bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
JCT600 engages expanding team with benefits package
Authors: Mason Steve 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to present a case study about how JCT600 has implemented an employee benefits program that offers its staff a comprehensive range of benefits in an engaging and easy-to-use format.

Design/methodology/approach
– Looking after its people and rewarding their loyalty is a major part of JCT600's core values. Feedback had suggested that the benefits program that was originally in place needed to be made more appealing, accessible and comprehensive, with certain additional benefits such as a cycle to work scheme and retail discounts. Personal Group proposed a program called “Just Rewards”, which comprised a range of bespoke benefits including JCT600's existing staff benefits. A thorough communications plan was put in place ahead of the launch, including posters and internal company newsletters, to ensure employees were aware of the program. Upon launch, one-to-one meetings were offered to every employee to introduce them to the scheme and to drive their practical understanding of it. The one-to-one meetings were facilitated by Personal Group using their innovative iPad app to bring the program to life.

Findings
– Of JCT600's 1,350-strong team, 754 joined the program within the first three months. In an employee survey following the launch, 93 percent of the staff surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with the benefits on offer, with 94 percent very satisfied or satisfied with the overall benefits package. Overall, JCT600 felt that it was a successful roll out. Simple protection products were also offered by Personal Group, namely Voluntary Group Income Protection (VGIP) and the Hospital Cash Plan. Both have been well received with 274 VGIP registrations and 158 Hospital Cash Plan take up. A total of 56 percent of staff registered and 35 percent were actively using the program within the first three months. The early usage and engagement with the program has exceeded expectations.

Originality/value
– Following research with staff, JCT600 felt that employees would appreciate more comprehensive benefits in an easy to access package. It shows that even large companies with multiple locations can retain a “family values” ethos by taking responsibility for the wellbeing and incentivization of a diverse workforce.
Sea shells used as partial aggregate replacement in concrete
Authors: Elliott Richardson Alan , Fuller Thomas 
Published: October 2013

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a waste marine sea shell product incorporated into a concrete mix as an aggregate replacement. Utilising shells reduces the storage of shell waste, also reducing the need for quarried aggregate and has potential benefits of adding a different material to a design mix concrete mix design for improved performance.Design/methodology/approach– The test methods used to evaluate the concrete were, British Standard tests for compressive strength (BS EN 12390-3:2002) and porosity (BS EN 12390-8:2009). A paired comparison test was carried out examining two different partial replacement shell aggregate mixes against a plain concrete control sample.Findings– The results showed a reduction in compressive strength when 50 per cent of sea shells were used as an aggregate replacement, for both sand and gravel, compared to the control sample. Crushed and graded sea shells used in concrete displayed a lower porosity/permeability than plain concrete.Originality/value– Whilst there is existing work relating to the compressive strength of concrete using sea shells, the porosity of concrete using sea shells has not been widely addressed and the paper investigates this aspect of sustainable concrete research.
Team performance management: past, current and future trends
Authors: Srivastava Mohit , Rogers Helen , Lettice Fiona 
Published: October 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to update the Team Performance Management (TPM) readership on the development of the journal since the first review article was written in 2007.

Design/methodology/approach
– Each of the 136 articles published in the journal between 2007 and 2012 were analyzed to identify interesting trends and patterns.

Findings
– The USA still holds the top positions in terms of the largest number of published articles, and a total of 28 countries are represented by first author affiliation. Academic first authors have increased from 69 to 92 percent since the 2007 analysis. Of the total articles published from 2007-2012, 32 percent of the articles are single authored, while 35 percent are double authored. The majority of the authors published just once in the journal (84 percent) during that period. The publication of research articles has increased from 55 to 67 percent. The most popular article achieved 4,310 downloads.

Research limitations/implications
– This study is not a rigorous statistical analysis, but rather seeks to provide an update on the 2007 analysis, with a review of the last six years' articles published in the journal. As before, only the first author's details were used for the analysis, which may have caused a slight bias in the findings.

Originality/value
– This article provides a quick guide in terms of the types of articles published in TPM during the last six years and with the 2007 article, gives an overview of the journal and team performance management research in the last 18 years.
Maternal, social and abiotic environmental effects on growth vary across life stages in a cooperative mammal
Authors: English Sinead , Bateman Andrew W. , Mares Rafael , Ozgul Arpat , Clutton‐Brock Tim H. 
Published: October 2013

Summary

Resource availability plays a key role in driving variation in somatic growth and body condition, and the factors determining access to resources vary considerably across life stages. Parents and carers may exert important influences in early life, when individuals are nutritionally dependent, with abiotic environmental effects having stronger influences later in development as individuals forage independently.

Most studies have measured specific factors influencing growth across development or have compared relative influences of different factors within specific life stages. Such studies may not capture whether early‐life factors continue to have delayed effects at later stages, or whether social factors change when individuals become nutritionally independent and adults become competitors for, rather than providers of, food.

Here, we examined variation in the influence of the abiotic, social and maternal environment on growth across life stages in a wild population of cooperatively breeding meerkats. Cooperatively breeding vertebrates are ideal for investigating environmental influences on growth. In addition to experiencing highly variable abiotic conditions, cooperative breeders are typified by heterogeneity both among breeders, with mothers varying in age and social status, and in the number of carers present.

Recent rainfall had a consistently marked effect on growth across life stages, yet other seasonal terms only influenced growth during stages when individuals were growing fastest. Group size and maternal dominance status had positive effects on growth during the period of nutritional dependence on carers, but did not influence mass at emergence (at 1 month) or growth at independent stages (>4 months). Pups born to older mothers were lighter at 1 month of age and subsequently grew faster as subadults. Males grew faster than females during the juvenile and subadult stage only.

Our findings demonstrate the complex ways in which the external environment influences development in a cooperative mammal. Individuals are most sensitive to social and maternal factors during the period of nutritional dependence on carers, whereas direct environmental effects are relatively more important later in development. Understanding the way in which environmental sensitivity varies across life stages is likely to be an important consideration in predicting trait responses to environmental change.
REVIEW: Identifying links between vital rates and environment: a toolbox for the applied ecologist
Authors: Frederiksen Morten , Lebreton Jean‐Dominique , Pradel Roger , Choquet Rémi , Gimenez Olivier 
Published: October 2013

Summary

In a rapidly changing world, understanding and predicting population change is a central aim of applied ecologists, and this involves studying the links between environmental variation and vital rates (survival, fecundity, etc.). Demographic analysis and modelling can be daunting for practicing ecologists, and here we provide an overview of some of the most important issues and methods.

Collection of demographic data should follow standardized protocols and the statistical power to detect links with environment is critically dependent on long time‐series. Candidate environmental covariates should be carefully selected with a view to reducing the risk of spurious correlations. The relevant sample size for environment–demography links is typically the number of years and mixed models with random year effects offer a powerful framework to enforce this.

Data on individually marked animals are the best source of information on demography. These data can be analysed and demographic parameters estimated using a wide variety of capture–mark–recapture models, available in standard software packages.

Population models integrate all demographic variables and provide estimates of population growth rate. Two common classes of models are matrix models and integrated population models, where the latter combine parameter estimation and dynamic modelling.

Synthesis and applications. Careful demographic analysis and modelling has provided solutions for many real‐world problems in population management, as well as assisting the development of general principles. The tools currently available are flexible and powerful, and the main limitations to their more general use are data availability and training.
Modelling edge effects of mature forest plantations on peatland waders informs landscape‐scale conservation
Authors: Wilson Jeremy D. , Anderson Russell , Bailey Sallie , Chetcuti Jordan , Cowie Neil R. , Hancock Mark H. , Quine Christopher P. , Russell Norrie , Stephen Leigh , Thompson Des B. A. 
Published: October 2013

Summary

Edge effects of native forest fragmentation have been well studied, but there are few studies of open‐ground habitats fragmented by plantation forests. We measure forestry edge effects on open‐ground breeding birds, following one of Europe's biggest and most controversial land‐use transformations.

The ‘Flow Country’ of northern Scotland is one of the world's greatest expanses of blanket bog. It became fragmented by conifer forests planted in the late 20th century, and these now adjoin open peatlands protected under European conservation legislation. Detrimental edge effects on breeding birds were anticipated, but not apparent shortly after planting.

Using survey data collected in 2003–2006, and logistic regression modelling, we tested whether breeding distributions of three wader species of international conservation concern, dunlin, European golden plover and common greenshank, were influenced by distance to forest edge, controlling for habitat and topography.

All three species were more likely to occupy flatter, more exposed ground close to bog pools and were influenced by peatland vegetation structure. There was an additive and adverse effect of proximity to forest edge for dunlin and European golden plover, but not common greenshank. This effect was strongest within 700 m of forest edges. We used these results to predict which areas should benefit most from removal of adjacent forestry and so guide maintenance and restoration of the bird interests of the protected areas.

Synthesis and applications. Edge effects of mature forestry on dunlin and golden plover are apparent over several hundred metres and are now being used to guide forest planning in northern Scotland. The scale of edge effect is broadly consistent with other avian studies in open‐ground habitats across Eurasia and North America, so buffer zones of this order are consistent with possible impacts of plantation forestry on open‐ground habitats of bird conservation interest. Given renewed interest in conifer afforestation as a climate change mitigation measure, an improved understanding of edge effects and the mechanisms through which they operate is vital to managing plantation forestry in ways that maintain open‐ground landscapes of high conservation value.
Effectiveness of intensive, group therapy for teenagers who stutter
Authors: Fry Jane , Millard Sharon , Botterill Willie 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundTreatment of adolescents who stutter is an under‐researched area that would benefit from greater attention.AimsTo investigate whether an intensive treatment programme for older teenagers who stutter, aged over 16 years of age, is effective in reducing overt and covert aspects of stuttering.Methods & ProceduresA repeated‐measures, single‐subject experimental design was replicated across participants. The study consisted of a 5‐week baseline phase, 2‐week intensive treatment phase, 5‐week consolidation phase and 10‐month follow‐up phase. Participants were asked to make ten video recordings at home during each phase, while completing a reading and a conversation task. Recordings were analysed in terms of the percentage of stuttered syllables using a simplified time‐series analysis. Participants completed self‐report questionnaires at predetermined times throughout the study. Data are presented for three males aged 17;7, 17;11 and 18;10.Outcomes & ResultsOne participant completed all required recordings. Difficulties were encountered collecting follow‐up data with the other two participants and data are available up to 5 months after the intensive therapy phase. A significant trend of reduced frequency of stuttering was found for all three participants during the intensive therapy phase. This trend continued throughout the consolidation phase and remained significant when available longer‐term data were included in the analysis. Participants also reported increased self‐efficacy about speaking and reduced overt and covert aspects of stammering.Conclusions & ImplicationsFindings show that this therapy programme for teenagers had a significant treatment effect for the participants studied in the short‐ and medium‐term, however longer‐term data were not available for all participants. Issues in conducting research with this client group are discussed.
Estimation of Urinary Concentration of Aflatoxin M1 in Chinese Pregnant Women
Authors: Lei Yajing , Fang Lizheng , Akash Muhammad Sajid Hamid , Rehman Kanwal , Liu Zhiming , Shi Weixing , Chen Shuqing 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a main cause of hepatocarcenogenoma in Chinese population. Measurement of aflatoxin exposure in human may help in providing clear evidence for the exposure of specific environmental pollutants in certain population. “One child policy” in China offered parents more careful to choose safe food during pregnancy, but no reports published on the efficacy of their endeavor. In present study, we aimed to assess the exposure of AFM1 in Chinese pregnant women. The urine samples were collected from 600 volunteers from Zhejiang province, China and the urinary concentration of AFM1 was measured using ELISA kit. AFM1 was detected in 84% of the pregnant women. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentration of AFM1 in pregnant women were 50.3 ng/L and 633.5 ng/L, respectively. Our results point out that pregnant women especially are at the high risk of exposure to AFM1. Our results also indicate that although “one child policy” offered parents to pay more attention for the selection of safe food, but detection of AFM1 in urine of pregnant women indicate that more foods containing AFM1 still need to be detected. Highest exposure of AFM1 in pregnant women indicates that awareness campaigns must be started especially in the rural areas of China regarding the possible hazardous effects of AFM1 exposure in pregnant women.
Glucocorticoid‐induced hyperglycemia (糖皮质激素诱导的高血糖)
Authors: Perez Antonio , Jansen‐Chaparro Sergio , Saigi Ignasi , Bernal‐Lopez M. Rosa , Miñambres Inka , Gomez‐Huelgas Ricardo 
Published: October 2013

AbstractCorticosteroid‐induced hyperglycemia is a common medical problem that can lead to frequent emergency room visits, hospital admissions and prolonged hospital stay, in addition to the well known morbidity associated with hyperglycemia. However, the diagnosis and treatment of corticosteroid‐induced hyperglycemia is surprisingly undervalued by most professionals, probably because of the lack of quality studies to determine specific strategies of action. In the present review, we discuss the pathophysiology of corticosteroid‐induced hyperglycemia, focusing on diverse patterns of hyperglycemia induced by the different formulations, and provide clues for diagnosis based on the duration of treatment and the administration schedule of corticosteroids. We propose a treatment strategy based on both the pathophysiology of the process and the mechanism of action of different corticosteroids, and take into account dosing and administration timing to predict the duration of therapy. Finally, we propose treatment goals that differ slightly between the transient and continuous use of corticosteroids based on evidence from clinical practice guidelines of diabetes care both in ambulatory and hospital settings.
Taxonomy of the genus Udara (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in New Caledonia and the Wet Tropics of Australia, with a review of butterfly endemism in these regions
Authors: Braby Michael F , Müller Chris J 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe lycaenid genus Udara Toxopeus is recorded for the first time from New Caledonia where it is represented by the newly described species U. renevieri sp. nov. The species is figured, the male genitalia are illustrated, and the taxon is compared with U. cardia (C. Felder, 1860) (from Maluku through New Guinea to the Solomon Islands and Australia) to which it appears to be most closely related. The taxonomic status of U. cardia tenella syn. nov. and stat. nov. from the Wet Tropics biome of north‐east Australia is revised and treated as a subspecies of U. cardia based on comparative evidence of the morphology of the male genitalia and wing colour pattern elements. The holotypes of both Lycaena cardia C. Felder, 1860 and Lycaena tenella Miskin, 1891 are illustrated. Patterns of butterfly endemism in New Caledonia‐Loyalty Islands and the Wet Tropics are discussed in relation to the conservation importance of these biodiversity hot spots. Estimated levels of endemism are 21% for New Caledonia and 5% (17% if subspecies are included) for the rainforest component of the Wet Tropics.
Responses of iliac conduit artery and hindlimb resistance vessels to luminal hyperfructosemia in the anaesthetized pig
Authors: Ruane‐O'Hora T. , Edge D. , Shortt C. M. , Markos F. , Noble M. I. M. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAimsHigh fructose levels are found in diabetes mellitus, associated with high corn syrup diets, and have been claimed to cause hypertension. As the direct effects on conduit and resistance arteries have not been previously reported, we measured these in vivo in the anaesthetized pig with instrumented iliac arteries.MethodsExperiments were performed on the iliac artery preparation in the anaesthetized pig: blood flow, diameter and pressure were measured in the iliac.ResultsThe change in diameter of an occluded iliac artery segment filled with hyperfructosemic (15 μm) blood was 89.5 ± 22.1 μm (mean ± SE), contrasted with 7.7 ± 13.06 μm control (P = 0.005, paired t‐test, n = 6). There was no significant difference when compared with blood containing both hyperfructosemic blood and the nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor, N(G)‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (250 μg mL−1). Step changes in pressure and flow were achieved by progressive arterial stenosis during control saline and 15 μm min−1 fructose downstream intra‐arterial infusions. Linear regression of the step changes in blood pressure versus the instantaneous step changes in blood flow showed a statistically significant decrease in slope of the conductance (P < 0.001, analysis of covariance), indicating an increase in instantaneous peripheral vascular resistance. Peripheral autoregulation and conduit artery shear‐stress‐mediated dilatation were not significantly altered.ConclusionAn elevated level of fructose caused dilatation of a conduit artery but constriction of resistance vessels. The latter effect could account, if maintained long‐term, for the hypertension claimed to be due to hyperfuctosemia.
Review article: evidence‐based dietary advice for patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Richman E. , Rhodes J. M. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryBackgroundThe therapeutic effect of enteral nutrition in Crohn's disease (CD) and the epidemiological associations between diet and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) implicate diet in IBD causation. There is little evidence, however, to support specific dietary changes and patients often receive contradictory advice.AimTo review the literature on the impacts of diet on IBD causation and activity to produce guidance based on ‘best available evidence’.MethodReview of Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases from 1975 to 2012 using MeSH headings ‘crohn's disease’ ‘ulcerative colitis’ ‘enteral’ ‘diet’ ‘nutrition’ ‘fatty acid’ and ‘food additives’.ResultsEnteral nutrition with a formula‐defined feed is effective treatment for CD, but approximately 50% of patients relapse within 6 months of return to normal diet. There is no direct evidence of benefit from any other specific dietary modification in CD, but indirect evidence supports recommendation of a low intake of animal fat, insoluble fibre and processed fatty foods containing emulsifiers. Foods tolerated in sustained remission may not be tolerated following relapse. Some evidence supports vitamin D supplementation. In ulcerative colitis (UC), evidence is weaker, but high intakes of meat and margarine correlate with increased UC incidence and high meat intake also correlates with increased likelihood of relapse.ConclusionsThere is little evidence from interventional studies to support specific dietary recommendations. Nevertheless, people with IBD deserve advice based on ‘best available evidence’ rather than no advice at all, although dietary intake should not be inappropriately restrictive. Further interventional studies of dietary manipulation are urgently required.