bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of widget applications on library websites: an analytical study
Authors: De Sarkar Tanmay
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The paper seeks to highlight how academic libraries are harnessing widgets to make library resources easily and conveniently accessible to users. Examining the characteristic features, purposes of use and types of widget applications, the paper aims to measure the degree of implementation of widget among academic libraries in different regions.

Design/methodology/approach

A stratified sampling method was followed for selecting four samples of population, each representing one of the four continents (North America, Europe, Australia and Asia) and content analysis was used to collect data along the checkpoints.

Findings

Giving a comparative account of widget implementation along the select dimensions, the study focused on relative acceptance of widgets among the continents and emphasized the areas where widget is being applied most. With examples, the study also illustrated the relevance of the different approaches taken by various libraries.

Research limitations/implications

The study was confined to selected libraries of higher education institutes among the four continents only. Libraries having non‐English websites and restricted or limited access were not included.

Originality/value

This unique investigation presented a comprehensive picture of widget implementation among the academic libraries across the world. The findings will serve as a valuable guide for future librarians who wish to incorporate such technologies in library websites. Furthermore, the checkpoints used here may serve as a bedrock for framing questionnaire and interview schedule for conducting future research investigating users' perception of this new web‐based tool in order to comprehend fully the practicability and usefulness of widget.
Going mobile: creating a mobile presence for your library
Authors: Nowlan Gillian
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine how students at the University of Regina would like to interact with the library on their mobile devices and how to best construct a mobile site to suit the university community's needs.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was designed to gather feedback from the university community on their use of mobile devices and how they would want to use the library's resources and services via their mobile device. This survey also attempts to better understand how academic libraries can provide effective mobile services. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to several Canadian academic libraries. Its purpose was to discover what other institutions were doing with mobile technologies.

Findings

The survey found that 95.4 percent of students that responded to the survey had a smartphone and 75 percent of them used their mobile phone to access the web. The survey indicated that the library catalogue was the most popular resource chosen to become mobile enabled. The questionnaire distributed to other Canadian academic libraries showed that some libraries were designing and building web apps, while others were creating native apps.

Originality/value

With the increase of mobile technology availability and the demand for accessible mobile content, it is imperative that libraries examine how they can provide services to their patrons within this medium in order to continue to provide valuable services. Mobile technologies are constantly changing, so continuous assessment in this area is of importance.
Motivation for grant writing among academic librarians
Authors: Keogh Patricia
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine motivation for grant writing among academic librarians.

Design/methodology/approach

Librarians identified as successful grant authors were sent invitations to an online survey.

Findings

The data collected were analyzed in the context of existing studies of librarian motivation, especially those relating to academic publishing and entrepreneurship, as well as the theoretical frameworks of motivation, including those of Maslow and Herzberg.

Originality/value

Results of the study should be useful to those in the library field interested in grant writing. No previous studies on this topic were located.
Private bailiffs as partners of the Serbian state
Authors: Planojević Nina
Published: March 2013

Purpose

In a 2011 law, Serbia included the private sector in enforcement procedures implemented by private bailiffs in addition to those appointed by the court. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether this situation is a form of public‐private partnership. Analyzing the causes of court enforcement crises, this paper establishes whether this step was necessary.

Design/methodology/approach

In the development of this paper, normative, sociological, dogmatic and axiological methodologies have been used.

Findings

The introduction of private bailiffs into civil enforcement is a unique public‐private partnership, necessary and justified since it removes all causes of crises in the Serbian system of enforcement.

Practical implications

It is more likely that Serbian citizens will entrust enforcement to private bailiffs.

Social implications

This paper contributes to understanding private bailiffs' roles in Serbian society and builds a positive attitude toward this public‐private partnership.

Originality/value

In this paper, public‐private partnership is examined from a new viewpoint and expands cases where the private sector is included from court sanctions. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the institution of private bailiffs, explains its role in the settlement of Serbian enforcement crises and suggests connections between the institution and strengthening the economy.
Joule heating effect on magnetohydrodynamic mixed convection boundary layer flow with variable electrical conductivity
Authors: Hossain Anwar , Subba Reddy Gorla Rama
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The paper's aim is to investigate the mixed convection flow of an electrically conducting and viscous incompressible fluid past an isothermal vertical surface with Joule heating in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field fixed relative to the surface. It was assumed that the electrical conductivity of the fluid varies linearly with the transverse velocity component.

Design/methodology/approach

The governing boundary layer equations were solved numerically. The boundary layer equations were first reduced to a convenient form by using two different formulations, namely, (i) the stream function formulation (SFF) and (ii) primitive variable formulation (PVF).

Findings

It was observed that both the local shear‐stress and Nusselt number increase with increasing value of local magnetic parameter, ξ.

Research limitations/implications

In the present investigation, we investigated the effects of Joule heating on MHD mixed convection boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting viscous incompressible fluid past an isothermal vertical flat plate in the presence of a transverse magnetic field fixed relative to the surface of the plate. The analysis was valid for a steady, two dimensional laminar flow. An extension to three dimensional flow case is left for future work.

Practical implications

Here we have analyzed the problem of mixed convection flow of electrically conducting and viscous incompressible fluid past an isothermal vertical surface with viscous and Joule heating in presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field fixed relative to the surface. The work would be useful in the thermal management of heat transfer devices.

Originality/value

The results of this study may be of interest to engineers interested in heat exchanger design.
Series solution for heat transfer of continuous stretching sheet immersed in a micropolar fluid in the existence of radiation
Authors: Shadloo M.S. , Kimiaeifar A. , Bagheri D.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study a two‐dimensional steady convective flow of a micropolar fluid over a stretching sheet in the presence of radiation with constant temperature.

Design/methodology/approach

The corresponding momentum, microrotation and energy equations are analytically solved using homotopy analysis method (HAM).

Findings

To validate the method, investigate the accuracy and convergence of the results, a comparison with existing numerical and experimental results is done for several cases. Finally, by using the obtained analytical solution, for the skin‐friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number as well as the temperature, velocity and angular velocity, profiles are obtained for different values of the constant parameters, such as Prandtl number, material, boundary and radiation parameter.

Originality/value

In this paper, a series solution is presented for the first time.
Using the repertory grid technique to surface strategic planning assumptions
Authors: Timothy Few W. , Few Molly
Published: March 2013

Purpose

In his article titled, “The theory of the business,” Peter Drucker suggests that organizations need to frequently challenge the assumptions underlying their theory of the business (TOB) in order to assure that it remains viable. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the repertory grid technique (RGT) and illustrate how it can be used as a strategic planning tool to surface the assumptions underlying an organization's TOB.

Design/methodology/approach

The RGT's merits as a planning tool are demonstrated through a case study involving the president of a Pittsburgh‐based financial services organization. Specifically, this case study describes how the RGT and the organization's competitors were used to surface the assumptions underlying the organization's TOB.

Findings

The paper describes how the assumptions surfaced from this case study can be used to challenge the organization's TOB. Furthermore, guidance is offered as to how the RGT can be integrated into an organization's strategic planning process and a list of resources that one can refer to for further information concerning the RGT is provided.

Originality/value

While the RGT has been used by scholars as a research tool and various authors have suggested that it can be used to address various organizational challenges (e.g., implementing a new system), no one to date has demonstrated its value as a strategic planning tool. Consequently, the paper is a valuable resource for practitioners, as well as academics and consultants who provide strategic planning services to organizations.
Macroeconomic policy, localization and reducing unemployment
Authors: Sherif Souad
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the unique unemployment anomaly in the UAE and formulate a long‐term, comprehensive strategy to combat effectively the high rates of unemployment among UAE citizens through a national policy.

Design/methodology/approach

The policy recommendations of this study constitute a package of interrelated policies designed carefully to provide a long‐term solution to a long‐term problem – a three‐stage plan of action termed the federal plan for the development of national human resources (FPDNHR). FPDNHR suggests more effective ways to reduce unemployment by stimulating economic growth, accumulation of capital, development of skills, increasing productivity, reforming the educational system and providing skills consistent with the demands of the labor market.

Findings

An effective solution for the UAE unemployment quandary is only possible after the three‐step strategy FPDNHR is applied completely.

Research limitations/implications

The FPDNHRO as suggested in this study is but a conceptual blueprint for a strategy that requires further research and fine‐tuning in order to develop an action plan. Priorities and sequencing must ensure that each element of the strategy is cost‐effective.

Practical implications

Unemployment is a macro‐dilemma and the strategic solution to the unemployment dilemma needs to be based and implemented on a national level through a federally mandated plan; the unemployment program will move in an orderly and strategically top‐down manner.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills an identified information/resources need and offers a long‐term practical solution to a unique macro‐dilemma.
Influences of contextual variables on the intention to use technology in education
Authors: Teo Timothy
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influences of selected individual, technological and implementation variables on the intention to use technology, among a sample of primary school teachers in Singapore.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 385 teachers from 18 primary schools completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to six constructs that are categorized into in three contexts in which teachers’ intention to use technology was influenced. Latent variable modeling was used as the technique for data analysis.

Findings

The results showed that teachers’ intention to use technology was not significantly influenced by the three contexts. However, each of the three contexts was significantly explained by their variables. The results suggest that the teachers in this study may have conceptualized the influences on their intention to use technology differently than commercial users of technology, as seen from the information sciences literature.

Originality/value

This study contributes to our understanding of what influences the intention to use technology among educational users. While much research has been focused at the variable level, this study examines the contexts in which variables interact with each other.
Achieving age equality in health and social care
Authors: Bernard Caroline
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the Achieving Age Equality Toolkit, to give the background to its development, and to advise readers of the ways in which it has already been successful in the health and social care arena.

Design/methodology/approach

The subject of this paper is the ban on age discrimination in goods and services that came into force on 1 October 2012. The objectives of the paper are achieved by setting out the policy context, and by detailing how the age equality recommendations were made through an independent review.

Findings

Older people have different experiences of health and social care services, but most want to be able to access support when they need it. Age as a barrier to treatment and screening in areas such as mental health and cancer continue to give cause for concern. Organisations need to ensure they are working in an “age equal” way across services.

Research limitations/implications

Implications for further research could include an assessment of the extent of “institutional ageism” in services after the ban on age discrimination in goods and services on 1 October 2012.

Practical implications

The article illustrates through case studies how use of the toolkit enables one organisation to better identify where changes are needed towards embedding anti age discrimination practice.

Social implications

As well as obeying legal requirements, ending age discrimination in health and social care requires a change in hearts and minds towards encouraging society to think differently about the ways in which older people are supported by health and social care services.

Originality/value

Since the review, there have been repeated cases of age discrimination in goods and services, illustrating the need for change.
Analytical and experimental study on damping ratio of GRP‐reinforced glulam beams
Authors: Naghipour Morteza , Akbar Gholampour Ali , Nematzadeh Mehdi
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present weighted residual method (WRM) for evaluating damping ratio of unreinforced glued‐laminated (glulam) wood beams and also reinforced glulam beams with E‐glass reinforced epoxy polymer (GRP) plates.

Design/methodology/approach

In this method, created error from the regression curve to the peak points of experimental displacement values is minimized. Several weight functions such as Galerkin weight function, Petrov‐Galerkin weight functions, and least square weight function are used for minimizing this error and results from these methods are compared to the existing methods as; logarithmic decrement analysis (LDA), Hilbert transform analysis (HTA), moving block analysis (MBA), and half power bandwidth (HPB).

Findings

Because WRM tries to minimize the error function provided from differences between theoretical and experimental fitted curves, comparison among these methods indicate that proposed procedure is useful for any range of damping ratios and it gives better values in comparison with the other methods. Due to the initial conditions and weight function used in Galerkin weighted residual method, damping ratio values obtained from this method have different values from the other weighted residual methods. Among the existing methods, HPB method could not predict damping ratio of the glulam beams accurately.

Originality/value

This paper is a high quality research paper that presents weighted residual method (WRM) for evaluating damping ratio of unreinforced glued‐laminated (glulam) wood beams and also reinforced glulam beams with E‐glass reinforced epoxy polymer (GRP) plates. In this paper, LDA, HTA, MBA, and HPB methods are used and an analytical investigation of damping ratios of glulam beams unreinforced and reinforced with GRP plates is proposed by using weighted residual method (WRM). Although there is a simplifier assumption in some of existing methods, proposed method shows the damping ratio can be calculated without any requirement to simplifier assumption.
Employee perceived effects of workplace health promotion
Authors: Nöhammer Elisabeth , Schusterschitz Claudia , Stummer Harald
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The employees’ perspective is often disregarded in research regarding workplace health promotion (WHP). Experts’ opinions are prominent, stating employees’ benefits of WHP on the physical, mental, and social level. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which benefits and effects employees expect from WHP.

Design/methodology/approach

As a current qualitative study indicates that employees also highlight cognitive aspects and prevention issues, a quantitative verification of this extended model was conducted. A questionnaire consisting of items derived from a qualitative study was developed and distributed in Austria in two government agencies, one bank, and one NGO. The sample consists of 237 employees rating the appreciability of potential WHP effects.

Findings

Based on a principal component analysis, employee‐perceived effects of WHP were grouped into four components. Within the first, cognitive one, the most frequently perceived effect (40.1 per cent) was giving WHP a try. Regarding the second, emotional component, feeling appreciated (57.4 per cent) was emphasized. Improved affordability of prevention (57.0 per cent) belongs to the third, convenience/pleasure component. Effects in the fourth, social realm, such as better contact with colleagues, were perceived by only 17.4 per cent.

Research limitations/implications

The results enlarge the theoretical grouping of WHP effects but require further testing regarding blue‐collar employees, and physical benefits.

Practical implications

Strengthening factors referring to perceived benefits in practical WHP design plus related communication seems advisable to increase participation rates and benefits derived.

Originality/value

Providing an enlargement to current models of employee perceived benefits regarding WHP, this paper gives suggestions for a benefit oriented WHP program and communication design and opens up new paths for research.
Studies on women's entrepreneurship from Nordic countries and beyond
Authors: Achtenhagen Leona , Tillmar Malin
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to recent research on women's entrepreneurship, focusing on Nordic countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper encourages research that investigates how context, at the micro, meso and macro level, is related to women's entrepreneurship, and acknowledges that gender is socially constructed.

Findings

This paper finds evidence that recent calls for new directions in women's entrepreneurship research are being followed, specifically with regard to how gender is done and how context is related to women's entrepreneurial activities.

Originality/value

This paper assesses trends in research on women's entrepreneurship, mainly from the Nordic countries.
Networking women entrepreneurs: fruitful for business growth?
Authors: Bogren Maria , von Friedrichs Yvonne , Rennemo Øystein , Widding Øystein
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the kinds of contacts and networks women find supportive in their role as business leaders, and which also support their willingness to grow their business. The approach is to investigate the context of women entrepreneurs and the kinds of supporting social networks of which they are part. This is seen in relation to their willingness to grow.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were sent to women entrepreneurs in mid‐Sweden and mid‐Norway, relating to supportive assets and willingness for growth.

Findings

The results show: that personal networks are seen as a more supportive asset than business networks; that personal contacts with other entrepreneurs are regarded as valuable; and that women entrepreneurs who are positive towards new networks already have a more heterogenic network than those who do not express this willingness.

Practical implications

Without a relational attitude and a willingness to put oneself into a relational interplay, women entrepreneurs will have a hard time succeeding in growing their businesses.

Originality/value

This study is unique in three ways: first, it combines different theoretical perspectives, above all a variety of network perspectives seen in an entrepreneurial context. Second, from a huge set of data containing women entrepreneurs, the paper presents valid findings about social network configurations among this group. Third, it introduces the term “willingness”, and discusses the effects related to this and to network expansion and business growth. These dimensions help us to increase the understanding of networking and growth in women‐owned enterprises.
Beyond the Sovereign State: Isopolitan Citizenship, Race and Anglo-American Union
Authors: Bell Duncan
Published: March 2013

Debates about post-Westphalian forms of citizenship play an important role in contemporary political thought. I analyse a significant precursor to these debates, exploring fin de siècle conceptions of racial and imperial political membership. My argument has two main parts. First, I delineate four rival models of imperial citizenship: imperial-statist, institutional-imperial, racial-imperial and racial-isopolitan. Second, I dissect the notion of ‘isopolitan’ (or common) citizenship. Isopolity is a practice, derived from the ancient Greeks, in which independent states reciprocally grant citizenship rights to the members of other independent states, thus creating a loose form of political union. It was adapted at the turn of the twentieth century to theorise future Anglo-American relations. I examine the arguments of some prominent isopolitans, focusing on the constitutional theorist A. V. Dicey. ‘Anglo’ isopolitans challenged the isomorphic relationship between the territorial state, sovereignty and political membership. They did so through constructing a global white supremacist vision.
Risk society and the distribution of bads: theorizing class in the risk society
Authors: Curran Dean
Published: March 2013

Ulrich Beck states in the Risk Society (1992) that the rise of the social production of risks in the risk society signals that class ceases to be of relevance; instead the hierarchical logic of class will be supplanted by the egalitarian logic of the distribution of risks. Several trenchant critiques of Beck's claim have justified the continued relevance of class to contemporary society. While these accounts have emphasized continuity, they have not attempted to chart, as this paper will, how the growing social production of risk increases the importance of class. This paper argues that it is Beck's undifferentiated, catastrophic account of risk that undergirds his rejection of class, and that by inserting an account of risk involving gradations in both damages and calculability into Beck's framework, his theory of risk society may be used to develop a critical theory of class. Such a theory can be used to reveal how wealth differentials associated with class relations actually increase in importance to individuals’ life‐chances in the risk society. With the growing production and distribution of bads, class inequalities gain added significance, since it will be relative wealth differentials that both enables the advantaged to minimize their risk exposure and imposes on others the necessity of facing the intensified risks of the risk society.
The problem of suffering as a driving force of rationalization and social change
Authors: Wilkinson Iain
Published: March 2013

This article documents and analyses a reconstructed Weberian conception of the problem of suffering. In this setting a focus is brought to how the problem of suffering is constituted in the dynamic interplay between, on the one hand, the compulsion to impose rational sense and order on the world, and on the other, the necessity to find a means to satiate charismatic needs. The discussion highlights Weber's account of the tendency for problems of suffering to increase in volume and scale along with the intensification and spread of modern processes of rationalization. It offers a case for the development of further sociological inquiries into the role played by experiences of the problem of suffering within the dynamics of social and cultural change.
Cervical surgery for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and prolonged time to conception of a live birth: a case–control study
Authors: Spracklen CN , Harland KK , Stegmann BJ , Saftlas AF
Published: March 2013

Objective

To determine whether women with a history of surgery for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) are at an increased risk of subfertility, measured as a time to pregnancy of more than 12 months.

Design

Case–control study.

Setting

Iowa Health in Pregnancy Study (IHIPS), a population‐based case–control study of preterm and small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) live birth outcomes (from May 2002 through June 2005) in the USA.

Sample

Women with an intended pregnancy and a history of either one prior cervical surgery (n = 152), colposcopy only (n = 151), or no prior cervical surgery or colposcopy (n = 1021).

Methods

Cervical treatment history, pregnancy intention, time to pregnancy, and other variables were self‐reported by computer‐assisted telephone interviews. Odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression to estimate the risk of prolonged time to pregnancy among women with a history of cervical surgery or colposcopy alone, compared with untreated women (control group).

Main outcome measure

Prolonged time to pregnancy (i.e. >1 year).

Results

Prolonged time to pregnancy was most prevalent among treated women (16.4%), compared with untreated women (8.4%) and women with colposcopy only (8.6%) (P = 0.039). After adjusting for covariates, women with prior cervical surgery had a more than two‐fold higher risk of prolonged time to pregnancy compared with untreated women (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.26–3.46). In contrast, women with a history of colposcopy only had a risk equivalent to that found among untreated women (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.56–1.89).

Conclusions

Women with a history of cervical treatment for CIN are at increased risk of subfertility, measured as a time to pregnancy of more than 12 months.
Civil society participation in global governance: Insights from climate politics
Authors: Böhmelt Tobias , Koubi Vally , Bernauer Thomas
Published: March 2013

A rather unique feature of global climate negotiations is that most governments allow representatives of civil society organisations to be part of their national delegation. It remains unclear, however, why states grant such access in the first place. While there are likely to be benefits from formally including civil society, there are also substantial costs stemming from constraints on sovereignty. In light of this tradeoff, this article argues for a ‘contagion’ effect that explains this phenomenon besides domestic determinants. In particular, states, which are more central to the broader network of global governance, are more likely to be informed of and influenced by other states' actions and policies toward civil society. In turn, more central governments are likely to include civil society actors if other governments do so as well. This argument is tested with data on the participation of civil society organisations in national delegations to global climate negotiations between 1995 and 2005. To further uncover the underlying mechanisms, the article also provides an analysis of survey data collected at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Durban in 2011.
Discrepancies in Death Certificates, Public Health Registries, and Judicial Determinations in Italy
Authors: Minelli Natalia , Marchetti Daniela
Published: March 2013

The death certificate is mandated by civil law and serves as a medical‐scientific document useful for biostatistics and epidemiological research. For a variety of reasons, death certificates can be misclassified. We reviewed data from self‐inflicted deaths collected over an 8‐year period by the Forensic Institute of the University Sacro Cuore of Rome (Italy). Four hundred and thirty‐five of 2904 were classified as self‐inflicted deaths (15%). The comparison with death certificates processed by the local public health authority (ASL) and by the Italian National Census Bureau (Istat) and with the judicial investigation results available in the Italian Penal Court archive shows some discrepancies. One‐hundred and twenty‐four of 435 deaths were not considered to be self‐inflicted but due to a crime (29% overrecording suicide) with a higher reduction for women, suggesting that it is easier to confuse a murder for suicide in female cases. Any discrepancies between the mortality and crime data are discussed in details.
Decaf or double shot? The strength of franchisor control over HRM in coffee franchises
Authors: Kellner Ashlea , Townsend Keith , Wilkinson Adrian , Peetz David
Published: March 2013

The franchise relationship presents a unique composition of autonomy and control. Franchisee autonomy is located somewhere between employed managers and independent business owners, while the franchisor regulates core processes such as marketing and product development. While heavy franchisor control over certain functions is customary and in fact integral to the franchise model, the delineation of HRM responsibilities in the franchise relationship is less clear. Using qualitative data from three Australian coffee chains, we examine the role of the corporate HR and the degree to which HRM activities are centralised, and develop a typology of franchisor HRM control. We find substantial variation between cases and demonstrate that it is the franchisor's strategic decision to prioritise brand protection or liability avoidance that ultimately determines whether their control over HRM can be described as ‘decaf’ weak or ‘double shot’ strength.
Influence of geography and climate on patterns of cell size and body size in the lizardAnolis carolinensis
Authors: GOODMAN Rachel M. , ECHTERNACHT Arthur C. , HALL Jim C. , DENG Lihan D. , WELCH Jessica N.
Published: March 2013

Geographic patterns in body size are often associated with latitude, elevation, or environmental and climatic variables. This study investigated patterns of body size and cell size of the green anole lizard,Anolis carolinensis, and potential associations with geography or climatic variables. Lizards were sampled from 19 populations across the native range, and body size, red blood cell size and size and number of muscle cells were measured. Climatic data from local weather stations and latitude and longitude were entered into model selection with Akaike's information criterion to explain patterns in cell and body sizes. Climatic variables did not drive any major patterns in cell size or body size; rather, latitude and longitude were the best predictors of cell and body size. In general, smaller body and cell sizes in Florida anoles drove geographic patterns inA. carolinensis. Small size in Florida may be attributable to the geological history of the peninsular state or the unique ecological factors in this area, including a recently introduced congener. In contrast to previous studies, we found thatA. carolinensisdoes not follow Bergmann's rule when the influence of Florida is excluded. Rather, the opposite pattern of larger lizards in southern populations is evident in the absence of Florida populations, and mirrors the general pattern in squamates. Muscle cell size was negatively related to latitude and red blood cell size showed no latitudinal trend outside of Florida. Different patterns in the sizes of the 2 cell types confirm the importance of examining multiple cell types when studying geographic variation in cell size.
Relationship between major depression and insulin resistance: Does it vary by gender or race/ethnicity among young adults aged 20–39 years? (严重抑郁症与胰岛素抵抗的关系：在20–39岁的青年成人中这种关系是否会受到性别或者种族/族裔的影响？)
Authors: Shen Qiuhua , Bergquist‐Beringer Sandra
Published: March 2013

Background

To examine the relationship between major depression and insulin resistance by gender and race/ethnicity among young adults without diabetes mellitus.

Methods

Secondary analyses of cross‐sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2008 were performed (n = 2265). Major depression was measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Insulin resistance was measured by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for risk factors of insulin resistance were conducted.

Results

There was a significant negative association between major depression and insulin resistance among men. For women, no significant association was found. There was no significant interaction between race/ethnicity and major depression on insulin resistance (Wald χ2 = 4.2927, P = 0.2315). Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were significantly associated with insulin resistance among both men (odds ratio [OR] 1.255, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.195–1.318 for BMI; OR 1.095, 95% CI 1.076–1.115 for WC) and women (OR 1.220, 95% CI 1.182–1.260 for BMI; OR 1.084, 95% CI 1.064–1.105 for WC).

Conclusions

There are gender differences in the relationship between major depression and insulin resistance among adults aged 20–39 years. No evidence was found to support the role of race/ethnicity in this relationship. Health care professionals should be aware of risk factors for insulin resistance and develop interventions to help prevent the progression of insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Implementing image analysis in laboratory‐based experimental systems for ecology and evolution: a hands‐on guide
Authors: Pennekamp Frank , Schtickzelle Nicolas
Published: March 2013

Experimental laboratory systems (ELS) are widely applied research tools to test theoretical predictions in ecology and evolution. Combining ELS with automated image analysis could significantly boost information acquisition due to the ease at which abundance and morphological data is collected. Despite the advantages of image analysis, the technology has not been fully adopted yet, presumably due to the difficulties of technical implementation.

The tools needed to integrate image analysis in ELS are nowadays readily available: digital camera equipment is purchased at limited costs and free software solutions which allow sophisticated image processing and analysis exist. Here, we give a concise description how to integrate these pieces into a largely automated image analysis workflow. We provide researchers with necessary background information on the principles of image analysis, explaining how to standardize image acquisition and how to validate the results to reduce bias.

Three cross‐platform and open‐source software solutions for image analysis are compared: ImageJ, the EBImage package in R, and Python with the SciPy/scikit image libraries. The relative strengths and limitations of each solution are compared and discussed. In addition, a set of test images and three scripts are provided in the Online Supplementary Material to illustrate the use of image analysis and help biologists to implement image analysis in their own systems.

To demonstrate the reliability and versatility of a validated image analysis workflow, we introduce our own Tetrahymena thermophila ELS. Then, examples from evolutionary ecology are provided showing the advantages of image analysis to study different ecological questions, aiming at both the population and individual level.

Experimental laboratory systems that integrate the advantages of image analysis extend their application and versatility compared with regular ELS. Such improvements are necessary to understand complex processes such as eco‐evolutionary feedbacks, community dynamics and individual behaviour in ELS.
Prolonged inspiratory time produces better gas exchange in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: A randomised trial
Authors: KIM W. H. , HAHM T. S. , KIM J. A. , SIM W. S. , CHOI D. H. , LEE E. K. , LEE S. M.
Published: March 2013

Background

Laparoscopic surgery performed with a patient in the Trendelenburg position is known to have adverse effects on pulmonary gas exchange and respiratory mechanics. We supposed that prolonged inspiratory time can improve gas exchange at lower airway pressure.

Methods

One hundred patients undergoing gynaecologic laparoscopic surgery were randomly assigned to one of four groups: conventional inspiratory‐to‐expiratory (I : E) ratio (Group 1 : 2), I : E ratio of 1 : 1 (Group 1 : 1), 2 : 1 (Group 2 : 1), or 1 : 2 with external positive end‐expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5 cmH2O (Group 1 : 2 PEEP). Tidal volume was set to 6 ml/kg, and I : E ratio was adjusted at the onset of pneumoperitoneum. Arterial blood gas analysis with measurements of partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2), and physiologic dead space‐to‐tidal volume ratio (VD/VT) was performed 15 min after anaesthetic induction (T1), and 30 (T2) and 60 min (T3) after onset of CO2 insufflation.

Results

PaO2/FiO2 at T3 in Groups 1 : 1, 2 : 1, and 1 : 2 PEEP were higher than Group 1 : 2. The partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide at T3 in Group 2 : 1 was lower than the other groups. The VD/VT at T2 and T3 were lower in Groups 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 than Groups 1 : 2 and 1 : 2 PEEP. Peak or plateau airway pressure was higher in Group 1 : 2 PEEP than the other groups.

Conclusions

A prolonged inspiratory time demonstrated a beneficial effect on oxygenation. Furthermore, it showed better CO2 elimination without elevating the peak or plateau airway pressure compared with applying external PEEP. In terms of gas exchange and respiratory mechanics, a prolonged inspiratory time appears to be superior to applying external PEEP in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery in the Trendelenburg position.
High levels of oncomiR‐21 contribute to the senescence‐induced growth arrest in normal human cells and its knock‐down increases the replicative lifespan
Authors: Dellago Hanna , Preschitz‐Kammerhofer Barbara , Terlecki‐Zaniewicz Lucia , Schreiner Carina , Fortschegger Klaus , Chang Martina W.‐F. , Hackl Matthias , Monteforte Rossella , Kühnel Harald , Schosserer Markus , Gruber Florian , Tschachler Erwin , Scheideler Marcel , Grillari‐Voglauer Regina , Grillari Johannes , Wieser Matthias
Published: March 2013

Cellular senescence of normal human cells has by now far exceeded its initial role as a model system for aging research. Many reports show the accumulation of senescent cells in vivo, their effect on their microenvironment and its double‐edged role as tumour suppressor and promoter. Importantly, removal of senescent cells delays the onset of age‐associated diseases in mouse model systems. To characterize the role of miRNAs in cellular senescence of endothelial cells, we performed miRNA arrays from HUVECs of five different donors. Twelve miRNAs, comprising hsa‐miR‐23a, hsa‐miR‐23b, hsa‐miR‐24, hsa‐miR‐27a, hsa‐miR‐29a, hsa‐miR‐31, hsa‐miR‐100, hsa‐miR‐193a, hsa‐miR‐221, hsa‐miR‐222 and hsa‐let‐7i are consistently up‐regulated in replicatively senescent cells. Surprisingly, also miR‐21 was found up‐regulated by replicative and stress‐induced senescence, despite being described as oncogenic. Transfection of early passage endothelial cells with miR‐21 resulted in lower angiogenesis, and less cell proliferation mirrored by up‐regulation of p21CIP1 and down‐regulation of CDK2. These two cell‐cycle regulators are indirectly regulated by miR‐21 via its validated direct targets NFIB (Nuclear factor 1 B‐type), a transcriptional inhibitor of p21CIP1, and CDC25A, which regulates CDK2 activity by dephosphorylation. Knock‐down of either NFIB or CDC25A shows a phenocopy of over‐expressing miR‐21 in regard to cell‐cycle arrest. Finally, miR‐21 over‐epxression reduces the replicative lifespan, while stable knock‐down by sponges extends the replicative lifespan of endothelial cells. Therefore, we propose that miR‐21 is the first miRNA that upon its knock‐down extends the replicative lifespan of normal human cells.
Resilience in mental health: linking psychological and neurobiological perspectives
Authors: Rutten B. P. F. , Hammels C. , Geschwind N. , Menne‐Lothmann C. , Pishva E. , Schruers K. , van den Hove D. , Kenis G. , van Os J. , Wichers M.
Published: March 2013

Objective

To review the literature on psychological and biological findings on resilience (i.e. the successful adaptation and swift recovery after experiencing life adversities) at the level of the individual, and to integrate findings from animal and human studies.

Method

Electronic and manual literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and PSYCHINFO, using a range of search terms around biological and psychological factors influencing resilience as observed in human and experimental animal studies, complemented by review articles and cross‐references.

Results

The term resilience is used in the literature for different phenomena ranging from prevention of mental health disturbance to successful adaptation and swift recovery after experiencing life adversities, and may also include post‐traumatic psychological growth. Secure attachment, experiencing positive emotions and having a purpose in life are three important psychological building blocks of resilience. Overlap between psychological and biological findings on resilience in the literature is most apparent for the topic of stress sensitivity, although recent results suggest a crucial role for reward experience in resilience.

Conclusion

Improving the understanding of the links between genetic endowment, environmental impact and gene–environment interactions with developmental psychology and biology is crucial for elucidating the neurobiological and psychological underpinnings of resilience.
Predicting the distribution of a novel bark beetle and its pine hosts under future climate conditions
Authors: Smith Steven E. , Mendoza Ma. G. , Zúñiga Gerardo , Halbrook Kandres , Hayes J. L. , Byrne D. N.
Published: March 2013

Understanding the distribution of key biotic elements of forest ecosystems is essential in contemporary forest management and in planning to meet future management needs. Habitat distribution (niche) models based on known occurrences provide geographical structure for such management as the environmental factors change.

Bark beetles play critical roles in coniferous forest dynamics in western North America. Among these insects,Dendroctonus rhizophagusThomas and Bright, which occurs in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico, is unique in that it attacks only immature trees (Pinusspp.) and therefore represents a threat to forest regeneration. We developed current habitat distribution models forD. rhizophagusand itsPinushosts and projected these to future climate scenarios.

Predicted suitable habitat ofD. rhizophaguscurrently covers approximately 119 000 km2of which approximately 11% is occupied, and overlap with suitable habitat for allPinushosts exceeds 99.5%. Some suitable habitat occurs isolated from knownD. rhizophagusoccurrences in Mexico and the south‐western U.S.A.

Habitat distribution models were projected to four potential climate scenarios for the period 2040–2060 and this predicted the gains and losses of suitable D. rhizophagushabitat throughout the region. Areas of north‐western Mexico maintain large areas of suitable D. rhizophagusandPinushost habitat in all scenarios. Dispersal to isolated areas ofD. rhizophagushabitat appears unlikely.

The results of the present study can be used to targetD. rhizophagusmonitoring and management activities and may serve as a model for the management of other invasive species.
New Public Management and Public Sector Reform in Victoria and New Zealand: Policy Transfer, Elite Networks and Legislative Copying*
Authors: Goldfinch Shaun , Roberts Vanessa
Published: March 2013

In the early 1990s, Victoria reformed its state sector along New Public Management (NPM) lines. Drawing on interviews with key policy‐makers of the time, including chief executives, ministers and key officials from both jurisdictions, and using archival material and secondary sources, this article shows that New Zealand developments were a key source for Victoria's reforms — even down to seemingly copying passages of legislation. Policy transfer took place within a supporting framework of an Anglo‐American diffusion of NPM rhetoric and neoliberal ideas. But New Zealand's experiences gave content, form and legitimation to Victoria's reforms, while providing a platform and experience for learning and divergence, and a group of transferable experts. We underline the importance of the Australia‐New Zealand relationship and trans‐Tasman elite networks in understanding the governance of both countries.