bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comprehensive rubric for instructional design in e-learning
Authors: Debattista Martin 
Published: January 2018

PurposeThe recognition of practice in online instruction is still subject to interpretation and different approaches as a result of the rapid changes in technology and its effect on society. The purpose of this paper is to address these differences through a synthesis that can be easily accessed and consulted by educators in the field of e-learning.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews different examples of rubrics and instruments in higher education to propose a more comprehensive rubric that constitutes a synthesis of how some institutions in HE approach best practice in this field.FindingsThe proposed comprehensive rubric emanating from the synthesis of different approaches supports the development, remixing, sharing and integration of online modules and courses by providing a single reference point with as wide a range as possible of potential pedagogical tools, facilities and approaches to e-learning.Research limitations/implicationsIt is not within the scope of this paper to review quality assurance processes and administrative components, but to propose a rubric for course design and self-review of faculty and higher education institutions for a better alignment with what is regarded as current standard best practice.Practical implicationsInstructional designers in e-learning have a new comprehensive rubric that can consult at design stage.Originality/valueDifferent approaches towards what is called “good practice” are brought together and analysed to provide a synthesis and a single source that can be consulted by practitioners in the field of e-learning.
The Ombudsman Act 1980: redressing administrative grievances in Bangladesh
Authors: Karim Sheikh Mohammad Towhidul 
Published: January 2018

Purpose
It is recognized worldwide that an ombudsman system makes the public administration more transparent and accountable to the public. This paper aims to examine the provisions of the Ombudsman Act 1980, as well as the position, role and necessity of the Office of the Ombudsman in Bangladesh. It also evaluates how the ombudsman institution can act as a gateway for citizens of Bangladesh to resolve complaints against the maladministration of public administration in the country.

Design/methodology/approach
The study is basically qualitative in nature where both primary and secondary sources have been used. As well, a combination of analytical methods and current legislative methods, together with future legislative techniques, was used in the study.

Findings
This study finds that the ombudsman is a vital institution for Bangladesh to eliminate maladministration, nepotism and abuse of human rights, as well as abuse of the power of the public administration. Going forward, Bangladesh needs to amend the existing Ombudsman Act 1980 and then take proper steps to firmly establish the Ombudsman Office to ensure and increase public confidence, operational effectiveness and good governance and human rights throughout the country.

Research limitations/implications
The main implication of this study is that it will play an important role for the development of the rule of law and human rights in Bangladesh. This study will make its readers and particularly the citizens of Bangladesh aware of the importance of the “Office of the Ombudsman” in Bangladesh and the existing loopholes in the current Ombudsman Act 1980. This research also provides a new avenue for scholars to contribute their knowledge and wisdom toward nation-building by further researching the Office of the Ombudsman in Bangladesh. In this way, scholars in this field can share their experiences of the role of the ombudsman to a wider audience.

Practical implications
The study will facilitate policymakers and the government to enact an effective new law or to amend the existing law relating to the ombudsman.

Originality/value
The paper sets out the proposed amendment to the Ombudsman Act 1980. Hence, it will be of interest to policymakers, government, organizations of civil society and those developing countries that have not taken steps toward forming an ombudsman institution.
Reform in the Indian real estate sector: an analysis
Authors: Basanta Kumar Basanta Kumar , Chawla Neelam , Mohanty Brajaraj 
Published: January 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the essential features, merits and drawbacks of the recently enacted Indian Real Estate Act, 2016, an economic reform measure pertaining to the real estate sector (RES). This paper analyses the impact of the Act and Union Budget 2016 on the inflow of foreign d irect investment (FDI) in India, and examines its ramifications on the world economy.

Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on secondary data sources, including consumer forum reports, investigative reports from national agencies, court decisions, government websites, real estate companies and industry associations. A sample survey on the implications of the Act has been conducted using Facebook and and through personal interaction with various stakeholders.

Findings
The Indian RES was unregulated prior to the passage of the Act, which has several provisions aimed at protecting the interest of consumers by tightening fraudulent practices of promoters/developers. Stakeholders are hopeful, but there is some apprehension. The government’s budgetary and fiscal support for infrastructure development has had an impact on the FDI inflow.

Practical implications
The Act is new, so there is not enough data to judge its real impact on the economy. However, it has started showing evidence of impact through a recent judgment by the Supreme Court of India punishing a promoter.

Originality/value
Regulating the Indian RES is a challenging task, but the new regulations are likely to provide confidence to foreign investors who may see India as a safety net for investment. This paper is timely and may help move things in this direction.
Implied expense theory in financial reporting: a steady-state approach
Authors: Laitinen Erkki Kalervo 
Published: January 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to use a steady-state model structure to investigate earnings management (EM) theoretically in the context of different expense theories. Empirically, the objective is to apply the theoretical model to investigate the implicit choice of expense theories for reporting expenses. The study aims to present a new approach to analyze EM.

Design/methodology/approach
The study makes use of ten-year time-series data originally from 1,015 Finnish public and private firms to estimate the parameters of the steady-state model, and to investigate which expense theories the firms implicitly follow in financial reporting. The parameters are estimated using the restricted least squares regression method. The final sample included data from 631 firms fulfilling restrictions for the consistency of estimates.

Findings
The paper provides empirical insights about expense theories that Finnish firms implicitly follow in financial reporting. Evidence shows that the reporting of expenses mainly follows the units-of-revenue and the rate-of-return theories. Only a small number of firms follow the interest expense theory.

Research limitations/implications
The study is based on a steady-state approach, and therefore, the research results may lack generalizability as only 62% of the original sample firms obtained consistent estimates. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to use more general models for further theoretical and empirical work.

Practical implications
The paper includes implications for a new approach to EM. It also gives implications how to analyze different expense theories in the context of EM both theoretically and empirically.

Originality/value
This paper develops a new approach to investigate EM.
The effect of political-economic reform on the quality of financial reporting in Egypt
Authors: Makhaiel Nargis Kaisar Boles , Sherer Michael Leslie Joseph 
Published: January 2018

PurposeThis paper aims to study the influence of political-economic reform and especially privatisation on the quality of financial reporting of the Egyptian companies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses data from official documents and 34 interviews with company executives, financial analysts, external auditors and Stock Exchange regulators to inform our understanding of the relationship between changes in the Egyptian environment and the quality of financial reporting.FindingsThe findings of the research suggest that the recent Egyptian political-economic reform, resulting in privatisation has significant influence on negative accounting practices and hence on lowering the quality of financial reporting through its effect on: departure from uniform accounting system and public accounting regulations; issuing new stock exchange regulative rules; reviving the role of Stock Exchange; and increasing competition within Stock Exchange regarding raising funds.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by identifying the effect of socio-cultural factors on motivating executives to 7 exercise negative accounting practices and hence producing low-quality financial reports (FRs) and by highlighting the fact that accounting practices cannot be generalised worldwide due to the absence of universal socio-cultural factors which shape these practices. This paper employs new institutional sociology theory and contributes to that theory by acknowledging the active interplay between institutional context and economic environment.
Condition monitoring based on modified CUSUM and EWMA control charts
Authors: Lampreia Suzana Paula Gomes Fernando da Silva , Requeijo José Fernando Gomes , Dias José António Mendonça , Vairinhos Valter Martins , Barbosa Patrícia Isabel Soares 
Published: January 2018

Purpose
The application of condition-based maintenance on selected equipment can allow online monitoring using fixed, half-fixed or portable sensors. The collected data not always allow a straightforward interpretation and many false alarms can happen. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
Statistical techniques can be used to perform early failure detection. With the application of Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) Modified Charts and the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) Charts, special causes of variation can be detected online and during the equipment functioning. Before applying these methods, it is important to check data for independence. When the independence condition is not verified, data should be modeled with an ARIMA (p, d, q) model. Parameters estimation is obtained using the Shewhart Traditional Charts.

Findings
With data monitoring and statistical methods, it is possible to detect any system or equipment failure trend, so that we can act at the right time to avoid catastrophic failures.

Originality/value
In this work, an electro pump condition is monitored. Through this process, an anomaly and four stages of aggravation are forced, and the CUSUM and EWMA modified control charts are applied to test an online equipment monitoring. When the detection occurs, the methodology will have rules to define the degree of intervention.
Part 2
Authors: Ganguly Debojyoti , Mondal Chanchal , Roy Choudhury Asim Kumar 
Published: January 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to optimize single-bath dyeing process of wool and silk blend, to achieve uniform colour strength for both the fibre after the dyeing process. Due to different absorption characteristics of wool and silk, two-stage dyeing is preferred in the industry. If the fibres are dyed together, the wool fibre becomes darker and the silk fibre becomes lighter after the dyeing process. Solid dyeing effect can be achieved using a single-bath dyeing process.Design/methodology/approachThe dye-acceptor sites in the wool fibre are first blocked using one commercial syntan Mesitol HWS. Then, the syntan-treated wool and silk fibres (80:20 blend ratios) are dyed with Telon Navy AMF dyes in the presence of sodium sulphate. To explore the influence of Syntan, sodium sulphate and the experimental conditions on the dyeing process and to optimize the process, central composite design (CCD) of four factors and three levels was tested.FindingsThe design process is optimized using four independent variables: Mesitol HWS concentration, sodium sulphate concentration, pH of dyebath and temperature of dyeing. Three levels of Mesitol HWS concentration (5, 10 and 15 per cent), sodium sulphate concentration (10, 20 and 30 per cent), pH (2.5, 4 and 5.5) and temperature of dyeing (70, 80 and 900°C) were selected for this study. These variables are optimized using response surface regression equation of the ratio of K/S wool and K/S silk. The predicted equation matched well with the experimental data.Originality/valueThis paper proposes the use of one-bath dyeing process of wool and silk blend fabric to reduce the dyeing time, process step and to save water.
Effects of seed mixture sowing with transgenic Bt rice and its parental line on the population dynamics of target stemborers and leafrollers, and non‐target planthoppers
Authors: Li Zhuo , Li Li‐Kun , Liu Bin , Wang Long , Parajulee Megha N. , Chen Fa‐Jun 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe widespread planting of insect‐resistant crops has caused a dramatic shift in agricultural landscapes, thus raising concerns about the potential impacts on both target and non‐target pests. In this study, we examined the potential effects of intra‐specific seed mixture sowing with transgenic Bt rice (Bt) and its parental non‐transgenic line (Nt) (100% Bt rice [Bt100], 5% Nt+95% Bt [Nt05Bt95], 10% Nt+90% Bt [Nt10Bt90], 20% Nt+80% Bt [Nt20Bt80], 40% Nt+60% Bt [Nt40Bt60] and 100% Nt rice [Nt100]) on target and non‐target pests in a 2‐year field trial in southern China. The occurrence of target pests, Sesamia inferens, Chilo suppressalis and Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, decreased with the increased ratio of Bt rice, and the mixture ratios with more than 90% Bt rice (Bt100 and Nt05Bt95) significantly increased the pest suppression efficiency, with the lowest occurrences of non‐target planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella furcifera in Nt100 and Nt05Bt95. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in 1000‐grain dry weight and grain dry weight per 100 plants between Bt100 and Nt05Bt95. Seed mixture sowing of Bt rice with ≤10% (especially 5%) of its parent line was sufficient to overcome potential compliance issues that exist with the use of block or structured refuge to provide most effective control of both target and non‐target pests without compromising the grain yield. It is also expected that the strategy of seed mixture sowing with transgenic Bt rice and the non‐transgenic parental line would provide rice yield stability while decreasing the insecticide use frequency in rice production.
Methotrexate might reduce ischemic stroke in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population‐based retrospective cohort study
Authors: Tam Hong‐Wei , Chen Chyong‐Mei , Leong Pui‐Ying , Chen Chao‐Hsi , Li Yuan‐Chao , Wang Yu‐Hsun , Lin Li‐Chi , Chiou Jeng‐Yuan , Wei James Cheng‐Chung 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimTo investigate the effects of hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine and methotrexate on ischemic stroke in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThis population‐based retrospective cohort study included 7904 RA patients and 15 808 non‐RA patients between 2000 and 2010. All of the participants were sampled from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. Using univariate analyses, these two groups of patients were compared to evaluate the differences in disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drugs usage and demographic variables. Cox proportional hazard models and Schoenfeld residuals test were performed to estimate the hazard ratios for ischemic stroke and proportional hazard assumptions of these drugs, respectively.ResultsThe mean age of participants was about 53 years old, and about 70% of RA patients were women. The hazard ratio for ischemic stroke was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.10–1.34; P < 0.01) in the case group compared with the control group, and this significant difference persisted throughout the 10‐year period. With respect to RA patients, while hydroxychloroquine showed an insignificant protective effect on ischemic stroke, sulfasalazine and methotrexate were found out to have inconsistent effects during these 10 years. The proportional hazard assumption test of methotrexate at > 0.5 defined daily dose (8.75 mg/week) was violated at a significant level after adjustment (P = 0.0002).ConclusionsAt a dosage of > 0.5 defined daily dose, short‐term methotrexate might decrease ischemic stroke risk in RA patients, while hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine were neutral.
Do women with complex alcohol and other drug use histories want women‐only residential treatment?
Authors: Neale Joanne , Tompkins Charlotte N. E. , Marshall Alison D. , Treloar Carla , Strang John 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackgroundWomen‐only addiction services tend to be provided on a poorly evidenced assumption that women want single‐sex treatment. We draw upon women's expectations and experiences of women‐only residential rehabilitation to stimulate debate on this issue.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews were undertaken with 19 women aged 25–44 years [currently in treatment (n = 9), successfully completed treatment (n = 5), left treatment prematurely (n = 5)]. All had histories of physical or sexual abuse, and relapses linked to relationships with men. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed inductively following Iterative Categorization.FindingsWomen reported routinely that they had been concerned, anxious or scared about entering women‐only treatment. They attributed these feelings to previous poor relationships with women, being more accustomed to male company and negative experiences of other women‐only residential settings. Few women said that they had wanted women‐only treatment, although many became more positive after entering the women‐only service. Once in treatment, women often explained that they felt safe, supported, relaxed, understood and able to open up and develop relationships with other female residents. However, they also described tensions, conflicts, mistrust and social distancing that undermined their treatment experiences.ConclusionsWomen who have complex histories of alcohol and other drug use do not necessarily want or perceive benefit in women‐only residential treatment.
Long‐term uveal melanoma survivors: measuring their quality of life
Authors: Frenkel Shahar , Rosenne Hadas , Briscoe Daniel , Hendler Karen , Bereket Ronen , Molcho Michal , Pe'er Jacob 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPurposePatients with uveal melanoma (UM) undergo lifelong follow‐up as metastases can occur more than 20 years after diagnosis. Little is known about the quality of life (QoL) of UM survivors over such an extended period. To investigate their QoL, we used various estimating factors.MethodsA cohort of patients diagnosed and treated for UM with regularly scheduled follow‐up visits was asked to fill in a European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaire comprised of the EORTC QLQ‐C30 and EORTC QLQ‐OPT30 modules. An additional open question examined other changes in the patients’ lifestyle since diagnosis. Independent demographic and medical data were collected from patient records.ResultsTwo hundred and thirty‐two of 294 patients agreed to complete the questionnaire. General QoL correlated highly with the eye‐related QoL. Statistically significant higher QoL was associated with tumours not involving the ciliary body, and with better best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA). A subgroup of 39% of the patients reported severe disability affecting eye‐related tasks. Thirty‐three per cent were highly concerned about various aspects of their future health. Patients who underwent enucleation reported lower eye‐related QoL and described problems related to body image in response to the open question.ConclusionGeneral QoL of UM patients is only slightly affected by their malignancy. However, body image and psychosocial adjustment are major issues involved in evaluating QoL. Continuous long‐term psychosocial treatment is needed from the time of diagnosis in a subgroup of patients suffering from eye‐related disabilities.
The impact of parallel regulatory–health technology assessment scientific advice on clinical development. Assessing the uptake of regulatory and health technology assessment recommendations
Authors: Tafuri Giovanni , Lucas Inês , Estevão Steve , Moseley Jane , d'Andon Anne , Bruehl Hannah , Gajraj Elangovan , Garcia Sonia , Hedberg Niklas , Massari Marco , Molina Andrea , Obach Mercè , Osipenko Leeza , Petavy Frank , Petschulies Marco , Pontes Caridad , Russo Pierluigi , Schiel Anja , Van de Casteele Marc , Zebedin‐Brandl Eva‐Maria , Rasi Guido , Vamvakas Spiros 
Published: January 2018

AimsThe parallel regulatory–health technology assessment scientific advice (PSA) procedure allows manufacturers to receive simultaneous feedback from both EU regulators and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies on development plans for new medicines. The primary objective of the present study is to investigate whether PSA is integrated in the clinical development programmes for which advice was sought.MethodsContents of PSA provided by regulators and HTA bodies for each procedure between 2010 and 2015 were analysed. The development of all clinical studies for which PSA had been sought was tracked using three different databases. The rate of uptake of the advice provided by regulators and HTA bodies was assessed on two key variables: comparator/s and primary endpoint.ResultsIn terms of uptake of comparator recommendations at the time of PSA in the actual development, our analysis showed that manufacturers implemented comparators to address both the needs of regulators and of at least one HTA body in 12 of 21 studies. For primary endpoints, in all included studies manufacturers addressed both the needs of the regulators and at least one HTA body.ConclusionsOne of the key findings of this analysis is that manufacturers tend to implement changes to the development programme based on both regulatory and HTA advice with regards to the choice of primary endpoint and comparator. It also confirms the challenging choice of the study comparator, for which manufacturers seem to be more inclined to satisfy the regulatory advice. Continuous research efforts in this area are of paramount importance from a public health perspective.