bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CEO perspective
Authors: Harper Kelly D. , Sriram Ven
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to share the perspective of CEO and Vice Chairman of Hexaware Technologies, P.R. Chandrasekar, while exploring the question, “Does South Asia matter?”

Design/methodology/approach

The paper followed an interview format and utilized P.R. Chandrasekar's responses to guide and inform the discussion on South Asia.

Findings

This paper found that South Asia does matter, and always has.

Originality/value

This paper offers the perspective of a CEO of a multinational corporation with global experience and vast knowledge of the South Asian region. His first‐hand experiences add much value to the discussion on South Asia.
Great (transformational) leadership=charisma+vision
Authors: Khatri Naresh , Templer Klaus J. , Budhwar Pawan S.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop measures of charisma and vision and to examine their influences on follower‐level outcomes in four countries, namely, India, Singapore, the UK, and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a series of three studies. In the first study, conducted in Singapore, an open‐ended questionnaire was used to gather statements of charisma and vision for developing charismatic and visionary categories or themes. The second study, also conducted in Singapore, involved constructing items to represent various categories or themes of charisma and vision, collecting data, and performing factor analyses to develop dimensions of charisma and vision. The third study validated the measures of charisma and vision developed in the first two studies across national samples drawn from two Asian (India and Singapore) and two Western countries (the UK and the USA), and examined the relationships of charismatic and visionary dimensions with motivation, satisfaction, cooperation, and performance of employees.

Findings

One major dimension of charisma, social sensitivity, and two key dimensions of vision, daring/change‐seeking and expertise/knowledge, universally emerged across all four countries. Social sensitivity showed highly significant positive relationships with motivation and satisfaction of followers across all four countries. The daring/change‐seeking leadership was highly positively related to motivation, satisfaction, cooperation, and performance of employees in the UK and the USA only. Expertise and knowledge showed relatively stronger relationship with follower outcomes in India and Singapore than in the UK and the USA.

Originality/value

The study identifies charisma and vision as two basic components of transformational leadership, develops new measures of these constructs, and examines their relationships with follower‐level outcomes.
Macroeconomic factors determining FDI impact on Pakistan's growth
Authors: Zaman Khalid , Shah Iqtidar Ali , Mushtaq Khan Muhammad , Ahmad Mehboob
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify major macroeconomic factors that enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) for Pakistan through the co‐integration and error correction model over a 28‐year time period, i.e. between 1980 and 2008.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed the Johansen co‐integration technique to estimate the long‐run relationship between the variables, while an error correction model was used to determine the short‐run dynamics of the system.

Findings

Finding suggests that FDI has had a significant positive impact on Pakistan's economic growth in the long run. For example, trade liberalization and their interactive terms have a positive effect in the short run, while a negative effect is observed in the long run upon economic growth of Pakistan. The results indicate that due to a low quality of human capital in Pakistan; the direct effect of FDI on economic growth becomes negative.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to a few variables, including human capital, trade openness, government size, population and consumer price index, in order to manage robust data analysis.

Practical implications

The authors find that for FDI to be a significant contributor to economic growth in Pakistan, government must focus upon improving physical infrastructure, and quality of human resources.

Originality/value

The study confirms that Pakistan did not enjoy substantial growth benefits from FDI because human capital, trade openness, government size and interactive terms of FDI and per capita income have a negative impact on economic growth. These findings have important policy implications.
Reform strategies in South Asian countries: a comparative analysis
Authors: Rana Pradumna B.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

It is generally agreed that policy reforms have been more successful in China than in South Asia. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the relative success of China can be explained by the differences in initial conditions and in the design and sequencing of policies. The reform path followed by China placed reform of agriculture and rural light industry ahead of economic liberalization policies. South Asia, on the other hand, followed an opposite sequence with macroeconomic, trade, and industrial reforms coming ahead of agriculture and institutional reforms. This paper also finds that economic policies have mattered in South Asia and it develops an unfinished reform agenda comprising mainly the so‐called second generation reforms which is necessary to propel South Asia to a higher growth trajectory.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper argues that the difference in economic performance between China and South Asia in the post‐reform period can be explained by the differences in initial conditions and the design and sequencing of policies.

Findings

This paper finds that economic reforms have been more successful in raising economic growth and reducing poverty in China than in South Asia because of differences in initial conditions and the design and sequencing of reforms. Going forward, South Asia needs to focus on the implementation of the so‐called second generation reforms (agriculture, industrial, and the more microeconomic institutional reforms) more vigorously. This will, however, pose a serious challenge to the countries because these reforms generate benefits only in the longer term and therefore require a wider political consensus for their implementation. Yet without these reforms, sustained higher economy growth in the future and catch‐up with East Asia will not be possible.

Originality/value

The paper argues that difference in economic performance between South Asia and China can be partially explained by the way in which they designed their reform paths and it also develops a reform agenda that South Asian countries could implement to improve their economic performance. Hence the value of the paper is for both scholars and policy makers at large.
Osteopontin predicts adverse right ventricular remodelling and dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Rosenberg Mark , Meyer F. Joachim , Gruenig Ekkehard , Lutz Matthias , Lossnitzer Dirk , Wipplinger Rita , Katus Hugo A. , Frey Norbert
Published: March 2012

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (9): 933–942

Background  Osteopontin (OPN) was found upregulated in several heart failure models and appears to play an important role in myocardial remodelling. As we have previously demonstrated that OPN predicts mortality in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), we now evaluated whether OPN also predicts adverse right ventricular (RV) remodelling and dysfunction in PH.

Methods  We prospectively included 71 patients with PH of different etiology in this study. OPN plasma level were determined by ELISA and assessed for correlation with RV dilatation and dysfunction determined by echocardiography.

Results  OPN plasma values significantly correlated with RV end‐diastolic diameter, Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE) and Tricuspid Annular Systolic Velocity (TASV) (r = 0·43, P = 0·0002; r = −0·46, P = 0·0006; r = −0·31, P = 0·02). Furthermore, stratification of our study population according to RV end‐diastolic diameter and RV dysfunction revealed that patients with enlarged and functionally impaired RV′s display higher OPN levels (956 ng/mL vs. 628 ng/mL, P = 0·0005; 1108 ng/mL vs. 792 ng/mL; P = 0·02). Next, we determined OPN cut‐off values for the detection of RV remodelling and dysfunction by receiver operating curve analyses and further stratified these parameters in a multivariate analysis. Here, OPN emerged as an independent predictor of RV dilatation and dysfunction. Finally, we demonstrate synergism of OPN and NT‐proBNP in the prediction of RV dilatation and dysfunction by calculation of the Rothman Synergy Index.

Conclusion  In summary, OPN predicts adverse RV remodelling and dysfunction in PH. Together with our previously published data regarding OPN’s value for the prognostication of death in PH, we believe that OPN can improve risk stratification in patients with PH beyond current assessment standards.
Four years of experimental climate change modifies the microbial drivers of N2O fluxes in an upland grassland ecosystem
Authors: Cantarel Amélie A. M. , Bloor Juliette M. G. , Pommier Thomas , Guillaumaud Nadine , Moirot Caroline , Soussana Jean‐François , Poly Franck
Published: March 2012

Emissions of the trace gas nitrous oxide (N2O) play an important role for the greenhouse effect and stratospheric ozone depletion, but the impacts of climate change on N2O fluxes and the underlying microbial drivers remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of sustained climate change on field N2O fluxes and associated microbial enzymatic activities, microbial population abundance and community diversity in an extensively managed, upland grassland. We recorded N2O fluxes, nitrification and denitrification, microbial population size involved in these processes and community structure of nitrite reducers (nirK) in a grassland exposed for 4 years to elevated atmospheric CO2 (+200 ppm), elevated temperature (+3.5 °C) and reduction of summer precipitations (−20%) as part of a long‐term, multifactor climate change experiment. Our results showed that both warming and simultaneous application of warming, summer drought and elevated CO2 had a positive effect on N2O fluxes, nitrification, N2O release by denitrification and the population size of N2O reducers and NH4 oxidizers. In situ N2O fluxes showed a stronger correlation with microbial population size under warmed conditions compared with the control site. Specific lineages of nirK denitrifier communities responded significantly to temperature. In addition, nirK community composition showed significant changes in response to drought. Path analysis explained more than 85% of in situ N2O fluxes variance by soil temperature, denitrification activity and specific denitrifying lineages. Overall, our study underlines that climate‐induced changes in grassland N2O emissions reflect climate‐induced changes in microbial community structure, which in turn modify microbial processes.
Advances in global change research require open science by individual researchers
Authors: Wolkovich Elizabeth M. , Regetz James , O'Connor Mary I.
Published: March 2012

Understanding how species and ecosystems respond to climate change requires spatially and temporally rich data for a diverse set of species and habitats, combined with models that test and predict responses. Yet current study is hampered by the long‐known problems of inadequate management of data and insufficient description of analytical procedures, especially in the field of ecology. Despite recent institutional incentives to share data and new data archiving infrastructure, many ecologists do not archive and publish their data and code. Given current rapid rates of global change, the consequences of this are extreme: because an ecological dataset collected at a certain place and time represents an irreproducible set of observations, ecologists doing local, independent research possess, in their file cabinets and spreadsheets, a wealth of information about the natural world and how it is changing. Although large‐scale initiatives will increasingly enable and reward open science, we believe that change demands action and personal commitment by individuals – from students and PIs. Herein, we outline the major benefits of sharing data and analytical procedures in the context of global change ecology, and provide guidelines for overcoming common obstacles and concerns. If individual scientists and laboratories can embrace a culture of archiving and sharing we can accelerate the pace of the scientific method and redefine how local science can most robustly scale up to globally relevant questions.
The Study of Nursing Care project: back to the future for contemporary nursing research?
Authors: Smith Kylie M. , Crookes Patrick A.
Published: March 2012

smith k.m. & crookes p.a. (2012) The Study of Nursing Care project: back to the future for contemporary nursing research? Journal of Advanced Nursing68(11), 2586–2593.

Aims.  To discuss the Study of Nursing Care project, an initiative from the late 1970s in the UK. The article explores the impact of the Study of Nursing Care on nursing research, and considers to what extent it presents a useful model for contemporary nursing research.

Background.  It is acknowledged internationally that the nursing academic workforce is ageing and dwindling. Many possible solutions are being debated with all agreeing that the next generation of evidence based nurse leaders is urgently required.

Data sources.  In this article, the authors survey existing workforce schemes, describe the Study of Nursing Care series, published in the 1970s, and draw on interviews and correspondence conducted in 2009 with four of the original Study of Nursing Care research assistants.

Discussion.  The Study of Nursing Care project poses a potential response to academic workforce issues. This article discusses the evolution of the project, its methods and operation and considers its possible implications for contemporary practice.

Implications for nursing.  The Study of Nursing Care model demonstrates the clear benefits of fully committed funding, a programmatic approach towards research development, and the importance of selecting the right kind of people for the work, in a National scheme.

Conclusion.  The authors argue that although the clinical outcomes it set out to achieve remain elusive, the project produced a cohort of nurse researchers who went on to give important leadership in nursing, including in nursing academia/research. A contemporary version of the Study of Nursing Care has important potential to generate the next generation of nurse researchers, and leaders, into the twenty‐first century.
Revisiting sociotechnical systems in a case of unreported use of health information exchange system in three hospital emergency departments
Authors: Ozkaynak Mustafa , Brennan Patricia Flatley
Published: March 2012

Background  Health information exchange (HIE) allows clinicians to access patient level health care information. HIE can potentially improve patient care in emergency departments.

Methods  We present a selected piece of evaluation of an HIE implementation in three Midwestern emergency departments. Data were collected through over 210 hours of direct observations and short interviews with 13 clinicians.

Results  The results suggest that the usage rate of the HIE was low. Moreover, two ways of unreported use of the HIE system by clinicians was uncovered: (1) The HIE system was being used mostly for patients only with specific characteristics. (2) The information from the HIE system could be used to confront with the patients.

Discussion  This study provides a case of how social system may shape a HIE technology. In order to fully benefit from HIE, understanding organizational and social context during the HIE design and implementation is needed. Such an understanding will also allow us to identify and detail required additional resources and organizational interventions that will complement HIE such as a case management strategy.
Identity and variability of Pythium species associated with yield decline in aerobic rice cultivation in the Philippines
Authors: Van Buyten E. , Banaay C. G. B. , Vera Cruz C. , Höfte M.
Published: March 2012

The cultivation of aerobic rice in the tropics enables farmers to save water without lowering productivity. Unfortunately, this system suffers from declining yields due to a disease complex involving nematodes, pathogenic Pythium spp. and nutrient deficiencies. Assessing the impact of each underlying factor can contribute to efficient disease control measures. This study therefore investigated pathogenic and genotypic variability among Pythium species from affected aerobic rice fields in the Philippines using pathogenicity assays and sequence information from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and β‐tubulin gene. Three closely related Pythium spp., P. arrhenomanes, P. graminicola and P. inflatum, were recovered from affected aerobic rice fields. All P. arrhenomanes isolates reduced rice seedling growth, whereas only a few P. graminicola isolates and no P. inflatum isolates were pathogenic, indicating that P. arrhenomanes is probably the most important species affecting rice. Both P. arrhenomanes and P. graminicola isolates showed little genetic variation, despite the observed pathogenic variation within P. graminicola. Intraspecific variation was higher among P. inflatum isolates, but again no correlation was observed with phenotype. When screening P. arrhenomanes isolates from other hosts such as sugarcane, maize and several grasses, a link between pathogenic and genetic variability was detected. However, rice and maize isolates seemed to lack host specificity, and therefore crop rotation with maize might be a risky strategy to manage yield decline in Philippine aerobic rice fields.
Arabidopsis GCP3‐interacting protein 1/MOZART 1 is an integral component of the γ‐tubulin‐containing microtubule nucleating complex
Authors: Nakamura Masayoshi , Yagi Noriyoshi , Kato Takehide , Fujita Satoshi , Kawashima Noriyuki , Ehrhardt David W. , Hashimoto Takashi
Published: March 2012

Microtubules in eukaryotic cells are nucleated from ring‐shaped complexes that contain γ‐tubulin and a family of homologous γ‐tubulin complex proteins (GCPs), but the subunit composition of the complexes can vary among fungi, animals and plants. Arabidopsis GCP3‐interacting protein 1 (GIP1), a small protein with no homology to the GCP family, interacts with GCP3 in vitro, and is a plant homolog of vertebrate mitotic‐spindle organizing protein associated with a ring of γ‐tubulin 1 (MOZART1), a recently identified component of the γ‐tubulin complex in human cell lines. In this study, we characterized two closely related Arabidopsis GIP1s: GIP1a and GIP1b. Single mutants of gip1a and gip1b were indistinguishable from wild‐type plants, but their double mutant was embryonic lethal, and showed impaired development of male gametophytes. Functional fusions of GIP1a with green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used to purify GIP1a‐containing complexes from Arabidopsis plants, which contained all the subunits (except NEDD1) previously identified in the Arabidopsis γ‐tubulin complexes. GIP1a and GIP1b interacted specifically with Arabidopsis GCP3 in yeast. GFP‐GIP1a labeled mitotic microtubule arrays in a pattern largely consistent with, but partly distinct from, the localization of the γ‐tubulin complex containing GCP2 or GCP3 in planta. In interphase cortical arrays, the labeled complexes were preferentially recruited to existing microtubules, from which new microtubules were efficiently nucleated. However, in contrast to complexes labeled with tagged GCP2 or GCP3, their recruitment to cortical areas with no microtubules was rarely observed. These results indicate that GIP1/MOZART1 is an integral component of a subset of the Arabidopsis γ‐tubulin complexes.
Photosynthesis, photorespiration and productivity of wheat and soybean genotypes†
Authors: Aliyev Jalal A.
Published: March 2012

The results of the numerous measurements obtained during the last 40 years on gas exchange rate, photosynthetic carbon metabolism by exposition in 14CO2 and activities of primary carbon fixation enzyme, ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPC/O), in various wheat and soybean genotypes grown over a wide area in the field and contrasting in photosynthetic traits and productivity are presented in this article. It was established that high productive wheat genotypes (7–9 t ha−1) with the optimal architectonics possess higher rate of CO2 assimilation during the leaf ontogenesis. Along with the high rate of photosynthesis, high values of photorespiration are characteristic for the high productive genotypes. Genotypes with moderate (4–5 t ha−1) and low (3 t ha−1) grain yield are characterized by relatively low rates of both CO2 assimilation and photorespiration. A value of photorespiration constitutes 28–35% of photosynthetic rate in contrasting genotypes. The activities of RuBPC and RuBPO were changing in a similar way in the course of the flag leaf and ear elements development. High productive genotypes are also characterized by a higher rate of biosynthesis and total value of glycine–serine and a higher photosynthetic rate. Therefore, contrary to conception arisen during many years on the wastefulness of photorespiration, taking into account the versatile investigations on different aspects of photorespiration, it was proved that photorespiration is one of the evolutionarily developed vital metabolic processes in plants and the attempts to reduce this process with the purpose of increasing the crop productivity are inconsistent.
Cognition in older adults with bipolar disorder versus major depressive disorder
Authors: Gildengers Ariel G , Butters Meryl A , Chisholm Denise , Anderson Stewart J , Begley Amy , Holm Margo , Rogers Joan C , Reynolds Charles F , Mulsant Benoit H
Published: March 2012

Gildengers AG, Butters MA, Chisholm D, Anderson SJ, Begley A, Holm M, Rogers JC, Reynolds CF III, Mulsant BH. Cognition in older adults with bipolar disorder versus major depressive disorder. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 198–205. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Objectives:  Bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are associated with cognitive dysfunction in older age during both acute mood episodes and remitted states. The purpose of this study was to investigate for the first time the similarities and differences in the cognitive function of older adults with BD and MDD that may shed light on mechanisms of cognitive decline.

Methods:  A total of 165 subjects with BD (n = 43) or MDD (n = 122), ages ≥ 65 years [mean (SD) 74.2 (6.2)], were assessed when euthymic, using comprehensive measures of cognitive function and cognitive–instrumental activities of daily living (C‐IADLs). Test results were standardized using a group of mentally healthy individuals (n = 92) of comparable age and education level.

Results:  Subjects with BD and MDD were impaired across all cognitive domains compared with controls, most prominently in Information Processing Speed/Executive Function. Despite the protective effects of having higher education and lower vascular burden, BD subjects were more impaired across all cognitive domains compared with MDD subjects. Subjects with BD and MDD did not differ significantly in C‐IADLs.

Conclusion:  In older age, patients with BD have worse overall cognitive function than patients with MDD. Our findings suggest that factors intrinsic to BD appear to be related to cognitive deterioration and support the understanding that BD is associated with cognitive decline.
Effects of an oral contraceptive containing chlormadinone acetate and ethinylestradiol on hair and skin quality in women wishing to use hormonal contraception
Authors: Kerscher M. , Reuther T. , Krueger N. , Buntrock H.
Published: March 2012

Background  Skin and hair appearance is important to body image. Oily skin and oily, impaired hair quality, which can develop in women taking certain types of hormonal contraceptives, may cause psychosocial stress.

Objectives  The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of an oral monophasic contraceptive (0.03 mg ethinylestradiol/2 mg chlormadinone acetate) for 12 treatment cycles on the pathophysiology of oily skin and oily, impaired hair quality in healthy women.

Methods  We assessed changes in hair and skin parameters at baseline, 12, 24 and 48 weeks, in 60 women aged 18–45 years. Psychological well‐being was verified by two subject self‐assessments (Hair quality, Hairdex).

Results  Data from 31 subjects showed that treatment significantly improved sebum excretion at capillitium and forehead, and the number of terminal hairs. Visual haptic scores revealed significant decreases in capillitium seborrhoea, hair condition/density, capillitium dandruff and irritation/redness. Subject self‐assessment confirmed improvements in hair quality. Treatment was well tolerated.

Conclusion  Chlormadinone acetate in hormonal contraception provides excellent cosmetic and dermatological benefits, which can improve psychosocial well‐being.
Snake‐venom resistance as a mammalian trophic adaptation: lessons from didelphid marsupials
Authors: Voss Robert S. , Jansa Sharon A.
Published: March 2012

Mammals that prey on venomous snakes include several opossums (Didelphidae), at least two hedgehogs (Erinaceidae), several mongooses (Herpestidae), several mustelids, and some skunks (Mephitidae). As a group, these taxa do not share any distinctive morphological traits. Instead, mammalian adaptations for ophiophagy seem to consist only in the ability to resist the toxic effects of snake venom. Molecular mechanisms of venom resistance (as indicated by biochemical research on opossums, mongooses, and hedgehogs) include toxin‐neutralizing serum factors and adaptive changes in venom‐targeted molecules. Of these, toxin‐neutralizing serum factors have received the most research attention to date. All of the toxin‐neutralizing serum proteins discovered so far in both opossums and mongooses are human α1B‐glycoprotein homologs that inhibit either snake‐venom metalloproteinases or phospholipase A2 myotoxins. By contrast, adaptive changes in venom‐targeted molecules have received far less attention. The best‐documented examples include amino‐acid substitutions in mongoose nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that inhibit binding by α‐neurotoxins, and amino‐acid substitutions in opossum von Willebrand factor (vWF) that are hypothesized to weaken the bond between vWF and coagulopathic C‐type lectins. Although multiple mechanisms of venom resistance are known from some species, the proteomic complexity of most snake venoms suggests that the evolved biochemical defences of ophiophagous mammals are likely to be far more numerous than currently recognized. Whereas most previous research in this field has been motivated by the potential for medical applications, venom resistance in ophiophagous mammals is a complex adaptation that merits attention from comparative biologists. Unfortunately, evolutionary inference is currently limited by ignorance about many relevant facts that can only be provided by future research.
Bet‐hedging—a triple trade‐off between means, variances and correlations
Authors: Starrfelt Jostein , Kokko Hanna
Published: March 2012

In unpredictably varying environments, strategies that have a reduced variance in fitness can invade a population consisting of individuals that on average do better. Such strategies ‘hedge their evolutionary bets' against the variability of the environment. The idea of bet‐hedging arises from the fact that appropriate measure of long‐term fitness is sensitive to variance, leading to the potential for strategies with a reduced mean fitness to invade and increase in frequency. Our aim is to review the conceptual foundation of bet‐hedging as a mechanism that influences short‐ and long‐term evolutionary processes. We do so by presenting a general model showing how evolutionary changes are affected by variance in fitness and how genotypic variance in fitness can be separated into variance in fitness at the level of the individuals and correlations in fitness among them. By breaking down genotypic fitness variance in this way the traditional divisions between conservative and diversified strategies are more easily intuited, and it is also shown that this division can be considered a false dichotomy, and is better viewed as two extreme points on a continuum. The model also sheds light on the ideas of within‐ and between‐generation bet‐hedging, which can also be generalized to be seen as two ends of a different continuum. We use a simple example to illustrate the virtues of our general model, as well as discuss the implications for systems where bet‐hedging has been invoked as an explanation.
In Vivo Microscopy of Targeted Vessel Occlusion Employing Acoustic Droplet Vaporization
Authors: SAMUEL STANLEY , DUPREY AMBROISE , FABIILLI MARIO L. , BULL JOSEPH L. , BRIAN FOWLKES JEFFREY
Published: March 2012

Please cite this paper as: Samuel S, Duprey A, Fabiilli ML, Bull JL, Brian Fowlkes J. In vivo microscopy of targeted vessel occlusion employing acoustic droplet vaporization. Microcirculation 19: 501–509, 2012.

Objective:  Embolotherapy is a potential means to treat a variety of cancers. Our approach—gas embolotherapy—introduces the droplets upstream from the tumor and then acoustically activates them to form bubbles for occlusion—a process known as ADV. We wanted to provide the first optical documentation of ADV, lodged bubbles, or vessel occlusion in vivo.

Methods:  We used the rat cremaster muscle for in vivo microscopy. Perfluorocarbon droplets were administered into the aortic arch. Ultrasound exposures in the cremaster induced vaporization. The cremaster was examined pre‐ and post‐exposure for ADV‐related effects. Two sets of experiments compared the effect of exposure in the capillaries versus the first order arteriole.

Results:  Bubbles that lodge following capillary exposure are significantly larger (76 μm mean length, 36 μm mean diameter) than those following feeder vessel exposure (25 μm mean length, 11 μm mean diameter). Despite the differing sizes in bubbles, the ratio of bubble length to the hydraulic diameter of all lodged bubbles was 2.11 (±0.65; n = 112), which agrees with theoretical predictions and experimental observations.

Conclusions:  Our results provide the first optical evidence of targeted vessel occlusion through ADV. These findings could lay the groundwork for the advancement of gas embolotherapy.
¿Por qué van a la escuela los niños trabajadores? Estudio sobre Bengala Occidental
Authors: Pal Manoranjan , Pal Jadab K. , Tiwari Hare Ram , Bharati Premananda
Published: March 2012

Basándose en datos de 327 hogares que tenían por lo menos un trabajador infantil en 2008, los autores estudian los efectos de diferentes variables socioeconómicas y demográficas en el trabajo y la escolarización de los niños. Las variables sociodemográficas, que aprehenden la ilustración de los padres (por ejemplo, su instrucción escolar), no influyen mucho en la asistencia de los niños a la escuela; en cambio, las variables económicas, que aprehenden el nivel de vida de los hogares, condicionan grandemente la decisión de las familias de escolarizar o no a sus hijos.
Contrastes entre las reformas laborales del Japón y la República de Corea
Authors: Yun Ji‐Whan
Published: March 2012

El Japón y la República de Corea acometieron a finales de los años noventa una serie de reformas del mercado de trabajo que se han presentado muchas veces como meramente flexibilizadoras. Sin embargo, el autor sostiene —sobre la base del concepto de «doble movimiento» de Polanyi— que los dos conjugaron las medidas liberalizadoras con otras en pos de la estabilidad social. Tras estudiar las leyes adoptadas por uno y otro para reformar su mercado de trabajo y atenuar la dualidad del mismo, afirma que las diferencias se deben a que tienen procedimientos y entornos distintos para fijar sus líneas políticas.
Tongue‐tie, breastfeeding difficulties and the role of Frenotomy
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Kalke Erica
Published: March 2012

A greater emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding in recent years has re‐ignited the historical debate over the role of ankyloglossia (tongue‐tie) in infants with breastfeeding difficulties. Several prospective cohort studies and randomized control trials have been published in this area in the last 10–15 years. We critically evaluated recent evidence and attempted to answer two important clinical queries in this area, that is, (i) whether ankyloglossia is associated with breastfeeding difficulties and (ii) whether frenotomy helps mother–baby dyad in such setting?

Conclusion:  Neonates with tongue‐tie are at increased risk for breastfeeding difficulties. An early recognition of this association by primary care provider and prompt referral to a lactation consultant is important. In cases with clearly documented breastfeeding difficulties, frenotomy often results in rapid improvement in symptoms.
Predicting developmental outcomes in very preterm infants: validity of a neonatal neurobehavioral assessment
Authors: Harijan Pooja , Beer Charlotte , Glazebrook Cris , Israel Chrissie , Marlow Neil , Whitelaw Andrew , Johnson Samantha
Published: March 2012

Aim:  This study explored inter‐rater reliability, discriminative, construct and predictive validity of the Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI) in a gestational‐age‐based cohort.

Methods:  The NAPI was conducted at 35 weeks post‐menstrual age for 170 infants born <32 weeks. Cognitive and motor development was assessed at 2 years using the Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) of Bayley Scales of Infant Development‐II for 159 infants.

Results:  Only NAPI motor and irritability scores were significantly different between very (29–3 w) and extremely preterm (<28 w) infants. Results regarding construct validity were variable: there were weak correlations between NAPI motor scores and gestational age (r = −0.23; p = 0.003), days in NICU (r = −0.24; p = 0.001); NAPI alertness scores and days in NICU (r = −0.16; p = 0.037); and NAPI irritability scores and gestational age (r = 0.21; p = 0.006). There were no significant associations with other markers of adverse outcome. Only NAPI irritability scores were correlated with MDI scores (r = −0.16; p = 0.040) but accounted for little additional variance after adjustment for neonatal factors (ΔR2 = 0.035; p = 0.012).

Conclusion:  We found little evidence of the utility of the NAPI as a measure of short‐term neurobehavioural function or for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes in very preterm infants. It may have greater predictive power when used serially to detect delayed neurobehavioural maturation.
Two coastal Athetini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) species new to Korea
Authors: LEE Seung‐Gyu , YOO In‐Seong , AHN Kee‐Jeong
Published: March 2012

Two coastal species in the tribe Athetini, Osakatheta yasukoae Maruyama, Klimaszewski and Gusarov, and Psammostiba hilleri (Weise), are newly discovered from the Korean fauna. Diagnoses, habitus photographs and line drawings of median lobe are provided.
ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical factors for urinalysis, cytology, and clinical chemistry in veterinary laboratories
Authors: Gunn‐Christie Rebekah G. , Flatland Bente , Friedrichs Kristen R. , Szladovits Balazs , Harr Kendal E. , Ruotsalo Kristiina , Knoll Joyce S. , Wamsley Heather L. , Freeman Kathy P.
Published: March 2012

In December 2009, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards committee published the updated and peer‐reviewed ASVCP Quality Assurance Guidelines on the Society's website. These guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports: (1) general analytical factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons; (2) hematology, hemostasis, and crossmatching; and (3) clinical chemistry, cytology, and urinalysis. This particular report is one of 3 reports and documents recommendations for control of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical factors related to urinalysis, cytology, and clinical chemistry in veterinary laboratories and is adapted from sections 1.1 and 2.2 (clinical chemistry), 1.3 and 2.5 (urinalysis), 1.4 and 2.6 (cytology), and 3 (postanalytical factors important in veterinary clinical pathology) of these guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all‐inclusive; rather, they provide minimal guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing and a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts.
A detailed surgical method for mechanical decerebration of the rat
Authors: Dobson K. L. , Harris J.
Published: March 2012

Surgical methods currently employed for the mechanical decerebration of a rat are only briefly described in the literature; hence, an information void exists for researchers wishing to adopt this technique successfully. Decerebration can lead to a high rate of mortality owing to cranial bleeding, particularly if the operator is inexperienced and uninformed. The illustrated methodology presented here describes, in detail, steps in the decerebration process and indicates effective approaches, such as reversible occlusion of a carotid artery, the combined use of tissue adhesive and haemostatic sponge, and perisurgical monitoring of blood pressure, by which to control blood loss and thus maintain mean postsurgical blood pressure within acceptable physiological parameters. By using this methodology, animal losses can be minimized, particularly in the early stages of adoption of the technique, ultimately reducing the numbers required for a study of this nature.
Testing of High Performance Concrete as a Thermal Energy Storage Medium at High Temperatures
Authors: Skinner Joel E. , Brown Brad M. , Selvam R. Panneer
Published: March 2012

In recent years, the mission to become energy independent from fossil fuels has become a higher priority. Solar energy is an ideal solution because it does not have the environmental impact of the fossil fuels. One key to the transition to solar energy is improved energy storage for when collection is prohibited by weather variation and during nighttime hours. Concrete has a low material cost and is reported to be $1/kWhthermal [1]. Concrete as a sensible heat thermal energy storage material has been tested to temperatures of 390°C with an embedded steel heat exchanger using synthetic oil as a heat transfer fluid [2]. The energy storage efficiency of concrete can be improved by raising the maximum charging temperature. This paper reports the testing to further the peak temperature to 450–500°C by using high performance concrete developed by the University of Arkansas. A molten nitrate salt was selected along with stainless steel heat exchanger. The testing is of a laboratory scale with a single 3/4 inch pipe imbedded in a 4 inch by 4 inch concrete cross section. During testing, the differences in the materials’ thermal expansion produce stress at the pipe/concrete interaction zone. After testing with no interface material, the high tensile stress in the concrete caused large radial and longitudinal tension cracks that would hinder adequate heat transfer. Three interface materials between the concrete and stainless steel pipe were tested: Teflon© tape, Deacon 8875, and aluminum foil. For Teflon tape and Deacon 8875, the concrete stress was minimized and produced only small micro-cracks. To improve the heat transfer in the concrete, testing of a pipe with radial fins was conducted. The pipe consisted of a continuous helicoidal, auger style. During testing, large cracks occurred at each of the fin locations which demonstrated the need for a stress reducing material. Yet, only Deacon 8875 and aluminum foil were able to be applied to the unique radial fins. The results of the testing are reported and compared in the article. The Teflon® tape had the fastest heat transfer of all the interface materials. Testing was considered a success on a single tube laboratory scale. Future multiple tube testing is a viable option.
Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Individual Household Energy Consumption: A Systematic Review
Authors: Bhattacharjee Suchismita , Reichard Georg
Published: March 2012

Energy consumption in the United States’ residential sector has been marked by a steady growth over the past few decades, in spite of the implementation of several energy efficiency policies. To develop effective energy policies for the residential sector, it is of utmost importance to study the various factors affecting residential energy consumption. Earlier studies have identified and classified various individual factors responsible for the increment in household energy consumption, and have also analyzed the effect of socio-economic factors such as standard-of-living and income on overall household energy consumption. This research study identifies the socio-economic factors affecting household energy consumption. Potential reasons for the variation in residential energy efficiency consumption have been investigated in previous studies that only represent viewpoints of investigators analyzing specific problems. Additionally, a comprehensive review of literature failed to reveal existing research that had systematically explored the interdependencies among the various factors that could possibly affect residential energy consumption to give an overall perspective of these factors. Widely used academic and scholarly scientific databases were employed by two independent investigators to search for original research investigations. A total of more than 200 research studies were found by the investigators, with almost ninety percent agreement between the two investigators. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of this research study the authors systematically reviewed 51 prominent research studies to create a comprehensive list of factors affecting residential energy consumption. The results are discussed in this review.
Root Cause Failure Analysis of a 373 Megawatt Steam Turbine Generator Exhibiting Both Reversible and Irreversible Thermal Sensitivity
Authors: Rakow Alexi S. , Edmonds James S. , Rakow Joseph F. , Brody Richard D.
Published: March 2012

This paper presents a case study of a root cause failure analysis of a 373 MW (nominal) steam turbine generator that exhibited both “reversible” and “irreversible” thermal sensitivity vibratory behavior, as well as reduced output, resulting from a unique rotor winding insulation failure mode. An analysis of the historical vibration behavior of the generator is presented along with the techniques applied to diagnose the source of vibration, which included flux-probe testing, full-speed varied-load vibration diagnostics, and an inspection of the rotor field winding followed by a full-field rewind. These techniques allowed for an in-situ root cause analysis, which proved effective in reducing the generating unit’s disassembly, repair and reassembly time, and assuring the steam turbine’s availability for the peak seasonal electric period.
Using Computational Fluid Dynamics to Simulate Multiple Axial Flow Fans in Air-Cooled Steam Condensers
Authors: van der Spuy S. J. , von Backstro¨m T. W. , Kro¨ger D. G.
Published: March 2012

The large number of axial flow fans used in modern dry-cooled power plant air-cooled steam condensers necessitates the use of simplified numerical models when simulating the perfromance of such a condenser. Three simplified fan models are presented and implemented using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). These are referred to as the pressure jump, actuator disc and extended actuator disc models. The paper compares the CFD results obtained using these three models to experimental results obtained on a multiple axial flow fan test facility. The test facility was configured in such a way that it could accommodate different fan platform heights to vary the level of inlet flow distortion for the facility. The simulations show that the general flow field adjacent to the facility is independent of the simplified fan model that is used in the CFD analysis. However, the predicted flow field directly upstream of the edge fan varies according to the method used to represent the fan. It is also found that the more sophisticated fan models give a more accurate estimate of fan operation at higher levels of inlet flow distortion than the less sophisticated fan models.
Heat Exchangers for Cooling Boiler Flue Gas to Temperatures Below the Water Vapor Dewpoint
Authors: Levy Edward , Bilirgen Harun , Kessen Michael , Hazell Daniel , Carney Barbara
Published: March 2012

Coal-fired power plants have traditionally operated with stack temperatures in the 300°F range to minimize fouling and corrosion problems due to sulfuric acid condensation and to provide a buoyancy force to assist in the transport of flue gas up the stack. However, as an alternative, there would be benefits to cooling the flue gas to temperatures below the water vapor and acid dew points, while capturing the condensed water vapor. This paper describes experimental results from a DOE and industry-funded project to develop condensing heat exchangers for application to coal-fired power plants. A system of condensing heat exchangers was designed, fabricated and tested using slip streams of boiler flue gas and experiments were performed to measure the effects of process parameters on rates of heat transfer and water vapor condensation. In addition, measurements were made to characterize the acid concentrations in the condensed water which collected on the heat exchanger tubes and to quantify the effects of the heat exchangers on flue gas mercury concentrations.
A Study of Coal-Fired Steam Generator Efficiencies
Authors: Jin Hugh
Published: March 2012

ASME Performance Test Code PTC 4 for “Fired Steam Generators” superseded previous Code PTC 4.1 in 1998[1][2]. PTC 4 corrects many of the deficiencies in PTC 4.1 and makes testing more accurate and easy to integrate into plant performance tests. PTC 4.1 however continues to be used in many parts of the industry mainly due to its simplicity and ease of use. The use of both PTC 4 and PTC 4.1 has caused confusion. Direct comparison of testing results obtained in accordance with the two Codes may lead to wrong conclusions. Fundamentally, PTC 4 is a more technically sound and comprehensive Code than PTC 4.1 was. The calculation procedures of PTC 4 are intended to produce more accurate loss results and reduce the uncertainty. For example, the surface radiation and convection losses are measured instead of estimated, and the un-measured minor losses must be estimated individually if not measured, with appropriate uncertainty values. Therefore, the level of uncertainty associated with the estimate of unmeasured losses commonly assumed by a lump sum value in PTC 4.1 would normally be greater than that associated with the individually estimated losses by PTC 4. This paper presents a study of steam generator efficiency and fuel flow for a 700MW net coal-fired power plant with the application of both PTC 4 and PTC 4.1 Codes. Without considering the differences in uncertainty analysis, radiation / convection losses, and un-measured losses / credits, it is found that the results of tests conducted by the two methods vary marginally, given that the gross efficiency in the scope of PTC 4.1 is converted into the fuel efficiency as defined by PTC 4. The difference between the PTC 4 and 4.1 efficiencies is principally due to the energy credits associated with auxiliary equipment power consumption. The paper also discusses differences in efficiency definitions, efficiency conversions, and fuel flow calculations between the two Codes.