bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel compound data classification method and its application in fault diagnosis of rolling bearings
Authors: Sun Anxin , Che Ying
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a fault diagnosis method for rolling bearings. Rolling bearings are widely used in industrial appliances, and their fault diagnosis is of great importance and has drawn more and more attention. Based on the common failure mechanism of failure modes of rolling bearings, this paper proposes a novel compound data classification method based on the discrete wavelet transform and the support vector machine (SVM) and applies it in the fault diagnosis of rolling bearings.

Design/methodology/approach

Vibration signal contains large quantity of information of bearing status and this paper uses various types of wavelet base functions to perform discrete wavelet transform of vibration and denoise. Feature vectors are constructed based on several time-domain indices of the denoised signal. SVM is then used to perform classification and fault diagnosis. Then the optimal wavelet base function is determined based on the diagnosis accuracy.

Findings

Experiments of fault diagnosis of rolling bearings are carried out and wavelet functions in several wavelet families were tested. The results show that the SVM classifier with the db4 wavelet base function in the db wavelet family has the best fault diagnosis accuracy.

Originality/value

This method provides a practical candidate for the fault diagnosis of rolling bearings in the industrial applications.
Improving service responsiveness and delivery efficiency of retail networks
Authors: Chhetri Prem , Kam Booi , Hung Lau Kwok , Corbitt Brian , Cheong France
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how a retail distribution network can be rationalised from a spatial perspective to improve service responsiveness and delivery efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies spatial analytics to examine variability of demand, both spatially and from a service delivery perspective, for an auto-parts retail network. Spatial analytics are applied to map the location of stores and customers to represent demand and service delivery patterns and to delineate market areas.

Findings

Results show significant spatial clustering in customer demand; whilst the delivery of products to customers, in contrast, is spatially dispersed. There is a substantial gap between revenue generated and costs. Market area analysis shows significant overlap, whereby stores compete with each other for business. In total, 80 per cent of customers can be reached within a 15-minute-radius, whilst only 20 per cent lies outside the market areas. Segmentation analysis of customers, based on service delivery, also shows the prevalence of the Pareto principle or 80:20 rule whereby 80 per cent of the revenue is generated by 20 per cent of customers.

Practical implications

Spatially integrated strategies are suggested to improve the efficiency of the retail network. It is recommended that less accessible and unprofitable customers could be either charged extra delivery cost or outsourced without the risk of a substantial reduction in revenue or quality of service delivery.

Originality/value

Innovative application of spatial analytics is used to analyse and visualise unit-record sales data to generate practical solutions to improve retail network responsiveness and operational efficiency.
How transformational leadership facilitates e-business adoption
Authors: Alos-Simo Lirios , Verdu-Jover Antonio J. , Gomez-Gras Jose-Maria
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine theoretically and empirically what type of leadership facilitates e-business adoption in large manufacturing firms. The digital transformation of firms requires leadership that can promote the adaptive quality of organizational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an empirical study using two key informants from a sample of 181 incumbent firms.

Findings

The authors find significant evidence that adaptive culture is the vehicle by which transformational leaders positively influence e-business adoption.

Originality/value

Given the digital economy’s external pressures, many e-business adoption processes fail due to organizational factors originating in leadership and its capability to change followers’ values, norms, and motivations. To solve this problem, the authors propose a model that explains how transformational leadership first plays a key role in changing characteristics of culture and then facilitates e-business adoption.
Revenue sharing contract coordination of wind turbine order policy and aftermarket service based on joint effort
Authors: Liang Ling , Xie Jiaping , Liu Luhao , Xia Yu
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how wind farms attract wind turbine manufacturers to get involved in wind turbines’ maintenance service with revenue sharing contract of bundled service under which the background of operation and maintenance (O&M) aftermarket of wind turbine exists. The authors also try to extend the results to the application of product plus service business mode on large-scale equipment O&M service. At present, Chinese wind power industry is suffering from production capacity redundancy. The profit levels for both wind farm and wind turbine manufacturers are relatively low. It is significant for Chinese wind power industry development to coordinate the supply chain of wind power in order to reduce O&M costs and increase revenues.

Design/methodology/approach

The present paper discusses product plus aftermarket service contract design on the background of closed-loop product service chain and uncertain equipment demand using revenue sharing contract model.

Findings

If centralized decision making is assumed, the authors find that the wind turbine order increases as the aftermarket service effort level and aftermarket service profit increase; aftermarket service effort level is positively correlative to the service efficiency. On the other hand, if decentralized decision making is assumed, the wind turbine order increases as share of the aftermarket service chain by manufacturer to wind farm increases and share of product supply chain by wind farm to manufacturer decreases. The optimal effort level of wind farm increases as the share of aftermarket service chain increases while the optimal effort level of the manufacturer is a concave function of share of aftermarket service chain if service quality linear correlates with effort level. Meanwhile, the authors find that the revenues of the product supply chain and aftermarket service chain have a concave relationship. This relationship is not affected by the format of relationship between service quality and effort level (linear or exponential).

Practical implications

The results could potentially be used to provide the wind turbine manufacturer with a greater profit space and satisfy wind farm’s equipment maintenance demand at the same time. It can also guide the practice of revenue sharing in the aftermarket service and manufacturing servitization.

Originality/value

In this model, the authors assumed that both the forward revenue sharing of power generation by wind farm to manufacturer and the backward revenue sharing of maintenance service by the manufacturer to wind farm exist in closed-loop product service chain. Then the authors discussed channel coordination of such cross-revenue sharing contract.
Dynamic customer preference analysis for product portfolio identification using sequential pattern mining
Authors: Yu Li , Zhang Zaifang , Shen Jin
Published: March 2017

Purpose

In the initial stage of product design, product portfolio identification (PPI) aims to translate customer needs (CNs) into product specifications (PSs). This is an essential task, since understanding what customers really want is at the center of product design. However, design information is incomplete and design knowledge is minimal during this stage. Furthermore, PPI is often a confusing and frustrating task, especially when customer preferences are changing rapidly. To facilitate the task, the purpose of this paper is to capture the time-sensitive mapping relationship between CNs and PSs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a design sequential pattern mining model to uncover implicit but valuable knowledge from chronological transaction records. First, CNs and PSs from these records are transformed and connected according to the transaction time. Second, procedures such as litemset generation, data transformation and pattern mining are conducted based on the AprioriAll algorithm. Third, the uncovered patterns are modified and applied by engineers.

Findings

Using the retrieved patterns, engineers can keep up with the dynamics of customer preferences with regard to different PSs.

Research limitations/implications

Computational experiments on a case study of customization of desktop computers show that the proposed method is capable of extracting useful sequential patterns from a design database.

Originality/value

Considering the times tamps of the transactions, a sequential pattern mining-based method is proposed to extract valuable patterns. These patterns can help engineers identify market trends and the correlation among PSs.
A UAE case study: experiential learning through effective educational partnerships
Authors: Minhas Wasif , Perret Jo
Published: March 2017

Purpose

One of the largest higher education institutes (HEI) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and another public sector organization (PSO) responsible for promoting heritage, history and culture in the tourism sector formed an informal partnership in 2012. The purpose of this paper is to give Emirati students an opportunity to undertake projects based on their heritage, communities and develop their skills by experiencing “learning by doing.”

Design/methodology/approach

Projects briefs were provided by the PSO and followed the curriculum requirements of first year bachelor programs. In February 2013, faculty from different departments within the HEI met with PSO representative to explore how both organizations could collaborate. The conversation also focused on how the PSO could take advantage of readily available resources of creativity and innovation at the HEI. An innovative, cross-discipline, joint-marketing project was developed in line with the curriculum and PSO needs. By June, 2013, all students had undertaken projects which led toward developing recommendations and materials to promote the brief from PSO of “Raising Awareness” and “Increasing Visitor Numbers.”

Findings

Students from different disciplines produced different elements to meet the brief; however, they all followed a similar approach of research, analysis and evaluation. Although such projects are difficult to manage, staff found they had a profound effect on students’ motivation, personal development and overall learning experience.

Originality/value

This case study provides an insight into how experiential learning can be fostered through educational partnerships in the UAE context and beyond. It also highlights the importance of technology and informal relationships between partnering institutions.
Business streamlining – an integrated model of service sourcing
Authors: Molin Jonas , Åge Lars-Johan
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purchasing of services is a significantly under-researched area. The purpose of this study is to suggest a conceptual model of service sourcing relationships, including the post-contract phase.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology involving two longitudinal case studies that were analyzed with a grounded theory approach to build a conceptual model was applied.

Findings

The proposed model consists of a core process that is termed “business streamlining” and denotes the process by which four interrelated dimensions are managed to making the business processes of the buying organization simpler and more effective and/or productive.

Research limitations/implications

Although the research methodology is qualitative and does not allow statistical generalization, the study does provide valuable insights into the management of the service sourcing process.

Practical implications

The model proposed in this study can be utilized by managers to impose a useful conceptual structure on otherwise fluid and intangible processes, which makes them easier to analyze and facilitates strategic corporate decision-making.

Originality/value

The paper proposes a model that grasps the dynamics and reality of service (out-) sourcing relationships, including the ongoing relationship management process.
Tracing the evolution of purchasing research: future trends and directions for purchasing practices
Authors: Mogre Riccardo , Lindgreen Adam , Hingley Martin
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This conceptual paper details the evolution of purchasing research and describes the increasing integration of purchasing with other strategic functions to identify key trends in purchasing practices together with their implications for purchasing research.

Design/methodology/approach

This study takes a conceptual approach and reviews prior literature to describe the field and predict future developments.

Findings

Purchasing is increasingly integrated with different business functions, such as strategy, marketing, decision-making and supply chain management. Key real-world trends include sustainable and ethical purchasing, purchasing in the digital economy, supply chain risk management and public sector purchasing. These trends suggest both avenues for further research and specific methodologies to pursue them.

Originality/value

By providing a comprehensive overview of the trends in purchasing practice and research, this study offers unique insights, especially for researchers who seek to continue expanding the field.
Trust in marketing’s use of information from sales: the moderating role of power
Authors: Keszey Tamara , Biemans Wim
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to improve marketing managers’ use of information from sales. The authors propose and empirically test the link between cross-functional trust and marketing’s use of information from sales, and whether this effect is contingent on marketing’s power within the firm.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 338 large-scale Hungarian firms. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap procedures were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The effect of cross-functional trust on marketing managers’ use of sales information is fully mediated by sales–marketing integration and marketing’s perception of information quality. However, the power of marketing within the firm moderates this mediating relationship.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides empirical evidence concerning the mediating mechanisms of transferring cross-functional trust to marketing’s successful use of information from sales. The findings imply that cross-functional trust can improve marketing managers’ use of sales information of firms with powerful marketing units by facilitating integration, whereas it can improve the use of sales information of firms with low marketing power by improving marketing managers’ perception of information quality from sales.

Originality/value

This is the first study that models and empirically investigates marketing managers’ use of information collected by sales. The current study conceptually links and advances extant knowledge on the literatures on the sales–marketing interface and utilization of market information at the individual level and increases the understanding of how cross-functional trust contributes to information use under different contingencies of marketing power.
The effects of organizational commitment and structural empowerment on patient safety culture
Authors: Horwitz Sujin K. , Horwitz Irwin B.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between patient safety culture and two attitudinal constructs: affective organizational commitment and structural empowerment. In doing so, the main and interaction effects of the two constructs on the perception of patient safety culture were assessed using a cohort of physicians.

Design/methodology/approach

Affective commitment was measured with the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, whereas structural empowerment was assessed with the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II. The abbreviated versions of these surveys were administered to a cohort of 71 post-doctoral medical residents. For the data analysis, hierarchical regression analyses were performed for the main and interaction effects of affective commitment and structural empowerment on the perception of patient safety culture.

Findings

A total of 63 surveys were analyzed. The results revealed that both affective commitment and structural empowerment were positively related to patient safety culture. A potential interaction effect of the two attitudinal constructs on patient safety culture was tested but no such effect was detected.

Research limitations/implications

This study suggests that there are potential benefits of promoting affective commitment and structural empowerment for patient safety culture in health care organizations. By identifying the positive associations between the two constructs and patient safety culture, this study provides additional empirical support for Kanter’s theoretical tenet that structural and organizational support together helps to shape the perceptions of patient safety culture.

Originality/value

Despite the wide recognition of employee empowerment and commitment in organizational research, there has still been a paucity of empirical studies specifically assessing their effects on patient safety culture in health care organizations. To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between structural empowerment as proposed by Kanter and the culture of patient safety using physicians.
Divide and conquer: the Pseudomonas aeruginosa two‐component hybrid SagS enables biofilm formation and recalcitrance of biofilm cells to antimicrobial agents via distinct regulatory circuits
Authors: Petrova Olga E. , Gupta Kajal , Liao Julie , Goodwine James S. , Sauer Karin
Published: March 2017

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms antimicrobial resistant biofilms through sequential steps requiring several two‐component regulatory systems. The sensor‐regulator hybrid SagS plays a central role in biofilm development by enabling the switch from the planktonic to the biofilm mode of growth, and by facilitating the transition of biofilm cells to a highly tolerant state. However, the mechanism by which SagS accomplishes both functions is unknown. SagS harbours a periplasmic sensory HmsP, and phosphorelay HisKA and Rec domains. SagS domain was used as constructs and site‐directed mutagenesis to elucidate how SagS performs its dual functions. It was demonstrated that HisKA‐Rec and the phospho‐signalling between SagS and BfiS contribute to the switch to the biofilm mode of growth, but not to the tolerant state. Instead, expression of SagS domain constructs harbouring HmsP rendered ΔsagS biofilm cells as recalcitrant to antimicrobial agents as wild‐type biofilms, likely by restoring BrlR production and cellular c‐di‐GMP levels to wild‐type levels. Restoration of biofilm tolerance by HmsP was independent of biofilm biomass accumulation, RsmA, RsmYZ, HptB and BfiSR‐downstream targets. Our findings thus suggest that SagS likely makes use of a “divide‐and‐conquer” mechanism to regulate its dual switch function, by activating two distinct regulatory networks via its individual domains.
Ancestral Variation in Orbital Rim Shape: A Three‐Dimensional Pilot Study
Authors: Rubin Katie M. , DeLeon Valerie B.
Published: March 2017

Traditional nonmetric methods of ancestry assessment posit orbital rim shape varies among ancestral groups. This pilot study uses morphometric analysis of 3D orbital variation to test discrimination among individuals of primarily European, African, and Asian ancestry. Although the size and nature of the sample analyzed limit inferences for other samples, principal components analysis suggests ancestry has a significant effect on rim shape (p = 2.93e‐04). European orbits display more marked folding of the orbit in the sagittal plane than either African or Asian orbits, while the lateral margin of African orbits lies further posterior relative to the medial margin when compared to Asian orbits. The findings suggest curviplanar relationships are the most ancestrally informative aspect of orbital rim shape; these relationships may be distorted by perspective based on orientation of the skull relative to the viewer in traditional nonmetric analyses. Additional studies on geometric morphometric approaches to ancestry assessment are therefore warranted.
Turning in mid‐air allows aphids that flee the plant to avoid reaching the risky ground
Authors: MERESMAN Yonatan , BEN‐ARI Matan , INBAR Moshe
Published: March 2017

When forced to drop from the plant, flightless arboreal insects can avoid reaching the risky ground by maneuvering their body through the air. When wingless pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) are threatened by natural enemies, they often drop off their host plant while assuming a stereotypic posture that rotates them in mid‐air, aligning them with their feet pointing downwards. This position may increase their chances of re‐clinging onto lower plant parts and avoid facing the dangers on the ground, although its effectiveness in realistic field conditions has not been tested. We performed both laboratory and outdoor experiments, in which we dropped aphids upon host plants to quantify clinging success in plants with different characteristics such as height and leaf size. Live aphids had twofold higher clinging rates than dead ones, indicating that clinging success is indeed affected by the active aerial‐righting of dropping aphids. The ability to cling was positively dependent on the plants' foliage cover as viewed in vertical direction from above. Therefore, we released aphids in commercial alfalfa (Medicago sativa) fields with varying plant heights and foliage cover and induced them to drop. Most (up to 75%) of the aphids avoided reaching the ground in taller plants (65 cm), and 17% in shorter plants (21 cm), demonstrating the efficiency of the aphids' response in averting risks: both those of an approaching enemy on the plant and the plethora of new risks on the ground. Evidently, even in complex field environment, the aerial‐righting mechanism can substantially reduce the possible risks following escape from a predator.
Prevalence of co‐morbidities and evaluation of their monitoring in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with the results of an international, cross‐sectional study (COMORA)
Authors: Choi In Ah , Park Sung Hwan , Cha Hoon‐Suk , Park Won , Kim Hyun Ah , Yoo Dae‐Hyun , Baek Han Joo , Lee Seong Geun , Lee Yun Jong , Park Yong Bum , Shim Seung‐Cheol , Hmamouchi Ihsane , Song Yeong Wook
Published: March 2017

Aim

We designed this study to evaluate the prevalence of comorbidities, their monitoring states and association with treatment medication in Korean rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared with patients from other countries.

Methods

We analyzed 1050 RA patients from 11 Korean centers and compared them with 3520 patients from 16 other countries using an international, cross‐sectional study evaluating comorbidities of RA (COMORA) database.

Results

Annual evaluations of cardiovascular (CV) risk were less frequently performed in Korea (P = 0.0011). The prevalence of CV‐associated morbidity was similar between Korean and international RA patients, although the proportions of current smokers, patients with a family history of CV disease, patients with hyperlipidemia, and patients with Framingham score > 20% were significantly lower in Korea (P < 0.0001 for all), and the antiplatelet agents were more optimally used in Korea (P = 0.0004). Prostate cancer screening was less frequently performed compared to other countries (P < 0.0001). Less than 10% of Korean RA patients were given influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations according to current recommendations.

Conclusions

There are differences in the prevalence of comorbidities and monitoring states of the risk factors between patients in Korea and in other countries. The prevalence of CV morbidity was similar between the two groups although the prevalence of CV risk factors was significantly low in Korea, suggesting that rheumatologists in Korea need to pay more attention to yearly CV risk monitoring, in addition to the screening of malignancy and vaccination of RA patients against infectious diseases.
Recursivity by Organizational Design: The Case of the Forest Stewardship Council
Authors: Malets Olga
Published: March 2017

This article examines recursive processes in the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a nonstate forest standard‐setting and accreditation organization. The FSC has developed numerous organizational structures and procedures that help it pool and analyze stakeholder input and feedback in standard‐setting and implementation. We conceptualize recursive processes of stakeholder input and feedback and organizational responsiveness as recursivity by design. The article focuses on organizational legitimacy as a driver of recursive processes. The FSC's extensive participation procedures and structures present opportunities for incorporating stakeholder input and feedback in standard‐setting and make it a responsive, legitimate, and effective governance scheme. It also enables the FSC to deal with challenges to its legitimacy and effectiveness. Whereas challenges associated with stakeholder participation and on‐the‐ground standard implementation are conceptualized in the literature as sources of organizational fragility and crisis, we argue that FSC's recursive structures help it accommodate criticism of and information about its performance and adjust its system to continuously emerging demands for more credibility and quality.
Acute Coronary Syndrome Screening and Diagnostic Practice Variation
Authors: Yiadom Maame Yaa A. B. , Liu Xulei , McWade Conor M. , Liu Dandan , Storrow Alan B. ,   and the ED Operations Study Group 2015
Published: March 2017

Background

In the absence of the existing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) guidelines directing the clinical practice implementation of emergency department (ED) screening and diagnosis, there is variable screening and diagnostic clinical practice across ED facilities. This practice diversity may be warranted. Understanding the variability may identify opportunities for more consistent practice.

Methods

This is a cross‐sectional clinical practice epidemiology study with the ED as the unit of analysis characterizing variability in the ACS evaluation across 62 diverse EDs. We explored three domains of screening and diagnostic practice: 1) variability in criteria used by EDs to identify patients for an early electrocardiogram (ECG) to diagnose ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 2) nonuniform troponin biomarker and formalized pre‐troponin risk stratification use for the diagnosis of non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and 3) variation in the use of noninvasive testing (NIVT) to identify obstructive coronary artery disease or detect inducible ischemia.

Results

We found that 85% of EDs utilize a formal triage protocol to screen patients for an early ECG to diagnose STEMI. Of these, 17% use chest pain as the sole criteria. For the diagnosis of NSTEMI, 58% use intervals ≥4 hours for a second troponin and 34% routinely risk stratify before troponin testing. For the diagnosis of noninfarction ischemia, the median percentage of patients who have NIVT performed during their ED visit is 5%. The median percentage of patients referred for NIVT in hospital (observation or admission) is 61%. Coronary CT angiography is used in 66% of EDs. Exercise treadmill testing is the most frequently reported first‐line NIVT (42%).

Conclusion

Our results suggest highly variable ACS screening and clinical practice.
An atlas and analysis of bovine skeletal muscle long noncoding RNAs
Authors: Liu X. F. , Ding X. B. , Li X. , Jin C. F. , Yue Y. W. , Li G. P. , Guo H.
Published: March 2017

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have various biological functions and have been extensively studied in recent years. However, the identification and characterization of bovine lncRNAs in skeletal muscle has been very limited compared with that of lncRNAs in other model organisms. In this study, 7188 bovine skeletal muscle lncRNAs were identified by RNA‐Seq and a stringent screening procedure in four different muscle tissues. These lncRNAs shared many characteristics with other mammalian lncRNAs, such as a shorter open reading frame and lower expression level than for mRNAs. Furthermore, the chromosomal locations and global expression patterns for these lncRNAs are also described in detail. More importantly, we detected the important interaction relationships of lncRNAs–miRNAs–mRNAs related to muscle development among 36 lncRNAs, 62 miRNAs and 12 mRNAs. Our results provide a global expression pattern of lncRNAs specific to bovine skeletal muscle and provide important targets for revealing the function of bovine muscle development by thoroughly studying the interaction relationships of lncRNAs–miRNAs–mRNAs.
Ozone Prevents Cochlear Damage From Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury in Guinea Pigs
Authors: Onal Merih , Elsurer Cagdas , Selimoglu Nebil , Yilmaz Mustafa , Erdogan Ender , Bengi Celik Jale , Kal Oznur , Onal Ozkan
Published: March 2017

The cochlea is an end organ, which is metabolically dependent on a nutrient and oxygen supply to maintain its normal physiological function. Cochlear ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury is considered one of the most important causes of human idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The aim of the present study was to study the efficacy of ozone therapy against cochlear damage caused by IR injury and to investigate the potential clinical use of this treatment for sudden deafness. Twenty‐eight guinea pigs were randomized into four groups. The sham group (S) (n = 7) was administered physiological saline intraperitoneally (i.p.) for 7 days. The ozone group (O) (n = 7) was administered 1 mg/kg of ozone i.p. for 7 days. In the IR + O group (n = 7), 1 mg/kg of ozone was administered i.p. for 7 days before IR injury. On the eighth day, the IR + O group was subjected to cochlear ischemia for 15 min by occluding the bilateral vertebral artery and vein with a nontraumatic clamp and then reperfusion for 2 h. The IR group was subjected to cochlear IR injury. After the IR procedure, the guinea pigs were sacrificed on the same day. In a general histological evaluation, cochlear and spiral ganglionic tissues were examined with a light microscope, and apoptotic cells were counted by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. The apoptotic index (AI) was then calculated. Blood samples were sent for analyses of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), catalase, malondialdehyde (MDA), the total oxidant score (TOS), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Data were evaluated statistically using the Kruskal–Wallis test. The AI was highest in the IR group. The AI of the IR + O group was lower than that of the IR group. The biochemical antioxidant parameters SOD and GSH‐Px and the TAC values were highest in the O group and lowest in the IR group. The MDA level and TOS were highest in the IR group and lowest in the O group. Controlled ozone administration stimulated endogenous antioxidant defense systems, thereby helping the body to combat IR injury. Although this study revealed a statistically significant decrease in cochlear IR damage following ozone therapy, further studies will be necessary to explain the protective mechanisms of ozone therapy in cochlear IR injury.
Performance, structure and ideal identity: Reconceptualising teachers' engagement in online social spaces
Authors: Robson James
Published: March 2017

In recent years, teachers have turned to online social spaces for peer‐to‐peer interaction in increasing numbers. This online engagement has been highlighted by both practitioners and academics as having important implications for teachers' professional learning and development. However, there is a need to move beyond instrumental discourses that simply discuss engagement and technology in terms of costs and benefits, and analyse the complex social contexts in which engagement takes place. Therefore, presenting data from a digital ethnography of three online social spaces used by teachers, this paper uses professional identity as an analytical framework in order to understand teachers' online engagement in holistic terms in a way that acknowledges the messy social realities in which teachers work. It then presents a new theoretical framework for conceptualising teachers' professional identity that develops the concept of embedded ideal identity and takes into account context, social complexity, structure and agency.
A study into the effectiveness of a postural care training programme aimed at improving knowledge, understanding and confidence in parents and school staff
Authors: Hotham S. , Hamilton‐West K. E. , Hutton E. , King A. , Abbott N.
Published: March 2017

Background

Parents and school staff lack knowledge and confidence when providing postural care to physically disabled children. This can act as a barrier to the successful implementation of therapy. To address this problem, we developed a novel training programme to improve knowledge and confidence in providing postural care and evaluate the impact of the training programme in parents and school staff.

Methods

The postural care training programme included three elements: a 2‐h interactive workshop facilitated by physiotherapists and occupational therapists, a follow‐up home/school visit and a follow‐up telephone call. The Understanding, Knowledge and Confidence in Providing Postural Care for Children with Disabilities questionnaire was utilized to evaluate the impact and includes subscales assessing knowledge and understanding, concerns and confidence in providing postural care. The Understanding, Knowledge and Confidence in Providing Postural Care for Children with Disabilities questionnaire was completed at baseline and 6 weeks later. The training programme was delivered to N = 75 parents and school staff. Of these, N = 65 completed both baseline and follow‐up measures and were used in the data analysis. Participants and therapists were also invited to provide further feedback on the overall training programme via interviews and focus groups.

Results

Paired samples t‐tests were used to determine statistically significant differences between baseline and follow‐up scores for each of the three subscales. Mean levels of understanding and knowledge and confidence improved (P < 0.001), while concerns decreased (P < 0.001). Qualitative data were collected via interviews and group discussions providing an in‐depth perspective on how participants experienced change.

Discussion

Results suggest improvement in knowledge, understanding and confidence in parents and school staff that care for children with significant physical postural care impairments.
Youth‐Led Participatory Action Research: Overview and Potential for Enhancing Adolescent Development
Authors: Ozer Emily J.
Published: March 2017

In this article, I review youth‐led participatory action research (YPAR) as an innovative equity‐focused approach to promote adolescent health and well‐being. YPAR draws on the expertise of adolescents as they conduct research and improve conditions that support healthy development. Specifically, I explain the core principles and processes of YPAR, provide examples, discuss theoretical and empirical support for the effects of YPAR at many levels, and identify areas for research.
Citizens‐in‐Waiting, Deportees‐in‐Waiting: Power, Temporality, and Suffering in the U.S. Asylum System
Authors: Haas Bridget M.
Published: March 2017

This article explores how the interrelationship of power and temporality shapes the lived experiences and subjectivities of political asylum claimants in the United States. By lodging an asylum claim, migrants enter into a system that will, in effect, produce them as legitimate refugees deserving of protection or as illegitimate, “bogus” asylum seekers in need of expulsion. In this way, asylum claimants inhabit a dual positionality of citizen‐in‐waiting/deportee‐in‐waiting, as they often spend many years waiting for the adjudication of their cases. This article ethnographically analyzes how this dual positionality is inhabited by asylum claimants, producing novel forms of suffering and being‐in‐the‐world. More specifically, I argue that the asylum process evokes a sense of “existential limbo”: a subjective and temporal state of being in which the asylum system, in the present moment, is understood as the locus of suffering and in which life and meaning making are defined by a sense of immobility.
Forbidden Signs: Deafness and Language Socialization in Mexico City
Authors: Pfister Anne E.
Published: March 2017

Language socialization, the simultaneous process of learning language and culture, occurs spontaneously in most families. However, deaf children born to hearing parents cannot fully access the spoken languages of their families and hearing society. This study provides data illustrating that Mexico's therapeutic approach to language does not constitute language socialization for deaf children; simultaneously, it affirms that signing communities offer sites where deaf people can actively engage in this critical process. Mexican families with deaf children and deaf adults from the same community reflect upon their oralist upbringings and (1) depict the consequences of the therapeutic approach to language for Mexican deaf people and (2) illustrate how strictly oralist approaches did not constitute language socialization, and in fact, served to constrain these processes in ways that often came at a great linguistic, emotional, and educational cost to participants.

La socialización del lenguaje es un proceso simultáneo del aprendizaje del lenguaje y de la cultura, y ocurre espontáneamente en la mayoría de las familias. Sin embargo, los niños sordos que nacen a papás oyentes no pueden acceder completamente a los idiomas hablados de sus familias y de la sociedad oyente. Este studio de investigación proporciona datos que ilustran como el enfoque terapéutico mexicano del lenguaje no es igual a la socialización del lenguaje para los niños sordos. Simultáneamente, afirma que las comunidades donde se utiliza la lengua de señas ofrecen oportunidades y espacios para que gente sorda pueda participar activamente en el proceso crítico de la socialización del lenguaje. Las familias mexicanas con niños sordos y adultos sordos de la misma comunidad reflexionan sobre sus creencias oralistas y (1) representan las consecuencias del enfoque terapéutico del lenguaje para la gente sorda de México e (2) ilustran como un enfoque estrictamente oralista no constituye la socialización del lenguaje, y de hecho, sirve para constreñir estos procesos de tal forma que se producen daños en términos lingüísticos, emocionales, y educacionales para los participantes.
Human disturbance amplifies Amazonian El Niño–Southern Oscillation signal
Authors: Bush Mark B. , Correa‐Metrio Alexander , van Woesik Robert , Shadik Courtney R. , McMichael Crystal N. H.
Published: March 2017

The long‐term interaction between human activity and climate is subject to increasing scrutiny. Humans homogenize landscapes through deforestation, agriculture, and burning and thereby might reduce the capacity of landscapes to provide archives of climate change. Alternatively, land‐use change might overwhelm natural buffering and amplify latent climate signals, rendering them detectable. Here we examine a sub‐annually resolved sedimentary record from Lake Sauce in the western Amazonian lowlands that spans 6900 years. Finely‐laminated sediments were deposited from ca. 5000 years ago until the present, and human activity in the watershed was revealed through the presence of charcoal and maize agriculture. The laminations, analyzed for color content and bandwidth, showed distinctive changes that were coupled to more frequent occurrence of fossil maize pollen. As agricultural activity intensified ca. 2200 cal. BP, the 2‐ to 8‐year periodicity characteristic of El Niño–Southern Oscillation became evident in the record. These agricultural activities appeared to have amplified an existing, but subtle climatic signal that was previously absorbed by natural vegetation. When agricultural activity slowed, or land use around Lake Sauce changed at ca. 800 cal. BP, the signal of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity became erratic.
Relationship between cytokine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid and 11C‐Pittsburgh compound B retention in patients with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Abe Yoshitake , Kimura Noriyuki , Takahashi Ryuichi , Gotou Megumi , Mizukami Ken , Uchida Hirotatsu , Matsubara Etsuro
Published: March 2017

Aim

In the present study, we examined the relationship between cytokine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and 11C‐Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) retention in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Methods

A total of 33 participants (12 men and 21 women; mean age 76.5 years) with mild cognitive impairment underwent neuropsychological assessments, PiB positron emission tomography and analysis of cytokine levels in the CSF. The CSF levels of 48 cytokines and growth factors were measured using multiplex immunoassays. PiB retention was assessed based on a standardized uptake value ratio. Mild cognitive impairment participants were classified as PiB‐positive and PiB‐negative, with a cut‐off level of 1.4. We compared the CSF cytokine levels and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, including β‐amyloid 1–42, total tau and tau phosphorylated at threonine 181, between the two subgroups, and evaluated the correlation between PiB retention or CSF Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and CSF cytokine levels.

Results

Cytokine levels in the CSF did not differ between the two subgroups. Macrophage inflammatory protein‐1β levels in the CSF significantly correlated with PiB retention only in the PiB‐positive subgroup, whereas stem cell growth factor‐β levels significantly correlated with PiB retention in the PiB‐negative subgroup. Furthermore, stem cell growth factor‐β levels significantly correlated with total tau and tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 levels in only the PiB‐negative subgroup.

Conclusion

The present findings suggest that macrophage inflammatory protein‐1β and stem cell growth factor‐β are associated with chronic inflammatory processes accompanied by amyloid deposition or AD pathophysiology. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1907–1913.
Sertraline can reduce uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patient: A double blind randomized clinical trial from Southern Iran
Authors: Pakfetrat Maryam , Malekmakan Leila , Hashemi Noushin , Tadayon Taraneh
Published: March 2017

Introduction: Uremic pruritus is an undesirable complication of end stage renal disease (ESRD). In spite of introduction of many treatments for this complication, it has no certain cure. The aim of this study was to assess sertraline effect on uremic pruritus.

Methods: In the present clinical trial study, we randomly divided our patients into two groups; trial group that received sertraline and control group that consumed placebo. We measured the severity of pruritus by two scoring systems (visual analogue scale and DUO) at the beginning and during the study with a‐2‐week interval. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18.0 and a P value < 0.050 considered as significant.

Findings: The mean age of our patients was 44.1 ± 16.1 years. Pruritus intensity significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.001) and both scoring systems. Although the amount of decrease in trial group was significantly more than control group (P < 0.001). We found a direct relation between blood urea nitrogen and phosphorus and the degree of itching in VAS system (P < 0.009). There was a reverse significant relation between itching and calcium in both scoring systems (P < 0.012). Also pruritus intensity was directly correlated with C‐reactive protein in both scoring systems (P < 0.05).

Discussion: Depends on present study and previous ones, inflammation appears to play a significant role in uremic itching. Sertraline is an effective drug in reducing this complaint possibly due to its effect on reducing inflammatory cytokines. In addition there is no need to adjust sertraline dosage in patients with ESRD. Sertraline might be a treatment for patients with ESRD who do not respond to other routine drugs.
Numerical and functional responses of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo to prey abundance on a Scottish grouse moor
Authors: Francksen Richard M. , Whittingham Mark J. , Ludwig Sonja C. , Roos Staffan , Baines David
Published: March 2017

Predators will often respond to reductions in preferred prey by switching to alternative prey resources. However, this may not apply to all alternative prey groups in patchy landscapes. We investigated the demographic and aggregative numerical and functional responses of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo in relation to variations in prey abundance on a moor managed for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica in south‐west Scotland over three consecutive breeding and non‐breeding seasons. We predicted that predation of Red Grouse by Buzzards would increase when abundance of their preferred Field Vole Microtus agrestis prey declined. As vole abundance fluctuated, Buzzards responded functionally by eating voles in relation to their abundance, but they did not respond demographically in terms of either breeding success or density. During a vole crash year, Buzzards selected a wider range of prey typical of enclosed farmland habitats found on the moorland edge but fewer Grouse from the heather moorland. During a vole peak year, prey remains suggested a linear relationship between Grouse density and the number of Grouse eaten (a Type 1 functional response), which was not evident in either intermediate or vole crash years. Buzzard foraging intensity varied between years as vole abundance fluctuated, and foraging intensity declined with increasing heather cover. Our findings did not support the prediction that predation of Red Grouse would increase when vole abundance was low. Instead, they suggest that Buzzards predated Grouse incidentally while hunting for voles, which may increase when vole abundances are high through promoting foraging in heather moorland habitats where Grouse are more numerous. Our results suggest that declines in their main prey may not result in increased predation of all alternative prey groups when predators inhabit patchy landscapes. We suggest that when investigating predator diet and impacts on prey, knowledge of all resources and habitats that are available to predators is important.