bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of performance measurement models in multi level alignment
Authors: McAdam Rodney , Hazlett Shirley-Ann , Galbraith Brendan 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– Market deregulation in the utilities sector has led to increased competition and rising customer expectations in both established and new markets. This, in turn, has forced organisations such as electricity and telecoms to make rapid, enterprise-wide changes on an increasingly frequent basis which in turn has led to problems with alignment. Misalignment can occur at many levels and can result in misused resources, loss of competitiveness, excessive cycle times, higher costs and loss of agility. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Given the lack of overarching theory, the paper begins by borrowing from contingency, dynamic capability and organisational learning constructs, to explore the role that performance measurement models can bring to improve the alignment between business strategy and functional strategy (level 1 alignment). Second, the paper analyses the role of performance measurement models in developing functional practices aligned with supply chain management (SCM) strategies (level 2 alignment).

Design/methodology/approach
– The study adopts an exploratory theory-building approach using four case studies. These are used as key supply chains in both established and new business areas within two longitudinal university-industry research partnerships (each of three years duration). Data from repeat interviews (n=42), focus groups (n=10), documentation and observations is analysed and forms the basis for the development of a conceptual framework and a set of related propositions. The data analysis followed Radnor and Boaden's (2004) method for analysing interpretive research.

Findings
– The findings show the role and impact of performance measurement models and methods on alignment at two levels, i.e. level 1 alignment – between business strategy and functional (SCM) strategy, and level 2 alignment – between the functional strategy (SCM) and SCM routines and practices.

Originality/value
– To date, there are few studies which explore the development of theory and practice in relation to the role and impact of performance measurement models and methods in improving organisational alignment. This exploratory theory building study makes a contribution to this gap through the development of the conceptual framework and propositions.
Avoiding alliance myopia: forging learning outcomes for long-term success
Authors: Mazloomi Khamseh Hamid , Nasiriyar Maryam 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for understanding the learning outcomes of strategic alliances.

Design/methodology/approach
– On the basis of two dimensions of any strategic alliance – that is, similarity or dissimilarity of contribution of partners and explorative or exploitative nature of alliance – the author proposes a framework that recognizes four types of learning outcomes.

Findings
– The distinction of four types of alliance enables the author to identify their distinctive characteristics and learning outcomes.

Originality/value
– The paper increases the awareness of managers about the learning outcomes of strategic alliances, which helps managers to consider intended learning outcomes not only in planning, managing and evaluating any individual alliance but also in managing the alliance portfolio.
Systems school leadership: exploring an emerging construct
Authors: Shaked Haim , Schechter Chen 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore how effective school principals use systems thinking, aiming to present the systems school leadership (SSL) approach – an approach where principals lead schools through the systems thinking concept and procedures.

Design/methodology/approach
– Participants were 28 Israeli school principals, selected as outstanding leaders by recommendations from their superintendents and according to their schools’ achievements. The study employed semi-structured interviews as well as focus groups. Generating themes was an inductive process, grounded in the various perspectives articulated by participants.

Findings
– Data analysis generated four main characteristics of SSL: leading wholes; adopting a multidimensional view; influencing indirectly; and evaluating significance.

Research limitations/implications
– Further research that will explore to what extent and how often principals use systems thinking is required. In addition, replication in various educational contexts is important in order to substantiate the validity of the SSL's characteristics. Beyond principals’ perceptions, more objective measures like direct observations are needed to evaluate actual implementation of SSL in diverse school settings.

Practical implications
– Identifying the SSL characteristics facilitates the development of practical processes for nurturing SSL in various stages of school leaders’ educational career.

Originality/value
– This paper provides a useful conceptual and empirical framework to evaluate SSL as a managerial approach.
Understanding how the contextual variables influence political behaviour in strategic decision-making
Authors: Elbanna Said , C. Thanos Ioannis , M. Papadakis Vassilis 
Published: August 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to enhance the knowledge of the antecedents of political behaviour. Whereas political behaviour in strategic decision-making (SDM) has received sustained interest in the literature, empirical examination of its antecedents has been meagre.Design/methodology/approach– The authors conducted a constructive replication to examine the impact of three layers of context, namely, decision, firm and environment, on political behaviour. In Study 1, Greece, we gathered data on 143 strategic decisions, while in Study 2, Egypt, we collected data on 169 strategic decisions.Findings– The evidence suggests that both decision-specific and firm factors act as antecedents to political behaviour, while environmental factors do not.Practical implications– The findings support enhanced practitioner education regarding political behaviour and provide practitioners with a place from which to start by identifying the factors which might influence the occurrence of political behaviour in SDM.Originality/value– The paper fills important gaps in the existing research on the influence of context on political behaviour and delineates interesting areas for further research.
Assessing performance measurement in RBV research
Authors: L. Newbert Scott 
Published: August 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate why greater attention to performance measurement is so essential to assessing the meaningfulness and usefulness of the knowledge gained from empirical tests of the resource-based view (RBV).Design/methodology/approach– This paper reviews the RBV empirical literature and relies on illustrative examples from various industries in order to assess the degree to which the empirical operationalization of the dependent variable in RBV research adheres to its theoretical specification.Findings– This analysis shows that although RBV theorists routinely conceptualize the dependent variable in terms of a firm's performance in direct comparison to the performance of its competitors, or relative performance, the overwhelming majority of empirical studies conducted in the field operationalize the dependent variable in terms of a firm's performance in isolation, or absolute performance.Research limitations/implications– Because significant findings are only meaningful if they are grounded in valid data, the findings suggest that support for the RBV and subsequent practical advice about resource-based strategy appears tenuous. Therefore, this paper highlights several possible reasons for the tendency to equate absolute and relative performance, discusses the implications of this disconnect on the RBV's usefulness and scientific rigor, and suggests how both theorists and empiricists might advance theory and method to produce more meaningful knowledge about the RBV.Originality/value– By providing a critical view of the RBV, this paper offers new insights into what the authors know, what the authors do not know, and how the authors can improve what is known about this important and well-accepted theory.
Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction‐based method for selectively detecting vegetative cells of toxigenic Clostridium difficile
Authors: Senoh Mitsutoshi , Kato Haru , Murase Tomoko , Hagiya Hideharu , Tagashira Yasuaki , Fukuda Tadashi , Iwaki Masaaki , Yamamoto Akihiko , Shibayama Keigo 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThe laboratory diagnostic methods for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) include toxigenic culture, enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) to detect the toxins of C. difficile, and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) to detect C. difficile toxin genes, but each of these methods has disadvantages; toxigenic cultures require a long time to produce results, EIAs have low sensitivity, and NAATs that target DNA cannot distinguish vegetative cells from spores and dead cells. Here we report a new detection method that uses reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to target the toxin‐gene transcripts. This method was able to specifically detect the vegetative cells of toxigenic C. difficile in fecal samples in spike tests, with a minimum detection limit of 5 × 102 colony‐forming units per 100 mg of stool specimen. The performance of this method was also demonstrated in a pilot scale evaluation using clinical fecal specimens, which showed that this method may be more sensitive than EIA and requires a shorter time than toxigenic culture. This method could potentially be applied in the clinical laboratory to detect C. difficile in fecal specimens. The ability of this method to discriminate the presence of vegetative cells from spores and dead cells could help to further the understanding of CDI.
Review Paper: An outlook on the future of seismic imaging, Part I: forward and reverse modelling
Authors: Berkhout A.J. (Guus) 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACTThe next generation of seismic imaging algorithms will use full wavefield migration, which regards multiple scattering as indispensable information. These algorithms will also include autonomous velocity‐updating in the migration process, called joint migration inversion. Full wavefield migration and joint migration inversion address industrial requirements to improve the images of highly complex reservoirs as well as the industrial ambition to produce these images more automatically (automation in seismic processing).In these vision papers on seismic imaging, full wavefield migration and joint migration inversion are formulated in terms of a closed‐loop, estimation algorithm that can be physically explained by an iterative double‐focusing process (full wavefield Common Focus Point technology). A critical module in this formulation is forward modelling, allowing feedback from the migrated output to the unmigrated input (‘closing the loop’). For this purpose, a full wavefield modelling module has been developed, which uses an operator description of complex geology. Full wavefield modelling is pre‐eminently suited to function in the feedback path of a closed‐loop migration algorithm.‘The Future of Seismic Imaging’ is presented as a coherent trilogy of papers that propose the migration framework of the future. In Part I, the theory of full wavefield modelling is explained, showing the fundamental distinction with the finite‐difference approach. Full wavefield modelling allows the computation of complex shot records without the specification of velocity and density models. Instead, an operator description of the subsurface is used. The capability of full wavefield modelling is illustrated with examples. Finally, the theory of full wavefield modelling is extended to full wavefield reverse modelling (FWMod−1), which allows accurate estimation of (blended) source properties from (blended) shot records.
Clinging, gripping, holding, containment: Reflections on a survival reflex and the development of a capacity to separate
Authors: Cavalli Alessandra 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThis paper attempts to describe how, in the very first months of extra‐uterine life, personality structures are formed around notions of personal space, separateness, attachment and individuation. The contribution of a forgotten Hungarian analyst, Imre Hermann, who wrote about the ‘clinging reflex’, will be explored in relation to the origin of Bowlby's concept of attachment and Rey's theoretical understanding of personal space. Particular attention will be given to transitions, transitional experiences and the development of a sense of internal space. Vignettes from infant observations will be used to illustrate the theoretical frame of reference. Clinical material from the analysis of a child and an adult patient will be provided to postulate how a distorted perception of personal space and separateness in the first few months of life may affect the capacity to attach and to individuate.
Effectiveness of progestogens to improve perinatal outcome in twin pregnancies: an individual participant data meta‐analysis
Authors: Schuit E , Stock S , Rode L , Rouse DJ , Lim AC , Norman JE , Nassar AH , Serra V , Combs CA , Vayssiere C , Aboulghar MM , Wood S , Çetingöz E , Briery CM , Fonseca EB , Worda K , Tabor A , Thom EA , Caritis SN , Awwad J , Usta IM , Perales A , Meseguer J , Maurel K , Garite T , Aboulghar MA , Amin YM , Ross S , Cam C , Karateke A , Morrison JC , Magann EF , Nicolaides KH , Zuithoff NPA , Groenwold RHH , Moons KGM , Kwee A , Mol BWJ ,   a Global Obstetrics Network (GONet) collaboration
Published: August 2014

BackgroundIn twin pregnancies, the rates of adverse perinatal outcome and subsequent long‐term morbidity are substantial, and mainly result from preterm birth (PTB).ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness of progestogen treatment in the prevention of neonatal morbidity or PTB in twin pregnancies using individual participant data meta‐analysis (IPDMA).Search strategyWe searched international scientific databases, trial registration websites, and references of identified articles.Selection criteriaRandomised clinical trials (RCTs) of 17–hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17Pc) or vaginally administered natural progesterone, compared with placebo or no treatment.Data collection and analysisInvestigators of identified RCTs were asked to share their IPD. The primary outcome was a composite of perinatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity. Prespecified subgroup analyses were performed for chorionicity, cervical length, and prior spontaneous PTB.Main resultsThirteen trials included 3768 women and their 7536 babies. Neither 17Pc nor vaginal progesterone reduced the incidence of adverse perinatal outcome (17Pc relative risk, RR 1.1; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.97–1.4, vaginal progesterone RR 0.97; 95% CI 0.77–1.2). In a subgroup of women with a cervical length of ≤25 mm, vaginal progesterone reduced adverse perinatal outcome when cervical length was measured at randomisation (15/56 versus 22/60; RR 0.57; 95% CI 0.47–0.70) or before 24 weeks of gestation (14/52 versus 21/56; RR 0.56; 95% CI 0.42–0.75).Author's conclusionsIn unselected women with an uncomplicated twin gestation, treatment with progestogens (intramuscular 17Pc or vaginal natural progesterone) does not improve perinatal outcome. Vaginal progesterone may be effective in the reduction of adverse perinatal outcome in women with a cervical length of ≤25 mm; however, further research is warranted to confirm this finding.
The Water Poverty Index in rural Cambodia and Viet Nam: A holistic snapshot to improve water management planning
Authors: Guppy Lisa 
Published: August 2014

AbstractFor developing countries, adequate domestic water supply is conventionally assessed at international and national levels as the proportion of households that are “covered” by improved water sources. However, this measure has been acknowledged to be insufficient to account for the complex factors, including socio‐economic, governance and environmental issues that can limit water use and access in developing countries. Because of this, there is concern that safe water access and use is not being measured accurately, leading to a poor understanding of domestic water and poor water planning and management choices. The Water Poverty Index (WPI) is a holistic tool that aims to address some of these wider issues. The WPI comprises five components that together provide a snapshot of how water poor a household is. This research undertakes concurrent conventional and WPI assessments of domestic water in five rural villages across Cambodia and Viet Nam. It is concluded that conventional measures had a relatively limited connection to how water was used by many respondents and that in the study villages, conventional measures did not predictably determine whether adequate quantities of safe water were used by individual households. It is argued that local, holistic water assessments at selected sites may support and triangulate conventional measurements of domestic water and improve water management planning and policy in rural developing areas.
Multiple Inference and Market Integration: An Application to Swedish Fish Markets
Authors: Blomquist Johan 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThis paper, in contrast to earlier studies, tests market integration using a methodology that accounts for the multiplicity problem inherent in testing several time series. This method minimises the risk of finding spurious evidence of market integration. We examine market integration among 12 fish species in Sweden by applying cointegration tests, which identify market integration for two separate clusters of species. Furthermore, we find that the Law of One Price holds for 6 of the 12 species considered.
Is clinical performance adversely affected by wearing gloves during paediatric peripheral intravenous cannulation?
Authors: Zhang Michael , Lee Mark , Knott Susan 
Published: August 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate if wearing protective gloves during paediatric intravenous cannulation affects performance of the procedure.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study. Peripheral intravenous cannulation (PIVC) performed within the Paediatric ED was observed and recorded over a 12 month period. Data were compared between those clinicians wearing gloves and those not wearing gloves during PIVC.ResultsOne thousand and twenty paediatric cannulations were recorded during the observed period. The mean age of the children was 5.79 years. The overall success rate of cannulation was 86.18% and first attempt success rate 76.08%. Overall, gloves were used by 54.31% of clinicians to establish vascular access; glove use was lowest in the registrar group (41.11% compliance rate). The glove‐wearing group had comparable overall success rate of 85.74% (475/554) to the no‐gloves group of 86.70% (404/466). The difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Higher incidence of significant blood spillage during the procedure was observed among clinicians wearing no gloves (16.74%) in comparison with their glove‐wearing counterparts (9.03%, P < 0.05). One needlestick injury was recorded in the present study period. There was no difference in blood culture contamination rate between glove‐wearing group and no‐gloves group (3.94% vs 3.76%, P > 0.05).ConclusionsThe present study shows that the use of protective gloves was not associated with adverse outcomes of clinical performance during paediatric cannulation. The low compliance rate of gloves use is alarming, and many clinicians might be exposed to potential blood‐borne infections. Clinicians should be encouraged and supported to use gloves for paediatric cannulation.
Dosimetric and radiobiologic comparison of 3D conformal, IMRT, VMAT and proton therapy for the treatment of early‐stage glottic cancer
Authors: Matthiesen Chance , Herman Tania De La Fuente , Singh Hardev , Mascia Anthony , Confer Michael , Simpson Hilarie , Higby Christine , Arain Abeer , Keole Sameer , Herman Terence , Bogardus Carl , Zhao Yan D. , Ahmad Salahuddin 
Published: August 2014

AbstractBackgroundThis study aims to compare dosimetrically and radiobiologically 3D conformal, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), RapidArc (RA) volumetric modulated arc therapy and proton therapy techniques for early‐stage glottic cancer.MethodsTen patients were retrospectively selected. Photon treatment planning was performed using Eclipse External Beam Planning, and proton planning was performed using CMS Xio. The minimum, mean and maximum dose values for planning target volume (PTV), mean and maximum dose values for organ at risk, % of volume of PTV receiving at least 95% of the prescription dose, and D20, D50 and D90 of carotid arteries were compared. Biological response models of tumour control probabilities and normal tissue complication probabilities were calculated.ResultsIMRT, RA and proton plans versus three‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D‐CRT) plans consistently provided superior PTV coverage and decreased mean dose to the thyroid and carotid arteries.ConclusionAll these three modalities showed superiority with less variation among themselves compared with 3D‐CRT plans. Clinical investigation is warranted to determine if these treatment approaches will translate into a reduction in radiation therapy‐induced toxicities.
Commentary: Catching a Conserved Mechanism of Ethanol Teratogenicity
Authors: Lovely C. Ben , Eberhart Johann K. 
Published: August 2014

BackgroundDue to its profound impact on human development, ethanol (EtOH) teratogenicity is a field of intense study. The complexity of variables that influence the outcomes of embryonic or prenatal EtOH exposure compels the use of animal models in which these variables can be isolated.MethodsNumerous model systems have been used in these studies. The zebrafish is a powerful model system, which has seen a recent increase in usage for EtOH studies.ResultsThose using zebrafish for alcohol studies often face 2 questions: (i) How physiologically relevant are the doses of EtOH administered to zebrafish embryos? and (ii) Will the mechanisms of EtOH teratogenesis be conserved to other model systems and human?ConclusionsThe current article by Flentke and colleagues () helps to shed important light on these questions and clearly demonstrates that the zebrafish will be a valuable model system with which to understand EtOH teratogenicity.