bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Securing the City: Private Security Companies and Non-State Authority in Global Governance
Authors: Abrahamsen Rita , Williams Michael C.
Published: May 2007

The past decade has witnessed a remarkable expansion and globalisation of the private security sector. These developments mark the emergence of public—private, global—local security networks that play increasingly important roles in global governance. Rather than representing a simple retreat of the state, security privatisation is a part of broad processes in which the role of the state — and the nature and locus of authority — is being transformed and rearticulated. Often presented as apolitical, as the mere effect of market forces and moves towards greater efficiency in service delivery, the authority conferred on private actors can alter the political landscape and in the case of private security has clear implications for who is secured and how. The operation and impact of public/private, global/local security networks is explored in the context of security provision in Cape Town, South Africa.
Pharmacokinetics, Tolerability, and Safety of ACP‐103 Following Single or Multiple Oral Dose Administration in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Vanover Kimberly E. , Robbins‐Weilert Doris , Wilbraham Darren G. , Mant Timothy G. K. , van Kammen Daniel P. , Davis Robert E. , Weiner David M.
Published: May 2007

The pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of ACP‐103, a selective serotonin 5‐HT2A receptor inverse agonist, were evaluated in 2 double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, dose escalation studies in healthy male volunteers. Pharmacokinetic sampling was measured up to 216 hours after single oral/nasogastric doses of ACP‐103 and after the last dose of once‐daily oral administration of ACP‐103 for 14 days. Single doses of ACP‐103 (20–300 mg) resulted in dose‐proportionate mean Cmax values (9–152 ng/mL) and AUC0–∞ (706–10 798 h·ng/mL), and multiple doses (50–150 mg) resulted in dose‐proportionate mean Cmax, ss (93–248 ng/mL) and AUC0–∞,ss (1839–4680 h·ng/mL). The half‐life of ACP‐103 was approximately 55 hours, with a tmax at 6 hours. ACP‐103 was well tolerated at single doses up to and including 300 mg and multiple doses up to 100 mg once daily for 14 days.
Phase I Safety and Pharmacokinetic Study of Magnesium Isoglycyrrhizinate After Single and Multiple Intravenous Doses in Chinese Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Sun Ms Li , Shen Ms Jinfang , Pang Ms Xiaoyun , Lu Lungen , Mao Yimin , Zeng Minde
Published: May 2007

The safety and pharmacokinetics of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate were assessed in healthy Chinese volunteers. In the single‐dose format of this pharmacokinetic study, 100‐, 200‐, and 300‐mg doses of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate were given by intravenous infusion. The results indicated that the plasma levels were directly proportional to the administered dose, with the mean Cmax and AUC0–72 ranging from approximately 28.79 to 99.28 mg·L−1 and 448.68 to 1688.42 mg·h·L−1 over the dose range. In the multiple‐dose format of this pharmacokinetic study, 100 mg magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate was administrated once daily for 9 days. Moderate drug accumulation was noted, which was attributable to the drug's long terminal half‐life of 19 to 31 hours. The distribution and elimination rate of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate had no changes. It had a favorable pharmacokinetics and safety profile that enables the drug to be explored in future clinical studies that target patients with hepatic impairment.
Similarity in Pharmacokinetics of Oseltamivir and Oseltamivir Carboxylate in Japanese and Caucasian Subjects
Authors: Schentag Jerome J. , Hill George , Chu Tom , Rayner Craig R.
Published: May 2007

The pharmacokinetics of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate in healthy Japanese (n = 14) and Caucasian (n = 14) males were compared. Subjects in each ethnic group were randomized to twice‐daily oral oseltamivir 75 mg, 150 mg, or placebo for 13 doses. Oseltamivir was well tolerated across doses and ethnic groups. Oseltamivir was rapidly absorbed and hydrolyzed to oseltamivir carboxylate in all subjects. The mean plasma concentration—time profiles for oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate were similar in Japanese and Caucasian subjects. At steady state, there was no evidence of any ethnic difference in the individual AUC0–12 values for oseltamivir or oseltamivir carboxylate. Despite a significant difference in group mean body weight (approximately 20 kg) between the Japanese and Caucasian subjects, there was no evidence that dose‐adjusted AUC0–12 and Cmax for oseltamivir carboxylate were affected by body weight or ethnicity. Day 7 trough concentrations (Cmin) for oseltamivir carboxylate markedly exceeded the IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) against influenza A and B isolates. In conclusion, the results of this study support the use of the same dose regimens of oseltamivir in both Caucasian and Japanese subjects because of similarity in pharmacokinetics.
Effect of Aprepitant on the Pharmacokinetics of Intravenous Midazolam
Authors: Majumdar Anup K. , Yan Kerri X. , Selverian Diana V. , Barlas Suna , Constanzer Marvin , Dru James , McCrea Jacqueline B. , Ahmed Tuli , Frick Glen S. , Kraft Walter K. , Petty Kevin J. , Greenberg Howard E.
Published: May 2007

Oral aprepitant 125 mg, an antiemetic and a moderate inhibitor of the metabolism of oral midazolam, was assessed for interaction with intravenous midazolam in 12 subjects randomized to intravenous midazolam 2 mg ± oral aprepitant 125 mg. The hypothesis was that midazolam AUC would not change by more than 2‐fold (consistent with no more than weak inhibition) when midazolam + aprepitant was compared with midazolam alone. An AUC geometric mean ratio (midazolam + aprepitant/midazolam) with 90% confidence interval upper bound ≤2.0 (an increase in midazolam felt to be of modest clinical significance in the highly monitored perioperative period) was prespecified. Aprepitant increased intravenous midazolam AUC0–∞ 1.47‐fold (90% confidence interval, 1.36–1.59), which fell within the prespecified criterion.
Steady‐State Pharmacokinetics of Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Administered Alone and in Combination in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Blum M. Robert , Chittick Gregory E. , Begley John A. , Zong Jian
Published: May 2007

The approved antiretroviral drugs, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, were considered good candidates for a fixed‐dose combination product that could be administered as a single pill once daily (qd), thereby simplifying existing treatment regimens and promoting patient adherence. As both drugs are extensively renally eliminated, a randomized, 3‐way crossover study was conducted in 19 healthy volunteers to formally evaluate the potential pharmacokinetic interaction when the drugs are administered alone and together (ie, 200 mg emtricitabine qd for 7 days, 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate qd for 7 days, and 200 mg emtricitabine plus 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate qd for 7 days) with no washout between treatments. Steady‐state pharmacokinetic parameters (AUCτ, Cmax, and Cmin) of emtricitabine and tenofovir (as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) in combination were essentially equivalent versus each drug alone, providing a pharmacokinetic rationale for combining these products in emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate fixed‐dose tablets.
Abusive Supervision in Work Organizations: Review, Synthesis, and Research Agenda
Authors: Tepper Bennett J.
Published: May 2007

A growing literature explores abusive supervision, nonphysical forms of hostility perpetrated by managers against their direct reports. However, researchers have used different terminology to explore phenomena that overlap with abusive supervision, and extant research does not devolve from a unifying theoretical framework. These problems have the potential to undermine the development of knowledge in this important research domain. The author therefore provides a review of the literature that summarizes what is known about the antecedents and consequences of abusive supervision, provides the basis for an emergent model that integrates extant empirical work, and suggests directions for future research.
Emerging Positive Organizational Behavior
Authors: Luthans Fred , Youssef Carolyn M.
Published: May 2007

Although the value of positivity has been assumed over the years, only recently has it become a major focus area for theory building, research, and application in psychology and now organizational behavior. This review article examines, in turn, selected representative positive traits (Big Five personality, core self-evaluations, and character strengths and virtues), positive state-like psychological resource capacities (efficacy, hope, optimism, resiliency, and psychological capital), positive organizations (drawn from positive organization scholarship), and positive behaviors (organizational citizenship and courageous principled action). This review concludes with recommendations for future research and effective application.
Careers: Mobility, Embeddedness, and Success
Authors: Feldman Daniel C. , Ng Thomas W. H.
Published: May 2007

This article proposes refinements of the constructs of career mobility and career embeddedness and reviews the array of factors that have been found to energize (discourage) employees to change jobs, organizations, and/or occupations. The article also reviews the literature on career success and identifies which types of mobility (and embeddedness) are most likely to lead to objective career success (e.g., promotions) and subjective career success (e.g., career satisfaction). In the final section, the article revisits the utility of viewing careers as “boundaryless” and suggests alternative frameworks for future research on these topics.
Ain't Misbehavin: Workplace Deviance as Organizational Resistance
Authors: Lawrence Thomas B. , Robinson Sandra L.
Published: May 2007

Although organizational control and power are often designed to diminish workplace deviance, they also have the capacity to incite it. This is because enactments of power that confront organizational members in their daily work lives can create frustration that is expressed in acts of deviance. In this article, the authors examine why power provokes workplace deviance in organizations and, specifically, how types of power affect the form that workplace deviance takes.
Boundaries of the Firm: Insights From International Entry Mode Research
Authors: Brouthers Keith D. , Hennart Jean-François
Published: May 2007

Deciding on the boundaries of a firm as it expands abroad is a critical decision for managers. Despite the rapid growth in research addressing this issue, many questions remain unanswered. In this article, the authors review the international entry mode choice literature, identify weaknesses and shortcomings, and provide suggestions on how researchers can add to the knowledge of mode choice and help managers make better international boundary decisions.
Cross-National, Cross-Cultural Organizational Behavior Research: Advances, Gaps, and Recommendations
Authors: Tsui Anne S. , Nifadkar Sushil S. , Amy Yi Ou
Published: May 2007

The advent of the 21st century has witnessed an increasing interest in developing knowledge of international management to meet the needs of global business development. To take stock of the progress in organizational behavior research with national culture as the major explanatory variable, the authors analyzed 93 empirical studies published in the 16 leading management journals from 1996 to 2005. This analysis shows some advances but also identifies many gaps in both theory and methods. They offer seven recommendations to address these gaps and advance future research.
`Nuts and Bolts and People'
Authors: Faulkner Wendy
Published: May 2007

Engineers have two types of stories about what constitutes `real' engineering. In sociological terms, one is technicist, the other heterogeneous. How and where boundaries are drawn between `the technical' and `the social' in engineering identities and practices is a central concern for feminist technology studies, given the strong marking of sociality as feminine and technology as masculine. I explore these themes, drawing on ethnographic observations of building design engineering. This is a profoundly heterogeneous and networked engineering practice, which entails troubled boundary drawing and identities for the individuals involved — evident in interactions between engineers and architects, and among engineers, especially around management and design. Many engineers cleave to a technicist engineering identity, and even those who embrace the heterogeneous reality of their actual work oscillate between or straddle, not always comfortably, the two identities. There are complex gender tensions, as well as professional tensions, at work here — associated with distinct versions of hegemonic masculinity, with the technical/social dualism, and with what I call `gender in/authenticity' issues. I conclude that technicist engineering identities persist in part because they converge with (and perform) available masculinities, and that women's (perceived and felt) membership as `real' engineers is likely to be more fragile than men's. Engineering as a profession must foreground and celebrate the heterogeneity of engineering work. Improving the representation of women in engineering requires promoting more heterogeneous versions of gender as well as engineering.
Arthroscopic Capsulolabral Reconstruction of the Type VIII Superior Labrum Anterior Posterior Lesion
Authors: Seroyer Shane , Tejwani Samir G. , Bradley James P.
Published: May 2007

Background

A type VIII superior labrum anterior posterior lesion represents pathologic posteroinferior extension of a type II superior labrum anterior posterior lesion with injury to the insertion of the posterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament. No reports in the literature describe arthroscopic treatment of a type VIII superior labrum anterior posterior lesion and its associated glenohumeral instability.

Hypothesis

Arthroscopic capsulolabral reconstruction is effective in alleviating pain and restoring stability and function in athletes with glenohumeral instability due to the type VIII superior labrum anterior posterior lesion.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

From 2003 to 2006, 23 shoulders in 23 athletes were diagnosed with a type VIII superior labrum anterior posterior lesion by physical examination, magnetic resonance arthrography, and arthroscopy. All were treated with an arthroscopic capsulolabral reconstruction. Ten patients were involved in rehabilitation less than 9 months after surgery and were not included in this study. Thirteen remaining shoulders in 13 athletes with a mean age of 27.8 ± 10.9 years were analyzed at a mean follow-up of 24 months. Shoulders were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scoring system and standard subjective scales for stability, strength, function, and range of motion.

Results

Athletes most commonly participated in sport at the recreational level (n = 8), followed by collegiate (n = 3) and high school (n = 2). The most common activity was weight lifting (n = 4). Eight athletes (62%) participated in contact sports, most commonly football and wrestling. Two patients (15%) had a partial-thickness articular-sided supraspinatus tendon tear that was debrided at the time of surgery. Mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score improved from 51.4 to 90.0 (P < .001). There were significant improvements in stability, pain, function, and range of motion based on standardized subjective scales (P < .001). No shoulder required revision surgery for recurrent instability. All patients were able to return to sports, with 9 (69%) able to return to their highest level before surgery.

Conclusion

Arthroscopic capsulolabral reconstruction is an effective and reliable treatment for glenohumeral instability due to a type VIII superior labrum anterior posterior lesion in the contact, noncontact, and throwing athlete. Successful postoperative return to sport is a reasonable expectation.
Gender Differences in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury vary with Activity
Authors: Mountcastle Sally B. , Posner Matthew , Kragh John F. , Taylor Dean C.
Published: May 2007

Background

Previous studies have shown that women involved in similar activities as men are at increased risk for anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Hypothesis

The incidence rate of complete anterior cruciate ligament tears for men and women in our athletic, college-aged population is similar.

Study Design

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods

Students graduating in class years 1994 to 2003 at our institution who sustained complete anterior cruciate ligament tears were assessed for mechanism of injury and type of sport played at time of injury. We calculated the incidence proportion, an estimation of risk, by gender and class year, and the incidence proportion ratio comparing men and women by class year. We also calculated incidence rates by gender and type of sport played and incidence rate ratios comparing men and women.

Results

There were 353 anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the 10 classes studied. We found an overall, 4-year incidence proportion of 3.24 per 100 (95% confidence interval, 2.89-3.63) for men and 3.51 (95% confidence interval, 2.65-4.65) for women (incidence proportion ratio, 1.09 [95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.47]). The overall anterior cruciate ligament injury rate, excluding male-only sports, was significantly greater in women (incidence rate ratio, 1.51 [95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.21]). We found significantly greater injury rates among women in a gymnastics course (incidence rate ratio, 5.67 [95% confidence interval, 1.99-16.16]), indoor obstacle course test (incidence rate ratio, 3.72 [95% confidence interval, 1.25-11.10]), and basketball (incidence rate ratio, 2.42 [95% confidence interval, 1.05-5.59]).

Conclusion

We found little gender difference in the overall risk of an anterior cruciate ligament tear; however, there were gender differences in injury rates when specific sports and activities were compared and when male-only sports were removed from the overall rate assessment.
Shielding Effectiveness Evaluation of Metallized and Polypyrrole-coated Fabrics
Authors: Avloni Jamshid , Ouyang Meng , Florio Luca , Henn Arthur R. , Sparavigna Amelia
Published: May 2007

Materials for electromagnetic shielding are increasingly needed to protect electronic devices from interference problems and to avoid dangerous effects on human health due to electromagnetic radiation. Several shielding applications require solutions that textiles can suitably fulfill. Here the electromagnetic interference shielding of metallized, PPy-coated woven and non-woven polyester fabrics is provided in the frequency range 100—1000 MHz, measuring the insertion losses produced by these conductive fabrics in a dual TEM cell. From the insertion loss data, the shielding effectiveness, and the reflection and absorption coefficients are estimated.
Stress-focusing Effect in a Uniformly Heated Transversely Isotropic Piezoelectric Solid Sphere
Authors: Dai H.L. , Fu Y.M.
Published: May 2007

In this study, an analytical method is presented to solve the problem of thermoelectro-elastic transient response of transversely isotropic piezoelectric solid spheres subjected to thermal shock, mechanical load, and electric excitation. Exact expressions for the transient responses of stresses and electric potential in transversely isotropic piezoelectric solid spheres are obtained by means of Hankel transform and Laplace transform. Some numerical examples are carried out, and may be used as a reference to solve other dynamic coupled problems of thermoelectroelasticity.
Method for Modifying Mechanical Properties of Carbon Nano-fiber Polymeric Composites
Authors: Chirila V. , Marginean G. , Iclanzan T. , Merino C. , Brandl W.
Published: May 2007

Composites consisting of different quantities of vapor grown carbon nano-fibers (untreated and oxygen plasma treated) in a polypropylene matrix have been prepared using extrusion and injection molding technique. In order to increase the adhesion between fibers and polymer matrix, oxygen plasma treatment onto the carbon nano-fiber surface is applied. The graphitization degree, the electrical resistivity, the water contact angle, the surface energy, the morphology, and the structure of the carbon nano-fibers are characterized. The fiber—matrix interface and the fiber orientation and distribution in the composite are determined by scanning electron microscopy. Measurements of the mechanical properties show that the composites containing 5 wt% oxygen plasma treated fibers have a better tensile strength compared with composites containing 5 wt. % even 10 wt. % untreated fibers.
Role of Maleated Coupling Agents on the Interface Adhesion of Polypropylene—Wood Composites
Authors: Correa C.A. , Razzino C.A. , Hage E.
Published: May 2007

The main accomplishment of compounding wood-flour with thermoplastics is an increase in rigidity and specific strength. Filler—matrix interactions play a key role in the composite performance and the strength of the interface is determined by the nature of the coupling agents employed. The coupling efficiency of maleated polypropylene (PP-MAH) with varying MAH content and melt flow index in polypropylene—wood composites has been investigated. A method based on a simplified single rule of mixtures aiming to compare differences in interface adhesion in the presence of PP-MAH is proposed in terms of relaxation spectra of polypropylene—wood composites obtained by dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The criterion is an attempt to determine an adhesion factor as derived from the relative mechanical damping (tan δ) of the composite as a function of the filler content and temperature. Experimental results deviate from model predictions possibly owing to assumptions of wood-flour as a rigid filler as well as neglect of an interphase volume fraction and its damping characteristics. However, good correlations of coupling efficiency and yield properties have been found for wood composites with homopolymer and copolymer matrices within a range of varying wood-flour content and type of coupling agent. Further evidences of improved matrix—filler interactions, wettability, and filler dispersion in the presence of the PP-MAH are observed by scanning electron microscopy.
Deporting Radicals, Deporting La Migra
Authors: Maira Sunaina
Published: May 2007

This article will examine the nature of deportation as a logic that upholds state sovereignty and constructions of citizenship through technologies of exclusion, discipline, and `removal'. Regulations of immigrant populations by the state rely on notions of unwanted bodies that contaminate or threaten the national body politic and so must be cleansed from national territory. My research focuses on the impact of post-9/11 policies of surveillance, detention, and deportation of Muslim immigrants that were part of the US state's War on Terror and were bolstered by ideas of protecting `national security' from `internal' and `external' terrorist threats. The paranoia and nativism accompanying this siege mentality overlooks the ways in which deportation is, on the one hand, an economic policy of the neoliberal state that disciplines labor and depresses wages, and on the other, is also a political instrument for repressing movements that oppose US polices at home and abroad.
Scenes From the Last Yugoslav Generation
Authors: Volcic Zala
Published: May 2007

This article explores various aspects of how young Slovenian and Macedonian intellectuals, belonging to the last Yugoslav generation, articulate their (new) spaces of belonging and identity. I look at their Yugoslav memories and address a relatively straightforward question: how was the former Yugoslav community imagined, interpreted, represented, rejected, accepted and in what ways has this image of community been reappropriated and reimagined by the informants? From the narratives, my informants appear to identify with the former Yugoslavia as a multicultural space, a civic space that was based on a common socialist and pluralist culture, with its collective myths and rituals. However, as I suggest, Yugoslav identity starts to appear as a strange feeling of belonging, whereby that which has been familiar becomes suddenly and inexplicably alien. Furthermore, the concept of national identity seems to replicate and recycle the very supranational Yugoslav logics it wants to oppose.
Revisiting the subject librarian
Authors: Hardy Georgina , Corrall Sheila
Published: May 2007

The future of subject librarianship is being challenged by technological advances and funding pressures. Questionnaires were used to collect data about the roles, relationships and competencies of 32 subject/liaison librarians supporting three disciplines in UK universities. The survey showed that postholders were undertaking a wide range of activities, with academic liaison and information literacy teaching as central tasks. They had a variety of job titles and their roles demanded pedagogical and interpersonal abilities to complement their professional and technical skillsets. The study confirmed predictions of closer collaboration with academic colleagues and increased involvement in teaching. Communication is a key area, but formal mechanisms are less important than a proactive style and personal approach. Comparisons between diverse disciplines and institutional types found more similarities than differences, but revealed some distinctive features in the staffing and delivery of subject support for Law and differences of emphasis between old and new universities.
Differences in Living and Learning: Chinese International Students in New Zealand
Authors: Zhiheng Zhang  , Brunton Margaret
Published: May 2007

The international education market has developed rapidly throughout the Western world. Accordingly, Chinese students have become the largest group of international students studying in New Zealand. However, despite an increasing role that the Chinese market plays in sustaining the New Zealand education export industry, the education experience of Chinese students has not always been reported positively. The importance of this market to the educational sector gave rise to questions about the way in which Chinese international students perceived their New Zealand education and how satisfied they were with both their sociocultural and educational experiences. A study of 140 Chinese international students enrolled at a range of educational institutions in Auckland was undertaken. The results show that recognition of the influence of sociocultural factors beyond the learning experience itself is vital in facilitating mutually beneficial outcomes for Chinese international students and the international education industry in New Zealand.
How Culture Affects Female Inequality Across Countries: An Empirical Study
Authors: Hoi Yan Cheung  , Chan Alex W. H.
Published: May 2007

Many studies have commented that culture has an influence on gender inequality. However, few studies have provided data that could be used to investigate how culture actually influences female inequality. One of the aims of this study is to investigate whether Hofstede's cultural dimensions have an impact on female inequality in education in terms of female enrollment rates (at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels) in 53 different regions. Moreover, this study examines whether the enrollment rates can affect the career and income of women in the regions studied. Finally, this study also examines the relationships between Hofstede's cultural dimensions and the career opportunities and income of women. Data from the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report 2005 was used in this study, and the results show that individualism, power distance, and masculinity could significantly and strongly predict the educational enrollment rates, career, and income of women across the 53 regions.
Reflections on Nation: American Undergraduates and Education Abroad
Authors: Dolby Nadine
Published: May 2007

Study abroad is increasingly a key component of U.S. universities' efforts to both create and solidify their commitments to international education. This article specifically examines how American undergraduates negotiate their national identity in the context of studying abroad. Although universities often promote study abroad through paradigms that emphasize global awareness, national sentiments and identity are still fundamental elements of how Americans see and position themselves in the world, particularly in the post—September 11 context. Drawing on Craig Calhoun's scholarship on national identity, the author argues that students negotiate a middle path between what he terms a “thin” (cosmopolitan) and a “thick” (ethnocentric) sense of national identity. In conclusion, the author suggests that although global awareness is a broad and often nebulous pedagogical goal of study abroad, critical reflection on national identity is both obtainable and an important step toward global citizenship.
Declining Foreign Enrollment at Higher Education Institutions in the United States: A Research Note
Authors: Naidoo Vik
Published: May 2007

When the Institute of International Education reported a drop of 2.4% in international student enrollment in the United States in 2003/2004, the first absolute decline in foreign enrollments since 1971/1972 (Open Doors, 2004), many were quick to point fingers at visa policies instituted after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The “Visas Mantis” review—a security clearance required for foreign students studying any of roughly 200 scientific fields—was blamed for tarnishing the view of the United States as a welcoming place for international students. Although the review has certainly been the cause of increased visa delays and rejections, this article takes the view that it is not the only cause for the dip in foreign enrollments in the United States. Through econometric analyses, it is shown that other than the visa quagmires, improved access to domestic education opportunities and tuition fee increases can indeed explain the drop in foreign enrollments.
Top Management Team and Middle Managers
Authors: Raes Anneloes M. L. , Glunk Ursula , Heijltjes Mariëlle G. , Roe Robert A.
Published: May 2007

This study provides insight about the process of top management teams' (TMTs') sensemaking about leadership of middle managers—a process that has so far been neglected by researchers. In a longitudinal case study design, the authors analyzed observational data from 23 TMT meetings and transcripts from interviews with TMT members. Results indicate that TMT sensemaking consisted of images of middle managers, the TMT self-image, and reflection on action and action planning. Furthermore, the importance of TMT unity in actions toward middle managers is highlighted as an important aspect of TMT leadership. It is suggested to incorporate TMT sensemaking about leadership, as well as actual leadership actions toward middle managers, as processes for explaining how TMT composition influences organizational performance.
Deep Diversity and Strong Synergy
Authors: Larson James R.
Published: May 2007

A computational model is presented that explores the effect of diversity among members' problem-solving strategies on group problem-solving performance. The model is called ValSeek, after the value-seeking problems with which it is concerned. A value-seeking problem requires problem solvers to choose from a set of solution alternatives that vary in their underlying value. The goal is to discover the solution with the highest value. The model is restricted to problems for which it is impractical to evaluate every possible solution alternative. For such problems, the strategies that problem solvers use to navigate the solution space are critical to their performance. The article describes how value-seeking problems, and various strategies for solving them, are represented generically in the computer program that instantiates the model. The results of a simulation study using this model suggest that (a) diverse groups should perform better than homogeneous groups, (b) diverse groups should perform better than even their best individual members, and (c) cooperative interaction between members during problem solving should benefit the performance of diverse groups but impair the performance of homogeneous groups.
A study of business game stock price algorithms
Authors: Wolfe Joseph , Gold Steven
Published: May 2007

A number of studies have examined the algorithms that business games use to simulate real-world company functions. This study extends that research tradition into the area of the firm's stock price algorithm while increasing the range of validates considered. An investigation of the stock price algorithms associated with six computer-based management games revealed diversity in the number and treatment of the variables used to create company stock prices. This diversity created radically different firm stock prices. These valuations also differed under simulation firm conditions of economic growth and decline. Most stock price results would meet a face validity test under conditions of improving firm performance, but most would be challenged under conditions of company decline.
Beyond the Gold and Pray equation: Introducing interrelationships in industry-level unit demand equations for business games
Authors: Tipton Murff Elizabeth J. , Teach Richard D. , Schwartz Robert G.
Published: May 2007

Product unit demand is determined by many factors in business simulations; among these are the marketing variables of price, place, promotion, and quality. In the actual marketplace, however, these variables are not independent as is assumed by many simulation algorithms in the literature. This article discusses the need for and development of a two-attribute multiple-market-segment industry-level unit demand equation that explicitly includes the correlation between the two variables that affect demand (price and promotion) that form the domain of the unit demand equation for the model described in this article.
Contribution of simulation and gaming to natural resource management issues: An introduction
Authors: Barreteau Olivier , Le Page Christophe , Perez Pascal
Published: May 2007

Nowadays, computer-mediated simulations and games are widely used in the field of natural resource management (NRM). They have proved to be useful for various purposes such as supporting decision-making processes and training. First, the specificities of the NRM research field are highlighted. Then, based on the analysis of the articles presented in this special issue of Simulation & Gaming , some key features related to the implementation of gaming in such a context are introduced. Finally, after reviewing the benefits of using simulation games in NRM, the authors stress the ethical issue of changing social relationships among stakeholders by playing a game with some of them.
Role-playing simulation as a communication tool in community dialogue: Karkonosze Mountains case study
Authors: Krolikowska Karolina , Kronenberg Jakub , Maliszewska Karolina , Sendzimir Jan , Magnuszewski Piotr , Dunajski Andrzej , Slodka Anna
Published: May 2007

This article describes a process of role-playing simulation (RPS) as it was used during an educational exercise in community dialogue in the Karkonosze Mountains region of southwest Poland. Over the past decade Karkonosze National Park, a regional tourist magnet, has provided an excellent example of environmental conflict emerging from the tensions between nature protection and economic development. The project we describe herein, a course called “Dynamics of Sustainable Development,” was designed to give students the direct experience of challenges in solving difficult social-ecological problems with many linked conflicts and tensions. We focused on RPS to emphasize factors crucial to compromise. Because teaching students about conflict solving was our main objective, the second indirect but expected experience was to stimulate discussions among real stakeholders. Although RPS itself was not performed in the presence of the real stakeholders, their participation was ensured by inviting them for a final public debate where they got a chance to express their opinions about what they heard from the students. RPS offered the course participants not only a closer look at the conflict in the Karkonosze related to sustainable development, but also an insight into the general psychological background and evolution of conflicts.
Microworld gaming of a local agricultural production chain in Poland
Authors: Martin Leslie , Magnuszewski Piotr , Sendzimir Jan , Rydzak Felicjan , Krolikowska Karolina , Komorowski Hubert , Lewandowska-Czarnecka Anna , Wojanowska Joanna , Lasut Anna , Magnuszewska Jadwiga , Goliczewski Piotr
Published: May 2007

Natural resource management of complex, adaptive socioecosystems requires a mix of good practice, policy, science, and intuition. We report here on a rapid and low-cost experiment in Lower Silesia, Poland, using modeling techniques to explore the potential to develop local ecological products. We focus our analysis on one particular group of products related to an “ancient” breed of chicken, the green-legged hen (GLH), with low resource requirements that could support a sustainable agriculture based on lower use of fertilizers and pesticides. The issues affecting farmers' commitment to adopt GLHs include availability of EU subsidies, the supportive role of NGOs, cooperation between producers, and uncertainty about the future profitability of a relatively untested product. We used this model to evaluate alternative scenarios, nurture the discussion among farmers, and stimulate them to take appropriate action. Gaming with a microworld interface was a crucial breakthrough experience for the farmers to accept and understand the scientific language and methods, and to join the community discussion by actively contributing to improving the model. This positive experience could be a crucial initial step toward the transition from intensive to extensive farming methods, thereby increasing the resilience of natural resource—based rural economies.
BUTORSTAR: A role-playing game for collective awareness of wise reedbed use
Authors: Mathevet Raphaël , Le Page Christophe , Etienne Michel , Lefebvre Gaëtan , Poulin Brigitte , Gigot Guillaume , Proréol Sophie , Mauchamp André
Published: May 2007

A role-playing game (RPG) supported by computer simulations, called BUTORSTAR, has been developed in the context of a LIFE-Nature European Programme (2001-2005) aiming to improve reedbed management for the conservation of a vulnerable heron, the Eurasian Bittern. The agent-based model simulates the impacts of reedbed management resulting from decisions made by farmers, reed harvesters, hunters, and naturalists. The model is based on an archetypal wetland made of a virtual landscape. Different water regimes are proposed, each one adapted to a particular wetland use. Land-use and water-management decisions are made by the players at both estate and management-unit levels. These decisions are entered into the model each year as the results of the negotiation process between the players. This RPG is designed to promote student awareness of (a) biological and hydrological interdependencies and their dynamics on different spatial and temporal scales, (b) the technical and socioeconomic factors involved in the different types of reedbed use, and (c) the usefulness of the negotiation process for establishing collective management rules. It is shown that BUTORSTAR creates a continuum of learning that crosses the traditional boundaries between disciplines and allows players to conduct multipurpose experiments that contribute to their comprehensive understanding of socioecosystems.
Structural Organization of the Gap Junction Network in the Cerebral Cortex
Authors: Fukuda Takaichi
Published: May 2007

Neurons in mammalian brains are heavily interconnected by specialized junctions called chemical synapses. At chemical synapses, signals are transmitted rather indirectly between connected neurons with some delay. Recent studies have revealed additional channels for neuronal communication, that is, gap junctions. As electrical signals are directly transmitted through gap junctions without delay, gap junctions can mediate synchronous activities of coupled neurons. In the cerebral cortex, both morphological and physiological studies have established frequent occurrence of gap junctions between dendrites of GABAergic interneurons of particular types. However, it remains unclear how the dendritic network of these interneurons is extended three-dimensionally within the tissue architecture. The present article reviews recent findings on structural aspects of the gap junction network in the cerebral cortex. The three-dimensional structure of the network is discussed on a basis of contrasting tissue organization in the two cortical areas, the hippocampus and neocortex. The controversial issue on the presence and function of distal gap junctions is addressed. Quantitative analysis of the distribution of gap junctions along dendritic profiles suggests lateral continuity of the network that extends in a boundless manner. Functional implications of this lateral continuity are discussed with particular reference to variability in local cell assemblies. NEUROSCIENTIST 13(3):199—207, 2007.
Statins: Multiple Mechanisms of Action in the Ischemic Brain
Authors: Cimino Mauro , Gelosa Paolo , Gianella Anita , Nobili Elena , Tremoli Elena , Sironi Luigi
Published: May 2007

Although substantial epidemiological studies have failed to find a correlation between cholesterol levels and stroke, clinical trials have shown that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (or statins, the most potent hypocholesterolemic drugs available) greatly reduce the incidence of stroke. These clinical observations have opened the way to a number of studies of the non—cholesterol-dependent (or pleiotropic) effects in animal models of stroke, indicating that the neuroprotection is attributable to multiple activities. One of the main protective mechanisms elicited by statin administration is the increase in nitric oxide bioavailability that regulates cerebral perfusion and improves endothelial function, but others include antioxidant properties, the inhibition of inflammatory responses, immunomodulatory actions, the regulation of progenitor cells, and the stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. Many of these effects are due to the inhibited synthesis of isoprenoid intermediates, which serve as lipid attachments for a variety of intracellular signaling molecules. This article describes the mechanisms involved in the neuroprotective effects of statins. NEUROSCIENTIST 13(3):208—213, 2007.
The Working Memory Networks of the Human Brain
Authors: Linden David E.J.
Published: May 2007

Working memory and short-term memory are closely related in their cognitive architecture, capacity limitations, and functional neuroanatomy, which only partly overlap with those of long-term memory. The author reviews the functional neuroimaging literature on the commonalities and differences between working memory and short-term memory and the interplay of areas with modality-specific and supramodal representations in the brain networks supporting these fundamental cognitive processes. Sensory stores in the visual, auditory, and somatosensory cortex play a role in short-term memory, but supramodal parietal and frontal areas are often recruited as well. Classical working memory operations such as manipulation, protection against interference, or updating almost certainly require at least some degree of prefrontal support, but many pure maintenance tasks involve these areas as well. Although it seems that activity shifts from more posterior regions during encoding to more anterior regions during delay, some studies reported sustained delay activity in sensory areas as well. This spatiotemporal complexity of the short-term memory/working memory networks is mirrored in the activation patterns that may explain capacity constraints, which, although most prominent in the parietal cortex, seem to be pervasive across sensory and premotor areas. Finally, the author highlights open questions for cognitive neuroscience research of working memory, such as that of the mechanisms for integrating different types of content (binding) or those providing the link to long-term memory. NEUROSCIENTIST 13(3):257—267, 2007.
Plasticity of the Primate Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Kuboshima-Amemori Satoko , Sawaguchi Toshiyuki
Published: May 2007

Cortical plasticity refers to flexible and long-lasting changes in neuronal circuitry and information processing, which is caused by learning and experience. Although cortical plasticity can be observed in every cortex of the brain, the plasticity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is particularly important because the PFC is involved in various cognitive functions, and its plasticity could lead to adaptive changes in the use of other brain regions. Cortical plasticity occurs at several levels, from functional molecules to the organization of large areas of the brain. Here, the authors focus mainly on the development and remodeling of the functional and structural organization of the primate PFC. They discuss how the columnar modules of the PFC develop in the immature brain, how these modules form a “cognitive field” that is responsible for a specific cognitive function, how the cognitive field could be reorganized by training in the mature brain, and how monoaminergic systems contribute to these various levels of plasticity. They suggest that monoaminergic systems, especially the dopaminergic system, are involved in various levels of cortical plasticity, such as behavioral learning and learning-dependent cortical remodeling, thereby contributing to the reorganization of the cognitive field in the primate PFC. NEUROSCIENTIST 13(3):229—240, 2007.
The Neural Basis of Inhibition in Cognitive Control
Authors: Aron Adam R.
Published: May 2007

The concept of “inhibition” is widely used in synaptic, circuit, and systems neuroscience, where it has a clear meaning because it is clearly observable. The concept is also ubiquitous in psychology. One common use is to connote an active/willed process underlying cognitive control. Many authors claim that subjects execute cognitive control over unwanted stimuli, task sets, responses, memories, and emotions by inhibiting them, and that frontal lobe damage induces distractibility, impulsivity, and perseveration because of damage to an inhibitory mechanism. However, with the exception of the motor domain, the notion of an active inhibitory process underlying cognitive control has been heavily challenged. Alternative explanations have been provided that explain cognitive control without recourse to inhibition as concept, mechanism, or theory. This article examines the role that neuroscience can play when examining whether the psychological concept of active inhibition can be meaningfully applied in cognitive control research. NEUROSCIENTIST 13(3):214—228, 2007.
Evidencefor response contraction bias in side-by-side matching tasks
Authors: Fotios S.A. , Cheal C.
Published: May 2007

A recent study of lamp spectrum effects at mesopic levels employed side-by-side matching to investigate brightness. The results revealed an unexpected effect, identified here as a response contraction bias, normally only expected when judging individual stimuli. Response contraction bias causes subjective responses to be biased toward the middle of a response range. Although the bias is small its effect on brightness matching can be significant if the test procedure does not employ appropriate counterbalancing.