bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wind conditions and geography shape the first outbound migration of juvenile honey buzzards and their distribution across sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Vansteelant W. M. G. , Kekkonen J. , Byholm P.
Published: May 2017

Contemporary tracking studies reveal that low migratory connectivity between breeding and non-breeding ranges is common in migrant landbirds. It is unclear, however, how internal factors and early-life experiences of individual migrants shape the development of their migration routes and concomitant population-level non-breeding distributions. Stochastic wind conditions and geography may determine whether and where migrants end up by the end of their journey. We tested this hypothesis by satellite-tagging 31 fledgling honey buzzards
Pernis apivorus
from southern Finland and used a global atmospheric reanalysis model to estimate the wind conditions they encountered on their first outbound migration. Migration routes diverged rapidly upon departure and the birds eventually spread out across 3340 km of longitude. Using linear regression models, we show that the birds' longitudinal speeds were strongly affected by zonal wind speed, and negatively affected by latitudinal wind, with significant but minor differences between individuals. Eventually, 49% of variability in the birds' total longitudinal displacements was accounted for by wind conditions on migration. Some birds circumvented the Baltic Sea via Scandinavia or engaged in unusual downwind movements over the Mediterranean, which also affected the longitude at which these individuals arrived in sub-Saharan Africa. To understand why adult migrants use the migration routes and non-breeding sites they use, we must take into account the way in which wind conditions moulded their very first journeys. Our results present some of the first evidence into the mechanisms through which low migratory connectivity emerges.
Vocal plasticity in a reptile
Authors: Brumm Henrik , Zollinger Sue Anne
Published: May 2017

Sophisticated vocal communication systems of birds and mammals, including human speech, are characterized by a high degree of plasticity in which signals are individually adjusted in response to changes in the environment. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first evidence for vocal plasticity in a reptile. Like birds and mammals, tokay geckos (
Gekko gecko
) increased the duration of brief call notes in the presence of broadcast noise compared to quiet conditions, a behaviour that facilitates signal detection by receivers. By contrast, they did not adjust the amplitudes of their call syllables in noise (the Lombard effect), which is in line with the hypothesis that the Lombard effect has evolved independently in birds and mammals. However, the geckos used a different strategy to increase signal-to-noise ratios: instead of increasing the amplitude of a given call type when exposed to noise, the subjects produced more high-amplitude syllable types from their repertoire. Our findings demonstrate that reptile vocalizations are much more flexible than previously thought, including elaborate vocal plasticity that is also important for the complex signalling systems of birds and mammals. We suggest that signal detection constraints are one of the major forces driving the evolution of animal communication systems across different taxa.
Song pattern recognition in crickets based on a delay-line and coincidence-detector mechanism
Authors: Hedwig Berthold , Sarmiento-Ponce Edith Julieta
Published: May 2017

Acoustic communication requires filter mechanisms to process and recognize key features of the perceived signals. We analysed such a filter mechanism in field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus), which communicate with species-specific repetitive patterns of sound pulses and chirps. A delay-line and coincidence-detection mechanism, in which each sound pulse has an impact on the processing of the following pulse, is implicated to underlie the recognition of the species-specific pulse pattern. Based on this concept, we hypothesized that altering the duration of a single pulse or inter-pulse interval in three-pulse chirps will lead to different behavioural responses. Phonotaxis was tested in female crickets walking on a trackball exposed to different sound paradigms. Changing the duration of either the first, second or third pulse of the chirps led to three different characteristic tuning curves. Long first pulses decreased the phonotactic response whereas phonotaxis remained strong when the third pulse was long. Chirps with three pulses of increasing duration of 5, 20 and 50 ms elicited phonotaxis, but the chirps were not attractive when played in reverse order. This demonstrates specific, pulse duration-dependent effects while sequences of pulses are processed. The data are in agreement with a mechanism in which processing of a sound pulse has an effect on the processing of the subsequent pulse, as outlined in the flow of activity in a delay-line and coincidence-detector circuit. Additionally our data reveal a substantial increase in the gain of phonotaxis, when the number of pulses of a chirp is increased from two to three.
A Dimensional Approach to Assessing Psychiatric Risk in Adults Born Very Preterm
Authors: Kroll Jasmin , Froudist-Walsh Sean , Brittain Philip J. , Tseng Chieh-En Jane , Karolis Vyacheslav , Murray Robin M , Nosarti Chiara
Published: May 2017

Background

Individuals who were born very preterm have higher rates of psychiatric diagnoses compared to term-born controls; however, it remains unclear whether they also display increased sub-clinical psychiatric symptomatology. Hence our objective is to utilise a dimensional approach to assess psychiatric symptomatology in adults who were born very preterm.

Methods

152 adults who were born very preterm (before 33 weeks’ gestation; gestational range 24–32 weeks) and 96 term-born controls. We examined participants’ clinical profile using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS), a measure of sub-clinical symptomatology that yields seven subscales including general psychopathology, positive, negative, cognitive, behavioural, motor and emotional symptoms, in addition to a total psychopathology score. Intellectual abilities were examined using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence.

Results

Between-group differences on the CAARMS showed elevated symptomatology in very preterm participants compared to controls in positive, negative, cognitive and behavioural symptoms. Total psychopathology scores were significantly correlated with IQ in the very preterm group only. In order to examine the characteristics of participants’ clinical profile a principal component analysis was conducted. This revealed two components, one reflecting a non-specific psychopathology dimension, and the other indicating a variance in symptomatology along a positive-to-negative symptom axis. K-means (k=4) were used to further separate the study sample into clusters. Very preterm adults were more likely to belong to the high non-specific psychopathology cluster compared to controls.

Conclusion and Relevance

Very preterm individuals demonstrated elevated psychopathology compared to full-term controls. Psychiatric risk was characterised by a non-specific clinical profile and was associated with lower IQ.
Low-level carbon monoxide exposure affects BOLD FMRI
Authors: Bendell Caroline , Moosavi Shakeeb H. , Herigstad Mari
Published: May 2017

Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) FMRI is a common technique for measuring brain activation that could be affected by low-level carbon monoxide (CO) exposure from e.g. smoking. This study aimed to probe the vulnerability of BOLD FMRI to CO and determine whether it constitutes a significant confound in neuroimaging and clinical trials. Low-level (6ppm exhaled) CO effects on BOLD signal were assessed in 12 healthy never-smokers on two separate experimental days (CO and air control). FMRI tasks were breath-holds (hypercapnia), visual stimulation and fingertapping. CO significantly dampened global BOLD FMRI signal during hypercapnia and visual cortex activation during visual stimulation. During fingertapping, CO reduced visual cortex activation but increased premotor cortex activation. Behavioural and physiological measures remained unchanged. We conclude that BOLD FMRI is vulnerable to CO, possibly through baseline increases in CBF, and suggest exercising caution when imaging populations exposed to elevated CO levels, e.g. with high smoking prevalence.
MitoCore: A curated constraint-based model for simulating human central metabolism
Authors: Smith Anthony C. , Eyassu Filmon , Mazat Jean-Pierre , Robinson Alan J.
Published: May 2017

Background

The complexity of metabolic networks can make the origin and impact of profound changes in central metabolism occurring during disease difficult to understand. Computer simulations can help unravel this complexity, and progress has advanced in genome-scale metabolic models. However, many current models produce unrealistic results when challenged to simulate abnormal metabolism as they include incorrect specification and localization of reactions and transport steps, incorrect reaction parameters, and confounding of prosthetic groups and free metabolites in reactions. Other common drawbacks are due to their scale, such as being difficult to parameterise and simulation results being hard to interpret. Therefore, it remains important to develop smaller, manually curated models to represent central metabolism accurately.

Results

We present MitoCore, a manually curated constraint-based computer model of human metabolism that incorporates the complexity of central metabolism and simulates this metabolism successfully under normal and abnormal conditions, including hypoxia and mitochondrial diseases. MitoCore describes 324 metabolic reactions, 83 transport steps between mitochondrion and cytosol, and 74 metabolite inputs and outputs through the plasma membrane, to produce a model of manageable scale for easy data interpretation. Its key innovations include accurate partitioning of metabolism between cytosol and mitochondrial matrix; correct modelling of connecting transport steps; proper differentiation of prosthetic groups and free co-factors in reactions; and a new representation of the respiratory chain and the proton motive force. MitoCore’s default parameters simulate normal cardiomyocyte metabolism, and to improve usability and allow comparison with other models and types of analysis, its reactions and metabolites have extensive annotation, and cross-reference identifiers from Virtual Metabolic Human database and KEGG. These innovations—including over 100 reactions absent or modified from Recon 2—are essential to model central metabolism accurately.

Conclusion

We anticipate MitoCore as a research tool for scientists, from experimentalists looking to interpret data and generate further hypotheses, to experienced modellers predicting the consequences of disease or using computationally intensive methods that are infeasible with larger models, as well as a teaching tool for those new to modelling and needing a small manageable model on which to learn and experiment.
Inducing chondrogenesis in MSC/chondrocyte co-cultures using exogenous TGF-β: a mathematical model
Authors: Chen M.J. , Whiteley J.P. , Please C.P. , Schwab A. , Ehlicke F. , Waters S.L. , Byrne H.M.
Published: May 2017

The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into chondrocytes (native cartilage cells), or chondrogenesis, is a key step in the tissue engineering of articular cartilage, where the motility and high proliferation rate of MSCs used as seed cells are exploited. Chondrogenesis is regulated by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), a short-lived cytokine whose effect is prolonged by storage in the extracellular matrix. Tissue engineering applications require the complete differentiation of an initial population of MSCs, and two common strategies used to achieve thisin vitroare (1) co-culture the MSCs with chondrocytes, which constitutively produce TGF-β; or (2) add exogenous TGF-β. To investigate these strategies we develop an ordinary differential equation model of the interactions between TGF-β, MSCs and chondrocyte. Here the dynamics of TGF-βare much faster than those of the cell processes; this difference in time-scales is exploited to simplify subsequent model analysis. Using our model we demonstrate that under strategy 1 complete chondrogenesis will be induced if the initial proportion of chondrocytes exceeds a critical value. Similarly, under strategy 2 we find that there is a critical concentration of exogenous TGF-βabove which all MSCs will ultimately differentiate. Finally, we use the model to demonstrate the potential advantages of adopting a hybrid strategy where exogenous TGF-βis added to a co-culture of MSCs and chondrocytes, as compared to using either strategy 1 or 2 in isolation.
IGoR: a tool for high-throughput immune repertoire analysis
Authors: Marcou Quentin , Mora Thierry , Walczak Aleksandra M.
Published: May 2017

High throughput immune repertoire sequencing is promising to lead to new statistical diagnostic tools for medicine and biology. Successful implementations of these methods require a correct characterization, analysis and interpretation of these datasets. We present IGoR - a new comprehensive tool that takes B or T-cell receptors sequence reads and quantitatively characterizes the statistics of receptor generation from both cDNA and gDNA. It probabilistically annotates sequences and its modular structure can investigate models of increasing biological complexity for different organisms. For B-cells IGoR returns the hypermutation statistics, which we use to reveal co-localization of hypermutations along the sequence. We demonstrate that IGoR outperforms existing tools in accuracy and estimate the sample sizes needed for reliable repertoire characterization.
Postmitotic nuclear pore assembly proceeds by radial dilation of small ER membrane openings
Authors: Otsuka Shotaro , Steyer Anna M. , Schorb Martin , Hériché Jean-Karim , Hossain M. Julius , Sethi Suruchi , Kueblbeck Moritz , Schwab Yannick , Beck Martin , Ellenberg Jan
Published: May 2017

The nuclear envelope has to be reformed after mitosis to create viable daughter cells with closed nuclei. How membrane sealing of DNA and assembly of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are achieved and coordinated is poorly understood. Here, we reconstructed nuclear membrane topology and structure of assembling NPCs in a correlative three dimensional electron microscopy time-course of dividing human cells. Our quantitative ultrastructural analysis shows that nuclear membranes form from highly fenestrated ER sheets, whose shrinking holes are stabilized and then dilated into NPCs during inner ring complex assembly, forming thousands of transport channels within minutes. This mechanism is fundamentally different from interphase NPC assembly and explains how mitotic cells can rapidly establish a closed nuclear compartment while making it transport-competent at the same time.
Optic fissure margin morphogenesis sets the stage for consecutive optic fissure fusion, pioneered by a distinct subset of margin cells using a hyaloid vessel as scaffold
Authors: Eckert Priska , Schütz Lucas , Wittbrodt Joachim , Heermann Stephan
Published: May 2017

The optic fissure is a transient gap in the developing optic cup of vertebrates. Persisting optic fissures, coloboma, are a frequent reason for blindness in children. Although many genes have been linked to coloboma, it has remained unclear how the two bi-layered epithelia comprising the optic fissure margins are fusing to form a continuous neuroretina and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) respectively. Besides, highly variable morphologies of coloboma phenotypes strongly argue for a diverse set of underlying pathomechanisms.

Here we investigated the contribution of the individual cell types with 4Din vivotime-lapse analyses using zebrafish (Danio rerio). This allowed defining the respective roles of the participating tissues and cell populations and their activities during fissure morphogenesis, contact formation between the margins as well as during fusion.

We show that optic fissure closure is initiated by a bilateral tissue flow partially in continuation of the dynamic optic cup morphogenesis but additionally including a tissue flow from the optic stalk. This process is followed by the setup of specific fissure margins by a distinct cell population translocating from of the optic stalk. The morphological fusion is triggered by in an EMT-like disassembly of the fissure margin driven by bi-potential pioneer cells that ultimately take the fate of both, neuroretina and RPE respectively. The consecutive fusion and re-epithelialization transforms the two initially separated epithelial bilayers into the two continuous layers of neuroretina and RPE. The processes described here in detail represents a fundamental mechanism of the seamless connection of adjacent multilayered epithelia and is highly reminiscent of other fusion processes, like palatal shelf fusion with key relevance for development and growth.
Success in combating corruption in New Zealand
Authors: Zirker Daniel
Published: May 2017

Purpose

New Zealand has had success in combating corruption. It has been ranked consistently as one of the five least corrupt countries in the world. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on this accomplishment.

Design/methodology/approach

An analysis of the policies, socio-cultural attributes and historical and geographical elements that have contributed to New Zealand’s success in combating corruption.

Findings

New Zealand’s long-term geographical isolation, egalitarian socio-economic and cultural traditions, its close legal and cultural affinity with Britain, and its unique regulatory civil service largely explain its success in combating corruption. Nevertheless, global influences, the absence of a single anti-corruption agency, and changing values may be eroding New Zealand’s record of success.

Originality/value

This paper will be useful to policy makers and those concerned with New Zealand’s recent decline in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
Effect of agricultural policy on income and revenue risks in Italian farms
Authors: Severini Simone , Tantari Antonella , Di Tommaso Giuliano
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess how direct payments (DPs) of the Common Agricultural Policy affect income and revenue variability faced by Italian farmers.

Design/methodology/approach

Balanced farm-level panel data are used to construct coefficients of variation over the period 2003-2012. Nonlinear robust regression techniques are used to measure the effect of DP, farm size, fixity in resources, labor intensity, farm production orientation, and specialization on the variability of farm income (FI) and farm revenue. This is done on the overall sample as well as on subsamples of farms located in different regions and belonging to different types of farming.

Findings

DPs have mixed effects on the variability of FI. While a negative and significant relationship is found on the whole national sample, this is not generally the case when models are run on the considered subsamples. On the contrary, DPs have always significant variability increasing effects on revenue. This suggests that DPs reduce the degree of risk that farmers face allowing them to engage in riskier activities. Thus, DPs are less effective than expected in terms of income stabilization because these distort farmers’ risk management behavior. Because of this, DPs could constrain the development of markets for risk management instruments and reduce the effectiveness of policies supporting the use of these instruments.

Originality/value

The analysis is inspired by El Benni et al. (2012) but uses a different approach, applies it to a different country, and yields different results. Volatility measures are calculated over more years, and the paper accounts for differences in farm production orientation and is not based on an unbalanced panel of farms. Because of these differences, the authors obtained different results regarding the correlation between DP and income and, even more, revenue variability. Finally, comparing the results of models referring to FI and farm revenue improves the author’s understanding of the impact of DP on farmers’ risk management behavior and allows interesting policy considerations.
Relative performance evaluation among business unit level managers
Authors: van Elten Hilco J.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Relative performance evaluation (RPE) is a widely studied topic in the theoretical and analytical accounting and economics literatures. The empirical literature also addresses this topic, with its main focus on executive compensation. This paper aims to extend the findings of the literature by assessing the extent to which RPE is used at lower organisational levels.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a purpose-developed survey to gather data from 325 business unit managers.

Findings

This study finds that RPE is used to a great extent in the performance evaluation of business unit managers. Additionally, the findings suggest that RPE use increases the informativeness of the performance evaluation through noise reduction. Noise in the performance evaluation is described in literature as the primary antecedent of RPE, but prior research provides only weak empirical support for this claim.

Research limitations/implications

This study hypothesises a causal relation between RPE and noise in performance evaluation. However, the use of cross-sectional survey data only allows testing associations, not causations.

Originality/value

The originality and value of the paper lie in the focus on the business unit level and the use of survey data, which are almost completely absent in this area of research that almost exclusively uses archival data at the executive level.
Client importance and audit quality, office level evidence from the banking industry: a pitch
Authors: Zhang Yuyu
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the application of Faff’s pitch template to a research proposal on client importance and audit quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The “cocktail glass” approach and “3-2-1” design provide junior researchers with an effective tool to develop, evaluate and communicate research ideas in a simple way.

Findings

The author further provides a commentary and reflections based on his own experience in this letter.

Research limitations/implications

Based on my pitching experience, pitching requires significant preparation. Further, the pitching template is a useful means to deposit research ideas and as a control and supervisory tool.

Originality/value

It is a PRL submission.
Field quality metrics – findings and recommendations
Authors: Palmquist Brian
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Based on a 2015 research survey by the author, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate a group of tablet- and smartphone-based software in order to recommend which one (or two) best matches the requirements for building construction field quality management. The secondary purpose of this paper is to identify which usage criteria best represent the needs of designers and builders. A tertiary but equally important purpose is to identify best means for knowledge transfer to up to 100 project teams per year.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a previously developed in-house questionnaire comprising 34 evaluation criteria, the author identified and evaluated eight currently available field quality management software being used by project teams in several different branches of the author’s building construction company. Evaluation involved face-to-face meetings with each of the 11 project teams using a standard questionnaire. Software vendors were also interviewed. Each comment made during interviews was captured and the results were communicated back to the team members for review – there were several comments and clarifications received in this manner. Questionnaires were evaluated, findings and recommendations drafted and circulated to senior management for review.

Findings

Out of the original 34 evaluation criteria, there emerged 12 field-derived evaluation criteria; an additional five arose from the site office, for a total of 17 out of the original 34. While site office-based personnel were comfortable with tablet-based software solutions, field staff such as superintendents favored smartphone-based solutions. Where field staff were required to use tablets for field quality management, they insisted on being accompanied by junior project management staff to act as scribes – all agreed this was inefficient.

Research limitations/implications

The eight software products selected for evaluation were limited to those already in use in the company; in one case a product was evaluated due to strong recommendations from staff based on hearsay. There are many more field quality management software and the field is changing rapidly, however the author believes the findings are of value in analyzing any current or future offering.

Practical implications

The ideal building construction field staff member should be equipped with a tablet used periodically during the workday to access the most up-to-date project documents. But the same individual should use a smartphone for the large majority of quality management observations, such as identifying and tracking to resolution deficiencies and non-conformances. Details of this mix and usage have not been previously identified.

Originality/value

In addition to evaluating a variety of field quality management software and identifying selection criteria, the paper identifies a practical implementation protocol that will maximize the likelihood of successful implementation.
Lean process design for a radiology department
Authors: Camgöz-Akdağ Hatice , Çalişkan Esra , Toma Sirel
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to design a future value stream map of the system and patient pathway with lean health care application tools in terms of quality improvement (QI) in order to decrease the non-value-added activities for patients, doctors, and nurses for a radiology unit in a public hospital based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected from personal observations, information technologies unit, and authorized employees. In order to measure subprocesses, some qualitative data are transformed into quantitative data via authorized employees’ experiences. Moreover, data tracking and keeping systems are too poor for revealing the current situation.

Findings

The current value stream map of the system of the radiology department of a public education and research hospital was analyzed and the future value stream map of the system and patient pathway was redesigned with lean health care application tools in terms of QI.

Research limitations/implications

The greatest limitation is the resistant to change and fear of talking on mistakes and low performances.

Originality/value

This paper states an example of a current and future value stream map showing step by step where the bottlenecks are and how these can be improved and what specific benefits will this analysis bring to the health care system. It will be useful for both academicians and practitioners on how to apply lean to health care.
Automated competitor analysis using big data analytics
Authors: Guo Liang , Sharma Ruchi , Yin Lei , Lu Ruodan , Rong Ke
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Competitor analysis is a key component in operations management. Most business decisions are rooted in the analysis of rival products inferred from market structure. Relative to more traditional competitor analysis methods, the purpose of this paper is to provide operations managers with an innovative tool to monitor a firm’s market position and competitors in real time at higher resolution and lower cost than more traditional competitor analysis methods.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors combine the techniques of Web Crawler, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning algorithms with data visualization to develop a big data competitor-analysis system that informs operations managers about competitors and meaningful relationships among them. The authors illustrate the approach using the fitness mobile app business.

Findings

The study shows that the system supports operational decision making both descriptively and prescriptively. In particular, the innovative probabilistic topic modeling algorithm combined with conventional multidimensional scaling, product feature comparison and market structure analyses reveal an app’s position in relation to its peers. The authors also develop a user segment overlapping index based on user’s social media data. The authors combine this new index with the product functionality similarity index to map indirect and direct competitors with and without user lock-in.

Originality/value

The approach improves on previous approaches by fully automating information extraction from multiple online sources. The authors believe this is the first system of its kind. With limited human intervention, the methodology can easily be adapted to different settings, giving quicker, more reliable real-time results. The approach is also cost effective for market analysis projects covering different data sources.
How does the public and private university environment affect students’ entrepreneurial intention?
Authors: Canever Mario Duarte , Barral Maria Renata Martínez , Ribeiro Felipe Garcia
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the causal links between public and private university environments and the entrepreneurial intention (EI) of students.

Design/methodology/approach

The impact of different university environments on the students’ EI was checked using a model adapted from Krueger et al. (2000). The study comprised a sample of students enrolled in business administration from three public and three private universities at first semester (freshmen) and at the last two semesters (senior) in Brazil. The model was measured through various questions and later assessed by principal component analysis to build constructs. Via t-test and path analysis the EI and the antecedents were subjected to a comparative analysis to test the equality of the models across the four categories emerged.

Findings

The two main types of Brazilian university environments (public and private) do not present significant differences in the way they influence EI and its antecedents. Both the tests of means and the tests of measurement of the structural relations between constructs confirm this finding with only a few exceptions. The result of this study is opposed to other studies carried out in Brazil, by showing that the public university environment is not worse for the entrepreneurship than the private. The environmental effects are mostly equal and they as a whole are not conducive to the development of EI.

Research limitations/implications

The study comprises business students only, and enrolled on regular universities. It is worth highlighting that evidence was brought to the debate for a group of universities in Brazil. Replicating the study with students from other areas and other universities, as well as students in Master’s and Doctorate programs could enrich the analyses.

Practical implications

This study provides insight into entrepreneurship education, as to which the university environment is conducive to the entrepreneurship. It brings insights for the development of entrepreneurial universities.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understanding the differences between the public and private universities environment regarding students’ EI.
Classroom-based action research with secondary school students of English Literature
Authors: Wood Audrey B.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on some of the professional and practical challenges which emerged during the process of carrying out a small-scale action research project into different approaches to teaching English Literature in a Year-9 secondary classroom, completed in part-fulfilment of the requirements for a higher degree.

Design/methodology/approach

The author narrates an account of some of the difficulties faced by one emergent researcher whilst carrying out educational research in a comprehensive school in England.

Findings

The author suggests that even within a research-supportive environment where “research” is encouraged or expected, there is often limited effort from management to articulate the practicalities or evaluate its effectiveness. Despite this, the author emphasises the benefits to teachers and students of undertaking small-scale action research projects into issues of contemporary professional concern in the classroom. The author argues for the involvement of school administrators and universities in supporting teacher-researchers.

Originality/value

The value of this research lies in acknowledging some of the challenges that emergent researchers might face in conducting research in the context of the classroom, which might enable other teacher-researchers to anticipate and avoid similar problems in their own research, and circumvent criticism from those who believe that educational research should not be carried out by teachers.
Mobile device users’ privacy security assurance behavior
Authors: Chen Hao , Li Wenli
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Recently, the spread of malicious IT has been causing serious privacy threats to mobile device users, which hampers the efficient use of mobile devices for individual and business. To understand the privacy security assurance behavior of mobile device users, this study aims to develop a theoretical model based on technology threat avoidance theory (TTAT), to capture motivation factors in predicting mobile device user’s voluntary adoption of security defensive software.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey is conducted to validate the proposed research model. A total of 284 valid survey data are collected and partial least square (PLS)-based structural equation modeling is used to test the model.

Findings

Results highlight that both privacy concern and coping appraisal have a significant impact on the intention to adopt the security defensive software. Meanwhile, privacy security awareness is a crucial determinant to stimulate mobile device user’s threat and coping appraisal processes in the voluntary context. The results indicate that emotional-based coping appraisal of anticipated regret is also imperative to arouse personal intention to adopt the security tool.

Practical implications

This result should be of interest to practitioners. Information security awareness training and education programs should be developed in a variety of forms to intensify personal security knowledge and skills. Besides, emotion-based warnings can be designed to arouse users’ protection behavior.

Originality/value

This paper embeds TTAT theory within the mobile security context. The authors extent TTAT by taking anticipated regret into consideration to capture emotional-based coping appraisal, and information security awareness is employed as the antecedent factor. The extent offers a useful starting point for the further empirical study of emotion elements in the information security context.
Running the risk IT – more perception and less probabilities in uncertain systems
Authors: Munteanu Adrian
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This study aims to argue that in the case of quantitative security risk assessment, individuals do not estimate probabilities as a likelihood measure of event occurrence.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the most commonly used quantitative assessment approach, the annualized loss expectancy (ALE), to support the three research hypotheses.

Findings

The estimated probabilities used in quantitative models are subjective.

Research limitations/implications

The ALE model used in security risk assessment, although it is presented in the literature as quantitative, is, in fact, qualitative being influenced by bias.

Practical implications

The study provides a factual basis showing that quantitative assessment is neither realistic nor practical to the real world.

Originality/value

A model that cannot be tested experimentally is not a scientific model. In fact, the probability used in ISRM is an empirical probability or estimator of a probability because it estimates probabilities from experience and observation.
The case for sustained investment in state longitudinal integrated data systems
Authors: Zhang Ting
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the value of extended time span coverage of state longitudinal education and workforce data system to inform and improve the effectiveness of future high impact expenditure decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

It used an analytical 29-year data file created by the author that links seven already-in-place education and workforce administrative record sources. Relying on the path dependency theory, multi-level mixed-effect logistic and multi-level mixed-effect linear regression models are used to test three hypotheses.

Findings

The findings are consistent with the hypotheses: inclusion of the multiple steps along a post-secondary education pathway and prior job histories are both critical to understanding workforce outcomes mechanisms; it takes time for the employment outcome effect to be evident and strong following education attainment.

Practical implications

The study concludes with research limitations and implications for decision makers to call for retaining and investing in administrative records with extended time span coverage, particularly for the already-in-place historical administrative records.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first to demonstrate the value of extended time span coverage in a longitudinal state integrated data system through econometric modeling, using longitudinally integrated data linking seven administrative records covering continuously for 29 years. No matter for prior education or employment pathway, it is only through extended time span coverage that employment outcomes can be well measured and the rich nuances interpreting the mechanisms of education return on investment can be revealed.
Flexible pay systems and labour productivity
Authors: Antonietti Roberto , Antonioli Davide , Pini Paolo
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the link between flexible pay systems (FPS) and labor productivity, also looking at which factors drive firms to adopt such wage schemes.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is conducted on an original sample extracted from a firm-level survey on manufacturing firms with at least 20 employees in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. A two-stage model is adopted to mitigate potential self-selection into FPS adoption.

Findings

The results show that the adoption of a FPS is linked to the unions’ involvement and organizational changes within firms, supporting the idea that a FPS is not simply a risk-sharing mechanism, but part of a more complex strategy to increase workers’ flexibility and autonomy. The relationship between FPS and labor productivity concerns a traditional form of premiums intended for individual employees and linked simply to “effort improvement and control” motives and to the firm’s “ability to pay.” Productivity also increases after adoptingex-antepayment systems that focus on developing employees’ participation and competences.

Research limitations/implications

The main findings have two important implications. In the personnel economics literature, the authors stress the complementarity among different organizational practices and their role in making firms more competitive. The authors also attribute an additional role to flexible payment systems, which can be seen not just as a way to make employees work harder, but also as the means by which the effect of organizational changes on labor productivity materializes.

Social implications

From the policy perspective, the results show that non-price incentives are as important as price incentives for achieving higher productivity targets. Firms’ competitiveness is the outcome not only of a higher worker effort and lower labor costs, but also of the adoption of managerial and organizational innovations to promote skill development, learning, and union involvement.

Originality/value

The analysis has two elements of novelty: first, the distinction between a broad array of human resource management practices in both production and labor management; and second, the analysis of different types of flexible payment systems:ex post,ex ante, individual, team-based, and mixed.
Do gender differences in career aspirations contribute to sticky floors?
Authors: Deschacht Nick , De Pauw Ann-Sophie , Baert Stijn
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test hypotheses regarding the importance of employee preferences in explaining sticky floors, the pattern that women are, compared to men, less likely to start to climb the job ladder.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use original data obtained using a survey and a vignette study in which participants had to score the likeliness with which they would accept job offers with different promotion characteristics.

Findings

The main findings are that young female professionals have a less pronounced preference for more demanding and less routinary jobs and that this effect is mediated by the greater risk aversion and anticipated gender discrimination among women. No gender differences were found in the relative likeliness to apply for jobs that involve a promotion in terms of job authority.

Research limitations/implications

The vignette method assumes that artificial settings with low stakes do not bias results. Another limitation follows from the focus on inter-organizational promotions among young professionals, which raises the question to what extent the results can be generalized to broader settings.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on gender differences in careers by measuring the impact of employee preferences on gender differences in career decisions.
Predicting social networking sites continuance intention through alternative services
Authors: Sibona Christopher , Cummings Jeff , Scott Judy
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Social networking sites (SNSs) continue to grow in popularity with competition in the market growing as well. The purpose of this paper is to examine three research questions to determine how competition within the SNS area may affect the continuance intention on the incumbent SNS, Facebook. The first question examines the relationship between having an account on one of the four different SNSs and the impact on continuance intention. The second question examines attitudes toward specific alternatives and continuance intention on the incumbent SNS. The third question takes a broader examination of general attitudes about alternative attractiveness and attitude toward switching to predict continuance intention. A post hoc analysis was conducted to further understand the impact of specific SNS alternative attitudes on general attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey of 918 users, this research examines the three questions using various methods including ANCOVA to examine question 1 and multiple structural equation models to examine questions 2, 3 and the post hoc analysis.

Findings

The analysis of the models suggests that both alternative attractiveness and attitude toward switching have the greatest impact on the continuance intention of the incumbent site. Specific sites were found to be complements or substitutes for the incumbent. The viewing of the specific alternative site as an alternative to Facebook had a negative impact on continuance intention. The general model of alternative attractiveness and attitude toward switching explained a moderate to substantial amount of continuance intention.

Originality/value

Although use and abandonment of SNSs have been examined extensively, minimal attention has been given to the impact that alternative SNSs have on continuance intentions of a user’s primary SNS.
Applying DEMATEL to assess TRIZ’s inventive principles for resolving contradictions in the long-term care cloud system
Authors: Chang Dong-Shang , Liu Shu-Ming , Chen Yi-Chun
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find the key innovative principles for evaluating the long-term care (LTC) cloud system by exploring contradictory and complex points in its development.

Design/methodology/approach

The theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approaches are integrated to resolve complex contradictions in the system. The heuristic reasoning of TRIZ is applied to obtain innovation principles for an LTC cloud mining system. However, the importance and feasibility of these innovative principles require further assessment. In this study, DEMATEL is employed to clarify the complex relationships among the principles and evaluate their key influences.

Findings

This paper identifies six primary contradictions and derives 25 innovative principles for the resolution of these conflicts. Further analysis confirms three key innovative principles. First, the government should consider the overall planning of the cloud system platform, followed by the participation of other medical and LTC institutions. Second, the information capability of LTC institutions should be unified by recording the pathology data of care recipients to create an information exchange system. Third, LTC institutions should act in cooperation with medical institutions to provide professional medical capabilities.

Originality/value

The contributions of this paper are two-fold. First, this study provides an integrated methodology integrating the TRIZ and DEMATEL approaches to resolve LTC problems. Second, this research identifies the key innovative principles for developing an LTC cloud system in Taiwan.
The influences of advertisement attitude and brand attitude on purchase intention of smartphone advertising
Authors: Lee Eui-Bang , Lee Sang-Gun , Yang Chang-Gyu
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the purchase intention in the case of smartphone advertising, which is unlike any other advertising media.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines the characteristics of recent mobile advertisements such as brand attitude and context awareness value, which have not been considered in studies on non-mobile advertisements, to address purchase intention through smartphone advertisements using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results are as follows. Together with entertainment, information, irritation, and personalization in non-mobile advertisements, timing and location in mobile advertisements are the main factors for establishing consumers’ purchase intention. Further, although mobile advertisements’ context awareness value strongly impacts consumers’ advertising attitude and brand attitude, purchase intention receives greater impact from brand attitude than from advertising attitude because the products/services lack feel and touch.

Originality/value

These results imply that contextual advertising and new technology enabling feel and touch for products/services can maximize the effect of mobile advertisements.