bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Esthetic development: a model for the undergraduate experience
Authors: Dary Erwin T.
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to refine and measure esthetic development.

Design/methodology/approach

– Three phrases of data collection were conducted utilizing four separate student samples (n = 120, 154, 241, and 343). In Phase I, an initial esthetic development stage model was tested with a constructed response test format using generalizability measurement theory. In Phase II, this conceptual model in esthetic development was refined with a modified constructed response format. In Phase III, a selective response test format was designed with five esthetic development stage scores, which were correlated with several artistic discipline-based and interdisciplinary courses.

Findings

– Higher esthetic development stages correlate with verbal ability and grades in interdisciplinary general education arts courses. Lower esthetic development stages were associated with lower verbal ability and grades in traditionally taught discipline-based arts courses.

Research limitations/implications

– What this study did not do is examine whether attendance at arts events and activities support or lead to higher esthetic development.

Social implications

– People at Stages Four and Five of this esthetic development model are able to compare artistic experience – whether visual or performing art – within a historical and cultural context or perspective. Individuals at these highest stages are able to communicate about the social significance and societal themes of the artistic experience to wider audiences.

Originality/value

– No accepted model or assessment method about the arts in higher education is available. Although the arts are commonly accepted as important in higher education, there is a paucity of research about esthetic development in the curriculum. This paper attempts to address this gap, in part, and to advance further study about quality of arts’ programs and activities in higher education.
Discovering inspiring teaching: immersive models of staff development
Authors: Hennessy Claire , Adams Gill , Mahon Elizabeth , Nixon Sarah , Pratt Andrea , Williams Louise
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to outline an innovative method of delivering staff development in an higher education (HE) setting. The paper evaluates the processes behind the “Focus on Inspiring Teaching” week and outlines its initial impact on staff.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a descriptive case study which highlights how an immersive staff development event can be used to enable HE teaching practitioners to utilise more inspiring approaches to teaching and learning. The paper draws on questionnaire evaluations (n = 43).

Findings

– The paper highlights how staff development events can be used to foster communities of practice for teaching staff. For this to be successful, staff needs to be committed to reflecting on their own practice and be sufficiently engaged to partake actively of staff development events. By establishing these communities, inspiring practice in teaching can be developed with successful outcomes. The paper outlines a model for staff development which could be established in other HE settings.

Practical implications

– Immersive staff development events are effective in achieving sustainable impact. To achieve success effective leadership and a team of committed teaching staff are needed. Success was also fostered by not making sessions compulsory whereby the staff could opt in for sessions to fit around teaching schedules.

Originality/value

– This paper will be of interest to those working in staff development and training and academic managers. It indicates how immersive staff development can have a positive impact on staff practice to bring about improvements to the student experience.
“For Piketty” – a new Enlightenment that goes far beyond rewritingDas Kapital
Authors: Jardat Rémi
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This critique of Piketty’sCapital in the Twenty-First Centurysummarizes and comments on the main tenets of the author’s principal theory. The author's aim is to point out the book’s contributions to a critical debate around social and economic issues, while giving special emphasis to its theoretical and epistemological relevance for management science.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on a careful reading of the book, in the original French and English translation versions, the author explores Piketty’s arguments and proposals and attempts to place his “scholarly discourse” in relation to Marx’s “worldview” as well as the philosophy of the Enlightenment.

Findings

– The book’s potential impact over the long run is extremely high, ostensibly enough to make it as important as Marx’s work, but relying on a decidedly different method and philosophy. The author also considers the strong complementariness between this work and that of Pierre Rosanvallon in the field of political science. Some similarities with Fukuyama’s approach are also considered, but on a much lesser note.

Research limitations/implications

– The question of unemployment, which is given little attention in Piketty’s work, is not addressed here.

Social implications

– In contrast with Piketty’s book, this paper intends to find social application only within the microcosm of the scholarly community.

Originality/value

– The author hopes to draw a link between the book’s contribution to economic thinking and its philosophical underpinnings, that is by presenting a reading that is both a positivist assessment and an attempt to decipher underlying assumptions.
Information content of dividends: a case of an emerging financial market
Authors: H. Chowdhury Reza , Maung Min , Zhang Jenny
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the signaling and free cash flow hypotheses of dividends in the context of an emerging financial market.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use fundamental financial information of Chinese companies listed in the Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges. They examine the impact of cash dividend payments on future profitability of individual firms with and without controlling for non-linearity in their earnings to test the signaling hypothesis. They also determine the characteristics of dividend paying firms to examine the free cash flow hypothesis.

Findings

– It was found that while dividend increases by publicly listed Chinese firms are followed by increases in earnings in two subsequent years, such relationship does not exist in the case of dividend decreases. However, under the assumption of non-linearity of earnings, it was found that neither dividend increases nor dividend decreases convey any valuable information about future changes in earnings of Chinese firms. Further, it was found that firms with high cash holdings, large profitability and high managerial efficiency are likely to pay dividends. The authors therefore conclude that announcements of cash dividend payments do not signal future performance but indicate good governance practices of publicly traded firms in China.

Originality/value

– This evidence is critical for potential foreign investors in their portfolio investment decisions and for regulators in determining an efficient measure of corporate disclosure in China.
Does hedging in futures market benefit Indian farmers?
Authors: Ranganathan Thiagu , Ananthakumar Usha
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to perform an analysis of potential benefits from usage of the futures markets for the farmers. The national commodity exchanges were established in India in the year 2003-2004. Though there has been a spectacular growth in trading volumes in these exchanges, participation of farmers in these markets has been very low. Efforts are being made to increase the awareness and participation of farmers in these markets. As such efforts are being made, it is critical to analyse the potential benefits from usage of the futures markets for the farmers. Our study performs such an analysis for soybean farmers in the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh state in India.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors estimate the optimal hedge ratios in futures markets for farmers in different scenarios characterised by varying levels of different parameters relevant to the farmer. For these optimal hedge ratios, we then estimate the benefits from hedging defined as the change in certainty equivalent income (CEI) due to hedging.

Findings

– Results indicate that the CEI gain due to hedging is positively related to the farmer’s risk aversion and inversely related to farmer’s price expectations and transaction costs. Also, only when the risk aversion is high, the CEI gain is positively related to the natural hedge. Thus, for a farmer with high risk aversion, hedging acts as a substitute to the natural hedge.

Originality/value

– This is the first study that analyses the hedging for farmer in the Indian context by considering yield risk while doing so. Also, their study establishes a relationship between risk aversion, the natural hedge and benefits from hedging in futures markets for the farmer.
Social enterprises, health-care provision and ethical capital
Authors: Frith Lucy
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to advance a conceptual understanding of the role of social enterprises in health care by developing the concept of ethical capital. Social enterprises have been an important part of both the coalition and the previous government’s vision for improving health-care delivery. One of the central arguments for increasing the role of social enterprises in health care is they can provide the benefits of a public service ethos with the efficiencies and innovatory strategies of a business. Social enterprises are well placed to promote the type of values that should underpin health care delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper explores the conceptual issues raised by using social enterprises to provide health-care services that were previously provided by the National Health Service (NHS) from an ethical perspective.

Findings

– It will be argued that conceptualising social enterprises as organisations that can and should produce ethical capital could be a useful way of developing the debate over social enterprises in health care.

Practical implications

– The paper provides suggestions on how ethical capital might be produced and monitored in social enterprises.

Originality/value

– This paper advances the debate over the use of the concept of ethical capital in social enterprises and explores the relationship between ethical and social capital – both under researched areas. It also contributes to the emerging discussions of social enterprises in current health policy and their role in the radically reformed English NHS.
Adding value and meaning to coheating tests
Authors: Stafford Anne , Johnston David , Miles-Shenton Dominic , Farmer David , Brooke-Peat Matthew , Gorse Chris
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The coheating test is the standard method of measuring the heat loss coefficient of a building, but to be useful the test requires careful and thoughtful execution. Testing should take place in the context of additional investigations in order to achieve a good understanding of the building and a qualitative and (if possible) quantitative understanding of the reasons for any performance shortfall. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Leeds Metropolitan University has more than 20 years of experience in coheating testing. This experience is drawn upon to discuss practical factors which can affect the outcome, together with supporting tests and investigations which are often necessary in order to fully understand the results.

Findings

– If testing is approached using coheating as part of a suite of investigations, a much deeper understanding of the test building results. In some cases it is possible to identify and quantify the contributions of different factors which result in an overall performance shortfall.

Practical implications

– Although it is not practicable to use a fully investigative approach for large scale routine quality assurance, it is extremely useful for purposes such as validating other testing procedures, in-depth study of prototypes or detailed investigations where problems are known to exist.

Social implications

– Successful building performance testing is a vital tool to achieve energy saving targets.

Originality/value

– The approach discussed clarifies some of the technical pitfalls which may be encountered in the execution of coheating tests and points to ways in which the maximum value can be extracted from the test period, leading to a meaningful analysis of the building's overall thermal performance.
Evaluation and selection of curtain wall systems for medium-high rise building construction
Authors: Al-Hammad Abdul-Mohsen , A. Hassanain Mohammad , N. Juaim Mohammed
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic approach for the evaluation and selection of curtain wall systems for medium-high rise building construction.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors have identified the different types of curtain wall systems that are commonly used in the building construction industry in Saudi Arabia; examined the various performance as well as financial and non-financial criteria affecting the evaluation and selection of these systems; and subjected the identified different types of curtain wall systems to several filtering processes, namely feasibility ranking, evaluation by comparison and weighted evaluation to facilitate making a decision on the most suitable system to select.

Findings

– The analysis of the collected data indicated that the precast concrete curtain wall system is considered to be the first choice. The second choice is the prefabricated brick panel curtain wall system.

Originality/value

– Curtain walls are the most recognized elements of contemporary structures today. There exists ample variety of materials and designs that could be utilized for the development of these building elements. This paper is of practical value to project owners, architects and design professionals endeavoring on the process of selecting and specifying curtain wall systems in their projects.
Emerging trends regarding accessible accommodation in Dubai luxury hotels
Authors: Morris Stephanie , Kazi Scholah
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine how luxury hotel operators in Dubai interpret the current disability laws in the region, and further how they currently provide accessible accommodation to disabled tourists.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study draws on data collected using document analysis of UAE Federal Law 29 (English translation), Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing Hotel Classification Manual, some five star hotels’ internal guidelines and semi-structured interviews with 12 hotel representatives.

Findings

– The majority of participants were unaware of existing statutory law addressing the rights and needs of the disabled community in Dubai. Despite their perceived absence of a legal framework, tendency toward provision of accessible accommodations was prevalent. Uniformly, the participants focused exclusively on tourists with physical disabilities.

Practical implications

– There is a need for detailed and comprehensive legislation protecting the rights and needs of disabled tourists, particularly in view of Dubai’s successful bid to host Expo 2020. This need will, no doubt, be fulfilled in light of the recent announcement that Dubai will enact its own disability law intended to make the emirate fully accessible to persons with disabilities.

Originality/value

– Research into the rights and needs of the disabled community has been largely overlooked in the Middle East, an oversight which is due for correction by virtue of an anticipated increase in tourism numbers in Dubai. The opportunity exists for enactment of model legislation taking into account the needs of disabled tourists, expectations of local industry, realities of the marketplace and regional cultural influence.
A framework for accident reduction and risk identification and assessment in Saudi Arabia
Authors: M. Al-Atawi Attiyah , Kumar Ravindra , Saleh Wafaa
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework methodology for the assessment and improving accident data collection and analysis in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Design/methodology/approach

– A proposed framework methodology for accident reduction by an integrated process which includes a risk identification, assessment and reduction process is proposed for Tabuk city in KSA.

Findings

– Tabuk city has a high accident rate. The proposed framework can improve the process of accident data collection and analysis and identify hot spot locations and accident severity.

Originality/value

– It has been estimated that the annual cost of traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia exceeds six billion US dollars, in addition to other social, health and economic impacts, such as disability, rehabilitation and unemployment due to traffic accident injuries. There are not many studies, if any, in Tabuk in KSA on the investigation and development of a framework for accident reduction.
An econometric study of energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth in South Asia: 1972-2009
Authors: Vidyarthi Harishankar
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth for a panel of five South Asian economies namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal over the period 1972-2009 within multivariate framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study uses Pedroni cointegration and Granger causality test based on panel vector error correction model to examine long-run equilibrium relationship and direction of causation in short run and long run between energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth in South Asia.

Findings

– Cointegration result indicates the long-run equilibrium relationship between economic growth, energy consumption and carbon emissions for panel. Causality results suggest that bidirectional causality exist between energy consumption-GDP, and unidirectional causality from carbon emissions to GDP and energy consumption in long run. However, energy consumption causes carbon emissions in short run.

Practical implications

– Implementing energy efficiency measures and reducing dependence on fossils fuels by scaling up carbon free energy resources like nuclear, renewables including hydropower in energy mix is necessary for sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.

Originality/value

– South Asia economies need to sacrifice economic growth for reducing the carbon emissions in long run if the region dependence on fossils fuels including coal, oil and natural gas in energy mix continues at same pace.
Self expression versus the environment: attitudes in conflict
Authors: Parker Lukas , Aleti Watne Torgeir , Brennan Linda , Trong Duong Hue , Nguyen Dang
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to present the findings of a survey into attitudes towards the environment and the pro-environmental behaviours of young adults in Vietnam.

Design/Methodology/Approach

– An online survey was administered to university students in Vietnam’s two most populous cities, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City (N = 391).

Findings

– The results suggest that environmental considerations are not taken into account in young Vietnamese adults’ purchase intentions. This is more evident in expressive purchases, but also, to some degree, in utilitarian purchases.

Practical implications

– For the marketers of environmentally friendly products, this represents at least two key challenges: first, to try to shift the attitudes of young adult consumers towards thinking of environmental friendliness as an attractive characteristic and status-filled activity for potential expressive purchases. Second, making environmentally friendly alternatives of expressive goods more visible and more widely available in Vietnam.

Social implications

– Non-government organisations and governments seeking to protect the environment need to consider this unique dynamic in social marketing campaigns to increase the desirability of pro-environmental product choices and other pro-environmental behaviours.

Originality/value

– This paper examines pro-environmental behaviours and intentions of young adults in Vietnam for the first time. The paper establishes that self-expression is more important than the environment, and it is also evident that these young consumers are still vulnerable to perceived social pressure when it comes to expressing themselves.
Young audiences’ emotional experience on smartphone film: an application of dual-coding theory
Authors: Huang Tseng-Lung , Chen Yi-Mu
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to determine whether smartphones create the best communication fit with a young audience.

Design/methodology/approach

– To validate the hypotheses, a task-based laboratory study was conducted. And smartphone film and television (TV) film were provided in the laboratory. Young respondents were recruited in the classroom and brief introduction and film were broadcasted. After watching the film, levels of respondent’s emotional experience was measured via questionnaire.

Findings

– The results indicate that when the text of the film matches the young audience’s schema, the young audience uses, mainly, imagery coding to interpret the text and achieve an emotional experience. Conversely, when the text and schema do not match, the young audience uses both proposition coding and imagery coding.

Practical implications

– Based on the results found in this study, companies should use different texts to match the different schema of young audiences to ensure that audiences can process coding and enjoy emotional experiences when using smartphone.

Originality/value

– Dual-coding theory is applied to determine which coding system the audience use to interpret the new-media text, such as smartphone films.
Swahili speech development: preliminary normative data from typically developing pre‐school children in Tanzania
Authors: Gangji Nazneen , Pascoe Michelle , Smouse Mantoa
Published: August 2014

Background

Swahili is widely spoken in East Africa, but to date there are no culturally and linguistically appropriate materials available for speech–language therapists working in the region. The challenges are further exacerbated by the limited research available on the typical acquisition of Swahili phonology.

Aim

To describe the speech development of 24 typically developing first language Swahili‐speaking children between the ages of 3;0 and 5;11 years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods & Procedures

A cross‐sectional design was used with six groups of four children in 6‐month age bands. Single‐word speech samples were obtained from each child using a set of culturally appropriate pictures designed to elicit all consonants and vowels of Swahili. Each child's speech was audio‐recorded and phonetically transcribed using International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) conventions. Children's speech development is described in terms of (1) phonetic inventory, (2) syllable structure inventory, (3) phonological processes and (4) percentage consonants correct (PCC) and percentage vowels correct (PVC).

Results & Outcomes

Results suggest a gradual progression in the acquisition of speech sounds and syllables between the ages of 3;0 and 5;11 years. Vowel acquisition was completed and most of the consonants acquired by age 3;0. Fricatives/z, s, h/ were later acquired at 4 years and /θ/and /r/ were the last acquired consonants at age 5;11. Older children were able to produce speech sounds more accurately and had fewer phonological processes in their speech than younger children. Common phonological processes included lateralization and sound preference substitutions.

Conclusions & Implications

The study contributes a preliminary set of normative data on speech development of Swahili‐speaking children. Findings are discussed in relation to theories of phonological development, and may be used as a basis for further normative studies with larger numbers of children and ultimately the development of a contextually relevant assessment of the phonology of Swahili‐speaking children.
Assessing Carbon and Hydrogen Isotopic Fractionation of Diesel Fueln‐alkanes During Progressive Evaporation
Authors: Muhammad Syahidah A. , Hayman Alan R. , Van Hale Robert , Frew Russell D.
Published: August 2014

Compound‐specific isotope analysis offers potential for fingerprinting of diesel fuels, however, possible confounding effects of isotopic fractionation due to evaporation need to be assessed. This study measured the fractionation of the stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes inn‐alkane compounds in neat diesel fuel during evaporation. Isotope ratios were measured using a continuous flow gas chromatograph/isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Diesel samples were progressively evaporated at 24 ± 2°C for 21 days. Increasing depletion of deuterium innC12–nC17alkanes in the remaining liquid with increasing carbon chain length was observed. Negligible carbon isotope fractionation was observed. Preferential vaporization was measured for the shorter chainn‐alkanes and the trend decreased with increasing chain length. The decrease in δ2H values indicates the preferential vaporization of the isotopically heavier species consistent with available quantitative data for hydrocarbons. These results are most important in the application of stable isotope technology to forensic analysis of diesel.
Windrow composting mitigated CH4 emissions: characterization of methanogenic and methanotrophic communities in manure management
Authors: Chen Ruirui , Wang Yiming , Wei Shiping , Wang Wei , Lin Xiangui
Published: August 2014

With increasing livestock breeding, methane (CH4) emissions from manure management will increasingly contribute more to atmospheric CH4 concentration. The dynamics of methanogens and methanotrophs have not yet been studied in the manure environment. The current study combines surface CH4 emissions with methanogenic and methanotrophic community analyses from two management practices, windrow composting (WCOM) and solid storage (SSTO). Our results showed that there was an c. 50% reduction of CH4 emissions with WCOM compared with SSTO over a 50-day period. A sharp decrease in the quantities of both methanogens and methanotrophs in WCOM suggested that CH4 mitigation was mainly due to decreased CH4 production rather than increased CH4 oxidation. Pyrosequencing analysis demonstrated that aeration caused a clear shift of dominant methanogens in the manure, with specifically a significant decrease in Methanosarcina and increase in Methanobrevibacter. The composition of methanogenic community was influenced by manure management and regulated CH4 production. A sharp increase in the quantity of methanotrophs in SSTO suggested that microbial CH4 oxidation is an important sink for the CH4 produced. The increased abundance of Methylococcaceae in SSTO suggested that Type I methanotrophs have an advantage in CH4 oxidation in occupying niches under low CH4 and high O2 conditions.
Using the Peng flap for a wide dorsal nasal defect
Authors: Deluca Jenny , Tappeiner Lukas , Pichler Maria , Eisendle Klaus
Published: August 2014

Reconstructions of large surgical defects of the central part of the nose pose a challenge for the surgeon due to its cosmetically prominent location. Treatment options include second intention healing, full‐thickness skin grafts and various local flaps. In the present case the “Peng flap” was used for the reconstruction of a 3.1 × 7 cm sized deep defect of the convex curve of the central nasal area in a 66‐year‐old woman. The Peng flap was performed as single‐stage procedure without complications. Good cosmetic outcome was provided by the use of adjacent skin from the lax perinasal area, the placement of the scar lines between facial cosmetic units, and the excellent tissue match for the sebaceous nasal skin. Considering the few complications of a single‐stage procedure associated with an excellent aesthetic outcome, the Peng flap should be considered not only as an effective choice for reconstruction of the cosmetically complex midline nasal tip but also the convex curve of the central nose.
Diabetes and dementia in older people: a Best Clinical Practice Statement by a multidisciplinary National Expert Working Group
Authors: Sinclair A. J. , Hillson R. , Bayer A. J. ,   a National Expert Working Group
Published: August 2014

Both dementia and diabetes mellitus are long‐term disabling conditions and each may be a co‐morbidity of the other. Type 2 diabetes is associated with a 1.5‐ to 2‐fold higher risk of dementia. Diabetes also may occur for the first time in many individuals with mental ill health, including cognitive impairment and dementia, and this may complicate management and lead to difficulties in self‐care. Case finding is often poor for cognitive impairment in medical settings and for diabetes in mental health settings and this needs to be addressed in the development of care pathways for both conditions. Many other deficiencies in quality care (both for dementia and diabetes) currently exist, but we hope that this Best Clinical Practice Statement will provide a platform for further work in this area. We have outlined the key steps in an integrated care pathway for both elements of this clinical relationship, produced guidance on identifying each condition, dealt with the potentially hazardous issue of hypoglycaemia, and have outlined important competencies required of healthcare workers in both medical/diabetes and mental health settings to enhance clinical care.
Dominant components of the Thoroughbred metabolome characterised by 1H‐nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: A metabolite atlas of common biofluids
Authors: Escalona E. E. , Leng J. , Dona A. C. , Merrifield C. A. , Holmes E. , Proudman C. J. , Swann J. R.
Published: August 2014

Reasons for performing study

Metabonomics is emerging as a powerful tool for disease screening and investigating mammalian metabolism. This study aims to create a metabolic framework by producing a preliminary reference guide for the normal equine metabolic milieu.

Objectives

To metabolically profile plasma, urine and faecal water from healthy racehorses using high resolution 1H‐nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and to provide a list of dominant metabolites present in each biofluid for the benefit of future research in this area.

Study design

This study was performed using 7 Thoroughbreds in race training at a single time point. Urine and faecal samples were collected noninvasively and plasma was obtained from samples taken for routine clinical chemistry purposes.

Methods

Biofluids were analysed using 1H‐NMR spectroscopy. Metabolite assignment was achieved via a range of one‐ and 2‐dimensional experiments.

Results

A total of 102 metabolites were assigned across the 3 biological matrices. A core metabonome of 14 metabolites was ubiquitous across all biofluids. All biological matrices provided a unique window on different aspects of systematic metabolism. Urine was the most populated metabolite matrix with 65 identified metabolites, 39 of which were unique to this biological compartment. A number of these were related to gut microbial host cometabolism. Faecal samples were the most metabolically variable between animals; acetate was responsible for the majority (28%) of this variation. Short‐chain fatty acids were the predominant features identified within this biofluid by 1H‐NMR spectroscopy.

Conclusions

Metabonomics provides a platform for investigating complex and dynamic interactions between the host and its consortium of gut microbes and has the potential to uncover markers for health and disease in a variety of biofluids. Inherent variation in faecal extracts along with the relative abundance of microbial‐mammalian metabolites in urine and invasive nature of plasma sampling, infers that urine is the most appropriate biofluid for the purposes of metabonomic analysis.
Reversible Reaction with CO2 and Control of CO2 Absorption/Desorption Properties of Ba2(Fe1−xInx)2O5 Solid Solutions
Authors: Fujishiro Fumito , Nakazawa Yuki
Published: August 2014

Ba2(Fe1−xInx)2O5 was prepared by a solid‐state reaction under a N2 flow. It was revealed that the solid solutions had a cubic perovskite structure with disordered oxygen vacancies at room temperature. Thermogravimetry and X‐ray diffraction measurements revealed that Ba2(Fe1−xInx)2O5 can reversibly react with CO2. It was found that the equilibrium temperature of the reaction could be controlled by preparing solid solution.
Does Aerobic Exercise Mitigate the Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Arterial Stiffness?
Authors: Park Wonil , Miyachi Motohiko , Tanaka Hirofumi
Published: August 2014

The largest percentage of mortality from tobacco smoking is cardiovascular‐related. It is not known whether regular participation in exercise mitigates the adverse influence of smoking on vasculature. Accordingly, the authors determined whether regular aerobic exercise is associated with reduced arterial stiffness in men who smoke cigarettes. Using a cross‐sectional study design, 78 young men were studied, including sedentary nonsmokers (n=20), sedentary smokers (n=12), physically active nonsmokers (n=21), and physically active smokers (n=25). Arterial stiffness was assessed by brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). There were no group differences in height, body fat, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. As expected, both physically active groups demonstrated greater maximal oxygen consumption and lower heart rate at rest than their sedentary peers. The sedentary smokers demonstrated greater baPWV than the sedentary nonsmokers (11.8±1 m/s vs 10.6±1 m/s, P=.036). baPWV values were not different between the physically active nonsmokers and the physically active smokers (10.8±1 m/s vs 10.7±1 m/s). Chronic smoking is associated with arterial stiffening in sedentary men but a significant smoking‐induced increase in arterial stiffness was not observed in physically active adults. These results are consistent with the idea that regular participation in physical activity may mitigate the adverse effects of smoking on the vasculature.
Passive Recovery of Vegetation after Herbivore Eradication on Santa Cruz Island, California
Authors: Beltran Roxanne S. , Kreidler Nissa , Van Vuren Dirk H. , Morrison Scott A. , Zavaleta Erika S. , Newton Kelly , Tershy Bernie R. , Croll Donald A.
Published: August 2014

Understanding how insular ecosystems recover or are restructured after the eradication of an invasive species is crucial in evaluating conservation success and prioritizing island conservation efforts. Globally, herbivores have been removed from 762 islands, most with limited active restoration actions following eradication. Few studies have documented the effects of invasive herbivore removal after multiple decades of passive recovery. Here we evaluate recovery of vegetation on Santa Cruz Island, California, after the removal of feral sheep (Ovis aries) in 1984. We repeat a study conducted in 1980, and examine vegetation changes 28 years after the eradication. Before eradication, grazed areas were characterized by reduced plant cover, high exposure of bare ground, and erosion. After 28 years of passive recovery, transect data showed a 23% increase in woody overstory, whereas analysis of photographs from landscapes photographed pre‐ and post‐eradication showed a 26% increase in woody vegetation. Whole island vegetation maps similarly showed a transition from grass/bare ground (74.3% of cover) to woody plants (77.2% of cover), indicating the transition away from predominantly exotic annual grassland toward a community similar to the overstory of coastal scrubland but with an understory dominated by non‐native annual grasses. We estimate that replacement of grasses/bare ground by native woody vegetation has led to 70 and 17% increases in the stored carbon and nitrogen pools on the island, respectively. Our results demonstrate that these island ecosystems can experience significant recovery of native floral communities without intensive post‐eradication restoration, and results of recovery may take decades to be realized.
Vmp1 Regulates PtdIns3P Signaling During Autophagosome Formation in Dictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Calvo‐Garrido Javier , King Jason S. , Muñoz‐Braceras Sandra , Escalante Ricardo
Published: August 2014

Generation and turnover of phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate (PtdIns3P) signaling is essential for autophagosome formation and other membrane traffic processes. In both Dictyostelium discoideum and mammalian cells, autophagosomes are formed from specialized regions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), called omegasomes, which are enriched in the signaling lipid PtdIns3P. Vacuole membrane protein 1 (Vmp1) is a multispanning membrane protein localized at the ER that is required for autophagosome formation. There are conflicting reports in the literature as to whether Vmp1 is strictly required or not for autophagy‐related PtdIns3P signaling and its hierarchical relationship with Atg1 and PI3K. We have now addressed these questions in the Dictyostelium model. We show that Dictyostelium cells lacking Vmp1 have elevated and aberrant PtdIns3P signaling on the ER, resulting in an increased and persistent recruitment of Atg18 and other autophagic proteins. This indicates that Vmp1 is not strictly essential for the generation of PtdIns3P signaling but rather suggests a role in the correct turnover or modulation of this signaling. Of interest, these PtdIns3P‐enriched regions of the ER surround ubiquitinated protein aggregates but are unable to form functional autophagosomes. vmp1 null cells also have additional defects in macropinocytosis and growth, which are not shared by other autophagy mutants. Remarkably, we show that these defects and also the aberrant PtdIns3P distribution are largely suppressed by the concomitant loss of Atg1, indicating that aberrant autophagic signaling on the ER inhibits macropinocytosis. These results suggest that Atg1 functions upstream of Vmp1 in this signaling pathway and demonstrates a previously unappreciated link between abnormal autophagy signaling and macropinocytosis.
English as a ‘mother tongue’ in Singapore
Authors: TAN YING‐YING
Published: August 2014

This paper investigates the role of English and what it represents to speakers of the three major ethnic groups across three different age groups in Singapore. This paper reports a study conducted on 436 Singaporeans of different age and ethnic groups, looking at their language use and perceptions of English as a marker of their identity. The Singapore government has always been cautious about according the ‘mother tongue’ status to English. The latest 2010 census however reveals that over 30 per cent of Singaporeans report English to be the primary language used in the home, an increase from about 20 per cent in 2000. What remains unclear is the extent to which English has penetrated the psyche of the everyday Singaporean. The results in this study suggest that English in Singapore has to be reconceptualized as a new mother tongue, and to do so requires a reconfiguration of what it takes for a language to be a ‘mother tongue.’ This paper will take this on by adapting Skutnabb‐Kangas and Phillipson's () and Rampton's () objections and definitions of the term, and propose a set of conditions that can be used to define the term mother tongue.
The Development of a Classification Schema for Arts‐Based Approaches to Knowledge Translation
Authors: Archibald Mandy M. , Caine Vera , Scott Shannon D.
Published: August 2014

Background

Arts‐based approaches to knowledge translation are emerging as powerful interprofessional strategies with potential to facilitate evidence uptake, communication, knowledge, attitude, and behavior change across healthcare provider and consumer groups. These strategies are in the early stages of development. To date, no classification system for arts‐based knowledge translation exists, which limits development and understandings of effectiveness in evidence syntheses.

Purpose

We developed a classification schema of arts‐based knowledge translation strategies based on two mechanisms by which these approaches function: (a) the degree of precision in key message delivery, and (b) the degree of end‐user participation. We demonstrate how this classification is necessary to explore how context, time, and location shape arts‐based knowledge translation strategies.

Discussion

Classifying arts‐based knowledge translation strategies according to their core attributes extends understandings of the appropriateness of these approaches for various healthcare settings and provider groups. The classification schema developed may enhance understanding of how, where, and for whom arts‐based knowledge translation approaches are effective, and enable theorizing of essential knowledge translation constructs, such as the influence of context, time, and location on utilization strategies.

Linking Evidence to Action

The classification schema developed may encourage systematic inquiry into the effectiveness of these approaches in diverse interprofessional contexts.
Moderating Effects of Nurses’ Organizational Justice Between Organizational Support and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors for Evidence‐Based Practice
Authors: Chang Ching‐Sheng
Published: August 2014

Background

Lack of existing literature on the correlation among organizational justice, organizational support, and organizational citizenship behaviors has created a research gap in previous evidence‐based practice (EBP) studies on nursing personnel.

Aims

To investigate whether organizational justice among nurses has a moderating effect between their organizational support and organizational citizenship behaviors in order to bridge such a gap of existing literature with the EBP study on nursing personnel.

Methods

Nursing staff of one large and influential hospital in Taiwan was surveyed. Four hundred questionnaires were distributed, and 386 were collected with a valid response rate of 96.50%. SPSS 17.0 and Amos 17.0 statistical software packages were used for data analysis.

Results

Nurses’ organizational support positively influences their organizational citizenship behaviors, and their organizational justice perception has a positive moderating effect between organizational support and organizational citizenship behaviors.

Linking Evidence to Action

Results call hospitals’ attention to the type of individual behaviors that may improve organizational performance. When nursing staff perceive fair and impartial treatment by the organization and supportive emotional attachment, behaviors beneficial for the organization are expressed in return. Subjective perceptions of nursing staff play an important role in organizational exchange relationship; the higher the degree of nursing staff's perceived organizational justice, the higher the degree of their organizational support, perception, and exhibition of organizational citizenship behaviors such as altruistic behavior and dedication to the work.
On the Technological Instantiation of a Biomimetic Leg Concept for Agile Quadrupedal Locomotion
Authors: Garcia Elena , Arevalo Juan C. , Cestari Manuel , Sanz-Merodio Daniel
Published: August 2014

The legged locomotion system of biological quadrupeds has proven to be the most efficient in natural, complex terrain. Particularly, horses' legs have been evolved to provide speed, endurance, and strength superior to any other animal of equal size. Quadruped robots, emulating their biological counterparts, could become the best choice for field missions in complex or natural environments; however, they should be provided with optimum performance against mobility, payload, and endurance. The design of the leg mechanism is of paramount importance to achieve the targeted performance, and in order to design a leg mechanism able to provide the robot with such agile capabilities nature is the best source for inspiration. In this work, key principles underlying horse legs' power capabilities have been extracted and translated to a biomimetic leg concept. Afterwards, a real prototype has been designed following the biomimetic concept proposed. A key element in the biomimetic concept is the multifunctionality of the natural musculotendinous system, which has been mimicked by combining series elastic actuation and passive elements. This work provides an assessment of the benefits that bio-inspired solutions can provide versus the purely engineering approaches. The experimental evaluation of the bio-inspired prototype shows an improvement on the performance compared to a leg design based on purely engineering principles.
Heat Transfer Prediction of a Jet Impinging a Cylindrical Deadlock Area
Authors: Halouane Yacine , Mataoui Amina , Iachachene Farida
Published: August 2014

The turbulent heat transfer by a confined jet flowing inside a hot cylindrical cavity is investigated numerically in this paper. This configuration is found in several engineering applications such as air conditioning and the ventilation of mines, deadlock, or corridors. The parameters investigated in this work are the Reynolds number (Re, 20,000 ≤ Re ≤ 50,000) and the normalized distance Lf between jet exit and the cavity bottom (Lf, 2 ≤ Lf  ≤ 12). The numerical predictions are performed by finite volume method using the second order one-point closure turbulence model (RSM). The Nusselt number increases and attains maximum values at stagnation points, after it decreases. For an experimental test case available in the literature Lf = 8, the numerical predictions are in good agreement. Processes of heat transfer are analyzed from the flow behavior and the underlying mechanisms. The maximum local heat transfer between the cavity walls and the flow occurs at Lf = 6 corresponding to the length of the potential core. Nusselt number at the stagnation point is correlated versus Reynolds number Re and impinging distance Lf; [Nu0=f(Re,Lf)].
Investigation of Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity in Polymers Using Infrared Thermography
Authors: Simavilla David Nieto , Venerus David C.
Published: August 2014

A new experimental method based on infrared thermography (IRT) is developed to study deformation-induced anisotropic thermal conductivity in polymers. An analytic solution for the temperature field of samples heated by a point source is utilized with a robust fitting procedure allowing for quantitative measurement of two components of the normalized thermal conductivity tensor of uniaxially stretched samples. In order to validate the method, we compare measurements on a cross-linked polybutadiene network with those obtained from a previously developed technique based on forced Rayleigh scattering (FRS). We find excellent agreement between the two techniques. Uncertainty in the measurements using IRT method is estimated to be about 2–5%. The accuracy of the method and its potential application to nontransparent materials make it a good alternative to extend current research on anisotropic thermal transport in polymeric materials.