bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Programmatic Efforts at the National Institutes of Health to Promote and Support the Careers of Women in Biomedical Science
Authors: Plank-Bazinet Jennifer L. , Bunker Whittington Kjersten , Cassidy Sara K.B. , Filart Rosemarie , Cornelison Terri L. , Begg Lisa , Austin Clayton Janine
Published: May 2016

Although women have reached parity at the training level in the biological sciences and medicine, they are still significantly underrepresented in the professoriate and in mid- and senior-level life science positions. Considerable effort has been devoted by individuals and organizations across science sectors to understanding this disparity and to developing interventions in support of women’s career development. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) in 1990 with the goals of supporting initiatives to improve women’s health and providing opportunities and support for the recruitment, retention, reentry, and sustained advancement of women in biomedical careers. Here, the authors review several accomplishments and flagship activities initiated by the NIH and ORWH in support of women’s career development during this time. These include programming to support researchers returning to the workforce after a period away (Research Supplements to Promote Reentry into Biomedical and Behavioral Research Careers), career development awards made through the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health program, and trans-NIH involvement and activities stemming from the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers. These innovative programs have contributed to advancement of women by supporting the professional and personal needs of women in science. The authors discuss the unique opportunities that accompany NIH partnerships with the scientific community, and conclude with a summary of the impact of these programs on women in science.
PERIPHERAL RETINOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH APLASTIC ANEMIA
Authors: Metelitsina Tatyana I. , Sheth Veeral S. , Patel Shuchi B. , Grassi Michael A.
Published: May 2016

Purpose:

To report a case of severe, bilateral, rapidly progressing peripheral retinal nonperfusion associated with underlying aplastic anemia.

Methods:

An interventional case report.

Results:

A 4-year-old girl presented with decreased visual acuity. On clinical examination, she was found to have a RAPD, elevated intraocular pressure, 360° rubeosis, vitreous hemorrhage, severe exudative retinal detachment, and telangiectasia with severe peripheral retinal nonperfusion. Laboratory workup was significant for pancytopenia, and a bone marrow biopsy showed extreme hypocellularity with no malignant cells. The patient was diagnosed with primary aplastic anemia. She developed dramatic progression of retinal nonperfusion in the left eye, as well as in the fellow right eye. This bilateral retinopathy was poorly responsive to aggressive management, which included laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor medications.

Conclusion:

Asymmetric, bilateral quickly progressing peripheral retinal ischemia, in conjunction with pancytopenia and otherwise negative workup may be related to underlying bone marrow failure and aplastic anemia.
Plasma IP-10 Is Increased in Immunological NonResponders and Associated With Activated Regulatory T Cells and Persisting Low CD4 Counts
Authors: Stiksrud Birgitte , Lorvik Kristina Berg , Kvale Dag , Mollnes Tom Eirik , Ueland Per Magne , Trøseid Marius , Taskén Kjetil , Dyrhol-Riise Anne M.
Published: May 2016

Objective:

To explore immune mechanisms and identify biomarkers associated with an inadequate immune recovery in patients with HIV with efficient antiretroviral therapy.

Design:

A cross-sectional study of 67 HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy for ≥24 months with HIV RNA ≤20 copies per milliliter; 41 were defined as immunological nonresponders (INR) (CD4 < 400 cells per microliter) and 26 as immunological responders (CD4 > 600 cells per microliter). CD4 counts were also registered 2 years after inclusion.

Methods:

Cytokines, soluble markers of microbial translocation, and tryptophan catabolites were measured in plasma by multiplex assay, ELISA, or mass spectrometry. T-cell activation, differentiation, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) were analyzed by flow cytometry in 2 subgroups with comparable nadir CD4 counts.

Results:

Plasma interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) levels were higher (P < 0.05), the T cells were more activated (CD38+HLA-DR+) (P < 0.05), the naive/effector memory T-cell ratio was lower (P < 0.01) and the proportion of resting Tregs (CD4+CD45RA+FoxP3+) was reduced (P < 0.001) in INR patients compared with immunological responders. INR patients with CD4 counts ≤300 cells per microliter also demonstrated a higher fraction of activated Tregs (aTreg) (CD4+CD147highCD25high) (P < 0.05). In the INR group, the aTreg percentages correlated with plasma IP-10 levels and inversely with CD4 counts (both P < 0.01). IP-10 levels (P < 0.05) and kynurenine/tryptophan ratio (P < 0.01) were negatively associated with the CD4 count 2 years after inclusion.

Conclusion:

Patients with HIV with inadequate CD4 responses had higher levels of IP-10, more activated and differentiated T-cell phenotypes, as well as aTreg, compared with patients with satisfactory CD4 gain. High IP-10 levels were also associated with lower CD4 counts after 2 years.
Model inversion via multi-fidelity Bayesian optimization: a new paradigm for parameter estimation in haemodynamics, and beyond
Authors: Perdikaris Paris , Karniadakis George Em
Published: May 2016

We present a computational framework for model inversion based on multi-fidelity information fusion and Bayesian optimization. The proposed methodology targets the accurate construction of response surfaces in parameter space, and the efficient pursuit to identify global optima while keeping the number of expensive function evaluations at a minimum. We train families of correlated surrogates on available data using Gaussian processes and auto-regressive stochastic schemes, and exploit the resulting predictive posterior distributions within a Bayesian optimization setting. This enables a smart adaptive sampling procedure that uses the predictive posterior variance to balance the exploration versus exploitation trade-off, and is a key enabler for practical computations under limited budgets. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is tested on three parameter estimation problems. The first two involve the calibration of outflow boundary conditions of blood flow simulations in arterial bifurcations using multi-fidelity realizations of one- and three-dimensional models, whereas the last one aims to identify the forcing term that generated a particular solution to an elliptic partial differential equation.
Gradual conversion of cellular stress patterns into pre-stressed matrix architecture during
in vitro
tissue growth
Authors: Bidan Cécile M. , Kollmannsberger Philip , Gering Vanessa , Ehrig Sebastian , Joly Pascal , Petersen Ansgar , Vogel Viola , Fratzl Peter , Dunlop John W. C.
Published: May 2016

The complex arrangement of the extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by cells during tissue growth, healing and remodelling is fundamental to tissue function. In connective tissues, it is still unclear how both cells and the ECM become and remain organized over length scales much larger than the distance between neighbouring cells. While cytoskeletal forces are essential for assembly and organization of the early ECM, how these processes lead to a highly organized ECM in tissues such as osteoid is not clear. To clarify the role of cellular tension for the development of these ordered fibril architectures, we used an
in vitro
model system, where pre-osteoblastic cells produced ECM-rich tissue inside channels with millimetre-sized triangular cross sections in ceramic scaffolds. Our results suggest a mechanical handshake between actively contracting cells and ECM fibrils: the build-up of a long-range organization of cells and the ECM enables a gradual conversion of cell-generated tension to pre-straining the ECM fibrils, which reduces the work cells have to generate to keep mature tissue under tension.
Artificial light on water attracts turtle hatchlings during their near shore transit
Authors: Thums Michele , Whiting Scott D. , Reisser Julia , Pendoley Kellie L. , Pattiaratchi Charitha B. , Proietti Maira , Hetzel Yasha , Fisher Rebecca , Meekan Mark G.
Published: May 2016

We examined the effect of artificial light on the near shore trajectories of turtle hatchlings dispersing from natal beaches. Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings were tagged with miniature acoustic transmitters and their movements tracked within an underwater array of 36 acoustic receivers placed in the near shore zone. A total of 40 hatchlings were tracked, 20 of which were subjected to artificial light during their transit of the array. At the same time, we measured current speed and direction, which were highly variable within and between experimental nights and treatments. Artificial lighting affected hatchling behaviour, with 88% of individual trajectories oriented towards the light and spending, on average, 23% more time in the 2.25 ha tracking array (19.5 ± 5 min) than under ambient light conditions (15.8 ± 5 min). Current speed had little to no effect on the bearing (angular direction) of the hatchling tracks when artificial light was present, but under ambient conditions it influenced the bearing of the tracks when current direction was offshore and above speeds of approximately 32.5 cm s−1. This is the first experimental evidence that wild turtle hatchlings are attracted to artificial light after entering the ocean, a behaviour that is likely to subject them to greater risk of predation. The experimental protocol described in this study can be used to assess the effect of anthropogenic (light pollution, noise, etc.) and natural (wave action, current, wind, moonlight) influences on the in-water movements of sea turtle hatchlings during the early phase of dispersal.
Responsiveness to conspecific distress calls is influenced by day-roost proximity in bats (Saccopteryx bilineata)
Authors: Eckenweber Maria , Knörnschild Mirjam
Published: May 2016

Distress calls signal extreme physical distress, e.g. being caught by a predator. In many bat species, distress calls attract conspecifics. Because bats often occupy perennial day-roosts, they might adapt their responsiveness according to the social relevance in which distress calls are broadcast. Specifically, we hypothesized that conspecific distress calls broadcast within or in proximity to the day-roost would elicit a stronger responsiveness than distress calls broadcast at a foraging site. We analysed the distress calls and conducted playback experiments with the greater sac-winged bat,Saccopteryx bilineata, which occupies perennial day-roosts with a stable social group composition.S. bilineatareacted significantly differently depending on the playback's location. Bats were attracted to distress call playbacks within the day-roost and in proximity to it, but showed no obvious response to distress call playbacks at a foraging site. Hence, the bats adapted their responsiveness towards distress calls depending on the social relevance in which distress calls were broadcast. Distress calls within or in proximity to the day-roost are probably perceived as a greater threat and thus have a higher behavioural relevance than distress calls at foraging sites, either because bats want to assess the predation risk or because they engage in mobbing behaviour.
Eighty-five million years of Pacific Ocean gyre ecosystem structure: long-term stability marked by punctuated change
Authors: Sibert Elizabeth , Norris Richard , Cuevas Jose , Graves Lana
Published: May 2016

While the history of taxonomic diversification in open ocean lineages of ray-finned fish and elasmobranchs is increasingly known, the evolution of their roles within the open ocean ecosystem remains poorly understood. To assess the relative importance of these groups through time, we measured the accumulation rate of microfossil fish teeth and elasmobranch dermal denticles (ichthyoliths) in deep-sea sediment cores from the North and South Pacific gyres over the past 85 million years (Myr). We find three distinct and stable open ocean ecosystem structures, each defined by the relative and absolute abundance of elasmobranch and ray-finned fish remains. The Cretaceous Ocean (pre-66 Ma) was characterized by abundant elasmobranch denticles, but low abundances of fish teeth. The Palaeogene Ocean (66–20 Ma), initiated by the Cretaceous/Palaeogene mass extinction, had nearly four times the abundance of fish teeth compared with elasmobranch denticles. This Palaeogene Ocean structure remained stable during the Eocene greenhouse (50 Ma) and the Eocene–Oligocene glaciation (34 Ma), despite large changes in the overall accumulation of both groups during those intervals, suggesting that climate change is not a primary driver of ecosystem structure. Dermal denticles virtually disappeared from open ocean ichthyolith assemblages approximately 20 Ma, while fish tooth accumulation increased dramatically in variability, marking the beginning of the Modern Ocean. Together, these results suggest that open ocean fish community structure is stable on long timescales, independent of total production and climate change. The timing of the abrupt transitions between these states suggests that the transitions may be due to interactions with other, non-preserved pelagic consumer groups.
The emergence of latent infection in the early evolution ofMycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Chisholm Rebecca H. , Tanaka Mark M.
Published: May 2016

Mycobacterium tuberculosishas an unusual natural history in that the vast majority of its human hosts enter a latent state that is both non-infectious and devoid of any symptoms of disease. From the pathogen perspective, it seems counterproductive to relinquish reproductive opportunities to achieve a détente with the host immune response. However, a small fraction of latent infections reactivate to the disease state. Thus, latency has been argued to provide a safe harbour for future infections which optimizes the persistence ofM. tuberculosisin human populations. Yet, if a pathogen begins interactions with humans as an active disease without latency, how could it begin to evolve latency properties without incurring an immediate reproductive disadvantage? We address this question with a mathematical model. Results suggest that the emergence of tuberculosis latency may have been enabled by a mechanism akin to cryptic genetic variation in that detrimental latency properties were hidden from natural selection until their expression became evolutionarily favoured.
Reanalysis of the Anthrax Epidemic in Rhodesia, 1978-84
Authors: Wilson James M , Brediger Walter , Albright Tom , Smith-Gagen Julie
Published: May 2016

In the mid-1980s, the largest epidemic of anthrax of the last 200 years was documented in a little known series of studies by Davies inThe Central African Journal of Medicine. This epidemic involved thousands of cattle and 10,738 human cases with 200 fatalities in Rhodesia during the Counterinsurgency. Grossly unusual epidemiological features were noted that, to this day, have not been definitively explained. This study performed a historical reanalysis of the data to reveal an estimated geographic involvement of 245,750 km2, with 171,990 cattle and 17,199 human cases. Geospatial time series analysis is suggestive of multiple, independent geotemporal foci of anthrax introduced via an unknown mechanism rather than re-emergence from native endemic foci.
Comparing the Statistical Fate of Paralogous and Orthologous Sequences
Authors: Massip Florian , Sheinman Michael , Schbath Sophie , Arndt Peter F.
Published: May 2016

Since several decades, sequence alignment is a widely used tool in bioinformatics. For instance, finding homologous sequences with known function in large databases is used to get insight into the function of non-annotated genomic regions. Very efficient tools, like BLAST have been developed to identify and rank possible homologous sequences. To estimate the significance of the homology, the ranking of alignment scores takes a background model for random sequences into account. Using this model one can estimate the probability to find two exactly matching subsequences by chance in two unrelated sequences. The corresponding probability for two homologous sequences is much higher allowing to identify them. Here we focus on the distribution of lengths of exact sequence matches in protein coding regions pairs of evolutionary distant genomes. We show that this distribution exhibits a power-law tail with exponent α = —5. Developing a simple model of sequence evolution by substitutions and segmental duplications, we show analytically that paralogous and orthologous gene pairs contribute differently to this distribution. Our model explains the differences observed in the comparison of coding and non-coding parts of genomes, thus providing with a better understanding of statistical properties of genomic sequences and their evolution.
C. elegansPVD Neurons: A Platform for Functionally Validating and Characterizing Neuropsychiatric Risk Genes
Authors: Aguirre-Chen Cristina , Kim Nuri , Mendivil Ramos Olivia , Kramer Melissa , McCombie W. Richard , Hammell Christopher M.
Published: May 2016

One of the primary challenges in the field of psychiatric genetics is the lack of anin vivomodel system in which to functionally validate candidateneuropsychiatricriskgenes (NRGs) in a rapid and cost-effective manner1−3. To overcome this obstacle, we performed a candidate-based RNAi screen in whichC. elegansorthologs of human NRGs were assayed for dendritic arborization and cell specification defects usingC. elegansPVD neurons. Of 66 NRGs, identified via exome sequencing of autism (ASD)4or schizophrenia (SCZ)5−9probands and whose mutations arede novoand predicted to result in a complete or partial loss of protein function, theC. elegansorthologs of 7 NRGs were found to be required for proper neuronal development and represent a variety of functional classes, including transcriptional regulators and chromatin remodelers, molecular chaperones, and cytoskeleton-related proteins. Notably, the positive hit rate, when selectively assayingC. elegansorthologs of ASD and SCZ NRGs, is enriched >14-fold as compared to unbiased RNAi screening10. Furthermore, we find that RNAi phenotypes associated with the depletion of NRG orthologs is recapitulated in genetic mutant animals, and, via genetic interaction studies, we show that the NRG ortholog of ANK2,unc-44, is required for SAX-7/MNR-1/DMA-1 signaling. Collectively, our studies demonstrate thatC. elegansPVD neurons are a tractable model in which to discover and dissect the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disease pathogenesis.
Tools and techniques to ensure innovative management education in India
Authors: Rao M.S.
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to outline tools and techniques to ensure innovative management education in India.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper addresses the challenges in the present Indian management education and outlines a blueprint with innovative solutions.

Findings

– It calls for support from all stakeholders including industry, educators, students, educational institutions, government and thought leaders to innovate Indian management education as per the global standards to create world class managers and leaders.

Practical implications

– These tools and techniques can be customized in other countries to ensure quality management education.

Social implications

– The social implications of this research suggests that stakeholders must strive to ensure innovative management education to create effective managers and leaders globally.

Originality/value

– It overhauls Indian management education as per international standards. It explains management education from the perspective of Henry Mintzberg. It reinvents management education as per the dynamic global business environment.
Changing mindset to improve results
Authors: Lazan Michael
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how it is possible to change a leadership team’s mindset from “inward” to “outward” and how that can lead to dramatically better organizational results.

Design/methodology/approach

– The leadership team of Spandex received training, coaching and support from The Arbinger Institute.

Findings

– As a result of this work, the Spandex leadership team transformed from a dysfunctional group to a collaborative, high-performing team that produced remarkable business results.

Originality/value

– This case study is valuable to any organization seeking to improve its results.
Benchmark report reveals trends in corporate learning and development
Authors: Little Bob
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– An outline of the 2015-2016 industry benchmark report produced by Towards Maturity, a benchmarking research company that provides independent advice and support to help organisations use learning technologies to accelerate business performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the report and highlights some of the key findings from the research – and the conclusions drawn.

Design/methodology/approach

– A report, making use of research data from more than 600 learning and development (L
&
D) professionals in 55 countries and inputs from 1,600 learners. It also sets out comments and conclusions by those closely involved in the research.

Findings

– Among the many findings contained in the report are that: L
&
D professionals have high aspirations for their role; top performing organisations actively support the self-directed learner, as well as equip their L
&
D teams to cope with and lead change; evidence from top performing organisations highlights that business leaders now expect more – and different – things from their L
&
D professionals; and all L
&
D professionals are responding to the changing corporate learning climate by looking to improve their: efficiency; processes; organisational productivity and engagement; business responsiveness and learning culture.

Research limitations/implications

– As with all surveys – even those, like this one, which include a significant sample – this report is only as valuable as those surveyed are representative of the L
&
D sector and of corporate learning. However, the benchmarking survey covers 55 countries and over 2,000 people.

Practical implications

– This is the 12th year of the Towards Maturity benchmarking study, so this year’s data rests on a wealth of previous data – to provide information on trends in learning and L
&
D. Moreover, the study’s results show how L
&
D is changing in its relationship with businesses and business leaders – and how this needs to develop further.

Social implications

– For L
&
D professionals, taking advantage of benchmarking – and applying the lessons of research such as those revealed by Towards Maturity – can result in: lower costs – through discovering more cost-effective processes and systems; improved quality in terms of such things as products, services and customer care; and increasing sales and profits – through understanding how to improve functions, operations, products, services, pre- and post-sales customer care, as well as lower costs.

Originality/value

– No organisation other than Towards Maturity carries out a benchmark survey such as this.
Evidence of the likely negative effect of the introduction of the minimum wage on the least skilled and poor through “labor-labor” substitution
Authors: Yamada Hiroyuki
Published: May 2016

Purpose

This study aims to test one hypothesis regarding the impact of the minimum wage on poverty: an increase or the introduction of the minimum wage raises the cost of hiring relatively unskilled workers, and makes inputs that are good substitutes for such workers more attractive.

Design/methodology/approach

Placebo analyses confirmed that a labor–labor substitution is induced by the introduction of the minimum wage.

Findings

This study found a labor–labor substitution within low-skill groups induced by the introduction of the minimum wage for domestic and farming work in South Africa.

Practical implications

The evidence implies that the minimum-wage policy may not be as effective for poverty reduction as some governments in emerging and developing countries claim.

Originality/value

No studies were found on labor–labor substitution in the context of emerging or developing countries. The clear contribution of this paper using South African data clearly lies here.
Voice picking: analysis of critical factors through a case study in Brazil and the United States
Authors: Azanha Adrialdo , Vivaldini Mauro , Pires Silvio R.I. , Camargo Junior João Batista de
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the difficulties encountered in the implementation of a voice picking system at a large multinational company of the tractor industrial segment, outlining a comparison related to the main critical factors concerning the system implementation at a Brazilian and a USA plant.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodology utilised was qualitative and exploratory conducted through case studies in the two plants of the multinational company. The main data were collected through interviews with key managers directly involved in the project of voice picking system implementation.

Findings

– The results indicate that the picking processes in the two plants were similar, since both were designed for the production line and conducted using bar-code readers and paper lists. Nevertheless, the internal warehousing process in the USA was more mature and computerised, whereas the Brazilian process still had opportunity for improvement, such as, the visual storage process, where the operator was responsible for locating an empty position.

Research limitations/implications

– Since this research is an exploratory case study, its results cannot be generalised.

Practical implications

– The paper provides relevant practical information and experiences to managers interested in implementing voice picking systems, as well as interested in improving the accuracy and productivity of logistics processes within warehouses.

Originality/value

– The voice picking systems are more widespread in the USA than in Brazil, and therefore, companies around the world can use this studied case to better understand about the voice picking systems implementation process in both emerging and mature marketplaces.
The digital cultural biography, a tool for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange on the history and heritage of the urban landscape
Authors: de Kleijn Maurice , Dias Eduardo , Burgers Gert-Jan
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address the challenge for knowledge exchange between disciplines that study past urban landscapes, such as archaeologists, historians and historical geographers and disciplines that work on new urban landscapes such as architects and spatial planners. It presents the design, deployment and evaluation of a heritage instrument, the “digital cultural biography” (DCB), which aims to allow future-oriented disciplines to make more historical and heritage informed decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper makes three contributions. First it presents a methodology to disseminate geographic information across disciplines by applying the biography of the landscape research strategy. Second it translates this methodology to a digital instrument, the DCB, which makes it possible to configure the historical and heritage features diachronically as well as spatially. And third it evaluates the added value of this instrument by organizing a design concourse and applying various evaluation methods. The Roman neighbourhood of Testaccio functions as the use case for this study.

Findings

– The research shows a high potential to use digital tooling based on geospatial technologies to support the dialogue between future and past-oriented disciplines.

Originality/value

– The paper discusses how the recently developed biography of the landscape method can be used as a tool for collaboration between heritage managers and spatial planners. Moreover, for the first time it applies and evaluates digital tools and geospatial technologies to support this approach.
Human resource management practices and organizational effectiveness: internal fit matters
Authors: Delery John , Gupta Nina
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test alternative conceptualizations of the relationship between systems of human resource management (HRM) practices and organizational effectiveness. The authors describe a framework suggesting a complex relationship between HRM practices and organizational effectiveness, test this approach empirically in a large sample of US motor carriers, and compare the results to those derived using other approaches prevalent in the strategic HRM literature.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study used a large scale cross-sectional survey design. In a sample of US motor carriers, questionnaires completed by senior HRM department staff were used as the primary data. The data were supplemented by organizational effectiveness data reported by motor carriers to the US Government.

Findings

– The results support the general hypothesis that HRM practices enhance organizational effectiveness, provide some evidence that HRM practices can enhance each other’s effectiveness, and underscore the value of theory driven methodological approaches. Specifically, the authors found that HRM system comprising practices that ensure selectivity in staffing, performance-based pay, and enhanced employee opportunity through participation in decision-making result in higher levels of organizational effectiveness. Additionally, the effects of other combinations of these practices varied.

Practical implications

– This study highlights the need for HRM departments and organizations to approach the strategic management of employees with a systems perspective. The optimal design of an HRM strategy must take into account the various components.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the first to test the main assumptions of the systems perspective in strategic HRM using multiple measures and empirical approaches for combining HRM practices into systems. Comparison of these different approaches in a single study offers insight into how researchers can test the relationship between HRM practices and organizational effectiveness and provide practitioners more useful approaches for designing HRM systems.
SEC adopts rule to implement Dodd-Frank CEO pay ratio disclosure requirement
Authors: Parrino Richard J.
Published: May 2016

Purpose

This article examines the rule issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission in August 2015 that requires most SEC-reporting companies to disclose annually the ratio of the annual total compensation of their chief executive officer to the median of the annual total compensation of their employees other than the CEO.

Design/methodology/approach

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the operation of the controversial pay ratio disclosure rule against the backdrop of concerns expressed by many commenters on the rule proposal, as well as by the two Commissioners who dissented from adoption of the rule, that the disclosure will not provide meaningful information to investors and will be excessively costly and burdensome for companies to produce.

Findings

The SEC fashioned the final pay ratio disclosure rule with a vaguely defined statutory purpose to guide it and a heavy volume of comments on its rule proposal that urged widely disparate approaches to implementation. In overhauling the proposed rule, the SEC sought to satisfy its mandate under the Dodd-Frank Act while providing companies with flexibility in implementing the new rule that it believes will reduce compliance costs and burdens.

Originality/value

This article provides expert guidance on a major new SEC disclosure requirement from experienced securities lawyers.
Factors responsible behind political brand preference: an empirical study on Indian voters
Authors: Banerjee Saikat , Ray Chaudhuri Bibek
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– Political parties are continuously interested to gain knowledge about the factors that influence the voter to select political candidate of his/her choice. The purpose of this paper is to examine cumulative impact of sources of associations on voters’ preference of the political party and to investigate the type of causal relationship that exists among those sources.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors have proposed five key sources of associations of the overall political party, namely, campaign effectiveness, image of its leaders, intensity of anti-incumbency effect, meaning and trust attached with the party. Here the authors have considered four important political parties relevant to the voters of West Bengal. Those are Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and All India Trinamool Congress. The authors have used SEM method for estimating the model as the same is widely used for estimating a system of equations with latent variables.

Findings

– Out of the eight path coefficients six are found to be statistically significant. Political campaign impacts brand trust positively and brand trust in turn impacts party preference positively. Again political campaign’s direct impact on political party preference is found to be positive. However, the impact of political campaign on party preference also runs through brand meaning. Both the path coefficients are significantly negative showing that more the voters develop understanding about political parties through different independent sources lesser are the impact of political campaigns as they highlight positive aspects of the party and the candidate only, ignoring facts. Interestingly leadership is impacting party preference negatively. Thus individual leadership traits have negatively impacted party preference in the sample.

Originality/value

– In the paper, the authors have identified factors impacting political brand choice in an emerging country like India. This research explores the factors that need to be considered by the political parties to influence preference of voters for political brand. As far as the authors’ knowledge goes no such studies have been carried out in the Indian context and certainly not in the context of a regime change after three decades. Additionally, the theoretical model proposed is firmly grounded in theory and its estimation is based on well-developed scales. The approach is thus unique in this area of enquiry. Finally, application of SEM in political branding context is a significant contribution of this work.
Towards the minimal nitrogen‐fixing symbiotic genome
Authors: Sanjuán Juan
Published: May 2016

diCenzo and coworkers have reverse engineered a rhizobium into a non‐nitrogen fixer, creating a genomic platform for gain‐of‐function genetics studies, which should aid to identify the minimal nitrogen fixing symbiotic genome.
UK Euroscepticism and the Brexit Referendum
Authors: Vasilopoulou Sofia
Published: May 2016

This article shows that key to understanding the referendum outcome are factors such as a profoundly eurosceptic public, high levels of citizen uncertainty, divided mainstream political parties on the EU and lack of unity within the ‘Leave’ campaign. The Brexit referendum is more than just about domestic issues and government approval. Utilitarian concerns related to economic evaluations of EU integration coupled with support of or opposition to EU freedom of movement are very likely to influence vote choice. Those campaigns that focus on rational utilitarian arguments about the costs and benefits related to EU membership as a whole but also to EU freedom of movement are expected to swing voters.
Economic Rationality Meets Celebrity Urbanology: Exploring Edward Glaeser's City
Authors: Peck Jamie
Published: May 2016

This article presents a critique of the popular and public‐policy work of Harvard economist Edward Glaeser, which has been constructed at the nexus of neoclassical economic rationality and celebrity urbanology. Widely recognized as one of the world's leading urbanists, Glaeser has combined a high‐flying academic career with public‐policy engagement and extensive work as a newspaper columnist and media commentator, enabled by a longstanding affiliation with the Manhattan Institute, a leading conservative think tank. The critique is pointed, but seeks to exceed argumentumad hominemby calling attention to sociopolitical and institutional factors that have facilitated the accelerated diffusion and enlarged dominion of this model (and mode) of microeconomically rationalized urbanism, including the production of new forms of intellectual marketing, the construction of colonizing variants of urban‐economic expertise, and the ongoing rearticulation and creeping consolidation of market‐centric policy norms. The article argues that a distinctive form of urban‐economic orthodoxy is under construction, based on a potent fusion of scientific reasoning and pop presentation, combining ideologically disciplined applications of neoclassical economics with dissemination in the register of the ‘freakonomics' franchise. Edward Glaeser's intellectual accomplishments have been significant, but the ‘Glaeser effect' is more than a story of individual scholarly endeavor, calling for more than a merely ‘internal' critique. Its conformity to Manhattan Institute principles testifies to a telling consistency of ideological purpose, contributing as it does to a sustained effort to rationalize and normalize lean and limited modes of neoliberal urban governance, fortified by microeconomic reason.
Jung in education: a review of historical and contemporary contributions from analytical psychology to the field of education
Authors: Gitz‐Johansen Thomas
Published: May 2016

The available literature on the influence of Jungian thought on the theory and practice of education leaves the impression that although the work of Carl Jung and analytical psychology have much to offer the field of education, the Jungian influence has so far been slight. While this has certainly been true, the last decade or so has nevertheless witnessed an increased scholarly interest in exploring how analytical psychology may inform and inspire the field of education. As an explanation for this burgeoning interest in Jung, several of the contemporary contributors mention that analytical psychology has the potential of functioning as a counterbalance to the tendencies in Western societies to focus on measurable learning targets and increasingly standardized measures of teaching and assessment. It seems pertinent then to gain an overview of how analytical psychology has so far inspired the field of education and how it may fruitfully continue do so in the future. To this end this paper is structured chronologically, starting with the different phases of Jung's own engagement with the field of education and ending with later post‐Jungian applications of his concepts and ideas to education.
Between fighting and tolerance: reproductive biology of wingless males in the ant Cardiocondyla venustula
Authors: Jacobs Susanne , Heinze Jürgen
Published: May 2016

Male reproductive tactics vary widely across the species of the ant genus Cardiocondyla, from obligatory lethal combat among co‐occurring males to complete mutual tolerance. The African species C. venustula Wheeler, 1908 has an intermediate phylogenetic position between taxa with fighting males and taxa with tolerant males and also shows an intermediate male behavior. Males from 2 native populations in South Africa and a population introduced to Puerto Rico attacked and killed freshly eclosing rivals but rarely engaged in deadly fights with adult competitors. Instead, several males per colony established small “territories” in their natal nests and defended them against other males. Males with a stable territory had more contact with female sexuals than nonterritorial males and more frequently engaged in mating attempts. In controlled choice experiments, female sexuals did not show any preference for particular males. We suggest that male territoriality in C. venustula is an adaptation to the seasonal production of large numbers of female sexuals by multiple mothers.
Viruses and bacteria in Th2‐biased allergic airway disease
Authors: Lan F. , Zhang N. , Gevaert E. , Zhang L. , Bachert C.
Published: May 2016

Allergic airway diseases are typically characterized by a type 2‐biased inflammation. Multiple distinct viruses and bacteria have been detected in the airways. Recently, it has been confirmed that the microbiome of allergic individuals differs from that of healthy subjects, showing a close relationship with the type 2 response in allergic airway disease. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on the prevalence of viruses and bacteria in type 2‐biased airway diseases and on the mechanisms employed by viruses and bacteria in propagating type 2 responses. The understanding of the microbial composition and postinfectious immune programming is critical for the reconstruction of the normal microflora and immune status in allergic airway diseases.
Adaptive Prior Weighting in Generalized Regression
Authors: Held Leonhard , Sauter Rafael
Published: May 2016

The prior distribution is a key ingredient in Bayesian inference. Prior information on regression coefficients may come from different sources and may or may not be in conflict with the observed data. Various methods have been proposed to quantify a potential prior-data conflict, such as Box's p-value. However, there are no clear recommendations how to react to possible prior-data conflict in generalized regression models. To address this deficiency, we propose to adaptively weight a prespecified multivariate normal prior distribution on the regression coefficients. To this end, we relate empirical Bayes estimates of prior weight to Box's p-value and propose alternative fully Bayesian approaches. Prior weighting can be done for the joint prior distribution of the regression coefficients or—under prior independence—separately for prespecified blocks of regression coefficients. We outline how the proposed methodology can be implemented using integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA) and illustrate the applicability with a Bayesian logistic regression model for data from a cross-sectional study. We also provide a simulation study that shows excellent performance of our approach in the case of prior misspecification in terms of root mean squared error and coverage. Supplementary Materials give details on software implementation and code and another application to binary longitudinal data from a randomized clinical trial using a Bayesian generalized linear mixed model.
Mapping the Cultural Learnability Landscape of Danger
Authors: Clark Barrett H. , Peterson Christopher D. , Frankenhuis Willem E.
Published: May 2016

Cultural transmission is often viewed as a domain‐general process. However, a growing literature suggests that learnability is influenced by content and context. The idea of a learnability landscape is introduced as a way of representing the effects of interacting factors on how easily information is acquired. Extending prior work (Barrett & Broesch, ), learnability of danger and other properties is compared for animals, artifacts, and foods in the urban American children (ages 4–5) and in the Shuar children in Ecuador (ages 4–9). There is an advantage for acquiring danger information that is strongest for animals and weakest for artifacts in both populations, with culture‐specific variations. The potential of learnability landscapes for assessing biological and cultural influences on cultural transmission is discussed.
Playing With Knives: The Socialization of Self‐Initiated Learners
Authors: Lancy David F.
Published: May 2016

Since Margaret Mead's field studies in the South Pacific a century ago, there has been the tacit understanding that as culture varies, so too must the socialization of children to become competent culture users and bearers. More recently, the work of anthropologists has been mined to find broader patterns that may be common to childhood across a range of societies. One improbable commonality has been the tolerance, even encouragement, of toddler behavior that is patently risky, such as playing with or attempting to use a sharp‐edged tool. This laissez faire approach to socialization follows from a reliance on children as “self‐initiated learners.” In this article, the ethnographic literature that shows why children are encouraged to learn without prompting or guidance and how that happens is reviewed.
Learning From Others and Spontaneous Exploration: A Cross‐Cultural Investigation
Authors: Shneidman Laura , Gweon Hyowon , Schulz Laura E. , Woodward Amanda L.
Published: May 2016

How does early social experience affect children's inferences and exploration? Following prior work on children's reasoning in pedagogical contexts, this study examined U.S. children with less experience in formal schooling and Yucatec Mayan children whose early social input is predominantly observational. In Experiment 1, U.S. 2‐year‐olds (n = 77) showed more restricted exploration of a toy following a pedagogical demonstration than an interrupted, accidental, or no demonstration (baseline). In Experiment 2, Yucatec Mayan and U.S. 2‐year‐olds (n = 66) showed more restricted exploration following a pedagogical than an observational demonstration, while only Mayan children showed more restriction with age. These results suggest that although schooling is not a necessary precursor for sensitivity to pedagogy, early social experience may influence children's inferences and exploration in pedagogical contexts.
Reactions to Receiving a Gift—Maternal Scaffolding and Cultural Learning in Berlin and Delhi
Authors: Kärtner Joscha , Crafa Daina , Chaudhary Nandita , Keller Heidi
Published: May 2016

This study shows how Berlin (n = 35) and Delhi (n = 28) mothers scaffold a common and highly scripted social situation, namely gift giving, and enable cultural learning in 19‐month‐olds. Using modeling and prompting to encourage appropriate responses, mothers took culture‐specific directions during scaffolding that were in line with the broader cultural model as assessed by maternal socialization goals (SGs). Whereas Berlin mothers prioritized autonomous SGs, Delhi mothers emphasized autonomous and relational SGs to similar degrees. During scaffolding, Berlin mothers focused on maximizing positive affect and acknowledging the gift, whereas Delhi mothers prompted toddlers to acknowledge the giver more often. Furthermore, there were differences in toddlers' behavior in line with these culture‐specific scripts guiding gift giving.
Unselective Overimitators: The Evolutionary Implications of Children's Indiscriminate Copying of Successful and Prestigious Models
Authors: Chudek Maciej , Baron Andrew S. , Birch Susan
Published: May 2016

Children are both shrewd about whom to copy—they selectively learn from certain adults—and overimitators—they copy adults' obviously superfluous actions. Is overimitation also selective? Does selectivity change with age? In two experiments, 161 two‐ to seven‐year‐old children saw videos of one adult receiving better payoffs or more bystander attention than another. Children then watched the adults perform unnecessary actions on novel transparent devices. Children preferred the adult who received greater payoffs or bystander attention when asked questions like “Who do you think is smarter?” but overimitated both adults' unnecessary actions equally. Although older children overimitated more, unselectivity was consistent across ages. This pattern hints at a plausible adaptive function of overimitation: acquiring rarely demonstrated behaviors by practising them immediately.