bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low Rates of Blood Transfusion in Elective Resections of Neurofibromas in a Cohort Study: Neurofibroma Length as a Predictor of Transfusion Requirement
Authors: Hivelin Mikael , Plaud Benoit , Hemery Francois , Boulat Claire , Ortonne Nicolas , Valleyrie-Allanore Laurence , Wolkenstein Pierre , Lantieri Laurent
Published: March 2016

Background:

Neurofibromas in neurofibromatosis type 1 induce aesthetic and functional morbidity. Perioperative bleeding has been reported as an obstacle to neurofibroma resections. The authors studied the requirement for blood transfusion during surgical treatment of neurofibromatosis type 1.

Methods:

Six hundred twenty-two procedures performed on 390 neurofibromatosis type 1 patients at the national referral center from 1995 to 2011 were analyzed in two chronologic sets of patients: set 1 (February of 1995 to September of 2007), in which only one surgeon operated; and set 2 (October of 2007 to January of 2011), in which two additional surgeons were involved. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, reconstructive procedures, and spontaneous hemorrhages were excluded from the analysis. Age, sex, preoperative hemoglobin concentration, location, length, estimated volume and histologic features of the largest neurofibroma (cumulative values for multiple neurofibromas), and procedure duration were studied as potential predictors of blood transfusion that were measured in terms of units of packed red blood cells.

Results:

Seventy reconstructive procedures, two cases of spontaneous hemorrhage, and 32 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor resections were excluded. Among 516 procedures (318 and 198 in sets 1 and 2, respectively), 17 (2.7 percent) required blood transfusions. The requirement for transfusion was associated with neurofibroma length in both sets, with an optimal cutoff value of 13 cm in both sets.

Conclusions:

Contrary to the literature, the requirement for blood transfusion was found to be low (2.7 percent of the cases) during elective resection of neurofibromas in neurofibromatosis type 1. Elective resections of benign neurofibromas less than 13 cm in length were not associated with a requirement for blood transfusion.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Risk, III.
Association Analysis of Polymorphisms in TOMM40, CR1, PVRL2, SORL1, PICALM, and 14q32.13 Regions in Colombian Alzheimer Disease Patients
Authors: Ortega-Rojas Jenny , Morales Luis , Guerrero Esneyder , Arboleda-Bustos Carlos E. , Mejia Adriana , Forero Diego , Lopez Luis , Pardo Rodrigo , Arboleda Gonzalo , Yunis Juan , Arboleda Humberto
Published: March 2016

Objective:

We evaluated the association of several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in different genes including APOE, TOMM40, CR1, PVRL2, SORL1, PICALM, and GWA_14q32.13 in a Colombian sample of Late-Onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) patients.

Methods:

A case-control study was conducted in 362 individuals (181 LOADs and 181 controls) to determine the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in APOE (e2, e3, and e4), TOMM40 (rs2075650), CR1 (rs665640), PVRL2 (rs6859), SORL1 (rs11218304), PICALM (rs3851179), and GWA_14q32.13 (rs11622883) with LOAD in a sample from Colombia.

Results:

We were able to confirm the previously reported association of the APOE4 allele with AD. In addition, we report a new significant association with rs2075650 of TOMM40 for LOAD in our sample. We did not detect any significant interaction between TOMM40 and APOE4 carriers (heterozygous or homozygous) for disease risk development. However, Kaplan-Meier survival analyses suggest that AD patients with TOMM40 allele rs2075650-G have an average age of disease onset of 6 years earlier compared with carriers of the A allele. In addition, the age of disease onset is earlier if APOE4/4 is present.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that rs2075650 of TOMM40 could be involved in earlier presentation of LOAD in the Colombian population.
Optic Nerve Fenestration in a Patient With the Syndrome of Acquired Hyperopia and Choroidal Folds
Authors: Adesina Ore-ofe O. , Warner Judith E.A. , Patel Bhupendra C.K.
Published: March 2016

We performed bilateral optic nerve sheath fenestrations on a patient with the syndrome of acquired hyperopia and choroidal folds. We are unaware of previous reports of this procedure being performed in this clinical setting. Despite the incomplete resolution of his posterior segment findings postoperatively, the results of the procedure, along with an understanding of the relevant anatomy, may help to shed light on the pathogenesis of this rare entity.
The offspring quantity–quality trade-off and human fertility variation
Authors: Lawson David W. , Borgerhoff Mulder Monique
Published: March 2016

The idea that trade-offs between offspring quantity and quality shape reproductive behaviour has long been central to economic perspectives on fertility. It also has a parallel and richer theoretical foundation in evolutionary ecology. We review the application of the quantity–quality trade-off concept to human reproduction, emphasizing distinctions between clutch size and lifetime fertility, and the wider set of forces contributing to fertility variation in iteroparous and sexually reproducing species like our own. We then argue that in settings approximating human evolutionary history, several factors limit costly sibling competition. Consequently, while the optimization of quantity–quality trade-offs undoubtedly shaped the evolution of human physiology setting the upper limits of reproduction, we argue it plays a modest role in accounting for socio-ecological and individual variation in fertility. Only upon entering the demographic transition can fertility limitation be clearly interpreted as strategically orientated to advancing offspring quality via increased parental investment per child, with low fertility increasing descendant socio-economic success, although not reproductive success. We conclude that existing economic and evolutionary literature has often overemphasized the centrality of quantity–quality trade-offs to human fertility variation and advocate for the development of more holistic frameworks encompassing alternative life-history trade-offs and the evolved mechanisms guiding their resolution.
Measuring selection in human populations using the growth rate per generation
Authors: Ewbank Douglas
Published: March 2016

Estimates of the speed of evolution between generations depend on the association between individual traits and a measure of fitness. The two most frequently used measures of fitness are the net reproduction rate and the 1-year growth factor implied by the fertility and mortality rates. Results based on the two lead to very different results. The reason is that the 1-year growth factor is not a measure of change between generations. Therefore, studies of changes between generations should use the amount of growth over the length of a generation. This is especially important for studies of human populations because of the long length of generation. In addition, estimates based on a single year's growth are overly sensitive to data on individuals who fail to reproduce. The effects of using a generational measure are demonstrated using data from Kenya and Ukraine. These results demonstrate that using a 1-year growth rate to measure fitness leads to estimates that understate the rate at which evolution changes the characteristics of a human population.
Evaluating reproductive decisions as discrete choices under social influence
Authors: Bentley R. Alexander , Brock William A. , Caiado Camila C. S. , O'Brien Michael J.
Published: March 2016

Discrete choice, coupled with social influence, plays a significant role in evolutionary studies of human fertility, as investigators explore how and why reproductive decisions are made. We have previously proposed that the relative magnitude of social influence can be compared against the transparency of pay-off, also known as the transparency of a decision, through a heuristic diagram that maps decision-making along two axes. The horizontal axis represents the degree to which an agent makes a decision individually versus one that is socially influenced, and the vertical axis represents the degree to which there is transparency in the pay-offs and risks associated with the decision the agent makes. Having previously parametrized the functions that underlie the diagram, we detail here how our estimation methods can be applied to real-world datasets concerning sexual health and contraception.
How does variance in fertility change over the demographic transition?
Authors: Hruschka Daniel J. , Burger Oskar
Published: March 2016

Most work on the human fertility transition has focused on declines in mean fertility. However, understanding changes in thevarianceof reproductive outcomes can be equally important for evolutionary questions about the heritability of fertility, individual determinants of fertility and changing patterns of reproductive skew. Here, we document how variance in completed fertility among women (45–49 years) differs across 200 surveys in 72 low- to middle-income countries where fertility transitions are currently in progress at various stages. Nearly all (91%) of samples exhibit variance consistent with a Poisson process of fertility, which places systematic, and often severe, theoretical upper bounds on the proportion of variance that can be attributed to individual differences. In contrast to the pattern of total variance, these upper bounds increase from high- to mid-fertility samples, then decline again as samples move from mid to low fertility. Notably, the lowest fertility samples often deviate from a Poisson process. This suggests that as populations move to low fertility their reproduction shifts from a rate-based process to a focus on an ideal number of children. We discuss the implications of these findings for predicting completed fertility from individual-level variables.
What if fertility decline is not permanent? The need for an evolutionarily informed approach to understanding low fertility
Authors: Burger Oskar , DeLong John P.
Published: March 2016

‘Demographic transition theory’ assumes that fertility decline is irreversible. This commonly held assumption is based on observations of recent and historical reductions in fertility that accompany modernization and declining mortality. The irreversibility assumption, however, is highly suspect from an evolutionary point of view, because demographic traits are at least partially influenced by genetics and are responsive to social and ecological conditions. Nonetheless, an inevitable shift from high mortality and fertility to low mortality and fertility is used as a guiding framework for projecting human population sizes into the future. This paper reviews some theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that the assumption of irreversibility is ill-founded, at least without considerable development in theory that incorporates evolutionary and ecological processes. We offer general propositions for how fertility could increase in the future, including natural selection on high fertility variants, the difficulty of maintaining universal norms and preferences in a large, diverse and economically differentiated population, and the escalating resource demands of modernization.
Evidence for alternate stable States in Collapsing Ecological Networks
Authors: Babu Suresh , Yadav Gitanjali
Published: March 2016

Background

There has been considerable interest and progress in our perception of organized complexity in recent years. Recurrent debates on the dynamics and stability of complex systems have enriched our understanding of these systems, but generalities in the relationship between structure and dynamics are hard to come by. Although traditionally an arena for theoreticians, much of this research has been invigorated by demonstration of the existence of alternate stable equilibria in real world ecosystems such as lakes, coral reefs, forests and grasslands.

Results

Linking up systems thinking with recent advances in our understanding of ecological networks opens up exciting possibilities. In an attempt to obtain general patterns of behaviour of complex systems, we have analyzed the response of eighty-six real world ecological networks to targeted extinctions, and the findings suggest that most networks are robust to loss of specialists until specific thresholds are reached in terms of geodesics. If the extinctions persist, a state change or ‘flip’ occurs and the structural properties are altered drastically, although the network does not collapse. Further, we find that as opposed to simpler networks, larger networks have several such alternate states that ensure their long-term persistence and that indeed complexity does endow resilience to such networks.

Conclusions

This is the first report of critical transitions in ecological networks and the implications of these findings for complex systems characterized by networks are likely to be profound with immediate significance in conservation biology, invasion biology and restoration ecology.
Recent developments in CrystFEL
Authors: White Thomas A. , Mariani Valerio , Brehm Wolfgang , Yefanov Oleksandr , Barty Anton , Beyerlein Kenneth R. , Chervinskii Fedor , Galli Lorenzo , Gati Cornelius , Nakane Takanori , Tolstikova Alexandra , Yamashita Keitaro , Yoon Chun Hong , Diederichs Kay , Chapman Henry N.
Published: March 2016

CrystFEL is a suite of programs for processing data from `serial crystallography' experiments, which are usually performed using X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) but also increasingly with other X-ray sources. The CrystFEL software suite has been under development since 2009, just before the first hard FEL experiments were performed, and has been significantly updated and improved since then. This article describes the most important improvements which have been made to CrystFEL since the first release version. These changes include the addition of new programs to the suite, the ability to resolve `indexing ambiguities' and several ways to improve the quality of the integrated data by more accurately modelling the underlying diffraction physics.
Application of X-ray topography to USSR and Russian space materials science
Authors: Shul'pina I. L. , Prokhorov I. A. , Serebryakov Yu. A. , Bezbakh I. Zh.
Published: March 2016

The authors' experience of the application of X-ray diffraction imaging in carrying out space technological experiments on semiconductor crystal growth for the former USSR and for Russia is reported, from the Apollo–Soyuz programme (1975) up to the present day. X-ray topography was applied to examine defects in crystals in order to obtain information on the crystallization conditions and also on their changes under the influence of factors of orbital flight in space vehicles. The data obtained have promoted a deeper understanding of the conditions and mechanisms of crystallization under both microgravity and terrestrial conditions, and have enabled the elaboration of terrestrial methods of highly perfect crystal growth. The use of X-ray topography in space materials science has enriched its methods in the field of digital image processing of growth striations and expanded its possibilities in investigating the inhomogeneity of crystals.
Using interpretive structure modeling to analyze the interactions between environmental sustainability boundary enablers
Authors: Dev Navin K. , Shankar Ravi
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The modern business community understands the importance of long-term satisfaction of consumer. Enabling the consumer to return products is a significant part of the equation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the sustainable boundaries in terms of their relationship toward greening a supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using interpretive structural modeling the research presents a hierarchy-based model to realize the driving power and dependence of sustainable boundary enablers.

Findings

– The research shows that there exists a group of enablers having a high driving power and low dependence requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance while another group consists of those variables which have high dependence and are the resultant actions.

Practical implications

– This classification provides a useful tool to supply chain managers to differentiate between independent and dependent variables and their mutual relationships which would help them to focus while making strategic, tactical or operational decisions as and when required while designing a green supply chain.

Originality/value

– This research assumes importance in context of greening a supply chain when globally enterprises are getting a lot of pressure from consumers as well as the regulatory measures from the government. Sustainability demands that the resources be used in lean manner through information coordination with all partners in a supply chain. The findings of this study would help delineate those variables that should to be necessarily considered to design a sustainable supply chain.
Benchmarking hospitals through a web based platform
Authors: Portela Maria Conceição A. Silva , Camanho Ana Santos , Almeida Diogo Queiroz , Lopes Luiz , Silva Sofia Nogueira , Castro Ricardo
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– In a context of international economic crisis the improvement in the efficiency and productivity of public services is seen as a way to maintain high-quality levels at lower costs. Increased productivity can be promoted through benchmarking exercises, where key performance indicators (KPIs), individually or aggregated, are used to compare health units. The purpose of this paper is to describe a benchmarking platform, called Hospital Benchmarking (HOBE), where hospital’s services are used as the unit of analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

– HOBE platform includes a set of managerial indicators through which hospital services’ are compared. The platform also benchmarks services through aggregate service indicators, and provides an aggregate measure of hospital’s performance based on a composite indicator of the service’s performances. These aggregate indicators were obtained through data envelopment analysis (DEA).

Findings

– Some results are presented for Portuguese hospitals for the trial years of 2008 and 2009, for which data is publicly available. Details for the service-level analysis are provided for a sample hospital, as well as details on the aggregate performance resulting from services performances.

Practical implications

– HOBE’s features and outcomes show that the platform can be used to guide management actions and to support the design of health policies by administrative authorities, provided that good quality and timely data are available, and that hospitals are involved in the design of the KPIs.

Originality/value

– The platform is innovative in the sense that it bases its analysis on hospital’s services, which are in general more comparable among hospitals than indicators of hospital overall performance. In addition, it makes use of DEA to aggregate performance indicators, allowing for user choice in the inputs and outputs to be aggregated, and it proposes a novel model to aggregate service’s efficiencies into a single measure of hospital performance.
Better practice prediction using neural networks: an application to the smartphone industry
Authors: Kwon He-Boong , Roh James Jungbae , Miceli Nicholas
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) based prediction model via integration with data envelopment analysis (DEA) to provide the means of predicting incremental performance goals. The findings confirm the usefulness of the herein developed prediction approach, based on the results of analyses of time series data from the smartphone industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– A two-stage hybrid model was developed, incorporating sequential measurement and prediction capability. In the first stage, a Chames, Cooper, and Rhodes DEA model is the preprocessor, generating efficiency scores (ES) of decision-making units (DMUs). In the second or follow-on stage, the ANN prediction module utilizes knowledge variables and ES to predict the change in performance needed for a desired level of improvement.

Findings

– This combined approach effectively captured the information contained in the industry’s turbulent characteristics, and subsequently demonstrated an adaptive prediction capability. The back propagating neural network successfully predicted the incremental performance targets of DMUs, which translated the desired improvement levels into actionable performance goals, e.g., revenue and operating income.

Originality/value

– This paper presents an incremental prediction approach that supports better practice benchmarking. This study differentiates itself from previous research by introducing an adaptive prediction method which generates relevant quantity outputs based upon desired improvement levels. The proposed modeling approach integrates performance measurement with a prediction framework and advances benchmarking practices to enable better performance prediction.
Mainstreaming corporate environmental strategy in management research
Authors: Kang Sung-Wook , Lee Ki-Hoon
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current status of corporate environmental strategy (CES) in mainstream business and management literature, and to provide new insights on current studies and future directions for this field of study.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study performs a systematic literature review of 19,839 papers in selected mainstream management journals and takes 48 CES-focused papers into account for in-depth analysis in the period between 1990 and 2013.

Findings

– This study shows that the majority of studies have been conducted using data from the USA, focused on a single country, utilized a resource-based view (RBV), and analysed mixed industries. The most popular issue in CES studies is the examination of causality between environmental strategy and a firm’s performance. Second, the stakeholder theory and institutional theory are most frequently used to explain a firm’s motivation to develop CES. A RBV theory is commonly used to explain a firm’s sources in initiating CES. Finally, the results show a lack of comparative studies in mainstream management research.

Research limitations/implications

– Due to the limited focus of this study, the findings of this paper can be generalized only to the specific group of databases selected for this research for a given period of time.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfils the need for a comprehensive review of CES literature. It provides a literature review and bibliography for the period between 1990 and 2013 for use by both academics and practitioners.
Best performance modeling using complementary DEA-ANN approach
Authors: Kwon He-Boong , Lee Jooh , Roh James Jungbae
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to design an innovative performance modeling system by jointly using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and artificial neural network (ANN). The hybrid DEA-ANN model integrates performance measurement and prediction frameworks and serves as an adaptive decision support tool in pursuit of best performance benchmarking and stepwise improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

– Advantages of combining DEA and ANN methods into an optimal performance prediction model are explored. DEA is used as a preprocessor to measure relative performance of decision-making units (DMUs) and to generate test inputs for subsequent ANN prediction modules. For this sequential process, Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes and Banker, Chames and Cooper DEA models and back propagation neural network (BPNN) are used. The proposed methodology is empirically supported using longitudinal data of Japanese electronics manufacturing firms.

Findings

– The combined modeling approach proves effective through sequential processes by streamlining DEA analysis and BPNN predictions. The DEA model captures notable characteristics and efficiency trends of the Japanese electronics manufacturing industry and extends its utility as a preprocessor to neural network prediction modules. BPNN, in conjunction with DEA, demonstrates promising estimation capability in predicting efficiency scores and best performance benchmarks for DMUs under evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

– Integration of adaptive prediction capacity into the measurement model is a practical necessity in the benchmarking arena. The proposed framework has the potential to recalibrate benchmarks for firms through longitudinal data analysis.

Originality/value

– This research paper proposes an innovative approach of performance measurement and prediction in line with superiority-driven best performance modeling. Adaptive prediction capabilities embedded in the proposed model enhances managerial flexibilities in setting performance goals and monitoring progress during pursuit of improvement initiatives. This paper fills the research void through methodological breakthrough and the resulting model can serve as an adaptive decision support system.
Exploring academic reputation – is it a multidimensional construct?
Authors: Verčič Ana Tkalac , Verčič Dejan , Žnidar Krešimir
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible congruence of an academic organization’s reputation among various stakeholder groups. A potential measure of reputation that can be applied across multiple stakeholder groups gives an opportunity to compare their perceptions and therefore work toward a consistent reputation. The authors also tested the model of academic reputation as a multidimensional concept.

Design/methodology/approach

– The qualitative stage included 25 in-depth interviews with members of key stakeholder groups. In the quantitative stage, the initial questionnaire was based on the reputational quotient of academic institutions, comprised of 26 items representing eight dimensions of reputation. It was administered among three key stakeholder groups, the general public (n=400), employees of the business school that was the focus of the study (n=154), and fourth year students of the school (n=446).

Findings

– Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that criteria applied by various stakeholder groups were similar, but the model of academic reputations as a multidimensional concept was not confirmed. The theoretical assumption of an eight factor solution for the concept of academic institutions was not supported. It seems that, in this particular case, only one main dimension emerged. Theoretically, that implies a general factor determining overall reputations across stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

– Future research should apply a new, reduced questionnaire in multiple academic organizations and try to avoid some of the limitations such as differing methods of data collection, and ensure complete anonymity for all respondents.

Practical implications

– This study offers input for the development of a robust and general questionnaire that could be developed to be used across organizations and their publics.

Originality/value

– The study demonstrates that reputation is a unidimensional construct and that it should also be measured as such.
Communicative leadership
Authors: Hamrin Solange , Johansson Catrin , Jahn Jody L. S.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to enhance the knowledge of how leadership concepts are embraced by leadership actors and perceived to influence relationships between leaders and co-workers. Specifically, the authors aim to investigate how leaders and co-workers discursively construct the concept of “communicative leadership” and its practices and perceive that communicative leadership influences relationships, work processes, and agency.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors analyzed interviews with leaders and co-workers in two Swedish business organizations about their understandings and experiences of leadership.

Findings

– Communicative processes that enhance co-worker agency, defined as a capacity to act; include: facilitating autonomy, sharing responsibility, and mutual participation. Relational and discursive leadership processes such as responsiveness and dialogue were seen to enhance mutual participation in both organizations. Broader Swedish cultural macro discourses shaped the leader/co-worker relationship, making agency a relational accomplishment rather than an individual phenomenon.

Research limitations/implications

– This study relies on data from individual and focus group interviews, rather than direct observation of leadership processes.

Practical implications

– Findings suggest that organizations would benefit from making explicit their goals and expectations for communicative leadership in their respective social and cultural contexts.

Originality/value

– The authors provide new theoretical and empirical knowledge of leaders’ and co-workers’ discursive construction of a leadership concept; leadership communication research in the Swedish context; empirical research on communicative leadership as an empowering form of leadership communication; and how leadership communication discourse on a micro level is connected to organizational and macro-social cultural levels.
Tuning of GPS aided attitude estimation using evolutionary algorithms
Authors: Poddar Shashi , Hussain Sajjad , Ailneni Sanketh , Kumar Vipan , Kumar Amod
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to solve the problem of tuning of EKF parameters (process and measurement noise co-variance matrices) designed for attitude estimation using Global Positioning System (GPS) aided inertial sensors by employing a Human Opinion Dynamics (HOD)-based optimization technique and modifying the technique using maximum likelihood estimators and study its performance as compared to Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and manual tuning.

Design/methodology/approach

– A model for the determination of attitude of flight vehicles using inertial sensors and GPS measurement is designed and experiments are carried out to collect raw sensor and reference data. An HOD-based model is utilized to estimate the optimized process and measurement noise co-variance matrix. Added to it, few modifications are proposed in the HOD model by utilizing maximum likelihood estimator and finally the results obtained by the proposed schemes analysed.

Findings

– Analysis of the results shows that utilization of evolutionary algorithms for tuning is a significant improvement over manual tuning and both HOD and PSO-based methods are able to achieve the same level of accuracy. However, the HOD methods show better convergence and is easier to implement in terms of tuning parameters. Also, utilization of maximum likelihood estimator shows better search during initial iterations which increases the robustness of the algorithm.

Originality/value

– The paper is unique in its sense that it utilizes a HOD-based model to solve tuning problem of EKF for attitude estimation.
Longitudinal parameter estimation from real flight data of unmanned cropped delta flat plate configuration
Authors: Saderla Subrahmanyam , R Dhayalan , Ghosh Ajoy Kanti
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the longitudinal aerodynamic characterization of an unmanned cropped delta configuration from real flight data. In order to perform this task an unmanned configuration with cropped delta planform and rectangular cross-section has been designed, fabricated, instrumented and flight tested at flight laboratory in Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), India.

Design/methodology/approach

– As a part of flight test program a real flight database, through various maneuvers, have been generated for the designed unmanned configuration. A dedicated flight data acquisition system, capable of onboard logging and telemetry to ground station, has been used to record the flight data during these flight test experiments. In order to identify the systematic errors in the measurements, the generated flight data has been processed through data compatibility check.

Findings

– It is observed from the flight path reconstruction that the obtained biases are negligible and the scale factors are almost close to unity. The linear aerodynamic model along with maximum likelihood and least-square methods have been used to perform the parameter estimation from the obtained compatible flight data. The lower values of Cramer-Rao bounds obtained for various parameters has shown significant confidence in the estimated parameters using maximum likelihood method. In order to validate the aerodynamic model used and to increase the confidence in the estimated parameters a proof-of-match exercise has been carried out.

Originality/value

– The entire work presented is original and all the experiments have been carried out in Flight laboratory of IITK.
Conceptualising social media support for tacit knowledge sharing: physicians’ perspectives and experiences
Authors: Panahi Sirous , Watson Jason , Partridge Helen
Published: March 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the potential contributions of social media in supporting tacit knowledge sharing, according to the physicians’ perspectives and experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a qualitative survey design, 24 physicians were interviewed. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the participants. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis.

Findings

The study revealed five major themes and over 20 sub-themes as potential contributions of social media to tacit knowledge flow among physicians. The themes included socialising, practising, networking, storytelling and encountering. In addition, with the help of the literature and the supporting data, the study proposed a conceptual model that explains the potential contribution of social media to tacit knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

The study had both theoretical (the difficulty of distinguishing tacit and explicit knowledge in practice) and practical limitations (small sample size). The study findings have implications for the healthcare industry whose clinical teams are not always physically co-located but must exchange their critical experiential and tacit knowledge.

Originality/value

The study has opened up a new discussion of this area by demonstrating and conceptualising how social media tools may facilitate tacit knowledge sharing.
The relationship between face to face social networks and knowledge sharing: an exploratory study of manufacturing firms
Authors: Al Saifi Said Abdullah , Dillon Stuart , McQueen Robert
Published: March 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the relationship between face-to-face social networks and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative data gathered through 25 semi-structured interviews in five manufacturing firms were collected and analysed. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data, which was supported through NVivo qualitative data analysis software.

Findings

The results reveal that face-to-face social networks facilitate knowledge sharing in diverse ways. These include the use of multiple communication styles, brainstorming and problem-solving, learning and teaching, training, consultations and employee rotation.

Practical implications

The findings of this research are expected to help practitioners to comprehend the big picture and scope of the steps they take to facilitate knowledge sharing in organisations. Viewing knowledge sharing from a holistic perspective can help practitioners comprehend how face-to-face knowledge sharing fits with and complements other knowledge-sharing channels, such as electronic social media and document repositories. In addition, through face-to-face social networks, practitioners can leverage work groups to increase knowledge sharing, meaning that potential cost savings and improved work practices can be achieved.

Originality/value

For researchers, three new models are developed which provide new insights into the nature of the relationship between face-to-face social networks and knowledge sharing. The first model relates to brainstorming and problem-solving, the second to knowledge levels and the direction of learning and teaching and the third to factors influencing social networks and knowledge sharing.
Benchmarking parties’ obligations in the execution of concession-based PPP projects in Nigeria
Authors: Opawole Akintayo , Jagboro Godwin Onajite
Published: March 2016

Purpose

Demand–supply matrices with adverse consequences has occasioned government response to concession initiatives in infrastructure in Nigeria. However, concession-based projects have been trailed by administrative and legal controversies. While this scenario has negatively impacted the acceptability of a concession contract, there is, nevertheless, a paucity of research effort aimed at developing a sustainable framework. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for the evaluation and allocation of obligations of parties, thereby enhancing the synergy and cooperation between the public and private sector organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained through a questionnaire administered to professionals in concession-based contracts in southwestern Nigeria, which included architects, estate surveyors, quantity surveyors, engineers and builders, accountants/bankers/economists and lawyers. The respondents were selected using random and respondent driven sampling approaches. The questions were structured to ensure that the respondents have appropriate experience in concession-based projects and hold appropriate positions as decision-makers so as to give credence to the collected data.

Findings

The study identified 47 contractual obligations in the specific context of developing countries. Based on “half-adjusting principle”, 13 of the obligations notably cost of land acquisition and cost of social disturbances were allocated to the public party; 18 of the obligations notably project design and cost of feasibility study were allocated to the private party; and 16 of the obligations including preparation of terms of a contract and relocation of third party facilities were shared by the parties.

Originality/value

The framework benchmarked the categorization of public and private parties’ obligations in concession-based public–private partnership (PPP) contracts. The study has the implication for the evaluation and allocation of obligations of parties, which could mitigate the risk of failure of PPP projects in relation to the specific context of developing countries.
Challenges, motivations, and desires of downtown revitalizers
Authors: Mowery Kara , Novak Mathew
Published: March 2016

Purpose

This study aims to identify the motivations, challenges and desires of the various actors working in contemporary downtown revitalization in mid-sized cities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Spokane, Washington, as a case study, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key players in downtown redevelopment, including public administrators, private developers and non-profit representatives.

Findings

Results indicate that those conducting renewal projects are primarily motivated by economics, but additionally cite heritage preservation values and community development as significant factors. Moreover, contemporary renewal projects are found to be small-scale endeavours, undertaken by individual private investors, as government involvement has significantly diminished. Revitalizers tended to express frustration with a lack of investor and public awareness regarding renewal opportunities, suggesting that increased information dissemination might promote further renewal work within mid-sized urban downtowns.

Originality/value

Findings provide insight into issues with neoliberal policies in addressing contemporary urban issues, and suggest a more nuanced understanding of contemporary urban development processes beyond the narrowly defined profit-driven paradigm.
Residents’ perception toward tourism development: a pre-development perspective
Authors: Rasoolimanesh S. Mostafa , Jaafar Mastura
Published: March 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the positive and negative perceptions of residents towards tourism development in Bujang Valley (Lembah Bujang), an underdeveloped rural area that is targeted for world heritage site inscription because of its archaeological value.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data among residents and 143 questionnaire were returned.

Findings

The results demonstrated that the residents of Bujang Valley have generally positive perceptions towards tourism development and are agreeable with supporting tourism development. Moreover, these results were highly correlated with one another, with residents’ positive perceptions having a positive effect on their support for tourism development, and negative perceptions have a negative effect on their support for tourism development.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can assist the Bujang Valley local authorities to improve the support and participation of residents in tourism planning and conservation programmes, thereby contributing to sustainable development.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the resident perception literature by examining the effects of residents’ perceptions on their support for tourism in an underdeveloped rural area in the developing world.
Opportunities for reducing socioeconomic inequalities in the mental health of children and young people – reducing adversity and increasing resilience
Authors: Roberts Jillian , Donkin Angela , Marmot Michael
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Poor mental health and well-being disproportionately affects vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– The focus of this paper is socioeconomic inequalities in perinatal, child and adolescent mental health.

Findings

– Children and young people in the poorest British households are up to three times more likely to develop mental health problems than their more advantaged peers (Greenet al., 2005). The pattern can also be observed in the opposite direction, with poor mental health known to contribute to socioeconomic and other health problems (McCulloch and Goldie, 2010, Parckar, 2008). At a larger scale, the higher the level of inequality within developed countries, the higher the rate of child and adolescent mental health problems (Pickettet al., 2006).

Social implications

– Mechanisms posited as underlying such inequalities include family investment and stress processes. These factors have been taken into account when developing the economic case for investing in perinatal, child and adolescent mental health.

Originality/value

– Illustrative examples of progressive universal strategies and policies to help reduce socioeconomic inequalities in mental health, include: action to address the inequality gap in the UK; early intervention to improve mental health; investing in sustainable and evidence-based mental health services; ensuring parity of esteem, and; using appropriately designed social media and online sources to support children’s mental health.
Water resources assessment in the region of Ben Azzouz (Hadjar Soud, North East Algeria)
Authors: Hannouche Mani , Lebbad Amar , Wafa Tahar
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to give a better knowledge of water resources in the region of Ben Azzouz, and to improve the actual water management through harmonization between the various human communities needs.

Design/methodology/approach

– After an overview of the geology and hydroclimatology of the study area, the work will be to identify the factors involved in the water balance in the quantitative assessment of groundwater resources, to define areas of use and to estimate water needs for different uses.

Findings

– The study of the area shows two distinct water reservoirs: the deep aquifer composed of fractured limestone, sands and gravels, and surface massive dune sand aquifer. The impermeable formations are the metamorphic basement and overlying flyschs nappes. Because the average rainfall is relatively high (∼708 mm/year), the region is known by its agricultural vocation and, therefore, most of surface water is assigned to irrigation. The second potential water consumer is population with 2.660 Hm3/year, then industrial needs are 1.793 Hm3/year. Although there was no marked water deficit in the region in the period 2007-2013, it is now time to apply concepts of integrated and sustainable management of water resources in this region because of the growing agricultural practice and population needs.

Originality/value

– A quantitative diagnosis of water potential of the study area was evaluated for a better rational use of water resources.
Hydrothermal coordination in power systems with large-scale integration of renewable energy sources
Authors: Anastasiadis Anestis , Kondylis Georgios , Vokas Georgios A , Papageorgas Panagiotis
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the feasibility of an ideal power network that combines many different renewable energy technologies such as wind power, concentrated solar power (CSP) and hydroelectric power. This paper emphasizes in finding the benefits arising from hydrothermal coordination compared to the non-regulated integration of the hydroelectric units, as well as the benefits from the integration of wind power and CSP.

Design/methodology/approach

– Artificial Neural Networks were used to estimate wind power output. As for the CSP system, a three-tier architecture which includes a solar field, a transmission-storage system and a production unit was used. Each one of those separate sections is analyzed and the process is modeled. As for the hydroelectric plant, the knowledge of the water’s flow rated has helped estimating the power output, taking into account the technical restrictions and losses during transmission. Also, the economic dispatch problem was solved by using artificial intelligence methods.

Findings

– Hydrothermal coordination leads to greater thermal participation reduction and cost reduction than a non-regulated integration of the hydrothermal unit. The latter is independent from the degree of integration of the other renewable sources (wind power, CSP).

Originality/value

– Hydrothermal coordination in a power system which includes thermal units and CSP for cost and emissions reduction.