bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Corporate governance and performance of REITs
Authors: Ramachandran Jayalakshmy , Chen Khoo Kok , Subramanian Ramaiyer , Yeoh Ken Kyid , Khong Kok Wei 
Published: September 2018

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and performance of Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) in Singapore and Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe CG attributes that contribute best toward R-Index scores are tested followed by analysis of whether R-Index scores contribute toward better performance of the REITs when controlled for growth, firm size and leverage. Regression analysis using structured equation modeling (SEM) is instituted.FindingsAll attributes in the R-Index except management ownership are significantly correlated to R-Index. Regression analysis using SEM reveals that all the three measures of performance are significant. When controlled for growth and firm size, CG mechanisms reduce the impact of losses. However, highly levered firms could be risky for investors despite strong CG mechanisms.Research limitations/implicationsAll S-REITs and M-REIT sampled were grouped as one regardless of the country differences, which may have limited the results and findings. The R-Index used to score the CG practices for Asia is still very new.Practical implicationsFindings of the study will help REIT policymakers to update scorecards frequently. Loss-making REITs must emphasize on specific CG attributes to enhance their overall CG scores to gain market confidence and procure financial assistance through better disclosure.Originality/valueDue to research scarcity on CG effectiveness associated with performance of Asian REITs after the global financial crisis, this study comes as a timely contribution in understanding the relationship between CG and performance of REITs.
How employers can better support people with mental health issues
Authors: Dean John 
Published: September 2018

Purpose
Mental health is a growing concern amongst UK employers, yet eight in ten employers currently have no mental health policy. This paper aims to highlight why employers should implement such a policy and gives advice on implementing an effective well-being policy.

Design/methodology/approach
Punter Southall Health and Protection recently released “Employee Wellbeing Research 2018”, carried out in association with Reward & Employee Benefits Association. This research report looks at the current trends in workplace well-being.

Findings
The Employee Wellbeing Research 2018 report revealed that 73 per cent of respondents said high pressure working environments are now the biggest threat to well-being and are worried about the negative impact on their employees. But one striking issue the research revealed is that programmes are not being driven by the Board. Less than one in ten (8 per cent) said that their Board actively drives the organisation’s well-being agenda and one in 20 (5 per cent) reported that their Board has little or no interest in employee well-being.

Originality/value
This paper is aimed at HR professionals, senior management, CEOs and board members.
Relative Target Setting and Cooperation
Authors: HOLZHACKER MARTIN , KRAMER STEPHAN , MATĚJKA MICHAL , HOFFMEISTER NICK 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTA large stream of work on relative performance evaluation highlights the benefits of using information about peer performance in contracting. In contrast, the potential costs of discouraging cooperation among peers have received much less attention. The purpose of our study is to examine how the importance of cooperation affects the use of information about peer performance in target setting, also known as relative target setting. Specifically, we use data from an industrial services company where business unit managers need to share specialized equipment and staff with their peers to manage bottlenecks in their capacity. We construct several empirical proxies for the costs and benefits of information about peer performance and examine their effects on target setting. We find robust evidence that the sensitivity of target revisions to past peer performance is higher when peer group performance has greater capacity to filter out noise but lower when the importance of cooperation among peers is greater.
Aligning ambulance dispatch priority to patient acuity: A methodology
Authors: Andrew Emily , Jones Colin , Stephenson Michael , Walker Tony , Bernard Stephen , Cameron Peter , Smith Karen 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectiveIn Victoria, Australia, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) demand has increased almost 5% per annum over the past 5 years. This may adversely affect response times to time‐critical patients. Additionally, >55% of cases have received Code 1 (lights/sirens) responses. Primary telephone triage occurs using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS); however, MPDS is reported to be highly sensitive, with common over‐triage. The present study describes the methodology applied to better align the response allocated to MPDS determinant codes with patient acuity.MethodsData between October 2013 and August 2014 were extracted from the Ambulance Victoria data warehouse. The decision to allocate MPDS determinant codes to a lower response priority and/or secondary triage was based on epidemiological profiling and, in some cases, expert panel review.ResultsThe review identified 105 MPDS codes receiving a Code 1 response as suitable for a Code 2 (urgent) response, and 221 Code 1 or 2 codes as suitable for secondary triage. Data analysis estimated a reduction in Code 1 responses by 28%, and an increase in the secondary triage caseload by 120%. Modelling also predicted a 2.6 percentage point improvement in the proportion of Code 1 cases attended within 15 min.ConclusionAnalysis of a large EMS dataset supported changes to the EMS response priority for a number of MPDS determinant codes. Such changes should improve the alignment between EMS response and patient acuity, and improve response times to time‐critical patients. Other EMS with electronic data could consider testing this methodology.
Review of grain boundary complexion engineering: Know your boundaries
Authors: Krause Amanda R. , Cantwell Patrick R. , Marvel Christopher J. , Compson Charles , Rickman Jeffrey M. , Harmer Martin P. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractGrain boundary structure‐property relationships influence bulk performance and, therefore, are an important criterion in materials design. Materials scientists can generate different grain boundary structures by changes in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential because interfaces attain their own equilibrium states, known as complexions. Complexions undergo first‐order transitions by changes in thermodynamic variables, which results in discontinuous changes in properties. Grain boundary complexion engineering is introduced in this paper as a method for controlling complexion transitions to improve material performance. This International Conference on Sintering 2017 lecture describes the tools for grain boundary complexion engineering: complexion equilibrium and time‐temperature‐transformation (TTT) diagrams. These tools can be implemented in processing design to tailor grain boundary properties, including grain boundary mobility. While impactful, these diagrams are often limited in scope because they are currently empirically derived. This article discusses how measurement techniques can be combined with data analytical methods to build mechanistically derived complexion equilibrium and TTT diagrams.
Liberal Intergovernmentalism, Illiberalism and the Potential Superpower of the European Union
Authors: Meunier Sophie , Vachudova Milada Anna 
Published: September 2018

AbstractAndrew Moravcsik has long argued that the EU is the world's second superpower, albeit a quiet and overlooked one. This article explores how the EU behaves as a global power, and how the illiberal turn may diminish it. We present Moravcsik's four core claims about the EU as the second superpower using the lens of Liberal Intergovernmentalism. We argue that the EU is more a potential than an actual superpower because its considerable hard and soft resources are not always converted into global influence. We focus on two challenges to this power conversion, which we illustrate in the areas of trade and enlargement: first, the uneven transfer of competences to the EU level and, second, the presence of illiberal regimes in the EU, which makes it more difficult to agree on common policies and tools anchored in democratic values.
Thermal physiology of three sympatric small mammals from southern Africa
Authors: Hoole C. , Czenze Z. J. , Bennett N. C. , McKechnie A. E. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSmall mammals, and particularly shrews and mice, have relatively high mass‐specific metabolic rates and may be constrained to habitats where they can avoid extreme temperatures. Although their phylogeny differs, shrews and rodents often inhabit the same environments and compete for resources due to their similar body masses and dietary overlap. Our aim was to elucidate the variation in thermal parameters of sympatric species. We examined Myosorex varius, Crocidura flavescens and Mus minutoides, by measuring metabolic rate, evaporative water loss (EWL), body temperature (Tb) and thermal conductance over a range of ambient temperatures (Ta). Body temperatures of all three species remained above 32°C across the range of Ta. For all species, there was no relation between Ta <35°C and EWL, although EWL in C. flavescens was considerably lower compared to the other two species. Dry thermal conductance was much higher in Mu. minutoides than in either of the shrews. Resting metabolic rate of all three species declined with Ta <35°C. The thermoneutral zone of My. varius was between Ta = 35°C and Ta = 40°C, whereas that of C. flavescens was between Ta = 30°C and Ta = 33°C. No discernible thermoneutral zone was evident for Mu minutoides. Our data reveal considerable variation in thermal physiology among three sympatric species of small mammal at a single site and generally conform to the plesiomorphic–apomorphic endothermy model. Differences in body size, life‐history traits and evolutionary history may all play a role in the thermoregulatory patterns of these sympatric species.
Resolving the roles of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides HemA and HemT 5‐aminolevulinic acid synthases
Authors: Stoian Natalie , Kaganjo James , Zeilstra‐Ryalls Jill 
Published: September 2018

SummaryStrains of the phototrophic alpha‐proteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides vary in the number of enzymes catalyzing the formation of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (ALA synthases) that are encoded in their genomes. All have hemA, but not all have hemT. This study compared transcription of these genes, and also properties of their products among three wild‐type strains; 2.4.3 has hemA alone, 2.4.1 and 2.4.9 have both hemA and hemT. Using lacZ reporter plasmids all hemA genes were found to be upregulated under anaerobic conditions, but induction amplitudes differ. hemT is transcriptionally silent in 2.4.1 but actively transcribed in 2.4.9, and strongly upregulated under anaerobic‐dark growth conditions when cells are respiring dimethyl sulfoxide, vs. aerobic‐dark or phototrophic (anaerobic‐light) conditions. Two extracytoplasmic function (ECF)‐type sigma factors present in 2.4.9, but absent from 2.4.1 are directly involved in hemT transcription. Kinetic properties of the ALA synthases of all three strains were similar, but HemT enzymes are far less sensitive to feedback inhibition by hemin than HemA enzymes, and HemT is less active under oxidizing conditions. A model is presented that compares and contrast events in strains 2.4.1 and 2.4.9.
Integrated breeding approaches for improving drought and heat adaptation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Gaur Pooran M. , Samineni Srinivasan , Thudi Mahendar , Tripathi Shailesh , Sajja Sobhan B. , Jayalakshmi Veera , Mannur Durdundappa M. , Vijayakumar Adiveppa G. , Ganga Rao Nadigatla V. P. R. , Ojiewo Chris , Fikre Asnake , Kimurto Paul , Kileo Robert O. , Girma Nigusie , Chaturvedi Sushil K. , Varshney Rajeev K. , Dixit Girish P. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractChickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a dry season food legume largely grown on residual soil moisture after the rainy season. The crop often experiences moisture stress towards end of the crop season (terminal drought). The crop may also face heat stress at the reproductive stage if sowing is delayed. The breeding approaches for improving adaptation to these stresses include the development of varieties with early maturity and enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. Several varieties with improved drought tolerance have been developed by selecting for grain yield under moisture stress conditions. Similarly, selection for pod set in the crop subjected to heat stress during reproductive stage has helped in the development of heat‐tolerant varieties. A genomic region, called QTL‐hotspot, controlling several drought tolerance‐related traits has been introgressed into several popular cultivars using marker‐assisted backcrossing (MABC), and introgression lines giving significantly higher yield than the popular cultivars have been identified. Multiparent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) approach has been found promising in enhancing genetic recombination and developing lines with enhanced tolerance to terminal drought and heat stresses.
Partners at Care Transitions: exploring healthcare professionals’ perspectives of excellence at care transitions for older people
Authors: Baxter Ruth , O’Hara Jane , Murray Jenni , Sheard Laura , Cracknell Alison , Foy Robbie , Wright John , Lawton Rebecca 
Published: September 2018

IntroductionHospital admissions are shorter than they were 10 years ago. Notwithstanding the benefits of this, patients often leave hospital requiring ongoing care. The transition period can therefore be risky, particularly for older people with complex health and social care needs. Previous research has predominantly focused on the errors and harms that occur during transitions of care. In contrast, this study adopts an asset-based approach to learn from factors that facilitate safe outcomes. It seeks to explore how staff within high-performing (‘positively deviant’) teams successfully support transitions from hospital to home for older people.Methods and analysisSix high-performing general practices and six hospital specialties that demonstrate exceptionally low or reducing 30-day emergency hospital readmission rates will be invited to participate in the study. Healthcare staff from these clinical teams will be recruited to take part in focus groups, individual interviews and/or observations of staff meetings. Data collection will explore the ways in which teams successfully deliver exceptionally safe transitional care and how they overcome the challenges faced in their everyday clinical work. Data will be thematically analysed using a pen portrait approach to identify the manifest (explicit) and latent (abstract) factors that facilitate success.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the University of Leeds. The study will help develop our understanding of how multidisciplinary staff within different healthcare settings successfully support care transitions for older people. Findings will be disseminated to academic and clinical audiences through peer-reviewed articles, conferences and workshops. Findings will also inform the development of an intervention to improve the safety and experience of older people during transitions from hospital to home.
The UALE project: a cross-sectional approach for trends in HIV/STI prevalence among key populations attending STI clinics in Guatemala
Authors: García Juan Ignacio , Sabidó Meritxell , Nikiforov Mikhail , Smith Adriana , Hernández Gabriela , Ortiz Rudy , Ardani Luis , Cajas Alba , Camey Elsy , Torrelles Jordi B , Wang Shu-Hua , Campbell Colin N J , Folch Cinta , Casabona Jordi 
Published: September 2018

ObjectiveTo describe and compare trends in prevalence, sexual behaviour and HIV transmission knowledge data related to sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV in patients attending three STI clinics over an 8-year period in Escuintla Department, Guatemala.MethodsSTI clinic attendees were classified into transmission groups as follows: female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM) and ‘high-risk heterosexuals’ (HRH). Annual cross-sectional analysis and multivariable Poisson regression adjusted for sociodemographic variables were used for prevalence comparisons and adjusted prevalence trends for HIV/STI outcomes and used for adjusted trends in proportions in sexual behaviour and HIV transmission knowledge outcomes. Endocervical swabs were obtained to detect trichomonas, chlamydia and neisseria infections. Serologies for syphilis and HIV were performed using rapid tests. For reactive HIV samples, positivity was confirmed by an ELISA. All reactive syphilis samples were further confirmed for diagnosis of active syphilis disease.ResultsFrom a total of 4027 clinic attendees, 3213 (79.78%) were FSW, 229 (5.69%) were MSM and 585 (14.53%) were HRH. The proportion of FSW, MSM and HRH who had a single visit was 56.42%, 57.23% and 91.10%, respectively. Overall, HIV prevalence was 2.10% in FSW, 8.17% in MSM and 4.12% in HRH. Prevalence trends in HIV and syphilis decreased in FSW. Prevalence trends in gonorrhoea did not decrease over time neither in FSW nor in HRH. Chlamydia and trichomonas infections in HRH showed an increase prevalence trend. In FSW, trends in condom use in last sexual intercourse with regular and occasional clients were above 93%.ConclusionsFSW show a decreasing trend in HIV, syphilis and chlamydia prevalence. Gonorrhoea prevalence in FSW and HRH did not decrease over time. HRH is a hard to engage population with low follow-up rates and high potential to act as a bridge population.
Exercise for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials and clinical guidelines
Authors: Ross Megan H , Smith Michelle D , Mellor Rebecca , Vicenzino Bill 
Published: September 2018

ObjectiveTo systematically review all randomised clinical trials to determine the efficacy of local strengthening exercises compared with other forms of conservative management for adults with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesFour electronic databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane, Embase and PubMed) were searched up to June 2018.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesThe study included randomised clinical trials investigating individuals with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction where local strengthening was compared with other forms of conservative management with respect to pain, function and/or physical impairment outcome measures. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) were used to compare change scores between groups and descriptors of exercise prescription assessed according to the Template for Intervention Description and Replication and the Toigo and Boutellier recommendations.Results3 studies (n=93) were eligible for inclusion in the review. Varying strengthening exercises were compared with stretching and foot orthoses (n=2) or no intervention (n=1). Moderate effects (SMD 0.6–1.2) were found for reducing pain and disability with eccentric strengthening in conjunction with stretching and orthoses compared with concentric exercises, stretching and orthoses combined, and stretching and orthoses alone. Evaluation of exercise prescription parameters demonstrated minimal reporting, with the only consistent parameters being the number of sets and repetitions of the exercises, and the duration of the experimental period.ConclusionThis review demonstrates the paucity of high-quality research for the conservative management of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, and highlights the lack of exercise prescription parameters reported in clinical trials.Trial registration numberCRD42017076156.
Small to large-scale patterns of ground-dwelling spider (Araneae) diversity across northern Canada
Authors: Loboda Sarah , Buddle Christopher M. 
Published: September 2018

We examined how Arctic spider (Araneae) biodiversity is distributed at multiple spatial scales in northern Canada using a standardized hierarchical sampling design. We investigated which drivers, environmental or spatial, influence the patterns observed. Spatial patterns of Arctic spider species richness and composition were assessed in 12 sites located in arctic, subarctic, and north boreal ecoclimatic regions, spanning 30 degrees of latitude and 80 degrees of longitude. Variation in diversity was partitioned in relation to multiple environmental and spatial drivers of diversity patterns. Over 23 000 adult spiders, representing 306 species in 14 families, were collected in northern Canada, with 107 species (35% of the total species collected) representing new territorial or provincial records. Spider diversity was structured at the regional scale across ecoclimatic regions but was not structured with latitude. Longitudinal patterns of spider diversity across Canada may be explained by post-glacial dispersal. At local scales, diversity was non-randomly distributed and possibly limited by biotic interactions. We recommend the use of ecoclimatic regions as a framework for conservation of biodiversity in northern Canada and spiders as useful bioindicators that can help us understand the effects of climate change across ecoclimatic regions of northern Canada.
Protolith lithostratigraphy of the Greater Himalayan Series in Langtang, Nepal: implications for the architecture of the northern Indian margin
Authors: Dyck Brendan , St-Onge Marc , Searle Michael P. , Rayner Nicole , Waters David , Weller Owen M. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract

Reconstruction of the protolith lithostratigraphy of amphibolite-facies metasedimentary rocks of the Greater Himalayan Series (GHS) in Nepal documents a single, long-lived passive-margin succession that was deposited along the northern margin of the Indian Craton. In the Langtang area, Paleoproterozoic gneisses are unconformably overlain by a succession of upper Neoproterozoic–Ordovician fluvio-deltaic quartzite, basinal pelite and psammitic beds that grade upsection into micaceous semipelite and pelite. U–Pb zircon geochronology yields maximum depositional ages between
c.
815 and 460 Ma for the GHS in Langtang. Regional variations in the composition and thickness of the GHS along the length of the Himalaya are attributed to siliciclastic depocentres centred on Zanskar in northern India, Langtang and Everest in central to western Nepal, which contrast with coeval marine carbonate shelf deposition in the Annapurna region. The protolith lithostratigraphy documented for Langtang provides a coherent framework for interpreting subsequent Cenozoic Himalayan deformation, specifically the homogeneously distributed layer-normal shortening (i.e. flattening) and layer-parallel stretching (i.e. transport-parallel stretching) that characterizes the GHS. Within the context of a single protracted northern Indian marginal sedimentary succession, the distinction between the Lesser, Greater and Tethyan Himalaya is structural rather than lithostratigraphic in origin.