bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conceptualizing and implementing the distributed leadership practices in Indian organizations
Authors: K. Jain Ajay , Jeppe Jeppesen Hans 
Published: April 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to measure employees’ attitude toward distributed leadership (DL) practices and investigate the challenges involved in implementing DL practices in Indian organizations.Design/methodology/approach– This study is conducted within an exploratory research framework. The data were collected from 180 young middle-level executives from a diverse group of industry sectors belonging to private and multinational organization located in northern part of India. Unstructured (personal interviews and focus group interviews) and structured interview schedule (questionnaire) were administered to measure employees’ attitude and challenges of implementation.Findings– The qualitative and quantitative analytic strategies were adopted to analyze the data. Results of exploratory factors analysis showed the existence of five underlying dimensions about the significance of DL practices, namely, self-initiatives, improved functioning, achieving organizational goals, accountability and mutual respect. Furthermore, results showed the importance of contextual factors in implementing DL practices namely horizontal structure, professionalism, work commitment and power sharing. Also, the attitudinal dimensions were found to be positively correlated with the dimensions of implementing DL practices in Indian work context.Research limitations/implications– This study strengthens the importance of measuring employees’ attitudes that can be a good predictor of implementing best practices in organizations. The major limitation of this study is of the small sample size and has been limited to young managers.Originality/value– This is an original paper based on the empirical data from Indian managers. No study is conducted on the concept of distributing leadership in Indian work context on a similar or related theme.
Dynamics and traits of entrepreneurship: an Islamic approach
Authors: Hoque Nazamul , Mamun Abdullahil , Mohammad Ahshanul Mamun Abdullah 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to develop traits and model of entrepreneurship development from Islamic point of view.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study is descriptive, in so far as its goal is to describe a method, and the nature of the paper is conceptual. The study draws on secondary materials through library research.

Findings
– In this paper both the traits as well as model of entrepreneurship are developed from Islamic perspective. The salient traits are knowledge, initiative, risk taking, customer orientation, employee involvement, strategic thinking, fear of Allah, hard working, innovativeness, excellence, honesty and truthfulness, morality, vision, optimism, patience, social welfare, Halal earnings and economical. The model would be used for developing entrepreneurship from Islamic perspective by performing various types of activities relating to the phases of preparatory and awareness development, support and motivation and feedback.

Research limitations/implications
– The paper has implications for government, potential entrepreneurs and existing entrepreneurs of Muslim countries representing one fourth of the world population. It is also expected that the study will help and encourage Islamic scholars to think over the matter and make them more aware in developing entrepreneurship based on Quran and Sunna in the modern business world.

Practical implications
– The findings of this research can be used as a guide to develop entrepreneurship in Muslim countries from Islamic point of view. The study could have practical implications falling within the purview of social sciences such as economics, business studies, public administration, political science, development studies, sociology, law, Quranic science, industrial management, education and human resource management.

Originality/value
– While many studies, partially, have focussed on traditional entrepreneurship sparing the demand of Muslim world, in this paper, the authors open a new avenue contributing to the literature on entrepreneurship development from Islamic perspective. The proposed model will be of genuine interest and benefits to government as prime policymaker, existing entrepreneurs, potential entrepreneurs, Islamic scholars and academicians.
Uncertainty: the Curate's egg in financial economics
Authors: Pixley Jocelyn 
Published: April 2014

AbstractEconomic theories of uncertainty are unpopular with financial experts. As sociologists, we rightly refuse predictions, but the uncertainties of money are constantly sifted and turned into semi‐denial by a financial economics set on somehow beating the future. Picking out ‘bits’ of the future as ‘risk’ and ‘parts’ as ‘information’ is attractive but socially dangerous, I argue, because money's promises are always uncertain. New studies of uncertainty are reversing sociology's neglect of the unavoidable inability to know the forces that will shape the financial future.
Examining the Association between Utilization Management and Downstream Cardiovascular Imaging
Authors: Agiro Abiy , Sylwestrzak Gosia , Shah Christiane , Power Thomas , DeVries Andrea 
Published: April 2014

ObjectivesTo examine the association of echocardiography utilization management (EUM) program with downstream cardiac imaging utilization.Data Sources/Study SettingAdministrative claims data from commercial health plans in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Georgia.Study DesignPatients undergoing index cardiovascular imaging with no imaging in the preceding year were identified (N = 112,308). Claims‐derived cardiac risk scores were used for one‐to‐one propensity score matching of patients subject to EUM to patients without EUM (n = 96,906). Downstream cardiac imaging utilization for 12–24 months postindex imaging was analyzed using generalized linear models and Cox proportional hazards model.Principal FindingsDownstream cardiac imaging tests were performed for 10,630 (21.9 percent) and 12,012 (24.8 percent) patients in the EUM and non‐EUM groups, respectively. At 12‐month follow‐up, adjusted utilization was 15.2 (95 percent CI, 7.6–22.5) tests per 1,000 initially tested patients lower in the EUM group (p < .001). The likelihood of obtaining downstream cardiac imaging in the EUM group was 7.0 percent lower than the non‐EUM group (hazard ratio: 0.930; 95 percent CI, 0.897–0.964, p < .001).ConclusionsDownstream cardiac imaging is relatively common among commercially insured patients. Every 10 initial diagnostic tests yielded two downstream imaging tests in first 24 months. EUM program was associated with lower volumes of downstream imaging.
Community Factors and Hospital Readmission Rates
Authors: Herrin Jeph , St. Andre Justin , Kenward Kevin , Joshi Maulik S. , Audet Anne‐Marie J. , Hines Stephen C. 
Published: April 2014

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between community factors and hospital readmission rates.Data Sources/Study SettingWe examined all hospitals with publicly reported 30‐day readmission rates for patients discharged during July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2010, with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF), or pneumonia (PN). We linked these to publicly available county data from the Area Resource File, the Census, Nursing Home Compare, and the Neilsen PopFacts datasets.Study DesignWe used hierarchical linear models to assess the effect of county demographic, access to care, and nursing home quality characteristics on the pooled 30‐day risk‐standardized readmission rate.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsNot applicable.Principal FindingsThe study sample included 4,073 hospitals. Fifty‐eight percent of national variation in hospital readmission rates was explained by the county in which the hospital was located. In multivariable analysis, a number of county characteristics were found to be independently associated with higher readmission rates, the strongest associations being for measures of access to care. These county characteristics explained almost half of the total variation across counties.ConclusionsCommunity factors, as measured by county characteristics, explain a substantial amount of variation in hospital readmission rates.
Sub‐dissociative‐dose intranasal ketamine for moderate to severe pain in adult emergency department patients
Authors: Yeaman Fiona , Meek Robert , Egerton‐Warburton Diana , Rosengarten Pamela , Graudins Andis 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBackgroundThere are currently no studies assessing effectiveness of sub‐dissociative intranasal (IN) ketamine as the initial analgesic for adult patients in the ED.ObjectiveThe study aims to examine the effectiveness of sub‐dissociative IN ketamine as a primary analgesic agent for adult patients in the ED.MethodThis is a prospective, observational study of adult ED patients presenting with severe pain (≥6 on 11‐point scale at triage). IN ketamine dose was 0.7 mg/kg, with secondary dose of 0.5 mg/kg at 15 min if pain did not improve. After 6 months, initial dose was increased to 1.0 mg/kg with the same optional secondary dose.Primary outcomesThe primary outcomes are change in VAS rating at 30 min; percentage of patients reporting clinically significant reduction in VAS (≥20 mm) at 30 min; dose resulting in clinically significant pain reduction.ResultsOf the 72 patients available for analysis, median age was 34.5 years and 64% were men. Median initial VAS rating was 76 mm (interquartile range [IQR]: 65–82). Median total dose of IN ketamine for all patients was 0.98 mg/kg (IQR: 0.75–1.15, range: 0.59–1.57). Median reduction in VAS rating at 30 min was 24 mm (IQR: 2–45). Forty (56%, 95% CI: 44.0–66.7) reported VAS reduction ≥20 mm, these patients having had a total median ketamine dose of 0.94 mg/kg (IQR: 0.72–1.04).ConclusionIN ketamine, at a dose of about 1 mg/kg, was an effective analgesic agent in 56% of study patients. The place of IN ketamine in analgesic guidelines for adults requires further investigation.
Implications for public access defibrillation placement by non‐traumatic out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest occurrence in Singapore
Authors: Zakaria Nur Diana , Ong Marcus Eng Hock , Gan Han Nee , Foo David , Doctor Nausheen , Leong Benjamin Sieu‐Hon , Goh E Shaun , Ng Yih Yng , Tham Lai Peng , Charles Rabind , Shahidah Nur , Sultana Papia , Anantharaman Venkataraman ,   PAROS study group
Published: April 2014

AbstractIntroductionThe American Heart Association recommends automated external defibrillator placement in public areas with a high probability (>1) of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurring in 5 years. We aimed to determine the incidence rate of OHCA for different location categories in Singapore.MethodsCardiac arrest incidence was obtained from a national registry. Denominators for the actual number of sites per location category were obtained from public accessible sources, government officers and purchased statistics. Analysis was performed and expressed in terms of the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsFrom 1 October 2001 to 14 October 2004, 2254 non‐trauma OHCA cases were included. Mean age for arrests was 62.2 years, with 67.5% men. The location category with the highest incidence of cardiac arrests per site per 5 years was Port/Airport/Immigration Checkpoints (5.24 CI [3.66–7.20]). Top individual site with high average incidence of cardiac arrests per 5 years was Changi Airport (25.0 CI [16.18–36.90]). Seventy‐one per cent of arrests occurred in residential areas. The postal sector with the highest average incidence per 100 000 population was Bedok Reservoir (54.89), whereas that with the highest population density was Bukit Merah/Alexandra with 348.14 population per 100 km2.ConclusionIn this study, we found the categories and individual sites that clearly fulfilled the American Heart Association criteria of at least 1 OHCA per site per 5 years. This study provides a model of how cardiac arrest registry data can be used to guide local health policy on automated external defibrillator deployment.
Ultrasound use in Australasian emergency departments: A survey of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Fellows and Trainees
Authors: Craig Simon , Egerton‐Warburton Diana , Mellett Tanya 
Published: April 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo describe current practice of EDUS by ACEM Trainees and Fellows; to describe potential barriers to US use in the Australasian setting; to determine compliance with current college guidelines regarding US credentialing.MethodsData were collected by a cross‐sectional online survey. Respondents were Trainees and Fellows of the ACEM. Outcome measures included the percentage of respondents currently undergoing or that had completed US credentialing for Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) and assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) scans. The perceived barriers to use of emergency US were explored.ResultsThere were 512 survey respondents, giving an overall response rate of 15%. Fellows were more likely to be credentialed compared with Trainees. There were 61% of respondents not credentialed for FAST and assessment of AAA scans. However, a significant proportion performed these scans regularly, and did not routinely seek independent confirmation of their findings. Barriers to credentialing included limited time and no credentialing programme at the individual's hospital.ConclusionsThe present study showed that only a minority of ACEM Trainees and Fellows are credentialed to perform routine ED scans. Many non‐credentialed ACEM Trainees and Fellows are performing scans, many without independent confirmation of their findings.
Small and Semi‐subsistence Farms in the EU: Significance and Development Paths
Authors: Davidova Sophia 
Published: April 2014

SummaryIn Europe, family farming is an umbrella concept which incorporates farms of many different types and sizes. Some are specialised commercial operations, while others produce mainly to satisfy household food needs, the so‐called semi‐subsistence farms (SSFs). In 2010, there were 8.1 million farms in the EU‐27 farming less than 5 ha, including 5.6 million holdings of under 2 ha. Small‐scale farming is socially of key importance in providing income and in keeping millions of farmers and their households in rural areas, thus avoiding depopulation. SSFs account for almost half of all agricultural holdings in the EU‐27, and about three‐quarters of small holdings under 2 ha of agricultural area. Their distribution varies greatly between MSs but they are located predominantly in the New Member States and the Southern EU‐15. Three main paths of development for SSFs and small farms in the EU can be envisaged, with different implications for policy: Disappearance due to absorption into larger commercialised farm holdings, or to land abandonment (e.g. in remoter areas); Transformation of SSFs into small commercial farms via greater market integration – the main development path sought by EU Rural Development policy and Continuation through diversification, non‐agricultural wage employment, or ‘forced’ re‐entry as successive family generations do not have other income sources.
Current EU Policy Treatment of Small and Semi‐subsistence Farms
Authors: Thomson Kenneth J. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryThe CAP comprises a well‐developed system of common farm income support but a much weaker set of structural instruments which tackle the obvious problems of many small and semi‐subsistence farmers (SSFs) in most parts of the European Union, especially in the New Member States which joined in the 2000s. This policy imbalance derived from both Member State reluctance to agree on a common set of instruments directed at such issues, and a general focus on full‐time or main‐occupation farmers, to the neglect of part‐time farming and other income sources. In the CAP to date, Pillar I payments are based largely on farm size. Along with minimum eligibility criteria, this has resulted in a policy bias against small and SSFs, while residual market support measures tend to favour larger farms. Pillar II measures, with their more flexible programming and eligibility structures, are potentially more valuable to small and SSFs. However, such farms are often excluded in practice, either directly due to eligibility criteria built into the design of Rural Development Programmes, or indirectly due to complex application procedures or the associated risk‐taking.
Farm Size: Why Should We Care?
Authors: Rabinowicz Ewa 
Published: April 2014

SummaryFarm size matters for two reasons: the poverty of (some but not all) small farmers, and their environmentally friendly practices. Encouraging structural change to increase incomes and discouraging it to preserve biodiversity seems impossible, but clever design of agri‐environmental schemes (AESs) can help. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) objective of a fair standard of living for farmers still applies, but paying peanuts to many semi‐subsistence farms (SSFs) and large amounts to a few big farms, as in Romania and Bulgaria, is not acceptable. In post‐war Finland, many small farms/SSFs were created for refugees, and support was differentiated according to size, in order to address poverty, labour surplus and food security, but certainly slowed structural change, and reduced agricultural efficiency. Direct CAP payments cannot substitute for social policy. The only long‐term solution given the present size of the agricultural labour force is for farm labour to leave the sector. The CAP could encourage non‐farm employment and suitable skills through its Rural Development Programmes (RDPs). There are several suitable measures in the proposed new RDP regulation. In contrast to most farm business investment, preservation of biodiversity contributes to a public good. Hence, there is a case for public support for small farms through targeted and monitored AES payments.
Structural Change and Agricultural Policy for SSFs: a View from the 2004 NMSs
Authors: Erjavec Emil , Fałkowski Jan , Juvančič Luka 
Published: April 2014

SummaryThe many semi‐subsistence farms (SSFs) in the ten New Member States joining the EU in 2004 (the 2004 NMSs) may be seen as a legacy of communism, or the result of neglect. A highly fragmented farm structure either existed before transition to a market economy, or resulted from the land reforms of the 1990s. Remote areas have seen agriculture permanently abandoned, and consequent depopulation. In more accessible areas, small farms and SSFs have often become less labour‐intensive, or have added value by innovative marketing. However, rural–urban disparities have increased. Most SSFs exist to survive rural poverty, and off‐farm employment is becoming the predominant strategy. Farm diversification often remains beyond these farms’ resources, and their economic role, particularly in local food chains, has declined; quality‐label designation has yet to add significant value. Pillar I payments may have slowed structural change, especially where SSFs are important. Such farms have not been among Pillar II priorities, and the 2004 NMSs have differed on their funding and eligibility criteria. Moreover, SSFs have few direct economic linkages with large infrastructural or corporate projects supported by other (structural) EU funds. The policy problem is not so much one of substance, but more a matter of priorities and focus in policy design and implementation.
Are alcohol policies associated with alcohol consumption in low‐ and middle‐income countries?
Authors: Cook Won Kim , Bond Jason , Greenfield Thomas K. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractAimsTo examine the associations between alcohol control policies in four regulatory domains with alcohol consumption in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LAMICs), controlling for country‐level living standards and drinking patterns.DesignCross‐sectional analyses of individual‐level alcohol consumption survey data and country‐level alcohol policies using multi‐level modeling.SettingData from 15 LAMICs collected in the Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: an International Study (GENACIS) data set.ParticipantsIndividuals aged 18–65 years.MeasurementsAlcohol policy data compiled by the World Health Organization; individual‐level current drinking status, usual quantity and frequency of drinking, binge drinking frequency and total drinking volume; gross domestic product based on purchasing power parity (GDP‐PPP) per capita; detrimental drinking pattern scale; and age and gender as individual‐level covariates.FindingsAlcohol policies regulating the physical availability of alcohol, particularly those concerning business hours or involving a licensing system for off‐premises alcohol retail sales, as well as minimum legal drinking age, were the most consistent predictors of alcohol consumption. Aggregate relative alcohol price levels were associated inversely with all drinking variables (P < 0.05) except drinking volume. Greater restrictions on alcohol advertising, particularly beer advertising, were associated inversely with alcohol consumption (P < 0.05). Policies that set legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for drivers and random breath testing to enforce BAC limits were not associated significantly with alcohol consumption.ConclusionsAlcohol policies that regulate the physical availability of alcohol are associated with lower alcohol consumption in low‐ and middle‐income countries.
Results of pancreatic resection associated with portal vein resection in an Australian tertiary care centre
Authors: Iorgulescu Dragos G. , Ling Sophia , Nikfarjam Mehrdad , Fink Michael A. , Jones Robert , Muralidharan Vijayaragavan , Starkey Graham , Christophi Christopher 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBackgroundPortal vein resection (PVR) with pancreatectomy is now accepted practice in cases with involvement by tumour. We present our experience of this procedure with particular emphasis on morbidity and survival.MethodsA retrospective case‐control analysis of a prospectively maintained database between 2004 and 2012 was undertaken. A total of 17 patients had pancreatic resections with PVR for cancer and were compared with 17 patients with identical tumour type and stage who underwent pancreatic resection without PVR next in chronological order. Information obtained included patient demographics, radiological and histological evidence of major vein involvement and post‐operative morbidity. Disease‐ and recurrence‐free survival were calculated using Kaplan–Meier curves.ResultsProcedures associated with PVR included pancreatico‐duodenectomy in 11 and total pancreatectomy in six. Three patients underwent pancreatic resection as a re‐operation. Pathological staging showed 2× T2N0, 5× T3N0, 1× T1N1, 2× T2N1 and 7× T3N1 tumours. Seven PVR patients (41%) had post‐operative morbidity Clavien 3 and 4, compared with none in no‐PVR group, but rates of Clavien 1 and 2 complications were similar. Six PVR patients developed PV thrombosis (35%), all with significant clinical consequences. Comparing the PVR group with the no‐PVR group, there was significantly reduced median overall survival in (13.8 versus 43.1 months; P = 0.028) and recurrence‐free survival (7.5 months versus 39.7; P = 0.004).ConclusionsSurvival of patients after pancreatectomy with PVR was reduced and morbidity was high compared with no‐PVR. Delayed portal vein thrombosis due to recurrence was common. Routine post‐operative anticoagulation may be indicated in this group.