bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an Alternative Technique for Attaching External Transmitters to Blue Catfish
Authors: Bodine Kristopher A. , Fleming B. Paul 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
Attaching telemetry transmitters to catfishes (family Ictaluridae) has historically been problematic. Current attachment techniques produce low retention rates or high mortality, or cause altered physiological or behavioral effects. We investigated an alternative attachment technique during three experiments in which external transmitters were fastened to the supraoccipital bone of Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus. We hypothesized that attaching a transmitter to the skeletal structure would improve retention rates and minimize negative health effects. In a 2-month pilot study, retention was 100% (N = 20; TL range = 435–638 mm) and fish appeared to be in excellent condition. However, in a subsequent laboratory experiment, retention was poor (41.7% at 2 months and 0% at 6 months; N = 24, TL range = 600–995 mm), which may be attributed to excessive handling during the experiment. The attachment technique was also field tested as part of a larger telemetry study. Fifty Blue Catfish (TL range = 600–995 mm) were tagged and monitored for up to 17 months in Lake Buchanan, Texas. Retention in the field was 40% at 6 months and 19% at 12 months, which was comparable to current free-floating internal transmitter retention rates. Although our procedure produces lower retention than internal transmitters fastened to the pectoral girdle (60–93% annual retention), we believe this modified attachment procedure has future utility despite our mixed results. Our procedure avoids negative health effects (i.e., transmitters absorbed in the intestine or stomach or passed through the body wall) associated with internal tags fixed to the pectoral girdle and has retention rates similar to free-floating internal tags without the need for surgical implantation. Our work demonstrates an alternative transmitter attachment method and suggests future direction (i.e., attaching transmitters to the skeletal structure) in further improving attachment procedures for Blue Catfish.
Received March 12, 2013; accepted June 20, 2013
A Comparison of Different Age Estimation Methods for the Northern Snakehead
Authors: Gu Pang-hua , Xiang Jian-guo , Chen Yi-fang , Li Yan-liang , Tang Jun , Xie Song-guang , Chen Yushun 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
We used otoliths, scales, pectoral fins, dorsal fins, basioccipital bones, opercular bones, interopercular bones, vertebrae, teeth, and cleithra sampled from 221 known-age Northern Snakeheads Channa argus argus representing five age-groups to determine and compare age estimation methods for this species. Results showed that accuracy of age estimation methods varied among structures: 85.68% of otoliths, 68.91% of scales, 49.25% of pectoral fin rays, and 27.67% of opercular bones yielded age estimates that were consistent with the actual fish ages. Ages determined from other structures, such as interopercular bones, dorsal fins, basioccipital bones, and vertebrae, had lower rates of agreement (&lt;20%) with actual ages. The current results suggest that age estimation with otoliths, especially sagittal otoliths, is the most accurate method for use with Northern Snakeheads. Furthermore, analysis of scales can be used as a supplementary approach, especially for younger (age &lt; 3) Northern Snakeheads.
Received March 14, 2013; accepted June 27, 2013
Prescribed-Fire Effects on an Aquatic Community of a Southwest Montane Grassland System
Authors: Caldwell Colleen A. , Jacobi Gerald Z. , Anderson Michael C. , Parmenter Robert R. , McGann Jeanine , Gould William R. , DuBey Robert , Jacobi M. Donna 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
The use of prescription fire has long been recognized as a reliable management tool to suppress vegetative succession processes and to reduce fuel loading to prevent catastrophic wildfires, but very little attention has been paid to the effects on aquatic systems. A late-fall prescribed burn was implemented to characterize effects on an aquatic community within a montane grassland system in north-central New Mexico. The fire treatment was consistent with protocols of a managed burn except that the fire was allowed to burn through the riparian area to the treatment stream to replicate natural fire behavior. In addition to summer and fall preburn assessment of the treatment and reference stream, we characterized immediate postfire effects (within a week for macroinvertebrates and within 6 months for fish) and seasonal effects over a 2-year period. Responses within the treatment stream were compared with an unburned reference stream adjacent to the prescription burn. During the burn, the diel range in air temperature increased by 5°C while diel range in water temperature did not change. Carbon–nitrogen ratios did not differ between treatment and reference streams, indicating the contribution of ash from the surrounding grassland was negligible. Although total taxa and species richness of aquatic macroinvertebrates were not altered, qualitative indices revealed departure from preburn condition due to loss of sensitive taxa (mayflies [order Ephemeroptera] and stoneflies [order Plecoptera]) and an increase in tolerant taxa (midges [order Chironomidae]) following the burn. Within 1 year of the burn, these attributes returned to preburn conditions. The density and recruitment of adult Brown Trout Salmo trutta did not differ between pre- and postburn collections, nor did fish condition differ. Fire is rarely truly replicated within a given study. Although our study represents one replication, the results will inform managers about the importance in timing (seasonality) of prescription burn and anticipated effects on aquatic communities.
Received January 9, 2013; accepted June 27, 2013
Exploring the reasons and factors influencing the formation and development of alliances in the hospitality industry
Authors: Franco Mário , Pereira Carla 
Published: October 2013

Purpose– This study aims to identify the reasons for entering into alliances, as well as the main factors that influence these relationships in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approach– A multiple case study approach, with four hotels in Portugal as its subject, has been used for evaluation of hospitality alliances. As data-collecting instruments, interviews and documentary analysis were used.Findings– The paper found that two main factorsz emerged (structural and process factors) as influencing the formation and development of alliances in the field of hospitality. The empirical evidence also provides insight into the sources of advantage that alliances can address in hospitality firms' challenges.Practical implications– Based on the principal results, this investigation also suggests some guidelines to bear in mind when creating and maintaining an alliance in the hospitality sector. This study shows that regional tourism development is normally expressed in economic terms, as the value of that region. This development depends on social, political and cultural aspects to be a tool of successful regional development, but for this to take place, it is necessary to form alliances in this specific sector.Originality/value– The study contributes to advancing theory in the field of strategic alliances. More precisely, this study is associated with the creation of a theoretical framework that shows the reasons and influencing factors (of structure and process) in alliance formation in the hospitality industry. This framework can help the different managers and other actors involved in alliances in the hotel segment, in their strategic decision-making processes.
The importance of value and context for mobile CRM services in banking
Authors: Awasthi Preety , S. Sangle Purnima 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The aim of the paper is to identify interactions existing among the identified factors and understanding how they impact adoption intention so that better CRM strategies for mobile channel can be orchestrated.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper empirically explores the underlying factors by the application of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The study sample consists of 523 respondents with a response rate of 63.9 percent (usable response rate).

Findings
– The empirical findings reveal that from the perspective of benefits, perceptions value, perceived usefulness and context were the three critical components significantly influencing adoption intention. On the apprehension side, the effects of perceived security assurance, perceived trust, perceived cost and perceived risk on perceived value as well as perceived usefulness were significant.

Research limitations/implications
– The study had a few limitations such as selection of the sample from a limited number of places, and the model was cross-sectional measuring perceptions and intentions at a single point of time.

Practical implications
– Based on the findings, banks should focus on increasing the value perceptions of the customers by considering the perceptions of usefulness in various service contexts. The structural assurances and risk mitigation strategies also need attention.

Originality/value
– The findings provided insight into the factors that contribute to the acceptance of mobile CRM services in India from new consumers' perspective. This study demonstrated that in the case of mobile CRM, the factors related to service aspect dominate over the technical aspect.
The impact of bureaucracies and occupational segregation on participation of Iranian women in the workforce
Authors: Javadian Golshan , Y. Addae Isaac 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges facing Iranian women in the workforce. While Iranian women's participation in higher education is exceptionally high, their participation in the workforce, especially the public sector, is low.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper compares the bureaucratic structures in public organizations with the “ideal” type of bureaucracy as defined by Weber (1922). Moreover, occupational segregation, which limits women's choices, is examined as another barrier for Iranian women's participation in the workforce.

Findings
– The paper argues that the main reason for the low participation of women in public organizations is the ill-structured bureaucracies in these organizations. Also, occupational segregation limits the career choices of Iranian women. Some of the challenges caused by these two factors are the result of discriminative rules and regulations.

Originality/value
– The paper contributes to the limited knowledge concerning the issues faced by Iranian women attempting to enter and progress in public organizations. While literature suggests that western women also face the same challenges in organizations, the unique characteristics of Iranian public organizations calls for separate analysis of these barriers in the Iranian context. By introducing readers to this unique subgroup of employees, the paper represents a starting point to an important area of research.
Reasons for variation in SCR for private label brands
Authors: Dawes John 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– There is increasing managerial and academic interest in understanding behavioural loyalty to private label (PL) brands. A widely used behavioural loyalty measure is share of category requirements, or “SCR”. This study aims to examine why some PLs enjoy higher levels of SCR compared to others.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study models consumer purchase data using the well-accepted NBD-Dirichlet model to identify the circumstances in which PL brands exhibit higher (“excess”) or lower SCR than expected.

Findings
– The study finds four factors linked to excess SCR for PLs. They are: higher share of overall category sales accounted for by the PL within the retailer's stores, higher penetration of the category by the retailer, low relative price of the PL, and lastly, lower average purchase frequency for the category overall.

Research limitations/implications
– While the study uses 13 product categories, its geographic scope is limited to the UK. Further research could examine how the findings generalize to other markets.

Originality/value
– The study is original in that it identifies factors that are linked to behavioural loyalty toward specific PL brands. The findings will help marketers in brand management and retailing to understand and contextualize brand performance metrics for PL brands.
How is HRD doing in research and publications? An assessment of journals by AHRD (2005-2011)
Authors: Sun Judy Y , Wang Greg G 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– This study aims to examine human resource development (HRD) research as represented by the citations to the publications in the four journals sponsored by the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) from 2005 to 2011.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors collected citation data from Google Scholar (GS) using Publish or Perish 3 (PoP3) and compared the four journals on the metrics of h, hc, g, e and other Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) commonly reported indexes.

Findings
– Citation data during the seven-year period provided an overall picture on the status of HRD research and publications. It showed that while HRD journals have made impressive research impact by generating worldwide scholarly citations in multiple languages, additional effort in improving the quality and the impact of research and publications is needed.

Research limitations/implications
– This study offers new insights on a number of important issues related to HRD research assessment, research quality, journal impact and editorial performance.

Originality/value
– This is an initial effort in the HRD literature that comprehensively analyzes and compares the four AHRD journals. It offers new insights on the assessment of HRD research and journal impact.
Mobility of Eastern European citizens: training and development
Authors: Kougias Ioannis , Seremeti Lambrini , Kalogeras Dimitris 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore and present a higher education initiative towards the training and development of Eastern European citizens, who migrate to Greece, in pursuit of bettering their economic conditions and, simultaneously, become evolving social entities, adaptable to heterogeneous environments.

Design/methodology/approach
– Motivated by the motto “education for all”, the initiative is based on data drawn from local and public authorities and interviews that were carried out with immigrants, mainly from Albania and Ukraine.

Findings
– This paper proposes a learning policy and training mechanism for foreigners and the establishment of a Mediator Office providing educational services.

Research limitations/implications
– Further efforts are necessary to improve the teaching content in order to be in full conformity with the characteristics and requirements of non-native learners.

Practical implications
– Some of the constraints hampering the implementation of this initiative are the lack of the necessary financial resources, the absence of legal framework, as well as the shortage of bilingual adult training and education instructors.

Originality/value
– There have been limited autonomous educational programmes concerning immigrants
'
lifelong learning provided by the Greek Ministry of Education, focused mainly on the Greek language and history learning. This work introduces a novel educational structure, which may be established in any higher education institution and which will involve anyone in any kind of subject, anytime and anywhere.
Australasian Health Facility Guidelines: results of a user survey
Authors: Carthey Jane Frances 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG) project was initiated in 2005 by the Australian State and Territory Health Departments, and the New Zealand Ministry of Health to guide hospital development in the Australasian region. This paper shares the results of a 2010 survey of guidelines users in three of the health jurisdictions, conducted to understand whether the anticipated project benefits were being achieved and to seek suggestions for future improvements.

Design/methodology/approach
– AusHFG users were surveyed using an electronic survey instrument. Data gathered included demographic information regarding the users and their projects, user views on the achievement of the anticipated benefits and their suggestions for future improvements to the AusHFG.

Findings
– In total, 152 people commenced the survey, with fewer fully completing it. Responses were generally positive and supportive of the project. Useful commentary was received regarding possible improvements; some of this illustrated user confusion regarding the purpose and inherent limitations of guidelines of this type.

Research limitations/implications
– The survey was conducted in only three out of a possible nine health jurisdictions – it could be further extended to these other jurisdictions in the future.

Practical implications
– The research illustrated the need to identify, and to communicate clearly, regularly and effectively with key project stakeholders to ensure user feedback and support for using health design guidelines.

Originality/value
– This is the first survey to be conducted of Australian and New Zealand users of health design guidelines. It provides useful feedback to those developing and implementing health guidelines, especially regarding the format, content and delivery of guideline information.
Evaluation of building performance for strategic facilities management in healthcare
Authors: Talib Yuhainis , Yang Rebecca Jing , Rajagopalan Priyadarsini 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the main elements of building performance, namely, building function, building impact and building quality in order to promote strategic facilities management in healthcare organisation to improve core (health) business activities.

Design/methodology/approach
– Based on current available toolkits, a questionnaire is issued to healthcare users (staff) in a public hospital about their level of agreement in relation to these elements. Statistical analysis is conducted to regroup the elements. These regrouped elements and their inter-relationships are used to develop a framework for measuring building performance in healthcare buildings.

Findings
– The analysis helped to clarify the understanding and agreement of users in Australian healthcare organisation with regards to building performance. Based on the survey results, 11 new elements were regrouped into three groups. These new regrouped elements will be used to develop a reliable framework for measuring performance of Australian healthcare buildings.

Originality/value
– Currently there is no building performance toolkit available for Australian healthcare organisation. The framework developed in this paper will help healthcare organisations with a reliable performance tool for their buildings and this will promote strategic facilities management
Decentralization, perceived environmental uncertainty, managerial performance and management accounting system information in Egyptian hospitals
Authors: A. Hammad Salah , Jusoh Ruzita , Ghozali Imam 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence concerning: the relationships between decentralization, perceived environmental uncertainty, and management accounting systems (MAS) information and the relationships between MAS information and managerial performance within Egyptian hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data were collected using questionnaires that were sent personally to the managers or heads of departments of Egyptian hospitals. Departmental level was used as the unit of analysis. Data obtained from 200 hospital managers were analyzed using partial least squares.

Findings
– The study reveals that decentralization and environmental uncertainty, to some extent, are essential factors in designing efficient and effective MAS. Hospitals with decentralized structure make better use of timely, aggregated and integrated MAS information. Environment in which the hospitals operate does have significant influence on the type of information provided by the MAS.

Research limitations/implications
– Using personally administered questionnaires causes the sample to be rather limited and not comprehensive enough.

Practical implications
– The current study offers the hospital managers some useful aspects related to the function of MAS information that can be used to enhance their managerial performance. The provision of broad-scope and timeliness of MAS information can facilitate more effective managerial decisions. MAS designers and Egyptian policy makers should emphasize on decentralized decision-making by delegating sufficient authority to lower level managers as much as possible.

Originality/value
– This study is one of the few studies done in Africa in the field of MAS, particularly in the context of Egyptian hospitals.
The value relevance of earnings levels in the return-earnings relation
Authors: Agnes Cheng C.S. , Lee Bong-Soo , Yang Simon 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– Prior studies provide mixed propositions on whether earnings levels or earnings changes provide the better explanatory power for variations of stock returns and whether the time-series behavior of earnings affects the value relevance of both earnings variables. This paper aims to compare the value relevance of earnings levels with that of earnings changes in the return-earnings relations.

Design/methodology/approach
– The unobservable components model is used to estimate permanent and transitory components of earnings.

Findings
– The finding shows that the proxy ability of earnings changes for unexpected earnings is sensitive to a firm's time-series earnings permanence property and is unstable and noisy when earnings contain predominantly transitory components, but that of earnings levels is not. The results support earnings levels are a stable and better value relevant proxy in the return-earnings relations.

Research limitations/implications
– The findings imply that the valuation role of earnings levels is important in the research relating to earnings components, earnings innovations, and equity valuation, especially when earnings permanence is of interest.

Practical implications
– The results provide a new understanding on the role of earnings levels in many business decisions such as executive compensations, institutional investment and conservative accounting where they often involve the choice of using levels and/or changes of earnings variables in making decisions.

Originality/value
– The paper contributes to the accounting literature by providing a new insight into the valuation role of earnings levels in the return-earnings relations. The stable value relevance of earnings levels also has important implications, especially for studies that use only earnings levels to assess earnings quality and earnings attributes.