bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of peer tutoring on academic achievement
Authors: Comfort Paul , James McMahon John 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of peer tutoring on the academic achievement, during practical assessments, of the tutors and tutees.

Design/methodology/approach
– Final year students on an undergraduate Sports Science degree programme provided optional peer tutored practical sessions, once per week (two hours per session) for 12 weeks, for second year students on the same undergraduate programme. Students were then assessed on their ability to demonstrate, coach and explain a range of dynamic resistance exercises.

Findings
– A one way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc analysis demonstrated a significantly greater academic achievement in the peer tutoring group (73.64±10.26 per cent) compared to students that were not peer tutored (46.20±20.27, p=0.003) and compared to the previous years’ cohort that were not peer tutored (56.83±19.18, p<0.001). Moreover, tutors also demonstrated significantly (p<0.001) higher grades (82.00±11.01 per cent) compared to the students that did not act as peer tutors (64.88±8.82 per cent).

Practical implications
– This study demonstrates that peer tutoring during practical sessions in Sports Science programmes can enhance the development of practical skills and achievement of both tutees and tutors during practical assessments.

Originality/value
– To the authors knowledge this is the first study to determine the effects of peer tutoring on both the tutors and tutees, in a Sports Science setting.
Effectiveness of graduate programs in administrative and instructional leadership
Authors: Cozza Barbara , Blessinger Patrick , Mandracchia Marcella 
Published: April 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is twofold: to assess the effectiveness of the school building and school district leadership programs within the School of Education at a large private university and to find areas for improvement in these programs.Design/methodology/approach– This study utilized a qualitative grounded theory research strategy using a case study approach of two campuses of the university. Each case study utilized the same data collection methods and data analysis procedures in order to increase validity.Findings– The key findings revealed that the graduates emphasized the importance of professional support via a cohort structure, a sound program philosophy, and a comprehensive and coherent curriculum. Recruitment and administrative internships were two effectiveness criteria not emphasized by the participants. Thus, the findings suggest the program could be enhanced by the creation of leadership portfolios and quality administrative internships. These findings are also consistent with the transfer of learning theory.Research limitations/implications– Educational leadership preparation programs continue to be highly relevant fields of study as society places greater expectations on school leaders for meeting learning outcomes and educational standards. Increased calls for accountability have initiated more research on conditions and other factors that lead to enhanced student learning in these programs. To the extent that other universities have similar programs in place, the findings may benefit them in developing or improving their own program(s).Practical implications– The paper includes implications for the development of innovative programs in administrative and instructional leadership. The findings of this study suggest the program could be enhanced by the creation of leadership portfolios (digital and non-digital) as a culminating experience to summarize accomplishments, demonstrate competencies, and to serve as an authentic form of assessment, as well as the creation of quality administrative internships to provide students with real-life opportunities while they go through the program.Originality/value– This paper fulfils an identified need to study those program characteristics that have been shown to have the strongest relationship to school improvement.
The nexus between corporate governance and records management in private and public hospitals in Ghana
Authors: Mensah Monica , Adams Musah 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate governance and records management in private and public hospitals in Ghana, with the aim of finding out how the effective and efficient management of a hospital's records can facilitate its governance obligations, which includes but not limited to accountability, transparency and information security.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study was informed by the triangulation of the Stakeholders' and Records Continuum Theories. Data used for analysis were drawn from 90 respondents from four hospitals with the use of questionnaires and personal observations. A total of 82 questionaries' were returned in their complete forms and used for the analysis. Linear regressions were performed to establish the relationship between corporate governance and records management.

Findings
– The key finding of the study was that, the hospitals generated different types of records in the course of their business activities but existing records management standards, practices and systems were inadequate and undermined the contribution records could make in support of the governance function in the hospitals. Results of a linear regression also revealed that positive and significant relationships exist between corporate governance and records management. Furthermore, all variables used as predictors of corporate governance had positive and significant relationships with records management except information security.

Research limitations/implications
– Participants were from four hospitals in only one Region in Ghana, and as such the results could not be generalised to the whole country.

Practical implications
– The study has established the recognition of the essential but often ignored conditions necessary for an effective and efficient governance system for hospitals.

Originality/value
– The study has demonstrated that the effective management of hospital records is a critical factor in providing capacity for hospitals' efficiency, accountability, transparency, information security and indeed good governance. This research has also contributed towards bridging the theoretical gap identified in the study.
Agile at IBM: software developers teach a new dance step to management
Authors: M. Randall Robert 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
– Explains how companies that are seeking to implement rapid innovation can adopt the Agile software development approach. In Agile, self-organizing teams work in short cycles called “sprints” and develop the features to enable the product to continuously evolve in the light of the experience they gain and through customer feedback.

Design/methodology/approach
– For insight into how Agile is being implemented at a leading software services firm with clients in hundreds of industries, Strategy & Leadership asked Rob Purdie, Agile Practice Lead for the IBM Design Lab, how Agile software development methods were contributing to the success of IBM's key digital marketing initiatives.

Findings
– The traditional approach to software development is to define, design, develop and test everything – before delivering anything. With Agile, managers can reduce waste by prioritizing features based on relative business value, evaluating and re-designing as the project proceeds.

Practical implications
– Agile requires leaders and teams to work and learn through problems, designs and options in an open and transparent environment. It places new demands on technical leaders in terms of negotiation and planning skills.

Originality/value
– Managers outside the software industry should note that Agile/Scrum is likely to be increasingly essential to the future of product development and manufacturing. Nowadays many products for consumers and businesses include embedded software systems, so developing products in the future will require deeper collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines and marketing teams and familiarity with the Agile approach.
Anti‐quorum sensing activity of Psidium guajava L. flavonoids against Chromobacterium violaceum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1
Authors: Vasavi Halkare Suryanarayana , Arun Ananthapadmanabha Bhagwath , Rekha Punchapady‐Devasya 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTPsidium guajava L., which has been used traditionally as a medicinal plant, was explored for anti‐quorum sensing (QS) activity. The anti‐QS activity of the flavonoid (FL) fraction of P. guajava leaves was determined using a biosensor bioassay with Chromobacterium violaceum CV026. Detailed investigation of the effects of the FL‐fraction on QS‐regulated violacein production in C. violaceum ATCC12472 and pyocyanin production, proteolytic, elastolytic activities, swarming motility and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was performed using standard methods. Possible mechanisms of QS‐inhibition were studied by assessing violacein production in response to N‐acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) synthesis in the presence of the FL‐fraction in C. violaceum ATCC31532 and by evaluating the induction of violacein in the mutant C. violaceum CV026 by AHL extracted from the culture supernatants of C. violaceum 31532. Active compounds in the FL‐fraction were identified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Inhibition of violacein production by the FL‐fraction in a C. violaceum CV026 biosensor bioassay indicated possible anti‐QS activity. The FL‐fraction showed concentration‐dependent decreases in violacein production in C. violaceum 12472 and inhibited pyocyanin production, proteolytic and elastolytic activities, swarming motility and biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa PAO1. Interestingly, the FL‐fraction did not inhibit AHL synthesis; AHL extracted from cultures of C. violaceum 31532 grown in the presence of the FL‐fraction induced violacein in the mutant C. violaceum CV026. LC–MS analysis revealed the presence of quercetin and quercetin‐3‐O‐arabinoside in the FL‐fraction. Both quercetin and quercetin‐3‐O‐arabinoside inhibited violacein production in C. violaceum 12472, at 50 and 100 μg/mL, respectively. Results of this study provide scope for further research to exploit these active molecules as anti‐QS agents.
Time‐lapse pre‐stack seismic data registration and inversion for CO2 sequestration study at Cranfield
Authors: Zhang Rui , Song Xiaolei , Fomel Sergey , Sen Mrinal K , Srinivasan Sanjay 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTPre‐stack seismic data are indicative of subsurface elastic properties within the amplitude versus offset characteristic and can be used to detect elastic rock property changes caused by injection. We perform time‐lapse pre‐stack 3‐D seismic data analysis for monitoring sequestration at Cranfield. The time‐lapse amplitude differences of Cranfield datasets are found entangled with time‐shifts. To disentangle these two characters, we apply a local‐correlation‐based warping method to register the time‐lapse pre‐stack datasets, which can effectively separate the time‐shift from the time‐lapse seismic amplitude difference without changing the original amplitudes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our registration method by evaluating the inverted elastic properties. These inverted time‐lapse elastic properties can be reliably used for monitoring plumes.
User‐friendly and evidence‐based tool to evaluate probability of eradication of aquatic non‐indigenous species
Authors: Drolet David , Locke Andrea , Lewis Mark A. , Davidson Jeff 
Published: April 2014

Summary

The gap between practitioners and conservation or environmental management science is difficult to bridge. Managers sometimes use limited scientific information in their decision‐making process, mainly because they have little time to review primary literature before making a decision. Making data readily available to managers is expected to improve the overall efficiency of management interventions. Here, we present an approach to develop user‐friendly applications for evidence‐based management and illustrate the concept by presenting a simple computer program designed to evaluate the probability of eradication of aquatic non‐indigenous species.

We conducted a review of case studies that attempted to control aquatic non‐indigenous species and used a statistical model to relate the outcome (eradication or non‐eradication) to characteristics of the populations and interventions conducted. Based on a few key variables, the model returned accurate probabilities of eradication as evaluated with a receiver operating characteristic curve and jackknife and cross‐validation procedures.

We packaged the statistical model in a user‐friendly computer program that can be used by managers to (i) rapidly calculate the probability of success of a planned intervention with associated uncertainty, (ii) compare the success probabilities of different possible interventions and (iii) prioritize what information should be collected to increase the reliability of estimates.

Synthesis and applications. Our decision support tool is easy to implement, statistically flexible and could be used for any type of conservation or management intervention, given a sufficient number of case studies available in the literature. We recommend that scientists develop such tools whenever they conduct reviews of effectiveness of intervention. This is likely to result in greater use of data by practitioners, increased reliability of cost–benefit analyses and an overall increase in efficiency in conservation and environmental management.
Host compatibility as a critical factor in management unit recognition: population‐level differences in mussel–fish relationships
Authors: Douda Karel , Sell Jerzy , Kubíková‐Peláková Lucie , Horký Pavel , Kaczmarczyk Agnieszka , Mioduchowska Monika 
Published: April 2014

Summary

The recognition of management units (MUs) that respect interpopulation distinctions in management needs is central to many biological applications addressing species conservation, biological invasions and ecosystem processes.

We present a methodological approach for the evaluation of population‐level differences in the host compatibility of natural populations of affiliate (dependent) species. Two experiments were performed to diagnose the sources of variability in the relationships between an endangered freshwater mussel Unio crassus and its host fish species in a fragmented river system in Central Europe.

Despite the common approach applied to the conservation of U. crassus throughout the study area, we identified differences in the ability of U. crassus to infest particular host fish species between nearby and recently isolated mussel populations. These differences could strongly influence their reproductive success under a constant conservation regime.

The observed differences were accompanied by genetic and morphometric distinctions, as revealed by microsatellite, mtDNA and elliptic Fourier descriptor analyses. The genetic data indicated substantial reproductive isolation, which could have resulted in adaptive or random changes responsible for the differences in host compatibility.

We showed that experimental testing of physiological host compatibility can be effectively used for the detection of different MUs of U. crassus, with direct implications for the management of host populations. In combination with traditional genetic and morphometric techniques, this approach may provide a general framework for the recognition and care of management units of affiliate species.

Synthesis and applications. Population‐level evaluations of host compatibility should be utilized in management unit recognition and the formulation of management targets for affiliate species. We demonstrated that small‐scale cross‐compatibility testing can be effectively used to diagnose the sources of variability in host relationships with direct management implications. This approach can enhance the targeting of management actions in many biological applications addressing species conservation, biological invasions and ecosystem processes.
Prevalence of phylogenetic clustering at multiple scales in an African rain forest tree community
Authors: Parmentier Ingrid , Réjou‐Méchain Maxime , Chave Jérôme , Vleminckx Jason , Thomas Duncan W. , Kenfack David , Chuyong George B. , Hardy Olivier J. 
Published: April 2014

Summary

In highly diverse ecosystems, such as tropical forests, the relative importance of mechanisms underlying species coexistence (e.g. habitat filtering, competitive exclusion, neutral dynamics) is still poorly known and probably varies depending on spatial and phylogenetic scales.

Here, we develop new approaches for dissecting simultaneously the phylogenetic structure of communities at different phylogenetic depths and spatial scales. We tested with simulations that our method is able to disentangle overdispersion and clustering effects occurring at contrasted phylogenetic depths.

We applied our approaches to a 50 ha Forest Dynamic Plot located in Korup National Park (Cameroon) where 329,000 tree stems ≥ 1 cm in diameter were identified and mapped, and using a newly generated dated molecular phylogenetic tree based on 2 plastid loci (rbcL and matK), including 272 species from Korup (97% of the individuals).

Significant patterns of phylogenetic turnover were detected across 20 × 20 m2 quadrats at most spatial scales, with higher turnover between topographic habitats than within habitats, indicating the prevalence of habitat filtering processes. Spatial phylogenetic clustering was detected over the entire range of phylogenetic depths indicating that competitive exclusion does not generate a pattern of phylogenetic overdispersion at this scale, even at a shallow phylogenetic depth.

Using an individual‐based approach, we also show that closely related species tended to aggregate spatially until a scale of 1 m. However, the signal vanishes at smaller distance, suggesting that competitive exclusion can balance the impact of environmental filtering at a very fine spatial scale.

Synthesis. Using new methods to characterize the structure of communities across spatial and phylogenetic scales, we inferred the relative importance of the mechanisms underlying species coexistence in tropical forests. Our analysis confirms that environmental filtering processes are key in the structuring of natural communities at most spatial scales. Although negative‐density tends to limit coexistence of closely related species at very short distance (<1 m), its influence is largely veiled by environmental filtering at larger distances.
Arsenic hypertolerance in the protist Euglena mutabilis is mediated by specific transporters and functional integrity maintenance mechanisms
Authors: Halter David , Andres Jérémy , Plewniak Frédéric , Poulain Julie , Da Silva Corinne , Arsène‐Ploetze Florence , Bertin Philippe N. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryArsenic is a toxic metalloid known to cause multiple and severe cellular damages, including lipid peroxidation, protein misfolding, mutagenesis and double and single‐stranded DNA breaks. Thus, exposure to this compound is lethal for most organisms but some species such as the photosynthetic protist Euglena mutabilis are able to cope with very high concentrations of this metalloid. Our comparative transcriptomic approaches performed on both an arsenic hypertolerant protist, i.e. E. mutabilis, and a more sensitive one, i.e. E. gracilis, revealed multiple mechanisms involved in arsenic tolerance. Indeed, E. mutabilis prevents efficiently the accumulation of arsenic in the cell through the expression of several transporters. More surprisingly, this protist induced the expression of active DNA reparation and protein turnover mechanisms, which allow E. mutabilis to maintain functional integrity of the cell under challenging conditions. Our observations suggest that this protist has acquired specific functions regarding arsenic and has developed an original metabolism to cope with acid mine drainages‐related stresses.
FDG PET in early stage cutaneous malignant melanoma
Authors: McIvor Jody , Siew Teck , Campbell Andrew , McCarthy Michael 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIntroductionFluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) is not recommended in early stage melanoma; however, a significant number of cases are referred to our institution for FDG PET. We refer to early stage disease as American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I and II, which includes all cases without metastases. A retrospective review was undertaken to determine the clinical utility of FDG PET in this patient group.MethodsA retrospective study of FDG scans on all patients presenting to the WA PET Centre with early stage melanoma over a 5½ year period was undertaken. The positivity rate of the initial study for detection of malignant melanoma was determined. In patients with an initially negative FDG PET, the time from initial diagnosis to a positive surveillance study was determined. Both the initial positivity rate and time to a positive study were correlated with Breslow staging.ResultsThree hundred twenty‐two patients were included in the study, of which 74 had initial positive FDG PET scans (23%). Adequate follow‐up was available in 51 patients with the PET result confirmed as true positive in 37 (positive predictive value 73%). One hundred eight of 248 patients initially negative had follow‐up scans during the follow‐up period, of which 48 became positive. The 73% of recurrences were over 12 months post‐diagnosis. No correlation with Breslow thickness was demonstrated.ConclusionDespite FDG PET not being recommended for early cutaneous malignant melanoma, 27% of melanoma cases referred for FDG PET during the study period were AJCC stage I or II. Our results suggest FDG PET in early stage melanoma demonstrates occult disease in 17% of cases.
Prevention of Right Heart Failure After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation by Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitor
Authors: Hamdan Righab , Mansour Hassan , Nassar Pierre , Saab Mohamad 
Published: April 2014

AbstractRight ventricular (RV) function immediately after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is a crucial prognostic factor. RV failure is linked to increased mortality and worse outcome. A phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor, sildenafil, was shown to decrease pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary artery pressure post‐LVAD. We report on a series of heart failure patients, and the effect of sildenafil on the incidence of RV failure after LVAD implantation. We retrospectively analyzed the data of end‐stage heart failure patients who underwent LVAD implantation with pulmonary hypertension and RV dysfunction prior to surgery. Patients were divided into two groups; group 1: patients who received sildenafil perioperatively, and group 2: patients who did not receive sildenafil. Hemodynamic and echographic data were collected before and after surgery. Fourteen patients were included, 8 patients in group 1 and 6 in group 2. Sildenafil was administered with a mean dose of 56.2 ± 9.4 mg in group 1 and was able to significantly reduce right heart failure incidence, and to demonstrate a significant reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary artery pressure, transpulmonary gradient, and a significant increase in cardiac output. In conclusion, sildenafil seems to have a promising role perioperatively in preventing acute RV failure postsurgery in patients with RV dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, requiring LVAD therapy.