bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF RADON CONCENTRATION IN IRRIGATION AND DRINKING WATERS FROM THE EASTERN PART OF OMAN AND ESTIMATION OF EFFECTIVE DOSES TO OMANIS
Authors: Nasser S M , Khandaker M U , Bradley D A , Isinkaye M O 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
The present study concerns measurement of the radon concentration in drinking and irrigation waters obtained from the eastern part of Oman, in particular in regard to water quality assessment of the region. The samples were collected from different places covering most types of water sources in the region. A passive and time-integrated track etch detector (LR-115 type II) combined with a high-resolution optical microscope has been used to obtain the radon concentration in the studied samples. Values of dissolved radon in water varied among the water sources; the highest concentration of radon was found to be 363 Bq m−3 in a drinking water sample while well water used for irrigation showed the lowest value, at 140 Bq m−3. Measured data for all water sources are below the permissible limit of 11.1 kBq m−3 recommended by the US-EPA. Annual effective doses for the studied samples were in the range 0.38–0.99 μSv y−1 which is significantly less than the action level recommended by the WHO (0.1 mSv y−1), indicating that the water sources in the Jalan BBH region of Oman are safe to use. The obtained data may serve as a reference for any future radiological study of the waterbody of this region.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOIL–SOIL-SOLUTION DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENTS OF 125I AND 127I IN PASTURE SOIL
Authors: Unno Y , Takeda A , Takaku Y , Hisamatsu S 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
We measured the depth profiles of soil–soil-solution distribution coefficients (Kd) of native 127I (127I-Kd) and exogenous 125I– (125I-Kd) in soils from a pasture near the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Japan, and investigated their relationships to depth profiles of the concentration in soil of 127I and organic C and Kd of organic C (C-Kd). The depth profiles of 125I-Kd and 127I-Kd were similar. The relatively low 127I concentrations and low values of both 127I-Kd and 125I-Kd indicate that some of the I deposited on the soil surface have been transported to depths greater than 10 cm. On the other hand, high 127I-Kd/125I-Kd ratios in the uppermost 10 cm of soil indicate that some of the 127I bound to that soil could not be exchanged with exogenous 125I. Although a previous study has shown a power function relationship between 125I-Kd and C-Kd, our data show that the relationships of both 125I-Kd and 127I-Kd to C-Kd are exponential functions. The reason for these conflicting results is unknown. Nonetheless, our data clearly show Kd values for both 125I– and 127I to be dependent on C-Kd. In addition, the dependence of both 127I-Kd and 125I-Kd on C-Kd suggests that organic material in the soil has a role in the transport of I down the soil profile.
Maternal inflammation at midgestation impairs subsequent fetal myoblast function and skeletal muscle growth in rats, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction at term1
Authors: Cadaret Caitlin N , Posont Robert J , Beede Kristin A , Riley Hannah E , Loy John Dustin , Yates Dustin T 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Maternal inflammation induces intrauterine growth restriction (MI-IUGR) of the fetus, which compromises metabolic health in human offspring and reduces value in livestock. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of maternal inflammation at midgestation on fetal skeletal muscle growth and myoblast profiles at term. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected daily with bacterial endotoxin (MI-IUGR) or saline (controls) from the 9th to the 11th day of gestational age (dGA; term = 21 dGA). At necropsy on dGA 20, average fetal mass and upper hindlimb cross-sectional areas were reduced (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR fetuses compared with controls. MyoD+ and myf5+ myoblasts were less abundant (P &lt; 0.05), and myogenin+ myoblasts were more abundant (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR hindlimb skeletal muscle compared with controls, indicating precocious myoblast differentiation. Type I and Type II hindlimb muscle fibers were smaller (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR fetuses than in controls, but fiber type proportions did not differ between experimental groups. Fetal blood plasma TNFα concentrations were below detectable amounts in both experimental groups, but skeletal muscle gene expression for the cytokine receptors TNFR1, IL6R, and FN14 was greater (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR fetuses than controls, perhaps indicating enhanced sensitivity to these cytokines. Maternal blood glucose concentrations at term did not differ between experimental groups, but MI-IUGR fetal blood contained less (P &lt; 0.05) glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Fetal-to-maternal blood glucose ratios were also reduced (P &lt; 0.05), which is indicative of placental insufficiency. Indicators of protein catabolism, including blood plasma urea nitrogen and creatine kinase, were greater (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR fetuses than in controls. From these findings, we conclude that maternal inflammation at midgestation causes muscle-centric fetal programming that impairs myoblast function, increases protein catabolism, and reduces skeletal muscle growth near term. Fetal muscle sensitivity to inflammatory cytokines appeared to be enhanced after maternal inflammation, which may represent a mechanistic target for improving these outcomes in MI-IUGR fetuses.
Emergence of a digital cluster in east London: birth of a new hybrid firm
Authors: Evans Graeme Lorenzo 
Published: April 2019

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the composition and geography of an emerging “creative digital” cluster in London, in the context of cluster theory and emerging creative cluster concepts. This argues that this cluster cannot be divorced from the wider regional creative and digital economy and that its inter-dependence with a small number of “content” industries is critical to its formation. The significance of the “creative digital” firm blending design, communications and technological development is highlighted, as is its unique position in enabling such firms to flourish.Design/methodology/approachThe research combines both quantitative with qualitative methods, based on cluster analysis of firm-level business data using GIS mapping software at a regional level; location quotient (LQ) analysis to reveal firm concentration at a local cluster level; an online questionnaire survey of firms within this cluster; participant observation of firm meet-ups over a three-year period; and face-to-face interviews with a sample of firms/owners.FindingsThe evidence generated from this research confirms the distinctive nature of this digital cluster and the benefits of co-location in an industrial district with proximities to a range of advanced producer services and cultural content provision. This has revealed an emerging “techno-creative habitus” (Scott 2010), which has been able to take advantage of market fluidity through a network of communities of interest firms, which have reshaped an existing global hub locally anchored by a highly porous locale.Originality/valueThe research is novel in combining spatial data analysis with qualitative research into firm behaviour and place-based factors that support the growth of this cluster. This has revealed new insights into the hybrid nature of tech firms that integrate content with both hardware and software applications and who innovate and grow through inter-personal cluster networks. This contributes to cluster theory and extends the range of proximities – social, institutional and cultural – that enhance the geographic advantages of clustering in this case.
The moderating role of customer engagement experiences in customer satisfaction–loyalty relationship
Authors: Thakur Rakhi 
Published: April 2019

Purpose
This study aims to examine the moderating role of customer engagement experiences in satisfaction–loyalty relationship in the digital business environment. This paper looks at mobile apps for shopping and travel planning to understand these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper includes the conceptualization and validation of the proposed relationship through multiple studies. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted to identify the relevant engagement experiences. Subsequently, multiple quantitative studies were conducted to examine the proposed relationships.

Findings
The effect of satisfaction on continuance intention is stronger among customers with higher levels of engagement. Further, the propensity to provide electronic word of mouth is non-linear in customers with higher levels of engagement and may not vary directly with satisfaction levels.

Research limitations/implications
The findings of this study contribute to the emerging literature on customer engagement and mobile app-usage domains. Future studies may examine such a relationship in different businesses and on varied digital platforms.

Practical implications
The findings of this paper may provide actionable insights to marketers, giving them a mechanism to segment customers based on engagement levels and using discretion while focusing on satisfaction levels among different segments.

Originality/value
This study validates the proposed moderating role of customer engagement in the satisfaction–loyalty relationship. The non-linear relationship between satisfaction and loyalty is also demonstrated.
Buy online collect in-store: exploring grocery click&collect using a national case study
Authors: Davies Alec , Dolega Les , Arribas-Bel Daniel 
Published: April 2019

PurposeTwenty-first century online retailing has reshaped the retail landscape. Grocery shopping is emerging as the next fastest growing category in online retailing in the UK, having implications for the channels we use to purchase goods. Using Sainsbury’s data, the authors create a bespoke set of grocery click&collect catchments. The resultant catchments allow an investigation of performance within the emerging channel of grocery click&collect. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe spatial interaction method of “Huff gravity modeling” is applied in a semi-automated approach, used to calculate grocery click&collect catchments for 95 Sainsbury’s stores in England. The catchments allow investigation of the spatial variation and particularly rural-urban differences. Store and catchment characteristics are extracted and explored using ordinary least squares regression applied to investigate “demand per day” (a confidentiality transformed revenue value) as a function of competition, performance and geodemographic factors.FindingsThe findings show that rural stores exhibit a larger catchment extent for grocery click&collect when compared with urban stores. Linear regression finds store characteristics as having the greatest impact on demand per day, adhering to wider retail competition literature. Conclusions display a need for further investigation (e.g. quantifying loyalty).Originality/valueNew insights are contributed at a national level for grocery click&collect, as well as e-commerce, multichannel shopping and retail geography. Areas for further investigation are identified, particularly quantitatively capturing brand loyalty. The research has commercial impact as the catchments are being applied by Sainsbury’s to decide the next 100 stores and plan for the next five years of their grocery click&collect offering.
Influence of temperature – viscosity effect on ring-journal speed ratio and stability for a hydrodynamic floating ring bearing
Authors: Guo Hong , Yang Shuai , Zhang Shaolin , Zhang Zebin 
Published: April 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of lubricant temperature-viscosity on the performance for a hydrodynamic journal floating ring bearing (FRB), including ring-journal speed ratio and stability.

Design/methodology/approach
The finite difference method was used to solve computational models of Reynolds equation, energy equation and temperature–viscosity equation. Dynamic coefficients were obtained based on the floating ring balance. The dynamic model of journal and floating ring was established to deduce the stability criterion of single mass symmetrical rigid FRB rotor system by the Routh–Hurwitz method. The outlet temperature and ring-journal speed ratio under different journal speeds were compared to experimental data.

Findings
The temperature–viscosity effect reduces the ring-journal speed ratio and stability of rotor system. According to theoretical and experimental results, the outlet temperature rises and ring-journal ratio drops when the journal speed rises.

Originality/value
The temperature–viscosity effect is combined with dynamic characteristics to analyze the stability of the rotor system and lubrication mechanism for an FRB. Influence of temperature–viscosity on the ring-journal ratio and multi-stable regions of system are studied.
Accountability dilemmas and identity struggles
Authors: Stockenstrand Anna-Karin 
Published: April 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to add to our understanding of how external factors such as funding and external accountabilities affect the organisational inner workings, especially identity issues.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a comparative case study of two professional chamber orchestras, one in Sweden and one in the UK. The two orchestras had significantly different funding conditions and had different relations with funders and were thus exposed to different kinds of accountability dilemmas. The two organisations were studied using and ethnographically inspired approach. The developments of various parts of the organisations were studied, such as funding, management, strategy, management control and identity issues.

Findings
The paper illustrates how the solution to accountability dilemmas in an organisation can, over time, result in the protection or the dilution of a perceived organisational core and thus in an identity struggle. Especially, management has to deal with the balance between financial and operational accountability, where organisational members could perceive the decisions to be confirming or rejecting what they perceived as being the higher purpose of their work.

Practical implications
This paper may help managers become more aware of the long ranging consequences of managerial decisions and how such decisions may affect the identity orientation of organisational members.

Originality/value
The paper combines the concept of identity with the concept of accountability, something that has not been done to a large extent in previous research.
“My bad”: investigating service failure effects in self-service and full-service settings
Authors: Köcher Sören , Paluch Stefanie 
Published: April 2019

PurposeCompanies in diverse branches offer a variety of service alternatives that typically differ in terms of the degree to which customers are actively involved in service delivery processes. The purpose of this paper is to explore potential differences in consumers’ reactions to service failures across services provided by a service employee (i.e. full-services) and services that require customers’ active involvement (i.e. self-services).Design/methodology/approachTwo 2 (full-service vs self-service) × 2 (no service failure vs service failure) scenario-based experiments in technological and non-technological contexts (i.e. ticket purchase and furniture assembly) were conducted.FindingsStudy results reveal that although service failures have a similar negative impact on satisfaction across both full-services and self-services, in the self-service context, the negative effect on the willingness to use the same service delivery mode again is attenuated.Research limitations/implicationsBy emphasizing the role of customers’ active involvement in the service delivery process, the study extends previous knowledge regarding customer response to service failures in different service settings.Practical implicationsBy highlighting that self-service customers’ future behavioral intentions are less severely affected by service failures, the authors present an additional feature of customer involvement in service delivery processes that goes beyond the previously recognized advantages.Originality/valueDespite the abundance of research on the effects of failure attributions, previous studies have predominantly examined main effects of attributions on customer responses, such that insights into potential moderating effects of failure attributions on established relationships – as investigated in this study – are still scarce.
Donation appeals rewarding fitness in the context of CSR initiatives
Authors: Choi Sungwoo , Mattila Anna S. , Quadri-Felitti Donna 
Published: April 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the donation appeals requiring physical effort on consumers’ willingness to donate in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Moreover, this paper investigates the moderating role of donation proximity on consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral responses to CSR initiatives.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted using a 2 (donation appeal type: fitness vs general) by 2 (donation proximity: nearby vs faraway) between-subjects experimental design. The authors recruited 234 participants from Qualtrics’ online panel (Study 1) and 122 participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (Study 2).FindingsThe study findings indicate that the consumers tend to perceive the company to be more socially responsible (i.e. perceived CSR engagement) when the donation appeal involves local beneficiaries and rewards fitness (i.e. fitness appeal). The positive impact of the fitness appeal was not observed when the donation involved faraway targets. Additionally, the mediation analyses indicate that the perceived CSR engagement has a spillover effect on behavioral outcomes (e.g. willingness to donate) when the initiative supports local beneficiaries.Originality/valueThis study provides several theoretical contributions to the services marketing literature by examining the role of fitness appeals in enhancing perceived CSR engagement and investigating the moderating role of donation proximity on customers’ willingness to donate to charities.
Structuring stock investment funds with a limited number of qualified students
Authors: DeBoeuf David A. 
Published: April 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline the problems encountered by a student-managed investment program (SMIP) when the pool of qualified finance majors is limited in number. Restructuring the program to a single-semester course and opening the class to motivated/intelligent non-finance majors increased the number of applicants, but resulted in alternative difficulties, particularly time constraints and inadequate student preparedness. A prerequisite exam and regimented classroom structure were the solutions.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses the problems encountered and solutions devised to address the early year difficulties experienced by a newly developed SMIP at a relatively small university. The core of the paper chronicles the classroom approach to solving the main problem of a single-semester portfolio management course, the handling of an investment learning curve in a short period of time.

Findings
Though empirically limited due to the program’s infancy, portfolio performance has been encouraging and student feedback exceptional. Regarding the former, stocks purchased by the fund have created greater wealth in total than that of equal dollar investments in an S&P500 index fund.

Practical implications
Universities interested in running a student-managed fund should feel secure in a one-semester approach, regardless of talent pool size, as measured by the number of motivated, intelligent finance majors.

Originality/value
Aside from the uniqueness of requiring a mastery of entrance exam investing materials prior to the first class, this paper’s outline of core portfolio management activities includes several strategies and methods meant to streamline the process within a groupthink design.
Researching a sensitive topic in an unstable environment
Authors: Saeed Muhammad , Griffin Gabriele 
Published: April 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore fieldwork dilemmas for a Pakhtun researcher, educated in the West, to research family or domestic violence in the unstable, hostile environment of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach
A gender studies approach is here combined with masculinities studies, and a critical qualitative research methodology is used in this study.

Findings
The paper argues that unstable regions dominated by certain forms of masculinity require specific research approaches when conducting research and addressing a topic that is culturally taboo.

Practical implications
The paper suggests how the insider–outsider dynamic plays out for researchers who come from a particular field and return to it under changed circumstances. It also indicates how a taboo topic in a context where direct questioning is not possible might be approached through the use of vignettes.

Social implications
The paper suggests how the contradictory position of a masculinity, simultaneously bearing traces of the hegemonic and of marginalization, may be negotiated in the field.

Originality/value
Social research on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan is rarely conducted and reported due to the unrest in this region. The paper thus contributes original insights from fieldwork carried out there. It also contributes to the limited but growing literature on conducting fieldwork in hostile environments.
Sharing economy: becoming an Uber driver in a developing country
Authors: Valente Eduardo , Patrus Roberto , Córdova Guimarães Rosana 
Published: April 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze why people have become suppliers in the sharing economy (SE) as Uber drivers in a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach
From a background on SE, car sharing and gig economy, the authors carried out a qualitative research. The analysis was based on 20 semi-structured interviews conducted with Uber drivers, and on the authors’ participant observation as Uber drivers and passengers in the third largest Brazilian city, Belo Horizonte.

Findings
Empirical evidence shows that becoming an Uber driver is more a matter of solving unemployment on a more permanent way rather than a search for a temporary and flexible work to supplement income. Although there are benefits related to flexibility, income and social interactions, negative externalities identified herein lead to the conclusion that the overall work relations and conditions are negative.

Originality/value
Much in the literature of the SE is focused on understanding consumer behavior; this research, on the contrary, is focused on understanding producers, which indicates an incipient perspective. The contributions of this paper show that the SE merges into different distributive decentralized means of production that are seeing as profit/income generated from shareable assets.