bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A cross-cultural study on perceived quality in upscale hotels in Italy and Croatia
Authors: Šerić Maja 
Published: September 2018

Purpose
Most of the cross-cultural empirical research in hospitality has focused on Western and Eastern differences and has neglected cultural diversity in Europe. As cultural differences in Europe do exist and have important implications for managers operating in hotel industry, the purpose of this paper is to examine perceived quality in upscale (four- and five-star) hotels in two Mediterranean countries: Italy and Croatia.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected among 335 guests in upscale hotels in Italy and 475 hotel guests in Croatia. This work adopts a cross-cultural approach in two different ways. First, perceived quality is assessed in hotels in two different countries. Second, national culture of guests is considered in their evaluations of perceived quality in each country.

Findings
Surprisingly, hotels in Croatia, an emerging tourist destination, performed better than hotels in Italy, a top worldwide destination. The results show significant differences in perceived quality evaluations according to national cultures of hotel guests in each country. However, while in Croatia domestic guests perceived higher levels of quality than other guests, in Italy, perceived quality was rated lower by Italians than by their American counterparts.

Research limitations/implications
The results of this study contribute to better understanding of perceived quality in cross-cultural research in hospitality.

Practical implications
Implications are discussed for both Italian and Croatian hotel managers, two direct competitors in the Mediterranean area.

Originality/value
This paper covers several research gaps: lack of cross-cultural research in hospitality marketing, poor examination of perceived quality in hotels from the cross-cultural perspective, and poor consideration of cultural diversity within European countries.
Application of rough set and netnography in tourism marketing analysis
Authors: Sajjadian Fatemeh , Sheikh Reza , Souri Mohammad Ehsan , Sana Shib Sankar 
Published: September 2018

PurposeSocial media has given customers more power over sharing their knowledge, opinions and experiences with each other. Tourists as customers of destinations are also using text ads on social media and websites to share their experiences. The purpose of this study is to find out the factors which have affect on the decisions of tourists towards the most popular destinations in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz of Iran.Design/methodology/approachNetnography methodology has been applied to 2,852 comments showing travelers’ experiences through TripAdvisor.com. As a result, ten major factors have been discovered. According to these factors, a questionnaire has been designed and distributed among 449 tourists. In the second step, the collected data are used by rough set theory to discover the rules of destination recommendation based on the factors discovered before. Finally, eight main rules are determined to further analysis.FindingsThe findings confirm that beauty, cultural attractions, safety, welfare, costs and dealing with passengers are more important than other observed dimensions.Originality/valueIn this study, first the factors affecting consumer behavior in the tourism industry have been investigated. Based on this, the comments of tourists who have traveled to one of the cities Shiraz, Isfahan or Teheran and shared their experiences on TripAdvisor.com are studied. Further, the rules are discovered based on the rough set theory, and owing to the large number of objects (449 customer), the Rosetta software has been used.
Impact of JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices on environmental sustainability
Authors: Green Kenneth W. , Inman R. Anthony , Sower Victor E. , Zelbst Pamela J. 
Published: September 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the complementary impact of JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices on environmental performance.Design/methodology/approachData from a sample of 225 US manufacturing managers are analyzed using a PLS-SEM methodology.FindingsJIT and TQM are directly and positively associated with green supply chain management practices. JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices are complementary in that combined they provide a greater impact on environmental performance than if implemented individually.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample is limited to US manufacturing managers, with a low response rate.Practical implicationsSuccessful implementations of JIT and TQM improvement programs support the implementation of green supply chain management practices leading to improved environmental performance.Social implicationsThe combination of JIT, TQM and green manufacturing practices improves the environment by eliminating all forms of waste and providing customers with eco-friendly products and services.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to empirically assess the complementary impact of JIT, TQM and green supply chain practices within the context of environmental sustainability.
Charities as symbolic families: ethnographic evidence from Spain
Authors: Grau Rebollo Jorge , Escribano Castaño Paula , Valenzuela-Garcia Hugo , Lubbers Miranda Jessica 
Published: September 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the care provision of charity organizations that assist people in situations of economic vulnerability. After analyzing central theoretical elements of kinning, the authors contend that charity organizations function as symbolic families for people in need.Design/methodology/approachEthnographic fieldwork was performed in two sites of a large catholic charity organization in the outskirts of Barcelona. Ethnographic fieldwork included participant observations and informal interviews with individuals located under the official poverty threshold.FindingsSymbolic family bonds among different individuals are created through the entwining of interconnectedness, obligation and commitment, sense of belonging, interdependence and the projection of symbolic spaces of hearth. The authors propose the term of “disposable families” (akin to that of Desmond’s, 2013 for dyadic relationships) because a remarkable feature of these bonds is its short-term nature.Social implicationsThe consideration of charities as symbolic families offers new insights into their social role and may contribute to reshaping the social function within emergency situations.Originality/valueThis research opens new ground for the understanding of charities as something else than care providers, as the relational dimension with clients extends beyond the conventional patron/client relationship. This fact has particular relevance in an economic context of post-crisis, with the Welfare State withdrawal and a deterioration of the traditional sources of informal support.
Recognizability of heterologous co‐chaperones with Streptococcus intermedius DnaK and Escherichia coli DnaK
Authors: Tomoyasu Toshifumi , Tsuruno Keigo , Tanatsugu Ryosuke , Miyazaki Aya , Kondo Hiroyuki , Tabata Atsushi , Whiley Robert A. , Sonomoto Kenji , Nagamune Hideaki 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTStreptococcus intermedius DnaK complements the temperature‐sensitive phenotype of an Escherichia coli dnaK null mutant only when co‐chaperones DnaJ and GrpE are co‐expressed. Therefore, whether S. intermedius DnaK and E. coli DnaK can recognize heterologous co‐chaperones in vitro was examined. Addition of heterologous GrpE to DnaK and DnaJ partially stimulated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity, and almost completely stimulated luciferase refolding activity. Addition of heterologous DnaJ to GrpE and DnaK also stimulated ATPase activity; however, significant luciferase refolding activity was not observed. Moreover, E. coli DnaJ had a negative effect on the luciferase refolding activity of the S. intermedius DnaK chaperone system. In E. coli chaperone mutants, with the exception of E. coli DnaJ, stronger expression of the heterologous co‐chaperones partially or almost completely complemented the temperature‐sensitive‐phenotype. These results indicate that all heterologous co‐chaperones can at least partially recognize DnaK of a distantly related species. A region of the ATPase domain that is present in the DnaK of gram‐negative bacteria is absent from the DnaK of gram‐positive bacteria. This region is believed to be important for recognition of co‐chaperones from gram‐negative bacteria. However, insertion of this segment into S. intermedius DnaK failed to increase its ability to recognize E. coli co‐chaperones, implying that this region is unnecessary or insufficient for the recognition of E. coli co‐chaperones. Thus, our data suggest that a basic structural similarity is conserved among the components of the S. intermedius and E. coli DnaK chaperone systems, allowing weak associations between heterologous components.
Change in drivers of mangrove crown displacement along a salinity stress gradient
Authors: Vovides Alejandra G. , Berger Uta , Grueters Uwe , Guevara Roger , Pommerening Arne , Lara‐Domínguez Ana Laura , López‐Portillo Jorge 
Published: September 2018

AbstractCrown displacement in trees is an adaptive response driven by neighbours that optimizes space use and reduces competition. But it can also be the result of wind force. Although morphological responses to neighbours have been well studied, the interplay between neighbours and wind in driving crown shape, and the implications for plant interactions remain poorly understood. However, it is crucial to predict such changes in vegetation structure and function under the scope of global change. We test the hypothesis that aboveground interactions are reduced with increasing soil stress and that wind becomes the main driver of crown shape in mangrove forests.We investigated the effect of neighbours and wind intensity and direction on crown displacement of mangrove canopy and below canopy trees along a salinity gradient, and assessed crown asymmetry for three mangrove tree species, as well as the contribution of crown displacement on reducing crown‐projected area overlap and thus neighbourhood competition.Results show that crown displacement of canopy trees is strongly influenced by winds at all salinities. At low salinities, competition for space accounted for 48% of crown displacement away from neighbours, compared to 49% found for the synthetized effects of wind and neighbours. While trees below the canopy displace their crowns away from their neighbours, no response to wind could be detected. This can be due to the wind protection conferred by a dense canopy stand related to bigger crowns that effectively reduce wind drag. At higher salinities, there was a reduction in canopy overlap due to crown displacement, which suggests reduced aboveground plant interactions with increasing soil stress.While neighbourhood avoidance is a fundamental strategy for optimal light foraging, this study shows that wind strength and directionality are main drivers of crown shape with increasing stress and highlights their potential influence in plant interactions and forest structure, pointing to an increased susceptibility of trees to disturbances that should be further studied.Aplain language summaryis available for this article.
Nutrient addition affects scaling relationship of leaf nitrogen to phosphorus in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Yan Zhengbing , Li Xiuping , Tian Di , Han Wenxuan , Hou Xinghui , Shen Haihua , Guo Yalong , Fang Jingyun 
Published: September 2018

Abstract

Ambient nutrient changes influence the coupling of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in terrestrial ecosystems, but whether it could alter the scaling relationship of plant leaf N to P concentrations remains unclear.

Here, we conducted experimental manipulations using Arabidopsis thaliana, with five levels of N and P additions and nine repeated experiments, and then evaluated the changes in the scaling relationship of leaf N to P concentrations under nutrient additions.

Overall, leaf N concentration scaled as 0.552 power of leaf P concentration for all data pooled. However, when considering the effect of the type of nutrient addition, the scaling relationship for pooled data of the five levels of N addition was insignificant at two growth stages (young‐leaf and mature‐leaf stages), whereas the scaling relationship for pooled data of the five levels of P addition was significant with exponents of 0.290 and 0.268 at the two growth stages, respectively. Furthermore, the scaling exponent decreased with the increasing levels of N addition, but increased with the increasing levels of P addition. This suggests that high nutrient availability decreases the variability in its own concentration, but promotes the fluctuation in another tightly associated nutrient concentration in leaves among plant individuals. We call this as Nutrient Availability–Individual Variability Hypothesis.

Our results suggest that scaling relationship of leaf N to P concentrations is largely modulated by the type and level of nutrient addition, and analyses of leaf N vs. P scaling relationships using pooled data could lose much information rooted in biologically and ecologically significant variances. These findings provide important implications for the parameterization in modelling stoichiometric growth and nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, and for understanding population structures, processes and functioning under varying nutrient environments. However, whether our observed patterns in A. thaliana could be extended to those at community level warrants further studies and more validations.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
An investigation of the quality of pretend play ability in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: dos Santos Daniela Medeiros , Lucisano Renata Valdívia , Pfeifer Luzia Iara 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundCerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of permanent disorders in the development of movement and posture due to non‐progressive disturbances during foetal or infant brain development that can result in activity limitations, including engagement in pretend play.MethodsTwenty children aged four to seven years with spastic CP participated in this descriptive qualitative study. The Child‐Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA) clinical observations were analysed from five categories: Time, Interaction with the examiner, Imitation, Theme and Story.ResultsSeventy per cent (70%) of the children completed the assessment (Time), and 90% of children interacted socially with the examiner during the play (Interaction with the examiner). All children initiated their pretend play without requiring examiner demonstration (Imitation). Sixty per cent (60%) of the children were appropriate to their stage of development for Theme. Finally, 60% of the children set up a scenario, but did not develop a narrative (Story).ConclusionQualitative aspects of the children's pretend play performance were satisfactory, showing typical play indicators in all the categories, except for ‘Story’. ‘Story’ represents more complexity in a child's pretend play ability. Therefore, a play intervention is suggested to stimulate and expand the pretend play ability of preschool children with CP.
Violence in the Household and Happiness in Mexico
Authors: Charles‐Leija Humberto , Aboites Gilberto , Llamas Ignacio 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThis article has two purposes: first to investigate whether violence influences wellbeing; second to investigate whether the effect of violence is greater for women than for men. The results show that there is a significant impact on the wellbeing of individuals when suffering violence from someone with whom they live, with women being more severely affected than men.
Exposure to herbicides reduces larval sensitivity to insecticides in Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Liu Shi‐Wei , Elzaki Mohammed Esmail Abdalla , Staehelin Christian , Ma Zhi‐Hui , Qin Zhong , Wang Rui‐Long 
Published: September 2018

AbstractHerbicides and insecticides are widely used in modern agriculture. It has been reported in various studies that application of insecticides can increase tolerance of herbivorous insects to insecticides. However, limited information exists on susceptibility to insecticides when insects are exposed to herbicides. This study was conducted to investigate the potential impact of the herbicides trifluralin and 2‐methyl‐4‐chlorophenoxyacetic acid sodium salt (MCPA‐Na) on the susceptibility of the nocturnal moth Spodoptera litura to the insecticides λ‐cyhalothrin, phoxim and bifenthrin. We found that larvae exposed to trifluralin or MCPA‐Na became significantly less susceptible to both insecticides than non‐exposed control larvae. Herbicide‐treated larvae did not show altered growth under the used test conditions. However, heads of herbicide‐treated larvae showed increased expression of the acetylcholinesterase genes SlAce1 and SlAce2. Moreover, the fat body and midgut of herbicide‐treated larvae displayed elevated expression of detoxification genes (the carboxylesterase gene SlCarE; the glutathione S‐transferase genes SlGSTe2 and SlGSTe3; the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase genes CYP6B48, CYP9A40 and CYP321B1). The CYP6B48 gene exhibited highest inducibility. In conclusion, the data of this study suggest that exposure of S. litura larvae to herbicides may stimulate detoxification mechanisms that compromise the efficacy of insecticides.
The effects of high temperatures on individuals and populations of the green spruce aphid Elatobium abietinum (Walker)
Authors: Straw Nigel A. , Bladon Freia M. , Day Keith R. , Fielding Nick J. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract

Green spruce aphid Elatobium abietinum is an important defoliating pest of Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis that may become more damaging in the future as a result of climate change.
Mild winters and higher spring temperatures increase E. abietinum population densities, although this positive response to warmer conditions might be over‐ridden if E. abietinum is adversely affected by exceptionally high summer temperatures.
In laboratory experiments, aphids exposed to temperatures above 25 °C became more restless and were more likely to drop from the shoot, and subsequently showed a reduction in mean relative growth rate. In contrast, survival was not reduced significantly unless temperatures exceeded 35 °C.
Field data from Radnor Forest in Wales indicated that E. abietinum populations in the autumn were inversely correlated with mean and maximum summer temperatures, at temperatures below those that had a negative impact in the laboratory.
The greater sensitivity of populations in the field to high summer temperatures may reflect higher temperatures at the needle surface compared with the temperature of the surrounding air, or associated increases in natural enemy activity.
The results from the present study indicate that high temperatures during mid‐summer have a significant impact on E. abietinum individuals and populations and, ultimately, may influence how the aphid responds to climate change.
Biocompatibility of Polysulfone Hemodialysis Membranes and Its Mechanisms: Involvement of Fibrinogen and Its Integrin Receptors in Activation of Platelets and Neutrophils
Authors: Koga Yoko , Fujieda Hiroaki , Meguro Hiroyuki , Ueno Yoshiyuki , Aoki Takao , Miwa Keishi , Kainoh Mie 
Published: September 2018

AbstractActivation of blood cells during hemodialysis is considered to be a significant determinant of biocompatibility of the hemodialysis membrane because it may affect patient health adversely through microvascular inflammation and oxidative stress. This study found very different cell activation among various polysulfone (PSf) hemodialysis membranes. For example, CX‐U, a conventional PSf membrane, induced marked adhesion of platelets to its surface and increased surface expression of activated CD11b and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by neutrophils; while NV‐U, a hydrophilic polymer‐immobilized PSf membrane, caused little platelet adhesion and slight CD11b expression and ROS production by neutrophils. Analysis of the molecular mechanisms of the above phenomena on CX‐U and NV‐U indicated that anti‐integrin GPIIb/IIIa antibody blocked platelet adhesion, and that the combination of anti‐CD11b (integrin α subunit of Mac‐1) and anti‐integrin αvβ3 antibodies blocked ROS production by neutrophils. Plasma‐derived fibrinogen, a major ligand of GPIIb/IIIa, Mac‐1, and αvβ3 on membranes, was thus analyzed and found to be more adsorbed to CX‐U than to NV‐U. Moreover, comparison between five PSf membranes showed that the number of adherent platelets and neutrophil ROS production increased with increasing fibrinogen adsorption. These results suggested that fibrinogen, adsorbed on membranes, induced GPIIb/IIIa‐mediated platelet activation and Mac‐1/αvβ3‐mediated neutrophil activation, depending on the amount of adsorption. In conclusion, the use of biocompatible membranes like NV‐U, which show lower adsorption of fibrinogen, is expected to reduce hemodialysis‐induced inflammation and oxidative stress by minimizing cell activation.
German Diabetes Study – Baseline data of retinal layer thickness measured by SD‐OCT in early diabetes mellitus
Authors: Schröder Katharina , Szendroedi Julia , Benthin Anna , Gontscharuk Veronika , Ackermann Philipp , Völker Magdalena , Steingrube Nadine , Nowotny Bettina , Ziegler Dan , Müssig Karsten , Geerling Gerd , Kuß Oliver , Roden Michael , Guthoff Rainer ,   for the GDS Cohort
Published: September 2018

AbstractPurposeRecent studies highlighted that early diabetic neurodegeneration is present before microvascular changes are visible. Retinal neurodegeneration can decrease retinal layer thickness. We aimed to determine whether decreased retinal layer thickness is present already in the early time course of disease.MethodsA cross‐sectional analysis of patients and healthy adults from the German Diabetes Study (GDS, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier number: CT01055093, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01055093). Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) within the last 12 months. Retinal layers thickness in the nasal pericentral segment was measured by spectral domain ocular coherence tomography (SD‐OCT). For statistical analysis proc mixed (sas‐version 9.4) was used.ResultsOne hundred and seventy‐eight eyes of 89 patients with type 1 DM (58 males, age 36 ± 11 years, BMI 25.5 ± 4.2 kg/m²) and 242 eyes of 121 patients with type 2 DM (84 males, age 53 ± 10 years, BMI 31.9 ± 6.3 kg/m²) with a disease duration of less than 1 year were compared to 76 eyes of 38 controls (27 males, age 41 ± 16 years, BMI 27.3 ± 6.4 kg/m²). Analysis of retinal layer thickness and visual function did not reveal a significant difference between patients and controls.ConclusionIn the early course of DM potential, neurodegeneration does not relate to measureable changes of retinal layer thickness.