bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increasing Doses of Simvastatin Versus Combined Ezetimibe/Simvastatin
Authors: Pesaro Antonio Eduardo P. , Serrano Carlos V. , Katz Marcelo , Marti Luciana , Fernandes Juliano L. , Parra Paulo R. G. , Campos Alexandre H.
Published: June 2013

Background:

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) should be treated with statins to attain very low cholesterol levels, in order to reduce cardiovascular adverse events. More than 70% of these patients do not reach the appropriate cholesterol goal despite moderate statin doses. However, it is not known whether therapeutic uptitration with different lipid-lowering strategies has a similar “pleiotropic” effect on atherosclerotic endothelial dysfunction evaluated by measurement of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).

Objective:

We sought to compare, in patients with stable CAD and with a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) >70 mg/dL on treatment with simvastatin 20 mg, the effects on EPCs by increasing simvastatin to 80 mg versus adding ezetimibe 10 mg.

Methods:

Patients (n = 68, 63 ± 9 years, 39% men) were randomly allocated to receive ezetimibe 10/simvastatin 20 mg or simvastatin 80 mg for 6 weeks. Circulating EPCs were measured by flow cytometry before and after the treatment.

Results:

Both strategies presented similar effects on metabolic parameters. The LDLs were equally reduced by ezetimibe 10/simvastatin 20 mg and simvastatin 80 mg (28.9% ± 13% vs 21.1% ± 33%; P = .46, respectively). The levels of EPCs were unaffected by ezetimibe 10/simvastatin 20 mg (median [25th, 75th]: pre- vs posttreatment, 7.0 [2.3; 13.3] vs 3.1 [0.1; 13.2] EPCs/104 mononuclear cells; P = .43) or simvastatin 80 mg (pre- vs posttreatment, 6.1 [2.9; 15.2] vs 4.0 [1.4; 10.7] EPCs/104 mononuclear cells; P = .5) ,and there were no differences between the groups on treatment effects ( P = .9).

Conclusions:

Among stable patients with CAD and with an LDL-C >70 mg/dL on simvastatin 20 mg, increasing simvastatin dose to 80 mg or adding ezetimibe 10 mg promoted similar further cholesterol reduction but did not have incremental effects on circulating EPCs. These data suggest that the effects of simvastatin moderate doses on EPCs are not increased by intensive lipid-lowering strategies (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00474123).
Effects of Recombinant Adenovirus Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene on Myocardial Remodeling in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Hu Ze-Ping , Bao Yong , Chen Da-Nian , Cheng Yuan , Song Bing , Liu Min , Li Dayuan , Wang Bang-Ning
Published: June 2013

Background and Objectives:

Myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis are important determinants of congestive heart failure. Previous work has shown that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) can reduce acute myocardial injury and tissue fibrosis. This study was designed to examine the effects of HGF on myocardial remodeling following sustained hypertension.

Methods and Results:

There were 4 experimental groups (n = 6) that included spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) injected with 0.1 mL of adenovirus (Ad)-null into the left ventricular (LV) free wall, SHR injected with 0.1 mL of Ad-HGF gene (5 × 109 pfu/mL), and SHR injected with 0.1 mL of normal saline, and Wistar Kyoto rats injected with 0.1 mL of Ad-null served as control. At 4 weeks after injection, rats were sacrificed, and HGF expression, myocardial fibrosis, and LV function were determined. We observed that HGF protein expression was reduced in the hearts of SHR ( P < .05 vs normal control) and it was markedly increased in SHR injected with Ad-HGF ( P < .01 vs SHR injected with Ad-null). Myocardial fibrosis, collagen I, LV mass index (LVMI), and LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were increased and −dP/dtmax was decreased in SHR injected with Ad-null or normal saline ( P < .01 vs normal control). Upregulation of myocardial HGF expression in SHR significantly suppressed myocardial fibrosis, collagen I content, LVMI, LVEDP, and increased −dP/dtmax (all P < .05 vs SHR-Ad-null, n = 6).

Conclusions:

These findings indicate that HGF expression is attenuated in hypertrophic and fibrotic myocardium of SHR. The forced increase in HGF exerts a salutary effect on myocardial fibrosis, collagen I expression, and hemodynamic parameters.
A mathematical strip-saturation model for a piezoelectric plane weakened by two collinear equal cracks
Authors: Bhargava RR , Jangid Kamlesh
Published: June 2013

A plane problem for a poled transversely isotropic piezoelectric plane cut along two equal collinear straight cracks is considered. It is assumed that the electrical yielding occurs at the continuations of the cracks due to the applied mechanical and electrical loadings. We model these crack continuations as the zones with constant cohesive saturation limit electrical displacement. The Stroh formalism and a complex variable technique are adopted to obtain the analytic solution of the problem. Closed-form expressions are derived for the developed saturation zone length, the crack opening displacement, the crack opening potential drop, the stress intensity factors, and the energy release rate. A qualitative numerical case study is presented for ceramics PZT-4, PZT-5H, and BaTiO3 to study the effects of various parameters as follows: developed saturation zone length and prescribed load, stress intensity factor, energy release rate, and crack opening displacement on crack growth resistance. The energy release rate and the stress intensity factor variations are investigated with respect to the inter-crack distance. The results obtained are presented graphically and discussed.
A door-to-door prevalence study of feline immunodeficiency virus in an Australian suburb
Authors: Chang-Fung-Martel Janine , Gummow Bruce , Burgess Graham , Fenton Eloise , Squires Richard
Published: June 2013

A door-to-door survey was conducted within the limits of the suburb of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia, to determine the prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in the overall population of domestic cats. Previous FIV prevalence studies have relied on convenience sampling strategies, leaving out an important group of pet cats that do not receive regular veterinary attention. Saliva was selected for testing because collection was non-invasive and was likely to achieve a high rate of participation. Ninety-six cats were surveyed and tested for salivary antibodies against FIV and with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR was considered to be the gold standard and a cat was considered to be FIV-positive if sequencing results on a PCR product of appropriate size matched previously published FIV genome sequences available in GenBank. Results showed 10/96 cats to be infected with FIV subtype A, indicating a prevalence of 10.4% (95% confidence interval: 4.4–16.4) in the area studied. High risk associations were established with the roaming lifestyle of the cat ( P <0.002), presence of abscesses ( P <0.03) and occurrence of bite wounds ( P <0.10). This is the first known cross-sectional study of a population of urban northern Australian cats living in an affluent suburb and presenting saliva as a potential non-invasive sample for large-scale epidemiological surveys on FIV.
Is a larger specialist nurse workforce in cancer care associated with better patient experience? Cross-sectional study
Authors: Griffiths Peter , Simon Michael , Richardson Alison , Corner Jessica
Published: June 2013

Objectives:

To assess whether variation in the provision of cancer specialist nurses is associated with the experiences of care for patients undergoing treatment for cancer.

Methods:

This is a cross-sectional study using routinely collected national survey data in 158 acute hospital National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England. Patients with a primary diagnosis of cancer who attended hospital as inpatients or day cases in the first three months of 2010 responded to a national survey ( n = 67,713, response rate 67%). Patient perceptions of coordination of care, quality of information provision, emotional support and support for symptom management were studied.

Results:

Patients in Trusts that had the fewest patients per specialist nurse were more likely to report that people treating and caring for them worked well together (adjusted odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.15; p = 0.02) and provided enough emotional support during ambulatory treatment (1.15, 1.01–1.32; p = 0.04), but were no more likely to report being given the right amount of information (0.96, 0.88–1.05; p = 0.38) when compared to patients in Trusts with the most patients per specialist nurse. Breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in the Trusts with fewer patients per specialist nurse were more likely to report good support for the control of side effects from chemotherapy (1.34, 1.02–1.75; p = 0.03).

Conclusions:

Cancer patients’ experience of care coordination and emotional support was better in Trusts with more specialist nurses. The absolute differences were small, and it was unclear whether particular roles or service configurations are associated with better experience.
Behaviour change among people with impaired glucose tolerance: Comparison of telephone-based and face-to-face advice
Authors: Betzlbacher Anna-Franziska , Grady Katherine , Savas Linda , Cotterill Sarah , Boaden Ruth , Summers Lucinda , Gibson Martin
Published: June 2013

Objectives

To develop, implement and compare two lifestyle services for people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Two localities were selected to implement two different service delivery models, telephone-based and face-to-face, supporting people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Impact was assessed by comparing weight, fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results at baseline and six months later.

Results

Both services were associated with an improvement in OGTT 2-h plasma glucose and weight. In the telephone intervention, 47.3% of participants who completed the project achieved both normal fasting plasma glucose (≤6.0 mmol/l) and normal plasma glucose levels (≤7.7 mmol/l). Participants had a mean weight loss of 3.3 kg ( SD 4.3), equating to 3.4% of body weight ( p < 0.001). In the face-to-face intervention, 46.3% of participants achieved normal plasma glucose (≤7.7 mmol/l) and a mean weight loss of 2.9 kg ( SD 4.5), equating to 3.1% of bodyweight ( p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Local health providers can adapt existing service provision and tailor it to provide lifestyle programmes for people with impaired glucose tolerance. Both service delivery models offer effective diabetes prevention although each model may cater for different population needs and a choice of services might be the preferred option.
Materialism and well-being among Chinese college students: The mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction
Authors: Chen Yongjie , Yao Meilin , Yan Wenfan
Published: June 2013

Based on self-determination theory, this study explored the potential mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction in the relationship between materialism and well-being among Chinese college students. The results showed that basic psychological need satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction and fully mediated the relationships among materialism and emotional well-being, subjective vitality, and self-actualization. The findings indicated the importance of considering both subjective and psychological well-being and the interpretative power of basic psychological need satisfaction and Chinese culture in the flow from materialism to well-being.
Gender-related personality traits, self-efficacy, and social support: How do they relate to women’s waist circumference change?
Authors: Hankonen Nelli , Konttinen Hanna , Absetz Pilvikki
Published: June 2013

This study investigated whether gender-role related traits agency and communion contribute to successful health behavior change, in an interplay with domain-specific psychosocial factors, namely, agency, mediated by health-related self-efficacy, and communion, moderated by social support. Data from women ( N = 282) participating in the GOAL Lifestyle Implementation Trial were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Agency and increase in self-efficacy both independently predicted waist circumference reduction in the 1-year follow-up. Individuals high in communion succeeded in waist reduction only if they received social support. Initial self-efficacy increase predicted 3-year waist reduction. Gender-role orientation, together with social environment, influences behavior change intervention outcomes.
The psychological well-being of couples experiencing a chronic illness: A matter of personal and partner illness cognitions and the role of marital quality
Authors: Karademas Evangelos C
Published: June 2013

This study aimed to examine the effects of 75 cardiac patients’ and their spouses’ illness cognitions of acceptance and helplessness on their own and their partner’s psychological symptoms, as well as the impact of marital quality. Dyadic responses were examined with the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model, while PROCESS was used to examine possible conditional indirect effects. Patients’ and spouses’ cognitions were related to their partners’ symptoms through the partners’ cognitions. These relationships were not statistically significant at the higher levels of marital quality. Thus, there seems to be a flow of information between partners, while marital quality may impact self-regulation processes.
Does a claims diagnosis of autism mean a true case?
Authors: Burke James P , Jain Anjali , Yang Wenya , Kelly Jonathan P , Kaiser Marygrace , Becker Laura , Lawer Lindsay , Newschaffer Craig J
Published: June 2013

The purpose of this study was to validate autism spectrum disorder cases identified through claims-based case identification algorithms against a clinical review of medical charts. Charts were reviewed for 432 children who fell into one of the three following groups: (a) more than or equal to two claims with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis code (n = 182), (b) one claim with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis code (n = 190), and (c) those who had no claims for autism spectrum disorder but had claims for other developmental or neurological conditions (n = 60). The algorithm-based diagnoses were compared with documented autism spectrum disorders in the medical charts. The algorithm requiring more than or equal to two claims for autism spectrum disorder generated a positive predictive value of 87.4%, which suggests that such an algorithm is a valid means to identify true autism spectrum disorder cases in claims data.
‘DSM-V is taking away our identity’: The reaction of the online community to the proposed changes in the diagnosis of Asperger’s disorder
Authors: Giles David C
Published: June 2013

This article considers the fate of Asperger’s disorder in the light of proposals for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) to collapse Asperger’s disorder along with other pervasive developmental disorders into a general spectrum of autism. It is argued that a powerful lay and scientific culture has evolved around the concept of Asperger’s disorder, which has found a particularly compelling voice over the last decade in the online Asperger community, with websites such as Wrong Planet recruiting tens of thousands of members. In order to assess the impact of these proposed changes on the online Asperger community, 19 threads on the topic of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) are analysed according to the arguments that community members put forward in favour of, or in opposition to, the proposals. Many members embrace the notion of the spectrum and have already coined a new identity – ‘spectrumite’ – to adapt to the diagnostic shift. Others, however, are suspicious of the motives behind the absorption of Asperger’s disorder, and potential threats to the provision of services as well as the strong ‘aspie’ identity that reflects the large literature and the online public sphere around Asperger’s disorder. To what extent this culture poses a challenge to the authority of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is uncertain at present.
Physical activity in American schools and body mass index percentile
Authors: Hohensee Caroline Wollner , Nies Mary A
Published: June 2013

The international physical inactivity epidemic among children has contributed to child obesity. Schools can be an effective source of physical activity opportunity. A cross-sectional sample of 1306 American children was drawn from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics – Child Development Supplement, 2007. The aim of this study was to determine the role of in-school physical activity on body mass index (BMI) percentile among middle and high school-aged children. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the associations between the independent variable, physical activity, and the dependent variable, BMI percentile. After adjusting for covariates, children who had no physical activity during physical education (PE) were much more likely to be obese than normal weight in comparison with those who met the US national requirements (odds ratio = 1.58, confidence interval = 1.14, 2.20). This study suggests that meeting US national guidelines for PE-related physical activity may be effective in preventing obesity.
Matching AIDS and tuberculosis registry data to identify AIDS/tuberculosis comorbidity cases in California
Authors: Xia Qiang , Westenhouse Janice L. , Schultz Alan F. , Nonoyama Atsuko , Elms William , Wu Nancy , Tabshouri Lisette , Ruiz Juan D. , Flood Jennifer M.
Published: June 2013

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of a registry data linkage procedure used in the California AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) Registry Data Linkage Study to identify AIDS/TB comorbidity cases in California. The California AIDS registry data from 1981 to 2006 were linked to the California TB registry data from 1996 to 2006 using LinkPlus, a probabilistic record linkage program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and matched results were manually reviewed to determine true or false matches. We estimated the sensitivity of this procedure to range from 98.0 per cent (95% confidence interval, CI: 97.3%, 98.7%) to 98.8 per cent (95% CI: 98.1%, 99.2%), and the PPV to be 100 per cent (95% CI: 96.8%, 100.0%). Our study demonstrated the feasibility of using this linkage procedure to match AIDS and TB registry data with a very high degree of accuracy.
Maximizing acceptability and usefulness of an automated telephone intervention
Authors: Schneider Jennifer , Waterbury Amy , Feldstein Adrianne , Donovan Jerena , Vollmer William M. , Dubanoski Joan , Clark Shelley , Rand Cynthia
Published: June 2013

The objective was to describe the utility of mixed methods to inform the development of an automated telephone intervention to improve patients’ compliance with asthma medication. As part of intervention development for a larger trial, we conducted 15 focus groups ( n = 53) to design and develop calls, and to identify factors influencing intervention acceptability and usefulness. We piloted four call types and interviewed 64 participants to further improve call content and receptivity to the intervention. Feedback led to several changes to the intervention scripts and eventual calls, and an initial pilot led us to drop one of the calls. During the pilot, we reached 43 percent of target participants; 74 percent of those stayed on the call until it ended. This process provided key insights about automated calls, and may have broader applicability for the development of automated interventions designed to help patients manage a variety of chronic conditions.
Rounds reports
Authors: Baba John , Thompson Matthew R. , Berger Robert G.
Published: June 2013

This article describes the rationale, processes, technology, and results of creating of a paper-based rounds report that is now used by our entire institution for efficient inpatient work rounds and checkout rounds that are routinely done in virtually every hospital, both academic and private, in the US. The results of a survey of clinicians suggests that printed rounds reports have markedly improved rounding efficiency, saved substantial amounts of physician time, standardized checkout processes, and improved patient safety.
What are data? Ethnographic experiences with young offenders
Authors: Bengtsson Tea T
Published: June 2013

Drawing on a recent field study in a secure care institution for young offenders, this article analyses how an apparent failure to obtain data was based on pre-established ideals of what ethnographic data are. Despite much recent constructionist ethnographic literature explicitly dealing with the role of the researcher in data collection, little focus is given to how data are constructed in the research process. I thus started my study with ideals of obtaining rich data in the form of extensive written documentation. Shifting my focus to field interaction and relational experiences rather than the actual written documentation created an understanding of data as situational and relationally constructed. While this new understanding of what data are made possible analyses uncovering why certain meaning structures appear, it also revealed non-verbal experiences as valuable data.
Scalable video visual analytics
Authors: Höferlin Benjamin , Höferlin Markus , Heidemann Gunther , Weiskopf Daniel
Published: June 2013

Video visual analytics is the research field that addresses scalable and reliable analysis of video data. The vast amount of video data in typical analysis tasks renders manual analysis by watching the video data impractical. However, automatic evaluation of video material is not reliable enough, especially when it comes to semantic abstraction from the video signal. In this article, we describe the video visual analytics method that combines the complementary strengths of human recognition and machine processing. After inspecting the challenges of scalable video analysis, we derive the main components of visual analytics for video data. Based on these components, we present our video visual analytics system that has its origins in our IEEE VAST Challenge 2009 participation.
BANKSAFE: Visual analytics for big data in large-scale computer networks
Authors: Fischer Fabian , Fuchs Johannes , Mansmann Florian , Keim Daniel A
Published: June 2013

The enormous growth of data in the last decades led to a wide variety of different database technologies. Nowadays, we are capable of storing vast amounts of structured and unstructured data. To address the challenge of exploring and making sense out of big data using visual analytics, the tight integration of such backend services is needed. In this article, we introduce BANKSAFE, which was built for the VAST Challenge 2012 and won the outstanding comprehensive submission award. BANKSAFE is based on modern database technologies and is capable of visually analyzing vast amounts of monitoring data and security-related datasets of large-scale computer networks. To better describe and demonstrate the visualizations, we utilize the Visual Analytics Science and Technology (VAST) Challenge 2012 as case study. Additionally, we discuss lessons learned during the design and development of BANKSAFE, which are also applicable to other visual analytics applications for big data.
Ploceus: Modeling, visualizing, and analyzing tabular data as networks
Authors: Liu Zhicheng , Navathe Shamkant B , Stasko John T
Published: June 2013

Tabular data are pervasive. Although tables often describe multivariate data without explicit definitions of a network, it may be advantageous to explore the data by modeling it as a graph or network for analysis. Even when a given table design specifies a network structure, analysts may want to look at multiple networks from different perspectives, at different levels of abstraction, and with different edge semantics. We present a system called Ploceus that offers a general approach for performing multidimensional and multilevel network–based visual analysis on multivariate tabular data. Powered by an underlying relational algebraic framework, Ploceus supports flexible construction and transformation of networks through a direct manipulation interface and integrates dynamic network manipulation with visual exploration through immediate feedback mechanisms. We report our findings on the learnability and usability of Ploceus and propose a model of user actions in visualization construction using Ploceus.
The implicit construction of ‘children at risk’: On the dynamics of practice and programme in development screenings in early childhood
Authors: Bollig Sabine , Kelle Helga
Published: June 2013

This article presents findings from an ethnographic study on preventive paediatric check-ups in Germany. In accordance with system-theoretical and governmentality approaches (referencing Foucault), preventive check-ups are conceptualised as fields where risk concepts related to children’s development are applied, produced and reworked. In order to show how the construction of development risks in the check-ups’ conduct is linked to a variety of preventive functions, the methodology of the article combines the analysis of field documents and ethnographic field notes. In the first analytical section, on the programmatic level, the ambivalence between different preventive tasks is reconstructed by analysing documents of the check-ups’ current revision process. This process is discussed as a (political) struggle for treatment options. In the second section, these findings are contrasted with results from a practice analysis of the check-ups’ conduct. These practical processes in the field are interpreted as struggles for the allocation of treatment responsibility between paediatricians and parents. In the concluding section, the authors highlight how the specific institutionalisation of preventive paediatric check-ups in Germany forces the pace for implicit constructions of ‘children at risk’ and extemporised practices of parents’ health education.
“Professional feeling”: One early childhood educator’s emotional discomfort as a teacher and learner
Authors: Madrid Samara , Baldwin Nikki , Frye Eleanor
Published: June 2013

Using feminist and poststructuralist accounts of teacher emotion, the analysis presented in this article examines one teacher’s emotion as she participated in a 6-month ethnographic study of emotion in her preschool classroom while enrolled in an online graduate course focused on the sociology of childhood and socially just curriculum. Analysis followed the ethnographic procedures of Spradley’s Developmental Research Sequence to determine themes and patterns within field notes, audio and video data, interview transcripts, and online course documents. The findings showed that emotional discomfort was a central theme as the teacher considered the children’s play in relation to the knowledge acquired in the graduate online course and vice versa. More specifically, the findings revealed the teacher’s discomfort and the resulting struggle and ambivalence she encountered as new information about children’s social worlds disrupted her prior beliefs, values, and feelings. This study uncovers how emotional discomfort can provide productive grounds for reflection, disequilibrium, and dialogue about early childhood classroom practices.
Summaries of Israel’s Story: Reviewing a Compositional Category
Authors: Hood Jason B. , Emerson Matthew Y.
Published: June 2013

This article reviews and synthesizes the history of, and current research into, ‘summaries of Israel’s story’ (SIS). Particular attention is paid to work done by E. Stauffer, N.T. Wright, H.C. Kee, M.A. Elliot, and Joachim Jeska. This research, as well as investigations into rewritten Bible and other summaries, clarifies the nature of such summaries as a discrete compositional category. Following the review a synthesis of this scholarship will yield a compilation of canonical and extra-canonical SIS.
Initial Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors at the Middle School Level
Authors: Lane Kathleen Lynne , Oakes Wendy Peia , Carter Erik W. , Lambert Warren E. , Jenkins Abbie B.
Published: June 2013

We reported findings of an exploratory validation study of a revised universal screening instrument: the Student Risk Screening Scale–Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) for use with middle school students. Tested initially for use with elementary-age students, the SRSS-IE was adapted to include seven additional items reflecting characteristics of internalizing behaviors. The initial seven items developed by Drummond (1994) were retained, yielding a modified instrument containing 14 items (SRSS-IE14) rated by teachers on the original 4-point, Likert-type scale. First, we examined reliability of SRSS-IE14 scores by analyzing item-level data, internal consistency estimates, and factor structure with a sample of 937 middle school students. Results of a data analytic plan grounded in Classical Test Theory supported retention of five of the new seven items, producing the SRSS-IE12. Second, we established convergent validity of the SRSS-IE12 with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997), a validated screening tool. We offered recommendations for addressing the limitations of this study in future research.
Measuring Human-Automation Function Allocation
Authors: Pritchett Amy R. , Kim So Young , Feigh Karen M.
Published: June 2013

Function allocation is the design decision in which work functions are assigned to all agents in a team, both human and automated. Building on the preceding companion papers’ review of the requirements of effective function allocation and discussion of a computational framework for modeling function allocation, in this paper, we develop specific metrics of function allocation that can be derived from such models as well as from observations in high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulations or real operations. These metrics span eight issues with function allocation: (a) workload, (b) stability of the work environment, (c) mismatches between responsibility and authority, (d) incoherency in function allocations, (e) interruptive automation, (f) automation’s boundary conditions, (g) function allocations limiting human adaptation to context, (h) and mission performance. Some of the metrics measure distinct issues whereas others assess different causes of issues that can manifest in similar ways; collectively, they are intended to be comprehensive in their ability to discriminate for a range of issues. Trade-offs may exist between these metrics, and they need to be examined collectively to identify potential trade-offs or conflicts between them. This paper continues the example given in the preceding companion paper, demonstrating how these metrics of function allocation can be assessed from computational simulations of an air transport flight deck through the descent phase of flight.
Creative Democracy and the Arts: The Participatory Democracy of the Amber Collective
Authors: Vail John , Hollands Robert
Published: June 2013

We use the term ‘creative democracy’ – coined by John Dewey – to explore the ways in which the creative activity of artists is shaped by democratic norms and practices. Using the case of the Amber Film and Photography Collective in the northeast of England, we discuss their process of creative democracy – featuring norms of project initiation, collective scrutiny and empowerment – and investigate how this practice became a vital feature of their everyday creative lives. We discuss the significant benefits of creative democracy, explore how the collective navigated its complexities and dilemmas, and investigate its relevance for contemporary cultural activists.
Assimilation into the Literary Mainstream? The Classification of Ethnic Minority Authors in Newspaper Reviews in the United States, the Netherlands and Germany
Authors: Berkers Pauwke , Janssen Susanne , Verboord Marc
Published: June 2013

This article addresses to what extent literary critics in the United States, the Netherlands and Germany have drawn ethnic boundaries in their reviews of ethnic minority writers between 1983 and 2009 and to what extent these boundaries have changed in the course of ethnic minority writers’ careers and across time. By analysing newspaper reviews, we find that American reviewers less often mention the ethnic background of Mexican American authors than their Dutch and German colleagues refer to the background of Moroccan and Turkish minority writers. While these relatively strong ethnic boundaries become weaker over time in the Netherlands (boundary shifting), Turkish German authors encounter particularly strong boundaries in subsequent book publications (ethnicization). In the US the reverse is true: ethnic boundaries weaken after the debut has been reviewed (boundary crossing). The findings are likely to be the result of national differences in the chronic accessibility of ethnic classifications (US and Germany) and specific field dynamics (Netherlands).
The Broken Boundaries between Science and Technology Studies and Cultural Sociology: Introduction to an Interview with Trevor Pinch
Authors: Magaudda Paolo
Published: June 2013

The article introduces and comments upon the themes developed in the interview with the sociologist of science and technology Trevor Pinch in this issue of Cultural Sociology. The paper outlines the trajectory of his work since the late 1970s, from the birth of Science and Technology Studies (STS), until his current interest in the relationship between music, technologies, and society. The paper focuses on the growth of the field of STS, pointing out the many interconnections between STS and the wide intellectual universe involving cultural studies, cultural sociology and symbolic interactionism. The paper also considers the leading role Trevor Pinch has played in the shaping of the field of ‘sound studies’, an interdisciplinary field focused on the study of the sonic dimensions of societies, tracing the initial development of this area and how it represents a new set of interconnections between STS and the sociological study of culture.
Becoming Pure: The Civil Sphere, Media Practices and Constructing Civil Purification
Authors: Ostertag Stephen F.
Published: June 2013

This paper integrates the US civil sphere, European media as practice, and social psychological literatures to demonstrate how people construct their own civil purity and become pure. It uses in-depth interview data to uncover a language of civil purity that people draw on to construct their own belonging in civil society. It argues that some people create an imagined public-at-large that they infuse with polluting qualities associated with the binary cultural codes of civil society. This image functions as a mental heuristic, against which people compare themselves and see themselves as ‘better than’ on a number of moral values associated with civil society. This process of constructing civil purity is linked to one of the civil sphere’s two fundamental social institutions, namely communication. As a form of nonfiction media with record lows in trust and credibility, the mainstream news serves as a social topic through which we can witness the construction of civil purity.
McDonaldization and Job Insecurity
Authors: Dumbili Emeka W.
Published: June 2013

The article examines how and why the McDonaldization of banking system in Nigeria engenders job insecurity. This is imperative because it provides an explicit revelation of the root causes of job insecurity in the sector that other scholars have totally omitted. No Nigerian scholar has applied the thesis in relation to job insecurity, which is the major problem in Nigeria’s banking industry. The article based on the analysis of secondary data and observations, therefore, draws on McDonaldization thesis to examine the upsurge of rationalization in the sector since consolidation exercise began in 2005. The article argues that the sector’s rising rationalization and ensuing efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control are necessary. However, these have inevitably engendered job insecurity and its adverse consequences. Based on the critical analyses of available evidence, the article concludes that the best option is to commence resistance of the McDonaldization processes, especially those that replace human with nonhuman technology or make customers unpaid workers.
Reflections on Administrative Evil, Belief, and Justification in Khmer Rouge Cambodia
Authors: Atkinson Christopher L.
Published: June 2013

Administrative evil is sinister—It lurks in the shadows and under the surface of organizational action. The Khmer Rouge genocide stands as one of the most terrible instances of human injustice in modern memory. The methods of Pol Pot and his contemporaries, and the outcomes of their approaches to make their control of the population absolute, are examined as a study in systematic imposition of evil on a society. The article is an assessment of the Khmer Rouge regime through the lens of administrative evil, drawing from literature on hatred, paranoia, and belief as organizing and motivating forces, the legitimation of bureaucratic malevolence, and the teleology of historical agency. The article proposes that bureaucracy, by virtue of its lack of discretion against political forces, is not merely a potential tool of good or evil, but a force of administrative evil in and of itself that we may be unable to control.
Gulf Shores Company
Authors: Qureshi Asma , Stevens Jeff
Published: June 2013

Business intelligence (BI) has been successful in eliminating the traditional decision support systems at Gulf Shores Company (GSC) to improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery and eliminate human errors. Such improved organizations are better prepared to respond quickly to threats and opportunities. Artificial intelligence (AI) supports an organization’s BI process by simplifying them and making them more cost-effective so that, under certain conditions, automated decisions and alerts can be used. Introducing AI into GSC processes would also give them the capability of making decisions in real time. GSC could implement the BI/AI combination in complex settings to address a wide range of risks specific to their industry. The case study describes the logic for implementing AI in petroleum industries, based on an intelligent system that helps offshore platforms start up, and explains how it can be applied in other industries such as medical billing.
First Bank of Nigeria: Restructuring for High Performance
Authors: Adeleye Ifedapo
Published: June 2013

Stephen Onasanya had successfully steered First Bank through a three-year period of accelerated corporate transformation and growth, as the institution emerged from the global financial crisis of 2008. At the core of the bank’s transformation lay a new organizational structure. In 2010 the bank had transitioned from a geography-based to a customer-based organizational structure, and redesigned its nationwide coverage and deployment model to align with the new organization. In August 2012, it was apparent that the restructuring had been successful. Apart from the impressive financial results the bank had posted, significant progress had been made on many non-financial measures, including customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, Onasanya was not completely satisfied. He wondered what more could be done to make the new organizational structure deliver even better results, and help realize the bank’s ambitious vision of becoming Nigeria’s bank of first choice.
Connective tissue growth factor regulates adipocyte differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells and facilitates leukemia bone marrow engraftment
Authors: Battula V. Lokesh , Chen Ye , Cabreira Maria da Graca , Ruvolo Vivian , Wang Zhiqiang , Ma Wencai , Konoplev Sergej , Shpall Elizabeth , Lyons Karen , Strunk Dirk , Bueso-Ramos Carlos , Davis Richard Eric , Konopleva Marina , Andreeff Michael
Published: June 2013

Key Points

Connective tissue growth factor regulates adipogenic differentiation of MSCs. Connective tissue growth factor regulates leukemia engraftment.
A generalization for the best proximity point of Geraghty-contractions
Authors: Bilgili Nurcan , Karapınar Erdal , Sadarangani Kishin
Published: June 2013

In this paper, we introduce the notion of Geraghty-contractions and consider the related best proximity point in the context of a metric space. We state an example to illustrate our result.

MSC: 47H10, 54H25, 46J10, 46J15.
Phylogeography and postglacial expansion of the endangered semi-aquatic mammal Galemys pyrenaicus
Authors: Igea Javier , Aymerich Pere , Fernández-González Angel , González-Esteban Jorge , Gómez Asunción , Alonso Rocío , Gosálbez Joaquim , Castresana Jose
Published: June 2013

Background

Species with strict ecological requirements may provide new insights into the forces that shaped the geographic variation of genetic diversity. The Pyrenean desman,Galemys pyrenaicus, is a small semi-aquatic mammal that inhabits clean streams of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula and is endangered in most of its geographic range, but its genetic structure is currently unknown. While the stringent ecological demands derived from its aquatic habitat might have caused a partition of the genetic diversity among river basins, Pleistocene glaciations would have generated a genetic pattern related to glacial refugia.

Results

To study the relative importance of historical and ecological factors in the genetic structure ofG. pyrenaicus, we used mitochondrial and intronic sequences of specimens covering most of the species range. We show, first, that the Pyrenean desman has very low levels of genetic diversity compared to other mammals. In addition, phylogenetic and dating analyses of the mitochondrial sequences reveal a strong phylogeographic structure of a Middle Pleistocene origin, suggesting that the main lineages arose during periods of glacial isolation. Furthermore, both the spatial distribution of nuclear and mitochondrial diversity and the results of species distribution modeling suggest the existence of a major glacial refugium in the northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Finally, the main mitochondrial lineages show a striking parapatric distribution without any apparent exchange of mitochondrial haplotypes between the lineages that came into secondary contact (although with certain permeability to nuclear genes), indicating incomplete mixing after the post-glacial recolonization. On the other hand, when we analyzed the partition of the genetic diversity among river basins, the Pyrenean desman showed a lower than expected genetic differentiation among main rivers.

Conclusions

The analysis of mitochondrial and intronic markers inG. pyrenaicusshowed the predominant effects of Pleistocene glaciations on the genetic structure of this species, while the distribution of the genetic diversity was not greatly influenced by the main river systems. These results and, particularly, the discovery of a marked phylogeographic structure, may have important implications for the conservation of the Pyrenean desman.
iXora: exact haplotype inferencing and trait association
Authors: Utro Filippo , Haiminen Niina , Livingstone Donald , Cornejo Omar E , Royaert Stefan , Schnell Raymond J , Motamayor Juan Carlos , Kuhn David N , Laxmi Parida
Published: June 2013

Background

We address the task of extracting accurate haplotypes from genotype data of individuals of large F1 populations for mapping studies. While methods for inferring parental haplotype assignments on large F1 populations exist in theory, these approaches do not work in practice at high levels of accuracy.

Results

We have designed iXora (Identifying crossovers and recombining alleles), a robust method for extracting reliable haplotypes of a mapping population, as well as parental haplotypes, that runs in linear time. Each allele in the progeny is assigned not just to a parent, but more precisely to a haplotype inherited from the parent. iXora shows an improvement of at least 15% in accuracy over similar systems in literature. Furthermore, iXora provides an easy-to-use, comprehensive environment for association studies and hypothesis checking in populations of related individuals.

Conclusions

iXora provides detailed resolution in parental inheritance, along with the capability of handling very large populations, which allows for accurate haplotype extraction and trait association. iXora is available for non-commercial use from http://researcher.ibm.com/project/3430.
Microarray and deep sequencing cross-platform analysis of the mirRNome and isomiR variation in response to epidermal growth factor
Authors: Llorens Franc , Hummel Manuela , Pantano Lorena , Pastor Xavier , Vivancos Ana , Castillo Ester , Mattlin Heidi , Ferrer Anna , Ingham Matthew , Noguera Marc , Kofler Robert , Dohm Juliane C , Pluvinet Raquel , Bayés Mònica , Himmelbauer Heinz , del Rio José Antonio , Martí Eulàlia , Sumoy Lauro
Published: June 2013

Background

Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) plays an important function in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation by binding to its receptor (EGFR) and providing cancer cells with increased survival responsiveness. Signal transduction carried out by EGF has been extensively studied at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Little is known about the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the EGF signaling pathway. miRNAs have emerged as major players in the complex networks of gene regulation, and cancer miRNA expression studies have evidenced a direct involvement of miRNAs in cancer progression.

Results

In this study, we have used an integrative high content analysis approach to identify the specific miRNAs implicated in EGF signaling in HeLa cells as potential mediators of cancer mediated functions. We have used microarray and deep-sequencing technologies in order to obtain a global view of the EGF miRNA transcriptome with a robust experimental cross-validation. By applying a procedure based on Rankprod tests, we have delimited a solid set of EGF-regulated miRNAs. After validating regulated miRNAs by reverse transcription quantitative PCR, we have derived protein networks and biological functions from the predicted targets of the regulated miRNAs to gain insight into the potential role of miRNAs in EGF-treated cells. In addition, we have analyzed sequence heterogeneity due to editing relative to the reference sequence (isomiRs) among regulated miRNAs.

Conclusions

We propose that the use of global genomic miRNA cross-validation derived from high throughput technologies can be used to generate more reliable datasets inferring more robust networks of co-regulated predicted miRNA target genes.