bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Financial services education
Authors: Brophy Richard
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to chart the development of financial services education from its origins in the insurance industry to the current offering for people who wish to work in the life and non-life insurance industry. Financial services education within Ireland has evolved over time. Originally perceived to be an outpost of the British Insurance Institute, it is the responsibility of a variety of institutes that operate in the financial sectors, covering a range which includes insurance, banking and credit unions. Where tertiary education was optional, it is now a requirement of the regulator that people working in this sector have achieved at least this standard. Additionally, specialist qualifications for those working in the industry are being developed with academic involvement, as the institutes work to provide professional qualifications.

Design/methodology/approach

– To compare and contrast the Irish regulatory requirements, an analysis of other European Union (EU) national requirements was conducted, illustrating differences in education and current certification requirements.

Findings

– Educational requirements in Ireland go a long way in terms of ensuring that workers in financial services are adequately skilled in terms of academic, professional, ethical and continuous professional development (CPD). The Irish system covers a lot of aspects of financial services minimum competency code that is implemented in other EU jurisdictions, and in some cases, it has a unique approach in CPD.

Practical implications

– Serves as a comparable study of minimum competency requirements of EU for financial services employees and highlights differences in requirements across borders.

Originality/value

– This is a unique study of minimum competency code that has been implemented by financial regulators across EU member states and its impact in the industry in terms of raising the requirements of people involved in the sector.
Sustainable development and the international trade law paradigm
Authors: Pietro Castagno LL.M. Niccolò
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the cross-fertilization between environmental concerns and trade law, through an analysis of their primary texts and case law, and seek to what extent the concept of sustainable development is, or can be, embodied in such field of law. The question posed is whether the international trade law paradigm is well suited to implement the goals embodied in the concept of sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

– In giving a tentative answer to the said question, also through the analysis of some trade law reform proposals, the author advocates that international trade law and sustainable development not only can have compatible goals but that they are (if not, they shall be) inseparably related to one another, from both an economic policy perspective and a legal standpoint.

Findings

– The author concludes that the paradigms can be complementary to the extent that international trade law, while preserving a formal legal identity deriving from the current shape of its body of rules, has seen its application supporting and, eventually, giving sustainable development a normative force that it could not have achieved otherwise – and this, on a global and uniform scale. Although it may be contended that, after a preliminary survey of relevant international trade case law, this interaction is still a seed in its infancy and some changes must necessarily occur to make the trade paradigm keener and more effective in supporting environmental protection goals, the author argues that, given the difficulties in obtaining such changes, the existing trade paradigm structure has served (and will serve) sustainable development better than other paradigms, as a vehicle through which such concept can drive nations’ economic development more forcefully.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper contains a reasoned survey of the most important case law, outlining the main legal hurdles that the implementation of sustainable development encounters in the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism.

Originality/value

– The value of this paper stands in the reasoned approach to the legal issues underlying the matters involved, specifically with respect to the analysis of Article XX GATT. Moreover, it remarks the effects that a developed system like the WTO can have in promoting sustainable development, addressing some of the most recent reform proposals.
Norway has attained a “low-risk” money laundering rating, how could this be applied globally?
Authors: L. Moore Gary
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to analyze thoroughly all of the sources of research used to develop the money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) low-risk rating, a rating attained by Norway according to the Basel Institute of Governance, and determine the reasons why Norway is one of only two countries in the world according to the 2012 report, with the other being Estonia, to gain an overall low-risk ML and TF rating.

Design/methodology/approach

– The differences between the USA and Norway which has obtained a low-risk ranking, were compared and contrasted.

Findings

– Beginning with the Basel Institute Rating index as a legitimate source for use in assessing anti-money-laundering (AML)/TF risk, and the amount of documentation used in the index’s methodology, it has been proven that the low-risk rating Norway has received is well deserved, and that the US rating of medium risk is also deserved for the time the report was published. Achieving a low-risk rating is not as ambiguous as recently thought and neither is its application on a global scale.

Originality/value

– The paper identifies practical areas of improvement and concerns in addressing the overall issue of ML and terrorist financing.
Combating money laundering and the future of banking secrecy laws in Malaysia
Authors: A. Rahman Aspalella
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze banking secrecy laws against the background of the Malaysian anti-money laundering laws. It has been argued that the anti-money laundering law makes greater inroads into the banking secrecy rule when compared to the common law or other statutes. Banks can disclose customer’s information on even grounds of suspicion of money laundering. Banking secrecy is a customer privilege, whereas combating money laundering is critical for public safety and security. Indeed, achieving a proper balance is a desirable goal. But how do we go about achieving such a balance is a question encountered by many law enforcement authorities. This paper looks into these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper mainly relies on statutes as its primary sources of information. As such, the relevant Malaysian laws that provide the banking secrecy rule will be identified and analyzed. It will be necessary to examine the banking secrecy rule in the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (AMLATFA) and other relevant statutes in detail, as these are the most important legislation for the purpose of this paper.

Findings

– On closer inspection, it is submitted that AMLATFA provides sufficient safeguards to ensure that the disclosure of customer’s information is carried out in a manner that is not prejudicial to the interest of legitimate customers. This is a positive approach that could protect the innocent customers from being mistreated by the law. Ultimately, it can be said that the growing threat of global money laundering and terrorism makes the overriding of banking secrecy justified because without a flow of information from the banks, the effective prevention of the menace is not possible.

Originality/value

– This paper analyzes the inroads into the banking secrecy rule under the Malaysian anti-money laundering laws. It would provide some guidelines into this particular area for academics, banks, their legal advisers, practitioners and policy makers, not only in Malaysia but also elsewhere.
The effect of social embeddedness on bloggers’ creativity
Authors: Cheng Hsiu-Hua
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– Blogs provide opportunities for bloggers to create. This creativity can attract audiences and generate commercial success for blog service providers (BSPs). Thus to obtain competitive advantage, such providers should stimulate their bloggers to produce creative content. The purpose of this paper is to adopt social embeddedness and creativity theory to explore factors influencing blogger creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online questionnaire and an online embeddedness system are used to collect data from 353 bloggers, including data on their motivation, integration ability, structural and relational embeddedness and creativity. Hierarchical regression is applied for statistical analysis.

Findings

– Analytical results show that structural embeddedness and relational embeddedness affect blogger creativity. Additionally motivation negatively moderates the relationship between structural embeddedness and creativity, and integration ability negatively moderates the relationship between relational embeddedness and creativity.

Research limitations/implications

– This study applies social embeddedness to elucidate the relationships among quantity and quality of professional knowledge and creativity. This study also discusses the moderating effect of motivation and integration ability on the relationship between social embeddedness and creativity.

Practical implications

– Creative articles by bloggers can popularise a blog platform, as they can retain bloggers and attract new bloggers. Therefore, for BSPs enhancing the creative performance of bloggers is one way to obtain competitive advantage.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to knowledge of social embeddedness and creativity on blog web sites, and importantly, this study develops a model that explains how antecedents influence blogger creativity.
“Wisdom of the crowds” and online information reliability
Authors: Zhitomirsky-Geffet Maayan , Maman Yigal
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the quality and reliability of websites’ content can be assessed through the lens of “wisdom of the crowds”. In particular as a case study the authors examine the information supplied over time on several prominent Israeli real estate websites.

Design/methodology/approach

– The Israeli real estate market was selected for the study, since there are many large, popular and dynamic real estate websites that feature hundreds of thousands of ads, representing most of the supply of real estate properties in the country. The authors built an automatic, ontology-based system that downloaded advertisements from three selected websites every two weeks for a number of months and checked for changes in these advertisements over time. The authors conjecture that wisdom of the crowds is mostly reflected by the information changes on the websites, since they indicate the anticipated market trends. Hence the authors developed a number of statistical measures to comparatively analyse trends of information changes on these websites, and assess their reliability compared to the actual market data and tendencies.

Findings

– The primary results suggest similar information change trends amongst all the websites. Surprisingly, although some properties did not sell over time, sellers generally did not lower their asking price and were willing to wait. Sellers even raised their asking price, apparently in anticipation of future price increases. Comparison of recurring trends among the websites with the trends of the real market during the same time period and a few months after reveals that wisdom of the crowds is only partially effective as an indicator and predictor of website content quality: it correctly reflects the fluctuation in demand, but not in the prices.

Research limitations/implications

– This study was conducted over a limited time period of five months, and only in several cities in Israel. Additionally, since buyers are not explicitly represented in these sites, their information behaviour was not analysed, although it undoubtedly influences information changes performed by the sellers.

Practical implications

– The practical contribution of this study is the ontology of the real estate world. Its assimilation by real estate websites would promote the development of their sites and user services. It would also enable ad sharing amongst the various websites and enable efficient searches by search engines. In addition the tools and measures that the authors developed will allow continued monitoring and analysis of user information change patterns.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge this is the first study to examine and compare real estate websites’ quality and evaluate their information reliability as wisdom of the crowds.
Identifying qualitative effects of different grazing types on below‐ground communities and function in a long‐term field experiment
Authors: Macdonald Catriona A. , Crawley Michael J. , Wright Denis J. , Kuczynski Justin , Robinson Lucinda , Knight Rob , Al‐Soud Waleed Abu , Sørensen Søren J. , Deng Ye , Zhou Jizhong , Singh Brajesh K.
Published: June 2014

Herbivory is an important modulator of plant biodiversity and productivity in grasslands, but our understanding of herbivore‐induced changes on below‐ground processes and communities is limited. Using a long‐term (17 years) experimental site, we evaluated impacts of rabbit and invertebrate grazers on some soil functions involved in carbon cycling, microbial diversity, structure and functional composition. Both rabbit and invertebrate grazing impacted soil functions and microbial community structure. All functional community measures (functions, biogeochemical cycling genes, network association between different taxa) were more strongly affected by invertebrate grazers than rabbits. Furthermore, our results suggest that exclusion of invertebrate grazers decreases both microbial biomass and abundance of genes associated with key biogeochemical cycles, and could thus have long‐term consequences for ecosystem functions. The mechanism behind these impacts are likely to be driven by both direct effects of grazing altering the pattern of nutrient inputs and by indirect effects through changes in plant species composition. However, we could not entirely discount that the pesticide used to exclude invertebrates may have affected some microbial community measures. Nevertheless, our work illustrates that human activity that affects grazing intensity may affect ecosystem functioning and sustainability, as regulated by multi‐trophic interactions between above‐ and below‐ground communities.
A ‘System of Self-Appointed Leaders'? Examining Modes of Muslim Representation in Governance in Britain
Authors: Jones Stephen H. , O'Toole Therese , DeHanas Daniel Nilsson , Modood Tariq , Meer Nasar
Published: June 2014

Research Highlights and Abstract

This article

Contributes to theoretical debates about the significance of group identity and political representation; Contributes to academic research into the shift from formal and hierarchical to more informal and network-based styles of governance; Contributes to research on the integration of Muslims in Britain by elucidating the emergence and diversification of Muslim representative organisations in Britain since 1970; Demonstrates the multifaceted and dynamic nature of Muslim representative claims-making in contemporary UK governance by identifying and analysing a range of modes of Muslim representation.

Since the turn of the century Britain has seen a proliferation of Muslim civil society organisations and an increase in the number of points of contact between Muslim spokespersons and government. Yet, this increased participation in UK governance has been a source of fierce controversies centring on the role of conservative male leaderships and the influence of radical Islamic groups. Drawing on interviews with 42 national elites who have engaged in UK Muslim–government relations in the past decade, this article charts the emergence of national-level Muslim representation and assesses its relationship to democratic participation and accountability. Building on the work of Michael Saward, we argue that unelected civil society representatives can act as an important supplement to elected representatives. We show how four modes of Muslim representation have emerged in the last decade—‘delegation’, ‘authority’, ‘expertise’ and ‘standing’—creating dynamic competition among representative claims.
Early signs of anomalous neural functional connectivity in healthy offspring of parents with bipolar disorder
Authors: Singh Manpreet K , Chang Kiki D , Kelley Ryan G , Saggar Manish , Reiss Allan L , Gotlib Ian H
Published: June 2014

Objectives

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been associated with dysfunctional brain connectivity and with family chaos. It is not known whether aberrant connectivity occurs before illness onset, representing vulnerability for developing BD amidst family chaos. We used resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine neural network dysfunction in healthy offspring living with parents with BD and healthy comparison youth.

Methods

Using two complementary methodologies [data‐driven independent component analysis (ICA) and hypothesis‐driven region‐of‐interest (ROI)‐based intrinsic connectivity], we examined resting‐state fMRI data in 8–17‐year‐old healthy offspring of a parent with BD (n = 24; high risk) and age‐matched healthy youth without any personal or family psychopathology (n = 25; low risk).

Results

ICA revealed that, relative to low‐risk youth, high‐risk youth showed increased connectivity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) subregion of the left executive control network (ECN), which includes frontoparietal regions important for emotion regulation. ROI‐based analyses revealed that high‐risk versus low‐risk youth had decreased connectivities between the left amygdala and pregenual cingulate, between the subgenual cingulate and supplementary motor cortex, and between the left VLPFC and left caudate. High‐risk youth showed stronger connections in the VLPFC with age and higher functioning, which may be neuroprotective, and weaker connections between the left VLPFC and caudate with more family chaos, suggesting an environmental influence on frontostriatal connectivity.

Conclusions

Healthy offspring of parents with BD show atypical patterns of prefrontal and subcortical intrinsic connectivity that may be early markers of resilience to or vulnerability for developing BD. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether these patterns predict outcomes.
Maternal Experiences of Vaginal Breech Delivery
Authors: Toivonen Elli , Palomäki Outi , Huhtala Heini , Uotila Jukka
Published: June 2014

Background

The optimal mode of breech birth remains controversial. In Finland, a trial of vaginal delivery is possible if strict selection criteria are met. As clinical practice in managing vaginal breech birth differs from that in normal delivery, the birth experience may also be different. This cohort study compares the childbirth experience between term breech and vertex deliveries.

Methods

Intended vaginal term breech births from 2008 to October 2012 were included, and for every breech delivery, a vertex control was selected. The proportions of deliveries ending in a cesarean section and of mothers who had given birth vaginally before were equal in both groups. Three hundred eight mothers were sent the childbirth experience questionnaire and 170 returned it.

Results

The birth experience does not differ between breech and vertex births, except for aspects with respect to the choice of birthing position. Indications of an even more positive experience were observed in the breech group, with the exception of the choice of analgesia, but these were not statistically significant. Primiparity, emergency cesarean section, infant birth trauma and prolonged hospital stay were identified as risk factors for a negative birth experience.

Conclusion

The birth experience of vaginal breech birth seems to be at least as positive as the vaginal vertex birth experience.
Musselin, Christine & Teixeira, Pedro N ed (2014) Reforming higher educationSpringer (Berlin) isbn 978‐94‐007‐7027‐0 233 pp £90 http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/higher+education/book/978‐94‐007‐7027‐0
Authors: Laborda Jesus Garcia
Published: June 2014

As a whole, this is an extraordinary book if you wish to study and understand the evolution of higher education—especially in Europe in these times of change of educational paradigms generated by the Bologna Process. However, if the subject of this book is relevant to you as a learning technologist, I advise that you will probably find only parts of it of interest or use.

Jesus Garcia Laborda
Role(s) of the 5‐HT2C Receptor in the Development of Maximal Dentate Activation in the Hippocampus of Anesthetized Rats
Authors: Orban Gergely , Bombardi Cristiano , Marino Gammazza Antonella , Colangeli Roberto , Pierucci Massimo , Pomara Cristoforo , Pessia Mauro , Bucchieri Fabio , Arcangelo Benigno , Smolders Ilse , De Deurwaerdère Philippe , Di Giovanni Giuseppe
Published: June 2014

Aims

Substantial evidence indicates that 5‐HT2C receptors are involved in the control of neuronal network excitability and in seizure pathophysiology. Here, we have addressed the relatively unexplored relationship between temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the most frequent type of intractable epilepsy, and 5‐HT2CRs.

Methods

In this study, we investigated this issue using a model of partial complex (limbic) seizures in urethane‐anesthetized rat, based on the phenomenon of maximal dentate activation (MDA) using 5‐HT2C compounds, electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting techniques.

Results

The 5‐HT2C agonists mCPP (1 mg/kg, i.p) and lorcaserin (3 mg/kg, i.p), but not RO60‐0175 (1–3 mg/kg i.p.), were antiepileptogenic reducing the MDA response duration. The selective 5‐HT2C antagonist SB242084 (2 mg/kg, i.p) unveiled antiepileptogenic effects of RO60‐0175 (3 mg/kg, i.p) but did not alter those induced by mCPP and lorcaserin. Compared with control rats, electrically stimulated rats showed an increase in glutamic acid decarboxylase levels and a heterogeneous decrease in 5‐HT2CR immunoreactivity in different hippocampal areas.

Conclusions

In our animal model of TLE, mCPP and lorcaserin were anticonvulsant; likely acting on receptor subtypes other than 5‐HT2C. Epileptogenesis induced early adaptive changes and reorganization in the 5‐HT2CR and GABA systems.
Differential proteomics study of platelets in asymptomatic constitutional macrothrombocytopenia: altered levels of cytoskeletal proteins
Authors: Karmakar Shilpita , Saha Sutapa , Banerjee Debasis , Chakrabarti Abhijit
Published: June 2014

Objectives

Harris platelet syndrome (HPS), also known as asymptomatic constitutional macrothrombocytopenia (ACMT), is an autosomal dominant platelet disorder characterized by mild‐to‐severe thrombocytopenia and giant platelets with normal platelet aggregation and absence of bleeding symptoms. We have attempted a comparative proteomics study for profiling of platelet proteins in healthy vs. pathological states to discover characteristic protein expression changes in macrothrombocytes and decipher the factors responsible for the functionally active yet morphologically distinct platelets.

Methods

We have used 2‐D gel‐based protein separation techniques coupled with MALDI‐ToF/ToF‐based mass spectrometric identification and characterization of the proteins to investigate the differential proteome profiling of platelet proteins isolated from the peripheral blood samples of patients and normal volunteers.

Results and conclusion

Our study revealed altered levels of actin‐binding proteins such as myosin light chain, coactosin‐like protein, actin‐related protein 2/3 complex, and transgelin2 that hint toward the cytoskeletal changes necessary to maintain the structural and functional integrity of macrothrombocytes. We have also observed over expressed levels of peroxiredoxin2 that signifies the prevailing oxidative stress in these cells. Additionally, altered levels of protein disulfide isomerase and transthyretin provide insights into the measures adapted by the macrothrombocytes to maintain their normal functional activity. This first proteomics study of platelets from ACMT may provide an understanding of the structural stability and normal functioning of these platelets in spite of their large size.
Early diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – a way forward?
Authors: Swash M.
Published: June 2014

Click here to view the accompanying paper in this issue.
Behavioral Epiphenomena Revisited: Reply to Skok and Škorjanc
Authors: Hudson Robyn
Published: June 2014

In a recent article in this journal, Ethology, 2014 present arguments as to why fighting in piglets during suckling may not be an epiphenomenon as we had previously suggested Ethology, 119, 2013, 353 and provide several alternative explanations. Although the new information Skok and Škorjanc bring to this debate is carefully considered and important, I argue here that it is not sufficient to counter our original claim that fighting among piglets (and kittens) during suckling may be an epiphenomenon, a largely inconsequential by‐product, of developmental processes anticipating the use of these behaviors and associated anatomical structures in later functional contexts. However, the points Skok and Škorjanc raise contribute importantly to identifying areas where further information and experimental work are needed to resolve this and related behavioral issues. I therefore conclude that this debate, independent of any particular final outcome, constructively points to the general difficulty and need for caution in interpreting behavior in seemingly ‘obvious’ functional terms, and particularly during development.
CHRNA5 variants moderate the effect of nicotine deprivation on a neural index of cognitive control
Authors: Evans D. E. , MacQueen D. A. , Jentink K. G. , Park J. Y. , Lin H.‐Y. , Drobes D. J.
Published: June 2014

Individuals with reduced attention and memory cognitive control‐related processes may be motivated to smoke as a result of the cognitive enhancing effects of nicotine. Further, nicotine deprivation‐induced reductions in cognitive control may negatively reinforce smoking. Minor allele carriers at rs16969968 in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α5 subunit gene (CHRNA5) have been shown to exhibit both reduced cognitive control and greater nicotine dependence. It is therefore of interest to see if variants in this gene moderate the influence of nicotine deprivation on cognitive control. P3b and P3a components of the event‐related brain potential waveform evoked by a three‐stimulus visual oddball task are widely viewed as positive indices of cognitive control‐related processes. We tested the hypothesis that individuals possessing at least one minor allele at rs16969968 in CHRNA5 would show greater nicotine deprivation‐induced reductions in P3b and P3a amplitude. The sample included 72 non‐Hispanic, Caucasian heavy smokers (54 men and 18 women) with a mean age of 36.11 years (SD = 11.57). Participants completed the visual oddball task during counterbalanced nicotine and placebo smoking sessions. Findings indicated that rs16969968 status did not moderate nicotine effects on P3b or P3a, whereas variation in other CHRNA5 polymorphisms, which are not as well characterized and are not in linkage disequilibrium with rs16969968, predicted nicotine deprivation‐induced reduction of P3a amplitude: rs588765 (F1,68 = 7.74, P = 0.007) and rs17408276 (F1,67 = 7.34, P = 0.009). Findings are interpreted in the context of vulnerability alleles that may predict nicotine effects on cognitive control.
Physicians' perceptions of shared decision‐making behaviours: a qualitative study demonstrating the continued chasm between aspirations and clinical practice
Authors: Zeuner Rachel , Frosch Dominick L. , Kuzemchak Marie D. , Politi Mary C.
Published: June 2014

Background

Shared Decision Making (SDM) is a process of engaging patients in health decisions that involve multiple medically appropriate treatment options. Despite growing public and policy support for patient engagement in health decisions, SDM is not widely practiced in clinical settings.

Objective

The purpose of our study was to explore clinicians' attitudes, beliefs and perceived social norms about engaging in SDM behaviours.

Design

Semi‐structured qualitative interviews were conducted with physicians in five practice areas.

Setting and participants

This study was conducted at an academic medical centre in St. Louis, MO. The final sample included 20 physicians: five surgeons, five OB/GYNs, four medical oncologists, five internists and one emergency medicine physician.

Results

Clinicians described a number of beliefs and cultural‐ and system‐level obstacles to the widespread implementation of SDM, such as how to engage in discussions of cost, uncertainty and clinical equipoise and how to engage patients across various socioeconomic backgrounds.

Conclusion

Although a large number of participants expressed general support for incorporating SDM into practice, most held fundamentally inconsistent beliefs about practicing specific SDM behaviours. More extensive training of physicians at all levels (pre‐ and post‐licensure) can help increase clinicians' confidence in SDM skills. Developing methods of integrating SDM into the institutional framework of hospitals and training programmes could also increase clinicians' motivation to practice SDM and work to change the culture of medicine such that SDM behaviours are supported.
Experimental food supplementation affects the physical development, behaviour and survival of Little Owl Athene noctua nestlings
Authors: Perrig Marco , Grüebler Martin U. , Keil Herbert , Naef‐Daenzer Beat
Published: June 2014

In birds, energy supply during growth is a major predictor of the fledglings' physical condition and survival prospects. Differential quantity and quality of fledglings produced under varying nestling food supplies are likely to affect the number of offspring that recruit into the breeding population. However, the underlying mechanisms and associated consequences are still poorly known. Using a partial cross‐fostering and food supplementation experiment, we estimated the effect of variation in food supply during growth on nestling survival and fledgling phenotypic traits of Little Owls Athene noctua. Survival to fledging was much higher in food‐supplemented nestlings (98.6%) than in control nestlings (82.4%). Furthermore, supplemented nestlings were on average 8.9 g heavier and were more likely to develop subcutaneous fat deposits (99.4 vs. 73.7% of treatment and control nestlings, respectively). Supplemented nestlings also had on average longer wings than control nestlings, but tarsi and culmen did not differ significantly. Furthermore, experimentally supplemented fledglings struggled more when handled and emerged sooner from tonic immobility than control fledglings. The irises of supplemented fledglings were less intensely coloured. The experimentally induced changes in nestling development probably affect individual performance beyond fledging. Nestlings from orchard‐dominated habitats were larger than those from habitats dominated by arable land. As nestling food supply is largely determined by natural food availability, we conclude that habitat quality affects Little Owl productivity and offspring quality, and ultimately, population dynamics.
Transnational Immigrant Narratives on Arab Democracy: The Case of Student Associations at UC Berkeley
Authors: Fakhoury Tamirace
Published: June 2014

This article analyses the discourse of Arab transnational student associations at the University of California in Berkeley (UCB) on Arab democratization. It places focus on their narratives during the 2011 uprisings. Its findings, based on interviews and qualitative data, show that these student associations craft a discursive and broader conception of Arab democracy not confined to suffrage and institutions, and extending beyond the borders of the Arab world. They further draw on various indirect mechanisms in their host land to convey their discourses and impact homeland democratization. Still, their agency remains constrained by several structural factors.
Scanning for PIT‐tagged flatfish in a coastal area using a sledge equipped with an RFID antenna
Authors: Sparrevohn C. R. , Aarestrup K. , Stenberg C. , Righton D.
Published: June 2014

A radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna system, build into a sledge that can be towed behind a vessel like a trawl and thereby has the potential to detect the position of a passive inductor technology (PIT)‐tagged fish in a wide variety of habitats, is presented. By scanning for hatchery‐reared PIT‐tagged turbot Psetta maxima released into a natural habitat, the performance of the system was compared to a standard juvenile trawl and results suggested that the efficiency of the sledge was five times that of the trawl, which in absolute values corresponds to 75% of P. maxima lying in the pathway of the sledge.
Fluid intake from beverages across age groups: a systematic review
Authors: Özen A. E. , Bibiloni M. del Mar , Pons A. , Tur J. A.
Published: June 2014

Background

Fluid intake, especially water, is essential for human life and also necessary for physical and mental function. The present study aimed to assess beverage consumption across age groups.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted. Original research in English language publications and available studies (or abstracts in English) from 2000 to 2013 was searched for by using the medical subheading (MeSH) terms: (‘beverage’ OR ‘fluid’ [Major]) AND (‘consumption’ [Mesh] OR ‘drinking’ [Mesh] OR ‘intake’ [Mesh]) AND (‘child’ [Mesh] OR ‘adolescent’ [Mesh] OR ‘adult’ [Mesh]). Article selection was restricted to those papers covering healthy populations of all age groups in a nationwide sample, or from a representative sample of the population of a city or cities, which examined the trends or patterns of beverage intake and the determinants of beverage intake. Sixty‐five studies were identified with respect to beverage consumption across age groups. The papers were screened by thoroughly reading titles or abstracts. Full‐text articles were assessed by three investigators.

Results

Total beverage intake varied between 0.6 and 3.5 L day−1 among all age groups (males more than females). Plain water contributed up to 58%, 75% and 80% of the total beverage intake in children, adolescents and adults, respectively. Milk consumption was higher among children; consumption of soft drinks was higher among adolescents; and the consumption of tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages was higher among adults.

Conclusions

Plain water is the main water source for all age groups and the consumption of other beverages varies according to age.
Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the colon in a vervet monkey (Cholorocebous aethiops)
Authors: Hablolvarid M.H.
Published: June 2014

Background

Diffuse nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (DNLH) of gastrointestinal tract is regarded as a very rare disease in the adult population. It is characterized by presence of diffuse detectable small polypoid masses distributed in the small intestine, colon, or both.

Methods

A 6‐year‐old male in captivity suddenly died, due to myocardial infarction. During routine necropsy procedure, incidentally, numerous tan, sessile polyps, up to 0.2 cm were noticed in all segments of the colon.

Results

Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination revealed polypoid masses as nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH), comparable with DNLH of the colon in human.

Conclusions

In this article, the author has tried to introduce some immunosuppresive (e.g., simian retrovirus type D (SRV), simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)) and opportunistic viruses (e.g., lymphocryptovirus, γ‐herpesvirus, adenovirus), as well as, primary and opportunistic bacteria (e.g., Yersinia psedotuberculosis, and Helicobacter spp.) that may trigger benign reactive process, lymphoid hyperplasia, in non‐human primates (NHPs) in captivity.
Marriage and Family Therapy in NPD Teams: Effects of We‐ness on Knowledge Sharing and Product Performance
Authors: Markham Stephen K. , Lee Hyunjung
Published: June 2014

Drawing on marriage and family therapy (MFT), this paper introduces the concept of we‐ness to new product development (NPD). We‐ness is the shared sense of togetherness family members feel toward each other. We apply we‐ness to NPD as the construct through which people share knowledge at the team, between‐team, and between‐organization levels. The results support the hypotheses that we‐ness increases knowledge sharing and that knowledge sharing increases product performance. In this study, we used regressions to analyze the hypotheses. We found that the greater in‐team we‐ness (H1, t = 3.786, p = .000), between‐team we‐ness (H2, t = 5.411, p = .000), and between‐organization we‐ness (H3, t = 2.940, p = .004) activities there were, the more knowledge sharing in NPD. Results also indicate that knowledge sharing is related to better NPD performance.

This paper contrasts team and family as the foundation metaphor to organize people engaged in product development. We argue the team metaphor can be counterproductive in settings where difficult decisions must be made. Teams can lead to individual members suppressing their opinions to “help” the team achieve its goal. Members are expected to sacrifice for the good of the team. That can be adaptive when the task is straightforward.

The family metaphor suggests that the group sacrifices for the individual. In a family environment, members protect minority opinions, and in cases where complex, ambiguous decisions must be made individual expertise and insight may come from one person. High‐trust family‐like settings can facilitate sharing sensitive information and norms that can be challenged. The family metaphor suggests a more flexible and tolerant approach to new ideas. At the same time, it is recognized that families can have dysfunctions that can detract from performance. Therefore, managers must carefully apply the use of family‐like settings.

The importance for family‐like approaches across organizations seems to be more important as technology complexity increases. Between‐team we‐ness was revealed significantly higher in goods manufacturers than service firms in this study. Small companies need to make extra effort to increase between‐team we‐ness.

The idea of approaching product development from a family relations perspective opens up new alternatives for managing people in teams, between teams, and even between organizations. MFT tools to address behaviors and individual performance issues increase the number and nature of managerial tools to increase product performance.
The Need for Self‐Determination and Imagination: Personal Budgeting and the Management of Disability Services in Finland
Authors: Eriksson Susan
Published: June 2014

The author addresses “personal budgeting” as a disability service reform issue. To address this, a pilot project was undertaken in two Finnish municipal districts, in which personal budgeting was introduced as part of a 4‐year experiment. According to previous research, the power relations of persons with disabilities and disability service professionals are expected to change because of the process of personal budgeting. This article discusses the social positions that are occupied by the professionals and service users in the pilot project. These positions were analyzed within the context of expected change in disability service culture. Research data consisted of interviews and recorded discussions collected among the service users and professionals involved in the pilot. The positions constituted were analyzed by discourse analytical method to find out if the power relations changed because of a shift in the locus of decision making. The study showed there is a need for a change in attitudes to enable people with disabilities to live with the full rights attributed to the population as a whole. The data implied that current service cultures do not enable the situation to change and that the personnel in disability services are themselves in crucial positions for changing the culture, often simply by changing their working methods.
Thyroid Function and Dysfunction in Term and Premature Equine Neonates
Authors: Breuhaus B.A.
Published: June 2014

Background

This study was performed to compare thyroid function of premature foals to term foals.

Hypothesis

Premature foals are more markedly hypothyroxinemic than expected for their severity of illness alone.

Animals

Twenty clinically normal term foals; 28 sick, hospitalized term foals; 24 sick, hospitalized premature foals.

Methods

Thyroid hormones (TH) and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured, both at rest and in response to thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH), in the 3 groups of foals. Clinical and clinicopathologic data were recorded.

Results

Normal foals had highTHat birth, which decreased over the first month into the normal reference range for adult horses.TSHwas within the normal adult reference range soon after birth, and did not change over time. At 24–36 hours of age, triiodothyronine (T3) was significantly lower in both premature and term hospitalized foals compared to normal foals; premature foals were not different from term hospitalized foals. Thyroxine (T4) was not different between normal and term hospitalized foals, but was significantly lower than in premature foals of both of these groups.TSHwas not different among the 3 groups.TRHstimulation tests identified significant differences in T4 among all 3 groups of foals, whereas T3 was similar in premature and term hospitalized foals and different from normal foals.TSHresponse toTRHwas significantly higher in premature foals compared to normal foals.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐thyroid axis is different in foals compared to adult horses. Sick foals exhibit nonthyroidal illness syndrome. Premature foals are more markedly hypothyroxinemic than can be accounted for by their severity of illness alone.
Geographic variation in sex‐chromosome differentiation in the common frog (Rana temporaria)
Authors: Rodrigues Nicolas , Merilä Juha , Patrelle Cécile , Perrin Nicolas
Published: June 2014

In sharp contrast with birds and mammals, sex‐determination systems in ectothermic vertebrates are often highly dynamic and sometimes multifactorial. Both environmental and genetic effects have been documented in common frogs (Rana temporaria). One genetic linkage group, mapping to the largest pair of chromosomes and harbouring the candidate sex‐determining gene Dmrt1, associates with sex in several populations throughout Europe, but association varies both within and among populations. Here, we show that sex association at this linkage group differs among populations along a 1500‐km transect across Sweden. Genetic differentiation between sexes is strongest (FST = 0.152) in a northern‐boreal population, where male‐specific alleles and heterozygote excesses (FIS = −0.418 in males, +0.025 in females) testify to a male‐heterogametic system and lack of X‐Y recombination. In the southernmost population (nemoral climate), in contrast, sexes share the same alleles at the same frequencies (FST = 0.007 between sexes), suggesting unrestricted recombination. Other populations show intermediate levels of sex differentiation, with males falling in two categories: some cluster with females, while others display male‐specific Y haplotypes. This polymorphism may result from differences between populations in the patterns of X‐Y recombination, co‐option of an alternative sex‐chromosome pair, or a mixed sex‐determination system where maleness is controlled either by genes or by environment depending on populations or families. We propose approaches to test among these alternative models, to disentangle the effects of climate and phylogeography on the latitudinal trend, and to sort out how this polymorphism relates to the ‘sexual races’ described in common frogs in the 1930s.
Strengthening implementation and utilization of nutrition interventions through research: a framework and research agenda
Authors: Menon Purnima , Covic Namukolo M. , Harrigan Paige B. , Horton Susan E. , Kazi Nabeeha M. , Lamstein Sascha , Neufeld Lynnette , Oakley Erica , Pelletier David
Published: June 2014

Undernutrition among women and children contributes to almost half the global burden of child mortality in developing countries. The impact of nutrition on economic development has highlighted the need for evidence‐based solutions and yielded substantial global momentum. However, it is now recognized that the impact of evidence‐based interventions is limited by the lack of evidence on the best operational strategies for scaling up nutrition interventions. With the goal of encouraging greater engagement in implementation research in nutrition and generating evidence on implementation and utilization of nutrition interventions, this paper brings together a framework and a broad analysis of literature to frame and highlight the crucial importance of research on the delivery and utilization of nutrition interventions. The paper draws on the deliberations of a high‐level working group, an e‐consultation, a conference, and the published literature. It proposes a framework and areas of research that have been quite neglected, and yet are critical to better understanding through careful research to enable better translation of global and national political momentum for nutrition into public health impact.
Measuring the variability of data from other values in the set
Authors: Jones Dustin L. , Scariano Stephen M.
Published: June 2014

Students have intuitive notions of the meaning of variability; some may see variability as how values in a set vary from each other. This article provides a measure of variability that is based on that conception. We introduce this new measure and a method for calculating it. Finally, we prove that this measure is equivalent to the population variance.
The Large GTPase Mx1 Is Involved in Apical Transport in MDCK Cells
Authors: Hoff Florian , Greb Christoph , Hollmann Christina , Hönig Ellena , Jacob Ralf
Published: June 2014

In epithelial cells apical proteins are transported by specific transport carriers to the correct membrane domain. The composition of these carriers is heterogeneous and comprises components such as motor proteins, annexins, lectins, Rab GTPases and cargo molecules. Here, we provide biochemical and fluorescence microscopic data to show that the dynamin‐related large GTPase Mx1 is a component of post‐Golgi vesicles carrying the neurotrophin receptor p75NTR. Moreover, siRNA‐mediated depletion of Mx1 significantly decreased the transport efficiency of apical proteins in MDCK cells. In conclusion, Mx1 plays a crucial role in the delivery of cargo molecules to the apical membrane of epithelial cells.