bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Magnetic resonance imaging of pilocytic astrocytomas: usefulness of the minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (adc) value for differentiation from high-grade gliomas
Authors: Murakami R. , Hirai T. , Kitajima M. , Fukuoka H. , Toya R. , Nakamura H. , Kuratsu J. , Yamashita Y. 
Published: April 2008

Background: On contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images, pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) are usually well-enhanced tumors that may mimic high-grade gliomas (HGGs). On the other hand, it has been suggested that areas exhibiting minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values reflect the sites of highest cellularity within heterogeneous tumors. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the cellularity of PAs is significantly different to the cellularity of HGGs, which should result in significant differences in minimum ADC values. Material and Methods: Between 1999 and 2005, 15 patients (nine males, six females) with histopathologically confirmed PAs underwent pretreatment MR examination including diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging. We reviewed their MR findings with respect to the size, location, morphology, contrast enhancement, and minimum ADC value of the tumors. The minimum ADC values of the 15 PAs were compared with those of 104 HGGs diagnosed during the same period. Results: The diameter of the 15 PAs ranged from 11 to 60 mm (mean 36 mm); all were located around the ventricles, and all contained enhancing components. All except two small (11 and 14 mm) PAs contained cystic components. The minimum ADC values were significantly higher in PAs (median 1.688, range 1.375–1.897×10−3 mm2/s) than HGGs (0.997, 0.543–2.024×10−3 mm2/s) ( P<0.0001), although there was substantial overlap. Among the tumors with enhancing components, all but one PA were differentiated from the 76 HGGs with enhancing components (0.922, 0.543–1.462×10−3 mm2/s) when the minimum ADC cutoff value was set at 1.5×10−3 mm2/s. Conclusion: The minimum ADC value may be helpful for the differentiation between PAs and HGGs. A tumor with enhancing components should be PA instead of HGG when the minimum ADC value is higher than 1.5×10−3 mm2/s.
The prevalence of cam-type deformity of the hip joint: a survey of 4151 subjects of the copenhagen osteoarthritis study
Authors: Gosvig K. K. , Jacobsen S. , Sonne-Holm S. , Gebuhr P. 
Published: April 2008

Background: Cam deformity is a preosteoarthritic malformation causing premature hip-joint degeneration. While the pathogenetic pathway from deformity to osteoarthrosis (OA) has been well established, almost nothing is known of the malformation's epidemiology. Purpose: To determine the distribution of cam deformity in a large, unselected cohort from standardized anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs. Material and Methods: The distribution of cam deformity was assessed in 3202 (1184 male, 2018 female) standardized AP pelvic radiographs using the triangular index (TI) and the α angle. The relationships between cam malformation and self-reported hip pain were evaluated, and the relative importance of known risk factors for cam malformation estimated. Results: We found a pronounced sex-related difference in cam-deformity distribution. The overall prevalence of cam deformity was approximately 17% in men and 4% in women. The distribution of cam deformity was unaltered in subjects with normal joint-space width or other features of hip-joint degeneration. We found no significant association with self-reported hip pain, nor did we find any relative importance of possible risk factors for hip deformity, such as body-mass index (BMI), occupational exposure to heavy workloads, or concomitant acetabular dysplasia. Conclusion:The results lend support to the thesis that cam deformity represents a silent slipped capital epiphysis, predominantly in men, and that it is a far from uncommon deformity in subjects with no apparent evidence of hip-joint osteoarthritis.
The “pros” and “cons” of career development in the Greek public sector
Authors: Koskina Aikaterini 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and role of the politico‐administrative institutions on career development in the Greek state employment. It attempts to achieve this by exploring the extent to which such institutions are still fitted within the Napoleonic and Weberian traditions and how these may affect the policy implementation of career progression within one public organisation in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes an interpretivist inductive perspective and its nature is qualitative with an exploratory and explanatory aim. It adopts a case‐study strategy and data were collected through documentary evidence, structured questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews with key informants.FindingsThe emerging career model in the Greek public sector is still embedded within a highly bureaucratic yet clientelistic system. It frequently overlaps with employment due to external institutional influences and though being bureaucratic thus objective at national level it is political manifested thus subjective at organisational level. Objective careers have by no means disappeared while subjective careers are seen as a political vehicle for inter‐organisational advancement.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the in‐depth and rich qualitative analysis of this study further case‐examples are required in similar national and industrial contexts.Practical implicationsThe study provides a useful real‐life practical example on the interlocking of career progression and political clientelism in a national context in which politico‐administrative mechanisms have traditionally oiled the wheels of the civil society.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the limited body of scientific and academic debate engaging with public sector management issues and the emerging state career models in European Mediterranean countries. It also contributes to the impartial knowledge on the traditional career mechanisms, underpinned by a relational psychological contract, that have long been an implicit feature of state employment in bureaucratic public sector organisations.
Using a strategic approach to analysis the location selection for high‐tech firms in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Hsiao‐Chi , Yu Ya‐Wen 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on selection of a location which can widely influence business strategy planning and operation profit.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the relationship between location strategy and clustering is primarily shown by obtaining location decision criteria and the impact of high‐tech firms with the decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Then, analytic network process (ANP) method is used to explain the value and benefits from cluster location.FindingsThe authors study decision‐making for location selection of high‐tech firms in Hsinchu Science Park. The example is based on two dimensions including network effect and transaction cost. Network effect plays a more significant role than transaction cost for this example location selection of high‐tech firms in Hsinchu Science Park. The Science Park is surrounded by entrepreneurial spirit, a significant talent pool, and support infrastructure.Originality/valueThis paper explores how high‐tech managers make their decisions on location strategy in Science Park.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors found that cost and benefit factors of network effect dominate the major decision‐making in selection of location and has direct impact on strategic intent. They also have shown that the DEMATEL and ANP approaches are valuable for evaluating this situation.
An evaluation of the impact of the office environment on productivity
Authors: Haynes Barry P. 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a validated theoretical framework for the evaluation of office productivity, which includes components to represent both the physical and the behavioural environment. It is proposed that by adopting such an approach, insights into the dynamic nature, or connectivity, of office environments can be established. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of the office environment on its occupants' perceived productivity.Design/methodology/approachThe study's strength is that it is based on two sizable data sets. The data collected consists of data about the physical characteristics of the office environment and data pertaining to the behavioural environment.FindingsResults are analysed for specific work patterns, to establish meaning and relationships. In all of the four work patterns evaluated it was found that interaction was perceived to be the component to have the most positive affect on productivity and distraction was perceived to have the most negative. It is proposed that the results in this paper will provide support for the hypothesis that it is the behavioural components of the office environment that have the greatest impact on office productivity.Research limitations/implicationsThis research establishes that to truly appreciate office productivity there is a need to further understand the behavioural environment. Whilst this research evaluates different work styles and office productivity, there is a possibility to extend this to investigate personality and team role types.Originality/valueThis study establishes that it is the behavioural environment that has the greatest impact on office productivity. It demonstrates that it is the dynamic elements of the office environment, interaction and distraction that are perceived as having the greatest positive and negative influences on self assessed productivity.
Event‐based knowledge extraction from free‐text descriptions for art images by using semantic role labeling approaches
Authors: Lin Chia‐Hung , Yen Chia‐Wei , Hong Jen‐Shin , Cruz‐Lara Samuel 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how previous studies have demonstrated that non‐professional users prefer using event‐based conceptual descriptions, such as “a woman wearing a hat”, to describe and search images. In many art image archives, these conceptual descriptions are manually annotated in free‐text fields. This study aims to explore technologies to automate event‐based knowledge extractions from these free‐text image descriptions.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents an approach based on semantic role labeling technologies for automatically extracting event‐based knowledge, including subject, verb, object, location and temporal information from free‐text image descriptions. A query expansion module is applied to further improve the retrieval recall. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated by measuring the retrieval precision and recall capabilities for experiments with real life art image collections in museums.FindingsEvaluations results indicate that the proposed method can achieve a substantially higher retrieval precision than conventional keyword‐based approaches. The proposed methodology is highly applicable for large‐scale collections where the image retrieval precision is more critical than the recall.Originality/valueThe study provides the first attempt in literature for automating the extraction of event‐based knowledge from free‐text image descriptions. The effectiveness and ease of implementation of the proposed approach make it feasible for practical applications.
Using an applied learning centre as a vehicle for culture change
Authors: Riedinger Joyce 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how a learning centre can be designed as a transformational vehicle to align the culture with the organization's mission and vision to achieve competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachIn the setting of international clinical development in a major pharmaceutical company, this paper first describes the change strategy and tactics used in designing a learning centre. Then, the overall framework for integrating learning into day‐to‐day work is described as well as the specific methods used for bringing about this integration.FindingsThe patient‐centered approach and continuous learning and improvement environment result in exploring, managing, and mitigating risks and optimizing benefits to the patient. Clearly, this change strategy is pivotal to achieving the company mission, and it enables international clinical development to exceed industry standards.Originality/valueThe paper shows how to design and implement a learning centre as a vehicle for culture change.
Thomas Paine (1737‐1809) and Thomas Spence (1750‐1814) on land ownership, land taxes and the provision of citizens' dividend
Authors: Marangos John 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to outline and compare the land ownership, land taxes and citizens' dividend proposals by Thomas Paine and Thomas Spence.Design/methodology/approachPaine wrote “Agrarian justice” in which he argued that every proprietor of cultivated land owes to the society a ground‐rent for the land which the person holds because it is common property. This ground rent would take the form of a tax per year of 10 per cent on inheritances. It is this ground‐rent that would fund the payments made to every person based on some age restrictions. In response, Spence wrote “The rights of infants” in which he went a step further as he recommended the abolition of aristocracy. As a result, there would have been common ownership of land and revenue derived from land would be administered by the parishes and distributed to everyone equally.FindingsIn assessing the two proposals using the citizens' dividend criterion, each proposal has consistent and inconsistent elements.Practical implicationsIt can be argued that the two proposals are primitive versions of citizens' dividend as espoused today.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to knowledge regarding the debate at the time. During that period, public opinion associated classical political economy with a resolute denial of the right to subsistence to the poor and vigorous opposition to the English Poor Law based on the ideas of Malthus. Students of social economics would benefit from this paper in placing on equal footnoting in the historical debate the counter‐proposals to the dominant position at the time.
Managerial incentives and acquisitions: a survey of the literature
Authors: Williams Melissa A. , Michael Timothy B. , Waller Edward R. 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review and summarize research into managerial incentives, merger activity, performance, and the use and structure of compensation to mitigate agency problems in the firm.Design/methodology/approachThe authors discuss studies of size elasticity and compensation, pay for performance, changes in managerial compensation due to merger activities, incentives and risk taking, and the relationship between managerial risk aversion and acquisitions.FindingsThe paper identifies several prominent themes in the literature. First, size and performance both appear to be positively related to managerial compensation. There appears to be a strong relation between pay and performance, but results depend upon whether the pay measure includes all forms of compensation. With mergers, any merger gains seem to accrue to the acquired firm. It appears that acquiring managers can increase their pay by merging with other firms, and this is likely to happen in cases where shareholder returns are negative. Regarding managerial risk taking and compensation, it is likely that the sensitivity of a manager's equity‐based compensation (options, in particular) to changes in the total risk of the firm is an indicator of how willing managers will be to seek out more risk on behalf of shareholders.Originality/valueThis paper synthesizes a large body of research into an organized discussion of the issues relating to merger activity, managerial incentives, compensation, and pay for performance issues.
Everything you always wanted to know about interpretive consumer research but were afraid to ask
Authors: Cova Bernard , Elliott Richard 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the contents of the special issue and to clarify and extend conceptual and managerial debates concerning interpretive consumer research (ICR).Design/methodology/approachA discursive approach is adopted. The arguments are supported by quotes from authoritative publications in the field.FindingsResearching the consumer has progressed far beyond the research for managerial implications and has become a major focus for the social sciences. In the field of qualitative market research, interpretive approaches to studying consumer behaviour are playing an increasing role. However, the economic and psychological heritage of consumer behaviour impedes appreciation of their aims, analytic logics, and methodological contributions. Ten issues about ICR are detailed in order to provide an integrative overview of what ICR is or is not.Originality/valueProvides an insider's view and serves as a useful overview of debates and developments in the field.
HR professionals' views on work motivation and retention of older workers: a focus group study
Authors: Claes Rita , Heymans Mieke 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the views of human resource (HR) professionals on work motivation and retention of older workers. Furthermore, it seeks to generate qualitative data to inspire measures for future survey research.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a qualitative approach, using focus groups. A total of 15 participants were purposefully selected from different organisational settings (e.g. private and public organisations, various sectors, various organisational sizes, HR departments and HR consultants) and from different areas of HR practice (e.g. recruitment, selection, training, evaluation, diversity management, industrial relations). Several procedures are applied to carry out a rigorous qualitative analysis (i.e. interview guide, video recording and field notes, prompt transcripts, double coding, direct quotes and rich data slices when presenting findings).FindingsThe paper reveals that focus groups generate rich interaction and their content analysis results in five topics: definition of older workers, diversity amongst older workers, work motivation of older workers, retention policy and practices, and contexts of work motivation and organisation retention policy/practices.Research limitations/implicationsThree focus groups with HR professionals give just a glance of the intended retention practices. Broader qualitative and quantitative research with HR professionals and older workers is needed, preferably carried out by an international and multidisciplinary team.Practical implicationsThe paper provides preliminary advice to HR professionals as to which practices aim at retention of older workers, based on insights in theories on work motivation.Originality/valueThe study takes place within Belgium where far‐reaching societal reform is still needed to promote employment of older workers and to move away from the early‐retirement culture. The paper confronts the wealth of work motivation theories and the plethora of HR practices with HR professionals being challenged to retain older workers and to keep them motivated.
Reflection through web discussions: assessing nursing students' work‐based learning
Authors: Hulkari Kirsti , Mahlamäki‐Kultanen Seija 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate evidence for the use of web discussion in the assessment of work‐based learning in practical nurse education. The paper seeks to investigate what kind of conclusions can be drawn from the students’ learning and learning processes, especially from their ability to reflect by analysing web discussions.Design/methodology/approachThe data were gathered in an action research project in a vocational secondary level institution. The data consists of 26 web discussions among student groups and their teachers' qualitative, evaluative reports, 26 altogether. The data were coded inductively with the NVivo 1.3 qualitative data analysis software. The analysis followed the principles of hierarchical coding. The purpose was to study how the processes of vocational growth, learning and reflection can be detected in the web discussion.FindingsThe paper finds that web discussion provides valuable information about the learning processes of students. It is a valid measure for the ability to reflective thinking and a useful method to develop reflection skills. Web discussion is feasible, but not an adequate assessment form of work‐based learning all alone. It serves best the assessment needs of the final phases of studying.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted in practical nurse education where communication and reflection are critical. More detailed research is needed from other vocational sectors.Practical implicationsThe research findings suggest the use of web discussion as one valuable solution for the assessment of students’ competence gained through work‐based learning.Originality/valueThe paper is based on original data.
Barrier impact on organizational learning within complex organizations
Authors: McLaughlin Stephen , Paton Robert A. , Macbeth Douglas K. 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the manner in which employees access, create and share information and knowledge within a complex supply chain with a view to better understanding how to identify and manage barriers which may inhibit such exchanges.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive literature review combined with an in‐depth case study analysis identified a range of potential transfer barriers. These in turn were examined in terms of their consistency of impact by an end‐to‐end process survey conducted within an IBM facility.FindingsBarrier impact cannot be assumed to be uniform across the core processes of the organization. Process performance will be impacted upon in different ways and subject to varying degrees of influence by the transfer barriers. Barrier identification and management must take place at a process rather than at the organizational level.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based, in the main, on an extensive single company study. Although significant in terms of influencing both knowledge and information systems design and management the study/findings have still to be fully replicated across a range of public and private organizations.Originality/valueThe deployment of generic information technology and business systems needs to be questioned if they have been designed and implemented to satisfy organizational rather than process needs.
Beyond strategy: management style for the knowledge economy
Authors: Sparrow Oliver 
Published: April 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect on the need for a new style of management to enable companies and organisations to better face the future.Design/methodology/approachDraws on analysis carried out within the Challenge Forum in recent projects.FindingsCompanies face an increasing number of “engines of change” which present a more complex environment than the past. Management strategy of the past – to focus on core activities, to outsource, to re‐engineer, to simplify – has left most organisations without the capacity to deal with the growing complexity they face. The article outlines a management approach designed to understand this complexity and enable the organisation to take advantage.Originality/valueBuilds on developments in management thinking and provides an outline for a new management style in the knowledge economy.