bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regulation and the international competitiveness of US-based companies
Authors: Globerman Steven
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide and assess evidence bearing on whether government regulation in the USA is harming the international competitiveness of the US economy. A related purpose is to clarify the concept of international competitiveness from a public policy perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws on various sources comparing the regulatory environment of the USA and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries over the past 15-20 years, as well as the international competitiveness of those countries, particularly the productivity growth of home country firms. The various measures of regulatory quality and international competitiveness for the USA are compared to those for a sample of other OECD countries to provide empirical evidence on two broad issues: has government regulation become more onerous in the USA relative to other OECD countries? and has the USA economy become less competitive compared to other OECD countries?

Findings

– The evidence indicates that the US regulatory environment has become more onerous compared to other OECD countries and that the relative productivity performance of the US economy has declined in recent years. Evidence also suggests that the USA has become relatively less attractive as a location for production and research and development. While the paper does not directly link national measures of performance to measures of the regulatory environment, it provides a literature review of the empirical relationship between government regulation and private sector productivity performance. The review suggests that an apparent recent weakening of the international competitiveness of the US economy can be linked to a more onerous regulatory environment.

Research limitations/implications

– As noted above, the paper does not directly link in a statistical manner, data regarding the changing regulatory environment across countries to changes in measures of international competitiveness. This is the focus of future research.

Originality/value

– By assessing a range of measures of the regulatory environment and national economic performance, the paper provides a fairly comprehensive and nuanced assessment of frequently made claims about regulation in the USA relative to other countries, as well as the relative attractiveness of the USA as a location for private sector activity.
A neural observer for sensorless speed control of servomotors
Authors: Horng Jenq-Ruey , Wang Ming-Shyan , Lai Tai-Rung , Berinde Sergiu
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Extensive efforts have been conducted on the elimination of position sensors in servomotor control. The purpose of this paper is to aim at estimating the servomotor speed without using position sensors and the knowledge of its parameters by artificial neural networks (ANNs).

Design/methodology/approach

– A neural speed observer based on the Elman neural network (NN) structure takes only motor voltages and currents as inputs.

Findings

– After offline NNs training, the observer is incorporated into a DSP-based drive and sensorless control is achieved.

Research limitations/implications

– Future work will consider to reduce the computation time for NNs training and to adaptively tune parameters on line.

Practical implications

– The experimental results of the proposed method are presented to show the effectiveness.

Originality/value

– This paper achieves sensorless servomotor control by ANNs which are seldom studied.
Implementation of an automated system for microscope pathological section image with RFID management
Authors: Chen Pei-Jarn , Yeng Chia-Hong , Lu Ma-Mi , Chen Sheng-Hsien
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to establish an automated microscopic imaging database system using a set of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) management functions to provide a secure storage for hispathology images.

Design/methodology/approach

– The automated microscopy imaging system is composed mainly of four parts, which include: first, tissue biopsy image acquisition system, second, image processing system, third, RFID system, and fourth, SQL database system. The system has two modes of operation to store and manage hispathology images. First, the hispathology slide undergoes fluorescence staining before acquiring images directly from an external CCD camera connected to the system. Second, the hispathogical slides that have undergone fluorescence staining undergo another microscopic imaging system, and the contents are extracted into a digitized image archive and imported to the system. Also, the system not only acquires images but also performs functions such as displacement correction, image superimposition, and calculation of the total number of fluorescence points. The two methods mentioned above produce the hispathology image files and are tagged using an RFID string index to establish and manage the database system.

Findings

– The results demonstrated that in the impurities were effectively eliminated in the red fluorescence staining after binarization processing. However, the blue ones remained the same and to solve this problem an adjustable threshold allows users to select the appropriate threshold. Using an additional eigenvalue code to the RFID string provides better encryption mechanism for the patient files and any attempt to tamper the file can easily be detected through the comparison of the eigenvalues.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a novel method to implement a more comprehensive, safe, fast, and automated management system for hispathological images using RFID management and image processing techniques. Additional security is provided by including eigenvalues as encryption mechanisms in the Tag string of the RFID.
Management-employee relations, firm size and job satisfaction
Authors: Tansel Aysit , Gazîoğlu Şaziye
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the job satisfaction in relation to managerial attitudes towards employees and firm size using the linked employer-employee survey results in Britain.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors first investigate the management-employee relationships and the firm size using maximum likelihood probit estimation. Next various measures of job satisfaction are related to the management-employee relations via maximum likelihood ordered probit estimates. Four measures of job satisfaction that have not been used often are considered. They are satisfaction with influence over job; satisfaction with amount of pay; satisfaction with sense of achievement and satisfaction with respect from supervisors.

Findings

– Main findings indicate that management-employee relationships are less satisfactory in the large firms than in the small firms. Job satisfaction levels are lower in large firms. Less satisfactory management-employee relationships in the large firms may be a major source of the observed lower level of job satisfaction in them.

Practical implications

– These results have important policy implications from the point of view of the firm management while achieving the aims of their organizations in particular in the large firms in the area of management-employee relationships. Improving the management-employee relations in large firms will increase employee satisfaction in many respects as well as increase productivity and reduce turnover.

Originality/value

– The nature of the management-employee relations with firm size and job satisfaction has not been investigated before.
Assistant and auxiliary nurses in crisis times
Authors: Eliason Marcus
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the earnings, employment and income effects of job displacement among female assistant and auxiliary nurses – two hard-hit female-dominated occupations – in Sweden during the economic crisis of the 1990s.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using register data, assistant and auxiliary nurses who were displaced due to mass-layoffs during the crisis years were identified, as well as an appropriate control group. The study population could be followed for a maximum of 13 years. Mean effects were estimated using a propensity score weighted fixed effect estimator. In a supplementary analysis, propensity score weighted quantile effects were estimated.

Findings

– Job loss among women in the public sector seems to have had similar earnings and employment consequences as previously found for job loss among men in the private sector. However, the social insurance system replaced a majority of the lost earnings. Moreover, a distributional analysis revealed that the income and earnings losses were limited to the lower part of the distributions.

Social implications

– Budget consolidation measures to restore health to public finances in the aftermath of the Great Recession are likely to have long-lasting adverse consequences for some. Although many of those losing their jobs are likely to quickly regain employment at a comparable earnings level, the unlucky few may bear most of the costs.

Originality/value

– The author is aware of no previously published research that has investigated either the impact of job displacement in the public sector or the distributional effect of job displacement.
Development of the laser shock wave adhesion test on bonded CFRP composite
Authors: Ecault R. , Boustie M. , Berthe L. , Touchard F. , Chocinski-Arnault L. , Voillaume H. , Campagne B.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a laser shock adhesion test (LASAT) and evaluate its ability to reveal various bond qualities of stuck carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) industrial assemblies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Four grades of adhesion were prepared by release agent contamination of CFRP prior to assembly. Laser shots were performed at different intensities on these samples.

Findings

– To characterize and quantify the damage created by the propagation of shock waves in the bonded material, several diagnoses were used (confocal microscopy, ultra-sound inspection and cross-sections microscopy). These three post-mortem techniques are complementary and provide consistent results.

Originality/value

– The combination of these diagnoses along with the LASAT technique provides relevant information on the bond quality in agreement with GIC values measured by the University of Patras.
Effect of peening on the fatigue limit of welded structural steel with surface crack, and rendering the crack harmless
Authors: Houjou Keiji , Takahashi Koji , Ando Kotoji , Abe Hisanori
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of peening on the fatigue limit of steels for welded structure with a crack in the weld toe zone.

Design/methodology/approach

– An artificial semi-circular slit was created in the weld toe, and peening was conducted. Then, bending fatigue tests were carried out.

Findings

– First, owing to the shot peening, the maximum slit depths that can be rendered harmless were 1.0 and 1.2 mm in SUS316 and SM490, respectively. Second, during the fatigue test, the fracture of a peened specimen originated outside the slit, which indicated that peening eliminated the effect of the slit on the fatigue limit. Third, the fatigue limit of a slit specimen was improved by the enhanced residual stress distribution and the decreased stress concentration due to plastic deformation at the weld toe.

Originality/value

– There are very few studies about which a fatigue crack is rendered harmless by residual compressive stress, as a result the structures could be continued to use. Moreover, the study defining the concept about rendering crack harmless and systematic investigation was not able to be found.
Depository banks under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD)
Authors: Prorokowski Lukas
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate whether enhanced requirements result in the depositories exiting the business. Furthermore, this paper attempts to analyse prospective changes to the operating structures caused by the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD). Most importantly, this paper discusses the processes to evaluate and manage counterparty risk relating to prime brokers. AIFMD makes fundamental changes to the depository liability and managing counterparty risk by making a depository bank liable for any losses to investor assets, even those held within third-party custodians appointed by the depository. Depositories will also need to calculate the probability of default of their sub-custodians and use complex credit models to calculate any capital requirements under the fourth Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV).

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is based on an insightful secondary analysis of the AIFMD with practical implications drawn for depository banks. The analysis of this topical research has been broken down into the following sections: assessing and managing counterparty risk of prime brokers; insurance against defaults of prime brokers; and regulatory-driven challenges and changes to depository banks.

Findings

– The post-Lehman banking industry has realised that counterparty risk cannot be ignored. This has triggered heated debates among regulators and practitioners whereby any depository bank should clearly separate the assets of its clients from the depository assets and its own assets. This paper argues that the custodian services will witness consolidation with the big players remaining and small custodians forced to leave the business in light of the enhanced liabilities under the AIFMD. In addition to this, this paper has stressed that assessing counterparty risk should be supported by an insightful analysis of the culture of a prime broker; its legal, structural and regulatory safeguards; and quality of assets. Moreover, managing risks associated with prime brokers entails significant costs to depositories. Thus, depository banks are advised to factor these costs into their pricing models.

Originality/value

– Given the magnitude of recent regulatory initiatives and complex challenges faced by depositories, an important question arises whether depository banks would exit the business in light of the regulatory-induced liabilities. This paper addresses the aforementioned question and provides practical implications into managing emerging risks by depository banks. At this point, the majority of depositories are in a process of developing in-house solutions for managing risks related to prime brokers, and hence would benefit from practical insights into these processes that are provided in this paper.
Cybersecurity: SEC is starting to scrutinize registrants’ practices
Authors: A. Nathan Daniel , J. Greismann Libby
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– To alert broker-dealers to the SEC’s plans to examine their cybersecurity practices, and offer advice on compliance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Reviews the SEC’s proposed cybersecurity framework and provides suggestions for broker-dealers to address and respond to these proposals.

Findings

– The SEC is still focused on gaining more information about the state of the cybersecurity industry in the broker-dealer context.

Practical implications

– Broker-Dealers should review the framework and prepare to be flexible and responsive to changing guidelines that may emerge.

Originality/value

– Breaks down the SEC guidelines in plain English and analyses the import of these guidelines. Offers practical advice for compliance.
SEC’s enforcement action against hedge fund adviser for retaliation against a whistleblower highlights challenges employers face
Authors: B. House Bryan , L. Johnston Pam , Worcester Courtney
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– To explain a recent enforcement action by the USA Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whereby the SEC brought its first enforcement action for retaliation against a whistleblower under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank).

Design/methodology/approach

– Explains the SEC’s recent enforcement action under Dodd-Frank, highlighting the efforts that a company undertook with respect to continuing to employ a whistleblower after potentially fraudulent activity was reported and discusses practical problems faced by such companies when trying to simultaneously investigate potential wrong-doing without being seen as retaliating against a whistleblower.

Findings

– Through this enforcement action, the SEC has demonstrated a willingness to bring cases to enforce Dodd-Frank’s anti-retaliation provisions even though Dodd-Frank does not expressly grant it such enforcement authority.

Practical implications

– Companies must have a strong culture of compliance and a strong policy encouraging whistleblowers to report concerns internally if at all possible. Once the whistleblower has reported to the SEC, a company will need to maintain the status quo with respect to the whistleblower.

Originality/value

– Practical guidance from attorneys with experience with the SEC and whistleblower actions.
European private placements for US managers – navigating the AIFMD minefield
Authors: Penhall Winston , Hatfield Jacqui
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The article sets out the practical implications of the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive for USA managers with a focus on the marketing provisions of AIFMD.

Design/methodology/approach

– This article summarises key marketing issues for USA managers.

Findings

– The article addresses in particular the means by which USA fund managers who are not regulated in the EU can access EU investors including passive marketing.

Practical implications

– AIFMD grants EU member states latitude when implementing their local private placement regime. Some EU member states have not yet implemented AIFMD while others have imposed conditions that are so onerous that in practical terms they equate to the negation of private placement as an option.

Originality/value

– The article is of value to USA fund managers who are not regulated in the EU because it provides insight into the practicalities of navigating the minefield that is AIFMD.
Beyond rhetoric: re-thinking entrepreneurial marketing from a practice perspective
Authors: Gross Nicole , Carson David , Jones Rosalind
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose the application of social practice theory for the investigation of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– A theoretical gap has been found between scholarly efforts to explain the nature of EM practice and the actual marketing practice or marketing doings of small firms.

Findings

– The paper covers some of the EM literature and perspectives and examining the notion of “practice” in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and entrepreneurship research. Based on an increasing focus on practice in the social theory literature and the contributions of key social theorists, a discussion is framed in terms of how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations and common interpretations.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper offers a proposal that the observations of practitioners’ actions and activities and the investigation of common interpretations can be conceptualized to explain the nature of EM practice. It also gives avenues for future research.

Practical implications

– The paper suggests that marketing comprises a wide scope of activities or practices and, in the case of a small firm, is all-pervasive. It also suggests that scholars engage in understanding the collective, distributed, situated, ongoing and tacit nature of EM.

Originality/value

– The paper provides a fresh conceptual approach about how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations as well as common interpretations.
Branding as innovation within agribusiness value chains
Authors: Lewis Gemma , Crispin Stuart , Bonney Laurie , Woods Megan , Fei Jiangang , Ayala Sarah , Miles Morgan
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how traditional agribusiness firms can differentiate their product through innovation and branding at the value chain level, through the application of entrepreneurial marketing (EM). Traditionally, fresh vegetable products have been marketed as unbranded commodities.

Design/methodology/approach

– To address the research aim, this paper used a case study, which included semi-structured interviews with managers and personnel and unstructured observation of supply chain processes.

Findings

– The findings are based on a Tasmanian fresh broccoli value chain and suggest that EM could be effectively integrated at a multi-firm level. Clear communication, knowledge sharing, and trusting relationships are necessary to create a shared vision and a sustainable value chain.

Research limitations/implications

– An increasing number of firms in the agribusiness sector are looking for strategies that can enhance value for themselves and members of their chain. EM as a strategy can help an entire value chain achieve product differentiation and co-innovation, with flow on benefits to the consumer.

Originality/value

– There is limited research at the entrepreneurial and marketing interface that explores the application of EM at an inter-organizational level. This paper is one of the first to investigate EM in context of a supply chain management, using a value chain innovation framework.
Carbon emissions and the cost of capital: Australian evidence
Authors: Li Yongqing , Eddie Ian , Liu Jinghui
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential impact of the approved Australian carbon emissions reduction plan on the cost of capital and the association between companies’ carbon emission intensity and the cost of capital.

Design/methodology/approach

– A sample of Australian Stock Exchange 200 (ASX 200)-indexed companies from 2006 to 2010 is used. Hypotheses are tested based on Heckman’s two-stage approach. Three regression models are developed to examine the association between carbon emissions and the cost of capital.

Findings

– Using a sample of ASX 200-indexed listed companies, the paper finds that the cost of capital, including the cost of debt and the cost of equity, will increase for emissions-liable companies. Results also show that the cost of debt is positively correlated with a company’s emission intensity. However, little evidence supports that the emission intensity affects the cost of equity.

Originality/value

– As it is evident that the emissions reduction plan will adversely affect corporate entities’ cost of capital, this study suggests that companies, investors and lenders need to include carbon emission in risk analysis. An emissions-liable company should establish strategies to combat the impact of the Plan on rising cost that comes with the enforcement of the Plan. Government assistance is essential in the transitional period.
Application of multi-attribute utility theory for sustainable energy decisions in commercial buildings
Authors: Nikou Tina , Klotz Leidy
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Despite substantial advances in technologies enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings, they remain the largest consumers of energy in the USA compared with other sectors. In addition, the current rating systems for sustainable buildings do not reflect all potential energy savings during the design, construction, and occupancy of the built environment. The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) as a framework for quantifying energy decisions made during the design phase of a building construction project.

Design/methodology/approach

– The MAUT method was applied to a case study, and the results were compared with subjective results from the decision makers. Analysis of the results suggested that MAUT is a decision analysis tool that could aid decision makers in communicating their decision criteria and expectations.

Findings

– Findings from this research suggest that using an analysis method provides the decision makers with a systematic way to include their concerns and preferences and specific requirements of the project along with the criteria for sustainable energy and the built environment at the same time. Using a multi-criteria, decision-making method provides the decision makers with quantitative information, which facilitates the comparison of alternatives. MAUT enabled the various stakeholders of the project to collaborate on the inputs of the problems and allowed the decision makers to communicate their priorities and expectations more effectively.

Originality/value

– The findings indicated that MAUT provides stakeholders with a quantitative and holistic approach to decision making in which they can track changes in parameters during the process. The implementation of MAUT as a decision analysis tool in designing construction projects ultimately could lead to better decision making for sustainable building designs.
Some don't like it hot: microhabitat‐dependent thermal and water stresses in a trailing edge population
Authors: Mota Catarina F. , Engelen Aschwin H. , Serrão Ester A. , Pearson Gareth A.
Published: November 2014

The distributional limits of species in response to environmental change are usually studied at large temporal and/or geographical scales. However, organismal scale habitat variation can be overlooked when investigating large‐scale averages of key factors such as temperature. We examine how microhabitat thermal conditions relate to physiological limits, which may contribute to recent range shifts in an intertidal alga.

We defined the onset and maximum temperatures of the heat‐shock response (HSR) for a southern edge population of Fucus vesiculosus, which has subsequently become extinct. The physiological threshold for resilience (assayed using chlorophyll fluorescence) coincided with declining HSR, determined from the temperature‐dependent induction of seven heat‐shock protein transcripts.

In intertidal habitats, temperature affects physiology directly by controlling body temperature and indirectly through evaporative water loss. We investigated the relationship between the thermal environment and in situ molecular HSR at microhabitat scales. Over cm to m scales, four distinct microhabitats were defined in algal patches (canopy surface, patch edge, subcanopy, submerged channels), revealing distinct thermal and water stress environments during low‐tide emersion.

The in situ HSR agreed with estimated tissue temperatures in all but one microhabitat. Remarkably, in the most thermally extreme microhabitat (canopy surface), the HSR was essentially absent in desiccated tissue, providing a potential escape from the cellular metabolic costs of thermal stress.

Meteorological records, microenvironmental thermal profiles and HSR data indicate that the maximum HSR is approached or exceeded in hydrated tissue during daytime low tides for much of the year. Furthermore, present‐day summer seawater temperatures are sufficient to induce HSR during high‐tide immersion, preventing recovery and resulting in continuous HSR during daytime low‐tide cycles over the entire summer.

HSR in the field matched microhabitat temperatures more closely than local seawater or atmospheric data, suggesting that the impacts of climatic change are best understood at the microhabitat scale, particularly in intertidal areas.
Density‐dependent movement and the consequences of the Allee effect in the model organism Tetrahymena
Authors: Fronhofer Emanuel A. , Kropf Tabea , Altermatt Florian
Published: November 2014

Movement and dispersal are critical processes for almost all organisms in natural populations. Understanding their causes and consequences is therefore of high interest. While both theoretical and empirical work suggest that dispersal, more exactly emigration, is plastic and may be a function of local population density, the functional relationship between the underlying movement strategies and population density has received less attention.

We here present evidence for the shape of this reaction norm and are able to differentiate between three possible cues: the relative number of individuals, the presence of metabolites (chemical cues) and resource availability.

We performed microcosm experiments with the ciliate model organism Tetrahymena in order to understand the plasticity of movement strategies with respect to local density while controlling for possible confounding effects mediated by the availability of different cues. In addition, we investigated how an Allee effect can influence movement and dispersal plasticity.

Our findings suggest that movement strategies in Tetrahymena are plastic and density‐dependent. The observed movement reaction norm was U‐shaped. This may be due to an Allee effect which led to negative density dependence at low population densities and generally positive density dependence at high population densities due to local competition. This possibly adaptive density‐dependent movement strategy was likely mediated by chemical cues.

Our experimental work in highly controlled conditions indicates that both environmental cues as well as inherent population dynamics must be considered to understand movement and dispersal.
The mobility problem in Britain: new findings from the analysis of birth cohort data
Authors: Bukodi Erzsébet , Goldthorpe John H. , Waller Lorraine , Kuha Jouni
Published: November 2014

Social mobility is now a matter of greater political concern in Britain than at any time previously. However, the data available for the determination of mobility trends are less adequate today than two or three decades ago. It is widely believed in political and in media circles that social mobility is in decline. But the evidence so far available from sociological research, focused on intergenerational class mobility, is not supportive of this view. We present results based on a newly‐constructed dataset covering four birth cohorts that provides improved data for the study of trends in class mobility and that also allows analyses to move from the twentieth into the twenty‐first century. These results confirm that there has been no decline in mobility, whether considered in absolute or relative terms. In the case of women, there is in fact evidence of mobility increasing. However, the better quality and extended range of our data enable us to identify other ‘mobility problems’ than the supposed decline. Among the members of successive cohorts, the experience of absolute upward mobility is becoming less common and that of absolute downward mobility more common; and class‐linked inequalities in relative chances of mobility and immobility appear wider than previously thought.
Consumers' Preferences for Nanotechnology in Food Packaging: A Discrete Choice Experiment
Authors: Erdem Seda
Published: November 2014

We examine consumers' preferences for chickens under different levels of foodborne health risk, animal welfare and pric attributes. We analyse how their preferences vary according to the risk reduction method. Our comparison is between risk reductions achieved by conventional improvements in the meat supply chain system (e.g. more stringent regulations and inspection regimes), and risk reductions achieved by food packaging nanosensors. Our comparison uses a two‐treatment discrete choice experiment in which each treatment sample is only presented with one of the risk reductions: either nanotechnology or conventional methods. We also investigate heterogeneity in preferences for two consumer groups: (i) consumers who usually buy conventional raw, whole chickens, and (ii) consumers who usually buy niche, welfare‐improved chickens, such as free‐range and organic. Our results show evidence of heterogeneity in preferences and willingness‐ to‐pay values of the both consumer groups. We find that consumers, on average, prefer raw, whole chicken with a lower risk of food poisoning, better animal welfare, and lower costs, regardless of the presence of nanosensors. Although consumers in general showed no strong preferences towards or resistance to nanotechnology, those who buy chickens with better animal welfare, on average, showed higher WTP for food risk reduction and animal welfare relative to conventional chicken consumers.
The Art of Chiaroscuro Writing: Condillac and the Question of Word Order
Authors: PLANTE MANON
Published: November 2014

Condillac's use of clair‐obscur to discuss the role of inversion and sentence construction is akin to the wish to make pictorial chiaroscuro an element of intelligibility of painting, as in de Piles. This article draws on the French heritage of the two elements clair and obscur, each long‐standing metaphors. By associating clair‐obscur with inversion, Condillac places it within a history of ‘la clarté française’, freeing from the dead metaphor ‘clair‐obscur’ a series of potential meanings that the visual arts' definition of chiaroscuro had not attended to, and which are key to the uses that writers such as Diderot and Rétif de la Bretonne will make of ‘clair‐obscur’ in their literary works.
Chiaroscuro in the Eighteenth‐Century Ballet d'Action
Authors: NYE EDWARD
Published: November 2014

The use of the term chiaroscuro by choreographers and commentators on the ballet d'action was part of a deliberate strategy, in the context of controversy surrounding this innovative art. De Piles's emphasis on the use of colour rather than the geometry of line is analogous to Noverre and Angiolini's emphasis on body language in mime dance rather than formal step vocabulary. The rationale for using such terminology was to show that the ballet d'action was a hybrid genre and to redefine the nature of contemporary drama, just as the coloristes had sought to redefine the nature of painting a few decades earlier.
Théâtre de l'ombre: Visions of Afterlife in Prints and Plays of the French Revolution
Authors: TREVIEN CLAIRE
Published: November 2014

One notable trend both in prints and in theatre of the French Revolution was the depiction of recently deceased people, such as Louis XVI or Mirabeau, entering heaven or hell, and of their interactions with characters from history. A term often used in the title of these works, ‘ombre’, suggests that these interpretations of the afterlife were deeply entrenched with the interplay of light and darkness. This article charts these representations through the lens of clair‐obscur, a technical term linked to both theatrical lighting and artistic composition.
The Relationship Between R‐Wave Magnitude and Ventricular Volume During Continuous Left Ventricular Assist Device Assistance: Experimental Study
Authors: Fresiello Libera , Trivella Maria Giovanna , Di Molfetta Arianna , Ferrari Gianfranco , Bernini Fabio , Meste Olivier
Published: November 2014

The current use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as destination therapy is associated with the clinical need of monitoring patient–pump interaction. To this aim, the present work investigated the possibility of getting useful information about the status of the assisted left ventricle using electrocardiographic (ECG) data. A total of six animals, undergoing Gyro Centrifugal Pump 2 implantation (a new version of Gyro Centrifugal Pump C1E3 [Kyocera Corporation, Kyoto, Japan]) and CircuLite Synergy Micropump (CircuLite, Inc., Saddlebrooke, NJ, USA) in atrio‐aortic connection, were analyzed. Data refer to different LVAD speeds with consequently different levels of ventricular unloading. From ECG signal, the R wave peak was individuated together with the corresponding left ventricular volume. Then on both signals, a moving average analysis was performed to reduce the effect of the ventilation. A regression and correlation analysis performed on the two resulting signals evidenced that the R wave peak and the ventricular volume are strictly related. Specifically, any change of LVAD speed, inducing a change in ventricular volume, is associated with a change in R wave peak value. The present work is a first step in investigating the usefulness of the ECG signal during LVAD therapy, for the monitoring of mechanical parameters of the heart such as the ventricular volumes. The correlation found between the ECG and the ventricular volume can be a promising starting point for possible future noninvasive LVAD patient monitoring.
Regional differences in postneonatal childhood mortality in Finland, 1985–2004
Authors: Lantto Marjo , Renko Marjo , Uhari Matti
Published: November 2014

Aim

The Finnish healthcare system will undergo a major reform in the near future. This study examined whether postneonatal childhood mortality differed between university and central hospital districts in Finland from 1985 to 2004 and whether the causes of death were preventable.

Methods

We analysed postneonatal childhood mortality in Finland during two 10‐year periods – 1985 to 1994 and 1995 to 2004 – analysing university and central hospital districts separately, as paediatric intensive care is centralised in university hospitals. The study looked at the main causes of death in each hospital, and the mortality rates were adjusted to demonstrate how many children were at risk of dying.

Results

Postneonatal childhood mortality decreased during the study period in university and central hospital districts. We found no significant difference in mortality rates between university hospital districts, but regional differences were notable in central hospital districts, partly because of historical differences in mortality. Accidents were the most common cause of death, with substantial regional differences.

Conclusion

Regional postneonatal childhood mortality differed across central hospital districts, and this should be taken into account in the forthcoming restructuring of the Finnish healthcare system. Special attention is needed to prevent accidental deaths, both nationally and locally.
Quantifying the effects of diuretics and β‐adrenoceptor blockers on glycaemic control in diabetes mellitus – a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hirst Jennifer A. , Farmer Andrew J. , Feakins Benjamin G. , Aronson Jeffrey K. , Stevens Richard J.
Published: November 2014

Aims

Although there are reports that β‐adrenoceptor antagonists (beta‐blockers) and diuretics can affect glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus, there is no clear information on how blood glucose concentrations may change and by how much. We report results from a systematic review to quantify the effects of these antihypertensive drugs on glycaemic control in adults with established diabetes.

Methods

We systematically reviewed the literature to identify randomized controlled trials in which glycaemic control was studied in adults with diabetes taking either beta‐blockers or diuretics. We combined data on HbA1c and fasting blood glucose using fixed effects meta‐analysis.

Results

From 3864 papers retrieved, we found 10 studies of beta‐blockers and 12 studies of diuretics to include in the meta‐analysis. One study included both comparisons, totalling 21 included reports. Beta‐blockers increased fasting blood glucose concentrations by 0.64 mmol l−1 (95% CI 0.24, 1.03) and diuretics by 0.77 mmol l−1 (95% CI 0.14, 1.39) compared with placebo. Effect sizes were largest in trials of non‐selective beta‐blockers (1.33, 95% CI 0.72, 1.95) and thiazide diuretics (1.69, 95% CI 0.60, 2.69). Beta‐blockers increased HbA1c concentrations by 0.75% (95% CI 0.30, 1.20) and diuretics by 0.24% (95% CI −0.17, 0.65) compared with placebo. There was no significant difference in the number of hypoglycaemic events between beta‐blockers and placebo in three trials.

Conclusions

Randomized trials suggest that thiazide diuretics and non‐selective beta‐blockers increase fasting blood glucose and HbA1c concentrations in patients with diabetes by moderate amounts. These data will inform prescribing and monitoring of beta‐blockers and diuretics in patients with diabetes.
New combination bronchodilators for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: current evidence and future perspectives
Authors: Singh Dave
Published: November 2014

Fixed dose combination (FDC) dual bronchodilators that co‐administer a long acting β2‐adrenoceptor agonist (LABA) and a long acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) are a new class of inhaled treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This review focuses on the clinical evidence for the benefit of LABA/LAMA FDCs compared with monocomponent treatments, and also compared with active comparators that are widely used for the treatment of COPD, namely tiotropium and salmeterol‐fluticasone. Novel FDC dual bronchodilators include QVA149 and umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI). Long term clinical trials show that QVA149 and UMEC/VI are superior to monocomponent therapy in terms of trough forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), although the FEV1 improvement was limited to approximately 80–90% of the added monocomponent values. This suggests that the effect of combining a LABA and a LAMA is not fully additive. LABA/LAMA FDC were associated with the largest mean changes in symptoms and health status that were above the minimal clinically important difference, in contrast to the monocomponents. Furthermore, these LABA/LAMA FDCs demonstrated superiority over the active comparators tiotropium and salmeterol‐fluticasone in terms of trough FEV1 and patient‐reported outcomes. LABA/LAMA FDCs offer a simplified means of maximizing bronchodilation for COPD patients, with the improvements in lung function being mirrored by benefits in terms of symptoms and exacerbations. The use of LABA/LAMA FDCs in clinical practice is set to grow and further studies are needed to define their optimal place in treatment guidelines.
Renal function is the same 6 months after robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy regardless of clamp technique: analysis of outcomes for off‐clamp, selective arterial clamp and main artery clamp techniques, with a minimum follow‐up of 1 year
Authors: Komninos Christos , Shin Tae Young , Tuliao Patrick , Han Woong Kyu , Chung Byung Ha , Choi Young Deuk , Rha Koon Ho
Published: November 2014

Objective

To compare the renal functional outcomes, with >1 year of follow‐up, of patients who underwent robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) performed with different clamping techniques.

Patients and Methods

The peri‐operative data of patients undergoing RAPN performed with different clamping techniques were retrospectively analysed (group 1: off‐clamp, n = 23; group 2: selective clamp, n = 25; group 3: main artery clamp, n = 114). The main outcome measures were postoperative serum creatinine level, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and percentage change in eGFR, the data for which were collected at periodic intervals during the first 12 months and annually thereafter, in addition to late eGFR value. Only patients with >1 year of follow‐up were included in the analysis.

Results

The baseline characteristics of groups 2 and 3 were similar, while patients in group 1 had smaller sized tumours and lower tumour complexity. The median follow‐up periods were 45 (group 1), 20 (group 2) and 47 (group 3) months. The median clamping times were 24.8 min in the main artery clamp and 18 min in the selective artery clamp groups. Group 2 had greater median blood loss volume (100 vs 500 vs 200 mL for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively; P < 0.01) and a longer length of hospital stay (3 vs 4 vs 3 days for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively; P = 0.02). No significant differences were found among the groups with regard to transfusion rates, positive surgical margin rates, complications, recurrence or mortality rates. Groups 1 and 2 had significantly less deterioration of postoperative renal function during the first 3 months after surgery (P = 0.04; percent change in eGFR −1.5, −2 and −8% for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively), but this beneficial outcome was not observed after 6 months or for the latest eGFR measurement (P = 0.48; latest percent change in eGFR −3, −6 and −3.5% for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively). In regression analysis, baseline eGFR, type of clamp procedure and tumour complexity score were predictive of normal renal function 7 days after surgery, while only baseline eGFR and age could predict it 1 year postoperatively.

Conclusions

Off‐clamp and selective artery clamp techniques result in superior short‐term renal functional outcomes compared with the main artery clamp approach; however, after the 6th postoperative month, there were no significant differences regarding the functional outcome among the above surgical techniques, as long as the warm ischaemia time was 20–30 min.
Therapeutic action of 5‐HT3 receptor antagonists targeting peritoneal macrophages in post‐operative ileus
Authors: Maehara Toko , Matsumoto Kenjiro , Horiguchi Kazuhide , Kondo Makoto , Iino Satoshi , Horie Shunji , Murata Takahisa , Tsubone Hirokazu , Shimada Shoichi , Ozaki Hiroshi , Hori Masatoshi
Published: November 2014

Background and Purpose

Post‐operative ileus (POI) is induced by intestinal inflammation. Here, we aimed to clarify the effects of 5‐HT3 receptor antagonists against POI.

Experimental Approach

We administered three 5‐HT3 receptor antagonists, ondansetron, tropisetron and palonosetron, to a mouse model of POI induced by surgical intestinal manipulation (IM). Immunohistochemistry, intestinal transit, inflammatory mediator mRNA expression and 5‐HT content were measured. In some experiments, 5‐HT3A receptor null mice were used.

Key Results

Three 5‐HT3 receptor antagonists reduced IM‐induced infiltration of inflammatory CD68‐positive macrophages and myeloperoxidase‐stained neutrophils. Ondansetron exhibited no anti‐inflammatory actions in 5‐HT3A receptor null mice. Ondansetron inhibited expression of the chemokine CCL2, IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α and iNOS mRNAs up‐regulated by IM, and also ameliorated the delayed gastrointestinal transit. Peritoneal macrophages, but not most infiltrating monocyte‐derived macrophages, expressed 5‐HT3 receptors. IM stimulation increased the 5‐HT content of peritoneal lavage fluid, which up‐regulated mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines in peritoneal macrophages. Immunohistochemical localization of 5‐HT3 receptors suggests that ondansetron suppressed expression of these mRNAs in activated peritoneal macrophages, adhering to the serosal region of the inflamed intestinal wall.

Conclusion and Implications

5‐HT3 receptor antagonists were anti‐inflammatory, mainly targeting peritoneal macrophages expressing these receptors. They also restored the delayed gastrointestinal transit by IM. 5‐HT3 receptor antagonists should be therapeutically useful agents against POI.
Cortisol Reactivity to Social Stress as a Mediator of Early Adversity on Risk and Adaptive Outcomes
Authors: Conradt Elisabeth , Abar Beau , Lester Barry M. , LaGasse Linda L. , Shankaran Seetha , Bada Henrietta , Bauer Charles R. , Whitaker Toni M. , Hammond Jane A.
Published: November 2014

Children chronically exposed to stress early in life are at increased risk for maladaptive outcomes, though the physiological mechanisms driving these effects are unknown. Cortisol reactivity was tested as a mediator of the relation between prenatal substance exposure and/or early adversity on adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. Data were drawn from a prospective longitudinal study of prenatal substance exposure (N = 860). Cortisol reactivity was assessed at age 11. Among African Americans, prenatal substance exposure exerted an indirect effect through early adversity and cortisol reactivity to predict externalizing behavior, delinquency, and a positive student–teacher relationship at age 11. Decreased cortisol reactivity was related to maladaptive outcomes, and increased cortisol reactivity predicted better executive functioning and a more positive student–teacher relationship.