bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between Maturation and Aging and Pulmonary Responses in Animal Models of Lung Injury
Authors: Schouten Laura R. A. , Schultz Marcus J. , van Kaam Anton H. , Juffermans Nicole P. , Bos Albert P. , Wösten-van Asperen Roelie M. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAbstract
An investigation of the literature documents that the inflammatory response to injury is exaggerated in aged animals, and there is more edema and alveolar damage and a higher mortality.

Background:
Advanced age is associated with an increased susceptibility and mortality of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. This may be due to the progressive changes in innate immune responses and intrinsic properties of the lung that occur during the process of aging. Therefore, this study assesses the association between maturation and aging and pulmonary responses to injury in animal models of lung injury.

Methods:
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE (up to June 2014) and in the references of relevant articles to identify the studies using in vivo models of lung injury caused by an acute pulmonary insult, in which at least two age groups were compared. Because methodological diversity precluded combining these studies in a quantitative meta-analysis, data are presented based on the qualitative comparison with the adult group.

Results:
Of the 2,840 identified studies, 51 were included in this review. Most studies showed that, in response to a pulmonary insult, increasing age is associated with more pulmonary inflammation, edema, alveolar damage, and higher mortality. In addition, results indicate the existence of age-dependent changes in key components of the intracellular signaling pathways involved in the inflammatory response.

Conclusions:
Increasing age seems to be correlated with exaggerated pulmonary responses to injury, ultimately leading to more severe lung injury. Pulmonary inflammation seems relatively suppressed in infants/juveniles, whereas in the middle aged/elderly, the inflammatory response seems delayed but aggravated. This implies that investigators and clinicians need to use caution about extrapolating results from adolescent or youngadult animals to pediatric or elderly patients in clinical practice.
A methodology for the assessment of experiential learning lean
Authors: De Zan Giovanni , De Toni Alberto Felice , Fornasier Andrea , Battistella Cinzia 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to assess the experiential learning processes of learning lean in an innovative learning environment: the lean model factories.

Design/methodology/approach
– A literature review on learning and lean management literatures was carried out to design the methodology. Then, a case study methodology was used to test the framework.

Findings
– The methodology permitted to asses learning processes and course contents of educational dynamics carried out in model factories and to theoretically ground such learning processes. The test showed that learning lean management is supported through a complete coverage of the eight phases of the learning path.

Research limitations/implications
– The methodology contributes to the literatures of lean management and experiential learning, proposing a methodology of assessment. Part of the framework could also be applied to other disciplines.

Practical implications
– The methodology could be used for two purposes: to design training courses or to assess existing experiential learning courses.

Originality/value
– Due to its intrinsic complexity, learning literature presents few practical framework or tools. Among them, none have provided practical and theoretical-based advice on how to use experiential learning precepts to teach lean management.
Make-to-forecast: customization with fast delivery
Authors: Akinc Umit , Meredith Jack R. 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to attempt to achieve customization while maintaining quick delivery to customers by use of a hybrid of make-to-order (MTO) and make-to-stock (MTS) strategies.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper reports on various studies based on simulation, optimization, and Markov analysis to respond to some of the unique challenges of the hybrid strategy.

Findings
– Implementation of the make-to-forecast (MTF) hybrid strategy provides considerable competitive advantage in certain manufacturing situations by achieving as much as 50 percent shorter delivery times for highly customized products than would be possible with a pure MTO strategy. It also has potential to offer competitive advantages to pure MTS and MTO operations.

Research limitations/implications
– The manufacturing situations, appropriate for MTF paradigm, are fairly complex. The paper reviews only several of the many managerial challenges. For instance, it assumes a given product variety but does not dwell on what the optimum product variety offering should be. Additional research to this and other aspects of the situation is warranted.

Practical implications
– The paper reports on a real managerial problem. The suggested approaches can be easily implemented by certain manufacturing companies striving to achieve competitive advantage by offering shorter delivery time and substantial customization to their customers.

Originality/value
– Managing the trade-off between delivery time and degree of customization is not new. Assemble-to-order, mass customization, and postponement strategies have been suggested to soften the trade-off. This paper provides a new paradigm for the same challenge based on pre-release of units into the manufacturing system in anticipation of customer orders.
“PhD, meet QPR”
Authors: McCulloch Alistair , Picard Michelle Yvette 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the relationship between the quality in postgraduate research conference (QPR) and the developing doctoral education agenda, as well as serving as an introduction to this special edition of the International Journal for Researcher Development.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper adopts a conceptual and rhetorical approach.

Findings
– The paper argues that, over its two decades of existence, the QPR conference has been at the forefront of developments in doctoral education and has also influenced practice and policy in the area.

Originality/value
– The paper is the first to review the QPR conference and its place in the development of doctoral education.
Stories from my PhD journey: rewriting my methodology chapter
Authors: Goward Penelope 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to describe a case study of how an unexpected event created an opportunity to reconsider and rewrite the methodology chapter in the author’s PhD thesis.

Design/methodology/approach
– The approach that the author used that assisted her to change her methodology involved a combination of reflective and reflexive reading, thinking and writing. It was a slow and thorough process through which the author considered widely the choices that she was making. Through an iterative process of writing, reading and talking, and then re-writing, the author was able to establish a position or standpoint from which she felt confident about the underpinnings of her study.

Findings
– The author came to understand herself ontologically in a new way. The author could see how she had moved significantly from a positivist view of static bodies of knowledge creation to a paradigm involving a more dynamic knowledge creation. Correspondingly, the author was able to revise and focus her methodology, and in the course of the process, she learnt and grew as a person and as a researcher. The author understood her values, assumptions and beliefs about the world much more clearly. The author also became much more aware of her own PhD journey, how she was developing personally and how her identity was evolving.

Originality/value
– This paper will be useful for those who are embarking on their PhD journey and attempting to critique and/or rethink their methodological approach in the qualitative or interpretivist paradigm.
Informal peer mentoring in early career researchers
Authors: Gregoric Carolyn , Wilson Annabelle 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore an informal interdisciplinary peer-mentoring relationship between two early career researchers.Design/methodology/approach– A case study approach, using autoethnography, was employed to explore the relationship from a complex adaptive systems (CAS) perspective.Findings– Informal peer-mentoring relationships may improve the work effectiveness and quality of the doctoral student and early career researcher experience. CAS can be an effective overarching theory for expanding understandings about mentoring.Research limitations/implications– This case study is limited to two early career researchers.Practical implications– Informal peer mentoring may help to overcome challenges encountered by doctoral students, early career researchers and university staff members. CAS accounts of mentoring have the potential to open new possibilities for future mentoring research.Originality/value– This paper provides unique insights into the experiences of doctoral students postgraduation and a long-term informal peer-mentoring relationship. Explorations of mentoring relationships from a CAS perspective are innovative.
Motivating students and lecturers for education in sustainable development
Authors: Mulder Karel F. , Ferrer Didac , Segalas Coral Jordi , Kordas Olga , Nikiforovich Eugene , Pereverza Kateryna 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– This paper aims at identifying factors that could contribute to the motivation of students in sustainable development (SD) education. The underlying idea of the paper is that SD education is not always as attractive among students and lecturers as many would like it to be.Design/methodology/approach– The paper briefly reviews literature regarding behavioral change for long-term benefits. It identifies four motivators that could be effective to make people pursue longer-term objectives. It identifies if these motivators were present in five cases of successful SD education.Findings– The four motivators for students that were identified in the literature review (a sense of autonomy, a challenge of reflection on the future role, connection with others, self-fulfillment, focus on the individual learning need) could be observed in the cases of successful SD education, although to various degrees. Individual autonomy in learning was not observed, but group autonomy was present in all cases.Research limitations/implications– The case studies were all electives. It is unclear how the motivators could work out in mandatory courses. Moreover, the curriculum as a whole will affect the success of single courses. Successful courses being “the exception” of the curriculum might be judged differently if they would be part of the curriculum in which such courses would be the main stream. Further research is required to check if the motivators are effective in mandatory and not specifically SD-targeted courses. It is also not clear how various motivators could be applied most effectively in a curriculum.Practical implications– The paper gives guidance to lecturers and educational managers to design attractive and effective SD education.Originality/value– The paper treats SD education from a novel perspective: how to convey a credible behavioral message, and how to motivate students for education for SD.
What do we say when we talk about sustainability?
Authors: Owens Katharine A. , Legere Sasha 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyze how faculty, staff and students at one American University define the term sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors analyze student, staff and faculty definitions by comparing word frequency counts to a list of the 25 most frequently found words in over 100 definitions of sustainability. Next, the authors analyze the definitions through content analysis, producing a list of emergent themes.

Findings
– The authors find that our definitions do not rate highly when compared to a list of the most frequent words from published definitions, but examining them more closely highlights nuances in understanding.

Research limitations/implications
– These results can only speak to one university’s population, but may be similar to that of comparable schools. Further studies should include comparisons to a range of campus communities, including environmental leaders and laggards.

Practical implications
– Administrators and educators at institutes of higher education must determine whether an ambiguous understanding of sustainability is sufficient for their own goals in producing an educated citizenry.

Social implications
– When a community fails to understand sustainability, it impacts how they conceptualize environmental problems and make decisions to solve them.

Originality/value
– This study shows that unless one has polled a campus population, one cannot know how its members understand a fundamental concept such as sustainability. It also shows that the work of sustainability education is just beginning.
Food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours among university undergraduates
Authors: Campbell-Arvai Victoria 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper was to document the food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours of undergraduate university students. More specifically, this research was focussed on determining if environmental sustainability is a consideration in students’ food choices, identifying the specific choices and behaviours adopted to reduce their food-related environmental footprint, and documenting the role of gender and pro-environmental values in these food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours.Design/methodology/approach– This research employed a mixed methods approach, i.e. focus group discussions and a survey, to document the food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours of undergraduate university students. The survey was informed by the results of the focus group discussions, and included standard measures of pro-environmental values and worldview.Findings– Results from focus group discussions revealed a broad array of beliefs and behaviours related to the connection between food, food production and the environment. The survey confirmed these results, but indicated a preference for such actions as recycling and reducing food waste in contrast to such alternatives as reducing meat consumption or avoiding processed foods. These results suggest that educational campaigns could focus on strengthening beliefs about the food-environment connection, as well as help to empower students to take a greater variety of actions to reduce their food-related environmental footprint.Originality/value– Relatively little attention has been focussed on individual beliefs and practices with respect to achieving more sustainable food consumption, particularly on university and college campuses. The research also represents a departure from previous work in that it utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods, and takes a broad approach to the food-environment connection.
Reflections on interdisciplinary sustainability research with undergraduate students
Authors: Aktas Can Baran 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of the article was to convey experiences with pioneering interdisciplinary sustainability research by involving undergraduate students. Experiences with initiating and conducting multiple research projects spanning engineering and sustainability are described, and recommendations for programs and faculty in other institutions of higher education that plan to implement or support similar endeavors are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach
– The article and presented conclusions are based on three separate research projects, where specific examples as to how those projects were developed as well as challenges and rewards faced during the project are described.

Findings
– It is concluded that faculty should not refrain from working with students from different backgrounds and disciplines. Bringing different backgrounds and perspectives to a project enables a big picture view of problems at hand and leads to better solutions that are more in line with the three pillars of sustainability, while at the same time providing valuable hands-on experience to undergraduate students.

Originality/value
– By its very definition, sustainability is an interdisciplinary field and, thus, requires novel approaches for education and research compared to other settled fields of science. A viable way to increase the role of sustainability in higher education is to foster interdisciplinary research and teaching. The institutions role in promoting such efforts has been discussed together with example strategies that were found to be successful as well as those that were not. The article presents results of potential successes in projects where the traditional disciplinary bounds have been breached, and an interdisciplinary approach has been used to achieve project goals. The article also gives examples on what types of sustainability research can be conducted with undergraduate students.
The impact of the global financial crisis on audit and non-audit fees
Authors: Alexeyeva Irina , Svanström Tobias 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The paper aims to investigate audit and non-audit fees during the global financial crisis (GFC) in an environment that is relatively sparsely regulated with regard to the provision of non-audit services.

Design/methodology/approach
– Audit and non-audit fees were studied during pre-GFC (2006-2007), GFC (2008-2009) and post-GFC (2010-2011) periods.

Findings
– During the GFC, Swedish companies benefited from an increase in sales and total assets, although return on assets decreased. In this setting, the auditors charged higher audit fees compared with the pre-GFC period, despite the absence of increased audit reporting lags. A significant increase in audit fees continued during the post-crisis periods with auditors paying more attention to companies’ leverage and whether they report losses. At the same time, the companies spent less on non-audit services.

Research limitations/implications
– This study is limited to companies from Sweden, which was less affected by the GFC.

Practical implications
– GFC auditors are able to charge higher audit fees to public companies including those that are well-performing during financial crises, and they are also able to increase the audit fees in the post-crisis period. This implies that auditors put in extra audit effort to compensate for higher risk, or that they are good at negotiating prices with their clients. However, non-audit fees decreased during the same period, implying that the demand for these services drops under financial instability.

Originality/value
– The study highlights auditors’ behavior in the liberal economic environment and it studies both audit fees and non-audit fees before GFC, during GFC and after the GFC. The GFC appears to have provided audit firms the opportunity to extract higher audit fees. Our findings are of interest to managers, auditors and regulators.
Corporate governance, the GFC and independent directors
Authors: Williams Belinda Rachael , Bingham Simone , Shimeld Sonia 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to understand how board composition and independent non-executive director (INED) disclosures have changed in light of the global financial crisis (GFC) from an accountability perspective.Design/methodology/approach– Content analysis techniques were undertaken on a random sample of 75 publicly listed companies across two time periods, 2005 and 2010.Findings– The findings highlighted increased INED board membership and increased skill and experience disclosure across all board positions, with the most significant increase being the INED position. The results support the notion that firms are attempting to restore their accountability relationships post-GFC through more transparent mechanisms of governance. However, concerns are also raised in the way individual companies are meeting the ASX Corporate Governance independence requirements.Research limitations/implications– The results raise questions as to whether firms have implemented these changes to ensure effective governance and accountability responsibilities, or simply to give the appearance of good governance.Originality/value– Little attention has been given in the literature to the characteristics of INEDs and whether board changes have been made in the wake of corporate and financial crises. The findings from this study contribute to an understanding of board composition and disclosures pre- and post-GFC.
Do IT audits satisfy senior manager expectations?
Authors: D'Onza Giuseppe , Lamboglia Rita , Verona Roberto 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to analyse the relationship between the senior management and the information technology (IT) auditing undertaken in Italian banks, focusing specifically on the internal IT auditing. The purpose of this paper is to investigate senior executives’ expectations regarding IT auditing, the techniques IT auditors apply to meet these expectations, the degree to which senior managers are satisfied with the auditing and the expectation gap.Design/methodology/approach– We conducted 22 interviews with senior managers and IT auditors of seven Italian banks, comprising large and small financial institutions, to gain data for our analysis.Findings– We found that overall, the IT auditors’ contributions satisfy senior managers, even though they still see room for improvement. They expect more support for the IT governance processes, specifically for the alignment between IT investments and business needs and between IT risk management and the value that IT resources provide. In addition, they want IT auditors to focus more strongly on IT security. To meet these expectations, IT auditors would have to improve their technical and non-technical skills. These skills will allow them to expand their activities, to be more proactive and to take on effective roles in IT governance processes.Originality/value– This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the internal audit function’s evolving role and into banks’ IT audit activities. It also provides a valuable insight into senior management’s expectations regarding the role IT audit activities should play to support the profession and the banking policymakers, thus providing a better understanding of IT audit activities and improving these activities’ role.