bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physician report of industry gifts and quality of care
Authors: Lee Doohee , Begley Charles E.
Published: November 2014

Background:

Physician financial conflict of interest is a concern in the delivery of medicine because of its possible influence on the cost and the quality of patient care. There has been an extensive discussion of the ethical, economic, and legal aspects of this issue but little direct empirical evidence of its magnitude or effects.

Methodology:

A nationally representative survey (n = 4,720) was used to empirically examine physician self-report of receipt of financial gifts from the pharmaceutical and medical devices industry and its association with their ability to provide quality care.

Findings:

Results indicate that the vast majority of physicians receive industry gifts in various forms, and the receipt of gifts is associated with lower perceived quality of patient care. There is also an inverse relationship between the frequency of received gifts and the perceived quality of care.

Practice Implications:

Physicians need to be aware of the widespread receipt of industry gifts in medical practice and the potential adverse impact of such receipts on the delivery of care.
Quality and Effectiveness of a Pediatric Triage Training Program in a Guatemalan Public Hospital
Authors: Crouse Heather L. , Vaides Henry , Torres Francisco , Ishigami Elise M. , Walsh Michael T. , Soto Miguel A. , Torrey Susan B.
Published: November 2014

Objectives

This study aimed to develop and implement an Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) training program at a Guatemalan public hospital. Collaborators included Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital, the Guatemalan Ministry of Health, and the Pan American Health Organization.

Methods

The ETAT is a World Health Organization program to teach pediatric assessment, triage, and initial management to health care workers in resource-limited settings. The Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital created ETAT training materials in Spanish (Clasificación, Evaluación y Tratamiento de Emergencias Pediátricas [CETEP]) and conducted a train-the-trainer course for Hospital Nacional Pedro Bethancourt (HNPB) health care leadership. The HNPB subsequently conducted local trainings using a modified curriculum. Midcourse modifications based on evaluations and focus groups included distribution of manuals before training and an adding a day to the course.

Course quality was assessed using participant evaluations and comparing pretest and posttest scores. Effectiveness was defined as 90% concordance between triage levels assigned by participants and facilitators.

Results

A total of 249 health care workers were trained by 24 HNPB facilitators. Mean pretest and posttest scores were 55 and 70, respectively (P < 0.001). On a 4-point scale, participants rated overall course quality and effectiveness as 3.6. Mean pretest (49 vs 58, P = 0.002) and posttest scores (68 vs 72, P = 0.01) improved for groups trained after modifications, as did evaluations for course quality (3.4 vs 3.7, P < 0.001) and effectiveness (3.4 vs 3.8, P < 0.001). Triage levels were assigned with 95% concordance (confidence interval, 91.9–97.3) between participants and facilitators.

Conclusions

Hospital Nacional Pedro Bethancourt experts conducted high-quality trainings with locally relevant CETEP (ETAT) material. Trainings were effective and well received. The pediatric emergency department at HNPB now uses a triage system based on CETEP (ETAT).
White coats and no trousers: narrating the experiences of women technicians in medical laboratories, 1930–90
Authors: Hartley J. M. , Tansey E. M.
Published: November 2014

Laboratory technicians are a vital part of any working lab. Not only is their knowledge and expertise important for the success of research, but they also often maintain the lab's intellectual and social life. Despite the importance of their work, they are rarely acknowledged in publications, and leave only a few traces within the historical record—the voices of women laboratory technicians are even harder to uncover. This paper attempts to correct this imbalance by presenting the narratives of women who worked as laboratory technicians at places such as the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), the Wellcome Research Laboratories, and established hospital and university labs in Cambridge, Oxford and London. The data were collected though narrative interviews. Specifically, the paper looks at the roles of these women within the lab, their experiences of the social and gender dynamics of the lab, and the development of expertise in regard to the work they carried out and the extent to which they received credit for their contributions to science.
Women peers in the scientific realm: Sarah Bowdich (Lee)'s expert collaborations with Georges Cuvier, 1825–33
Authors: Orr Mary
Published: November 2014

The accepted rule for women contributing to nineteenth-century science before 1851 was that they could play only secondary roles in its production and authorship—as translators, illustrators, popularizers—and these by virtue of kinship or marriage to eminent scientists in the field or the laboratory. Sarah Bowdich (Lee) (1791–1856) presents an important amendment to this rule. As an explorer of West Africa on an equal scientific footing with her husband, and then a writer of science independently after his early death, she had other key roles as Georges Cuvier's cross-Channel scientific collaborator and as his first biographer. This article investigates and reframes Sarah's many individual achievements in science and its writing, to examine the larger questions of her case. How were her publications and ‘uneasy career’ in science possible? Can research on women in science today find inspiration in her example?
Towards sustainability in the high-speed railway industry: modeling of cases from China
Authors: Li Yuanhui , Foo Check-Teck
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to document and to illustrate highly usable research: a practical framework for realizing the sustainable operations of the high investment, technology-intensive high-speed railways in China. Also, for the first time, we draw a broad, metaphorical relationship between railways within a country to Chinese meridian lines within a human body. These are similar in enabling flows across the country and human body.

Design/methodology/approach

– Employing Chinese case studies, we attempt to apply methodological procedures involving operational, financial and developmental in realizing the sustainability of high-speed railways. Critical criteria are emphasized for efficiency, financial viability and long-term funding sustained development of high-speed railways in the Chinese context. Policymakers may utilize the illustrative framework in working toward specific recommendations that may be implementable.

Findings

– Three critical aspects to sustainability are operational, financial solvency and developmental. Our empirical investigations result in the working out of the procedural aspects as well. Based on this three-way classification, we design an evaluative framework for realizing sustainability of high-speed railways. Our insights are based on the social reality of China. Thus, we argue that cash handouts by government are necessary solutions, given the intensive capital investments required of high-speed railways for strongly positive externalities generated. On developmental aspects of sustainability, there should be rational, in-depth studies conducted so as to lead to rational choices of sites. Strong passenger flows coupled with affordability of fares are the twin guarantees of continuing, profitable performances.

Practical implications

– This work on sustainability is globally, most highly significant for two reasons. First, railway is one fundamental mean of transportation within China. Thus, the sustainability of railway matters to a majority of the 1.3 billion people. Second, transport volume of China’s railway is the world’s largest. By developing such a comprehensive methodology, we hope to enhance how top management of Chinese Railways may keep the high-speed railways sustainable into the future.

Social implications

– This paper is socially highly significant, especially in the context of what has happened in recent years in China’s railway industry, and may contribute by providing both the regulators and management with an objective methodology in future projects assessment within high-speed railway.

Originality/value

– This paper develops an overall framework for enabling management to realize sustainability of high-speed railway within China. The ideas, concepts and methodologies are likely beneficial to top management, regulators and policymakers within the railway transportation, a state monopoly.
Corporate social performance: why it matters? Case of Taiwan
Authors: Kevin Huang Shihping , Yang Chih-Lung
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The objective of this article is to explore the relationship between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP) of firms in Taiwan, as the empirical evidence of Taiwan firms is scarce.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper studies the empirical relation between CSP and CFP using a sample of 71 Taiwan-based companies during 2005-2011. CSP data are a composite of two Taiwan’s CSP ratings, and CFP data are retrieved fromTaiwan Economic Journaldatabase. Two control variables, R&D investment (R&D) and industry type (IND), are included in our models. The multiple regression is used as a statistical analysis tool.

Findings

– Our findings indicate a significantly positive CSP–CFP relationship of firms in Taiwan. Furthermore, our study reveals that the CSP in the non-manufacturing sector is more highly related with CFP than the case in the manufacturing sector in Taiwan.

Originality/value

– First, Our findings are consistent with the majority of recent research and are supported by the stakeholder theory. The paper argues that Taiwan firms should incorporate CSP into their business strategies for improving their competitive advantages. Second, our findings argue that Taiwan firms in the manufacturing sector should learn the best CSP practices from firms in the non-manufacturing sector to maintain and enhance their sustainability. Third, this paper extends the subject study of Taiwan scenario, and it is the first paper combining two CSP local ratings as the proxy for the CSP measure.
Zaidi Oil: the SAP ERP dilemma
Authors: Acosta Freddie Racosas , Acosta Arlene Suson
Published: November 2014

Subject area

Decision Analysis, Management Information Systems, Strategic Management, Organizational Development, Financial Management, Risk Management.

Study level/applicability

MBA-1 (Decision Analysis), MBA-2 (MIS).

Case overview

On a beautiful October morning in 2011, the CEO of a mid-size oil marketing company located in Nairobi, Kenya has to make a tough decision whether to upgrade their current B1 system to a bigger version of SAP. Abbas, the new Information Communications Technology (ICT) Director of Zaidi Group, was worried that Zaidi was building a bigger and bigger company on top of a more and more small enterprise resource planning system. Abbas's fears also include RedLock's past inefficiencies. Kariuki, the Finance Director, on the other hand was into the fear of overspending in a huge information technology (IT)system where current functionalities required can be addressed by a smaller system through add-ons, customization and development.

Expected learning outcomes

Demonstrate some tools in decision analysis for problems with multiple objectives including some issues indecision framing and cognitive inertia; Raise the issue for fundamentally changing a firm's infrastructure; Demonstrate the alignment of IT strategy to Business Strategy.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Seven Sisters: wine and womanhood
Authors: Mabaya Edward , Ross Morgann , Shrestha Raj , Weiss Amity
Published: November 2014

Subject area

The main topics covered by this case are marketing strategies in a saturated market, human resource management, small enterprise challenges and constraints and corporate strategy.

Study level/applicability

The intended audiences for this case are upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. Students getting their degrees in business, international labor relations, marketing or public policy/administration are the main targets for this case. Students also interested in in agriculture, international development and race relations will benefit from studying this case.

Case overview

The international wine market is highly competitive. Innovative strategies are needed for new wineries to stand out in this saturated market. Both the product quality and its life story are important to consumers. Seven Sisters is exploring two new markets – Nigeria and Sweden – to expand their international presence. Also explored are marketing strategies for deeper penetration of the domestic market in South Africa. The case study illustrates the challenges and opportunities facing a small, women-owned enterprise from an emerging economy that is exploring international markets.

Expected learning outcomes

The specific teaching objective of this case is to teach students the importance of marketing and corporate strategy in a highly saturated market, such as South Africa. Analyzing this case, students will be exposed to value chains, formulating corporate strategy and devising marketing strategy.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or emailsupport@emeraldinsight.comto request teaching notes.
Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and eating disorder symptomatology in Canada: implications for mental health care
Authors: A. Boisvert Jennifer , Andrew Harrell W.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– There is a gap in the understanding of relationships between socioeconomic status (SES), urban-rural differences, ethnicity and eating disorder symptomatology. This gap has implications for access to treatment and the effectiveness of treatment. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data are presented from a major Canadian survey, analyzing the impact of body mass index (BMI), urban-non-urban residency, income, and ethnicity on eating disorder symptomatology.

Findings

– One of the strongest findings is that high income non-White women expressed less eating disorder symptomatology than lower income non-White women.

Research limitations/implications

– Future research needs to consider how factors such as urban residency, exposure to Western “thinness” ideals, and income differentials impact non-White women.

Practical implications

– Effective treatment of ethnic minority women requires an appreciation of complicated effects of “culture clash,” income and BMI on eating disorder symptomatology.

Originality/value

– This study makes a unique contribution to the literature by examining relationships between SES (income) and eating disorder symptomatology in White and non-White Canadian women. The review of the scientific literature on ethnic differences in eating disorder symptomatology revealed a disparity gap in treatment. This disparity may be a by-product of bias and lack of understanding of gender or ethnic/cultural differences by practitioners.
Employment references and the law
Authors: Mustafa Engin
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine whether employers are bound to provide references on former employees and the kinds of information they should contain.

Design/methodology/approach

– It arrives at a set of conclusions through considering case law in England and Wales.

Findings

– It explains why writing a reference is increasingly the responsibility of human-resource specialists in an organization.

Practical implications

– It reveals that employers have a number of options, the choice between which will depend upon the organization’s aversion to risk and its balancing of the obligations felt to employees and their future employers.

Social implications

– It considers that, in an increasingly risk-averse culture, more and more organizations are providing minimal information in references on former employees and avoiding value judgments.

Originality/value

– It considers the state of the law in England and Wales as regards writing references on former employees.
Building resiliency and supporting distributive leadership post-disaster
Authors: Usdin Linda
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe leadership, decision making and other community characteristics that support community resiliency following disasters.

Design/methodology/approach

– Literature review and case study based on participant observation in nine years post-Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Findings

– Effective leaders promote community resiliency using democratic, diffused decision making, stressing intra-dependence and promoting individual agency and locally-informed decisions. They build upon local networks and cultural bonds – not waiting for disaster but continuously, with flexible readiness framework infused in all efforts.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper uses New Orleans’ experiences following Hurricane Katrina to explore how leadership, decision making and other community characteristics can promote resiliency post-disaster – case study extrapolating from one disaster and relevant literature to understand role of leaders in community recovery/re-design.

Practical implications

– Changes in global economic and environmental conditions, population growth and urban migration challenge capacity of communities to thrive. Leadership and decision making are hub of wheel in crises, so understanding how leaders promote community resiliency is essential.

Social implications

– Disasters create breakdowns as functioning of all systems that maintain community are overwhelmed and increased demands exceed wounded capacity. Eventually, immediate struggle to limit impact gives way to longer process of re-designing key systems for improved functionality. What contributes to differing abilities of communities to reboot? How can we use understanding of what contributes to that differential ability to prepare and respond more effectively to disasters?

Originality/value

– Hurricane Katrina was a uniquely devastating urban event – causing re-design and re-building of every major system. Almost ten years post-hurricane, rebuilding process has provided key lessons about effective leadership and community resiliency post-disaster.
The rise of Taiwan in the TFT-LCD industry
Authors: Tabata Mayumi
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to refocus the analysis of global political economies using concepts from studies on Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) to track Taiwan’s rise in the Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) industry. Taiwanese electronics firms began to outpace their competitors from Japan in TFT-LCD industry’s competition from about the year 2000.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing on depth interviews and analysis of secondary source material, newspaper and magazine.

Findings

– A time factor that helps determine advantage and/or disadvantage of high-tech industry in Japan and Taiwan. Stable organizational structure and less talent mobility in the Japanese TFT-LCD firms may well have been an advantage initially in the transformation process from US firms’ experimental technologies to tacit mass production technologies, but proved to be a disadvantage in the subsequent competition with more mobile talent in Taiwanese firms eager to standardize mass production techniques. Japanese firms’ rigid organizational structure could not keep pace to the market-oriented technology strategy in the global TFT-LCD industry, lost competitive advantage in a rapid pace.

Social implications

– VoC literature should be focused to highlight two insights. The first is the premise of institutional forms specific to national models of capitalism. Patterns of technology transfer appear critical in the innovation process, and differ markedly between Taiwan and Japan. Second, the VoC literature suggests comparative institutional advantage.

Originality/value

– Through the comparative analyses between Taiwanese capitalism model and Japanese counterparts, we can understand the reason and process of the rise of Taiwan in global TFT-LCD market.
Asset protection in multinational enterprises – where to now?
Authors: Smith Freya
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to shed light on the potential implications for asset protection planning in multinational enterprises (MNEs) from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)’s work on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and the global push towards increased transparency and automatic information exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

– An examination of the academic literature across a range of areas of the law relevant to MNEs and an analysis of the risks facing MNEs and the significance of asset protection in managing these risks. An examination of the OECD’s work on BEPS and automatic information exchange and implications for asset protection strategies utilised by MNEs with a particular focus on the critical issues of disclosure, ownership and control.

Findings

– The full extent to which MNEs will be affected by the OECD’s work on BEPS remains unknown. Early signs indicate a significant shift in the focus of tax rules away from the pricing of specific transactions between related entities to the total global value chain of an MNE opening the door for more widespread adoption of enterprise liability and for states to obtain a complete view of MNE tax and asset protection planning, potentially including previously impenetrable trusts and limited liability companies.

Originality/value

– This paper is one of the first to provide an analysis of the importance of asset protection to MNEs and the potential risks arising for asset protection planning in MNEs from the OECD’s work on BEPS and automatic information exchange.
Asset recombination in international partnerships as a source of improved innovation capabilities in China
Authors: Collinson Simon C. , Narula Rajneesh
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine how multinational enterprises (MNEs) and local partners, including suppliers, customers and competitors in China, improve their innovation capabilities through collaboration. This collaboration was analysed as a three-way interaction between the ownership-specific (O) advantages or firm-specific assets (FSAs) of the MNE subsidiary, the FSAs of the local partner and the location-specific assets of the host location.

Design/methodology/approach

– The propositions are examined through a survey of 320 firms, supplemented with 30 in-depth case studies, based in Mainland China.

Findings

– It is found that the recombination of asset-type (Oa) FSAs and transaction-type (Ot) FSAs from both partners leads to new innovation-related ownership advantages, or “recombinant advantages”. Ot FSAs, in the form of access to local suppliers, customers or government networks are particularly important for reducing the liability of foreignness for MNEs.

Originality/value

– The study reveals important patterns of reciprocal transfer, sharing and integration for different asset categories (tacit, codified) and different forms of FSA and explicitly links these to different innovation performance outcomes. The paper reports on these findings, making an empirical contribution in an important context (China-based partnerships). This paper also contributes to conceptual developments, connecting various kinds of FSA, tacit and codifiable assets and “recombinant advantages”. Limited conceptual, methodological and empirical contributions are made in linking asset integration with (measurable) innovation performance outcomes in international partnerships.
Four cases of Japanese patients with psoriatic arthritis in whom effective treatments by anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐α drugs were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging together with improvement of skin lesions
Authors: Yonenaga Takenori , Saeki Hidehisa , Nakagawa Hidemi , Fukuchi Osamu , Umezawa Yoshinori , Hayashi Mitsuha , Ito Toshihiro , Yanaba Koichi , Tojyo Shinjiro , Fukuda Kunihiko
Published: November 2014

Because psoriatic skin lesions of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) usually precede the onset of joint symptom, dermatologists are in an ideal position to screen and find individuals with PsA early in the disease course. There have been no reports from the dermatology field evaluating the effect of anti‐tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α drugs on joint disorders using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in PsA patients. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effectiveness of MRI in the evaluation of anti‐TNF‐α drugs on joint disease of Japanese PsA patients. Data were collected from four adult Japanese male PsA patients. MRI of the affected hand was performed at baseline and 1–7 months after infliximab or adalimumab treatment. T1‐weighted gadolinium‐enhanced images with fat suppression were acquired in the coronal, sagittal and/or axial planes. We determined the apparent improvement of synovitis, periarticular inflammation, tenosynovitis and/or bone marrow edema by MRI after anti‐TNF‐α treatments in all the patients together with the improvement of skin lesions. We also determined in one patient that these symptoms detected by MRI before treatment were alleviated within 1 month and had disappeared 6 months after treatment, suggesting the potentially early detection of the effect of anti‐TNF‐α drugs on joint disease. We present four cases of Japanese patients with PsA in whom effective treatments by anti‐TNF‐α drugs were evaluated by contrast‐enhanced MRI. This imaging enables dermatologists and radiologists to assess and monitor early inflammatory changes, and to grant PsA patients earlier access to modern treatment such as biologics.
Rubbing skin with nylon towels as a major cause of pseudomonas folliculitis in a Japanese population
Authors: Teraki Yuichi , Nakamura Kaori
Published: November 2014

Pseudomonas folliculitis (PF) is a community‐acquired skin infection, which develops after exposure to contaminated water such as whirlpools, swimming pools, water slides and hot tubs. In Japan, this condition has been sporadically reported, often in association with bathing; however, the exact cause of PF in the Japanese population remains unclear. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 10 patients with PF diagnosed at our dermatology clinic (two males and eight females). Four patients had recurrences over 1–3 years. Notably, eight of the 10 patients were rubbing their bodies with nylon towels or sponges placed in the bathrooms during bathing. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from the nylon towels used in two of the two patients examined. Discontinued use of nylon towels resulted in prompt resolution of PF and no recurrence in all cases. Our observation suggests that rubbing the skin with nylon towels contaminated with P. aeruginosa was a major cause of PF in a Japanese population.
Has the Clean Development Mechanism assisted sustainable development?
Authors: He Jingjing , Huang Yongfu , Tarp Finn
Published: November 2014

One of the dual objectives of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol is to assist host countries in achieving sustainable development. With various CDM indicators for 58 CDM host countries over the period 2005‐2010, this paper empirically assesses whether CDM project development fulfils its sustainable development objective. Using a unique dynamic panel data method based on the long‐differenced model, this research provides convincing evidence that CDM projects contribute to sustainable development in host countries. It sheds light on the role of the CDM in the process of global sustainability with clear policy implications for developing countries and those embracing market instruments.
POSITION AND PERFORMANCE OF FARMER COOPERATIVES IN THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN OF THE EU‐27
Authors: HÖHLER Julia , KÜHL Rainer
Published: November 2014

Studies on cooperatives and cooperative performance have a long empirical tradition. This study provides new data on the multifaceted positions and functions of farmer cooperatives in the food supply chains in eight sectors of EU‐27. Cooperatives in this area are facing changes in competition, institutional framework and marketing conditions. What is the significance of cooperatives in the European food supply chains and which positions do they take up? Which conclusions on their handling of the changes can be derived from the development of their functions in the supply chain and which growth and marketing strategies do they pursue? By providing insights into recent literature as well as presenting and evaluating results of the EU‐project ‘Support for Farmers’ Cooperatives’, we seek to provide answers on the questions raised above.
SHIFTING CONTROL? THE CHANGES OF INTERNAL GOVERNANCE IN AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES IN THE EU
Authors: BIJMAN Jos , HANISCH Markus , van der SANGEN Ger
Published: November 2014

Governance describes a firm´s system of decision‐making, direction and control. Over the last decades agricultural cooperatives in Europe have been pursuing innovations in internal governance structures. As a response to changing market environments, cooperatives adjust the size and composition of boards, the labour division between supervision and management and the representation of members‐owners. Changes in the cooperatives´ internal governance mechanism are motivated by the need to enhance market orientation, attract professional managers, strengthen member commitment, and reinforce entrepreneurship. We present data on innovations in the internal governance mechanisms of a sample of 500 agricultural cooperatives in the EU. In addition, we present theoretical explanations for these innovations, and we discuss their implications for member control and manager accountability, as well as for performance and further development of the cooperatives.
Influence of olfactory enrichment on the exploratory behaviour of captive‐housed domestic cats
Authors: Machado JC , Genaro G
Published: November 2014

Objective

To evaluate the influence of olfactory stimulation on the exploratory activity of captive‐housed domestic cats.

Methods

To evaluate the cats' exploratory behaviour, we devised three treatments. We placed a wooden cube (0.027 m3) covered with a cloth treated with rat scent on the floor of each cat enclosure (T3). We also used a cloth‐covered cube that did not have rat scent (T2) and observed the cats' behaviours in the same area without any object (T1). All cats participated in T1, T2, and T3. All treatments were performed equally and at the same time in two identical enclosures with 11 and 10 cats, respectively. The cats had lived in the enclosures since entering the permanent animal house. We used a continuous recording method associated with focal sampling to analyse the recordings.

Results

Exploration was induced in the presence of a novel object, the cube, irrespective of whether the object was associated with the scent. In T3, we observed sex differences in exploration time: females spent more time exploring the scent‐impregnated cube than males. Female cats also spent more time exploring the scent‐impregnated cube than the scent‐free cube. Cats in T3 had shorter latency for exploration, spent more time sniffing the ground and rubbing the cube, and had a higher frequency of urine spraying than those in T2.

Conclusion

Although exploratory behaviour was induced by novelty in the form of a new object, significant effects were observed in the presence of the scent, mainly regarding latency to explore, sex differences and sniffing, rubbing and urine spraying.
Phylogenetic niche conservatism and the evolutionary basis of ecological speciation
Authors: Pyron R. Alexander , Costa Gabriel C. , Patten Michael A. , Burbrink Frank T.
Published: November 2014

Phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC) typically refers to the tendency of closely related species to be more similar to each other in terms of niche than they are to more distant relatives. This has been implicated as a potential driving force in speciation and other species‐richness patterns, such as latitudinal gradients. However,PNChas not been very well defined in most previous studies. Is it a pattern or a process? What are the underlying endogenous (e.g. genetic) and exogenous (e.g. ecological) factors that cause niches to be conserved? What degree of similarity is necessary to qualify asPNC? Is it possible for the evolutionary processes causing niches to be conserved to also result in niche divergence in different habitats? Here, we revisit these questions, codifying a theoretical and operational definition ofPNCas a mechanistic evolutionary process resulting from several factors. We frame this both from a macroevolutionary and population‐genetic perspective. We discuss how different axes of physical (e.g. geographic) and environmental (e.g. climatic) heterogeneity interact with the fundamental process ofPNCto produce different outcomes of ecological speciation. We also review tests forPNC, and suggest ways that these could be improved or better utilized in future studies. Ultimately,PNCas a process has a well‐defined mechanistic basis in organisms, and future studies investigating ecological speciation would be well served to consider this, and frame hypothesis testing in terms of the processes and expected patterns described herein. The process ofPNCmay lead to patterns where niches are conserved (more similar than expected), constrained (divergent within a limited subset of available niches), or divergent (less similar than expected), based on degree of phylogenetic relatedness between species.
Acoustic sequences in non‐human animals: a tutorial review and prospectus
Authors: Kershenbaum Arik , Blumstein Daniel T. , Roch Marie A. , Akçay Çağlar , Backus Gregory , Bee Mark A. , Bohn Kirsten , Cao Yan , Carter Gerald , Cäsar Cristiane , Coen Michael , DeRuiter Stacy L. , Doyle Laurance , Edelman Shimon , Ferrer‐i‐Cancho Ramon , Freeberg Todd M. , Garland Ellen C. , Gustison Morgan , Harley Heidi E. , Huetz Chloé , Hughes Melissa , Hyland Bruno Julia , Ilany Amiyaal , Jin Dezhe Z. , Johnson Michael , Ju Chenghui , Karnowski Jeremy , Lohr Bernard , Manser Marta B. , McCowan Brenda , Mercado Eduardo , Narins Peter M. , Piel Alex , Rice Megan , Salmi Roberta , Sasahara Kazutoshi , Sayigh Laela , Shiu Yu , Taylor Charles , Vallejo Edgar E. , Waller Sara , Zamora‐Gutierrez Veronica
Published: November 2014

Animal acoustic communication often takes the form of complex sequences, made up of multiple distinct acoustic units. Apart from the well‐known example of birdsong, other animals such as insects, amphibians, and mammals (including bats, rodents, primates, and cetaceans) also generate complex acoustic sequences. Occasionally, such as with birdsong, the adaptive role of these sequences seems clear (e.g. mate attraction and territorial defence). More often however, researchers have only begun to characterise – let alone understand – the significance and meaning of acoustic sequences. Hypotheses abound, but there is little agreement as to how sequences should be defined and analysed. Our review aims to outline suitable methods for testing these hypotheses, and to describe the major limitations to our current and near‐future knowledge on questions of acoustic sequences. This review and prospectus is the result of a collaborative effort between 43 scientists from the fields of animal behaviour, ecology and evolution, signal processing, machine learning, quantitative linguistics, and information theory, who gathered for a 2013 workshop entitled, ‘Analysing vocal sequences in animals’. Our goal is to present not just a review of the state of the art, but to propose a methodological framework that summarises what we suggest are the best practices for research in this field, across taxa and across disciplines. We also provide a tutorial‐style introduction to some of the most promising algorithmic approaches for analysing sequences. We divide our review into three sections: identifying the distinct units of an acoustic sequence, describing the different ways that information can be contained within a sequence, and analysing the structure of that sequence. Each of these sections is further subdivided to address the key questions and approaches in that area. We propose a uniform, systematic, and comprehensive approach to studying sequences, with the goal of clarifying research terms used in different fields, and facilitating collaboration and comparative studies. Allowing greater interdisciplinary collaboration will facilitate the investigation of many important questions in the evolution of communication and sociality.
Incorporating Intra‐Query Term Dependencies in an Aspect Query Language Model
Authors: Song Dawei , Shi Yanjie , Zhang Peng , Huang Qiang , Kruschwitz Udo , Hou Yuexian , Wang Bo
Published: November 2014

Query language modeling based on relevance feedback has been widely applied to improve the effectiveness of information retrieval. However, intra‐query term dependencies (i.e., the dependencies between different query terms and term combinations) have not yet been sufficiently addressed in the existing approaches. This article aims to investigate this issue within a comprehensive framework, namely the Aspect Query Language Model (AM). We propose to extend the AM with a hidden Markov model (HMM) structure to incorporate the intra‐query term dependencies and learn the structure of a novel aspect HMM (AHMM) for query language modeling. In the proposed AHMM, the combinations of query terms are viewed as latent variables representing query aspects. They further form an ergodic HMM, where the dependencies between latent variables (nodes) are modeled as the transitional probabilities. The segmented chunks from the feedback documents are considered as observables of the HMM. Then the AHMM structure is optimized by the HMM, which can estimate the prior of the latent variables and the probability distribution of the observed chunks. Our extensive experiments on three large‐scale text retrieval conference (TREC) collections have shown that our method not only significantly outperforms a number of strong baselines in terms of both effectiveness and robustness but also achieves better results than the AM and another state‐of‐the‐art approach, namely the latent concept expansion model. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Butterfly dispersal across Amazonia and its implication for biogeography
Authors: Penz Carla , DeVries Phil , Tufto Jarle , Lande Russell
Published: November 2014

Spatial movement is fundamental to ecological and evolutionary processes because of its role in habitat colonization and diversification. This study examines the dispersal potential of two Neotropical butterflies, Morpho achilles and Bia actorion, to estimate the time necessary to expand into their current geographical distribution in the Amazon Forest. To do so, we use life history data, dispersal rates estimated from mark–release–recapture experiments, and reaction‐diffusion or integro‐difference equations to calculate an annual speed for the wave of dispersal across suitable unoccupied habitat. We show that times required for these butterflies to disperse across Amazonia are orders of magnitude smaller than phylogenetic estimates of the species ages. We compare dispersal rates of Morpho and Bia to other Neotropical butterflies, including taxa that could have moved relatively rapidly through Central America and Mexico. Our findings demonstrate that butterflies (and possibly many other organisms) have tremendous potential for rapid colonization of suitable habitats. Our results also suggest that dispersal can easily increase local diversity in areas where speciation has been attributed mostly to vicariance (such as the eastern slope of the Andes).
Incidence of dental trauma among obese adolescents – a 3‐year‐prospective study
Authors: Basha Sakeenabi , Noor Mohammad Roshan , Shivalinga Swamy Hiremath
Published: November 2014

Objectives

The main objective of the present investigation was to estimate the incidence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI), in particular crown fractures in a 3‐year follow‐up of obese adolescents.

Materials and methods

Seven hundred and eighty‐five 13‐year‐old school children were selected randomly. The crown fracture was classified according to Andreasen's criteria by visual examination without radiographs. Body mass index of the study subjects was determined. Increased overjet was considered as a risk factor when it presented values higher than 3 mm, while lip coverage was classified as adequate or inadequate. With appropriate sample weighting, relationships between TDI and other variables were assessed using the chi‐squared test, Kruskal–Wallis H‐test and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

At baseline, 131 (17.15%) adolescents presented with TDI. The accumulated incidence of TDI during the 3‐year period of study was 9.03%. Children with obesity and overweight were 2.78 times greater chance suffering TDI after adjusting for socioeconomic status, lip coverage, incisal overjet and previous history of trauma. Both at baseline and follow‐up examination, most frequently affected tooth is right maxillary central incisor and most frequent type of TDI was enamel fracture (44.68%).

Conclusion

Adolescents with obesity and overweight were a greater chance of TDI in a 3‐year follow‐up.
Between Mere Tolerance and Robust Respect: Mutuality as a Basis for Civic Education in Pluralist Democracies
Authors: Rosenblith Suzanne , Bindewald Benjamin
Published: November 2014

This essay by Suzanne Rosenblith and Benjamin Bindewald is motivated by the question of how do those who value civic liberalism give the religiously orthodox a reason to engage in pluralist democratic deliberations in a manner that does not allow intolerance to undermine the foundations of liberal democracy. Introducing the idea of tolerance as mutuality — that is, a will to relationship — the authors argue, strikes a balance between those theories that are too demanding of the religiously orthodox and those that are not exacting enough. Applying the principle of tolerance as mutuality to the special space of public schools allows for a new way to conceptualize civic education in pluralist democracies.
The importance of community‐based informal water supply systems in the developing world and the need for formal sector support
Authors: Liddle Elisabeth S , Mager Sarah M , Nel Etienne L
Published: November 2014

Informal community‐based supply, characterised by abstractions from surface water and shallow wells, is the main water supply source in the urban areas of developing nations. Formal sector supply has failed to extend their services to many urban areas yet the formal sector continues to view these community‐based practices as small‐scale, traditional and ‘backward’, and ones that must be eradicated from urban areas. While the formal sector continues to idealise the notion of the ‘modern infrastructure ideal’, based solely upon the expansion of piping networks, this paper argues against this ideal, instead presenting an opportunity for ‘institutional bricolage’ between the formal sector and the techniques that have arisen as a part of informal community‐based water supply in developing nations. Based on interview and questionnaire data, this paper uses the city of Ndola, Zambia to demonstrate the resilience that has arisen within communities as a response to the failure of the formal sector, and hence the value of informal supply systems in the future water provisioning policies for developing cities. Informal supply is abundant in Ndola and local communities have taken their pre‐existing rural customs and adapted these to provide water in the urban context; so that hand dug shallow wells now dominate supply. These practices have been successful in providing daily water, however, challenges remain, for example ensuring safe water quality with appropriate well protection. Herein lies the opportunity for the formal sector to become involved in informal community‐based supply; instead of aiming to marginalise the residents of informal areas out of urban centres, the formal sector should adopt and better support the techniques used in informal areas, for example, through well protection education and provision of resources, to help in achieving the MDG for safe water.
US Central Command and liberal imperial reach: ‘Shaping the Central Region for the 21st Century’
Authors: Morrissey John
Published: November 2014

For over 30 years, the grand strategy of one of the most important commands in theUSmilitary, Central Command (CENTCOM), has consistently held fast to a commitment to neoliberal capitalism and an ostensibly free‐market global economy. Any accrued national or global economic benefits are impossible to chart, of course, and soCENTCOM's securitization discourse relies upon vaguer, yet promissory logics about ‘keeping the global economy open’. My aim in this paper is to show how the story ofCENTCOM's mission is crucial to understanding howUSmilitary interventionism works today through a discursive geoeconomic imagination that is vague yet persuasive in its universalist dimensions. In a period marked by globalisation and new forms of capitalist accumulation,CENTCOM's mission has nevertheless habitually involved fashioning itself in a neoliberal ‘world policeman’ role, and to that end has employed a strategy that can be best described as one of ‘geoeconomic deterrence’. The paper outlines the entwined military and economic security logics of this strategy, which have resulted in the Middle East and CentralAsia being repeatedly conditioned as requiring forms of corrective military interventionism. Since its establishment in 1983,CENTCOM's strategy papers, mission statements and annual reports to Congress have collectively scripted practices of intervention and deterrence that rely upon dominant registers of military and economic risk. In critically consideringCENTCOM's mission, the paper shows how the command's initiation fundamentally changedUSforeign policy by solidifying theCarter Doctrine and subsequently committing to the geoeconomic shaping of the most energy‐rich region on earth.