bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Choice of foreign licensees: information and communication technology firms
Authors: Kim YoungJun
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to study the validity of potential factors that might affect US information and communication technology (ICT) holders' choice of foreign licensing partners.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study focuses on ICT industry. The sample firms for this study are drawn from the SDC by Thomson Financial and this sample was used to construct a data in which a unit of observation is the unique US licensor – foreign licensee pair, or a dyad. The hypotheses are tested using the random-effects logit model.

Findings

– The important explanatory factors relate to the knowledge appropriability and the level of economics freedom of a licensee's country, and familiarity between partners through prior licensing agreements. Market similarity between partners, however, appears to be an insignificant factor.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that transaction cost, competition, and national absorb capacity considerations weigh in heavily in explaining firms' choice of foreign licensing partners.

Originality/value

– The paper makes an important contribution to licensing literature as the understanding of what drives partner choice is still sparse. Especially, the paper makes a uniqueness of dealing with international technology licensing.
Physical environment as a source for innovation: investigating the attributes of innovative space
Authors: Oksanen Kaisa , Ståhle Pirjo
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how physical spaces intersect with innovation and innovativeness, and what the most relevant attributes of physical space are for innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reflects the changing nature of innovation, from technological advancements to services and meaning changes, and argues that the development of innovative spaces similarly embodies a diverse set of values such as collaboration, openness, and sustainability. Using a literature review, interviews, and benchmarking data, the paper examines the relationship between physical environment and innovation.

Findings

– The findings from both the literature review and the interviews underline innovation as a communicative and human-centred process. As a result five attributes of innovative space are presented: collaboration enabling, modifiability, smartness, attractiveness, and value reflecting.

Originality/value

– The results provide perspectives to the challenge of how to support innovation creation by developing physical spaces. The paper adds to the conceptual development of innovative space and outlines physical space as an innovative service.
Deploying the ELECTRE III and MACBETH multicriteria ranking methods for SMEs tactical performance improvements
Authors: Clivillé Vincent , Berrah Lamia , Mauris Gilles
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Industrial companies are continuously looking to improve their business turn-over and choose improvement actions to achieve this objective. Legitimating this choice by only a strategic financial point of view currently has some limits, because additional ones such as quality, delay, resources needs have also to be taken into account. The multicriteria decision aid (MCDA) approaches have been developed to deal with problems such as ranking, sorting or quantification. The purpose of this paper is to describe the operational aspects in MCDA deployment through a case study submitted by the SME Fournier Company.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper concerns analytical overall performance models to allow the decision-makers (DMs) to select potential actions to launch regarding given decision criteria. The principles of the main MCDA approaches, outranking and aggregation, are presented. Then representative MCDA methods, ELECTREIII and MACBETH, are successively deployed to a tactical decision problem of business turn-over increase. From the building of their respective preference modelling, decision aid is provided in the form of preference relation or performance function.

Findings

– A formal framework supplying information to the industrial DMs in order to legitimate the action selection is described. In addition, the DMs feedback highlights the required expertise for the preference modelling.

Practical implications

– The article gives a guideline for industrial practitioners to carry out ELECTREIII and MACBETH for their improvement action selection.

Originality/value

– SMEs can find an adapted framework for their improvement actions choice dealing with financial and non-financial criteria. It is also enriched by practical considerations concerning the methods deployment for tactical decision problems.
The business of digital storytelling
Authors: Edith Burke Maria , O'Callaghan Simone , Quigley Michael
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to present case study findings that explore the implementation and use of a low-cost digital technology platform to collect, process and disseminate information in business-to-consumer practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is interdisciplinary, drawing from a range of backgrounds, the epistemological approach is that of mixed methods, combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. Insights are drawn from what emerges from observations arising from the data, rather than starting with a hypothesis and designing the research to test this. The over arching research approach was “action research”. Action research has at its basis the premise of conducting research “in practice”. The “practice” on this occasion was a business practice, implemented in high street estate agents.

Findings

– This approach to accessing information aids important decision-making in the buying and selling of homes. It allows for mobile augmentation technologies to facilitate a person's presence in the imagined spaces of the advertised properties “for sale”. This has the potential to enable faster, more efficient means of searching for the “right” home to purchase.

Originality/value

– This research makes a contribution to the literature by providing empirical evidence regarding the implementation and impact that quick read code digital technologies have on a high street SME. The research showed that statistically more properties were viewed than would have normally been the case, thus whilst not guaranteeing new business, the codes certainly attracted increased attention.
Library instruction and information literacy 2012
Authors: Marie Johnson Anna , Sproles Claudene , Detmering Robert
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

– Introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.

Findings

– Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

Originality/value

– The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
Assessing information literacy among German psychology students
Authors: Leichner Nikolas , Peter Johannes , Mayer Anne-Kathrin , Krampen Günter
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to report on the development of an information literacy test for German psychology students.

Design/methodology/approach

– The test consists of 22 items covering two facets of information literacy (searching for information and evaluating information) which are mapped on Standards Two and Three of the information literacy framework provided by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL, 2000). A sample of N=64 German psychology students including n=22 freshmen, n=21 advanced students and n=21 PhD students completed the test. The freshmen and advanced students also performed an academic literature search task.

Findings

– The test has acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha between 0.73 and 0.82). An analysis of variance showed that PhD students scored higher than advanced students, who, in turn, scored higher than freshmen. Additionally, the score on the first scale (Evaluating) showed a significant relationship with the performance on the academic literature search task.

Practical implications

– The test can be used to determine training needs among German psychology students, or to evaluate instruction programs.

Originality/value

– The new measure is the only standardized information literacy test for German-speaking populations for which psychometric properties have been reported.
Regulation Room
Authors: R. Farina Cynthia , Epstein Dmitry , B. Heidt Josiah , J. Newhart Mary
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Rulemaking (the process agencies use to make new health, safety, social and economic regulations) is one of the US Government's most important policymaking methods and has long been a target for e-government efforts. Although broad transparency and participation rights are part of its legal structure, significant barriers prevent effective engagement by many citizens. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– RegulationRoom.org is an online experimental e-participation platform, designed and operated by Cornell e-rulemaking Initiative (CeRI), the cross-disciplinary CeRI. Using the Regulation Room as a case study, this paper addresses what capacities are required for effective civic engagement and how they can be nurtured and supported by an online participation system.

Findings

– The research suggests that effectively designing and deploying technology, although essential, is only one dimension of realizing broader, better online civic engagement. Effective e-participation systems must be prepared to address procedural, social, and psychological barriers that impede citizens' meaningful participation in complex policymaking processes. The research also suggests the need for re-conceptualizing the value of broad civic participation to the policymaking processes and for recognizing that novice commenters engage with policy issues differently than experienced insiders.

Practical implications

– The paper includes a series of strategic recommendations for policymaking seeking public input. While it indicates that a broader range of citizens can indeed be meaningfully engaged, it also cautions that getting better participation from more people requires the investment of resources. More fundamental, both government decision makers and participation designers must be open to recognizing non-traditional forms of knowledge and styles of communication – and willing to devise participation mechanisms and protocols accordingly.

Originality/value

– This paper describes lessons from a unique design-based research project with both practical and conceptual implications for more, better civic participation in complex government policymaking.
Interpretation of Pharmaceutical Drug Concentrations in Young Children's Head Hair
Authors: Chatterton Craig , Turner Kirsten , Klinger Nadine , Etter Matthieu , Duez Mathieu , Cirimele Vincent
Published: October 2013

Three separate cases of child administration of prescription drugs are described. Following liquid–liquid extraction, high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS) was used to identify and quantify methadone, 2‐ethylidene‐1,5‐dimethyl‐3,3‐diphenyl‐1‐pyrrolidine (EDDP), tramadol, amitriptyline, and nortriptyline in children's hair. The children's age ranged from 14 months to 7 years; in all three cases, the drug in question was detected in more than one section of hair. Methadone was detected in the concentration range of 0.65–0.99 and 0.04–0.4 ng/mg; tramadol was detected in the concentration range of 1.5–2.2 ng/mg; amitriptyline and nortriptyline were detected in the concentration range of 0.18–1.06 and 0.38–2.0 ng/mg, respectively. In each case, the children's parents admitted to or were found guilty of drug administration to the child. These cases demonstrate the added value of hair testing and emphasize the importance of using hair samples to complement conventional analyses.
A Test of the Revised Auricular Surface Aging Method on a Modern European Population
Authors: Moraitis Konstantinos , Zorba Eleni , Eliopoulos Constantine , Fox Sherry C.
Published: October 2013

The accurate age estimation of adults is an important step in the construction of the biological profile of skeletonized remains. The auricular surface of the ilium as it was developed in 1985 by Lovejoy et al., is one of the methods employed for age estimation. This study presents the results of a blind test of the revised auricular surface aging method developed by Buckberry and Chamberlain. A sample of 120 individuals from the Athens Collection was used to test this revised aging technique. Almost all features and composite score were positively correlated with known age‐at‐death. The calculation of bias demonstrated no obvious trend for either overestimation or underestimation of age when all individuals were pooled together. Inaccuracy showed that absolute errors of estimated ages against known ages are substantial. The data generated from this study suggest that the revised method can be reliable for age estimation on a modern European population.
A Statistical Test of Change‐Point in Mean that Almost Surely Has Zero Error Probabilities
Authors: Qian Guoqi , Shi Xiaoping , Wu Yuehua
Published: October 2013

In this paper we develop a non‐conventional statistical test for the change‐point in a mean model by making use of an almost‐sure (a.s.) convergence (or strong convergence) result that we obtain, in respect of the difference between the sums of squared residuals under the null and alternative hypotheses. We prove that both types of error probabilities of the new test converge to zero almost surely when the sample size goes to infinity. This result does not hold for any conventional statistical test where the type I error probability, i.e. the significance level or the size, is prescribed at a low but non‐zero level (e.g. 0.05). The test developed is easy to use in practice, and is ready to be generalised to other change‐point models provided that the relevant almost‐sure convergence results are available. We also provide a simulation study in the paper to compare the new and conventional tests under different data scenarios. The results obtained are consistent with our asymptotic study. In addition we provide least squares estimators of those parameters used in the change‐point test together with their almost‐sure convergence properties.
What enhances the relevance of this low carbon policy research? A strong blend of pertinence, commitment, application and trustworthiness
Authors: Andreassen Lise
Published: October 2013

This paper explores the factors that enhanced the relevance achieved by a specific research project concerned with the implementation of a local carbon policy in theUK. This policy required the installation of low and zero carbon (LZC) energy technologies within new homes throughout a particular borough. Sensitive to the contingent nature of relevance, the aim of the paper is not to propose universal determinants for achieving relevance in research but to crystallise out the multitude of factors that have enabled this specific piece of research in the field of human geography to reach and function effectively at the research/policy interface. The initial framework employed explores these factors under three sub‐headings derived from the extant research literature: pertinence, commitment and application. The issue of trustworthiness is then introduced as an additional sub‐heading worthy of consideration in relation to the contributing processes at work in building this research's relevance.
Linguistic and Spatial Skills Predict Early Arithmetic Development via Counting Sequence Knowledge
Authors: Zhang Xiao , Koponen Tuire , Räsänen Pekka , Aunola Kaisa , Lerkkanen Marja‐Kristiina , Nurmi Jari‐Erik
Published: October 2013

Utilizing a longitudinal sample of Finnish children (ages 6–10), two studies examined how early linguistic (spoken vs. written) and spatial skills predict later development of arithmetic, and whether counting sequence knowledge mediates these associations. In Study 1 (N = 1,880), letter knowledge and spatial visualization, measured in kindergarten, predicted the level of arithmetic in first grade, and later growth through third grade. Study 2 (n = 378) further showed that these associations were mediated by counting sequence knowledge measured in first grade. These studies add to the literature by demonstrating the importance of written language for arithmetic development. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that linguistic and spatial skills can improve arithmetic development by enhancing children's number‐related knowledge.
Impact of implant–abutment connection, positioning of the machined collar/microgap, and platform switching on crestal bone level changes. Camlog Foundation Consensus Report.
Authors: Schwarz Frank , Alcoforado Gil , Nelson Katja , Schaer Alex , Taylor Thomas , Beuer Florian , Strietzel Frank Peter
Published: October 2013

Objectives

The aim of this consensus meeting was to assess the impact of implant–abutment connection, positioning of the machined collar/microgap, and platform switching on crestal bone level changes.

Materials and methods

Two comprehensive systematic reviews were prepared in advance of the meeting. Consensus statements, practical recommendations, and implications for future research were based on within group as well as plenary scrutinization and discussions of these systematic reviews.

Results

Placing the smooth part of the implant below the alveolar crest may lead to bone loss. Despite a more pronounced bone remodeling, the subcrestal positioning of the microgap may help to retain the bony coverage of the rough surface. Crestal bone remodeling has been observed for either internal and external, or conical and butt–joint connections. There was a trend favoring the platform switching concept to prevent or minimize peri‐implant marginal bone loss.

Conclusions

Future research should consider an uniform and comparable study design, either excluding or exactly documenting possible confounding factors.
Birth size and the risk of cerebral palsy in term births
Authors: Day Steven M
Published: October 2013

This commentary is on the original article by Dahlseng et al. on pages 53–58 of this issue.
An evaluation of the synchronization in the dynamics of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) populations in the western Atlantic
Authors: Colton A.R. , Wilberg M.J. , Coles V.J. , Miller T.J.
Published: October 2013

Interannual variability in the abundances of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in populations along the U.S. east coast is well documented, but the mechanisms driving these fluctuations remain poorly understood. Using principal component analysis and dynamic factor analysis we quantified the patterns in variability and the degree of synchrony among blue crab populations along the U.S. east coast to gain insight into the mechanisms regulating the dynamics of these populations. We determined that a latitudinal pattern in the variability in abundance among the states existed and that a combination of the Gulf Stream Index, southern winter temperature, and larval mixing in the coastal ocean may be important drivers for the observed fluctuations of blue crab. The blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay appeared to be an anomaly in that its abundance did not match the latitudinal trend seen in the other states. Understanding the dynamics of blue crab throughout its range may help managers determine which population responses reflect local dynamics and which may reflect shared, regional responses.
Co‐registered positron emission tomography/computed tomography and gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid magnetic resonance imaging features of multiple angiosarcoma of the liver
Authors: Kamatani Takashi , Iguchi Hiroyoshi , Okada Takemichi , Yamazaki Hitoshi , Tsunoda Hidekazu , Watanabe Masaaki , Oda Masaya , Ohbu Makoto , Yokomori Hiroaki
Published: October 2013

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a very rare disease, accounting for only 2% of primary liver malignancy. An 82‐year‐old man was admitted to our hospital because of jaundice and weight loss. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse and multiple space‐occupying lesions. On gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd‐EOB‐DTPA)‐enhanced MRI, the tumor was not enhanced intensely in the arterial phase following contrast injection, and was then gradually enhanced homogeneously. In the delayed phase and hepatobiliary phase, the tumor was completely washed out. Whole‐body 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET)/CT fusion scanning confirmed metabolic activity with maximum uptake value of 3.64 in the lesions. A liver biopsy showed spindle‐shaped tumor cells proliferating along sinusoids, with elongated and hyperchromatic nuclei. Immunohistochemical studies showed tumor cells positive for von Willebrand factor and CD34. These findings were consistent with angiosarcoma of the liver. This case report is the first description of co‐registered FDG‐PET/CT images and Gd‐EOB‐DTPA‐enhanced MRI of primary hepatic angiosarcoma.
Late Triassic ammonoid Sirenites from the Sabudani Formation in Tokushima, Southwest Japan, and its biostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic implications
Authors: Tsujino Yasuyuki , Shigeta Yasunari , Maeda Haruyoshi , Komatsu Toshifumi , Kusuhashi Nao
Published: October 2013

Discovery of Sirenites senticosus (Dittmar) in the upper part of the Sabudani Formation of the Kurosegawa Belt, Kito area, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, establishes a late Early Carnian age for this part of the stratigraphic unit. Because S. senticosus was mainly distributed in the Tethyan region, its occurrence provides evidence that Late Triassic ammonoids of Japan had strong affinities with those of the Tethyan faunas. This finding clearly differs from the biogeographic distribution of contemporary bivalves in the region, which are referred to as the Kochigatani bivalve faunas, and show strong affinities to faunas of the Boreal region.
Molecular Typing of Cronobacter Strains from Food in China by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Sequence PCR (ERIC‐PCR) and Sequence Analysis of the gyrB Gene
Authors: Chen Wanyi , Ai Lianzhong , Yang Jielin , Ren Jing , Li Yunfei , Guo Benheng
Published: October 2013

The occurrence of outbreaks of Cronobacter strains causing necrotizing meningitis in China highlights the need for strain characterization and subtyping of this pathogenic species. A total of 43 Cronobacter isolates and five Enterobacteriaceae strains were used in this study. The strains were characterized using two molecular typing methods, including enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence polymerase chain reaction (ERIC‐PCR) and sequence analysis of the gyrB gene. Genetic profiles of cluster analysis from these two molecular typing tests clearly showed that there was no close relationship between Cronobacter spp. and Enterobacteriaceae strains. Discriminatory index of ERIC‐PCR typing for the 43 Cronobacter isolates and five Enterobacteriaceae strains was high (D = 0.984) by Simpson's index of diversity based on the similarity value of more than 80% using BioNumerics version 5.0. Sequence analysis of the gyrB gene was proven to be suitable for the phylogenetic analysis of the Cronobacter strains. These results demonstrate that ERIC‐PCR combined with sequence analysis of the gyrB gene may be a reliable, rapid typing strategy for Cronobacter strains.

Practical Applications

Molecular typing of foodborne pathogenic bacteria has been shown as a useful tool for tracking the source of infection and detection of virulent strains, as well as for determining the geographical and host distribution of possible variants. ERIC‐PCR provides rapid clustered results when a large number of Cronobacter spp. isolates need to be subtyped rapidly. Furthermore, partial sequence analysis of the gyrB gene was utilized to differentiate among the closely related isolates. The results of the current study suggest that ERIC‐PCR in conjunction with the gyrB sequence analysis would provide a reliable and accurate typing strategy for Cronobacter spp. strains. This combination of techniques can be used as a rapid means of comparing Cronobacter spp. isolates for epidemiological investigations.
Moral Economy and the Upper Peasant: The Dynamics of Land Privatization in the Mekong Delta
Authors: Gorman Timothy
Published: October 2013

This paper examines how people mobilize around notions of distributive justice, or ‘moral economies’, to make claims to resources, using the process of post‐socialist land privatization in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam as a case study. First, I argue that the region's history of settlement, production and political struggle helped to entrench certain normative beliefs around landownership, most notably in its population of semi‐commercial upper peasants. I then detail the ways in which these upper peasants mobilized around notions of distributive justice to successfully press demands for land restitution in the late 1980s, drawing on Vietnamese newspapers and other sources to construct case studies of local land conflicts. Finally, I argue that the successful mobilization of the upper peasants around such a moral economy has helped, over the past two decades, to facilitate the re‐emergence of agrarian capitalism in the Mekong Delta, in contrast to other regions in Vietnam.
Multiple Verruciform Xanthomas in the Setting of Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosiform Erythroderma and Limb Defects Syndrome
Authors: Xu Xiu‐Lian , Huang Li‐Ming , Wang Qiang , Sun Jian‐Fang
Published: October 2013

Congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects (CHILD) syndrome is a rare X‐linked dominant disease characterized by peculiar cutaneous presentations and skeletal abnormalities. Verruciform xanthoma (VX)‐like histologic changes occasionally occur in CHILD syndrome, but typical VX‐like lesions coexisting with CHILD syndrome are rare. In this study we report a rare case of multiple, coexisting VXs on the vulva and left lower limb of an 11‐year‐old Chinese girl who also exhibited the typical clinical presentations and limb defects of CHILD syndrome. Histologic and immunohistochemical analyses showed that the lesions were typical VXs.
Distinguishing different fictional worlds during sentence comprehension: ERP evidence
Authors: Yang Jie , Xue Jin
Published: October 2013

The neural mechanism of distinguishing reality from fiction has been explored recently. While people only represent one real world, they are likely to have representations for multiple fictional worlds. This study used event‐related potentials to investigate how different fictional events were distinguished during sentence comprehension. Participants read fictional events involving real people (e.g., President Bush) or unreal characters (e.g., Lord Voldemort). Inconsistency of reality was created by introducing real people into the events involving unreal characters or introducing unreal characters into the events involving real people. The results indicated that inconsistency in reality in both types of fictional events elicited a late positive effect, and an interaction between event type and consistency effect was found in medial sites. These results suggested that reality information is important for the construction and updating of situation models.
The auditory novelty system: An attempt to integrate human and animal research
Authors: Escera Carles , Malmierca Manuel S.
Published: October 2013

In this account, we attempt to integrate two parallel, but thus far, separate lines of research on auditory novelty detection: (1) human studies of EEG recordings of the mismatch negativity (MMN), and (2) animal studies of single‐neuron recordings of stimulus‐specific adaptation (SSA). The studies demonstrating the existence of novelty neurons showing SSA at different levels along the auditory pathway's hierarchy, together with the recent results showing human auditory‐evoked potential correlates of deviance detection at very short latencies, that is, at 20–40 ms from change onset, support the view that novelty detection is a key principle that governs the functional organization of the auditory system. Furthermore, the generation of the MMN recorded from the human scalp seems to involve a cascade of neuronal processing that occurs at different successive levels of the auditory system's hierarchy.
Physiological Daily Inhalation Rates for Health Risk Assessment in Overweight/Obese Children, Adults, and Elderly
Authors: Brochu Pierre , Bouchard Michèle , Haddad Sami
Published: October 2013

Physiological daily inhalation rates reported in our previous study for normal‐weight subjects 2.6–96 years old were compared to inhalation data determined in free‐living overweight/obese individuals (n = 661) aged 5–96 years. Inhalation rates were also calculated in normal‐weight (n = 408), overweight (n = 225), and obese classes 1, 2, and 3 adults (n = 134) aged 20–96 years. These inhalation values were based on published indirect calorimetry measurements (n = 1,069) and disappearance rates of oral doses of water isotopes (i.e., 2H2O and H218O) monitored by gas isotope ratio mass spectrometry usually in urine samples for an aggregate period of over 16,000 days. Ventilatory equivalents for overweight/obese subjects at rest and during their aggregate daytime activities (28.99 ± 6.03 L to 34.82 ± 8.22 L of air inhaled/L of oxygen consumed; mean ±  SD) were determined and used for calculations of inhalation rates. The interindividual variability factor calculated as the ratio of the highest 99th percentile to the lowest 1st percentile of daily inhalation rates is higher for absolute data expressed in m3/day (26.7) compared to those of data in m3/kg‐day (12.2) and m3/m2‐day (5.9). Higher absolute rates generally found in overweight/obese individuals compared to their normal‐weight counterparts suggest higher intakes of air pollutants (in μg/day) for the former compared to the latter during identical exposure concentrations and conditions. Highest absolute mean (24.57 m3/day) and 99th percentile (55.55 m3/day) values were found in obese class 2 adults. They inhale on average 8.21 m3 more air per day than normal‐weight adults.
Effects of Track and Threat Information on Judgments of Hurricane Strike Probability
Authors: Wu Hao‐Che , Lindell Michael K. , Prater Carla S. , Samuelson Charles D.
Published: October 2013

Although evacuation is one of the best strategies for protecting citizens from hurricane threat, the ways that local elected officials use hurricane data in deciding whether to issue hurricane evacuation orders is not well understood. To begin to address this problem, we examined the effects of hurricane track and intensity information in a laboratory setting where participants judged the probability that hypothetical hurricanes with a constant bearing (i.e., straight line forecast track) would make landfall in each of eight 45 degree sectors around the Gulf of Mexico. The results from 162 participants in a student sample showed that the judged strike probability distributions over the eight sectors within each scenario were, unsurprisingly, unimodal and centered on the sector toward which the forecast track pointed. More significantly, although strike probability judgments for the sector in the direction of the forecast track were generally higher than the corresponding judgments for the other sectors, the latter were not zero. Most significantly, there were no appreciable differences in the patterns of strike probability judgments for hurricane tracks represented by a forecast track only, an uncertainty cone only, or forecast track with an uncertainty cone—a result consistent with a recent survey of coastal residents threatened by Hurricane Charley. The study results suggest that people are able to correctly process basic information about hurricane tracks but they do make some errors. More research is needed to understand the sources of these errors and to identify better methods of displaying uncertainty about hurricane parameters.
Can a Regional Trade Agreement Benefit a Nonmember Country without Compensating It?
Authors: Endoh Masahiro , Hamada Koichi , Shimomura Koji
Published: October 2013

RTAs are generally formed without any tariff concessions or transfers to nonmember countries. Can such an RTA benefit nonmembers' welfare? In a two‐good three‐country competitive equilibrium model in the absence of an entrepôt, an RTA without concessions to a nonmember will hurt nonmembers' welfare when goods are normal. If one of the member countries is an entrepôt, however, it definitely improves nonmembers' welfare. In a three‐good three‐country model, an RTA without concessions damages the nonmember's welfare, provided that all the goods are normal and substitutes, and that initial tariff levels are small.
Structural and Cyclical Factors behind Current Account Balances
Authors: Cheung Calista , Furceri Davide , Rusticelli Elena
Published: October 2013

Global external imbalances widened persistently over the last several years and have narrowed abruptly over the course of the financial crisis. Understanding the extent to which structural or cyclical factors may have driven these patterns is important to assess the likely evolution of global imbalances going forward, as well as the potential adjustment that can be achieved through changes in policy. This paper assesses the link between structural and cyclical factors and current account balances using a panel of 94 countries from 1973 to 2008. We find that the medium‐term evolution of global external imbalances can be related in large part to structural factors including cross‐country differences in demographics, fiscal deficits, oil dependency and intensity, stage of economic development, financial market development, and institutional quality. Part of the narrowing in current account balances since the financial crisis appears to be related to various cyclical factors including changes in output growth, oil prices, and exchange rates, and may be expected to reverse alongside the economic recovery.
Fear of the Brown Envelope: Exploring Welfare Reform with Long‐Term Sickness Benefits Recipients
Authors: Garthwaite Kayleigh
Published: October 2013

This article presents qualitative data taken from in‐depth interviews with 25 long‐term sickness benefits recipients in the north east of England, UK. A key theme emerging from the research is the importance of listening to the narratives of long‐term sick and disabled benefits recipients, particularly in relation to the formation of policy responses and in terms of practice. The findings also illustrate how stigma associated with claiming benefits can deter people from accessing the support they need, leading to under‐claiming and the risk of amplified financial strain and hardship. Further, the importance of evidence that emerges from research which focuses upon the lived experiences of sickness benefits recipients to provide evidence in the framing of disability and welfare policy is crucial. Lastly, the article discusses how the narratives presented have implications for social policy and practice, alongside the potential implications for sick and disabled people themselves.
Acoustics spectral gaps and transmission in periodic stub tuners
Authors: Kushwaha M. S. , Vasilopoulos P. , Wang X. F.
Published: October 2013

Periodic binary systems can give rise to genuine acoustic stop bands within which sound and vibrations remain forbidden. Extensive band structure and transmission are computed for a periodically stubbed waveguide. In general the waveguide segments and stubs are made of different materials. The acoustic wave in such a system has two independent polarizations: out-of-plane and in-plane modes. The band structure and transmission spectrum are studied for diverse geometries using a simple and efficient version of the transfer-matrix method [Phys. Rev. B 65, 035107 (2002)]. For the same material between the waveguide and symmetric stubs the width of some gaps can change, upon varying the stub length or width, by more than one order of magnitude. A further modulation can be achieved for different materials between the stubs and the main waveguide or if the stubs are asymmetric. The spectral gaps in the band structure of an infinitely long system correspond to those in the transmission spectrum of the same system but with a finite number n of units. For n finite (i) there exist pseudogaps that gradually turn into complete gaps with increasing n and (ii) the introduction of defects gives rise to states inside the gaps and leads to transmission resonances.
Detection of high-frequency spectral notches as a function of level
Authors: Alves-Pinto Ana , Lopez-Poveda Enrique A.
Published: October 2013

In experiment I, the threshold depth for detecting a spectral notch centered at 8 kHz in an otherwise flat-spectrum noise was measured as a function of the noise spectrum level. Threshold depths increased gradually with spectrum level. This result is explained in terms of the broadening of cochlear filters with level and of the narrow dynamic range of most auditory nerve (AN) fibers. Experiment II investigated the extent that notch detection is affected by stimulus duration. On average, threshold depths were larger for shorter (25-ms) than for longer (220-ms) stimuli, particularly at higher sensation levels. This suggests that the adapted AN response is important for encoding spectral information, despite the fact that spectral features may be more clearly encoded at the onset, where AN fibers have a wider dynamic range. In experiment III, the steady spectral notch was replaced by a dynamic one whose center frequency changed abruptly after 110 ms from 7 to 9 kHz. Depths in this condition improved considerably at high levels. Therefore, at high levels, transient spectral information is detected more easily. This relates to the wide dynamic range of AN fibers for sudden increases in level. [Work supported by FIS PI020343, G03/203, and MCYT.]
A two level model of the masking property of human ear
Authors: Xin Jack , Qi Yingyong
Published: October 2013

The absolute hearing threshold and masking are two fundamental phenomena in psychoacoustics. The former is the minimum intensity for the ear to detect sound at a given frequency in quiet. The latter is described by the nonlinearly raised threshold for the ear to detect sound in the vicinity of an existing signal or the masker. A two level model is developed to compute the latter given the former and the masker. The first level is a partial differential equation (PDE) model of the inner ear (cochlea), and the second level is a similarity transform, accounting for the functions of the remaining high level processes of audition. The model has a solid ground on first principles and is adaptive to nonlinearities when compared with existing data-driven empirical models. Modeled masking thresholds of banded noise by tonal signals agree well with existing hearing data. [Work partially supported by ARO Grant No. DAAD 19-00-1-0524 and NSF No. ITR-0219004.]
Evaluation of noise reduction techniques for digital hearing aids
Authors: Parsa Vijay , Umapathy Karthikeyan
Published: October 2013

Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss have increased difficulty in understanding speech in noisy backgrounds. To combat this issue, there has been a major thrust in recent years toward the development of noise reduction algorithms. The goals of this paper are to quantify the relative benefits of different single-microphone noise reduction algorithms, and to investigate the interaction between the noise reduction and dynamic range compression algorithms. Noise reduction techniques evaluated in this paper include spectral subtraction-based techniques, a wavelet-packet-based technique and a matching pursuit-based technique. All algorithms were tested with HINT signals with SNR levels ranging from −5 to 15 dB, and two different noise types viz. the speech-shaped noise and multi-talker babble. Performance was quantified using the ITU standardized PESQ measure which computes the perceptual similarity between the enhanced signal and the original signal. Initial PESQ results showed that the spectral subtraction-based techniques perform superior to that of the wavelet-packet and matching pursuit-based approaches and that the compression time constants have an impact on the overall performance. Perceptual data collected from hearing impaired listeners on sound quality and noise reduction performance will be presented and their correlation with the objective measurements will be discussed.
Flow-induced noise on a pressure-acceleration underwater acoustic intensity probe
Authors: McConnell James A. , Lauchle Gerald C.
Published: October 2013

The results of an experiment to determine the effect of flow-induced noise on a pressure-acceleration intensity probe are presented. The sensor is a bluff body that conforms to the geometry of a right circular cylinder having a diameter of 10.16 cm and an aspect ratio of unity. A flexural mode hydrophone is used to measure the acoustic pressure and a flexural mode accelerometer is used to measure the acoustic particle acceleration. The hydrophone has a nominal sensitivity of about −185 dB re: 1 V/uPa and the accelerometer has an in-water acoustic sensitivity of nearly 1 V/g. The bandwidth of the device covers the 10-Hz to 1-kHz frequency range and the principle axis of sensitivity is coincident with the axis of the cylinder. The sensor was towed in cross-flow at speeds ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 cm/s and data were collected over the 10-Hz to 100-Hz frequency range. Of particular interest is the decomposition of the intensity spectrum into real and reactive parts along with an assessment of any filtering that can be accomplished using the intensity technique to measure far-field sound in the presence of near-field noise. [Work supported by various grants from ONR and NAVAIR.]
Prediction of acoustic radiation via 3D particle velocity measurements
Authors: Ni Zhi , Lu Huancai , Wu Sean , Zhao Yang
Published: October 2013

It has been shown [Wu and Hu, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 1763–1774 (1998)] that one can use an explicit integral formulation to predict acoustic radiation from a vibrating object based on a particle velocity distribution over a hypothetical surface enclosing this object. The advantages of this integral formulation are that solutions thus obtained are unique and the efficiency of numerical computations is high. The challenge is how to acquire 3D particle velocities when measurements are taking place in the air, in which seeding particles are hard to control and the signal to noise ratio is low. Here we use laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) to accomplish this task. Two LDA probes are utilized to measure two components of the particle velocities simultaneously, and the third component is obtained by rotating one probe 90° and measuring again. A traverse system is adopted to sweep the LDA probes over a measurement plane to enhance efficiency. Once particle velocities are specified on all nodes of the enclosing measurement surface, the sound pressure anywhere in an exterior region can be predicted. An interface program for commercial hypermesh software is developed, the Dijkstra algorithm and boundary element method are adopted, and error analyses are presented. [Work supported by NSF.]
Perceptual illusion overrides reality: A phoneme detection study of epenthetic vowels in Japanese
Authors: Hirose Yuki
Published: October 2013

Vowel epenthesis is a known phenomenon in Japanese where speakers insert a vowel ([u], by default) inside consonant clusters (e.g., in a VCCV sequence), due to the phonotactic constraint of the language. Dupoux et al. (1999) argue that vowel epenthesis occurs at a perceptual level. In their study, Japanese listeners perceived the epenthetic vowel [u] when the interconsonantal vowel [u] in the original stimuli was removed. In the present study, we investigate further whether (1) the perceptual system in Japanese listeners that causes vowel epenthesis is not only constrained by the phonotactic constraint (*VCCV) but also by the quality of the vowel that can be inserted, and (2) whether this constraint overrides existing acoustic information present in the input, e.g., the formant information of some other vowel. In our phoneme-detection experiment, we recorded a set of nonword stimuli (VCVCV) and gradually removed the interconsonantal vowel ([u] or other vowels). Some Japanese listeners perceived [u] not only when the originally present [u] was removed (as found in Dupoux et al.), but also when a vowel other than [u] was substituted in the interconsonantal position and that substituted vowel was partially removed, leaving only some remnant information.
Observations of severe storms with infrasound
Authors: Noble John M. , Tenney Stephen M.
Published: October 2013

We report on data recorded from small aperture (20-m) infrasonic microphone arrays. The array monitors man-made and natural sources of infrasound from 0.1 to 25 Hz. The array runs 24/7 and stores the data into hourly blocks. Each block of data is passed through a quick-look algorithm to determine if an interesting event occurred. It was noted about a year after operation began that severe thunderstorms would show up as detections and the array would track the passage of the storm system. The data collected during the operation of the array will be presented along with possible ideas on what the array is detecting within the storm. Also the preliminary results of a field study will be presented where a portable infrasound system was placed near severe storm cells in the Midwest during June 2003.
Relating the radiated piano sound field to the vibrational modes of the soundboard
Authors: Hansen Uwe J. , Bork Ingolf , Rossing Thomas D.
Published: October 2013

The sound field near a piano sound board is determined by moving a microphone over a grid of points above and below the sound board as well as in a plane in front of the piano using the experimental techniques of modal analysis with soundboard excitation at a bridge point by a swept sine signal. Since the standard modal analysis signal processing technique relies on tracking phase relations between excitation and response, it is possible to relate the sound field in terms of the vibrating structure which radiated it. Animations of sound board motion and sound field pressure variations are shown for the lowest four modes. It is noted that in all modes the locations of maximal excursion correlate with the sound pressure maxima or minima, respectively.
Research in the field of active sound transmission control
Authors: Leishman Timothy
Published: October 2013

Sound transmission through an unperforated partition may be described as the vibro-acoustic process in which fluid-borne sound waves incident upon the partition from the source side force it to vibrate and consequently radiate transmitted fluid-borne sound waves into the space on the opposite (receiving) side. Active reduction of sound transmission through partitions, or active sound transmission control (ASTC), denotes an active modification to this process. It may be defined as the reduction of transmitted sound through the action of electro-mechano-acoustical devices regulating any or all stages of the vibro-acoustic sound transmission process. In certain analyses, this branch of active noise control has referred to situations in which electro-mechanical actuation is applied only to a partition through which sound is transmitting. However, since ASTC may be achieved by other means, and since much research in the field has utilized other techniques, this limitation is clearly too restrictive. This paper reviews and categorizes many research efforts in the field, and provides a brief history of the efforts based on an extensive bibliography of the subject matter. It also identifies research areas that could be pursued in the future.