cost and relational exchange theories to explore the influence that trust and a state’s legal system have on the choice of governance mechanism. The authors propose arguing that, in the absence of an efficient legal system, trust must exist between parties to facilitate the pervasive use of contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical results are derived from mail survey responses of 111 South African and 116 New Zealand wineries. These two countries were selected because of the variances in the efficiencies of their legal systems. Multiple regression models were used to investigate the importance that parties place on trust and the legal system when considering the use of incomplete contracts to govern supply chain relationships that are characterised by high asset specificity and high uncertainty.

Findings

– It was found that contracts are frequently used to govern transactions in both countries, and that trust between parties is an effective substitute for an efficient legal system in governing contractual relations. Specifically, it was found that trust between parties is the major motivating factor for the use of contracts in South Africa, overcoming the weakness of the legal system, while reliance on the legal system to enforce contracts underpins the New Zealand industry.

Originality/value

– This study offers a direct cross-country comparison drawn from a population study of two major wine-producing countries that has not been attempted before. In the three models, measures were included to capture the effectiveness of a state’s legal system to extend the governance literature.
Consumer attitude towards sustainable-labelled wine: an exploratory approach
Authors: Sogari Giovanni , Corbo Chiara , Macconi Martina , Menozzi Davide , Mora Cristina
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate, using an exploratory approach, how environmental values and beliefs about sustainable labelling shape consumer attitude towards sustainable wine.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected with an online survey from 495 Italian wine drinkers in 2013. The survey was advertised through websites, blogs, social networks and emails. Based on background research and literature review, ten hypotheses were tested. Then a structural equation model was constructed using latent variables to test the causal links specified in the model.

Findings

– The results show that attitude towards sustainable-labelled wine is shaped by both environmental and quality beliefs about sustainable wine, while it is not affected by the economic dimension of sustainability. In addition, age appears to have a slight effect on attitude because young consumers seem to be more interested in sustainability aspects of food products than older people are.

Practical implications

– The paper suggests that company communication strategies should focus on sustainable issues to meet the requirements of environmentally conscious consumers. At the same time, sustainable certification on wine labels may help wineries to become more competitive using verifiable sustainable claims to differentiate their products.

Originality/value

– The work adds to the literature on wine marketing by evaluating which variables influence consumer attitude towards sustainable-labelled wine and, at the same time, to what extent sustainable aspects are important during wine purchase.
A maturity model for evaluating an organisation’s reflective practices
Authors: Pekkola Sanna , Hildén Sanna , Rämö Johanna
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to examine how to measure and evaluate the level at which the management control system of the organisation supports reflective practices. Though the literature on management control has recently recognised the value of reflection as a tool for organisational learning, there are few practical means of analysing the management control system alongside reflective activity. To improve and develop reflective practices for more comprehensive and systematic utilisation, the management control system has to support these practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on the current literature on reflection, reflective practices and management control and the pulling together of these three areas to determine how the evaluation and measurement of reflective practices should be organised. Based on that, the maturity model for measuring how the management control system supports reflective practices is elaborated. The empirical data testing the maturity model was collected from three case organisations.

Findings

– As its main contribution, the study composes a maturity model for evaluating the stage of reflective practices within organisations/an organisation. The existing literature does not present models or frameworks for evaluating the maturity of this kind of competence development activity. The presented model has many advantages that make it useful for pragmatic assessment and facilitation of competence development processes.

Practical implications

– As a practical tool, the maturity model helps to prioritise development actions when there is a need to enforce creative thinking (transformative learning) and sense-making within the organisation. Because an organisation cannot implement all the best practices in one phase, the maturity model can be used to introduce them in stages.

Originality/value

– The study advances one way of defining measures for reflective practices such that they are led from the literature on such practices. In addition, the study composes a maturity model for evaluating an organisation’s stage of reflective practice. Before an organisation can develop and manage its reflective practices or identify necessary changes, the current state of its reflective practices should be analysed.
Are exporting firms more productive in the Indian textile industry?
Authors: Gambhir Dhwani , Sharma Seema
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to study whether exporting enterprises are more productive in export-intensive industries. It also aims to identify the action area and policy direction for enhancing productivity in Indian textile manufacturing. Global integration has increased the volume of international trade. It is crucial for countries to have competitive enterprises to capture a larger share of the global economy. Improvement in productivity performance not only enhances competitiveness but also promotes growth in an economy.

Design/methodology/approach

– A productivity analysis for the Indian textile manufacturing industry using firm-level panel data is conducted. The data are collected for 160 firms relevant to the period from 2007-2008 to 2012-2013 from Ace Equity database. Using the technique of data envelopment analysis, the output oriented Malmquist productivity index is computed and the sources of productivity change are identified. Also, a comparison between the productivity performance of the exporting and non-exporting firms has been made.

Findings

– The results suggest that exporting firms are exhibiting better productivity performance and resource utilisation during the study period. Technology change and scale efficiency seem to be the major sources of productivity gain for exporting firms.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is limited to a single industry, reference database and methodology. There is scope for further in-depth, micro-level research to analyze the differences in drivers of productivity for exporting and non-exporting firms.

Originality/value

– This paper provides validation to export promotional policies in the Indian textile industry by establishing better productivity performance of exporting firms. It also provides direction for managerial action by identifying efficiency component as the factor pulling down productivity.
Decision-maker characteristics and international decisions for SMEs
Authors: Francioni Barbara , Musso Fabio , Cioppi Marco
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how characteristics of decision-makers influence internationalization strategies within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular focus on the strategic decision-making process (SDMP).

Design/methodology/approach

– This work is based on a sample of 165 decision-makers of SMEs, using hierarchical multiple regression to examine the relationship between the dimensions studied.

Findings

– The results of a regression analysis suggest that decision-makers tend to follow a more rational SDMP depending on their education level and risk attitude, and the firm’s past international performance. At the same time, the political behaviour of the decision-maker emerges as a character associated with their risk attitude and need for achievement, and it is negatively influenced by age.

Originality/value

– This research contributes to the growing literature on SMEs, combining the field of analysis of SDMP with that of international strategy. Moreover, unlike previous studies, which have focused on the top management team, managers, CEOs, or entrepreneurs, this study analyses the characteristics and behaviour of decision-makers.
Alliance management capability: the roles of alliance control and strength of ties
Authors: Mamavi Olivier , Meier Olivier , Zerbib Romain
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Strategic alliances have a low success rate despite the profusion of literature on this topic in the last 20 years. To understand the factors that determine performance of partnership relations, the purpose of this paper is to study the roles of control and the strength of interorganizational ties in businesses ability to manage strategic alliances.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors have examined 10,377 partnership relations formed as part of strategic alliances to analyze the capacity of a business to manage its alliances. The authors built a structural equations model (PLS) based on observation of 4,242 alliances.

Findings

– This research identifies two determinants of the success of alliance management. First, the impact of weak ties and strong ties is identical when the business does not control the alliance. Second, weak ties are a more effective means than strong ties when a business controls the alliance.

Originality/value

– The main contribution of this study thus lies in our analysis of interorganizational relations and of their tangible impact on strategic trade-offs. The field of public procurement is particularly well-suited to evaluating this phenomenon, given the subtlety of alliances at play.
Knowledge inflows effects on middle managers’ ambidexterity and performance
Authors: Torres Juan Pablo , Drago Camilo , Aqueveque Claudio
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on lab experiments conducted to determine what impact managerial top-down knowledge transfer has on a middle manager’s individual ambidexterity and decision performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors designed an experimental approach using a business simulator to test the hypotheses with middle managers. The methodological approach provides the authors with a framework to enhance the middle manager’s understanding of how to attain superior short-term financial results by exploiting current resources, in addition to mastering new strategies to avoid a potential business bankruptcy.

Findings

– The results suggest that top-down managerial knowledge inflow benefits middle manager strategic decision making, as well as his/her short- and long-term performance. Nonetheless, the best short-term results were achieved by those middle managers that mastered both exploitation and exploration activities simultaneously.

Originality/value

– The contribution of this paper is to identify and test a control mechanism called top-down inflows that enhance middle manager’s ability to exploit current resources to increase financial performance, and exploring new strategies to avoid a business bankruptcy.
Values, feelings, job satisfaction and well-being: the Turkish case
Authors: Yahyagil Mehmet Yusuf
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between universal individual value priorities, feelings and global job satisfaction as well as satisfaction with life in Turkish context. The sub-research question is to learn the moderation effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between values, experienced feelings and life satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– Analytical type of research design was used, and the data were obtained from 390 respondents who are the employees of different organizations in three cities in Turkey. Four measurement devices (Schwartz’s ten-item Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), Brayfield-Rothe’s overall job satisfaction (OJS), and Diener’s Scale of positive and negative experience (SPANE) and satisfaction with life scale (SWLS)) were employed.

Findings

– It was understood that the participants are slightly to moderately satisfied both with their job tasks and with the evaluation of global satisfaction of their own lives. The values of self-direction, achievement, hedonism and conformity are positively and strongly linked to job satisfaction and overall satisfaction of life. The moderating effect of job satisfaction is partially confirmed. It was also understood that the priorities of Turkish citizens imply self-centered satisfaction and independency, but not risk taking. Positive affect does influence the magnitude of the association between job satisfaction and life satisfaction.

Originality/value

– This paper is able to demonstrate the nature of associations between value orientations, experienced feelings, job satisfaction and global life satisfaction in a collectivist culture. The contradictions between value priorities of Turkish citizens and the people of Western countries would be likely interesting for academicians and researchers.
Data envelopment analysis with interactive variables
Authors: Ji Aibing , Liu Hui , Qiu Hong-jie , Lin Haobo
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to build a novel data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to evaluate the efficiencies of decision making units (DMUs).

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the Choquet integrals as aggregating tool, the authors give a novel DEA model to evaluate the efficiencies of DMUs.

Findings

– It extends DEA model to evaluate the DMU with interactive variables (inputs or outputs), the classical DEA model is a special form. At last, the authors use the numerical examples to illustrate the performance of the proposed model.

Practical implications

– The proposed DEA model can be used to evaluate the efficiency of the DMUs with multiple interactive inputs and outputs.

Originality/value

– This paper introduce a new DEA model to evaluate the DMU with interactive variables (inputs or outputs), the classical DEA model is a special form.
The paradoxical image of consultant expertise: a rhetorical deconstruction
Authors: Bouwmeester Onno , Stiekema Jelmer
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the paradoxical image of consultants as “experts without expertise.” It examines the extent to which different stakeholders’ perceptions of consultants’ expertise are aligned, and why.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research applies a creative approach to survey methodology by asking different stakeholder groups to react to consultancy expertise cartoons. This is followed by a rhetorical interpretation of the perceptions of consultants’ expertise using pathos.

Findings

– This survey revealed that employees are the most critical of consultants, while clients and consultants retain positive impressions of consultants’ expertise. Unexpectedly, relative to other stakeholder groups, academics occupy a moderately critical position like outsiders. Given that consultants and clients value the same indicators of expertise, this explains the latter stakeholder group’s positive valuation.

Research limitations/implications

– Since this study focusses on the expert image of consultants more generally, the authors cannot differentiate the conclusions for perceptions related to different types of consultants based on discipline or the image of their specific role (e.g. expert vs coach or change agent).

Practical implications

– Consultants and academics need pathos that is stakeholder dependent, for getting their expertise better accepted.

Originality/value

– This paper helps explain why managers, despite the many criticisms of the services consultants provide, continue to hire consultants for their expertise. Furthermore, it sheds light into why managers prefer the services of consultants vs those provided by academics. It also nuances the assumption that academics are the main critics of consultants. Instead, this paper identifies that the majority of consultant critiques come from employees in client organizations.
The handicap of lists, QROM and the future
Authors: Lee Bill
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider the contribution that this journal has made to the development of qualitative research over the ten years of Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management’s (QROM’s) lifetime and its potential to contribute further in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

– Reflections are made from the author’s standpoint as a longstanding associate editor of QROM and a UK academic in the field of accounting.

Findings

– Concern is expressed about the way in which the use of a particular journal list in UK institutions – namely, the ABS list – has skewed development away from qualitative research during the hitherto lifetime of QROM but how, despite that handicap, QROM has made a notable contribution.

Originality/value

– A reflection informed by both the disciplinary and geographical context as well as ten years’ service as an Associate Editor of this journal.
Knowledge elicitation and mapping in the design of a decision support system for the evaluation of suppliers’ competencies
Authors: Cannavacciuolo Lorella , Iandoli Luca , Ponsiglione Cristina , Zollo Giuseppe
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to present a methodology for the mapping and evaluation of suppliers’ competencies and know-how. The authors operationalize the concept of organizational competence and provide companies with a customized management tool to map suppliers’ critical competencies for screening strategic from non-strategic suppliers and providing inputs for suppliers’ development.

Design/methodology/approach

– Competencies assessment, carried out through a fuzzy knowledge management system (VINCI), is performed through the aggregation of indicators related to the control of critical resources, the degree of implementation of critical processes, the competitive positioning and the financial situation of a supplier. Competencies description and operationalization are based on the bottom-up elicitation of the subjective knowledge managers actually use to assess suppliers’ capability. Such subjective knowledge is then validated and formalized through a top-down approach based on strategic literature.

Findings

– The authors tested VINCI on a sample of 38 suppliers of a large company. The results show that the methodology provides its users with a highly customizable knowledge map and its associated decision support tool that keeps into account the peculiar strategic needs of the company in the management of an existing portfolio of suppliers.

Practical implications

– VINCI outcomes can be used to perform benchmarking analyses, define entry criteria and thresholds for suppliers’, identify improvement targets and service levels to be considered in the definition of supply contracts, supporting the alignment of supplier’s management with business strategy.

Originality/value

– The most important original contribution of this work resides in the operationalization and measurements of firms’ competencies based on the elicitation of subjective knowledge that managers use in the actual assessment. A further distinctive feature of this paper is that the method is applied to small and medium companies, whereas large part of the literature on core or organizational competencies assessment is focused on large companies.
Toll‐like receptor 5 is not essential for the promotion of secretory immunoglobulin A antibody responses to flagellated bacteria
Authors: Hashizume‐Takizawa Tomomi , Yamamoto Masafumi
Published: November 2015

Toll‐like receptor 5 recognizes bacterial flagellin, plays a critical role in innate immunity, and contributes to flagellin‐specific humoral immunity. Further, TLR5‐expressing dendritic cells play an important role in IgA synthesis in the intestine; however, the contribution of TLR5 to antigen (Ag)‐specific mucosal immunity remains unclear. Thus, whether TLR5 is essential for the induction of intestinal secretory (S)IgA antibody (Ab) responses against flagellin and bacterial Ags attached to the bacterial surface in response to an oral flagellated bacterium, Salmonella, was explored in this study. Our results indicate that when TLR5 knockout (TLR5−/−) mice are orally immunized with recombinant Salmonella expressing fragment C of tetanus toxin (rSalmonella‐Tox C), tetanus toxoid (TT)‐ and flagellin (FliC)‐specific systemic IgG and intestinal SIgA Abs are elicited. The numbers of TT‐specific IgG Ab‐forming cells (AFCs) in the spleen and IgA AFCs in the lamina propria (LP) of TLR5−/− mice were comparable to those in wild‐type mice. rSalmonella‐Tox C was equally disseminated in TLR5−/− mice, TLR5−/− mice lacking Peyer's patches (PPs), and wild‐type mice. In contrast, TLR5−/− PP‐null mice failed to induce TT‐ and FliC‐specific SIgA Abs in the intestine and showed significantly reduced numbers of TT‐specific IgA AFCs in the LP. These results suggest that TLR5 is dispensable for the induction of flagellin and surface Ag‐specific systemic and mucosal immunity against oral flagellated bacteria. Rather, pathogen recognition, which occurs in PPs, is a prerequisite for the induction of mucosal immunity against flagellated bacteria.
Women's experience of HIV as a chronic illness in South Africa: hard‐earned lives, biographical disruption and moral career
Authors: Wouters Edwin , De Wet Katinka
Published: November 2015

This article presents findings from a longitudinal qualitative study (48 in‐depth interviews with 12 women on antiretroviral treatment (ART)) exploring the experience of living with HIV as a chronic illness in South Africa by applying the structural and interactionist perspectives on chronic illness. The structural perspective indicates that the illness experience needs to be contextualised within the wider framework of the women's hard‐earned lives: throughout the interviews, the women tended to refuse singularising HIV/AIDS and continuously framed the illness within the context of general hardship and adversity. Employing an interactionist perspective, the repeated interviews demonstrated the partial applicability of the concept of biographical disruption to the illness experience: most women experienced feelings of denial and disbelief upon diagnosis, but the availability of ART clearly mitigated the impact of HIV on their biographies. In addition, our findings demonstrate that the interaction between structural aspects, (stigmatising) social relations, and the illness (and its treatment) determines the never‐ending cycle of identity appraisals, revisions and improvements, rendering the moral career of the HIV‐positive women on ART a continuous work in progress.
Emotion in obesity discourse: understanding public attitudes towards regulations for obesity prevention
Authors: Farrell Lucy C. , Warin Megan J. , Moore Vivienne M. , Street Jackie M.
Published: November 2015

Intense concern about obesity in the public imagination and in political, academic and media discourses has catalysed advocacy efforts to implement regulatory measures to reduce the occurrence of obesity in Australia and elsewhere. This article explores public attitudes towards the possible implementation of regulations to address obesity by analysing emotions within popular discourses. Drawing on reader comments attached to obesity‐relevant news articles published on Australian news and current affairs websites, we examine how popular anxieties about the ‘obesity crisis’ and vitriol directed at obese individuals circulate alongside understandings of the appropriate role of government to legitimise regulatory reform to address obesity. Employing Ahmed's theorisation of ‘affective economies’ and broader literature on emotional cultures, we argue that obesity regulations achieve popular support within affective economies oriented to neoliberal and individualist constructions of obesity. These economies preclude constructions of obesity as a structural problem in popular discourse; instead positioning anti‐obesity regulations as a government‐endorsed vehicle for discrimination directed at obese people. Findings implicate a new set of ethical challenges for those championing regulatory reform for obesity prevention.
Auricular Surface Aging: Comparing Two Methods that Assess Morphological Change in the Ilium with Bayesian Analyses
Authors: Hens Samantha M. , Godde Kanya
Published: November 2015

Modern standards in forensic anthropology require rigorous testing and evaluation of methods used for aging skeletal remains. Age estimation has been criticized for bias, inaccuracy, and population specificity; issues which are minimized by the application of Bayesian methodology. Using Bayesian statistics, we compare the Lovejoy et al. (Am J Phys Anthropol, 68, 1985, 15) (original) and Buckberry and Chamberlain (Am J Phys Anthropol, 119, 2002, 231) (revised) auricular surface aging methods. Transition analysis parameters derived from American males (n = 372), in combination with a Thai male (N = 37) informative prior, statistically model age in Portuguese males (n = 221). Cumulative binomial tests assess the accuracy of the generated age ranges. Overall, the application of transition analysis and Bayesian statistics significantly improved age estimation with both methods (also outperforming Suchey‐Brooks pubic symphysis aging). Moreover, the accuracy of the original method was low without statistical modeling, whereas the revised method can be applied accurately without further statistical analysis. Additionally, reference tables for aging Portuguese males are provided.
Advances in Mycotoxin Research: Public Health Perspectives
Authors: Lee Hyun Jung , Ryu Dojin
Published: November 2015

Aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone are of significant public health concern as they can cause serious adverse effects in different organs including the liver, kidney, and immune system in humans. These toxic secondary metabolites are produced by filamentous fungi mainly in the genus Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium. It is challenging to control the formation of mycotoxins due to the worldwide occurrence of these fungi in food and the environment. In addition to raw agricultural commodities, mycotoxins tend to remain in finished food products as they may not be destroyed by conventional processing techniques. Hence, much of our concern is directed to chronic health effects through long‐term exposure to one or multiple mycotoxins from contaminated foods. Ideally risk assessment requires a comprehensive data, including toxicological and epidemiological studies as well as surveillance and exposure assessment. Setting of regulatory limits for mycotoxins is considered necessary to protect human health from mycotoxin exposure. Although advances in analytical techniques provide basic yet critical tool in regulation as well as all aspects of scientific research, it has been acknowledged that different forms of mycotoxins such as analogs and conjugated mycotoxins may constitute a significant source of dietary exposure. Further studies should be warranted to correlate mycotoxin exposure and human health possibly via identification and validation of suitable biomarkers.
It is safe to go out on a limb: within‐tree leaf age and location do not alter predation risk for insect herbivores
Authors: Low Petah A , McArthur Clare , Hochuli Dieter F
Published: November 2015

Animals must trade off foraging gains against the risk of being preyed upon. For insect herbivores, feeding on young foliage typically enhances nutritional performance, but it may also increase risk of death. Young foliage typically grows at the ends of branches and contains higher volatile terpene concentrations than old foliage. Together, these characteristics may make herbivores more chemically and visually apparent as they eat young foliage, and hence expose them to greater predation risk from natural enemies. We aimed to test this prediction by conducting two field experiments. First, we compared survival of Doratifera casta Scott (black slug cup moth) caterpillars on young and old Eucalyptus foliage using various predator exclusion treatments. Second, we assessed predation rates on plasticine model caterpillars associated with either young or old Eucalyptus foliage. The second aim of our study was to test the validity of using model caterpillars as surrogates for real caterpillars in predation studies. We found that neither caterpillar survival nor attack rates on models were influenced by foliage age, providing no evidence for differential predation risk. Both approaches, however, indicated that crawling arthropods were the most important predator type in this system. Caterpillar survival tended to increase more by excluding crawling invertebrates than by excluding vertebrates; arthropods were responsible for the majority of attacks on the model caterpillars. Our results indicate no conflict between nutrient acquisition and predation risk for caterpillars feeding on young eucalypt foliage. Importantly, the consistency in responses from both our experimental approaches is compelling support for using model caterpillars as surrogates for real ones when studying predation risk.
Measurement properties of adult quality‐of‐life measurement instruments for eczema: a systematic review
Authors: Heinl D. , Prinsen C. A. C. , Deckert S. , Chalmers J. R. , Drucker A. M. , Ofenloch R. , Humphreys R. , Sach T. , Chamlin S. L. , Schmitt J. , Apfelbacher C.
Published: November 2015

Background

The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative has identified quality of life (QoL) as a core outcome domain to be evaluated in every eczema trial. It is unclear which of the existing QoL instruments is most appropriate for this domain. Thus, the aim of this review was to systematically assess the measurement properties of existing measurement instruments developed and/or validated for the measurement of QoL in adult eczema.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed and Embase identifying studies on measurement properties of adult eczema QoL instruments. For all eligible studies, we assessed the adequacy of the measurement properties and the methodological quality with the COnsensus‐based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. A best evidence synthesis summarizing findings from different studies was the basis to assign four degrees of recommendation (A–D).

Results

A total of 15 articles reporting on 17 instruments were included. No instrument fulfilled the criteria for category A. Six instruments were placed in category B, meaning that they have the potential to be recommended depending on the results of further validation studies. Three instruments had poor adequacy in at least one required adequacy criterion and were therefore put in category C. The remaining eight instruments were minimally validated and were thus placed in category D.

Conclusions

Currently, no QoL instrument can be recommended for use in adult eczema. The Quality of Life Index for Atopic Dermatitis (QoLIAD) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) are recommended for further validation research.
Symmetry in early response to intravitreal ranibizumab in bilateral diabetic macular oedema
Authors: Guillard Margaux , Dupas Bénédicte , El Sanharawi Mohamed , Erginay Ali , Tadayoni Ramin , Massin Pascale
Published: November 2015

Purpose

To study the symmetry in response to bilateral diabetic macular oedema (DME) treated with bilateral intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (IVR).

Methods

The charts of 36 eyes of 18 patients treated with a loading dose of three monthly IVR in both eyes were retrospectively reviewed. Favourable anatomical response was defined as a decrease by more than 10% in baseline central macular thickness (CMT), and favourable functional response was defined as an increase in visual acuity (VA) ≥5 letters. A symmetric response was defined as a similar anatomical and/or functional response in the first (FE) and second (SE) treated eyes.

Results

The VA improved significantly after ranibizumab treatment in both eyes (p < 0.01). A statistically significant positive correlation was found for the functional response to ranibizumab between the FE and the SE (R2 = 0.26, p = 0.03). The mean CMT decreased significantly in both eyes (p < 0.01). A strong positive correlation was observed between the anatomical response to ranibizumab in the FE and the SE (R2 = 0.37, p = 0.01). Symmetric favourable anatomical and functional responses were observed in 13 patients (72%). In two additional patients, an asymmetric functional response was observed despite a decrease in retinal thickness in both eyes.

Conclusion

Symmetric anatomical and functional responses were observed in 72% of patients with DME after three initial IVR in each eye. This finding could be of clinical interest in the decision to treat the fellow eye, in a disease where a bilateral involvement is frequent.
Comparison between the perioperative results of single‐access and conventional laparoscopic surgery in rectal cancer
Authors: Sirikurnpiboon Siripong
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer has low rates of morbidity and mortality and achieves comparable pathologic outcomes. With improved instruments and surgical techniques, many surgeons have recently begun using single‐access laparoscopic surgery (SALS) to minimize scars and pain. Since 2011, most reports of SALS for rectal cancer have shown comparable pathologic outcomes to those of conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS). However, SALS is said to be superior to CLS in reducing complications, producing less discomfort, and faster recovery rates. This study aimed to compare the technical feasibility and early postoperative outcomes of these approaches.

Methods

From January 2011 to January 2014, 78 cases of adenocarcinoma of the rectum and anal canal were enrolled in the study. Anterior, low anterior, intersphincteric, and abdominoperineal resections were performed. Data collected included technical feasibility and outcomes of operation, such as morbidity, mortality, severity of pain, analgesic usage, and length of hospital stay.

Results

SALS was performed on 35 patients, and CLS was performed in 36 cases. Demographic data, including age, sex, BMI, ASA classification and clinical staging, were similar between the groups. Operative time, blood loss, and conversion rate were similar (P > 0.05). Postoperatively, the only significant difference between the groups was pain score, which was significantly lower in the SALS group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

SALS and CLS for rectal and anal cancer had the same intraoperative, pathologic, and early postoperative results. However, SALS patients had slightly better pain scores in the first 24 and 48 h postoperatively.
What can new technology tell us about the reviewing process for journal submissions in BJET?
Authors: Hartley James , Cabanac Guillaume
Published: November 2015

New technology allows us to collect rich and voluminous data about refereeing—something that was not possible before. In this quantitative study, we consider data about the dates of sending (1) suitable papers to BJET, (2) the papers to referees and (3) when the referees' reports are returned to the editor. To do this, we examined data from over 11 000 reports collected between 2005 (when BJET began using ScholarOne as its online editorial manager) and October 2014. We found that most of the submissions and responses were made in the earlier part of the week, with some evidence of academics (and the editor) working on Sundays. We also found modest agreement between referees on the quality of individual papers.
TLR4/TIRAP polymorphisms are associated with progression and survival of patients with symptomatic myeloma
Authors: Bagratuni Tina , Terpos Evangelos , Eleutherakis‐Papaiakovou Evangelos , Kalapanida Despoina , Gavriatopoulou Maria , Migkou Magdalini , Liacos Christine‐Ivy , Tasidou Anna , Matsouka Charis , Mparmparousi Despoina , Dimopoulos Meletios A. , Kastritis Efstathios
Published: November 2015

Myeloma cells thrive in an environment of sustained inflammation, which impacts the development and evolution of the disease, as well as drug resistance. We evaluated the impact of genetic polymorphisms in the Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway, which have been implicated in different inflammatory responses in the outcomes of patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) who have received contemporary therapies. We found that the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both the TLR4 and toll/interleukin‐1 receptor (TIR)‐associated protein (TIRAP) genes was associated with lower response to primary therapy mainly for patients who received immunomodulatory drugs but not in patients treated with bortezomib‐based therapies. Furthermore, TIRAP SNP was associated with a significantly shorter progression‐free survival and overall survival, independently of other prognostic factors, such as age, transplant, International Staging System stage, lactate dehydrogenase and cytogenetics. This is the first study to demonstrate the effect of SNPs in TLR4/TIRAP in MM. Our data indicate that genetic variability in the immune system may be associated with different responses to antimyeloma therapies and may be a critical component affecting the natural history of the disease, providing the basis for further investigation of the role of these pathways in myeloma.
Work or Schooling? On the Return to Gaining In‐School Work Experiences
Authors: Cabus Sofie J. , Haelermans Carla
Published: November 2015

Wages are a composite measure of the return to education and the return to work experiences. Work experiences are often defined as workers who gain experiences on‐the‐job. However, work experiences can also be part of a study curriculum in vocational secondary education. We estimate the return to in‐school work experiences by comparing the Heckman selection model and the Rubin matching model. First, we show that students with in‐school work experiences earn +16% more in the first years of labour than their theoretical peers. Second, we indicate that both empirical models do not appropriately deal with censored observations in the presence of an informal market. Including information on a set of censored observations increases the effect to +22%.
‘I felt a little bubbly in my tummy’: eliciting pre‐schoolers' accounts of their health visit using a computer‐assisted interview method
Authors: Bokström P. , Fängström K. , Calam R. , Lucas S. , Sarkadi A.
Published: November 2015

Background

In the health care services, children's rights to participate in all matters that concern them are considered important. However, in practice this can be challenging with young children. In My Shoes (IMS) is a computer‐assisted interview tool developed to help children talk about their experiences. The aim of the study was to evaluate the IMS' ability to elicit pre‐schoolers' subjective experiences and accurate accounts of a routine health visit as well as the children's engagement in the interview process.

Methods

Interviews were conducted with 23 children aged 4–5 years, 2–4 weeks after their health visit. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a method inspired by Content Analysis to evaluate IMS's ability to elicit accounts about subjective experiences. Accurate accounts were assessed by comparing the transcribed interviews with the filmed visits at the child health centre. The children's engagement was defined by the completion and length of the interviews, and the children's interaction with the software.

Results

All children gave accounts about their subjective experiences, such as their emotional state during the visit, available toys or rewards they received. All children related to the correct event, they all named at least one person who was present and 87% correctly named at least one examination procedure. The majority of children (91%) completed the interview, which lasted 17–39 min (M = 24), and 96% interacted with the IMS software.

Conclusions

IMS was feasible to help children describe their health care experiences, in both detail and depth. The children interacted with the software and maintained their interest for an extended period of time.
Incorporating dynamic distributions into spatial prioritization
Authors: Runge Claire A. , Tulloch Ayesha I. T. , Possingham Hugh P. , Tulloch Vivitskaia J. D. , Fuller Richard A.
Published: November 2015

Aim

Species' distributions are generally treated as static for the purposes of prioritization, but many species such as migrants and nomads have distributions that shift over time. Decisions about priority actions for such species must account for this temporal variation, making planning for their conservation a complex problem. Here, we explore how dynamic distributions can be incorporated into a spatial prioritization, and suggest approaches for prioritizing conservation action when knowledge of species' movements is uncertain.

Location

Australian rangelands, including the arid and semi‐arid zones of central Australia and adjoining monsoonal tropics, although methods are applicable for any dynamic biodiversity feature.

Methods

We used the decision‐support softwaremarxanto explore the impact of temporal dynamics on spatial conservation planning for a suite of 42 highly mobile birds across the study region. We explored scenarios comparing a static representation of species' distributions with four methods of integrating temporal dynamics: (1) accounting for temporal variability in distribution across months and years, (2) considering only monthly variability in distribution, (3) considering only annual variability in distribution and (4) considering only minimal distributions during spatial bottlenecks, ignoring distributions at other times.

Results

Incorporating the temporal dynamics of species into spatial prioritization substantially changes the spatial pattern of conservation investment, increasing the overall area needed to be placed under conservation measures to achieve a specific target level of species protection. Targeting bottlenecks, locations critical to each species when its distribution is at a minimum, prioritizes a very different suite of sites to those chosen using the traditional approach of static distribution maps based on occurrences pooled across time.

Main conclusions

Our results highlight the need to consider dynamic movements in the conservation planning process to ensure that mobile species are adequately protected. A static approach to conservation planning may misdirect resources and lead to inadequate conservation for mobile species.
International Trade, Migration and Unemployment – The Role of Informal Sector
Authors: Marjit Sugata , Mandal Biswajit
Published: November 2015

This paper provides an elaborate general equilibrium framework by including informal economic activities in a model of trade, migration and unemployment. Existence of informal activities is critical in generating positive employment effects of liberal trade policies. Following a tariff cut informal wage increases and rate of unemployment goes down under reasonable conditions. Next we generalize the benchmark model to capture the phenomenon of sequential migration: from agriculture to urban informal sector, and then to urban formal sector. Positive employment effect of reformatory trade policy partly owes to the fact that the presence of informal sector directly reduces the cost of migration and, hence, further induces the process of outmigration from agricultural sector. The paper also extends the benchmark model to include both informal intermediate and final good.