bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technological entrepreneurship and absorptive capacity in Guangdong technology firms
Authors: Petti Claudio , Zhang Shujun
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Technological entrepreneurship concerns the transformation of potentially viable technological opportunities into successful businesses. Absorptive capacity is argued to be essential for this transformation, since it can facilitate the prediction of new technology trends and the assimilation and application of new knowledge to produce new commercial outputs. The investigation of the relationships between absorptive capacity, technological entrepreneurship and their impact on Guangdong technology firms' performance is the purpose of this study.

Design/methodology/approach

In this aim a positive causal chain from absorptive capacity to technological entrepreneurship and from this latter to performance is tested through a mediation analysis, which uses an ordinary least squares regression‐based path analytical framework for estimating indirect effects on a sample of 113 Guangdong technology‐based firms.

Findings

Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that greater absorptive capacity leads to greater technological entrepreneurship, which in turn leads to greater performance. Therefore evidence is provided about both the mediating role of technological entrepreneurship and the role of absorptive capacity as its antecedent in relation to Guangdong‐based technology firms' performance.

Originality/value

A relevant but somewhat neglected relationship is examined using an integrative model in the Guangdong context. Moreover the study uses direct measures of absorptive capacity as a capability and provides a firm‐level operationalization of technological entrepreneurship. In so doing it also adopts state‐of‐the‐art analysis techniques and highlights the relevance of investments in soft factors for Guangdong technology firms' path towards excellence.
Trigger points and high‐growth firms
Authors: Brown Ross , Mawson Suzanne
Published: May 2013

Purpose

As a means of contributing to the literature surrounding the evolution and growth of firms, this paper seeks to outline the explanatory concept of growth trigger points. It aims to examine the forces that propel firms towards different stages of growth and argues that high‐growth firms (HGFs) often encounter important “trigger points” that can affect their growth capabilities. The paper's main aim is to define, conceptualise and illustrate the role of trigger points in promoting rapid growth within businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary methodological approach used was intensive case study research of HGFs in Scotland. The case studies, 40 firms in total, were compiled using a mixed method research approach that included, inter alia, background desk research, firm interviews and interviews with business advisers.

Findings

The research discovered that growth trigger points are extremely diverse and play a major role in shaping the growth trajectory of firms, and highlights three main types of trigger points. While trigger points can fundamentally reconfigure organisations, providing a catalyst for a business to undertake a period of rapid, transformative growth, these events can conversely cause severe organisational turbulence or even decline. Often the critical period determining the ultimate success of the growth opportunity presented is the post‐trigger transition period identified by the authors.

Practical implications

The paper aims to inform public policy on how to support high‐growth entrepreneurship. From a policy perspective, understanding these trigger points is essential for helping policymakers to prioritise and optimise their interventions to help promote rapid firm growth.

Originality/value

The paper's unique contribution to the literature is to help conceptualise how firms move along a growth trajectory, by introducing the novel concept of growth “trigger points”. The paper also seeks to inform public policy, so that interventions can be better attuned to the requirements of dynamic growth businesses.
E‐learning from a student's view with focus on Global Studies
Authors: Bader Lena , Köttstorfer Marlene
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The current Internet Outlook of the OECD states that e‐learning has the potential to revolutionise education and learning – if complemented by suitable didactic approaches. Therefore, the situation of e‐learning is analysed from a student's perspective with focus on a new master program in Global Studies. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the use of ICTs within Global Studies compared to other fields of study.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical basis of this paper is one online survey for students of Global Studies Graz and personal interviews with students' representatives of three different courses of studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Graz and at the University of Vienna.

Findings

Although the intensity of e‐learning technologies is relatively low in Austria as compared to other OECD countries, several courses within the master curriculum of Global Studies Graz use innovative e‐learning techniques at several levels. The level and intensity of ICT usage in Austria reflects the interests of students: around 60 percent prefer ICTs as amendment to traditional teaching methods. Only around 7 percent demand a higher supply of pure online courses.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper can be helpful especially for universities that intend to initiate a master program on global equity, multiculturality, social inclusion, global development, or globalisation.

Social implications

The findings show that students in Austria prefer on‐campus contact with students and lecturers. Nevertheless, in cases where e‐learning increases the quality of lectures and their academic outcomes, it is preferable from a student perspective to further promote the use of ICTs in tertiary education.

Originality/value

Authentic results of student experiences and approaches such as the present analysis are important in order to improve the quality of Global Studies and other similar academic programs.
A novel approach to exploring the concept of resilience and principal drivers in a learning environment
Authors: Matzenberger Julian
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The concept of resilience has emerged recently in scientific debate. The aim of this paper is to outline different notions of the term resilience and explore how the concept of resilience can be applied in order to foster the understanding of complex systems in a learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Characteristics of the resilience concept used in scientific literature are outlined and a methodology is presented that enables an educated decision to be made upon selection of an indicator set for a resilience assessment.

Findings

In this paper, it is argued that vulnerability as well as adaptability shall be the two core components of the resilience concept. It is proposed that resilience is therefore formalised as a function of adaptability and vulnerability.

Originality/value

Definitions of resilience, vulnerability and adaptability are very much interlinked and it seems to be not always clear where the line between the different terms is. A novel framework is proposed to foster the understanding of the interlinkage between these three terms in interdisciplinary education, and to cluster indicators to assess system resilience.
Adapting the Scottish tenement to twenty‐first century standards
Authors: Sharpe Tim , Shearer Donald
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The stone tenement is perhaps the most iconic type of housing in Scotland and to a large extent defines the built environment of its major cities and towns. However in the context of the climate change agenda which demands reduced energy consumption and CO2 production, such buildings are recognised to be a particular challenge in terms of both their poor energy performance, but also the limitations on improvement measures that do not have a detrimental affect on their form and appearance. As a result interventions that improve performance tend to less mainstream and it is therefore import to assess the effectiveness of these, and this was the purpose of the research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes the findings of a post occupancy evaluation that examined the user satisfaction and energy performance of a recently completed (2008) adaptive rehabilitation project of a listed 19th Century sandstone tenement block in Edinburgh city centre. the project undertook a short intensive monitoring programme to gather both qualitative and quantitative data on occupancy and internal environmental conditions.

Findings

The project incorporates low carbon technologies and high thermal performance into an existing and historic structure, including internal insulation, a ground source heat pump with underfloor heating, sunspaces and MVHR, which are intended to reduce energy consumption whilst maintaining the built form and appearance. Although generally successful the research identified problems occurring with systems and users interaction with these, leading to incidences of poor environmental quality and increased energy use.

Research limitations/implications

The research identified issues with higher than designed energy use and poor environmental conditions. More detailed research is required into the design for energy and environmental performance of these buildings, and the effects of poor IAQ on occupants, and how these problems can be avoided in the future.

Practical implications

The paper concludes by discussing improvements which could be made to this structure and future design considerations that could improve performance.

Social implications

Concerns over occupant health in refurbished buildings are likely to affect policy, regulation and user acceptability, which if unmanaged, could undermine the energy reduction agenda.

Originality/value

This research provides original data on environmental performance arising from new forms of energy improvements being implemented to meet building standards and carbon reduction targets in a common building typology.
High performance preservation: research and funding opportunities
Authors: Glick Scott , Clevenger Caroline , Watson Peter
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexities of grant writing to fund sustainable upgrades to historical properties. Highlighted are the complexities of melding grant solicitations, identifying potential partners, defining project scope, securing matching funds, identifying institutional barriers, and the importance of collecting actual building performance data.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was used to document the process of funding energy efficiency upgrades at a national historic landmark.

Findings

Grant writers need to look for non‐traditional partners and funding sources. Historic preservation and energy efficiency can be achieved while meeting the Secretary of the Interior's Standards on Sustainability. The importance of funding to conduct field research is discussed relating to the development of measurable outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

The ability to conduct long‐term field‐based research is dependent on funding. Policy and funding decisions in the future would be enhanced by applied research with measurable outcomes.

Practical implications

Grant sponsors need to broaden the scope of historical preservation grants to include energy improvement research. Capacity building in the area of field‐based measurement will ensure that grant funds meet stated expectations while increasing historic building performance.

Social implications

Sustainability is the focus of legislation, building performance tools, and is economically important. This research would help shift the perception that old buildings cannot perform efficiently once classified as historic.

Originality/value

This paper provides information to preservationists, builders, homeowners, grant sponsors, and policy makers in the form of a multifaceted approach to using grant monies to improve the outcomes of monies spent on historical preservation.
Preference information and experimental heritage conservation auctions
Authors: Siang Ch’ng Kean , Leng Khoo Suet , Mui Lim Yoke
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cost effectiveness of the existing conservation grant disbursement mechanism in George Town, Penang. It reports the effect of disclosure of conservation preferences by the conservation agency on the conservation cost.

Design/methodology/approach

A test bed laboratory experiment is reported on, in which house owners competed in a sealed bid auction to obtain conservation subsidies/grants. In one treatment, owners knew the preference of, or priority given by, the regulator to certain types of conservation efforts, whereas in the second treatment, the regulator concealed this priority.

Findings

The results showed that owners tailored their applications to the given priority rather than to the true conservation costs in the preference‐known treatment group. Although the selected conservation works did not differ significantly between the two treatments, owners misrepresented their true conservation costs.

Research limitations/implications

Given the lack of consensus of the tool to measure ex post conservation value, the study relies on conservation efforts/works to disburse subsidy/grant. Allocative efficiency can be enhanced if this information is available.

Practical implications

The presented results suggested that concealing priority information could be used to improve the cost‐efficiency of existing disbursement policy.

Originality/value

Drawing from the problems of asymmetry information between house owners and conservation agency, the study provided evidence in support of the idea that disbursement of conservation fund was based on the conservation efforts/inputs. In terms of costs, not disclosing the preferences information could encourage competition and reduced conservation costs.
Innovation in social economy firms
Authors: José Rodríguez M. , Guzmán Carmen
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether the determinant factors of innovations broadly accepted for traditional firms – the personal traits of the entrepreneurs, the features of the firms and the environment – also influence innovation in social economy companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample carried out between small cooperatives and worker‐owned companies – which are the most representative legal forms in the Spanish social economy collective – the authors develop an empirical study using a logistic regression model.

Findings

The results show that, on the whole, innovation in these kinds of firm seems to be determined by the same set of variables as in the case of traditional firms. In addition to this, the present research reveals that the influence of these variables on entrepreneurial innovations depends on the kind of innovation. Finally, the findings also give evidence about the existence of an inter‐dependence among the different types of innovation in social economy firms.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to small firms within the Spanish industrial and service sectors, but provides future researchers with further replication opportunities.

Originality/value

Taking into account the relevant contribution of social economy companies to the Spanish economy, and having noted the scarce number of studies about innovation in the social economy sector, this research offers a significant contribution by specifying the innovative behavior of social economy firms in Spain.
Impact of perceived corporate culture on organizational commitment
Authors: Ortega‐Parra Antonio , Ángel Sastre‐Castillo Miguel
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Previous research demonstrates the link between corporate culture and organizational commitment. Given the potential differences in espoused corporate culture and its perception by employees, the purpose of this paper is to find an answer to the following question: how does employees' perception of company values affect their own commitment to that organization?

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a survey to 216 business leaders, using three types of questionnaires to collect data: values, HR practices and commitment. They designed ad hoc the questionnaires on values and HR practices, and the last one follows Allen and Meyer's model. Hypotheses were tested by using correlations, regression analysis, structural equation modeling and comparisons of averages.

Findings

The results confirm the authors' hypothesis: a better adjustment between the perceived and the stated values has a positive relation with commitment. Particularly, people‐oriented values and ethical behavior are the ones that best predict affective commitment. The study verifies, also, that appropriate human resources practices greatly affect the perception of values.

Practical implications

The greater importance of affective dimension in organizational commitment, reinforced by ethical and people‐oriented values, makes clear the need for companies to pay real attention to this set of values beyond the simple formulation in the corporate culture. Therefore, companies should ensure there is congruence between human resources practices and values statements.

Originality/value

There are many previous research studies analyzing the link between corporate culture and commitment. This paper focuses on the existing gap between the espoused and the perceived values, finding that a better adjustment has a positive relation with organizational commitment.
Towards a path dependence approach to study management innovation
Authors: Rosario Perello‐Marin M. , Marin‐Garcia Juan A. , Marcos‐Cuevas Javier
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Scholars in social sciences tend to use the term of path dependence without explaining exactly what they mean by it. Path dependence is a useful approach to understand the success or otherwise of the implementation of management innovation. The aim of this paper is to identify under which conditions it makes sense to talk about path dependence, and the relevance of using path dependence to the analysis of management innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The path dependence literature in different contexts and knowledge areas within social science is reviewed using a narrative approach.

Findings

The concept of path dependence can be used to study management innovation, particularly when analyzing the introduction of new management practices. The authors argue that the order in which management practices are introduced has a profound effect on the outcomes for the organization. When the appropriate practices are introduced first, these create enhanced capabilities for the implementation of subsequent practices. If inappropriate practices are rolled out, they may severely impede management innovation and thus evolution and change of the firm.

Research limitations/implications

This work highlights the need to conduct further research to understand the interaction between existing practices and the new ones. This study can be extended with an empirical work to corroborate the results presented here.

Originality/value

By reviewing the different definitions of path dependence that exist in the literature, this paper will stimulate a debate on the necessary and sufficient conditions of path dependence and encourage a greater level of clarity in the management innovation area.
Oft‐overlooked business wisdom highlighted from the youth‐soccer sidelines
Authors: Haskins Mark E.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to present a number of important reminders and examples of oft‐overlooked managerial capabilities found to be useful in a variety of businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper's “reflections on practice” are prompted by observations of kids in action – youth soccer. Combining those prompts with personal experiences drawn from over 30 years of working with business managers, and from a synthesis of over 100 contemporary business articles, 11 important bits of business wisdom are surfaced, explained, championed, and storied.

Findings

The paper presents 11 oft‐overlooked, under‐valued, subtle, bits of business wisdom. In addition, the usefulness of analogical thinking is demonstrated as observations from a non‐business setting spark insights and reflections applicable to business.

Practical implications

The field‐based bits of business wisdom presented here are immediately, broadly, and beneficially applicable across the corporate landscape.

Originality/value

Readers are provided with an engaging narrative, drawn from the youth‐soccer sidelines, that points to 11 specific business foci that can be embraced to broaden and deepen their managerial repertoires. Each of the points is embellished with numerous business examples…examples not often grabbing the business press headlines.
Innovative supply chain practices: the state of French companies
Authors: Ageron Blandine , Lavastre Olivier , Spalanzani Alain
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This research aims to explore innovation in supply chain management. Innovation has often been studied in supply chain relationships and specifically from a product point of view. The authors aim to observe innovation by focusing on the different practices and collaborations suppliers and customers are developing to improve their competitiveness and the performance of the whole supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of previous literature on innovation in supply chain management is presented and the authors design an interview guide for their data collection that is developed from their previous literature review on innovation in supply chain management. Data are collected from 68 innovations in French companies and subsequently analyzed to identify the major elements of innovations in supply chain management.

Findings

The key findings of the paper identify the major components affecting innovative supply chain practices and SC performance. The results suggest that innovation is essential in supply chain management and can be characterized according to its degree of novelty and rupture, its distribution throughout the SC and the level at which it occurs. In addition, a typology of innovative supply chain practices is proposed.

Originality/value

The authors' study is exploratory and examines the state of practices concerning innovation in supply chain management. The authors identify the major elements of innovations and propose a typology of these innovative supply chain practices.
Exploring the role of social capital in facilitating supply chain resilience
Authors: Johnson Noel , Elliott Dominic , Drake Paul
Published: May 2013

Purpose

There has been limited research examining the influence of inter‐organisational relationships and the social capital they may nurture in building SCRES. The authors aim to explore how three dimensions of social capital (cognitive, structural and relational) may act as facilitators or enablers of the four formative capabilities for SCRES (i.e. flexibility, velocity, visibility, and collaboration), identified by Jüttner and Maklan.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from three separate tiers of the supply chain involved in the response to an extreme event (the Lambrigg, UK rail crash). Using a social constructionist approach, the paper explores how social capital may enable the emergence of formative capabilities for resilience.

Findings

The data suggest that the dimensions of social capital may play an influential role in facilitating the four formative capabilities for SCRES and indicate the potential for these to be mutually reinforcing.

Research limitations/implications

The paper provides an illustration of some links between resilience and social capital constructs within one supply network, in the context of crisis response. Different types of network and contexts may result in other outcomes and have other facilitating effects upon SCRES. These findings should be explored within other contexts.

Practical implications

The authors highlight that social capital may be nurtured deliberately or emerge as a consequence of relationships within a network. Formal efforts to build network communications, norms of reciprocity may create the conditions for appropriable organisations to emerge when faced with extreme events.

Originality/value

Drawing from a social capital perspective, this paper contributes to a fuller understanding of notions of relational capital.
Provision of long‐acting reversible contraception in HIV‐prevalent countries: results from nationally representative surveys in southern Africa
Authors: Morse J , Chipato T , Blanchard K , Nhemachena T , Ramjee G , McCulloch C , Blum M , Saleeby E , Harper CC
Published: May 2013

Objective

To analyse the current provision of long‐acting reversible contraception (LARC) and clinician training needs in HIV‐prevalent settings.

Design

Nationally representative survey of clinicians.

Setting

HIV‐prevalent settings in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Population

Clinicians in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Methods

Nationally representative surveys of clinicians were conducted in South Africa and Zimbabwe (n = 1444) to assess current clinical practice in the provision of LARC in HIV‐prevalent settings. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse contraceptive provision and clinician training needs.

Main outcome measure

Multivariable logistic regression of contraceptive provision and clinician training needs.

Results

Provision of the most effective reversible contraceptives is limited: only 14% of clinicians provide copper intrauterine devices (IUDs), 4% levonorgestrel‐releasing IUDs and 16% contraceptive implants. Clinicians’ perceptions of patient eligibility for IUD use were overly restrictive, especially related to HIV risks. Less than 5% reported that IUDs were appropriate for women at high risk of HIV or for HIV‐positive women, contrary to evidence‐based guidelines. Only 15% viewed implants as appropriate for women at risk of HIV. Most clinicians (82%), however, felt that IUDs were underused by patients, and over half desired additional training on LARC methods. Logistic regression analysis showed that LARC provision was largely restricted to physicians, hospital settings and urban areas. Results also showed that clinicians in rural areas and clinics, including nurses, were especially interested in training.

Conclusions

Clinician competency in LARC provision is important in southern Africa, given the low use of methods and high rates of unintended pregnancy among HIV‐positive and at‐risk women. Despite low provision, clinician interest is high, suggesting the need for increased evidence‐based training in LARC to reduce unintended pregnancy and associated morbidities.
Reorientating dental curricula to reflect a minimally invasive dentistry approach for patient‐centred management
Authors: Kaidonis JA , Skinner VJ , Lekkas D , Winning TA , Townsend GC
Published: May 2013

Minimally invasive dentistry (MID), together with patient‐centred care (PCC), can be considered central to patient management. These approaches have been incorporated in the structure of various dental curricula and indeed formally assessed. However, there is limited evidence that students have an integrated skill‐set and are able to apply these skills when providing direct patient care within the clinical setting. Assessment of students’ application of core clinical skills has identified numerous deficiencies that need to be addressed. The revised Bachelor of Dental Surgery curriculum at the School of Dentistry, The University of Adelaide, provides an example of how MID, underpinned by PCC, can be presented throughout a dental curriculum. Essentially, MID and PCC are not considered as separate subjects but as a patient management approach that is ‘woven into the whole fabric’ of the curriculum. The programme relies on the development of empathic communication skills that enable students to obtain key patient information, including their patients’ values, beliefs, needs, preferences and expectations, thereby allowing management to be tailor‐made. As a result, patients are empowered to be a part of the oral health care team. The Adelaide undergraduate dental curriculum consists of one clinical stream called Dental Science and Practice (DSP), that promotes the application of student knowledge, skills and behaviours in the clinical setting. Vertical and horizontal integration, aligned with an integrated approach to assessment, drives the learning throughout the programme. Clearly‐defined outcomes are introduced by Integrated Learning Activities (ILAs) that provide a focus for associated learning activities (e.g. class meetings, tutorials, simulation laboratories, etc). The aim of this approach to learning and teaching is to ensure the required learning outcomes are achieved. It also requires coordinated teaching teams including trained external tutors who clearly understand all aspects of MID and PCC within the curriculum structure.
Minimum intervention dentistry in oral medicine
Authors: Farah CS , Bhatia N , John K , Lee BW
Published: May 2013

Oral medicine sits at the interface of medicine and dentistry. Minimum intervention dentistry (MID) borrows a medical model of disease control by oral health professionals. As an oral physician, the oral medicine specialist practices MID on a daily basis. With the advent of sophisticated early detection and diagnostic technology, and the growing understanding of oral diseases at the microscopic and molecular levels, all oral health practitioners can contribute to the practice of oral medicine from a MID perspective. MID in oral medicine allows the practice of comprehensive oral care where the patient is fully engaged in their own healthcare, with the use of advanced diagnostic technology, the application of medicines and therapeutics depending on disease processes, important risk assessment of both the oral disease and the affected patient with identification of those at high risk, monitoring of compliance, and patient recall. In this article we highlight minimum intervention in oral medicine by exploring oral cancer as the most significant disease we encounter and are involved with. Advances in patient care, particularly in relation to minimum intervention, are underpinned by high calibre cutting edge translational research. It is this research that allows us to positively transform our patients’ lives.
Linking distant relatives with BRCA gene mutations: potential for cost savings
Authors: Senter L , O'Connor M , Oriyo F , Sweet K , Toland AE
Published: May 2013

Thousands of individuals have undergone mutational analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2. The Ohio State University Clinical Cancer Genetics program has identified 466 individuals from 289 families with a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Excluding Ashkenazi Jewish founder mutations, we observed 9 deleterious BRCA mutations five or more times in ostensibly unrelated families and another 13 mutations in 3–4 families. We hypothesized that some of the rarer recurrent mutations observed in our population were due to different branches of the same family being tested independently without knowledge of previous testing of relatives. We examined 90 pedigrees for individuals with the same mutations that were seen three or more times for shared reported family medical history or surnames. Familial links were made in four instances out of a total of 22 shared mutations despite the fact that individuals were not aware that another family member had been tested. As more individuals undergo BRCA testing, we propose that this phenomenon will become more common. Being unaware of previous testing in a family not only affects the risk assessment but also likely increases the costs associated with the genetic testing and subsequent cancer screening in many cases.
Massively Parallel Hierarchical Scene Processing with Applications in Rendering
Authors: Vinkler Marek , Bittner Jiří , Havran Vlastimil , Hapala Michal
Published: May 2013

We present a novel method for massively parallel hierarchical scene processing on the GPU, which is based on sequential decomposition of the given hierarchical algorithm into small functional blocks. The computation is fully managed by the GPU using a specialized task pool which facilitates synchronization and communication of processing units. We present two applications of the proposed approach: construction of the bounding volume hierarchies and collision detection based on divide‐and‐conquer ray tracing. The results indicate that using our approach we achieve high utilization of the GPU even for complex hierarchical problems which pose a challenge for massive parallelization. The results indicate that using our approach we achieve high utilization of the GPU even for complex hierarchical problems which pose a challenge for massive parallelization.
Where are the children? Exploring the boundaries between text and context in the study of place and space in four different countries
Authors: Haldar Marit , Rueda Eréndira , Wærdahl Randi , Mitchell Claudia , Geldenhuys Johanna
Published: May 2013

In this article, we demonstrate how the cultural conceptions of a team of five researchers from different cultural and national backgrounds can be used as a source of knowledge during a collective, self‐reflexive analytical process. While collectively analysing texts describing daily life produced by first‐grade children and their parents in China, Norway, South Africa and the United States, the research team engaged in a collectively negotiated analytical process, which we refer to as an ‘analytic negotiating method’. The strength of this process rests on the ability to examine critically the boundaries between the researcher's contextual conceptions and conceptions derived from the texts. Engaging in this kind of negotiated analytical process contributes to scholarship by working towards a level of self‐reflexivity that makes the link between empirical data and researcher interpretation more transparent and produces a sensitivity to context that allows insights into the conceptions of childhood that operate cross‐culturally.
Disease Control Priorities for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Lessons from Priority Ranking Based on the Quality of Evidence, Cost Effectiveness, Severity of Disease, Catastrophic Health Expenditures, and Loss of Productivity
Authors: Strømme Elisabeth Marie , Bærøe Kristine , Norheim Ole Frithjof
Published: May 2013

Background

In the context of limited health care budgets in countries where Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are endemic, scaling up disease control interventions entails the setting of priorities. However, solutions based solely on cost‐effectiveness analyses may lead to biased and insufficiently justified priorities.

Objectives

The objectives of this paper are to 1) demonstrate how a range of equity concerns can be used to identify feasible priority setting criteria, 2) show how these criteria can be fed into a multi‐criteria decision‐making matrix, and 3) discuss the conditions under which this decision‐making procedure should be carried out in a real‐world decision‐making context.

Methods

This paper draws on elements from theories of decision analysis and ethical theories of fair resource allocation. We explore six typical NTD interventions by employing a modified multi‐criteria decision analysis model with predefined criteria, drawn from a priority setting guide under development by the WHO. To identify relevant evidence for the six chosen interventions, we searched the PubMed and Cochrane databases.

Discussion

Our in vitro multi‐criteria decision analysis suggested that case management for visceral leishmaniasis should be given a higher priority than mass campaigns to prevent soil‐transmitted helminthic infections. This seems to contradict current health care priorities and recommendations in the literature. We also consider procedural conditions that should be met in a contextualised decision‐making process and we stress the limitations of this study exercise.

Conclusion

By exploring how several criteria relevant to the multi‐facetted characteristics of NTDs can be taken into account simultaneously, we are able to suggest how improved priority settings among NTDs can be realised.
Collaborative International Research: Ethical and Regulatory Issues Pertaining to Human Biological Materials at a South African Institutional Research Ethics Committee
Authors: Sathar Aslam , Dhai Amaboo , van der Linde Stephan
Published: May 2013

Human Biological Materials (HBMs) are an invaluable resource in biomedical research.

Objective

To determine if researchers and a Research Ethics Committee (REC) at a South African institution addressed ethical issues pertaining to HBMs in collaborative research with developed countries.

Study Design

Ethically approved retrospective cross‐sectional descriptive audit.

Results

Of the 1305 protocols audited, 151 (11.57%) fulfilled the study's inclusion criteria. Compared to other developed countries, a majority of sponsors (90) were from the USA (p = 0.0001). The principle investigators (PIs) in all 151 protocols informed the REC of their intent to store HBMs. Only 132 protocols informed research participants (P < 0.0001). In 148 protocols informed consent (IC) was obtained from research participants, 116 protocols (76.8%) solicited broad consent compared to specific consent (32; 21.2%) [p < 0.0001]. In 105 cases a code was used to maintain confidentiality. HBMs were anonymised in 14 protocols [p < 0.0001]. More protocols informed the REC (90) than the research participants (67) that HBMs would be exported (p = 0.011). Export permits (EPs) and Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) were not available in 109 and 143 protocols, respectively.

Conclusions

Researchers and the REC did not adequately address the inter‐related ethical and regulatory issues pertaining to HBMs. There was a lack of congruence between the ethical guidelines of developed countries and their actions which are central to the access to HBMs in collaborative research. HBMs may be leaving South Africa without EPs and MTAs during the process of international collaborative research.
Ethical Use of Antiretroviral Resources for HIV Prevention in Resource Poor Settings
Authors: Rennie Stuart
Published: May 2013

The effectiveness of antiretroviral regimes (ARVs) to reduce risk of HIV transmission from mother to child and as post‐exposure prophylaxis has been known for almost two decades. Recent research indicates ARVs can also reduce the risk of HIV transmission via sexual intercourse in two other ways. With pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), ARVs are used to reduce risk of HIV acquisition among persons who are HIV negative and significantly exposed to the virus. With treatment as prevention (TasP), ARVs are used to reduce risk of HIV transmission from persons who are already HIV positive. The development of these new prevention strategies raises a rationing problem: given the chronic shortage of ARVs for HIV‐infected persons in need of treatment, is it ethically justified to allocate ARVs for PrEP and/or TasP? This article examines the intuitively appealing view that allocation of ARVs for treatment should be the highest priority, the use of ARVs for TasP should be a secondary priority, and that utilizing ARVs for PrEP would be unethical. I will argue that selective, evidence‐based allocation of ARVs for prevention in certain cases could be ethically justified even when there is insufficient anti‐retroviral access for all those needing it for treatment.
Ethical Tradeoffs in Trial Design: Case Study of an HPV Vaccine Trial in HIV‐Infected Adolescent Girls in Lower Income Settings
Authors: Lindsey J.C. , Shah S.K. , Siberry G.K. , Jean‐Philippe P. , Levin M.J.
Published: May 2013

The Declaration of Helsinki and the Council of the International Organization of Medical Sciences provide guidance on standards of care and prevention in clinical trials. In the current and increasingly challenging research environment, the ethical status of a trial design depends not only on protection of participants, but also on social value, feasibility, and scientific validity. Using the example of a study assessing efficacy of a vaccine to prevent human papilloma virus in HIV‐1 infected adolescent girls in low resource countries without access to the vaccine, we compare several trial designs which rank lower on some criteria and higher on others, giving rise to difficult trade‐offs. This case demonstrates the need for developing more nuanced guidance documents to help researchers balance these often conflicting criteria.
Ethical Considerations in Determining Standard of Prevention Packages for HIV Prevention Trials: Examining PrEP
Authors: Haire Bridget , Folayan Morenike Oluwatoyin , Hankins Catherine , Sugarman Jeremy , McCormack Sheena , Ramjee Gita , Warren Mitchell
Published: May 2013

The successful demonstration that antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can be used in diverse ways to reduce HIV acquisition or transmission risks – either taken as pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by those who are uninfected or as early treatment for prevention (T4P) by those living with HIV – expands the armamentarium of existing HIV prevention tools. These findings have implications for the design of future HIV prevention research trials. With the advent of multiple effective HIV prevention tools, discussions about the ethics and the feasibility of future HIV prevention trial designs have intensified.

This article outlines arguments concerning the inclusion of newly established ARV‐based HIV prevention interventions as standard of prevention in HIV prevention trials from multiple perspectives. Ultimately, there is a clear need to incorporate stakeholders in a robust discussion to determine the appropriate trial design for each study population.
Trans‐vessel gradient of myeloperoxidase in coronary artery disease
Authors: Alipour Arash , Ribalta Josep , Njo Tjin L. , Janssen Hans W. , Birnie Erwin , van Miltenburg Addy J. M. , Elte Jan Willem F. , Castro Cabezas Manuel
Published: May 2013

Background

Coronary artery disease (CAD) may reflect generalized inflammation. We evaluated leucocyte activation in subjects with and without CAD in different vascular compartments.

Materials and Methods

Patients were divided in two groups; subjects without CAD (controls; n = 25) and with stable CAD (n = 52) based on coronary angiography. After blood sampling from vessels, cardiovascular risk factors and leucocyte activation markers CD11b, CD66b and cytoplasmatic myeloperoxidase (MPO) were determined by flow cytometry.

Results

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) was higher in patients with CAD at all sites compared with controls (188 ± 7 vs. 210 ± 12 au for venous (P < 0·05), 178 ± 7 vs. 212 ± 12 au for femoral artery (P = 0·08), 166 ± 7 vs. 195 ± 12 au for abdominal artery (P < 0·05), 166 ± 6 vs. 189 ± 14 au for left coronary (P = 0·08) and 163 ± 6 vs. 193 ± 12 au for the right coronary artery (P < 0·05)). Other markers did not differ between the groups. A gradient of inflammation from peripheral vessels to the coronaries was found by differences in MPO in both groups; from 210 ± 12 au in the venous compartments towards 189 ± 14 and 193 ± 12 au, in the left and right coronaries, respectively, for the controls (P = 0·001), and from 188 ± 7 au in the venous compartment towards 166 ± 6 and 163 ± 6 au in the left and right coronaries, respectively, for the patients (P = 0·007). Other leucocyte activation markers did not show such a gradient.

Conclusions

There is a generalized inflammatory neutrophil gradient for MPO from peripheral vessels towards the coronaries in both patients with CAD and controls. However, patients with CAD show a higher degree of inflammation, mostly in the coronaries. These data strengthen the role of activated neutrophils in CAD.
Resource use by juvenile brown trout andAlpine bullhead: influence of interspecific versus intraspecific competition
Authors: Louhi Pauliina , Mäki‐Petäys Aki , Huusko Ari , Muotka Timo
Published: May 2013

Stream‐dwelling salmonids and bullheads occupy similar resource niches in northern rivers. It is therefore tempting to assume that they might be involved in a competitive interaction, with potential implications for the habitat use and growth of brown trout (Salmo trutta). We conducted artificial‐stream experiments to test whether a putative competitor,Alpine bullhead (Cottus poecilopus), had an effect on the habitat use of under‐yearling (0+) and yearling (1+) trout. We hypothesised that (i) 1+ trout would be competitively superior to 0+ trout, forcing the younger fish to suboptimal habitats, and that (ii) bullhead might affect the habitat use and prey selection of 0+ trout but less so that of 1+ trout. Against our predictions, no effect of bullhead was found on the habitat use of either age class of brown trout. Instead, yearling trout seemed to force bullheads to suboptimal microhabitats with high current velocities. Presence of yearlings also decreased the growth of under‐yearling fish and caused a shift in their diet composition. These findings suggest that competitive interactions may not limit the coexistence of brown trout and bullheads in boreal rivers. Intraspecific interactions between trout age classes may be more important, with potentially detrimental effects on the growth and overwintering success of 0+ trout.
Early Activity Rates do not Predict Growth and Future Body Size of Juvenile Eastern Fence Lizards, Sceloporus undulatus
Authors: Rosier Renee L. , Langkilde Tracy
Published: May 2013

Selection favors larger body size in many taxa. In some species, larger individuals are more active and bolder than smaller conspecifics, but the nature of this relationship is unclear: Is body size a predictor or a consequence of behavior? Any effect of behavior on body size may be through its effect on competitive ability, suggesting that the presence of potential competitors could exaggerate or suppress this relationship. In this study, we tested whether an individual's activity rates early in life predict its future body size by measuring same‐aged, sibling eastern fence lizards before (8 d) and after (8 wk) they significantly diverged in body size. We tested for an effect of conspecific presence (potential competition) on the relationship between early behavior and future body size by housing some lizards in sibling groups and others individually, using a split‐clutch design. Our results reveal that individuals' activity rates do not significantly differ between 8 d and 8 wk of age. At 8 wk (but not 8 d) of age, more active siblings were also larger in both housing treatments; however, early activity rates did not predict body size later in development for either of these groups. Conversely, body size at hatching did predict size at 8 wk. Although variation in activity rates exists prior to divergence in body size, and activity and body size are correlated later in development, our results suggest that higher activity rates are unlikely to be driving body size divergence in this species. Instead, very small differences in body size at hatching appear to be compounded over time and drive much more exaggerated differences in later body size.