bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic Adaptation of Porcine Circovirus Type 1 to Cultured Porcine Kidney Cells Revealed by Single-Molecule Long-Read Sequencing Technology
Authors: Tombácz Dóra , Moldován Norbert , Balázs Zsolt , Csabai Zsolt , Snyder Michael , Boldogkői Zsolt
Published: February 2017

Porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) is a nonpathogenic circovirus, and a contaminant of the porcine kidney (PK-15) cell line. We present the complete and annotated genome sequence of strain Szeged of PCV1, determined by Pacific Biosciences RSII long-read sequencing platform.
Draft Genome Sequences of 18 Psychrotolerant and 2 Thermotolerant Strains Representative of Particular Ecotypes in the Bacillus cereus Group
Authors: Guinebretière Marie-Hélène , Loux Valentin , Martin Véronique , Nicolas Pierre , Sanchis Vincent , Broussolle Véronique
Published: February 2017

Bacteria from the
Bacillus cereus
group exhibit genetic and physiological diversity through different ecotypes. Here, we present the draft genome sequences of 20 bacterial strains belonging to the contrasted psychrotolerant and thermotolerant ecotypes.
Concordance of Barthel Index, ECOG-PS, and Palliative Performance Scale in the assessment of functional status in patients with advanced medical diseases
Authors: Hernández-Quiles C , Bernabeu-Wittel M , Pérez-Belmonte L M , Macías-Mir P , Camacho-González D , Massa B , Maiz-Jiménez M , Ollero-Baturone M
Published: January 2017

Objective

Analysing most relevant clinical features and concordance between different functional scales in patients with advanced medical diseases (PAMD).

Methods

Cross-sectional multicentre study that included PAMD (heart, lung, kidney, liver, and neurological diseases) in hospital settings from February 2009 to October 2010. We analysed clinical, biological and functional features in performing activities of daily living (ADL) by medians of Barthel Index (BI); additionally we assessed their performance status by medians of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-Performance Status (ECOG-PS) and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) scores. We evaluated the concordance of these instruments in assessing functional impairment by κ and intraclass correlation coefficient tests.

Results

1847 patients were included (average age 79 years, 50.1% men). Most common symptoms were dyspnoea (62.31%), asthenia (23%) and delirium (20.14%). Functional assessment showed a high prevalence of severe or total impairment in performing basic ADL by medians of used instruments (BI median=35 (IQR=70), and 52.1% of patients with severe–total impairment; ECOG-PS median=2 (IQR 30), and 44% of patients with severe–total impairment; and PPS median=50 (IQR 30), and 32% of patients with severe–total impairment). Concordance among these instruments was acceptably good (κindexes ranging from 0.653 to 0.745 (p<0.0001)).

Conclusions

PAMD represent a population with severe functional impairment, which requires a multidisciplinary approach for proper management. Assessment of functional ability in this population by BI, ECOG-PS, and PPS showed good concordance.
The use of whole-body computed tomography in major trauma: variations in practice in UK trauma hospitals
Authors: Sammy Ian Ayenga , Chatha Hridesh , Bouamra Omar , Fragoso-Iñiguez Marisol , Lecky Fiona , Edwards Antoinette
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Whole-body CT (WBCT) use in patients with trauma in England and Wales is not well documented. WBCT in trauma can reduce time to definitive care, thereby increasing survival. However, its use varies significantly worldwide.

Methods

We performed a retrospective observational study of Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) data from 2012 to 2014. The proportion of adult patients receiving WBCT during initial resuscitation at major trauma centres (MTCs) and trauma units/non-designated hospitals (TUs/NDHs) was compared. A model was developed that included factors associated with WBCT use, and centre effects within the model were explored to determine variation in usage beyond that expected from the model.

Results

Of the 115 664 study participants, 16.5% had WBCT. WBCT was performed five times more frequently in MTCs than in TUs/NDHs (31% vs 6.6%). In the multivariate model, increased injury severity, low GCS, shock, comorbidities and triage category increased the chances of having a WBCT, but there was no consistent relation with age. High falls and motor vehicle collisions also increased WBCT usage. Adjusting for casemix, there was a 13-fold intrahospital variation in the use of WBCT between MTCs and a 30-fold variation between TUs/NDHs. The amount of variability between individual hospitals that could not be accounted for by the factors shown to impact on WBCT use was 26% (95% CI 17% to 39%) for MTCs and 17% (95% CI 13% to 21%) for TUs/NDHs.

Conclusion

There are significant variations in WBCT use between different hospitals in England and Wales, which require further investigation.
levels and sociodemographic correlates of accelerometer-based physical activity in Irish children: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Li Xia , Kearney Patricia M , Keane Eimear , Harrington Janas M , Fitzgerald Anthony P
Published: January 2017

Background

The aim of this study was to explore levels and sociodemographic correlates of physical activity (PA) over 1 week using accelerometer data.

Methods

Accelerometer data was collected over 1 week from 1075 8–11-year-old children in the cross-sectional Cork Children's Lifestyle Study. Threshold values were used to categorise activity intensity as sedentary, light, moderate or vigorous. Questionnaires collected data on demographic factors. Smoothed curves were used to display minute by minute variations. Binomial regression was used to identify factors correlated with the probability of meeting WHO 60 min moderate to vigorous PA guidelines.

Results

Overall, 830 children (mean (SD) age: 9.9(0.7) years, 56.3% boys) were included. From the binomial multiple regression analysis, boys were found more likely to meet guidelines (probability ratio 1.17, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.28) than girls. Older children were less likely to meet guidelines than younger children (probability ratio 0.91, CI 0.87 to 0.95). Normal weight children were more likely than overweight and obese children to meet guidelines (probability ratio 1.25, CI 1.16 to 1.34). Children in urban areas were more likely to meet guidelines than those in rural areas (probability ratio 1.19, CI 1.07 to 1.33). Longer daylight length days were associated with greater probability of meeting guidelines compared to shorter daylight length days.

Conclusions

PA levels differed by individual factors including age, gender and weight status as well as by environmental factors including residence and daylight length. Less than one-quarter of children (26.8% boys, 16.2% girls) meet guidelines. Effective intervention policies are urgently needed to increase PA.
Optimal first coil selection to avoid aneurysmal recanalization in endovascular intracranial aneurysmal coiling
Authors: Neki Hiroaki , Kohyama Shinya , Otsuka Toshihiro , Yonezawa Azusa , Ishihara Shoichiro , Yamane Fumitaka
Published: January 2017

Background

Aneurysmal recanalization is a problem with endovascular coiling and one of its risk factors is the low volume embolization ratio (VER). The first coil VER (1st VER) is believed to be critical for obtaining a high VER. The main objective of this study was to evaluate factors potentially useful for selecting the optimal 1st VER for endovascular coiling.

Methods

609 initial saccular aneurysmal treatments performed between January 2010 and December 2014 at our institution were included in this retrospective study. Attempted procedures, retreatment cases, intraoperative rupture cases, and stent-assisted coiling cases were excluded. Age, sex, aneurysm location, ruptured aneurysm, aneurysm shape, neck size, maximum aneurysm size, dome-to-neck ratio, aneurysm volume, procedure, immediate Raymond scale score, 1st VER, and VER between the recanalization groups and non-recanalization groups were compared.

Results

The factors related to recanalization were ruptured aneurysms, neck width, maximum aneurysm size, aneurysm volume, procedure, 1st VER, and VER. The cut-off values for aneurysm recanalization were a 1st VER of 10.0% and a VER of 33.0%. The maximum average VER of normal size aneurysms was found in the groups with a 1st VER of 17.5–20.0%.

Conclusions

1st VER was found to be a helpful index for estimating aneurysmal recanalization after coil embolization. The target 1st VER was 17.5–20.0% for obtaining a higher VER and avoiding recanalization.
Trauma advanced practice provider programme development in an academic setting to optimize care coordination
Authors: Woodfall Michelle C , Browder Timothy D , Alfaro Jesus M , Claudius Meghan A , Chan Garrett K , Robinson Denise Greci , Spain David A
Published: January 2017

Background

Benchmark data from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) identified an opportunity for improvement in our trauma programme. Our unexpected return to the intensive care unit (ICU) was found to be higher than the national averages and we also noticed that our readmission rate had increased. We chose to address these complications as continuous quality improvement projects. It was hypothesized that restructuring the workflow of the trauma advanced practice providers (APPs) to focus on the delivery of comprehensive clinical care would decrease return to ICU and readmission rates of trauma patients.

Methods

The development of the APP programme occurred from 2012 to 2014. First, APP daily shifts were extended to mirror the resident physicians’ coverage. Second, the APPs’ original job description was expanded from ‘task-oriented’ workflow to providing comprehensive clinical care. Third, the APPs were involved in the evaluation and decision-making process for transferring trauma patients from the ICU. Finally, the APPs implemented a new discharge process that included all information in a standardized format and a follow-up phone call 24–48 hours after discharge. The trauma registry at our verified, academic level I trauma center was use to assess our ICU and hospital readmission rates during the time we instituted the new APP workflow programme.

Results

In 2012, our ICU readmission rate was 5.7% (TQIP=1.9%) but then decreased to 4.4% in 2013 (TQIP=2.5%) and 2.1% in 2014 (TQIP=2.8%). Our hospital readmission rate was 2.0% in 2012 but then decreased to 1.38% and 0.96% over the next 2 years.

Conclusions

After extending the APP service coverage, implementing a comprehensive clinical care model and standardizing the discharge process, our unplanned return to ICU rates have decreased to below the TQIP national average and hospital readmission rates have also decreased by half.

Level of evidence

III.
The Changing Context of Hazard Extremes: Events, Impacts, and Consequences
Authors: Cutter Susan L.
Published: February 2017

Recognizing that it does not take an extreme event to produce extreme consequences, White argued for an equal emphasis on technologically-oriented solutions to natural hazards problems, along with emphases on the social, economic, and political factors that lead to the adoption or non-adoption of alternatives for managing disaster risk. The paradox of modern society is that we are not achieving this balance — we have more knowledge and abilities to manipulate nature, yet simultaneously have increased our exposure and susceptibility to natural hazards through our own actions, myopia, and development patterns. The changing context of hazards necessitates more progressive approaches to disaster risk management. This means a reframing of current programs and policies away from response to a more proactive and longer term emphases on enhancing resilience at local to global scales. It also means expanding our definitions of extreme events and extreme consequences. Linking hazards science and practice to larger societal changes and development objectives is the path toward a more resilient future, a goal that personifies the scholarship of White and his student, Mitchell.
Hydrogen peroxide is a critical regulator of the hypoxia-induced alterations of store-operated Ca2+entry into rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells
Authors: Chen Tao-Xiang , Xu Xiao-Ya , Zhao Zhao , Zhao Fang-Yu , Gao Yi-Mei , Yan Xiao-Hong , Wan Yu
Published: January 2017

To investigate the association between store-operated Ca2+entry (SOCE) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) during hypoxia, this study determined the changes of transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) and Orai1, two candidate proteins for store-operated Ca2+(SOC) channels and their gate regulator, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), in a hypoxic environment and their relationship with ROS in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Exposure to hypoxia caused a transient Ca2+spike and subsequent Ca2+plateau of SOCE to be intensified in PASMCs when TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1 were upregulated. SOCE in cells transfected with specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs was almost completely eliminated by the knockdown of TRPC1, STIM1, or Orai1 alone and was no longer affected by hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia-induced SOCE enhancement was further strengthened by PEG-SOD but was attenuated by PEG-catalase, with correlated changes to intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels and protein levels of TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1. Exogenous H2O2could mimic alterations of the interactions of STIM1 with TRPC1 and Orai1 in hypoxic cells. These findings suggest that TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1 are essential for the initiation of SOCE in PASMCs. Hypoxia-induced ROS promoted the expression and interaction of the SOC channel molecules and their gate regulator via their converted product, H2O2.
HLA gene expression is altered in whole blood and placenta from women who later developed preeclampsia
Authors: Small Heather Y. , Akehurst Christine , Sharafetdinova Liliya , McBride Martin W. , McClure John D. , Robinson Scott W. , Carty David M. , Freeman Dilys J. , Delles Christian
Published: January 2017

Preeclampsia is a multisystem disease that significantly contributes to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we used a non-biased microarray approach to identify dysregulated genes in maternal whole blood samples which may be associated with the development of preeclampsia. Whole blood samples were obtained at 28 wk of gestation from 5 women who later developed preeclampsia (cases) and 10 matched women with normotensive pregnancies (controls). Placenta samples were obtained from an independent cohort of 19 women with preeclampsia matched with 19 women with normotensive pregnancies. We studied gene expression profiles using Illumina microarray in blood and validated changes in gene expression in whole blood and placenta tissue by qPCR. We found a transcriptional profile differentiating cases from controls; 336 genes were significantly dysregulated in blood from women who developed preeclampsia. Functional annotation of microarray results indicated that most of the genes found to be dysregulated were involved in inflammatory pathways. While general trends were preserved, only HLA-A was validated in whole blood samples from cases using qPCR (2.30- ± 0.9-fold change) whereas in placental tissue HLA-DRB1 expression was found to be significantly increased in samples from women with preeclampsia (5.88- ± 2.24-fold change). We have identified that HLA-A is upregulated in the circulation of women who went on to develop preeclampsia. In placenta of women with preeclampsia we identified that HLA-DRB1 is upregulated. Our data provide further evidence for involvement of the HLA gene family in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
Distinctive Histogenesis and Immunological Microenvironment Based on Transcriptional Profiles of Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcomas
Authors: Laginestra Maria Antonella , Tripodo Claudio , Agostinelli Claudio , Motta Giovanna , Hartmann Sylvia , Döring Claudia , Rossi Maura , Melle Federica , Sapienza Maria Rosaria , Tabanelli Valentina , Pileri Alessandro , Fuligni Fabio , Gazzola Anna , Mannu Claudia , Sagramoso Carlo Alberto , Lonardi Silvia , Lorenzi Luisa , Bacci Francesco , Sabattini Elena , Borges Anita , Simonitsch-Klupp Ingrid , Cabecadas Jose , Campo Elias , Rosai Juan , Hansmann Martin-Leo , Facchetti Fabio , Pileri Stefano Aldo
Published: January 2017

Follicular dendritic cell (FDC) sarcomas are rare mesenchymal tumors with variable clinical, morphologic, and phenotypic characteristics. Transcriptome analysis was performed on multiple FDC sarcomas and compared with other mesenchymal tumors, microdissected Castleman FDCs, and normal fibroblasts. Using unsupervised analysis, FDC sarcomas clustered with microdissected FDCs, distinct from other mesenchymal tumors and fibroblasts. The specific endowment of FDC-related gene expression programs in FDC sarcomas emerged by applying a gene signature of differentially expressed genes (n = 1,289) between microdissected FDCs and fibroblasts. Supervised analysis comparing FDC sarcomas with microdissected FDCs and other mesenchymal tumors identified 370 and 2,927 differentially expressed transcripts, respectively, and on the basis of pathway enrichment analysis ascribed to signal transduction, chromatin organization, and extracellular matrix organization programs. As the transcriptome of FDC sarcomas retained similarity with FDCs, the immune landscape of FDC sarcoma was investigated by applying the CIBERSORT algorithm to FDC sarcomas and non-FDC mesenchymal tumors and demonstrated that FDC sarcomas were enriched in T follicular helper (TFH) and T regulatory (TREG) cell populations, as confirmed in situ by immunohistochemistry. The enrichment in specific T-cell subsets prompted investigating the mRNA expression of the inhibitory immune receptor PD-1 and its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, which were found to be significantly upregulated in FDC sarcomas as compared with other mesenchymal tumors, a finding also confirmed in situ. Here, it is demonstrated for the first time the transcriptional relationship of FDC sarcomas with nonmalignant FDCs and their distinction from other mesenchymal tumors.

Implications: The current study provides evidence of a peculiar immune microenvironment associated with FDC sarcomas that may have clinical utility. Mol Cancer Res; 15(5); 541–52. ©2017 AACR.
Genome-Wide Analysis Identifies MEN1 and MAX Mutations and a Neuroendocrine-Like Molecular Heterogeneity in Quadruple WT GIST
Authors: Pantaleo Maria A. , Urbini Milena , Indio Valentina , Ravegnini Gloria , Nannini Margherita , De Luca Matilde , Tarantino Giuseppe , Angelini Sabrina , Gronchi Alessandro , Vincenzi Bruno , Grignani Giovanni , Colombo Chiara , Fumagalli Elena , Gatto Lidia , Saponara Maristella , Ianni Manuela , Paterini Paola , Santini Donatella , Pirini M. Giulia , Ceccarelli Claudio , Altimari Annalisa , Gruppioni Elisa , Renne Salvatore L. , Collini Paola , Stacchiotti Silvia , Brandi Giovanni , Casali Paolo G. , Pinna Antonio D. , Astolfi Annalisa , Biasco Guido
Published: January 2017

Quadruple wild-type (WT) gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a genomic subgroup lacking KIT/PDGFRA/RAS pathway mutations, with an intact succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) complex. The aim of this work is to perform a wide comprehensive genomic study on quadruple WT GIST to improve the characterization of these patients. We selected 14 clinical cases of quadruple WT GIST, of which nine cases showed sufficient DNA quality for whole exome sequencing (WES). NF1 alterations were identified directly by WES. Gene expression from whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS) and miRNA profiling were performed using fresh-frozen, quadruple WT GIST tissue specimens and compared with SDH and KIT/PDGFRA-mutant GIST. WES identified an average of 18 somatic mutations per sample. The most relevant somatic oncogenic mutations identified were in TP53, MEN1, MAX, FGF1R, CHD4, and CTDNN2. No somatic alterations in NF1 were identified in the analyzed cohort. A total of 247 mRNA transcripts and 66 miRNAs were differentially expressed specifically in quadruple WT GIST. Overexpression of specific molecular markers (COL22A1 and CALCRL) and genes involved in neural and neuroendocrine lineage (ASCL1, Family B GPCRs) were detected and further supported by predicted miRNA target analysis. Quadruple WT GIST show a specific genetic signature that deviates significantly from that of KIT/PDGFRA-mutant and SDH-mutant GIST. Mutations in MEN1 and MAX genes, a neural-committed phenotype and upregulation of the master neuroendocrine regulator ASCL1, support a genetic similarity with neuroendocrine tumors, with whom they also share the great variability in oncogenic driver genes.

Implications: This study provides novel insights into the biology of quadruple WT GIST that potentially resembles neuroendocrine tumors and should promote the development of specific therapeutic approaches. Mol Cancer Res; 15(5); 553–62. ©2017 AACR.
Transcellular Pathways in Lymphatic Endothelial Cells Regulate Changes in Solute Transport by Fluid Stress
Authors: Triacca Valentina , Güç Esra , Kilarski Witold W. , Pisano Marco , Swartz Melody A.
Published: January 2017

Rationale:

The transport of interstitial fluid and solutes into lymphatic vessels is important for maintaining interstitial homeostasis and delivering antigens and soluble factors to the lymph node for immune surveillance. Transendothelial transport across lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) is commonly considered to occur paracellularly, or between cell–cell junctions, and driven by local pressure and concentration gradients. However, emerging evidence suggests that LECs also play active roles in regulating interstitial solute balance and can scavenge and store antigens, raising the possibility that vesicular or transcellular pathways may be important in lymphatic solute transport.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine the relative importance of transcellular (vesicular) versus paracellular transport pathways by LECs and how mechanical stress (ie, fluid flow conditioning) alters either pathway.

Methods and Results:

We demonstrate that transcellular transport mechanisms substantially contribute to lymphatic solute transport and that solute uptake occurs in both caveolae- and clathrin-coated vesicles. In vivo, intracelluar uptake of fluorescently labeled albumin after intradermal injection by LECs was similar to that of dermal dendritic cells. In vitro, we developed a method to differentially quantify intracellular solute uptake versus transendothelial transport by LECs. LECs preconditioned to 1 µm/s transmural flow demonstrated increased uptake and basal-to-apical solute transport, which could be substantially reversed by blocking dynamin-dependent vesicle formation.

Conclusions:

These findings reveal the importance of intracellular transport in steady-state lymph formation and suggest that LECs use transcellular mechanisms in parallel to the well-described paracellular route to modulate solute transport from the interstitium according to biomechanical cues.
Behavioral Research on Fallout Shelters: A Summary of Some Evidence
Authors: Solomon Lawrence C.
Published: January 2017

Earlier this year the House Armed Services Committee had under consideration a bill for the construction of public fallout shelters, HR 3516. This article is from testimony given one of its subcommittees on June 17, 1963, by Dr. Solomon, Executive Secretary of the American Psychological Association's Committee on Psychology in National and International Affairs. Introducing his testimony to the subcommittee, he stated: “I appear here today not as a special pleader, but as a behavioral scientist presenting a brief overview of the current research findings in his field which bear directly upon your present concerns.” Those findings are that public opinion is concertedly anti-shelter and that mere, involvement in a shelter program may increase public belief in the imminence of war.
The Making of the Urban Entrepreneur
Authors: Muñoz Pablo , Cohen Boyd
Published: January 2017

Pressures on infrastructure—due to growing urban populations, the ubiquity of new technologies, and collaborative business models—are fostering a new form of entrepreneurship focused on addressing quality of life in cities. Urban entrepreneurs are challenging the logic of formal market structures, forcing us to re-frame our thinking around the interactions between place, individuals, institutions, and the resulting innovative outcomes. Urban entrepreneurs—operating at the neighborhood, city, and global levels—are developing alternative forms of private-public-people partnerships and unique business strategies.
Client-centred home modifications improve daily activity performance of older adults
Authors: Stark Susan , Landsbaum Amanda , Palmer Janice L. , Somerville Emily K. , Morris John C. , Harvey A. , Friedman Dorismae Hacker
Published: January 2017

Background

Remaining at home is a high priority for many older adults, but the capacity to “age in place” often is threatened by environmental barriers.

Purpose

To describe a client-centred occupational therapy home modification intervention program and examine the impact of the intervention on daily activity performance over time.

Methods

Using a competence-environmental press framework, a client-centred home modification program for older adults was implemented. In this quasi-experimental, single group prospective study, participants' subjective ratings of daily activity performance were evaluated before and after the intervention (baseline/post/post).

Findings

After home modification, participants' perception of their daily activity performance at home improved significantly and was maintained 2 years post-modification.

Implications

Home modification may benefit older adults attempting to age in place.
Creating Mentoring Opportunities to Promote Cultural Competencies and Social Justice
Authors: Heppner Puncky Paul
Published: January 2017

This article focuses on the application of mentorship strategies to develop cultural competencies and promote social justice in future generations of counseling psychologists. Moreover, the emphasis is on building pedagogical structures that provide necessary learning opportunities for mentees, guidance and mentoring, as well as needed social change. Specifically, pedagogical structures paired with mentoring opportunities were created to: (a) inspire and expand students’ cultural learning to promote cultural competencies in both university and community populations, (b) promote understanding of current and historical events affecting the hearts and souls of mentees, (c) provide mentees with strategies to successfully navigate across cultural borders within the United States, (d) promote culturally-infused student services, (e) promote cultural competencies in crossing national borders, and (f) utilize psychological research as a vehicle of social change. Thus, this article expands the traditional definition of mentoring to include a planful and strategic role in creating real-life, real-time educational opportunities to promote social justice at one university across a decade, that are easily transferable to other institutions.
In the Heat and Noise of the Moment: Effects on Risky Decision Making
Authors: Syndicus Marc , Wiese Bettina S. , van Treeck Christoph
Published: January 2017

Two studies, comprising 128 participants, were conducted to examine possible detrimental effects of noise and moderate heat stress on decision making. Three tasks involving risky decisions were used: a lottery choice task, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, and two risk scenario questionnaires. Study 1 ( n = 97) involved three noise stressors presented at 60dB(A) and a quiet condition. Compared with all other conditions, a radio podcast about the jubilee of museums caused a significant increase in risk aversion in the Choice Dilemma Questionnaire task. Study 2 ( n = 31) compared two groups that completed the aforementioned tasks either in a warm (≥ 30°C) or neutral (≤ 25°C) ambient temperature condition. Participants made significantly riskier decisions in the warm ambient temperature condition in all tasks except the lottery task. Effects were more pronounced among female subjects. Especially elevated ambient temperatures should, therefore, be monitored in office environments to prevent impairments of decision making.
Global Crossing: A Turnaround
Authors: Nautiyal Anmol , Shastri Suryanarayana
Published: January 2017

During the 1990s, India saw tremendous changes in the economy and many Indian firms enjoyed the benefits of the Government's open policy. On-going process of relaxation in trade barriers and tariffs and the phasing-out of Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) are and will create many opportunities for growth. Changes in the external environment will impose challenges as well as create many opportunities for Indian firms. The focus of this paper is to identify the challenges and propose strategies for Indian multinationals. This would enable them to counter the challenges, leverage the opportunities and extend their product and service offering beyond the shores of the country.

This paper analyses the pre-2010 period on the rationale that the strategies adopted by a firm during the years leading to 2010 will play an important role in judging how competitive it will be in the future. We have developed an Evolution Map and propose the use of a Competitive Map for an analysis of the Firm and its Product and Service offering. These tools will help companies identify and locate their relative position in their industries, assess their resources and capabilities, and help devise a future course of action.

Following a methodical approach, we have analysed the market characteristics, and identified the Internal and External challenges that firms will face beyond 2010. We have developed a model to identify the strategies that firms need to implement to counter these challenges and stay competitive. Our strategy model and the Key Action Points provide a roadmap for firms who wish to carry their industry leadership to foreign lands. We give a thorough treatment of the key elements of each core strategy and finally analyse the key sectors of the Indian industry and identify some potential Indian multinationals of 2010.
Effects of Nested Interruptions on Task Resumption: A Laboratory Study With Intensive Care Nurses
Authors: Sasangohar Farzan , Donmez Birsen , Easty Anthony C. , Trbovich Patricia L.
Published: January 2017

Objective:

Interruptions to secondary tasks resulting in multiple tasks to resume may tax working memory. The objective of this research is to study such interruptions experienced by intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.

Background:

ICU nurses are frequently interrupted, resulting in a switch from primary to secondary tasks. In two recent studies, we observed that some of these secondary tasks also get interrupted, resulting in multiple tasks that have to be resumed, a phenomenon we refer to as nested interruptions. Although completing multiple secondary tasks in a serial fashion during an interruption period can create context-switching costs, we hypothesize that nested interruptions tax the working memory even more than just performing multiple secondary tasks sequentially because the nurse would have to encode in working memory the resumption goals for both the primary and the interrupted secondary tasks.

Method:

We conducted a laboratory study with 30 ICU nurses, who performed an electronic order-entry task under three interruption conditions: (a) baseline—no secondary task during the interruption period; (2) serial—performance of two tasks one after the other during the interruption period; and (3) nested—performance of two tasks during the interruption period, one of which was also interrupted.

Results:

Nested interruptions resulted in significantly longer primary-task resumption lag and less accurate task resumption compared with both the serial interruption and baseline conditions.

Conclusion:

The nested nature of interruptions adds to the resumption lag and diminishes resumption accuracy by likely populating the working memory with goals associated with interrupted secondary tasks.
The Importance of Team Sex Composition in Team-Training Research Employing Complex Psychomotor Tasks
Authors: Jarrett Steven M. , Glaze Ryan M. , Schurig Ira , Arthur Winfred
Published: January 2017

Objective:

The relationship between team sex composition and team performance on a complex psychomotor task was examined because these types of tasks are commonly used in the lab-based teams literature.

Background:

Despite well-documented sex-based differences on complex psychomotor tasks, the preponderance of studies—mainly lab based—that use these tasks makes no mention of the sex composition of teams across or within experimental conditions.

Method:

A sample of 123 four-person teams with varying team sex composition learned and performed a complex psychomotor task, Steal Beasts Pro PE. Each team completed a 5-hr protocol whereby they conducted several performance missions.

Results:

The results indicated significant large mean differences such that teams with larger proportions of males had higher performance scores.

Conclusion:

These findings demonstrate the potential effect of team sex composition on the validity of studies that use complex psychomotor tasks to explore and investigate team performance–related phenomena when (a) team sex composition is not a focal variable of interest and (b) it is not accounted for or controlled.

Application:

Given the proclivity of complex psychomotor action-based tasks used in lab-based team studies, it is important to understand and control for the impact of team sex composition on team performance. When team sex composition is not controlled for, either methodologically or statistically, it may affect the validity of the results in teams studies using these types of tasks.
High Road and Low Road Teamworking: Perceptions of Management Rationales and Organizational and Human Resource Outcomes
Authors: Bacon Nicolas , Blyton Paul
Published: January 2017

In this article, we explore the relationship between two different types of teamworking, perceptions of management rationales for introducing teamworking and organizational and human resource outcomes. Teamworking is classified into two different types: `high road' and `low road' teamworking. Management rationales for introducing teamworking are categorized as economic, social and cultural. Organizational performance is assessed by perceptions of plant competitiveness, customer care and product quality. We measure human resource outcomes through worker responses, training and promotion, communication and consultation, role of trade union and health and safety. The findings indicate that `high road' teamworking is associated with broader management rationales, and is perceived to have a greater positive impact upon both organizational performance and human resource outcomes. Particular features of high road teams - delayered management, flexible job descriptions, fewer pay bands and grades - were associated with positive outcomes.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered: The meaning and experience of teamworking for employees in an automobile company
Authors: Knights David , McCabe Darren
Published: January 2017

Recent managerial discourses share similar assumptions about organizations and the means to their greater efficiency. One of these is a faith in teamworking as a method of ensuring that human resources are effectively mobilized to achieve the unquestioned benefits of any specific technology or prescriptive programme. In this article we will explore what teamworking means for employees' lives within an automobile manufacturing company. We question the taken-for-granted assumption within managerialist accounts that teamworking will simply be welcomed by, and is beneficial for, employees. We also offer a ray of hope to those critics who warn of the normalizing effects of teamworking. We argue that, just as there is no single form of teamworking, there is also no single experience of teamworking. We broadly identify the reactions of three types of employees as a heuristic device. First, there are those who seem `bewitched' by the discourse of teamworking and who internalize its norms and values. Second, there are those who are `bothered' by the ideology in the sense that they are disturbed by its incessant intrusion into their lives and by the reactions of colleagues who seem enthralled by the team discourse. Finally, there are employees who are `bewildered' by teamworking mainly because of its attack upon established ways of doing things. There are, of course, overlaps and variations between and within these categories but we believe that they provide a useful way of presenting a complex set of research findings. Overall, we argue that employees are not nearly as convinced by the discourse of teamworking as its advocates presume or its critics fear
Production Teamworking: The Importance of Interdependence and Autonomy for Employee Strain and Satisfaction
Authors: Sprigg Christine A. , Jackson Paul R. , Parker Sharon K.
Published: January 2017

A UK manufacturer introduced a common model of teamworking which achieved quite different performance results in wire-mills and roperies. Survey data (n = 231) showed higher job-related strain and lower job satisfaction in the wire-mills, where teamworking was not a success. Findings indicated that the differences in employee well-being could be accounted for by contrasting levels of process inter-dependence in the two production areas. Teamworking was a success in the roperies where process interdependence was high, but not in the wire-mills where there was a mismatch between this production process characteristic and a team-based form of work organization. Interactions between interdependence and autonomy were also found, such that higher autonomy had a positive impact only for those working in low interdependence processes. The unintended consequence of teamworking under low interdependence is to create winners and losers, as individual team-members take on responsibilities of the team as a whole.
Application of Stokes' Theorem to electrically small loop antenna radiation
Authors: Wu Minghe , Teng Baohua , Shen Chutian , Balfour Esmod Agurgo , Fu Hao , Wu Shaoyi , Li Junjie
Published: January 2017

Stokes' Theorem is applied to derive the retarded vector potential of loop antennas for the radiation of electric field and magnetic field. Simulations of the ideal and the actual magnetic dipole antenna suggest a satisfactory agreement of the two antennas. The simulation results were further experimentally tested by the demonstration experiment, which indeed confirmed the simulation results. The direction of radiated electric field in the experimental setup is shown in a vivid way. The theoretical simplification and experimental design will significantly provide undergraduate students with an easier but better understanding of the radiation of an electrically small loop antenna.
Mental Health in Asia: Social Improvements and Challenges
Authors: Tseng Wen-Shing , Ebata Keisuke , Kim Kwang-Iel , Krahl Wolfgang , Kua Ee Heok , Qiuyun Lu  , Yucun Shen  , Tan Eng-Seong , Yang Ming-Jen
Published: January 2017

Remarkable improvements in economic conditions and a considerable upgrade in the quality of life have been observed in many parts of Asia during the past several decades. At the same time, many mental health challenges face the people of Asia. Various social mental health indexes are reviewed here, with available data from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian societies. The data are compared with data from the United States, Australia in the Pacific Rim, and some other Western countries to examine patterns of similarity or difference between East and West in the process of modernization. Common trends in mental health issues associated with rapid sociocultural change observed in different Asian societies are discussed, as well as the relative shortage of mental health personnel available in many Asian societies. It is emphasized that, in addition to expanding psychiatric services, there is an even more urgent need to promote mental health knowledge and concern through education in the general population. Mental health needs to be cultivated and maintained by social forces and cultural strengths. It is stressed that there is a challenge for Asian people to advance mental health beyond economic development in the 21st century.
A Cross-Cultural Study of Parental Conflict and Eating Disorders in a Non-Clinical Sample
Authors: Mujtaba Tamjid , Furnham Adrian
Published: January 2017

Previous British studies have found that EAT scores of second generation British Asian schoolgirls are higher than those of White schoolgirls (Furnham & Husain, 1999; McCourt & Waller, 1995; Mumford et al., 1991), and that these scores are positively associated with parental over-protection (Furnham & Hussain, 1999). This study looked at the relationship between parental conflict and parental over-protection and EAT scores in three cultures. The three groups, all of late adolescent females, were British Caucasians ( N=116), immigrant British Asians from Pakistan ( N=118), and Pakistanis tested in Pakistan ( N=114). A 22 item conflict questionnaire was constructed and administered to 355 participants, along with the PBI, EAT-26, and Body Shape Belief Scale (BSBS). It was predicted that the British Asians would have higher EAT, parental protection and conflict scores than the other two groups. It was also predicted that EAT scores would be highly correlated with conflict scores. All hypotheses were supported, and over-protection scores were noticeably highest in the British Asian group. They also had a significant amount of more conflict with parents than any of the other cultural groups. EAT scores were associated with conflict and over-protection. Results are discussed in terms of the literature in the field.
The Social Functioning of Persons With Chronic Mental Illness: an Empirical Typology of Consumers and Correlates of Social Functioning1
Authors: Song Li-Yu , Singer Mark
Published: January 2017

This study examined the typology of consumers and correlates of their social functioning using the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). Data were obtained from 244 outpatients of two psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric ward inpatients in two general hospitals through a structured in-person interview. The typology was generated using Cluster Analysis, and the profile of each group was further examined. The results indicated that there were four distinct groups of consumers. Multiple regression analysis revealed that consumers' sex, age, education, diagnosis, behavioral problems, family caregivers' age, employment status, and overall social support were significantly associated with consumers' social functioning. The implications for previous research findings and psychiatric rehabilitation service are discussed.
Frequency of Mental Illness Among Jews in Israel
Authors: Halevi H. S.
Published: January 2017

This is mainly a statistical survey of mental illness in Israel and there was no intention for a medical analysis of the data. The statistical data may and should serve as a basis for a medical interpretation. Demographic and social conditions prevailing in Israel are particularly suitable for a thorough investigation of mental health problems in its heterogeneous and changing population.

Statistical techniques and epidemiological methods found their application in most branches of medicine. In our case their full use will depend on the reaction of the psychiatric profession to the statistical survey and on their efforts to integrate the figures in a clinical effort in order to make the epidemiological conclusions a basis for therapeutical progress. Some time ago a leading medical weekly remarked in connection with psychiatric epidemiology(22): “Another problem has been the distressing way in which the results of years of work melt away before the two crucial words ‘so what?’.” Exploitation of all possibilities for research by a proper team may help greatly in understanding dynamics of mental health.
The Geography of Repression in Africa
Authors: Christensen Darin
Published: January 2017

I ask how the location of a protest affects how forcefully governments crack down. This geography of repression provides insight into a larger strategic problem: under what conditions do leaders meet protests with violence? I argue that protests in rural areas pose a smaller threat and, thus, prompt less frequent intervention. However, when governments decide to repress rural protests, they are less concerned that lethal repression might incite a backlash, as there are fewer bystanders in more rural areas that can join the fray. I uncover two patterns consistent with this theory: (1) repression is 30 percent more frequent in response to social conflicts in urban areas; but (2), if the state does employ repression, it is 75 percent more likely to kill dissidents in rural areas. The empirical relationships I report cannot be explained by reporting bias, international sanctioning, proximity to past armed conflicts, or the presence of natural resources.
After the Whirlwind: Jewish Absence in Postwar Czechoslovakia
Authors: Láníček Jan
Published: January 2017

This article analyses absences encountered by Jews in postwar Czechoslovakia. Based on two first-hand accounts (by Leo Herrmann and Joseph Wechsberg), the author offers insights into how Jewish exiles, who visited Czechoslovakia in the first postwar months, perceived the absences caused by the Shoah and by the efforts of postwar societies to create ethnically and linguistically homogeneous countries, without any distinct minority cultures. In postwar Czechoslovakia, the survivors had to cope with the physical absence of those murdered during the war, but also with the loss of multi-culturalism, and ethnic and linguistic diversity of the population. It was expected that the Jews, who decided to stay in postwar Czechoslovakia, would undergo a complete assimilation and would become part of the Czech or Slovak nation. The Jews – a distinct group made absent by the Nazi policies – were further absented from their societies by the postwar reconstruction of their homeland. Although some of the survivors accepted the new rules of the game and attempted to adjust to the new conditions, a majority of those who returned to Czechoslovakia after 1945 soon left the country forever.
Blue Angels: Female Fascist Resisters, Spies and Intelligence Officials in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–9
Authors: Rodríguez López Sofía , Cazorla Sánchez Antonio
Published: January 2017

Pro-Franco or, if the reader prefers, Nationalist women, were supposed to be the antithesis of the only women who, it has been assumed, were really active in the war: Republican women. Pro-Franco women are assumed to have supported both established social and gender traditions, having collaborated in the war effort without transgressing these roles. This article argues that historians have underestimated pro-Franco women’s participation in anti-Republican underground activities, in part because they have tended to make a false distinction between a ‘real’ Fifth Column, where men were clearly predominant, and ‘merely’ supportive roles, where women were crucial and often in the majority. On the contrary, this article argues that Nationalist women played a key, active role in intelligence activities in the Fifth Column, in acts of resistance against the Republic and also when posted abroad conducting espionage activities, or working in information gathering behind Francoist lines.
Brain Responses to Stimuli in Disorders of Information Processing
Authors: Shields Dianne T.
Published: January 2017

An approach to neurological study in children with learning disabilities is presented in which specialized measures of brain functioning are related to specific learning processes. Brain responses to stimuli in children with difficulty processing those stimuli were compared to responses of normal children. The latencies of the response components were significantly longer in the children with learning disabilities. Amplitudes of some components were significantly larger. These results suggest the possible nature of the neurological differences in children with learning disabilities and offer approaches to remediation.