bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of carbon nanotube geometry upon tunneling assisted electrical network in nanocomposites
Authors: Bao W. S. , Meguid S. A. , Zhu Z. H. , Pan Y. , Weng G. J.
Published: June 2013

This paper examines the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) geometry upon the electrical properties of the corresponding functionalized nanocomposites. Specifically, Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are conducted to evaluate the effect of CNT length non-uniformity and waviness upon tunneling. Three aspects of the work are considered. The first is concerned with the application of periodic boundary condition that ensures periodic connectivity of the percolating paths via the use of an improved connective percolating network recognition scheme. The second is concerned with the determination of the electrical conductivity of the percolated system rather than the critical percolation threshold for varied CNT geometries using Weibull distribution to statistically account for the geometry variations. The third is concerned with the validation of our MC simulations. Our results reveal that (i) the CNT geometry, as determined by CNT length variability and waviness, plays a more dominant role in percolation threshold rather than tunneling barrier height and (ii) higher CNT loading beyond a critical percolation significantly influences the role of tunneling barrier height upon the electrical conductivity.
The order parameter of glass transition: Spontaneously delocalized nanoscale solitary wave with transverse ripplon-like soft wave
Authors: Wu Jia Lin
Published: June 2013

In macromolecular self-avoiding random walk, movement of each chain-particle accompanies an instantaneous spin system with de Gennes n = 0 that provides extra energy, extra vacancy volume and relaxation time needed for chain-particles co-movement. Using these additional and instantaneous spin systems not only directly yields the same Brownian motion mode in glass transition (GT) and reptation-tube model, but also proves that the entangled chain length corresponding to the Reynolds number in hydrodynamics and the inherent diffusion - delocalization mode of entangled chains, from frozen glass state to melt liquid state, is a chain-size solitary wave with transverse ripplon-like soft wave. Thus, the order parameter of GT is found. The various currently available GT theories, such as Static Replica, Random First-Order Transition, Potential Energy Landscape, Mode-Coupling and Nanoscale Heterogeneity, can be unified using the additional and instantaneous spin system. GT served as an inspiration and continues to serve as the paradigm in the universal random delocalization transitions from disorder to more disorder until turbulence.
Artificial lighting and disrupted sea-finding behaviour in hatchling loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) on the Woongarra coast, south-east Queensland, Australia
Authors: Berry Megan , Booth David T. , Limpus Colin J.
Published: June 2013

Coastal development adjacent to sea turtle nesting beaches can result in an increase in exposure to artificial lighting at night. That lighting can repel nesting females and interfere with the orientation of hatchlings from the nest to the sea. Disrupted hatchling orientation is a serious source of turtle mortality, sufficient to reduce recruitment and contribute to a long-term marine turtle population decline. The purpose of this study was to assess whether artificial lighting disrupts hatchling sea-finding behaviour at the largest loggerhead rookery in the South Pacific, the Woongarra coast, south-east Queensland. The crawling tracks of hatchlings that emerged from nests, as well as staged emergences, were used to assess the effect of lighting conditions at several local beaches on hatchling sea-finding behaviour. Disrupted orientation was observed at only a few locations, excluding the majority of the main nesting beach at Mon Repos Conservation Park. At the sites where orientation was disrupted, normal orientation was restored when a full moon was visible, presumably because lunar illumination reduced the perceived brightness of the artificial lights. The controlled use of lights used for guided turtle-viewing tour groups within Mon Repos conservation Park did not interfere with the sea-finding behaviour of hatchling turtles. Further coastal development, especially at the nearby town of Bargara, requires that a light management plan be formulated to ensure that development does not adversely affect the marine turtles that utilise the local nesting beaches.
Efficacy of Aquaflor (50% Florfenicol)–Medicated Feed to Control Mortality Associated with Flavobacterium columnare Infection in Florida Largemouth Bass and Bluegill
Authors: Matthews Michael D , Bowker James D , Carty Daniel G , Wandelear Niccole , Bowman Molly P , Sakmar Joshua C , Childress Katherine
Published: June 2013

Aquaflor (florfenicol, 50% with/without) is a potent, broad-spectrum, antibacterial agent with bacteriostatic properties that are active against a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This product is approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for use on several fish species to control mortality associated with a variety of diseases, including columnaris (causative agent, Flavobacterium columnare). Two independent experimental trials were separately conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Aquaflor to control mortality associated with columnaris disease. Aquaflor was administered in feed at a targeted daily florfenicol dosage of 10 mg/kg of body weight for 10 consecutive days. Test species were fingerling Florida Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. In each trial, 8 or 10 test tanks (4 or 5 treated, 4 or 5 control) were stocked with either approximately 473 bass (mean length = 6.4 mm; mean weight = 3.3 g) or 100 Bluegills (length = 10.3; weight = 25.2 g). At the end of the 14-d posttreatment periods, mean cumulative mortality of bass in treated tanks was 5.7% per tank, which was significantly less than that in control tanks (12.0%). Mean cumulative mortality of Bluegills in treated tanks was 19% per tank, which was significantly less than that in control tanks (38%). Analysis of treated feed samples at the start of each trial verified the initial targeted dose of florfenicol was within 11% of the target dose for both bass and Bluegills. Based on these results, we concluded that Aquaflor-medicated feed homogeneously mixed to provide florfenicol at a daily dose of10 mg/kg of body weight fed for 10 d was effective in controlling mortality in bass and Bluegill fingerlings, exposed to columnaris disease.
Crowdsourcing for bioinformatics
Authors: Good Benjamin M. , Su Andrew I.
Published: June 2013

Motivation: Bioinformatics is faced with a variety of problems that require human involvement. Tasks like genome annotation, image analysis, knowledge-base population and protein structure determination all benefit from human input. In some cases, people are needed in vast quantities, whereas in others, we need just a few with rare abilities. Crowdsourcing encompasses an emerging collection of approaches for harnessing such distributed human intelligence. Recently, the bioinformatics community has begun to apply crowdsourcing in a variety of contexts, yet few resources are available that describe how these human-powered systems work and how to use them effectively in scientific domains.

Results: Here, we provide a framework for understanding and applying several different types of crowdsourcing. The framework considers two broad classes: systems for solving large-volume ‘microtasks’ and systems for solving high-difficulty ‘megatasks’. Within these classes, we discuss system types, including volunteer labor, games with a purpose, microtask markets and open innovation contests. We illustrate each system type with successful examples in bioinformatics and conclude with a guide for matching problems to crowdsourcing solutions that highlights the positives and negatives of different approaches.

Contact:  bgood@scripps.edu
A hydrodynamical model for the Fermi-LAT γ-ray light curve of blazar PKS 1510−089
Authors: Cabrera J. I. , Coronado Y. , Benítez E. , Mendoza S. , Hiriart D. , Sorcia M.
Published: June 2013

A physical description of the formation and propagation of working surfaces inside the relativistic jet of the blazar PKS 1510−089 are used to model its γ-ray variability light curve using Fermi-LAT data from 2008 to 2012. The physical model is based on conservation laws of mass and momentum at the working surface as explained by Mendoza et al. (2009). The hydrodynamical description of a working surface is parametrized by the initial velocity and mass injection rate at the base of the jet. We show that periodic variations on the injected velocity profiles are able to account for the observed luminosity, fixing model parameters such as mass ejection rates of the central engine injected at the base of the jet, oscillation frequencies of the flow and maximum Lorentz factors of the bulk flow during a particular burst.
Apoptosis and angiogenesis: an evolving mechanism for fibrosis
Authors: Johnson Ariel , DiPietro Luisa Ann
Published: June 2013

seen in the liver, lung, heart, kidney, and skin, is a significant global disease burden. Currently, therapeutic treatment is limited, and the number of cases continues to grow. Apoptosis has been identified as a potential initiator and propagator of fibrosis. This review specifically examines the correlation between the presence of apoptotic cells and their effect on fibroblast phenotype and collagen metabolism in several different experimental models of fibrosis. Fibrosis in these models is generally preceded by robust angiogenesis and vascular regression, suggesting that the vascular apoptotic burden may be important to fibrotic outcomes. This review considers the emerging evidence that angiogenesis or vascular regression contributes to fibrosis and identifies initial vascular outgrowth or vascular apoptotic cell presence as possible regulators of fibrosis. A further understanding of the cellular mechanisms of fibrosis may suggest novel methods for the reduction of the fibrotic response and promotion of regeneration.—Johnson, A., DiPietro, L. A., Apoptosis and angiogenesis: an evolving mechanism for fibrosis. FASEB J. 27, 3893–3901 (2013). www.fasebj.org
Actin stress fibre subtypes in mesenchymal-migrating cells
Authors: Vallenius Tea
Published: June 2013

Mesenchymal cell migration is important for embryogenesis and tissue regeneration. In addition, it has been implicated in pathological conditions such as the dissemination of cancer cells. A characteristic of mesenchymal-migrating cells is the presence of actin stress fibres, which are thought to mediate myosin II-based contractility in close cooperation with associated focal adhesions. Myosin II-based contractility regulates various cellular activities, which occur in a spatial and temporal manner to achieve directional cell migration. These myosin II-based activities involve the maturation of integrin-based adhesions, generation of traction forces, establishment of the front-to-back polarity axis, retraction of the trailing edge, extracellular matrix remodelling and mechanotransduction. Growing evidence suggests that actin stress fibre subtypes, namely dorsal stress fibres, transverse arcs and ventral stress fibres, could provide this spatial and temporal myosin II-based activity. Consistent with their functional differences, recent studies have demonstrated that the molecular composition of actin stress fibre subtypes differ significantly. This present review focuses on the current view of the molecular composition of actin stress fibre subtypes and how these fibre subtypes regulate mesenchymal cell migration.
The complex SNP and CNV genetic architecture of the increased risk of congenital heart defects in Down syndrome
Authors: Sailani M. Reza , Makrythanasis Periklis , Valsesia Armand , Santoni Federico A. , Deutsch Samuel , Popadin Konstantin , Borel Christelle , Migliavacca Eugenia , Sharp Andrew J. , Duriaux Sail Genevieve , Falconnet Emilie , Rabionet Kelly , Serra-Juhé Clara , Vicari Stefano , Laux Daniela , Grattau Yann , Dembour Guy , Megarbane Andre , Touraine Renaud , Stora Samantha , Kitsiou Sofia , Fryssira Helena , Chatzisevastou-Loukidou Chariklia , Kanavakis Emmanouel , Merla Giuseppe , Bonnet Damien , Pérez-Jurado Luis A. , Estivill Xavier , Delabar Jean M. , Antonarakis Stylianos E.
Published: June 2013

Congenital heart defect (CHD) occurs in 40% of Down syndrome (DS) cases. While carrying three copies of chromosome 21 increases the risk for CHD, trisomy 21 itself is not sufficient to cause CHD. Thus, additional genetic variation and/or environmental factors could contribute to the CHD risk. Here we report genomic variations that in concert with trisomy 21, determine the risk for CHD in DS. This case-control GWAS includes 187 DS with CHD (AVSD = 69, ASD = 53, VSD = 65) as cases, and 151 DS without CHD as controls. Chromosome 21–specific association studies revealed rs2832616 and rs1943950 as CHD risk alleles (adjusted genotypicP-values <0.05). These signals were confirmed in a replication cohort of 92 DS-CHD cases and 80 DS-without CHD (nominalP-value 0.0022). Furthermore, CNV analyses using a customized chromosome 21 aCGH of 135K probes in 55 DS-AVSD and 53 DS-without CHD revealed three CNV regions associated with AVSD risk (FDR ≤ 0.05). Two of these regions that are located within the previously identified CHD region on chromosome 21 were further confirmed in a replication study of 49 DS-AVSD and 45 DS- without CHD (FDR ≤ 0.05). One of these CNVs maps near theRIPK4gene, and the second includes theZBTB21(previouslyZNF295) gene, highlighting the potential role of these genes in the pathogenesis of CHD in DS. We propose that the genetic architecture of the CHD risk of DS is complex and includes trisomy 21, and SNP and CNV variations in chromosome 21. In addition, a yet-unidentified genetic variation in the rest of the genome may contribute to this complex genetic architecture.
Districts, local education authorities, and the context of policy analysis
Authors: Seashore Louis Karen
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the author's commentary on the special issue of Journal of Educational Administration entitled “Systemwide reform: examining districts under pressure”.

Design/methodology/approach

The author gives her personal opinions, draws upon her recent experiences in the national study of US district leadership for school improvement, recent engagement with one specific US district's improvement efforts and work with colleagues in Europe on how a nation's culture mediates global policy trends.

Findings

One striking feature is the degree to which the language of “New Public Management” (is suffused within all of the papers).

Originality/value

The author notes that each paper peels a layer of the opaque onion of systemic school reform initiatives in the USA and was struck by the papers’ insight into current policy and administrative dilemmas facing districts in the USA – and also by their uniquely American perspective.
Self assessment enables greater social inclusion in mental health care
Authors: Bamber Ben C.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that monitoring of symptoms through self‐assessed data is not only a vital part of record taking in mental health care, but can also aid patients in their recovery, giving them more of a say in their healthcare, and providing a record of progress for both patients and clinicians.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature search was undertaken to identify ways in which self‐assessed data is used in mental health care and to examine how successful this approach may be in aiding recovery and whether patients are able and enthusiastic to participate in this approach. Ideas for effective approaches to utilising self‐assessed data into mental health care are suggested.

Findings

There were clear indications from the literature that the use of self‐assessed data improves health outcomes and that patients enjoy the process. This approach promotes greater inclusion of individuals in the management of their health care.

Practical implications

Self‐assessed data can be presented to doctors which may inform their decisions about their patients and be used as a reference for patients to see their progress towards recovery. It may also aid recognition of symptoms by patients.

Originality/value

The paper proposes that self‐assessed data should be used routinely in mental health care to complement traditional note taking by clinicians. It sets out a unique method for recording symptoms using a simple, easy to use, symptom scale. It is also proposes to measure medication dose and type, so that progress or otherwise can be compared with medication over time.
A solitary case: Swedish tobacco policy as harm reduction?
Authors: Cisneros Örnberg Jenny
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse Swedish tobacco policy, especially in relation to EU tobacco regulation. The paper also seeks to review the arguments and the scientific support presented in the debate around Swedish snus, setting it in the context of future EU regulation on tobacco.

Design/methodology/approach

The article draws on previous research, official documents and newspaper articles to examine tobacco policy development on a national and EU level.

Findings

The paper shows that the so‐called Swedish experience has led to a somewhat ambivalent political attitude towards tobacco policy. The Swedish case of snus also demonstrates the EU as a political and regulatory force in national policymaking and how different economic and political interests are using scientifically based arguments to advance goals of their own. The paper argues that political measures are dictated by ideology and political considerations, which are themselves supported by ambiguous scientific results. Harm reduction is used as a political tool in a debate which extends well beyond public health concerns.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to research on tobacco policy in general and on Swedish snus in particular. The paper also puts the snus question in a broader context of national public health policy and EU regulation.
A cross‐language personalized recommendation model in digital libraries
Authors: Lai Yuangen , Zeng Jianxun
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a cross‐language personalized recommendation model based on web log mining, which can recommend academic articles, in different languages, to users according to their demands.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model takes advantage of web log data archived in digital libraries and learns user profiles by means of integration analysis of a user's multiple online behaviors. Moreover, keyword translation was carried out to eliminate language dissimilarity between user and item profiles. Finally, article recommendation can be achieved using various existing algorithms.

Findings

The proposed model can recommend articles in different languages to users according to their demands, and the integration analysis of multiple online behaviors can help to better understand a user's interests.

Practical implications

This study has a significant implication for digital libraries in non‐English countries, since English is the most popular language in current academic articles and it is a very common phenomenon for users in these countries to obtain literatures presented by more than one language. Furthermore, this approach is also useful for other text‐based item recommendation systems.

Originality/value

A lot of research work has been done in the personalized recommendation area, but few works have discussed the recommendation problem under multiple linguistic circumstances. This paper deals with cross‐language recommendation and, moreover, the proposed model puts forward an integration analysis method based on multiple online behaviors to understand users' interests, which can provide references for other recommendation systems in the digital age.
Patients‐medical unit relationship models in the virtual environment
Authors: Matysiewicz Justyna , Smyczek Slawomir
Published: June 2013

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze factors influencing the mutual relationship between patients and medical units in the virtual environment. Since introduction of the internet and other electronic tools for medical services provision is at the very initial stage, it is necessary to examine factors which condition engagement of patients and medical units in building bilateral relations in a new virtual environment and to develop relationship models on the health services market. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents findings of the field study conducted in Poland, being a representative market under transition. Surveys were conducted among patients and medical units by means of structured questionnaires. The identification of relationship factors was based on the approach used in consumer behavior models, where the method of the so‐called summary of variables is left behind. Findings – According to research results, the most important factors affecting relationships between patients and medical units in the virtual environment include: the motivation, ability and market opportunity. With respect to patients, the most powerful factor is represented by the ability, whereas with respect to medical units by the market opportunity. Practical implications – Identified factors and developed models may be widely applied in practical operation of medical units, particularly in developing marketing programs for introduction of virtual service and communication tools, as well as in building patient loyalty programs. Originality/value – The paper is one of the first to have defined factors determining relationships on the virtual healthcare market and to have provided useful insights into the subject. Moreover, it constitutes a basis for future studies. The findings can greatly contribute to development of customer behavior and partnership marketing theories.
Beyond gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics
Authors: Berkery Elaine , Morley Michael , Tiernan Siobhan
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The aims of this study are threefold: to examine the relationship between gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics, to test Lord and Maher's recognition‐based processes to determine whether familiarity with women in leadership positions decreases the “think manager‐think male” stereotype and to examine the nature of the attributes used to describe men, women and managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Schein's Descriptive Index was used in this study. A total of 1,236 surveys were included in the study. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC, r1) were computed to determine the relationship between the different moderators and requisite managerial characteristics. Factorial analysis and agglomerative hierarchal cluster analysis were used to identify the traits attributed to men, women and managers.

Findings

Male respondents continue to gender type the managerial role in favour of men. Both males and managers continue to be viewed as agentic in nature while women are viewed in more androgynous terms by both male and female respondents.

Practical implications

This study expands our understanding of how males and females view women, men and managers. Based on the results of this study, the authors would argue that women are better equipped to adopt an androgynous leadership style and to practise transformational leadership.

Originality/value

This study looks beyond ICC scores and looks at how each of the traits is linked to men, women and managers. The findings are discussed in terms of how organisations need to look beyond the misfit between women and requisite managerial characteristics and focus on what females can contribute at board level and to management in general.
A Convertible Use Rapidly Expandable model for disaster response
Authors: Walters Elizabeth L. , Thomas Tamara L. , Corbett Stephen W. , Lavin Williams Karla , Williams Todd , Wittlake William A.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The general population relies on the healthcare system for needed care during disasters. Unfortunately, the system is already operating at capacity. Healthcare facilities must develop plans to accommodate the surge of patients generated during disasters. The purpose of this paper is to examine a concept for providing independent, technologically advanced medical surge capacity via a Convertible Use Rapidly Expandable (CURE) Center.

Design/methodology/approach

To develop this concept, a site was chosen to work through a scenario involving a large earthquake. Although the study‐affiliated hospital was built with then state‐of‐the‐art technologies, there is still concern for its continued functioning should a large earthquake occur. Working within these parameters, the planning team applied the concepts to a specific educational complex. Because this complex was in the initial building stages, required attributes could be incorporated, making the concept a potential reality. Challenges with operations, communications, and technologies were identified and addressed in the context of planning for delivery of quality healthcare.

Findings

The process highlighted several requirements. Planning must include community leaders, enhanced by agencies or individuals experienced in disaster response. Analyzing regional threats in the context of available resources comes first, and reaching a consensus on the scope of operation is required. This leads to an operational plan, and in turn to understanding the needs for a specific site. Use of computer modeling and virtual deployment of the center indicates where additional planning is needed.

Originality/value

Previous strategies for increasing surge capacity rely on continued availability of hospital resources, alternative care sites with minimal medical capability, or, costly hospital expansions. Development of a site‐specific CURE Center can allow communities to provide fiscally responsible solutions for sustained medical care during disasters.
The law on hate crime
Authors: Heard Catherine
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to inform readers about the Law Commission's review of hate crime offences and provide information on key stages. At the time of writing the review is at consultation stage and people are being invited to participate in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is structured in a question and answer format and provides an overview of existing hate crime offences and the stages of the Law Commission's review.

Findings

The consultation will consider the effect of the Law Commission's review of hate crime law on people with disabilities.

Originality/value

The author is a member of the Law Commission's criminal law team and answers questions on what's involved in the consultation process. The Law Commission wants to make sure that people who could be affected by any changes to the law on hate crime have their say.
Shopping fraud victimization among the elderly
Authors: Reisig Michael D. , Holtfreter Kristy
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This study aims to investigate whether low self‐control and routine activity theories explain fraud outcomes among the elderly. Specifically, the effects of low self‐control and remote purchasing behaviors on shopping fraud targeting and victimization are empirically assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross‐sectional survey data from telephone interviews conducted in Arizona and Florida are used. A total of 2,000 adults aged 60 and over were surveyed. Because selection bias was observed, a two‐stage probit regression model was estimated to assess theoretical hypotheses in a multivariate context.

Findings

The results demonstrate that two forms of remote purchasing – telemarketing purchase and mail‐order purchase – increase the probability of shopping fraud targeting. Infomercial purchase and mail‐order purchase are significant correlates of shopping fraud victimization. The probability of becoming a target and victim is affected positively by reduced levels of self‐control. The effects of demographic characteristics on fraud outcomes are null.

Research limitations/implications

This research lends support to the argument that low self‐control and routine activity theories shed light on fraud victimization among elderly consumers. Future research should examine the influence of low self‐control, individual routines and lifestyles on other forms of victimization that the elderly experience.

Practical implications

The findings underscore the need for fraud prevention and increasing public awareness among elderly consumers.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine shopping fraud targeting and victimization of the elderly in a broad theoretical context.
The role of organisational justice, burnout and commitment in the understanding of absenteeism in the Canadian healthcare sector
Authors: Chênevert Denis , Jourdain Genevieve , Cole Nina , Banville Brigitte
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to integrate Greenberg's perspective on the connection between injustice and stress in order to clarify the role of organisational justice, burnout and organisational commitment in the understanding of absenteeism.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was carried out among 457 workers of a large healthcare establishment in the Canadian public healthcare sector. The model was tested using structural equation methods.

Findings

The results reveal that procedural and interactional justices have an indirect effect on exhaustion through distributive injustice. Moreover, it was found that distributive injustice is indirectly linked to short‐term absences through exhaustion. By contrast, the relationship between distributive injustice and long‐term absence can be explained by two mediating variables, namely, exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints.

Research limitations/implications

In spite of the non‐longitudinal nature of this study, the results suggest that the stress model and the medical model best explain the relationship between organisational injustice and absenteeism, while the withdrawal model via organisational commitment is not associated in this study with absenteeism.

Practical implications

Healthcare managers should consider the possibility of better involving employees in the decision‐making process in order to increase their perception of procedural and interactional justice, and indirectly reduce exhaustion and absenteeism through a greater perception of distributive justice.

Social implications

For the healthcare sector, the need to reduce absenteeism is particularly urgent because of budget restrictions and the shortage of labour around the world.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to provide a complete model that analyses the stress process in terms of how organisational justice affects short‐ and long‐term absences, in a bid to understand the specific process and factors that lead to shorter and longer episodes of absence.
Industrial relations conflict in Irish hospitals: a review of Labour Court cases
Authors: Cowman Jennifer , Keating Mary A.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of industrial relations (IR), and IR conflict in the Irish healthcare sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a thematic analysis of Labour Court cases concerning hospitals over a ten‐year period.

Findings

The findings of the paper indicate that the nature of IR conflict is changing in healthcare. The paper suggests that alternative manifestations of IR conflict evident in the Irish healthcare sector include: absenteeism as a form of temporary exit; and resistance. The key groups in the sector are discussed in the context of their contrasting disputes. The themes which characterise negotiations are identified as precedent, procedure and partnership.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted in the healthcare sector, and thus its transferability is limited. Caution is also required as the research pertains to one national setting, which despite sharing some structural similarities with other health and IR systems, is a unique context. The paper highlights the importance of recognising IR conflict in its various forms. It is further suggested that managing the process of IR conflict may be significant in furthering change agendas.

Originality/value

The value of the paper centres on the investigation of alternative manifestations of IR conflict in the healthcare sector.
Reforming care legislation in England and Wales
Authors: Mitchell Ed
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This article aims to identify the different approaches to integrated care taken by separate proposed care services legislation for England and Wales with a view to informing debate on the legislation.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a comparative analysis of the proposed legislation.

Findings

While there is much common ground between the two pieces of legislation, in other respects the approach taken to integrated care legislation differs across England and Wales.

Originality/value

This is the first published analysis of the different approaches to integrated care legislation reform proposed for England and Wales.
The comparative influence of manufacturer and retailer brands on customers' purchase behavior
Authors: Leingpibul Thaweephan , Allen Broyles S. , Kohli Chiranjeev
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build the marketing discipline's body of knowledge by conducting a study that builds upon an exploratory study that examines whether manufacturer brand(s) or retail brand(s) have greater influence on customers' brand purchase behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was administered to 112 samples (of which 87 were returned and usable), with data analyzed using structural equation modeling to test hypotheses.

Findings

This study revealed that customers' loyalty to retail brand(s) has a greater influence on their brand purchase behavior than manufacturers' brand(s).

Research limitations/implications

Only one retailer and a limited range of two grocery products was employed. The respondents had purchased the items from the retailer.

Practicable implications

The study found that retailers may need to use dissimilar marketing strategies for customers loyal to manufacturer brands and those that are loyal to retail brands.

Originality/value

This study supports the generalizability of the exploratory study.
Rent reviews and unforeseen circumstances
Authors: Dowden Malcolm
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the English court's approach to the interpretation of rent review provisions in circumstances where the words used by the parties may produce a commercially unforeseen or undesirable result. It emphasises that, while the court has wide discretion to adopt a purposive approach, and to interpret an agreement in a way that produces a result in accordance with “business common sense”, there must first be some ambiguity in the wording. The court cannot rewrite a contract where the parties simply failed to foresee or to provide for unexpected market conditions (here, a “double‐dip” fall in rental values).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the Court of Appeal ruling in Scottish Widows v. BGC International [2012] EWCA Civ 607 as an example of the limits of the court's ability to arrive at commercially sensible results through purposive interpretation.

Findings

It concludes that where a clause has been drafted by experienced and skilled solicitors, the court is unlikely to intervene unless it is clear that there is a mistake in the language or syntax. The court will not rewrite an agreement where the parties did not anticipate adverse market factors.

Practical implications

The paper identifies the key factors taken into account when the court is considering either interpretation or rectification of a clause that has produced a commercially undesirable result. It also discusses the extent to which pre‐contractual negotiations may be relevant to interpretation or rectification of a contract.

Originality/value

The paper sets out the author's reading as a commercial real estate practitioner of key judicial dicta on the interpretation and effect of rent provisions.
‘The complexity of an enduring relationship’: gender, generation, and the moral economy of the Gambian Mandinka household
Authors: Kea Pamela
Published: June 2013

This article examines the moral economy of the Gambian Mandinka household, focusing on girls' labour contributions in the time of neoliberalism. Scholarship on the moral economy of the household within rural production systems reduces the term to altruism and harmony within the domestic unit. This article provides a more theoretically nuanced understanding of the moral economy of the household, with a focus on the cultural codes that underpin intra‐household relations, the inter‐generational contract, as well as the generational and gendered hierarchies that inform processes of negotiation in relation to labour contributions. Transitions in the moral economy of the household can be captured in the shifting nature of girls' labour contributions and in their changing attitudes towards these contributions. Interpretations of work obligations are increasingly framed in terms of exchanges and incentives. Further, girls aspire to get an education and a good job, or marry well in order to move out of farming. Such novel interpretations and practices recast the moral economy of the household as dynamic and subject to change. These ethnographic insights have relevance for the anthropological study of children's labour, intra‐household relations, and the moral economy of the household.
Blood and the brain
Authors: Martin Emily
Published: June 2013

In everyday Euro‐American understandings, blood is both vital and dangerous to the brain. Why, then, are there virtually no illustrations of the brain in contemporary neuroscience that include the blood vessels needed to supply the brain with its vital energy? Photographs, drawings, scans, images, and other kinds of visual material illustrate the location, function, and shape of nervous tissue in the brain in endless variety and detail. But to see where the blood vessels that supply the brain lie, one has to turn to texts on the anatomy of cerebral vasculature or medical literature specifically devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of brain injury. Blood is simultaneously essential to contemporary understandings of brain physiology and segregated into distinct domains. Using visual depictions in medical illustrations and web‐based discussions among patients with brain injury, this paper explores what kind of special object blood is in contemporary neuroscience.
Can We Still Defend Globalisation After the Current Crisis?
Authors: Bhagwati Jagdish
Published: June 2013

It is now generally agreed that globalisation along the dimensions of trade and equity inflows creates prosperity and, in turn, helps rather than hinders the achievement of ‘social’ agendas such as reduced child labor, reduction of poverty and greater pay equity for women. But the financial sector, and its cross‐border globalisation, represents the soft underbelly of globalisation. This has been underlined dramatically by the current crisis since 2008. However, the common critique that the financial sector corrupts moral value is not compelling.
Why Economics cannot Explain the Modern World
Authors: McCloskey Deirdre Nansen
Published: June 2013

Why indeed? Because the Great Fact, 1800 to the present, incomes rising by a factor of a factor of 30, and higher if quality is acknowledged, cannot be explained by piling brick on brick, orBAonBA, in the absence of new ideas. As Keynes said, the marginal product of capital would be driven quickly down to zero. If the key were accumulation, which economists love, the Great Fact of modern growth would have happened earlier, or in China. Only ideas, in an environment of liberty and dignity for ordinary people, historically unique to northwestern Europe, work.
A Comparison of Enhancement Techniques for Footwear Impressions on Dark and Patterned Fabrics,
Authors: Farrugia Kevin J. , Bandey Helen , Dawson Lorna , Daéid Niamh Nic
Published: June 2013

The use of chemical enhancement techniques on porous substrates, such as fabrics, poses several challenges predominantly due to the occurrence of background staining and diffusion as well as visualization difficulties. A range of readily available chemical and lighting techniques were utilized to enhance footwear impressions made in blood, soil, and urine on dark and patterned fabrics. Footwear impressions were all prepared at a set force using a specifically built footwear rig. In most cases, results demonstrated that fluorescent chemical techniques were required for visualization as nonfluorescent techniques provided little or no contrast with the background. Occasionally, this contrast was improved by oblique lighting. Successful results were obtained for the enhancement of footwear impressions in blood; however, the enhancement of footwear impressions in urine and soil on dark and patterned fabrics was much more limited. The results demonstrate that visualization and fluorescent enhancement on porous substrates such as fabrics is possible.
Non‐Interest Income: Are Australian Banks Moving Away from their Traditional Businesses?
Authors: Delpachitra Sarath , Lester Laurence
Published: June 2013

Changes in operating environments have led banks to lighten their reliance on conventional model of banking and create diversity. Whether such diversity in banking operations changed the risk‐ return profile of the industry and the traditional focus of financial intermediation are the empirical questions investigated. Further this study examined whether access to sophisticated financial instruments by the major banks has impacted the competitiveness and performance banking tiers. The results suggest that, overall, non‐interest income and revenue diversifications reduced profitability and did not improve the overall default risk of banks and any further expansion into non‐interest income activities would not benefit banks.
Risk assessment and psychosocial interventions for suicidal patients
Authors: Chesin Megan , Stanley Barbara
Published: June 2013

Objectives

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the USA. Although factors elevating long‐term risk for suicide are known and include bipolar disorder, signs of imminent suicide risk are difficult to study and not well specified. Acute risk determinations must be made to determine the appropriate level of care to safeguard patients. To increase safety among at‐risk patients in the short term and to decrease risk over time, psychosocial interventions to prevent suicide have been developed and tested in acute care and outpatient settings.

Methods

A narrative review of studies of imminent risk factors for suicide, suicide risk decision‐making, and psychosocial suicide prevention interventions was conducted.

Results

Although some long‐term risk factors of suicide have been established, accurate identification of individuals at imminent risk for suicide is difficult. Therefore, prevention efforts targeting individuals at high suicide behavior risk discharging from acute care settings tend to be generic and focus on psychoeducation and supportive follow‐up contact. Data regarding the effectiveness of brief interventions (i.e., those not requiring more than one individualized treatment session) are mixed, showing better outcomes in the shorter term and when the incidence of suicidal behavior or ideation is the outcome. With respect to longer‐term suicide prevention interventions (i.e., those with a minimum of ten sessions), Dialectical Behavior Therapy has the largest evidence base.

Conclusions

To improve suicide prevention efforts, more rigorous study of imminent risk factors and psychosocial interventions is needed. Adaptations specific to individuals with bipolar disorder are possible and needed.
The relationships between quantity‐number competencies, working memory, and phonological awareness in 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds
Authors: Michalczyk Kurt , Krajewski Kristin , Preβler Anna‐Lena , Hasselhorn Marcus
Published: June 2013

In this study, the interdependencies among phonological awareness, verbal working memory components, and early numerical skills in children 1 year before school entry are addressed. Early numerical skills were conceptualized as quantity‐number competencies (QNC) at both basic (QNC Level 1) and advanced (QNC Level 2) levels. In a sample of 1,343 children aged 5 and 6, structural equation modelling provided support for the isolated number words hypothesis (Krajewski & Schneider, 2009, J. Exp. Child Psychol., 103, 516–531). This hypothesis claims that phonological awareness contributes to the acquisition of QNC Level 1, such as learning the number word sequence, but not of QNC Level 2, which requires the linkage of number words to quantities. In addition, phonological awareness relied on verbal working memory, especially with regard to the phonological loop, central executive, and episodic buffer. The results were congruent with the idea that phonological awareness mediates the impact of verbal working memory on QNCs. The relationships between verbal working memory, phonological awareness, and QNCs were comparable in monolingual and bilingual children.
Protected area networks and savannah bird biodiversity in the face of climate change and land degradation
Authors: Beale Colin M. , Baker Neil E. , Brewer Mark J. , Lennon Jack J.
Published: June 2013

The extent to which climate change might diminish the efficacy of protected areas is one of the most pressing conservation questions. Many projections suggest that climate‐driven species distribution shifts will leave protected areas impoverished and species inadequately protected while other evidence suggests that intact ecosystems within protected areas will be resilient to change. Here, we tackle this problem empirically. We show how recent changes in distribution of 139 Tanzanian savannah bird species are linked to climate change, protected area status and land degradation. We provide the first evidence of climate‐driven range shifts for an African bird community. Our results suggest that the continued maintenance of existing protected areas is an appropriate conservation response to the challenge of climate and environmental change.