bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation by residents in public housing
Authors: Ibem Eziyi Offia , Alagbe Oluwole Ajala
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this study was to investigate the dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation by residents in public housing with a view to identifying how government and construction professionals can deliver adequate housing facilities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is based on household surveys involving 517 respondents selected from nine public housing estates constructed between 2003 and 2010 in Ogun State Southwest Nigeria. The data were collected using structured questionnaire administered to the residents by the researchers through visits to the housing estates. A total of 33 variables derived from the review of the literature were used in measuring housing adequacy. Descriptive statistics and factor analyses were used in analysis of the data.

Findings

– The study reveals that residents perceived their housing situation as inadequate. They evaluated housing adequacy based on four key dimensions: ambient condition of interiors spaces, security, utilities and neighbourhood facilities; social infrastructure; level of privacy and size of sleeping; and living and dining areas in the residences. These dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation were found not to be exactly the same way experts conceived housing adequacy in the literature.

Research limitations/implications

– The concept of housing adequacy can be used to examine occupants’ housing preferences and their standard of living, the quality of housing and the performance of mass housing projects.

Practical implications

– The paper makes practical suggestions to government and construction professionals on how to improve adequacy levels of public housing. Specifically, in the areas of giving more attention to ambient condition of interiors, security, utilities and neighbourhood facilities as well as privacy and sizes of main activities areas in dwelling units in the design, construction and management of public housing projects.

Originality/value

– The study identifies dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation by residents in public housing and compares these with experts’ conception of housing adequacy.
The many faces of office noise – case contact center
Authors: Rasila Heidi , Jylhä Tuuli
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to take a look at the phenomena of office noise and to try and outline the worker perceptions of noise in a multi-dimensional and holistic manner. This is done in a case study setting in contact center environment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research was carried out in three phases. First, a review of existing research was carried out. Second, 28 interviews were carried out to outline the dimensions of office noise. Third, a set of 20 further interviews were carried out to study the dimensions of noise that appeared from the first phase of the research.

Findings

– The literature review introduces seven streams of office noise research. None of these looks at the office noise as a holistic and multi-dimensional experience of office workers. The results from the interviews suggest that office workers see the office noise to have negative, neutral and positive aspects. In call center context, the most important aspect of noise includes: psychological and physiological symptoms, dynamism, social setting, knowledge transfer, socialization and sound masking.

Research limitations/implications

– The data are limited to one specific kind of work setting, namely, contact center environment. Thus, the findings may not be generalized to cover other types of work. Even though the sample size of 48 interviewees is quite big for a qualitative research setting, the basic problem of the research orientation is still present. The results are intended to give an in-depth insight on dimensionality of office noise in the complex interrelated open-plan office system.

Originality/value

– Existing research on office noises and acoustics tends to see the office noises just as a negative phenomenon. This leads to research settings that neglect the positive aspects of the noise. Further, this leads to somewhat distorted discussion and practical recommendations.
Three Minute Theatre
Authors: Copeman Peter
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to help higher degree by research (HDR) students understand the intrinsic nature of a Three Minute Thesis (3MT) presentation as a pitch and how this differs from normal academic discourse, and to present a suite of principles and practices with which they can develop the quality and impact of their presentations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a three-year University of Canberra (UC) research project involving three phases: distillation and analysis, with reference to theories and practice of dramatic narrative and performance, of key components of successful past 3MT presentations; establishment from this analysis of a suite of principles and practices to help students develop the quality and impact of their 3MT pitches; and trial, evaluation and refinement of these principles and practices via workshops with around 40 UC competitors.

Findings

– Presentations are framed firstly as an exercise in pitching and consequently as a type of dramatic monologue performance. Preparing such a presentation requires scripting a research narrative as a story with emotional as well as intellectual impact, developing a vocal and physical performance presence to connect with an audience and planning the use of the presentation space and constraints for best effect. Evaluations by workshop participants, reinforced by their success in the UC tournaments relative to non-participants, suggest that advantages of this approach to research pitching by these students apply not only for 3MT contests but also for clarifying and crystallising their research ideas, and for enhancing the quality of their presentation skills more generally.

Research limitations/implications

– The research methodology is a qualitative participant-observer action research study over three years. Although in part a kind of intervention study because it makes some comparison of 3MT success rates of study participants with non-participants, it is not a randomised control trial, as this would be inequitable by arbitrarily excluding subjects who might wish to take part. The primary value of the research is its adaptation to the research communications sphere of well-established modes of dramatic and business communication, and the value placed on these by participants.

Practical implications

– The principles and practices presented here make explicit for 3MT contestants knowledge that they are likely to possess already implicitly, and provide practical, achievable methods for developing and honing their presentations so as to maximise their impact on their audiences.

Social implications

– The paper makes a case for the legitimacy of emotionally connected storytelling within the array of acceptable academic discourse.

Originality/value

– The paper draws on theory and practice from the literary and performing arts to synthesise emotionally connected storytelling with traditional academic thinking and writing conventions of detached, dispassionate, reasoned argument based on quantifiable evidence.
Application of the concept of destination brand equity: the example of two Polish cities
Authors: Florek Magdalena
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper has two purposes in mind: to present the model of destination brand equity as well as its managerial implications for city brand management.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on a model developed by the author in 2011 which adopts a consumer-based approach to assessing place/destination brand equity, brand equities for two Polish cities were calculated. The research was conducted in two stages on a sample of 800 Poles. Its detailed results served as a basis for a comparison of the two cities’ brand equities.

Findings

– The general results show the strength of the cities’ brand equities while the detailed results show the strengths and weaknesses of the specific city brands broken down to the types of respondents and according to the brand equity dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

– The discussion and results are based on two cities only, in one country.

Practical implications

– The results of the city brand equity survey provide place marketers with information about the existing structure of brand equity and the elements of brand equity which may reinforce a city brand in the consumers’ (potential and current tourists’) eyes. Such an assessment also enables to track destination brand changes over time and in relation to other city destinations. The results offer therefore city managers the knowledge of brand areas which require attention and intervention.

Social implications

– The model presents provides place managers with information related to the necessary social support of the residents of destination.

Originality/value

– The paper presents comprehensive and original research results of a research into city destination brand equity conducted on a representative national sample. A strong theoretical concept is combined with practical results.
Re-enactment and its information practices; tensions between the individual and the collective
Authors: Robinson Jessica , Yerbury Hilary
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the practices used by Australian re-enactors to achieve authenticity, a communally agreed measure of acceptability in the creation of an impression, the dress, behaviours and accoutrements of the period, through the concepts of serious leisure and information practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– Re-enactment is a practical, information-based performative activity. In this paper, the research styles and decision-making processes developed and employed by its enthusiasts to create authentic impressions are examined through an ethnographic case study.

Findings

– The re-enactors are identified as “makers and tinkerers”, in Stebbins’s categorisation of serious leisure. Research, documentation and the sharing of information, knowledge and skills are common practices among re-enactors and acknowledged as integral to the processes of creating an impression to a collectively agreed standard of authenticity. Re-enactors’ “making” includes not only the creation of the impression but also the documentation of their process of creating it. They prize individual knowledge and expertise and through this, seek to stand out from the collective.

Originality/value

– Although communities of re-enactors are often studied from a historical perspective, this may be the first time a study has been undertaken from an information studies perspective. The tension between the collective, social norms and standards that support the functioning of the group in understanding authenticity, and the expert amateur; the individual with specialist skills and talents, encourages a fuller investigation of the relationships between the individual and the collective in the context of information practices.
Characteristics of statutory internal auditors and operating efficiency
Authors: Cho Moon-Kyung , Lee Ho-Young , Park Hyun-Young
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the characteristics of statutory internal auditors on operating efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study investigates three characteristics pertaining to statutory internal auditors, namely, compensation, activity and expertise, based on 1,340 firm observations from 2009 to 2010 using publicly available disclosure data for Korean listed firms.

Findings

– The authors find no evidence that statutory internal auditors’ compensation is positively associated with operating efficiency. This implies that compensation data on statutory internal auditors in Korea may not directly reflect their competence and ability to enhance operating efficiency. On the other hand, the authors find evidence for a positive association between full-time status for statutory internal auditors and operating efficiency and a positive association between the attendance at board meetings for statutory internal auditors and operating efficiency. The results also show a decrease in operating efficiency when statutory internal auditors are newly appointed. Finally, expertise of statutory internal auditors in financial or legal matters provides no advantage in terms of operating efficiency.

Practical implications

– This study contributes to the extant literature on internal audit by examining the advisory role of statutory internal auditors and its effect on operating efficiency, which is one of the objectives established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

Originality/value

– While most prior research on internal audit depends on survey data from statutory internal auditors or experimental data based on a limited sample of firms, this study is based on a large sample of publicly available data of the Korean market.
Design, fabrication and characterization of dielectrophoretic microelectrode array for particle capture
Authors: Buyong M.R. , Yunas J. , Hamzah A.A. , Yeop Majlis B. , Larki F. , Abd Aziz N.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to design and characterize the dielectrophoretic (DEP) microelectrodes with various array structure arrangements in order to produce optimum non-uniform electric field for particle capture. The DEP-electrodes with 2D electrode structure was fabricated and characterized to see the effect of electrode structure configuration on the capture capability of the cells suspending in the solution.

Design/methodology/approach

– The presented microelectrode array structures are made of planar conductive metal structure having same size and geometry. Dielectrophoretic force (FDEP) generated in the fluidic medium is initially simulated using COMSOL Multi-physics performed on two microelectrodes poles, which is then continued on three-pole microelectrodes. The proposed design is fabricated using standard MEMS fabrication process. Furthermore, the effect of different sinusoidal signals of 5, 10 and 15 volt peak to peak voltage (Vpp) at fixed frequency of 1.5 MHz on capturing efficiency of microelectrodes were also investigated using graphite metalloids particles as the suspended particles in the medium. The graphite particles that are captured at the microelectrode edges are characterized over a given time period.

Findings

– Based on analysis, the capturing efficiency of microelectrodes at the microelectrode edges is increased as voltage input increases, confirming its dependency to the FDEP strength and direction of non-uniform electric field. This dependency to field consequently increases the surface area of the accumulated graphite. It is also showed that the minimum ratio of the surface accumulated area of captured graphite is 1, 2.75 and 9 μm2 for 5, 10 and 15 Vpp, respectively. The simulation result also indicates a significant improvement on the performance of microelectrodes by implementing third pole in the design. The third pole effect the particles in the medium by creating stronger non-uniform electric field as well as more selective force toward the microelectrodes’ edges.

Originality/value

– The microelectrode array arrangement is found as a reliable method to increase the strength and selectivity of non-uniform electric field distribution that affect FDEP. The presented findings are verified through experimental test and simulation results.
Fabrication of free-standing octagon-shaped carbon nanofibre assembly for electrical actuation of shape memory polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Lu Haibao , Yao Yongtao , Zhu Shipeng , Yang Yunhua , Lin Long
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is a study aimed at overcoming the interface issue between nanopaper and polymer matrix in shape-memory polymer (SMP) composite laminates caused by their large dissimilarity in electrical/thermal conductive properties. The study attempted to develop an effective approach to fabricate free-standing carbon nanofibre (CNF) assembly in octagon shape formation. The structure design and thermal conductive performance of the resulting octagon-shaped CNF assembly were optimised and simulated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The CNF nanopaper was prepared based on a filtration method. The SMP nanocomposites were fabricated by incorporating these CNF assemblies with epoxy-based SMP resin by a resin-transfer modelling technique. Thermal conductivity of the octagon-shaped CNF assembly was simulated using the ANSYS FLUENT software for structure design and optimisation. The effect of the octagon-shaped CNF on the thermomechanical properties and thermally responsive shape-memory effect of the resulting SMP nanocomposites were characterised and interpreted.

Findings

– The CNF template incorporated with SMP to achieve Joule heating triggered shape recovery at a low electric voltage of 3-10 V, due to which the electrical resistivity of SMP nanocomposites was significantly improved and lowered to 0.20 O·cm by the CNF template. It was found that the octagon CNF template with 2 mm width of skeleton presented a highest thermally conductive performance to transfer resistive heat to the SMP matrix.

Research limitations/implications

– A simple way for fabricating electro-activated SMP nanocomposites has been developed by using an octagon CNF template. Low electrical voltage actuation in SMP has been achieved.

Originality/value

– The fabricated CNF template, the structure design and analysis of dynamic thermomechanical properties of SMP are novel.
Future cities and self-organising value chains: the case of the independent music community in Seoul
Authors: Burnes Bernard , Choi Hwanho
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This article aims to explore the arguments that citizens of future cities will increasingly live in virtual communities as well as bricks and mortar ones, and that some previously physical supply chains will become virtual networks or communities. In examining these arguments, the article investigates the development of the independent music community in Seoul, South Korea.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is based on a qualitative case study of music fans and independent record labels in Seoul.

Findings

– The article shows that independent music fans in Seoul have built a self-organising, fan-dominated, value co-creating community, which has replaced the old, music label-dominated, hierarchical supply chain. The community arose from the passion of fans and their engagement with social media, rather the intentions of city planners and supply-chain architects.

Originality/value

– The article shows that Seoul may be an exemplar of how future cities can and will develop, particularly in terms of the ability of people to use social media to develop and run their own virtual spaces and communities, which are tailored to the way they want to live their lives.
Evaluating the combined effects of climate and land‐use change on tree species distributions
Authors: García‐Valdés Raúl , Svenning Jens‐Christian , Zavala Miguel A. , Purves Drew W. , Araújo Miguel B.
Published: April 2015

A large proportion of the world's biodiversity is reportedly threatened by habitat loss and climate change. However, there are few studies that investigate the interaction between these two threats using empirical data.

Here, we investigate interactions between climate change and land‐use change in the future distribution of 23 dominant tree species in mainland Spain. We simulated changes up to year 2100 using a climate‐dependent Stochastic Patch Occupancy Model, parameterized with colonization and extinction events recorded in 46 596 survey plots.

We estimated that the distribution of 17 out of 23 tree species are expanding and hence not at equilibrium with the climate. However, climate change will make the future occupancy of 15 species to be lower than expected if climate, and habitat, remained stable (baseline scenario).

Climate change, when combined with the loss of 20% of the habitat, was estimated to reduce species occupancies (relative to baseline projections) by an average of 23% if habitat loss was spatially clumped, and by 35% if it was scattered. If habitat loss occurred in areas already impacted by human activities, species occupancies would be reduced by 26%. Land‐use changes leading to habitat gain (i.e. creation through reforestation) could slightly mitigate the effects of climate change, but a 20% increment in habitat would reduce climate change‐driven losses in species occupancies by only ∼3%.

Synthesis and applications. The distributions of the most common tree species in mainland Spain are expanding, but climate change threatens to reduce this expansion by ∼18% for 15 of the 23 studied species. Moreover, if the habitat of these species is simultaneously lost, the occupancies of all of them will be reduced further, with variation depending on the spatial pattern of the lost habitats. However, we did not detect synergies between climate change and habitat loss. The combined effect (with 20% habitat loss) was 5–13% less than what it would be if the effects were additive. Importantly, reforestation could partially offset the negative effects of climate change, but complete mitigation would require an increase in forested land of ∼80%, and the prioritization of territories that are less impacted by human activities.
Inhibition of microglial activity alters spinal wide dynamic range neuron discharge and reduces microglial Toll‐like receptor 4 expression in neuropathic rats
Authors: Nazemi Samad , Manaheji Homa , Noorbakhsh Syyed Mohammad , Zaringhalam Jalal , Sadeghi Mehdi , Mohammad‐Zadeh Mohammad , Haghparast Abbas
Published: April 2015

It is believed that neuropathic pain results from aberrant neuronal discharges although some evidence suggests that the activation of glia cells contributes to pain after an injury to the nervous system. This study aimed to evaluate the role of microglial activation on the hyper‐responsiveness of wide dynamic range neurons (WDR) and Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) expressions in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (230 ± 30 g) underwent surgery for induction of CCI neuropathy. Six days after surgery, administration of minocycline (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) was initiated and continued until day 14. After administration of the last dose of minocycline or saline, a behavioral test was conducted, then animals were sacrificed and lumbar segments of the spinal cord were collected for Western blot analysis of TLR4 expression. The electrophysiological properties of WDR neurons were investigated by single unit recordings in separate groups. The findings showed that after CCI, in parallel with thermal hyperalgesia, the expression of TLR4 in the spinal cord and the evoked response of the WDR neurons to electrical, mechanical, and thermal stimulation significantly increased. Post‐injury administration of minocycline effectively decreased thermal hyperalgesia, TLR4 expression, and hyper‐responsiveness of WDR neurons in CCI rats. The results of this study indicate that post‐injury, repeated administration of minocycline attenuated neuropathic pain by suppressing microglia activation and reducing WDR neuron hyper‐responsiveness. This study confirms that post‐injury modulation of microglial activity is a new strategy for treating neuropathic pain.
MID2 can substitute for MID1 and control exocytosis of lytic granules in cytotoxic T cells
Authors: Boding Lasse , Hansen Ann K. , Meroni Germana , Levring Trine B. , Woetmann Anders , Ødum Niels , Bonefeld Charlotte M. , Geisler Carsten
Published: April 2015

We have recently shown that the E3 ubiquitin ligase midline 1 (MID1) is upregulated in murine cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL), where it controls exocytosis of lytic granules and the killing capacity. Accordingly, CTL from MID1 knock‐out (MID1−/−) mice have a 25–30% reduction in exocytosis of lytic granules and cytotoxicity compared to CTL from wild‐type (WT) mice. We wondered why the MID1 gene knock‐out did not affect exocytosis and cytotoxicity more severely and speculated whether MID2, a close homologue of MID1, might partially compensate for the loss of MID1 in MID1−/− CTL. Here, we showed that MID2, like MID1, is upregulated in activated murine T cells. Furthermore, MID1−/− CTL upregulated MID2 two–twenty‐fold stronger than CTL from WT mice, suggesting that MID2 might compensate for MID1. In agreement, transfection of MID2 into MID1−/− CTL completely rescued exocytosis of lytic granules in MID1−/− CTL, and vice versa, knock‐down of MID2 inhibited exocytosis of lytic granules in both WT and MID1−/− CTL, demonstrating that both MID1 and MID2 play a central role in the regulation of granule exocytosis and that functional redundancy exists between MID1 and MID2 in CTL.
Use of Tc‐99 m thyroid scans in borderline congenital hypothyroidism
Authors: Oren Asaf , Wang Michael Ke , Brnjac Lori , Mahmud Farid H. , Palmert Mark R.
Published: April 2015

Background

Mild or borderline congenital hypothyroidism [often referred to as mild neonatal hyperthyrotropinemia (MNH)] is characterized by an abnormal newborn screen (NBS), followed by mildly elevated TSH and normal FT4 on confirmatory testing. This condition is increasingly observed, but data regarding optimal management are limited.

Objective

Examine the use of routine technetium thyroid scanning (TS) in the management of MNH.

Methods

Retrospective study of infants with MNH between 2000 and 2011. We assessed the clinical course of infants with MNH according to TS results; as a comparator, infants with classic congenital hypothyroidism (CH) were analysed in parallel.

Results

We identified 69 infants (52% boys) with MNH and 164 (34% boys) with classic CH. TS results were divided into four subgroups: no uptake in 7% of MNH vs 24% of classic CH (P < 0·01), decreased uptake/anatomical abnormalities in 39% vs 46% (p = NS), increased uptake in 35% vs 26% (p = NS) and normal uptake in 19% vs 4% (P < 0·01). In MNH, neither NBS‐TSH, confirmatory TSH and FT4, mean LT‐4 treatment doses and number of dose escalations, nor post‐treatment FT4 and TSH differed among the four subgroups. In contrast, clinical features in infants with classic CH differed among the subgroups. Among MNH infants who reached 3 years of age, trial‐off treatment was successful in 6 of 11 (55%) with no apparent difference in success rates among TS subgroups.

Conclusions

The information provided by TS during evaluation of MNH does not predict clinical course; obtaining these scans in infants with MNH may not be an effective use of healthcare resources.
Evaluating a counselling strategy for diagnostic WES in paediatric neurology: an exploration of parents' information and communication needs
Authors: Krabbenborg L. , Schieving J. , Kleefstra T. , Vissers L.E.L.M. , Willemsen M.A. , Veltman J.A. , van der Burg S.
Published: April 2015

As whole exome sequencing (WES) is just starting to be used as a diagnostic tool in paediatric neurology for children with a neurological disorder, and patient experiences and preferences with regard to counselling are relatively underexplored. This article explores experiences and preferences of parents with pre‐test and post‐test counselling in a trial that uses WES for diagnostics. Second, it maps information and communication needs which exceed the counselling protocol, in order to acquire insight into how it can be improved. Data were gathered through in‐depth interviews with parents of 15 children who were included in the trial. Information and communication needs of parents differed from the protocol with respect to (i) the type and amount of information provided about WES research, (ii) incidental findings, (iii) communication about progress of the study, and (iv) the communication of the results. Furthermore, parents preferred to have more of a communicative exchange with health care providers about their daily struggles and concerns related to their life with a diseased child and wanted to know how a diagnosis could offer help. There are different ways to meet parental needs, but we suggest that assigning a case manager might be a helpful option that deserves further exploration.
Regeneration of rabbit calvarial defects using biphasic calcium phosphate and a strontium hydroxyapatite‐containing collagen membrane
Authors: Kitayama Shuzo , Wong Lok O. , Ma Li , Hao Jia , Kasugai Shohei , Lang Niklaus P. , Mattheos Nikos
Published: April 2015

Objectives

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) composed of 10% hydroxyapatite (HA) and 90% beta‐tricalcium phosphate has been developed. Recently, a strontium hydroxyapatite‐containing collagen membrane (Sr) was shown to stimulate early bone formation in rat calvarial defects at 4 weeks postoperatively, as compared with a cross‐linked collagen membrane, for guided bone regeneration (GBR). The objective of this study was to evaluate these novel biomaterials for GBR in relation to a non‐cross‐linked collagen membrane (BG) and deproteinized bovine bone mineral (BO).

Materials and methods

Twenty New Zealand rabbits were used in this study. Four defects of 7 mm in diameter were created in each rabbit, and three of the defects were treated with BG/BO, Sr/BO, and Sr/BCP. Ten rabbits were sacrificed at 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. Histological and histomorphometric analyses were conducted. Volumetric densities of mineralized new bone (MNB), bone marrow (BM), residual grafting material (RG), and non‐mineralized connective tissue (NCT) were determined for each group.

Results

After 12 weeks, Sr/BCP yielded more MNB than BG/BO and Sr/BO with no significant difference among the three groups. After 24 weeks, however, Sr/BCP demonstrated significantly more MNB than BG/BO and Sr/BO. Both after 12 and 24 weeks, Sr/BCP showed significantly less RG than BG/BO and Sr/BO. There was a significant increase in MNB in Sr/BCP from 12 to 24 weeks.

Conclusions

In defects grafted with BCP, more MNB was formed while less RG remained, than in defects grafted with BO. The Sr membrane was as effective as BG when comparing Sr/BO with BG/BO.
High Blood Pressure Increases the Risk of Poor Outcome at Discharge and 12‐month Follow‐up in Patients with Symptomatic Intracranial Large Artery Stenosis and Occlusions: Subgroup analysis of the CICAS Study
Authors: Yu Dan‐Dan , Pu Yue‐Hua , Pan Yue‐Song , Zou Xin‐Ying , Soo Yannie , Leung Thomas , Liu Li‐Ping , Wang David Z. , Wong Ka‐Sing , Wang Yi‐Long , Wang Yong‐Jun ,   the Chinese Intracranial Atherosclerosis (CICAS) Study Group
Published: April 2015

Aims

The purpose of this study was to discuss the relationship between blood pressure and prognosis of patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis.

Methods

Data on 2426 patients with symptomatic intracranial large artery stenosis and occlusion who participated in the Chinese Intracranial Atherosclerosis (CICAS) study were analyzed. According to the JNC 7 criteria, blood pressure of all patients was classified into one of the four subgroups: normal, prehypertension, hypertension stage I, and hypertension stage II. Poor outcomes were defined as death and functional dependency (mRS 3‐5) at discharge or at 1 year.

Results

For patients with intracranial stenosis of 70% to 99%, the rate of poor outcome at discharge was 19.3%, 23.5%, 26.8%, and 39.8% (P = 0.001) for each blood pressure subgroup. For patients with intracranial large artery occlusion, the rates were 17.6%, 22.1%, 29.5%, and 49.8%, respectively (P < 0.0001). The rate of poor outcome at 12‐month follow‐up was 12.6%, 15.3%, 28.5%, and 27.9% (P = 0.0038) in patients with stenosis of 70% to 99% for each blood pressure subgroup and 11.6%, 21.5%, 23.9%, 35.1% (P < 0.0001) in patients with occlusion.

Conclusions

For patients with severe intracranial arterial stenosis or occlusion, higher hypertension stages are associated with an increased risk of poor outcome at discharge and 12‐month follow‐up.
Supplier Opportunism in Buyer–Supplier New Product Development: A China‐U.S. Study of Antecedents, Consequences, and Cultural/Institutional Contexts
Authors: Yan Tingting , Kull Thomas J.
Published: April 2015

Collaborating with a supplier in a buying firm's new product development (NPD) project is commonly advocated and adopted, but does not always improve project performance. Some pre‐existing collaboration contexts, such as buyer–supplier NPD projects, are especially exposed to supplier opportunism due to the uncertain nature of the collaboration process. Adopting agency theory and transaction cost theory perspectives, we examine: (i) contextual antecedents and project consequences of supplier opportunism and (ii) if these causal influences vary in different cultural and institutional contexts. Using a survey sample of 214 United States (U.S.) and 212 Chinese buying firms’ responses about buyer–supplier NPD projects, we find that supplier opportunism is significantly influenced by the task and relational contexts. We also show that supplier opportunism damages both design quality and efficiency, two aspects of project performance. When comparing U.S. to China, we find that task and relational contexts have a greater impact on supplier opportunism in the U.S., but design efficiency is less hurt by supplier opportunism there. Finally, we show challenges of preventing supplier opportunism in certain NPD collaboration contexts, and offer solutions for overcoming these challenges.
Aorto–Left Atrial Fistula after Mitral Valve Surgery
Authors: Yesin Mahmut , Kalçık Macit , Gürsoy Mustafa Ozan , Karakoyun Süleyman , Gündüz Sabahattin , Köksal Cengiz , Özkan Mehmet
Published: April 2015

Mini‐Abstract

The most common cardiac complications after prosthetic valve replacement include prosthetic valve endocarditis, thromboembolism, pericardial effusion, hemolysis, and valve failure due to prosthetic valve thrombosis or periprosthetic regurgitation. Aorto‐atrial fistula after valve surgery is a rare complication, which usually occurs after aortic valve surgery. However, development of an aorto‐left atrial fistula after prosthetic mitral valve replacement is very rare. Here, we present a patient who had aorto‐atrial fistula evaluated by transesophageal echocardiography.
Retinal axonal loss in very early stages of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Maghzi A.‐H. , Graves J. , Revirajan N. , Spain R. , Liu S. , McCulloch C. E. , Pelletier D. , Green A. J. , Waubant E.
Published: April 2015

Background and purpose

The lack of surrogates of clinical progression has limited the design of neuroprotection trials in multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to study the association between time‐domain optical coherence tomography measures and clinical and magnetic resonance imaging outcomes in early MS.

Methods

Forty‐three relapsing−remitting MS patients within 1 year of onset were followed for up to 3 years.

Results

The peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) decreased annually by 2 μm (95% confidence interval −3.89, −0.11; P = 0.038). The RNFL tended to be associated with normalized normal appearing white matter volume in cross‐sectional (P = 0.08) and longitudinal analyses (P = 0.06).

Conclusions

There is substantial RNFL loss even in very early MS. Our data suggest that retinal axonal atrophy is associated with atrophy in global white matter volume in early MS.
Soil organic carbon across scales
Authors: O'Rourke Sharon M. , Angers Denis A. , Holden Nicholas M. , McBratney Alex B.
Published: April 2015

Mechanistic understanding of scale effects is important for interpreting the processes that control the global carbon cycle. Greater attention should be given to scale in soil organic carbon (SOC) science so that we can devise better policy to protect/enhance existing SOC stocks and ensure sustainable use of soils. Global issues such as climate change require consideration of SOC stock changes at the global and biosphere scale, but human interaction occurs at the landscape scale, with consequences at the pedon, aggregate and particle scales. This review evaluates our understanding of SOC across all these scales in the context of the processes involved in SOC cycling at each scale and with emphasis on stabilizing SOC. Current synergy between science and policy is explored at each scale to determine how well each is represented in the management of SOC. An outline of how SOC might be integrated into a framework of soil security is examined. We conclude that SOC processes at the biosphere to biome scales are not well understood. Instead, SOC has come to be viewed as a large‐scale pool subjects to carbon flux. Better understanding exists for SOC processes operating at the scales of the pedon, aggregate and particle. At the landscape scale, the influence of large‐ and small‐scale processes has the greatest interaction and is exposed to the greatest modification through agricultural management. Policy implemented at regional or national scale tends to focus at the landscape scale without due consideration of the larger scale factors controlling SOC or the impacts of policy for SOC at the smaller SOC scales. What is required is a framework that can be integrated across a continuum of scales to optimize SOC management.
Increased evapotranspiration demand in a Mediterranean climate might cause a decline in fungal yields under global warming
Authors: Ágreda Teresa , Águeda Beatriz , Olano José M. , Vicente‐Serrano Sergio M. , Fernández‐Toirán Marina
Published: April 2015

Wild fungi play a critical role in forest ecosystems, and its recollection is a relevant economic activity. Understanding fungal response to climate is necessary in order to predict future fungal production in Mediterranean forests under climate change scenarios. We used a 15‐year data set to model the relationship between climate and epigeous fungal abundance and productivity, for mycorrhizal and saprotrophic guilds in a Mediterranean pine forest. The obtained models were used to predict fungal productivity for the 2021–2080 period by means of regional climate change models. Simple models based on early spring temperature and summer–autumn rainfall could provide accurate estimates for fungal abundance and productivity. Models including rainfall and climatic water balance showed similar results and explanatory power for the analyzed 15‐year period. However, their predictions for the 2021–2080 period diverged. Rainfall‐based models predicted a maintenance of fungal yield, whereas water balance‐based models predicted a steady decrease of fungal productivity under a global warming scenario. Under Mediterranean conditions fungi responded to weather conditions in two distinct periods: early spring and late summer–autumn, suggesting a bimodal pattern of growth. Saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi showed differences in the climatic control. Increased atmospheric evaporative demand due to global warming might lead to a drop in fungal yields during the 21st century.
Precipitation impacts on vegetation spring phenology on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Shen Miaogen , Piao Shilong , Cong Nan , Zhang Gengxin , Jassens Ivan A
Published: April 2015

The ongoing changes in vegetation spring phenology in temperate/cold regions are widely attributed to temperature. However, in arid/semiarid ecosystems, the correlation between spring temperature and phenology is much less clear. We test the hypothesis that precipitation plays an important role in the temperature dependency of phenology in arid/semiarid regions. We therefore investigated the influence of preseason precipitation on satellite‐derived estimates of starting date of vegetation growing season (SOS) across the Tibetan Plateau (TP). We observed two clear patterns linking precipitation to SOS. First, SOS is more sensitive to interannual variations in preseason precipitation in more arid than in wetter areas. Spatially, an increase in long‐term averaged preseason precipitation of 10 mm corresponds to a decrease in the precipitation sensitivity of SOS by about 0.01 day mm−1. Second, SOS is more sensitive to variations in preseason temperature in wetter than in dryer areas of the plateau. A spatial increase in precipitation of 10 mm corresponds to an increase in temperature sensitivity of SOS of 0.25 day °C−1 (0.25 day SOS advance per 1 °C temperature increase). Those two patterns indicate both direct and indirect impacts of precipitation on SOS on TP. This study suggests a balance between maximizing benefit from the limiting climatic resource and minimizing the risk imposed by other factors. In wetter areas, the lower risk of drought allows greater temperature sensitivity of SOS to maximize the thermal benefit, which is further supported by the weaker interannual partial correlation between growing degree days and preseason precipitation. In more arid areas, maximizing the benefit of water requires greater sensitivity of SOS to precipitation, with reduced sensitivity to temperature. This study highlights the impacts of precipitation on SOS in a large cold and arid/semiarid region and suggests that influences of water should be included in SOS module of terrestrial ecosystem models for drylands.
Empirical evidence for the scale dependence of biotic interactions
Authors: Belmaker Jonathan , Zarnetske Phoebe , Tuanmu Mao‐Ning , Zonneveld Sara , Record Sydne , Strecker Angela , Beaudrot Lydia
Published: April 2015

Aim

Although it is recognized that ecological patterns are scale dependent, the exact scales over which specific ecological processes operate are still a matter of controversy. In particular, understanding the scales over which biotic interactions operate is critical for predicting changes in species distributions in the face of the ongoing biodiversity crisis. It has been hypothesized that biotic interactions operate predominately at fine grains, yet this conjecture has received relatively little empirical scrutiny. We use US woodpeckers as a model system to assess the relative importance of biotic interactions, environmental suitability and geographic proximity to other intraspecific occurrence sites, across scales.

Location

Conterminous United States.

Methods

We combined species occurrence data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) with a large pair‐wise interaction matrix describing known interactions among woodpeckers and other bird species. Using a logistic mixed modelling framework we then established the relative importance of biotic interactions as predictors of woodpecker occurrences in relation to environment and geographic proximity to intraspecific occurrence sites.

Results

We found that geographic proximity becomes a stronger predictor of woodpecker occurrence as grain becomes coarser, while environment is grain‐invariant. As opposed to environment and geographic proximity, we found that when the focal species experienced positive biotic interactions, the importance of interactions decreased with increased grain. However, positive interactions remained important up to a grain size of entire BBS routes (c. 40 km), which is much coarser than the grain size used by most species distribution models. In contrast, when the focal species experienced negative interactions we did not find clear grain dependence.

Main conclusions

Biotic interactions (both positive and negative) are important predictors of species occurrences. While these interactions are strongest at fine grains, they can remain important even at coarse grains, and are thus critical for predicting distributional changes in the face of the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
Simple mechanistic models can partially explain local but not range‐wide co‐occurrence of African mammals
Authors: Buschke Falko T. , Brendonck Luc , Vanschoenwinkel Bram
Published: April 2015

Aim

One hypothesis to explain strong biodiversity–climate correlations is that climate gradients determine individual species ranges, which then sum up to form species richness patterns. If this is true, then climate gradients should not only predict the local occurrence of species (i.e. patterns in the local community) but also co‐occurrence of species across the entirety of their ranges (i.e. the regional community concept). We test this hypothesis for African mammals.

Location

Sub‐Saharan Africa.

Methods

We quantified species richness of African mammals in 10,000‐km2 quadrats to assess local community patterns and developed a new metric for range overlap in the assemblage dispersion field to quantify the range‐wide overlap of species ranges. To identify potential underlying processes, we used a mechanistic modelling approach to simulate the effects of environmental determinism, dispersal limitation and range positioning on species co‐occurrence patterns in both local and regional communities.

Results

Although mechanistic models that included climate gradients, dispersal limitation and range positioning could emulate local patterns of mammal richness accurately, they were poor predictors of the co‐occurrence of species across their entire ranges. In the regional community, patterns of mammal co‐occurrence were more closely linked to biogeographical regions in Africa.

Conclusions

We found little support for the hypothesis that climate modulates individual species ranges, which then sum up to determine species richness. Instead, climate may determine how many mammal species can persist locally, whereas historical processes and species interactions ultimately determine more general patterns of species co‐occurrence.
Pore pressure evolution and fluid flow during visco‐elastic single‐layer buckle folding
Authors: Eckert A. , Liu X. , Connolly P.
Published: April 2015

Pore pressure and fluid flow during the deformational history of geologic structures are directly influenced by tectonic deformation events. In this contribution, 2D plane strain finite element analysis is used to study the influence of different permeability distributions on the pore pressure field and associated flow regimes during the evolution of visco‐elastic single‐layer buckle folds. The buckling‐induced fluid flow regimes indicate that flow directions and, to a lesser degree, their magnitudes vary significantly throughout the deformation and as a function of the stratigraphic permeability distribution. The modelling results suggest that the volumetric strain and the permeability distribution significantly affect the resulting flow regime at different stages of fold development. For homogeneous permeability models (k > 10−21 m2), low strain results in a mostly pervasive fluid flow regime and is in agreement with previous studies. For larger strain conditions, fluid focusing occurs in the buckling layer towards the top of the fold hinge. For low permeabilities (<10−21 m2), local focused flow regimes inside the buckling layer emerge throughout the deformation history. For models featuring a low‐permeability layer embedded in a high‐permeability matrix or sandwiched between high‐permeability layers, focused flow regimes inside the folded layer result throughout the deformation history, but with significant differences in the flow vectors of the surrounding layers. Fluid flow vectors induced by the fold can result in different, even reversed, directions depending on the amount of strain. In summary, fluid flow regimes during single‐layer buckling can change from pervasive to focused and fluid flow vectors can be opposite at different strain levels, that is the flow vectors change significantly through time. Thus, a complete understanding of fluid flow regimes associated with single‐layer buckle folds requires consideration of the complete deformation history of the fold.