bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The making of a ‘charismatic’ carbon credit: clean cookstoves and ‘uncooperative’ women in western Kenya
Authors: Wang Yiting , Corson Catherine
Published: January 2015

The Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change first legitimized state-to-state carbon trading in 1997 with the goal of cost-effectively reducing carbon emissions. Voluntary carbon markets for private trading have emerged since, often claimed by their proponents to pioneer innovative projects that reduce poverty as well as carbon emissions. We use the case of a cookstove project, financed by the carbon emissions reductions generated when rural Kenyan women switch from traditional to energy-efficient cookstoves, to illuminate the complex process through which ‘charismatic’ pro-poor carbon offsets are produced. We highlight the role of women's labor in creating the initial carbon emissions reductions, which then become tradable virtual commodities through a series of studies to measure and verify the associated carbon savings, as well as the signing of a contract that transfers the property rights to the verified savings from the stove user to an international nonprofit carbon credit developer. We argue that, while introducing some improvements in cooking time, smoke level, and labor, the improved cookstove carbon offset ultimately constitutes a gendered, ongoing accumulation by decarbonization that, by securing the means of future wealth that could be generated from the project for investors in the Global North, marginalizes rural Kenyan women.
The Functional and Sectoral Division of Labour between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: From Complementarities in Production to Competition in Producer Services?
Authors: Schiller Daniel , Burger Martijn J , Karreman Bas
Published: January 2015

This study examines whether regional upgrading has affected the traditional division of labour between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, as exemplified in the ‘front shop–back factory’ model. The location choices and investment characteristics of foreign multinational enterprises are used to derive the current status of sectoral and functional specialisation across the region and to explore the alleged competition over foreign direct investments in service functions. The results show that the complementary roles of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, in terms of sectoral and functional specialisation, remain largely intact. However, Guangzhou and Shenzhen appear to compete with Hong Kong by advancing their own distinctive roles as attractive locations for low-end service functions.
The network of patterns: creating a design guide using Christopher Alexander's pattern language
Authors: Park Yunmi
Published: January 2015

This research seeks a comprehensive process for developing a design guide utilizing pattern language and social network analysis. Pattern language is a structured mechanism for describing good design practices, the patterns. Network analysis helps analyze quantitatively the relationships between the patterns and identify the relative importance of each pattern. The result is also visually delineated as a web of networks to illustrate how these patterns are clustered and connected. In this study, downtown design, which planners and designers are familiar with, is used as an example to explain the process of developing a comprehensive design guide. The results reveal that pedestrian streets and building complexes function as key patterns among the downtown-related patterns. Using the techniques and methods from this study, we can clearly see the entire web of patterns with connective maps, which was never-before visualized. The process can also provide information about key patterns that can serve as backbones for prospective projects. Planners and designers, understanding the network of patterns, can prioritize and categorize tasks and projects of their own.
Localism and flood risk management in England: the creation of new inequalities?
Authors: Begg Chloe , Walker Gordon , Kuhlicke Christian
Published: January 2015

There has been a noticeable shift in the way in which flood risks are managed in England. This is being driven in part by European developments but also by changes in governance across diverse domains of public policy. A key characteristic is a move to transfer responsibility for the management of flood risk away from the central government and towards the local level. This paper aims to describe and evaluate the potential implications of this shift by focusing on three connected policy areas: flood defence, spatial planning, and emergency management. We draw on an analysis of policy documentation and expert interviews to map out current changes in governance. We then outline a number of potential scenarios for how these changes may play out in the future, emphasising that differences in resource availability and local motivation could result in new patterns of vulnerability and inequality.
Sustainable housing development: decoupling or degrowth? A comparative study of Copenhagen and Hangzhou
Authors: Xue Jin
Published: January 2015

In this paper I examine the extent to which economic growth and housing stock growth have been decoupled from negative environmental impacts over the latest two decades in the metropolitan areas of Hangzhou (China) and Copenhagen (Denmark). Research results show that housing stock growth and economic growth have been, at best, weakly decoupled from environment impacts, implying that the goal of sustainable housing development has not been fulfilled by the decoupling strategies. On the basis of this, constraints to decoupling strategies for housing sustainable development are discussed, which indicates a long-term incompatibility between housing stock growth and environmental sustainability. Arguably, sustainable housing development should be pursued by nongrowth in the housing stock in affluent countries in order to reduce the environmental impacts from housing consumption to a sustainable level. The visions for a nongrowth housing stock in both city regions are imagined in terms of potential risks and countermeasures.
And Now for Something Completely Different: Inattentional Blindness during a Monty Python's Flying Circus Sketch
Authors: Wiseman Richard , Watt Caroline
Published: January 2015

Perceptual science has frequently benefited from studying illusions created outside of academia. Here, we describe a striking, but little-known, example of inattentional blindness from the British comedy series “Monty Python's Flying Circus.” Viewers fail to attend to several highly incongruous characters in the sketch, despite these characters being clearly visible onscreen. The sketch has the potential to be a valuable research and teaching resource, as well as providing a vivid illustration of how people often fail to see something completely different.
Aβ induces oxidative stress in senescence-accelerated (SAMP8) mice
Authors: Takagane Kurara , Nojima Jun , Mitsuhashi Hiroaki , Suo Satoshi , Yanagihara Dai , Takaiwa Fumio , Urano Yasuomi , Noguchi Noriko , Ishiura Shoichi
Published: January 2015

According to the amyloid hypothesis, amyloid β accumulates in brains with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and triggers cell death and memory deficit. Previously, we developed a rice Aβ vaccine expressing Aβ, which reduced brain Aβ levels in the Tg2576 mouse model of familial AD. We used senescence-accelerated SAMP8 mice as a model of sporadic AD and investigated the relationship between Aβ and oxidative stress. Insoluble Aβ and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) levels tended to be reduced in SAMP8 mice-fed the rice Aβ vaccine. We attempted to clarify the relationship between oxidative stress and Aβ in vitro. Addition of Aβ peptide to the culture medium resulted in an increase in 4-HNE levels in SH-SY5Y cells. Tg2576 mice, which express large amounts of Aβ in their brain, also exhibited increased 4-HNE levels; this increase was inhibited by the Aβ vaccine. These results indicate that Aβ induces oxidative stress in cultured cells and in the mouse brain.
Risk assessment and risk management: a primer for marine scientists
Authors: Gibbs Mark T. , Browman Howard I.
Published: January 2015

Risk assessment is the management approach or framework of choice in many disciplines, including health care and research, engineering design, and particularly the insurance sector which relies on the best available forward projections of natural hazards and accidents. The marine management community, which includes researchers, practitioners, and resource managers responsible for individual targeted stocks, aquaculture activities, and the marine environment in general, has been slower to take up quantitative risk assessment approaches. Whilst there are prominent examples where risk assessment and management approaches have been applied, they are relatively few. This article theme set presents examples of such and identifies tools and approaches that can be applied to coastal and oceanic marine systems worldwide. The methods developed and the lessons learned from these studies can be used to guide researchers, practitioners, and resource managers. It is hoped that this article theme set will provide an overview of the current state of risk assessment as applied to marine resource management, and stimulate new thinking on how risk assessment approaches can be applied.
Improved detection of resistance at failure to a tenofovir, emtricitabine and efavirenz regimen by ultradeep sequencing
Authors: Todesco Eve , Rodriguez Christophe , Morand-Joubert Laurence , Mercier-Darty Mélanie , Desire Nathalie , Wirden Marc , Girard Pierre-Marie , Katlama Christine , Calvez Vincent , Marcelin Anne-Geneviève
Published: January 2015

Objectives

Resistant minority variants present before ART can be a source of virological failure. This has been shown for NRTIs, NNRTIs and CCR5 inhibitors. However, very few data are available for the detection of such minority resistant variants that could be selected at virological failure and not detected using classical Sanger sequencing.

Methods

We studied 26 patients treated with tenofovir, emtricitabine and efavirenz with their first virological failure (defined as two consecutive viral loads >50 copies/mL). We performed standard Sanger sequencing and ultradeep sequencing (UDS; Roche 454® Life Sciences) in plasma at failure. For UDS, mutations >1% were considered. We compared the presence of reverse transcriptase mutations between the two techniques, using the latest ANRS algorithm.

Results

UDS detected more resistance mutations in 38.5% of cases (10/26 patients) and the genotypic sensitivity score (GSS) was reduced for 6 of them (23.1%). The GSS was impacted more often for NRTIs than for NNRTIs, for which most mutations were already detected by Sanger sequencing. Resistant minority variants were detected even in patients with low viral load at failure.

Conclusions

These results strongly argue for the use of next-generation sequencing in patients failing on an NRTI+NNRTI regimen, as UDS has the potential to modify the choice of the subsequent regimen.
Comparative effectiveness of cefazolin versus cloxacillin as definitive antibiotic therapy for MSSA bacteraemia: results from a large multicentre cohort study
Authors: Bai Anthony D. , Showler Adrienne , Burry Lisa , Steinberg Marilyn , Ricciuto Daniel R. , Fernandes Tania , Chiu Anna , Raybardhan Sumit , Science Michelle , Fernando Eshan , Tomlinson George , Bell Chaim M. , Morris Andrew M.
Published: January 2015

Objectives

We compared the effectiveness of cefazolin versus cloxacillin in the treatment of MSSA bacteraemia in terms of mortality and relapse.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study examined consecutive patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia from six academic and community hospitals between 2007 and 2010. Patients with MSSA bacteraemia who received cefazolin or cloxacillin as the predominant definitive antibiotic therapy were included in the study. Ninety-day mortality was compared between the two groups matched by propensity scores.

Results

Of 354 patients included in the study, 105 (30%) received cefazolin and 249 (70%) received cloxacillin as the definitive antibiotic therapy. In 90 days, 96 (27%) patients died: 21/105 (20%) in the cefazolin group and 75/249 (30%) in the cloxacillin group. Within 90 days, 10 patients (3%) had a relapse of S. aureus infection: 6/105 (6%) in the cefazolin group and 4/249 (2%) in the cloxacillin group. All relapses in the cefazolin group were related to a deep-seated infection. Based on the estimated propensity score, 90 patients in the cefazolin group were matched with 90 patients in the cloxacillin group. In the propensity score-matched groups, cefazolin had an HR of 0.58 (95% CI 0.31–1.08, P = 0.0846) for 90 day mortality.

Conclusions

There was no significant clinical difference between cefazolin and cloxacillin in the treatment of MSSA bacteraemia with respect to mortality. Cefazolin was associated with non-significantly more relapses compared with cloxacillin, especially in deep-seated S. aureus infections.
Stratified Entomological Sampling in Preparation for an Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management Program: The Example of Glossina palpalis gambiensis (Diptera: Glossinidae) in the Niayes of Senegal
Authors: Bouyer Jérémy , Seck Momar Talla , Sall Baba , Ndiaye Elhadji Youssou , Guerrini Laure , Vreysen Marc J. B.
Published: January 2015

The riverine tsetse species Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank 1949 (Diptera: Glossinidae) inhabits riparian forests along river systems in West Africa. The government of Senegal has embarked on a project to eliminate this tsetse species, and African animal trypanosomoses, from the Niayes area using an area-wide integrated pest management approach. A stratified entomological sampling strategy was therefore developed using spatial analytical tools and mathematical modeling. A preliminary phytosociological census identified eight types of suitable habitat, which could be discriminated from LandSat 7 ETM + satellite images and denominated wet areas. At the end of March 2009, 683 unbaited Vavoua traps had been deployed, and the observed infested area in the Niayes was 525 km2. In the remaining area, a mathematical model was used to assess the risk that flies were present despite a sequence of zero catches. The analysis showed that this risk was above 0.05 in 19% of this area that will be considered as infested during the control operations. The remote sensing analysis that identified the wet areas allowed a restriction of the area to be surveyed to 4% of the total surface area (7,150 km2), whereas the mathematical model provided an efficient method to improve the accuracy and the robustness of the sampling protocol. The final size of the control area will be decided based on the entomological collection data. This entomological sampling procedure might be used for other vector or pest control scenarios.
A Biosecurity Response to Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Holder Peter , George Sherly , Disbury Mark , Singe Monica , Kean John M. , Mcfadden Andrew
Published: January 2015

A biosecurity response was triggered by the detection of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) at the Port of Auckland, New Zealand. Ae. albopictus does not occur in New Zealand and is the most significant mosquito threat to this country. The possibility that a founding population had established, resulted in a large-scale biosecurity surveillance and control program. The response was initiated in early March 2007 and completed by mid-May 2007. No further exotic mosquitoes were detected. The response surveillance program consisted of larval habitat surveys and high density ovi- and light trapping. It was coordinated with a habitat modification and S-methoprene treatment control program. The response policies were guided by analysis of surveillance and quality assurance data, population modeling, and trace-back activities. Mosquito habitat and activity close to port were both more abundant than expected, particularly in storm water drain sumps. Sumps are difficult to treat, and during the response some modification was required to the surveillance program and the control regime. We were assured of the absence or eradication of any Ae. albopictus population, as a result of nil detection from surveillance, backed up by four overlapping rounds of insecticide treatment of habitat. This work highlights the importance of port surveillance and may serve as a guide for responses for future urban mosquito incursions.
Prediction and characterization of novel epitopes of serotype A foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in East Africa using site-directed mutagenesis
Authors: Bari Fufa Dawo , Parida Satya , Asfor Amin S. , Haydon Daniel T. , Reeve Richard , Paton David J. , Mahapatra Mana
Published: January 2015

Epitopes on the surface of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid have been identified by monoclonal antibody (mAb) escape mutant studies leading to the designation of four antigenic sites in serotype A FMDV. Previous work focused on viruses isolated mainly from Asia, Europe and Latin America. In this study we report on the prediction of epitopes in African serotype A FMDVs and testing of selected epitopes using reverse genetics. Twenty-four capsid amino acid residues were predicted to be of antigenic significance by analysing the capsid sequences (n = 56) using in silico methods, and six residues by correlating capsid sequence with serum–virus neutralization data. The predicted residues were distributed on the surface-exposed capsid regions, VP1–VP3. The significance of residue changes at eight of the predicted epitopes was tested by site-directed mutagenesis using a cDNA clone resulting in the generation of 12 mutant viruses involving seven sites. The effect of the amino acid substitutions on the antigenic nature of the virus was assessed by virus neutralization (VN) test. Mutations at four different positions, namely VP1-43, VP1-45, VP2-191 and VP3-132, led to significant reduction in VN titre (P value = 0.05, 0.05, 0.001 and 0.05, respectively). This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the antigenic regions encompassing amino acids VP1-43 to -45 (equivalent to antigenic site 3 in serotype O), VP2-191 and VP3-132 have been predicted as epitopes and evaluated serologically for serotype A FMDVs. This identifies novel capsid epitopes of recently circulating serotype A FMDVs in East Africa.
Reproducibility Of Parameter Learning With Missing Observations in Naive Wnt Bayesian Network Trained on Normal/Adenomas Samples and Doxycycline Treated LS174T Cell Lines
Authors: Sinha Shriprakash
Published: January 2015

Insight, Innovation and Integration

Doxycycline, a derivative of tetracycline, induces gene expression via reversible transcriptional activation. Levels of /3-catenin and other intra/extracellular genetic factors have been influenced in colorectal cancer cell lines, which make doxycycline a potential candidate for cancer chemotherapy. With the aim to build better computational models that show good prediction on test datasets, doxycycline treated cell lines might provide best training samples. This work tests the reproducibility of parameter learning and predictions based on the estimated parameters, using the Naive Bayesian Networks for Wnt pathway in case of missing observations for different nodes. The in silico experiments show the efficacy of causal models as one of the emerging diagnostic tools in development of targeted cancer therapy.

Recent efforts in predicting Wnt signaling activation via inference methods have helped in developing diagnostic models for therapeutic drug targeting. In this manuscript the reproducibility of parameter learning with missing observations in a Bayesian Network and its effect on prediction results for Wnt signaling activation is tested, while training the networks on doxycycline treated LS174T cell lines as well as normal and adenomas samples. This is done in order to check the effectiveness of using Bayesian Network as a tool for modeling Wnt pathway when certain observations are missing. Experimental analysis suggest that prediction results are reproducible with negligible deviations. Anomalies in estimated parameters are accounted for due to the Bayesian Network model. Also, an interesting case regarding usage of hypothesis testing came up while proving the statistical significance of different design setups of the BN model which was trained on the same data. It was found that hypothesis testing may not be the correct way to check the significance between design setups for the aforementioned case, especially when the structure of the model is same. Finally, in comparison to the biologically inspired models, the naive bayesian model may give accurate results but this accuracy comes at the cost of loss of crucial biological knowledge which might help reveal hidden relations among intra/extracellular factors affecting the Wnt pathway.
Oscillatory signatures of crossmodal congruence effects: An EEG investigation employing a visuotactile pattern matching paradigm
Authors: Göschl Florian , Friese Uwe , Daume Jonathan , König Peter , Engel Andreas K.
Published: January 2015

Coherent percepts emerge from the accurate combination of inputs from the different sensory systems. There is an ongoing debate about the neurophysiological mechanisms of crossmodal interactions in the brain, and it has been proposed that transient synchronization of neurons might be of central importance. Oscillatory activity in lower frequency ranges (< 30 Hz) has been implicated in mediating long-range communication as typically studied in multisensory research. In the current study, we recorded high-density electroencephalograms while human participants were engaged in a visuotactile pattern matching paradigm and analyzed oscillatory power in the theta- (4-7 Hz), alpha-(8-13 Hz) and beta-bands (13-30 Hz). Employing the same physical stimuli, separate tasks of the experiment either required the detection of predefined targets in visual and tactile modalities or the explicit evaluation of crossmodal stimulus congruence. Analysis of the behavioral data showed benefits for congruent visuotactile stimulus combinations. Differences in oscillatory dynamics related to crossmodal congruence within the two tasks were observed in the beta-band for crossmodal target detection, as well as in the theta-band for congruence evaluation. Contrasting ongoing activity preceding visuotactile stimulation between the two tasks revealed differences in the alpha- and beta-bands. Source reconstruction of between-task differences showed prominent involvement of premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, somatosensory association cortex and the supramarginal gyrus. These areas not only exhibited more involvement in the pre-stimulus interval for target detection compared to congruence evaluation, but were also crucially involved in post-stimulus differences related to crossmodal stimulus congruence within the detection task. These results add to the increasing evidence that low frequency oscillations are functionally relevant for integration in distributed brain networks, as demonstrated for crossmodal interactions in visuotactile pattern matching in the current study.
Genome specialization and decay of the strangles pathogen,Streptococcus equi, is driven by persistent infection
Authors: Harris Simon R. , Robinson Carl , Steward Karen F. , Webb Katy S. , Paillot Romain , Parkhill Julian , Holden Matthew T. G. , Waller Andrew S.
Published: January 2015

Strangles, the most frequently diagnosed infectious disease of horses worldwide, is caused byStreptococcus equi. Despite its prevalence, the global diversity and mechanisms underlying the evolution ofS. equias a host-restricted pathogen remain poorly understood. Here we define the global population structure of this important pathogen and reveal a population replacement in the late 19thor early 20thcentury, contemporaneous with a spate of global conflicts. Our data reveal a dynamic genome that continues to mutate and decay, but also to amplify and acquire genes despite the organism having lost its natural competence and become host-restricted.

The lifestyle ofS. equiwithin the horse is defined by short-term acute disease, strangles, followed by long-term carriage. Population analysis reveals evidence of convergent evolution in isolates from post-acute disease samples, as a result of niche adaptation to persistent carriage within a host. Mutations that lead to metabolic streamlining and the loss of virulence determinants are more frequently found in carriage isolates, suggesting that the pathogenic potential ofS. equireduces as a consequence of long term residency within the horse post acute disease. An example of this is the deletion of the equibactin siderophore locus that is associated with iron acquisition, which occurs exclusively in carrier isolates, and rendersS. equisignificantly less able to cause acute disease in the natural host. We identify several loci that may similarly be required for the full virulence ofS. equi, directing future research towards the development of new vaccines against this host-restricted pathogen.
Resting state MEG oscillations show long-range temporal correlations of phase synchrony that break down during finger-tapping
Authors: Botcharova Maria , Berthouze Luc , Brookes Matthew J , Barnes Gareth R , Farmer Simon F
Published: January 2015

The capacity of the human brain to interpret and respond to multiple temporal scales in its surroundings suggests that its internal interactions must also be able to operate over a broad temporal range. In this paper, we utilise a recently introduced method for characterising the rate of change of the phase difference between MEG signals and use it to study the temporal structure of the phase interactions between MEG recordings from the left and right motor cortices during rest and during a finger-tapping task. We use the Hilbert transform to estimate moment-to-moment fluctuations of the phase difference between signals. After confirming the presence of scale-invariance we estimate the Hurst exponent using detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). An exponent of >0.5 is indicative of long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs) in the signal. We find that LRTCs are present in the α/μ and β frequency bands of resting state MEG data. We demonstrate that finger movement disrupts LRTCs correlations, producing a phase relationship with a structure similar to that of Gaussian white noise. The results are validated by applying the same analysis to data with Gaussian white noise phase difference, recordings from an empty scanner and phase-shuffled time series. We interpret the findings through comparison of the results with those we obtained from an earlier study during which we adopted this method to characterise phase relationships within a Kuramoto model of oscillators in its sub-critical, critical and super-critical synchronisation states. We find that the resting state MEG from left and right motor cortices shows moment-to-moment fluctuations of phase difference with a similar temporal structure to that of a system of Kuramoto oscillators just prior to its critical level of coupling, and that finger tapping moves the system away from this pre-critical state towards a more random state.
Geometric constraints dominate the antigenic evolution of influenza H3N2 hemagglutinin
Authors: Meyer Austin G. , Wilke Claus O.
Published: January 2015

We have carried out a comprehensive analysis of the determinants of human influenza A H3 hemagglutinin evolution, considering three distinct predictors of evolutionary variation at individual sites: solvent accessibility (as a proxy for protein fold stability and/or conservation), experimental epitope sites (as a proxy for host immune bias), and proximity to the receptor-binding region (as a proxy for protein function). We found that these three predictors individually explain approximately 15% of the variation in site-wisedN/dS. The solvent accessibility and proximity predictors were largely independent of each other, while the epitope sites were not. In combination, solvent accessibility and proximity explained 32% of the variation indN/dS. Incorporating experimental epitope sites into the model added only an additional 2 percentage points. We also found that the historical H3 epitope sites, which date back to the 1980s and 1990s, showed only weak overlap with the latest experimental epitope data. Finally, sites withdN/dS> 1, i.e., the sites most likely driving seasonal immune escape, are not correctly predicted by either historical or experimental epitope sites, but only by proximity to the receptor-binding region. In summary, proximity to the receptor-binding region, and not host immune bias, seems to be the primary determinant of H3 evolution.

Author summary

The influenza virus is one of the most rapidly evolving human viruses. Every year, it accumulates mutations that allow it to evade the host immune response of previously infected individuals. Which sites in the virus’ genome allow this immune escape and the manner of escape is not entirely understood, but conventional wisdom states that specific “immune epitope sites” in the protein hemagglutinin are preferentially attacked by host antibodies and that these sites mutate to directly avoid host recognition; as a result, these sites are commonly targeted by vaccine development efforts. Here, we combine influenza hemagglutinin sequence data, protein structural information, experimental immune epitope data, and historical epitopes to demonstrate that neither the historical epitope groups nor epitopes based on experimental data are crucial for predicting the rate of influenza evolution. Instead, we find that a simple geometrical model works best: sites that are closest to the location where the virus binds the human receptor are the primary driver of hemagglutinin evolution. There are two possible explanations for this result. First, the existing historical and experimental epitope sites may not be the real antigenic sites in hemagglutinin. Second, alternatively, hemagglutinin antigenicity may not the primary driver of influenza evolution.
Low-dimensional coordination polymeric structures in alkali metal complex salts of the herbicide (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D)
Authors: Smith Graham
Published: January 2015

The Li, Rb and Cs complexes with the herbicide (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), namely poly[[aqua[μ3-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetato-κ3O1:O1:O1′]lithium(I)] dihydrate], {[Li(C8H5Cl2O3)(H2O)]·2H2O}n, (I), poly[μ-aqua-bis[μ3-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetato-κ4O1:O1′:O1′,Cl2]dirubidium(I)], [Rb2(C8H5Cl2O3)2(H2O)]n, (II), and poly[μ-aqua-bis[μ3-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetato-κ5O1:O1′:O1′,O2,Cl2]dicaesium(I)], [Cs2(C8H5Cl2O3)2(H2O)]n, (III), respectively, have been determined and their two-dimensional polymeric structures are described. In (I), the slightly distorted tetrahedral LiO4coordination involves three carboxylate O-atom donors, of which two are bridging, and a monodentate aqua ligand, together with two water molecules of solvation. Conjoined six-membered ring systems generate a one-dimensional coordination polymeric chain which extends alongband interspecies water O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions give the overall two-dimensional layers which lie parallel to (001). In hemihydrate complex (II), the irregular octahedral RbO5Cl coordination about Rb+comprises a single bridging water molecule which lies on a twofold rotation axis, a bidentateOcarboxy,Cl-chelate interaction and three bridging carboxylate O-atom bonding interactions from the 2,4-D ligand. A two-dimensional coordination polymeric layer structure lying parallel to (100) is formed through a number of conjoined cyclic bridges, including a centrosymmetric four-membered Rb2O2ring system with an Rb...Rb separation of 4.3312 (5) Å. The coordinated water molecule forms intralayer aqua–carboxylate O—H...O hydrogen bonds. Complex (III) comprises two crystallographically independent (Z′ = 2) irregular CsO6Cl coordination centres, each comprising two O-atom donors (carboxylate and phenoxy) and a ring-substituted Cl-atom donor from the 2,4-D ligand species in a tridentate chelate mode, two O-atom donors from bridging carboxylate groups and one from a bridging water molecule. However, the two 2,4-D ligands are conformationally very dissimilar, with one phenoxyacetate side chain being synclinal and the other being antiperiplanar. The minimum Cs...Cs separation is 4.4463 (5) Å. Structure extension gives coordination polymeric layers which lie parallel to (001) and are stabilized by intralayer water–carboxylate O—H...O hydrogen bonds.
The impact of country connectedness and cultural values on the equity of a country’s workforce
Authors: DesAutels Philip , Berthon Pierre , Caruana Albert , Pitt Leyland F.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the impact that country connectedness and cultural values have on the equity afforded to a country’s workforce in today’s global economy.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing upon a number of large international surveys of national-level metrics, e-readiness is identified as a proxy measure for country connectedness. Cultural variables are proxied by the World Values Survey’s national-level scores on “survival/self-expression” and “traditional/secular-rational” values. Workforce equity is captured via three measures: per capita Gross National Income (GNI) based on purchasing power parity (PPP), a Gini-coefficient, and the prevalence of child labor. Stepwise regression analysis is employed to investigate expected relationships.

Findings

– Results suggest an interesting link between the constructs investigated. A negative and significant effect of e-readiness and a negative and significant effect of traditional/secular-rational values on workforce equity are reported. In addition, the impact of e-readiness appears to be absolutely larger while thee impact of survival/self-expression values on the workforce equity is not found to be significant.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is primarily exploratory in nature thereby providing a foundation but not an end product. Next, the data used in the research is aggregate-level data providing broad generalizations about each country. Does a country have a single culture? Is the connectivity of a country a valid measure of the regions within? The authors chose to use an analysis at a single point in time. A longitudinal study could provide more insight and thus help to highlight causality. The data utilized was repurposed from third-party sources. Finally, only 37 observations are used and a broader data set could help strengthen findings further.

Social implications

– The rapid march of country connectedness across the globe is eroding firms’ ability to shade their actions through the distance afforded by global supply chains. A country’s culture values has a significant impact on workforce equity but country connectedness has a stronger impact, thus companies operating in more traditional and less developed countries will face significant impacts as these countries get connected. Rather than a threat, companies may see country connectedness and workforce equity as an opportunity. Firms that treat their workers well will see vast new markets open for them as evermore of the world’s population becomes economically active.

Originality/value

– Uses an innovative data capture methodology that allows the investigation of an interesting and unexplored research question.
Graduate Certificates in Ontario colleges: uniquely engaging in specialized skills development
Authors: Thorsell Laura A.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine Graduate Certificates in colleges in Ontario, Canada, and their distinctive ability to generate intrinsic student engagement in specialized skills development, and a culture of progression and scholarship.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a review of selected literature on student engagement. While extrinsic motivation, such as employment, has most often been discussed this paper purposefully considers intrinsic motivation and factors that build deeper engagement in students. This paper compares and contrasts the literature, and its link with the features of the Ontario College Graduate Certificate in Canada. More specifically, it examines the background and development of the credential in the context of the movement towards competency-based education.

Findings

– This paper postulates that colleges can uniquely provide applied and intrinsically engaging programming through credentials like the Graduate Certificate. The Graduate Certificate helps heighten graduate skills engagement, a culture of progression and scholarship, and ultimately competitiveness in today’s workplace.

Practical implications

– The findings of this paper have implications for colleges to distinguish themselves amongst post-secondary institutions as providers of specialized skills development in higher education, especially as competency-based education grows in importance. It also puts in to question how this type of engaging design can be further built in to post-secondary graduate curriculum.

Originality/value

– This paper illuminates innovative practice at the post-graduate level, as an example of a skills-based scholarly activity. It helps position colleges as providers of effective, competency and outcomes-based higher education. This paper can add value to practitioners looking to build similar programming, by combining this Graduate Certificate design with evidence-based factors that build student engagement, particularly intrinsic motivation.
The impact of role identity on student expectations
Authors: Davis Jane
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the viewpoint that student role identity, its dimensions and salience, impact strongly on student expectations of college-based higher education (CBHE) within the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws on doctoral research undertaken within the context of CBHE in the UK and is further supported through engagement with a range of pertinent literature.

Findings

– The paper suggests ways in which the individually constructed student role identity may impact on the expectations of the experience of CBHE. In so doing, the paper highlights the way in which expectations of higher education recursively influence, and are influenced by, perceptions and actions played out from within the student role.

Research limitations/implications

– The empirical research, from which the paper draws its theme, was undertaken in one large institution. The author recognises that a wider, longitudinal study would be beneficial in recognition of the diversity of provision in the CBHE sector.

Practical implications

– The paper proposes that greater awareness of the way in which students construct and moderate their perceptions and understandings of studenthood would be beneficial to a range of strategic considerations, such as promotional information, partnership activity, peer relations and the nature of pedagogies and learning architectures.

Social implications

– The paper foregrounds the political remit of CBHE as a progression route for “non-traditional” students, and considers the varied understandings of the meaning of the student role adopted by students attending colleges. Engagement with issues of multiple roles, identity salience and variable role porosity highlights social and pyschosocial issues faced by many such students.

Originality/value

– The paper considers role identity in the context of Kurt Lewin’s conceptualisation of life space and uses this framework to highlight issues that may face students and colleges in raising awareness of student expectations. It challenges the homogenous conceptualisation of the term “students” through consideration of the psychic state at a given moment in time.
Influence of internationalization orientation on export performance: in the perspective of Malaysian manufacturing firms
Authors: Behyan Mina , Mohamad Osman , Omar Azizah
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate several concepts of inward and outward internationalization and their impact on export performance in the context of Malaysian manufacturing exporting firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– Mail survey was administered to gather data from the Malaysian manufacturing firms that have been identified to have business export trading to the major oil and gas producer countries in the Middle East. A total of 120 respondents were received and further analysis was tabulated.

Findings

– Findings revealed that the outward internationalization is positively related to economic and non-economic measures of export performance. It indicates that an outward internationalization related to organizational capability has a major contribution to the export performance of Malaysian manufacturing and exporting firms. On the other hand, top management international orientation as an inward internationalization is negatively and significantly associated with economic measures, but not in the non-economic measures of the export performance.

Research limitations/implications

– The cross-sectional nature of this study may have limitations with respect to examining the direction and causality of some of the variables. The findings are limited to Malaysian manufacturing firms exporting to targeted markets. The significant of this study emanates from its expected theoretical implications to knowledge and practical implications to business and public organization. It lends support to the internationalization theory and contributes to a firm’s performance and enhances their export marketing knowledge with useful implications for international and relationship marketing.

Originality/value

– The results support the proposition that internationalization of firms from emerging nations are dependent on learning, acquiring and applying the knowledge from other firms particularly from firms originating from advanced developed nations.
A narrative review and meta-analysis of service interaction quality: new research directions and implications
Authors: Ranjan Kumar Rakesh , Sugathan Praveen , Rossmann Alexander
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to conceptualize and empirically test the determinants of service interaction quality (SIQ) as attitude, behavior and expertise of a service provider (SP). Further, the individual and simultaneous effects of SIQ and its dimensions on important marketing outcomes are tested.

Design/methodology/approach

– The narrative review of extant research helps formulate a conceptual model of SIQ, which is investigated using the univariate and multivariate meta-analysis.

Findings

– There are interdependencies between drivers of SIQ that underlines the need to conceptualize service interaction as a dyadic phenomenon; use contemporary multilevel models, dyadic models, non-linear structural equation modeling and process studies; and study new and diverse services contexts. Meta-analysis illustrates the relative importance of the three drivers of SIQ and, in turn, their impact on consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

– The meta-analysis is based on existing research, which, unfortunately, has not examined critical services or exigency situations where SIQ is of paramount importance. Future research will be tasked with diversifying to several important domains where SIQ is a critical aspect of perceived service quality.

Practical implications

– This study emphasizes that, although the expertise of an SP is important, firms would be surprised to learn that the attitude and behavior of their employees are equally important antecedents. In fact, there is a delicate balance that needs to be found; otherwise, attitudinal factors can have an overall counterproductive effect on consumer satisfaction.

Originality/value

– This paper provides an empirical synthesis of SIQ and opens up interesting areas for further research.
Exploring the relationship between service orientation, employee engagement and perceived leadership style: a study of managers in the private service sector organizations in India
Authors: Popli Sapna , Rizvi Irfan A
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between leadership, employee engagement and service orientation, specific to the private service sector organizations in India. The paper also explores the ability of leadership style and engagement to predict service orientation in the given cross section.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper has used a single cross-sectional descriptive design. Purposive sampling has been used to identify respondents who are managers in the private service sector organisations in India. A valid sample size of 106 has been used for the analysis. Instruments used for perceived leadership style are as follows: Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X short form); Employee Engagement E3 (DDI) and Service Orientation (Frimpong and Wilson, 2012).

Findings

– Service orientation is found to be strongly correlated to employee engagement and employee engagement is a strong predictor of service orientation. The other relationships which are significant and moderately correlated are that of transformational leadership and employee engagement and also of transformational leadership and service orientation.

Research limitations/implications

– The study highlights the importance and significant role of leadership and employee engagement for higher service orientation in the given cross section. The mediating impact of employee engagement of the leadership style and service orientation relationship could be further explored through path analysis or structured equation modeling techniques.

Practical implications

– The research emphasizes that organizations need to focus on employee engagement as much as they focus on customers. The differential advantage to organizations will come through the employees and their behaviors towards customers. Appropriate leadership styles that drive engagement and service-oriented behaviors can be fostered in organizations to drive service performance. The mediating impact of employee engagement of the leadership style and service orientation relationship could be further explored through path analysis or structured equation modeling techniques.

Originality/value

– The research is focused in the private service sector organizations in India and data and results support the need to focus on employees for higher scores on customer parameters. The respondents are from a cross section of service organizations and, hence, emphasizing the interplay of the three variables across organizations. The paper supports the critical role of leadership and employees in creating a higher service orientation.
The relation between accounting information-based firm risk proxies and cost of equity capital across countries
Authors: Kang Tony , Kohlbeck Mark , Yoo Yong
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate international variability in the pricing of accounting information using ex ante cost of equity capital estimates. Prior literature shows that financial statement amounts are relevant for investor decisions only when there is appropriate economic and legal infrastructure (Ball, 2001).

Design/methodology/approach

– Accrual quality and accounting loss are focussed upon as indicators of firm risk in financial statements.

Findings

– The evidence suggests that accounting information is factored into ex ante cost of equity capital in countries with strong economic and legal infrastructures but not in those with weak infrastructures. Findings support Ball’s notion that the role financial reporting plays in a capital market depends on the strength of economic and legal infrastructure.

Originality/value

– Findings support Ball’s notion that the role financial reporting plays in a capital market depends on the strength of economic and legal infrastructure.