bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A balanced view of long work hours
Authors: Haines Victor Y. , Marchand Alain , Genin Emilie , Rousseau Vincent 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the theoretical ordering of the associations between work hours, psychological demands, decision latitude, and psychological distress.Design/methodology/approachA mediation model, predicting that the association between long work hours and psychological distress is mediated by psychological demands and decision latitude, was tested with a representative sample of 7,802 individuals in full‐time paid employment surveyed by a government agency. Structural equation modeling was used and the full mediation model was replicated for subsamples of men and women. The analysis controlled for demographic variables, work characteristics and socioeconomic status.FindingsAs expected, decision latitude is associated with less and psychological demands with more psychological distress. Long work hours are associated with more decision latitude and psychological demands. The association between long work hours and psychological distress is mediated by psychological demands and decision latitude. The mediation process was supported in male and female sub‐samples.Research limitations/implicationsConsidering the weak associations between work hours and psychological strain reported in previous research, the findings of this study support new theorizing about this association. Accordingly, long work hours may be viewed as a distal variable influencing the duration of exposure to psychological demands. The study reported here also underscores the need to further investigate the positive consequences of long work hours within the context of psychological contracts.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies that conceptualize work hours as something other than an occupational risk factor or as a job demand with a direct impact on psychological strain. It thus provides a new basis for thinking about the process through which long work hours may influence psychological strain.
Environmental determinants of obesity‐associated morbidity risks for truckers
Authors: Apostolopoulos Yorghos , Sönmez Sevil , Shattell Mona , Belzer Michael H. 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the transportation environment triggers, exacerbates and sustains truckers’ risks for obesity and associated morbidities.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive literature review of PubMed Central and TRANSPORT databases was conducted on truckers’ obesity risks and 120 journal articles were identified for closer evaluation. From these, populations, exposures, and relevant outcomes were evaluated within the framework of the broad transportation environment.FindingsConnections between the transportation environment and truckers’ risks for obesity‐associated comorbidities were delineated, and an original conceptual framework was developed to illustrate links between the two. This framework addresses links not only between the transportation environment and trucker obesity risks but also with other health strains – applicable to other transport occupational segments. Moreover, it provides direction for preliminary environmental‐scale interventions to curb trucker obesity. The utilization of this framework further underscores the need for: an appraisal of the health parameters of trucking worksites; assessment of truckers’ obesity‐risk trajectories, and examination of potential causality between the transportation environment, inactivity and diet‐related morbidities; and the development, implementation and evaluation of interventions to mitigate trucker obesity. While there is a geographic emphasis on North America, data and assertions of this paper are applicable to trucking sectors of many industrialized nations.Originality/valueThe paper brings to light the influences of the transportation environment on trucker obesity‐associated morbidity risks.
The role of Islamic work ethics in developing organizational citizenship behavior at the Jordanian Press Foundations
Authors: M.K. Alhyasat Khaled 
Published: June 2012

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of Islamic work ethics on the organizational citizenship behavior in Jordanian press organizations, and single out the most significant element of Islamic work ethics.

Design/methodology/approach
– The present study adopted the descriptive analytical approach based on field survey. The population of the study consists of seven daily newspapers in Jordan in 2010. A stratified random sample of the top management and executive management was taken, proportionate to the size of each organization. In total, 66 questionnaires were distributed to 30 per cent of the 218 targeted managers, and 175 questionnaires were distributed to 15 per cent of the employees, who totaled 1,163. In total, 204 questionnaires were collected. Frequencies and percentages were used to identify the characteristics of the community, while means and standard deviations were used to answer the questions, along with the multiple regression and the single-factor analysis of variance.

Findings
– The study found that the level of commitment on the part of workers in Jordanian press foundations to Islamic work ethics was high. In addition, there was a statistically significant effect of abidance by Islamic work ethics (kindness and forgiveness in dealing with employees and clients, obedience to the people in power and respecting job ethics in organizational citizenship behavior among employees in these organizations. Meanwhile, there was no statistically significant effect of abidance by the Islamic work ethics (proficiency, giving advice to Muslims, sense of responsibility, justice and fairness, integrity and teamwork) in organizational citizenship behavior.

Practical implications
– The paper involves a set of components of organizational citizenship behavior derived from Islamic work ethics. These ethics can be integrated into the human resources systems in media organizations, and other types of entities. These ethics can be incorporated into any code of conduct, stating the behaviors expected from every employee.

Originality/value
– The researcher conducted a comparative study based on related literature. Obviously, previous studies addressed work ethics generally, but they did not address the specific components of ethics which this study did). It is also worth indicating that all previous studies were conducted in foreign contexts, whereas this study has been conducted in an Arab context. Additionally, there are studies on organizational citizenship behavior, but this one linked between Islamic work ethics and organizational citizenship behavior.
Network organisation in supporting post‐disaster management in Indonesia
Authors: Kusumasari Bevaola 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the support network organisations between local government, non‐government organisations (NGOs) and community groups in post‐disaster management.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of an exploratory case study which concentrates on the Bantul district, Indonesia. The Bantul local government, located in Yogyakarta Provincial Indonesia, was selected as a case study because it had experience in managing post‐disaster conditions after the 2006 earthquake. Data were gathered through in‐depth interviews with 40 key informants with knowledge about the case.FindingsThe research revealed that this local government has made significant achievements in managing network organisations for logistic and humanitarian aid implementation. Inter‐organisational networks, citizen‐to‐organisation networks and organisation‐to‐citizen networks have become prominent resources for local government in managing a disaster because they address the lack of local government capability through negotiated efforts or partnership with other government levels, social institutions, non‐profit sector organisations and the community, in order to mobilize and utilize available capacity effectively.Originality/valueThis paper presents lessons learnt from local government in organising the support network for logistic and humanitarian aid to respond to disasters.
Intestinal microbiota and secretory immunoglobulin A in feces of exclusively breast‐fed infants with blood‐streaked stools
Authors: Kumagai Hideki , Maisawa Shun‐ichi , Tanaka Mamoru , Takahashi Motomichi , Takasago Yuhei , Nishijima Asaka , Watanabe Shuhka 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTEpisodes of blood‐streaked stools are not uncommon in exclusively breast‐fed infants under 6 months of age. Such bleeding is thought to be associated with food protein‐induced proctocolitis, however the pathomechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate intestinal microbiota and secretory immunoglobulin A in the feces of exclusively breast‐fed infants with blood‐streaked stools. Fecal specimens from 15 full‐term infants with blood‐streaked stools and 15 breast‐fed healthy infants were studied and the results compared. All infants had been delivered vaginally and exclusively breast‐fed. The fecal microbiota were investigated by phylogenetic analysis combined with culture methods for some bacterial species, and feces were assessed for the presence of fecal secretory immunoglobulin A by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Phylogenetic cluster analysis revealed four major clusters of fecal bacteria, cluster A being found only in healthy infants. TheBacteroides fragilisgroup was observed more frequently in controls than in patients (P < 0.05). In the controls, the predominant species belonging to theEnterobacteriaceaegroup wasEscherichia coli, whereas in the patients it wasKlebsiella(P < 0.05). Concentrations of secretory immunoglobulin A were high in one third of the healthy controls. In conclusion, the pathomechanism of rectal bleeding in exclusively breast‐fed infants may be related to differences in the composition of their intestinal flora.
Plasma leukocyte cell‐derived chemotaxin 2 is associated with the severity of systemic inflammation in patients with sepsis
Authors: Ando Kazuyoshi , Kato Hidehito , Kotani Toru , Ozaki Makoto , Arimura Yutaka , Yagi Junji 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTThe aim of the present study was to determine the correlations between leukocyte cell‐derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) and inflammation‐related variables in human inflammatory disease. Plasma samples from 23 septic patients who had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of our institution and 31 volunteers were used. Plasma LECT2 concentrations were examined retrospectively and compared with those of various inflammatory cytokines and routine laboratory data. The LECT2 concentrations of the septic patients at the time of ICU entry (5.3 ± 4.1 ng/mL) were significantly lower than those of the volunteers (19.7 ± 3.4 ng/mL) and these concentrations had significantly increased by the time of ICU discharge. Individual analyses showed that the LECT2 concentrations of all 19 patients had increased by the time of ICU discharge. A combination of LECT2 and C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentrations was capable of discriminating the acute and recovery phases of sepsis to a degree similar to those of the combinations of CRP concentration and percentage of neutrophils, CRP concentration and percentage of immature white blood cells, or CRP and interleukin‐6 concentrations. Thus, the LECT2 concentration correlates with the severity of systemic inflammation in patients with sepsis. LECT2 may be a reliable diagnostic indicator of human inflammatory diseases.
Sequence of alcohol involvement from early onset to young adult alcohol abuse: differential predictors and moderation by family‐focused preventive intervention
Authors: Mason W. Alex , Spoth Richard L. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAimsThis study tests risk factors for four dimensions of alcohol use in the sequence from (i) early onset prior to age 13 to (ii) adolescent alcohol use and (iii) alcohol problems to (iv) young adult alcohol abuse. It also examines whether family‐focused preventive interventions buffer predictive relationships.DesignData were from a randomized prevention trial extending from ages 11 to 21 years.SettingFamilies of sixth graders enrolled in 33 rural schools in the Midwestern United States were invited to participate.ParticipantsFamilies (n = 667) were pretested and assigned randomly to a control group (n = 208) or to family interventions (n = 459). The average age of participating youth was 11.3 years when the study began (52% female).MeasurementsQuestionnaire data were collected on alcohol dimensions during adolescence (early onset, alcohol use, alcohol problems) and young adulthood (alcohol abuse), and on risk factors in early adolescence (male gender, impulsive behaviors, aggression–hostility, peer deviance and parent problem drinking).FindingsImpulsive behaviors predicted early onset, peer deviance predicted alcohol use and parent problem drinking predicted alcohol problems (P < 0.05). Aggression–hostility and alcohol problems predicted alcohol abuse in the control group (P < 0.05), but not in the family interventions group (P > 0.05).ConclusionsDifferent dimensions of alcohol use and problems from before age 13 to young adulthood are predicted by different risk factors. Family‐focused preventive interventions can reduce the influence of some of these risk factors, including early adolescent aggression–hostility and late adolescent alcohol problems.
Perinatal factors and respiratory health in children
Authors: Brew B. K. , Marks G. B. ,   the CAPS (Childhood Asthma Prevention Study) Investigators
Published: June 2012

SummaryBackgroundThere is conflicting evidence regarding the associations between anthropometric birth measures and asthma and lung function in children, particularly for apparently healthy infants born at term.ObjectiveOur objective was to elucidate these relationships paying particular attention to features of study design and analysis that may threaten the validity of previous studies in this field.MethodsWe analysed data from a cohort of children with a family history of asthma who were recruited antenatally. Anthropometric birth measures and potential confounders were recorded at birth and within the first year of life. Lung function and asthma outcomes were measured at 8 years of age. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was measured by methacholine challenge. The potential for a reversal paradox, due to inclusion of covariates on the causal pathway, was investigated.ResultsFour hundred and fifty (73% of the initial cohort) children were tested at age 8 years. Birth weight in the lowest tertile was associated with current asthma (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.08, 3.54) and recent wheeze (OR 1.87, 95%CI 1.08, 3.24), but not with AHR (OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.68, 2.78). Birth weight was positively associated with lung function. Current height modified the relationship between birth length and lung function suggesting that post‐natal growth has an effect on this relationship.ConclusionsLow birth weight is associated with a greater risk of current asthma and lower lung function at 8 years in children with a family history of asthma. Current height should be treated as an effect modifier when investigating the fetal origins hypothesis.
Asymmetric relationship between grasses and forbs: results from a field experiment under nutrient limitation
Authors: Šmilauer P. , Šmilauerová M. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWe compared the role of grasses and forbs in managed grassland under nutrient‐poor conditions via the experimental removal of one of these two species groups and an evaluation of the removal effects over a 5‐year chronosequence (beginning 4 years after removal start), focusing on above‐ground biomass and community composition. There was evidence for the complementarity of grasses and forbs, as shown by better relative performance of both groups in the mixture, measured as the proportional deviation of their above‐ground biomass from that predicted using single‐group plots. Relative performance of forbs was better than that of grasses and did not change significantly throughout the experiment. Relative performance of grasses decreased, reaching a minimum value of 0·03, but then increased to 0·71, in parallel with increasing legume proportion in the above‐ground biomass (from 0·9 to 5·1%). The botanical composition of the grass group did not respond to forb removal. Among the forbs, subordinate species sensitive to light competition became more abundant after removal of grasses; the forb species richness increased on average by 1·6 species per plot. Our results show that the composition and diversity of the forb group is affected by the presence of grasses, and the presence of forbs in a grassland community assures higher temporal stability in above‐ground production. Under increasing depletion of soil nutrients, the grasses derive substantial benefits from the presence of legume species and possibly also from the other forb species. The study supports the need for realistic, long‐term experiments to better understand plant community dynamics.
The aerobic stability of silage: key findings and recent developments
Authors: Wilkinson J. M. , Davies D. R. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWhen silage is exposed to air on opening the silo, or after its removal from the silo, fermentation acids and other substrates are oxidized by aerobic bacteria, yeasts and moulds. The aerobic stability of silage is a key factor in ensuring that silage provides well‐preserved nutrients to the animal with minimal amounts of mould spores and toxins. In this paper, key findings and recent developments are reviewed, and findings of recent research are integrated in terms of four themes: (i) the most significant biochemical and microbiological factors, (ii) physical and management factors, (iii) type of additive and (iv) silo sealing. The development of yeasts and moulds during plant growth, and during field wilting or storage, and the concentration of undissociated acetic acid in silage are important microbiological and biochemical factors affecting aerobic stability. Silage density and porosity are key physical factors that affect the rate of ingress of oxygen into the silage mass during the feed‐out period. A target for potential silage aerobic stability is 7 d including time in the feed trough. To achieve this target, speed of harvest should be coordinated with packing tractor weight to achieve a minimum silage density by the time of feed‐out of 210 kg DM m−3, maximum proportional porosity of 0·4 and a rate of silage removal, which matches or exceeds the depth of air penetration into the silo. The use of additives to increase aerobic stability is advisable when there is the risk of these objectives not being met. Novel microbial approaches to solving the problem of silage aerobic deterioration are needed.
Cape buffalo mitogenomics reveals a Holocene shift in the African human–megafauna dynamics
Authors: HELLER RASMUS , BRÜNICHE‐OLSEN ANNA , SIEGISMUND HANS R. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAfrica is unique among the continents in having maintained an extraordinarily diverse and prolific megafauna spanning the Pleistocene–Holocene epochs. Little is known about the historical dynamics of this community and even less about the reasons for its unique persistence to modern times. We sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes from 43 Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) to infer the demographic history of this large mammal. A combination of Bayesian skyline plots, simulations and Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) were used to distinguish population size dynamics from the confounding effect of population structure and identify the most probable demographic scenario. Our analyses revealed a late Pleistocene expansion phase concurrent with the human expansion between 80 000 and 10 000 years ago, refuting an adverse ecological effect of Palaeolithic humans on this quarry species, but also showed that the buffalo subsequently declined during the Holocene. The distinct two‐phased dynamic inferred here suggests that a major ecological transition occurred in the Holocene. The timing of this transition coincides with the onset of drier conditions throughout tropical Africa following the Holocene Optimum (∼9000–5000 years ago), but also with the explosive growth in human population size associated with the transition from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic cultural stage. We evaluate each of these possible causal factors and their potential impact on the African megafauna, providing the first systematic assessment of megafauna dynamics on the only continent where large mammals remain abundant.
Fibrinogen‐binding and platelet‐aggregation activities of a Lactobacillus salivarius septicaemia isolate are mediated by a novel fibrinogen‐binding protein
Authors: Collins James , van Pijkeren Jan‐Peter , Svensson Lisbeth , Claesson Marcus J. , Sturme Mark , Li Yin , Cooney Jakki C. , van Sinderen Douwe , Walker Alan W. , Parkhill Julian , Shannon Oonagh , O'Toole Paul W. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryThe marketplace for probiotic foods is burgeoning, measured in billions of euro per annum. It is imperative, however, that all bacterial strains are fully assessed for human safety. The ability to bind fibrinogen is considered a potential pathogenicity trait that can lead to platelet aggregation, serious medical complications, and in some instances, death. Here we examined strains from species frequently used as probiotics for their ability to bind human fibrinogen. Only one strain (CCUG 47825), a Lactobacillus salivarius isolate from a case of septicaemia, was found to strongly adhere to fibrinogen. Furthermore, this strain was found to aggregate human platelets at a level comparable to the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. By sequencing the genome of CCUG 47825, we were able to identify candidate genes responsible for fibrinogen binding. Complementing the genetic analysis with traditional molecular microbiological techniques enabled the identification of the novel fibrinogen receptor, CCUG_2371. Although only strain CCUG 47825 bound fibrinogen under laboratory conditions, homologues of the novel fibrinogen binding gene CCUG_2371 are widespread among L. salivarius strains, maintaining their potential to bind fibrinogen if expressed. We highlight the fact that without a full genetic analysis of strains for human consumption, potential pathogenicity traits may go undetected.
An integrated stratigraphic record of the Palaeocene–lower Eocene at Gubbio (Italy): new insights into the early Palaeogene hyperthermals and carbon isotope excursions
Authors: Coccioni Rodolfo , Bancalà Giuseppe , Catanzarit Rita , Fornaciari Eliana , Frontalini Fabrizio , Giusberti Luca , Jovane Luigi , Luciani Valeria , Savian Jairo , Sprovieri Mario 
Published: June 2012

Terra Nova, 24, 380–386, 2012AbstractA high‐resolution, integrated stratigraphic framework (stable isotope stratigraphy, standard calcareous nannofossil and foraminiferal biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy) together with geochemical and rock magnetic properties’ analyses of a complete and well‐preserved succession at Contessa Valley (Gubbio, central Italy) have offered an excellent opportunity to identify and constrain the Palaeocene to early Eocene hyperthermals and carbon isotope excursions (CIEs). In addition, we provide the first evidence in the Tethys Ocean of CIEs, previously identified in the Pacific, Atlantic and Southern Oceans, highlighting their global significance and of some unknown CIEs. Their characteristics are compared with those reported for deep‐sea cores and other land‐based sections to test whether the signature associated with CIEs documented in our composite section might give evidence for tracing them over wider areas. The Contessa composite section thus represents a reference succession also for insight into the magnetobiochronostratigraphy and the magnitude of early Palaeogene hyperthermals and CIEs.