bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ProfilePSTMM: capturing tree-structure motifs in carbohydrate sugar chains
Authors: Aoki-Kinoshita Kiyoko F. , Ueda Nobuhisa , Mamitsuka Hiroshi , Kanehisa Minoru
Published: July 2006

Motivation: Carbohydrate sugar chains, or glycans, are considered the third major class of biomolecules after DNA and proteins. They consist of branching monosaccharides, starting from a single monosaccharide. They are extremely vital to the development and functioning of multicellular organisms because they are recognized by various proteins to allow them to perform specific functions. Our motivation is to study this recognition mechanism using informatics techniques from the data available. Previously, we introduced a probabilistic sibling-dependent tree Markov model (PSTMM), which we showed could be efficiently trained on sibling-dependent tree structures and return the most likely state paths. However, it had some limitations in that the extra dependency between siblings caused overfitting problems. The retrieval of the patterns from the trained model also involved manually extracting the patterns from the most likely state paths. Thus we introduce a profilePSTMM model which avoids these problems, incorporating a novel concept of different types of state transitions to handle parent-child and sibling dependencies differently.

Results: Our new algorithms are more efficient and able to extract the patterns more easily. We tested the profilePSTMM model on both synthetic (controlled) data as well as glycan data from the KEGG GLYCAN database. Additionally, we tested it on glycans which are known to be recognized and bound to proteins at various binding affinities, and we show that our results correlate with results published in the literature.

Contact:  kkiyoko@t.soka.ac.jp
Apples to apples: improving the performance of motif finders and their significance analysis in the Twilight Zone
Authors: Ng Patrick , Nagarajan Niranjan , Jones Neil , Keich Uri
Published: July 2006

Motivation: Effective algorithms for finding relatively weak motifs are an important practical necessity while scanning long DNA sequences for regulatory elements. The success of such an algorithm hinges on the ability of its scoring function combined with a significance analysis test to discern real motifs from random noise.

Results: In the first half of the paper we show that the paradigm of relying on entropy scores and their E-values can lead to undesirable results when searching for weak motifs and we offer alternate approaches to analyzing the significance of motifs. In the second half of the paper we reintroduce a scoring function and present a motif-finder that optimizes it that are more effective in finding relatively weak motifs than other tools.

Availability: The GibbsILR motif finder is available at

Contact: Uri Keich, keich@cs.cornell.edu
Finding novel genes in bacterial communities isolated from the environment
Authors: Krause Lutz , Diaz Naryttza N. , Bartels Daniela , Edwards Robert A. , Pühler Alfred , Rohwer Forest , Meyer Folker , Stoye Jens
Published: July 2006

Motivation: Novel sequencing techniques can give access to organisms that are difficult to cultivate using conventional methods. When applied to environmental samples, the data generated has some drawbacks, e.g. short length of assembled contigs, in-frame stop codons and frame shifts. Unfortunately, current gene finders cannot circumvent these difficulties. At the same time, the automated prediction of genes is a prerequisite for the increasing amount of genomic sequences to ensure progress in metagenomics.

Results: We introduce a novel gene finding algorithm that incorporates features overcoming the short length of the assembled contigs from environmental data, in-frame stop codons as well as frame shifts contained in bacterial sequences. The results show that by searching for sequence similarities in an environmental sample our algorithm is capable of detecting a high fraction of its gene content, depending on the species composition and the overall size of the sample. The method is valuable for hunting novel unknown genes that may be specific for the habitat where the sample is taken. Finally, we show that our algorithm can even exploit the limited information contained in the short reads generated by 454 technology for the prediction of protein coding genes.

Availability: The program is freely available upon request.

Contact:  Lutz.Krause@CeBiTec.Uni-Bielefeld.DE
Modelling sequential protein folding under kinetic control
Authors: Huard Fabien P.E. , Deane Charlotte M. , Wood Graham R.
Published: July 2006

Motivation: This study presents a novel investigation of the effect of kinetic control on cotranslational protein folding. We demonstrate the effect using simple HP lattice models and show that the cotranslational folding of proteins under kinetic control has a significant impact on the final conformation. Differences arise if nature is not capable of pushing a partially folded protein back over a large energy barrier. For this reason we argue that such constraints should be incorporated into structure prediction techniques. We introduce a finite surmountable energy barrier which allows partially formed chains to partly unfold, and permits us to enumerate exhaustively all energy pathways.

Results: We compare the ground states obtained sequentially with the global ground states of designing sequences (those with a unique global ground state). We find that the sequential ground states become less numerous and more compact as the surmountable energy barrier increases. We also introduce a probabilistic model to describe the distribution of final folds and allow partial settling to the Boltzmann distribution of states at each stage. As a result, conformations with the highest probability of final occurrence are not necessarily the ones of lowest energy.

Availability: Software available on request

Contact:  fhuard@efs.mq.edu.au
Context-specific independence mixture modeling for positional weight matrices
Authors: Georgi Benjamin , Schliep Alexander
Published: July 2006

Motivation: A positional weight matrix (PWM) is a statistical representation of the binding pattern of a transcription factor estimated from known binding site sequences. Previous studies showed that for factors which bind to divergent binding sites, mixtures of multiple PWMs increase performance. However, estimating a conventional mixture distribution for each position will in many cases cause overfitting.

Results: We propose a context-specific independence (CSI) mixture model and a learning algorithm based on a Bayesian approach. The CSI model adjusts complexity to fit the amount of variation observed on the sequence level in each position of a site. This not only yields a more parsimonious description of binding patterns, which improves parameter estimates, it also increases robustness as the model automatically adapts the number of components to fit the data.

Evaluation of the CSI model on simulated data showed favorable results compared to conventional mixtures. We demonstrate its adaptive properties in a classical model selection setup. The increased parsimony of the CSI model was shown for the transcription factor Leu3 where two binding-energy subgroups were distinguished equally well as with a conventional mixture but requiring 30% less parameters. Analysis of the human-mouse conservation of predicted binding sites of 64 JASPAR TFs showed that CSI was as good or better than a conventional mixture for 89% of the TFs and for 70% for a single PWM model.

Availability:  

Contact:  georgi@molgen.mpg.de, schliep@molgen.mpg.de
Informative priors based on transcription factor structural class improve de novo motif discovery
Authors: Narlikar Leelavati , Gordân Raluca , Ohler Uwe , Hartemink Alexander J.
Published: July 2006

Motivation: An important problem in molecular biology is to identify the locations at which a transcription factor (TF) binds to DNA, given a set of DNA sequences believed to be bound by that TF. In previous work, we showed that information in the DNA sequence of a binding site is sufficient to predict the structural class of the TF that binds it. In particular, this suggests that we can predict which locations in any DNA sequence are more likely to be bound by certain classes of TFs than others. Here, we argue that traditional methods for de novo motif finding can be significantly improved by adopting an informative prior probability that a TF binding site occurs at each sequence location. To demonstrate the utility of such an approach, we present priority, a powerful new de novo motif finding algorithm.

Results: Using data from TRANSFAC, we train three classifiers to recognize binding sites of basic leucine zipper, forkhead, and basic helix loop helix TFs. These classifiers are used to equip priority with three class-specific priors, in addition to a default prior to handle TFs of other classes. We apply priority and a number of popular motif finding programs to sets of yeast intergenic regions that are reported by ChIP-chip to be bound by particular TFs. priority identifies motifs the other methods fail to identify, and correctly predicts the structural class of the TF recognizing the identified binding sites.

Availability: Supplementary material and code can be found at .

Contact:  lee@cs.duke.edu, raluca@cs.duke.edu, uwe.ohler@duke.edu, amink@cs.duke.edu.
Decoding non-unique oligonucleotide hybridization experiments of targets related by a phylogenetic tree
Authors: Schliep Alexander , Rahmann Sven
Published: July 2006

Motivation: The reliable identification of presence or absence of biological agents (“targets”), such as viruses or bacteria, is crucial for many applications from health care to biodiversity. If genomic sequences of targets are known, hybridization reactions between oligonucleotide probes and targets performed on suitable DNA microarrays will allow to infer presence or absence from the observed pattern of hybridization. Targets, for example all known strains of HIV, are often closely related and finding unique probes becomes impossible. The use of non-unique oligonucleotides with more advanced decoding techniques from statistical group testing allows to detect known targets with great success. Of great relevance, however, is the problem of identifying the presence of previously unknown targets or of targets that evolve rapidly.

Results: We present the first approach to decode hybridization experiments using non-unique probes when targets are related by a phylogenetic tree. Using a Bayesian framework and a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach we are able to identify over 94% of known targets and assign up to 70% of unknown targets to their correct clade in hybridization simulations on biological and simulated data.

Availability: Software implementing the method described in this paper and datasets are available from .

Contact:  alexander.schliep@molgen.mpg.de, Sven.Rahmann@cebitec.uni-bielefeld.de
A decompositional approach to parameter estimation in pathway modeling: a case study of the Akt and MAPK pathways and their crosstalk
Authors: Koh Geoffrey , Teong Huey Fern Carol , Clément Marie-Véronique , Hsu David , Thiagarajan P.S.
Published: July 2006

Parameter estimation is a critical problem in modeling biological pathways. It is difficult because of the large number of parameters to be estimated and the limited experimental data available. In this paper, we propose a decompositional approach to parameter estimation. It exploits the structure of a large pathway model to break it into smaller components, whose parameters can then be estimated independently. This leads to significant improvements in computational efficiency. We present our approach in the context of Hybrid Functional Petri Net modeling and evolutionary search for parameter value estimation. However, the approach can be easily extended to other modeling frameworks and is independent of the search method used. We have tested our approach on a detailed model of the Akt and MAPK pathways with two known and one hypothesized crosstalk mechanisms. The entire model contains 84 unknown parameters. Our simulation results exhibit good correlation with experimental data, and they yield positive evidence in support of the hypothesized crosstalk between the two pathways.

Contact:  thiagu@comp.nus.edu.sg
A top-level ontology of functions and its application in the Open Biomedical Ontologies
Authors: Burek Patryk , Hoehndorf Robert , Loebe Frank , Visagie Johann , Herre Heinrich , Kelso Janet
Published: July 2006

Motivation: A clear understanding of functions in biology is a key component in accurate modelling of molecular, cellular and organismal biology. Using the existing biomedical ontologies it has been impossible to capture the complexity of the community's knowledge about biological functions.

Results: We present here a top-level ontological framework for representing knowledge about biological functions. This framework lends greater accuracy, power and expressiveness to biomedical ontologies by providing a means to capture existing functional knowledge in a more formal manner. An initial major application of the ontology of functions is the provision of a principled way in which to curate functional knowledge and annotations in biomedical ontologies. Further potential applications include the facilitation of ontology interoperability and automated reasoning. A major advantage of the proposed implementation is that it is an extension to existing biomedical ontologies, and can be applied without substantial changes to these domain ontologies.

Availability: The Ontology of Functions (OF) can be downloaded in OWL format from . Additionally, a UML profile and supplementary information and guides for using the OF can be accessed from the same website.

Contact:  bioonto@lists.informatik.uni-leipzig.de
To permute or not to permute
Authors: Huang Yifan , Xu Haiyan , Calian Violeta , Hsu Jason C.
Published: July 2006

Permutation test is a popular technique for testing a hypothesis of no effect, when the distribution of the test statistic is unknown. To test the equality of two means, a permutation test might use a test statistic which is the difference of the two sample means in the univariate case. In the multivariate case, it might use a test statistic which is the maximum of the univariate test statistics. A permutation test then estimates the null distribution of the test statistic by permuting the observations between the two samples.

We will show that, for such tests, if the two distributions are not identical (as for example when they have unequal variances, correlations or skewness), then a permutation test for equality of means based on difference of sample means can have an inflated Type I error rate even when the means are equal. Our results illustrate permutation testing should be confined to testing for non-identical distributions.

Contact:  calian@raunvis.hi.is
ARCS: an aggregated related column scoring scheme for aligned sequences
Authors: Song Bin , Choi Jeong-Hyeon , Chen Guangyu , Szymanski Jacek , Zhang Guo-Qiang , Tung Anthony K. H. , Kang Jaewoo , Kim Sun , Yang Jiong
Published: July 2006

Motivation: Biologists frequently align multiple biological sequences to determine consensus sequences and/or search for predominant residues and conserved regions. Particularly, determining conserved regions in an alignment is one of the most important activities. Since protein sequences are often several-hundred residues or longer, it is difficult to distinguish biologically important conserved regions (motifs or domains) from others. The widely used tools, Logos, Al2co, Confind, and the entropy-based method, often fail to highlight such regions. Thus a computational tool that can highlight biologically important regions accurately will be highly desired.

Results: This paper presents a new scoring scheme ARCS (Aggregated Related Column Score) for aligned biological sequences. ARCS method considers not only the traditional character similarity measure but also column correlation. In an extensive experimental evaluation using 533 PROSITE patterns, ARCS is able to highlight the motif regions with up to 77.7% accuracy corresponding to the top three peaks.

Availability: The source code is available on and

Contacts: jiong.yang@case.edu, sunkim2@indiana.edu

Supplementary Material:   and
Cost‐Effectiveness of Complementary Therapies in the United Kingdom—A Systematic Review†
Authors: Canter Peter H. , Coon Joanna Thompson , Ernst Edzard
Published: July 2006

Objectives: The aim of this review is to systematically summarize and assess all prospective, controlled, cost‐effectiveness studies of complementary therapies carried out in the UK. Data sources: Medline (via PubMed), Embase, CINAHL, Amed (Alternative and Allied Medicine Database, British Library Medical Information Centre), The Cochrane Library, National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (via Cochrane) and Health Technology Assessments up to October 2005. Review methods: Articles describing prospective, controlled, cost‐effectiveness studies of any type of complementary therapy for any medical condition carried out in the UK were included. Data extracted included the main outcomes for health benefit and cost. These data were extracted independently by two authors, described narratively and also presented as a table. Results: Six cost‐effectiveness studies of complementary medicine in the UK were identified: four different types of spinal manipulation for back pain, one type of acupuncture for chronic headache and one type of acupuncture for chronic back pain. Four of the six studies compared the complementary therapy with usual conventional treatment in pragmatic, randomized clinical trials without sham or placebo arms. Main outcome measures of effectiveness favored the complementary therapies but in the case of spinal manipulation (four studies) and acupuncture (one study) for back pain, effect sizes were small and of uncertain clinical relevance. The same four studies included a cost‐utility analyses in which the incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) was less than £10 000. The complementary therapy represented an additional health care cost in five of the six studies. Conclusions: Prospective, controlled, cost‐effectiveness studies of complementary therapies have been carried out in the UK only for spinal manipulation (four studies) and acupuncture (two studies). The limited data available indicate that the use of these therapies usually represents an additional cost to conventional treatment. Estimates of the incremental cost of achieving improvements in quality of life compare favorably with other treatments approved for use in the National Health Service. Because the specific efficacy of the complementary therapies for these indications remains uncertain, and the studies did not include sham controls, the estimates obtained may represent the cost‐effectiveness non‐specific effects associated with the complementary therapies.
Corporate strategy development and related management development: the case for the incremental approach, part 1 – the development of strategy
Authors: Rees W. David , Porter Christine
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the case for the incremental development of corporate strategy and related issues of management development.

Design/methodology/approach

A background in consultancy and management development in the UK and abroad is used to examine the potential dangers of radical and comprehensive innovations in corporate strategy and the potential benefits of an incremental approach. In addition, recent developments and examples are referred to as well as relevant literature.

Findings

The paper finds that there are two main potential dangers with the development of a comprehensive corporate strategy. The first is that the exercise may prove to be so daunting that it is effectively abandoned. The second is that comprehensive strategy innovations are based on too narrow a consideration of the issues and may be counter‐productive. A broad based consideration of corporate strategy may create a greater emphasis on the incremental approach.

Research limitations/implications

Examples partly from consultancy work have been relied on to make the case for a greater emphasis on the incremental development of corporate strategy and related academic coverage of the subject. The paper's main thesis is that if the process whereby strategy is developed is deficient, then the results may well be counter‐productive. This is especially likely if comprehensive change is planned.

Originality/value

The two‐part paper is a necessary examination of the dangers of corporate strategy development that is based on too narrow a range of functions and disciplines. The same limitations can be replicated in academic coverage of the area. The paper is meant to engender a necessary scepticism about the way corporate strategy can be realistically developed. Constructive advice is also given about broad‐based strategy development and related management learning and development issues.
What deep log analysis tells us about the impact of big deals: case study OhioLINK
Authors: Nicholas David , Huntington Paul , Jamali Hamid R. , Tenopir Carol
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This article presents the early findings of an exploratory deep log analysis of journal usage on OhioLINK, conducted as part of the MaxData project funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services. OhioLINK, the original “big deal”, provides a single digital platform of nearly 6,000 full‐text journal for more than 600,000 people in the state of Ohio. The purpose of the paper is not only to present findings from the deep log analysis of journal usage on OhioLINK, but, arguably more importantly, to try test a new method of analysing online information user behaviour – deep log analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The raw server logs were obtained for the period June 2004 to December 2004. For this exploratory study one month (October) of the on‐campus usage logs and seven months of the off‐campus transaction logs were analysed.

Findings

During this period approximately 1,215,000 items were viewed on campus in October 2004 and 1,894,000 items viewed off campus between June and December 2004. The paper presents a number of usage analyses including: number of journals used, titles of journals used, use over time, a returnee analysis and a special analysis of subject, date and method of access.

Practical implications

The research findings help libraries evaluate the efficiency of big deal and one‐stop shopping for scholarly journals and also investigate their users' information seeking behaviours.

Originality/value

The research is a part of efforts to test the applications of a new methodology, deep log analysis, for use and user studies. It also represents the most substantial independent analysis of, possibly, the most important and significant of the journal big deals ever conducted.
An algorithm for suffix stripping
Authors: Porter M.F.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The automatic removal of suffixes from words in English is of particular interest in the field of information retrieval. This work was originally published in Program in 1980 and is republished as part of a series of articles commemorating the 40th anniversary of the journal.

Design/methodology/approach

An algorithm for suffix stripping is described, which has been implemented as a short, fast program in BCPL.

Findings

Although simple, it performs slightly better than a much more elaborate system with which it has been compared. It effectively works by treating complex suffixes as compounds made up of simple suffixes, and removing the simple suffixes in a number of steps. In each step the removal of the suffix is made to depend upon the form of the remaining stem, which usually involves a measure of its syllable length.

Originality/value

The piece provides a useful historical document on information retrieval.
Digital preservation in the context of institutional repositories
Authors: Hockx‐Yu Helen
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To discuss the issues and challenges of digital preservation facing institutional repositories and to illustrate the Joint Information Systems Committee's (JISC) view on institutional repositories and its key initiatives in helping UK institutions address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of published work and JISC documents (public facing or internal) were used as reference material.

Findings

Digital preservation is a complex process and there are still many unsolved issues which make it a challenging task for institutional repositories. However, the wide deployment of institutional repositories also provides new opportunities for digital preservation. Much could be done to consider digital preservation from the outset, to involve the authors and to embed digital preservation into repository workflow, which will ease the later preservation tasks.

Research limitations/implications

A number of ongoing JISC‐funded projects are briefly reported which explore different models for the provision of digital preservation services for institutional repositories. These models may be a way forward to tackle collectively the issue of long‐term preservation within the setting of institutional repositories. Depending on the outcomes of the projects, further investigation and implementation could be undertaken to test the models.

Practical implications

This paper will help the reader to gain a better understanding of the issues related to digital preservation in general and how JISC's work has helped to tackle these issues.

Originality/value

This paper clearly states JISC's view on, and future plan for, digital repositories. This is of value to the UK educational community as JISC works on its behalf and responds to its needs.
Measuring the operational performance of intensive care units using the analytic hierarchy process approach
Authors: Dey Prasanta Kumar , Hariharan Seetharaman , Clegg Benjamin Thomas
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a performance measurement model for service operations using the analytic hierarchy process approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reviews current relevant literature on performance measurement and develops a model for performance measurement. The model is then applied to the intensive care units (ICUs) of three different hospitals in developing nations. Six focus group discussions were undertaken, involving experts from the specific area under investigation, in order to develop an understandable performance measurement model that was both quantitative and hierarchical.

Findings

A combination of outcome, structure and process‐based factors were used as a foundation for the model. The analyses of the links between them were used to reveal the relative importance of each and their associated sub factors. It was considered to be an effective quantitative tool by the stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

This research only applies the model to ICUs in healthcare services.

Practical implications

Performance measurement is an important area within the operations management field. Although numerous models are routinely being deployed both in practice and research, there is always room for improvement. The present study proposes a hierarchical quantitative approach, which considers both subjective and objective performance criteria.

Originality/value

This paper develops a hierarchical quantitative model for service performance measurement. It considers success factors with respect to outcomes, structure and processes with the involvement of the concerned stakeholders based upon the analytic hierarchy process approach. The unique model is applied to the ICUs of hospitals in order to demonstrate its effectiveness. The unique application provides a comparative international study of service performance measurement in ICUs of hospitals in three different countries.
Overcoming the barriers to e‐cluster development in a low product complexity business sector
Authors: Adebanjo Dotun , Kehoe Dennis , Galligan Peter , Mahoney Fred
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the issues that impact negatively on e‐cluster development in a low product complexity industry and identification of key factors to overcome the barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

Structured interviews were used to identify perceived value and user expectations from e‐clusters. Workshops involving assessment of a prototype e‐cluster validated user expectations. A mapping study and best practice review provided a basis for e‐cluster application development and assessing potential industry uptake.

Findings

Interest and perceived value of e‐clusters varied according to size of organisation with smaller organisations primarily interested in e‐connectivity to retailers and e‐business development. Organisations of all sizes, however, indicated a willingness to learn from each other and partner although level of e‐connectivity was average and overall level of sophistication was low.

Practical implications

Industrial review and acceptance of a prototype e‐cluster that would enable organisations manage several critical aspects of their operations from a single interface.

Originality/value

The paper provides new understanding of key issues that impact the operational benefits of e‐clusters and, in particular, factors that would underpin the success of e‐cluster success in a competitive, insular, low product complexity industry. This presents an informed basis for e‐cluster managers and members to successfully manage their initiative.
Robotunits takes a Lego‐brick approach to automation system building
Authors: Connolly Christine
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To highlight an innovative approach to the construction of factory production equipment.

Design/methodology/approach

Explains the philosophy of the company and catalogues its range of components, which combine to build a wide assortment of industrial equipment.

Findings

Careful design has produced components that are easy to assemble and yield rugged structures, whilst their interconnectivity has dramatically reduced the number of parts needed and increased the variety of constructions possible.

Practical implications

This approach saves customers time and logistical effort.

Originality/value

Makes assembly engineers aware of an alternative to welded steel construction.
A measurement system for brake connectors in automobiles
Authors: Wang Jin‐jiang , Zeng Jiang‐yun , Mo Xutao , Li Ren , Wang Peng , Liu Wen‐yao , Liu Ming
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The brake connector of an automobile is one important part in the brake system. How to measure the matching surface quality is a problem, because the matching surface is a cone surface and has a deep aperture structure.

Design/methodology/approach

A new measurement system is presented which could assure illumination and image with a special beam splitter. The worker could observe the matching surface by better image.

Findings

More objective evaluation is given with image processing method.

Research limitations/implications

Now, this measurement system is used by Toyota (Tianjin) company and satisfied result is obtained.

Originality/value

This paper is an original work and focuses on an important issue in automobile production.
Wireless ethernet for industrial applications
Authors: Piggin Richard , Brandt David
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Wireless technology continues to evolve for the industrial market; however, there are several issues and challenges that must be addressed to ensure successful implementation. This paper discusses the development of wireless technology and standards and those that are currently applicable to industrial applications. Key considerations for successful implementation of industrial wireless Ethernet are presented, along with potential applications.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview of wireless applications is given. Wireless technology development is discussed, along with pertinent characteristics. The use standard Ethernet with automation protocols and their use with wireless is examined. Topics to consider when implementing wireless Ethernet in industrial applications are illustrated.

Findings

There are numerous diverse potential application areas for wireless, these include sensing, information, control and safety‐based applications with advantages derived from mobility, cable replacement and tracking opportunities. Each has differing characteristics. Considerations such as information or control use, and the challenges of interference, coverage, compatibility, safety, security and cost need be addressed to ensure a successful implementation. Use of commercial‐off‐the‐shelf (COTS) wireless components with standard unmodified Ethernet and automation protocols is advantageous to maximise the developments taking place in the wider Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) market.

Practical implications

It is important to understand where wireless is appropriate and where it is not. Currently, most applications are information related, however, limited control and safety‐related use is possible today with potential future growth. A fully wireless factory is not feasible yet, since there is still a requirement to provide significant power to many devices. Technology developments in wireless and associated technologies will broaden the scope of wireless utilisation in the future.

Originality/value

The development of wireless technology and standards, in particular, those applicable to industrial applications are reviewed. The factors influencing wireless implementation in industrial environments are presented to assist in successful implementation. The opportunity to use the combination of an automation protocol, unmodified Ethernet and COTS wireless provides potential cost benefits, flexibility, and innovative solutions, whilst providing performance and cost advantages found in the overall WLAN market.
Advanced vision guided robotics provide “future‐proof” flexible automation
Authors: Perks Andrew
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Vision guided robotics (VGR) is a fast growing technology and a way to reduce manpower and retain production, especially in countries with high manufacturing overheads and labour costs. This paper aims to provide information on a new VGR system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the new automation system of the Swedish company SVIA.

Findings

Shows that the need to position components to a set pick‐up position is eliminated – the vision system determining the position of randomly fed products by a recycling conveyor system. The vision system and control software gives the robot exact coordinates of the components, which are spread out randomly beneath the camera field of vision, enabling the robot arm to move to a selected component and pick from the conveyor belt.

Originality/value

Describes how the modules are easy to utilise when products or production lines change.
Can lean thinking apply to the repair and refurbishment of properties in the registered social landlord sector?
Authors: Kempton Jim
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Construction, demolition, refurbishment and material supply processes are responsible for a significant amount of waste; whilst estimates vary, the UK Government uses the figure of 70 million tonnes. The construction industry accounts for some 17 per cent of the total waste produced in the UK. How much of this is produced by refurbishment activities in the registered social landlord (RSL) sector is unknown, but there is little doubt that refurbishing housing offers opportunities for significant waste generation. RSL housing is maintained and refurbished by a number of triggers when a dwelling is left vacant after a tenant departs. Such a property is known as a “Void”. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the type of maintenance works undertaken to properties in the RSL sector and consider the potential for the application of lean thinking to those maintenance processes.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review and interviews with RSL maintenance personnel are used to inform the discussion contained in this paper.

Findings

The main conclusion from this paper is that properties located in estates and built post‐1980 are those most likely to benefit from lean principles.

Originality/value

The RSL sector is changing from pseudo local government concerns to “social businesses”; therefore, the opportunity to apply lessons learned in other business sectors to the maintenance of RSLs' main assets (i.e. their properties) should be of interest to the sector as a whole.
Simultaneous topology and size optimization of structures by genetic algorithm using minimal length chromosome
Authors: Kaveh A. , Shahrouzi M.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Layout optimization of structures aims to find the optimal topology and member sizes in an integrated manner. For this purpose, the most successful attempts have addressed the outstanding features of the genetic algorithms.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilizes a direct index coding (DIC) in a way that the optimization algorithm can simultaneously integrate topology and size in a minimal length chromosome in order to seek the true optimum in an efficient and reasonable manner. Proper genetic operators are adopted for this special kind of encoding together with some modifications in the topological mutation aiming to improve the convergence of the algorithm.

Findings

The present DIC, has the following features: enforcing one‐to‐one correspondence between discrete genotype space and the problems' phenotype space; avoiding any out‐of‐bound parameter addressing and limiting the GA search only to necessary genotypes; reduction in the size of genotype search space to increase the algorithm convergence and the possibility of leading to the global optimum; dealing with direct genetic operators so that the GA parameters can be purely controlled to tune the desired balance between convergence and escaping from local optima.

Originality/value

Employing direct index chromosome makes it possible to eliminate the additional topological bits in treated examples.
Personality disorders in leaders
Authors: Goldman Alan
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to assess highly toxic leaders and dysfunctional organizations as presented via management consulting and executive coaching assignments.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs an action research approach via two participant observer case studies incorporating theDSM IV‐TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Findings

The paper finds that the nexus of dysfunctional organizational systems may be located in “pre‐existing” leadership pathologies.

Research limitations/implications

First, additional research will be needed to confirm and extend the findings of individual pathologies in leaders to dysfunctional organizational systems; second, a closer look is necessary at the applicability of theDSM IV‐TRto pathologies at the organizational level; third, due to the action research, case study approach utilized, there is somewhat limited generalizability; fourth, there are limitations re: the applicability ofDSM IV‐TRas an assessment tool for management researchers due to the necessity of training in clinical psychology.

Practical implications

The importance of distinguishing personality disorders in leaders from toxic behaviors falling within a range of “normal pathology,” and the ability to assess individual leadership pathology within organizational systems via the clinically trained usage of theDSM IV‐TR; providing clinical assessment tools for reducing the number of misdiagnoses of leadership pathology in the workplace; encouraging collaboration between management and psychology researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

This paper fills a gap in the toxic organizations research by identifying personality disorders in leaders and providing an action research agenda for incorporating theDSM IV‐TRas a means of extending the repertoire of assessment tools;
The effect of personality on perceptions of justice
Authors: Lilly Juliana D. , Virick Meghna
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect that work locus of control has on perceptions of trust, perceived organizational support, procedural justice and interactional justice.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 679 alumni of a university in the Southwestern USA. Regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test a series of hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that work locus of control has a significant positive relationship on all variables. Perceived organizational support fully mediated the relationship between work locus of control and perceptions of both procedural and interactional justice. Organizational trust fully mediated the relationship between work locus of control and interactional justice, but only partially mediated the relationship between work locus of control and procedural justice.

Research limitations/implications

The data used in this paper are cross‐sectional. Also, results are based on self‐report survey data and subject to common method bias. As such, longitudinal studies are recommended for future research, as are finding antecedents to perceptions of justice that may help managers improve the way they communicate about decision‐making at work.

Originality/value

Findings from the study suggest the important role that personality plays as a precursor to justice perceptions in organizations.
Income, the love of money, pay comparison, and pay satisfaction
Authors: Li‐Ping Tang Thomas , Li‐Na Tang Theresa , Yazmeen Homaifar Beeta
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This study aims to test a model of pay satisfaction and argue that the income‐pay satisfaction relationship depends on one's love of money and how one compares.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates: a direct path (income → total pay satisfaction); an indirect path (income → the love of money → pay equity comparison → total pay satisfaction) using a structural equation model (SEM) based on 210 full‐time employees; and the model across race and gender in multi‐group analyses.

Findings

The paper finds that for the whole sample, there was one significant path (pay equity comparison → total pay satisfaction). Since African‐Americans ($32,073.15) and women ($32,400.58) tended to have lower income than Caucasians ($37,180.73) and men ($38,287.97), respectively, income significantly increased the importance of the love of money for African‐Americans and females, but not for Caucasians and males. The love of money to pay equity comparison path was not significant. Income was not related to pay satisfaction. Results of the direct path alone showed that income contributes to pay satisfaction for the whole sample, male and female employees, and Caucasians, but not for African‐Americans.

Research implications/limitations

If people do not use the love of money to judge pay equity comparison, their income does not lead to low pay satisfaction. The sub‐samples are small.

Originality/value

This paper shows the importance of including the love of money in understanding pay satisfaction.
Episodes in the Malaysian auditing saga
Authors: Ali Azham , Haniffa Roszaini , Hudaib Mohammad
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the various episodes in the Malaysian auditing saga, covering the period of the first 40 years post‐independence in 1957 to just before the onset of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on documentary analysis, the paper offers a historical account of the development of the auditing profession with reference to the dynamic changes in its political and socio‐economic environment.

Findings

The paper concludes that the function of auditing in Malaysian society responded to political‐economic pressures over time viz. changing from maintaining the economic policy to serve Western investors to accommodating ethnic relations, and to strengthening the bond between local and global corporate elites and the political leaders.

Originality/value

Since, little is known of the professionalisation process in Malaysia, our analysis of the structural conditions during the 40 years from the achievement of independence from the British in 1957 to just before the onset of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 and our assessment of their implications for auditing contributes to knowledge in this area.
An empirical investigation of the visible effects of corporate governance: the case of Greece
Authors: A. Alexakis Christos , Balios D. , Papagelis G. , Xanthakis M.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

– To attempt to relate the mean returns and price volatility of a selected sample of 30 companies listed in Athens stock exchange (ATHEX), to the introduction of the legal framework concerning corporate governance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The essence of this approach is segmenting our whole sample into three subsamples with their key dates being the actual dates on which two legal frameworks related to the corporate governance has been introduced, we perform mean and variance equality tests to assess whether stock market returns and price volatility change, in a statistically significant way, in the three sub-periods.

Findings

– From our empirical study, it can be concluded that the volatility has been altered both during the sample periods used and the companies for which our methodology has been implemented.

Research limitations/implications

– Our empirical research can be further extended including a larger sample of companies in order to draw more safe conclusions. In addition, and although our argument for high liquidity for selecting our sample of companies is rational, we believe that our research can be further enriched by first constructing a ranking for all listed companies based on various corporate governance measures.

Practical implications

– One of the reasons that may have impacted on the volatility may be the introduction of corporate governance; however, other factors may have also resulted to lower volatility, argument that can be further researched in future studies.

Originality/value

– This paper provides evidence on the relation between volatility and corporate governance. The implication is that the volatility has been altered during the period under investigation.