bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the supply chain information flow in Egyptian SMEs using Six Sigma
Authors: Kandil Omneya , Abd El Aziz Rasha 
Published: June 2018

PurposeThere is a great deal of concern among the Egyptian economy that small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) potentials are not fully used although they dominate it and contribute to its success. The question is what challenges are preventing those SMEs from performing efficiently. This research aims to focus on examining the issues regarding the supply chain of Egyptian SMEs, exploring the areas that need improvement and assessing the impact of technology in enhancing their performance and whether they afford applying it.Design/methodology/approachIn this research, semi-structured interviews were conducted at 14 Egyptian SMEs. Then, the business process at six of the fourteen SMEs was observed. After that, a representative sampling was applied and a company was chosen as a representative case company. Moreover, the selected company’s documents were analyzed to capture the full image of the current supply chain performance in Egyptian SMEs. Finally, the Six Sigma DMAIC approach was used to assess the effectiveness of the current supply chain and identify the problems faced and how to deal with these deficiencies.FindingsThe current process of the supply chain was analyzed and the result shows the obstacles and constrains facing SMEs in Egypt. Despite the clear benefits of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Egyptian SMEs still do not use it to solve their problems due to its high cost and their low budgets. However, the investigation concludes that SMEs in particular can benefit from the RFID technology and will be able to pay back the cost of the system applied after a certain period of time that is measured by calculating the breakeven point of having the RFID system against the current situation. As a result, improvements were realized and recommended for the organization.Originality/valueThis research develops a model that suits SMEs in the Egyptian market. The use of a case study approach with a quality measurement tool, namely, the Six Sigma DMAIC approach, especially after surveying several SMEs, and observing the business process at some of them, makes this a thorough investigation which proves that even SMEs can use the RFID technology despite its high cost that hinders its utilization. Thus, this research helps decision-makers in Egyptian SMEs make better informed decisions and guides them to when will they be able to pay back the cost of the system applied.
Promoting Korean international trade in the East Sea Economic Rim in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative
Authors: Lee Paul Tae-Woo , Lee Sung-Woo , Hu Zhi-Hua , Choi Kyoung-Suk , Choi Na Young Hwan , Shin Sung-Ho 
Published: June 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze maritime logistics connectivity of ports and shipping networks in the East Sea Economic Rim (ESER) to promote international trade in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), considering centrality, primary flow and clustering interaction.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper applies a complex network model, using a big data system consisting of an automated identification system, electronic data interchange and distributive and complex data. Three perspectives, including connectivity in trading ports and regions, centralities in the realm of complex network and potential marketing and regional impacts, and sixteen criteria are considered for this analysis. A visual approach has been also applied to highlight port connectivity and ship flows for the reader’s convenience.

Findings
The paper shows that port connectivity and maritime logistics are enablers to promote Korean international trade in Northeast China through the ESER, and 25 major ports are well connected to promote international trade in the region with visual data of ship flows by ship type and by flag.

Research limitations/implications
Owing to the lack of port management information systems among the countries in the ESER except Korea and Japan, this paper could not capture cargo types and amounts on board. Port connectivity analysis shows links of the ports in the ESER to major ports in southeast Asia along the Twenty-first Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR). These results contribute to drawing policy implications to promote the ESER and provide suggestions for promoting Korean international trade by enhancing maritime logistics connectivity.

Originality/value
Unlike the existing literature showing descriptive and policy-oriented research related to ESER, this paper applied a vigorous method with a big amount of data to analyze port connectivity and ship flows in the ESER, considering China’s BRI affecting the global supply chain system, maritime transportation, and logistics. In addition, the paper shows how the seaports in the ESER are connected along the MSR.
The impact of emotional intelligence on ethical judgment
Authors: Hopkins Margaret , Deepa R. 
Published: June 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the important relationships between emotional intelligence (EI) and ethical decision making (EDM).

Design/methodology/approach
Participants were 100 students from MBA programs in the USA and India who completed two surveys: one measuring their EI, and the second their use of four different ethical perspectives in three scenarios. Multiple regression analyses were performed to discover relationships between overall EI, certain dimensions of EI and their ethical judgments.

Findings
The authors’ results found that the composite EI score as well as the EI subscale of decision making were both significantly related to the relativism ethical perspective. Age was an additional significant factor for EI and EDM.

Research limitations/implications
Future research should attempt to replicate these findings among different managerial levels, industries and countries to further understand the distinctive relationships between EI and ethical judgments.

Practical implications
This study highlights the importance of integrating EI and ethical judgment within corporate training programs and business school curricula, as important is the emphasis on moving the subject of ethical judgment from one of awareness to sustained ethical behavior through accountability.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by identifying how EI and its decision-making subscale are significant to EDM.
As-exact-as-possible repair of unprintable STL files
Authors: Attene Marco 
Published: June 2018

Purpose
The class of models that can be represented by STL files is larger than the class of models that can be printed using additive manufacturing technologies. Stated differently, there exist well-formed STL files that cannot be printed. This paper aims to formalize such a gap and describe a fully automatic procedure to turn any such file into a printable model.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on well-established concepts from combinatorial topology, this paper provide an unambiguous description of all the mathematical entities involved in the modeling-printing pipeline. Specifically, this paper formally defines the conditions that an STL file must satisfy to be printable, and, based on these, an as-exact-as-possible repairing algorithm is designed.

Findings
It has been found that, to cope with all the possible triangle configurations, the algorithm must distinguish between triangles that bind solid parts and triangles that constitute zero-thickness sheets. Only the former set can be fixed without distortion.

Research limitations/implications
Owing to the specific approach used that tracks the so-called “outer hull,” models with inner cavities cannot be treated.

Practical implications
Thanks to this new method, the shift from a 3D model to a printed prototype is faster, easier and more reliable.

Social implications
The availability of this easily accessible model preparation tool has the potential to foster a wider diffusion of home-made 3D printing in non-professional communities.

Originality/value
Previous methods that are guaranteed to fix all the possible configurations provide only approximate solutions with an unnecessary distortion. Conversely, this procedure is as exact as possible, meaning that no visible distortion is introduced unless it is strictly imposed by limitations of the printing device. Thanks to such unprecedented flexibility and accuracy, this algorithm is expected to significantly simplify the modeling-printing process, in particular within the continuously emerging non-professional “maker” communities.
The RNA chaperone Hfq is important for the virulence, motility and stress tolerance in the phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris
Authors: Lai Jie‐Ling , Tang Dong‐Jie , Liang Yu‐Wei , Zhang Ren , Chen Qi , Qin Zhen‐Ping , Ming Zhen‐Hua , Tang Ji‐Liang 
Published: June 2018

SummaryThe RNA chaperone, Hfq, is known to play extensive roles in bacterial growth and development. More recently, it has been shown to be required for virulence in many human and animal bacterial pathogens. Despite these studies little is known about the role Hfq plays in phytopathogenic bacteria. In this study, we show Hfq is required for full virulence of the crucifer black rot pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc). We demonstrate that an Xcc hfq deletion strain is highly attenuated for virulence in Chinese radish and shows a severe defect in the production of virulence factors including extracellular enzymes and extracellular polysaccharide. Furthermore, the Xcc strain lacking Hfq had significantly reduced cell motility and stress tolerance. These findings suggest that Hfq is a key regulator of important aspects of virulence and adaptation of Xcc. Taken together, our findings are suggestive of a regulatory network placing Hfq at the centre of virulence gene expression control in Xcc.
Spreading the news about the novel conjugation mechanism in Streptomyces bacteria
Authors: Pettis Gregg S. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryThe hallmark of mycelial spore‐forming bacteria of the genus Streptomyces is their prolific production of antibiotics and other bioactive secondary metabolites as part of a complex morphological and physiological developmental program. They are further distinguished by a conjugation mechanism that differs substantially from the single‐strand mode of DNA transfer via Type IV secretion, which is exhibited by numerous unicellular Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria. At the crux of the novel intermycelial transfer event in Streptomyces spp. is a membrane pore composed of a single plasmid protein (TraB), which also functions as an FtsK‐like DNA pump driven by the energy of ATP hydrolysis. TraB binds to specific 8‐mer repeats within the non‐coding clt plasmid transfer locus and the DNA is then translocated intercellularly in double‐strand form. TraB also translocates chromosomal DNA most likely by binding to 8‐mer clc sequences (clt‐like chromosomal sequences) distributed throughout streptomycete chromosomes. In the recipient, plasmids are dispersed through septal crosswalls apparently by a multiprotein complex comprising TraB and plasmid Spd proteins. Continued rounds of such intramycelial spreading distribute plasmids well beyond the initial entrance point during the time prior to cell differentiation and sporulation.
“Toppling” Saddam Hussein in London: Media, Meaning, and the Construction of an Iraqi Diasporic Community
Authors: Saleh Zainab 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTThis article interrogates the reaction of Iraqis in London to the live coverage of the fall of Saddam Hussein's statue during the US occupation of Iraq in 2003, which transformed their experience of temporality and their diasporic connections to homeland. I argue that the fall of the statue transformed the Iraqi communities in London from exilic ones—defined by enforced absence, and limited contact with Iraq—into a single diasporic one defined by transnational connections and transmigration. Furthermore, this moment was first and foremost a diasporic event. On the one hand, while it opened up the national space of Iraq to the communities in London, it entailed the disconnect of most Iraqis in Iraq from it due to lack of electricity and the ban on acquiring satellites under Hussein's regime. On the other hand, it brought Iraqis in London together as a community unified over the fall of the regime and allayed the deep divisions within the communities. This communal watching of this event made possible the imagination of a “better” Iraq, which sutured together divided exilic communities into a national body and constituted a rupture between two realities—namely, the reality of authoritarianism and the reality of US occupation. [diaspora, exile, media, temporality, live news]
Risk of diabetes in HIV‐infected patients is associated with cirrhosis but not with chronic HCV coinfection in a French nationwide HIV cohort
Authors: Provoost A. , Dramé M. , Cotte L. , Cuzin L. , Garraffo R. , Rey D. , Raffi F. , Poizot‐Martin I. , Pugliese P. , Bani‐Sadr F. ,   the Dat'AIDS study group
Published: June 2018

SummaryBackgroundBoth human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been reportedly associated with a higher risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) but results are conflicting.AimsTo determine whether there is an association between chronic HCV and the incidence of DM, and to study the role of factors such as cirrhosis, IFN‐based HCV therapy, sustained virologic response (SVR) and chronic HBV infection among patients living with HIV (PLHIV) followed in a large French multicentre cohort in the combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) era.MethodsAll PLHIV followed up in the Dat’AIDS cohort were eligible. Cox models for survival analysis were used to study the time to occurrence of DM.ResultsAmong 28 699 PLHIV, 4004 patients had chronic HCV infection. The mean duration of HCV follow‐up was 12.5 ± 8.1 years. The rate ratio of DM was 2.74 per 1000 person‐years. By multivariate analysis, increasing age, body mass index>25, AIDS status, nadir CD4 cell count ≤200/mm3, detectable HIV viral load and cirrhosis (HR 2.26 95% CI 1.14‐1.18; P < 0.0001) were predictors of DM, whereas longer cART duration was associated with a lower risk of DM. Chronic HCV and HBV infection and IFN‐based HCV therapy were not associated with DM. In a subanalysis among HCV‐infected patients, SVR was not related to DM.ConclusionsOur study shows that in the HIV population, cirrhosis is associated with an increased occurrence of DM, but not chronic HCV infection or duration of HCV infection.
Noninvasive assessment of left atrial fibrosis. Correlation between echocardiography, biomarkers, and electroanatomical mapping
Authors: Pilichowska‐Paszkiet Ewa , Baran Jakub , Sygitowicz Grażyna , Sikorska Agnieszka , Stec Sebastian , Kułakowski Piotr , Zaborska Beata 
Published: June 2018

AimLeft atrial (LA) fibrosis promotes atrial fibrillation (AF), may predict poor radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) outcome, and may be assessed invasively using electroanatomical mapping (EAM). Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) enables quantitative assessment of LA function. The aim was to assess the relationship between LA fibrosis derived from EAM and LA echocardiographic parameters as well as biomarkers of fibrosis in patients with AF.MethodsSixty‐six patients (64% males, mean age 56 ± 10) with nonvalvular AF treated with first RFCA were prospectively studied. Seventy‐three percent of patients were in sinus rhythm at the time of examination. LA geometry, systolic, and diastolic function were assessed. In STE global, peak atrial longitudinal (PALS) and contractile (PACS) strain were calculated. LA stiffness index (LAs) — the ratio of E/e′ to PALS — was assessed. The EAM of LA was build using Carto System before RFCA. Low amplitude potentials area (LAPA) was quantitatively analyzed and expressed as a percentage of LA surface using the cut‐off <0.5 mV to detect potential sites of fibrosis. The serum concentrations of MMP‐9, PIIINP, and TGFβ1were estimated before RFCA.ResultsPearson correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between LA diastolic function parameters: PALS (−0.54, P < .001), LAs (0.65, P < .001), and LAPA in patients who were in sinus rhythm. Also LA volume significantly correlated with LAPA (0.44, P < .002). None of biomarkers correlated with LAPA.ConclusionLeft atrial diastolic parameters derived from STE correlate well with the extent of LA fibrosis. Thus, STE may be useful in the noninvasive assessment of LA fibrosis and selection of candidates for RFCA.
Short feeding migration associated with a lower mean size of whitefish in the River Tornionjoki, northern Baltic Sea
Authors: Jokikokko Erkki , Hägerstrand Henry , Lill Jan‐Olof 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe size of anadromous whitefish caught with dip nets in the River Tornionjoki in the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia has decreased during recent decades. To find an explanation for this trend, ascending whitefish were sampled in the lower part of the river in August 2016, and they were divided into two groups according to fish length. The length of the SMALL group was ≤ 32 cm (n = 32) and that of the LARGE group ≥ 33 cm (n = 65). The elemental analysis of otoliths revealed that the barium concentration was clearly higher in otoliths from the SMALL group compared to the LARGE group. This indicates that the fish in the LARGE group had migrated to feed further south in the Gulf of Bothnia, with a higher salinity, than the fish in the SMALL group. Because of this migration difference, and a decline in the gillnet effort, especially in the feeding areas near the river mouth, it is assumed that proportionally more fish in the SMALL group are able to ascend the river to spawn than previously, thus decreasing the mean size. At the same time, the heavy gillnet fishery in the south removes fish from the LARGE group.
New tools for MHC research from machine learning and predictive algorithms to the tumour immunopeptidome
Authors: Altmann Daniel M. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryAt a time when immunology seeks to progress ever more rapidly from characterization of a microbial or tumour antigen to the immune correlates that may define protective T‐cell immunity, there is a need for robust tools to enable accurate predictions of peptide–major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) and peptide–MHC–T‐cell receptor binding. Improvements in the curation of data sets from high throughput pMHC analysis, such as the NIH Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), and the associated developments of predictive tools rooted in machine‐learning approaches, are having significant impact. When such approaches are linked to the powerful empirical immunopeptidome data sets from peptide MHC elution and mass spectrometry, there is considerable potential for rapid translation to T‐cell therapies and vaccines.
Yoga and Quality of Life in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review
Authors: McGovern Christina E. , Cheung Corjena 
Published: June 2018

IntroductionPrimary dysmenorrhea is a prevalent condition causing quality of life (QOL) reduction for many women, resulting from pain as well as parallel social and psychological distress. Yoga reduces pain and sympathetic reactivity, thus promoting QOL. This article reports a systematic review of the evidence for the effectiveness of yoga as a QOL improvement method for women with primary dysmenorrhea.MethodsThe PRISMA guidelines were used in preparation of this review. Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were screened through January 2017 using the keywords yoga, meditation, menstrual cycle, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and prostaglandins. English‐language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi‐experimental studies regarding yoga, primary dysmenorrhea, and QOL were eligible; all yoga styles were included. Two independent reviewers rated the methodological quality of each study selected for review using the Downs and Black checklist; possible scores ranged from 0 to 32. Ratings were established through consensus.ResultsThe search yielded a total of 378 articles, of which 14 (age range 13‐45 years, N = 1409) met the criteria for final review: 8 RCTs and 6 quasi‐experimental studies. Downs and Black ratings were predominantly moderate in quality with moderate risk of bias, ranging from 15 to 23 (RCTs) and 10 to 17 (quasi‐experimental studies). Statistically significant improvements along most QOL domains, including physical pain, sleep, concentration, negative feelings, social relationships, work capacity, and overall QOL, were identified after a yoga intervention. Results indicate preliminary evidence for yoga as a safe and effective QOL improvement method for women with primary dysmenorrhea.DiscussionPractitioners may consider yoga for management of primary dysmenorrhea. However, future research using larger RCTs of high methodological quality is needed to ascertain the magnitude of yoga's clinical significance.
A triangulated evaluation of a youth clinic for patients with kidney disease
Authors: Finderup Jeanette , Kristensen Annalise Fabricius , Christensen Rikke , Jespersen Bente 
Published: June 2018

SUMMARYBackgroundWith inspiration from Oxford, UK, a youth clinic outside the hospital for young people with kidney disease was established at a Danish university hospital in Autumn 2014. Four clinics have been held annually.ObjectivesTo qualitatively evaluate a new established youth clinic and to gain knowledge of the experiences of young people and their parents with this clinic.MethodsThree data sets were collected (observation, interviews and focus groups). Data were analysed using Malterud's systematic text condensation.FindingsEight themes were identified: (1) A meeting place; (2) a mutual understanding; (3) the young people have established a social community between themselves; (4) I feel less directed by my kidney disease; (5) I accept my life with the disease to a larger extent; (6) I am the safety net; (7) they have their life with the disease under control and they handle it and (8) the youth clinic is a gift from heaven.ConclusionThe youth clinic had a positive impact on the young peoples’ daily life with kidney disease and has helped most of the young people to have more faith in themselves and their own abilities to handle life with kidney disease. Meeting with peers and the youth clinic being located outside the hospital were of utmost importance.
The one constant: a causal effect of collective bargaining on employment growth? Evidence from German linked‐employer‐employee data
Authors: Brändle Tobias , Goerke Laszlo 
Published: June 2018

AbstractA large number of articles have analysed ‘the one constant’ in the economic effects of trade unions, namely that collective bargaining reduces employment growth by 2–4% points per year. Evidence is, however, mostly related to Anglo‐Saxon countries. We investigate whether a different institutional setting might lead to a different outcome, making the constant a variable entity. Using linked‐employer‐employee data for Germany, we find a negative correlation between being covered by a sector‐wide bargaining agreement or firm‐level contract and employment growth of about 1% point per annum. However, the correlation between employment growth and collective bargaining is not robust to the use of panel methods. We conclude that the results of the literature using cross‐section data might be driven by selection.