bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychological Performance after Brain Arteriovenous Malformations Treatment
Authors: Pulkrabkova Alice , de Lacy Patricia , Benes Vladimir , Bradac Ondrej
Published: November 2016

Background The treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) has been studied extensively. With the use of the Spetzler-Martin (S-M) grading system, patients can be informed appropriately about their possible surgical risks. This does not hold true for their neuropsychological sequelae, which have not been studied widely. We evaluated the neuropsychological outcome of our patients treated for brain AVMs.

Methods Of 113 patients treated for a brain AVM between 2001 and 2009, 66 patients were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent treatment at our institution and neuropsychological testing 2 years later using a test battery constructed specifically for this study. A control group consisted of 10 subjects without any neurologic disease.

Results When the whole cohort was analyzed, no significant differences were found between the groups distinguished by hemorrhage, gender, or hemispheric dominance. Patients with S-M IV and V scores fared significantly worse than patients with S-M I to III. Patients who presented with epilepsy scored lower than patients presenting with other symptomatology, but the difference had only borderline significance. When we analyzed patients according to the presence or absence of obliteration after treatment and compared these with the control group, we found no significant differences. When the patients with an obliterated AVM after treatment were subdivided according to treatment modality, there were no significant differences in their S-M groups compared with the control group. Similarly, those patients with nonobliterated AVMs analyzed according to their S-M grade showed a borderline significant difference, with S-M IV and V having a worse neuropsychological outcome compared with the other groups.

Conclusions Patients harboring nonobliterated high-grade AVMs (S-M IV and V) scored worse than patients with nonobliterated AVM S-M grades I to III. This could be explained by the steal phenomenon. No differences in neuropsychological testing were found when comparing results according to nidus location. This study lends support to an active treatment policy for cerebral AVMs. Those patients in whom complete obliteration was achieved with treatment scored similarly to the background population, implying active AVM treatment does not cause deterioration in neuropsychological performance. This, together with a > 90% AVM obliteration rate, favors microsurgery as the treatment modality of choice whenever the AVM can be safely resected.
Developmental stages of delayed-greening leaves inferred from measurements of chlorophyll content and leaf growth
Authors: Czech Andrzej Stefan , Strzałka Kazimierz , Schurr Ulrich , Matsubara Shizue
Published: November 2016

Chlorophyll (Chl) accumulation and leaf growth were analysed in delayed-greening leaves of Theobroma cacao (L.) to examine whether these parameters are correlated during leaf development and can be used as non-destructive indicators of leaf developmental stages. There was a clear correlation between Chl content and leaf relative growth rate (RGR) and between Chl content and percentage of full leaf expansion (%FLE) under different growth conditions. Five distinct developmental phases were defined according to the correlation between these parameters and corroborated by data from the analyses of leaf growth (epidermal cell size and specific leaf area) or photosynthetic properties (maximal PSII efficiency, CO2 assimilation and non-structural carbohydrate contents). The five phases were characterised by rapid leaf expansion by cell division (I), pronounced cell expansion (II), development of photosynthetic capacity concomitant with reinforcement of leaf structure (III), and maturation (IV and V). The transition from cell division to cell expansion happened uniformly across the leaf lamina between phase I and II; the sink-to-source transition was found between phase III and IV. These results demonstrate coordinated development of photosynthetic machinery and leaf structure in delayed-greening leaves and provide a simple and non-invasive method for estimation of leaf developmental stages in T. cacao.
Intertextuality as cognitive modelling
Authors: Karpenko-Seccombe Tatyana
Published: November 2016

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate a way in which the concept of cognitive modelling can be applied to studies of intertextuality. The paper suggests a fresh way of looking at intertextuality – from the perspective of the cognitive processes involved in decoding intertextual references, namely, analogical mapping across different domains. Our knowledge of cognitive processes is largely based on the study of cognitive processing of texts, but texts with intertextual references have until now been a less studied area of cognitive research. I define three different ways in which texts relate to each other: hard modelling, soft modelling and loose association. From a cognitive perspective, I suggest that mental processing of these texts involves different knowledge structures which I describe using Schank’s (1982, 1986, 1999) theory of dynamic memory.
Adverb and participle agreement
Authors: Silvestri Giuseppina
Published: November 2016

This paper discusses the reality of adverb agreement in Italo-Romance and takes into account newly acquired data from non-standard varieties. In southern Italian dialects manner adverbs are not morphologically distinguished from adjectives and, in certain varieties (Cruschina 2010; Ledgeway 2011), may agree with a referring nominal. In north-western Calabrian dialects the adverbs agree with transitive objects and unaccusative subjects (Patients/Undergoers), therefore revealing a split of ergative type (Ledgeway-Silvestri in press). Moreover, in the same varieties the adverb agreement superficially interacts with the past participle agreement, which normally displays alternative patterns depending on the morpho-lexical makeup of the participle (± metaphonic). These facts can be set in parametric choices and taxonomically ordered in hierarchies.
Parameter typology from a diachronic perspective
Authors: Biberauer Theresa , Roberts Ian
Published: November 2016

This paper considers the question of the nature of parameters from a diachronic perspective, focusing in particular on the case of Conditional Inversion (CI) in the history of English. The objective is to show that it is meaningful to think of parameters and their synchronic robustness and consequent diachronic stability in “size” terms. More specifically, we show that it is possible to discern a consistent, but ever more frayed parametric thread linking the availability of verb-movement operations in the history of English: while verb-movement at the earliest stages (Old and early Middle English) can be ascribed to the activation of a Verb Second grammar – conceived of as a grammar requiring verb-movement into the finite C-domain (Force or Fin) in matrix clauses (a mesoparameter) – verb-movement at the early modern stage was much more fragmented, triggered by a smaller class of finite Cs and also, as a result of the loss of V-to-T movement and the rise of a class of auxiliaries, affecting a smaller class of verbs (a microparameter); the situation in modern British and American English, where only had, should and certain uses of were trigger CI, is nanoparametric, a situation which is expected to be unstable, as various post-colonial varieties indeed show it to be. CI in the history of English, then, provides a window on parametric continuity and change.
The biolinguistics program
Authors: Di Sciullo Anna Maria , Aguero-Bautista Calixto
Published: November 2016

The Biolinguistics Program is an emergent interdisciplinary field encompassing natural sciences, neurosciences and the humanities. Its core object of inquiry is human language. The overarching questions it raises are the following: what is language and what is the relation between language and biology. The central hypothesis it brings to the fore is that human language has a biological basis as well as unique traits that make language unique in the biological world. This paper details some of the specific questions and the hypotheses that have been formulated in this field, and it considers recent works on the intersection of language and biology. We start by stating the rationale for Biolinguistics. We then identify the questions and hypotheses raised by this field. Finally, we consider works that aim to bridge the explanatory gap between language and biology while preserving the unique properties of language.
Effects of nano-SiC particles on the FSSW welded AZ31 magnesium alloy joints
Authors: Wu D. , Shen J. , Lv L. , Wen L. , Xie X.
Published: November 2016

The microstructure of nano-SiC enhancing friction stir spot welding (FSSW) joint with dwell time of 3 s was characterised by an onion ring structure which consisted of alternate SiC-free zones and SiC-rich zones where SiC particles refined the grains. However, onion ring structure disappeared and SiC particles dispersed homogeneously when dwell time was 5 s. The microhardness of stir zone (SZ) and tensile shear load of SiC enhancing FSSW joint were higher than those of conventional FSSW joints. After heat treatment at 200°C for an hour, grains of the SZ grew substantially and coursed reduction in mechanical properties of joints, while grain size of SZ and tensile shear load of SiC enhancing joint was invariant but the microhardness of SZ increased.
Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate-to-Lipid Ratios on Growth and Body Composition of Orange-spotted Grouper Epinephelus coioides
Authors: Wang Ji-teng , Jiang Yu-dong , Han Tao , Li Xin-yu , Wang Yong , Liu Yong-jian
Published: November 2016

Growth performance of juvenile Orange-spotted Grouper Epinephelus coioides fed isonitrogenous (45% crude protein) and isoenergetic diets with varying carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios (0 to 10.9) were evaluated. Triplicate groups of 18 fish (initial mean individual body weight, 16.4 g/) were fed to satiety for 8 weeks. At the termination of this trial, significant differences (P < 0.05) were found on the growth performance. Weight gain and specific growth rate values increased with decreasing dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios. The highest feed conversion ratio value and the lowest protein efficiency ratio value were observed in fish fed the 10.9 carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio diet. Besides, fish fed the 10.9 carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio exhibited the lowest nitrogen retention and energy retention values. With the diet carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios decreasing, hepatosomatic index values were reduced significantly (P < 0.001), while the intraperitoneal fat index values showed an inverse trend. Whole-body protein content was reduced with the decrease in dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios, whereas whole-body lipid content increased significantly with decreasing dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios (P < 0.001) while the whole-body moisture content showed a reverse trend. Additionally, liver lipid content increased with the decrease in dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios, while contrasting results were found in liver glycogen content. The results of this study suggest that the suitable dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio for Orange-spotted Grouper is 0.5 in the isonitrogenous (45% crude protein) and isoenergetic diets, and this species is better adapted to utilizing lipids rather than carbohydrates.
Final report on the APMP.M.T-S1 supplementary comparison measurand torque: 0 N·m, 1000 N·m, 2000 N·m (bilateral comparison)
Authors: Ogushi K , Nishino A , Nurcahyono D , Hafid Hafid
Published: November 2016

The National Metrology Institute of Japan, AIST (NMIJ/AIST), Japan, and the Research Center for Metrology, LIPI (RCM-LIPI), Indonesia, had agreed to organize an inter-laboratory comparison program in the torque measurement at 1 kN·m and 2 kN·m for the torque measuring device. The objective of the project is to compare the performance of torque standards in participating institutes, in the torque range from 1 kN·m to 2 kN·m for torque measuring devices. The agreement between the results of two participants was very good. The smallest relative standard uncertainties of the machines stated by the participants are 6.6 × 10-5 and 3.0 × 10-4. The results of this comparison will be used supporting evidence for CMCs in this range.

Main text

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Sex- and size-selective harvesting of corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops)—a cleaner fish used in salmonid aquaculture
Authors: Halvorsen Kim Tallaksen , Sørdalen Tonje Knutsen , Vøllestad Leif Asbjørn , Skiftesvik Anne Berit , Espeland Sigurd Heiberg , Olsen Esben Moland
Published: November 2016

Fishery-induced changes in sex ratios can have negative effects on reproductive rates and affect sexual selection and evolutionary trajectories. Here, we investigate sex- and size-selectivity of the fishery for corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) in Western Norway. The males that build and guard nests (nesting males) grow faster than females and sneaker males. Corkwing wrasse were tagged (n = 1057) during (May–June) and after (July) the spawning period in 2014 within a no-take site and in a nearby site open for fishing. We monitored the fishery within and nearby the tagging sites from June to October and sampled recaptures on all commercial fishing trips. Fishing mortality was higher for nesting males than for females (open site; tagged during spawning: 36% vs. 29%; after spawning: 49% vs. 36%) and was found to be caused by nesting males having higher capture probabilities than females, independently of body size. The fishing mortality of sneaker males did not differ from nesting males, but the sample of sneaker males in the study was small. The probability of being retained by fishers once captured depended on size, but not on sex. The small no-take site reduced fishing mortality, and the sex- and size-selectivity was similar to the open site. By demonstrating the capture process to be male-selective in a commercial fishery, our study highlights the importance of assessing sex-selectivity in similar fisheries. If detected, management measures protecting the sexes more equally should be implemented, such as slot-size limits and marine-protected areas large enough to account for sexual differences in spatial behaviour.
Rethinking Reprogenetics
Authors: de Melo-Martin Inmaculada
Published: November 2016

Reprogenetic technologies, which combine the power of reproductive techniques with the tools of genetic science and technology, promise prospective parents a remarkable degree of control to pick and choose the likely characteristics of their offspring. Prominent authors such as Agar, Buchanan, DeGrazia, Green, Harris, Robertson, Savulescu, and Silver have flocked to the banner of reprogenetics. For them, increased reproductive choice and reduced suffering through the elimination of genetic disease and disability are just the first step. They advocate use of these technologies to create beings who enjoy longer and healthier lives, possess greater intellectual capacities, and are capable of more refined emotional experiences. Indeed, Harris and Savulescu take reprogenetic technologies to be so valuable that their use is not only morally permissible but morally obligatory. Rethinking Reprogenetics challenges this mainstream view with a contextualized, gender-attentive philosophical perspective. It shows that one need not be a Luddite, a social conservative, or a religious zealot to be critical of reprogenetics. Pointing out the flawed nature of the arguments put forward by the technologies’ proponents, Rethinking Reprogenetics reveals the problematic nature of the assumptions underpinning current evaluations of these technologies and offers a framework for a more critical and skeptical assessment.
ALMA observations of the dense and shocked gas in the nuclear region of NGC 4038 (Antennae galaxies)
Authors: Ueda Junko , Watanabe Yoshimasa , Iono Daisuke , Wilner David J. , Fazio Giovanni G. , Ohashi Satoshi , Kawabe Ryohei , Saito Toshiki , Komugi Shinya
Published: November 2016

We present 1″(<100 pc) resolution maps of millimeter emission from five molecules—CN, HCN, HCO+, CH3OH, and HNCO—obtained towards NGC 4038, which is the northern galaxy of the mid-stage merger, Antennae galaxies, with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Three molecules (CN, CH3OH, and HNCO) were detected for the first time in the nuclear region of NGC 4038. High-resolution mapping reveals a systematic difference in distributions of different molecular species and continuum emission. Active star-forming regions identified by the 3 mm and 850 μm continuum emission are offset from the gas-rich region associated with the HCN (1–0) and CO (3–2) peaks. The CN (1–0)/HCN (1–0) line ratios are enhanced (CN/HCN ≃ 0.8–1.2) in the star-forming regions, suggesting that the regions are photon dominated. The large molecular gas mass (108 M⊙) within a 0${^{\prime\prime}_{.}}$6 (∼60 pc) radius of the CO (3–2) peak and a high dense gas fraction (>20%) suggested by the HCN (1–0)/CO (3–2) line ratio may signify a future burst of intense star formation there. The shocked gas traced in the CH3OH and HNCO emission indicates sub-kpc-scale molecular shocks. We suggest that the molecular shocks may be driven by collisions between inflowing gas and the central massive molecular complex.
Bilateral Sensory Changes and High Burden of Disease in Patients With Chronic Pain and Unilateral Nondermatomal Somatosensory Deficits
Authors: Landmann Gunther , Dumat Wolfgang , Egloff Niklaus , Gantenbein Andreas R. , Matter Sibylle , Pirotta Roberto , Sándor Peter S. , Schleinzer Wolfgang , Seifert Burkhardt , Sprott Haiko , Stockinger Lenka , Riederer Franz
Published: November 2016

Objectives:

Widespread sensory deficits resembling hemihypoesthesia occur in 20% to 40% of chronic pain patients on the side of pain, independent of pain etiology, and have been termed nondermatomal sensory deficits (NDSDs). Sensory profiles have rarely been investigated in NDSDs.

Materials and Methods:

Quantitative sensory testing according to the protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS) was performed in the face, hand, and foot of the painful body side and in contralateral regions in chronic pain patients. Twenty-five patients with NDSDs and 23 without NDSDs (termed the pain-only group) were included after exclusion of neuropathic pain. Comprehensive clinical and psychiatric evaluations were carried out.

Results:

NDSD in chronic pain was associated with high burden of disease and more widespread pain. Only in the NDSD group were significantly higher thresholds for mechanical and painful stimuli found in at least 2 of 3 regions ipsilateral to pain. In addition, we found a bilateral loss of function for temperature and vibration detection, and a gain of function for pressure pain in certain regions in patients with NDSD. Sensory loss and gain of function for pressure pain correlated with pain intensity in several regions.

Discussion:

This may indicate a distinct sensory profile in chronic non-neuropathic pain and NDSD, probably attributable to altered central pain processing and sensitization. The presence of NDSD in chronic non-neuropathic pain may be regarded as a marker for higher burden of pain disease.
Topical Negative Pressure on Burns: An Innovative Method for Wound Exudate Collection
Authors: Baudoin Julien , Jafari Paris , Meuli Joachim , Applegate Lee Ann , Raffoul Wassim
Published: November 2016

Burn wound exudate is an important source of information on the wound-healing process and systemic improvement of burn patients. Identification of biomarkers for the prediagnosis of local or systemic complications in patients will have a great impact on adapting personalized procedures in burn treatment. No efficient exudate collection method exists that offers a direct and continuous collection over time. We developed an innovative system based on the negative pressure wound therapy technique to directly collect exudate from burn wounds over several days after burn. This method did not cause any complication or pain for patients, and positive influence on wound healing was seen. Exudate samples were further used in different projects for studying biochemical profile, trace element content, kinetics of bacterial growth, and cell cytotoxicity.
ICE-Syndrome: A Case Report of Implantation of a Microbypass Xen Gel Stent After DMEK Transplantation
Authors: Hohberger Bettina , Welge-Lüßen Ulrich-Christoph , Lämmer Robert
Published: November 2016

Purpose:

Treatment of glaucoma eyes with iridocorneal endothelial syndrome is complex. Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, such as one that implements a novel, microinvasive device, known as Xen gel stents, has shown promise in surgical glaucoma treatment and offers a new therapeutic option.

Methods:

This is a case report.

Results:

A successful implantation of Xen45 gel stent in a woman with secondary glaucoma due to unilateral iridocorneal endothelial syndrome after descement membrane endothelial keratoplasty operation, and the follow-up are presented.

Conclusions:

Implantation of Xen gel stents may be a promising option for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery in difficult situations, as low adverse effects, good postsurgery visual acuity and sufficient regulation of intraocular pressure can be seen.
Use of Cyanoacrylate Glue Casting for Stabilization of Periocular Skin Grafts and Flaps
Authors: Jackson Colette M. , Nguyen Michelle , Mancini Ronald
Published: November 2016

Purpose:

To examine a novel technique for periocular skin graft and flap stabilization using cyanoacrylate glue applied to the host bed around the perimeter of the graft or flap to create an immobile cast in the immediate postoperative period to promote successful graft take and stable anatomic position.

Methods:

Retrospective review was performed of a single surgeon’s patients who underwent periocular skin graft or flap between August 1, 2011, and February 29, 2016, in which cyanoacrylate glue was applied postoperatively for graft stabilization. Data examined included indication for procedure, location and size of graft, postoperative complications, and length of follow up postoperatively.

Results:

Of 164 cases reviewed, 9 cases were identified in which cyanoacrylate glue was used as the sole means of graft or flap stabilization. Indications for surgery included repair of cicatricial ectropion (3 cases) and repair of Mohs defect status after excision of basal or squamous cell carcinoma (6 cases). All cases involved reformation of the lower eyelid. Five cases employed full-thickness skin grafts and 4 cases employed adjacent tissue rearrangement. Size of defect repaired ranged from 8 mm to 35 mm when largest diameter was measured. Complications included mild residual ectropion or mild punctal ectropion in 2 patients who was asymptomatic and did not require further surgery. No cases were complicated by hematoma, infection, or graft necrosis.

Conclusion:

Cyanoacrylate glue can be used to successfully stabilize skin grafts and flaps in the immediate postoperative period.
Human papillomavirus as a cause of anal cancer and the role of screening
Authors: Gosens Karien C.M. , Richel Olivier , Prins Jan M.
Published: November 2016

Purpose of review

Anal cancer is a serious health problem in HIV-positive men who have sex with men, and precursor lesions, anal intraepithelial neoplasia, are well defined. Given the similarities with cervical cancer, screening for and treatment of anal intraepithelial neoplasia might prevent anal cancer. Screening programmes should meet the Wilson and Jungner criteria. We used these criteria to evaluate the current body of evidence supporting a screening programme for anal dysplasia.

Recent findings

The natural history of anal intraepithelial neoplasia is gradually becoming more clear, and three prospective studies are now being performed to conclusively address this issue. High-resolution anoscopy stays the gold standard to diagnose anal intraepithelial neoplasia. The International Anal Neoplasia Society has recently published Practice Standards in the Detection of Anal Cancer Precursors. The main issue, however, is treatment. Although response rates are reasonable at early evaluation, the majority of patients has a recurrence.

At present, an anal cancer screening programme for HIV-positive men who have sex with men meets most of the Wilson and Jungner criteria. Given that high-resolution anoscopy is the gold standard for screening, important issues that need addressing are the need for a less invasive screening procedure and the cost-effectiveness of screening. The main issue is treatment. Development and evaluation of new treatment strategies are essential for an effective and sustainable screening programme.
The vestibular system and cognition
Authors: Smith Paul F.
Published: November 2016

Purpose of review

The last year has seen a great deal of new information published relating vestibular dysfunction to cognitive impairment in humans, especially in the elderly. The objective of this review is to summarize and critically evaluate this new evidence in the context of the previous literature.

Recent findings

This review will address the recent epidemiological/survey studies that link vestibular dysfunction with cognitive impairment in the elderly; recent clinical investigations into cognitive impairment in the context of vestibular dysfunction, both in the elderly and in the cases of otic capsule dehiscence and partial bilateral vestibulopathy; recent evidence that vestibular impairment is associated with hippocampal atrophy; and finally recent evidence relating to the hypothesis that vestibular dysfunction could be a risk factor for dementia.

The main implication of these recent studies is that vestibular dysfunction, possibly of any type, may result in cognitive impairment, and this could be especially so for the elderly. Such symptoms will need to be considered in the treatment of patients with vestibular disorders.
X-ray diffraction from magnetically oriented microcrystal suspensions detected by a shutterless continuous rotation method
Authors: Tsuboi Chiaki , Tsukui Shu , Kimura Fumiko , Kimura Tsunehisa , Hasegawa Kazuya , Baba Seiki , Mizuno Nobuhiro
Published: November 2016

In this study, the magnetically oriented microcrystal suspension (MOMS) method is combined with the shutterless continuous rotation method. In the MOMS method, the suspension has to be rotated to maintain the three-dimensional orientation of microcrystals. This means that it is compatible with the continuous rotation method, which also utilizes sample rotation. The time constants of the two methods should match to allow their successful combination. The conditions required for the MOMS method for combination with the continuous rotation method are investigated. Experiments are performed with a complementary metal–oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detector and the restriction imposed on the time constant for the MOMS method by the continuous rotation method is examined. The combination of these two methods is a promising approach for realizing the structure analyses of biomolecules from their microcrystalline powders.
Social enterprising by and for women in East Africa
Authors: Tillmar Malin
Published: November 2016

Subject area

The subject areas are social entrepreneurship, gender, institutions and emerging markets.

Study level/applicability

Bachelor, Master, PhD.

Case overview

Some of the fastest growing economies in the world are situated in East Africa. However, there are many institutional challenges. The societies are, for example, heavily patriarchal. Women are, hence, in a particularly vulnerable situation. This is the case of one woman entrepreneur who views the support of other, less educated, women as a main part of her venture. She is a highly educated woman, who has lived part of her life in the USA. Her father is an influential person in the city. She does not need to work at all for her livelihood. She wants the women in her country to have a chance to become economically independent from men. Therefore, she uses her expertise in chemistry to help groups of rural women to make soap and other beauty products from local plants. The case not only illustrates the institutional challenges and how the macro-level institutions affect micro level action but also illustrates the agency enabled by networks and a more fortunate class background. It is an example of a contextually embedded social entrepreneurship process, with simultaneously good and bad odds.

Expected learning outcomes

Main learning objectives are the importance of avoiding both ethnocentrism and androcentrism when analyzing driving forces, processes and decision-making among social entrepreneurs. After having processed this case, students should be able to: critically and independently discuss the context dependence of driving forces and processes of social entrepreneurship; critically and independently discuss the gendering of driving forces and processes of social entrepreneurship; and understand and discuss the prerequisites for social entrepreneurship for different groups in a given society, including the class and gender dimensions and the intersection between these dimensions.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
Building the BrightRock brand through change
Authors: Goldman Michael M. , Reyneke Mignon , Mhizha Tendai
Published: November 2016

Subject area

This case allows students to engage with classical marketing tenets of branding, media and communications decisions and content marketing within a management framework.

Study level/applicability

This case is appropriate for an undergraduate or graduate-level programme in marketing management.

Case overview

Suzanne Stevens was part of a group of four former senior employees of a large life insurance firm that decided to establish a new and innovative South African insurance company, BrightRock. They identified a gap in a large and highly competitive (albeit generic and opaque) insurance market and developed a distinctive positioning within the market. There was low consumer understanding of the technical aspects of life insurance products, and no existing life insurance product provided an individualized offering. Stevens developed the company’s brand and marketing strategy by drawing on reputation drivers, traditional advertising and a content marketing approach. BrightRock focused on change moments in consumers’ lives, including getting married, having children or getting a new job, and changed the standard insurance product model by launching an individualized flexible product that could adapt with the consumer through their various life stages. The case study documents the first three years of BrightRock’s operations, with a strong focus on brand and product development, distribution and communication. The case dilemma involves choices Stevens faced at the beginning of 2015 about marketing investments across paid, earned and owned media.

Expected learning outcomes

This study enables to critique the development of a services brand; integrate paid, owned and earned media to increase communication effectiveness and efficiency; and critique a content marketing strategy.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.
Putting Able Hands to Work: Skill, Organization, and the Cooperative Market in Jamaica
Authors: Lewis Jovan Scott
Published: November 2016

This article explores how participation in cooperatives seeks to accomplish an ideal form of the market through the constitutive ethics of organization and skill development. It does so by exploring the cooperative processes and practices of the Jamaica Indigenous Artisans Cooperative, or JAMIA, a small group of 35 vendors and artisans formed in Montego Bay in 2010. Through their employment of a rhetoric, which emphasizes the importance of skill development and organization as a means of accomplishment, JAMIA demonstrates to what extent cooperative ideologies, or imaginaries, serve to legitimize, console, or even frustrate the economic position of cooperative membership.
Unexpected sex‐specific post‐reproductive lifespan in the free‐living nematodePristionchus exspectatus
Authors: Weadick Cameron J. , Sommer Ralf J.
Published: November 2016

Patterns of senescence (or aging) can vary among life history traits and between the sexes, providing an opportunity to study variation in the aging process within a single species. We previously found that females of the nematodePristionchus exspectatusoutlive males by a substantial margin under laboratory conditions. Here, we show that sex‐specific reproductive senescence unfolds in the opposite direction in this species, resulting in a prolonged period of female‐specific post‐reproductive survival: females lost the ability to reproduce at approximately 4.7 weeks despite a median lifespan of about 12.3 weeks under lab conditions, whereas males lost the ability to reproduce at approximately 6.6 weeks, roughly in line with their median lifespan of around 7.6 weeks. Interestingly, somatic senescence (declining crawling speed) only explained reproductive senescence in males, whereas females lost the ability to reproduce regardless of condition. However, we found that housing females with males significantly increased their mortality rate, indicating that female‐specific post‐reproductive survival is unlikely to occur in the wild. We discuss our results in light of evolutionary theories of post‐reproductive survival and previous studies of nematode behavioral ecology, arguing that premature reproductive senescence may stem from sex‐specific condition‐dependent survival during the reproductive period. Given the proven lab tractability ofPrisitonchusnematodes, our findings provide a foundation for integrative research that combines evolutionary ecology and molecular genetics in the study of sex‐specific senescence and post‐reproductive survival.
Ancestral androgenic differentiation pathways are repurposed during the evolution of adult sexual plasticity
Authors: Schuppe Eric R. , Solomon‐Lane Tessa K. , Pradhan Devaleena S. , Thonkulpitak Kevin , Grober Matthew S.
Published: November 2016

Although early exposure to androgens is necessary to permanently organize male phenotype in many vertebrates, animals that exhibit adult sexual plasticity require mechanisms that prevent early fixation of genital morphology and allow for genital morphogenesis during adult transformation. In Lythrypnus dalli, a teleost fish that exhibits bi‐directional sex change, adults display dimorphic genitalia morphology despite the absence of sex differences in the potent fish androgen 11‐ketotestosterone. Based on conserved patterns of vertebrate development, two steroid‐based mechanisms may regulate the early development and adult maintenance of dimorphic genitalia; local androgen receptor (AR) and steroidogenic enzyme expression. Consistent with the ancestral pattern of AR expression during the multipotential phase of differentiation, juvenile differentiation into either sex involved high mesenchymal AR expression. In adults, AR expression was high throughout the male genitalia, but low or absent in females. Consistent with the hypothesis that adult sexual plasticity repurposes pathways from primary differentiation, we show that adults with transitioning genitalia also exhibited higher AR expression relative to females. Local androgen biosynthesis may also participate in genitalia transformation, as transitioning adults had greater 11β‐HSD‐like immunoreactivity in the epithelial layer of the dorsal lumen compared to both sexes. By administering an AR antagonist to adult males, we show AR is necessary to maintain male‐typical morphology. In a species that is resistant to early sexual canalization, early androgenic differentiation mechanisms are consistent with other vertebrates and the tissue‐specific regulation of AR expression appears to be repurposed in adulthood to allow for transitions between sexual phenotypes.
War and State Making at the End of Empire: Ottoman Collapse and the Formation of the Balkan States
Authors: Mulaj Klejda
Published: November 2016

While the connection between war and state making in the ascendancy of the western state system has been well explored, the war‐state linkages in the peripheries of the Great Powers, especially in times of imperial decline and collapse, have attracted insufficient attention among peace and conflict studies analysts. This contribution helps to fill this gap by revisiting the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 to underpin correlations between state making and political violence in this case which scholars are only now starting to research in more detail. The article contributes above and beyond the existing state of scholarship by grounding the analysis in a focused and explicit comparison between state formation processes in the Balkans and those in western Europe, which have provided the template for modern state making in the rest of the world. The focus is primarily on the initial stages of state formation in the context of the growing influence of the Great Powers in the region and the emergence of nationalism as a rationale for the nation‐state notwithstanding the multiethnic setting.
Understanding and Evaluating L2 Personal Letter Writing: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Analysis of Student Texts in German
Authors: Crane Cori
Published: November 2016

Adopting a genre lens informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics (cf. Halliday & Matthiessen, ; Martin & Rose, ), this paper explores the text‐structural and lexico‐grammatical choices that second language (L2) writers of German make in personal letter writing. Close analysis of two student texts from an advanced, content‐based, college‐level German course help to illustrate more and less successful realizations of a complex letter task. Both genre and register analyses of these texts show how letter writing can offer L2 learners opportunities to practice evaluative (especially affective) discourse and develop understanding for different subject positions. Key text‐structural and linguistic patterns are summarized in a writing rubric that teachers can use to guide and assess students’ personal letter writing. As the writing task at the center of the study is based on the young‐adult novel, Damals war es Friedrich (1961), and is situated within an instructional unit on German memories of the Holocaust, the analysis additionally contributes to ongoing dialogue concerning the teaching of the Holocaust (cf. Hirsch & Kacandes, ), by focusing on students’ engagement with the content material through a linguistic perspective.
German Beyond the Classroom: From Local Knowledge to Critical Language Awareness
Authors: Boovy Bradley
Published: November 2016

The article details an “Ausflug” to a Mt. Angel, OR as a model for incorporating engaged learning into the German classroom as a way of enhancing not only students’ language acquisition but also to promote social justice learning. I offer both theoretical and practical considerations, informed by scholarship on teaching culture in the German classroom, critical language pedagogy, as well as recent changes in the institutional context of the German program at my home institution. In doing so, this work contributes to ongoing conversations about teaching culture in the foreign language classroom, and offers suggestions for incorporating high‐impact practices into German classes as a way of increasing student engagement with learning material. Although the “Ausflug” was developed for post‐secondary students of German, it nevertheless provides a model that can be of use to German teachers at all levels.
Why a German ‘oh’ is not necessarily an English ‘oh’: Showing understanding and emotions with Change‐of‐State Tokens
Authors: Linneweber Judith
Published: November 2016

This paper presents a two‐session teaching unit on German change‐of‐state tokens such as oh, ach and achso. Goal is to teach students the appropriate reaction through change‐of‐state tokens in various situations. Students are provided with authentic data based on empirical research in conversation analysis (CA). By the end students will be familiar with the German change‐of‐state tokens and be aware of the difficulties of translating oh, who often is a false friend. They will be able to differentiate between a cognitive and an emotional change‐of‐state token and know where the English oh cannot be translated with an German oh. The unit focuses on ach, achso and oh in the German language and helps students to sound more fluent in their second language since the tokens glue speech together. For this reason, it is important for students to learn how to use change‐of‐state tokens.
“weil – das ist eben doch richtig so” Teaching variant types of weil‐ and obwohl‐structures in German
Authors: Bendig Ina , Betz Emma , Huth Thorsten
Published: November 2016

Researchers have observed that in spoken German, the conjunctions weil and obwohl commonly occur with verb‐second (V2) instead of verb‐final (Vf) word order (Gaumann, ; Gänthner, , ; Uhmann, ). Current findings document that this syntactic variant of weil/obwohl‐structures has an alternative interactional meaning and function, namely expressing different causalities (Vandergriff, ). Based on the results of interactional linguistic research, we will outline why it is important for foreign language learners of German to be aware of the weil/obwohl+V2 structure. This background provides the basis for step‐by‐step teaching units on variant weil/obwohl‐clauses in the beginning and intermediate German language classroom. The suggested teaching units employ the five phases for teaching and learning pragmatics suggested by Barraja‐Rohan (). The aim is to raise learners’ awareness and understanding for this syntactic phenomenon and its interactional use in spoken German.
A Computational Approach to Study Heat Transfer Enhancement in Film Boiling due to the Addition of Surfactants
Authors: N. Premnath Kannan , Hajabdollahi Farzaneh , Welch Samuel W. J.
Published: November 2016

Two-phase flows involving phase change are ubiquitous in a diverse range of scientific and technological applications. There has been great recent interest in the enhancement of boiling heat transfer processes by means of additives such as surfactants. Surfactants can influence boiling through convection currents in the bulk fluids as a result of changes in the surface tension caused by local surfactant concentration due their adsorption/desorption from the bulk regions. This can result in changes in bubble release patterns and higher heat transfer rates if such changes lead to higher rate of vapor formation. We intend to study this effect in the context of film boiling. Our computational approach augments the CLSVOF method with bulk energy and diffusion equations along with a phase change model and an interface surfactant model. The challenge here is to accurately calculate the tangential gradients of the interfacial surfactant concentration in the presence of discontinuous bulk concentration gradients near the interface. We discuss a simplified model in which the interfacial surfactant concentration is always in equilibrium with the changing bulk concentrations and then present validation results to assess the accuracy of this approach. Finally, initial studies of surfactant enhanced film boiling will be presented and interpreted.
Experimental Study and Analysis of Dropwise Condensation Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance
Authors: Su Junwei , Inalpolat Murat , Ge Tingjian , Esmaeilzadeh Hamed , Sun Hongwei
Published: November 2016

This work reports a novel Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) based method to analyze the droplet-micropillar surface interaction quantitatively during dropwise condensation. A combined nanoimprinting lithography and chemical surface treatment approach was utilized to directly fabricate the micropillar based superhydrophobic surface on the QCM substrate. The normalized frequency shift of the QCM device and the microscopic observation of the corresponding nucleation, drop growth, and drop coalescence processes clearly demonstrate the different characteristics of these condensation states. In addition, a synchrosqueezed wavelet spectrum based multi-resolution technique was utilized to analyze the resonant signal from the QCM sensor in both time and frequency domains simultaneously. An integrated discrete system modeling along with a hybrid signal and image processing approach was adopted to identify the response of the micropillars under different stages of dropwise condensation (DWC). The outcome of this signal processing research leads to a fundamental understanding of DWC spanning multiple time and length scales. The proposed study will also contribute to an in-depth understanding of different hydrophobic surfaces and DWC through this advanced signal processing and surface treatment. The developed QCM system provides a valuable tool for the dynamic characterization of different condensation processes.
Free Convection in Viscoplastic Fluid due to Partial Bi-Heating From Bottom
Authors: Khan Naushad Hasin , Hassan M. A.
Published: November 2016

The numerical investigation of laminar natural convection of viscoplastic fluid in a two dimensional square enclosure has been reported in this work. The enclosed fluid is subjected to partial bi-heating from the bottom wall and symmetrical cooling from the sides under steady condition. Yield stress fluid has been heated through two heaters symmetrically placed on the either side of the centre of the bottom wall of the square enclosure. The viscoplastic fluid is the one which requires a minimum critical stress called yield stress to flow otherwise behave as a solid, have been modeled with Herschel–Bulkley model. Such fluids have significant technological relevance due to its wide application ranging from cosmetics products, food processing industries, pharmaceuticals to natural occurring like flow of debris and lava. The solution of governing partial differential equations has been approached using finite volume based formulation. Non uniform set of grid has been used. The effects of yield stress, heat flux, and power law index on the flow and thermal characteristics of the free convection of Herschel-Bulkley fluids have been studied for a particular value of Prandtl number. The flow and thermal fields have been investigated for the following ranges of conditions: Rayleigh number varies between 103 and 106 whereas power law index ranges from 0 to 1. The heat transfer characteristic has been depicted with the help of isotherms and the flow field has been illustrated by streamlines. The onset of convection is substantially delayed due to presence of yield stress of the fluid. This results in enhanced critical Rayleigh number for onset of convection. With increase in the Yield number in turn yield stress, results in the weakening of heat transfer through convection and at a particular relatively higher value of Yield number the heat transfer is solely taken place by conduction mode. Due to the symmetry in both heating and boundary conditions, the obtained isotherms and streamlines of the right half are symmetrical to the left half of the square enclosure. The conductive mode of heat transfer becomes dominated by increasing yield stress and reducing Ra and vice versa. The simultaneous presence of yielded and unyielded region presents an interesting pattern in the convection zone. Furthermore, it can be seen that rise in heat flux, in turn Ra, promotes the buoyancy driven circulation of viscoplastic fluid i.e. enhances natural convective heat transfer. In addition, the effect of power law index has been investigated. Power law index has little effect on thermal distribution and flow field.