bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigation of customer satisfaction in student food service
Authors: Liang Xi , Zhang Shuai 
Published: March 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between service quality, price fairness and customer satisfaction in student food service.Design/methodology/approachTo construct a satisfaction model with these two antecedents and conduct a questionnaire survey among the student customers of SiB's cafeteria within NHH premises.FindingsThe survey results shows that quality factors such as food quality, variety, convenience and price fairness have a significant impact on students' satisfaction with the cafeteria, while the impacts from interaction and environment factors are not significant.Research limitations/implicationsMore interesting findings would be shown if including the interaction of service quality and price fairness.Practical implicationsManagement in student food service can utilize the result to improve students' satisfaction efficiently.Originality/valueA new survey on students' satisfaction based both on service quality and price fairness, implication for an increasingly important student food service industry.
Same reform – different practices?
Authors: Nyland Kari , Johanne Pettersen Inger , Östergren Katarina 
Published: March 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the dilemma that exists between the aims of public sector reforms and the ways organisations adjust to the management control reforms.Design/methodology/approachTo study the research purpose, empirical data were collected from Norwegian Regional Hospital Enterprises. The aim was to describe how these institutions have chosen to implement formal and informal mechanisms of control for coordination and management of hospitals.FindingsThe results indicated a comprehensive map of the different formal and informal adjustments to radical institutional reform changes. The reform strategies were met with a mixture of intended adjustments, partly realised ambitions and ignorance in the organisations, and the change towards accrual accounting system was found to have reversed effects compared with the original ambitions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was based on a small sample of organisations and interviews. The dimensions were somewhat crude, and the findings can be generalised reliably only to the population studied here. More research is needed for further explorations of these findings. The study reveals as similar with prior macro level institutional research a complex view on the implications of government initiatives as only one of many potentially powerful actors in such regulatory processes.Practical implicationsThis work adds to leaders' understanding of how intended governmental strategies follow diverse paths of implementation.Originality/valueThese results provide useful support of prior findings as to the deeper understanding of why organisations that are exposed to the same reform initiatives, turn out to behave differently.
An investigation of stakeholder prioritization and engagement: who or what really counts
Authors: Boesso Giacomo , Kumar Kamalesh 
Published: March 2009

PurposeFollowing the line of thinking that a firm is a nexus of contracts between stakeholders, with managers as “the central node,” the purpose of this paper is to examine how managers prioritize stakeholder relationships and to what extent firms engage in disclosures with the stakeholder groups they deem to be important.Design/methodology/approachData were simultaneously collected from two different national business contexts, Italy and the USA. The sample for this study consisted of 244 managers.FindingsResults of the study show that the power and legitimacy that managers associate with a stakeholder group cumulatively are the most important determinant of how managers go about prioritizing competing claims. The results also provide some evidence to the effect that the greater the priority accorded to a stakeholder group, the greater the efforts aimed at engaging the stakeholder groups (as evidenced by the voluntary disclosures made in the annual report).Research limitations/implicationsUse of self‐report measures, although widely used in behavioral and strategy research, may raise some concerns about the findings. Also, examining annual report's voluntary disclosures as the single source of assessing the stakeholder engagement efforts creates a potential limitation on the findings of the study.Practical implicationsThe stakeholder salience framework as examined in this study offers some practical insights into the understanding of which stakeholders do really matter and why. Furthermore, in attempting to relate stakeholder salience accorded to engagement/disclosure efforts, this study shows some potential limitations that managers may face because of prevalent social values and the need to maintain organizational legitimacy.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper lies in testing and extending an inferential theory of stakeholder management. The research highlights the unique role that managers play in managing firm‐stakeholder relationships.
Management accounting information in micro enterprises in Gaza
Authors: Alattar Jalal M. , Kouhy Reza , Innes John 
Published: March 2009

PurposeRelatively little research exists about the information used by owner/managers (O/Ms) in micro enterprises (less than 10 employees). The purpose of this paper is to explore the management accounting information (MAI) generated and used by O/Ms for planning, decision making and control in micro manufacturing enterprises in the Gaza Strip (GS).Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory approach is used with case studies being the main research method.FindingsThree main themes emerged during the five case studies. Firstly, how is the generation and use of MAI related to the O/M, enterprise and environmental features? Secondly, what is the impact of formal or informal procedures on the generation and use of MAI? Thirdly, what is the extent of written and oral MAI generated and used? From the five individual case studies 133 findings emerged and then a cross‐case analysis generated 21 overall findings.Research limitations/implicationsThe case studies excluded micro enterprises less than three years old, micro enterprises with more than one O/M and micro enterprises from sectors other than manufacturing.Originality/valueThis project explores what impact various factors (such as political uncertainty, competition and the need for cost reduction) have on the generation and use of MAI in micro enterprises. Several findings are particularly relevant for O/Ms of micro enterprises in developing countries. Previous studies have not identified to what extent written or oral MAI is generated and used for each of the core business aspects of micro manufacturing enterprises.
Financial innovation: Wall Street's false utopia
Authors: Trimbath Susanne 
Published: March 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to connect the dots between subprime mortgage lending and the financial crisis of 2008.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive analysis of structured securities.FindingsThe innovation of structured securities was incorrectly implemented in the case of mortgage‐related securities.Research limitations/implicationsThere is no centralized source for data connecting mortgages with securities, thereby making a rigorous, statistical analysis impossible.Practical implicationsThe US Congress authorized $700 billion to purchase “troubled assets,” defined as “residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages … ” This paper exploits the difference between mortgages and those securities.Originality/valueThe paper extends knowledge on the topic of mortgage related securities.
The tolerance and efficacy of a postponed retreatment with infliximab in Crohn’s disease primary responders
Authors: LAHARIE D. , CHANTELOUP E. , CHABRUN E. , SUBTIL C. , KOWO M. , EL HANAFI K. , DE LÉDINGHEN V. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryBackground  In Crohn’s disease (CD) patients naïve to immunomodulators primary responding to infliximab (IFX) induction, maintenance with scheduled IFX or with immunomodulators is possible. The benefit of additional IFX infusions after failure of maintenance with immunomodulators is not known.Aim  To assess the efficacy and factors associated with efficacy of postponed IFX retreatment.Methods  All CD primary responders to an IFX induction regimen in maintenance with immunomodulators were retrospectively included when they received at least one additional IFX infusion after week 14. Efficacy was defined as clinical response at week 4 and absence of intolerance leading to discontinuation.Results  Sixty‐one patients were retreated with IFX with a 38‐week median time from induction. Efficacy was achieved in 80% patients. Twelve patients had no clinical benefit: seven acute hypersensitivity reactions and five loss of response. By multivariate analysis, the only factor associated with no efficacy was a median time >50 weeks from induction to retreatment (odds ratio = 7.38; 95%CI: 1.38–39.59; P = 0.02).Conclusion  Postponed retreatment with IFX in CD primary responders should be administered within 50 weeks after induction, for better efficacy and tolerance.
The natural history of surgically treated but radiotherapy‐naïve nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas
Authors: O’Sullivan Eoin P. , Woods Conor , Glynn Nigel , Behan Lucy Ann , Crowley Rachel , O’Kelly Patrick , Smith Diarmuid , Thompson Chris J. , Agha Amar 
Published: March 2009

SummaryBackground and objectives  Transsphenoidal surgery is indicated for patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) causing compressive symptoms. Previous studies attempting to define the rate of recurrence/regrowth of surgically treated but radiation‐naïve NFPAs were somewhat limited by selection bias and/or small numbers and/or lack of consistency of findings between studies. A better understanding of the natural history of this condition could allow stratification of recurrence risk and inform future management. We aimed to define the natural history of a large, mainly unselected cohort with surgically treated, radiotherapy (RT)‐naïve NFPAs and to try to identify predictors of recurrence/regrowth.Design  Case‐note analysis of all patients who underwent surgery for NFPA in our hospital between 1980 and 2006 was undertaken. Median follow‐up was 5·7 (range 1–25) years.Patients  A total of 212 patients were identified of which 159 were suitable for analysis. 93% did not receive post‐operative RT.Measurement  Post‐operative recurrent/regrowth was defined by any increase in tumour remnant size on serial post‐operative pituitary imaging.Results  Recurrence/regrowth was documented in 53 patients (33·5%). Multivariate analysis revealed size of the post‐operative tumour remnant and length of follow‐up to be the two major determinants of recurrence/regrowth. The presence of a tumour with an extrasellar remnant was associated with the highest risk of recurrence (odds ratio 3·73 [CI: 1·97–7·09]), while no recurrence was seen in those with no residual tumour post‐operatively and regrowth risk was intermediate for those with remaining intrasellar remnant.Conclusion  These results indicate that patients with post‐operative tumour with an extrasellar remnant should be considered routinely for adjuvant RT to reduce the risk of tumour regrowth while those with no residual tumour can be safely observed. Individualized decisions should be made for patients with an intrasellar remnant.
Amazonian peatlands: an ignored C sink and potential source
Authors: LÄHTEENOJA OUTI , RUOKOLAINEN KALLE , SCHULMAN LEIF , OINONEN MARKKU 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIn tropical lowlands, peatlands are commonly reported from Southeast Asia, and especially Indonesian tropical peatlands are known as considerable C sinks and sources. In contrast, Amazonia has been clearly understudied in this context. In this study, based on field observations from 17 wetland sites in Peruvian lowland Amazonia, we report 0–5.9 m thick peat deposits from 16 sites. Only one of the studied sites did not contain any kind of peat deposit (considering pure peat and clayey peat). Historic yearly peat and C accumulation rates, based on radiocarbon dating of peat samples from five sites, varied from 0.94 ± 0.99 to 4.88 ± 1.65 mm, and from 26 ± 3 to 195 ± 70 g C m−2, respectively. The long‐term apparent peat and C accumulation rates varied from 1.69 ± 0.03 to 2.56 ± 0.12 mm yr−1, and from 39 ± 10 to 85 ± 30 g C m−2 yr−1, respectively. These accumulation rates are comparable to those determined in the Indonesian tropical peatlands. Under altered conditions, Indonesian peatlands can release globally relevant amounts of C to the atmosphere. Considering the estimated total area of Amazonian peatlands (150 000 km2) close to that of the Indonesian ones (200 728 km2) as well as several factors threatening the Amazonian peatlands, we suggest that the total C stocks and fluxes associated with Amazonian peatlands may be of global significance.
Chronic hypothyroidism only marginally affects adult‐type Leydig cell regeneration after EDS administration
Authors: Rijntjes Eddy , van Kesteren‐Buiting Anita , Keijer Jaap , Teerds Katja J. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryChronic prenatally induced dietary hypothyroidism delays adult‐type Leydig cell development, but does not block this process. Using a chemical model to induce hypothyroidism, it was suggested that development of a new population of Leydig cells was completely inhibited following the addition of the cytotoxic compound ethane‐1,2‐dimethyl sulphonate (EDS). In this study, we used a dietary approach to induce hypothyroidism and reinvestigated the regeneration of the Leydig cell population following EDS administration. Eighty‐four day old euthyroid and chronically hypothyroid rats received an injection of EDS and were killed directly before or at regular intervals up to 77 days after EDS. In some control and hypothyroid animals, the first progenitor‐type Leydig cells were observed at day 12 after EDS. At day 16, Leydig cell progenitors were present in all rats. The percentage of proliferating Leydig cells peaked in the euthyroid animals at day 21 after EDS. In the hypothyroid testis such a peak was not observed, although the percentage of proliferating regenerating Leydig cells was significantly higher from days 35 to 56 compared with the controls. This suggested that the wave of Leydig cell proliferation was delayed in the hypothyroid animals as compared with the euthyroid controls. On the day of EDS injection, the Leydig/Sertoli cell ratio was 37% lower in the hypothyroid rats compared with the controls. The Leydig/Sertoli cell ratio remained lower in the EDS‐treated hypothyroid animals compared with the controls at all time points investigated. At day 77 after EDS, the Leydig cell population had returned to its pre‐treatment size in both groups. Plasma testosterone production was reduced to below detectable levels immediately after EDS injection, and started to increase again on day 16, reaching pre‐treatment values on day 21 in both groups. Taken together, severely reduced thyroid hormone levels did not block the regeneration of the adult‐type Leydig cell population following EDS, as has been suggested previously.
Secondary bacterial infection in plasma endotoxin levels and the acute‐phase response of mice infected withTrypanosoma brucei brucei
Authors: NGURE R. , BURKE J. , ECKERSALL P. D. , JENNINGS F. W. , MBAI F. N. , MURRAY M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryMurineTrypanosoma brucei bruceiinfection leads to elevated plasma endotoxin‐like activity levels not related to parasitaemia levels accompanied by the development of acute‐phase response and increased plasma levels of serum amyloid P (SAP) and haptoglobin (Hp). To determine the source of the endotoxin‐like activity and role of secondary bacterial infection in the pathogenesis of trypanosomosis, infected mice were treated with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Plasma endotoxin‐like activity levels, irrespective of treatment, were elevated three‐ to fourfold, beginning 7 days after infection. Plasma protein concentrations increased markedly following infection from 7 days after infection (DAI). Peak Hp and SAP concentrations in ciprofloxacin‐treated and ‐untreated infected mice were attained 7 and 14 DAI, respectively. Thereafter, both protein levels gradually declined until the end of the experiment, but Hp levels for non‐treated mice declined up to 21 DAI and thereafter significantly increased on 28 and 35 DAI. Whole‐trypanosome lysate and the membrane‐enriched fraction demonstrated endotoxin‐like activity, with the former having higher levels. The results suggest that the endotoxin‐like activity in trypanosome fractions and plasma of infected mice is due to the trypanosome. Further elevation of haptoglobin during the late stages of infection in non‐treated mice suggests the involvement of secondary bacterial infection.
Dual functions of Nicotiana benthamiana Rae1 in interphase and mitosis
Authors: Lee Jae‐Yong , Lee Ho‐Seok , Wi Soo‐Jin , Park Ky Young , Schmit Anne‐Catherine , Pai Hyun‐Sook 
Published: March 2009

SummaryRae1 performs multiple functions in animal systems, acting in interphase as an mRNA export factor and during mitosis as a mitotic checkpoint and spindle assembly regulator. In this study we characterized multiple functions of Rae1 in plants. Virus‐induced gene silencing of Nicotiana benthamiana Rae1, NbRae1, which encodes a protein with four WD40 repeats, resulted in growth arrest and abnormal leaf development. NbRae1 was mainly associated with the nuclear envelope during interphase, and NbRae1 deficiency caused accumulation of poly(A) RNA in the nuclei of leaf cells, suggesting defective mRNA export. In the shoot apex, depletion of NbRae1 led to reduced mitotic activities, accompanied by reduced cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) activity and decreased expression of cyclin B1, CDKB1‐1, and histones H3 and H4. The secondary growth of stem vasculature was also inhibited, indicating reduced cambial activities. Differentiated leaf cells of NbRae1‐silenced plants exhibited elevated ploidy levels. Immunolabeling in BY‐2 cells showed that NbRae1 protein localized to mitotic microtubules and the cell plate‐forming zone during mitosis, and recombinant NbRae1 directly bound to microtubules in vitro. Inhibition of NbRae1 expression in BY‐2 cells using a β‐estradiol‐inducible RNAi system resulted in severe defects in spindle organization and chromosome alignment and segregation, which correlated with delays in cell cycle progression. Together, these results suggest that NbRae1 plays a dual role in mRNA export in interphase and in spindle assembly in mitosis.
Mutation of the rice gene PAIR3 results in lack of bivalent formation in meiosis
Authors: Yuan Wenya , Li Xingwang , Chang Yuxiao , Wen Ruoyu , Chen Guoxing , Zhang Qifa , Wu Changyin 
Published: March 2009

SummaryMeiosis is essential for eukaryotic sexual reproduction and important for genetic diversity among individuals. Although a number of genes regulating homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis have been identified in the plant kingdom, their molecular basis remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified a novel gene, PAIR3 (HOMOLOGOUS PAIRING ABERRATION IN RICE MEIOSIS 3), required for homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis in rice. Two independent alleles, designated pair3‐1 and pair3‐2, were identified in our T‐DNA insertional mutant library which could not form bivalents due to failure of homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis at diakinesis, resulting in sterility in both male and female gametes. Suppression of PAIR3 by RNAi produced similar results to the T‐DNA insertion lines. PAIR3 encodes a protein that contains putative coiled‐coil motifs, but does not have any close homologs in other organisms. PAIR3 is preferentially expressed in reproductive organs, especially in pollen mother cells and the ovule tissues during meiosis. Our results suggest that PAIR3 plays a crucial role in homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis in meiosis.
Effect of gelling agent on colony formation in solid cultivation of microbial community in lake sediment
Authors: Tamaki Hideyuki , Hanada Satoshi , Sekiguchi Yuji , Tanaka Yasuhiro , Kamagata Yoichi 
Published: March 2009

SummarySince Robert Koch and colleagues found agar to be an effective gelling agent over a century ago, the pure culture method using agar plates has long been a standard of microbiology. Agar is undoubtedly easy to handle and useful for culture of microorganisms, but recent discovery of the ubiquity of microorganisms that cannot be cultured on agar raises a question: is agar really the best agent? In this study, we investigated the effect of two gelling agents, agar and gellan gum, on colony formation of a diverse array of microorganisms (total 108 strains) newly isolated from freshwater sediments and a representative microorganism as a slow grower on agar medium, Gemmatimonas aurantiaca, to clarify (i) whether they can grow on both agar and gellan gum plates, and (ii) the difference in time required for colony formation between the two gelling agents. Interestingly, 22 of 108 isolates showed no ability to form any visible colonies on the agar medium but did so on the gellan gum medium, and showed low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to their closest species. The remaining 86 isolates grew on both agar and gellan gum, but 52 of them grew much faster on gellan gum than on agar. Moreover, gellan gum also significantly stimulated the colony formation of the representative slow‐growing microorganism G. aurantiaca. Our results demonstrate that the gelling agent is a crucial factor for the growth of bacteria on plate media, and that alternatives to agar will be very important for increasing the culturability of yet‐to‐be cultured microorganisms.
Investigation of quality of life and family burden issues during insulin pump therapy in children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus—a large‐scale multicentre pilot study1
Authors: Müller‐Godeffroy E. , Treichel S. , Wagner V. M. ,   on behalf of the German Working Group for Paediatric Pump Therapy
Published: March 2009

AbstractAims  To investigate psychosocial aspects of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy in children with Type 1 diabetes and to identify relevant and sensitive measures.Methods  We performed a multi‐centre prospective pre‐/post‐study with children (53 girls, 64 boys, age 10.5 ± 3.7 years, mean ± sd) with Type 1 diabetes and their main carer from 18 German diabetic centres. Twenty‐five children aged 8–11 years and 63 adolescents aged 12–16 years and their parents, plus 29 parents of children aged 4–7 years completed standardized questionnaires on generic and diabetes‐specific quality of life (QOL), generic parenting stress, mealtime behaviour, fear of hypoglycaemia and family conflict immediately before and 6 months after transition to CSII.Results  After transition to CSII, diabetes‐specific QOL of children increased significantly (P < 0.001) in all age groups, with moderate to large effect sizes (children aged 4–7 years: Cohen’s effect sized = 1.3; 8–11 years: d = 0.9, adolescents 12–16 years: d = 0.6). Parents reported reduced frequency (P < 0.01, d = 0.4–0.7) and difficulty (P < 0.01, d = 0.3–0.6) of overall parenting stress and decreased worries about hypoglycaemia (P < 0.01, d = 0.4–0.6). Parents of younger children (4–7 years) reported reduced problems with nutrition management (frequency: P < 0.001, d = 1.1; difficulty: P < 0.05, d = 0.7).Conclusions  CSII may have substantial psychosocial benefits. Controlled studies are needed.