bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Animal Cognition and Human Values
Authors: Birch Jonathan
Published: July 2018

Animal welfare scientists face an acute version of the problem of inductive risk since they must choose whether to affirm attributions of mental states to animals in advisory contexts, knowing their decisions hold consequences for animal welfare. In such contexts, the burden of proof should be sensitive to the consequences of error, but a framework for setting appropriate burdens of proof is lacking. Through reflection on two cases—pain and cognitive enrichment—I arrive at a tentative framework based on the principle of expected welfare maximization. I then discuss the limitations of this framework and the questions it leaves open.
The Burning Library: The Paperback Revolution and the End of the Book in 1960s France
Authors: Smith Douglas
Published: July 2018

In the mid-1960s, the paperback book became the object of intense intellectual debate in France, welcomed by some as a vehicle of cultural democratization and denounced by others as a vector of consumerist commodification. The debate was symptomatic of a wider crisis in print culture, whose centrality was called into question by three developments: the growth of an audiovisual mass culture; the challenge of experimental fiction; and the critique of the book as a model of knowledge in philosophy and literary criticism. Within these contexts, the paperback was construed as both the nemesis and the saviour of the traditional book. Its chief opponent was Hubert Damisch, whose phonocentric critique of the technological mediation of culture betrayed an anxiety about the impact of such mediation on the status of traditional cultural arbiters. For Maurice Blanchot, however, the identification of the paperback with technological mass culture as opposed to a traditional print-based high culture obscured a more fundamental opposition: that between an establishment culture of assimilation and the radical contestation of art. Often expressed in the imagery of fire, it is ultimately the complex confrontation between culture and art that is revealed in the ambivalent response to the paperback.
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines on the Evaluation and Treatment of Patients with Thoracolumbar Spine Trauma: Surgical Approaches
Authors: Anderson Paul A , Raksin P B , Arnold Paul M , Chi John H , Dailey Andrew T , Dhall Sanjay S , Eichholz Kurt M , Harrop James S , Hoh Daniel J , Qureshi Sheeraz , Rabb Craig H , Kaiser Michael G , O’Toole John E
Published: July 2018

QUESTION

Does the choice of surgical approach (anterior, posterior, or combined anterior-posterior) improve clinical outcomes in patients with thoracic and lumbar fractures?

RECOMMENDATIONS

In the surgical treatment of patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures, physicians may use an anterior, posterior, or a combined approach as the selection of approach does not appear to impact clinical or neurological outcomes.

Strength of Recommendation: Grade B

With regard to radiologic outcomes in the surgical treatment of patients with thoracolumbar fractures, physicians may utilize an anterior, posterior, or combined approach because there is conflicting evidence in the comparison among approaches.

Strength of Recommendation: Grade Insufficient

With regard to complications in the surgical treatment of patients with thoracolumbar fractures, physicians may use an anterior, posterior, or combined approach because there is conflicting evidence in the comparison among approaches.

Strength of Recommendation: Grade Insufficient

The full version of the guideline can be reviewed at: https://www.cns.org/guideline-chapters/congress-neurological-surgeons-systematic-review-evidence-based-guidelines/chapter_11.
Neurosurgical patterns of care for diffuse low-grade gliomas in Sweden between 2005 and 2015
Authors: Carstam Louise , Smits Anja , Milos Peter , Corell Alba , Henriksson Roger , Bartek Jiri , Jakola Asgeir Store
Published: July 2018

Background

In the last decade, increasing evidence has evolved for early and maximal safe resection of diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGGs) regarding survival. However, changes in clinical practice are known to occur slowly and we do not know if the scientific evidence has yet resulted in changes in neurosurgical patterns of care.

Methods

The Swedish Brain Tumor Registry was used to identify all patients with a first-time histopathological diagnosis of LGG between 2005 and 2015. For analysis of surgical treatment patterns, we subdivided assessed time periods into 2005-2008, 2009-2012, and 2013-2015. Population-based data on patient and disease characteristics, surgical management, and outcomes were extracted.

Results

A total of 548 patients with diffuse World Health Organization grade II gliomas were identified: 142 diagnosed during 2005-2008, 244 during 2009-2012, and 162 during 2013-2015. Resection as opposed to biopsy was performed in 64.3% during 2005-2008, 74.2% during 2009-2012, and 74.1% during 2013-2015 (P = .08). There was no difference among the 3 periods regarding overall survival (P = .11). However, post hoc analysis of data from the 4 (out of 6) centers that covered all 3 time periods demonstrated a resection rate of 64.3% during 2005-2008, 77.4% during 2009-2012, and 75.4% during 2013-2015 (P = .02) and longer survival of patients diagnosed 2009 and onward (P = .04).

Conclusion

In this nationwide, population-based study we observed a shift over time in favor of LGG resection. Further, a positive correlation between the more active surgical strategy and longer survival is shown, although no causality can be claimed because of possible confounding factors.
Estimating energy expenditure from wrist and thigh accelerometry in free-living adults: a doubly labelled water study
Authors: White Tom , Westgate Kate , Hollidge Stefanie , Venables Michelle , Olivier Patrick , Wareham Nick , Brage Soren
Published: July 2018

Background

Many large studies have implemented wrist or thigh accelerometry to capture physical activity, but the accuracy of these measurements to infer Activity Energy Expenditure (AEE) and consequently Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) has not been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of acceleration intensity at wrist and thigh sites as estimates of AEE and TEE under free-living conditions using a gold-standard criterion.

Methods

Measurements for 193 UK adults (105 men, 88 women, aged 40-66 years, BMI 20.4-36.6 kg·m-2) were collected with triaxial accelerometers worn on the dominant wrist, non-dominant wrist and thigh in free-living conditions for 9-14 days. In a subsample (50 men, 50 women) TEE was simultaneously assessed with doubly labelled water (DLW). AEE was estimated from non-dominant wrist using an established estimation model, and novel models were derived for dominant wrist and thigh in the non-DLW subsample. Agreement with both AEE and TEE from DLW was evaluated by mean bias, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Pearson correlation.

Results

Mean TEE and AEE derived from DLW was 11.6 (2.3) MJ·day-1 and 49.8 (16.3) kJ·day-1·kg-1. Dominant and non-dominant wrist acceleration were highly correlated in free-living (r=0.93), but less so with thigh (r=0.73 and 0.66, respectively). Estimates of AEE were 48.6 (11.8) kJ·day-1·kg-1 from dominant wrist, 48.6 (12.3) from non-dominant wrist, and 46.0 (10.1) from thigh; these agreed strongly with AEE (RMSE ~12.2 kJ·day-1·kg-1, r ~0.71) with small mean biases at the population level (~6%). Only the thigh estimate bias was statistically significantly different from the criterion. When combining these AEE estimates with estimated REE, agreement was stronger with the criterion (RMSE ~1.0 MJ·day-1, r ~0.90). Conclusions: In UK adults, acceleration measured at either wrist or thigh can be used to estimate population levels of AEE and TEE in free-living conditions with high precision.
Conflict of evolutionary interests between plants and pollinators revealed through functional exploration of flower morphospace
Authors: Peng Foen , Campos Eric O. , Sullivan Joseph Garret , Berry Nathan , Song Bo Bin , Daniel Thomas L. , Bradshaw H. D.
Published: July 2018

The explosive evolutionary diversification of flowering plants traditionally is attributed to the coevolution of plants and their animal pollinators. Plant-pollinator interactions are held as classical examples of mutualisms – beneficial to both parties – in spite of the fact that most other cases of rapid coevolution are the result of conflicts of interest (e.g., predator-prey, host-parasite, sexual conflict, competition for resources). Could the co-diversification of plants and their pollinators be driven by conflict rather than by mutualism? To address this question, we employed the theoretical morphospace paradigm using a combination of 3D printing, electronic sensing, and machine vision technologies to determine the influence of two flower morphological features (corolla curvature and nectary diameter) on the fitness of both parties: the artificial flower and its hawkmoth pollinator. We found that the two parties have almost opposite interests in corolla curvature evolution, with non-overlapping fitness peaks in flower morphospace, suggesting that the evolutionary radiation of flowering plants and their pollinators could be the result of conflict instead of mutualism.
Demographic determinants of biometric heritability
Authors: Barthold Julia A. , Plard Floriane , Gaillard Jean-Michel , Coulson Tim , Tuljapurkar Shripad
Published: July 2018

The response of quantitative characters to selection depends on their transmission from parents to offspring. A common estimate of this transmission is the biometric heritability defined as the slope of the regression of offspring phenotype on same-aged mid-parent phenotype (i.e. the ratio of the phenotypic parent-offspring covariance over the parental phenotypic variance). This slope is often interpreted as the percentage of phenotypic variation due to additive genetic effects after accounting for confounding factors such as environment, litter or parental effects. However, researchers seldom account for the possible influence of selection on this estimate. Here we study the effect on biometric heritability of fertility and viability selection, as well as phenotype ontogeny (growth) and inheritance from parents to offspring. We present exact formulas for the elasticities of biometric heritability in age-phenotype-structured integral projection models (IPMs), and illustrate these for two iteroparous long-lived species. We find that both viability and fertility selection can strongly affect heritability, mediated by growth and inheritance. Generally, demographic processes that result in parents reproducing at large phenotypes, regardless of their own birth phenotype, decrease heritability. Analysed at equilibrium, our models imply that a heritable character can show no response to selection, if parental phenotypes affect offspring phenotypes and if phenotypes develop with age. Our results further highlight the importance of accounting for demographic processes when estimating heritability.
Lipids are the preferred substrate of the protistNaegleria gruberi, relative of a human brain pathogen
Authors: Bexkens Michiel L. , Zimorski Verena , Sarink Maarten J. , Wienk Hans , Brouwers Jos F. , De Jonckheere Johan F. , Martin William F. , Opperdoes Fred R. , van Hellemond Jaap J. , Tielens Aloysius G.M.
Published: July 2018

Naegleria gruberiis a free-living non-pathogenic amoeboflagellate and relative ofNaegleria fowleri, a deadly pathogen causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). A genomic analysis ofN. gruberiexists, but physiological evidence for its core energy metabolism orin vivogrowth substrates is lacking. Here we show thatN. gruberitrophozoites need oxygen for normal functioning and growth and that they furthermore shun both glucose and amino acids as growth substrates. Trophozoite growth depends mainly upon lipid oxidation via a mitochondrial branched respiratory chain, both ends of which require oxygen as final electron acceptor. GrowingN. gruberitrophozoites thus have a strictly aerobic energy metabolism with a marked substrate preference for the oxidation of fatty acids. Analyses ofN. fowlerigenome data and comparison with those ofN. gruberiindicate thatN. fowlerihas the same type of metabolism. Specialization to oxygen-dependent lipid breakdown represents a hitherto unprecedented metabolic strategy in protists.
Primacy coding facilitates effective odor discrimination when receptor sensitivities are tuned
Authors: Zwicker David
Published: July 2018

The olfactory system faces the difficult task of identifying an enormous variety of odors independent of their intensity. Primacy coding, where the odor identity is encoded by the receptor types that respond earliest, is one possible representation that can facilitate this task. So far, it is unclear whether primacy coding facilitates typical olfactory tasks and what constraints it implies for the olfactory system. In this paper, we develop a simple model of primacy coding, which we simulate numerically and analyze using a statistical description. We show that the encoded information depends strongly on the number of receptor types included in the primacy representation, but only weakly on the size of the receptor repertoire. The representation is independent of the odor intensity and the transmitted information is useful to perform typical olfactory tasks, like detecting a target odor or discriminating similar mixtures, with close to experimentally measured performance. Interestingly, we find situations in which a smaller receptor repertoire is advantageous for identifying a target odor. The model also suggests that overly sensitive receptor types could dominate the entire response and make the whole array useless, which allows us to predict how receptor arrays need to adapt to stay useful during environmental changes. By quantifying the information transmitted using primacy coding, we can thus connect microscopic characteristics of the olfactory system to its overall performance.

Author summary

Humans can identify odors independent of their intensity. Experimental data suggest that this is accomplished by representing the odor identity by the earliest responding receptor types. Using theoretical modeling, we here show that such a primacy code allows discriminating odors with close to experimentally measured performance. This performance depends strongly on the number of receptors considered in the primacy code, but the receptor repertoire size is less important. The model also suggests a strong evolutionary pressure on the receptor sensitivities, which could explain observed receptor copy number adaptations. Taken together, the model connects detailed molecular measurements to large-scale psycho-physical measurements, which will contribute to our understanding of the olfactory system.
Loss of vimentin intermediate filaments decreases peri-nuclear stiffness and enhances cell motility through confined spaces
Authors: Patteson Alison E. , Pogoda Katarzyna , Byfield Fitzroy J. , Charrier Elisabeth E. , Galie Peter A. , Deptuła Piotr , Bucki Robert , Janmey Paul A.
Published: July 2018

The migration of cells through tight constricting spaces or along fibrous tracks in tissues is important for biological processes, such as embryogenesis, wound healing, and cancer metastasis, and depends on the mechanical properties of the cytoskeleton. Migratory cells often express and upregulate the intermediate filament protein vimentin. The viscoelasticity of vimentin networks in shear deformation has been documented, but its role in motility is largely unexplored. Here, we studied the effects of vimentin on cell motility and stiffness using mouse embryo fibroblasts derived from wild-type and vimentin-null mice. We find that loss of vimentin increases motility through small pores and along thin capillaries. Atomic force microscopy measurements reveal that the presence of vimentin enhances the perinuclear stiffness of the cell, to an extent that depends on surface ligand presentation and therefore signaling from extracellular matrix receptors. Together, our results indicate that vimentin hinders three-dimensional motility by providing mechanical resistance against large strains and may thereby protect the structural integrity of cells.
Single molecule analysis of lamin dynamics
Authors: Serebryannyy Leonid A. , Ball David A. , Karpova Tatiana S. , Misteli Tom
Published: July 2018

The nuclear envelope (NE) is an essential cellular structure that contributes to nuclear stability, organization, and function. Mutations in NE-associated proteins result in a myriad of pathologies with widely diverse clinical manifestations, ages of onsets, and affected tissues. Notably, several hundred disease-causing mutations have been mapped to the LMNA gene, which encodes the intermediate filament proteins lamin A and C, two of the major architectural components of the nuclear envelope. However, how NE dysfunction leads to the highly variable pathologies observed in patient cells and tissues remains poorly understood. One model suggests alterations in the dynamic properties of the nuclear lamina and its associated proteins contribute to disease phenotype. Here, we describe the application of single molecule tracking (SMT) methodology to characterize the behavior of nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins (NETs) and nuclear lamins in their native cellular environment at the single molecule level. As proof-of-concept, we demonstrate by SMT that Halo-tagged lamin B1, Samp1, lamin A, and lamin A Δ50 have distinct binding and kinetic properties, and we identify several disease-relevant mutants which exhibit altered binding dynamics. SMT is also able to separately probe the dynamics of the peripheral and the nucleoplasmic populations of lamin A mutants. We suggest that SMT is a robust and sensitive method to investigate how pathogenic mutations or cellular processes affect protein dynamics at the NE.
Influence of nitrogen immersion and NiO nanoparticles on the electrochemical behavior of (Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductor in sodium sulfate solution
Authors: Rahal H.T. , Abdel-Gaber A.M. , Awad R. , Abdel-Naby B.A.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The paper aims to examine the inhibition effect of NiO nanoparticles and the influence of liquid nitrogen immersion on the corrosion behavior of (NiO)x(Bi1.6Pb0.4)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10-δand (NiO)x(Bi, Pb 2223), wherex= 0.00 and 0.05 Wt.% phase superconductor in 0.1 M Na2SO4at 30°C.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was done using open-circuit potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization curves and chronoamperometry measurements.

Findings

Potentiodynamic polarization technique showed that NiO nanoparticles suppress both the anodic and cathodic parts of the polarization curves of (NiO)x(Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductor in 0.1 M Na2SO4solution. A significant enhancement in the corrosion resistance of the prepared superconductors is observed on immersing them in liquid nitrogen. This is owing to the fact that immersion in liquid nitrogen increases the volume contraction of the superconductor matrix, causing the shrinkage of the pores and voids present in the samples and thus reducing the active surface area for the dissolution of (NiO)x(Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductor matrix.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills the need to investigate the corrosion behavior of superconductors and the influence of liquid nitrogen immersion on such behavior.
A qualitative approach to automated motels: a rising issue in South Korea
Authors: Kim Hyojin , Kim Byung-Gook
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Apart from a few negative social effects of automated motels, this study aims to represent the first attempt to examine why consumers visit automated motels in Korea and how they feel about them using a qualitative research method.

Design/methodology/approach

To secure the validity of the data, a triangulation method which applied three data collection methods was used. Semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, participatory online observation and template analysis, as data collection methods and an analysis technique were conducted.

Findings

Findings indicate that the main purposes of visiting these motels are for affairs and other sexual experiences, while there are also other major objectives such as individual privacy and business trips. Key determinants found in the analyses are anonymity, the room rate and more thematic factors.

Research limitations/implications

Given the rising issue that there is a rapid growth in the market for automated motels beyond perceived negative images, those in the hospitality industry should devote attention to effective alternatives such as focusing on the inherent purpose of lodging with many other conveniences as well. For future studies, developing an instrument, investigating perspectives of the automated motel providers and comparing with research on automated hotels conducted in European countries are necessary.

Practical implications

This study provides some of the strengths of automated motels such as the assurance of anonymity during tourists’ stay and automated payment method in the parking garage that apply to the Korean middle-scale hotel industry. As the sector of automated motels provides favorable profit for the owners and the Korean hotel industry around Seoul always runs short of hotel provisions, this study implies that the governments and administrations should find a solution to replace the regular lodging group of automated motels with a category of tourist hotels.

Originality/value

Although there is unusual popularity and a considerably growing number of automated motels in Korea, scant research has been conducted relative to automated motels. Despite difficulty in debating the current issue of automated motels, this study, as the first pioneering research on automated motels in Korea, endeavored to address this issue and discuss its social and political implications based upon the findings.
Thermoregulation properties of composite phase change materials in high temperature environmental conditions
Authors: Yang Kai , Jiao Mingli , Wang Sifan , Yu Yuanyuan , Diao Quan , Cao Jian
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate thermoregulation properties of different composite phase change materials (PCMs), which could be used in the high temperature environmental conditions to protect human body against the extra heat flow.

Design/methodology/approach

Three kinds of composite PCM samples were prepared using the selected pure PCMs, including n-hexadecane, n-octadecane and n-eicosane. The DSC experiment was performed to get the samples’ phase change temperature range and enthalpy. The simulated high temperature experiments were performed using human arms in three different high temperature conditions (40°C, 45°C, 50°C), and the skin temperature variation curves varying with time were obtained. Then a comprehensive index TGP was introduced from the curves and calculated to evaluate the thermoregulation properties of different composite PCM samples comprehensively.

Findings

Results show that the composite PCM samples could provide much help to the high temperature human body. It could decrease the skin temperature quickly in a short time and it will not cause the over-cooling phenomenon. Comparing with other two composite PCM samples, the thermoregulation properties of the n-hexadecane and n-eicosane composite PCM is the best.

Originality/value

Using the n-hexadecane and n-eicosane composite PCM may provide people with better protection against the high temperature conditions, which is significative for the manufacture of functional thermoregulating textiles, garments or equipments.
The health of foreign-born homeless families living in the family shelter system
Authors: Polillo Alexia , Kerman Nick , Sylvestre John , Lee Catherine M. , Aubry Tim
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Foreign-born families face challenges following migration to Canada that may impact their well-being and lead them to homelessness. Yet, there is limited research on the experience of homelessness in this population. The purpose of this paper is to examine the health of foreign-born families staying in the emergency shelter system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and compare their experiences to Canadian-born homeless families who are also living in shelters.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were conducted with 75 adult heads of families who were residing in three family shelters. This study focused on mental and physical health functioning, chronic medical conditions, access to care and diagnoses of mental disorders.

Findings

Foreign-born heads of families reported better mental health than did Canadian-born heads of families with a significantly lower proportion of foreign-born participants reporting having been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Foreign-born heads of families also reported fewer chronic medical conditions than did Canadian-born heads of families.

Research limitations/implications

This study relied on self-reported health and access to healthcare services. Data were drawn from a small, non-random sample.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first studies to examine the health and well-being of homeless foreign-born heads of families. Moreover, this paper also focuses on disparities in health, diagnoses of mental disorders, and access to healthcare services between foreign-born and Canadian-born families – a comparison that has not been captured in the existing literature.
Relationship of emotional intelligence with cultural intelligence and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector
Authors: Sharma Tanu , Singh Sandeep
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship of emotional intelligence with the cultural quotient (CQ) and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 109 middle-level managers of the Indian service sector, comprising of top five contributing industries to the GDP of India (retail, real estate, banking and insurance, information technology and tourism). Emotional quotient (EQ) was measured by using the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Singh (2004), Cultural Intelligence Scale by Ang and Dyne (2008) was used to calculate CQ, and for measuring change readiness, Change Readiness Questionnaire developed by Kriegel and Brandt (1996) was used.

Findings

EQ has a significant and positive relationship with CQ (r=0.537) and the subscales of CQ are positively related with EQ. EQ is significantly positively related with change readiness (r=0.513) and the subscales of change readiness are also positively related with EQ.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to only 109 middle-level Indian managers of the service sector.

Originality/value

Training of managers on Emotional Intelligence can lead to better handling of conflict and erase misunderstandings because of cultural diversities and could also help managers to deal with change more effectively and appropriately.
Real estate performance in Nigeria pension fund
Authors: Umeh Obinna Lawrence , Okonu Al-ameen Ayoade
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of real estate to the performance of mixed-asset portfolio of Nigeria Pension Fund with a view to providing a guide on investment decision making for institutional investors and portfolio managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on capital value were collected from the quarterly and annual reports of Nigeria Pension Commission over a period of ten (2007–2016) years, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings

The findings show that there is diversification benefit resulting from integrating real estate to other assets of the Nigeria Pension Fund, and that the fund’s portfolio performed better when real estate is integrated in the mixed-asset portfolio.

Practical implications

Investment portfolio managers can benefit from the findings of this study by making investment decisions that are performance-driven. The study will serve as a guide in making investment decisions on mixed-asset portfolio of institutional investors other than pension funds.

Originality/value

There is no known paper on the contribution of real estate in the performance of asset portfolio of the Nigeria Pension Fund.
The relationship between leadership style and the success of Lean management implementation
Authors: Nogueira Daniela Maria da Costa , Sousa Paulo S.A. , Moreira Maria R.A.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to better understand the role that leadership plays in the success of Lean management (LM) implementation, by trying to identify what is the impact of the transactional, transformational, directive and empowering leadership styles on the success of such an implementation in Portuguese companies, and what are the most important leaders’ attributes.

Design/methodology/approach

An on-line questionnaire was distributed to 65 manufacturing and services Portuguese organizations that have implemented LM.

Findings

The results suggest that the empowering leadership style has a positive impact on the success of LM implementation. Even though results do not allow concluding about the impact of the other styles, several leader’s attributes were identified as having influence: individualized consideration, information sharing, skill development, intellectual stimulation, assigned goals and self-directed decision making.

Originality/value

Very few studies have addressed the role of leadership in the success of adopting LM and, to the best knowledge, only one paper studied the critical attributes of leaders in LM implementation. Moreover, the present study focuses in Portugal, country where this topic has rarely been investigated.
Mindful infrastructure as antecedent of innovation resilience behaviour of project teams
Authors: Oeij Peter R.A. , Van Vuuren Tinka , Dhondt Steven , Gaspersz Jeff , De Vroome Ernest M.M.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether insights into high reliability organizations (HROs) are useful for innovation management teams. HRO teams can keep failure to a minimum level due to high alertness and resilience. Project teams working on innovation management could benefit from HRO principles and thus reduce their chances of failure.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey among in total 260 team members and team leaders of project teams in innovation management was conducted to study the relation between, on the one hand, organizational features of HROs (“mindful infrastructure”) and HRO principles (adjusted as “innovation resilience behaviour”, IRB), and on the other hand, between mindful infrastructure and IRB and project outcomes.

Findings

From the results it could be concluded that mindful infrastructure associates with IRB, and that IRB has a mediating role in the relation between mindful infrastructure and project outcomes. Innovation management project teams can thus learn from the practice of HRO teams.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, HRO-thinking has not been applied to team behaviour in innovation management. A fruitful transfer of insights from the domain of safety and crisis management seems applicable to the domain of innovation.
“Social licence to operate” and the human services: A pathway to smarter commissioning?
Authors: Butcher John R.
Published: July 2018

Externalised service provision is now an embedded feature of Australia's service delivery architecture. However, the lessons drawn from two decades of contracted service delivery suggest that “competition” is an imperfect platform for the delivery of public services, especially where issues of trust in government come into play. Could the concept of a “social license to operate” (SLO), which has been in use in the natural resources sector for over two decades, help to facilitate the conferral of greater trust, credibility and legitimacy upon governments, and externalised service providers in social policy spaces?
Second Mortgages: Valuation and Implications for the Performance of Structured Financial Products
Authors: Ghent Andra C. , Miltersen Kristian R. , Torous Walter N.
Published: July 2018

We provide an analytic valuation framework to value second lien mortgages and first lien mortgages when homeowners can take out a second lien. We use the framework to value mortgage‐backed securities (MBS) and, in particular, quantify the greater risk associated with MBS backed by first liens that have “silent seconds.” Rating MBS without accounting for homeowners' equity extraction option results in much higher ratings than warranted by expected loss. While in our benchmark calibration, the senior tranche rating should beA1 rather than, the big losers from the equity extraction option are the mezzanine tranches that are nearly wiped out.
Impact of an emergency department‐run clinical decision unit on access block, ambulance ramping and National Emergency Access Target
Authors: Woodward Thomas , Hocking Julia , James Lucy , Johnson David
Published: July 2018

Objective

ED access block is an ongoing significant problem and has been associated with excess mortality. Multiple models of care have been studied in an effort to improve access block and other key performance indicators (KPIs) of ED.

Methods

This present study describes the impact of a new model of care using an ED led, consultant run clinical decision unit (CDU) on performance, using a retrospective analysis of data for 9 month periods before and after the introduction of the CDU model of care. Primary outcomes were access block (percentage of patients admitted >8 h), discharge National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) adherence and Queensland Ambulance Service level three escalations.

Results

After the implementation of the CDU, access block significantly improved. There was a significant improvement in NEAT adherence. Total ambulance ramping time fell by 58% and ambulance service level three escalations fell from 21 to 5 post‐CDU implementation. Overall there was no change to hospital mortality numbers. The percentage of patients that did not wait and 30 day representations showed a small but statistically significant decrease.

Conclusion

In summary, this ED led, consultant run CDU model of care resulted in significantly improved performance on a range of KPIs, including improvement in access block and NEAT figures. The substantial improvements in ambulance ramping and escalations also indicated that the department was able to cope better with periods of high activity.
Cuticles and Spores in Situ of Coniopteris hymenophylloides from the Middle Jurassic in Gansu, Northwestern China
Authors: XIN Cunlin , WANG Luhan , DU Baoxia , ZHANG Yamei , WANG Jingjing
Published: July 2018

Coniopteris was a ubiquitous plant of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and played an important role in the flora of the time. However, its anatomical structure is relatively poorly known. The specimens of Coniopteris hymenophylloides (Brongniart) Seward described here were collected from the Yaojie Formation in Gansu Province, northwestern China. The sterile fronds are characterized as being at least bipinnate with alternate arranged linear pinnae covered by thin cuticles. Fertile fronds are linear‐lanceolate, with single sorus at the margin of each fertile pinnule. In situ spores are typically trilete, triangle to subcircular in polar view, cap‐shaped in equatorial view, and 37 μm in average diameter. The trilete marking is straight and narrow, generally extends to 4/5 of the spore radius. The spore surface is smooth, and parts of the exine are granulated. The epidermal cells of cuticles are irregular in shape, approximately 40–60 μm long and 10–20 μm wide. The elliptical stomatal complexes are paracytic, approximately 30 μm long and 19 μm wide, and irregularly distributed. On the basis of its epidermal structures and comparisons with extant ferns, we consider that Coniopteris displays combined features of the related extant genera.
Geochemistry and SHRIMP U‐Pb Zircon Dating of Mafic Rocks North of Zunhua City, Eastern Hebei, North China Craton: Paleoproterozoic Gabbro rather than Neoarchean Ophiolite
Authors: XIE Hangqiang , DONG Chunyan , KRÖNER Alfred , LIU Shoujie , BAI Wenqian , LIU Dunyi , WAN Yusheng
Published: July 2018

Abundant mafic‐ultramafic blocks and dikes occur in the area north of Zunhua City, eastern Hebei Province, and were previously suggested to be part of a late Archean ophiolitic assemblage. We employed SHRIMP zircon dating and a geochemical study on these mafic and surrounding rocks to test the ophiolite hypothesis. The SHRIMP data suggest that three metagabbro samples were metamorphosed at ∼1.8 Ga. Numerous ∼2.5 Ga zircons display strong oscillatory zoning, characteristic of zircons from granitoid rocks but not from gabbro, so we suggest that these are xenocrystic grains. The age of these xenocrystic zircons and their metamorphic rims suggests that these mafic blocks formed in Paleoproterozoic. The surrounding gneiss of intermediate composition also contains 2.5 Ga zircons with oscillatory zoning and 1.8 Ga metamorphic rims. Fractionated REE patterns and Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf negative anomalies to variable extent were observed in the mafic blocks and surrounding rocks, also supporting a significant difference in the chemistry of ophiolitic rocks. Our data suggest that many mafic blocks in northern Zunhua are not part of a late Archean ophiolite complex but part of a tectonically dismembered Paleoproterozoic intrusive gabbro complex. This study shows that late Paleoproterozoic metamorphism occurred in the western part of eastern Hebei Province.
The Geological Significance of a Tuffite Interlayer in the Cretaceous Port Island Formation in Northeastern Hong Kong
Authors: ZHAO Longlong , WANG Lulin , TIAN Mingzhong , WU Fadong
Published: July 2018

The Port Island Formation (PIF), a typical Cretaceous red bed in Hong Kong, is dominated by non‐fossiliferous, reddish clastic rocks, making it difficult to determine the sedimentary age of PIF precisely. Previous studies assigned the PIF to Late Cretaceous provisionally only on the basis of its stratigraphic sequence and lithology. This study identified a tuffite interlayer in the PIF and a zircon U‐Pb age of 128.2±2.7 Ma by LA‐ICP‐MS method was obtained. It's the first time to date the depositional age of the PIF with a reliable chronological constraint. With the support of stratigraphic evidence, we concluded that the geological age of PIF should be Early Cretaceous rather than Late Cretaceous. Based on the volcanic history of Hong Kong and Southeast China and the distribution of the PIF in Mirs Bay, it is believed that there was no volcanic activity in Hong Kong in ca. 128 Ma. The tuffite interlayer discovered in PIF was formed by the deposition of volcanic ash, which might originate from remote region outside Hong Kong, in an aquatic environment on Port Island. The identification of the tuffite interlayer, as the response to a volcanic event, has great significance not only to the studies of establishment and regional correlation of the strata system and the geological evolution in Hong Kong, but also to the study of volcanic activities in Southeast China.
Diagenesis and Very Low‐grade Metamorphism of the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation in Eastern Changchun, China: Evidence from Clay Mineral Geothermobarometers
Authors: HU Daqian , ZHAN Naichen , ZHANG Jingtong , LI Yang , SUN Guosheng
Published: July 2018

The metamorphic conditions of the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation in eastern Changchun, China, were evaluated based on the mineral assemblage, illite crystallinity, illite polytypism, the b dimension of illite, and the chemical composition of chlorite. The pelitic rocks in the Yangjiagou Formation are characterized by illite + kaolinite + chlorite ± mixed‐layer chlorite/smectite and detrital quartz + plagioclase. Illite in the formation has a crystallinity of 0.38–0.55 and comprises mixed 2M1 and 1Md polytypes, indicating a metamorphic temperature of >200°C. Based on the chemical composition of chlorite and the chlorite geothermometer, we estimated diagenetic to very low‐grade metamorphic conditions with temperatures of 185°C–204°C. The b dimension of illite varies from 8.992Å to 9.005Å. We used a mathematical algorithm to extend Guidotti and Sassi's (1986) diagram relating illite b dimension with temperature and pressure, and used this diagram, together with illite crystallinity and chlorite chemical composition, to semi‐quantitatively estimate the formation pressure at<1.2 kbar. These reveal that the Yangjiagou Formation has experienced very low‐grade metamorphism.
Studies of Metallic and Trace Minerals of the Tiegelongnan Cu‐Au Deposit, Central Tibet, China
Authors: HE Wen , LIN Bin , YANG Huanhuan , SONG Yingxin
Published: July 2018

Electron probe micro‐analysis (EPMA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) have been used to investigate the principal ore minerals and coexisting metallic mineral inclusions in polished thin sections from the Tiegelongnan deposit, which consists of a high‐sulfidation epithermal system (HSES) and a porphyry system (PS). Molybdenite, chalcopyrite, bornite, tennantite, enargite, digenite, anilite, covellite, and tetrahedrite have been identified by EPMA. Intergrowth, cross‐cutting and replacement relationships between the metallic minerals suggest that molybdenite formed first (stage 1), followed by chalcopyrite ± bornite ± hematite (stage 2), then bornite ± Cu‐sulfides ± Cu‐Fe‐sulfoarsenides (stage 3), and lastly Cu‐Fe‐ sulfoarsenides ± Cu‐ sulfides (stage 4). Pyrite is developed throughout all the stages. Droplet‐like inclusions of Au‐Te minerals commonly occur in tennantite but not in the other major sulfides (molybdenite, chalcopyrite and bornite), implying that tennantite is the most important Au telluride carrier. The pervasive binary equilibrium phases of calaverite and altaite constrain fTe2 in the range from ∼−6.5 to ∼−8 and fS2 < −11. The intergrowth of bornite and chalcopyrite and the conversion from bornite to digenite suggest fluctuated and relatively low precipitation temperature conditions in the HSES relative to the PS. Contrastingly, the dominance of chalcopyrite in the PS, with minor bornite, suggests relatively high temperature conditions. These new results are important for further understanding the mineral formation processes superimposed by HSES and PS systems.
Financial Statement Comparability and the Informativeness of Stock Prices About Future Earnings
Authors: Choi Jong‐Hag , Choi Sunhwa , Myers Linda A. , Ziebart David
Published: July 2018

We find that financial statement comparability enhances the ability of current period returns to reflect future earnings, as measured by the future earnings response coefficient (FERC). This suggests that comparability improves the informativeness of stock prices and allows investors to better anticipate future firm performance. In addition, using both the FERC and stock price synchronicity tests, we find that comparability increases the amount of firm‐specific information (rather than market/industry‐level information) reflected in stock prices. Analysts play an important role in improving stock price informativeness by producing more firm‐specific information when comparability is high. These findings suggest that comparability lowers the costs of gathering and processing firm‐specific information.
The burden of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes from maternal smoking in an Australian cohort
Authors: Li Raymond , Lodge Jade , Flatley Christopher , Kumar Sailesh
Published: July 2018

Background

Maternal smoking is associated with a number of adverse outcomes with a dose‐dependent increase in risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the obstetric and perinatal outcomes in women who smoked during pregnancy.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of women who smoked during pregnancy and birthed at a major perinatal centre in Australia between January 2000 and April 2017. The study cohort was compared to a cohort of women who did not smoke in pregnancy. Smoking status was ascertained on history and included all types of smoking. Demographic characteristics and obstetric, intrapartum and perinatal outcomes were compared between the two groups.

Results

The study cohort included 20 477 (14.6%) women who smoked during pregnancy and 119 396 controls. Women who smoked tended to be younger, of higher body mass index (BMI), Caucasian and Indigenous ethnicity. Smokers were less likely to be nulliparous, but more likely to be hypertensive and have a lower socioeconomic status compared to non‐smokers. Women who smoked were more likely to have a caesarean section for non‐reassuring fetal status (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.16, 95%CI 1.07–1.26, P < 0.001). The infants of women who smoked were more likely to be born preterm, have a lower median birth weight and birth weights <10th (aOR 1.76, 95%CI 1.66–1.86, P < 0.001) and <5th centile (aOR 2.00, 95%CI 1.86–2.16, P < 0.001). Neonatal outcomes in the smoking cohort were worse with an increase in neonatal intensive care unit admission (aOR 1.34, 95%CI 1.27–1.43, P < 0.001), severe acidosis (aOR 1.41, 95%CI 1.27–1.43, P < 0.001) and a composite of severe neonatal outcomes (18.0% vs 12.0%, aOR 1.35, 95%CI 1.28–1.43, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Women who smoke in pregnancy have worse obstetric and perinatal outcomes compared to controls and should be managed as high risk.
Laparoscopic resection of retroperitoneal paraganglioma behind the Spiegel lobe in a kyphotic patient: A rare case report
Authors: Ogawa Hisataka , Nakahira Shin , Kishimoto Tomoya , Kato Kazuya , Hasegawa Makoto , Oyama Keisuke , Tou Takayuki , Maki Ryosuke , Himura Hoshi , Nishi Hidemi , Ohhara Nobuyoshi , Mikami Jota , Makari Yoichi , Nakata Ken , Tsujie Masaki , Fujita Junya , Ohzato Hiroki
Published: July 2018

Extra‐adrenal paraganglioma is a rare form of neuroendocrine neoplasm capable of catecholamine secretion. The surgical risks associated with the tumor location are compounded in this case of a kyphotic patient. This report presents the successful application of laparoscopy on extra‐adrenal paraganglioma located behind the Spiegel lobe in a kyphotic patient. The operation was performed after 1 week of α‐blocker administration. The laparoscopic approach, with the patient in the left hemilateral decubitus position on a rotating table, provided optimal access for safe tumor resection after complete hepatic right lobe mobilization. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Based on the results, the laparoscopic approach can be a safe and effective method for resecting extra‐adrenal paraganglioma in the challenging case of a kyphotic patient.