bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D Status and Bone Mineral Density in African American Children With Crohn Disease
Authors: Middleton Jeremy P. , Bhagavathula Anita P. , Gaye Bilkisu , Alvarez Jessica A. , Huang Clifton S. , Sauer Cary G. , Tenjarla Gayathri , Schoen Bess T. , Kumar Archana , Prasad Mahadev , Okou David T. , Ifeadike Walter C. , Dhere Tanvi A. , Conneely Karen N. , Ziegler Thomas R. , Tangpricha Vin , Kugathasan Subra 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTBackground:Vitamin D deficiency and low bone mineral density (BMD) are complications of inflammatory bowel disease. Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent among African Americans compared with whites. There are little data comparing differences in serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations and BMD between African American and white children with Crohn disease (CD).Methods:We compared serum 25OHD concentrations of African American children with CD (n = 52) to white children with CD (n = 64) and healthy African American controls (n = 40). We also analyzed BMD using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry results from our pediatric CD population.Results:African American children with CD had lower serum 25OHD concentrations (16.1 [95% confidence interval, CI 14.5–17.9] ng/mL) than whites with CD (22.3 [95% CI 20.2–24.6] ng/mL; P < 0.001). African Americans with CD and controls exhibited similar serum 25OHD concentration (16.1 [95% CI 14.5–17.9] vs 16.3 [95% CI 14.4–18.4] ng/mL; NS). African Americans with CD exhibited no difference in serum 25OHD concentration when controlling for seasonality, disease severity, and surgical history, although serum 25OHD concentration was significantly decreased in overweight children (body mass index ≥85%, P = 0.003). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that obese African American girls with CD had the lowest serum 25OHD concentrations (9.6 [95% CI 6.8–13.5] ng/mL). BMD was comparable between African American and white children with CD (z score −0.4 ± 0.9 vs −0.7 ± 1.2; NS).Conclusions:African American children with CD are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency compared with white children with CD, but have similar BMD. CD disease severity and history of surgery do not affect serum 25OHD concentrations among African American children with CD. African American children have low serum 25OHD concentrations, independent of CD, compared with white children. Future research should focus on how race affects vitamin D status and BMD in children with CD.
Tribological behavior of LaF3 nanoparticles as additives in poly‐alpha‐olefin
Authors: Zhang Ming , Wang Xiaobo , Liu Weimin 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the influences of test conditions to the tribological behavior of LaF3 nanoparticles as an additive to a polyalphaolefin (PAO).Design/methodology/approachAn Optimol‐SRV4 oscillating friction and wear tester (SRV) were used to investigate the tribological properties of LaF3 nanoparticles as an additive in a polyalphaolefin (PAO). The 3‐D morphologies and wear loss volume of the worn scar were measured using a surface profilometer. The chemical state and the intensity of La and F elements on worn surface after friction test was investigated with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to interpret the possible mechanisms of friction‐reduction and anti‐wear with LaF3 nanoparticles.FindingsThe experimental results show that LaF3 nanoparticles added to PAO exhibit excellent load‐carrying capacity, anti‐wear and friction‐reduction properties. LaF3 nanoparticles deposited on the worn surface under lower test temperature during the friction test, and higher applied load, higher test frequency and longer test duration are propitious to the deposition of LaF3 nanoparticles accumulated on the rubbing surface. Under higher temperature, a complicated tribo‐chemical reaction occurred during the friction process, the tribo‐chemical reaction product of La2O3 deposit on worn surface, which also exhibits good lubricating performance.Originality/valueThis paper investigates the tribological properties of LaF3 nanoparticles as green oil additive in poly‐alpha‐olefin (PAO) under variable temperature, applied load, sliding speed and sliding duration. The results could be very helpful for the further applications of LaF3 nanoparticles additives in industry.
Behavior analysis of machines and system air hemispherical spindles using finite element modeling
Authors: Charki Abdérafi , Bigaud David , Guérin Fabrice 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe spindle behavior of machines and systems depends largely on the choice and design quality of the mechanical components used for the displacement between different parts. As far as very high technology is concerned, air bearings are suitable, for instance, for machining a telescope mirror or for systems used in medical applications that require a micro and nanometric resolution in displacement. Therefore, air bearings play a crucial role in ensuring spindle stability in machines and systems. The static and dynamic behavior of air spindles is dependent on several parameters, such as external load, dimensions, supply pressure, manufacturing capability and fluid properties.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a methodology for the calculation and analysis of the stability and reliability of machine and system spindles supported by air hemispherical bearings. The static and dynamic characteristics of air spindles are calculated using the finite element method (FEM). The stochastic Response Surface Method (SRSM) is used for the approximation of the performance function, and the reliability is assessed by Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and the First Order Reliability Method (FORM).FindingsThe static and dynamic characteristics of air spindles are calculated using the finite element method (FEM). Stochastic Response Surface Method (SRSM) is used for the approximation of the performance function, and the reliability is assessed by Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and First Order Reliability Method (FORM).Originality/valueThe article presents an original approach for the behavior analysis of machines and systems spindles supported by hemispherical fluid bearings. The methodology based on the finite element method and the principle of structural reliability, allows studying the influence of physical and geometrical parameters on the static and dynamic characteristics and the failure probability of a spindle. Thus, the optimum behavior of a spindle can be predicted for different configurations of a bearing design taking into account the reliability evaluation.
On normalizing the relationship matrix in quality function deployment
Authors: Raharjo Hendry 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the need of normalizing the relationship matrix in quality function deployment (QFD), especially when it leads to rank reversal, and eventually provide a guideline to know when it should be done.Design/methodology/approachThe research was carried out based on some empirical observations and previous research data.FindingsA rule of thumb is proposed to know when the rank reversal, as a result of normalizing QFD relationship matrix, can be desirable or undesirable.Research limitations/implicationsSince the rule of thumb is based on empirical basis, it might not work perfectly for every single case, especially for large‐sized QFD matrices. Hence, this opens up a new challenge for future research to complement the current findings.Practical implicationsThis paper shows that any QFD practitioner should be aware of the fact that normalization in the QFD relationship matrix is not a trivial issue, especially when it causes rank reversal. Ignoring normalization might cause potentially misleading results. However, using normalization does not always guarantee that one may obtain reliable results.Originality/valueThere are two novel findings in this paper. First, it is the exposition of the pros and cons of normalization in QFD relationship matrix. Second, it is the proposed rule of thumb which may serve as an important guideline for any QFD practitioner when dealing with the relationship matrix.
Informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions
Authors: Zaman Mahbub , Sarens Gerrit 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to recognise the importance of informal processes within corporate governance and complement existing research in this area by investigating factors associated with the existence of informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions and in providing directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the existence and drivers of informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions, this paper relies on a questionnaire survey of chief audit executives (CAEs) in the UK from listed and non‐listed, as well as financial and non‐financial, companies. While prior qualitative research suggests that informal interactions do take place, most of the evidence is based on particular organisational setting or on a very small range of interviews. The use of a questionnaire enabled the examination of the existence of internal interactions across a relatively larger number of entities.FindingsThe paper finds evidence of audit committees and internal audit functions engaging in informal interactions in addition to formal pre‐scheduled regular meetings. Informal interactions complement formal meetings with the audit committee and as such represent additional opportunities for the audit committees to monitor internal audit functions. Audit committees' informal interactions are significantly and positively associated with audit committee independence, audit chair's knowledge and experience, and internal audit quality.Originality/valueThe results demonstrate the importance of the background of the audit committee chair for the effectiveness of the governance process. This is possibly the first paper to examine the relationship between audit committee quality and internal audit, on the existence and driver of informal interactions. Policy makers should recognize that in addition to formal mechanisms, informal processes, such as communication outside of formal pre‐scheduled meetings, play a significant role in corporate governance.
Negotiating the benefits of knowledge
Authors: Forsyth Hannah 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the origins of tensions between the benefits (such as technologies and skills) and the substance of knowledge (often described as “pure inquiry”) in Australian universities. There are advantages to considering this debate in Australia, since its universities were tightly connected to scholarly networks in the British Empire. After the Second World War, those ties were loosened, enabling influences from American research and technological universities, augmented by a growing connection between universities, government economic strategy and the procedures of industry. This paper thus traces some of routes by which arguments travelled and the ways they were articulated in post‐war Australia.Design/methodology/approachIdeas do not travel on their own. In this paper, the author takes a biographical approach to the question of contrasting attitudes to university knowledge in the post‐war period, comparing the international scholarly and professional networks of two British scientists who travelled to Australia – contemporaries in age and education – both influencing Australian higher education policy in diametrically opposing ways.FindingsThis research demonstrates that the growing connection with economic goals in Australian universities after the Second World War was in part a result of the new international and cross‐sectoral networks in which some scholars now operated.Originality/valueAustralian historiography suggests that shifts in the emphases of post‐war universities were primarily the consequence of government policy. This paper demonstrates that the debates that shaped Australia's modern university system were also conducted among an international network of scholars.
Identifying highly effective urban schools: comparing two measures of school success
Authors: Wang Aubrey H. , Walters Alyssa M. , Thum Y.M. 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical comparison of two measures of school success – a value‐added assessment system and the federally‐mandated system of adequate yearly progress (AYP) – to identify highly effective urban schools in the USA and to explore the predictive relationship between evidence‐based decision‐making and school improvement.Design/methodology/approachA total of 204 urban schools with 6,684 teachers and 149,665 students in grades 1 through 10 participated in the study. Data included teacher survey and students’ standardized reading and math scores from 2002 through 2005. Analyses included factor analysis, growth modeling, and multiple logistic regression analyses.FindingsAYP status was strongly predicted by student and school demographics rather than by organizational climate and instructional practices. In contrast, school growth as measured by the district's value‐added assessment system was unrelated to the demographics of the student population and related strongly to specific school practices. Specifically, high growth schools exhibited strong evidence‐based decision‐making practice where teachers used the district's benchmark assessment to reflect on instructional practice, used the core curriculum to guide instruction, and received frequent and high quality professional development on reading and math instruction.Practical implicationsAs states gravitate away from relying on AYP status as a measure of school success, districts will benefit from integrating measures of growth and using school data management systems that integrate benchmark assessment capabilities and provide teachers with the training and tools needed to use the information in their daily practice.Originality/valueThis study provides a direct comparison of evaluation models using a variety of current methods within a single district that has played a central and highly‐visible role in the education reform movement in the USA.
What does it mean to do fair trade?
Authors: Smith Alastair Michael 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to move beyond positivistic political economy analysis of fair trade, and to examine competitive dynamics between competing interpretations in terms of the very fair trade concept itself.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in an ideational ontology, the paper provides a theoretical framework concerned with the contestation of meaning. Analysis applies this framework through a heuristic reading of fair trade's history, drawing on secondary literature, documents and primary qualitative research; and the discursive construction of Fair for Life – a new programme seeking to negotiate the “constitutive rules” of fair trade.FindingsThe article identifies that the history of fair trade and its current competitive dynamics are constituted by a negotiation and contestation of the constitutive rules that set the parameters of the fair trade concept.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper complements political economy analysis of socially constructed governance such as fair trade, and adds value to academic analysis by exposing important, yet previously unconsidered, micro‐politics of language and practice. The description and initial analysis of “Fair for Life” opens a new area of empirical interest for scholars of fair trade and sustainability governance.Practical implicationsAnalysis highlighting the important implication of discourse and practice for the very definition of fair trade offers practitioners important insights into little considered implication of their practices and their representations in language.Originality/valueThe article complements political economy analysis by demonstrating the value of an ideationally grounded analysis of fair trade and similar socially constructed governance systems.
From trust to compliance: accountability in the fair trade movement
Authors: Davenport Eileen , Low William 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThere is a growing academic literature exploring the fair trade movement but, to date, there has been little explicit discussion of accountability within the movement. This paper aims to cast the development of the fair trade movement within a shift from trust‐based relationships to standards‐based systems. The authors particularly aim to focus on the dominance of an external accountability approach being used for Fair Trade Labelling Organization International (FLO) certified products versus an internal accountability approach being adopted through organizational self‐assessment of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) members.Design/methodology/approachWhile this is predominantly a conceptual paper, the authors draw on primary research with northern and southern fair trade organizations (FTOs). Five southern FTOs were interviewed along with three northern FTOs.FindingsThe paper illustrates the conflict that Power expressed about trust increasingly being placed in formalized “rituals” of auditing rather than in organizations. Standards‐based certification has played a crucial role in mainstreaming fair trade food which reduces the trust relationship to a label and relies on market‐based mechanisms of “ethical consumerism” to signal (dis)content with the operations of the certification system. By contrast, organizational self‐assessment under development by WFTO, which has proven popular amongst southern FTOs, fitting their organisational culture(s) and contributing to organisational learning and democracy, creates greater accountability to internal stakeholders such as producers.Originality/valueThis paper draws direct comparisons between the FLO system of certification of products and the WFTO process of self‐assessment of organizations. It demonstrates that the WFTO system builds on the movement's tradition of democracy and trust. Producers, southern FTOs, and northern FTOs must demonstrate their democratic principles throughout the supply chain up to consumers. Conversely the FLO system governs the products themselves and largely leaves the participants, other than producer groups, free of demands for corporate social responsibility and organizational learning.
The Mexican user satisfaction index: a case study applied to a social program
Authors: Lobato‐Calleros Odette , Rivera Humberto , Serrato Hugo , Gómez Elena , Cervantes Paola 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the methodology developed for establishing a Mexican User Satisfaction Index for a particular kind of Social Program (MUSI‐SP), taking into consideration the example of a Concrete Floor Social Program.Design/methodology/approachThe MUSI‐SP methodology has the aim to evaluate the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of social programs, as well as its causes (program practices and perceived quality) and results (measured as trust). The MUSI‐SP methodology for this case study covers the design of a specific structural equation model based on the model for government services and nonprofit organizations of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and a qualitative study, with the help of the design and pilot testing of the questionnaire for measuring satisfaction in a population with a high grade of marginalization, followed by data collected through a national face‐to‐face survey, then the analysis of validity and dependability of the specific structural equation model and the identification of opportunity areas.FindingsThe evaluation shows that the variable “Results” derived by having a concrete floor has a larger impact on “Perceived Quality” and it has the best users’ assessment (86 in a scale from 0 to 100). Furthermore, a high and positive relationship from “Perceived Quality” with “Satisfaction,” and “Satisfaction” with “Trust” were confirmed.Practical implicationsThe MUSI‐SP methodology would be an appropriate indicator as a complement to current evaluations of government social programs, because it shows a path to citizen satisfaction and citizen trust.Originality/valueThe Mexican Concrete Floor Program, illustrated in this paper, aims to increase the quality of life conditions of the citizens through concrete floor installation for housing improvement.
Investigation on quality management maturity of Shanghai enterprises
Authors: Xiaofen Tang 
Published: June 2013

PurposeShanghai is a Chinese city with a history of more than 700 years, which has played a very important role over 30 years of rapid economic growth in China. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality management maturity system and schemes of Shanghai enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThe investigation on quality management maturity of Shanghai enterprises was conducted by Shanghai Association for Quality (SAQ), to study the environmental impact of increasing globalization of industries.FindingsSAQ made a systematic investigation and evaluation on the maturity of enterprise product, services and overall management quality, to comprehensively understand and assess the current status and levels of Shanghai enterprise quality management and to obtain important information for preparing a strategy for the Shanghai enterprise quality development plan and countermeasures to stay competitive in the new era.Originality/valueThe paper shows that, in order to further improve market competitiveness and capability of sustainable operation and growth, Shanghai enterprises must enhance their overall quality management level guided by the performance excellence criterion, implementing and putting forward mega efforts on enterprises taking primary responsibility for striving to promote CSR based on “operation with integrity and responsibility”, investing in “soft skills strength development” and utilizing quality improvement tools and techniques to promote the overall quality management level to a new high in the next decade.
Journey to excellence
Authors: Dalgleish Diane , Mauricio Rory , Williams Tessia 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide details on how the Capital Projects Division within Alberta Infrastructure, in the provincial government of Alberta, started its journey to excellence by following Excellence Canada's framework. The framework focusses on systematic approach to excellence and widespread implementation in the organization. This paper provides comprehensive information on the division's processes, trends and impending changes for leadership that demonstrates quality and commitment of business excellence through quality improvements based on experience.Design/methodology/approachIn partnership with Excellence Canada, Capital Projects Division of Alberta government embarked on a journey to excellence using the Progressive Excellence Program® framework for quality. Equally important, the division explored ways it can invest wisely in innovative ideas that will reshape the current organization and prepare staff for a very exciting future. That meant using the most comprehensive approach to review existing processes and strive for efficient and innovative ideas for continuous improvement over the longer term.FindingsFirst, incorporating quality in the workplace is about the journey, not the destination, so leadership plays a vital role in its success. Second, the strategies on how to achieve quality primarily originate from the people within the organization. A key to achieving quality is to provide a framework for these ideas and strategies to emerge.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on the perseverance and leadership required in the development of a framework to support and encourage quality in the organization.