bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Luxury fashion consumption and Generation Y consumers
Authors: Giovannini Sarah , Xu Yingjiao , Thomas Jane 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate Generation Y consumers’ luxury fashion consumption. Generation Y is becoming a very important segment for the luxury market in the USA. Specifically, this study is designed to investigate Generation Y consumers’ consumption of luxury fashion products from the following perspectives: the influence of self-related personality traits on their brand consciousness; and the influence of brand consciousness on consumption behaviours in terms of consumption motivations, purchase intention, and brand loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach
– A conceptual model was developed to represent the proposed relationships among the related variables. An online survey was conducted and 305 valid surveys were collected. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses.

Findings
– From the perspective of self-concept, this research shed some light on the luxury fashion consumption behaviour of Generation Y consumers. Public self-consciousness and self-esteem were both found having significant influence on Generation Y consumers’ brand consciousness and in turn their luxury consumption motivations and brand loyalty.

Research limitations/implications
– Limitations for this study mainly come from the representativeness of the sample, which was recruited from a panel of a third party research group. Implications for luxury fashion brand managers and retailers focus on strategies that influence the social and self-motivation for luxury consumption and level of brand consciousness.

Originality/value
– This research is unique because it focuses on luxury fashion consumption of Generation Y consumers, an emerging segment in the luxury market. Generation Y consumers’ behaviour towards luxury fashion was examined in terms of their self-related personality traits, brand consciousness, motivation, and brand loyalty.
Fashion/clothing research: an analysis of three journals
Authors: Johnson Kim K P , Lennon Sharron J. , Mun Jung Mee , Choi Dooyoung 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– entailed assessing directions in subject matter content and the types of research strategy employed. In research using human participants, the purposes were to assess: sampling strategy, statements limiting generalizability, incentive use, and the use of undergraduates (UGs) as participants. Finally, with studies utilizing UG participants, the purpose of this paper was to assess: directions in subject matter content, research strategy, sampling strategy, justification of participants, statements limiting generalizability, and incentive use.

Design/methodology/approach
– A content analysis of fashion/clothing research articles (n=963) appearing in three scholarly journals between 1996 and 2013.

Findings
– Consumer behavior was the most frequent research topic and survey methodology dominated the research strategy employed. Majority of samples were nonprobability, slightly over half of the authors provided statements limiting generalizability of their findings, use of incentives was routinely not reported, and a little over a third used UGs as participants. Of researchers using UGs, consumer behavior was the most frequent topic, UGs were justified as participants, and when both UGs and nonstudents were included as participants, comparisons in responses were typically not made.

Research limitations/implications
– Articles included were limited to those published in three journals.

Practical implications
– Author/reviewer guidelines should suggest providing: an appropriate rationale for UG use; descriptive population statistics; statements limiting generalization; information describing the sampling technique; and information on the use of incentives. Also when authors have UGs and nonstudent adults as participants it would be useful to analyze for significant differences between the two groups.

Originality/value
– First investigation of use of UGs as participants in clothing/fashion research.
Impact of firm characteristics on capital structure choice of Turkish SMEs
Authors: Uyar Ali , Guzelyurt Mustafa Kemal 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether SMEs have a target debt ratio or not; who makes financing decisions for investments; the financing preferences; and which factors play a role in external financing policy of the firms.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors adopted questionnaire survey methodology in the study. The questionnaire was administered to SMEs operating in Istanbul through e-mail, telephone, and fax in July 2011. For the analysis, the authors have adopted the non-parametric test of the Kruskal-Wallis.

Findings
– The study produced several important findings. Most of the surveyed firms do not follow a target debt ratio. Hence, the trade-off theory is not supported. Partners rather than professional managers are more likely to make financing choices in SMEs. The study has provided evidence regarding the implementation of the pecking order principle. Turkish SMEs primarily prefer internal funding sources over external ones and short-term debt over long-term debt. Thus, the pecking order theory is supported. General economic conditions, debt-paying ability of the firm, and financial distress risk play the most important role in outside financing decisions.

Research limitations/implications
– The study has got some limitations as all such studies have. First, it was conducted only on SMEs in Istanbul; hence it has a geographical limitation. Second, the findings may not be generalizable to large and publicly traded companies as the sample consists of only SMEs. For further study, similar research can be carried out across Turkey on a wider sample.

Originality/value
– The SMEs are different from large companies in a variety of ways, such as ownership structure, complexity of operations, financing sources, and so on. Hence, there is a need for empirical analysis conducted, particularly, on SMEs. The primary motivation for the study is the scarcity of such empirical works in general. Secondarily, SMEs make up a large proportion of companies in the Turkish economy. Therefore, the subject needs to be studied in Turkey.
Corporate boards and acquirer returns: international evidence
Authors: Miletkov Mihail , Moskalev Sviatoslav , Wintoki M. Babajide 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of board structure on non-US acquirer returns in 11,499 acquisition transactions from 60 countries during the period from 2001 to 2011.

Design/methodology/approach
– In this paper the authors employ event study methodology and regression analyses including instrumental variables two-stage least squares regressions.

Findings
– The authors find that board independence in non-US firms is associated with significantly higher acquirer returns, but this effect is only present in countries with lower levels of investor protection. The authors contribute to the literature by documenting that due to the substitution effect between internal and external governance, when external governance mechanisms are not adequately developed, better internal governance (as measured by higher degree of board independence) reduces agency problems and leads to better firm decisions and outcomes (as measured by the quality of corporate acquisitions).

Originality/value
– The paper is the first to empirically examine the relation between board independence and acquirer returns in non-US firms. The findings have important implications for both company managers and national policy makers who are debating the costs and benefits associated with increasing the degree of board independence in publicly traded companies around the world.
Differences in sustainability practices and stakeholder involvement
Authors: Bulgacov Sergio , Ometto Maria Paola , May Márcia Ramos 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This research aims to describe sustainability practices adopted by companies and the influence they have with the involvement of stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach– Qualitative investigation, using case study methodology, was undertaken in 17 companies that use strategic sustainability practices in some way. The companies were observed under the theoretical perspective of social responsibility and sustainability, and with the approach of strategic practices.Findings– Interpreting the data produces an alternative framework of analysis for strategic organizational activities oriented toward the understanding of practices of sustainability, especially in processes aimed at catering to and/or involving stakeholders. The research further supports the idea that sustainability practices, regardless of their level of implementation, have a strong relationship, in these companies, with stakeholder interests.Originality/value– The intent is that the proposed analytical framework will allow further debate toward better understanding of actions focused on environmental determinism and internal company conditions.
Corporate social responsibility, environmental leadership and financial performance
Authors: DiSegni Dafna M. , Huly Moshe , Akron Sagi 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to statistically assess the relationship between corporate characteristics, environmental contribution and financial performance. To this end, the authors compare the financial performance of all US corporations making up the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, being the most proactive companies in providing services and goods, while maintaining ethical responsibility and environmental sustainability.Design/methodology/approach– Various performance measures are compared to the mean performance of the related industry, sector and market portfolio. We employ an analysis for several time horizons of the financial measures.Findings– Analysis by the authors suggests that firms that are proactive in supporting social responsibility and environmental sustainability (SRES corporations) are characterized by significantly higher profit measures than the industry and the sector, though not higher than the entire market. They have lower short-term liquidity measures than those of the industry and related sector, and surprisingly, their long-term leverage is significantly higher. Strong SRES corporations are characterized by significantly higher managerial efficiency ratios than the respective industry and sector. Interestingly, however, the per-worker operating efficiency ratios are significantly lower than for all of the benchmarks.Practical implications– The revealed preference of corporations can be extracted from several horizon dependent financial measures. For instance, we could infer the corporate degree of SRES from their long-term capital structure, i.e. their long-term leverages and short-term liquidity measures.Originality/value– These results illustrate the strong relation between social and environmental sustainability, and long-term business plans in respect to the corporate capital structure.
Social and ecological drivers of success in agri‐environment schemes: the roles of farmers and environmental context
Authors: McCracken Morag E. , Woodcock Ben A. , Lobley Matt , Pywell Richard F. , Saratsi Eirini , Swetnam Ruth D. , Mortimer Simon R. , Harris Stephanie J. , Winter Michael , Hinsley Shelley , Bullock James M. 
Published: February 2015

Summary

Agri‐environment schemes remain a controversial approach to reversing biodiversity losses, partly because the drivers of variation in outcomes are poorly understood. In particular, there is a lack of studies that consider both social and ecological factors.

We analysed variation across 48 farms in the quality and biodiversity outcomes of agri‐environmental habitats designed to provide pollen and nectar for bumblebees and butterflies or winter seed for birds. We used interviews and ecological surveys to gather data on farmer experience and understanding of agri‐environment schemes, and local and landscape environmental factors.

Multimodel inference indicated social factors had a strong impact on outcomes and that farmer experiential learning was a key process. The quality of the created habitat was affected positively by the farmer's previous experience in environmental management. The farmer's confidence in their ability to carry out the required management was negatively related to the provision of floral resources. Farmers with more wildlife‐friendly motivations tended to produce more floral resources, but fewer seed resources.

Bird, bumblebee and butterfly biodiversity responses were strongly affected by the quantity of seed or floral resources. Shelter enhanced biodiversity, directly increased floral resources and decreased seed yield. Seasonal weather patterns had large effects on both measures. Surprisingly, larger species pools and amounts of semi‐natural habitat in the surrounding landscape had negative effects on biodiversity, which may indicate use by fauna of alternative foraging resources.

Synthesis and application. This is the first study to show a direct role of farmer social variables on the success of agri‐environment schemes in supporting farmland biodiversity. It suggests that farmers are not simply implementing agri‐environment options, but are learning and improving outcomes by doing so. Better engagement with farmers and working with farmers who have a history of environmental management may therefore enhance success. The importance of a number of environmental factors may explain why agri‐environment outcomes are variable, and suggests some – such as the weather – cannot be controlled. Others, such as shelter, could be incorporated into agri‐environment prescriptions. The role of landscape factors remains complex and currently eludes simple conclusions about large‐scale targeting of schemes.
A Taphonomic Study Exploring the Differences in Decomposition Rate and Manner between Frozen and Never Frozen Domestic Pigs (Sus scrofa)
Authors: Roberts Lindsey G. , Dabbs Gretchen R. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThis research examined differences in decomposition rate and manner of domestic pig subjects (Sus scrofa) in never frozen (control) and previously frozen (experimental) research conditions. Eight control and experimental subjects were placed in an identical outdoor research environment. Daily quantitative and qualitative measurements were collected: abdominal circumference, total body score (TBS), temperature, photographs, descriptive decomposition stages, and visual observations. Field necropsies were performed at accumulated degree days (ADD) between 50 and 300 (Celsius). Paired samples t‐tests of ADD to TBS >3.0, TBS >9.5, and TBS >16.0 indicate the rate of decomposition of experimental subjects was significantly slower than controls at both TBS >3 and >9.5 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.002, respectively). A suite of qualitative indicators of predecomposition freezing is also reported. The differences between experimental and control subjects suggest previously frozen subjects should not be used in taphonomic research, as results do not accurately reflect the “normal” taphonomic condition.
Cathepsin K knockout alleviates aging‐induced cardiac dysfunction
Authors: Hua Yinan , Robinson Timothy J. , Cao Yongtao , Shi Guo‐Ping , Ren Jun , Nair Sreejayan 
Published: February 2015

SummaryAging is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It has previously been shown that protein levels of cathepsin K, a lysosomal cysteine protease, are elevated in the failing heart and that genetic ablation of cathepsin K protects against pressure overload‐induced cardiac hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction. Here we test the hypothesis that cathepsin K knockout alleviates age‐dependent decline in cardiac function. Cardiac geometry, contractile function, intracellular Ca2+ properties, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis were evaluated using echocardiography, fura‐2 technique, immunohistochemistry, Western blot and TUNEL staining, respectively. Aged (24‐month‐old) mice exhibited significant cardiac remodeling (enlarged chamber size, wall thickness, myocyte cross‐sectional area, and fibrosis), decreased cardiac contractility, prolonged relengthening along with compromised intracellular Ca2+ release compared to young (6‐month‐old) mice, which were attenuated in the cathepsin K knockout mice. Cellular markers of senescence, including cardiac lipofuscin, p21 and p16, were lower in the aged‐cathepsin K knockout mice compared to their wild‐type counterpart. Mechanistically, cathepsin K knockout mice attenuated an age‐induced increase in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and nuclear translocation of mitochondrial apoptosis‐inducing factor (AIF). In cultured H9c2 cells, doxorubicin stimulated premature senescence and apoptosis. Silencing of cathepsin K blocked the doxorubicin‐induced translocation of AIF from the mitochondria to the nuclei. Collectively, these results suggest that cathepsin K knockout attenuates age‐related decline in cardiac function via suppressing caspase‐dependent and caspase‐independent apoptosis.
Being overweight or obese is associated with inhibition control in children from six to ten years of age
Authors: Blanco‐Gómez Ainara , Ferré Natàlia , Luque Verónica , Cardona Mercè , Gispert‐Llauradó Mariona , Escribano Joaquín , Closa‐Monasterolo Ricardo , Canals‐Sans Josefa 
Published: February 2015

AbstractAimThis study investigated the relationship between being overweight or obese and executive function in six‐ to ten‐year‐olds.MethodsThe participants were 515 children (250 boys) from schools in Reus, Spain. The initial sample was measured and weighed and assessed with the Children's Color Trail Test. Children classified as overweight, including obese, and their age‐ and gender‐matched controls (n = 221), were assessed in a second phase with the Five Digit Test (FDT) and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Logistic regression models were applied to analyse the effect of executive functions on being overweight, including obese.ResultsWe found that 28.9% of the children were overweight and 7.2% were obese. The FDT showed that inhibition (odds risk of 1.04, range 1.00–1.08, p = 0.04) and flexibility (odds risk of 1.04, range 1.00–1.07, p = 0.02) were significantly associated with overweight, including obesity, regardless of sociodemographic and psychopathological variables.ConclusionThese results suggest that children who were overweight or obese had a reduced ability to mobilise the cognitive effort required to inhibit involuntary responses and to switch between different mental operations. A developmental trajectory would provide important insights into the relationship between executive functioning pattern and the risk of being overweight or obese.
Bereavement and loss: developing a memory box to support a young woman with profound learning disabilities
Authors: Young Hannah , Garrard Brenda 
Published: February 2015

Accessible summary
People with profound learning disabilities can find it difficult to talk about someone they love who has died.
This study is about how we used a memory box to help a bereaved young woman with profound learning disabilities.
The memory box helped the bereaved young woman, her mother and paid carers to explore memories about important relationships in her life.
It might be helpful to talk about relationships when helping someone with profound learning disabilities who is bereaved.
SummarySupporting bereaved people with profound learning disabilities still remains an under‐researched area. Moreover, the barriers of communication and disenfranchised grief mean that they often do not receive the support they require, leading to emotional and behavioural difficulties. This article describes research using a case study design, which explored how memory box work was used to support the bereavement process with one young woman, Claire and the outcomes for Claire and her family. Exploring the history of the relationship between Claire and her brother, the work also benefitted her mother and her paid carers.
Interleukin-1 family cytokines and their regulatory proteins in normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia
Authors: Southcombe J H , Redman C W G , Sargent I L , Granne I 
Published: February 2015

Summary
Maternal systemic inflammation is a feature of pre-eclampsia, a condition in pregnancy characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Pre-eclampsia is caused by the placenta; many placental factors contribute to the syndrome's progression, and proinflammatory cytokines have been identified previously as one such mediator. The interleukin (IL)-1 family of cytokines are key regulators of the inflammatory network, and two naturally occurring regulatory molecules for IL-1 family cytokines, IL-1RA and sST2, have been found previously to be elevated in maternal blood from women with pre-eclampsia. Here we investigate more recently identified IL-1 family cytokines and regulatory molecules, IL-1RAcP, IL-37, IL-18BP, IL-36α/β/γ/Ra and IL-38 in pre-eclampsia. Pregnant women have more circulating IL-18BP and IL-36Ra than non-pregnant women, and sIL-1RAcP is elevated from women with pre-eclampsia compared to normal pregnancies. The placenta expresses all the molecules, and IL-37 and IL-18BP are up-regulated significantly in pre-eclampsia placentas compared to those from normal pregnancies. Together, these changes contribute to the required inhibition of maternal systemic cytotoxic immunity in normal pregnancy; however, in pre-eclampsia the same profile is not seen. Interestingly, the increased circulating levels of sIL-1RAcP and increased placental IL-18BP and IL-37, the latter of which we show to be induced by hypoxic damage to the placenta, are all factors which are anti-inflammatory. While the placenta is often held responsible for the damage and clinical symptoms of pre-eclampsia by the research community, here we show that the pre-eclampsia placenta is also trying to prevent inflammatory damage to the mother.
Use of short implants (6 mm) in a single‐tooth replacement: a 5‐year follow‐up prospective randomized controlled multicenter clinical study
Authors: Rossi Fabio , Botticelli Daniele , Cesaretti Gianfranco , De Santis Enzo , Storelli Stefano , Lang Niklaus P. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate prospectively clinical and radiographic outcomes of 6‐ or 10 mm‐long implants with moderately rough surface (SLA®) loaded within 7 weeks from installation and supporting single crowns in the posterior regions in the course of 5 years of loading.Material and MethodsSixty implants with a moderately rough surface, 30 tests (6 mm long, 4.1 mm in diameter) and 30 controls (10 mm long, 4.1 mm in diameter), were placed in posterior regions in 45 patients. After 6 weeks, impressions were taken and the implants were restored with a single fixed prosthesis made with gold–palladium alloy and porcelain. Survival rate and marginal bone loss were evaluated yearly. The clinical crown/implant ratio was calculated.ResultsDuring the follow‐up period, five implants, four tests and one control, were lost. Of the four test implants, one was lost before loading, two between the 2nd and the 3rd years, and one during the 4th year of the follow‐up period. The control implant was lost during the first year of function. Consequently, after 5 years of follow‐up, a survival rate of 86.7% and 96.7% was observed at the test and control sites, respectively.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that 6‐mm‐long implants supporting single crowns loaded within 7 weeks from installation lose a small amount of marginal bone during 5 years of functional loading, similar to that of 10‐mm‐long implants. However, a higher degree of implant loss was recorded at the short implants, probably due to the fracturing of the surrounding bone.