bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the dichotomies within the tacit knowledge literature: towards a process of tacit knowing in organizations
Authors: McAdam Rodney , Mason Bob , McCrory Josephine
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the definition and conception of tacit knowledge in existing peer reviewed literature and to suggest how research agendas can be established to clarify understanding for praxis.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involved an in‐depth literature review of tacit knowledge as part of the knowledge management discourse.

Findings

There is considerable disagreement in the literature over the definition and role of tacit knowledge in management studies and organizations. These polemics are reflected in a lack of systematic research agendas being established. Conversely the more meta level concept of knowledge management has been the subject of an increasing amount of research. However, it is suggested that an improved understanding of tacit knowledge is needed to underpin and further develop the knowledge management discourse. From the literature the concept of tacit knowing is advanced as a means for establishing research agendas and improving understanding in praxis, within the tacit knowledge domain. This approach enables definitional differences to be further probed along with the role and purpose of tacit knowledge within organizations.

Practical implications

The paper suggests a number of ways in which tacit knowledge can be developed in organizations at organizational, group and individual levels.

Originality/value

The paper shows how the concept of tacit knowing can help in understanding the dichotomies within the tacit knowledge literature and in advancing understanding of the subject.
Interpreting the balanced scorecard: an investigation into performance analysis and bias
Authors: Rich Vicky
Published: March 2007

Purpose

This research seeks to explore the human interpretation of performance management information using Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a research vehicle.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the controlled environment of an experiment to explicitly investigate whether experienced managers weight all performance measures in a BSC equally when making comparative decisions.

Findings

Experimental results suggest that managers do not rate the importance of individual performance measures equally, and at the outset of the decision process often rely on simplifying strategies to help process the information in the time available. Further analysis indicates that the decision approaches used were in themselves biased, and that decision outcomes were not always related to the factors which managers thought were important at the beginning of the process.

Originality/value

The research found that managers do not consider the measures in a scorecard equally, but will apply their own weighting if none is provided. Furthermore, managers are unlikely to use all of the performance measures available to them. These findings have significant implications for those designing scorecards whilst contributing to the academic debate on weighting of measures and cognitive bias in decision making.
Making public‐service telecommunications: past and present challenges for networked information infrastructures
Authors: Schiller Dan
Published: March 2007

Purpose

To lay out the basis for the special symposium on public service telecommunications.

Design/methodology/approach

Conceptual outline of some key issues.

Findings

The opportunity to revisit the subject of public service telecommunications is both timely and important.

Originality/value

The subject of public service telecommunications has been unduly neglected; this symposium constitutes a fresh and well‐informed scholarly engagement.
Constructing closed‐captioning in the public interest: from minority media accessibility to mainstream educational technology
Authors: Downey Greg
Published: March 2007

Purpose

To explore the historical construction of the US broadcast television closed‐captioning system as a case study of debates over “public service broadcasting” during the late twentieth century.

Design/methodology/approach

Historical.

Findings

Neither the corporate voluntarism promoted by the FCC in the 1970s nor the “public‐private partnership” of the National Captioning Institute (NCI) in the 1980s proved able to sustain a closed‐captioning system; instead, a progressive round of re‐regulation on both the demand side (universal decoder distribution) and the supply side (mandatory program captioning) was necessary to bring the promise of broadcast equality to all deaf and hard‐of‐hearing (D/HOH) citizens.

Originality/value of paper

The decades‐long legal, technological, and institutional battle to define the “public interest” responsibilities of broadcasters toward non‐hearing viewers was fraught with contradiction and compromise.
Searching for universal access: the public interest, the FCC and the regulation of international telecommunications
Authors: Hills Jill
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to look at the way in which the “public interest” concept that was part of the US 1934 Communications Act has been defined and redefined in terms of international telecommunications over the 70 subsequent years.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken in the paper is to use case studies from three periods – the 1940s, the 1960s and the 1990s – to examine the concept of the “public interest” used by the FCC and other US agencies in relation to international communications. The empirical data comes from primary and secondary sources.

Findings

From the evidence of the case studies the paper concludes that the FCC has always been an international actor but has lacked a conceptualization of a division between domestic and international or of an international “public interest” that prioritizes the universal penetration of telecommunications. With the exception of the 1940s, US agency determination of the “public interest”, although often presented as benefiting US consumers, has primarily benefited US business users and carriers.

Originality/value

Spanning 50 years the paper brings evidence of the way in which the US political system has skewed the definition and redefinition of the concept of the “public interest” in the telecommunications sector to suit whichever national economic interest has pressed hardest. It shows how worldwide penetration of the technology has been linked to the interests of US carriers and business users.
Benchmarking with quality indicators: national projects
Authors: Poll Roswitha
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the effectiveness of using performance indicators on a national scale

Design/methodology/approach

The paper gives an overview of national projects and compares the methods used.

Findings

The paper finds that groups of libraries have tried to find consensus on a common set of performance indicators for benchmarking purposes. The indicators chosen for such projects differ between countries and types of libraries. The paper shows examples where sets of indicators are used on a national or regional scale on a regular basis and compares the indicators used and the methods of benchmarking.

Practical implications

The paper shows the difficulties of reaching an agreement when starting a common project and points to results and success of the projects and to problems that occurred in the benchmarking process.

Originality/value

The paper acquaints libraries with existing projects and helps to find adequate methods for different purposes.
Reaching the international consumer
Authors: Wilkinson Timothy J. , McAlister Anna , Widmier Scott
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer an assessment of the international direct marketing environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) analysis to investigate the business environment of international direct marketing. This framework is commonly used as a way of assessing the context of international marketing.

Findings

Globalization, technological innovation, and the spread of free‐market governance have created new and interesting opportunities for managers who decide to use direct marketing to sell their products overseas.

Practical implications

For managers considering international direct marketing, a careful assessment of market prospects and a thoughtful evaluation of the PEST environment should maximize potential opportunities while minimizing the risks associated with foreign markets.

Originality/value

This paper provides an overview of the international direct marketing environment and can, therefore, be used by practioners in their efforts to shapes direct marketing strategy.
Marketing analytics: the evolution of marketing research in the twenty‐first century
Authors: Hauser William J.
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of marketing analytics and how it should become a standard marketing research tool in the twenty‐first century.

Design/methodology/approach

The design of this paper is both a review of the field of marketing analytics and a discussion of how these factors must be enhanced and incorporated into twenty‐first century marketing research. As such this paper is offered as a viewpoint based on years of experience in the field and should serve as the basis for discussion and discourse by both academicians and practitioners.

Findings

In the realm of marketing, primary research has traditionally focused on quantitative or qualitative methodologies to provide customer insights. With advances in technology, especially data mining, marketing analytics has become an invaluable tool and should be viewed as an equal component of the marketing research toolkit. Analytics requires marketers to use data to understand customers at every touch point throughout their lifecycle with the business. To do this the analyst must mine, analyze, interpret, and present the information so that it is converted into actionable intelligence. In this process, the customer's information DNA is tracked, segmented, modeled and then acted upon. As these concepts and tools become standard operating procedures, academic marketing departments must internalize analytics into their overall curriculum in order to provide students with a compelling career advantage.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is that it presents marketers with a strong argument for the integration of marketing analytics into their practice of researching marketing issues and problems. Analytics completes the research triangle of qualitative, quantitative and data mined information gathering, analysis, and interpretation. It is hoped that this paper will generate additional discourse and research in this area and, especially, the adaptation of analytics as a standard research tool by marketers.
Etic interpreting of naïve subjective personal introspections of tourism behavior
Authors: Martin Drew , Woodside Arch G. , Dehuang Ning
Published: March 2007

Purpose

To demonstrate how brand netnography is useful in showing how visitors interpret the places, people and situations that they experience when traveling.

Design/methodology/approach

Through analysis of online consumer stories about their travel experiences, this paper probes how visitors interpret their experiences while visiting cities in Asia. Deconstructing texts written by consumers via Heider's balance theory provides the method of analysis for samples of both positive and negative travel experiences of foreign visitors.

Findings

Mapping consumer experiences shows immediate and downstream positive and negative associations of concepts, events, and outcomes in visitors' stories. These maps include descriptions of how visitors live specific destination's unique promises.

Research limitations/implications

The population of bloggers who report their experiences may not be representative of the population of all visitors.

Practical implications

Blog‐journal stories provides the opportunity to collect emic interpretative data unobtrusively. These stories have the potential to influence substantial numbers of future visitors who go online in search of first‐person unbiased, unrehearsed reports of others' destination experiences. First‐person (emic) reports enable managers of places (brands) to learn and talk in dialects of customers.

Originality/value

This paper provides a revisionist proposal to Holt's five‐step strategy for building destinations as iconic brands and suggestions for tourism management. The revisionist view includes interpreting consumers' own interpretations of their place experiences.
Why people travel to exotic places
Authors: Correia Antónia , Oom do Valle Patricia , Moço Cláudia
Published: March 2007

Purpose

This study focuses on the Portuguese tourist decision process in terms of traveling to exotic places. Based on the push‐pull motive model defined by Crompton in 1979, this paper seeks to propose an integrated approach to understand tourist motivations and how these contribute to the perception of a destination.

Design/methodology/approach

A structural model and a categorical principal component analysis are used to assess to what degree motivational factors may influence perceptions about a destination. The empirical study is supported through data from a sample of 1,097 individuals who travelled by plane to exotic places, during 2004.

Findings

The findings show that push and pull motivations influence the way tourists perceive the destination but the resulting image does not determined the intrinsic motivations.

Research limitations/implications

The study has the restriction of being limited to the Portuguese case. However, these findings open paths for further investigation, namely extending to other destinations and to tourists with different incentives and nationality.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the overall understanding of why tourists adopt specific behaviors. In specific, motivations and perceptions were combined in order to understand why people could be pushed to travel to exotic destinations and how they form their perceptions.
Tourist shoppers' satisfaction with regional shopping mall experiences
Authors: LeHew Melody L.A. , Wesley Scarlett C.
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess whether tourist shopper segments are an attractive market for shopping centers. This research aims to explore whether or not tourist shoppers are more satisfied than resident shoppers with their shopping experience and whether tourist shoppers have the intention to spend more than their resident shopper counterparts.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this report come from personal face‐to‐face mall intercepts of shoppers (n=578) in two new generation malls (West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America in Bloomington) and two heritage‐destination (Pier 39 in San Francisco and Forum Shops in Las Vegas) centers.

Findings

Analysis concludes that although the shopping center and retail industry place increasing emphasis on leisure shopping and tourism, the results of this study suggest that the tourist shopper market may not be the most valuable customer group. Resident shoppers of tourist‐focused shopping centers are more satisfied than tourist shoppers of those centers.

Research limitations/implications

The non‐random nature of the sample for this study is the primary limitation. Therefore, the results are not generalizable to the greater population of tourist focused shopping centers.

Practical implications

The shopping center and retail industry place increasing emphasis on leisure shopping and tourism, but the results of this study suggest that the tourist shopper market may not be the most valuable customer group. Resident shoppers of tourist‐focused shopping centers are more satisfied than tourist shoppers of those centers. These findings should encourage shopping center managers to use caution when modifying strategies to meet the needs of the tourist segment, as well as to not forget the importance of resident shoppers to their profitability.

Originality/value

These findings should encourage shopping center managers to use caution when modifying strategies to meet the needs of the tourist segment, as well as to not forget the importance of resident shoppers to their profitability.
Socio‐spatial variations in the nature of entrepreneurship
Authors: Williams Colin C.
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate critically the discourse that entrepreneurship and enterprise culture are inextricably inter‐twinned with profit‐driven capitalist endeavour by seeking to understand whether amongst some populations, the culture of entrepreneurship is more socially‐oriented than profit‐driven.

Design/methodology/approach

To do this, a secondary analysis is undertaken of the results of the UK Global Entrepreneurship Monitor in general, and UK Social Entrepreneurship Monitor more particularly. It compares the levels and ratios of commercial‐to‐social entrepreneurship across various population groups and areas in the UK.

Findings

The finding is that there are different cultures of entrepreneurship across varying population groups. Many marginalized groups are more socially‐orientated than profit‐driven. This is particularly the case amongst the long‐term registered disabled (2.3 times more likely to engage in social rather than commercial entrepreneurship than the average UK entrepreneur), other non‐White groups (2.2 times more likely) and the retired (twice as likely). Similarly, people living in rural areas display a greater propinquity to engage in social rather than commercial entrepreneurship than those living in urban areas.

Research limitations/implications

The findings raise questions about whether it is appropriate to parachute into some populations a culture of commercial entrepreneurship that might be “foreign” to their enterprise culture and whether a focus on social entrepreneurship in the enterprise culture agenda will promote greater inclusiveness of populations traditionally under‐represented.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to document the varying ratios of commercial‐to‐social entrepreneurship amongst different population groups and areas.
Aboriginal partnerships in Canada: focus on the Diavik Diamond Mine
Authors: Missens Richard , Paul Dana Leo , Anderson Robert
Published: March 2007

Purpose

In negotiation with diamond enterprises, Aboriginal communities have provided their consent for the diamond mines and have ensured their participation in all diamond projects within their traditional territories. The purpose of this study is to evaluate partnership strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews.

Findings

Natural resource enterprises support more than 650 Canadian communities and according to industry Canada this accounts for 12 percent of Canada's gross domestic product. The diamond industry accounts for 4 percent of the nation's expenditures on mining and processing and it is poised for significant growth and contribution to the economy. This emerging industry has created a unique opportunity for Aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories, also known as NWT.

Practical implications

Diavik's success story shows that a good mining strategy is to think beyond extraction, and to be a good corporate citizen, supporting communities and their enterprises. In 2005, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business awarded Diavik the gold award. As well, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada awarded Diavik an award for protecting its natural surroundings and for its efforts to establish and maintain good relations with local communities.

Originality/value

Five communities have signed partnership agreements with Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., providing joint control of training, employment and business opportunities. This paper discusses the commitments, and the progress, made by Diavik in the participation agreements.
On the determinants of board size and its composition: additional evidence from Ghana
Authors: Kyereboah‐Coleman Anthony , Biekpe Nicholas
Published: March 2007

Purpose

The fundamental objective of this study is to contribute to the debate by empirically examining the determinants of board size and its composition from a small and developing country perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a quantitative approach based on secondary data from firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. Panel data multiple regressions within both fixed and random effects techniques estimations were carried out.

Findings

Board size and its composition are a function of firm and industrial characteristics. Specific findings are that, while firm level risk has a positive relationship with board size, CEO tenure has a negative correlation with board size; and that firms with larger institutional shareholding employ less outside directors

Research limitations/implications

A study of this nature requires a large sample base. It is therefore obvious that sample size was the main limitation of the study. Though, this limitation does not compromise on the validity of our findings, study findings and its general interpretation should be done with some degree of caution.

Originality/value

Since, most of the studies in this area have been largely theoretical and have concentrated in developed countries, this paper makes an important contribution by looking at the issue empirically from a small and developing country perspective.
Quantitative effects of an intronic retroviral insertion on the transcription of the tyrosinase gene in recessive white chickens
Authors: Chang C. M. , Furet J. P. , Coville J. L. , Coquerelle G. , Gourichon D. , Tixier‐Boichard M.
Published: March 2007

Recently, we reported the complete association of a retroviral insertion in intron 4 of the tyrosinase gene and the recessive white mutation (c) in chickens. The mutant allele carrying the retroviral insertion produced, in skin samples of 10‐week‐old chickens, aberrant tyrosinase transcripts that did not contain exon 5. In the present study, we performed serial molecular and statistical analyses on embryos and 10‐week‐old chickens to characterize the quantitative effect of the retroviral insertion on the expression pattern of tyrosinase in different tissues (skin and retina). By using quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR, we observed that the expression level of tyrosinase was significantly lower in recessive white chickens than in wild‐type coloured chickens, but that this pattern was age‐ and tissue‐dependent. The differential expression in skin was not significant in embryos, whereas it was highly significant in 10‐week‐old chickens. Furthermore, there was no difference in the expression of tyrosinase in the retinal pigment epithelium of animals with different genotypes; this corresponds to phenotypic data, which show pigmented eyes in both genotypes. These findings show that the retroviral insertion disturbs tyrosinase expression in the recessive white mutant chickens, and suggests that the regulation of tyrosinase expression in chickens differs between embryos and growing animals, as well as between skin and retina.
Invasive crayfish in Europe: the impact of Procambarus clarkii on the littoral community of a Mediterranean lake
Authors: GHERARDI FRANCESCA , ACQUISTAPACE PATRIZIA
Published: March 2007

1. Despite the growing number of non‐indigenous crayfish species introduced worldwide, little scientific attention has been given to their effects on the recipient communities. Here, we quantified the impact of adult red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) on key components of the littoral community of a mesotrophic lake in central Italy. We used two densities of crayfish plus a no‐crayfish control, and two complementary methods –in situ enclosures and a laboratory study.

2. Both experiments showed that P. clarkii strongly affects the community even at a low density (4 m−2), although a high crayfish density (8 m−2) showed a more pronounced impact in a shorter time.

3. In enclosures, P. clarkii quickly consumed the pond snail Haitia acuta, notwithstanding its anti‐predator behaviour, but not the mosquitofish Gambusia affinis. The biomass of the hydrophytes Nymphoides peltata and Potamogeton spp. was strongly reduced by crayfish grazing, coupled with their non‐consumptive plant clipping and uprooting, which were particularly intense in the case of Potamogeton crispus. In contrast, Utricularia australis was avoided by P. clarkii, even when other resources were exhausted.

4. The introduction of P. clarkii could reduce biodiversity and increase biotic homogenisation in a short time.
Rehabilitation and guidance as reported by women and men who had undergone coronary bypass surgery
Authors: Koivunen Kirsi , Isola Arja , Lukkarinen Hannele
Published: March 2007

Aims and objectives.  The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of rehabilitation reported by coronary artery disease patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. A further purpose was to describe the kind of guidance on rehabilitation that they were given during this period.

Methods.  The data consisted of thematic questionnaires completed by six women and eight men who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. They had recorded their experiences on these questionnaires at one‐month intervals for a year after the surgery. The data were analysed using the method of content analysis.

Results.  On the basis of the results, women had experienced the most balanced period of physical, mental and social rehabilitation during the six months following surgery. Their recovery, however, suffered a setback after the first six months. On the basis of the results, men attained a better balance of physical, mental and social rehabilitation only after the six‐month period following surgery. Even men had various problems in their rehabilitation, but their recovery proceeded more smoothly than that of women. Women hoped for more guidance throughout the process of rehabilitation. The support and help from wives had a positive impact on the process of men's recovery. Peer support was another significant source support.

Conclusions.  A person undergoing rehabilitation needs special guidance from health care professionals, especially when his/her rehabilitation does not proceed optimally. The findings suggest that, especially, the guidance of women should be improved because women seemed to suffer from many problems during their process of rehabilitation, including loneliness, insecurity, uncertainty, fears, depression and anxiety.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Expanding the role of practical nurses to provide both preventive and rehabilitation guidance should be seen as an important strategy in health care. Individual needs, gender differences and support from families and peers should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing guidance.
Working with the team: strategies employed by hospital cancer nurse specialists to implement their role
Authors: Willard Carole , Luker Karen
Published: March 2007

Aim.  This paper describes the strategies used by cancer nurse specialists in the UK to implement their role within the multiprofessional team.

Background.  The prevalence of cancer increasingly preoccupies the developed world causing concern about the effective use of healthcare resources. The demand to contain healthcare costs and meet the complex needs of patients has led to the development of new and different types of nurse specialist roles. In the UK, these initiatives have been supplemented by reorganizing cancer services to ensure care is delivered by collaborative multiprofessional teams: nurse specialists are considered core team members. While role ambiguity and conflict are acknowledged as barriers to the successful introduction of new roles, little is known about the strategies used by individuals to facilitate role implementation.

Design.  A grounded theory design using purposive and theoretical sampling.

Methods.  Twenty‐nine cancer nurse specialists from five hospitals participated in observation and semistructured interviews. The data were analysed concurrently using the constant comparative method.

Results.  Acceptance, especially by doctors, was the main problem facing cancer nurse specialists. In addition, they experienced insufficient organizational support for their role. Difficulties with acceptance impaired nurses’ ability to provide supportive care to cancer patients. Nurse specialists responded by employing several strategies including building relationships and establishing role boundaries.

Conclusions.  Some strategies used by nurse specialists are more successful than others in facilitating role implementation. While recommendations exist to assist the introduction of new roles in practice, their implementation by healthcare organizations may be limited. Future approaches should focus on helping nurses develop awareness of the problems they face, why they arise and effective mechanisms for their resolution.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings highlight the mismatch between cancer policy aspirations and reality and the actions taken by nurse specialists to overcome the problems they encounter.
Qigong practice among chronically ill patients during the SARS outbreak
Authors: Siu Judy Yuen‐man , Sung Huei‐chuan , Lee Wen‐li
Published: March 2007

Aims and objectives.  This research aimed at exploring the motivations and experiences of chronically ill participants practising qigong during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Hong Kong.

Background.  Although biomedicine is the mainstream medical system in Hong Kong, many people employ complementary and alternative medicine in dealing with their chronic health problems. Practising qigong is one of the most popular forms of complementary and alternative medicine used among chronically ill patients. Little is known about the experiences of the chronically ill patients practising qigong in the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak and even less is known how this practice is related to the social context of Hong Kong during the outbreak.

Design and methods.  Qualitative methods using participant‐observation from three qigong classes in Hong Kong and in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with 30 participants were employed. Content analysis and discourse analysis were used to identify major themes of the data.

Results.  Both the underlying and trigger motivations could motivate these chronically ill participants to practise qigong. Legitimacy of qigong in health maintenance, deterioration of health and unpleasant experiences in biomedical treatment on their chronic illnesses served as the underlying motivations. Stigmatization of and discrimination against the chronically ill and the sense of searching coping strategy during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak further motivated their practice.

Conclusion.  To the participants, practising qigong not only could strengthen their health, but was also a coping strategy for them to regain an active control and the sense of security in their health and enabled them to overcome the social stigmatization and discrimination during the outbreak.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Searching for emotional support and a more active role in health conditions could be seen from the chronically ill participants. Understanding and paying more attention to the particular needs of the chronically ill patients can enable health‐care professionals to provide better care and support for the chronically ill during an epidemic crisis.
Hostility and serum homocysteine as cardiovascular risk factors in Korean patients with coronary artery disease
Authors: Son Youn‐Jung
Published: March 2007

Aims.  The aim of this study is to determine the relationships between hostility and serum homocysteine in Korean patients with coronary artery disease and to identify their effects on the occurrence of coronary artery disease.

Background.  Recently, hostility as a psychosocial factor and serum homocysteine as a biochemical risk factor are gradually accepted as independent risk factors of coronary artery disease but research on the relationship between hostility and homocysteine is rare.

Design.  This is a descriptive and correlative study conducted in the single teaching hospital located in South Korea.

Methods.  Eighty‐four patients with coronary artery disease participated. Semi‐structured interviews were used to measure the level of hostility and the characteristics of participants. Hostility was measured by the Cynical Hostility Scale and fasting blood samples from venous vein was used to measure serum homocysteine level.

Results.  Mean scores for hostility of men were higher than women. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0·001). The serum homocysteine level (11·51 SD 5·43 μmol/l) in patients with coronary artery disease was higher than the normal reference value. Findings of this study indicate that serum homocysteine increased in a statistically consistent pattern with the level of hostility (F = 8·37, p < 0·01).

Conclusions.  This result suggests that high level of hostility may increase cardiovascular risk by elevated serum homocysteine concentration.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The development and applications of nursing interventions for hostility can contribute to reducing the prevalence and mortality rate of coronary artery disease.
Application of a virtual reality prototype for pain relief of pediatric burn in Taiwan
Authors: Chan Engle Angela , Chung Joanne WY , Wong Thomas KS , Lien Angela SY , Yang Jiu Yung
Published: March 2007

Aim.  This study examines the usability and effectiveness of virtual reality in reducing pain in wound‐care procedures for pediatric burn patients in Taiwan.

Background.  Virtual reality has continuously gained prominence in the medical arena, for instance, the telepresence for surgery, the management of mental health disorders and pain control of the paediatric burn. Notwithstanding an increased application of virtual reality in the medical arena in North America, there have been no studies investigating its use for paediatric burn patients in Asia.

Methods.  This descriptive study has two phases: Phase I: the development of a virtual reality prototype. Phase II: the implementation of the prototype to discern its usability and efficacy with paediatric burn patients at a local hospital.

Results.  The findings suggest that a significant difference is found in the children's reported pain, with or without the virtual reality intervention, over the three phases: before, during and after the dressing change. However, less pain was noted in the intervention group during and after the dressing change.

Conclusion.  Adding to the existing clinical value of virtual reality identifies the nature of and different children's responses to pain with the use of virtual reality.

Relevance to clinical practice.  This study is significant since it demonstrates a difference in the child's response to pain based on the nature of presence and distraction. Moreover, given the evidence that a decrease in anxiety was experienced after the dressing change with virtual reality intervention, timing of using the virtual reality intervention before the child develops conditioning anxiety and anticipated pain for the procedure would be of importance.
Comparison of two blood sampling methods in anticoagulation therapy: venipuncture and peripheral venous catheter
Authors: Zengin Neriman , Enç Nuray
Published: March 2007

Aim.  To compare prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time values in concurrent blood samples obtained by direct venipuncture and from a peripheral venous catheter.

Method.  Concurrent blood samples obtained from catheters and by direct venipuncture were studied. Venipuncture samples were labelled as the reference (control) group and the peripheral venous catheter samples as the experimental group. A 21‐gauge needle was used in the venipuncture method and 18G, 20G, 22G catheters were used in the peripheral venous catheters method. In each case, after the blood samples were drawn by venipuncture and peripheral venous catheter the needles were drawn out, 1·8 ml of blood was added to 0·2 ml of citrate to give a 2 ml sample. The tube was shaken gently to mix the blood and citrate well.

Results.  No clinically significant difference between prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time values were seen in the blood samples drawn by venipuncture and peripheral venous catheter methods.

Discussion.  It is recommended that peripheral venous catheter can be used for patients with high bleeding risk if they have a long hospital stay and frequent blood samples are needed.

Relevance to clinical practice.  In clinical applications, nurses may prefer the use of peripheral venous catheter to venipuncture both for the comfort of the patients who get anticoagulation therapy and for the prevention of the risks as a result of venipuncture. Application of peripheral venous catheter eliminates the risks of superficial bleeding, irritation, pain and anxiety caused by venipuncture.
A review of the factors involved in older people's decision making with regard to influenza vaccination: a literature review
Authors: Ward Leigh , Draper Jan
Published: March 2007

Aims and objectives.  The aim of this paper was to develop an understanding of the factors involved in older people's decision making with regard to influenza vaccination to inform strategies to improve vaccine uptake and reduce morbidity and mortality.

Background.  Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality world‐wide. In the UK, it accounts for 3000–6000 deaths annually; 85% of these deaths are people aged 65 and over. Despite this, and the widespread and costly annual government campaigns, some older people at risk of influenza and the associated complications remain reluctant to take advantage of the offer of vaccination.

Methods.  A review of the English language literature referring to older people published between 1996 and 2005 was the method used. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified and applied.

Results.  The majority of the literature was quantitative in nature, investigating personal characteristics thought to be predictors of uptake, such as age, sex, co‐morbidity, educational level, income and area of residence. However, there was little discussion of the possible reasons for the significance of these factors and conflict between findings was often evident, particularly between studies employing different methodologies. Other factors identified were prior experience, concerns about the vaccine, perceived risk and advice and information.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The wealth of demographic information available will be useful at a strategic level in targeting groups identified as being unlikely to accept vaccination. However, the promotion of person‐centred ways of working that value the health beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and subjective experiences of older people is likely to be more successful during individual encounters designed to promote acceptance. Without more research in investigating these concepts, our understanding is inevitably limited.
Nocturnal windborne migration of ground beetles, particularly Pseudoophonus griseus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), in China
Authors: Feng Hong‐Qiang , Zhang Yun‐Hui , Wu Kong‐Ming , Cheng Deng‐Fa , Guo Yu‐Yuan
Published: March 2007

1 A network of light‐traps, an aerial net carried by kytoon (balloon) and two entomological radars were used to investigate whether ground beetles migrate nocturnally through China. The network‐wide, simultaneous sudden increase in light trap catches, and after subsequent decrease, indicated a seasonal long‐distance night migration of ground beetles, with Pseudoophonus griseus (Panzer) predominant, in August.

2 Aerial net trapping indicated that carabids were able to ascend to altitudes of at least 200 m and become windborne. Radar observations indicated that the migratory beetles formed high‐density layer concentrations at approximately 200–300 m.

3 These concentrations were coincident with the top of the temperature inversion and a wind speed maximum, which suggested that the carabids tended to select warm, fast moving air for their long‐distance migration.

4 The ground beetles orientated and displaced towards the downwind direction in southerly winds. Their air speed decreased as the tailwind increased and, thus, migrating beetles appeared to be conserving energy.

5 The mean ± SD displacement speed (ground speed) and air speed were 6.85 ± 1.73 m/s (n= 172) and 4.45 ± 1.54 m/s (n= 172), respectively. The duration of flight, estimated from the variation in area density derived from radar data, was approximately 9–10 h, indicating that the beetles might migrate hundreds of kilometres in a single flight.
Field performance and seasonal changes in the efficacy against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) of transgenic cotton expressing the insecticidal protein vip3A
Authors: Llewellyn Danny J. , Mares Cheryl L. , Fitt Gary P.
Published: March 2007

1 Three years of field experiments in Eastern Australia were carried out on transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) event Cot102 expressing the insecticidal protein gene vip3A from Bacillus thuringiensis to evaluate performance against Helicoverpa armigera Hübner. Efficacy, defined as the capacity of plant tissues to induce larval mortality, was determined with a well‐validated leaf bioassay fortnightly through the growth cycle of the cotton in each season.

2 Cot102 plants proved highly efficacious against H. armigera, particularly early in the season, although their efficacy declined as the season progressed, in a manner similar to, but not as dramatic as, that observed with commercial Cry1Ac expressing cotton (Bollgard or Ingard cotton).

3 Field surveys indicated that very few larvae survived beyond first instar on intact growing plants.

4 In one season efficacy declined for a period of approximately 20 days after a cool wet period, suggesting that this may have had a detrimental effect on the expression or efficacy of the gene, but this will need to be verified in further replicated trials.

5 Quantitative enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays indicated that there was no dramatic reduction in production of the vip3A protein during growth and maturation of the crop, suggesting that other host plant factors were affecting the efficacy of the insecticidal protein in the insect gut.

6 These data indicate that Cot102 cotton would provide a useful alternative to Bollgard cotton but, given the similar lytic mode of action of vip3A proteins in the insect midgut, there may be similar inherent vulnerabilities to resistance evolution for these proteins if used alone. Pyramiding of the vip3A trait with a second insecticidal gene would appear to be a high priority for achieving sustainable deployment against H. armigera or similar susceptible species.
Laying a foundation for lifelong learning: Case studies of e‐assessment in large 1st‐year classes
Authors: Nicol David
Published: March 2007

Concerns about noncompletion and the quality of the 1st‐year student experience have been linked to recent changes in higher education such as modularisation, increased class sizes, greater diversity in the student intake and reduced resources. Improving formative assessment and feedback processes is seen as one way of addressing academic failure, of enhancing the learning experience and students’ chances of success in the early years of study. This paper argues that if this is to happen, a broader perspective on the purposes of formative assessment and feedback is required, one that links these processes to the development of learner self‐regulation. It then shows, through two case studies drawn from the Re‐engineering Assessment Practices project, how information and communication technology might support formative assessment processes and the development of self‐regulation in large 1st‐year classes. Finally, the paper presents a set of principles for the effective design and evaluation of formative assessment and feedback processes.
Stratification, elaboration and formalisation of design documents: Effects on the production of instructional materials
Authors: Boot Eddy W. , Nelson Jon , Van Merriënboer Jeroen J.G. , Gibbons Andrew S.
Published: March 2007

Designers and producers of instructional materials lack a common design language. As a result, producers have difficulties translating design documents into technical specifications. The 3D‐model is introduced to improve the stratification, elaboration and formalisation of design documents. It is hypothesised that producers working with improved documents (n = 8) show a more efficient translation process and more satisfaction with the design documents than producers working with traditional documents (n = 8). As expected, in the improved documents group, a higher agreement was found between the design documents and the technical specifications, which also required less time and less perceived cognitive load for their production. There were no differences in satisfaction with the design documents. The study shows that designers, working with the 3D‐model, are able to improve design documents, resulting in a better translation process.
Can mood‐inducing videos affect problem‐solving activities in a web‐based environment?
Authors: Verleur Ria , Verhagen Pløn W. , Heuvelman Ard
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a video‐induced positive and negative mood has a differential effect on subsequent problem‐solving activities in a web‐based environment. The study also examined whether task conditions (task demands) moderated the mood effect. As in traditional experimental mood‐effect studies, the affective video materials were not related to the tasks. The results show that affective video clips did impact performance on an insight task but not on a divergent‐thinking task. This provides evidence that in some cases affective video has an effect on the performance of unrelated tasks in a web‐based environment.
The use of Meta‐Analysis Risk Estimates for Candidate Genes in Combination to Predict Coronary Heart Disease Risk
Authors: Drenos F. , Whittaker J. C. , Humphries S. E.
Published: March 2007

Although the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with single SNPs is modest it has been suggested that, in combination, several common risk‐associated alleles could lead to a substantially better heart disease risk prediction. We have modelled this using 10 SNPs in ten candidate genes (APOB, NOS3, APOE, ACE, SERPINE1, MTHFR, ITGA2B, PON 1, LPL, and CETP) and their predicted summary risk estimates from meta‐analysis. Based on published allele frequencies, ∼29% of the general population would be expected to carry less than three risk alleles, approximately 55% would carry 3 or 4 risk alleles, 4% would have 6 and 1% 7 or more risk alleles. Compared to the mean of those with 3 or 4 risk associated genotypes, those with 6 and 7‐or‐more alleles have a significantly higher risk odds ratio (OR) of CHD (mean OR (95% Confidence Intervals), 1.70 (1.14 to 2.55); and 4.51 (2.89 to 7.04) respectively), while compared to those in the lowest decile of risk, those in the highest decile have a CHD odds ratio in the range of 3.05 (2.24 to 4.14). Taking into account age and the risk alleles carried, the mean 10 year probability for developing CHD for a 55 year old man was calculated to be 15% (8.6% to 24.8%), with nearly 1 in 5 having more than 20% risk. Whether this particular group of 10 SNPs will improve the accuracy of CHD predictions over the combination of classical risk factors in clinical use requires further experimental evidence.