bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Where were the monsoon regions and arid zones in Asia prior to the Tibetan Plateau uplift?
Authors: Liu Xiaodong , Guo Qingchun , Guo Zhengtang , Yin Zhi-Yong , Dong Buwen , Smith Robin 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe impact of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on the Asian monsoons and inland arid climates is an important but also controversial question in studies of paleoenvironmental change during the Cenozoic. In order to achieve a good understanding of the background for the formation of the Asian monsoons and arid environments, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the distribution of monsoon regions and arid zones in Asia before the plateau uplift. In this study, we discuss in detail the patterns of distribution of the Asian monsoon and arid regions before the plateau uplift on the basis of modeling results without topography from a global coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model, compare our results with previous simulation studies and available biogeological data, and review the uncertainties in the current knowledge. Based on what we know at the moment, tropical monsoon climates existed south of 20°N in South and Southeast Asia before the plateau uplift, while the East Asian monsoon was entirely absent in the extratropics. These tropical monsoons mainly resulted from the seasonal shifts of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. There may have been a quasi-monsoon region in central-southern Siberia. Most of the arid regions in the Asian continent were limited to the latitudes of 20–40°N, corresponding to the range of the subtropical high pressure year-around. In the meantime, the present-day arid regions located in the relatively high latitudes in Central Asia were most likely absent before the plateau uplift. The main results from the above modeling analyses are qualitatively consistent with the available biogeological data. These results highlight the importance of the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau in the Cenozoic evolution of the Asian climate pattern of dry–wet conditions. Future studies should be focused on effects of the changes in land–sea distribution and atmospheric CO2 concentrations before and after the plateau uplift, and also on cross-comparisons between numerical simulations and geological evidence, so that a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the Cenozoic paleoenvironments in Asia can be achieved.
Health and disease imprinted in the time variability of the human microbiome
Authors: Martí Jose Manuel , Martínez Daniel M. , Gracia César , Latorre Amparo , Moya Andrés , Garay Carlos P. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractHuman microbiota plays an important role in determining changes from health to disease. Increasing research activity is dedicated to understand its diversity and variability. We analyse 16S rRNA and whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from the gut microbiota of 97 individuals monitored in time. Temporal fluctuations in the microbiome reveal significant differences due to factors that affect the microbiota such as dietary changes, antibiotic intake, early gut development or disease. Here we show that a fluctuation scaling law describes the temporal variability of the system and that a noise-induced phase transition is central in the route to disease. The universal law distinguishes healthy from sick microbiota and quantitatively characterizes the path in the phase space, which opens up its potential clinical use and, more generally, other technological applications where microbiota plays an important role.PACS numbers:
Are positive learning experiences levers for lifelong learning among low educated workers?
Authors: Sanders Jos M.A.F. , Damen Marc A.W. , Van Dam Karen 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– Based on the theory of planned behaviour and social learning theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of training participation and learning experience on the beliefs of low-educated employees about their self-efficacy for learning.

Design/methodology/approach
– Low-educated workers of three different organizations (n=359) filled out a questionnaire at three different points in time, with a half-yearly interval. Regression analyses were used to establish the effects of training participation and learning experience on learning self-efficacy.

Findings
– Training participation alone did not affect low-educated workers’ learning self-efficacy, but a positive learning experience did contribute to workers’ post-training learning self-efficacy. These results support the relevance of positive learning experiences.

Research limitations/implications
– Follow-up studies could focus on the effects of learning self-efficacy for subsequent learning activities, establish which aspects of training contribute to a positive learning experience, and include contextual characteristics that may predict learning self-efficacy.

Practical implications
– To stimulate learning among lower educated workers, it is necessary that they have confidence in their ability to successfully complete their training. Trainers and training developers working for this specific target group of lower educated workers should aim to provide training that is a positive experience, besides being a learning exercise.

Originality/value
– The study is the first to analyse the longitudinal effects of training participation and learning experience on post-training learning self-efficacy among low-educated workers.
Incentives and gaming in a nonlinear compensation scheme
Authors: Owan Hideo , Tsuru Tsuyoshi , Uehara Katsuhito 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– Under a discontinuous and nonlinear compensation scheme, which is prevalent among car dealerships, the amount of a salesperson’s expected daily commission depends primarily on his position in the pay schedule on the day he makes a sale. Salespeople thus vary their efforts and adopt a different pricing strategy week by week, or even day by day. The purpose of this paper is to examine the incentive effect of such a nonlinear scheme and provide the evidence that salespeople’s behavior is consistent with the theory.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors conduct regression analyses using the transaction data provided by two North American auto dealerships. The authors construct a daily measure of varying incentive intensity and evaluate its impact on the distribution of individual daily sales and the dealership’s gross profit rate.

Findings
– The authors find that the daily measure of varying incentive intensity has a positive effect on the distribution of individual daily sales and a negative impact on the dealership’s gross profit rate. The results suggest that: salespeople adjust their effort levels in response to the intensity of incentives; and they game the system by lowering the prices when the marginal return to doing so is high.

Research limitations/implications
– The study shows that there is a high cost associated with the discontinuous nonlinear pay scheme, raising the question of why many auto dealerships use it.

Originality/value
– This paper sheds light on the undesirable aspects of discontinuous and nonlinear incentive schemes, varied performance and gaming, by quantifying the effects of the worker’s behavior.
HPWS, technology and flexibility in the Spanish manufacturing industry
Authors: Shijaku Elio , Larraza-Kintana Martin , Urtasun-Alonso Ainhoa 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS) are viewed as strategic levers to a firm’s core competencies’ sustainability and continuous competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to explore what factors facilitate HPWS utilization, with a particular focus on the extent to which social capital (SC) derived from buyer-supplier relationships functions as a communication channel to spread effective HPWS implementation.Design/methodology/approach– The authors propose a model of HPWS in which external SC not only favors the use of HPWS but also moderates the incidence of other common facilitators such as technology and flexibility. The study uses data from Spanish manufacturing industry.Findings– Firms yielding external SC use HPWS more intensely, and the effect of technology constituents on HPWS utilization is contingent on SC accumulation. The findings are consistent with the existing HR literature on the subject but broaden its perspective by analyzing a specific pattern of SC and its pivotal role in the HPWS utilization process.Research limitations/implications– The cross-sectional nature of the database leaves open the possibility of causality relationship exploration between the variables of interest, which means that any causal interpretation should be cautious and properly motivated. The study is conducted in the Spanish manufacturing industry context, hence aims to generalize its results by explaining the logic behind the coexistence of HPWS and SC on a same conceptual level. This should be carefully treated and could be further strengthened by other country-level research. The approach does not consider the internal synergic mechanisms and the integration of HR practices.Practical implications– The paper reveals the importance of inter-organizational SC in the Spanish manufacturing industry by showing how its embodiment in buyer-supplier relationships may allow firms to better understand the context in which HPWS are more likely to be useful.Social implications– The impact of social relationships on effective human resource management practices is highlighted.Originality/value– The authors explore the factors that facilitate HPWS utilization, with a particular focus on the extent to which SC derived from buyer-supplier relationships functions as a communication channel to spread effective HPWS implementation.
Financial and economic stability as ‘two sides of a coin’
Authors: Nasir Muhammad Ali , Ahmad Mushtaq , Ahmad Ferhan , Wu Junjie 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide a different context for considering issues of financial stability and instability, with reference to economic growth and price stability in particular.Design/methodology/approach– This paper pursued an empirical exploration of six pillars of financial stability, based on a data set for the UK extending from 1985 (Q1) to 2008 (Q2), through the construction of a vector error correction model, including an impulse response function analysis.Findings– The findings show a strong association between the financial and economic stability even in a non-crisis regime. This includes, for example, a strong association exists between the stock market and the real economy; exchange rate appreciation may not provide for long-term real economic growth; inflation does not contribute to real economic growth, both the sensitivity of the economy to yields and a significant lag in transitional effects from financial markets to the real sector; a positive role of credit creation within a non-crisis regime; exchange rate appreciation affects purchasing power; and potential points of linkage between sovereign debt activity and general price levels.Research limitations/implications– The findings should be considered in the context of a concept of the economy as fundamentally dynamic and subject to complex cumulative processes.Practical implications– The findings indicate there is a role for state oversight and intervention within a non-crisis regime based on the complexity of possible interactions that may undermine financial and price stability, with consequences for their association with economic growth.Originality/value– The study provides a new perspective for considering issues of financial stability and instability.
Was there a regulatory approval market for mortgages?
Authors: Crawford Peggy , Forsyth Joetta 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the underserved area requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the government-sponsored enterprises [GSEs]) and the community needs requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) contributed to the house price run-up in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper predicts the incidence of “Rebounds”, which indicate that a mortgage had been previously denied, to provide evidence on whether certain regulations caused excessively risky mortgage originations. As a different lender rejected the loan given the interest rate that they were willing to charge and information on the borrower, a higher incidence of Rebounds provides evidence that lenders were more frequently disagreeing about loans. This can indicate differences in regulatory pressure or oversight across lenders.

Findings
– This paper provides evidence that the GSEs were purchasing fewer Rebounds directly from lenders. However, evidence suggests that indirectly, the securitization market served as a conduit for Rebounds to the GSEs that needed to satisfy regulatory underserved area requirements. The necessity of complying with the CRA was found to increase Rebounds. Among regulators, the Federal Reserve was found to have been particularly associated with Rebounds.

Originality/value
– The paper’s contribution comes from linking Rebounds to legislative and regulatory influences. This contributes to the literature on excess credit and fraud, as well as the effect of underserved area requirements and the CRA. Also, this paper adds a new dimension to the literature on securitization, by showing the influence of regulation on the securitization of risky mortgages.
Country risk, stock prices, and the exchange rate of the renminbi
Authors: Umar Muhammad , Sun Gang 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between country risk, stock prices and the exchange rate of the renminbi (RMB) compared to that of the US dollar.

Design/methodology/approach
– An extended open macroeconomic model with investment–saving, liquidity preference–money supply and aggregate supply functions was used by applying comparative static analysis. After checking the series for stationarity and cointegration, a vector autoregressive model was applied. Lag length was selected based on the Akaike information criterion, and the coefficients were calculated for the overall sample and for pre- and post-July 2005 periods.

Findings
– The stock market index is a significant determinant of variation in the exchange rate: when the Chinese stock market performs well, the RMB appreciates and vice versa. Country risk is not a significant determinant of the exchange rate, but the exchange rate of the RMB is a highly significant determinant of the country risk of China: depreciation of the RMB results in higher country risk and vice versa.

Research limitations/implications
– Linear interpolation was used to calculate the monthly values of some of the variables for which only annual data were available.

Practical implications
– The authorities should revalue the exchange rate of the RMB against the US dollar, which will result in lower country risk for China. One way to achieve this is to strengthen the performance of stock markets.

Originality/value
– To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the relationship between the country risk of China and the exchange rate of the RMB. Using an open macroeconomic model, this novel research analyzes the relationships between country risk, stock prices and the exchange rate of the RMB from a different perspective.
Adjusting to the unexpected
Authors: Jain Ajay K. , Sullivan Sherry 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– This study aims to provide a literature review of the 56 articles published in theJournal of Management History(JMH) from 2000 to 2004.Design/methodology/approach– The authors conducted a thematic analysis using the categories of person, topic or event to classify articles as well as a citation analysis using Google Scholar.Findings– The number of articles published from 2000 to 2004 was almost 50 per cent fewer than published in the previous five years, and citation rates were lower.Originality/value– Results suggest that high-quality articles focused on persons or topics are more likely to be published in the JMH.
Information organizations and the Lean approach to service delivery
Authors: Cervone H Frank 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Lean services methodology as a mechanism for improving products and services in libraries and information organizations. Through a high-level exploration of the philosophy, goals and principles of the methodology, the reader will gain an understanding of the methodology and its usefulness to information organizations.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper is a general overview of the philosophy, goals and principles of the Lean services methodology. As such, it serves as a brief introduction to the topic.

Findings
– The Lean services methodology is an important tool for libraries and information organizations as they attempt to improve customer satisfaction and service. Having been adapted from the principles used in manufacturing to improve processes and customer satisfaction, Lean services is an appropriate tool to enable organizational improvement through individual empowerment.

Originality/value
– While the Lean services methodology has been widely adopted in other service-based industries, there is scant literature about the role of Lean services in libraries and information organizations.
Trading with privacy: the price of personal information
Authors: Steinfeld Nili 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine how users in an anonymous virtual environment react to an offer to trade in access to their social network profile.

Design/methodology/approach
– The experiment was conducted in Second Life (SL). Participants were offered varied sums of money in exchange for access to their Facebook profile, effectively undermining their anonymity.

Findings
– Even in an anonymous environment, money plays a role in users’ decisions to disclose their offline identity, but a closer look at the findings reveals that users also use deception to enjoy the benefits of the offer without paying the costs. The results illustrate three types of users according to the strategies they employ: abstainers, traders, and deceivers.

Research limitations/implications
– The implications to the field of online information disclosure lie at the ability to illustrate and distinguish between the different strategies users choose with regard to online information disclosure, as the study design simulates a common information disclosure trade offer in online environments.

Originality/value
– Unlike previous studies that focussed on trades with specific pieces of information, this study examines willingness to sell access to a user’s entire profile, by thus better simulating online services conduct. This is also the first privacy experiment conducted in the anonymous environment of SL, and the first to study deception as a privacy protection strategy.
Synthesis of nanosized mixed metal oxides heat and corrosion resistant pigments: CaMnO3, Ca2Cr2O5and CaSb2O6
Authors: Wahba Osama A. G. , Hassan Ali M. , El-wahab H. Abd , Mohy-Eldin A. , Naser A.M. , Fouad Osama A. 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the synthesis of calcium-based group of mixed metal oxide (MMO) pigments. The evaluation of these pigments as heat and corrosion resistant was also explored.Design/methodology/approach– Two simple synthesis techniques, namely, co-precipitation and solid-state calcination method, were used to synthesise nanosized MMO pigments. And then the physico-chemical requirements according to standards for the synthesised pigments are investigated.Findings– The prepared MMO pigments were mainly in the single phase double oxide forms. The prepared oxides exhibited good heat (up to 600°C) and corrosion resistance properties (in 5 per cent NaCl for 500 h).Research limitations/implications– This paper investigates the physico-chemical properties of synthesised calcium-based group of MMO pigments. And then evaluate it as heat and corrosion resistant paints. The simple techniques used for synthesis of nanosized MMO pigments will significantly improve the research and development of pigments’ structure and performance.Practical implications– Calcium-based MMO pigments can be used as heat and corrosion resistant pigments. The easy synthesis of the mixed oxide pigments will open the door for further vital special industrial uses and applications.Originality/value– Low cost, simple techniques and using naturally abundant material can be used for mass production of some other low-cost nanosized materials.
Multicenter cross‐sectional observational study of antibiotic resistance and the genotypes of Propionibacterium acnes isolated from Chinese patients with acne vulgaris
Authors: Fan Yukun , Hao Fei , Wang Weizhen , Lu Yonghong , He Li , Wang Gang , Chen Wenchieh 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAntibiotics are widely applied in management of acne vulgaris, which raises the issue of antibiotic resistance. Due to improper application and supervision of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance has become a serious problem in China. So, the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in acne is unclear without an objective monitor of antibiotic resistance of Propionibacterium acnes. This cross‐sectional, multicenter observational study is aimed at understanding the status of antibiotic resistance in P. acnes, investigating the measures of acne management in China and analyzing the genotypes of antibiotic‐resistant strains of P. acnes. Altogether, 312 strains of P. acnes were collected from patients in five medical centers across central China after reviewing the corresponding medical history in detail. The samples underwent antibiotic susceptibility assays by agar dilution method with a total of 11 classes of antibiotics being tested. The antibiotic‐resistant strains were screened and further analyzed by investigation of the genotypes regarding 23S rRNA, 16S rRNA and erm(X). The predominant resistance occurred in macrolides and lincomycin with an overall resistance rate of 47.8%. The resistance to tetracyclines was scarce with only two cases identified. The emergence of minimum inhibitory concentration elevation for tetracyclines is associated with its application history (P < 0.005). The genotypes of the reported macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B resistance strains were also spotted in Chinese subjects while other resistance determinants may also exist. The tetracyclines have been proved to be vastly susceptible while macrolides and lincomycin face a serious resistance status in China.