bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prophylactic cranial irradiation for patients with small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review of the literature with meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Wenwen , Jiang Wenjing , Luan Linlin , Wang Lili , Zheng Xiangrong , Wang Gongchao
Published: October 2014

Background

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 13% of all lung cancer cases. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 13% of all lung cancer cases. The purpose of the present article is to assess the role of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) by performing a systematic review of the randomized trials published in the literature.

Methods

Randomized controlled trials were identified that compared brain metastases incidence and overall survival between PCI and No PCI in patients with SCLC. Search strategies were limited to the English language and to articles published since 1997, and included: databases searched from 1997 to March 2013 –CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and CENTRAL. Methodological quality was assessed with the Jadad scale. The main end points were brain metastasis and survival.

Results

The review identified 5 trials, although few were of high quality. Two trials reported the one-year incidence of brain metastasis. PCI reduced the incidence of brain metastasis in one year, with a pooled relative risk of 0.45 (95% CI, 0.35 to 0.58; P < 0.00001). Four trials described the one year survival rate. The combined result revealed a significant (P = 0.01) survival benefit in the group assigned to PCI as compared with the control group, with a pooled relative risk of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.79 to 0.97). Three trials reported the three-year survival rate. The combined result revealed a great significant (P < 0.00001) survival benefit in the PCI group as compared with the No PCI group, with a pooled relative risk of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.91). the Five-year survival rate was compared in four trials Compared with the No PCI group, the PCI group had a significant (P < 0.00001) survival benefit with a pooled relative risk of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.88 to 0.95).

Conclusions

The present systematic review indicates that PCI decreases brain metastases incidence and that PCI improves survival in SCLC patients. Prophylactic cranial irradiation should be part of standard care for all patients with small-cell lung cancer who have a response to initial chemotherapy, and it should be part of the standard treatment in future studies involving these patients.
Clinical significance of mTOR, ZEB1, ROCK1 expression in lung tissues of pulmonary fibrosis patients
Authors: Park Jong Sun , Park Hyo Jin , Park Young Sik , Lee Sang-Min , Yim Jae-Joon , Yoo Chul-Gyu , Han Sung Koo , Kim Young Whan
Published: October 2014

Background

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease of unknown causes. Three proteins (mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR; zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1, ZEB1; Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1, ROCK1) may be related to pulmonary fibrosis. However, they have not been assessed in human pulmonary fibrosis. We assessed the clinical significance of mTOR, ZEB1, and ROCK1 expression in human pulmonary fibrosis of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern.

Methods

The mTOR, ZEB1, and ROCK1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of 30 surgical lung biopsy tissues from 26 IPF and 4 UIP pattern connective tissue disease related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) patients. The expression scores correlated with the clinical features.

Results

The mTOR, ZEB1 and ROCK1 mainly expressed in alveolar epithelial cells of UIP lungs. The histological fibrosis scores and lung function decline in the strong mTOR expression group were higher than those in the weak and intermediate expression group. Patients with positive ZEB1 expression had higher fibrosis scores and greater decline in carbon monoxide diffusion capacity (DLCO) than patients with negative ZEB1 expression. Patients with positive mTOR or ZEB1 expression had poorer prognosis than that of patients with negative mTOR or ZEB1 expression, although it was not statistically significant. ROCK1 was not associated with the studied clinicopathological features.

Conclusions

The mTOR and ZEB1 expression in pulmonary fibrosis patients significantly correlated with the fibrosis score and lung function decline, indicating that it may be related to the prognosis of pulmonary fibrosis. Further studies involving large numbers of homogeneous IPF patients are warranted.
An impulsive prey-predator system with stage-structure and Holling II functional response
Authors: Ju Zhixiang , Shao Yuanfu , Kong Weili , Ma Xiangmin , Fang Xianjia
Published: October 2014

Taking into account that individual organisms usually go through immature and mature stages, in this paper, we investigate the dynamics of an impulsive prey-predator system with a Holling II functional response and stage-structure. Applying the comparison theorem and some analysis techniques, the sufficient conditions of the global attractivity of a mature predator periodic solution and the permanence are investigated. Examples and numerical simulations are shown to verify the validity of our results.
The chemotaxis of M1 and M2 macrophages is regulated by different chemokines
Authors: Xuan Wenjuan , Qu Qing , Zheng Biao , Xiong Sidong , Fan Guo-Huang
Published: October 2014

The homing of proinflammatory (M1) and the “alternatively activated” anti-inflammatory (M2) macrophages plays a different role in the process of inflammation. Chemokines are the major mediators of macrophage chemotaxis, but how they differentially regulate M1 and M2 macrophages remains largely unclear. In the present study, we attempted to screen chemokines that differentially induce chemotaxis of M1 and M2 macrophages and to explore the underlying mechanism. Among the 41 chemokines that specifically bind to 20 chemokine receptors, CCL19, CCL21, CCL24, CCL25, CXCL8, CXCL10, and XCL2 specifically induced M1 macrophage chemotaxis, whereas CCL7 induced chemotaxis of both M1 and M2 macrophages. Whereas the differential effects of these chemokines on M1/M2 macrophage chemotaxis could be attributable to the predominant expression of their cognate receptors on the macrophage subsets, CCR7, the receptor for CCL19/CCL21, appeared to be an exception. Immunoblot analysis indicated an equivalent level of CCR7 in the whole cell lysate of M1 and M2 macrophages, but CCL19 and CCL21 only induced M1 macrophage chemotaxis. Both immunoblot and confocal microscopy analyses demonstrated that CCR7 was predominantly expressed on the cell surface of M1 but in the cytosol of M2 macrophages before ligand stimulation. As a result, CCL19 or CCL21 induced activation of both MEK1-ERK1/2 and PI3K-AKT cascades in M1 but not in M2 macrophages. Intriguingly, CCL19/CCL21-mediated M1 macrophage chemotaxis was blocked by specific inhibition of PI3K rather than MEK1. Together, these findings suggest that recruitment of M1 and M2 macrophages is fine tuned by different chemokines with the involvement of specific signaling pathways.
Frequency of delirium and subsyndromal delirium in an adult acute hospital population
Authors: Meagher D. , O'Regan N. , Ryan D. , Connolly W. , Boland E. , O'Caoimhe R. , Clare J. , Mcfarland J. , Tighe S. , Leonard M. , Adamis D. , Trzepacz P. T. , Timmons S.
Published: October 2014

Background

The frequency of full syndromal and subsyndromal delirium is understudied.

Aims

We conducted a point prevalence study in a general hospital.

Method

Possible delirium identified by testing for inattention was evaluated regarding delirium status (full/subsyndromal delirium) using categorical (Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), DSM-IV) and dimensional (Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98) scores) methods.

Results

In total 162 of 311 patients (52%) screened positive for inattention. Delirium was diagnosed in 55 patients (17.7%) using DSM-IV, 52 (16.7%) using CAM and 58 (18.6%) using DRS-R98⩾12 with concordance for 38 (12.2%) individuals. Subsyndromal delirium was identified in 24 patients (7.7%) using a DRS-R98 score of 7–11 and 41 (13.2%) using 2/4 CAM criteria. Subsyndromal delirium with inattention (v. without) had greater disturbance of multiple delirium symptoms.

Conclusions

The point prevalence of delirium and subsyndromal delirium was 25%. There was modest concordance between DRS-R98, DSM-IV and CAM delirium diagnoses. Inattention should be central to subsyndromal delirium definitions.
Last wills and testaments in a large sample of suicide notes:
Implications for testamentary capacity
Authors: Sinyor Mark , Schaffer Ayal , Hull Ian , Peisah Carmelle , Shulman Kenneth
Published: October 2014

Background

The leaving of a will prior to death by suicide is a relatively
unexplored area.

Aims

To determine the frequency and details of will content in suicide
notes.

Method

Coroner records for 1565 deaths by suicide in Toronto (2003–2009) were
reviewed for (a) will content and (b) the presence of depression,
psychotic illness, dementia and intoxication prior to death.

Results

In total, 59 (20.7%) of 285 available suicide notes were found to have
will content. Of those who left a will, 43 (72.9%) were reported to have
a major mood or psychotic disorder, but none had dementia. Fifteen of 19
toxicology samples showed alcohol, sedative hypnotic/benzodiazepine,
opioid and/or recreational drugs were present.

Conclusions

A substantial minority of suicide notes may also include testamentary
intent. The observed high rate of mental illness and substance use around
the time of death has important clinical implications for understanding
the mindset of people who die by suicide and hence also legal
implications regarding testamentary capacity.
Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000–2011
Authors: Fountoulakis Konstantinos N. , Kawohl Wolfram , Theodorakis Pavlos N. , Kerkhof Ad J. F. M. , Navickas Alvydas , Höschl Cyril , Lecic-Tosevski Dusica , Sorel Eliot , Rancans Elmars , Palova Eva , Juckel Georg , Isacsson Goran , Jagodic Helena Korosec , Botezat-Antonescu Ileana , Warnke Ingeborg , Rybakowski Janusz , Azorin Jean Michel , Cookson John , Waddington John , Pregelj Peter , Demyttenaere Koen , Hranov Luchezar G. , Stevovic Lidija Injac , Pezawas Lucas , Adida Marc , Figuera Maria Luisa , Pompili Maurizio , Jakovljević Miro , Vichi Monica , Perugi Giulio , Andreassen Ole , Vukovic Olivera , Mavrogiorgou Paraskevi , Varnik Peeter , Bech Per , Dome Peter , Winkler Petr , Salokangas Raimo K. R. , From Tiina , Danileviciute Vita , Gonda Xenia , Rihmer Zoltan , Benhalima Jonas Forsman , Grady Anne , Leadholm Anne Katrine Kloster , Soendergaard Susan , Nordt Carlos , Lopez-Ibor Juan
Published: October 2014

Background

It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates.

Aims

The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates.

Method

Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation.

Results

There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged.

Conclusions

Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.
Experimental Data Set of Mining-Induced Seismicity for Studies of Full-Scale Topographic Effects
Authors: Wood Clinton M. , Cox Brady R.
Published: October 2014

This paper describes two large, high-quality experimental data sets of ground motions collected with locally dense arrays of seismometers deployed on steep mountainous terrain with varying slope angles and topographic features. These data sets were collected in an area of central-eastern Utah that experiences frequent and predictable mining-induced seismicity as a means to study the effects of topography on small-strain seismic ground motions. The data sets are freely available through the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation data repository ( NEEShub.org ) under the DOI numbers 10.4231/D34M9199S and 10.4231/D3Z31NN4J. This paper documents the data collection efforts and metadata necessary for utilizing the data sets, as well as the availability of supporting data (e.g., high-resolution digital elevation models). The paper offers a brief summary of analyses conducted on the data sets thus far, in addition to ideas about how these data sets may be used in future studies related to topographic effects and mining seismicity.
Axial Capacity Evaluation for Typical Suspended Ceiling Joints
Authors: Soroushian Siavash , Maragakis Manos , Jenkins Craig
Published: October 2014

In recent earthquakes, the failure of nonstructural elements, including ceiling systems, has resulted in costly damage, inoperable buildings, and endangered lives. Therefore, the need to understand how ceiling systems perform during an earthquake is becoming increasingly important. However, few studies have been conducted on suspension ceiling systems to identify where they are vulnerable. A series of suspension-ceiling component experiments were designed at the University of Nevada, Reno, using interlocking grid members, including 2-ft. and 4-ft. cross tees. The test specimens were first subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading to obtain their failure capacities. Then several axial capacity fragility curves (not the seismic fragility curves of ceiling systems) were developed based on axial displacement capacities as well as strength capacities of interlocking ceiling joints in the absence of ceiling panels. Besides the experimental studies, a series of analytical models for ceiling joints were developed and validated using component experimental data.
Human GH Receptor-IGF-1 Receptor Interaction: Implications for GH Signaling
Authors: Gan Yujun , Buckels Ashiya , Liu Ying , Zhang Yue , Paterson Andrew J. , Jiang Jing , Zinn Kurt R. , Frank Stuart J.
Published: October 2014

GH signaling yields multiple anabolic and metabolic effects. GH binds the transmembrane GH receptor (GHR) to activate the intracellular GHR-associated tyrosine kinase, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and downstream signals, including signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) activation and IGF-1 gene expression. Some GH effects are partly mediated by GH-induced IGF-1 via IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), a tyrosine kinase receptor. We previously demonstrated in non-human cells that GH causes formation of a GHR-JAK2-IGF-1R complex and that presence of IGF-1R (even without IGF-1 binding) augments proximal GH signaling. In this study, we use human LNCaP prostate cancer cells as a model system to further study the IGF-1R's role in GH signaling. GH promoted JAK2 and GHR tyrosine phosphorylation and STAT5 activation in LNCaP cells. By coimmunoprecipitation and a new split luciferase complementation assay, we find that GH augments GHR/IGF-1R complex formation, which is inhibited by a Fab of an antagonistic anti-GHR monoclonal antibody. Short hairpin RNA-mediated IGF-1R silencing in LNCaP cells reduced GH-induced GHR, JAK2, and STAT5 phosphorylation. Similarly, a soluble IGF-1R extracellular domain fragment (sol IGF-1R) interacts with GHR in response to GH and blunts GH signaling. Sol IGF-1R also markedly inhibits GH-induced IGF-1 gene expression in both LNCaP cells and mouse primary osteoblast cells. On the basis of these and other findings, we propose a model in which IGF-1R augments GH signaling by allowing a putative IGF-1R-associated molecule that regulates GH signaling to access the activated GHR/JAK2 complex and envision sol IGF-1R as a dominant-negative inhibitor of this IGF-1R-mediated augmentation. Physiological implications of this new model are discussed.
Journalists, Capoeiras, and the Duel in Nineteenth-Century Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Braga-Pinto César
Published: October 2014

This article explores how the introduction of the duel in Brazil around 1888 — along with its proponents' efforts to distinguish it from street fighting or capoeiragem and “men of honor” from dishonored capoeiras and the uncivilized masses — became a meaningful instrument in a process of symbolic reorganization with significant social, political, and legal implications. This process, staged on the streets and in the newspapers of Rio de Janeiro, also reflected the new role of journalists in Brazilian cultural life. Claims to honor reinforced hierarchies and became an important tool for an emerging cultural elite that sought to assert its cultural, social, economic, and ethnic superiority. The article also discusses the role of testas de ferro and recovers the history of Romão José de Lima, one of this profession's most renowned representatives.
Regulation of synaptic development and function by the Drosophila PDZ protein Dyschronic
Authors: Jepson James E. C. , Shahidullah Mohammed , Liu Die , le Marchand Sylvain J. , Liu Sha , Wu Mark N. , Levitan Irwin B. , Dalva Matthew B. , Koh Kyunghee
Published: October 2014

Synaptic scaffold proteins control the localization of ion channels and receptors, and facilitate molecular associations between signaling components that modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity. Here, we define novel roles for a recently described scaffold protein, Dsychronic (DYSC), at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction. DYSC is the Drosophila homolog of whirlin/DFNB31, a PDZ domain protein linked to Usher syndrome, the most common form of human deaf-blindness. We show that DYSC is expressed presynaptically and is often localized adjacent to the active zone, the site of neurotransmitter release. Loss of DYSC results in marked alterations in synaptic morphology and cytoskeletal organization. Moreover, active zones are frequently enlarged and misshapen in dysc mutants. Electrophysiological analyses further demonstrate that dysc mutants exhibit substantial increases in both evoked and spontaneous synaptic transmission. We have previously shown that DYSC binds to and regulates the expression of the Slowpoke (SLO) BK potassium channel. Consistent with this, slo mutant larvae exhibit similar alterations in synapse morphology, active zone size and neurotransmission, and simultaneous loss of dysc and slo does not enhance these phenotypes, suggesting that dysc and slo act in a common genetic pathway to modulate synaptic development and output. Our data expand our understanding of the neuronal functions of DYSC and uncover non-canonical roles for the SLO potassium channel at Drosophila synapses.
Gene regulatory interactions at lateral organ boundaries in maize
Authors: Lewis Michael W. , Bolduc Nathalie , Hake Kayley , Htike Yadanar , Hay Angela , Candela Héctor , Hake Sarah
Published: October 2014

Maize leaves have distinct tissues that serve specific purposes. The blade tilts back to photosynthesize and the sheath wraps around the stem to provide structural support and protect young leaves. At the junction between blade and sheath are the ligule and auricles, both of which are absent in the recessive liguleless1 (lg1) mutant. Using an antibody against LG1, we reveal LG1 accumulation at the site of ligule formation and in the axil of developing tassel branches. The dominant mutant Wavy auricle in blade1 (Wab1-R) produces ectopic auricle tissue in the blade and increases the domain of LG1 accumulation. We determined that wab1 encodes a TCP transcription factor by positional cloning and revertant analysis. Tassel branches are few and upright in the wab1 revertant tassel and have an increased branch angle in the dominant mutant. wab1 mRNA is expressed at the base of branches in the inflorescence and is necessary for LG1 expression. wab1 is not expressed in leaves, except in the dominant mutant. The domain of wab1 expression in the Wab1-R leaf closely mirrors the accumulation of LG1. Although wab1 is not needed to induce lg1 expression in the leaf, LG1 is needed to counteract the severe phenotype of the dominant Wab1-R mutant. The regulatory interaction of LG1 and WAB1 reveals a link between leaf shape and tassel architecture, and suggests the ligule is a boundary similar to that at the base of lateral organs.
Adipocyte amino acid sensing controls adult germline stem cell number via the amino acid response pathway and independently of Target of Rapamycin signaling in Drosophila
Authors: Armstrong Alissa R. , Laws Kaitlin M. , Drummond-Barbosa Daniela
Published: October 2014

How adipocytes contribute to the physiological control of stem cells is a critical question towards understanding the link between obesity and multiple diseases, including cancers. Previous studies have revealed that adult stem cells are influenced by whole-body physiology through multiple diet-dependent factors. For example, nutrient-dependent pathways acting within the Drosophila ovary control the number and proliferation of germline stem cells (GSCs). The potential role of nutrient sensing by adipocytes in modulating stem cells in other organs, however, remains largely unexplored. Here, we report that amino acid sensing by adult adipocytes specifically modulates the maintenance of GSCs through a Target of Rapamycin-independent mechanism. Instead, reduced amino acid levels and the consequent increase in uncoupled tRNAs trigger activation of the GCN2-dependent amino acid response pathway within adipocytes, causing increased rates of GSC loss. These studies reveal a new step in adipocyte-stem cell crosstalk.
Long-life partners or sex friends? Impact of parental pair bond on offspring personality
Authors: Le Bot Océane , Lumineau Sophie , de Margerie Emmanuel , Pittet Florent , Trabalon Marie , Houdelier Cécilia
Published: October 2014

Previous investigations reported that some traits of parental relationships, including pair-bond duration or mate behavioural compatibility, influence subsequent offspring fitness by acting on their behaviour, growth and thus their early survival. We hypothesized that the development of a pair-bond between sexual partners would have a prenatal influence. This study investigated the impact of two pairing managements on the egg characteristics and development of offspring of Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica). Thirty males and 30 females were paired either continuously (C) (mates together all the time) or non-continuously (NC) (pairs met only three times a week for five minutes). Separation-reunion tests evaluated parental pair bond. Egg yolk testosterone and androstenedione levels were evaluated, and the somatic and behavioural development of C and NC chicks was assessed. Our results revealed that members of C pairs were attached to their mates and, although no significant differences in androgen levels could be evidenced between egg sets, a higher proportion of C pairs' eggs were fertilized and their chicks appeared less emotive and more social. Our results revealed that parental relationship can modulate the behavioural development of their offspring, probably via non-genetic effects, and this could play a major role in the emergence of inter-individual variability.
Does reproduction protect against oxidative stress?
Authors: Costantini David , Casasole Giulia , Eens Marcel
Published: October 2014

A central principle of life-history theory is that parents trade investment into reproduction against that in body maintenance. One physiological cost thought to be important as a modulator of such trade-off is oxidative stress. Experimental support for this hypothesis has, however, proved to be contradictory. In this study, we manipulated the nestling rearing effort of captive canaries (Serinus canaria) soon after the hatching of their nestlings using a brood-size manipulation to test whether an increase in nestling rearing effort translates into an increase in oxidative damage, an increase in ceruloplasmin (which is upregulated in response to oxidative damage) and a decrease in thiol antioxidants. We also compared the blood oxidative stress level of reproducing birds to that of non-reproducing birds, a crucial aspect that most studies have invariably failed to include in tests of the oxidative cost of reproduction. As compared to non-breeding canaries and pre-manipulation values, plasma oxidative damage (reactive oxygen metabolites and protein carbonyls) decreased in breeding canaries irrespective of sex and brood size. In contrast, oxidative damage did not change in non-breeding birds over the experiment. Ceruloplasmin activity in plasma and both non-protein and protein thiols in red blood cells did not change throughout the experiment in both treatment groups. Our results suggest that reproduction may result in decreased rather than increased blood oxidative stress. Our results may explain some of the inconsistencies that have been so far reported in experimental tests of the oxidative cost of reproduction hypothesis.
The Systemic Failure of General Circulation Climate Models: A Tribute to S. Fred Singer
Authors: Michaels Patrick J.
Published: October 2014

Observed trends in global surface air temperature depart significantly from those predicted by the ensemble of models used in the Fifth Assessment Report of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. An alternative paradigm, where lower rates of warming are predicted, has emerged in the last three years. Here we test the hypotheses put forth by those models and document the alternative that is likely more consistent with observations.
Drawbacks of Apriorism in Intergovernmental Climatology
Authors: Monckton Christopher
Published: October 2014

IPCC (2013) replaces climate models' over-predictions of near-term global warming with its “expert assessment” that warming in the next 30 years may scarcely exceed that of the last 30. Medium-term anthropogenic forcings and global temperature projections have been all but halved since 1990. There has been no global warming this millennium. Nevertheless, at the intergovernmental level, an aprioristic approach to modeling, over-confidence in models' predictive skill, and serial misrepresentation of results has prevented agreement on what fraction of recent warming was anthropogenic, how much warming we may cause and at what risk or net welfare loss, if any. The cost of mitigating predicted warming exceeds that of later adaptation by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Given governments' pre-existing monopsony of climatology, the question arises whether intergovernmental science is either necessary or desirable.
The Social Network Learning Cloud: Architectural Education for the 21st Century
Authors: Schnabel Marc Aurel , Ham Jeremy J
Published: October 2014

In less than a decade, architectural education has, in some ways, significantly evolved. The advent of computation has not so much triggered the change, but Social Networks (SN) have ignited a novel way of learning, interaction and knowledge construction. SN enable learners to engage with friends, tutors, professionals and peers, form the base for learning resources, allow students to make their voices heard, to listen to other views and much more. They offer a more authentic, inter-professional and integrated problem based, Just-in-Time (JIT), Just-in-Place (JIP) learning. Online SN work in close association with offline SN to form a blended social learning realm – the Social Network Learning Cloud (SNLC) – that greatly enables and enhances students' learning in a far more influential way than any other learning means, resources or methods do. This paper presents a SNLC for architectural education that provides opportunities for linking the academic Learning Management Systems (LMS) with private or professional SN such that it enhances the learning experience and deepens the knowledge of the students. The paper proposes ways of utilising SNLC in other learning and teaching areas of the curriculum and concludes with directions of how SNLC then may be employed in professional settings.
Performance Based Exploration of Generative Design Solutions Using Formex Algebra
Authors: Khodadadi Anahita , von Buelow Peter
Published: October 2014

This paper illustrates the use of a computational form-finding method called ParaGen which aids the designer in the exploration of arrays of good solutions. Although the method is guided by a multi-objective optimization program, the goal is to promote the exploration of the solution space based on designer selected combinations of performance objectives. The digital form generation of the bridges is carried out using Formian, a program which uses Formex algebra to describe a wide array of geometric configurations. This form generation is linked to structural simulation and design software (STAAD.Pro) to determine performance values. Finally, ParaGen is used to build a database of all solutions and guide the exploration based on performance values. Using this database, both visual and numeric characteristics are explored.
A Diskless Checkpointing Algorithm for Cluster Architectures Applied to Geospatial Raster Data Processing
Authors: Song Xiaodong , Dou Wanfeng , Tang Guoan , Yang Kun , Qian Kejian
Published: October 2014

In recent years, due to the increasing calculation demands for the massive spatial data analysis, the parallel computing based on high-performance computers has become an inevitable trend of geospatial raster data processing, such as digital terrain analysis (DTA for short), remote sensing interpretation and digital soil mapping. A key problem is how to design a fault-tolerant software to enhance the stability and robustness of scientific application. This paper presents an approach of failure recovery for distributed memory parallel computing. Furthermore, we adopt the master/slave programming model and present a framework of redundant master mode, which the failure occurring on the master node could not lead to a breakdown of the whole system. This approach schedules the failing task by dividing all the failing data into several partitions according to the calculating scale of failure. By means of the Fault-Tolerant Granularity Model, the scheduling algorithm can assign the failing task dynamically. Finally, taking example of digital terrain analysis, two experiments are discussed that based on the data size and the number of failures. Simulation results indicate that the proposed scheduling algorithm based on Fault-Tolerant Granularity Model achieves lower fault tolerance overhead than the rollback recovery scheme when several processors fail simultaneously.
Bio-Inspired Neural Networks for Block Based Motion Estimation
Authors: Yuan Youwei , Xu Weilei , Yuan Xudong , Yan Lamei , Deris M. Mat
Published: October 2014

In the multi-view video coding, both temporal and interview redundancies can be exploited by using standard block-based motion estimation technique. This paper describes a novel Bio-inspired neural networks model to enhance regions and extract contours of image for block-based motion estimation. We implements the optimized algorithm in the reference model of H.264 compiled by VC6.0, and chooses six typical video sequences for simulation comparison. Experiments performed show the good visual results which can reduces the computational complexity in a certain degree and enhances encoding efficiency with few changes in the reconstructed image quality and bit rate.
Flu vaccine experiences and beliefs influence vaccination decision making more than knowledge
Authors: Whalen Dara , Molnar David , Milne Faye , Schwal Lauren , Hackett Virginia , Coffman Jonathan
Published: October 2014

Mass immunization programs have proven to be a primary preventive measure to limit the spread of many infectious diseases worldwide. Nurses are trained to be leaders in preventing potential global health problems, but they are one of the groups with the lowest rates of compliancy in receiving influenza vaccination. Since nursing faculty are important role models in molding attitudes and behaviors of future nurses (their students), we set out to explore the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the nursing faculty and their students regarding influenza vaccine decision making. Our study included an assessment of the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KABs) of the nursing faculty and students related to influenza vaccination and whether their KABs influence the decision to receive or decline the vaccination.  A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire and our study indicated that personal experiences—either positive or negative—had a direct effect on influenza vaccine decision-making.  Additionally, personal experiences influenced beliefs, and beliefs were shown to influence decision-making regarding vaccination.  While beliefs and personal experiences had a direct effect on vaccine decision-making, knowledge had only an indirect effect through beliefs. Our study demonstrated that even though nursing practice is supposed to be driven by evidence-based medical practices, personal practices by nurses may be more influenced by personal beliefs than medical knowledge.
Cash, carrots, and sticks: Open Access incentives for researchers
Authors: Kraus Joseph
Published: October 2014

Each country, scholarly field and institution has developed responses to new scholarly communication systems, and those policies and responses influence the behavior of the scholars within those systems.  Over the last couple of years, policy makers and stakeholders in the United Kingdom have thoroughly discussed open access issues.  In July 2012, the Finch Report and the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Policy on open access were published. The RCUK, one of the major funding bodies for research in the UK, announced the availability of a new funding mechanism to help researchers at member institutions transition their sponsored work to open access sources.  Because the author is more familiar with the scholarly communication situation in the United States, the author interviewed 16 people with international perspectives on scholarly communication issues. This article provides an overview of the discussions with those individuals.
The First School Year As the Hardest One
Authors: Виноградова  , Vinogradova Natalya
Published: October 2014

Issues on how to help first-grader pupils to adjust to school life are discussed, as well as first-graders’ psychological characteristics.

Recommendations are provided for teachers on how to nurture sustainable cognitive interest in seven-year-old children, to develop motivation to

learning and to form positive emotional attitudes to school.
How to Help Five- or Six-Year Children to Develop Spatial Perception
Authors: Кочурова  , Kochurova Elena
Published: October 2014

The importance of developing spatial perception is discussed as being the essential element of a child’s readiness to school education. Specific

techniques are proposed that are appropriate to be used at preschool educational institutions and at home and help children to develop skills of

spatial orientation and to get acquainted with a set of spatial concepts and terms.
Aesthetic Education of Primary School Pupils Based on Exploring the Russian Traditional Costume
Authors: Глебушкин  , Glebushkin S.
Published: October 2014

The paper outlines the pedagogical potential recourse to the finest examples of the genuine Russian folk costume at lessons and extra-curricula

activities within the arts and aesthetics cycle. Insights in the characteristics of the Russian traditional costume will help primary school pupils to

enhance their knowledge of the national culture and history of their Motherland, to take a love to folk arts and to form their personal artistic taste.
Solving Hierarchical Stochastic Programs: Application to the Maritime Fleet Renewal Problem
Authors: Pantuso Giovanni , Fagerholt Kjetil , Wallace Stein W.
Published: October 2014

This paper presents a solution scheme for a class of multistage stochastic programs (possibly mixed-integer at all stages) in which a hierarchy of decisions emerges. A special structure, common to many strategic problems affected by uncertainty, allows decomposing the problem into a master problem and many independent linear programming subproblems, facilitating the isolation and reduction of the complicating mixed-integer component of the problem. Specialized (possibly heuristic) procedures can be used for solving the master problem while subproblems can be efficiently solved to optimality. We adapt and test the decomposition scheme for a case of the maritime fleet renewal problem, whose real life instances cannot be solved by means of commercial off-the-shelf solvers.
Maintaining Secure and Reliable Distributed Control Systems
Authors: Sleptchenko Andrei , Johnson M. Eric
Published: October 2014

We consider the role of security in the maintenance of an automated system, controlled by a network of sensors and simple computing devices. Such systems are widely used in transportation, utilities, healthcare, and manufacturing. Devices in the network are subject to traditional failures that can lead to a larger system failure if not repaired. However, the devices are also subject to security breaches that can also lead to catastrophic system failure. These security breaches could result from either cyber attacks (such as viruses, hackers, or terrorists) or physical tampering. We formulate a stochastic model of the system to examine the repair policies for both real and suspected failures. We develop a linear programming-based model for optimizing repair priorities. We show that, given the state of the system, the optimal repair policy follows a unique threshold indicator (either work on the real failures or the suspected ones). We examine the behavior of the optimal policy under different failure rates and threat levels. Finally, we examine the robustness of our model to violations in the underlying assumptions and find the model remains useful over a range of operating assumptions.
Patient Data as Medical Facts: Social Media Practices as a Foundation for Medical Knowledge Creation
Authors: Kallinikos Jannis , Tempini Niccolò
Published: October 2014

This paper investigates a web-based, medical research network that relies on patient self-reporting to collect and analyze data on the health status of patients, mostly suffering from severe conditions. The network organizes patient participation in ways that break with the strong expert culture of medical research. Patient data entry is largely unsupervised. It relies on a data architecture that encodes medical knowledge and medical categories, yet remains open to capturing details of patient life that have as a rule remained outside the purview of medical research. The network thus casts the pursuit of medical knowledge in a web-based context, marked by the pivotal importance of patient experience captured in the form of patient data. The originality of the network owes much to the innovative amalgamation of networking and computational functionalities built into a potent social media platform. The arrangements the network epitomizes could be seen as a harbinger of new models of organizing medical knowledge creation and medical work in the digital age, and a complement or alternative to established models of medical research.
Models of Sequential Evaluation in Best-Worst Choice Tasks
Authors: Dyachenko Tatiana , Reczek Rebecca Walker , Allenby Greg M.
Published: October 2014

We examine the nature of best-worst data for modeling consumer preferences and predicting their choices. We show that contrary to the assumption of widely used models, the best and worst responses do not originate from the same data generating process. We propose a sequential evaluation model and show that people are likely to engage in a two-step evaluation process and are more likely to select the worst alternative first before selecting the best. We find that later choices have systematically larger coefficients as compared to earlier choices. We also find the presence of an elicitation effect that leads to larger coefficients when respondents are asked to select the worst alternative, meaning that respondents are surer about what they like least than what they like most. Finally, we investigate global inference retrieval in choice tasks, which can be represented by the central limit theorem and normally distributed errors, versus episodic retrieval represented by extreme value errors. We find that both specifications of the error term are plausible and advise using the proposed sequential logit model for practical reasons. We apply our model to data from a national survey investigating the concerns associated with hair care. We find that accounting for the sequential evaluation in the best-worst tasks and the presence of the scaling effects leads to different managerial implications compared to the results from currently used models.
Long-Term Strategic Asset Allocation: An Out-of-Sample Evaluation
Authors: Diris Bart , Palm Franz , Schotman Peter
Published: October 2014

We evaluate the out-of-sample performance of a long-term investor who follows an optimized dynamic trading strategy. Although the dynamic strategy is able to benefit from predictability out-of-sample, a short-term investor using a single-period market timing strategy would have realized an almost identical performance. The value of intertemporal hedge demands in strategic asset allocation appears negligible. The result is caused by the estimation error in predicting the predictors. A myopic investor only needs to predict one-period-ahead expected returns, but hedge demands also require accurate predictions of the predictor variables. To reduce the problem of errors in optimized portfolio weights, we consider Bayesian procedures. Myopic and dynamic portfolios are similarly affected by such modifications, and differences in performance become even smaller.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1924 .

This paper was accepted by Brad Barber, finance.
Does a Procurement Service Provider Generate Value for the Buyer Through Information About Supply Risks?
Authors: Yang Zhibin (Ben) , Babich Volodymyr
Published: October 2014

We consider a supply chain with one buyer and two suppliers who are subject to disruptions and whose likelihoods of disruption are their private information. In such a setting, does the buyer benefit from engaging the services of a better-informed procurement service provider (PSP) compared to procuring directly from the suppliers? Intuition might suggest that hiring a PSP is always the right choice because the PSP’s knowledge of the supply base improves supplier selection and management. On the other hand, earlier studies prove that using a PSP purely for its superior knowledge about supply costs is always worse for a buyer than contracting with the suppliers directly. Our answer to this research question is more nuanced. Contrary to the findings of earlier studies, we find that the buyer may benefit from using a PSP. We identify, quantify, and explain all of the benefits and the costs of using a PSP, and describe conditions under which the benefits exceed the costs. The benefits of using a PSP are derived when one supplier is of high reliability and the other is of low reliability, from a reduction of informational costs due to implicit supplier collusion facilitated by the PSP and an improvement of supply availability. The costs of using a PSP are derived when both suppliers are of low reliability, from the loss of direct control over the supplier’s production actions, which leads to reduced supply availability and increased informational costs, and from the PSP facilitating implicit supplier collusion. Comparative statics analysis indicates that using the PSP is valuable only if the buyer diversifies with some supplier-type combinations but not others, and that hiring a PSP is not a solution to the problem of an unreliable supply base.

This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
An Empirical Investigation on the Appointments of Supply Chain and Operations Management Executives
Authors: Hendricks Kevin B. , Hora Manpreet , Singhal Vinod R.
Published: October 2014

This paper provides empirical evidence on the performance effects and choice of appointments of supply chain and operations management executives (SCOMEs). The analysis is based on a sample of 681 SCOME appointments that were publicly announced during the 2000–2011 period. We find that the stock market reaction is positive on the day of the announcement. Categorizing the SCOME appointments as new or old and insider or outsider, we find that the market reaction for newly created SCOME positions is positive. The market also reacts more positively when a SCOME is an outsider rather than an insider. The strongest positive reaction is observed when outsiders are hired for newly created SCOME positions. We find evidence of both poor stock price performance and poor operating performance in the period preceding the appointment of new SCOMEs. New SCOME appointments are not followed by an immediate improvement in stock price and operating performance. However, there is no further decline in performance, suggesting that the decline observed in the preappointment period does not continue after the new SCOME is appointed. We also find that the likelihood of a SCOME being an outsider is greater for firms that are smaller, operate in more concentrated industries, and have experienced poor prior performance.

This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
Strategic Ignorance and the Robustness of Social Preferences
Authors: Grossman Zachary
Published: October 2014

Participants in dictator games frequently avoid learning whether their choice to maximize their own earnings will help or hurt the recipient and then choose selfishly, exploiting the “moral wiggle room” provided by their ignorance. However, this is found in an environment in which the dictator must actively learn the true payoffs, so inaction means ignorance. Does this effect persist when one must actively choose either to be ignorant or to be informed or when one must actively choose to remain ignorant? In fact, whereas 45% of dictators remain ignorant when one must click to become informed, this drops to 25% when one must click in either case and to 3% when one must click to remain ignorant. Although the exploitation of moral wiggle room is not merely an artifact, it is, much like social behavior itself, subject to environmental and psychological factors that may reinforce or undermine its impact.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1989 .

This paper was accepted by Uri Gneezy, behavioral economics.
A Market Discovery Algorithm to Estimate a General Class of Nonparametric Choice Models
Authors: van Ryzin Garrett , Vulcano Gustavo
Published: October 2014

We propose an approach for estimating customer preferences for a set of substitutable products using only sales transactions and product availability data. The underlying demand framework combines a general, nonparametric discrete choice model with a Bernoulli process of arrivals over time. The choice model is defined by a discrete probability mass function (pmf) on a set of possible preference rankings of alternatives, and it is compatible with any random utility model. An arriving customer is assumed to purchase the available option that ranks highest in her preference list. The problem we address is how to jointly estimate the arrival rate and the pmf of the rank-based choice model under a maximum likelihood criterion. Since the potential number of customer types is factorial, we propose a market discovery algorithm that starts with a parsimonious set of types and enlarge it by automatically generating new types that increase the likelihood value. Numerical experiments confirm the potential of our proposal. For a realistic data set in the hospitality industry, our approach improves the root mean square errors between predicted and observed purchases computed under independent demand model estimates by 67% to 93%.

This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.