bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Performance patterns in face‐to‐face and computer‐supported teams
Authors: Pazos Pilar , Beruvides Mario G. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThis paper presents a longitudinal experimental study on teams with the purpose of investigating the impact of communication media on decision‐making teams. The authors aims to achieve that by comparing face‐to‐face (FTF) and computer‐supported (CS) teams over a series of three sessions on three response variables: performance, cohesiveness, and synergy.Design/methodology/approachA total of 24 teams, each of five students, participated in three separate decision‐making sessions in which they solved a survival simulation scenario. Each team was randomly assigned to either face‐to‐face (FTF) or computer‐supported (CS) communication condition. The analysis compared overall means and mean patterns over time on the three response variables across the two communication media.FindingsResults suggest that there were no differences in overall performance between CS and FTF teams and no differences in performance changes over time between the two media; there were no overall differences in overall synergy or synergy changes over time; and FTF teams reported higher average cohesiveness than CS teams, but cohesiveness improved at a faster rate in CS teams than in FTF teams. Overall these results suggest that the CS communication did not reduce the group's ability to work together. Moreover, the higher increase in cohesiveness reported by CS teams suggests that the ability to build relationships can increase over time.Practical implicationsGiven the prominence of information technologies as a communication mechanism, the question of how team members in remote locations perform over time is of great theoretical and practical importance.Originality/valueThis study provides some preliminary evidence that computer communication does not significantly reduce the group's ability to perform over time for decision‐making tasks. CS teams report lower overall levels of cohesiveness which could indicate that some communication barriers might still limit the group's ability to build relationships.
An efficient curvature‐based partitioning of large‐scale STL models
Authors: Hao Jingbin , Fang Liang , Williams Robert E. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeRapid prototyping (RP) of large‐scale solid models requires the stereolithographic (STL) file to be precisely partitioned. Especially, the selection of cutting positions is critical for the fabrication and assembly of sub‐models. The purpose of this paper is to present an efficient curvature‐based partitioning for selecting the best‐fit loop and decomposing the large complex model into smaller and simpler sub‐models with similar‐shaped joints, which facilitate the final assembly.Design/methodology/approachThe partition algorithm is benefited from curvature analysis of the model surface, including extracting the feature edges and constructing the feature loops. The efficiency enhancement is achieved by selecting the best‐fit loop and constructing the similar‐shape joints. The utility of the algorithm is demonstrated by the fabrication of large‐scale rapid prototypes.FindingsBy using the proposed curvature‐based partition algorithm, the reasonability and efficiency of STL model partition can be greatly improved, and the complexity of sub‐models has been reduced. It is found that the large‐scale model is efficiently partitioned and the sub‐models are precisely assembled using the proposed partitioning.Originality/valueThe curvature‐based partition algorithm is used in the RP field for the first time. Based on the curvature‐based partitioning, the reasonability and efficiency of large‐scale RP is addressed in this paper.
Social and environmental sustainability in the clothing industry: a case study of a fair trade retailer
Authors: Goworek Helen 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the issues currently involved in social and environmental sustainability in the clothing industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a case study approach to investigate a business that operates successfully in this challenging market.FindingsAs a consequence of increasing demand for ethical clothing, it has become standard practice for UK clothing retailers to develop CSR policies which impact upon their methods of garment sourcing and partnerships with suppliers. There is also a significant trend for retailers to offer ethical clothing ranges made from organic cotton or produced by Fair Trade manufacturers. The paper includes a case study on People Tree, which sells Fair Trade clothing sourced from developing countries. People Tree is rare amongst clothing companies in that it provides customers with a transparent view of its production sources via the internet. The company provides an example of how socially responsible and environmentally sustainable global sourcing can be applied in practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses on aspects of sustainability in an individual retailer. This could be extended to other ethical retailers in different countries, and a longitudinal study of such companies could be conducted.Originality/valueLiterature on ethical fashion companies and their use of socially responsible strategies is sparse, and there is a lack of research that covers both social and environmental sustainability in this market. This paper fills some of the gaps.
Building national innovation platform in China: theoretical exploration and empirical study
Authors: Li Jizhen , Deng Quwen , Jull Sorensen Olav 
Published: March 2011

PurposeChina has been putting into effect a program of “national innovation platforms (NIPs)” since 2008. Because it is still at an experimental stage, some key issues remain ambiguous. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a theoretical exploration and empirical study on the NIP program to present the theoretical foundation and draw out implications for its future practice.Design/methodology/approachBased on the literature review of national innovation system (NIS) approach, this paper develops an analytical framework for analyzing the mechanism of NIP. Then an in‐depth case study further validates the framework.FindingsNIP is a practice under the guidance of NIS approach. It effectively accomplishes interaction and cooperation between different actors and encourages flow of innovation resources. Based on NIP of textile industry, managerial and operational implications are drawn out.Research limitations/implicationsInvestigation of this paper is limited to a single industry. The result of the NIP program remains to be seen in the future.Originality/valueThe theoretical study about NIP practice in China is original. The framework derived from NIS theory helps theoretical development in future research and guides future practice.
Hospital doctors' anxieties at work
Authors: Lökman Paula , Gabriel Yiannis , Nicolson Paula 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how maternity doctors deal with anxieties generated through their interactions with patients.Design/methodology/approachThe authors juxtapose two critical stories, collected as part of a large mixed method field study of leadership and patient care in three UK hospitals. The study of “organizational stories” is particularly relevant in health care settings that are liable to unleash strong emotions and fantasies, stories have a great advantage of offering an outlet for unconscious emotions and fantasies. The authors collected stories (n=48) from different stakeholders, and after extensive discussions and analysis, it was decided to focus this article on two stories told by two different doctors. These stories sum up not only the storytellers' own personal experiences but also reveal something more profound and general about the nature of doctors' anxieties and the means used to contain them. By restricting the discussion to two narratives, many variations are left outside our remit; the benefit, however, is that the nuances contained in these stories can be looked at in far greater detail.FindingsThe principal cause of doctors' anxiety in this study was a constant balancing between an objectifying “I‐it” and a communicative “I‐Thou” relations with their patients and the organization. If the doctors were unable to deliver what in their personal scale would have been good or even satisfactory patient care, anxiety levels started rising. The coping with and managing of anxiety was mainly done through controlling of relations with patients and colleagues.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into situations that prompt diverse challenging emotions.
The risk implications of multinational enterprise
Authors: Juul Andersen Torben 
Published: March 2011

PurposeMultinational structure has been linked to operational flexibilities that can improve corporate adaptability and a knowledge‐based view suggests that multinational resource diversity can facilitate responsive opportunities. The enhanced maneuverability from this can reduce earnings volatility and hence the corporate performance risk. But, the internationalization process may also require irreversible investments that increase corporate exposures and leave the risk implications of multinational enterprize somewhat ambiguous. Hence, the purpose of the paper is to present an empirical study of the implied relationships between the degree of multinationality and various risk measures including downside risk, upside potential, and performance risk.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a brief literature review, develops hypotheses, and tests them in two‐stage least square regressions on archival data to control for pre‐selection biases.FindingsThe analyses indicate that multinationality is associated with lower downside risk as well as higher upside potential and leads to reduced performance risk. The study finds no trace of diminishing effects from higher degrees of multinationality.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical study uses a sample of large US‐based corporations, which could affect the generalizability of results. However, this is consistent with other studies and eases comparability of findings.Practical implicationsThe findings add to the ongoing debate about the risk effects of a multinational corporate structure and confirms that a diverse multinational presence is associated with positive risk outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper complements a limited number of studies with equivocal results and adopts alternative risk outcome measures. The study extends the industry scope by introducing a comprehensive sample of firms operating in different manufacturing and service businesses.
Socio‐economic determinants of drugged driving – a register‐based study
Authors: Karjalainen Karoliina , Lintonen Tomi , Impinen Antti , Lillsunde Pirjo , Mäkelä Pia , Rahkonen Ossi , Haukka Jari , Ostamo Aini 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTAims  To examine the associations between socio‐economic characteristics and driving under the influence of drugs (DUID), and to elaborate determinants of drugged driving.Design  A register‐based case–control study.Setting  Finland.Participants  Cases (n = 5859) apprehended by the police and suspected of DUID during 1993–2006 and controls (n = 74 809) drawn from the general Finnish population.Measurements  The effects of parents' and own education, urbanization of municipality, socio‐economic position (SEP), main activity, income, marital status and living arrangements on DUID were estimated using logistic regression analysis. The analyses were conducted separately for men and women, age groups of under 45 years and aged 45 or over, and for substance groups of benzodiazepines only, benzodiazepines with alcohol, amphetamines and cannabinoids.Findings  Low education, unemployment, disability pension, being divorced and living alone were the strongest individual predictors of DUID in all substance groups. Illicit drug users were more disadvantaged compared to those in the benzodiazepines groups. Contrary to other substance and age groups, higher educational level and higher SEP were associated with DUID among benzodiazepine users aged 45 or over.Conclusions  A disadvantaged social background is a significant predictor of driving while under the influence of drugs for all substance use groups in Finland. The gradient is greater for amphetamines and cannabinoids than benzodiazepines.
Genetic diversity of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in Chinese native buffalo
Authors: Lei C. Z. , Zhang C. M. , Weining S. , Campana M. G. , Bower M. A. , Zhang X. M. , Liu L. , Lan X. Y. , Chen H. 
Published: March 2011

SummaryThe origins of the domestic water buffalo remain contentious. To better understand the origins of Chinese water buffalo, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b (MT‐CYB) gene from 270 individuals representing 13 Chinese domestic swamp buffalo populations. We found genetic evidence of introgression of river buffalo into Chinese swamp buffalo herds. Swamp buffalo haplotypes can be divided into two highly divergent lineages (A and B), suggesting that Chinese native swamp buffalo have two maternal origins. We found that the A→G transition in the buffalo MT‐CYB gene stop codon resulted in buffalo haplotypes being terminated by one of two stop codons: AGA or AGG. AGA is common to river buffalo and lineage A of swamp buffalo, while AGG is specific to lineage B of swamp buffalo. Lineage A appears to have been domesticated in China. Further genetic evidence is required to clarify the origins of lineage B.
How first‐time mothers perceive and deal with teething symptoms: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Plutzer K. , Spencer A. J. , Keirse M. J. N. C. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  Teething, especially in their first child, continues to be a daunting problem for parents.Objective  The objective of this paper was to assess the effects of providing first‐time mothers with information about symptoms commonly associated with teething and ways to manage these.Methods  In a randomized controlled trial to decrease the incidence of early childhood caries, we included information on teething as another issue in a child's oral health. Mothers in the intervention group received three rounds of printed information: at enrolment during pregnancy and when the child was 6 and 12 months old. Information on teething arrived when a child reached 6 months of age. Outcome assessment was at 20 ± 2.5 months of age. Data were complemented with a systematic search for evidence on teething symptoms and how to alleviate them in other populations.Results  Of 649 expectant mothers enrolled in the study, 441 completed the ‘Child's oral health’ questionnaire. There were no significant differences in teething symptoms reported by mothers in the intervention (n= 232) and control (n= 209) groups. However, mothers in the intervention group were less likely to use topical and oral medications to manage teething problems (P < 0.03) and relied more on rubbing the gums to ease discomfort (P < 0.005) than mothers in the control group.Conclusions  Providing mothers with information on how to address teething symptoms markedly reduced the use of medications for symptom relief. There is still need for better evidence, first, on what symptoms can or cannot be attributed to teething and, second, on what is effective in alleviating them.
Quantitative Iodination of Human Blood Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes
Authors: Hakim J. , Cramer E. , Boivin P. , Troube H. , Boucherot J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIt was shown by Pincus and Klebanoff that a correlation existed between leukocytic iodination measured in vivo and microbicidal leukocytic activity. We have analysed the results of this test in relation to time and in the presence of variable quantities of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). The Values observed per time and PMN unit proved to be equivalent in the presence of 2.5 × 105 PMN or 5.0 × 105 PMN per 0.5 ml of incubation medium, measured after 10, 20 and 30 minutes or in the presence of 1.0 × 106 PMN, measured after 10 minutes. That is to say iodination is proportional to leukocyte concentration and incubation time. Increase of either the quantity of cells or the incubation time, beyond the area we defined, reduce iodination per cell and per unit of time. Concerning the patients with an insufficient iodination, we have studied 2 parameters in the presence of 5.0 × 105 PMN:1***) initial iodination measured after 10 and 20 minutes and 2) stability of iodination measured after 60 minutes. These two parameters were equally affected in two cases with myelofibrosis, 3 patients with acquired refractory anaemia, one with chronic lymphoid leukaemia, one with erythroleukaemia, one with hairy cell leukaemia, one with systemic mastocytosis and almost complete myeloperoxidase deficiency, one with sickle cell disease, two with liver diseases and two with chronic myeloid leukaemia. The iodination at the 60th minute was more affected than at the 10th minute with a patient with myelofibrosis and 4 other Patients with acquired refractory anaemias. The significance of these differences is not well understood; however the meaning of the decrease in the iodination of whatever type is that a PMN anomaly exists directly related to the myeloperoxidase H2O2 halogenation system, or to one of the stages of engulfment and/or metabolic events preceeding it and leading to the production of H2O2. This test, with the alterations we introduced, is suggested as a test for detection of functional PMN abnormalities.
Alteration of Drug Metabolism During Cholestasis in Man*
Authors: Carulli N. , Manenti F. , De Leon M. Ponz , Ferrari A. , Salvioli G. , Gallo M. 
Published: March 2011

Abstract. The morphological and functional alterations of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of the liver cell related to biliary stasis have brought attention to drug biotransformation during cholestasis. The metabolism of meprobamate, pentobarbital and tolbutamide was assessed in subjects with intrahepatic recurrent cholestasis (3), cholestatic hepatitis (6), extrahepatic biliary obstruction (7) and normal controls (16). In the patients with recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis no differences in drug metabolism were noted as compared to the control group. In cholestatic hepatitis the plasma half‐lives of meprobamate (828 ± 422 min.) and pentobarbital (39 ± 6.5 hours) were significantly longer than in controls (444 ± 37 and 25.4 ± 1.1 respectively). Tolbutamide plasma half‐life appeared unchanged. The most striking variations were observed in the patients with extrahepatic biliary obstruction. In such cases while meprobamate half‐life was unchanged, pentobarbital half‐life was significantly prolonged (31.2 ± 2.5) and the in vitro metabolism of the drug, using liver preparations, was decreased to less than 50 % of the control value. In contrast the metabolism of tolbutamide was accelerated as evidenced by a significant decrease of plasma half‐life (165 ± 48 min. versus 384 ± 76 of the controls) and an enhanced urinary excretion of the drug's metabolites. However the metabolism of tolbutamide in vitro did not show any difference between normal and cholestatic liver.Whatever the mechanism of the peculiar behaviour of tolbutamide in extrahepatic biliary obstruction it seems to be related to the increased bile salt concentration during cholestasis. In fact the low values of plasma half‐life increase significantly either relieving the biliary obstruction or producing a bile salt depletion with cholestyramine. Preliminary results in vitro suggest the bile salt could displace tolbutamide from albumin binding thus increasing the amount of free drug available for biotransformation by the liver. In conclusion cholestasis may affect drug metabolism depending on the degree of biliary stasis, liver cell injury and the type of drug tested. The mechanism could be that of an impaired biotransformation in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum or could involve extrahepatic factors.
Plasma free N‐terminal fibronectin 30‐kDa domain as a marker of endothelial dysfunction in type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: ŠKRHA J. , VACKOVÁ I. , KVASNIČKA J. , STIBOR V. , ŠTOLBA P. , RICHTER H. , HÖRMANN H. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe plasma free N‐terminal fibronectin 30‐kDa domain was measured in 44 type 1 diabetic patients and in 20 healthy subjects. A significantly raised mean concentration of a free N‐terminal fibronectin 30‐kDa domain was found in plasma of diabetic patients with proliferative retinopathy as compared with healthy persons (P < 0·001). A positive correlation was observed between free N‐terminal fibronectin 30‐kDa domain and von Willebrand factor in plasma of all examined subjects (r = 0·62, P < 0·01). A similar correlation was present between 30‐kDa domain and albuminuria (r = 0·56, P < 0·01). However, no relationship was found between fibronectin 30‐kDa domain and control of diabetes as assessed by fructosamine concentration. The free N‐terminal fibronectin 30‐kDa domain may be used as a marker of actual endothelial cell dysfunction in diabetes.
Role of Fos‐related antigen 1 in the progression and prognosis of ductal breast carcinoma
Authors: Logullo Angela Flavia , Stiepcich Mônica Maria Ágata , de Toledo Osório Cintia Aparecida Bueno , Nonogaki Sueli , Pasini Fátima Solange , Rocha Rafael Malagoli , Soares Fernando Augusto , Brentani Maria M 
Published: March 2011

Logullo A F, Stiepcich M M Á, de Toledo Osório C A B, Nonogaki S, Pasini F S, Rocha R M, Soares F A & Brentani M M (2011) Histopathology 58, 617–625 Role of Fos‐related antigen 1 in the progression and prognosis of ductal breast carcinomaAims:  Fos‐related antigen 1 (Fra‐1) is a member of the activator protein 1 (AP‐1) transcription factor family. Our objective was to evaluate the role of Fra‐1 expression in breast carcinoma progression and prognosis.Methods and results:  Fra‐1 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in two tissue microarrays containing, respectively, 85 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 771 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) samples. Staining was observed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the carcinomas, but only nuclear staining was considered to be positive. Fibroblasts associated with IDC were also Fra‐1‐positive. The frequency of Fra‐1 positivity in IDC (22.8%) was lower than that in DCIS (42.2%). No association was found between Fra‐1 and clinico‐pathological variables in DCIS. In IDC, Fra‐1 expression correlated with aggressive phenotype markers, including: high grade, oestrogen receptor negativity and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER‐2) positivity (P = 0.001, 0.015 and 0.004, respectively), and marginally with the presence of metastasis (P = 0.07). Fra‐1 was more frequently positive in basal‐like (34%) and in HER‐2‐positive (38.5%) subtypes than in luminal subtypes. Fra‐1 presence did not correlate with survival.Conclusions:  A high frequency of Fra‐1 in DCIS tumours may be associated with early events in breast carcinogenesis. Although Fra‐1 expression correlated with features of a more aggressive phenotype in IDC, no relationship with overall survival was found.