bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fatty acid amide hydrolase ablation promotes ectopic lipid storage and insulin resistance due to centrally mediated hypothyroidism
Authors: Brown Whitney H. , Gillum Matthew P. , Lee Hui-Young , Camporez Joao Paulo G. , Zhang Xian-man , Jeong Jin Kwon , Alves Tiago C. , Erion Derek M. , Guigni Blas A. , Kahn Mario , Samuel Varman T. , Cravatt Benjamin F. , Diano Sabrina , Shulman Gerald I.
Published: August 2012

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) knockout mice are prone to excess energy storage and adiposity, whereas mutations in FAAH are associated with obesity in humans. However, the molecular mechanism by which FAAH affects energy expenditure (EE) remains unknown. Here we show that reduced energy expenditure in FAAH
−/−
mice could be attributed to decreased circulating triiodothyronine and thyroxine concentrations secondary to reduced mRNA expression of both pituitary thyroid-stimulating hormone and hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone. These reductions in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis were associated with activation of hypothalamic peroxisome proliferating-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), and increased hypothalamic deiodinase 2 expression. Infusion of NAEs (anandamide and palmitoylethanolamide) recapitulated increases in PPARγ-mediated decreases in EE. FAAH
−/−
mice were also prone to diet-induced hepatic insulin resistance, which could be attributed to increased hepatic diacylglycerol content and protein kinase Cε activation. Our data indicate that FAAH deletion, and the resulting increases in NAEs, predispose mice to ectopic lipid storage and hepatic insulin resistance by promoting centrally mediated hypothyroidism.
Condition indices of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) biased by capturing method
Authors: Ovegård Mikael , Berndt Kim , Lunneryd Sven-Gunnar
Published: August 2012

Ovegård, M., Berndt, K., and Lunneryd, S-G. 2012. Condition indices of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) biased by capturing method. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 1781–1788. In studies evaluating the condition and general health status of fish stocks, the method used for catching the fish is seldom considered as a factor of importance. In this study, condition indices were compared between cod caught in pots, gillnets, and on hooks in the same geographical area. The results showed that cod (Gadus morhua) caught on baited gear types (pots and hooks) generally displayed a lower condition and an older age (i.e. suggesting a lower growth rate) compared to cod caught in gillnets. It is unclear whether these results merely illustrate divergent behavioural responses in fish originating from one single population, or if these divergent behavioural components represent distinct subpopulations displaying different mean conditions and growth rates. Regardless of the underlying causes, the results not only show that parts of the Baltic cod stock are in extremely poor condition, they also indicate that different gear types used in the same area could target similar-sized conspecifics exhibiting large differences in condition and size-at-age. The potential impact of the difference in condition between the pots and other gear types could hamper the implementation of the cod pot as a potentially seal-safe and sustainable fishing method.
Peroxisome Function Is Required for Virulence and Survival of Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Min Kyunghun , Son Hokyoung , Lee Jungkwan , Choi Gyung Ja , Kim Jin-Cheol , Lee Yin-Won
Published: August 2012

Peroxisomes are organelles that are involved in a number of important cellular metabolic processes, including the β-oxidation of fatty acids, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, the role of peroxisomes was examined in Fusarium graminearum by targeted deletion of three genes (PEX5, PEX6, and PEX7) encoding peroxin (PEX) proteins required for peroxisomal protein import. PEX5 and PEX7 deletion mutants were unable to localize the fluorescently tagged peroxisomal targeting signal type 1 (PTS1)- and PTS2-containing proteins to peroxisomes, respectively, whereas the PEX6 mutant failed to localize both fluorescent proteins. Deletion of PEX5 and PEX6 resulted in retarded growth on long-chain fatty acids and butyrate, while the PEX7 deletion mutants utilized fatty acids other than butyrate. Virulence on wheat heads was greatly reduced in the PEX5 and PEX6 deletion mutants, and they were defective in spreading from inoculated florets to the adjacent spikelets through rachis. Deletion of PEX5 and PEX6 dropped survivability of aged cells in planta and in vitro due to the accumulation of ROS followed by necrotic cell death. These results demonstrate that PTS1-dependent peroxisomal protein import mediated by PEX5 and PEX6 are critical to virulence and survival of F. graminearum.
First Report of Southern Blight of Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Taiwan
Authors: Fu C. H. , Huang Y. P. , Lin F. Y.
Published: August 2012

Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) is an herbaceous flowering perennial with strikingly colored flowers, widely cultivated commercially as a potted plant and a popular garden plant. In July of 2010, root and stem rot that caused death was observed on Mexican petunia at the flower nursery of the Council of Agriculture & Chiayi County in Taiwan. Plants had rotted and girdled stem bases. Necrotic areas were covered with fans of white mycelium as well as abundant spherical sclerotia. A fungus was isolated from infected tissue and sclerotia, and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates incubated at 25°C without light. Colonies were white, cottony, often forming fans; pure cultures were prepared by transferring hyphal tips to PDA. Sclerotia formed after 10 days, initially white becoming dark brown with age, and 0.5 to 0.6 mm in diameter. To confirm identity of the causal fungus, the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the causal fungus was amplified using the primers ITS4 and ITS5 (2) and sequenced. The resulting sequence of 687 bp was uploaded in NCBI. The sequence was 98% similar to sequences of Athelia rolfsii (Sclerotium rolfsii) in NCBI (Accession No. JN543691.1). Koch's postulates were performed using two inoculation techniques. The soil near the base of healthy Mexican petunia plants (four plants per pot) were exposed to recently matured sclerotia (10 sclerotia per plant) developed from pure fungal cultures or 10-mm-diameter agar plugs of mycelium (one plug per plant). Noninoculated plants, in a separate pot, were used as a control. All plants were incubated in a growth chamber at 28 to 33°C. Disease symptoms occurred on all inoculated plants by 5 to 7 days and included yellowing of leaves, basal stem rot, and wilt. Ten days after inoculation, inoculated plants were dead whereas control plants remained healthy. The pathogenicity test was repeated twice with similar results and S. rolfsii was reisolated from infected plants in each test. The pathogen has been reported to cause substantial loss of Mexican petunia in Louisiana (1). The disease is becoming more common in Taiwan and could cause losses in Mexican petunia production. To our knowledge, this is the first report of disease on Mexican petunia caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan.

References: (1) G. E. Holcomb. Plant Dis. 88:770, 2004. (2) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, 1990.
Biochemical Changes in the Leaves of Wheat Plants Infected by Pyricularia oryzae
Authors: Debona Daniel , Rodrigues Fabrício Ávila , Rios Jonas Alberto , Nascimento Kelly Juliane Telles
Published: August 2012

Blast, caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae, is a major disease of the wheat crop in the Brazilian Cerrado and represents a potential threat to world wheat production. However, information about the wheat–P. oryzae interaction is still limited. In this work, the activities of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and the concentrations of superoxide (O2–), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as the electrolyte leakage (EL) were studied in wheat plants ‘BR 18’ and ‘BRS 229’, which are susceptible and partially resistant, respectively, to leaf blast at the vegetative growth stage, during the infection process of P. oryzae. The blast severity in BRS 229 was 50% lower than in BR 18 at 96 h after inoculation (hai). The activities of SOD, POX, APX, and GST increased for both cultivars in the inoculated plants compared with noninoculated plants and the increases were more pronounced for BRS 229 than for BR 18 at 96 hai. The GR and CAT activities only increased in inoculated plants from BRS 229 at 96 hai. For BR 18, the GR activity was not influenced by plant inoculation, and the CAT activity was lower in inoculated plants. The GPX activity only increased in inoculated plants from BR 18 at 48 and 72 hai. The P. oryzae infection increased the O2–, H2O2, and MDA concentrations and EL. However, the greater increases of the SOD, POX, APX, GST, GR, and CAT activities for BRS 229 compared with BR 18 contributed to the lower O2–, H2O2, and MDA concentrations and EL verified in the former. These results show that a more efficient antioxidative system in the removal of excess of reactive oxygen species generated during the infection process of P. oryzae limits the cellular damage caused by the fungus, thus contributing to greater wheat resistance to blast.
Metabolic effects of CO
2
anaesthesia in
Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Colinet H. , Renault D.
Published: August 2012

Immobilization of insects is necessary for various experimental purposes, and CO
2
exposure remains the most popular anaesthetic method in entomological research. A number of negative side effects of CO
2
anaesthesia have been reported, but CO
2
probably brings about metabolic modifications that are poorly known. In this work, we used GC/MS-based metabolic fingerprinting to assess the effect of CO
2
anaesthesia in
Drosophila melanogaster
adults. We analysed metabolic variation of flies submitted to acute CO
2
exposure and assessed the temporal metabolic changes during short- and long-term recovery. We found that
D. melanogaster
metabotypes were significantly affected by the anaesthetic treatment. Metabolic changes caused by acute CO
2
exposure were still manifested after 14 h of recovery. However, we found no evidence of metabolic alterations when a long recovery period was allowed (more than 24 h). This study points to some metabolic pathways altered during CO
2
anaesthesia (e.g. energetic metabolism). Evidence of short-term metabolic changes indicates that CO
2
anaesthesia should be used with utmost caution in physiological studies when a short recovery is allowed. In spite of this, CO
2
treatment seems to be an acceptable anaesthetic method provided that a long recovery period is allowed (more than 24 h).
Temporally varying resources amplify the importance of resource input in ecological populations
Authors: Hastings Alan
Published: August 2012

Temporally and spatially varying resource levels are present in most ecological systems. Very simple models incorporating the key features of temporally varying resources and specific descriptions of survivorship for consumer species show the overriding importance of the time dependence of available resources and the role that allochthonous inputs play as essentially insurance in allowing species to persist. Persistence of species with lifetimes short relative to the timescale of resource variability is determined by the geometric mean of resource levels, while the persistence of species where resources vary on a much shorter time scale (or with exponential survivorship) are determined by the arithmetic mean of resource levels. Models that incorporate features of time-varying resources and explicit life histories dramatically change our understanding of how fluctuations in resource availability through time and space will affect population persistence and community dynamics.
Regulation and specificity of antifungal metapleural gland secretion in leaf-cutting ants
Authors: Yek Sze Huei , Nash David R. , Jensen Annette B. , Boomsma Jacobus J.
Published: August 2012

Ants have paired metapleural glands (MGs) to produce secretions for prophylactic hygiene. These exocrine glands are particularly well developed in leaf-cutting ants, but whether the ants can actively regulate MG secretion is unknown. In a set of controlled experiments using conidia of five fungi, we show that the ants adjust the amount of MG secretion to the virulence of the fungus with which they are infected. We further applied fixed volumes of MG secretion of ants challenged with constant conidia doses to agar mats of the same fungal species. This showed that inhibition halos were significantly larger for ants challenged with virulent and mild pathogens/weeds than for controls and
Escovopsis
-challenged ants. We conclude that the MG defence system of leaf-cutting ants has characteristics reminiscent of an additional cuticular immune system, with specific and non-specific components, of which some are constitutive and others induced.
Assortative flocking in crossbills and implications for ecological speciation
Authors: Smith Julie W. , Sjoberg Stephanie M. , Mueller Matthew C. , Benkman Craig W.
Published: August 2012

How reproductive isolation is related to divergent natural selection is a central question in speciation. Here, we focus on several ecologically specialized taxa or ‘call types’ of red crossbills (Loxia curvirostracomplex), one of the few groups of birds providing much evidence for ecological speciation. Call types differ in bill sizes and feeding capabilities, and also differ in vocalizations, such that contact calls provide information on crossbill phenotype. We found that two call types of red crossbills were more likely to approach playbacks of their own call type than those of heterotypics, and that their propensity to approach heterotypics decreased with increasing divergence in bill size. Although call similarity also decreased with increasing divergence in bill size, comparisons of responses to familiar versus unfamiliar call types indicate that the decrease in the propensity to approach heterotypics with increasing divergence in bill size was a learned response, and not a by-product of calls diverging pleiotropically as bill size diverged. Because crossbills choose mates while in flocks, assortative flocking could lead indirectly to assortative mating as a by-product. These patterns of association therefore provide a mechanism by which increasing divergent selection can lead to increasing reproductive isolation.
An analytical framework for a behavioural analysis of non‐compliance in food supply chains
Authors: Hirschauer Norbert , Bavorová Miroslava , Martino Gaetano
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Business malpractice in supply chains raises the food safety risks for downstream buyers, including consumers. This paper aims to analyse the multiplicity of behavioural factors influencing producers' motivation to break the food safety norms intentionally.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews existing disciplinary approaches for the analysis of behavioural risks. Based on this review, an analytical framework is developed which provides a base for an interdisciplinary institutional analysis of behavioural risks in food chains.

Findings

The reviewed approaches on behavioural risk share the view that deviance is the result of multi‐goal and (potentially) opportunistic decision making of bounded rational individuals. The analytical framework presented in this paper integrates these approaches.

Research limitations/implications

The analytical framework provides a rough categorisation of behavioural drivers. It neither details the context‐dependent subcomponents that determine the utility outcome within each category nor the methods that should be used to analyse them.

Originality/value

A behavioural economic analysis based on the framework means opening up the black box of the regulatees' action situation by incorporating the subjectively perceived material incentives in addition to immaterial motivations such as reputation effects, social norms and community pressure into the analysis. Based on an understanding of producers' motivation, proper institutional solutions can be implemented to enhance producers' compliance with food safety norms.
Factors important for the selection of fast food restaurants: an empirical study across three cities of Pakistan
Authors: Ehsan Usman
Published: August 2012

Purpose

There are different factors that affect customers' experiences at restaurants, and this could lead towards the selection or rejection of a fast food restaurant. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the factors that are important for the selection of restaurants and also to identify the cultural or regional differences in consumer behaviours amongst student customers in relation to international fast food restaurants.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 447 questionnaires were randomly distributed among university students of three cities. Data analysis was done in SPSS Version 17. Important factors were identified by factor analysis and ANOVA was used to measure the differences (among cities).

Findings

According to the findings, customers considered price, variety of food, promotional deals and timely service as the important factors for the selection of fast food restaurants. Different factors were found in different cities. This implies that the choice and selection criteria of customers from different cities in the same country for fast food restaurants may vary.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study should only be generalised to the fast food sector as the research only explored the fast food industry. The respondents were selected only from university students of three cities in Pakistan. Other customer segments and geographical areas should be included in future studies.

Practical implications

The results enable marketers to focus on key points in formulating different strategies, like designing the pricing strategy, the service blueprint, the menu, and positioning and promotional strategies, so that they can provide memorable experiences to customers. The findings also suggest that while operating in multicultural countries, customers need to observe closely. Also, adaptation to local cultures should not be limited to the national level; it should also be tailored to the regional level (cities).

Originality/value

This paper puts forward the selection criteria for fast food restaurants in a large and ethnically diverse country like Pakistan. The paper also provides useful information for both academicians and marketers about new and emerging areas in how consumer choices vary in culturally diverse nations.
Contribution of vegetable soup to total vegetables intake and its determinants among mothers in Portugal
Authors: Franchini B. , Poínhos R. , Klepp K. , de Almeida M.D.V.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper's aim is to assess vegetable soup intake and its contribution to total vegetable intake among mothers of Portuguese schoolchildren as well as to examine the association between relative vegetable soup intake and sociodemographic characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional survey was carried out in Portugal as part of the Pro Children study. In total 1,673 women, mothers of 11‐13 year old children, took part in the study. The vegetable intake and sociodemographic characteristics were collected with a self‐administered questionnaire in which a precoded 24‐hour recall was applied. The analysed sociodemographic characteristics were the number of people and composition of household, educational level, social class and region of residence. The associations between preferential or exclusive consumer mothers of vegetable soup (i.e. ≥50 per cent of total vegetable intake) and sociodemographic characteristics were analysed by a logistic regression model.

Findings

The mean intake of vegetable soup was 76.1 g/d and its contribution to total vegetable intake was approximately 45 per cent. The percentage of mothers that were preferential or exclusive consumers of vegetable soup was 41 per cent. Preferential or exclusive vegetable soup intake was less likely among mothers when the number of people in the household was less than four (vs 4; OR: 0.734, 95 per cent CI: 0.577‐0.934) and that did not live with their spouse/partner (OR: 0.617, 95 per cent CI: 0.424‐0.878).

Originality/value

The paper focuses on the consumption of vegetable soup, a traditional culinary preparation among Portuguese people. Also, it identifies factors associated with its consumption.
SOAP‐M: a training evaluation model for HR
Authors: Passmore Jonathan , Velez Maria
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically review existing models for evaluating organizational human resource (HR) interventions and to develop a practical but robust model for use by practitioners and researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was undertaken of existing models developed to evaluate organizational HR interventions. Based on these a new model was developed.

Findings

The paper suggests that many of the existing models are either outdated or lack practical focus. The SOAP‐M model offers five levels for evaluation, four suitable for HR professionals and a fifth level for researchers.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is conceptual and the model needs to be tested by organizations to assess whether this has utility for HR practitioners.

Practical implications

The model offers a framework for conducting evaluations of organizational interventions and encourages HR practitioners to improve their practice by conducting robust evaluations of the interventions they use.

Originality/value

The paper offers a new and previously unpublished model, which could help HR practitioners improve their use of evaluation.
Workplace bullying: consequences, causes and controls (part two)
Authors: Appelbaum Steven H. , Semerjian Gary , Mohan Krishan
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper's aim is to examine workplace bullying – what it is and its causes, consequences – and to offer managers control systems on how to counter, reduce or eliminate it. The scale of bullying in the workplace is quite alarming – it is estimated that 1.7 million Americans and 11 percent of British workers have experienced bullying at work in the last six months. Until now the topic has many problems identified but limited solutions. This article attempts to close that gap.

Design/methodology/approach

The two‐part article begins with a review of definitions/descriptions of workplace bullying. Next, an exploratory look at the consequences of workplace bullying is presented and demonstrates its impact on victims and organizations. Moreover, a summary of potential sources will be exposed ranging from personality traits to organizational constructs. Finally, the article will approach three organizational strategies that have been proven to act as control systems towards workplace bullying.

Findings

It is found that transformational and ethical leadership are both very effective tools for managers to counter workplace bullying and that the instauration of an ethical climate in the workplace appears to be the most effective in avoiding workplace bullying from forming.

Research limitations/implications

The paper does not compare control systems against one another and does not explore the effectiveness of bullying predictors.

Originality/value

The paper offers a comprehensive approach in understanding workplace bullying, its causes and its consequences. As well, it offers tools to managers on control systems designed to counter it. The topic is quite new in the literature and very relevant in terms of incidents that are repeated in the popular press but limited in terms of research articles.
Open source optical character recognition for historical research
Authors: Blanke Tobias , Bryant Michael , Hedges Mark
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to present an evaluation of open source OCR for supporting research on material in small‐ to medium‐scale historical archives.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach was to develop a workflow engine to support the easy customisation of the OCR process towards the historical materials using open source technologies. Commercial OCR often fails to deliver sufficient results here, as their processing is optimised towards large‐scale commercially relevant collections. The approach presented here allows users to combine the most effective parts of different OCR tools.

Findings

The authors demonstrate their application and its flexibility and present two case studies, which demonstrate how OCR can be embedded into wider digitally enabled historical research. The first case study produces high‐quality research‐oriented digitisation outputs, utilizing services that the authors developed to allow for the direct linkage of digitisation image and OCR output. The second case study demonstrates what becomes possible if OCR can be customised directly within a larger research infrastructure for history. In such a scenario, further semantics can be added easily to the workflow, enhancing the research browse experience significantly.

Originality/value

There has been little work on the use of open source OCR technologies for historical research. This paper demonstrates that the authors' workflow approach allows users to combine commercial engines' ability to read a wider range of character sets with the flexibility of open source tools in terms of customisable pre‐processing and layout analysis. All this can be done without the need to develop dedicated code.
Managing asymmetry in franchise contracts: transparency as the overriding rule
Authors: Lapiedra Rosa , Palau Felipe , Reig Isabel
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The aim of this article is to provide solutions to protect the weaker party in management and distribution contracts, especially in the field of franchising.

Design/methodology/ approach

The paper is based on a review of literature, legislation and practices concerning management and franchise contracts. The regulation of this field at a national level consists of laws that are both private and mandatory in nature. Certain questions are raised concerning the obligatory nature of regulations when applied to the management of international franchise contracts.

Findings

This article studies the question of whether the imperative application of laws to international contract management is appropriate. These contracts are concluded through the form of adhesion contracts, which have been prewritten by the dominant party and by which the adherent, the distributor, the franchisee or the agent, are placed in a weaker legal position. Considering the absence of international tuitive rules, this article suggests a way to guarantee the protection of parties in a weaker position.

Practical implications

This research provides entrepreneurs, managers and other members of the business community with legal tools and mechanisms for the protection of the franchisee's position.

Originality/value

This approach may well be helpful in finding solutions to legal issues that are of great importance in the negotiation of service contracts, as a way to overcome the difficulty of finding solid arguments to extend the rules that protect consumers and workers in service agreements.
For an international clearing union
Authors: Correa Romar
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make a case for an international clearing house.

Design/methodology/approach

The systems postulate is used: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Specifically, the 2007 Godley‐Lavoie model is exploited.

Findings

Domestic banking arrangements are institutionally fragile; they import stability from their central banks. In like manner, relations between central banks must be conducted under a common metric, a world money.

Originality/value

The paper shows that a technical argument for a multilateral clearing house will not be found. The author teases “implicit dynamics” (Stephen Turnovsky) out of national income identities.
Determinants of the property‐liability insurance market: evidence from Portugal
Authors: Medeiros Garcia Maria Teresa
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the relationship between property‐liability insurance premiums and economic and financial development in the case of Portugal, assuming a supply‐leading causality pattern of development. In other words, the expansion of the financial system precedes the demand for services.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducts OLS estimations between premiums and the gross domestic product (GDP) in order to evaluate the economic growth, in addition to the ratio of the broader definition of money (M2) to GDP and the ratio of currency to demand deposits (M1/M2), in order to assess financial development.

Findings

The level of the gross domestic product is the only factor explaining the level of property‐liability insurance demand in Portugal.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first attempt to examine determinants of property‐liability casualty insurance in Portugal, using time series data.
The new Construction Act: views and perceptions of construction industry stakeholders
Authors: Sinden Gary F. , Mason James R. , Proverbs David G. , Booth Colin A.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Part II of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 introduced major changes to the way in which construction contracts are administered. The payment and adjudication provisions, in particular, have been well received by the United Kingdom construction industry and can be viewed as a success. However, avoidance tactics aimed at reducing liability for payment and discouraging payees away from adjudication became commonplace. The response from Parliament is contained in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, which came into force on 1 October 2011. The purpose of this paper is to analyse stakeholders’ first impressions of the new Act and disseminate the insights gained to the industry and policymakers.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a review of the current and proposed legislation, industry views were collected by an electronically administered survey. The views of construction industry stakeholders on how the new Act will operate and its prospects of delivering the intended outcomes were ascertained and are presented.

Findings

The survey findings indicate there is broad support for the original Act and for the amendments made in the new Act, tempered with pessimism about the likely inability of the new measures to address issues around entrenched industry practice. Avoidance and evasion of key terms is contemplated, for instance in relation to extending payment terms and drafting contracts in favour of the paying party.

Originality/value

The conclusions reached call into question the extent to which improvement of this aspect of the construction industry can be achieved by statutory intervention alone, particularly in testing economic circumstances.
Board member development in the public, voluntary and social housing sectors
Authors: Ward Carolyn , Preece David
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Given a number of recent and ongoing changes to the role and responsibilities of executive and non‐executive board members of UK social housing organisations, the paper aims to offer a literature review which explores the development provision for board members within such organisations. The paper's key question is: “How are executive and non‐executive board members being prepared for these changes?”

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was undertaken, based on the main business and management databases. This was followed by a thematic analysis to uncover what we know about executive and non‐executive board member training and development within the public and voluntary sectors, in particular within UK social housing organisations.

Findings

Despite the increasingly important role of boards in the not‐for‐profit sector, only a limited number of publications focusing on human resource development (HRD) issues were found. The literature did provide some insight into the HRD experiences of executive and non‐executive board members. The majority of papers centred on leadership and governance matters, mainly board effectiveness, performance and “board capital”, rather than human capital. In so far as board member development is discussed, it is mainly in relation to their recruitment to the board and the sort of skills required, with little attention given to matters such as succession planning and member development.

Research limitations/implications

Given the limited extent of research to date into executive and non‐executive board development in social housing organisations, it follows that there is limited knowledge of what is – or is not – happening in practice. This highlights the need for more empirical research, on the basis of which it should be possible to offer suggestions for changes to/improvements in board member development activities.

Originality/value

The paper reviews the current state of knowledge relating to executive and non‐executive board member development in not‐for‐profit and social housing organisations.
Unsettling the gender binary: experiences of gender in entrepreneurial leadership and implications for HRD
Authors: Patterson Nicola , Mavin Sharon , Turner Jane
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This feminist standpoint study aims to make an empirical contribution to the entrepreneurial leadership and HRD fields. Women entrepreneur leaders' experiences of gender will be explored through a framework of doing gender well and doing gender differently to unsettle the gender binary.

Design/methodology/approach

Against a backcloth of patriarchy, a theoretical gender lens is developed and a feminist standpoint research (FSR) approach taken in this study. There are five case studies of women entrepreneur leaders operating small businesses across North East England in sectors of IT, law, construction, beauty, and childcare. In each case study a two‐stage semi‐structured interview process was implemented and the women's voices analysed through a framework of doing gender well and differently.

Findings

This paper highlights the complexities of gender experiences offering four themes of women entrepreneurs' experiences of gender within entrepreneurial leadership: struggling with entrepreneurial leadership; awareness of difference; accepting and embracing difference; and responding to difference, which are offered to challenge the gender binary and capture the complexities of how gender is experienced.

Research limitations/implications

The field must begin to shift its focus from the dominant masculine discourse to foster understandings of gender experiences by using gender as an analytical category to enable the field to truly progress.

Social implications

Women are still an under‐represented group within entrepreneurship and within the higher echelons of organisations. This requires greater attention.

Originality/value

This feminist study calls for both scholars and practitioners to analyse critically their underlying assumptions and bring a gender consciousness to their HRD research and practice to understand gender complexities within entrepreneurial leadership and organisational experiences more widely.
Measuring work activities and skill requirements of occupations
Authors: Tijdens Kea G. , De Ruijter Judith , De Ruijter Esther
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to evaluate a method for measuring work activities and skill requirements of 160 occupations in eight countries, used in EurOccupations, an EU‐FP6 project. Additionally, it aims to explore how the internet can be used for measuring work activities and skill requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

For the 160 occupations, work activities were described in approximately ten tasks. Occupational experts and jobholders were invited to rate these tasks and to indicate the skill requirements, using a multilingual web‐survey. Experts were recruited through the networks of the project partners and jobholders through frequently visited websites in the eight countries. The effectiveness of the drafting of tasks descriptions, the recruitment of raters, and the measurement of skill requirements is evaluated.

Findings

The project showed that tasks descriptions for a wide range of occupations and countries can be drafted relatively easy, using desk research. Conducting a web‐survey with a routing for 160 occupations and eight countries is viable. Recruiting experts used more resources than recruiting jobholders using the internet. Measuring skill requirements would need much more resources due to major variations within and across countries.

Research limitations/implications

The article addresses a number of areas that are potentially worthy of further empirical investigations for a Europe‐wide library of occupational titles, work activities and skill requirements.

Practical implications

The paper outlines the potential of a future method for a European library of work activities and skill requirements for occupational titles, thereby facilitating European industrial training efforts.

Social implications

Insight in the work activities and skill requirements of occupations will facilitate labour mobility and related training across EU member states.

Originality/value

This paper explores the potential for a Europe‐wide empirical underpinning of work activities and skill requirements, using a web‐survey and the internet.
A call for libraries to go green
Authors: Fourie Ina
Published: August 2012

Purpose

When confronted with a problem where the solution is not clear or obvious, a first step would be to search for more information, trying to make sense of the problem. The intention of this contribution is to make sense of the call for “libraries to go green”, while at the same time to show the potential of explicitly considering information behaviour and the need to draw on the full spectrum of information literacy skills (e.g. recognising and expressing an information need, seeking, using, and disseminating information) to stimulate librarians' interest and confidence in taking on the challenge of going green and making a difference.

Design/methodology/approach

The column will be written against the background of research from information literacy, information behaviour, and research on sustainable and environmental friendly library and information (LIS) services.

Findings

Although rather a limited number, publications on “going green” and the “paperless” library/society address a variety of issues ranging from planning “green” library buildings, to assessing the experiences of LIS professionals in developing sustainable “green libraries”, to information behaviour in using e‐books in academic contexts. Considering the finding and use of information on “going green”, from an information behaviour perspective, helps to bring many issues to consider in furthering research on “going green” to the front.

Originality/value

Although much has been published about information behaviour and information literacy, and although attempts of publishing on various issues of “green” libraries are noted, the author is not aware of other work aligning these issues.
Digital preservation ingest can be a “CINCH”
Authors: Rudersdorf Amy
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the “Capture, Ingest, and Checksum” (CINCH) tool, developed by the State Library of North Carolina with funding from a 2011 IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant.

Design/methodology/approach

This article describes the needs assessment, development, and use cases for the CINCH tool in the digital preservation community. A special emphasis is put on the possible wider adoption of the tool for small and mid‐sized institutions and the call for community building around it.

Findings

CINCH does not relate directly to storage or access, but it does address the need for appropriately formatted SIPs to ensure the fixity, authenticity, and long‐term manageability of our digital assets. As a broadly accessible tool with generalized purpose, its greatest impact will be on small and mid‐sized institutions and organizations that do not now have access to an application of this nature.

Research limitations

CINCH 2.0 planning is already underway. Improving the quality and range of metadata, exploring DRM restrictions, and expanding the types of harvestable files are at the top of the development list.

Practical implications

CINCH will create a Submission Information Package (SIP) to certify that the files ingested are ready for whatever preservation action the institution is capable of performing on them.

Originality/value

CINCH was developed by the State Library of North Carolina and is the only tool of its kind available to the digital preservation community.
Accessibility of digital special collections using screen readers
Authors: Southwell Kristina L. , Slater Jacquelyn
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discover whether digitized materials from special collections libraries can be accessed using screen reader technology.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers looked at 69 US academic library web sites from the ARL in 2011 to determine whether textual materials sampled from their digitized special collections were readable with screen reader technology.

Findings

The researchers found that 42 percent of the sampled digital collection items are screen‐readable, while 58 percent are not readable.

Research limitations/implications

Screen readers are not evaluated against one another for effectiveness with digital collections. Library web site pathways to digital special collections were not evaluated with screen readers.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the accessibility of digitized special collections materials to persons using a screen reader.
A study of relevance feedback techniques in interactive multilingual information access
Authors: Wu Dan , He Daqing , Xu Xiaomei
Published: August 2012

Purpose

With the vast amount of multilingual information available online, it becomes increasingly critical for libraries to use various multilingual information access techniques in order to effectively support patrons' online information requests. However, this is still a relatively under‐explored area. This paper aims to study the effectiveness and the adoptability of query expansion and translation enhancement in the context of interactive multilingual information access.

Design/methodology/approach

Relying on an interactive multilingual information access system called ICE‐TEA, the authors conducted a controlled experiment (English‐to‐Chinese translation) involving human subjects to assess the retrieval effectiveness, analyzed the collected search logs to examine users' behavior, and employed pre‐ and post‐questionnaires to obtain users' opinions about the system.

Findings

The results confirm that significant improvement in retrieval effectiveness can be achieved by combining query expansion with translation enhancement (as compared to a case when there is no relevance feedback). However, users' ability to understand, interact with and even perceive the complex process of searches involving the combination of query expansion and translation enhancement may greatly impact the effectiveness of the techniques. The results also confirm that human‐generated queries were short queries, which calls for careful consideration of how longer queries perform in real search because many search engines rely on longer and more complex queries.

Originality/value

This study examines two important relevance feedback techniques in the context of human‐involved multilingual information access. This study is a valuable addition to the information seeking behaviour literature.
Paradox of rural development in Bangladesh
Authors: Mashreque Shairul
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper is about the dynamics of rural development in Bangladesh. The purpose of this paper is to epitomize the scenario of manipulative design in the presence of three influential policy actors, such as bureaucracy, political leadership and tycoons.

Design/methodology/approach

Political economy approach has been followed, by and large, to epitomize the dimension of exploitation and manipulation at the micro level. Secondary data were used for the purpose. Also, the author used his understanding of the dynamics of rural development.

Findings

Under the circumstances, it seems difficult for the incumbents on the supply side to break the “political vicious circle” protecting the rights of the peasants through projected safety nets against the domineering political and economic forces. When such forces coalesce to render distribution process all but skewed, the market as a socially construed mechanism functions to drain the surplus from the rural to the metropolitan areas. A similar situation exists in India, where sweeping changes of the social action by action from above were squandered, despite repeated ideological assertions of the policy makers for developing a socialistic pattern of economy. This is due largely to the lack of explicit political commitment and the domination of the propertied class over political leadership. Elitist orientation of bureaucracy, with its close linkage with the local elite, is responsible for making things worse. On the one hand, the hidden subsidies on food and other inputs are phased out in rural Bangladesh. On the other hand, a major percentage of aid funds earmarked for poverty alleviation is absorbed in paying high salaries to project consultants – both local and foreign – and defraying the cost of contracting the project/sub‐projects through underhand deals with bureaucratic incumbents. Only a small percentage is spent on the target beneficiaries.

Originality/value

The research is original, intended to address the issues that have not been addressed before. The author has tried to fill the gap in the state of knowledge about rural socio‐political formation, with emphasis on what is wrong with malfeasance in governance, which accounts for much triangular manipulation and corruption.
Credit NGOs' sustainability in rural financial market: a SWOT analysis on DAYBANG
Authors: He Lin , Liao Dongsheng
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the sustainability of Credit Non‐Governmental Organizations (CNGOs) such as DAYBANG.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper investigates and describes the operating details, through the web, of DAYBANG using SWOT analysis.

Findings

By the means of SWOT analysis it is found that clarified information, credit scoring system and the law of large numbers set up by DAYBANG will decrease the asymmetric information influence, which will result in adverse selection and lowering of the transaction cost; while operational risk and moral hazard are the weaknesses to be overcome. SO, ST, WO, WT strategies deserve consideration.

Originality/value

Researches on informal finance have focused on loans between relatives, friends and usurers. Few literatures, however, have studied the Credit NGOs (CNGOs). DAYBANG is a newly‐emerging CNGO which has resulted in immense public interest because of its Web operating platform. This paper discloses its operational characteristics, using SWOT analysis, which expands the research on informal finance.