bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Agriculture of Early India
Authors: Murphy Charlene , Fuller Dorian Q.
Published: April 2017

South Asia possesses a unique Neolithic transition to agricultural domestication. India has received far less attention in the quest for evidence of early agriculture than other regions of the world traditionally recognized as “centers of domestication” such as southwest Asia, western Asia, China, Mesoamerica, South America, New Guinea, and Africa. Hunter-gatherers with agricultural production appeared around the middle of the Holocene, 4000 to 1500 bce, with the cultivation of domesticates and a correspondingly more sedentary lifestyle emerging at this time. Two thousand years ago South Asia was inhabited by farmers, with densely populated river valleys, coastal plains, urban populations, states, and even empires. While some of the crops that supported these civilizations had been introduced from other regions of the world, a large proportion of these crops had local origins from wild plants native to the subcontinent.

As a case study for the origins of agriculture, South Asia has much to offer archaeologists and environmental scientists alike for understanding domestication processes and local transitions from foraging to farming as well as the ways in which early farmers adapted to and transformed the environment and regional vegetation. Information exchange from distant farmers from other agricultural centers into the subcontinent cannot be ruled out. However, it is clear that local agricultural origins occurred via a series of processes, including the dispersal of pastoral and agro-pastoral peoples across regions, the local domestication of animals and plants and the adoption by indigenous hunter-gatherers of food production techniques from neighboring cultures. Indeed, it is posited that local domestication events in India were occurring alongside agricultural dispersals from other parts of the world in an interconnected mosaic of cultivation, pastoralism, and sedentism. As humans in South Asia increasingly relied on a more restricted range of plant species, they became entangled in an increasingly fixed trajectory that allowed greater food production levels to sustain larger populations and support their developing social, cultural and food traditions.
Research on the PA profession
Authors: Dehn Richard W. , Everett Christine M. , Hooker Roderick S.
Published: April 2017

Physician assistant (PA)-focused research arose in response to the idea that an assistant to the busy physician could improve healthcare delivery. The process of answering questions about the profession has involved multiple approaches and various scholarly disciplines. In the course of this undertaking, what emerged were three stages of examination of PA behavior. The bibliographic span from this period contains about 2,400 studies that advance some notion of PA benefit to society. On the 50th anniversary of the PA profession, a question arises as to what research has shown. The answer is that PAs are providing care at significant levels of quality and quantity and their presence is enriching many challenges in healthcare delivery. In an era where demand for medical services is outstripping supply, the good idea born in the 1960s is emerging as a medical innovation domestically and globally.
Three PAs talk about success in Mississippi
Authors: Harris Tristen A. , Butler Kenneth R.
Published: April 2017

This article gives the first-hand perspectives of three physician assistants (PAs) involved in the profession's years of struggle to gain practice authority in Mississippi. Through a series of questions and answers, each PA describes his or her part in the historical events that made Mississippi the final US state to regulate PAs.
Promoting Learning and Patient Care Through Shared Reflection: A Conceptual Framework for Team Reflexivity in Health Care
Authors: Schmutz Jan B. , Eppich Walter J.
Published: April 2017

Health care teams are groups of highly skilled experts who may often form inexpert teams because of a lack of collective competence. Because teamwork and collaboration form the foundation of effective clinical practice, factors that promote collective competence demand exploration. The authors review team reflexivity (TR), a concept from the psychology and management literatures, and how it could contribute to the collective competence of health care teams. TR captures a team’s ability to reflect collectively on group objectives, strategies, goals, processes, and outcomes of past, current, and future performance to process key information and adapt accordingly. As an overarching process that promotes team functioning, TR builds shared mental models as well as triggering team adaptation and learning.

The authors present a conceptual framework for TR in health care, describing three phases in which TR may occur: pre-action TR (briefing before patient care), in-action TR (deliberations during active patient care), and post-action TR (debriefing after patient care). Depending on the phase, TR targets either goals, taskwork, teamwork, or resources and leads to different outcomes (e.g., optimal preparation, a shared mental model, adaptation, or learning). This novel conceptual framework incorporates various constructs related to reflection and unites them under the umbrella of TR. Viewing reflection through a team lens may guide future research about team functioning, optimize training efforts, and elucidate mechanisms for workplace learning, with better patient care as the ultimate goal.
Learner, Patient, and Supervisor Features Are Associated With Different Types of Cognitive Load During Procedural Skills Training: Implications for Teaching and Instructional Design
Authors: Sewell Justin L. , Boscardin Christy K. , Young John Q. , ten Cate Olle , O’Sullivan Patricia S.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Cognitive load theory, focusing on limits of the working memory, is relevant to medical education; however, factors associated with cognitive load during procedural skills training are not well characterized. The authors sought to determine how features of learners, patients/tasks, settings, and supervisors were associated with three types of cognitive load among learners performing a specific procedure, colonoscopy, to identify implications for procedural teaching.

Method

Data were collected through an electronically administered survey sent to 1,061 U.S. gastroenterology fellows during the 2014–2015 academic year; 477 (45.0%) participated. Participants completed the survey immediately following a colonoscopy. Using multivariable linear regression analyses, the authors identified sets of features associated with intrinsic, extraneous, and germane loads.

Results

Features associated with intrinsic load included learners (prior experience and year in training negatively associated, fatigue positively associated) and patient/tasks (procedural complexity positively associated, better patient tolerance negatively associated). Features associated with extraneous load included learners (fatigue positively associated), setting (queue order positively associated), and supervisors (supervisor engagement and confidence negatively associated). Only one feature, supervisor engagement, was (positively) associated with germane load.

Conclusions

These data support practical recommendations for teaching procedural skills through the lens of cognitive load theory. To optimize intrinsic load, level of experience and competence of learners should be balanced with procedural complexity; part-task approaches and scaffolding may be beneficial. To reduce extraneous load, teachers should remain engaged, and factors within the procedural setting that may interfere with learning should be minimized. To optimize germane load, teachers should remain engaged.
Opposition to Obamacare: A Closer Look
Authors: Gordon Paul R. , Gray Laurel , Hollingsworth Alex , Shapiro Eve C. , Dalen James E.
Published: April 2017

Prior telephone surveys have reported two main reasons for opposition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA): distrust of government and opposition to the universal coverage mandate. The authors set out to elucidate the reasons for this opposition. This article describes how the authors used qualitative methods with semistructured interviewing as a principal investigative method to gather information from people they met while bicycling across the United States from April through July 2016. During this time, the authors conducted open-ended, semistructured conversations with people they met as they rode their bicycles from Washington, DC, to Seattle, Washington. Informants were chosen as a convenience sample. One hundred sixteen individuals participated as informants. The majority of comments were negative toward the ACA. Conversations were categorized into four themes, which included the following: (1) The ACA has increased the cost of health insurance; (2) government should not tell people what to do; (3) responsibility for ACA problems is diffuse; and (4) the ACA should not pay for other people’s problems. These face-to-face conversations indicated that opposition to the ACA may be due to the fact that many Americans have experienced an increase in the cost of insurance either through increased premiums or greatly increased deductibles. They blame this increase in cost on the ACA, President Obama, the government or insurance companies, and the inclusion of “others” in insurance plans. The authors discuss how these findings can influence medical education curricula to better prepare future physicians to discuss health policy issues with patients.
Reconstitution of Human Keloids in Mouse Skin
Authors: Sunaga Ataru , Kamochi Hideaki , Sarukawa Shunji , Uda Hirokazu , Sugawara Yasushi , Asahi Rintaro , Chi Daekwan , Nakagawa Shiho , Kanayama Koji , Yoshimura Kotaro
Published: April 2017

Background:

Keloids are a dermal fibroproliferative scar of unknown etiology. There is no good animal model for the study of keloids, which hinders the development and assessment of treatments for keloids.

Methods:

Human keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts were isolated from 3 human skin tissues: normal skin, white scars, and keloids. A mixed-cell slurry containing keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts was poured into a double chamber implanted on the back of NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2Rγnull mice. After 12 weeks, the recipient mice had developed reconstituted human skin tissues on their backs. These were harvested for histological studies.

Results:

Macroscopically, the reconstituted skins derived from both normal skin and white scars were similar to normal skin and white scars in humans, respectively. Keloid-derived reconstituted skins exhibited keloid-like hypertrophic nodules. Histological findings and immunohistochemical staining confirmed that the reconstituted skin tissues were of human origin and the keloid-derived reconstituted skin had the typical features of human keloids such as a hypertrophic dermal nodule, collagen type composition, orientation of collagen fibers, and versican expression.

Conclusion:

The mouse model with humanized keloid tissue presented here should be a useful tool for future keloid research.
Toxic Keratoconjunctivitis
Authors: Paley Grace L. , Lubniewski Anthony J. , Reidy James J. , Farooq Asim V.
Published: April 2017

Toxic keratoconjunctivitis (TK) is an underrecognized complication of ophthalmic drug use and various environmental or occupational exposures. A detailed history and clinical examination are important to identify the offending agent(s). Common drug-related causes of TK include preservatives in ophthalmic medications, topical antimicrobials, and topical anesthetics. Alternatives to benzalkonium chloride as well as preservative-free formulations should be considered in patients requiring long-term topical medication. More advanced cases of TK may require preservative-free topical steroids and/or antibiotics, and occasionally surgical intervention. Early recognition and appropriate management of TK may help prevent permanent ocular and visual damage.
Orbicularis Retaining Ligament Release in Lower Blepharoplasty: Assessing Efficacy and Complications
Authors: Chan Norman J. , Nazemzadeh Maryam , Hartstein Morris E. , Holds John B. , Massry Guy G. , Wulc Allan E.
Published: April 2017

Purpose:

Release of the orbicularis retaining ligament (ORL) has been advocated as a technique to address tear trough deformities. This study sought to compare the effectiveness and morbidity of lower blepharoplasty with and without ORL release.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review of 53 lower blepharoplasty patients. Twenty-six patients had ORL release and 27 patients did not. Three independent masked experienced cosmetic surgeons reviewed preoperative and postoperative photographs to assess degree of swelling, ecchymosis, change in steatoblepharon and tear trough deformity, and overall aesthetic result.

Results:

There were no significant differences in overall aesthetic result, change in steatoblepharon or tear trough deformity, and postoperative ecchymosis in patients who had ORL release compared with those who did not. Patients who had ORL release had postoperative swelling and chemosis of significantly longer duration and a higher likelihood of developing postoperative ectropion.

Conclusions:

Orbicularis retaining ligament release does not appear to result in additional aesthetic benefit in lower blepharoplasty patients and may increase morbidity in the form of ectropion and prolonged swelling and chemosis.
Evaluation of a Pediatric Early Warning Score Across Different Subspecialty Patients*
Authors: Dean Nathan P. , Fenix J. B. , Spaeder Michael , Levin Amanda
Published: April 2017

Objective:

To evaluate the ability of a Pediatric Early Warning Score to predict deterioration in different subspecialty patient populations.

Design:

Single center, retrospective cohort study. Patients were classified into five groups: 1) cardiac; 2) hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant; 3) surgical; 4) neurologic; and 5) general medical. The relationship between the Pediatric Early Warning Score and unplanned ICU transfer requiring initiation of specific ICU therapies (intubation, high-flow nasal cannula, noninvasive ventilation, inotropes, or aggressive fluid hydration within 12 hr of transfer) was evaluated.

Setting:

Tertiary care, free-standing, academic children’s hospital.

Patients:

All hospitalized acute care patients admitted over a 6-month time period (September 2012 to March 2013).

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

During the study time period, 33,800 patient-days and 136 deteriorations were evaluated. Area under the curve ranged from 0.88 (surgical) to 0.94 (cardiac). Sensitivities for a Pediatric Early Warning Score greater than or equal to 3 ranged from 75% (surgical) to 94% (cardiology) and number needed to evaluate to find one deterioration was 11.5 (neurologic) to 43 patients (surgical). Sensitivities for a Pediatric Early Warning Score greater than or equal to 4 ranged from 54% (general medical) to 79% (hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant) and number needed to evaluate of 5.5 (neurologic) to 12 patients (general medical). Sensitivities for a Pediatric Early Warning Score of greater than or equal to 5 ranged from 25% (surgical) to 58% (hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant) and number needed to evaluate of 3.5 (cardiac, hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant, neurologic) to eight patients (surgical).

Conclusions:

An elevated Pediatric Early Warning Score is associated with ICU transfer and receipt of ICU-specific interventions in patients across different pediatric subspecialty patient populations.
Environmental Enrichment Normalizes Hippocampal Timing Coding in a Malformed Hippocampus
Authors: Hernan Amanda E. , Mahoney J. Matthew , Curry Willie , Richard Greg , Lucas Marcella M. , Massey Andrew , Holmes Gregory L. , Scott Rod C.
Published: April 2017

Neurodevelopmental insults such as malformations of cortical development (MCD) are a common cause of psychiatric disorders, learning impairments and epilepsy. Animals with MCDs have impairments in spatial cognition that, remarkably, are improved by post-weaning environmental enrichment (EE). To establish the network-level mechanisms responsible for these impacts, hippocampalin vivosingle unit recordings were performed in freely moving animals in an open arena. We took a generalized linear modeling approach to extract fine spike timing (FST) characteristics and related these to place cell fidelity used as a surrogate of spatial cognition. We find that MCDs disrupt FST and place-modulated rate coding in hippocampal CA1 and that EE restores both to normal. Moreover, FST parameterspredictspatial coherence of neurons, suggesting that mechanisms determining FST are critical for cognition. This suggests that FST parameters could represent a therapeutic target to improve cognition even in the context of a structurally abnormal brain.

HIGHLIGHTS

Environmental enrichment (EE) in rats with cortical malformations improves cognition.

EE resolves impaired rate and timing coding of hippocampal pyramidal neurons.

Taken together, circuit-level dynamics directly affect quality of the cognitive map.

RESEARCH IN CONTEXT

Insults during neurodevelopment, particularly those that result in physical malformations in the brain, lead to cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders and epilepsy. Environmental enrichment (EE) improves cognitive outcome in patients and animal models with brain malformations. Understanding how EE can improve cognition at the level of neural networks can lead to new treatment targets. Remarkably, using an approach that mathematically models neuron firing we show that firing is mistimed in animals with malformations and that EE improves this abnormality. Importantly, timing abnormalities predict abnormalities in cognition at the single neuron level, suggesting that restoring timing could improve learning and memory deficits.
Independent pseudogenization ofCYP2J19in penguins, owls and kiwis implicates gene in red carotenoid synthesis
Authors: Emerling Christopher A.
Published: April 2017

Carotenoids have important roles in bird behavior, including pigmentation for sexual signaling and improving color vision via retinal oil droplets. Yellow carotenoids are diet-derived, but red carotenoids (ketocarotenoids) are typically synthesized from yellow precursors via a carotenoid ketolase. Recent research on passerines has provided evidence that a cytochrome p450 enzyme, CYP2J19, is responsible for this reaction, though it is unclear if this function is phylogenetically restricted. Here I provide evidence that CYP2J19 is the carotenoid ketolase common to Aves using the genomes of 65 birds and the retinal transcriptomes of 15 avian taxa.CYP2J19is functionally intact and robustly transcribed in all taxa except for several species adapted to foraging in dim light conditions. Two penguins, an owl and a kiwi show evidence of genetic lesions and relaxed selection in their genomic copy ofCYP2J19, and six owls show evidence of marked reduction inCYP2J19retinal transcription compared to nine diurnal avian taxa. Notably, none of these taxa are known to use red carotenoids for sexual signaling and several species of owls and penguins represent the only birds known to completely lack red retinal oil droplets. The remaining avian taxa belong to groups known to possess red oil droplets, known or expected to deposit red carotenoids in skin and/or plumage, and/or frequently forage in bright light. The loss and reduced expression ofCYP2J19is likely an adaptation to maximize retinal sensitivity, given that oil droplets reduce the amount of light available to the retina.
Dengue virus hijacks a noncanonical oxidoreductase function of a cellular oligosaccharyltransferase complex
Authors: Lin David L. , Cherepanova Natalia A. , Bozzacco Leonia , Macdonald Margaret R. , Gilmore Reid , Tai Andrew W.
Published: April 2017

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most common arboviral infection globally, infecting an estimated 390 million people each year. We employed a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify host dependency factors required for DENV propagation, and identified the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) complex as an essential host factor for DENV infection. Mammalian cells express two OSTs containing either STT3A or STT3B. We found that the canonical catalytic function of the OSTs as oligosaccharyltransferases is not necessary for DENV infection, as cells expressing catalytically inactive STT3A or STT3B are able to support DENV propagation. However, the OST subunit MAGT1, which associates with STT3B, is also required for DENV propagation. MAGT1 expression requires STT3B, and a catalytically inactive STT3B also rescues MAGT1 expression, supporting the hypothesis that STT3B serves to stabilize MAGT1 in the context of DENV infection. We found that the oxidoreductase CxxC active site motif of MAGT1 was necessary for DENV propagation as cells expressing an AxxA MAGT1 mutant were unable to support DENV infection.

Interestingly, cells expressing single-cysteine CxxA or AxxC mutants of MAGT1 were able to support DENV propagation. Utilizing the engineered peroxidase APEX2, we demonstrate the close proximity between MAGT1 and NS1 or NS4B during DENV infection. These results reveal that the oxidoreductase activity of the STT3B-containing OST is necessary for DENV infection, which may guide the development of antivirals targeting DENV.
DNA damage signaling mediates the functional antagonism between replicative senescence and terminal muscle differentiation
Authors: Latella Lucia , Dall'Agnese Alessandra , Sesillo Francesca Boscolo , Nardoni Chiara , Cosentino Marianna , Lahm Armin , Sacco Alessandra , Puri Pier Lorenzo
Published: April 2017

The molecular determinants of muscle progenitor impairment to regenerate aged muscles are currently unclear. We show that, in a mouse model of replicative senescence, decline in muscle satellite cell-mediated regeneration coincides with activation of DNA damage response (DDR) and impaired ability to differentiate into myotubes. Inhibition of DDR restored satellite cell differentiation ability. Moreover, in replicative human senescent fibroblasts, DDR precluded MYOD-mediated activation of the myogenic program. A DDR-resistant MYOD mutant could overcome this barrier by resuming cell cycle progression. Likewise, DDR inhibition could also restore MYOD's ability to activate the myogenic program in human senescent fibroblasts. Of note, we found that cell cycle progression is necessary for the DDR-resistant MYOD mutant to reverse senescence-mediated inhibition of the myogenic program. These data provide the first evidence of DDR-mediated functional antagonism between senescence and MYOD-activated gene expression and indicate a previously unrecognized requirement of cell cycle progression for the activation of the myogenic program.
Pioneering EBF2 remodels the brown fat chromatin landscape
Authors: Wang Jiexin , Tontonoz Peter
Published: April 2017

In this issue of Genes & Development, Shapira and colleagues (pp. 660–673) outline mechanisms by which the brown fat transcription factor early B-cell factor 2 (EBF2) selectively activates brown lineage-specific gene expression. The investigators show that EBF2 interacts with and recruits a tissue-specific BAF chromatin remodeling complex to brown fat gene enhancers, thereby regulating chromatin accessibility. Their findings provide important insight into epigenetic regulation of adipocyte fate and thermogenic gene expression.
A vision-based character inspection system for tire mold
Authors: Cai Nian , Chen Yuchao , Liu Gen , Cen Guandong , Wang Han , Chen Xindu
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to design an automatic inspection system for the characters on tire molds, which involves a vision-based inspection method for the characters on tire molds.

Design/methodology/approach

An automatic inspection equipment is designed according to the features of the tire mold. To implement the inspection task, the corresponding image processing methods are designed, including image preprocessing, image mosaic, image locating and character inspection. Image preprocessing mainly contains fitting the contours of the acquired tire mold images and those of the computer aided design (CAD) as the arcs of two circles and polar transformation of the acquired images and the CAD. Then, the authors propose a novel framework to locate the acquired images into the corresponding mosaicked tire mold image. Finally, a character inspection scheme is proposed by combining an support-vector-machine-based character recognition method and a string matching approach. At the stages of image locating and character inspection, image mosaic is simultaneously used to label the defects in the mosaicked tire mold image, which is based on histograms-of-gradients features.

Findings

The experimental results indicate that the designed automatic inspection system can inspect the characters on the tire mold with a high accuracy at a reasonable time consumption.

Practical implications

The designed automatic inspection system can detect the carving faults for the characters on the tire molds, which are the cases that the characters are wrongly added, deleted or modified on the tire mold.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first automatic vision-based inspection system for the characters on tire molds. An inspection equipment is designed and many novel image processing methods are proposed to implement the inspection task. The designed system can be widely applied in the industry.
Trapped in a vicious circle: can low-weight subsidiaries get headquarters’ attention?
Authors: Haq Hammad ul
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Subsidiaries use their weight and/or voice to get attention for the initiatives they share with the headquarters. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether subsidiaries with a low weight can effectively use their voice to get the headquarters’ attention.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a combination of the attention-based view of the firm and the issue-selling literature applied to the context of subsidiaries selling their initiatives to the headquarters of a multinational corporation.

Findings

Subsidiaries with a low weight are trapped in a vicious circle in which they are unable to get more influence and gain a central position in the organization through the initiative-taking approach. This problem may mainly be attributed to their limited access to (or even entire lack of) direct and rich communication with the headquarters, which impedes the ability of these subsidiaries to gain knowledge about headquarters and the organization in general. As a result, low-weight subsidiaries are unable to make the correct decisions about which selling moves to use regarding initiatives that are able to capture headquarters’ attention; this inability means that they are less likely to gain approval from headquarters for implementing the proposed initiatives.

Originality/value

Subsidiary voice is not an accessible and effective bottom-up tool available to low-weight subsidiaries for gaining influence, which is contrary to what is claimed by extant mainstream research in international business and strategy. Hence, subsidiaries with low weight are completely marginalized from the sharing of subsidiary initiatives that takes place within multinational corporations.
Escape, entitlement, and experience: liminoid motivators within commercial hospitality
Authors: Taheri Babak , Farrington Thomas , Gori Keith , Hogg Gill , O’Gorman Kevin D.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between consumer motivations, their interactions with hospitality spaces and experiential outcomes. Enhancing consumer experience is of clear interest to industry professionals. This quantitative study explores the impact of escapism and entitlement to leisure upon involvement in liminoid consumptions spaces, thereby contributing a theory of liminoid motivators within commercial hospitality.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a quantitative methodology, using a survey of a sample of student nightclubbers in the UK. Data are analysed through Partial Least Squares.

Findings

Hospitality consumers are positively affected by the feelings of increased involvement experienced in consumption spaces that exhibit liminoid characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

Surveys involve potential for error regarding respondents’ ability to agree with questionnaire statements. Data collection was conducted in Scotland, and so, results may not be generalised to other commercial hospitality spaces outside of Scotland.

Practical implications

Hospitality consumers become more involved, and thereby more satisfied, in liminoid consumption spaces when motivated by escapism and entitlement to leisure. Attending to the liminoid motivators that drive consumers away from work and domesticity, and towards commercial hospitality spaces, will go some way towards creating the desired consumer experience.

Originality/value

This is the first quantitative study to investigate consumer motivations to escape and entitlement to leisure as antecedents of involvement in a commercial hospitality context. It develops a theory of hospitality consumption using the liminoid anthropological concept.
Small firm performance: an empirical analysis in Malaysian housing construction industry
Authors: Mahmood Rosman , Mohd Zahari Ahmad Suffian , Yaacob Najihah Marha , Mat Zin Sakinah
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the importance of innovation for the performance of small firms in the construction sector. Furthermore, this paper also examines the influence of several factors related to entrepreneurial capital (entrepreneurial value, business strategy, experience and training) on small firm performance in the sector.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses primary data of 255 small firms in the construction sector under the category of small contractors (G1). Stratified sampling method was utilized for data collection, which is then analyzed using the descriptive and multiple regression analysis to achieve the objectives of the study.

Findings

The findings showed that the factor of innovation and several factors related to entrepreneurial capital (entrepreneurial value, business strategy and business experience) have a significant positive relationship with the performance of small firms in the construction sector. However, factor of training indicated a significant negative correlation with small firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study found a significant impact in explaining the factors that affect performance, particularly in the construction sector, it only takes into account only some internal factors (entrepreneurial capital and innovation). Proposed future research should consider a variety of other factors mainly related to external factors, such as economic development, growth potential, industry structure, internal social capital and government policy.

Practical implications

This study provides clear implications related to the theory and contributions to the literature related to research in the construction sector. The study also provides invaluable insightfulness to various stakeholders including policy makers, institutional support and small contractors about the importance of innovation and entrepreneurial capital in determining the performance of small firms in the sector.

Originality/value

The results provide supportive evidence that entrepreneurial values and business strategy are important internal factors in determining the performance of a firm, which is consistent with the theory of resource-based view. Experience and training factors, as indicators of firm performance, are articulated in the theory of human capital. Hence, the findings not only can strengthen both the theories but also make a significant contribution to the literature of the study, particularly in the construction sector.
Hedonic indexes for public and private housing in Costa Rica
Authors: Guevara Porfirio , Hill Robert , Scholz Michael
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This study aims to show how hedonic methods can be used to compare the performance of the public and private sector housing markets in Costa Rica.

Design/methodology/approach

Hedonic price indexes are computed using the adjacent-period method. Average housing quality is measured by comparing hedonic and median price indexes. The relative performance of the public and private sector residential construction is compared by estimating separate hedonic models for each sector. A private sector price is then imputed for each house built in the public sector, and a public sector price is imputed for each house built in the private sector.

Findings

The real quality-adjusted price of private housing rose by 12 per cent between 2000 and 2013, whereas the price of private housing rose by 9 per cent. The average quality of private housing rose by 45 per cent, whereas that of public housing fell by 18 per cent. Nevertheless, the hedonic imputation analysis reveals that public housing could not be produced more cheaply in the private sector.

Social implications

The quality of public housing has declined over time. The hedonic analysis shows that the decline is not because of a lack of competition between construction firms in the public sector. An alternative demand side explanation is provided.

Originality/value

This study applies hedonic methods in novel ways to compare the relative performance of the public and private housing sectors in Costa Rica. The results shed new light on the effectiveness of public sector housing programs.
Australian-Arabic community attitudes to a shared model of accommodation for the 65+ year age group
Authors: Nettleton Stuart John , Sufan Maie
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to provide insights into Arabic-Australian community attitudes regarding social innovation of a new shared model of accommodation for the 65+ age group to facilitate independent behavior within a shared living environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 520 people of whom 65 per cent were Arabic speakers either by mother or second language. Survey responses were filtered to Arabic speakers and further analyzed to identify groups characterized by the latent attitudes underlying responses.

Findings

The results confirmed the presence of two small groups representing in aggregate 13 per cent of sample variance who have positive attitudes toward 65+ age group shared accommodation for either themselves or their parents. These respondents focused on companionship and cultural factors rather than potential financial or medical benefits from the new model.

Research limitations/implications

The application of an empirical Bayes methodology to the limited data in this research implicitly restricts the interpretation of the results to the Australian-Arabic community that was investigated.

Practical implications

The results of this research provide a sound basis for private sector interest in exploring differentiated architectures and business models that will facilitate choices of shared accommodation by the Australian-Arabic 65+ year age group.

Social implications

This finding aligns with increasing health and mobility more widely among the rapidly growing 65+ year old segment of the Australian population and with recent Australian Government restructuring of age care to introduce greater personal accountability for self-care.

Originality/value

This research is original and important in setting future directions for expanding the richness of choice in Australian-Arabic community retirement living.
Theory development in China-based supply chain management research
Authors: Liu Xiaohong , McKinnon Alan C.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Although well established in North America and Europe, the study of supply chain management (SCM) is still at a relatively early stage in its development in China. The transformation and rapid growth of the Chinese economy has, nevertheless, created major supply chain challenges for the country making SCM a very fertile area of business research. In Western countries, research on SCM is now mature and underpinned by a solid body of theory. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which research on SCM in China has also developed a theoretical basis.

Design/methodology/approach

The research involved a systematic review of 150 papers published in 18 journals in the fields of SCM, logistics, operations management and marketing during the period 2004-2014. A three-step process was adopted to select appropriate journals, identify relevant articles and classify them in terms of their theoretical content.

Findings

The study has confirmed that, because of its unique economic, political and cultural setting, supply chain development in China has presented new research challenges. Many examples were found of researchers conducting quasi-experiments to test the applicability of established theories to Chinese supply chains while others have tried to develop new ones that are more closely aligned with the Chinese economy and management practices. Researchers have exhibited a heavy reliance on existing theories, with relatively few attempting to customise them to the Chinese context or to construct new ones.

Research limitations/implications

Given the broad scope of SCM, it is possible that the journal and paper selection processes have accidentally screened out relevant papers. The total sample of papers is, nevertheless, large for an explorative study of this type and should, therefore, give an overall impression of the level of theory development in Chinese SCM research.

Practical implications

This study provides a general framework within which to assess the application and development of theories in the Chinese SCM context. It is principally concerned with three components: the SCM phenomena studied, the Chinese business environment and the theoretical contribution of the research. The paper is targeted more at an academic audience than practitioners, though provides an overview of the research so far undertaken on SCM in China that should be of wider interest.

Originality/value

This study is the first of its kind to review China-based SCM research systematically from the perspective of theory development. It should support the evolution of SCM theory not only in China but also more generally.
The development of outbound logistics services in the automotive industry
Authors: Rajahonka Mervi , Bask Anu
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The automotive industry has been studied extensively, but few studies focus on outbound logistics in automotive supply chains, or on the logistics service provider’s (LSP’s) point of view. Furthermore, there is hardly any research on service model innovation in LSPs. The purpose of this paper is to narrow these research gaps.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a single-case study – an LSP that specializes in services for the automotive industry. The paper examines the company’s service models and their development over time.

Findings

The findings show how the case company has moved towards multifaceted service models through a number of radical and incremental innovations. Moreover, it has used the same methods in developing all its new service models, and has applied modularity principles in service innovation to achieve better process efficiency and service effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The rather narrow focus of this study – automotive logistics in a specific area – decreases the generalizability of the findings beyond this context. However, the single-case approach offers in-depth insights, and the analytical frameworks developed herein for service models is applicable in other contexts.

Practical implications

The analysis may help LSPs and service companies in their service design and development. The use of modularity principles makes it easier to offer mass-customized services and to develop efficient processes.

Originality/value

This study narrows a research gap in examining outbound logistics services in the automotive supply chain and focussing on the LSP’s perspective.
Career stage and truck drivers’ regulatory attitudes
Authors: Douglas Matthew A. , Swartz Stephen M.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether or not early, mid, late career stage truck drivers view the safety regulations differently and how drivers’ regulatory attitudes influence their compliance attitudes and intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This survey study is designed to evaluate the differences in truck drivers’ attitudes toward safety regulations across career stages. Moreover, the study applies ordinary least squares path analysis to determine the influence of drivers’ regulatory attitudes on compliance attitudes and intentions.

Findings

Results revealed that drivers in early and late career stages harbor different perceptions of the burden safety regulations place on driving operations, the effectiveness of driver-focused safety regulations in maintaining road safety, and the acceptability of certain unsafe acts. Moreover, drivers’ attitudes toward regulations directly and indirectly influenced compliance attitudes and intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The participant sample was taken from employees of four large motor carriers operating refrigerated and dry box trailers over the road in interstate commerce. While the sample is roughly representative of this segment, the authors recommend caution in generalizing the findings across the diverse US trucking industry as a whole.

Practical implications

Findings suggest that motor carrier management should tailor safety and regulatory familiarization training across career stages. Moreover, carriers should provide targeted communication regarding the effectiveness of regulations and impact of regulations on driving operations in order to alleviate drivers’ negative attitudes toward regulations where possible.

Originality/value

This study marks the first application of career stage theory to the motor carrier safety context. This study also provides further evidence as to the efficacy of drivers’ attitudes toward safety regulations in predicting drivers’ compliance attitudes and intentions. A better understanding of these phenomena may lead to improved compliance and safety.
Optimization of salt curing of bitter gourd (Momordica charantiaL.) with blanching as pre-treatment using response surface methodology
Authors: V. Eyarkai Nambi , Behera Gitanjali , Saharan Vinod Kumar , Meena Vijay Singh
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Pickling or salt curing is one of the major traditional processes to increase the shelf life of bitter gourd in India. No information is available about optimization of salt curing of bitter gourd and the related changes in its quality. Moreover, specific investigations are needed to evaluate individual susceptibility of fruit and vegetables to osmotic dewatering with pre-treatment to obtain new minimally processed food products. The purpose of this study is to optimize the salt curing process with blanching as pretreatment for bitter gourd.

Design/methodology/approach

A study was conducted to optimize the blanching and other process factors of salt curing (solution concentration and treatment time) based on mass transfer and quality factors of bitter gourd using response surface methodology. Experimental design was made using central composite rotatable design with different time of blanching, solution concentration and treatment time. The colour, firmness, water activity and other mass transfer kinetic parameters were used for optimization.

Findings

Blanching had significant effect (p< 0.001) on water loss (WL), weight reduction (WR), solid gain (SG), water activity and firmness of bitter gourd. Mass transfer kinetic parameters like WL, SG and normalized solid content increased and normalized moisture content was found to decrease with increase in solution concentration and curing time. Relationships between process variables and quality factors were established in either quadratic or linear form with higherR2values. A 15 per cent solution concentration for the period of 5 h with the blanched samples at 800°C for 5.26 min was found to be the optimum condition for osmotic dehydration to achieve maximum WL and SG, minimum water activity and minimum changes in firmness.

Practical implications

The optimized combinations for the salt curing process would be more helpful for the processors and other stakeholders involved in the pickling process by reducing energy and other input resources.

Social implications

Mostly in India, the pickling process is carried out at micro- and small-scale level and in an unorganized way. This study would help those involved to reduce their input resources and to organize the process, thus leading to more dividends to the stakeholders and optimum price to the end-users. For the medium- and large-scale processing units, this study would give insight to automate the whole process in an efficient manner.

Originality/value

This study was performed using sophisticated and higher-end instruments. The data were observed meticulously and analysed with proper statistical tools, increasing the credibility of the study. This study gives concrete results which are directly useful to the stakeholders.
Development and quality assessment of pork sandwich spread incorporated with different levels of antioxidant mixture (BHA and BHT) during frozen storage (−18 ± 1°C)
Authors: Pandey Anurag , Keshri Ramesh Chandra , Kumar Yogesh
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a good quality pork sandwich spread incorporated with different levels of antioxidant mixture [butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) + butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT); 1:1] and to assess sensory, physico-chemical and microbiological properties of frozen product during storage.

Design/methodology/approach

Three levels of antioxidant mixture (BHA + BHT; 1:1) i.e. 100, 200 and 400 ppm were tried, and the product was compared for physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory properties along with the control during frozen storage (−18 ± 1°C).

Findings

pH and water activity decreased significantly (p< 0.05), whereas water holding capacity, 2-thiobarbituric acid reacting substances value, total plate count and psychrotrophic count increased significantly (p< 0.05) during storage period. No coliform, yeast and molds were detected throughout the study period. There was non-significant (p< 0.05) effect of antioxidant treatment on the scores of colour, texture, juiciness, adhesion ability and spreadability, but scores for flavour and overall acceptability significantly (p< 0.05) increased.

Research limitations/implications

Pork sandwich spread is envisaged to help in providing nutrition to a large section of needy population and will add a new dimension to the convenience foods.

Originality/value

Antioxidant mixture (BHA + BHT, 1:1) treatment improved the sensory and microbiological properties of pork sandwich spread at frozen storage (−18 ± 1°C). At the end of storage period (60 days), the pork sandwich spread was found safe for human consumption. Hence, BHA and BHT antioxidant mixture could be used to improve quality attributes of meat products during storage.