bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Creating an identity for a heterogeneous system in health care
Authors: Kantola Hannele 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to discuss the implementation process for the new diagnosis-related groups (DRG) accounting system in the health-care sector, and the struggle to gain acceptance for the system. The emphasis is on the goals and the expected results of the system, and how the system finally becomes an actuality.Design/methodology/approach– The paper illustrates the framing of an accounting system, that is, how the health organization constructs the goals and the purposes of the system during its implementation. The empirical data consist of interviews, newspaper articles and notes from participatory observations.Findings– The goals and the purposes of the new system were not definedex ante, but rather emerged as supporters of the system found a common language. This commonality enabled the linking of the interests of the hospital managers with the DRG system. At this point, the actual DRG-based systems for the product categorization and the full-cost pricing system became heterogeneous. Making the system visible through discussion entailed seeing the invisible. Seeing the invisible allowed the system to become a reality (national comparability). Visibility helped the DRG system to gain approval and become a stronger system.Research limitations/implications– This study is an illustration of a unique social process. The study’s applicability under other circumstances should be considered with caution.Originality/value– The paper illustrates how the purpose of an accounting system emerges and is constructed through the interaction between various actors.
Implementing performance measurement systems
Authors: Akbar Rusdi , Pilcher Robyn Ann , Perrin Brian 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to explore the perceived drivers behind the implementation of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in Indonesian local government (ILG). It analytically assesses Indonesia’s attempt to introduce PMSs by addressing three research questions: Do organisations in developing countries actually use PMSs to aid decision-making and help plan for future performance improvement? (RQ1) Do the three isomorphic pressures exist in the development and use of PMSs? (RQ2) and If institutional isomorphism is evident, can accountability exist within the development and use of PMSs given these pressures? (RQ3).Design/methodology/approach– This research explores the perceived drivers behind the implementation of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in Indonesian local government (ILG). It analytically assesses Indonesia’s attempt to introduce a PMS by addressing three research questions:RQ1Do organisations in developing countries actually use PMSs to aid decision-making and help plan for future performance improvement?RQ2Do the three isomorphic pressures exist in the development and use of PMSs? andRQ3If institutional isomorphism is evident, can accountability exist within the development and use of PMSs given these pressures.Findings– Results determined that although employees perceived coercive isomorphism as being a driver of ILG compliance with President B.J. Habibie’s presidential instruction (Inpres No. 7/1999), the Laporan Akuntabilitas Kinerja Institusi Pemerintah/Performance Accountability Report of State Apparatus (known as LAKIP), many councils were still not reporting and those who were, were not doing it well. Many councils lacked management motivation, with some choosing to merely mimic (mimetic isomorphism) what others were doing. Better-resourced councils made use of external consultants or local universities where knowledge was shared (normative isomorphism).Practical implications– An understanding of factors influencing the development and use of performance measures, in turn, can be used not only to improve PMSs in the future but to improve the quantity and quality of LAKIP reporting.Originality/value– The theoretical development and interpretation of this research is drawn from institutional theory with a major contribution being that it provides an in-depth conceptual overview and understanding of factors influencing the development and use of performance measures. Further, it fills a gap in the literature exploring PMSs and accountability in a developing country – in this case, Indonesia.
Team microfranchising as a response to the entrepreneurial capacity problem in low-income markets
Authors: Camenzuli Adam , McKague Kevin 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– Drawing on a qualitative study of youth microfranchising in the Tanzanian computer sales, service, and training sector, the purpose of this study is to identify the challenges and advantages of a team-based approach to owning and operating a microfranchise business in the context of a least developed country. However, disadvantaged entrepreneurs typically still lack a critical mass of specialized technical skills and general managerial skills to manage a differentiated and competitive microenterprise business. A team-based approach to microfranchising can allow for combining specialized skills among more than one business owner; however, the potential risks and opportunities of team-microfranchising have not been studied. This study makes a contribution toward filling this gap by identifying five challenges and five advantages of team microfranchising which provide guidance for future research and practice.Design/methodology/approach– Qualitative data (interviews, observation and archival documents) were analyzed from an in-depth case study of youth microfranchising in the Tanzanian computer sales, service and training sector.Findings– Results revealed that microfranchise businesses in sectors that require multiple complementary higher-level skills are suited to a team microfranchise approach. Findings suggest that the greater the limitations on franchisee skills and the more pronounced the lack of public goods and institutions, the greater the potential for team microfranchising to overcome the entrepreneurial capacity constraints and institutional voids in low-income market contexts. Further, team-based microfranchises may be able to compete more effectively in sectors where economies of scale are not a significant factor, such as service industries and small-scale niche manufacturing. Also identified are five potential challenges and five areas of opportunity for practitioners seeking to implement a team-microfranchise approach.Research limitations/implications– The current study examined microfranchising among teams of youth in the Tanzanian computer sales and service sector. Further research could examine team microfranchising among other demographic groups in different sectors and the different regulatory, institutional and cultural contexts of other regions and countries.Social implications– If developed effectively in the right contexts, the team-based approach to microfranchising can potentially double the job-creation impacts of microfranchising ventures.Originality/value– This study is the first to assess the viability and boundary conditions of a team-based approach to microfranchising.
Fringe benefits and organisational commitment: the case of Langkawi hotels
Authors: Ahmad Rozila , Scott Noel 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to examine the relationship between fringe benefits (FB) provided to hotel managerial employees as part of their compensation and managers’ organisational commitment (OC).Design/methodology/approach– This empirical study collected quantitative data from 104 managers from three-, four- and five-star hotels in Langkawi Island, Malaysia. Data collected included types of FBs received and three components of OC – affective commitment (AC), normative commitment (NC) and continuous commitment (CC).Findings– Significant relationships were found between types of FBs and component of OC. Relocation allowances, sports and social facilities, birthday celebrations and free laundry services have a greater correlation with AC compared to other types of FB. Most types of FBs have stronger correlation with AC compared to NC and CC.Research limitations/implications– The findings of this study are limited to hotels in Langkawi Island, Malaysia and to three-, four- and five-star hotels.Practical implications– Practitioners can use the information provided in this study to develop effective and competitive FB packages.Social implications– It is of utmost importance to ensure the well-being of all employees (managers and non-managers) in the provision of FB packages.Originality/value– Managers’ FBs are an important component of their salary, but there have been few studies of the effectiveness of FBs on hotel performance. This paper provides empirical evidence for the positive effect of FB on OC.
Does knowing overcome wanting? The impact of consumer knowledge and materialism upon credit card selection with young consumers
Authors: Cakarnis Jakob , D'Alessandro Steve Peter 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– This paper investigates the determinants of credit card use and misuse by student and young professionals. Critical to the research is the impact of materialism and knowledge on selection of the appropriate credit card.

Design/methodology/approach
– This study uses survey research and partial least squares to investigate credit card behaviors of students versus young professionals.

Findings
– In a comparative study of young professionals and students, it was found that consumer knowledge, as expected, leads to better consumer selection of credit cards. Materialism was also found to increase the motivation for more optimal consumer outcomes. For more experienced consumers, such as young professionals, it was found that despite them being more knowledgeable, they were more likely to select a credit card based on impulse.

Originality/value
– This paper examines how materialism may in fact encourage some consumers to make better decisions because they are more motivated to develop better knowledge. It also shows how better credit card selection may inhibit impulse purchasing.
Exploring seafood socialization in the kindergarten: an intervention’s influence on children’s attitudes
Authors: Alm Siril , Olsen Svein Ottar 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to enhance the understanding of the influence of increased food availability and social learning in kindergartens on children’s attitudes toward food. In addition, it discusses questions regarding children and their parent’s attitudes and seafood consumption at home.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study uses a qualitative approach that includes semi-structured interviews with 24 Norwegian children aged four to six years, interviewed in pairs. They represented two public kindergartens. One group attended a seafood intervention and the other did not. The intervention comprised seafood served as lunch twice per week, in addition to various educational activities designed to increase children’s knowledge of seafood.

Findings
– Children who attended the seafood intervention used more cognitive associations by describing seafood as being healthy. They also expressed more positive attitudes towards seafood compared with the other children. The findings indicate a stronger socialization effect from parents than preschool teachers.

Research limitations/implications
– The children proved to have limited cognitive and communicative abilities for participation in semi-structured interviews. Future studies should consider older samples and/or methods that are more adapted to their cognitive abilities. Results cannot be generalized due to the relative small sample size and the fact that the study was performed in one culture.

Social implications
– To promote a healthier diet, children’s care givers and school authorities should make seafood more available. Preschool teachers should be encouraged to eat meals with the children to function as positive role models.

Originality/value
– The study addresses a currently under-researched issue concerning the influence of kindergartens on children’s food attitudes toward a specific food category.
Applying uses and gratifications theory to students’ LinkedIn usage
Authors: Florenthal Bela 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore what motivates college students to use LinkedIn and what inhibits them from fully adopting it.

Design/methodology/approach
– A qualitative approach applying a “uses and gratifications” framework was used to identify the motives of and barriers faced by college students with respect to the LinkedIn usage. The study includes data collected from 30 upper-level, undergraduate business students.

Findings
– Four uses and gratifications categories emerged explaining why college students would be willing to use LinkedIn. Three categories – interpersonal communication, online identity and information – are similar to those identified for using social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. Career development was found to be a category gratifying only LinkedIn users. Barriers to LinkedIn adoption included students’ ignorance of the network and the erroneous perception that a presence on LinkedIn should be initiated and/or developed only after graduation.

Originality/value
– College students’ behavior on social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace, was extensively researched employing the uses and gratifications theory. LinkedIn has recently reached about 200 million users, of which about 30 million are college students and recent graduates. Still, students’ motives, usage patterns and barriers associated with LinkedIn have not been well-documented, which creates a gap that this study attempts to address. The aim is to shed light on what motivates students to use a professional network as opposed to using social networks and what key barriers might prevent college students from fully capitalizing on LinkedIn’s features.
Population genetic structure of the South American species Hypochaeris lutea (Asteraceae)
Authors: Rodrigues Luana Alves , Ruas Eduardo Augusto , Ruas Paulo Maurício , Reck Maikel , Fiorin Fernando Gianetti , Ortiz María Ángeles , Urtubey Estrella , Matzenbacher Nelson Ivo , Ruas Claudete Fátima 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe genus Hypochaeris has a recent evolutionary history caused by long‐distance dispersal in conjunction with adaptive radiation in the South American continent. Hypochaeris lutea is a perennial herb that grows mostly at altitudes of around 1000 m in cold swamps of the southern regions of Brazil. We investigated the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in 270 individuals representing 11 Brazilian populations of H. lutea to elucidate the population genetic structure of this species. The frequencies of polymorphic loci and gene diversity ranged from 83.42% to 91.66% and from 0.26 to 0.34, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that most of the genetic variability was found within (76.67%) rather than among (23.3%) populations, agreeing with the pattern of genetic distribution within and among populations observed in other allogamous species of Hypochaeris. A Mantel test showed no correlation between genetic and geographic distances when all populations were considered. Simulations performed using a Bayesian approach consistently identified two clusters with different admixture proportions of individuals, as also revealed by a UPGMA dendrogram of populations. The pattern of genetic structure observed in H. lutea is consistent with a process of successive colonization events by long‐distance dispersal resembling the rapid and recent radiation that has been proposed to explain the origin of the South American species of Hypochaeris.
Characteristic Features of Hanging: A Study in Rural District of Central India
Authors: Ambade Vipul Namdeorao , Kolpe Dayanand , Tumram Nilesh , Meshram Satin , Pawar Mohan , Kukde Hemant 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe ligature mark is the most relevant feature of hanging. This study was undertaken with a view to determine the characteristic features of hanging and its association with ligature material or mode of suspension. Of a total medicolegal deaths reported at an Apex Medical Centre, hanging was noted in 4.1% cases, all suicidal with mortality rate of 1.5 per 100,000 population per year. The hanging was complete in 67.7% with nylon rope as the commonest type of ligature material used for ligation. The hanging mark was usually single, situated above thyroid cartilage, incomplete, prominent, and directed toward nape of neck. The mark of dribbling of saliva was seen in 11.8% cases. Facial congestion, petechial hemorrhage, and cyanosis were significantly seen in partial hanging. Though occasionally reported, the argent line was noted in 78.7% hanging deaths with neck muscle hemorrhage in 23.6% cases. Fracture of neck structure was predominant in complete hanging.
Reconstruction of Banknote Fragments Based on Keypoint Matching Method
Authors: Gwo Chih‐Ying , Wei Chia‐Hung , Li Yue , Chiu Nan‐Hsing 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBanknotes may be shredded by a scrap machine, ripped up by hand, or damaged in accidents. This study proposes an image registration method for reconstruction of multiple sheets of banknotes. The proposed method first constructs different scale spaces to identify keypoints in the underlying banknote fragments. Next, the features of those keypoints are extracted to represent their local patterns around keypoints. Then, similarity is computed to find the keypoint pairs between the fragment and the reference banknote. The banknote fragments can determine the coordinate and amend the orientation. Finally, an assembly strategy is proposed to piece multiple sheets of banknote fragments together. Experimental results show that the proposed method causes, on average, a deviation of 0.12457 ± 0.12810° for each fragment while the SIFT method deviates 1.16893 ± 2.35254° on average. The proposed method not only reconstructs the banknotes but also decreases the computing cost. Furthermore, the proposed method can estimate relatively precisely the orientation of the banknote fragments to assemble.
Surveillance of Enteric Viruses and Microbial Indicators in the Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and Harvest Waters along Louisiana Gulf Coast
Authors: Montazeri Naim , Maite Morgan , Liu Da , Cormier Jiemin , Landry Matthew , Shackleford John , Lampila Lucina E. , Achberger Eric C. , Janes Marlene E. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractNoroviruses are the most common causative agent of viral gastroenteritis in humans, and are responsible for major foodborne illnesses in the United States. Filter‐feeding molluscan shellfish exposed to sewage‐contaminated waters bioaccumulate viruses, and if consumed raw, transmit the viruses to humans and cause illness. We investigated the occurrence of norovirus GI and GII and microbial indicators of fecal contamination in the eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and water from commercial harvesting areas along the Louisiana Gulf Coast (January to November of 2013). Microbial indicators (aerobic plate count, enterococci, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, male‐specific coliphages, and somatic coliphages) were detected at the densities lower than public health concerns. Only one oyster sample was positive for norovirus GII at 3.5 ± 0.2 log10 genomic equivalent copies/g digestive tissues. A stool specimen obtained from an infected individual associated with a norovirus outbreak and the suspected oysters (Cameron Parish, La., area 30, January 2013) were also analyzed. The norovirus strain in the stool belonged to GII.4 Sydney; however, the oysters were negative and could not be linked. In general, no temporal trend was observed in the microbial indicators. Low correlation among bacterial indicators was observed in oysters. Strongest correlations among microbial indicators were observed between enterococci and fecal coliforms (r = 0.63) and between enterococci and E. coli (r = 0.64) in water (P < 0.05); however, weak correlations were found in oysters (r < 0.45) and between oysters and harvest water (r ≤ 0.36, P > 0.05). Our results emphasize the need for regular monitoring of pathogenic viruses in commercial oyster harvesting areas to reduce the risks of viral gastroenteritis incidences.
Two new inflammatory markers associated with Disease Activity Score‐28 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio and platelet‐lymphocyte ratio
Authors: Uslu Ali Uğur , Küçük Adem , Şahin Ali , Ugan Yunus , Yılmaz Ramazan , Güngör Tayfun , Bağcacı Sinan , Küçükşen Sami 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAimRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease with unknown etiology and systemic involvement. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are two new inflammatory markers used in the assessment of systemic inflammation. The aim here is to study NLR and PLR in patients with RA to investigate their relation with Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS‐28).MethodsThe study included 104 patients with RA and a control group of 51 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy subjects. We divided the patients into two groups according to the DAS‐28 score. Group 1 included patients with a score of lower than 2.6 by the DAS‐28 (patients in remission) and Group 2 included patients with a score of 2.6 and higher (patients with active disease).ResultsNLR was 2.12 ± 0.83 in the patient group and 1.58 ± 0.57 in the control group. PLR was 136.50 ± 53.52 in the patient group and 114.84 ± 29.41 in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in NLR and PLR between the patient and control groups (P ≤ 0.0001 and P = 0.001, respectively). Patients in Group 1 had an NLR of 1.84 ± 0.61 and a PLR of 119.25 ± 41.77. Patients in Group 2 had an NLR of 2.29 ± 0.90 and a PLR of 147.28 ± 56.96. There was a statistically significant difference in NLR and PLR between the two groups (P = 0.003 and P = 0.005 respectively). A correlation was observed between NLR and PLR by DAS‐28 (r = 0.345, P ≤ 0.0001 and r = 0.352, P ≤ 0.0001, respectively).ConclusionsThe present study showed us that NLR and PLR were two new inflammatory markers which could be used to assess disease activity in patients with RA.
Impact of inhalation vs. intravenous anaesthesia on autonomic nerves and internal anal sphincter tone
Authors: Heid F. , Kauff D. W. , Lang H. , Kneist W. 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundPelvic intraoperative neuromonitoring (pIONM) aims to identify and spare the autonomic nerves and maintain patients’ quality of life. The effect of anaesthetic agents on the pIONM signal is unknown; therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the influences of inhalation anaesthesia (IA) and total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA).MethodsTwenty rectal cancer patients undergoing open nerve‐sparing total mesorectal excision (TME) were assigned to pIONM under either IA or TIVA (n = 10 per group). IA was maintained with sevoflurane and TIVA with propofol. During surgery, pelvic autonomic nerves were electrically stimulated under electromyography (EMG) of the internal anal sphincter (IAS). These triggered EMG signals were analysed.ResultsThe absolute EMG amplitude during pIONM increased to 1.20 μV (interquartile range (IQR): 0.94–1.6) for IA and 1.49 μV (IQR: 0.84–2.75) for TIVA (P = 0.002). The relative EMG amplitude increase also was significantly lower for IA (0.59; IQR: 0.30–0.81; TIVA: 0.99; IQR: 0.62–2.5), (P = 0.001).ConclusionsThis is the first study to compare the influences of IA and TIVA on the autonomic nervous system. While both anaesthetic regimens proved useful for pIONM, TIVA with propofol may provide better signal quality than IA with sevoflurane.