bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why Does This Learner Perform Poorly on Tests? Using Self-Regulated Learning Theory to Diagnose the Problem and Implement Solutions
Authors: Andrews Mary A. , Kelly William F. , DeZee Kent J.
Published: November 2016

Problem

Learners who underperform on standardized tests are common throughout all levels of medical education and require considerable faculty time and effort to remediate. Current methods for remediating test-taking difficulties are typically not grounded in educational theory or supported by high-quality evidence.

Approach

A test-taking assessment was developed based on self-regulated learning (SRL) microanalytic assessment and training and used during academic year 2012–2013. This method assesses the SRL subprocesses of strategic planning, self-monitoring, causal attributions, and adaptive inferences during the educational task of answering test questions. The method was designed for one-on-one use by teacher and learner, and for learner self-assessment and practice.

Outcomes

At one academic institution, this method was used to categorize learners into struggling test-taker subtypes which correspond to deficiencies in the SRL subprocesses outlined above. A learning plan based on the SRL deficiency was developed for each struggling test-taker subtype. In a small number of internal medicine residents with low in-training examination scores, use of this method yielded improvements in 2013 in-training examination score that doubled the expected improvement based on historical averages.

Next Steps

This method is a novel application of SRL theory to a commonly encountered problem in medical education: the learner who performs poorly on tests. Large-scale, multicenter studies of medical learners at a variety of training levels and program types are needed to determine the effectiveness and generalizability of this intervention.
The Development and Evaluation of a Novel Instrument Assessing Residents’ Discharge Summaries
Authors: Hommos Musab S. , Kuperman Ethan F. , Kamath Aparna , Kreiter Clarence D.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To develop and determine the reliability of a novel measurement instrument assessing the quality of residents’ discharge summaries.

Method

In 2014, the authors created a discharge summary evaluation instrument based on consensus recommendations from national regulatory bodies and input from primary care providers at their institution. After a brief pilot, they used the instrument to evaluate discharge summaries written by first-year internal medicine residents (n = 24) at a single U.S. teaching hospital during the 2013–2014 academic year. They conducted a generalizability study to determine the reliability of the instrument and a series of decision studies to determine the number of discharge summaries and raters needed to achieve a reliable evaluation score.

Results

The generalizability study demonstrated that 37% of the variance reflected residents’ ability to generate an adequate discharge summary (true score variance). The decision studies estimated that the mean score from six discharge summary reviews completed by a unique rater for each review would yield a reliability coefficient of 0.75. Because of high interrater reliability, multiple raters per discharge summary would not significantly enhance the reliability of the mean rating.

Conclusions

This evaluation instrument reliably measured residents’ performance writing discharge summaries. A single rating of six discharge summaries can achieve a reliable mean evaluation score. Using this instrument is feasible even for programs with a limited number of inpatient encounters and a small pool of faculty preceptors.
Immunization Status of NICU Graduates at a Tertiary Care Children's Hospital
Authors: Macintosh Janelle L. B. , Huggins Leslie J. , Eden Lacey M. , Merrill Katreena Collette , Luthy Karlen E. (Beth)
Published: November 2016

Background:

Approximately 500,000 infants are born prematurely each year in the United States. Immunization of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) set a precedence for future immunizations.

Purposes:

The objectives of this study were to determine the current rates of immunization and identify variables associated with immunizations of NICU graduates who were aged 60 days or older at time of discharge.

Methods:

This descriptive pilot study utilized retrospective paper medical record review in one tertiary children's hospital. The relationships between immunization status and study variables were examined using t tests and logistic regression.

Results:

Of 43 infants discharged at least 60 days of age or older from the NICU, 74.4% were fully immunized in accordance with American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations. Significant predictors were age at discharge for immunization and steroid use for nonimmunization.

Implications for Practice:

Immunization needs to be a priority in order to give NICU infants every advantage regarding their future health status. Nurses need to implement hospital policies ensuring immunizations of NICU graduates.

Implications for Research:

Future studies should focus on samples from diverse hospitals and levels of NICUs. Qualitative studies exploring and describing parent and provider knowledge of current AAP guidelines will strengthen our understanding of potential barriers to immunization.
Exploring the Validity of Developing an Interdisciplinarity Score of a Patient's Needs: Care Coordination, Patient Complexity, and Patient Safety Indicators
Authors: Hodgson Ashley , Etzkorn Lacey , Everhart Alexander , Nooney Nicholas , Bestrashniy Jessica
Published: November 2016

Despite the Affordable Care Act's push to improve the coordination of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions, most measures of coordination quality focus on a specific moment in the care process (e.g., medication errors or transfer between facilities), rather than patient outcomes. One possible supplementary way of measuring the care coordination quality of a facility would be to identify the patients needing the most coordination, and to look at outcomes for that group. This paper lays the groundwork for a new measure of care coordination quality by outlining a conceptual framework that considers the interaction between a patient's interdisciplinarity, biological susceptibility, and procedural intensity. Interdisciplinarity captures the degree of specialized medical expertise needed for a patient's care and will be an important measure to estimate the number of specialists a patient might see. We then develop a preliminary measure of interdisciplinarity and run tests linking interdisciplinarity to medical mistakes, as defined by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Patient Safety Indicators. Finally, we use our preliminary measure to verify that interdisciplinarity is likely to be statistically different from existing measures of comorbidity, like the Charlson score. Future research will need to build upon our findings by developing a more statistically validated measure of interdisciplinarity.
Perceived Discrimination, Racial Identity, and Multisystem Stress Response to Social Evaluative Threat Among African American Men and Women
Authors: Lucas Todd , Wegner Rhiana , Pierce Jennifer , Lumley Mark A. , Laurent Heidemarie K. , Granger Douglas A.
Published: November 2016

Objective

Understanding individual differences in the psychobiology of the stress response is critical to grasping how psychosocial factors contribute to racial and ethnic health disparities. However, the ways in which environmentally sensitive biological systems coordinate in response to acute stress is not well understood. We used a social-evaluative stress task to investigate coordination among the autonomic nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and immune/inflammatory system in a community sample of 85 healthy African American men and women.

Methods

Six saliva samples, 2 at each of baseline, event, and recovery phases of the stressor task, were assayed for cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, salivary alpha-amylase, and salivary C-reactive protein. Individual differences in perceived discrimination and racial identity were also measured.

Results

Factor analysis demonstrated that stress systems were largely dissociated before stressor exposure but became aligned during event and recovery phases into functional biological stress responses (factor loadings ≥ .58). Coordinated responses were related to interactions of perceived discrimination and racial identity: when racial identity was strong, highly perceived discrimination was associated with low hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity at baseline (B's = .68–.72, p < .001), low stress mobilization during the task (B's = .46–.62, p < .049), and a robust inflammatory response (salivary C-reactive protein) during recovery (B's = .72–.94, p < .002).

Conclusion

Culturally relevant social perceptions may be linked to a specific pattern of changing alignment in biological components of the stress response. Better understanding these links may significantly advance understanding of stress-related illnesses and disparities.
Bidirectionality Between Sleep Symptoms and Core Depressive Symptoms and Their Long-Term Course in Major Depression
Authors: Bouwmans Mara E.J. , Conradi Henk Jan , Bos Elisabeth H. , Oldehinkel Albertine J. , de Jonge Peter
Published: November 2016

Objective

To investigate the bidirectional dynamic relationship between sleep symptoms and core depressive symptoms and to identify subgroups differing with respect to their course.

Methods

The weekly state of depressive symptoms in depressed primary care patients (N = 267) was assessed retrospectively every 3 months for 3 consecutive years. The bidirectional relationship between sleep and core symptoms was estimated by means of manifest Markov modeling. Data-driven subgroups were estimated with parallel processes—latent class growth analyses to identify differences in courses of sleep and core symptoms.

Results

In total, core symptoms were associated with next-week development (odds = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20–1.67; p < .001) and remission of sleep symptoms (odds = 0.86; 95% CI 0.75 to 0.99, p = .033).

Evidence was also found for a reverse pathway such that sleep symptoms were associated with the development (odds = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.05–1.50; p = .012) and remission of core symptoms (odds = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.76–0.99; p = .038). Three classes with different 3-year courses were derived. In class 1, the likelihood that core symptoms remitted was reduced if sleep symptoms were present, and symptoms remained present over 3 years. In class 2, symptoms were bidirectionally related and remitted over 3 years. In class 3, symptoms were not associated, and sleep symptoms declined less steeply than core depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

The results suggest that sleep symptoms should be treated alongside core depressive symptoms in patients with an asynchronic decrease of sleep and core symptoms and in patients that do not respond to treatment to increase the chance of complete remission.
Recent advances in cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for the detection of preclinical Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Kulic Luka , Unschuld Paul G.
Published: November 2016

Purpose of review

The concept of preclinical Alzheimer's disease has emerged to describe the long ‘silent’ phase of the disease when significant pathophysiological changes occur in the brain but clinical symptoms are not yet manifest. In this review, a summary of the recent advances in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker-based diagnostics of preclinical Alzheimer's disease will be presented.

Recent findings

The association between core CSF biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and between CSF and neuroimaging markers has been a major focus of various recently published studies in cognitively healthy individuals. Longitudinal results from several research groups suggest that CSF Aβ42 is altered early in preclinical Alzheimer's disease, even preceding changes on amyloid PET imaging. In line with the proposed NIA-AA criteria, elevated tau levels and/or Aβ/tau interactions appear to be a prerequisite for neurodegeneration and future cognitive decline. Novel candidate CSF markers, including markers of neuronal and synaptic injury as well as neuroinflammation, may complement CSF-based diagnostics in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Further longitudinal research is necessary to delineate the temporal changes of core and candidate CSF biomarkers in preclinical Alzheimer's disease and to investigate their association with established and emerging neuroimaging markers as well as with comorbidities and other risk factors for age-related cognitive decline.
DNA barcoding uncovers cryptic diversity in 50% of deep-sea Antarctic polychaetes
Authors: Brasier Madeleine J. , Wiklund Helena , Neal Lenka , Jeffreys Rachel , Linse Katrin , Ruhl Henry , Glover Adrian G.
Published: November 2016

The Antarctic marine environment is a diverse ecosystem currently experiencing some of the fastest rates of climatic change. The documentation and management of these changes requires accurate estimates of species diversity. Recently, there has been an increased recognition of the abundance and importance of cryptic species, i.e. those that are morphologically identical but genetically distinct. This article presents the largest genetic investigation into the prevalence of cryptic polychaete species within the deep Antarctic benthos to date. We uncover cryptic diversity in 50% of the 15 morphospecies targeted through the comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences, as well as 10 previously overlooked morphospecies, increasing the total species richness in the sample by 233%. Our ability to describe universal rules for the detection of cryptic species within polychaetes, or normalization to expected number of species based on genetic data is prevented by taxon-specific differences in phylogenetic outputs and genetic variation between and within potential cryptic species. These data provide the foundation for biogeographic and functional analysis that will provide insight into the drivers of species diversity and its role in ecosystem function.
European sea bass show behavioural resilience to near-future ocean acidification
Authors: Duteil M. , Pope E. C. , Pérez-Escudero A. , de Polavieja G. G. , Fürtbauer I. , Brown M. R. , King A. J.
Published: November 2016

Ocean acidification (OA)—caused by rising concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO
2
)—is thought to be a major threat to marine ecosystems and has been shown to induce behavioural alterations in fish. Here we show behavioural resilience to near-future OA in a commercially important and migratory marine finfish, the Sea bass (
Dicentrarchus labrax
). Sea bass were raised from eggs at 19°C in ambient or near-future OA (1000 µatm
p
CO
2
) conditions and
n
 = 270 fish were observed 59–68 days post-hatch using automated tracking from video. Fish reared under ambient conditions, OA conditions, and fish reared in ambient conditions but tested in OA water showed statistically similar movement patterns, and reacted to their environment and interacted with each other in comparable ways. Thus our findings indicate behavioural resilience to near-future OA in juvenile sea bass. Moreover, simulated agent-based models indicate that our analysis methods are sensitive to subtle changes in fish behaviour. It is now important to determine whether the absences of any differences persist under more ecologically relevant circumstances and in contexts which have a more direct bearing on individual fitness.
Closed-form evaluation of two-dimensional static lattice sums
Authors: Yakubovich S. , Drygas P. , Mityushev V.
Published: November 2016

Closed-form formulae for the conditionally convergent two-dimensional (2D) static lattice sums
S
2
(for conductivity) and
T
2
(for elasticity) are deduced in terms of the complete elliptic integrals of the first and second kind. The obtained formulae yield asymptotic analytical formulae for the effective tensors of 2D composites with circular inclusions up to the third order in concentration. Exact relations between
S
2
and
T
2
for different lattices are established. In particular, the value
S
2
=
π
for the square and hexagonal arrays is discussed and
T
2
=
π
/2 for the hexagonal is deduced.
Guided wave tomography with an improved scattering model
Authors: Huthwaite P.
Published: November 2016

Producing accurate thickness maps of corrosion damage is of great importance for assessing life in the petrochemical industry. Guided wave tomography provides a solution for this, by sending guided waves through the region of interest, then using tomographic imaging techniques to reconstruct the thickness map, importantly eliminating the need to take measurements at all points across the surface. However, to achieve accurate maps, the imaging algorithm must account for the way in which the guided waves interact with corrosion defects, and the complex scattering which occurs. Traditional approaches have exploited the dispersive nature of guided waves: a velocity map is produced from a dataset, then converted to thickness using the dispersion relationship. However, these relationships are derived for plates of constant thickness, which is not the case in the majority of defects, causing significant inaccuracies to exist in the images. This paper develops a more sophisticated inversion solution which accounts for the full-guided wave scattering, enabling more accurate images with resolution better than a wavelength, compared with two wavelengths previously. This is demonstrated with simulated and experimental data. The speed and stability of the algorithm in the presence of random noise and systematic errors is also demonstrated.
Demographic drivers of decline and recovery in an Afro-Palaearctic migratory bird population
Authors: Morrison Catriona A. , Robinson Robert A. , Butler Simon J. , Clark Jacquie A. , Gill Jennifer A.
Published: November 2016

Across Europe, rapid population declines are ongoing in many Afro-Palaearctic migratory bird species, but the development of appropriate conservation actions across such large migratory ranges is severely constrained by lack of understanding of the demographic drivers of these declines. By constructing regional integrated population models (IPMs) for one of the suite of migratory species that is declining in the southeast of Britain but increasing in the northwest, we show that, while annual population growth rates in both regions vary with adult survival, the divergent regional trajectories are primarily a consequence of differences in productivity. Between 1994 and 2012, annual survival and productivity rates ranged over similar levels in both regions, but high productivity rates were rarer in the declining southeast population and never coincided with high survival rates. By contrast, population growth in the northwest was fuelled by several years in which higher productivity coincided with high survival rates. Simulated population trajectories suggest that realistic improvements in productivity could have reversed the decline (i.e. recovery of the population index to more than or equal to 1) in the southeast. Consequently, actions to improve productivity on European breeding grounds are likely to be a more fruitful and achievable means of reversing migrant declines than actions to improve survival on breeding, passage or sub-Saharan wintering grounds.
Chemical composition of preen wax reflects major histocompatibility complex similarity in songbirds
Authors: Slade J. W. G. , Watson M. J. , Kelly T. R. , Gloor G. B. , Bernards M. A. , MacDougall-Shackleton E. A.
Published: November 2016

In jawed vertebrates, genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a key role in immunity by encoding cell-surface proteins that recognize and bind non-self antigens. High variability at MHC suggests that these loci may also function in social signalling such as mate choice and kin recognition. This requires that MHC genotype covaries with some perceptible phenotypic trait. In mammals and fish, MHC is signalled chemically through volatile and non-volatile peptide odour cues, facilitating MHC-dependent mate choice and other behaviours. In birds, despite evidence for MHC-dependent mating, candidate mechanisms for MHC signalling remain largely unexplored. However, feather preen wax has recently been implicated as a potential source of odour cues. We examined whether the chemical composition of preen wax correlates with MHC class IIβ genotypes of wild song sparrows (
Melospiza melodia
). Pairwise chemical distance reflected amino acid distance at MHC for male–female dyads, although not for same-sex dyads. Chemical diversity did not reflect MHC diversity. We used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to characterize preen wax compounds, and identified four wax esters that best reflect MHC similarity. Provided songbirds can detect variation in preen wax composition, this cue may allow individuals to assess MHC compatibility of potential mates.
Multivariate female preference tests reveal latent perceptual biases
Authors: Gray D. A. , Gabel E. , Blankers T. , Hennig R. M.
Published: November 2016

The question of why males of many species produce elaborate mating displays has now been largely resolved: females prefer to mate with males that produce such displays. However, the question of why females prefer such displays has been controversial, with an emerging consensus that such displays often provide information to females about the direct fitness benefits that males provide to females and/or the indirect fitness benefits provided to offspring. Alternative explanations, such as production of arbitrarily attractive sons or innate pre-existing female sensory or perceptual bias, have also received support in certain taxa. Here, we describe multivariate female preference functions for male acoustic traits in two chirping species of field crickets with slow pulse rates; our data reveal cryptic female preferences for long trills that have not previously been observed in other chirping species. The trill preferences are evolutionarily pre-existing in the sense that males have not (yet?) exploited them, and they coexist with chirp preferences as alternative stable states within female song preference space. We discuss escape from neuronal adaptation as a possible mechanism underlying such latent preferences.
Evidence of natal habitat preference induction within one habitat type
Authors: Merrick Melissa J. , Koprowski John L.
Published: November 2016

Natal habitat preference induction (NHPI) is a mechanism for habitat selection by individuals during natal dispersal. NHPI occurs in wild animal populations, and evidence suggests it may be a common, although little studied, mechanism for post-dispersal habitat selection. Most tests of NHPI examine the influence of distinct, contrasting natal habitat types on post-dispersal habitat selection. We test the hypothesis that NHPI can occur within a single habitat type, an important consideration for habitat specialists. The Mount Graham red squirrel (
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis
) is an endangered forest obligate restricted to a single mountain primarily within mixed-conifer forest. We test for NHPI by comparing intra-individual differences in natal and settlement habitat structure and composition to expected random pairwise differences. Dispersing juveniles appear to select settlement locations that are more similar to natal areas than expected in several forest structure and composition variables that include canopy cover and live basal area. Our results provide support for NHPI as a mechanism for post-dispersal habitat selection in habitat specialists that occupy a single vegetation community type.
Entropy Transfer between Residue Pairs Shows that Allostery is an Intrinsic Property of Proteins: Quantifying Allosteric Communication in Ubiquitin
Authors: Hacisuleyman Aysima , Erman Burak
Published: November 2016

It has recently been proposed by Gunasakaran et al. that allostery may be an intrinsic property of all proteins. Here, we apply Schreiber’s transfer entropy formulation to the non-allosteric protein Ubiquitin and show that there are indeed systematic pathways of entropy and information transfer between residues that correlate well with the activities of the protein. We use 600 nanosecond molecular dynamics trajectories for Ubiquitin and its complex with human polymerase iota and evaluate entropy transfer between all pairs of residues of Ubiquitin and quantify the binding susceptibility changes upon complex formation. Calculations show that specific residues act as entropy reservoirs in Ubiquitin and others as entropy sinks. Using the plausible conjecture that extracting entropy from a residue makes it more susceptible for interaction with a partner, we explain the ternary complex formation of Ubiquitin in terms of entropy transfer. Finally, we show that time delayed correlation of fluctuations of two interacting residues possesses an intrinsic causality that tells which residue controls the interaction and which one is controlled. Our work shows that time delayed correlations, entropy transfer and causality are the required new concepts for explaining allosteric communication in proteins.

Author Summary

Allosteric communication is essential for the function of proteins. Recent work shows that allostery results from dynamic processes in the protein associated with atomic fluctuations leading to entropic interactions that involve ensemble of pathways rather than discrete two state transitions. Based on this new picture of allostery, it was proposed that allostery may indeed be an intrinsic property of all proteins. In order to test this hypothesis, we derive the computational tools for quantifying allosteric communication, and explain allostery in terms of entropy transfer, a new concept based on information theory. We use long molecular dynamics simulations of proteins from which we calculate the transfer of entropy between pairs of residues. Results of simulations show that certain residues act as entropy sources while others as entropy sinks. Evaluation of time delayed correlations shows the presence of causality of interactions that allow us to differentiate between residues that are drivers in allosteric activity and those that are driven. Identification of driver-driven relations is important for drug design. Using the example of Ubiquitin, a protein that is not known to be allosteric, we identify paths of information transfer that control its binding to diverse partners in the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System. We conclude that allosteric communication resulting from entropy transfer between residues is an intrinsic property of all proteins.
FAULTS: a program for refinement of structures with extended defects
Authors: Casas-Cabanas Montse , Reynaud Marine , Rikarte Jokin , Horbach Pavel , Rodríguez-Carvajal Juan
Published: November 2016

The FAULTS program is a powerful tool for the refinement of diffraction patterns of materials with planar defects. A new release of the FAULTS program is herein presented, together with a number of new capabilities, aimed at improving the refinement process and evolving towards a more user-friendly approach. These include the possibility to refine multiple sets of single-crystal profiles of diffuse streaks, the visualization of the model structures, the possibility to add the diffracted intensities from secondary phases as background and the new DIFFaX2FAULTS converter, among others. Three examples related to battery materials are shown to illustrate the capabilities of the program.
SEC-SANS: size exclusion chromatography combined in situ with small-angle neutron scattering
Authors: Jordan Ashley , Jacques Mark , Merrick Catherine , Devos Juliette , Forsyth V. Trevor , Porcar Lionel , Martel Anne
Published: November 2016

The first implementation and use of an in situ size exclusion chromatography (SEC) system on a small-angle neutron scattering instrument (SANS) is described. The possibility of deploying such a system for biological solution scattering at the Institut Laue–Langevin (ILL) has arisen from the fact that current day SANS instruments at ILL now allow datasets to be acquired using small sample volumes with exposure times that are often shorter than a minute. This capability is of particular importance for the study of unstable biological macromolecules where aggregation or denaturation issues are a major problem. The first use of SEC-SANS on ILL's instrument D22 is described for a variety of proteins including one particularly aggregation-prone system.
Increasing diversity through goal-setting in corporate social responsibility reporting
Authors: Motel Laura
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of goal-setting theory in remediating workplace demographic representation inequality.

Design/methodology/approach

This study evaluates the effect of goal-setting theory in Fortune 100 companies’ corporate social reporting (CSR) on year-over-prior change in diversity representation using t-tests and independent, repeated measures ANOVA.

Findings

Reporting companies significantly outperformed the population in minority and female leadership increases. Companies using specific goals and relevant feedback facilitated better outcomes for minority and female leaders, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

Dichotomous coding was employed. Qualitative coding over multiple years is suggested for future research. CSR reporting is voluntary, unaudited, and inconsistent. Comparing outcomes for organizations with mandatory reporting or diversity quotas would provide interesting future comparatives. Despite the limitations, this research demonstrates the benefits of goal-setting theory on social outcomes.

Practical implications

Companies transparently publishing goals, feedback, and metrics lead the way to multicultural environments. Additionally, investors use social responsibility in investment decision making. The Securities and Exchange Commission should incorporate non-financial requirements into existent reporting subject to audit, consistent presentation, and public availability. Organizations should disclose diversity goals and outcomes whether the company aspires to genuinely promote greater representation or avoid greater regulation. Reporting transparency and articulation of specific, measureable goals and feedback are encouraged for non-financial metrics.

Originality/value

Significant research investigates why inequality exists in organizations yet little addresses how to reduce the problem. Pioneer studies in applying goal-setting to diversity show promise. Research exploring the dark side of goal-setting is rapidly emerging. This research pursues the “light side” of goal-setting to evaluate use on social business issues, specifically, increasing diverse representation.
How interactive marketing is changing in financial services
Authors: Stone Merlin , Laughlin Paul
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the impact of the internet and related information and communications technology developments on how financial services (FS) are distributed and how customers are managed, in particular, not only how companies can differentiate between “good” and “bad” customers and manage them appropriately but also how customers can be “bad” and escape the consequences. It also explores how changes in information asymmetry between suppliers and customers affects who gains or loses from the relationship between them.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for the article are from the authors’ consulting and conference chairing experience. The article is in the form of a reflection on this, rather than a hypothesis-based research article.

Findings

One of its findings is that those responsible for controlling damage done to companies by fraudulent or negative value customers (typically those managing underwriting or risk) and those responsible for recruiting, retaining and developing customers (typically marketing, sales and customer service) do not work closely enough together, and this can lead to not only damage to shareholder value but also damage to the customer experience.

Research limitations/implications

The paper identifies the need for more research covering the processes, data, analysis, systems and strategies required to manage both good and bad customers and the practical problems of implementation.

Practical implications

The main practical implication is that in designing products and the customer service experience, FS marketers need to take into account much more systematically the “dark side” of customer activity.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to explore its issues in detail.
The role of disclosure of social shopping rewards in social buzz
Authors: Coker Kesha K. , Altobello Suzanne A.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Social shopping relies on word-of-mouth, with marketers turning to social shopping rewards (SSRs) to generate social buzz. According to US regulatory bodies, these types of rewards, if considered endorsements, must be disclosed. Yet, little is known about the impact of disclosure of SSRs. To address this gap, this study aims to examine the impact of disclosure of SSRs on consumer responses.

Design/methodology/approach

Respondents were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions via an online survey. The “no disclosure” condition featured a hypothetical friend’s tweet of a product (n = 91). The “disclosure” conditions featured the same tweet, either with the words “Sponsored Tweet” in a boxed tweet (n = 50) or with a hashtag “#Sponsored” (n = 48). All respondents completed a questionnaire designed to address the hypotheses.

Findings

No differences between the disclosure conditions were found, thus they were combined and compared to the non-disclosure condition. Of the 13 hypotheses, 9 were sustained by significant correlations. Disclosure to consumers that a product review was sponsored by a marketer strengthens the relationships between certain model constructs, i.e. between dual source credibility and attitude toward the message and between attitude toward the message and attitude toward the brand.

Originality/value

This study is the first to empirically test the impact of disclosure of SSRs on consumer responses in a social shopping context. Findings provide marketers and practitioners with a solution to complying with regulatory requirements in ways that do not hurt consumer responses to social buzz.
The valuation and pricing of information assets
Authors: Adler Ralph , Stringer Carolyn , Yap Max
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The valuation and pricing of information assets often presents managers with substantial challenges. Information assets are usually highly unique, lack objective price benchmarks, have a high potential for piracy, can be simultaneously accessed and enjoyed by multiple users and generally feature significant information asymmetry between sellers and buyers. This paper aims to discuss five methods that can be used to value/price information assets.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper that draws and builds upon the multidisciplinary pricing literature.

Findings

A tree diagram, one that matches particular combinations of information asset features with each of the five methods, is presented to assist practitioners with their choice of valuation/pricing method.

Originality/value

The pricing of information assets is a challenging and even daunting task. The linkages specified by the paper’s model, and in particular its matching of information asset characteristics with specific valuation/pricing methods, offers a decision tool that does not currently exist. This tool is capable of supporting practitioner decision-making and highlights avenues for future scholarly research.
Organizations with changing structures: how to control?
Authors: Lechner Eva
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe management control systems (MCS) as a package within a festival, as it examines managerial use of management controls over time. Moreover, this study discusses the relation of controls to flexibility and decentralization of organizations which have to deal with constraints such as short development periods, individualization of services/products and resource scarcity. The research thus introduces the elements of time and intensity of use of controls in a time-dependent scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

This descriptive case study utilizes interviews, observations, document analysis and other tools of qualitative research.

Findings

This paper reveals that single management controls used by managers configure MCS as a package. These controls are utilized with different intensity throughout the year based on activities that are planned or expected to happen. Such use of controls provides needed flexibility for the organization in which the structure is changing over a short period (one year).

Research limitations/implications

The single unit subjective analysis that was employed does not allow for generalized results and comparison.

Originality/value

This rich empirical study informs practitioners on how to tackle daily festival challenges. Moreover, it brings theoretical understanding of management controls as a package in real-life context.
Productivity analysis of Australian universities
Authors: Moradi-Motlagh Amir , Jubb Christine , Houghton Keith
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Facing budgetary challenges, successive Australian Governments have chosen to proportionally reduce public expenditure on universities relative to levels of activity in both teaching and research. The question asked in this paper is whether Australia’s universities increased their efficiency in a manner consistent with the demands of government to provide productivity “dividends” or efficiencies?

Design/methodology/approach

Using archival data for 37 Australian universities from 2007 to 2013, this paper examines changes in productivity of university groups and individual institutions using the data envelopment analysis technique.

Findings

Results show a statistically significant system-wide (or technological) productivity improvement of 15.2 per cent from 2007 to 2013, but there was little average individual institutional change in efficiency. Productivity improvements were clearly observable for the Group of 8 institutions with an improvement of 25.1 per cent.

Research limitations/implications

Universities, like other public sector bodies, can both improve individually and as an overall system. The system has improved greatly in terms of productivity at higher levels than may be anticipated.

Originality/value

Using data contemporaneous with a period of great change in university funding and sector competition, this study reveals how some universities benefited, whereas others struggled to maintain their relative position.
Ohmic Heating of an Electrically Conductive Food Package
Authors: Kanogchaipramot Kanyawee , Tongkhao Kullanart , Sajjaanantakul Tanaboon , Kamonpatana Pitiya
Published: November 2016

Ohmic heating through an electrically conductive food package is a new approach to heat the food and its package as a whole after packing to avoid post‐process contamination and to serve consumer needs for convenience. This process has been successfully completed using polymer film integrated with an electrically conductive film to form a conductive package. Orange juice packed in the conductive package surrounded with a conductive medium was pasteurized in an ohmic heater. A mathematical model was developed to simulate the temperature distribution within the package and its surroundings. A 3‐D thermal‐electric model showed heating uniformity inside the food package while the hot zone appeared in the orange juice adjacent to the conductive film. The accuracy of the model was determined by comparing the experimental results with the simulated temperature and current drawn; the model showed good agreement between the actual and simulated results. An inoculated pack study using Escherichia coli O157:H7 indicated negative growth of viable microorganisms at the target and over target lethal process temperatures, whereas the microorganism was present in the under target temperature treatment. Consequently, our developed ohmic heating system with conductive packaging offers potential for producing safe food.
Impacts of Changes in Precipitation Amount and Distribution on Water Resources Studied Using a Model Rainwater Harvesting System
Authors: Asadieh Behzad , Krakauer Nir Y.
Published: November 2016

Water supply reliability is expected to be affected by both precipitation amount and distribution changes under recent and future climate change. We compare historical (1951‐2010) changes in annual‐mean and annual‐maximum daily precipitation in the global set of station observations from Global Historical Climatology Network and climate models from the Inter‐Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI‐MIP), and develop the study to 2011‐2099 for model projections under high radiative forcing scenario (RCP8.5). We develop a simple rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) model and drive it with observational and modeled precipitation. We study the changes in mean and maximum precipitation along with changes in the reliability of the model RWHS as tools to assess the impact of changes in precipitation amount and distribution on reliability of precipitation‐fed water supplies. Results show faster increase in observed maximum precipitation (10.14% per K global warming) than mean precipitation (7.64% per K), and increased reliability of the model RWHS driven by observed precipitation by an average of 0.2% per decade. The ISI‐MIP models show even faster increase in maximum precipitation compared to mean precipitation. However, they imply decreases in mean reliability, for an average 0.15% per decade. Compared to observations, climate models underestimate the increasing trends in mean and maximum precipitation and show the opposite direction of change in reliability of a model water supply system.
Cone‐beam computed tomography for lung cancer – validation with CT and monitoring tumour response during chemo‐radiation therapy
Authors: Michienzi Alissa , Kron Tomas , Callahan Jason , Plumridge Nikki , Ball David , Everitt Sarah
Published: November 2016

Introduction

Cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a valuable image‐guidance tool in radiation therapy (RT). This study was initiated to assess the accuracy of CBCT for quantifying non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumour volumes compared to the anatomical ‘gold standard’, CT. Tumour regression or progression on CBCT was also analysed.

Methods

Patients with Stage I‐III NSCLC, prescribed 60 Gy in 30 fractions RT with concurrent platinum‐based chemotherapy, routine CBCT and enrolled in a prospective study of serial PET/CT (baseline, weeks two and four) were eligible. Time‐matched CBCT and CT gross tumour volumes (GTVs) were manually delineated by a single observer on MIM software, and were analysed descriptively and using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) and linear regression (R2).

Results

Of 94 CT/CBCT pairs, 30 patients were eligible for inclusion. The mean (± SD) CT GTV vs CBCT GTV on the four time‐matched pairs were 95 (±182) vs 98.8 (±160.3), 73.6 (±132.4) vs 70.7 (±96.6), 54.7 (±92.9) vs 61.0 (±98.8) and 61.3 (±53.3) vs 62.1 (±47.9) respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was 0.98 (95% CI 0.97–0.99, ρ < 0.001). The mean (±SD) CT/CBCT Dice's similarity coefficient was 0.66 (±0.16). Of 289 CBCT scans, tumours in 27 (90%) patients regressed by a mean (±SD) rate of 1.5% (±0.75) per fraction. The mean (±SD) GTV regression was 43.1% (±23.1) from the first to final CBCT.

Conclusion

Primary lung tumour volumes observed on CBCT and time‐matched CT are highly correlated (although not identical), thereby validating observations of GTV regression on CBCT in NSCLC.
Between Electricity and Spirit: Paranormal Investigation and the Creation of Doubt in England
Authors: Hanks Michele
Published: November 2016

In contemporary England, amateur paranormal investigators actively seek empirical evidence of the paranormal. These investigators are self‐fashioned experts who aim to balance scientific and spiritual perspectives in hopes of researching the existence of ghosts from an objective perspective. Despite actively seeking out ghosts and amassing firsthand paranormal experiences, investigators remain deeply doubtful about the nature of their evidence and the existence of the paranormal. Here, I explore the production and experience of doubt by examining paranormal investigators’ struggles to define and quantify the paranormal. Competing ideas about the substance or nature of ghosts lie at the heart of this struggle. Paranormal investigators agree that collecting and analyzing electromagnetic energy offers the most promising pathway for establishing empirical evidence of the paranormal. However, there is analytic uncertainty regarding the meaning of electromagnetic energy: it might indicate a spiritual or natural presence. Here, I argue that these two competing frames of interpretation engender and sustain states of doubt among investigators; however, paradoxically, these very states of doubt allow them to maintain and sustain embodied encounters with the very paranormal forces they doubt. [doubt, knowledge production, science, spirituality, paranormal, electromagnetic energy, embodied encounters, England]
Experiences of Young Indian Girls Transiting out of Residential Care Homes
Authors: Dutta Satarupa
Published: November 2016

Leaving the residential care home is one of the most significant occurrence in the life of every care‐leaver. It encompasses vast changes which has a long term impact on the care‐leavers future. This study captures the lived experiences of twenty‐four young Indian girls who have left care in the past four years. It addresses their journey of moving out of care at two levels — their preparation to leave care and their present experience. The primary focus of the study is to explore the interpretation and meanings attributed by these girls to the phenomena of transition out of care; identifying the uniqueness and commonalities that emerges from their experiences. The results exposes a plethora of emotions and episodes the girls have encountered at each step of their path. It also emphasises on the role played by multiple environmental factors — support network (friends, peer group, family, social workers, etc.), residential care home, state and other social processes — operating at different systemic levels, highlighting the interface between the ‘self’ and the ‘environment’, based on the Ecological Framework.
An axial pattern flap based on the dorsal perineal artery in a cat
Authors: Murdoch AP , Grand JGR
Published: November 2016

Case report

A 3‐year‐old male neutered Domestic Shorthair cat was evaluated for a skin mass of approximately 2 × 3 cm arising from the right dorsolateral aspect of the tail at the junction between the proximal and middle one‐thirds of the tail length. Incisional biopsy sample was consistent with granulomatous inflammation. The granuloma was surgically excised with 5 mm margins of normal skin. The resulting defect was closed using an axial pattern flap based on a cutaneous branch of the dorsal perineal artery and augmented by a local subdermal plexus transposition flap. There was 100% survival of the flaps at postoperative days 7, 15 and 21.

Clinical significance

We describe an axial pattern flap based on a cutaneous branch of the dorsal perineal artery in a cat. This flap offers surgeons a viable option for closing skin defects situated on the proximal one‐third of the tail and a practical alternative to tail amputation.