bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Malaysian medical students’ perceptions of a film to promote psychiatry as a career
Authors: Vasudevan Umadevi , Bharathy Arokiamary , Jun Min Koay , Panikulam Joseph Jacob , Saleem Fahad , Hassali Azmi , Russell Vincent
Published: February 2015

Objective:

We aimed to evaluate perceptions of a Royal College of Psychiatrists promotional film among Malaysian medical students.

Methods:

Year 3 ( n=108) and Year 5 ( n=108) students completed separate standard measures of attitudes to psychiatry: the ATP 30 and Balon scales, respectively. A questionnaire was also administered recording students’ socio-demographic information, career preferences, perceptions of the film’s effectiveness and its influence on career choice. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of responses were performed.

Results:

The overall response rate was 95.5%. Mean career preference ranking for psychiatry was higher for Year 5 than for Year 3 ( p=0.025). For most Year 3 (64.8%) and Year 5 (58.3%) respondents the film conveyed a positive image of psychiatry. Fewer perceived it as influencing career choice: 31.4% for Year 3 and 27.2% for Year 5. Higher scores on both attitudinal scales correlated positively with increasing likelihood of students rating the film positively (Year 3: p=0.000; Year 5: p=0.003). Thematic content analysis suggested possible socio-cultural influences on students’ perceptions.

Conclusions:

Despite conveying a positive image of psychiatry, promotional films may have limited impact in changing students’ attitudes towards psychiatry and in increasing interest in psychiatry as a career.
Testifying in a mock court: the experiences of forensic advanced trainees
Authors: Ng Lillian Lywan , Friedman Susan Hatters
Published: February 2015

Objectives:

We aimed to examine the experiences of advanced trainees in forensic psychiatry as they practise testifying as expert witnesses in a mock court setting.

Methods:

Five advanced trainees (including the first author) submitted court-ordered forensic reports in advance of attending the mock court. Senior colleagues had roles of Judge, prosecution and defence lawyers. House officers and medical students were summoned as jury. Over a year, each trainee had the experience of direct and cross-examination by opposing legal teams. Following the mock trial, each participant was given immediate feedback and subsequently asked to complete a semi-structured questionnaire.

Results:

The experience of participating in a mock court has learning value for advanced trainees specialising in forensic psychiatry in anticipation of giving evidence in a court of law. Constructive feedback enabled attendees to gain valuable education in a supportive setting. Of particular value was guidance in the use of technical language in presenting evidence in a court setting, knowledge of the breadth of questions that could be put forth to an expert witness, desensitisation training in an adversarial albeit simulated setting, and acquiring skills in staying calm under pressure.

Conclusions:

The importance of a well-written report, good preparation and anxiety management were significant learning points.
The therapeutic use of ‘no’
Authors: Little John
Published: February 2015

Objective:

The aim of this paper is to re-visit the therapeutic effectiveness of ‘no’.

Conclusion:

Embedded within a philosophy of care, the use of ‘no’ benefits both parties in the therapeutic endeavour.
Mycobacterium bovis infection in a horse with granulomatous enterocolitis
Authors: Sarradell Javier E. , Alvarez Julio , Biscia Mariana , Zumarraga Martin , Wunschmann Arno , Armien Anibal G. , Perez Andres M.
Published: February 2015

A 2-year-old dappled Percheron horse had a wasting condition that did not respond to antibiotic treatments and ultimately resulted in death. Thickening of the wall of the large colon and enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes were observed at postmortem examination, along with the presence of pinpoint whitish foci in the liver. Microscopic examination of affected tissues revealed diffuse chronic granulomatous enterocolitis, granulomatous mesenteric lymphadenitis, and multifocal granulomatous hepatitis. The DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded intestinal and lymph node samples was analyzed using both a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and PCR–restriction endonuclease analysis and demonstrated the presence of Mycobacterium bovis.
Complications of Minimally Invasive Calcaneal Osteotomy Versus Open Osteotomy
Authors: Kendal Adrian R. , Khalid Ali , Ball Tom , Rogers Mark , Cooke Paul , Sharp Robert
Published: February 2015

Background:

Calcaneal osteotomy is an established technique for correcting hindfoot deformity. Patients traditionally receive an osteotomy through the open lateral approach to the calcaneus. To reduce the rate of wound complications associated with a direct open lateral approach, a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) technique has been adopted. This uses a low-speed, high-torque burr to perform the same osteotomy under radiographic guidance. We hypothesized that the new MIS calcaneal osteotomy would be a safe alternative to open calcaneal osteotomy while obtaining the same displacement.

Methods:

The safety of the new MIS technique was investigated with a case controlled study on all patients who underwent displacement calcaneal osteotomy at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre from 2008 to 2014. The primary outcome measure was 30 day postoperative complication rate. Secondary outcome measures included operating time, duration of stay, fusion rates, and calcaneal displacement. Eighty-one patients underwent calcaneal osteotomy as part of their corrective surgery, 50 in the Open approach group and 31 in MIS group. The average age was 47.7 years (range 16-77) for the Open group and 50.1 (range 21-77) in the MIS group.

Results:

A mean calcaneal displacement of 9.4 mm (SD = 1.16, 8 to 11 mm) and 10.2 mm (SD = 1.06, 8 to 13 mm) was achieved through the MIS and Open approaches, respectively. There were significantly fewer wound complications in the MIS group (6.45%) compared to the Open group (28%, P = .022). The MIS group was associated with significantly lower rate of wound infection (3% versus 20%, P = .044). Three patients in the Open group experienced sural peripheral neuropathy. The average length of stay was 3.8 days following MIS and 4.3 days following open calcaneal osteotomy. Nonunion occurred in only 1 patient in the MIS group and none in the open group.

Conclusions:

MIS calcaneal osteotomy was found to be a safe technique. It was technically as effective as calcaneal osteotomy performed through an open lateral approach but was associated with significantly fewer wound complications and fewer nerve complications.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, comparative study.
Robust adaptive H∞ controller based on GA-Wavelet-SVM for nonlinear vehicle suspension with time delay actuator
Authors: Nourisola Hamid , Ahmadi Bahar
Published: February 2015

In this paper, two active control schemes are presented to improve simultaneously vehicle ride comfort and steady-state handling performance. First, adaptive H∞ controller is designed for nonlinear vehicle suspension systems with actuator time delay based on Genetic Algorithm Wavelet Support Vector Machines and then adaptive H∞ controller is designed based on Genetic Algorithm Mixed Wavelet and RBF Support Vector Machines. The varying sprung and unsprung masses and the suspension performances with actuator delay are taken into account simultaneously, and the corresponding mathematical model is established. The most important feature of the proposed control strategy is its inherent robustness and its ability to handle the nonlinear behaviour of the system. Simulation results show that the designed controllers can achieve good active suspension performance regardless of the variation on the sprung mass in the presence of actuator time delay.
Determinants of Clergy Behaviors Promoting Safety of Battered Korean Immigrant Women
Authors: Choi Y. Joon
Published: February 2015

Korean immigrants rely heavily on their respective churches for assistance with domestic violence. Yet, Korean clergy’s responses to domestic violence are unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence Korean clergy’s responses to domestic violence in their congregations. Results showed that clergy’s Korean cultural values, age, and length of residence in the United States influence their responses to domestic violence. Developing a collaborative working relationship between Korean clergy and domestic violence advocates, as well as providing training to Korean clergy targeting their knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and skills is critical for promoting safety of battered Korean immigrant women.
Poly-Victimization Among Girls in the Justice System
Authors: DeHart Dana D. , Moran Robert
Published: February 2015

Life History Calendars and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire were used to collect data from 100 delinquent girls to (a) examine range and co-occurrence of different types of violence over the life span, (b) examine independent and cumulative trajectories of risk for varied types of victimization, and (c) examine the relationship of victimization to girls’ offending. Risk trajectories demonstrate critical risk periods for different forms of violence exposure. Cox regression was used to examine the predictive value of different forms of violence exposure for the onset of delinquent and criminal behavior. Findings illuminate the need for programs addressing substance use and alternative coping mechanisms.
Theoretical and experimental analysis for leakage rate and dynamic characteristics of herringbone-grooved liquid seals
Authors: Zhai Lulu , Wu Guangkuan , Wei Xuesong , Qin Daqing , Wang LeQin
Published: February 2015

In this paper, a theoretical analysis method for leakage rate and dynamic characteristics of herringbone-grooved liquid seals is proposed. Steady-state velocities and leakage rate are figured out first with the inertia term of the fluid combined with mass conservation within the seals. Subsequently, the rotordynamic coefficients are solved based on the investigation of Iwatsubo and Childs. Laboratory tests were performed on a specially designed test rig. Detailed comparisons between the experimental results and theoretical predictions show a good agreement on the leakage rate and hydraulic forces for five model seals, which provide an evidence of validation of the analysis method developed in this paper. Moreover, the influence of rotational speed and pressure difference on the leakage rate and rotordynamic coefficients of herringbone-grooved seals is discussed. The results show that the operating conditions and seal structures greatly influence the sealing and rotordynamic performances, which is helpful for designing herringbone-grooved seals.
Insideness and outsideness
Authors: Brooks Caroline , DinanThompson Maree
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this study is to provide an authentic and legitimate voice to the physical education (PE) specialist teacher in the primary school and to give an insight into professional knowledge. An autoethnographic approach has been used to invite readers to enter my world of the primary PE specialist teacher and observe and respond to its social and cultural practices. Teacher professionalism as a cultural practice is defined, perceived and enacted in different ways over the three years I spent as a primary PE specialist teacher. The places and spaces in which primary PE operates are investigated using the conceptual framework of Relph’s Place and Placelessness. I found myself both in and out of places and spaces that raised questions about the role of the primary PE specialist teacher, the issue of non-contact time in Queensland schools, the influence of performance cultures and the possibility (or not) for enacting an activist democratic professionalism.
Hounga v. Allen at the Supreme Court
Authors: Monaghan Chris
Published: February 2015

The defence of illegality operates to prevent a person from benefiting from his/her own illegal conduct. The question to determine in Hounga v. Allen (2014) UKSC 47 was whether an illegal immigrant could bring a claim for race discrimination against the person who had arranged for his/her entry into the United Kingdom. It was a question answered in the negative by the Court of Appeal, as their Lordships had not wished to condone the appellant’s illegal conduct. Upon appeal, the Supreme Court disagreed with the Court of Appeal’s decision that the discrimination claim was linked to the appellant’s illegality and permitted the claim to succeed. The Supreme Court’s decision in Hounga v. Allen is of considerable importance, as its application of the ‘inextricable link’ test provides a way for such claims to succeed, and permits the recovery of a civil remedy. Interestingly, Lord Wilson, in his judgment, held that the claim could succeed (even where it had been tainted with illegality, which was not the case here), as it was in the public interest to protect people who were in the appellant’s position. His Lordship considered that the public interest in protecting vulnerable illegal immigrants outweighed the public interest in applying the defence of illegality.
Showing versus telling: Comparing online video from newspaper and television websites
Authors: Bock Mary Angela
Published: February 2015

Video has become a central part of news on the web. As an emerging form of news, news videos are appearing with varied narrative structures, styles and formats. Narrative structure is one way that journalists establish discursive authority. Because of contrasting traditions regarding visual news, newspaper videos might be expected to employ different narrative strategies. This content analysis compared the narrative structure of videos posted by newspaper websites with those posted by television organizations. It finds that form reflects contrasting traditions, with newspaper videos taking a more mimetic (showing) approach and television websites using a more diegetic (telling) narrative style.
Filtered meaning: appreciating linguistic skill, social position and subjectivity of interpreters in cross-language research
Authors: MacKenzie Catrina A
Published: February 2015

Arriving in a foreign country with little knowledge of local languages presents the researcher with significant linguistic challenges. Our in-country contacts may suggest potential interpreters for us to hire, but how do we know if these interpreters can fluently speak the languages of our participants? Can we, lacking fluency in local languages, understand when the social position and lived experiences of our interpreter modify the discourses we seek to analyse? Drawing from my human geography research experience in Uganda, this article aims to share strategies to assess the linguistic skills of the interpreter and to understand his or her social position and subjectivity. Uniquely, this paper highlights differences in interpretation and links these differences to the assistants’ social position and subjectivity, highlighting the need to acknowledge that meaning can be filtered by interpretation and requiring that critical reflection be broadened to encompass interpreters in cross-language research.
Promoter methylation of fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 2 gene is associated with obesity and dyslipidaemia in Chinese children
Authors: Wu Lijun , Zhao Xiaoyuan , Shen Yue , Zhang Mei-Xian , Yan Yinkun , Hou Dongqing , Meng Linghui , Liu Junting , Cheng Hong , Mi Jie
Published: February 2015

Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 2 ( FAIM2) is an obesity-related gene, but the mechanisms by which FAIM2 is involved in obesity are not understood. Epigenetic alterations are important factors in the development of obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential associations of FAIM2 promoter methylation with obesity and components of dyslipidaemia in Chinese children. We studied FAIM2 promoter methylation in 59 obese and 39 lean children using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. The methylation levels at 8 CpG sites in the FAIM2 promoter were significantly different between the obese and lean subjects, especially the methylation level at CpG site 500 ( p = 0.01). The methylation levels at several of the examined CpG sites were significantly associated with dyslipidaemia and its components after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index (BMI). The methylation levels at two CpG sites (sites -362 and -360 and site -164) were highly significantly associated with high level of triglycerides ( p = 0.00002 and 0.0009, respectively). This study provides the first evidence that the methylation levels of the FAIM2 promoter are significantly associated with obesity and are independently associated with dyslipidaemia and its components in Chinese children.
Attitudes toward opioids for refractory dyspnea in COPD among Dutch chest physicians
Authors: Janssen Daisy JA , de Hosson SM , bij de Vaate Eline , Mooren Kris JM , Baas Albert AF
Published: February 2015

Dyspnea is the most frequently reported symptom of outpatients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Opioids are an effective treatment for dyspnea. Nevertheless, the prescription of opioids to patients with advanced COPD seems limited. The aims of this study are to explore the attitudes of Dutch chest physicians toward prescription of opioids for refractory dyspnea to outpatients with advanced COPD and to investigate the barriers experienced by chest physicians toward opioid prescription in these patients. All chest physicians ( n = 492) and residents in respiratory medicine ( n = 158) in the Netherlands were invited by e-mail to complete an online survey. A total of 146 physicians (response rate 22.5%) completed the online survey. Fifty percent of the physicians reported to prescribe opioids for refractory dyspnea in 20% or less of their outpatients with advanced COPD and 18.5% reported never to prescribe opioids in these patients. The most frequently reported barriers toward prescription of opioids were resistance of the patient, fear of possible adverse effects, and fear of respiratory depression. To conclude, Dutch chest physicians and residents in respiratory medicine rarely prescribe opioids for refractory dyspnea to outpatients with advanced COPD. This reluctance is caused by perceived resistance of the patient and fear of adverse effects, including respiratory adverse effects.
Arm and Hand Movement in Children Suspected of Having Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Braddock Barbara A. , Hilton Jane C.
Published: February 2015

The aim of this study was to describe arm and hand movement in children suspected of having autism spectrum disorder (ASD; age range 29–43 months). A videotaped retrospective review of five children with symptoms of ASD during Communication Temptation Tasks was completed at two time points (pre-testing and 6 weeks later). Categories of arm and hand movement were classified and examined. Findings revealed that mean proportional use of arm and hand movement types were generally stable between time points. Only 2 of 17 coded arm and hand movements significantly changed over the 6-week developmental period for appropriate actions on objects and the “give” meaningful communicative act. Appropriate actions on objects were represented at the highest proportion at each time point. Aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) was inconsistently used. The findings support the need to examine motor and language co-developments in children suspected of having ASD to inform clinical practice.
Factors Affecting Career Choice Among Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Students
Authors: Stone Larissa , Pellowski Mark W.
Published: February 2015

This investigation assessed the factors affecting career choice among 474 current undergraduate and graduate speech-language pathology and audiology students (from four universities). A 14-item questionnaire was developed that included questions related to general influence of career choice and whether or not the participants had previously been, or are currently, diagnosed with a communication disorder. Results indicated that both indirect and direct personal exposure to either field can be a significant factor in career choice for students. The majority of participants (70%; n = 331) indicated that the desire to work in a helping profession most directly affected their decision to become a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Findings highlight those variables that affected a student’s decision to enter these fields and will assist human resource managers with the recruitment of professionals to our workforce.
An Analysis of Deaf Students’ Spelling Skills During a Year-Long Instructional Writing Approach
Authors: Bowers Lisa M. , Dostal Hannah , McCarthy Jillian H. , Schwarz Ilsa , Wolbers Kimberly
Published: February 2015

Numerous studies have shown that spelling presents unique challenges for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (d/hh), and most do not develop age appropriate spelling skills. Spelling errors from 29 middle school d/hh students were analyzed from writing samples that were gathered at the beginning, middle, and end of a year-long writing instructional approach. A linguistic analysis of spelling errors was used to assess each child’s understanding of the phonological, morphological, orthographic, semantic, and visual imagery rules that apply to written words. Our results provide a descriptive analysis of the types of spelling errors made by middle school d/hh students. Results indicate that spelling should be directly targeted during writing lessons. The results provide important information on the acquisition of spelling skills with this unique population and the use of narrative samples to assess spelling.
States as social entities: Re-examining the assumption of mutual disinterest in Rawls’ Law of Peoples
Authors: Eckert Amy E
Published: February 2015

In The Law of Peoples, John Rawls modeled peoples as being independent and mutually disinterested. This is an assumption that mirrors his treatment of individual persons in the domestic context. This article argues that this assumption does not translate to the international context. While individual persons do not require the existence of other persons, states cannot exist independently of other states. Because statehood is a social construct, states require the recognition (and the existence) of other states, and they are incapable of being considered independently of the system and the other states that populate the system. Drawing on aspects of the relational dimension of care ethics, this article considers the implications of rejecting the assumption of independence and mutual disinterest. Theorizing states as inherently connected to one another allows the relationships and connections among them to come into the process of developing principles of justice.
Reconstruction of the Posterolateral Corner After Sequential Sectioning Restores Knee Kinematics
Authors: Plaweski Stephane , Belvisi Baptiste , Moreau-Gaudry Alexandre
Published: February 2015

Background:

Various surgical techniques to treat posterolateral knee instability have been described. To date, the recommended treatment is an anatomic form of reconstruction in which the 3 key structures of the posterolateral corner (PLC) are addressed: the popliteofibular ligament, the popliteus tendon, and the lateral collateral ligament.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose of this study was to identify the role of each key structure of the PLC in kinematics of the knee and to biomechanically analyze a single-graft, fibular-based reconstruction that replicates the femoral insertions of the lateral collateral ligament and popliteus to repair the PLC. The hypothesis was that knee kinematics can be reasonably restored using a single graft with a 2-strand “modified Larson” technique.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric knees were used in this study. We conducted sequential sectioning of the popliteofibular ligament (PFL) and then subsequently the popliteal tendon (PT), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). We then reconstructed the ACL first and then the posterolateral corner using the modified Larson technique. A surgical navigation system was used to measure varus laxity and external rotation at 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° with a 9.8-N·m varus stress and 5-N·m external rotation force applied to the tibia.

Results:

In extension, varus laxity increased only after the sectioning of the lateral collateral ligament. At 30° of flexion, external rotation in varus and translation of the lateral tibial plateau increased after the isolated popliteofibular ligament section. From 60° to 90° of flexion, translation and mobility of the lateral plateau section increased after sectioning of the PFL. After reconstruction, we observed a restoration of external varus rotation in extension and translation of the lateral tibial plateau at 90° of flexion. This technique provided kinematics similar to the normal knee.

Conclusion:

The PFL has a key role between 30° and 90° of flexion, and the lateral collateral ligament plays a role in extension. Reconstruction with the modified Larson technique restores these 2 complementary stabilizers of the knee.

Clinical Relevance:

Although there are many different techniques to reconstruct the PLC-deficient knee, this study indicates that a single-graft, fibular-based reconstruction of the LCL and PT may restore varus and external rotation laxity to the knee.
Nitrogen-doped ZnO Rods Synthesized from an Ammine–Hydroxo Zinc Complex
Authors: Ihara Taiki , Katsumata Ken-ichi , Watanabe Tomoaki , Okada Kiyoshi , Matsushita Nobuhiro
Published: February 2015

N-Doped ZnO rods were hydrothermally prepared from an aqueous ammine–hydroxo zinc complex precursor without any postheat treatment. The absorption edge in the diffuse reflectance UV–visible spectra of the prepared rods exhibited a red shift with increasing reaction time. The N1s peak characteristic of zinc nitride compounds was observed in the X-ray photoelectron spectrum of the sample prepared at 100 °C for 6 h, indicating that the ZnO rods contained N.
Facile Noncovalent Formulation of Organo-soluble Chemically Reduced Graphene Oxide/Semiconducting Polymer Assembly
Authors: Park Young Ho , Seo Jun-Seok , Park Sung Young , Lee Ji-Hoon , In Insik
Published: February 2015

Noncovalent approach for formulating organo-soluble assembly of chemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with hydrophobic semiconducting polymer was demonstrated for the first time by utilizing a mixed solvent system.
Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivities of a Stable Primary-alkyl-substituted Sulfenic Acid
Authors: Ishihara Michihiro , Abe Noriaki , Sase Shohei , Goto Kei
Published: February 2015

A primary-alkyl-substituted sulfenic acid was synthesized and isolated by taking advantage of a cavity-shaped steric protection group and characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The reactivities of the sulfenic acid toward various reagents were investigated, and it was demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that the addition of a sulfenic acid to a simple alkene to produce the corresponding sulfoxide is thermodynamically more favorable than the reverse reaction, i.e. syn-β-elimination of a sulfoxide.
Which Skills Matter in the Market for CEOs? Evidence from Pay for CEO Credentials
Authors: Falato Antonio , Li Dan , Milbourn Todd
Published: February 2015

Market-based theories predict that differences in CEO skills lead to potentially large differences in pay, but it is challenging to quantify the CEO skill premium in pay. In a first step toward overcoming this empirical challenge, we code detailed biographical information for a large sample of CEOs for a panel of S&P 1500 firms between 1993 and 2005 to identify specific reputational, career, and educational credentials that are indicative of skills. Newly appointed CEOs earn up to a 5% or $280,000 total pay premium per credential decile, which is concentrated among CEOs with better reputational and career credentials, those with the very best credentials, and those who run large firms. Consistent with the unique economic mechanism of market-based theories, CEO credentials have a positive impact on firm performance. The performance differential for newly appointed CEOs is up to 0.5% per credential decile and is also concentrated among CEOs with better reputational and career credentials and those at large firms. Credentials are positively correlated with unobserved CEO heterogeneity in pay and performance, which further validates our hypothesis that boards use them as publicly observable signals of otherwise hard-to-gauge CEO skills. In all, our results offer direct evidence in support of market-based explanations of the overall rise in CEO pay.

This paper was accepted by Itay Goldstein, finance.
The Effect of Social Interaction on Economic Transactions: Evidence from Changes in Two Retail Formats
Authors: Goldfarb Avi , McDevitt Ryan C. , Samila Sampsa , Silverman Brian S.
Published: February 2015

Examining changes in two different retail formats, we show that consumers alter their purchases depending on the retail environment. In both settings, the change in behavior coincides with a reduction in the interpersonal interaction required to complete a transaction. As such, we contend that the format changes reduced a “social friction” that would otherwise inhibit consumers due to an implicit cost associated with ordering certain items in social settings.

This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta, marketing.
Evaluating Hedge Funds with Pooled Benchmarks
Authors: O’Doherty Michael S. , Savin N. E. , Tiwari Ashish
Published: February 2015

The evaluation of hedge fund performance is challenging given the flexible nature of hedge funds’ strategies and their lack of operational transparency. As a result, inference about skill is inevitably contaminated by the error in the benchmark model. To address this concern, we propose a model pooling approach to develop a fund-specific benchmark obtained by pooling a set of diverse attribution models. The weights assigned to the individual models in the pool are based on the log score criterion, an information-theoretic measure of the conditional performance of a model. We illustrate the advantages of a pooled benchmark over alternative approaches, including the Fung and Hsieh [Fung W, Hsieh DA (2004) Hedge fund benchmarks: A risk-based approach. Financial Analysts J. 60:65–80] model, stepwise regression methods, and style-adjusted methods in the contexts of a real-time investment strategy, hedge fund replication, and fund failure prediction.

This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Brand Performance Volatility from Marketing Spending
Authors: Fischer Marc , Shin Hyun S. , Hanssens Dominique M.
Published: February 2015

Although volatile marketing spending, as opposed to even-level spending, may improve a brand’s financial performance, it can also increase the volatility of performance, which is not a desirable outcome. This article analyzes how revenue and cash-flow volatility are influenced by own and competitive marketing spending volatility, by the level of marketing spending, by the responsiveness to own marketing spending, and by competitive response. From market response theory, we derive propositions about the influence of these variables on revenue and cash-flow volatility. In addition, we extend the Dorfman–Steiner theorem to derive the optimal level and volatility of expenditures if volatility effects are taken into account. Based on a large sample of 99 pharmaceutical brands in four clinical categories and four European countries, we test for the empirical relevance of the propositions and assess the magnitude of the different sources of marketing-induced performance volatility. We find broad support for the predicted volatility effects. Volatility elasticities are significant and may be as large as 1.10 for cash-flow variance with respect to marketing responsiveness. The findings imply that common volatility-increasing marketing practices such as price promotions or volatile advertising plans may be effective at the top line, but they could turn out to be ineffective after all costs are taken into account. Optimal marketing volatility needs to trade off sales effectiveness and extra costs resulting from marketing volatility.

This paper was accepted by Pradeep K. Chintagunta, marketing.
A Computationally Efficient Simulation-Based Optimization Algorithm for Large-Scale Urban Transportation Problems
Authors: Osorio Carolina , Chong Linsen
Published: February 2015

This paper proposes a computationally efficient simulation-based optimization (SO) algorithm suitable to address large-scale generally constrained urban transportation problems. The algorithm is based on a novel metamodel formulation. We embed the metamodel within a derivative-free trust region algorithm and evaluate the performance of this SO approach considering tight computational budgets. We address a network-wide traffic signal control problem using a calibrated microscopic simulation model of evening peak period traffic of the full city of Lausanne, Switzerland, which consists of more than 600 links and 200 intersections. We control 99 signal phases of 17 intersections distributed throughout the entire network. This SO problem is a high-dimensional nonlinear constrained problem. It is considered large-scale and complex in the fields of derivative-free optimization, traffic signal optimization, and simulation-based optimization. We compare the performance of the proposed metamodel method to that of a traditional metamodel method and that of a widely used commercial signal control software. The proposed method systematically and efficiently identifies signal plans with improved average city-wide travel times.
Pumps, feed and sets: is procurement limiting outcomes?
Authors: Ojo Omorogieva
Published: February 2015

This article aims to review the unique ways in which enteral feed, ancillary items and pumps are procured in the UK and to evaluate whether these are inhibiting innovation and reducing the choices of patients. There are a number of models that have been developed across the UK for the procurement of enteral feed, feeding accessories and pump. The two most common are the hospital-based nutrition support team, which may have an overarching role in the community, and the home enteral nutrition (HEN) team, a multidisciplinary community-based team with skilled health professionals dedicated to the delivery of the enteral nutrition service. While the HEN service has its advantages over other models in the community, it is primarily driven by its clinical role. The lack of significant opportunity for clinical audits and research within the service limits the prospects for service improvement, innovation and patients’ choices
Management of seizures in children
Authors: El-Radhi A Sahib
Published: February 2015

Seizures are common events in children and up to 10% of all children experience at least one seizure during their childhood. They can be triggered by many conditions such as fever, medications or injury. Febrile seizures are the most common types of seizures, affecting 3–4% of children. While epilepsy is typically recurrent and unprovoked, a single, isolated seizure is not epilepsy. Taking a detailed history of the seizure description helps establish the diagnosis. A video recording of the event can also support the diagnosis and rule out non-epileptic seizures that resemble seizures, such as pseudo-seizure. Seeing a child having a seizure, particularly if it is the first one, is usually frightening and distressing for the parents. First seizure should always be evaluated by health professionals because of a possible serious underlying cause. If the seizure occurs at home, the child should be placed in the recovery side position to prevent the swallowing of any vomit. The care of a child who does have epilepsy is best achieved by a community or hospital epilepsy specialist nurse. These nurses play a pivotal role in providing a close link between the epileptic children and their families. Such a nurse is also in an ideal position to establish a link between the doctor and affected families, offering valuable advice and support, and visiting the epileptic child at home.
Mentorship part 2: assessing pre-registration student nurses
Authors: Vinales James Jude
Published: February 2015

The role of the mentor has been evolving since it was introduced following Project 2000 in 1986. The role that mentors of pre-registration nursing students are tasked with on a daily basis is crucial to the overall assessment of the student nurse. Assessment and the importance of the mentor's role when assessing the students in practice will be discussed in this article. The reliability and validity of assessment and the mentor's responsibility in assessing the competencies in the learning environment is explored, together with the roles of formative and summative assessment. The introduction of the sign-off mentor and the ongoing achievement record as part of the assessment process will also be explored. It can be argued that mentoring is not a simple task, and that there are a number of barriers to successful assessment.
Managing acute asthma in school age children
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: February 2015

Acute asthma exacerbations (AAEs) can be life-threatening, accelerate the decline in lung function and may increase the risk of further attacks. Inhaled short-acting ß2 agonists are the first-line treatment for AAEs in school-aged children. The school policy should describe how to use rescue bronchodilators with a spacer and when to call 999. School nurses should ensure that headteachers are aware that schools can now buy salbutamol inhalers for emergency use. AAEs often indicate suboptimal care. According to Asthma UK, just 28% of children meet all three markers of good quality care: a written action plan, checks of inhaler technique and a structured review at least annually. An AAE offers school nurses the opportunity to encourage a review of the child's treatment and other elements of care, which helps reduce the risk of another attack.
Physiotherapist prescribing in lower back pain: A case study
Authors: Loughran Iain , Rae Glen
Published: February 2015

Changes to legislation have allowed physiotherapists to train as independent prescribers, and the first cohorts qualified in early 2014. Some will be upgrading their supplementary prescribing qualifications, while others will be training for the first time in prescribing. This article discusses the role of the extended scope physiotherapist as an independent prescriber in a specialist musculoskeletal setting. The case study outlines the assessment and treatment of a patient with lower back pain and neuropathic leg pain, and details the prescribing issues involved in the overall management.
Comparison of woody species diversity between managed and unmanaged forests considering vertical structure in Hyrcanian forests, Iran
Authors: NOURI ZAHRA , ZOBEIRI MAHMOUD , FEGHHI JAHANGIR , AMIRI GHAVAMALDIN ZAHEDI , MOHADJER MOHAMMAD REZA MARVIE
Published: February 2015

Nouri Z, Zobeiri M, Feghhi J, Amiri GZ, Marvie Mohadjer MR. 2015. Comparison of woody species diversity betweenmanaged and unmanaged forests considering vertical structure in Hyrcanian forests, Iran. Biodiversitas 16: 95-101. Biodiversityconservation is increasingly considered a key to sustainable forest management and understanding biodiversity in forest ecosystems isessential to reveal forest dynamics, so this study aims to compare tree and shrub species diversity and vertical species distributionbetween two managed and unmanaged forest stands. The study area was consisted of two adjacent districts in which two differentmanagement practices were implemented. In 1000 m2 circular plots, type of species and diameter at breast height (D.B.H) of all treeslarger than 2.5 cm as well as type of species of all shrubs and vertical distribution of tree species were recorded. In addition to richness,evenness and heterogeneity indices were calculated for whole tree and shrub species and also for each tree layer. The results showed thattree species diversity indices were significantly greater in the unmanaged area, whereas richness and heterogeneity indices of shrubswere greater in the managed area. Comparing the biodiversity indices indicated that richness index had the greatest value in theunderstorey and heterogeneity indices were greatest in the middle storey in both regions. Greater amounts of evenness were detected inthe middle- and over storey of unmanaged and managed areas, respectively. As forestry operations result in change in various forestcharacteristics such as species diversity, it is essential to assess and monitor the effect of logging operations on forest diversityHyrcanian forests of Iran.
The Association Between Belief in God and Fertility Desires in Slovenia and the Czech Republic
Authors: Cranney Stephen
Published: February 2015

CONTEXT

Research on the association between religiosity and fertility—and, particularly, on the effects of secularization on fertility desires and outcomes—has been concerned primarily with mechanisms that are fundamentally institutional and are embedded in formal religious structures. Supplementary explanations focused on noninstitutional dimensions of religiosity have never been tested.

METHODS

Conventional ordinary least‐squares regression was used to test the association between belief in God (i.e., a personal God or some sort of life force) and fertility desires among 2,251 women aged 18–45 in Slovenia and 951 women aged 15–44 in the Czech Republic who participated in the European Family and Fertility Survey in the mid‐1990s.

RESULTS

In both samples, substantial proportions of women either were nonbelievers or believed in God but were not institutionally religious. Belief in God was independently associated with fertility desires even in analyses controlling for self‐reported religiosity. Women who believed in a personal God wanted approximately 0.2 more children, and those who believed in a life force wanted approximately 0.1 more children, than nonbelievers. Results were similar across several alternative measures of religiosity.

CONCLUSIONS

At least some of the connection between religiosity and fertility apparently is attributable to metaphysical beliefs. Future research on the effect of secularization on fertility decline should investigate the potentially distinct effects of different dimensions of religiosity.
Between ‘indiewood’ and ‘nowherewood’: American independent cinema in the twenty-first century
Authors: Tzioumakis Yannis
Published: February 2015

The article will argue that American independent cinema became increasingly polarized in the first decade of the twenty-first century. On the one hand, ‘indiewood’, a very particular iteration of independent film-making that, for some critics, comprises ‘features associated with dominant, mainstream conventions and markers of “distinction” designed to appeal to more particular niche-audience constituencies’, continued to be the most commercially successful and visible expression of American independent cinema. On the other hand, however, a low-key, low-budget cinema practised primarily through the means of digital technology and exhibited mainly away from the theatres in various online and other digital platforms, became also a representative of American independent cinema, despite its relative absence from the Academy Awards and other platforms that provide recognition. Both these expressions of independent film-making in the United States have engaged with a variety of issues and subjects, though the wealth of resources at the film-makers’ disposal in the first case and the relative absence of financial and other support in the second means that each type of independent film-making has engaged with its subject matter in distinct ways. In this respect, the article will also provide examples through which indiewood and more clearly independent films have approached their topics, paying particular attention to openly political issues – in this case, the impact of the global financial crisis and the ways in which it has been handled by the films.
A pharaoh and multiple deities: Writing the female self in Arab drama series
Authors: Al-Mahadin Salam
Published: February 2015

This article examines the referential aesthetics of constructing the self by some prominent actresses in Egyptian television drama series (musalsal). More specifically, it explores how the self is mediated through the roles these actresses assume, the doubling back of the role on the self and the final conflation between the two. Oscillating between the self as a spectacle (a fetishized object of visual pleasure) and the self as transgressor (the female as a monster or femme fatale), these constellations of selfhood should prompt us to query whether it is at all possible to conceive of an Egyptian female role not rooted in a patriarchal symbolic order or an androcentric fantasy. What these Egyptian actresses dramatically/visually seem to be demanding is to be seen and perceived as the same as the roles they are playing, a coherent self that both underlies/defines and unifies the role with the actress playing it. This article will demonstrate that such conflations have often led to disempowered gender formulations on the screen in the case of Egyptian drama series. Conversely, the absence of the cult of the superstar actress/actor in Syrian drama has allowed for more positive portrayals of women, not necessarily by banishing the female as a spectacle or transgressor, but by problematizing those elements within the textual politics of the script.
Justicia y sociedad en la Cataluña de los Austrias: magistrados y linajes nobiliarios
Authors: Martínez Rodríguez Miguel Ángel
Published: February 2015

El objetivo de este artículo es resituar nuestros conocimientos sobre los magistrados catalanes para poder ofrecer un primer estado de la cuestión sobre los mismos. Esfuerzo que por su novedad implica una serie de dificultades que no podemos obviar. Relacionar el papel social y político de los magistrados es siempre difícil; más que considerar sólo su dimensión estrictamente judicial. Incorporar a todo ello la faceta cultural enriquece y complica la capacidad de extraer conclusiones sugestivas para aumentar así nuestra comprensión del funcionamiento de la justicia y el papel de la misma en el diseño y funcionamiento del tejido social catalán de los siglos XVI y XVII.
La villa de Don Benito en la segunda mitad del Setecientos. Proyectos de mejora y agentes ejecutores
Authors: Irles Vicente María del Carmen
Published: February 2015

Dos son los objetivos básicos que perseguimos con el presente trabajo; por un lado, conocer quiénes fueron los agentes jurisdiccionales que asumieron la alcaldía mayor de Don Benito, en tierras extremeñas, en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII; por otro, realizar un chequeo a las prácticas de gobierno, la economía y el urbanismo del segundo núcleo de población más importante de Extremadura en las postrimerías del siglo, así como analizar las medidas que se adoptaron, o bien se recomendó aplicar, para mejorar la situación general de sus vecinos.
Iglesia e Inquisición en Cartagena de Indias durante el tránsito de la época colonial a la Independencia
Authors: Bravo Caro Juan Jesús
Published: February 2015

El artículo presenta las discrepancias internas de la Iglesia americana, con especial atención al área de Cartagena de Indias, en el tránsito de la época colonial a los estados nacionales, en base a la documentación de la Inquisición y del A. General de Indias. El control, persecución y represión de ideas y personas tomó un nuevo cariz. Determinados personajes de la época se erigieron en transgresores del Real Patronato Indiano, con evidentes fracturas anteriores a 1810.