bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scale-up of the production of highly reactive biogenic magnetite nanoparticles using
Geobacter sulfurreducens
Authors: Byrne J. M. , Muhamadali H. , Coker V. S. , Cooper J. , Lloyd J. R.
Published: May 2015

Although there are numerous examples of large-scale commercial microbial synthesis routes for organic bioproducts, few studies have addressed the obvious potential for microbial systems to produce inorganic functional biomaterials at scale. Here we address this by focusing on the production of nanoscale biomagnetite particles by the Fe(III)-reducing bacterium
Geobacter sulfurreducens
, which was scaled up successfully from laboratory- to pilot plant-scale production, while maintaining the surface reactivity and magnetic properties which make this material well suited to commercial exploitation. At the largest scale tested, the bacterium was grown in a 50 l bioreactor, harvested and then inoculated into a buffer solution containing Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide and an electron donor and mediator, which promoted the formation of magnetite in under 24 h. This procedure was capable of producing up to 120 g of biomagnetite. The particle size distribution was maintained between 10 and 15 nm during scale-up of this second step from 10 ml to 10 l, with conserved magnetic properties and surface reactivity; the latter demonstrated by the reduction of Cr(VI). The process presented provides an environmentally benign route to magnetite production and serves as an alternative to harsher synthetic techniques, with the clear potential to be used to produce kilogram to tonne quantities.
Electromagnetic rotation of a liquid metal sphere or pool within a solution
Authors: Wang Lei , Liu Jing
Published: May 2015

A liquid metal electric motor including a pair of concentric ring electrodes, permanent magnet and electrolyte solution is demonstrated. A liquid metal galinstan sphere, along with a NaOH solution, is stimulated to rotate centrifugally around the central electrode and the rotating speed increases with the voltage. The NaOH solution serves to rapidly remove the oxide on the liquid metal surface, reduce the motion friction and provide impetus to the liquid metal. As the mass of the liquid metal is increased to 12.16 g to form a kidney-like body, its rotating speed appears more controllable and the effect of the electrolytic action in the NaOH solution becomes weak in the range of 0–1.82 V. As the mass of the liquid metal is increased to 18.20 g to form a circular ring-shaped body, the ideal voltage range for controlling the rotating motion of the liquid metal is 0–0.81 V. The metal fluid rotates at a speed of 1.9 r.p.m., even at an extremely low voltage of 0.03 V. The liquid metal electric motor established here can find important applications in chip cooling, liquid metal pumps, material mixing, soft machine realization, etc.
Biologically and diagenetically derived peptide modifications in moa collagens
Authors: Cleland Timothy P. , Schroeter Elena R. , Schweitzer Mary H.
Published: May 2015

The modifications that occur on proteins in natural environments over time are not well studied, yet characterizing them is vital to correctly interpret sequence data recovered from fossils. The recently extinct moa (Dinornithidae) is an excellent candidate for investigating the preservation of proteins, their post-translational modifications (PTMs) and diagenetic alterations during degradation. Moa protein extracts were analysed using mass spectrometry, and peptides from collagen I, collagen II and collagen V were identified. We also identified biologically derived PTMs (i.e. methylation, di-methylation, alkylation, hydroxylation, fucosylation) on amino acids at locations consistent with extant proteins. In addition to these
in vivo
modifications, we detected novel modifications that are probably diagenetically derived. These include loss of hydroxylation/glutamic semialdehyde, carboxymethyllysine and peptide backbone cleavage, as well as previously noted deamidation. Moa collagen sequences and modifications provide a baseline by which to evaluate proteomic studies of other fossils, and a framework for defining the molecular relationship of moa to other closely related taxa.
Experimental taphonomy of
Artemia
reveals the role of endogenous microbes in mediating decay and fossilization
Authors: Butler Aodhán D. , Cunningham John A. , Budd Graham E. , Donoghue Philip C. J.
Published: May 2015

Exceptionally preserved fossils provide major insights into the evolutionary history of life. Microbial activity is thought to play a pivotal role in both the decay of organisms and the preservation of soft tissue in the fossil record, though this has been the subject of very little experimental investigation. To remedy this, we undertook an experimental study of the decay of the brine shrimp
Artemia
, examining the roles of autolysis, microbial activity, oxygen diffusion and reducing conditions. Our findings indicate that endogenous gut bacteria are the main factor controlling decay. Following gut wall rupture, but prior to cuticle failure, gut-derived microbes spread into the body cavity, consuming tissues and forming biofilms capable of mediating authigenic mineralization, that pseudomorph tissues and structures such as limbs and the haemocoel. These observations explain patterns observed in exceptionally preserved fossil arthropods. For example, guts are preserved relatively frequently, while preservation of other internal anatomy is rare. They also suggest that gut-derived microbes play a key role in the preservation of internal anatomy and that differential preservation between exceptional deposits might be because of factors that control autolysis and microbial activity. The findings also suggest that the evolution of a through gut and its bacterial microflora increased the potential for exceptional fossil preservation in bilaterians, providing one explanation for the extreme rarity of internal preservation in those animals that lack a through gut.
Experimental reduction of intromittent organ length reduces male reproductive success in a bug
Authors: Dougherty Liam R. , Rahman Imran A. , Burdfield-Steel Emily R. , Greenway E. V. (Ginny) , Shuker David M.
Published: May 2015

It is now clear in many species that male and female genital evolution has been shaped by sexual selection. However, it has historically been difficult to confirm correlations between morphology and fitness, as genital traits are complex and manipulation tends to impair function significantly. In this study, we investigate the functional morphology of the elongate male intromittent organ (or processus) of the seed bugLygaeus simulans, in two ways. We first use micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and flash-freezing to reconstruct in high resolution the interaction between the male intromittent organ and the female internal reproductive anatomy during mating. We successfully trace the path of the male processus inside the female reproductive tract. We then confirm that male processus length influences sperm transfer by experimental ablation and show that males with shortened processi have significantly reduced post-copulatory reproductive success. Importantly, male insemination function is not affected by this manipulationper se. We thus present rare, direct experimental evidence that an internal genital trait functions to increase reproductive success and show that, with appropriate staining, micro-CT is an excellent tool for investigating the functional morphology of insect genitalia during copulation.
Aquimarina agarivorans sp. nov., a genome-sequenced member of the class Flavobacteriia isolated from Gelidium amansii
Authors: Zhou Yan-Xia , Wang Chao , Du Zong-Jun , Chen Guan-Jun
Published: May 2015

A novel Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, agar-digesting bacterial strain, designated HQM9T, was isolated from the surface of the marine red algaGelidium amansiicollected from the intertidal zone of Weihai, China. Cells of HQM9Twere 3.0–4.0 μm long and 0.2–0.3 μm wide and lacked flagella. The new isolate grew optimally at 28–30 °C, at pH 7.0–7.5, and in the presence of 2.5–3.0  % NaCl. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0and iso-C17 : 03-OH. The sole menaquinone was MK-6. The DNA G+C content was 33 mol%. The major polar lipids were comprised of phosphatidylethanolamine and four unknown polar lipids. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the closest relative wasAquimarina agarilyticaZC1Twith 97.16  % sequence similarity, with which strain HQM9Tformed a distinct cluster belonging to the genusAquimarinain a phylogenetic tree. Moreover, average nucleotide identity and estimated DNA–DNA hybridization values between strains HQM9Tand ZC1Twere 78.7  % and 12.50 ± 2.95  %, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis, strain HQM9Trepresents the type strain of a novel species within the genusAquimarinain the familyFlavobacteriaceae, phylumBacteroidetes, for which the nameAquimarina agarivoranssp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HQM9T( = ATCC BAA-2612T = CICC 10835T).
Lacinutrix undariae sp. nov., isolated from a brown algae reservoir
Authors: Park Sooyeon , Park Ji-Min , Jung Yong-Taek , Kang Chul-Hyung , Yoon Jung-Hoon
Published: May 2015

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-flagellated, non-gliding and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain W-BA8T, was isolated from a brown algae reservoir on the South Sea, South Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain W-BA8T grew optimally at 25 °C, at pH 7.0–7.5 and in the presence of 1.0–2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Neighbour-joining and maximum-parsimony phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain W-BA8T clustered with the type strains of species of the genus Lacinutrix. Strain W-BA8T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 94.9–96.5 % to the type strains of Lacinutrix species and of less than 95.8 % to the type strains of other recognized species. Strain W-BA8T contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C15 : 0 3-OH and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH as major fatty acids. The polar lipid profile of strain W-BA8T contained phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified lipids and one unidentified glycolipid as major components. The DNA G+C content of strain W-BA8T was 35 mol%. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain W-BA8T is separated from other species of the genus Lacinutrix. On the basis of the data presented, strain W-BA8T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Lacinutrix, for which the name Lacinutrix undariae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is W-BA8T ( = KCTC 42176T = CECT 8671T).
Structure determination of an integral membrane protein at room temperature from crystals in situ
Authors: Axford Danny , Foadi James , Hu Nien-Jen , Choudhury Hassanul Ghani , Iwata So , Beis Konstantinos , Evans Gwyndaf , Alguel Yilmaz
Published: May 2015

The structure determination of an integral membrane protein using synchrotron X-ray diffraction data collected at room temperature directly in vapour-diffusion crystallization plates (in situ) is demonstrated. Exposing the crystals in situ eliminates manual sample handling and, since it is performed at room temperature, removes the complication of cryoprotection and potential structural anomalies induced by sample cryocooling. Essential to the method is the ability to limit radiation damage by recording a small amount of data per sample from many samples and subsequently assembling the resulting data sets using specialized software. The validity of this procedure is established by the structure determination of Haemophilus influenza TehA at 2.3 Å resolution. The method presented offers an effective protocol for the fast and efficient determination of membrane-protein structures at room temperature using third-generation synchrotron beamlines.
The structure of the giant haemoglobin fromGlossoscolex paulistus
Authors: Ruggiero Bachega José Fernando , Vasconcelos Maluf Fernando , Andi Babak , D'Muniz Pereira Humberto , Falsarella Carazzollea Marcelo , Orville Allen M. , Tabak Marcel , Brandão-Neto José , Garratt Richard Charles , Horjales Reboredo Eduardo
Published: May 2015

The sequences of all seven polypeptide chains from the giant haemoglobin of the free-living earthwormGlossoscolex paulistus(HbGp) are reported together with the three-dimensional structure of the 3.6 MDa complex which they form. The refinement of the full particle, which has been solved at 3.2 Å resolution, the highest resolution reported to date for a hexagonal bilayer haemoglobin composed of 12 protomers, is reported. This has allowed a more detailed description of the contacts between subunits which are essential for particle stability. Interpretation of features in the electron-density maps suggests the presence of metal-binding sites (probably Zn2+and Ca2+) and glycosylation sites, some of which have not been reported previously. The former appear to be important for the integrity of the particle. The crystal structure of the isolateddchain (d-HbGp) at 2.1 Å resolution shows different interchain contacts betweendmonomers compared with those observed in the full particle. Instead of forming trimers, as seen in the complex, the isolateddchains associate to form dimers across a crystallographic twofold axis. These observations eliminate the possibility that trimers form spontaneously in solution as intermediates during the formation of the dodecameric globin cap and contribute to understanding of the possible ways in which the particle self-assembles.
Structure of the bovine COPI δ subunit μ homology domain at 2.15 Å resolution
Authors: Lahav Avital , Rozenberg Haim , Parnis Anna , Cassel Dan , Adir Noam
Published: May 2015

The heptameric COPI coat (coatomer) plays an essential role in vesicular transport in the early secretory system of eukaryotic cells. While the structures of some of the subunits have been determined, that of the δ-COP subunit has not been reported to date. The δ-COP subunit is part of a subcomplex with structural similarity to tetrameric clathrin adaptors (APs), where δ-COP is the structural homologue of the AP μ subunit. Here, the crystal structure of the μ homology domain (MHD) of δ-COP (δ-MHD) obtained by phasing using a combined SAD–MR method is presented at 2.15 Å resolution. The crystallographic asymmetric unit contains two monomers that exhibit short sections of disorder, which may allude to flexible regions of the protein. The δ-MHD is composed of two subdomains connected by unstructured linkers. Comparison between this structure and those of known MHD domains from the APs shows significant differences in the positions of specific loops and β-sheets, as well as a more general change in the relative positions of the protein subdomains. The identified difference may be the major source of cargo-binding specificity. Finally, the crystal structure is used to analyze the potential effect of the I422T mutation in δ-COP previously reported to cause a neurodegenerative phenotype in mice.
Two crystal structures of the FK506-binding domain ofPlasmodium falciparumFKBP35 in complex with rapamycin at high resolution
Authors: Bianchin Alessandra , Allemand Frederic , Bell Angus , Chubb Anthony J. , Guichou Jean-François
Published: May 2015

Antimalarial chemotherapy continues to be challenging in view of the emergence of drug resistance, especially artemisinin resistance in Southeast Asia. It is critical that novel antimalarial drugs are identified that inhibit new targets with unexplored mechanisms of action. It has been demonstrated that the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin, which is currently in clinical use to prevent organ-transplant rejection, has antimalarial effects. ThePlasmodium falciparumtarget protein isPfFKBP35, a unique immunophilin FK506-binding protein (FKBP). This protein family binds rapamycin, FK506 and other immunosuppressive and non-immunosuppressive macrolactones. Here, two crystallographic structures of rapamycin in complex with the FK506-binding domain ofPfFKBP35 at high resolution, in both its oxidized and reduced forms, are reported. In comparison with the human FKBP12–rapamycin complex reported previously, the structures reveal differences in the β4–β6 segment that lines the rapamycin binding site. Structural differences between thePlasmodiumprotein and human hFKBP12 include the replacement of Cys106 and Ser109 by His87 and Ile90, respectively. The proximity of Cys106 to the bound rapamycin molecule (4–5 Å) suggests possible routes for the rational design of analogues of rapamycin with specific antiparasitic activity. Comparison of the structures with thePfFKBD–FK506 complex shows that both drugs interact with the same binding-site residues. These two new structures highlight the structural differences and the specific interactions that must be kept in consideration for the rational design of rapamycin analogues with antimalarial activity that specifically bind toPfFKBP35 without immunosuppressive effects.
One-dimensional decavanadate chains in the crystal structure of Rb4[Na(H2O)6][HV10O28]·4H2O
Authors: Yakubovich Olga V. , Steele Ian M. , Yakovleva Ekaterina V. , Dimitrova Olga V.
Published: May 2015

New decavanadate minerals, the products of the leaching or metasomatic processes, are possible in natureviaNa/Rb removal/inclusion reactions. As part of our search for novel vanadate phases with varying functionalities, a new phase, tetrarubidium hexaaquasodium hydrogen decavanadate tetrahydrate, Rb4[Na(H2O)6][HV10O28]·4H2O, has been synthesized by the hydrothermal technique at 553 K. Ten shared edges of V-centred octahedra form monoprotonated decavanadate cages, which are joined togetherviahydrogen bonds into one-dimensional chains parallel to the [101] direction. Within these chains, H atoms are sandwiched between neighbouring polyanions. Na and Rb atoms and H2O molecules occupy interstices flanked by the anionic chains providing additional crosslinking in the structure. This compound is the second decavanadate withP2/nsymmetry. Structural relationships among protonated and deprotonated decavanadates with inorganic cations, including minerals of the pascoite group, are discussed.
Identification of inversion domains in KTiOPO4viaresonant X-ray diffraction
Authors: Fabrizi Federica , Thomas Pamela A. , Nisbet Gareth , Collins Stephen P.
Published: May 2015

A novel method is presented for the identification of the absolute crystallographic structure in multi-domain polar materials such as ferroelectric KTiOPO4. Resonant (or `anomalous') X-ray diffraction spectra collected across the absorptionKedge of Ti (4.966 keV) on a single Bragg reflection demonstrate a huge intensity ratio above and below the edge, providing a polar domain contrast of ∼270. This allows one to map the spatial domain distribution in a periodically inverted sample, with a resolution of ∼1 µm achieved with a microfocused beam. This non-contact, non-destructive technique is well suited for samples of large dimensions (in contrast with traditional resonant X-ray methods based on diffraction from Friedel pairs), and its potential is particularly relevant in the context of physical phenomena connected with an absence of inversion symmetry, which require characterization of the underlying absolute atomic structure (such as in the case of magnetoelectric coupling and multiferroics).
Voluntary accounting changes and post-earnings announcement drift
Authors: Chen Yi-Ching , Wang Tawei , Seng Jia-Lang
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between voluntary accounting changes (VACs) and post-earnings announcement drift. In addition, the authors examine how accounting choice heterogeneity moderates such association.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors collect VAC firms in the US in the period from 1994 to 2008 and identify the heterogeneity of accounting choices between VAC and non-VAC firms. To test the hypotheses, the authors consider a 10-Q filing window and a post-filing drift window. The 10-Q filing window begins from one trading day before and ends on one trading day after the quarterly report filing date. The post-filing drift window begins from two trading days after the filing date and ends on 60 trading days with respect to the earnings announcement date.

Findings

– The results demonstrate that, overall, VAC does not affect the three-day market reactions to 10-Q filings. However, after taking into account the accounting choice heterogeneity, the authors observe that VAC is positively related to the market reactions to surprises and negatively associated with the post-filing period drift.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the literature by showing that VACs affect the market’s responses to 10-Q filings only when such change results in different accounting practices compared to the VAC firm’s major competitors. Furthermore, given the change with heterogeneity requires more time to process, VACs are related to post-filing announcement drift.
Political competition and environmental reporting
Authors: Mir Monir Zaman , Chatterjee Bikram , Taplin Ross
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between “political competition” and “environmental reporting” by New Zealand local governments.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research method includes a longitudinal analysis of environmental reporting by New Zealand local governments in their annual reports for the financial years 2005-2006 to 2009-2010. “Content analysis” was used to attach scores to the extent of environmental reporting. The “number of candidates divided by the number of available positions at the previous election” was used as the proxy for “political competition”.

Findings

– The study reports a positive relationship between “political competition” and “environmental reporting” in 2007-2008. The number of local governments reporting voluntary environmental information increased in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 compared to 2005-2006, followed by a reduction in such numbers following the 2007-2008 financial year. This trend in disclosure can be attributed to the local government elections in October 2007. This finding is consistent with the expectation of “agency theory” and provides insight into the pattern of perceived agency costs. The study also finds a dearth in reporting “monetary” and “bad” news.

Originality/value

– The study contributes towards the previous literature on environmental reporting by concentrating on the public sector and New Zealand, together with investigating the relationship of such reporting with “political competition” through a longitudinal analysis. The theoretical contribution of this study is the adoption of “agency theory” in the context of public sector voluntary reporting and investigating the significance attached by agents to environmental reporting to minimise agency cost. The practical contribution of the study is in the area of future development of reporting standards in regards to environmental reporting.
Knowledge exchanges in innovation networks: evidences from an Italian aerospace cluster
Authors: Alberti Fernando G. , Pizzurno Emanuele
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims at investigating the multifaceted nature of innovation networks by focusing on two research questions: Do cluster actors exchange only one type of innovation-related knowledge? Do cluster actors play different roles in innovation-related knowledge exchange?

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper builds on data collected at the firm level in an Italian aerospace cluster, that is a technology-intensive industry where innovation is at the base of local competitiveness. A questionnaire was used to collect both attribute data and relational data concerning collaboration and the flows of knowledge in innovation networks. The authors distinguished among three types of knowledge (technological, managerial and market knowledge) and five types of brokerage roles (coordinator, gatekeeper, liaison, representative and consultant). Data analysis relied on social network analysis techniques and software.

Findings

– Concerning the first research question, the findings show that different types of knowledge flow in different ways in innovation networks. The different types of knowledge are unevenly exchanged. The exchange of technological knowledge is open to everyone in the cluster. The exchange of market and managerial knowledge is selective. Concerning the second research question, the authors suggest that different types of cluster actors (large firms, small- and medium-sized enterprises, research centers and universities and institutions for collaboration) do play different roles in innovation networks, especially with reference to the three types of knowledge considered in this study.

Research limitations/implications

– The present paper has some limitations. First of all, the analysis focuses on just one cluster (one industry in one specific location), cross- and comparative analyses with other clusters may illuminate the findings better, eliminating industry and geographical biases. Second, the paper focuses only on innovation-related knowledge exchanges within the cluster and not across it.

Practical implications

– The results have practical implications both for policy makers and for managers. First, this research stresses how innovation often originates from a combination of different knowledge types acquired through the collaboration with heterogeneous cluster actors. Further, the analysis of brokerage roles in innovation-driven collaborations may help policy makers in designing programs for knowledge-transfer partnerships among the various actors of a cluster.

Social implications

– The paper suggests a clear need of developing professional figures capable of operating at the interface of different knowledge domains.

Originality/value

– The data illuminate several aspects of how innovation takes place in a cluster opening up intriguing aspects that have been overlooked by extant literature. The authors believe that this may trigger several lines of further research on the topic.
The effect of workers’ ethical attributes on firms’ productivity
Authors: Haq Mirajul , Khan Karim , Saddique Rashida
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to determine whether the ethical attributes of workers or firms affect firms’ productivity or not. There is growing literature that establishes the fact that human capital attributes such as education, skill and experience matter for productivity growth.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors develop a simple theoretical model where we incorporate the ethical attributes of workers. To support our hypothesis, the authors test that model empirically by using the data of 83 handicrafts firms from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

Findings

– The empirical findings of this study substantiate the hypothesis that besides the traditional factors, the workers’ or the firms’ ethical attributes also increase firms’ productivity.

Originality/value

– The study is based on cross-sectional data and is entirely original in its purpose.
Understanding continuance intention of mobile instant messaging
Authors: Gan Chunmei , Li Hongxiu
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the continued usage of mobile instant messaging (IM) from the perspectives of both motivators and inhibitors.

Design/methodology/approach

– To cast light on the motivators and inhibitors of continuance intention (CI) to use mobile IM, 268 responses from Chinese mobile IM users were collected via an online survey.

Findings

– The results suggest that perceived system quality, procedural switching cost and relational switching cost (RSC) positively affect resistance to change (RTC), while perceived user base, perceived quality of communication, RSC and RTC positively affect the CI. Among them, RTC has the greatest effect on the CI, and RSC has the largest effect on RTC.

Originality/value

– Extant research has mainly focussed on the motivators behind the continued usage of mobile services. However, the inhibitors, such as switching cost and RTC, have been less considered in the research on the continued usage of mobile services. Also, only a little research has examined the components of switching costs and how they affect the intention to continue using mobile services. The current study attempts to fill these research gaps.
Impact of organizational culture and computer self-efficacy on knowledge sharing
Authors: Shao Zhen , Wang Tienan , Feng Yuqiang
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact mechanism of organizational culture (OC) on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) user’s explicit and tacit knowledge-sharing behavior in the context of enterprise systems usage.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing from social cognitive theory, the authors developed a comprehensive model that integrates OC, computer self-efficacy and employees’ knowledge-sharing behaviors. In total, 343 valid questionnaires were collected from ERP users of 115 firms and structural equation modeling technique was used to test the model.

Findings

– Empirical results suggest that hierarchical culture that focusses on efficacy and uniformity is positively related with employees’ explicit knowledge sharing; group culture that focusses on trust and belonging is positively related with employees’ tacit knowledge sharing, and their relationship is fully mediated by employees’ computer self-efficacy. In addition, computer self-efficacy also partially mediates the relationship between rational culture and employees’ knowledge sharing.

Practical implications

– This study provides guidelines for top managers to enhance employees’ computer self-efficacy and facilitate employees’ knowledge-sharing behavior by developing appropriate type of OC.

Originality/value

– This study unpacks the mediating mechanism between OC and knowledge sharing, and contributes to the academic research of knowledge management in the context of enterprise systems assimilation.
Implementing energy saving measures
Authors: Glumac Brano , Oosterbaan Marieke A. , Schaefer Wim F. , Sulla Kairi
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to propose a decision support tool that would aid decision-makers to implement energy-saving measures efficiently in a corporate real estate.

Design/methodology/approach

– The tool consists of a system dynamic model that allows describing and quantifying the complex interaction between potential maintenance scenarios, external energy factors and case-specific conditions. In addition, to include the uncertainty of some of the input variables related to the external energy factors, Monte Carlo simulation has been applied.

Findings

– A case study of a city hall in The Netherlands showed the usability of the proposed tool. Over the selected period of 20 years, applying the chosen set of interventions, the simulation showed possible gains in the net present value and significant decrease of energy consumption and carbon emission. Municipal officials and consultants verified the tool for energy efficiency.

Research limitations/implications

– Although the tool has proved its functionality in one case study, to test its robustness, additional case studies would be preferable.

Practical implications

– The assessment tool can help organizations in assessing energy-efficient maintenance scenarios that include multiple technical energy efficiency interventions as a part of other maintenance activities.

Originality/value

– There are numerous ways to increase building’s energy efficiency, but a lack of knowledge is often hindering the enhancement of maximal benefits. A tool that would assess both financial and environmental benefits of potential technical intervention would provide useful insights into corporate’s real estate current and possible future energy performance. This would aid corporations in making better decisions regarding finances, and on the long run, it will bring an improved corporate image.
Patient-centred professionalism in pharmacy: values and behaviours
Authors: Elvey Rebecca , Hassell Karen , Lewis Penny , Schafheutle Ellen , Willis Sarah , Harrison Stephen
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Research on patient-centred professionalism in pharmacy is scarce compared with other health professions and in particular with pharmacists early in their careers. The purpose of this paper is to explore patient-centred professionalism in early career pharmacists and to describe reported behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study explored patient-centred professional values and reported behaviours, taking a qualitative approach. In all, 53 early-career pharmacists, pharmacy tutors and pharmacy support staff, practising in community and hospital pharmacy in England took part; the concept of patient-centred professionalism was explored through focus group interviews and the critical incident technique was used to elicit real-life examples of professionalism in practice.

Findings

– Triangulation of the data revealed three constructs of pharmacy patient-centred professionalism: being professionally competent, having ethical values and being a good communicator.

Research limitations/implications

– It is not known whether our participants’ perspectives reflect those of all pharmacists in the early stages of their careers. The data provide meaning for the concept of patient-centred professionalism. The work could be extended by developing a framework for wider application. Patient-centred professionalism in pharmacy needs further investigation from the patient perspective.

Practical implications

– The findings have implications for pharmacy practice and education, particularly around increased interaction with patients.

Social implications

– The data contribute to a topic of importance to patients and in relation to UK health policy, which allocates more directly clinical roles to pharmacists, which go beyond the dispensing and supply of medicines.

Originality/value

– The methods included a novel application of the critical incident technique, which generated empirical evidence on a previously under-researched topic.
Preoperative cross functional teams improve OR performance
Authors: Bitter Justin , van Veen-Berkx Elizabeth , van Amelsvoort Pierre , Gooszen Hein
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the effect of the introduction of cross-functional team (CFT)-based organization, rather than, on planning and performance of OR teams.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, two surgical departments of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center (RUNMC) in the Netherlands were selected to illustrate the effect on performance. Data were available for a total of seven consecutive years from 2005 until 2012 and consisted of 4,046 OR days for surgical Department A and 1,154 OR days for surgical Department B on which, respectively 8,419 and 5,295 surgical cases were performed. The performance indicator “raw utilization” of the two surgical Departments was presented as box-and-whisker plots per year (2005-2011). The relationship between raw utilization (y) and years (x) was analyzed with linear regression analysis, to observe if performance changed over time.

Findings

– Based on the linear regression analysis, raw utilization of surgical Department A showed a statistically significant increase since 2006. The variation in raw utilization reduced from IQR 33 percent in 2005 to IQR 8 percent in 2011. Surgical Department B showed that raw utilization increased since 2005. The variation in raw utilization reduced from IQR 21 percent in 2005 to IQR 8 percent in 2011.

Social implications

– Hospitals need to improve their productivity and efficiency in response to higher societal demands and rapidly escalating costs. The RUNMC increased their OR performance significantly by introduction of CFT-based organization in the operative process and abandoning the so called functional silos.

Originality/value

– The stepwise reduction of variation – a decrease of IQR during the years – indicates an organizational learning effect. This study demonstrates that introducing CFTs improve OR performance by working together as a team.
Hospital leadership perspectives on the contributions of Ronald McDonald Houses
Authors: Lantz Paula M , Rubin Nicole , Mauery D Richard
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe an international survey of hospital executives and administrators’ perspectives on the contributions of their affiliation with a Ronald McDonald House (RMH) as an example of accommodation in family-centered care to the hospital’s mission, operations and patient experience.

Design/methodology/approach

– RMHs worldwide provided the names and e-mail addresses of the people holding key leadership positions in their main hospital partner, who in turn were invited to complete an internet-based survey (530 participants; response rate of 54.5 percent).

Findings

– Hospital leaders reported very positive opinions about the contributions of their RMHs affiliation to their ability to serve seriously ill children and their families. This included such important outcomes as increasing family integrity and family participation in care decisions; and decreasing psychosocial stress and hospital social work resource burdens associated with lodging, food, transportation and sibling support. Hospital chief executive offices (CEOs) and medical directors reported very strong and positive opinions regarding the value-added of their RMHs affiliation in many areas, including enhanced marketing of hospital specialty services and reduced length of stay.

Research limitations/implications

– Survey response bias is a limitation, although the results are still useful in terms of identifying multiple ways in which RMHs are perceived as contributing to hospitals’ operations and provision of family-centered care.

Practical implications

– Overall, the results suggest that, internationally, hospital leaders believe that RMHs play a key and valued role in their provision of family-centered care to seriously ill children and their families.

Social implications

– Family accommodation is more than the simple provision of lodging and plays an integral role how hospitals approach family-centered care.

Originality/value

– This international study contributes to the general literature on the role of family accommodation in hospitals’ provision of family-centered care and the specific and very sparse literature on RMHs in particular.
Locus of control, psychological empowerment and intrinsic motivation relation to performance
Authors: Li Yi , Wei Feng , Ren Shenggang , Di Yang
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between psychological empowerment and R & D employees’ performance. The moderating effect of locus of control and the mediating effect of intrinsic work motivation are also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– The questionnaires were completed by 209 R & D employees and their immediate supervisors of a large foreign-funded R & D institute in China. Hierarchical regression and bias-corrected bootstrap procedures were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– Results demonstrate that psychological empowerment is positively related to R & D employees’ task, contextual and innovation performance. The relationship between psychological empowerment and contextual and innovation performance was found to have been moderated by locus of control. Intrinsic work motivation partially mediates the psychological empowerment-work performance relationship.

Research limitations/implications

– This is a cross-sectional study, with data limited to a large R & D institute in Shanghai. It did not consider organizational level variables, such as organizational structure and job characteristics.

Practical implications

– This study highlights the importance of enhancing psychological empowerment and intrinsic work motivation to promote employees’ work performance. Moreover, the results provide evidence in favor of managerial interventions aimed at motivating employees who differ on locus of control.

Originality/value

– This study extends the psychological empowerment literature by first examining the psychological mechanism through which empowerment affects work performance and how this effect is contingent upon individual locus of control. It also provides insight into motivating R & D employees in Chinese context.
The role of emotion in workplace incivility
Authors: Sears Karen , Humiston Gail Sears
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organizational support (POS) as moderators of the relationship between psychological contract violation and workplace incivility.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online survey was administered to employed adults.

Findings

– The association between violation and incivility was more pronounced when levels of LMX and POS were higher.

Research limitations/implications

– The correlation design limits the ability to draw causal inferences. Affect models, including but not limited to affect infusion model (AIM), offer a useful framework for enhancing understanding of incivility and other forms of counterproductive work behaviors.

Practical implications

– The study has contributed to knowledge about contract violation’s implications for work behaviors, such as incivility. Managers sensitive to the dynamics of contract breach may prevent feelings of violation by communicating clearly and often about expectations, resources, and procedures.

Social implications

– Organizational and societal leaders may be well served by knowledge about preventing people’s intense responses to perceived violation by appropriately responding to perceived breach.

Originality/value

– The study draws upon AIM as a novel approach to understanding conditions under which negative emotions are most likely to relate to workplace incivility. Moreover, the roles of social exchange variables LMX and POS have heretofore been unexplored as moderators of the violation-incivility relationship.
Organizational learning and power dynamics: a study in a Brazilian University
Authors: Santos Jane Lucia Silva , Steil Andrea Valéria
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to describe and analyze organizational learning processes and power dynamics during the adoption and use of an information system (IS) at a Brazilian public organization.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study was chosen as the research method. Data were gathered from documents and interviews with key informants.

Findings

– The results indicate the existence of two learning cycles during the adoption of the IS at the organization. In the first cycle, learning occurred only at the individual level. In the second cycle, cognitive and social processes of individual and group learning were associated with power dynamics, enabling learning at the organizational level. These results reveal a relationship between the organizational learning process and the specific modes of power, notably discipline, influence, force and domination.

Originality/value

– The study presents empirical evidence about the conceptual relation between the organizational learning process and different forms of power in organizations. There has been limited empirical research on this topic worldwide to date, and none in the context of Brazilian organizations published in Brazil or abroad.
High‐nature‐value grasslands have the capacity to cope with nutrient impoverishment induced by mowing and livestock grazing
Authors: Mládková Pavla , Mládek Jan , Hejduk Stanislav , Hejcman Michal , Cruz Pablo , Jouany Claire , Pakeman Robin J.
Published: May 2015

Management of high‐nature‐value (HNV) grasslands follows agri‐environmental schemes across large areas of Europe. Long‐term agreements and restrictions of fertilizers cause soil nutrient impoverishment, but remarkably this quite often does not reduce biomass production. Therefore, we tested how species‐rich vegetation copes with nutrient impoverishment under the most frequently used treatments, that is summer mowing and livestock grazing.

During 2011–2012 we studied, simultaneously, plant species composition, soil and biomass chemical properties in two equally designed experiments where mowing, grazing or leaving fallow have been applied since 2004. We asked whether soil‐based (Corg : Ntot, plant‐available P and K) and plant‐based measures (N : P, N : K, K : P ratios and N‐, P‐, K‐nutrition indices) indicate the same pattern of nutrient limitation as the observed productivity gradient.

Seven years of management application resulted in the lowest plant‐available P under grazing and the lowest plant‐available K under mowing, but neither grazed nor mown plots produced less biomass than fallow ones. Grazing supported dominance of grasses while mowing that of non‐leguminous forbs.

Projection of nutrition indices to a common framework with nutrient ratios suggests that critical thresholds for diagnosis of nutrient limitation are a function of N deficiency. At biomass production of 2 t ha−1 a N‐nutrition index of 50 yielded threshold N : P = 14·0; hence, all our treatments with N : P of 9·9–12·5 should be N limited.

Inspecting the productivity gradient separately for each management, we found only soil Corg : Ntot negatively related to biomass production in mown plots indicating N limitation. However in grazed plots, positive association of biomass production with plant‐available P and negative with biomass N : P and N : K suggested PK co‐limitation.

Synthesis and applications. Mowing and grazing induced different patterns of soil nutrient impoverishment and nutrient limitation, but they did not reduce biomass production of high‐nature‐value grasslands. Non‐leguminous forbs prevailing under mowing precluded shortage of P, while grasses dominating under grazing efficiently captured N. We recommend designing agri‐environmental measures that will encourage alternating mowing and grazing. This should promote coexistence of multiple forbs and grasses, balance nutrient limitation and ensure stable biomass production under future low‐input scenarios.
A population‐based study elicits a reverse correlation between age and overall survival in elderly patients with rectal carcinoma receiving adjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Shan Jin‐Lu , Li Qing , He Zhi‐Xu , Ren Tao , Zhou Shu‐Feng , Wang Dong
Published: May 2015

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer‐related death globally. This population‐based study aimed to explore the predictive factors that affected the overall survival of rectal cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy plus radical surgery using a Cox proportional hazards modeling approach. A total of 619 patients with rectal cancer who underwent surgery were enrolled between October 2006 and May 2013. Clinical characteristics of the patients were compared among the groups and potential prognostic factors were analyzed using the spss program, version 19.0. Patients aged ≥ 70 years have distinctive characteristics such as lager tumour size (≥ 5 cm), damaged micturition and higher incidence of diabetes compared to younger and middle‐aged patients. Male gender, tumour size (≥ 5 cm), poor differentiation, later stage, adjuvant chemotherapy, damaged micturition, hypertension or diabetes are associated with a worse prognosis for rectal cancer patients (P < 0.05). However, smoking is a favourable factor to the patients (P = 0.018). Age of ≥ 70 years is an independent prognostic factor for patients with rectal cancer after surgery (P = 0.000) and elderly patients with Stage II and III disease receiving adjuvant chemotherapy show a favourable prognosis. The elderly patients who suffered from diabetes receiving adjuvant chemotherapy have a poor prognosis. Further prospective and large population studies are warranted to confirm the findings of this study.