bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA-199a mediates mucin 1 expression in mouse uterus during implantation
Authors: Inyawilert Wilasinee , Fu Tzu-Yen , Lin Chun-Ting , Tang Pin-Chi
Published: June 2013

Embryo implantation is a complicated process involving interactions between the blastocyst and the luminal epithelium of the receptive uterus. Mucin 1 (MUC1) is an integral membrane glycoprotein expressed apically by secretory epithelial cells and the glandular epithelium in different organs, including the uterus. It is believed that loss of MUC1 on the surface of uterine epithelial cells is necessary for embryo implantation. The endogenous non-protein coding microRNAs (miRNAs) of 21–24 nucleotides are found in diverse organisms. It has been shown that miRNAs participate in a range of cellular processes by regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In the present study, the regulatory role of miRNA-199a on the expression of MUC1 in mouse uterus during implantation was investigated for its effect on embryo implantation. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry results showed high MUC1 expression on Day 0.5 and low expression by Day 4.5 of pregnancy. In contrast with MUC1 expression, increased miRNA-199a expression was evident at Day 4.5 of pregnancy, as measured by real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. In addition, we demonstrated direct binding of miRNA-199a to the 3′-untranslated region of MUC1. Transfection of miRNA-199a into mouse uterine epithelial cells isolated from Day 0.5 of pregnancy also downregulated expression of MUC1. Therefore, the present study provides evidence that MUC1 is a direct target of miRNA-199a and suggests that development of novel strategies to facilitate a successful pregnancy and repair implantation failure humans may include miRNA.
Culture environment regulates amino acid turnover and glucose utilisation in human ES cells
Authors: Rathjen Joy , Yeo Christine , Yap Charlotte , Tan Boon Siang Nicholas , Rathjen Peter D. , Gardner David K.
Published: June 2013

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells have been proposed as a renewable source of pluripotent cells that can be differentiated into various cell types for use in research, drug discovery and in the emerging area of regenerative medicine. Exploitation of this potential will require the development of ES cell culture conditions that promote pluripotency and a normal cell metabolism, and quality control parameters that measure these outcomes. There is, however, relatively little known about the metabolism of pluripotent cells or the impact of culture environment and differentiation on their metabolic pathways. The effect of two commonly used medium supplements and cell differentiation on metabolic indicators in human ES cells were examined. Medium modifications and differentiation were compared in a chemically defined and feeder-independent culture system. Adding serum increased glucose utilisation and altered amino acid turnover by the cells, as well as inducing a small proportion of the cells to differentiate. Cell differentiation could be mitigated by inhibiting p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK activity). The addition of Knockout Serum Replacer also increased glucose uptake and changed amino acid turnover by the cells. These changes were distinct from those induced by serum and occurred in the absence of detectable differentiation. Induction of differentiation by bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), in contrast, did not alter metabolite turnover. Deviations from metabolite turnover by ES cells in fully defined medium demonstrated that culture environment can alter metabolite use. The challenge remains to understand the impact of metabolic changes on long-term cell maintenance and the functionality of derived cell populations.
Angular variation of fire rate of spread
Authors: André Jorge C. S. , Gonçalves João C. , Vaz Gilberto C. , Viegas Domingos X.
Published: June 2013

Laboratory fire tests were performed in still air, for variable inclinations (10°, 15°) and fuel bed dimensions (1.28×2.50–3.0×4.6m2), with homogeneous fuel beds of pine needles and pine wood excelsior. The fire ignition was made at a point, along a closed line with no fuel inside and along a straight edge of the fuel bed. The tests were recorded with an infrared camera and various techniques were developed to implement direct and indirect empirical methods of construction of the ‘orientation function’ of the fire in the given fuel bed and ambient conditions, showing how the rate of spread of a steady straight fire front depends on its orientation on the terrain. The direct method uses a set of straight fire fronts with various orientations whereas the indirect method uses essentially a point ignited fire front. Contrary to what is assumed in BehavePlus model, the orientation function is observed to depend significantly on the properties of the fuel bed. In all tests with closed fire fronts, the full steadiness required by the indirect method was not achieved (namely, at the head of the front), although, for slope angle of 10°, the corresponding errors induced on the orientation function were small.
Experimental selection reveals a trade-off between fecundity and lifespan in the coliphage Qß
Authors: García-Villada Libertad , Drake John W.
Published: June 2013

Understanding virus evolution is key for improving ways to counteract virus-borne diseases. Results from comparative analyses have previously suggested a trade-off between fecundity and lifespan for viruses that infect the bacteriumEscherichia coli(i.e. for coliphages), which, if confirmed, would define a particular constraint on the evolution of virus fecundity. Here, the occurrence of such a trade-off is investigated through a selection experiment using the coliphage Qß. Selection was applied for increased fecundity in three independent wild-type Qß populations, and the ability of the virions to remain viable outside the host was determined. The Qß life-history traits involved in the evolution of fecundity and the genetic changes associated with this evolution were also investigated. The results reveal that short-term evolution of increased fecundity in Qß was associated with decreased viability of phage virions. This trade-off apparently arose because fecundity increased at the expense of reducing the amount of resources (mainly time) invested per produced virion. Thus, the results also indicate that Qß fecundity may be enhanced through increases in the rates of adsorption to the host and progeny production. Finally, genomic sequencing of the evolved populations pinpointed sequences likely to be involved in the evolution of Qß fecundity.
Bridging the information literacy gap: library participation in summer transition programs
Authors: Barnhart Anne C. , Stanfield Andrea
Published: June 2013

Purpose

With Complete College America and renewed interest in performance‐based funding models for higher education, colleges are focused on improving retention, progression and graduation rates. Many schools bring lower‐achieving students to campus for a pre‐first‐year program called Summer Bridge to give them an introduction to college. These summer programs have varying levels of library involvement. The authors aim to compare the level of library involvement at their institution with that of libraries where similar programs exist.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors searched for schools with summer bridge programs, read through their program descriptions to find ones that were similar to their own situation (e.g. not STEM‐focused or Upward Bound), and sent a survey to 103 libraries. In total, 42 responded.

Findings

Of the responding libraries 88 percent have face‐to‐face instruction with the summer bridge participants, however only 33 percent of the libraries did any assessment of this contact. Ten of the respondents teach credit‐bearing information literacy courses, but none offers this to the summer bridge students.

Practical implications

Many states require institutions to demonstrate student success in order to compete for limited state funds. Libraries have an important role to student success and librarians should strategically place themselves within that conversation. This article provides some possible means to help with summer bridge students.

Originality/value

A search through library and education literature reveals that little has been written about library involvement with programs that are not Upward Bound affiliated. This case study and its survey respond to a gap in the literature of both fields.
Mind the gap: academic library outreach and EOP
Authors: Meyers‐Martin Coleen , Lampert Lynn D.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This article aims to describe the many ways academic library outreach practices are evolving through online formats. It underscores the implications of moving communications and resources online for educational opportunity program (EOP) students when considering these students' specific technology usage patterns and the need for face‐to‐face mentoring. The article seeks to make recommendations for libraries that intend to develop successful programming and interactions with transitional students online; and to bring to light the need for future research concerning the creation and usage of online educational support structures that specifically serve the EOP community.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review discusses technology and academic library outreach programming as well as the historic and current digital divide and learning styles of EOP transitional students. Recommendations are made for how to best meet EOP student needs online to support the traditional in‐person programming in which these students succeed.

Findings

Identifying successful learning structures and potential technology usage patterns of EOP students provided the foundation for this article. Developing library outreach and programming within the online platforms EOP students access and utilize is necessary to support continued face‐to‐face interactions in an academic setting. More research is necessary in order to support transitional students in a digital format.

Originality/value

This article describes digital outreach efforts targeting non‐campus and campus communities, in particular within EOP transitional programming. It inquires about how to best meet transitional students in a digital format when they have historically succeeded in face‐to‐face educational interactions and settings.
Academic libraries, institutional missions, and new student recruitment: a case study
Authors: Gallup Kopp Maggie
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Academic institutions struggle to differentiate themselves in the eyes of prospective students. Schools use their institutional missions to communicate their unique purposes and goals with core constituencies, but often the mission is not shared during recruitment. Academic libraries can assist in recruiting students by communicating the institution's mission through their collections. This paper aims to focus on the efforts of Brigham Young University's L. Tom Perry Special Collections.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study examines the approach of Brigham Young University's L. Tom Perry Special Collections, which has worked with its campus admissions office by serving as a stop on campus tours for high‐priority academic and athletic recruits.

Findings

These tour sessions are more than just quick show‐and‐tell sessions; they are opportunities to discuss the university's unique “Aims of a BYU Education”.

Originality/value

The case study provides new perspectives on how academic libraries can demonstrate value by tying their services and collections to recruitment efforts and to the mission of their parent institutions.
Faculty‐librarian collaboration in improving information literacy of educational opportunity program students
Authors: Lei Hsieh Ma , McManimon Susan , Yang Sharon
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This study aims to examine the instruction of basic information literacy (IL) skills taught to the socio‐economically disadvantaged students in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at Rider University in summer 2011. The study set out to determine how the beginning IL levels of EOP freshmen differ from those of other freshmen, their learning outcomes, and retention of IL as a means to improve future research instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

Faculty of a speech communication class and two librarians collaborated in integrating IL in the class assignments of the 2011 summer EOP program. The assessment tools include identical pre‐ and post‐tests, a second post‐test with different multiple correct answer questions, a survey about students' perceptions of their IL training, and the teaching faculty's observations of EOP students' research skills.

Findings

EOP freshmen are equivalent to the peer freshmen in their low levels of IL skills. The findings suggested that EOP freshmen complete IL instruction with stronger IL skills. The second post‐test revealed that many students were confused about some basic IL concepts. Faculty's observation of students' information literacy skills concurs with the pre‐ and post‐tests.

Originality/value

This study fills a void in the literature on recent research of information literacy skills of socio‐economically disadvantaged college students. The multi‐correct answer questions employed are valuable but rarely employed in studies or discussed in the literature. The collaboration of faculty and librarians in assignment design is valuable as an increasing number of faculty are utilizing librarians to teach the necessary IL skills needed in today's curricula.
Anisotropic hierarchic finite elements for the simulation of piezoelectric smart structures
Authors: Duczek Sascha , Gabbert Ulrich
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Piezoelectric actuators and sensors are an invaluable part of lightweight designs for several reasons. They can either be used in noise cancellation devices as thin‐walled structures are prone to acoustic emissions, or in shape control approaches to suppress unwanted vibrations. Also in Lamb wave based health monitoring systems piezoelectric patches are applied to excite and to receive ultrasonic waves. The purpose of this paper is to develop a higher order finite element with piezoelectric capabilities in order to simulate smart structures efficiently.

Design/methodology/approach

In the paper the development of a new fully three‐dimensional piezoelectric hexahedral finite element based on the p‐version of the finite element method (FEM) is presented. Hierarchic Legendre polynomials in combination with an anisotropic ansatz space are utilized to derive an electro‐mechanically coupled element. This results in a reduced numerical effort. The suitability of the proposed element is demonstrated using various static and dynamic test examples.

Findings

In the current contribution it is shown that higher order coupled‐field finite elements hold several advantages for smart structure applications. All numerical examples have been found to agree well with previously published results. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that accurate results can be obtained with far fewer degrees of freedom compared to conventional low order finite element approaches. Thus, the proposed finite element can lead to a significant reduction in the overall numerical costs.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge, no piezoelectric finite element based on the hierarchical‐finite‐element‐method has yet been published in the literature. Thus, the proposed finite element is a step towards a holistic numerical treatment of structural health monitoring (SHM) related problems using p‐version finite elements.
Industrial citizenship: a re‐conceptualisation and case study of the UK
Authors: Bagguley Paul
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine and reformulate T.H. Marshall's concept of industrial citizenship, and apply the reformulated model to a case study of the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

Marshall's conceptualisation of industrial citizenship is criticised for neglecting the rights of unions as collective rights and for treating industrial citizenship as an aggregation of individual rights. Subsequent attempts to use the idea of industrial citizenship are similarly flawed. A case study of changes to industrial citizenship in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s is used to develop the new model and provide evidence in support of it.

Findings

An alternative conceptualisation of industrial citizenship is presented that outlines collective and individual powers, obligations, liberties, constraints, immunities and liabilities. This model is illustrated using examples from the Conservative governments' industrial relations legislation of the 1980s and 1990s.

Originality/value

Discussions and applications of T.H. Marshall's concept of industrial citizenship are few and far between. The paper proposes an original re‐conceptualisation specifying the collective rights of unions in the British regime of industrial citizenship. This new concept of industrial citizenship is then applied to the radical changes in industrial relations legislation in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s.
Policing class and race in urban America
Authors: Fisher Andrew R.M. , Oddsson Guðmundur , Wada Takeshi
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to integrate conflict theory's class and race perspectives to explain police force size in large cities in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on US cities with populations of 250,000 or greater (n=64) are used to test whether class and/or racial factors impact police force size. The data are analyzed using OLS regression.

Findings

This study finds that class and race factors combine to impact police force size concurrently. By adjusting the model specifications of a recent article, which concludes police force size in large US cities is determined by racial factors and not class, this study shows that two class‐related factors – racial economic inequality and poverty – significantly influence police force size. Additionally, this analysis calls into question the importance of racial factors; specifically, the threat caused by minority presence and a city's history of racially coded violence.

Originality/value

Few conflict theorists have attempted to integrate class and race in order to explain police force size. The results of this study show that racial economic inequality interacts with poverty (class threat) and that they jointly affect police force size. This adds further nuance to the argument of the complex causal interaction of intersectionality and supports theoretical, methodological, and public policy shifts that blend class inequality and racial threat to explain police force size.
Interlending and document supply: a review of the recent literature: 82
Authors: McGrath Mike
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature concerning interlending and document supply and related matters.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on the reading of over 150 journals, as well as monographs, reports and web sites.

Findings

Significant developments in open access are noted and described as well as the continuing development of patron driven acquisition. Increasing concerns with the constraints on sharing e‐resources are also noted.

Originality/value

The paper represents a useful source for librarians and others concerned with interlending and document supply as well as such related matters as resource sharing and open access.
North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources
Authors: Paulus Amy R.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to describe and promote the interlibrary loan and document delivery services between North American and Japanese academic libraries. An overview of the overseeing bodies, the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources and the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Committee, is also described.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive approach is taken to explain the library‐focused programs supported by the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources.

Findings

Access to Japanese language resources is increasingly higher in demand. The National Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources has fully supported libraries by providing interlibrary loan/document services between Japan and North America.

Originality/value

This paper provides step‐by‐step instructions for interlibrary loan practitioners whose libraries participate in the Global ILL Framework (GIF) program.
Free choice of learning management systems
Authors: Porter Gavin W.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Although multiple studies examine institutional transitions of learning management systems (LMS) or compare their merits, studies examining students' free choice of access on parallel LMSs for the same course are absent from the literature. In order to investigate usage in a free‐choice situation, identical content was posted at the same time to two different LMSs in a large enrollment class with a diversity of majors.

Design/methodology/approach

Two prevalent LMSs were utilized in the study: WebCT, which was in existence at a university‐wide level previously, and Moodle, which will become the new university‐wide system in the 2012‐13 academic year onwards. Both student self‐reports and LMS log usage data were analyzed. LMS preferences and usage groups were categorized.

Findings

Although this inquiry revealed that most students chose to use the WebCT system (85 per cent WebCT users, 15 per cent Moodle users; both self‐reported and log‐verified), the reasons given for WebCT preference pertained largely to habit and that most other courses are using the WebCT LMS. In contrast, the reasons given for using Moodle spoke directly to the attributes of the LMS itself, namely the interface quality and the way it is organized.

Originality/value

This study indicates that institutions should look beyond student usage patterns in making LMS choices, and that LMS quality is sometimes, and perhaps unfortunately, overshadowed by student habit and familiarity.
Progressive assessment of student engagement with web‐based guided learning
Authors: Katuk Norliza
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate student engagement in guided web‐based learning systems. It looks into students' engagement and their behavioral patterns in two types of guided learning systems (i.e. a fully‐ and a partially‐guided). The research also aims to demonstrate how the engagement evolves from the beginning towards the end of the interactions; which enables analysis to be performed on the quality of engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental study was conducted on 41 students from a public university in Malaysia using two web‐based systems as the main learning tools. The students' engagement data were captured three times during the interactions and once at the end of the experimental study using student self‐report.

Findings

The main outcome of this study suggests that student engagement was changing over time either in positive or negative patterns. The directions of change in both types of guided learning were mainly influenced by the students' background of knowledge.

Practical implications

This study demonstrates that student engagement is dynamic. Therefore, progressive assessment is a practical approach to obtain the engagement data which can be used to regulate and improve student engagement in web‐based systems. As a result, an adaptive and intelligent web‐based learning environment can be created.

Originality/value

This research proposes a new approach to improve students' engagement in web‐based instruction, that is, through a progressive assessment of their current experience.
The corporate digital footprint: exactly who owns and controls it? The emergence of the digital director
Authors: Dumeresque David
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to address the subject of the corporate digital footprint. The explosion of social media networks has created major opportunities for companies and employees alike, yet many senior executives don't fully understand how to harness its power or, indeed, how to maintain control of it. Mastering the social media tools and creating a meaningful digital footprint can produce significant corporate value. Chief executive officers are beginning to realize that in order to take advantage of the digital evolution, they need someone who can capitalize on the robust and dynamic flow of data, knowledge and information across all business interests and through social media streams. The concept of the digital director is now emerging. The head of digital strategy will have ultimate control of the corporate digital agenda and be accountable for the organization's digital identity, both on a corporate and an individual level.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses some important issues relating to the use of social media networks by employees, and the need for a different set of competencies and business‐related expertise to manage the corporate digital footprint.

Findings

Mastering the social media tools and creating a meaningful digital footprint can produce significant corporate value. To take advantage of the digital evolution, companies need someone who can control and use the flow of data, knowledge and information across all business interests and through social media streams. The concept of the digital director is emerging.

Originality/value

The issues addressed will benefit senior management by improving their understanding of how best to manage and control their organization's digital identity.
Increasing female representation on company boards: an interview with Regina Eckert, Senior Research Associate, Center for Creative Leadership, USA
Authors: by Gareth Bell Interview
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an interview with Regina Eckert, Senior Research Associate, Center for Creative Leadership, USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of an interview.

Findings

In the following interview, Regina Eckert discusses the issues facing women leaders, the negative stereotypes that persist, and the barriers to increased female representation on company boards

Originality/value

Eckert gives advice to aspiring female leaders, recommending women develop greater networking skills to ensure they have the support and visibility to move into more senior roles.
The effect of design on maintenance for school buildings in Penang, Malaysia
Authors: Ali A.S. , Keong K.C. , Zakaria N. , Zolkafli U. , Akashah F.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to focus on identifying building elements with design defects and established the relationship between design defects and difficulties in carrying out maintenance works.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of four cases have been selected covering primary‐ and secondary‐level for both National and National‐type schools (commonly known as vernacular schools). Interviews with school management were carried out throughout the study to assess the common design defects in the buildings.

Findings

A list of the design defects that have caused high maintenance cost was tabulated. It could be concluded that the most common design defects are building façade and missing slot underneath the floor slab which led to more defects.

Research limitations/implications

Only four schools in Penang, Malaysia were involved in this study. Data were gathered from the school management and maintenance personnel. No data have been obtained from the designers because difficulties in tracing the designers record since the school age are more than 20 years.

Practical implications

The study recommended that expert maintenance personnel shall be employed in the design stage to minimize design defects in school projects which in turn minimize the cost of building maintenance.

Social Implications

Safety and health of the students could be affected if there is no accurate measures being adopted to overcome the issue.

Originality/value

A very limited study has been carried out with regards to design maintenance for school buildings in Malaysia.
Information and communications technology and market segmentation in tourism: a review
Authors: Antti Pesonen Juho
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on tourism marketing. For several decades one of the cornerstones of marketing has been market segmentation. The purpose of this paper is to examine how ICTs have affected market segmentation literature in tourism by the means of literature review.

Design/methodology/approach

All segmentation articles published in Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing since the year 2000 are reviewed by examining how ICTs have affected them. Content analysis is used to categorize the connection between ICTs and segmentation to seven categories.

Findings

Only three papers focusing on both ICT and segmentation were found among the 188 segmentation‐related studies reviewed. Altogether 58 market segmentation studies found were affected by ICTs but in most cases the effects are very limited.

Research limitations/implications

Only three tourism journals were reviewed making it possible that some studies connected to the topic are not examined in this review.

Practical implications

This study provides practitioners with a review of central findings regarding ICT use in market segmentation process published in recent academic literature.

Originality/value

This is the first study to review how ICTs have affected market segmentation in tourism. It provides a review of central papers discussing the topic and directions for future research. Overall, this research highlights the lack of research on the topic, as well as its importance for the future of tourism marketing.
Tools for measuring the intention for adapting to climate change by winter tourists: some thoughts on consumer behavior research and an empirical example
Authors: Pröbstl‐Haider Ulrike , Haider Wolfgang
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Climate change will lead to new environmental conditions in winter sport destinations. Even if the motivations of the visitors remain the same, climate change will inevitably influence their behavior. At the same time, tourism destinations try to influence visitor behavior by implementing adaptation strategies and offering new products. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of possible consumer research approaches from a destination's perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to study the influence of climate change on winter destinations in Austria, the authors adapted an existing behavioral framework to the model for proactive tourist adaptation to climate change, which is helpful to understand the influencing factors and the individual decision‐making process towards adaptation intention. Thereafter they used the results of a choice experiment (=intended behavior) to calibrate a decision support tool (DST) for a cross‐country skiing destination in Austria.

Findings

The paper presents a DST based on the choice experiment. The DST shows the changing market shares for three segments as a destination and its entrepreneurs attempt to identify the best opportunities for the various adaption strategies they can possibly consider. The authors suggest this as a suitable market research tool for proactive destination management.

Research limitations/implications

Compared to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), Choice experiments (CE) are less suitable to contribute to the understanding of behavior; at the same time, CEs are well suited to model intended behavior, and to predict the demand for currently non‐existing alternatives when past behavior might be a poor predictor.

Practical implications

The authors propose a conceptual framework that explicitly combines the modeling of behavior and behavioral intention with relevant concepts of the individual customer's cognitive process. The authors want to ensure that destination managers are able to understand, and eventually direct and influence travel behavior as it relates to their local conditions, which in the context of climate change implies that the destination must lay the foundation for tomorrow's success while competing today.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on two main challenges related to destination choice in the context of climate change: tourists encounter a rather unique decision context, as their decision to visit is completely voluntary, and predicting visitor reactions to climate change enters uncharted waters as clients have not encountered these situations before.
Fear on the move: predator hunting mode predicts variation in prey mortality and plasticity in prey spatial response
Authors: Miller Jennifer R. B. , Ament Judith M. , Schmitz Oswald J.
Published: June 2013

Ecologists have long searched for a framework ofa priorispecies traits to help predict predator–prey interactions in food webs. Empirical evidence has shown that predator hunting mode and predator and prey habitat domain are useful traits for explaining predator–prey interactions. Yet, individual experiments have yet to replicate predator hunting mode, calling into question whether predator impacts can be attributed to hunting mode or merely species identity.

We tested the effects of spider predators with sit‐and‐wait, sit‐and‐pursue and active hunting modes on grasshopper habitat domain, activity and mortality in a grassland system. We replicated hunting mode by testing two spider predator species of each hunting mode on the same grasshopper prey species. We observed grasshoppers with and without each spider species in behavioural cages and measured their mortality rates, movements and habitat domains. We likewise measured the movements and habitat domains of spiders to characterize hunting modes.

We found that predator hunting mode explained grasshopper mortality and spider and grasshopper movement activity and habitat domain size. Sit‐and‐wait spider predators covered small distances over a narrow domain space and killed fewer grasshoppers than sit‐and‐pursue and active predators, which ranged farther distances across broader domains and killed more grasshoppers, respectively. Prey adjusted their activity levels and horizontal habitat domains in response to predator presence and hunting mode: sedentary sit‐and‐wait predators with narrow domains caused grasshoppers to reduce activity in the same‐sized domain space; more mobile sit‐and‐pursue predators with broader domains caused prey to reduce their activity within a contracted horizontal (but not vertical) domain space; and highly mobile active spiders led grasshoppers to increase their activity across the same domain area. All predators impacted prey activity, and sit‐and‐pursue predators generated strong effects on domain size.

This study demonstrates the validity of utilizing hunting mode and habitat domain for predicting predator–prey interactions. Results also highlight the importance of accounting for flexibility in prey movement ranges as an anti‐predator response rather than treating the domain as a static attribute.
EDITOR'S CHOICE: Evaluating marine spatial closures with conflicting fisheries and conservation objectives
Authors: Dichmont Catherine M. , Ellis Nick , Bustamante Rodrigo H. , Deng Roy , Tickell Sharon , Pascual Ricardo , Lozano‐Montes Hector , Griffiths Shane
Published: June 2013

Spatial management is used extensively in natural resource management to address sustainability and biodiversity issues, for example through declaration of terrestrial National Parks and marine protected areas (MPAs).

Spatial management is used also to optimize yields or protect key parts of the life cycle of species that are utilized (hunted, farmed or fished), for example through rotational harvesting.

To evaluate the effectiveness of marine spatial closures with conflicting fisheries and conservation objectives, a series of marine fisheries closures are here analysed using an integrative modelling tool known as management strategy evaluation (MSE).

This modelling framework combines a food web model of a tropical ecosystem fished by a prawn (shrimp) fishery that emulates the resource being managed, together with the present management system and risk‐based tools of fishing the prawn species at maximum economic yield.

A series of spatial closures are designed and tested with the aim of investigating trade‐offs among biodiversity (MPA), benthic impacts, ecosystem function, key species at risk to fishing, economic and sustainability objectives.

Synthesis and applications. This paper illustrates that existing tools often available in actively managed fisheries can be linked together into an effective management strategy evaluation framework. Spatial closures tended to succeed with respect to their specific design objective, but this benefit did not necessarily flow to other broad‐scale objectives. This demonstrates that there is no single management tool which satisfies all objectives, and that a suite of management tools is needed.
Use of Spatial Communication in Aphasia
Authors: Johnson Sarah , Cocks Naomi , Dipper Lucy
Published: June 2013

Background

Spatial communication consists of both verbal spatial language and gesture. There has been minimal research investigating the use of spatial communication, and even less focussing on people with aphasia.

Aims

The aims of this exploratory study were to describe the frequency and variability of spatial language and gesture use by three participants with aphasia in comparison to nine control participants. This included: 1) frequency of gestures; 2) types of gesture; 3) number of spatial descriptions described by gestures but no language; and 4) frequency and variety of locative prepositional, verb, and noun phrases.

Methods & Procedures

Each participant was videoed undertaking 11 spatial communication tasks: four description tasks, and seven tasks involving directing the researcher in the placement of objects or pictures. Gestures and language produced were transcribed and analysed.

Outcomes & Results

Participants with aphasia used significantly more gesture. Participants with aphasia also used more gesture without spoken phrases when spatial vocabulary was unavailable. Finally, there were differences between the participants with regards to the types of gesture that they used when they were unable to access language.

Conclusion & Implications

The results suggest that the analysis of gesture produced by people with aphasia may provide insight into their underlying language impairment. As this was an exploratory study, with just three participants with aphasia, further research is needed.
Food Waste Bins: Bridging Infrastructures and Practices
Authors: Metcalfe Alan , Riley Mark , Barr Stewart , Tudor Terry , Robinson Guy , Guilbert Steve
Published: June 2013

Recent years have seen an increasing number of councils begin separate food waste collections from domestic premises, a change that has resulted in householders having to sort food waste and keep it in separate bins until collection. Yet bins – of any kind – have been subject to little investigation, despite being a central element of the waste infrastructure. This paper attends to this omission by examining food bins. First of all, it explores the ways that bins have agency through an exploration of how their presence has affected waste practices. We find that their agency is three-fold: it is symbolic, relational and, importantly, material – an aspect which has been overlooked all too often in analyses of material culture and consumption. Secondly, we show how this material agency can be troubling: we explore how this agency is managed by households through practices of accommodation and resistance. Examining the food bin's agency and how it is consumed gives an insight into the implementation of, and engagement with, waste policy ‘on the ground’. This allows us to make some suggestions for how to improve the implementation of this policy. This paper also opens up two new areas of study: first, a more sustained and developed exploration of bins, giving some pointers as to other possible issues. Secondly, and more broadly, the paper examines the extent to which the objects that materialize policy can be useful in the implementation of that policy, especially if the policy seeks ‘behaviour change’.
A ‘Lasting Transformation’ of Capitalist Surplus: From Food Stocks to Feedstocks
Authors: O'Brien Martin
Published: June 2013

In this article I link surplus food with the politics of capitalist production and consumption in order to shed some useful light on the strange case of food not being food once it has been discarded but not thrown away. I develop an analysis of waste policy as a dimension of capitalist surplus management (after Sweezy, 1962 ) by reconfiguring Claus Offe's (1984) essay on the state and social policy and construe waste policy as effecting a ‘lasting transformation’ of non-accumulating capital into accumulating capital. My intention is to provide a sketch of the labyrinthine semantic and political structures emerging around waste (in general) and waste food (in particular). I show that transforming waste food into capitalist surplus is a multi-layered and multi-stranded endeavour embedded in larger political, economic and cultural arrangements and cosmologies. I undertake this analysis of the transformation of waste into surplus by exploring, first, waste as an imaginary construct; second, the strange case of discarded food not being ‘discarded’ (and not being ‘food’, either); third, the convoluted cosmology of European waste policy; and, fourth, aspects of political sociology which help to reveal the status of waste as a source of capital accumulation. I conclude by proposing a sociological account of food waste that situates the critique of excess not in the ignorant, sordid voraciousness of individual citizens but in the structures and institutions of capitalist accumulation.
Has SOX Enhanced Non–Big 4 Auditors' Ability to Deal with Client Pressure?
Authors: Kao Jennifer L. , Li Yan , Zhang Wenjun
Published: June 2013

We investigate whether non–Big 4 auditors have enhanced their ability to resist client pressure over accrual reporting following the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOX). Regressing abnormal accruals on proxies for economic bonding, we find that changes in the association, defined as (Post–Pre), are significantly negative, implying an improvement in auditor independence after SOX. Among non–Big 4 auditors, only Tier 3 auditors compromised reporting objectivity before SOX, but neither Tier 2 nor Tier 3 auditors yielded to client pressure after SOX. Evidence that these two groups of non–Big 4 auditors differ in the way they cope with client pressure in a loose regulatory regime highlights the importance of assessing the efficacy of SOX separately for subsets of auditors and contributes to an understanding of the underresearched, but inherently important, segment of the audit market served by non–Big 4 auditors. Further analysis indicates that the low pre‐SOX audit quality observed in the full sample is driven by non–PCAOB registrants.
Genetic Resistance to Liver Fibrosis on A/J Mouse Chromosome 17
Authors: DeSantis David A. , Lee Peter , Doerner Stephanie K. , Ko Chih‐Wei , Kawasoe Jean H. , Hill‐Baskin Annie E. , Ernest Sheila R. , Bhargava Prerna , Hur Kyu Yeon , Cresci Gail A. , Pritchard Michele T. , Lee Chih‐Hao , Nagy Laura E. , Nadeau Joseph H. , Croniger Colleen M.
Published: June 2013

Background

Because the histological and biochemical progression of liver disease is similar in alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), we hypothesized that the genetic susceptibility to these liver diseases would be similar. To identify potential candidate genes that regulate the development of liver fibrosis, we studied a chromosome substitution strain (CSS‐17) that contains chromosome 17 from the A/J inbred strain substituted for the corresponding chromosome on the C57BL/6J (B6) genetic background. Previously, we identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in CSS‐17, namely obesity‐resistant QTL 13 and QTL 15 (Obrq13 and Obrq15, respectively), that were associated with protection from diet‐induced obesity and hepatic steatosis on a high‐fat diet.

Methods

To test whether these or other CSS‐17 QTLs conferred resistance to alcohol‐induced liver injury and fibrosis, B6, A/J, CSS‐17, and congenics 17C‐1 and 17C‐6 were either fed Lieber–DeCarli ethanol (EtOH)‐containing diet or had carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administered chronically.

Results

The congenic strain carrying Obrq15 showed resistance from alcohol‐induced liver injury and liver fibrosis, whereas Obrq13 conferred susceptibility to liver fibrosis. From published deep sequencing data for chromosome 17 in the B6 and A/J strains, we identified candidate genes in Obrq13 and Obrq15 that contained single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region or within the gene itself. NADPH oxidase organizer 1 (Noxo1) and NLR family, CARD domain containing 4 (Nlrc4) showed altered hepatic gene expression in strains with the A/J allele at the end of the EtOH diet study and after CCl4 treatment.

Conclusions

Aspects of the genetics for the progression of ASH are unique compared to NASH, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms for the progression of disease are at least partially distinct. Using these CSSs, we identified 2 candidate genes, Noxo1 and Nlrc4, which modulate genetic susceptibility in ASH.
HPV genotypes in invasive cervical cancer in Danish women
Authors: Kirschner Benny , Junge Jette , Holl Katsiaryna , Rosenlund Mats , Collas de Souza Sabrina , Quint Wim , Molijn Anco , Jenkins David , Schledermann Doris
Published: June 2013

Objective

Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distribution in invasive cervical cancers may differ by geographic region. The primary objective of this study was to estimate HPV‐genotype distribution in Danish women with a diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer.

Design

Observational, cross‐sectional.

Population

Danish data from a multi‐center study undertaken in 12 European countries.

Methods

A total of 342 archived fixed tissue samples with diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer from the Departments of Pathology in the University Hospitals in Hvidovre and Odense, Denmark, were anonymized and shipped to a central laboratory for histopathology review and PCR testing for HPV DNA. A standardized HPV‐test methodology was used to enable comparison of HPV‐type distribution.

Main outcome measures

Occurrence of HPV genotypes in Danish women with cervical cancer.

Results

There were 261 samples evaluated as histologically adequate and 251 (96%) of these were HPV‐positive (HPV+). The most frequent diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma (78.9% of histological adequate and 79.3% of HPV+). Adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma and other types were found in 14.9, 3.4 and 2.7% of the histologically adequate group and 14.7, 3.6 and 2.4% of the HPV+ group, respectively. In 92.8% of HPV+ women only a single HPV type was diagnosed. HPV‐type distribution in the latter population was as follows: HPV‐16: 62.2%; HPV‐18: 14.6%; HPV‐33: 6.9%; HPV‐45: 6.4% and HPV‐31: 3.4%. Of the HPV+ women, 6.4% were diagnosed with multiple HPV types and 0.8% had unknown HPV types.

Conclusion

HPV‐16 and ‐18 are detected in 74.3% of Danish women with diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer, while HPV‐16, ‐18, ‐31, ‐33, ‐45 and 58 are detected in 90.0% of women with invasive cervical disease.