bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A common lag scenario in quenching of oscillation in coupled oscillators
Authors: Suresh K. , Sabarathinam S. , Thamilmaran K. , Kurths Jürgen , Dana Syamal K.
Published: August 2016

A large parameter mismatch can induce amplitude death in two instantaneously coupled oscillators. Alternatively, a time delay in the coupling can induce amplitude death in two identical oscillators. We unify the mechanism of quenching of oscillation in coupled oscillators, either by a large parameter mismatch or a delay coupling, by a common lag scenario that is, surprisingly, different from the conventional lag synchronization. We present numerical as well as experimental evidence of this unknown kind of lag scenario when the lag increases with coupling and at a critically large value at a critical coupling strength, amplitude death emerges in two largely mismatched oscillators. This is analogous to amplitude death in identical systems with increasingly large coupling delay. In support, we use examples of the Chua oscillator and the Bonhoeffer-van der Pol system. Furthermore, we confirm this lag scenario during the onset of amplitude death in identical Stuart-Landau system under various instantaneous coupling forms, repulsive, conjugate, and a type of nonlinear coupling.
Band offsets for biaxially and uniaxially stressed silicon-germanium layers with arbitrary substrate and channel orientations
Authors: Eneman Geert , Roussel Philippe , Brunco David Paul , Collaert Nadine , Mocuta Anda , Thean Aaron
Published: August 2016

The conduction and valence band offsets between a strained silicon-germanium layer and a silicon-germanium substrate are reported for arbitrary substrate and channel crystal orientations. The offsets are calculated both for the case of biaxial stress, corresponding approximately to the stress state of a thin strained channel in a planar field-effect transistor (FET), and for uniaxial stress, which is the approximate stress state for strained channels in a FinFET configuration. Significant orientation dependence is found for the conduction band offset, overall leading to the strongest electron quantum confinement in biaxial-tensile stressed channels on {100}-oriented substrates, and uniaxial-tensile stressed channels in the ⟨100⟩ and ⟨110⟩ directions. For biaxially stressed layers on {111} substrates, the conduction band offset is significantly smaller than for {100} or {110} directions. For the valence band offset, the dependence on crystal orientation is found to be small.
Measurements of the spin-orbit interaction and Landé g factor in a pure-phase InAs nanowire double quantum dot in the Pauli spin-blockade regime
Authors: Wang Jiyin , Huang Shaoyun , Lei Zijin , Pan Dong , Zhao Jianhua , Xu H. Q.
Published: August 2016

We demonstrate direct measurements of the spin-orbit interaction and Landé g factors in a semiconductor nanowire double quantum dot. The device is made from a single-crystal pure-phase InAs nanowire on top of an array of finger gates on a Si/SiO2 substrate and the measurements are performed in the Pauli spin-blockade regime. It is found that the double quantum dot exhibits a large singlet-triplet energy splitting of ΔST ∼ 2.3 meV, a strong spin-orbit interaction of ΔSO ∼ 140 μeV, and a large and strongly level-dependent Landé g factor of ∼12.5. These results imply that single-crystal pure-phase InAs nanowires are desired semiconductor nanostructures for applications in quantum information technologies.
A two-compartment microfluidic device for long-term live cell detection based on surface plasmon resonance
Authors: Deng Shijie , Yu Xinglong , Liu Ran , Chen Weixing , Wang Peng
Published: August 2016

A two-compartment microfluidic device integrated with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) interferometric imaging system has been developed for long-term and real-time cell detection. The device uses a porous membrane sandwiched between two chambers to obtain an exact medium exchange rate and minimal fluid shear stress for cell culture. The two-compartment device was optimized by COMSOL simulations and fabricated using Poly (dimethylsiloxane) elastomer replica molding methods. To confirm the capability of the microfluidic device to maintain the cell physiological environment over long intervals, HeLa cells were cultured in the device for up to 48 h. The cell proliferation process was monitored by both SPR and microscopic time-lapse imaging. The SPR response showed four phases with different growth rates, and agreed well with the time-lapse imaging. Furthermore, real-time detection of cell behaviors under different doses of Paclitaxel and Cisplatin was performed. The SPR responses revealed dose-dependent inhibitions of cell proliferation, with distinct drug action kinetics.
The stringent response regulates adaptation to darkness in the cyanobacterium
Synechococcus elongatus
Authors: Hood Rachel D. , Higgins Sean A. , Flamholz Avi , Nichols Robert J. , Savage David F.
Published: August 2016

Significance

Cyanobacteria are an important group of photosynthetic bacteria that rely upon light energy for growth but frequently must adapt to darkness. Cells stop growing and decrease overall rates of gene expression and protein synthesis in the dark, but the molecular mechanisms behind these observations remain unknown. We find that a widespread bacterial stress response, the stringent response, helps cells conserve resources during darkness. In the dark, cells produce higher levels of the stringent response signaling molecule guanosine 3′-diphosphate 5′-diphosphate (ppGpp), thereby altering gene expression patterns and affecting the protein synthesis machinery. These results help explain previous observations in the cyanobacterial literature and extend our knowledge of how the same signaling pathway has been adapted to different bacterial lifestyles and metabolisms.
Long‐Term Dynamics in “Trophy” Sizes of Pelagic and Coastal Pelagic Fishes among California Recreational Fisheries (1966–2013)
Authors: Bellquist Lyall F. , Graham Jeffrey B. , Barker Amanda , Ho Jason , Semmens Brice X.
Published: August 2016

In California, recreational fisheries contribute a significant amount to coastal economies, with pelagic and coastal pelagic species constituting a principal set of target species during summer and fall. Although traditional catch frequency (landings) data sets exist for these species, size‐specific information is limited, especially for the largest size‐classes. We digitized weekly records of trophy catch reported in the “Whoppers of the Week” section of the Western Outdoor News, a California fishing and hunting newspaper published since 1953. The resulting database contained catch records that described the largest fish caught at each sportfishing landing site along the California coast during 1966–2013. We then assessed the temporal dynamics in trophy size of the top‐15 pelagic and coastal pelagic species, with a combined total of 21,440 individual catch records. Among the 15 pelagic and coastal pelagic species examined, the Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares and Striped Bass Morone saxatilis were the only species that showed clear long‐term declines in trophy size over the study period, whereas the Pacific Bluefin Tuna Thunnus orientalis, White Seabass Atractoscion nobilis, and Yellowtail Jack Seriola lalandi exhibited long‐term increases in size. In general, the trophy sizes of pelagic species were more variable than those of coastal pelagic species and were not as consistently correlated with oceanographic conditions; both findings likely reflect the fact that oceanography drives the availability but not necessarily the size of pelagic species catch. In contrast, coastal pelagic species demonstrated trends in trophy sizes that were more consistently responsive to both oceanography and fisheries management. Our results suggest that oceanographic processes, natural history characteristics, fishing, and fisheries regulations each play a role in trophy size dynamics, but their relative influences vary among species.

Received December 12, 2015; accepted April 26, 2016Published online August 3, 2016
Determination of residual stresses in welded components by finite element analysis
Authors: Bate S. , Smith M.
Published: August 2016

The continued safe and reliable operation of plant invariably has to consider the assessment of defects in welded structural components. This requires some estimate of the residual stresses that have developed during the welding fabrication process. There is an increasing use of computational weld mechanics to evaluate residual stresses and this paper describes the development of guidelines for using finite element analysis, which are now incorporated into the EDF Energy R6 defect assessment procedure, to determine stresses for use in the procedure. Prior to use in assessment the predicted results should be validated by comparison with measurements and the guidelines provide advice on the differing standards of validation which may be applied including the manufacture and testing of validation mock-ups.

This paper is part of a Themed Issue on Measurement, modelling and mitigation of residual stress.
Aspartate kinase involved in 4-hydroxy-3-nitrosobenzamide biosynthesis in Streptomyces murayamaensis
Authors: Tsujimoto Mai , Yoshida Ayako , Shimizu Tetsu , Tomita Takeo , Ohnishi Yasuo , Kuzuyama Tomohisa , Nishiyama Makoto
Published: August 2016

Streptomyces murayamensis carries two aspartate kinase (AK) genes: one for the biosynthesis of lysine, threonine, and methionine, and the other (nspJ) contained in the biosynthetic gene cluster for the secondary metabolite, 4-hydroxy-3-nitrosobenzamide, for catalyzing the first reaction. AKs involved in the biosynthesis of amino acids are often regulated allosterically by the end products. In the present study, we characterized NspJ to investigate whether AKs involved in secondary metabolism were also allosterically regulated. NspJ was in α2β2 and (α2β2)2 heterooligomeric forms, and was insensitive to all the compounds tested including lysine, threonine, and methionine. The reduction in the activity following the removal of ammonium sulfate, which induced subunit dissociation, suggests that the β subunit may be involved in stabilizing the structure of the α subunit in order to exhibit its activity. This study has provided the first example of a feedback-insensitive α2β2-type AK, which is involved in the secondary metabolism.
Influence of molten metal flow on undercutting formation in GMAW
Authors: Zong R. , Chen J. , Wu C. S. , Padhy G. K.
Published: August 2016

Molten metal flow on weld pool surface in gas metal arc welding process is investigated using a vision-based sensing system and an interpolation algorithm. Bead formation is investigated by analysing flow patterns and its driving forces of weld pool under different welding speed, welding current and shielding gas. Results show that if longitudinal to transverse velocity ratio exceeds 2.0 in the front of weld pool, outward molten metal mainly driven by arc force cannot reach the widest section of the weld pool. Meanwhile, the transverse spreading of molten metal is still hindered in the middle of weld pool as it turns to be inward flow dominated by Marangoni force. These phenomena impede molten metal supply to weld toes which causes undercutting defect. Scaling analysis shows that the predicted undercutting defect agrees well with that resulted from experiments.
Detrivory, competition, and apparent predation by Culiseta longiareolata in a temporary pool ecosystem
Authors: Tsurim Ido , Silberbush Alon
Published: August 2016

Larvae of the mosquito Culiseta longiareolata Macquart have been suggested as important species in desert and Mediterranean temporary pond ecosystems through their strong competitive abilities and as intra-guild predators. We examined their potential predatory effect on larvae of the abundant saltmarsh mosquito Ochlerotatus caspius. We did not find evidence for predatory effects of C. longiareolata on O. caspius larvae. We suggest that, at least in our system, C. longiareolata is an apparent predator. Namely, it does not actively prey on mobile victims, but rather feeds on the carcasses of its fallen competitors additional to its generally immobile food. Hence, we do not expect the occurrence of anti-predator behaviors in response to C. longiareolata presence, including larval development characteristics and oviposition habitat selection.
On the discrete logarithm problem in finite fields of fixed characteristic
Authors: Granger Robert , Kleinjung Thorsten , Zumbrägel Jens
Published: August 2016

For 

q
q

a prime power, the discrete logarithm problem (DLP) in 

F

q

\mathbb {F}_{q}

consists of finding, for any

g
∈

F

q

×

g \in \mathbb {F}_{q}^{\times }

and

h
∈
⟨
g
⟩

h \in \langle g \rangle

, an integer 

x
x

such that

g
x

=
h

g^x = h

. We present an algorithm for computing discrete logarithms with which we prove that for each prime 

p
p

there exist infinitely many explicit extension fields 

F

p
n

\mathbb {F}_{p^n}

in which the DLP can be solved in expected quasi-polynomial time. Furthermore, subject to a conjecture on the existence of irreducible polynomials of a certain form, the algorithm solves the DLP in all extensions 

F

p
n

\mathbb {F}_{p^n}

in expected quasi-polynomial time.
Has invasive management for acute coronary syndromes become more ‘risk-appropriate’: pooled results of five Australian registries
Authors: Halabi Amera , Chew Derek P. , Horsfall Matthew , Hyun Karice , MacIsaac Andrew , Juergens Craig , Amerena John , Rankin Jamie , French John , Brieger David
Published: August 2016

Background

Despite being recommended in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) guidelines, the use of invasive management within specific risk groups continues to be debated. This study examines the change in the use of invasive management in ACS by patient risk and the associated change in mortality within Australia over the last 17 years.

Methods

Pooled cohorts derived from five ACS registries (ACACIA, CONCORDANCE, GRACE, Snapshot-ACS, and Predict) spanned from 1999 to 2015. After excluding patients without a final diagnosis of ACS (n = 4460), enrolled outside Australia (n = 1477) and without an enrolling year (n = 4), 15 912 patients were analysed. Data was stratified across three time periods (1999–2004, 2005–2009, and 2010–2015) using clinical risk characteristics (age, ACS diagnosis, biomarker elevation, and GRACE score) to monitor change in practice.

Results

Over the 17-year period, the use of invasive management increased (4073/6863 (59.3%) cases [1999–2009] vs. 6670/8706 (76.6%) cases [2010–2015]). Invasive management accounted for improvements in mortality in intermediate- and high-risk groups (intermediate risk: 14% (95% CI 1–66%) [1999–2009] vs. 49% (95% CI 2–59%) [2010–2015]; high risk: 24% (95% CI 6–42%) [1999–2009] vs. 48% (95% CI 19–76%) [2010–2015]). Patients receiving no angiography compared with interventional management had worse outcomes (1999–2004 1.55 HR [95% CI 1.36–1.80], P < 0.0001 vs. 2010–2015 1.90 HR [95% CI 1.45–2.51], P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Clinical practice in ACS has changed over the last 17 years with positive outcomes seen with invasive management among high-risk patients. Unfortunately, a considerable burden of mortality remains in patients managed medically, highlighting a need for more focused strategies that improve care and outcomes in this group.
Comparing qPCR and Nested PCR Diagnostic Methods for Aster Yellows Phytoplasma in Aster Leafhoppers
Authors: Demeuse Katherine L. , Grode Ari S. , Szendrei Zsofia
Published: August 2016

The aster yellows phytoplasma (AYp) is a wall-less bacterium that causes damage in multiple crops. They are spread primarily by the aster leafhopper, Macrosteles quadrilineatus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). A total of 3,156 aster leafhoppers were collected during the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons in Michigan celery and carrot fields using sweep nets. The objective of this study was to test previously developed 16S rDNA phytoplasma gene primers to find the most reliable and least time-consuming method for AYp detection in leafhoppers. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with universal primers P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2, and then, restriction enzymes AluI, MseI, and HhaI identified the phytoplasma to subgroup. Over the two years, 2.2% of samples were phytoplasma positive with nested PCR, classified in subgroups 16SrI-A or 16SrI-B. All samples were also tested with a TaqMan quantitative qPCR assay with universal phytoplasma primers and probe and 4.6% tested positive. A subset of samples were also tested with AYp-specific SYBR green qPCR, showing a >93% similarity between SYBR green and TaqMan qPCR assay results. The qPCR assays were more than two times faster than nested PCR. However, qPCR assays likely have specificity issues that need to be addressed before they can be used as a reliable method of detection for AYp in leafhoppers.
Exoskeletons and economics: indoor arthropod diversity increases in affluent neighbourhoods
Authors: Leong Misha , Bertone Matthew A. , Bayless Keith M. , Dunn Robert R. , Trautwein Michelle D.
Published: August 2016

In urban ecosystems, socioeconomics contribute to patterns of biodiversity. The ‘luxury effect’, in which wealthier neighbourhoods are more biologically diverse, has been observed for plants, birds, bats and lizards. Here, we used data from a survey of indoor arthropod diversity (defined throughout as family-level richness) from 50 urban houses and found that house size, surrounding vegetation, as well as mean neighbourhood income best predict the number of kinds of arthropods found indoors. Our finding, that homes in wealthier neighbourhoods host higher indoor arthropod diversity (consisting of primarily non-pest species), shows that the luxury effect can extend to the indoor environment. The effect of mean neighbourhood income on indoor arthropod diversity was particularly strong for individual houses that lacked high surrounding vegetation ground cover, suggesting that neighbourhood dynamics can compensate for local choices of homeowners. Our work suggests that the management of neighbourhoods and cities can have effects on biodiversity that can extend from trees and birds all the way to the arthropod life in bedrooms and basements.
Survival is linked with reaction time and spatial memory in African striped mice
Authors: Maille Audrey , Schradin Carsten
Published: August 2016

Studying the association between fitness and cognition in free-living animals is a fundamental step in the elucidation of the evolution of cognition. We assessed whether survival until the onset of the breeding season was related to reaction time or spatial memory in the African striped mouse
Rhabdomys pumilio
, a rodent that has to survive summer drought before breeding. We tested a total of 90 individuals at the beginning of summer. Female survival was related to a faster response to predation stimuli. Male survival increased with greater spatial memory, possibly because it is important for males to remember the configuration of the environment during dispersal. This study revealed that individual variation in reaction time and spatial memory can be related to survival probability, which is important for understanding the selection pressures acting on basic cognitive traits.
Sir Howard Dalton. 8 February 1944 — 12 January 2008
Authors: Anthony Christopher , Murrell J. Colin
Published: August 2016

Howard Dalton was an outstanding microbiologist who, after his remarkably productive DPhil work in the Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory at the University of Sussex, and a short period in the USA, spent his research career at the University of Warwick. He devoted himself to the elucidation of the process of methane oxidation by bacteria that use this relatively inert gas as their sole source of carbon and energy. He discovered two completely novel multicomponent monooxygenase enzymes responsible for the initial oxidation of methane to methanol. He then continued to elucidate their functions, mechanisms, regulation and structures. Their wide substrate specificity led to his interest in using these and related enzymes for biocatalysis, biological transformations and bioremediation. While remaining at Warwick University he also acted as a highly appreciated Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government at the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra). Howard was a highly effective scientist, a down-to-earth, self-effacing man, outgoing and witty, an inspirational colleague who above all else made science fun.
Lloyd Thomas Evans AO FAA. 6 August 1927 — 23 March 2015
Authors: King Roderick W.
Published: August 2016

Lloyd Evans, a leading plant scientist, published extensively on the regulation of flowering and on crop production during a lifetime spent in research at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). His significant achievements included the identification of a gibberellin plant hormone as a flowering regulator in the grass
Lolium temulentum
, the discovery of a synthetic gibberellin growth retardant that blocked endogenous gibberellin synthesis, and the discovery of a novel biological flowering clock in
Pharbitis
with a 12 h (semidian) period. In crops he established the impact on yield of photosynthate production and transport to competing sinks. Two of his books,
Crop evolution: adaptation and yield
and
Feeding the ten billion
, have had a major influence on agricultural research and policy. His ability to define research options led to many years of international advisory work. He was an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, subsequently becoming President of the latter.
Nodal signalling inXenopus: the role of Xnr5 in left/right asymmetry and heart development
Authors: Tadjuidje Emmanuel , Kofron Matthew , Mir Adnan , Wylie Christopher , Heasman Janet , Cha Sang-Wook
Published: August 2016

Nodal class TGF-β signalling molecules play essential roles in establishing the vertebrate body plan. In all vertebrates, nodal family members have specific waves of expression required for tissue specification and axis formation. InXenopus laevis, six nodal genes are expressed before gastrulation, raising the question of whether they have specific roles or act redundantly with each other. Here, we examine the role of Xnr5. We find it acts at the late blastula stage as a mesoderm inducer and repressor of ectodermal gene expression, a role it shares with Vg1. However, unlike Vg1, Xnr5 depletion reduces the expression of the nodal family memberxnr1at the gastrula stage. It is also required for left/right laterality by controlling the expression of the laterality genesxnr1, antivin(lefty) andpitx2at the tailbud stage. In Xnr5-depleted embryos, the heart field is established normally, but symmetrical reduction in Xnr5 levels causes a severely stunted midline heart, first evidenced by a reduction incardiac troponinmRNA levels, while left-sided reduction leads to randomization of the left/right axis. This work identifies Xnr5 as the earliest step in the signalling pathway establishing normal heart laterality inXenopus.
One tagger, many uses: Illustrating the power of ontologies in dictionary-based named entity recognition
Authors: Jensen Lars Juhl
Published: August 2016

Automatic annotation of text is an important complement to manual annotation, because the latter is highly labour intensive. We have developed a fast dictionary-based named entity recognition (NER) system and addressed a wide variety of biomedical problems by applied it to text from many different sources. We have used this tagger both in real-time tools to support curation efforts and in pipelines for populating databases through bulk processing of entire Medline, the open-access subset of PubMed Central, NIH grant abstracts, FDA drug labels, electronic health records, and the Encyclopedia of Life. Despite the simplicity of the approach, it typically achieves 80–90% precision and 70–80% recall. Many of the underlying dictionaries were built from open biomedical ontologies, which further facilitate integration of the text-mining results with evidence from other sources.
Experimental estimation of the effects of all amino-acid mutations to HIV Env
Authors: Haddox Hugh K. , Dingens Adam S. , Bloom Jesse D.
Published: August 2016

HIV is notorious for its capacity to evade immunity and anti-viral drugs through rapid sequence evolution. Knowledge of the functional effects of mutations to HIV is critical for understanding this evolution. HIV’s most rapidly evolving protein is its envelope (Env). Here we use deep mutational scanning to experimentally estimate the effects of all amino-acid mutations to Env on viral replication in cell culture. Most mutations are under purifying selection in our experiments, although a few sites experience strong selection for mutations that enhance HIV’s growth in cell culture. We compare our experimental measurements of each site’s preference for each amino acid to the actual frequencies of these amino acids in naturally occurring HIV sequences. Our measured amino-acid preferences correlate with amino-acid frequencies in natural sequences for most sites. However, our measured preferences are less concordant with natural amino-acid frequencies at surface-exposed sites that are subject to pressures absent from our experiments such as antibody selection. We show that some regions of Env have a high inherent tolerance to mutation, whereas other regions (such as epitopes of broadly neutralizing antibodies) have a significantly reduced capacity to tolerate mutations. Overall, our results help disentangle the role of inherent functional constraints and external selection pressures in shaping Env’s evolution.
Work-based cognitive skills and economic performance in Europe
Authors: Valente Ana Cláudia , Salavisa Isabel , Lagoa Sérgio
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand further the role played by work-based cognitive skills in the growth dynamics in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

– Work-based cognitive skills are studied using a factor analysis on data from the European Work Conditions Survey (Eurofound) referring to work cognitive requirements. This and other measures of education quality and quantity indicators are used to estimate growth regression models for 28 European countries, in order to test for the significance of work-based skills.

Findings

– The results corroborate the hypothesis that work-based cognitive skills have been a powerful predictor of economic growth over the last decades. Countries where workplaces require and foster advanced cognitive skills tend to exhibit higher economic growth.

Research limitations/implications

– The Eurofound Survey on work-based skills, a major source of this study, only began in 1990 so is quite recent and covers few countries.

Social implications

– The results indicate that the mobilisation of the full intellectual potential of workers in their work context is essential to achieve high-economic performances. Boosting workers interactive learning and autonomy should become a key policy and organisational aim.

Originality/value

– The authors bring a deeper approach to the way human capital is addressed by testing the relevance of work-based cognitive skills on economic performance. Hence the authors build a bridge between economic growth literature, which focuses largely on the role of formal education, and innovation studies where the emphasis is placed on the relevance of learning processes.
Teachers’ perceptions of fairness, well-being and burnout
Authors: Capone Vincenza , Petrillo Giovanna
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the validation of the Organizational Justice Index (OJI) by Hoy and Tarter (2004), a self-report questionnaire for teachers’ perceptions of fairness in the operation and administration of schools.

Design/methodology/approach

– In two studies the authors validated the Italian version of the OJI. Study 1 included 164 Italian high school teachers (76.8 percent were female) to test structure and construct validity. Study 2 involved 200 teachers (permanent and temporary teachers) to confirm the structure of the scale, test the construct and criterion validity, and invariance.

Findings

– Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the one-factor solution and that the structure of the scale was the same across teachers. Results revealed high internal reliability. The OJI correlated positively with equity, school climate, and job satisfaction, and negatively with depression and burnout.

Research limitations/implications

– Since the research approach could lead to common method variance issues, it will be important to determine the associations of OJI with non-self-report assessments.

Practical implications

– The OJI can be applied optimally to: assess potential organizational problems prior to conducting major interventions; investigate school dynamic problems; target interventions designed to enhance perception of organizational justice; incorporate evaluation of organizational justice as part of regular employee assessments.

Originality/value

– Overall findings fill the need of standardized measures of organizational justice for specific context. The OJI is a valid instrument to measure organizational justice in school, involving different type of teachers.
Exploring the moral and distributive levers for teacher empowerment in the Finnish policy culture
Authors: Paulsen Jan Merok , Hjertø Kjell Brynjulf , Tihveräinen Saku Petteri
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between school leadership practices and teacher empowerment in the Finnish policy culture. Specifically, moral leadership and distributed leadership enacted by school principals are tested in a simultaneous design as predictor to two distinct yet related aspects of teachers’ sense of empowerment, respectively, in their work domain and their classroom domain.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study investigated a field sample of 246 individual teachers from ten Finnish primary schools. Hypotheses were developed and tested by structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The results indicate that moral leadership exerted by school principals support teachers’ sense of empowerment both in work domain and classroom domain. Distributed leadership, in the meaning of sharing instructional leadership tasks with teachers, supported work domain empowerment but did not predict classroom domain teacher empowerment. Taken together, the model show the value of school principals facilitating teachers in decision-making processes paired with showing a strong moral basis in their relationship with teachers.

Research limitations/implications

– The study reinforces the importance of moral leadership and distributed leadership as conjoint drivers for teachers’ sense of empowerment. It would be highly valuable to replicate this study in various multi-level settings.

Practical implications

– The findings recommend school leaders to put emphasis on facilitative, ethical, and authentic practices in immediate relationships with their teachers.

Originality/value

– The study provides empirical evidence regarding the partial relationships between principal leadership practices and teacher empowerment.
Instructional leadership in Greek and English outstanding schools
Authors: Kaparou Maria , Bush Tony
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine instructional leadership (IL) in outstanding secondary schools within a centralised (Greece) and a partially decentralised (England) education context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Since the purpose of the study is exploratory, the researchers adopt a qualitative approach, employing a series of four qualitative case studies with the purpose of examining the impact of IL on student learning, teachers’ professional growth and school improvement, using the interpretivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews with various data sets (stakeholders) within and outside the school, observation of leadership practices and meetings, and scrutiny of relevant macro and micro policy documents are employed to enhance methodological and respondent triangulation.

Findings

– Recognising that IL is not confined to the principals’ leadership domain, a sense of shared and distributed leadership prevails in schools, while its implementation is inevitably linked to system constraints. The findings from the Greek schools link to the official expectations that principals operate as administrative rather than instructional leaders, while an unofficial instructional “teacher leadership” culture suggests potential for reconsidering leadership in Greek state schools. In contrast, the decentralisation of school activities creates the platform for the emergence of shared and distributed leadership within the English context, where school actors enact direct and indirect IL roles.

Originality/value

– This cross-country comparative study demonstrates theoretical significance in its focus on the collaborative and reciprocal nature of IL, while its empirical contribution lies in generating new knowledge on how IL is contextually bounded.
Examination of students’ selection criteria for international education
Authors: Ahmad Syed Zamberi , Buchanan F. Robert , Ahmad Norita
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– Motivations for study abroad in tourism and hospitality were examined as to the influence of a variety of personal criteria in the individual decision process of adult learners to select a host country and host institution of study. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– Push-pull factors (Mazzarol and Soutar, 2002) formed the basic framework of inquiry. Quantitative analysis was done through primary data collection using hard copy surveys. Qualitative inquiry involved interviews with open-ended questions.

Findings

– Country attractions of the host location was the highest ranked decision criteria, followed by considerations of the educational institution.

Research limitations/implications

– Prestige and reputation of the education provider is of high value. However, greater decision influence was seen in respondents’ selection of host country for the attributes of safe and pleasant living conditions, as well as on going career opportunities locally. Sampling was cross-sectional and limited to one industry and one country. Although these are natural control variables, generalizability may be limited, and requires further study.

Originality/value

– Policymakers should be mindful of the match between the educational program and the site selection. Prestige of the school may not overcome a suboptimal location decision.
Factors predicting the US birth rate
Authors: Baghestani Hamid , Malcolm Michael
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to take a forecasting approach to examine the relationship between the US birth rate, marriage rate, and economic conditions (measured by both realized unemployment and expected unemployment). The expectation data come from the Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

– Utilizing monthly data, the authors first specify a univariate and three augmented autoregressive integrated moving average forecasting models for 1975-2001. Second, the authors use recursive estimation to generate multi-period forecasts of the birth rate for 2002-2008. Third, the authors employ standard evaluation methods to compare the predictive information content of the forecasts.

Findings

– First, the birth rate is pro-cyclical. Second, the marriage rate contains useful predictive information for the birth rate. Third, controlling for past information in the birth and marriage rates, both realized and expected unemployment embody useful information for predicting the birth rate. Fourth, expected unemployment is a more informative indicator than realized unemployment.

Practical implications

– The finding that the birth rate is pro-cyclical emphasizes the importance of economic stability in promoting childbearing, and the authors suggest counter-cyclical macroeconomic policy to shield families from major shocks. A stable economy, and especially one where families are optimistic about the future, promotes childbearing. The results also empower policymakers to analyze systematically the impact of changes to the structure of marriage on childbearing.

Originality/value

– This appears to be the first study that utilizes a forecasting approach to better understand the complex relationships between childbearing, marriage, and macroeconomic conditions.
The determinants of Greek bond yields: an empirical study before and during the crisis
Authors: Chionis Dionisis , Pragidis Ioannis , Schizas Panagiotis
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to uncover the determinants of the ten-year Greek bond yield in both pre- and post-crisis period that caused the unprecedented event, a country member of the Euro area, not to be able to tap the market. In doing so, following the recent literature, the authors employ two major set of variables, market driven and macroeconomic variables and the authors find two classes of results. Among others, debt to GDP ratio, deficit, inflation and unemployment, play a more significant role as determinants of the ten-years Greek bond yield during the crisis and second, the ten-years yield exceeds that fundamentals that price in. Moreover, the authors explicitly test for the impact of speculation on the yield. These results are in line with other empirical studies and shed line to the dramatic evolution of the bond yields in terms of fiscal consolidation era as it is in Greece. Since the Greek debt crisis is ongoing more than five years, policy makers should make substantial changes in their macro projections taking under consideration more the variables of inflation and unemployment, and release a viable concrete plan of debt relief, which among other, secures the success of the macro projections.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical study on Greek debt crisis applying both macroeconomics and market indicators in separated estimations.

Findings

– Debt to GDP ratio, deficit, inflation and unemployment among others, play a more significant role as determinants of the ten-years Greek bond yield during the crisis than had before and second, during the crisis ten-years yield is above the price that fundamentals would imply.

Originality/value

– To the best of the authors’ knowledge it is the first time that the authors study the Greek debt crisis applying fundamental and market factors.
“Being brave”
Authors: Mangan Catherine , Pietroni Mark , Porter Denise
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of an innovative peer review approach to identifying and addressing the causes of inappropriate admissions from hospital to nursing homes in South Gloucestershire (SG). It explains the methodology that was developed, the findings of the peer review process and reflects on the effectiveness of the process.

Design/methodology/approach

– The peer review consisted of two stages. The first stage involved a panel of local stakeholders carrying out an audit of a random selection of cases where people had been assessed as needing permanent nursing or residential care. From this four cases of inappropriate admissions were identified. Stage two involved an externally facilitated process with two peer challenge panels; one of local stakeholders and the other external experts. The two panels analysed the cases of inappropriate admissions, identified the system causes and suggested actions to tackle the issues which were fed back to an audience of local stakeholders.

Findings

– The combination of case audit and peer review was successful in providing robust challenge to the processes in SG by identifying shortcomings in the system and suggesting actions to improve outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

– The approach was taken in one Council area and therefore may not be replicable in another area.

Practical implications

– The case study suggests that a peer review approach using both local and external peers, including providers, is an effective way to identify weaknesses in the health and social care processes. The insights offered by external peers and providers is helpful for councils in identifying where to focus resources and suggests that other areas should consider proactive adaptations to the peer review methodology that is offered as part of the LGA’s programme of sector-led improvement.

Social implications

– The case study suggests that a peer review approach could have a positive impact on the quality of care and quality of life for older people who are admitted to hospital.

Originality/value

– The case study offers an innovative and original use of the peer review approach in social care that can be shared with other councils and partners. The Southwest Improvement Board have identified it as of particular interest to other areas seeking to work with partners to identify and implement positive change.
The impact of knowledge management on job satisfaction
Authors: Kianto Aino , Vanhala Mika , Heilmann Pia
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to propose that knowledge management (KM) could be a way to nurture job satisfaction and examine how KM can increase individual employees’ job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model concerning the connections between five facets of KM (knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, knowledge codification and knowledge retention) and job satisfaction is proposed. It is then empirically tested with a structural equation modelling partial least squares analysis of a survey data set of 824 observations, collected from the members of a Finnish municipal organisation.

Findings

Existence of KM processes in one’s working environment is significantly linked with high job satisfaction. Especially intra-organisational knowledge sharing seems to be a key KM process, promoting satisfaction with one’s job in most employee groups. Interestingly, significant knowledge-based promoters of job satisfaction differ as a function of job characteristics.

Practical implications

KM has a strong impact on employee job satisfaction, and therefore, managers are advised to implement KM activities in their organisations, not only for the sake of improving knowledge worker performance but also for improving their well-being at work.

Originality/value

This paper produces knowledge on a type of consequence of KM that has been largely unexplored in previous research, individual job satisfaction. Also, it promotes moving the KM literature to the next stage where the impact of KM practices is not explored as a “one size fits all” type of a phenomenon, but rather as a contingent and contextual issue.
Measuring knowledge in organizations: a knowledge-in-practice approach
Authors: McIver Derrick , Wang Xiaodan “Abby”
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a reliable and valid scale for measuring the underlying knowledge involved in work. To do so, it builds on the knowledge-in-practice (KIP) framework that suggests different types of work have different underlying knowledge characteristics. This allows us to answer two important questions: What are the underlying characteristics of KIP that are important to effectively manage a firm’s knowledge resources? How do we measure these characteristics? The answers help to build theoretical and empirical understanding of the construct of KIP.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a discovery-oriented survey design methodology to design the survey instrument, followed by a mixed-methods approach to validate the scale.

Findings

A new scale is developed for measuring the tacitness and learnability of the knowledge involved in work. It allows work units to be evaluated based on the underlying knowledge involved in different types of work.

Research limitations/implications

The KIP scale can be used for measuring the type of knowledge characteristics in organizations. Academics can use this study as a basic model to explore knowledge across different contexts and focus on the different characteristics within and across work contexts.

Practical implications

The study provides a clearer and more granular understanding of knowledge in organizations that can be used as a guideline to refer to when measuring and assessing knowledge requirements.

Originality/value

Scholars have pushed to understand work from a knowledge and collaboration perspective. A measurement scale for the KIP framework provides a critical first step towards this outcome.
Communities of practice as an initiative for knowledge sharing in business organisations: a literature review
Authors: Aljuwaiber Abobakr
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review the research and to summarise the evidence on communities of practice (CoPs) as a tool for sharing knowledge. It will highlight the related literature from the past two decades by looking at potential barriers, solutions and influential factors regarding CoPs within business organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study consists of a constructed approach to determine the sources for the review that covers relevant literature on the topic of CoPs.

Findings

This paper provides insights about the important role of CoPs in fostering knowledge-sharing within business organisations. It suggests that the impact of globalisation has encouraged many business firms to intentionally establish CoPs as a vital tool for knowledge management (KM) initiatives. It also appears that the importance of the three organisational factors – top management, structure and culture – lies in their ability to have a direct effect on intentionally established CoPs within business organisations.

Research limitations/implications

The paper suggests a number of ways in which intentionally established CoPs can be developed within business companies. This paper limited its review to three organisational factors. Investigation of other organisational factors is needed.

Originality/value

This paper provides a detailed insight into the management literature on CoPs as an initiative for knowledge sharing within business organisations.
Research, recovery and mental health: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Collins Padraig , Crowe Sarah
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the limitations of the current research paradigm in mental health, particularly from a recovery perspective, and to suggest an alternative approach to clinical research which may be more in line with recovery principles.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper will first review the dominant research methodology utilised by the mental health disciplines, discussing some of the limitations of this approach, particularly from a recovery perspective. Existing research methodologies which embody recovery principles will then be outlined, before an alternative, more recovery-oriented, approach to research is discussed.

Findings

– The findings from this paper suggest that the current research paradigm utilised by the mental health disciplines may not be producing the most optimal results, and that a more recovery-oriented approach could help add to the value of this research, while also involving service users and their carers in the research process in a more meaningful way.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper will explore possibilities for undertaking recovery-informed research, which has implications, not only for researchers, service users and their families, but also for the practice of mental health disciplines more broadly.

Originality/value

– This paper will introduce a critique of traditional research methodology in mental health and will present an alternative recovery-oriented approach which could help to overcome some of the limitations of the more traditional approach.