bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of a novel microtitration protocol to obtain diffraction-quality crystals of 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate aldolase fromBos taurus
Authors: Huang Amadeus , Baker Edward , Loomes Kerry
Published: October 2014

The enzyme 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate aldolase (HOGA) catalyses the retro-aldol degradation of 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate to pyruvate and glyoxylate as part of the hydroxyproline catabolic pathway in mammals. Mutations in the coding region of the human HOGA gene are associated with primary hyperoxaluria type 3, a disease characterized by excessive oxalate production and ultimately stone deposition. Native HOGA was purified from bovine kidney using an improved and streamlined purification protocol from which two crystal forms were obtained using two different approaches. Vapour diffusion using PEG 3350 as a precipitant produced monoclinic crystals that belonged to space groupC2 and diffracted to 3.5 Å resolution. By comparison, orthorhombic crystals belonging to space groupI222 orI212121and diffracting to beyond 2.25 Å resolution were obtained using a novel microtitration protocol with ammonium sulfate. The latter crystal form displayed superior diffraction quality and was suitable for structural determination by X-ray crystallography.
Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase fromAspergillus niger
Authors: Prakash Prem , Walvekar Adhish S. , Punekar Narayan S. , Bhaumik Prasenjit
Published: October 2014

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) catalyzes the NAD-dependent or NADP-dependent oxidative deamination of L-glutamate to 2-oxoglutarate and ammonia. This important reversible reaction establishes the link between carbon and nitrogen metabolism. In this study,Aspergillus nigerNADP-GDH (AnGDH) has been overexpressed and purified. Purified AnGDH, with a high specific activity of 631.1 units per milligram of protein, was crystallized and the crystal diffracted to 2.9 Å resolution using a home X-ray source. Preliminary analysis of the X-ray diffraction data showed that the crystal belonged to space groupR32, with unit-cell parametersa=b= 173.8,c= 241.5 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°. The crystals exhibited an unusually high solvent content (83.0%) and had only one molecule in the asymmetric unit. Initial phases were obtained by molecular replacement, and model building and structure refinement of AnGDH are in progress.
Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of allantoinase fromBacillus licheniformisATCC 14580
Authors: Conejero-Muriel Mayte , Martínez-Gómez Ana Isabel , Martínez-Rodríguez Sergio , Gavira Jose A.
Published: October 2014

Allantoinase, a member of the amidohydrolase superfamily, exists in a wide variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants and a few animals, such as fishes and amphibians. Allantoinase catalyzes the reversible hydrolysis of allantoin into allantoate by hydrolytic cleavage of the N1—C2amide bond of the five-membered hydantoin ring. Allantoinase fromBacillus licheniformis(AllBali) presents an inverted enantioselectivity towards allantoin (R-enantioselective), which is a distinguishable feature that is not observed for other allantoinases. In this work,B. licheniformisATCC 14580 allantoinase (AllBali) containing a C-terminal His6tag was overproduced inEscherichia coliand purified to homogeneity. Crystals of AllBali were obtained by the vapour-diffusion method using 0.1 Mpotassium thiocyanate, 20%(w/v) polyethylene glycol 3350 as a crystallization solution. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 3.5 Å with anRmergeof 29.2% from a crystal belonging to space groupP1211, with unit-cell parametersa= 54.93,b= 164.74,c= 106.89 Å, β = 98.49°. There are four molecules in the asymmetric unit with a solvent content of 47% as estimated from the Matthews coefficient (VM= 2.34 Å3 Da−1).
Smart specialisation strategies in south Europe during crisis
Authors: Komninos Nicos , Musyck Bernard , Iain Reid Alasdair
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess how national and regional authorities in south-east Europe in a period of crisis perceive and set in motion research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3) and the options that these strategies offer to overcome the current fiscal and development crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper starts with a literature review on the guiding principles of smart specialisation strategies and the differences from previous rounds of regional innovation strategies. Evidence on smart specialisation efforts is provided by cases studies in Greece, Slovenia, and Cyprus, focusing on the elaboration of such strategies in three countries with precarious innovation systems under severe conditions of crisis. The case studies are organised around key aspects of the smart specialisation logic, such as the selection of specialisation priorities, bottom-up governance, private sector leadership, and engines of innovation and competitiveness.

Findings

– The paper explores the obstacles encountered in running effective RIS strategies under crisis conditions. The paper highlights the main challenges to address, such as the readiness and credibility of public authorities to design and implement sound RIS3 strategies, the willingness of companies to be involved in strategic planning, the availability of private investment funds, innovation and diversification during a crisis, and the drivers of specialisation that could lead to competitiveness and growth. In the conclusions the paper identifies three routes towards smarter productive diversification and five critical stages in the entrepreneurial discovery process.

Originality/value

– The paper has both practical and theoretical significance. It focuses on the main challenges of smart specialisation and offers guidance in the elaboration of RIS3 in peripheral EU economies. On the other hand, it proposes a model for the entrepreneurial discovery process, based on the assessment of areas and futures of productivity and added-value increase, as productive diversification and crisis exit route.
Path dependence in policies supporting smart specialisation strategies
Authors: M. Valdaliso Jesús , Magro Edurne , Navarro Mikel , Jose Aranguren Mari , R. Wilson James
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to apply the path dependence theoretical framework to STI policies that support research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3).

Design/methodology/approach

– Review of the recent literature on the phases, sources of reinforcement and change mechanisms (layering, conversion, recombination, etc.) present in path-dependent processes, as well as the role played by mental frameworks, political agents and power relations; and its illustration and testing over 30 years of STI policy development in the Basque Country.

Findings

– How to operationalise the analysis of continuity and change of STI policies supporting RIS3 policies characterised by path dependence processes. Likewise, learnings from the analysis of Basque case regarding the types of challenges that European regions will face as they design their RIS3, according to their degree of maturity in STI policies.

Originality/value

– It is the first time that the recently developed tools for analysis of path-dependent processes are applied to the development of STI policies supporting RIS3 policies.
Training evaluation levels and ROI: the case of a small logistics company
Authors: Curado Carla , Martins Teixeira Susana
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This study’s purpose is to contribute to literature on training evaluation following Kirkpatrick’s four-levels model and estimating each training program’s return on investment (ROI) using evidence from a small firm.

Design/methodology/approach

– This case study uses data collected at a logistics company based upon training output indicators like training program evaluation data; individual performance evaluation reports; information on attained objectives; service and productivity levels; quality audit reports; and accounting data.

Findings

– Results show that all the training programs addressed report evaluation procedures at the four different levels (reactions, learning, behavior and results). ROI for each training program was estimated based upon costs and benefits associated to each program. The two training programs presenting above-average returns address work quality and conditions. The program addressing corporate social responsibility issues produced below-average results.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations to this study may result from collecting data in a single moment in time and using data from a single organization, excluding generalization and extrapolation of results.

Practical implications

– This case study should inspire managers in small and medium enterprises (SME) to implement training evaluation practices and ROI estimation. Having the ROI estimation available allows better management of the training budget, as ROI’s presentation is an argument to assign value and progress.

Originality/value

– The originality of this study regards the way it reports training evaluation practices at the four levels established by Kirkpatrick’s framework (2005) and complements it with ROI estimation regarding five training courses run at a Portuguese SME logistics firm.
Strengthening student engagement: what do students want in online courses?
Authors: Chakraborty Misha , Muyia Nafukho Fredrick
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to identify pertinent studies on the important issue of student engagement strategies in online courses and to establish from empirical studies student engagement strategies that work.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper adopted the literature review approach. The authors conducted a thorough and systematic search of the literature to find empirical studies focusing on online engagement strategies within the field of education and distance learning. To generate as many relevant publications as possible, both manual and electronic searches were conducted. The databases used included; Academic Search Complete (Ebsco), Social Sciences Full Text (Wilson), ProQuest Education Journals, ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis, ProQuest Central, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCIISI), ERIC, (Ebsco), SAGE Full-Text Collection (CSA), Google Scholar and Emerald.

Findings

– The results of this paper revealed the several factors that can create engaging learning experiences for the online learners. The primary factors are as follows: creating and maintaining positive learning environment; building learning community; giving consistent feedback in timely manner; and using the right technology to deliver the right content.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper is limited, as it is based on a review of literature. Empirical studies need to be conducted to support the ideas generated in this paper. For example, it is proposed that individual and institutional characteristics play an important role in promoting learner satisfaction in online courses. Additional studies that can explore this aspect in detail are needed.

Originality/value

– The paper has both professional and educational implications. The findings of this paper can help identify areas where the instructors and designers of online classes need to focus. The student engagement strategies for online courses identified should assist both experienced and beginning online instructors in the design and successful delivery of online courses. Students taking online courses should find the results of this study invaluable.
Elite connectivity and concerted action in French organization
Authors: Maclean Mairi , Harvey Charles
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to explore some of the distinctive features of organizing and organization in France which set it apart from organization in other nations, and which are fundamental to itsmodus operandi. In particular, this article is concerned with elite connectivity and concerted action by elite “connectors”.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research underpinning this article stems from a cross-national comparative project on business elites and corporate governance in France and the UK. This has three dimensions, being quantitative, qualitative and case study-based. Concerted action by the ruling elite is explored through two illustrative vignettes: the ousting from office of Jean-Marie Messier and State-sponsored expansion as pursued by EDF. Both examples shed light on the French business elite’s response to globalization and the development of international business.

Findings

– The paper finds elite cohesion to be achieved quite differently in the two countries. In addition, it finds that the ties that bind French connectors tend to be strong and institutionally based.

Practical implications

– The case of EDF suggests that the most ambitious of State-sponsored strategies can also be the most successful. It implies that elite ideologies in France have deviated relatively little from sentiments expressed by Rousseau and de Gaulle concerning the primacy of the national interest and the conviction that firms can serve as an (expansionist) instrument of the nation. The Messier case illuminates the pattern of close relationships among the French business elite. It demonstrates how a strategy of expansion may come unstuck when it is not grounded in the customary modes of business regulation.

Originality/value

– This research confirms a slight preference on the part of the French business elite for more homogenous ties. Against this, the paper demonstrates that a significant proportion of the French elite act as boundary spanners, brokering relationships with others from more distant parts of the wider network. The integration of the French elite in the Eurozone has potentially favored bridge-building relationships and weakened national embeddedness. This may contribute to the decline of indigenous interlocks, while promoting the further internationalization of top management teams. The implications of this for organizational strategy, firm survival and economic performance form an agenda for future research.
Action research and intervention research in the French landscape of organizational research
Authors: Savall Henri , Zardet Véronique
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to present a concise history of the main action research (AR) contribution in France. The authors discuss the role of AR in the organizational research field in general and compare it with intervention research (IR) and presented Institute of Socio-Economy of Enterprises and Organizations’s specific contributions and its presence on the international stage through review publications and wider works.

Design/methodology/approach

– A narrative approach was used to analyze this history.

Findings

– AR is considered as a research family. The authors define and compare AR with other qualitative methods. They analyze AR and IR principles, which include interaction with practitioners, negotiation with them, focusing in the third part on the case of ISEOR research team.

Social implications

– AR and IR permit to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners, to develop useful research. At the same time, they permit to develop new researchers' competencies and to fund research, in a context of reduced public research funds.

Originality/value

– This article permits to understand the reality of what is and how to develop an IR, and the difficulties for researchers to insert them in the academic community, although France seems to be more permissive than others’ contexts. It permits also to better know the French IR and AR research in management.
French industrial relations: a dual paradox with deep historical roots
Authors: R. Rojot Jacques
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to clarify the dual paradox of French industrial relations. On the one hand, unions are numerically weak and bitterly divided but retain a significant influence. On the other hand, the social climate remains highly conflict-prone and marked by an ideological rhetoric opposing the wealthy oppressors to the exploited masses within a relatively prosperous society.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper finds a historical explanation in constant features of French society.

Findings

– The paper found that specific concepts of freedom and equality shaped the present organization of industrial relations.

Originality/value

– The paper explains the structure and organization of unions and labor relations through societal elements structured historically.
Fortune 100 companies’ Facebook strategies: corporate ability versus social responsibility
Authors: Kim Sora , Kim Soo-Yeon , Hoon Sung Kang
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how Fortune 100 companies are using Facebook (FB) in terms of employing corporate ability (CA), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and hybrid communication strategies, meeting different stakeholders’ expectations, and incorporating interactivity components into social media.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantitative content analysis was used to examine a total of 1,486 corporate FB postings.

Findings

–Fortune 100 companies predominantly employed a CA strategy over a CSR strategy or a hybrid strategy. They prioritize customers’ needs over other stakeholders’ (e.g. stockholders and community members) on FB. FB fans are more likely to post “like” when companies personalize their FB messages. Seeking specific action-oriented participation on FB increased the frequencies of “like” and “comment,” whereas using the generic terms like “try” or “learn” decreased such frequencies. Finally, the frequencies of fans posting “like” and “comment” are affected by how often companies responded to fans’ postings and not influenced by how often companies feed new FB updates to fans.

Originality/value

– This study provides a benchmark case of how corporations are using a mainstream social media outlet to engage different stakeholders. It helps to assess the current status of public relations communication strategies on the mainstream social networking site. Companies can increase public engagement and response on social media through more personalized messages and techniques to encourage active participation and dialogue.
Consumer campaigns in corporate public affairs management
Authors: Schlichting Inga
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use expert interviews with communication managers of the German energy industry to analyze the strategic aims and challenges of consumer campaigns as a relatively new phenomenon in German public affairs management. The analysis is based on structuration theory, which is used as a theoretical framework. This framework helps to conceptualize the different logics of action within non-public and public paths of public affairs management, their stakeholders and respective instruments.

Design/methodology/approach

– Expert interviews with German public affairs managers from multinational and regional energy corporations as well as industry associations were conducted regarding their communication in the context of climate regulation. Based on this data, the study reconstructs manager’s strategic considerations about why to engage in consumer campaigns, and analyses the challenges they see with them, and the strategies they employ to handle these.

Findings

– Managers perceive the importance of the public path of regulative intervention as growing along with a strong media orientation of political authorities. Against this backdrop they describe the bypassing of critical journalists and the engaging of critical individuals and minorities as the strategic aims of consumer campaigns. They portray a lack of credibility as the main challenge of such campaigns – and relativising the corporation’s societal efforts as well as allowing public critique as most promising strategies to handle this challenge.

Originality/value

– The contribution of the study is twofold: first, it adds to the scientific analysis of consumer campaigns as a rather new phenomenon in German public affairs management. Second, practitioners may utilize the results as impulses for their own communicative strategies in the context of public affairs management.
A brief history of small business in Australia, 1970-2010
Authors: T. Schaper Michael
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of the SME sector in Australia, concentrating on a number of key areas: small business definitions and numbers; the role of government; the emergence of key industry groups; and the evolution of education, training and research services.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is a result of extensive literature reviews, desk research and the recollections of various participants in the field.

Findings

– There have been major changes to the Australian small business sector over the last 40 years. In 1983-1984 there were an estimated 550,000 small firms, and by 2010 this had grown to almost two million. Government involvement in, and support for, SMEs was virtually non-existent before 1970. Following the delivery of the Wiltshire report (1971), however, both state and federal governments responded by developing specialist advisory services, funding programmes and other support tools. Virtually non-existent before the 1970s, several peak industry associations were formed between 1977 and the 1990s. At the same time, formal education and teaching in the area expanded in the 1970s and 1980s and is now widespread.

Practical implications

– Development of the small business sector in Australia has often paralleled similar trends in other OECD nations. State and territory governments have often (but not always) been the principal drivers of policy change.

Originality/value

– There has been no little, if any, prior documentation of the evolution of the small business sector in Australia in the last 40 years.
A vision of social media in the Spanish smartest cities
Authors: Sáez-Martín Alejandro , Haro-de-Rosario Arturo , Caba-Perez Carmen
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to analyse whether it is the Spanish urban environments that can be considered smart cities that are making the greatest efforts to ensure that citizens have better access to city information and, thus, participate to a greater degree in its governance.

Design/methodology/approach

– This analysis of the use made of social networks, as an integral part of democratisation, is divided into two phases: first, a descriptive study was made of the cities’ use of their social networks; we then examined, by multiple linear regression analysis, whether the urban areas classed as smart cities are those that make more or less use or application of social networks.

Findings

– Although, in general terms, the “smartest” smart cities are those which obtain the best overall results in terms of social networks, further improvements are needed, especially in the field of activity and interaction with citizens via these networks.

Originality/value

– The impact made by social media is one of the emerging research themes in the domain of smart cities, e-government and their information policies. Nevertheless, few studies have examined whether the smart cities are also those whose governments have achieved a greater degree of citizen participation through social networks. Therefore, this study contributes to our understanding of the importance of social media in the local government context, by establishing a relationship between democratic participation, through Facebook and Twitter, and the development of smart cities.
Zombies and IR: A Critical Reading
Authors: Hannah Erin , Wilkinson Rorden
Published: October 2014

The zombie genre is quickly becoming a feature of International Relations (IR) classrooms and pedagogical toolkits as scholars enthusiastically embrace the undead as a vehicle for teaching the discipline. This article offers a cautionary note on a generally positive move to embrace the use of zombieism in IR. It shows how an uncritical use of a zombie apocalypse as a vehicle for teaching IR can reinforce existing divisions in the field, essentialise country positions, crowd out heterodox approaches, reinforce gender stereotypes and dehumanise people. To guard against these problems, the article shows how Zombie IR can be better used to think critically and normatively about world politics.
Peripheral intravenous catheter duration and failure in paediatric acute care: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Malyon Lorelle , Ullman Amanda J , Phillips Natalie , Young Jeanine , Kleidon Tricia , Murfield Jenny , Rickard Claire M
Published: October 2014

Objective

Children admitted to hospital commonly require peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) for treatment. This study sought to address a gap in the literature about current practice in the securement and dressing of PIVCs in paediatric acute care, and to ascertain the duration and failure of these devices.

Methods

A prospective cohort study conducted at the Royal Children's Hospital in Queensland, Australia. All patients aged 0–15 years, who presented to the ED between 16 July and 16 October 2012, and had a PIVC inserted prior to emergent admission to the hospital were included.

Results

Of 458 participants, median device duration was 29 h (IQR 13–58 h), and ranged from less than 1 h to 16 days. One quarter (113/456, 24.8%) of PIVCs were removed due to device failure, presenting as: infiltration (65/456, 14.3%); accidental dislodgement (23/456, 5.0%); blockage (12/456, 2.6%); phlebitis (7/456, 1.5%); or ‘other’ (6/456, 1.3%). PIVC securement and dressings were predominantly bordered polyurethane dressings and splints (n = 457/458, 99.8%). PIVC placement in the antecubital fossa, in comparison to the hand, was significantly associated with an increased risk for failure (P = 0.03). No other patient and device characteristics had a significant association with device failure (P > 0.05). The median dwell time of PIVCs that failed was significantly longer than the PIVCs that did not fail (44.0 vs 25.5 h; P = 0.002). Less than half (53/113, 46.9%) of failed catheters were replaced with a new PIVC.

Conclusions

Observed failure rates were high for a clinically essential device; however, there is no established rate of acceptability against which the results can be benchmarked against to facilitate effectiveness of practice. Many PIVCs appeared to remain in place longer than needed. Dressing and securement practice was homogenous. PIVC placement in the antecubital fossa should be minimised to reduce the risk of paediatric PIVC failure.
Prolactin and Natural Killer Cells: Evaluating the Neuroendocrine‐immune Axis in Women with Primary Infertility and Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion
Authors: Triggianese Paola , Perricone Carlo , Perricone Roberto , De Carolis Caterina
Published: October 2014

Problem

An association between serum prolactin (PRL) and peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells has been described in healthy women. We explored for the first time the PRL response to the thyrotrophin‐releasing hormone (TRH) test and the association between PRL and NK cells in women with reproductive failure.

Methods

A total of 130 women [31 primary infertility, 69 recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), and 30 fertile women] were evaluated by a TRH test to analyze the following: basal PRL (bPRL), peak‐time PRL, PRL absolute and relative increase, decline‐time PRL. Hyperprolactinaemia (HPRL) was defined as bPRL ≥15 ng/mL. NK cells were characterized by immunophenotyping.

Results

Significantly higher bPRL levels were found in the infertile women than in controls. Both the infertile and the RSA women showed significantly elevated NK levels. bPRL levels correlated with NK cells in HPRL‐infertile women.

Conclusions

In patients with HPRL, an association between NK cell and bPRL results. The dynamic test in the infertile women would help in the management of the pregnancy impairment.
Randomized, controlled trial of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy for young people with bipolar disorder
Authors: Inder Maree L , Crowe Marie T , Luty Suzanne E , Carter Janet D , Moor Stephanie , Frampton Christopher M , Joyce Peter R
Published: October 2014

Objective

This randomized, controlled clinical trial compared the effect of interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) to that of specialist supportive care (SSC) on depressive outcomes (primary), social functioning, and mania outcomes over 26–78 weeks in young people with bipolar disorder receiving psychopharmacological treatment.

Methods

Subjects were aged 15–36 years, recruited from a range of sources, and the patient groups included bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified. Exclusion criteria were minimal. Outcome measures were the Longitudinal Interval Follow‐up Evaluation and the Social Adjustment Scale. Paired‐sample t‐tests were used to determine the significance of change from baseline to outcome period. Analyses of covariance were used to determine the impact of therapy, impact of lifetime and current comorbidity, interaction between comorbidity and therapy, and impact of age at study entry on depression.

Results

A group of 100 participants were randomized to IPSRT (n = 49) or SSC (n = 51). The majority had bipolar I disorder (78%) and were female (76%), with high levels of comorbidity. After treatment, both groups had improved depressive symptoms, social functioning, and manic symptoms. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no significant difference between therapies. There was no impact of lifetime or current Axis I comorbidity or age at study entry. There was a relative impact of SSC for patients with current substance use disorder.

Conclusions

IPSRT and SSC used as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy appear to be effective in reducing depressive and manic symptoms and improving social functioning in adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder and high rates of comorbidity. Identifying effective treatments that particularly address depressive symptoms is important in reducing the burden of bipolar disorder.
Developing a dynamic inference expert system to support individual learning at work
Authors: Hung Yu Hsin , Lin Chun Fu , Chang Ray I.
Published: October 2014

In response to the rapid growth of information in recent decades, knowledge‐based systems have become an essential tool for organizational learning. The application of electronic performance‐support systems in learning activities has attracted considerable attention from researchers. Nevertheless, the vast, ever‐increasing amount of information is creating management problems regarding the efficiency and accuracy of knowledge retrieval. This study aims to develop a dynamic inference expert system (DIES) to solve these problems. DIES integrates web technology, knowledge management, Extensible Markup Language (XML) and C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) to facilitate the convenience of knowledge retrieval and the efficiency of learning at work. The advantages of XML include scalability, sharing, easy readability and the ability to enhance the efficient management of knowledge‐based systems. In DIES, organizational knowledge is automatically generated as machine‐readable language and knowledge description, using CLIPS as a rule‐conduction tool to develop specific organizational knowledge bases. A data source consisting of 22 participants from different industries was employed to examine the effectiveness of DIES. Results indicate that participants intend to apply DIES within their industries, with a 95% probability of attaining above‐average satisfaction.
Morphological and Spatio‐Temporal Mismatches Shape a Neotropical Savanna Plant‐Hummingbird Network
Authors: Maruyama Pietro K. , Vizentin‐Bugoni Jeferson , Oliveira Genilda M. , Oliveira Paulo E. , Dalsgaard Bo
Published: October 2014

Complex networks of species interactions might be determined by species traits but also by simple chance meetings governed by species abundances. Although the idea that species traits structure mutualistic networks is appealing, most studies have found abundance to be a major structuring mechanism underlying interaction frequencies. With a well‐resolved plant–hummingbird interaction network from the Neotropical savanna in Brazil, we asked whether species morphology, phenology, nectar availability and habitat occupancy and/or abundance best predicted the frequency of interactions. For this, we constructed interaction probability matrices and compared them to the observed plant‐hummingbird matrix through a likelihood approach. Furthermore, a recently proposed modularity algorithm for weighted bipartite networks was employed to evaluate whether these factors also scale‐up to the formation of modules in the network. Interaction frequencies were best predicted by species morphology, phenology and habitat occupancy, while species abundances and nectar availability performed poorly. The plant–hummingbird network was modular, and modules were associated to morphological specialization and habitat occupancy. Our findings highlight the importance of traits as determinants of interaction frequencies and network structure, corroborating the results of a previous study on a plant–hummingbird network from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Thus, we propose that traits matter more in tropical plant–hummingbird networks than in less specialized systems. To test the generality of this hypothesis, future research could employ geographic or taxonomic cross‐system comparisons contrasting networks with known differences in level of specialization.
Prevalence and correlates of dental anxiety in patients seeking dental care
Authors: Tellez Marisol , Kinner Dina G. , Heimberg Richard G. , Lim Sungwoo , Ismail Amid I.
Published: October 2014

Objectives

To examine the prevalence of dental anxiety and its associations with pain and other psychological variables among patients seeking dental treatment and develop a directed acyclical graph of these relationships.

Methods

One hundred and twenty patients who sought regular or emergency dental care completed a semi‐structured interview assessing DSM‐IV specific phobia of dental procedures and questionnaires assessing dental anxiety, pain at last dental visit, blood‐injection‐injury (BII) phobia, social appearance anxiety, and other psychological constructs. Differences between regular and emergency patients were explored using t‐tests. Potential excess risk of dental anxiety due to interactions between pain and psychological processes was explored. Finally, multivariate linear regression was conducted.

Results

Thirty‐five percent of participants came for emergency care. Almost half (49.2%) reported moderate or high anxiety, and 20% met criteria for specific phobia. The relationship between pain at the last dental visit and dental anxiety scores was confounded by social appearance anxiety and BII phobia.

Conclusion

The dental anxiety–pain response may be affected by psychological processes such as social appearance anxiety and BII phobia. Targeting these related psychological constructs may improve the management of anxiety treatment among adult patients seeking dental care.
Resistin as a potential marker of renal disease in lupus nephritis
Authors: Hutcheson J , Ye Y , Han J , Arriens C , Saxena R , Li Q-Z , Mohan C , Wu T
Published: October 2014

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) have strong concomitance with cardiovascular disease that cannot be explained fully by typical risk factors. We examined the possibility that serum or urine expression of adipokines may act as biomarkers for LN, as these proteins have been associated previously with cardiovascular disease as well as SLE. Antibody arrays were performed on serum and urine from lupus patients and matched controls using a cross-sectional study design. From the initial array-based screening data of 15 adipokines, adiponectin, leptin and resistin were selected for validation by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Correlations were determined between adipokine expression levels and measures of disease activity or lupus nephritis. The expression of adiponectin and resistin was increased in both sera and urine from LN patients, while leptin was increased in LN patient sera, compared to matched controls. Serum resistin, but not urine resistin, was correlated with measures of renal dysfunction in LN. Serum resistin expression may be useful as a marker of renal dysfunction in patients with LN, although longitudinal studies are warranted. Further studies are necessary to determine if resistin has functional consequences in LN.
Effective communication betweenENTand primary care – a survey of outpatient correspondence
Authors: Addison A.B. , Watts S. , Fleming J.
Published: October 2014

Objective

To improve the quality of outpatient clinic communication between Otolaryngology and primary care doctors.

Design

Three example outpatient letters with identical content were created using different structure styles – full prose, headline subheadings with full prose and full subheadings throughout. Electronic questionnaires were sent out to 30 randomly selected General Practitioners in the area served by Western Sussex NHS Trust. The electronic mail study invite contained the initial GP referral, the three different letter formats and a link to the Sheffield Assessment for Letters (SAIL) questionnaire, which contained a 18‐point checklist, 6 rating subheadings with a 10‐point rating scale and a free text comment section. Study participants were asked to read the letters in the time usually afforded to outpatient letters in their routine practice, answer questions and then rate the letters.

Results

With a response rate of 66.7%, overall comparison of GP preferences demonstrated a significant variation between the three letter formats (FreidmanPvalue = 0.0001).Post hocmultiple comparisons showed statistically significant preference for the headline subheading and prose letter compared to the full subheaded letter (P < 0.05). In assessing the letters for readability, comprehension, usefulness, informativeness and helpfulness, analysis showed significant preference for both fully subheaded and headline subheaded with full prose structures compared to the full prose letter.

Conclusion

Although the headline subheadings and prose letter had the highest word count, it scored the highest in almost all the rating categories analysed. This study is the first published work to study primary care physician's preference for the structure of letters from secondary care. Prominent headline subheadings of diagnosis and management improve interpretation of content and comprehension and are helpful to GPs for co‐ordinating patient management. Lack of subheadings or conversely an excess of subheadings may be a hindrance to effective communication between healthcare professionals.
Positive pressure therapy for Meniere's syndrome/disease with a Meniett device: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Syed M.I. , Rutka J.A. , Hendry J. , Browning G.G.
Published: October 2014

Background

Incidence rates of Meniere's syndrome/disease vary considerably from 157 per 100 000 in the United Kingdom to 15 per 100 000 in the United States. A wide range of treatments are used for the treatment of the condition with no consensus on the most effective intervention.

Objectives

To assess the effectiveness of the Meniett device in reducing the frequency and severity of vertigo in Meniere's syndrome/disease.

Search methods

The Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Trials Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); PubMed; EMBASE; CINAHL; Web of Science; BIOSIS Previews; Cambridge Scientific abstracts; ICTRP and additional sources for published and unpublished trials were searched. The date of the last search was 13th May 2014.

Selection criteria

Four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were identified that compared the efficacy of the Meniett device versus a placebo device in patients with Meniere's ‘disease’ as defined by the AAOO criterion.

Data collection and analysis

Two review authors independently assessed study eligibility and risk of bias and extracted data. The outcome data were dichotomous for all the included trials.

Main results

The four RCTs compared 123 patients with the Meniett device against 114 patients with the placebo device from four RCT's over a follow‐up period of 2 weeks to 4 months. There was a significant overall 61% reduction in the frequency of vertigo in both groups (mean no vertigo days per month of 8–3). However, this reduction was not significantly different between the two groups in any study or on meta‐analysis [mean difference in vertigo‐free days between Meniett and placebo device of 0.77 days over a 1‐month period (95% CI – 0.82, 1.83) P = 0.45].

There were also no substantive data to support a greater reduction in the severity of the vertigo or any other outcome with the Meniett device compared with the placebo device.

Authors conclusions

No evidence was found to justify the use of the Meniett device in Meniere's syndrome/disease.
T cell lymphomatoid contact dermatitis: a challenging case and review of the literature
Authors: Knackstedt Thomas J. , Zug Kathryn A.
Published: October 2014

Lymphomatoid contact dermatitis is a pseudolymphoma with clinical and histological features of allergic contact dermatitis and cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Incorrect
diagnosis may lead to unnecessary testing, unnecessary treatment, or patient harm. The objective of this study is to present a case to demonstrate the diagnostic challenge and overlap between allergic contact dermatitis and cutaneous T cell lymphoma in a patient with lymphomatoid contact dermatitis caused by methylchoroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone and paraben mix, and to review the existing literature in order to summarize the demographics, clinical features, allergens and treatments reported for lymphomatoid contact dermatitis. A search of major scientific databases was conducted for English‐language articles reporting cases of lymphomatoid contact dermatitis or additional synonymous search headings. Nineteen articles with a total of 23 patients were analysed. Lymphomatoid contact dermatitis was more common in men, with an average age of 58.5 years. Fourteen unique allergens were identified and confirmed by patch testing. However, no single test or study was diagnostic of lymphomatoid contact dermatitis. Allergen avoidance was the most useful management tool, but selected patients required topical or systemic immunosuppression. In conclusion, without specific diagnostic features, evaluation for lymphomatoid contact dermatitis should include a thorough history and examination, patch testing, and biopsy with immunohistochemistry and clonality studies.
Relation between muscle mass, motor units and type of training in master athletes
Authors: Drey Michael , Sieber Cornel C. , Degens Hans , McPhee Jamie , Korhonen Marko T. , Müller Klaus , Ganse Bergita , Rittweger Jörn
Published: October 2014

Objective

The aim of this study was to measure the number of motor units and muscle mass in power‐trained and endurance‐trained master athletes compared with community‐dwelling older adults.

Methods

Seventy‐five master athletes (52 power‐ and 23 endurance‐trained athletes) were recruited at the 2012 European Veteran Athletics Championships in Zittau (Germany). One hundred and forty‐nine community‐dwelling older adults served as controls. In all participants, the motor unit number index (MUNIX) in the hypothenar muscle and whole body muscle mass was determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

Results

In both male and female master athletes, there were significant negative correlations between age and muscle mass (female: r = −0·510, P = 0·002; male: r = −0·714, P<0·001). Master athletes showed a weak correlation (r = −0·295, P = 0·010) between MUNIX and age. Master athletes exhibited significantly higher values than the control group with regard to both muscle mass (P = 0·002) and motor units (P = 0·004). Subanalysis showed that only power trained master athletes had both a larger muscle mass (P<0·001) and a higher MUNIX (P = 0·014) than the control group. Among the master athletes, power‐trained athletes had a larger (P<0·001) muscle mass than endurance‐trained athletes.

Conclusions

The present data of master athletes are compatible with the hypothesis of an age‐related decline in whole body muscle mass and motor units. Nevertheless, the data suggest that the master athletes’ high level of physical activity may protect motoneurons. In addition, power training seems to have a positive effect on muscle mass and could therefore be an effective method of training to prevent sarcopenia.
Intentional Civility
Authors: Gurian Elaine Heumann
Published: October 2014

The meaning of civility is culturally dependent—as are the rules associated with the term. If museums and their staff want to welcome all peoples, then the rules of civil behavior have to change to reflect that intention. Yet museums have mostly lived with the traditional, class‐dependent notion of etiquette. The area that the concept of civility should be concerned with covers our interactions in spheres generally considered separable: public behavior; staff behavior; content behavior; community relations. Museums would do well to examine those behavioral elements that have been assumed to be self‐evident: like not talking in the library (whereas there are now talking‐based rooms). Normative behavior is always changing, but interestingly, as it changes, it generally remains mostly in the service of peaceful outcomes. I am suggesting that direct interrogation of our unexamined rules about interactions with each other in every context—and adjusting them to reflect a changed society—might be more significant than previously assumed.
Activating exUrbanScreens: Applying Curatorial Design toward Affective Experience in Civic Media Spectacles
Authors: Dziekan Vince , Mehzoud Sven
Published: October 2014

As the character of aesthetic experience becomes more complex and multi‐faceted, exhibitions become interfaces that actively mediate between physical and invisible realities. Challenging more conventional forms of exhibition‐making, this situation becomes exaggerated when producing affective exhibition experiences in non‐conventional event‐structures and site‐specific contexts. This article explores how digital mediation and spatial practice can be productively integrated into new program architectures, specifically the type of civic media spectacles associated with the cultural phenomenon of the White Night or Nuit Blanche. The co‐authors engage with the social and cultural dynamics of such “performance spectacles” through the twin perspectives of curator and exhibition designer, which informed the realization of exUrbanScreens, an image‐based arts and new media festival that operated as a multi‐site, distributed nocturnal event. Practice‐based insights give perspective on audience participation in this type of exhibition event and the social dynamics of civic engagement in this particular form of program architecture.