bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining Wrong Eye Implant Adverse Events in the Veterans Health Administration With a Focus on Prevention: A Preliminary Report
Authors: Neily Julia , Chomsky Amy , Orcutt James , Paull Douglas E. , Mills Peter D. , Gilbert Christina , Hemphill Robin R. , Gunnar William
Published: March 2015

Objective

The study goals were to examine wrong intraocular lens (IOL) implant adverse events in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), identify root causes and contributing factors, and describe system changes that have been implemented to address this challenge.

Design

This study represents collaboration between the VHA's National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) and the National Surgery Office (NSO).

Participants

This report includes 45 wrong IOL implant surgery adverse events reported to established VHA NCPS and NSO databases between July 1, 2006, and June 31, 2014. There are approximately 50,000 eye implant procedures performed each year in the VHA.

Methods

Wrong IOL implant surgery adverse events are reported by VHA facilities to the NCPS and the NSO. Two authors (A.C. and J.N.) coded the reports for event type (wrong lens or expired lens) and identified the primary contributing factor (coefficient κ = 0.837). A descriptive analysis was conducted, which included the reported yearly event rate.

Main Outcome Measure

The main outcome measure was the reported wrong IOL implant surgery adverse events.

Results

There were 45 reported wrong IOL implant surgery adverse events. Between 2011 and June 30, 2014, there was a significant downward trend (P = 0.02, R
2 = 99.7%) at a pace of −0.08 (per 10,000 cases) every year. The most frequently coded primary contributing factor was incomplete preprocedure time-out (n = 12) followed by failure to perform double check of preprocedural calculations based upon original data and implant read-back at the time the surgical eye implant was performed (n = 10).

Conclusions

Preventing wrong IOL implant adverse events requires diligence beyond performance of the preprocedural time-out. In 2013, the VHA has modified policy to ensure double check of preprocedural calculations and implant read-back with positive impact. Continued analysis of contributing human factors and improved surgical team communication are warranted.
Partial migration: growth varies between resident and migratory fish
Authors: Gillanders Bronwyn M. , Izzo Christopher , Doubleday Zoë A. , Ye Qifeng
Published: March 2015

Partial migration occurs in many taxa and ecosystems and may confer survival benefits. Here, we use otolith chemistry data to determine whether fish from a large estuarine system were resident or migratory, and then examine whether contingents display differences in modelled growth based on changes in width of otolith growth increments. Sixty-three per cent of fish were resident based on Ba : Ca of otoliths, with the remainder categorized as migratory, with both contingents distributed across most age/size classes and both sexes, suggesting population-level bet hedging. Migrant fish were in slightly better condition than resident fish based on Fulton's
K
condition index. Migration type (resident versus migratory) was 56 times more likely to explain variation in growth than a model just incorporating year- and age-related growth trends. While average growth only varied slightly between resident and migratory fish, year-to-year variation was significant. Such dynamism in growth rates likely drives persistence of both life-history types. The complex relationships in growth between contingents suggest that management of species exhibiting partial migration is challenging, especially in a world subject to a changing climate.
Knowing one's place: a free-energy approach to pattern regulation
Authors: Friston Karl , Levin Michael , Sengupta Biswa , Pezzulo Giovanni
Published: March 2015

Understanding how organisms establish their form during embryogenesis and regeneration represents a major knowledge gap in biological pattern formation. It has been recently suggested that morphogenesis could be understood in terms of cellular information processing and the ability of cell groups to model shape. Here, we offer a proof of principle that self-assembly is an emergent property of cells that share a common (genetic and epigenetic) model of organismal form. This behaviour is formulated in terms of variational free-energy minimization—of the sort that has been used to explain action and perception in neuroscience. In brief, casting the minimization of thermodynamic free energy in terms of variational free energy allows one to interpret (the dynamics of) a system as inferring the causes of its inputs—and acting to resolve uncertainty about those causes. This novel perspective on the coordination of migration and differentiation of cells suggests an interpretation of genetic codes as parametrizing a generative model—predicting the signals sensed by cells in the target morphology—and epigenetic processes as the subsequent inversion of that model. This theoretical formulation may complement bottom-up strategies—that currently focus on molecular pathways—with (constructivist) top-down approaches that have proved themselves in neuroscience and cybernetics.
Fine resolution mapping of population age-structures for health and development applications
Authors: Alegana V. A. , Atkinson P. M. , Pezzulo C. , Sorichetta A. , Weiss D. , Bird T. , Erbach-Schoenberg E. , Tatem A. J.
Published: March 2015

The age-group composition of populations varies considerably across the world, and obtaining accurate, spatially detailed estimates of numbers of children under 5 years is important in designing vaccination strategies, educational planning or maternal healthcare delivery. Traditionally, such estimates are derived from population censuses, but these can often be unreliable, outdated and of coarse resolution for resource-poor settings. Focusing on Nigeria, we use nationally representative household surveys and their cluster locations to predict the proportion of the under-five population in 1 × 1 km using a Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal model. Results showed that land cover, travel time to major settlements, night-time lights and vegetation index were good predictors and that accounting for fine-scale variation, rather than assuming a uniform proportion of under 5 year olds can result in significant differences in health metrics. The largest gaps in estimated bednet and vaccination coverage were in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa. Geolocated household surveys are a valuable resource for providing detailed, contemporary and regularly updated population age-structure data in the absence of recent census data. By combining these with covariate layers, age-structure maps of unprecedented detail can be produced to guide the targeting of interventions in resource-poor settings.
Thin-film-induced morphological instabilities over calcite surfaces
Authors: Vesipa R. , Camporeale C. , Ridolfi L.
Published: March 2015

Precipitation of calcium carbonate from water films generates fascinating calcite morphologies that have attracted scientific interest over past centuries. Nowadays, speleothems are no longer known only for their beauty but they are also recognized to be precious records of past climatic conditions, and research aims to unveil and understand the mechanisms responsible for their morphological evolution. In this paper, we focus on crenulations, a widely observed ripple-like instability of the the calcite–water interface that develops orthogonally to the film flow. We expand a previous work providing new insights about the chemical and physical mechanisms that drive the formation of crenulations. In particular, we demonstrate the marginal role played by carbon dioxide transport in generating crenulation patterns, which are indeed induced by the hydrodynamic response of the free surface of the water film. Furthermore, we investigate the role of different environmental parameters, such as temperature, concentration of dissolved ions and wall slope. We also assess the convective/absolute nature of the crenulation instability. Finally, the possibility of using crenulation wavelength as a proxy of past flows is briefly discussed from a theoretical point of view.
Evolutionary responses to environmental change: trophic interactions affect adaptation and persistence
Authors: Mellard Jarad P. , de Mazancourt Claire , Loreau Michel
Published: March 2015

According to recent reviews, the question of how trophic interactions may affect evolutionary responses to climate change remains unanswered. In this modelling study, we explore the evolutionary dynamics of thermal and plant–herbivore interaction traits in a warming environment. We find the herbivore usually reduces adaptation speed and persistence time of the plant by reducing biomass. However, if the plant interaction trait and thermal trait are correlated, herbivores can create different coevolutionary attractors. One attractor has a warmer plant thermal optimum, and the other a colder one compared with the environment. A warmer plant thermal strategy is given a head start under warming, the only case where herbivores can increase plant persistence under warming. Persistence time of the plant under warming is maximal at small or large thermal niche width. This study shows that considering trophic interactions is necessary and feasible for understanding how ecosystems respond to climate change.
Effects of geographical heterogeneity in species interactions on the evolution of venom genes
Authors: Chang Dan , Olenzek Amy M. , Duda Thomas F.
Published: March 2015

Geographical heterogeneity in the composition of biotic interactions can create a mosaic of selection regimes that may drive the differentiation of phenotypes that operate at the interface of these interactions. Nonetheless, little is known about effects of these geographical mosaics on the evolution of genes encoding traits associated with species interactions. Predatory marine snails of the family Conidae use venom, a cocktail of conotoxins, to capture prey. We characterized patterns of geographical variation at five conotoxin genes of a vermivorous species,
Conus ebraeus
, at Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa, and evaluated how these patterns of variation are associated with geographical heterogeneity in prey utilization. All populations show distinct patterns of prey utilization. Three ‘highly polymorphic’ conotoxin genes showed significant geographical differences in allelic frequency, and appear to be affected by different modes of selection among populations. Two genes exhibited low levels of diversity and a general lack of differentiation among populations. Levels of diversity of ‘highly polymorphic’ genes exhibit a positive relationship with dietary breadth. The different patterns of evolution exhibited by conotoxin genes suggest that these genes play different roles in prey capture, and that some genes are more greatly affected by differences in predator–prey interactions than others. Moreover, differences in dietary breadth appear to have a greater influence on the differentiation of venoms than differences in the species of prey.
Cascading effects of induced terrestrial plant defences on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem function
Authors: Jackrel Sara L. , Wootton J. Timothy
Published: March 2015

Herbivores induce plants to undergo diverse processes that minimize costs to the plant, such as producing defences to deter herbivory or reallocating limited resources to inaccessible portions of the plant. Yet most plant tissue is consumed by decomposers, not herbivores, and these defensive processes aimed to deter herbivores may alter plant tissue even after detachment from the plant. All consumers value nutrients, but plants also require these nutrients for primary functions and defensive processes. We experimentally simulated herbivory with and without nutrient additions on red alder (
Alnus rubra
), which supplies the majority of leaf litter for many rivers in western North America. Simulated herbivory induced a defence response with cascading effects: terrestrial herbivores and aquatic decomposers fed less on leaves from stressed trees. This effect was context dependent: leaves from fertilized-only trees decomposed most rapidly while leaves from fertilized trees receiving the herbivory treatment decomposed least, suggesting plants funnelled a nutritionally valuable resource into enhanced defence. One component of the defence response was a decrease in leaf nitrogen leading to elevated carbon : nitrogen. Aquatic decomposers prefer leaves naturally low in C : N and this altered nutrient profile largely explains the lower rate of aquatic decomposition. Furthermore, terrestrial soil decomposers were unaffected by either treatment but did show a preference for local and nitrogen-rich leaves. Our study illustrates the ecological implications of terrestrial herbivory and these findings demonstrate that the effects of selection caused by terrestrial herbivory in one ecosystem can indirectly shape the structure of other ecosystems through ecological fluxes across boundaries.
Fate and nature of the onychophoran mouth–anus furrow and its contribution to the blastopore
Authors: Janssen Ralf , Jörgensen Mette , Lagebro Linda , Budd Graham E.
Published: March 2015

The ancestral states of bilaterian development, and which living groups have conserved them the most, has been a controversial topic in biology for well over a hundred years. In recent years, the idea that gastrulation primitively proceeded via the formation of a slit-like blastopore that then evolved into either protostomy or deuterostomy has gained renewed attention and some molecular developmental support. One of the key pieces of evidence for this ‘amphistomy’ theory comes from the onychophorans, which form a clear ventral groove during gastrulation. The interpretation of this structure has, however, proved problematic. Based on expression patterns offorkhead(fkh),caudal(cad),brachyury(bra) andwingless(wg/Wnt1), we show that this groove does not correspond to the blastopore, even though both the mouth and anus later develop from it. Rather, the posterior pit appears to be the blastopore; the posterior of the groove later fuses with it to form the definitive anus. Onychophoran development therefore represents a case of ‘concealed’ deuterostomy. The new data from the onychophorans thus remove one of the key pieces of evidence for the amphistomy theory. Rather, in line with other recent results, it suggests that ancestral bilaterian development was deuterostomic.
Making teeth to order: conserved genes reveal an ancient molecular pattern in paddlefish (Actinopterygii)
Authors: Smith Moya M. , Johanson Zerina , Butts Thomas , Ericsson Rolf , Modrell Melinda , Tulenko Frank J. , Davis Marcus C. , Fraser Gareth J.
Published: March 2015

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) are the dominant vertebrate group today (+30 000 species, predominantly teleosts), with great morphological diversity, including their dentitions. How dental morphological variation evolved is best addressed by considering a range of taxa across actinopterygian phylogeny; here we examine the dentition of
Polyodon spathula
(American paddlefish), assigned to the basal group Acipenseriformes. Although teeth are present and functional in young individuals of
Polyodon
, they are completely absent in adults. Our current understanding of developmental genes operating in the dentition is primarily restricted to teleosts; we show that
shh
and
bmp4
, as highly conserved epithelial and mesenchymal genes for gnathostome tooth development, are similarly expressed at
Polyodon
tooth loci, thus extending this conserved developmental pattern within the Actinopterygii. These genes map spatio-temporal tooth initiation in
Polyodon
larvae and provide new data in both oral and pharyngeal tooth sites. Variation in cellular intensity of
shh
maps timing of tooth morphogenesis, revealing a second odontogenic wave as alternate sites within tooth rows, a dental pattern also present in more derived actinopterygians. Developmental timing for each tooth field in
Polyodon
follows a gradient, from rostral to caudal and ventral to dorsal, repeated during subsequent loss of teeth. The transitory
Polyodon
dentition is modified by cessation of tooth addition and loss. As such,
Polyodon
represents a basal actinopterygian model for the evolution of developmental novelty: initial conservation, followed by tooth loss, accommodating the adult trophic modification to filter-feeding.
Enemies and turncoats: bovine tuberculosis exposes pathogenic potential of Rift Valley fever virus in a common host, African buffalo (
Syncerus caffer
)
Authors: Beechler B. R. , Manore C. A. , Reininghaus B. , O'Neal D. , Gorsich E. E. , Ezenwa V. O. , Jolles A. E.
Published: March 2015

The ubiquity and importance of parasite co-infections in populations of free-living animals is beginning to be recognized, but few studies have demonstrated differential fitness effects of single infection versus co-infection in free-living populations. We investigated interactions between the emerging bacterial disease bovine tuberculosis (BTB) and the previously existing viral disease Rift Valley fever (RVF) in a competent reservoir host, African buffalo, combining data from a natural outbreak of RVF in captive buffalo at a buffalo breeding facility in 2008 with data collected from a neighbouring free-living herd of African buffalo in Kruger National Park. RVF infection was twice as likely in individual BTB+ buffalo as in BTB− buffalo, which, according to a mathematical model, may increase RVF outbreak size at the population level. In addition, co-infection was associated with a far higher rate of fetal abortion than other infection states. Immune interactions between BTB and RVF may underlie both of these interactions, since animals with BTB had decreased innate immunity and increased pro-inflammatory immune responses. This study is one of the first to demonstrate how the consequences of emerging infections extend beyond direct effects on host health, potentially altering the dynamics and fitness effects of infectious diseases that had previously existed in the ecosystem on free-ranging wildlife populations.
The fossil record and macroevolutionary history of the beetles
Authors: Smith Dena M. , Marcot Jonathan D.
Published: March 2015

Coleoptera (beetles) is the most species-rich metazoan order, with approximately 380 000 species. To understand how they came to be such a diverse group, we compile a database of global fossil beetle occurrences to study their macroevolutionary history. Our database includes 5553 beetle occurrences from 221 fossil localities. Amber and lacustrine deposits preserve most of the beetle diversity and abundance. All four extant suborders are found in the fossil record, with 69% of all beetle families and 63% of extant beetle families preserved. Considerable focus has been placed on beetle diversification overall, however, for much of their evolutionary history it is the clade Polyphaga that is most responsible for their taxonomic richness. Polyphaga had an increase in diversification rate in the Early Cretaceous, but instead of being due to the radiation of the angiosperms, this was probably due to the first occurrences of beetle-bearing amber deposits in the record. Perhaps, most significant is that polyphagan beetles had a family-level extinction rate of zero for most of their evolutionary history, including across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Therefore, focusing on the factors that have inhibited beetle extinction, as opposed to solely studying mechanisms that may promote speciation, should be examined as important determinants of their great diversity today.
Phenotypic characterization of Sodalis praecaptivus sp. nov., a close non-insect-associated member of the Sodalis-allied lineage of insect endosymbionts
Authors: Chari Abhishek , Oakeson Kelly F. , Enomoto Shinichiro , Jackson D. Grant , Fisher Mark A. , Dale Colin
Published: March 2015

A Gram-stain-negative bacterium, isolated from a human wound was previously found to share an unprecedentedly close relationship with Sodalis glossinidius and other members of the Sodalis-allied clade of insect symbionts. This relationship was inferred from sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and genomic comparisons and suggested the strain belonged to a novel species. Biochemical and genetic analyses supported this suggestion and demonstrated that the organism has a wide repertoire of metabolic properties, which is consistent with the presence of a relatively large gene inventory. Among members of the Sodalis-allied clade, this is the first representative that has sufficient metabolic capabilities to sustain growth in minimal media. On the basis of the results of this study, we propose that this organism be classified as a representative of a novel species, Sodalis praecaptivus sp. nov. (type strain HST = DSM 27494T = ATCC BAA-2554T).
Two variance component model improves genetic prediction in family data sets
Authors: Tucker George , Loh Po-Ru , MacLeod Iona M , Hayes Ben J , Goddard Michael E , Berger Bonnie , Price Alkes L
Published: March 2015

Genetic prediction based on either identity by state (IBS) sharing or pedigree information has been investigated extensively using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) methods. Such methods were pioneered in the plant and animal breeding literature and have since been applied to predict human traits with the aim of eventual clinical utility. However, methods to combine IBS sharing and pedigree information for genetic prediction in humans have not been explored. We introduce a two variance component model for genetic prediction: one component for IBS sharing and one for approximate pedigree structure, both estimated using genetic markers. In simulations using real genotypes from CARe and FHS family cohorts, we demonstrate that the two variance component model achieves gains in predictionr2over standard BLUP at current sample sizes, and we project based on simulations that these gains will continue to hold at larger sample sizes. Accordingly, in analyses of four quantitative phenotypes from CARe and two quantitative phenotypes from FHS, the two variance component model significantly improves predictionr2in each case, with up to a 20% relative improvement. We also find that standard mixed model association tests can produce inflated test statistics in data sets with related individuals, whereas the two variance component model corrects for inflation.

Author Summary

Genetic prediction has been well-studied in plant and animal breeding and has generated considerable recent interest in human genetics, both in family data sets and in population cohorts. Many prediction studies are based on the widely used Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) approach, which performs a mixed model analysis using a genetic relationship matrix that is either estimated from genotype data—thus measuring identity-by-state (IBS) sharing—or obtained from family pedigree information. We show here that a substantial improvement in prediction accuracy in family data sets can be obtained by jointly modeling both IBS sharing and approximate pedigree structure, both estimated using genetic markers, using separate variance components within a two variance component mixed model. We demonstrate the performance of this model in simulations and real data sets. We also show that previous mixed model association methods suffer from inflated test statistics in family data sets due to their failure to account for the different heritability parameters corresponding to IBS sharing vs. pedigree relatedness. Our two variance component model provides a solution to this problem without compromising statistical power.
Structured nucleosome fingerprints enable high-resolution mapping of chromatin architecture within regulatory regions
Authors: Schep Alicia N. , Buenrostro Jason D. , Denny Sarah K. , Schwartz Katja , Sherlock Gavin , Greenleaf William J.
Published: March 2015

Transcription factors canonically bind nucleosome-free DNA, making the positioning of nucleosomes within regulatory regions crucial to the regulation of gene expression. We observe a highly structured pattern of DNA fragment lengths and positions generated by the assay of transposase accessible chromatin (ATAC-seq) around nucleosomes inS. cerevisiae, and use this distinctive two-dimensional nucleosomal “fingerprint” as the basis for a new nucleosome-positioning algorithm called NucleoATAC. We show that NucleoATAC can identify the rotational and translational positions of nucleosomes with up to base pair resolution and provide quantitative measures of nucleosome occupancy inS. cerevisiae,S. pombe, and human cells. We demonstrate application of NucleoATAC to a number of outstanding problems in chromatin biology, including analysis of sequence features underlying nucleosome positioning, promoter chromatin architecture across species, identification of transient changes in nucleosome occupancy and positioning during a dynamic cellular response, and integrated analysis of nucleosome occupancy and transcription factor binding.
The influence of the tax system on the location of holding companies in Switzerland
Authors: Cárdenas Cárdenas Gilberto , García Gamez Sofía
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the tax system constitutes a first-order element influencing the location of holding companies in Switzerland.

Design/methodology/approach

– To achieve this goal, the authors have estimated an econometric model using ordinary least squares. The authors also provide a unique statistical database of holding companies established in Switzerland. The independent tax variables revolve around concepts of tax burden and effort, whereas the non-tax variables are generally those referred to in the literature on location of investments.

Findings

– The study concludes that, in addition to the tax burden, there are other qualitative variables that show the same influence on the geographic location of holding companies in Switzerland.

Originality/value

– The study of holding companies as instruments of international tax planning is usually linked to law offices or consulting firms that specialize in the international tax system – not university academic research per se. The interaction of academic theory and international fiscal praxis provides an interesting perspective from which to approach this topic.
The role of joint actions in the performance of IT clusters in Mexico
Authors: Gutiérrez-Martínez Isis , Duhamel François , Luna-Reyes Luis F. , Picazo-Vela Sergio , Huerta-Carvajal María Isabel
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to show the importance of joint actions and institutions for collaboration (IFCs) in the development and performance of information technology (IT) business clusters in the context of Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

– A review of the literature suggests the types of linkages that the clusters must develop to be successful in the context of emerging countries. Two IT clusters in the region of Puebla and Jalisco are compared to highlight the factors that differentiate successful and less successful clusters in this type of environment.

Findings

– The presence of an IFC, such as the Jalisco Institute of Information Technology in Jalisco, is a determinant factor of the performance of the IT cluster there, contrary to Puebla. A model of dynamic interactions in clusters is proposed as a result of the analysis of the two cases.

Research limitations/implications

– Our analysis included clusters from IT industry in Mexico. It needs to be extended to more clusters, more industries and other emerging countries settings for the sake of comparison and generalization.

Practical implications

– In the context of the relative scarcity of formal institutions in emerging country settings, the purposive collaboration of both private and public sectors in IFCs is necessary to ensure a long-standing development and performance of business clusters.

Originality/value

– In this article, we show the specific role of institutional arrangements in cluster development and performance in emerging countries, which has seldom been investigated both theoretically and empirically.
Research on a visual weld detection method based on invariant moment features
Authors: Jinle Zeng , Yirong Zou , Dong Du , Baohua Chang , Jiluan Pan
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to develop a feasible visual weld detection method to solve the problems in multi-layer welding detection (e.g. cover pass welding detection) for seam tracking and non-destructive testing. It seeks for an adaptive and accurate way to determine the edge between the seam and the base metal in the grayscale image of weld automatically. This paper tries to contribute to next-generation real-time robotic welding systems for multi-layer welding.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper opted for invariant moments to characterize the seam and the base metal for classification purposes. The properties of invariant moments, such as high degree of self-similarity and separation, affine invariance and repetition invariance, were discussed to verify the adaptability of the invariant moment in weld detection. Then, a weld detection method based on invariant moments was proposed to extract the edge between the seam and the base metal, including image division, invariant moment features extraction, K-Means adaptive thresholding, maximum connected domain detection and edge position extraction.

Findings

– This paper highlights the significance of high degree of self-similarity and separation, affine invariance and repetition invariance of the invariant moment for weld detection. An adaptive, effective and accurate method is proposed to detect the edge between the seam and the base metal based on invariant moments.

Research limitations/implications

– It is necessary to verify the applicability of the proposed method in variable welding conditions further. Further works will focus on the establishment of a real-time seam tracking system during the whole multi-layer/multi-pass welding process based on such adaptive visual features.

Practical implications

– This paper includes the implications for development of an adaptive and real-time weld detection method, which is expected to be applied to online seam tracking in multi-layer welding.

Originality/value

– This paper presents an accurate weld detection method in multi-layer welding, overcoming difficulties in effectiveness, adaptability and efficiency of existing weld detection methods.
A biomimetic chewing robot of redundantly actuated parallel mechanism
Authors: Wang Guifei , Cong Ming , Xu Weiliang , Wen Haiying , Du Jing
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to describe how a novel biomimetic chewing robot was designed, including its motion, force, control and mechanical designs, and shows some initial experiments about motion tracking.

Design/methodology/approach

– According to the biomechanics, the authors modeled the muscles of mastication in six linkages and the temporomandibular joint in higher kinematic pairs of point contact. As a result, the chewing robot was represented in a redundantly actuated parallel mechanism. With reference to literature data on the biological system, the authors specified the motion and force requirements for the robot via inverse kinematics and force analysis. A prototype of the robot was built, which has a position control system and is driven by six linear actuators. Experiments were conducted to show the capability of the robot in reproducing the human chewing motion.

Findings

– A chewing robot was successfully modeled and developed, which is able to simulate the motion of human mastication in a biologically faithful way.

Practical implications

– The chewing robot as a scientific instrument can be used to test dental materials and evaluate food textural properties of chewing.

Originality/value

– Two higher kinematic pairs of point contact are proposed to simulate the two temporomandibular joints. The mechanism of the novel chewing robot is the first of this kind, which has two higher kinematic pairs of point contact and is a redundantly actuated spatial parallel mechanism.
The Pransky interview: Dr Esben Ostergaard, inventor, co-founder and CTO of Universal Robots
Authors: Pransky Joanne
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper, a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal, aims to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market.

Design/methodology/approach

– The interviewee is Dr Esben H. Ostergaard, inventor, co-founder and chief technology officer of Universal Robots. From building his first robot to solve a local industrial problem at the age of four, to building the world’s first collaborative robot company, Dr Ostergaard shares his lifelong ventures as a robot scientist, inventor and entrepreneur.

Findings

– Dr Ostergaard received degrees in computer science, physics and multimedia at Aarhus University in Denmark, and a PhD in robotics from the University of Southern Denmark. While at Aarhus, Dr Ostergaard pursued his hobby of robot football, and in 1998, his team STATIC became the world champion of the Federation of International Robot-soccer Association (FIRA). Dr Ostergaard held research positions at the University of Southern California (USC) Robotics Labs and at the Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba/Tokyo. During the years 2001-2005 as a researcher and assistant professor in robotics and user interfaces at University of Southern Denmark, he created the foundation for a reinvention of the industrial robot. This led him to found Universal Robots in 2005 with two of his research colleagues.

Originality/value

– From a young child who played with LEGOs until he got a Commodore 64, Dr Ostergaard has always been interested in robotics. His unique multidisciplinary education and multicultural research experiences helped him to pioneer a new multi-axis, lightweight industrial robot and launch the successful company, Universal Robots, which has grown from its three co-founders to nearly 150 employees, with more than 4,000 collaborative robot applications installed in over 50 countries worldwide. Dr Ostergaard has over 30 patents and has received many awards, including the 2012 IEEE-IFR Invention and Entrepreneurship Award (IERA), the 2013 Japanese Institute Good Design Award, the 2013 Robotics Business Review Game Changer Award and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 in Region Funen.
Measuring digital professional development: analytics for the use of web and social media
Authors: Rhode Jason , Richter Stephanie , Gowen Peter , Krishnamurthi Murali
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– As faculty professional development increasingly occurs online and through social media, it becomes challenging to assess the quality of learning and effectiveness of programs and resources, yet it is important to evaluate such initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore how one faculty development center experimented with using analytics to answer questions about the use and effectiveness of its web and social media resources.

Design/methodology/approach

– The case study was based on direct observation of the center’s practice and review of selected data generated by the analytic tools.

Findings

– Unfortunately, while some analytics are available from a variety of sources, they are often distributed across tools and services. The center developed an analytics strategy to use data from Google Analytics and social media reporting tools to assess the use of online and social professional development resources. Initial results show that the center’s online and social professional development resources are widely used, both within and outside the university. However, more work is necessary to improve the strength and scope of the available analytics.

Practical implications

– As a result of the analysis, the center has streamlined online resources, targeted social media use, and has begun developing methods to allow faculty to report online resource use as professional development for academic personnel purposes.

Originality/value

– Many faculty development centers have not explored methods of evaluating online and social media resources. This paper outlines a strategic evaluation plan to measure the usage of online resources as well as engagement and interaction through social media.
Learning spaces in virtual worlds: bringing our distance students home
Authors: Gil Ortega Mari Carmen , Falconer Liz
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Distance learning (DL) programmes are becoming increasingly popular in higher education. Overcoming feelings of isolation that may occur due to the reduced support available, the few possibilities of social interaction and the non-existent campus atmosphere in online courses, have become one of the major challenges of designers and instructors of DL programmes. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper provides an example of how the authors can create and use virtual world (VW) learning spaces that not only match the face-to-face learning experience, but also enhance it. Innovation@UWE Island in Second Life, home of the MA education in virtual worlds, is an example of pedagogical innovation that capitalises on what VWs have to offer to social aspects of teaching and learning. In this programme the authors use a three-dimensional virtual space to provide postgraduate students – physically located in diverse geographical areas of the world – with a sense of community and connectedness that matches the sense of belonging that often accompanies the on-campus learning experience.

Findings

– The paper provides examples of students engaging in an environment where traditional conceptions of both “teaching” and “learning” do not apply, where the four-walled classroom is not the only setting where learning happens, where everyone in the group can potentially be an instructor or a peer, an expert or a novice, and learn from each other in a meaningful way.

Originality/value

– This paper introduces the rationale behind the choice of architecture of the learning environment as well as the instructional design of the programme to enhance co-presence and place presence, to build a true community of practice and to foster collaboration for reflective learning.
Facilitating professional development of mobile and eTextbook technologies
Authors: deNoyelles Aimee , Seilhamer Ryan
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– While the integration of mobile and eTextbook technologies is rapidly growing throughout higher education learning environments, these technologies are often challenging to implement across the university landscape. Professional development tailored to these fluid and evolving technologies is essential to supporting effective classroom integration. The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate a special interest group approach to professional development regarding mobile and eTextbook technologies implemented by one university in the USA. Issues such as recruitment of members, selection of face-to-face and online spaces, and curriculum design are addressed.

Design/methodology/approach

– To evaluate effectiveness, a survey was given to the participants that asked about sense of community, perceived increase in knowledge and teaching practices, and overall satisfaction with the experience.

Findings

– The interrelated factors of sense of community, knowledge, and teaching practices were identified as valuable, along with group organization. Survey results revealed that participants highly valued the opportunity to share best practices with others they typically would not, and benefitted from the expertise of guest speakers. Online spaces were found to serve as a repository of on-demand resources and dissemination of information, while face-to-face meetings capitalized on interactivity and nurtured community. Sharing the work of the members with the university and beyond was critical to incentivizing members to produce, and also built further professional networks. The planning team identified a tension between encouraging active involvement from instructors and offering it in convenient ways given their other commitments.

Originality/value

– Although this is a single case, this analysis suggests generalizable strategies that may create and sustain a community interested in mobile and eTextbook technologies.
The challenges of creating an online undergraduate community of practice
Authors: List Sarah S. , Warland Jane , Smith Colleen
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– With less time spent on campus, students are increasingly forming peer friendship and study groups either face to face or online. Communities of practice (CoP) with academic support in the wings could benefit students, but little is known in the about their use in the undergraduate space, or how best they may be structured and facilitated (Andrew et al., 2008). The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online CoP was created in partnership with undergraduate bachelor of midwifery students at the University of South Australia using an action research model. This provided an ongoing ability to continuously plan, act, observe and evaluate all aspects of the community created, so that adjustments could be made during the two cycles of the study.

Findings

– The time paucity of the cohort impacted on their ability to participate fully as partners in the project, and in the community itself. The Facebook community received more visitation than the Weebly community. The student panel reported that despite the online CoP fitting better with their schedules, they would prefer more opportunities to interact face to face with their peers.

Research limitations/implications

– Students who spend limited time on campus may prefer more real life social contact and support, despite the convenience of an online community. A larger cohort, drawing from a non-professional degree would have allowed greater membership and community participation for a prospective study such as this.

Practical implications

– Remote study is a growing phenomenon, and students need to feel socially connected and supported to remain enroled and engaged.

Social implications

– There has been much discussion around the amount of time individuals spend online, and whether support groups formed by students on social media support student learning, or encourage unprofessional behaviours without academic support present.

Originality/value

– This study reports that online communities are not always a logical solution to time poor students, and they may prefer face to face interactions to build their social and professional relationship.
Are blogs still effective to maintain customer relationships?
Authors: Ho Chaang-Iuan , Lee Pie-Chun
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to propose a model investigating the effectiveness of travel blogs as a relationship marketing tool. Specifically, the mediating role of online relationship quality (RQ) dimensions between the attributes of blogs and e-loyalty is modeled. Furthermore, the study investigates the e-loyalty to travel blogs in explaining the reader’s intention to purchase from its online retailer.

Design/methodology/approach

– The subjects of this study were blog readers who had travel blog usage experiences. The online survey was conducted by one of the major portal Web sites in Taiwan. There were 288 usable responses obtained in total. The structural equation modeling approach was used to estimate the research model.

Findings

– The research results indicate that information quality plays a dominant role in influencing online satisfaction and trust. The mediating role of e-satisfaction between e-trust and e-loyalty is identified, and thus the online RQ development process: information quality → e-trust → e-satisfaction → e-loyalty→ intention to buy travel products.

Research limitations/implications

– Travel blogs are still effective to maintain customer relationship. However, they seem to lose interactivity and entertainment to readers.

Practical implications

– Managerial implications lay emphasis on providing a completed circuit by integrating different social media to facilitate tourism information seeking.

Originality/value

– This study is to develop a context-specific model of relationship marketing drivers to the travel blogosphere.
Visitor behaviour and profitability of Turkmenbashi World of Fairytales in Turkmenistan
Authors: Nuryyev Guych , Achyldurdyyeva Jennet
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to discuss visitor behaviour and net present value (NPV) of the only theme park in Turkmenistan – Turkmenbashi World of Fairytales.

Design/methodology/approach

– Visitor behaviour, in terms of allocating time and expenditure to different parts of the theme park, is analysed using time and cost blocks. The data from a questionnaire answered by 317 visitors are employed in the descriptive analysis of visitor behaviour. The data on visitor behaviour are also incorporated into an estimation of the theme park’s net present value, as well as its sensitivity and scenario analyses.

Findings

– The results show that the park is mostly visited by young people, at the time before noon or after 4 p.m. A majority of the visitors do not spend a significant amount in the theme park. Hence, achieving positive NPV may require improved revenue growth.

Originality/value

– Turkmenbashi World of Fairytales is one of few publicly owned theme parks in the world. This provides a unique opportunity to test if positive NPV plays any role in construction of a public theme park.
Nostalgic tourism in Macau
Authors: Leong Aliana Man Wai , Yeh Shih-Shuo , Chang Li-Hui
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of nostalgia in destination image, experiential value and their effect on subsequent behavioral intention. Nostalgic-themed tourism product is becoming popular in many countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– The survey used stratified sampling method to include respondents from all the nearby Asian regions. The sampling is based on the data of inbound tourists provided by the Department of Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) of Government of Macau. The questionnaire consisted of five sections of 5-point Likert scale questions: nostalgia; destination image both before and after experience; expected value; experiential value; and future visit intention. Data were analysed with structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The result indicates that nostalgia plays an important part in forming destination image and experiential value before an individual had a chance to experience the destination. The destination image and experiential value share a bidirectional causal relationship that eventually contributes to future visit intention. The study also discovered that while experiential value is more effective in generating destination image, the later contribute more to future visit intention.

Originality/value

– The research design measures destination image and experiential value before and after respondents had experience the destination. The distinction between destination image and expected/experiential value can be examined because the longitudinal design of research method. It also allows this study to observe how nostalgia translates to future visit intention.