bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reading Memory Formation from the Eyes
Authors: Bergt Anne , Urai Anne E. , Donner Tobias H. , Schwabe Lars
Published: February 2018

At any time, we are processing thousands of stimuli, but only few of them will be remembered hours or days later. Is there any way to predict which ones? Here, we show that the pupil response to ongoing stimuli, an indicator of physiological arousal, is a reliable predictor of long-term memory for these stimuli, over at least one day. Pupil dilation was tracked while participants performed visual and auditory encoding tasks. Memory was tested immediately after encoding and 24 hours later. Irrespective of the encoding modality, trial-by-trial variations in pupil dilation predicted which stimuli were recalled in the immediate and 24 hours-delayed tests. These results show that our eyes may provide a window into the formation of long-term memories. Furthermore, our findings underline the important role of central arousal systems in the rapid formation of memories in the brain, possibly by gating synaptic plasticity mechanisms.
Identification and Structure-Activity Relationship of HDAC6 Zinc-finger Ubiquitin Binding Domain Inhibitors
Authors: de Freitas Renato Ferreira , Harding Rachel J. , Franzoni Ivan , Ravichandran Mani , Mann Mandeep K. , Ouyang Hui , Lautens Mark , Santhakumar Vjayaratnam , Arrowsmith Cheryl H. , Schapira Matthieu
Published: February 2018

HDAC6 plays a central role in the recruitment of protein aggregates for lysosomal degradation, and is a promising target for combination therapy with proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma. Pharmacologically displacing ubiquitin from the zinc-finger ubiquitin-binding domain (ZnF-UBD) of HDAC6 is an underexplored alternative to catalytic inhibition. Here, we present the discovery of a HDAC6 ZnF-UBD-focused chemical series and its progression from virtual screening hits to low micromolar inhibitors. A carboxylate mimicking the C-terminal extremity of ubiquitin, and an extended aromatic system stacking with W1182 and R1155 are necessary for activity. One of the compounds induced a conformational remodeling of the binding site where the primary binding pocket opens-up onto a ligand-able secondary pocket that may be exploited to increase potency. The preliminary structure-activity relationship accompanied by nine crystal structures should enable further optimization into a chemical probe to investigate the merit of targeting the ZnF-UBD of HDAC6 in multiple myeloma and other diseases.
Validation of Davson’s equation in patients suffering from idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Authors: Lalou Afroditi-Despina , Levrini Virginia , Garnett Matthew , Nabbanja Eva , Kim Dong-Joo , Gergele Laurent , Bjornson Anna , Czosnyka Zofia , Czosnyka Marek
Published: February 2018

Introduction

The so called Davson’s equation relates baseline intracranial pressure (ICP) to resistance to cerebrospinal fluid outflow (Rout), formation of cerebrospinal fluid (If) and sagittal sinus pressure (PSS) There is a controversy over whether this fundamental equation is applicable in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). We investigated the relationship between Rout and ICP and also other compensatory, clinical and demographic parameters in NPH patients.

Method

We carried out a retrospective study of 229 patients with primary NPH who had undergone constant-rate infusion studies in our hospital. Data was recorded and processed using ICM+ software. Relationships between variables were sought by calculating Pearson product correlation coefficients and p values.

Results

We found a significant, albeit weak, relationship between ICP and Rout (R=0.17, p=0.0049), Rout and peak-to-peak amplitude of ICP (AMP) (R=0.27, p=3.577e−05) and Rout and age (R=0.16, p=0.01306).

Conclusions

The relationship found between ICP and Rout provides indirect evidence to support disturbed Cerebrospinal fluid circulation as a key factor in disturbed CSF dynamics in NPH. Weak correlation may indicate that other factors: variable Pss and formation of CSF outflow contribute heavily to linear model expressed by Davson’s equation.
Relative Patlak Plot for Dynamic PET Parametric Imaging Without the Need for Early-time Input Function
Authors: Zuo Yang , Qi Jinyi , Wang Guobao
Published: February 2018

The Patlak graphical method is widely used in parametric imaging for modeling irreversible radiotracer kinetics in dynamic PET. The net influx rate of radiotracer can be determined from the slope of the Patlak plot. The implementation of the standard Patlak method requires the knowledge of full-time input function from the injection time until the scan end time, which presents a challenge for use in the clinic. This paper proposes a new relative Patlak plot method that does not require early-time input function and therefore can be more efficient for parametric imaging. Theoretical analysis proves that the effect of early-time input function is a constant scaling factor on the Patlak slope estimation. Thus, the parametric image of the slope of the relative Patlak plot is related to the parametric image of standard Patlak slope by a global scaling factor. This theoretical finding has been further demonstrated by computer simulation and real patient data. The study indicates that parametric imaging of the relative Patlak slope can be used as a substitute of parametric imaging of standard Patlak slope for certain clinical tasks such as lesion detection and tumor volume segmentation.
Dynamic PET of Human Liver Inflammation: Impact of Kinetic Modeling with Optimization-Derived Dual-Blood Input Function
Authors: Wang Guobao , Corwin Michael T. , Olson Kristin A. , Badawi Ramsey D. , Sarkar Souvik
Published: February 2018

The hallmark of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is hepatocellular inflammation and injury in the setting of hepatic steatosis. Recent work has indicated that dynamic 18F-FDG PET with kinetic modeling has the potential to assess hepatic inflammation noninvasively, while static FDG-PET did not show a promise. Because the liver has dual blood supplies, kinetic modeling of dynamic liver PET data is challenging in human studies. This paper aims to identify the optimal dual-input kinetic modeling approach for dynamic FDG-PET of human liver inflammation. Fourteen patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were included. Each patient underwent 1-hour dynamic FDG-PET/CT scan and had liver biopsy within six weeks. Three models were tested for kinetic analysis: traditional two-tissue compartmental model with an image-derived single-blood input function (SBIF), model with population-based dual-blood input function (DBIF), and new model with optimization-derived DBIF through a joint estimation framework. The three models were compared using Akaike information criterion (AIC), F test and histopathologic inflammation score. Results showed that the optimization-derived DBIF model improved liver time activity curve fitting and achieved lower AIC values and higher F values than the SBIF and population-based DBIF models in all patients. The optimization-derived model significantly increased FDG K1 estimates by 101% and 27% as compared with traditional SBIF and population-based DBIF. K1 by the optimization-derived model was significantly associated with histopathologic grades of liver inflammation while the other two models did not provide a statistical significance. In conclusion, modeling of DBIF is critical for dynamic liver FDG-PET kinetic analysis in human studies. The optimization-derived DBIF model is more appropriate than SBIF and population-based DBIF for dynamic FDG-PET of liver inflammation.
Single-crystal neutron diffraction in diamond anvil cells with hot neutrons
Authors: Grzechnik Andrzej , Meven Martin , Friese Karen
Published: February 2018

It is demonstrated that it is possible to perform single-crystal measurements in diamond anvil cells (DACs) with a monochromatic beam at modern hot neutron sources that offer the benefit of short neutron wavelengths with high fluxes. A piston–cylinder DAC with conical Boehler–Almax diamonds that allows for a wide accessibility of the reciprocal space has been developed. The diffraction data collected in this cell using hot neutrons are of very good quality and can be used for a full and reliable structure refinement.
Thermo-physical properties of a new UV nonlinear optical crystal: NaSr3Be3B3O9F4
Authors: Fang Zhi , Liu Lijuan , Wang Xiaoyang , Chen Chuangtian
Published: February 2018

NaSr3Be3B3O9F4 (NSBBF) as a new UV nonlinear optical crystal has aroused great interest in recent years. This study investigates the thermo-physical properties of NSBBF, including thermal expansion, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and specific heat, which are important parameters for applications. The specific heat of NSBBF is comparable to that of CsLiB6O10 (CLBO) and larger than that of β-BaB2O4 (β-BBO), indicating that NSBBF has a very high laser damage threshold. The thermal expansion coefficients of NSBBF are determined as α
a
= 1.05 × 10−5 K−1 and α
c
= 1.34 × 10−5 K−1, exhibiting much smaller anisotropy than those of CLBO and β-BBO. The thermal diffusivity and conductivity of NSBBF are also obtained in the temperature region from 323 to 573 K, showing comparable anisotropies to β-BBO. All these results show that NSBBF is suitable for high-power UV laser generation.
The suite of small-angle neutron scattering instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Authors: Heller William T. , Cuneo Matthew , Debeer-Schmitt Lisa , Do Changwoo , He Lilin , Heroux Luke , Littrell Kenneth , Pingali Sai Venkatesh , Qian Shuo , Stanley Christopher , Urban Volker S. , Wu Bin , Bras Wim
Published: February 2018

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a high-flux research reactor, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense source of pulsed neutron beams. The unique co-localization of these two sources provided an opportunity to develop a suite of complementary small-angle neutron scattering instruments for studies of large-scale structures: the GP-SANS and Bio-SANS instruments at the HFIR and the EQ-SANS and TOF-USANS instruments at the SNS. This article provides an overview of the capabilities of the suite of instruments, with specific emphasis on how they complement each other. A description of the plans for future developments including greater integration of the suite into a single point of entry for neutron scattering studies of large-scale structures is also provided.
A concise, efficient and versatile synthesis of amino-substituted benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepines: synthesis and spectroscopic characterization, together with the molecular and supramolecular structures of three products and one intermediate
Authors: Acosta Quintero Lina M. , Burgos Isidro , Palma Alirio , Cobo Justo , Glidewell Christopher
Published: February 2018

A concise, efficient and versatile synthesis of amino-substituted benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepines is described: starting from a 5-allyl-4,6-dichloropyrimidine, the synthesis involves base-catalysed aminolysis followed by intramolecular Friedel–Crafts cyclization. Four new amino-substituted benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepines are reported, and all the products and reaction intermediates have been fully characterized by IR,1H and13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and the molecular and supramolecular structures of three products and one intermediate have been determined. In each ofN,2,6,11-tetramethyl-N-phenyl-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepin-4-amine, C22H24N5, (III), 4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)-6,11-dimethyl-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepine, which crystallizes as a 0.374-hydrate, C21H19N5·0.374H2O, (VIIIa), and 6,7,9,11-tetramethyl-4-(5-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepine, C24H25N5, (VIIIc), the azepine ring adopts a boat conformation, but with a different configuration at the stereogenic centre in (VIIIc), as compared with (III) and (VIIIa). In the intermediate 5-allyl-6-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)-N-methyl-N-(4-methylphenyl)pyrimidin-4-amine, C22N21N5, (VIIb), the immediate precursor of 4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)-6,8,11-trimethyl-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepine, (VIIIb), the allyl group is disordered over two sets of atomic sites having occupancies of 0.688 (5) and 0.312 (5). The molecules of (III) are linked into chains by a C—H...π(pyrimidine) hydrogen bond, and those of (VIIb) are linked into complex sheets by three hydrogen bonds, one of the C—H...N type and two of C—H...π(arene) type. The molecules of the organic component in (VIIIa) are linked into a chain of rings by two C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds, and these chains are linked into sheets by the water components; a single weak C—H...N hydrogen bond links molecules of (VIIIc) into centrosymmetricR22(10) dimers. Comparisons are made with some related compounds.
Predicting consumers’ intention to purchase sporting goods online
Authors: Chiu Weisheng , Kim Taejung , Won Doyeon
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply the model of goal-directed behavior (MGB) as a research framework to investigate consumers’ behavioral intention to purchase sporting goods online.

Design/methodology/approach

Mall intercept sampling was used to collect data from Korean consumers who have the experience of purchasing sporting goods online. After the elimination of invalid responses, total 314 valid questionnaires were used for further analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that attitude, subjective norm, positive and negative anticipated emotions had significant influences on consumers’ desire to buy sporting goods online. Moreover, the frequency of past behavior and desire played significant roles in influencing on Korean consumers’ intention. Further analysis revealed that male consumers had higher levels of positive attitude, subjective norm, positive and negative anticipated emotions, desire, intention, frequency of past behavior toward the online purchase of sporting goods than female consumers did. It also found that male consumers’ desire had a significantly stronger influence on behavioral than female consumers did.

Research limitations/implications

The study suggests the benefit and gender-based targeting strategies in marketing sporting goods online. The primary limitation of this study was that respondents were all Korean online consumers of buying sporting goods. Future research should apply MGB to different countries or regions to generalize the results of this study.

Originality/value

The findings of this study provide a better understanding of Korean consumers’ intention to purchase sporting goods online and gender differences in their decision-making process.
Examination of customer-centric measures among different types of customers in the context of major Canadian ski resort
Authors: Haverila Matti J. , Haverila Kai Christian
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Customer-centric measures such as customer satisfaction and repurchase intent are important indicators of performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine what is the strength and significance of the path coefficients in a customer satisfaction model consisting of various customer-centric measures for different types of ski resort customer (i.e. day, weekend and ski holiday visitors as well as season pass holders) in a ski resort in Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

The results were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach for the four different types ski resort visitors.

Findings

There appeared to differences in the strength and significance in the customer satisfaction model relationships for the four types of ski resort visitors indicating that the a priori managerial classification of the ski resort visitors is warranted.

Originality/value

The research pinpoints differences in the strength and significance in the relationships between customer-centric measures for four different types ski resort visitors, i.e. day, weekend and ski holiday visitors as well as season pass holders, which have significant managerial implications for the marketing practice of the ski resort.
What differentiates successful strategic marketing among manufacturers in an emerging vs developed market?
Authors: Brooksbank Roger , Subhan Zahed , Miller Steven
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Emerging markets present strategists with a unique set of challenges that result from a business environment that is quite different from that which characterises developed markets. Yet, little is known about marketing’s contribution to successful strategic decision making in emerging markets. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the usage of conventional strategic marketing practice, as it relates to developed markets, within groups of higher- and lower- performing manufacturers in the emerging market of India, comparing it against that of their counterparts in the developed market of the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on separate web-hosted questionnaire surveys conducted in India and the USA, yielding samples of 71 and 84 self-reported manufacturing companies, respectively. Data analyses were conducted using independent-sample t-tests and logistic multiple regression, and sought to compare and contrast successful strategic marketing decision making in each country.

Findings

The results confirm that conventional strategic marketing plays a vital role in facilitating the competitive success of manufacturers in India. However, they also suggest that differences in the strategic environments faced by manufacturers in both countries necessitate quite different priorities for success at each stage of the strategic marketing decision-making process.

Research limitations/implications

Due to relatively low response rates, the extent to which the study samples are representative of the population under scrutiny remains unknown. Also, differences in the respondents’ interpretation of certain questions and some of the marketing vocabulary and terminology used cannot be ruled out.

Practical implications

The research highlights the important contribution that conventional strategic marketing makes to the achievement of competitive success of manufacturers in India. However, it also identifies several specific practices that differentiate higher firm performance in the two countries, drawing into question the direct applicability of the conventional model of strategic marketing within an emerging market.

Originality/value

As far as is known for the first time, the applicability of the conventional model of successful strategic marketing within an emerging market is assessed. As a result, a new model is forwarded.
The impact of cultural dimensions on customer complaint behaviours: an exploratory study in Antalya/Manavgat tourism region
Authors: Ergün Gözde Seval , Kitapci Olgun
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The study was carried out to better understand the behaviour of tourists from different cultures and backgrounds, and to provide strategic solutions for tourism managers. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the cultural dimensions of Hofstede and customer complaint behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory factor analyses were carried out separately for national culture and complaint behaviour scales and the factor structuring was then tested using a confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test theoretical correlations and a conceptual model was created to put forward the correlations between national cultural dimensions and complaint behaviours, as well as to examine the impact of variation in one dimension on the other.

Findings

Significant correlations were observed between power distance and both public action and no action behaviours, uncertainty avoidance and public action and private action, as well as individualism/collectivism and public action.

Research limitations/implications

The sample population of the study included foreign tourists visiting Manavgat district in 2015. Manavgat as a destination is preferred by foreign tourists, rather than domestic tourists. In addition, many accommodations in the region only host guests from particular nationalities. For this reason, domestic tourists were not included in the survey. A limitation of the research is the fact that it focused only on hotel management. Extending the scope of the study in future research—the study could be carried out for a wider area and include other sectors—would increase the effectiveness of the study.

Practical implications

The results shed light on the fact that customers perform different complaint behaviours depending on variation in national cultural dimensions. In this context, the findings contribute to the hotel management literature and to the development of management strategies such as staff training, effective complaint solution methods, increasing customer complaints, using indirect resources effectively and decreasing the cost of solutions. The research also aims to create awareness in hotel managers by highlighting the importance of this issue.

Originality/value

In many of the studies where customer complaint behaviour and culture are analysed together, culture is regarded primarily as a geographical region, or as ethnical origin. Using Hofstede’s national cultural dimension scale, and taking into consideration all the national cultural dimensions, adds originality to this research. This study is one of the first to explore the impact of cultural dimensions on customer complaint behaviours in Turkey. This is also one of the first studies on complaint behaviour in the hotel industry.
Supply chain alignment as process: contracting, learning and pay-for-performance
Authors: Selviaridis Kostas , Spring Martin
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how buyers and suppliers in supply chains learn to align their performance objectives and incentives through contracting.

Design/methodology/approach

Two longitudinal case studies of the process of supply chain alignment were conducted based on 26 semi-structured interviews and 25 key documents including drafts of contracts and service level agreements.

Findings

The dynamic interplay of contracting and learning contributes to supply chain alignment. Exchange-, partner- and contract framing-specific learning that accumulates during the contracting process is used to (re)design pay-for-performance provisions. Such learning also results in improved buyer-supplier relationships that enable alignment, complementing the effect of contractual incentives.

Research limitations/implications

The study demonstrates that the interplay of contracting and learning is an important means of achieving supply chain alignment. Supply chain alignment is seen as a process, rather than as a state. It does not happen automatically or instantaneously, nor is it unidirectional. Rather, it is a discontinuous process triggered by episodic events that requires interactive work and learning.

Practical implications

Development of performance contracting capabilities entails learning how to refine performance incentives and their framing to trigger positive responses from supply chain counterparts.

Originality/value

The paper addresses supply chain alignment as a process. Accordingly, it stresses some important features of supply chain alignment.
Strategic adoption of logistics and supply chain management
Authors: Sweeney Edward , Grant David B. , Mangan D. John
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a thorough understanding of the adoption of logistics and supply chain management (SCM) in practice, particularly at a strategic level, through an investigation of the four perspectives taxonomy of the relationship between logistics and SCM.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a comprehensive literature review, three specific research questions are proposed. The empirical work addresses these questions and comprised three phases: focussed interviews, a questionnaire survey and focus groups.

Findings

The findings provide a usage profile of the four perspectives and indicate a divergence between the understanding and adoption of logistics and SCM principles and concepts at a strategic level in firms. The findings also identify the critical success factors (CSFs) and inhibitors to success in addressing this divergence.

Research limitations/implications

The insights generated using the authors’ methodologically pluralist research design could be built upon to include case studies, grounded theory and action research. Replicating the research in other geographical areas could facilitate international comparisons.

Practical implications

The findings allow practitioners to compare their perspectives on the relationship between logistics and SCM with those of their peers. The CSFs and inhibitors to success provide a rational basis for realising the strategic potential of logistics and SCM in practice.

Originality/value

New insights are generated into practitioner perspectivesvis-à-vislogistics vs SCM. A fresh understanding of those factors which drive and hinder the adoption of strategic SCM is also developed and presented.
Supply chain learning of sustainability in multi-tier supply chains
Authors: Gong Yu , Jia Fu , Brown Steve , Koh Lenny
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how multinational corporations (MNCs) orchestrate internal and external resources to help their multi-tier supply chains learn sustainability-related knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory multiple case study approach was adopted and three MNCs’ sustainable initiatives in China were examined. The data were primarily collected through 43 semi-structured interviews with managers of focal companies and their multi-tier suppliers.

Findings

The authors found that in order to facilitate their supply chains to learn sustainability, MNCs tend to orchestrate in breadth by internally setting up new functional departments and externally working with third parties, and orchestrate in depth working directly with their extreme upstream suppliers adopting varied governance mechanisms on lower-tier suppliers along the project lifecycle. The resource orchestration in breadth and depth and along the project lifecycle results in changes of supply chain structure.

Practical implications

The proposed conceptual model provides an overall framework for companies to design and implement their multi-tier sustainable initiatives. Companies could learn from the suggested learning stages and the best practices of case companies.

Originality/value

The authors extend and enrich resource orchestration perspective (ROP), which is internally focused, to a supply chain level, and answer a theoretical question of how MNCs orchestrate their internal and external resources to help their supply chains to learn sustainability. The extension of ROP refutes the resource dependence theory, which adopts a passive approach of relying on external suppliers and proposes that MNCs should proactively work with internal and external stakeholders to learn sustainability.
How the reverse supply chain impacts the firm’s financial performance
Authors: Larsen Samuel Brüning , Masi Donato , Feibert Diana Cordes , Jacobsen Peter
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Although manufacturers have traditionally viewed reverse supply chain (RSC) activities as a costly nuisance, more recent research has found that the RSC can contribute to the firm’s financial performance. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the RSC can contribute to the firm’s financial performance and examine the exogenous contingency factors decisive for the contribution’s size. Because the exogenous factors are outside the control of the firm’s operations and supply chain management, the factors influence the RSC’s financial contribution irrespective of managerial policies and design decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies a systematic literature review using the sequence of planning the review, searching and screening literature, extracting information from the selected literature, and synthesizing and analyzing findings. In total, 112 papers were included.

Findings

The study has identified 15 distinct opportunities for RSC-contribution to the firm’s financial performance. The study has identified 56 contingency factors. These are related to market segmentation, customer behavior, product design, and the firm’s distributor network. The study includes an interrelationship network between factors and the RSC’s contribution.

Practical implications

For managers, the paper shows how the RSC can increase the firm’s financial performance and which contingency factors determine whether operating a RSC will be financially viable if implemented.

Originality/value

While extant literature includes several reviews about RSC-related managerial policies and design decisions, this paper contains the very first collection of RSC-contribution opportunities available to manufacturers as well as the first review of exogenous contingency factors.
Institutional discrimination of women and workplace harassment of female expatriates
Authors: Bader Benjamin , Stoermer Sebastian , Bader Anna Katharina , Schuster Tassilo
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate workplace gender harassment of female expatriates across 25 host countries and consider the role of institutional-level gender discrimination as a boundary condition. Further, the study investigates the effects of workplace gender harassment on frustration and job satisfaction and general job stress as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample is comprised of 160 expatriates residing in 25 host countries. The authors test the model using partial least-squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show that female expatriates experience more workplace gender harassment than male expatriates. This effect is particularly pronounced in host countries with strong institutional-level gender discrimination. Moreover, the authors found significant main effects of gender harassment on expatriates’ frustration and job satisfaction. Further, the authors identified a significant association between frustration and job satisfaction. No significant moderation effect of general job stress was found.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s data are cross-sectional. Future studies are encouraged to use longitudinal research designs. Further, future studies could center on perpetrators of harassment, different manifestations of harassment, and effective countermeasures.

Practical implications

The study raises awareness on the challenges of harassment of female expatriates and the role of the host country context. Further, the study shows the detrimental effects of gender harassment on female expatriates’ job satisfaction which is a central predictor of variables crucial to international assignments, for example, performance or assignment completion.

Originality/value

The study is among the first endeavors to include institutional-level gender discrimination as a boundary condition of workplace gender harassment of female expatriates, and therefore puts the interplay between macro- and micro-level processes into perspective.
How to scope configuration projects and manage the knowledge they require
Authors: Shafiee Sara , Kristjansdottir Katrin , Hvam Lars , Forza Cipriano
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the use of the knowledge management (KM) perspective for configuration projects. Configuration projects implement configurators as information technology systems that help companies manage the specification process of customised products. An effective method of retrieving and formalising knowledge for configurators is essential, because it can reduce the risk of unsuccessful implementation and the time and effort required for development. Unfortunately, no standard KM frameworks are available specifically for configuration projects. This study identifies the knowledge necessary for different phases of a configuration project (which knowledge, for what purpose and from what sources), examines how it is transformed during a configuration project (what KM activities and tools are used) and establishes how the knowledge can be documented for future maintenance and updates.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a four-step framework for making the KM process more efficient in configuration projects. The framework is based on the literature, developed in collaboration with industrial partners and tested on four configuration projects in two engineering companies. The framework is a structured KM approach designed to save time for both domain experts and the configuration team. The authors have used a qualitative exploratory design based on multiple data sources: documentation, workshops and participant observation.

Findings

The proposed framework comprises four steps: determination of the system’s scope, to establish the project’s goal based on stakeholders’ requirements and prioritise the required products and processes; knowledge acquisition, to classify the knowledge according to the desired output and identify different knowledge sources; modelling and knowledge validation; and documentation and maintenance, to ensure that the KM system can be maintained and updated in the future.

Research limitations/implications

Because the framework is tested on a limited number of cases, its generalisability may be limited. However, focusing on a few case applications allows us to assess the effectiveness of the framework in detail and in depth to identify the practical challenges of applying it. The results of the tests support the framework’s validity. Although the framework is designed mainly for engineering companies, other industries could benefit from using it as well.

Practical implications

The individual steps of the framework create a structured approach for the KM process. Thus, the approach can save both time and resources for companies, without the need for additional investment.

Originality/value

A standard framework is lacking in the literature on KM for configuration projects. This study fills that gap by developing a KM framework for configuration projects, based on KM frameworks developed for IT projects, and KM tools.
Critical factors for knowledge sharing in technology-intensive organizations: evidence from UAE service sector
Authors: AlShamsi Omran , Ajmal Mian
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical factors that impact knowledge sharing (KS) and their importance in technology-intensive service organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review was conducted to identify the critical factors for KS in technology-intensive organizations. Then, an analytical hierarchical process (AHP) was applied to prioritize the primary criteria and sub-criteria. This study consists of nine primary criteria and 34 sub-criteria that are relevant to KS in technology-intensive organizations.

Findings

The results show that organizational leadership (OL) is the most important factor that impacts KS in technology-intensive organizations, which is followed by organizational culture (OC), organizational strategy (OSY), corporate performance (CP), organizational process (OP), employee engagement (EE) and organizational structure (OST). According to the results, the least impactful factor is human resource management (HRM).

Research limitations/implications

Because the results in this study were only obtained from service organizations, future studies can include manufacturing organizations from different countries and additional success factors. Future studies could also use structural equational modelling methodology for better understanding the relations among these critical factors for KS.

Originality value

This paper is one of the first in the UAE to examine the broad range of critical success factors for KS in technology-intensive organizations.
Absorptive capacity and relationship learning mechanisms as complementary drivers of green innovation performance
Authors: Albort-Morant Gema , Leal-Rodríguez Antonio L. , De Marchi Valentina
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore in depth how internal and external knowledge-based drivers actually affect the firms’ green innovation performance. Subsequently, this study analyzes the relationships between absorptive capacity (internal knowledge-based driver), relationship learning (external knowledge-based driver) and green innovation performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on a sample of 112 firms belonging to the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector (ACMS) and uses partial least squares path modeling to test the hypotheses proposed.

Findings

The empirical results show that both absorptive capacity and relationship learning exert a significant positive effect on the dependent variable and that relationship learning moderates the link between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents some limitations with respect to the particular sector (i.e. the ACMS) and geographical context (Spain). For this reason, researchers must be thoughtful while generalizing these results to distinct scenarios.

Practical implications

Managers should devote more time and resources to reinforce their absorptive capacity as an important strategic tool to generate new knowledge and hence foster green innovation performance in manufacturing industries.

Social implications

The paper shows the importance of encouraging decision-makers to cultivate and rely on relationship learning mechanisms with their main stakeholders and to acquire the necessary information and knowledge that might be valuable in the maturity of green innovations.

Originality/value

This study proposes that relationship learning plays a moderating role in the relationship between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.
Similar levels of trophic and functional diversity within damselfish assemblages across Indo‐Pacific coral reefs
Authors: Gajdzik Laura , Parmentier Eric , Michel Loïc N. , Sturaro Nicolas , Soong Keryea , Lepoint Gilles , Frédérich Bruno
Published: February 2018

Understanding the forces that influence the dynamics of communities is a key challenge to undertake in changing environments. Despite recent advances in coral reef community ecology, a more comprehensive knowledge about processes (niche‐related traits and phylogenies) driving the composition of reef fish community is needed.

Here, we conducted a quantitative comparison of these processes in damselfish assemblages that belong to three distinct Indo‐Pacific coral reefs differing in taxonomic composition, morphology and degree of human disturbance.

We compiled a dataset of eight categorical variables to estimate functional diversity of damselfish assemblages and a second one of stable isotope ratios to evaluate isotopic diversity, a proxy of trophic diversity. Both datasets represent the eco‐functional diversity and provide insights into niche‐related traits. Indices were then computed to grasp complementary facets of this diversity: the size of multidimensional space (richness), the partitioning of niches (divergence) and the regularity in the distribution of niches (evenness) within each space. We also tested whether functional and trophic traits displayed some evolutionary niche conservatism.

We found that functional richness was influenced by the number of species and functional entities (unique combination of trait values), and that the portions of the functional spaces filled by assemblages mainly overlapped. Functional divergence and evenness indices were similarly high. For trophic diversity, the isotopic richness remained equivalent, while the two other indices were of high values and did not significantly differ. Both functional and trophic traits did not display any phylogenetic conservatism.

We demonstrated consistent levels of eco‐functional diversity in Indo‐Pacific coral reef damselfishes. Each assemblage hosted species whose niches were highly differentiated and evenly distributed in eco‐functional spaces of similar sizes, albeit the extent of functional space varied with the species richness. Assemblages also tended to share similar functional attributes. The inconsistent phylogenetic structures of eco‐functional traits and the similarity in diversity indices suggest that the assemblage composition of damselfishes is mainly driven by niche‐related processes rather than by phylogenetic relatedness. Our work helps to determine which mechanisms shape coral reef fish biodiversity and more particularly assemblages issued from replicated events of ecological radiation.

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Evaluating management strategies to optimise coral reef ecosystem services
Authors: Weijerman Mariska , Gove Jamison M. , Williams Ivor D. , Walsh William J. , Minton Dwayne , Polovina Jeffrey J.
Published: February 2018

Earlier declines in marine resources, combined with current fishing pressures and devastating coral mortality in 2015, have resulted in a degraded coral reef ecosystem state at Puakō in West Hawaiʹi. Changes to resource management are needed to facilitate recovery of ecosystem functions and services.

We developed a customised ecosystem model to evaluate the performance of alternative management scenarios at Puakō in the provisioning of ecosystem services to human users (marine tourists, recreational fishers) and enhancing the reef's ability to recover from pressures (resilience).

Outcomes of the continuation of current management plus five alternative management scenarios were compared under both high and low coral‐bleaching related mortality over a 15‐year time span.

Current management is not adequate to prevent further declines in marine resources. Fishing effort is already above the multispecies sustainable yield, and, at its current level, will likely lead to a shift to algal‐dominated reefs and greater abundance of undesirable fish species. Scenarios banning all gears other than line fishing, or prohibiting take of herbivorous fishes, were most effective at enhancing reef structure and resilience, dive tourism, and the recreational fishery. Allowing only line fishing generated the most balanced trade‐off between stakeholders, with positive gains in both ecosystem resilience and dive tourism, while only moderately decreasing fishery value within the area.

Synthesis and applications. Our customised ecosystem model projects the impacts of multiple, simultaneous pressures on a reef ecosystem. Trade‐offs of alternative approaches identified by local managers were quantified based on indicators for different ecosystem services (e.g. ecosystem resilience, recreation, food). This approach informs managers of potential conflicts among stakeholders and provides guidance on approaches that better balance conservation objectives and stakeholders’ interests. Our results indicate that a combination of reducing land‐based pollution and allowing only line fishing generated the most balanced trade‐off between stakeholders and will enhance reef recovery from the detrimental effects of coral bleaching events that are expected over the next 15 years.
A pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of an individualized and cognitive behavioural communication intervention for informal carers of people with dementia: The Talking Sense programme
Authors: Barnes Colin J. , Markham Chris
Published: February 2018

Background

People with dementia and family carers often experience difficulties communicating together. These difficulties are considered to contribute significantly to the depression, anxiety and negative feelings such as guilt often reported by dementia family carers.

Aims

To develop and contribute to the theory and evidence base for single‐component, psychosocial interventions that address these difficulties by evaluating the effectiveness of the Talking Sense programme which was designed to reflect existing best evidence.

Methods & Procedures

Talking Sense was delivered as an individualized, one to one, cognitive behavioural approach for developing knowledge, skills, thinking and behaviour of dementia family carers in managing communication difficulties. In this study, a randomized controlled trial compared 27 carers who completed three one‐to‐one individualized sessions using Talking Sense with 25 carers who received a single, knowledge‐only, control discussion.

Outcomes & Results

There were no significant differences for the primary outcome measure of carer anxiety and depression as well as carer quality of life and general self‐efficacy. Statistically significant results suggested carers receiving the Talking Sense intervention had fewer communication difficulties happening (p = 0.046) and felt more valued by their relatives (p = 0.046). A score close to significance (p = 0.052) suggested they perceived their relatives to be more communicatively competent.

Conclusions & Implications

The intervention and research design were shown to be effective with low attrition and high adherence to treatment. A non‐significant finding for the primary outcome measure does not support the potential for this intervention to effect carer anxiety and depression. The potential for perceived change in the person with dementia, with statistically fewer communication difficulties happening and the carer feeling more valued by their relative, was the most significant finding from this programme of research. Recommendations for further research are made.
A network of regulators promotes dehydration tolerance in Escherichia coli
Authors: Chen Annie I. , Goulian Mark
Published: February 2018

The ability to survive conditions of low water activity is critical for the survival of many bacteria in the environment and facilitates disease transmission through food and contaminated surfaces. However, the molecular mechanisms that enable bacteria to withstand this condition remain poorly understood. Here we describe a network of regulators in Escherichia coli that are important for this bacterium to survive dehydration. We found that the transcriptional regulator DksA and the general stress response regulator RpoS play a critical role. From a plasmid genomic library screen, we identified two additional regulators, Crl and ArcZ, that promote dehydration tolerance through modulation of RpoS. We also found that LexA, RecA and ArcA contribute to survival. Our results identify key regulators that enable E. coli to tolerate dehydration and suggest a hierarchical network is involved in protection against cellular damage associated with this stress.
Deserving citizenship? Exploring migrants' experiences of the ‘citizenship test’ process in the United Kingdom
Authors: Monforte Pierre , Bassel Leah , Khan Kamran
Published: February 2018

Since the early 2000s several European countries have introduced language and citizenship tests as new requirements for access to long‐term residence or naturalization. The content of citizenship tests has been often presented as exclusionary in nature, in particular as it is based on the idea that access to citizenship has to be ‘deserved’. In this paper, we aim to explore the citizenship tests ‘from below’, through the focus on the experience of migrants who prepare and take the ‘Life in the UK’ test, and with particular reference to how they relate to the idea of ‘deservingness’. Through a set of in‐depth interviews with migrants in two different cities (Leicester and London), we show that many of them use narratives in which they distinguish between the ‘deserving citizens’ and the ‘undeserving Others’ when they reflect upon their experience of becoming citizens. In so doing, they negotiate new hierarchies of inclusion into and exclusion from citizenship, which reflect broader neo‐liberal and ethos‐based conceptions of citizenship.