bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decision making under extreme uncertainty: blending quantitative modeling and scenario planning
Authors: Kennedy Peter J. , Avila Robert J. 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThis disguised case aims to describe a scenario planning project to improve decision making for a manufacturer operating in Brazil's confusing, unpredictable politico‐economic environment. “BrasilAuto's” management team faced a range of complex choices related to capacity, vehicle mix, pricing, distribution, dealer relationships, exports, labor and government relations.Design/methodology/approachThe consultants used a combination of scenario planning and quantitative analysis to answer the company's two key questions: where is the country headed and how many vehicles can we expect to sell, looking across a range of business environments?FindingsAs a result of the scenario exercise, company execs had a better idea of what to watch for in the political sphere and how to anticipate the actual market impact of changing economic policy options. Having looked at the range of plausible business environments hard and carefully, their uncertainty was significantly less unsettling or paralyzing than it had been.Practical implicationsThe consultants discuss the lessons learned – for the client and for improving the process.Originality/valueIt's rare to have an insider's view of a scenario process that attempts to produce both quantitative and qualitative insights into a range of distinctly different political/economic futures and their impact on an industry.
Influences of rennet and container types on proteolysis of traditional Kurdish cheese during the ripening
Authors: Hashemi Majid , Tabatabaee Yazdi Farideh , Yavarmanesh Masoud , Milani Elnaz , Pasban Atena 
Published: July 2013

The effect of rennet and container types was evaluated on proteolysis of traditional Kurdish cheese during 60 days ripening. The enzymes involved were commercial chymosin and traditional rennet from lamb abomasum. Goat skin (traditional container) and plastic containers were used as storage containers. The trend of proteolysis was determined by measuring the content of nitrogen (N) in compounds soluble in water, 12% trichloroacetic acid and 5% phosphotungstic acid along with the urea–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method. The results showed that the nitrogen in compounds soluble in water, 12% trichloroacetic acid and 5% phosphotungstic acid was higher in ripened cheeses into plastic containers; however, the containers had no significant effect on the breakdown of α‐ and β‐caseins (P < 0.05). Using commercial rennet caused the breakdown of α‐ and β‐caseins and the level of nitrogen in compounds soluble in water to increase. Finally, however, the amount of α‐ and β‐caseins breakdown was trivial, and α‐casein was decreased more than β‐casein in all samples.
Implementation of the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project in the United States
Authors: Dighe MK , Frederick IO , Andersen HF , Gravett MG , Abbott SE , Carter AA , Algren H , Rocco DA , Waller SA , Sorensen TK , Enquobahrie D , Blakey I , Knight HE , Cheikh Ismail L ,   for the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21 Century (INTERGROWTH‐21)
Published: July 2013

The North American site in the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project was North Seattle, Washington State, USA. The majority of the data were collected from within Seattle City, which has approximately 12 300 births per year. The sample for the Newborn Cross‐Sectional Study (NCSS) was drawn from two hospitals (Swedish Medical Center and the University of Washington) covering almost 80% of deliveries within the target population. The Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) sample was recruited from several antenatal clinics serving the University of Washington Medical Center and Providence Everett Medical Center. Special activities to encourage participation and raise awareness of the studies included furnishing the recruitment sites with fliers designed by the Project Coordinating Unit, and presenting the studies to clinical staff to encourage providers to refer appropriate patients. One of the major challenges at this site was the low recruitment rate in the early phase of the FGLS because of the high rates of smoking, maternal age >35 years and body mass index >30 years. This was remedied by the inclusion of other ancillary clinics, as well as increased advertising among the general public.
Effective Governance of Global Financial Markets: an Evolutionary Plan for Reform
Authors: Avgouleas Emilios 
Published: July 2013

AbstractTwo questions remain widely open when it comes to global financial markets. First, what is the raison d'être of open global markets? Second, is it possible to foster open markets without an international governance structure supervising them? Post‐crisis regulatory reform presents an acute paradox. While the content of international financial regulation is changing rapidly, the reform of governance structures is painfully slow. There is no formal governance structure dealing with cross‐border supervision of global financial institutions. In addition, there is no crystallized institutional capacity at the international level dealing with cross‐border crises and the resolution of global institutions. Other areas of concern are the global supervision of systemic risk and the absence of a reliable finance research watchdog dealing with the production of regulatory standards. This article outlines an international governance framework to deal effectively with these concerns. The adoption of the proposed plan would lead to breaking down the territorial link in the supervision of large financial institutions and of systemic risk, without causing intolerable loss of sovereignty. In addition, the proposed structure is premised on a set of explicit values. These would provide a strong signal to global markets that they need to shift their focus from speculation to development goals.
Macroeconomic Stabilisation in the Eurozone: Lessons from Failure
Authors: Wren‐Lewis Simon 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThree forms of macroeconomic stabilisation in the eurozone are considered: national macroeconomic stabilisation, debt discipline and eurozone‐wide macroeconomic stabilisation. The eurozone started with an architecture that ignored the first, which it hoped – despite advice to the contrary – would look after itself. This article explores what subsequently happened before the financial crisis, during the Great Recession and after 2010. It argues that the failure to address the issue of national macroeconomic stabilisation was a crucial factor behind what became an existential crisis for the eurozone. However, the crisis has a silver lining. The rationale behind union‐wide controls to limit fiscal deficits (the SGP and now the Fiscal Compact) no longer exists. Since 2010 it has become clear that eurozone members face greater market discipline on fiscal deficits than do countries with their own currency. As a result, fiscal controls and institutions to support them can and should reside at the national level, and can therefore focus on national stabilisation as well as the more long‐term control of government debt. It is argued that this alternative to the current architecture is both more feasible and more desirable than a move towards fiscal union.
European Intervention Mechanisms for Growth: Budget and the European Investment Bank
Authors: Kollatz‐Ahnen Matthias 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThe EU's handling of the recent financial crisis gives much more weight to fiscal consolidation than to growth stimulus. Because the fiscal multipliers during crisis periods are significantly higher than previously estimated, the consolidation policy requires a second pillar for growth to avoid a vicious downward spiral. The first elements of this second pillar were adopted by the EU summit in June 2012, but the scope of the programme for growth and employment is not sufficient nor has it been implemented with the necessary speed and scope. This article calls for a systematic approach to increase the public intervention capacity to ignite sustainable growth. The main public financial instruments are the budget and the promotional bank at each level in Europe. The contribution of the promotional banks has grown since the eve of the great crisis. Volume and impact can be increased further. The main objectives are revolving funds, combined financial products bringing together loans and budget, focusing on viable projects and attracting private capital for projects where suitable. An optimisation of the budget for better leverage, better allocation efficiency and viable projects improves the impact significantly within given volumes. Even more enforcement seems possible if the budget grows to some extent to enlarge the anticrisis capacity.
The epidemiology of substance use among street children in resource‐constrained settings: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Embleton Lonnie , Mwangi Ann , Vreeman Rachel , Ayuku David , Braitstein Paula 
Published: July 2013

AbstractAimsTo compile and analyze critically the literature published on street children and substance use in resource‐constrained settings.MethodsWe searched the literature systematically and used meta‐analytical procedures to synthesize literature that met the review's inclusion criteria. Pooled‐prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the random‐effects model for life‐time substance use by geographical region as well as by type of substance used.ResultsFifty studies from 22 countries were included into the review. Meta‐analysis of combined life‐time substance use from 27 studies yielded an overall drug use pooled‐prevalence estimate of 60% (95% CI = 51–69%). Studies from 14 countries contributed to an overall pooled prevalence for street children's reported inhalant use of 47% (95% CI = 36–58%). This review reveals significant gaps in the literature, including a dearth of data on physical and mental health outcomes, HIV and mortality in association with street children's substance use.ConclusionsStreet children from resource‐constrained settings reported high life‐time substance use. Inhalants are the predominant substances used, followed by tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
Fish movement strategies in an ephemeral river in the Simpson Desert, Australia
Authors: Kerezsy Adam , Balcombe Stephen R. , Tischler Max , Arthington Angela H. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractArid zone catchments experience extreme hydrological variability and some rivers are entirely ephemeral, replenished only by intermittent flooding. The ecological roles of ephemeral systems are rarely studied. This paper describes movement patterns of fish in the Mulligan River, an ephemeral system in the Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia. Several sites were sampled along a temporal gradient encompassing floods and dry periods. After a single major flood in 2007 up to seven fish species were found at sites up to 300 km from the closest permanent waterhole. Following a series of floods (when waterholes were replenished and remained wet between 2009 and 2011) a further five species were recorded including the first records for the Lake Eyre hardyhead, Craterocephalus eyresii, from the rivers of far western Queensland. The presence of all species known from the parent catchment (the Georgina, where permanent waterholes occur) in the ephemeral catchment (the Mulligan) suggests that many fish species present in the river systems of central Australia are capable of dispersing long distances following the opening of movement pathways during flooding. However, two distinct groups of species were identified: extreme dispersing species, that move as far as possible into intermittently wetted habitats, and conservative dispersing species, that do not move as far, tending to inhabit deeper waterholes within mid‐reaches of the river that are more likely to hold water for longer. Preservation of the natural flow regime of Australia's arid‐zone rivers is important for maintaining these fish communities and facilitating study of their adaptations to ephemerality.
Hypnosis as sole anaesthesia for skin tumour removal in a patient with multiple chemical sensitivity
Authors: Facco E. , Pasquali S. , Zanette G. , Casiglia E. 
Published: July 2013

SummaryA female patient with multiple chemical sensitivity and previous anaphylactoid reactions to local anaesthetics was admitted for removal of a thigh skin tumour under hypnosis as sole anaesthesia. The hypnotic protocol included hypnotic focused analgesia and a pre‐operative pain threshold test. After inducing hypnosis, a wide excision was performed, preserving the deep fascia, and the tumour was removed; the patient's heart rate and blood pressure did not increase during the procedure. When the patient was de‐hypnotised, she reported no pain and was discharged immediately. Our case confirms the efficacy of hypnosis and demonstrates that it may be valuable as a sole anaesthetic method in selected cases. Hypnosis can prevent pain perception and surgical stress as a whole, comparing well with anaesthetic drugs.
Effects of high positive end‐expiratory pressure on haemodynamics and cerebral oxygenation during pneumoperitoneum in the Trendelenburg position
Authors: Jo Y. Y. , Lee J. Y. , Lee M. G. , Kwak H. J. 
Published: July 2013

SummaryWe investigated the effects of 10 cmH2O positive end‐expiratory pressure on cerebral haemodynamics and cerebral oxygenation in patients undergoing laparoscopic lower abdominal surgery in the 30° Trendelenburg position during desflurane anaesthesia. Twenty‐six patients were enrolled in this study. After anaesthesia induction, pneumoperitoneum was applied in Trendelenburg position. Twenty minutes later, positive end‐expiratory pressure was applied. There was no change in regional cerebral oxygen saturation (p = 0.376). Cerebral perfusion pressure decreased significantly over time (p < 0.001) and positive end‐expiratory pressure caused a further decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure (p = 0.036). The application of 10 cmH2O positive end‐expiratory pressure during pneumoperitoneum in the Trendelenburg position preserved regional cerebral oxygen saturation, but cerebral perfusion pressure decreased significantly due to its secondary haemodynamic effects.
Anxiety and decreased social support underline poorer quality of life of parent living kidney donors
Authors: Chen Pinhong , Luo Qidong , Peng Longkai 
Published: July 2013

AbstractIntroductionA growing body of published work suggests that the parent–child relationship can be inherently coercive, such that the expectation that a living parent will not hesitate to donate a kidney to their children, makes informed consent difficult if not impossible to ascertain. The present study was designed to explore whether the emotional response and social resources have a similar effect on health‐related quality of life among parent and sibling living kidney donors.MethodsThis was a cross‐sectional study. A total of 98 living kidney donors (60 parent donors, 38 sibling donors) completed an assessment including emotional response, social support and quality of life.ResultsDepression, anxiety, subjective social support and quality of life scores were much poorer for parent than sibling donors. Parent donors also showed more anxiety and poorer physical functioning than their counterparts in the general population. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses suggested that anxiety and decreased social support in the parent group were negatively associated with physical and mental function. In the sibling group, the main indicator of improved physical state was higher education level.DiscussionCurrent results raised new concerns for the quality of life of parent donors as emotional response and social support differentially affected parent versus sibling quality of life. Therefore, stricter standards for physical selection, as well as emotional and supportive intervention, are needed for parent donors.
Ethical Review of Research on Human Subjects at Unilever: Reflections on Governance
Authors: Sheehan Mark , Marti Vernon , Roberts Tony 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThis article considers the process of ethical review of research on human subjects at a very large multinational consumer products company. The commercial context of this research throws up unique challenges and opportunities that make the ethics of the process of oversight distinct from mainstream medical research. Reflection on the justification of governance processes sheds important, contrasting light on the ethics of governance of other forms and context of research.
The influence of teachers’ conceptions on their students’ learning: Children's understanding of sheet music
Authors: López‐Íñiguez Guadalupe , Pozo Juan Ignacio 
Published: July 2013

BackgroundDespite increasing interest in teachers’ and students’ conceptions of learning and teaching, and how they influence their practice, there are few studies testing the influence of teachers’ conceptions on their students’ learning.AimsThis study tests how teaching conception (TC; with a distinction between direct and constructive) influences students’ representations regarding sheet music.SampleSixty students (8–12 years old) from music conservatories: 30 of them took lessons with teachers with a constructive TC and another 30 with teachers shown to have a direct TC.MethodsChildren were given a musical comprehension task in which they were asked to select and rank the contents they needed to learn. These contents had different levels of processing and complexity: symbolic, analytical, and referential. Three factorial ANOVAs, two‐one‐way ANOVAs, and four 2 × 3 repeated‐measures ANOVAs were used to analyse the effects of and the interaction between the independent variables TC and class, both for/on total cards selected, their ranking, and each sub‐category (the three processing levels).ResultsANOVAs on the selection and ranking of these contents showed that teachers’ conceptions seem to mediate significantly in the way the students understand the music.ConclusionsStudents from constructive teachers have more complex and deep understanding of music. They select more elements for learning scores than those from traditional teachers. Teaching conception also influences the way in which children rank those elements. No difference exists between the way 8‐ and 12‐year‐olds learn scores. Children's understanding of the scores is more complex than assumed in other studies.
The role of climate variation in delta architecture: lessons from analogue modelling
Authors: Bijkerk J. F. , ten Veen J. , Postma G. , Mikeš D. , van Strien W. , de Vries J. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractSequence‐stratigraphic models for fourth to sixth order, glacio‐eustatic sequences based only on relative sea‐level variations result in simplified and potentially false interpretations. Glacio‐eustatic sea‐level variations form only one aspect of cyclic climate variation; other aspects, such as variations in fluvial water discharge, vegetation cover, weathering and sediment supply can lead to variable sediment yield, thus adding complexity to sequence‐stratigraphic patterns normally attributed to sea‐level variations. Analogue flume models show a significant impact of water discharge on the timing and character of sequence boundaries, and on changes in the relative importance of systems tracts, as expressed in sediment volumes. Four deltas, generated under the influence of an identical sea‐level curve, and affected by different water‐discharge cycles were generated in the Eurotank facility: (1) constant discharge; (2) high‐frequency discharge variations (HFD); (3) discharge leading sea level by a quarter phase; (4) discharge lagging sea level by a quarter phase. HFD shift the parasequence stacking pattern consistently but do not alter large‐scale delta architecture. Water‐discharge changes that lead sea‐level changes result in high sediment yield during sea‐level rise and in the poor development of maximum flooding surfaces. Delta‐front erosion during sea‐level fall is expressed by multiple, small channels related to upstream avulsions, and does not result in an incised valley that efficiently routs sediment to the shelf edge. When water‐discharge changes lag sea‐level changes, sediment yield is high during falling sea level and results in rapid progradation during forced regression. Erosion from incised valleys is strong on the proximal delta top and dissipates towards the delta front. The combination of high discharge and sea‐level fall provides the most efficient mode of valley incision and sediment transport to the shelf edge. During sea‐level rise, low water discharge results in sediment starvation and well‐developed maximum flooding surfaces. Water‐discharge variations thus alter sequence‐stratigraphic patterns and provide an alternative explanation to the amplitude of sea‐level fall for generating either type 1 or 2 erosional unconformities.
Selenite supplementation in euthyroid subjects with thyroid peroxidase antibodies
Authors: Eskes Silvia A. , Endert Erik , Fliers Eric , Birnie Erwin , Hollenbach Birgit , Schomburg Lutz , Köhrle Josef , Wiersinga Wilmar M. 
Published: July 2013

SummaryContextEuthyroid thyroid peroxidase (TPO‐Ab)‐positive subjects are at risk for progression to subclinical and overt autoimmune hypothyroidism. Previous studies have shown a decrease in TPO‐Ab and improvement of quality‐of‐life (QoL) in L‐T4‐treated hypothyroid patients upon selenium supplementation.ObjectivesTo evaluate in euthyroid TPO‐Ab‐positive women without thyroid medication whether selenite decreases TPO‐Ab and improves QoL.DesignRandomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study.Patients and methodsEuthyroid (TSH 0·5–5·0 mU/l, FT4 10–23 pm) women with TPO‐Ab ≥ 100 kU/l were randomized to receive 200 mcg sodium selenite daily (n = 30) or placebo (n = 31) for 6 months. TSH, FT4, TPO‐Ab, selenium (Se), selenoprotein P (SePP) and QoL were measured at baseline, 3, 6 and 9 months.ResultsThere were no differences in baseline characteristics between the Se group and the placebo group. During selenite supplementation, serum Se and SePP did not change in the placebo group, but increased in the Se group. TPO‐Ab and TSH did not change significantly in any group. TPO‐Ab in the Se group were 895 (130–6800) at baseline, 1360 (60–7050) kU/l at 6 months, in the placebo group 1090 (120–9200) and 1130 (80–9900) kU/l, respectively (median values with range). TSH in the Se group was 2·1 (0·5–4·3) at baseline, 1·7 (0·0–5·3) mU/l at 6 months, in the placebo group 2·4 (0·7–4·4) and 2·5 (0·2–4·3) mU/l, respectively. QoL was not different between the groups.ConclusionSix months selenite supplementation increased markers of selenium status but had no effect on serum TPO‐Ab, TSH or quality‐of‐life in euthyroid TPO‐Ab‐positive women.