bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on the characteristic decomposition components of air-insulated switchgear cabinet under partial discharge
Authors: Gui Yingang , Zhang Xiaoxing , Zhang Ying , Qiu Yinjun , Chen Lincong
Published: July 2016

Air-insulated switchgear cabinet plays a critical role in entire power transmission and distribution system. Its stability directly affects the operational reliability of the power system. And the on-line gas detection method, which evaluates the insulation status of insulation equipment by detecting the decomposition components of filled air in cabinet, becomes an innovative way to ensure the running stability of air-insulated switchgear cabinet. In order to study the characteristic gas types and production regularity of decomposition components under partial discharge, three insulation defects: needle-plate, air-gap and impurity defect are proposed to simulate the insulation defects under partial discharge in air-insulated switchgear cabinet. Firstly, the generation pathways and mechanism of composition components are discussed. Then CO and NO2 are selected as the characteristic decomposition components to characterize the partial discharge due to their high concentration and chemical stability. Based on the different change regularity of CO and NO2 concentration under different insulation defect, it provides an effective way to evaluate and predict the insulation defect type and severity in the field.
Loving and hating the movies in English, German and Spanish
Authors: Taboada Maite , Carretero Marta , Hinnell Jennifer
Published: July 2016

We present a quantitative analysis of evaluative language in a genre in which it is particularly prominent, that of movie reviews. The data chosen are non-professional consumer-generated reviews written in English, German and Spanish. The reviews are analysed in terms of the categories of Attitude and Graduation within the Appraisal framework (Martin and White, 2005). A number of similarities in the distribution of the Appraisal subcategories were found across the three languages, such as the high frequency of Appreciation and the narrow relationship between the global polarity of the reviews and the individual polarity of the spans. More importantly, the analysis uncovers a number of cross-linguistic distributional differences, which may be explained in terms of a wide array of factors, such as lexicogrammar, word order, argumentative style or sociocultural reasons.
A Cognitive Grammar of Japanese Clause Structure
Authors: Kumashiro Toshiyuki
Published: July 2016

This volume represents the first comprehensive work on Japanese clause structure conducted within the framework of Cognitive Grammar. The author proposes schematic conceptual structures for the major constructions in the language and defines Japanese case marking and grammatical relations in purely conceptual terms. The work thus makes a convincing case for the conceptual basis of grammar, thereby constituting a strong argument against the autonomy of syntax hypothesis of Generative Grammar.
The volume should be of interest to any researcher wishing to know how Cognitive Grammar, whose primary focus has been on the non-syntactic aspects of language, can explain the clausal structure of a given language in a detailed, comprehensive, yet unifying manner. In addition to its theoretical findings, the volume contains a number of revealing analyses and interpretations of Japanese data, which should be of great interest to all Japanese linguists, irrespective of their theoretical persuasions.
Literacy Acquisition in School in the Context of Migration and Multilingualism
Authors: Sürig Inken , Şimşek Yazgül , Schroeder Christoph , Boness Anja
Published: July 2016

This book presents the outcomes of a multi-methodical investigation of the processes of literacy acquisition. The focus is on mono- and bilingual first- and seventh-graders in schools in socially underprivileged areas of two major cities in Turkey and Germany. By means of extensive analyses of lesson videos, linguistic tests, interviews and ethnographic research, social, cultural, linguistic, pedagogic and didactic differences on the international, national, local and individual level are aligned with the momentary problem of exercising a school lesson and acquiring literacy on a daily basis. The results contradict to some degree that cultural and linguistic differences actually make a huge difference in the organisation and process of literacy acquisition. With the interdisciplinary background of the book, it addresses academics concerned with migration sociology, migration linguistics, classroom research, and bilingual education. In a broader perspective, the book contributes to the pedagogically and politically significant question how social and cultural characteristics of specific groups are stereotyped and partly unjustly combined in order to reach symbolic solutions for actual problems.
Sentential proforms and argument conditionals
Authors: Schwabe Kerstin
Published: July 2016

The paper is about the relationship between German argument wenn-clauses and their proforms as in Lea bedauert es, wenn Mia Klavier spielt ‘Lea regrets it if Mia plays the piano’. Confirming and complementing Fabricius-Hansen’s (1980) view that these clauses are proper adverbials and simultaneously provide a propositional argument for a matrix predicate, the paper regards argument wenn-clauses as left- or right TP-adjuncts that m-command a sentential proform. It shows that the proform can also be pro if it represents an obligatory propositional argument. This pro is locally m-bound by the argument wenn-clause and itself locally m-binds an argument dass-clause. The latter is a right vP-adjunct and can be deleted if it is coreferential with the argument wenn-clause, if both are alike with respect to their information structural status, if they are identical with respect to their C’, and if they are adjacent.
Rethinking clausal asymmetries
Authors: Brandtler Johan , Molnár Valéria
Published: July 2016

This paper proposes a theoretically minimal analysis of cataphoric propositional pronoun insertion in complex sentences in Hungarian, based on the realization of the SpecCP in the embedded clause. In accordance with Chomsky (2008), we assume that the derivation of SpecCP results from the instantiation of the edge-feature in C. We argue that syntax universally provides two clause types: those with an edge-feature (EF) in C, and those lacking an edge-feature in C. As propositional pronoun insertion is dependent on the availability of SpecCP, it is only possible in [+EF]-clauses. In our modular framework, we regard the EF as semantically vacuous, although it can be associated with different semantic contents in different languages. In Hungarian, the semantic content of the EF can be rendered in terms of predicationality. As we demonstrate, pronoun insertion has information-structural effects in Hungarian, a fact that can be seen as an immediate consequence of the claimed correlation between the EF and predicationality.
Formal linguistic approaches to heritage language acquisition
Authors: Rothman Jason , Tsimpli Ianthi Maria , Pascual y Cabo Diego
Published: July 2016

The goal of this chapter is to lay out the central themes of heritage language acquisition research adopting a formal/theoretical linguistic perspective. Specifically, we aim to provide a detailed discussion of the nature of heritage language grammars. In doing so, we will address the debates on how to explain heritage speaker competence differences from monolingual baselines and more. This chapter will not be limited to discussions of Spanish as a heritage language, but rather will highlight the important role that Spanish has played and will continue to play in the development of heritage language acquisition studies. Finally, we will offer some comments/insights on how the information covered regarding the formal linguistic properties of heritage speaker knowledge should be considered for and implemented in heritage language pedagogies and thus dealing with heritage speakers in the classroom setting.
Heritage language healing? Learners’ attitudes and damage control in a heritage language classroom
Authors: Sánchez Muñoz Ana
Published: July 2016

‘Pa’ lo que sirve el español, ya lo hablo suficiente (I speak Spanish well enough for what it [the language] is good for). This statement was shared in class by one student of Spanish as a heritage language when the professor challenged him to be more engaged in classroom discussions and activities. The sentiment that Spanish is not as valuable as other languages “to get ahead in this world” is not a rare predisposition among heritage language learners when they first enroll in a Spanish course. A primary challenge in the heritage language classroom is, first of all, to shift students’ attitudes from a utilitarian perspective (Spanish is only good for home and for grandma’s consejos) to a more positive attitude conducive to expanding registers and improving academic skills in Spanish. This challenge is related to students’ response as well as reproduction of social values assigned to certain languages, specifically to some varieties of a language. For example, the vernacular variety of Spanish that learners come with to the language classroom has traditionally been stigmatized in non-heritage courses. The societal indexing of the home language can lead to linguistic insecurity, inhibition and ultimately an abandonment or rejection of the heritage language by younger generations (Beaudrie & Fairclough, 2012; Schwarzer & Petron, 2005). This chapter investigates the oral discourse as well as the linguistic attitudes of Latino/a speakers of Spanish in a heritage language classroom. The results shed light on heritage speakers’ linguistic confidence and its relation to the heritage language course. Based on the link between motivation and language maintenance, this paper argues that the main goal of a heritage language class should be to help speakers develop linguistic awareness and increased confidence while validating their own vernacular variety.
Incorporating formative assessment in Iranian EFL writing: a case study
Authors: Naghdipour Bakhtiar
Published: July 2016

Undergraduate students' experience of assessment in universities is usually of summative assessment which provides only limited information to help students improve their performance. By contrast, formative assessment is informative and forward‐looking, possessing the leverage to inform students of their day‐to‐day progress and inform teachers of how to better tailor their instruction to students' immediate learning needs. Despite these potentials, studies carried out on the use of formative assessment in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts are somehow rare. The current study reports on incorporating formative assessment in an L2 writing course in Iran. The analysis of data from pre‐ and post‐study writing tasks, pre‐ and post‐study questionnaires, and semi‐structured interviews revealed that first‐year undergraduate students were offered opportunities to improve various aspects of their writing and to develop positive attitudes toward writing as well as formative assessment. However, the students reported several challenges that could have implications for the further implementation of formative assessment in similar contexts.
Sensitivity of Colletotrichum Species, Including C. fioriniae and C. nymphaeae, from Peach to Demethylation Inhibitor Fungicides
Authors: Chen S. N. , Luo C. X. , Hu M. J. , Schnabel G.
Published: July 2016

Few fungicides are effective against anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum spp., and emerging resistance makes the search for chemical alternatives more relevant. Isolates of the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex were collected from South Carolina and Georgia peach orchards and phylogenetic analysis of the combined internal transcribed spacer region, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and β-tubulin gene sequences separated the isolates into C. nymphaeae and C. fioriniae. The sensitivity of these and three other previously reported Colletotrichum spp. from peach, including C. fructicola, C. siamense, and C. truncatum, to demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides difenoconazole, propiconazole, tebuconazole, metconazole, flutriafol, and fenbuconazole was determined based upon mycelial growth inhibition. C. truncatum was resistant to tebuconazole, metconazole, flutriafol, and fenbuconazole and C. nymphaeae was resistant to flutriafol and fenbuconazole based on 50% effective concentration (EC50) values >100 μg/ml. C. fructicola and C. siamense were sensitive to all DMI fungicides (EC50 values of 0.2 to 13.1 μg/ml). C. fioriniae subgroup 2 isolates were less sensitive to DMI fungicides (EC50 values of 0.5 to 16.2 μg/ml) compared with C. fioriniae subgroup 1 (EC50 values of 0.03 to 2.1 μg/ml). Difenoconazole and propiconazole provided the best control efficacy in vitro to all five species, with EC50 values of 0.2 to 2.7 μg/ml. Tebuconazole and metconazole were effective against all Colletotrichum spp., except for C. truncatum. The strong in vitro activity of some DMI fungicides against Colletotrichum spp. may be exploited for improved anthracnose disease management of peach.
Botryosphaeriaceae Species Associated With Cankers and Dieback Symptoms of Acacia mangium and Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in Venezuela
Authors: Úrbez-Torres J. R. , Castro-Medina F. , Mohali S. R. , Gubler W. D.
Published: July 2016

Several species in the Botryosphaeriaceae family cause wood stain, cankers, and dieback of trunks and branches in a wide range of forest tree species. The aim of this study was to characterize the botryosphaeriaceous fungi associated with decline symptoms observed in Acacia mangium and Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis, two economically important forest tree species grown in commercial plantations in Venezuela. Fungi isolated from symptomatic samples collected from both hosts in commercial sites were identified based on their morphology and DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and part of the β-tubulin and translation elongation factor 1-α genes. Lasiodiplodia theobromae and L. venezuelensis were routinely isolated from A. mangium and P. caribaea var. hondurensis. Additionally, the novel species Diplodia guayanensis was isolated and characterized from symptomatic and asymptomatic tissues of A. mangium. Multigene phylogenetic analyses along with restriction fragment length polymorphism studies further supported the identification of these species. A pathogenicity study was conducted under natural conditions and 12 weeks after inoculation all Botryosphaeriaceae spp. were shown to be highly virulent on A. mangium. Contrary, no lesions were observed in the wood of P. caribaea var. hondurensis when inoculated with L. theobromae and L. venezuelensis. However, both species were consistently reisolated from the asymptomatic tissue beyond the inoculation point. This study contributes to a better understand the role that species in the Botryosphaeriaceae play on disease symptoms and dieback of A. mangium and P. caribaea var. hondurensis from plantations in eastern Venezuela.
Chemical Control of Black Scorch Disease on Date Palm Caused by the Fungal Pathogen Thielaviopsis punctulata in United Arab Emirates
Authors: Saeed Esam Eldin , Sham Arjun , El-Tarabily Khaled , Abu Elsamen Firas , Iratni Rabah , AbuQamar Synan F.
Published: July 2016

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is one of the most important plants grown for its edible fruit. Palm diseases are among the major factors affecting its growth and productivity. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the causal agent of black scorch on date palm was found to be Thielaviopsis punctulata. The pathogen was isolated from all tissues of diseased trees affected by the virulent T. punctulata. Depending on the severity of the infection, symptoms included tissue necrosis, wilting, neck bending, death of terminal buds, and eventual plant mortality. This fungus, which was consistently isolated on potato dextrose agar from infected tissues, produced two types of conidia: the thick-walled aleuroconidia (chlamydospores) and phialoconidia (endoconidia). In addition, all target regions of 5.8S ribosomal RNA, 28S ribosomal DNA, β-tubulin, and transcription elongation factor 1-α genes of the pathogen were amplified using polymerase chain reaction. We also found that the fungicide Score inhibited the mycelial growth of T. punctulata both in vitro and in vivo. Altogether, the morphology of the fruiting structures, pathogenicity tests, and molecular identification confirmed that the causal agent of symptomatic tissues is T. punctulata. This is the first report of the black scorch disease and the fungus T. punctulata on date palm in the UAE.
A GSA-based adaptive fuzzy PID-controller for an active suspension system
Authors: Chao Chun-Tang , Liu Ming-Tang , Chiou Juing-Shian , Huang Yi-Jung , Wang Chi-Jo
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel design for determining the optimal hybrid fuzzy PID-controller of an active automobile suspension system, employing the gravitational search algorithm (GSA).

Design/methodology/approach

– The hybrid fuzzy PID-controller structure is an improvement to fuzzy PID-controller by incorporating a fast learning PID-controller.

Findings

– The GSA can adjust the parameters of the PID-controller to achieve the optimal performance.

Research limitations/implications

– The GSA may have the advantage of quick convergence, but the required computation may be intensive.

Practical implications

– The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach on active automobile suspension system.

Originality/value

– In order to demonstrate the theoretical guarantee of the proposed method, comparisons with particle swarm optimization or other methods has also been carried out.
Online piracy: an emergent segment of the shadow economy. Empirical insight from Poland
Authors: Mróz Bogdan
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the underlying causes, scale and scope as well as the effects of piracy as a form of the shadow economy throughout Poland, drawing on the findings of secondary studies and author’s questionnaire survey conducted in summer 2013.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire survey was accomplished using the computer-assisted Web interview method and real-time sampling technique, in June 2013. The survey involved 1,000 persons aged 15 years and older.

Findings

Polish consumers use pirated content, products and services primarily for financial reasons: 73 per cent of respondents point out to high prices of original products, while more than half (56 per cent) points at low incomes of Polish consumers. A significant percentage of respondents (over one-third) indicates the easiness of access to pirated goods and services. The most common activity among Polish internet users is to copy pirated music files (almost 40 per cent of internet users admit to that) and films (including watching the series in the network to which approximately 35 per cent of respondents confess to). These two kinds of files are also copied the most often – about 20 per cent of the respondents copy them once a month or more often. One-fourth of the respondents admit to copying pirated computer programs. The findings from the survey reveal that young Polish internet users demonstrate a rather permissive attitude towards online piracy that involves downloading music files or video and sharing them with other network users.

Research limitations/implications

The questionnaire survey did not cover all aspects of online purchasing behaviour of Polish internet users. The findings of the survey should be approached with some caution, given the intricate and sensitive nature of the research problématique.

Practical implications

Regulations regarding online purchases of goods and services are not attuned to the digital reality, which is exploited by online intermediaries. The research findings highlighted the motivational and behavioural aspects of Poles’ online consumer behaviour, thus providing useful tips to curb online piracy.

Social implications

The implementation of relevant regulations to ensure respect and protection for intellectual property rights on the internet in Polish as well as EU legislation has acquired a rare immediacy and may reduce the scope of online piracy and other manifestations of shadow economy in the cyberspace.

Originality/value

An empirical insight into the online piracy among Polish internet users providing first-hand knowledge regarding their motivation and behavioural patterns.
General strain and procedural justice in retail banking
Authors: Leasure Peter
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the current study is to examine the applicability of general strain and procedural justice theories to retail banking deviance in an effort to improve compliance programs.

Design/methodology/approach

This objective is achieved through a qualitative case study of active members of the retail banking industry guided by three research questions. First, how do participants view their companies' current compliance programs? Second, what types of crime or deviance are present in the data in which general strain and procedural justice theories are indicated? Third, what ethics and compliance recommendations can be made from the identified deviance and underlying theories?

Findings

Results indicate that current ethics and compliance programs are viewed as having serious flaws. Results also show the presence of a large amount of fraud based deviance in which both general strain and procedural justice theories seem to be implicated. Specific compliance enhancements are proposed in light of these findings.

Originality/value

The current study is one of the first to examine white collar crime deviance and ethics and compliance programs in the retail banking industry. Conducting research in specific industries is key as findings from a study in a particular industry may not extrapolate to another. Further, the current study uses a qualitative approach, which allows a deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms, with participants who have committed some form of deviance and are active members in their industry. Because of this fact, this study has the potential to provide new and different insights than a study conducted using students or other such participants and hypothetical scenarios.
Collaborating internationally on physician leadership education: first steps
Authors: Matlow Anne , Chan Ming-Ka , Bohnen Jordan David , Blumenthal Daniel Mark , Sánchez-Mendiola Melchor , de Camps Meschino Diane , Samson Lindy Michelle , Busari Jamiu
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Physicians are often ill-equipped for the leadership activities their work demands. In part, this is due to a gap in traditional medical education. An emergent international network is developing a globally relevant leadership curriculum for postgraduate medical education. The purpose of this article is to share key learnings from this process to date.

Design/methodology/approach

The Toronto International Summit on Leadership Education for Physicians (TISLEP) was hosted by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Of 64 attendees from eight countries, 34 joined working groups to develop leadership competencies. The CanMEDS Competency Framework, stage of learner development and venue of learning formed the scaffold for the work. Emotional intelligence was selected as the topic to test the feasibility of fruitful international collaboration; results were presented at TISLEP 2015.

Findings

Dedicated international stakeholders engaged actively and constructively through defined working groups to develop a globally relevant, competency-based curriculum for physician leadership education. Eleven principles are recommended for consideration in physician leadership curriculum development. Defining common language and taxonomy is essential for a harmonized product. The importance of establishing an international network to support implementation, evaluation, sustainability and dissemination of the work was underscored.

Originality/value

International stakeholders are collaborating successfully on a graduated, competency-based leadership curriculum for postgraduate medical learners. The final product will be available for adaptation to local needs. An international physician leadership education network is being developed to support and expand the work underway.
Chinese culture in tourist research: a review and comparison of Chinese and English studies in 1993-2012
Authors: Li Junju , Lu Ying (Tracy)
Published: July 2016

Purpose

With the worldwide growth of the Chinese tourism market, a number of studies have emerged, that attempt to understand the phenomenon, including the influence of Chinese culture on Chinese tourist behavior. This research aims to answer four questions: How has Chinese culture been adopted in tourism literature? What is the current state of tourism research on Chinese culture? What are the similarities, differences and research gaps between international and Chinese studies in this area of investigation? What are the directions that future tourism research will take?

Design/methodology/approach

The articles for this systematic review were published in major international hospitality and tourism journals and Chinese journals over a period of 20 years (1993-2012). A meta-review was carried out on 80 Chinese and English tourism literature dating from 1993 to 2012.

Findings

This review showed that Chinese culture has been fragmentally operationalized due to underdeveloped Chinese cultural theories in tourism, independent and unrelated extant cultural systems and perspectives and lack of empirical testing for theory development. Two major theoretical systems of Chinese culture in tourist research were revealed in this review: cross-cultural theory and traditional Chinese cultural framework. The current state of tourism research on Chinese culture was also analyzed. The similarities, differences and research gaps were identified between international and Chinese studies on this inquiry. Implications for future tourism research in this area were suggested.

Research limitations/implications

Unveiling the evolving research progress of a single culture helps to provide a deeper insight into how culture was used to analyze the behavior of individual tourist markets, and hence to better understand a particular tourist market.

Originality/value

This research has synthesized a wide range of literature to unveil the extant understanding of Chinese culture as reflected in Chinese tourists and outline the ways forward in this area of investigation.
The impacts of customers’ observed severity and agreement on hotel booking intentions: moderating role of webcare and mediating role of trust in negative online reviews
Authors: S. Sreejesh , M.R. Anusree
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to examine the conditional role of webcare as a service failure recovery strategy on customers’ hotel booking intentions in presence of different levels of observed severity and review agreement. Furthermore, the study also examines the mechanism through which webcare can shape the adverse effect of observed severity and review agreement on hotel booking intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A 2 (severity: high or low) × 2 (agreement: high or low) × 2 (webcare: webcare or no webcare) between-subject experimental design was conducted to collect responses. Analyses of variance and moderated mediation analysis were performed to analyze the study data.

Findings

Prospective customers who observed high severe service failure from a review reported less booking intention. Further, customers’ observed agreement strengthened these behaviors, i.e. customers who are exposed to high severe service failure in high-agreement condition reported low booking intention, as compared to those who exposed to low review agreement condition. Furthermore, results supported the fact that use of appropriate webcare plays a significant role to shape or mitigate the negative effect of severity and agreement on hotel booking intentions via perceived trust.

Originality/value

This is the first in its stream of studies that examined how webcare can be used to tackle the adverse effects of observed severity and agreement, so that perceived trust would be formed to create hotel booking intention.
Agricultural markets and marketing policies
Authors: Griffith Garry , Watson Alistair
Published: July 2016

Agricultural markets and marketing policies in Australia have changed markedly in recent years. In part, this has occurred because of conscious deregulation of previous price support and stabilisation schemes. Occasionally, the changes occurred because of poor administration and spectacular default. Previous price and marketing policies schemes provided differential rates of assistance with adverse consequences for resource allocation. Pricing arrangements affected marketing institutions and marketing costs beyond the farm gate, domestically and internationally. The conceptual basis of agricultural marketing analysis was contested. Private and public roles were confused, including between Commonwealth and state governments. Key principles of agricultural marketing and policy development in Australia are illustrated in the paper by reference to commodities with different histories and economic characteristics: wool, wheat, dairying and meat. Special emphasis is given to market information and price discovery. In line with continuing urbanisation and modern logistics, retail marketing of agricultural products has also been transformed. This has become controversial as a policy issue. Competition issues, the economic behaviour and performance of supermarkets, and their effects on farmers and consumers are also introduced in the paper.
Withdrawing from Investment Treaties but Protecting Investment
Authors: Peinhardt Clint , Wellhausen Rachel L.
Published: July 2016

A backlash against Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), in which multinational corporations can sue governments, has led some states to unilaterally withdraw from some of the thousands of investment treaties that facilitate ISDS. But thanks to redundancies in the dense, decentralized network of investment treaties, states can reject some treaty commitments to ISDS and maintain most (if not all) international legal protections for foreign investors. In this article, we explain the source of redundancies, document the group of states that have taken advantage of unilateral withdrawal, and demonstrate that states can recalibrate their international legal commitments without eschewing contemporary international investment law.
The Promise and Pitfalls of Assembled Institutions: Lessons from the Global Environment Facility and UNAIDS
Authors: Graham Erin R.
Published: July 2016

Contemporary global governance architecture has been described as fragmented, incoherent, and inefficient. The mandates of prominent international organizations (IOs) often overlap and coordination is regarded more as the exception than the rule. In this context, international institutions designed with an explicit coordination mandate hold significant promise. These assembled institutions (AIs), like the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNAIDS, formally incorporate IOs in their designs and seek to coordinate and bring coherence to their work in a given issue area. Although praised for their bold and innovative designs, little scholarly work has assessed the success of these institutions in fulfilling coordination mandates. The paper introduces AIs as an organizational form and sheds light on two challenges they face that provide barriers to coordination. First, concerns regarding status and material losses may cause relevant IOs to resist coordination despite ostensibly opting in to participate in the assembled institution. Second, the governing bodies of assembled institutions are weak relative to the prominent IOs incorporated in their designs. The home governing bodies of these institutions often do little to reinforce the importance of coordination, hampering performance. These challenges are illustrated in the case of the GEF and UNAIDS.
Mangrove leaf litter decomposition under mangrove forest stands with different levels of pollution in the Niger River Delta, Nigeria
Authors: Numbere Aroloye O. , Camilo Gerardo R.
Published: July 2016

Nutrient cycling often moves between litter fall and decomposition. It is hypothesized that hydrocarbon pollution will slow down mangrove litter decomposition because of the reduction in microbial activities. We studied decomposition rates at different levels of pollution (i.e. high and low) and amongst different mangrove species (i.e. red, white and black). For the first experiment, fresh leaves of Rhizophora racemosa were collected, sealed in a litter bag and placed on the mangrove floor for 1.24 years at which all the leaves had completely decomposed to humus and were oven‐dried and weighed to calculate the decomposition rate constant (k) of mass loss. Although there was no significant difference in the rate of decomposition (P > 0.05), leaves at the highly polluted plot had lower rate of decomposition (6.58 × 10−4) when compared to leaves at the lowly polluted plot (1.75 × 10−3). In the second experiment, there was a significant difference in decomposition rates amongst species (P < 0.05). Red mangrove leaves (0.41) decomposed more than white (0.28) and black (0.28) mangrove leaves. This implies that hydrocarbon pollution slowed, but did not stop the decomposition of mangrove leaves.
Management of pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: Could we do better?
Authors: Helou Amyna , Walker Susan , Stewart Kay , George Johnson
Published: July 2016

Background

Hypertensive disorders are among the most common medical problems in pregnancy. Compliance with clinical practice guidelines has potential to translate to significant maternal and perinatal health benefits.

Aims

To evaluate compliance with Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand (SOMANZ) clinical guidelines for management of hypertension during pregnancy.

Methods

Inclusion criteria: women with hypertension in pregnancy who gave birth at a tertiary obstetric centre in 2010. Compliance with SOMANZ guidelines was assessed, as well as uptake of findings from the ‘Induction of labour versus expectant monitoring for mild gestational hypertension/pre‐eclampsia after 36 weeks’ gestation’ (HYPITAT) trial.

Results

Of 5624 women, 516 (9.2%) were identified with hypertension (49 chronic hypertension (CH); 457 gestational hypertension (GH) or pre‐eclampsia (PE)). Thresholds to diagnose hypertension and initiate anti‐hypertensive treatment were consistent with SOMANZ recommendations. Among women with CH, only 12.2% were prescribed aspirin prior to 16 weeks as PE prophylaxis. Of women with PE, 37 (18.6%) had known risk factors for development of PE at the initial visit yet only nine (24.3%) received aspirin. Of the 244 women who met HYPITAT inclusion criteria at 36 weeks, 174 (77.7%) were managed expectantly; nine (5.2%) developed severe adverse outcomes.

Conclusion

Current management guidelines for hypertension treatment were generally followed, although aspirin prophylaxis was frequently overlooked, resulting in up to 19 excess PE cases. Uptake of recommendations from the HYPITAT trial was low; however, severe complications were fewer than expected. Overall, this suggests that clinicians appropriately weigh up the likely maternal risk compared to infant benefits of deferred delivery in each case, a key recommendation of HYPITAT‐II.
Randomised clinical trial: the efficacy of gut‐directed hypnotherapy is similar to that of the low FODMAP diet for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Peters S. L. , Yao C. K. , Philpott H. , Yelland G. W. , Muir J. G. , Gibson P. R.
Published: July 2016

Background

A low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diet is effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Aim

To compare the effects of gut‐directed hypnotherapy to the low FODMAP diet on gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological indices, and assess additive effects.

Methods

Irritable bowel syndrome patients were randomised (computer‐generated list), to receive hypnotherapy, diet or a combination. Primary end‐point: change in overall gastrointestinal symptoms across the three groups from baseline to week 6. Secondary end‐points: changes in psychological indices, and the durability of effects over 6 months.

Results

Of 74 participants, 25 received hypnotherapy, 24 diet and 25 combination. There were no demographic differences at baseline across groups. Improvements in overall symptoms were observed from baseline to week 6 for hypnotherapy [mean difference (95% CI): −33 (−41 to −25)], diet [−30 (−42 to −19)] and combination [−36 (−45 to −27)] with no difference across groups (P = 0.67). This represented ≥20 mm improvement on visual analogue scale in 72%, 71% and 72%, respectively. This improvement relative to baseline symptoms was maintained 6 months post‐treatment in 74%, 82% and 54%. Individual gastrointestinal symptoms similarly improved. Hypnotherapy resulted in superior improvements on psychological indices with mean change from baseline to 6 months in State Trait Personality Inventory trait anxiety of −4(95% CI −6 to −2) P < 0.0001; −1(−3 to 0.3) P = ns; and 0.3(−2 to 2) P = ns, and in trait depression of −3(−5 to −0.7) P = 0.011; −0.8(−2 to 0.2) P = ns; and 0.6(−2 to 3) P = ns, respectively. Groups improved similarly for QOL (all p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions

Durable effects of gut‐directed hypnotherapy are similar to those of the low FODMAP diet for relief of gastrointestinal symptoms. Hypnotherapy has superior efficacy to the diet on psychological indices. No additive effects were observed.
Use of electronic health records by child primary healthcare providers in Europe
Authors: Grossman Z. , del Torso S. , van Esso D. , Ehrich J. H. H. , Altorjai P. , Mazur A. , Wyder C. , Neves A. M. , Dornbusch H. J. , Jaeger Roman E. , Santucci A. , Hadjipanayis A.
Published: July 2016

Background

There is limited data on the use and functionality level of electronic health records (EHRs) supporting primary child health care in Europe. Our objective was to determine European primary child healthcare providers' use of EHRs, and functionality level of the systems used.

Methods

European primary care paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and family doctors were invited by European Academy of Paediatrics Research in Ambulatory Setting Network (EAPRASnet) country coordinators to complete a web‐based survey on the use of EHRs and the systems' functionalities. Binomial logistic analysis has been used to evaluate the effect of specialty and type of practice on the use of EHRs.

Results

The survey was completed by 679 child primary healthcare providers (response rate 53%). Five hundred and fifty four responses coming from 10 predominant countries were taken for further analysis. EHR use by respondents varied widely between countries, all electronic type use ranging between 7% and 97%. There was no significant difference in EHR use between group practice and solo practitioners, or between family doctors and primary care paediatricians. History and physical examination can be properly recorded by respondents in most countries. However, growth chart plotting capacity in some countries ranges between 22% and 50%. Vaccination recording capacity varies between 50% and 100%, and data exchange capacity with immunization databases is mostly limited, ranging between 0% and 54%.

Conclusions

There is marked heterogeneity in the use and functionalities of EHRs used among child primary child healthcare providers in Europe. More importantly, lack of critical paediatric supportive functionalities like growth tracking and vaccination status has been documented in some countries. There is a need to explore the reasons for these findings, and to develop a cross European paediatric EHR standards.
Bank Diversification and Overall Financial Strength: International Evidence
Authors: Doumpos Michael , Gaganis Chrysovalantis , Pasiouras Fotios
Published: July 2016

There are many studies in the finance and management literature that examine the impact of diversification on performance. Yet, the literature remains inconclusive as for the potential benefits in terms of risk and return. The present study aims to re‐examine this issue, while proposing a methodological framework that integrates various bank performance and risk indicators into a single measure of financial strength. Using an international sample of commercial banks, we find that diversification in terms of income, earning assets, and on‐ and off‐balance sheet activities influences positively their financial strength. We also find that income diversification can be more beneficial for banks operating in less developed countries compared to banks in advanced and major advanced economies. However, we observe the opposite in the case of diversification between off‐balance sheet and on‐balance sheet activities. Furthermore, the results reveal that income and earning assets diversification can mitigate the adverse effect of the financial crisis on bank financial strength. We continue to find a positive relationship between diversification and financial strength when we account for nesting effects, endogeneity, as well as when using an alternative approach for the construction of the financial strength indicator.
Contrasting ecosystem CO2 fluxes of inland and coastal wetlands: a meta‐analysis of eddy covariance data
Authors: Lu Weizhi , Xiao Jingfeng , Liu Fang , Zhang Yue , Liu Chang'an , Lin Guanghui
Published: July 2016

Wetlands play an important role in regulating the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and thus affecting the climate. However, there is still lack of quantitative evaluation of such a role across different wetland types, especially at the global scale. Here, we conducted a meta‐analysis to compare ecosystem CO2 fluxes among various types of wetlands using a global database compiled from the literature. This database consists of 143 site‐years of eddy covariance data from 22 inland wetland and 21 coastal wetland sites across the globe. Coastal wetlands had higher annual gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Re), and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) than inland wetlands. On a per unit area basis, coastal wetlands provided large CO2 sinks, while inland wetlands provided small CO2 sinks or were nearly CO2 neutral. The annual CO2 sink strength was 93.15 and 208.37 g C m−2 for inland and coastal wetlands, respectively. Annual CO2 fluxes were mainly regulated by mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP). For coastal and inland wetlands combined, MAT and MAP explained 71%, 54%, and 57% of the variations in GPP, Re, and NEP, respectively. The CO2 fluxes of wetlands were also related to leaf area index (LAI). The CO2 fluxes also varied with water table depth (WTD), although the effects of WTD were not statistically significant. NEP was jointly determined by GPP and Re for both inland and coastal wetlands. However, the NEP/Re and NEP/GPP ratios exhibited little variability for inland wetlands and decreased for coastal wetlands with increasing latitude. The contrasting of CO2 fluxes between inland and coastal wetlands globally can improve our understanding of the roles of wetlands in the global C cycle. Our results also have implications for informing wetland management and climate change policymaking, for example, the efforts being made by international organizations and enterprises to restore coastal wetlands for enhancing blue carbon sinks.
Asymmetric Information under the Kafala Sponsorship System: Impacts on Foreign Domestic Workers’ Income and Employment Status in the GCC Countries
Authors: Malit Froilan T. , Naufal George
Published: July 2016

This article examines the legal and policy implications of information asymmetry for foreign domestic workers employed under the Kafala sponsorship system in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Drawing from ethnographic and field‐based observations in large GCC migrant destinations – including Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – we investigate the information flows and market uncertainties between five key stakeholders: labour‐receiving governments, labour‐sending governments, recruitment agencies (subagents), sponsors (employers), and social networks. Several factors contribute to asymmetric information: the lack of bilateral labour agreements and government policy coordination, programs between and among government entities, the absence of labour law for domestic workers, and the laissez faire approach of the labour‐receiving government. These sources of asymmetric information create serious market vulnerabilities for the domestic worker population, often resulting in loss of employment and early deportation. The concluding section further outlines policy implications and areas of methodological research on GCC migration.
Relationship between maceration and wound healing on diabetic foot ulcers in Indonesia: a prospective study
Authors: Haryanto Haryanto , Arisandi Defa , Suriadi Suriadi , Imran Imran , Ogai Kazuhiro , Sanada Hiromi , Okuwa Mayumi , Sugama Junko
Published: July 2016

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between maceration and wound healing. A prospective longitudinal design was used in this study. The wound condition determined the type of dressings used and the dressing change frequency. A total of 62 participants with diabetic foot ulcers (70 wounds) were divided into two groups: non‐macerated (n = 52) and macerated wounds (n = 18). Each group was evaluated weekly using the Bates–Jensen Wound Assessment Tool, with follow‐ups until week 4. The Mann–Whitney U test showed that the changes in the wound area in week 1 were faster in the non‐macerated group than the macerated group (P = 0·02). The Pearson correlation analysis showed a moderate correlation between maceration and wound healing from enrolment until week 4 (P = 0·002). After week 4, the Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the non‐macerated wounds healed significantly faster than the macerated wounds (log‐rank test = 19·378, P = 0·000). The Cox regression analysis confirmed that maceration was a significant and independent predictor of wound healing in this study (adjusted hazard ratio, 0·324; 95% CI, 0·131–0·799; P = 0·014). The results of this study demonstrated that there is a relationship between maceration and wound healing. Changes in the wound area can help predict the healing of wounds with maceration in clinical settings.