bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality and perceived value in career guidance e-services
Authors: Cobelli Nicola , Bonfanti Angelo , Cubico Serena , Favretto Giuseppe 
Published: September 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to empirically examine career guidance services in terms of e-service quality, information quality and perceived value. It specifically examines students’ perceptions of quality to explore the effects of e-service quality and information quality on perceived value.

Design/methodology/approach
Students from the University of Verona participated in a quantitative survey, and 119 questionnaires were collected to assess the perceptions of respondents on e-service quality, information quality and perceived value about the career guidance e-service.

Findings
The results indicate that students perceive high value for the career guidance services; the perceived value depends on both service quality of the e-platform and information quality of the report; and efficiency is the most important dimension of e-service quality, while adequacy appears to be the most important dimension of the report.

Practical implications
These findings reveal that service organisations such as universities should invest in career guidance services, given that such services are appreciated by students and contribute to reducing the gap between education and job opportunities. In the design phase, service organisations should pay attention to students’ career development needs by developing e-platforms that are easy to use, appealing, efficient and with continuous system availability and reports that include relevant, understandable, reliable and adequate information. It is important to provide students with a report after they have completed a questionnaire.

Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research empirically evaluating the effects of perceived e-service quality and information quality on perceived value with specific reference to career guidance e-services.
The influence of transformational leadership on employees’ creative process engagement
Authors: Mahmood Monowar , Uddin Md. Aftab , Fan Luo 
Published: September 2018

PurposeUsing a multi-level perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate impact of transformational leadership on employees’ creative process engagement and mediating roles of intrinsic motivation, task complexity and innovation support in the process of influence.Design/methodology/approachThis study follows a quantitative method. Using a multi-item survey instrument, a total of 400 questionnaires were distributed among employees of small and medium enterprises registered with the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh. Collected data were analyzed using structural equation model as well as factor analysis and path analysis to test the hypotheses and to assess the moderating and mediating effects of the variables.FindingsThe findings reveal that transformational leadership has a significant impact on employees’ creative process engagement. The study further shows that task complexity and support for innovation moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ creative process engagement.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the premises of interactionist perspectives on creativity, this study integrates multi-level variables to investigate leaders’ influences on followers’ creative process engagement. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on influence of transformational leadership on employees’ creative process engagement as well as the impact of both individual- and organizational-level variables.Originality/valueThe study adopts a distinct model comprising five different variables to investigate creative process engagement from a multi-level perspective, i.e., creative process engagement and intrinsic motivation at the individual level, task complexity at the unit level, and support for innovation and leadership at the organizational level. This integrated model of using predictors from multiple levels supports the theoretical assumptions that creative process engagement results from the interaction of individual-, group- and organizational-level factors.
Sexual health information-seeking behavior on a social media site: predictors of best answer selection
Authors: Yi Yong Jeong 
Published: September 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify sexual health information needs and the cognitive and affective factors correlated with the best answer chosen by social Q&A users.

Design/methodology/approach
The study collected questions and answers regarding sexual health information on a social Q&A site, and analyzed the questions and a paired sample composed of best and non-best answers (n=480).

Findings
The main information needs of consumers are human development, sexual behavior, and sexual health. Best answers are more likely to include both cognitive (higher level of readability, risky information, social norms) and affective factors (empathy, positive/negative feelings, and optimistic information) than non-best answers.

Research limitations/implications
The study illuminates the roles of social Q&A as a unique platform to discuss sensitive health topics due to the fact that consumers use such social media sites as critical complementary health information sources.

Practical implications
If health information providers develop information with the factors that the study suggests, not only will it be more adopted by consumers, but it will also ameliorate the quality concerns about online health information.

Originality/value
Previous studies only investigated the most prevalent factors, rather than the most effective ones, which have a greater influence on best answer selection. This study compares the best answers and the non-best answers to overcome the limitations of the previous studies. Above all, the study applied the persuasion concepts to address the cognitive and affective perspectives to the answer evaluations of social Q&A.
What drives internet users’ willingness to provide personal information?
Authors: Yeh Ching-Hsuan , Wang Yi-Shun , Lin Shin-Jeng , Tseng Timmy H. , Lin Hsin-Hui , Shih Ying-Wei , Lai Yi-Hsuan 
Published: September 2018

PurposeConsidering that users’ information privacy concerns may affect the development of e-commerce, the purpose of this paper is to explore what drives internet users’ willingness to provide personal information; further, the paper examines how extrinsic rewards moderate the relationship between users’ information privacy concerns and willingness to provide personal information.Design/methodology/approachData collected from 345 valid internet users in the context of electronic commerce were analyzed using the partial least squares approach.FindingsThe result showed that agreeableness, risk-taking propensity and experience of privacy invasion were three main antecedents of information privacy concerns among the seven individual factors. Additionally, information privacy concerns did not significantly affect users’ willingness to provide personal information in the privacy calculation mechanism; however, extrinsic rewards directly affected users’ disclosure intention. The authors found that extrinsic rewards had not moderated the relationship between users’ information privacy concerns and their willingness to provide personal information.Originality/valueThis study is an exploratory effort to develop and validate a model for explaining why internet users were willing to provide personal information. The results of this study are helpful to researchers in developing theories of information privacy concerns and to practitioners in promoting internet users’ willingness to provide personal information in an e-commerce context.
The effect of carbon performance on corporate financial performance in a growing economy
Authors: Ganda Fortune 
Published: September 2018

Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of carbon performance on firm financial performance by using Republic of South Africa CDP company data from 2014 to 2015.

Design/methodology/approach
The study considered 63 companies on the Republic of South Africa CDP database. Content analysis was used to extract both carbon performance data and firm financial data. The data were analysed using panel data analysis and partial derivative approaches.

Findings
The findings indicate that carbon performance produces a positive relationship with return on equity (ROE) and return on sales (ROS). Conversely, it generates a negative relationship with return on investment (ROI) and market value added (MVA). Furthermore, the study highlights that carbon performance pays and that the relationship with financial performance (ROE, ROS, ROI and MVA) deepens as the corporate growth rate increases.

Practical implications
Companies that integrate carbon performance initiatives reap substantial financial gains, and this relationship is strengthened as the company’s growth rate increases.

Originality/value
The research questions and data collected from Republic of South African CDP firms are original and provide important evidence on the impact of carbon performance on firm financial indicators. Furthermore, many empirical studies focus on highly industrialised countries; this study examines this issue in the emerging South African economy which has experienced rapid growth of emissions in recent years. While most previous studies on the relationship between carbon performance and firm financial performance used a single class of corporate financial measures, this study used both accounting- and market-based indicators. It also investigated how firm growth moderates the association between carbon performance and diverse financial performance measures. Finally, pressure exerted by green stakeholders since the introduction of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s sustainability criteria in 2004, as well as government policies, has a profound impact on the South African business context; it is hence important to examine corporate environmental management activities in the context of the association between carbon performance and firm performance.
Rapid Reel Lawn Master Company: cutting the target down to size
Authors: Timmerman John Edwin , Lovvorn Al 
Published: September 2018

Synopsis
Paula Hendricks, Director of Marketing for Rapid Reel Lawn Master Company (RRLMC), tasked with developing a plan to exploit the current trend in lawn mower purchasing patterns must craft a strategic proposal for the executive planning committee. RRLMC, a manufacturer of reel mowers, experienced an increase in sales due to a confluence of factors: high gasoline prices, increased concern with the environment, the trend toward smaller yards and a focus on health and exercise. Paula needed to develop a plan for the company to sustain the bonanza and determine whether this trend offered new opportunities for marketing.

Research methodology
The data for the case were collected through examination of a major reel lawn mower manufacturer in the USA, through experience teaching and using the market segmentation process, as well as personal interviews and secondary research on the history of firms within the industry. The results of a literature review have been incorporated to flesh out the discussion.

Relevant courses and levels
This case is targeted primarily at undergraduate students in upper-level marketing classes, e.g., Relationship Marketing, Marketing Management and Strategic Marketing. Additionally, it can be used in management classes (e.g. Strategic Management) where industry segmentation is discussed. It would also benefit introductory MBA marketing courses as this case directs students’ attention to the role of products’ perceived benefits and how markets may be segmented in order to assess and select prime segments of the market for targeting.
Pebble Technology Corporation: from dorm room dream to high tech pioneer
Authors: Schneper William D. , Martin Colin 
Published: September 2018

Synopsis
Pebble Technology Corporation (Pebble) was an early entrant into the smartwatch industry. Pebble’s Founder, Eric Migicovsky, began thinking about creating a smartwatch in 2008 while still an undergraduate engineering student. After selling about 1,500 prototype watches, he was accepted into Silicon Valley’s prestigious Y Combinator business start-up program. Finding it difficult to attract investors, Migicovsky launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised a record-breaking $10.27m on Kickstarter. The case concludes shortly after Apple’s unveiling of its soon-to-be-released Apple Watch. The case provides an opportunity to evaluate Pebble’s various strategic options at the time of Apple’s announcement.

Research methodology
The authors observed over 30 h of video and audio recordings of speeches, interviews and other events involving Pebble’s founder, other Pebble executives, investors and competitors. These recordings are all publicly available. Whenever possible, the authors also reviewed the Twitter feeds, Facebook sites and personal websites of Pebble’s top executives over time. Similarly, the authors followed Pebble’s official website, corporate blog and Kickstarter campaign websites. The authors also drew from numerous media reports. Due to the public nature of the data, no company release is provided nor has any information been disguised in any way.

Relevant courses and levels
The case is designed for both undergraduate and graduate students for courses in strategic management.
Comparative analyses of CTX prophage region of Vibrio cholerae seventh pandemic wave 1 strains isolated in Asia
Authors: Pham Tho Duc , Nguyen Tuan Hai , Iwashita Hanako , Takemura Taichiro , Morita Kouichi , Yamashiro Tetsu 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTVibrio cholerae O1 causes cholera, and cholera toxin, the principal mediator of massive diarrhea, is encoded by ctxAB in the cholera toxin (CTX) prophage. In this study, the structures of the CTX prophage region of V. cholerae strains isolated during the seventh pandemic wave 1 in Asian countries were determined and compared. Eighteen strains were categorized into eight groups by CTX prophage region‐specific restriction fragment length polymorphism and PCR profiles and the structure of the region of a representative strain from each group was determined by DNA sequencing. Eight representative strains revealed eight distinct CTX prophage regions with various combinations of CTX‐1, RS1 and a novel genomic island on chromosome I. CTX prophage regions carried by the wave 1 strains were diverse in structure. V. cholerae strains with an area specific CTX prophage region are believed to circulate in South‐East Asian countries; additionally, multiple strains with distinct types of CTX prophage region are co‐circulating in the area. Analysis of a phylogenetic tree generated by single nucleotide polymorphism differences across 2483 core genes revealed that V. cholerae strains categorized in the same group based on CTX prophage region structure were segregated in closer clusters. CTX prophage region‐specific recombination events or gain and loss of genomic elements within the region may have occurred at much higher frequencies and contributed to producing a panel of CTX prophage regions with distinct structures among V. cholerae pathogenic strains in lineages with close genetic backgrounds in the early wave 1 period of the seventh cholera pandemic.
Effect of intermediate disturbance on soil microbial functional diversity depends on the amount of effective resources
Authors: Zhang Ximei , Johnston Eric R. , Barberán Albert , Ren Yi , Wang Zhiping , Han Xingguo 
Published: September 2018

SummaryMany anthropogenic environmental changes are leading to a rapid decline in soil microbial functional diversity. However, ecological mechanisms that can serve to counteract/resist the diversity loss remain largely underexplored. In particular, although intermediate disturbance and increased amount of effective resources can promote the diversity of higher organisms, the potential role of these factors, and their combination, in maintaining microbial functional diversity is poorly studied. We conducted a 5‐year experiment in a Eurasian steppe, manipulating mowing, nitrogen addition, phosphorus addition and their combinations. Nitrogen addition decreased soil pH by ~0.6 and bacterial abundance by ~19.5%, causing a disturbance effect. Phosphorus addition significantly decreased the effective amount of soil carbon‐, nitrogen‐, phosphorus‐ and water‐relevant resources. Across all nitrogen‐addition treatments subject to intermediate disturbance, there was a significant positive correlation between soil effective resource amount and microbial gene richness (r > 0.6, p < 0.01), which was elevated, in part, due to the increased fungal abundance. In contrast, significant correlations between gene richness and resource amount were not found under low‐disturbance conditions. Overall, gene richness was greatest under conditions of both intermediate disturbance and ample effective resources, suggesting that the two factors could be manipulated in combination for the maintenance of microbial functional diversity.
Targeting the phospholipase A2 receptor ameliorates premature aging phenotypes
Authors: Griveau Audrey , Wiel Clotilde , Le Calvé Benjamin , Ziegler Dorian V. , Djebali Sophia , Warnier Marine , Martin Nadine , Marvel Jacqueline , Vindrieux David , Bergo Martin O. , Bernard David 
Published: September 2018

AbstractHutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a lethal premature aging that recapitulates many normal aging characteristics. This disorder is caused by mutation in the LMNA gene leading to the production of progerin which induces misshapen nuclei, cellular senescence, and aging. We previously showed that the phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R1) promotes senescence induced by replicative, oxidative, and oncogenic stress but its role during progerin‐induced senescence and in progeria is currently unknown. Here, we show that knockdown of PLA2R1 prevented senescence induced by progerin expression in human fibroblasts and markedly delayed senescence of HGPS patient‐derived fibroblasts. Whole‐body knockout of Pla2r1 in a mouse model of progeria decreased some premature aging phenotypes, such as rib fracture and decreased bone content, together with decreased senescence marker. Progerin‐expressing human fibroblasts exhibited a high frequency of misshapen nuclei and increased farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FDPS) expression compared to controls; knockdown of PLA2R1 reduced the frequency of misshapen nuclei and normalized FDPS expression. Pamidronate, a FDPS inhibitor, also reduced senescence and misshapen nuclei. Downstream of PLA2R1, we found that p53 mediated the progerin‐induced increase in FDPS expression and in misshapen nuclei. These results suggest that PLA2R1 mediates key premature aging phenotypes through a p53/FDPS pathway and might be a new therapeutic target.
Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Young Adult Drinkers: Age‐Specific Changes in Prevalence from 1977 to 2016
Authors: Terry‐McElrath Yvonne M. , Patrick Megan E. 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundThe overall prevalence of U.S. young adult alcohol use has decreased, but little is known about historical change in related behaviors such as simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use that may increase alcohol‐related risks and societal costs. The purpose of this paper was to examine historical change in SAM use prevalence among U.S. young adult alcohol users from 1977 to 2016, and consider the extent to which observed historical change in SAM use among alcohol users reflects co‐occurring change in marijuana use during these years.MethodsData on past 12‐month alcohol, marijuana, and SAM use at up to 6 modal ages (19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, and 29/30) were collected from 11,789 individuals (45.0% men) participating in the Monitoring the Future panel study. Annual prevalence estimates within modal age group were obtained; historical SAM use trends among alcohol and marijuana users were estimated.ResultsFrom 2014 to 2016, SAM use was reported by approximately 30% of alcohol users aged 19/20 and 21/22, and 20 to 25% of alcohol users aged 23/24 through 29/30. Since the mid‐1990s, age‐specific historical trends in SAM use prevalence among alcohol users followed 1 of 4 patterns: significant increase followed by oscillating increases/decreases (at modal age 19/20), consistent and significant increases (at modal ages 21/22, 23/24, and 25/26), stability followed by increase (at modal ages 27/28), or stability (at modal ages 29/30). In contrast, SAM use trends among marijuana users primarily reflected stability, with some evidence of a decrease across time at modal ages 19/20 and 23/24. Historical change in SAM prevalence among alcohol users was strongly and positively correlated with changes in overall marijuana use prevalence.ConclusionsA growing proportion of early and mid‐young adult alcohol users reported SAM use, with the highest risk among those in the early years of young adulthood. Young adult SAM use may continue to increase in proportion to the degree that young adult marijuana use continues to increase.
Keeping a low profile: small hive beetle reproduction in African honeybee colonies
Authors: Ouessou Idrissou Franck , Straub Lars , Neumann Peter 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSmall hive beetles (SHBs) Aethina tumida are parasites of honeybee colonies native to sub‐Saharan Africa and have become an invasive species.
SHB mass reproduction can destroy entire host colonies, although it is very rare in populations of African honeybee subspecies. However, there are no data available on SHB cryptic low‐level reproduction in African host colonies.
In the present study, we dissected entire African honeybee (Apis mellifera adansonii) colonies in Benin.
The data obtained show that nondestructive, low‐level SHB reproduction can be very common in Africa and is sufficient to explain local infestation levels of host colonies with adult SHBs.
Bendamustine with rituximab, etoposide and carboplatin (T(R)EC) in relapsed or refractory aggressive lymphoma: a prospective multicentre phase 1/2 clinical trial
Authors: Budde Lihua E. , Wu David , Martin Daniel B. , Philip Mary , Shustov Andrei R. , Smith Stephen D. , Gooley Ted A. , Chen Tara L. , Libby Edward N. , Chen Eric Y. , Kojouri Kiarash , Langerak Alan , Roden Jennifer E. , Press Oliver W. , Gopal Ajay K. 
Published: September 2018

SummaryWe sought to develop a safe and effective outpatient salvage regimen by replacing ifosfamide within the (R)ICE (rituximab, ifosfomide, carboplatin, etoposide) regimen with bendamustine (T(R)EC) via a multicentre phase I/II study for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and classic Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Therapy consisted of 60–120 mg/m2 per day bendamustine on days 1 and 2 in combination with carboplatin, etoposide and rituximab (only for CD20+ lymphoma) used in the (R)ICE regimen for up to 2 cycles. The objectives were to define a maximally tolerated dose (MTD) of bendamustine, determine safety and toxicity, assess efficacy, and evaluate impact on stem cell collection. Forty‐eight patients were treated of which 71% had refractory disease. No dose‐limiting toxicities were observed. The recommended phase II dose of bendamustine was 120 mg/m2 per day on days 1 and 2. Response rates were 85% (70% complete response, CR) in HL, and 65% (40% CR) in DLBCL. Stem cell collection was successful in 30 of 32 patients. The most common non‐haematological toxicities ≥grade 3 were febrile neutropenia (8%) and dehydration (8%). The T(R)EC regimen safely yields high response rates, successfully mobilizes peripheral blood stem cells and compares favourably to RICE, offering an effective outpatient treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL and HL.