bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unsymmetrical magnetization switching in Fe/Si(001) single crystalline film induced by weak bias field
Authors: Ye Jun , He Wei , Wu Qiong , Hu Bo , Tang Jin , Zhang Xiang-Qun , Chen Zi-Yu , Cheng Zhao-Hua
Published: March 2014

The weak bias field applied on perpendicular direction of the external field provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the in-plane magnetization reversal process of Fe/Si(001) film. In this work, we present the magneto-optical Kerr effect test of Fe single crystal film grown on Si(001) substrate with ultrathin p(2 × 2) iron silicide as buffer layer. Owing to the weak bias field, both 180° and 90° domain wall displacements were observed in one hysteresis loop between the easy axis and hard axis of iron film. Furthermore, both the 180° and 90° domain wall pinning energies can be derived from one hysteresis loop with weak bias field.
Admittance of multiterminal quantum Hall conductors at kilohertz frequencies
Authors: Hernández C. , Consejo C. , Degiovanni P. , Chaubet C.
Published: March 2014

We present an experimental study of the low frequency admittance of quantum Hall conductors in the [100 Hz, 1 MHz] frequency range. We show that the frequency dependence of the admittance of the sample strongly depends on the topology of the contacts connections. Our experimental results are well explained within the Christen and Büttiker approach for finite frequency transport in quantum Hall edge channels taking into account the influence of the coaxial cables capacitance. In the Hall bar geometry, we demonstrate that there exists a configuration in which the cable capacitance does not influence the admittance measurement of the sample. In this case, we measure the electrochemical capacitance of the sample and observe its dependence on the filling factor.
Growth of patterned island arrays to identify origins of thin film stress
Authors: Chason E. , Shin J. W. , Chen C.-H. , Engwall A. M. , Miller C. M. , Hearne S. J. , Freund L. B.
Published: March 2014

To understand the origins of stress in thin films, we have used wafer curvature to measure the stress evolution during electrodeposition of Ni on lithographically patterned Si substrates. The stress is measured as the hemispherical islands grow and impinge upon each other, forming interfacial boundaries between them. We relate the results to a model for polycrystalline films in which the stress is attributed to competing processes occurring where the layers in adjacent grains grow into each other and form new segments of grain boundary. This model predicts that the stress in each layer depends on the rate at which the grain boundary is growing when that layer is incorporated into the film. The calculations agree with the measured stress vs thickness using a single set of fitting parameters for five different growth rates.
Alumina Photonic Crystals with Defect Modes for Sensor Application
Authors: Yan Peng , Fei Guang-Tao , Li Hui , Shang Guo-liang , Wu Bing , Zhang Li-de
Published: March 2014

One-dimensional alumina photonic crystals with defect modes were successfully fabricated through inserting a constant voltage waveform into the periodic voltage signals. The transmission spectra show that the thickness of defects plays a key role in determining the transmittance of defect modes. When the thickness was ∼180 nm, an obvious defect mode with the high transmittance of 55% and a narrow full width at half maximum of 18 nm was observed in the original photonic band gaps. The defect mode shifted linearly with the increasing of refractive index of the analytes infiltrated into pores, indicating its potential application in chemical sensing or bio-sensing.
Quantum Chemical Studies on Structure and Detonation Performance of Bis(2,2-dinitropropyl ethylene)formal
Authors: Yan Shu-qing , Li Xiao-hong
Published: March 2014

Based on the full optimized molecular geometric structures via B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) method, a new gem-dinitro energetic plasticizer, bis(2,2-dinitropropyl ethylene)formal was investigated in order to search for high-performance energetic material. IR spectrum, heat of formation, and detonation performances were predicted. The bond dissociation energies and bond orders for the weakest bonds were analyzed to investigate the thermal stability of the title compound. The results show that the four N-NO2 BDEs are nearly equal to the values of 164.38 kJ/mol, which shows that the title compound is a stable compound. The detonation velocity and pressure were evaluated by using Kamlet-Jacobs equations based on the theoretical density and condensed HOF. The crystal structure obtained by molecular mechanics belongs to P21 space group, with lattice parameters Z=2, a=13.8017 Å, b=13.4072 Å, c=5.5635 Å.
Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Coupled Charge Transfer Reaction of Baicalein
Authors: Hu Shan-shan , Liu Kun , Ding Qian-qian , Peng Wei , Chen Mao-du
Published: March 2014

The excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) coupled charge transfer of baicalein has been investigated using steady-state spectroscopic experiment and quantum chemistry calculations. The absence of the absorption peak from S1 excited state both in the experimental and calculated absorption spectra indicates that S1 is a dark state. The dark excited state S1 results in the very weak fluorescence of solid baicalein in the experiment. The frontier molecular orbital and the charge difference densities of baicalein show clearly that the S1 state is a charge-transfer state whereas the S2 state is a locally excited state. The only one stationary point on the potential energy profile of excited state suggests that the ESIPT reaction of baicalein is a barrierless process.
Theoretical Investigations on Graphite Oxide Immersed in Water or Methanol
Authors: Geng Wan-wan , Zhao Wen-hui , Yuan Lan-feng
Published: March 2014

Different structures of graphite oxide (GO) with and without water are optimized by density functional theory. Without H2O in interlayer space, the optimized interlayer distances are about 6 Å, smaller than the experimental values of 6.5–7 Å. On the other hand, the interlayer distances of hydrated graphite oxide structures are in good agreement with experimental observations. Based on the optimized GO structures, we then simulate the immersion of GO in water or methanol by molecular dynamics. For the dry GO, water and methanol molecules do not enter the nanopore. While for the hydrated GO, the liquid molecules enter the interlayer space and enlarge the interlayer distance, semi-quantitatively reproducing the experimental phenomena.
The physical health status, service utilisation and barriers to accessing care for asylum seekers residing in the community: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Hadgkiss Emily J. , Renzaho Andre M. N.
Published: March 2014

Objective To document physical health problems that asylum seekers experience on settlement in the community and to assess their utilisation of healthcare services and barriers to care, in an international context. Methods A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched from 2002 to October 2012, focusing on adult asylum seekers residing in the community in high-income countries. Results The search yielded 1499 articles, of which 32 studies met the inclusion criteria – 23 quantitative and nine qualitative. Asylum seekers had complex health profiles spanning a range of infectious diseases, chronic non-communicable conditions, and reproductive-health issues. They appeared to utilise health services at a higher rate than the host population, yet faced significant barriers to care. Conclusion The findings of this study highlight the health inequities faced by asylum seekers residing in the communities of host countries, internationally. National data on asylum seekers’ health profiles, service utilisation and barriers to care, as well as cross-country policy comparisons, are urgently required for the development of effective Australian health programs and evidence-based policy. What is known about the topic? The clinical and political focus of asylum seekers’ health has largely been on the higher incidence of mental disorders and the impact of immigration detention. Since policy changes made in late 2011, an increasing number of asylum seekers have been permitted to live in the community while their claims are processed. There is a paucity of research exploring the physical health needs of asylum seekers residing in the community. What does this paper add? The international literature highlights the complexity of asylum seekers’ health profiles. Although they appear to utilise health services at a higher rate than the host population, they continue to face many barriers to care. What are the implications for practitioners? Studies that explore policy options, including cross-country comparisons of health policy and guidelines that improve health outcomes, to foster equity of access and reduce health inequalities between asylum seekers and the host population are urgently required.
Effect of pregnancy on endometrial expression of luteolytic pathway components in the mare
Authors: de Ruijter-Villani M. , van Tol H. T. A. , Stout T. A. E.
Published: March 2014

Endometrial oxytocin receptors (OXTR) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) are central components of the luteolytic pathway in cyclic mares, and their suppression is thought to be critical to luteal maintenance during early pregnancy. We examined the effect of pregnancy on endometrial expression of potential regulators of prostaglandin (PG) F2α secretion in mares. Expression of the nuclear progesterone receptor and oestrogen receptor ERα was high during oestrus, and depressed when progesterone was elevated; the opposite applied to the membrane progesterone receptor. PTGS2 was upregulated on Day 14 of dioestrus, but not pregnancy. Although OXTR mRNA expression was not elevated on Day 14 of dioestrus, protein abundance was; this increase in OXTR protein was absent on Day 14 of pregnancy. Intriguingly, gene and protein expression for PTGS2 and OXTR increased markedly between Days 14 and 21 of pregnancy suggesting that, although initial avoidance of luteolysis during pregnancy involves their suppression, this is a transient measure that delays rather than abolishes luteolytic pathway generation. The only oxytocin–PGF2α feedback loop component downregulated on both Days 14 and 21 of pregnancy was the PGF2α receptor we propose that downregulation of the PGF2α receptor uncouples the oxytocin–PGF2α feedback loop, thereby preventing generation of the large PGF2α pulses required for luteolysis.
Deriving RUSLE cover factor from time-series fractional vegetation cover for hillslope erosion modelling in New South Wales
Authors: Yang Xihua
Published: March 2014

Soil loss due to water erosion, in particular hillslope erosion, can be estimated using predictive models such as the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). One of the important and dynamic elements in the RUSLE model is the cover and management factor (C-factor), which represents effects of vegetation canopy and ground cover in reducing soil loss. This study explores the potential for using fractional vegetation cover, rather than traditional green vegetation indices (e.g. NDVI), to estimate C-factor and consequently hillslope erosion hazard across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Values of the C-factor were estimated from the emerging time-series fractional cover products derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Time-series C-factor and hillslope erosion maps were produced for NSW on monthly and annual bases for a 13-year period from 2000 to 2012 using automated scripts in a geographic information system. The estimated C-factor time-series values were compared with previous study and field measurements in NSW revealing good consistency in both spatial and temporal contexts. Using these time-series maps, the relationship was analysed between ground cover and hillslope erosion and their temporal variation across NSW. Outcomes from this time-series study are being used to assess hillslope erosion hazard, sediment and water quality (particularly after severe bushfires) across NSW at local, catchment and regional scales.
Effect of patches of woody vegetation on the role of fire in tropical grasslands and savannas
Authors: van Langevelde Frank , de Groot Casper , Groen Thomas A. , Heitkönig Ignas M. A. , Gaigher Ian
Published: March 2014

In tropical grasslands and savannas, fire is used to reduce woody vegetation expansion. Woody vegetation in these biomes is often patchily distributed, and micro-climatic conditions can largely vary locally with unknown consequences for fire effects. We hypothesised that (1) fire has higher temperature and maintains high temperatures for a longer period at the windward side than at the leeward side of wooded patches, (2) this difference increases with patch size, (3) fire has a larger effect on woody vegetation at the windward side than at the leeward side of wooded patches and (4) this effect increases with patch size. We planted tree seedlings around wooded patches in a grassland and burnt these plots. We found that fire had a lower temperature and had an elevated temperature for a shorter time period at the leeward side of wooded patches than at the windward side. Also, we found smaller effect of fire on the seedlings at the leeward side. We conclude that patches of woody vegetation can have a large effect on the role of fire in tropical grasslands and savannas. This effect suggests a ‘safe zone’ for seedlings at the leeward side, which consequently promotes woody vegetation expansion. This paper contributes to understanding of the effect of patchiness of woody vegetation on the role of fire in tropical grasslands and savannas in reducing woody vegetation expansion.
Functionally distinct PI 3-kinase pathways regulate myelination in the peripheral nervous system
Authors: Heller Bradley A. , Ghidinelli Monica , Voelkl Jakob , Einheber Steven , Smith Ryan , Grund Ethan , Morahan Grant , Chandler David , Kalaydjieva Luba , Giancotti Filippo , King Rosalind H. , Fejes-Toth Aniko Naray , Fejes-Toth Gerard , Feltri Maria Laura , Lang Florian , Salzer James L.
Published: March 2014

The PI 3-kinase (PI 3-K) signaling pathway is essential for Schwann cell myelination. Here we have characterized PI 3-K effectors activated during myelination by probing myelinating cultures and developing nerves with an antibody that recognizes phosphorylated substrates for this pathway. We identified a discrete number of phospho-proteins including the S6 ribosomal protein (S6rp), which is down-regulated at the onset of myelination, and N-myc downstream-regulated gene-1 (NDRG1), which is up-regulated strikingly with myelination. We show that type III Neuregulin1 on the axon is the primary activator of S6rp, an effector of mTORC1. In contrast, laminin-2 in the extracellular matrix (ECM), signaling through the α6β4 integrin and Sgk1 (serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1), drives phosphorylation of NDRG1 in the Cajal bands of the abaxonal compartment. Unexpectedly, mice deficient in α6β4 integrin signaling or Sgk1 exhibit hypermyelination during development. These results identify functionally and spatially distinct PI 3-K pathways: an early, pro-myelinating pathway driven by axonal Neuregulin1 and a later-acting, laminin–integrin-dependent pathway that negatively regulates myelination.
Ensconsin/Map7 promotes microtubule growth and centrosome separation in Drosophila neural stem cells
Authors: Gallaud Emmanuel , Caous Renaud , Pascal Aude , Bazile Franck , Gagné Jean-Philippe , Huet Sébastien , Poirier Guy G. , Chrétien Denis , Richard-Parpaillon Laurent , Giet Régis
Published: March 2014

The mitotic spindle is crucial to achieve segregation of sister chromatids. To identify new mitotic spindle assembly regulators, we isolated 855 microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) from Drosophila melanogaster mitotic or interphasic embryos. Using RNAi, we screened 96 poorly characterized genes in the Drosophila central nervous system to establish their possible role during spindle assembly. We found that Ensconsin/MAP7 mutant neuroblasts display shorter metaphase spindles, a defect caused by a reduced microtubule polymerization rate and enhanced by centrosome ablation. In agreement with a direct effect in regulating spindle length, Ensconsin overexpression triggered an increase in spindle length in S2 cells, whereas purified Ensconsin stimulated microtubule polymerization in vitro. Interestingly, ensc-null mutant flies also display defective centrosome separation and positioning during interphase, a phenotype also detected in kinesin-1 mutants. Collectively, our results suggest that Ensconsin cooperates with its binding partner Kinesin-1 during interphase to trigger centrosome separation. In addition, Ensconsin promotes microtubule polymerization during mitosis to control spindle length independent of Kinesin-1.
Mitochondrial trafficking and anchoring in neurons: New insight and implications
Authors: Sheng Zu-Hang
Published: March 2014

Mitochondria are essential organelles for neuronal growth, survival, and function. Neurons use specialized mechanisms to drive mitochondria transport and to anchor them in axons and at synapses. Stationary mitochondria buffer intracellular Ca2+ and serve as a local energy source by supplying ATP. The balance between motile and stationary mitochondria responds quickly to changes in axonal and synaptic physiology. Defects in mitochondrial transport are implicated in the pathogenesis of several major neurological disorders. Recent work has provided new insight in the regulation of microtubule-based mitochondrial trafficking and anchoring, and on how mitochondrial motility influences neuron growth, synaptic function, and mitophagy.
Melina Schuh: First comes the egg
Authors: Sedwick Caitlin
Published: March 2014

Schuh studies the assembly and positioning of the oocyte meiotic spindle.
Marriage
Authors: Levine Nancy E.
Published: March 2014

The anthropological study of marriage has undergone a series of transformations over the past 150 years, as have individuals’ expectations for their own marriages in societies around the world. The models that anthropologists have developed for describing marriage cross-culturally continue to mirror the preoccupations of their own times and their own lives. The early Victorians sought data on exotic marriages from peoples on the frontiers of colonial expansion, which they judged against a universal model of human progress. They gave marriage primacy in understanding human society, as they idealized domesticity in their own lives. In some ways, this mirroring of self and other and projecting cultural preoccupations onto the study of other places has never changed. For the first generation of field-based anthropologists, a key goal was empirical data gathering. The guiding paradigms of the day led many to stress the ways in which the marriages of the societies they were studying were grounded in timeless, traditional structures and guided by conformity to normative rules and obligations. Later, when feminism became influential in Western society, anthropologists turned to studies of how gender systems affected marital relationships elsewhere. This succession of novel paradigms has been valuable in prompting new research. It also has contributed to new publications that have offered richer, more fully contextualized understandings of the most intimate and most fraught of human relationships. Over the years as well, anthropologists have debated what lies at the very core of marriage as an institution and as a relationship, whether it is economic sharing, sexual access, childbearing and parenthood, or reproductive success. They also have debated whether marriage is best described in terms of sentiment and subjectivity, social or mental structures, or transactions and strategic choice. This guide proceeds historically from the earliest approaches in the study of marriage to the most recently published. It also is organized according to the major topics that have informed that study, including how marriage is linked to other aspects of social structure, the role of alliance in integrating society, explanations of cousin marriages, the special case of polyandry, the reasons advanced for societies in which marriage is the exception or individuals avoid marriage, the economic factors implicated in variations in marital practice, how gender inequality influences marital relationships, and how new understandings of personal goals for marriage, including gay marriage, have come to define identity in the modern world.
Iconicity
Authors: Meir Irit , Tkachman Oksana
Published: March 2014

Iconicity is a relationship of resemblance or similarity between the two aspects of a sign: its form and its meaning. An iconic sign is one whose form resembles its meaning in some way. The opposite of iconicity is arbitrariness. In an arbitrary sign, the association between form and meaning is based solely on convention; there is nothing in the form of the sign that resembles aspects of its meaning. A road sign that marks a bicycle lane and has an image of bicycle on it is iconic because the form of the sign, in particular the graphic image on it, is related in a direct way to its meaning; both form and meaning have to do with bicycles. A warning road sign that has the form of a white triangle with red margins is arbitrary, because its formational units are not motivated by any aspect of its meaning. Because iconicity has to do with the properties of signs in general and not only those of linguistic signs, it plays an important role in the field of semiotics—the study of signs and signaling. However, language is the most pervasive symbolic communicative system used by humans, and the notion of iconicity plays an important role in characterizing the linguistic sign and linguistic systems. Iconicity is also central to the study of literary uses of language, such as prose and poetry. The main question concerning the role of iconicity in language is whether a given linguistic sign is iconic or arbitrary. This question was raised several millennia ago regarding the nature of the relationship between the form and the meaning of words. Later on, the scope of the question was expanded to include other types of linguistic entities, such as morphological and syntactic structures. The linguistic study of sign languages, which began in the early 1960s, has made a special contribution to the study of the role of iconicity in language, since sign languages are capable of much greater iconic expressions than are spoken languages.
Human Rights
Authors: Santoro Michael , Wettstein Florian
Published: March 2014

Business and human rights have not traditionally been addressed or theorized in close connection to each other. Rather, human rights have been seen as the exclusive domain of the state, that is, as a legal or political concept with little relevance or implication for companies. This has changed dramatically in recent years. There is now a broad interdisciplinary and dynamic discussion on the potential human rights responsibilities of business. While a systematic debate on the issue can be traced back at least to the mid-1990s, contributions to this debate have increased substantially in the wake of Prof. John Ruggie’s appointment as the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on business and human rights in 2005. This bibliography attempts to structure this evolving debate and guide readers to the most relevant sources in the field. The debate has attracted contributions from a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. This bibliography has been limited to contributions published in the management and business ethics literature; with a few exceptions, the legal literature has not been considered. Furthermore, and again with just a few exceptions, only contributions that explicitly refer to human rights in the context of business have been included. Articles that relate to or inform the debate on business and human rights—such as, for example, the discussion on corporate social responsibility or that on human rights in general—but lack the specific connection of both fields were not included. The authors gratefully acknowledge the research assistance of Rutgers University PhD student Akiko Shigemoto and a research grant from the Rutgers Business School Research Resources Committee.
Strategy
Authors: Madsen Tammy L.
Published: March 2014

The strategy field seeks to understand the question: What drives differences in performance among firms? The field is relatively young and informed by multiple disciplines—economics, sociology, political science, and psychology—and multiple paradigms. As a consequence, explanations of the drivers of differences in performance among firms benefit from the integration of multiple theoretical lenses, research methods, and techniques. This diversity informs a wide array of research topics (e.g., industry conditions, competition, and performance; industry evolution; competitive dynamics; competitive heterogeneity; boundaries of firm [make versus buy]; alliances; diversification and corporate growth; resource and capability-based views of competitive advantage; behavioral strategy; and strategy process) and work that spans multiple levels of analysis—ecosystem, region, industry, interfirm, firm, and intrafirm. While this intellectual diversity has enriched the field’s progress, it also has led to a questioning of the field’s legitimacy, often within business schools. Despite these challenges and assertions that the field is fragmented, consensus remains that the field’s overarching focus is explaining differences in the performance among firms. Given this focus, drawing boundaries around the field poses challenges. For instance, research on organizational learning, networks, and managerial teams offer relevant theoretical foundations and methods to explore strategy questions yet are not necessarily situated within the core of the mainstream strategy domain. Contributions from these complementary areas inform many of the research contributions discussed in this article, but the article’s scope limits precludes separate treatment of all areas that intersect with the strategy domain. As a result and guided by the field’s central research question, this annotated bibliography provides an overview of the field’s core or mainstream areas, with specific attention to influential writings and those that detail the scope of contributions in an area. The research topics are presented in an order flowing from macro- or industry-level topics to more micro- or intrafirm and individual-level topics. Further, while the article strives to highlight foundational contributions within each research area, the breadth and depth of research in each area as well as a constraint on word counts preclude a comprehensive treatment. To address this issue, when available, each section references a recent review article as additional background.
The Examination System
Authors: Magone Rui
Published: March 2014

The examination system, also known as “civil service examinations” or “imperial examinations”—and, in Chinese, as keju科舉, keju zhidu科舉制度, gongju貢舉, xuanju選舉 or zhiju制舉—was the imperial Chinese bureaucracy’s central institution for recruiting its officials. Following both real and idealized models from previous times, the system was established at the beginning of the 7th century ce evolving over several dynasties into a complex institution that prevailed for 1,300 years before its abolition in 1905. One of the system’s most salient features, especially in the late imperial period (1400–1900), was its meritocratic structure (at least in principle, if not necessarily in practice): almost anyone from among the empire’s male population could sit for the examinations. Moreover, candidates were selected based on their performance rather than their pedigree. In order to be accessible to candidates anywhere in the empire, the system’s infrastructure spanned the entire territory. In a long sequence of triennial qualifying examinations at the local, provincial, metropolitan, and palace levels candidates were mainly required to write rhetorically complicated essays elucidating passages from the Confucian canon. Most candidates failed at each level, and only a couple of hundred out of a million or often more examinees attained final examination success at the metropolitan and palace levels. Due to its accessibility and ubiquity, the examination system had a decisive impact on the intellectual and social landscapes of imperial China. This impact was reinforced by the rule that candidates were allowed to retake examinations as often as they needed to in order to reach the next level. It was therefore not uncommon for individuals in imperial China to spend the great part of their lives, occasionally even until their last breath, sitting for the competitions. Indeed the extant sources reveal, by their sheer quantity alone, that large parts of the population, not only aspiring candidates, were in fact obsessed with the civil service examinations in the same way that modern societies are fascinated by sports leagues. To a great extent, it was this obsession, along with the system’s centripetal force constantly pulling the population in the different regions toward the political center in the capital, which may have held the large territory of imperial China together, providing it with both coherence and cohesion. Modern Historiography has tended to have a negative view of the examination system, singling it out, and specifically its predominantly literary curriculum, as the major cause for traditional Chinese society’s failure to develop into a modern nation with a strong scientific and technological tradition of its own. In the late 20th and early 21st century, this paradigm has become gradually more nuanced as historians have begun to develop new ways of approaching the extant sources, in particular the large number of examination essays and aids.
Partner’s Perspective on Long-term Sexual Dysfunction After Prostate Cancer Treatment
Authors: Movsas Tammy Z. , Yechieli Raphael , Movsas Benjamin , Darwish-Yassine May
Published: March 2014

Objective:

Prostate cancer is the most common type of male cancer in the United States and the negative effect of prostate cancer treatment on sexual function has been well documented. The objective of this study was to examine the long-term impact of sexual dysfunction on spouses or partners of prostate cancer survivors.

Methods:

A total of 742 spouses of prostate cancer survivors was mailed surveys by the Michigan Public Health Institute, of which 379 were returned (51%). Nine surveys were excluded owing to study ineligibility. Spouses responding to the survey completed a combination of modified items from the Sexual Adjustment Questionnaire and researcher-developed items.

Results:

Over 75% of spouses reported a decline in sex life quality after treatment. Communication about sexual issues between survivors and their health care providers was rated as good to excellent by 54.7% of partners, whereas 35.1% reported it as fair to poor. Approximately 60% of physicians initially recommended some form of sexual treatment. However, despite the persistence of sexual dysfunction, only 7% of the prostate cancer survivors were currently receiving treatment. Only 4.1% of health care providers referred the survivor to a sex therapist.

Conclusions:

Physicians need to understand the importance of the open, ongoing communication with prostate cancer survivors about sexual issues because sexual dysfunction seems to continue indefinitely after completion of treatment. Research on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in restoring sexual health is critically needed for this population, especially as first-line sexual aids and medications are often not satisfactory solutions.
Defining Quality of Life Levels to Enhance Clinical Interpretation in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Michel Pierre , Baumstarck Karine , Boyer Laurent , Fernandez Oscar , Flachenecker Peter , Pelletier Jean , Loundou Anderson , Ghattas Badih , Auquier Pascal
Published: March 2014

Background:

To enhance the use of quality of life (QoL) measures in clinical practice, it is pertinent to help clinicians interpret QoL scores.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to define clusters of QoL levels from a specific questionnaire (MusiQoL) for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using a new method of interpretable clustering based on unsupervised binary trees and to test the validity regarding clinical and functional outcomes.

Methods:

In this international, multicenter, cross-sectional study, patients with MS were classified using a hierarchical top-down method of Clustering using Unsupervised Binary Trees. The clustering tree was built using the 9 dimension scores of the MusiQoL in 2 stages, growing and tree reduction (pruning and joining). A 3-group structure was considered, as follows: “high,” “moderate,” and “low” QoL levels. Clinical and QoL data were compared between the 3 clusters.

Results:

A total of 1361 patients were analyzed: 87 were classified with “low,” 1173 with “moderate,” and 101 with “high” QoL levels. The clustering showed satisfactory properties, including repeatability (using bootstrap) and discriminancy (using factor analysis). The 3 clusters consistently differentiated patients based on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and the QoL scores were assessed using a generic questionnaire, ensuring the clinical validity of the clustering.

Conclusions:

The study suggests that Clustering using Unsupervised Binary Trees is an original, innovative, and relevant classification method to define clusters of QoL levels in MS patients.
Environmental protection and developmental interests
Authors: Nain Gill Gitanjali
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a global challenge: the relationship between commercial development and the protection of eco-fragile systems particularly where river water is involved. It reviews and critiques the legal and political processes that underpinned the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010 in Delhi and the building of the accommodation Village on the floodplain of the river Yamuna.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper covers the controversial modern history of the Yamuna river that runs through Delhi. The river is “dead” and has been subject to litigation concerning its usage and that of its flood plain. In particular, the controversy peaked prior to the CWG 2010 in Delhi and the required buildings associated with the games. The paper traces the history of the legal actions and the inter-related involvement of the various actors being the politicians, construction developers, the river bank dwellers and the local environmentalists. Close analysis is made of the statutory administrative procedures required for environmental clearance, the subsequent case law both in the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India. Additionally, usage is made of the media and its concerns over corrupt and negligent practices.

Findings

– The Indian judiciary in their willingness to promote the construction of the Village failed to apply its own environmental jurisprudence. There was a failure to “lift the veil” and review flawed administrative practices that violated governing statutes. National pride, time pressures, political support, economic interests and rapid urbanisation created a pressure that the courts could not challenge. It was left to investigative committees, after the Games had concluded, to expose these wrongdoings.

Originality/value

– The paper highlights the issue of the relationship of the courts and political and economic interests and how legally protected ecological interests are ignored.
Evidence of green leases in England and Wales
Authors: Bright Susan , Dixie Hannah
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to report on research that investigates the use of green clauses in leases of office and retail premises in England and Wales.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors examined 26 recent leases of green build properties registered at HM Land Registry. The green clauses discovered were classified and compared with the model form green clauses promoted by the London-based Better Building Partnership's Green Lease Toolkit.

Findings

– Of the 26 leases analysed, 18 contained some form of green provision.

Research limitations/implications

– As the sample selected was not representative, a larger study is needed to detect trends in green leasing. This research method does not show the impact of green clauses on property management.

Practical implications

– This research illustrates the types of clauses that have been used in leases but also shows that green leasing principles are not yet the industry standard. Many new, long leases still make no reference to environmental practices.

Originality/value

– This is the first research to be done examining the green content of agreed leases and develops a methodology that can be used for future research.
Revisiting the ideologies of planning law
Authors: Adshead Julie
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The aim of the research is to examine the legal ideologies of planning law proposed by Patrick McAuslan in 1980 and their operation in one key aspect of modern-day planning law in England and Wales in order to assess the balance between these ideologies today.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to achieve this, the philosophical and theoretical foundations of the respective legal ideologies are revisited. The approach that follows is a mixed doctrinal and socio-legal one. The content of the law in certain key areas is established and then analysed against the framework of McAuslan's ideologies in order to establish the social context balance of the law.

Findings

– The paper concludes that, despite much change in law and policy, the balance between the three competing ideologies in the area of development control in the planning regime of England and Wales remains similar to that in 1980.

Research limitations/implications

– For publication as a research paper, the scope of the examination was necessarily restricted. Certain areas scrutinised by McAuslan are of less relevance today, but, nonetheless, there is clearly scope to revisit some of the other aspects of planning law considered in 1980 and, indeed, to expand the scope of analysis to other areas of environmental law.

Originality/value

– The paper takes a framework of legal ideologies that was proposed over 30 years ago and applies it to elements of the modern-day planning regime. The paper will be of value to both legal academics and those in the town planning discipline.
Developing a model for the influence of perceived organizational climate on organizational citizenship behaviour and organizational performance based on balanced score card
Authors: Shahin Arash , Shabani Naftchali Javad , Khazaei Pool Javad
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of employees’ perception of organizational climate on organizational citizenship behaviour outbreak and the impact of both of them on organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– This survey has been performed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The statistical population composed of the managers of Mazandaran small- to medium-sized enterprises. The analysis of the data obtained from distributed survey questionnaire has been performed by SPSS18 and AMOS18 software.

Findings

– Findings imply that positive perception of organizational climate influences on increasing organizational citizenship behaviour outbreak and performance of enterprise, and organizational citizenship behaviour in turn has positive and significant impact on organizational performance. Results of this survey also indicate that organizational citizenship behaviour impacts on sub-criteria of enterprise performance (i.e. financial, customer, learning and growth, internal processes). Moreover, the influence of organizational climate on all sub-criteria of performance except internal processes has been confirmed.

Research limitations/implications

– Lack of sufficient information concerning organizational climate in internal resources, and in some external ones, and low number of surveys performed in this field, limits the possibility of comparing the results of this survey with other similar surveys.

Originality/value

– This survey can be considered as an innovative survey, since there is no similar survey conducted in which three variables of organizational climate, performance, and citizenship behaviour studied, considering their specified sub-criteria.
A different and simple approach for comparing sampling methods in quality control
Authors: do Carmo Manuel , Infante Paulo , M Mendes Jorge
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to measure the performance of a sampling method through the average number of samples drawn in control.

Design/methodology/approach

– Matching the adjusted average time to signal (AATS) of sampling methods, using as a reference the AATS of one of them the paper obtains the design parameters of the others. Thus, it will be possible to obtain, in control, the average number of samples required, so that the AATS of the mentioned sampling methods may be equal to the AATS of the method that the paper uses as the reference.

Findings

– A more robust performance measure to compare sampling methods because in many cases the period of time where the process is in control is greater than the out of control period. With this performance measure the paper compares different sampling methods through the average total cost per cycle, in systems with Weibull lifetime distributions: three systems with an increasing hazard rate (shape parameter β=2, 4 and 7) and one system with a decreasing failure rate (β=0, 8).

Practical implications

– In a usual production cycle where the in control period is much larger than the out of control period, particularly if the sampling costs and false alarms costs are high in relation to malfunction costs, the paper thinks that this methodology allows us a more careful choice of the appropriate sampling method.

Originality/value

– To compare the statistical performance between different sampling methods using the average number of samples need to be inspected when the process is in control. Particularly, the paper compares the statistical and economic performance between different sampling methods in contexts not previously considered in literature. The paper presents an approximation for the average time between the instant that failure occurs and the first sample with the process out of control, as well.
Multi criteria FMECA for coal-fired thermal power plants using COPRAS-G
Authors: Das Adhikary Debasis , Kumar Bose Goutam , Bose Dipankar , Mitra Souren
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a multi criterion failure mode effect and criticality analysis for coal-fired thermal power plants using uncertain data as well as substituting the traditional risk priority number estimation method.

Design/methodology/approach

– Grey-complex proportional assessment (COPRAS-G) method, a multi criteria decision making tool is applied to evaluate the criticalities of the failure modes (alternatives). In this model the criteria (criticality factor) against each alternative are expressed in grey number instead of crisp values.

Findings

– Rupture failure of the straight tube of economizer (ECO) due to erosion is the highest critical failure mode whereas rupture failure of the stub of ECO due to welding defect is the lowest critical failure mode.

Originality/value

– This paper incorporates human and environmental factors as additional factors which also influence the failure modes significantly. The COPRAS-G method is modified according this problem. Uncertainty in the scoring of criticality factors against each failure mode by various maintenance personnel is expressed in grey numbers.
The impact of employees’ attributes on the quality of food products
Authors: P. Kafetzopoulos Dimitrios , D. Gotzamani Katerina , L. Psomas Evangelos
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the importance of specific, quality-related employees’ attributes to the enhancement of product quality in food companies. The main goal is to examine the synergistic relationships between specific employees’ attributes, which have been related in literature to ISO 9000 successful implementation, to continuous improvement, operational performance and product quality.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis includes an initial exploratory factor analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, in order to investigate the relations between the constructs of the proposed model.

Findings

– The findings reveal that although the examined quality-related “employees’ attributes” do not directly contribute to “product quality”, they influence both “continuous improvement” and “operational performance” of food firms. The results also confirm the impact of both “continuous improvement” and “operational performance” on “product quality” and also that “continuous improvement” helps explain “operational performance”.

Research limitations/implications

– The domain in which the model has been validated, the restricted use of moderators in the model and lack of empirical validation of the model in non-food sector companies, based on various respondents from each company, are a number of limitations associated with this study which suggest future research proposals.

Practical implications

– The findings of this study can motivate managers of food companies to focus on certain quality-related employees’ attributes in order to boost continuous improvement of ISO 9001 systems and operational performance of their companies, leading to product quality enhancement.

Originality/value

– This study finds particular relevance in emphasizing that although specific quality-related employees’ attributes, as these are detected in literature, have a significant contribution towards continuous improvement and operational performance, they are not the only critical factor leading to product quality. More complex relationships need to be considered by integrating other constructs as major antecedents of food product quality.