bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leveraging social media to enhance recruitment effectiveness
Authors: A. Carrillat François , d’Astous Alain , Morissette Grégoire Emilie
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how firms can use social media such as Facebook to recruit top job prospects.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the context of a fictitious event presumably sponsored by a potential employer, a sample of university students became members of a new private and secret Facebook user group dedicated to this event for a period of four days. They were exposed to event sponsorship activation messages varying systematically with respect to the mode of processing (i.e. passive or active) and their focus (i.e. the brand or the event).

Findings

– The results show that their expectations as regards the salary that they would require to become employees were higher in the active mode of processing. Also, their attitude toward the sponsor as an employer was more favorable when the activation messages focussed on the brand rather than on the event. In addition, further analyses showed that the effects of message focus and mode of processing on the attitudinal responses toward the sponsoring employers were mediated by the degree of elaboration and richness of social interactions of the Facebook group's members as well as their attitude toward the activation messages.

Practical implications

– Managers seeking to gain a recruiting edge through their social media presence should use online messages that stimulate more active processing and that have high entertainment value since this leads to more favorable responses toward the employer. These messages should insist more on the brand than on the event that is sponsored.

Originality/value

– This study is the first study to foray into the usage of social networking sites for recruitment purposes. It represents one of the few research efforts to monitor the interactions of users in a social media platform by means of a controlled experiment performed in situ through the creation of an ad hoc Facebook group.
Small and medium enterprises’ internationalisation and business strategy: some evidence from firms located in an emerging market
Authors: Zamberi Ahmad Syed
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the international business strategy, key driving factors and the major barriers that may hinder the internationalisation progress of Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the aims of the study, the paper encompasses both quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative data, structured questionnaires were used, and a total of 216 SMEs that engaged in international business participated using purposeful sampling, covering all the states in Peninsular Malaysia. For the collection of qualitative data, the study involved in-depth interviews with 25 owners/managers of SMEs.

Findings

– The findings indicate that the motives of SMEs for international expansion are varied, and that SMEs still face many institutional challenges, which have prevented them from making a greater contribution.

Research limitations/implications

– Due to lack of resources, firms from West Malaysia were included. West Malaysian firms may well possess characteristics concerning the challenges and issues to internationalisation that are unique to their region.

Originality/value

– The paper addresses a knowledge gap in respect of the internationalisation process of SMEs in the context of Southeast Asia. The findings of this paper will have relevance for policymaking and supportive measures at the government level to create an environment that will stimulate the competitiveness of SMEs in their attempts for internationalisation.
Long-run causal nexus between share price and dividend
Authors: Nirmala P.S. , Sanju P.S. , Ramachandran M.
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to examine the long-run causal relations between share price and dividend in the Indian market.

Design/methodology/approach

– Panel vector error correction model is estimated to examine the long-run causal relations between share price and dividend. Prior to this, panel unit root tests and panel cointegration tests are carried out to test the unit root properties of the data and test for the existence of long-run cointegrating relationship between the variables, respectively.

Findings

– The results of empirical investigation reveal that there exists bi-directional long-run causality between share price and dividends.

Research limitations/implications

– For the chosen sample, data on share price are available only for limited years. This limits the time dimension of the sample. Hence, in the future, the analysis can be extended to cover longer time series.

Practical implications

– The interplay between share prices and dividends needs to be given due consideration by firms while framing their policies. A change in dividend policy would have an effect on the market value of the firm; hence, firms need to frame dividend policy in such a way that it would enhance their market value. Similarly, investors need to take into consideration the influence of share prices and dividends on each other. While making investment decisions, they need to consider the dividend history of shares, as better dividends would lead to better share prices.

Originality/value

– To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first attempt in the Indian market to examine the long-run causal relations between share price and dividend. The results of this study would be helpful to the investors in taking wise investment decisions. It would also enable firms in formulating appropriate dividend policies.
The effects of terrorism on work attitudes and behaviors: a literature review and a proposed model
Authors: Farooq Malik Omer , Abdullah Haslinda , Anak Uli Jegak
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The paper examines terrorism in its relationship to the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to review research findings and propose a model of the effects of terrorism on work-related outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– A literature review was undertaken mainly using academic sources.

Findings

– Potential or actual terrorist attacks create a significant fear level for the individual, causing negative work attitudes. In turn, negative attitudes lead to undesirable work behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

– Relatively little research has been conducted to determine how organizations may be affected by terrorism via the reciprocal relationship between employee and organizational well-being.

Originality/value

– This paper explores important yet still under-researched areas of management and organizational interventions to mitigate the deleterious effects of workplace terrorism.
Homophobic bullying: evidence-based suggestions for intervention programmes
Authors: James Minton Stephen
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the basic factors of age and gender in homophobic bullying behaviour, in order that recommendations for the design of anti-bullying programmes specific to homophobic bullying could be made.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 475 fifth year students (ca. 16-17 years old) and 561-second year students (ca. 13-14 years old) at six secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland completed an English-language translation of a questionnaire previously used in a Norwegian study of sexual orientation and bullying behaviour (Roland and Auestad, 2009).

Findings

– No evidence of “age-related declines” were found in reports of either bullying or homophobic bullying. Males were significantly more likely than females to report involvement (as both perpetrators and targets) in both bullying and homophobic bullying.

Practical implications

– It was concluded that senior secondary school students, as well as their younger counterparts, should be involved in anti-bullying interventions; that males should be especially focused upon; and that programmes specific to anti-homophobic bullying, potentially targeting pre-adolescent students, should be supported.

Originality/value

– This paper suggests evidence-based priorities for intervention programmes specific to homophobic bullying, accounts of which have been, to date, absent in the research literature.
Public relations as expectation management?
Authors: Olkkonen Laura , Luoma-aho Vilma
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess how expectation management can contribute strategically to communication management, and how understanding and managing expectations can increase organizations’ sensitivity toward stakeholder voices and concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

– An example of mapping and identifying expectations is presented as a result of a thematic analysis of qualitative interview data, collected from six stakeholder groups of the media industry.

Findings

– Expectation types and gaps can be identified through the use of systematic expectation mapping, conceptualized in this paper as “expectation management.” Expectation management analyzes expectation types and priorities, and it assists in crafting response strategies. Four types of expectations (must, will, should, and could) were identified in an empirical study of the media industry.

Research limitations/implications

– As the empirical study focussed on one industry in one country, the findings should be considered an introduction to expectation mapping and expectation management, to be further developed in other settings.

Practical implications

– Organizations can gain strategic advantages by using expectation management to deepen communication management. New skills and processes may be needed to enable communication professionals to analyze and understand the core level of expectations.

Social implications

– Expectation management can help organizations respond to current societal pressures and help publics voice their concerns toward organizations.

Originality/value

– A new concept with strategic value is presented. The reported study of mapping and identifying expectations helps to clarity and interpret factors that shape stakeholder relationships and satisfaction on a deeper level.
Financial crisis, oil shock and trade in Asia
Authors: Komail Tayebi Seyed , Yazdani Mehdi
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– In this paper the authors address the questions whether global financial crises cause oil shocks worldwide, then whether such shocks affect trade flows of both oil importing and oil exporting countries of East-West Asia. The purpose of this paper is thus to explore such effects by specifying basically a dynamic export model using data of the Asian economies countries over the period 1980-2008.

Design/methodology/approach

– An ARDL specification is applied to show the dynamic effects of main determinants, including financial crisis and the world oil price, on the export flows of each country in the sample. The data for financial crisis have been compiled by Hatziuset al.(2010).

Findings

– The results, as a whole, imply that both financial crisis and oil price have a cross-effects on Asian trade flows in the short run, while this effects could not occur in the long run.

Originality/value

– The goal is to estimate an econometric model of exports to examine how recent crises affect export flows in the selected Asian countries. Different from previous studies in the literature, this paper first explores the interaction between financial crisis and oil shocks and second uses an extended and dynamic export model, based on ARDL approach. The core of the study relies on the question whether a cross-relationship between oil price and financial crisis affects the export flows of the Asian countries: China, Japan, Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Turkey which are both oil importing and exporting.
Multilevel marketing and pyramid schemes in the United States
Authors: W. Keep William , J. Vander Nat Peter
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to analyze the evolution of direct selling – a retail channel that successfully sold products ranging from cosmetics to radios to automobiles – to multilevel marketing (MLM), an industry now apparently heavily reliant on selling to itself. As the courts have found some MLM companies to be pyramid schemes, the analysis includes the overlap between the legal MLM model and an illegal pyramid scheme.

Design/methodology/approach

– The development of direct selling in the USA was examined, followed by the factors contributing to the design and growth of the MLM model and its non-commission-based compensation structure. Then, the key legal decisions regarding illegal pyramid schemes operating under the guise of MLM, the relative stagnation of direct selling and the state of the MLM industry were examined.

Findings

– As the MLM model operates on the dual premise of retailing through a network of distributors and recruiting new distributors to do the same, it was found that federal regulators and the courts consistently focus on the “retail question” – the existence and extent of sales to consumers external to the distributor network. The authors argue that without a significant external customer base, internal consumption by an ever-churning base of participants resembles neither employee purchases nor a buying club.

Social implications

– As the MLM model facilitated the growth of pyramid scheme fraud, creating victims rather than customers, this research highlights successful efforts to regulate this type of consumer fraud.

Originality/value

– Few papers have been written on MLM and pyramids schemes, and none thus far has taken an historical perspective.
Knowledge management in supporting collaborative innovation community capacity building
Authors: An Xiaomi , Deng Hepu , Chao Lemen , Bai Wenlin
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the role of knowledge management in collaborative innovation and identifies the knowledge management approaches for supporting collaborative innovation community capacity building (CICCB) in organizations. The importance of collaborative innovation in developing organizational competitiveness is increasingly being recognized in both theory and practice worldwide. Collaborative innovation, however, is still under-explored from the trans-disciplinary perspective of knowledge management and community capacity building.

Design/methodology/approach

– A comprehensive review of the related literature in collaborative innovation and knowledge management is conducted. Three demands for CICCB, including trust building for enhancing the effectiveness, sustainability building for improving the efficiency and extensibility building for developing the competitiveness in organizations, are identified, which paves the way for the development of a holistic approach to effective CICCB.

Findings

– Three roles of knowledge management in supporting CICCB are identified, including the reformation of knowledge management for convergence in collaboration, the remediation of knowledge activities for synergy in communication and the reconfiguration of knowledge artifacts for the integration of knowledge management activities in connectivity. A holistic approach is proposed for effective CICCB in organizations, including the multi-dimensional convergence for trust building in collaboration, the multi-directional synergy for sustainability building in communication and the multi-layer integration for extensibility building in connectivity.

Research limitations/implications

– Insights about how organizations can better support CICCB through effective knowledge management for improving their competitiveness are provided based on the identification of the demand for CICCB and the role of knowledge management in collaborative innovation. The development of a holistic approach to effective CICCB can help organizations better utilize their limited resources for developing their competitiveness in today’s dynamic environment.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first step of a comprehensive study on the role of knowledge management in supporting CICCB in organizations in today’s dynamic environment. It provides a solid foundation for the investigation of the models, approaches and mechanisms for effective CICCB through knowledge management in organizations.
MBA at the cross road
Authors: Li-Hua Richard , Lu Lucy
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to bridge the knowledge gap in designing MBA strategy between China and the West by examining the content, context and process of MBA delivery. This paper challenges the assumptions and pedagogical approach underpinning the current design and delivery of MBA programmes that were originally moulded with Western management history and development in the era of globalization. There is consensus that MBA was used to train business managers; however, nowadays, people are inclined to state that MBA is used to develop global business leaders or full-fledged global competitors. How can we develop global business leaders without a global vision when designing MBA strategy?

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on extensive literature review and critical analyses through the strategic management approach, this paper examines the status quo of current MBA programmes in the West and in China. This paper presents a conceptual framework that draws on the current MBA literature and on-going debates around management education and development in the West and in China.

Findings

– The designing strategy of MBA has been originally strongly influenced by Western ideology and ethos. Therefore, the difficulties of management knowledge transfer are often explained through culture acclimatization and emphasize has been on cultural divergence rather than convergence. With synthesis between Western and Eastern management identified, we argue that the appropriateness and effectiveness of the traditional philosophy of MBA designing strategy based on Western management history has been challenged in the 21st century. The perception has fuelled criticism of business schools in the post-recession. They have come under fire for allegedly failing in their obligations to educate socially responsible business leaders (Barker, 2010). This leads to rethinking of the philosophy and vision underpinning the MBA designing strategy. A new philosophical approach – integration of Western management with Eastern philosophy has been under scrutiny, which is necessary in business education to enable future business leaders to become full-fledged competitors in the global market.

Originality/value

– The output of this discussion helps to establish a conceptual framework which will provide strategic insight in enabling business/management school and MBA providers to address the current deficiency in MBA teaching and learning strategy and develop more appropriate arrangement when considering the design and development of a successful MBA programme in the 21st century.
Linking strategy with open innovation and performance in SMEs
Authors: Crema Maria , Verbano Chiara , Venturini Karen
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the linkages between company’s strategy, open innovation and innovation performance, focusing on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In more detail, the aim is to investigate the influence of firm strategy on the level of openness adopted and then the impact of open innovation on firm performance. Finally, the influence of context-specific variables (such as firm size, technology intensity, geographical area, experience of the company and technology turbulence) on the relations mentioned above will be verified.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey has been conducted in the Italian manufacturing context and a database of 107 responses was obtained. The constructs of the research framework were created and validated using factor analysis; further, structural equation modeling was performed to verify the hypothesis about the studied relations.

Findings

– The obtained model confirmed most of the relations hypothesized, giving useful indications on how to define competitive strategy and coherent level of open innovation to pursue improved firm performance. Results highlight that firms, which pursue an innovative strategy are those who invest more on technical skills and core competencies. Companies who choose a strategy of diversification are likely to use, exclusively, managerial practices of open innovation, while firms focused on a strategy of efficiency are inclined toward open innovation practices and, to a lesser extent, to the development of core competencies.

Originality/value

– The main original contribution is the development of an integrated model that links company’s strategy, open innovation and innovation performance in SMEs.
Optimal decision methods in two-echelon logistic models
Authors: Watada Junzo , Waripan Thisana , Wu Berlin
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate optimal decision methods under a cooperative situation in two-echelon logistic models.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors propose the optimal strategies of exporters in the three types of rival game behaviors: Stackelberg, Collusion, and Cournot, each of which provides the optimal decision for the duopolistic shippers and the oligopolistic forwarders in each scenario.

Findings

– From the empirical studies the paper finds that among three scenarios, the oligopolistic treatment of forwarders’ actions demonstrates that Stackelberg behavior can carry out the maximum profit, and Collusion game can achieve the maximum profit for the shippers.

Originality/value

– Proposed an optimal decision methods in two-echelon logistic models.
Alternative strategies to change negative output gaps rate in China
Authors: Xu Bing , Hu Xiaowen
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to find alternative strategies to change negative output gaps in China.

Design/methodology/approach

– A path Philips curves approach is proposed to investigate output gaps, which develops hybrid Philips curves with the control variables of money, house prices and interest rates.

Findings

– An alternative strategy to stop the decline in output gaps rate is to perform interest rate, house price, and money growth rate about 3, 1 and 15 percent, respectively. The results also indicate that only one of monetary increase, changes in interest rates, and house price adjustments are difficult to change the negative output gap.

Practical implications

– Alternative strategies cannot only change the negative output gap, but also succeed in pushing the inflation rate down to 3 percent.

Originality/value

– This study provides a new path Philips curves to simulate how the macroscopic control variables influence output and inflation. It provides a useful insight for stopping the decline in output gaps.
A quantile regression forecasting model for ICT development
Authors: Hui-Kuang Yu Tiffany
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– Because quantile regression gets more popular and provides more comprehensive interpretations, it is important to advance quantile regression for forecasting. By extending the convention quantile regression, the purpose of this paper is to propose a quantile regression-forecasting model to forecast information and communication technology (ICT) development.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper proposes an approach to forecasting based on quantile regression method.

Findings

– Via quantile information criterion, the proposed approach can identify whether the independent variables are predictable. For those which are predictable, the proposed approach can be used to forecast these variables.

Practical implications

– The proposed approach is used to forecast ICT development. It can also be used to forecast other problem domains.

Originality/value

– Based on the empirical results, the proposed approach advances the application of quantile regression model to forecast. The applicability of quantile regression model is greatly enhanced.
Talent identification and development tools
Authors: Natacha Golik Mariela , Rita Blanco María
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to contribute to talent management literature by examining empirically the relationship between talent identification and development tools.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study sample consisted of 112 Argentina-based companies. All participants completed an online survey containing a list of identification and development practices. Responses were analyzed with SPSS 19.

Findings

– Results show that companies running more talent identification processes (performance management and potential identification) make use of a greater number of development tools. Significant differences were observed in the use of all development tools analyzed, with the exception of formal education and job rotation. Results indicate that the presence of a Development Department encourages the implementation of identification and development tools.

Practical implications

– The study suggests that the better the quality of the information involved during the identification stage, the higher the contribution to development investment decisions. Companies should do well to rely on higher-quality diagnostic information to facilitate a better selection of development tools to fulfill specific objectives. The existence of a Development Department favors the implementation of a greater number of identification and development tools.

Originality/value

– This paper adds to fill a perceived gap in the literature investigating, empirically, the relationship between talent identification processes and development tools.
Occupational identity of staff and attitudes towards institutional closure
Authors: T. Vesala Hannu , Teittinen Antti , Heinonen Pilvikki
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– Deinstitutionalization has impacts also on direct care workers and their work. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the attitudes of direct care workers towards the closure of the institution, and these attitudes’ relation to workers’ occupational identity.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected by postal questionnaire before the closure of the institution. The respondents consisted of two groups: direct care workers of the institution (n=93) and direct care workers of community-based residential units run by the same organization (n=117).

Findings

– The results clearly show that direct care workers in the institution, as a group, were against the closure of the institution. This is quite understandable, because the closure will irrevocably affect their work and also private life. Although this opposing is evident, there was also variance in the attitudes within this group: some were more willing to accept the change, some were more against it. Those opposing the closure seemed to be more reluctant in adopting the new kind of identity as supporters of the self-determination of their clients and also they felt more insecure about their own competence.

Originality/value

– In deinstitutionalization research a staff perspective has not been very common. To successfully accomplish the change process it is important to take into account also the staff and how they experience the change. It would be far more beneficial to have staff promoting change than resisting it.
Ebola and Marburg virus diseases in Africa: Increased risk of outbreaks in previously unaffected areas?
Authors: Changula Katendi , Kajihara Masahiro , Mweene Aaron S. , Takada Ayato
Published: July 2014

Filoviral hemorrhagic fever (FHF) is caused by ebolaviruses and marburgviruses, which both belong to the family Filoviridae. Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) are the most likely natural reservoir for marburgviruses and entry into caves and mines that they stay in has often been associated with outbreaks of MVD. On the other hand, the natural reservoir for ebola viruses remains elusive; however, handling of wild animal carcasses has been associated with some outbreaks of EVD. In the last two decades, there has been an increase in the incidence of FHF outbreaks in Africa, some being caused by a newly found virus and some occurring in previously unaffected areas such as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in which the most recent EVD outbreak occurred in 2014. Indeed, the predicted geographic distribution of filoviruses and their potential reservoirs in Africa includes many countries in which FHF has not been reported. To minimize the risk of virus dissemination in previously unaffected areas, there is a need for increased investment in health infrastructure in African countries, policies to facilitate collaboration between health authorities from different countries, implementation of outbreak control measures by relevant multi‐disciplinary teams and education of the populations at risk.
Individual and species‐specific traits explain niche size and functional role in spiders as generalist predators
Authors: Sanders Dirk , Vogel Esther , Knop Eva
Published: July 2014

The function of a predator within a community is greatly based on its trophic niche, that is the number and the strength of feeding links. In generalist predators, which feed on a wide range of prey, the size and position of the trophic niche is likely determined by traits such as hunting mode, the stratum they occur in, their body size and age.

We used stable isotope analyses (13C and 15N) to measure the trophic niche size of nine spider species within a forest hedge community and tested for species traits and individual traits that influence stable isotope enrichment, niche size and resource use.

The spiders Enoplognatha, Philodromus, Floronia, and Heliophanus had large isotopic niches, which correspond to a more generalistic feeding behaviour. In contrast, Araneus, Metellina and Agelena, as top predators in the system, had rather narrow niches. We found a negative correlation between trophic position and niche size. Differences in trophic position in spiders were explained by body size, hunting modes and stratum, while niche size was influenced by hunting mode. In Philodromus, the size of the trophic niche increased significantly with age.

Fitting spiders to functional groups according to their mean body size, hunting mode and their habitat domain resulted in largely separated niches, which indicates that these traits are meaningful for separating functional entities in spiders. Functional groups based on habitat domain (stratum) caught the essential functional differences between the species with species higher up in the vegetation feeding on flying insects and herb and ground species also preying on forest floor decomposers.

Interestingly, we found a gradient from large species using a higher habitat domain and having a smaller niche to smaller species foraging closer to the ground and having a larger niche. This shows that even within generalist predators, such as spiders, there is a gradient of specialism that can be predicted by functional traits.
Species richness–productivity relationships of tropical terrestrial ferns at regional and local scales
Authors: Kessler Michael , Salazar Laura , Homeier Jürgen , Kluge Jürgen
Published: July 2014

The species richness–productivity relationship (SRPR), by which the species richness of habitats or ecosystems is related to the productivity of the ecosystem or the taxon, has been documented both on regional and local scales, but its generality, biological meaning and underlying mechanisms remain debated.

We evaluated the SRPR and three mechanistic hypotheses using terrestrial ferns in 18 study plots along an elevational gradient (500–4000 m) in Ecuador. We measured annual increases in above‐ground biomass of 6175 fern individuals from 91 species over 2 years, and estimated plot‐level tree productivity from increases in above‐ground woody biomass of 560 trees. Analyses were conducted by (i) comparing plots along the elevational gradient (regional scale) and (ii) comparing plots within each elevational belt (local scale).

Fern diversity was related to the productivity of the fern assemblages, but not to above‐ground productivity of the trees. At the regional scale, we found a positive relationship of fern species richness to fern productivity that appeared to be determined by an increase in the number of fern individuals and niche availability. In contrast, at the local scale, this relationship was negative and likely driven by interspecific competition.

Synthesis. Plot diversity of ferns appears to be limited by the number of available niches and competition to occupy these niches. At the local scale, this is reflected in a negative SRPR probably driven by competition, whereas with increasing scale, the positive influence of productivity emerges. This represents the first evidence that productivity and competition affect the diversity of tropical herb assemblages at the plot scale.
How much exposure to English is necessary for a bilingual toddler to perform like a monolingual peer in language tests?
Authors: Cattani Allegra , Abbot‐Smith Kirsten , Farag Rafalla , Krott Andrea , Arreckx Frédérique , Dennis Ian , Floccia Caroline
Published: July 2014

Background

Bilingual children are under‐referred due to an ostensible expectation that they lag behind their monolingual peers in their English acquisition. The recommendations of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) state that bilingual children should be assessed in both the languages known by the children. However, despite these recommendations, a majority of speech and language professionals report that they assess bilingual children only in English as bilingual children come from a wide array of language backgrounds and standardized language measures are not available for the majority of these. Moreover, even when such measures do exist, they are not tailored for bilingual children.

Aims

It was asked whether a cut‐off exists in the proportion of exposure to English at which one should expect a bilingual toddler to perform as well as a monolingual on a test standardized for monolingual English‐speaking children.

Methods & Procedures

Thirty‐five bilingual 2;6‐year‐olds exposed to British English plus an additional language and 36 British monolingual toddlers were assessed on the auditory component of the Preschool Language Scale, British Picture Vocabulary Scale and an object‐naming measure. All parents completed the Oxford Communicative Development Inventory (Oxford CDI) and an exposure questionnaire that assessed the proportion of English in the language input. Where the CDI existed in the bilingual's additional language, these data were also collected.

Outcomes & Results

Hierarchical regression analyses found the proportion of exposure to English to be the main predictor of the performance of bilingual toddlers. Bilingual toddlers who received 60% exposure to English or more performed like their monolingual peers on all measures. K‐means cluster analyses and Levene variance tests confirmed the estimated English exposure cut‐off at 60% for all language measures. Finally, for one additional language for which we had multiple participants, additional language CDI production scores were significantly inversely related to the amount of exposure to English.

Conclusions & Implications

Typically developing 2;6‐year‐olds who are bilingual in English and an additional language and who hear English 60% of the time or more, perform equivalently to their typically developing monolingual peers.
A Review of Poly(Lactic Acid)‐Based Materials for Antimicrobial Packaging
Authors: Tawakkal Intan S. M. A. , Cran Marlene J. , Miltz Joseph , Bigger Stephen W.
Published: July 2014

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) can be synthesized from renewable bio‐derived monomers and, as such, it is an alternative to conventional petroleum‐based polymers. Since PLA is a relatively new polymer, much effort has been directed toward its development in order to make it an acceptable and effective option to the more traditional petroleum‐based polymers. Commercially, PLA has received considerable attention in food packaging applications with a focus on films and coatings that are suitable for short shelf life and ready‐to‐eat food products. The potential for PLA to be used in active packaging has also been recognized by a number of researchers. This review focuses on the use of PLA in antimicrobial systems for food packaging applications and explores the engineering characteristics and antimicrobial activity of PLA films incorporated and/or coated with antimicrobial agents.
Utilization of a Maltotetraose‐Producing Amylase as a Whole Wheat Bread Improver: Dough Rheology and Baking Performance
Authors: Bae Woosung , Lee Sung Ho , Yoo Sang‐Ho , Lee Suyong
Published: July 2014

A maltotetraose‐producing enzyme (G4‐amylase) was utilized to improve the baking performance of whole‐grain wheat flour. Whole‐grain bread dough prepared with G4‐amylase showed reduced water absorption and increased development time, while the dough stability was not affected. Also, the G4‐amylase‐treated samples exhibited lower Mixolab torque values than the control upon heating and cooling. Rheological measurements showed the decreased ratio of Rmax/E and increased tan δ, clearly demonstrating that the viscous characteristics of whole‐grain bread dough became dominant with increasing levels of G4‐amylase. The use of G4‐amylase produced whole‐grain wheat breads with a variety of maltooligosaccharides, primarily maltotetraose that positively contributed to the bread volume (1.2‐fold higher than the control). Moreover, G4‐amylase delayed the crumb firming of whole‐grain wheat bread during a 7‐d storage period, showing that it can function as an antiretrogradation agent to enhance the quality attributes of whole‐grain wheat bread.
Effect of Okra Cell Wall and Polysaccharide on Physical Properties and Stability of Ice Cream
Authors: Yuennan Pilapa , Sajjaanantakul Tanaboon , Goff H. Douglas
Published: July 2014

Stabilizers are used in ice cream to increase mix viscosity, promote smooth texture, and improve frozen stability. In this study, the effects of varying concentrations (0.00%, 0.15%, 0.30%, and 0.45%) of okra cell wall (OKW) and its corresponding water‐soluble polysaccharide (OKP) on the physical characteristics of ice cream were determined. Ice cream mix viscosity was measured as well as overrun, meltdown, and consumer acceptability. Ice recrystallization was determined after ice cream was subjected to temperature cycling in the range of −10 to −20 °C for 10 cycles. Mix viscosity increased significantly as the concentrations of OKW and OKP increased. The addition of either OKW or OKP at 0.15% to 0.45% significantly improved the melting resistance of ice cream. OKW and OKP at 0.15% did not affect sensory perception score for flavor, texture, and overall liking of the ice cream. OKW and OKP (0.15%) reduced ice crystal growth to 107% and 87%, respectively, as compared to 132% for the control (0.00%). Thus, our results suggested the potential use of OKW and OKP at 0.15% as a stabilizer to control ice cream quality and retard ice recrystallization. OKP, however, at 0.15% exhibited greater effect on viscosity increase and on ice recrystallization inhibition than OKW.
Partially Hydrolyzed Soy Protein Shows Enhanced Transport of Amino Acids Compared to Nonhydrolyzed Protein across an Intestinal Epithelial Cell Monolayer
Authors: McGraw Nancy J. , Napawan Nida , Toland Mitchell R. , Schulze John , Tulk Barry M. , Krul Elaine S.
Published: July 2014

Consumption of protein hydrolysates has been proposed to stimulate muscle anabolism more than intact (nonhydrolyzed) proteins via accelerated delivery of amino acids for muscle protein synthesis (MPS). We evaluated whether the rate of amino acid uptake and transport across intestinal cells was enhanced for soy protein hydrolysates versus nonhydrolyzed soy protein. Intact and partially hydrolyzed proteins were subject to simulated gut digestion and applied to the apical surface of Caco‐2 monolayers. Basolateral media was harvested after 3 h and quantitatively analyzed for free amino acids using ion‐exchange chromatography and comparison to an included reference standard. Basolateral concentrations of all amino acids were higher (mean 32%) for hydrolyzed versus nonhydrolyzed protein with the greatest differences in histidine, lysine, and valine. Scale‐up production of the soy protein hydrolysate did not diminish its enhanced absorption properties. These data support the hypothesis that hydrolyzed soy protein may provide dietary amino acids that are more rapidly transported across the intestinal epithelium versus intact soy protein. This would be important under conditions where rapid and increased levels of amino acids are needed such as in the stimulation of MPS.
Spontaneous migration of a portacath into the azygos vein with subsequent development of a tracheo‐azygos fistula
Authors: Andrews Matthew H , Chisholm Bruce D
Published: July 2014

Subcutaneous venous port or ‘portacath’ devices are widely used, especially in oncology patients. Several potential complications of portacath devices have been well documented. We report a rare case of the spontaneous migration of the tip of a portacath into the azygos vein, with subsequent development of a tracheo‐azygos fistula. This resulted in the patient receiving a dose of chemotherapy agent and saline directly into his lungs, which ultimately contributed to his death a few weeks later. To our knowledge, there have been only 10 previously reported cases of inadvertent intrathoracic (mediastinal, pleural or pulmonary) extravasation of chemotherapy agent as a result of central venous catheter malposition or perforation; this is the second reported case of extravasation of chemotherapy agent as a result of migration of a portacath device into the azygos vein.
Prediction of Parturition Time in Queens using Radiography and Ultrasonography
Authors: Gatel L. , Rault D. , Chalvet‐Monfray K. , Saunders J. , Buff S.
Published: July 2014

This study investigated the prediction of parturition in queens, as well as the effects of the queens' age and weight and the litter size on the accuracy of the prediction. A prospective study was performed in 24 purebred queens of 11 different breeds, all in normal body condition, using radiographic and ultrasonographic measurements of foetal femoral length (FL) and biparietal diameter (BPD) of fœtal skull that apply to different breeds. Pregnant queens with aborted or malformed foetuses were excluded. The examinations were performed up to three times during the second half of pregnancy; litter size was obtained with radiography, and FL and BPD measurements were taken of each foetus using both radiography and ultrasonography. The maximal FL and the transversal BPD were recorded for each foetus. Radiography showed the number of foetuses accurately but did not allow accurate prediction of time of parturition. However, ultrasonography did establish the best predictive model according to the data with the FL. This model corresponded to the formula Y = 37.864 − 0.193 × FL + 1.227 × W − 0.615 × LS − 0.832 × A using the FL (10−1 mm), litter size (LS, number of foetuses per queen) and maternal parameters (weight (W, kg) and age (A, years)). Time to parturition correlated positively with the queen's weight and negatively with her age (P < 0.01). The ultrasonographic FL associated with pregnancy and maternal factors appeared to be an accurate model to predict parturition.
Lung metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinoma: prognostic factors related to remission and disease‐free survival
Authors: Chopra Saurav , Garg Aayushi , Ballal Sanjana , Bal Chandrasekhar S.
Published: July 2014

Objective

Distant metastases, although rare, account for maximum disease‐related mortality in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Lungs and bones are the most frequent sites of metastases. We sought to identify the prognostic factors in adult DTC patients presenting with pulmonary metastases at initial diagnosis.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Patients

From the medical records of 4370 patients, 200 patients aged more than 21 years who were identified to have pulmonary metastases at the time of diagnosis were included in the analysis.

Results

The sites of metastases were lungs alone in 133 (67%) patients, and additional sites in remaining 67 (33%) patients were as follows: bones in 59, liver in 4, brain in 2 and both bone and liver in two patients. During the mean follow‐up of 61 months (range, 12–312 months), 76 patients achieved remission, 121 (60·5%) patients had biochemically and/or structurally persistent disease and three patients showed disease progression. Multivariate analysis revealed presence of macro‐nodular (chest X‐ray positive) pulmonary metastases and concomitant skeletal metastases as independent factors decreasing the likelihood of remission. Of the 76 patients with remission, 16 (21%) developed subsequent recurrence. Patient age >45 years and follicular histopathology were independently associated with greater hazards of developing recurrence.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the patients with macro‐nodular lung metastases and/or concomitant skeletal metastases have reduced odds of achieving remission. Moreover, significant number of patients recur even after complete remission with RAI treatment, hence strict surveillance is recommended especially in patients with age >45 years and/or with follicular histology of DTC.
Drugs that interact with levothyroxine: an observational study from the Thyroid Epidemiology, Audit and Research Study (TEARS)
Authors: A. Irving Savannah , Vadiveloo Thenmalar , Leese Graham P.
Published: July 2014

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the extent of drug interactions affecting levothyroxine, using study drugs often co‐administered to patients on long‐term levothyroxine therapy.

Design

A retrospective population analysis linking biochemistry and prescription data between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2012 was used.

Patients

The study population was Tayside residents prescribed levothyroxine on at least three occasions, within a six‐month period, prior to the start of a study drug. Individuals acted as their own controls pre‐ and postinitiation of study drug. Overall, 10 999 patients (mean age 58 years, 82% female) being treated with thyroxine were included in the study.

Measurements

Changes in TSH following initiation of study drug.

Results

Iron, calcium, proton pump inhibitors and oestrogen all increased serum TSH concentration: an increase of 0·22 mU/l (P < 0.001), 0·27 mU/l (P < 0·001), 0·12 mU/l (P < 0·01), and 0·08 mU/l (P < 0·007), respectively. For these four study drugs, there was a clinically significant increase of over 5 mU/l in serum TSH, in 7·5%, 4·4%, 5·6% and 4·3% patients, respectively. There was a decrease of 0·17 mU/l (P‐value 0.01) in the TSH concentration for those patients on statins. The TSH decreased by 5 mU/l in 3·7% of patients. There was no effect with H2 receptor antagonists or glucocorticoids.

Conclusion

This large population‐based study demonstrates significant interaction between levothyroxine and iron, calcium, proton pump inhibitors, statins and oestrogens. These drugs may reduce the effectiveness of levothyroxine, and patients' TSH concentrations should be carefully monitored.