bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What every leader ought to know about becoming a servant leader
Authors: Mertel Tina , Brill Carol
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Employees want to be supported to do their best work, but not every leader is comfortable or motivated to serve an employee’s “soft, emotional” needs. One key to help leaders become servant leaders is connecting serving others to their own values (even if “serving others” is not a value). Two assessments provided the framework for understanding this link between servant leadership attributes and the leader’s values. A case study demonstrates this link within a healthcare system where these tools helped develop servant leadership skills to support employee performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors used a servant leadership competency assessment and values assessment with leaders in a healthcare organization. By citing several leadership experts, and explaining how values relate to servant leadership behaviors, the authors offer a way to help leaders understand that anyone can improve their success with servant leadership.

Findings

– By offering two case studies of anonymous yet actual participants in the study the authors show how leaders gained insights they needed to change their habits in working with others.

Research limitations/implications

– The research results are from two distinct assessments. Researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further with other similar assessments.

Practical implications

– The paper includes implications for the development of a leader’s servant leadership behaviors, which in turn supports employee engagement and organizational success.

Social implications

– In today’s age of mass technology, it has become a unique proposition to relate to others on the basis of serving their needs by relating to their values one-on-one. This paper inherently promotes in-person conversation with “soft” skills such as, listening, empathy, appreciation, and kindness.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfills an identified need to study how servant leadership behaviors can be improved by using a second tool focused on values.
Applying a Kansei engineering-based logistics service design approach to developing international express services
Authors: Chen Mu-Chen , Chang Kuo-Chien , Hsu Chia-Lin , Xiao Jia-Hau
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– To obtain a competitive advantage in the logistics market, international express companies should design services to stimulate customers’ usage intention by understanding customers’ affective perceptions (or in Japanese, Kansei) of the service offerings. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationships among the service elements of international express, customer Kansei perceptions, and intentions to use the service, to provide new ideas for the design of international express services (IESs).

Design/methodology/approach

– By using Kansei engineering approach, customers’ Kansei perceptions related to elements of IES are first determined, and the logistic regression technique is then used to analyze three constructed models based on the relationships among the service elements of international express, customers’ Kansei perceptions, and usage intention.

Findings

– Accordingly, five critical service elements that correspond to four vital Kansei words related to usage intention were obtained based on cross-comparisons of the results of three models. The findings have important implications for international express managers, in that the priorities in designing services should be those service elements that favorably elicit certain Kansei perceptions among customers and effectively lead to customers’ usage intention in the pre-purchase phase. Moreover, some important missing Kansei perceptions further derived from customers’ real service experiences in the post-purchase stage should be incorporated into future design considerations.

Originality/value

– This study incorporated customers’ Kansei perceptions into the procedure of IES design. By understanding the service elements and feelings that customers deem important, international express companies can improve the content of existing services and strengthen the design of new services to increase customers’ behavioral intentions.
Principal instructional leadership in Taiwan: lessons from two decades of research
Authors: Pan Hui-Ling Wendy , Nyeu Fong-Yee , Chen June S.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how instructional leadership, a concept imported from Western scholarship, has been conceptualized in the Taiwanese context and how principal instructional leadership is realized in schools. The development trajectory of principal instructional leadership is delineated by examining empirical studies in the past two decades.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper adopts an exploratory approach to review the Taiwanese empirical literature on principal instructional leadership. A total of 80 studies were systematically analyzed and common themes were identified.

Findings

– This paper finds that a hybrid model of the conceptualization of instructional leadership has been developed in Taiwan. Principals performed more indirect than direct leadership behaviors. A gap exists between the ideal instructional leader and the reality.

Research limitations/implications

– The development of a formal theory of instructional leadership is expected as various substantive theories are developed and more data are accumulated. To yield the desired outcome of knowledge acceleration, the coordination of research efforts across scholars and institutions is a must.

Practical implications

– The articles reviewed suggest less effort spent by principals on the teachers. Yet with a national promotion of teacher learning community, as well as cooperative and collaborative learning in recent years, principal instructional leadership behaviors are expected to rise in terms of ensuring instruction quality and professional development.

Originality/value

– This paper is an attempt to accumulate knowledge about principal instructional leadership in Taiwan. It is a contribution to the exploration of indigenous perspectives and practices and the understanding and building of educational leadership in Asia.
Making sense of images of fact and fiction
Authors: Hallinger Philip , Walker Allan , Trung Gian Tu
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review both international and domestic (i.e. Vietnamese language) journal articles and graduate theses and dissertations on educational leadership in Vietnam. The review addresses two specific goals: first, to describe and critically assess the nature of the formal knowledge base on principal leadership in Vietnam, second, to synthesize findings from the existing literature on principal leadership in Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper employed a method for conducting systematic reviews of research. The authors conducted a detailed, exhaustive search for international and “local” papers from Vietnam, yielding 120 research sources. Information from these papers was extracted and evaluated prior to analysis. Data analysis included both quantitative description of the “review database” as well as critical synthesis of substantive findings.

Findings

– The review supports and extends an earlier review which found that the practice of educational leadership in Vietnam remains largely “invisible” to the international community of scholars. The review also yielded a highly critical assessment of research perspectives and methods used in the “local” Vietnamese studies which comprised the bulk of the authors’ database. Synthesis of substantive findings highlighted the manner by which organizational, political, and socio-cultural forces in the Vietnamese context shapes the practice of school leadership.

Research limitations/implications

– First, qualitative studies are recommended that seek to describe, in-depth, the enactment of leadership in the Vietnamese context. Second, broad-scale surveys of characteristics, attitudes, and beliefs of school leaders across Vietnam are warranted. Third, the authors encourage graduate students and scholars studying school leadership in Vietnam to undertake a new generation of theory-informed studies that connect with the global literature.

Practical implications

– Due to the relatively weak nature of the existing knowledge base, the authors were unable to identify specific implications for leadership practice. However, practical implications are identified for developing the research capacity needed to improve research quality in Vietnam’s universities.

Originality/value

– This review is the first systematic review of educational leadership and management conducted of the Vietnamese literature. Moreover, the authors suggest that the review is original in its comprehensive coverage of both the local and international literature on educational leadership in Vietnam.
Review of research on school principal leadership in mainland China, 1998-2013
Authors: Walker Allan , Qian Haiyan
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review English-language publications about school principalship in China published between 1998 and 2013 and to present an overview of the authorship, topics, methodologies and key findings of these publications.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodology includes an exhaustive review of journal articles and book chapters about Chinese school principalship published in the English language. In total, 39 articles and 17 book chapters are identified for the 1998-2013 period. Qualitative analysis is conducted to determine the basic patterns of authorship, topics, methods and key findings. The changes or continuities in these patterns during the study period are also discerned.

Findings

– The paper identifies several continuous and discontinuous patterns in each of the review categories and provides a better understanding of on-going research into the practice of school principalship in China. The results also suggest areas that require deeper exploration.

Originality/value

– This paper explores the landscape of school principalship in China as reflected in the international literature and indicates the ways that this landscape has changed or remained the same over the years. As such, the paper contributes to the thin knowledge base concerning school principalship in China and sheds light on the enduring local-global tension in the evolution of education systems.
Capital verification and auditor liability: evidence from China
Authors: Lu Yingfa , Mitchell Falconer , Pong Chris
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the different perspectives of auditors and non-auditors on this question, along with the rationale and impact of these differences. Chinese company law requires an audit report on paid-up capital when business entities are newly formed or their capital altered, which raises questions regarding the liability of auditors should the business entities fail.

Design/methodology/approach

– Interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted to analyse how legislation can impact on interested parties in a relatively immature audit environment. The theories of social construction of reality and symbolic interactionism are used as a basis for explaining the different conceptions of capital verification held by interested parties.

Findings

– There is a mismatch between the purpose of capital verification and the functions of paid-up capital. Paid-up capital is not a reliable indicator of business liquidity and creditworthiness. Auditors and non-auditors have different understandings about the assurance provided by paid-up capital at the point of company formation or auditing field work, and at the point of actual trading after the company formation or auditing field work. They also differ on the causation between deficient capital verification reports and trading loss. The liability crisis adversely influenced auditors’ perception of the capital verification service, although it did not lead to outright rejection by them.

Originality/value

– This paper describes an important compliance auditing service in China. By conducting an analysis of the conflicting views of auditors and non-auditors on capital verification, it contributes to the existing literature on the sources of disputes between auditors and other stakeholders, and the efforts to establish a balanced auditor liability regime.
External auditing and accountability in the Tanzanian local government authorities
Authors: Mzenzi Siasa Issa , Gaspar Abeid Francis
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of external auditing to accountability in the Tanzanian local government authorities (LGAs).

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses content analysis of the external audit reports of the LGAs for the past ten years. Corroborative evidence was gathered through interviews with external auditors, councillors, Parliamentary Committee members and selected internal auditors of the LGAs.

Findings

– The study finds that external auditing had marginally contributed to the enhancement of accountability within the LGAs. This is mainly attributed to the limited scope and failure of the responsible officials to address audit recommendations. In the light of agency theory, the findings suggest that external auditing has not sufficiently enabled the stakeholders to hold LGAs’ officials accountable.

Practical implications

– The findings indicate that external auditing can enhance accountability when the scope is widened to provide relevant information and also when audit recommendations are implemented by responsible officials.

Originality/value

– Most studies of external auditing and accountability have focussed on the developed countries; this is one of the few papers which explores the phenomenon in the context of emerging economies.
Stock market reaction to auditor opinions – Italian evidence
Authors: Ianniello Giuseppe , Galloppo Giuseppe
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine investor reactions to auditor opinions containing qualifications or an emphasis of matter paragraph related to going concern uncertainty or financial distress. In particular, abnormal returns are analyzed around audit report dates.

Design/methodology/approach

– The event study methodology, focusing on a short event window, was used to determine whether there is an immediate market reaction to the audit report announcement, as might be expected assuming efficient stock markets.

Findings

– Overall, this analysis shows that the audit reports investigated have information content for investment decisions. In particular, the qualifications expressed in the audit report have a negative effect on stock prices. It is also shown that an unqualified opinion with an emphasis of matter paragraph regarding going concern uncertainty or financial distress has a positive effect on stock prices. These results also elucidate the distinction between different types of opinions in the Italian context.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper has attempted to limit the possible concurrent effects on stock prices using a short window event study methodology. However, the possibility that some other event may have occurred during this event window cannot be excluded. Among the policy implications coming from this research, it is argued that the authorities should regulate the public disclosure of audit reports, so that the information becomes available to the audited company and the other stakeholders on the same day, which, in theory, would be the day that the audit process concludes with the signing of the audit report.

Originality/value

– The findings of this paper show the relevance of audit reports, distinguishing the different impacts based on the types of audit opinions issued in a specific jurisdiction (qualified and unqualified with an emphasis of matter paragraph).
The perceived scope of internal audit function in Libyan public enterprises
Authors: Abuazza Wahid Omar , Mihret Dessalegn Getie , James Kieran , Best Peter
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this exploratory study is to examine the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the scope of internal audit (IA) work in Libyan state-owned enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with chief executive officers, IA directors, administrative affairs managers, financial affairs managers and external auditors, which were supplemented with a review of relevant documentary evidence.

Findings

– The results of the study show that the scope of IA in Libyan organizations may not be sufficiently wide ranging to be considered as a value-adding service. The scope of the IA function may need to be expanded to cover a broader range of organizational functions if internal auditors are to offer value-adding services to their stakeholders.

Practical implications

– The IA profession has received scant attention in the literature, especially in the context of developing countries such as Libya. Therefore, such settings offer the potential to enhance the understanding of IA practices. As a study on a developing economy, it enhances understanding of the IA profession’s global configuration beyond the predominantly market-driven, industrialized Western economies.

Originality/value

– In contrast to most previous studies, this study covers a broad range of IA stakeholders’ views on the role of internal auditors. This coverage enabled an in-depth investigation of the factors affecting IA scope and understanding of stakeholder perceptions on the IA function.
Libraries surviving as entrepreneurial organizations: a creative destruction perspective
Authors: MacDonald Karen I. , vanDuinkerken Wyoma
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to highlight some traditional functions found in academic libraries and apply various business models as an aid to developing an entrepreneurial culture. Due to a combination of environmental pressures, universities are refining their strategic mission to identify “what they do well” or “where they want to be”. Programs that align with the strategic mission of the university get funded, while other less productive, lower impact programs and services are neglected or eliminated. This is essentially a process based on business or financial decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

– In an attempt to cope with these changes, academic library administrators are assessing library services to insure that they are aligned with their university’s strategic mission.

Findings

– To successfully develop and sustain this alignment, academic libraries must become “entrepreneurial organizations” where strategic decisions are based on business models, rather than tradition, or more specifically “the way we have always done things”. As this results-oriented, strategic thinking culture evolves, the actual brick and mortar library will also evolve to become a technology-based information service center that facilitates campus-wide creative activities.

Originality/value

– This perspective piece will highlight some traditional functions found in academic libraries and apply various business models, including the Schumpeterian model of creative destruction, as an aid to developing the entrepreneurial culture that will be necessary if the academic library is to stay viable and relevant in the twenty-first century.
Use of Public Relations and Publicity (PRP) by the public libraries in Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Ameen Kanwal
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to explore the use of public relations and publicity (PRP) by the public libraries. It also intends to create awareness among the information professionals regarding the use of PRP.

Design/methodology/approach

– The qualitative design, based on the interview method as data collection technique, was used to get the opinions and perceptions of the selected public librarians. The content analysis of the responses was made to answer the research questions.

Findings

– The findings revealed that PRP are hardly used by the public libraries in Lahore.

Research limitations/implications

– It will serve as a guideline for further research in quantitative and qualitative manner, as it has addressed an untouched area.

Practical implications

– It is likely that it will raise awareness among the public librarians regarding the use of PRP for creating and maintaining a strong positive image.

Originality/value

– It will serve as a guideline for further research in quantitative and qualitative manner, as it has addressed an untouched area and reports original research.
Scholarly communications competencies: open access training for librarians
Authors: Rodriguez Julia E
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe one example of an academic library using existing internal expertise and targeted events to provide training for liaison librarians in support of new scholarly communication initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

– This article presents a case study of how a medium-size academic library without a designated scholarly communications librarian or office presented a series of open access (OA) training opportunities for the liaison librarians in preparation for the official launch of the institutional repository and the campus’ inaugural participation in OA week.

Findings

– The multiple opportunities to engage with the topics in diverse ways resulted in librarians being more comfortable with discussing OA with their departmental faculty. Opinions of OA were changed as a result of attending the events. Participants found the activities to be useful and were engaged enough with the topic to ask for specific areas where they would like more training opportunities. Look to other colleagues both on campus and in the broader region to tap their expertise or explore professional organizations or free webinars. Taking the initiative to organize events that require minimal effort can have a big impact.

Practical implications

– Librarians have limited opportunity for in-depth training to gain new competencies and re-tool their skills to match current demands; this article demonstrates that utilizing internal expertise to provide a variety of training can positively impact participants’ attitudes and confidence.

Originality/value

– This article presents methods and rationale for librarians to facilitate similar professional development opportunities for building new scholarly communication competencies in support of the emerging research and scholarly publishing trends.
User agreements and makerspaces: a content analysis
Authors: Moorefield-Lang Heather Michele
Published: June 2015

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the user agreements of makerspaces in public and academic libraries. User agreements, also known as maker agreements, user forms and liability forms, can be very important documents between library patrons, staff and faculty. User agreements are similar to the earlier creation of acceptable use policies for technology use in libraries. The author of this study will delve into the user agreements created for public and academic libraries across the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– The researcher used content analysis to investigate 24 different user agreements written for public and academic library makerspaces. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was integrated into this research to aid in the breakdown of commonalities across terms, themes and purpose within the user agreements.

Findings

– Although makerspaces are a very exciting topic in the field of library science at this time, the implementation of a maker learning space is still new to many libraries. Creating a user agreement for a makerspace is newer still. Most user agreements in this study were six months to a year old. Some consistencies found across makerspace user agreements include liability waivers, permissions for minors, safety, copyright and technology replacement costs.

Originality/value

– At this time, most publications on makerspaces are held in the realm of popular publications (blogs, magazines, zines, etc.). The body of peer-reviewed and scholarly research on makerspaces is growing. Makerspace user agreements are new to this growing field of interest, and a content analysis of these documents will pave the way for the writing of future forms.
Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz
Authors: Koleva Petya , Roomi Muhammad Azam
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The authors are reviewingSocial Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz: How business innovators are helping to build a more sustainable world– the last book of the scholarly team David Grayson, Melody McLaren and Heiko Spitzeck issued in March 2014 that aims to demonstrate how business can become an active participant in building a sustainable future by utilizing its capacity and resources.

Design/methodology/approach

– By reviewing their book in perspective through the literature, the authors discuss its potential and significance for academic and business society.

Findings

– By doing so, the book was identified as a quite beneficial and a valuable source of information for business students with interest in corporate social responsibility and sustainability, individuals having career aspirations in the field of social intrapreneurship, and managers aiming to introduce social intrapreneurism in their organisations.

Originality/value

– The paper adds some further insights into the topic of social intrapreneurship and the relevance of this practice to well-known and established concepts focused on the relationship between business and society.
Seneca: appeasing the sting of management fears
Authors: Maizeray Lidwine , Janand Anne
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to look beyond the classic literature on managerial “best practices”, standards, organizational behavior and ready-made managerial discourses, and which have tended to deny the role of fear as a major issue in today’s modern enterprise. Lessons from Seneca allow us to understand how the phenomenon of fear, which has largely been hushed up by organizational culture, can be demystified and brought into the open.

Design/methodology/approach

– The aim is to prod further thinking, after the example of Seneca’s stingray, about the dominant ideology of management, which is under threat from four factors that have been allowed to spread like a numbing toxin.

Findings

– Seneca’s philosophy, then, should be viewed as rich in insight into how today’s disquieted managers might find peace of mind.

Originality/value

– Seneca asks us to consider fear as far more detrimental than the very adversities that we try to keep at bay. That does not mean we ought to deny fear, but, rather, attempt to better understand its inevitability, and hold it in check. No good can come from rushing headlong toward doom, in anticipation of ills that will not necessarily materialize, or, in any event, whose occurrence is beyond our control.
A realist philosophical understanding of entrepreneurial risk-taking
Authors: Marshall Alasdair , Ojiako Udechukwu
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to utilise Vilfredo Pareto ' s Machiavellian-realist social theory to provide a distinctive realist philosophical understanding of entrepreneurial risk-taking. By doing so, this paper seeks to stimulate debate and encourage future empirical testing that has the potential to present a richer understanding of entrepreneurial risk-taking.

Design/methodology/approach

– To establish that a realist perspective can help theorise entrepreneurship, the authors look through a modern day risk and uncertainty optic at the hidden mechanisms within the social world where enterprises operate. Looking from this unique standpoint, where the long established social theory is reinvigorated by contemporary risk philosophy within a shared realist paradigm, human nature equips entrepreneurs with certain “animal spirits” to muddle blindly and instinctually through their risk environments.

Findings

– The paper argues that this combined perspective unlocks a much richer understanding of entrepreneurial risk-taking, in particular, by capturing more of its behavioural reality and despite our strong emphasis on the inaccessibility and hiddenness of the risk environment to the entrepreneur, by exploring the entrepreneur-risk environment fit in ecological terms.

Originality/value

– The paper’s unique blend of the classical Italian social theory with the contemporary risk theory offers a novel ecological view of the entrepreneur’s blind (mal) adaptation to their risk environment.
Commentary on “It can still happen here: systemic risk factors that may contribute to the continued abuse of people with intellectual disabilities”
Authors: Wiese Michele
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This commentary takes Marslandet al.’s paper about services at risk of becoming abusive to the people they support, as a platform to consider issues around implementation science and its role in minimising this risk. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– The commentary is a selected review of implementation science. The research is used to define implementation, identify prerequisites, selectively review methods and comment on fidelity.

Findings

– The commentary proposes that implementation science has an important role in ensuring evidence-based practice transfers from research to disability services.

Originality/value

– The commentary offers a viewpoint based on combined research evidence and clinical practice.
Lichen planus complicated with thymoma: Report of three Japanese cases and review of the published work
Authors: Motegi Sei‐ichiro , Uchiyama Akihiko , Yamada Kazuya , Toki Sayaka , Amano Hiroo , Ishikawa Osamu
Published: June 2015

Thymoma is recognized to be complicated with autoimmune diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid. Abnormal regulation of autoreactive lymphocytes may be involved in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune diseases. The association of thymoma and lichen planus (LP) is relatively rare. Among 50 patients with LP, we identified three patients with LP accompanied by thymoma (6%; 3/50) in our department from 2004 to 2014. This is the first report identifying the frequency of thymoma accompanied by LP among patients with LP. We herein report three cases of LP accompanied by thymoma along with clinical and histological features. In addition, we summarize 29 LP patients accompanied by thymoma previously reported in the English‐language published works. Regarding the complications, hypogammaglobulinemia accompanied 58.6% (17/29) of patients diagnosed with Good's syndrome. Alopecia was present in 13.8% (4/29) of patients, and myasthenia gravis was present in 17.2% (5/29) of patients with LP and thymoma. Among the 27 patients with thymectomy, only 25.9% (7/27) experienced the improvement of LP, suggesting that thymectomy may not be effective for the lesions of LP. Treatment‐resistant LP was reported in 54.2% (13/24) of patients. In all our cases, oral lesions were intractable to treatment with oral predonisone and topical steroids and/or tacrolimus. It is important for dermatologists to recognize the clinical characteristics of the patients with both LP and thymoma.
Dominant ectosymbiotic bacteria of cellulolytic protists in the termite gut also have the potential to digest lignocellulose
Authors: Yuki Masahiro , Kuwahara Hirokazu , Shintani Masaki , Izawa Kazuki , Sato Tomoyuki , Starns David , Hongoh Yuichi , Ohkuma Moriya
Published: June 2015

Wood‐feeding lower termites harbour symbiotic gut protists that support the termite nutritionally by degrading recalcitrant lignocellulose. These protists themselves host specific endo‐ and ectosymbiotic bacteria, functions of which remain largely unknown. Here, we present draft genomes of a dominant, uncultured ectosymbiont belonging to the order Bacteroidales, ‘Candidatus Symbiothrix dinenymphae’, which colonizes the cell surface of the cellulolytic gut protists Dinenympha spp. We analysed four single‐cell genomes of Ca. S. dinenymphae, the highest genome completeness was estimated to be 81.6–82.3% with a predicted genome size of 4.28–4.31 Mb. The genome retains genes encoding large parts of the amino acid, cofactor and nucleotide biosynthetic pathways. In addition, the genome contains genes encoding various glycoside hydrolases such as endoglucanases and hemicellulases. The genome indicates that Ca. S. dinenymphae ferments lignocellulose‐derived monosaccharides to acetate, a major carbon and energy source of the host termite. We suggest that the ectosymbiont digests lignocellulose and provides nutrients to the host termites, and hypothesize that the hydrolytic activity might also function as a pretreatment for the host protist to effectively decompose the crystalline cellulose components.
Pack hunting by a common soil amoeba on nematodes
Authors: Geisen Stefan , Rosengarten Jamila , Koller Robert , Mulder Christian , Urich Tim , Bonkowski Michael
Published: June 2015

Soils host the most complex communities on Earth, including the most diverse and abundant eukaryotes, i.e. heterotrophic protists. Protists are generally considered as bacterivores, but evidence for negative interactions with nematodes both from laboratory and field studies exist. However, direct impacts of protists on nematodes remain unknown. We isolated the soil‐borne testate amoeba Cryptodifflugia operculata and found a highly specialized and effective pack‐hunting strategy to prey on bacterivorous nematodes. Enhanced reproduction in presence of prey nematodes suggests a beneficial predatory life history of these omnivorous soil amoebae. Cryptodifflugia operculata appears to selectively impact the nematode community composition as reductions of nematode numbers were species specific. Furthermore, we investigated 12 soil metatranscriptomes from five distinct locations throughout Europe for 18S ribosomal RNA transcripts of C. operculata. The presence of C. operculata transcripts in all samples, representing up to 4% of the active protist community, indicates a potential ecological importance of nematophagy performed by C. operculata in soil food webs. The unique pack‐hunting strategy on nematodes that was previously unknown from protists, together with molecular evidence that these pack hunters are likely to be abundant and widespread in soils, imply a considerable importance of the hitherto neglected trophic link ‘nematophagous protists’ in soil food webs.
Hsp12p and PAU genes are involved in ecological interactions between natural yeast strains
Authors: Rivero Damaríz , Berná Luisa , Stefanini Irene , Baruffini Enrico , Bergerat Agnes , Csikász‐Nagy Attila , De Filippo Carlotta , Cavalieri Duccio
Published: June 2015

The coexistence of different yeasts in a single vineyard raises the question on how they communicate and why slow growers are not competed out. Genetically modified laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are extensively used to investigate ecological interactions, but little is known about the genes regulating cooperation and competition in ecologically relevant settings. Here, we present evidences of Hsp12p‐dependent altruistic and contact‐dependent competitive interactions between two natural yeast isolates. Hsp12p is released during cell death for public benefit by a fast‐growing strain that also produces a killer toxin to inhibit growth of a slow grower that can enjoy the benefits of released Hsp12p. We also show that the protein Pau5p is essential in the defense against the killer effect. Our results demonstrate that the combined action of Hsp12p, Pau5p and a killer toxin is sufficient to steer a yeast community.
Problematizing ‘Relevance’ in the Business School: The Case of Leadership Studies
Authors: Butler Nick , Delaney Helen , Spoelstra Sverre
Published: June 2015

In recent years, the discourse of ‘relevance’ has risen to prominence in the university‐based business school. At the heart of this discourse is the suggestion that management researchers should align their research practices more closely with the needs of practitioners in external organizations. One important but under‐researched strand of this debate focuses on the way in which ‘relevance’ is pursued by business scholars via forms of practitioner engagement such as management consulting, corporate presentations, executive education and personal coaching. Drawing on extensive semi‐structured interviews, this paper explores the motivations, rewards and tensions experienced by leadership scholars in the process of engaging with practitioners. This study suggests that the pursuit of ‘relevance’ may come into conflict with norms of scholarly conduct, which in turn gives rise to a series of trade‐offs and compromises. Ultimately, the authors argue that the prevailing discourse of relevance provides an alibi for scholars to orient themselves towards practitioners in ways that contravene their academic identity and research ethos (whether post‐positivist, interpretivist or critical).
Colloid osmotic pressure and extravasation of plasma proteins following infusion of Ringer's acetate and hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4
Authors: Zdolsek J. H. , Bergek C. , Lindahl T. L. , Hahn R. G.
Published: June 2015

Background

During fluid infusion therapy, plasma proteins are diluted and leak from the intravascular space, which alters the colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and potentially affects coagulation. We hypothesised that acetated Ringer's and starch solution, alone or in combination, influence these mechanisms differently.

Materials and methods

On different occasions, 10 male volunteers were infused with 20 ml/kg acetated Ringer's and 10 ml/kg 6% hyroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (Voluven®) alone or in combination (first with starch solution followed by Ringer's solution). Blood samples were collected every 30‐min for measurements of COP, blood haemoglobin, platelets, and plasma concentrations of albumin, immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM), coagulation factor VII (FVII), fibrinogen, cystatin C, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin international normalised ratio (PT‐INR). Changes were compared with the haemoglobin‐derived plasma dilution.

Results

The COP increased by 8.4% (SD 3) with starch and decreased by 26.2% (7.9) with Ringer's. These infusions diluted the plasma by 23.4% (5.3) and 18.7% (4.9) respectively. The COP changes in the combined experiment followed the same pattern as the individual infusions. Albumin and IgG changes in excess of the plasma dilution were very subtle. The intravascular contents of the IgM and platelets decreased, whereas FVII, fibrinogen and cystatin C increased. PT‐INR increased by 1/3 of the plasma dilution, whereas changes in APTT did not correlate with the plasma dilution.

Conclusions

The starch increased COP and only minor capillary leak occurred in healthy volunteers. The fluid‐induced plasma dilution correlated with mild impairment of the extrinsic coagulation pathway but not of the intrinsic pathway.
Evolution of the Kivu Rift, East Africa: interplay among tectonics, sedimentation and magmatism
Authors: Wood Douglas A. , Zal Hubert J. , Scholz Christopher A. , Ebinger Cynthia J. , Nizere Irénée
Published: June 2015

The seismically and volcanically active Kivu Rift, in the western branch of the East African Rift System, is a type locale for studies of high‐elevation, humid‐climate rift basins, as well as magmatic basin development. Interpretations of offshore multi‐channel seismic (MCS) reflection data, terrestrial radar topography, lake bathymetry and seismicity data recorded on a temporary array provide new insights into the structure, stratigraphy and evolution of the Kivu rift. The Kivu rift is an asymmetric graben controlled on its west side by a ca. 110 km‐long, N‐S striking border fault. The southern basins of the lake and the upper Rusizi river basin are an accommodation zone effectively linking 1470 m‐high Lake Kivu to 770 m‐high Lake Tanganyika. MCS data in the eastern Kivu lake basin reveal a west‐dipping half graben with at least 1.5 km of sedimentary section; most of the ca. 2 km of extension in this sub‐basin is accommodated by the east‐dipping Iwawa normal fault, which bounds an intrabasinal horst. Lake Kivu experienced at least three periods of near desiccation. The two most recent of these approximately correlate to the African Megadrought and Last Glacial Maximum. There was a rapid lake level transgression of at least 400 m in the early Holocene. The line load of the Virunga volcanic chain enhances the fault‐controlled basin subsidence; simple elastic plate models suggest that the line load of the Virunga volcanic chain depresses the basin by more than 1 km, reduces flank uplift locally and broadens the depocentre. Not only do the voluminous magmatism and degassing to the lake pose a hazard to the riparian population, but our studies demonstrate that magmatism has important implications for short‐term processes such as lake levels, inflow and outlets, as well as long term modification of classic half‐graben basin morphology.
Ant Species Identity has a Greater Effect than Fire on the Outcome of an Ant Protection System inBrazilianCerrado
Authors: Del‐Claro Kleber , Marquis Robert J.
Published: June 2015

Although fire‐ and ant–plant interactions influence the community structure and dynamics of Neotropical savannas, no previous studies have considered their simultaneous effects on target host plants. We monitored the effect of ant exclusion for 3 years on leaf area loss to leaf chewing insects, thrips abundance, and reproductive output of the extrafloral nectary‐bearing shrub,Peixotoa tomentosa(Malpighiaceae). We predicted that the impact of ants on herbivores and plants would depend on the ant species, and that fire would reduce the effect of ants. We deliberately chose control plants that differed in their occupant ant species. Fire occurred in the second year of the study, allowing us to determine its effect on the benefit afforded by ants. Ants reduced leaf area loss and thrips abundance, and increased fruit and seed production in all 3 years. Some ant species were more effective than others, while plants with multiple ant species suffered higher leaf area loss than plants with a single ant species. In the year following the fire, leaf damage was greater than in the other years, regardless of the ant species, and the proportional effect of ants in reducing damage was less. Interactions affecting thrips abundance did not change following fire, nor was the benefit to the plant proportionally reduced. Overall, the identity of the ant species had a greater effect than did the occurrence of fire on the ant–herbivore–plant interaction: the identity of the ant species influenced leaf area loss, thrips numbers, and bud and seed production, while fire only modified the impact of ants on the amount of leaf area consumed by insect herbivores.
Protection for Sale: The case of oligopolistic competition and interdependent sectors
Authors: Paltseva Elena
Published: June 2015

In Grossman‐Helpman's (1994) canonical “Protection for Sale” (PFS) model, political competition among industry lobbies is driven purely by their interests as consumers. This paper introduces demand linkages and oligopolistic competition into the PFS framework to address the rivalry among lobbies stemming from product substitutability. It shows that increased substitutability weakens the interest groups' incentives to lobby and reduces tariff distortions. This may explain why empirical tests of PFS find surprisingly little impact of lobbies on the government's trade policy decision. The paper also analyzes endogenous lobby formation, suggesting that demand linkages may adversely affect the industry decision to organize.
Back to the futures: An assessment of market performance on the early Winnipeg Grain Exchange
Authors: Santos Joseph M.
Published: June 2015

In this paper, I offer a quantitatively rich, historical perspective with which to consider Western Canada's recent return to private grain marketing. I assess how futures markets on the Winnipeg Grain Exchange (WGE) performed before the Canadian Wheat Board, and I consider the extent to which this performance contributed to the Canadian government's decision to create the Board. I conclude, despite significant agrarian dissatisfaction with private grain marketing on the WGE, the Canadian government ultimately proscribed futures trading because it was incompatible with the CWB model, which the Canadian government needed in order to stabilize farm incomes, particularly in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
EAO consensus conference: economic evaluation of implant‐supported prostheses
Authors: Beikler Thomas , Flemmig Thomas F.
Published: June 2015

Objective

There are various alternatives for the management of oral conditions that may lead to or already have lead to partial or full edentulism. Economic evaluations measure the efficiency of alternative healthcare interventions and provide useful information for decision‐making and the allocation of scarce resources.

Material and methods

The current English literature dealing with “cost‐effectiveness” of dental implant therapy versus different alternative treatment modalities, that is, complete and fixed partial dentures, root canal, and periodontal treatment, has been included in this narrative review. Due to the high heterogeneity within the literature, a meta‐analysis could not be conducted.

Results

The available evidence from economic evaluations indicated that for the treatment of central incisors with irreversible pulpitis and coronal lesions, root canal treatments were most cost‐effective initial treatment options. When initial root canal treatments failed, orthograde retreatments were most cost‐effective. When root canal retreatments failed, extractions and replacement with single implant‐supported crowns were more cost‐effective compared to fixed or removable partial dentures. In the treatment of periodontitis in molars with Class I furcation invasion, non‐surgical periodontal therapy was more effective and costed less than implant‐supported single crowns. For the replacement of single missing teeth, two evaluations indicated that implant‐supported single crowns provided better outcomes in terms of greater quality‐adjusted tooth years or survival rates at lower costs compared to fixed partial prostheses. Another economic evaluation found that implant‐supported crowns costed more, but provided greater survival rates compared to fixed partial dentures. For the restoration of edentulous mandibles, two evaluations indicated that overdentures retained by two or four implants improved oral health‐related quality of life outcomes, but costed more than complete dentures.

Conclusions

To better assess the efficiency of implant‐supported prostheses in various clinical conditions, more economic evaluations are needed that follow well‐established methodologies in health economics.