bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of four cysteine proteases fromFicus caricalatex
Authors: Haesaerts Sarah , Rodriguez Buitrago John Alexander , Loris Remy , Baeyens-Volant Danielle , Azarkan Mohamed
Published: March 2015

The latex of the common fig (Ficus carica) contains a mixture of at least five cysteine proteases commonly known as ficins (EC 3.4.22.3). Four of these proteases were purified to homogeneity and crystals were obtained in a variety of conditions. The four ficin (iso)forms appear in ten different crystal forms. All diffracted to better than 2.10 Å resolution and for each form at least one crystal form diffracted to 1.60 Å resolution or higher. Ficin (iso)forms B and C share a common crystal form, suggesting close sequence and structural similarity. The latter diffracted to a resolution of 1.20 Å and belonged to space groupP3121 orP3221, with unit-cell parametersa=b= 88.9,c= 55.9 Å.
Positive transformational leadership: case study of an Indian public sector bank
Authors: Bhandarker Asha , Rai Snigdha
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the leadership style of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) and perceived organizational climate of an Indian public sector bank.

Design/methodology/approach

– For the present study data were collected using mixed-method approach including both semi-structured interview and inventories. Sample included the top, middle, and senior-middle level officials of the bank.

Findings

– Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. Findings indicated that: the perceived leadership style of CMD is a combination of transformational leadership and positive leadership; there is a positive organizational climate prevalent in the bank; and positive transformational leadership style of CMD has played a considerable role in the development of positive organizational climate in the bank.

Originality/value

– Present study provides valuable insights regarding contemporary leadership style in an Indian organization which is the combination of both positive and transformational leadership style and its contribution to building positive organizational climate.
How to go green: unraveling green preferences of consumers
Authors: Sony Alisa , Ferguson David , Beise-Zee Rian
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Although a company can manifest its corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort through various strategies, the challenge this presents is that not all CSR activities have identical attributes with respect to the consumers’ perception. The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of four CSR initiatives – regulatory compliance, green cause-related marketing (CRM), green product, and a combination of green CRM and green product – on consumer attitude and purchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach

– An experiment is conducted to investigate how consumers in an emerging Asian market like Thailand respond to different environmental CSR tactics.

Findings

– The results of this study demonstrate that a specific environmental CSR strategy elicits more favorable response than a general approach of complying with regulations. In addition, engaging in green CRM and offering a green product concurrently is perceived as more appealing than employing only either of the two strategies. The key finding is that in the eyes of Thai consumers, green CRM and green product CSR initiatives are substitutable.

Originality/value

– The paper conceptualizes the difference between four environmental CSR strategies from dimensions of the firm’s discretion and commitment level and highlights the importance of using specific voluntary environmental CSR strategies over involuntary regulatory compliance. Firms are recommended to engage in either green CRM or green product initiatives. The choice depends on a firm’s resources and opportunities. The addition of green CSR initiatives increases the positive impact on consumer attitude and purchase intention.
The fun paradox
Authors: Plester Barbara , Cooper-Thomas Helena , Winquist Joanne
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Fun means different things to different people and the purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer the question “what is fun at work?”. Given that perceptions of fun differ among people, the answer is that a pluralistic concept of fun best captures different notions of what constitutes fun at work.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research combines two separate studies. The first is an in-depth ethnographic project involving interviews, participant observations and document collection investigating fun and humour in four different New Zealand companies. The second study extends findings from the first by specifically asking participants to reply to survey questions asking “what is fun at work?”.

Findings

– Currently fun is described in a variety of ways by researchers using different descriptors for similar concepts. Combining current conceptions of fun with the own research the authors categorize the complex notion of workplace fun into three clear categories: organic, managed and task fun. This tripartite conception of fun combines and extends current models of fun and collates earlier findings into a synthesized model of fun. The investigation found that fun is ambiguous and paradoxical which creates issues for both managers and employees. The authors recognize fun as a multifaceted concept and use paradox theory and the concept of flow to theorize the multilateral fun framework.

Practical implications

– The authors find significant implications for managers in regards to creating and fostering fun in the organizational context. Differing perceptions of fun may result in misunderstandings that can negatively impact morale and workplace relationships. A wider conceptualization of fun offers potential for more harmonious and productive workplaces and creates a greater tolerance for competing and paradoxical perceptions of fun.

Originality/value

– Current literature on workplace fun uses a variety of descriptors of fun and emphasizes a duality between managed and organic forms of fun. In suggesting a new term “task fun” the authors synthesize earlier conceptions of fun to create an integrated model of fun. The model clearly outlines three overlapping yet paradoxical categories of fun.
Young and unionised in the UK? Insights from the public sector
Authors: Hodder Andy
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between trade unions and young workers in the UK using the Young Members’ Network of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

– Findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 20 full-time officials and 39 lay officials of all ages, the collection and analysis of primary documents and observations at a range of union meetings.

Findings

– It is argued that PCS has developed a strong network of young activists and is leading the way in terms of engaging with and representing young workers. However, its success in the future may be limited due to changes to the external environment in which the union is trying to organise.

Research limitations/implications

– The research highlights the role of an under researched area of trade union membership. To provide additional insights, further research is needed into the practice of other unions.

Originality/value

– This paper provides significant qualitative analysis into this issue which complements the existing quantitative research in this area.
Developing individual and organisational work-life balance strategies to improve employee health and wellbeing
Authors: Zheng Connie , Molineux John , Mirshekary Soheila , Scarparo Simona
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Work-life balance (WLB) is an issue of focus for organisations and individuals because individuals benefit from having better health and wellbeing when they have WLB and this, in turn, impacts on organisational productivity and performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore relevant WLB factors contributing to employee health and wellbeing, and to understand the interactive effects of individual WLB strategies and organisational WLB policies/programmes on improving employee health and wellbeing.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the data collected from 700 employees located in Queensland, Australia, multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the variables related to individual WLB strategies and organisational WLB programmes. Several multiple regression models were used to evaluate interrelated relationships among these variables and their combined effects on employee health and wellbeing.

Findings

– The authors found that employees exercising their own WLB strategies showed better health conditions and wellbeing that those who do not; they were also more capable of achieving WLB. Both availability and usage of organisational WLB programmes were found to help employees reduce their stress levels, but interestingly to have no direct association with WLB and employee health. Several control variables such as age, working hours, education level and household incomes were found to have moderate effects on employee health and wellbeing.

Originality/value

– Employee health and wellbeing are determined by multiple factors. In distinguishing from prior research in this field, this study discovers an important interface between individual WLB strategies and organisational provision of WLB policies/programmes supplemented by several exogenous factors in addressing overall employee health and wellbeing. The results have implications for organisational delivery of WLB policies and other human resource management practices to support employees.
How aspects of a wine’s place affect consumers’ authenticity perceptions and purchase intentions
Authors: Moulard Julie , Babin Barry J. , Griffin Mitch
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how two aspects of place affect consumers’ authenticity perceptions of a wine and their willingness to pay for it. One aspect of place is the wine’s country of origin, specifically Old World versus New World wines. A second aspect of place is the technical terroir. A description of the terroir that is highly specific was expected to be perceived as more authentic and offer more value than a vague terroir description.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 109 US adults participated in an online 2 × 2 experiment in which authenticity, willingness to pay and expertise were measured. ANCOVA and MANCOVA were used to analyze the data.

Findings

– Subjects perceived the Old World wine as more authentic and were willing to pay more for it than the New World wine. Additionally, country of origin moderated the effect of terroir specificity on authenticity and willingness to pay. For New World wines, wine with specific information about the terroir was perceived as more authentic and more valuable than wine with vague terroir information. The opposite was found for the Old World wine. Finally, authenticity mediated the effect of this interaction on willingness to pay.

Research limitations/implications

– The sample limits generalizability, and the study design involved only a text description of the wine. While the description allowed control, future research should include a measure following an actual taste of the wine.

Practical implications

– The implications concern the strength of the Old World wine stereotypes and the means of marketing wines from less traditional wine-producing regions. The Old World wines provide a quality signal that need not be reinforced by a specific description of the technical terroir. In contrast, a specific description of the technical terroir may well send positive signals for wines from New World countries.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to empirically demonstrate that two different aspects of place influence a wine’s perceived authenticity.
Asking prices, selling prices, and anchoring effects
Authors: Marks Denton , Welsch David M.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Commercial auctions of cultural goods are typically brokerage arrangements where potential buyers may consider pre-sale estimates (PSEs) in bidding. The economic theory suggests that PSEs should provide honest guidance – winning bids should, on average, equal PSEs – but available research from fine art and antique auctions finds otherwise. The authors examine this relationship for commercial auctions of fine wine – items which, unlike fine art and antiques, are widely traded so that bidders may more knowledgably interpret PSEs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper examines the relationship of PSEs to winning bids econometrically for an iconic wine widely traded in several Chicago wine auctions, a novel setting for this analysis.

Findings

– The relationship of winning bids to PSEs differs significantly between two neighboring auction houses, perhaps reflecting differences in how they do business; neither’s PSEs have a straightforward relationship to winning bids; PSEs have an influence on winning bids independent of a lot’s characteristics, reflecting perhaps an anchoring effect; the analysis suggests broad bidding strategies (with counter-strategies implied) and might guide auction house lot selection and ownership if more complete data became available.

Originality/value

– The role and reliability of PSEs in auctions of other cultural goods, representing most of the literature, has limited application to auctions of fine wine whose markets differ categorically from those of other cultural goods.
Childhood sexual abuse among girls and determinants of sexual risk behaviours in adult life in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Yahaya Ismail , Leon Antonio Ponce De , Uthman Olalekan A. , Soares Joaquim J. F. , Macassa Gloria
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between child sexual abuse and sexual risk behaviours as well as its potential mediators.

Design/methodology/approach

– This cross-sectional study used data from a cross-sectional study from 12,800 women between 15 and 49 years of age included in the 2008 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to assess the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual risk behaviours.

Findings

– The authors found that CSA was directly associated with sexual risk behaviours. In addition, the association between CSA and sexual risk behaviour was also partially mediated by alcohol and cigarette use.

Research limitations/implications

– The results show that being abused in childhood is important for the subsequent development of sexual risk behaviours in adulthood and the association is mediated by alcohol and cigarette use.

Practical implications

– The results may be helpful for policy makers and health care planners in designing cultural sensitive public health intervention that will reduce the burden of CSA, its long-term effects (sexual risk behaviours) and intervening mediators that increase the risks.

Social implications

– These findings suggest that to reduce sexual risks, interventions to address sexual abuse needs to include other social problems (smoking, alcohol) that victims result to when faced with trauma.

Originality/value

– The current study is the only one so far in sub-Saharan Africa to have explored the relation between CSA and sexual risk behaviours using SEM.
Can internet blogs be used as an effective advertising tool? The role of product blog type and brand awareness
Authors: Ho Chen-Hsun , Chiu Kuang-Hui , Chen Hsin , Papazafeiropoulou Anastasia
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– As blogs have become an important information communication medium, selecting blog types that are appropriate and effective for the products they are to promote is now an important issue in corporate advertising. However, the impact of different blog types on consumers and their advertising effectiveness are issues seldom addressed in the existing literature. The purpose of this paper is to view product information that consumers post on blogs as advertisements and compares advertising effectiveness between different blog types to help enterprises properly employ blogs in their marketing campaigns.

Design/methodology/approach

– An experimental design was adopted, and 12 experimental contexts were designed. A valid sample of over 2,000 responses was collected to study between-group differences in advertising effectiveness.

Findings

– The analytical results showed between-group difference in advertising effectiveness, which indicated that blog advertising effectiveness varies with different combinations of product constructs and blog types.

Research limitations/implications

– The limitations of this study related to the price factor was not incorporated into the experimental model, and shopping channels were not limited. There might be a gap between the prices of the experimental products and the average expense of online shoppers.

Originality/value

– The study proposed a framework which can help enterprises to evaluate the type and brand awareness of a product to be promoted and to select the blog type that maximizes advertising effectiveness (perceived risk, ad attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intention) in diffusing product information.
The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT): a literature review
Authors: Williams Michael D , Rana Nripendra P , Dwivedi Yogesh K
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to perform a systematic review of articles that have used the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT).

Design/methodology/approach

– The results produced in this research are based on the literature analysis of 174 existing articles on the UTAUT model. This has been performed by collecting data including demographic details, methodological details, limitations, and significance of relationships between the constructs from the available articles based on the UTAUT.

Findings

– The findings indicated that general purpose systems and specialized business systems were examined in the majority of the articles using the UTAUT. The analysis also indicated that cross-sectional approach, survey methods, and structural equation modelling analysis techniques were the most explored research methodologies whereas SPSS was found to be the largely used analysis tools. Moreover, the weight analysis of independent variables indicates that variables such as performance expectancy and behavioural intention qualified for the best predictor category. Moreover, the analysis also suggested that single subject or biased sample as the most explored limitation across all studies.

Research limitations/implications

– The search activities were centered on occurrences of keywords to avoid tracing a large number of publications where these keywords might have been used as casual words in the main text. However, we acknowledge that there may be a number of studies, which lack keywords in the title, but still focus upon UTAUT in some form.

Originality/value

– This is the first research of its type which has extensively examined the literature on the UTAUT and provided the researchers with the accumulative knowledge about the model.
Gender differences in the use of assistance programs
Authors: Yusuf Juita-Elena (Wie)
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine differences in factors influencing use of entrepreneurial assistance programs by male and female entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics I are used to determine drivers of assistance program use by men and women using logistic regression. These drivers include size and composition of the start-up team and personal network, experiences of the entrepreneur, team and network; support provided by the team and network, and other factors.

Findings

– In total, 31 percent of female entrepreneurs and 24 percent of male entrepreneurs in the sample used entrepreneurial assistance programs. Results show that drivers of assistance use do vary by gender. Education, business/entrepreneurial knowledge and involvement in a technology-based start-up are drivers of program use by women. Personal network size, entrepreneurial experience of start-up team, and having worked for parents’ business are drivers of program use by men.

Practical implications

– This study inform policy and support practices about use of assistance programs and suggests that the support drivers of women are different, justifying continued need for targeted assistance programs such as those specifically for women starting technology-based ventures.

Originality/value

– This research addresses gender differences in use of assistance programs. Results provide support that a “one-size-fits all” support may not be useful, and that there may be need for targeted assistance programs.
Measuring Schumpeterian activity using a composite indicator
Authors: Mann John , Shideler David
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– As an economic development strategy, entrepreneurship policies should target innovative activities – those which Schumpeter described as leading to new goods, production methods, markets, input sources, or new industries. However, popular entrepreneurship proxies, such as firm births (<500 employees) and sole proprietorships, capture multiple types of entrepreneurship which may have conflicting qualities. To address the need for more accurate measures of Schumpeterian activity, indices are constructed to specifically measure the relative amount of Schumpeterian activity among US states. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Four composite indices of Schumpeterian activity are constructed using different methods to combine variables related to innovative activity into single indicator, since there is uncertainty about the weighting of dimensions: principal component analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA), data envelopment analysis and equal weights. Robustness checks were used to compare state rankings across indices. These indices were also compared to common entrepreneurship proxies and real GDP to demonstrate and justify their measurement of Schumpeterian activity.

Findings

– The results show that the Schumpeterian Activity Indices (SAIs) similarly rank states and measure phenomena different from the common proxies of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, these indices better predict GDP than the common proxies. Lastly, state rankings based upon the SAIs support previous research suggesting that innovation and agglomeration economies are interrelated.

Originality/value

– The paper demonstrates a methodology for constructing a measure of innovative activity, which is necessary to develop and evaluate entrepreneurship policy for economic development.
U.S. State Government policies and entrepreneurship
Authors: Krichevskiy Dmitriy , Snyder Thomas
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of government policies on entrepreneurial activity within the 50 US states.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using panel data and a fixed-effects model, the authors examine the determinants of the nominal establishment entry rate, the nominal establishment exit rate, and the net establishment entry rate. To measure government policy, the authors use the Economic Freedom of North America (EFNA) index published by the Fraser Institute. The authors use both the overall index and its components. The authors also use the state and local tax burden published by the Tax Foundation.

Findings

– The authors find that a smaller government is associated with a net increase in business establishments. A freer labor market is also associated with a net increase in business establishments. However, the relationship between the tax burden and entrepreneurship is more complex. Using a measurement of the tax burden from the Fraser Institute, the authors find that an increase in taxes is associated with a net decrease in businesses, but the measurement from the Tax Foundation suggests that an increase in taxes is associated with a net increase in businesses.

Research limitations/implications

– The results can help policy makers recognize the effects of expenditure and regulation on business formation.

Practical implications

– However, the results do not send a clear message on the effects of taxes on entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

– The contribution to the literature is the examination of the effect of the components economic freedom on net business entry in the USA, along with comparing the effects of two measurements of tax burden on net business entry.
A systematic-qualitative research for diffusion of innovation in the primary healthcare centers
Authors: Aslani Alireza , Naaranoja Marja
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to discuss a model for diffusion of innovation among the professionals of primary health-care centers in Finland. The authors answer partially to one of the important questions of the policymakers titled “How primary health-care centers can move toward systems that continuously improve their innovation?”.

Design/methodology/approach

– A systematic-qualitative framework based on an action research is presented to assess dynamics of diffusion of innovation in the primary health-care centers in Finland.

Findings

– The authors conceptualize the innovation systems of primary health-care systems by three different diagrams: subsystem diagram, policy structure diagram and causal loop diagram. The investigation reviews innovation process of Finnish professionals (staffs, nurses and doctors) in the frame of a systematic-qualitative analysis. The relationships and consequences of decisions and policies are discussed with a new way of thinking in the health-care sector studies.

Originality/value

– The implemented systematic-qualitative research in this article is an innovative approach in the innovation studies of the health-care systems.
Identification and prioritization of corporate sustainability practices using analytical hierarchy process
Authors: Goyal Praveen , Rahman Zillur , Kazmi Absar Ahmad
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize the corporate sustainability practices to improve the corporate sustainability performance in the manufacturing sector. Further, these practices are being prioritized to find out the essential practices to ensure logical allocation of limited resources.

Design/methodology/approach

– It examines the corporate sustainability practices which have been shortlisted from both the literature review and experts judgment. Then, analytic hierarchy process has been used to assess the identified 12 practices of corporate sustainability and to find their priorities for improvement of the corporate sustainability performance.

Findings

– Based on the hierarchical model developed in this study, the analysis reveals market value, environment management and strategy, research and development, pollution prevention, corporate governance and investor responsibility, which have been found to be the most important practices in improving the corporate sustainability performance.

Practical implications

– The findings of the study would be useful to the practitioners in the proper allocation of scarce resources to optimize the corporate sustainability performance of firms, especially the manufacturing entities.

Originality/value

– It is a fact that multi-faceted nature of corporate sustainability includes both subjective and objective dimensions. Therefore, prioritization of corporate sustainability at the factor level is one of the important contributions to the literature that has been addressed in the present study. The results of this paper may be generalized to the other sectors.
Multivariate credit portfolio management using cluster analysis
Authors: Klotz Stefan , Lindermeir Andreas
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to improve decision making in credit portfolio management through analytical data-mining methods, which should be used as data availability and data quality of credit portfolios increase due to (semi-)automated credit decisions, improved data warehouses and heightened information needs of portfolio management.

Design/methodology/approach

– To contribute to this fact, this paper elaborates credit portfolio analysis based on cluster analysis. This statistical method, so far mainly used in other disciplines, is able to determine “hidden” patterns within a data set by examining data similarities.

Findings

– Based on several real-world credit portfolio data sets provided by a financial institution, the authors find that cluster analysis is a suitable method to determine numerous multivariate contract specifications implying high or, respectively, low profit potential.

Research limitations/implications

– Nevertheless, cluster analysis is a statistical method with multiple possible settings that have to be adjusted manually. Thus, various different results are possible, and as cluster analysis is an application of unsupervised learning, a validation of the results is hardly possible.

Practical implications

– By applying this approach in credit portfolio management, companies are able to utilize the information gained when making future credit portfolio decisions and, consequently, increase their profit.

Originality/value

– The paper at hand provides a unique structured approach on how to perform a multivariate cluster analysis of a credit portfolio by considering risk and return simultaneously. In this context, this procedure serves as a guidance on how to conduct a cluster analysis of a credit portfolio including advices for the settings of the analysis.
A note on dynamic hedging
Authors: Alghalith Moawia , Floros Christos , Lalloo Ricardo
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically test dynamic hedging, using data from the FTSE-100 and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 futures indices.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors introduce a dynamic continuous-time hedging model in futures markets. The authors further relax the statistical-independence assumption between the spot price and basis risk.

Findings

– The authors show that the investors are, on average, quite risk averse. The authors find that a one unit increase in the price volatility reduces the hedged FTSE-100 (S&P 500) by 645.62 (777.07) units. Similarly, a one unit increase in basis risk reduces the hedged FTSE-100 (S&P 500) by 403.57 (378.54) units. The authors’ approach shows that risk-averse investors should decrease their hedge (i.e. increase their equity allocation) with an increase in index price risk.

Practical implications

– These findings are helpful to risk managers dealing with futures markets.

Originality/value

– The contribution of this paper is that it successfully introduces a dynamic continuous-time hedging model in futures markets.
Exploring Lean deployment in New Zealand apple pack-houses
Authors: Doevendans Hans J.T. , Grigg Nigel Peter , Goodyer Jane
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to present findings from a research project that investigated the suitability of Lean in a seasonal horticultural setting, specifically the New Zealand (NZ) apple and pear (pipfruit) industry. The paper focusses on improvements made while deploying Lean elements in several apple pack-houses.

Design/methodology/approach

– The literature review discusses how common theoretical Lean themes are not industry or contextually bound and may be transferable to other industries. An industry-wide survey assesses the current state of knowledge and Lean deployment within the industry using a unique “single-question-per-day” approach. Two case studies and one action research study are used to obtain rich data from organisations that have implemented Lean in recent times. Reliability and validity is achieved by selecting representative samples, using a case study protocol, a single researcher for consistency, participant verification, multiple sources of evidence within cases and replication logic.

Findings

– The industry survey shows a low level of knowledge and applied Lean within the industry. Data demonstrate that significant progress is made, using different implementation approaches that lead to a measurable increase of Lean, supported by some positive financial indicators.

Research limitations/implications

– This research is restricted to NZ apple pack-houses, but indicates that Lean can contribute significantly to general horticultural pack house performance.

Originality/value

– Literature research shows that little research has been done to study Lean in the horticultural field generally and in the NZ pipfruit industry specifically. This paper contributes to filling that knowledge gap.
Global patterns and predictors of fish species richness in estuaries
Authors: Vasconcelos Rita P. , Henriques Sofia , França Susana , Pasquaud Stéphanie , Cardoso Inês , Laborde Marina , Cabral Henrique N.
Published: March 2015

Knowledge of global patterns of biodiversity and regulating variables is indispensable to develop predictive models.

The present study used predictive modelling approaches to investigate hypotheses that explain the variation in fish species richness between estuaries over a worldwide spatial extent. Ultimately, such models will allow assessment of future changes in ecosystem structure and function as a result of environmental changes.

A comprehensive worldwide data base was compiled of the fish assemblage composition and environmental characteristics of estuaries. Generalized Linear Models were used to quantify how variation in species richness among estuaries is related to historical events, energy dynamics and ecosystem characteristics, while controlling for sampling effects.

At the global extent, species richness differed among marine biogeographic realms and continents and increased with mean sea surface temperature, terrestrial net primary productivity and the stability of connectivity with a marine ecosystem (open vs. temporarily open estuaries). At a smaller extent (within a marine biogeographic realm or continent), other characteristics were also important in predicting variation in species richness, with species richness increasing with estuary area and continental shelf width.

The results suggest that species richness in an estuary is defined by predictors that are spatially hierarchical. Over the largest spatial extents, species richness is influenced by the broader distributions and habitat use patterns of marine and freshwater species that can colonize estuaries, which are in turn governed by history contingency, energy dynamics and productivity variables. Species richness is also influenced by more regional and local parameters that can further affect the process of community colonization in an estuary including the connectivity of the estuary with the adjacent marine habitat, and, over smaller spatial extents, the size of these habitats. In summary, patterns of species richness in estuaries across large spatial extents seem to reflect from global to local processes acting on community colonization. The importance of considering spatial extent, sampling effects and of combining history and contemporary environmental characteristics when exploring biodiversity is highlighted.
Prevalence of CYP2C19 alleles, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variation of clopidogrel and prasugrel in Bangladeshi population
Authors: Bin Sayeed Muhammad Shahdaat , Hasan Apu Mohd Nazmul , Munir Maliha Tabassum , Ahmed Maizbha Uddin , Islam Mohammad Safiqul , Haq M Maksumul , Ahsan Chowdhury H , Rashid M A , Shin Jae Gook , Hasnat Abul
Published: March 2015

The extent to which cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 genotype influences the effectiveness of clopidogrel remains uncertain due to considerable heterogeneity between studies. We used the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) method for genotyping loss of function (LOF) allele, CYP2C19*2 and gain of function (GOF) allele, CYP2C19*17 in 163 patients undergoing PCI and 165 healthy volunteers from an ethnically distinctive Bangladeshi population. Thirty‐eight patients took prasugrel and 125 patients took clopidogrel among whom 30 patients had their clopidogrel active metabolites (CAM) determined by LC‐MS/MS 1–1.5 h after clopidogrel intake. All patients who underwent PCI had their P2Y12 per cent inhibition (PRI) measured by VerifyNow System. The impact of different genotypes on CAM and PRI were also determined. We did not find significant variation of CYP2C19*2 (P > 0.05) and CYP2C9*17 (P > 0.05) alleles among healthy volunteers and patients. CAM concentration as well as PRI by clopidogrel varied significantly (P < 0.05) based on genotypic variation of CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*17 individually. Such influence was not observed in case of prasugrel. Genotypic variation did not impact PRI but as a whole PRI by prasugrel was better than that of clopidogrel (P < 0.05). Due to presence of both of alleles the effect on PRI by clopidogrel could not be predicted, effectively indicating possible involvement of other factors. Genotype guided clopidogrel dose adjustment would be beneficial and therefore we propose mandatory genotyping before clopidogrel dosing. Prasugrel proved to be less affected by genotypic variability, but due to lack of sufficient long‐term toxicity data, caution would be adopted before substituting clopidogrel.
The effect of repeated, lethal sampling on wild bee abundance and diversity
Authors: Gezon Zachariah J. , Wyman Eli S. , Ascher John S. , Inouye David W. , Irwin Rebecca E.
Published: March 2015

Bee pollinators provide a critical ecosystem service to wild and agricultural plants but are reported to be declining world‐wide due to anthropogenic change. Long‐term data on bee abundance and diversity are scarce, and the need for additional quantitative sampling using repeatable methods has been emphasized. Recently, monitoring programmes have begun using a standardized method that employs a combination of pan traps and sweep netting, resulting in lethal sampling of bees. This standardized method can remove a large number of bees from sites during each sampling day, raising concern that the sampling itself could have a negative effect on bee populations.

We conducted an experiment to assess whether lethal sampling for bees using pan traps and netting affected bee abundance and diversity when done every two weeks throughout a season and over multiple years. We compared bee abundance, richness, evenness and functional group composition between sites that had been sampled every two weeks from 2009 to 2012 to similar sites not previously sampled.

We found that the standardized method for sampling bees, with specimens from 132 morphospecies, did not affect bee communities in terms of abundance, rarefied richness, evenness, or functional group composition. Thus, our results indicate that the bee communities we sampled are robust to such sampling efforts, despite removing an average of 2862 bees per season.

We discuss several explanations for why sampling did not affect bee abundance or community structure, including a density‐dependent response to reduced competition for resources.

These results suggest that bee monitoring programmes sampling once every two weeks with pan traps and netting will not affect bee community structure. We urge researchers monitoring bees to utilize standardized protocols so that results can be compared across space and time.
Transversus abdominis plane block vs. wound infiltration in Caesarean section: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: TELNES A. , SKOGVOLL E. , LONNÉE H.
Published: March 2015

Background

Multiple studies suggest that transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block (without intrathecal morphine) after Caesarean section (CS) reduces post‐operative morphine consumption. In our study, we wanted to compare the analgesic effect of TAP block with infiltration of the wound after CS.

Methods

We included 60 pregnant women scheduled for elective CS under spinal anaesthesia in a randomised, single‐centre, double‐blind study. Thirty patients received ultrasound‐guided TAP block using 20 ml bupivacaine 0.25% with adrenaline 5 μg/ml bilaterally and 20 ml normal saline as wound infiltration (TAP group). The other 30 patients (the control group) received normal saline 20 ml bilaterally in the TAP, and 20 ml bupivacaine 0.25% with adrenaline 5 μg/ml as wound infiltration. The main outcome was cumulative morphine consumption at 48 h after surgery. In addition, continuous morphine consumption, pain scores and side effects were registered.

Results

Fifty‐seven patients completed the study. Cumulative morphine consumption at 48 h (mean ± standard deviation) was 41 ± 34 mg in the TAP group and 38 ± 27 mg in the control group (P = 0.7); a difference of 3 mg (95% confidence interval −13 to 19 mg). Morphine consumption at any time up to 48 h was virtually identical in both groups. Side effects were similar, except for a higher degree of sedation in the TAP group (P = 0.04).

Conclusion

Compared with wound infiltration with local anaesthetics, TAP block did not reduce cumulative morphine consumption following CS. The TAP block was associated with more pronounced sedation.
The Business Cycle: A Kelsonian Analysis
Authors: Greaney Michael D.
Published: March 2015

Increasingly dramatic swings in economic activity are characteristic of the modern business cycle that results from the failure of Say's Law of Markets to operate. From the perspective of the banking principle of the Smithian school of classical economics, the swings of the modern business cycle are a symptom of a badly structured economic order based on inadequate or incorrect principles. The problems associated with the modern business cycle are, however, entirely solvable with the tools and techniques of binary economics as applied in a manner consistent with the principles of economic and social justice as proposed under Capital Homesteading.
A Real‐Assets Model of Economic Crises: Will China Crash in 2015?
Authors: Gaffney Mason
Published: March 2015

Loosely derived from Henry George's theory that land speculation creates boom‐bust cycles, a real‐assets model of economic crises is developed. In this model, land prices play a central role, and three hypothesized mechanisms are proposed by which swings of land prices affect the entire economy: construction on marginal sites, partial displacement of circulating capital by fixed capital investment, and the over‐leveraging of bank assets. The crisis of 2008 is analyzed in these terms along with other examples of sudden economic contractions in U.S. history, recent European experience, and global examples over the past 20 years. Conditions in China in 2014 are examined and shown to indicate a likely recession in that country in 2015 because its banks are over‐leveraged with large‐scale, under‐performing real estate loans. Finally, alternative methods of preventing similar crises in the future are explored.
The Great Recession and Marx's Crisis Theory
Authors: Kliman Andrew
Published: March 2015

To help understand why the Great Recession occurred, this article focuses on its underlying causes and employs Karl Marx's theory of capitalist economic crisis. It shows that U.S. corporations' rate of return on fixed asset investment fell throughout the half‐century preceding the recession, and that this fall accounts for the entire decline in their rate of capital accumulation (productive investment). The investment slowdown led to a decline in the rate of economic growth, which was a main cause of rising debt burdens, as were stimulative fiscal and monetary policies that delayed but exacerbated the effects of the underlying economic problems. The article also refutes the claim that the rate of profit could not really have fallen because massive redistribution of income from wages to profits took place, and it argues that it is unlikely that major crises of capitalism can be eliminated.
Predicting Major Economic Events with Accuracy: A New Framework for Scientific Macroeconomic Models
Authors: Wayne James J.
Published: March 2015

Abstract

Despite intense studies over the last several hundred years, the questions about causes, forecasting, and prevention of economic crises remain unsolved. The poor performance of macroeconomic models during the Great Recession of 2008 has forced many economists to reexamine macroeconomic theories and search for credible alternatives to the agent‐based and general‐equilibrium models now currently used by most economists. This article derives a new category of macroeconomic model and applies it conceptually to explain the causes of economic crises. This model, known as the indeterministic balance sheet plus (IBS+) model, is a special breed of accounting models. It takes an indeterministic view of future balance sheets. This article proposes a classification of causes of economic crises using IBS+ models to analyze balance sheets of key economic sectors. Most economic crises are caused by mismanagement of balance sheets by key economic players, not by any fundamental flaw of capitalism. The frequency of economic crises can be minimized by proper risk management practices, but economic crises can never be completely eliminated. Historically, treating mismanagement of balance sheets as the main cause of economic crises is a generalization of Austrian business cycle theory, Fisher's debt deflation theory, and Minsky's financial instability hypothesis.
Effects of the jaw‐thrust manoeuvre in the semi‐sitting position on securing a clear airway during fibreoptic intubation
Authors: Chang J.‐E. , Min S.‐W. , Kim C.‐S. , Kwon Y.‐S. , Hwang J.‐Y.
Published: March 2015

Securing a clear airway is important for successful fibreoptic intubation. We investigated whether the jaw‐thrust manoeuvre in the 25° semi‐sitting position improves airway clearance compared with the supine position in 88 anaesthetised patients randomly assigned to the two positions. After induction of anaesthesia, the fibreoptic bronchoscope was advanced into the mouth along the dorsum of the tongue during the jaw‐thrust manoeuvre. Airway clearance was assessed at the level of the soft palate and epiglottis. Patients in the 25° semi‐sitting position had clearer airways (judged subjectively by a three‐level scale) than those in the supine position at the soft palate level (p = 0.012). At the level of the epiglottis, airway clearance was equally good in both positions. The mean (SD) times to view the vocal cord and carina were shorter in the 25° semi‐sitting position (4 (1) s and 8 (1) s, respectively) compared with the supine position (6 (3) s and 11 (3) s; p < 0.001, respectively). The time to achieve intubation was also shorter in the 25° semi‐sitting position (21 (5) s) than in the supine position (25 (7) s; p = 0.018).