bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heme Iron from Meat and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-analysis and a Review of the Mechanisms Involved
Authors: Bastide Nadia M. , Pierre Fabrice H.F. , Corpet Denis E.
Published: January 2011

Red meat and processed meat intake is associated with a risk of colorectal cancer, a major cause of death in affluent countries. Epidemiological and experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that heme iron present in meat promotes colorectal cancer. This meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies of colon cancer reporting heme intake included 566,607 individuals and 4,734 cases of colon cancer. The relative risk of colon cancer was 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06–1.32) for subjects in the highest category of heme iron intake compared with those in the lowest category. Epidemiological data thus show a suggestive association between dietary heme and risk of colon cancer. The analysis of experimental studies in rats with chemically-induced colon cancer showed that dietary hemoglobin and red meat consistently promote aberrant crypt foci, a putative precancer lesion. The mechanism is not known, but heme iron has a catalytic effect on (i) the endogenous formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds and (ii) the formation of cytotoxic and genotoxic aldehydes by lipoperoxidation. A review of evidence supporting these hypotheses suggests that both pathways are involved in heme iron toxicity. Cancer Prev Res; 4(2); 177–84. ©2011 AACR.
Estrogen Receptor Expression in Atypical Hyperplasia: Lack of Association with Breast Cancer
Authors: Barr Fritcher Emily G. , Degnim Amy C. , Hartmann Lynn C. , Radisky Derek C. , Boughey Judy C. , Anderson Stephanie S. , Vierkant Robert A. , Frost Marlene H. , Visscher Daniel W. , Reynolds Carol
Published: January 2011

Estrogen receptor (ER) is expressed in normal and malignant breast epithelium, and expression levels have been found to increase with age in normal breast epithelium but not in atypical hyperplasia (AH) and carcinoma in situ. Here we assess ER expression in AH and its association with later breast cancer. ER expression was assessed immunohistochemically in archival sections from 246 women with AH who had open benign breast biopsy from 1967 to 1991. The ACIS III (Dako) was utilized to calculate ER expression in all atypical foci. Using multivariate linear regression, we examined associations of ER expression with age at biopsy, indication for biopsy, type of atypia, number of atypical foci, involution status, and family history. Breast cancer risk across levels of ER expression was also assessed compared with the Iowa SEER control population. Among 246 women, 87 (35%) had atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), 141 (57%) had atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH), and 18 (7%) had both. Forty-nine (20%) developed breast cancer (median follow-up of 14.4 years). Multivariate analysis indicated that type of atypia and age at diagnosis were significantly associated with ER percent staining and intensity (P < 0.05). ER expression was increased in women with ADH and/or those over age 55. ER expression did not significantly impact breast cancer risk in patients diagnosed with atypia. We found increasing ER expression in AH with increasing age. ER expression in AH does not further discriminate breast cancer risk in women with atypia. Cancer Prev Res; 4(3); 435–44. ©2011 AACR.
Intramyocardial Bone Marrow–Derived Mononuclear Cell Injection for Chronic Myocardial Ischemia
Authors: van Ramshorst Jan , Antoni M. Louisa , Beeres Saskia L.M.A. , Roes Stijntje D. , Delgado Victoria , Rodrigo Sander F. , de Roos Albert , Holman Eduard R. , Fibbe Willem E. , Lamb Hildo J. , Zwaginga Jaap J. , Boersma Eric , van der Wall Ernst E. , Schalij Martin J. , Atsma Douwe E. , Bax J.J.
Published: January 2011

Background—

The present substudy of a recently published randomized trial aimed to investigate the effect of intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection on diastolic function in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.

Methods and Results—

In a total of 50 patients, diastolic function was evaluated before and 3 months after bone marrow cell injection using standard echocardiography and strain analysis. In addition, MRI-derived transmitral flow measurements were obtained in a subset of 36 patients. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 50±5% to 54±7% in the bone marrow cell group, which was a significant improvement as compared with the placebo group (52±5% versus 51±7%,
P
=0.001). Filling pressure estimate E/E′ ratio improved from 14±5 at baseline to 12±4 at 3 months in the bone marrow cell group, whereas no improvement was observed in the placebo group (13±4 versus 13±5). The improvement in E/E′ ratio was significantly larger in the bone marrow cell group (
P
=0.008). Furthermore, the E/A peak flow ratio as assessed by MRI showed a significant increase in the bone marrow cell group as compared with the placebo group (+0.16±0.25 versus −0.04±0.21,
P
=0.01), which was mainly related to an increase in the early (E) peak flow rate in the bone marrow cell group (from 407±96 mL/s to 468±110 mL/s,
P
=0.009 as compared with the placebo group).

Conclusions—

The current study demonstrates that intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection is associated with a beneficial effect on myocardial relaxation and filling pressures in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.trialregister.nl
. Unique identifier: NTR400/ISRCTN58194927.
Integrative Systems Models of Cardiac Excitation–Contraction Coupling
Authors: Greenstein Joseph L. , Winslow Raimond L.
Published: January 2011

Excitation–contraction coupling in the cardiac myocyte is mediated by a number of highly integrated mechanisms of intracellular Ca
2+
transport. The complexity and integrative nature of heart cell electrophysiology and Ca
2+
cycling has led to an evolution of computational models that have played a crucial role in shaping our understanding of heart function. An important emerging theme in systems biology is that the detailed nature of local signaling events, such as those that occur in the cardiac dyad, have important consequences at higher biological scales. Multiscale modeling techniques have revealed many mechanistic links between microscale events, such as Ca
2+
binding to a channel protein, and macroscale phenomena, such as excitation–contraction coupling gain. Here, we review experimentally based multiscale computational models of excitation–contraction coupling and the insights that have been gained through their application.
Alternans and Arrhythmias
Authors: Weiss James N. , Nivala Michael , Garfinkel Alan , Qu Zhilin
Published: January 2011

The goal of systems biology is to relate events at the molecular level to more integrated scales from organelle to cell, tissue, and living organism. Here, we review how normal and abnormal excitation–contraction coupling properties emerge from the protein scale, where behaviors are dominated by randomness, to the cell and tissue scales, where heart has to beat with reliable regularity for a lifetime. Beginning with the fundamental unit of excitation–contraction coupling, the couplon where L-type Ca channels in the sarcolemmal membrane adjoin ryanodine receptors in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane, we show how a network of couplons with 3 basic properties (random activation, refractoriness, and recruitment) produces the classic physiological properties of excitation–contraction coupling and, under pathophysiological conditions, leads to Ca alternans and Ca waves. Moving to the tissue scale, we discuss how cellular Ca alternans and Ca waves promote both reentrant and focal arrhythmias in the heart. Throughout, we emphasize the qualitatively novel properties that emerge at each new scale of integration.
Whole-Heart Modeling
Authors: Trayanova Natalia A.
Published: January 2011

Recent developments in cardiac simulation have rendered the heart the most highly integrated example of a virtual organ. We are on the brink of a revolution in cardiac research, one in which computational modeling of proteins, cells, tissues, and the organ permit linking genomic and proteomic information to the integrated organ behavior, in the quest for a quantitative understanding of the functioning of the heart in health and disease. The goal of this review is to assess the existing state-of-the-art in whole-heart modeling and the plethora of its applications in cardiac research. General whole-heart modeling approaches are presented, and the applications of whole-heart models in cardiac electrophysiology and electromechanics research are reviewed. The article showcases the contributions that whole-heart modeling and simulation have made to our understanding of the functioning of the heart. A summary of the future developments envisioned for the field of cardiac simulation and modeling is also presented. Biophysically based computational modeling of the heart, applied to human heart physiology and the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease, has the potential to dramatically change 21st century cardiac research and the field of cardiology.
Assessment of a New Anemometry System for the Met Office’s Moored Buoy Network
Authors: Turton Jon , Pethica Charlie
Published: January 2011

Since the late 1980s the Met Office has operated a network of Marine Automatic Weather Stations (MAWS) around the United Kingdom. The network includes a number of instrumented moored buoys, which are mainly in exposed open-ocean locations. The anemometry is usually the first component to degrade or fail, often after 6–9 months at sea. Because the buoys are normally serviced on an annual basis, there is a need for a more durable wind system. This paper presents results from the initial deployments of a new anemometry system based on the Gill WindSonic on some of the Met Office’s moored buoys, where the new wind system has been deployed alongside a conventional cup-and-vane system for comparison. The results suggest that the new wind system has shown no evidence of deterioration in its measurement accuracy, even after 8–11 months at sea. However, there is evidence of degradation in the quality of the wind data from the collocated cup-and-vane system. As a result, the new wind system will be deployed across the network to improve wind measurement reliability.
Rapid Estimation of Column-Averaged CO2 Concentration Using a Correlation Algorithm
Authors: Polonsky Igor , O’Brien D. M.
Published: January 2011

Measurement of XCO2, the column-averaged mole fraction of CO2, using reflected sunlight in the near-infrared bands of CO2, is strongly influenced by photons that are scattered in the atmosphere because scattering can either decrease or increase the mean pathlength compared with the direct path from the sun to the surface to the satellite. A very simple algorithm that can be used to compensate for the errors introduced by scattering is presented. The algorithm is based on the observation that the apparent optical path differences in selected pairs of channels in the weak CO2 band at 1.6 μm and the O2 A band at 0.76 μm are tightly correlated for large ensembles of scattering atmospheres. The number of tightly correlated pairs of channels is many hundreds for the bands measured by NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO). The physical reasons for the correlation are that the mean photon pathlengths are comparable for the members of each pair of channels, and that the extinction profiles vary similarly with height. For atmospheres with modest scattering optical thickness (less than 0.3), the slope and the intercept of the linear correlation for any pair depends weakly on the surface reflectance, the surface pressure, and the viewing geometry. Through numerical simulations the slope and intercept may be parameterized simply in terms of these variables. Thereafter, the task of retrieving XCO2 from measured spectra may be reduced to linear interpolation in precomputed tables of slopes and intercepts. Results with simulated data for NASA’s OCO satellite are presented, and random errors and biases are investigated. Although OCO did not reach orbit, the method is applicable to any instrument that operates using similar principles [such as those on the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the replacement satellite OCO-2].
Community Radiative Transfer Model for Stratospheric Sounding Unit
Authors: Chen Yong , Han Yong , Liu Quanhua , Van Delst Paul , Weng Fuzhong
Published: January 2011

To better use the Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU) data for reanalysis and climate studies, issues associated with the fast radiative transfer (RT) model for SSU have recently been revisited and the results have been implemented into the Community Radiative Transfer Model version 2. This study revealed that the spectral resolution for the sensor’s spectral response functions (SRFs) calculations is very important, especially for channel 3. A low spectral resolution SRF results, on average, in 0.6-K brightness temperature (BT) errors for that channel. The variations of the SRFs due to the CO2 cell pressure variations have been taken into account. The atmospheric transmittance coefficients of the fast RT model for the Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS)-N, NOAA-6, NOAA-7, NOAA-8, NOAA-9, NOAA-11, and NOAA-14 have been generated with CO2 and O3 as variable gases. It is shown that the BT difference between the fast RT model and line-by-line model is less than 0.1 K, but the fast RT model is at least two orders of magnitude faster. The SSU measurements agree well with the simulations that are based on the atmospheric profiles from the Earth Observing System Aura Microwave Limb Sounding product and the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry on the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite. The impact of the CO2 cell pressures shift for SSU has been evaluated by using the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA) model profiles. It is shown that the impacts can be on an order of 1 K, especially for SSU NOAA-7 channel 2. There are large brightness temperature gaps between observation and model simulation using the available cell pressures for NOAA-7 channel 2 after June 1983. Linear fittings of this channel’s cell pressures based on previous cell leaking behaviors have been studied, and results show that the new cell pressures are reasonable. The improved SSU fast model can be applied for reanalysis of the observations. It can also be used to address two important corrections in deriving trends from SSU measurements: CO2 cell leaking correction and atmospheric CO2 concentration correction.
An Extensive Comparison of Commercial Pyrheliometers under a Wide Range of Routine Observing Conditions
Authors: Michalsky Joseph , Dutton Ellsworth G. , Nelson Donald , Wendell James , Wilcox Stephen , Andreas Afshin , Gotseff Peter , Myers Daryl , Reda Ibrahim , Stoffel Thomas , Behrens Klaus , Carlund Thomas , Finsterle Wolfgang , Halliwell David
Published: January 2011

In the most comprehensive pyrheliometer comparison known to date, 33 instruments were deployed to measure direct normal solar radiation over a 10-month period in Golden, Colorado. The goal was to determine their performance relative to four electrical-substitution cavity radiometers that were calibrated against the World Radiometric Reference (WRR) that is maintained at the World Radiation Center in Davos, Switzerland. Because of intermittent cabling problems with one of the cavity radiometers, the average of three windowed, electrical-substitution cavity radiometers served as the reference irradiance for 29 test instruments during the 10-month study. To keep the size of this work manageable, comparisons are limited to stable sunny conditions, passing clouds, calm and windy conditions, and hot and cold temperatures. Other variables could have been analyzed, or the conditions analyzed could have employed higher resolution. A more complete study should be possible now that the instruments are identified; note that this analysis was performed without any knowledge on the part of the analyst of the instruments’ manufacturers or models. Apart from the windowed cavities that provided the best measurements, two categories of performance emerged during the comparison. All instruments exceeded expectations in that they measured with lower uncertainties than the manufacturers’ own specifications. Operational 95% uncertainties for the three classes of instruments, which include the uncertainties of the open cavities used for calibration, were about 0.5%, 0.8%, and 1.4%. The open cavities that were used for calibration of all pyrheliometers have an estimated 95% uncertainty of 0.4%–0.45%, which includes the conservative estimate of 0.3% uncertainty for the WRR.
Probabilistic Precipitation Forecast Skill as a Function of Ensemble Size and Spatial Scale in a Convection-Allowing Ensemble
Authors: Clark Adam J. , Kain John S. , Stensrud David J. , Xue Ming , Kong Fanyou , Coniglio Michael C. , Thomas Kevin W. , Wang Yunheng , Brewster Keith , Gao Jidong , Wang Xuguang , Weiss Steven J. , Du Jun
Published: January 2011

Probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts (PQPFs) from the storm-scale ensemble forecast system run by the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms during the spring of 2009 are evaluated using area under the relative operating characteristic curve (ROC area). ROC area, which measures discriminating ability, is examined for ensemble size n from 1 to 17 members and for spatial scales ranging from 4 to 200 km.

Expectedly, incremental gains in skill decrease with increasing n. Significance tests comparing ROC areas for each n to those of the full 17-member ensemble revealed that more members are required to reach statistically indistinguishable PQPF skill relative to the full ensemble as forecast lead time increases and spatial scale decreases. These results appear to reflect the broadening of the forecast probability distribution function (PDF) of future atmospheric states associated with decreasing spatial scale and increasing forecast lead time. They also illustrate that efficient allocation of computing resources for convection-allowing ensembles requires careful consideration of spatial scale and forecast length desired.
Favorable Conditions for the Development of a Heavy Rainfall Event over Oahu during the 2006 Wet Period
Authors: Tu Chuan-Chi , Chen Yi-Leng
Published: January 2011

During the 2006 wet period, as eastward-moving transient disturbances passed through a semipermanent low pressure system west of Hawaii, southerly winds east of the low strengthened bringing in higher than usual amounts of moisture from the deep tropics to Hawaii. All five heavy rainfall episodes during the wet period occurred during a southerly wind regime. Favorable conditions for the development of the Kahala Mall flood case on 31 March 2006 are examined. A high low-level θe axis across Hawaii indicated the existence of convective instability over Hawaii. A transient midlatitude trough extending southward merged with the semipermanent subtropical trough. The tropopause folding associated with the deepening subtropical trough contributed to the spinup of the Kona low. The advection of high-PV air in the upper troposphere enhanced upward motion downstream over Hawaii. The Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) simulation shows that latent heat release contributed to an eastward shift of the moisture tongue and enhanced moisture convergence at low levels. The horizontal distributions of instability indices, especially the K index, from WRF modeling can provide useful forecast guidance for the development of heavy rainfall. On 31 March, heavy rainfall occurred on the lee side of the Ko’olau Mountain Range with maximum rainfall at the summit as a convective line followed by an intense storm moved inland along the south shore and continued to advance northward through the range. As the convective cells moved across the mountain range, radar echoes intensified with deeper echo tops and higher vertically integrated liquid water content.
An Organizational Self-Care Model: Practical Suggestions for Development and Implementation
Authors: Maltzman Sara
Published: January 2011

Research has documented the negative effects of secondary exposure to trauma across a spectrum of professional and nonprofessional caregivers, including spouses of combat veterans, disaster first responders, mental health professionals, and other medical and social service personnel. Investigators have documented organizational factors that may contribute to these negative effects and have called for organizations to address the self-care needs of their staff. However, implementation of an organizational self-care model has not been described previously in the literature. This article describes a qualitative practice experience related to the implementation of a self-care model within a large social services organization. The goal is to stimulate further research in refining theory and interventions from a scientist-practitioner perspective.
Changing Light Bulbs: Practice, Motivation, and Autonomy
Authors: Carter Jean A.
Published: January 2011

The comment on the Ryan, Lynch, Vansteenkiste, and Deci (2011) article on motivation and autonomy in psychotherapy considers motivation and its role as prerequisite, process variable, or appropriate outcome, speculating that all are appropriate ways to conceptualize motivation in the behavior change process. Autonomy, as a useful addition, refers to the locus of causality and, when included with motivation and phenomenal source, implies a valence and hierarchy to theoretical perspectives on psychotherapy. Finally, some ideas concerning a multidimensional perspective on relevant factors in psychotherapy may serve to stimulate additional thought for both practitioners and researchers.
Mistakes about Preferences in the Social Sciences
Authors: Hausman Daniel M.
Published: January 2011

Preferences are the central notion in mainstream economic theory, yet economists say little about what preferences are. This article argues that preferences in mainstream positive economics are comparative evaluations with respect to everything relevant to value or choice, and it argues against three mistaken views of preferences: (1) that they are matters of taste, concerning which rational assessment is inappropriate, (2) that preferences coincide with judgments of expected self-interested benefit, and (3) that preferences can be defined in terms of choices.
The origins of the City Business Library: An update
Authors: Humphreys Garry
Published: January 2011

The current financial climate is stimulating libraries and information services in all sectors to increase their relevance to their current and potential communities. Allan Foster, in this issue’s Initiatives column, reports on three successful adaptations being made by public libraries, including London’s City Business Library (CBL). Many of the public libraries servicing the business sector have long and distinguished origins which demonstrate a commitment to continued customer awareness and the opportunities provided by the changing published information supply chain. In this brief retrospective, Garry Humphreys brings us up to date with the key figures and initiatives that mark his 34 years employment at CBL, reminds us that it is people that make libraries successful, and acknowledges the key players.
Supporting economic development: The role of the Scottish Business Information Service
Authors: Ridley Maureen
Published: January 2011

This article outlines the development of the Scottish Business Information Service (SCOTBIS) at the National Library of Scotland over the last ten years. It emphasizes the move from traditional print-based resources to electronic databases to extend its reach within Scotland in line with the Library’s stated aim of widening access to the Library’s considerable resources to Scottish citizens. It also describes how SCOTBIS is working with other business information providers to offer a comprehensive collection of business resources to users.
Where next for information audit?
Authors: Griffiths Peter
Published: January 2011

Given the importance and potential value of Information Auditing (IA) to organizations it is essential that information professionals continue to develop and publicise the concept, share practice-based evidence on their experience, and report on the benefits and value of auditing. This article reminds us of important publications on IA and considers the two foremost approaches used — the library and information science approach and the financial audit approach. It suggests that both library and information science (LIS) professionals and financial audit professionals would benefit if work were now undertaken to combine their approaches into a single methodology. This view is influenced by the experience of other areas where information audits are now seen as useful tools — internal audit, records management, information security, competitor intelligence and knowledge management. The author is now undertaking further synthesis and practical work on the proposed convergence of methodologies; these will be reported on by this author and a co-author at a future point.
Knowledge management in a regional law firm: A worthwhile investment or time wasted?
Authors: Beaumont Jon
Published: January 2011

This article outlines the implementation of a Knowledge Management (KM) initiative at a regional law firm. The author uses his own experience as creator of the existing project to summarize: the role of individuals; the formation of a group tasked with improving KM; and planning the overall direction of the initiative. The difficulty of implementing successful KM at a law firm is examined along with resulting issues, remedies and achievements.
From triviality to business tool: The case of Twitter in library and information services delivery
Authors: Loudon Lynn , Hall Hazel
Published: January 2011

This article evaluates microblogging in general, and Twitter in particular, as a professional tool in library and information services provision. It draws on the findings of a study completed in 2010 based on survey and interview responses from over 300 librarian participants.
Information anywhere, any when: The role of the smartphone
Authors: White Martin
Published: January 2011

Smartphones offer users immediate access to both published information and also to enterprise systems such as intranets. The global availability of broadband mobile networks and the power of software-enabled applications are likely to transform the delivery of information to the business, legal and research communities. Despite the technical advances that smartphones have made, there are still user-interface limitations that need to be addressed. Apple, Google, Microsoft and Nokia are just a few of the companies targeting a global market for location-independent access. In the near term publishers and users are going to have to support multiple software platforms and a range of business models, and work out how best to capitalize on the capability to provide location-specific information.
Be where the conversations are: The critical importance of social media
Authors: Bradley Phil
Published: January 2011

Your personal or organizational website is no longer the single source of information available online. It is now vital that we pay attention to the increasing availability and use of social media. We must at least be listening to the conversations that are happening across all social media. Ideally however, we should be engaging in these conversations. This article considers how social media have become important for businesses and suggests easy ways in which we can become involved.
Keeping knowledge flowing in a downturn: Actions for knowledge and information managers
Authors: Ward Sandra , Wooler Ian
Published: January 2011

A knowledge rich or knowledge enabled organization is one in which knowledge flows — through creation, sharing, transfer and retention activities — seamlessly from the parts that have it, to the parts that need it. Any restriction or blockage to the flow of knowledge can cause partial or total failure of the organizational system. Equally, any restriction or blockage to the flow of knowledge within an organization’s supply chain, including its business partnerships and relationships with others, can cause a partial or total failure of the organizational environment in which it operates. Knowledge is the lifeblood of an organization and knowledge and information managers have a key role to play in keeping knowledge flowing, used and retained in their organizations. This role is particularly important during difficult economic times. The impact of budget cuts, office closures, voluntary and compulsory redundancies, falling demand and reductions in bank lending can each have unintended consequences, including acting as barriers — the restrictions or blockages — to the flow of knowledge. This article identifies some of these barriers and highlights the knowledge transfer and retention actions that knowledge and information managers should consider to avoid knowledge loss and keep knowledge flowing in their organizations during a downturn.
Leadership and union militancy: The case of the RMT
Authors: Darlington Ralph
Published: January 2011

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), which represents the majority of mainline railway and London Underground workers, is currently one of the most militant and left-wing trade unions in Britain. Drawing on the study of leadership provided by mobilisation theory, this article explores the extent to which union leadership, dominated by left-wing activists at every level of the union, has been an important contributory catalyst, symptom and beneficiary of union militancy relative to other influencing factors such as the impact of privatisation, managerial belligerence, and immediate grievances over pay and conditions.
Arthur on money and exchange
Authors: Sekine Thomas T.
Published: January 2011

Uno’s reformulation of Marx’s value-form theory has not been correctly understood. In highlighting the process of the emergence of money from the value expression of the commodity, not from commodity exchanges, it makes the first important step towards releasing economic theory from its bourgeois confines. In responding to Arthur’s critique of the Uno School, here Sekine stresses the importance of distinguishing the supplier’s value expression of the commodity from its demanders’ measurement of value, in the light of which he shows that the passage from expanded to general value form, whether by Marx or by Arthur, makes no economic sense.
From Okishio to Marx through dialectics
Authors: Carchedi Guglielmo
Published: January 2011

The law of the tendential fall in the profit rate provides the basis for a Marxist critique not only of neoliberalism but also of Keynesian anti-crises policies. This article argues that Okishio’s critique of the law, far from providing the definitive proof of its inconsistency, is undermined by a logical inconsistency and is based on the replacement of Marx’s notion of labour as value creating with conventional economics’ notion of labour as a cost. Further, the article introduces and uses dialectical logic to show that the law is both internally consistent and determinate.
Sympathy for the teacher: Labour law and transgressive workers’ collective action in British Columbia, 2005
Authors: Camfield David
Published: January 2011

Since the 1940s, unions in Canada have been shaped by a distinctive mode of legal and administrative regulation, one of whose features is the prohibition of sympathy strikes. In October 2005, the British Columbia Teachers Federation struck and, unusually, was supported by sympathy strike action. This article conceptualises Canadian labour law theoretically in terms of the political administration of society by capitalist state power and then examines the sympathy strikes, the conditions that made them possible, and their effects, significance and implications for the working-class movement in Canada and beyond.
Neoliberalism and knowledge interests in boundaryless careers discourse
Authors: Roper Juliet , Ganesh Shiv , Inkson Kerr
Published: January 2011

Decades of critical research have established that economic and political ideologies permeate and shape thought, text and action, and academic knowledge production is no exception. This article examines how ideologies might permeate academic texts, by assessing the reach and influence of neoliberalism in research on boundaryless careers. Specifically, it asks: did the emergence and growth of scholarship on boundaryless careers support, challenge, or merely run parallel to the rising dominance of neoliberal ideology? It was found that a diversity of knowledge interests, including managerial, agentic, curatorial and critical interests underlie the production of research on boundaryless careers. However, all four of these knowledge interests are complicit in discursively constructing and aligning the notion of boundaryless careers with neoliberalism in two specific ways. Implications for scholarship on careers and work are discussed.
Female part-time managers: networks and career mobility
Authors: Durbin Susan , Tomlinson Jennifer
Published: January 2011

The promotional prospects, career mobility and networking experiences of 16 female part-time managers are explored in this article. It attempts to explain the labour market position of female part-time managers, comparing their employment experiences, career progression and networking while working full and part-time. The majority had successful career histories while full-time but these careers stalled once a transition to part-time work was made. Many voiced frustration with their employment prospects in terms of mobility and promotion, which were limited given the perceived lack of quality jobs at managerial level in the external labour market. There was recognition that networking had made an important contribution to career progression but for most women, the transition into part-time employment meant that opportunities to network decreased due to time constraints.
Employee responses to ‘high performance work system’ practices: an empirical test of the disciplined worker thesis
Authors: Harley Bill , Sargent Leisa , Allen Belinda
Published: January 2011

This article considers the possibility that ‘high performance work system’ (HPWS) practices generate positive outcomes for employees by meeting their interests (specifically their interest in an orderly and predictable working environment). Utilising survey data on employees working in the Australian aged-care industry, statistical analysis is used to test the mediating effect of order and predictability on associations between HPWS practices and employee experience of work. The results suggest that positive outcomes arise in part because HPWS practices contribute to workplace order and predictability. In explaining this finding, the article highlights the importance of contextual factors, notably industry and employee characteristics, in shaping outcomes. The article concludes that socio-logically oriented analyses which apprehend the importance of employee interests provide a useful supplement to conventional psychologically oriented accounts of HPWS and provide a basis for continued development of labour process theory.
Making a difference? The use (and abuse) of diversity management at the UK’s elite law firms
Authors: Ashley Louise
Published: January 2011

The UK’s elite law firms have recently seen a shift from talking about equality of opportunity alone to the adoption of a diversity discourse as well. This article examines this transition for what it can tell us about the value of diversity strategies as a means for widening access to the corporate legal profession on the basis of social class, focusing on five elite law firms based in the City of London. A number of studies have demonstrated how cultural practices within the legal sector maintain exclusionary mechanisms based on class. There has been less attention to how this is sustained within an amended institutional framework which outwardly ‘celebrates’ difference. This research suggests that though diversity strategies do little to change organisational cultures, those that recognise both the depth of professional prejudice within the sector and the reality of educational inequality across the UK may prove relatively progressive nonetheless.
Making the connections: bringing skill formation into global value chain analysis
Authors: Ramirez Paulina , Rainbird Helen
Published: January 2011

The concept of global value chains (GVCs) has been developed to explore the changing nature of the insertion of economies in global production and distribution processes. This literature contributes to the understanding of how globalisation can lead to the upgrading of capabilities of firms and countries as a result of knowledge flows within global networks but does not provide insights into processes of skill formation that to a large degree determine how firms and countries are inser ted into the global economy. The authors argue that perspectives on national social institutional systems need to be incorporated into the analysis of GVCs so that their implications for upgrading and skills development in different economies and nodes of the value chain can be understood, making connections across these discrete areas of debate and analysis, across disciplinary boundaries, and with research conducted in different parts of the world.
Working at McDonalds: some redeeming features of McJobs
Authors: Gould Anthony M
Published: January 2011

Within much critical research literature, fast-food jobs are presented as offering few employee advantages. Indeed the disparaging term ‘McJob’ has come to describe low-skill, low-pay, dead-end, routine service industry employment in general. In contrast, there is employer-oriented literature that portrays fast-food jobs more positively and even presents them as beneficial for the workforce. This study analyses survey data from a sample of Australian McDonald’s outlets to determine employee and employer experiences and attitudes towards these so-called McJobs. Findings indicate that employees view their jobs as consisting of repeatedly doing a limited range of non-complex tasks whereas managers perceive aspects of the job more positively. Evidence is presented that fast-food jobs offer human resource advantages, potential career opportunities and, for some, desirable forms of work organisation. These findings suggest that the current, dominant portrayal of McJobs is inaccurate, with the reality more nuanced.
Early career consequences of temporary employment in Germany and the UK
Authors: Gebel Michael
Published: January 2011

This article investigates the effects of temporary employment at labour market entry on subsequent individual careers, drawing on data from the British Household Panel Study (BHPS) and the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) from the period 1991 to 2007. The results show that German temporarily employed entrants suffer from higher initial wage penalties and risks of temporary employment cycles but that all differences compared to entrants with permanent contracts diminish after five years. The integration scenario works more effectively in the UK, where disadvantages are less pronounced and employment losses are primarily related to further education. Moreover, these tendencies vary by education groups and gender. Disadvantages of initial temporary employment are weaker for women in Germany, while gender differences in the UK apparently have less impact. Across borders, temporary contracts are associated with greater initial but vanishing wage penalties and temporary employment cycles for tertiary graduates.
The shackled runner: time to rethink positive discrimination?
Authors: Noon Mike
Published: January 2011

This article argues a case for reconsidering positive discrimination as a viable and necessary policy intervention to speed up the progression to equality in the workplace. It provides counter-arguments to the four main objections to positive discrimination: the failure to select the ‘best’ candidate, the undermining of meritocracy, the negative impact on the beneficiaries and the injustice of reverse discrimination. It concludes that positive discrimination provides the necessary structural conditions in order for radical, transformative change towards equality to take place.
Banks, bailouts and bonuses: a personal account of working in Halifax Bank of Scotland during the financial crisis
Authors: Ellis Vaughan , Taylor Margaret
Published: January 2011

This article presents a first hand account of the financial crisis by ‘Margaret Taylor’, a union activist within HBOS. Overviewing more than twenty years’ experience in the sector, Margaret highlights three types of change under way since the 1990s that she sees as antecedents of the present crisis: the shift from traditional pay structures to individualised, performance based pay; the entry of retail giants geared to aggressive marketing and maximising market share; and technological innovation which facilitated workforce deskilling. The testimony deepens our understanding of a significant, contemporary event and consistent with the aims of oral history, which influenced the interviewer’s approach, provides a glimpse into the lives of those who generally do not, or cannot record their stories.
Design of Shaped Piezoelectric Modal Sensor for a Type of Non-Uniform Beams Using Adomian-Modified Decomposition Method
Authors: Mao Qibo , Pietrzko Stanislaw
Published: January 2011

In this article, a solution to the problem of finding the shape of piezoelectric modal sensors for a non-uniform beam with continuously exponential varying width under general boundary conditions is proposed using the Adomian modified decomposition method (AMDM). A general expression for designing the shape of a piezoelectric modal sensor is presented, in which the output signal of the designed sensor is proportional to the response of the target mode. Other modes are filtered out. The modal sensor shape is expressed as a linear function of the second spatial derivative of the structural mode shape function and the beam width function. Based on the AMDM and employing some simple mathematical operations, the closed-form series solution of the second spatial derivative of the mode shapes can be determined. Then, the shapes of the designed modal sensors are obtained. Finally, several numerical examples are given to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed modal sensors with various boundary conditions.
Self-monitoring Properties of Concrete Columns with Embedded Cement-based Strain Sensors
Authors: Xiao Huigang , Li Hui , Ou Jinping
Published: January 2011

Cement-based strain sensors (CBCC sensor) were fabricated by taking the advantage of piezoresistivity of CB-filled CBCC. CBCC sensors were centrally embedded into concrete columns (made with C40 and C80 concretes, respectively) to monitor the strain of the columns under cyclic load and monotonic load by measuring the resistance of CBCC sensors. The comparison between the monitored results of CBCC sensors and that of traditional displacement transducers indicates that CBCC sensors have good strain-sensing abilities. Meanwhile, CBCC sensors exhibit different failure modes that break later than C40 concrete columns, but a little earlier than C80 concrete columns. Therefore, the strength-matching principle between embedded CBCC sensors and concrete columns is proposed in this article to guarantee the sensing capacity of CBCC sensors in various concrete structures. The analytical results agree well with the experimental phenomena.
Profiling 40 Years of Research in Simulation & Gaming
Authors: Bragge Johanna , Thavikulwat Precha , Töyli Juuso
Published: January 2011

The authors apply the research profiling method to review all the research that has been published in Simulation & Gaming since the journal’s inauguration in 1970. The data include 2,096 articles, of which 1,046 are research articles. The authors identify the prolific authors and their institutional affiliations. They tally referenced articles, title phrases, and descriptors. They find that the most prolific authors neither engage in more work division nor author more conventional thinking articles than less prolific authors and that the 51 prolific authors fall into 7 to 11 clusters.
Serious Games, Debriefing, and Simulation/Gaming as a Discipline
Authors: Crookall David
Published: January 2011

At the close of the 40th Anniversary Symposium of S&G, this editorial offers some thoughts on a few important themes related to simulation/gaming. These are development of the field, the notion of serious games, the importance of debriefing, the need for research, and the emergence of a discipline. I suggest that the serious gaming community has much to offer the discipline of simulation/gaming and that debriefing is vital both for learning and for establishing simulation/gaming as a discipline.
Perceptions About Hospice From a Community-Based Pilot Study
Authors: Dussen Daniel Van , Culler Krystal L. , Cagle John G.
Published: January 2011

Research investigating the knowledge and attitudes of diverse older adults about hospice care and end-of-life issues is needed to expand service utilization. This pilot study explored an urban area’s perceptions and awareness of hospice through local churches. The sample consisted of 148 adults age 43 and older. Although recruitment efforts resulted in a relatively homogenous sample, findings suggest a lack of knowledge about whether hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. Perceptions of the expense of hospice, however, were not associated with knowledge of coverage. Respondents generally agreed that hospice is important and would recommend its services for their family members.
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory
Authors: Miller Matthew J. , Kim Jungeun , Chen Grace A. , Alvarez Alvin N.
Published: January 2011

The authors conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory (AARRSI) to further examine the underlying factor structure in a total sample of 1,273 Asian American participants. In the first step of analysis, an exploratory factor analysis with 651 participants yielded a 13-item two-factor solution to the data. In the second step, a confirmatory factor analysis with 622 participants supported both the 13-item two-factor model and the original 29-item three-factor model in the cross-validation sample and generational and ethnicity analyses. The two-factor and three-factor models produced internal consistency estimates ranging from .81 to .95. In addition, the authors examined convergent and criterion related evidence for 13-item and 29-item versions of the AARRSI. Given its brief nature and generally good fit across generational status and ethnicity, the authors suggest that the 13-item AARRSI might be advantageous for research and assessment endeavors.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the WAIS-IV/WMS-IV
Authors: Holdnack James A. , Xiaobin Zhou  , Larrabee Glenn J. , Millis Scott R. , Salthouse Timothy A.
Published: January 2011

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—fourth edition (WAIS-IV) and the Wechsler Memory Scale—fourth edition (WMS-IV) were co-developed to be used individually or as a combined battery of tests. The independent factor structure of each of the tests has been identified; however, the combined factor structure has yet to be determined. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the WAIS-IV/WMS-IV Adult battery (i.e., age 16-69 years) co-norming sample ( n = 900) to test 13 measurement models. The results indicated that two models fit the data equally well. One model is a seven-factor solution without a hierarchical general ability factor: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Processing Speed, Auditory Working Memory, Visual Working Memory, Auditory Memory, and Visual Memory. The second model is a five-factor model composed of Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Processing Speed, Working Memory, and Memory with a hierarchical general ability factor. Interpretative implications for each model are discussed.