bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communication among Coworkers
Authors: Fonner Kathryn L.
Published: December 2015

This article provides an overview of communication among peer coworkers, or employees with no formal control over one another. It provides a history of scholarly research on coworker communication and outlines the four primary theoretical approaches in coworker communication research. The article highlights how uncertainty reduction theory, social exchange theory, and relational dialectics theory can be used to frame research on coworker communication. Finally, key topics of information exchange, social support, mentorships, close relationships, self‐managed teams, and negative coworker interactions are discussed, along with future directions for research on communication among peer coworkers.
Communication in Adoptive Families
Authors: M. Galvin Kathleen , Colaner Colleen Warner
Published: December 2015

Members of families formed through adoption rely extensively on communication practices to construct and maintain their relational ties even as they confront numerous challenges to their identity. Many contemporary adoptive families maintain connections with one of more sets of the children's biological parents, a significant communication challenge; other families confront external challenges to their family identity due to visible differences among members. Because of the major role that communication plays in managing family identity, both internally and externally, a growing body of research addresses these communicative practices. This entry focuses on the issues of openness, visibility, and flexibility that are managed communicatively by adoptive family members.
Relationship Transgressions
Authors: Dillow Megan R.
Published: December 2015

Relationship transgressions, or violations of relationally relevant rules, occur frequently and are often harmful to close relationships. Four major transgressions are here considered in the context of romantic relationships: infidelity (sexual, emotional, and communicative), jealousy, deception, and hurtful communication. Predictors and outcomes of these relationship transgressions are discussed, and other transgressions are briefly considered. Although these violations are typically aversive in nature, they may have positive consequences as well. Future research is encouraged to more closely examine the intricacies of the interplay among constructive and destructive elements of relational transgressions.
Mediation and Moderation Analysis
Authors: Hamilton Mark A.
Published: December 2015

The nature of mediated and moderated relationships between variables is described and demonstrated with examples. Three features of mediated relationships are detailed. An example involving interpersonal conflict is used to illustrate the three features and forms of mediation. Moderator variables are examined as contingent relationships. Patterns of findings within regression analysis are offered to show the difference between simple and severe contingent relationships. Competing process models that explain how source credibility moderates the effect of language intensity on attitudes are used to exemplify simple and severe contingency.
Virtual Teams
Authors: Connaughton Stacey L.
Published: December 2015

Virtual teams are commonplace across various industries and sectors. This article foregrounds the ways in which communication has been conceptualized in this body of work, the various metatheoretical traditions that have informed this work, and the relational aspects of teams such as trust, leadership, and conflict that have been explored.
Sexual Communication
Authors: Metts Sandra
Published: December 2015

Sexual communication is a broad construct that has received interdisciplinary attention from scholars who highlight various factors of sexual communication such as gender roles, individual differences, dyadic interaction patterns, and relationship qualities. Script theory, and more specifically sexual script theory, provides a useful framework for synthesizing the empirical and theoretical information available. The cultural level sexual script provides a commonly shared schema for strangers or acquaintances to sequence and interpret behaviors that achieve the goal of sexual gratification. However, in developed romantic relationships, an interpersonal level sexual script emerges as partners coordinate and integrate their individual intrapsychic level sexual scripts. Sexual communication facilitates this process and contributes to the positive outcomes associated with both sexual and relational satisfaction. In addition, for nontraditional relationships which are sexual, but not framed by the romantic relationship script, sexual communication is typically more restricted, but varies in form and function within each type of relationship, including hookups, booty call relationships, and friends with benefits relationships.
Bargaining Goals and Plans
Authors: Liu Meina
Published: December 2015

Negotiation scholars commonly agree that strategic goal‐setting and goal‐planning are the most critical precursor for effective negotiation. Although ample research demonstrates the strong effects of goals and plans on negotiation performance, our understanding of the planning process remains fragmented and incomplete. Conceptualization of bargaining goals and plans has shifted from a focus on pre‐determined commodity goals, to social motives that derive from both stable characteristics of negotiators and their perceptions of and responses to bargaining situations, and to interaction goals that encompass both commodity and socioemotional goals that are contextually determined and reflect conflicting motives. Scholars have yet to develop a coherent structure that connects various elements to guide the study and practice of negotiation planning.
Inter‐Racial and Multiethnic Communication
Authors: Soliz Jordan
Published: December 2015

Research on inter‐racial and interethnic communication has primarily focused on interactions with non‐intimate others. However, a growing body of literature has called attention to the fact that many of our personal relationships—including family—are composed of individuals with divergent racial/ethnic backgrounds. Scholars have recognized that multiracial/ethnic families and individuals with mixed backgrounds have
unique
experiences compared to what has historically been present in the landscape of family communication scholarship. Scholarship on communication in multiracial/ethnic families has centered on two areas: spousal communication and identity development of children with parents from different racial/ethnic groups.
Affectionate Communication and Personal Outcomes
Authors: Myers Scott A.
Published: December 2015

Engaging in affectionate communication is perhaps one of the more salient communication behaviors that individuals can use to develop and maintain their relationships. Across a host of relationships, several positive personal outcomes are associated with the expression of affectionate communication. These outcomes include enhanced relational perceptions, more positive and fulfilling personal relationships, and greater mental and physical health. At the same time, when individuals engage in affectionate communication, they run several risks, which include nonreciprocity, misinterpretation, social censure, and disease transmission.
Group Argument Structure
Authors: Seibold David R.
Published: December 2015

Group argument involves patterns of interaction reflecting members’ efforts to influence each other through argument acts that cohere as structures. These argument structures are produced through group members’ more or less conscious appropriation of rules and resources for argumentation and arguing, and they are reproduced in members’ single or joint efforts at influencing others toward group choices and preferred outcomes. The study of group argument is centered in communication and is relatively recent. Much of that work has been in the tradition of Structuration Argument Theory. Findings reveal descriptions of group argument acts, structures and strategies in face‐to‐face and computer‐mediated groups, as well as the power of features of group argument to predict group decision‐making outcomes.
Problematic Integration Theory
Authors: Babrow Austin S.
Published: December 2015

Problematic integration (PI) theory is concerned with situations in which forming and integrating (or synthesizing) knowledge and values is troublesome: those involving uncertainty, ambivalence, and clashing expectations and desires. In these contexts, probabilistic and evaluative orientations are formed in, sustained by, and transformed through communication processes. In other words, PI is at once an individual psychological process, but it is also inherently a communicative phenomenon. Communication fosters reappraisal of probability and value, or more holistic reframing which recasts trouble into more comfortable understanding (e.g., reinterpreting painful impossibility as a test of faith or character; embracing uncertainty as the fundamental truth of existence). In these struggles, individuals and groups draw on, reinforce, challenge, and at times transform sociocultural resources. Such resources are themselves the residue of the ongoing, shared search for often elusive, troubling, or otherwise problematic meaning.
Online Dating
Authors: Toma Catalina L.
Published: December 2015

Online dating is the process of initiating romantic relationships using dating Web sites. Online dating services require users to describe themselves through profiles, and either allow users to contact potential mates directly, or use proprietary algorithms to match them with suitable partners. Research shows that about a third of recently formed romantic relationships originate from online dating, suggesting that online dating has become a mainstream modality for initiating romantic relationships. This research also shows that relationships originating from online dating are more successful than their offline counterparts, although effect sizes are small. The scholarly literature has focused on the demographic and personality factors that predict usage of online dating sites, self‐presentation and deception in online dating profiles, mate selection through online dating, and the factors that may be responsible for the success of online dating.
Deceptive Message Production
Authors: McCornack Steven
Published: December 2015

Although hundreds of studies have examined the cues associated with deceptiveness and the factors that impact ability to detect such cues, comparatively little work has been done exploring the processes antecedent to such behaviors and judgments. As a consequence, most deception research has been guided by presumptions regarding production, rather than valid theoretical models. New work in this domain, however, has finally begun to shed light on what previously was a process shrouded in mystery and mythos.
Uncertainty Management Theory
Authors: Stone Anne M.
Published: December 2015

Uncertainty management theory provides principles to understand the role of information‐seeking and information‐avoiding in a variety of interpersonal communication contexts. Research framed with uncertainty management theory seeks to understand how individuals use communication to cope with the various questions encountered on a daily basis. Scholars using uncertainty management theory focus on how people appraise uncertainty and the impact that appraisal has on communication strategies.
Apologies/Forgiveness and Conflict
Authors: Waldron Vincent R.
Published: December 2015

Forgiving communication is a constructive response to hurtful acts that inevitably occur in personal relationships. Forgiveness can be facilitated by apology, an expression of remorse by an offender. Although much studied by theologians and clinical psychologists, forgiveness has only recently been conceptualized as a process of relational communication. In addition to relational history and the nature of the offense, forgiveness‐seeking and forgiveness‐granting behavior has relational consequences. Explicit acknowledgment of misbehavior and offers of compensation are most appreciated by wounded partners. Conditional offers of forgiveness increase predictability but they are associated with relational deterioration. Forgiveness is a complex process that often unfolds over long periods of time as partners negotiate their conflicting commitments to mercy and justice, risk‐taking and vulnerability, and forgiving and forgetting. Forgiving communication may facilitate reconciliation but serves other purposes as well, including reinforcing the moral standards of relationships and communities.
Proxemics
Authors: Guerrero Laura K.
Published: December 2015

Proxemics, which is the study of space as communication, covers a wide range of topics, including personal space, territory, crowding, and conversational distance. Privacy and environmental features are also central to proxemics. After reviewing ideas from three books that helped launch the study of proxemics, this entry focuses on general findings related to territory, crowding, and conversational distance, followed by a brief discussion of two theories that examine how people respond to violations of personal space in interpersonal interaction.
Implicit Theories
Authors: Kim Min‐Sun
Published: December 2015

Human beings, acting as naive scientists, construct theories about social reality. Implicit theories are defined as tacit knowledge, or “common‐sense beliefs” about particular phenomena that reside in the minds of individuals and that are used in social perception and interaction. Implicit theories about phenomena are influenced, in part, by cultural traditions, norms, and expectations and are found to be highly stable over time. Accounting for the implicit theories of human communication behavior, judgments of communication behaviors have been shown to be structured similarly to overall social judgments.
Communication Privacy Management Theory
Authors: Petronio Sandra
Published: December 2015

Worldwide, concern about privacy management has grown exponentially. New technologies affording easy access to communicate with others, their ubiquitous nature, and level of use, have resulted in growing concern about whether individuals have privacy at all. Yet, the very concern signals privacy as a value, and research shows it is not dead. However, understanding how people manage privacy, in general and in interpersonal relationships, is complex. Grasping navigation between wanting to use these technologies and wanting privacy requires a shift in how these issues are defined. Matters related to protecting private lives have been valued for centuries, across cultures, and contexts. Nevertheless, understanding how people manage private information is a relatively new area of inquiry. While some models and methods have been developed, Petronio's Communication Privacy Management Theory has provided a full complement of principles and processes that explain the communicative system of decisions people make in considering revealing and concealing private information.
Interaction Adaptation Theory
Authors: Ebesu Hubbard Amy S.
Published: December 2015

Interaction adaptation theory explains the behavioral adjustments that occur between people. The theory predicts that the predominant pattern of interaction will be matching, reciprocity, and convergence and identifies the situations in which maintenance, compensation, and divergence may occur. Central to this theory are biological, social, and individual influences on behavior and the evaluation of that behavior, along with comparisons to actual behavior exhibited by communicators. The theory has wide applicability for understanding behavioral changes that occur between people in a variety of relational contexts.
Relationship Initiation Goals and Plans
Authors: Henningsen Mary Lynn Miller
Published: December 2015

In this entry, relationship initiation goals and plans are defined. First‐date goals and flirting goals research is reviewed to derive a general typology of goals for initiating romantic relationships. A general typology of relationship initiation goals is offered including uncertainty reduction, impression management, and socio‐normative comparison. The entry concludes with suggested directions for future research.
Social Cognitive Theory
Authors: Nabi Robin L.
Published: December 2015

This entry covers the evolution of social cognitive theory, one of the most influential theories on human behavior acquisition with an emphasis on learning through observation. Each of its four primary components is outlined, and the conditions under which behaviors are likely to be adopted are explained.
Power and Dominance in Nonverbal Communication
Authors: Dunbar Norah E.
Published: December 2015

Interpersonal power and dominance are communicated in a variety of ways: (a) through the kinesic cues displayed such as facial expressions, gestures, body posture, and movement; (b) through access to greater personal space and higher status territory; (c) through the use of haptics, especially non‐reciprocal touch and touch initiation; (d) by vocalic cues like voice pitch, loudness, the use of pauses and interruptions; and (e) through contextual cues such as appearance and clothing, and cues of status and precedence. Dominance and submission messages can be communicated through a variety of nonverbal channels and often they work in tandem to create messages of dominance and control versus submission and weakness.
Goals–Plan–Action Theory
Authors: Dillard James Price
Published: December 2015

Goals–plan–action theories of communication propose that individuals produce messages derived from cognitive templates that are themselves activated by desires. Although early forms of the theory emphasized the production of interpersonal influence messages, current versions attempt to explain a broad array of communicative functions. The unified diversity of the research shows a family of theories that share a common core of assumptions.
Power Strategies in Relationships
Authors: Dunbar Norah E.
Published: December 2015

Power is the ability to influence the behavior of another person, but having that ability is different from acting on that ability. Power strategies are the different ways that people use their power to effect change in others. Sometimes, power is evident in the nonverbal behavior of others and is very subtle; other times it can be overt and appear in the verbal persuasive strategies that are used. In general, a collaborative and mutually beneficial strategy is one that minimizes power but is also the least destructive for relationships.
Eye Behavior
Authors: Andersen Peter A.
Published: December 2015

Eye behavior is a crucial part of nonverbal communication and an essential requirement of face‐to‐face interaction. The study of eye behavior is called oculesics, and sometimes it is considered a subset of kinesic communication. The most important aspect of oculesics is eye contact that opens communication channels, signals availability for interaction, listening, immediacy, and intimacy. The absence of eye contact engenders negative attributions including rudeness, deceptiveness, insincerity, unfriendliness, and timidity. Eye contact increases interpersonal influence and is a powerful behavior when speaking. This entry also discusses pupil dilation, which is a sign of interest or arousal, eye movements which are associated with brain activity, and additional oculesics behaviors such as winking, blinking, and eyebrow movements.
Human–Computer Interaction
Authors: Waddell T. Franklin , Zhang Bo , Sundar S. Shyam
Published: December 2015

The field of human–computer interaction (HCI) has grown beyond the study of the usability of technologies to examining the user experience created by various features of those technologies. The interactivity afforded by modern computer‐based technologies has served to transform human–computer interaction into human–computer communication. This has resulted in greater attribution of agency to machines and a tendency among users to treat them socially. Principles of interpersonal communication inform—and are informed by—the study of human interactions with computer‐based technologies, providing implications for theory as well as design.

This entry provides an interdisciplinary overview of HCI history, followed by a discussion of the factors underlying the shift from interaction to communication, highlighting the centrality of the concept of interactivity. It then describes the “computers are social actors” paradigm and documents the increasing tendency to attribute agency to machines, with a focus on empirical contributions related to interpersonal communication.
Obstacle Hypothesis
Authors: Johnson Danette Ifert
Published: December 2015

The obstacle hypothesis focuses on barriers preventing compliance with conversational requests. Scholarship on the obstacle hypothesis has attempted to explain why obstacles are important to address, how requesters identify obstacles and construct messages to address likely obstacles and to negotiate unexpressed obstacles that may be the primary barriers to compliance. Sequential attempts to address and overcome obstacles presented by refusal of an initial request have also been examined.
A Total Organic Aqueous Redox Flow Battery Employing a Low Cost and Sustainable Methyl Viologen Anolyte and 4‐HO‐TEMPO Catholyte
Authors: Liu Tianbiao , Wei Xiaoliang , Nie Zimin , Sprenkle Vincent , Wang Wei
Published: December 2015

Increasing worldwide energy demands and rising CO2 emissions have motivated a search for new technologies to take advantage of renewables such as solar and wind energies. Redox flow batteries (RFBs) with their high power density, high energy efficiency, scalability (up to MW and MWh), and safety features are one suitable option for integrating such energy sources and overcoming their intermittency. However, resource limitation and high system costs of current RFB technologies impede wide implementation. Here, a total organic aqueous redox flow battery (OARFB) is reported, using low‐cost and sustainable methyl viologen (MV, anolyte) and 4‐hydroxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐oxyl (4‐HO‐TEMPO, catholyte), and benign NaCl supporting electrolyte. The electrochemical properties of the organic redox active materials are studied using cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry. The MV/4‐HO‐TEMPO ARFB has an exceptionally high cell voltage, 1.25 V. Prototypes of the organic ARFB can be operated at high current densities ranging from 20 to 100 mA cm2, and deliver stable capacity for 100 cycles with nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency. The MV/4‐HO‐TEMPO ARFB displays attractive technical merits and thus represents a major advance in ARFBs.
Can Strategic Capabilities Affect Performance? Application of RBV to Small Food Businesses
Authors: Carraresi Laura , Mamaqi Xhevrie , Albisu Luis Miguel , Banterle Alessandro
Published: December 2015

The paper aims to analyze the relationships between strategic capabilities and performance among food SMEs, identifying which capabilities play a leading role in establishing competitive advantage. Four strategic capabilities were analyzed: innovation, marketing, network, and information acquisition. We ran a Structural Equation Model involving 67 food SMEs located in Italy. The results revealed that the marketing, network, and innovation capabilities directly and positively affect performance. SMEs benefit from selling their products in the national market. The network capability plays a dual role: It has a direct positive influence on performance as well as an indirect effect on the capability to acquire information about market and supply chain agents. The acquired market‐ and consumer‐related information is extremely valuable in enhancing the marketing capability and improving performance. The innovation capability is slightly less significant than the others in affecting performance.[EconLit citations: L11, L25, L66, Q13]
Assessment of skills using a spacer device for a metered‐dose inhaler and related independent predictive factors in caregivers of asthmatic preschool children
Authors: Topal Erdem , Celiksoy Mehmet Halil , Catal Ferhat , Sinanoglu Muhammed S. , Karakoc Habib Tadayyon Einaddin , Sancak Recep , Ozturk Fadıl
Published: December 2015

Background

The correct use of inhalation devices is essential for successful therapy. We aimed to evaluate the skills in the use of a spacer device with an metered‐dose inhaler (MDI) and factors that influence this skill in asthmatic preschool children's caregivers.

Methods

The caregivers of 12‐month‐old to 72‐month‐old children were interviewed face‐to‐face and filled out questionnaires. To assess use of the spacer device, we asked the caregivers to verbally describe and demonstrate how they used the device.

Results

A total of 244 patients were included in the study, and 142 (58.2%) of the caregivers demonstrated every step for using the spacer device. The most frequently mistaken step was waiting for 30 seconds for the second puff after the first puff. When statistically significant and clinically important parameters were analyzed in a logistic regression model, the parameters satisfaction with the spacer device (odds ratio [OR] 29.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.64 to 117.39; p < 0.001), a university graduate (OR 13.5; 95% CI, 3.36 to 54.8; p < 0.001), family monthly income of more than US$1500 (OR 5.3; 95% CI, 2.16 to 13.39; p < 0.001), device training provided by a clinical trainer (OR 12.3; 95% CI, 4.82 to 31.73; p < 0.001), regular follow‐ups (OR 3.6; 95% CI, 1.57 to 8.47; p = 0.003), and the absence of a severe attack during the last year (OR 6.5; 95% CI, 2.64 to 16.43; p < 0.001) were found to be independent factors that affected the correct demonstration of the device.

Conclusion

The factors most effective in the correct use of the MDI spacer device were satisfaction with the device, training having been given by a clinical trainer on this subject, and the caregiver being a university graduate.
Impact of medically recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis on incidence of asthma
Authors: Benninger Michael S. , Sindwani Raj , Holy Chantal E. , Hopkins Claire
Published: December 2015

Background

The long‐term impact of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with or without allergic rhinitis (AR) on asthma is poorly documented. This study analyzed potential associations of ongoing CRS and AR on asthma.

Methods

Using the MarketScan™ claims database, patients with CRS and endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in 2010 were identified. The date of first sinusitis was determined for all. Patients with asthma at time of first sinusitis diagnosis were excluded. The remaining patients were grouped based on duration of sinusitis, from first diagnosis to surgery—group 1: 1 to <2 years (n = 181); group 2: 2 to <3 years (n = 195); group 3: 3 to <4 years (n = 292); and group 4: 4 to <5 years (n = 536). Yearly incidence and prevalence of newly diagnosed asthmatics was analyzed for all groups. A secondary analysis evaluated the association between AR and asthma.

Results

Preoperatively, yearly incidence of patients with new asthma diagnoses averaged 4.48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.93% to 5.11%) and was significantly greater for patients with AR (5.93%; 95% CI, 4.56% to 7.66%) vs non‐AR (4.15%; 95% CI, 3.56% to 4.82%); p = 0.03. Postoperatively, yearly incidence of asthma was 0.42% (95% CI, 0.18% to 0.88%). No patient had asthma at time of first diagnosis; however, by time of surgery, 9.4%, 12.8%, 18.2%, and 22.40% of patients had been diagnosed with asthma, in groups 1 through 4, respectively.

Conclusion

AR was a significant risk factor for asthma in patients with CRS. Medically recalcitrant CRS was associated with high incidence rates of asthma, which declined post‐operatively. Patients operated earlier in the disease continuum were therefore at decreased risk of developing asthma.
Physicochemical and antibacterial properties of chitosan‐polyvinylpyrrolidone films containing self‐organized graphene oxide nanolayers
Authors: Mahmoudi Nafiseh , Ostadhossein Fatemeh , Simchi Abdolreza
Published: December 2015

Chitosan films have a great potential to be used for wound dressing and food‐packaging applications if their physicochemical properties including water vapor permeability, optical transparency, and hydrophilicity are tailored to practical demands. To address these points, in this study, chitosan (CS) was combined with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets (with a thickness of ∼1 nm and lateral dimensions of few micrometers). Flexible and transparent films with a high antibacterial capacity were prepared by solvent casting methods. By controlling the evaporation rate of the utilized solvent (1 vol % acidic acid in deionized water), self‐organization of GO in the polymer matrix was observed. The addition of PVP to the CS/GO films significantly increased their water vapor permeability and optical transmittance. A blue shift in the optical absorption edge was also noticed. Thermal analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that the superior thermal stability of the nanocomposite films was due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the functional groups of chitosan with those of the graphene oxide. An improved bactericidal capacity of the nanocomposite films against gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram‐negative Escherichia coli bacteria was also observed. Highly flexible, transparent (opacity of 6.95), and antimicrobial CS/25 vol % PVP/1 wt % GO films were prepared. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43194.
Evaluating the state of dispersion on cellulosic biopolymer by rheology
Authors: Mukherjee Tapasi , Kao Nhol , Gupta Rahul K. , Quazi Nurul , Bhattacharya Sati
Published: December 2015

The key challenge in the development of cellulose bio‐nanocomposites lies in the spatial distribution of the cellulose fibre, as the presence of surface hydroxyl groups initiates self‐agglomeration, thereby resulting in crack or failure of the composites. In this study, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is here effectively surface acetylated to reduce agglomeration. Poly(lactic acid) PLA based cellulose bio‐ nanocomposites were then prepared by solvent casting technique. A rheological percolation threshold is calculated to quantify the level of dispersion and the optimal loading. Moreover, high frequency linear viscoelastic behavior is analyzed and the data is fitted to the Krieger‐Dougherty equation to determine the maximum packing fraction. Maximum packing fraction value is then used as a mean to rank the quality of dispersion. The value for maximum packing fraction is compared with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), to show how shape and structure affects the quality of dispersion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43200.
Evaluating the autoinduction expression system and one‐step purification for high‐level expression and purification of gallbladder‐derived rhIL‐1Ra
Authors: Bashir Hamid , Ahmed Nadeem , Khan Mohsin Ahmad , Zafar Ahmad Usman , Tahir Saad , Kanwal Hina , Khan Faidad , Rahman Zia ur , Husnain Tayyab
Published: December 2015

Recent advancement in fermentation technologies resulted in the increased yields of recombinant proteins of biopharmaceutical and medicinal importance. Consequently, there is an important task to develop simple and easily scalable methods that can facilitate the production of high‐quality recombinant protein. Most of the recent reports described the expression of recombinant human IL‐1 receptor antagonist (rhIL‐1Ra) in Escherichia coli using isopropyl‐β‐d‐thiogalacto pyranoside (IPTG), a nonmetabolizable and expensive compound, as an expression inducer. In this study, we describe the expression and one‐step purification of gallbladder‐derived rhIL‐1Ra by autoinduction in E. coli. This method includes special media that automatically induce the target protein expression from T7 promoter and allow the production of the target protein in high yield than the conventional IPTG induction method. In addition to fermentation process improvements, one‐step purification strategy is essential to make the process economical. We developed a single‐step cation exchange chromatography and obtained 300 mg/L of rhIL‐1Ra with 98% purity. Purified protein was characterized by SDS‐PAGE and Ion exchange HPLC (IEX‐HPLC). The described method can be used to scale up the production of rhIL‐1Ra and other recombinant proteins.
Emergency general surgery in the geriatric patient
Authors: Desserud K F , Veen T , Søreide K
Published: December 2015

Background

Emergency general surgery in the elderly is a particular challenge to the surgeon in charge of their care. The aim was to review contemporary aspects of managing elderly patients needing emergency general surgery and possible alterations to their pathways of care.

Methods

This was a narrative review based on a PubMed/MEDLINE literature search up until 15 September 2015 for publications relevant to emergency general surgery in the geriatric patient.

Results

The number of patients presenting as an emergency with a general surgical condition increases with age. Up to one-quarter of all emergency admissions to hospital may be for general surgical conditions. Elderly patients are a particular challenge owing to added co-morbidity, use of drugs and risk of poor outcome. Frailty is an important potential risk factor, but difficult to monitor or manage in the emergency setting. Risk scores are not available universally. Outcomes are usually severalfold worse than after elective surgery, in terms of both higher morbidity and increased mortality. A care bundle including early diagnosis, resuscitation and organ system monitoring may benefit the elderly in particular. Communication with the patient and relatives throughout the care pathway is essential, as indications for surgery, level of care and likely outcomes may evolve. Ethical issues should also be addressed at every step on the pathway of care.

Conclusion

Emergency general surgery in the geriatric patient needs a tailored approach to improve outcomes and avoid futile care. Although some high-quality studies exist in related fields, the overall evidence base informing perioperative acute care for the elderly remains limited.
Silica–ZnCl2: An Efficient and Reusable Solid Catalyst for One Pot Synthesis of 5‐Methyl Mercaptothiocarbonyl‐4‐aryl‐3‐dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐ones Under Solvent‐Free Conditions
Authors: Devi Laishram Ronibala , Chanu Leimajam Vartima , Choi Hojune , Lee Dahyun , Singh Okram Mukherjee , Lee Sang‐Gyeong
Published: December 2015

Synthetic application of Silica–ZnCl2
, as an efficient and eco‐friendly catalyst for the synthesis of a small library of dihydropyrimidinones is described in this report. The reaction involves a one pot, multicomponent reaction of β‐oxodithiocarboxylates, aldehydes, and urea under solvent‐free conditions. The experimental procedure is simple, environmental benign, tolerated with many functional groups, and results in good to excellent yield of the products.
Clinical anatomy of the subserous layer: An amalgamation of gross and clinical anatomy
Authors: Yabuki Yoshihiko
Published: December 2015

The 1998 edition of Terminologia Anatomica introduced some currently used clinical anatomical terms for the pelvic connective tissue or subserous layer. These innovations persuaded the present author to consider a format in which the clinical anatomical terms could be reconciled with those of gross anatomy and incorporated into a single anatomical glossary without contradiction or ambiguity. Specific studies on the subserous layer were undertaken on 79 Japanese women who had undergone surgery for uterine cervical cancer, and on 26 female cadavers that were dissected, 17 being formalin‐fixed and 9 fresh. The results were as follows: (a) the subserous layer could be segmentalized by surgical dissection in the perpendicular, horizontal and sagittal planes; (b) the segmentalized subserous layer corresponded to 12 cubes, or ligaments, of minimal dimension that enabled the pelvic organs to be extirpated; (c) each ligament had a three‐dimensional (3D) structure comprising craniocaudal, mediolateral, and dorsoventral directions vis‐á‐vis the pelvic axis; (d) these 3D‐structured ligaments were encoded morphologically in order of decreasing length; and (e) using these codes, all the surgical procedures for 19th century to present‐day radical hysterectomy could be expressed symbolically. The establishment of clinical anatomical terms, represented symbolically through coding as demonstrated in this article, could provide common ground for amalgamating clinical anatomy with gross anatomy. Consequently, terms in clinical anatomy and gross anatomy could be reconciled and compiled into a single anatomical glossary. Clin. Anat. 29:508–515, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Neuroticism, Negative Thinking, and Coping With Respect to Career Decision State
Authors: Bullock‐Yowell Emily , Reed Corey A. , Mohn Richard S. , Galles Jacob , Peterson Gary W. , Reardon Robert C.
Published: December 2015

Using structural equation modeling, the present study investigated relationships between neuroticism, coping strategies, and negative career thoughts within the context of attaining a positive career decision state. Results from the initial model, based on a sample of college students (119 women, 113 men; M = 20.3 years) enrolled in a career development course, revealed that coping strategies were not a significant contribution to the model. The final model, without coping strategies, showed that neuroticism had a significant indirect effect on career decision state through negative thinking and that the relationship between neuroticism and career decision state was also significant. Findings also indicate that in the presence of negative career thoughts, neuroticism becomes associated with a more positive career decision state. Practical implications include suggestions that counselors intervene on clients' negative career thoughts to potentially render their neurotic tendencies more productive in reaching a desired career decision state.
The Influence of Supervisor Multicultural Competence on the Supervisory Working Alliance, Supervisee Counseling Self‐Efficacy, and Supervisee Satisfaction With Supervision: A Mediation Model
Authors: Crockett Stephanie , Hays Danica G.
Published: December 2015

We developed and tested a mediation model depicting relationships among supervisor multicultural competence, the supervisory working alliance, supervisee counseling self‐efficacy, and supervisee satisfaction with supervision. Results of structural equation modeling showed that supervisor multicultural competence was related to the supervisory working alliance and that alliance, in turn, was related to supervisee satisfaction with supervision.
Critical Race Theory and Counselor Education Pedagogy: Creating Equitable Training
Authors: Haskins Natoya H. , Singh Anneliese
Published: December 2015

Infusing critical race theory, the authors discuss specific pedagogical strategies to enhance educational experiences of counselor trainees. The authors then provide an evaluative checklist to facilitate and evaluate curricular integration of critical race theory.
Qualitative Outcomes of a Homestay Immersion With Critical Reflection
Authors: Shannonhouse Laura , Barden Sejal , Mobley A. Keith
Published: December 2015

The authors explore the impact of a 3‐week homestay cultural immersion on 10 counselor trainees by analyzing their 210 structured journals using consensual qualitative research. Findings suggest that establishing meaningful relationships and engaging in critical reflection are central to increasing multicultural awareness. Implications for multicultural counseling training and research are provided.
The effect of encapsulated fennel extracts on the quality of silver carp fillets during refrigerated storage
Authors: Mazandrani Hoda Alipour , Javadian SeyedRoholla , Bahram Somayeh
Published: December 2015

The effect of fennel extract on the quality of silver carp (Hypophthalmicthys molitrix) fillets, and the possible efficacy of liposomal encapsulation in the improvement of its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity during chilled storage (4 + 1°C) of the fillets were examined over a period of 15 days. Silver carp fillets were treated with pure fennel extract (0.3% and 0.5% w/v) and liposomal encapsulated fennel extract (0.3% and 0.5% w/v), and their quality changes in terms of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), microbial counts, and sensory properties were investigated. Fennel extract could retard the deterioration of silver carp fillets, as reflected in lower TVB‐N, PV and TBA value. Moreover, the efficacy of fennel extract was improved when it was encapsulated into liposome. Silver carp fillets treated with the encapsulated fennel extract showed the lowest amount of lipid oxidation and microbial deterioration during the storage period compared with the control and pure extract treatments. Sensory evaluation revealed that shelf life of silver carp fillet was longest for samples treated with encapsulated fennel extract at 0.5% (15 days), as compared to the control (6 days) (P < 0.05).
Numerical modeling of a CMOS UV/blue photodetector based on MOSFET and lateral photosensitive diode
Authors: Tian Manfang , Jin Xiangliang , Chen Changping , Wang Han
Published: December 2015

A complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor photodetector with ring‐shaped structure is presented in this paper, which consists of a p‐channel metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistor and lateral photodiodes and can be applied for ultraviolet (UV)/blue detection. The p‐channel metal‐oxide‐semiconductor is enclosed by ring‐shaped lateral photodiodes and lateral ring‐shaped photodiodes for enlarging near‐surface depletion region of the photodetector. Photoelectric conversion process of the photodetector has been modeled, and some performance parameters of photodetector have been derived and evaluated. The simulation results show that the photodetector can exhibit a high current responsivity of 1 × 10−3 Å even for ultra‐weak light such as 0.01 μW. The composite photodetector is fabricated in a standard 0.18 µm complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor technology. The test results reveal that the presented photodetector, which just like predicted by the model, is an effective way to solve the low response of silicon‐based UV detector. In a word, the presented photodetector has a big potential application value in weak light and UV/blue light detection. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predictive Validity of Person Matching at the Scale and Discriminant Analysis Levels
Authors: Burns Stephanie T.
Published: December 2015

Validity comparisons (including hit rates, kappa coefficients, and chance expectancy rates) were made between person matching at the scale and discriminant analysis levels with 5,143 medical students who had taken an interest inventory and had entered their medical residencies. Person matching using the 30 discriminant analysis items demonstrated the greatest ability to assign test takers to the highest number of occupations at a rate greater than chance.
Hypoxic culture conditions induce increased metabolic rate and collagen gene expression in ACL‐derived cells
Authors: Kowalski Tomasz J. , Leong Natalie L. , Dar Ayelet , Wu Ling , Kabir Nima , Khan Adam Z. , Eliasberg Claire D. , Pedron Andrew , Karayan Ashant , Lee Siyoung , Di Pauli von Treuheim Theodor , Jiacheng Jin , Wu Ben M. , Evseenko Denis , McAllister David R. , Petrigliano Frank A.
Published: December 2015

There has been substantial effort directed toward the application of bone marrow and adipose‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the regeneration of musculoskeletal tissue. Recently, resident tissue‐specific stem cells have been described in a variety of mesenchymal structures including ligament, tendon, muscle, cartilage, and bone. In the current study, we systematically characterize three novel anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)‐derived cell populations with the potential for ligament regeneration: ligament‐forming fibroblasts (LFF: CD146neg, CD34negCD44pos, CD31neg, CD45neg), ligament perivascular cells (LPC: CD146posCD34negCD44pos, CD31neg, CD45neg) and ligament interstitial cells (LIC: CD34posCD146neg, CD44pos, CD31neg, CD45neg)—and describe their proliferative and differentiation potential, collagen gene expression and metabolism in both normoxic and hypoxic environments, and their trophic potential in vitro. All three groups of cells (LIC, LPC, and LFF) isolated from adult human ACL exhibited progenitor cell characteristics with regard to proliferation and differentiation potential in vitro. Culture in low oxygen tension enhanced the collagen I and III gene expression in LICs (by 2.8‐ and 3.3‐fold, respectively) and LFFs (by 3‐ and 3.5‐fold, respectively) and increased oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate in LICs (by 4‐ and 3.5‐fold, respectively), LFFs (by 5.5‐ and 3‐fold, respectively), LPCs (by 10‐ and 4.5‐fold, respectively) as compared to normal oxygen concentration. In summary, this study demonstrates for the first time the presence of three novel progenitor cell populations in the adult ACL that demonstrate robust proliferative and matrix synthetic capacity; these cells may play a role in local ligament regeneration, and consequently represent a potential cell source for ligament engineering applications. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:985–994, 2016.
Optimisation of ultrasound‐assisted osmotic dehydration of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) using response surface methodology
Authors: Oladejo Ayobami Olayemi , Ma Haile
Published: December 2015

BACKGROUND

Sweet potato is a highly nutritious tuber crop that is rich in β‐carotene. Osmotic dehydration is a pretreatment method for drying of fruit and vegetables. Recently, ultrasound technology has been applied in food processing because of its numerous advantages which include time saving, little damage to the quality of the food. Thus, there is need to investigate and optimise the process parameters [frequency (20–50 kHz), time (10–30 min) and sucrose concentration (20–60% w/v)] for ultrasound‐assisted osmotic dehydration of sweet potato using response surface methodology.

RESULTS

The optimised values obtained were frequency of 33.93 kHz, time of 30 min and sucrose concentration of 35.69% (w/v) to give predicted values of 21.62, 4.40 and 17.23% for water loss, solid gain and weight reduction, respectively. The water loss and weight reduction increased when the ultrasound frequency increased from 20 to 35 kHz and then decreased as the frequency increased from 35 to 50 kHz.

CONCLUSION

The results from this work show that low ultrasound frequency favours the osmotic dehydration of sweet potato and also reduces the use of raw material (sucrose) needed for the osmotic dehydration of sweet potato. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry