bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New species of Lepidocyrtus Bourlet and Entomobrya Rondani (Collembola: Entomobryoidea: Entomobryidae) from Brazil
Authors: BELLINI BRUNO C. , CIPOLA NIKOLAS G. , GODEIRO NERIVÂNIA N.
Published: October 2015

The taxonomic comprehension of Brazilian entomobryids had several contributions during the last decade, but the absence of detailed chaetotaxic schemes to most of endemic species difficult identifications and probably hides undescribed species in surveys across the country. Herein we describe two new species of the family and provide detailed dorsal chaetotaxy of them, in hope to guide future identifications and descriptions within the genera in Brazil and Neotropical Region. Lepidocyrtus sotoi sp. nov. is possibly more related to L. biphasis due to the lack of antennal and leg scales, but presents a unique dorsal head chaetotaxy among the Neotropical species of the genus. Entomobrya bahiana sp. nov. presents an uncommon color pattern and dorsal chaetotaxy in Th. II–III, Abd. II and IV when compared to other Entomobrya spp. from Neotropical Region.
A redescription of Chaetonotus (Primochaetus) veronicae Kånneby, 2013 (Gastrotricha: Chaetonotidae)
Authors: KÅNNEBY TOBIAS
Published: October 2015

Gastrotricha are microscopic metazoan animals common to both freshwater and marine environments. A re-examination of Chaetonotus (Primochaetus) veronicae Kånneby, 2013, described from northern Sweden, revealed an important diagnostic character (bifurcated spines) that had been overlooked in the original description (Kånneby 2013).
On the Quantification of Atmospheric Rivers Precipitation from Space: Composite Assessments and Case Studies over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean and the Western United States
Authors: Behrangi Ali , Guan Bin , Neiman Paul J. , Schreier Mathias , Lambrigtsen Bjorn
Published: October 2015

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are often associated with extreme precipitation, which can lead to flooding or alleviate droughts. A decade (2003–12) of landfalling ARs impacting the North American west coast (between 32.5° and 52.5°N) is collected to assess the skill of five commonly used satellite-based precipitation products [T3B42, T3B42 real-time (T3B42RT), CPC morphing technique (CMORPH), PERSIANN, and PERSIANN–Cloud Classification System (CCS)] in capturing ARs’ precipitation rate and pattern. AR detection was carried out using a database containing twice-daily satellite-based integrated water vapor composite observations. It was found that satellite products are more consistent over ocean than land and often significantly underestimate precipitation rate over land compared to ground observations. Incorrect detection of precipitation from IR-based methods is prevalent over snow and ice surfaces where microwave estimates often show underestimation or missing data. Bias adjustment using ground observation is found very effective to improve satellite products, but it also raises concern regarding near-real-time applicability of satellite products for ARs. The analysis using individual case studies (6–8 January and 13–14 October 2009) and an ensemble of AR events suggests that further advancement in capturing orographic precipitation and precipitation over cold and frozen surfaces is needed to more reliably quantify AR precipitation from space.
The South China Sea Monsoon Experiment—Boundary Layer Height (SCSMEX-BLH): Experimental Design and Preliminary Results
Authors: Huang Huijun , Mao Weikang
Published: October 2015

Knowing the relationship between local convective precipitation and boundary layer processes is critical for forecasting rainstorms. For the South China Sea area, such a forecast is particularly important during the monsoon season. During such a season, the authors examined the boundary layer features at three sites as part of the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment—Boundary Layer Height (SCSMEX-BLH) experiment. The sites are spread from inland to over sea along a 43.4-km line. Here the authors analyze SCSMEX-BLH data from an intensive observing period that includes a convectively suppressed (inactive) period, a period influenced by a tropical storm, and a convectively active monsoon period. Some preliminary findings include the following: 1) The absorption of shortwave radiation over the sea is the primary driver of the land–sea temperature difference. The difference produces a diurnal variation below 400 m, with a warmer surface layer over the coast at night. 2) In the inactive and storm periods, the sensible heat flux is larger than that in the active period, whereas in the active period, the heat flux (primarily latent heat flux) over sea is significant. Also in the active period, the depth of the mixed layer inland is smaller than that in other periods, but the depth on the coast is always higher than that in other periods. 3) In the active period at night, as a monsoon vapor surge advects horizontally over the warm sea surface, a large latent heat flux driven by strong winds aids the growth of marine cumulus, which eventually develop into inland cumulonimbus bringing inland rainfall.
“Snow Scenes”: Exploring the Role of Memory and Place in Commemorating Extreme Winters
Authors: Hall Alexander , Endfield Georgina
Published: October 2015

Scholars are increasingly focusing on the cultural dimensions of climate, addressing how individuals construct their understanding of climate through local weather. Research often focuses on the importance of widespread conceptualizations of mundane everyday weather, although attention has also been paid to extreme weather events and their potential effect on popular understandings of local climate.

This paper introduces the “Snow Scenes” project, which aimed to engage rural communities in Cumbria, England, with their memories of extreme and severe past winter conditions in the region. Collating memories across a wide demographic, using a variety of methods, individual memories were analyzed alongside meteorological and historical records.

By exploring these memories and their associated artifacts, this paper aims to better understand the role of memory and place in commemorating extreme winters. First, it is demonstrated how national narratives of exceptional winters are used by individuals as benchmarks against which to gauge conditions. Second, this paper identifies how specific locations and landmarks help to place memories and are shown to be important anchors for individuals’ understanding of their climate. Third, the paper considers how memories of severe winters are often nostalgic in their outlook, with a strong association between snowy winters, childhood, and childhood places. Fourth, it is illustrated how such events are regularly connected to important personal or familial milestones. Finally, the paper reflects on how these local-level experiences of historical extreme events may be central to the shaping of popular understandings of climate and also, by extension, climate change.
Discourse over a contested technology on Twitter: A case study of hydraulic fracturing
Authors: Hopke Jill E. , Simis Molly
Published: October 2015

High-volume hydraulic fracturing, a drilling simulation technique commonly referred to as “fracking,” is a contested technology. In this article, we explore discourse over hydraulic fracturing and the shale industry on the social media platform Twitter during a period of heightened public contention regarding the application of the technology. We study the relative prominence of negative messaging about shale development in relation to pro-shale messaging on Twitter across five hashtags (#fracking, #globalfrackdown, #natgas, #shale, and #shalegas). We analyze the top actors tweeting using the #fracking hashtag and receiving @mentions with the hashtag. Results show statistically significant differences in the sentiment about hydraulic fracturing and shale development across the five hashtags. In addition, results show that the discourse on the main contested hashtag #fracking is dominated by activists, both individual activists and organizations. The highest proportion of tweeters, those posting messages using the hashtag #fracking, were individual activists, while the highest proportion of @mention references went to activist organizations.
Yarn Purchase at AmTex
Authors: Ahmad M. Ghufran
Published: October 2015

Yarn purchase at AmTex is a two-party, single issue, distributive negotiation case exercise. A buyer and seller of blue heather cotton yarn are required to negotiate the purchase of a lot of 1,000 bags of yarn. Only the price needs to be negotiated. Both parties are under a deadline and need to quickly make the deal. Alternatives are available to each party. The buyer and the seller represent their respective organizations and both are responsible for making the most profitable deal for their organizations.

This case exercise illustrates how to use bargaining techniques in a distributive negotiation setting in which negotiators are primarily concerned about claiming the maximum possible value through the deal. This exercise is well-suited to introduce the fundamental frameworks and techniques of negotiation, and may be used as the first case exercise in a course on negotiation skills.
Outcomes of Bone Grafting of Bone Cysts After Total Ankle Arthroplasty
Authors: Gross Christopher E. , Huh Jeannie , Green Cynthia , Shah Samit , DeOrio James K. , Easley Mark , Nunley James A.
Published: October 2015

Background:

The operative treatment of bone cysts after total ankle replacements (TAR) is not well described. Bone cysts may cause component migration, implant failure, and pain. Surgery is performed on cysts with the goals of reducing pain and preventing component failure.

Methods:

We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of 726 primary TARs performed between January 1998 and May 2013 and identified those who had a subsequent bone cyst grafting procedure. We identified cyst location and method of treatment. Clinical outcomes including secondary procedures, infection rate, complications, and failure rate were recorded. Thirty-one patients were treated with a total of 33 operative procedures for bone cysts after TAR. Of these patients, 22 (71.0%) were males with an average age of 62.2 and median follow-up 65.9 months.

Results:

Intraoperatively, 22 tibial cysts (71.0%), 20 talar cysts (64.5%), 5 fibular cysts (16.1%), and 13 multiple cysts (41.9%) were treated. Allograft was used in 25 procedures (75.8%), calcium phosphate in 4 (12.1%), cement in 3 (9.1%), and autograft in 1 (3.0%). These procedures were supplemented by calcaneus autograft, allograft mixed with mesenchymal stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-2, and demineralized bone matrix. There were no infections or wound complications. Of the 27 subjects with a successful second surgery, the success rate for bone grafting of cysts was 90.9% (95% CI: 50.8, 98.7%) at 24 months and 60.6% (95% CI: 25.1%, 83.4%) at 48 months. One patient needed a repeat bone grafting. The 4 failures observed postprocedure resulted in 3 tibial and talar component revisions, and 1 tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fusion.

Conclusions:

Grafting bone cysts without revision of TAR was in general an effective and safe means for treating patients with peri-prosthetic bone cysts. Treatment with grafting and supplemental materials may improve implant survivorship and might improve the structural support surrounding the implant. Further exploration of the etiology of bone cysts may aid in the prevention and treatment of cystic formation in the TAR.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, case series.
Plant species introduced by foreigners according to folk tradition in Norway and some other European countries: xenophobic tales or not?
Authors: Alm Torbjørn
Published: October 2015

Background

In their quest to understand and interpret nature, people have frequently sought religious or divine origins for plant species and their characteristics. Less often, historical events or persons are involved. This study comprises eleven cases of the latter kind, all claiming that plant species have been introduced by foreigners or at least from foreign lands.

Methods

Based on literature data and a few cases recorded during my own ethnobotanical field work, eleven European examples of pseudo-historical plant origins are presented here, including Cakile maritima, Cicuta virosa, Lathyrus japonicus, Leymus arenarius, Primula vulgaris, and Scopolia carniolica in Norway, Heracleum mantegazzianum and/or H. persicum in Denmark, Phoenix dactylifera and P. theophrastii in Greece, and Jacobaea vulgaris in Scotland.

Results

The only common trait in these stories is that foreigner or at least foreign lands are claimed as sources of the plant species. In most cases, the “historical” explanations given in folk tradition are demonstrably at odds with reality. In those cases that involve poisonous or potentially harmful species (Cicuta virosa, Heracleum mantegazzianum and/or H. persicum, Jacobaea vulgaris), or the “useless” Phoenix theophrastii, with its inedible fruits, the stories may be interpreted as xenophobic, blaming foreigners for introducing dangerous or worthless species. The remaining examples merely suggest a search for exotic and seemingly rational, if erroneous, origins for plant species and stands that people considered strange and unusual.

Conclusion

The spreading vectors assumed in folk tradition are correct and well documented, e.g. ship cargos (including goods and packing materials), which are responsible for introducing ballast plants and other anthropochores, and wartime activities, introducing a broad range of species (polemochores). They do not, however, apply to the species included in this study, which are either indigenous plants or introduced ornamentals. The foreigners appearing in the folk tales serve mostly as suitably exotic explanations for what is perceived “alien” plants.
Erratum to: The association between periodontal disease and metabolic syndrome among outpatients with diabetes in Jordan
Authors: Alhabashneh Rola , Khader Yousef , Herra Zaid , Asa’ad Farah
Published: October 2015

The original version of this article [1] unfortunately contained a mistake. The spelling of Farah Asa’ad’s name was incorrect. The original article has also been updated to reflect this change.
Diabetes care among elderly medicare beneficiaries with Parkinson’s disease and diabetes
Authors: Bhattacharjee Sandipan , Sambamoorthi Usha
Published: October 2015

Background

Elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) suffer from several comorbidities, which affect their health outcomes, as well as process of care. This study assessed process and intermediate clinical outcomes of diabetes care among elderly individuals with T2DM and co-occurring Parkinson’s disease(PD).

Methods

This study used a retrospective cohort design with propensity score matching using Humana Medicare Advantage Part D claims database (2007-2011) and included elderly (age ≥ 65 years) Medicare beneficiaries with T2DM (identified by ICD-9-CM code of 250.x0 or 250.x2). PD was identified using ICD-9-CM code of 332.xx. After propensity score matching there were 2,703 individuals with T2DM and PD and 8,109 with T2DM and no PD. The three processes of care measures used in this study included: (i) HbA1c test; (ii) Lipid test; (iii) and Nephropathy screening. Intermediate clinical outcomes consisted of glycemic and lipid control.

Results

Multivariable conditional logistic regressions revealed that elderly individuals with T2DM and PD were 12 % (AOR: 0.88, 95 %CI: 0.79-0.97) and 18 % (AOR: 0.82, 95 %CI: 0.72-0.94) less likely to meet the annual American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended HbA1c and lipid testing goals respectively compared to individuals with T2DM and no PD. Multinomial conditional logistic regressions showed that elderly individuals with T2DM and PD were more likely to have HbA1c and lipid (HbA1c < 8 %; LDL-C <100 mg/dl; HDL-C ≥ 50 mg/dl; triglyceride <150 mg/dl; and total cholesterol <200 mg/dl) control.

Conclusions

Among elderly individuals with T2DM, those with PD were less likely to achieve ADA recommended annual HbA1c and lipid testing compared to those without PD. However, PD individuals were more likely to achieve intermediate glycemic and lipid control.
Complete genome sequence of Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius C56-YS93, a novel biomass degrader isolated from obsidian hot spring in Yellowstone National Park
Authors: Brumm Phillip J. , Land Miriam L. , Mead David A.
Published: October 2015

Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius C56-YS93 was one of several thermophilic organisms isolated from Obsidian Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Montana, USA under permit from the National Park Service. Comparison of 16 S rRNA sequences confirmed the classification of the strain as a G. thermoglucosidasius species. The genome was sequenced, assembled, and annotated by the DOE Joint Genome Institute and deposited at the NCBI in December 2011 (CP002835). The genome of G. thermoglucosidasius C56-YS93 consists of one circular chromosome of 3,893,306 bp and two circular plasmids of 80,849 and 19,638 bp and an average G + C content of 43.93 %. G. thermoglucosidasius C56-YS93 possesses a xylan degradation cluster not found in the other G. thermoglucosidasius sequenced strains. This cluster appears to be related to the xylan degradation cluster found in G. stearothermophilus. G. thermoglucosidasius C56-YS93 possesses two plasmids not found in the other two strains. One plasmid contains a novel gene cluster coding for proteins involved in proline degradation and metabolism, the other contains a collection of mostly hypothetical proteins.
Unilateral uveitis, cataract and retinal detachment following low-voltage electrical injury
Authors: Duman Rahmi , Çevik Sadık Görkem , Tüfekçi Ayşe
Published: October 2015

A 39-year-old woman presented with a gradual worsening of vision in the right eye 1 month after a low-voltage household electrical injury. A slit-lamp examination showed non-granulomatous anterior uveitis with nuclear cataract and an ultrasound examination also showed total retinal detachment. In this letter, we present a rare complication of electrical injury demonstrated as unilateral uveitis, cataract and retinal detachment in a 39-year-old woman.
Building a valid structural model in a triangle zone: An example from the Neuquén fold and thrust belt, Argentina
Authors: Zamora-Valcarce Gonzalo , Zapata Tomás
Published: October 2015

Structural modeling and systematic analysis are necessary in complex areas even before seismic interpretation. Seismic data in these zones usually show poor-quality images of the geologic elements. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the available information (e.g., seismic, previous wells, and surface geology) is needed to build a comprehensive structural model to constrain the seismic interpretation. Although a restorable structural cross section is not necessarily the unique solution, it is a valid interpretation to begin with, which can be tested against additional information. As an example, a structural profile interpretation in the Agrio fold and thrust belt of the Neuquén Basin, northeastern Argentina, is presented and described as invalid on the basis of several unrestorable geometric components. This led to the reevaluation of the structure to understand its possible exploratory potential. Integration of different data such as regional structural styles inferred fault trajectories from seismic reflection termination patterns, synorogenic deposit geometries in seismic, and surface geology, dipmeter data to identify the presence and location of fault position and vergence of the fold axis, and a kinematic forward model, resulted in a new restorable structural model. The new interpretation proposes a “broken triangle zone” framed by two opposite surface anticlines with the same detachment level, later faulted by a basement fault. The interpreted model suggests at least two phases of deformation (1) a thin-skinned phase with the two opposite anticlines sharing the same detachment level that is responsible for about 80% of the shortening and (2) a thick-skinned phase from an east-verging basement fault, transporting the western anticline and crosscutting the eastern anticline, that is responsible for 20% of the shortening and the synorogenic deposits at the frontal region. This new interpretation defined a new exploration prospect drilled by a wildcat well, which validated the interpretation and model predictions.
Magnetic properties of soils in a designated Natura area (GR4310010, Giouchtas Mountain)
Authors: Kokinou Eleni
Published: October 2015

The magnetic behavior of the geologic formations around the Giouchtas or Juchtas Mountain (Mt.) in Central Crete, Greece, has been studied. The magnetic parameters (magnetic susceptibility [MS] and temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility) of 160 surface soil samples were interpreted based on available information (e.g., topographic, geologic, and historical) for the area of study. The soil samples have been collected from the low- and high-elevation regions of Giouchtas Mt. The low-elevation region, surrounding a north–south asymmetric ridge (strongly affected by the tectonic activity), is mainly covered by Miocene and recent sediments, whereas the high-elevation region is dominated by limestones. Differences in the spatial distribution of the MS and the thermomagnetic behavior of the soil samples indicated the strong influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on the geologic formations.
Next Generation Science Standards: Preparing students for careers in energy-related fields
Authors: Wysession Michael W.
Published: October 2015

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represent a new approach to teaching K-12 science education that involves the interweaving of three educational dimensions: science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Unlike most preexisting state science standards for public education, these new standards focus on what students can do and not on what they have memorized. The NGSS were motivated by the awareness within business and industry of the great need for better education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to meet future workforce demands for a global economy that is shifting toward higher technology levels. The Next Generation Science Standards were the result of an effort led by states, with 26 participating states involved in the writing. So far, the standards have been adopted in full by 14 states and the District of Columbia and have been adopted in part by several additional states and a large number of school districts in other states. The NGSS have an increased focus on human-relevant content areas, including the geosciences. Implementation of the standards will provide students with the skills, understanding, and appreciation to better prepare them for careers in energy industries.
Thinking critically about the student-to-professional transition: Alignment of skills qualifications of geoscience master's students with current workforce employment
Authors: Houlton Heather R.
Published: October 2015

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the Association of American Geographers (AAG) were awarded support from the National Science Foundation (NSF grant #1202707) to investigate non-Ph.D. preparatory master's degree programs in geology and geography. The study sought to understand students' experiences in their graduate programs, their career decisions, and how prepared they are in technical and nontechnical competencies. Faculty members and students from non-Ph.D.-granting geology and geography programs responded to an online Likert-style survey. Students responded directly to questions regarding their own experiences and preparation, whereas faculty members reported data on their previous and current master's students. Responses were compared with the trends in the careers of nonacademic professionals and their preparation in the same sets of skills. In addition, the study investigated how important those competencies are to the current positions of nonacademic professionals. Comparing the amount of preparation that students receive in their degree programs to how important those competencies are in the workplace allows researchers to determine whether the skills and competencies developed in master's programs adequately reflect geoscience workforce demands.
Taking stock and looking forward
Authors: Dunlop Johana , Abusalbi Najib , Harris Paula McCann
Published: October 2015

Education systems are the engine rooms of sustainable economic development, generating the essential skills on which wider social progress rests. However, in many countries, and increasingly in developing economies, educational standards are detrimentally low. This is rarely considered a humanitarian crisis, even though it is a root cause of youth unemployment and the multiplicity of destructive social and economic forces that stem from it. The world over, governments are responsible for schools and universities, and it is a truism to say that education is in the interest of all stakeholders. The right to learn and deploy our brains to the greater good is a powerful human motivator.
Application of amplitude volume technique attributes, their variations, and impact
Authors: Vernengo Luis , Trinchero Eduardo
Published: October 2015

The use of interpretation tools to help define a more accurate model of a study requires not only the acquired knowledge of the area and its context but also good criteria to select the attributes and processes to be applied and combined during analysis. The basic amplitude volume technique (AVT) attribute enables a wide range of possibilities of representation, interpretation, and analysis, and it forms the basis of the calculation flow to obtain an attribute variant with higher-frequency content meta-attributes along with a visualization as variants of the AVT.
URTeC showcases integration
Authors: Sparkman Gene
Published: October 2015

The third Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC), held in July 2015 in San Antonio, Texas, proved to be a successful meeting in spite of the current industry downturn caused by the drop in the price of oil and gas. The technical program continues to evolve toward the integrated exchange of experiences that is the targeted objective of this annual conference. Although there was a drop- off in attendance from the initial conferences, which were held during a more favorable economic climate, the presentations were well attended. The emphasis toward the integrated team approach gave valuable information for the attendees to take back and incorporate into their approach to develop unconventional reservoirs.
State of the Net
Authors: Swiney Mick
Published: October 2015

Traditionally, SEG has been active on e-mail — and it's no wonder, since we're active in every other respect as well, whether by organizing meetings and conferences all over the world, providing educational resources to scientists of all levels, or issuing publications that encourage discourse and keep the geosciences evolving. We organize humanitarian efforts, provide governance, develop young minds, coordinate volunteers — and everything we do uses electronic communication to reach our tens of thousands of members and stakeholders across the globe.
SEAM Update
Authors: Fehler Michael
Published: October 2015

In the July issue of The Leading Edge, we discussed the approach we are taking for the development of the geophysical model for the SEAM Pore Pressure Prediction project. We will use the SEAM Phase I model and modify it to include realistic pore-pressure scenarios. To do this, we will use basin simulation to obtain estimates of pore pressures within the model that are caused by various mechanisms that generate pore pressure. To better understand how various input parameters to basin simulation impact the resulting pore pressure as a function of location of position predicted by the model and ultimately the geophysical model, SEAM will issue a request for bids for 2D basin simulation, followed by application of appropriate rock physics to develop both pore pressure and seismic models. By initially conducting 2D simulations, we hope we can investigate how several parameters influence the resulting models. For example, how does the inclusion of clay transition impact the resulting models? Other parameter ranges that we wish to explore include the relation between stress and porosity and the relation between porosity and permeability. We also wish to explore how subdividing the rock types into various groupings influences the final pore-pressure model.
Signals
Authors: Slob Evert
Published: October 2015

Signals are letters to the editor submitted by readers of The Leading Edge.
GEMMs as preclinical models for testing pancreatic cancer therapies
Authors: Gopinathan Aarthi , Morton Jennifer P. , Jodrell Duncan I. , Sansom Owen J.
Published: October 2015

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common form of pancreatic tumour, with a very limited survival rate and currently no available disease-modifying treatments. Despite recent advances in the production of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), the development of new therapies for pancreatic cancer is still hampered by a lack of reliable and predictive preclinical animal models for this disease. Preclinical models are vitally important for assessing therapies in the first stages of the drug development pipeline, prior to their transition to the clinical arena. GEMMs carry mutations in genes that are associated with specific human diseases and they can thus accurately mimic the genetic, phenotypic and physiological aspects of human pathologies. Here, we discuss different GEMMs of human pancreatic cancer, with a focus on the Lox-Stop-Lox (LSL)-KrasG12D; LSL-Trp53R172H; Pdx1-cre (KPC) model, one of the most widely used preclinical models for this disease. We describe its application in preclinical research, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages, its potential for predicting clinical outcomes in humans and the factors that can affect such outcomes, and, finally, future developments that could advance the discovery of new therapies for pancreatic cancer.
From bench to patient: model systems in drug discovery
Authors: Breyer Matthew D. , Look A. Thomas , Cifra Alessandra
Published: October 2015

Model systems, including laboratory animals, microorganisms, and cell- and tissue-based systems, are central to the discovery and development of new and better drugs for the treatment of human disease. In this issue, Disease Models & Mechanisms launches a Special Collection that illustrates the contribution of model systems to drug discovery and optimisation across multiple disease areas. This collection includes reviews, Editorials, interviews with leading scientists with a foot in both academia and industry, and original research articles reporting new and important insights into disease therapeutics. This Editorial provides a summary of the collection's current contents, highlighting the impact of multiple model systems in moving new discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patients' bedsides.
Performance Efficiency of an Educational Establishment: Criteria, Indicators, Forecasts
Authors: Yeryemina Olga
Published: October 2015

Legal basis of the assessment system efficiency of the educational institutions founded by the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” and the Federal Law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on an Independent Assessment of the Quality of Service Delivery Organizations in the Sphere of Culture, Social Services, Health and Education”. It has developed an extensive practice of regional, municipal and local regulatory evaluation of the effectiveness of educational organizations. As a result, educational institutions are closely monitored both by the founder — the state authorities at federal, regional and municipal levels, and by society — consumers of educational services. Approved by the extensive list of criteria, the performance indicators of educational organizations. In addition, it introduced several types of evaluation procedures: assessment of the effectiveness of the educational organization, carried out by the founder, independent evaluation of the quality of education, self-examination, monitoring the effectiveness of educational organizations. Each of these assessment procedures contains a certain number of performance indicators of the educational organization. The author analyzes the figures approved for the purpose of determining an effective way of educational organization on the basis of existing regulatory reality.
Design of Consumer Review Systems and Product Pricing
Authors: Jiang Yabing , Guo Hong
Published: October 2015

Consumer review systems have become an important marketing communication tool through which consumers share and learn product information. Although there is abundant evidence that consumer reviews have a significant impact on product sales, the design of consumer review systems and its impact on review outcomes and product sales have not yet been well examined. This paper analyzes firms’ review system design and product pricing strategies. We formally model two review system design decisions—what rating scale cardinality to use and whether to offer granular review reports. We show that firms’ optimal design and pricing strategies critically depend on contextual characteristics such as product valuation, product mainstream level, and consumer misfit cost. Our results suggest that it is beneficial to host a review system only when the product valuation is higher than a threshold. Furthermore, firms should choose low rating scale cardinality for niche products and high rating scale cardinality for mainstream products. When consumers’ misfit cost is relatively high, including granular reports in the review system enables firms to attract the favorable consumer segment. Different pricing strategies should be deployed during the initial sale period for different product types. For niche products, firms are advised to adopt lower-bound pricing for high-quality products to take advantage of the positive word of mouth. For mainstream products, firms are advised to adopt upper-bound pricing for high-quality products to enjoy the direct profit from the initial sale period, even after taking into account the negative impact of high price on consumer reviews.
Practice Prize Winner—ECO: Entega’s Profitable New Customer Acquisition on Online Price Comparison Sites
Authors: Natter Martin , Ozimec Ana-Marija , Kim Ju-Young
Published: October 2015

Market liberalization of the German household electricity market has led to an excessive number of competitors (1,150 electricity providers) and volatile price dynamics on price comparison sites. To date, providers that are struggling to achieve a top ranking on price comparison sites do not appear to implement a consistent or elaborate strategy for attracting customers. We developed a pricing tool, Electricity Contract Optimization (ECO), that addresses this highly competitive market situation by integrating various available data sources, such as data from price comparison sites, demographic data, and regional sales or cost data. ECO sets regionally varying one-time bonuses to attract new customers on price comparison sites with the goal of optimizing sales and profit targets or optimally allocating sales budgets. Based on two field experiments, we demonstrate that ECO’s optimization procedure reduces ENTEGA yearly sales costs for new customer business, on average, by 35% relative to previously used pricing heuristics. ENTEGA uses ECO monthly to analyze different scenarios or to set prices and one-time bonuses on price comparison sites.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2015.0943 .
Competitive Threats, Constraint, and Contagion in the Multiunit Firm
Authors: Natividad Gabriel , Sorenson Olav
Published: October 2015

Do unexpected events experienced by one line of business adversely affect other lines of business in diversified firms? We use fine-grained data on the film industry in the United States to show that such contagion frequently occurs when a distributor opens a film in theaters and concurrently releases an older title to home video: Being exposed to a competitive threat—a period of unexpected volatility—in the theatrical market at the time of a film opening leads the distributor to suffer a loss in sales on the concurrent home video release. Further analysis revealed that managers responded to these competitive threats by intensifying the advertising and promotion of their films in theaters, suggesting that they diverted resources and attention away from home video. Our results therefore suggest that the effects of unexpected events do spread across lines of businesses within firms and consequently that resource constraints may limit the ability of firms to engage effectively in multiple markets.
Knowledge Sharing in Online Communities: Learning to Cross Geographic and Hierarchical Boundaries
Authors: Hwang Elina H. , Singh Param Vir , Argote Linda
Published: October 2015

Many organizations have launched online knowledge-exchanging communities to promote knowledge sharing among their employees. We empirically examine the dynamics of knowledge sharing in an organization-hosted knowledge forum. Although previous researchers have suggested that geographic and social boundaries disappear online, we hypothesize that they remain because participants prefer to share knowledge with others who share similar attributes, as a result of the challenges involved in knowledge sharing in an online community. Further, we propose that as participants acquire experience in exchanging knowledge, they learn to rely more on expertise similarity and less on categorical similarities, such as location or hierarchical status. As a result, boundaries based on categorical attributes are expected to weaken, and boundaries based on expertise are expected to strengthen, as participants gain experience in the online community. Empirical support for this argument is obtained from analyzing a longitudinal data set of an internal online knowledge community at a large multinational information technology consulting firm.
Anticipatory Work: How the Need to Represent Knowledge Across Boundaries Shapes Work Practices Within Them
Authors: Barley William C.
Published: October 2015

Representations, such as graphs and images, have been shown to help facilitate communication and coordination across knowledge boundaries. Many studies examine representations’ effects during and after interaction, characterizing them as tools that help communicate local understandings with individuals who have differing knowledge. This study explores whether the anticipation of building representations to communicate across knowledge boundaries significantly shapes a community’s work. To explore this question, the study develops a theoretical framework that extends the concept of performativity and then presents ethnographic data from four weather research teams collaborating with different organizations to develop tailored forecasting technologies. Analysis reveals that researchers’ need to represent weather model outputs to their partners shaped the practices they used to produce those models. By uncovering the presence and influence of “anticipatory work,” the findings paint representations not as passive communicators of established knowledge but as catalysts that shape the form of routine work.
Portability and pedagogy: The bounded short stories in Stephen Marche’s Shining at the Bottom of the Sea
Authors: Gordon Neta
Published: October 2015

Beginning with a discussion of Ian Reid’s concept of the circumtext, as well as Gerard Genette’s idea of the paratext as ‘threshold,’ this article considers the matter of the short story’s potential for portability via an examination of Stephen Marche’s Shining at the Bottom of the Sea. Marche’s text highlights the tension between reading fiction ‘as fiction’ versus ‘as anthropological data,’ especially as that tension emerges in Canadian postcolonial literary studies about pedagogy. My aim is to examine Marche’s postmodern parody as a paradoxical challenge to the idea of the short-story collection as an ‘open book,’ a challenge that confronts the notion of history as discourse; as I will argue, the multiple histories emerging as sites of exploration in Shining at the Bottom of the Sea includes histories of political violence and struggle, histories of reading and teaching, and histories of genre.
Incarceration, focalization and narration: Adapting the two selves in ‘Boys and Girls’1
Authors: Ue Tom
Published: October 2015

Criticism on Alice Munro has neglected many adaptations of her writing. This article offers a corrective by examining Don McBrearty’s 25-minute short film ‘Boys and Girls’ (1983), based on the story of the same title. In this article, I explore how Munro’s treatment of metanarration and her preoccupation with issues of perspective – as revealed, for instance, by the story’s gestures towards its being focalized from the perspective of an unnamed, first-person narrator and that it is relayed to us in retrospect – are imbricated in the narrative structure of McBrearty’s adaptation. I begin by exploring Munro’s concerns about narration and gender before examining McBrearty’s project and analysing how it not only replicates but also offers a fresh perspective on the short story.
‘The voice is the guide to the experience as well as the experience itself’: An interview with non zero one
Authors: Thomaidis Konstantinos , Butcher Sarah
Published: October 2015

Since 2009, non zero one – a London-based collective of artists with a background and interest in theatre but working across media and performance disciplines – has devised a series of unexpected, challenging but also light-hearted and inviting experiences of immersion. Whilst embracing a variety of techniques and contemporary media, one of the key features of the company’s work is the exploration of audience interaction through the use of headphones, typically in promenade and/ or site-specific performance contexts. Following a first section that questions the role of voice in (theatrical) sonic immersion, the text unfolds as a dialogue between practitioner-scholar Konstantinos Thomaidis and non zero one artist and theatre director Sarah Butcher. The interview lends an attentive ear to the role of voice in the company’s work, from pre-recorded instruction to live audio interaction.
Challenging the norm? International election accompaniment in Nicaragua and Venezuela
Authors: Mcconnel Shelley , Mccoy Jennifer , Mccarthy Michael
Published: October 2015

International election monitoring has been touted as a regional norm in the Western hemisphere, but recent reforms in Venezuela and Nicaragua substituted a diminished international role of electoral accompaniment. This article traces the initial acceptance and later limitation of international election monitoring in those countries to explore whether the change constitutes norm localization or norm defection. It concludes that the norm is not as well institutionalized in the hemisphere as conventionally thought, and that models need to assess together national and international monitoring capacities.
Integridad en las elecciones de América 2012-2014
Authors: Martínez I Coma Ferran , Norris Pippa , Frank Richard W.
Published: October 2015

La región lleva celebrando elecciones competitivas en los últimos años. Pero, ¿se han celebrado todas las contiendas con la misma integridad electoral? Si ha habido problemas, ¿cuáles son? ¿Hay problemas comunes a la región o son parecidos a los del resto del mundo? ¿Se observa algún patrón en las elecciones? ¿Cómo lo sabemos? ¿Bajo qué enfoque metodológico podemos responder estas preguntas? En este artículo, presentamos los resultados de la primera encuesta de expertos sobre percepciones de integridad electoral a escala global, pero con atención especial a América.
El fortalecimiento de la democracia en Brasil y los retos de la observación electoral
Authors: Sousa Braga Maria do Socorro , Acuña Chaverri Iván Anselmo
Published: October 2015

Las preguntas que motivan este artículo son dos: ¿por qué parte de los países de la región adoptaron esta práctica y otros no? ¿Qué explica la ausencia de este procedimiento de observación internacional en la actual democracia brasileña? Nuestra hipótesis es que a mayor calidad de la competencia democrática, o sea, mayor transparencia de las reglas del juego, legitimidad de los partidos, la clase política y la oposición, y mayor la adhesión y satisfacción de la sociedad con el régimen democrático, menor la incidencia de la observación internacional de las elecciones. Esto es así porque en aquellos países más críticos con el funcionamiento de sus instituciones democráticas debería existir mayor incidencia de la observación internacional, lo que podría contribuir a producir equilibrio entre los competidores.
Application Of The Work Breakdown Structure In Determining Cost Buffers In Construction Schedules
Authors: Połoński M.
Published: October 2015

The paper presents methods of determining the location of cost buffers and corresponding contingency costs in the CPM schedule based on its work breakdown structure. Application of correctly located cost buffers with appropriately established reserve costs is justified by the common overrunning of scheduled costs in construction projects. Interpolated cost buffers (CB) as separate tasks have been combined with relevant summary tasks by the start–to–start (SS) relationship, whereas the time of their execution has been dynamically connected with the time of accomplishment of particular summary tasks using the “paste connection” option. Besides cost buffers linked with the group of tasks assigned to summary tasks, a definition of the cost buffer for the entire project (PCB) has been proposed, i.e. as one initial task of the entire project. Contingency costs corresponding to these buffers, depending on the data that the planner has at his disposal, can be determined using different methods, but always depend on the costs of all tasks protected by each buffer. The paper presents an exemplary schedule for a facility and the method of determining locations and cost for buffers CB and PCB, as well as their influence on the course of the curve illustrating the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS). The proposed solution has been adjusted and presented with consideration of the possibilities created by the scheduling software MS Project, though its general assumptions may be implemented with application of other similar specialist tools.