bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of name change on the financial performance of savings and credit co-operatives in Kenya
Authors: Mathuva David Mutua , Muthuma Elizabeth Wangui , Kiweu Josephat Mboya 
Published: October 2016

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impact of name change, if any on the financial performance of deposit-taking savings and credit co-operatives (SACCOs) in a developing country characterized by a vibrant SACCO sector. Sparse studies exist on the impact of name changes on revenue-cost performance in mutual financial institutions such as SACCOs.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a standard event methodology over a six-year period (2008-2013) to investigate the impact of name change on the return on assets (ROA) and operating profit margin (OPM). The study then uses a panel regression method to study the impact of name change on ROA and OPM for a sample of 212 deposit-taking SACCOs over the period 2008-2013.FindingsThe results, which are robust for a variety of controls, provide evidence in support of a consistent positive association between name change and subsequent financial performance of deposit-taking SACCOs in Kenya. The positive impact of name change seems to be experienced about four years after the name change. The results reveal muted influence of regulation on name change and financial performance of SACCOs in Kenya.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses solely on deposit-taking SACCOs in a developing country context over a six-year period only. Extending the time period and including a sample of control SACCOs operating purely back-office service activities would add power to the analyses.Practical implicationsThe current study illustrates the contribution of name change on the financial performance of SACCOs in a developing country characterized by a vibrant SACCO sector. Overall, the results show that name change announcements signal an improvement in SACCOs’ future prospects.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical evidence on the contribution of name change announcements on the financial performance of SACCOs in a developing country context. The study adds to the sparse literature on the impact of name change on the financial performance of mutual financial institutions that are not listed on the securities exchange.
Mapping Brazilian workforce diversity: a historical analysis
Authors: Vasconcelos Anselmo Ferreira 
Published: October 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how Brazilian organizations have handled diversity.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws upon the historical analysis by focusing essentially on secondary sources of data, surface-level indicators, namely, race, gender and age. Accordingly, the major sources of information used in this study are the rankings of the Great Place to Work® Institute Brazil (between 2005 and 2013) and from the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment’s reports (between 2009 and 2013).FindingsThe evidence gathered from the Great Place to Work® Institute Brazil’s lists and the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment’s reports produced mixed results regarding the moral imperative derived from the acculturation of a broad diversity mindset.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is not free from limitations. Both sources used in this inquiry do not depict other relevant data that could provide more accurate results.Practical implicationsOverall, the findings of this study suggest that training programs and sound work values revision are necessary steps to reduce discrimination, stereotypes, gender bias and to promote diversity and inclusion inside Brazilian organizations.Originality/valueIt contributes to the understanding of the current diversity scenario in Brazilian organizations by drawing on a historical analysis method. It relied on two germane secondary sources of data.
Breach and willingness to support the organization
Authors: Tsachouridi Irene , Nikandrou Irene 
Published: October 2016

PurposeThis study aims to integrate the attribution theory into the traditional social exchange view of the breach-outcome relationship. Perceived disinterested support (PDS), perceived organizational support (POS) and job satisfaction are included as serial mediators of the relationship between breach and willingness to support the organization.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a field study in which 579 employees took part.FindingsThe results indicated partial mediation of the examined relationship. More specifically, POS and PDS (through POS) were found to mediate the breach-willingness to support the organization relationship. Job satisfaction contributed weakly to the explanation of the examined relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional nature of the study limits the ability to claim causality.Practical implicationsManagers should be aware of how employees interpret breach in terms of organizational motives. Interpreting breach as a lack of disinterest on the part of the organization can spark social exchange processes leading to lower willingness to support the organization.Originality/valueThe study makes a unique contribution to the literature by being the first to examine PDS as a mediator of the breach-outcome relationship.
Knowledge sharing among teachers: the role of the Big Five Personality traits
Authors: Agyemang Franklin Gyamfi , Dzandu Michael Dzigbordi , Boateng Henry 
Published: October 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of personality traits on knowledge-sharing attitude and behaviour among teachers.Design/methodology/approach– The study employed a survey research. Convenience sampling technique was used to select the sample of 300 respondents out of which 247 was used in the final analysis. Data was analysed using hierarchical regression.Findings– The results indicate that the Big Five Personality traits have effects on knowledge-sharing attitude and behaviour of teachers. With the exception of conscientiousness trait, all the traits used in this study cause a significant change in the variations of the knowledge-sharing attitude and behaviour of the teachers.Research limitations/implications– The main limitation of the study is the use of the convenient sampling technique in choosing the subject; however, this was because there was no sampling frame, making it difficult to use probability-sampling technique.Originality value– This study contributes to the growing literature on the relationships among personality traits and knowledge sharing attitude and behaviour.
Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop
Authors: Rix Laura , de Goeij Jasper M. , van Oevelen Dick , Struck Ulrich , Al‐Horani Fuad A. , Wild Christian , Naumann Malik S. 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Corals and macroalgae release large quantities of dissolved organic matter (DOM), one of the largest sources of organic matter produced on coral reefs. By rapidly taking up DOM and transforming it into particulate detritus, coral reef sponges are proposed to play a key role in transferring the energy and nutrients in DOM to higher trophic levels via the recently discovered sponge loop. DOM released by corals and algae differs in quality and composition, but the influence of these different DOM sources on recycling by the sponge loop has not been investigated.

Here, we used stable isotope pulse‐chase experiments to compare the processing of naturally sourced coral‐ and algal‐derived DOM by three Red Sea coral reef sponge species: Chondrilla sacciformis, Hemimycale arabica and Mycale fistulifera. Incubation experiments were conducted to trace 13C‐ and 15N‐enriched coral‐ and algal‐derived DOM into the sponge tissue and detritus. Incorporation of 13C into specific phospholipid‐derived fatty acids (PLFAs) was used to differentiate DOM assimilation within the sponge holobiont (i.e. the sponge host vs. its associated bacteria).

All sponges assimilated both coral‐ and algal‐derived DOM, but incorporation rates were significantly higher for algal‐derived DOM. The two DOM sources were also processed differently by the sponge holobiont. Algal‐derived DOM was incorporated into bacteria‐specific PLFAs at a higher rate while coral‐derived DOM was more readily incorporated into sponge‐specific PLFAs. A substantial fraction of the dissolved organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) assimilated by the sponges was subsequently converted into and released as particulate detritus (15–24% C and 27–49% N). However, algal‐derived DOM was released as detritus at a higher rate.

The higher uptake and transformation rates of algal‐ compared with coral‐derived DOM suggest that reef community phase shifts from coral to algal dominance may stimulate DOM cycling through the sponge loop with potential consequences for coral reef biogeochemical cycles and food webs.
Community assembly and drivers of phytoplankton functional structure
Authors: Klais Riina , Norros Veera , Lehtinen Sirpa , Tamminen Timo , Olli Kalle 
Published: October 2016

Summary

We analysed the functional composition of coastal phytoplankton communities (n = 7941) along the gradient from marine to brackish waters of the Baltic Sea, using species‐specific morphological and ecological functional traits (ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, mixotrophy, use of silica in cell walls, formation of chains or colonies, motility, accessory pigment composition, and size), to describe and measure the functional differences between species.

Mean pairwise functional distance of phytoplankton communities increased from spring to mid‐ and late summer in all regions, due to higher pigment diversity, increased share of mixotrophic and nitrogen‐fixing species, more diverse size distribution and reduced dominance of silica users.

A null model that simulated the expected community composition from empirical spatial distribution and environmental preferences of individual taxa was used to partition the effects of habitat filtering and biotic interactions on the community assembly.

About every fourth community departed significantly from random expectations, signalling the notable effect of biotic interactions in the assembly of natural phytoplankton communities.

A lay summary is available for this article.
Moose directly slow plant regeneration but have limited indirect effects on soil stoichiometry and litter decomposition rates in disturbed maritime boreal forests
Authors: Ellis Nichola M. , Leroux Shawn J. 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Foraging decisions by herbivores are modulated by physiological demands for nutrients and these decisions can influence the biomass, abundance and dynamics of plant species with consequences on key ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling and decomposition.

Some studies have found that large browser populations can reduce the abundance of nutrient‐rich preferred species, promoting the dominance of nutrient‐poor non‐preferred species. This can have indirect effects on soil nutrient concentrations, soil microbe community composition and above‐ground invertebrates and birds that depend on nutrient‐rich plant species. However, very little research has compared the impact of biotic and abiotic features on nutrient cycling and decomposition in areas of high moose density.

We performed a field study to test the generality of moose effects on forest ecosystems observed in iconic study systems such as Isle Royale. Specifically, we used 10 paired moose exclosure and control plots to test the effects of moose on plant community characteristics, litter fall quantity, soil properties and litter decomposition rates in regenerating disturbed forests in Newfoundland, Canada.

We found evidence that moose reduce plant height and plant litter biomass, thereby affecting the quantity of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus available in litter fall with potential indirect effects on soil pH and soil depth. However, we found no evidence that the direct effects of moose lead to indirect effects on soil quality, soil moisture and litter decomposition rates. Disturbance regime and site explained a large portion of the variance in plant community characteristics, litter fall quantity, soil properties and litter decomposition.

Our results suggest that while introduced moose in Newfoundland have measurable direct influence on plant regeneration and litter fall biomass, other factors such as disturbance history and climate may be more important predictors of landscape‐scale variation in soil quality and litter decomposition rates. Our study suggests a need for further development of theory to predict the relative contribution of biotic vs. abiotic effects on nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems.

A lay summary is available for this article.
Experimental quantification of the seismoelectric transfer function and its dependence on conductivity and saturation in loose sand
Authors: Holzhauer J. , Brito D. , Bordes C. , Brun Y. , Guatarbes B. 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTUnder certain circumstances, seismic propagation within porous media may be associated to the conversion of mechanical energy to electromagnetic energy, which is known as a seismo‐electromagnetic phenomenon. The propagation of fast compressional P‐waves is more specifically associated to the manifestations of a seismoelectric field linked to the fluid flows within the pores. The analysis of seismoelectric phenomena, which requires the combination of the theory of electrokinetics and Biot's theory of poroelasticity, provides us with transfer function that links the coseismic seismoelectric field E to the seismic acceleration . To measure the transfer function, we have developed an experimental setup enabling seismoelectric laboratory observation in unconsolidated quartz sand within the kilohertz range. The investigation focused on the impact of fluid conductivity and water saturation over the coseismic seismoelectric field. During the experiment, special attention was given to the accuracy of electric field measurements. We concluded that, to obtain a reliable estimate of the electric field amplitude, the dipole from which the potential differences are measured should be of much smaller length than the wavelength of the propagating seismic field. Time‐lapse monitoring of the seismic velocities and seismoelectric transfer functions were performed during imbibition and drainage experiments. In all cases, the quantitative analysis of the seismoelectric transfer function was in good agreement with theoretical predictions. While investigating saturation variations from full to residual water saturation, we showed that the ratio undergoes a switch in polarity at a particular saturation , which also implies a sign change of the filtration, traducing a reversal of the relative fluid displacement with respect to the frame. This sign change at critical saturation stresses a particular behaviour of the poroelastic medium: the dropping of the coseismic electric field to zero traduces the absence of relative pore/fluid displacements representative of a Biot dynamically compatible medium. We concluded from our experimental study in loose sand that the measurements of the coseismic seismoelectric coupling may provide information on fluid distribution within the pores and that the reversal of the seismoelectric field may be used as an indicator of the dynamically compatible state of the medium.
African departure rather than migration speed determines variation in spring arrival in pied flycatchers
Authors: Ouwehand Janne , Both Christiaan 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Properly timed spring migration enhances reproduction and survival. Climate change requires organisms to respond to changes such as advanced spring phenology. Pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca have become a model species to study such phenological adaptations of long‐distance migratory songbirds to climate change, but data on individuals’ time schedules outside the breeding season are still lacking.

Using light‐level geolocators, we studied variation in migration schedules across the year in a pied flycatcher population in the Netherlands, which sheds light on the ability for individual adjustments in spring arrival timing to track environmental changes at their breeding grounds.

We show that variation in arrival dates to breeding sites in 2014 was caused by variation in departure date from sub‐Saharan Africa and not by environmental conditions encountered en route. Spring migration duration was short for all individuals, on average 2 weeks. Males migrated ahead of females in spring, while migration schedules in autumn were flexibly adjusted according to breeding duties. Individuals were therefore not consistently early or late throughout the year.

In fast migrants like our Dutch pied flycatchers, advancement of arrival to climate change likely requires changes in spring departure dates. Adaptation for earlier arrival may be slowed down by harsh circumstances in winter, or years with high costs associated with early migration.
Impact of controlled neonicotinoid exposure on bumblebees in a realistic field setting
Authors: Arce Andres N. , David Thomas I. , Randall Emma L. , Ramos Rodrigues Ana , Colgan Thomas J. , Wurm Yannick , Gill Richard J. 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Pesticide exposure has been implicated as a contributor to insect pollinator declines. In social bees, which are crucial pollination service providers, the effect of low‐level chronic exposure is typically non‐lethal leading researchers to consider whether exposure induces sublethal effects on behaviour and whether such impairment can affect colony development.

Studies under laboratory conditions can control levels of pesticide exposure and elucidate causative effects, but are often criticized for being unrealistic. In contrast, field studies can monitor bee responses under a more realistic pesticide exposure landscape; yet typically such findings are limited to correlative results and can lack true controls or sufficient replication. We attempt to bridge this gap by exposing bumblebees to known amounts of pesticides when colonies are placed in the field.

Using 20 bumblebee colonies, we assess the consequences of exposure to the neonicotinoid clothianidin, provided in sucrose at a concentration of five parts per billion, over 5 weeks. We monitored foraging patterns and pollen collecting performance from 3282 bouts using either a non‐invasive photographic assessment, or by extracting the pollen from returning foragers. We also conducted a full colony census at the beginning and end of the experiment.

In contrast to studies on other neonicotinoids, showing clear impairment to foraging behaviours, we detected only subtle changes to patterns of foraging activity and pollen foraging during the course of the experiment. However, our colony census measures showed a more pronounced effect of exposure, with fewer adult workers and sexuals in treated colonies after 5 weeks.

Synthesis and applications. Pesticide‐induced impairments on colony development and foraging could impact on the pollination service that bees provide. Therefore, our findings, that bees show subtle changes in foraging behaviour and reductions in colony size after exposure to a common pesticide, have important implications and help to inform the debate over whether the benefits of systemic pesticide application to flowering crops outweigh the costs. We propose that our methodology is an important advance to previous semi‐field methods and should be considered when considering improvements to current ecotoxicological guidelines for pesticide risk assessment.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles as a novel anticancer approach; in vitro and in vivo evidence
Authors: Hassan Hesham Fathy Hassan , Mansour Ahmed Mohamed , Abo‐Youssef Amira Morad Hussein , Elsadek Bakheet E M , Messiha Basim Anwar Shehata 
Published: October 2016

SummaryCurrently, the outcomes of conventional chemotherapeutic approaches are unsatisfactory. Clinical application of nanoparticles seems promising. We aim to evaluate the possible antitumor activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) as a chemotherapeutic approach in in vitro and in vivo experimental models. An in vitro study was performed on three different cell lines, namely human hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG2), human prostate cancer (PC3), and none‐small cell lung cancer (A549) cell lines. An in vivo study using diethylnitrosamine (DENA)‐induced HCC in adult male Wistar rats was conducted to investigate the potential antitumor activity of ZnONPs in HCC and the possible underlying mechanisms. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was induced by oral administration of DENA given in drinking water (100 mg/L) for 8 weeks. Rats were allocated into four groups, namely a control group, an HCC control group receiving DENA alone, a ZnONPs (10 μg/kg per week, intravenous (i.v.) for 1 month) control group, and a ZnONPs treatment group (receiving ZnONPs + DENA). ZnONPs significantly reduced the elevated serum levels of HCC‐related tumor markers alphafetoprotein and alpha‐l‐fucosidase and the apoptotic marker caspase‐3 compared with the untreated HCC rats. In addition, treatment with ZnONPs significantly decreased the elevated levels of hepatocyte integrity and oxidative stress markers as compared with the untreated HCC control group. Furthermore, the histopathological study revealed anaplasia and fibrous degenerations which were significantly corrected by ZnONPs treatment. In conclusion, administration of ZnONPs exhibited a promising preclinical anticancer efficacy in HCC and could be considered as a novel strategy for the treatment HCC in clinical practices.
Protective effect of alpha‐lipoic acid, aerobic or resistance exercise from colitis in second hand smoke exposed young rats
Authors: Özbeyli Dilek , Berberoglu Ayşe Cansu , Özen Anıl , Erkan Oktay , Başar Yunus , Şen Tunahan , Akakın Dilek , Yüksel Meral , Kasımay Çakır Özgür 
Published: October 2016

SummaryThe role of second hand smoke (SHS) exposure on ulcerative colitis is not known. Our aim was to examine the effects of α‐lipoic acid (ALA), chronic aerobic (AE) or resistance exercise (RE) on SHS exposed rats with colitis. Sprague‐Dawley male rats (150‐200 g, n=54) were selected for colitis induction. Among the colitis groups, one group was exposed to SHS (6 d/wk, 4 cigarettes/d) and the other was not. The SHS group was divided into subgroups as follows: sedentary; AE (swimming; 3 d/wk); and RE (climbing with weight; 3 d/wk). After 5 weeks, colitis was induced by intrarectal acetic acid. All groups had subgroups that were given subcutaneously ALA (50 mg/kg per day) or vehicle for 3 days. Following decapitation, colon tissues were sampled to examine malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, luminol and lucigenin chemiluminenscence, macroscopic scoring and histologic examination. ANOVA and Student's t‐test were used for statistical analysis. The increased macroscopic and microscopic scores, MPO, MDA, luminol and lucigenin measurements in colitis and SHS‐colitis groups were decreased via ALA (P<.05‐.001). AE declined macroscopic and microscopic scores, MDA, lucigenin compared to colitis and SHS‐colitis groups (P<.01‐.001). RE reduced microscopic score, MPO, MDA, luminol, lucigenin (P<.05‐.001) that were increased with colitis. Decreased GSH levels (P<.01) in the SHS‐colitis group approached to control levels when given ALA. According to our results SHS and colitis induction increased inflammatory damage. SHS did not worsen it more than colitis. Our results suggest that ALA, AE or RE might be protective for SHS exposed ulcerative colitis conditions.