bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and performance analysis of live model of Bessel beamformer for adaptive array system
Authors: Yasin M. , Akhtar Pervez
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to design and analyze the performance of live model of Bessel beamformer for thorough comprehension of beamforming in adaptive environment and compared with live model of least mean square (LMS) in terms of gain and mean square error (MSE). It presents the principal elements of communication system. The performance of designed live model is tested for its efficiency in terms of signal recovery, directive gain by minimizing MSE using the “wavrecord” function to bring live audio data in WAV format into the MATLAB workspace. These adaptive techniques are illustrated by appropriate examples.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed algorithm framework relies on MATLAB software with the goal to obtain high efficiency in terms of signal recovery, directive gain by minimizing MSE using the “wavrecord” function to bring live audio data in WAV format. It is assumed that this audio signal is only the message or the baseband signal received by the computer. Here the authors consider computer (laptop) as a base station containing adaptive signal processing algorithm and source (mobile phone) as a desired user, so the experiment setup is designed for uplink application (user to base station) to differentiate between desired signal, multipath and interfering signals as well as to calculate their directions of arrival.

Findings

– The presented adaptive live model is reliable, robust and lead to a substantial reduction of MSE, signal recovery in comparison with the LMS technique. The paper contains experimental data. Obtained results are presented clearly and the conclusion comes directly from the presented experimental data. The paper shows that the presented method leads to superior results in comparison with the popular LMS method and can be used as a better alternative in many practical applications.

Research limitations/implications

– The adaptive processes described in the paper are still limited to simulation. It is because of the non-availability of real system for testing, therefore chosen research approach that is platform of MATLAB is opted for simulation. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed algorithms on real system if possible.

Practical implications

– The paper contains experimental data. The paper's impact on the society is acceptable. These implications are consistent with the findings and the conclusions of the paper. However, there is a need to extend this paper to a next level by implementing the proposed algorithms in the real time environment using FPGA technology.

Social implications

– This research will improve the signal quality of wireless cellular system by increasing capacity and will reduce the total cost of the system so that cost toward subscribers be decreased.

Originality/value

– The live model presented in this paper is shown to provide better results. It is the original work and can provide scientific contribution to signal processing community.
Simulation of charge packet formation in layered polymer film
Authors: H. Lean Meng , L. Chu Wei-Ping
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe a rapid and robust axisymmetric hybrid algorithm to create dynamic temporal and spatial charge distributions, or charge map, in the simulation of bipolar charge injection using Schottky emission and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, field-dependent transport, recombination, and bulk and interfacial trapping/de-trapping for layered polymer films spanning the range from initial injection to near breakdown.

Design/methodology/approach

– This hybrid algorithm uses a source distribution technique based on an axisymmetric boundary integral equation method (BIEM) to solve the Poisson equation and a fourth-order Runge-Kutta (RK4) method with an upwind scheme for time integration. Iterative stability is assured by satisfying the Courant-Friedrichs-Levy (CFL) stability criterion. Dynamic charge mapping is achieved by allowing conducting and insulating boundaries and material interfaces to be intuitively represented by equivalent free and bound charge distributions that collectively satisfy all local and far-field conditions.

Findings

– Charge packets cause substantial increase of electric stress and could accelerate the breakdown of polymeric capacitors. Conditions for the creation of charge packets are identified and numerically demonstrated for a combination of impulsive step excitation, high charge injection, and discontinuous interface.

Originality/value

– Metallized bi-axially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) dielectric thin film capacitor with self-clearing and enhanced current carrying capability offer an inexpensive and lightweight alternative for efficient power conditioning, energy storage, energy conversion, and pulsed power. The originality is the comprehensive physics and multi-dimensional modeling which span the dynamic range from initial injection to near breakdown. This model has been validated against some empirical data and may be used to identify failure mechanisms such as charge packets, gaseous voids, and electroluminescence. The value lies in the use of this model to develop mitigation strategies, including re-designs and materials matching, to avoid these failure mechanisms.
Control of limit cycles in buck converters
Authors: Condon Marissa , Hayes Brendan
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate limit cycles in digitally Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID) controlled buck regulators. Filtering is examined as a means of removing the limit cycles in digitally controlled buck regulators.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper explains why limit cycles occur in a digitally PID controlled buck converter. It then proceeds to propose two filters for their elimination. Results indicate the effectiveness of each of the filters.

Findings

– The paper gives a mathematical analysis of the occurrence of limit cycles in digitally controlled PID buck regulators. It finds that notch and comb filters are effective for the purpose of eliminating limit cycles in buck regulators.

Originality/value

– The paper employs a model of the buck regulator inclusive of the inductor loss – this was not done to date for this type of work. The paper analyses PID control. This was not done in the manner given. The paper addresses filtering as a means of removing limit cycles. It examines the effect of changing the digital controller parameters on the requirements of the filters.
Optimal frequency sweep method in multi-rate circuit simulation
Authors: Bittner Kai , Georg Brachtendorf Hans
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– Radio-frequency circuits often possess a multi-rate behavior. Slow changing baseband signals and fast oscillating carrier signals often occur in the same circuit. Frequency modulated signals pose a particular challenge. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The ordinary circuit differential equations are first rewritten by a system of (multi-rate) partial differential equations in order to decouple the different time scales. For an efficient simulation the paper needs an optimal choice of a frequency-dependent parameter. This is achieved by an additional smoothness condition.

Findings

– By incorporating the smoothness condition into the discretization, the paper obtains a non-linear system of equations complemented by a minimization constraint. This problem is solved by a modified Newton method, which needs only little extra computational effort. The method is tested on a phase locked loop with a frequency modulated input signal.

Originality/value

– A new optimal frequency sweep method was introduced, which will permit a very efficient simulation of multi-rate circuits.
Quasi 3D modelling and simulation of axial flux machines
Authors: Niemimäki Ossi , Kurz Stefan
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the theoretical foundation of the so-called quasi 3D modelling method of axial flux machines, and the means for the simulation of the resulting models.

Design/methodology/approach

– Starting from the first principles, a 3D magnetostatic problem is geometrically decomposed into a coupled system of 2D problems. Genuine 2D problems are derived by decoupling the system. The construction of the 2D simulation models is discussed, and their applicability is evaluated by comparing a finite element implementation to an existing industry-used model.

Findings

– The quasi 3D method relies on the assumption of vanishing radial magnetic flux. The validity of this assumption is reflected in a residual gained from the 3D coupled system. Moreover, under a modification of the metric of the 2D models, an axial flux machine can be presented as a family of radial flux machines.

Research limitations/implications

– The evaluation and interpretation of the residual has not been carried out. Furthermore, the inclusion of eddy currents has not been detailed in the present study.

Originality/value

– A summary of existing modelling and simulation methods of axial flux machines is provided. As a novel result, proper mathematical context for the quasi 3D method is given and the underlying assumptions are laid out. The implementation of the 2D models is approached from a general angle, strengthening the foundation for future research.
Dielectric breakdown simulations of an OLTC in a transformer
Authors: Wiesmüller Maximilian , Glaser Beate , Fuchs Franz , Sterz Oliver
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on the simulation of an on-load tap-changer (OLTC) in a power transformer. During design and test of the electrical insulation the influence of the environment on the OLTC is normally neglected. The authors investigate how large these influences are.

Design/methodology/approach

– The environment of the OLTC is taken into account by modeling tap leads in detail as well as transformer windings. The electric fields are computed and resulting breakdown voltages are estimated by using the streamer criterion. The results are compared to the ones of an OLTC without transformer and leads.

Findings

– For the investigated typical example the influence of the transformer and the tap leads on the internal OLTC insulation is small enough to neglect them during design optimization and test procedures.

Originality/value

– New is the execution of a finite element simulation and breakdown evaluation of such a complex geometric structure as the complete system consisting of OLTC combined with tap leads and windings. Furthermore, standard design and test procedures used by OLTC manufacturers are justified.
Challenges in preparing academic staff for research training and supervision
Authors: Calma Angelito
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– Little attention has been given to the preparedness of academic staff for their role as research trainers or supervisors. In addition, limited work has been done on this topic in developing countries such as the Philippines. The Philippines is an important case, as it is a national priority to develop university research and improve research training practices, and there is a graduate skill deficit (in terms of critical thinking, academic writing, and data analysis skills). The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges confronting the government and universities that relate to academic staff development, research supervision, and staff and student support, involving 53 government and university executives and academics from the Philippines.

Design/methodology/approach

– The survey involved the participation of selected government and university executives, including the zonal research centre directors, via interviews; and survey of academic staff via a questionnaire.

Findings

– Results indicate that the most critical challenges for government and universities in the Philippines relate to effectively meeting the dual demands of teaching and research, building a critical mass of researchers, and developing excellent research skills and competences among staff and students.

Originality/value

– The paper is the first to study research training and supervision in Philippine universities, providing a case for the Philippines internationally, which is less featured in research.
Investigating whether UK business schools need to be more business-like in order to survive in today's dynamic environment
Authors: Curtis Lucill , Samy Martin
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether UK business schools need to change their strategy, to adopt a more business-like approach, without compromising their role as providers of “quality education”. Business-like activities, as explained by Dart (2004, p. 294) are generally understood to be those characterised by some blend of profit motivation, the use of managerial and organisation design tools developed in for-profit business settings, and broadly framed business thinking to structure and organise activity.

Design/methodology/approach

– Adopting a mixed methods research design, this study involved the review of quantitative data from questionnaires sent to senior managers within UK business schools, followed by the case-study analysis of five UK-based business schools.

Findings

– Contemporary evidence suggests business schools have reacted to the current dynamic environment by adapting a more business-like approach, scanning the horizon and identifying new markets and opportunities for growth. However, some business schools remain ardently against a more business-like approach, considering it to work against academic clarity and research excellence, expected of universities.

Originality/value

– This paper illustrates the current challenges influencing strategy within five diverse UK business schools. Therefore, the original contribution of the paper lies in the authors’ empirical investigations into the current thinking and practice of existing business school leaders, in light of the changing HE policies and reduced funding arrangements.
Factors affecting students’ intentions to study at universities adopting the “student-as-customer” concept
Authors: Watjatrakul Boonlert
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– Competitive pressure and declining incomes in higher education have propelled many universities to increase the number of students admitted as a means of increasing their income, while the admitted students are regarded as “customers.” The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ beliefs regarding outcomes of the adoption of the student-as-customer concept and the interaction effects of these outcomes and the social influence on students’ attitudes toward acceptance of the student-as-customer concept and their intentions to study at universities adopting this concept.

Design/methodology/approach

– The conceptual model was developed to investigate the interaction effects of the five outcomes of the student-as-customer concept's adoption – the universities’ aim toward student satisfaction, the instructors’ neglect of teaching, the impairment of instructor-student relationship, the ease of course achievement, and the improvement of universities’ service quality and social influence on the students’ attitudes toward acceptance of the student-as-customer concept, and their intentions to study at universities adopting this concept. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data from students studying at a large private university inclining to adopt the student-as-customer concept. The structural equation modeling technique was utilized for testing the proposed model.

Findings

– The results indicate that students believe that the universities’ adoption of the student-as-customer concept will lead to improvement of the universities’ service quality and the degradation of educational quality in terms of the instructors’ neglect of teaching, the impairment of instructor-student relationship, and the ease of course achievement. The improvement of service quality has a positive effect on the students’ attitudes toward acceptance of the student-as-customer concept and their intentions to study at universities adopting this concept. The students’ beliefs toward the degradation of educational quality, on the other hand, have indirect and negative effects on the students’ intentions to study at universities adopting the concept. Interestingly, the effect of social influence on students’ intentions to study at universities adopting the concept is greater than the effects of students’ beliefs toward outcomes of the concept.

Originality/value

– This study is among the first research to empirically investigate the factors affecting students’ attitudes toward acceptance of the student-as-customer concept and their intentions to study at universities adopting this concept. The paper fills the gap in the higher education literature and provides guidance for universities to consider and prepare for the consequences of the concept's adoption associated with the number of students who intend to study at their universities.
A study on effective principal leadership factors in China
Authors: Sun Hechuan , Wang Xiaodong , Sharma Sailesh
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to find out what are the effective school principal leadership (ESPL) factors or indicators that Chinese teachers consider or expect. It explains how and why ESPL factors are important for effective school improvement (ESI). It tries to expand the domain knowledge of ESPL.

Design/methodology/approach

– The questionnaires consisted of eight factors and 40 indicators. The rating instrument was a five point Likert Scale (from 1 to 5). In total, 100 school teachers in Liaoning Province of mainland China were participated and surveyed. Factor analysis,t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the collected data.

Findings

– This study provides empirical insights about what ESPL factors that Chinese teachers considered. According to the results oft-test and one-way ANOVA, there were no significant differences between and among the respondents’ gender, areas and years of teaching experiences in rating the ESPL factors. The findings argue that the 16 extracted ESPL indicators have not only revealed the expectations of Chinese teachers toward their school principals, but also have drawn a three-dimensional-image of what a good and effective school principal should be. From the Chinese teachers’ eyes, a good school principal should not only possess good managerial skills in the aspects of time and routine work (such as self management, time management, influence, decision making and commitment) but also should possess good emotional intelligence, human skills, more attentiveness and consideration toward the needs of their followers (such as comfort, communication skills and empathy, etc.).

Practical implications

– This study provides implications for all school stakeholders, particularly for school principals, school leaders and educational managers both in and outside of schools. A good school principal should possess good ESPL characters/factors. If not, at least he/she should be aware of the ESPL characters/factors and actively adopt or adapt them. Thus the ESPL factors or indicators extracted from this study can be served as a mirror and a useful knowledge.

Originality/value

– This study belongs to very few of this kind of researches carried out in mainland China. Its findings have made some contributions to the ESPL research in mainland China, to the research of school leadership and ESI.
Forecasts impacts on sanitary risk during a crisis: a case study
Authors: Thiel Daniel , Le Hoa Vo Thi , Hovelaque Vincent
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– During a crisis situation, a poultry supply chain is faced with high variations on fresh chicken meat demand and has therefore to simultaneously manage excessive shelf-life stocks (in case of falling demand) and external purchases due to inventory shortages. In this case, the production plan is often established according to non-accurate sale forecasts which require ongoing adjustment. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– By using system dynamics, the paper developed a model of the French poultry supply chain during a given avian influenza crisis period. The authors compared exponential smoothing forecasting method to a word-of-mouth diffusion model which makes sense in a sanitary crisis context.

Findings

– An interesting result shows a complex relationship between the sanitary risk (which increases according to the slaughtered chicken's volume and storage time) and the additional external purchases (in case of low production generated by an insufficient forecasting launched 40 days before customer orders).

Research limitations/implications

– Additional costs which vary over time are required for further assumptions testing.

Practical implications

– The paper proposes to use a forecasting model which is not currently used by the professionals during a sanitary crisis period. This model is able to simulate an internal dissemination of a call for boycott of meat products (cf. negative word-of-mouth spread).

Originality/value

– The problem is how to maintain a less risky but significant buffer size to respond to a supply chain coping with both changes in customers’ demand and instability in production capacity.
Antecedents of SCM practices in ASEAN automotive industry
Authors: Hsu Chin-Chun , Choon Tan Keah , Laosirihongthong Tritos
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate entrepreneurship, social capital and resources contribute to the implementation of supply chain management (SCM) practices in Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) automotive industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– A conceptual framework of antecedents of SCM practices and several research hypotheses were proposed. Hypotheses were tested with data from original equipment manufacturers suppliers in the ASEAN automotive manufacturing industry. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regressions were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– The analysis of survey data suggests that corporate entrepreneurship theory and social capital theory play a key role in motivating and preceding SCM practices. However, traditional resource-based explanations of SCM decisions by western manufacturing firms do not always apply to ASEAN automotive suppliers.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper may have excluded some crucial constructs that affect SCM practices. This study also suffers from the common limitations of empirical research, including the reliance on a single respondent. Prior studies suggest that firms with better resources are likely to create more effective SCM operations. This study contributes to the literature by adding behavioral explanations to the research stream. That is, drawing on corporate entrepreneurship and social capital theories, the authors’ link firm behavioral factors to their resources and thus help explains SCM practices.

Practical implications

– This study provides some notable managerial implications. The study shows that to implement successful SCM practices, emerging ASEAN automotive suppliers should exploit both the internal and external antecedents of SCM. Internal antecedent in the form of corporate entrepreneurship that measures a firm's innovativeness and proactiveness, and external antecedent in the form of social capital that measures a firm's relationships with its supply chain members are important factors that affect SCM practices. Also, these factors are important in counteracting the adverse forces of the environmental uncertainty to improve performance.

Originality/value

– These findings extend prior research by establishing the importance of the relationships between SCM practices and its antecedents. Also, this is one of the few studies that specifically examined the ASEAN automotive industry.
Mind-reading versus neuromarketing: how does a product make an impact on the consumer?
Authors: A. Booth David , P.J. Freeman Richard
Published: July 2014

Purpose

– This research study aims to illustrate the mapping of each consumer’s mental processes in a market-relevant context. This paper shows how such maps deliver operational insights that cannot be gained by physical methods such as brain imaging.

Design/methodology/approach

– A marketed conceptual attribute and a sensed material characteristic of a popular product were varied across presentations in a common use. The relative acceptability of each proposition was rated together with analytical descriptors. The mental interaction that determined each consumer’s preferences was calculated from the individual’s performance at discriminating each viewed sample from a personal norm. These personal cognitive characteristics were aggregated into maps of demand in the market for subpanels who bought these for the senses or for the attribute.

Findings

– Each of 18 hypothesized mental processes dominated acceptance in at least a few individuals among both sensory and conceptual purchasers. Consumers using their own descriptive vocabulary processed the factors in appeal of the product more centrally. The sensory and conceptual factors tested were most often processed separately, but a minority of consumers treated them as identical. The personal ideal points used in the integration of information showed that consumers wished for extremes of the marketed concept that are technologically challenging or even impossible. None of this evidence could be obtained from brain imaging, casting in question its usefulness in marketing.

Research limitations/implications

– Panel mapping of multiple discriminations from a personal norm fills three major gaps in consumer marketing research. First, preference scores are related to major influences on choices and their cognitive interactions in the mind. Second, the calculations are completed on the individual’s data and the cognitive parameters of each consumer’s behavior are aggregated – never the raw scores. Third, discrimination scaling puts marketed symbolic attributes and sensed material characteristics on the same footing, hence measuring their causal interactions for the first time.

Practical implications

– Neuromarketing is an unworkable proposition because brain imaging does not distinguish qualitative differences in behavior. Preference tests are operationally effective when designed and analyzed to relate behavioral scores to major influences from market concepts and sensory qualities in interaction. The particular interactions measured in the reported study relate to the major market for healthy eating.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to measure mental interactions among determinants of preference, as well as including both a marketed concept and a sensed characteristic. Such an approach could be of great value to consumer marketing, both defensively and creatively.
Dissecting the cyclic di‐guanylate monophosphate signalling network regulating motility in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium
Authors: Le Guyon Soazig , Simm Roger , Rehn Mikael , Römling Ute
Published: July 2014

Flagella‐mediated swimming and swarming motility in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is intercalated with the cyclic di‐guanylate monophosphate (c‐di‐GMP) signalling network. In this study, we identified the GGDEF domain proteins STM2672, STM4551 and STM1987 as key di‐guanylate cyclases involved in regulation of motility in a ΔyhjH phosphodiesterase gene deletion mutant with elevated c‐di‐GMP levels inhibiting motility. Surprisingly, these di‐guanylate cyclases distinctively inhibited motility through the c‐di‐GMP receptors YcgR and the cellulose synthase BcsA, whereby STM2672 corresponded to YcgR, STM1987 to BcsA and STM4551 to both receptors. Although downregulation of motility is believed to prepare the bacterial cells for surface adhesion and biofilm formation, the major biofilm regulator CsgD of S. sv. Typhimurium was not involved in the regulation of swimming or swarming motility. Together with previously identified c‐di‐GMP networks regulating flagella‐related phenotypes, flagella biosynthesis is a major target of c‐di‐GMP signalling in S. sv. Typhimurium.
“Like Barnabas and Saul”: Malagasy Converts in Britain, 1839–1841
Authors: Fletcher Alison
Published: July 2014

In 1839, six Malagasy Christians arrived in Britain under the auspices of the London Missionary Society. The group had been persecuted in Madagascar for their faith. They were introduced to the British evangelical community as saints and martyrs who were dependent on the missionary society, but their decision to undertake the long journey was shaped by their spiritual beliefs, their desire to develop their education, and their wish to eventually become evangelical missionaries in Madagascar. At public meetings around the country, the Malagasy used a Christian frame of reference to describe their personal stories and their hopes for the future of Christianity in Madagascar. As speaking subjects, not merely objects of spectacle and display, they communicated to British audiences their credibility as fellow Christians, educated individuals, and civilised human beings.
REVISITING “WHAT THEY THINK”: ADOLESCENT DRINKING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PEER BELIEFS
Authors: RAGAN DANIEL T.
Published: July 2014

The association between delinquent peers and delinquent behavior is among the most consistent findings in the criminological literature, and several recent studies have raised the standards for determining the nature and extent of peer influence. Despite these advances, however, key questions about how deviant behavior is socially transmitted remain unresolved. In particular, much of the research examining peer influence has been limited to peer behavior, despite a rich literature supporting the salience of beliefs, such as expectations and moral approval, in shaping behaviors. In the current study, I model the peer influence and selection processes with longitudinal social network analysis to reexamine the contributions of peer beliefs and behaviors to adolescent drinking. I find evidence that beliefs related to peer drinking have both a direct and an indirect impact on behavior and play an important role in the friendship selection process. These results highlight the importance of understanding how peers influence deviant behavior and suggest that peer beliefs are an important part of this relationship.
Delegation and dynamic incentives
Authors: Shin Dongsoo , Strausz Roland
Published: July 2014

Using an agency model, we show how delegation, by generating additional private information, improves dynamic incentives under limited commitment. It circumvents ratchet effects and facilitates the revelation of persistent private information through two effects: aplay‐hardball effect, which mitigates an efficient agent'sratchetincentive, and acarrot effectwhich reduces an inefficient agent'stake‐the‐money‐and‐runincentive. Although delegation entails a loss of control, it is optimal when uncertainty about operational efficiency is large. Moreover, delegation is more effective with production complementarity. We also consider different modes of commitment to yield insights into optimal organizational boundaries.
Network competition with income effects
Authors: Tangerås Thomas P.
Published: July 2014

I generalize the workhorse model of network competition to include income effects in demand. Empirical work has shown income effects to be positive and statistically significant. Income effects deliver theoretical results consistent with regulatory concern about excessive termination rates: unregulated network operators competing in nondiscriminatory retail contracts negotiate termination rates above cost for any positive income effect. This also holds when operators discriminate between on‐net and off‐net calls if networks are differentiated. Operators profit from increasing termination rates above cost under second‐degree price discrimination if a sufficient share of consumers prefer on‐net/off‐net contracts and their subscription demand is relatively inelastic.
Premature aging induced by radiation exhibits pro‐atherosclerotic effects mediated by epigenetic activation of CD44 expression
Authors: Lowe Donna , Raj Kenneth
Published: July 2014

Age is undoubtedly a major risk factor for heart disease. However, the reason for this is not entirely clear. In the course of our investigation into the mechanism of radiation‐induced cardiovascular disease, we made several unexpected findings that inform us on this question. We observed that human coronary endothelial cells, while being able to initiate repair of radiation‐induced DNA damage, often fail to complete the repair and become senescent. Such radiation‐induced cellular aging occurs through a mutation‐independent route. Endothelial cells that aged naturally through replication or as a result of radiation exhibited indistinguishable characteristics. The promoter regions of the CD44 gene in aging endothelial cells become demethylated, and the proteins are highly expressed on the cell surface, making the cells adhesive for monocytes. Adhesion is a cardinal feature that recruits monocytes to the endothelium, allowing them to infiltrate the vessel wall and initiate atherosclerosis. The epigenetic activation of CD44 expression is particularly significant as it causes persistent elevated CD44 protein expression, making senescent endothelial cells chronically adhesive. In addition to understanding why cardiovascular disease increases with age, these observations provide insights into the puzzling association between radiation and cardiovascular disease and highlight the need to consider premature aging as an additional risk of radiation to human health.
Tubular carcinoma of the breast: axillary involvement and prognostic factors
Authors: Lea Vivienne , Gluch Laurence , Kennedy Catherine W. , Carmalt Hugh , Gillett David
Published: July 2014

Background

Tubular carcinoma (TC) of the breast has a very favourable prognosis. The role for axillary staging in small TC was questioned. This study investigated the frequency of axillary metastases and prognostic factors in pure TC of the breast. It involved a retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Methods

A consecutive series of patients presenting to The Strathfield Breast Centre (TSBC) between 1988 and 2011 were reviewed. Only pure TC was included. Information collected included demographics, surgery, pathology, adjuvant therapy and survival.

Results

Pure TC accounted for 146 out of 6110 cases of operable breast cancer. Ninety‐five per cent were node negative (micrometastases and isolated tumour cells excluded). Ninety‐eight per cent of those with known oestrogen receptor status were oestrogen receptor positive. Median tumour size was 10 mm (range 1–52 mm). Ten‐year survival was 97%. Twelve per cent of patients had more than one tumour (either ipsilateral or contralateral). Eight patients had recurrent disease. All were node negative. Three of these patients died of their disease.

Conclusion

Axillary metastases are uncommon in pure TC. Recurrent disease is not readily predicted by tumour size or node status.
The effects of olfactory stimulation and gender differences on pain responses in full‐term infants
Authors: Romantsik Olga , Porter Richard H. , Varendi Heili
Published: July 2014

Aim

Studies have reported conflicting findings on whether different smells can reduce distress when infants undergo painful procedures. Our study assessed the impact of vanilla on infants' responses to a painful toe lance, including possible gender differences.

Methods

We measured the pain responses of 69 full‐term infants – 34 girls and 35 boys – during toe lance, using two multidimensional scales – the Neonatal Facial Coding System and Behavioural Indicators of Infant Pain – together with crying duration and hand movements. Three sets of data were collected during baseline, toe lance and recovery, while the babies were exposed to the odour of vanilla (n = 39) or odourless water (n = 30).

Results

Pain responses increased significantly during toe lance, then declined during recovery. Crying duration correlated significantly with finger splaying/fisting and both pain scale scores, with boys displaying higher pain scores than girls. Vanilla had no impact on pain levels.

Conclusion

Crying and finger splaying/fisting were observable responses that may be useful for screening pain or distress in healthy neonates. Increased pain reactions by boys may reflect higher irritability. Exposure to an unfamiliar odour did not have a calming effect on full‐term neonates.
Staff and parents are discriminators for outcomes in neonatal intensive care units
Authors: Pick Verena , Halstenberg Katrin , Demel Anja , Kirchberger Valerie , Riedel Rainer , Schlößer Rolf , Wollny Caroline , Woopen Christiane , Kuntz Ludwig , Roth Bernhard
Published: July 2014

Aim

We investigated the associations between staff work characteristics, parents' experiences and a number of medical outcome measures.

Methods

This explorative multicentre study took place in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of five German university hospitals between 2009 and 2011. We assessed staff work characteristics by surveying 126 NICU nurses and 57 physicians and asked 214 parents about their relationships with staff. The outcome variables of 230 premature infants with birth weights of less than 1500 g were collected over a period of 18 months. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses for statistical purposes.

Results

We found differences in outcome measures between the NICUs, particularly parameters of respiratory support, weight gain and length of stay. When we controlled for the NICUs' baseline factors, perceptions of the relationship between staff and parents (empathy, p < 0.001; conversation duration and frequency, p < 0.05; familiarity, p < 0.05) and staff work characteristics (workload, p < 0.05) were associated with at least one of these outcome measures.

Conclusion

Staff and parents were discriminators for neonatal outcomes through perceptions of work characteristics and the relationship between staff and parents, respectively. Respiratory support and nutrition measures were particularly sensitive. This research has prompted a nationwide, multicentre study of 66 NICUs.
Childhood trauma and risky alcohol consumption: A study of Australian adults with low housing stability
Authors: Keane Carol , Magee Christopher A. , Lee Jeong Kyu
Published: July 2014

Introduction and Aims

This paper examined whether recall of childhood trauma was associated with adult alcohol consumption in a sample of Australians with low housing security. The secondary aim was to examine whether risky alcohol consumption predicted subsequent housing instability. Sociodemographic factors were examined as potential moderators of these associations.

Design and Methods

This paper utilised data collected through the Journeys Home Study, a longitudinal study of a representative sample of individuals who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. This paper focused on 1224 participants aged 18 years and over. Data on alcohol use, childhood trauma and sociodemographic characteristics were collected through interviews at baseline. Homeless status at 6‐ to 12‐month follow‐up was assessed via interview. Logistic regression modelling was used to examine associations of alcohol consumption with childhood abuse, sociodemographic factors and changes in homelessness status.

Results

Self‐reported recall of childhood experiences of violence was more likely among current drinkers, risky or not, than among abstainers. Recall of childhood neglect was more common among abstainers than among risky drinkers.

Discussion and Conclusions

The relationships between recall of childhood trauma and adult alcohol consumption are likely to be complex. Risky consumption may contribute to continuing homelessness among adults with unstable housing. [Correction added on 29 December 2014, after first online publication: The Results, and Discussion and Conclusion sections in the abstract have been replaced.]. [Keane C, Magee CA, Lee JK. Childhood trauma and risky alcohol consumption: A study of Australian adults with low housing stability. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:18–26]
INFORMATION RIGIDITIES, INFLATION PERCEPTIONS, AND THE MEDIA: LESSONS FROM THE EURO CASH CHANGEOVER
Authors: Lamla Michael J. , Lein Sarah M.
Published: July 2014

The objective of theoretical models of information rigidities is to capture the fact that people are constrained in their ability to acquire and process all available information. Given that most people obtain their information about the economy from the media, press coverage of the economy may exert an influence on peoples' attitudes. This paper tests for this influence by examining consumers' inflation perceptions in the aftermath of the euro cash changeover, which serves as a natural experiment. Using a new data set, that quantifies the intensity and tone of media reports, we document that media reporting has had a statistically significant and economically meaningful impact on inflation perceptions and contributed to their sharp rise in the aftermath of the euro cash changeover and to the divergence between inflation perceptions and actual inflation rates. (JELE53, D83)
Climatic niche shifts between species' native and naturalized ranges raise concern for ecological forecasts during invasions and climate change
Authors: Early Regan , Sax Dov F.
Published: July 2014

Aim

Correlative models that forecast extinction risk from climate change and invasion risks following species introductions, depend on the assumption that species' current distributions reflect their climate tolerances (‘climatic equilibrium’). This assumption has rarely been tested with independent distribution data, and studies that have done so have focused on species that are widespread or weedy in their native range. We use independent data to test climatic equilibrium for a broadly representative group of species, and ask whether there are any general indicators that can be used to identify when equilibrium occurs.

Location

Europe and contiguous USA.

Methods

We contrasted the climate conditions occupied by 51 plant species in their native (European) and naturalized (USA) distributions by applying kernel smoothers to species' occurrence densities. We asked whether species had naturalized in climate conditions that differ from their native ranges, suggesting climatic disequilibrium in the native range, and whether characteristics of species' native distributions correspond with climatic equilibrium.

Results

A large proportion of species' naturalized distributions occurred outside the climatic conditions occupied in their native ranges: for 22 species, the majority of their naturalized ranges fell outside their native climate conditions. Our analyses revealed large areas in Europe that species do not occupy, but which match climatic conditions occupied in the USA, suggesting a high degree of climatic disequilibrium in the native range. Disequilibrium was most severe for species with native ranges that are small and occupy a narrow range of climatic conditions.

Main conclusions

Our results demonstrate that the direct effects of climate on species distributions have been widely overestimated, and that previous large‐scale validations of the equilibrium assumption using species' native and naturalized distributions are not generally applicable. Non‐climatic range limitations are likely to be the norm, rather than the exception, and pose added risks for species under climate change.
Alien species pool influences the level of habitat invasion in intercontinental exchange of alien plants
Authors: Kalusová Veronika , Chytrý Milan , Peet Robert K. , Wentworth Thomas R.
Published: July 2014

Aim

We hypothesize that the level of plant invasion at the scale of vegetation plots is affected by the different sizes of regional species pools of alien plants adapted to particular habitats. We test these species‐pool effects in the context of alien species exchange between analogous habitats on two continents.

Location

North and South Carolina, and the Czech Republic (both as native and invaded range).

Methods

We identified native and alien vascular plant species within 6059 vegetation plots from 27 habitats of eastern North America and Central Europe. We compared the habitats’ level of invasion, expressed as the proportion of alien species in a representative sample of vegetation plots from each habitat, with the contribution of each habitat to the alien species pool, calculated as the proportion of species of this habitat that are native to one continent and donated as aliens to the other.

Results

A habitat's level of invasion on one continent increases with the proportion of alien species donated to its regional species pools by analogous habitats on the other continent, i.e. the more of its native species a habitat contributes as aliens, the more of them establish in analogous recipient habitats (direct species‐pool effect). The habitat's level of invasion on the same continent also increases with the proportion of native species that those habitats themselves donate to regional species pools on the other continent, i.e. a habitat that gives many aliens also receives many aliens (reciprocal species‐pool effect).

Main conclusions

We demonstrate that when a habitat on one continent donates more of its native species to the alien species pool, the analogous habitat on the recipient continent also contains a greater number of aliens. The same donor habitat is itself also the recipient of more alien species invading from the analogous habitats of other continents.
Pathways of fear and anxiety in endodontic patients
Authors: Carter A. E. , Carter G. , George R.
Published: July 2014

Aim

To evaluate the most common pathways of fear and anxiety in patients who have had root canal treatment or are planned to have one.

Methodology

Six hundred and twenty‐seven patients were approached to participate, of which five hundred and ninety‐four patients (20–90 years) accepted. All consenting patients had a root filling or were treatment planned to have one. The survey by Ost & Hugdahl () on anxiety response patterns was modified and used. Data were presented using descriptive statistics, tested for normality using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and analysed with nonparametric anova (Kruskal–Wallis) and post hoc test.

Results

Cognitive conditioning and parental pathways seem to be the primary cause (P < 0.05) of fear and anxiety with root canal treatment. Females were significantly more likely to be influenced by indirect conditioned experiences such as informative, parental, verbal threat and vicarious pathways.

Conclusion

The origin of patients' fears requires more attention in terms of treating endodontic‐related fear and anxiety. More detailed research into the effects of demographics, causative factors and ethnicity on pathways of fear in dentistry is required to help dentists better manage patients in a multicultural society.