bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Establishing the DEA energy management system for individual departments within universities
Authors: Tu Kung-Jen 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to present the theoretical framework of the “data envelopment analysis (DEA) Energy Management System (DEMS)” proposed to assist individual departments occupying the same buildings on university campus in assessing the energy efficiencies of their facilities, as well as to demonstrate the implementation results of the DEMS applied in the case of the Department of Architecture of NTUST in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach
– The proposed DEMS considers each “space” within a department in a given “time” (such as a month) as a decision-making unit (DMU). Then, regression analysis is performed on data of “existing environment”, “occupancy” factors and “actual energy consumption EUI (energy usage intensity)” related variables. The regression equation derived is then used to calculate the “predicted EUI” for all DMUs. The “actual EUI” is further considered as the input data and the “predicted EUI” as the output data of the DEMS, on which data envelopment analysis is conducted to produce three types of energy-efficiency scores (overall efficiency, scale efficiency, pure technical efficiency) to indicate the energy efficiencies of all DMUs.

Findings
– The DEMS was developed and further implemented in the Department of Architecture of NTUST in Taiwan to illustrate how it can be used to assist individual departments within universities in assessing the energy management effectiveness of their spaces.

Research limitations/implications
– The accuracy of the energy-efficiency scores depends greatly on the accuracy of the predicted EUIs of spaces, and, therefore, it is critical to identify a better regression model with higher predictability (R2). The relatively low actual EUIs of certain student spaces during winter and summer breaks may greatly affect the resulting energy-efficiency scores.

Practical implications
– The DEMS allows facility managers to assess and compare the energy-efficiency scores “among different spaces”, to further review the energy efficiency of a space “over time” and to recognize the benchmark cases and pursue actions for energy improvement.

Originality/value
– This study explores the research concepts of “space type” and “internal benchmark” with an analytical method “data envelopment analysis” to assess the energy efficiency of an individual department which may only occupy certain floors of a building.
On the running-in behavior of rough surface of piston rings in mixed lubrication regime
Authors: Cheng Jun , Meng Xianghui , Xie Youbai , Li Wenxiang 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to study the real-time change of surface roughness at different small regions of piston rings during running-in process. Meanwhile, the effects of real-time change of the rough surface topography on the lubrication and friction of piston rings are investigated.

Design/methodology/approach
– An uneven wear model has been developed to research the running-in behavior at the different small regions of piston rings. The model is verified by comparing the simulation results with the experimental results on a reciprocating friction and wear test rig.

Findings
– This research shows that the wear process of piston ring surface is uneven during running-in. At most time of the operating cycle except the vicinity of top dead center and bottom dead center, the minimum oil film thickness ratio increases while the friction force and power loss decrease after the running-in period.

Originality/value
– Through this research, the running-in behavior of piston rings is investigated in detail. The interaction between the running-in and the lubrication and friction of piston rings is understood more deeply.
Synthesis and lubricating properties of neopentyl glycol oligoesters based on rapeseed oil
Authors: Liao Dezhong , He Jieyu , Mao Lixin , Xu Yixue 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The aim of this work is to synthesize neopentyl glycol oligoesters based on adipic acid and rapeseed oil (NOAR) which may be used as the renewable and environmentally acceptable base fluids to replace mineral oils in the future.

Design/methodology/approach
– Oligomeric intermediates were synthesized in the first esterification of neopentyl glycol with adipic acid and characterized by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) to calculate the average oligomerisation degree. NOAR were synthesized in the second esterification of oligomeric intermediates with rapeseed oil fatty acid. The effects of average oligomerisation degree on the viscosity, viscosity index, pour point, oxidative stability and biodegradability of NOAR were investigated; the tribological properties and thermal stability of NOAR were evaluated by four-ball tribometer and TGA, respectively.

Findings
– Results show that with the increase of average oligomerisation degree from 2.10 to 4.34, the viscosity of NOAR increased from 101.1 to 182.0 (mm2/s) at 40°C and 18.3 to 30.1 (mm2/s) at 100°, respectively, and their oxidation stability can be improved as well. The yields of NOAR were 83.3-89.4 per cent, and the evaluated properties were as follows: viscosity index of over 200, pour point of below −43°C, biodegradation rate of more than 96 per cent, maximum non-seizure load (PB value) of 784 N, wear scar diameters of 0.40 mm and thermal decomposition temperature of higher than 300°C.

Originality/value
– This work provides a method to synthesize rapeseed oil-based oligoesters which can serve as the renewable and environmentally acceptable base fluids with tunable viscosity by controlling the oligomerisation degree of esterification.
Comparative performance-related fund flows for Malaysian Islamic and conventional equity funds
Authors: Marzuki Ainulashikin , Worthington Andrew 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to compare the fund flow – performance relationship for Islamic and conventional equity funds in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors use panel regression models to estimate the relationship between fund flows and performance for Islamic and conventional equity funds in Malaysia from 2001 to 2009. The data for each fund include fund flows, assets under management, management expenses, fund age, portfolio turnover, fund risk and return and the number of funds in the fund’s family. The authors also include market returns and year effects. The sample consists of 127 Malaysian equity funds with at least 65 per cent domestic equity holdings comprising 35 Islamic and 92 conventional equity funds.

Findings
– Islamic fund investors respond to performance in much the same way as conventional fund investors, increasing fund flows to better performing funds and decreasing fund flows to poorer performing funds. However, there is also evidence that Islamic fund investors are relatively less responsive toward poorly performing Islamic funds, suggesting an asymmetry in the expected positive fund flow – performance relationship, but only for Islamic fund investors. When choosing funds based on other fund attributes, Islamic fund investors again exhibit similar behaviour, and like conventional fund investors direct larger percentage fund flows into smaller funds as well as funds with larger past fund flows and higher expense ratios.

Research limitations/implications
– The authors were only able to access data on annual net fund flows not quarterly or monthly fund inflows and outflows as usual in developed markets and this may obscure some important aspects of investor decision-making. There is also insufficient data for matched-sample techniques, which may better control for fund-specific characteristics.

Practical implications
– Islamic funds like conventional funds will experience increased fund flows with better performance and vice versa. However, Islamic fund investors appear somewhat less likely to remove monies from poorly performing funds. The authors believe this is because investors either place a premium on the non-return attributes of Shariah-compliant funds and/or wish to avoid search costs in finding another suitable Islamic fund. Apart from this, Islamic and conventional fund investors behave in a similar manner, and the authors believe that this is possible in Malaysia given the size and diversity of its Islamic fund sector.

Originality/value
– This paper is one of the very few empirical studies concerning the behaviour of Islamic investors, particularly in Malaysia, primarily because of limitations in data availability.
IsWa’danany different toMuwa’adah? Empirical evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Abdullah Md. Faruk , Ab Rahman Asmak 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The study aims to considerwa’dan-based products in Islamic banks in Malaysia and discuss the validity ofwa’danin those products from the perspective of Shari’ah.Design/methodology/approach– Case studies were conducted of three Islamic banks in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with bankers as well as Shari’ah scholars. The document analysis method was adopted to strengthen the findings.Findings– The study shows that three Islamic banking products:Musyarakah Mutanaqisah(MM) home and property financing;Al-Ijarah Thumma Al-Bai’(AITAB) vehicle financing; andIjarahrental swap (IRS) usewa’danin their product structures. After discussing the different views of the scholars, the study concludes thatwa’danshould be allowed in the above-mentioned products because it is different frommuwa’adah. Inwa’dan, every single wa’d is separate from each other, as every one of them is related to different types of events. With regard to the issue ofShari’ahin MM home and property financing, it was concluded that wa’d from the customer to purchase the bank’s share is not a capital guarantee. Moreover, IRS is not a form of gambling but is in line with Maqasid al-Shari’ah.Research limitations/implications– The study is limited to three Islamic banks in Malaysia that focus on retail and commercial banking products. Therefore, the study excludes application ofwa’danin sukuk and some other Islamic derivatives that are not the practice of these three banks.Originality/value– This empirical study adds new knowledge by developing the concept and practice ofwa’dan.Wa’danas an innovative tool for product development to overcomeShari’ahissues in conventional banking may be of interest to practitioners all around the world.
Brand trust in a cross-cultural context: test for robustness of an alternative measurement model
Authors: Li Fuan , Xu Lan , Li Tiger , Zhou Nan 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide further validation of an alternative measurement model of brand trust and demonstrate the robustness and measurement invariance of the model in a cross-cultural context.Design/methodology/approach– Survey data collected from the USA and China were submitted to the alternative measurement model. Amos 7.0 was used in testing the robustness and stability of the proposed model.Findings– The results provide strong support for the stability and robustness of the alternative model. The multidimensional scale satisfies the minimum requirement of configural invariance and metric invariance.Research limitations/implications– The findings confirm that the multidimensional scale of brand trust can be meaningfully used in countries with distinct cultures. However, further testing may be needed given that the present study involves only two countries.Practical implications– Overall brand trust is shown to be a function of consumers’ trust in specific aspects of a brand. Thus, it is imperative that brand managers make every effort to build consumers’ trust in performance competence and/or benevolent intention.Originality/value– The present research demonstrates the robustness of the alternative measurement model of brand trust. It also exemplifies a way of testing a measurement model that involves a second-order construct and formative indicators.
DNA Analysis and Document Examination: The Impact of Each Technique on Respective Analyses
Authors: Parsons Lauren , Sharfe Gordon , Vintiner Sue 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThreatening letters, counterfeit documents, and anonymous notes can commonly be encountered in criminal situations. Such handwritten documents may encourage DNA to transfer from the writer's hands and lower arms when these areas come into contact with the document. As any DNA transferred is likely to be at a low level, sensitive low copy number (LCN) DNA analysis can be employed for testing document exhibits. In this study, we determine locations on the document that are most commonly touched during writing and handling and compare DNA recovery from these sites. We describe the impact of DNA sampling on subsequent document examination techniques including the ESDA® and likewise the effect of the ESDA® and two other document examination techniques on subsequent DNA analysis. The findings from this study suggest that DNA results can be obtained through targeted sampling of document evidence, but that care is required when ordering these examination strategies.
Molecular characterization, tissue and developmental expression profiles of cryptochrome genes in wing dimorphic brown planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens
Authors: Xu Jing‐Jing , Wan Gui‐Jun , Hu Ding‐Bang , He Juan , Chen Fa‐Jun , Wang Xian‐Hui , Hua Hong‐Xia , Pan Wei‐Dong 
Published: July 2015

AbstractCryptochromes (CRYs) are blue and UV light photoreceptors, known to play key roles in circadian rhythms and in the light‐dependent magnetosensitivity of insects. Two novel cryptochrome genes were cloned from the brown planthopper, and were given the designations of Nlcry1 and Nlcry2, with the accession numbers KM108578 and KM108579 in GenBank. The complementary DNA sequences of Nlcry1 and Nlcry2 are 1935 bp and 2463 bp in length, and they contain an open reading frame of 1629 bp and 1872 bp, encoding amino acids of 542 and 623, with a predicted molecular weight of 62.53 kDa and 70.60 kDa, respectively. Well‐conserved motifs such as DNA‐photolyase and FAD‐binding‐7 domains were observed in Nlcry1 and Nlcry2. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the proteins of Nlcry1 and Nlcry2 to be clustered into the insect's cryptochrome 1 and cryptochrome 2, respectively. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the daily oscillations of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the head of the brown planthopper were mild for Nlcry1, and modest for Nlcry2. Throughout all developmental stages, Nlcry1 and Nlcry2 exhibited extreme fluctuations and distinctive expression profiles. Cryptochrome mRNA expression peaked immediately after adult emergence and then decreased subsequently. The tissue expression profiles of newly emerged brown planthopper adults showed higher expression levels of CRYs in the head than in the thorax or abdomen, as well as significantly higher levels of CRYs in the heads of the macropterous strain than in the heads of the brachypterous strain. Taken together, the results of our study suggest that the two cryptochrome genes characterized in the brown planthopper might be associated with developmental physiology and migration.
Appropriate therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus in view of pancreatic β‐cell glucose toxicity: “the earlier, the better”
Authors: Kaneto Hideaki , Matsuoka Taka‐aki , Kimura Tomohiko , Obata Atsushi , Shimoda Masashi , Kamei Shinji , Mune Tomoatsu , Kaku Kohei 
Published: July 2015

AbstractPancreatic β‐cells secrete insulin when blood glucose levels become high; however, when β‐cells are chronically exposed to hyperglycemia, β‐cell function gradually deteriorates, which is known as β‐cell glucose toxicity. In the diabetic state, nuclear expression of the pancreatic transcription factors pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX‐1) and v‐Maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene family, protein A (MafA) is decreased. In addition, incretin receptor expression in β‐cells is decreased, which is likely involved in the impairment of incretin effects in diabetes. Clinically, it is important to select appropriate therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) so that β‐cell function can be preserved. In addition, when appropriate pharmacological interventions against β‐cell glucose toxicity are started at the early stages of diabetes, β‐cell function is substantially restored, which is not observed if treatment is started at advanced stages. These observations indicate that it is likely that downregulation of pancreatic transcription factors and/or incretin receptors is involved in β‐cell dysfunction observed in T2DM and it is very important to start appropriate pharmacological intervention against β‐cell glucose toxicity in the early stages of diabetes.
Clinical outcomes of hydronephrosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Hong Seokchan , Kim Yong‐Gil , Ahn Soo Min , Bae Seung‐Hyeon , Lim Doo‐Ho , Kim Jeong Kon , Lee Chang‐Keun , Yoo Bin 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimHydronephrosis is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Bladder and/or gastrointestinal involvement in SLE are associated with development of hydronephrosis, but the management and treatment outcomes of hydronephrosis are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the clinical manifestations and factors associated with the treatment response in patients with SLE complicated by hydronephrosis.MethodA retrospective analysis was performed of all 634 SLE patients who underwent computed tomography and/or ultrasonography between January 1998 and December 2013. We reviewed the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with SLE‐associated hydronephrosis.ResultsHydronephrosis was identified in 15 patients with SLE complicated by cystitis and/or enteritis. All patients were treated initially with moderate to high doses of corticosteroids. A follow‐up imaging study showed that 11 (73.3%) of 15 patients experienced improvements in hydronephrosis, and urinary obstruction was resolved without urological intervention in the majority of these patients (8/11, 72.7%). The four patients who experienced no improvement in hydronephrosis were older than those who responded to treatment (median age [interquartile range]; 43.0 [37.5–53.0] years vs. 28.0 [21.0–38.5] years; P = 0.026). In addition, delayed treatment (≥ 1 month after onset of symptoms) with corticosteroids was more frequently observed in the non‐responding patients than in the responding patients (P = 0.011).ConclusionOur findings suggest that treatment with corticosteroids alone leads to favorable outcomes in patients with SLE‐associated hydronephrosis, except when treatment is delayed, particularly in elderly patients.
Interplay of the PtsN (EIIANtr) protein of Pseudomonas putida with its target sensor kinase KdpD
Authors: Deuschle M. , Limbrunner S. , Rother D. , Wahler S. , Chavarría M. , de Lorenzo V. , Kremling A. , Pflüger‐Grau K. 
Published: July 2015

SummaryThe nitrogen phosphotransferase system (PTSNtr) of Pseudomonas putida is a multi‐component regulatory device that participates in controlling a variety of physiological processes in a post‐translational fashion. A general survey of genes regulated by PtsN exposed transcription of the kdpFABC operon is most conspicuously affected. Measurements of kdpFp promoter activity in different pts mutants showed that PtsN is responsible for repression of kdpFABC transcription. This effect could be assigned mainly to PtsN∼P, depending on the external K+ concentration. Bacterial two‐hybrid assays demonstrated that kdpFp regulation is implemented through direct interaction of the PtsN protein with the sensor kinase KdpD of the KdpD/KdpE two‐component system. Interaction between KdpD and PtsN was detectable with a PtsN variant that imitates the non‐phosphorylated form as well as with a PtsN type mimicking the phosphorylated form of PtsN. These results raise a regulatory scenario in which the Kdp system is regulated by the action of PtsN through direct interaction with the sensor kinase KdpD, and the outcome of such an interaction depends on the phosphorylation state of PtsN as well as on the external K+ concentration.
High protists diversity in the plankton of sulfurous lakes and lagoons examined by 18s rRNA gene sequence analyses
Authors: Triadó‐Margarit Xavier , Casamayor Emilio O. 
Published: July 2015

SummaryDiversity of small protists was studied in sulfidic and anoxic (euxinic) stratified karstic lakes and coastal lagoons by 18S rRNA gene analyses. We hypothesized a major sulfide effect, reducing protist diversity and richness with only a few specialized populations adapted to deal with low‐redox conditions and high‐sulfide concentrations. However, genetic fingerprinting suggested similar ecological diversity in anoxic and sulfurous than in upper oxygen rich water compartments with specific populations inhabiting euxinic waters. Many of them agreed with genera previously identified by microscopic observations, but also new and unexpected groups were detected. Most of the sequences matched a rich assemblage of Ciliophora (i.e., Coleps, Prorodon, Plagiopyla, Strombidium, Metopus, Vorticella and Caenomorpha, among others) and algae (mainly Cryptomonadales). Unidentified Cercozoa, Fungi, Stramenopiles and Discoba were recurrently found. The lack of GenBank counterparts was higher in deep hypolimnetic waters and appeared differentially allocated in the different taxa, being higher within Discoba and lower in Cryptophyceae. A larger number of populations than expected were specifically detected in the deep sulfurous waters, with unknown ecological interactions and metabolic capabilities.
Is Tax Avoidance Associated with Economically Significant Rent Extraction among U.S. Firms?
Authors: Blaylock Bradley S. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractTwo influential papers in the tax‐avoidance literature (Desai and Dharmapala ; Desai, Dyck, and Zingales ) argue that aggressive forms of tax avoidance employ technologies that complement managerial rent extraction, and provide supporting evidence from firms in Russia. Several papers rely on this theory to motivate and interpret tests in a U.S. setting, but these tests are open to multiple interpretations. This paper investigates the extent to which shareholders of U.S. companies are affected by any such rent extraction. The evidence is inconsistent with the tax‐avoidance technologies employed by U.S. firms allowing managers to extract sufficient rents to negatively affect future performance. Additional tests on poorly governed U.S. firms find no evidence that tax‐avoidance activities relate positively to either overinvestment or higher executive compensation, and no evidence that either complexity or the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act moderates the relation between future performance and tax avoidance. The evidence suggests that caution is warranted in interpreting evidence according to this theory in a U.S. setting.