bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improvement of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in School-Aged Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Autism via a Digital Smartglasses-Based Socioemotional Coaching Aid: An Efficacy Study
Authors: Vahabzadeh Arshya , Keshav Neha U. , Salisbury Joseph P. , Sahin Ned T.
Published: July 2017

Background

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly experience symptoms related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. One-third of ASD cases may be complicated by the presence of ADHD. Individuals with dual diagnoses face greater barriers to accessing treatment for ADHD and respond less positively to primary pharmacologic interventions. Nonpharmacologic technology-aided tools for hyperactivity and inattention in people with ASD are being developed, although research into their efficacy and safety remains limited.

Objective

The objective of this preliminary study was to describe the changes in ADHD-related symptoms in children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD after use of the Empowered Brain system, a behavioral and social communication aid for ASD running on augmented reality smartglasses.

Methods

We recruited 8 children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD (male to female ratio of 7:1, mean age 15 years, range 11.7-20.5 years) through a Web-based research signup form. The baseline score on the hyperactivity subscale of the Aberrant Behavioral Checklist (ABC-H), a measure of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity, determined their classification into a high ADHD-related symptom group (n=4, ABC-H ≥13) and a low ADHD-related symptom group (n=4, ABC-H <13). All participants received an intervention with Empowered Brain, where they used smartglasses-based social communication and behavioral modules while interacting with their caregiver. We then calculated caregiver-reported ABC-H scores at 24 and 48 hours after the session.

Results

All 8 participants were able to complete the intervention session. Postintervention ABC-H scores were lower for most participants at 24 hours (n=6, 75%) and for all participants at 48 hours (n=8, 100%). At 24 hours after the session, average participant ABC-H scores decreased by 54.9% in the high ADHD symptom group and by 20% in the low ADHD symptom group. At 48 hours after the session, ABC-H scores compared with baseline decreased by 56.4% in the high ADHD symptom group and by 66.3% in the low ADHD symptom group.

Conclusions

This study provides initial evidence for the efficacy of the Empowered Brain system in reducing ADHD-related symptoms, such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity, in school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD. This digital smartglasses intervention can potentially be targeted at a broader array of mental health conditions that exhibit transdiagnostic attentional and social communication deficits, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Further research is required to understand the clinical importance of these observed changes and to conduct longitudinal studies on this intervention with larger sample sizes.
High-alpha band synchronization across frontal, parietal and visual cortex mediates behavioral and neuronal effects of visuospatial attention
Authors: Lobier Muriel , Palva J. Matias , Palva Satu
Published: July 2017

Visuospatial attention prioritizes processing of attended visual stimuli. It is characterized by lateralized alpha-band (8-14 Hz) amplitude suppression in visual cortex and increased neuronal activity in a network of frontal and parietal areas. It has remained unknown what mechanisms coordinate neuronal processing among frontoparietal network and visual cortices and implement the attention-related modulations of alpha-band amplitudes and behavior. We investigated whether large-scale network synchronization could be such a mechanism. We recorded human cortical activity with magnetoencephalography (MEG) during a visuospatial attention task. We then identified the frequencies and anatomical networks of inter-areal phase synchronization from source localized MEG data. We found that visuospatial attention is associated with robust and sustained long-range synchronization of cortical oscillations exclusively in the high-alpha (10-14 Hz) frequency band. This synchronization connected frontal, parietal and visual regions and was observed concurrently with amplitude suppression of low-alpha (6-9 Hz) band oscillations in visual cortex. Furthermore, stronger high-alpha phase synchronization was associated with decreased reaction times to attended stimuli and larger suppression of alpha-band amplitudes. These results thus show that high-alpha band phase synchronization is functionally significant and could coordinate the neuronal communication underlying the implementation of visuospatial attention.
The electron transport chain sensitisesStaphylococcus aureusandEnterococcus faecalisto the oxidative burst
Authors: Painter Kimberley L. , Hall Alex , Ha Kam Pou , Edwards Andrew M.
Published: July 2017

Small colony variants (SCVs) ofStaphylococcus aureustypically lack a functional electron transport chain and cannot produce virulence factors such as leukocidins, hemolysins or the anti-oxidant staphyloxanthin. Despite this, SCVs are associated with persistent infections of the bloodstream, bones and prosthetic devices. The survival of SCVs in the host has been ascribed to intracellular residency, biofilm formation and resistance to antibiotics. However, the ability of SCVs to resist host defences is largely uncharacterised. To address this, we measured survival of wild-type and SCVS. aureusin whole human blood, which contains high numbers of neutrophils, the key defense against staphylococcal infection. Despite the loss of leukcocidin production and staphyloxanthin biosynthesis, SCVs defective for heme or menquinone biosynthesis were significantly more resistant to the oxidative burst than wild-type bacteria in a whole human blood model. Supplementation of the culture medium of the heme-auxotrophic SCV with heme, but not iron, restored growth, hemolysin and staphyloxanthin production, and sensitivity to the oxidative burst. SinceEnterococcus faecalisis a natural heme auxotroph and cause of bloodstream infection, we explored whether restoration of the electron transport chain in this organism also affected survival in blood. Incubation ofE. faecaliswith heme increased growth and restored catalase activity, but resulted in decreased survival in human blood via increased sensitivity to the oxidative burst. Therefore, the lack of functional electron transport chains in SCVS. aureusand wild-typeE. faecalisresults in reduced growth rate but provides resistance to a key immune defence mechanism.
Dendritic processing of spontaneous neuronal sequences for one-shot learning
Authors: Haga Tatsuya , Fukai Tomoki
Published: July 2017

Spontaneous firing sequences colloquially called “preplay” are fundamental features of hippocampal network physiology. Preplay sequences have been hypothesized to participate in hippocampal learning and memory, but such functional roles and their potential cellular mechanisms remain unexplored. Here, we report a computational model based on the functional propagation of preplay sequences in the CA3 neuronal network. The model instantiates two synaptic pathways in CA3 neurons, one for proximal dendrite-somatic interactions to generate intrinsic preplay sequences and the other for distal dendritic processing of extrinsic sensory signals. The core dendritic computation is the maximization of matching between patterned activities in the two compartments through nonlinear spike generation. The model performs robust one-shot learning with long-term stability and independence that are modulated by the plasticity of dendrite-targeted inhibition. This model demonstrates that learning models combined with dendritic computations can enable preplay sequences to act as templates for rapid and stable memory formation.
Same law, diverging practice: comparative analysis of Endangered Species Act consultations by two federal agencies
Authors: Evansen Megan , Li Ya-Wei , Malcom Jacob
Published: July 2017

Evaluating how wildlife conservation laws are implemented is critical for safeguarding biodiversity. Two agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (FWS and NMFS; Services collectively), are responsible for implementing the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), which requires federal protection for threatened and endangered species. FWS and NMFS’ comparable role for terrestrial and marine taxa, respectively, provides the opportunity to examine how implementation of the same law varies between agencies. We analyzed how the Services implement a core component of the ESA, section 7 consultations, by objectively assessing the contents of >120 consultations on sea turtle species against the requirements in the Services’ consultation handbook, supplemented with in-person observations from Service biologists. Our results showed that NMFS consultations were 1.40 times as likely to have higher completeness scores than FWS consultations given the standard in the handbook. Consultations tiered from an FWS programmatic consultation inherited higher quality scores of generally more thorough programmatic consultations, indicating that programmatic consultations could increase the quality of consultations while improving efficiency. Both agencies commonly neglected to account for the effects of previous consultations and the potential for compounded effects on species. From these results, we recommend actions that can improve quality of consultation, including the use of a single database to track and integrate previously authorized harm in new analyses and the careful but more widespread use of programmatic consultations. Our study reveals several critical shortfalls in the current process of conducting ESA section 7 consultations that the Services could address to better safeguard North America’s most imperiled species.
Dethroning the Fano Factor: a flexible, model-based approach to partitioning neural variability
Authors: Charles Adam S. , Park Mijung , Weller J. Patrick , Horwitz Gregory D. , Pillow Jonathan W.
Published: July 2017

Neurons in many brain areas exhibit high trial-to-trial variability, with spike counts that are over-dispersed relative to a Poisson distribution. Recent work (Goris et al., 2014) has proposed to explain this variability in terms of a multiplicative interaction between a stochastic gain variable and a stimulus-dependent Poisson firing rate, which produces quadratic relationships between spike count mean and variance. Here we examine this quadratic assumption and propose a more flexible family of models that can account for a more diverse set of mean-variance relationships. Our model contains additive Gaussian noise that is transformed nonlinearly to produce a Poisson spike rate. Different choices of the nonlinear function can give rise to qualitatively different mean-variance relationships, ranging from sub-linear to linear to multiplicative. Intriguingly, a rectified squaring nonlinearity produces a linear mean-variance function, corresponding to responses with constant Fano factor. We describe a computationally efficient method for fitting this model to data, and demonstrate that a majority of neurons in a V1 population are better described by a model with non-quadratic relationship between mean and variance. Lastly, we develop an application to Bayesian adaptive stimulus selection in closed-loop neurophysiology experiments, which shows that accounting for overdispersion can lead to dramatic improvements in adaptive tuning curve estimation.
A parametric texture model based on deep convolutional features closely matches texture appearance for humans
Authors: Wallis Thomas S. A. , Funke Christina M. , Ecker Alexander S. , Gatys Leon A. , Wichmann Felix A. , Bethge Matthias
Published: July 2017

Our visual environment is full of texture—“stuff” like cloth, bark or gravel as distinct from “things” like dresses, trees or paths—and humans are adept at perceiving subtle variations in material properties. To investigate image features important for texture perception, we psychophysically compare a recent parameteric model of texture appearance (CNN model) that uses the features encoded by a deep convolutional neural network (VGG-19) with two other models: the venerable Portilla and Simoncelli model (PS) and an extension of the CNN model in which the power spectrum is additionally matched. Observers discriminated model-generated textures from original natural textures in a spatial three-alternative oddity paradigm under two viewing conditions: when test patches were briefly presented to the near-periphery (“parafoveal”) and when observers were able to make eye movements to all three patches (“inspection”). Under parafoveal viewing, observers were unable to discriminate 10 of 12 original images from CNN model images, and remarkably, the simpler PS model performed slightly better than the CNN model (11 textures). Under foveal inspection, matching CNN features captured appearance substantially better than the PS model (9 compared to 4 textures), and including the power spectrum improved appearance matching for two of the three remaining textures. None of the models we test here could produce indiscriminable images for one of the 12 textures under the inspection condition. While deep CNN (VGG-19) features can often be used to synthesise textures that humans cannot discriminate from natural textures, there is currently no uniformly best model for all textures and viewing conditions.
Single-Cell RNAseq analysis of infiltrating neoplastic cells at the migrating front of human glioblastoma
Authors: Darmanis Spyros , Sloan Steven A. , Croote Derek , Mignardi Marco , Chernikova Sophia , Samghababi Peyman , Zhang Ye , Neff Norma , Kowarsky Mark , Caneda Christine , Li Gordon , Chang Steven , Connolly Ian David , Li Yingmei , Barres Ben , Gephart Melanie Hayden , Quake Stephen R.
Published: July 2017

Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain cancer in adults and is notoriously difficult to treat due to its diffuse nature. We performed single-cell RNAseq on 3589 cells in a cohort of four patients. We obtained cells from the tumor core as well as surrounding peripheral tissue. Our analysis revealed cellular variation in the tumor’s genome and transcriptome, We were able to identify infiltrating neoplastic cells in regions peripheral to the core lesions. Despite the existence of significant heterogeneity among neoplastic cells, we found that infiltrating GBM cells share a consistent gene signature between patients, suggesting a common mechanism of infiltration. Additionally, in investigating the immunological response to the tumors, we found transcriptionally distinct myeloid cell populations residing in the tumor core and the surrounding peritumoral space. Our data provide a detailed dissection of GBM cell types, revealing an abundance of novel information about tumor formation and migration.
Electroencephalographic markers of brain development during sevoflurane anesthesia in children aged 0 to 3 years old
Authors: Cornelissen Laura , Kim Seong-Eun , Lee Johanna M. , Brown Emery N. , Purdon Patrick L. , Berde Charles B.
Published: July 2017

The general anesthetic sevoflurane acts on GABAergic-interneurons to generate stereotyped oscillations that relate fundamentally to neural circuit architecture. Each year, millions of children require general anesthesia, providing an experiment of nature that allows characterization of the developmental trajectory of GABAergic-inhibitory circuits in the human brain. We used multichannel electroencephalograph recordings in 91 children 0-40 months old. We mapped spatial power and coherence across the cortex. During sevoflurane exposure: (1) slow-delta oscillations are present in all ages; (2) theta and alpha oscillations emerge around 4 months; (3) alpha oscillations increase in power from 4 to 10 months; (4) frontal alpha oscillation predominance emerge at ~6 months; (5) frontal slow oscillations are coherent in the first 6 months of age only; and (6) frontal alpha oscillations become coherent around 10 months and persist in older ages. Our results suggest key developmental milestones are visible in the functional activity of sevoflurane-stimulated GABAergic circuits.
Rotating- and translating-coil magnetometers for extracting pseudo-multipoles in accelerator magnets
Authors: Russenschuck Stephan
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the mathematical foundations of magnetic measurement methods based on translating-coil and rotating-coil magnetometers for accelerator magnets and solenoids. These field transducers allow a longitudinal scanning of the field distribution, but require a sophisticated post-processing step to extract the coefficients of the Fourier–Bessel series (known as pseudo-multipoles or generalized gradients) as well as a novel design of the rotating coil magnetometers.

Design/methodology/approach

Calculating the transversal field harmonics as a function of the longitudinal position in the magnet, or measuring these harmonics with a very short, rotating induction-coil scanner, allows the extraction of the coefficients of a Fourier–Bessel series, which can then be used in the thin lens approximation of the end regions of accelerator magnets.

Findings

The extraction of the leading term in the Fourier–Bessel series requires the solution of a differential equation by means of a Fourier transform. This yields a natural way to de-convolute the measured distribution of the multipole content. The author has shown that the measurement technique requires iso-parametric coils to avoid interception of the longitudinal field component. The compensation of the main signal cannot be done with the classical arrangement of search coils at different radii, because no easy scaling law exists. A new design of an iso-perimetric induction coil has been found.

Research limitations/implications

In the literature, it is stated that the pseudo-multipoles can be extracted from field computations or measurements. While this is true for computations, the author shows that the measurement of the field harmonics must be done with iso-parametric coils because otherwise the leading term in the Fourier–Bessel series cannot be extracted.

Practical implications

The author has now established the theory behind a number of field transducers, such as the moving fluxmeter, the rotational coil scanner and the solenoidal field transducer.

Originality/value

This paper brought together the known theory of the orthogonal expansion method with the methods and tools for magnetic field measurements to establish a field description in accelerator magnets.
An optimization tool for coaxial magnetic gears
Authors: Filippini Mattia , Alotto Piergiorgio
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to show a complete optimization tool that can be used for the design of coaxial magnetic gears. In the first part, the paper deals with the semi-analytic modelling of these machines and also discusses how to reduce the computational efforts. In the second part, an optimization algorithm is adopted for finding the Pareto optimal geometries.

Design/methodology/approach

The machine is subdivided into a set of domains according to their physical and geometrical properties, and the potential distribution is found semi-analytically in them under some simplifying hypothesis. A loss estimation is performed for both ferromagnetic and permanent magnet regions. A stochastic differential evolution (DE) algorithm for multi-objective constrained problems is then applied.

Findings

It is shown that the presented design tool gives results in accordance to finite element method (FEM)-based analysis keeping the advantages of robustness and simplicity of the analytical methods. The DE-based strategy performs well on the magnetic gear optimization problem.

Practical implications

The proposed tool appears to be a good starting point when designing coaxial magnetic gears. The optimal Pareto points can be used as initial seeds of FEM-based optimizations, resulting in a cheaper computational method with respect to a full FEM optimization.

Originality/value

This paper takes inspiration from recent works on magnetic gear modelling and completes the design procedure with a suitable efficiency estimation. The paper also shows how to use mature optimization strategies to solve the constrained multi-objective magnetic gear design problem.
Efficient circuit representation of eddy-current fields
Authors: Shindo Yuji , Kameari Akihisa , Matsuo Tetsuji
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the relationship between the continued fraction form of the analytical solution in the frequency domain, the orthogonal function expansion and their circuit realization to derive an efficient representation of the eddy-current field in the conducting sheet and wire/cylinder. Effective frequency ranges of representations are analytically derived.

Design/methodology/approach

The Cauer circuit representation is derived from the continued fraction form of analytical solution and from the orthogonal polynomial expansion. Simple circuit calculations give the upper frequency bounds where the truncated circuit and orthogonal expansion are applicable.

Findings

The Cauer circuit representation and the orthogonal polynomial expansions for the magnetic sheet in the E-mode and for the wire in the axial H-mode are derived. The upper frequency bound for the Cauer circuit is roughly proportional to N4 with N inductive elements, whereas the frequency bound for the finite element eddy-current analysis with uniform N elements is roughly proportional to N2.

Practical implications

The Cauer circuit representation is expected to provide an efficient homogenization method because it requires only several elements to describe the eddy-current field over a wide frequency range.

Originality/value

The applicable frequency ranges are analytically derived depending on the conductor geometry and on the truncation types.
Stochastic LOD-FDTD method for two-dimensional electromagnetic uncertainty problems
Authors: Salis Christos , Kantartzis Nikolaos , Zygiridis Theodoros
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Random media uncertainties exhibit a significant impact on the properties of electromagnetic fields that usually deterministic models tend to neglect. As a result, these models fail to quantify the variation in the calculated electromagnetic fields, leading to inaccurate outcomes. This paper aims to introduce an unconditionally stable finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for assessing two-dimensional random media uncertainties in one simulation.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed technique is an extension of the stochastic FDTD (S-FDTD) scheme, which approximates the variance of a given field component using the Delta method. Specifically in this paper, the Delta method is applied to the locally one-dimensional (LOD) FDTD scheme (hence named S-LOD-FDTD), to achieve unconditional stability. The validity of this algorithm is tested by solving two-dimensional random media problems and comparing the results with other methods, such as the Monte-Carlo (MC) and the S-FDTD techniques.

Findings

This paper provides numerical results that prove the unconditional stability of the S-LOD-FDTD technique. Also, the comparison with the MC and the S-FDTD methods shows that reliable outcomes can be extracted even with larger time steps, thus making this technique more efficient than the other two aforementioned schemes.

Research limitations/implications

The S-LOD-FDTD method requires the proper quantification of various correlation coefficients between the calculated fields and the electrical parameters, to achieve reliable results. This cannot be known beforehand and the only known way to calculate them is to run a fraction of MC simulations.

Originality/value

This paper introduces a new unconditional stable technique for measuring material uncertainties in one realization.
Restricting the design space of multiple-barrier rotors of synchronous reluctance machines
Authors: Mohammadi Mohammad Hossain , Rahman Tanvir , Lowther David
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a numerical methodology to reduce the number of computations required to optimally design the rotors of synchronous reluctance machines (SynRMs) with multiple barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

Two objectives, average torque and torque ripple, have been simulated for thousands of SynRM models using 2D finite element analysis. Different rotor topologies (i.e. number of flux barriers) were statistically analyzed to find their respective design correlation for high average torque solutions. From this information, optimal geometrical constraints were then found to restrict the design space of multiple-barrier rotors.

Findings

Statistical analysis of two considered SynRM case studies demonstrated a design similarity between the different number of flux barriers. Upon setting the optimal geometrical constraints, it was observed that the design space of multiple-barrier rotors reduced by more than 56 per cent for both models.

Originality/value

Using the proposed methodology, optimal geometrical constraints of a multiple-barrier SynRM rotor can be found to restrict its corresponding design space. This approach can handle the curse of dimensionality when the number of geometric parameters increases. Also, it can potentially reduce the number of initial samples required prior to a multi-objective optimization.
The role of management accounting in international entrepreneurship
Authors: Mitter Christine , Hiebl Martin R.W.
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the role of management accounting in international entrepreneurship. Its role, thus far, has been a neglected topic in research on accounting and international entrepreneurship, although some quantitative findings indicate the positive influence of management accounting on internationalization capability.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a multiple case study of Austrian firms and draws on the resource-based view of the firm as well as effectuation/causation logics. Data for this study were collected via semi-structured interviews, press reports, company chronicles, organizational brochures and websites of the analyzed case firms.

Findings

The paper finds that management accounting may indeed serve as a key capability for international entrepreneurship. However, reliance on this capability seems to be contingent on the phase of international entrepreneurship and pathway and mode of internationalization.

Research limitations/implications

The findings add to the accounting literature by showing that the phase as well as the mode and pathway of international entrepreneurship may serve as contingency factors for management accounting, which have been overlooked in the literature. At the same time, they also contribute to the international entrepreneurship literature by offering an initial view on the neglected capability of management accounting.

Originality/value

This is the first study to analyze the role of management accounting in international entrepreneurship.
The robot in the window seat
Authors: Hirsch Peter Buell
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to point to some emerging workplace issues relating to the increasing collaboration between human and robot workers. As the number of human workers shrinks and that of robots increases, how will this change the dynamics of the workplace and human worker motivation?

Design/methodology/approach

The approach of this paper is to examine recent academic, business and media writings on the subject of artificial intelligence and robotics in the workplace to identify gaps in our understanding of the new hybrid work environment.

Findings

What the author has found is that although there are numerous voices expressing concerns about the replacement of human workers by robots, there has not as yet been a substantive study of the impact on human workers of sharing their work life with robots in this environment.

Research limitations/implications

The findings in this paper are limited by the fact that they are drawn from a review of the secondary literature rather than from primary research and are therefore speculative and anecdotal.

Practical implications

The practical implications of the findings are to suggest that it is time to establish a systematic and standardized method for analyzing and measuring the impact on human workers of operating in an environment increasingly populated by automated co-workers.

Social implications

The author suspects that the social implications will be to suggest that as a human society we will need to establish psychologically and culturally valid means for coping with this new work environment, and the author believes some of the findings may well prove counter intuitive within the social context of work.

Originality/value

The author does not believe there is any substantial work addressing the social, psychological or cultural implications of humans working besides robots on a daily basis.
A driver in every car: when the auto industry says jump, do governments say “how high?”
Authors: Buigues Pierre André
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the economic and political conditions that could explain why the governments in developed economies have intervened in the automobile industry. The author identifies the main reasons and the shortcomings of these public interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents different forms of public intervention in the automobile industry of various countries over the past few decades: infant industry, research and development (R&D), global climate change and global systemic crisis.

Findings

The automobile sector is viewed by governments as a key sector and is subsidised for different reasons at different periods. The paper shows that governments give different reasons for public intervention in the automobile industry (infant industry, global climate change, R&D externalities, the global financial crisis, etc.). Whatever the theory, in practice, public interventions have a strong impact on the industry and its evolution.

Practical implications

The paper highlights the importance for car manufacturers of monitoring the political initiatives of public authorities, which can affect the technological evolution of the automobile industry.

Social implications

For households, the purchase of a car is quite important, and the political orientation of public subsidies in favour of one option over another, such as electric vehicles or an autonomous car, affects their choice.

Originality/value

The paper examines an issue which has not previously been addressed by journals, yet which is crucial, i.e. the impact of government decisions on the evolution of an industry. The approach can also be applied to other sectors.
Graphic symbols terminology: a call for a consensus
Authors: Pampoulou Eliada
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Graphic symbols, such as the Picture Communication Symbols, Makaton and Widgit, have been traditionally used in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in order to support people with little or no functional speech. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

However, given the fact that the terminology remains contested in the existing literature as well as the multidisciplinary nature surrounding graphic symbols, in more recent years and the number of terms used in different fields, it is vital that the terminology of graphic symbols is revisited again.

Findings

In the last section of the paper, a definition of graphic symbols is proposed.

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies in the fact that while field of graphic symbols have been used in the AAC for more than 30 years, there is still no consensus regarding the meaning of the terminology used.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) training provision for professionals in England
Authors: Wallis Samantha , Bloch Steven , Clarke Michael
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to document augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) training provision by clinical services in England.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was used to obtain the following information concerning AAC training provision; frequency, length, type, content and cost, trainee occupations and numbers, and future training priorities, and information concerning training providers – service type, geographical area.

Findings

In total, 98 clinical service training providers in England responded. Services commonly reported providing AAC training to speech and language therapists, teaching assistants and teachers. Training around “use of specific AAC products, systems and technology” and “introducing/awareness raising of AAC products” were rated as high priority for future training and were two of the three subject areas where services reported the highest percentage of training. Training was predominantly provided at a foundation (basic) level.

Originality/value

There is no consensus on the amount or content of AAC training which professionals in England must receive. Evidence suggests that AAC training for pre-qualification professionals is limited and this paper has identified variation in the amount and type of post-qualification AAC training. While knowledge concerning specific AAC systems is necessary, focussing training primarily on this area may not address critical gaps in knowledge. There is a need for specific recommendations regarding AAC training for professionals in this field, to ensure professionals can fully support people who use AAC.
Intellectual capital role in ambidexterity emergence
Authors: Fernández-Pérez de la Lastra Susana , García-Carbonell Natalia , Martín-Alcázar Fernando , Sánchez-Gardey Gonzalo
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Considering the inconclusive results in the literature on the way organizations create ambidextrous organizational capabilities, the purpose of this paper is to present an alternative theoretical model of three different paths through which ambidexterity is built. From a multilevel perspective, the model describes how specific combinations of the facets of intellectual capital – human, social and organizational capital – can synergistically work to reach ambidexterity.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on main arguments from multilevel and intellectual capital literature. The multilevel approach allows the authors to consider a broader perspective to define three specific modes to create ambidextrous capabilities. Additionally, the intellectual capital literature completes the model, with the input (human capital), mechanisms (social capital) and the infrastructure (organizational capital) needed to develop ambidexterity. With the integration of both frameworks, the model explains how different types of ambidexterity are generated at diverse firm levels – individual, group and organizational, following different and complementary paths.

Findings

This research goes beyond the traditional arguments on how organizations develop simultaneously exploration and exploitation activities, proposing an integrative model of three complementary modes: path 1 (ambidexterity based on individual human capital); path 2 (ambidexterity through social capital) and path 3 (ambidexterity through organizational capital). These paths link organizational levels in organizations, showing the accumulative process of ambidexterity from a multilevel perspective.

Originality/value

The paper offers an alternative view expanding the ongoing discussion in the ambidexterity field. There is a lack of configurational models in the literature that describe, from a synergistic point of view, these complementary paths to achieving organizational ambidexterity. This approach contributes to explaining that not only individual ambidextrous human capital is needed to generate organizational ambidexterity, but also that specialist human capital could be a source of ambidexterity.
Variations in student perceptions of service quality of higher education institutions in Brazil
Authors: Campos Domingos Fernandes , Santos Guido Salvi dos , Castro Felipe Nalon
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through a longitudinal study, undergraduate student perceptions of service expectations, priorities and quality of the higher education institution that they attend, using an importance–performance rating matrix.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was carried out with students exposed to a new type of educational program that combines face-to-face encounters with distance learning experiences. Respondents belong to five graduate courses in management. Data collection was performed at five different time points, targeting all attending students as they continued their studies.

Findings

The findings showed that the students’ expectations of the set of factor-defined dimensions and attributes studied increased notably over time. Senior students tended to be more demanding than beginning students. Aside from the comfort levels of the classroom, the attributes rated as most important by the majority of students were directly linked to the professors, whether with respect to their practical experience, teaching methods, motivation or training received. This was the case at each stage of data collection.

Practical implications

The importance × performance gaps matrix offers managers at higher education institutions with information to support decisions, especially with regard to setting priorities. The information obtained enables managers to align actions with emerging areas of need, and effectively direct resources to ensure student satisfaction, retention and loyalty. Using importance ratings taken at different stages of student interaction with the institution was found to be useful at the institution investigated. Institutions could attract new student customers by meeting expectations with such trend data.

Originality/value

The current research captured students’ changes in expectations of their undergraduate coursework that combined classroom and distance learning approaches. In addition, the study documented variations over time in students’ perceptions on key service areas. The paper provides data on student-perceived priorities, quality gaps and criticality levels, seen both at a level of aggregate dimensions and at the level of individual service attributes.
Measurement of perceived service quality in higher education institutions
Authors: Silva Danilo Soares , Moraes Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de , Makiya Ieda Kanashiro , Cesar Francisco Ignácio Giocondo
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This study aims to find evidence of the HEdPERF scale use for measuring the perceived service quality from the perspective of students in higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to find evidence of the scale use in articles published between January 2005 and May 2017, according to databases Emerald, SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library. The articles were searched on the databases on Jun 17, 2017 and at the end of the selection of articles, were kept 12 distinct documents.

Findings

The articles found pointed towards classic SERVQUAL and SERVPERF scales as being well substantiated for measuring perceived service quality. The HEdPERF scale was applied in articles about perceived service quality in HEI in studies in Brazil, China, Croatia, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

Originality/value

The paper attempts to gather some articles on the measurement of service quality in higher education institutions, by the HEdPERF scale use. This study indicates that SERVPERF scale can also be an appropriate model to measure service quality in HEI context, that is, it is not yet possible to defend a single instrument as a standard for this purpose.
Woodland Wellbeing: a pilot for people with dementia
Authors: Gibson Elanor , Ramsden Nicola , Tomlinson Rachel , Jones Charlie
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand whether a woodland-based intervention might offer something helpful and engaging for people affected by dementia. In total, 18 people came to Woodland Wellbeing groups over summer and autumn in 2016.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors made observations during the groups, kept some notes and conducted some interviews around three months after people had participated in Woodland Wellbeing.

Findings

Feedback from participants indicated themes around connection with nature and to one another; the joy in new learning and activities; and the inspirational impact of feeling part of nature.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the growing literature on natural approaches in supporting the wellbeing of people affected by dementia, and highlights the value of partnership working.
Facilitation by leguminous shrubs increases along a precipitation gradient
Authors: Zhang Hai‐Yang , Lü Xiao‐Tao , Knapp Alan K. , Hartmann Henrik , Bai Edith , Wang Xiao‐Bo , Wang Zheng‐Wen , Wang Xiao‐Guang , Yu Qiang , Han Xing‐Guo
Published: July 2017

Combining nutrient dynamics (plant nutrient uptake and soil fertility) can help uncover mechanisms of shrub–grass interactions and assess the validity of the stress‐gradient hypothesis, which predicts that facilitation between plants increases in stressful environments. However, how facilitation via shrub‐mediated nutrient increases varies with precipitation is poorly resolved.

We first synthesized a global dataset from 66 studies and evaluated how shrubs affected soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in grasslands along a precipitation gradient. We then made new measurements in a single‐grassland type encroached by leguminous shrubs from the same genus (Caragana) to constrain the variations caused by combining different grassland types and shrubs traits in the meta‐analysis. Specifically, we investigated how shrubs mediated N dynamics and how shrub–grass interactions varied along a precipitation gradient (147–342 mm) in a temperate steppe of China.

At the global scale, leguminous shrub‐mediated effects on soil nutrients increased with precipitation, while no relationship was found for non‐leguminous shrub. For the field experiment, greater N and lower δ15N in Caragana compared to non‐leguminous shrub (reference shrub, Salsola collina) suggested active N‐fixation in Caragana. We found that Caragana enhanced N concentration and leaf quality (low C:N ratio) in neighbouring plants more on mesic sites than on xeric sites. Thus, facilitation increased via higher soil N and with decreasing environmental stress, at least along this relatively arid precipitation gradient.

Our results highlight the importance of precipitation in determining the nutritional facilitation to neighbouring grasses from encroaching leguminous shrubs. Conceptual frameworks for plant facilitation may therefore need to include shrub characteristics (N‐fixers vs. non‐fixers) and positive effects of higher precipitation on this type of facilitation to characterize plant interactions along stress gradients.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Trait matching and phylogeny as predictors of predator–prey interactions involving ground beetles
Authors: Brousseau Pierre‐Marc , Gravel Dominique , Handa I. Tanya
Published: July 2017

With global change modifying species assemblages, our success in predicting ecosystem‐level consequences of these new communities will depend, in part, on our ability to understand biotic interactions. Current food web theory considers interactions between numerous species simultaneously, but descriptive models are unable to predict interactions between newly co‐occurring species. Incorporating proxies such as functional traits and phylogeny into models could help infer predator/prey interactions.

Here, we used trait matching between predator feeding traits and prey vulnerability traits, along with phylogeny (used as a proxy for chemical defence and other traits difficult to document), to infer predatory interactions using ground beetles as model organisms.

A feeding experiment was conducted involving 20 ground beetle and 115 prey species to determine which pair of species did or did not interact. Eight predator and four prey functional traits were measured directly on specimens. Then, using a modelling approach based on the matching‐centrality formalism, we evaluated 511 predictive ecological models that tested different combinations of all predator and prey functional traits, and phylogenetic information.

The most parsimonious model accurately predicted 81% of the observed realized and unrealized interactions, using phylogenetic information and the trait‐matches predator biting force/prey cuticular toughness and predator/prey body size ratio. The best trait‐based models predicted correctly >80% which species interact (realized interactions), but predict <58% of which species did not interact (unrealized interactions). Adding a phylogenetic term representing the evolutionary distance within each trophic level increased the ability to predict which species did not interact to >75%.

The matching of predator biting force and prey cuticular toughness demonstrated a better predictive power than the commonly used predator/prey body size ratio. Our novel model combining both functional traits and phylogeny extends beyond existing descriptive approaches and could represent a valuable tool to predict consumer/resource interactions of newly introduced species and to resolve cryptic food webs.

Aplain language summaryis available for this article.
Hot dogs: High ambient temperatures impact reproductive success in a tropical carnivore
Authors: Woodroffe Rosie , Groom Rosemary , McNutt J. Weldon
Published: July 2017

Climate change imposes an urgent need to recognise and conserve the species likely to be worst affected. However, while ecologists have mostly explored indirect effects of rising ambient temperatures on temperate and polar species, physiologists have predicted direct impacts on tropical species.

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), a tropical species, exhibits few of the traits typically used to predict climate change vulnerability. Nevertheless, we predicted that wild dog populations might be sensitive to weather conditions, because the species shows strongly seasonal reproduction across most of its geographical range.

We explored associations between weather conditions, reproductive costs, and reproductive success, drawing on long‐term wild dog monitoring data from sites in Botswana (20°S, 24 years), Kenya (0°N, 12 years), and Zimbabwe (20°S, 6 years).

High ambient temperatures were associated with reduced foraging time, especially during the energetically costly pup‐rearing period. Across all three sites, packs which reared pups at high ambient temperatures produced fewer recruits than did those rearing pups in cooler weather; at the non‐seasonal Kenya site such packs also had longer inter‐birth intervals. Over time, rising ambient temperatures at the (longest‐monitored) Botswana site coincided with falling wild dog recruitment.

Our findings suggest a direct impact of high ambient temperatures on African wild dog demography, indicating that this species, which is already globally endangered, may be highly vulnerable to climate change. This vulnerability would have been missed by simplistic trait‐based assessments, highlighting the limitations of such assessments. Seasonal reproduction, which is less common at low latitudes than at higher latitudes, might be a useful indicator of climate change vulnerability among tropical species.