bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
13_2_30: Experiences, perceptions and expectations of retail employment for Generation Y
Authors: Broadbridge Adelina M. , Maxwell Gillian A. , Ogden Susan M. 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine Generation Y, potential graduate entrants to UK retailing, in respect of their job experiences, career perceptions and initial employment expectations.Design/methodology/approachUtilising qualitative research methods, an exploratory study was undertaken with 33 students (all of whom fell into the category of Generation Y) from two UK universities.FindingsThe study found that many of the propositions contained within the Generation Y literature were reflected among participants in relation to their future career and lifestyle aspirations. This points to the need for retailers to carefully manage graduate expectations and experiences to ensure commitment to the sector.Research limitations/implicationsBeing an exploratory study, the results are not genralisable to the wider population. The findings frame a future longitudinal study on the retail careers of Generation Y graduates as they move from the anticipation to the encounter stage of their career development. This will seek to further explore the implications of Generation Y values, including those relating to diversity and equality which were not raised as an issue in this preliminary study.Originality/valueThe findings of this research contribute to our knowledge of the career aspirations of Generation Y. It indicates to retailers some of the future recruitment and HR practices they might adopt to meet the needs of this generation of employees.
Health service improvement through diagnostic waiting list management
Authors: Lodge Amy , Bamford David 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to focus on a hospital Division of Diagnostics and Clinical Support (150 medical, 1,975 non‐medical staff) and how systems were enhanced through lean principles application to facilitate quality and performance improvement.Design/methodology/approachAn action research methodology was adopted. The research involved: review of available performance and quality improvement literature; identification of the systems that required improvement; adoption and implementation of new working methods.FindingsThe results were recognised as being beneficial to all parties, especially the patients! Staff recognised the need for change; the process transformation was actually welcomed. Patient waiting times reduced from 26 to 13 weeks. Fast‐track/“query cancer” service for out‐patients now within ten days; the majority of in‐patients receive imaging within 72 hours. Ultimately, patients are diagnosed faster and treatment commences earlier. Departmental managers can effectively manage capacity to meet demand because they now understand the waiting “profile”.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodology applied was appropriate, generating data to facilitate discussion and from which to draw conclusions. A perceived limitation is the single case approach; however, Remenyiet al.argue that this can be enough to add to the body of knowledge.Practical implicationsGuidelines indicating “What went well?” and “What could have gone better?” were produced. These centred on the practical application aspects. The implementation methodology developed is being used elsewhere within the same hospital group.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that the application of improvement techniques, such as “Lean”, can focus efforts to improve performance. This is of value to those working in the UK healthcare and wider public sector.
Inflammatory stimuli from macrophages and cancer cells synergistically promote tumor growth and angiogenesis
Authors: Kimura Yusuke N. , Watari Kosuke , Fotovati Abbas , Hosoi Fumihito , Yasumoto Kosei , Izumi Hiroto , Kohno Kimitoshi , Umezawa Kazuo , Iguchi Haruo , Shirouzu Kazuo , Takamori Sinzo , Kuwano Michihiko , Ono Mayumi 
Published: October 2007

The focus of the present study was whether and how infiltrating macrophages play a role in angiogenesis and the growth of cancer cells in response to the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)‐1β. Lewis lung carcinoma cells overexpressing IL‐1β grew faster and induced greater neovascularization than a low IL‐1β‐expressing counterpart in vivo. When macrophages were depleted using clodronate liposomes, both neovascularization and tumor growth were reduced in the IL‐1β‐expressing tumors. Co‐cultivation of IL‐1β‐expressing cancer cells with macrophages synergistically augmented neovascularization and the migration of vascular endothelial cells. In these co‐cultures, production of the angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor‐A and IL‐8, monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, and matrix metalloproteinase‐9 were increased markedly. The production of these factors, induced by IL‐1β‐stimulated lung cancer cells, was blocked by a nuclear factor (NF)‐κB inhibitor, and also by the knockdown of p65 (NF‐κB) and c‐Jun using small interference RNA, suggesting involvement of the transcription factors NF‐κB and AP‐1. These results demonstrated that macrophages recruited into tumors by monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 and other chemokines could play a critical role in promoting tumor growth and angiogenesis, through interactions with cancer cells mediated by inflammatory stimuli. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 2009–2018)
Patterns of drinking in the UK Armed Forces
Authors: Fear Nicola T. , Iversen Amy , Meltzer Howard , Workman Lorna , Hull Lisa , Greenberg Neil , Barker Christopher , Browne Tess , Earnshaw Mark , Horn Oded , Jones Margaret , Murphy Dominic , Rona Roberto J. , Hotopf Matthew , Wessely Simon 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAims To examine patterns of drinking in the UK Armed Forces, how they vary according to gender and other demographics, and to make comparisons with the general population.Design Large cross‐sectional postal questionnaire study (response rate 60%).Setting United Kingdom.Participants A random representative sample of the regular UK Armed Forces who were in service in March 2003 (n = 8686; 7937 men, 749 women). Comparisons were made with the general population of Great Britain.Measurements Alcohol consumption was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).Findings Sixty‐seven per cent of men and 49% of women in the UK Armed Forces had an AUDIT score of 8+ (defined as hazardous drinking), compared to 38% of men and 16% of women in the general population. In both sexes, for all ages, the military have a higher prevalence of hazardous drinking. Binge drinking was associated with being younger, being in the Army, being single, being a smoker and being white. Among military men, heavy drinking (AUDIT score 16+) was associated with holding a lower rank, being younger, being single, being in the Naval Service or Army, being deployed to Iraq, not having children, being a smoker, having a combat role and having a parent with a drink or drug problem.Conclusions Excessive alcohol consumption is more common in the UK Armed Forces than in the general population. There are certain socio‐demographic characteristics associated with heavy drinking within the military; for example, young age, being single and being a smoker, which may allow the targeting of preventive interventions.
Positive health‐care effects of an alcohol ignition interlock programme among driving while impaired (DWI) offenders
Authors: Bjerre Bo , Kostela Johan , Selén Jan 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAims  To compare the costs of hospital care and sick leave/disability pensions between two groups of driving while impaired (DWI) offenders: participants in an alcohol ignition interlock programme (AIIP) and controls with revoked licences, but with no comparable opportunity to participate in an AIIP.Setting  As an alternative to licence revocation DWI offenders can participate in a voluntary 2‐year AIIP permitting the offender to drive under strict regulations entailing regular medical check‐ups. The participants are forced to alter their alcohol habits and those who cannot demonstrate sobriety are dismissed from the programme. Participants are liable for all costs themselves.Design  Quasi‐experimental, with a non‐equivalent control group used for comparison; intent‐to‐treat design. Based on the number of occasions/days in hospital and on sick leave/disability pension, the health‐care costs for public insurance have been calculated.Finding  Average total health‐care costs were 25% lower among AIIP participants (1156 individuals) than among controls (815 individuals) during the 2‐year treatment period. This corresponds to over €1000 (SEK9610) less annual costs per average participant. For those who complete the 2‐year programme the cost reduction was more pronounced; 37% during the treatment and 20% during the post‐treatment period.Conclusions  The positive health‐care effects were due apparently to reduced alcohol consumption. The social benefit of being allowed to drive while in the AIIP may also have contributed. The reduction in health‐care costs was significant only during the 2‐year treatment period, but among those who completed the entire AIIP sustained effects were also observed in the post‐treatment period. The effects were comparable to those of regular alcoholism treatment programmes.
The Purbeck Limestone Group of Dorset, southern England
Authors: Ensom Paul C. 
Published: October 2007

The late Jurassic to early Cretaceous Purbeck Limestone Group of Dorset has been a focus for media and academic attention for the last 150 years. For example, The Illustrated London News in 1857 carried an article by the Revd Charles Kingsley, (of The Water Babies fame), titled ‘Geological Discoveries at Swanage’. describing fossil‐hunting endeavours of Samuel Husband Beckles (1814–1890; Fig. 1). Beckles had been encouraged by Richard Owen (1804–1892) to go in search of the tiny fossilized mammalian remains in these strata. Beckles rose to the challenge and at his own expense employed a team of workmen to carry out the excavations; in the process they uncovered a thin layer containing the numerous remains of diminutive mammals along with the remains of other vertebrates, including turtles, crocodiles and ornithischian dinosaurs. Since then, dinosaur tracks and related discoveries from these same strata have often caught the imagination of the press, inspiring sensational headlines such as ‘Builder digs up giant lizard fight’ and ‘Dinosaur graveyard in Swanage Bay’!Contemporary illustration of Samuel Beckles’ excavation on the cliffs of Durlston Bay, from Charles Kingsley's account of the discoveries at Swanage which appeared in The Illustrated London News in 1857.image
At what spatial scale do high‐quality habitats enhance the diversity of forbs and pollinators in intensively farmed landscapes?
Authors: Kohler Florian , Verhulst Jort , Van Klink Roel , Kleijn David 
Published: October 2007

Summary

Over the last decades, biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has declined drastically. Initiatives to enhance biodiversity, such as agri‐environment schemes, often have little effect, especially in intensively farmed landscapes. The effectiveness of conservation management may be improved by scheme implementation near high‐quality habitats that can act as a source of species. We evaluated up to what distance high‐quality habitats (nature reserves and artificially created flower‐rich patches) affect the diversity of forbs and pollinators in intensively farmed landscapes of the Netherlands.
We surveyed forbs, inflorescences, bees and hover flies and estimated pollination services in transects along ditch banks extending 300 m from four nature reserves forming small islands in landscapes dominated by agriculture.
In a separate experiment, we surveyed inflorescences, bees and hover flies in 1500 m long transects on farmland adjacent to five newly introduced flower‐rich patches and in five control transects.
Species density of forbs declined over the first 75 m and species density and abundance of hover flies declined over the first 125 m beyond the nature reserves. Beyond these distances, no further declines were observed. The effects of flower‐rich patches were spatially limited. The species density and abundance of bees and hover flies were significantly enhanced in the flower‐rich patch, but only the abundance of hover flies was enhanced up to 50 m beyond the patch.
Synthesis and applications. In intensively farmed areas, remnant high‐quality habitats sustain more abundant and diverse pollinator and forb communities than the surrounding countryside. They do enhance biodiversity on nearby farmland but increases are spatially restricted (< 150 m) and relatively small. These habitats may therefore function only as dispersal sources for ecological restoration sites or agricultural fields under extensification schemes that are located in close proximity. Habitat restoration in intensively used farmland should therefore be implemented preferentially in the immediate vicinity of high‐quality habitats. In the short term, newly created flower‐rich habitats are no alternative to pre‐existing seminatural habitats for the promotion of pollinators on nearby farmland.
Large‐scale drainage and breeding success in boreal forest grouse
Authors: Ludwig Gilbert X , Alatalo Rauno V , Helle Pekka , Nissinen Kari , Siitari Heli 
Published: October 2007

Summary

The breeding success of Finnish grouse has been in decline for decades. While it has been shown that fragmentation and modern forestry practices such as clear‐cutting affect the viability of grouse populations, little is known about effects of large‐scale drainage. The drainage network in Finland has increased dramatically during the past decades. By 1988, 6 million ha of bog ecosystems had been drained. This is likely to have had a profound direct and indirect effects on grouse productivity. Because ditches persist in time, large‐scale drainage may therefore have strong potential for affecting the long‐term breeding success of three forest grouse species in Finland.
Using a mixed‐model approach on nation‐wide data, we estimate the effects of drainage on breeding success of three grouse species for the period from 1966 to 1988. The possible additive effect of precipitation is investigated using regional precipitation data. For each species, we compare a set of hypotheses and select the best model(s) according to the Akaike information criterion.
For all species, the model which included the main effects of both ditch density and precipitation outperformed the models with just one of the main effects as well as the interaction model. The effects are restricted to southern and central Finland, where drainage is most intensive.
The effects of drainage are likely to be both direct and indirect, but the mechanisms are less clear. Both bottom‐up, such as decreased availability of insect food, and top‐down effects, such as increased predation risk, may account for indirect effects. Direct effects are likely to involve drowning of chicks.
Synthesis and applications. Bogs are classified as key biotopes by the European Union, and Finland is obliged to maintain their favourable conservation status and to protect typical bog communities. While this goal may be achieved for state‐owned land, restoration of drainage systems on private land continues. Considering the persistence of ditches, new legislation are therefore needed to favour the recovery of former bogs and mires on private land as well as to protect remaining ones.
Taking account of dependent species in management of the Southern Ocean krill fishery: estimating crabeater seal abundance off east Antarctica
Authors: Southwell Colin , Paxton Charles G. M. , Borchers David , Boveng Peter , De La Mare William 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe crabeater sealLobodon carcinophagais considered to be a key species in the krill‐based food‐web of the Southern Ocean. Reliable estimates of the abundance of this species are necessary to allow the development of multispecies, predator–prey models as a basis for management of the krill fishery in the Southern Ocean.A survey of crabeater seal abundance was undertaken in 1500 000 km2of pack‐ice off east Antarctica between longitudes 64–150° E during the austral summer of 1999/2000. Sighting surveys, using double observer line transect methods, were conducted from an icebreaker and two helicopters to estimate the density of seals hauled out on the ice in survey strips. Satellite‐linked dive recorders were deployed on a sample of seals to estimate the probability of seals being hauled out on the ice at the times of day when sighting surveys were conducted. Model‐based inference, involving fitting a density surface, was used to infer densities in the entire survey region from estimates in the surveyed areas.Crabeater seal abundance was estimated to be between 0·7 and 1·4 million animals (with 95% confidence), with the most likely estimate slightly less than 1 million.Synthesis and applications.The estimation of crabeater seal abundance in Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) management areas off east Antarctic where krill biomass has also been estimated recently provides the data necessary to begin extending from single‐species to multispecies management of the krill fishery. Incorporation of all major sources of uncertainty allows a precautionary interpretation of crabeater abundance and demand for krill in keeping with CCAMLR's precautionary approach to management. While this study focuses on the crabeater seal and management of living resources in the Southern Ocean, it has also led to technical and theoretical developments in survey methodology that have widespread potential application in ecological and resource management studies, and will contribute to a more fundamental understanding of the structure and function of the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Do climatically similar regions contain similar alien floras? A comparison between the mediterranean areas of central Chile and California
Authors: Jiménez Alejandra , Pauchard Aníbal , Cavieres Lohengrin A. , Marticorena Alicia , Bustamante Ramiro O. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAim  Taxonomic comparisons of alien floras across climatically similar regions have been proposed as a powerful approach for increasing our understanding of plant invasions across scales. However, detailed comparisons between the alien biotas of climatically similar regions are scarce. This study aims to compare the taxonomic patterns of alien species richness in mediterranean‐type climate areas of central Chile and California, in order to better understand how climatically similar regions converge or diverge in terms of their alien flora.Location  Central Chile and California, United States.Methods  We compared the alien floras of the state of California in the United States and central Chile, considering within‐region variation and taxonomic composition up to the species level. To test for within‐region variation, administrative units and counties were grouped within seven latitudinal bands for each region. We tested for differences in the relative contributions of the various origins of the naturalized species to each region. We used a family naturalization index to establish which families had relatively higher numbers of naturalized species in each region. We evaluated the similarity, using cluster analyses with Jaccard’s similarity index, of alien taxa between regions and latitudinal bands using presence–absence matrices at the species, genus and family levels. We used principal components analysis to determine the presence of a compositional gradient including all latitudinal bands.Results  We recorded 1212 alien plant species in California and 593 in central Chile, of which 491 are shared between the two regions. These figures include 25 species that are native to California and 37 that are native to Chile. A comparison between the alien floras of central Chile and California reveals three major trends: (1) higher naturalized species diversity for California than for Chile, at all taxonomic levels; (2) differences in the proportion of species according to origin, with America, Africa, Asia and Australia providing a larger number of species in California than in Chile; (3) segregation between regions in terms of taxonomic composition of their alien flora, and a rather weak differentiation within regions; and (4) a trend towards higher similarity between the alien floras of latitudinal bands associated with higher levels of human disturbances.Main conclusions  The alien floras of central Chile and California are significantly different, but this difference diminishes in highly disturbed areas. Thus, the current high levels of species movement caused by globalization, together with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbances, should reduce the differentiation of the alien floras in these regions, increasing overall biotic homogenization.
Self‐efficacy, outcome expectations and self‐care behaviour in people with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan
Authors: Wu Shu‐Fang Vivienne , Courtney Mary , Edwards Helen , McDowell Jan , Shortridge‐Baggett Lillie M , Chang Pei‐Jen 
Published: October 2007

Aims. To explore differences in self‐care behaviour according to demographic and illness characteristics; and relationships among self‐care behaviour and demographic and illness characteristics, efficacy expectations and outcome expectations of people with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan.Background. Most people with diabetes do not control their disease appropriately in Taiwan. Enhanced self‐efficacy towards managing diseases can be an effective way of improving disease control as proposed by the self‐efficacy model which provides a useful framework for understanding adherence to self‐care behaviours.Design and methods. The sample comprised 145 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 30 years or more from diabetes outpatient clinics in Taipei. Data were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire for this study. One‐wayanova,t‐tests, Pearson product moment correlation and hierarchical regression were analysed for the study.Results. Significant differences were found: between self‐care behaviour and complications (t = −2·52,p < 0·01) and patient education (t = −1·96,p < 0·05). Self‐care behaviour was significantly and positively correlated with duration of diabetes (r = 0·36,p < 0·01), efficacy expectations (r = 0·54,p < 0·01) and outcome expectations (r = 0·44,p < 0·01). A total of 39·1% of variance in self‐care behaviour can be explained by duration of diabetes, efficacy expectations and outcome expectations.Conclusions. Findings support the use of the self‐efficacy model as a framework for understanding adherence to self‐care behaviour.Relevance to clinical practice. Using self‐efficacy theory when designing patient education interventions for people with type 2 diabetes will enhance self‐management routines and assist in reducing major complications in the future.