bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Observational drawing biases are predicted by biases in perception: Empirical support of the misperception hypothesis of drawing accuracy with respect to two angle illusions
Authors: Ostrofsky Justin , Kozbelt Aaron , Cohen Dale J.
Published: November 2014

We tested the misperception hypothesis of drawing errors, which states that drawing accuracy is strongly influenced by the perceptual encoding of a to-be-drawn stimulus. We used a highly controlled experimental paradigm in which nonartist participants made perceptual judgements and drawings of angles under identical stimulus exposure conditions. Experiment 1 examined the isosceles/scalene triangle angle illusion; congruent patterns of bias in the perception and drawing tasks were found for 40 and 60° angles, but not for 20 or 80° angles, providing mixed support for the misperception hypothesis. Experiment 2 examined shape constancy effects with respect to reproductions of single acute or obtuse angles; congruent patterns of bias in the perception and drawing tasks were found across a range of angles from 29 to 151°, providing strong support for the misperception hypothesis. In both experiments, perceptual and drawing biases were positively correlated. These results are largely consistent with the misperception hypothesis, suggesting that inaccurate perceptual encoding of angles is an important reason that nonartists err in drawing angles from observation.
Maximal subsemigroups of the semigroup of all mappings on an infinite set
Authors: East J. , Mitchell J. , Péresse Y.
Published: November 2014

In this paper we classify the maximal subsemigroups of the full transformation semigroup

Ω
Ω

\Omega ^\Omega

, which consists of all mappings on the infinite set

Ω
\Omega

, containing certain subgroups of the symmetric group

Sym
⁡
(
Ω
)

\operatorname {Sym}(\Omega )

on

Ω
\Omega

. In 1965 Gavrilov showed that there are five maximal subsemigroups of

Ω
Ω

\Omega ^\Omega

containing

Sym
⁡
(
Ω
)

\operatorname {Sym}(\Omega )

when

Ω
\Omega

is countable, and in 2005 Pinsker extended Gavrilov’s result to sets of arbitrary cardinality.

We classify the maximal subsemigroups of

Ω
Ω

\Omega ^\Omega

on a set

Ω
\Omega

of arbitrary infinite cardinality containing one of the following subgroups of

Sym
⁡
(
Ω
)

\operatorname {Sym}(\Omega )

: the pointwise stabiliser of a non-empty finite subset of

Ω
\Omega

, the stabiliser of an ultrafilter on

Ω
\Omega

, or the stabiliser of a partition of

Ω
\Omega

into finitely many subsets of equal cardinality. If

G
G

is any of these subgroups, then we deduce a characterisation of the mappings

f
,
g
∈

Ω
Ω

f,g\in \Omega ^\Omega

such that the semigroup generated by

G
∪
{
f
,
g
}

G\cup \{f,g\}

equals

Ω
Ω

\Omega ^\Omega

.
The decomposition matrices of the Brauer algebra over the complex field
Authors: Martin Paul
Published: November 2014

The Brauer algebra was introduced by R. Brauer in 1937 as a tool in invariant theory. The problem of determining the Cartan decomposition matrix of the Brauer algebra over the complex field has remained open since then. Here we determine this fundamental invariant.
Measuring Food Access and Food Deserts for Policy Purposes†
Authors: Ver Ploeg Michele , Dutko Paula , Breneman Vince
Published: November 2014

Policymakers have dedicated increasing attention to whether Americans have access to healthful food. As a result, various methods for measuring food store access at the national level have been developed to identify areas that lack access. However, these methods face definitional, data, and methodological limitations. The focus on neighborhoods instead of individuals underestimates the barriers that some individuals face in accessing healthy food, and overestimates the problem in other neighborhoods. This paper reviews and critiques currently available national‐level measures of food access. While multiple measures of food access are needed to understand the problem, we recommend greater attention be paid to individual measures of food store access.
Type B Lactic Acidosis Associated With Venlafaxine Overdose
Authors: Iragavarapu Chaitanya , Gupta Tanush , Chugh Savneek S. , Aronow Wilbert S. , Frishman William H.
Published: November 2014

Lactic acidosis that is not secondary to tissue hypoperfusion or hypoxemia (type B lactic acidosis) is a rare but potentially fatal condition that has been associated with drugs like metformin, linezolid, and nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors in patients with HIV. We report the first case of type B lactic acidosis caused by overdose of the serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, venlafaxine. A 55-year-old man with no significant medical history was brought to the emergency department after intentional ingestion of around 80 capsules of venlafaxine (a total dose of over 6000 mg) in an attempt to commit suicide. Complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic panel were unremarkable except for a bicarbonate level of 13 mEq/L and an anion gap of 22 mEq/L. An arterial blood gas revealed a pH of 7.39, partial pressure of CO2 of 19 mm Hg, calculated bicarbonate of 11.5 mEq/L, and a lactate level of 8.6 mmol/L. The patient was started on aggressive intravenous hydration with normal saline along with oral activated charcoal with sorbitol. Repeat laboratory work after 4 hours showed an improvement in anion gap (15 mEq/L) and serum lactate (5.6 mmol/L). The patient remained stable throughout the hospital stay and lactic acidosis resolved in 24 hours. In the absence of hypotension, hypoxemia, kidney or liver dysfunction, myopathy, malignancy, or use of other medications, venlafaxine was the most likely cause of lactic acidosis in our case. Rapid improvement of acidosis was probably related to clearance of the drug.
Correlation Between Hyperhomocysteinemia and Outcomes of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Ma Yi , Li Li , Geng Xue-Bin , Hong Ye , Shang Xiao-Ming , Tan Zheng , Song Yu-Xin , Zhao Guo-Yu , Zhao Bi-Qiong , Tian Mei-Rong
Published: November 2014

Overwhelming clinical and epidemiological studies have identified elevated plasma total homocysteine (Hcy) as new important risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease. But the relationship between outcome and hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been rarely reported. This study aimed to evaluate the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and short-term outcomes of patients with AMI. Eight hundred five patients were divided into high Hcy level group (group H: N = 457) and low Hcy level group (group L: N = 348) according to the plasma Hcy levels of 15 mmol/L. The comparisons were made between 2 groups in the following aspects: sex, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, the time for symptom from onset to percutaneous coronary intervention, homoccyteine, creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme (creatine kinase myocardial band), and the incidence of 30-day adverse events. The incidences of heart failure, cardiac rupture, death, and the total adverse cardiovascular events were statistically significantly higher in group H than in group L. But the incidence of postoperative angina pectoris and reinfarction was similar between groups. The results of logistic regression showed that the incidence of 30-day adverse events was closely related to the age and the level of Hcy. An elevated plasma total Hcy level in patients with AMI experienced pemutaneous coronary intervention may be related to the short-term outcomes. An elevated high plasma Hcy level also seems to be an independent predictor of 30-day cardiovascular events in patients with AMI.
Modelling artificial sea salt emission in large eddy simulations
Authors: Maalick Z. , Korhonen H. , Kokkola H. , Kühn T. , Romakkaniemi S.
Published: November 2014

We study the dispersion of sea salt particles from artificially injected sea spray at a cloud-resolving scale. Understanding of how different aerosol processes affect particle dispersion is crucial when designing emission sources for marine cloud brightening. Compared with previous studies, we include for the first time an explicit treatment of aerosol water, which takes into account condensation, evaporation and their effect on ambient temperature. This enables us to capture the negative buoyancy caused by water evaporation from aerosols. Additionally, we use a higher model resolution to capture aerosol loss through coagulation near the source point. We find that, with a seawater flux of 15 kg s
−1
, the cooling due to evaporation can be as much as 1.4 K, causing a delay in particle dispersion of 10–20 min. This delay enhances particle scavenging by a factor of 1.14 compared with simulations without aerosol water. We further show that both cooling and particle dispersion depend on the model resolution, with a maximum particle scavenging efficiency of 20% within 5 h after emission at maximum resolution of 50 m. Based on these results, we suggest further regional high-resolution studies which model several injection periods over several weeks.
Preliminary results for salt aerosol production intended for marine cloud brightening, using effervescent spray atomization
Authors: Cooper Gary , Foster Jack , Galbraith Lee , Jain Sudhanshu , Neukermans Armand , Ormond Bob
Published: November 2014

The large-scale production of vast numbers of suitable salt nuclei and their upward launch is one of the main technological barriers to the experimental testing of marine cloud brightening (MCB). Very promising, though not definitive, results have been obtained using an adapted version of effervescent spray atomization. The process is simple, robust and inexpensive. This form of effervescent spraying uses only pressurized water and air sprayed from small nozzles to obtain very fine distributions. While it is far from optimized, and may not be the best method if full deployment is ever desired, we believe that even in its present form the process would lend itself well to preliminary field test investigations of MCB. Measurements obtained using standard aerosol instrumentation show approximately lognormal distributions of salt nuclei with median diameters of approximately 65 nm and geometric standard deviations slightly less than 2. However, these measurements are not in agreement with those based on scanning electron microscopy imaging of collected particles, an observation that has not yet been explained. Assuming the above distribution, 10
15
particles per second could be made with 21 kW of spray power, using approximately 200 nozzles. It is envisioned that existing snow making equipment can be adapted to launch the nuclei 60–100 m into the air, requiring approximately 20 kW of additional power.
Asilomar moments: formative framings in recombinant DNA and solar climate engineering research
Authors: Schäfer Stefan , Low Sean
Published: November 2014

We examine the claim that in governance for solar climate engineering research, and especially field tests, there is no need for external governance beyond existing mechanisms such as peer review and environmental impact assessments that aim to assess technically defined risks to the physical environment. By drawing on the historical debate on recombinant DNA research, we show that defining risks is not a technical question but a complex process of narrative formation. Governance emerges from within, and as a response to, narratives of what is at stake in a debate. In applying this finding to the case of climate engineering, we find that the emerging narrative differs starkly from the narrative that gave meaning to rDNA technology during its formative period, with important implications for governance. While the narrative of rDNA technology was closed down to narrowly focus on technical risks, that of climate engineering continues to open up and includes social, political and ethical issues. This suggests that, in order to be legitimate, governance must take into account this broad perception of what constitutes the relevant issues and risks of climate engineering, requiring governance that goes beyond existing mechanisms that focus on technical risks. Even small-scale field tests with negligible impacts on the physical environment warrant additional governance as they raise broader concerns that go beyond the immediate impacts of individual experiments.
The conversion of systolic volume into systolic pressure (the development of numerical model)
Authors: Kamnev Yuri
Published: November 2014

The direct proportional trend of the transition from systolic volume to systolic pressure can be proved theoretically with the help of circulatory numerical model. The model permits to link calculable end-diastolic volume with the observable interrelations between systolic and diastolic pressures. The outstripping growth of systolic pressure (when diastolic pressure is rising with steady increment) is deduced and the analogous phenomenon can be observed at clinical gradation of arterial hypertension.
Behavioral flexibility and response selection are impaired after limited exposure to oxycodone
Authors: Seip-Cammack Katharine M. , Shapiro Matthew L.
Published: November 2014

Behavioral flexibility allows individuals to adapt to situations in which rewards and goals change. Potentially addictive drugs may impair flexible decision-making by altering brain mechanisms that compute reward expectancies, thereby facilitating maladaptive drug use. To investigate this hypothesis, we tested the effects of oxycodone exposure on rats in two complementary learning and memory tasks that engage distinct learning strategies and neural circuits. Rats were trained first in either a spatial or a body-turn discrimination on a radial maze. After initial training, rats were given oxycodone or vehicle injections in their home cages for 5 d. Reversal learning was tested 36 h after the final drug exposure. We hypothesized that if oxycodone impaired behavioral flexibility, then drug-exposed rats should learn reversals more slowly than controls. Oxycodone exposure impaired spatial reversal learning when reward contingencies changed rapidly, but not when they changed slowly. During rapid reversals, oxycodone-exposed rats required more trials to reach criterion, made more perseverative errors, and were more likely to make errors after correct responses than controls. Oxycodone impaired body-turn reversal learning in similar patterns. Limited exposure to oxycodone reduced behavioral flexibility when rats were tested in a drug-free state, suggesting that impaired decision-making is an enduring consequence of oxycodone exposure.
Crystal structures of bis[2-(diphenylphosphinothioyl)phenyl] ether and bis{2-[diphenyl(selanylidene)phosphanyl]phenyl} ether
Authors: Janzen Daron E. , Kooyman Arianna M. , Lange Kayla A.
Published: November 2014

The title compounds, C36H28OP2S2, (1), and C36H28OP2Se2, (2), exhibit remarkably similar structures although they are not isomorphous. The whole molecule of compound (2) is generated by twofold symmetry, with the ether O atom located on the twofold axis. Both compounds have intramolecular π–π interactions between terminal phenyl rings with centroid–centroid distances of 3.6214 (16) and 3.8027 (14) Å in (1) and (2), respectively. In the crystal of (1), short C—H...S hydrogen bonds link the molecules, forming chains along [001], while in (2) there are no analogous C—H...Se interactions present.
The Diffraction Pattern Calculator(DPC) toolkit: a user-friendly approach to unit-cell lattice parameter identification of two-dimensional grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering data
Authors: Hailey Anna K. , Hiszpanski Anna M. , Smilgies Detlef-M. , Loo Yueh-Lin
Published: November 2014

TheDPCtoolkit is a simple-to-use computational tool that helps users identify the unit-cell lattice parameters of a crystal structure that are consistent with a set of two-dimensional grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering data. The input data requirements are minimal and easy to assemble from data sets collected with any position-sensitive detector, and the user is required to make as few initial assumptions about the crystal structure as possible. By selecting manual or automatic modes of operation, the user can either visually match the positions of the experimental and calculated reflections by individually tuning the unit-cell parameters or have the program perform this process for them. Examples that demonstrate the utility of this program include determining the lattice parameters of a polymorph of a fluorinated contorted hexabenzocoronene in a blind test and refining the lattice parameters of the thin-film phase of 5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene with the unit-cell dimensions of its bulk crystal structure being the initial inputs.
Tightly integrated single- and multi-crystal data collection strategy calculation and parallelized data processing inJBluIcebeamline control system
Authors: Pothineni Sudhir Babu , Venugopalan Nagarajan , Ogata Craig M. , Hilgart Mark C. , Stepanov Sergey , Sanishvili Ruslan , Becker Michael , Winter Graeme , Sauter Nicholas K. , Smith Janet L. , Fischetti Robert F.
Published: November 2014

The calculation of single- and multi-crystal data collection strategies and a data processing pipeline have been tightly integrated into the macromolecular crystallographic data acquisition and beamline control softwareJBluIce. Both tasks employ wrapper scripts around existing crystallographic software.JBluIceexecutes scripts through a distributed resource management system to make efficient use of all available computing resources through parallel processing. TheJBluIcesingle-crystal data collection strategy feature uses a choice of strategy programs to help users rank sample crystals and collect data. The strategy results can be conveniently exported to a data collection run. TheJBluIcemulti-crystal strategy feature calculates a collection strategy to optimize coverage of reciprocal space in cases where incomplete data are available from previous samples. TheJBluIcedata processing runs simultaneously with data collection using a choice of data reduction wrappers for integration and scaling of newly collected data, with an option for merging with pre-existing data. Data are processed separately if collected from multiple sites on a crystal or from multiple crystals, then scaled and merged. Results from all strategy and processing calculations are displayed in relevant tabs ofJBluIce.
Structural investigation of 5,10-A2B2-type porphyrins: palladium(II) and zinc(II) complexes of 5,10-dibromo-15,20-bis(4-methylphenyl)porphyrin
Authors: Senge Mathias O. , Zawadzka Monika
Published: November 2014

The analysis of [5,10-dibromo-15,20-bis(4-methylphenyl)porphyrinato]palladium(II), [Pd(C34H22Br2N4)], and [5,10-dibromo-15,20-bis(4-methylphenyl)porphyrinato](methanol)zinc(II), [Zn(C34H22Br2N4)(CH4O)], reveals a small but localized influence of the bromine residues on the conformation of the macrocycle. A comparison of the 5,10-dibromo substituent pattern with literature data for 5,15-dibromoporphyrins shows similar in-plane distortions in both but a different mix of out-of-plane distortion modes for the different regiochemical arrangements.
Preparation and structural analysis of (±)-cis-ethyl 2-sulfanylidenedecahydro-1,6-naphthyridine-6-carboxylate and (±)-trans-ethyl 2-oxooctahydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine-5-carboxylate
Authors: Schwehm Carolin , Lewis William , Blake Alexander J. , Kellam Barrie , Stocks Michael J.
Published: November 2014

Bicycle ring closure on a mixture of (4aS,8aR)- and (4aR,8aS)-ethyl 2-oxodecahydro-1,6-naphthyridine-6-carboxylate, followed by conversion of the separatedcisandtransisomers to the corresponding thioamide derivatives, gave (4aSR,8aRS)-ethyl 2-sulfanylidenedecahydro-1,6-naphthyridine-6-carboxylate, C11H18N2O2S. Structural analysis of this thioamide revealed a structure with two crystallographically independent conformers per asymmetric unit (Z′ = 2). The reciprocal bicycle ring closure on (3aRS,7aRS)-ethyl 2-oxooctahydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine-5-carboxylate, C10H16N2O3, was also accomplished in good overall yield. Here the five-membered ring is disordered over two positions, so that both enantiomers are represented in the asymmetric unit. The compounds act as key intermediates towards the synthesis of potential new polycyclic medicinal chemical structures.
Mean reversion and predictability of remittances
Authors: Makina Daniel
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictability of remittances in individual developing countries. It achieves this objective by testing for mean reversion (i.e. stationarity) in the monthly remittance series reported to the World Bank by 21 developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– Unit root tests on remittance time series are undertaken using three tests – the augmented Dickey-Fuller test, the Phillip-Peron test and the Kwiatkowshi, Phillips, Schmidt and Shin test. Stationarity of series in levels would indicate mean reversion and predictability of remittances.

Findings

– The paper finds significant evidence of mean reversion and hence predictability in remittance inflows in 17 developing countries.

Practical implications

– Remittance inflows, which have become an important source of external finance for many developing countries, are not random flows but a stable and predictable stream of financial flows.

Originality/value

– Prior research has focused on volatility of remittances in comparison with other capital flows and then inferred stability from them having lower volatility. Using available monthly data, this paper is the first to directly test for mean reversion and hence predictability of remittances.
Building R&D collaboration between university-research institutes and small medium-sized enterprises
Authors: Jung Kyujin , Andrew Simon
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of governments in resolving collective action dilemmas arising in R&D collaboration between university-research institutes (URI) and small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). The paper focusses on R&D collaboration in South Korea in light of its major industrial reforms since the 1980s in strengthening the national science and technology innovation system.

Design/methodology/approach

– To examine factors explaining the likelihood of SMEs to collaborate with URIs in R&D activities, the authors used data that were collected in the Seoul Metropolitan Area by the Seoul Institute in 2010. A logistic regression analysis was performed with data from the Open Innovation System survey, which consists of 336 SMEs; and supplemented by firm-level data retrieved from the government official statistics on structural characteristics of SMEs. The Mann-Whitney Test of Difference was employed to test the perceived importance of R&D activities in various stages of product development.

Findings

– This research found that SMEs having government certified R&D facilities and higher investments in R&D activities explain their likelihood in engaging in R&D collaboration with URIs. SMEs in the chemical sector also are more likely to establish R&D collaboration with URIs compared to those in the information technology (IT) sector. In terms of the importance of R&D activities, there are marked differences between SMEs collaborating with URIs and those that do not. The differences are found in R&D’s needs related to acquisition of information, basic research, pilot testing of products, and product manufacturing. Most SMEs in the sample reported several barriers to R&D activities, particularly in securing human resources and the operation of R&D; and that, they believe the government can assist them in research and development activities and human resource training.

Research limitations/implications

– This study provides new insights into the way in which R&D facilities of SMEs may facilitate R&D collaboration with URIs. The results broaden the understanding on the scope of R&D collaboration adopted by SMEs and strategies that can be adopted and implemented by government agencies to attract and retain firms that are innovative. While the findings also provide insights on the scope of management decisions adopted by SMEs, the sample was limited to 336 SMEs in the Seoul Metropolitan area, making generalization to other regions of the country limited.

Originality/value

– From the institutional collective action framework, this research provides a critical lens to build R&D collaboration between the URI and SMEs, highlighting the role of government with considerable efforts to facilitate SMEs to enter into arrangements with URIs by focussing on the importance of R&D facility and stages of product development.
Globalization and health worker crisis: what do wealth-effects tell us?
Authors: Simplice Asongu
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Owing to lack of relevant data on health human resource (HHR) migration, the empirical dimension of the health-worker crisis debate has remained void despite abundant theoretical literature. A health worker crisis is growing in the world. Shortages in health professionals are reaching staggering levels in many parts of the globe. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantile regression approach is used to examine the determinants of health-worker emigration throughout the conditional distributions of health-worker emigration. This provides an investigation of the determinants when existing emigrations levels matter. The author assesses the determinants of emigration in the health sector through-out the conditional distribution of HHR emigration.

Findings

– The findings have been presented in two main strands: when existing emigration levels are low and when existing emigration levels are high. In the former case (when existing emigration levels are low), wealth-effects have the following implications. First, while economic prosperity is a good tool against nurse brain drain in middle income countries (MICs), health expenditure is a good instrument against physician brain drain in low income countries (LICs). Second, whereas positive demographic change fuels the problem in LICs, it mitigates the issue in their MIC counterparts. Third, savings, government-effectiveness, foreign-aid and inflationary pressures only accentuate the problem for both income groups. Fourth, corruption-control becomes a vital tool for emigration-control in both income-brackets. Fifth, while trade openness mitigates physician emigration in LICs, financial openness has the opposite effect on nurse emigration. In the latter case (when existing immigration levels are high), the following conclusions have been drawn. First, While economic prosperity fights nurse emigration only in LICs, savings is a tool against physician emigration only in their MIC counterparts. Second, health expenditure and inflationary pressures are relevant tools in the battle against physician resource flight. Third, whereas, government effectiveness is an important policy measure for mitigating emigration in LICs, human development plays a similar role in MICs. Fourth, democracy, press-freedom, foreign-aid and financial openness fuel emigration in either income strata. Fifth, population growth and trade openness are important tools in the fight against brain-drain. Sixth, the HIV infection rate is a deterrent only to nurse emigration.

Originality/value

– This paper complements existing literature by empirically investigating the World Health Organization hypothetical determinants of health-worker migration in the context of globalization when income-levels matter. In plainer terms, the work explores how the wealth of exporting countries play-out in the determinants of HHR emigration.
The winemaker as entrepreneurial marketer: an exploratory study
Authors: Ray Chaudhury Sarita , A. Albinsson Pia , David Shows George , Moench Virginia
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to examine, through the lens of entrepreneurial marketing theory, everyday business practices of small-scale winemakers in a challenging small wine region in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– In-depth interviews and participant observations were utilized to elicit rich descriptions of entrepreneurial marketing efforts of six New Mexico winemakers.

Findings

– This article describes winemakers’ entrepreneurial marketing efforts. We find that survival drives all other entrepreneurial marketing dimensions where accounting for risk is pervasive rather than a stand-alone dimension. Knowledge gained from intense customer focus is used for new product and service innovations. The leveraging of individual and shared resources is another dimension of entrepreneurial marketing that is demonstrated in our analysis.

Originality/value

– As entrepreneurs stake their claim in developing small wine regions, understanding entrepreneurial marketing concepts will enable academics and practitioners to understand challenges of a business that is not only dependent on the economics but also on mother nature’s whims.
Mapping vulnerability: how emerging markets respond to multinationals
Authors: Jain Arun Kumar , Singal Ajay Kumar
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to look at corporate vulnerability – a concept unexplored in literature. It analyzes how firms develop vulnerability as a result of past strategic decisions and business practices like global sourcing, outsourcing, business models, manufacturing practices, diversification, etc.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper relies on cross-disciplinary theories from natural hazard management and strategy literature to put forth a definition of strategic vulnerability and its dimensions.

Findings

– Strategic vulnerability is seen as a multidimensional construct having at least three attributes: Tangible resources that capture the physical assets dimension; Capabilities are the skills, learning and knowledge part; and Fitness that represents the collective ability of an organization to cope with external and internal challenges. Further, vulnerabilities remain inherent in the firm, and may not be visible until organizations face some external stress or adverse scenario.

Research limitations/implications

– The framework needs further empirical testing through case studies or other methodologies to bring forth managerial reflections on the three dimensions identified in the paper.

Originality/value

– Strategic vulnerability framework helps managers to analyze the dimensions that make strategic position of firms vulnerable to existing or emerging competition. Based on the vulnerability analysis, managers can initiate actions to improve competitive positioning of their firms.
Uncovering generalized patterns of brand competition in China
Authors: Faulkner Margaret , Truong Oanh , Romaniuk Jenni
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this research is to analyze brand competition in China using the Duplication of Purchase (DoP) law, with important implications for understanding Chinese buyer behavior in comparison with Western buyers. Discovered in the Western markets, the DoP law holds across a variety of product categories.

Design/methodology/approach

– Multiple sets of new data are examined to extend past research in the application of the DoP law in Chinese buying behavior. This study draws on panel data and self-reported data, utilizing bootstrapping to identify partitions where excess sharing occurs.

Findings

– This paper finds the DoP law holds across six categories (two personal care, two impulse categories and two durables), as well as over multiple years. Brands in China share customers with other brands in line with the market share of the competitor brand. There were few partitions where brands shared significantly more customers than expected. Partitions occur due to the same umbrella brand or ownership, and geographic location.

Research limitations/implications

– Areas for further research include extended replication in other categories, investigating partitions and whether a different consumer path to purchase occurs in China.

Practical implications

– DoP can be applied across a wide range of categories in China to understand market structure. New entrants to China can use this approach to understand a category from a consumer behavior perceptive. DoP provides guidelines for marketers to identify competition and allocate resources appropriately.

Originality/value

– This research provides a comprehensive, unparalleled examination across six very different categories of brand competition in China. This gives confidence in the robustness and generalizability of the results.
Experiences of discrimination by people with schizophrenia in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Ibukun Adeosun Increase , Adekeji Adegbohun Abosede , Oyewunmi Jeje Oyetayo , Adejoke Adewumi Tomilola
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The label of schizophrenia attracts a high level of stigma; consequently, people with schizophrenia are victims of unfair treatment and have limited access to decent livelihood and basic opportunities. However, most studies on stigma have overlooked the experiences of patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this paper is to assess the experience of discrimination by patients with schizophrenia in Lagos, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

– A descriptive cross-sectional study. Out-patients with schizophrenia (n=150) were interviewed with the Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC 12) at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

Findings

– The majority of the respondents (86.7 per cent) had been avoided by people who knew they had schizophrenia. Unfair treatment was experienced by 71.3 per cent from family members, 62.7 per cent from friends, 32 per cent in social life and 28.7 per cent in intimate relationships, and 38.7 per cent in personal safety. The most commonly reported unfair treatment was inappropriate physical restraint (e.g. chains and ropes) applied by family members and beating. About eight out of ten (79.3 per cent) respondents concealed their illness.

Originality/value

– The findings indicate that people with schizophrenia in Nigeria experience high levels of discrimination, some of which contravenes their basic human rights. The unfair treatment experienced within the family context excludes people with schizophrenia from engaging in basic social relationships, education and the pursuit of life opportunities. Legislations should be reviewed to protect patients from unfair treatment and violation of their human rights. There is also need to equip them with strategies to cope with stigma.
Human rights and the use of psychiatric medication
Authors: Rodriguez del Barrio Lourdes , Onocko Campos Rosana , Stefanello Sabrina , Vianna Dantas dos Santos Deivisson , Cyr Céline , Benisty Lisa , de Carvalho Otanari Thais
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Formal recognition of the human rights of people living with mental health problems has greatly progressed. We must ask ourselves, however, to what extent the formal recognition of these rights has transformed the culture of psychiatric care and improved their quality of life. Gaining Autonomy & Medication Management (GAM) is an approach that strives to empower service users and providers and promotes the exercise of users’ rights by transforming their relationship with the central component of psychiatric treatment in community services: psychopharmacology. The purpose of this paper is to show how GAM highlights the issues surrounding the establishment of a culture of rights.

Design/methodology/approach

– For this analysis qualitative data were collected in Brazil and in Quebec, Canada, through over 100 interviews done with people living with mental health issues and practitioners who participated in the different GAM implementation projects.

Findings

– Issues, challenges and obstacles facing the instauration of a human rights culture in mental health services are presented. The profound changes that the understanding and exercise of users’ rights bring to the lives of individuals are supported by excerpts illustrating recurring issues, situations and common experiences that appear in the various contexts of the two different countries.

Research limitations/implications

– This is not a parallel study taking place into two countries. The methodologies used were different, and as a consequence the comparative power can be limited. However, the results reveal striking similarities.

Originality/value

– There is scant research on human rights in mental health services in the community, and the issues surrounding the prescribing and follow-up of pharmacological treatment. The joint analysis of the researches in Brazil and in Canada, identified common challenges which are intertwined with the dominant approach of biomedical psychiatry.
Muscarinic‐mediated vasoconstriction in human, rat and sheep umbilical cords and related vasoconstriction mechanisms
Authors: Chen N , Lv J , Bo L , Li N , Wu C , Yin X , Li J , Tao J , Chen J , He Y , Huang S , Xiao J , Mao C , Xu Z
Published: November 2014

Objective

The umbilical cord provides nutrition and oxygen to the fetus. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on umbilical cords from humans and other mammals, and the mechanisms of ACh‐mediated vasoconstriction in the human umbilical cord.

Design

Human and animal umbilical cords used in vascular and cellular experiments.

Setting

Institute for Fetology, First Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.

Population

A total of 85 pregnant women, 16 Sprague Dawley rats and seven pregnant sheep.

Methods

Umbilical cord veins and arteries from humans, rats and sheep, aortas and mesenteric arteries from rats, and mesenteric, carotid and femoral arteries from ovine fetuses were used to compare vascular functions in response to ACh and to determine the mechanisms of ACh‐mediated umbilical vasoconstriction. Vascular tension and ion channel currents were measured on isolated vessels and smooth muscle cells from human umbilical cords.

Main outcome measures

Provision of new evidence to conclude that ACh‐stimulated vasoconstriction is common to all umbilical cords, and cellular mechanisms are linked to potassium channels.

Results

ACh caused reliable vasoconstriction in umbilical veins/arteries in humans, rats and sheep, but not in any other vessels, including fetal vessels. Atropine inhibited the effects of ACh. The mRNA of ACh‐muscarinic receptor subtypes M1–M5 was expressed in human umbilical vessels. The protein kinase C antagonist GF109203X and the calcium inhibitor nifedipine decreased ACh‐induced vasoconstriction in human umbilical vessels. ACh also caused a reduction in whole‐cell potassium channel currents and the single‐channel current of large‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium (BKca) channels.

Conclusion

Umbilical vessels are significantly different from other vessels in their response to ACh. BKca channels in smooth muscle cells may play important roles in ACh‐mediated vasoconstriction in human umbilical cords. This information may be important for fetal medicine and practice with regard to the effect on fetal development of umbilical vascular functions.
Human Fatality Due to Thallium Poisoning: Autopsy, Microscopy, and Mass Spectrometry Assays,
Authors: Li Shangxun , Huang Wen , Duan Yijie , Xing Jingjun , Zhou Yiwu
Published: November 2014

Thallium has been responsible for many intoxications since its discovery; however, toxicological profiles for thallium in human fatalities have not been updated recently. Autopsy, microscopic investigations, and toxicological analyses were performed on a married couple who died from thallium sulfate intended homicidal poisoning. The distribution of thallium was established by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with hair samples showing the highest thallium concentration. Electron microscopy revealed a dystrophic condition of hair with disorganized cuticle and atrophy of the hair bulb. Thallium interacts with cells at different levels, with prominent ultrastructural injuries in the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, and high concentration of electron dense granules observed in the cytoplasm and mitochondria of several organs. Alopecia, toxic encephalopathy, and peripheral neuropathy were diagnosed in the victims and suggested to be crucial implications for thallium poisoning. The analytical procedures used in this case are of considerable forensic importance in the diagnosis of thallium poisoning.
Accurate lymphadenectomy along the recurrent laryngeal nerve based on precise positioning during thoracoscopic–laparoscopic oesophagectomy: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Yang Jianjun , Hong Liu , Feng Fan , Li Mengbin , Sun Li , Cai Lei , Zhang Hongwei
Published: November 2014

Aim

Lymph nodes along the recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLN) are considered to be highly involved in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients, and radical dissection of these lymph nodes is recommended. The present study aimed to demonstrate the value of thoracoscopic–laparoscopic oesophagectomy (TLE) in radical lymphadenectomy along the bilateral RLN.

Patients and Methods

From November 2010 to September 2012, 51 patients underwent TLE. The procedures during the radical lymphadenectomy along the bilateral RLN were done using ultrasonic scalpel with single‐lumen endotracheal tube intubation.

Results

The lymph nodes along the RLN could be sufficiently removed with an extremely low incidence of RLN injury. The mean number of lymph nodes removed was 3.58 ± 2.59 along the right RLN, and 2.73 ± 1.66 along the left RLN. There were two types of origin for right RLN; the origin of the majority was adjacent to the right subclavian artery, and the origin of three cases was away from the right subclavian artery.

Conclusions

TLE in combination with a single‐lumen tube, bilateral lung ventilation and semiprone position could be safely and efficiently applied in radical lymphadenectomy along the bilateral RLN. Ultrasonic scalpel could be safely used in lymphadenectomy along the RLN without increased heat injury of RLN.
DNA Methylation: Hemodialysis Versus Hemodiafiltration
Authors: Ghigolea Adrian‐Bogdan , Moldovan Raluca Argentina , Gherman‐Caprioara Mirela
Published: November 2014

Aberrant DNA methylation is an emerging characteristic of chronic kidney disease including dialysis patients. It appears to be associated to inflammation. We compared the global DNA methylation status in 10 control subjects compared to 80 dialysis patients (N = 40 on‐line hemodiafiltration, N = 40 high‐flux hemodialysis) in relation to the dialysis technique and inflammation. Whole blood DNA methylation was assessed with a 5‐mc DNA enzyme linked immunosorbent assay Kit. Global DNA methylation was higher in hemodialysis (HD) compared to on‐line hemodiafiltration (HDF) patients (0.045 vs. 0.039; P < 0.0001) and controls (0.045 vs. 0.0284; P = 0.0002 for HD; 0.039 vs. 0.0284; P = 0.0254 for on‐line HDF). To study the influence of the dialysis technique on DNA methylation we divided dialysis patients according to the median value of 5‐mC. DNA methylation was highest in inflamed patients on hemodialysis. The dialysis technique was the only independent predictor of global DNA methylation in dialysis patients. On‐line HDF could be associated with a favorable DNA methylation profile.
Aged care facilities and primary health‐care clinics provide appropriate settings for dietetic students to demonstrate individual case management clinical competence
Authors: Bacon Rachel , Williams Lauren , Grealish Laurie
Published: November 2014

Aim

The aims of this study were to: (i) determine the ways in which non‐hospital placement settings are used for individual case management clinical placements in dietetic education and (ii) examine the extent to which students can develop individual case management clinical competencies in non‐hospital placement settings.

Methods

A sequential mixed methods approach was used. Quantitative data were obtained from an online questionnaire conducted with placement coordinators from all 15 Australian universities with accredited dietetics programs. Qualitative data were obtained from a focus group with eight experienced clinical supervisors who had viewed 11 audiovisual recordings of student/dietitian encounters with clients in non‐hospital settings and assessed them against entry‐level competencies. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Results

Placement coordinators from 10 of the 15 accredited universities responded, with most universities (8/10) using hospitals for the majority of their individual case management clinical placements. Seven of the ten universities used non‐hospital settings but only for a small proportion of students (≤25%) and for short durations (one to two weeks). The experienced clinical supervisors agreed that primary health‐care clinics and residential aged care facilities provided appropriate practice settings for student dietitians to demonstrate individual case management clinical competencies.

Conclusions

To align with the national health‐care agenda and workforce demands, this research supports the expansion of clinical placement settings to also include non‐hospital settings. The influence of context on competency development requires adjustments to be made for the nuanced practice differences in these settings.
Mapping active promoters by ChIP‐seq profiling of H3K4me3 in cichlid fish – a first step to uncover cis‐regulatory elements in ecological model teleosts
Authors: Kratochwil Claudius F. , Meyer Axel
Published: November 2014

Evolutionary alterations to cis‐regulatory sequences are likely to cause adaptive phenotypic complexity, through orchestrating changes in cellular proliferation, identity and communication. For nonmodel organisms with adaptive key innovations, patterns of regulatory evolution have been predominantly limited to targeted sequence‐based analyses. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with high‐throughput sequencing (ChIP‐seq) is a technology that has been primarily used in genetic model systems and is a powerful experimental tool to screen for active cis‐regulatory elements. Here, we show that it can also be used in ecological model systems and permits genomewide functional exploration of cis‐regulatory elements. As a proof of concept, we use ChIP‐seq technology in adult fin tissue of the cichlid fish Oreochromis niloticus to map active promoter elements, as indicated by occupancy of trimethylated Histone H3 Lysine 4 (H3K4me3). The fact that cichlids are one of the most phenotypically diverse and species‐rich families of vertebrates could make them a perfect model system for the further in‐depth analysis of the evolution of transcriptional regulation.