bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of nitrogen immersion and NiO nanoparticles on the electrochemical behavior of (Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductor in sodium sulfate solution
Authors: Rahal H.T. , Abdel-Gaber A.M. , Awad R. , Abdel-Naby B.A. 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe paper aims to examine the inhibition effect of NiO nanoparticles and the influence of liquid nitrogen immersion on the corrosion behavior of (NiO)x(Bi1.6Pb0.4)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10-δand (NiO)x(Bi, Pb 2223), wherex= 0.00 and 0.05 Wt.% phase superconductor in 0.1 M Na2SO4at 30°C.Design/methodology/approachThis study was done using open-circuit potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization curves and chronoamperometry measurements.FindingsPotentiodynamic polarization technique showed that NiO nanoparticles suppress both the anodic and cathodic parts of the polarization curves of (NiO)x(Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductor in 0.1 M Na2SO4solution. A significant enhancement in the corrosion resistance of the prepared superconductors is observed on immersing them in liquid nitrogen. This is owing to the fact that immersion in liquid nitrogen increases the volume contraction of the superconductor matrix, causing the shrinkage of the pores and voids present in the samples and thus reducing the active surface area for the dissolution of (NiO)x(Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductor matrix.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills the need to investigate the corrosion behavior of superconductors and the influence of liquid nitrogen immersion on such behavior.
A qualitative approach to automated motels: a rising issue in South Korea
Authors: Kim Hyojin , Kim Byung-Gook 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
Apart from a few negative social effects of automated motels, this study aims to represent the first attempt to examine why consumers visit automated motels in Korea and how they feel about them using a qualitative research method.

Design/methodology/approach
To secure the validity of the data, a triangulation method which applied three data collection methods was used. Semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, participatory online observation and template analysis, as data collection methods and an analysis technique were conducted.

Findings
Findings indicate that the main purposes of visiting these motels are for affairs and other sexual experiences, while there are also other major objectives such as individual privacy and business trips. Key determinants found in the analyses are anonymity, the room rate and more thematic factors.

Research limitations/implications
Given the rising issue that there is a rapid growth in the market for automated motels beyond perceived negative images, those in the hospitality industry should devote attention to effective alternatives such as focusing on the inherent purpose of lodging with many other conveniences as well. For future studies, developing an instrument, investigating perspectives of the automated motel providers and comparing with research on automated hotels conducted in European countries are necessary.

Practical implications
This study provides some of the strengths of automated motels such as the assurance of anonymity during tourists’ stay and automated payment method in the parking garage that apply to the Korean middle-scale hotel industry. As the sector of automated motels provides favorable profit for the owners and the Korean hotel industry around Seoul always runs short of hotel provisions, this study implies that the governments and administrations should find a solution to replace the regular lodging group of automated motels with a category of tourist hotels.

Originality/value
Although there is unusual popularity and a considerably growing number of automated motels in Korea, scant research has been conducted relative to automated motels. Despite difficulty in debating the current issue of automated motels, this study, as the first pioneering research on automated motels in Korea, endeavored to address this issue and discuss its social and political implications based upon the findings.
Thermoregulation properties of composite phase change materials in high temperature environmental conditions
Authors: Yang Kai , Jiao Mingli , Wang Sifan , Yu Yuanyuan , Diao Quan , Cao Jian 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate thermoregulation properties of different composite phase change materials (PCMs), which could be used in the high temperature environmental conditions to protect human body against the extra heat flow.

Design/methodology/approach
Three kinds of composite PCM samples were prepared using the selected pure PCMs, including n-hexadecane, n-octadecane and n-eicosane. The DSC experiment was performed to get the samples’ phase change temperature range and enthalpy. The simulated high temperature experiments were performed using human arms in three different high temperature conditions (40°C, 45°C, 50°C), and the skin temperature variation curves varying with time were obtained. Then a comprehensive index TGP was introduced from the curves and calculated to evaluate the thermoregulation properties of different composite PCM samples comprehensively.

Findings
Results show that the composite PCM samples could provide much help to the high temperature human body. It could decrease the skin temperature quickly in a short time and it will not cause the over-cooling phenomenon. Comparing with other two composite PCM samples, the thermoregulation properties of the n-hexadecane and n-eicosane composite PCM is the best.

Originality/value
Using the n-hexadecane and n-eicosane composite PCM may provide people with better protection against the high temperature conditions, which is significative for the manufacture of functional thermoregulating textiles, garments or equipments.
The health of foreign-born homeless families living in the family shelter system
Authors: Polillo Alexia , Kerman Nick , Sylvestre John , Lee Catherine M. , Aubry Tim 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
Foreign-born families face challenges following migration to Canada that may impact their well-being and lead them to homelessness. Yet, there is limited research on the experience of homelessness in this population. The purpose of this paper is to examine the health of foreign-born families staying in the emergency shelter system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and compare their experiences to Canadian-born homeless families who are also living in shelters.

Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with 75 adult heads of families who were residing in three family shelters. This study focused on mental and physical health functioning, chronic medical conditions, access to care and diagnoses of mental disorders.

Findings
Foreign-born heads of families reported better mental health than did Canadian-born heads of families with a significantly lower proportion of foreign-born participants reporting having been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Foreign-born heads of families also reported fewer chronic medical conditions than did Canadian-born heads of families.

Research limitations/implications
This study relied on self-reported health and access to healthcare services. Data were drawn from a small, non-random sample.

Originality/value
This study is one of the first studies to examine the health and well-being of homeless foreign-born heads of families. Moreover, this paper also focuses on disparities in health, diagnoses of mental disorders, and access to healthcare services between foreign-born and Canadian-born families – a comparison that has not been captured in the existing literature.
Relationship of emotional intelligence with cultural intelligence and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector
Authors: Sharma Tanu , Singh Sandeep 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship of emotional intelligence with the cultural quotient (CQ) and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector.Design/methodology/approachUsing purposive sampling, data were collected from 109 middle-level managers of the Indian service sector, comprising of top five contributing industries to the GDP of India (retail, real estate, banking and insurance, information technology and tourism). Emotional quotient (EQ) was measured by using the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Singh (2004), Cultural Intelligence Scale by Ang and Dyne (2008) was used to calculate CQ, and for measuring change readiness, Change Readiness Questionnaire developed by Kriegel and Brandt (1996) was used.FindingsEQ has a significant and positive relationship with CQ (r=0.537) and the subscales of CQ are positively related with EQ. EQ is significantly positively related with change readiness (r=0.513) and the subscales of change readiness are also positively related with EQ.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to only 109 middle-level Indian managers of the service sector.Originality/valueTraining of managers on Emotional Intelligence can lead to better handling of conflict and erase misunderstandings because of cultural diversities and could also help managers to deal with change more effectively and appropriately.
Real estate performance in Nigeria pension fund
Authors: Umeh Obinna Lawrence , Okonu Al-ameen Ayoade 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of real estate to the performance of mixed-asset portfolio of Nigeria Pension Fund with a view to providing a guide on investment decision making for institutional investors and portfolio managers.

Design/methodology/approach
Data on capital value were collected from the quarterly and annual reports of Nigeria Pension Commission over a period of ten (2007–2016) years, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings
The findings show that there is diversification benefit resulting from integrating real estate to other assets of the Nigeria Pension Fund, and that the fund’s portfolio performed better when real estate is integrated in the mixed-asset portfolio.

Practical implications
Investment portfolio managers can benefit from the findings of this study by making investment decisions that are performance-driven. The study will serve as a guide in making investment decisions on mixed-asset portfolio of institutional investors other than pension funds.

Originality/value
There is no known paper on the contribution of real estate in the performance of asset portfolio of the Nigeria Pension Fund.
The relationship between leadership style and the success of Lean management implementation
Authors: Nogueira Daniela Maria da Costa , Sousa Paulo S.A. , Moreira Maria R.A. 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to better understand the role that leadership plays in the success of Lean management (LM) implementation, by trying to identify what is the impact of the transactional, transformational, directive and empowering leadership styles on the success of such an implementation in Portuguese companies, and what are the most important leaders’ attributes.

Design/methodology/approach
An on-line questionnaire was distributed to 65 manufacturing and services Portuguese organizations that have implemented LM.

Findings
The results suggest that the empowering leadership style has a positive impact on the success of LM implementation. Even though results do not allow concluding about the impact of the other styles, several leader’s attributes were identified as having influence: individualized consideration, information sharing, skill development, intellectual stimulation, assigned goals and self-directed decision making.

Originality/value
Very few studies have addressed the role of leadership in the success of adopting LM and, to the best knowledge, only one paper studied the critical attributes of leaders in LM implementation. Moreover, the present study focuses in Portugal, country where this topic has rarely been investigated.
Mindful infrastructure as antecedent of innovation resilience behaviour of project teams
Authors: Oeij Peter R.A. , Van Vuuren Tinka , Dhondt Steven , Gaspersz Jeff , De Vroome Ernest M.M. 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether insights into high reliability organizations (HROs) are useful for innovation management teams. HRO teams can keep failure to a minimum level due to high alertness and resilience. Project teams working on innovation management could benefit from HRO principles and thus reduce their chances of failure.Design/methodology/approachA survey among in total 260 team members and team leaders of project teams in innovation management was conducted to study the relation between, on the one hand, organizational features of HROs (“mindful infrastructure”) and HRO principles (adjusted as “innovation resilience behaviour”, IRB), and on the other hand, between mindful infrastructure and IRB and project outcomes.FindingsFrom the results it could be concluded that mindful infrastructure associates with IRB, and that IRB has a mediating role in the relation between mindful infrastructure and project outcomes. Innovation management project teams can thus learn from the practice of HRO teams.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, HRO-thinking has not been applied to team behaviour in innovation management. A fruitful transfer of insights from the domain of safety and crisis management seems applicable to the domain of innovation.
“Social licence to operate” and the human services: A pathway to smarter commissioning?
Authors: Butcher John R. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractExternalised service provision is now an embedded feature of Australia's service delivery architecture. However, the lessons drawn from two decades of contracted service delivery suggest that “competition” is an imperfect platform for the delivery of public services, especially where issues of trust in government come into play. Could the concept of a “social license to operate” (SLO), which has been in use in the natural resources sector for over two decades, help to facilitate the conferral of greater trust, credibility and legitimacy upon governments, and externalised service providers in social policy spaces?
Second Mortgages: Valuation and Implications for the Performance of Structured Financial Products
Authors: Ghent Andra C. , Miltersen Kristian R. , Torous Walter N. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe provide an analytic valuation framework to value second lien mortgages and first lien mortgages when homeowners can take out a second lien. We use the framework to value mortgage‐backed securities (MBS) and, in particular, quantify the greater risk associated with MBS backed by first liens that have “silent seconds.” Rating MBS without accounting for homeowners' equity extraction option results in much higher ratings than warranted by expected loss. While in our benchmark calibration, the senior tranche rating should beA1 rather than, the big losers from the equity extraction option are the mezzanine tranches that are nearly wiped out.
Impact of an emergency department‐run clinical decision unit on access block, ambulance ramping and National Emergency Access Target
Authors: Woodward Thomas , Hocking Julia , James Lucy , Johnson David 
Published: July 2018

AbstractObjectiveED access block is an ongoing significant problem and has been associated with excess mortality. Multiple models of care have been studied in an effort to improve access block and other key performance indicators (KPIs) of ED.MethodsThis present study describes the impact of a new model of care using an ED led, consultant run clinical decision unit (CDU) on performance, using a retrospective analysis of data for 9 month periods before and after the introduction of the CDU model of care. Primary outcomes were access block (percentage of patients admitted >8 h), discharge National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) adherence and Queensland Ambulance Service level three escalations.ResultsAfter the implementation of the CDU, access block significantly improved. There was a significant improvement in NEAT adherence. Total ambulance ramping time fell by 58% and ambulance service level three escalations fell from 21 to 5 post‐CDU implementation. Overall there was no change to hospital mortality numbers. The percentage of patients that did not wait and 30 day representations showed a small but statistically significant decrease.ConclusionIn summary, this ED led, consultant run CDU model of care resulted in significantly improved performance on a range of KPIs, including improvement in access block and NEAT figures. The substantial improvements in ambulance ramping and escalations also indicated that the department was able to cope better with periods of high activity.
Financial Statement Comparability and the Informativeness of Stock Prices About Future Earnings
Authors: Choi Jong‐Hag , Choi Sunhwa , Myers Linda A. , Ziebart David 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTWe find that financial statement comparability enhances the ability of current period returns to reflect future earnings, as measured by the future earnings response coefficient (FERC). This suggests that comparability improves the informativeness of stock prices and allows investors to better anticipate future firm performance. In addition, using both the FERC and stock price synchronicity tests, we find that comparability increases the amount of firm‐specific information (rather than market/industry‐level information) reflected in stock prices. Analysts play an important role in improving stock price informativeness by producing more firm‐specific information when comparability is high. These findings suggest that comparability lowers the costs of gathering and processing firm‐specific information.
The burden of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes from maternal smoking in an Australian cohort
Authors: Li Raymond , Lodge Jade , Flatley Christopher , Kumar Sailesh 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundMaternal smoking is associated with a number of adverse outcomes with a dose‐dependent increase in risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the obstetric and perinatal outcomes in women who smoked during pregnancy.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of women who smoked during pregnancy and birthed at a major perinatal centre in Australia between January 2000 and April 2017. The study cohort was compared to a cohort of women who did not smoke in pregnancy. Smoking status was ascertained on history and included all types of smoking. Demographic characteristics and obstetric, intrapartum and perinatal outcomes were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe study cohort included 20 477 (14.6%) women who smoked during pregnancy and 119 396 controls. Women who smoked tended to be younger, of higher body mass index (BMI), Caucasian and Indigenous ethnicity. Smokers were less likely to be nulliparous, but more likely to be hypertensive and have a lower socioeconomic status compared to non‐smokers. Women who smoked were more likely to have a caesarean section for non‐reassuring fetal status (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.16, 95%CI 1.07–1.26, P < 0.001). The infants of women who smoked were more likely to be born preterm, have a lower median birth weight and birth weights <10th (aOR 1.76, 95%CI 1.66–1.86, P < 0.001) and <5th centile (aOR 2.00, 95%CI 1.86–2.16, P < 0.001). Neonatal outcomes in the smoking cohort were worse with an increase in neonatal intensive care unit admission (aOR 1.34, 95%CI 1.27–1.43, P < 0.001), severe acidosis (aOR 1.41, 95%CI 1.27–1.43, P < 0.001) and a composite of severe neonatal outcomes (18.0% vs 12.0%, aOR 1.35, 95%CI 1.28–1.43, P < 0.001).ConclusionWomen who smoke in pregnancy have worse obstetric and perinatal outcomes compared to controls and should be managed as high risk.
Laparoscopic resection of retroperitoneal paraganglioma behind the Spiegel lobe in a kyphotic patient: A rare case report
Authors: Ogawa Hisataka , Nakahira Shin , Kishimoto Tomoya , Kato Kazuya , Hasegawa Makoto , Oyama Keisuke , Tou Takayuki , Maki Ryosuke , Himura Hoshi , Nishi Hidemi , Ohhara Nobuyoshi , Mikami Jota , Makari Yoichi , Nakata Ken , Tsujie Masaki , Fujita Junya , Ohzato Hiroki 
Published: July 2018

AbstractExtra‐adrenal paraganglioma is a rare form of neuroendocrine neoplasm capable of catecholamine secretion. The surgical risks associated with the tumor location are compounded in this case of a kyphotic patient. This report presents the successful application of laparoscopy on extra‐adrenal paraganglioma located behind the Spiegel lobe in a kyphotic patient. The operation was performed after 1 week of α‐blocker administration. The laparoscopic approach, with the patient in the left hemilateral decubitus position on a rotating table, provided optimal access for safe tumor resection after complete hepatic right lobe mobilization. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Based on the results, the laparoscopic approach can be a safe and effective method for resecting extra‐adrenal paraganglioma in the challenging case of a kyphotic patient.
Heat shock proteins are differentially expressed in brain and spinal cord: implications for multiple sclerosis
Authors: Gorter R P , Nutma E , Jahrei M-C , de Jonge J C , Quinlan R A , van der Valk P , van Noort J M , Baron W , Amor S 
Published: July 2018

Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by demyelination, inflammation and neurodegeneration throughout the central nervous system. Although spinal cord pathology is an important factor contributing to disease progression, few studies have examined MS lesions in the spinal cord and how they differ from brain lesions. In this study we have compared brain and spinal cord white (WM) and grey (GM) matter from MS and control tissues, focusing on small heat shock proteins (HSPB) and HSP16.2. Western blotting was used to examine protein levels of HSPB1, HSPB5, HSPB6, HSPB8 and HSP16.2 in brain and spinal cord from MS and age-matched non-neurological controls. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine expression of the HSPs in MS spinal cord lesions and controls. Expression levels were quantified using ImageJ. Western blotting revealed significantly higher levels of HSPB1, HSPB6 and HSPB8 in MS and control spinal cord compared to brain tissues. No differences in HSPB5 and HSP16.2 protein levels were observed, although HSPB5 protein levels were higher in brain WM versus GM. In MS spinal cord lesions, increased HSPB1 and HSPB5 expression was observed in astrocytes, and increased neuronal expression of HSP16.2 was observed in normal-appearing GM and type 1 GM lesions. The high constitutive expression of several HSPBs in spinal cord and increased expression of HSPBs and HSP16.2 in MS illustrate differences between brain and spinal cord in health and upon demyelination. Regional differences in HSP expression may reflect differences in astrocyte cytoskeleton composition and influence inflammation, possibly affecting the effectiveness of pharmacological agents.