bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In vitro activity of surotomycin against contemporary clinical isolates of toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains obtained in Spain
Authors: Reigadas E. , Alcalá L. , Marín M. , Pelaéz T. , Martin A. , Iglesias C. , Bouza E. 
Published: April 2015

Abstract

Objectives
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea in developed countries. Metronidazole and vancomycin are the mainstay of treatment, although they are associated with treatment failure and recurrence. Novel agents have emerged to address these shortcomings. We investigated the in vitro activity of a novel agent, surotomycin (formerly CB-183,315), and seven other antimicrobial agents against clinical C. difficile isolates.

Methods
Antimicrobial susceptibility to surotomycin, fidaxomicin, metronidazole, vancomycin, clindamycin, rifaximin, moxifloxacin and tigecycline was determined for 100 contemporary clinical isolates of C. difficile collected in 2013. MICs were determined by agar dilution according to CLSI procedures. In addition, 10 strains with reduced susceptibility to metronidazole (n = 6) and vancomycin (n = 4) were also tested. Strains were PCR ribotyped.

Results
The MICs of surotomycin for the 100 isolates ranged from ≤0.06 to 2 mg/L, with a geometric mean (GM) of 0.31 mg/L and an MIC50/90 of 0.25/0.5 mg/L. The MIC range of surotomycin was 0.25–1 mg/L (GM = 0.45 mg/L) for isolates with reduced metronidazole susceptibility and 0.125–0.5 mg/L (GM = 0.25 mg/L) for isolates with reduced vancomycin susceptibility. The three most common ribotypes were 001 (31.0%), 014/020 (17.0%) and 078/126 (17.0%). Ribotype 014/020 exhibited the lowest MICs of surotomycin (GM = 0.22 mg/L); the highest MICs were for ribotype 078/126 (GM = 0.72 mg/L).

Conclusions
Surotomycin exhibited potent in vitro activity against all the isolates tested, including those with elevated metronidazole and vancomycin MICs. The potential role of this agent in the treatment of CDI requires further clinical evaluation.
Sustainable development and sustainability as study objects for comparative management theory
Authors: Borim-de-Souza Rafael , Balbinot Zandra , Travis Eric Ford , Munck Luciano , Takahashi Adriana Roseli Wünsch 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to characterize sustainable development and sustainability as study objects for comparative management theory.Design/methodology/approach– The primary objective of this paper is to characterize sustainable development and sustainability as study objects for comparative management theory.Findings– Analytical dimensions were related to establishing three proposals, which represent possible theoretical routes for characterizing sustainable development and sustainability as study objects for comparative management theory. A framework which illustrates the theoretical route taken to develop these proposals is presented at the end of the theoretical-analytical discussions.Research limitations/implications– This paper considers that discussion about sustainable development, sustainability and comparative management theory, as interesting themes for organizational studies, lack epistemological clarity and theoretical depth. Such shortcomings are identified based upon the difficulty in identifying ontological postures, epistemological perspectives, dominant paradigms and conceptual approaches that enable greater coherence to analysis of these themes, and also support the undertaking of research that can contribute to enriching proposals related to comparative management theory.Originality/value– This is an innovative paper as it relates comparative management theory approaches with structural concepts from sustainable development and sustainability developed using contributions from organizational theories, sociological reflections, and political science. The proposed characterization is intended to blaze new and alternative epistemological paths for adding greater rigor to empirical research focussed on the relationship investigated here in a theoretical context.
Promoting worker loyalty: an empirical analysis
Authors: Linz Susan , Good Linda K , Busch Michael 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the link between worker loyalty and expected rewards, with special attention to reward desirability.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using employee-employer matched data collected from over 10,880 employees in nearly 670 workplaces in six culturally and economically diverse former socialist countries, the authors investigate the link between worker loyalty and expected rewards, taking into account reward desirability. Worker loyalty is measured using a composite of four variables related to participant’s commitment to staying at his/her organization. The authors employ both OLS and fractional logit regression analysis, clustering at the firm level, and restricting the pooled sample to include only those participants who responded to all questions used in this analysis. In the basic model, the authors include expected rewards, with an extensive set of worker and workplace controls; in the extended model, the authors add reward desirability and the corresponding interaction variables.

Findings
– Using pooled data, the authors find that loyalty is positively correlated with expected rewards, and most strongly linked to the intrinsic reward chance to accomplish something worthwhile. When reward desirability is taken into account, consequences of unmet expectations emerge, and the relative importance of respectful and friendly co-workers diminishes. Neither generational nor life-cycle differences in loyalty are evident.

Research limitations/implications
– Due to financial constraints, country samples included in the pooled data are not nationally representative; nor are workplace samples representative. Personal contacts of local project coordinators and the snowballing technique used to expand the number of participating workplaces, as well as the requirement that participants be able to read the survey instrument, may contribute to selection bias. As such, the findings should be viewed as taking a preliminary or exploratory step toward developing a more global perspective of factors influencing worker loyalty and performance until longitudinal and nationally representative data become available.

Practical implications
– The findings indicate a positive link between loyalty and expected rewards, and when reward desirability is included, the loyalty consequences associated with unmet expectations. While rewards identified as highly desired (bonus, job security, friendly co-workers) are positively linked to loyalty, the strongest link is associated with chance to accomplish something worthwhile. Promoting worker loyalty is linked to offering programs to develop more skills and more job autonomy among those employees who desire it, as well as meeting expectations related to promotion.

Originality/value
– Unlike existing studies, the authors pool data from multiple countries and control for a wide variety of worker and workplace characteristics in the analysis of the loyalty-reward structure link.
Unemployment and spell duration during the Great Recession in the EU
Authors: Gradín Carlos , Cantó Olga , del Río Coral 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different dynamic characteristics of unemployment in a selected group of European Union countries during the current Great Recession, which had unequal consequences on employment depending on the country considered.Design/methodology/approach– The paper follows Shorrocks’s proposal of a duration-sensitive measure of unemployment, and uses cross-sectional data reported by Eurostat coming from European Labour Force Surveys.Findings– The results add some evidence on the relevance of incorporating spells’ duration in measuring unemployment, finding remarkable differences in unemployment patterns in time among European countries.Research limitations/implications– In this paper unemployment is analyzed for all the labor force. Future research should investigate patterns across specific groups such as young people, women, immigrants or the low skilled.Practical implications– It is generally accepted that the negative impact of unemployment on individual welfare can be very different depending on its duration. However, conventional statistics on unemployment do not adequately capture to what extent the recession is not only increasing the incidence of unemployment but also its severity in terms of duration in time of ongoing unemployment spells. The paper shows an easy and practical way to do it in order to improve the understanding of the unemployment phenomenon, using information usually reported by statistical offices.Originality/value– First, the paper provides a tool for dynamic analysis of unemployment based on reported cross-sectional data. Second, the paper demonstrates the empirical relevance of considering spells’ duration when assessing differences in unemployment across countries or in unemployment trends. This is usually neglected or only partially addressed by most conventional measures of unemployment.
Serving poor people in rich countries: the bottom-of-the-pyramid business model solution
Authors: Angot Jaques , Plé Loïc 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to suggest that firms should transpose bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) strategies to top-of-the-pyramid (TOP) countries through adapted business models, noting that strategies usually apply to developing countries. This would enable them to address the consequences of the economic crisis that has increased the number of poor and financially constrained customers in developed countries.

Design/methodology/approach
– This is a conceptual article based on current research and multiple examples from real-world companies that have implemented BOP business models. These are viewed from the angle of frugal innovation, a fresh perspective on innovation as an outcome and process, which means innovating while significantly economizing the use of scarce resources.

Findings
– The paper explains how firms should adapt the three dimensions of their business models (value proposition, resources and competences and organization) to transpose BOP business models to TOP countries. Limitations and advantages of this transposition are also detailed.

Research limitations/implications
– A lack of prior research on how firms can confront poverty in TOP countries is emphasized. Further studies are needed to help firms adapt to the new economic conditions in TOP countries.

Practical implications
– Practitioners can use the recommendations herein to adapt their business models and address dramatic economic and social changes in the developed countries in which they function.

Originality/value
– Considering the differences between developed and developing countries, firms should promote a BOP mind-set, rather than struggling to transpose full BOP business models to TOP settings.
Linking internal marketing with customer outcomes
Authors: Boukis Achilleas , Kaminakis Kostas , Siampos Anastasios , Kostopoulos Ioannis 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to explore how the adoption of an internal marketing (IM) programme in a retail banking setting enhances some positive employee behaviours that promote customer perceived service quality.Design/methodology/approach– A multilevel research design is adopted which draws evidence from branch managers, employees and customers in order to investigate whether branch manager’s adoption of an IM philosophy affects front-line employee responsiveness to the firm’s IM strategies and their levels of motivation, empowerment and organizational identification (OI), respectively.Findings– Results indicate that manager’s IM adoption can enhance employee adoption of IM and raises their levels of motivation, empowerment and OI. The moderating role of manager-employee dissimilarity is also discussed. Finally, findings confirm that employee motivation, empowerment and OI affect customer perceptions of service quality.Originality/value– This study provides an important shift by formally including IM into multilevel marketing research and establishes another link in the IM-organizational performance relationship, uncovering some behavioural routes through which the positive effects of IM can add to the achievement of firm’s external marketing objectives.
Antecedents to green buying behaviour: a study on consumers in an emerging economy
Authors: Khare Arpita 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine influence of past environmental attitudes, social and personal environmental norms, social influence, and green self-identity on Indian consumers’ green buying behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data were collected through self-administered survey method by contacting respondents through mall intercept technique in six cities across India.

Findings
– The findings suggest that green self-identity, peer influence, and past green buying behaviour influence the decision to purchase green product. Consumers’ self-identification with environment-friendly traits was a major predictor to green buying behaviour.

Research limitations/implications
– Influence of social groups, personal norms, and self-identity were examined. However, the study did not focus on any specific brand or product category. Issues like green brands, price sensitivity, and trust can be examined.

Practical implications
– The findings can help firms in understanding Indian consumers’ predisposition and attitudes towards green products. Green products should be related to individual’s identity and ecological beliefs. Firms can modify their marketing communication strategies by linking green products them with social and personal factors.

Originality/value
– Influence of factors like past environmental attitudes, social and personal norms on green buying have not been examined in Indian context. The study adds to existing literature by applying self-construal theory in explaining green buying behaviour.
The Need for Comprehensive Climate Change Mitigation Policies in European Agriculture
Authors: Domínguez Ignacio Pérez , Fellmann Thomas 
Published: April 2015

SummaryDuring the last decade the European Union has shown a firm determination to move to a low carbon economy. Since 2008 the agricultural sector has been part of this strategy and is included in the EU effort sharing decision. Introducing specific GHG mitigation obligations for agriculture could be one option to achieve an overall GHG emission reduction target. One argument for this strategy would be that the agricultural sector is the main contributor of non‐CO2 greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, a comprehensive EU mitigation policy would most likely have to take into account the particularities of its diverse agricultural sector, reflected by different trends in historical GHG emission reductions, and a varied mitigation cost structure between farming systems. Consequently, using targeted but flexible policy instruments may more equitably distribute the mitigation efforts across Member States and reduce cost inefficiencies. The increased uptake of technological and management emission mitigation measures would be crucial to keep mitigation costs for EU farmers at a minimum. However, while unilateral action would initially signal the EU's commitment to serious GHG mitigation effort in the sector, ultimately a multilateral agreement is needed to minimise emission leakage and to reduce global GHG emissions effectively.
How Economic Analysis Can Inform the Climate Change Policy Debate: The Case of Northern Ireland
Authors: Wu Ziping , Sherry Erin , Davis John 
Published: April 2015

SummaryThis article aims to illustrate policy issues surrounding attempts to develop greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policy in a small region – Northern Ireland – with a relatively large agri‐food sector of strategic economic importance. A common difficulty faced by many regions is that proposals to legislate mitigation targets may not be based on a technically and economically feasible strategy to deliver emission reductions at reasonable economic cost. We demonstrate the contribution that economic analysis can make to promote and inform discussion of the economic and environmental trade‐offs. We consider critically proposals to adopt similar GHG mitigation frameworks as other parts of the UK, in particular taking account of the interdependency of different sectors in the regional economy. A regional Computable General Equilibrium model is used to analyse the impacts of policy shocks designed to reduce GHG emissions in the absence of mitigation technology adoption. We conclude that in a small open economy, without the adoption of feasible technology, there is a risk of serious damage to agri‐food competitiveness with relatively limited economy‐wide environmental gain, leading to trade diversion and GHG emission leakages. Great care is needed in regional GHG policy design, based on robust evidence, so as not to over‐promise and to balance environmental and economic implications.
Group facilitators' perceptions of the attributes that contribute to the effectiveness of group‐based chronic disease self‐management education programs
Authors: Odgers‐Jewell Kate , Hughes Roger , Isenring Elisabeth , Desbrow Ben , Leveritt Michael 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAimThis qualitative study aimed to explore group facilitators' perceptions of the attributes contributing to the effectiveness of group‐based chronic disease self‐management education programs.MethodsFourteen group facilitators across a range of disciplines (dietitians, nurses, exercise physiologists, social workers and physiotherapists) individually participated in semistructured interviews, which explored facilitators' awareness of the theoretical basis of the programs they implement, their experiences of implementation and their opinions on the attributes contributing to program effectiveness. The interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis and seeking patterning of responses.ResultsGroup facilitators were uncertain about the evidence base and theoretical development of their programs, and very few were offered any formal training prior to facilitating group education programs. Additionally, the outcome measures used by the group facilitators were limited. Group interactions, a non‐didactic delivery style, a multidisciplinary team, and using practical activities, were highlighted as attributes contributing to group program effectiveness.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that group facilitators had limited training and were unaware of the rationale for their programs, which may limit quality control. Health professionals should have an understanding of the basis of their program and be adequately trained prior to facilitating group education programs for chronic disease management. Group facilitators should additionally ensure a focus on the collection of suitable outcome measures to allow the quality improvement of programs in order to improve patient outcomes.
Bivalirudin in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, is it the Anticoagulant of Choice?
Authors: Mahmoud Ahmed , Saad Marwan , Elgendy Akram Y. , Abuzaid Ahmed , Elgendy Islam Y. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryFor decades, unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been widely used in catheterization laboratories for anticoagulation for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The direct thrombin inhibitors, bivalirudin, has emerged as an alternative to UFH for PCI procedures, due to its lower bleeding risk. More recently, randomized trials and meta‐analyses questioned the efficacy of bivalirudin, and demonstrated that bivalirudin might be associated with a higher incidence of ischemic events and in particular stent thrombosis. In this review, we discuss the pharmacology of bivalirudin along with the clinical evidence comparing bivalirudin versus UFH in patients undergoing PCI for various indications.
Damage‐associated molecular patterns and immune activation in bipolar disorder
Authors: Stertz L. , Fries G. R. , Rosa A. R. , Kauer‐Sant'anna M. , Ferrari P. , Paz A. V. C. , Green C. , Cunha Â. B. M. , Dal‐Pizzol F. , Gottfried C. , Kapczinski F. 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveImmune activation in bipolar disorder (BD) has been frequently reported. Damage‐associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are key players in the immune activation reaction. The aim of this study was to assess DAMP levels in drug‐free patients with BD during acute episodes.MethodSerum levels of a predetermined set of DAMPs were assessed in drug‐free patients with BD (n = 20) during an acute mood episode. We also included two control groups: healthy subjects, used as a negative control (n = 20); and patients with sepsis, used as a positive control for severe immune activation (n = 20).ResultsMultivariate analysis using generalized linear mixed model indicated that all DAMPs differed as a function of group membership after controlling for age and addressing multiplicity (P < 0.0006 for all comparisons). Follow‐up analyses showed higher levels in BD subjects of circulating cell‐free (ccf) nuclear (n)DNA (P = 0.02), HSP70 (P = 0.03) and HSP90α (P = 0.02) as compared to healthy subjects. Also, patients with BD showed lower levels of ccf nDNA (P = 0.04), HSP60 (P = 0.03), HSP70 (P = 0.01), and HSP90α (P = 0.002) as compared to patients with sepsis and higher levels of ccf mitochondrial DNA (P < 0.0001).ConclusionThe present findings may be linked to the inflammatory activity previously described among patients with BD and may help in the development of more targeted and personalized treatments for patients under acute episodes of BD.
Microbiological and physicochemical properties of dry‐cured neck inoculated with probiotic of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB‐12
Authors: Libera Justyna , Karwowska Małgorzata , Stasiak Dariusz M. , Dolatowski Zbigniew J. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryThe effect of inoculum level of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB‐12 probiotic strain and ripening period on the quality of dry‐cured neck was studied. The microbiological parameters (Enterobacteriaceae, LAB and TVC) and physicochemical attributes (pH value, aw, TBARS index, colour) were determined directly after fermentation at 15 °C for 3 weeks, after 6 and 12 months of ripening at 4 °C. The highest LAB count and a lower pH value were found in the meat inoculated with probiotic strain at 6.6 log cfu g−1 (B2) followed by inoculation with probiotic strain at 6.3 log cfu g−1 (B1). Level of inoculation had not had an influence on water activity, TBARS index and total colour parameters. Changes of fat oxidation during half‐year of ripening were limited in probiotic meat samples compared to naturally fermented control meat (C). Based on the results, it can be concluded that the most favourable physicochemical and microbiological parameters of the dry‐cured neck were obtained after 6 months of ripening. At that time, the Bifidobacterium BB‐12 at both levels is a good potential starter for meat fermentation.
A Case of Drug Eruption Due to Simultaneous Sensitization with Three Different Kinds of Drugs
Authors: Nagayama Hirotoshi , Nakamura Yasuhiro , Shinkai Hiroshi 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWe reported a case of drug eruption induced by combined treatment with three different kinds of drugs, amoxapine, mexiletine hydrochloride and cefaclor. A 63‐year‐old Japanese woman suffering from 11 years of standing reflex sympathetic dystrophy developed multiple erythematous papules on her trunk and extremities after taking 14 kinds of drugs. The provocation challenge produced positive reactions to amoxapine, mexiletine hydrochloride, and cefaclor, but was negative to the other drugs. We discussed the mechanism of simultaneous sensitization to three different kinds of drugs in our case.