bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complete mitochondrial genomes of Thai and Lao populations indicate an ancient origin of Austroasiatic groups and demic diffusion in the spread of Tai-Kadai languages
Authors: Kutanan Wibhu , Kampuansai Jatupol , Srikummool Metawee , Kangwanpong Daoroong , Ghirotto Silvia , Brunelli Andrea , Stoneking Mark
Published: July 2016

The Tai-Kadai (TK) language family is thought to have originated in southern China and spread to Thailand and Laos, but it is not clear if TK languages spread by demic diffusion (i.e., a migration of people from southern China) or by cultural diffusion, with native Austroasiatic (AA) speakers switching to TK languages. To address this and other questions, we obtained 1,234 complete mtDNA genome sequences from 51 TK and AA groups from Thailand and Laos. We find high genetic heterogeneity, with 212 haplogroups. TK groups are more genetically homogeneous than AA groups, with the latter exhibiting more ancient/basal mtDNA lineages, and showing more drift effects. Modeling of demic diffusion, cultural diffusion, and admixture scenarios consistently supports the spread of TK languages by demic diffusion. Surprisingly, there is significant genetic differentiation within ethnolinguistic groups, calling into question the common assumption that there is genetic homogeneity within ethnolinguistic groups.
Anex vivolung model to study bronchioles infected withPseudomonas aeruginosabiofilms
Authors: Harrison Freya , Diggle Stephen P.
Published: July 2016

A key aim in microbiology is to determine the genetic and phenotypic bases of bacterial virulence, persistence and antimicrobial resistance in chronic biofilm infections. This requires tractable, high-throughput models that reflect the physical and chemical environment encountered in specific infection contexts. Such models will increase the predictive power of microbiological experiments and provide platforms for enhanced testing of novel antibacterial or antivirulence therapies. We present an optimisedex vivomodel of cystic fibrosis lung infection:ex vivoculture of pig bronchiolar tissue in artificial cystic fibrosis mucus. We focus on the formation of biofilms byPseudomonas aeruginosa. We show highly repeatable and specific formation of biofilms that resemble clinical biofilms by a commonly-studied lab strain and ten cystic fibrosis isolates of this key opportunistic pathogen.
Molecular and biological characterization of an isolate ofTomato mottle mosaic virus(ToMMV) infecting tomato and other experimental hosts in a greenhouse in Valencia, Spain
Authors: Ambrós S. , Martínez F. , Ivars P. , Hernández C. , de la Iglesia F. , Elena S.F.
Published: July 2016

Tomato is known to be a natural and experimental reservoir host for many plant viruses. In the last few years a new tobamovirus species,Tomato mottle mosaic virus(ToMMV), has been described infecting tomato and pepper plants in several countries worldwide. Upon observation of symptoms in tomato plants growing in a greenhouse in Valencia, Spain, we aimed to ascertain the etiology of the disease. Using standard molecular techniques, we first detected a positive sense single-stranded RNA virus as the probable causal agent. Next, we amplified, cloned and sequenced a ~3 kb fragment of its RNA genome which allowed us to identify the virus as a new ToMMV isolate. Through extensive assays on distinct plant species, we validated Koch’s postulates and investigated the host range of the ToMMV isolate. Several plant species were locally and/or systemically infected by the virus, some of which had not been previously reported as ToMMV hosts despite they are commonly used in research greenhouses. Finally, two reliable molecular diagnostic techniques were developed and used to assess the presence of ToMMV in different plants species. We discuss the possibility that, given the high sequence homology between ToMMV andTomato mosaic virus, the former may have been mistakenly diagnosed as the latter by serological methods.
Regulating telomere length from the inside out: the replication fork model
Authors: Greider Carol W.
Published: July 2016

Telomere length is regulated around an equilibrium set point. Telomeres shorten during replication and are lengthened by telomerase. Disruption of the length equilibrium leads to disease; thus, it is important to understand the mechanisms that regulate length at the molecular level. The prevailing protein-counting model for regulating telomerase access to elongate the telomere does not explain accumulating evidence of a role of DNA replication in telomere length regulation. Here I present an alternative model: the replication fork model that can explain how passage of a replication fork and regulation of origin firing affect telomere length.
The epidermis coordinates auxin-induced stem growth in response to shade
Authors: Procko Carl , Burko Yogev , Jaillais Yvon , Ljung Karin , Long Jeff A. , Chory Joanne
Published: July 2016

Growth of a complex multicellular organism requires coordinated changes in diverse cell types. These cellular changes generate organs of the correct size, shape, and functionality. In plants, the growth hormone auxin induces stem elongation in response to shade; however, which cell types of the stem perceive the auxin signal and contribute to organ growth is poorly understood. Here, we blocked the transcriptional response to auxin within specific tissues to show that auxin signaling is required in many cell types for correct hypocotyl growth in shade, with a key role for the epidermis. Combining genetic manipulations in Arabidopsis thaliana with transcriptional profiling of the hypocotyl epidermis from Brassica rapa, we show that auxin acts in the epidermis in part by inducing activity of the locally acting, growth-promoting brassinosteroid pathway. Our findings clarify cell-specific auxin function in the hypocotyl and highlight the complexity of cell type interactions within a growing organ.
A microRNA program in the C. elegans hypodermis couples to intestinal mTORC2/PQM-1 signaling to modulate fat transport
Authors: Dowen Robert H. , Breen Peter C. , Tullius Thomas , Conery Annie L. , Ruvkun Gary
Published: July 2016

Animals integrate metabolic, developmental, and environmental information before committing key resources to reproduction. In Caenorhabditis elegans, adult animals transport fat from intestinal cells to the germline to promote reproduction. We identified a microRNA (miRNA)-regulated developmental timing pathway that functions in the hypodermis to nonautonomously coordinate the mobilization of intestinal fat stores to the germline upon initiation of adulthood. This developmental timing pathway, which is controlled by the lin-4 and let-7 miRNAs, engages mTOR signaling in the intestine. The intestinal signaling component is specific to mTORC2 and functions in parallel to the insulin pathway to modulate the activity of the serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase (SGK-1). Surprisingly, SGK-1 functions independently of DAF-16/FoxO; instead, SGK-1 promotes the cytoplasmic localization of the PQM-1 transcription factor, which antagonizes intestinal fat mobilization at the transcriptional level when localized to the nucleus. These results revealed that a non-cell-autonomous developmental input regulates intestinal fat metabolism by engaging mTORC2 signaling to promote the intertissue transport of fat reserves from the soma to the germline.
HGF-independent regulation of MET and GAB1 by nonreceptor tyrosine kinase FER potentiates metastasis in ovarian cancer
Authors: Fan Gaofeng , Zhang Siwei , Gao Yan , Greer Peter A. , Tonks Nicholas K.
Published: July 2016

Ovarian cancer cells disseminate readily within the peritoneal cavity, which promotes metastasis, and are often resistant to chemotherapy. Ovarian cancer patients tend to present with advanced disease, which also limits treatment options; consequently, new therapies are required. The oncoprotein tyrosine kinase MET, which is the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), has been implicated in ovarian tumorigenesis and has been the subject of extensive drug development efforts. Here, we report a novel ligand- and autophosphorylation-independent activation of MET through the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase feline sarcoma-related (FER). We demonstrated that the levels of FER were elevated in ovarian cancer cell lines relative to those in immortalized normal surface epithelial cells and that suppression of FER attenuated the motility and invasive properties of these cancer cells. Furthermore, loss of FER impaired the metastasis of ovarian cancer cells in vivo. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that FER phosphorylated a signaling site in MET: Tyr1349. This enhanced activation of RAC1/PAK1 and promoted a kinase-independent scaffolding function that led to recruitment and phosphorylation of GAB1 and the specific activation of the SHP2–ERK signaling pathway. Overall, this analysis provides new insights into signaling events that underlie metastasis in ovarian cancer cells, consistent with a prometastatic role of FER and highlighting its potential as a novel therapeutic target for metastatic ovarian cancer.
Organized chaos
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: July 2016

Purpose

There are valuable lessons that can be learned from the software industry regarding process improvement. The modern library is now so closely wedded to technology that the way in which services are implemented mirrors that of software development.

Design/methodology/approach

Several methodologies are explored and compared to processes that involve the implementation of digital services in libraries.

Findings

Libraries have reconsidered how they might adopt various business practices to improve service delivery.

Originality/value

This column advocates a study of software development methodologies that have been adopted across the industry with the hope that lessons learned in the corporate world and also in manufacturing could be of value to the digital library.
Library Lights Out
Authors: Otto Justin L. , Meade Qing H. , Stafford Jeffrey L. , Wahler Patricia
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of Library Lights Out, an annual collaboration between the library and Housing & Residential Life at Eastern Washington University (EWU). This creative outreach program features collaborative educational and recreational activities, is a cost-sharing partnership and serves to further the organizational goals of both the library and Housing & Residential Life.

Design/methodology/approach

The John F. Kennedy Library at EWU was initially approached by Housing & Residential Life with the idea for an overnight event in the library, which became Library Lights Out. Student participants in this event spend the night in the library and participate in a variety of educational, team-building and fun programs, such as a library resources scavenger hunt and “capture the flag” in the library stacks. Library Lights Out has become an annual event funded primarily by Housing & Residential Life, facilitated by the library and driven by students.

Findings

Library Lights Out has been a successful partnership that benefits the library, students and Housing & Residential Life.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the limited body of literature on academic library outreach to residence halls by highlighting three unique aspects of Library Lights Out. First, it is a cost-sharing partnership which was initiated by Housing & Residential Life and not by the library. Second, it occurs in the library and not in the residence halls, unlike most library outreach to residence halls. Finally, it is an overnight sleepover event with a combination of an educational program and recreational activities and games.
Landslide hazard of Maninjau area
Authors: Istijono Bambang , Hakam Abdul , Ophiyandri Taufika
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the potential landslide of Maninjau area.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review and field investigation were undertaken to determine the potential landslide of Maninjau area. The field study includes the physical and mechanical properties of the soil in Maninjau area.

Findings

The Maninjau Lake area is very prone to landslides. Landslides in Maninjau may happen especially for slopes more than 40 per cent. The action plan must be done as well as the installation of the early warning equipment in the landslide-prone areas and re-plantation on critical ground.

Originality/value

The paper is very specific as it attempts to discover how prone Maninjau area is to landslides.
Long-term socio-spatial transformation of earthquake-affected neighbourhoods in Bhuj
Authors: Taheri Tafti Mojgan , Tomlinson Richard
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the socio-spatial transformation of earthquake-affected neighbourhoods as a setting for understanding post-disaster recovery trajectories of people, their opportunities for achieving housing recovery and their housing recovery outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a case study approach, this paper focuses on two neighbourhoods located in old urban areas of the city of Bhuj, India. The authors map the transformation of the built environment from before the earthquake, immediately after the earthquake and 10 years after the earthquake. While explaining the morphological changes of the built environment, the authors examine the associated changes in the social fabric of the neighbourhoods by explaining who stayed in their neighbourhoods, who moved out or moved in and who were displaced after the earthquake.

Findings

The authors explore the role of post-disaster public policies, including urban planning, in these changes and in shaping the opportunities of households and individuals for achieving recovery. These policies are compared and contrasted with other urban disaster responses to provide a better understanding of the possibilities of achieving more just recovery outcomes.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the scant literature on post-disaster planning in cities of developing countries.
A multi-criteria methodology for measuring the resilience of transportation assets
Authors: Dojutrek Michelle S. , Labi Samuel , Dietz J. Eric
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Transportation project evaluation and prioritization use traditional performance measures including travel time, safety, user costs, economic efficiency and environmental quality. The project impacts in terms of enhancing the infrastructure resilience or mitigating the consequences of infrastructure damage in the event of disaster occurrence are rarely considered in project evaluation. This paper aims to present a methodology to address this issue so that in prioritizing investments, infrastructure with low security can receive the attention they deserve. Second, the methodology can be used for prioritizing candidate investments from a budget that is dedicated specifically to security enhancement.

Design/methodology/approach

In defining security as the absence of risk of damage from threats due to inherent structural or functional resilience, this paper uses security-related considerations in investment prioritization, thus introducing robustness in such evaluation. As this leads to an increase in the number of performance criteria in the evaluation, the paper adopts a multi-criteria analysis approach. The paper’s methodology quantifies the overall security level for an infrastructure in terms of the threats it faces, its resilience to damage and the consequences in the event of the infrastructure damage.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that it is feasible to develop a security-related measure that can be used as a performance criterion in the evaluation of general transportation projects or projects dedicated specifically toward security improvement. Through a case study, the paper applies the methodology by measuring the risk (and hence, security) of each for multiple infrastructure assets. On the basis of the multiple types of impacts including risk impacts (i.e. increase in security) because of each candidate investment, the paper shows how to prioritize security investments across the multiple infrastructure assets using multi-criteria analysis.

Originality/value

The overall framework consists of the traditional steps in risk management, and the paper’s specific contribution is in the part of the framework that measures the risk. The paper shows how infrastructure security can be quantified and incorporated in the project evaluation process.
The impact of urban form on disaster resiliency
Authors: Irajifar Leila , Sipe Neil , Alizadeh Tooran
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper examines the impact of urban form on disaster resiliency. The literature shows a complex relationship between urban form factors such as density and diversity and disaster recovery. The empirical analysis in this paper tests the impact of land use mix, population density, building type and diversity on the reconstruction progress in three, six and nine months after the 2010 flood in Brisbane and Ipswich as proxies of disaster resilience. Considerable debate exists on whether urban form factors are the causal incentive or are they mediating other non-urban form causal factors such as income level. In view of this, the effects of a series of established non-urban form factors such as income and tenure, already known as effective factors on disaster resilience, are controlled in the analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The structure of this paper is based on a two-phase research approach. In the first phase, for identification of hypothetical relationships between urban form and disaster resiliency, information was gathered from different sources on the basis of theory and past research findings. Then in phase two, a database was developed to test these hypothetical relationships, employing statistical techniques (including multivariate regression and correlation analysis) in which disaster recovery was compared among 76 suburbs of Brisbane and Ipswich with differing levels of population density and land use mix.

Findings

The results indicate that population density is positively related to disaster resilience, even when controlling for contextual variables such as income level and home ownership. The association between population density and disaster reconstruction is non-linear. The progress of reconstruction to population density ratio increases from low, medium to high densities, while in very low and very high density areas the reconstruction progress does not show the same behavior, which suggests that medium-high density is the most resilient.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is in extracting hypothetical relationships between urban form and resiliency and testing them with real world data. The results confirmed the contribution of density to recovery process in this case study. This illustrates the importance of attention to disaster resiliency measures from the early stages of design and planning in development of resilient urban communities.
Profiling company-generic production capabilities in the process industries and strategic implications
Authors: Samuelsson Peter , Storm Per , Lager Thomas
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– A robust description of the material transformation system is fundamental for understanding its capabilities and thus for communicating, prioritising and changing the system. Deploying a previously developed configuration model the purpose of this paper is to test the industrial usability of the model as an instrument to gain a better understanding of the material transformation system through externalising the generic production capabilities of the system.

Design/methodology/approach

– In a multiple case study approach and using a prior conceptual configuration model of the material transformation system in the process industries as a research instrument, company-generic production capabilities were investigated in three companies representing the mineral, food and steel industries.

Findings

– The empirical results supported the utility of the model as an instrument in providing a coherent set of elements that define operations and thus serve as a platform to model company-generic production capabilities and serve as input to strategizing though implicating needed change to the material transformation system. The theoretical contribution was mainly the empirical validation of the previously developed conceptual model as a tool in knowledge formation of the capabilities of the system and to outline the concept of “production capabilities configuration”.

Research limitations/implications

– Three sectors of the process industries were studied but it is recommended that the results should be replicated in complementary case studies or a survey of larger samples from the process industries. Those studies should not only be limited to increase the empirical knowledge base, but possibly to identify additional new variables, further refine the set of variables in the present model and investigate their relationships.

Practical implications

– It is argued that the model can already be used as a tool to support both horizontal and vertical communication on production capabilities, thus facilitating, e.g. manufacturing strategy development.

Originality/value

– The validated conceptual model supported by the empirical evidence is new knowledge to be used in the analysis of company-generic production capabilities in the process industries.
Assessing leanness level with demand dynamics in a multi-stage production system
Authors: Ali Rehab , Deif Ahmed
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a dynamic model to measure the degree of system’s leanness under dynamic demand conditions using a novel integrated metric.

Design/methodology/approach

– The multi-stage production system model is based on a system dynamics approach. The leanness level is measured using a new developed integrated metric that combines efficiency, WIP performance as well as service level. The analysis includes design of experiment technique at the initial analysis to examine the most significant parameters impacting the leanness score and then followed by examining different dynamic demand scenarios. Two scenarios were examined: one focussed low demand variation with various means (testing the impact of demand volumes) while the second focussed on high demand variation with constant means (testing the impact of demand variability).

Findings

– Results using the data from a real case study indicated that given the model parameters, demand rate has the highest impact on leanness score dynamics. The next phase of the analysis thus focussed on investigating the effect of demand dynamics on the leanness score. The analysis highlighted the different effects of demand variability and volumes on the leanness score and its different components leading to various demand and production management recommendations in this dynamic environment.

Research limitations/implications

– The presented lean management policies and recommendations are verified within the scope of similar systems to the considered company in terms of manufacturing settings and demand environment. Further research will be carried to extend the dynamic model to other dynamic manufacturing and service settings.

Practical implications

– The developed metric can be used not only to assess the leanness level of the systems which is very critical to lean practitioners but also can be used to track lean implementation progress. In addition, the presented analysis outlined various demand management as well as lean implementation policies that can improve the system leanness level and overall performance.

Originality/value

– The presented research develops a novel integrated metric and adds to the few literature on dynamic analysis of lean systems. Furthermore, the conducted analysis revealed some new aspects in understanding the relation between demand (variability and volume) and the leanness level of the systems. This will aid lean practitioners to set better demand and production management policies in today’s dynamic environment as well as take better decisions concerning lean technology investments.
A comparative evaluation of manufacturing flexibility adoption in SMEs and large firms in India
Authors: Mishra Ruchi
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the status of manufacturing flexibility adoption, its barriers and adoption practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large firms in India.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using mixed methods sequential explanatory design, this study employs survey responses from 121 firms, followed by 16 semi-structured interviews to investigate and explain the status of manufacturing flexibility adoption, barriers to adoption and practices adopted to achieve flexibility in SMEs and large firms in India.

Findings

– The study suggests that awareness of manufacturing flexibility concept in SMEs is considerably low and application of manufacturing flexibility is still at embryonic stage. It was found that both SMEs and large firms employ manufacturing flexibility, but they differ with respect to their emphasis on adoption practices used to achieve flexibility. SMEs emphasize entrepreneurial orientation and flexible human resource practices to achieve flexibility, whereas large firms emphasize practices such as technological capability, sourcing practices and integration practices to achieve flexibility. The study also illustrates barriers that hinder manufacturing flexibility adoption at plant level in India.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is cross-sectional in nature and is limited to specific regions of India. The use of subjective measures in survey questionnaire is another limitation of the study.

Practical implications

– Practitioners should consider combinations of adoption practices to achieve the desired level of manufacturing flexibility. It is also important to give due consideration to barriers before considering manufacturing flexibility adoption.

Originality/value

– The findings contribute to the manufacturing flexibility and SMEs research by providing insights into manufacturing flexibility adoption from the developing economy perspective and by widening the scope of existing research into SMEs.
Research data management: a conceptual framework
Authors: Patel Dimple
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Research data management (RDM) is gaining a lot of momentum in the present day and rightly so. Research data are the core of any research study. The findings and conclusions of a study are entirely dependent on the research data. Traditional publishing did not focus on the presentation of data, along with the publications such as research monographs and especially journal articles, probably because of the difficulties involved in managing the research data sets. The current day technology, however, has helped in making this task easier. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for managing research data at the institutional level.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses the significance and advantages of sharing research data. In the spirit of open access to publications, freeing research data and making it available openly, with minimal restrictions, will help in not only furthering research and development but also avoiding duplication of efforts. The issues and challenges involved in RDM at the institutional level are discussed.

Findings

A conceptual framework for RDM at the institutional level is presented. A model for a National Repository of Open Research Data (NRORD) is also proposed, and the workflow of the functioning of NRORD is also presented.

Originality/value

The framework clearly presents the workflow of the data life-cycle in its various phases right from its creation, storage, organization and sharing. It also attempts to address crucial issues in RDM such as data privacy, data security, copyright and licensing. The framework may help the institutions in managing the research data life-cycle in a more efficient and effective manner.
Information literacy and open access in Croatian academic libraries
Authors: Hebrang Grgic Ivana
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present results of a survey of Croatian academic libraries’ user education about open access (OA)-related issues. The concept of OA literacy will be explained, and the term will be put in the context of information literacy (IL) and scholarly communication.

Design/methodology/approach

An anonymous online questionnaire was sent to all the Croatian academic libraries with the aim to find out if libraries are involved in OA and to learn about plans for user education about the aspect of IL that is important for using OA information.

Findings

Almost all the libraries are involved in OA publishing, either through OA repositories or through OA journals. However, 22 per cent of the libraries do not educate their users about OA. Two most important IL skills in the context of OA are finding OA information and understanding OA citation advantage. Academic libraries in Croatia mostly recognize the questionable publishers as a threat for OA. However, 40 per cent of libraries do not plan any form of education about OA literacy.

Practical implications

The results of this research can be a basis for creating programmes of user education in academic libraries. Some problems are recognized, some skills are identified and further steps could be undertaken to improve academic library users’ OA literacy skills.

Originality/value

The research results contribute to understanding the importance of academic libraries in developing OA literacy of their users. The paper gives results of a survey of Croatian academic libraries and some new perspectives for authors, readers and libraries on how to evaluate OA sources using OA literacy skills.
The role of libraries in the dissemination of health information in Botswana
Authors: Ntlotlang Tuelo , Grand Balulwami
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of public libraries in the dissemination of health information in the southern part of Botswana, namely, Kgatleng and Kweneng districts. It also explored how these libraries market health information services to the community they serve. The study also used health information acquisition model to get an understanding on how public library users seek health information.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey research design was chosen for the study and purposive sampling procedure was used to obtain the sample size of the population. The sample size consisted of 120 respondents and six interviewees. Data were collected from both library staff and users using questionnaires and interviews.

Findings

The results of the study showed that public libraries are striving to provide accurate and useful health information to members of the community by collecting and availing both print and electronic health information sources. The findings further indicated that public libraries have marketing programmes that they use on raising awareness of health information to their clientele. The marketing programmes include outreach, library brochures/leaflets, newsletters and library exhibitions. The results of the study also showed that there were some challenges that hindered the library users to access and use health information (e.g. lack of appropriateness of information resources and limited number of health information sources).

Originality/value

For a better dissemination of health information, public libraries should establish working relationships with health agencies and communication organisations or media houses with the objective of cooperative developments of collections, referrals and shared training.
Library and information science education as ignition source for services in non-academic special libraries
Authors: Ahmed Waqar , Soroya Muhammad Shahid
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the number, difference and ratio of professionals and non-professionals heading toward non-academic special libraries (NASL). This study also explored the difference of provision of services based on educational qualifications.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative survey research method and questionnaire as a data collection tool was used to conduct the study. The questionnaire contained four educational levels against the 18 services variables. No list or directory being available, 71 special libraries were assured to be there in Lahore through snowball-sampling technique. Out of 71 questionnaires, 41 were returned and analyzed using Chi-Square test in Statistical Package for Social Sciences.

Findings

Findings indicated that 56 per cent of the libraries were headed by LIS professionals, while rest of 44 per cent of the libraries was headed by persons with no professional education. Chi-Square test’s p value indicated the significant difference in the orientation, reference service and document reservation service. The professionally qualified library managers were found better at providing librarians’ end services.

Originality/value

The present study is the first of its kind in Pakistan, which marked the vacant positions and indicated the differences of services based on level of education. It depicted the electronic, librarians end, and technical knowledge and multi-factor services and measured its variation on the educational grounds.
Saudi students, american academic library: a survey
Authors: Ibraheem Abiodun I. , Devine Christopher
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the experiences, both academic and interpersonal, of a cohort of Saudi Arabian students in using the library of a medium-sized American university. It also examined how these experiences were similar to, or different from, those of other international students observed in earlier research studies conducted in American academic libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used an online and paper survey that queried 169 Saudi Arabian students who were studying at Robert Morris University in 2015.

Findings

This study determined that many survey subjects struggled with language issues, the unfamiliar structure of American libraries and interpersonal communication with library staff. It also found that the respondents believed that formal instruction in the use of the library was helpful to them.

Research limitations/implications

The broad nature of the survey precluded comparison with a control group of students. The findings regarding the subjects’ interactions with library staff were, in some cases, ambiguous. An additional study will be necessary to clarify those experiences.

Practical implications

This study’s findings strongly support the value of formal library instruction programs for international students and the need for libraries to highly prioritize the importance of interpersonal communication in their services.

Originality/value

This is the first study to focus on the library experiences of Saudi Arabian students in an American academic library. It is of value to librarians and administrators, as well as to individuals who design and provide academic support services for international students.
From innovation to application of personal cooling vest
Authors: Chan Albert P.C , Wong Francis K.W. , Yang Yang
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The Hong Kong government agencies launched a “Cooling Vest Promotion Pilot Scheme” across four industries, namely, construction, horticulture and cleaning, airport apron services, and kitchen and catering industries in 2013. A follow-up questionnaire survey regarding this innovative heat stress controlling measure was administered to evaluate its applicability to these industries. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The questionnaire surveys were separately administered to frontline workers and management staff. A total of 232 workers from the four industries participated in the full-scale questionnaire survey (A), which aimed to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of cooling vests, worker satisfaction, and willingness to wear cooling vests. The survey was also geared toward eliciting the comments of the workers regarding logistics-related issues. A total of 100 members of the management staff across the four industries participated in the questionnaire survey (B), which aimed to solicit their feedback about the Pilot Scheme and the logistic arrangements for using cooling vests.

Findings

– On the basis of the survey results, a systems model was established. The model revealed that the applicability of cooling vests mainly depends on the perceived benefits (i.e. worker satisfaction) and logistic costs. The results implied that the existing personal cooling vest failed to satisfy the workers’ needs and incurred potential logistic costs, which likely limited the broad application of cooling vests.

Originality/value

– The current study employed a systematics thinking approach and provided practical recommendations that could benefit industrial practitioners in the extensive application of an innovative heat stress precautionary measure.
Micro-foundation strategies of IOT, BDA, Cloud Computing
Authors: Verma Surabhi , Sekhar Bhattacharyya Som
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Understanding the circumstance of an emerging market is often difficult, but technologies, such as internet of things (IoT), big data analytics (BDA), cloud computing (CC), are helping usher in an era in which understanding could be better and more quickly achieved. These technologies could also play a big role in enabling IT revolution in the developing nations to help companies’ market products and services billions of consumers at bottom of the pyramid (BOP). The aim of this paper is to build a conceptual interface of IoT, personal digital assistant (PDA), BDA and CC and the opportunities sprouting from such technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a review paper.

Findings

Emerging technologies could allow us to study large population of BOP and social workgroups in near-real time to predict individual and group behaviors, coordination challenges, team social dynamics, and performance outcomes. Organizations will be able to find the differences between stated versus revealed preferences by tracking data on mobile applications, social media engagement, purchasing, and consumption. Social network studies could examine the dynamics of formal and informal networks as they form and evolve, as well as their impact on individual, network, and organizational and social behaviors. High-volume but granular data from emerging technologies could tell more about the social behaviors in BOP than current data-collection methods allow and have the potential to transform management theory and practice serving BOP markets. This will have a profound effect in the BOP markets and firms’ engagements.

Originality/value

This is the first attempt to integrate IoT, BDA and CC with micro-foundations of strategy.
Ultra high‐frequency ultrasound: New capabilities for nail anatomy exploration
Authors: Berritto Daniela , Iacobellis Francesca , Rossi Claudia , Reginelli Alfonso , Cappabianca Salvatore , Grassi Roberto
Published: July 2016

Recent development of ultra high‐resolution ultrasound systems, with frequencies as high as 70 MHz and capability resolution as fine as 30 μm, could permit new diagnostic applications to small parts. A variety of superficial targets within the first 1 cm of the skin surface could be imaged, including dermatological applications such as assessment of skin layers, hair follicles and the nail unit. Nail disorders are frequent but they are diagnosed mainly based on clinical examination; although biopsies and scrapings can provide clinically significant information, most patients do not perceive biopsies positively. To image the skin layer and annexes is often difficult with conventional ultrasound but, because of anatomical details obtained with the newest systems, this method holds great promise for addressing important biomedical applications offering unique advantages over the existing non‐invasive imaging modalities. This will enable physicians to assess and manage the conditions involving the nails of a large and growing segment of the population in a better way.
Paradigmatic cases of pigmented lesions: How to not miss melanoma
Authors: Farnetani Francesca , Scope Alon , Coco Valeria , Guida Stefania , Cesinaro Anna Maria , Piana Simonetta , Peris Ketty , Pellacani Giovanni , Longo Caterina
Published: July 2016

A large number of cases of melanoma exhibit clinical and dermoscopic clues leading to the correct diagnosis; however, sometimes melanoma can mimic benign melanocytic and non‐melanocytic lesions. We present a small series of melanomas in which additional clues provided by confocal microscopy increased the index of suspicion and prompted us to perform an excisional biopsy. Practical rules that are useful in difficult‐to‐diagnose melanomas are discussed.
Critical Thoughts on Keywords in Gender and History: An Introduction
Authors: Hassim Shireen
Published: July 2016

This introduction lays out the key themes addressed in the Forum and emphasises the importance of understanding historical description and theory as mutually constitutive. The contributions to the Forum interrogate key categories of analysis in feminist history including the gender binary, gender crisis, agency and intersectionality. The articles show how the study of historical events and processes in their particular detail reframes the categories used to construct feminist theories of stability and disruption. The productive encounters between feminist history and feminist theory in this Forum offer new and interesting ways to reframe research questions.
Degrading the Male Body: Manhood and Conflict in the High‐medieval Low Countries
Authors: Meysman Stefan
Published: July 2016

Recent studies of medieval manhood have prompted scholars to revisit the established research field of medieval conflict and have directed attention towards the role of gendered violence in (elite) political culture. However, symbolic impermanent defamations of the male body proper remain to be discussed. Drawing from the rich narrative sources from the high‐medieval Low Countries, this article aims in particular at remedying this blind spot by scrutinising specific forms of gendered violence, such as the enforced shearing of an elite man's beard or a public mocking of his chivalric manly fortitude. It also presents the argument that these practices, when used in contexts of conflict and punishment, not only tapped into the authority of ancient traditions and rituals but rather might have served clear contemporary interests relating to the pacification of society. Such tactics would have helped to avoid feud in a world in which aristocratic manly honour regularly seemed to demand it, especially in a time when centralised and consolidated structures for conflict management were still lacking and a religiously inspired peace ideal influenced policy‐making as well as day‐to‐day social dynamics.
Should we Abstain? Spousal Equality in Twelfth‐century Byzantine Canon Law
Authors: Perisanidi Maroula
Published: July 2016

Spousal equality was not an ideal to which medieval societies generally aspired. Discussions about social order advocated a strict hierarchical structure: the man was to be the head of the household and the master of his wife. Did this subservient state of the wife extend to all spheres of family life or was there a space where spouses could act as equals? In this article I focus on one aspect of Byzantine spousal relations: the marital bed. I argue that there was a difference between lay and clerical couples. Among the Byzantine laity, husband and wife were equally responsible for deciding whether to engage in sexual intercourse. Canon law addressed lay husbands and wives as a couple. Among the clergy, however, the husband's responsibilities towards his flock sometimes required him to decide unilaterally in favour of abstinence. According to the law, it was the cleric's duty to ensure that this happened. As such it was he who was addressed and asked to abstain from his wife. More generally, the clerical status of the husband complicated the situation and needs to be taken into account before any generalisations are made about gender inequality.
‘No More Fears, No More Tears’?: Gender, Emotion and the Aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars in France
Authors: Heuer Jennifer
Published: July 2016

This article investigates why royalist popular culture in the immediate aftermath of the Napoleonic wars often depicted young mothers anxious for peace. Such representations reflected the brutality of the wars, women's relative prominence in anti‐conscription resistance and a cultural shift from revolutionary injunctions to wives and mothers to sacrifice their menfolk for the good of the nation to Napoleonic images of women as tremulous counterparts to virile soldiers. But the image of peace‐loving mothers in 1814 and 1815 was not simply a response to the devastation of war or a continuation of Napoleonic gender roles. Instead, it served distinctive purposes in a period of peace‐making and political transition, which entailed not only disentangling masculinity from martial valour but also strategically invoking feminine anguish or joy. The focus on Louis XVIII's role in rescuing mothers helped legitimise an unpopular monarch, who had gained power only with the help of foreign armies, and was returning to a country that had executed its last king. The image of grateful women and happy families also deflected attention away from contemporary problems – including the difficult return of veterans to a defeated country and the lasting grief of those who had lost loved ones in war – by focusing on the joy of mothers whose sons would remain safely home. This article draws on two different bodies of scholarship, rarely considered together – the growing literature on the history of emotion in the era of the French Revolution and studies of gender and war in the twentieth century, especially the First World War – and uses a variety of sources, from recruitment propaganda to songs, to show the specific ways gendered and emotional images could be deployed at transitional moments.
Affection and Assimilation: Concubinage and the Ideal of Conjugal Love in Colonial Korea, 1922–38
Authors: Lim Sungyun
Published: July 2016

This article explores how selective application of Japanese divorce laws between 1922 and 1938, which obstructed Korean women from obtaining divorce on the grounds of concubinage, affected the meaning of conjugal relationships in colonial Korea. I argue that in this period affection and companionship emerged as critical components of a legitimate conjugal relationship among Koreans. This legal process, which I call the affectivisation of the female‐spouse, coincided with a popular penchant for romantic love shown in public media and popular novels. Challenging previous scholarship that treated the phenomenon of romantic love as contained in literary discourses, this article shows how literary and legal discourses mutually influenced one another. I further argue that this new ideal of conjugal love had an intricate relationship with overall colonial legal policy: it worked in conjunction (not antithetical) to the family state ideology of the Japanese empire and the family system that the colonial state was trying to implement in Korea. The qualitative transformation of the conjugal relationship contributed to firmer implementation of the family system in Korea and prepared Korean society for the full assimilation of the Korean civil laws in 1940.