bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the impact of supervisory support on staff experiences of training
Authors: Koski Katja , Martikainen Kaisa , Burakoff Katja , Vesala Hannu , Launonen Kaisa 
Published: March 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to evaluate the role of the supervisor's support on the effectiveness of a communication training program targeted at staff members who work with individuals who have profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach
– The aim was to explore which aspects of supervisory support influenced the staff members to participate in the programme and the results for the on-going effects of the training.

Findings
– Staff members reported a need for more supervisory support to maintain the results of the training and to disseminate the new practices to non-trained staff.

Originality/value
– Although supervisory support seems to benefit staff members during their participation in training programmes, even careful planning and execution of this support cannot ensure its continuation after the training is finished.
SMEs’ switching behavior in the natural gas market
Authors: Vigolo Vania , Cassia Fabio 
Published: March 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore loyalty and switching behavior among corporate energy customers in Italy. Thanks to the recent liberalization process, firms have now the opportunity to evaluate alternative energy providers and try to reduce their energy expenses. Nonetheless their switching rate in Italy is currently as low as 6.3 percent.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of the switching behavior of a sample of 110 Italian small and medium firms that purchase natural gas from a middle-sized natural gas supplier.

Findings
– The analysis emphasizes the role of price convenience (but not of dissatisfaction with the service provision) as a driver of the intention to switch to a new supplier. The negative impact of procedural and relational switching costs on the intention to switch emerges, as well.

Research limitations/implications
– The sample size was quite limited. Moreover participants were all customers of one natural gas supplier only.

Practical implications
– The findings highlight the need for gas service providers to focus on customer orientation and loyalty to stimulate customer loyalty and not just customer repurchases.

Originality/value
– Whilst a few studies have explored switching behavior and loyalty among private energy customers, this study investigates this issue among corporate energy customers.
A five-senses perspective to quality in hospitals
Authors: Maria Ugolini Marta , Rossato Chiara , Baccarani Claudio 
Published: March 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to report on research on the sensory perceptions that patients and bystanders experience during hospitalisation. Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch influence both clinical outcomes and satisfaction. The paper offers suggestions to hospital management on ways to improve receivers’ sensory perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach
– Considering services as social interactions, a subjectivist view of reality is adopted and, accordingly, a qualitative research approach implemented. Data are collected through participant observation. Desk activity includes reasoned literature review, categorisation and model adaptation.

Findings
– A simplified system model for service provision in the hospital ward is proposed. A management tool is provided in the form of a check list that the ward management can employ to assess its service-provision system from a five-senses perspective.

Research limitations/implications
– The paper is affected by judgements subject to cultural biases. The validity of the management tool is still to be tested.

Practical implications
– Once up and running, the model and the check list will be able to guide health managers towards improvements of satisfaction, clinical outcomes and working environment.

Originality/value
– The paper represents an original effort to adapt tools already used in the commercial field to influence health service receivers’ perceptions positively. While the positive results of improvements to a single sensory perception have been well documented, an integrated approach has not been put forward previously in the health industry.
Efficiency levels of sub-national governments: a comparison of SFA and DEA estimations
Authors: Pevcin Primož 
Published: March 2014

Purpose
– By utilizing the two most commonly used approaches to generate “best practice frontier” to estimate efficiency of observed units, the purpose of this research paper is to estimate technical efficiency for total population of 200 Slovenian municipalities for the 2011 fiscal year.

Design/methodology/approach
– Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods are used to estimate technical efficiency levels. Namely, the majority of studies have utilized these two “traditional” approaches. Since the advantages of one method often represent the disadvantages of the other method, the two methods have been selected to compare the results obtained on the technical efficiency levels.

Findings
– The results suggest that mean technical inefficiency should be approximately 22-25 percent (SFA method), whereas DEA method suggests the inefficiency in the range 12-18 percent. The DEA approach also suggests that the paper has many more technically efficient units compared to the SFA estimates. Nevertheless, the SFA assessment has revealed that, although on average the inefficiency should be larger compared to the DEA assessment, more than one-third of municipalities should exhibit relatively low levels of inefficiency (less than 5 percent).

Originality/value
– This study utilizes both parametric as well as non-parametric approaches to assess the technical efficiency, which is not very common in the empirical literature. Besides, it focusses on the local government efficiency in a post-socialist country.
Strategic planning and benchmarking organizational routines of universities in the Western Balkans
Authors: Papadimitriou Antigoni 
Published: March 2014

Purpose
– There is currently limited knowledge of the strategic organizational routines such as strategic planning and benchmarking of universities in the Western Balkans (WB). Thus the purpose of this paper is to map perceptions and concerns of institutional leadership about these routines within the public and private universities in the region.

Design/methodology/approach
– An online survey targeting all public and private universities in the WB was sent to the rector's and president's office. The survey data were analyzed with descriptive statistical methods, calculating frequencies, and means.

Findings
– Data revealed that the majority of both public and private universities have implemented strategic planning. Analysis of strategic planning between private and public universities indicated that averages scores were slightly higher in the private rather than the public universities. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis was among the statements that received higher scores (perceptions about implementation) from both types of universities. The relatively low scores from both types of institutions concerning perceived implementation and importance of benchmarking might imply that WB universities achieve their goals in a less competitive environment.

Originality/value
– The significance of the paper lies in the fact that no existing studies have investigated strategic planning and benchmarking in the WB universities. To be able to build a potential baseline for further research, including the possibility for more comparative research both within and beyond the region, the selection of routines was taken from the US Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence in Education. This study contributes to the body of research for literature about strategic organizational routines and strategy-as-practice.
V‐antigen homologs in pathogenic gram‐negative bacteria
Authors: Sawa Teiji , Katoh Hideya , Yasumoto Hiroaki 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTGram‐negative bacteria cause many types of infections in animals from fish and shrimps to humans. Bacteria use Type III secretion systems (TTSSs) to translocate their toxins directly into eukaryotic cells. The V‐antigen is a multifunctional protein required for the TTSS in Yersinia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. V‐antigen vaccines and anti‐V‐antigen antisera confer protection against Yersinia or P. aeruginosa infections in animal models. The V‐antigen forms a pentameric cap structure at the tip of the Type III secretory needle; this structure, which has evolved from the bacterial flagellar cap structure, is indispensable for toxin translocation. Various pathogenic gram‐negative bacteria such as Photorhabdus luminescens, Vibrio spp., and Aeromonas spp. encode homologs of the V‐antigen. Because the V‐antigens of pathogenic gram‐negative bacteria play a key role in toxin translocation, they are potential therapeutic targets for combatting bacterial virulence. In the USA and Europe, these vaccines and specific antibodies against V‐antigens are in clinical trials investigating the treatment of Yersinia or P. aeruginosa infections. Pathogenic gram‐negative bacteria are of great interest because of their ability to infect fish and shrimp farms, their potential for exploitation in biological terrorism attacks, and their ability to cause opportunistic infections in humans. Thus, elucidation of the roles of the V‐antigen in the TTSS and mechanisms by which these functions can be blocked is critical to facilitating the development of improved anti‐V‐antigen strategies.
Renegotiating inter‐professional boundaries in maternity care: implementing a clinical pathway for normal labour
Authors: Hunter Billie , Segrott Jeremy 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThis article presents findings from a study of a clinical pathway for normal labour (Normal Labour Pathway) implemented in Wales, UK. The study was conducted between 2004 and 2006. The pathway aimed to support normal childbirth and reduce unnecessary childbirth interventions by promoting midwife‐led care. This article focuses on how the pathway influenced the inter‐professional relationships and boundaries between midwives and doctors. Data are drawn from semi‐participant observation, focus groups and semi‐structured interviews with 41 midwives, and semi‐structured interviews with five midwifery managers and six doctors, working in two research sites. Whereas some studies have shown how clinical pathways may act as ‘boundary objects’, dissolving professional boundaries, promoting interdisciplinary care and de‐differentiating professional identities, the ‘normal labour pathway’ was employed by midwives as an object of demarcation, which legitimised a midwifery model of care, clarified professional boundaries and accentuated differences in professional identities and approaches to childbirth. The pathway represented key characteristics of a professional project: achieving occupational autonomy and closure. Stricter delineation of the boundary between midwifery and obstetric work increased the confidence and professional visibility of midwives but left doctors feeling excluded and undervalued, and paradoxically reduced the scope of midwifery practice through redefining what counted as normal.
An examination of the potential of seaweed extracts as functional ingredients in milk
Authors: O'Sullivan Anthoney M , O'Callaghan Yvonne C , O'Grady Michael N , Waldron David S , Smyth Thomas J , O'Brien Nora M , Kerry Joseph P 
Published: March 2014

Novel dairy products were produced by the addition of seaweed extracts to milk. Ascophyllum nodosum 100% water (AN100) or 80% ethanol (AN80e) and Fucus vesiculosus 60% ethanol (FV60e) extracts were prepared. AN80e and FV60e (0.25 and 0.5%) milk had higher (P < 0.05) ‘−a*’ and ‘b*’ values. FV60e (0.25%) and phloroglucinol (Phl) (0.5%) milk had lower (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation. Control and AN100 milk were accepted by sensory panellists. Seaweed extracts were stable (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl, DPPH) in milk. Milk and digestates exhibited DPPH and ferrous‐ion‐chelating activities and did not affect cellular antioxidant activity or protect against DNA damage.
Exploring risk, resistance and the power of myths among coastal fishing communities in Kerala, India
Authors: Santha Sunil D. , P. Gahana , S. Aswin V. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThis paper attempts to capture the socially constructed nature of risk by analyzing the discourses embedded in community beliefs, myths and experiential narratives regarding coastal hazards and fishworkers' livelihoods. This paper draws insights from the works of James Scott on power and resistance in the everyday life of marginalized populations. Qualitative data for the study was collected using semi‐structured interview schedules, in‐depth group interviews, oral histories and storytelling across twenty marine fishing villages in Kerala. A significant finding of the study is that the communal discourse of coastal hazards or kolu is an integral part of fishworkers' resistance against formal authority and scientific knowledge systems in coastal management. The myths and beliefs of fishworkers are expressions of their concerns about present forms of development and coastal resource management.
Relationship between adiponectin, leptin, IGF‐1 and total lipid peroxides plasma concentrations in patients with systemic sclerosis: possible role in disease development
Authors: Winsz‐Szczotka Katarzyna , Kuźnik‐Trocha Kornelia , Komosińska‐Vassev Katarzyna , Kucharz Eugeniusz , Kotulska Anna , Olczyk Krystyna 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAimThe relationship between adiponectin, leptin, insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and total lipid peroxide (TLP) concentrations, and its possible role in the development of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc), were evaluated in this study.Methods, resultsPlasma adipokines and IGF‐1 levels were determined using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method, whereas TLP levels were determined using a photometric test, in 36 dcSSc patients and 40 healthy controls matched by age, sex and body mass index (BMI). Plasma levels of adipokines were significantly lowered, while TLP and IGF‐1 were increased in dcSSc patients compared to controls. Adiponectin correlated significantly with leptin (r = 0.44), TLP (r = −0.54), CRP (r = −0.47), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r = −0.40) and duration of disease (r = −0.44). A significant relationship was found between leptinemia and IGF‐1 (r = −0.40), TLP (r = 0.44), duration of disease (r = −0.38) and BMI (r = 0.65). TLP correlated with IGF‐1 (r = −0.43), C‐reactive protein (r = 0.47), ESR (r = 0.49) and duration of disease (r = 0.46), while IGF‐1 correlated with ESR (r = −0.40).ConclusionsAdipose tissue may play a complex role in the development of dcSSc, affecting both the metabolic state of the organism, as well as free radical‐induced connective tissue degradation. Although, leptin seems to exert a pro‐oxidative effect and both adiponectin and IGF‐1 appear to prevent free radical damage, confirmation of the above effects requires further research.
Assessment of sleep problems in children with familial Mediterranean fever
Authors: Makay Balahan , Kiliçaslan Serdar Kamer , Anik Ahmet , Bora Elçin , Bozkaya Özlem , Çankaya Tufan , Ünsal Erbil 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAimsThis study aimed to investigate sleep patterns, sleep disturbances and possible factors that are associated with sleep disturbances among children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).Patients and methodsFifty‐one patients with FMF and 84 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The patients who had an attack during the last 2 weeks were not included. Demographic data, FMF symptoms, disease duration, dose of colchicine, disease severity score, number of attacks in the last year, MEFV mutation and serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels were recorded for each patient. A Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was performed.ResultsThe total sleep scores of the patients with FMF were significantly higher than the control group. Total sleep durations were similar between FMF patients and controls. Children with FMF had significantly higher scores regarding sleep‐onset delay, sleep anxiety, night wakings and sleep‐disordered breathing when compared to healthy controls. There was a significant positive correlation between number of attacks in the last year and sleep onset delay, night wakings and sleep disordered‐breathing. Disease severity score and CRP levels were not associated with any of the subscale scores. The patients with exertional leg pain had significantly higher total sleep scores than the ones without. Furthermore, patients with exertional leg pain had significantly higher subscale scores regarding sleep onset delay, parasomnias and sleep‐disordered breathing.ConclusionThis study showed for the first time that children with FMF had more sleep disturbances than their healthy peers. Higher numbers of attacks and exertional leg pain were associated with poor sleep quality. In conclusion, this study underlines the need to assess and manage sleep problems in children with FMF.
Multiseason occupancy models for correlated replicate surveys
Authors: Hines James E. , Nichols James D. , Collazo Jaime A. 
Published: March 2014

SummaryOccupancy surveys collecting data from adjacent (sometimes correlated) spatial replicates have become relatively popular for logistical reasons. Hineset al. () presented one approach to modelling such data for single‐season occupancy surveys. Here, we present a multiseason analogue of this model (with corresponding software) for inferences about occupancy dynamics. We include a new parameter to deal with the uncertainty associated with the first spatial replicate for both single‐season and multiseason models. We use a case study, based on the brown‐headed nuthatch, to assess the need for these models when analysing data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and we test various hypotheses about occupancy dynamics for this species in the south‐eastern United States.The new model permits inference about local probabilities of extinction, colonization and occupancy for sampling conducted over multiple seasons. The model performs adequately, based on a small simulation study and on results of the case study analysis.The new model incorporating correlated replicates was strongly favoured by model selection for theBBSdata for brown‐headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). Latitude was found to be an important source of variation in local colonization and occupancy probabilities for brown‐headed nuthatch, with both probabilities being higher near the centre of the species range, as opposed to more northern and southern areas.We recommend this new occupancy model for detection–nondetection studies that use potentially correlated replicates.
Improving estimates of biomass change in buttressed trees using tree taper models
Authors: Cushman K. C. , Muller‐Landau Helene C. , Condit Richard S. , Hubbell Stephen P. 
Published: March 2014

SummaryRepeat censuses of tree plots are key tools for investigating forest carbon fluxes. Current measurement procedures for trees with buttresses or trunk irregularities – trees that account for a large fraction of tropical forest biomass –introduce substantial systematic error in plot‐level estimates of biomass change. The diameters of buttressed trees are measured above the standard height of 1·3 m, and the measurement heights on individual trees are often moved upwards as buttresses grow. Because tree trunks taper (diameter decreases with height), biomass growth in buttressed individuals tends to be underestimated. Methods have been introduced to correct biomass growth estimates in individual trees for increases in measurement height; however, these methods change the distribution of effective measurement heights over time, introducing biases in plot‐level estimates of biomass change.In this study, we developed and applied new methods to measure and model trunk taper, and to use taper models to correct estimates ofAGBchange for changing measurement heights. We measured trunk taper above buttresses in 190 stems on Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI), a site where more than half of forest biomass is in trees measured above standard height. We compared proposed taper models to see which best described our measured taper data, then used the best taper model to correct for changing measurement heights in the historical plot data. Specifically, for all diameter measurements taken above 1·3 m, we calculated equivalent diameters at 1·3 m and substituted these into allometric equations to examine biomass change over time.We found that measured taper was best fit by an exponential model with a rate parameter that varied with measured diameter (tree size), height of measurement (buttress height) and species. Whereas uncorrected data show a decrease in biomass of 0·21% year−1between 1985 and 2010 onBCI, taper‐corrected data show an increase of 0·18% year−1.The novel correction method presented here converts all measured diameters to one standard effective measurement height. This corrects for biases at the plot level and provides a stronger foundation for measuring biomass change in tropical forests.
Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the regulation of flowering in temperate and tropical lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) by RNA‐Seq
Authors: Yang M. , Zhu L. , Xu L. , Pan C. , Liu Y. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe switch from vegetative to reproductive growth is a major developmental transition in flowering plants, which depends on the balanced expression of the genes within a complex network that is controlled by both environmental and endogenous factors. Molecular regulation of flower development has been investigated extensively in model plants, particularly Arabidopsis. However, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate flowering in lotus. To analyse the molecular regulation of flowering in lotus, comparative transcript profiling was performed at two stages of bud development – the initial developmental stage (T1) and the fast developing stage (T2) – in the lotus cultivars ‘BG’ (B, temperate lotus) and ‘WR1’ (W, tropical lotus). A total of 140 504 368 high‐quality 100‐bp reads were obtained and aligned against the lotus reference genome. Of the 23 361 genes assembled, at least 88% of these transcripts were detected in each sample. These genes were significantly enriched in 40 Gene Ontology terms and 236 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Further comparisons of the transcripts in the four libraries revealed that 1808, 1330, 785, 702, 1954, and 2050 genes were differentially expressed between BT1 and BT2, WT1 and WT2, BT1 and WT1, BT2 and WT2, BT1 and WT2 and BT2 and WT1 samples, respectively. Analysis of the four libraries identified 147 lotus flowering‐time genes homologous to genes that control flowering‐time pathways in other plants. Differential regulation of the COP1, CCA1, LHY, CO‐LIKE, VIN3, GAI, and FT genes, which participate in the photoperiod, vernalization and gibberellic acid pathways, suggested that they might control the early flowering of lotus. The extensive transcriptome dataset should provide a foundation for comparative gene expression studies on the regulation of flowering in lotus. Comparative transcriptomic analysis detected several differentially expressed genes and potential candidate genes required for early flowering in lotus. These results provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate flowering in lotus.