bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Doctrine of Deliberate Indifference: Reed vs. Krajca
Authors: Oviedo Astrid D.
Published: August 2017

Facts of the Reed v. Krajca case are presented in which plaintiffs filed a lawsuit for civil damages under the doctrine of deliberate indifference and defendant, Nurse Krajca, invoked qualified immunity in a motion for summary judgment. The Court of Appeal's decision and the dissenting opinion on the issue of deliberate indifference are discussed. This case report provides a concrete example of how the doctrine of deliberate indifference was interpreted by the Court of Appeal and becomes a springboard for analysis and discussion for nurses to guide their practice.
Disease-Specific Care: Spine Surgery Program Development
Authors: Koerner Katie , Franker Lauren , Douglas Barbara , Medero Edgardo , Bromeland Jennifer
Published: August 2017

Minimal literature exists describing the process for development of a Joint Commission comprehensive spine surgery program within a community hospital health system. Components of a comprehensive program include structured communication across care settings, preoperative education, quality outcomes tracking, and patient follow-up. Organizations obtaining disease-specific certification must have clear knowledge of the planning, time, and overall commitment, essential to developing a successful program. Health systems benefit from disease-specific certification because of their commitment to a higher standard of service. Certification standards establish a framework for organizational structure and management and provide institutions a competitive edge in the marketplace. A framework for the development of a spine surgery program is described to help guide organizations seeking disease-specific certification. In developing a comprehensive program, it is critical to define the program’s mission and vision, identify key stakeholders, implement clinical practice guidelines, and evaluate program outcomes.
Comprehensive Treatment Strategy for Chronic Low Back Pain in a Patient with Bilateral Transfemoral Amputations Integrating Changes in Prosthetic Socket Design
Authors: Mazzone Brittney , Yoder Adam , Zalewski Brian , Wyatt Marilynn , Sheu Robert
Published: August 2017

Introduction

Wounded service members with amputations undergo a complex rehabilitation regimen that can often become complicated by skin breakdown, heterotopic ossification (HO), and pain of the residual limb, contralateral limb, or low back. These complications can impact prosthetic socket fit, decreasing one's functional independence, and potentially negatively impact quality of life. The purpose of this report is to present a case involving the treatment of HO along with prosthetic socket modifications, with the intention to address low back pain (LBP), in a patient with bilateral transfemoral amputations.

Materials and Methods

The patient experienced traumatic bilateral amputations as a result of an improvised explosive device blast. He was initially fit with ischial containment sockets to provide stability and enhance early mobility. He became a community ambulator but was experiencing LBP and issues with HO. After extensive HO resection, a multidisciplinary discussion took place to determine the best way to diminish LBP by improving spinopelvic alignment while restoring function. It was decided to refit the patient with subischial containment sockets. Subjective questionnaires and three-dimensional gait analysis were used to quantify results.

Results

After HO resection and prosthetic socket modifications, the patient's complaints of LBP decreased, along with subjective improvements in the Oswestry Disability Index and Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment. During upright standing, anterior pelvic tilt decreased from 27.6° to 18.1°. During walking, excursion of the trunk relative to the pelvis decreased in all planes after changing prosthetic socket design to subischial and completing 6 months of rehabilitation: from 24.0° to 17.6° in the frontal plane, 12.4° to 7.8° in the sagittal plane, and 23.1° to 19.1° in the transverse plane.

Conclusions

A multidisciplinary team approach to the care of patients with bilateral transfemoral amputations can help to improve functional outcomes. For this patient with nonradicular, mechanical LBP, a subischial prosthetic socket design that minimized intrusion on the pelvis had a significant influence on static and dynamic sagittal spinopelvic alignment and overall outcomes. In the end, contributions by orthopedic and plastic surgeons, pain management strategies by a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, rehabilitation by a physical therapist, and prosthetic modifications all played a role in reduction of this patient's LBP. Among the numerous interventions provided to this patient, including surgical revisions, prosthetic socket design, prosthetic alignment, and physical therapy, it is hypothesized that the change in prosthetic socket design from ischial containment to subischial had a significant, long-lasting impact on LBP and function.
The Maternal Infant Microbiome
Authors: Dunn Alexis B. , Jordan Sheila , Baker Brenda J. , Carlson Nicole S.
Published: August 2017

The human microbiome plays a role in maintaining health, but is also thought to attenuate and exacerbate risk factors for adverse maternal–child health outcomes. The development of the microbiome begins in utero; however, factors related to the labor and birth environment have been shown to influence the initial colonization process of the newborn microbiome. This “seeding” or transfer of microbes from the mother to newborn may serve as an early inoculation process with implications for the long-term health outcomes of newborns. Studies have shown that there are distinct differences in the microbiome profiles of newborns born vaginally compared with those born by cesarean. Antibiotic exposure has been shown to alter the microbial profiles of women and may influence the gut microbial profiles of their newborns. Considering that the first major microbial colonization occurs at birth, it is essential that labor and birth nurses be aware of factors that may alter the composition of the microbiome during the labor and birth process. The implications of various activities and factors unique to the labor and birth environment that may influence the microbiome of women and newborns during the labor and birth process (e.g., route of birth, antibiotic use, nursing procedures) are presented with a focus on the role of labor nurses and the potential influence of nursing activities on this process.
Provider Approachability: An All-Staff Survey Approach to Creating a Culture of Safety
Authors: Deyo-Svendsen Mark E. , Palmer Karl B. , Albright Jill K. , Phillips Michael R. , Schilling Keith A. , Cabrera Svendsen Matthew E.
Published: August 2017

Objectives

A culture-of-safety survey of our hospital staff revealed fear-based reluctance to question those in authority. We aimed to examine provider approachability (words and actions that promote trust and reduce or eliminate fear of interaction).

Methods

Providers and staff completed an anonymous facility-wide survey (survey 1) regarding perceptions of provider approachability. Results were safely communicated to providers, and improvement resources were offered. A follow-up survey (survey 2 [S2]) was performed.

Results

The survey participation rate was 59% (389/658). Eighty-four percent of providers had improved scores in S2. Mean top-box scores improved from 0.63 to 0.76 (P < .001). Providers deemed less approachable by nonprovider staff were also deemed less approachable by their peers (r = 0.82; survey 1). Forty-four percent reported improvement in the safety culture in S2. Twenty-eight percent of providers reported making efforts to improve how they were perceived by others.

Conclusions

Provider approachability surveys are a safe, effective method of assessing and encouraging positive interactions that promote trust and influence positive communication. The process created an opportunity to identify and assist providers who were less approachable.
Simulation Training for Residents Focused on Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: Spadaro Savino , Karbing Dan Stieper , Fogagnolo Alberto , Ragazzi Riccardo , Mojoli Francesco , Astolfi Luca , Gioia Antonio , Marangoni Elisabetta , Rees Stephen Edward , Volta Carlo Alberto
Published: August 2017

Introduction

Advances in knowledge regarding mechanical ventilation (MV), in particular lung-protective ventilation strategies, have been shown to reduce mortality. However, the translation of these advances in knowledge into better therapeutic performance in real-life clinical settings continues to lag. High-fidelity simulation with a mannequin allows students to interact in lifelike situations; this may be a valuable addition to traditional didactic teaching. The purpose of this study is to compare computer-based and mannequin-based approaches for training residents on MV.

Methods

This prospective randomized single-blind trial involved 50 residents. All participants attended the same didactic lecture on respiratory pathophysiology and were subsequently randomized into two groups: the mannequin group (n = 25) and the computer screen–based simulator group (n = 25). One week later, each underwent a training assessment using five different scenarios of acute respiratory failure of different etiologies. Later, both groups underwent further testing of patient management, using in situ high-fidelity simulation of a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Results

Baseline knowledge was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.72). Regarding the training assessment, no significant differences were detected between the groups. In the final assessment, the scores of only the mannequin group significantly improved between the training and final session in terms of either global rating score [3.0 (2.5–4.0) vs. 2.0 (2.0–3.0), P = 0.005] or percentage of key score (82% vs. 71%, P = 0.001).

Conclusions

Mannequin-based simulation has the potential to improve skills in managing MV.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Right Temporoparietal Junction for Social Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Esse Wilson Joan , Quinn Davin K. , Wilson J. Kevin , Garcia Christopher M. , Tesche Claudia D.
Published: August 2017

Objectives

While there is evidence of improved social functioning after applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) at the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in individuals who are healthy, no current studies have investigated the use of tDCS at the rTPJ to improve social functioning in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This case investigates the use of tDCS applied to the rTPJ to target social functioning in a high-functioning adult with ASD.

Methods

The authors present a case of an 18-year old patient with ASD treated successfully with tDCS; 1.5 mA of tDCS was applied once a day for 30 minutes for 8 consecutive days with the anode electrode over rTPJ (CP6 in the 10/10 electroencephalogram system) and the cathode electrode placed on the ipsilateral deltoid. Behavioral outcome was assessed using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist prior to tDCS, after the final tDCS session, and at 2 months after tDCS. An additional, informal follow-up was also made 1 year after tDCS.

Results

Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist showed substantial improvement in social functioning from baseline to post-tDCS, which was maintained at 2 months. The patient also reported lessened feelings of anger and frustration over social disappointments. Informal follow-up 1 year after stimulation indicates that the patient continues to maintain many improvements.

Conclusions

Anodal tDCS to the rTPJ may represent an effective treatment for improving social functioning in ASD, with a larger clinical trial needed to validate this effect.
Evolutionary biology today and the call for an extended synthesis
Authors: Futuyma Douglas J.
Published: August 2017

Evolutionary theory has been extended almost continually since the evolutionary synthesis (ES), but except for the much greater importance afforded genetic drift, the principal tenets of the ES have been strongly supported. Adaptations are attributable to the sorting of genetic variation by natural selection, which remains the only known cause of increase in fitness. Mutations are not adaptively directed, but as principal authors of the ES recognized, the material (structural) bases of biochemistry and development affect the variety of phenotypic variations that arise by mutation and recombination. Against this historical background, I analyse major propositions in the movement for an ‘extended evolutionary synthesis’. ‘Niche construction' is a new label for a wide variety of well-known phenomena, many of which have been extensively studied, but (as with every topic in evolutionary biology) some aspects may have been understudied. There is no reason to consider it a neglected ‘process’ of evolution. The proposition that phenotypic plasticity may engender new adaptive phenotypes that are later genetically assimilated or accommodated is theoretically plausible; it may be most likely when the new phenotype is not truly novel, but is instead a slight extension of a reaction norm already shaped by natural selection in similar environments. However, evolution in new environments often compensates for maladaptive plastic phenotypic responses. The union of population genetic theory with mechanistic understanding of developmental processes enables more complete understanding by joining ultimate and proximate causation; but the latter does not replace or invalidate the former. Newly discovered molecular phenomena have been easily accommodated in the past by elaborating orthodox evolutionary theory, and it appears that the same holds today for phenomena such as epigenetic inheritance. In several of these areas, empirical evidence is needed to evaluate enthusiastic speculation. Evolutionary theory will continue to be extended, but there is no sign that it requires emendation.
Biophysical modeling of neural plasticity induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation
Authors: Wilson Marcus T. , Fulcher Ben D. , Fung Park K. , Robinson Peter A. , Fornito Alex , Rogasch Nigel C.
Published: August 2017

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a widely used noninvasive brain stimulation method capable of inducing plastic reorganisation of cortical circuits in humans. Changes in neural activity following TMS are often attributed to synaptic plasticity (e.g long-term potentiation and depression; LTP/LTD). However, the precise way in which synaptic processes such as LTP/LTD modulate the activity of large populations of neurons, as stimulated en masse by TMS, are unclear. The recent development of biophysically-informed models, which capture the physiological properties of TMS-induced plasticity using mathematics, provide an excellent framework for reconciling synaptic and macroscopic plasticity. In this article, we overview the TMS paradigms used to induce plasticity, and their limitations. We then describe the development of biophysically-based numerical models of the mechanisms underlying LTP/LTD on population-level neuronal activity, and the application of these models to TMS plasticity paradigms, including theta burst and paired associative stimulation. Finally, we outline how modeling can complement experiment to improve mechanistic understandings and optimize outcomes of TMS-induced plasticity.

Abbreviations

TMS

transcranial magnetic stimulation

LTP

long-term potentiation

LTD

long-term depression

rTMS

repetitive TMS

TBS

theta burst stimulation

PAS

paired-associative stimulation

MEP

motor-evoked potential

cTBS

continuous TBS

iTBS

intermittent TBS

NMDA

n-methyl-d-aspartate

CaDP

calcium dependent plasticity

EEG

electroencephalography

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging

STDP

spike timing dependent plasticity

BCM

Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro

GABA

gamma-aminobutyric-acid

ISI

inter-stimulus interval
Spontaneous activity synchronizes whisker-related sensorimotor networks prior to their maturation in the developing rat cortex
Authors: McVea David A. , Murphy Timothy H. , Mohajerani Majid H.
Published: August 2017

A prominent feature of the cortical systems controlling the whiskers in the adult rodent is tight coupling between sensory and motor systems. Stimulation of the whiskers evokes activation of discrete motor regions of cortex shortly after activation of the sensory cortex. To explore the factors that direct the development of sensorimotor functional connectivity, we recorded spontaneous and whisker-evoked cortical activity using voltage-sensitive imaging over a large (7X7 mm) craniotomy in postnatal rats (day 5-12) under anesthesia. We found that spontaneous bursts of activity in the barrel cortex were correlated predominantly with activity in motor (anterio-medial) cortex, at ages before whisker stimulation evoked activation in this area. Intracortical microstimulation and anatomical tracing experiments confirmed there were no functional or anatomical intracortical sensorimotor connections. We interpret these results as evidence that the spontaneous patterns of activity in the cortex synchronize functionally related regions of the brain prior to their maturation.

Author Contributions

D.A.M, T.H.M., and M.H.M. designed the study. D.A.M, and M.H.M performed the experiments and analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript, which all authors commented on and edited. T.H.M. and M.H.M. supervised the study.
Associations Between Nutrition, Gut Microbiome, and Health in A Novel Nonhuman Primate Model
Authors: Clayton Jonathan B. , Al-Ghalith Gabriel A. , Long Ha Thang , Tuan Bui Van , Cabana Francis , Huang Hu , Vangay Pajau , Ward Tonya , Minh Vo Van , Tam Nguyen Ai , Dat Nguyen Tat , Travis Dominic A. , Murtaugh Michael P. , Covert Herbert , Glander Kenneth E. , Nadler Tilo , Toddes Barbara , Sha John C.M. , Singer Randall S. , Knights Dan , Johnson Timothy J.
Published: August 2017

Red-shanked doucs (Pygathrix nemaeus) are endangered, foregut-fermenting colobine primates which are difficult to maintain in captivity. There are critical gaps in our understanding of their natural dietary habits including consumption of leaves, unripe fruit, flowers, seeds, and other plant parts. There is also a lack of understanding of enteric adaptations, including their unique microflora. To address these knowledge gaps, we used the douc as a model to study relationships between gastrointestinal microbial community structure, diet, and health. We analyzed published fecal samples as well as detailed dietary history from doucs with four distinct lifestyles (wild, semi-wild, semi-captive, and captive) and determined gastrointestinal bacterial microbiome composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A clear gradient of microbiome composition was revealed along an axis of natural lifestyle disruption, including significant associations with diet, health, biodiversity, and microbial function. We identified potential microbial biomarkers of douc dysbiosis, includingBacteroidesandPrevotella. Our results suggest a gradient-like shift in captivity causes an attendant shift to severe gut dysbiosis, thereby resulting in gastrointestinal issues.
Thiol-linked alkylation for the metabolic sequencing of RNA
Authors: Herzog Veronika A. , Reichholf Brian , Neumann Tobias , Rescheneder Philipp , Bhat Pooja , Burkard Thomas R. , Wlotzka Wiebke , von Haeseler Arndt , Zuber Johannes , Ameres Stefan L.
Published: August 2017

Gene expression profiling by high-throughput sequencing reveals qualitative and quantitative changes in RNA species at steady-state but obscures the intracellular dynamics of RNA transcription, processing and decay. We developed thiol(SH)-linked alkylation for the metabolic sequencing of RNA (SLAM-seq), an orthogonal chemistry-based epitranscriptomics-sequencing technology that uncovers 4-thiouridine (s4U)-incorporation in RNA species at single-nucleotide resolution. In combination with well-established metabolic RNA labeling protocols and coupled to standard, low-input, high-throughput RNA sequencing methods, SLAM-seq enables rapid access to RNA polymerase II-dependent gene expression dynamics in the context of total RNA. When applied to mouse embryonic stem cells, SLAM-seq provides global and transcript-specific insights into pluripotency-associated gene expression. We validated the method by showing that the RNA-polymerase II-dependent transcriptional output scales with Oct4/Sox2/Nanog-defined enhancer activity; and we provide quantitative and mechanistic evidence for transcript-specific RNA turnover mediated by post-transcriptional gene regulatory pathways initiated by microRNAs andN6-methyladenosine. SLAM-seq facilitates the dissection of fundamental mechanisms that control gene expression in an accessible, cost-effective, and scalable manner.

One Sentence Summary:

Chemical nucleotide-analog derivatization provides global insights into transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation
Stronger effects of heterozygosity on survival in harsher environments
Authors: Vincenzi S , Jesensek D , Garza JC , Crivelli AJ
Published: August 2017

A stronger correlation between heterozygosity and fitness or its components (e.g., life-history traits such as survival, growth, morphology) is expected in harsher environments, but few studies have investigated whether the effects of heterozygosity on life-history traits vary with environmental conditions in natural populations. Here, the hypothesis that the effects of heterozygosity vary with environmental conditions was tested using six populations of marble troutSalmo marmoratusfrom Western Slovenia as a model system. Specifically, the tested hypotheses were: stronger effects of heterozygosity on survival in populations characterized by low average survival, no effects of heterozygosity on probability of surviving flash floods owing to their largely non-selective effects across traits, and stronger effects of heterozygosity on survival for fish born after floods than fish born before. A significant effect of heterozygosity on survival was found in populations characterized by low average survival. There were no effects of heterozygosity on probability of surviving flash floods, but in one population a positive correlation between heterozygosity and survival for fish born after the extreme events was found, probably because crowding in a small section of the stream caused more intense competition for resources.
A Mechanism of Cohesin-Dependent Loop Extrusion Organizes Zygotic Genome Architecture
Authors: Gassler Johanna , Brandão Hugo B. , Imakaev Maxim , Flyamer Ilya M. , Ladstätter Sabrina , Bickmore Wendy A. , Peters Jan-Michael , Mirny Leonid A. , Tachibana-Konwalski Kikuë
Published: August 2017

Fertilization triggers assembly of higher-order chromatin structure from a naïve genome to generate a totipotent embryo. Chromatin loops and domains are detected in mouse zygotes by single-nucleus Hi-C (snHi-C) but not bulk Hi-C. We resolve this discrepancy by investigating whether a mechanism of cohesin-dependent loop extrusion generates zygotic chromatin conformations. Using snHi-C of mouse knockout embryos, we demonstrate that the zygotic genome folds into loops and domains that depend on Scc1-cohesin and are regulated in size by Wapl. Remarkably, we discovered distinct effects on maternal and paternal chromatin loop sizes, likely reflecting loop extrusion dynamics and epigenetic reprogramming. Polymer simulations based on snHi-C are consistent with a model where cohesin locally compacts chromatin and thus restricts inter-chromosomal interactions by active loop extrusion, whose processivity is controlled by Wapl. Our simulations and experimental data provide evidence that cohesin-dependent loop extrusion organizes mammalian genomes over multiple scales from the one-cell embryo onwards.

Highlights

Zygotic genomes are organized into cohesin-dependent chromatin loops and TADs

Loop extrusion leads to different loop strengths in maternal and paternal genomes

Cohesin restricts inter-chromosomal interactions by altering chromosome surface area

Loop extrusion organizes chromatin at multiple genomic scales
Nanoparticle size distribution quantification: results of a small-angle X-ray scattering inter-laboratory comparison
Authors: Pauw Brian R. , Kästner Claudia , Thünemann Andreas F.
Published: August 2017

This paper presents the first worldwide inter-laboratory comparison of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for nanoparticle sizing. The measurands in this comparison are the mean particle radius, the width of the size distribution and the particle concentration. The investigated sample consists of dispersed silver nanoparticles, surrounded by a stabilizing polymeric shell of poly(acrylic acid). The silver cores dominate the X-ray scattering pattern, leading to the determination of their radius size distribution using (i) the generalized indirect Fourier transformation method, (ii) classical model fitting usingSASfitand (iii) a Monte Carlo fitting approach usingMcSAS. The application of these three methods to the collected data sets from the various laboratories produces consistent mean number- and volume-weighted core radii ofRn= 2.76 (6) nm andRv= 3.20 (4) nm, respectively. The corresponding widths of the lognormal radius distribution of the particles were σn= 0.65 (1) nm and σv= 0.71 (1) nm. The particle concentration determined using this method was 3.0 (4) g l−1or 4.2 (7) × 10−6 mol l−1. These results are affected slightly by the choice of data evaluation procedure, but not by the instruments: the participating laboratories at synchrotron SAXS beamlines, commercial and in-house-designed instruments were all able to provide highly consistent data. This demonstrates that SAXS is a suitable method for revealing particle size distributions in the sub-20 nm region (at minimum), out of reach for most other analytical methods.
Mutual optical intensity propagation through non-ideal mirrors
Authors: Meng Xiangyu , Shi Xianbo , Wang Yong , Reininger Ruben , Assoufid Lahsen , Tai Renzhong
Published: August 2017

The mutual optical intensity (MOI) model is extended to include the propagation of partially coherent radiation through non-ideal mirrors. The propagation of the MOI from the incident to the exit plane of the mirror is realised by local ray tracing. The effects of figure errors can be expressed as phase shifts obtained by either the phase projection approach or the direct path length method. Using the MOI model, the effects of figure errors are studied for diffraction-limited cases using elliptical cylinder mirrors. Figure errors with low spatial frequencies can vary the intensity distribution, redistribute the local coherence function and distort the wavefront, but have no effect on the global degree of coherence. The MOI model is benchmarked against HYBRID and the multi-electron Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) code. The results show that the MOI model gives accurate results under different coherence conditions of the beam. Other than intensity profiles, the MOI model can also provide the wavefront and the local coherence function at any location along the beamline. The capability of tuning the trade-off between accuracy and efficiency makes the MOI model an ideal tool for beamline design and optimization.
The many hands of science
Authors: Sundling Pär
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the research contributions of authors and subauthors in order to outline how authorship, as opposed to acknowledgment, is awarded in the lab-based life sciences.

Design/methodology/approach

The work tasks described in author contribution statements and acknowledgments sections of research articles published in Nature Chemical Biology were classified according to a three-layered taxonomy: core layer; middle layer; outer layer.

Findings

Most authors are core or middle layer contributors, i.e. they perform at least one core or middle layer task. In contrast, most subauthors are outer layer contributors. While authors tend to be involved in several tasks, subauthors tend to make single contributions. The small but significant share of authors performing only outer layer tasks suggests a disconnect in author attribution between traditional author guidelines and scientific practice. A level of arbitrariness in whether a contributor is awarded authorship or subauthorship status is reported. However, this does not implicate first or last authorships.

Research limitations/implications

Data from one journal only are used. Transferability is limited to research in high impact journals in the lab-based life sciences.

Originality/value

The growth in scientific collaboration underlines the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of the distinction between authorship and subauthorship in terms of the types of research contributions that they de facto represent. By utilizing hitherto unexplored data sources this study addresses a gap in the literature, and gives an important insight into the reward system of science.
A resource- and impact-based micro-level conceptualization of collaborative academic work
Authors: Perez Vico Eugenia , Hallonsten Olof
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop new conceptual tools for analyzing how contemporary collaborative academic work is organized on micro-level, and its social and economic impact, in broad terms. Thus it makes a contribution towards a better view on how contemporary academics organize their professional activities in light of profound changes to the framework conditions of academic work, and a better view on the productivity and potentially very wide societal impact of academia.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on previous research, the arguments are developed conceptually. The paper builds both on previous empirical findings and strong traditions in organization theory (resource dependence theory) and innovation studies.

Findings

The paper achieves a synthesized conceptual view on impact of academia, strongly related to how individual academics organize their professional activities today, given the recent profound structural changes to the academic system. The paper launches resource dependence as a key concept for understanding contemporary academic work in a collaborative context, and sequences of impact as a key tool for conceptualizing the very varied role of academia in society.

Research limitations/implications

While building strongly on previous research, the paper is conceptual in nature and thus its value lies chiefly in assisting future studies.

Practical implications

The contribution can assist in policymaking by promoting the achievement of more accurate and better balanced models and appraisal schemes.

Originality/value

The paper has theoretical originality and its synthesized argument about organizing and impact is of high value for current scholarly debate on these topics.
Analysis of interaction among the barriers to 5S implementation using interpretive structural modeling approach
Authors: Attri Rajesh , Singh Bhupender , Mehra Sunil
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain and analyze the interactions among different barriers of 5S implementation in manufacturing organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, 15 barriers affecting the implementation of 5S in manufacturing organizations have been identified from literature analysis and discussion with academic and industrial experts. Afterwards, identified barriers were validated by using nation-wide questionnaire-based survey. Then, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach has been utilized to find out the interaction among the identified barriers in order to develop hierarchy-based model.

Findings

The research identifies several key barriers which have high driving power and weak dependence power. In this concern, these barriers entail extreme care and handling for successful implementation of 5S. Financial constraints, lack of top management commitment, and no proper vision and mission are found to be the key barriers.

Research limitations/implications

The developed ISM model is based on experts’ opinion. This developed hierarchy-based model requires further validation by using structural equation modeling approach or by performing detailed case studies.

Originality/value

In this paper, ISM-based structural model has been recommended for Indian manufacturing organizations, which is a novel exertion in the area of 5S implementation.
Russian railways on the Eurasian market: issue of sustainability
Authors: Panova Yulia , Korovyakovsky Eugene , Semerkin Anton , Henttu Ville , Li Weidong , Hilmola Olli-Pekka
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This research examines factors that determine the improvement of the Russian supply chain sustainability. The strategic business model incorporates ecological, social and economic aspects.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering Trans-Siberian Railway as a typical case, the study selected several cases or the parts of the primary rail connection with the affiliation of important neighbouring countries. The study uses quantitative analyses of a variety of size parameters (e.g. volumes of traffic, logistics costs, delivery distance and air pollutants).

Findings

The empirical findings stress that supply chains should favour in the future railway (or intermodal) connections for piggyback and containerised cargo. Herein lays the reason for the examination of all traditional factors affecting the modal choice and their complementation by the parameters to measure sustainability throughout the supply chains. The inclusion of the green practices positively affected the environmental, social and economic performance of the new approach.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on the delivery of cargo in containers and semi-trailers within wagons through the overland corridors. Despite the restrictive empirical findings within the national transport system, some elements can be representative of the international supply chains, provided that intermodal services are the most appropriate for the transportation over long distances.

Practical implications

Clients, media and regulatory bodies stress the consideration of environmental aspects at all stages of a global supply chain. Therefore, their adoption into strategic imperatives of local supply chains becomes inevitable.

Originality/value

An assessment of supply chains for longer distance transportation in Russia has not taken sustainability into account within cost analyses.
Product innovation capability, export scope and export experience
Authors: Arslanagic-Kalajdzic Maja , Balboni Bernardo , Kadic-Maglajlic Selma , Bortoluzzi Guido
Published: August 2017

Purpose

By applying the logic of the resource-based view and process-based internationalisation theory, this study aims to provide a better understanding of the effects of product innovation capability on the export scope of firms based in developing countries and the role of export experience as a facilitating mechanism.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey data obtained from three developing countries, two main research hypotheses were empirically tested: a quadratic relationship exists between product innovation capability and export scope and export experience has a moderating effect in this relationship.

Findings

Product innovation capability and export scope have a U-shaped relationship, and export experience exerts a moderating effect. The greater the export experience is, the more the relationship between product innovation and export scope changes, taking on a more inverted U-shaped form.

Practical implications

Firms based in developing countries need to catch-up on innovation capabilities before being able to succeed in international markets. Managers must be aware that initial investments in product innovation could not pay off immediately and that significant additional efforts might be needed to obtain noteworthy results in terms of international expansion.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to focus on the curvilinear relationship between product innovation capability and export scope for firms based in developing countries while accounting for the moderating role of firms’ export experience.
The role of innovation in building competitive advantages: an empirical investigation
Authors: Chatzoglou Prodromos , Chatzoudes Dimitrios
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Nowadays, innovation appears as one of the main driving forces of organisational success. Despite the above fact, its impact on the propensity of an organisation to develop and sustain a competitive advantage has not yet received sufficient empirical investigation. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the existing empirical literature by focusing on the antecedents of innovation and its impact on competitive advantage. It proposes a newly developed conceptual framework that adopts a three-step approach, highlighting areas that have rarely been simultaneously examined before.

Design/methodology/approach

The examination of the proposed conceptual framework was performed with the use of a newly developed structured questionnaire that was distributed to a group of Greek manufacturing companies. The questionnaire has been successfully completed by chief executive officers (CEOs) from 189 different companies. CEOs were used as key respondents due to their knowledge and experience. The reliability and the validity of the questionnaire were thoroughly examined. Empirical data were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. The study is empirical (based on primary data), explanatory (examines cause and effect relationships), deductive (tests research hypotheses) and quantitative (includes the analysis of quantitative data collected with the use of a structured questionnaire).

Findings

Results indicate that knowledge management, intellectual capital, organisational capabilities and organisational culture have significant direct and indirect effects on innovation, underlining the importance of their simultaneous enhancement. Finally, the positive effect of innovation on the creation of competitive advantages is empirically validated, bridging the gap in the relevant literature and offering avenues for additional future research.

Originality/value

The causal relationship between innovation and competitive advantage, despite its significant theoretical support, has not been empirically validated. The present paper aspires to bridge this gap, investigating the impact of innovation on the development of competitive advantages. Moreover, the present study adopts a multidimensional approach that has never been explored in the existing innovation literature, making the examination of the proposed conceptual framework an interesting research topic.
Pragmatic pilot cluster randomised control trial of a school-based peer-led anti-smoking intervention for 13-14 year olds in Malaysia
Authors: Melson Elniee , Bridle Christopher , Markham Wolfgang
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the process evaluation of a pilot randomised control trial of an anti-smoking intervention for Malaysian 13-14-year olds, conducted in 2011/2012. It was hypothesised that trained peer supporters would promote non-smoking among classmates through informal conversations.

Design/methodology/approach

Smoking-related baseline and follow-up questionnaires were administered, seven months apart, to Form 1 students (n=2,118) attending eight schools across two districts in Sabah (Kota Kinabalu; Keningau). Concealed stratified randomisation assigned two schools per district to the control and intervention arms. Control schools received usual care. Intervention schools received usual care and the peer supporter intervention. Peer supporters completed smoking-related knowledge and attitudes questionnaires before and after peer supporter training and peer supporter training evaluation questionnaires. They also discussed the peer supporter training and role in focus groups immediately following training (n=4) and three months later (n=3), and additionally, recorded post-training anti-smoking activity in diaries.

Findings

The pilot trial found that student recruitment was high (baseline students matched at follow-up n=1,681 (79 per cent of class-registered students). More boys (n=38) than girls (n=35) attended peer supporter training. Post-training, most peer supporters had improved smoking-related knowledge (n=55; 75 per cent) and attitudes (n=57; 78 per cent) and returned diaries (n=49; 67 per cent). Some focus group boys reported they were reluctant peer supporters and/or found resisting smoking difficult.

Practical implications

Future trials would benefit from outlined modifications to peer supporter selection, recruitment and training and additionally, assessments of context and intervention acceptability and reach.

Originality/value

Trials of complex public health interventions are scarce in economically developing countries.
How and why Millennials are initiating conflict in vertical dyads and what they are learning
Authors: Jassawalla Avan , Sashittal Hemant
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to extant conflict management theory by presenting evidence from a two-stage study of conflict initiated by pre-graduation Millennials in entry-level work environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents an inductively derived conceptual model, hypotheses and measurement scales grounded in Millennials’ voices. Then, based on survey data, the scales are tested for structural coherence, and hypotheses are validated using structural equation modeling methodology.

Findings

Most Millennials initiate conflict with older coworkers and supervisors in the workplace because of the hurt they feel over the unfairness they experience. While confronting their superiors, they take an aggressive stand (“you are wrong, you should change”) and learn that the organization is duplicitous and that they should initiate conflict with superiors in the future to protect against unfairness in a duplicitous organization.

Research limitations/implications

The findings and implications reflect the perspectives of Millennials who initiated conflict with superiors or more experienced coworkers in entry level workplaces. Reports of multiple perspectives and from other contexts are left to future research.

Practical implications

Millennials may well enter the workforce with attitudes and behaviors older coworkers and supervisors find aberrant. However, the interactions between Millennials, older generations and the socio-technical environment of entry-level workplaces lie at the root of the conflict Millennials initiate. Older generations may have implicitly produced – albeit to varying extents – opaque environments in which entry-level Millennials feel manipulated.

Originality/value

The study reports a relatively rare two-stage study that begins with exploration and discovery using qualitative data, and concludes with hypotheses tests based on survey data. A new context is explored; i.e. Millennials initiating conflict in vertical dyads. New concerns about the veracity of the entry-level work environment are raised.
A software implementation and case study application of Lempp’s propositional model of conflict resolution
Authors: Lempp Frieder
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The starting point of this paper is the propositional model of conflict resolution which was presented and critically discussed in Lempp (2016). Based on this model, a software implementation, called ProCON, is introduced and applied to three scenarios. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate how ProCON can be used by negotiators and to evaluate ProCON’s practical usefulness as an automated negotiation support system.

Design/methodology/approach

The propositional model is implemented as a computer program. The implementation consists of an input module to enter data about a negotiation situation, an output module to generate outputs (e.g. a list of all incompatible goal pairs or a graph displaying the compatibility relations between goals) and a queries module to run queries on particular aspects of a negotiation situation.

Findings

The author demonstrates how ProCON can be used to capture a simple two-party, non-iterative prisoner’s dilemma, applies ProCON to a contract negotiation between a supplier and a purchaser of goods, and uses it to model the negotiations between the Iranian and six Western governments over Iran’s nuclear enrichment and stockpiling capacities.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of the current version of ProCON arises from the fact that the computational complexity of the underlying algorithm is EXPTIME (i.e. the computing time required to process information in ProCON grows exponentially with respect to the number of issues fed into the program). This means that computing time can be quite long for even relatively small negotiation scenarios.

Practical implications

The three case studies demonstrate how ProCON can provide support for negotiators in a wide range of multi-party, multi-issue negotiations. In particular, ProCON can be used to visualise the compatibility relations between parties’ goals, generate possible outcomes and solutions and evaluate solutions regarding the extent to which they satisfy the parties’ goals.

Originality/value

In contrast to standard game-theoretic models of negotiation, ProCON does not require users to provide data about their preferences across their goals. Consequently, it can operate in situations where no information about the parties’ goal preferences is available. Compared to game-theoretical models, ProCON represents a more general approach of looking at possible outcomes in the context of negotiations.
Random sales price-sensitive stochastic demand
Authors: Das Roy Monami , Sana Shib Sankar
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This research work introduces an imperfect production system where the demand is assumed to be stochastic and it is influenced by random selling price. The shift time from an “in-control” state to an “out-of-control” state is exponentially distributed. The accumulated inventory contains both perfect and defective items which are all sold with a free repair warranty (FRW) offer. Complete back ordering of shortages are taken into account. The purpose of this paper is to determine the optimal selling price and hence the optimal production lot size such that the expected profit is maximized.

Design/methodology/approach

The general model is discussed separately for both types of uniformly distributed selling price-sensitive demand pattern: additive type and multiplicative type. Numerical examples and graphical representations of the optimal solutions are provided to illustrate the models.

Findings

This paper helps the manager to manage future situations and it may be considered as a base work for the researchers to work in this direction.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this model is to consider a single item for a single channel system. There are many correlated issues that need to be further investigated. The future study in this direction may include the consideration of multi-items, diverse demand pattern with different types of price distributions.

Originality/value

In the production inventory literature, plenty of articles are available considering imperfect production but none of them have considered selling price-sensitive stochastic demand where the sales price is random in character under an FRW offer.