bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The quality of life as attribute of sustainability
Authors: Lepage Alain 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe quality of life (QoL) index is a well‐known measurement schedule to compare citizens' life facilities across countries of the world. Based on rational and factual parameters such as gross national product and gender equity, it has to be reinforced with psychological aspects like those observed in customer satisfaction and total quality management. This paper aims to document a QoL study on health area that focused on validating its theoretical role as an attribute of sustainability, itself one of the two Makovian reverse processes in the political system.Design/methodology/approachThe different attributes of the QoL were studied from the research literature, elaborating a structure of these elements. For a second approach, citizens were interviewed about their QoL perception, with the “voice of the customer” method, as was done in quality practice from companies to catch customer needs and expectations.FindingsThe application shows confusions between QoL, wellbeing, health, happiness and liberty, inducing the research to analyse its effects in the sustainability and the policy definitions. This paper presents the place of sustainability and safety in political systems with a Markov model description.Practical implicationsThe impact of QoL's variability perception in the instability of political systems incites politicians to better understand sustainability and safety processes functioning, in order to improve the political system, and avoid spending time on designing short term answers to citizens' dissatisfaction with a lack of mastery.Originality/valueLearning from technology and industry history allows us to understand that growing complexity in these systems and conduces to abandon linear models and adopt cross reverse differential ones such as Markov. By analogy with human beings, in the paper the aggregation method and Markov model describe QoL's place in sustainability and political systems.
Lean‐kaizen public service: an empirical approach in Spanish local governments
Authors: Suarez Barraza Manuel F. , Smith Tricia , Mi Dahlgaard‐Park Su 
Published: January 2010

PurposeRecently, the operations management academic literature has seen articles focusing on the transfer of “lean” thinking or kaizen concept from the private to the public sector. In Spain, during the last 15 years, some local councils have also followed similar improvement initiatives sometimes under the umbrella of “global quality programmes” trying to support continuous process and service improvement. The research question for this article is: How is lean‐kaizen applied in local councils in Spain? The aim is to shed light on how lean thinking is applied in order to improve those services provided to the public by local councils by describing empirical studies in specific Spanish contexts.Design/methodology/approachThe case study approach was adopted in this research. The research design conducted was of the longitudinal and retrospective type.FindingsThe results of the empirical evidence show that three techniques related to lean‐kaizen have a direct effect on the processes and management systems in local councils. The three techniques are: 5S, gemba kaizen workshops and process mapping. These techniques improved the processes and quality of public services provided by the councils. These results suggest the first indications of documented lean‐kaizen public service.Originality/valueA review of the academic literature of lean thinking and kaizen concept indicates that the managerial application of the techniques in the public sector are few and far between and have been barely explored at the empirical level. The paper makes a contribution to the deeper understanding of the usefulness of applying lean‐kaizen in local government in order to improve the processes and services provided to the public – the emergence of lean‐kaizen public service.
Establishment and application of performance measure indicators for universities
Authors: Chen Shun‐Hsing , Wang Hui‐Hua , Yang King‐Jang 
Published: January 2010

PurposeTo promote university education quality, performance measure indicators (PMIs) must be established. These indicators ensure the maintenance of university operating standards, encourage individual universities to work on inadequacies, and promote university competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachA literature analysis was conducted and European, American and Taiwanese education evaluation indicators were used to develop the PMIs. Data were collected from the following sources: US‐MBNAQ; US News & World Report; two renowned US education journals; UK University Committee Reports; UK‐CVCP/UGC; three renowned UK education evaluation newspapers, opinions from the Ministry of Education and submissions from scholars in Australia and Taiwan. A total of 13 scholars were invited to participate in the literature review and analysis, which employed Delphi methods.FindingsThese indicators included 18 measurement dimensions, and 78 PMIs were developed. Applying these PMIs resulted in the creation of key performance indicators and a balanced scorecard (BSC) of performance measures. In addition, BSC represented a self‐evaluation performance indicator that universities could use to achieve the objective of performance management.Originality/valueThe PMI by means of their integration into the BSC, allow management by objectives, a method to build the performance of each department and organization.
Professionals freaking out: the case of accreditation in Dutch higher education
Authors: van Kemenade Everard , Hardjono Teun W. 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to define what factors cause willingness and/or resistance among lecturers in universities towards external evaluation systems, especially accreditation.Design/methodology/approachA model has been designed to describe possible factors of willingness and/or resistance towards accreditation based on Ajzen and Metselaar. A literature review has been undertaken on the effects of external evaluation like ISO 9000 as well as accreditation systems such as Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and European Quality Improvement System. A questionnaire has been administered to a group of 63 lecturers from three departments at Fontys University in The Netherlands. The results of this preliminary survey have been presented to 1,500 academics in The Netherlands and Flanders to collect empirical data.FindingsResistance to accreditation can be found in the consequences of accreditation for the work of the lecturer (workload), negative emotions (stress and insecurity); the lack of knowledge and experience (help from specialists is needed); and lack of acceptance (other paradigm).Originality/valueThe paper provides more insight into the difficulties that organizations, especially universities, have to commit their employees to external evaluation. It might be possible to generalize the findings to other professionals in other organizations. Little research in this field has been undertaken so far.
Organizational culture and total quality management practices: a Sri Lankan case
Authors: Kaluarachchi K.A.S.P. 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of organizational culture (OC) on the total quality management (TQM) practices of a Sri Lankan public sector hospital, which practices Japanese 5‐S based TQM and has won several national quality awards.Design/methodology/approachThe data are gathered through direct observations, short‐time interviews, participative observations, in‐depth interviews, and obtaining relevant documentary evidence by the employment of grounded theory. The director, divisional heads, doctors, nursing sisters and nurses, paramedical staff, midwifery staff, clerical staff, and support staff of the hospital are appropriately considered as the informants during the employment of the above data gathering techniques. The data are analyzed qualitatively in line with the research variables.FindingsAs cultural characteristics of the hospital, the study identified low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, low individualism, and low masculinity. The study identified high senior management commitment, high staff commitment, high stakeholder focus, high integration of continuous improvement, high quality culture, high measurement and feedback, and high learning organization characteristics as TQM practices of the hospital. Moreover, the study found that the supportive culture of the hospital has positively impacted on its TQM practices.Research limitations/implicationsTo overcome the limitations of the OC framework adopted in the present study, the paper invites future studies to examine the issue from a broader and new culture perspective.Originality/valueRecently, many organizations in Sri Lanka irrespective of their category and industry have been practicing TQM in order to stay competitive in both domestic and international markets. But empirical studies on the topic are very limited in the Sri Lankan context. This study as a case of a Sri Lankan public sector hospital aims to fill that gap.
Improvements of public library service quality
Authors: Hallberg Anette , Sipos‐Zackrisson Katarina 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the improvement of library service quality in public libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on two complementary studies and includes 58 interviews with managers, librarians and adult educators in Sweden and England. Together, they cover public libraries, study centres and adult education on an arena defined by stakeholders of the local municipality, county library, customer, governmental control systems and regional development council.FindingsSuggested improvements show that the potential for improving service quality of the Swedish library sector is related to the strength of its market orientation and to its ability to change the librarian's role. A change in the librarian role to a service‐oriented and retail‐experienced librarian, is reflected by the ability of the librarian to adapt to the process‐oriented roles of the contact creator, the mentor/coach and the inspirer.Originality/valueThe market orientation of the library services, customer orientation, together with a change to a retail‐experienced librarian role, are actions identified for improving library customer value. The combination of market orientation including new customer groups and a new librarian role contribute to the improvement of library service quality.
Review article: percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in infants and children
Authors: FRÖHLICH T. , RICHTER M. , CARBON R. , BARTH B. , KÖHLER H. 
Published: January 2010

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 31, 788–801SummaryBackground  Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement is widely accepted in children needing long‐term gastrostomy feeding and clinical experience has been accumulated using PEG in children for nearly three decades.Aim  To discuss the current knowledge about clinical application of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in children as well as associated complications and special aspects.Methods  We reviewed literature on PEG, primarily in children, with a focus on complications, gastro‐oesophageal reflux, potential benefits and parental perceptions. In addition to reviewing scientific literature, we considered clinical experience and judgment in developing recommendations for special aspects concerning PEG in children.Results  Since its introduction in 1980, the use of PEG in paediatric patients has become widely accepted. With expanded experience, the number of medical conditions for which PEG is indicated, as well as the use of new techniques has increased. Published reports have helped improve expertise in dealing with associated complications; however, several key issues remain unresolved such as the implications of gastro‐oesophageal reflux associated with PEG placement.Conclusions  Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion for enteral nutrition in children and adolescents is an efficient and safe technique, even in small children, and is associated with a tolerable complication rate.
Aberrant expression of the neuronal transcription factor FOXP2 in neoplastic plasma cells
Authors: Campbell Andrew J. , Lyne Linden , Brown Philip J. , Launchbury Rosalind J. , Bignone Paola , Chi Jianxiang , Roncador Giovanna , Lawrie Charles H. , Gatter Kevin C. , Kusec Rajko , Banham Alison H. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryFOXP2 mutation causes a severe inherited speech and language defect, while the related transcription factors FOXP1, FOXP3 and FOXP4 are implicated in cancer. FOXP2 mRNA and protein expression were characterised in normal human tissues, haematological cell lines and multiple myeloma (MM) patients’ samples. FOXP2 mRNA and protein were absent in mononuclear cells from different anatomical sites, lineages and stages of differentiation. However, FOXP2 mRNA and protein was detected in several lymphoma (8/20) and all MM‐derived cell lines (n = 4). FOXP2 mRNA was expressed in bone marrow samples from 96% of MM patients (24/25), 66·7% of patients with the pre‐neoplastic plasma cell proliferation monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) (6/9), but not in reactive plasma cells. The frequency of FOXP2 protein expression in CD138+ plasma cells was significantly higher in MGUS (P = 0·0005; mean 46·4%) and MM patients (P ≤ 0·0001; mean 57·3%) than in reactive marrows (mean 2·5%). FOXP2 (>10% nuclear positivity) was detectable in 90·2% of MM (55/61) and 90·9% of MGUS (10/11) patients, showing more frequent expression than CD56 and labelling 75% of CD56‐negative MM (9/12). FOXP2 represents the first transcription factor whose expression consistently differentiates normal and abnormal plasma cells and FOXP2 target genes are implicated in MM pathogenesis.
Serum concentration of baseline mast cell tryptase: evidence for a decline during long‐term immunotherapy for Hymenoptera venom allergy
Authors: Dugas‐Breit S. , Przybilla B. , Dugas M. , Arnold A. , Pfundstein G. , Küchenhoff H. , Ruëff F. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryBackground
Baseline serum mast cell tryptase concentration (BTC) is thought to reflect the constitutive mast cell load or activity of an individual patient. Little is known about the individual stability of BTC during long‐term venom immunotherapy (VIT).Objective
To investigate the intra‐individual stability of BTC over time in patients with Hymenoptera venom allergy.Methods
Three hundred and two patients were studied. BTC was measured before and at least twice during VIT. At least 4 weeks lay between BTC measurements and the most recent field sting, in‐hospital sting, or preceding venom injection. Multifactorial mixed linear models were used to analyse BTC changes over time.Results
Median observation time was 4.2 years (range 2–12 years). Before VIT, the median BTC was 6.8 μg/L (range 1.14–177 μg/L). The median coefficient of variation (CV) over time was 15.3% (range 1.9–63.8%). The median CV was significantly smaller in patients presenting with an elevated BTC (>11.4 μg/L) than in patients with a normal BTC (11.4%, range 2.6–39.5%; vs. 17.6%, range 1.9– 63.8%; P<0.001). During VIT and after adjusting for age and gender, we found a slight but significant decrease of BTC over time (2.5% per year, 95% confidence interval 2.0–3.0%, P<0.001).Conclusion
Individual variation of BTC during VIT does not rise when BTC is increased before therapy. VIT is associated with a small, but continuous decrease of BTC over time possibly indicating a dampened mast cell function or a decline in mast cell burden. Cite this as: S. Dugas‐Breit, B. Przybilla, M. Dugas, A. Arnold, G. Pfundstein, H. Küchenhoff and F. Ruëff, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 643–649.
Nasal eosinophilia: an indicator of eosinophilic inflammation in asthma
Authors: Amorim M. M. , Araruna A. , Caetano L. B. , Cruz A. C. , Santoro L. L. , Fernandes A. L. G. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryBackground
It is noteworthy that there is a clear clinical, epidemiological and pathophysiological association between upper and lower airway inflammation in rhinitis and asthma.Objective
The aim of this study was to compare the eosinophil counts in induced sputum and nasal lavage fluids in asthma, checking their association and the accuracy of nasal eosinophilia as a predictor of sputum eosinophilia by a cross‐sectional study.Methods
The clinical evaluation, asthma control questionnaire (ACQ), pre‐ and post‐bronchodilator spirometry, nasal and sputum sample was performed. The nasal eosinophilia was analysed by a receiver operating curve and logistic regression model.Results
In 140 adults, the post‐bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) did not differ between patients with or without sputum eosinophilia (0.18). After adjusted for upper airway symptoms, age, ACQ score and post‐bronchodilator FEV1, sputum eosinophilia was associated with 52 times increase in odds of nasal eosinophilia, whereas each 1% increase in bronchodilator response was associated with 7% increase in odds of nasal eosinophilia.Conclusion
This study brings further evidence that upper airway diseases are an important component of the asthma syndrome. Furthermore, monitoring of nasal eosinophilia by quantitative cytology may be useful as a surrogate of sputum cytology in as a component of composite measurement for determining airway inflammation.
Generalized anisotropy parameters and approximations of attenuations and velocities in viscoelastic media of arbitrary anisotropy type – theoretical and experimental aspects*
Authors: Rasolofosaon Patrick N.J. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTSeismic anisotropy in geological media is now widely accepted. Parametrizations and explicit approximations for the velocities in such media, considered as purely elastic and moderately anisotropic, are now standards and have even been extended to arbitrary types of anisotropy. In the case of attenuating media, some authors have also recently published different parametrizations and velocity and attenuation approximations in viscoelastic anisotropic media of particular symmetry type (e.g., transversely isotropic or orthorhombic). This paper extends such work to media of arbitrary anisotropy type, that is to say to triclinic media. In the case of homogeneous waves and using the so‐called ‘correspondence principle’, it is shown that the viscoelastic equations (for the phase velocities, phase slownesses, moduli, wavenumbers, etc.) are formally identical to the corresponding purely elastic equations available in the literature provided that all the corresponding quantities are complex (except the unit vector in the propagation direction that remains real). In contrast to previous work, the new parametrization uses complex anisotropy parameters and constitutes a simple extension to viscoelastic media of previous work dealing with non‐attenuating elastic media of arbitrary anisotropy type. We make the link between these new complex anisotropy parameters and measurable parameters, as well as with previously published anisotropy parameters, demonstrating the usefulness of the new parametrization. We compute the explicit complete directional dependence of the exact and of the approximate (first and higher‐order perturbation) complex phase velocities of the three body waves (qP, qS1 and qS2). The exact equations are successfully compared with the ultrasonic phase velocities and phase attenuations of the three body waves measured in a strongly attenuating water‐saturated sample of Vosges sandstone exhibiting moderate velocity anisotropy but very strong attenuation anisotropy. The approximate formulas are checked on experimental data. Compared to the exact solutions, the errors observed on the first‐order approximate velocities are small (<1%) for qP‐waves and moderate (<10%) for qS‐waves. The corresponding errors on the quality factorQare moderate (<6%) for qP‐waves but critically large (up to 160%) for the qS‐waves. The use of higher‐order approximations substantially improves the accuracy, for instance typical maximum relative errors do not exceed 0.06% on all the velocities and 0.6% on all the quality factorsQ, for third‐order approximations. All the results obtained on other rock samples confirm the results obtained on this rock. The simplicity of the derivations and the generality of the results are striking and particularly convenient for practical applications.
Investigating temporal changes in hybridization and introgression in a predominantly bimodal hybridizing population of invasive sika (Cervus nippon) and native red deer (C. elaphus) on the Kintyre Peninsula, Scotland
Authors: SENN H. V. , BARTON N. H. , GOODMAN S. J. , SWANSON G. M. , ABERNETHY K. A. , PEMBERTON J. M. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractWe investigated temporal changes in hybridization and introgression between native red deer (Cervus elaphus) and invasive Japanese sika (Cervus nippon) on the Kintyre Peninsula, Scotland, over 15 years, through analysis of 1513 samples of deer at 20 microsatellite loci and a mtDNA marker. We found no evidence that either the proportion of recent hybrids, or the levels of introgression had changed over the study period. Nevertheless, in one population where the two species have been in contact since ∼1970, 44% of individuals sampled during the study were hybrids. This suggests that hybridization between these species can proceed fairly rapidly. By analysing the number of alleles that have introgressed from polymorphic red deer into the genetically homogenous sika population, we reconstructed the haplotypes of red deer alleles introduced by backcrossing. Five separate hybridization events could account for all the recently hybridized sika‐like individuals found across a large section of the Peninsula. Although we demonstrate that low rates of F1 hybridization can lead to substantial introgression, the progress of hybridization and introgression appears to be unpredictable over the short timescales.
Cutaneous malasseziasis: four case reports of atypical dermatitis and onychomycosis caused by Malassezia
Authors: Zhao Ying , Li Li , Wang Jia‐jun , Kang Ke Fei , Zhang Qiang Qiang 
Published: January 2010

AbstractBackground  This study investigates four special cases associated with Malassezia.Methods  The special clinical manifestations, mycologic examination, and treatment were reviewed intensively.Results  An abundance of Malassezia hyphae were found in the scales of the three cases presenting with erythematous patches and in another case presenting with dystrophic nails. Malassezia globosa was identified and confirmed by culture. Antifungal agents were effective in the treatment of all cases.Conclusions  Malassezia is an opportunistic fungus that may induce dermatosis other than classical pityriasis versicolor. Hyphae from the lesions may be induced by a change in the microenvironment of the fungus caused by the local application of corticosteroids.