bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring quality in community based housing support - the QPC-H instrument
Authors: Lundqvist Lars-Olov , Rask Mikael , Brunt David , Ivarsson Ann-Britt , Schröder Agneta
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to test the psychometric properties and dimensionality of the instrument Quality in Psychiatric Care – Housing (QPC–H) and briefly describe the residents perception of quality of housing support.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 174 residents from 22 housing support services in nine Swedish municipalities participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the QPC–H consisted of six dimensions and had a factor structure largely corresponding to that found among other instruments in the Quality in Psychiatric Care family of instruments

Findings

Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the QPC–H consisted of six dimensions and had a factor structure largely corresponding to that found among other instruments in the Quality in Psychiatric Care family of instruments. The internal consistency of the factors was acceptable except in the case of secure and secluded environment, probably due to few numbers of items. With this exception, the QPC–H shows adequate psychometric properties.

Originality/value

The QPC–H includes important aspects of residents’ assessment of quality of housing service and offers a simple and inexpensive way to evaluate housing support services from the residents’ perspective.
Measuring patient-perceived hospital service quality: a conceptual framework
Authors: PAI YOGESH P , Chary Satyanarayana T
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Although measuring healthcare service quality is not a new phenomenon, the instruments used to measure are timeworn. With the shift in focus to patient centric processes in hospitals and recognising healthcare to be different compared to other services, service quality measurement needs to be tuned specifically to healthcare. The study’s purpose is to design a conceptual framework for measuring patient perceived hospital service quality, based on existing service quality literature

Design/methodology/approach

Using hospital service quality theories, expanding existing healthcare service models and literature, a conceptual framework is proposed to measure hospital service quality. The article outlines inpatient perceived service quality dimensions

Findings

An instrument for measuring hospital service quality dimensions is developed and compared with other service quality measuring instruments. The latest dimensions are in line with previous studies, but a relationship dimension is added.

Practical implications

The framework empowers managers to assess healthcare quality in corporate, public and teaching hospitals.

Originality/value

The article helps academics and practitioners to assess hospital service quality from a patient perspective.
Measuring patient satisfaction in complex continuing care/rehabilitation care
Authors: Malik Navin , Alvaro Celeste , Kuluski Kerry , Wilkinson Andrea J.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

To develop a psychometrically validated survey to assess satisfaction in complex continuing care/rehabilitation patients.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper or computer-based survey was administered to 252 complex continuing care/ rehabilitation patients (i.e., post-acute hospital care setting for people who require ongoing care before returning home) across two hospitals in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Findings

Using factor analysis, five domains were identified with loadings above 0.4 for all but one item. Behavioral intention and information/communication showed the lowest patient satisfaction, while patient centredness the highest. Each domain correlated positively and significantly predicted overall satisfaction, with quality and safety showing the strongest predictive power and the healing environment the weakest. Gender made a significant contribution to predicting overall satisfaction, but age did not.

Research limitations/implications

Results provide evidence of the survey’s psychometric properties. Owing to a small sample, supplemental testing with a larger patient-group is required to confirm the five-factor structure and to assess test-retest reliability.

Originality/value

Improving the health system requires integrating patient perspectives. The patient experience, however, will vary depending on the population being served. This is the first psychometrically validated survey specific to a smaller speciality patient group receiving care at a complex continuing care/rehabilitation facility in Canada.
Lean healthcare from a change management perspective
Authors: van Rossum Lisa , Aij Kjeld Harald , Simons Frederique Elisabeth , van der Eng Niels , ten Have Wouter Dirk
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Lean healthcare is used in a growing number of hospitals to increase efficiency and quality of care. However, healthcare organizations encounter problems with the implementation of change initiatives due to an implementation gap: the gap between strategy and execution. From a change management perspective, the purpose of this paper is to increase scientific knowledge regarding factors that diminish the implementation gap and make the transition from the “toolbox lean” toward an actual transformation to lean healthcare.

Design/methodology/approach

– A cross-sectional study was executed in an operating theatre of a Dutch University Medical Centre. Transformational leadership was expected to ensure the required top-down commitment, whereas team leadership creates the required active, bottom-up behavior of employees. Furthermore, professional and functional silos and a hierarchical structure were expected to impede the workforce flexibility in adapting organizational elements and optimize the entire process flow.

Findings

– The correlation and regression analyses showed positive relations between the transformational leadership and team leadership styles and lean healthcare implementation. The results also indicated a strong relation between workforce flexibility and the implementation of lean healthcare.

Originality/value

– With the use of a recently developed change management model, the Change Competence Model, the authors suggest leadership and workforce flexibility to be part of an organization’s change capacity as crucial success factor for a sustainable transformation to lean healthcare.
The mediating effect of job stress in the relationship between work-related dimensions and career commitment
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine associations between career commitment, job stress, and work-related dimensions of work routinization, role clarity, social support, and promotional opportunity.

Design/methodology/approach

– In all, 408 employees holding supervisor or above level job positions in Sri Lanka responded to the survey. For the data analysis, structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation was performed.

Findings

– Job stress fully mediates the relationship between role clarity and career commitment while partially mediates the relationships between work routinization, social support, and the lack of promotional opportunity and career commitment.

Originality/value

– An investigation into relationships between work-related dimensions and career commitment holds a number of implications in the current business environment where employee commitment may be shifting from the organization to one’s career.
A note on the aphorism “there is nothing as practical as a good theory”
Authors: Bedeian Arthur G.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider one inaccuracy in the written record of our discipline. That is, how the aphorism “There is nothing as practical as a good theory” came to be regarded as Kurt Lewin’s signature saying.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary and secondary sources were used in the research.

Findings

By tracing the history of the above-captioned aphorism back through its use by the General Electric Company in the 1920s to Friedrich W. Dörpfeld’s 1873 book Grundlinien einer Theorie des Lehrplans, zunächst der Volks- und Mittelschule, it can confidently be concluded that it did not originate with Lewin.

Practical Implications

Those who study history soon become aware that inaccuracies in the written record are commonplace. Indeed, assuring historical accuracy has been a challenge confronted by historians for centuries.

Originality/value

The widespread acceptance of Lewin as the originator of the referenced aphorism underscores the observation that received knowledge is often wrong. It also provides one more illustration that, whatever their origin, once errors of attribution appear in print, they become diffused and amplified, taking on a life of their own as they are transmitted from generation to generation.
Disharmony in New Harmony: insights from the narcissistic leadership of Robert Owen
Authors: Humphreys John H. , Novicevic Milorad M. , Hayek Mario , Gibson Jane Whitney , Pane Haden Stephanie S. , Williams, Jr Wallace A.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to narratively explore the influence of leader narcissism on leader/follower social exchange. Moreover, while researchers acknowledge that narcissistic personality is a dimensional construct, the preponderance of extant literature approaches the concept of narcissistic leadership categorically by focusing on the reactive or constructive narcissistic extremes. This bimodal emphasis ignores self-deceptive forms of narcissistic leadership, where vision orientation and communication could differ from leaders with more reactive or constructive narcissistic personalities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors argue that they encountered a compelling example of a communal, self-deceiving narcissist during archival research of Robert Owen’s collective experiment at New Harmony, Indiana. To explore Owen’s narcissistic leadership, they utilize an analytically structured history approach to interpret his leadership, as he conveyed his vision of social reform in America.

Findings

Approaching data from a ‘history to theory’ perspective and via a communicative lens, the authors use insights from their abductive analysis to advance a cross-paradigm, communication-centered process model of narcissistic leadership that accounts for the full dimensional nature of leader narcissism and the relational aspects of narcissistic leadership.

Research limitations/implications

Scholars maintaining a positivist stance might consider this method a limitation, as historical case-based research places greater emphasis on reflexivity than replication. However, from a constructionist perspective, a focus on generalization might be considered inappropriate or premature, potentially hampering the revelation of insights.

Originality/value

Through a multi-paradigmatic analysis of the historical case of Robert Owen and his visionary communal experiment at New Harmony, the authors contribute to the extant literature by elaborating a comprehensive, dimensional and relational process framework of narcissistic leadership. In doing so, the authors have heeded calls to better delineate leader narcissism, embrace process and relational aspects of leadership and consider leader communication as constitutive of leadership.
Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry Hallowell Farquhar, and the dilemma of relating management education to organizational practice
Authors: Lauer Schachter Hindy
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the approach of Frederick Winslow Taylor and an early shop management proponent and Harvard Business School instructor, Henry Hallowell Farquhar, to how management education should connect to business practice. Such analysis has implications both for understanding the philosophical underpinnings of Taylor’s work on shop management and for important dilemmas facing contemporary management curricula.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involves analyzing published and unpublished historical sources including books, articles, letters, memoranda, syllabi and other items on shop management education from Taylor, Farquhar and other Progressive Era educators.

Findings

The paper provides evidence that Taylor and some early shop management supporters had strong concerns about whether university management programs would help graduates succeed under actual working conditions. The evidence shows that Taylor and Farquhar believed that effective management education required students to have actual plant experience and contact with practicing managers. The interest in educational links to practice related at least in part to whether programs could install proper character in their students. The concern with manager disposition and attitudes related to a contemporary re-evaluation of Taylorism because it shows a humanist tendency to shop management thought that much literature on Taylor neglects.

Originality/value

The analysis uses a wide variety of published and unpublished sources. It discusses early use of shop management insights in engineering and business programs which are generally analyzed in separate literatures. The discussion focuses attention on the need for contemporary management programs to expand opportunities for practitioner participation in educational development.
Management science, planning, and demand management
Authors: Bruce Kyle
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper explores the “proto-Keynesian” ideas of progressive members of the scientific management community with regard to micro- and macroeconomic planning/management.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a systematic exegetical analysis of articles published in a largely unexplored primary/archival source, the Bulletin of the Taylor Society between 1915 and 1934.

Findings

This paper surfaces a latent “proto-Keynesian” bedrock among progressive segments of the US management community that provides a more cogent explanation for the wholehearted reception, as well as the decisive impact, of Keynes’ ideas on US macroeconomic policy than do extant explanations in the history of economic thought. Further, it reveals that most of these progressive managers with views as to both cause of and solution for the 1930’s Depression were members of the Taylor Society, an epistemic community devoted to the ideas of Frederick Winslow Taylor, the father of scientific management.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the small but growing corpus of revisionist management history that seeks to problematize the received wisdom about scientific management or Taylorism. Few, if any, management historians appreciate that F. W. Taylor provided the basic planning tools which if developed, could enhance humanity’s control over anarchic market forces and aid the construction of a society based on democratic and effective planning.
Types of foreign networks and internationalization performance of Korean SMEs
Authors: Jeong So Won
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to empirically analyze how various types of foreign networks influence the internationalization performance of Korean small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The specific aim is to investigate the impact of each network type (family and friends, clients (buyers, vendors, etc.), potential buyers contacted through an Internet search for export, acquaintances from trade shows and fairs and acquaintances from government organizations) on internationalization performance outcomes, such as financial performance, financial performance satisfaction and strategic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify influential foreign networks, multiple regression analysis was conducted. The sample consisted of 484 exporting Korean SMEs.

Findings

The results emphasized the role of business networks with clients in enhancing financial performance, financial performance satisfaction and strategic performance of Korean SMEs in international markets.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the expansion of SME internationalization literature by identifying various types of foreign networks used in international markets and revealing their differential roles on the internationalization performance of Korean SMEs.
Social responsibility disclosure in the international gambling industry: a research note
Authors: Leung Tiffany Cheng Han , Gray Rob
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent to which social responsibility and social and environmental reporting and disclosure have any relevance in the (so-called) controversial industries. The literature is ambivalent over the extent to which it is expected to see corporate social responsibility and social disclosure employed as active legitimation strategies. However, the apparent importance of “responsible gambling” in both the literature and in gambling industry initiatives suggests, at leasta priori, that the international industry is active in some degree of legitimation.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory study examines the social and environmental disclosures of a sample of large companies in each of five countries over a three-year period using conventional content analysis.

Findings

The results are unexpected in that, although disclosure is dominated by employee- and director-related, other areas of social and environmental – and indeed economic – activity feature hardly at all. There is remarkably little disclosure around responsible gambling.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is a research note based on a range of samples across five countries and is, inevitably, tentative. The implications, albeit tentative, include the need to re-theorise corporate disclosure, especially in the controversial sectors.

Originality/value

The note adds to the accounting literature concerned with the controversial industries and contributes to the scarce social accounting research in the gambling sector. The authors hope that the research will be useful in guiding more focused and in-depth studies into this increasingly important and counter-intuitive area.
The MCS package in a non-budgeting organisation: a case study of Mainfreight
Authors: O’Grady Winnie , Akroyd Chris
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Budgets are commonly viewed as a central component of management control systems (MCS). The beyond budgeting literature argues that managers can develop other controls to replace budgets. The purpose of this paper is to examine the MCS package of an organisation which has never in its history had a traditional budget.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors carry out an ethnomethodology informed case study at Mainfreight, a large multinational logistics company headquartered in New Zealand. Data were collected from interviews with managers and accountants, internal company documents, published corporate histories, a company presentation, the corporate Web site and site visits.

Findings

The authors found that Mainfreight’s MCS package was explicitly designed based on cultural and administrative systems which supported the planning, cybernetic and reward systems managers used to monitor key drivers of short-and long-term performance with a focus on profitability.

Research limitations/implications

The implication of the finding is that a more holistic view of the MCS package is necessary to understand how control is achieved within organisations that have moved beyond budgeting.

Practical implications

The authors show that organisations can operate without traditional budgets and still maintain a high level of control by developing appropriate cultural and administrative control systems that are internally consistent with their planning, cybernetic and reward systems.

Originality/value

The scarcity of organisations that have never had budgets limits opportunities to investigate an MCS package intended to function without budgets. This unique case setting reveals the design of an integrated non-budgeting MCS package.
Enabling characteristics of new budgeting practice and the role of controller
Authors: Henttu-Aho Tiina
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the emergence of the enabling characteristics of new budgetary practices and their implications for the role of controller.

Design/methodology/approach

The longitudinal perspective of this qualitative case study is based on interviews of controllers and managers involved in budgetary work. This study monitored the four enabling characteristics of management control, namely, repair, internal transparency, global transparency and flexibility (Adler and Borys, 1996), related to the new budgeting practices in one global paper company.

Findings

The findings of the study demonstrate that the implementation of rolling forecasting was a major attempt at “repair” to remedy the incompleteness of accounting information, which made controllers experts in producing and delivering more realistic forward-looking information in the organization. The increasing internal and global transparency of new budgetary practices enabled controllers at various levels of organization to develop new competences, which helped controller network to build a holistic view of the totality of control and supply more relevant information in organization. Moreover, the inherent flexibility of the system was a major condition for improving organizational effectiveness in budgetary work. However, the study shows that the controller’s attitude towards enabling formalization is not necessarily positive if the system is not aligned with professional mindset and competence.

Originality/value

This study adds to the understanding of the complementarity between new developments of budgeting and controller role by addressing the enabling uses of management control systems, which have the potential to enhance the controller role change.
How the digital world is shaping the modern consumer
Authors: Van Belleghem Steven
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

•••

Findings

Only by allowing consumers to make a genuine human, emotional connection will a brand establish themselves as a favorite brand. A strategy that combines modern PR and modern HR is required to capture people’s imaginations.

Originality/value

•••
Downregulation of toll‐like receptor 4 and IL‐6 following irradiation of the rat urinary bladder
Authors: Giglio D , Wasén C , Mölne J , Suchy D , Swanpalmer J , Jabonero Valbuena J , Tobin G , Ny L
Published: April 2016

The pathophysiology behind radiation cystitis is poorly understood. Here we investigated whether bladder irradiation affects the immune system of the rat urinary bladder. Female rats were sedated and exposed to one single radiation dose of 20 Gy or only sedated (controls) and killed 16 h to 14 days later. Rats were placed in a metabolic cage at 16 h, 3 days, 7 days and 14 days following bladder irradiation. The urinary bladders were harvested and analysed with qPCR, immunohistochemistry and/or Western blot for the expression of interferon (IFN)‐γ, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐13, nitric oxide synthases (eNOS, iNOS and nNOS), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4). Urine was collected and analysed for IL‐6 and nitrite (reflecting nitric oxide activity) with ELISA and the Griess reaction, respectively. Irradiation increased bladder frequency and decreased voiding volumes 14 days following bladder irradiation. Bladder irradiation increased the expression of IL‐10 and collagen in the bladder, while TLR4 and IL‐6 expressions were decreased in the urothelium concomitantly with a decrease in mast cells in the submucosa and urine levels of IL‐6 and nitrite. The present findings show that bladder irradiation leads to urodynamic changes in the bladder and may suppress important immunoregulatory pathways in the urinary bladder.
Phylogenomic analysis of lipid biosynthetic genes of Archaea shed light on the ‘lipid divide’
Authors: Villanueva Laura , Schouten Stefan , Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe
Published: April 2016

The lipid membrane is one of the most characteristic traits distinguishing the three domains of life. Membrane lipids of Bacteria and Eukarya are composed of fatty acids linked to glycerol‐3‐phosphate (G3P) via ester bonds, while those of Archaea possess isoprene‐based alkyl chains linked by ether linkages to glycerol‐1‐phosphate (G1P), resulting in the opposite stereochemistry of the glycerol phosphate backbone. This ‘lipid divide’ has raised questions on the evolution of microbial life since eukaryotes are thought to have evolved from the Archaea, requiring a radical change in membrane composition. Here, we searched for homologs of enzymes involved in membrane lipid and fatty acid synthesis in a wide variety of archaeal genomes and performed phylogenomic analyses. We found that two uncultured archaeal groups, i.e. marine euryarchaeota group II/III and ‘Lokiarchaeota’, recently discovered descendants of the archaeal ancestor leading to eukaryotes, lack the gene to synthesize G1P and, consequently, the capacity to synthesize archaeal membrane lipids. However, our analyses reveal their genetic capacity to synthesize G3P‐based ‘chimeric lipids’ with either two ether‐bound isoprenoidal chains or with an ester‐bound fatty acid instead of an ether‐bound isoprenoid. These archaea may reflect the ‘archaea‐to‐eukaryote’ membrane transition stage which have led to the current ‘lipid divide’.
Genomic resolution of a cold subsurface aquifer community provides metabolic insights for novel microbes adapted to high CO2 concentrations
Authors: Probst Alexander J. , Castelle Cindy J. , Singh Andrea , Brown Christopher T. , Anantharaman Karthik , Sharon Itai , Hug Laura A. , Burstein David , Emerson Joanne B. , Thomas Brian C. , Banfield Jillian F.
Published: April 2016

As in many deep underground environments, the microbial communities in subsurface high‐CO2 ecosystems remain relatively unexplored. Recent investigations based on single‐gene assays revealed a remarkable variety of organisms from little studied phyla in Crystal Geyser (Utah, USA), a site where deeply sourced CO2‐saturated fluids are erupted at the surface. To provide genomic resolution of the metabolisms of these organisms, we used a novel metagenomic approach to recover 227 high‐quality genomes from 150 microbial species affiliated with 46 different phylum‐level lineages. Bacteria from two novel phylum‐level lineages have the capacity for CO2 fixation. Analyses of carbon fixation pathways in all studied organisms revealed that the Wood‐Ljungdahl pathway and the Calvin‐Benson‐Bassham Cycle occurred with the highest frequency, whereas the reverse TCA cycle was little used. We infer that this, and selection for form II RuBisCOs, are adaptions to high CO2‐concentrations. However, many autotrophs can also grow mixotrophically, a strategy that confers metabolic versatility. The assignment of 156 hydrogenases to 90 different organisms suggests that H2 is an important inter‐species energy currency even under gaseous CO2‐saturation. Overall, metabolic analyses at the organism level provided insight into the biochemical cycles that support subsurface life under the extreme condition of CO2 saturation.
What Does ‘Collaboration’ Without Government Look Like? The Network Qualities of an Emerging Partnership
Authors: Moran Michael , Joyce Andrew , Barraket Josephine , MacKenzie Caitlyn , Foenander Emily
Published: April 2016

Cross‐sectoral partnerships are increasingly common in Australian human service delivery. Yet research has not often focused on partnerships where private actors broker an arrangement to address complex community needs. Using a combination of interviews, focus groups, and social network analysis (SNA), this paper investigates the network qualities of a nascent partnership between a not for profit (NFP) service provider and a major retail water company that seeks to address financial hardship. Ultimately, we assess whether this represents genuine collaboration or another form of joint action. We find that the privately steered partnership generates instrumental benefits characteristic of cross‐sectoral arrangements, as well as challenges. SNA reveals a very high degree of connection between the partner organisations, but the results suggest that the partnership is coordinative rather than collaborative. We also find that this is leading to tacit organisational and institutional modifications as the NFP assumes a ‘market facing’ posture and adjusts to the demands of working with private sector partners. However, at this early stage of development, the level of systemic adjustment between both organisations remains incomplete.
‘They won't change it back in their heads that we're trash’: the intersection of sex work‐related stigma and evolving policing strategies
Authors: Krüsi Andrea , Kerr Thomas , Taylor Christina , Rhodes Tim , Shannon Kate
Published: April 2016

In Vancouver, Canada, there has been a continuous shift in the policing of sex work away from arresting sex workers, which led to the implementation of a policing strategy that explicitly prioritised the safety of sex workers and continued to target sex workers’ clients. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 26 cisgender and five transgender women street‐based sex workers about their working conditions. Data were analysed thematically and by drawing on concepts of structural stigma and vulnerability. Our results indicated that despite police rhetoric of prioritising the safety of sex workers, participants were denied their citizenship rights for police protection by virtue of their ‘risky’ occupation and were thus responsiblised for sex work related violence. Our findings further suggest that sex workers’ interactions with neighbourhood residents were predominantly shaped by a discourse of sex workers as a ‘risky’ presence in the urban landscape and police took swift action in removing sex workers in the case of complaints. This study highlights that intersecting regimes of stigmatisation and criminalisation continued to undermine sex workers citizenship rights to police protection and legal recourse and perpetuated labour conditions that render sex workers at increased risk for violence and poor health.
Driving with the Handbrake On: Competition Class Actions under the Consumer Rights Act 2015
Authors: Higgins Andrew
Published: April 2016

This paper examines the new class action procedure for competition cases established by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. It examines whether the legislation and the procedural rules for the Competition Appeal Tribunal address the failures of previous procedures, focusing on three issues in particular i) the treatment of conflicting interests amongst class members ii) the rules on certifying collective proceedings; and iii) rules on funding. It argues that while the Act is a considerable improvement on what preceded it, the safeguards adopted will act as a drag on meritorious and unmeritorious claims alike, and as such there is likely to be continued under‐enforcement of competition law.
Attribution and the Illegality Defence
Authors: Lim Ernest
Published: April 2016

In Jetivia SA v Bilta (UK) Ltd (in liquidation) all seven judges of the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal by holding that the illegality defence could not be raised as a defence against the claim made by the company because the wrongdoing of the directors and shareholder cannot be attributed to the company. Although all the judges unanimously agreed on the outcome of the case, their reasoning concerning the approach to attribution and the different circumstances under which attribution should or should not take place differed. Further, the Supreme Court was divided on the issue of the correct approach to the illegality defence.
Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance: A Survey
Authors: LOUGHRAN TIM , MCDONALD BILL
Published: April 2016

Relative to quantitative methods traditionally used in accounting and finance, textual analysis is substantially less precise. Thus, understanding the art is of equal importance to understanding the science. In this survey, we describe the nuances of the method and, as users of textual analysis, some of the tripwires in implementation. We also review the contemporary textual analysis literature and highlight areas of future research.
Real Estate and Consumption Growth as Common Risk Factors in Asset Pricing Models
Authors: Carmichael Benoît , Coën Alain
Published: April 2016

Using a linear multifactor pricing model, we study the influence of equity market, the consumption growth and the return on real estate wealth on asset returns. The real estate risk factor is proxied alternatively by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) index, unlevered NAREIT index and National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries property index. Estimates are based on CRSP's monthly decile portfolio returns from January 1972 to December 2013 (including the Vintage REIT era and the New REIT era). Generalized method of moment results show that the real estate factor is particularly useful to explain the cross‐sectional variation of returns in the last two decades generally associated with the so‐called real estate bubble.
Fatal Firearm Injuries in Tennessee: A Comparison Study of Tennessee's Two Most Populous Counties 2009–2012
Authors: Hawes Amy McMaster , Chancellor Karen E. , Rogers William R. , Ledford Jennifer A.
Published: April 2016

Firearm injuries are a leading cause of violent death in Tennessee. This study was designed to compare the demographic and epidemiologic features of fatal firearm injuries in Shelby County and Davidson County, Tennessee between 2009 and 2012. We identified 1081 gunshot fatalities for the study period in these two counties. Shelby County had a higher overall, age‐adjusted gunshot mortality rate, a higher male age‐adjusted gunshot mortality rate, and a higher age‐adjusted gunshot homicide rate than Davidson. Age groups 25–34 years and 35–44 years had higher crude mortality rates for gunshot deaths in Shelby County than Davidson County. Both counties had higher age‐adjusted gunshot mortality rates for black males than white males, higher homicide rate for black race than white, and higher suicide rate for white race than black. Homicide was the most common manner of death, and handguns were the most common type of firearm used in both counties.
Hand‐assisted laparoscopic colorectal surgery with double‐glove technique
Authors: Vaccarezza Hernán , Sahovaler Axel , Im Víctor , Rossi Gustavo , Vaccaro Carlos
Published: April 2016

Aim

The hand‐assisted laparoscopic colorectal surgery (HALS) preserves the advantages of the minimally‐invasive approach. However, its application has faced resistance due to the need of hand port devices and its increased costs. The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility of an original technique using a double glove to keep pneumoperitoneum.

Patients and methods

All patients operated with the HALS approach between 2004 and 2011 were analysed. Intraoperative and postoperative variables were also analysed. All procedures were performed with a double‐glove technique to preserve the pneumoperitoneum.

Results

There were 217 patients included in the present study (52 per cent males, mean age of 71 years and mean body mass index of 26.5 kg/m2). The median operating time was 150 min. The mean port number used was three, with a mean wound size of 5.25 cm. The conversion rate was 6 per cent, and the morbidity rate was 8.7 per cent with no postoperative deaths. The median hospital stay was 3 days. Mean harvested nodes were 16 (95 per cent confidence interval: 15–17). The readmission and reoperation rates were 2.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent, respectively.

Conclusion

The double‐glove hand‐assisted laparoscopic technique represents a feasible option with good postoperative outcomes. Additionally, it represents a good cost‐effective alternative.
Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma of the nasal septum treated with palliative radiofrequency ablation
Authors: Lee Dong‐Hoon , Yoon Tae‐Mi , Lee Joon‐Kyoo , Joo Young‐Eun , Lim Sang‐Chul
Published: April 2016

Metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to the nasal septum is extremely rare. The proper management of this rare condition has not been established. A 45‐year‐old male had been treated for HCC for 5 years. He presented with right‐sided nasal obstruction. He had lung metastasis, and had been undertaking chemotherapy. On endoscopic examination, a 1.5 cm‐sized mass on the anterior nasal septum was observed. Biopsy taken from the septal mass revealed HCC, but he refused further intervention. Six months later, the mass grew and totally obstructed the right nasal cavity. For palliative treatment, radiofrequency ablation to the septal mass was done. At the 4‐month postoperative follow up, the septal mass had disappeared and septal perforation was noted on endoscopic examination and computed tomography of the paranasal sinus. One month later, the mass recurred in the upper lip; this lesion had not been previously recognized. His general condition rapidly deteriorated and he eventually died. Metastatic HCC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of nasal septal masses. Radiofrequency ablation might be a feasible palliative treatment option in the treatment of metastatic septal lesions if a target lesion is properly located.
Influence of Subtropical Region Strawberry Cultivars on Jelly Characteristics
Authors: Curi Paula Nogueira , de Sousa Tavares Bruna , de Almeida Aline Botelho , Pio Rafael , Peche Pedro Maranha , de Souza Vanessa Rios
Published: April 2016

At the end of the production period of strawberries grown in subtropical regions, postharvest durability is severely diminished due to rising temperatures which compromises the commercialization of fresh fruit. An ideal option would be to process strawberries in the form of preserves, jams, and jellies. Along this line it becomes extremely important to conduct a survey of which cultivars grown in subtropical regions are more suitable for processing in the form of jelly, as well as to understand what the consumer profile is for this product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different strawberry cultivars grown in subtropical regions of Brazil (Camarosa, Festival, San Andreas, Oso Grande, Camino Real, and Albion) on the physicochemical characteristics, rheological properties and sensory acceptance of the resulting jelly in order to identify cultivars with the greatest potential for industrial use. The strawberry cultivars presented different physicochemical characteristics which resulted in jellies with different physicochemical and rheological characteristics. In this study, however, we verified that all cultivars have potential to be processed in the form of jelly due to good acceptance of all formulations prepared. In general consumers prefer a lighter‐colored strawberry jelly, with a less intense red color, more acidic, and less consistent/firm.
Low genome content diversity of marine planktonic Thaumarchaeota
Authors: Luo Haiwei , Sun Ying , Hollibaugh James T. , Moran Mary Ann
Published: April 2016

Members of Thaumarchaeota are responsible for much of the ammonia oxidation occurring in the ocean. Recent studies showed that marine Thaumarchaeota have versatile metabolic capabilities, but sequencing additional genomes has not significantly increased the gene content ascribed to this group. We used the assembly‐free dN pipeline software in combination with phylogenetic analyses to interrogate shotgun metagenomic data sets to gain a better understanding of the genomic diversity of Thaumarchaeota populations. The program confidently assigned ∼3,000 paired‐end reads to Thaumarchaeota, independent of homologies to any known Thaumarchaeota genome sequence. Only 2% of these reads potentially harbor new genes that were absent from the genome of ‘Candidatus Nitrosopumilus maritimus’ str. SCM1, even though this strain was isolated from a marine aquarium rather than directly from the ocean. One of these novel genes encode proteins associated with the CRISPR/Cas system, Cas1, suggesting that phage defense through CRISPR may be also present in planktonic Thaumarchaeota lineages. Our results suggest that marine Thaumarchaeota populations have very low diversity in genome content, which is corroborated using computer simulation analyses of two bacterial lineages with known genome content diversity.
The Signature of the Moving Body: Agency and Embodied Education Ideologies of Dance Teachers
Authors: Ophir Hodel
Published: April 2016

Through an ethnographic study of dance teachers in Israel, this article calls attention to the teaching body as an active social agent and introduces the concept of body signature. It examines the bodily comportment of three dance teachers, arguing for embodied education ideologies, and the ability of teachers to maneuver within these concepts and reshape them. The article provides a valuable lens through which to explore the dynamics of educating bodies and their sociocultural contexts.
Endoscopic stenting of acutely obstructing colorectal cancer: a 10‐year review from a tertiary referral centre
Authors: Padwick Robert T. , Chauhan Vishnusai , Newman Matthew , Francombe James , Osborne Martin J.
Published: April 2016

Background

Insertion of self‐expanding metallic stents for obstructing colorectal cancer (CRC) is a potential alternative to emergency resection, but evidence regarding efficacy is inconclusive. We aim to assess local efficacy of stent insertion for obstructing CRC, and to establish whether the service could be offered regionally.

Method

Retrospective patient data analysis using local paper notes and electronic records was performed. All patients underwent stent insertion for an obstructing CRC from April 2004 to March 2014. The main outcome measures were success of stent insertion, complications, further surgery and overall mortality.

Results

Eighty‐nine stent insertions were performed. Twenty‐five were performed as a bridge to surgery, 49 due to advanced disease, 11 due to patient co‐morbidity and four due to patient choice. Time from referral to stent insertion for emergency referrals was 1–360 h (median 23). Eighty‐seven stents were successfully deployed. Perforation occurred in three patients and migration in nine patients. Twenty‐one patients underwent planned surgery (time to surgery was 2–208 days, median 24), 14 patients underwent emergency surgery (time to surgery was 0–277 days, median 11). Forty‐six patients have died since stent insertion (time to death was 0–42 months, median 6.04).

Conclusion

Stent insertion for obstructing CRC is a viable alternative to emergency resection, with a low complication rate. Stent insertion may allow a proportion of patients to later undergo planned surgery. Stent insertion carries a lower peri‐procedure mortality than emergency resection. An acute stent insertion service for obstructing CRC could potentially be offered at regional level in our Trust.
Two‐stage surgery to repair a dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm in a severely obese patient: Open bifurcated graft replacement after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
Authors: Shioi Yoshihiro , Sasaki Akira , Nitta Hiroyuki , Umemura Akira , Baba Shigeaki , Iwaya Takeshi , Kimura Yusuke , Otsuka Koki , Koeda Keisuke , Mizuno Masaru , Kumagai Kazuya , Kamada Takeshi , Mukaida Masayuki , Okabayashi Hitoshi
Published: April 2016

With the increasing prevalence of severe obesity worldwide, surgical treatment for severely obese patients is becoming more popular. Bariatric surgery has occasionally been performed as a precursor to major operations for serious diseases to make these difficult surgeries safer for severely obese patients. We present the case of a severely obese patient with a dissected abdominal aortic aneurysm and left iliac artery aneurysm. Initially, we performed bariatric surgery on this patient to reduce perioperative risk and then subsequently performed bifurcated graft replacement. A 54‐year‐old man presented at our hospital for bariatric surgery before open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was performed; 15 months later, the patient's weight and BMI had decreased from 139.0 kg to 97.6 kg and from 48.7 kg/m2 to 34.2 kg/m2, respectively. Bifurcated graft replacement was performed safely without postoperative complications. Bariatric surgery was also effective in controlling the patient's blood pressure during the interval between surgeries.
Laparoscopic Hartmann reversal: Video presentation of a case
Authors: Su Jun , Chia Clement LK , Mantoo Surendra K
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Laparoscopic Hartmann reversal (LHR) has decreased postoperative recovery time and a lower wound infection rate compared to open HR. However its technical difficulty and high conversion rates make it a challenging procedure. We aim to demonstrate the technique of LHR via a video presentation. Our patient, a 64 year old Chinese man with no history of previous surgery underwent a Hartmann procedure for an obstructing sigmoid stricture secondary to diverticular disease. Three months later, he underwent an elective LHR.

Materials and Surgical Technique

A 10 mm port was initially inserted in the right iliac fossa under direct vision away from expected adhesions due to the previous midline incision. Additional 5mm working ports were inserted in the right flank and right hypochondrium. An additional 10mm optical port was then inserted in the epigastrium and the laparoscopic camera was switched to the epigastric port. Omental adhesions to abdominal wall were taken down. The left colon was then brought down to the pelvis to ensure adequate length of bowel for anastomosis. A colorectal side to end anastomosis was then performed. The stoma wound was closed and the patient was discharged well on post‐operative day 5.

Discussion

LHR can be adopted as an initial approach to visualize intra‐abdominal adhesions and determine feasibility of operation. With experienced hands, LHR can achieve good patient outcomes.
Twenty‐First Century Philippines’ Policy Toward an Emergent China: From Equi‐Balancing to Strategic Balancing
Authors: De Castro Renato Cruz
Published: April 2016

This article examines the Philippines’ two approaches to China's emergence as a power. The first is the Philippines’ strategy of equi‐balancing the United States and China in the early years of the 21st century. During this period, the country revived and strengthened its security arrangements with the United States while at the same time, it obtained economic and politico‐diplomatic concessions from East Asia's emergent power, China. The second is the Philippines’ strategic balancing policy on China. Since 2011, the Aquino Administration has been conducting a delicate balancing act vis‐à‐vis China, which has become aggressive in asserting its sovereignty over the South China Sea. Currently, the Philippines seeks U.S. diplomatic support and security guarantees in relation to its territorial row with China. In the process, President Aquino has discarded his predecessor's policy of equi‐balancing the great powers and tilted the balance in favor of the United States. This policy shift that entails American and Japanese strategic backing doubtlessly enhances the Philippine‐U.S. alliance but strains Philippine‐China bilateral relations.