bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EU‐GCC cooperation for natural gas: prospects and challenges
Authors: Doukas Haris , Flamos Alexandros , Marinakis Vangelis , Assadi Mohsen 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe paper aims to provide the prospects and challenges of cooperation concerning natural gas (NG) resources between the European Union (EU) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), based on a “critical review” of the current state of the GCC region regarding NG production, consumption, trading movements, policy framework and existing/planned projects and programs for each GCC country individually.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological four‐steps approach adopted is based on the context of the project “Creation and Operation of an EU‐GCC Clean Energy Network” (www.eugcc‐cleanergy.net). This paper summarizes the dynamic NG supply/demand situation in the GCC countries in a structured way, touching upon some pertinent policy issues and relating specific projects.FindingsThe key finding of the paper is the assessment of GCC countries' potential for future collaboration, especially with the EU. The collaboration opportunities, based on a detailed overview of existing and planned practices in the GCC countries, linking the policy to the practical commercial level, as well as the national system context is elaborated.Originality/valueTo the best of their knowledge, a study focused on the EU‐GCC cooperation for NG is not present in the literature. This study highlights how policy measures differ depending on the supply/demand situation of a particular country, bringing a unique perspective on how diverse the GCC region really is. Moreover, based on the specific energy projects presented, the policy level is linked to the practical commercial level. The presented approach and the related outcomes support the policy makers to enable the environment needed for concrete NG cooperation actions of mutual benefit for both regions.
Investigating the impact of resource capabilities on customer loyalty: a structural equation approach for the UK hotels using online ratings
Authors: Ramanathan Usha , Ramanathan Ramakrishnan 
Published: July 2013

Purpose– In this paper, the authors aim to examine the impact of resource capabilities on customer loyalty of UK hotels. Understanding this impact will help organisations to improve customer satisfaction in order to obtain improved customer loyalty.Design/methodology/approach– The authors use a relatively innovative data source, namely online ratings. They measure resource capabilities of a firm using customer ratings in terms of various operational criteria. Similarly, customer loyalty is measured using guests ' ratings on their intention to use the same service (stay again in the same hotel) and their intention to recommend the service to friends. The authors employ structural equation modelling to test research hypotheses.Findings– The authors ' results indicate that there is a significant positive influence of resource capabilities on customer loyalty. They further find that the significant influence of resource capabilities on customer loyalty does not differ across hotels with various star ratings.Research limitations/implications– The authors looked at the online guest ratings available on a particular website, but it is only one of the many websites offering online hotel reservations, and not all customers that made hotel reservations using this e-booking facility would be inclined to leave feedback after their stay in the hotel. This limitation can be partially overcome by pooling similar data from a number of online hotel booking sites.Practical implications– The most important managerial implication is that good resource capabilities of firms translate well into customer loyalty. Thus, managers should ensure good performance in terms of various hotel attributes – cleanliness, quality of room, facilities, and customer service – and also ensure that customers perceive good value for their money while staying in the hotel.Originality/value– The authors applied structural modelling framework to verify the resource capability – performance link in the context of hotels. They used a relatively novel data source – online guest ratings of hotels – to understand the relationships between resource capabilities and customer loyalty.
Evaluation of quality of air, water and noise in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh (India)
Authors: Wani Khursheed Ahmad , Mamta K. , Rao R.J. 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe first approach mainly aims at measurement of SPM, SO2 and NO2 from different sources in the Gwalior region and the second and third approach aims at the quantification of water and noise quality of the city of Gwalior. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these approaches.Design/methodology/approachThe water analysis was carried out by the standard methods of APHA, 2005 and the air and noise analysis were carried out by the standard procedures of CPCB, New Delhi and published work earlier respectively.FindingsThe water quality in the city was well within the standards, however, the noise and air quality in the city was above the standards set by CPCB, New Delhi.Originality/valueThis is the first approach in the city of Gwalior that related air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution to acute and chronic illnesses amongst all age groups. This will lead to the development of a sustainable city, while working to transform the city of Gwalior into a sustainable city.
Developing an environmental corporate reputation on the internet
Authors: Gurau Calin 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the specific challenges and success factors faced by companies which develop their environmental corporate reputation using an online communication strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe study proposes a research framework positioned to an intermediary level between quantitative research and case studies. The exploratory methodology adopted in this study was based on a triangulation approach, by comparing and analysing primary data obtained from three different sources: observations of corporate websites, data provided by the communication managers of five investigated firms, and the answers obtained from a sample of 84 environmentally‐conscious consumers.FindingsThe findings indicate the importance of a direct correspondence between the strategic objectives defined by the firm, the communication strategy, and the implemented operational elements. However, as a result of opportunistic environmental claims made by other firms in the past, customers require not only clear and updated online information, but also objective proofs about the trustworthiness of the company's messages and actions.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of investigated firms is too small to allow a valid generalisation of results. On the other hand, the primary data was collected in only one time instance, although the process of corporate image change and reputation building is continuous and dynamic.Originality/valuePrevious research focused almost exclusively on corporate environmental reporting of large companies. Adopting an exploratory approach, this paper analyses the communication strategies designed and implemented by five medium‐sized French firms, as well as their impact on customers’ perceptions.
The impact of customer‐company identification on consumer reactions to new corporate initiatives
Authors: Ashraf Rohail , Merunka Dwight 
Published: July 2013

PurposeCustomer‐company identification (CCI) refers to a social relationship between a company and its customers. Prior research highlights the positive consequences of CCI but does not study the process by which CCI shapes both positive and negative consumer reactions to new company initiatives. This study aims to elaborate this process by modelling the mediating consequences of CCI (commitment to the company and feeling of belonging to an in‐group) on consumers’ responses to brand extensions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 291 respondents, spanning two companies and four brand extension scenarios. The model parameters were estimated through partial least squares path modelling.FindingsCCI leads to commitment to the company and to a related group, through identification processes. Both forms of commitment influence consumer reactions to new corporate initiatives. The effect of company commitment is stable; in‐group commitment is more influential in forming consumer responses but varies depending on the severity of the situation.Originality/valueThis research elaborates the mechanisms of identity‐based commitment and its effect on consumer responses to new company initiatives. The two‐tiered, identification‐based commitment model highlights how identified customers relate to both the company and in‐groups of consumers, as a result of CCI. It explains both positive and negative consumer reactions, an insight missing from prior studies.
Neighborhood as Spatial Project: Making the Urban Order on the Downtown Brooklyn Waterfront
Authors: Madden David J. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThis article argues for a reconceptualization of one of the most basic concepts in urban studies: the neighborhood. Traditionally neighborhoods have been understood as clearly bounded, quasi‐Westphalian containers or as ‘natural areas’ of urban community. But this approach is widely acknowledged to be under‐theorized. And it fails to account for the ways in which the production of neighborhood is inherently political and often conflictual. After reviewing the ways in which neighborhood has been used in urban sociology and urban planning, this article offers a critical conception of neighborhoods as ‘spatial projects’ on the submetropolitan scale. This approach captures the ways in which neighborhoods are not abstract spaces on a city map, but the uneven, unequal products of complex, ongoing struggles between various groups and institutions. This approach is developed through an ethnographic and historical case study of neighborhood formation in one part of Brooklyn, New York. The article concludes with a discussion of how the language of spatial projects refocuses urban research on the political and economic forces that produce neighborhood in the contemporary city.
The School Function Assessment: identifying levels of participation and demonstrating progress for pupils with acquired brain injuries in a residential rehabilitation setting
Authors: West S. , Dunford C. , Mayston M. J. , Forsyth R. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBackgroundDelivering and monitoring residential rehabilitation services for pupils with acquired brain injuries (ABI) is challenging because of variability in aetiology, age and pre‐morbid characteristics. Therapists and educators in this residential rehabilitation setting identified the need for a comprehensive tool which would capture the pupils' ability to participate in typical, everyday, school‐based functional activities. This study aimed to explore the ability of the School Function Assessment (SFA) to identify levels of participation in school‐based functional tasks and demonstrate progress for pupils with an ABI in a residential rehabilitation setting.MethodsThe SFA was conducted on admission and discharge for pupils with ABI receiving residential rehabilitation between January 2007 and October 2011. Data analysis used Kruskal–Wallis to determine between‐group differences in age, time post injury and weeks in rehabilitation. Linear mixed effects modelling was used to establish differences between admission and discharge scores. Case vignettes demonstrated how the SFA was used with individual pupils.ResultsSeventy pupils were identified (31 traumatic brain injury; 29 non‐traumatic and 10 anoxic) 42 boys and 28 girls whose age at injury was 4.5–17.2 years (median 12.8). The SFA demonstrated that 54/70 pupils had made progress with their ability to participate in school activities. Significant differences were found between admission and discharge SFA scores for participation, physical and cognitive assistance and adaptation and activity performance (P < 0.05). There was wide variability between individual profiles reflecting the heterogeneity of ABI.ConclusionsThe SFA determined levels of participation in school‐based functional tasks for these residential pupils with an ABI and demonstrated progress both at the group and individual level in this residential rehabilitation setting. It identified the amount of support a pupil would need when they return to their local school and their strengths and needs in relation to participation in physical and cognitive school‐based functional activities.
Gynecologic cancer screening and communication with health care providers in women with Lynch syndrome
Authors: Burton‐Chase A.M. , Hovick S.R. , Sun C.C. , Boyd‐Rogers S. , Lynch P.M. , Lu K.H. , Peterson S.K. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractWe evaluated knowledge of gynecologic cancer screening recommendations, screening behaviors, and communication with providers among women with Lynch syndrome (LS). Women aged ≥25 years who were at risk for LS‐associated cancers completed a semi‐structured interview and a questionnaire. Of 74 participants (mean age 40 years), 61% knew the appropriate age to begin screening, 75–80% correctly identified the recommended screening frequency, and 84% reported no previous screening endometrial biopsy. Women initiated discussions with their providers about their LS cancer risks, but many used nonspecific terms or relied on family history. Most were not offered high‐risk screening options. While many women were aware of risk‐appropriate LS screening guidelines, adherence was suboptimal. Improving communication between women and their providers regarding LS‐related gynecologic cancer risk and screening options may help improve adherence.
Generation and release of molecular markers for Poa arachnifera Torr.
Authors: Kindiger Bryan , Conley Terry , Cai Hongwei 
Published: July 2013

AbstractDNA‐based molecular markers can be used in a wide array of plant genetic studies, marker‐trait associations, seed purity evaluations and cultivar protection. However, for the genus Poa, the use of molecular markers is limited by the current lack of informative DNA based markers. This report represents the development and release of an additional 39 molecular markers, all derived from an unenriched Poa arachnifera Torr. genomic library. The newly released markers include genomic microsatellite markers, tandem repeats, palindromes and regions exhibiting low complexity generated from the P. arachnifera library. Many of the primer pairs used to amplify the markers were observed to exhibit polymorphisms when evaluated across five additional Poa species (P. pratensis L., P. secunda J. Presl, P. ligularis Nees ex Steud., P. poiformis [Labill.] Druce and P. labillardieri Steud.) The availability of these new and informative markers should provide Poa breeders and geneticists with additional tools for breeding and genetic research.
The Economy of Seeking Asylum in the Global City
Authors: Vecchio Francesco 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThis article explores asylum seeker survival strategies and agency in relation to the structural, post‐industrial conditions that have emerged in Hong Kong. The focus is on the livelihoods of asylum seekers within spaces of illegality and social exclusion, how such spaces are formed, and how asylum seekers exploit local conditions to establish profitable networks across borders. The article considers asylum seekers' engagement in income‐generating activities and the importance of legal status in the sectors of the economy in which they most often work: recycling and trading. Far from being a burden to society or opportunistic deviants taking advantage of Hong Kong's economic prosperity, as they are normally depicted in public discourse, asylum seekers are economically productive. They act in economic spaces in which disadvantaged strata of the local resident population organize their means of survival, thereby improving the economic opportunities for locals.
The boundaries of minimization as a technique for improving affect: good for the goose but not for the gander?
Authors: Grover Kristin W. , Pinel Elizabeth C. , Bosson Jennifer K. , LeBeau Lavonia Smith 
Published: July 2013

AbstractResearch on minimization as a coping strategy suggests that it alleviates negative affect following threats. In contrast, research on minimization as a support‐giving strategy suggests that it does more harm than good. Does this mean that minimization works when it is self‐generated, but does not when it is offered by others? The present study examined the effect of self‐ and externally‐ generated minimizations on people with high and low self‐esteem following a self‐threat. Results suggest that externally‐generated minimizations do not alleviate negative affect when they occur before the recipient has had time to cope. Discussion centers around the implications of these findings for past research, as well as distinctions between how people with low versus high self‐esteem cope with negative events.
Adoptive infusion of tolerance dendritic cells prolongs survival of small intestine allografts in rats: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Sun Guixiang , Shan Juan , Li Youping , Feng Li , Zhou Yanni , Guo Yingjia , Tong Yang , Xia Mengjuan 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBackgroundPostoperative infections and rejection are the main limiting factors of small intestine allograft survival. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to review rat small intestine allograft survival following infusion of tolerance dendritic cells (Tol‐DCs) induced by different methods.MethodsRelevant publications were searched from PubMed database and EMbase database. Meta‐analysis was performed using RevMan 5.0 software. We chose allograft survival, mixed leukocyte reaction, Th1/Th2 differentiation, Treg induction, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity as the outcomes by which to examine possible mechanisms that promote survival.ResultsEleven suitable articles were identified and assessed. Tol‐DCs induced by four methods all prolonged allograft survival. The difference in survival time between the Tol‐DC group and the control group was indicated by SMD as follows: drug intervention (SMD = 3.02, 95% CI 1.16 to 4.88, P = 0.001), gene modification (SMD = 2.43, 95% CI 1.77 to 3.10, P < 0.00001), imDC (SMD = 1.76, 95% CI 0.90 to 2.62, P < 0.0001), cytokine induction (SMD = 1.68, 95% CI 0.40 to 2.96, P = 0.01). Tol‐DCs were also synergistic with immunosuppressive drugs or costimulation inhibitors, but no immune tolerance was observed. A single‐dose intravenous injection of 5×106 to 6×106 Tol‐DCs showed the highest allograft survival. Possible mechanisms included donor‐specific T‐cell hyporesponsiveness and Th2 differentiation.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that Tol‐DCs induced by four methods prolong rat small intestine allograft survival. Intravenous infusion of 5×106 to 6×106 Tol‐DCs was the optimum dose in rat small intestine transplantation. Immunosuppressive or costimulatory blockade was synergistic with Tol‐DC on graft survival. Additional high‐quality studies with larger sample sizes are needed to better investigate small intestinal graft longer term survival.
Dopaminergic influences on executive function and impulsive behaviour in impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Leroi Iracema , Barraclough Michelle , McKie Shane , Hinvest Neal , Evans Jonathan , Elliott Rebecca , McDonald Kathryn 
Published: July 2013

The development of impulse control disorders (ICDs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) may arise from an interaction among cognitive impairment, impulsive responding and dopaminergic state. Dopaminergic state may be influenced by pharmacologic or genotypic (catechol‐O‐methyltransferase; COMT) factors. We sought to investigate this interaction further by comparing those with (n = 35) and without (n = 55) ICDs on delay‐discounting in different pharmacologic conditions (ON or OFF dopaminergic medication) and on response inhibition as well as aspects of executive functioning in the ON state. We then undertook an exploratory sub‐group analysis of these same tasks when the overall PD group was divided into different allelic variants of COMT (val/val vs. met/met). A healthy control group (HC; n = 20) was also included. We found that in those with PD and ICDs, ‘cognitive flexibility’ (set shifting, verbal fluency, and attention) in the ON medication state was not impaired compared with those without ICDs. In contrast, our working memory, or ‘cognitive focus’, task was impaired in both PD groups compared with the HC group when ON. During the delay‐discounting task, the PD with ICDs group expressed greater impulsive choice compared with the PD group without ICDs, when in the ON, but not the OFF, medication state. However, no group difference on the response inhibition task was seen when ON. Finally, the met homozygous group performed differently on tests of executive function compared with the val homozygous group. We concluded that the disparity in levels of impairment among different domains of executive function and impulsive decision‐making distinguishes those with ICD in PD from those without ICD, and may in part be affected by dopaminergic status. Both pharmacologic and genotypic influences on dopaminergic state may be important in ICD.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of glycopyrrolate following a continuous‐rate infusion in the horse
Authors: Rumpler M. J. , Kandala B. , Vickroy T. W. , Hochhaus G. , Sams R. A. 
Published: July 2013

Glycopyrrolate (GLY) is an antimuscarinic agent that is used in humans and domestic animals primarily to reduce respiratory tract secretions during anesthesia and to reverse intra‐operative bradycardia. Although GLY is used routinely in veterinary patients, there is limited information regarding its pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties in domestic animals, and an improved understanding of the plasma concentration–effect relationship in racehorses is warranted. To accomplish this, we characterize the pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK‐PD) actions of GLY during and after a 2‐h constant‐rate intravenous infusion (4 μg/kg/h) and evaluate potential PK‐PD models for cardiac stimulation in adult horses. Measurements of plasma GLY concentrations, heart and respiration rates, and frequency of bowel movements were performed in six Thoroughbred horses. The time course for GLY disposition in plasma followed a tri‐exponential equation characterized by rapid disappearance of GLY from blood followed by a prolonged terminal phase. Physiological monitoring revealed significant (P < 0.01) increases in heart (>70 bpm) and respiratory rates accompanied by a marked and sustained delay in the frequency of bowel movements (1.1 ± 0.2 h [saline group] vs. 6.0 ± 2.0 h [GLY group]). Two of six horses showed signs of colic during the 8‐h observation period after the end of the GLY infusion, but were treated and recovered without further complications. The relationship between plasma GLY concentration and heart rate exhibited counterclockwise hysteresis that was adequately described using an effect compartment.