bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interventional Procedures Outside of the Operating Room: Results From the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry
Authors: Chang Beverly , Kaye Alan D. , Diaz James H. , Westlake Benjamin , Dutton Richard P. , Urman Richard D.
Published: April 2015

Objectives

This study examines the impact of procedural locations and types of anesthetics on patient outcomes in non-operating room anesthesia (NORA) locations. The National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry database was examined to compare OR to NORA anesthetic complications and patient demographics.

Methods

The National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry database was examined for all patient procedures from 2010 to 2013. A total of 12,252,846 cases were analyzed, with 205 practices contributing information, representing 1494 facilities and 7767 physician providers. Cases were separated on the basis of procedure location, OR, or NORA. Subgroup analysis examined outcomes from specific subspecialties.

Results

NORA procedures were performed on a higher percentage of patients older than 50 years (61.92% versus 55.56%, P < 0.0001). Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) (20.15%) and sedation (2.05%) were more common in NORA locations. The most common minor complications were postoperative nausea and vomiting (1.06%), inadequate pain control (1.01%), and hemodynamic instability (0.62%). The most common major complications were serious hemodynamic instability (0.10%) and upgrade of care (0.10%). There was a greater incidence of complications in cardiology and radiology locations. Overall mortality was higher in OR versus NORA (0.04% versus 0.02%, P < 0.0001). Subcategory analysis showed increased incidence of death in cardiology and radiology locations (0.05%).

Conclusions

NORA procedures have lower morbidity and mortality rates than OR procedures, contrary to some previously published studies. However, the increased complication rates in both the cardiology and radiology locations may need to be the target of future safety investigations. Providers must ensure proper monitoring of patients, and NORA locations need to be held to the same standard of care as the main operating room. Further studies need to identify at-risk patients and procedures that may predispose patients to complications.
The Trigger Tool as a Method to Measure Harmful Medication Errors in Children
Authors: Maaskant Jolanda M. , Smeulers Marian , Bosman Diederik , Busink Annemarie , van Rijn-Bikker Petra , van Aalderen Wim , Vermeulen Hester
Published: April 2015

Objectives

The aim of this study was to improve medication safety for children; it is important to quantify the occurrence of preventable medication errors (MEs). A trigger tool may be an effective and time-saving strategy, but its measurement performance is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the performance of a pediatric medication-focused trigger tool in detecting harmful MEs.

Methods

First, we established a multifaceted method as a reference comparison. Second, we compared the pediatric medication-focused trigger tool with the multifaceted method in a new cohort of patients. All patients admitted in February and March 2013 were screened using the trigger tool and the multifaceted method to obtain full verification. Data collection was performed in separate teams to guarantee blinding of the test results.

Results

Review of the clinical records and the voluntary incident reports was most effective in detecting harmful MEs, so this approach was chosen as a reference comparison. In the second part of the study, 369 patients were included. The multifaceted method identified 33 harmful MEs. In contrast, the trigger tool did not identify any harm. When the 2 symptoms pain and nausea/vomiting were added to the trigger tool, 19 harmful MEs were identified. This extended trigger tool resulted in a sensitivity of 21.2 and a positive predictive value of 36.8.

Conclusions

The original pediatric medication-focused trigger tool yielded only false-positive scores and left unsafe situations undiscovered. We conclude that a multifaceted method remains the preferred method to detect harmful MEs. The additional value of the trigger tool stays unclear.
Onset of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Johnson David K. , Langford Zachary , Garnier-Villarreal Mauricio , Morris John C. , Galvin James E.
Published: April 2015

Objective:

Characterize the onset and timing of cognitive decline in Parkinson disease (PD) from the first recognizable stage of cognitively symptomatic PD-mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) to PD dementia (PDD). Thirty-nine participants progressed from PD to PDD and 25 remained cognitively normal.

Methods:

Bayesian-estimated disease-state models described the onset of an individual’s cognitive decline across 12 subtests with a change point.

Results:

Subtests measuring working memory, visuospatial processing ability, and crystalized memory changed significantly 3 to 5 years before their first nonzero Clinical Dementia Rating and progressively worsened from PD to PD-MCI to PDD. Crystalized memory deficits were the hallmark feature of imminent conversion of cognitive status. Episodic memory tasks were not sensitive to onset of PD-MCI. For cognitively intact PD, all 12 subtests showed modest linear decline without evidence of a change point.

Conclusions:

Longitudinal disease-state models support a prodromal dementia stage (PD-MCI) marked by early declines in working memory and visuospatial processing beginning 5 years before clinical diagnosis of PDD. Cognitive declines in PD affect motor ability (bradykinesia), working memory, and processing speed (bradyphrenia) resulting in PD-MCI where visuospatial imagery and memory retrieval deficits manifest before eventual development of overt dementia. Tests of episodic memory may not be sufficient to detect and quantify cognitive decline in PD.
Cecembia rubra sp. nov., a thermophilic bacterium isolated from a hot spring sediment
Authors: Duan Yan-Yan , Ming Hong , Dong Lei , Yin Yi-Rui , Meng Xiao-Lin , Zhou En-Min , Zhang Jian-Xin , Nie Guo-Xing , Li Wen-Jun
Published: April 2015

A Gram-staining negative, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain YIM 78110T, was isolated from a sediment sample collected from Hehua hot spring in Tengchong, Yunnan province, south-west China. The taxonomic status of strain YIM 78110T was confirmed by a polyphasic approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain YIM 78110T belongs to the genus Cecembia, displaying 96.8 % and 94.7 % sequence similarity with the two most closely related type strains, Cecembia calidifontis RQ-33T and Cecembia lonarensis LW9T, respectively. The low value of DNA–DNA hybridization (52.3 ± 2.3 %) between strain YIM 78110T and its closest neighbour, Cecembia calidifontis RQ-33T, indicated that this new isolate represented a different genomic species in the genus Cecembia. The temperature for growth ranged from 30 to 50 °C. The pH for growth ranged from pH 4.0 to 10.0, with NaCl tolerance of 0.5–6.0 % (w/v). The predominant menaquinone of strain YIM 78110T was MK-7 and the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The major fatty acids were iso-C15:0 and C15:0. The DNA G+C content was 47.1 mol%. On the basis of physiological, biochemical and phylogenetic analyses, it is proposed that strain YIM 78110T represents a novel species of the genus Cecembia, for which the name Cecembia rubra sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 78110T ( = CCTCC AB2013287T = DSM 28057T).
Pseudomonas endophytica sp. nov., isolated from stem tissue of Solanum tuberosum L. in Spain
Authors: Ramírez-Bahena Martha-Helena , Cuesta Maria José , Tejedor Carmen , Igual José Mariano , Fernández-Pascual Mercedes , Peix Álvaro
Published: April 2015

A bacterial strain named BSTT44Twas isolated in the course of a study of endophytic bacteria occurring in stems and roots of potato growing in a soil from Salamanca, Spain. The 16S rRNA gene sequence had 99.7 % identity with respect to that of its closest relative,Pseudomonas psychrophilaE-3T, and the next most closely related type strains were those ofPseudomonas fragi, with 99.6 % similarity,Pseudomonas deceptionensis, with 99.2 % similarity, andPseudomonas lundensis, with 99.0 % similarity; these results indicate that BSTT44Tshould be classified within the genusPseudomonas. Analysis of the housekeeping genesrpoB,rpoDandgyrBconfirmed its phylogenetic affiliation and showed identities lower than 92 % in all cases with respect to the above-mentioned closest relatives. Cells of the strain bore one polar–subpolar flagellum. The respiratory quinone was Q-9.The major fatty acids were C16:0, C18:1ω7cand summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7cand/or C16:1ω6c). The strain was oxidase-, catalase- and urease-positive and the arginine dihydrolase system was present, but tests for nitrate reduction, β-galactosidase production and aesculin hydrolysis were negative. It could grow at 35 °C and at pH 5–9.The DNA G+C content was 60.2 mol%. DNA–DNA hybridization results showed less than 48 % relatedness with respect to the type strains of the four most closely related species. Therefore, the combined results of genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses support the classification of strain BSTT44 into a novel species of the genusPseudomonas, for which the namePseudomonas endophyticasp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BSTT44T( = LMG 28456T = CECT 8691T).
Tissue-specific Enrichment of Lymphoma Risk Loci in Regulatory Elements
Authors: Hayes James E. , Trynka Gosia , Vijai Joseph , Offit Kenneth , Raychaudhuri Soumya , Klein Robert J.
Published: April 2015

Though numerous polymorphisms have been associated with risk of developing lymphoma, how these variants function to promote tumorigenesis is poorly understood. Here, we report that lymphoma risk SNPs, especially in the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma subtype chronic lymphocytic leukemia, are significantly enriched for co-localization with epigenetic marks of active gene regulation. These enrichments were seen in a lymphoid-specific manner for numerous ENCODE datasets, including DNase-hypersensitivity as well as multiple segmentation-defined enhancer regions. Furthermore, we identify putatively functional SNPs that are both in regulatory elements in lymphocytes and are associated with gene expression changes in blood. We developed an algorithm, UES, that uses a Monte Carlo simulation approach to calculate the enrichment of previously identified risk SNPs in various functional elements. This multiscale approach integrating multiple datasets helps disentangle the underlying biology of lymphoma, and more broadly, is generally applicable to GWAS results from other diseases as well.
The Impact of High-Performance Computing Best Practice Applied to Next-Generation Sequencing Workflows
Authors: Carrier Pierre , Long Bill , Walsh Richard , Dawson Jef , Sosa Carlos P. , Haas Brian , Tickle Timothy , William Thomas
Published: April 2015

High Performance Computing (HPC) Best Practice offers opportunities to implement lessons learned in areas such as computational chemistry and physics in genomics workflows, specifically Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) workflows. In this study we will briefly describe how distributed-memory parallelism can be an important enhancement to the performance and resource utilization of NGS workflows. We will illustrate this point by showing results on the parallelization of the Inchworm module of the Trinity RNA-Seq pipeline forde novotranscriptome assembly. We show that these types of applications can scale to thousands of cores. Time scaling as well as memory scaling will be discussed at length using two RNA-Seq datasets, targeting theMus musculus(mouse) and theAxolotl(Mexican salamander). Details about the efficient MPI communication and the impact on performance will also be shown. We hope to demonstrate that this type of parallelization approach can be extended to most types of bioinformatics workflows, with substantial benefits. The efficient, distributed-memory parallel implementation eliminates memory bottlenecks and dramatically accelerates NGS analysis. We further include a summary of programming paradigms available to the bioinformatics community, such as C++/MPI.
Do count-based differential expression methods perform poorly when genes are expressed in only one condition?
Authors: Zhou Xiaobei , Robinson Mark D.
Published: April 2015

A Correspondence toComprehensive evaluation of differential gene expression analysis methods for RNA-seq databy Rapaport F, Khanin R, Liang Y, Pirun M, Krek A, Zumbo P, Mason CE, Socci ND and Betel D, Genome Biol 2013, 14:R95
Two different products from the reaction of 1-aryl-5-chloro-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde with cyclohexylamine when the aryl substituent is phenyl or pyridin-2-yl: hydrogen-bonded sheetsversusdimers
Authors: Orrego Hernandez Jessica , Portilla Jaime , Cobo Justo , Glidewell Christopher
Published: April 2015

Cyclohexylamine reacts with 5-chloro-3-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde to give 5-cyclohexylamino-3-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde, C16H20N4O, (I), formed by nucleophilic substitution, but with 5-chloro-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde the product is (Z)-4-[(cyclohexylamino)methylidene]-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one, C17H21N3O, (II), formed by condensation followed by hydrolysis. Compound (II) crystallizes withZ′ = 2, and in one of the two independent molecular types the cyclohexylamine unit is disordered over two sets of atomic sites having occupancies of 0.65 (3) and 0.35 (3). The vinylogous amide portion in each compound shows evidence of electronic polarization, such that in each the O atom carries a partial negative charge and the N atom of the cyclohexylamine portion carries a partial positive charge. The molecules of (I) contain an intramolecular N—H...N hydrogen bond, and they are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds to form sheets. Each of the two independent molecules of (II) contains an intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond and each molecular type forms a centrosymmetric dimer containing oneR22(4) ring and two inversion-relatedS(6) rings.
Crystal structure of ethyl 2-{4-[(5-chloro-1-benzofuran-2-yl)methyl]-3-methyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridazin-1-yl}acetate
Authors: Boukharsa Youness , El Ammari Lahcen , Taoufik Jamal , Saadi Mohamed , Ansar M'hammed
Published: April 2015

In the title compound, C18H17ClN2O4, the dihedral angle between the benzofuran ring system [maximum deviation 0.014 (2) Å] and the oxopyradizine ring is 73.33 (8)°. The structure is characterized by disorder of the ethyl group, which is split into two parts, with a major component of 0.57 (3), and the acetate carbonyl O atom, which is statistically disordered. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by C—H...O interactions, forming a three-dimensional network.
Crystal structure of 2-{(E)-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)iminiumyl]methyl}-4-methylphenolate
Authors: Shalini Suresh , Girija C. R. , Jotani Mukesh M. , Sathish C. D. , Venkatesha T. V.
Published: April 2015

The title compound, C14H13NO2, exists as a zwitterion in the solid state, with the H atom of the phenol group transferred to the imine N atom. The dihedral angle between the planes of the benzene rings is 10.13 (9)°. Intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond generateS(6) andS(5) loops. In the crystal, molecules are connected by O—H...O hydrogen bonds, generatingC(9) chains propagating in the [010] direction.
Crystal structure of poly[μ2-aqua-aqua(μ2-4-nitro-2,5,6-trioxo-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-3-olato)hemi-μ4-oxalato-barium(II)]
Authors: Alabada Rusul , Kovalchukova Olga , Polyakova Irina , Strashnova Svetlana , Sergienko Vladimir
Published: April 2015

In the title coordination polymer, [Ba(C5HN2O6)(C2O4)0.5(H2O)2]n, the tenfold coordination of the Ba centre consists of four O atoms from the two 4-nitro-2,5,6-trioxo-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-3-olate (L) anions, three O atoms of two oxalate anions and three water molecules. The Ba—O bond lengths fall in the range 2.698 (3)–2.978 (3) Å. TheLligand chelates two Ba atoms related by a screw axis, leading to formation of fused five- and six-membered chelate rings. Due to the bridging function of the ligands and water molecules, the complex monomers are connected into polymeric two-dimensional layers parallel to thebcplane. Intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen bonds link these layers into a three-dimensional supramolecular framework.
Crystal structure of bis(azido-κN)bis[2,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-κ2N2,N3]cobalt(II)
Authors: Laachir Abdelhakim , Bentiss Fouad , Guesmi Salaheddine , Saadi Mohamed , El Ammari Lahcen
Published: April 2015

In the mononuclear title complex, [Co(N3)2(C12H8N4S)2], the cobalt(II) atom is located on an inversion centre and displays an axially weakly compressed octahedral coordination geometry. The equatorial positions are occupied by the N atoms of two 2,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole ligands, whereas the axial positions are occupied by N atoms of the azide anions. The thiadiazole and pyridine rings linked to the metal are almost coplanar, with a maximum deviation from the mean plane of 0.0273 (16) Å. The cohesion of the crystal is ensured by weak C—H...N hydrogen bonds and by π–π interactions between pyridine rings [intercentroid distance = 3.6356 (11) Å], forming a layered arrangement parallel to (001). The structure of the title compound is isotypic with that of the analogous nickel(II) complex [Laachiret al.(2013).Acta Cryst.E69, m351–m352].
Crystal structure of β-D,L-psicose
Authors: Ishii Tomohiko , Sakane Genta , Yoshihara Akihide , Fukada Kazuhiro , Senoo Tatsuya
Published: April 2015

The title compound, C6H12O6, a C-3 position epimer of fructose, was crystallized from an aqueous solution of equimolar mixture of D- and L-psicose (1,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexan-2-one,ribo-2-hexulose, allulose), and it was confirmed that D-psicose (or L-psicose) formed β-pyranose with a2C5(or5C2) conformation. In the crystal, an O—H...O hydrogen bond between the hydroxy groups at the C-3 and C-2 positions connects homochiral molecules into a column along thebaxis. The columns are linked by other O—H...O hydrogen bonds between D- and L-psicose molecules, forming a three-dimensional network. An intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond is also observed. The cell volume of racemic β-D,L-psicose [763.21 (6) Å3] is almost the same as that of chiral β-D-psicose [753.06 Å3].
Crystal structure of the co-crystalline adduct 1,3,6,8-tetraazatricyclo[4.4.1.13,8]dodecane (TATD)–4-bromophenol (1/2)
Authors: Rivera Augusto , Uribe Juan Manuel , Rojas Jicli José , Ríos-Motta Jaime , Bolte Michael
Published: April 2015

The structure of the 1:2 co-crystalline adduct C8H16N4·2C6H5BrO, (I), from the solid-state reaction of 1,3,6,8-tetraazatricyclo[4.4.1.13,8]dodecane (TATD) and 4-bromophenol, has been determined. The asymmetric unit of the title co-crystalline adduct comprises a half molecule of aminal cage polyamine plus a 4-bromophenol molecule. A twofold rotation axis generates the other half of the adduct. The primary inter-species association in the title compound is through two intermolecular O—H...N hydrogen bonds. In the crystal, the adducts are linked by weak non-conventional C—H...O and C—H...Br hydrogen bonds, giving a two-dimensional supramolecular structure parallel to thebcplane.
The critical managerial capabilities of medical and nursing managers in an Israeli hospital
Authors: Shetach Ana , Marcus Ohad
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine the managerial capabilities that are required of medical and nursing managers, in a Christian-affiliated hospital in Israel, in order to promote the job satisfaction of their subordinates.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were gathered via questionnaires, administered to 107 doctors and nurses of a small Christian-affiliated hospital in Israel, regarding the job satisfaction of the respondents, and their evaluation of the managerial capabilities of their medical and nursing superiors. Correlations and regressions were carried out on the data.

Findings

– Overall managerial capabilities of medical and nursing managers were shown to be significantly related to how their subordinates felt about their teams and about their work. The results suggest differences between nurses and doctors. When analyzed for the two dimensions of managerial capabilities and the two dimensions of job satisfaction, the results were significant for the nurses, but not significant for the doctors. When tested for Christians vs non-Christians, the results for the nurses were the same as in the sample as a whole; whereas for the doctors, there were differences between the two religious groups.

Research limitations/implications

– The sample is small and culturally specific, thus limiting the generalization potential of this study.

Practical implications

– Findings of this research may have practical implications regarding hospitals’ recruitment, promotion, instruction and follow-up policies.

Originality/value

– This study sheds light on the issue of hospital management and leadership within a specific cultural-religious setting, which has not been previously investigated.
Conflict between affective versus continuance commitment among casino dealers
Authors: Kuok Angus C.H. , Taormina Robert J.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the extent of the reported low affective commitment compared to continuance commitment of Chinese casino dealers, to discern if there is a significant difference between the two types of commitment, and to identify factors that could explain the difference between them.

Design/methodology/approach

– Questionnaire data were obtained from 247 Chinese casino dealers working for the three major casino groups in Macau. Correlations and regressions were used to analyze the data.

Findings

– Dealers’ affective commitment was significantly lower than their continuance commitment, suggesting dealers do not like their jobs but do not leave them, which indicates they have cognitive dissonance about their jobs. Organizational socialization, organizational support, and supervisor integrity were positively correlated with affective commitment; while value of money, pay satisfaction, and neuroticism, were positively correlated with continuance commitment. Organizational support was the strongest predictor of affective commitment, while the value they place on money was the strongest predictor of continuance commitment.

Practical implications

– Casino managers could improve dealers’ affective commitment by facilitating their organizational socialization, especially training and rewards for their work, providing greater organizational support, and fair and supportive treatment from their supervisors.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to provide evidence of the difference between affective and continuance commitment in Chinese society, and identifies factors that influence each type of commitment, and may help resolve the employees’ dilemma about their jobs, which is an important concern for Chinese managers.
Teamwork benefits in tertiary education
Authors: Volkov Arabella , Volkov Michael
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the development of students’ skills in the context of team-based learning. Academics have heeded the call to incorporate team learning activities into the curricula, yet little is known of student perception of teamwork and whether they view it as beneficial to them and their future professional career. Further, this study presents an instructional framework to guide best practice in higher education practitioners with regard to the design of teamwork assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper adopts a qualitative approach utilising 190 students’ reflections to examine their perception of the benefits of teamwork and whether it will contribute to their future professional work.

Findings

– Results indicate students perceive team-based assessment tasks require them to adopt a deep approach to learning together with a deep approach to study, as well as improving their skills in the areas of collaboration, team unity and cultural diversity. Further, the study identified a best practice approach that higher education practitioners should adopt in teamwork assessment design giving this study both national and international significance and aids fellow educators in their practices.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.

Practical implications

– The paper presents important implications for those involved in the development of assessment items where objectives include the development of team skills and quality learning outcomes. The findings are vital for unit and course planning and design generally, and assessment planning, design and processes, specifically, both nationally and internationally.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfils an identified need to study students’ perceptions of teamwork, whether they view it as beneficial to them and their future professional career, and presents a best practice approach for teamwork assessment design.
Using the Delphi technique to support curriculum development
Authors: Sitlington Helen , Coetzer Alan
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the use of the Delphi technique to support curriculum development with a view to enhancing existing literature on use of the technique for renewal of business course curricula.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors outline the Delphi process for obtaining consensus amongst a diverse expert group, provide an overview of the results of the study to demonstrate its value and present an analysis of participants’ reflections on the Delphi process experience. Drawing on participants’ reflections and the experience of using the technique the authors present a “good practice guide” for others seeking to apply the technique and discuss implications for practice and research.

Findings

– Analysis of participants’ feedback identified strengths and limitations of the process. Participants perceived that the process was efficient and fostered reflection on their own practice. The technique’s capacity to draw out varied views due to absence of dominant voices was highlighted. Limitations were perceived to be restrictiveness of the process and potential inability to address varying understandings. Participant feedback suggests the process may provide a fragmented approach to curriculum design.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings suggest avenues for future research, including examining how the Delphi technique can be incorporated into a holistic set of curriculum design field studies that are linked and ultimately lead to a well-designed curriculum.

Originality/value

– Current literature on the Delphi technique does not provide participants’ perspectives on the process nor researcher reflections on use of the technique. The authors address this gap and generate good practice guidelines for using the Delphi technique as a tool for curriculum renewal.
Measuring organisational capabilities in the higher education sector
Authors: Bobe Belete J , Kober Ralph
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), the purpose of this paper is to develop a framework and instrument to measure the organisational capabilities of university schools/departments. In doing so, this study provides evidence of the way competitive resources are bundled to generate organisational capabilities that give university schools/departments a sustainable competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire to measure the resources that contribute to the capabilities of university schools/departments was developed. Constructs were determined, and the questionnaire was refined based on an analysis of responses from 166 Heads of schools/departments across all 39 Australian public universities.

Findings

– Heads conceive of the development of capabilities within their schools/departments along the core operating functions of research, teaching, and networking. Reliability and supplementary analysis confirm these constructs have strong convergent and discriminant validity as well as internal consistency.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings confirm that effective management and coordination of research, teaching, and networking with important stakeholders are keys to success. The framework and instrument developed in this paper also provides the opportunity to investigate university performance through the perspective of the RBV, which will enhance the understanding of the determinants of universities’ performance.

Practical implications

– The framework and questionnaire developed in this study can be utilised by Heads as a diagnostic tool to gain an understanding of their department’s/school’s organisational capabilities in the areas of research, teaching, and networking.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first study to develop a framework and questionnaire to measure organisational capabilities for university academic schools/departments.
Optimal group size with joint liability group lending strategy
Authors: Mukherjee Shirsendu , Bhattacharya Sukanta
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to offer a theory on optimal group size. To overcome the problems of institutional credit facilities to the poor and marginal people, Joint Liability Group Lending (JLGL) is often considered as a better option. However, the literature in the field is surprisingly silent about the issue of group-size. This paper tries to fill the vacuum in a theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a standard theoretical model, this paper shows that even with costless peer monitoring, there exists an upper bound on the size of group, and this upper bound is exactly pinned down by the strength of the social sanction.

Findings

– This paper shows that under reasonable specification of effort cost, as group size increases, both optimal cooperative effort level and the deviation incentive from that effort level rise monotonically for any individual borrower. Thus, given the strength of social sanction, the rising incentive for deviation uniquely determines the optimal group size even in absence of free riding in peer monitoring.

Research limitations/implications

– The theoretical results derived in the paper require empirical verification which is, however, tricky because of the problems associated with quantifying social sanctions.

Practical implications

– This paper argues that the group size should be larger in more integrated communities which have better social cohesion among its members.

Originality/value

– This paper shows that, for a given extent of joint liability the borrowers need to bear, the group size in joint liability group lending should be designed according to the strength of social sanction prevailing in the society to achieve social efficiency.
Bank ownership and the effects of financial liberalization: evidence from India
Authors: Gupta Poonam , Kochhar Kalpana , Panth Sanjaya
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to analyze, using the bank-level data for India from 1991-2007, the effect of financial sector liberalization on the availability of credit to the private sector. The authors specifically ask whether public and private banks deployed resources freed up by reduced state preemption to increase credit to the private sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use bank-level data for India from 1991-2007 and difference in difference estimates to analyze how state ownership of banks affected the allocation of credit to the private sector post liberalization, and additionally how the size of fiscal deficit affected this allocation.

Findings

– The authors find that post liberalization, public banks continued to allocate a larger share of their assets to government securities, or held more cash, than private banks. Crucially, public banks allocated more resources to hold government securities when fiscal deficit was high. The authors rule out profit maximization, need to hold safer assets or the lack of demand for private credit as the possible reasons for the preference of the public banks to hold government securities. The authors suggest that moral suasion or “laziness” is consistent with this behavior.

Originality/value

– Our findings suggest that in developing countries, with fewer alternative channels of financing, government ownership of banks, combined with high fiscal deficit, may limit the gains from financial liberalization.
Fuzzy time series forecasting for supply chain disruptions
Authors: Chan Felix T.S. , Samvedi Avinash , Chung S.H.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test the effectiveness of fuzzy time series (FTS) forecasting system in a supply chain experiencing disruptions and also to examine the changes in performance as the authors move across different tiers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A discrete event simulation based on the popular beer game model is used for these tests. A popular ordering management system is used to emulate the behavior of the system when the game is played with human players.

Findings

– FTS is tested against some other well-known forecasting systems and it proves to be the best of the lot. It is also shown that it is better to go for higher order FTS for higher tiers, to match auto regressive integrated moving average.

Research limitations/implications

– This study fills an important research gap by proving that FTS forecasting system is the best for a supply chain during disruption scenarios. This is important because the forecasting performance deteriorates significantly and the effect is more pronounced in the upstream tiers because of bullwhip effect.

Practical implications

– Having a system which works best in all scenarios and also across the tiers in a chain simplifies things for the practitioners. The costs related to acquiring and training comes down significantly.

Originality/value

– This study contributes by suggesting a forecasting system which works best for all the tiers and also for every scenario tested and simultaneously significantly improves on the previous studies available in this area.
Firm websites and the risk of firm
Authors: Chien Yu-Tai , Lu Hsin-Min
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– Websites have become an important channel for firms to communicate with their stakeholders. Higher web site traffic could represent effective information disclosure and higher investor recognition. Both may reduce the risk of firm by reducing the level of information asymmetry and facilitating a more complete market by reaching to more potential investors. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of firm web site traffic to the risk of firm.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors conducted a cross-sectional study on the risk and firm web site traffic data of 4,122 US public firms.

Findings

– After controlling for confounding factors, web site traffic is significantly negatively associated with three firm risk measures: cost of equity, return volatility, and analyst forecast dispersion.

Originality/value

– The results provide new insights to the economic impact of web site traffic. Compared with previous studies that mostly investigated the relationships between web site traffic and firm performance measured by stock returns or company profitability, the authors documented empirical evidence that web site traffic influences the risk of firm through the level of information asymmetry and investor recognition. This paper suggests that when valuing a firm, investors would take web site traffic into consideration. Firm managers could use firm Websites as a channel to reduce information asymmetry, and increase investor recognition that can contribute to the firm’s value through reduced risk.
A comparative analysis of different paperless picking systems
Authors: Battini Daria , Calzavara Martina , Persona Alessandro , Sgarbossa Fabio
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– Warehouse picking is often referred to as the most labour-intensive, expensive and time consuming operation in manual warehouses. These factors are becoming even more crucial due to recent trends in manufacturing and warehousing requiring the processing of orders that are always smaller and needed in a shorter time. For this reason, in recent years more efficient and better performing systems have been developed, employing various technological solutions that can support pickers during their work. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a comparison of five paperless picking systems (i.e. barcodes handheld, RFID tags handheld, voice picking, traditional pick-to-light, RFID pick-to-light).

Design/methodology/approach

– Warehouse picking is often referred to as the most labour-intensive, expensive and time consuming operation in manual warehouses. These factors are becoming even more crucial due to recent trends in manufacturing and warehousing requiring the processing of orders that are always smaller and needed in a shorter time. For this reason, in recent years more efficient and better performing systems have been developed, employing various technological solutions that can support pickers during their work. The present paper introduces a comparison of five paperless picking systems (i.e. barcodes handheld, RFID tags handheld, voice picking, traditional pick-to-light, RFID pick-to-light.

Findings

– The proposed approach contributes to the understanding of the performance of different technologies in different application fields; some solutions are more suitable for a low-level warehouse, others bring greater benefits in the case of picking from multilevel shelving.

Originality/value

– The study concerns an issue that until now has received very little attention in the literature. It compares some traditional solutions with some innovative ones by an economic evaluation. The presented hourly cost function also takes into account the different errors arising and their probability of occurrence.
Dynamic acquisition pricing policy under uncertain remanufactured-product demand
Authors: Xie Jiaping , Li Zhong June , Yao Yong , Liang Ling
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic acquisition pricing strategy for collecting used products (also known as cores or returns) in a finite planning horizon. In particular, this paper studies a cost-minimization model in which a firm offers acquisition price that impacts the quantity of the returns, and remanufactures the used product to satisfy the customer demand.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses multi-period stochastic dynamic programming theory to model a remanufacturing system that faces the random demand for remanufactured products. The number of the returns at each period is uncertain and increases linearly with the acquisition price offered.

Findings

– The study shows that when the uncertainty of demand for remanufactured products increases, the remanufacturer should hold a higher core stock level to minimize the expected total cost and thus a higher acquisition price is needed to attract returns. However, given demand uncertainty, the optimal price decreases in the initial core stock level in each period. It also indicates that the optimal acquisition price increases in the variance of the returns, but decreases in the mean of the returns.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that a remanufacturer could reduce the expected total cost by adjusting the acquisition price according to the number of returns periodically.

Originality/value

– Introducing the impact of supply uncertainty on the acquisition price of used products, this paper uses a multi-period dynamic model, instead of single period model in previous studies, to examine the remanufacturer’s dynamic acquisition pricing policy.
Planning robust policing futures: modelling using multimethodology
Authors: Moizer Jonathan , Carter David , Liu Shaofeng
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The resourcing of policing activity is characterised by a level of complexity, particularly where evaluating alternative policy options is concerned. In this paper, a case study using multimethodological modelling to compare alterative policy choice in a group context is outlined with respect to response-patrol officer (RPO) deployment within a UK police force. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The application of a three phase modelling process is illustrated where scenario planning is used to generate the scope of the system elements to be modelled. This is followed by causal mapping to identify the barriers to improving officer resourcing, and system dynamics modelling is used to simulate the impacts of a range of policy options within this policing function. A group model building approach was applied throughout the modelling phases with an expert group to negotiate a shared view of the structure and dynamics of the resourcing policy challenges.

Findings

– A fully validated system dynamics model emerged from the multi-phase modelling process which allowed a series of alternative future policy scenarios to be explored and evaluated. Useful policy insights were generated by the system dynamics simulation model which suggested more efficient rules for resource allocation in the police force’s RPO function.

Originality/value

– The insights from this case study demonstrates that multi-phase modelling has potential application in policy exploration across a range of emergency service providers whose actions are governed by both variable demand and constrained supply of resource.
A critical analysis of Islamic equity funds
Authors: Clarke Kai Aaron
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to highlight the inconsistencies between the methodologies of Islamic funds and indices.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper has reviewed the methodologies of the most prominent funds and indices (5) to apply their apparent screening features to the asset universe. In the analysis conducted, qualitative and quantitative screens are derived from each selected fund and index methodological approach to asset selection subject to Shari’ah constraints. Qualitative screens are applied first followed by quantitative screens.

Findings

– Few inconsistencies are evident between the chosen funds and indices when the qualitative screens are applied. However, the major inconsistencies are highlighted after analysis of the quantitative screens.

Research limitations/implications

– A number of companies within the asset universe are investment trusts, and such financial statement line item data were not found. However, this posed no difficulty, as these companies were investment trusts and would have been excluded in the qualitative screening process.

Social implications

– This paper will assist in the construction of a framework which thus leads to the development of a standardized methodological approach, ultimately benefiting investors.

Originality/value

– This paper is believed to be the first which analyzes the impact of Shari’ah screens on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE). Additionally, this paper also analyzes the impact of Shari’ah screens pre and post the financial crisis. The findings of this research paper will also aid in the construction of a different research methodological approach capable of selecting halal securities listed in the FTSE 250.
TheSharia-compliance of financial reporting practices: a case study onwaqf
Authors: Che Azmi Anna , Hanifa Mohamed Hisham
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to examine whether the financial reporting practices of organisations managingwaqf(Islamic endowed trust funds) are Sharia-compliant.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper reports on a case study of two Islamic-based organisations that manage waqf. The financial statements of these organisations are analysed using content analysis to assess their compliance with the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) Sharia Standard No. 33 (SS 33) on waqf.

Findings

– The authors found that both Islamic-based organisations use different sets of accounting procedures and practices, but that these accounting practices do not contradict the Sharia requirements prescribed in the SS 33 on waqf. However, the SS 33 onwaqfrequires thatwaqffunds to be utilised as stipulated by the waqif (donor) and that the accounting practices of both organisations do not adequately address this disclosure requirement. This study also found that the existing accounting practices adopted by organisations that managewaqfneed to incorporate more disclosure on their Sharia-based financing and their investment ofwaqffunds.

Research limitations/implications

– This study found that the AAOIFI’s SS33 onwaqfis a useful guide for identifying the gap between Sharia principles and conventional financial reporting practices for non-profit organisations, and that there are aspects of Sharia-based disclosure practices that are not adequately implemented in financial reporting practices of institutions managing waqf.

Practical implications

– This study proposes two essential Sharia-based disclosure practices for Islamic-based organisations that manage Islamic-based funds such as waqf. These two aspects are the disclosure on whetherwaqffunds are adequately utilised as stipulated by the waqif (donor) and what modifications to their existing financial reporting of their Sharia-based financing and investments are required to comply with the unique nature of waqf.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfils an identified need to study how Sharia principles can be incorporated into the financial reporting practices of organisations that manage Islamic-based funds such as waqf.