bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance in Bulgaria against a background of high clade diversity
Authors: Alexiev Ivailo , Shankar Anupama , Wensing A. M. J. , Beshkov Danail , Elenkov Ivaylo , Stoycheva Mariyana , Nikolova Daniela , Nikolova Maria , Switzer William M. 
Published: February 2015

Abstract

Objectives
To determine transmitted drug resistance (TDR) and HIV-1 genetic diversity in Bulgaria.

Methods
The prevalence of TDR and HIV-1 subtypes was determined in 305/1446 (21.1%) persons newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS from 1988 to 2011. TDR mutations (TDRMs) in protease and reverse transcriptase were defined using the WHO HIV drug mutation list. Phylogenetic analysis was used to infer polymerase (pol) genotype.

Results
TDRMs were found in 16/305 (5.2%) persons, 11 (3.6%) with resistance to NRTIs, 5 (1.6%) with resistance to NNRTIs and 3 (0.9%) with resistance to PIs. Dual-class TDRMs were found in three (1.0%) patients and one statistically supported cluster of TDRMs comprising two individuals with subtype B infection. TDRMs were found in 10 heterosexuals, 4 MSM and two intravenous drug users. Phylogenetic analyses identified high HIV-1 diversity consisting of mostly subtype B (44.6%), subtype C (3.3%), sub-subtype A1 (2.6%), sub-subtype F1 (2.3%), sub-subtype A-like (3.6%), subtype G (0.3%), CRF14_BG (1.6%), CRF05_DF (1.3%), CRF03_AB (0.3%) and unique recombinant forms (1.3%).

Conclusions
We found a low prevalence of TDR against a background of high HIV-1 genetic diversity among antiretroviral-naive patients in Bulgaria. Our results provide baseline data on TDR and support continued surveillance of high-risk populations in Bulgaria to better target treatment and prevention efforts.
Impact of Decentralized Care and the Xpert MTB/RIF Test on Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment Initiation in Khayelitsha, South Africa
Authors: Cox Helen S. , Daniels Johnny F. , Muller Odelia , Nicol Mark P. , Cox Vivian , van Cutsem Gilles , Moyo Sizulu , De Azevedo Virginia , Hughes Jennifer 
Published: February 2015

Abstract
Background.  Globally, case detection and treatment access are poor for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB). The Xpert MTB/RIF test has the potential to increase detection and reduce time to treatment (TTT). However, these benefits are dependent on health system capacity to provide treatment.
Methods.  We retrospectively assessed the impact of Xpert on treatment initiation and TTT in the context of decentralized RR-TB care in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, using routine programmatic data. Community-based treatment was introduced progressively from 2008. Before 2007, diagnosis relied on phenotypic resistance (culture). During 2007–2008, the line probe assay (LPA) was introduced, followed by Xpert in 2012.
Results.  Before decentralization (2003–2006), median TTT was 71 days (interquartile range [IQR], 49–134; n = 158). The LPA introduction during 2007–2008 was associated with reduced median TTT from 76 to 50 days (P &lt; .0001, n = 257). Between January 2009 and June 2013, 938 RR-TB cases were diagnosed (74% human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]-infected). Decentralization during 2008–2011 was associated with declining TTT (P &lt; .0001, test for trend), a decline to 28 days in 2011 (IQR, 16–40; n = 173). Xpert was associated with a further reduction to 8 days in 2013 (IQR, 5–25; n = 89; P &lt; .0001). Treatment initiation remained unchanged with Xpert and was lower among HIV-infected (2010–2013); 87.9% (445 of 506) compared with 96.9% (188 of 194) for HIV-uninfected (P &lt; .0001) patients.
Conclusions.  Improved case detection and rapid treatment initiation are required to interrupt transmission and reduce mortality. In this setting, decentralization was associated with high treatment initiation and reduced TTT. Xpert implementation significantly enhanced the reduction in TTT and has the potential to reduce transmission.
Quality, productivity and business performance in home based brassware manufacturing units
Authors: Prasad Kapil Deo , Jha Sanjay Kumar , Prakash Anand 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– This paper examines the ways in which the concepts of “quality”, “productivity” and “business performance” are dealt in the literature to exhibit that terms used within these fields are vaguely defined and poorly understood. The purpose of this paper is to define quality, productivity and business performance along with their linkages for home-based brassware manufacturing units.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper reviews related academic literature mostly since past ten years.

Findings
– This paper clarifies meaning and linkages of quality, productivity and business performance in home-based brassware manufacturing units.

Research limitations/implications
– The meaning and interpretations of quality, productivity and business performance may differ for other manufacturing units.

Practical implications
– This paper highlights determinants of quality, productivity and business performance using key performance areas as applied explicitly for home-based brassware manufacturing units. The systems approach has been applied to understand productivity.

Originality/value
– This paper creates terminologies that reduce the existing confusion with the field for applications in academia and brassware industry.
Measuring the benefits of tracking medical treatment through RFId
Authors: Gastaldi Luca , Mangiaracina Riccardo , Miragliotta Giovanni , Perego Alessandro , Tumino Angela 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– Radio frequency identification (RFId) technology has a great potential to improve process efficiency and effectiveness. However, because of the variety of application areas and achievable benefits, structured assessment models are needed to support managers in the adoption decision. The purpose of this paper is to describe a structured method to support the evaluation of the benefits enabled by RFId technology in medical treatment support in the healthcare industry. The method, and its application to an Italian case study, are deeply illustrated so as to increase the knowledge available to decision makers.Design/methodology/approach– The research underlying this paper has modelled the relationship between the technology and the performance driver of the target process, and then between the performance driver and the measurable key performance indicators of that process. This knowledge, focused on the healthcare industry but still quite general, has been formalised into 12 causal maps. Starting from these maps, a six-step procedure to prioritise the analysis, tailor the maps and adapt (or develop) analytical models to estimate the benefits is presented. The overall method and its application to an Italian case study are deeply illustrated so as to increase the open available knowledge to decision makers.Findings– The findings are twofold: first, the knowledge represented by the causal maps; and second, the findings of the case study, which shows that efficiency benefits can cover the operative expenses of RFId adoption, but need to be integrated with effectiveness benefits in order to fully justify the investment costs.Originality/value– The paper provides a contribution for both researchers and practitioners. As the former are concerned, the paper is a first attempt to fill the existing lack of structured approaches concerning the evaluation of potential benefits of RFId for product traceability within a healthcare facility. As for the latter, the presented method has been developed to practically support all those managers who are evaluating whether to adopt RFId technology in their organisation or not. This contribution has a relevant practicality, as it helps decision makers to address their decisions relying on a sound conceptual baseline, and on objective evaluations.
Perceptions and practices of innovation in retailing
Authors: Hristov Latchezar , Reynolds Jonathan 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purposes of this paper are to develop a more complete understanding both of the characteristics of innovation within retail firms and of the ways in which retailers perceive innovation and measure its effectiveness. Whilst there is a broad consensus that innovation is an application of new ideas that stimulate economic performance, the term attracts a wide range of interpretations that are largely contingent upon the context within which innovation occurs.Design/methodology/approach– These aims are achieved through analysis at the level of the firm by means of qualitative research in the form of a series of in-depth interviews with more than 50 senior retail executives and other industry experts internationally.Findings– The research results show that whilst retailers clearly recognise the important role of innovation for successful business performance, innovation in retailing nevertheless possesses a range of sector-specific meanings and measurement approaches that are distinct from more generic understandings of the phenomenon.Originality/value– Whilst the paper summarises relevant literatures and presents the results of the primary research it also sets out a number of novel conceptual frameworks, which seek better to categorise the perceived meanings of retail innovation and the measurement tools most frequently employed to determine innovation effectiveness in retail firms. The proposed frameworks facilitate future scholarly exploration but are also of use to practitioners as a means of better understanding the nature of innovation within their businesses.
How leaders influence followers through the use of nonverbal communication
Authors: Talley Linda , Temple Samuel 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to address the relationship between a leader’s use of nonverbal immediacy (specific hand gestures) and followers’ attraction to the leader. This study provides initial evidence that certain hand gestures are more effective than others at creating immediacy between leaders and followers.

Design/methodology/approach
– In an experimental study, participants (male=89; female=121) were shown one of three videos of an actor, as leader, using three positive hand gestures, three defensive hand gestures, and no hand gestures, which have not been previously operationalized (and were grouped arbitrarily by the experimenter). Three hypotheses were tested using a 3×2 ANOVA (by group and gender) for main and interactional effects.

Findings
– The independent variable, positive hand gestures (M=2.4), was perceived by participants as more immediate than the other two independent variables, defensive hand gestures (M=−19.2) or no hand gestures (M=−21.6). Analysis of data indicate that participants perceived leaders with no hand gestures and defensive hand gestures to be distant or non-immediate and the leader with positive hand gestures to be more immediate or attractive.

Research limitations/implications
– This study is limited as a pilot study establishing differences between specific hand gestures for the first time.

Practical implications
– The research provides initial evidence that the hand gestures arbitrarily defined as “positive” create more immediacy between the followers and the leader than usage of “negative” gestures and no gestures.

Social implications
– The current research can act as a motivator for leaders to fast forward relationships with followers through the use of specific hand gestures.

Originality/value
– The results suggest the possibility that some hand gestures are more effective than others.
Leadership style and the process of organizational change
Authors: Holten Ann-Louise , Brenner Sten Olof 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to identify processes which may contribute to followers’ positive reactions to change. By focusing on the relationship between change antecedents and explicit reactions, the authors investigate the direct and indirect relationships between leadership styles (transformational and transactional) and followers’ appraisal of change through manager engagement.Design/methodology/approach– Using data from a longitudinal survey among 351 followers in two Danish organizations, the study tracked the planned implementation of team organization at two different times. Data were analyzed using structural equation modelling.Findings– Transformational and transactional leadership styles were positively related to the engagement of managers. Managers’ engagement was associated with followers’ appraisal of change. The two leadership styles also had a direct, long-term effect on followers’ change appraisal; positive for transformational leadership and negative for transactional leadership.Practical implications– The results have potential implications for change management, as followers’ change appraisal may be improved by developing managers’ leadership style and engagement.Originality/value– This is the first study to provide longitudinal evidence of the direct and indirect effects of leadership styles on followers’ change appraisal.
Performance appraisal systems in academic and research libraries in Ghana: a survey
Authors: Agyen-Gyasi Kwaku , Boateng Michael Sakyi 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to discuss the impact of performance appraisal on the productivity levels of professional and para-professional librarians in selected academic and research libraries in Ghana, namely, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Building and Road Research Institute, Crop Research Institute and the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Kumasi Polytechnic.Design/methodology/approach– Both primary and secondary sources of data were used for the study. The primary data involved the use of a structured questionnaire to 60 respondents, but 50 of them, representing 83.3 per cent, responded. This was supplemented by secondary sources such as records on file, journals, books and Internet sources.Findings– The survey revealed that these institutions practice performance appraisal on an annual basis as a way of promoting team work, reducing grievances, identifying employees’ strengths and weaknesses and their training needs. It was observed that these institutions do not have a common appraisal format for appraising their staff. Furthermore, only the Head Librarians carry out the appraisals instead of the Line Mangers who are always in touch with these employees on a daily basis.Originality/value– The paper will be of significant value to policymakers and administrators in academic and research institutions in the planning and implementation of performance appraisal systems. Challenges facing these institutions in implementing effective performance appraisal have been highlighted and appropriate recommendations have been made to ensure quality service delivery.
Micro perceptive on absorptive capacity in joint ICT project teams in Malaysia
Authors: Ojo Adedapo Oluwaseyi , Raman Murali 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– This study aims to investigate the micro-antecedents of the multidimensional construct of absorptive capacity (ACAP) from the perspective of the individual characteristics underlying learning capability in joint project information and communications technology (ICT) teams. Specifically, the model proposes prior experience and learning goal orientations as the micro-antecedents and delineates ACAP into four dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach
– The context of study was the joint project teams, set up to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from expatriate to local employees in Malaysian ICT sector. Data collected through the cross-sectional survey of 205 local team members of joint ICT projects in Malaysia were analyzed using structural equation modelling.

Findings
– Individual’s prior experience and learning orientation were associated with the ability to assimilate and recognize the value of partner’s knowledge, respectively. Furthermore, the hypothesized relationships among the ACAP dimensions were supported, and the mediating effect of shared cognition was confirmed.

Research limitations/implications
– The use of cross-sectional and self-reported survey is a major limitation of this study.

Practical implications
– Managerial implications are offered on the selection of team members and designing the joint project team.

Originality/value
– This study demonstrates prior experience and learning orientation as antecedents of individuals’ learning capability, thereby extending extant conceptualization on the multifaceted nature of ACAP.
From value-based human resource practices to i-deals: software companies in Vietnam
Authors: Luu Tuan Trong , Rowley Chris 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) are employees’ proactive individualized negotiations with their employer for higher job autonomy corresponding to their competencies and values. The path to i-deals in the organization can commence with value-based human resource (HR) practices. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this path from value-based HR practices to i-deals through the mediating roles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), emotional intelligence (EI) and upward influence behaviors.Design/methodology/approach– The hypothesized model was verified through the structural equation modeling-based analysis of cross-sectional data from 362 respondents from Vietnam-based software companies.Findings– Research findings found value-based HR practices as the starting point of the path to i-deals, in which consecutive crucial milestones are ethical CSR, EI and organizationally beneficial upward influence behaviors.Originality/value– I-deals literature, through this empirical inquiry, is further extended by discovering the socialized driving forces, such as CSR and EI, behind individualized i-deals.
Being pushed and pulled: a model of US HR professionals’ roles in bullying situations
Authors: Cowan Renee L. , Fox Suzy 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to clarify how human resource professionals (HRPs) in the United States (US) understand their roles in bullying situations and how they perceive others (targeted employees and senior management) understand their roles. It is important to understand these role expectations as HRPs are integral actors in bullying situations and are often evaluated negatively by those in bullying situations.

Design/methodology/approach
– Strauss
&
Corbin’s grounded theory approach was used to uncover HRPs role perceptions. Narrative and respondent in-depth interviews were conducted with HRPs and revealed an evolving HR role that clashed with perceived target and senior management role expectations.

Findings
– This research has revealed a theoretical model of the progressive role HRPs play in bullying situations. The authors discovered HRPs play several important roles in bullying situations and they link these roles in a temporal and situational manner. They first play the role of first, a trust listener; second, an objective, neutral third-party investigator; third, a management advisor; and fourth, a mediator/trainer/coach. Throughout this role execution they also became an emotional laborer. This model was often in contention with the HRP’s perceptions of targets and senior management expectations in bullying situations.

Originality/value
– This research revealed a more detailed, nuanced view of the roles HRPs play in bullying situations and called existing research on US HRPs and their roles in bullying situations into question. How HRPs view their roles and role expectations is revealing of why and how they deal with allegations of bullying the way they do. This research has practical value for HR, management, targets, and organizations in general.
Learning information literacy through drawing
Authors: Brier David James , Lebbin Vickery Kaye 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore drawing as an instructional method to teach information literacy.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors describe their work using Collaborative Speed Drawing with students in a collection of information literacy workshops for students enrolled in English 100 (first-year composition). Examples of student drawings from the workshops are examined to demonstrate the benefits and problems of this teaching method.

Findings
– Drawing is an excellent low-tech teaching method that helps students demonstrate their competence (or ignorance) of information literacy concepts. This method enables librarians to clarify, reinforce, challenge or change the pictures in student’s heads that underpin their understandings of library instruction and information literacy.

Practical implications
– This article provides ideas on how to use drawing in information literacy sessions or credit courses. Many of the ideas shared can be copied, enhanced or tailored to meet the needs of diverse lessons and students taking face-to-face instruction sessions.

Originality/value
– This is the first paper in library literature that focuses on and promotes drawing as a teaching method. In doing so, it challenges the high-tech instruction imperative and invites librarians to explicitly consider the images behind the words and concepts used in information literacy and library instruction sessions.
The social ecology of girls' bullying practices: exploratory research in two London schools
Authors: Jamal Farah , Bonell Chris , Harden Angela , Lorenc Theo 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThis exploratory study adopts a socio‐ecological approach to examine the context of school bullying. It asks: (1) what are students' accounts of bullying practices?; (2) how are these enabled and constrained by the school‐environment?; (3) how is gender implicated? Qualitative data were collected from girls in two schools in London via focus groups (one in each school; students aged 12‐15) and seven semi‐structured interviews (in one school; students aged 16‐18); and from school policy documents. Our interpretation of girls' accounts, informed by Giddens' structuration theory, suggests that bullying practices were spatially patterned in the schools and often characterised by the regulation of girls' sexuality and sexual‐harassment. Repeated acts of aggression were fluid with regard to the bully and victim role, challenging the dominant view of bullying as characterised by consistent disparities in power between individuals. Schools structured bullying behaviour via policies and practices that ignored these forms of abuse and which focused on and may have been complicit in the making of stable ‘bully’ and ‘victim’ roles, thus indirectly contributing to the reproduction of unhealthy relationships between students. In terms of gender, traditional gendered and sexual discourses appear to structure the identities of the schools and girls in our study.