bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surviving or flourishing? Integrating business resilience and sustainability
Authors: Winnard Julie , Adcroft Andy , Lee Jacquetta , Skipp David
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– Businesses are always seeking resilient strategies so they can weather unpredictable competitive environments. One source of unpredictability is the unsustainability of commerce's environmental, economic or social impacts and the limitations this places on businesses. Another is poor resilience causing erroneous and unexpected outputs. Companies prospering long-term must have both resilience and sustainability, existing in a symbiotic state. The purpose of this paper is to explore the two concepts and their relationship, their combined benefits and propose an approach for supporting decision makers to proactively build both characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper looks at businesses as complex adaptive systems, how their resilience and sustainability can be defined and how these might be exhibited. It then explores how they can be combined in practice.

Findings

– The two qualities are related but have different purposes, moreover resilience has two major forms related to timescales. Both kinds of resilience are identified as key for delivering sustainability, yet the reverse is also found to be true. Both are needed to deliver either and to let businesses flourish.

Practical implications

– Although the ideal state of resilient sustainability is difficult to define or achieve, pragmatic ways exist to deliver the right direction of change in organisational decisions. A novel approach to this is explored based on transition engineering and robustness engineering.

Originality/value

– This paper links resilience and sustainability explicitly and develops a holistic pragmatic approach for working through their implications in strategic decision making.
Review Paper: An outlook on the future of seismic imaging, Part II: Full‐Wavefield Migration
Authors: Berkhout A.J. (Guus)
Published: August 2014

The next‐generation seismic imaging algorithms will consider multiple scattering as indispensable information, being referred to as Full‐Wavefield Migration. In addition, these algorithms will also include autonomous velocity updating in the migration process, being referred to as Joint Migration Inversion. Full‐Wavefield Migration and Joint Migration Inversion address the industrial needs to improve images of very complex reservoirs as well as the industrial ambition to produce these images in a more automatic manner (automation in seismic processing).

In this vision paper on seismic imaging, Full‐Wavefield Migration and Joint Migration Inversion are formulated in terms of a closed‐loop estimation algorithm that can be physically explained by an iterative double focusing process (full‐wavefield common‐focus‐point technology). A critical module in this formulation is forward modelling, allowing feedback from migrated output to unmigrated input (closing the loop). For this purpose, a full‐wavefield modelling module has been developed, which utilizes an operator description of complex geology. The full‐wavefield modelling module is pre‐eminently suited to function in the feedback path of a closed‐loop migration algorithm.

‘The Future of Seismic Imaging’ is presented as a coherent trilogy, proposing the migration framework of the future in three consecutive parts. In Part I, it was shown that the proposed full‐wavefield modelling module algorithm differs fundamentally from finite‐difference modelling because velocities and densities need not be provided. Instead, an operator description of the subsurface is used. In addition, the concept of reverse modelling was introduced. In Part II, it is shown how the theory of Primary Wavefield Migration can be extended to Full‐Wavefield Migration by correcting for angle‐dependent transmission effects and by utilizing multiple scattering. The potential of the Full‐Wavefield Migration algorithm is illustrated with numerical examples. A multidirectional migration strategy is proposed that navigates the Full‐Wavefield Migration algorithm through the seismic data cube in different directions.
Review Paper: An outlook on the future of seismic imaging, Part III: Joint Migration Inversion
Authors: Berkhout A.J. (Guus)
Published: August 2014

The next generation seismic imaging algorithms will consider multiple scattering as indispensable information, referred to as Full Wavefield Migration. In addition, these algorithms will also include autonomous velocity updating in the migration process, referred to as Joint Migration Inversion. Full wavefield migration and joint migration inversion address the industrial needs of improving images of very complex reservoirs as well as the industry ambition of producing these images in a more automatic manner (‘automation in seismic processing’).

In this vision paper on seismic imaging, full wavefield migration and joint migration inversion are formulated in terms of a closed‐loop, estimation algorithm that can be physically explained by an iterative double focusing process (full wavefield Common‐Focus‐Point technology). A critical module in this formulation is forward modelling, allowing feedback from migrated output to unmigrated input (‘closing the loop’). For this purpose a full wavefield modelling module has been developed that utilizes an operator description of complex geology. Full wavefield modelling module is pre‐eminently suited to function in the feedback path of a closed‐loop migration algorithm.

‘The Future of Seismic Imaging’ is presented as a coherent trilogy, proposing in three consecutive parts the migration framework of the future. In part I it was shown that the proposed full wavefield modelling module algorithm differs fundamentally from finite difference modelling, as velocities and densities need not be provided. Instead, full wavefield modelling module uses an operator description of the subsurface. In Part II it was shown how the theory of Primary Wavefield Migration can be extended to Full Wavefield Migration by correcting for elastic transmission effects and by utilizing multiple scattering. In Part III it is shown how the full wavefield migration technology can be extended to Joint Migration Inversion, allowing full wavefield migration of blended data without knowledge of the velocity. Velocities are part of the joint migration inversion output, being obtained by an operator‐driven parametric inversion process. The potential of the proposed joint migration inversion algorithm is illustrated with numerical examples.
James Hillman: the unmaking of a psychologist Part one: his legacy
Authors: Tacey David
Published: August 2014

This two‐part essay offers a critical assessment of Hillman's archetypal psychology and enquires into its viability as a psychological model. The first part explores his legacy and reviews the metapsychological frame in which his work operates. It considers the relation between his thought and Jung's, and argues that Hillman's work is not so much post‐Jungian as pre‐Jungian. The second part is primarily intrapsychic; it explores Hillman's character, as discerned through his writings and interviews, and considers his work as an expression of the puer aeternus.

It is argued that the puer prefers to live in an eternal dream‐state resistant to growing up: yet denial of the maturational impulse will only lead to it happening anyway but in a negative form. The paper considers how Hillman's model was ‘unmade’ by the missing developmental element of his thought. Development is an archetypal and bio‐psychological necessity, and if rejected it can ruin any system that refuses to take it seriously. In Hillman's case this manifested in the form of a repressed masculine shadow, destroying the credibility of his earlier work.

The two‐part paper attempts to weave an objective appraisal with a running commentary based on the author's personal engagement with the man and his work.
Decentralized oceans: Sail‐solar shipping for sustainable development in SIDS
Authors: Teeter Jennifer Louise , Cleary Steven A.
Published: August 2014

Conventional shipping is increasingly unable to address the social and economic needs of remote and underprivileged coastal and island communities. Barriers include rising fuel costs affecting the viability of on‐water activities, which are compounded by the challenges presented by a lack of deepwater ports and related infrastructure that prevent docking by larger more fuel‐efficient vessels. The environmental externalities of shipping‐related fossil‐fuel consumption, which harbour both local pollution and anthropogenic climate change impacts, adversely affect these communities. Amid limited research on strategies to address the challenges presented by conventional shipping methods to small island developing States (SIDS), this paper proposes the adoption of policy initiatives for the adoption of small, modern non‐fuel vessels that could assist these important yet underserved niches. One of several initiatives developing renewable‐energy based shipping solutions is the Greenheart Project, an international non‐profit organization in the process of developing an open‐source hybrid solar‐sail cargo vessel conforming to the conditions faced in coastal and island communities. This paper discusses the socio‐economic and environmental challenges presented by conventional shipping with reference to SIDS and the potential of non‐fuel shipping. Policy proposals to facilitate the beneficial adoption of such vessels in developing communities will also be offered.
Paragangliomas: Presentation and management by radiotherapy at the Prince of Wales Hospital
Authors: Smee Robert I , Jayasekara Jayana , Williams Janet R , Hanna Claire
Published: August 2014

Introduction

Paragangliomas are commonly treated with surgery, while radiotherapy is reserved for those that are inoperable or have relapsed. However, this retrospective study aims to determine whether radiotherapy is a viable initial treatment for paragangliomas.

Methods

Of 73 tumours researched, 44 were diagnosed and treated from January 1967 to December 2012 at the Radiation Oncology Department at the Prince of Wales Hospital and thus were eligible for analysis. Median follow‐up time was 3.5 years with a range of 1 to 40 years. Thirty‐four tumours were treated with radiotherapy only, and 10 tumours were treated with both surgical resection and radiotherapy. Local control and cause‐specific survival were the primary end points measured.

Results

Five‐year local control rate for the population of 44 lesions was 89%; it was 100% in the group treated by radiotherapy alone, but only 50% in the group treated by surgery followed by radiotherapy, with radiation used for salvage. The difference in control rates between these two subset groups was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). Cause‐specific survival rates for this eligible population at 5 and 10 years were 98% and 90%, respectively. After initial radiotherapy, 4 patients had improved cranial nerve function, there was clinical improvement in tinnitus, and one new cranial nerve deficit developed where a high dose was used.

Conclusions

Radiotherapy has high local control rates and few complications. The local control and complication rates compare favourably to surgery.
Estimating BrAC from Transdermal Alcohol Concentration Data Using the BrAC Estimator Software Program
Authors: Luczak Susan E. , Rosen I. Gary
Published: August 2014

Background

Transdermal alcohol sensor (TAS) devices have the potential to allow researchers and clinicians to unobtrusively collect naturalistic drinking data for weeks at a time, but the transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) data these devices produce do not consistently correspond with breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) data. We present and test the BrAC Estimator software, a program designed to produce individualized estimates of BrAC from TAC data by fitting mathematical models to a specific person wearing a specific TAS device.

Methods

Two TAS devices were worn simultaneously by 1 participant for 18 days. The trial began with a laboratory alcohol session to calibrate the model and was followed by a field trial with 10 drinking episodes. Model parameter estimates and fit indices were compared across drinking episodes to examine the calibration phase of the software. Software‐generated estimates of peak BrAC, time of peak BrAC, and area under the BrAC curve were compared with breath analyzer data to examine the estimation phase of the software.

Results

In this single‐subject design with breath analyzer peak BrAC scores ranging from 0.013 to 0.057, the software created consistent models for the 2 TAS devices, despite differences in raw TAC data, and was able to compensate for the attenuation of peak BrAC and latency of the time of peak BrAC that are typically observed in TAC data.

Conclusions

This software program represents an important initial step for making it possible for non mathematician researchers and clinicians to obtain estimates of BrAC from TAC data in naturalistic drinking environments. Future research with more participants and greater variation in alcohol consumption levels and patterns, as well as examination of gain scheduling calibration procedures and nonlinear models of diffusion, will help to determine how precise these software models can become.
Intoxication‐ and Withdrawal‐Dependent Expression of Central and Peripheral Cytokines Following Initial Ethanol Exposure
Authors: Doremus‐Fitzwater Tamara L. , Buck Hollin M. , Bordner Kelly , Richey Laura , Jones Megan E. , Deak Terrence
Published: August 2014

Background

Evidence has emerged demonstrating that ethanol (EtOH) influences cytokine expression within the central nervous system, although most studies have examined long‐term exposure. Thus, the cytokine response to an acute EtOH challenge was investigated, in order to characterize profiles of cytokine changes following acute exposure.

Methods

Rats pups were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 2‐g/kg EtOH, and IL‐1 mRNA and protein were assessed 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes post injection (Experiment 1). In Experiments 2 to 5, the expression of several cytokines was examined in adult male rats during acute intoxication (3 hours after 4‐g/kg EtOH), as well as withdrawal (18 hours post injection), after i.p. or intragastric (i.g.) EtOH administration.

Results

Early in ontogeny, acute EtOH significantly decreased brain IL‐1 mRNA and protein. Subsequently, when adult rats were examined, significant and temporally dynamic alterations in central and peripheral cytokines were observed following acute i.p. EtOH exposure (4 g/kg). Although cytokine‐ and region‐dependent central IL‐6 expression was generally increased and tumor necrosis factor alpha decreased during intoxication, IL‐1 expression exhibited increases during withdrawal. In the periphery, acute i.p. EtOH elevated expression of all cytokines, with the response growing in magnitude as the time post injection increased. Following acute i.g. EtOH (4 g/kg), intoxication‐related increases in IL‐6 expression were again observed in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), although to a lesser extent. Long‐term, voluntary, intermittent EtOH consumption resulted in tolerance to the effects of an i.g. EtOH challenge (4 g/kg) on PVN IL‐6 expression, whereas these same elevations in IL‐6 expression were still seen in the amygdala in rats with a history of moderate EtOH intake. Treatment with minocycline did not significantly attenuate i.p. or i.g. EtOH‐induced changes in central cytokine expression.

Conclusions

Together, these studies provide a foundation for understanding fluctuations in central and peripheral cytokines following acute EtOH as potential contributors to the constellation of neural and behavioral alterations observed during EtOH intoxication and withdrawal.
Micro‐RNA‐155 Deficiency Prevents Alcohol‐Induced Serum Endotoxin Increase and Small Bowel Inflammation in Mice
Authors: Lippai Dora , Bala Shashi , Catalano Donna , Kodys Karen , Szabo Gyongyi
Published: August 2014

Background

Chronic alcohol impairs gut barrier function and induces inflammatory cytokines. The effects of acute alcohol binge on the gut are partially understood. Micro‐RNA‐155 (miR‐155), a modulator of cytokine and T‐cell immune response in the gut, stabilizes tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) mRNA. Here, we investigated the role of the inflammation modulator miR‐155 as well as the effects of acute binge and chronic alcohol feeding in the small bowel (SB) in mice.

Methods

For the acute alcohol binge, wild‐type (WT) mice received 5 g/kg 50% alcohol/d or equal amount of water oral gavage for 3 days. WT and miR‐155‐deficient (miR‐155‐knockout [KO]) mice received ethanol containing Lieber‐DeCarli or isocaloric control diet for 5 weeks. MiR‐155, antimicrobial peptide, regenerating islet‐derived 3‐beta (Reg3b), inflammation markers, Src homology 2‐containing inositol phosphatase‐1 (SHIP1), TNFα, and nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) were measured in proximal intestinal tissue. Endotoxin was measured in the serum.

Results

Acute alcohol binge enhanced, whereas chronic alcohol feeding decreased, Reg3b mRNA and protein levels in the SB. Both acute binge and chronic alcohol feeding increased serum endotoxin levels, intestinal NF‐κB activation and TNFα mRNA levels. However, TNFα protein and miR‐155 were increased only after chronic alcohol feeding in the SB. Furthermore, miR‐155‐KO mice were protected from chronic alcohol‐induced increase in serum endotoxin, intestinal TNFα, and NF‐κB activation. Also, alcohol‐fed miR‐155‐KO mice had no decrease of Reg3b and SHIP1 levels.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that both acute binge and chronic ethanol administration result in increased serum‐endotoxin levels. Our study identifies a novel role for miR‐155 in chronic alcohol‐induced intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction.
Long‐term safety and efficacy of certolizumab pegol in the treatment of Crohn's disease: 7‐year results from the PRECiSE 3 study
Authors: Sandborn W. J. , Lee S. D. , Randall C. , Gutierrez A. , Schwartz D. A. , Ambarkhane S. , Kayhan C. , Pierre‐Louis B. , Schreiber S. , Lichtenstein G. R.
Published: August 2014

Background

The efficacy and safety of certolizumab pegol (CZP) in moderate‐to‐severe Crohn's disease were demonstrated in two 26‐week double‐blind studies (PRECiSE 1 & 2).

Aim

To report the safety and efficacy outcomes of long‐term, CZP therapy from PRECiSE 3, in which patients received treatment up to 7 years treatment.

Methods

Patients completing PRECiSE 1 or 2 were eligible to enter PRECiSE 3 in which they received CZP 400 mg, open‐label, every 4 weeks (without additional induction therapy) for up to 7 years, for up to 91 doses from study start. Safety (adverse events, including infections and malignancies) and efficacy (Harvey–Bradshaw Index, faecal calprotectin, C‐reactive protein) were prospectively monitored. Remission was analysed using observed cases, last observation carried forward imputation and nonresponder imputation.

Results

A total of 595 patients entered the study; 117 (20%) completed 7 years. Discontinuation rates were 29.2%, 13.6%, 16.1%, 7.9%, 5.0%, 4.5% and 3.9% (years 1–7 respectively). During 1920 patient‐years of exposure to CZP, no new safety signals were observed. Incidence rates (new cases/100 patient‐years) for serious infections and malignant neoplasms were 4.37 and 1.06 respectively. No lymphoproliferative malignancies were reported. Clinical remission rates were ≥68% at each year (observed cases); rates by last observation carried forward and nonresponder imputation were 58% and 45% at year 1, 56% and 26% at year 3 and 55% and 13% at year 7 respectively.

Conclusion

Certolizumab pegol was well tolerated in the long‐term treatment of Crohn's disease, with sustained remission in some patients continuing in the study for up to 7 years. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00552058.
ARCube—The Augmented Reality Cube for Archaeology
Authors: Jiménez Fernández‐Palacios B. , Nex F. , Rizzi A. , Remondino F.
Published: August 2014

Augmented Reality (AR) allows the direct and intuitive access of digital objects visualized in real time on computer screens. AR applications are commonly used in many different areas, such as entertainment, sports and tourism, while their use in archaeology is still limited. When employed, current archaeological AR applications use expensive devices or flat targets, which are insufficient for visualizing complex artefacts. In this paper, we present a low‐cost, automated method called the ARCube System, which allows the expansion and enrichment of AR applications focused on archaeological objects. In this paper, the newly developed ARCube System is described by presenting several archaeological examples to show the system's ability to visualize and investigate archaeological finds. The reported tests demonstrate the method's reliability on a variety of objects characterized by different shapes and sizes. The ARCube System allows users to interact with digital 3D models, rotate them through 360° and explore details in high resolution (without any risk of damaging the find). The system renders 1:1 scale between digital and actual object and offers a low‐cost flexible system for the interactive visualization of archaeological finds that can be beneficial to public research (e.g., museum exhibits) and education (e.g., the classroom) and may possibly lead to new avenues of archaeological research.
Novel Points of Attack for Targeted Cancer Therapy
Authors: Røsland Gro Vatne , Engelsen Agnete Svendsen Tenfjord
Published: August 2014

New molecular insight reveals novel points of attack for targeted cancer therapy. The recent advances in cancer genomics and novel insight into the complex biology of cancer make the promise of personalized, targeted cancer medicine closer than ever. The massive parallel sequencing endeavours performed by The Cancer Genome Atlas, the International Cancer Genome Consortium and by numerous individual investigators have provided a comprehensive genomic characterization of a wide range of cancers. The joint efforts enabled by the improved sequencing technology have demonstrated that individual cancers comprise mutational repertoires with only a few frequently recurrent driver genes. Thus, the identification of new drug targets and novel drugs have accelerated and renewed the hopes of personalized cancer therapy achieving clinical reality for a wider range of cancers. Together with cost‐effective sequencing technology to perform comprehensive mutational profiling of each individual cancer, this provides the basis for a personalized cancer medicine revolution within the next few years. The aim of this MiniReview is to provide an overview of the history and evolution of targeted cancer therapy, exemplified by molecularly targeted drugs successfully implemented in the clinic. Furthermore, we aim to highlight novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention, as well as the main present challenges including inter‐ and intratumor heterogeneity and cellular plasticity in addition to the importance of the tumor micro‐environment. Many cancer patients already receive some form of tailored therapy, and recent evidence suggests that novel and highly innovative, targeted approaches are on their way into the clinic.
Addition of bortezomib to standard dose chop chemotherapy improves response and survival in relapsed mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Furtado Michelle , Johnson Rod , Kruger Anton , Turner Deborah , Rule Simon
Published: August 2014

The proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib, potentially increases cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. This study was performed to determine the overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS) and toxicity of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone) compared to CHOP + bortezomib chemotherapy in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients at first relapse. Forty‐six patients were randomly assigned to standard dose CHOP ± bortezomib 1·6 mg/m2 given on a 21‐d cycle for up to eight cycles of treatment. Median age was 71 years (CHOP arm) and 69 years (CHOP‐bortezomib arm). Median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 1 (CHOP) and 0 (CHOP‐bortezomib) with 65% and 52%, respectively, having a disease stage of IV. ORR was 47·8% (CHOP) and 82·6% (CHOP‐bortezomib). Complete response rate was 21·7% (CHOP) vs. 34·8% (CHOP‐bortezomib); partial response rate was 26·1% (CHOP) vs. 47·8% (CHOP‐bortezomib). Median OS was 11·8 months (CHOP) and 35·6 months (CHOP‐bortezomib) (P = 0·01, Hazard ratio [HR] 0·37 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·16–0·83)] and there was a non‐significant improvement in PFS: 8·1 months (CHOP) and 16·5 months (CHOP‐bortezomib) [P = 0·12, HR 0·60 (95% CI 0·31–1·15)]. Severe (≥grade 3) sensory neuropathy was similar in both arms (4·3% CHOP vs. 6·5% CHOP‐bortezomib). We conclude that the addition of bortezomib to CHOP chemotherapy for relapsed MCL significantly improves outcome with a manageable increase in toxicity.
A more national representation of place in Canadian daily newspapers
Authors: Buchanan Carrie M.
Published: August 2014

In their design and content, North American daily newspapers construct a complex representation of the locality they serve and its place in the world. That construct involves the quality and quantity of local news, relative to news in other geographic categories, and how stories from each category are displayed in the newspaper's pages. This article describes a content analysis that quantified and compared the representations of locality and place in the print versions of two Canadian metropolitan daily newspapers between 1894 and 2005. The results show a marked increase in both the number of national stories and the priority given to national news in the final decades of the 20th century, mirrored by a sharp decline in the number of local stories and the priority accorded to them in the Ottawa Citizen. The same trends were seen to a lesser extent in the Toronto Star, a longtime champion of the local. The article concludes with a discussion of possible reasons for this phenomenon and its relationship to political and technological developments in the final decades of the 20th century and the start of the 21st.
The Effects of Word‐Learning Biases on Children's Concept of Angle
Authors: Gibson Dominic J. , Congdon Eliza L. , Levine Susan C.
Published: August 2014

Despite evidence that young children are sensitive to differences in angle measure, older students frequently struggle to grasp this important mathematical concept. When making judgments about the size of angles, children often rely on erroneous dimensions such as the length of the angles' sides. The present study tested the possibility that this misconception stems from the whole‐object word‐learning bias by providing a subset of children with a separate label to refer to the whole angle figure. Thirty preschoolers (M = 4.86 years, SD = .53) were tested with a pretest–training–posttest design. At pretest, children showed evidence of the whole‐object misconception. After training, children who were given a novel‐word label for the whole object improved significantly more than those trained on the meaning of “angle” alone.
Clinical practice patterns in the assessment and management of low testosterone in men: an international survey of endocrinologists
Authors: Grossmann Mathis , Anawalt Bradley D. , Wu Frederick C.W.
Published: August 2014

Objective

To document current practices in the approach to low testosterone in older men. Given that recommendations are based on low‐level evidence, we hypothesized that there would be a wide variability in clinical practice patterns.

Design

Members of all major endocrine and andrological societies were invited to participate in a Web‐based survey of the diagnostic work‐up and management of a hypothetical index case of a 61‐year old overweight man presenting with symptoms suggestive of androgen deficiency, without evidence of hypothalamic‐pituitary‐gonadal (HPT) axis disease.

Results

Nine hundred and forty‐three respondents (91·2% adult endocrinologists) from Northern America (63·7%), Europe (12·7%), Oceania (8·2%), Latin America and Caribbean (7·6%), and the Middle East, Asia, or Africa (7·8%) completed the survey. Response rates among participating societies ranged from 4·1–20·0%. There was a wide variability in clinical practice patterns, especially regarding biochemical diagnosis of androgen deficiency, exclusion of HPT axis pathology, and monitoring for prostate cancer. In a man with suggestive symptoms, 42·4% of participants would offer testosterone treatment below a serum total testosterone of 10·4 nmol/l (300 ng/dl). A total of 46·0% of participants were, over the last five years, ‘less inclined’ to prescribe testosterone to men with nonspecific symptoms and borderline testosterone levels, compared to ‘no change’ (29·3%) or ‘more inclined’ (24·7%), P < 0·001.

Conclusions

This large‐scale international survey shows a wide variability in the management of lowered testosterone in older men, with deviations from current clinical practice guidelines, and a temporal trend towards increasing reluctance to prescribe testosterone to men without classical hypogonadism. These findings highlight the need for better evidence to guide clinicians regarding testosterone therapy.
Lack of impact of angiotensin‐converting enzyme gene polymorphism and salt intake on insulin resistance and limb blood flow
Authors: Foo Marjorie , Coppack Simon W. , Denver Ann E. , Bulmer Karen , Yudkin John S.
Published: August 2014

Objectives

We postulated the mechanism for the association between angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and insulin sensitivity might relate to changes in blood flow regulation. We studied the association of this polymorphism with insulin action, and insulin‐mediated changes in limb blood flow (LBF), under conditions of high and low salt intake. We also studied effects of genotype and salt loading on renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) activity.

Materials/Methods

Twenty people with (10 I/I; 10 D/D) and 23 without (10 I/I; 13 D/D), type 2 diabetes were studied during 6 days of 40 mmol/day and 220 mmol/day sodium diet in a randomized, double‐blind cross‐over fashion. On the sixth day of each condition, we measured 24‐h blood pressure, plasma volume, LBF and insulin sensitivity during hyperinsulinaemic clamp at low (40 mU/m2/min) and high (600 mU/m2/min) dose insulin infusion.

Results

Salt intake variation produced greater effects on the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system than ACE genotype. Diabetes status and insulin infusion were associated with differences in the metabolic clearance rate of glucose, (P < 0·001 for each) and insulin infusion increased LBF (P < 0·001). However, ACE genotype and salt intake had no consistent impacts on either variable in nondiabetic and diabetic subgroups, or in the combined group.

Conclusions

Reported differences in insulin sensitivity between ACE genotypes were not found in this study under strict regulation of sodium intake. Insulin sensitivity was also unaffected in either group by sodium loading. ACE genotype and salt status do not impact on insulin sensitivity through changes in limb blood flow during hyperinsulinaemia.
Obstructive sleep apnoea, insulin resistance and adipocytokines
Authors: Lam David C.L. , Lam Karen S.L. , Ip Mary S.M.
Published: August 2014

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with multiple cardiometabolic abnormalities. Obesity is considered a major risk factor for the development of OSA, and it is also an established risk factor for insulin resistance and other cardiometabolic disorders. The enigma remains whether OSA has any causal role in the adverse metabolic profile, independent of or beyond that due to obesity. Sleep apnoeas and hypopnoeas result directly in intermittent hypoxaemia and cerebral arousals, both of which may evoke a cascade of downstream biologic responses in various body tissues and cells. Adipose tissue is a major source of adipocytokines many of which play important roles in the regulation of various metabolic functions. It is hypothesized that OSA may, through its unique pathophysiology, affect metabolic function through modulation of production or action of adipocytokines. This review focuses on insulin resistance, glucose metabolism and relevant adipocytokines in the context of OSA.
Incorporating detectability of threatened species into environmental impact assessment
Authors: Garrard Georgia E. , Bekessy Sarah A. , McCarthy Michael A. , Wintle Brendan A.
Published: August 2014

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a key mechanism for protecting threatened plant and animal species. Many species are not perfectly detectable and, even when present, may remain undetected during EIA surveys, increasing the risk of site‐level loss or extinction of species. Numerous methods now exist for estimating detectability of plants and animals. Despite this, regulations concerning survey protocol and effort during EIAs fail to adequately address issues of detectability. Probability of detection is intrinsically linked to survey effort; thus, minimum survey effort requirements are a useful way to address the risks of false absences. We utilized 2 methods for determining appropriate survey effort requirements during EIA surveys. One method determined the survey effort required to achieve a probability of detection of 0.95 when the species is present. The second method estimated the survey effort required to either detect the species or reduce the probability of presence to 0.05. We applied these methods to Pimelea spinscens subsp. spinescens, a critically endangered grassland plant species in Melbourne, Australia. We detected P. spinescens in only half of the surveys undertaken at sites where it was known to exist. Estimates of the survey effort required to detect the species or demonstrate its absence with any confidence were much higher than the effort traditionally invested in EIA surveys for this species. We argue that minimum survey requirements be established for all species listed under threatened species legislation and hope that our findings will provide an impetus for collecting, compiling, and synthesizing quantitative detectability estimates for a broad range of plant and animal species.

Incorporación de la Capacidad de Detectar una Especie Amenazada a la Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental
Determining Decision Thresholds and Evaluating Indicators when Conservation Status is Measured as a Continuum
Authors: CONNORS B. M. , COOPER A. B.
Published: August 2014

Categorization of the status of populations, species, and ecosystems underpins most conservation activities. Status is often based on how a system's current indicator value (e.g., change in abundance) relates to some threshold of conservation concern. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves can be used to quantify the statistical reliability of indicators of conservation status and evaluate trade‐offs between correct (true positive) and incorrect (false positive) classifications across a range of decision thresholds. However, ROC curves assume a discrete, binary relationship between an indicator and the conservation status it is meant to track, which is a simplification of the more realistic continuum of conservation status, and may limit the applicability of ROC curves in conservation science. We describe a modified ROC curve that treats conservation status as a continuum rather than a discrete state. We explored the influence of this continuum and typical sources of variation in abundance that can lead to classification errors (i.e., random variation and measurement error) on the true and false positive rates corresponding to varying decision thresholds and the reliability of change in abundance as an indicator of conservation status, respectively. We applied our modified ROC approach to an indicator of endangerment in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) (i.e., percent decline in geometric mean abundance) and an indicator of marine ecosystem structure and function (i.e., detritivore biomass). Failure to treat conservation status as a continuum when choosing thresholds for indicators resulted in the misidentification of trade‐offs between true and false positive rates and the overestimation of an indicator's reliability. We argue for treating conservation status as a continuum when ROC curves are used to evaluate decision thresholds in indicators for the assessment of conservation status.

Determinación de Umbrales de Decisiones y Evaluación delos Indicadores cuando se Mide el Estado de de Conservación como un Continuo
Evaluating the contribution of zoos and aquariums to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1
Authors: Moss Andrew , Jensen Eric , Gusset Markus
Published: August 2014

The United Nations Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 is a key initiative within global efforts to halt and eventually reverse the loss of biodiversity. The very first target of this plan states that “by 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably.” Zoos and aquariums worldwide, attracting more than 700 million visits every year, could potentially make a positive contribution to this target. However, a global evaluation of the educational impacts of visits to zoos and aquariums is entirely lacking in the existing literature. To address this gap, we conducted a large‐scale impact evaluation study. We used a pre‐ and postvisit repeated‐measures survey design to evaluate biodiversity literacy—understanding of biodiversity and knowledge of actions to help protect it—of zoo and aquarium visitors worldwide. Ours was the largest and most international study of zoo and aquarium visitors ever conducted. In total, 5661 visitors to 26 zoos and aquariums from 19 countries around the globe participated in the study. Aggregate biodiversity understanding and knowledge of actions to help protect biodiversity both significantly increased over the course of zoo and aquarium visits. There was an increase from previsit (69.8%) to postvisit (75.1%) in respondents demonstrating at least some positive evidence of biodiversity understanding. Similarly, there was an increase from previsit (50.5%) to postvisit (58.8%) in respondents who could identify actions to help protect biodiversity that could be achieved at an individual level. Our results are the most compelling evidence to date that zoo and aquarium visits contribute to increasing the number of people who understand biodiversity and know actions they can take to help protect biodiversity.

Evaluación de la Contribución de los Acuarios y Zoológicos al Objetivo 1 de Biodiversidad de Aichi
Does the Centre Hold? Testing Palma's Proposition (A Comment)
Authors: Hazledine Tim
Published: August 2014

This Comment tests empirically the important proposition made by Palma in this journal (Development and Change, 2011) that deciles 5 to 9 of the income distribution across developing economies have been able to secure and defend a stable share (around 50 per cent) of the total available income, so that changes in income inequality are now a matter of struggle between the top 10 per cent and the bottom 40 per cent of the population, ranked by income. The author finds that the proposition does not hold: changes in top 10 per cent shares are matched by changes in the shares of both the other cohorts.
What needs to happen before an International Classification of Function, Disability and Health Core Set is ready for clinical use?
Authors: Wright F Virginia
Published: August 2014

This commentary is on the original article by Schiariti et al. on pages 149–158 of this issue.
Development and validation of a parent report measure for detection of cognitive delay in infancy
Authors: Glascoe Frances Page
Published: August 2014

This commentary is on the original article by Schafer et al. on pages 1194–1201 of this issue.
Use of the Japanese health insurance claims database to assess the risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with diabetes: comparison of DPP‐4 inhibitors with other oral antidiabetic drugs
Authors: Yabe D. , Kuwata H. , Kaneko M. , Ito C. , Nishikino R. , Murorani K. , Kurose T. , Seino Y.
Published: August 2014

This study was initiated to evaluate the association of acute pancreatitis (AP) with the use of dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors among patients with diabetes in Japan. A retrospective cohort study of a large medical and pharmacy claims database was performed to compare the incidence of AP among those receiving DPP‐4 inhibitors and those receiving other oral antidiabetic drugs. The incidence of all AP and hospitalizations for AP was similar between the two groups. Previous exposure to DPP‐4 inhibitors did not affect occurrence of AP in patients on other oral antidiabetic drugs. The Kaplan–Meier curve for time to AP was similar between the two groups, and was not affected by previous exposure to DPP‐4 inhibitors. The Cox proportional hazard models showed the incidence of AP was not significantly higher in those receiving DPP‐4 inhibitors. Despite numerous, important limitations related to claims database‐based analyses, our results indicate that there is no increased risk of AP with use of DPP‐4 inhibitors among patients with diabetes in Japan.
Variable precision intuitionistic fuzzy rough set model and applications based on conflict distance
Authors: Liu Yong , Lin Yi , Zhao Huan‐huan
Published: August 2014

Due to the complexity and uncertainty of the physical world, as well as the limitation of human ability to comprehend, it is very difficult for any single method of uncertainty to effectively deal with the decision‐making problem that exists in real life. So, it is natural for us to think about incorporating the advantages of various theories of uncertainty to develop a more powerful hybrid method of soft decision‐making. In view of this recognition, the thought and method of intuitionistic fuzzy sets and variable precision rough sets are used to construct a novel intuitionistic fuzzy rough set model. With respect to the fact that the information system is intuitionistic fuzzy, the idea of measuring intuitionistic fuzzy similarity is used to define conflict distance. After that, this concept is combined with the variable precision rough sets so that a variable precision intuitionistic fuzzy rough set model is established, and its properties are investigated. After proposing an attribute reduction algorithm based on variable precision intuitionistic fuzzy rough sets, a case study is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our novel model. The results show that our model indeed improves the classification ability of earlier models and possesses some ability to tolerate faults through adjusting the parameter λ and the confidence threshold β; it realizes the correct classification and extracts the decision rules.
A new methodology for carbon price forecasting in EU ETS
Authors: Han Sung Kwon , Ahn Jae Joon , Oh Kyong Joo , Kim Tae Yoon
Published: August 2014

This paper proposes a new methodology for carbon price forecasting. It posits a finite distributed lag (FDL) model and then applies a GA‐ridge algorithm to determine a set of proper predictors with coefficient estimates. An empirical study was conducted in the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading market, revealing that our methodology not only yields good forecasting results but also provides some interesting analysis on the carbon price market. It turns out that the combination of the FDL model and GA‐ridge algorithm is desirable for forecasting and analyzing the complicated carbon price market because of its capability of selecting proper predictors from a class of predictors of itself.
Which design elements of individual quota fisheries help to achieve management objectives?
Authors: Melnychuk Michael C , Essington Timothy E , Branch Trevor A , Heppell Selina S , Jensen Olaf P , Link Jason S , Martell Steven J D , Parma Ana M , Smith Anthony D M
Published: August 2014

Individual quota (IQ) management systems in commercial marine fisheries are highly diverse, differing in the security, durability and exclusivity of the harvesting privilege and the transferability of quota units. This diversity in the degree of harvest rights may influence the effectiveness of IQ fisheries to meet management objectives. We conducted a global meta‐analysis of 167 stocks managed under IQs to test whether the strength of harvest rights impacts the conservation status of stocks in terms of catch, exploitation rate and biomass relative to management targets. We used non‐parametric methods to assess non‐linear relationships and linear regression models to explicitly consider interactions among predictors. Most IQ fisheries consistently met fleet‐wide quota limits (94% of stocks had recent catches below or within 10% of quotas), but only 2/3 of IQ fisheries adhered to sustainable management targets for biomass and exploitation rate (68% of stocks had exploitation rates below or within 10% of targets and 63% of stocks had biomass above or within 10% of biomass targets). Strikingly, when exclusivity of the harvesting privilege was low, exploitation rates depended on whether IQ implementation was industry‐driven (exploitation below targets) or government‐mandated (exploitation above targets). At high levels of exclusivity, exploitation rates converged to just below management targets. Transferability of quota units was associated with stock biomass closer to and slightly above target levels than stocks with non‐transferable quota. However, regional differences had the strongest effect on biomass, suggesting that other management or biological attributes of regional fishery systems have greater influence on marine populations.
Integrating ecophysiology and forest landscape models to improve projections of drought effects under climate change
Authors: Gustafson Eric J. , De Bruijn Arjan M. G. , Pangle Robert E. , Limousin Jean‐Marc , McDowell Nate G. , Pockman William T. , Sturtevant Brian R. , Muss Jordan D. , Kubiske Mark E.
Published: August 2014

Fundamental drivers of ecosystem processes such as temperature and precipitation are rapidly changing and creating novel environmental conditions. Forest landscape models (FLM) are used by managers and policy‐makers to make projections of future ecosystem dynamics under alternative management or policy options, but the links between the fundamental drivers and projected responses are weak and indirect, limiting their reliability for projecting the impacts of climate change. We developed and tested a relatively mechanistic method to simulate the effects of changing precipitation on species competition within the LANDIS‐II FLM. Using data from a field precipitation manipulation experiment in a piñon pine (Pinus edulis) and juniper (Juniperus monosperma) ecosystem in New Mexico (USA), we calibrated our model to measurements from ambient control plots and tested predictions under the drought and irrigation treatments against empirical measurements. The model successfully predicted behavior of physiological variables under the treatments. Discrepancies between model output and empirical data occurred when the monthly time step of the model failed to capture the short‐term dynamics of the ecosystem as recorded by instantaneous field measurements. We applied the model to heuristically assess the effect of alternative climate scenarios on the piñon–juniper ecosystem and found that warmer and drier climate reduced productivity and increased the risk of drought‐induced mortality, especially for piñon. We concluded that the direct links between fundamental drivers and growth rates in our model hold great promise to improve our understanding of ecosystem processes under climate change and improve management decisions because of its greater reliance on first principles.