bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ‘tense’ issue
Authors: Zhang Yanyin , Liu Bo
Published: July 2016

Chinese learners of L2 English tend to show variable past tense -ed marking even at an advanced proficiency level. The source of this problem has been explored and debated extensively but no conclusion has been reached (see Beck 1997; Lardiere 1998a/b; Hawkins & Liszka 2003). In this study we continue the investigation by testing two hypotheses: (a) the variable past tense marking is a reflection of the training learners have received during their university study, and (b) rigorous training discourages the ‘bad choices’ being made. Through examining the L2 English speeches of 9 advanced end-state L1 Chinese speakers who had learned English in either top-notch or non-top-notch programmes in China, we found that rigorous training programmes did indeed lead to a high level of ultimate attainment in the past-marking albeit not at the native-like level. It also inhibits ‘bad choices,’ ensuring a uniform high rate of L2 English morphological marking.
Assessing linguistic levels of L2 English in primary school programs
Authors: Maier Esther , Neubauer Lea , Ponto Katharina , Couve de Murville Stefanie , Kersten Kristin
Published: July 2016

This paper compares the outcomes of different studies on the L2 acquisition of English in different primary school settings within the framework of Processability Theory (PT). The results show that children from immersion (IM) programs tend to reach higher stages compared to pupils from traditional teaching programs. The intensity and the duration of L2 classroom contact show the strongest effect on the test results. Prior experience with the L2 before primary school also has a significant effect, while sex, age and home language use do not influence the level of attainment reached by the learners. In addition, the study investigates the suitability of linguistic profiling for highly advanced young learners of English, as well as the communicative tasks used for data elicitation. Recommendations for an adaptation of the tasks are derived from the observations.
Triggering Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Cells with Cytotoxic Drugs
Authors: Crowley Lisa C. , Marfell Brooke J. , Scott Adrian P. , Waterhouse Nigel J.
Published: July 2016

Cytotoxic agents are commonly added to cultured cells in the laboratory to investigate their efficacy, mechanism of action, and therapeutic potential. Most of these agents trigger cell death by apoptosis, which is also the most common form of cell death during development, aging, homeostasis, and eradication of disease. Treatment of cells with cytotoxic agents is therefore useful for investigating basic mechanisms of cell death in the human body. Actinomycin D, a cytotoxic agent isolated from Streptomyces, induces apoptosis in a variety of cell lines including the histiocytic lymphoma cell line U937. Treatment of U937 cells with actinomycin D provides an ideal model of drug-induced apoptosis that can also be used as a positive control for comparison with other treatments.
Triggering Death of Adherent Cells with Ultraviolet Radiation
Authors: Crowley Lisa C. , Waterhouse Nigel J.
Published: July 2016

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a convenient stimulus for triggering cell death that is available in most laboratories. We use a Stratalinker UV cross-linker because it is a safe, cheap, reliable, consistent, and easily controlled source of UV irradiation. This protocol describes using a Stratalinker to trigger UV-induced death of HeLa cells.
Optimized Affinity Capture of Yeast Protein Complexes
Authors: LaCava John , Fernandez-Martinez Javier , Hakhverdyan Zhanna , Rout Michael P.
Published: July 2016

Here, we describe an affinity isolation protocol. It uses cryomilled yeast cell powder for producing cell extracts and antibody-conjugated paramagnetic beads for affinity capture. Guidelines for determining the optimal extraction solvent composition are provided. Captured proteins are eluted in a denaturing solvent (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis sample buffer) for gel-based proteomic analyses. Although the procedures can be modified to use other sources of cell extract and other forms of affinity media, to date we have consistently obtained the best results with the method presented.
Native Elution of Yeast Protein Complexes Obtained by Affinity Capture
Authors: LaCava John , Fernandez-Martinez Javier , Rout Michael P.
Published: July 2016

This protocol describes two options for the native (nondenaturing) elution of protein complexes obtained by affinity capture. The first approach involves the elution of complexes purified through a tag that includes a human rhinovirus 3C protease (PreScission protease) cleavage site sequence between the protein of interest and the tag. Incubation with the protease cleaves immobilized complexes from the affinity medium. The second approach involves the release of protein A–tagged protein complexes using a competitive elution reagent called PEGylOx. The degree of purity of the native assemblies eluted is sample dependent and strongly influenced by the affinity capture. It should be noted that the efficiency of native elution is commonly lower than that of elution by a denaturing agent (e.g., SDS) and the release of the complex will be limited by the activity of the protease or the inhibition constant (Ki) of the competitive release agent. However, an advantage of native release is that some nonspecifically bound materials tend to stay adsorbed to the affinity medium, providing an eluted fraction of higher purity. Finally, keep in mind that the presence of the protease or elution peptide could potentially affect downstream applications; thus, their removal should be considered.
Fixed-Cell Imaging of Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Hagan Iain M. , Bagley Steven
Published: July 2016

The acknowledged genetic malleability of fission yeast has been matched by impressive cytology to drive major advances in our understanding of basic molecular cell biological processes. In many of the more recent studies, traditional approaches of fixation followed by processing to accommodate classical staining procedures have been superseded by live-cell imaging approaches that monitor the distribution of fusion proteins between a molecule of interest and a fluorescent protein. Although such live-cell imaging is uniquely informative for many questions, fixed-cell imaging remains the better option for others and is an important—sometimes critical—complement to the analysis of fluorescent fusion proteins by live-cell imaging. Here, we discuss the merits of fixed- and live-cell imaging as well as specific issues for fluorescence microscopy imaging of fission yeast.
Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel Currents in Neurons
Authors: Shah Mala M.
Published: July 2016

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels are voltage-gated ion channels that activate at potentials more negative than −50 mV and are predominantly permeable to Na+ and K+ ions. Four HCN subunits (HCN1–4) have been cloned. These subunits have distinct expression patterns and biophysical properties. In addition, cyclic nucleotides as well as multiple intracellular substances including various kinases and phosphatases modulate the expression and function of the subunits. Hence, the characteristics of the current, Ih, are likely to vary among neuronal subtypes. In many neuronal subtypes, Ih is present postsynaptically, where it plays a critical role in setting the resting membrane potential and the membrane resistance. By influencing these intrinsic properties, Ih will affect synaptic potential shapes and summation and thereby affect neuronal excitability. Additionally, Ih can have an effect on resonance properties and intrinsic neuronal oscillations. In some neurons, Ih may also be present presynaptically in axons and synaptic terminals, where it modulates neuronal transmitter release. Hence the effects of Ih on neuronal excitability are complex. It is, however, necessary to fully understand these as Ih has a significant impact on physiological conditions such as learning as well as pathophysiological states such as epilepsy.
Retrieving the forgotten influence of Herbart on subject English
Authors: Carter Don
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the strong influence of Herbartian ideas on the first secondary school-based English course (1911) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Whilst previous research has established the influence of the “New Education” on the (NSW Director of Education, Peter Board, the architect of the) 1911 courses, no specific analysis of Johann Friedrich Herbart’s educational ideas has been undertaken in relation to this seminal secondary English course.

Design/methodology/approach

Through using three of Herbart’s key educational ideas as an interpretive framework to analyse the 1911 NSW Courses of Study for High Schools English course, the paper demonstrates the influence of those ideas on this inaugural secondary English course.

Findings

The analysis reveals that the NSW 1911 secondary English course was influenced by Herbartian educational ideas underpinning the course.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focuses on the “pre-active”1911 rhetorical English curriculum in NSW, rather than the “enacted” implemented curriculum.

Practical implications

The paper identifies Herbartian influences on the 1911 NSW English syllabus, revealing important philosophical ideas.

Social implications

Future English curriculum design will benefit from the identification of the philosophical ideas embedded in the NSW 1911 English curriculum.

Originality/value

This analysis provides insights into the Herbartian influences on the first secondary English course in NSW.
The changing pedagogical discourses in China
Authors: Liu Wei
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the changing pedagogic discourses in China today, using the current wave of English curriculum innovation as a focused case. Given the cross-cultural nature of foreign language education, the change in the English as a foreign language curriculum in China has served as a fertile ground for different pedagogical ideas to emerge and to cross. The new English curriculum in China has endorsed a more communicative and humanistic view of language teaching, encouraging teachers to adopt a task-based approach to organize their classroom teaching. The new English curriculum has aroused a heated debate among Chinese scholars on the suitability of such a Western curriculum idea in the Chinese educational context on the basis of its relation to the Confucian tradition of education, the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of China and the danger of post-colonialist imposition.

Design/methodology/approach

A critique is conducted on the three areas of controversies by situating the debate in the larger context of the cross-cultural understanding of the Chinese pedagogic discourse in the process of globalization and internationalization.

Findings

It is important for China to resist the homogenizing effect of globalization and internationalization in the area of curriculum development; however, being defensive and protective of one’s own and dismissive of others has not been and should not be the attitude of Chinese curriculum reform. The evolution of Chinese pedagogy is not only a result of Western influence but also a result of social change in the process of industrialization (Cheng, 2011). Global trends and national traditions should not be taken as extremes in an incompatible and irreconcilable dichotomy.

Originality/value

The three areas of debates on the new English curriculum can serve as a good lens into the evolving curriculum discourses in China. They reflect the cultural–historical, contextual and critical considerations among Chinese educational scholars in the national curriculum innovation efforts.
Causal relationship between private housing investment and economic growth
Authors: Amidu Abdul-Rasheed , Agboola Alirat Olayinka , Musa Mahmud
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The paper aims to provide a better understanding of the interactions between housing investment and economic growth. In particular, the paper emphasizes the separate effects of private housing investment (PHI) on the aggregate economy using quarterly data in the UK from 1974 to 2015. This is important due to the relatively growing interest around the world, including the UK, in encouraging greater private housing investment as a way of boosting economic growth.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used the widely accepted and recognized econometric concepts of unit root, Granger causality and co-integration and provides tentative quantitative evidence of the causal and predictive effect of PHI and economic growth.

Findings

The key finding is that the level of investment directed by individual and institution into the private housing sector is key to future development, and will strongly reduce economic performance volatility.

Research limitations/implications

Given that this is a bivariate time series analysis of PHI and economic growth (proxy by gross domestic product), the conclusions of this paper need to treated with caution, as there are other potential variables that might be omitted to make the model more robust so as to reach a more conclusive result.

Originality/value

This study complements existing literature, not only by providing new empirical evidence on the nexus between housing markets and the business cycle but also by being the pioneering attempt at examining the impact of PHI on the economy in the UK.
Financial literacy, risky mortgages, and delinquency in the US during the financial crisis
Authors: Zahirovic-Herbert Velma , Gibler Karen M. , Chatterjee Swarn
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether low financial literacy is associated with the use of risky mortgages and delinquency.

Design/methodology/approach

A probit analysis is used to analyze the results of a survey of US homeowners.

Findings

It was found that borrowers with low financial literacy are more likely to have a risky mortgage and be delinquent in their mortgage payments.

Originality/value

The results indicate that many risky loan borrowers may be unable to evaluate the risks inherent in the mortgage, which contributes to high delinquency rates. These results suggest the need for education and caution in the use of risky mortgages.
The new marketing solutions that will drive strategy implementation
Authors: Grossberg Kenneth Alan
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Delineate the strategic implications for three new marketing trends based on digital technology.

Design/methodology/approach

The author looks at how strategy is being affected by: Marketing automation, where artificial intelligence is used to help win a customer and optimize the search for such potential prospects. Social media, which blends the personal and the businesslike and provides opportunities for engagement with the client on an almost real-time, personalized basis. The manipulation of huge quantities of “Big Data” to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing automation and of deriving value from social media.

Findings

Under all emerging digital technology scenarios, the marketer’s job becomes more complex and more central to the interaction between the customers and the corporation.

Practical implications

Social marketing will increasingly involve co-creation of product and brand story with customers, experienced-based marketing and more sophisticated management of the interface between the social media platform and automated marketing.

Originality/value

This article identifies the integral relationship between advances in marketing technology and strategic opportunities for marketing innovation.
The next wave of global disruption and the role of China’s entrepreneurs
Authors: Leavy Brian
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Two recent books will be of considerable value to company leaders and strategists seeking to deepen their understanding of the major trends driving this current wave of global transformation: “No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends” and “China’s Disruptors: How Alibaba, Xiaomi, Tencent and Other Companies are Changing the Rules of Business.”

Design/methodology/approach

The author considers what dynamic capabilities that will be needed to compete in a world of “transient advantage,” like modern China, with its “complicated and quickly changing demand pattern,” hyper-competition, shifting industry boundaries, and “discontinuities in the regulatory context.” He believes that China is the business management laboratory within which these skills are already being honed.

Findings

By the turn of the millennium, the total revenue generated by private [Chinese] companies had already risen to parity with those of the state-enterprise sector, and since then it has grown more than six times faster.

Practical implications

The rise of China’s reform era entrepreneurs has come in three waves to date, each representing a significant progression in the collective capabilities and sophistication of the country’s ever-expanding entrepreneurial cadre.

Originality/value

Foreign multi-nationals would be wise to consider “what capabilities will have to be developed in China, for China,” learn from their Chinese rivals and ask where it might be possible to use these new “China’ capabilities ” to enhance performance globally.
Dr Thep Himathongkam: transforming diabetes treatment in Thailand
Authors: Avery Gayle C.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This interview discusses a “Blue Ocean” strategy initiative: how to introduce effective change in diabetes care into Thailand given a strong reluctance in patients, and in Thai society, to see that diabetes is not a condition to be treated by doctors alone.

Design/methodology/approach

An interview with Dr Thep Himathongkam, the pioneer of holistic diabetes care in Thailand.

Findings

One strategic management problem he faced was the lack of suitably trained staff. Thailand had no university courses producing the multidisciplinary personnel needed for diabetes treatment such as diabetes educators, dieticians, or foot care specialists. He address the multidisciplinary personnel shortage by training the missing specialists, getting universities on board and more recently securing funding from the World Diabetes Foundation.

Practical implications

The result of the diabetic foot-care training for more than 2,500 personnel, mostly from community hospitals, has been markedly successful, with a reduction in annual amputations in Thailand of 80 per cent over five years.

Originality/value

This interview offers a look at the multi-track problem solving required to successfully implement a Blue Ocean strategy.
Factors influencing knowledge sharing among global virtual teams
Authors: Killingsworth Brenda , Xue Yajiong , Liu Yongjun
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to examine interrelations of the team environment factors of trust and affiliation and the motivation factors of perceived reciprocal benefits and importance of enjoyment to determine how they influence knowledge sharing within loose-linked global virtual teams.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved 115 business students from three large universities located in the USA, China and Peru being assigned to global virtual teams of between three and four members in one phase and between four and seven members in a second phase. Students were required to work in virtual teams using telecommunication tools to complete assigned cases.

Findings

Trust, reciprocal benefits and enjoyment are significantly related to positive attitude toward knowledge sharing. Positive attitude, enjoyment, age, nationality and computer experience are positively related to knowledge sharing behavior. Affiliation is not found to significantly affect positive knowledge sharing attitude. Gender is not related to knowledge sharing behavior.

Practical implications

Understanding how trust, affiliation and motivation influence positive attitude and knowledge sharing behavior can assist managers in developing intervention strategies that improve team environments to support knowledge sharing behavior.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the advancement of theory by extending the current knowledge sharing research to virtual team environments with diverse cultural backgrounds and by considering both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation factors, including the importance of enjoyment in loose-linked environments of global virtual teams.
Employment arrangements diversity and work group performance
Authors: Akron Sagi , Feinblit Ofek , Hareli Shlomo , Tzafrir Shay S.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between diversity in work group members’ employment arrangements and the actual performance of the work groups.

Design/methodology/approach

A field study was conducted on 31 work groups in a public plant belonging to the industrial sector that constitute a unique data set. The 441 employees are contracted under four significantly different employment arrangements and are mixed together in heterogeneous work groups, but perform similar tasks.

Findings

The results indicated that the influence of employment arrangement diversity on work group performance is best represented as variation, and work arrangements diversity is positively correlated with improved work group performance.

Research limitations

The study design prevented assessment of employees’ opinions. Rather, the authors used objective type of employment arrangements as the basis for calculating diversity as separation. Using mean Euclidean distance as suggested by Harrison and Klein (2007), the authors arbitrarily set the distance between two different employment arrangements as one.

Practical implications

The research results help in the stages of recruiting, structuring and development and application of necessary work team. Formal emphasis of diversity in work arrangements improves performance.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies using unique data set analyzing real-life team diversity and performance in the public sector. The research highly contributes to organizational decision-making processes regarding the importance of incorporating non-standard work arrangements in organizations. Management’s implementation of formal diversity seems to alleviate the negative sides of diversity and increases its positive performance effects.
Financial literacy among children: the role of involvement in saving money
Authors: Te’eni-Harari Tali
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of involvement in saving money (ISM) to better understand children’s saving behavior and allow a deeper understanding of financial literacy processes among children. The emphasis on ISM is based on previous studies indicating the central role of involvement variables in information processing among young people.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on one-on-one interviews among 103 first-grade children. The interviews explored the relationship between the child’s ISM and substantial finance-related outcomes (attitudes toward saving money, intention to save money and saving behavior) and factors that might explain the child’s ISM (access to money, perceived importance of parental and peer attitudes toward saving money and actual parental and peer attitudes toward saving money).

Findings

Children with a high level of ISM expressed more positive attitudes toward saving, as well as more positive behavior with regard to saving. With respect to the factors that might explain the child’s level of ISM, two out of the three variables, namely, the perceived importance of parental and peer attitudes toward saving money and the child’s access to money, played a significant role in determining the child’s level of ISM.

Originality/value

This initial study demonstrates the importance of the involvement variable in the context of financial literacy and the need to investigate the child’s perceptions of, and motivation for, saving, with a focus on the child’s viewpoint.
Emotion regulation and young children’s consumer behavior
Authors: Lapierre Matthew Allen
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how children’s developing ability to effectively regulate their emotions influences their consumer behavior .

Design/methodology/approach

Working with 80 children and one of their parents, this study used direct observations of child behavior in a task where they needed to regulate their emotions and a survey of parents about their child’s emotional development and consumer behavior. The research used quantitative methods to test whether children’s emotion regulation predicted parent reported consumer behavior (e.g. purchase requests, parent–child purchase related conflict) via multiple regression analyses.

Findings

After controlling for children’s age and linguistic competence, the study found that children’s ability to control positively valenced emotions predicted consumer behavior. Specifically, children who had more difficulty suppressing joy/happiness were more likely to ask their parents for consumer goods and were more likely to argue with parents about these purchases.

Practical implications

Content analyses of commercials targeting children have shown that many of the persuasive appeals used by advertisers are emotionally charged and often feature marketing characters that children find affectively pleasing. These findings suggest that these types of marketing appeals may overwhelm younger children which can lead to conflict with parents. Consequently, marketers and policy makers may want to re-examine the use of such tactics with younger consumers.

Originality/value

While the potential link between children’s emotional development and consumer behavior has been suggested in theoretical work, this is the first known study to empirically test this theorized relationship.
All that glitters is not gold: do materialistic cues in advertising yield resistance?
Authors: Cartwright Robert Freeman , Opree Suzanna J.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This study aims to investigate emerging adults’ emotional responses to a commercial with materialistic cues, and the commercial’s perceived and actual effect on materialism – taking the role of pre-existing attitudes toward advertising into account.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used a mixed-method design to gauge emotions evoked by materialistic cues both qualitatively and quantitatively. Emotions were assessed using both open-ended and close-ended questions. Perceived effectiveness was also measured using close-ended questions. To establish the commercial’s actual effect, an online experiment was conducted. In total, 179 individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 years participated.

Findings

Emerging adults’ pre-existing attitudes toward advertising predicted their emotional responses toward a commercial with materialistic cues (i.e. influencing whether they are negative, neutral or positive) as well as the perceived effectiveness of materialistic cues in advertising. A one-time exposure to a commercial with materialistic cues does not increase materialism.

Practical implications

Emerging adults who dislike advertising, tend to also dislike advertising with materialistic cues and perceive it as less effective. However, young consumers with an interest in advertising do appreciate the use of materialistic cues and perceive them as being effective. Although no actual effect was found, this could be a reason for advertisers to use materialistic cues.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to investigate consumers’ emotions toward materialistic cues, and to study their perceived and actual effect. Moreover, it is the first to examine the link between advertising exposure and materialism among emerging adults.
Beyond the Real and the Paper Deal: The Quest for Contextual Coherence in Contractual Interpretation
Authors: Tan Zhong Xing
Published: July 2016

Contract lawyers are often divided between two schools of thought: formalism and contextualism. In the realm of contractual interpretation, this division illuminates various debates surrounding the modern contextual approach. Ultimately, however, the divide between the ‘real and the paper deal’ does not fully reflect the relevant fault lines. The real contest is between rival interpretations attempting to make the most coherent sense of the available text and context surrounding the document. In characterising the true nature of the exercise, I draw upon theories of coherence to articulate a framework of ‘contextual coherence’ that involves concepts of competing narratives, the rational motivations of the parties, and the need for a holistic assessment of the best hypothesis, in accordance with the English courts’ ‘iterative approach’ to interpretation. I demonstrate that this framework enables us to explain and evaluate recent cases such as the UK Supreme Court decision of Arnold v Britton.
For public causes or personal interests? Examining public service motives in the Chinese context
Authors: Sun Judy Yi , Gu Qinxuan
Published: July 2016

The western concept and scale of public service motivation (PSM) have recently been generalized to China. We analyze the western‐centric PSM scale in the Chinese cultural, historical, and sociopolitical contexts. We find that PSM scale developed in the United States has limited applicability and generalizability in China. Instead, we adopt the career orientation inventory as an alternative to measure Chinese PSM with a sample of 403 government employees in relation to their job and career satisfactions and job involvement. We found that lifestyle, security and stability, technical/functional competence and service dedication to a cause were dominating motives for Chinese civil servants studied. The results not only partially explained the recent puzzling ‘civil servant fever’ phenomenon taking place in China, but also demonstrated that not all western developed scales could be directly adopted to the Chinese contexts. We offer important implications and future directions for research on PSM in the Chinese context.
Multiple Locus Variable number of tandem repeat Analysis: A molecular genotyping tool for Paenibacillus larvae
Authors: Descamps Tine , De Smet Lina , Stragier Pieter , De Vos Paul , de Graaf Dirk C.
Published: July 2016

American Foulbrood, caused by Paenibacillus larvae, is the most severe bacterial disease of honey bees (Apis mellifera). To perform genotyping of P. larvae in an epidemiological context, there is a need of a fast and cheap method with a high resolution. Here, we propose Multiple Locus Variable number of tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA). MLVA has been used for typing a collection of 209 P. larvae strains from which 23 different MLVA types could be identified. Moreover, the developed methodology not only permits the identification of the four Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC) genotypes, but allows also a discriminatory subdivision of the most dominant ERIC type I and ERIC type II genotypes. A biogeographical study has been conducted showing a significant correlation between MLVA genotype and the geographical region where it was isolated.
Western myall groves (Acacia papyrocarpa) determine the fine‐scale distribution of soil Collembola in semi‐arid South Australia
Authors: Kwok Alan. B. C. , Greenslade Penelope
Published: July 2016

Vegetation can exert a strong influence on the distribution and activity of biotic communities across a broad range of spatial scales, especially in arid and semi‐arid ecosystems. At fine spatial scales, patches created by individual plants can support different faunal and floral communities even at locations distant from the plant. These differences can have profound effects on a range of ecosystem processes, including seed dispersal, nutrient cycling and resource distribution. In semi‐arid Australia, areas surrounding groves of western myall (Acacia papyrocarpa) trees are largely devoid of vegetation, being referred to as ‘halos’. Here, we investigate the soil‐dwelling Collembola in groves of western myall trees, the surrounding halos and nearby chenopod shrubland. We also investigated whether the abundance of Collembola was influenced by soil depth (0–5 cm layer vs. 6–10 cm layer) in groves. We found that collembolan density was approximately nine times lower and taxonomic richness half that in a halo compared with the grove and chenopod vegetation. Furthermore, analyses at finer taxonomic levels indicate that vegetation patches differed in species composition, with some species restricted to or preferring particular patches. In the grove, we found a higher abundance of Collembola in the 0–5 cm soil layer compared with the 6–10 layer. Our results indicate vegetation patches strongly influence collembolan abundance and species composition in bare patches around western myall. As patches created by vegetation are a common feature of semi‐arid and arid regions, we suspect that these effects are widespread although seldom reported. Furthermore, as Collembola are involved in the decomposition process, Acacia papyrocarpa patches will be influencing nutrient cycling through their effects on the soil biota. Our results also emphasize that comprehensive fauna survey and management of woodland ecosystems need to consider fine‐scale processes.
The translationally relevant mouse model of the 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome reveals deficits in neuronal spike firing matching clinical neurophysiological biomarkers seen in schizophrenia
Authors: Thelin J. , Halje P. , Nielsen J. , Didriksen M. , Petersson P. , Bastlund J. F.
Published: July 2016

Aim

To date, the understanding and development of novel treatments for mental illness is hampered by inadequate animal models. For instance, it is unclear to what extent commonly used behavioural tests in animals can inform us on the mental and affective aspects of schizophrenia.

Methods

To link pathophysiological processes in an animal model to clinical findings, we have here utilized the recently developed Df(h15q13)/+ mouse model for detailed investigations of cortical neuronal engagement during pre‐attentive processing of auditory information from two back‐translational auditory paradigms. We also investigate if compromised putative fast‐spiking interneurone (FSI) function can be restored through pharmacological intervention using the Kv3.1 channel opener RE1. Chronic multi‐array electrodes in primary auditory cortex were used to record single cell firing from putative pyramidal and FSI in awake animals during processing of auditory sensory information.

Results

We find a decreased amplitude in the response to auditory stimuli and reduced recruitment of neurones to fast steady‐state gamma oscillatory activity. These results resemble encephalography recordings in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the probability of interneurones to fire with low interspike intervals during 80 Hz auditory stimulation was reduced in Df(h15q13)/+ mice, an effect that was partially reversed by the Kv3.1 channel modulator, RE1.

Conclusion

This study offers insight into the consequences on a neuronal level of carrying the 15q13.3 microdeletion. Furthermore, it points to deficient functioning of interneurones as a potential pathophysiological mechanism in schizophrenia and suggests a therapeutic potential of Kv3.1 channel openers.
Abciximab as a bridging strategy to overcome morphine–prasugrel interaction in STEMI patients
Authors: Siller‐Matula Jolanta M. , Specht Simon , Kubica Jacek , Alexopoulos Dimitrios , De Caterina Raffaele , Hobl Eva‐Luise , Jilma Bernd , Christ Günter , Lang Irene M.
Published: July 2016

Objective

The present study investigated whether the glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa receptor blocker abciximab might be a successful bridging strategy to achieve adequate levels of platelet inhibition rapidly in cases where prasugrel is used in morphine‐pretreated ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.

Methods

In a prospective observational cohort study, 32 patients presenting with STEMI were given prasugrel at a loading dose of 60 mg. Patients were stratified into four groups, according to morphine and/or abciximab use. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)‐induced platelet aggregation was measured at four time points: at baseline, and at 2 h, 1 day and 2 days after prasugrel loading.

Results

Morphine use was associated with a three‐fold higher level of ADP‐induced platelet aggregation 2 h after prasugrel loading compared with no morphine/no abciximab (P = 0.019). However, when abciximab was infused in the catheterization laboratory, the effect of morphine on ADP‐induced platelet aggregation disappeared (P = 0.884). This interaction was also seen in the presence of high on‐treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) at 2 h; while HTPR was seen in 88% of morphine users/no abciximab users, it was found in only 17–20% in the three other groups (P = 0.003). The effect of morphine disappeared by day 1 – 2.

Conclusion

The infusion of the GPIIb/IIIa receptor blocker abciximab allows immediate and efficient platelet inhibition in STEMI patients concomitantly receiving the oral ADP receptor blocker prasugrel and morphine.
An anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) fabric record of till kinematics within a Late Weichselian low Baltic till, southern Sweden
Authors: Hopkins Nathan R. , Kleman Johan , Evenson Edward B. , Kodama Kenneth P.
Published: July 2016

Herein we report on the results of an anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) fabric case‐study of two Late Weichselian tills exposed in a bedrock quarry in Dalby, Skåne, southern Sweden. The region possesses a complex glacial history, reflecting alternating and interacting advances of the main body of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) and its ice lobes from the Baltic basin, perhaps driven by streaming ice. AMS till fabrics are robust indicators of ice‐flow history and till kinematics, and provide a unique tool to investigate till kinematics within and amongst till units. The till section investigated here contains ~8 m of the Dalby Till – a dark grey silt‐clay rich till deposited during one or more Baltic advance – overlain by ~1.5 m of the regional surface diamicton. AMS fabrics within the lower part of the Dalby Till conform to the regional surface fluting, and reflect sustained flow from the ENE with progressive increases in basal strain. A boulder‐rich horizon approximately 3 m from the base of the till marks a restricted excursion in till fabric direction, fabric strength and style of strain. Ice flow is from the SW and W in the upper section. We interpret these fabrics to record shifting ice flow and bed conditions at the margins of the Young Baltic Advance ice lobe in southern Sweden, prior to a short‐lived re‐advance of the main body of the SIS over mainland Sweden recorded by the surface diamicton.
Cultural Orientation Trajectories and Substance Use: Findings From a Longitudinal Study of Mexican‐Origin Youth
Authors: Cruz Rick A. , King Kevin M. , Cauce Ana M. , Conger Rand D. , Robins Richard W.
Published: July 2016

Cultural adaptation may influence Latino youth substance use (SU) development, yet few longitudinal studies have examined cultural change over time and adolescent SU outcomes. Using longitudinal data collected annually across ages 10–16 from 674 Mexican‐origin youth (50% female), the authors characterized cultural adaptation patterns for language use (English and Spanish use), values (American values and familism values), and identity (ethnic pride), and examined whether these cultural adaptation patterns were associated with differential SU risk. Youth with increasing bilingualism and high/stable family values had lower SU risk compared to youth who primarily spoke English and endorsed decreasing family values, respectively. Ethnic pride trajectories were not associated with SU. Findings highlight the importance of considering cultural change related to Latino youth SU.
Recent Advances in Imprinting Disorders
Authors: Soellner L. , Begemann M. , Mackay D.J.G. , Grønskov K. , Tümer Z. , Maher E.R. , Temple I.K. , Monk D. , Riccio A. , Linglart A. , Netchine I. , Eggermann T.
Published: July 2016

Imprinting disorders (ImpDis) are a group of currently 12 congenital diseases with common underlying (epi)genetic etiologies and overlapping clinical features affecting growth, development and metabolism. In the last years it has emerged that ImpDis are characterized by the same types of mutations and epimutations, i.e. uniparental disomies, copy number variations, epimutations, and point mutations. Each ImpDis is associated with a specific imprinted locus, but the same imprinted region can be involved in different ImpDis. Additionally, even the same aberrant methylation patterns are observed in different phenotypes. As some ImpDis share clinical features, clinical diagnosis is difficult in some cases. The advances in molecular and clinical diagnosis of ImpDis help to circumvent these issues, and they are accompanied by an increasing understanding of the pathomechanism behind them. As these mechanisms have important roles for the etiology of other common conditions, the results in ImpDis research have a wider effect beyond the borders of ImpDis. For patients and their families, the growing knowledge contributes to a more directed genetic counseling of the families and personalized therapeutic approaches.
Scalable Feature‐Preserving Irregular Mesh Coding
Authors: El Sayeh Khalil J. , Munteanu A. , Denis L. , Lambert P. , Van de Walle R.
Published: July 2016

This paper presents a novel wavelet‐based transform and coding scheme for irregular meshes. The transform preserves geometric features at lower resolutions by adaptive vertex sampling and retriangulation, resulting in more accurate subsampling and better avoidance of smoothing and aliasing artefacts. By employing octree‐based coding techniques, the encoding of both connectivity and geometry information is decoupled from any mesh traversal order, and allows for exploiting the intra‐band statistical dependencies between wavelet coefficients. Improvements over the state of the art obtained by our approach are three‐fold: (1) improved rate–distortion performance over Wavemesh and IPR for both the Hausdorff and root mean square distances at low‐to‐mid‐range bitrates, most obvious when clear geometric features are present while remaining competitive for smooth, feature‐poor models; (2) improved rendering performance at any triangle budget, translating to a better quality for the same runtime memory footprint; (3) improved visual quality when applying similar limits to the bitrate or triangle budget, showing more pronounced improvements than rate–distortion curves.
Time‐Staged Overtime Staffing for Services with Updated Forecasts and Availabilities
Authors: Campbell Gerard M.
Published: July 2016

This article develops a framework for staffing in a service environment when multiple opportunities exist for prescheduling overtime prior to the start of a shift. Demand forecasts improve as the shift approaches, while the availability of workers to be scheduled for overtime decreases. First, a single‐shift model is developed and used in computational studies to evaluate the benefits of time‐staged overtime staffing, which include slightly lower costs and significant reductions in unscheduled overtime and outside agents. A multishift model is then developed to consider constraints on consecutive hours worked and minimum rest intervals between shifts. A multishift computational study shows how the benefits of time‐staged overtime staffing depend on problem characteristics when interactions between shifts are considered. The article discusses how single‐shift and multishift models relate to each other and alternative ways the models may be used in practice, including decentralized open shift management and centralized overtime scheduling.
How do generic statements impact performance? Evidence for entity beliefs
Authors: Park Daeun , Schaeffer Marjorie W. , Nolla Kyle M. , Levine Susan C. , Beilock Sian L.
Published: July 2016

Generic statements about the abilities of children's social groups (e.g. ‘Girls/Boys are good at this game’) negatively impact children's performance – even if the statements are favorable towards children's own social groups. We explored the mechanism by which generic language impairs children's performance. Across three studies, our findings suggest that generic statements influence children's performance by creating an entity belief (i.e. a belief that a fixed ability determines performance). Children who were exposed to a generic statement about their social group's ability performed worse than children in control conditions. This effect hurt children's performance even when the person who made the generic statement was no longer present and a new person not privy to the statement replaced them. However, when children heard a generic statement paired with an effort explanation (i.e. ‘Girls/Boys are good at this game because they try really hard when they draw’) they performed better than children who heard the generic statement with no explanation (i.e. just ‘Girls/Boys are good at this game’) and children who heard the generic statement paired with a trait explanation (i.e. ‘Girls/Boys are good at this game because they are smart and really good at drawing’). This work uncovers when and how generic statements that refer to the ability of one's social group hinder performance, informing the development of practices to improve student motivation and learning.
You get what you give: children's karmic bargaining
Authors: Banerjee Konika , Bloom Paul
Published: July 2016

Do children believe in karma – the notion that life events occur to punish or reward our moral behavior? In three experiments, we investigate 4–6‐year‐old children's willingness to endorse and engage in the practice of performing good acts in order to secure an unrelated future desired outcome, so‐called ‘karmic bargaining’. Most children agreed that performing a morally good social behavior, but not a morally negative or morally neutral non‐social behavior, would increase the chances that future desired outcomes would occur, in both first‐party and third‐party contexts. About half of children also engaged in karmic bargaining behavior themselves. We conclude that a belief in karma may therefore reflect a broad, early‐emerging teleological bias to interpret life events in terms of agency, purpose, and design.
Motorized versus manual instrumented spasticity assessment in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Sloot Lizeth H , Bar‐On Lynn , van der Krogt Marjolein M , Aertbeliën Erwin , Buizer Annemieke I , Desloovere Kaat , Harlaar Jaap
Published: July 2016

Aim

We compared the outcomes of manual and motorized instrumented ankle spasticity assessments in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method

Ten children with spasticCP(three males, seven females; mean age 11y [standard deviation 3y], range 6–14y; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I–III) were included. During motorized assessments, fast (100°/s) rotations were imposed around the ankle joint by a motor‐driven footplate; during manual assessments, rotations of comparable speed were applied by a therapist using a foot orthotic. Angular range of motion, maximum velocity, acceleration, work, and muscle activity (electromyography [EMG]) of the triceps surae and tibialis anterior were compared during passive muscle stretch between motorized and manual assessments. Both movement profiles were also compared toCPgait ankle movement profile.

Results

The imposed movement profile differed between methods, with the motorized assessment reaching higher maximum acceleration. Despite equal maximum velocity, the triceps surae were more often activated in motorized assessments, with low agreement of 44% to 72% (κ≤0) forEMGonset occurrence between methods. The manually applied ankle velocity profile matched more closely with the gait profile.

Interpretation

The differences in acceleration possibly account for the different muscle responses, which may suggest acceleration, rather than velocity‐dependency of the stretch reflex. Future prototypes of instrumented spasticity assessments should standardize movement profiles, preferably by developing profiles that mimic functional tasks such as walking.