bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of the South African indigenous fungal growth for the degradation of diclofenac sodium from water
Authors: Kasonga Teddy Kabeya 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackground and objectivesThe occurrence of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their risk assessment in the environment over a decade have become a real concern in various existing water resources. Microbial bioremediation of organic pollutants in wastewater is a key process in both natural and engineered systems. This study aimed to the use of green technology with South African indigenous fungi for the removal of diclofenac from water, which is an environmentally friendly process applied to manage water quality at large.MethodThe fungal growth was optimised in flasks, then the aerated and stationary batch flasks were run for 14 d and samples taken once daily in order to carry out the fungal removal efficiency of the most popular and anti-analgesic anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac sodium (DCF) from water. The five isolate South African indigenous fungal strains (ISAIFS)T. longibrachiatum, T. polyzona, A. niger, M. circinelloidesandR. microsporuswere then found to have a optimum growth in low nitrogen medium (LN-m) at temperature range of between 26.5°C to 31.5 °C and pH around 3 to 4.5.ResultsAspergillus nigergave better growth and seemed thermotolerence than others. Glucose supply as well as physicochemical parameters such as pH and temperature have shown to have play a vital role on fungal growth in suspension liquid media. The best DCF degradation result obtained was 95% byR. microsporusin aerated batch flasks after 7 d followed by A. niger with 80% of DCF removal, while the only one white-rot fungi (WRF) of that isolate fungal group,T. polyzonadid not give the best DCF elimination as expected for the same period.ConclusionFinally, the effectiveness of DCF elimination by each isolate South African indigenous fungal strain (ISAIFS) was found to be better than some traditional methods used in wastewater treatment plants, including: coagulation-flocculation, nitrifying and denitrifying and sewage treatment. These fungal species especiallyR. microsporus, A. nigerandM. circinelloidescan be used for the degradation of emerging pollutant in wastewater treatment plants.
Bidirectional intraflagellar transport is restricted to two sets of microtubule doublets in the trypanosome flagellum
Authors: Bertiaux Eloïse , Mallet Adeline , Fort Cécile , Blisnick Thierry , Bonnefoy Serge , Jung Jamin , Lemos Moara , Marco Sergio , Vaughan Sue , Trépout Sylvain , Tinevez Jean-Yves , Bastin Philippe 
Published: May 2018

SummaryIntraflagellar transport (IFT) is the rapid bidirectional movement of large protein complexes driven by kinesin and dynein motors along microtubule doublets of cilia and flagella. Here we used a combination of high-resolution electron and light microscopy to investigate how and where these IFT trains move within the flagellum of the protistTrypanosoma brucei. Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) analysis of trypanosomes showed that trains are found almost exclusively alongtwo sets of doublets (3-4 and 7-8)and distribute in two categories according to their length. High-resolution live imaging of cells expressing mNeonGreen::IFT81 or GFP::IFT52 revealed for the first time IFT trafficking on twoparallel lines within the flagellum. Anterograde and retrograde IFT occur on each of these lines. At the distal end, a large individual anterograde IFT train is converted in several smaller retrograde trains in the space of 3-4 seconds while remaining on the sameside of the axoneme.
Corporate visual identity: exploring the dogma of consistency
Authors: Gregersen Magnus Kristian , Johansen Trine Susanne 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptually and empirically explore and challenge the dogma of Corporate visual identity (CVI) consistency. The goal is to nuance the current polarized debate of consistency or no consistency.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research strategy is employed in this paper. Specifically, the empirical work rests on an interview study with strategists from ten different CVI agencies. The interview transcripts are analyzed using template analysis.

Findings
In terms of findings, both empirical and conceptual arguments for and against CVI consistency are presented. Many of these arguments rest on conflicting assumptions of CVI communication, CVI authenticity and CVI management, which all influence the debate of CVI consistency.

Practical implications
CVI practitioners are presented with a more reflective approach to dealing with consistency and hands on examples for inspiration.

Originality/value
This paper offers alternative and more nuanced conceptualizations of CVI consistency. This includes seeing consistency and inconsistency as ends of a spectrum to be balanced rather than mutually exclusive and by differentiating between consistency across platforms and consistency over time – coined CVI continuity. Furthermore, several future research areas that can help to further develop the field of CVI are suggested.
A grey mathematical model for crashing of projects by considering time, cost, quality, risk and law of diminishing returns
Authors: Mahmoudi Amin , Feylizadeh Mohammad Reza 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine projects crashing based on the factors including cost, time, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper first investigated effective factors on project crashing then proposed a grey linear programming model. In the proposed grey linear programming model, the costs of quality of works that include the cost of conformance and non-conformance of deliverables in the project were studied. The results are presented for considering the existing uncertainties using positioned programming under the sensitivity analysis table and graphs.

Findings
The lack of consideration of project risks will reduce the project success probability in future. The proposed model reduces the existing uncertainties to a significant extent by covering the project risks completely. Based on the law of diminishing returns, after a certain point technically known as saturation point, the increase of resources does not lead to the reduction of time and may even have negative impacts. Finding the saturation point for each activity prevents the excessive allocation of resources that can lead to reduction of productivity.

Practical implications
The main duty of each project manager is finishing the project in the framework of the determined objectives. In most of the cases, after the preparation of the initial project schedule by the project team, it is seen that there is a need for the time reduction. This study has used a grey linear programming model for optimum crashing of project activities. In order to make the model more realistic and applicable, the authors endeavoured to consider most of the factors that are involved in doing a project.

Originality/value
In the present study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge the factors of time, cost, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns are simultaneously considered in project crashing for the first time and the grey theory was used for considering the uncertainties of project parameters. Also, “the law of diminishing returns” has not been considered during crashing in the studies conducted so far.
Assessing the capacity for public value creation within leadership theories: Raising the argument
Authors: Roman Alexandru V. , McWeeney Thomas 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn recent years, public administration has been targeted by multiple reform efforts. In multiple instances, such initiatives have been ideologically couched in public-choice perspectives and entrenched beliefs that government is the problem. One unavoidable consequence of this continued bout of criticism is the fact that government currently has a noticeably decreased capacity of boosting creation of public value. Within this context, there certainly is an important need for approaches that would counterbalance the loss of public value induced by market fundamentalism. This article suggests that leadership, as a concept of theory and practice, due to its partial immunity to the private-public dichotomy, can provide a pragmatic avenue for nurturing public interest and public value within the devolution of governance, a declining trust in government and a diminished governmental capacity to propagate the creation of public value. While this article critically examines and assesses the capacity of different leadership perspectives in terms of creating and maximizing public value, its primary scope is not the provision of definite answers but rather the instigation of a much necessary discussion.
Female users of unisex fitness centres and of fitness centres exclusive for women: satisfaction
Authors: Haro-González Mónica , Pérez-Ordás Raquel , Grao-Cruces Alberto , Nuviala Román , Nuviala Alberto 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine how an instrument – designed to assess quality, value, and satisfaction – works, and compare results obtained in female users of unisex sports services and fitness centres and female users of exclusively female sports services and fitness centres.

Design/methodology/approach
A total of 745 women belonging to 62 sports services and fitness centres took part in this study; 36.60 per cent were members of female-exclusive centres. The average age was 32.97±14.11 years. In total, 38.70 per cent of the women surveyed used the sports services and fitness centres twice a week for 66.37±32.87 minutes on average. The EPOD2 questionnaire was used. This instrument is made up of 25 items and measures quality, value, and satisfaction. The invariance of the factorial structure in the two groups was verified and regression coefficients were calculated for the relationships in the model.

Findings
The model is stable in both of the groups. Quality is a predecessor of value and satisfaction. Value is related to a large extent to Satisfaction. The dimensions of quality (activity, sports instructors, service personnel, and space) are directly related to value and/or satisfaction. There are significant differences in the standardised values that relate quality and its dimensions with the value and satisfaction between women users of female-exclusive centres and women users of unisex centres.

Originality/value
This paper is important because the findings of this study can be applicable to help sports services and fitness centres, whether unisex centres or female-exclusive centres, obtain better assessments from female users.
When startups exit: comparing strategies in Europe and the USA
Authors: Pisoni Alessia , Onetti Alberto 
Published: May 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an overview of trends toward start-up exits. Exits represent the “end phase” of the start-up process, at least for the founders and the early investors. For high-growth venture-capital-backed companies, exits are often considered the ultimate goal of building a profitable venture. These ventures are intended from the beginning to harvest the financial value created by the business at some point in the future, and return capital to early investors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tracked 5,744 merger and acquisition transactions that have occurred between European and US tech start-ups since 2012. Data are drawn from CrunchBase, the most comprehensive database of high-tech companies and investors with information on the companies and investors around the world. The authors then compared the trends of acquisitions between European and US companies.FindingsResults show that US companies are far more inclined to make acquisitions than European ones. Acquirers of start-ups, both from Europe and the US, prefer to buy local companies. However, recently, US companies have started to show more interest in European start-ups. Thus, signaling that the European start-up ecosystem is growing and becoming more attractive for US buyers. Furthermore, results show that start-up exits typically happen within a few years after a company’s establishment.Research limitations/implicationsThe research does not take into consideration the price of the transaction, or the amount of capital invested by venture capitalists in the high-tech start-ups that have been acquired. Further research should address this specific problem by helping European start-ups understand how to plan the exit phase within few years from establishment.Practical implicationsThe results have important implications both for entrepreneurs/managers and policymakers. Early exit appears to be a global trend among start-ups. This suggests that the exit phase should be properly planned to happen in the very early stage of the start-up process. On the other hand, the research also shows that there is still a gap to be filled in the European start-up ecosystems’ ability to produce exits and create new large innovative companies (the so-called “unicorns”).Originality/valueTo date, there has been a little research about exits for young high-tech ventures. This paper will attempt to shed new light on this so far under-explored issue by specifically analyzing exits as financial strategy for investors and entrepreneurs.
Kaizen in Japan: transferring knowledge in the workplace
Authors: Macpherson Wayne G. , Lockhart James C. , Kavan Heather , Iaquinto Anthony L. 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
As employees in the lower ranks of a Japanese company advance through the levels of management and seniority their role in day-to-day kaizen activities shifts from that of directly improving their own job, operations and surroundings to guiding, educating and facilitating understanding and practice. The emphasis of kaizen to the employee during career progression changes in an embedded, sequential and predictable manner. To a new employee, kaizen is a process to be implemented, something that is visible and largely provided through company training and job manuals, while not necessarily being fully understood. To the senior manager, however, one who has advanced up the corporate ladder, kaizen is tacit knowledge and accumulated experiences, and is seen as being more than just reducing costs, increasing productivity and decreasing lead times. At this point, kaizen becomes something invisible, something that can produce real influence on both the company’s profitability and the manager’s reputation. Consequently, what kaizen is actually changes from being a duty associated with employment to a matter of personal, group, collective, and organizational responsibility. The purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanism underpinning the transfer of kaizen (acknowledgement and exercise) in the Japanese workplace that results in it being sustained across multiple.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from research participants (n = 53) through a mixed-method multi-language field design comprising questionnaires and unstructured interviews conducted in genba, the workplaces of five domain-name multinational companies in Japan. Multi-level statistical analysis identified two largely mutually exclusive generational groups.

Findings
During their late 40s, employees were found to transfer their understanding of kaizen between the two forms. At this age, employees were identified to shift from being student to teacher; follower to leader; and disciple to sensei. This study identified how kaizen shifts from one generation to another; when kaizen shifts through the change in responsibility of employees; and changes in the understanding and practice that creates sustained business excellence.

Originality/value
Importantly, the study reveals how kaizen itself is a sustainable business activity in the workplace, one that Western business is struggling to emulate.
Citizen participation: towards a framework for policy assessment
Authors: Kalandides Ares 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the academic debate on participatory urban development in two ways: first, by proposing a methodological framework though which urban policies can be assessed; and second, through a case study that applies the framework, delivering an analysis of the policy intentions of the current Berlin administration.

Design/methodology/approach
The first section of this paper introduces the case study, placing it in the political context in Berlin and suggesting an initial reading of the relevant documents that frame policy in participatory urban development today. The second section includes an attempt at disambiguation, a conceptual and an analytical framework, followed by a preliminary assessment of the Berlin participatory policy. The final part of this paper draws conclusions and sets a possible future research agenda.

Findings
Participation is present in several passages of the Contract and refers to different possible readings of the term: participation as institutional framework, participation as rights, participation in the public sphere and participation as practice.

Originality/value
This paper contributes to the disambiguation of the concept of “citizen participation”, proposes a framework through which to assess policy and offers an initial analysis of the policy intentions of the current Berlin administration.
Bibliometric networks and analytics on gerontology research
Authors: Shen Chien-wen , Nguyen Duong Tuan , Hsu Po-Yu 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bibliometrically analyze the gerontology-related research articles for a comprehensive understanding of the gerontology literature.

Design/methodology/approach
This study employed the approach of visual analytics on 32 journals with a total of 99,204 articles published after 2000 to identify the main subfields, keywords, and growth trend. The investigated journals are either open access online or listed in the Social Sciences Citation Index. In addition, the 200 most frequently cited papers were analyzed through bibliographic coupling, co-word, and co-citation analysis.

Findings
The selected most cited papers were mostly published before 2007, and psychiatry and psychology were the top research subfields. Dementia, older adult, and Alzheimer’s disease were the three most frequently occurring keywords, both in Author Keywords and KeyWords Plus. While coupling analysis yielded 12 research groups, co-word analysis classified the most frequently used 20 Author Keywords into two categories. Four research clusters were identified by the co-citation analysis.

Originality/value
This research provides a comprehensive view of the gerontology research as well as an understanding of the subfields and their interrelations. It also provides government departments with directions for formulating and executing policies affecting older people not only in setting academic and professional priorities but also in understanding the key topics related to older people.
Strategic transformations in a disruptive digital environment
Authors: Oliver John J. 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how two media firms, Sky Plc and Pearson Plc, adapted, reconfigured, and transformed their businesses to meet the demands of an operating environment characterized by inexorable changes in digital technologies.

Design/methodology/approach
The over-arching vision, corporate strategies, and financial performance for both firms are examined over two business cycles.

Findings
These findings illustrate why firms need to create a portfolio business that takes advantage of the market opportunities created by innovative digital technologies, while off-setting the risks associated with digital disruption.

Practical implications
Business leaders should not dispense with the basic principles of good strategic business unit portfolio management in their attempts to take advantage of the market opportunities provided by a disruptive digital environment.

Originality/value
This paper provides a highly original insight into how two firms placed ambitious levels of growth at the heart of their corporate strategies to seize the market opportunities provided by an increasingly digital operating environment.
Fiber Bragg grating based displacement sensors: state of the art and trends
Authors: Liu Wenlong , Guo Yongxing , Xiong Li , Kuang Yi 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the latest sensing structure designs and principles of information detection of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) displacement sensors. Research advance and the future work in this field have been described, with the background that displacement and deformation measurements are universal and crucial for structural health monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyzes and summarizes the existing FBG displacement sensing technologies from two aspects principle of information detection (wavelength detection, spectral bandwidth detection, light intensity detection, among others) and principle of the sensing elastomer structure design (cantilever beam type, spring type, elastic ring type and other composite structures).

Findings
The current research on developing FBG displacement sensors is mainly focused on the sensing method, the construction and design of the elastic structure and the design of new information detection method. The authors hypothesize that the following research trends will be strengthened in future: temperature compensation technology for FBG displacement sensors based on wavelength detection; a study of more diverse elastic structures; and fiber gratings manufactured with special fibers will greatly improve the performance of sensors.

Originality/value
The latest sensing structure designs and principles of information detection of FBG displacement sensors have been proposed, which could provide important reference for research group.