bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Aesthetics and Economy Become Conversant in Creative Firms
Authors: Austin Robert , Hjorth Daniel , Hessel Shannon
Published: October 2017

Research on creative organizations often highlights a concern that economic influences on creative work might crowd out aesthetic influences. How this concern can be managed, however, is not well understood. Using a case study of an economic/aesthetic conflict within a design firm, we develop theory to describe how the economic and aesthetic can be constructively combined. We propose the concept of conversation as a way of theorizing a constructed sociality via which creative firms manage this conflict; we also propose the concept of ensemble as a way of theorizing a conversationally nurtured but fragile form of intensified sociality that most successfully combines conflicting influences when it can be achieved. Together, these theoretical conceptualizations contribute new insights and help organize a fragmented landscape of ideas about work in creative firms.
The combination of escitalopram and aripiprazole: Investigation of psychomotor effects in rats
Authors: Hudson Roger , Zhou Yan , Leri Francesco
Published: October 2017

Pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests that the antidepressant efficacy of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram can be enhanced by the dopamine and serotonin partial agonist aripiprazole. Given the range of possible neurochemical interactions between these drugs, the current study investigated whether aripiprazole alters the hedonic and psychomotor effects of escitalopram. Male Sprague Dawley rats ( n=116) received 10 mg/kg/day escitalopram (subcutaneous), 2 mg/kg/day aripiprazole (subcutaneous), or combined aripiprazole + escitalopram, and were tested for consumption of incentive nutritional stimuli (high-fructose corn syrup and chow), stereotypy and locomotor activity. At the conclusion of behavioral testing, mRNAs of two genes involved in reward processes were quantified: hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin and hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Escitalopram produced a selective, but temporary, decrease in high fructose corn syrup consumption that was not altered by aripiprazole co-administration. Escitalopram had no significant effect on locomotion, but aripiprazole co-administration produced a persistent increase in stereotypy. Both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA levels were lower in the aripiprazole + escitalopram group relative to the escitalopram group. Taken together, these results suggest that aripiprazole may enhance the antidepressant efficacy of escitalopram through improvement of psychomotor functions.
The additional cost of hedging in foreign currency loans
Authors: Do Viet , Vu Tram
Published: October 2017

Foreign currency denominated loans ( FCDLs) are an important part of corporate funding as well as an operational risk management tool. We show that domestic borrowers use FCDLs to hedge their foreign exchange risk exposure. FCDLs are found to carry an interest rate premium over domestic currency loans after controlling for borrower characteristics, loan characteristics, and macroeconomic conditions. We argue that borrowers are willing to pay this premium since the marginal benefit of FCDLs as a natural hedge outweighs the marginal cost. From a lender’s perspective, this premium reflects a compensation for additional foreign exchange risk exposure and intensified monitoring efforts. These results are robust to endogeneity-corrected estimations.

JEL Classification: G21, G32
The effect of brainstorming guidelines on individual auditors’ identification of potential frauds
Authors: Chen Wei , Khalifa Amna Saeed , Morgan Kate L , Trotman Ken T
Published: October 2017

Revised auditing standards and a focus by regulators on the detection of financial statement fraud have resulted in calls for research to examine alternative forms of fraud brainstorming. We examine the effect of using extended brainstorming guidelines, developed in the psychology literature as part of facilitator training, on auditors’ individual brainstorming performance prior to attending the team brainstorming meeting. We find that these additional brainstorming guidelines help auditors identify a greater quantity and quality of potential frauds. Our findings suggest an easy to implement approach to enhance auditors’ performance in fraud brainstorming.

JEL Classification: C91; C92; M42
A Tool for Assessing Text Suitability for Greek Language Teaching
Authors: Neofytou Chrystalla , Hadzilacos Thanasis
Published: October 2017

Viewing its use in language teaching mainly as a text corpus, this article examines the problem of the assessment of suitability of this material for use in the Greek language course in Cyprus schooling. The suitability of texts for use in language teaching is defined by four parameters, which are described in detail in this article: text readability, content, genre, and grammatical information. The literature review shows the research gap as to the ways of finding on the Web a suitable text for use in language teaching according to specific characteristics. The tool diaKeimenou, which is presented in this article, aims to fill this gap and help the teacher choose the most suitable texts for teaching with reasonable effort and time. The results of the usability evaluation of diaKeimenou are also presented in this article.
Underpinnings of Internet Parenting Styles: The Development and Validation of the Internet Parenting Scale Using Repeated Cross-Sectional Studies
Authors: Dhir Amandeep , Khalil Ashraf
Published: October 2017

The overwhelming majority of parents tend to mediate their children’s Internet use via different Internet parenting styles. Recent research suggests that Internet parenting is closely related to the Internet use behavior, development, and well-being of young people. However, despite this, little prior research has investigated the different Internet parenting styles exercised by parents in the developing world. Similarly, the recent literature has also pointed out the urgent need to develop new empirical measures of Internet parenting. This open research gap is addressed by developing a 10-item scale measuring 4 types of Internet parenting style, namely parental encouragement, parental permission, parental worry, and parental monitoring, using a 3-stage investigation involving repeated cross-sectional surveys. The prior Internet parenting literature exclusively focused on developed countries in the West and Far East, while developing countries have rarely been studied. The present study has addressed this gap by recruiting adolescent and young-adult Internet users from India. The study results suggest that the Internet parenting scale has a stable factorial structure, and sufficient instrument validity and reliability over time. Furthermore, it is also valid for adolescents attending public schools and young-adult Internet users. This study offers different theoretical and practical implications for researchers engaged in interdisciplinary research on the Internet and youth.
Chromium oxide nanoparticle–induced biochemical and histopathological alterations in the kidneys and brain of Wistar rats
Authors: Fatima Ravish , Akhtar Kafil , Hossain M Mobarak , Ahmad Riaz
Published: October 2017

Chromium oxide nanoparticles (Cr2O3 NPs) have a wide range of applications in industry. They are used as pigments, catalysts, wear-resistant or high-temperature-resistant coating material and are used in liquid crystal displays. In view of ever escalating use of NPs, risk assessment becomes obligatory to ensure the safety of both human health and the ecosystem. The present study was designed and conducted to evaluate biochemical changes and histopathological alterations in kidneys and brain of rats, following exposure to Cr2O3 NPs. Male Wistar rats were divided into low-dose (50 µg/100 g body weight (bwt) groups and high-dose (200 µg/100 g bwt) groups. Each group type received oral administration of Cr2O3 NPs for multiple durations (single dosing, once daily for 7 days and once daily for 14 days, respectively). According to our data, this allotment presented a meaningful picture of NPs behaviour in different scenarios. In the kidneys and brain of Cr2O3 NPs-exposed animals, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration along with a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels, as compared to controls. Histopathological changes in these organs confirmed cellular injury and functional damage due to exposure to Cr2O3 NPs. In this study, we have distinguished pathological alterations consequent to deleterious oxidative stress due to enhanced ROS generation after Cr2O3 NPs exposure.
Hydraulic Fracturing
Authors: Pothukuchi Kameshwari , Arrowsmith Melissa , Lyon Natalie
Published: October 2017

Food system and energy planners have given scant attention to the impacts on agrifood systems of a particular form of energy production—fracking—and its implications for planning and regulation. Impacts include those related to water availability and quality; land quality, use, and value; wildlife; labor costs; infrastructure and services; and the implications of boom and bust dynamics of these for the sustainability of agriculture and food systems. Planning is challenged by competing frames of economic and environmental benefits, lack of capacity, power imbalances, and sometimes state policy. This review maps research on these linkages, identifies elements of successful planning, and offers directions for future research.
Development of Tailor-Shaped Bacterial Cellulose Textile Cultivation Techniques for Zero-Waste Design
Authors: Chan Chun Kit , Shin Jooyoung , Jiang Shou Xiang Kinor
Published: October 2017

Bacterial cellulose is a sustainable biomaterial produced by Acetobacter xylinum, which has a self-synthesizing property to grow in any shape. The purpose of the study was to diagnose the current status of bacterial cellulose in textile development and produce innovative cultivation techniques in order to cater to different usages and forms of bacterial cellulose textiles for a variety of garment styles. The new tailor-shaped cultivation techniques not only improve the environmental values of this material but also further promote its production method as a sustainable practice. This organic material is able to be cultivated in any desirable garment panel shape, with no cutting and less textile waste. Two different types of tailor-shaped cultivation techniques called contacting surface-blocking cultivation and panel-shaped cultivation were developed. With the self-synthesizing property, natural biodegradable bacterial cellulose can shed light on the development of new sustainable textile materials and manufacturing practices in the future.
Investigation of sloshing effects on dynamic response of an articulated vehicle carrying liquids
Authors: Jalili Mohammad Mahdi , Motavasselolhagh Mehrdad , Fatehi Rouhollah , Sefid Mohammad
Published: October 2017

In this paper, the effects of braking on dynamics of an articulated vehicle carrying liquid have been examined. To investigate the interaction between the fluid and the vehicle, a model of an articulated vehicle with a two-axle semitrailer has been used. The articulated tank vehicle has been modeled as a multi-body system with seven degrees of freedom (DOF) for the truck and seven DOF for the semitrailer. Also, Euler and Laplace’s equations have been used to examine the longitudinal fluid slosh. Solving Euler’s equation, the pressure exerted by the fluid to the tanker at any moment has been calculated and the resultant force at any moment has been obtained. The equations of motions are solved numerically using the Runge–Kutta method. Using the simulation results, the effects of fluid density, fill volume of the tanker, and braking intensity on dynamical parameters of the vehicle have been studied. Simulation results showed that decrease in the fill volume leads to decrease in the dynamic normal load factor of the rear axle of the semitrailer. Also, comparison of frequency response of longitudinal resultant force of the liquid and longitudinal velocity of semitrailer shows that dominant frequency of oscillation of these parameters is equal. It can be concluded that fluid sloshing is one of the main factors of oscillation of the semitrailer body and the forces between tractor and semitrailer.
Bayesian imputation of time-varying covariates in linear mixed models
Authors: Erler Nicole S , Rizopoulos Dimitris , Jaddoe Vincent WV , Franco Oscar H , Lesaffre Emmanuel MEH
Published: October 2017

Studies involving large observational datasets commonly face the challenge of dealing with multiple missing values. The most popular approach to overcome this challenge, multiple imputation using chained equations, however, has been shown to be sub-optimal in complex settings, specifically in settings with longitudinal outcomes, which cannot be easily and adequately included in the imputation models. Bayesian methods avoid this difficulty by specification of a joint distribution and thus offer an alternative. A popular choice for that joint distribution is the multivariate normal distribution. In more complicated settings, as in our two motivating examples that involve time-varying covariates, additional issues require consideration: the endo- or exogeneity of the covariate and its functional relation with the outcome. In such situations, the implied assumptions of standard methods may be violated, resulting in bias. In this work, we extend and study a more flexible, Bayesian alternative to the multivariate normal approach, to better handle complex incomplete longitudinal data. We discuss and compare assumptions of the two Bayesian approaches about the endo- or exogeneity of the covariates and the functional form of the association with the outcome, and illustrate and evaluate consequences of violations of those assumptions using simulation studies and two real data examples.
Chuckrow’s theory of the prenatal origin of music
Authors: Parncutt Richard , Chuckrow Robert
Published: October 2017

In 1965, the second author, a graduate student in physics at New York University, drafted a paper entitled “Music: A synthesis of prenatal stimuli,” in which he proposed that structural elements of music such as rhythm and melody are analogs of fetal stimuli. In the 1980s, the first author independently published a similar theory. Both authors considered fetal perception of internal body sounds, correlations between those sounds and maternal states, the ability of the fetus to hear and remember sound patterns, biological and behavioral correlates of emotions shared by mother and fetus, transfer of hormones across the placenta, and effects of maternal psychopathology on infant behavior. Both argued that consideration of fetal consciousness is unnecessary because unconscious learning can influence later conscious behaviors and experiences. Chuckrow uniquely proposed that meter and polymeter, perceived as combinations of approximately isochronous pulses with one pulse in the foreground, might derive from the combined sound of maternal and fetal heartbeats as perceived by the fetus. We evaluate these theories in the context of more recent approaches to the origin of music. A systematic consideration of prenatal influences can parsimoniously explain communicative, emotional and structural aspects of music. Music may be a by-product of adaptations such as prenatal hearing and motherese that promoted infant survival in ancient hunter-gatherer settings.
Measuring Perceived Level of Integration During the Process of Primary Care Behavioral Health Implementation
Authors: Staab Erin M. , Terras Mara , Dave Pooja , Beckman Nancy , Shah Sachin , Vinci Lisa M. , Yohanna Daniel , Laiteerapong Neda
Published: October 2017

Provider- and staff-perceived levels of integration were measured during implementation of a primary care behavioral health clinic; these data were used to tailor and evaluate quality improvement strategies. Providers and staff at an urban, academic, adult primary care clinic completed the 32-item Level of Integration Measure (LIM) at baseline and 7 months. The LIM assesses 6 domains of integrated care. Overall and domain scores were calibrated from 0 to 100, with ≥80 representing a highly integrated clinic. Response rate was 79% (N = 46/58) at baseline and 83% (N = 52/63) at follow-up. Overall, LIM score increased from 64.5 to 70.1, P = .001. The lowest scoring domains at baseline were targeted for quality improvement and increased significantly: integrated clinical practice, 60.0 versus 68.4, P < .001; systems integration, 57.0 versus 63.8, P = .001; and training, 56.7 versus 65.3, P = .001. Ongoing quality improvement, including organizational and financial strategies, is needed to achieve higher levels of integration.
Profiles of Problem Behavior in Children With Varying Language Ability
Authors: Chow Jason C. , Wehby Joseph H.
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between language behavior in students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders. School-age students in K-4 grades ( N = 300, 76% male) were sampled across three school districts. Students were grouped based on oral language ability and measured on teacher-rated subscales of problem behavior and direct observation of classroom behavior. Profile analyses revealed that language ability was associated with direct observation measures of classroom behaviors. Lower language was associated with higher rates of aggression, and higher language was associated with higher rates of academic engagement. Incongruent results relative to teacher-rated and directly observed behavior, limitations, and implications for future research are discussed.
An Agenda for Comparing Local Governance and Institutional Collective Action in Canada and the United States
Authors: Zeemering Eric S.
Published: October 2017

As neighboring federal systems, Canada and the United States provide an opportunity to compare institutional collective action (ICA) by proximate local governments. After explaining the importance of understanding local governance in Canada and the United States in comparative context, the ICA framework is used to highlight propositions along two paths of inquiry. First, the ICA framework can be used to compare responses to ICA dilemmas in two distinct systems of local governance, focusing on the comparative instance of use and performance of ICA mechanisms. Second, the ICA framework can be used to analyze collaboration and paradiplomacy across the international border. Deploying the ICA framework for comparative research can improve our understanding of local governance and local government reform in both countries.
The pKa Distribution of Drugs: Application to Drug Discovery
Authors: Manallack David T.
Published: October 2017

The acid-base dissociation constant (p Ka) of a drug is a key physicochemical parameter influencing many biopharmaceutical characteristics. While this has been well established, the overall proportion of non-ionizable and ionizable compounds for drug-like substances is not well known. Even less well known is the overall distribution of acid and base p Ka values. The current study has reviewed the literature with regard to both the proportion of ionizable substances and p Ka distributions. Further to this a set of 582 drugs with associated p Ka data was thoroughly examined to provide a representative set of observations. This was further enhanced by delineating the compounds into CNS and non-CNS drugs to investigate where differences exist. Interestingly, the distribution of p Ka values for single acids differed remarkably between CNS and non-CNS substances with only one CNS compound having an acid p Ka below 6.1. The distribution of basic substances in the CNS set also showed a marked cut off with no compounds having a p Ka above 10.5.

The p Ka distributions of drugs are influenced by two main drivers. The first is related to the nature and frequency of occurrence of the functional groups that are commonly observed in pharmaceuticals and the typical range of p Ka values they span. The other factor concerns the biological targets these compounds are designed to hit. For example, many CNS targets are based on seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors (7TM GPCR) which have a key aspartic acid residue known to interact with most ligands. As a consequence, amines are mostly present in the ligands that target 7TM GPCR's and this influences the p Ka profile of drugs containing basic groups. For larger screening collections of compounds, synthetic chemistry and the working practices of the chemists themselves can influence the proportion of ionizable compounds and consequent p Ka distributions. The findings from this study expand on current wisdom in p Ka research and have implications for discovery research with regard to the composition of corporate databases and collections of screening compounds. Rough guidelines have been suggested for the profile of compound collections and will evolve as this research area is expanded.
Hybridity and Identity Performance in Diasporic Context: An Autoethnographic Journey of the Self Across Cultures
Authors: Nziba Pindi Gloria
Published: October 2017

In this autoethnographic article, I am interested in theorizing about how hybridity illuminates my lived experience of identity performed across cultures, and more specifically in diasporic context, at the intersections of various facets of my selfhood: Black, female, postcolonial, African, bi-tribal, diasporic, immigrant, nonnative English Speaker, “French native speaker,” and so on. I use personal narrative as a locus of subjectivity to recount critical moments of my lived experience as a hybrid subject navigating at the borderlands of two cultural worldviews: Congolese and American. My cross-cultural journey reveals a series of challenging and triumphant episodes from my childhood back home to my life in the United States, a journey during which I have experienced both privilege and oppression. My process of identity construction results in the creation of a third space that celebrates difference through new ways of being, encompassing cultural values from both the United States and the Congo. This process is articulated through different ways of being/not being “American” and/or “African” and just being “different.”
Abrazando Nopales—Prickly Embrace: Undocumented Women’s Life Stories/Poetic Performance Narratives
Authors: Espinosa-Dulanto Miryam
Published: October 2017

I chose poetic performance narratives to create a provocative piece offering a glimpse of the reality, tragedies, dreams, and hopes lived daily by more than 12 million people in the United States. These individuals are reported as unauthorized, undocumented immigrants by the U.S. Census Bureau. These specific stories were shared and collected ethnographically on the agricultural fields of the South East of the United States. My goal is to have “captured” readers to be seduced into the “uncomfortable” world of undocumented people and have the poems/performance narratives become not only representation of the events but, as Renato Rosaldo said, “the event itself.”
The Relationship Between Acquisition Rate for Words and Working Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Reading Skills: Aptitude-by-Treatment or Skill-by-Treatment Interaction?
Authors: Burns Matthew K. , Davidson Katherine , Zaslofsky Anne F. , Parker David C. , Maki Kathrin E.
Published: October 2017

The amount of information that students successfully learn and later recall from each intervention session is limited and is called the acquisition rate (AR). Research has consistently supported the effects of modifying intervention set sizes with AR data, but research with AR is in its infancy. The current study compared the relationship between AR while learning words with working memory, short-term memory, and reading skills. Participants were 52 fourth- and fifth-grade students with and without learning disabilities (LDs). Working memory ( r = .34), short-term memory ( r = .41), and word reading skills ( r = .57) all moderately correlated with AR, but word reading skills accounted for 32% of the variance and the other two scores added little unique variance. The corrected correlation coefficients were higher for the word reading with AR than with any other variable and were essentially equal for both groups ( r = .73 for average readers and r = .75 for students with an LD in reading). Thus, the data not only support the validity of making decisions with AR data but also suggest that AR is more consistent with a skill-by-treatment interaction framework than an aptitude-by-treatment interaction approach. Potential applications, directions for future research, and limitations are discussed.
A Home-Based Telerehabilitation Program for Patients With Stroke
Authors: Dodakian Lucy , McKenzie Alison L. , Le Vu , See Jill , Pearson-Fuhrhop Kristin , Burke Quinlan Erin , Zhou Robert J. , Augsberger Renee , Tran Xuan A. , Friedman Nizan , Reinkensmeyer David J. , Cramer Steven C.
Published: October 2017

Background. Although rehabilitation therapy is commonly provided after stroke, many patients do not derive maximal benefit because of access, cost, and compliance. A telerehabilitation-based program may overcome these barriers. We designed, then evaluated a home-based telerehabilitation system in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke. Methods. Patients were 3 to 24 months poststroke with stable arm motor deficits. Each received 28 days of telerehabilitation using a system delivered to their home. Each day consisted of 1 structured hour focused on individualized exercises and games, stroke education, and an hour of free play. Results. Enrollees (n = 12) had baseline Fugl-Meyer (FM) scores of 39 ± 12 (mean ± SD). Compliance was excellent: participants engaged in therapy on 329/336 (97.9%) assigned days. Arm repetitions across the 28 days averaged 24,607 ± 9934 per participant. Arm motor status showed significant gains (FM change 4.8 ± 3.8 points, P = .0015), with half of the participants exceeding the minimal clinically important difference. Although scores on tests of computer literacy declined with age ( r = −0.92; P < .0001), neither the motor gains nor the amount of system use varied with computer literacy. Daily stroke education via the telerehabilitation system was associated with a 39% increase in stroke prevention knowledge ( P = .0007). Depression scores obtained in person correlated with scores obtained via the telerehabilitation system 16 days later ( r = 0.88; P = .0001). In-person blood pressure values closely matched those obtained via this system ( r = 0.99; P < .0001). Conclusions. This home-based system was effective in providing telerehabilitation, education, and secondary stroke prevention to participants. Use of a computer-based interface offers many opportunities to monitor and improve the health of patients after stroke.
Improving school administration through information technology? How digitalisation changes the bureaucratic features of public school administration
Authors: Dormann Markus , Hinz Stefan , Wittmann Eveline
Published: October 2017

Digital media and digital data processing have substantially influenced public institutions in recent years and changed their efficiency, effectiveness and organisational set-up (nature of organisations). Based on Fountain’s Technology Enactment Framework (TEF), this paper argues that, firstly, in a circular process, digital requirements transform the bureaucratic features of school organisation, and that the effects of digital technologies on the performance and efficiency of schools as bureaucratic organisations are ambivalent. We use interview data from a sample of 51% of the head teachers of vocational school centres in the jurisdiction of Bavaria in order to substantiate these assumptions by means of structured qualitative analysis. Email technology seems particularly significant from a quantitative perspective. Indications for the transformative nature of objective digital technologies with regard to the school bureaucracies can be found for all bureaucratic categories under consideration in this analysis, particularly for the feature ‘standardisation’. The examples presented here seem to highlight that gains in efficiency or reductions of losses in efficiency caused by digitalisation are mostly caused by the concrete use of digital technology within the respective school organisation.
Mining social media data: How are research sponsors and researchers addressing the ethical challenges?
Authors: Taylor Joanna , Pagliari Claudia
Published: October 2017

Background:

Data representing people’s behaviour, attitudes, feelings and relationships are increasingly being harvested from social media platforms and re-used for research purposes. This can be ethically problematic, even where such data exist in the public domain. We set out to explore how the academic community is addressing these challenges by analysing a national corpus of research ethics guidelines and published studies in one interdisciplinary research area.

Methods:

Ethics guidelines published by Research Councils UK (RCUK), its seven-member councils and guidelines cited within these were reviewed. Guidelines referring to social media were classified according to published typologies of social media research uses and ethical considerations for social media mining. Using health research as an exemplar, PubMed was searched to identify studies using social media data, which were assessed according to their coverage of ethical considerations and guidelines.

Results:

Of the 13 guidelines published or recommended by RCUK, only those from the Economic and Social Research Council, the British Psychological Society, the International Association of Internet Researchers and the National Institute for Health Research explicitly mentioned the use of social media. Regarding data re-use, all four mentioned privacy issues but varied with respect to other ethical considerations. The PubMed search revealed 156 health-related studies involving social media data, only 50 of which mentioned ethical concepts, in most cases simply stating that they had obtained ethical approval or that no consent was required. Of the nine studies originating from UK institutions, only two referred to RCUK ethics guidelines or guidelines cited within these.

Conclusions:

Our findings point to a deficit in ethical guidance for research involving data extracted from social media. Given the growth of studies using these new forms of data, there is a pressing need to raise awareness of their ethical challenges and provide actionable recommendations for ethical research practice.
Meritocracy? Ask yourself
Authors: Polastri Massimiliano , Truisi Maria Cristina
Published: October 2017

Meritocracy refers to a governmental or other administrative system wherein appointments and responsibilities are assigned to individuals based on their merits, which are determined through objective evaluations or examinations. Merit can be earned by either intellectual or manual labour, as each person has his or her own talents. Nevertheless, there is no absolute definition of merit because both intelligence and skill are relative. In our current society, individuals can, theoretically, reach any goal in a meritocratic system. Indeed, merit should be the basis on which resources are allocated. This said, personal beliefs, bureaucratic complications, national regulations, and other human characteristics obscure the obvious superiority of this approach. Members of groups, including societies, often support and follow an individual who adheres to the group’s norms rather than one who may be more deserving of such loyalty but who does not adhere to the shared rules. Individuals in a meritocratic system feel valued, believe their abilities are recognised, and have incentives to improve their professional performance. In such a context, individuals experience their environment as fair and feel more confident about themselves, others, and their work. Individuals working under such conditions are very likely to have higher levels of motivation, engage in more collaborative behaviour, show greater flexibility and experience enhanced well being compared with those operating in a system that is perceived as not based on merit. This paper presents an integrated discussion of meritocracy and poses seven questions that may improve our understanding of this concept.
Outcomes in patients with acute kidney injury reviewed by Critical Care Outreach: What is the role of the National Early Warning Score?
Authors: Potter Daniel A , Wroe Nicholas , Redhead Helen , Lewington Andrew JP
Published: October 2017

Introduction

This study investigated outcomes in critically unwell acute kidney injury patients and the role of the National Early Warning Score and other factors in identifying patients who experience negative outcomes.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study investigating 64 patients seen by Critical Care Outreach between November 2014 and February 2015. Mortality at one year was analysed using multivariate regression; all other statistical tests were non-parametric.

Results

Forty-four per cent of patients required escalation to higher level care, 56% failed to survive beyond one year and 30% of those who did survive had a deterioration in renal function. Previous acute kidney injury significantly predicted mortality but the National Early Warning Score did not. A subgroup of patients developed Stage 3 acute kidney injury before a rise in National Early Warning Score.

Conclusions

Acute kidney injury in the Critical Care Outreach patient population is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Previous acute kidney injury and acute kidney injury stage may be superior to the National Early Warning Score at identifying patients in need of Critical Care Outreach review.
Internet of Things and the economics of smart sustainable cities
Authors: Knieps Günter
Published: October 2017

The major objective of this article is to analyze the potentials of information and communications technology (ICT) for the evolution of smart cities, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by traditional public utilities in the areas of public transportation, energy, water supply, and wastewater management due to the entry of new players originating from ICT organizations and industries. The character of virtual networks for smart cities is demonstrated based on three pillars: (1) All-IP–based real-time and adaptive broadband communication networks, (2) global navigation satellite systems and their overlay position correction networks, and (3) the interoperability of ubiquitous sensor network applications, as they form the ICT basis for a multitude of applications that are important in smart cities. The heterogeneity of virtual networks for different smart city physical network services is based on these pillars, taking into account the different requirements for the quality of service (QoS) of data packet transmission, geopositioning, and sensor networks. It can be expected that prosumer activities and resultant networked commons become increasingly relevant for the smart city of the future. However, the increasing role of prosumer activities cannot replace the role of markets in solving scarcity problems within ICT networks as well as physical networks. The role of congestion pricing and QoS differentiation for network capacities in transportation and electricity markets as well as ICT is indicated. If, due to non-rivalry in usage, efficient congestion prices are pointless, the future role of subsidies from the state is considered.
“Everything Happens in the Hallways”: Exploring User Activity in the Corridors at Two Rehabilitation Units
Authors: Colley Jacinta , Zeeman Heidi , Kendall Elizabeth
Published: October 2017

Objectives:

This research aimed to examine the role of the corridors in specialist inpatient rehabilitation units to inform future design of these spaces.

Background:

In healthcare settings, such as rehabilitation units, corridors have often been designed simply as spaces allowing movement between other locations. However, research suggests that corridors may be places where important social and care-related activities take place. How corridors are used and understood by patients and staff in inpatient rehabilitation settings is unclear, and a greater understanding of the role of corridors in these settings could help to inform more supportive design of these spaces.

Methods:

Independent observations of user activity were conducted at a major metropolitan inpatient spinal injury unit (SIU) and brain injury unit (BIU). Interviews were conducted with SIU patients ( n = 12), and focus groups were conducted with SIU staff ( n = 23), BIU patients ( n = 12), and BIU staff ( n = 10).

Results:

Results from the observations showed that the corridors were used frequently across the day, particularly by staff. Thematic analysis of staff and patient experiences found three key themes describing how corridors were used: (1) moving around, (2) delivery and experiences of quality care, and (3) a “spillover space.”

Conclusions:

Results demonstrate that corridors not only have an important role as connective spaces but are also used as flexible, multipurpose spaces for delivery of quality care and patient experiences. Future design should consider how these spaces can more deliberately support and contribute to patient and staff experiences of rehabilitation.
‘Put the illness in a box’: a longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis of changes in a sufferer’s pictorial representations of pain following participation in a pain management programme
Authors: Nizza Isabella E , Smith Jonathan A , Kirkham Jamie A
Published: October 2017

Combining participant drawings with interviews can stimulate deep reflection and allow the inexpressible to be expressed. This case study uses visual methods to illustrate the 9-month self-management journey of a female chronic pain sufferer. The participant drew a picture of her pain at each of three interviews, and the drawings were used to discuss the changing impact pain was having on her life. Drawings and transcripts were jointly analysed longitudinally using interpretative phenomenological analysis, revealing how, as control is regained, a sufferer’s relationship with their chronic pain can visibly change and how the drawings, when reviewed retrospectively, enable insight and ownership of progress.
Profitability of Candlestick Charting Patterns in the Stock Exchange of Thailand
Authors: Tharavanij Piyapas , Siraprapasiri Vasan , Rajchamaha Kittichai
Published: October 2017

This article investigates the profitability of candlestick patterns. The holding periods are 1, 3, 5, and 10 days. Two exit strategies are studied. One is the Marshall–Young–Rose (MYR) exit strategy and the other is the Caginalp–Laurent (CL) exit strategy. The MYR applies a prespecified date to exit the market. In contrast, the CL sets an exit price equal to an average holding period closing price, assuming that investors liquidate their positions evenly within this period. The daily data include open, high, low, and close prices of component stocks of the SET50 index (the 50 largest capitalization stocks in the Stock Exchange of Thailand [SET]) for a 10-year period from July 3, 2006, to June 30, 2016. This study tests the predictive power of bullish and bearish candlestick reversal patterns both without technical filtering and with technical filtering (Stochastics [%D], Relative Strength Index [RSI], Money Flow Index [MFI]) by applying the skewness adjusted t test and the binomial test. The statistical analysis finds little use of both bullish and bearish candlestick reversal patterns since the mean returns of most patterns are not statistically different from zero. Even the ones with statistically significant returns do have high risks in terms of standard deviations. The binomial test results also indicate that candlestick patterns cannot reliably predict market directions. In addition, this article finds that filtering by %D, RSI, or MFI generally does not increase profitability nor prediction accuracy of candlestick patterns.
Street crime prediction model based on the physical characteristics of a streetscape: Analysis of streets in low-rise housing areas in South Korea
Authors: Lee Inhye , Jung Sungwon , Lee Jaewook , Macdonald Elizabeth
Published: October 2017

Previous crime prediction research focusing on regional characteristics is lacking in terms of the examination of physical characteristics of individual crime scenes. This study, therefore, presents a street crime prediction model by analysing streetscape features within an actual field of vision for a low-rise housing area in South Korea, which serves as a gauge for potential offenders to carry out crime. First, we performed logistic regression to analyse the correlation between street crime opportunities and the elements of streets to derive an equation for predicting street crime using selected variables. Next, we created a crime prediction map based on a geographic information system that contains attribute data on these physical characteristics and presented a street crime prediction model based on the derived prediction equation. Finally, to test the prediction model, we compared actual crime data from the selected area with the results obtained from the prediction model. The test results showed that the prediction model classified 11 out of 29 actual crime spots as crime occurrence; among the 312 non-crime spots, 257 were classified as non-crime occurrence. Based on these test results, we confirm that the occurrence of street crime is affected by the physical characteristics within the actual field of vision and discuss the improvement of the prediction model.
Fluorarrojadite-(BaNa), BaNa4CaFe13Al(PO4)11(PO3OH)F2, a new member of the arrojadite group from Gemerská Poloma, Slovakia
Authors: Števko Martin , Sejkora Jiří , Uher Pavel , Cámara Fernando , Škoda Radek , Vaculovič Tomáš
Published: October 2017

The new mineral fluorarrojadite-(BaNa), ideally BaNa4CaFe13Al(PO4)11(PO3OH)F2 was found on the dump of Elisabeth adit near Gemerská Poloma, Slovakia. It occurs in hydrothermal quartz veins intersecting highly fractionated, topaz–zinnwaldite S-type leucogranite. Fluorarrojadite-(BaNa) is associated with fluorapatite, ‘fluordickinsonite-(BaNa)’, triplite, viitaniemiite and minor amounts of other minerals. It forms fine-grained irregular aggregates up to 4 cm x 2 cm, which consist of individual anhedral grains up to 0.01 mm in size. It has a yellowish-brown to greenish-yellow colour, very pale yellow streak and a vitreous to greasy lustre. Mohs hardness is ~4½ to 5. The fracture is irregular and the tenacity is brittle. The measured density is 3.61(2) g cm–3 and calculated density is 3.650 g cm–3. Fluorarrojadite-(BaNa) is biaxial (+) and nonpleochroic. The calculated refractive index based on empirical formula is 1.674. The empirical formula (based on 47 O and 3 (OH + F) apfu) is A1(Ba0.65K0.35)Σ1.00 A2Na0.35 B1(Na0.54Fe0.46)Σ1.00 B2Na0.54Ca(Ca0.74Sr0.20Pb0.02Ba0.04)Σ1.00Na2 Na3Na0.46 M(Fe7.16Mn5.17Li0.37Mg0.12Sc0.08Zn0.06Ga0.02Ti0.02)Σ13.00 Al1.02P11O44PO3.46(OH)0.54 W(F1.54OH0.46). Fluorarrojadite-(BaNa) is monoclinic, space group Cc, a = 16.563(1) Å, b = 10.0476(6) Å, c = 24.669(1) Å, β = 105.452(4)°, V = 3957.5(4) Å3 and Z = 4. The seven strongest reflections in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are [dobs in Å, (I), hkl]: 3.412, (21), 116; 3.224, (37), 206; 3.040, (100), 42$\bar 4$; 2.8499, (22), 33$\bar 3$; 2.7135, (56), 226; 2.5563, (33), 028 and 424; 2.5117, (23), 040. The new mineral is named according to the nomenclature scheme of arrojadite-group minerals, approved by the IMA CNMNC. In fluorarrojadite-(BaNa), Fe2+ is a dominant cation at the M site (so the root-name is arrojadite) and two suffixes are added to the root-name according to the dominant cation of the dominant valence state at the A1 (Ba2+) and B1 sites (Na+). A prefix fluor is added to the root-name as F– is dominant over (OH)– at the W site.
Use of multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors to attenuate platelet-derived growth factor signalling in lung disease
Authors: Kanaan Rana , Strange Charlie
Published: October 2017

Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) and their receptors (PDGFRs) play a fundamental role in the embryonic development of the lung. Aberrant PDGF signalling has been documented convincingly in a large variety of pulmonary diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, lung cancer and lung fibrosis. Targeting PDGF signalling has been proven to be effective in these diseases. In clinical practice, the most effective way to block PDGF signalling is to inhibit the activity of the intracellular PDGFR kinases. Although the mechanism of action of such drugs is not specific for PDGF signalling, the medications have a broad therapeutic index that allows clinical use. The safety profile and therapeutic opportunities of these and future medications that target PDGFs and PDGFRs are reviewed.
A practical data-driven optimization strategy for Gaussian beam migration
Authors: Yang Jidong , Zhu Hejun
Published: October 2017

Gaussian beam migration (GBM) is an efficient and accurate depth imaging technique, which allows us to resolve steep-dip structures and image multiple arrivals. Similar to Kirchhoff migration, GBM projects reflection events into the subsurface along traveltime isochrons. For data with low folds or signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), it produces migration artifacts, making it difficult for subsequent interpretation and attribute analysis. We have developed a data-driven optimization strategy to solve this problem. First, at the source and beam center locations, we estimate the instantaneous emergence angles of specular rays using semblance analysis for local common-shot and common-receiver gathers. Then, a quality control factor is designed to enhance the imaging results of coherent signals around the specular rays. Synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that our optimization strategy enables us to improve the imaging quality of GBM, especially for sparsely acquired and low-S/N data.