bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Value of Fecal Calprotectin as a Biomarker for Juvenile Polyps in Children Investigated With Colonoscopy
Authors: Olafsdottir Ingunn , Nemeth Artur , Lörinc Ester , Toth Ervin , Agardh Daniel 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTObjectives:The clinical presentation of colonic juvenile polyps with abdominal discomfort and occult rectal bleedings make them difficult to recognize. The aim of this study was to report the clinical features of colonic juvenile polyps in children referred to colonoscopy and evaluate fecal calprotectin (FCP) as a screening biomarker for their diagnosis.Methods:The study included a total of 266 children (range 3.1–19.0 years, median age 15.8 years) investigated with ileocolonoscopy; of whom, 239 (89%) were investigated for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). FCPs were analyzed as a marker of colonic inflammation, and levels <50 mg/kg was considered to be negative.Results:Juvenile polyps were detected in 12 (4.5%) children; the remaining 67 (25.2%) had Crohn disease, 57 (21.4%) ulcerative colitis, 5 (1.9%) unclassified IBD, 4 (1.5%) allergic colitis, bleeding source was localized in 6 (2.3%), and 115 (43.2%) had unspecific or normal findings. FCP was available in 203 (76.3%) children before colonoscopy; levels of FCP were higher in children with juvenile polyps (range 28–2287 mg/kg, median 844 mg/kg) compared with those with normal colonoscopies (range <20–2443 mg/kg, median 130 mg/kg, P < 0.0001), but not compared with those with active IBD (range <20–7780 mg/kg, median 962 mg/kg, P = 0.6299). FCPs were available in 9 of 12 children after polypectomy, of whom all had their FCP levels significantly reduced (range 0–281 mg/kg, median 49 mg/kg, P < 0.0001).Conclusions:Colonic juvenile polyps are frequently found in pediatric patients presenting with hematochezia and elevated FCP levels. Colonic juvenile polyps are difficult to differentiate from pediatric IBD without a colonoscopy.
Hepatitis C in Children Co‐infected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: Indolfi Giuseppe , Bartolini Elisa , Serranti Daniele , Azzari Chiara , Resti Massimo 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTObjectives:The objective of this systematic review was to summarize evidence regarding hepatitis C in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus (HCV/HIV)–co‐infected children focusing on mother‐to‐child transmission, clinical and laboratory features, outcome, and therapies.Methods:A literature search was performed using multiple keywords and standardized terminology in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases dating back to their inception up to April 1, 2015, using the following terms hepatitis C virus, HIV, and child.Results:Fifty‐five of 367 publications were selected for inclusion. In co‐infected children, HIV impacted all the different aspects of HCV infection. Maternal HIV infection increased the risk of vertical transmission of hepatitis C. Children with HCV/HIV co‐infection presented a lower rate of spontaneous clearance of HCV, were more commonly HCV viraemic, and had higher values of alanine aminotransferase when compared with HCV‐monoinfected children. No relevant difference was reported between monoinfection and co‐infection with regard to clinical findings. Although the data on the outcome of hepatitis C in the context of co‐infection were limited, they were highly suggestive of a more severe outcome in terms of fibrosis in co‐infected children. No pediatric data were available on the role of antiretroviral therapy as a cofactor of liver injury in HCV/HIV co‐infection. The efficacy of pegylated interferon‐α and ribavirin in children with HCV/HIV co‐infection was lower than in monoinfected children.Conclusions:The effect of HIV co‐infection on HCV‐related disease was clear with most studies indicating that HIV accelerates HCV progression and reduces the efficacy of the available anti‐HCV therapies.
Regulation ofyefM/yoeBtoxin antitoxin system is independent of ppGpp and inorganic polyphosphate inEscherichia coli
Authors: Mohan Ramisetty Bhaskar Chandra 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTBacterial persistence is a phenomenon wherein small proportion of a bacterial population attains transient antibiotic tolerance likely by virtue of metabolic minimization. Type II Toxin–Antitoxin systems (TAs), small overlapping bicistronic negative auto-regulons, were recently shown to induce the persistence state. Maisonneuve et al., 2013 reported that TAs are activated by a regulatory cascade consisting of stochastic accumulation of ppGpp leading to accumulation of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). PolyP supposedly is essential for Lon protease-dependent-degradation of antitoxins resulting in activation of toxins and induction of persistence phenotype. In contrast, using semi-quantitative primer extension, we show that transcriptional up-regulation ofyefM/yoeBloci, one of the well characterized TAs ofEscherichia coli, is independent of ppGpp and polyP. Similarly, we show that chromosome-encoded YoeB-dependent target mRNA cleavage is independent of polyP. Our results and meta-analysis of literature we conclude that the regulation ofyefM/yoeBTAs is independent of ppGpp and polyP.
The impact of social and environmental information on managers’ decisions
Authors: Madein Afdal , Sholihin Mahfud 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether managers consider social and environmental information in evaluating projects.Design/methodology/approach– Built on the stakeholder theory, this study hypothesises that managers consider social and environmental information in evaluating their projects. To test the hypotheses, this study employs experimental design.Findings– The authors find evidence that managers consider social and environmental information in evaluating their projects.Research limitations/implications– This study finds that social and environmental information is relevant for managerial decision making, particularly in project evaluation.Practical implications– Social and environmental information is considered relevant for project evaluation decision. Hence, managers should be provided those information.Originality/value– To the best of the knowledge, this is the first accounting study which examines the effect of social and environmental information on managers’ decisions, particularly in the Asian context using experimental approach. Previous studies only examined the effect social and environmental information on external stakeholders, such as investors.
Bringing the “right to request” flexible working arrangements to life: from policies to practices
Authors: Cooper Rae , Baird Marian 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to understand how the “right to request” flexible working arrangements (FWAs), located in national policy and in organisational policy contexts, are brought to life in the workplace by employees and their managers. The authors seek to understand the nature and content of requests, the process followed in attending to requests, the scope of the arrangements which resulted and the implications for the work of both employees and managers.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors employ a case study method, investigating how formal “right to request” FWAs policies translate to practice within two large companies in Australia. The primary data focuses on 66 in-depth interviews with line managers, employees and key organisational informants. These interviews are triangulated with legislative, company and union policy documents.

Findings
– Most requests were made by mothers returning from maternity leave. Typically their requests involved an attempt to move from full-time to part-time hours. The authors found a considerable knowledge deficit among the employees making requests and a high level of informality in the processing of requests. As a result, managers played a critical role in structuring both the procedure and the substantive outcomes of FWAs requests. Managers’ personal experience and levels of commitment to FWAs were critical in the process, but their response was constrained by, among other things, conflicting organisational policies.

Research limitations/implications
– The scale of the empirical research is possibly limited by a focus on large companies in the private sector.

Practical implications
– The authors provide insight into the implementation gap between FWA policy and practice. The authors make suggestions as to how to make “right to request” policies more accessible and effective.

Social implications
– The “right to request” flexible working is an issue of critical importance to families, employees, managers, organisations and economies.

Originality/value
– “Right to request” FWAs are relatively new in legislation and policy and thus the authors have an incomplete understanding of how they operate and come to life at the workplace level. The authors show a significant implementation gap between policy and practice and point to some of the critical influences on this. Among other things, the authors build new insight in relation to the interaction of formal and informal and the role and place of the direct manager in the process of operationalising the “right to request”.
Labour dispute arbitration in China: perspectives of the arbitrators
Authors: Hwang Kyung-Jin , Wang Kan 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore China’s labour dispute arbitration system reform through analysing the degree to which it has attained its stated objectives – notably, independence, justice, efficiency and professionalism – from the perspectives of the arbitrators, previously ignored in research on China.Design/methodology/approach– This paper used a mixed research method using questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were sent to all full-time labour dispute arbitrators in Beijing, China with a useable response rate of 71 per cent. Additionally, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 key stakeholders involved in the arbitration process.Findings– Instead of establishing an impartial platform, the arbitration system endeavours to promote the state’s capacity to rule over labour relations. Its recent reform excluded arbitrational independence owing to concerns about reducing the Chinese Communist Party’s arbitrary power. Arbitrational justice was perceived to improve through case resolution efficiency, which made arbitrators minimise arbitration time, partly because of high caseloads but largely because of their key performance indicators. Quality of arbitration was compromised. The arbitrators understood the spaces and boundaries of the reform, and focused on increasing professionalism to enable them to more fluidly manoeuvre between the different political economic interests, above safeguarding labour rights.Research limitations/implications– The questionnaire size was too small for regression analysis. Future research should expand the sample sizes and conduct cross-regional studies.Practical implications– In 2008, China undertook an arbitrational system reform – probing its practical influence contributes to the authors understanding about the changing institutional environment of Chinese labour relations.Originality/value– As a pilot study on labour dispute arbitrators, this research presents the dynamics of the Chinese labour dispute resolution mechanism.
Converging early contractor involvement (ECI) and lean construction practices for productivity enhancement
Authors: Pheng Low Sui , Gao Shang , Lin Jun Liang 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– As with many other procurement management concepts, the early contractor involvement (ECI) strategy provides an opportunity to tap on contractors’ specialist knowledge in the design stage, in order to address and forestall problems before moving onto the construction stage. Such practices have been shown to be quite successful, and are also advocated in the lean construction practice. Following this benefit, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between the operations of ECI and the principles of lean construction for productivity enhancement.Design/methodology/approach– Based on the literature review of 11 principles of lean construction and ECI, various relationships were proposed seeking to integrate the two domains. A questionnaire survey was conducted with different stakeholders in Singapore’s construction industry to measure the strength of the relationships. Interviews were also conducted to gain an understanding of the constraints, reluctance, and possible methods for implementing ECI in Singapore with a convergence with lean construction principles.Findings– The results revealed that, when employing lean construction principles as a yardstick, ECI does contribute to elevating the productivity outcomes of some lean construction principles – in particular, for reducing variability, reducing cycle time, minimizing steps, and increasing output flexibility.Research limitations/implications– It is promising to marry ECI with lean construction, and that the former does appear indeed able to aid in the productivity improvements of a construction project by embracing the latter. However, it requires the building professionals to raise their awareness of both lean and ECI, so that the implementation of ECI can be carried out in a more effective manner.Originality/value– In the context of the Singapore construction industry’s push for improvements in productivity, this study posits that productivity benefits in particular can be realized through establishing the linkage between ECI and lean construction principles. The lessons from this study can likewise be adopted by other countries.
Humanitarian supply chains and performance measurement schemes in practice
Authors: Santarelli Giulia , Abidi Hella , Klumpp Matthias , Regattieri Alberto 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a system for the performance evaluation of humanitarian supply chains. The system will help humanitarian organizations (HOs) to make better decisions, improve their performance, and provide accountability, as well as helping them measure their operational performance during disaster response and reconstruction projects.

Design/methodology/approach
– A holistic and implementable performance measurement system was developed to measure the operational performance of HOs during disaster response and reconstruction projects. The system is divided into five categories with several key performance indicators (KPIs) being identified for each; identifiers are qualitative and quantitative, as well as financial and non-financial.

Findings
– Empirical testing of the system demonstrated the low use of existing performance indicators in humanitarian supply chains and the possible added value for HOs to improve their operational efficiency.

Social implications
– The performance measurement system could help HOs improve their operations and resource allocation.

Originality/value
– The paper is one of the first research contributions in which a sample of developed KPIs is empirically tested in various HOs. Prior to this paper, a limited number of articles examined the performance of HOs, and no defined system of KPIs existed. By analyzing real results in the field of the humanitarian projects and applying the proposed performance measurement system, it will be possible to define a set of best approaches to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian supply chains.
The issues and challenges facing a digital library with a special focus on the Taylor Family Digital Library at the University of Calgary
Authors: Thomas Bennett 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to show how a new academic library works.Design/methodology/approach– The author used statistical data and anecdotal evidence.Findings– The findings were that digital library materials have dramatically changed how libraries operate.Originality/value– The library featured in this story is the University of Calgary’s main library which is called the Taylor Family Digital Library, which is meant to be a library with digital technology as its main focus.
An empirical investigation of information skills among undergraduate students at Dhaka University
Authors: Ferdows Jannatul , Ahmed S.M. Zabed 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the information skills of undergraduate students at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire-based survey was administered to obtain data about undergraduates’ information skills. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information, computer and Internet experiences, and a set of ten questions relating to information skills. A total of 199 undergraduate students responded to the survey.

Findings
– The results indicate that undergraduates’ information skills were poor. Only a few of them were successful in answering some of the questions correctly. There are significant differences in information skills among respondents in terms of gender, age, possession of personal computers and computer and Internet experience. The main reasons for these differences and the general failure in answering the task questions correctly are mostly attributed to the absence of information literacy instruction within the university, lack of online information resources and inadequate information and communication technology facilities.

Practical implications
– The findings of this study will help universities in Bangladesh and other developing countries to develop appropriate information literacy instruction at undergraduate level.

Originality/value
– This is the first time an effort has been made to assess task-based information skills of undergraduate students in Bangladesh. The findings of this study will help universities in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the developing world to introduce information literacy instruction at undergraduate level.
Company characteristics and compliance with ASX corporate governance principles
Authors: Lama Tek , Anderson Warwick Wyndham 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– This study aims to examine whether company characteristics determine the structure and composition of a company’s board. In particular, it investigates the three board-design choices that Australian-listed companies make in the context of Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) corporate governance principles (published in 2003) where they are allowed to depart from the recommended best-practice board structure if the departure better serves their unique board and governance requirements.Design/methodology/approach– A logistic regression is performed on a cross-section of data for 258 ASX-listed companies averaged over the years 2004 to 2007, using the company variables size, age, leverage, ownership concentration, profitability, liquidity, price-earnings ratio, market-to-book ratio and cross-listing.Findings– The study finds that size has a strong, statistically significant impact on all three principles. Ownership concentration, price-earnings ratio and age have statistically significant impacts on the likelihood of compliance with at least one principle but have no consistent influence over all. This finding supports the underlying philosophy of the ASX corporate governance principles that flexible guidelines serve companies better than inflexible rules.Originality/value– This study breaks new ground in empirically investigating the effect of company variables on compliance with the ASX’s Principles of 2003, which are new for Australia in requiring an “if not, why not” response from companies.
Investigation of treated PEN foil surface properties for inkjet application
Authors: Araźna Aneta , Futera Konrad , Jakubowska Małgorzata , Dybowska-Sarapuk Łucja 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to report surface properties of treated Teonex Du Pont polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) foil substrates.Design/methodology/approach– There were three different cleaning treatments among other: argon glow discharge, dipping into alkaline solution at 60°C as well as washing in an ultrasonic bath of acetone and ethyl alcohol in room temperature. The relation between PEN foil morphology and surface properties has been studied by contact angle measurements as well as evaluation of surface roughness of PEN foil samples by atomic force microscopy (AFM).Findings– It was found that argon glow discharge (T3) of PEN treatment caused the maximum reduction in both values of contact angles. In addition, the argon glow discharge yielded the highest PEN surface energy (51.9 mJ/m2) and polarity (0.89). On the other hand, the AFM micrographs showed that the samples T3 had the highest value of average and root mean square surface roughness. Based on the experiments results, the authors stated that the alkaline cleaning (T2 treatment) could be considered as an effective method of PEN substrate treatment.Originality/value– The influence of different cleaning treatment on the surface properties of PEN foil to inkjet application was analyzed. In the literature, there are not a lot of papers describing examinations of surface properties of PEN foil to inkjet application by contact angle measurements and AFM analysis.
Inkjet printed microwave circuits on flexible substrates using heterophase graphene based inks
Authors: Futera Konrad , Kielbasinski Konrad , Młozniak Anna , Jakubowska Malgorzata 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present the result of research on a new fabrication technology of printed circuits board and electronics modules. The new method is based on inkjet printing technique on flexible substrates using new generations of heterophase inks. New fabrications method was used to print microwave waveguides and signal splitters as new technology demonstrators.

Design/methodology/approach
– A fully Inkjet printed filter was printed on a flexible, transparent Kapton foil using heterophase inks developed in Instytut Technologii Materiałów Elektronicznych (ITME) for the purpose of this research based on graphene and silver nanoparticles.

Findings
– A microwave module was printed using two types of Inkjet printers – PixDro LP50 with KonicaMinolta 512 printhead – and developed in an Instytut Tele- i Radiotechniczny (ITR) laboratory printer using MicroDrop a 100-μm glass nozzle printhead. Fully printed microwave circuits were evaluated by their print quality and electrical properties.

Originality/value
– Fully Inkjet printed microwave circuits using the heterophase graphene ink were evaluated by their print quality and electrical properties.