bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Empowering senior citizens via third places: research driven model development of seniors ' empowerment and social engagement in social places
Authors: Meshram Kanika , O'Cass Aron
Published: March 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to report on a qualitative study that explores senior citizen consumers ' empowerment through social engagement in third places and their subsequent loyalty to third places.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected via a qualitative research design from four seniors ' clubs in Australia using focus groups (12), and participant observation. The data were analyzed using QSR NVivo software using an interpretive approach.

Findings

– Ten themes based on 34 codes were identified in the study, which were grouped to develop a conceptual model of the antecedents and consequences of seniors ' empowerment in third places for further testing. The themes under consumer empowerment were important in assisting to understand the significance of place and social engagement within the place to empower seniors with a positive self-image, better access to information and exercise of choices for smarter purchase decisions. The themes under social capital contributed to a better understanding of the ramification of social capital to marketing knowledge. This was particularly so for marketing constructs embedded in community or aggregate level issues such as value co-creation, relationship marketing, customer involvement and related outcomes. Finally the study reports three types of loyalty: cognitive, ultimate and communal loyalty, that underpinned the behavioral, attitudinal and cognitive dimension of loyalty. The findings suggested that consequent to seniors ' social capital and feeling of empowerment in third places they display loyalty to the third place.

Research limitations/implications

– The present study has three theoretical implications; first, it extends knowledge into the notion of third place which underlies the broader domain of servicescape. It also extends understanding of the significance of third places in practicing consumer centric marketing through consumer empowerment. The study also contributes to understanding how third places enhance seniors ' social capital through social engagement.

Practical implications

– The managerial implications suggested by the findings provide a number of aspects that managers may consider in relation to service places in three key broad categories of customer-firm interest: improve customer patronage through community engagement, improve local business practices via customer-owner friendship, and redesigning spatial settings to deliver meaningful customer experiences.

Originality/value

– This paper uses the concepts of social engagement within customer community in third places for the development of social capital and empowerment. It provides a customer centric focus to servicescape and incorporates recent works on third places, empowerment, social capital and loyalty.
How restaurant variety indirectly impacts gaming for different casino worth segments
Authors: Tanford Sarah , Suh Eunju
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Casinos offer a variety of dining experiences to appeal to the tastes of different customers. The aim of this paper is to investigate the indirect impact of dining by restaurant type on gaming by worth segment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from two hotel‐casinos were analyzed using time series regression analysis. Variables representing restaurant covers at steakhouse, buffet and casual dining venues were used to predict slot coin‐in for five customer worth segments.

Findings

Steakhouse dining was a significant predictor of slot coin‐in for high worth players, buffet and casual dining were related to low‐worth gaming volume, whereas medium‐worth players were impacted by a range of dining options.

Research limitations/implications

Regression analysis does not imply causality, and the results may not hold for other casino properties or sample time periods.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for the optimal restaurant mix at casinos and the types of offers that are given to different customer worth segments. This study also helps casino operators evaluate the profitability of each type of restaurant they operate.

Originality/value

The research fills a gap in the casino literature by segmenting customers using the same metric as casino operators, namely gaming worth. It provides new insight into indirect dining‐gaming relationships by investigating different restaurant types.
Commentary on “Using the Mental Capacity Act in complex cases”
Authors: Dunn Michael
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to comment on Brown and Marchant's analysis of the complexity that can arise when applying the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to the care and support provided to people with learning disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical approach to explore the implications of Brown and Marchant's paper for the relationship between the law and practice in this area.

Findings

The complexity accounted for by Brown and Marchant lies in the tension between the procedural requirements of the MCA and the practical realities of the support provided to individuals with complex and long‐term needs. This tension cannot be addressed simply by focusing on improving training or better implementing the law in practice.

Originality/value

It is important to further examine and explore the relationship between new legal principles to govern decision making and the complex ways in which people with learning disabilities and other individuals need to be supported in practical situations.
Screening for thyroid insufficiency in adults with Down syndrome
Authors: Glover Gyles , Chauhan Umesh , Emerson Eric
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and present the first findings of a new English performance indicator in the primary healthcare of adults with Down syndrome. This is a performance target, with associated bonus payment, requiring General Practitioners (GPs) to undertake annually a screening blood test for thyroid hormone deficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis and review of data collected from all GP practices and published by the National Health Service (NHS) Information Centre.

Findings

In total, 82 per cent of those identified as in the target group were screened and 10 per cent were identified as not wanting to be screened or screening inappropriate. The target group numbered just over 60 per cent of the number estimated from epidemiological and other studies. The numbers of cases involved is small (0, 1 or 2 cases in 75 per cent of GP practices), and whilst variation in coverage at local level appears important, numbers are too small for the variations seen in the first year's data to be statistically significant. The scope of the data precludes useful strategic analysis of the value of the intervention.

Research limitations/implications

Data from several years need to be taken together. The NHS Information Centre should slightly increase the scope of the data to allow analysis of whether the programme is having useful public health benefits.

Originality/value

The paper examines a new data source and makes points applicable to a wider range of similar datasets in the same programme.
Effect of using a personal development plan on learning and development
Authors: Beausaert Simon , Segers Mien , Fouarge Didier , Gijselaers Wim
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of using a personal development plan (PDP) on the undertaking of learning activities and the employee's job competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from Dutch pharmacy assistants was collected (n=2,271). Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) as well as regression analyses were conducted on this dataset.

Findings

The results indicate that PDP users undertook more learning activities in the past than non‐users, but using a PDP does not stimulate users to plan more learning activities in the future. Furthermore, PDP users do not score themselves significantly higher on job competencies than non‐PDP users.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should investigate the effectiveness of PDPs for the undertaking of learning activities and job competencies in a broader sample, involving multiple‐raters and focusing more closely on one essential feature of the PDP practice: the feedback given by a supervisor and/or colleague or coach when discussing the PDP.

Practical implications

The results stress the value of a PDP as a feedback tool. The tool could add significant value to the learning and development process of the pharmacy assistant, however, if it would be used as a feed‐forward instrument as well. In other words, the tool should more often be used to get an overview of desired future plans, plan future careers, and the undertaking of learning activities in order to reach these future goals.

Originality/value

In order to promote employees' learning and development, more and more companies are starting to implement PDPs. Empirical studies researching the effectiveness of PDPs in the workplace are scarce, however.
Examining the learning intentions of low‐qualified employees: a mixed method study
Authors: Kyndt Eva , Govaerts Natalie , Keunen Loes , Dochy Filip
Published: March 2013

Purpose

While the professional learning of high‐qualified employees has received a lot of attention, research that focuses on low‐qualified employees is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the learning intention of low‐qualified employees as a proximal determinant of their actual participation in learning activities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied a mixed method approach. The quantitative part of the section applied a cross‐sectional survey design. In total 673 low‐qualified participants completed the questionnaire. Regression and ANOVA analyses were calculated to answer the research questions. For the qualitative part of this study, 14 low‐qualified employees were interviewed. These interviews were transcribed and encoded by means of descriptive coding and open coding, and split up into different categories using NVivo 8 software.

Findings

The results show that self‐directedness in career processes and financial satisfaction are positively related to the learning intentions of low‐qualified employees. The qualitative part of the research shows that low‐qualified employees primarily relate learning to formal learning activities, and that learning has a negative connotation for them due to prior negative experiences related to school learning.

Research limitations/implications

The quantitative part of the research only considers formal learning, whereas the qualitative part of the research also allowed a discussion of informal learning experiences. Because of the negative connotation that low‐qualified employees attach to learning, it seems that semi‐structured interviews did not yield as much information as expected.

Originality/value

Besides investigating possible antecedents of low‐qualified employees' learning intentions, this research also explores what learning means for this group of employees, who traditionally have an educational background that is filled with negative experiences.
Change and opportunity: the role of leaders and SMEs in creating new business futures
Authors: Finlay‐Robinson David
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the universal benefit of promoting: initiative, competence and commitment, in any organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The value of a historic approach is highlighted.

Findings

Long international experience has shown the writer that promoting initiative pays – personally, economically and socially.

Research limitations/implications

Research analyzing case studies in widely different sectors, countries and conditions could be valuable.

Practical implications

Encouraging initiative and entrepreneurship within organizations can improve function and cost‐benefit significantly.

Social implications

These will be self‐evident from case study research (comment – the Spanish Mondragon Corporation is a good example).

Originality/value

The point is that nothing is new in management as history shows, therefore it is worthwhile to study known successful outcomes.
Developing learning solutions that last
Authors: by Gareth Bell Interview
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an interview with Sue Stoneman, CEO, NKD Learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The article interviews Stoneman about NKD Learning's approach, the challenges facing learning and development professionals, new technology, and the future of L&D.

Findings

The interview discusses her thoughts on the industry and gives insight into her background

Practical implications

The article discusses talent pool issues which may soon arise, and how to overcome them.

Originality/value

The article presents the insight of a leading practitioner in the field of learning and development.
Building regulatory capabilities for pharmaceutical firms' internationalization
Authors: Yadav Sudhir
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The internationalization of pharmaceutical firms faces major barriers in terms of managing regulatory requirements in various international markets. This paper aims to identify the requirements related to regulations in various markets of the world. It further seeks to identify how the firms develop such capabilities i.e. processes undertaken by the firms to develop regulatory capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is exploratory in nature. Case study method is adopted to study the requirements related to regulations in international markets and processes to build regulatory capabilities.

Findings

To manage regulatory requirements firms need knowledge related to plant approval and product registration. Firms have to submit dossiers to the respective country's regulatory authority to get plant approval and product registration. They can simultaneously apply for both to save time to enter the target market. The requirements for each market are unique in terms of format and contents for dossier preparation. Dossier preparation needs data from various departments which calls for good coordination among various functional areas, i.e. production, QA and QC, R&D, purchasing, etc. If the firm has operations in multiple markets and offers multiple products in a single market the regulatory function is separately organized for less regulated, semi‐regulated and regulated markets.

Practical implications

Pharmaceutical firms targeting international markets can get insight into the regulatory requirements and the process to be adopted to build regulatory requirements.

Originality/value

The paper shows that firms use a systematic process to build capabilities for managing regulations. The paper also offers a process model for firms to build regulatory capabilities for internationalization.
Tourist activity inhibitors
Authors: Alejziak Wieslaw
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify tourist activity inhibitors (causes of non‐participation in tourism), assess their impact strength and analyze the social disproportion and exclusion in terms of tourism participation. The paper also presents the deficiencies in the research methods and proposes modifications that pertain to method and terms.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical studies pertain to Polish residents' leisure trips in 2005. The sample (1,026 persons) fulfills the requirements for the general Polish population, aged 15 years and older. The statistical methods used were the χ2 test, the tau B‐Kendall rank correlation coefficient, factor analysis, cluster analysis, and ANOVA. The analyses include the top ten reasons for non‐participation in leisure trips, and are divided on the basis of the length of such trips (longer than seven days and shorter than seven days).

Findings

The research reveals great social diversity in tourism, which results from numerous interdependent factors. However, both the standards and the attributes of tourist activity are a measure of social diversification and exclusion rather than their cause. The analyses that this research carries out indicate the existence of deficiencies in terms of methodology employed in the identification of causes of not participating in tourism. These deficiencies pertain mainly to the randomness of inhibitor selection by different authors and various institutions for this particular activity. Subsequently this situation creates an obstacle when comparing results of studies. Another issue deals with the quite vague distribution of causes in the surveys, which on the other hand prevent respondents from giving clear answers. The cluster analysis carried out for trips lasting a week or longer reveals that the first cluster (60 percent) is the most uniform, being made up of people who most often lack money, and seldom mention the other inhibitors. The second cluster (20 percent) is much more diverse, and consists of people who often indicate a few factors – lack of money, lack of time, household obligations, and spending vacations in their place of residence.

Research limitations/implications

Empirical studies were carried out exclusively among Polish residents and included only leisure trips.

Practical implications

Research that diagnoses and partially forecasts the standards and attributes of tourist activity serves as a foundation to support the functioning of the entire tourist industry. The practical significance of this research is determined by the fact that people are constantly seeking to increase the demand for tourist products.

Originality/value

Knowledge about people not participating in tourism is insignificant. This article pertains to the above‐mentioned group of people, focusing especially on the causes of non‐participation. It presents a critical analysis of studies and points out the diversity and inconsistencies in methodology. Problems of the lack of participation in tourism and social exclusion apply to social sciences, especially sociology and economy.
Collaboration and networking in the process of innovation: the path to precision time keeping
Authors: Proctor Tony
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of innovation management in the eighteenth century in the context of the search for precision time keeping in the watch making industry. In particular it looks at how knowledge was managed and transferred among interested stakeholders in the process.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the published horological literature on the subject and considers it within modern theories relating to the management of innovation.

Findings

This paper illustrates that personal contact and collaboration is important to the development of innovation. The paper highlights the importance of networking in the process of innovation and collaboration as a means to share and develop ideas. Collaboration with organisations working in adjacent technologies was found to be present and competition promoted by the incentive of financial reward was found to be a motivator factor for moving innovation forward.

Originality/value

This paper will be helpful to academics who study innovation history as well as current innovation management practices.
Trends in hotel investment and financial management in Canada
Authors: Willie Paul , Pirani Alam , Jayawardena Chandana (Chandi) , Sovani Altaf , Davoodi Reza
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse trends related to hotel investment in Canada and propose innovative practices for the financial management of hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

The foundation for this paper was laid during a well‐attended Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) roundtable discussion between industry leaders and hospitality educators in May 2012. Topics of hotel investment and financial management in Canada are discussed in the context of the theme for the 2012 Canadian WHATT roundtable and the strategic question: “What innovations are needed in the Canadian hotel industry and how might they be implemented to secure the industry's future?”

Findings

The paper outlines historic hotel investment patterns dating back to the 1980s and analyses the current investment climate. Out of 850 hotels sold in Canada during the first decade of this millennium, foreign investor participation was less than 10 per cent. Currently the foreign interest in hotel investment in Canada is increasing and hotel assets in the 100‐175‐room range are more popular.

Practical implications

The paper presents three innovative practical tools for strong financial management of hotels to optimise ROIs – profit sensitivity analysis, strategic revenue management and embracing historical low interest rates.

Originality/value

Although Canada has done well weathering the global financial storm, Canadian hoteliers should exercise due diligence in financial management. As the team of authors represents both the industry and academia, this paper will be of immense value to students, researchers, and educators, as well as practitioners.
Course evaluation by importance‐performance analysis and improving actions at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Authors: Eszter Tóth Zsuzsanna , Jónás Tamás , Bérces Roland , Bedzsula Bálint
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The Department of Management and Corporate Economics as the flagship of teaching and researching quality management at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics has conducted an extended survey among students in five different business courses in order to get deeper knowledge about the factors influencing student (dis)satisfaction. The papers aims to discuss this.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially students were asked to fill out a course evaluation questionnaire of 11 questions. After processing the questionnaires, problem solving techniques with strong student involvement were applied in order to lay the foundation for long‐term course improvement actions. The main objective was to identify the factors that were given the greatest importance by the students, but where the performance of the course was low in order to reveal the potentials of development.

Findings

Improving student satisfaction is a must at all courses as the financial issues of the faculty and the department are strongly affected by students' course ratings. By extending the application of this type of course, evaluation to faculty and university level would be a step forward regarding the development of satisfaction questionnaire in use at this moment.

Originality/value

This kind of questionnaire structure and the validation of the presented dual approach would not only highlight the areas needing to be developed, but also student deliverance could have more aspects.
Contagion channels of the USA subprime financial crisis
Authors: Dimitriou Dimitrios , Simos Theodore
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically contagion channels of the 2007 US subprime financial crisis by employing a multivariate GARCH model for four major, international equity markets, namely the USA, EMU, China and Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, contagion channels of the 2007 US subprime financial crisis are investigated empirically by employing a multivariate GARCH model for four major, international equity markets, namely the USA, EMU, China and Japan.

Findings

There is empirical evidence of contagion in all markets with the US market through various channels, which have not been discussed in other related studies. Specifically, the empirical results suggest that Japanese and EMU markets have been directly affected from the crisis. However, while China's equity market has been mainly unaffected by the US subprime crisis, has been affected indirectly through Japan. Moreover, the Japanese equity market exhibits positive and significant spillovers effects with China and EMU, revealing an indirect volatility transmission channel of US subprime crisis.

Research limitations/implications

Further research could consider the asymmetric effects on conditional covariance through, for example, asymmetric generalized dynamic conditional correlation models. All under examination markets show evidence of contagion through different channels.

Practical implications

Despite the financial advices for diversification, since the increasing globalization and stock market interdependence throughout the last 15 years, through the US subprime crisis equity investors had fewer opportunities for diversification. From policy makers' perspective, they should carefully examine and uncover possible decoupling strategies to insulate these economies from contagion in future crises.

Social implications

This study provides useful information to international organizations, such as World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to protect markets from contagion during future crises.

Originality/value

A novel finding of this paper is the indirect channel of contagion (i.e. Japanese market) for Chinese market. This indirect channel may help explain why China's equity market performed badly in 2008 after the subprime crisis in the USA emerged.
The impact of alliance network structure on firm innovation capability
Authors: Zheng Xiangjie , Zhao Yan
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of large‐scale collaboration network structure on firm innovation capability.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors utilize negative binomial regression models to explore the relationships between network structure and patent productivity.

Findings

Results demonstrate that firms embedded in alliance networks with higher reach will have greater innovative output, but fail to support the higher clustering enhances innovative productivity significantly, which is different from recent concerns regarding positive effects of higher clustering on patent output. The authors also find that the effect of alliance network as a conduit of knowledge transfer decays over time. Furthermore, both clustering and reach have mutually positive effects on the firm innovation with increases in the other.

Practical implications

Network structure attribute should be considered adequately when firms develop alliance activities and when relevant government departments make industrial policies.

Originality/value

This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by providing the first systematic research of the impact of large‐scale collaboration network structure on firm innovation in China, and exploring the implications for firms to develop alliance activities and for relevant government departments to make industrial policies. This paper adds new evidence to the topic that alliance network is an important mechanism of knowledge spillover in China.
Regional strategies for developing emerging industries of strategic importance in China
Authors: Lin Min , Wang Yi , Wu Guisheng
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find the specific competitive industries in emerging industries of strategic importance of each province in China in order to provide references for industrial cultivation and development.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses quantitative analysis methods on RCA and R&D efficiency.

Findings

Different provinces have specific competitive emerging industries of strategic importance. Taking biotechnology, equipment manufacturing, and new generation of information technology industry as examples, this paper finds: for the advanced equipment manufacturing industry, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Tianjin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jiangxi provinces have obvious characteristics and relatively high R&D efficiency; for bio‐technology, Jiangsu, Henan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Zhejiang and Shandong provinces have obvious characteristics and relatively high R&D efficiency; and for the next generation of the information technology industry, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Fujian, Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai provinces have obvious characteristics and relatively high R&D efficiency.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by lack of industrial comprehensiveness so that more statistical data about emerging industry of strategic importance is needed for more in‐depth analysis.

Practical implications

The identification of specific competitive emerging industry of strategic importance of each province will give managers and policy makers train of thought for the cultivation and development of strategic emerging industry and make future policies more targeted.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the research on the differentiated cultivation and development tactics of strategic emerging industry by, respectively, finding out the specific competitive emerging industries of each province in China.
Corporate brand relationships: the case of TOYOTA F1 Racing Team
Authors: Tasiyana Kahuni Abel , Rowley Jennifer
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore the corporate brand‐web associated with the TOYOTA F1 Racing Team in order to exemplify existing theoretical discussions of the brand‐web concept and contribute to insights towards developing understanding of the structure of the corporate brand‐web and brand relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study analysis of the TOYOTA F1 Racing Team, focusing on brand relationships associated with different levels of sponsorship is presented. The case study analysis is based on desk research.

Findings

The corporate brand‐web of the TOYOTA F1 Racing Team is presented. This portfolio of corporate brands and their relationships can be regarded as a corporate brand meta‐architecture. The study also offers taxonomy of different types of sponsorship‐based brand relationships, and identifies and discusses two key aspects of the relationships between brands, title sponsorship, and network relationships between the corporate brands in the brand‐web.

Originality/value

This article contributes to understanding of the corporate brand‐web and brand relationships in the sponsorship context and demonstrates the complexity of multiple brand relationships, and the need for researchers and practitioners to understand and manage their corporate brand architecture.
Annika Sörenstam – a hybrid personal sports brand
Authors: Cortsen Kenneth
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to investigate sports branding at the personal level by focusing on the evolvement, growth and sustainability of the ANNIKA BRAND – an extension of Annika Sörenstam's success on golf courses worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study method inspired by “symbolic interactionist” aspects and focusing on Annika Sörenstam's commercial success with personal sports branding and its interdependence with sports branding at the product and corporate levels. Data collection was conducted in accordance with interpretative research traditions and hence based on qualitative semi‐ structured research interviews.

Findings

The “hybrid” nature of sports brands draws highly on “emotional capital” and “social currency”. Personal sports branding acts as a “hybrid”, which facilitates “hybrid” branding relationships between personal sports brands and sports brands at the product and corporate levels – often underlining good ROIs for all involved parties if the sports branding process is executed well strategically. This article presents personal sports branding as a hybrid phenomenon, which is dynamic by heart and part of a well‐coordinated process engaging several partners.

Practical implications

The practices and activities of the ANNIKA BRAND is a showcase for sports branding practitioners thinking about sustainable business models.

Originality/value

This paper is unique in offering a roadmap for how personal sport stars may approach brand development and growth while discussing key points of the interdependence between sports brands at the personal, product and corporate levels.
Actual self‐concept versus ideal self‐concept
Authors: Abel Jeremy I. , Buff Cheryl L. , O’Neill John C.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which actual and ideal self‐congruities (image) are associated with health club patronage, a conspicuous consumption situation. Previous studies which have examined the applicability of the image congruence hypothesis to consumer behavior have scarcely examined its effect in the services industry. An integrative model of self‐concept, self‐congruity and health club image provides the foundation for hypotheses development.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey‐based methodology was employed in the current investigation, as paper‐and‐pencil surveys were administered on‐site at several local health clubs and an on‐line version of the questionnaire was made available to college students.

Findings

Consumers’ actual self‐image, rather than ideal self‐image, was more strongly associated with their perception of their health club's brand image and, thus, served as a stronger indicator of health club patronage.

Practical implications

Health club members exhibited a greater tendency to match the image they currently held of themselves with the brand image of their patronized health club. Health clubs would do well to develop and promote a brand image that is aligned more closely with members’ actual self‐images rather than attempting to develop a brand image that correlates more strongly to members’ idealized self‐images.

Originality/value

The current investigation evidences the applicability of the image congruence hypothesis to a particular service product that has not been examined in prior image congruence studies.
Re‐visioning practice through action research
Authors: Reed Kirk , Hocking Clare
Published: March 2013

Background/aim

Ongoing knowledge development calls on health professionals to explore strategies to disseminate new or updated theoretical frameworks to practitioners. To date few researchers have explored effective means to do this or how the dissemination of professional ideas impacts on effective service delivery. The study described in this article aimed to identify strategies senior occupational therapists adopted to disseminate new concepts that have the potential to re‐vision and transform practice.

Methods

Six occupational therapists were recruited as co‐researchers to become part of a collaborative community of practice. Over a 9‐month period they engaged in a project based on action research cycles where they had access to a newly revised theoretical framework. During each cycle the co‐researchers participated in a teleconference which was audio‐recorded where they reflected on concepts in relation to their own practice.

Findings

As understanding of the theoretical framework increased, they discussed which aspects of their practice could change, particularly in relation to processes they used to disseminate knowledge to the staff they supervised or managed.

Conclusion/significance

The co‐researchers described a range of ideas for dissemination which included individual and group strategies. In addition, they became aware of the transformative potential of their new knowledge as a way to better understand and create change within their organisations. The co‐researchers also described a sense of increased confidence, not only in terms of conceptualising practice but in terms of supervising staff and challenging service delivery.
Secondary school transition for children with special educational needs: a literature review
Authors: Hughes Laura A. , Banks Pauline , Terras Melody M.
Published: March 2013

Successful transition from primary to secondary school is important for psychosocial well‐being. Children with special educational needs (SEN) may face additional complexities at transition, although the impact of this process on children's psychosocial adjustment has been underexplored. The article aims to review systematically the literature exploring the impact of transition on the concerns and psychosocial adjustment of children with SEN in comparison to typically developing children. Published studies were identified through a systematic search of six electronic databases. Articles fulfilling inclusion criteria were reviewed and a quality criteria system was developed to rank studies. Children with specific learning difficulties perceive lower levels of social support and more peer victimisation after transition than typically developing children, but methodological limitations and the modest number of studies restricted the conclusions that could be drawn.
The impact of policy and legislation on Maori children with special needs in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors: Fortune Kiri
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this article is to review literature related to the impact of policy and legislation on Maori children with special needs. The historical perceptions of disability for Maori will be discussed and the impacts of western influences and policy will be reviewed. The article investigates relevant studies and literature, both national and international, previously carried out in these areas and other corresponding areas of research. It synthesises the main points relating to this review, enabling the reader to gain an awareness of a set of special needs and disability issues as they relate to a specific New Zealand population. These include concepts of disability, Maori and disability issues and special needs education and support provisions for Maori.
Comparison between incidental malignant and benign breast lesions detected by computed tomography: A systematic review
Authors: Bach Andreas Gunter , Abbas Jasmin , Jasaabuu Cholpan , Schramm Dominik , Wienke Andreas , Surov Alexey
Published: March 2013

Introduction

With increasing use of CT for a variety of diagnostic pathways, breast incidentalomas will be identified more frequently. Therefore, it is important for radiologists to know typical CT appearances of malignant and benign breast lesions. The aim of this study was to compare radiological features of benign and malignant incidental breast findings on CT reported in the literature.

Methods

A search for appropriate studies published between 1988 and 2012 yielded five results with a total of 214 patients/257 lesions. Morphological features of the described breast masses, such as shape, margins, enhancement, axillary lymphadenopathy and calcifications, were analysed.

Results

The prevalence of incidental breast carcinoma varied from 9.2% to 60.9% of the lesions. The frequency of benign lesions was 30.4–71.8%. The remaining incidental findings were intramammary metastases and primary or secondary breast lymphomas. Malignant lesions were larger in size, were round in shape and demonstrated a higher density compared with benign lesions. There was no significant difference in the margin characteristics of the masses between the groups. The morphological features previously postulated as typical for malignancy turned out to be non‐specific.

Conclusions

Benign and malign breast incidentalomas are not safely distinguished from each other on standard chest CT. Therefore, all breast incidentalomas should be evaluated by further radiological/histological investigations.
Analysing diversity and community structures usingPCR‐RFLP: a new software application
Authors: Flessa Fabienne , Kehl Alexandra , Kohl Matthias
Published: March 2013

Restriction fragment length polymorphism tools is an R application which supports a complete workflow of polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP), dealing with the problems which accompany analysis whenPCR‐RFLPis used in diversity studies. Large numbers of differentRFLPsamples obtained from multiple electrophoresis runs might lead to limitations or misidentifications due to the need for band matching in most existing software applications. Due to the common problem of variation in the density of bands (i.e. distances between bands or visual intensity) in the electropherograms, it is desirable to have options for handling samples with uncertain or faint bands. As a further step in the workflow, scientists often useDNAsequencing to identify individual genotypes, so that the use of specific software to combine these tasks might be helpful. With this background, we here present an application that supports a complete workflow, starting with the analysis of single species samples byPCR‐RFLP, toPCR‐RFLPgenotype identification based on a reference data set andDNAsequencing followed by similarity analysis.RFLPtools is a freely available, platform‐independent application which provides analysis functions forDNAfragment molecular weights (e.g. byRFLPanalysis), including similarity calculations without the need for band matching. As it is written for the statistical software R, other statistical analyses might also be easily applied.
Sevoflurane has no adverse effects on renal function in cirrhotic patients: a comparison with propofol
Authors: SONG J‐C. , ZHANG M‐Z. , WU Q‐C. , LU Z‐J. , SUN Y‐M. , YANG L‐Q. , YU W‐F.
Published: March 2013

Background

Cirrhotic patients are prone to developing renal dysfunction after anaesthesia and surgery. However, no consensus has been reached whether sevoflurane could have adverse effects on renal function in cirrhotic patients. We hypothesised that the use of sevoflurane for general anaesthesia would lead to post‐operative renal dysfunction in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection.

Methods

A total of 200 patients undergoing liver resection were randomly assigned to a propofol or sevoflurane group. The influence of sevoflurane or propofol on renal function was evaluated by the maximal change, the difference between the pre‐operative baseline and the highest values of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen measured at day 1, 3 and 6 post‐operatively.

Results

The maximal change in serum creatinine after liver resection was −4.52 (5.78) μmol/l and −3.37 (7.34) μmol/l with P = 0.398, and that in blood urea nitrogen was 0.41 (1.49) mmol/l and 0.93 (1.54) mmol/l with P = 0.098 between the sevoflurane group (n = 52) and the propofol group (n = 50), respectively.

Conclusions

Sevoflurane does not seem to impair post‐operative renal function in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection.
Religious Participation and Economic Conservatism
Authors: Gaskins Ben , Golder Matt , Siegel David A.
Published: March 2013

Why do some individuals engage in more religious activity than others? And how does this religious activity influence their economic attitudes? We present a formal model in which individuals derive utility from both secular and religious sources. Our model, which incorporates both demand‐side and supply‐side explanations of religion, is unusual in that it endogenizes both an individual's religious participation and her preferences over economic policy. Using data on over 70 countries from the pooled World Values Survey, we find that religious participation declines with societal development, an individual's ability to produce secular goods, and state regulations on religion, but that it increases with inequality. We also find that religious participation increases economic conservatism among the poor but decreases it among the rich. Our analysis has important insights for the debate about secularization theory and challenges conventional wisdom regarding the relationship between religious participation and economic conservatism.
Feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization, ruminal condition and blood metabolites in wethers fed ground bamboo pellets cultured with white‐rot fungus (Ceriporiopsis subvermispora) and mixed with soybean curd residue and soy sauce cake
Authors: Oguri Michimasa , Okano Kanji , Ieki Hajime , Kitagawa Masayuki , Tadokoro Osamu , Sano Yoshinori , Oishi Kazato , Hirooka Hiroyuki , Kumagai Hajime
Published: March 2013

Three types of bamboo pellets as a ruminant feed: P1 (ground bamboo (GB) cultured with the fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (CGB) : soybean curd residue (T) : soy sauce cake (S) in a 5:4:1 ratio on a dry matter (DM) basis); P2 (GB : T : S = 5:4:1 on a DM basis); and P3 (CGB : T : S = 5.5:0.8:3.7 on a DM basis) were prepared. Four wethers were assigned in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the applicability of the bamboo pellets. The experimental treatments were C (control): fed alfalfa hay cubes (AC) only, and T1, T2 and T3: fed P1, P2, and P3 with AC by 1:1 on a DM basis, respectively. The digestibility of the DM, organic matter and acid detergent fiber of P1 were significantly higher than those of P2 and P3 (P < 0.05). The total digestible nutrient (TDN) contents of AC, P1, P2 and P3 were 56.5%, 60.2%, 53.2% and 47.0%, respectively. No significant differences in nitrogen retention or ruminal pH and NH3 were observed among the treatment groups. The results indicate that bamboo pellets cultured with C. subvermispora and mainly mixed with soybean curd residue improved nutritional quality of ground bamboo because of its high digestibility and TDN content.
Salvage therapy using FLT3 inhibitors may improve long‐term outcome of relapsed or refractory AML in patients with FLT3‐ITD
Authors: Takahashi Koichi , Kantarjian Hagop , Pemmaraju Naveen , Andreeff Michael , Borthakur Gautam , Faderl Stefan , Garcia‐Manero Guillermo , Pierce Sherry , Luthra Rajyalakshmi , Cardenas‐Turanzas Marylou , Estrov Zeev , Ravandi Farhad , Cortes Jorge
Published: March 2013

To determine the long‐term efficacy of FLT3 inhibitors (FLT3i) in the salvage setting for relapsed and refractory (rel/ref) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (AML FLT3‐ITD), we conducted a retrospective study of 120 patients with rel/ref AML FLT3‐ITD who received salvage therapy with either FLT3i‐containing regimen (FLT3i group, N = 45) or conventional cytotoxic regimen (conventional group, N = 75). The median overall survival (OS) after the first salvage in the FLT3i group was 6·9 vs. 4·6 months in the conventional group (P = 0·17). The OS was better in the FLT3i group among patients with initial complete remission (CR) duration ≤12 months or with primary refractory disease (6·9 vs. 3·7 months; P < 0·01). The OS was better when FLT3i was combined with cytotoxic agents versus monotherapy (17 vs. 4·8 months; P = 0·017). Multivariate analysis revealed that the use of FLT3i was an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio 0·58; 95% confidence interval, 0·38–0·88). Incorporating FLT3i into salvage strategies may improve long‐term outcome of patients with AML FLT3‐ITD. Prospective studies to validate this conclusion are warranted.