bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of the link drive mechanism in a sewing machine using imperialist competitive algorithm
Authors: Ebrahimi Saeed , Payvandy Pedram 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present, an optimization problem based on the imperialistic competitive algorithm (ICA) approach for optimizing the needle velocity and variation of needle acceleration in a link drive mechanism of a sewing machine. The optimal geometry of the link drive has been achieved using a non-linear optimization procedure.

Design/methodology/approach
– As an important study in this case, the authors might refer to a previous work in which they introduced the possibility of replacing the slider-crank mechanism, that is typically used in sewing machines, with a link drive mechanism. The authors regenerate the optimization problem by modifying the objective function and follow a novel optimization method based on the ICA to overcome the drawbacks of that work. In addition, further modification of the objective function with respect to the variation of needle acceleration is applied to assure smooth movement of the needle during sewing process.

Findings
– The results showed a significant improvement with respect to the optimization of needle velocity and variation of needle acceleration in comparison to that previous work. This clearly justifies the efficiency and reliability of the optimization formulation based on the ICA approach.

Originality/value
– Needle temperature is considered as an effective parameter on sewing process efficiency and stitch quality. Needle heat generated during sewing process is directly related to needle velocity in penetration zone which in turn depends on the needle driver mechanism of sewing machine. According to literature survey, few researches have focussed to design a driver mechanism of the sewing machine to reduce the generated needle heat. This mechanism has the ability of reducing the penetration velocity of the needle without affecting sewing speed which consequently can reduce the needle heat generated during needle penetration. The work here is novel regarding implementation of optimization algorithm for this mechanism.
Thermal protective performance of multilayer fire fighting fabric
Authors: Hassan Mohammed Ali Akram , Yu Weidong 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate thermal protection provided by the fire fighting fabric systems with different layer under high-level thermal hazards with a typical temperature range of 800-1,000°C. The purpose of these fabric systems was to provide actual protection against burn injuries using garments worn by industrial workers, fire fighters and military personnel, etc.

Design/methodology/approach
– The fabric system was consist of glass with aluminum foil as an outer layer, non-woven basalt, non-woven glass fabric containing NaCl-MgCl2 and Galactitol phase change materials (PCM) which simulate multilayer fire fighter protective clothing system. Thermal protective performance tests were applied for thermal analysis and used as an attempt to quantify the insulating characteristics of fabrics under conditions of flash over temperature. The surface of fire fighting multilayer protective fabric has been characterized using the UV-Vis-NIR (ultraviolet-visible-near infrared) spectrophotometer

Findings
– The clothing shows good thermal insulation and high-temperature drop during flash over environment and avoid second degree burn. The current PCM obvious advantages such as the ability to work in high temperature, high efficiency a long period of practical performance.

Originality/value
– Using this design of composite multilayer technology incorporating two stages of PCM may provide people with better protection against the fire exposure and increasing the duration time which was estimated to be more than five minutes to prevent burn injuries.
Self-certification framework for technological innovation: a case study
Authors: Kim Dong-Young , Hwang Young-Ha 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present a self-certification framework for assessing technological innovation and certifying superior products. The paper discusses how and why organizational efforts to implement the self-certification program can lead to product and process innovation.Design/methodology/approach– Using the case study method in a large government-sponsored research and development institute, the authors examined the effectiveness of the proposed framework.Findings– The finding indicates that the success of the self-certification program is dependent on the ability of a firm to manage processes. The result also suggests that it is critical to develop an internal-driven motivation and ensure the strong commitment of top management when implementing the self-certification program. The finding reveals that the voluntary certification program has a positive effect on innovation and marketing performance.Originality/value– This study makes three contributions. First, the paper offers valuable insights on the use of a self-certification framework as a problem-solving tool in the innovation process. Second, based on the self-regulation theory, this study enhances the understanding of the potential of control in facilitating technological innovation. Third, the paper provides practical guidance about the application of self-assessment at the project level.
Research synthesis in collaborative planning forecast and replenishment
Authors: Márcio Tavares Thomé Antonio , Luis Hollmann Roberto , Scavarda do Carmo L.F.R.R. 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this research synthesis is to gather and integrate findings on Collaborative Planning Forecast and Replenishment (CPFR) as a business process and as a management practice; and to assemble quantitative evidence of its impact on supply chain (SC) performance.

Design/methodology/approach
– The researchers independently conducted a systematic review of 629 abstracts and 47 full-text papers. Original keywords were applied to four key electronic databases for operations management and information systems. Rigorous and verifiable selection criteria governed inter-coders reliability, review of steps and exclusion of papers. Resource and dependency-based view of the firm, contingency research and maturity models informed the analysis.

Findings
– There is not a single “blueprint” for CPFR. Competing models emphasize the need for “trust and confidence” and reliable data systems. The type of products, scope, spatial diversity and number of partners in the network are important contextual variables. Firm resources that are unique and advantages from multiple and reciprocal dependencies are powerful levers. There is no consensus on maturity model and on required investment in data and communication systems.

Practical implications
– Practical implications are implementation related: cost-benefit analysis and simulations should precede full-scale collaboration. There is a consensus on starting CPFR small and expanding gradually.

Originality/value
– This synthesis applies a rigorous review method and attempts to assemble the dispersed literature in one study, utilizing explanatory operations management and information systems theories.
Excessive stress disrupts the development of brain architecture
Authors: Scientific Council National 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– Drawing on the scientific literature, the purpose of this paper is to elucidate the harmful effects of toxic stress on the developing brain. It explains how severe, chronic adversity during development, in the absence of responsive caregiving, can impair brain architecture. It also outlines policy implications for preventing or mitigating the effects of toxic stress in early childhood.

Design/methodology/approach
– The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, based at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, is a multidisciplinary, multiuniversity panel of scholars that seeks to bring science to bear on public decision making. Council members selected excessive stress as a topic meriting translation for a general audience and conducted extensive peer review in drafting the paper's key scientific concepts.

Findings
– The paper discusses how healthy development can be derailed by excessive or prolonged activation of the biological stress response systems and how that increases lifetime risk for certain behavioural and physiological disorders. It finds that supportive relationships with caregivers can help buffer the negative consequences of toxic stress.

Social implications
– The paper calls for improvements to family support programmes, mental health services, and the quality and availability of early care and education.

Originality/value
– This paper describes an original taxonomy of positive, tolerable, and toxic stress and demonstrates the need to translate scientific knowledge about the developing brain into actionable strategies for the prevention and treatment of the effects of adverse childhood experiences.
Fracking for shale gas in the UK: property and investment issues
Authors: Jones Peter , Comfort Daphne , Hillier David 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– Large-scale shale gas reserves have recently been identified under many parts of the UK. Development pressure for detailed exploration and possibly the exploitation of these reserves by hydraulic fracturing, popularly described as fracking is growing rapidly and seems to have UK Government support. With this in mind the purpose of this paper is to offer a general review of the possible development of shale gas reserves by fracking within the UK and to explore a number of the property and investment issues associated with such development.

Design/methodology/approach
– The briefing note begins with an outline of the characteristics of shale oil and the fracking process and of the initial developments within the UK and discusses some of the property and investment issues associated with such developments. The note is based upon information drawn from the internet sources, principally national and local governments, property, financial and environmental organisations and on visits to a small number of sites of exploratory fracking.

Findings
– The paper identifies a wide range of potential environmental impacts associated with the development of shale gas reserves by fracking and reveals growing awareness in the UK that such development could have a major impact on property values, on the availability of mortgages and on property insurance. At the same time the paper also suggests that financial institutions are increasingly taking steps to minimise risks to their investments and reputation from potential environmental impacts.

Practical implications
– The paper suggests a number of issues property managers and consultants will need to address in monitoring the impact of shale gas development by fracking on property values and it offers some guidelines to investment managers.

Originality/value
– This paper provides an accessible review of the development of shale gas resources by fracking within the UK and as such it will be of value to a range of property and investment management professionals and to students pursuing property and investment courses.
Compulsory purchase
Authors: Grover Richard 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to review the economic theories that lie behind the assessment of compulsory purchase compensation and the issues that arise from them.

Design/methodology/approach
– The method has been to review the literature about the theories and the critiques of them and to examine the extent to which they provide guidance in specific cases.

Findings
– The Hicks-Kaldor compensation test was developed as a way around certain problems in welfare economics but attempts to use it to determine whether projects involving compulsory purchase increase welfare are subject to a number of problems. Ultimately, there are issues of equity as well as efficiency so that a test that just looks at efficiency issues is problematic.

Practical implications
– Understanding the weaknesses in the theoretical models behind compulsory purchase compensation can help policy makers devise alternative approaches in situations in which land has to be assembled for regeneration or infrastructure projects and fairer systems of compensation.

Originality/value
– The use of the Hicks-Kaldor test has been challenged in environmental economics but the validity of these criticisms for compulsory purchase has not been recognised to the same extent. The use of some original case studies helps to identify some of the issues and alternatives.
Is leadership a useful concept in healthcare?
Authors: Caldwell Gordon 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking about the relative importance of leaders and leadership or teamworking and teamsmanship in promoting progressive improvements in health care provision. The author argues that much more emphasis should be placed on the purpose and functioning of health care teams than on developing traditional heroic leaders. The attributes that the author has come to see as important in leaders within healthcare teams have been described. Some of these are far from glamorous and include good organisation, hard work and self-discipline.

Design/methodology/approach
– Over the past five years, the author has read widely on leadership, as well as on “lean” philosophies of working. During that time the author has tried to introduce changes to improve the working practices of their inpatient care team. The essay was written on the basis of reflection and discussion. This is a free-form article, in the old style of essay writing. This format is ideal for stimulating high-level thinking in readers’ minds.

Findings
– There should be far more emphasis on training in and development of teams, team-working and teamsmanship than on individual leaders and leadership skills in health care.

Originality/value
– The author hopes this essay is original, stimulating thinking, expressed in a readable format, and that it will prove valuable to those responsible for making improvements in health care provision at both the macro-and microlevels.
Studying the efficiency of inpatient and outpatient pharmacies using lean manufacturing
Authors: Abdelhadi Abdelhakim , Shakoor Mwafak 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach to measure the service quality provided by a public health-care service provider using the lean manufacturing concept. The research shows that the adoption of lean manufacturing principles and methodologies may be used as a measure for efficiency. The relative efficiency measure concept is introduced.Design/methodology/approach– The inpatient and outpatient pharmacies providing medicines to the public at a large regional hospital in the southern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were the focus of this study. The lean manufacturing concept is used as a method to improve the service quality and reduce the time needed to deliver the medicine by comparing the efficiency between these two pharmacies based on a metric used in lean manufacturing called takt time. A team was formed to study the current situation, and recommendations based on lean manufacturing were suggested for implementations.Findings– The research shows that the adoption of lean manufacturing principles and methodologies may be used as an efficiency measure to compare between different departments working under the same managerial system.Originality/value– The results presented in this paper are reliable, objective and may be generalized for measuring the relative performance efficiency between several departments providing the same type of services.
Match between needs and services for participation of older adults receiving home care
Authors: Levasseur Mélanie , Larivière Nadine , Royer Noémie , Desrosiers Johanne , Landreville Philippe , Voyer Philippe , Champoux Nathalie , Carbonneau Hélène , Sévigny Andrée 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to explore the match between needs and services related to participation for frail older adults receiving home care.

Design/methodology/approach
– A qualitative multiple case study was conducted with 11 triads each involving an elder, a caregiver and a healthcare provider working in a Health and Social Services Centers (HSSCs).

Findings
– Although HSSCs in Québec are supposed to promote social integration and participation of older adults, services provided to the older adults in this study focused mainly on safety and independence in personal care, dressing, mobility and nutrition, without fully meeting older adults’ needs in these areas. Discrepancies between needs and services may be attributable to the assessment not covering all the dimensions of social participation or accurately identifying older adults’ complex needs; older adults’ and their caregivers’ difficulties identifying their needs and accepting their limitations and the assistance offered; healthcare providers’ limited knowledge and time to comprehensively assess needs and provide services; guidelines restricting the types and quantity of services to be supplied; and limited knowledge of older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers about services and resources available in the community.

Originality/value
– To improve and maintain older adults’ participation, a more thorough assessment of their participation, especially in social activities, is required, as is greater support for older adults and their families in using available community resources. It is also important to review the services provided by HSSCs and to optimize partnerships with community organizations.
A mutual health service in Scotland
Authors: Howieson Brian , Fenwick Claire 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the leadership implications of a mutual health service in National Health Service (NHS) Scotland.Design/methodology/approach– Analysis of extant government policy and suggestions of leadership considerations for practice.Findings– Moving towards a mutual health system will require new ways of thinking about health care and existing leadership practices in NHS Scotland. The leadership implications at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of delivery in NHS Scotland will need to be thought through. At present, it is not clear how this will be done, either from the available health-related literature or from policy. “Mutuality” will require a complex and multi-layered effort to embed it within the culture of the organisation, which will require inspirational leadership and sustained management from the government, the NHS and the wider public to make the change happen.Research limitations/implications– This paper suggests that more leadership research is still required to understand fully – and implement – a mutual health service in Scotland. A theoretical framework and/or empirical reference points have yet to be developed.Practical implications– This paper highlights the practical implications in operationalising government policy.Originality/value– Little – if any – has been written about the leadership implications of a mutual and public health service.
Development of corporate social responsibility projects in Angola
Authors: Luiz Cortes Pedro , Roberto Cordeiro Duarte João , Lopes Gonçalves Dias Sylmara 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to consider the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects by Catoca, a diamond mining company in Angola, along with the effectiveness of these projects, and the benefits to stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach
– The research method used was direct observation and semi-structured interview with executives and administrative employees of the company, and collaborators of CSR projects, during 2010, 2011 and 2012. We also analyse documents about CSR projects developed by Catoca and identify the challenges faced.

Findings
– The management of CSR projects is hampered by the low disclosure of results and the absence of social indicators. This may generate inadequate results compared to investment. The assumption of low stakeholder expectation and the absence of social indicators may lead to neo-philanthropic or preconceived actions that ignore local peculiarities.

Research limitations/implications
– This study is limited to one company, and the lack of social indicators means it is difficult to evaluate the reported results.

Practical implications
– This paper improves understanding of the challenges involved in CSR projects in Africa and may also be useful for companies that develop CSR projects, drawing attention to issues that could compromise the proper use of resources and hamper results.

Social implications
– This study considers Angola, which is using its natural resources to boost economic and social development, establish partnerships with foreign companies and encourage the development of CSR programmes which often end up filling gaps left by the absence of government action.

Originality/value
– This study contributes to the largely under-researched area of CSR projects in Angola.
Environmental information usefulness to stakeholders: empirical evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Mohd Said Ridzwana , Sulaiman Maliah , Nazli Nik Ahmad Nik 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The present study aims to examine the effect of environmental information on fund managers’ investment and bank officers’ lending decisions. Specifically, it looks at the effect of qualitative and quantitative forms of environmental information to their decisions.

Design/methodology/approach
– Drawing from the normative pressure of institutional theory, the study seeks to identify the extent to which education and professional networks influence investment and lending decisions of fund managers and bank officers. A laboratory experiment was used to collect the data. Twenty-three subjects volunteered in each experimental group, totalling 69 responses from fund managers and bank officers. The subjects were Master of Administration (MBA) students in universities located in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to proxy for real practitioners.

Findings
– The results reveal that fund managers and bank officers do not incorporate environmental information in their investment and lending decisions. Thus, the normative pressure of institutional theory is supported.

Research limitations/implications
– Acknowledging the limitations of data generalisability using student surrogates, future research utilising real practitioners is proposed.

Practical implications
– Recognising the importance of environmental information to be incorporated in investment and lending decisions of these major stakeholders, the results suggest universities, professional bodies and companies need to raise awareness concerning the importance and relevance of environmental information in various decisions.

Originality/value
– The study offers some preliminary insights into the use of environmental information by fund managers and bank officers in Malaysia.