bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High frequency RNA recombination in porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus occurs preferentially between parental sequences with high similarity
Authors: van Vugt Joke J. F. A. , Storgaard Torben , Oleksiewicz Martin B. , Bøtner Anette
Published: September 2015

Two types of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) exist, a North American type and a European type. The co-existence of both types in some countries, such as Denmark, Slovakia and Canada, creates a risk of inter-type recombination. To evaluate this risk, cell cultures were co-infected with either a North American and a European type of PRRSV or two diverse types of European isolate. Subsequently, an approximately 600 bp region of the PRRSV genome was tested for recombination by quantitative real-time RT–PCR. Between 0·1 and 2·5% RNA recombination was found between the European isolates, but no recombination was detected between the European and North American types. Calculation of the maximum theoretical risk of European–American recombination, based on the sensitivity of the RT–PCR system, revealed that RNA recombination between the European and North American types of PRRSV is at least 10000 times less likely to occur than RNA recombination between diverse European isolates.
Diverse phenotypic and genetic responses to short-term selection in evolvingEscherichia colipopulations
Authors: Dillon Marcus M. , Rouillard Nicholas P. , Dam Brian Van , Gallet Romain , Cooper Vaughn S.
Published: September 2015

Beneficial mutations fuel adaptation by altering phenotypes that enhance the fit of organisms to their environment. However, the phenotypic effects of mutations often depend on ecological context, making the distribution of effects across multiple environments essential to understanding the true nature of beneficial mutations. Studies that address both the genetic basis and ecological consequences of adaptive mutations remain rare. Here, we characterize the direct and pleiotropic fitness effects of a collection of 21 first-step beneficial mutants derived from naïve and adapted genotypes used in a long-term experimental evolution ofEscherichia coli. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify most beneficial mutations. In contrast to previous studies, we find diverse fitness effects of mutations selected in a simple environment and few cases of genetic parallelism. The pleiotropic effects of these mutations were predominantly positive but some mutants were highly antagonistic in alternative environments. Further, the fitness effects of mutations derived from the adapted genotypes were dramatically reduced in nearly all environments. These findings suggest that many beneficial variants are accessible from a single point on the fitness landscape, and the fixation of alternative beneficial mutations may have dramatic consequences for niche breadth reduction via metabolic erosion.
A monoallelic-to-biallelic T-cell transcriptional switch regulates GATA3 abundance
Authors: Ku Chia-Jui , Lim Kim-Chew , Kalantry Sundeep , Maillard Ivan , Engel James Douglas , Hosoya Tomonori
Published: September 2015

Protein abundance must be precisely regulated throughout life, and nowhere is the stringency of this requirement more evident than during T-cell development: A twofold increase in the abundance of transcription factor GATA3 results in thymic lymphoma, while reduced GATA3 leads to diminished T-cell production.GATA3haploinsufficiency also causes human HDR (hypoparathyroidism, deafness, and renal dysplasia) syndrome, often accompanied by immunodeficiency. Here we show that loss of oneGata3allele leads to diminished expansion (and compromised development) of immature T cells as well as aberrant induction of myeloid transcription factor PU.1. This effect is at least in part mediated transcriptionally: We discovered thatGata3is monoallelically expressed in a parent of origin-independent manner in hematopoietic stem cells and early T-cell progenitors. Curiously, half of the developing cells switch to biallelicGata3transcription abruptly at midthymopoiesis. We show that the monoallelic-to-biallelic transcriptional switch is stably maintained and therefore is not a stochastic phenomenon. This unique mechanism, if adopted by other regulatory genes, may provide new biological insights into the rather prevalent phenomenon of monoallelic expression of autosomal genes as well as into the variably penetrant pathophysiological spectrum of phenotypes observed in many human syndromes that are due to haploinsufficiency of the affected gene.
The E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of RING1B is not essential for early mouse development
Authors: Illingworth Robert S. , Moffat Michael , Mann Abigail R. , Read David , Hunter Chris J. , Pradeepa Madapura M. , Adams Ian R. , Bickmore Wendy A.
Published: September 2015

Polycomb-repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2 maintain repression at many developmental genes in mouse embryonic stem cells and are required for early development. However, it is still unclear how they are targeted and how they function. We show that the ability of RING1B, a core component of PRC1, to ubiquitinate histone H2A is dispensable for early mouse embryonic development and much of the gene repression activity of PRC1. Our data support a model in which PRC1 and PRC2 reinforce each other's binding but suggest that the key functions of PRC1 lie beyond the enzymatic capabilities of RING1B.
ERG promotes the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells by restricting their differentiation
Authors: Knudsen Kasper Jermiin , Rehn Matilda , Hasemann Marie Sigurd , Rapin Nicolas , Bagger Frederik Otzen , Ohlsson Ewa , Willer Anton , Frank Anne-Katrine , Søndergaard Elisabeth , Jendholm Johan , Thorén Lina , Lee Julie , Rak Justyna , Theilgaard-Mönch Kim , Porse Bo Torben
Published: September 2015

The balance between self-renewal and differentiation is crucial for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Whereas numerous gene regulatory factors have been shown to control HSC self-renewal or drive their differentiation, we have relatively few insights into transcription factors that serve to restrict HSC differentiation. In the present work, we identify ETS (E-twenty-six)-related gene (ERG) as a critical factor protecting HSCs from differentiation. Specifically, loss of Erg accelerates HSC differentiation by >20-fold, thus leading to rapid depletion of immunophenotypic and functional HSCs. Molecularly, we could demonstrate that ERG, in addition to promoting the expression of HSC self-renewal genes, also represses a group of MYC targets, thereby explaining why Erg loss closely mimics Myc overexpression. Consistently, the BET domain inhibitor CPI-203, known to repress Myc expression, confers a partial phenotypic rescue. In summary, ERG plays a critical role in coordinating the balance between self-renewal and differentiation of HSCs.
Complementary use of monochromatic and white-beam X-ray micro-diffraction for the investigation of ancient materials
Authors: Dejoie Catherine , Tamura Nobumichi , Kunz Martin , Goudeau Philippe , Sciau Philippe
Published: September 2015

Archaeological artefacts are often heterogeneous materials where several phases coexist in a wide grain size distribution. Most of the time, retrieving structure information at the micrometre scale is of great importance for these materials. Particularly, the organization of different phases at the micrometre scale is closely related to optical or mechanical properties, manufacturing processes, functionalities in ancient times and long-term conservation. Between classic X-ray powder diffraction with a millimetre beam and transmission electron microscopy, a gap exists and structure and phase information at the micrometre scale are missing. Using a micrometre-size synchrotron X-ray beam, a hybrid approach combining both monochromatic powder micro-diffraction and Laue single-crystal micro-diffraction was deployed to obtain information from nanometre- and micrometre-size phases, respectively. Therefore providing a way to bridge the aforementioned gap, this unique methodology was applied to three different types of ancient materials that all show a strong heterogeneity. In Romanterra sigillata, the specific distribution of nanocrystalline hematite is mainly responsible for the deep-red tone of the slip, while the distribution of micrometre-size quartz in ceramic bodies reflects the change of manufacturing process between pre-sigillataand high-qualitysigillataperiods. In the second example, we investigated the modifications occurring in Neolithic and geological flints after a heating process. By separating the diffracted signal coming from the nano- and the micrometre scale, we observed a domain size increase for nanocrystalline quartz in geological flints and a relaxation of the residual strain in larger detritic quartz. Finally, through the study of a Roman iron nail, we showed that the carburation process to strengthen the steel was mainly a surface process that formed 10–20 µm size domains of single-crystal ferrite and nanocrystalline cementite.
Two different anionic manganese(II) coordination polymers constructed through dicyanamide coordination bridges
Authors: Wang Hui-Ting
Published: September 2015

In order to explore new metal coordination polymers and to search for new types of ferroelectrics among hybrid coordination polymers, two manganese dicyanamide complexes, poly[tetramethylammonium [di-μ3-dicyanamido-κ6N1:N3:N5-tri-μ2-dicyanamido-κ6N1:N5-dimanganese(II)]], {[(CH3)4N][Mn2(NCNCN)5]}n, (I), andcatena-poly[bis(butyltriphenylphosphonium) [[(dicyanamido-κN1)manganese(II)]-di-μ2-dicyanamido-κ4N1:N5]], {[(C4H9)(C6H5)3P]2[Mn(NCNCN)4]}n, (II), were synthesized in aqueous solution. In (I), one MnIIcation is octahedrally coordinated by six nitrile N atoms from six anionic dicyanamide (dca) ligands, while the second MnIIcation is coordinated by four nitrile N atoms and two amide N atoms from six anionic dca ligands. Neighbouring MnIIcations are linked together by μ-1,5- and μ-1,3,5-bridging dca anions to form a three-dimensional polymeric structure. The anionic framework exhibits a solvent-accessible void of 289.8 Å3, amounting to 28.0% of the total unit-cell volume. Each of the cavities in the network is occupied by only one tetramethylammonium cation. In (II), each MnIIcation is octahedrally coordinated by six nitrile N atoms from six dca ligands. Neighbouring MnIIcations are linked together by double dca bridges to form a one-dimensional polymeric chain, and C—H...N hydrogen-bonding interactions are involved in the formation of the one-dimensional layer structure.
Polymorphism in 3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one
Authors: Ghouili Afef , Brahmia Ameni , Ben Hassen Rached
Published: September 2015

A new polymorph (denoted polymorph II) of 3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one, C11H8O4, was obtained unexpectedly during an attempt to recrystallize the compound from salt–melted ice, and the structure is compared with that of the original polymorph (denoted polymorph I) [Lyssenko & Antipin (2001).Russ. Chem. Bull.50, 418–431]. Strong intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bonds are observed equally in the two polymorphs [O...O = 2.4263 (13) Å in polymorph II and 2.442 (1) Å in polymorph I], with a slight delocalization of the hydroxy H atom towards the ketonic O atom in polymorph II [H...O = 1.32 (2) Å in polymorph II and 1.45 (3) Å in polymorph I]. In both crystal structures, the packing of the molecules is dominated and stabilized by weak intermolecular C—H...O hydrogen bonds. Additional π–π stacking interactions between the keto–enol hydrogen-bonded rings stabilize polymorph I [the centres are separated by 3.28 (1) Å], while polymorph II is stabilized by interactions between α-pyrone rings, which are parallel to one another and separated by 3.670 (5) Å.
The first three-dimensional FeIII–SrIIheterometallic coordination polymer: poly[[diaquatetrakis(μ3-pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylato)diiron(III)strontium(II)] dihydrate]
Authors: Yang Yongfeng , Li Tao , Chen Yanmei
Published: September 2015

The title compound, poly[[diaqua-1κ2O-tetrakis(μ3-pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylato)-2:1:2′κ10N,O2:O2′,O3:O3′;2:1:2′κ8O3:O3′:N,O2-diiron(III)strontium(II)] dihydrate], {[Fe2Sr(C7H3O4)4(H2O)2]·2H2O}n, which has triclinic (P\overline{1}) symmetry, was prepared by the reaction of pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, SrCl2·6H2O and Fe(OAc)2(OH) (OAc is acetate) in the presence of imidazole in water at 363 K. In the crystal structure, the pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylate (pydc2−) ligand exhibits μ3-η1,η1:η1:η1and μ3-η1,η1:η1,η1:η1coordination modes, bridging two FeIIIcations and one SrIIcation. The SrIIcation, which is located on an inversion centre, is eight-coordinated by six O atoms of four pydc2−ligands and two water molecules. The coordination geometry of the SrIIcation can be best described as distorted dodecahedral. The FeIIIcation is six-coordinated by O and N atoms of four pydc2−ligands in a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. Each FeIIIcation bridges two neighbouring FeIIIcations to form a one-dimensional [Fe2(pydc)4]nchain. The chains are connected by SrIIcations to form a three-dimensional framework. The topology type of this framework istfj. The structure displays O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonding.
Are women better leaders than men?
Authors: De Mascia Sharon
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– Examines some of the reasons women remain under-represented at the top of organizations, despite developments in management thinking that appear to reward areas where women traditionally excel.

Design/methodology/approach

– Looks at some of the research into leadership skills and draws conclusions regarding the paucity of women in management.

Findings

– Considers some of the obstacles to women becoming managers to be: the attitudes of male managers, the lack of suitable role models for women, women’s reticence to network, and lack of confidence.

Practical implications

– Urges organizations to work harder to reduce the significance of these obstacles.

Social implications

– Shows how organizations – and through them society as a whole – would benefit from having more women in top jobs.

Originality/value

– Argues that having more women in leadership positions – that is, more positive role models – would help to give women more confidence in their ability to be great leaders and would encourage more women to push themselves forward for leadership opportunities.
Step-by-step to stopping the cyber-bully
Authors: Sarkar Anita
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– Describes the role of HR in addressing traditional bullying and cyber-bullying at the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

– Explains how organizations can design policy guidelines to tackle the issue of bullying and, thereby, help every employee to contribute to his or her best ability.

Findings

– Argues that the proliferation of electronic communication has made cyber-bullying rampant in workplaces and has devastating effects on some employees.

Practical implications

– Advances the view that creating a zero-tolerance policy against bullying, using technological help, conducting structured interviews, providing an employee-sensitization program, crafting effective job design and, from time to time, taking employees’ opinion can go a long way in ensuring a safe workplace for all.

Social implications

– Shows that bullying in any form is a social menace both for employees and the organization, and it needs to be nipped in the bud.

Originality/value

– Provides insights into how organizations can effectively address the issue of bullying at the workplace.
Study on work-life balance of women entrepreneurs – review and research agenda
Authors: Agarwal Sucheta , Lenka Usha
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review and conceptually explain the work-life balance of women entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through the secondary data, selected papers have analysed to prepare a conceptual framework depicting the work-life balance of women entrepreneurs.

Findings

– Entrepreneurship has emerged as a global concept and contributed for economic development of the country. It utilizes competencies of entrepreneurs for success of their enterprises. Working women executives suffers the problem of work-life balance. Developing family responsibilities as well as their potential roles, generate the issue of role conflict. In order to overcome role conflict, they need to balance between work and personal life style. To gain more flexibility and control on their work and personal obligations, women start up their own business. They contribute in job creation, innovation, and economic development of nation through their entrepreneurial activities.

Originality/value

– It provides future direction to various researchers, academicians and policy makers in this field.
Authenticity matters more than intelligence and personality in predicting metacognition
Authors: Chiaburu Dan S. , Cho Inchul , Gardner Richard
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– Metacognition – or learning how to learn – is an important competence in business and academic settings. The purpose of this paper is to examine individual difference predictors of metacognition, including two traditional (general mental ability (GMA), five-factor model (FFM) personality traits) ones, and a novel one, individual authenticity.

Design/methodology/approach

– Volunteers (n=243) were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with the respective statements on a seven-point Likert-type scale for GMA, FFM personality traits, and authenticity measures. Data were collected at different points in time to introduce psychological separation among the study measures.

Findings

– The authors found that while metacognition is not predicted by GMA, it is positively predicted by two of the five-factor model personality traits, conscientiousness, and extraversion. More importantly, the authors examined that individuals’ authenticity – in the form of (low) self-alienation – will enhance metacognition, over-and-above the previously mentioned predictors.

Originality/value

– The authors attempt to broaden the understanding of authenticity and its relationship with another important outcome construct, metacognition along with GMA and personality traits, in academic settings.
Star talent: investing in high-potential employees for organizational success
Authors: Downs Lisa
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide practical how-to information for those looking to develop high-potential employees within their organizations or for their clients.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a combination of recent surveys and studies of what is happening with the development (or lack thereof) of high-potential employees as well as recommendations of key components for high-potential programs based on the author’s direct experience.

Findings

– Though not a research paper, this work finds that while some organizations have programs in place to develop high potentials, many still do not, despite it being viewed as helpful in recruiting and retaining top talent.

Practical implications

– The information provided can be used by both internal practitioners and external consultants to implement high-potential employee development programs for any size of organization.

Social implications

– High-potential employees represent future leaders. Without developing them, organizations run the risk of high attrition costs along with a lack of qualified talent to fill leadership pipelines.

Originality/value

– The value of this paper is twofold: it offers detailed information to set the tone with stakeholders when it comes to talking about and developing high-potential talent, and it provides a starting point with first steps for successful program implementation.
Emotional intelligence, conflict management styles, and innovation performance
Authors: Zhang Su Juan , Chen Yong Qiang , Sun Hui
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the relationship among emotional intelligence (EI), conflict management styles (CMSs) and innovation performance, and test the mediating effects of various types of CMSs. Innovation is playing a more and more critical role in the survival and development of companies. EI is assumed to be an antecedent of employees’ innovation performance. Conflict is an inevitable phenomenon in organizations, and different CMSs have different impacts on individual performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Research data were obtained from 159 employees in the construction industry in China. SPSS 19.0 was used to test and verify the hypotheses concerning the relationship among EI, CMSs and innovation performance. The authors also conducted a 500-times bootstrapping to verify the mediating roles of different CMSs.

Findings

– Results indicate that EI is positively and significantly associated with integrating, compromising and dominating styles, as well as innovation performance in the construction industry. In addition, the integrating style has a significantly positive relationship with innovation performance. This research also confirms the mediating effect of integrating style on the relationship between EI and innovation performance.

Practical implications

– The authors recommend that managers, especially in the construction industry, who are willing to maintain high levels of innovation performance of employees can provide EI training programs. In addition, to improve innovation performance, companies should provide employees with appropriate training emphasizing the importance of conflict management strategies, especially the integrating style.

Originality/value

– Limited research has focused on the antecedents of conflict management strategies or the relationship between EI and innovation performance. A framework integrating EI, CMSs and innovation performance is put forward and empirical evidence of the relationship between EI and employees’ innovation performance is provided. This research helps to have a better understanding of the relationship between EI and innovation performance by introducing the integrating style as a mediating variable.
The role of affects in conflict frames and conflict management
Authors: Yang Mei-Yu , Cheng Fei-Chun , Chuang Aichia
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the roles of trait affectivity and momentary moods in conflict frames and conflict management. This paper goes beyond affect induction and focuses on the affective – rather than rational – antecedents of the choice of conflict management strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper adopts a within- and between-person approach and uses hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses with group-mean centering. Over the course of 12 days within a three-week period, the authors collected participants’ momentary moods and how they thought about and would respond to conflict scenarios. Data were gathered from 1,545 observations, involving 180 individuals.

Findings

– After controlling for anger raised from the conflict scenario, both positive trait affectivity and positive momentary moods were found to be positively related to a compromise frame. Surprisingly, neither negative trait affectivity nor momentary mood was related to the win frame. A compromise frame predicted a cooperative strategy, and a win frame predicted a competitive strategy. The relationships between trait and momentary affects and conflict management strategy were partially mediated by conflict frame, but only for positive affects.

Practical implications

– If seeking a constructive resolution, choose the right person (i.e. an individual with positive trait affectivity) and the right moment (i.e. the individual is in a positive mood state) to communicate disagreements.

Originality/value

– This paper sheds light on the prediction of conflict frame and conflict management behavior by testing trait affectivity and momentary mood simultaneously.
The impact of interpersonal conflict on construction project performance
Authors: Zhang Lianying , Huo Xiaoyan
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between interpersonal conflict and construction project performance. The authors test the proposition that this relationship is mediated by negative emotions and moderated by political skill.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study used a structured questionnaire survey and gathered 266 completed data from 45 construction project teams in mainland China. To test the hypotheses, bootstrapping procedures were used.

Findings

– The results show that interpersonal conflict and negative emotions all have inverse relationships with project performance. Additionally, negative emotions mediated the relationship between interpersonal conflict and project performance, and this indirect relationship will be mitigated when team members have a high level of political skill.

Research limitations/implications

– These findings indicate that interpersonal conflict has a detrimental influence on project performance and should attract broad attention for future empirical literature. Furthermore, political skill is an effective contingent factor to suppress the detrimental influence of interpersonal conflict.

Practical implications

– The findings imply that managers should highlight the importance of interpersonal conflict in construction projects.

Originality/value

– This paper addresses a moderated mediation model to examine the relationship among interpersonal conflict, negative emotions and construction project performance, and it takes into account the moderating role of political skill. The paper also offers practical assistance to construction project managers in managing interpersonal conflict.
Effects of gender, rape myth acceptance, and perpetrator occupation on perceptions of rape
Authors: Duff Simon , Tostevin Amy
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of gender-stereotypical beliefs and associated factors (gender, level of rape myth acceptance (RMA), and occupation) on public attitudes towards rape victims with the aim of establishing whether participant and perpetrator characteristics have effects on individuals’ attitudes towards rape victims. With regards to participants, gender, age, occupation, and the extent to which an individual endorses rape myths were investigated. The authors also considered whether participants’ attitudes were influenced by the occupation of a rapist as described in a vignette looking at occupations deemed to be stereotypically male or female.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 185 individuals participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions based on the rapist’s occupation (stereotypically male occupation, gender-neutral occupation or stereotypically female occupation). Participants completed an online survey consisting of a RMA questionnaire, read a short vignette depicting a rape scenario (where they were also informed of the perpetrator’s occupation) and completed a further questionnaire on their attitudes towards rape victims. Results were examined by regression.

Findings

– The results indicate that both participant occupation and level of RMA significantly contributed to attitudes towards rape victims, however, a statistically significant effect for rapist occupation was not found.

Originality/value

– Findings are discussed in terms of implications for individuals working within services supporting victims of rape and the potential consequences of holding stereotypical beliefs for rape victims and perpetrators. It is important that research identifies those factors that might bias decision making in the legal system and thus impact upon outcomes for victims and offenders.
The relationship between attitude toward using and customer satisfaction with mobile application services
Authors: Lee Chen-Ying , Tsao Chih-Hsuan , Chang Wan-Chuan
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The methodology of mobile commerce as a significant application for both enterprises and customers are becoming crucial, but few studies discuss the usage attitude toward and customer satisfaction with mobile application (app) services in the life insurance industry. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of attitude toward using life insurers’ mobile app services on customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on a questionnaire survey of 538 respondents in Taiwan. The data are analyzed through ANOVA, multiple regression, and path analysis.

Findings

– The results indicate that all variables significantly and positively affected usage attitude. Among them, compatibility had the most significant influence. In addition, consumers’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively affected customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the path analysis result demonstrates that usage attitude is the most significant factor for customer satisfaction, and the second-most important factor is the cognition of compatibility’s indirect effect on usage attitude.

Originality/value

– The paper extends our understanding of the insured’s usage attitude toward and satisfaction with life insurers’ app services by integrating the technology acceptance model and innovation diffusion theory. The results have practical implications for reinforcing customer relationship management and contribute to fulfilling the need for marketing evidence in life insurance.
Agile: it’s time to put it to use to manage business complexity
Authors: Denning Stephen
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– Once executives understand how Agile and Scrum can manage the extraordinary complexities of software development, they will realize they can use the same management expertise to manage the mounting complexity of the rest of their business.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author explains that although the ideology of Agile puts emphasis on collaboration and teams, particularly self-organizing teams, managers should not confuse Agile teams with the generally unsuccessful efforts throughout the 20th Century to make teams a central and permanent aspect of management.

Findings

– In effect, Agile and Scrum represent a major management discovery, a scalable system to produce continuous customer-focused innovation in a dynamic business environment.

Practical implications

– Agile and Scrum can deal directly with current business issues by giving an authoritative voice to the customer and giving business and technical competence a preeminent role over authority.

Originality/value

– Agile/Scrum is enjoying added attention from managers in collaborative work arrangements such as networks and ecosystems. These arrangements can be scaled without sclerosis and seemingly without limit.
Good strategy makes good leaders
Authors: Allio Robert J.
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– This masterclass seeks to identify the leaders others should emulate, what’s are best practices, how did the acclaimed exemplars get to be leaders, and what can we learn from their stories?

Design/methodology/approach

– The author, a veteran practitioner and long-time observer of the evolution of strategic management regularly scans the business idea marketplace to identify any breakthroughs in the perennial quest for insights into the field of leadership.

Findings

– Forget leadership – it’s strategy that matters. Companies excel when they adopt good strategies and implement them efficiently. The role of the leader is diminishing, and leadership has little utility as an organizing principle.

Practical implications

– Look realistically at attempts to show how some CEOs shaped the future of their firms. Stories of success and failure typically exaggerate the impact of leadership style and management practices on performance. They focus on the singularities – the few extraordinary successes– and ignore the many events that failed to happen. We all fall prey to this affective fallacy when we extoll certain individuals – and then overweight their contribution to the success of their organizations.

Originality/value

– We need to refocus our attention on strategy. Successful leadership ultimately comes down to good strategy and good fortune. We have little control over the vicissitudes of the macro-environment, but firms that adopt the right strategy will do better over the long term.
ENSO and frost codetermine decade‐long temporal variation in flower and seed production in a subtropical rain forest
Authors: Chang‐Yang Chia‐Hao , Sun I‐Fang , Tsai Cheng‐Han , Lu Chia‐Ling , Hsieh Chang‐Fu
Published: September 2015

Flower and seed production of plants can be greatly influenced by both natural climatic oscillations and local weather extremes. However, owing to the rarity of long‐term monitoring studies conducted at a sufficient temporal scale to capture climatic oscillations and the unpredictability of extreme weather events, evidence that demonstrates how these two external forcings act in concert to drive plant reproduction remains scarce.

In addition, considerable variation in species' phenological responses to the external climatic forcings was often observed. Phylogenetic relationships may mediate this interspecific variation, but previous studies yielded inconsistent results when testing this hypothesis.

We monitored the flower and seed production in a subtropical rain forest, Fushan, Taiwan (24°45′N, 121°35′E), for over 10 years (since September 2002). In March 2005, a record low temperature (−1.3 °C) occurred at Fushan and caused great frost damage to plants. We used weekly phenological records and long‐term meteorological data to assess the effects of climatic fluctuations and extreme weather event on plant reproductive output.

We show that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices, which integrated local climatic variables at Fushan over several months, were strongly associated with flower and seed production. The 2005 spring frost also had long‐lasting effects on the flower and seed production of several species.

In particular, we detected phylogenetic signals in the relationships between phenological responses of flowering production and several climatic variables (maximum temperature, irradiance and ENSO34 index). By contrast, the relationships between seed production and climatic variables, as well as phenological responses to the frost event, did not exhibit a phylogenetic signal.

Synthesis. Our findings add to the growing evidence that together the natural climatic oscillation (ENSO) and the extreme weather event (frost) determined the temporal variation in flower and seed production. In addition, phylogenetically closely related species resembled each other in their flowering responses to abiotic variation in this subtropical rain forest. Improved understanding of these abiotic and biotic interactions may help predicting population‐ and community‐level phenological responses under future climate changes.
Frost sensitivity of leaves and flowers of subalpine plants is related to tissue type and phenology
Authors: CaraDonna Paul J. , Bain Justin A.
Published: September 2015

Harsh abiotic conditions – such as low temperatures that lead to spring and summer frost events in high‐elevation and high‐latitude ecosystems – can have strong negative consequences for plant growth, survival and reproduction.

Despite the predicted increase in episodic frost events under continued climate change in some ecosystems, our general understanding of the factors associated with frost sensitivity of reproductive and vegetative plant structures in natural plant communities is limited. The timing of growth and reproduction may be an important strategy by which plants can avoid frost.

In this study, we experimentally investigated the frost sensitivity of eight long‐lived perennial herbaceous plant species from a subalpine ecosystem in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA. The study taxa represent four congeneric pairs from four flowering plant families; within each pair, there is a species with early and late growth and reproductive phenology. Thus, we control for evolutionary history – and therefore additional traits shared through common ancestry – to some degree, while examining the influence of phenology on frost sensitivity. Specifically, we compared frost sensitivity of vegetative and reproductive structures for each species and asked whether frost sensitivity was similar between species within congeneric pairs or, instead, was related to phenology (i.e. differences in the timing of growth and reproduction).

For most species (6 of 8), flowers were more sensitive to frost than leaves. Within most congeneric pairs (3 of 4), the leaves of species with later phenology were significantly more sensitive to frost than the leaves of species with earlier phenology. For flowers, the later flowering species were more sensitive in two of the four congeneric pairs.

Synthesis. This study contributes to our general understanding of factors related to interspecific differences in plant sensitivity to episodic frost events of naturally occurring species. The increased frost sensitivity of reproductive structures compared to vegetative structures may be a widespread pattern for long‐lived perennial plants. Furthermore, we find evidence for a trade‐off between phenology and frost sensitivity, whereby species with later phenology exhibit higher frost sensitivity compared to species with earlier phenology. These results have implications for plant populations, species interactions and ecological communities.
‘Forever Temporary’: Migrants in Calais, Then and Now
Authors: Reinisch Jessica
Published: September 2015

This article examines two recent refugee crises in Calais: the debate around the Sangatte refugee camp, which was resolved in 2002, and the ongoing problems in Calais, which have been escalating since autumn 2014. It asks: why are these events repeating? What, if anything, has changed between 2002 and now? It points to a number of new developments since 2002, such as growing numbers of migrants worldwide, and a changing European political and legal landscape. But it also argues that a number of the same factors that led to the Sangatte crisis are still shaping events and responses in Calais today. They concern the persistent shortcomings of European states’ immigration controls, the failures to reach Europe‐wide and international agreements on migration, and the inadequacies of international bodies such as the UNHCR and the 1951 Refugee Convention which it upholds.
Diet and identity: being a good parent in the face of contradictions presented by the ketogenic diet
Authors: Webster Michelle , Gabe Jonathan
Published: September 2015

The ketogenic diet is a high‐fat diet used to treat drug‐resistant childhood epilepsy. Given that negative meanings tend to be attached to fatty foods and children's food consumption is seen to be the responsibility of parents, the ketogenic diet may be problematic for parenting identity. This article draws upon in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with 12 parents from 10 families that have a child whose epilepsy is being treated with the ketogenic diet. The main focus of the article is the meanings these parents attached to foods and how they were drawn upon or altered to overcome some of the contradictions presented by the diet. It will be argued that the diet was medicalised and parents came to view food as medicine. When viewing food in this way, negative associations with fat were reversed. Furthermore, parents also used food as a symbol of inclusion and prioritised portion size or the child's enjoyment of food in order to use food as a symbol of love. In turn this enabled parents to feel they were being good parents. Overall, it seems that diet can be medicalised and the identity of the good parent maintained if dietary treatment is successful.
The social practice of rescue: the safety implications of acute illness trajectories and patient categorisation in medical and maternity settings
Authors: Mackintosh Nicola , Sandall Jane
Published: September 2015

The normative position in acute hospital care when a patient is seriously ill is to resuscitate and rescue. However, a number of UK and international reports have highlighted problems with the lack of timely recognition, treatment and referral of patients whose condition is deteriorating while being cared for on hospital wards. This article explores the social practice of rescue, and the structural and cultural influences that guide the categorisation and ordering of acutely ill patients in different hospital settings. We draw on Strauss et al.'s notion of the patient trajectory and link this with the impact of categorisation practices, thus extending insights beyond those gained from emergency department triage to care management processes further downstream on the hospital ward. Using ethnographic data collected from medical wards and maternity care settings in two UK inner city hospitals, we explore how differences in population, cultural norms, categorisation work and trajectories of clinical deterioration interlink and influence patient safety. An analysis of the variation in findings between care settings and patient groups enables us to consider socio‐political influences and the specifics of how staff manage trade‐offs linked to the enactment of core values such as safety and equity in practice.
Negotiating substance use stigma: the role of cultural health capital in provider–patient interactions
Authors: Chang Jamie , Dubbin Leslie , Shim Janet
Published: September 2015

Diverse aspects of life and lifestyles, including stigmatised attributes and behaviors are revealed as providers and patients discuss health. In this article, we examine how the stigma associated with substance use issues shapes clinical interactions. We use the theoretical framework of cultural health capital (CHC) to explain how substance use stigma is created, reinforced and sometimes negotiated as providers and patients engage in health interactions. We present two main findings using examples. First, two theoretical concepts – habitus and field – set the social position and expectations of providers and patients in ways that facilitate the stigmatisation of substance use. Second, we found both providers and patients actively exchanged CHC as a key strategy to reduce the negative effects of stigma. In some clinical encounters, patients possessed and activated CHC, providers acknowledged patient's CHC and CHC was successfully exchanged. These interactions were productive and mutually satisfying, even when patients were actively using substances. However, when CHC was not activated, acknowledged and exchanged, stigma was unchallenged and dominated the interaction. The CHC theoretical framework allows us to examine how the stigma process is operationalized and potentially even counteracted in clinical interactions.
How Do Land Auction Formats Influence the Market Structure and Aggregate Surplus of Real Estate Development?
Authors: Dong Zhi , Sing Tien Foo
Published: September 2015

This article proposes a duopoly dynamic game theoretic model to investigate the market structure and aggregate surplus of real estate development when land is sold in a sealed‐bid first price auction vis‐à‐vis an open English auction. It relaxes the assumption of symmetric bidders. The land values have common value and private value components. We find that the sealed‐bid first price auction introduces competition in the real estate development market. The open English auction leads a monopoly market. State agencies are recommended to increase the aggregate surplus of real estate development by publishing past bidding information under the sealed‐bid first price auction and reducing information asymmetry between bidders.
Blowfly Larval Tissues as a Secondary Detector for Determining Paraquat‐Related Death in Rabbit Carcass
Authors: Lawai Vannessa , Abdul Rahim Nor Aliza , Ngaini Zainab
Published: September 2015

Paraquat poisoning is commonly associated with suicide or homicide in Malaysia. In a case involving advanced body decomposition, pathological analysis regarding the cause of death may become difficult or almost impossible. Insects serve as common alternative matrix for poison detection in forensic analysis. Paraquat detection via secondary bioaccumulation in fly larvae tissue has never been reported. In this study, tissues from blowfly larvae collected from a rabbit carcass with paraquat poisoning were analyzed for secondary bioaccumulation. Larvae samples were collected and analyzed using liquid–liquid extraction. The detection was performed via reduction of quaternary ammonium presence in paraquat and analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) with selected ion monitoring mode (SIM mode). GC‐MS showed the elution of reduced paraquat was at retention time 12.8 min. Blowfly larvae tissue has proven useful as a secondary detector in paraquat‐related deaths.
Classification of Ephemeral, Intermittent, and Perennial Stream Reaches Using aTOPMODEL‐Based Approach
Authors: Williamson Tanja N. , Agouridis Carmen T. , Barton Christopher D. , Villines Jonathan A. , Lant Jeremiah G.
Published: September 2015

Whether a waterway is temporary or permanent influences regulatory protection guidelines, however, classification can be subjective due to a combination of factors, including time of year, antecedent moisture conditions, and previous experience of the field investigator. Our objective was to develop a standardized protocol using publically available spatial information to classify ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial streams. Our hypothesis was that field observations of flow along the stream channel could be compared to results from a hydrologic model, providing an objective method of how these stream reaches can be identified. Flow‐state sensors were placed at ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial stream reaches from May to December 2011 in the Appalachian coal basin of eastern Kentucky. This observed flow record was then used to calibrate the simulated saturation deficit in each channel reach based on the topographic wetness index used byTOPMODEL. Saturation deficit values were categorized as flow or no‐flow days, and the simulated record of streamflow was compared to the observed record. The hydrologic model was more accurate for simulating flow during the spring and fall seasons. However, the model effectively identified stream reaches as intermittent and perennial in each of the two basins.