bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Engaging in digital piracy of movies: a theory of planned behaviour approach
Authors: Phau Ian , Lim Aaron , Liang Johan , Lwin Michael
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents affecting digital piracy of movies, and evaluate them in the context of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). It will also determine via a proxy measurement, if individuals’ intentions to engage in digital piracy will translate into actual engagement in digital piracy of movies.

Design/methodology/approach

– In all, 404 students at a large Western Australian University were surveyed using self-administered surveys. The data were analysed via a path analysis using structural equation modelling in order to identify the influences of antecedent factors on individual attitudes and intentions to engage in digital piracy. Finally, through the proxy measurement, actual engagement in digital piracy of movies was evaluated against consumer intentions to perform that behaviour.

Findings

– The results confirm the identified antecedents (affect, moral judgement, social habit and self-efficacy) as appropriate in evaluating an individual's intentions to engage in digital piracy of movies. The findings indicated that social habit, self-efficacy and attitude towards digital piracy had a positive effect on individual intentions to engage in digital piracy of movies. It also showed that affect is an antecedent factor to attitudes towards digital piracy but also directly influences individual intentions to engage in digital piracy. Moral judgement and social habits was also found to have negative and positive influences on an individual's engagement in digital piracy of movies.

Practical implications

– This study reinforces previous studies in showing that the neutralisation theory and TPB are effective in explaining attitudes towards digital piracy of movies and intentions to engage in it. It has also sought to ascertain if intentions to engage in digital piracy of movies would significantly influence behaviour to engage in digital piracy of movies via a proxy measurement.

Originality/value

– This study adds to the literature of piracy in software and music downloads. In terms of digital movies, this study uncovers other possible factors that may affect engagement in digital piracy of movies, which could serve as the basis for future research into the phenomenon of digital piracy.
The meaning of liberal education
Authors: A. Scott Robert
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this essay is to comment on the philosophy of liberal education and its structure; the goal of general education and how it fulfills the goals of liberal education; and the four key elements of liberal education, including the “liberating” aspects of general education, the need for an emphasis on questions more than on answers, the meaning of a global perspective, and the connections of each of the above to extracurricular experiences and engaged citizenship.

Design/methodology/approach

– This essay is a review of the topics of liberal and general education, their components, and their importance.

Findings

– Using the design and methodology mentioned above as a way to explore the purpose, the essay reveals selected universal truths about a liberal or “liberating” undergraduate education.

Research limitations/implications

– The approach that is detailed can be assessed in comparison to other formulations of liberal and general education.

Practical implications

– The framework described above suggests possibilities for redesigning liberal and general education programs so as to have a greater impact on undergraduate student learning and to foster experiential and interdisciplinary learning.

Originality/value

– While this is a personal perspective based on many decades of senior positions in higher education, it is based not only on the author's own analysis and thinking, but also on a broad understanding of the literature about these topics.
Men grow old
Authors: Pollard Stephen
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– This sermon argues that artistry and understanding are the offspring of whole people: thoughtful, resolute, and passionate. It then considers some illiberal fashions in higher education that stifle passion.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is an opinion piece.

Findings

– Current threats to liberal education include metaphors demeaning to professors, incomprehensible or inconsequential learning objectives, and schemes that increase “intentionality” by limiting students' opportunities for exploration and discovery.

Originality/value

– This sermon makes vivid to educational leaders and would-be reformers some of the negative consequences of their actions and proposals.
Is there a case for a “liberal education”?
Authors: P. Abeles Tom
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– Since the creation of the trivium and quadrivium as the core for a post- secondary education, education itself has undergone substantive change, particularly since the end of the eighteenth century. Unspoken is the change in the population seeking such advanced knowledge, as well as the idea that the original elements might be recast as liberal studies and STEM (science/technology/engineering/mathematics); unspoken, too, are the ramifications. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The increased emphasis on STEM and its applications has reduced funding for liberal studies, leading to the potential for seriously reducing the perceived importance of the humanities and related liberal studies. This creates a feedback loop, as the increasing cost of education shifts the focus towards “practical” knowledge.

Findings

– As with the trivium and quadrivium, where it was expected that the latter was focused on work-related skills, there may be an increasing split in society between those who have the fiscal resources and obtain a liberal education, and the balance who enter the applied professions, amplifying the increasing socioeconomic gap in today's society. It also becomes problematic for members of society to effectively participate in the political process.

Originality/value

– An innovative look at the need for liberal education in the modern world.
Contemporary liberal education: slowing down to discern
Authors: R. Delclos Victor , P. Donaldson Randall
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– This essay seeks to argue that contemporary liberal arts education can be viewed from the perspective of contemporary psychological understandings of human cognition combined with the classical pedagogy developed in the foundational concepts of Jesuit education. Through a description of the human cognitive system as discussed in the writing of Daniel Kahneman and the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola, the concepts of “slow thinking” and “discernment” are offered as important models that can inform development of a liberal education in an information-saturated society.

Design/methodology/approach

– The essay presents an interpretation of the essentially “liberating” nature of liberal education in light of the psychological literature that demonstrates how one's culture contributes to the formation of cognitive structures that allow largely automatic processing of information in a non-reflective, fast process that leads to understanding that is constrained and somewhat closed to alternative understanding. This interpretation is then discussed in light of a process of discernment that allows the individual to open up to new ideas.

Findings

– The essay thus derives the conclusion that a focus on pedagogy of discernment is the essential feature of a modern liberal education and leads to creative expression of new ideas in new ways.

Originality/value

– The essay presents an alternative view of contemporary liberal education that is based on a well-developed historical approach (Ignatian discernment) and supported by current psychological research.
The role of feedback in supervisor and workgroup identification
Authors: F. Young Stephen , A. Steelman Lisa
Published: March 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which two factors are associated with identification, the feedback environment and feedback seeking: two forms of identification, supervisor identification and workgroup identification, were linked to matching sources of feedback environment and feedback seeking.

Design/methodology/approach

– An empirical study was carried out with a sample of working students representing a variety of industries in the USA. Students (n=256) completed a written questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

– Results indicated that feedback seeking frequency partially mediated the effect of supervisor feedback environment on supervisor identification. Similarly, feedback seeking partially mediated the effect of coworker feedback environment on workgroup identification.

Research limitations/implications

– Despite a cross-sectional design, these results support the role of feedback as a primary explanatory mechanism for how people can come to identify with multiple targets in their work environment.

Practical implications

– In order to increase employee identification, organizations should train their managers to engage in contextual behaviors that support the feedback seeking process. Additionally, organizations may want to reinforce these coaching behaviors by incorporating them into the performance appraisal process for managers.

Originality/value

– The vast majority of identification research has examined why people come to identify with targets in their work environment. This study represents one of the first to examine how people come to identify with those sources, fulfilling an important gap in the literature.
Predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women infected with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean: a cohort study
Authors: Kreitchmann R , Li SX , Melo VH , Fernandes Coelho D , Watts DH , Joao E , Coutinho CM , Alarcon JO , Siberry GK
Published: March 2014

Objective

To examine maternal characteristics associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes among women infected with HIV.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Multiple sites in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Population

Women infected with HIV enrolled in the Perinatal (2002–2007) and the Longitudinal Study in Latin American Countries (LILAC; 2008–2012) studies of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) International Site Development Initiative (NISDI).

Methods

Frequencies of adverse pregnancy outcomes assessed among pregnancies. Risk factors investigated by logistic regression analysis.

Main outcome measures

Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm delivery (PT), low birthweight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), stillbirth (SB), and neonatal death.

Results

Among 1512 women, 1.9% (95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 1.3–2.7) of singleton pregnancies resulted in a stillbirth and 32.9% (95% CI 30.6–35.4) had at least one adverse pregnancy outcome. Of 1483 singleton live births, 19.8% (95% CI 17.8–21.9) were PT, 14.2% (95% CI 12.5–16.1) were LBW, 12.6% (95% CI 10.9–14.4) were SGA, and 0.4% (95% CI 0.2–0.9) of infants died within 28 days of birth. Multivariable logistic regression modelling indicated that the following risk factors increased the probability of having one or more adverse pregnancy outcomes: lower maternal body mass index at delivery (odds ratio, OR, 2.2; 95% CI 1.4–3.5), hospitalisation during pregnancy (OR 3.3; 95% CI 2.0–5.3), hypertension during pregnancy (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.5–4.8), antiretroviral use at conception (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0–1.9), and tobacco use during pregnancy (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.3–2.2). The results of fitting multivariable logistic regression models for PT, LBW, SGA, and SB are also reported.

Conclusions

Women infected with HIV had a relatively high occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and some maternal risk factors were associated with these adverse pregnancy outcomes. Interventions targeting modifiable risk factors should be evaluated further.
A Test of Hartnett's Revisions to the Pubic Symphysis and Fourth Rib Methods on a Modern Sample
Authors: Merritt Catherine E.
Published: March 2014

Estimating age at death is one of the most important aspects of creating a biological profile. Most adult age estimation methods were developed on North American skeletal collections from the early to mid‐20th century, and their applicability to modern populations has been questioned. In 2010, Hartnett used a modern skeletal collection from the Maricopia County Forensic Science Centre to revise the Suchey‐Brooks pubic symphysis method and the İşcan et al. fourth rib methods. The current study tests Hartnett's revised methods as well as the original Suchey‐Brooks and İşcan et al. methods on a modern sample from the William Bass Skeletal Collection (N = 313, mean age = 58.5, range 19–92). Results show that the Suchey‐Brooks and İşcan et al. methods assign individuals to the correct phase 70.8% and 57.5% of the time compared with Hartnett's revised methods at 58.1% and 29.7%, respectively, with correctness scores based on one standard deviation of the mean rather than the entire age range. Accuracy and bias scores are significantly improved for Hartnett's revised pubic symphysis method and marginally better for Hartnett's revised fourth rib method, suggesting that the revised mean ages at death of Hartnett's phases better reflect this modern population. Overall, both Hartnett's revised methods are reliable age estimation methods. For the pubic symphysis, there are significant improvements in accuracy and bias scores, especially for older individuals; however, for the fourth rib, the results are comparable to the original İşcan et al. methods, with some improvement for older individuals.
Combining the serum pepsinogen level and Helicobacter pylori antibody test for predicting the histology of gastric neoplasm
Authors: Choi Hong Seok , Lee Sun‐Young , Kim Jeong Hwan , Sung In‐Kyung , Park Hyung Seok , Shim Chan Sup , Jin Choon Jo
Published: March 2014

Objective

To determine whether the combination test of serum pepsinogen (PG) levels and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibody was effective for predicting the incidence and histology of gastric neoplasms.

Methods

This study included asymptomatic Korean adults who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy with blood tests for PG levels and H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody test on the same day. Participants with extragastric malignancy, history of H. pylori eradication or gastric neoplasms, or recent antacid medication were excluded. Gastric atrophy was defined as a serum PG I/II ratio ≤3.0 and PG I ≤70 ng/mL. The participants were classified into four groups according to the presence (+) or absence (−) of gastric atrophy and H. pylori infection.

Results

Of the 3328 included participants, 17 were incidentally diagnosed as having either gastric adenoma or carcinoma. The incidence of gastric neoplasm was highest in the gastric atrophy (+)/H. pylori (−) group (4.17%; OR 25.8, P = 0.009), but the neoplasm exhibited the least advanced histology. The gastric atrophy (−)/H. pylori (−) group exhibited the lowest incidence of gastric neoplasm (0.17%) but the most advanced histology.

Conclusion

A combination of serum PG levels and H. pylori antibody test is useful for detecting gastric neoplasms based on the slow gastric carcinogenesis pathway progressing from gastric adenoma to Lauren's intestinal‐type gastric cancer, but not for those with advanced histology such as Lauren's diffuse‐type gastric cancer.
Arguing for a Negligible Effect
Authors: Rainey Carlisle
Published: March 2014

Political scientists often theorize that an explanatory variable should have “no effect” and support this claim by demonstrating that its coefficient's estimate is not statistically significant. This empirical argument is quite weak, but I introduce applied researchers to simple, powerful tools that can strengthen their arguments for this hypothesis. With several supporting examples, I illustrate that researchers can use 90% confidence intervals to argue against meaningful effects and provide persuasive evidence for their hypothesis.
Lenalidomide plus rituximab can produce durable clinical responses in patients with relapsed or refractory, indolent non‐Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Tuscano Joseph M. , Dutia Mrinal , Chee Karen , Brunson Ann , Reed‐Pease Christine , Abedi Mehrdad , Welborn Jeanna , O'Donnell Robert T.
Published: March 2014

This phase II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of lenalidomide in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory, indolent non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Patients were treated with daily lenalidomide in 28‐d cycles and weekly rituximab for 4 weeks. Lenalidomide was continued until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Twenty‐two patients were assessed for FCGR3A polymorphisms. Thirty patients were enrolled; 27 were evaluable for response. The overall response rate (ORR) was 74% including 44% complete responses (CR); median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 12·4 months. The 13 rituximab refractory patients had an ORR of 61·5% (four CR/unconfirmed CR). The ORR was 77% in the 22 follicular lymphoma patients (nine CR/unconfirmed CR). At a median follow‐up time of 43 months, the median duration of response and time to next therapy were 15·4 and 37·4 months, respectively. Most common grade 3/4 adverse events were lymphopenia (45%), neutropenia (55%), fatigue (23%) and hyponatraemia (9%). The ORR and PFS in patients with low‐affinity FCGR3A polymorphisms (F/F and F/V) suggest that lenalidomide may improve the activity of rituximab in these patients. These data suggest that combining lenalidomide with rituximab can produce durable responses with acceptable toxicity in patients with indolent NHL.
Pennsylvanian carbonate platforms adjacent to deltaic systems in an active marine foreland basin (EscaladaFm.,CantabrianZone,NW Spain)
Authors: Bahamonde Juan Ramón , Merino‐Tomé Oscar , Della Porta Giovanna , Villa Elisa
Published: March 2014

ThePennsylvanian marine foreland basin of the Cantabrian Zone (NWSpain) is characterized by the unique development of kilometre‐size and hundred‐metre‐thick carbonate platforms adjacent to deltaic systems. DuringMoscovian time, progradational clastic wedges fed by the orogen comprised proximal alluvial conglomerates and coal‐bearing deltaic sequences to distal shelfal marine deposits associated with carbonate platforms (EscaladaFm.) and distal clay‐rich submarine slopes. A first phase of carbonate platform development (EscaladaI, upperKashirian‐lowerPodolskian) reached a thickness of 400 m, nearly 50 km in width and developed a distal high‐relief margin facing a starved basin, nearly 1000‐m deep. Carbonate slope clinoforms dipped up to 30° and consisted ofin situmicrobial boundstone, pinching out downslope into calciturbidites, argillaceous spiculites and breccias. The second carbonate platform (EscaladaII, upperPodolskian‐lowerMyachkovian) developed beyond the previous platform margin, following the basinward progradation of siliciclastic deposits. Both carbonate platforms include: (1) a lower part composed of siliciclastic‐carbonate cyclothems characterized by coated‐grain and ooid grainstones; and (2) a carbonate‐dominated upper part, composed of tabular and mound‐shaped wackestone and algal‐microbial boundstone strata alternating at the decametre scale with skeletal and coated‐grain grainstone beds. Carbonate platforms initiated in distal sectors of the foreland marine shelf during transgressions, when terrigenous sediments were stored in the proximal part, and developed further during highstands of 3rd‐order sequences in a high‐subsidence context. During the falling stage and lowstand systems tracts, deltaic systems prograded across the shelf burying the carbonate platforms. Key factors involved in the development of these unique carbonate platforms in an active foreland basin are: (1) the large size of the marine shelf (approaching 200 km in width); (2) the subsidence distribution pattern across the marine shelf, decreasing from proximal shoreline to distal sectors; (3) Pennsylvanian glacio‐eustacy affecting carbonate lithofacies architecture; and (4) the environmental conditions optimal for fostering microbial and algal carbonate factories.
Inter‐specific interactions linking predation and scavenging in terrestrial vertebrate assemblages
Authors: Moleón Marcos , Sánchez‐Zapata José A. , Selva Nuria , Donázar José A. , Owen‐Smith Norman
Published: March 2014

Predation and scavenging have been classically understood as independent processes, with predator–prey interactions and scavenger–carrion relationships occurring separately. However, the mere recognition that most predators also scavenge at variable rates, which has been traditionally ignored in food‐web and community ecology, leads to a number of emergent interaction routes linking predation and scavenging. The general goal of this review is to draw attention to the main inter‐specific interactions connecting predators (particularly, large mammalian carnivores), their live prey (mainly ungulates), vultures and carrion production in terrestrial assemblages of vertebrates. Overall, we report an intricate network of both direct (competition, facilitation) and indirect (hyperpredation, hypopredation) processes, and provide a conceptual framework for the future development of this promising topic in ecological, evolutionary and biodiversity conservation research. The classic view that scavenging does not affect the population dynamics of consumed organisms is questioned, as multiple indirect top‐down effects emerge when considering carrion and its facultative consumption by predators as fundamental and dynamic components of food webs. Stimulating although challenging research opportunities arise from the study of the interactions among living and detrital or non‐living resource pools in food webs.
Changing paradigms in marine and coastal conservation: A case study of clam gardens in the Southern Gulf Islands, Canada
Authors: Augustine Skye , Dearden Philip
Published: March 2014

Marine conservation is a global challenge and marine protected areas (MPAs) are one means of addressing this challenge. Progress in MPA designation is slow, partially due to objections to MPA establishment by local stakeholders and Indigenous peoples. This article suggests that a values‐based paradigm to conservation that emphasizes active management and further engagement of First Nations, as rights‐holders, should be given more emphasis. The re‐introduction of clam gardens into Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR) is used as an example of this approach. Clam gardens were constructed by First Nations on the Pacific Coast to augment the productivity of clam growth. Several former clam gardens are within GINPR. The primary mandate of national parks is to protect ecological integrity, potentially forbidding the re‐introduction of clam gardens. The literature suggests that there would be minimal ecological impacts at the park level from the re‐introduction of clam gardens. There could also be significant advantages both for conservation and First Nations communities. With a greater degree of decision‐making input and the opportunity to re‐introduce cultural practices, a values‐based paradigm may contribute to the acceptability of coastal PAs and promote the expansion of conservation values in the landscape.
The Economic Impact of Entrepreneurship: Comparing International Datasets
Authors: Cumming Douglas , Johan Sofia , Zhang Minjie
Published: March 2014

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Question/Issue

What is the impact of entrepreneurship on GDP/capita, unemployment, exports/GDP, and patents per population across countries? Is the impact of entrepreneurship mitigated by legal and cultural differences across countries? Do different international datasets provide different answers to these questions? We empirically compare the impact of entrepreneurship on GDP/capita, unemployment, exports/GDP, and patents per population across countries by examining three datasets from the World Bank, the OECD, and Compendia.

Research Findings/Insights

Based on a comprehensive sample of all available countries and years, with the World Bank data being the most comprehensive, we find entrepreneurship has a significantly positive impact on GDP/capita, exports/GDP, and patents per population, and a negative impact on unemployment. Inferences from the Compendia data are very consistent. By contrast, inferences from the OECD data are not supportive of any of these propositions.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Our findings point to institutional and cultural impediments to the effectiveness of entrepreneurship. Most notably, the impact of entrepreneurship is significantly mitigated by excessively strong creditor rights that limit entrepreneurial risk‐taking. Furthermore, the data indicate that cultural attitudes associated with low risk‐taking limit the effectiveness of entrepreneurship. By contrast, the impact of entrepreneurship on exports/GDP does not appear to be directly tied to costs of exporting, which is perhaps best explained by the new economy goods and services created by entrepreneurs that depend less on such costs. For some subsets of the data we find evidence consistent with the view that top tier venture capital funds enhance the impact of entrepreneurship on GDP/capita. Finally, our results show how different definitions of new business entry matter for empirical analysis of entrepreneurship across countries.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

The data highlight the importance of access to finance without downside costs so that entrepreneurs are encouraged to take risk. Further, the data highlight institutional differences in risk attitudes that more generally inhibit risk‐taking and thereby limit the effectiveness of entrepreneurship. Moreover, the data highlight a central role for careful measurement of entrepreneurial activities and for inclusion of as many countries and years as possible in order to effectively analyze the impact of entrepreneurship.
Family Control, Regulatory Environment, and the Growth of Entrepreneurial Firms: International Evidence
Authors: Chen Qiu , Hou Wenxuan , Li Wanli , Wilson Craig , Wu Zhenyu
Published: March 2014

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Issue

We investigate the joint effects of family control and the regulatory environment on entrepreneurial growth through the lens of socio‐emotional wealth (SEW) theory.

Research Findings

Taking into consideration both economic and non‐economic goals of entrepreneurial firms, measured by sales growth and employment growth respectively, we find that, compared to their non‐family‐controlled counterparts, family‐controlled firms tend to have lower sales growth rates, but higher employment growth rates. Furthermore, less favorable regulatory environments reduce both sales and workforce growth rates to a greater extent for family‐controlled firms than for non‐family‐controlled firms.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

We add to the corporate governance and family business management literature by documenting that the regulatory environment moderates the corporate governance effect of family control on the economic and non‐economic goals of family‐controlled firms. The findings also contribute to the family business management literature by enriching and providing strong evidence in favor of the SEW theory through our exploration of the moderating role that macro‐governance plays in the family control‐SEW relation. This research also makes contributions to the entrepreneurship literature, laying a foundation for future empirical studies on entrepreneurial growth by separating its economic from its non‐economic dimensions.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Our findings provide practical implications for both policy makers and entrepreneurs. They not only help entrepreneurs better understand growth strategies in various macro‐governance settings, but also provide governments and policymakers with potential policy implications to encourage entrepreneurial and economic growth. Policies that improve the macro‐governance environment can help family firms to prosper by contributing to their economic and non‐economic growth, both of which are important for economic development.
Challenges in humanitarian information management and exchange: evidence from Haiti
Authors: Altay Nezih , Labonte Melissa
Published: March 2014

There is a growing recognition of the critical role information management can play in shaping effective humanitarian response, coordination and decision‐making. Quality information, reaching more humanitarian actors, will result in better coordination and better decision‐making, thus improving the response to beneficiaries as well as accountability to donors. The humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake marked a watershed moment for humanitarian information management. Yet the fragmented nature of the response and the use of hierarchical models of information management, along with other factors, have led some observers to label the Haiti response a failure. Using an analytical framework often found in humanitarian emergencies, this study analyses challenges to information flow in the Haiti case and the implications for effective humanitarian response. It concludes by offering possible paths for overcoming such challenges, and for restoring the value and utility of humanitarian information management and exchange in humanitarian relief settings.
Kabrit ki gen twòp mèt: understanding gaps in WASH services in Haiti's IDP camps
Authors: Schuller Mark , Levey Tania
Published: March 2014

Despite the enormous infusion of post‐quake aid to Haiti, cholera had killed more than 8,000 people by January 2013. Based on two mixed‐method studies of a random sample of 108 internally displaced person (IDP) camps and 168 interviews with agency representatives and recipients, this article examines the prevalence of factors that have proven most relevant to the rapid spread of cholera, particularly the provision of water and sanitation services in IDP camps. The study reveals that 30% of IDP camps had no toilets and 40% had no access to water before the outbreak, with only minimal progress after three months. Using bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses, this article explores patterns in the gaps of services with a range of variables such as NGO camp management, municipality and landowners. It offers several theoretical and policy explanations for low level of services, concluding with a series of recommendations for better coordination and management.
The Effects of Read‐Aloud Accommodations for Students With and Without Disabilities: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Li Hongli
Published: March 2014

Read‐aloud accommodations have been proposed as a way to help remove barriers faced by students with disabilities in reading comprehension. Many empirical studies have examined the effects of read‐aloud accommodations; however, the results are mixed. With a variance‐known hierarchical linear modeling approach, based on 114 effect sizes from 23 studies, a meta‐analysis was conducted to examine the effects of read‐aloud accommodations for students with and without disabilities. In general, both students with disabilities and students without disabilities benefited from the read‐aloud accommodations, and the accommodation effect size for students with disabilities was significantly larger than the effect size for students without disabilities. Further, this meta‐analysis reveals important factors that influence the effects of read‐aloud accommodations. For instance, the accommodation effect was significantly stronger when the subject area was reading than when the subject area was math. The effect of read‐aloud accommodations was also significantly stronger when the test was read by human proctors than when it was read by video/audio players or computers. Finally, the implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.
Computer‐aided classification of breast masses in mammogram images based on spherical wavelet transform and support vector machines
Authors: Görgel Pelin , Sertbas Ahmet , Uçan Osman Nuri
Published: March 2014

Breast cancer can be effectively detected and diagnosed using the technology of digital mammography. However, although this technology has been rapidly developing recently, suspicious regions cannot be detected in some cases by radiologists, because of the noise or inappropriate mammogram contrast. This study presents a classification of segmented region of interests (ROIs) as either benign or malignant to serve as a second eye of the radiologists. Our study consists of three steps. In the first step, spherical wavelet transform (SWT) is applied to the original ROIs. In the second step, shape, boundary and grey level based features of wavelet (detail) and scaling (approximation) coefficients are extracted. Finally, in the third step, malignant/benign classification of the masses is implemented by giving the feature matrices to a support vector machine system. The proposed system achieves 91.4% and 90.1% classification accuracy using the dataset acquired from the hospital of Istanbul University in Turkey and the free Mammographic Image Analysis Society, respectively. Furthermore, discrete wavelet transform, which produces 83.3% classification accuracy, is applied to the coefficients to make a comparison with the SWT method.
Biomass changes and trophic amplification of plankton in a warmer ocean
Authors: Chust Guillem , Allen J. Icarus , Bopp Laurent , Schrum Corinna , Holt Jason , Tsiaras Kostas , Zavatarelli Marco , Chifflet Marina , Cannaby Heather , Dadou Isabelle , Daewel Ute , Wakelin Sarah L. , Machu Eric , Pushpadas Dhanya , Butenschon Momme , Artioli Yuri , Petihakis George , Smith Chris , Garçon Veronique , Goubanova Katerina , Le Vu Briac , Fach Bettina A. , Salihoglu Baris , Clementi Emanuela , Irigoien Xabier
Published: March 2014

Ocean warming can modify the ecophysiology and distribution of marine organisms, and relationships between species, with nonlinear interactions between ecosystem components potentially resulting in trophic amplification. Trophic amplification (or attenuation) describe the propagation of a hydroclimatic signal up the food web, causing magnification (or depression) of biomass values along one or more trophic pathways. We have employed 3‐D coupled physical‐biogeochemical models to explore ecosystem responses to climate change with a focus on trophic amplification. The response of phytoplankton and zooplankton to global climate‐change projections, carried out with the IPSL Earth System Model by the end of the century, is analysed at global and regional basis, including European seas (NE Atlantic, Barents Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Bay of Biscay, Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea) and the Eastern Boundary Upwelling System (Benguela). Results indicate that globally and in Atlantic Margin and North Sea, increased ocean stratification causes primary production and zooplankton biomass to decrease in response to a warming climate, whilst in the Barents, Baltic and Black Seas, primary production and zooplankton biomass increase. Projected warming characterized by an increase in sea surface temperature of 2.29 ± 0.05 °C leads to a reduction in zooplankton and phytoplankton biomasses of 11% and 6%, respectively. This suggests negative amplification of climate driven modifications of trophic level biomass through bottom‐up control, leading to a reduced capacity of oceans to regulate climate through the biological carbon pump. Simulations suggest negative amplification is the dominant response across 47% of the ocean surface and prevails in the tropical oceans; whilst positive trophic amplification prevails in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. Trophic attenuation is projected in temperate seas. Uncertainties in ocean plankton projections, associated to the use of single global and regional models, imply the need for caution when extending these considerations into higher trophic levels.
Impacts of differing community composition on flowering phenology throughout warm temperate, cool temperate and xeric environments
Authors: Park Isaac W.
Published: March 2014

Aims

Flowering phenology is well documented to restrict the distribution of many plant species. However, community‐level shifts in flowering time may occur either through exclusion of species with unsuitably early or late flowering for local conditions (composition‐derived phenological shifts) or through intraspecific phenological responses to climate variations over space. Although these mechanisms have quite different ecological implications, the relative contribution of composition‐derived phenological shifts remains largely unknown. Therefore, determining the magnitude of composition‐derived phenological variation is crucial for understanding the relationship between phenology and community assemblage over space, and for predicting the impacts of future climate change. This study will evaluate the contributions of compositional differences to spatial variation in community‐level flowering times throughout the early, mid and late portions of the growing season and across a variety of temperate environments.

Location

Continental United States.

Methods

This study develops novel herbarium‐based methods to separate intraspecific phenological variations over space from changes in flowering time derived from differences in community composition.

Results

Although typically smaller than intraspecific variations, composition‐derived shifts in flowering time explained up to 49.3% of overall phenological variation. Composition‐derived changes in flowering time among late‐flowering species also explained the greatest proportion of overall variation and were the most responsive to differing climate conditions. Xeric regions also exhibited composition‐derived phenological shifts that were stronger and more closely tied to climate conditions (R2 up to 0.553) than other regions.

Main conclusions

These results indicate that interspecific differences in flowering time play a significant role in determining the composition of the plant community over space. However, the impact of flowering phenology on community assemblage varies considerably among seasons and climate regions, and appears to be strongest among xeric regions and among late‐flowering species.
Study on Water‐Rock Interactions of Trace Elements in Groundwater with Leaching Experiments
Authors: Yu Z. , Zhang L. , Jiang P. , Papelis C. , Li Y.
Published: March 2014

Measurements of trace elements leached from host rocks can indicate the source of flowing groundwater and provide the host rock's fingerprint information that may be useful in understanding the mixing patterns of different groundwaters and flowpaths. In this study, the leaching characteristics of three widely‐distributed aquifer host rocks in Southern Nevada were investigated through leaching experiments of 13 trace elements under different experimental conditions (leaching time, pH, grain size, and rock mineralogy). The fraction of leached trace elements from different aquifer host rocks was calculated for examining the water‐rock interaction in different conditions. The effect of host rock mineralogy on leachate composition was examined, which could provide useful information about groundwater source. Solute speciation and saturation indices were simulated using geochemical modeling to further explore the redistribution and leaching process of trace elements.
Gluten‐free spaghetti made with chickpea, unripe plantain and maize flours: functional and chemical properties and starch digestibility
Authors: Flores‐Silva Pamela C. , Berrios Jose De J. , Pan James , Osorio‐Díaz Perla , Bello‐Pérez Luis A.
Published: March 2014

The development of gluten‐free spaghetti with a low amount of glycaemic carbohydrate was investigated. The goal of this study was to determine the chemical composition, cooking quality and starch digestibility of gluten‐free spaghetti elaborated with mixtures of chickpea, unripe plantain and maize flours. The gluten‐free spaghetti presented a higher protein, fat and ash content than the control semolina spaghetti. The solid loss among all the gluten‐free spaghetti was in the range of 10.04–10.91% and not significantly different from each other. These values were almost at the limit of acceptability to be considered as good cooking quality. Total starch in the gluten‐free spaghetti was lower than the control spaghetti. The lower available starch (AS) and higher resistant starch contents in the gluten‐free spaghetti were associated with their lower rate of hydrolysis and predicted glycaemic index. There is a potential for developing gluten‐free spaghetti with reduced amount of glycaemic carbohydrates from unconventional food ingredients such as chickpea, unripe plantain and maize flours.
Acceptability of different caries management methods for primary molars in a RCT
Authors: Santamaria Ruth M. , Innes Nicola P.T. , Machiulskiene Vita , Evans Dafydd J.P. , Alkilzy Mohammad , Splieth Christian H.
Published: March 2014

Background

More conservative techniques for managing dental caries including ‘partial’ and ‘no caries removal’ have been increasingly of interest.

Aim

To compare children's behaviour and pain perception, also technique acceptability (parents and dentists), when approximal dentinal lesions (ICDAS 3–5) in primary molars (3–8‐year‐olds) were managed with three treatment strategies; conventional restorations (CR), hall technique (HT), and non‐restorative caries treatment (NRCT).

Design

Secondary care‐based, three‐arm parallel‐group, randomised controlled trial, with 169 participants treated by 12 dentists. Outcome measures: child's pain perception (Visual Analogue Scale of Faces); behaviour (Frankl scale); and parents' and dentists' treatment opinions (5‐point Likert scales).

Results

Children showed more negative behaviour in the CR group (37%) compared to NRCT (21%) and HT (13%) (P = 0.047, CI = 0.41 to 0.52). Pain intensity was rated ‘very low’ or ‘low’ in 88% NRCT, 81% HT, and 72% CR (P = 0.11, CI = 0.10 to 0.12). NRCT and HT were ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ to perform for >77% of dentists, compared to 50% in CR group (P < 0.000). There were no statistically significant differences in parents' rating of their child's level of comfort (P = 0.46, CI = 0.45 to 0.48).

Conclusions

Dentists reported more negative behaviour in CR group. For all techniques, children's pain perception and dentist/parent acceptability were similar.
School bus routing—a column generation approach
Authors: Kinable J. , Spieksma F.C.R. , Vanden Berghe G.
Published: March 2014

The School Bus Routing Problem (SBRP), a generalization of the well‐known Vehicle Routing Problem, involves the routing, planning, and scheduling of public school bus transportation. The problem can be divided into several subproblems, including bus stop selection, assigning students to buses, and determining the bus routes. This work presents an exact branch‐and‐price framework for the SBRP, with a strong emphasis on efficiency issues inherently related to column generation (CG). Experiments are conducted on a set of 128 SBRP instances. Many of these instances are solved optimally; for the remaining instances, strong lower bounds have been derived. Furthermore, better integer solutions were found for a number of instances reported in the literature. Both lower bounds computed on the optimum solution and stabilization added to the CG procedure significantly improved computation times.
Photoluminescence Properties of Color‐Tunable Ca3La6(SiO4)6: Ce3+, Tb3+ Phosphors
Authors: Lin Hsin‐Cheng , Yang Che‐Yuan , Das Subrata , Lu Chung‐Hsin
Published: March 2014

A series of newly developed color‐tunable Ca3La6(SiO4)6: Ce3+, Tb3+ phosphors were successfully prepared in this study. The crystal structures of the prepared phosphors were revealed to be hexagonal with space group P63/m, and the lattice parameters were evaluated via utilizing the Rietveld refinement method. Upon excitation at 288 nm, the emission spectra of Ce3+and Tb3+ ions co‐doped Ca3La6(SiO4)6 phosphors included a blue emission band and several emission lines. The blue emission band with a peak at 420 nm originated in the f–d transitions of Ce3+ ions, and the emission lines in the range of 450–650 nm were assigned to the 5D4 → 7FJ (J = 6, 5, 4, 3) transitions of Tb3+ ions. Increasing the doping content of Tb3+ ions considerably strengthened Tb3+ emission and reduced Ce3+ emission owing to the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ ions. The mechanism of the energy transfer was confirmed to be a dipole–dipole interaction. The effective energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ ions caused a color shift from purplish‐blue to yellowish‐green. Color‐tunable Ca3La6(SiO4)6: Ce3+, Tb3+ phosphors have the potential to be utilized in light‐emitting diodes with proper modulation of the amount of Tb3+ ions.
Selfing, adaptation and background selection in finite populations
Authors: Kamran‐Disfani A. , Agrawal A. F.
Published: March 2014

Classic deterministic genetic models of the evolution of selfing predict species should be either completely outcrossing or completely selfing. However, even species considered high selfers outcross to a small degree (e.g. Arabidopsis thaliana and Caenorhabditis elegans). This discrepancy between theory and data may exist because the classic models ignore the effects of drift interacting with selection, that is, Hill–Robertson effects. High selfing rates make the effective rate of recombination near zero, which is expected to cause the build‐up of negative disequilibria in finite populations. Despite the transmission advantage associated with complete selfing, low levels of outcrossing may be favoured because of the benefits of increasing the effective rate of recombination to dissipate negative disequilibria. Using multilocus simulations, we confirm that selfing reduces effective population size through background selection and causes negative disequilibria between selected sites. Consequently, the rate of adaptation is substantially reduced in strong selfers. When selfing rate is allowed to evolve, populations evolve to be either strong outcrossers or strong selfers, depending on the parameter values. Amongst selfers, low, but nonzero, levels of outcrossing can be maintained by selection even when all mutations are deleterious; more outcrossing is maintained with higher rates of deleterious mutation. The addition of beneficial mutations can (i) lead to a quantitative increase in the degree of outcrossing amongst stronger selfers but (ii) may cause outcrossing species to evolve into stronger selfers.
Sensory Evaluation of Impact of Wine Matrix on Red Wine Finish: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Baker Allison K. , Ross Carolyn F.
Published: March 2014

This study examined the effect of wine finish, the lingering flavor after ingestion or expectoration of wine on acceptance of red wine as evaluated by an expert sensory panel. Specifically, influence of the wine matrix components on acceptance of wine finish was determined using dealcoholized Syrah adjusted to two ethanol and tannin concentrations, with added flavor compounds. High ethanol concentrations resulted in a longer duration of finish for bell pepper, coconut and floral notes. For wines spiked with floral and bell pepper flavor compounds, this longer finish was more acceptable compared to their low ethanol counterparts. Increased tannin resulted in a longer duration of finish for bell pepper only while the acceptability was significantly decreased for high tannin treatments spiked with all three of the flavors as compared with their low tannin counterparts. This new knowledge in the understudied area of wine finish provides winemakers with information about the importance of finish on wine acceptance and the influence of the wine matrix on finish.

Practical Applications

Wine finish, an understudied yet critical component of wine quality, was evaluated in Syrah. Varying the ethanol content extended the finish of all three flavor compounds tested. For floral and bell pepper flavor, this longer finish was related to increased acceptance. The results of this study provide wine makers with important information to further understand how their processing steps to adjust tannin and ethanol may affect the finish and ultimately the perceived quality of their wines.