bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Servitized manufacturing firms competing through remote monitoring technology
Authors: Grubic Tonci , Peppard Joe 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– Remote monitoring technology (RMT) is widely acknowledged as an important enabler of servitisation however, there is a dearth of understanding about how RMT is used by manufacturing firms to support servitised strategies. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this important yet somewhat ignored topic in servitisation research. It attempts to address the following questions: what has constrained, and what has enabled the exploitation of RMT in the context of servitised strategies?

Design/methodology/approach
– The research adopts an exploratory multiple-case study design. Four in-depth descriptive case studies of companies operating in aerospace, industrial equipment, marine, and transport sectors were conducted. The collected data were analysed and synthesised, drawing out conclusions.

Findings
– The study describes how four manufacturers are using RMT and identifies ten factors that have enabled and constrained the realisation of expected outcomes. The enabling factors identified include: skills, experience, and knowledge; support from customers and other complementary data sources, processes, and structures; operations centres; historical data; and presence of in-house knowledge and capabilities. While the constraining factors include: defining benefits of RMT; limitations of RMT; limited understanding about true capabilities of RMT; knowledge management; and lack of alignment between services and manufacturing strategies.

Research limitations/implications
– While considerable attention and effort have been invested in designing and conducting the research and analysing the data from the case studies, more empirical work is required to validate and enrich findings and conclusions. For this purpose several research questions to guide further theory development in this area are formulated.

Originality/value
– This paper is an in-depth study examining the role of RMT in supporting servitised strategies. In particular, it explores how this technology is used in practice to support service-oriented value propositions of manufacturers and identifies the factors that are key to successfully executing this strategy. As such it qualifies as one of the first studies of this kind.
A conceptual model for automation of product dynamic pricing and sales promotion for a retail organization
Authors: Kumar Anup 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to capture the dynamic variations in sales of a product based upon the dynamic estimation of the time series data and propose a model that imitates the price discounting and promotion strategy for a product category in a retail organization. A modest attempt has been made in the study to capture the relationship between the sales promotion, price discount and the batch procurement strategy of a particular product category to maximize sales volume and profitability.Design/methodology/approach– Time series data relating to sales have been used to model the sales estimates using moving average and proportional and derivative control; thereafter a sales forecast is generated to estimate the sales of a particular product category. This provides valuable inputs for taking lot sizing decisions regarding procurement of the products that considerably impact the sales promotion and intelligent pricing decisions. A conceptual framework is developed for modeling the dynamic price discounting strategy in retail using fuzzy logic.Findings– The model captures the lag effect of sales promotion and price discounting strategy; other strategies have been formulated based upon the sales forecast that was done for taking the lot sizing decisions regarding procurement of products in the selected category. This has helped minimize the inventory cost thereby keeping the profitability of the retail organization intact.Research limitations/implications– There is no appropriate empirical data to verify the models. In light of the research approach (modeling based upon historical time series data of a particular product category) that was undertaken, there is a possibility that the research results may be valid for the product category that was selected. Therefore, the researchers are advised to test the proposed propositions further for other product categories.Originality/value– The study provides valuable insight on how to use the real-time sales data for designing a dynamic automated model for product sales promotion and price discounting strategy using fuzzy logic for a retail organization.
System dynamics to turnaround an Indian microfinance institution
Authors: Singh Ritika , Bhar Chandan 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present a policy comparison tool for Indian Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) so that they can choose the best policy for implementation. It provides for turnaround of a troubled MFI by analyzing the performance of different policies.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper has done a web survey to identify the need of a strategic tool for MFI. It has built a Decision Support System (DSS) using system dynamics. A corporate model of MFI has been constructed using iThink 10.0.2 software. A quantitative validity test has been done to find the robustness of the model. Finally four policies are tested and the performance indicators have been used to suggest the best policy. Apart from this DSS is used to test the implementation range of a policy.

Findings
– “Integration of Microfinance with country’s mainstream financial system along with provisioning 1 percent of outstanding loans” is recommended for the MFI as this will increase the financial performance.

Research limitations/implications
– In its present form the corporate model developed for MFI is not applicable for judging social performance. Therefore MFIs might be sceptic toward it. However, incorporation of certain performance indicators such as financial-self-sufficiency ratio might help in overcoming this reluctance.

Practical implications
– “Integration of Microfinance with country’s mainstream financial system along with restricting provision” will generate better performance for the MFI. Therefore this policy should be implemented by the MFI. There are other considerations which need to be taken into account while implementing this policy. The integration may require outsourcing of certain operations to banks, utilization of bank branches to disseminate knowledge related to the conduct of transactions, usage of customized bank software to handle the day-to-day business, development of new softwares for mobile messaging to help poor customers avail of schemes run by the banks, fill loan application forms online, send reminders for loan recovery; provide incentives such as upgradation of poor customers to become regular customers of banks.

Social implications
– By improving the health of the MFI a bigger goal to reach the poor will be achieved in the long run. The MFI has around five million clients at present and if the company becomes insolvent then the future of these clients is going to be impacted. The organization has interacted closely with these clients and therefore knows how to upgrade their financial state.

Originality/value
– The tool is first of its kind in the microfinance industry. So far the microfinance technology providers have dealt with Management Information System and Information and Communication Technology. The tool has been built to present a quantitative model for overall operations of the MFI. The simulation of this model helps in predicting future scenarios.
The four modes of coexistence in psychology and group dynamics
Authors: Nechansky Helmut 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to show how behavioral descriptions in psychology and group dynamics can be related to four goal-setting processes and to four mode of existence.Design/methodology/approach– Some person A can approach a person B with an inclination to realize one of four goal-setting processes: (1) A sets goals for B; (2) A sets no own goals; (3) A pursues own goals alone; (4) A and B develop mutual goals. Depending on their choice of inclinations an interaction of A and B can lead to four modes of coexistence: (1) Conflict – A and B fight; (2) Hierarchy – A submits to B; (3) Independence in niches – A and B do not interact; (4) Cooperation – A and B work together. The paper investigates how these theoretical options – four inclinations for different goal-set processes and four modes of coexistence – show in behavioral descriptions in psychology and group dynamics.Findings– Psychic states studied in psychology (e.g. by Freud, Berne, Horney) can be related to one of the four inclinations. Interaction patterns studied in group dynamics (e.g. by Steiner, Schindler, Bion) describe aspects of the four modes of coexistence.Practical implications– Behavioral descriptions of various schools of psychology and group dynamics can be classified according to theoretically derivable basic options of goal-orientated behavior.Originality/value– The paper shows the application of a theoretical framework covering all options of goal-orientated behavior available in the behavioral sciences.
Human being – organization homomorphism: between autopoiesis and allopoiesis
Authors: Tarride Mario Iván 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the condition of human beings and organizations producing goods and/or services as autopoietic and allopoietic machines, with the aim of establishing a functional homomorphism between the productive system of an organization and the productive system of human beings, a matter that involves reflecting on what human beings do that is distinguished as allopoietic by an observer.

Design/methodology/approach
– Use is made of Ashby’s concept of functional homomorphism to establish similarities between human beings and organizations. The definitions of autopoietic and allopoietic machine of Maturana and Varela are used to distinguish similarities and differences between what organizations do and what human beings do.

Findings
– As a result of using the autopoietic/allopoietic viewpoint, it is proposed to homologate the human nervous system with the production system of an organization, defining the latter as a world-creating energy/communication processing system.

Research limitations/implications
– A homomorphism is established here between a human nervous system and the production system of an organization; it remains pending the other homomorphisms that can be made between the systems of the human body and the organization.

Practical implications
– A proposal is made to understand an organization as a world-creating energy/communication processing system, and it is estimated that this would imply displacing attention, at present strongly centered on the generated products and/or services, toward the sense that they have for both persons and society, restating the question on the world we construct/live in, from the organizational standpoint.

Originality/value
– Human beings are seen as allopoietic machines, aiming to contribute to the discussion about what it is that we call human, homologating it with the work of an organization. As a result a new definition of organization is proposed.
Sevoflurane postconditioning affects post‐ischaemic myocardial mitochondrial ATP‐sensitive potassium channel function and apoptosis in ageing rats
Authors: Jiang Jing‐Jing , Li Chao , Li Heng , Zhang Lei , Lin Zong‐Hang , Fu Bao‐Jun , Zeng Yin‐Ming 
Published: February 2016

SummaryThis study investigated the effect of sevoflurane postconditioning on post‐ischaemic cardiac function, infarct size, myocardial mitochondrial ATP‐sensitive potassium channel (mitoKATP) function and apoptosis in ageing rats to determine the possible mechanism underlying the cardioprotective property of sevoflurane. Ageing rat hearts were isolated and attached to a Langendorff apparatus. The hearts were then exposed or not to sevoflurane postconditioning in the presence or absence of 100 μmol/L 5‐hydroxydecanoate (5‐HD), a selective mitoKATP inhibitor. The infarct size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Mitochondrial morphology was observed by electron microscopy and scored using FlaMeng semiquantitative analysis. In addition, the expression levels of Bax, Bcl‐2, and cytochrome‐C (Cyt‐C) were determined by Western blot analysis at the end of reperfusion. Sevoflurane postconditioning increased coronary flow, improved functional recovery, reduced Bax/Bcl‐2 and Cyt‐C phosphorylation levels, and decreased mitochondrial lesion severity and the extent of apoptosis. The protective effects of sevoflurane postconditioning were prevented by the mitoKATP inhibitor 5‐HD. Sevoflurane postconditioning significantly protected the function of ageing hearts that were subjected to ischaemia and reperfusion, and these protective effects were mediated by mitoKATP opening.
Meeting a Forensic Podiatry Admissibility Challenge: A Daubert Case Study
Authors: Nirenberg Michael 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis article is an introduction to the United States Supreme Court's standard of admissibility of forensic evidence and testimony at trial, known as the Daubert standard, with emphasis on how this standard applies to the field of forensic podiatry. The author, a forensic podiatrist, provided law enforcement with evidence tying a bloody sock‐clad footprint found at the scene of a homicide to the suspect. In 2014, the author testified at a pretrial hearing, known as “a Daubert hearing,” to address the admissibility of this evidence in court. This was the first instance of forensic podiatry being the primary subject of a Daubert hearing. The hearing resulted in the court ordering this evidence admissible. The expert's testimony contributed to the suspect's conviction. This article serves as a reference for forensic podiatrists and experts in similar fields that involve impression evidence, providing evidentiary standards and their impact on expert evidence and testimony.
The Application of Voltammetric Analysis of Δ9‐THC for the Reduction of False Positive Results in the Analysis of Suspected Marijuana Plant Matter
Authors: Balbino Marco A. , de Oliveira Laura S. , Eleotério Izabel C. , Oiye Erica N. , Ribeiro Maria F.M. , McCord Bruce R. , Ipolito Antonio J. , de Oliveira Marcelo F. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe development of methodologies using inexpensive, fast, and reliable instrumention is desirable in illicit drug analysis. The purpose of this study was based on cyclic voltammetry technique to differentiate the electrochemical behavior of ∆9‐THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana, and five different extract plants to yield false positive results after analysis protocol for cannabinoids using thin‐layer chromatography and Fast Blue B salt. After applying a deposition potential of −0.5 V in a glassy carbon working electrode, the results indicated an anodic peak current at 0.0 V versus Ag/AgCl after addition of ∆9‐THC solution in the electrochemical cell, and limits of detection and quantification were 1.0 ng mL−1 and 3.5 ng mL−1, respectively. Other interfering plants showed distinct amperometric responses. This methodology was useful to detect ∆9‐THC even in the presence of the Fast Blue B salt, which avoided false positive results for all the studied extract plants.
Mitochondrial DNA Profiling of Illegal Tortoiseshell Products Derived from Hawksbill Sea Turtles
Authors: Foran David R. , Ray Rebecca L. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a highly endangered species, commonly poached for its ornate shell. “Tortoiseshell” products made from the shell are widely, although illegally, available in many countries. Hawksbills have a circumglobal distribution; thus, determining their origin is difficult, although genetic differences exist geographically. In the research presented, a procedure was developed to extract and amplify mitochondrial DNA from tortoiseshell items, in an effort to better understand where the species is being poached. Confiscated tortoiseshell items were obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and DNA from 56 of them was analyzed. Multiple mitochondrial haplotypes were identified, including five not previously reported. Only one tortoiseshell item proved to be of Atlantic origin, while all others corresponded to genetic stocks in the Indo‐Pacific region. The developed methodology allows for unique, and previously unattainable, genetic information on the illegal poaching of sea turtles for the decorative tortoiseshell trade.
Asymmetrical introgression patterns between rusty‐necklaced partridge (Alectoris magna) and chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) in China
Authors: CHEN Yanke , AN Bei , LIU Naifa 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe rusty‐necklaced partridge (Alectoris magna) and the chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) are the most common gamebirds in northern China. Previous comparisons of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have revealed an introgression phenomenon between 2 species of partridge in the Liupan Mountain region of China. mtDNA is maternally inherited, making it difficult to determine the origin of parental genes. We assessed the genetic variation and gene flow between these 2 species of partridges using 8 microsatellite loci as neutral diagnostic markers in 171 samples from the hybrid zone. Our data revealed an extensive divergence of genetic structure between populations of rusty‐necklaced partridges and chukar partridges. In this study, we found that 19 samples had been previously morphologically identified as rusty‐necklaced partridge were genetically identified as hybrids through Bayesian analysis using STRUCTURE analysis. These hybrids exhibited a mosaic of alleles that were derived from both parental lineages. However, chukar partridges did not present the genotype of the rusty‐necklaced partridge. Thus, our findings demonstrate that the hybridization between the 2 species was the result of asymmetrical introgression, with gene flow occurring only from the chukar partridge to the rusty‐necklaced partridge. In addition, we also note the high linkage disequilibrium in populations of the rusty‐necklaced partridge. These results indicate that although unidirectional introgression did not reduce genetic diversity of the Alectoris partridges, it affected the balance of gene flow between populations. The data from microsatellite DNA prompted our concern about the genetic integrity of the rusty‐necklaced partridge.
An extract of Pueraria tuberosa tubers attenuates diabetic nephropathy by upregulating matrix metalloproteinase‐9 expression in the kidney of diabetic rats
Authors: Tripathi Yamini B. , Shukla Rashmi , Pandey Nidhi , Pandey Vivek , Kumar Mohan 
Published: February 2016

AbstractBackgroundCurrently, no drug is available to directly target the signaling molecules involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN); only antihypertensive and antidiabetic drugs are in clinical use. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of a active fraction of tubers from Pueraria tuberosa (hereafter referred to as PTY‐2) were investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)‐diabetic rats with DN, with particular emphasis on its effects on extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation and matrix metalloproteinase (Mmp)‐9 expression in kidney tissue.MethodsRats were injected with 55 mg/kg, i.p., STZ. After 40 days, rats were divided into groups as follows (n = 6 per group): Group 1, age‐matched rats not injected with STZ (non‐diabetic control); Group 2, STZ‐diabetic DN rats; and Group 3, PTY‐2 (30 mg/100 g, p.o.)‐treated DN rats. After 20 days treatment, the effects of PTY‐2 on serum urea and creatinine concentrations, urinary levels of glucose, creatinine, protein, and ketone bodies, and urine pH were determined. Kidney tissue was evaluated for Mmp‐9 expression and histological changes.ResultsBlood glucose, serum urea, creatinine, and urine protein levels were significantly higher, and creatinine clearance was significantly lower, in Group 2 versus Group 1 rats. There was a higher degree of glomerulosclerosis, expansion of the mesangial matrix, and excess ECM deposition and eosinophilic casts in kidneys from Group 2 versus Group 1 rats. Furthermore, Mmp‐9 activity and expression were significantly reduced in kidney homogenate of Group 2 versus Group 1 rats. Interestingly, PTY‐2 treatment significantly reversed all these changes in DN rats.ConclusionTreatment of DN rats with PTY‐2 significantly attenuated the severity of DN by increasing the expression and activity of Mmp‐9, consequently degrading the ECM accumulated in kidney tissue.
Expression of NO Synthase Under Medication with Cyclosporine A, Mycophenolate Mofetil, and Tacrolimus during Development of Transplant Vasculopathy on Rat Cardiac Allograft
Authors: Bogossian Harilaos , Frommeyer Gerrit , Ninios Ilias , Bandorski Dirk , Seyfarth Melchior , Matzaroglou Charalampos , Lemke Bernd , Eckardt Lars , Zarse Markus , Kafchitsas Konstantinos 
Published: February 2016

AbstractObjectiveThe transplant vasculopathy as a sign of chronic graft rejection affects both the epicardial and the intramyocardial arteries of the graft. This is at least partially mediated by NO synthases. The aim of this study was to assess possible protective effects of cyclosporine A (CsA), tacrolimus (FK506), and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on the expression of NO synthases in an experimental transplant rat model.AimsHeart transplantation was performed in 322 rats. These were randomly assigned to four equal groups (control, CsA, FK506, MMF). Recipients were monitored up to 60 days after transplantation, while transplanted hearts were recovered at certain time points for analysis. Expression and staining intensity for endothelial nitric oxide synthases (e‐nos) and inducible nitric oxide synthases (i‐nos) were analyzed in epicardial and intramyocardial vessels in each group.ResultsAll employed drugs led to a significant reduction of expression or staining intensity of i‐nos and e‐nos. MMF was most effective in reduction in expression of both NO synthases.ConclusionsThese results imply that all described drugs prevent endothelial impairment induced by toxicity of NO and thereby prevent transplant vasculopathy. MMF seems to be the most effective drug.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia biofilm reduction by Bdellovibrio exovorus
Authors: Chanyi Ryan M. , Koval Susan F. , Brooke Joanna S. 
Published: February 2016

SummaryStenotrophomonas maltophilia, a bacterium ubiquitous in the environment, is also an opportunistic, multidrug‐resistant human pathogen that colonizes tissues and medical devices via biofilm formation. We investigated the ability of an isolate from sewage of the bacterial predator Bdellovibrio exovorus to disrupt preformed biofilms of 18 strains of S. maltophilia isolated from patients, hospital sink drains and water fountain drains. B. exovorus FFRS‐5 preyed on all S. maltophilia strains in liquid co‐cultures and was able to significantly disrupt the biofilms of 15 of the S. maltophilia strains tested, decreasing as much as 76.7% of the biofilm mass. The addition of ciprofloxacin and kanamycin in general reduced S. maltophilia biofilms but less than that of B. exovorus alone. Furthermore, when antibiotics and B. exovorus were used together, B. exovorus was still effective in the presence of ciprofloxacin whereas the addition of kanamycin reduced the effectiveness of B. exovorus. Overall, B. exovorus was able to decrease the mass of preformed biofilms of S. maltophilia in the presence of clinically relevant antibiotics demonstrating that the predator may prove to be a beneficial tool to reduce S. maltophilia environmental or clinically associated biofilms.