bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
First data-driven approach to using individual cattle weights to estimate mean adult dairy cattle weight in the UK
Authors: Schubert Hannah E. , Wood Sarah , Reyher Kristen K. , Mills Harriet L. 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACTIntroductionKnowledge of accurate weights of cattle is crucial for effective dosing of individual animals with medicine and for reporting antimicrobial usage metrics, amongst other uses. The most common weight for dairy cattle presented in current literature is 600 kg, but this is not evidenced by data. For the first time, we provide an evidence-based estimate of the average weight of UK dairy cattle to better inform decisions by farmers, veterinarians and the scientific community.MethodsWe collected data for 2,747 dairy cattle from 20 farms in the UK, 19 using Lely Automatic Milking Systems with weigh floors and 1 using a crush with weigh scales. These data covered farms with different breed types, including Holstein, Friesian, Holstein-Friesian and Jersey, as well as farms with dual purpose breeds and cross-breeds. Data were used to calculate a mean weight for dairy cattle by breed, and a UK-specific mean weight was generated by scaling to UK-specific breed proportions. Trends in weight by lactation number, DIM and production level were also explored using individual cattle-level data.ResultsMean weight for adult dairy cattle included in this study was 617 kg (standard deviation (sd) 85.6 kg). Mean weight varied across breeds, with a range of 466 kg (sd=56.0 kg, Jersey) to 636 kg (sd=84.1, Holsteins). When scaled to UK breed proportions, the estimated mean UK dairy cattle weight was 620 kg. Overall, first-lactation heifers weighed 9% less than cows. Mean weight declined for the first 30 days post-calving, before steadily increasing. For cattle at peak production, mean weight increased with production level.ConclusionsThis study is the first to calculate a mean weight of adult dairy cattle in the UK based on on-farm data. Overall mean weight was higher than that most often proposed in the literature (600 kg). Evidence-informed weights are crucial as the UK works to better monitor and report metrics to monitor antimicrobial use and are useful to farmers and veterinarians to inform dosing decisions.
Temperature measurements in the cutting zone, mass, chip fragmentation and analysis of chip metallography images during AZ31 and AZ91HP magnesium alloy milling
Authors: Zagórski Ireneusz , Kuczmaszewski Jozef 
Published: February 2018

Purpose
This paper presents the results of mean unit weight of chips and their time to ignition measured on a test stand specially designed for this purpose. In addition, the temperature of chips in the cutting area and the morphology of chips produced in HSM milling (as a temperature indicator in the cutting area) are investigated. Also, different fractions of chips produced in the dry milling of Mg alloys AZ31 and AZ91HP by a PCD end mill are examined. Finally, the paper presents conclusions and recommendations with regard to safety and efficiency of dry milling processes for the aforementioned magnesium alloys.

Design/methodology/approach
Milling can be used as a finishing operation, particularly when using PCD end mills. The application of this mill type isparticularly important when producing different machine and device components, especially in the aircraft industry. What can occur in dry machining operations is self-ignition. It is therefore justified to investigate chip temperature in the cutting zone, to classify produced chip fractions and to determine their mass. Safe ranges of technological parameters can be additionally determined based on metallographic analysis of chip edge partial-melting.

Findings
The experimental results helped determine the effect of technological parameters of milling on chip temperature in the cutting zone, chip mass and fragmentation and chip morphology images.

Practical implications
The results reported in this work are innovative in both cognitive and practical aspect. The authors are convinced that this work can contribute to overcoming the mistrust of industrial practitioners toward dry milling of Mg alloys, and also with respect to the application of relatively higher cutting speeds in dry milling of these alloys than it is common practice in industry today. The study investigates the problem of safety in dry milling of Mg alloys. The study was motivated by the milling process itself and the formation of broken chip, which causes a significant change in the character of heat transfer.

Originality/value
The paper presents a method for multi-criteria safety assessment in dry milling operations. Safe and effective parameter ranges are defined with respect to chip temperature in the cutting zone, fraction number and chip mass.
Formal and informal governance mechanisms in state-owned enterprises
Authors: Wasowska Aleksandra , Postula Igor 
Published: February 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the formal and informal governance mechanisms of state-owned enterprises operating in a post-transitional economy of Poland.Design/methodology/approachThe study combines legal analysis of Polish regulations in force, review of literature on the Poland’s institutional legacy, and a statistical analysis, based on a data set of 204 management board members, 180 external supervisory board members, and 114 state officials supervising Polish SOEs in 2011.FindingsLegally designed relationships among the management board, supervisory board, and the state treasury, represented by the minister and ministry officials, constitute the key formal governance mechanisms in Polish SOEs. They are, however, complemented by relationships between SOEs and their stakeholders and distorted by other informal phenomena, including informal noninstitutional behavior, mechanisms grounded in cognitive and normative institutions, and perception of the relationship structure by the actors themselves. As a result, key corporate governance actors differ in their perception of governance influences upon SOEs.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to policymaking by helping authorities gain a better understanding of the governance challenges in SOEs.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first and few empirical studies investigating the issue of formal and informal governance mechanisms in SOEs in post-transitional economies of CEE.
A bottom-up approach to developing a neighbourhood-based resilience measurement framework
Authors: Kwok Alan H. , Paton Douglas , Becker Julia , Hudson-Doyle Emma E. , Johnston David 
Published: February 2018

Purpose
As disaster resilience activities are increasingly occurring at the neighbourhood level, there is a growing recognition in research and in practice of the contributions that community stakeholders can make in assessing the resilience of their communities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process in deriving a disaster resilience measurement framework by soliciting the perspectives of stakeholders from urban neighbourhoods in two countries. The authors examined their community values, and their perspectives on both the concept of resilience and the essential elements that they believe would contribute to the resiliency of their neighbourhoods.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors used an appreciative inquiry approach to draw out the perspectives of 58 stakeholders from nine focus groups in five urban neighbourhoods in New Zealand and in the USA.

Findings
Results of this research show common values and recurring perceived characteristics of disaster resilience across the study sites. A neighbourhood-based disaster resilience measurement framework is developed that encompasses individual/psychological, socio-cultural, economic, infrastructural/built, and institutional/governance dimensions of disaster resilience. In the process of developing the framework, the authors identified challenges in engaging certain segments of the population and in accounting for wider structural influences on neighbourhood resilience.

Research limitations/implications
Issues relating to inclusive community engagement and linkages to cross-scalar resilience factors need to be addressed in future studies.

Practical implications
Results of this research provide insights and guidance for policy makers and practitioners when engaging communities in the development of resilience metrics.

Originality/value
This study fills the literature gap in evaluating community values and stakeholders’ perspectives on disaster resilience when identifying metrics for resilience interventions in urban neighbourhoods. The proposed measurement framework is derived from cross-cultural and diverse socioeconomic settings.
The impact of social trends: teenagers’ attitudes for organic food market in Thailand
Authors: Jiumpanyarach Waripas 
Published: February 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate teenagers’ preferences, attitudes, and purchasing power towards organic foods in markets and to explain influences of teenagers’ choices and purchasing intentions on organic foods.Design/methodology/approachA paper-based and a web-based survey were conducted among 557 teenagers in Thailand. A choice experiment logit model was used to identify factors influencing decision in purchasing.FindingsThe study found that teen consumers were likely to buy ready-to-cook organic food items instead of conventional food items because of health and food safety concerned under their budget constraints. The willingness to pay found organic food items (eggs, pork, chicken) had negative impact but organic opinion had positive impact. The attitudes on high price of organic food items were positive impact because of production process, quality, and quantity of products.Research limitations/implicationsTeenagers’ consumption impacted on food demands in supermarkets and convenient stores because of their attitudes and behaviours in purchasing. The desired food characteristics should be good quality, safety for consumers, and available in the market nationwide. The supported policies for expanding organic markets were benefits for organic farmers to be sustainable farming.Originality/valueThis study examined the impacts of economic conditions and the premium quality healthy food products on teenagers’ food motivation.
Social learning in information diffusion and capability of farmers
Authors: Shaijumon C.S. 
Published: February 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse the importance of social networking in information diffusion and capability of farmers by understanding the pattern of social networking. This study also looks into the impact of social networking in agriculture and how far the village resource centre as an institution helped the social networking at the rural level.

Design/methodology/approach
The study conducted an empirical analysis by using primary data. A well-structured interview schedule is used to collect the information about social networking of each of the 170 Village Resource Centre (VRC) attending (VRCAM) and VRC non-attending (VRCNAM) people of Meppadi (Kerala State, India) and 170 VRC non-attending people from neighbouring villages of Meppadi (VRCNANV). Also, 133 samples were collected from VRC attendees (VRCAT), VRC non-attendees (VRCNAT) and VRC non-attendees from neighbouring villages of Thiruvaiyaru (Tamil Nadu state, India).

Findings
This paper provides empirical results that appropriate institutions at rural level can create effective social networking, and thereby help the information dissemination among the farmers. It is understood that the Meppadi VRC social network is expansionary in nature, but in Thiruvaiyaru, the social network is not expansionary. A major motive for the farmers to join a VRC network is to gain “knowledge” in both regions. The two patterns of networking identified that networking and communication between experts and attendees are strong in Triruvaiyaru, but less visible in Meppadi. Similarly, networking between VRC attendees and non-attendees is very strong and evident in Thivaiyaru. At the same time, the study found that the knowledge diffusion from VRC happens maximum in Meppadi famers because of their enhanced skills and capabilities.

Research limitations/implications
Since the research has conducted among the farmers who attended one particular type of institution, the result lacks diversity. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to conduct it in different types of institutions.

Practical implications
The study throws light on the importance of appropriate institutional interventions for developing a social network to disseminate knowledge and ideas among the farmers. Farmers rely more on personal interactions with their peers, friends, agricultural professionals, local institutions, media and extension farm advisers for new technology, knowledge, etc., than the formal channels of information sharing.

Social implications
Well-directed social networks among the farmers can enhance the productivity of agriculture, which, in turn, will enhance the living standard of the agriculture-dependent population.

Originality/value
The study conducted an empirical analysis by using primary data and proved that local institutions are important for developing social networks.
Women’s formal and informal labour in Brazil: an inequality decomposition (2000-2010)
Authors: Tonet Maciel Francieli , Hermeto C. Oliveira Ana Maria 
Published: February 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of changes in the relative composition and in the segmentation between formal and informal labour on earnings differentials among women over the last decade in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors follow Machado and Mata’s method to decompose the changes along the earnings distribution, with correction for sample selection and using microdata from the Demographic Census of 2000 and 2010. Informal labour was divided into informal salaried labour and self-employment, and both groups were compared with the formal labour separately.

Findings
The results indicate that, in both cases, an increase in earnings differentials in the bottom of the earnings distribution due to segmentation, suggesting that the returns to formal labour have grown relatively to informal labour during the period. On the other hand, earnings differentials decrease as one moves up the earnings distribution due to the composition effect, which is stronger on the top of the distribution relatively to the bottom. Furthermore, there are compensating differentials for self-employed women above the 30th quantile, which contributed to reduce the inequality between this group and formal workers.

Originality/value
The paper contributes to a better understanding of the changes taking place in female labour, shedding some light on how they affect different points along the earnings distribution. Furthermore, the adopted approach proposes a new application for the correction of sample bias in the context of quantile regression by employing a logit multinomial, and using the Demographic Census data.
What does “learning organization” mean?
Authors: Örtenblad Anders 
Published: February 2018

Purpose
The paper aims to offer an overview of the definition of the concept of learning organization to be used, related to and taken as a starting point for further conceptual developments by others writing about and using the learning organization concept. An additional purpose is to suggest how the concept of learning organization could be demarcated to define what would be demanded from any particular organization to be counted as a learning organization.

Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper. To define the learning organization, a label-focused approach and a content-focused approach are used. A contextual approach is suggested as the most appropriate tool for demarcating the concept of learning organization.

Findings
It is suggested that there are four versions of learning organization, which can all be related to three different forms of organizational aspects. Furthermore, a contextual approach is suggested to demarcate how to define learning organization to develop a much-needed contingency model, which places reasonable demands on organizations in various contexts to qualify them as learning organizations.

Originality/value
An overview definition, which anybody writing about the learning organization could relate to, is presented. It is also discussed what a learning organization is not, something which only few others have done, and a contextual approach to demarcating the learning organization concept is suggested.
Of poisons and parasites—the defensive role of tetrodotoxin against infections in newts
Authors: Johnson Pieter T. J. , Calhoun Dana M. , Stokes Amber N. , Susbilla Calvin B. , McDevitt‐Galles Travis , Briggs Cheryl J. , Hoverman Jason T. , Tkach Vasyl V. , de Roode Jacobus C. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Classical research on animal toxicity has focused on the role of toxins in protection against predators, but recent studies suggest these same compounds can offer a powerful defense against parasites and infectious diseases.

Newts in the genus Taricha are brightly coloured and contain the potent neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX), which is hypothesized to have evolved as a defense against vertebrate predators such as garter snakes. However, newt populations often vary dramatically in toxicity, which is only partially explained by predation pressure.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between TTX concentration and infection by parasites. By systematically assessing micro‐ and macroparasite infections among 345 adult newts (sympatric populations of Taricha granulosa and T. torosa), we detected 18 unique taxa of helminths, fungi, viruses and protozoans.

For both newt species, per‐host concentrations of TTX, which varied from undetectable to >60 μg/cm2 skin, negatively predicted overall parasite richness as well as the likelihood of infection by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and ranavirus. No such effect was found on infection load among infected hosts. Despite commonly occurring at the same wetlands, T. torosa supported higher parasite richness and average infection load than T. granulosa. Host body size and sex (females > males) tended to positively predict infection levels in both species. For hosts in which we quantified leucocyte profiles, total white blood cell count correlated positively with both parasite richness and total infection load.

By coupling data on host toxicity and infection by a broad range of micro‐ and macroparasites, these results suggest that—alongside its effects on predators—tetrodotoxin may help protect newts against parasitic infections, highlighting the importance of integrative research on animal chemistry, immunological defenses and natural enemy ecology.
The purple non‐sulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris produces novel petrobactin‐related siderophores under aerobic and anaerobic conditions
Authors: Baars Oliver , Morel François M. M. , Zhang Xinning 
Published: February 2018

SummaryMany bacteria produce siderophores to bind and take up Fe(III), an essential trace metal with extremely low solubility in oxygenated environments at circumneutral pH. The purple non‐sulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris str. CGA009 is a metabolically versatile model organism with high iron requirements that is able to grow under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Siderophore biosynthesis has been predicted by genomic analysis, however, siderophore structures were not identified. Here, we elucidate the structure of two novel siderophores from R. palustris: rhodopetrobactin A and B. Rhodopetrobactins are structural analogues of the known siderophore petrobactin in which the Fe chelating moieties are conserved, including two 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoate and a citrate substructure. In the place of two spermidine linker groups in petrobactin, rhodopetrobactins contain two 4,4′‐diaminodibutylamine groups of which one or both are acetylated at the central amine. We analyse siderophore production under different growth modes and show that rhodopetrobactins are produced in response to Fe limitation under aerobic as well as under anaerobic conditions. Evaluation of the chemical characteristics of rhodopetrobactins indicates that they are well suited to support Fe acquisition under variable oxygen and light conditions.
Both widespread PEP‐CTERM proteins and exopolysaccharides are required for floc formation of Zoogloea resiniphila and other activated sludge bacteria
Authors: Gao Na , Xia Ming , Dai Jingcheng , Yu Dianzhen , An Weixing , Li Shuyang , Liu Shuangyuan , He Penghui , Zhang Liping , Wu Zhenbin , Bi Xuezhi , Chen Shouwen , Haft Daniel H. , Qiu Dongru 
Published: February 2018

SummaryBacterial floc formation plays a central role in the activated sludge (AS) process, which has been widely utilized for sewage and wastewater treatment. The formation of AS flocs has long been known to require exopolysaccharide biosynthesis. This study demonstrates an additional requirement for a PEP‐CTERM protein in Zoogloea resiniphila, a dominant AS bacterium harboring a large exopolysaccharide biosynthesis gene cluster. Two members of a wide‐spread family of high copy number‐per‐genome PEP‐CTERM genes, transcriptionally regulated by the RpoN sigma factor and accessory PrsK‐PrsR two‐component system and at least one of these, pepA, must be expressed for Zoogloea to build the floc structures that allow gravitational sludge settling and recycling. Without PrsK or PrsR, Zoogloea cells were planktonic rather than flocculated and secreted exopolysaccharides were released into the growth broth in soluble form. Overexpression of PepA could circumvent the requirement of rpoN, prsK and prsR for the floc‐forming phenotype by fixing the exopolysaccharides to bacterial cells. However, overexpression of PepA, which underwent post‐translational modifications, could not rescue the long‐rod morphology of the rpoN mutant. Consistently, PEP‐CTERM genes and exopolysaccharide biosynthesis gene cluster are present in the genome of the floc‐forming Nitrospira comammox and Mitsuaria strain as well as many other AS bacteria.
What does Brexit Mean for the UK's Climate Change Act?
Authors: Farstad Fay , Carter Neil , Burns Charlotte 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThis article examines the potential implications of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (so‐called ‘Brexit’) for the success and survival of the country's flagship climate policy, the Climate Change Act 2008. The impact of a ‘soft’ and a ‘hard’ Brexit for the main features of the Climate Change Act are assessed, building on documentary evidence and elite interviews with key policy‐makers and policy‐shapers. The article argues that the long‐term viability of the Climate Change Act was being threatened even before the EU referendum, and that Brexit will do little to improve this situation. Even though the existence of the Climate Change Act is not under immediate threat, a range of issues presented by Brexit risk undermining its successful implementation.