bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anatomic Variability of 120 L5 Spondylolytic Defects
Authors: Chen Michael R. , Moore Timothy A. , Cooperman Daniel R. , Lee Michael J.
Published: September 2013

Study Design

Adult human osteologic specimens were assessed for spondylolytic defects and characterized.

Objectives

To characterize and determine the prevalence of spondylolytic defects in an osteological collection.

Methods

Lumbar vertebrae from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History were examined. Digital images of specimens with L5 isthmic spondylolytic defects were analyzed, examining the distance of the pars defect in the sagittal plane in relation to the caudal aspect of the pedicle.

Results

There were 95 bilateral complete (BC), 16 unilateral incomplete (UI), 5 unilateral complete (UC), and 4 unilateral complete defects with an incomplete defect on the contralateral side. The mean distance of BC defects from the pedicle and inferior vertebral end plate was 4.03 mm and 4.88 mm, respectively. The mean distance of the defect from the inferior end plate on the left and right sides were 5.31 mm and 4.44 mm, respectively ( p = 0.001, correlation coefficient = 0.56). The mean distance of UI and UC defects from the inferior end plate was 6.38 mm and 2.6 mm, respectively.

Conclusion

L5 spondylolytic defects were found in 3.87% of the sample. This large-scale description of isthmic spondylolytic defects reveals that significant variability exists in the location of the defect. The anatomic location of the pars defect likely plays a role in the development of L5 nerve root compression and radiculopathy in this clinical scenario. Classifying these defects might allow surgeons to better identify those patients who might benefit from fusion alone without posterior decompression.
Mathematical analysis as required by a tachyonic observer
Authors: Unterberger André
Published: September 2013

We rely on an analysis of initial states of the wave function associated with the simplest relativistic particle—the Weyl neutrino—to construct two series of representations of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$SL(2,\mathbb {R})$\end{document}SL(2,R), or of the twofold cover of this group, by operators acting on scalar functions defined on the real line. The first one, which depends on a parameter p = 0, 1, …, contains the usual one-dimensional metaplectic, or oscillator, representation. The second one, a series of representations no longer unitary but, for certain values of the parameter, pseudo-unitary with respect to some non-degenerate indefinite pseudo-scalar product, is built in a comparable way, only exchanging the time coordinate with one of the spatial ones. The first series of representations was originally introduced in connection with automorphic pseudodifferential analysis; the second one is new, except for one value of the (continuous, in this case) parameter ρ, in which case it coincides with the recently introduced anaplectic representation. For each value of the parameter λ (= p or ρ), the basic operators Q and P from the usual Heisenberg pair give way to a new pair (Q, Pλ) and to another analysis of functions on the real line, with as rich a collection of (most of the time totally new) symmetries as the usual one. The unusual set of coordinates in Minkowski's space under consideration can be regarded as corresponding to a “tachyonic observer,” a notion which does not require venturing into debatable questions of Physics. On the other hand, the paper indicates in a special example the way one may recover well-posedness (in a non-classical sense) for an initial-value problem with data on a timelike surface.
Analytic energy gradients for the orbital-optimized third-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory
Authors: Bozkaya Uğur
Published: September 2013

Analytic energy gradients for the orbital-optimized third-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (OMP3) [U. Bozkaya, J. Chem. Phys. 135, 224103 (2011)]10.1063/1.3665134 are presented. The OMP3 method is applied to problematic chemical systems with challenging electronic structures. The performance of the OMP3 method is compared with those of canonical second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), third-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP3), coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD), and coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] for investigating equilibrium geometries, vibrational frequencies, and open-shell reaction energies. For bond lengths, the performance of OMP3 is in between those of MP3 and CCSD. For harmonic vibrational frequencies, the OMP3 method significantly eliminates the singularities arising from the abnormal response contributions observed for MP3 in case of symmetry-breaking problems, and provides noticeably improved vibrational frequencies for open-shell molecules. For open-shell reaction energies, OMP3 exhibits a better performance than MP3 and CCSD as in case of barrier heights and radical stabilization energies. As discussed in previous studies, the OMP3 method is several times faster than CCSD in energy computations. Further, in analytic gradient computations for the CCSD method one needs to solve λ-amplitude equations, however for OMP3 one does not since \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\lambda _{ab}^{ij(1)} = t_{ij}^{ab(1)}$\end{document}λabij(1)=tijab(1) and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\lambda _{ab}^{ij(2)} = t_{ij}^{ab(2)}$\end{document}λabij(2)=tijab(2). Additionally, one needs to solve orbital Z-vector equations for CCSD, but for OMP3 orbital response contributions are zero owing to the stationary property of OMP3. Overall, for analytic gradient computations the OMP3 method is several times less expensive than CCSD (roughly ∼4–6 times). Considering the balance of computational cost and accuracy we conclude that the OMP3 method emerges as a very useful tool for the study of electronically challenging chemical systems.
A new (2 × 1) reconstructed edge structure of zigzag Si nanoribbon: First principles study
Authors: Li Rui , Zhou Jian , Han Yang , Dong Jinming , Kawazoe Yoshiyuki
Published: September 2013

Based upon the first principles calculations, a new (2 × 1) reconstructed edge structure (edge-4) with a triangle-pentagon pair topological defect at its edges is found for the zigzag Si nanoribbon, which is different from the previously found ones (edge-2 and edge-3) and more stable in energy than them. More interestingly, it is found that the edge-2 and edge-3 can transform into the new edge-4 under a little bit compression force along the ribbon edge, and the edge-4 could also be transformed into the edge-3 by a tensile strain larger than 9%. The calculated vibrational modes of the edge-4 show that two new characteristic vibrational edge defect modes appear at 434 cm−1 and 515 cm−1, which could be used in experiment to distinguish easily the new edge-4 from the edge-2 and edge-3. Finally, a sharp peak near the Fermi level is found to exist in the projected density of states from the edge's pz orbital of edge-4, making its energy bands spin-split and the antiferromagnetic state to be its ground state.
Resistive magnetohydrodynamic reconnection: Resolving long-term, chaotic dynamics
Authors: Keppens R. , Porth O. , Galsgaard K. , Frederiksen J. T. , Restante A. L. , Lapenta G. , Parnell C.
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we address the long-term evolution of an idealised double current system entering reconnection regimes where chaotic behavior plays a prominent role. Our aim is to quantify the energetics in high magnetic Reynolds number evolutions, enriched by secondary tearing events, multiple magnetic island coalescence, and compressive versus resistive heating scenarios. Our study will pay particular attention to the required numerical resolutions achievable by modern (grid-adaptive) computations, and comment on the challenge associated with resolving chaotic island formation and interaction. We will use shock-capturing, conservative, grid-adaptive simulations for investigating trends dominated by both physical (resistivity) and numerical (resolution) parameters, and confront them with (visco-)resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations performed with very different, but equally widely used discretization schemes. This will allow us to comment on the obtained evolutions in a manner irrespective of the adopted discretization strategy. Our findings demonstrate that all schemes used (finite volume based shock-capturing, high order finite differences, and particle in cell-like methods) qualitatively agree on the various evolutionary stages, and that resistivity values of order 0.001 already can lead to chaotic island appearance. However, none of the methods exploited demonstrates convergence in the strong sense in these chaotic regimes. At the same time, nonperturbed tests for showing convergence over long time scales in ideal to resistive regimes are provided as well, where all methods are shown to agree. Both the advantages and disadvantages of specific discretizations as applied to this challenging problem are discussed.
One- and two-photon ionization of hydrogen atom embedded in Debye plasmas
Authors: Chang T. N. , Fang T. K. , Ho Y. K.
Published: September 2013

We present a detailed analysis of the plasma-induced resonance-like atomic structures near the ionization threshold in one- and two-photon ionization of hydrogen atom. Such resonance-like structures result from the migration of the upper bound excited states of bound-bound atomic transitions into the continuum due to the less attractive screened Coulomb potential which simulates the external environmental effect for an atom embedded in Debye plasma. The change from the resonance-like narrow structures into broad continuous spectra as the plasma effect increases could be accounted for by the overlap between the respective wavefunctions of the atomic electron in the initial state and its corresponding outgoing ionized state in the continuum.
Surface recombination in doped semiconductors: Effect of light excitation power and of surface passivation
Authors: Cadiz F. , Paget D. , Rowe A. C. H. , Berkovits V. L. , Ulin V. P. , Arscott S. , Peytavit E.
Published: September 2013

For n- and p-type semiconductors doped above the 1016 cm−3 range, simple analytical expressions for the surface recombination velocity S have been obtained as a function of excitation power P and surface state density NT. These predictions are in excellent agreement with measurements on p-type GaAs films, using a novel polarized microluminescence technique. The effect on S of surface passivation is a combination of the changes of three factors, each of which depends on NT: (i) a power-independent factor which is inversely proportional to NT and (ii) two factors which reveal the effect of photovoltage and the shift of the electron surface quasi Fermi level, respectively. In the whole range of accessible excitation powers, these two factors play a significant role so that S always depends on power. Three physical regimes are outlined. In the first regime, illustrated experimentally by the oxidized GaAs surface, S depends on P as a power law of exponent determined by NT. A decrease of S such as the one induced by sulfide passivation is caused by a marginal decrease of NT. In a second regime, as illustrated by GaInP-encapsulated GaAs, because of the reduced value of S, the photoelectron concentration in the subsurface depletion layer can no longer be neglected. Thus, S−1 depends logarithmically on P and very weakly on surface state density. In a third regime, expected at extremely small values of P, the photovoltage is comparable to the thermal energy, and S increases with P and decreases with increasing NT.
Communication: Two measures of isochronal superposition
Authors: Roed Lisa Anita , Gundermann Ditte , Dyre Jeppe C. , Niss Kristine
Published: September 2013

A liquid obeys isochronal superposition if its dynamics is invariant along the isochrones in the thermodynamic phase diagram (the curves of constant relaxation time). This paper introduces two quantitative measures of isochronal superposition. The measures are used to test the following six liquids for isochronal superposition: 1,2,6 hexanetriol, glycerol, polyphenyl ether, diethyl phthalate, tetramethyl tetraphenyl trisiloxane, and dibutyl phthalate. The latter four van der Waals liquids obey isochronal superposition to a higher degree than the two hydrogen-bonded liquids. This is a prediction of the isomorph theory, and it confirms findings by other groups.
Energy position of the active near-interface traps in metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors on 4H–SiC
Authors: Haasmann D. , Dimitrijev S.
Published: September 2013

Based on the insight that the Fermi level in a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) channel is set in the conduction band, due to the quantum confinement of the channel electrons, this letter provides an experimental demonstration that the near-interface traps responsible for degradation of channel-carrier mobility in SiC MOSFETs are energetically aligned to the conduction band of SiC. The experimental demonstration is based on conductance measurements of MOS capacitors in accumulation. The accumulation conductance does not change with temperature, which demonstrates that there is channel-carrier communication with the near-interface traps by tunneling.
Expression-level optimization of a multi-enzyme pathway in the absence of a high-throughput assay
Authors: Lee Michael E. , Aswani Anil , Han Audrey S. , Tomlin Claire J. , Dueber John E.
Published: September 2013

Engineered metabolic pathways often suffer from flux imbalances that can overburden the cell and accumulate intermediate metabolites, resulting in reduced product titers. One way to alleviate such imbalances is to adjust the expression levels of the constituent enzymes using a combinatorial expression library. Typically, this approach requires high-throughput assays, which are unfortunately unavailable for the vast majority of desirable target compounds. To address this, we applied regression modeling to enable expression optimization using only a small number of measurements. We characterized a set of constitutive promoters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that spanned a wide range of expression and maintained their relative strengths irrespective of the coding sequence. We used a standardized assembly strategy to construct a combinatorial library and express for the first time in yeast the five-enzyme violacein biosynthetic pathway. We trained a regression model on a random sample comprising 3% of the total library, and then used that model to predict genotypes that would preferentially produce each of the products in this highly branched pathway. This generalizable method should prove useful in engineering new pathways for the sustainable production of small molecules.
The splicing landscape is globally reprogrammed during male meiosis
Authors: Schmid Ralf , Grellscheid Sushma Nagaraja , Ehrmann Ingrid , Dalgliesh Caroline , Danilenko Marina , Paronetto Maria Paola , Pedrotti Simona , Grellscheid David , Dixon Richard J. , Sette Claudio , Eperon Ian C. , Elliott David J.
Published: September 2013

Meiosis requires conserved transcriptional changes, but it is not known whether there is a corresponding set of RNA splicing switches. Here, we used RNAseq of mouse testis to identify changes associated with the progression from mitotic spermatogonia to meiotic spermatocytes. We identified ∼150 splicing switches, most of which affect conserved protein-coding exons. The expression of many key splicing regulators changed in the course of meiosis, including downregulation of polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTBP1) and heterogeneous nuclear RNP A1, and upregulation of nPTB, Tra2β, muscleblind, CELF proteins, Sam68 and T-STAR. The sequences near the regulated exons were significantly enriched in target sites for PTB, Tra2β and STAR proteins. Reporter minigene experiments investigating representative exons in transfected cells showed that PTB binding sites were critical for splicing of a cassette exon in the Ralgps2 mRNA and a shift in alternative 5′ splice site usage in the Bptf mRNA. We speculate that nPTB might functionally replace PTBP1 during meiosis for some target exons, with changes in the expression of other splicing factors helping to establish meiotic splicing patterns. Our data suggest that there are substantial changes in the determinants and patterns of alternative splicing in the mitotic-to-meiotic transition of the germ cell cycle.
In-cell optical imaging of exogenous G-quadruplex DNA by fluorogenic ligands
Authors: Tseng Ting-Yuan , Wang Zi-Fu , Chien Cheng-Hao , Chang Ta-Chau
Published: September 2013

Guanine-rich oligonucleotides (GROs) are promising therapeutic candidate for cancer treatment and other biomedical application. We have introduced a G-quadruplex (G4) ligand, 3,6-bis(1-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium) carbazole diiodide, to monitor the cellular uptake of naked GROs and map their intracellular localizations in living cells by using confocal microscopy. The GROs that form parallel G4 structures, such as PU22, T40214 and AS1411, are detected mainly in the lysosome of CL1-0 lung cancer cells after incubation for 2 h. On the contrary, the GROs that form non-parallel G4 structures, such as human telomeres (HT23) and thrombin binding aptamer (TBA), are rarely detected in the lysosome, but found mainly in the mitochondria. Moreover, the fluorescence resonant energy transfer studies of fluorophore-labeled GROs show that the parallel G4 structures can be retained in CL1-0 cells, whereas the non-parallel G4 structures are likely distorted in CL1-0 cells after cellular uptake. Of interest is that the distorted G4 structure of HT23 from the non-parallel G4 structure can reform to a probable parallel G4 structure induced by a G4 ligand in CL1-0 living cells. These findings are valuable to the design and rationale behind the possible targeted drug delivery to specific cellular organelles using GROs.
Histone posttranslational modifications and cell fate determination: lens induction requires the lysine acetyltransferases CBP and p300
Authors: Wolf Louise , Harrison Wilbur , Huang Jie , Xie Qing , Xiao Ningna , Sun Jian , Kong Lingkun , Lachke Salil A. , Kuracha Murali R. , Govindarajan Venkatesh , Brindle Paul K. , Ashery-Padan Ruth , Beebe David C. , Overbeek Paul A. , Cvekl Ales
Published: September 2013

Lens induction is a classical embryologic model to study cell fate determination. It has been proposed earlier that specific changes in core histone modifications accompany the process of cell fate specification and determination. The lysine acetyltransferases CBP and p300 function as principal enzymes that modify core histones to facilitate specific gene expression. Herein, we performed conditional inactivation of both CBP and p300 in the ectodermal cells that give rise to the lens placode. Inactivation of both CBP and p300 resulted in the dramatic discontinuation of all aspects of lens specification and organogenesis, resulting in aphakia. The CBP/p300−/− ectodermal cells are viable and not prone to apoptosis. These cells showed reduced expression of Six3 and Sox2, while expression of Pax6 was not upregulated, indicating discontinuation of lens induction. Consequently, expression of αB- and αA-crystallins was not initiated. Mutant ectoderm exhibited markedly reduced levels of histone H3 K18 and K27 acetylation, subtly increased H3 K27me3 and unaltered overall levels of H3 K9ac and H3 K4me3. Our data demonstrate that CBP and p300 are required to establish lens cell-type identity during lens induction, and suggest that posttranslational histone modifications are integral to normal cell fate determination in the mammalian lens.
Predicting enhancer transcription and activity from chromatin modifications
Authors: Zhu Yun , Sun Lin , Chen Zhao , Whitaker John W. , Wang Tao , Wang Wei
Published: September 2013

Enhancers play a pivotal role in regulating the transcription of distal genes. Although certain chromatin features, such as the histone acetyltransferase P300 and the histone modification H3K4me1, indicate the presence of enhancers, only a fraction of enhancers are functionally active. Individual chromatin marks, such as H3K27ac and H3K27me3, have been identified to distinguish active from inactive enhancers. However, the systematic identification of the most informative single modification, or combination thereof, is still lacking. Furthermore, the discovery of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) provides an alternative approach to directly predicting enhancer activity. However, it remains challenging to link chromatin modifications to eRNA transcription. Herein, we develop a logistic regression model to unravel the relationship between chromatin modifications and eRNA synthesis. We perform a systematic assessment of 24 chromatin modifications in fetal lung fibroblast and demonstrate that a combination of four modifications is sufficient to accurately predict eRNA transcription. Furthermore, we compare the ability of eRNAs and H3K27ac to discriminate enhancer activity. We demonstrate that eRNA is more indicative of enhancer activity. Finally, we apply our fibroblast trained model to six other cell-types and successfully predict eRNA synthesis. Thus, we demonstrate the learned relationships are general and independent of cell-type. We provided a powerful tool to identify active enhancers and reveal the relationship between chromatin modifications, eRNA production and enhancer activity.
Halomonas olivaria sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from olive-processing effluents
Authors: Amouric Agnès , Liebgott Pierre-Pol , Joseph Manon , Brochier-Armanet Céline , Lorquin Jean
Published: September 2013

A moderately halophilic, Gram-stain-negative, non-sporulating bacterium designed as strain TYRC17T was isolated from olive-processing effluents. The organism was a straight rod, motile by means of peritrichous flagella and able to respire both oxygen and nitrate. Growth occurred with 0–25 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 7 %), at pH 5–11 (optimum, pH 7.0) and at 4–50 °C (optimally at 35 °C). It accumulated poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate granules and produced exopolysaccharides. The predominant fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0. Ubiquinone 9 (Q-9) was the only respiratory quinone. The DNA G+C content of TYRC17T was 53.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strain represents a member of the genus

Halomonas

and more precisely of the subgroup containing

Halomonas sulfidaeris

,

H. titanicae

,

H. variabilis

,

H. zhanjiangensis

,

H. alkaliantarctica

,

H. boliviensis

and

H. neptunia

. TYRC17T showed high 16S-rRNA sequence identities in particular with the three last species listed (99.4–99.5 %). A multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) using the 23S rRNA, gyrB, rpoD and secA genes allowed clarifying the phylogenetic position of TYRC17T. This, combined with the level of DNA–DNA hybridization between TYRC17T and its closest relatives ranging from 21.6 % to 48.4 %, indicated that TYRC17T did not represent any of these species. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, and also genomic and phylogenetic evidence, it was concluded that strain TYRC17T represented a novel species of the genus

Halomonas

. The name Halomonas olivaria sp. nov. is proposed with TYRC17T ( = DSM 19074T = CCUG 53850BT) as the type strain.
Overexpression of the Vacuolar Sugar CarrierAtSWEET16Modifies Germination, Growth, and Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis
Authors: Klemens Patrick A.W. , Patzke Kathrin , Deitmer Joachim , Spinner Lara , Le Hir Rozenn , Bellini Catherine , Bedu Magali , Chardon Fabien , Krapp Anne , Neuhaus H. Ekkehard
Published: September 2013

Here, we report that SUGARS WILL EVENTUALLY BE EXPORTED TRANSPORTER (SWEET16) from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is a vacuole-located carrier, transporting glucose (Glc), fructose (Fru), and sucrose (Suc) after heterologous expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The SWEET16 gene, similar to the homologs gene SWEET17, is mainly expressed in vascular parenchyma cells. Application of Glc, Fru, or Suc, as well as cold, osmotic stress, or low nitrogen, provoke the down-regulation of SWEET16 messenger RNA accumulation. SWEET16 overexpressors (35SPro:SWEET16) showed a number of peculiarities related to differences in sugar accumulation, such as less Glc, Fru, and Suc at the end of the night. Under cold stress, 35SPro:SWEET16 plants are unable to accumulate Fru, while under nitrogen starvation, both Glc and Fru, but not Suc, were less abundant. These changes of individual sugars indicate that the consequences of an increased SWEET16 activity are dependent upon the type of external stimulus. Remarkably, 35SPro:SWEET16 lines showed improved germination and increased freezing tolerance. The latter observation, in combination with the modified sugar levels, points to a superior function of Glc and Suc for frost tolerance. 35SPro:SWEET16 plants exhibited increased growth efficiency when cultivated on soil and showed improved nitrogen use efficiency when nitrate was sufficiently available, while under conditions of limiting nitrogen, wild-type biomasses were higher than those of 35SPro:SWEET16 plants. Our results identify SWEET16 as a vacuolar sugar facilitator, demonstrate the substantial impact of SWEET16 overexpression on various critical plant traits, and imply that SWEET16 activity must be tightly regulated to allow optimal Arabidopsis development under nonfavorable conditions.
Does central government health expenditure and medical technology advancement determine economic growth rates in the Pacific island countries?
Authors: Naidu Suwastika , Chand Anand
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The main aim of this paper is to empirically test a model that has central government health expenditure and advancement in medical technology as two separate determinants of economic growth rates in the Pacific island countries (PICs).

Design/methodology/approach

– The data used in this research have been collected from WHO and ADB database for the periods between 2000 and 2012. The model used to test the main research question is based on the variant Cobb-Douglas production function with constant returns to scale.

Findings

– This research found that health expenditure has a significant impact on the economic growth rate of the PICs. This study also found that the contemporary level of usage of advanced medical technology in the PICs is relatively low as compared to the total population of the country. If the PICs need to achieve high levels of economic growth rates, governments of the PICs need to improve its expenditure in the health sector. Good and qualified doctors need to be hired and the medical education has to be made more competitive. Improvement in the health services in the PICs will reduce mortality, improve per capita health and improve the national economic welfare of Oceania region.

Research limitations/implications

– Data availability was the major limitation in this research. Data were available for only seven PICs.

Practical implications

– This research has implications for the academics, practitioners, and policy makers.

Social implications

– The research findings from this research have implications for the society as it shows that health expenditure is positively related to economic growth rates.

Originality/value

– In the context of the PICs, no studies have been conducted that have analysed the relationship between health expenditure, medical technology advancement and the economic growth rate of the PICs. This research seeks to build and extend the existing state of research on augmented Cobb-Douglas production function and health economics in the PICs.
Jazz fake-books as a resource in the general library
Authors: Koblick Rebecca
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This article aims to introduces generalist librarians who have music among their subject responsibilities to jazz fake-books as a library resource.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article begins with a review of jazz as a subject in the professional literature of both librarianship and music education. The second section discusses the origin and history of fake-books, while the third offers suggested selection criteria. This is followed by a bibliography of recommended fake-books, all of which were in print at the time of writing, along with information to facilitate the acquisition process.

Findings

– Although fake-books in electronic form have become available in recent years, they require an investment in both hardware and software on the purchaser's part. They also carry end-user licensing agreements that make them impractical as library purchases. Print fake-books remain a worthwhile area of study for collection development librarians.

Originality/value

– In preparing this article the author discovered that jazz as printed music has been largely ignored in library literature, and has been treated only occasionally in scholarly literature in general.
Collection management and the budget crunch: are we adequately preparing library students for current practices?
Authors: Marie Hedlund Olivia , Copeland Andrea
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine whether collection management practices that evolved as a result of recent budgetary constraints are included in the LIS curriculum or not.

Design/methodology/approach

– Ten collection management trends related to budgetary constraints were identified through a review of the literature. Then, collection management educators at ALISE member institutions were identified and surveyed regarding the inclusion of the aforementioned trends in their curricula. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Findings

– Four trends (collaborative collection development, just-in-time acquisitions, patron-driven-acquisitions, and participation in consortia) were mentioned in nearly all curricula; six others were covered with varying frequency. Professional standards are also found to include limited information on collection management. Additionally, a review of two popular collection development texts revealed that very few of the trends were covered in a budgetary context.

Originality/value

– This study examines collection management education in a novel way and highlights the disconnect between professional practice, professional standards, and education. The paper also adds the domain of collection development to the discussion of how or why LIS courses are influenced by practice.
The normal distribution in LibraryThing: investigation on the combined literature of fifteen books
Authors: Laspa Christina
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The paper aims to explore the reading behavior among LibraryThing users through the linked book-recommendations of 15 popular books.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research was approached by using the normality test as an index regarding the current reading situation that expresses the intensity of reading preferences upon specific or various topics. The selected variable was the number of book members that is automatically referred by LT statistics. First, 15 popular book titles were included in the research. Second, the combined book recommendations associated with the books under study and appearing in LibraryThing were selected, and their members' data was analyzed.

Findings

– In order to evaluate the normality, data were plotted and they showed that the combined recommended books do not follow the curve of normal distribution. The lack of normality shape in all the books studied indicates that 25 percent of reading preferences are based on books with a specific theme, and are closely related to the book under study, while 75 percent are related to various subjects.

Originality/value

– Approaches to reading preferences of LT users are partially unexplored, and this research examines one of its aspects.
Futures construction in public management
Authors: Roberge Ian
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This exploratory article aims to define foresight and consider its use in public management. Impediments to foresight best practices are also discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is based on the literature, including both primary and secondary sources. Canada serves as a case study to discuss foresight practices.

Findings

– Foresight has the potential to be useful from a governance perspective. Foresight practices, however, are limited by the need to overcome departmental boundaries, political impediments and, arguably, governments' abating policy capacity.

Research limitations/implications

– The purpose of this article is to introduce foresight limiting to an extent the depth of the analysis. Canada is neither a foresight leader nor at the bottom of the list. Conclusions drawn from this case are, despite differing political and administrative contexts, representative of problems faced by many governments in using foresight.

Originality/value

– The field of public management has paid little attention to foresight, though governments do make use of this instrument. This article is one of the first to consider foresight, not from the perspective of the futures field, but from that of the discipline of public management.
Trade between China and The Netherlands: a case study of trade in tasks
Authors: Den Butter Frank , Hayat Raphie
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper argues that the recent rise in China Dutch trade is a typical example of two nations trading tasks rather than goods.

Design/methodology/approach

– China Dutch trade growth between 1996 and 2010 is compared with China's trade growth with its main partners. In addition, the composition of China Dutch trade (based on level 1 and level 3 standard international trade classification (SITC)) between 1996 and 2010 is evaluated and three short case studies are discussed.

Findings

– China Dutch trade has been growing too fast and too high tech to be explained by Ricardian trade theory. Instead the data fit neatly to the recently proposed theory of trade in tasks. It seems the Dutch have outsourced tasks such as assembly and production to China and other Asian countries, while China has been outsourcing distribution and trade management activities to The Netherlands.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper uses sound reasoning and some empirical evidence but no formal model or regression. The arguments of this paper could be strengthened further by using for example gravity equations of Dutch China trade.

Social implications

– The governments of China and The Netherlands should invest in strengthening their respective comparative advantages in tasks. Currently, there is too much focus on R&D. Instead, the Chinese Government should invest more in their innovation capability and the working conditions of assembly workers. The Dutch should focus more on knowledge and skill in the orchestration of production and distribution.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a very different view on trade and provides a recent and typical example of two nations exchanging tasks.
Red dragon China and small Mauritius' trade links: an in-depth analysis
Authors: Ancharaz Vinaye , Tandrayen-Ragoobur Verena
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Two-way trade flows between Africa and China have increased rapidly between 2001 and 2010. Mauritius being a resource-scarce economy has been no stranger to the “China phenomenon”. China is the third largest supplier to the Mauritian market but will soon be competing for first place. Exports to China, on the other hand, have remained marginal. The paper aims to examine the potential impacts of China's spectacular rise on the Mauritian economy through the trade channel.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws extensively on secondary data to explain the low export penetration of Mauritian goods on Chinese markets and to examine the impact of Chinese dominance of the global apparel market on Mauritius' clothing exports to third markets. The paper first considers several potential explanations for Mauritius' low levels of exports to China, which are: Mauritius' exports are not competitive enough to penetrate the Chinese market; China does not need to import from Mauritius since it produces all that Mauritius exports; and the Chinese market is relatively closed to Mauritian exports due to high tariffs and other non-tariff barriers. The paper investigates each of the above hypotheses using secondary data from UN COMTRADE. The paper computes a set of revealed comparative advantage (RCA) indices for Mauritius and China and shows how they have evolved over time. Given the inherent shortcoming of the RCA measure, the paper provides a complementary assessment based on an analysis of cost competitiveness factors. The Export Similarity Index and the Trade Complementarity Index are also computed to test the above hypotheses. Second, using disaggregated data on clothing exports from UN COMTRADE, the paper analyses the product categories where Chinese competition has been most acute.

Findings

– In conclusion, the whole body of evidence presented in this study points to bleak prospects for Mauritian exporters to enter the Chinese market in a significant manner. Worse, because most of the causes of this low export penetration are due to systemic factors – such as a lack of trade complementarity, poor export competitiveness, export market bias and an irrational fear of doing business in China – the current situation is unlikely to improve in the future in the absence of bold policy measures.

Originality/value

– This is the first study looking at the trade relationship between Mauritius and China.
Leadership and school improvement in France
Authors: Tulowitzki Pierre
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to show how school principals in France spend their work time and when and under what circumstances they deal with school improvement-related matters.

Design/methodology/approach

– For the study presented in this paper, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Five French collèges (secondary schools) from one school district were visited for a week each. Each principal was shadowed, his/her actions and the context were recorded and categorized. The shadowing was conducted using a structured observation approach derived from Mintzberg. In addition semi-structured interviews were conducted with all principals. The data were analyzed following a grounded theory approach.

Findings

– The results show how principals spend their work time and as well as possible areas of improvement. Among other things, they reveal very fragmented workdays. Most principals put a low emphasis on school improvement and struggle with conflicting expectations (preservation vs innovation). Shared leadership was only observed in one case.

Research limitations

– The specificity of the sample limits the possible ranges of interpretation and generalization. Also, it remains unclear whether one week of observation per school is enough to get a reliable estimate of a principal's daily work. There is a need for further empirical studies of the matter.

Originality/value

– This paper offers rare insights into the day-to-day work of French school principals. It contributes to the understanding of school leadership practice as well as to the transcultural understanding of school leadership.
Organizational communication and occupational stress in Australian Catholic primary schools
Authors: De Nobile John , McCormick John , Hoekman Katherine
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper reports two related studies of relationships between organizational communication and occupational stress of staff members in Catholic primary schools.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data from both studies were obtained using survey questionnaires. Participants were staff members of Catholic diocesan primary schools in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, Australia. Research hypotheses were tested using correlation and multiple regression analyses.

Findings

– Ten organizational communication factors and four occupational stress domains were identified. Several organizational communication variables were found to be predictors of occupational stress in four identified domains.

Practical implications

– The findings provide implications for school administrators in relation to staff member access to formal communication channels, openness and approachability of principals, and support giving between school administration and staff, as well as among staff.

Originality/value

– The studies used a conceptual framework of organizational communication that is unique and comprehensive. The paper contributes new knowledge in an area that has received little attention, namely, communication in schools.
Cost and benefit of quality control visual checks in large-scale digitization of archival manuscripts
Authors: Chapman Joyce , Leonard Samantha
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide much needed data to staff working with archival digitization on cost and benefit of visual checks during quality control workflows, and to encourage those in the field of digitization to take a data-driven approach to planning and workflow development as they transition into large-scale digitization.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a case study of a cost benefit analysis at the Triangle Research Libraries Network. Data were tracked on time spent performing visual checks compared to scanning production and error type/discovery rates for the consortial grant “Content, context, and capacity: a collaborative large-scale digitization project on the long civil rights movement in North Carolina”.

Findings

– Findings show that 85 percent of time was spent scanning and 15 percent was spent on quality control with visual checks of every scan. Only one error was discovered for every 223 scans reviewed (0.4 percent of scans). Of the six types of error identified, only half cause critical user experience issues. Of all errors detected, only 32 percent fell into the critical category. One critical error was found for every 700 scans (0.1 percent of scans). If all the time spent performing visual checks were instead spent on scanning, production would have increased by 18 percent. Folders with 100 or more scans comprised only 11.5 percent of all folders and 37 percent of folders in this group contained errors (for comparison, only 8 percent of folders with 50 or more scans contained errors). Additionally, 52 percent of all critical errors occurred in these folders. The errors in larger folders represented 30 percent of total errors, and performing visual checks on the large folders required 32 percent of all visual check time.

Practical implications

– The data gathered during this research can be repurposed by others wishing to consider or conduct cost benefit analysis of visual check workflows for large-scale digitization.

Originality/value

– To the authors' knowledge, this is the only available dataset on rate of error detection and error type compared to time spent on quality control visual checks in digitization.
An investigation into the viability of LibraryThing for promotional and user engagement purposes in libraries
Authors: Richards Anna , Sen Barbara
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– LibraryThing is a Web 2.0 tool allowing users to catalogue books using data drawn from sources such as Amazon and the Library of Congress and has facilities such as tagging and interest groups. This study seeks to evaluate whether LibraryThing is a valuable tool for libraries to use for promotional and user engagement purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study used a sequential mixed methods three-phase design: the identification of LibraryThing features for user engagement or promotional purposes, exploratory semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire.

Findings

– Several uses of LibraryThing for promotional and user engagement purposes were identified. The most popular reason libraries used LibraryThing was to promote the library or library stock, with most respondents using it specifically to highlight collections of books. Monitoring of patron usage was low and many respondents had not received any feedback. LibraryThing was commonly reported as being easy to use, remotely accessible, and having low cost, whilst its main drawbacks were the 200 book limit for free accounts, and it being a third-party site. The majority of respondents felt LibraryThing was a useful tool for libraries.

Practical implications

– LibraryThing has most value as a promotional tool for libraries. Libraries should actively monitor patron usage of their LibraryThing account or request user feedback to ensure that LibraryThing provides a truly valuable service for their library.

Orginality/value

– There is little research on the value of LibraryThing for libraries, or librarians' perceptions of LibraryThing as a Web 2.0 tool.
AUTHORIS: a tool for authority control in the semantic web
Authors: Leiva-Mederos Amed , A. Senso José , Domínguez-Velasco Sandor , Hípola Pedro
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a tool that generates authority files to be integrated with linked data by means of learning rules. AUTHORIS is software developed to enhance authority control and information exchange among bibliographic and non-bibliographic entities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article analyzes different methods previously developed for authority control as well as IFLA and ALA standards for managing bibliographic records. Semantic Web technologies are also evaluated. AUTHORIS relies on Drupal and incorporates the protocols of Dublin Core, SIOC, SKOS and FOAF. The tool has also taken into account the obsolescence of MARC and its substitution by FRBR and RDA. Its effectiveness was evaluated applying a learning test proposed by RDA. Over 80 percent of the actions were carried out correctly.

Findings

– The use of learning rules and the facilities of linked data make it easier for information organizations to reutilize products for authority control and distribute them in a fair and efficient manner.

Research limitations/implications

– The ISAD-G records were the ones presenting most errors. EAD was found to be second in the number of errors produced. The rest of the formats – MARC 21, Dublin Core, FRAD, RDF, OWL, XBRL and FOAF – showed fewer than 20 errors in total.

Practical implications

– AUTHORIS offers institutions the means of sharing data with a high level of stability, helping to detect records that are duplicated and contributing to lexical disambiguation and data enrichment.

Originality/value

– The software combines the facilities of linked data, the potency of the algorithms for converting bibliographic data, and the precision of learning rules.
An empirical investigation of dynamic capabilities in managing strategic flexibility in manufacturing organizations
Authors: Singh Doordarshi , Singh Oberoi Jaspreet , Singh Ahuja Inderpreet
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relative impact of dynamic capabilities on various dimensions of strategic flexibility in Indian manufacturing industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, 102 manufacturing organizations have been extensively surveyed, to assess the relative impact of different dynamic capabilities on various dimensions of strategic flexibility. The correlations between dynamic capabilities and strategic flexibility have been evaluated and validated by employing various statistical tools.

Findings

– The research focuses upon the significant contributions of dynamic capabilities such as human resource capabilities, innovative capabilities, technological capabilities, alliance capabilities and research and development capabilities, towards managing flexibility at strategic level in manufacturing organizations.

Originality/value

– This study provides the first empirical evidence of such a relationship with a relative choice between dynamic capabilities for managing strategic flexibility in large and medium scale organizations in India.