bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sick from Freedom
Authors: Downs Jim
Published: March 2015

Bondspeople who fled from slavery during and after the Civil War did not expect that their flight toward freedom would lead to sickness, disease, suffering, and death. But the war produced the largest biological crisis of the nineteenth century, and this book reveals, it had deadly consequences for hundreds of thousands of freed people. The book recovers the untold story of one of the bitterest ironies in American history—that the emancipation of the slaves, seen as one of the great turning points in U.S. history, had devastating consequences for innumerable freedpeople. Drawing on new research into the records of the Medical Division of the Freedmen’s Bureau—a nascent national health system that cared for more than 500,000 freed slaves—this book shows how the collapse of the plantation economy released a plague of lethal diseases. With emancipation, African Americans seized the chance to move, migrating as never before. But in their journey to freedom, they also encountered yellow fever, smallpox, cholera, dysentery, malnutrition, and exposure. To address this crisis, the Medical Division hired more than 120 physicians, establishing some forty underfinanced and understaffed hospitals scattered throughout the South, largely in response to medical emergencies. The book shows that the goal of the Medical Division was to promote a healthy workforce, an aim which often excluded a wide range of freedpeople, including women, the elderly, the physically disabled, and children. The book concludes by tracing how the Reconstruction policy was then implemented in the American West, where it was disastrously applied to Native Americans.
Dying to Be Free
Authors: Downs Jim
Published: March 2015

This chapter focuses on the process of emancipation in the United States, with particular emphasis on factors that led to high mortality rates and epidemic outbreaks. These factors include freedpeople’s nebulous political status, the ambiguous military policies addressing emancipation, and the unhealthy environments in which they were forced to live. The chapter argues that the military, federal government, the Office of Surgeon General, sanitary reformers, the medical profession, and even freed slaves were unprepared for the medical catastrophes produced by the Civil War and could not stop the spread of illness and disease.
The Anatomy of Emancipation
Authors: Downs Jim
Published: March 2015

This chapter examines why disease broke out among emancipated slaves after the Civil War, with particular reference to the federal government’s inability to develop a free labor economy in the postwar South. It looks at the serious unemployment among thousands of former slaves and their susceptibility to disease outbreaks. It also considers how the Medical Division of the Freedmen’s Bureau developed in response to the medical crises that plagued the Reconstruction South. It argues that federal and army officials’ concerns about freedpeople’s medical condition were rooted in developing a healthy labor force, which contradicted former abolitionists and sanitary reformers’ call for federal intervention based on a benevolent concern for freedpeople’s health and well-being.
Epilogue
Authors: Downs Jim
Published: March 2015

This epilogue follows officials of the Freedmen’s Bureau on their journey from the Reconstruction South to the West, focusing on their efforts, and those of former abolitionists and military personnel, to facilitate Native Americans’ transition to reservations. It looks at the way Native Americans were encouraged to develop a system of agricultural production similar to the plantation South after the Civil War, along with the sickness and disease that broke out among them as government officials attempted to create a system of free labor in the service of Native American resettlement. It argues that federal officials did not fully understand the environmental challenges of transforming large plots of land into an agrarian economy, and links the epidemics on the mass, forced migrations of Native peoples orchestrated by government and army officials.
First Glimpse of Dawn?
Authors: Roll David L.
Published: March 2015

This chapter focuses on Harry Hopkins's role in organizing lend-lease under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. It first considers the Senate floor debate on the lend-lease legislation and Democratic Senator Burton Wheeler's claim that lend-lease was another “New Deal AAA foreign policy—plow under every fourth American boy.” It then discusses Congress's passage of the lend-lease bill, entitled “An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States,” which authorized the president to “sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of” any munitions or defense-related item to “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” It also assesses Winston Churchill's reaction to the passage of the legislation and Hopkins's efforts behind the scenes with Roosevelt to make sure he would control administration of the program once it became law.
The Best They Could Do
Authors: Roll David L.
Published: March 2015

This chapter examines Harry Hopkins's role in the Big Three conference held in Yalta during World War II. It first considers the agenda of the conference among Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, including the final assault on Germany, the Soviet Union's commitment to join the war against Japan, the organization of the United Nations, and issues relating to the anticipated defeat of the Germans. It then discusses Hopkins's trip across liberated Europe into southern Italy, as well as Roosevelt's travel to Malta before concluding with an assessment of Hopkins's influence on the decisions made at the Yalta conference.
A web-based personally controlled health management system increases sexually transmitted infection screening rates in young people: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mortimer Nathan J , Rhee Joel , Guy Rebecca , Hayen Andrew , Lau Annie Y S
Published: March 2015

Objective To determine if a web-based personally controlled health management system (PCHMS) could increase the uptake of sexually transmitted infections (STI) screening among a young university population.

Methods A non-blinded parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants aged 18–29 years were recruited from a university environment between April and August 2013, and randomized 1:1 to either the intervention group (immediate online PCHMS access) or control group (no PCHMS access). The study outcome was self-reported STI testing, measured by an online follow-up survey in October 2013.

Results Of the 369 participants allocated to the PCHMS, 150 completed the follow-up survey, and of the 378 in the control group, 225 completed the follow-up survey. The proportion of the PCHMS group who underwent an STI test during the study period was 15.3% (23/150) compared with 7.6% (17/225) in the control group (P = .017). The difference in STI testing rates within the subgroup of sexually active participants (20.4% (23/113) of the PCHMS group compared with 9.6% (15/157) of the control group) was significantly higher (P = .027) than among non-sexually active participants.

Discussion Access to the PCHMS was associated with a significant increase in participants undergoing STI testing. This is also the first study to demonstrate efficacy of a PCHMS targeting a health concern where susceptibility is generally perceived as low and the majority of infections are asymptomatic.

Conclusion PCHMS interventions may provide an effective means of increasing the demand for STI testing which, combined with increased opportunistic testing by clinicians, could reduce the high and sustained rates of STIs in young people.
From Select Agent to an Established Pathogen: The Response to Phakopsora pachyrhizi (Soybean Rust) in North America
Authors: Kelly Heather Y. , Dufault Nicholas S. , Walker David R. , Isard Scott A. , Schneider Raymond W. , Giesler Loren J. , Wright David L. , Marois James J. , Hartman Glen L.
Published: March 2015

The pathogen causing soybean rust, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, was first described in Japan in 1902. The disease was important in the Eastern Hemisphere for many decades before the fungus was reported in Hawaii in 1994, which was followed by reports from countries in Africa and South America. In 2004, P. pachyrhizi was confirmed in Louisiana, making it the first report in the continental United States. Based on yield losses from countries in Asia, Africa, and South America, it was clear that this pathogen could have a major economic impact on the yield of 30 million ha of soybean in the United States. The response by agencies within the United States Department of Agriculture, industry, soybean check-off boards, and universities was immediate and complex. The impacts of some of these activities are detailed in this review. The net result has been that the once dreaded disease, which caused substantial losses in other parts of the world, is now better understood and effectively managed in the United States. The disease continues to be monitored yearly for changes in spatial and temporal distribution so that soybean growers can continue to benefit by knowing where soybean rust is occurring during the growing season.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Race TKTTF of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici that Caused a Wheat Stem Rust Epidemic in Southern Ethiopia in 2013–14
Authors: Olivera Pablo , Newcomb Maria , Szabo Les J. , Rouse Matthew , Johnson Jerry , Gale Samuel , Luster Douglas G. , Hodson David , Cox James A. , Burgin Laura , Hort Matt , Gilligan Christopher A. , Patpour Mehran , Justesen Annemarie F. , Hovmøller Mogens S. , Woldeab Getaneh , Hailu Endale , Hundie Bekele , Tadesse Kebede , Pumphrey Michael , Singh Ravi P. , Jin Yue
Published: March 2015

A severe stem rust epidemic occurred in southern Ethiopia during November 2013 to January 2014, with yield losses close to 100% on the most widely grown wheat cultivar, ‘Digalu’. Sixty-four stem rust samples collected from the regions were analyzed. A meteorological model for airborne spore dispersal was used to identify which regions were most likely to have been infected from postulated sites of initial infection. Based on the analyses of 106 single-pustule isolates derived from these samples, four races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici were identified: TKTTF, TTKSK, RRTTF, and JRCQC. Race TKTTF was found to be the primary cause of the epidemic in the southeastern zones of Bale and Arsi. Isolates of race TKTTF were first identified in samples collected in early October 2013 from West Arsi. It was the sole or predominant race in 31 samples collected from Bale and Arsi zones after the stem rust epidemic was established. Race TTKSK was recovered from 15 samples from Bale and Arsi zones at low frequencies. Genotyping indicated that isolates of race TKTTF belongs to a genetic lineage that is different from the Ug99 race group and is composed of two distinct genetic types. Results from evaluation of selected germplasm indicated that some cultivars and breeding lines resistant to the Ug99 race group are susceptible to race TKTTF. Appearance of race TKTTF and the ensuing epidemic underlines the continuing threats and challenges posed by stem rust not only in East Africa but also to wider-scale wheat production.
Customer personality and relationship satisfaction
Authors: Mishra Vishal , Vaithianathan Sridhar
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of customer personality and customer relationship proneness (CRP) on customer’s relationship satisfaction (CS) with the firm in emerging economies context. In the study, the authors state that the relationship proneness of the customer (CRP) would be influenced by personality trait of the customer. To examine the argument on personality trait, the authors have adopted Big Five personality trait theory in this study. The authors also argue that CRP would influence CS. Furthermore the authors put forth that customer’s perception of marketer’s relationship orientation (RMO) would mediate the relationship between CRP and CS.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data for the study were collected through structured questionnaire. A sample of 428 respondents was obtained through questionnaire survey (response rate 41.19 percent) and the hypotheses depicting the aforementioned relationships were empirically tested in the context of banking services in India. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used for data analysis.

Findings

– The results confirm that personality traits influences CRP. Further, customer’s perception of RMO is found to have a mediating effect.

Research limitations/implications

– The study utilizes cross-sectional data, so the results of the study might vary depending upon the context (country/sector).

Practical implications

– The outcomes of the study can be utilized by the marketers, particularly in the emerging economies like India for formulating targeted strategies in accordance with the personality type of the customers.

Originality/value

– The relationship between CRP, personality traits and CS of the customer using Big Five personality theory has been empirically analysed in the context of an emerging economy.
Mobile Banking
Authors: Moser Florian
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Though Mobile Banking has raised high expectations in research and practice, it neither experienced broad adoption nor allows it banks to realize additional earnings yet. By analyzing the discourse in form of publications in research and practice as a proxy for the subsequent actual adoption, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether Mobile Banking is just a fashionable concept and whether academics or practitioners are leading the debate on Mobile Banking.

Design/methodology/approach

– On the basis of academic and practical Mobile Banking publications from the last 13 years, discourse analysis was applied to examine patterns in the Mobile Banking literature and thus debate in research and practice. Previous patterns have been extended to examine whether the Mobile Banking discourse has fashionable aspects indicating a transient hype or whether it indicates long-term institutionalization. By differentiating between academic and practical publications, the different roles have been analyzed.

Findings

– Mobile Banking discourse shows a positive trend indicating a broader adoption in nearer future which should encourage both researchers and practitioners to stay involved in the topic. Temporary developments and the emergence of technological innovations (e.g. Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, iPhone) created a fashionable hype around Mobile Banking showing that the acceptance is probably linked to developments like convenience, usefulness or availability. New phenomenon like social networks thus should be integrated in future considerations regarding Mobile Banking.

Originality/value

– First study about the fashionable aspect in Mobile Banking literature discourse. Combination of conceptual work, literature review and methodological approach in form of regression and pattern analysis. Applies the method of a former work and extends the methodology by the characteristics of fashionable innovations.
The effects of luxury restaurant environments on diners’ emotions and loyalty
Authors: Chen Annie , Peng Norman , Hung Kuang-peng
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine diners’ luxury restaurant consumption behavior by incorporating diner expectations into a modified Mehrabian–Russell model. Consumers dine at luxury restaurants for reasons beyond fulfilling basic needs. However, little is known about the factors that contribute to diners’ emotions and loyalty toward luxury restaurants.

Design/methodology/approach

– To examine the proposed six hypotheses, qualitative and quantitative studies were performed. Following exploratory qualitative research, 310 consumers who dined at Taiwan’s five-star hotel restaurants were recruited for the main study. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The results show that restaurants’ stimuli influence diners’ positive and negative emotions (organisms), which, in turn, affect their loyalty toward luxury restaurants (responses). Furthermore, customers with different levels of expectation react differently to stimuli.

Practical implications

– This study offers new empirical support for the proposition that diner expectation plays a role in building customer loyalty and, thereby, shades both theoretical and managerial understanding of the luxury restaurant consumption process.

Originality/value

– This study conceptualizes diners’ loyalty toward luxury restaurants (e.g. revisiting and recommending luxury restaurants) by examining the influence of restaurants’ stimuli, diners’ emotions and customers’ expectations toward luxury restaurants. Additionally, this study offers some managerial implications for practitioners.
Developing multi-dimensional green value
Authors: Jiang Yang , Kim Youngtae
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to elucidate how green value influences potential green hotel customers’ propensity to choose green. Studies on green hotels emphasized environmental and financial benefits that conventional hotels do not provide to society or the companies. However, these benefits may not be the ones that resonate best with its potential customers. Besides, given the characteristics of green products, it is also important to point out how customers perceive green-related costs.

Design/methodology/approach

– A pilot test was conducted in three universities and then an anonymous questionnaire was randomly administered to Korean passengers at the Incheon International Airport. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were the primary methods of data analysis.

Findings

– Four dimensions for perceived green benefits and three dimensions for perceived green costs emerged: functional, emotional, social and epistemic benefits; and monetary, explicit and implicit costs. Environmental concern influenced perceived green benefits positively and perceived green costs negatively, while its relationship with purchase intention was insignificant. Perceived green benefits was not a significant predictor of purchase intention, but perceived green costs was, and it partially mediated the effect of environmental concern on purchase intention. Functional and emotional benefits as well as monetary and explicit costs were significantly associated with purchase intention.

Research limitations/implications

– This study has only investigated customer perceived value of a green hotel stay in the pre-purchase stage, and hotel brand level was not taken into consideration. Besides, convenience sampling of Korean respondents only may limit the generalizability of the research findings.

Practical implications

– Research findings help to explain the inconsistency between eco-friendly attitude and green purchase intentions. Managers may understand the importance of developing customers’ green awareness and how to market the green value to them.

Originality/value

– Few researches have focused on the role of customer perceived value in explaining true behavioral change of green hotel guests. The current study may be the first attempt to incorporate the social exchange theory into the conceptual model, and extend the knowledge of perceived value in this specific green context by not only emphasizing multi-dimensional perceived green benefits and perceived green costs but also incorporating a situational factor of environmental concern.
Re-examining perceived usefulness and ease of use in online booking
Authors: Kucukusta Deniz , Law Rob , Besbes Alia , Legohérel Patrick
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to report the findings of an empirical research focusing on Hong Kong online users’ intention to book online tourism products with latest figures. Focusing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), this case study extends the recent research with providing insight regarding the online users’ perceptions of TAM dimensions and how these dimensions are perceived among different demographic groups and Internet usage characteristics with latest figures in Hong Kong, a major tourism destination in Asia with many world-class hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 213 Hong Kong online users were surveyed in March and April 2013 in Hong Kong business districts.

Findings

– Findings reveal that most respondents who use the Internet for booking online travel products are young, and people above a certain age are not likely to favor booking tourism products online. They are more likely to stick to traditional personal service. Perceived usefulness of the Internet is found more influential than its ease of use in forming a usage intention, and ease of use is perceived more important by jobseekers, student and employees than the other profession groups. In addition, respondents who use the Internet every day and did purchase online tourism product perceived usefulness more important than ease of use.

Research limitations/implications

– The generalization of this research is limited by its sample size and number of questions.

Originality/value

– The study gives a new perspective by linking TAM with intention to book online in Hong Kong. The paper would be of interest to the Web site planners or online tourism practitioners to consider Web site usefulness as much as its ease of its use, as both usefulness and ease of use of tourism Web sites are strong predictors of intention to book online.
Artificial intelligence for closed-loop ventilation therapy with hemodynamic control using the open lung concept
Authors: Pomprapa Anake , Muanghong Danita , Köny Marcus , Leonhardt Steffen , Pickerodt Philipp , Tjarks Onno , Schwaiberger David , Lachmann Burkhard
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop an automatic control system for mechanical ventilation therapy based on the open lung concept (OLC) using artificial intelligence. In addition, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) is stabilized by means of a decoupling controller with automated noradrenaline (NA) dosage to ensure adequate systemic perfusion during ventilation therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Design/methodology/approach

– The aim is to develop an automatic control system for mechanical ventilation therapy based on the OLC using artificial intelligence. In addition, MAP is stabilized by means of a decoupling controller with automated NA dosage to ensure adequate systemic perfusion during ventilation therapy for patients with ARDS.

Findings

– This innovative closed-loop mechanical ventilation system leads to a significant improvement in oxygenation, regulates end-tidal carbon dioxide for appropriate gas exchange and stabilizes MAP to guarantee proper systemic perfusion during the ventilation therapy.

Research limitations/implications

– Currently, this automatic ventilation system based on the OLC can only be applied in animal trials; for clinical use, such a system generally requires a mechanical ventilator and sensors with medical approval for humans.

Practical implications

– For implementation of a closed-loop ventilation system, reliable signals from the sensors are a prerequisite for successful application.

Originality/value

– The experiment with porcine dynamics demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of this automatic closed-loop ventilation therapy, with hemodynamic control for severe ARDS. Moreover, this pilot study validated a new algorithm for implementation of the OLC, whereby all control objectives are fulfilled during the ventilation therapy with adequate hemodynamic control of patients with ARDS.
Facilitating system-wide organizational change in health care
Authors: Westerlund Anna , Garvare Rickard , Höög Elisabet , Nyström Monica Elisabeth
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to investigate the role of an intra-organizational change facilitating function (CFF) in relation to a multi-level development initiative in a health care organization. Involved actors’ views on factors in need of attention and how the CFF related to these factors were studied.

Design/methodology/approach

– A longitudinal case study design was used, combining data from questionnaires, process diaries and interviews with employees at the CFF, managers and clinic staff.

Findings

– Factors on micro, meso and macro levels, crucial to attend to, were highlighted by respondents at staff and managerial levels. The CFF related to some of these factors by acting upon them, or by developing plans to handle them, while other factors were unattended to. The CFF activities also had indirect influence on other factors. The CFF role and responsibilities were not clearly defined beforehand, and a need to clarify a division of roles and responsibilities is highlighted.

Research limitations/implications

– Our study contributes to current knowledge on facilitation of change by relating it to an organizational dimension of implementation.

Practical implications

– The description of important factors to handle during a large organizational change process and issues a CFF can encounter may aid others involved in designing and managing large organizational development initiatives.

Originality/value

– The study elaborates on less studied functions and roles of an intra-organizational CFF in relation to factors of vital importance for organizational change and development in health-care organizations.
Excellence models in the public sector. Relationships between enablers and results
Authors: Raharjo Hendry , Guglielmetti Mugion Roberta , Eriksson Henrik , Gremyr Ida , Di Pietro Laura , Renzi Maria F
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to identify possible correlations between the stated “enablers” and “results” in excellence models, and to explain how different variables contribute to the “enablers” and “results”. A cross-case study of two different excellence models, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in Italy and the Swedish Institute for Quality (SIQ) model for performance excellence, is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on the evaluation of assessment reports of public organizations across two countries, Italy and Sweden. Canonical correlation was used for data analysis. Two hypotheses were formulated: There is a correlation between “enablers” and “results” in the CAF model, and there is a correlation between “enablers” and “results” in the SIQ model.

Findings

– The results show that the hypotheses are supported. It turned out that the correlation is higher for the SIQ model than for the CAF model. For the CAF model, “strategy and planning” is the main contributor to the “enablers”, and for the SIQ model, “human resource development” is the main contributor. For the “results” set, similar criteria provide the strongest contributor for both models; these are “customer/citizen-oriented results” for the CAF and “customer satisfaction” for the SIQ.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the knowledge gained from a cross-case analysis of two different excellence models applied in public sector organizations, the CAF in Italy and the SIQ model for performance excellence in Sweden. The paper also contributes to an ongoing discussion of a need of excellence models being adapted specifically for the public sector; from this study, no support for such a sector-specific model is shown.
Film forming behaviour of oil soluble polyalkylene glycols
Authors: Greaves Martin , Topolovec Miklozic Ksenija
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to examine the film-forming behaviour of simple compositions of polyalphaolefin (PAO) containing an oil-soluble polyalkylene glycol (OSP) alone, a zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) alone and then combinations of an OSP and ZDDP.

Design/methodology/approach

– A Mini-Traction Machine with Spacer Layer Imaging technology was used to evaluate friction and film formation under a specific contact pressure, temperature and slide-to-roll ratio. Electrical contact resistance measurements were used to follow surface film formation.

Findings

– The inclusion of an OSP to a PAO showed evidence of friction-reducing behaviour with low friction values over the rubbing cycle but no significant tribo-film build up. When a ZDDP (1 per cent) is added to the PAO, a thick tribo-film forms of about 100 nm. Addition of an OSP (10 per cent) shows this film still forms despite the OSP being a polar and surface-active additive.

Research limitations/implications

– The study was conducted under a narrow range of test conditions (e.g. temperature and contact pressure), and future work will focus on friction and film formation across a broader set of conditions.

Practical implications

– Despite OSPs being polar and surface-active, they do not interfere with the ZDDP in forming an anti-wear film in a PAO and, therefore, their inherent properties of good deposit control could enhance the performance of modern lubricants.

Originality/value

– OSPs offer promising benefits as friction reducers in PAOs. The research also suggests that OSPs do not negate the formation of ZDDP anti-wear tribo-films when in combination in a PAO.
Wear behaviour of carbon steel cutting wheel thermal flame sprayed with chromium carbide
Authors: Anasyida Abu Seman , Nurulakmal Mohd Sharif
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to develop and evaluate an inexpensive and durable metal cutting wheel using thermal spraying and polymer binding to enhance the wheel’s cutting capability by bonding hard particles (abrasives) onto the wheel.

Design/methodology/approach

– Thermal spraying was used to deposit the coating powder (chromium and silicon carbide) onto high carbon substrate. Wear loss and depth of cut as function of load, time and speed were evaluated on uncoated and coated wheel.

Findings

– The coated cutting wheel performed better than the uncoated cutting wheel in terms of wear performance. However, the coated cutting wheel experienced coating peel off at higher load and cutting speed, leading to a decrease in wear resistance of the cutting wheel. Thus, optimally cutting should be performed either at low cutting speed and high load or at high cutting speed and low load to prolong the wheel’s lifetime.

Originality/value

– The outcome of the study will be beneficial for academicians and industrial working on cutting wheel process.
Development of novel additives for slide way lubricants
Authors: Mohan C. B. , Venkatesh K. , Divakar C. , Gopalakrishna K. , Murali L. , Lakshminarayana Bhatta K. G.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The paper aims to address the formulation of zirconium and oxalicum additive-based lubricants for use in slide ways to meet the demands of high positioning exactness based on reduction in stick–slip and coefficient of friction over a wide speed range and compares the same with commercially available lubricant.

Design/methodology/approach

– An investigation into the frictional properties and stick-slip behavior of lubricating oil is carried out using linear reciprocating tribometer and correlated with ultraviolet spectroscopic analysis.

Findings

– It is observed that these transition metal additive compounds support in increasing the flexibility of the molecular chains leading to improved lubricity.

Originality/value

– The lubricant additives considered for the current study are based on transition metals zirconium and oxalicum. It is observed that these additive compounds support in increasing the flexibility of the molecular chains, leading to improved lubricity.
The Jatropha curcas vegetable base soluble cutting oil as a renewable source in the machining of aluminum alloy 7050-T7451
Authors: Bork Carlos Alberto Schuch , Gonçalves Janaina Fracaro Souza , Gomes Jefferson Oliveira
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This article aims to collect data on the aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 machinability used in the manufacturing of aeronautical structures, using the combination of the jatropha vegetable-base soluble cutting oil in relation to the canola vegetal and semisynthetic mineral oils and the technique to apply cutting fluid by flood in relation to the Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) in the milling process (HSM – high-speed machining).

Design/methodology/approach

– It was observed that the jatropha vegetal cutting oil presented the best results in relation to requirements for lubrication, superficial mean roughness (index Ra) and shape errors in relation to the other oils in both the techniques to apply fluid which were tested. Comparing the application techniques, the jatropha vegetal oil offered an increase in the life span of the cutting tool, using the flood technique, exceeding in almost six times the machined length of the cutting tool in relation to the MQL technique in the same process conditions.

Findings

– The Jatropha vegetable-base cutting oil, besides being produced from a renewable source, has inherent characteristics that can help attain a sustainable manufacturing, mainly with the use of the flood technique to apply cutting fluid in the aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 machining.

Originality/value

– The Jatropha (vegetable) oil, in relation to its physicochemical properties, appeared to be the best one fit for being used in the machining of aluminum alloys 7050-T7451 because it did not interfere with any of the elements involved in the formation of intergranular corrosion and/or pitting, which are not allowed in the aeronautical production of parts. Jatropha (vegetable) cutting oil, besides being produced from a clean and renewable source, has the inherent characteristics that can help attain a sustainable manufacturing.
The impact of reputation and identity congruence on employer brand attractiveness
Authors: Xie Chunyan , Bagozzi Richard P. , Meland Kjersti V.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to extend research on employer branding in the recruitment context. The authors develop a model that integrates research from employer branding, social identity theory, and person-organization fit in order to investigate the impact of company reputation and identity congruency between organizations and their job applicants on the attractiveness of an employer brand.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online survey was conducted to test the theoretical model in a recruitment context in the Norwegian offshore industry. Structural equation modelling is employed in the data analysis.

Findings

– A key finding is that a company’s reputation and identity congruence between applicants’ self-identities and their perceived organization identity affect job applicants’ job pursuit intentions through mediation of cognitive social identity. Moreover, identity congruence predicts applicants’ cognitive identification with the company.

Practical implications

– The study suggests that managers should try to map and understand central characteristics that describe job applicants’ identities and strive to provide applicants with access to necessary information about the company to form cognitive identification with the company.

Originality/value

– The authors extend research on employer branding by incorporating social identity and attitude as mediators between symbolic and instrumental attributes of an employer brand and its attractiveness. This study also deepens research on social identity by including explicitly a comparison process between applicants’ self-identities and their perceived organizational identity, which leads to applicants’ identification with the company.
The impact of sound experiences on the shopping behaviour of children and their parents
Authors: Hultén Bertil M L
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how the introduction of auditory sensory cues, through a human voice, affect children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour in a retail grocery setting. In the field of retailing and sensory marketing research, there is a paucity of knowledge on how auditory sensory cues impact on consumers’ shopping behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical study was a field experiment and entailed direct observation of shoppers of the Swedish grocery retailer ICA. The observations were based on a convenience sample of shopping families assigned to a control group (n=200) and an experimental group (n=131). A new innovative Swedish audio story track system was to be tested in a hypermarket containing 13 different stories for children.

Findings

– Auditory sensory cues affect children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour in a significant way. Children are quieter, more relaxed and do not move around and reduce the parental stress behaviour during the shopping process.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings demonstrate that auditory sensory cues through human voice have a positive effect on children’s and parent’s shopping behaviour. It is also obvious that parent’s perceived stress is significantly influenced by the children.

Practical implications

– The study provides guidelines for grocery retailers who wish to offer children and their parents a more pleasant shopping trip by emphasizing the role of the children.

Originality/value

– The research demonstrates that the introduction of auditory sensory cues through human voice in a significant way affect the children’s and their parent’s shopping behaviour in a retail setting.
Information behaviors in value adding of farmers’ production and marketing in Thailand
Authors: Seenuankaew Unchasa , Vongprasert Chollabhat
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to study the information behavior of farmers regarding value adding in production and marketing. This paper is a component of a larger and more comprehensive research study of farmers and their behavior regarding the acquisition and use of information.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research was qualitative and based on the Grounded Theory. In-depth interviews, observations and field survey recordings were conducted to collect data. Pan Tae Sub-district, Khuan Khanun District, Phatthalung Province, Thailand was selected as the research field site. The sample consisted of 14 key informants selected by the theoretical sampling technique. These informants were successful in value adding to their production and marketing process.

Findings

– Farmers require information because of problems associated with low product prices and being taken advantage of by middlemen. Farmers’ information-seeking behavior includes: transfer of information from governmental academic officers and community leaders, exchanges of information among community farmers and training/study trips. Farmers use information in brand building, product differentiation and development of product quality, all with the main objective of increasing income.

Originality/value

– Information behaviors of farmers were theoretically summarized from farmers’ development in their social and farming context. The new and expanded knowledge obtained from a Thai context will be useful for the science and profession of library and information science. This information will also improve methods of communicating valuable information to farmers, thereby improving productivity and quality of life.
Faculty perception of Wikipedia in the California State University System
Authors: Soules Aline
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore whether faculty perceptions of Wikipedia have changed over a five-year period.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey was conducted of four universities in the California State University System – California State University, East Bay; Humboldt State University; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; and California State University, Fresno. Following the survey, respondents who volunteered their contact information were interviewed about their perceptions and/or their assignments/projects involving Wikipedia.

Findings

– The study showed that, overall, faculty perceptions of Wikipedia have shifted in Wikipedia’s favor and that some faculty members create interesting and unique assignments that involve Wikipedia or Wikipedia-like work.

Research limitations/implications

– This study sampled 4 of 23 campuses in the California State University System.

Practical implications

– The growing acceptance of Wikipedia has implications for course work with students both in terms of assignments in the discipline and also for the need to ensure students understand how to evaluate sources.

Social implications

– The shift to Wikipedia is symptomatic of the larger shift to non-traditional research tools.

Originality/value

– The literature discussing faculty perceptions of Wikipedia has not discussed whether faculty perceptions are shifting.
Measuring Prices in Health Care Markets Using Commercial Claims Data
Authors: Neprash Hannah T. , Wallace Jacob , Chernew Michael E. , McWilliams J. Michael
Published: March 2015

Objective

To compare methods of price measurement in health care markets.

Data Sources

Truven Health Analytics MarketScan commercial claims.

Study Design

We constructed medical prices indices using three approaches: (1) a “sentinel” service approach based on a single common service in a specific clinical domain, (2) a market basket approach, and (3) a spending decomposition approach. We constructed indices at the Metropolitan Statistical Area level and estimated correlations between and within them.

Principal Findings

Price indices using a spending decomposition approach were strongly and positively correlated with indices constructed from broad market baskets of common services (r > 0.95). Prices of single common services exhibited weak to moderate correlations with each other and other measures.

Conclusions

Market‐level price measures that reflect broad sets of services are likely to rank markets similarly. Price indices relying on individual sentinel services may be more appropriate for examining specialty‐ or service‐specific drivers of prices.
Eosinophilic Coronary Periarteritis with Arterial Dissection: The Mast Cell Hypothesis
Authors: Mandal Rakesh , Brooks Erin G. , Corliss Robert F.
Published: March 2015

A subset of coronary arterial dissections is associated with eosinophilic coronary periarteritis (ECPA); however, the pathogenesis of the process remains unclear. Mast cells normally reside in coronary arterial adventitia and are known mediators of eosinophilic inflammatory conditions such as type I hypersensitivity reactions. We report two cases in which coronary arterial dissection with ECPA was detected at autopsy. Tryptase, CD68, CD4, CD8, and CD1a immunohistochemical staining was performed to better characterize inflammation. While eosinophils represented a prominent periadventitial inflammatory cell, there were slightly more lymphocytes: CD4/CD8 ratios were within expected reference ranges. There were moderate numbers of macrophages, and few neutrophils or dendritic cells. Numbers of mast cells in dissected versus nondissected sections were compared: adventitial mast cell densities were threefold higher in dissected portions and showed a trend toward increased degranulation. These findings suggest that mast cells may play a role in orchestrating inflammation in cases of ECPA.
Bronchoscopic debulking for endobronchial malignancy: Predictors of recanalization and recurrence
Authors: Kuo Scott Chih‐Hsi , Lo Yu‐Lun , Chou Chun‐Liang , Chung Fu‐Tsai , Lin Shu‐Min , Liu Chien‐Ying , Kuo Han‐Pin
Published: March 2015

Background

Central airway obstruction related to endobronchial malignancy is one of the most difficult oncological complications and requires efficient palliative intervention.

Methods

Fifty‐three consecutive patients with unresectable endobronchial malignancy receiving bronchoscopic cryotherapy as palliative treatment were retrospectively reviewed. Efficiency was evaluated by the improvement of performance status (PS), and the best achievement of tumor removal was assessed as complete or partial removal.

Result

Patients' PS after cryotherapeutic tumor removal improved from the baseline PS (P = 0.006). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the compression part of the tumor (odds ratio [OR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23∼0.75, P = 0.004) and the thin tumor stalk (OR 87.86; 95% CI 2.31∼3337.37, P = 0.016) were independent predictors of complete tumor removal. Tumors larger than 9.3 cm, including compression and invasion parts, had the highest odds of being only partially removed (positive predictive value [PPV]: 88.2%, likelihood ratio [LR]+: 10.49); tumors smaller than 9.3 cm were likely to be completely removed (negative predictive value [NPV]: 80.6%, LR−: 0.34). After cryotherapy, re‐obstruction was significantly associated with non‐squamous cell carcinoma (65.7 vs. 16.7%, P = 0.001) and patients who had longer overall survival (11.7 vs. 1.5 months, P < 0.001). Odds of tumor re‐obstruction increased 2.28‐fold (PPV: 81.6%, LR+: 2.28) beyond two months; the odds decreased by 81% (NPV: 73.3%, LR−: 0.19) within two months.

Conclusion

Debulking of a tumor using cryotherapy is a useful palliative treatment for endobronchial obstruction secondary to a variety of malignancies.
Early Myoclonic Encephalopathy in 9q33‐q34 Deletion Encompassing STXBP1 and SPTAN1
Authors: Nicita Francesco , Ulgiati Fiorenza , Bernardini Laura , Garone Giacomo , Papetti Laura , Novelli Antonio , Spalice Alberto
Published: March 2015

Deletions in the 9q33‐q34 region have been reported in patients with early onset epileptic encephalopathy, but a consistent phenotype has yet to emerge. We report on the diagnosis of a de novo 9q33‐q34.12 microdeletion of 4 Mb in a 15‐month‐old girl presenting with severe psychomotor delay, facial dysmorphisms, thin corpus callosum and early myoclonic encephalopathy. This deletion encompasses 101 RefSeq genes, including the four autosomal dominant genes STXBP1, SPTAN1, ENG and TOR1A. We discuss genetic, clinical and epileptic features comparing our patient with those previously reported in the literature.
Emotion regulation deficits in euthymic bipolar I versus bipolar II disorder: a functional and diffusion‐tensor imaging study
Authors: Caseras Xavier , Murphy Kevin , Lawrence Natalia S , Fuentes‐Claramonte Paola , Watts Jessica , Jones Derek K , Phillips Mary L
Published: March 2015

Objectives

Emotion regulation deficits are a core feature of bipolar disorder. However, their potential neurobiological underpinnings and existence beyond bipolar I disorder remain unexplored. Our main goal was to investigate whether both individuals with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder show deficits in emotion regulation during an attention control task, and to explore the neurophysiological underpinnings of this potential deficit.

Methods

Twenty healthy controls, 16 euthymic participants with bipolar I disorder, and 19 euthymic participants with bipolar II disorder completed psychometric and clinical assessments, a neuroimaging emotion regulation paradigm, and an anatomical diffusion‐weighted scan. Groups were matched for age, gender, and verbal IQ.

Results

During the presence of emotional distracters, subjects with bipolar I disorder showed slowed reaction times to targets, and increased blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) responses in the amygdala, accumbens, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, but not increased inverse functional connectivity between these prefrontal and subcortical areas, and altered white matter microstructure organization in the right uncinate fasciculus. Subjects with bipolar II disorder showed no altered reaction times, increased BOLD responses in the same brain areas, increased inverse functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, and no abnormalities in white matter organization.

Conclusions

Participants with bipolar I disorder showed abnormalities in functional and anatomical connectivity between prefrontal cortices and subcortical structures in emotion regulation circuitry. However, these deficits did not extend to subjects with bipolar II disorder, suggesting fundamental differences in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder subtypes.