bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Functional determinants of protein assembly into homomeric complexes
Authors: Bergendahl L. Therese , Marsh Joseph A. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractApproximately half of proteins with experimentally determined structures can interact with other copies of themselves and assemble into homomeric complexes, the overwhelming majority of which (>96%) are symmetric. Although homomerisation is often assumed to be functionally beneficial and the result of evolutionary selection, there has been little systematic analysis of the relationship between homomer structure and function. Here, utilizing the large numbers of structures and functional annotations now available, we have investigated how proteins that assemble into different types of homomers are associated with different biological functions. We observe that homomers from different symmetry groups are significantly enriched in distinct functions, and can often provide simple physical and geometrical explanations for these associations in regards to substrate recognition or physical environment. One of the strongest associations is the tendency for metabolic enzymes to form dihedral complexes, which we suggest is closely related to allosteric regulation. We provide a physical explanation for why allostery is related to dihedral complexes: it allows for efficient propagation of conformational changes across isologous (i.e.symmetric) interfaces. Overall we demonstrate a clear relationship between protein function and homomer symmetry that has important implications for understanding protein evolution, as well as for predicting protein function and quaternary structure.
SWALO: scaffolding with assembly likelihood optimization
Authors: Rahman Atif , Pachter Lior 
Published: October 2016

AbstractScaffoldingi.e.ordering and orienting contigs is an important step in genome assembly. We present a method for scaffolding based on likelihoods of genome assemblies. Generative models for sequencing are used to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of gaps between contigs and to estimate whether linking contigs into scaffolds would lead to an increase in the likelihood of the assembly. We then link contigs if they can be unambiguously joined or if the corresponding increase in likelihood is substantially greater than that of other possible joins of those contigs. The method is implemented in a tool called Swalowith approximations to make it efficient and applicable to large datasets. Analysis on real and simulated datasets reveals that it consistently makes more or similar number of correct joins as other scaffolders while linking very few contigs incorrectly, thus outperforming other scaffolders and demonstrating that substantial improvement in genome assembly may be achieved through the use of statistical models. Swalois freely available for download athttps://atifrahman.github.io/SWALO/.
Dairy farm financial performance: firm, year, and size effects
Authors: A. Wolf Christopher , Stephenson Mark W. , Knoblauch Wayne A. , Novakovic Andrew M. 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate dairy farm financial performance over time utilizing farm financial ratios from three university business analysis programs. The evaluation includes measures of profitability, solvency, and liquidity by herd size.

Design/methodology/approach
Financial ratios to reflect profitability (rate of return on assets), solvency (debt to asset ratio), and liquidity (current ratio) were collected from Cornell University, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin for dairy farms from 2000 to 2012. The distribution of farm financial performance using these ratios was examined over time and by herd size. Variance component methods are used to examine the percent of variation due to individual firm and industry aspects. A simple credit risk score is calculated to examine relative farm risk.

Findings
Dairy farm profitability performance is similar across herd sizes in poor years but larger herds realized significantly more profitability in good years. Findings were similar with respect to liquidity. Large herds consistently carried relatively more debt. Large herds’ financial performance was more uniform than across smaller herds. Larger herds had more financial risk as measured by credit risk scoring but recovered quickly to industry averages in profitable years.

Originality/value
The variation of dairy farm financial performance in an era of volatile milk and feed price is assessed. The results have important implications for farm financial management and benchmarking farm financial performance. In addition to helping to evaluate the efficacy of various price and income risk management tools, these results have important implications for understanding the benefits of the new federal Margin Protection Program for Dairy that is available to all US dairy farmers.
Estimating performance from capabilities in business process improvement
Authors: Nicholds Boyd A. , Mo John P.T. 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The research indicates there is a positive link between the improvement capability of an organisation and the intensity of effort applied to a business process improvement (BPI) project or initiative. While a degree of stochastic variation in applied effort to any particular improvement project may be expected there is a clear need to quantify the causal relationship, to assist management decision, and to enhance the chance of achieving and sustaining the expected improvement targets. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a method to obtain the function that estimates the range of applicable effort an organisation can expect to be able to apply based on their current improvement capability. The method used analysed published data as well as regression analysis of new data points obtained from completed process improvement projects.

Findings
The level of effort available to be applied to a process improvement project can be expressed as a regression function expressing the possible range of achievable BPI performance within 90 per cent confidence limits.

Research limitations/implications
The data set applied by this research is limited due to constraints during the research project. A more accurate function can be obtained with more industry data.

Practical implications
When the described function is combined with a separate non-linear function of performance gain vs effort a model of performance gain for a process improvement project as a function of organisational improvement capability is obtained. The probability of success in achieving performance targets may be estimated for a process improvement project.

Originality/value
The method developed in this research is novel and unique and has the potential to be applied to assessing an organisation’s capability to manage change.
Project cost control: a new method to plan and control costs in large projects
Authors: Jayaraman R. 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reengineer the process of cost management in large projects.

Design/methodology/approach
Considering the fact most large projects overrun their budgets because of the long time period needed to completion, it was decided to reengineer the cost management. Accordingly costs allocated to packages were reviewed and changed on a dynamic basis. Different types of contingencies were provided. Concepts of package contingency and project contingency were introduced. These were based on the project buffer and feeding buffer concepts popularised by Eliyahu Goldratt.

Findings
The re-engineered method of cost control worked well and yielded better than expected results, leading to the setting up of a new world record in the completion time for setting up a million tonnes per annum continuous, tandem cold rolling mill to roll steel sheets.

Research limitations/implications
In view of the total success of the reengineered approach, which was tested out on a large project over three years, it is felt that other projects could also try out this technique, especially since it is along the lines proposed by Eliyahu Goldratt who is an authority on project management. However the success can be better understood if the results of the testing become available. To that extent the contents of the present paper have limitations.

Practical implications
Large projects can deploy the methodology and complete their projects on time and under budget.

Social implications
The reengineering of the cost management was done primarily with a view to complete projects under budget. Since many governments spend many billions of dollars on publicly funded projects for the welfare of citizens, the use of this technique could have a salutary effect on the cost.

Originality/value
The method was innovated in the company by the author’s team and deployed in a live project over four years for the first time to achieve world-class results.
Best management practices adoption to mitigate non-point source pollution
Authors: Paudel Krishna P. , Devkota Nirmala , Tan Ying 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the issues of correlated events and individual heterogeneity in multiple best management practices (BMPs) adoption.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors used survey data collected from broiler producers in Louisiana, USA. The authors estimated several duration models that either considered event dependence or heterogeneity or both.

Findings
Results from the conditional frailty model indicated that large farms adopt BMPs earlier, farmers who have been in broiler farming profession for a long time are late to adopt BMPs and more informed farmers, through contact with extension agents and education, are early adopters of BMPs.

Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this study is that the authors did not validate the robustness of the conditional frailty model using a more rigorous approach, such as empirical simulation method.

Practical implications
Many farmers do not adopt a new technology immediately after it becomes available. Duration models help to understand why farmers wait and how long they wait before adopting a new technology. In case of correlated events, where farmers adopt more than one technology, it is important to know the driving factors behind multiple technologies adoption. The findings from this study should help to properly target farmers to increase the adoption rate of a desired BMP.

Originality/value
This is the first study in agriculture technology adoption literature that uses a conditional frailty model to understand why farmers wait to adopt a new technology. This study also addresses both dependence in BMP adoption and heterogeneity in farmers’ quality that impact technology adoption.
The new rural social pension program in rural China: participation and its correlates
Authors: Zhao Qiran , Brosig Stephan , Luo Renfu , Zhang Linxiu , Yue Ai , Rozelle Scott 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The need for a universal rural pension system has been heightened by demographic changes in rural China, including the rapid aging of the nation’s rural population and a dramatic decline in fertility. In response to these changes, China’s Government introduced the New Rural Social Pension Program (NRSPP) in 2009, a voluntary and highly subsidized pension scheme. The purpose of this paper is to assess the participation of rural farmers in the NRSPP. Furthermore, the authors examine whether the NRSPP affects the labor supply of the elderly population in China.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses household-level data from a sample of 2,020 households originating from a survey conducted by the authors in five provinces, 25 counties, and 101 villages in rural China. Using a probit model and conducting correlation analysis, the authors demonstrate the factors affecting the participation and the impact of NRSPP on labor supply of the rural elderly.

Findings
The results show there are several factors that are correlated with participation, such as specific policy variant in force in the respective household's province, the size of the pension payout from government, the age of sample individuals, and the value of household durable assets. Specifically, different characteristics of NRSPP policy implementation increase participation in China’s social pension program. The results suggest that the introduction of the NRSPP has not affected the labor supply of the rural elderly, in general, although it has reduced participation for the elderly who were in poor health.

Originality/value
Several previous studies have covered the NRSPP. However, all previous studies were based on case studies or just focused on a small region, and for this reason the results cannot reflect the populations and heterogeneity of rural areas. Therefore, a data set with a large sample size is used in this paper to provide a new perspective to fully understand the participation of NRSPP and its impacts on rural households. This paper will make an update contribution to the literature in the area of pension programs in China.
Trends and determinants of rural residential solid waste collection services in China
Authors: Wang Aiqin , Shi Yaojiang , Gao Qiufeng , Liu Chengfang , Zhang Linxiu , Johnson Natalie , Rozelle Scott 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the trends in residential solid waste collection (RSWC) services in rural China over the past decade and analyze the determinants of these services using nationally representative data.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw on panel data from three rounds of village-level surveys of 101 villages. The three surveys were conducted in 2005, 2008, and 2012 in five provinces. The authors used fixed-effected regression approach to analyze the determinants of these services.

Findings
The results show that in the aftermath of increased investment and policy attention at the national level, the proportion of villages providing RSWC services in rural China increased significantly from 1998 to 2011. However, half of all villages in rural China still did not provide RSWC services as of 2011. Based on econometrics analysis, the authors show that villages that are richer, more populous, and villages with more small hamlets are more likely to provide RSWC services.

Originality/value
The analyses are based on primary survey data and the first to quantify trends in waste management services in the beginning of the twentieth century. The authors believe that the results will have significant policy implications for China in its continuing quest for better waste management policy.
Inequities in the allocation of medical resources in China’s Township Health Centers
Authors: Ma Yue , Zhang Linxiu , Boswell Matthew 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to produce a high-quality measure of the nature of healthcare resources available in China’s Township Health Centers (THCs), paying particular attention to equity between high- and low-income areas.

Design/methodology/approach
This study makes use of data from a nearly nationally representative survey in rural China conducted by the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. The samples of towns were selected randomly from 25 counties located in five provinces from different regions of China. Data were collected through questionnaires and direct observation.

Findings
The THCs located in rich areas have higher levels of human resources than poor areas. THCs in rich areas also have more fixed assets than those in poor areas. In fact, even though the Chinese Ministry of Health mandates that all THCs have certain basic levels of medical equipment and facilities, many THCs in poor areas do not have them. The allocation of mandated equipment is unequal.

Practical implications
These findings suggest that China’s government should pay more attention to THCs located in poor areas, especially in light of new initiatives to improve health care in poor rural areas.

Originality/value
This is the first nationally representative study to employ rigorous empirics to investigate the extent of inequality in allocation of resources within THCs across China.
Facilitating employee socialization through mentoring relationships
Authors: Son SuJin 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of the mentor factors that promotes mentoring outcomes. This was done by investigating the role of mentors’ learning goal orientation (LGO), their learning activity such as reflection, the perceived relationship quality in relation to the mentoring functions received by protégés, and the furtherance of their socialization in a formal mentoring relationship.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 131 matched mentor-protégé dyads were recruited from three different organizations in Korea, for the final analysis. Structural equation modeling and Hayes's PROCESS macro were used to test the proposed model and the moderating effect of perceived relationship quality.

Findings
Results show that mentors’ LGO was positively related to their reflection. Additionally, mentors’ reflection was positively associated with mentoring functions received by protégés. Further, mentoring functions received by protégés were positively related to protégés’ socialization. In particular, mentors’ reflection mediates the relationship between mentors’ LGO and mentoring functions received by protégés. Moreover, perceived relationship quality moderates the relationship between mentors’ LGO and their reflection.

Originality/value
Even though mentoring research is well advanced, not many researches have yet investigated mentors’ LGO and their learning activity such as reflection, in relation to mentoring functions received by protégés and their socialization.
Opting-out and opting-in: a review and agenda for future research
Authors: Zimmerman Lauren M. , Clark Malissa A. 
Published: October 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight an emerging and evolving area within women’s careers literature – women’s opting-out and opting-in experiences. Highlights from several career theories, extant research, and a framework for women’s opting-out and opting-in experiences are discussed as well as future research considerations for women’s career breaks.Design/methodology/approachThe present study provides the first synthesis of the theoretical and empirical work on women’s opting-out and opting-in experiences, by providing a framework that integrates existing research with the kaleidoscope career model. Published works from 1986 until the present were considered from psychology, management, sociology, and economics literatures.FindingsThis paper provides information about how women’s experiences of opting-out and opting-in to the workforce have emerged and evolved over the past few decades. Theoretical foundations, quantitative and qualitative research findings, and considerations for future research are discussed.Practical implicationsThis paper is a useful source of information regarding an emerging and evolving area of studying within the women’s career literature. The paper discusses considerations for scholars and practitioners regarding developing, supporting, and retaining female talent amidst women’s career break experiences.Originality/valueThis paper provides an integrative framework that provides theoretical and empirical perspectives on the changing nature of women’s career values and choices, which influences their experiences of opting-out and opting-in to the workforce. Given both the changing demographics of the current workforce (e.g. increased women’s participation in the workforce) and women’s career values, research on women’s career breaks is warranted.
Lean and Six Sigma in logistics: a pilot survey study in Singapore
Authors: Zhang Abraham , Luo Wen , Shi Yangyan , Chia Song Ting , Sim Zhi Hao Xavier 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
Lean and Six Sigma are the two most powerful methodologies for process improvement. They have been widely employed in manufacturing and healthcare industries to achieve substantial cost savings and quality improvement. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma for improving logistics operations.

Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among 410 companies registered under the Singapore Logistics Association and returned 32 usable responses. χ2-tests were used to identify factors affecting the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma.

Findings
It was found that 37.5 per cent of respondents had implemented Lean and the majority of them had implemented Six Sigma together. All implementing companies reported varying degrees of cost savings and productivity improvements. Large logistics companies are more likely to implement Lean and Six Sigma. Companies with a higher service standard are more likely to implement Six Sigma.

Research limitations/implications
The survey was limited to Singapore. Future studies should explore a broader geographical coverage and improve the response rate.

Practical implications
Lean and Six Sigma are applicable for improving logistics operations. Senior management must be committed to support an implementation. Effective training and communications are required for overcoming resistance to change and helping employees to understand improvement methodologies and initiatives.

Originality/value
This research is the very first survey study of Lean and Six Sigma in the logistics industry. It reveals similarities and differences in comparison with the implementation of these methodologies in the manufacturing industry. The findings offer valuable insights for improving logistics operations.
Winning the competition for supplier resources
Authors: Pulles Niels J. , Veldman Jasper , Schiele Holger 
Published: October 2016

PurposeThis paper examines the competition between buying firms for the supplier’s competitive resources. The purpose of this paper is to examine how indirect capabilities – the ability to access external resources – can help in obtaining preferential resource allocation from suppliers.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares structural equation modeling is used to analyze data of 163 buying firms that assess preferential resource allocation from suppliers.FindingsTwo indirect capabilities (a buying firm’s selection capability and relational capability) positively influence the firm’s competitive advantage. These relations are significantly mediated by preferential resource allocation of suppliers. The impact of preferential resource allocation appeared stronger for manufacturing firms than for service firms.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s data set represents the buyer’s assessment of suppliers’ resource allocation. Future research should aim for dyadic data for further validation. In addition, due to sample size limitations, this study’s data does not allow sector segmentation. A larger study that provides insights into segmentation is suggested for future research.Practical implicationsThe results inform managers about the relevance of the competition for supplier resources with rival firms that share suppliers, and the influence of this competition on firm competitiveness. Managers should not only focus on the supplier itself, but also on the capabilities of the supply chain management (SCM) function to recognize and integrate the supplier resources.Originality/valueThis study adds to the extended resource-based view literature by integrating the notion of supplier resource competition. In addition, the study shows the importance of indirect capabilities for obtaining preferential resource allocation from suppliers. Finally, the authors show the importance of separating between service and manufacturing when examining SCM practices.