bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Middle of the road: enhanced habitat for salamanders on unused logging roads
Authors: LeGros David L. , Steinberg Brad , Lesbarrères David
Published: March 2017

Context
Amphibians are particularly susceptible to the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. The construction and use of roads is among the most common sources of habitat fragmentation and can lead to serious population declines. Unused resource access roads, such as those formerly used for logging, can still negatively impact salamanders and reduce habitat quality through edge effects. Unfortunately, habitat rehabilitation and enhancement is rarely attempted on unused forest roads.

Aims
Our aim was to elaborate on a previous study that tested several types of woody debris to mitigate the negative impacts of forest roads by creating a novel habitat on an unused forest road in Algonquin Provincial Park. Here we focus solely on the use of large, squared timbers and their use by salamanders.

Methods
We tested the application of coarse woody debris (CWD) to the surface of an unused forest road. CWD were sampled for salamanders seven times during the 2011 field season. Local climatic variables were tested against salamander captures, and CWD size preferences and patterns of salamander aggregation under CWD were assessed.

Key results
We observed five salamander species and 415 individuals under timbers in the 2011 field season. Larger timbers (>1m3) were preferred by all species observed and a significant proportion of animals were found in groups of two or more under larger timbers. High ambient temperature and low relative humidity negatively affected the number and species composition observed under timbers, suggesting that the efficiency of CWD as a survey method and enhanced habitat is season dependent.

Implications
Large timbers placed on unused forest roads may provide suitable refuges for migrating or dispersing forest salamanders while they attempt to cross the road. The tendency of salamanders to aggregate under CWD allows individual red efts to reduce water loss; however, red-backed salamanders are territorial and may drive off conspecifics. The use of large CWD may be an effective and low-cost method to rehabilitate unused forest roads and can be used to promote habitat connectivity for salamanders in targeted habitats, such as near wetlands, or for other species of concern.
Testing automated sensor traps for mammal field studies
Authors: Notz E. , Imholt C. , Reil D. , Jacob J.
Published: March 2017

Context
Live traps are regularly used in field and enclosure studies with mammals. In some scenarios, such as, for example, when the focus is on temporal patterns or to minimise the time animals are contained inside the trap for animal-ethics reasons, it can be highly useful to be alerted immediately when an individual is trapped.

Aims
In the present study, an automated system was trialed that is designed to automatically send a signal to a receiving device (pager, computer, mobile phone) when the body heat or movement of a trapped small mammal is registered by an infrared sensor (ERMINEA permanent monitoring system for rodent detection).

Methods
Sensors were attached to Ugglan multiple-capture traps and used in laboratory conditions and in semi-natural outdoor enclosures with common voles (Microtus arvalis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus), as well as in the field with bank voles, Apodemus species and common voles. Sensor readings were compared to visual observation and trapping results.

Key results
In enclosure and field conditions, 100% and 98.7% of traps recorded captured animals correctly. There were no sensor signals when rodents moved along the outside or in the entrance compartment of the traps. Rodents sitting on the trap door triggered the sensor in 50% of cases when there was no bedding in the trap; however, there were no sensor signals if bedding was present. In laboratory trials, 20–70% of traps were falsely triggered by large insects (crickets), depending on ambient temperature and whether bedding was in the trap.

Conclusions
Generally, the system was a reliable, flexible and easy-to-handle tool to monitor live captures. To minimise false negatives (animals trapped without signal), testing sensor function in the pre-baiting phase and software adjustments are recommended.

Implications
The sensors are compatible with various trapping and other monitoring devices, providing the potential to be used in a wide range of applications. Their use is likely to optimise study designs, especially when temporal patterns are recorded or animals or samples need to be obtained soon after capture, and to minimise stress of trapped animals because they can be removed shortly after capture.
Dynamical system approach to synchronization of the coupled Schrödinger–Lohe system
Authors: Huh Hyungjin , Ha Seung-Yeal
Published: March 2017

We study wave function synchronization of the Schrödinger–Lohe model, which describes the dynamics of the ensemble of coupled quantum Lohe oscillators with infinite states. To do this, we first derive a coupled system of ordinary differential equations for the

L
x
2

L^2_x

inner products between distinct wave functions. For the same one-body potentials, we show that the inner products of two wave functions converge to unity for some restricted class of initial data, so complete wave function synchronization emerges asymptotically when the dynamical system approach is used. Moreover, for the family of one-body potentials consisting of real-value translations of the same base potential, we show that the inner products for a two-oscillator system follow the motion of harmonic oscillators in a small coupling regime, and then as the coupling strength increases, the inner products converge to constant values; this behavior yields convergence toward constant values for the

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x
2

L^2_x

differences between distinct wave functions.
Regularity theory for 2-dimensional almost minimal currents I: Lipschitz approximation
Authors: De Lellis Camillo , Spadaro Emanuele , Spolaor Luca
Published: March 2017

We construct LipschitzQQ-valued functions which carefully approximate integral currents when their cylindrical excess is small and they are almost minimizing in a suitable sense. This result is used in two subsequent works to prove the discreteness of the singular set for the following three classes of22-dimensional integral currents: area minimizing in Riemannian manifolds, semicalibrated and spherical cross sections of33-dimensional area minimizing cones.
The KK-theory of fundamental C*-algebras
Authors: Fima Pierre , Germain Emmanuel
Published: March 2017

Given a graph of C*-algebras as defined in [Adv. Math. 260 (2014), 233–280], we prove a long exact sequence in KK-theory similar to the one obtained by Pimsner in [Invent. Math. 86 (1986), 603–634] for both the maximal and the vertex-reduced fundamental C*-algebras of the graph in the presence of possibly non-GNS-faithful conditional expectations. We deduce from it the KK-equivalence between the full fundamental C*-algebra and the vertex-reduced fundamental C*-algebra even for non-GNS-faithful conditional expectations. Our results unify, simplify, and generalize all the previous results obtained by Cuntz, Pimsner, Germain, and Thomsen. They also generalize the previous results of the authors on amalgamated free products.
Boundary Harnack inequality for the linearized Monge-Ampère equations and applications
Authors: Le Nam
Published: March 2017

In this paper, we obtain boundary Harnack estimates and comparison theorem for nonnegative solutions to the linearized Monge-Ampère equations under natural assumptions on the domain, Monge-Ampère measures and boundary data. Our results are boundary versions of Caffarelli and Gutiérrez’s interior Harnack inequality for the linearized Monge-Ampère equations. As an application, we obtain sharp upper bound and global

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p

L^p

-integrability for Green’s function of the linearized Monge-Ampère operator.
In Vitro Bile Acid Binding Capacity of Wheat Bran with Different Particle Sizes
Authors: Li Chun‐yan , Mense Andrew L. , Brewer Lauren R. , Lau Chuan , Shi Yong‐Cheng
Published: March 2017

The bile acid binding capacity of wheat bran with different particle sizes was determined. Unmilled wheat bran with an average particle size of 900 μm (WB‐900), milled wheat bran at two particle sizes, 500 and 200 μm (WB‐500 and WB‐200), and all three bran samples washed with water (WWB‐900, WWB‐500, and WWB‐200) were mixed with bile acids at pH 6.3 to determine their in vitro adsorption capacity. On a dry matter basis, the order of relative bile acid binding values was WB‐900 ∼ WB‐500 > WWB‐900 > WB‐200 > WWB‐500 > WWB‐200. Data suggests that the surface area as measured by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method and water holding capacity may significantly affect the bile acid binding capacity of wheat bran. As the BET surface area increased with decreasing particle size, the water holding capacity and bile acid binding decreased. Bile acid binding capacity of wheat bran appears to be linked to the ability of the samples to physically adsorb the bile acids. Bile acid binding capacity significantly decreased with reduction in particle size of wheat bran after water washing.
Estimation of the Deoxynivalenol and Moisture Contents of Bulk Wheat Grain Samples by FT‐NIR Spectroscopy
Authors: Peiris Kamaranga H. S. , Dong Yanhong , Davis Mark A. , Bockus William W. , Dowell Floyd E.
Published: March 2017

Deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in harvested grain samples are used to evaluate the Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance of wheat cultivars and breeding lines. Fourier transform near‐infrared (FT‐NIR) calibrations were developed to estimate the DON level and moisture content (MC) of bulk wheat grain samples harvested from FHB screening trials. Grains in a rotating glass petri dish were scanned in the 10,000–4,000 cm−1 (1,000–2,500 nm) spectral range using a Perkin Elmer Spectrum 400 FT‐IR/FT‐NIR spectrometer. The DON calibration predicted the DON levels in test samples with R2 = 0.62 and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) = 8.01 ppm. When 5–25 ppm of DON was used as the cut‐off to classify samples into low‐ and high‐DON groups, 60.8–82.3% of the low‐DON samples were correctly classified, whereas the classification accuracy of the high‐DON group was 82.3–94.0%. The MC calibration predicted the MC in grain samples with R2 = 0.98 and RMSEP = 0.19%. Therefore, these FT‐NIR calibrations can be used to rapidly prescreen wheat lines to identify low‐DON lines for further evaluation using standard laboratory methods, thereby reducing the time and costs of analyzing samples from FHB screening trials.
Use of Chemical Flocculation and Nested PCR for Heterodera glycines Detection in DNA Extracts from Field Soils with Low Population Densities
Authors: Baidoo Richard , Yan Guiping , Nelson Berlin , Skantar Andrea M. , Chen Senyu
Published: March 2017

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) Heterodera glycines is a major pathogen of soybean worldwide. Distinction between SCN and other members of the H. schachtii sensu stricto group based on morphology is a tedious task. A molecular assay was developed to detect SCN in field soils with low population densities and to differentiate SCN from other species. Various numbers of SCN eggs or juveniles were inoculated into 10 g of sterilized soil from which soil DNA was extracted using the PowerSoil DNA Isolation Kit. A specific amplicon was amplified using published SCN-specific primers SCNF1/SCNR1. This primer set was evaluated for the first time to detect SCN directly in soil DNA extracts. The specificity of the primers was confirmed by testing 36 isolates of other nematode species. The PCR assay detected one SCN egg or juvenile added to 10 g of soil. The assay was validated using 35 field soil samples. Grinding the field soil coupled with PCR inhibitor removal by AlNH4(SO4)20.12H2O treatment of soil DNA extracts followed by nested PCR enabled SCN detection as low as 12 SCN eggs/200 g soil. The PCR assay not only provides a sensitive method for SCN detection at low densities but also provides a discrimination method for SCN from other closely related nematodes.
Control of Rhizoctonia solani in Sugar Beet and Effect of Fungicide Application and Plant Cultivar on Inoculum Potential in the Soil
Authors: Bartholomäus Anika , Mittler Stefan , Märländer Bernward , Varrelmann Mark
Published: March 2017

Rhizoctonia solani (AG 2-2 IIIB) is the causal agent of Rhizoctonia root and crown rot, a disease that causes severe economic problems in sugar beet growing areas worldwide. In the United States, azoxystrobin is the most important active ingredient for fungicidal control of R. solani in sugar beet, showing efficacy superior to other substances. First reports on resistance development in R. solani, however, underline the importance of a careful fungicide resistance management. For this reason, the efficacy of a new fungicide mixture of azoxystrobin and difenoconazole was compared with a fungicide containing only azoxystrobin. Field trials were carried out under natural infection conditions as well as with inoculation in the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Evaluation of the disease severity and the obtained white sugar yield of different sugar beet cultivars demonstrated that both fungicide treatments possess a similar efficacy, reducing the diseased beet surface by up to 78% and preventing yield losses. Additionally, a real-time PCR assay, based on DNA extracts from representative soil samples (250 g), was used to directly determine the effect of chemical treatment and plant cultivar on the soil-borne inoculum. Fungicide application significantly reduced the concentration of soil-borne inoculum by up to 97%. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the cultivation of a susceptible cultivar significantly increases the concentration of R. solani in the soil by a factor of 200. In conclusion, the study implies that only a combination of resistant cultivar and fungicide application can prevent an accumulation of R. solani inoculum under conducive conditions in infested fields.
Stem cell niche signals Wnt, Hedgehog, and Notch distinctively regulate Drosophila follicle precursor cell differentiation
Authors: Dai Wei , Peterson Amy , Kenney Thomas , Montell Denise J.
Published: March 2017

Adult stem cells commonly give rise to transit-amplifying progenitors, whose progeny differentiate into distinct cell types. Signals within the stem cell niche maintain the undifferentiated state. However it is unclear whether or how niche signals might also coordinate fate decisions within the progenitor pool. Here we use quantitative microscopy to elucidate distinct roles for Wnt, Hedgehog (Hh), and Notch signalling in progenitor development in the Drosophila ovary. Follicle stem cells (FSCs) self-renew and produce precursors whose progeny adopt distinct polar, stalk, and main body cell fates. We show that a steep gradient of Wnt signalling maintains a multipotent state in proximally located progenitor cells by inhibiting expression of the cell fate determinant Eyes Absent (Eya). A shallower gradient of Hh signalling controls the proliferation to differentiation transition. The combination of Notch and Wnt signalling specifies polar cells. These findings reveal a mechanism by which multiple niche signals coordinate cell fate diversification of progenitor cells.
A game theoretical approach for distributed resource allocation with uncertainty
Authors: Xue Lei , Sun Changyin , Yu Fang
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The paper aims to build the connections between game theory and the resource allocation problem with general uncertainty. It proposes modeling the distributed resource allocation problem by Bayesian game. During this paper, three basic kinds of uncertainties are discussed. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to build the connections between game theory and the resource allocation problem with general uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the Bayesian game is proposed for modeling the resource allocation problem with uncertainty. The basic game theoretical model contains three parts: agents, utility function, and decision-making process. Therefore, the probabilistic weighted Shapley value (WSV) is applied to design the utility function of the agents. For achieving the Bayesian Nash equilibrium point, the rational learning method is introduced for optimizing the decision-making process of the agents.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about how the game theoretical model deals with the resource allocation problem uncertainty. A probabilistic WSV function was proposed to design the utility function of agents. Moreover, the rational learning was used to optimize the decision-making process of agents for achieving Bayesian Nash equilibrium point. By comparing with the models with full information, the simulation results illustrated the effectiveness of the Bayesian game theoretical methods for the resource allocation problem under uncertainty.

Originality/value

This paper designs a Bayesian theoretical model for the resource allocation problem under uncertainty. The relationships between the Bayesian game and the resource allocation problem are discussed.
A framework for designing backroom areas in grocery stores
Authors: Pires Maria , Pratas Joaquim , Liz Jorge , Amorim Pedro
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The design of retail backroom storage areas has great impact on in-store operations, customer service level and on store life-cycle costs. Moreover, backroom storage in modern retail grocery stores is critical to several functions, such as acting as a buffer against strong demand lifts yielded by an ever-increasing promotional activity, stocking seasonal peak demand and accommodating e-commerce activities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework to design retail backroom storage area. Furthermore, the authors aim to draw attention to the lack of literature on this topic, while clarifying the relationship between this promising research stream and the considerable body of research regarding the design and operations of conventional warehouses, as well as retail in-store operations.

Design/methodology/approach

The key literature on backrooms, grocery retail, in-store operations, warehouse design and operations was reviewed. This allowed an understanding of the gap in the literature regarding the design of backrooms. Moreover, a case study methodological approach was conducted in a Portuguese retailer to extend the literature review.

Findings

Despite having functions similar to conventional warehouses, backroom storage facilities have particularities that deserve a distinct analysis. Thus, the authors stress these differences and demonstrate how they influence the development of a novel backroom design framework.

Originality/value

This paper fills a gap by proposing a framework to design backroom areas. Furthermore, this research may help practitioners to better design backroom areas, since this process currently lacks a formal and standardized procedure.
Challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany from a value chain perspective
Authors: Aygün Tanju , Oeser Gerald
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Turkish food retail in Germany fulfils social, cultural, and economic functions, but is threatened by shifts in demand and competition. The purpose of this paper is to give a holistic, interdisciplinary, and action-oriented view of the challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a qualitative study using expert interviews with 18 businesspersons from different parts of the Turkish food supply chain in Germany and a qualitative survey of 349 working Bachelor students of trade, industrial, and logistics management as well as business informatics, this paper takes a value chain approach.

Findings

The main opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany lie in increasing its efficiency, using purchasing associations and brand building, targeting well-funded German consumers, offering fluent Turkish-German customer service and shopping experiences, providing appealing shop locations, designs, and layouts, product range adjustments, and promotions.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on a small scale qualitative study as access to Turkish food retail experts is limited. The sample was carefully selected to be a fair representation of the Turkish food supply chain. As for the consumers, only students have been surveyed so far, because they were targeted by the experts interviewed. In order to allow wider generalizations, this sample could be extended.

Originality/value

This study complements and enhances the very limited research on Turkish food retail in Germany. For the first time, the call for a holistic, interdisciplinary, and action-oriented examination of the challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany is answered from a value chain perspective.
Understanding the linkages between lean practices and performance improvements in Indian process industries
Authors: Panwar Avinash , Nepal Bimal , Jain Rakesh , Rathore Ajay P.S. , Lyons Andrew
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of lean practices on performance improvement of process industries in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey of Indian process industries, this paper proposes two sets of hypothesis to examine if there is any statistically significant impact of lean practices on certain specific performance metrics. First, the sample is classified into two classes of process industries: the adopters of lean and those who have not yet adopted the lean practices in their manufacturing operations. Then statistical tests are conducted to measure the differences in the level of performance between the two classes of Indian process industries with respect to nine performance measures. The survey results are augmented by two in-depth case studies. Case studies include one from lean adopter firms (a refinery) and another from the firms that have not yet adopted the lean practices (a primary metal manufacturing unit).

Findings

A survey result of 121 Indian process industries shows that adoption of lean practices results in a positive impact on inventory control, waste elimination, cost reduction, productivity, and quality improvement in process industries. On the other hand, based on the sample data on Indian process industries, no statistically significant improvement could be found on the lot size or space utilization between lean adopters and their counterparts.

Practical implications

This research provides guidance to the managers on how adoption of lean practices results in better performance in process industries in several operational areas.

Originality/value

To the knowledge, this study is the first attempt to analyze the impact of lean practices on a set of specific performance metrics in Indian process industry. Although this study focuses on the Indian process industry, the authors believe that findings of the research can inform other practitioners and researchers who are considering implementing lean in process industry sector in other developing countries like India.
A model to improve management of banking customers
Authors: Estrella-Ramón Antonia , Sánchez-Pérez Manuel , Swinnen Gilbert , VanHoof Koen
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a customer lifetime value (CLV) model to carefully assess and classify banking customers using individual measures and covering customers’ relationships with a portfolio of products of the company.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model comprises two sub-models: (sub-model 1) modelling and prediction of CLV in a multiproduct context using Hierarchical Bayesian models as input to (sub-model 2) a value-based segmentation specially designed to manage customers and products using the latent class regression. The model is tested using real transaction data of 1,357 customers of a bank.

Findings

This research demonstrates which drivers of customer value better predict the contribution margin and product usage for each of the products considered in order to get the CLV measure. Using this measure, the model implements a value-based segmentation, which helps banks to facilitate the process of customer management.

Originality/value

Previous CLV models are mostly conceptual, generalisation is one of their main concerns, are usually focussed on single product categories using aggregated customer data, and they are not design with a special emphasis on their application as support for managerial decisions. In response to these drawbacks, the proposed model will enable decision makers to improve the understanding of the value of each customer and their behaviour towards different financial products.
Measuring perceived usefulness of team assignments
Authors: Simione Kathleen , Ortiz-Walters Rowena , Fullick-Jagiela Julia M. , Kelly Patricia S.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Team-based assignments must be constructed to contribute to the effective development of teamwork skills, an important learning objective for most schools of business. The purpose of this paper is to understand how students view the usefulness of team assignments in order to inform more effective pedagogical techniques related to team-based assignments and the development of student teamwork competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from Likert-scale online surveys administered to students upon completion of the first-year team-based introductory business course. Survey items were developed to assess the team-related activities and components in the course and students’ perceived usefulness of team-based assignments. Results from exploratory factor analyses are presented.

Findings

Data analyses indicated that survey items contributed to students’ perceived usefulness of team-based assignments. Across three studies, the authors developed a new measure to evaluate effectiveness of team-based assignments.

Practical implications

For those educators who utilize team-based assignments in their courses, this study provides a much needed measure to assess the effectiveness of assignments intended to develop students’ teamwork competencies. The findings also serve to provide evidence of assurance of learning, and evidence of how students are developing in the area of interpersonal skills and abilities to manage interactions that most schools of business and universities deem as essential learning outcomes as a result of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business requirements.

Originality/value

Evidence from online surveys of 755 students in a pilot study and two additional studies conducted longitudinally over a two-year period support a new measure to assess the usefulness of specific team assignments.
Gender differences in the correlates of academic achievement among university students
Authors: Pirmohamed Sarah , Debowska Agata , Boduszek Daniel
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Prior research has highlighted gender differences in academic motivational attributes, and how these predict academic achievement for each gender; however, a vast amount of inconsistency exists amongst such literature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictive value of academic motivation (achievement goal, leaning goal, performance goal (PG), self-efficacy (SE), and active learning strategies (ALS)) and study time in explaining academic achievement amongst male and female students.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey design was applied. Participants were sampled opportunistically, and consisted of final year undergraduate students, including both males (n=126) and females (n=189) attending various courses at a UK university.

Findings

A multiple regression analysis carried out for each gender revealed that study time, ALS, PG, and SE were significant predictors of achievement for males, whereas SE was the only significant predictor of achievement for females.

Originality/value

These findings offer practical implications in terms of methods employed by educators to enhance academic achievement. Such implications highlight the importance of the development of SE in both genders and propose methods in which universities can enhance motivation in male and female students. Recommendations for future research are also made.
Generation “X” and “Y” knowledge sharing behaviour
Authors: Rahman Muhammad Sabbir , Daud Nuraihan Mat , Hassan Hasliza
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employee motivation and intention for knowledge sharing behaviour. Inter-generational differences (generations X and Y only) were assumed to moderate in the relationship between intention and knowledge sharing behaviour of non-academic staff of higher learning institutions. This research also aims to test the role of behavioural intention as mediation between motivation and knowledge sharing behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This research tested a conceptual framework derived from widely accepted theories. This study was carried out on non-academic staff working at the different higher learning institutions in Malaysia. Respondents from private and public higher learning institutions in Peninsular Malaysia were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. This research also applied confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to examine the proposed hypothesis of this inquiry.

Findings

Results indicate that non-academic staff knowledge sharing behaviour was significantly mediated by intention between motivation and knowledge sharing behaviour relationship. More specifically, inter-generational differences (generations X and Y) play a significant moderation role between intention and knowledge sharing behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The generalizability of this cross-sectional study can be strengthened by adopting a longitudinal approach in the next phase of the study.

Practical implications

The results of this research highlighted that the higher learning institutions need to institutionalize knowledge sharing behaviour among their non-academic staff (executive and non-executive) by facilitating knowledge sharing-oriented work environment.

Originality/value

This paper has attempted to furnish a comprehensive understanding of knowledge sharing behaviour among the non-academic staff of higher learning institutions.
Relationships among faculty perceptions of their tenure process and their commitment and engagement
Authors: Prottas David J. , Shea-Van Fossen Rita J. , Cleaver Catherine M. , Andreassi Jeanine K.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Notwithstanding the rise of contingent faculty, tenured and tenured track faculty continue to play vital roles in US higher education and the tenure decision is central to the lives of many academics. While the literature is replete with anecdotes about faculty complaining about the process to which they were subject, there has been surprisingly little empirical research on faculty perceptions of the clarity and fairness of the tenure process and the relationship of these perceptions to work outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivational impact of these processes on faculty who are pre-tenure as well as those who had successfully navigated the tenure process.

Design/methodology/approach

Self-reported survey data were collected from 410 full-time pre-tenured and tenured faculty at three universities in the Northeastern USA. Participants were assessed on their uncertainty and their perceptions of justice in the tenure process as well as their affective and continuance organizational commitment and work engagement. Data were subject to exploratory factor analysis, correlation, and hierarchical regression.

Findings

The results indicated that there was a lack of clarity with respect to both the criteria for tenure and the procedures by which institutions made tenure decisions. The results indicated no gender differences in the perception of clarity, but the results suggest women perceived the tenure process as being less just than men do. Perceived justice was positively related to both affective organizational commitment and work engagement with affective commitment fully mediating the relationship with there being no relationship between continuance commitment and perceived justice. These relations held for both tenured and later career faculty and pre-tenured and earlier career faculty.

Research limitations/implications

The study extends understanding of the dimensionality of justice perceptions in higher education setting. The design was cross-sectional and data common was self-report.

Practical implications

The results provide empirical support to anecdotes of faculty feeling that tenure processes often lack clarity and appear to be capricious and unfair. It provides evidence that the negative impact of a process being viewed as unfair may affect the dedication and effort that the faculty who are granted tenure and remain at their institutions for decades afterward. At a time, when higher education is resource challenged, it behooves both faculty and administrators to critically review their tenure processes against best practices.

Originality/value

This study adds to the limited empirical literature on the tenure process and does so from a motivational perspective.
The impact of peer mentoring on the mentors
Authors: Connolly Sara
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of first generation peer mentoring experiences on retention, grade point average and students’ perception of their academic and leadership development.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized a mixed methods approach. Focus groups and interviews were utilized to determine the reported leadership experiences of the mentors. Descriptive statistics were used to compare grade point averages and retention rates.

Findings

The study found peer mentors in residential life perceived an increase in leadership skills; including role modeling, time management, personal confidence, and problem solving. The peers were challenged in their roles, and perceived these challenges to help them to grow as leaders. When compared to their peers, the peer mentors experienced increased retention and similar grade point averages. The results indicated that peer mentoring experiences can be beneficial for the mentors who are first generation college students, even experiences that are particularly challenging.

Research limitations/implications

The biggest limitation to this study is the fact that this was a small sample, without a control group. A further limitation is that it was difficult to get students to participate in the study. Future research might examine peer mentoring experiences of first generation students on larger campuses or on multiple campuses to allow for a control group of first generation peers without a peer mentoring experience.

Practical implications

The results indicated that peer mentoring experiences can be beneficial for the mentors who are first generation college students, even experiences that are particularly challenging.

Social implications

Due to the potential for their success, these types of experiences should be expanded for first generation students, a group that is at a higher risk for drop out. Special attention should be paid to ongoing training in peer mentoring experiences, given the level of commitment by the mentors.

Originality/value

While other studies have examined the impact of peer mentoring on those that have been mentored, and a few have examined the impact of the experience on the mentors themselves this study extends the research by looking at first generation college students. This is valuable because first generation students continue to lag in their success in college and practical research on what can improve the student experience for this group is necessary.
An exploratory study of academic leadership education within the Association of American Universities
Authors: Gigliotti Ralph A.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

We are seeing a growing number of efforts to strengthen the capacity of leaders in higher education, such as those programs offered by the American Council on Education and the Big Ten Academic Alliance; yet, the existing scholarly literature is limited in this area. The purpose of this paper is to add to the body of scholarship on academic leadership education by summarizing the current state of formal training and development initiatives within the Association of American Universities (AAU), focusing primarily on the experiences and perspectives of academic deans and associate deans.

Design/methodology/approach

This study consisted of a qualitative review of current academic leadership initiatives promoted on the AAU member institution websites. Additionally, the author conducted interviews with deans and associate deans from AAU institutions to explore dominant themes associated with academic leadership in more detail.

Findings

An analysis of the AAU member websites led to the development of a comprehensive matrix consisting of nearly 30 single-spaced pages of leadership initiatives, separated by institution and coordinating office(s). Based on the interviews with deans and associate deans, three communication-centered themes related to the study and practice of academic leadership emerge: academic leadership as the art of cultivating relationships, academic leadership as a direct response to “wicked problems,” and academic leadership as a mosaic of administrative competencies.

Practical implications

Acknowledging the value of their experience in variety leadership development programs, the responses from current deans and associate deans may encourage the development of future programs in this area – programs that provide opportunities for faculty and staff collaboration and equip current and future leaders with the skills and concepts for navigating the complex and contested environment within which contemporary colleges and universities must survive. Additionally, the initial findings from this project may be included in the curriculum of formal and informal academic leadership initiatives.

Originality/value

As leading academic research institutions, one may expect to find a number of well-developed best practices in the area of leadership training and development. Focusing on this group provides a useful benchmark for understanding the methods and content of academic leadership programs. Furthermore, representing the diversity of American research institutions, the AAU provides a broad sample of institutions for this research project. As a point of entry into this area of research, the conversations with deans and associate deans, coupled with the findings of the AAU website review, provide a unique perspective into academic leadership development – an area of growing scholarly and applied importance.
Developing and validating a multi-dimensional scale for operationalizing industrial service offering
Authors: Partanen Jukka , Kohtamäki Marko , Parida Vinit , Wincent Joakim
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a new scale for measuring the scope (i.e. breadth and depth) of industrial service offering.

Design/methodology/approach

The scale and its constructs are developed by combining the key insights from prior literature and practitioners gained through expert interviews; validating the constructs by 3 item-construct validation rounds with 9 academic experts; and by testing and further revising the scale, with a sample of 91 manufacturing firms.

Findings

The distinct contribution of the study is the construction and validation of a new multi-dimensional scale for operationalizing the scope of industrial service offering. In addition, the identified service categories (i.e. pre-sales services, product support services, product life-cycle services, R&D services and operational services) extend the current literature on service typologies.

Research limitations/implications

The data are somewhat biased toward small- and medium-sized industrial firms. Hence, the development of the measurement in the context of large industrial firms provides one fruitful avenue for further research.

Practical implications

For managers of industrial firms, the identified service categories provide novel insight on how to develop, bundle and commercialize industrial services to their varying customer segments.

Originality/value

This study develops a multi-dimensional, fine-grained, statistical and relationship-level scale for measuring the scope of industrial service business. Moreover, this study tests and further develops the scale with quantitative empirical data.
Reducing preventable harm: observations on minimizing bloodstream infections
Authors: Pronovost Peter J. , Weaver Sally J. , Berenholtz Sean M. , Lubomski Lisa H. , Maragakis Lisa L. , Marsteller Jill A. , Pham Julius Cuong , Sawyer Melinda D. , Thompson David A. , Weeks Kristina , Rosen Michael A.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical framework that health care organizations could use to decrease preventable healthcare-acquired harms.

Design/methodology/approach

An existing theory of how hospitals succeeded in reducing rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections was refined, drawing from the literature and experiences in facilitating improvement efforts in thousands of hospitals in and outside the USA.

Findings

The following common interventions were implemented by hospitals able to reduce and sustain low infection rates. Hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) leaders demonstrated and vocalized their commitment to the goal of zero preventable harm. Also, leaders created an enabling infrastructure in the way of a coordinating team to support the improvement work to prevent infections. The team of hospital quality improvement and infection prevention staff provided project management, analytics, improvement science support, and expertise on evidence-based infection prevention practices. A third intervention assembled Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program teams in ICUs to foster local ownership of the improvement work. The coordinating team also linked unit-based safety teams in and across hospital organizations to form clinical communities to share information and disseminate effective solutions.

Practical implications

This framework is a feasible approach to drive local efforts to reduce bloodstream infections and other preventable healthcare-acquired harms.

Originality/value

Implementing this framework could decrease the significant morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with preventable harms.
Re-branding libraries to embrace open space and aesthetic reflections: a case of USIU-Africa as a benchmark of Kenyan libraries
Authors: Mwanzu Arnold , Wendo Dickens Rodrigues
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the strides taken by academic libraries in Kenya to match the standards of modern library buildings while highlighting ensuing impact on user satisfaction. It will give an insight and provide a comprehensive comparison between Kenyan modern libraries and other modern libraries in the world which are considered best library designs, to show progressive development of library design and equipment.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes a viewpoint approach after studying the history and development of the current library buildings in Kenya. This paper will answer the following questions: How far are Kenyan university libraries in embracing open space and aesthetic reflections? What is the impact of artistic modern library designs to user satisfaction? What are the effects of colorful interior design and décor on libraries? In addressing these and other related questions, the design of new academic libraries in Kenya over the past eight years is traced.

Findings

Libraries in Kenya and other developing countries have stayed in the right path of revolution by adopting the modern library designs and giving library users more reasons to cherish their libraries as not only reading facilities but also destinations for relaxation, discussions and hangouts. The United States International University (USIU) Library has been touted as the pioneer modern library building, and its standards have been replicated and bettered by other libraries in Kenya today. This is a big stride for Kenyan libraries in the wake of dynamism in libraries.

Originality/value

The value of the paper is that it gives an insight on the development of library buildings in Kenya, providing a comprehensive comparison between Kenyan modern libraries and other modern libraries in the world which are considered best library designs, thereby showing progressive development of library design and equipment.
INPP4B overexpression suppresses migration, invasion and angiogenesis of human prostate cancer cells
Authors: Chen Haiwen , Li Hongliang , Chen Qi
Published: March 2017

Inositol polyphosphate 4‐phosphatase B (INPP4B) has been identified as a tumour suppressor in different human cancers. However, the role of INPP4B in the angiogenesis of human prostate cancer cells remains unclear. In this study, we first compared the expression of INPP4B between prostate cancer tissues and tumour‐adjacent normal prostate tissues using immunohistochemistry. Then, we explored the role of INPP4B in prostate cancer progression via transfection of a Flag‐INPP4B plasmid into PC3 and DU145 cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that reduced INPP4B staining was significantly correlated with the tumour‐node‐metastasis stage. Moreover, transfection with Flag‐INPP4B plasmid suppressed the migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells through inactivating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, at the same time decreased vascular endothelial growth factor secretion and suppressed human umbilical vein endothelial cells proliferation and tube formation. Futhermore, it was also found that INPP4B could inhibit tumour growth and angiogenesis in vivo. Altogether, our results supported that INPP4B acted as a tumour suppressor in human prostate cancer, and provided insights into development of a targeted therapy for this disease.
Strategies of behavior, energetic and thermogenesis of striped hamsters in response to food deprivation
Authors: WEN Jing , TAN Song , QIAO Qinggang , SHI Lulu , HUANG Yixin , ZHAO Zhijun
Published: March 2017

The life history of many animals includes periods of food shortage. Two behavioral strategies are involved in small mammals in response to food shortage: an increase in activity behavior, representing the increased foraging or migratory behavior, and a decrease in activity level, serving as a mechanism for conserving energy. However, it is uncertain whether animals adopt both strategies in response to food shortage, and whether hormone and neuroendocrine mechanisms are involved in both strategies. In the present study, changes in behavior and metabolic rate were examined in food‐deprived striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis). The effects of leptin supplement on activity behavior, metabolic rate and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression were also examined. The behavior of food‐deprived hamsters significantly changed with photoperiod phases: with increasing activity during the dark phase compared to those fed ad libitum, whereas decreasing activity and simultaneously increasing resting behavior during the light phase. Resting metabolic rate, body mass, and masses of fat depots and digestive tracts significantly decreased in food‐deprived hamsters compared with ad libitum controls. Leptin supplement tended to attenuate the increased activity in the dark phase. Gene expression of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) was significantly upregulated in food‐deprived hamsters, while was significantly attenuated by exogenous leptin. These findings suggest that both behavior strategies are important behavioral adjustments in free‐living animals to cope with food shortage. Leptin and hypothalamic NPY gene expression may be involved in the adjustments of physiology and behavior in animals demonstrating a hyperactivity strategy in response to food shortage.