bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Armed Conflict in the Country of Origin on Mental Health after Migration to Canada
Authors: Joly Marie-Pier , Wheaton Blair
Published: October 2014

This article examines mental health differences among migrants who emigrated from both armed conflict countries and non–conflict countries versus native-born Canadians. We propose that the impact of armed conflict on mental health depends on defining characteristics of the conflict. Our analysis of migrants to Toronto, Canada, suggests that exposure to major intrastate conflicts have long-term impacts on depression among women and anxiety levels among men after migration. We assess the role of different stages and types of stress proliferation in explaining these differences. Postmigratory chronic stress helps explain differences in depression between migrant women who experienced conflict and both those who did not and Canadian-born women. Conversely, traumatic stress that occurred during the ongoing armed conflict at time of migration helped explain differences in anxiety between migrant men exposed to conflict and both migrant men not exposed and Canadian-born men.
Did Brisbane Grow Smartly? Drivers of City Growth 1991-2001 and Lessons for Current Policies
Authors: Shatu Farjana Mostafiz , Kamruzzaman Md. , Deilami Kaveh
Published: October 2014

Urban areas are growing unsustainably around the world; however, the growth patterns and their associated drivers vary between contexts. As a result, research has highlighted the need to adopt case study based approaches to stimulate the development of new theoretic understandings. Using land-cover data sets derived from Landsat images (30 m × 30 m), this research identifies both patterns and drivers of urban growth in a period (1991-2001) when a number of policy acts were enacted aimed at fostering smart growth in Brisbane, Australia. A linear multiple regression model was estimated using the proportion of lands that were converted from non-built-up (1991) to built-up usage (2001) within a suburb as a dependent variable to identify significant drivers of land-cover changes. In addition, the hot spot analysis was conducted to identify spatial biases of land-cover changes, if any. Results show that the built-up areas increased by 1.34% every year. About 19.56% of the non-built-up lands in 1991 were converted into built-up lands in 2001. This conversion pattern was significantly biased in the northernmost and southernmost suburbs in the city. This is due to the fact that, as evident from the regression analysis, these suburbs experienced a higher rate of population growth, and had the availability of habitable green field sites in relatively flat lands. The above findings suggest that the policy interventions undertaken between the periods were not as effective in promoting sustainable changes in the environment as they were aimed for.
Multitasking With Smartphones in the College Classroom
Authors: Grinols Anne Bradstreet , Rajesh Rishi
Published: October 2014

Although the concept of multitasking itself is under debate, smartphones do enable users to divert attention from the task at hand to nongermane matters. As smartphone use becomes pervasive, extending into our classrooms, educators are concerned that they are becoming a major distraction. Does multitasking with smartphones impede learning? Can they be used to enhance learning instead? This article reviews current literature, provides suggestions for further investigation, and proposes an approach to incorporate smartphone multitasking in the classroom to enhance learning.
Serious Games
Authors: Witte Anne E.
Published: October 2014

One business school addressed the “zeitgeist” of the financial crisis by introducing in its inaugural seminar the cultural and ethical values too often absent from the types of transactions students are trained to manage. Drawing from cross-cultural and communication studies, the author tested “serious games”—cultural situations and personal development exercises aimed at rewarding rule-based cooperation, interpersonal communication, and cultural empathy. Observations made during the games fostered curriculum reform by integrating humanistic concerns considered vital for international finance careers. Linking such training to business learning objectives enhances accountability, rule-based action, and cultural awareness reform.
Social Media—A Virtual Pandora’s Box
Authors: Jennings Susan Evans , Blount Justin R. , Weatherly M. Gail
Published: October 2014

With the increase in the use of mobile devices in the workplace, both employer supplied and personally owned, and the major role social media has begun to play in today’s world, businesses face many new challenges with their employees. Social media may be seen by some employers as a virtual Pandora’s Box. Though it may seem to hold bountiful riches, employee posts can unleash a firestorm of unforeseen challenges and consequences ranging from financial, to legal, to ethical. In looking at business use of social media, this article will discuss the prevalence of social media use, possible legal liabilities thereof, and policies to consider.
Crossing Public-Private and Personal-Professional Boundaries
Authors: Jameson Daphne A.
Published: October 2014

When Chiquita Brands considered relocating its corporate headquarters, competing cities started Twitter campaigns to influence the decision by communicating directly with the chief executive officer. As he used the new microblogging channel, some of his previously private communication became public, some personal communication became professional, and some professional communication became personal. The case shows how social media can significantly affect chief executive officers’ communication by encouraging boundary crossing. Understanding the connections between the private versus public and personal versus professional rhetorical categories will help business communicators make wise choices as technology continues to introduce new social media and other channel options.
Negotiating Diversity
Authors: Guo Shujie , Cockburn-Wootten Cheryl , Munshi Debashish
Published: October 2014

The intercultural divides in values, perceptions, and interpretations of concepts have been studied extensively by international business and intercultural communication scholars. Consequentially, much effort in university classrooms is spent on focusing on the differences between groups and on finding ways to “manage” cultural diversity. What is often missed is the common ground among cultural groups and the differences within what are presumed to be homogenous groups of students. To negotiate this complexity of diversity, we describe an initiative to foster collaborative student-led analyses of a case study to open up meaningful discussions around diversity.
Cultivating Critical-Thinking Dispositions Throughout the Business Curriculum
Authors: Bloch Janel , Spataro Sandra E.
Published: October 2014

Critical thinking is an essential component of managerial literacy, yet business school graduates struggle to apply critical-thinking skills at work to the level that employers desire. This article argues for a dispositional approach to teaching critical thinking, rooted in cultivating a critical-thinking culture. We suggest a two-pronged approach of (a) clearly defining critical thinking and selecting an accessible model for applying it and (b) integrating critical thinking consistently throughout the business curriculum. We illustrate implementation of this strategy in our revised MBA curriculum and conclude by challenging others to consider adopting a cultural and dispositional approach.
The State of Business Communication Classes
Authors: Moshiri Farrokh , Cardon Peter
Published: October 2014

This nationwide study of 169 business communication instructors examines the following issues: (a) ideal and actual class sizes in business communication courses, (b) delivery modes of business communication courses, (c) types of written and oral assignments, and (d) topics covered and depth of coverage. Findings suggest that business communication course offerings are growing on the national stage. The vast majority of class sizes have stayed the same or gotten smaller. One significant change over the past 5 years is the increased focus on interpersonal communication and teamwork. While some courses offer significant coverage of social media, the majority does not.
“Going Mobile” in Business Communication at an Arabian Gulf University
Authors: Rapanta Chrysi , Nickerson Catherine , Goby Valerie Priscilla
Published: October 2014

In this article, we describe a project in which undergraduate business seniors at a university in the Arabian Gulf created or evaluated the chapters of an iBook as part of their final course in business communication. Students were surveyed throughout the project, and they also participated in a focus group discussion at the end. The aim was to evaluate their experience with learning from a peer-generated iBook and to identify any motivating factors behind it. The study showed that incorporating mobile learning into the business communication classroom was highly meaningful for the students involved for a range of different reasons.
Communicating Organizational Change Reactions
Authors: Aggerholm Helle Kryger
Published: October 2014

The aim of this article is to study employees’ discursive construction of disparate survivor responses. The analysis reveals how employees position themselves simultaneously within different types of categories by use of discursive actions. Drawing on various discourses, the actors reject having one solid core of identity and instead signal the existence of various flexible identities. The article contributes to a greater understanding of the importance of discourse within organizational change. An increased managerial sensitivity toward employee discourse may help to understand why employees obstruct organizational changes and subsequently make it easier to preempt and handle such reactions.
Structural and tribological properties of TiC-DLC coatings deposited by RCAE-PVD at various bias voltages
Authors: Mosayebi M. J. , Hosseini S. R.
Published: October 2014

The aim of the current study was the evaluation of the bias voltage influence on the structural and tribological properties of titanium carbide dispersed in diamond-like carbon (TiC-DLC) coatings. To this end, TiC-DLC was deposited on 440C stainless steel substrate by physical vapour deposition method with titanium target and acetylene gas sources. The coating process was performed at the constant chamber pressure of 5 mbar and the bias voltage in the range of 100 to 400 V. The coatings were characterised by means of field emission SEM, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Pin on disc test was used for studying the wear behaviour of the coatings. The best tribological properties of coatings were reached at the bias voltage of 200 V. Overall, raising the bias voltage up to 200 V led to the decrease in the wear and friction initially, while getting the higher voltage (up to 400 V) reversed the process.
The physiological basis of pulmonary gas exchange: implications for clinical interpretation of arterial blood gases
Authors: Wagner Peter D.
Published: October 2014

The field of pulmonary gas exchange is mature, with the basic principles developed more than 60 years ago. Arterial blood gas measurements (tensions and concentrations of O2and CO2) constitute a mainstay of clinical care to assess the degree of pulmonary gas exchange abnormality. However, the factors that dictate arterial blood gas values are often multifactorial and complex, with six different causes of hypoxaemia (inspiratory hypoxia, hypoventilation, ventilation/perfusion inequality, diffusion limitation, shunting and reduced mixed venous oxygenation) contributing variably to the arterial O2and CO2tension in any given patient. Blood gas values are then usually further affected by the body's abilities to compensate for gas exchange disturbances by three tactics (greater O2extraction, increasing ventilation and increasing cardiac output). This article explains the basic principles of gas exchange in health, mechanisms of altered gas exchange in disease, how the body compensates for abnormal gas exchange, and based on these principles, the tools available to interpret blood gas data and, quantitatively, to best understand the physiological state of each patient. This understanding is important because therapeutic intervention to improve abnormal gas exchange in any given patient needs to be based on the particular physiological mechanisms affecting gas exchange in that patient.
Analysis of advanced lung cancer patients diagnosed following emergency admission
Authors: Fujimoto Daichi , Shimizu Ryoko , Morimoto Takeshi , Kato Ryoji , Sato Yuki , Kogo Mariko , Ito Jiro , Teraoka Shunsuke , Otoshi Takehiro , Nagata Kazuma , Nakagawa Atsushi , Otsuka Kojiro , Katakami Nobuyuki , Tomii Keisuke
Published: October 2014

Data on prognosis and predictors of overall survival in advanced lung cancer patients diagnosed following emergency admission (DFEA) are currently lacking.

We retrospectively analysed data from 771 patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer between April 2004 and April 2012.

Of the 771 patients, 103 (13%) were DFEA. DFEA was not an independent predictor of overall survival by multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, whereas good performance status (PS), epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutation, stage IIIB, adenocarcinoma and chemotherapy were independent predictors of overall survival (hazard ratio (95% CI) 0.36 (0.29–0.44), p<0.001; 0.49 (0.38–0.63), p<0.001; 0.64 (0.51–0.80), p<0.001; 0.81 (0.67–0.99), p=0.044; and 0.40 (0.31–0.52), p<0.001, respectively). Good PS just prior to opting for chemotherapy, but not at emergency admission, was a good independent predictor of overall survival in DFEA patients (hazard ratio (95% CI) 0.26 (0.12–0.55); p<0.001).

DFEA is relatively common. DFEA and PS at emergency admission were not independent predictors of overall survival, but good PS just prior to opting for chemotherapy was an independent predictor of longer overall survival. Efforts to improve patient PS after admission should be considered vital in such circumstances.
Non-anthropogenic dust exposure and asthma medication purchase in children
Authors: Yitshak-Sade Maayan , Novack Victor , Katra Itzhak , Gorodischer Rafael , Tal Asher , Novack Lena
Published: October 2014

Air pollution has been shown to increase frequency of asthma attacks, as usually measured by hospitalisation rates. We hypothesise that purchase of asthma reliever medications will reflect a broader association between the environmental exposure and asthma exacerbations.

In a time series analysis, we estimated the association of dust storms with mild asthma manifestations, as indicated by medication purchases, during 2005–2011. We compared our results with the estimation of the association of dust storms with hospitalisations due to asthma and asthma-like symptoms.

We detected 289 dust storms characterised by high levels of particulate matter <10 μm in diameter. We identified 42 920 children with asthma, wheezing or asthma-like symptoms, of whom 2418 were hospitalised. We observed a higher risk of asthma medication purchase on the day of a mild dust storm (relative risk 1.05, 95% CI 1.00–1.10). The next peak in drug purchases was 3 days later and was more pronounced among Bedouin-Arab children. Stratified analyses showed higher risks for hospitalisation among Bedouin-Arab children; especially among children living in temporary houses (relative risk 1.33, 95% CI 1.04–1.71).

We observed an increased risk of asthma medication purchase associated with mild dust storms. The risk observed for hospitalisation was more pronounced among the rural Bedouin-Arab population.
A multicentre study of air pollution exposure and childhood asthma prevalence: the ESCAPE project
Authors: Mölter Anna , Simpson Angela , Berdel Dietrich , Brunekreef Bert , Custovic Adnan , Cyrys Josef , de Jongste Johan , de Vocht Frank , Fuertes Elaine , Gehring Ulrike , Gruzieva Olena , Heinrich Joachim , Hoek Gerard , Hoffmann Barbara , Klümper Claudia , Korek Michal , Kuhlbusch Thomas A.J. , Lindley Sarah , Postma Dirkje , Tischer Christina , Wijga Alet , Pershagen Göran , Agius Raymond
Published: October 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of six traffic-related air pollution metrics (nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10), PM2.5, coarse particulate matter and PM2.5absorbance) on childhood asthma and wheeze prevalence in five European birth cohorts: MAAS (England, UK), BAMSE (Sweden), PIAMA (the Netherlands), GINI and LISA (both Germany, divided into north and south areas).

Land-use regression models were developed for each study area and used to estimate outdoor air pollution exposure at the home address of each child. Information on asthma and current wheeze prevalence at the ages of 4–5 and 8–10 years was collected using validated questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse the association between pollutant exposure and asthma within each cohort. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to combine effect estimates from individual cohorts.

The meta-analyses showed no significant association between asthma prevalence and air pollution exposure (e.g.adjusted OR (95%CI) for asthma at age 8–10 years and exposure at the birth address (n=10377): 1.10 (0.81–1.49) per 10 μg·m-3nitrogen dioxide; 0.88 (0.63–1.24) per 10 μg·m-3PM10; 1.23 (0.78–1.95) per 5 μg·m-3PM2.5). This result was consistently found in initial crude models, adjusted models and further sensitivity analyses.

This study found no significant association between air pollution exposure and childhood asthma prevalence in five European birth cohorts.
Asthma, airflow limitation and mortality risk in the general population
Authors: Huang Shuang , Vasquez Monica M. , Halonen Marilyn , Martinez Fernando D. , Guerra Stefano
Published: October 2014

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease co-exist in a significant proportion of patients. Whether asthma increases mortality risk among subjects with airflow limitation remains controversial.

We used data from 2121 adult participants in the population-based Tucson Epidemiological Study of Airway Obstructive Disease cohort. At enrolment (1972–1973), participants completed questionnaires and lung function tests. Participants were categorised into four groups based on the combination of airflow limitation (AL; forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) <70%) and physician-confirmed asthma at baseline. Vital status as of January 2011 was assessed through the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazards models were used to test differences in mortality risk across the four airflow limitation/asthma groups.

In multivariate Cox models, the AL+/asthma+ group had a 114% increased mortality risk during follow-up compared with the AL-/asthma- group (adjusted HR 2.14; 95% CI 1.64–2.79). The corresponding hazard ratios were 1.09 (95% CI 0.89–1.34) and 1.34 (95% CI 1.14–1.57) for the AL-/asthma+ and AL+/asthma- groups, respectively. Among subjects with airflow limitation, asthma was associated with increased mortality risk (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.17–2.12). However, this increased risk was substantially reduced and no longer significant after further adjustment for baseline FEV1levels. Similar results were obtained when airflow limitation was defined as FEV1/FVC less than the lower limit of normal.

In a population-based cohort, subjects with concomitant airflow limitation and asthma had an increased risk of dying, which was mainly related to their baseline lung function deficits.
Ageing and the border between health and disease
Authors: MacNee William , Rabinovich Roberto A. , Choudhury Gourab
Published: October 2014

Ageing is associated with a progressive degeneration of the tissues, which has a negative impact on the structure and function of vital organs and is among the most important known risk factors for most chronic diseases. Since the proportion of the world’s population aged >60 years will double in the next four decades, this will be accompanied by an increased incidence of chronic age-related diseases that will place a huge burden on healthcare resources.

There is increasing evidence that many chronic inflammatory diseases represent an acceleration of the ageing process. Chronic pulmonary diseases represents an important component of the increasingly prevalent multiple chronic debilitating diseases, which are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in the elderly. The lungs age and it has been suggested that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition of accelerated lung ageing and that ageing may provide a mechanistic link between COPD and many of its extrapulmonary effects and comorbidities. In this article we will describe the physiological changes and mechanisms of ageing, with particular focus on the pulmonary effects of ageing and how these may be relevant to the development of COPD and its major extrapulmonary manifestations.
Speed of remission in elderly patients with depression: Electroconvulsive therapyv. medication
Authors: Spaans Harm-Pieter , Sienaert Pascal , Bouckaert Filip , van den Berg Julia F. , Verwijk Esmée , Kho King H. , Stek Max L. , Kok Rob M.
Published: October 2014

Background

Severe depression can be a life-threatening disorder, especially in elderly patients. A fast-acting treatment is crucial for this group. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may work faster than medication.

Aims

To compare the speed of remission using ECTv.medication in elderly in-patients.

Method

The speed of remission in in-patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of major depression (baseline MADRS score $20) was compared between 47 participants (mean age 74.0 years, s.d. = 7.4) from an ECT randomised controlled trial (RCT) and 81 participants (mean age 72.2 years, s.d. = 7.6) from a medication RCT (nortriptylinev.venlafaxine).

Results

Mean time to remission was 3.1 weeks (s.d. = 1.1) for the ECT group and 4.0 weeks (s.d. = 1.0) for the medication group; the adjusted hazard ratio for remission within 5 weeks (ECTv.medication) was 3.4 (95% CI 1.9–6.2).

Conclusions

Considering the substantially higher speed of remission, ECT deserves a more prominent position in the treatment of elderly patients with severe depression.
Medial Prefrontal Cortical Estradiol Rapidly Alters Memory System Bias in Female Rats: Ultrastructural Analysis Reveals Membrane-Associated Estrogen Receptors as Potential Mediators
Authors: Almey Anne , Cannell Elizabeth , Bertram Kyla , Filardo Edward , Milner Teresa A. , Brake Wayne G.
Published: October 2014

High plasma levels of estradiol (E2) are associated with use of a place memory system over a response memory system. We examined whether infusing estradiol into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or anterior cingulate cortex (AC) could affect memory system bias in female rats. We also examined the ultrastructural distribution of estrogen receptor (ER)-α, ERβ, and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) in the mPFC of female rats as a mechanism for the behavioral effects of E2 in the mPFC. Each rat was infused bilaterally with either E2 (0.13 μg) or vehicle into the mPFC or AC. The majority of E2 mPFC rats used place memory. In contrast, the majority of mPFC vehicle rats and AC E2 or vehicle rats used response memory. These data show that mPFC E2 rapidly biases females to use place memory. Electron microscopic analysis demonstrated that ERα, ERβ, and GPER1 are localized in the mPFC, almost exclusively at extranuclear sites. This is the first time that GPER1 has been localized to the mPFC of rats and the first time that ERα and ERβ have been described at extranuclear sites in the rat mPFC. The majority of receptors were observed on axons and axon terminals, suggesting that estrogens alter presynaptic transmission in the mPFC. This provides a mechanism via which ERs could rapidly alter transmission in the mPFC to alter PFC-dependent behaviors, such as memory system bias. The discrete nature of immunolabeling for these membrane-associated ERs may explain the discrepancy in previous light microscopy studies.
Bottlenose dolphins modify behavior to reduce metabolic effect of tag attachment
Authors: van der Hoop Julie M. , Fahlman Andreas , Hurst Thomas , Rocho-Levine Julie , Shorter K. Alex , Petrov Victor , Moore Michael J.
Published: October 2014

Attaching bio-telemetry or -logging devices (‘tags’) to marine animals for research and monitoring adds drag to streamlined bodies, thus affecting posture, swimming gaits and energy balance. These costs have never been measured in free-swimming cetaceans. To examine the effect of drag from a tag on metabolic rate, cost of transport and swimming behavior, four captive male dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were trained to swim a set course, either non-tagged (n=7) or fitted with a tag (DTAG2; n=12), and surface exclusively in a flow-through respirometer in which oxygen consumption () and carbon dioxide production (; ml kg−1 min−1) rates were measured and respiratory exchange ratio (/) was calculated. Tags did not significantly affect individual mass-specific oxygen consumption, physical activity ratios (exercise /resting ), total or net cost of transport (COT; J m−1 kg−1) or locomotor costs during swimming or two-minute recovery phases. However, individuals swam significantly slower when tagged (by ~11%; mean ± s.d., 3.31±0.35 m s−1) than when non-tagged (3.73±0.41 m s−1). A combined theoretical and computational fluid dynamics model estimating drag forces and power exertion during swimming suggests that drag loading and energy consumption are reduced at lower swimming speeds. Bottlenose dolphins in the specific swimming task in this experiment slowed to the point where the tag yielded no increases in drag or power, while showing no difference in metabolic parameters when instrumented with a DTAG2. These results, and our observations, suggest that animals modify their behavior to maintain metabolic output and energy expenditure when faced with tag-induced drag.
Potential sources of intra-population variation in painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling overwintering strategy
Authors: Riley Julia L. , Tattersall Glenn J. , Litzgus Jacqueline D.
Published: October 2014

Many temperate animals spend half their lives in a non-active, overwintering state, and multiple adaptations have evolved to enable winter survival. One notable vertebrate model is Chrysemys picta whose hatchlings display dichotomous overwintering strategies: some hatchlings spend their first winter aquatically after nest emergence in fall, while others overwinter terrestrially within their natal nest with subsequent spring emergence. Occurrence of these strategies varies among populations and temporally within populations; however, factors that determine the strategy employed by a nest in nature are unknown. We examined potential factors that influence intra-population variation in C. picta hatchling overwintering strategy over two winters in Algonquin Park, Ontario. We found that environmental factors may be a trigger for hatchling overwintering strategy: fall-emerging nests were sloped towards the water and were surrounded by a relatively higher percentage of bare ground compared to spring-emerging nests. Fall-emerging hatchlings were also relatively smaller. Overwintering strategy was not associated with clutch oviposition sequence, or mammalian or avian predation attempts. Instead, fall emergence from the nest was associated with the direct mortality threat of predation by Sarcophagid fly larvae. Body condition and righting response, measured as proxies of hatchling fitness, did not differ between overwintering strategies. Costs and benefits of overwintering aquatically versus terrestrially in hatchling C. picta are largely unknown, and have the potential to affect population dynamics. Understanding winter survival has great implications for turtle ecology, thus we emphasize future research areas on dichotomous overwintering strategies in temperate hatchling turtles.
Teaching an old jaw new tricks: Diet-induced plasticity in a model organism, from weaning to adulthood
Authors: Scott Jeremiah E. , McAbee Kevin R. , Eastman Meghan M. , Ravosa Matthew
Published: October 2014

Many organisms exhibit a decrease in the ability to modify their phenotypes in response to shifts in environmental conditions as they mature. Such age-dependent plasticity has important implications in a variety of evolutionary and ecological contexts, particularly with respect to understanding adaptive responses to heterogeneous environments. In this study we used experimental diet manipulation to examine the life-history trajectory of plasticity in the feeding complex of a model organism, the white rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We demonstrate that, contrary to expectations derived from previous cross-sectional studies of skeletal plasticity, the jaws of weanlings and young adults exhibit similar increases in relative bone cross-sectional areas in response to the introduction of mechanically challenging foods into their diets. Furthermore, we present evidence that sensitivity to loading patterns persists well into adulthood in some regions of the masticatory apparatus in rabbits, indicating that there is an extended window of opportunity to respond to changes in dietary properties during an animal's life span. We conclude that certain aspects of the facial skeleton of rabbits, and perhaps mammals in general, are sensitive to environmental stimuli long after skeletal maturity is achieved, highlighting the importance of plasticity as a source of adaptive variation at later life-history stages.
Developmental variation in sound production in water and air in the blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus
Authors: Ghahramani Zachary N. , Mohajer Yasha , Fine Michael L.
Published: October 2014

Blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus Lesueur, the largest catfish in North America, produces pectoral stridulation sounds (distress calls) when attacked and held. They have both fish and bird predators, and the frequency spectrum of their sounds is better matched to hearing of birds than to that of unspecialized fish predators with low frequency hearing. It is unclear whether their sounds evolved to function in air or water. We categorized the calls and how they change with fish size in air and water and compared developmental changes in call parameters with stridulation motions captured with a high-speed camera. Stridulation sounds consist of a variable series of pulses produced during abduction of the pectoral spine. Pulses are caused by quick rapid spine rotations (jerks) of the pectoral spine that do not change with fish size although larger individuals generate longer, higher amplitude pulses with lower peak frequencies. There are longer pauses between jerks, and therefore fewer jerks and fewer pulses in larger fish that take longer to abduct their spines and therefore produce a longer series of pulses per abduction sweep. Sounds couple more effectively to water (1400 times greater pressure in Pascals at 1m), are more sharply tuned and have lower peak frequencies than in air. Blue catfish stridulation sounds appear to be specialized to produce under-water signals although most of the sound spectrum includes frequencies matched to catfish hearing but largely above the hearing range of unspecialized fishes.
Understanding Hot Melt Extrusion via near Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Smith-Goettler Brandye , Gendron Colleen M. , Meyer Robert F.
Published: October 2014

The use of hot melt extrusion (HME) to produce pharmaceutical solid dispersions utilises pharmaceutical grade polymer(s), potentially high temperatures and mechanical energy to convert a drug substance from a crystalline to an amorphous state. Process analytical technology (PAT), in general, provides numerous manufacturing advantages but those specific to HME will be highlighted. An in-line, transmission mode, Fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR) and partial least squares (PLS) method was developed for real-time drug loading (% wt/wt) predictions during hot melt extrusion of a Merck product. The NIR/PLS method has been successfully used for process fault detection and real-time quality assurance via switch gate automation control; however, the focus herein will be the use of the method for process understanding with three specific examples provided.
Bargaining Ability and Competitive Advantage: Empirical Evidence from Medical Devices
Authors: Grennan Matthew
Published: October 2014

In markets where buyers and suppliers negotiate, supplier costs, buyer willingness to pay, and competition determine only a range of potential prices, leaving the final price dependent on other factors (e.g., negotiating skill), which I call bargaining ability. I use a model of buyer demand and buyer–supplier bargaining, combined with detailed data on prices and quantities at the buyer–supplier relationship level, to estimate firm-bargaining abilities in the context of the coronary stent industry where different hospitals (buyers) pay different prices for the exact same product from the same supplier. I estimate that (1) variation in bargaining abilities explains 79% of this price variation, (2) bargaining ability has a large firm-specific component, and (3) changes in the distribution of bargaining abilities over time suggest learning as an important channel influencing bargaining ability.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2006 .

This paper was accepted by Bruno Cassiman, business strategy.
Yield Optimization of Display Advertising with Ad Exchange
Authors: Balseiro Santiago R. , Feldman Jon , Mirrokni Vahab , Muthukrishnan S.
Published: October 2014

It is clear from the growing role of ad exchanges in the real-time sale of advertising slots that Web publishers are considering a new alternative to their more traditional reservation-based ad contracts. To make this choice, the publisher must trade off, in real-time, the short-term revenue from ad exchange with the long-term benefits of delivering good spots to the reservation ads. In this paper we formalize this combined optimization problem as a multiobjective stochastic control problem and derive an efficient policy for online ad allocation in settings with general joint distribution over placement quality and exchange prices. We prove the asymptotic optimality of this policy in terms of any arbitrary trade-off between the quality of delivered reservation ads and revenue from the exchange, and we show that our policy approximates any Pareto-optimal point on the quality-versus-revenue curve. Experimental results on data derived from real publisher inventory confirm that there are significant benefits for publishers if they jointly optimize over both channels.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2017 .

This paper was accepted by Dimitris Bertsimas, optimization.
THE POTENTIAL FOR DISRUPTIVE INNOVATIONS IN NUCLEAR POWER
Authors: Adams Frederick Powell
Published: October 2014

The concept of “disruptive innovation” is a management tool that provides a framework for understanding the structure and dynamics of technology markets, especially their sometimes acute response to innovation. The concept was used in a preliminary assessment of a number of energy technologies, including renewable energy technologies and energy storage, as well as nuclear technologies, as they interact in industry and the marketplace. The technologies were assessed and perspectives were provided on their current potential for innovation to disrupt the value networks behind electricity markets. The findings indicate that this concept may provide useful guidance for the planning of technology development.
The effect of acculturation on the well-being of children in multicultural families - Focused on moderating effects of social support and ego-resilience
Authors: Lee Ju-young , Lee Mi-ea , Moon Jae Woo
Published: October 2014

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between acculturation and multicultural children's sense of well-being. The subjects of this study were elementary(grade 3-6) and middle school children of multicultural families living in Seoul and Gyeonggi. The survey was conducted May 12, 2012 to August. 583 questionnaires were collected and among them 518 questionnaires were used for analysis. In result, this study showed that the factors affecting wellbeing were acculturation(cultural adaptation), self-resilience, teachers’ support, family support in order and the factors affecting acculturation were friend support, family support, self-resilience in order. And social support and self-resilience had moderating effects on acculturation and a sense of well-being. In conclusion In order to increase the multicultural child's sense of well-being, it is necessary to improve acculturation by enhancing friend support, family support, and ego- resilience.
Comparison of three different immunoassays in the diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
Authors: Vianello Fabrizio , Sambado Luisa , Scarparo Pamela , Lombardi Annamaria , Bernardi Daniela , Plebani Mario , Fabris Fabrizio
Published: October 2014

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is caused by platelet activating antibodies that recognize platelet factor 4/heparin (PF4/H) complexes. Laboratory testing plays a key role in the diagnosis of HIT. As functional assays are unfeasible for most clinical laboratories, antigen binding assays are commonly used in routine testing. However, their low specificity leads to overdiagnosis of HIT. Therefore, it is advisable to improve screening tests in this setting.

Blood samples from 114 patients in whom HIT was suspected were investigated using a chemiluminescence test (HemosIL

Twenty-nine (25.4%) out of 114 subjects with suspected HIT had a positive HIPA test. None of patients with a 4Ts score <4 were positive at HIPA. HemosIL

The HemosIL
Religious Continuity and Change in Parthian Mesopotamia: A Note on the Survival of Babylonian Traditions
Authors: Dirven Lucinda
Published: October 2014

During the period of Arsacid domination, Mesopotamia was characterized by an extraordinarily varied religious landscape. Religion in Arsacid Mesopotamia has not received much attention so far and an all-encompassing study dealing with religious continuity and change in the region is still lacking. For most Assyriologists, religion in the Parthian period is quite different from the preceding periods. Graeco-Roman historians have not shown a great interest in the period either. In short, the study of religion in Parthian Mesopotamia is still split up in diverse cultural and linguistic traditions that are the result of the academic training of the researchers. A profound study of religion in Mesopotamia during this period has to break free from these traditional confines and study the various religious traditions in their social, cultural, and religious context, with a keen eye for religious interaction and diversity on a local level.

In present-day research, the focus is on continuity of Babylonian culture and religion. In the first part of this article, I shall argue that the case for continuity has been overstated of late. In fact, change was equally important and this change set in as early as the Achaemenid period. In the second part I shall argue that Babylonian culture was never confined to temples and cuneiform and that the Babylonian deities always had led a life outside their traditional homes as well.
‘You need help as usual, do you?’: Joking and swearing for collegiality in a Swedish workplace
Authors: Nelson Marie
Published: October 2014

This paper draws on the KINSA project (The Communicative Situation of Immigrants at Swedish Workplaces), which aimed to identify communicative factors that have a positive impact on the integration of second language speakers in the workplace and in their immediate work team. The focus here is on humour and swearing as strategies for doing collegiality and for building and maintaining good relations between co-workers. The article presents data from five second language speakers, permanently employed industrial or office workers in a major Swedish company. Theoretically and methodologically, the paper has its basis in discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics and the ethnography of communication. By means of fieldwork, a large body of empirical data was collected, comprising detailed field notes, audio and video recordings of naturally occurring talk, and texts processed and produced by participants. The analysis of the data shows that metalinguistic and metacultural awareness and performance of relational communicative acts among the participants appear to have helped to facilitate and consolidate integration in the workplace and the immediate work team. To foster good relations at work, the five participants make strategic use of jokes, compliments, narratives, swearing and greetings. In this article the use of jokes and swearing is highlighted. It closes by making a case for future research in the area of integration in the workplace through relational communication, especially among second language speakers.
SFRP5 acts as a mature adipocyte marker but not as a regulator in adipogenesis
Authors: Wang Rui , Hong Jie , Liu Ruixin , Chen Maopei , Xu Min , Gu Wiqiong , Zhang Yifei , Ma Qinyun , Wang Feng , Shi Juan , Wang Jiqiu , Wang Weiqing , Ning Guang
Published: October 2014

WNT/β-catenin signalling is involved in regulating adipogenesis, and its dysregulation occurs in obesity. Secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5) is a WNT protein inhibitor; however, its role in adipogenesis and obesity is controversial. In this study, we observed thatSFRP5mRNA levels were increased in the fat tissues of obese humans and mice.Sfrp5expression was gradually induced during differentiation of white and brown adipocytes and was highly increased in mature adipocytes rather than preadipocytes. However, the effects of the exogenous overexpression ofSfrp5indicated thatSfrp5may not directly regulate adipogenesisin vitrounder the conditions studied. Moreover, SFRP5 did not inhibit the canonical WNT/β-catenin signalling pathway in preadipocytes. Subsequently, we measured the levels of circulating SFRP5 in obese patients and non-obese subjects using ELISA and did not find any significant difference. Collectively, these findings indicate thatSfrp5represents a candidate for a mature adipocyte marker gene. Our data provide new evidence concerning the role of SFRP5 in adipogenesis of white and brown adipocytes and obesity.
CRFR1 activation protects against cytokine-induced β-cell death
Authors: Blaabjerg Lykke , Christensen Gitte L , Matsumoto Masahito , van der Meulen Talitha , Huising Mark O , Billestrup Nils , Vale Wylie W
Published: October 2014

During the development of diabetes β-cells are exposed to elevated concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, TNFα and IL1β, which in vitro induce β-cell death. The class B G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) and CRFR2 are expressed in pancreatic islets. As downstream signaling by other class B GPCRs can protect against cytokine-induced β-cell apoptosis, we evaluated the protective potential of CRFR activation in β-cells in a pro-inflammatory setting. CRFR1/CRFR2 ligands activated AKT and CRFR1 signaling and reduced apoptosis in human islets. In rat and mouse insulin-secreting cell lines (INS-1 and MIN6), CRFR1 agonists upregulated insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) expression, increased AKT activation, counteracted the cytokine-mediated decrease in BAD phosphorylation, and inhibited apoptosis. The anti-apoptotic signaling was dependent on prolonged exposure to corticotropin-releasing factor family peptides and followed PKA-mediated IRS2 upregulation. This indicates that CRFR signaling counteracts proinflammatory cytokine-mediated apoptotic pathways through upregulation of survival signaling in β-cells. Interestingly, CRFR signaling also counteracted basal apoptosis in both cultured INS-1 cells and intact human islets.
The Projection of a Test Genome onto a Reference Population and Applications to Humans and Archaic Hominins
Authors: Yang Melinda A , Harris Kelley , Slatkin Montgomery
Published: October 2014

We introduce a method for comparing a test genome with numerous genomes from a reference population. Sites in the test genome are given a weight, w, that depends on the allele frequency, x, in the reference population. The projection of the test genome onto the reference population is the average weight for each x, w¯(x). The weight is assigned in such a way that, if the test genome is a random sample from the reference population, then w¯(x)=1. Using analytic theory, numerical analysis, and simulations, we show how the projection depends on the time of population splitting, the history of admixture, and changes in past population size. The projection is sensitive to small amounts of past admixture, the direction of admixture, and admixture from a population not sampled (a ghost population). We compute the projections of several human and two archaic genomes onto three reference populations from the 1000 Genomes project—Europeans, Han Chinese, and Yoruba—and discuss the consistency of our analysis with previously published results for European and Yoruba demographic history. Including higher amounts of admixture between Europeans and Yoruba soon after their separation and low amounts of admixture more recently can resolve discrepancies between the projections and demographic inferences from some previous studies.
Campanhas Online: o percurso de formação das questões, problemas e configurações a partir da literatura produzida entre 1992 e 2009
Authors: Aggio Camilo
Published: October 2014

A utilização de recursos e ferramentas digitais associados à Internet por parte de campanhas eleitorais empreendidas por candidatos e partidos tem ganhado uma importância crescente nos últimos anos, produzindo casos emblemáticos como a eleição de Barack Obama nos Estados Unidos em 2008. O presente artigo tem o propósito de realizar um exercício de organizaçãoda literatura formada em torno das campanhas online, mostrando como as questões, problemas e discussões acerca do tema se modificaram ou se reconfiguraram ao longo dos anos. Ainda que poucos trabalhos tenham sido produzidos no Brasil até agora, o conjunto de questões levantadas para abordar o fenômeno das campanhas online em outros contextos culturais e políticos é essencial para a reflexão sobre os potenciais e obstáculos dessa comunicação política digital no contexto brasileiro. A metodologia consistiu no levantamento de bibliografia e em uma classificação desses trabalhos de acordo com o ano do corpus de análise. Nossos resultados indicam que, à medida da passagem dos anos, o discurso, as preocupações e as experiências empíricas relacionadas às campanhas online direcionaram seu foco para os potenciais de mobilização, engajamento e ativismo relacionados às características da web 2.0, reconfigurando os potenciais de provimento de informações não mediadas pelos media noticiosos e interatividade no plano dialógico característicos da fase dedicada aos web sites de campanha.