bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Older or Ageing Consumers in the UK
Authors: Ahmad Rizah
Published: January 2018

This article explores the characteristics and attractiveness of UK older consumers to marketers. It shows that the UK's ageing population is potentially a dominant segment of the consumer market of the future. However, it is hard to identify this group of consumers. The research demonstrates that UK companies do not have specific programmes to attract and keep older consumers. This is despite their acknowledging that older consumers are attractive. They regard older consumers merely as a segment of a wider consumer market. In this article, the various definitions of ageing are discussed and the prevailing methods of responding to the needs of older consumers are examined. While some of the current approaches in segmenting and targeting consumer markets are generally useful it was found that they are applied in a simplistic way for the purpose of segmenting and targeting older consumers. This article recognises that older consumers are heterogeneous and their characteristics have little association with their chronological ages. It is concluded that there are many unanswered questions; for example, what are the factors that influence older consumers to buy certain brands, to target particular sales people, or to patronise certain suppliers of products or providers of services? The article poses a practical question of how marketers, for the purpose of targeting their marketing efforts and positioning their products and services, may identify these older consumers. Given their chronological ages, could marketers predict their buying behaviour? The implications of the results of the study for both practice and theory are identified and further lines of research proposed.
Willingness of Adults in Europe to Pay for a New Vaccine: The Application of Discrete Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis
Authors: Sapede Claudine , Girod Isabelle
Published: January 2018

This paper summarises the results of an investigation of willingness to pay (WTP) for new vaccines. The vaccines considered are for infections with several subtypes. One option is to cover a broad combination of these within one vaccine although this is associated with additional development complexities. The associated durations of effect of such vaccines are not yet known; therefore the impact of variations in this and the subtype coverage, as well as that of opting for a non-reimbursement status, were among the issues that needed to be assessed. One important group for a determination of WTP is parents, in that they could be paying for vaccination of themselves and/or their children. This paper reports the findings of WTP among this group for their children for alternative outcomes in the vaccine product profile. For reasons of confidentiality, results from only this group in the context of paying for their children are reported. The exact wording of the product features tested have also been changed for the same reason.
Benefit segmentation
Authors: Ahmad Rizal
Published: January 2018

The UK currently has about 20 million people who are 50 years old or over. This number is expected to grow to 25 million by 2021. Older people offer new market opportunities, and companies that choose to ignore them will do so at their own peril. Literature indicates that marketers’ existing understanding of older consumers revolves around their personal characteristics, in terms of socioeconomic, demographical and psychographical data. Marketers tend to use personal characteristics as independent variables for segmenting older consumers. For simplicity, marketers also tend to treat older consumers in a similar way to which they treat the rest of the consumer market and differentiate older consumers only in terms of their chronological age. In this article, the author discusses the potential application of benefit segmentation technique for segmenting and targeting older consumers in the UK.
The Rise of the Stupid Network Effect
Authors: Oldridge Mark
Published: January 2018

This paper advocates a change in how the research industry understands the consumer. The prevailing empiricist approach to the management sciences should be abandoned and consumer markets would be better regarded as complex adaptive systems. The paper concludes by providing suggestions for developing future thinking on this topic. This paper was joint winner of the Best New Thinking award at the 2003 Market Research Society conference.
Transnational Consumer Cultures and Social Milieus
Authors: Ascheberg Carsten , Uelzhoffer Jorg
Published: January 2018

Using the emergence of postmodern consumer cultures as an example, the paper presents a socio-aesthetic market segmentation model that allows the identification of transnational consumer cultures (Social Milieus) without losing sight of national or regional peculiarities. The model is based on the Everyday-Life approach which combines the research logic of qualitative methods with the cognitive logic of phenomenological thinking. At the root of this is the conviction that an adequate understanding of the dynamics of consumer attitudes and consumer behaviour is only possible by researching people's subjective everyday reality and the structures of meaning linking them to it. It is argued that the Everyday-Life approach provides market research with an effective instrument, deployable the world over, that considerably enhances the accuracy of target group marketing measures and marketing communications.
Navigating the Righteous Course: A Quality Issue
Authors: Brace Ian , Nancarrow Clive , Pallister John
Published: January 2018

This paper argues that the quality of marketing research will be affected in the long term by how successfully the industry is able to implement industry codes of conduct, in particular the revised MRS Code of Conduct. Success will partly depend on understanding the ethical decision-making process of individual researchers to tailor educational programmes. Crucially it will also depend on the extent to which MRS members fulfil the obligation in Code A6 of the current guide ‘to ensure the people with whom they work are sufficiently familiar with this Code of Conduct’. The paper uses Hunt & Vitell's general theory of marketing ethics (1986) as a framework for developing the quality issues and guiding the research, which consisted of a survey of MRS members. This research indentifies the most frequent ethical concerns held by MRS members. The findings also suggest that deontological (‘rules’) influences prevail over teleological considerations (‘consequences’) and that there is a need for a sufficient number of organisations to appoint someone to be responsible for disseminating the Code to non-members, handling queries and enforcing the Code. This will go some way to enhance the quality of marketing research.
The Use of Secondary Information Published by the PRC Government
Authors: Luk Sherriff T.K.
Published: January 2018

The success of the Economic Reform has turned China into a burgeoning market with vast sales potential and has stimulated international marketers’ interest in learning more about the China market. This paper discusses how to use secondary data released by the PRC Government and state run research organisations to build up the researchers knowledge of the marketing conditions and various characteristics of various types of players in China. It will review the recent changes in the structure of China's statistical system and the Government's policies on research activities. The paper highlights, and illustrates with two concrete examples, the efforts that the Chinese Government has made in improving research methods and identifies the official channels via which international marketing researchers can obtain relatively reliable secondary information. Finally, it provides suggestions on how to collaborate with local Chinese researchers so as to use the available secondary data more effectively and confidently.
A Reversal of Fortunes: Daniel among the Scholars
Authors: Merrill Willis Amy C.
Published: January 2018

Scholarship on the book of Daniel has undergone a significant shift since the publication of K. Koch’s groundbreaking work, The Rediscovery of Apocalyptic, in 1972. Despite significant achievements in understanding the historical-critical issues of the book, scholarship viewed Daniel’s apocalyptic visions as embarrassing. The renaissance in Daniel studies that began in the 1970s has since produced a robust conversation and newer theory-driven insights around well-established areas of interest. These include Daniel’s textual traditions and compositional history, the function of its genres, the social settings of its writers, and Daniel’s near eastern literary and cultural milieu. New areas of interest identified in the landmark study of J.J. Collins and P.W. Flint (2001; 2002), namely the history of reception and political theologizing, have also gained ground. Daniel’s reversal of fortunes is due to new methodologies as well as a fundamental paradigm shift in interpretation; this change has seen Daniel scholarship move away from the search for Daniel’s historical meaning, narrowly construed, and toward the quest to understand what Daniel does to and for its readers.
The Hexateuch Hypothesis: A History of Research and Current Approaches
Authors: Germany Stephen
Published: January 2018

This article traces the development of the concept of the Hexateuch in five major stages: (1) its beginnings in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, (2) its floruit in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, (3) the challenge to the Hexateuch hypothesis by the Deuteronomistic History hypothesis, (4) the partial decline of the Hexateuch hypothesis during the second half of the twentieth century, and (5) its recent revival and reinterpretation, particularly since the turn of the millennium. Within the current discussion, the most decisive question is whether one should conceive of the Hexateuch as an early (i.e., pre-Priestly and/or pre-Dtr) narrative work, as a late redactional construct, or both.
Path-planning of a hybrid parallel robot using stiffness and workspace for foot rehabilitation
Authors: Rastegarpanah Alireza , Rakhodaei Hamid , Saadat Mozafar , Rastegarpanah Mohammad , Marturi Naresh , Borboni Alberto , Loureiro Rui CV
Published: January 2018

Stiffness is one of the important parameters for estimating the performance of hybrid parallel robots as it is not constant throughout its workspace. The aim of this study is to provide an optimum path based on maximum stiffness within the workspace of a 9-degree-of-freedom hybrid parallel mechanism configuration, which includes nine linear actuators connecting one stationary and two moving platforms in series. The proposed robot is designed for ankle rehabilitation, where accurate and precise movement of lower extremities is required. The design takes advantage of two important characteristics of parallel robots: stiffness and workspace. The proposed methodology to determine the stiffness of hybrid robot in three single axes is based on calculation of position vector of each actuator in any particular pose, by considering the inverse kinematics of the system, in order to obtain the magnitude and direction of the applied forces. The results obtained from the workspace calculations have been compared with those of two standard parallel mechanisms including a 6-degree-of-freedom hexapod and a tripod with 3 degrees of freedom. The stiffness of the robot has been calculated in simulation and then compared with those of a developed prototype hybrid model in two different case studies.
Correlation analysis between peripheral blood basophils and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Zhang Na , Zhang Ze-Ming , Wang Xiao-Fei
Published: January 2018

This study set out to investigate the number and the activation of peripheral blood basophils, and the correlation analysis between peripheral blood basophils and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It was determined whether these indices could be used as a monitoring index of RA activation and thereby provide a new disease assessment method for RA. Using flow cytometry, the number and activation level of peripheral blood basophils were determined in RA patients compared with healthy donors. General clinical data were collected and laboratory indices of RA patients were analyzed. A correlation between the number and the activation of basophils was determined using the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP).The absolute count and percentage of peripheral blood basophils in RA patients were significantly lower than that of controls (absolute count P = 0.033, percentage P = 0.047). However, the activation level of basophils was significantly higher than that in controls ( P = 0.034). In addition, the activation level of basophils showed statistically significant differences in disease groups with different activities ( P = 0.011, P = 0.037, and P = 0.002). With an increasing DAS28 score, the number of peripheral blood basophils was shown to decrease while activation level increased. The absolute count and activation level of basophils in RA patients and normal controls on receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.676, P = 0.025; AUC = 0.694, P = 0.014), respectively, which were statistically significant in differentiating RA patients from controls. The activation level of basophils was positively correlated with CCP ( P < 0.001, r = 0.831), was positively correlated with CRP ( P = 0.001, r = 0.588). These data are correlated with disease activity assessment and can be used as an early monitoring index of RA activity. Therefore, these studies provide a new basis for evaluation of clinical disease activity in RA patients.
Cetuximab in Colon Cancer
Authors: Giuliani F. , Colucci G.
Published: January 2018

In the last decade remarkable progress has been made in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer due to the introduction of oxaliplatin and irinotecan in clinical practice. The addition of biological agents seems to offer a chance to further enhance the activity of conventional chemotherapy. Cetuximab, a chimeric mouse-human monoclonal antibody targeting the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has shown low but detectable activity when employed in pretreated patients either as a single agent or in combination with irinotecan. Cetuximab in combination with irinotecan has been registered in the USA and Europe for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer expressing the EGFR after failure of prior irinotecan-based cytotoxic therapy. The role of cetuximab in first-line therapy is still investigational. Some phase II trials assessing cetuximab plus chemotherapy demonstrated a high objective response rate and promising results in terms of time to progression and overall survival; data from phase III trials are pending. Further studies are needed to investigate the efficacy of cetuximab in combination with conventional chemotherapy in the adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting and to define criteria for a better selection of patients for this type of treatment.
Innovative design method of the metamorphic hand
Authors: Sun Wei , Kong Jianyi , Wang Xingdong , Liu Huaiguang
Published: January 2018

In order to solve the last centimeter problem of automated production, it is necessary to innovative design of flexible fixture. This article presents a metamorphic hand design method through the principle of metamorphic mechanism. Firstly, kinematic chain satisfying the requirements is obtained by number synthesis and structural synthesis. Then, the kinematic chain becomes a mechanism that meets the requirements using regeneration design rules. And the holographic matrix description method is used to describe the configuration transformation of the metamorphic mechanism. Furthermore, through the combination method of kinematic chain, the metamorphic clamp increases the two joint fingers into a metamorphic hand. Finally, the validity of the theoretical method is verified by physical experiments.
The reliability of carotid ultrasound in determining the return of pulsatile flow: A pilot study
Authors: Germanoska Biljana , Coady Matthew , Ng Sheyin , Fermanis Gary , Miller Matthew
Published: January 2018

Manual palpation of pulses is unreliable in detecting pulsatile flow in human participants, complicating the assessment of return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest. Ultrasound may offer an alternative. This study’s objective was to investigate whether return of pulsatile flow in humans can be reliably assessed by common carotid artery ultrasound. We conducted a single-blinded randomised study of common carotid artery ultrasound using 20 cardiopulmonary bypass patients to model the return of pulsatile flow. Synchronised time-stamped videos of radial artery invasive blood pressure and 10 two-dimensional or 10 colour Doppler ultrasounds were recorded. Three independent reviewers recorded the timestamp where they considered pulsatile flow was first visible on ultrasound. Ultrasound times were compared to the onset of arterial line pulsatile flow and reliability assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient. The median difference between radial artery and ultrasound flow time (interquartile range (range)) was 24 seconds (5–40 (0–93)) for two-dimensional and 5 seconds (2–17 (−28 to 188)) for colour Doppler. The intraclass correlation coefficient for two-dimensional ultrasound was 0.86 (95%CI 0.63–0.96) and 0.32 (95%CI −0.01 to 0.71) for colour Doppler. The median (interquartile range (range)) mean arterial pressure where ultrasound flow occurred for two-dimensional ultrasound was 62 mmHg (49–74 (33–82)) and 56 mmHg (52–73 (43–83)) for colour Doppler. In our pilot study, two-dimensional ultrasound was reliable in detecting the return of pulsatile flow. Colour Doppler detected pulsatile flow earlier and at lower mean arterial pressure but was not reliable, although a larger study is needed to determine colour Doppler’s utility.
A comparison of ultrasound with magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of fetal biometry and weight in the second trimester of pregnancy: An observer agreement and variability study
Authors: Matthew Jacqueline , Malamateniou Christina , Knight Caroline L , Baruteau Kelly P , Fletcher Tara , Davidson Alice , McCabe Laura , Pasupathy Dharmintra , Rutherford Mary
Published: January 2018

Objective

To compare the intra and interobserver variability of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of common fetal biometry and estimated fetal weight in the second trimester.

Methods

Retrospective measurements on preselected image planes were performed independently by two pairs of observers for contemporaneous ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging studies of the same fetus. Four common fetal measurements (biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length) and an estimated fetal weight were analysed for 44 ‘low risk’ cases. Comparisons included, intra-class correlation coefficients, systematic error in the mean differences and the random error.

Results

The ultrasound inter- and intraobserver agreements for ultrasound were good, except intraobserver abdominal circumference (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.880, poor), significant increases in error was seen with larger abdominal circumference sizes. Magnetic resonance imaging produced good/excellent intraobserver agreement with higher intra-class correlation coefficients than ultrasound. Good interobserver agreement was found for both modalities except for the biparietal diameter (magnetic resonance imaging intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.942, moderate). Systematic errors between modalities were seen for the biparietal diameter, femur length and estimated fetal weight (mean percentage error = +2.5%, −5.4% and −8.7%, respectively, p < 0.05). Random error was above 5% for ultrasound intraobserver abdominal circumference, femur length and estimated fetal weight and magnetic resonance imaging interobserver biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, femur length and estimated fetal weight (magnetic resonance imaging estimated fetal weight error >10%).

Conclusion

Ultrasound remains the modality of choice when estimating fetal weight, however with increasing application of fetal magnetic resonance imaging a method of assessing fetal weight is desirable. Both methods are subject to random error and operator dependence. Assessment of calliper placement variations may be an objective method detecting larger than expected errors in fetal measurements.
Preliminary development of the Portuguese Coach Motivation Questionnaire
Authors: da Silva Eduardo Jorge , Sánchez-Oliva David , Mallett Clifford J , Palmeira António
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Coaches' motivation is central to their coaching, however, few studies have examined coaches' motivation in different cultures. The aim of this study was to provide initial validation of the Portuguese version of the Coach Motivation Questionnaire.

Method

The participants were 369 coaches from various sports (males = 288) aged between 18 and 67 years old (M = 32.4, SD = 11.04). Confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant and nomological validity, and invariance across gender, team/individual sports and coaching experience were analysed.

Results

The hypothesised six-factor structure obtained acceptable values with the following robust adjustment indices: RTLI = .902; RCFI = .921; RGFI = .904 and RRMSEA (90% CI) = .066 (.058–.074). The amended model also showed high factor weights (λ ≥ .500) and appropriate individual reliabilities (λ2 ≥ .25). The instrument's internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha (.646–.898) and composite reliability (.662–.900). Regarding discriminant validity, correlations among the factors were in general according to the hypothesised patterns, where closer factors were positively related and not close factors were less strongly related. Regarding nomological validity, results supported for the hypothesised relationships through the associations with measures of motivation at work, need satisfaction and need frustration. Lastly, the measurement model met configural and metric invariance across gender and coaching experience and also met configural invariance across team/individual sports.

Conclusions

The evidence from this study suggests that the Portuguese Coach Motivation Questionnaire is a promising and parsimonious questionnaire to assess coaches' motivation, albeit its development remains a work in progress.
Hasty discussion, cross-cutting exposure, and tolerance: A comparative study of South Korean and American online discussants
Authors: Lee Jiyoung , Choi Yunjung
Published: January 2018

The positive relationship between cross-cutting exposure and tolerance has long been a topic in the political communication field. By reinvestigating this issue, this study further explores whether hasty discussion moderates the relationship from a cross-cultural perspective by comparing South Korea with the United States. The authors posit that hasty discussion—a term that was coined to explain South Korean’s fast lifestyle as reflected in discussion processes—is a South Korean characteristic that can have deleterious effects on deliberative democracy. Nine hundred and sixty survey participants (480 South Koreans and 480 Americans) showed meaningful results: (1) Hasty discussion comprises two factors (ignoring discussion processes and pursuing discussion efficiency). (2) Americans are exposed to more cross-cutting opinions than South Koreans, but the positive relationship between cross-cutting exposure and tolerance is more significant in the South Korean sample. (3) In the South Korean sample, ignoring discussion processes negatively affected tolerance. (4) An interaction effect of ignoring discussion processes and cross-cutting exposure on tolerance was found among South Koreans. That is, ignoring the discussion process lowered tolerance.
An audit of urological MDT decision making in the South West of England
Authors: Hounsome Luke , Verne Julia , Persad Raj , Bahl Amit , Gillatt David , Oxley Jon , Macdonagh Ru , Graham John , Pocock Richard
Published: January 2018

Objective:

The formation of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) was formalised for urological cancer services by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the 2002 Improving Outcomes in Urological Cancer guidance. This project aimed to assess the variability of MDT recommendations when presented with the same patient. It covered the type and grade of tumour, recorded stage, treatment recommendations and whether clinical trials were considered.

Materials and methods:

Anonymised details of 10 patients were sent to South West Trust MDTs in two tranches. Details included age, clinical history, haematology and biochemistry results, digital radiology, and pathology text. A panel of representative urologists and urological oncologists from the region decided on optimal treatment and key points of management decisions.

Results:

The MDTs were not consistent in decision making. This agrees with a previous survey of urologists which also showed inconsistent decision making, and under-use of clinical cues. Some decisions contradicted NICE guidelines in force at the time.

Conclusions:

MDTs are now an instrumental, integrated part of cancer management. It is vital for assurance of best patient care and best outcomes that the MDT considering and planning treatment is fully functional and well informed on the evidence base, with effective communications. This audit suggests that this is not the case. The Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine – Levels of Evidence is not applicable to this study.
Teaching Transition Self-Determination Knowledge and Skills Using the ME! Bell Ringers
Authors: Lingo Mindy E. , Williams-Diehm Kendra L. , Martin James E. , McConnell Amber E.
Published: January 2018

Special education teachers report lack of time and a shortage of appropriate curricula as reasons impeding implementation of transition education in their classrooms. However, research indicates school and postschool outcomes of students with disabilities improve significantly with transition instruction. The ME! Lessons for Teaching Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy materials and activities were developed to teach students to understand their disability and abilities, rights and responsibilities, and self-advocacy skills, which are all critical self-determination components. This article details a time-efficient means to teach the essence of the ME! Lessons using ME! Bell Ringers, which include instruction in self-advocacy, student involvement in individualized education program (IEP), and disability awareness, using 10-min lessons that can be taught at the beginning of class in a daily or weekly format.
Skin Diseases in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy: A Retrospective Study of 534 Patients
Authors: Tan Jennifer , Pina Ana , Borges-Costa João
Published: January 2018

Background:

With the increasing number of HIV-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the shift in their dermatologic profile becomes less characteristic of AIDS-defining illnesses.

Methods:

Retrospective review of mucocutaneous pathology among patients seen at HIV-Dermatology Clinic from January 2009 to December 2013.

Results:

Among 534 patients, there were 68.4% males and 31.6% females, with 8.7-year average duration of infection; 82.8% were receiving HAART. Kaposi sarcoma was the only relatively frequent AIDS-defining disease. Fungal and viral infections were common, with human papilloma virus (HPV) as the most frequent overall. Benign and premalignant tumors were associated with HAART and CD4 >200/mm3 ( P < .05). Psoriasis was prevalent among patients without HAART ( P < .05). Prurigo was associated with lower CD4 count ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

Patients receiving HAART are faced with chronic skin problems such as benign and premalignant tumors, and HPV infection adds to their neoplastic predisposition. Further research is recommended to develop protocols for treating psoriasis and screening for HPV-associated neoplasia among patients.
Working to Full Scope: The Reorganization of Nursing Work in Two Canadian Community Hospitals
Authors: MacKinnon Karen , Butcher Diane L. , Bruce Anne
Published: January 2018

Work relationships between registered nurses (RNs) and practical nurses (LPNs) are changing as new models of nursing care delivery are introduced to create more flexibility for employers. In Canada, a team-based, hospital nursing care delivery model, known as Care Delivery Model Redesign (CDMR), redesigned a predominantly RN-based staffing model to a functional team consisting of fewer RNs and more LPNs. The scope of practice for LPNs was expanded, and unregulated health care assistants introduced. This study began from the standpoint of RNs and LPNs to understand their experiences working on redesigned teams by focusing on discourses activated in social settings. Guided by institutional ethnography, the conceptual and textual resources nurses are drawing on to understand these changing work relationships are explicated. We show how the institutional goals embedded in CDMR not only mediate how nurses work together, but how they subordinate holistic standards of nursing toward fragmented, task-oriented, divisions of care.
Image‐Based 3‐Dimensional Characterization of Laryngotracheal Stenosis in Children
Authors: McDaniel Lee S. , Poynot William J. , Gonthier Keith A. , Dunham Michael E. , Crosby and Tyler W.
Published: January 2018

Objectives

Describe a technique for the description and classification of laryngotracheal stenosis in children using 3‐dimensional reconstructions of the airway from computed tomography (CT) scans.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional.

Setting

Academic tertiary care children’s hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Three‐dimensional models of the subglottic airway lumen were created using CT scans from 54 children undergoing imaging for indications other than airway disease. The base lumen models were deformed in software to simulate subglottic airway segments with 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% stenoses for each subject. Statistical analysis of the airway geometry was performed using metrics extracted from the lumen centerlines. The centerline analysis was used to develop a system for subglottic stenosis assessment and classification from patient‐specific airway imaging.

Results

The scaled hydraulic diameter gradient metric derived from intersectional changes in the lumen can be used to accurately classify and quantitate subglottic stenosis in the airway based on CT scan imaging. Classification is most accurate in the clinically relevant 25% to 75% range of stenosis.

Conclusions

Laryngotracheal stenosis is a complex diagnosis requiring an understanding of the airway lumen configuration, anatomical distortions of the airway framework, and alterations of respiratory aerodynamics. Using image‐based airway models, we have developed a metric that accurately captures subglottis patency. While not intended to replace endoscopic evaluation and existing staging systems for laryngotracheal stenosis, further development of these techniques will facilitate future studies of upper airway computational fluid dynamics and the clinical evaluation of airway disease.
Benefit–Cost Analysis of Undergraduate Education Programs: An Example Analysis of the Freshman Research Initiative
Authors: Walcott Rebecca L. , Corso Phaedra S. , Rodenbusch Stacia E. , Dolan Erin L.
Published: January 2018

Institutions and administrators regularly have to make difficult choices about how best to invest resources to serve students. Yet economic evaluation, or the systematic analysis of the relationship between costs and outcomes of a program or policy, is relatively uncommon in higher education. This type of evaluation can be an important tool for decision makers considering questions of resource allocation. Our purpose with this essay is to describe methods for conducting one type of economic evaluation, a benefit–cost analysis (BCA), using an example of an existing undergraduate education program, the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) at the University of Texas Austin. Our aim is twofold: to demonstrate how to apply BCA methodologies to evaluate an education program and to conduct an economic evaluation of FRI in particular. We explain the steps of BCA, including assessment of costs and benefits, estimation of the benefit–cost ratio, and analysis of uncertainty. We conclude that the university’s investment in FRI generates a positive return for students in the form of increased future earning potential.
Liaison psychiatry for older adults in the general hospital: service activity, development and outcomes
Authors: Mujic Fedza , Cairns Ruth , Mak Vivienne , Squire Clare , Wells Andrew , Al-Harrasi Ahmed , Prince Martin
Published: January 2018

Aims and method

This study used data collected to describe the activity, case-load characteristics and outcome measures for all patients seen during a 6-year period.

Results

The service reviewed 2153 patients over 6 years with referral rates and case-load characteristics comparable to those described in a previous study period. The team saw 82% of patients on the day they were referred. Data and outcome measures collected showed significant complexity in the cases seen and statistically significant improvement in Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) scores following service input.

Clinical implications

The outcome measures used were limited, but the study supports the need for specialist liaison psychiatry for older adults (LPOA) services in the general hospital. The Framework of Outcome Measures – Liaison Psychiatry has now been introduced, but it remains unclear how valid this is in LPOA. It is of note that cost-effectiveness secondary to service input and training activities are not adequately monitored.

Declaration of interest

None.
Toward the Decipherment of a Set of Mid-Colonial Khipus from the Santa Valley, Coastal Peru
Authors: Medrano Manuel , Urton Gary
Published: January 2018

This article focuses on a linked pair of “documents” from mid-seventeenth-century coastal Peru. The analysis first examines a revisita (an administrative “revisit”) carried out in 1670 in settlements around the town of San Pedro de Corongo, in the lower Santa River Valley. The revisit describes a census of the population of what are described as six pachacas (“one-hundreds”) administrative/census units that usually coincided with ayllus (the Andean clanlike sociopolitical groups). The document identifies 132 tributaries distributed across the six ayllus, all but two of whom are identified by name. Tribute is assessed on this new census count. The information in the revisit is then compared to the organization of a group of six khipus (knotted-string recording devices) that were said to have been recovered from a burial in the Santa Valley. The six khipus are organized into a total of 133 color-coded groups of six cords. The knot values on the first cords of the six-cord groups total the same value as the tribute assessed in the revisit document, and it is argued on these grounds that the khipus and the revisit document pertain to the same administrative procedure. The attachment knots of the first cords of the six-cord groups vary in a binary fashion by attachment type (i.e., tied either “verso” or “recto”). It is argued that this construction feature divides the tributaries identified in the revisit into moieties; therefore, the khipus constitute a gloss on the social organization of the population identified in the revisit document. It is suggested that the names of the tributaries may be signed by color coding in the khipus.
Niclosamide rescues microcephaly in a humanized in vivo model of Zika infection using human induced neural stem cells
Authors: Cairns Dana M. , Boorgu Devi Sai Sri Kavya , Levin Michael , Kaplan David L.
Published: January 2018

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus with a causative link to microcephaly, a condition resulting in reduced cranial size and brain abnormalities. Despite recent progress, there is a current lack of in vivo models that permit the study of systemic virus on human neurons in a developing organism that replicates the pathophysiology of human disease. Furthermore, no treatment to date has been reported to reduce ZIKV-induced microcephaly. We tested the effects of ZIKV on human induced neural stem cells (hiNSCs) in vitro and found that infected hiNSCs secrete inflammatory cytokines, display altered differentiation, and become apoptotic. We also utilized this in vitro system to assess the therapeutic effects of niclosamide, an FDA-approved anthelminthic, and found that it decreases ZIKV production, partially restores differentiation, and prevents apoptosis in hiNSCs. We intracranially injected hiNSCs into developing chicks, subjected them to systemic ZIKV infection via the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), a tissue similar in structure and function to the mammalian placenta, and found that humanized ZIKV-infected embryos developed severe microcephaly including smaller crania, decreased forebrain volume and enlarged ventricles. Lastly, we utilized this humanized model to show that CAM-delivery of niclosamide can partially rescue ZIKV-induced microcephaly and attenuate infection of hiNSCs in vivo.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Effects of Different Exercise Modes on Arterial Stiffness and Nitric Oxide Synthesis
Authors: HASEGAWA NATSUKI , FUJIE SHUMPEI , HORII NAOKI , MIYAMOTO-MIKAMI ERI , TSUJI KATSUNORI , UCHIDA MASATAKA , HAMAOKA TAKAFUMI , TABATA IZUMI , IEMITSU MOTOYUKI
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Aerobic training (AT) and high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) reduce arterial stiffness, whereas resistance training (RT) induces deterioration of or no change in arterial stiffness. However, the molecular mechanism of these effects of different exercise modes remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the difference of different exercise effects on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling pathway and arterial stiffness in rats and humans.

Methods

In the animal study, forty 10-wk-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sedentary control (CON), AT (treadmill running, 60 min at 30 m·min−1, 5 d·wk−1for 8 wk), RT (ladder climbing, 8–10 sets per day, 3 d·wk−1for 8 wk), and HIIT (14 repeats of 20-s swimming session with 10-s pause between sessions, 4 d·wk−1for 6 wk from 12-wk-old) groups (n= 10 in each group). In the human study, we confirmed the effects of 6-wk HIIT and 8-wk AT interventions on central arterial stiffness and plasma nitrite/nitrate level in untrained healthy young men in randomized controlled trial (HIIT, AT, and CON;n= 7 in each group).

Results

In the animal study, the effect on aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), as an index of central arterial stiffness, after HIIT was the same as the decrease in aortic PWV and increase in arterial eNOS/Akt phosphorylation after AT, which was not changed by RT. A negative correlation between aortic PWV and eNOS phosphorylation was observed (r= −0.38,P< 0.05). In the human study, HIIT- and AT-induced changes in carotid–femoral PWV (HIIT −115.3 ± 63.4 and AT −157.7 ± 45.7 vs CON 71.3 ± 61.1 m·s−1, eachP< 0.05) decreased, and plasma nitrite/nitrate level increased compared with those in CON.

Conclusions

HIIT may reduce central arterial stiffness via the increase in aortic nitric oxide bioavailability despite it being done in a short time and short term and has the same effects as AT.
Product versus Process: Innovation Strategies of Multiproduct Firms
Authors: Flach Lisandra , Irlacher Michael
Published: January 2018

We investigate the effects of better access to foreign markets on innovation strategies of multiproduct firms in industries with different scope for product differentiation. Industry-specific demand and cost linkages induce a distinction between the returns to innovation. In differentiated industries, cannibalization is lower and firms invest more in product innovation. In homogeneous industries, firms internalize intra-firm spillovers and invest more in process innovation. Using firm-level data and large exchange rate devaluations, we show that better access to foreign markets increases the incentive to innovate. However, we exploit differential effects across industries and show that the innovation strategies depend on the scope of differentiation. (JEL D22, D25, F14, G31, L60, O14, O31)
How Transparency Kills Information Aggregation: Theory and Experiment
Authors: Fehrler Sebastian , Hughes Niall
Published: January 2018

We investigate the potential of transparency to influence committee decision-making. We present a model in which career concerned committee members receive private information of different type-dependent accuracy, deliberate, and vote. We study three levels of transparency under which career concerns are predicted to affect behavior differently and test the model's key predictions in a laboratory experiment. The model's predictions are largely borne out—transparency negatively affects information aggregation at the deliberation and voting stages, leading to sharply different committee error rates than under secrecy. This occurs despite subjects revealing more information under transparency than theory predicts. (JEL C92, D72, D82, D83)
Jay Winter (ed.), The Cambridge History of the First World War
Authors: Papadimitriou Despina
Published: January 2018

Jay Winter, ed. The Cambridge History of the First World War. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014.
Merih Erol, Greek Orthodox Music in Ottoman Istanbul: Nation and Community in the Era of Reform
Authors: Exertzoglou Haris
Published: January 2018

Merih Erol. Greek Orthodox Music in Ottoman Istanbul: Nation and Community in the Era of Reform. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2015. 264 pp.
Efi Avdela, Haris Exertzoglou and Christos Lyrintzis, eds. Μορφές δημόσιας κοινωνικότητας στην Ελλάδα του εικοστού αιώνα [Forms of public sociality in 20th-century Greece]
Authors: Kouki Eleni
Published: January 2018

Efi Avdela, Haris Exertzoglou and Christos Lyrintzis, eds. Μορφές δημόσιας κοινωνικότητας στην Ελλάδα του εικοστού αιώνα [Forms of public sociality in 20th-century Greece]. Rethymno: University of Crete, 2015. 384 pp.
Thomas W. Gallant, Modern Greece: from the War of Independence to the Present
Authors: Doumanis Nicholas
Published: January 2018

Thomas W. Gallant. Modern Greece: from the War of Independence to the Present. 2nd ed. London and New York: Bloomsbury, 2016. xxi + 354 pp.
Christos Efstathiou, E.P. Thompson: Α Twentieth-Century Romantic
Authors: Souvlis George
Published: January 2018

Christos Efstathiou. E.P. Thompson: Α Twentieth-Century Romantic.London: Merlin Press, 2015. ix + 248 pp.
Ethics, present time and memory in Brazilian journals of history, 1981-2014
Authors: Avelar Alexandre , Pereira Mateus Henrique de Faria
Published: January 2018

The goal of this article is to present a portrait of the “state of the art” of memory, present time and ethics discussions in Brazilian academic journals of history (1981-2014), with an emphasis on the years 2010-2014. The article is organized in individual sections, for each key theme, followed by some brief remarks by way of conclusion. We decided to write our main observations on the studied sources and our methodology from the start, to provide the reasons behind our choices and exclusions. Our aim in this study is to reflect on two questions: regarding the studies on ethics, present time and memory, is there any “Brazilian peculiarity”? Is it possible to outline some central characteristics and trace them back to their main influences and references?
Ελληνική μουσική και πολιτισμός στην εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση
Authors: Πουλάκης Νικόλαος
Published: January 2018

Στην ανακοίνωση παρουσιάζεται λεπτομερώς το καινοτόμο πρόγραμμα e-learning «Ελληνικός μουσικός πολιτισμός και εκπαίδευση», το οποίο υλοποιείται ήδη από το 2011 από το Εργαστήριο Εθνομουσικολογίας και Πολιτισμικής Ανθρωπολογίας του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών και αποτελεί πρωτοποριακό έργο για την εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση στην ελληνική μουσική και τον πολιτισμό.
Μετασχηματισμός κειμένου και παραγωγή επικαιροποιημένου εκπαιδευτικού υλικού για εξΑΕ μέσα από διαδικασίες συνεργασίας, αλληλεπίδρασης & συνδημιουργίας. Μελέτη περίπτωσης ομάδας φοιτητών της Θ.Ε. ΕΠΑ65 του Α.Π.ΚΥ. (Ακαδ. Έτος 2016-2017).
Authors: ΠΑΠΑΝΔΡΕΟΥ ΧΡΗΣΤΟΣ
Published: January 2018

Στην εξΑΕ το ειδικά διαμορφωμένο «πολυμορφικό» εκπαιδευτικό υλικό αποκτά κεντρικό διδακτικό ρόλο μέσα στα αναπροσαρμοσμένα πλαίσια της αυτόνομης και ευρετικής διαδικασίας μάθησης. Ακολουθώντας ιδιαίτερες αρχές στον σχεδιασμό και την ανάπτυξή του, καθίσταται πραγματικά αποδοτικό και κατάλληλο για μια απαιτητική και υψηλών προδιαγραφών εκπαίδευση του 21ου αιώνα. Στην παρούσα εργασία αποτυπώνεται η εμπειρία της συνεργασίας και αλληλεπίδρασης μιας ομάδας 6 μεταπτυχιακών φοιτητών του Α.Π.ΚΥ. υπό την προτροπή της Καθηγήτριας/Συμβούλου τους και Συντονίστριας της θεματικής «Ανοικτή και εξΑΕ» (ΕΠΑ65), την ακαδημαϊκή χρονιά 2016-2017 να μετασχηματίσουν κοινή εργασία τους σε εξΑΕ εκπαιδευτικό υλικό, εφαρμόζοντας στην πράξη τις σύγχρονες αρχές συγγραφής και ανάπτυξης εκπαιδευτικού υλικού για εξΑΕ. Αξιοποιώντας τα μοντέλα West & Lionaraki, καθώς και το μοντέλο A.R.C.S. του Keller, έδωσαν έμφαση στην κάλυψη των πολλαπλών εκπαιδευτικών αναγκών των εκπαιδευομένων, προσφέροντας ποικιλία μέσων και ελευθερία επιλογών, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τα διάφορα μαθησιακά στυλ και τον ατομικό ρυθμό μελέτης του κάθε φοιτητή. Αυτή η εκπαιδευτική καινοτομία αποτελεί μια εναλλακτική πρόταση διδασκαλίας και μάθησης στην εξΑΕ, με τους εκπαιδευομένους να αναλαμβάνουν ενεργό ρόλο στη διαδικασία της μάθησης, ως συνδιαμορφωτές του διδακτικού υλικού, όχι μόνο μαθαίνοντας μέσα από τη δική τους πράξη αυτά που η θεωρία ορίζει αλλά και -γιατί όχι-προσθέτοντας την δική τους οπτική στη θεωρία αυτή.
Πλαίσιο διαδικασίας για την αντικειμενοποίηση της επιλογής ερωτημάτων τελικής δοκιμασίας μέσω αξιοποίησης των δεδομένων από ενδιάμεσες δοκιμασίες αξιολόγησης
Authors: Κάτσενος Ιωάννης Σπυρίδωνος , Ανδρουλάκης Γεώργιος Σίλα
Published: January 2018

Η επιλογή των κατάλληλων ερωτημάτων για την τελική δοκιμασία ενός γνωστικού αντικειμένου σε ένα εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα είναι μια απαιτητική διαδικασία, δεδομένων των στοιχείων του πληθυσμού των εξεταζόμενων, των εκπαιδευτικών στόχων που θα πρέπει να αξιολογηθούν και της επιζητούμενης συγκρισιμότητας των αποτελεσμάτων ανάμεσα σε διαφορετικές ομάδες εξεταζόμενων σε διαφορετικούς κύκλους σπουδών των προγράμματος. Στην εργασία αυτή, παρουσιάζουμε ένα πλαίσιο διαδικασίας γα την ανάλυση ενδιάμεσων αξιολογήσεων και την επιλογή από αυτές των κατάλληλων ερωτημάτων για την τελική αξιολόγηση ενός γνωστικού αντικειμένου. Οι ενδιάμεσες δοκιμασίες αναλύονται με τη θεωρία απόκρισης ερωτήματος (IRT) και προσδιορίζονται οι συναρτήσεις πληροφορίας ερωτήματος. Τα κριτήρια για την επιλογή ερωτημάτων είναι οι μέγιστες τιμές των συναρτήσεων πληροφορίας, η κατανομή τους στην κλίμακα ικανότητας θ και η κάλυψη του εύρους των εκπαιδευτικών στόχων. Τα επαναχρησιμοποιούμενα ερωτήματα, μετατρέπονται σε ψευδο-ανοικτού τύπου και βαθμολογούνται σύμφωνα με το επίπεδο επίτευξης των  αντίστοιχων σε αυτά γνωστικών στόχων. Η εφαρμογή του προτεινόμενου πλαισίου σε δύο πανεπιστημιακά μαθήματα έδειξε ότι η ολική πληροφορία των δοκιμασιών αυξήθηκε από τις ενδιάμεσες στις τελικές δοκιμασίες ενώ η μέση βαθμολογία των φοιτητών παρέμεινε στα ίδια επίπεδα.