bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stress and food intake: what's the deal with your meal.
Authors: Tryon M. S. , Laugero K. D.
Published: March 2012

Stress induces modification in both psychological and biological systems that have been associated with the onset of illness. Many of these changes are mediated through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis and the effects of its hormones. This review describes how the HPA response to psychological stress is affected by macro- and micronutrients, highlighting implications to stress-induced alterations in eating behaviour. The interrelationship between nutrition and food choice is evident and the effect of foods and food constituents compounds neuroendocrine and related psychological processes regulating the adaptation to stress. The nutritional differences between individuals exposed to stress may help to explain person-to-person variability in vulnerability to stress and stress-related eating habits and disease. More longitudinal studies are needed to examine the effects of whole foods, specific dietary constituents and dietary patterns on HPA responses to stress.
Probiotics - what is the evidence behind the health claims?
Authors: Quigley E. M. M.
Published: March 2012

For decades, if not longer, a host of products have been marketed as probiotics and have claimed an exhaustive range of health-promoting and disease-modifying effects. Many such claims are unsupported by evidence from high-quality human studies and many products are of doubtful provenance and quality. However, with the realization of the critical role of the 'forgotten organ', the enteric microbiota, and its interactions with the host in generating a variety of functions which sustain health and, when disrupted, lead to disease, a solid scientific basis has been developed to support the use of probiotics in infectious, allergic, inflammatory and metabolic disorders. Progress in the clinical arena has not kept pace with that in the laboratory and most health claims, be they for the prevention of illness in the healthy, or for the alleviation of an established disorder in those afflicted with a disease state, remain unsupported by incontrovertible evidence. For some conditions, however, and, most notably, diarrhoeal illnesses, some inflammatory bowel diseases, certain infectious disorders and irritable bowel syndrome, good clinical data are beginning to accumulate. Given the current changes in the regulatory attitudes towards probiotics and their health claims, it is likely that the standards for approval of a health claim will become more, and not less, stringent, thus, paving the way for high-quality clinical trials of appropriate design and duration.
Comparison of the physiological and health effects of different types of non-viscous soluble fibres.
Authors: Lefranc-Millot C. , Chanson-Rollé A. , Macioce V. , Azaïs-Braesco V.
Published: March 2012

The beneficial role of dietary fibre in general health is well recognized, and recommended intakes are usually 21-38 g/day, depending on age, gender and country. However, actual dietary fibre intakes are below these recommendations in most Western countries. In order to improve the dietary fibre intakes of the population, national dietary guidelines encourage the consumption of fibre-rich foods, including naturally rich foods and fortified foods. Non-viscous soluble fibres have been widely used to fortify foods, and several physiological and health effects have been proposed to be associated with their consumption. The current article aims at reviewing the available scientific evidence to support these effects, with specific references to polydextrose, resistant dextrins and resistant maltodextrins, and focusing on benefits related to intestinal well-being, prebiotic effects, weight management and satiety. Recent findings obtained in humans and animals are highlighted, and when permitted, the level of evidence available for each type of fibre is compared. Although the degree of evidence, and thus conclusion of the scientific evaluation, varies according to the considered benefit and fibre type, the review of available data suggests that the soluble fibres highlighted in this paper may exert several benefits in relation to intestinal well-being, control of satiety and weight management, and to a lower extent, prebiotic properties. Nevertheless, more data from good-quality human trials are clearly needed to draw conclusions on the specific beneficial impacts associated with the consumption of these types of soluble fibres.
Understanding amoebic gill disease.
Authors: Wallach M. , Nowak B. F.
Published: March 2012

Amoebic gill disease (AGD) is a severely debilitating disease, which mainly affects the salmonid industry. It causes high production losses worldwide, including Tasmania, where it is the main health problem in farmed Atlantic salmon. Without the use of control procedures such as fresh water bathing and/or by maintaining fish population densities at a level commensurate with proper hygiene, this disease can often lead to the death of over 50% of infected salmon. AGD is caused by the parasitic amoeba,
Neoparamoeba perurans
, which binds to and inhabits the gill epithelium of growing fish. Pathology is associated with severe epithelial hyperplasia, fusion of gill lamellae, lowering of oxygen tension and pH of the blood and eventual death of the fish. In order to understand this disease process, research has been carried out, to study the immune response of fish to primary and secondary infections, the genetic basis of resistance to infection as well as how the parasite binds to the host gill tissue and induces a severe host response. Results have shown that
N. perurans
contains within its surface glycocalyx, high-molecular-weight mucin-like glycoproteins. These surface mucins are immunodominant, according to studies showing that they are the major antigens recognized by antibody in serum from fish exposed to the parasite, as well as when immunized with either whole parasites or subcellular fractions. Thus far, attempts to vaccinate salmon using the purified, high-molecular-weight surface antigen (HMWA) have failed to induce significant protective immunity. However, these studies have greatly aided our understanding of the molecular basis of the amoeba binding and infection process.
The gap that makes us desperate: Paths from language to mental health
Authors: Şimşek Ömer Faruk , Kuzucu Yasar
Published: March 2012

Although past research provided some clues about the relation of language use with mental health, the mediatory functions of personality variables in this relationship have been ignored. This research examined the mediatory role of self‐concept clarity in the relationship between language use perceived by individuals and mental health indicators including anxiety, depression, and alexithymia. Based on the theoretical framework suggested by Şimşek (2010), two studies sought to test two alternative structural equation models in data from university students in the first study (n = 250) and data from other groups in the second study (n = 331). The first model assumed that the relationship of language use with anxiety, depression, and alexithymia was mediated by self‐concept clarity. The second model tested the mediatory role of both anxiety and self‐concept clarity in this relationship. The results of the first study showed that the second model fitted better to the data than the first. Consistent with the first study, the results of the second study confirmed that the second model produced better goodness of fit statistics than the first model.
What do we need from intermediaries for technology transfer to China? A European firm perspective
Authors: Li-Ying Jason
Published: March 2012

Cross-national technology transfer has been one of the most important vehicles by which firms in developed countries exploit the value of their technological innovations, and firms in developing countries gain access to technological and organizational knowledge from developed economies. To facilitate technology transfer between technology providers and recipients and to compensate for the weakness in the system of innovation, the role of technology intermediaries as bridging organizations has been widely recognized and discussed. This study deepens our understanding of the role of intermediaries by, first, reconciling the role and functions of technology intermediaries in the literature to a competence level based on a resource-based view in a specific context of technology transfer between Europe and China; and second, investigating whether certain competences of intermediaries are of more importance than others for European technology holders in relation to three different types of intermediaries – governmental agencies, private commercial agencies and web-based marketplaces.
Determination of the optical constants for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CuxSe in the IR region
Authors: Schöldström J , Zimmermann U , Edoff M
Published: March 2012

The complex refractive index of Cu
x
Se and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 has been calculated from experimental data in the wavelength region from 0.3 to 20 µm. For Cu(In,Ga)Se2, the imaginary part exhibits very low values in the infrared range, whereas the real part decreases gently from 3 to 2.5. The Cu
x
Se film is found to be conducting with increasing real and imaginary parts. It is found not to follow the Drude model. Reflectance and transmittance measurements were performed on thin films grown on soda lime glass and double polished low-doped silicon as substrates. Solutions for the complex refractive index were extracted from the measurement data using an optical model for the film and substrate. A method to map all solutions for the complex refractive index was applied to select the physically correct one.
Ion activation energy delivered to wounds by atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharges: sputtering of lipid-like surfaces
Authors: Babaeva Natalia Yu , Ning Ning , Graves David B , Kushner Mark J
Published: March 2012

The application of atmospheric pressure plasmas to human tissue has been shown to have therapeutic effects for wound healing and in treatment of skin diseases. These effects are attributed to production of UV photon fluxes, electric fields and beneficial radicals which intersect with biological reaction chains, and to energetic ions bombarding the surface. In this paper we report on results from a computational investigation of the ion energy and angular distributions (IEADs) in a dielectric-barrier discharge sustained in air incident directly on cell membranes for small dry and wet wounds in human skin. We found that ion energies in excess of 20–30 eV can be delivered onto cell membranes of dry wounds, and up to 60 eV onto the liquid interface of the wet wound. The details of the IEADs depend on the orientation of the cell membrane and on the relative location of the plasma streamer to the wound. Using results from a molecular dynamics simulation of ion sputter probabilities of typical lipid-like material, we show that prolonged exposure of the cell membrane to such IEADs can produce significant carbon removal.
Thermoelectric properties of non-stoichiometric AgSbTe2 based alloys with a small amount of GeTe addition
Authors: Chen Y , He B , Zhu T J , Zhao X B
Published: March 2012

The (Ag0.366Sb0.558Te)1−x
(GeTe)
x
(0 < x ⩽ 8%) solid solutions were prepared and the thermoelectric properties were presented from 300 to 600 K. The Seebeck coefficient decreased with an increase in GeTe content x, while the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity followed the opposite trend, indicating the carrier concentration increased monotonically with GeTe content. The thermal conductivity showed almost no temperature dependence. Lorenz number was calculated under consideration of the two carrier conduction mechanism, and the thermal conductivity was mainly from lattice conduction. The calculated lattice thermal conductivity increased monotonically with GeTe content, suggesting that unharmonic umklapp scattering dominates thermal conduction in this material system. By rough estimation it is demonstrated that the increasing lattice thermal conductivity after alloying is a result of the increase in the Debye temperature and the decrease in the Grüneisen parameter.
Formation of ultra-thin bi-molecular boundary adsorbed films
Authors: Chong W W F , Teodorescu M , Rahnejat H
Published: March 2012

An analytical method based on statistical mechanics is proposed to predict ultra-thin adsorbed films of physical fluids with molecular diversity formed on smooth surfaces. The model is representative of molecular interactions at the smooth summits of surface asperities in the nano-scale. At this physical scale the constraining effect of the solid barriers promotes discretization of the fluid volume into molecular layers. These layers are usually ejected from the contact in a stepwise manner. The integrated effect of intermolecular forces as well as their interactions with the contiguous surfaces is responsible for the discontinuous drainage of the fluid. However, at the same time, the adsorption energy of the molecular species strives to form a molecular monolayer upon the boundary solids. The net result of these complex interactions is an ultra-thin adsorbed film, whose shear characteristics depends on a competition between the repulsive solvation pressure and the energy of molecular adsorption. It is shown that very thin low shear strength films are formed in this manner. This would depend on the molecular concentration and the wall adsorption energy. An important implication is that boundary adherent films should be viewed as a result of surface-fluid combination for which the choice of concentration and fraction content of particular species are crucial.
On balanced exploitation of marine ecosystems: results from dynamic size spectra
Authors: Law Richard , Plank Michael J. , Kolding Jeppe
Published: March 2012

Law, R., Plank, M. J., and Kolding, J. 2012. On balanced exploitation of marine ecosystems: results from dynamic size spectra. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 602–614. Fisheries are often managed to protect small young fish and to harvest big old fish. This can be wasteful, leading to large parts of catches being discarded. A recent suggestion is that it could be better to distribute fishing more widely across species and body sizes, balancing it more closely to the natural productivity of different organisms. Here, we test effects of such fishing against more traditional methods using a model of a single fish species with a dynamic size spectrum together with a fixed spectrum of plankton. This has the feature that productivity is determined by the bookkeeping of biomass in the model, and decreases as fish grow larger. The results show that harvesting smaller fish (which have higher productivity) allows a greater sustainable biomass yield than harvesting larger fish (which have lower productivity); the greater spawning-stock biomass that comes from protecting large fish contributes to this. Balanced exploitation brings fishing mortality more in line with this natural variation in productivity. In addition, the resilience of the ecosystem to perturbations can be improved, and disruption to the size distribution of organisms in the ecosystem reduced. We argue that there are potentially real benefits to be gained by moving towards more balanced exploitation of marine ecosystems, unconventional though this is.
Diagnosis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Vajro Pietro , Lenta Selvaggia , Socha Piotr , Dhawan Anil , McKiernan Patrick , Baumann Ulrich , Durmaz Ozlem , Lacaille Florence , McLin Valerie , Nobili Valerio
Published: March 2012

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents in the United States, and most probably also in the rest of the industrialized world.

As the prevalence of NAFLD in childhood increases with the worldwide obesity epidemic, there is an urgent need for diagnostic standards that can be commonly used by pediatricians and hepatologists. To this end, we performed a PubMed search of the adult and pediatric literature on NAFLD diagnosis through May 2011 using Topics and/or relevant Authors as search words. According to the present literature, NAFLD is suspected based on the association of fatty liver combined with risk factors (mainly obesity), after the exclusion of other causes of liver disease. The reference but imperfect standard for confirming NAFLD is liver histology. The following surrogate markers are presently used to estimate degree of steatosis and liver fibrosis and risk of progression to end‐stage liver disease: imaging by ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging, liver function tests, and serum markers of liver fibrosis.

NAFLD should be suspected in all of the overweight or obese children and adolescents older than 3 years with increased waist circumference especially if there is a NAFLD history in relatives. The typical presentation, however, is in children ages 10 years and older. The first diagnostic step in these children should be abdominal ultrasound and liver function tests, followed by exclusion of other liver diseases. Overweight/obese children with normal ultrasonographic imaging and normal liver function tests should still be monitored due to the poor sensitivity of these tests at a single assessment.

Indications for liver biopsy include the following: to rule out other treatable diseases, in cases of clinically suspected advanced liver disease, before pharmacological/surgical treatment, and as part of a structured intervention protocol or clinical research trial.
Trajectories of fluid particles in a periodic water wave
Authors: Okamoto Hisashi , Shōji Mayumi
Published: March 2012

We compute trajectories of fluid particles in a water wave that propagates with a constant shape at a constant speed. The Stokes drift, which asserts that fluid particles are pushed forward by a wave, is proved using a new method. Numerical examples with various gravity and surface tension coefficients are presented.
Seismically generated tsunamis
Authors: Arcas Diego , Segur Harvey
Published: March 2012

People around the world know more about tsunamis than they did 10 years ago, primarily because of two events: a tsunami on 26 December 2004 that killed more than 200 000 people around the shores of the Indian Ocean; and an earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan on 11 March 2011 that killed nearly 15 000 more and triggered a nuclear accident, with consequences that are still unfolding. This paper has three objectives: (i) to summarize our current knowledge of the dynamics of tsunamis; (ii) to describe how that knowledge is now being used to forecast tsunamis; and (iii) to suggest some policy changes that might protect people better from the dangers of future tsunamis.
Barrientosiimonas humi gen. nov., sp. nov., an actinobacterium of the family

Dermacoccaceae
Authors: Lee Learn-Han , Cheah Yoke-Kqueen , Sidik Shiran Mohd , Xie Qing-Yi , Tang Yi-Li , Lin Hai-Peng , Mutalib Nurul-Syakima Ab , Hong Kui
Published: March 2012

Three novel actinobacteria, strains 39T, 40 and 41, were isolated from soil collected from Barrientos Island in the Antarctic. The taxonomic status of these strains was determined using a polyphasic approach. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 39T represented a novel lineage within the family

Dermacoccaceae

and was most closely related to members of the genera

Demetria

(96.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity),

Branchiibius

(95.7 %),

Dermacoccus

(94.4–95.3 %),

Calidifontibacter

(94.6 %),

Luteipulveratus

(94.3 %),

Yimella

(94.2 %) and

Kytococcus

(93.1 %). Cells were irregular cocci and short rods. The peptidoglycan type was A4α with an l-Lys–l-Ser–d-Asp interpeptide bridge. The cell-wall sugars were galactose and glucose. The major menaquinone was MK-8(H4). The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphoglycolipid, two glycolipids and one unknown phospholipid. The acyl type of the cell-wall polysaccharide was N-acetyl. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C17 : 0 (41.97 %), anteiso-C17 : 1ω9c (32.16 %) and iso-C16 : 0 (7.68 %). The DNA G+C content of strain 39T was 68.4 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic differences from other genera of the family

Dermacoccaceae

, a novel genus and species, Barrientosiimonas humi gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed; the type strain of the type species is 39T ( = CGMCC 4.6864T  = DSM 24617T).
Loktanella litorea sp. nov., isolated from seawater
Authors: Yoon Jung-Hoon , Jung Yong-Taek , Lee Jung-Sook
Published: March 2012

A Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated DPG-5T, was isolated from seawater of the South Sea, Korea and subjected to a study using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain DPG-5T grew optimally at pH 7.0–8.0, at 30 °C and in the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl. Neighbour-joining phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DPG-5T fell within the clade comprising members of the genus

Loktanella

, and formed a cluster with the type strains of

Loktanella rosea

,

Loktanella maricola

,

Loktanella koreensis

and

Loktanella tamlensis

, with which it exhibited highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 96.7, 96.5, 96.2 and 96.7 %, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values between strain DPG-5T and the type strains of the other species of the genus

Loktanella

were in the range of 94.4–96.0 %. The DNA G+C content of strain DPG-5T was 57.6 mol%. Strain DPG-5T contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C18 : 1ω7c and 11-methyl C18 : 1ω7c as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids found in strain DPG-5T were phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol. Differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic distinctiveness, showed that strain DPG-5T is differentiated from other species of the genus

Loktanella

. On the basis of the data presented, strain DPG-5T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus

Loktanella

, for which the name Loktanella litorea sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DPG-5T ( = KCTC 23883T = CCUG 62113T).
Assessing supplier performances under partnership in project‐type procurement
Authors: Cheng Liang‐Chieh (Victor) , Carrillo Edward E.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of a commercial partnership in a project‐type supply chain. The research focuses on the performance of suppliers who develop a partnering mechanism for procurement of complex manufacturing projects. In total, four supply chain metrics are evaluated: project scope change, ratio of actual‐to‐estimated project costs, gross profit margin, and delay in deliverable shipments. Hypotheses are formulated to contrast partnerships and arms‐length relationships for industrial procurement. Statistical results support the conclusion that supplier performances improve under partnership.

Design/methodology/approach

Four supply chain metrics were generated through review of literature and in‐depth field study. The authors utilized the supply chain management, project management, and principal‐agent theory literature to develop hypotheses to examine effects of instituting a partnership agreement. A case study approach was employed to collect financial and operational data from 167 projects among a manufacturing supplier and a group of customers that purchase industrial analyzer systems. Statistical techniques were employed for hypothesis testing.

Findings

The findings from the authors' empirical work support the prediction in partnership literature that suppliers' operational and financial performances improve after they and manufacturing customers jointly implement partnerships. A supplementary finding also suggests that a manufacturer should develop partnering mechanisms with suppliers to achieve higher performance for both the individual firms and the entire supply chain.

Research limitations/implications

This study, like other “before and after” analyses, encounters limitations on causality. Advanced techniques, e.g. cause‐effect investigation with richer data, are hence necessary to validate the causal relationships between performance metrics and their drivers. This study focuses only on the supplier's side of the supply chain and its partnership in a specific industrial setting. Future research may consider studying the joint performance by supplier‐customer dyads in commercial partnerships with variations of partnering agreements.

Practical implications

Partnerships motivate trading partners to engage in higher level of coordination. Transactional hazards can be reduced and performance may improve under the partnering mechanism. The manufacturer may design the procurement partnership as a collaborative mechanism, thus helping a partnering supplier and itself to obtain increased mutual gains.

Originality/value

The paper provides detailed information of a unique case study of the partnership in a project‐type supply chain, which is relatively new in the literature. Research streams on supply chain management, project management, and principal‐agent theory are integrated to evaluate supplier performance. Empirical results confirm partnership impacts on suppliers' business performance.
Knowledge transfer between NPD project teams
Authors: Frank Alejandro , Echeveste Márcia
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for the identification of improvement opportunities in the knowledge transfer (KT) process between new product development (NPD) project teams. This method helps to prioritize which KT mechanisms of the company have to be improved and which other new mechanisms have to be implanted to reduce KT barriers and foster the KT process.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed method follows a structure based on the QFD and FMEA quality tools approaches. Thus, a set of matrices for the KT barriers and mechanisms prioritization is used.

Findings

The presented results enabled the identification, inside the company, of the main points for the KT process improvement. The implementation of the suggestions was not started off until the conclusion of the present research. However, the problems identification and the generated discussions around these problems have already had an important repercussion in the project team. In this sense, the interviewees pointed out that the discussion helped to see existing problems that in the past were not considered as such.

Research limitations/implications

This work has focused on NPD project teams. However, the addressed issues are highly common in any kind of projects. Therefore, this work might be a first step to a future extended research, in which KT between any types of project teams could be analyzed.

Practical implications

Results of this method could help to develop action plans to prevent or overcome possible existing barriers in the NPD project teams.

Originality/value

The paper provides a structured process for the identification of improvement opportunities in the NPD team context. The paper also provides a literature review of the main KT barriers and mechanisms; a set of matrices to help the analysis and prioritization of the information collected about a company's KT process, and an application of the proposal in a company manufacturing agricultural machinery.
The information content of Morningstar StockInvestor: the Tortoise vs the Hare
Authors: Ferreira Eurico J. , Smith Stanley D.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add to the literature on the impact of the Morningstar ratings by examining the impact of individual stock ratings in the Hare and Tortoise portfolios.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses an event study approach, where the effect of the information release on stock prices was examined.

Findings

The release of the Hare and the Tortoise portfolios does have a significant impact on the stock prices on the day before the release of the reports. The significant impact of the Hare portfolio appears to be related to risk and growth factors and the new listing of a stock in the portfolio. The significant impact of the Tortoise portfolio appears to be related to growth and a downgrading of the estimated value.

Originality/value

There have been numerous studies on the impact of the Morningstar ratings on mutual funds. This paper adds to that literature by examining the impact of individual stock ratings in the Hare and Tortoise portfolios.
Use and understand: the inclusion of services against texts in library catalogs and “discovery systems”
Authors: Lease Morgan Eric
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to outline possibilities for the integration of text mining and other digital humanities computing techniques into library catalogs and “discovery systems”.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach has been to survey existing text mining apparatus and apply this to traditional library systems.

Findings

Through this process it is found that there are many ways library interfaces can be augmented to go beyond the processes of find and get and evolve to include processes of use and understand.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge, this type of augmentation has yet to be suggested or implemented across libraries.
Libraries, languages of description, and linked data: a Dublin Core perspective
Authors: Baker Thomas
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Library‐world “languages of description” are increasingly being expressed using the resource description framework (RDF) for compatibility with linked data approaches. This article aims to look at how issues around the Dublin Core, a small “metadata element set,” exemplify issues that must be resolved in order to ensure that library data meet traditional standards for quality and consistency while remaining broadly interoperable with other data sources in the linked data environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The article focuses on how the Dublin Core – originally seen, in traditional terms, as a simple record format – came increasingly to be seen as an RDF vocabulary for use in metadata based on a “statement” model, and how new approaches to metadata evolved to bridge the gap between these models.

Findings

The translation of library standards into RDF involves the separation of languages of description,per se, from the specific data formats into which they have for so long been embedded. When defined with “minimal ontological commitment,” languages of description lend themselves to the sort of adaptation that is inevitably a part of any human linguistic activity. With description set profiles, the quality and consistency of data traditionally required for sharing records among libraries can be ensured by placing precise constraints on the content of data records – without compromising the interoperability of the underlying vocabularies in the wider linked data context.

Practical implications

In today's environment, library data must continue to meet high standards of consistency and quality, yet it must be possible to link or merge the data with sources that follow other standards. Placing constraints on the data created, more than on the underlying vocabularies, allows both requirements to be met.

Originality/value

This paper examines how issues around the Dublin Core exemplify issues that must be resolved to ensure library data meet quality and consistency standards while remaining interoperable with other data sources.
“Readers who borrowed this also borrowed … ”: recommender systems in UK libraries
Authors: Wakeling Simon , Clough Paul , Sen Barbara , Silipigni Connaway Lynn
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Moves towards more interactive services on the web have led libraries to add an increasing range of functionality to their OPACS. Given the prevalence of recommender systems on the wider web, especially in e‐commerce environments, this paper aims to review current research in this area that is of particular relevance to the library community. It attempts to gauge the uptake of recommender systems in exiting OPAC services, and identify issues that might be responsible for inhibiting wider uptake.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on an extensive literature review, as well as original research comparing the functionality of 211 public and 118 university library OPACs in the UK. Examining current recommender systems research, it outlines the most significant recommendation models and reviews research in two key areas of recommender systems design: data acquisition, and the explanation of recommendations. It discusses three existing library recommendation systems: BibTip, LibraryThing for Libraries and the in‐house system at the University of Huddersfield.

Findings

The authors' analysis indicates that the incorporation of recommender systems into library services is extremely low, with only 2 per cent of public libraries and 11 per cent of university libraries in the UK offering the feature. While system limitations and budget constraints are perhaps partly to blame, it is suggested that library professionals have perhaps yet to be persuaded that the value of recommendations to library users is great enough to warrant their inclusion becoming a priority.

Originality/value

This paper represents the first study of UK library OPACs to focus on the prevalence of recommender systems.
Specifying business services: learning from software engineering
Authors: Peña‐Siles Joaquin , del Mar González‐Zamora Maria , Machuca José A.D.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The specification of business services (BS) is one of the key factors for success in service provision. Researchers and practitioners have identified a set of problems in BS specification, namely: communication problems between providers and buyers, inaccurate specifications and changes in requirements. These problems were identified in the software engineering (SE) field many years ago, resulting in the development of many techniques and tools to address them. Given the similarities between the two fields, the purpose of this paper is to identify the main lessons learned in SE and to propose how they can be adapted to the BS field.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a literature study and presents a conceptual solution.

Findings

To address communications problems and inaccuracies in BS specification, a formal requirements specification stage is required. Requirements should be set out in a well‐structured written, definition, document which can be used at a subsequent stage for design of the service (the definition of the solution). A requirements document for BS is proposed based on BS literature and SE methods. This document is based on the approaches used in the SE field for improving communication and reducing inaccuracies and covers the information needed in the BS field for specifying a business service. Second, a life cycle approach is proposed based on SE practice. It is shown that different lifecycle sequences can be used depending on the degree of fluidity in the communication between buyer and provider, the complexity of the BS and the stability of their requirements, with a repetitive process where specification and design are revisited iteratively and/or incrementally often being the most appropriate. This approach helps to stabilise requirements and to avoid inaccuracies being made in the specification.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is literature based. Although still untested empirically in the BS field, the recommended approach has been intensively proved in the SE field.

Originality/value

Requirements specification is a necessary (monetary, time and resource) cost for successful BS provision. The BS industry must realise that requirements have to be set down in writing and agreed upon with customers before initiating the design of the service.
Trade openness and economic growth: further evidence without relying on data stationarity
Authors: Aydin Okuyan H. , Ozun Alper , Erbaykal Erman
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between trade openness and economic growth in developing countries. Under this aim, the co‐integration relationship between trade openness and economic growth of 17 developing countries is examined without relying on data stationarity.

Design/methodology/approach

The co‐integration relationship between trade openness and economic growth is analyzed by Bounds testing approach developed by Pesaran et al. In addition to this, the causality relationship is tested by causality analysis developed by Toda and Yamamoto.

Findings

According to the Bounds test results, co‐integration relationship has been detected for six countries and long‐term coefficients among the variables have been found positive and statistically significant. According to the Toda and Yamamoto causality analysis, causality has been detected for eight countries. In four of these, the direction of causality is from trade openness to economic growth and in the other four, vice versa.

Originality/value

The methodology employed provides an alternative framework for examining relationship among economic variables. The paper shows how to create co‐integration and causality tests without relying on data stationarity, which is a major problem in time series of economic variables. On the empirical side, it adds new empirical results into the literature in the name of identification of relationship between trade openness and economic growth in developing countries.
Non‐professional investors' behavior: an empirical study of female Saudi investors
Authors: Ahmed Heshmat Nesma
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that may affect female Saudi students who are considered potential non‐professional investors.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire was distributed to the participants; the obtained data were analyzed using the probit model and the Likert scale.

Findings

The results indicate that female students are more likely to own stocks if they have a high level of financial education. Variables such as age, income, grade point average (GPA), grade obtained in financial courses, and risk tolerance also affect stock ownership decision. The respondents also depend on 21 factors to analyze and evaluate stocks before making investment decisions.

Originality/value

Several studies have been conducted on investors' behavior; however, few of them have focused on non‐professional investors and none of these has focused on young, educated, female Saudi investors.
Current‐mode highpass, bandpass and lowpass filters using followers
Authors: Horng Jiun‐Wei
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present two new follower‐based current‐mode multifunction filters. Each of the proposed circuits can realize highpass, bandpass and lowpass filters, simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

The input terminals of the proposed current‐mode biquadratic filters are virtual grounded. The output terminals of the proposed circuits can be easily cascaded with the similar sections.

Findings

Highpass, bandpass and lowpass filters can be obtained simultaneously from the proposed circuits using only one or two followers.

Originality/value

The paper presents new ideas for follower applications.
German valuation: review of methods and legal framework
Authors: Schnaidt Tobias , Sebastian Steffen
Published: March 2012

Purpose

There is a continuing discussion about whether German valuation methods are inaccurate and inferior to the British standard, and the enduring efforts for a European and internationally standardised valuation method and value definitions intensify this discussion. The German valuation system is said to lead to valuations which do not reflect actual market conditions and excessive smoothing. Not surprisingly, German surveyors usually disagree and claim that the German valuation approach, with its sustainable rental value, fulfils not only its purpose but is more transparent and thus superior to the approach usually applied in UK. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recently adjusted German valuation methods.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyses the German valuation methods and highlights the predominant differences to the British valuation standards.

Findings

The paper shows that the discussed valuation methods should lead to comparable results. The legal framework of the German valuation approaches can therefore not be blamed for any of the observed empirical phenomenon.

Originality/value

The paper discusses the recently adjusted German valuation methods.
How the HR function can build the capability to change
Authors: Court Tony
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The aim of the article is to determine the function of HR as a strategic partner to senior management and how it can be positioned to proactively build an organization's capability to change.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is conceptualized based on the Peter Senge's “fifth discipline” in relation to the learning organization and its implications on organizational change. A conceptual framework has been proposed based on both the literature and management practice.

Findings

HR professionals need to change their role in helping organizations grow their change capability through drawing out the lessons from previous organizational change, planning a role in defining the behavioral challenges for each individual, creating a series of interventions that will support individuals in making the behavioral transition to the future, and deploying tools that link and track an individual's behavior change to the new results a team is delivering.

Originality/value

Organizations still need to learn how to change their performance. The principles of the learning organization can help guide HR professionals increase their organizations' ability to deliver successful change as well as help them earn the right to be a strategic partner to the senior management team.
A comment on China and “The social responsibility of international business scholars”
Authors: Wei Ziyi
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This comment aims to join the discussion raised by Penget al.regarding the social responsibility of international business (IB) scholars in the case of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), and to provide a subject overview about it.

Design/methodology/approach

In response to Penget al.'s paper, this comment focuses on three issues, i.e. the myth of Chinese OFDI, round‐tripping, and state‐owned enterprises (SOEs).

Findings

Owing to a short period of accumulation, the scale of Chinese OFDI stock is small compared to the global total. However, with its momentum, it may become a threat in the long term. Apart from round‐tripping, tax havens such as Hong Kong have multiple functions for Chinese companies to invest in. Although the size of foreign investments conducted by private companies remains small, their role in Chinese OFDI should not be ignored.

Research limitations/implications

The arguments made in this comment are mainly built upon the data from the official publications, which could present a broad but superficial view of the Chinese OFDI. In order to fill research gaps such as the internationalisation behaviour of Chinese OFDI in tax havens, more stories need to be explored.

Originality/value

This comment discusses several issues that have been mentioned by Penget al.but have been explored less in the literature, such as how to view Chinese OFDI in Hong Kong, and how to view the role of private companies.
Respect and the city: the mediating role of respect in citizen participation
Authors: Zenker Sebastian , Seigis Adrian
Published: March 2012

Purpose

To develop a city, officials frequently invest a great deal of taxpayers' money in large‐scale place development projects, which are often sparsely supported by the citizens because such projects often lead to unwanted effects (such as gentrification). This results in conflicts between planners and citizens, which are expressed in public protest and resistance. The instrument of citizen participation is repeatedly raised as a solution for such conflicts, but it remains unclear how and especially why this concept should be effective. The purpose of this paper is to empirically highlight the mediating role in this process: the feeling of being respected. By this means, the paper will contribute to a better general understanding of citizen participation.

Design/methodology/approach

In an experimental scenario study (n=368), different types of citizen participation (i.e. cases where the result was binding for the city vs non‐binding) were researched using a between‐groups design. To validate results, in a second step, the outcome was discussed with three experts, all of whom have worked in the field.

Findings

Surprisingly, it seems that neither the type of participation nor satisfaction with the project makes a difference with regards to citizen satisfaction, but simply the condition of being asked. One could argue that the feeling of being respected is the main mediator in this process. These results show the effectiveness of the participation tool in general, and give a possible explanation for this effect.

Originality/value

This paper concentrates on the variables underlying citizen participation. It shows empirically that the feeling of being respected is the mediator within this process. By this means, the paper offers a valuable insight into citizen participation in general and discusses its usage in place marketing.
Automated manufacture of 3D reinforced aerospace composite structures
Authors: Dell'Anno Giuseppe , Partridge Ivana , Cartié Denis , Hamlyn Alexandre , Chehura Edmon , James Stephen , Tatam Ralph
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on exploring an innovative combination of cutting‐edge technologies to be implemented within automated processes for composite parts manufacturing. The objective is the design of a production route for components with tailored fibre orientation and ply lay‐up, with improved damage tolerance thanks to through‐the‐thickness reinforcement and integrated health monitoring systems based on optical fibres technology. This study is part of the FP7 project ADVITAC.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed technologies are described in detail and their compatibility and potential for integration are discussed.A set up for on‐line monitoring of infusion and curing processes of carbon/epoxy laminates preformed by dry fibre placement technology is proposed, and a preliminary study of their mechanical performance is presented. The possibility of reinforcing through‐the‐thickness preforms manufactured with dry slit tapes automatically laid‐up and consolidated by laser heating is investigated.

Findings

Improved knowledge was obtained of interaction/compatibility between the discussed technologies and scope for application.

Research limitations/implications

The paper reports the technical potential and practical feasibility of the proposed integrated production process. Limited quantitative evaluations on the materials performance are provided. The analysis of the technologies involved represents the early outcome of the ongoing ADVITAC project.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the identification of a new generation of composite architecture which allows production cost and weight savings while retaining the level of quality suitable for demanding structural applications, with particular relevance to the aerospace field.

Originality/value

This paper investigates for the first time the practical possibility of designing a single automated process involving dry fibre placement, tufting and optical fibre sensor monitoring for the production of complex composite components.