bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Discretionary Decision-Making in a Changing Context of Activation Policies and Welfare Reforms
Authors: JESSEN JORUNN THERESIA , TUFTE PER ARNE 
Published: February 2014

AbstractStreet-level bureaucrats are considered to be subject to bureaucratic managerial regimes and threatened by stronger regulation and a reduction in their ability to exercise control over their work. Contrary to the managerial approach, predicting curtailment of professional autonomy, theorists foretell the continuing importance of discretion in the translation of social objectives into actual service delivery. Given such opposite predictions, what is the perceived direction of change and scope for independent decision-making for front-line workers? This paper empirically investigates the contradictory hypotheses predicting continuing or declining opportunities for street-level discretion in a context of activation policies and welfare reforms. The data come from two surveys conducted among practitioners and local managers in the Norwegian employment and welfare services in 2004 and 2011. Despite managerial control and bureaucratic procedures that regulate many decisions, discretion still remains a characteristic of front-line work. Continued discretion is closely related to the implementation of activation goals and the merging of tasks and integrated services following the whole-of-government reform. The findings confirm the role of managers as key players in implementing policies at the local level. Concurrently, the discretionary power of trained social workers is decreasing and challenged by the push for uniform practices and a managerially regulated role.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IN AN ARGENTINEAN PROVINCE: ADAPTING EXISTING TOOLS
Authors: Brisson Maria Eugenia , Schapochnik Norberto 
Published: February 2014

Objectives: This study reports on the development of a critical process for health technologies incorporation concerning an Argentinean Provincial Ministry of Health (MOH) in collaboration with the University of Lanús from 2008 to 2010.Methods: We describe the approach developed to adapt selected international experiences to provincial scenario. Bibliographic review, regulations examination, key informants interviews and iterative adjustments after various stages of consultation and consensus building with main local players, contribution from foreign experts, and piloting of process and instruments for ultimate fine-tuning are described. We examine final proposal in the light of new updated studies.Results: Analysis of regulations revealed that rules governing the provincial system were historically linked to administrative resolutions in relation to procurement with poor consideration to clinical, epidemiological, organizational, and health policy aspects. Key informants from hospitals, MOH, and other governmental agencies agreed on the lack of a process capable of guaranteeing a decision about health technology incorporation based on a transparent use of the best available information, ready to deal with competitive pressures. This adaptation provided a structured and explicit process (introduction, implementation, and development) as well as essential and supporting tools.Conclusions: MOH adopted the proposal for its progressive implementation while institutional evaluation capacity develops. Further studies are needed on the value placed on health technology assessment–based processes and recommendations by clinicians, managers, policy makers, and patients.
Diversity of Malaysian insectivorous bat assemblages revisited
Authors: Lim Lee-Sim , Mohd-Adnan Adura , Zubaid Akbar , Struebig Matthew J. , Rossiter Stephen J. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract:To what extent tropical forest persisted in the Malay-Thai Peninsula during the Last Glacial Maximum, or contracted southwards with subsequent post-glacial expansion, has long been debated. These competing scenarios might be expected to have left contrasting broad spatial patterns of diversity of forest-dependent taxa. To test for a post-glacial northward spread of forest, we examined latitudinal clines of forest-dependent bat species at 15 forest sites across Peninsular Malaysia. From captures of 3776 insectivorous forest bats, we found that low richness characterized the north of the study area: predicted richness of 9–16 species, compared with 21–23 in the south. Predicted species richness decreased significantly with increasing latitude, but showed no relationship with either seasonality or peninsula width. Analyses of beta-diversity showed that differences between communities were not related to geographical distance, although there was evidence of greater differences in species numbers between the most distant sites. Assemblages were consistently dominated by six cave-roosting species from the families Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae, while another 16 species were consistently rare. We suggest that these observed patterns are consistent with the hypothesized northward expansion of tropical rain forest since the Last Glacial Maximum, but emphasize that more surveys in the extreme north and south of the peninsula are required to support this assertion.
First comparison of quantitative estimates of termite biomass and abundance reveals strong intercontinental differences
Authors: Dahlsjö Cecilia A.L. , Parr Catherine L. , Malhi Yadvinder , Rahman Homathevi , Meir Patrick , Jones David T. , Eggleton Paul 
Published: February 2014

Abstract:Termite species and functional groups differ among regions globally (the functional-diversity anomaly). Here we investigate whether similar differences in biomass and abundance of termites occur among continents. Biomass and abundance data were collected with standardized sampling in Cameroon, Malaysia and Peru. Data from Peru were original to this study, while data from Cameroon and Malaysia were compiled from other sources. Species density data were sampled using a standardized belt transect (100 × 2 m) while the biomass and abundance measurements were sampled using a standardized protocol based on 2 × 2-m quadrats. Biomass and abundance data confirmed patterns found for species density and thus the existence of the functional diversity anomaly: highest estimates for biomass and abundance were found in Cameroon (14.5 ± 7.90 g m−2 and 1234 ± 437 ind m−2) followed by Malaysia (0.719 ± 0.193 g m−2 and 327 ± 72 ind m−2) and then Peru (0.345 ± 0.103 g m−2 and 130 ± 39 ind m−2). The biomass and abundance for each functional group were significantly different across sites for most termite functional groups. Biogeographical distribution of lineages was the primary cause for the functional diversity anomaly with true soil-feeding termites dominating in Cameroon and the absence of fungus-growing termites from Peru. These findings are important as the biomass and abundance of functional groups may be linked to ecosystem processes. Although this study allowed for comparisons between data from different regions further comparable data are needed to enhance the understanding of the role of termites in ecosystem processes on a global scale.
Fire resistance in a Caribbean dry forest: inferences from the allometry of bark thickness
Authors: Wolfe Brett T. , Saldaña Diaz Gabriel E. , Van Bloem Skip J. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract:Trees’ resistance to fire-induced mortality increases with bark thickness, which varies widely among species and generally increases with stem diameter. Because dry forests are more fire-prone than wetter forests, bark may be thicker in these forests. However, where disturbances such as hurricanes suppress stem diameter, trees may not obtain fire-resistant bark thickness. In two hurricane-prone Caribbean dry-forest types in Puerto Rico—deciduous forest and scrub forest—we measured bark thickness on 472 stems of 25 species to test whether tree species obtain bark thicknesses that confer fire resistance, whether bark is thicker in the fire-prone scrub forest than in the deciduous forest, and how bark thickness in Caribbean dry forest compares with other tropical ecosystems. Only 5% of stems within a deciduous-forest stand had bark thickness that would provide < 50% probability of top-kill during low-intensity fire. In contrast, thicker-barked trees dominated the scrub forest, suggesting that fires influenced it. Compared with trees of similar diameter in other regions of the tropics, bark in Caribbean dry forest was thinner than in savanna, similar to other seasonally dry forests, and thicker than moist-to-wet forests. Dry-forest species appear to invest more in fire-resistance than species from wetter forests. However, Caribbean dry forests remain highly vulnerable to fire because the trees rarely reach large enough diameters to be fire resistant.
A Case Study of How Natural Phenomena Were Justified in Medieval Science: The Situation of Annular Eclipses in Medieval Astronomy
Authors: Mozaffari S. Mohammad 
Published: February 2014

ArgumentThe present paper is an attempt to understand how medieval astronomers working within the Ptolemaic astronomical context in which the annular eclipse is an unjustified and impossible phenomenon, could know, define, justify, and later make attempts that led to success in predicting annular solar eclipses. As a context-based study, it reviews the situation of annular eclipses with regard to the medieval hypotheses applied to the calculation of the angular diameters of the sun and the moon, which was basic for contemplating the possibility of annular eclipses. This gives the premises and the preliminary insights that were necessary to clarify the complex situation of the annular eclipse in the late medieval Islamic period and to explain the historical mechanisms leading to justifying the phenomenon during that period. This was, first due to a convincing and efficient observational evidence which, of course, was available only to a number of medieval astronomers and significantly for only a limited time period, and, second, the result of an amazing interaction amongst various astronomical traditions available to them. At a more general level, the research aims to inspect or, at least, to give some impressions of the essential conditions, i.e., identification of phenomenon, empirical evidence, and the justifying underlying tradition, under which it became possible in the tradition-based science of the `medieval period to permit a not-already-defined and tradition-opposed phenomenon to be posed and justified.
Problematic “Idiosyncrasies”: Rediscovering the Historical Context of D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson's Science of Form
Authors: Esposito Maurizio 
Published: February 2014

ArgumentD’Arcy Thompson has often been portrayed as a loner. His science of form has frequently been labeled anachronistic, idiosyncratic, and unconnected to his contemporary biology. This article aims to challenge this interpretation. Thompson's representation as a loner did not lie in the idiosyncrasies of his science, but in our own historiography. Through the use of unedited archival sources, this study shows that Thompson's biology was well-connected to an international research program – a program mainly shared by developmental biologists, physiologists, and morphologists. In addition, this article also aims to propose a new interpretation of Thompson'sOn Growth and Form. Drawing on his private correspondence and published sources, the paper re-contextualizes the contents and conclusions of Thompson's seminal work. We will see that Thompson defended a particular kind of organismal biology. The bio-science he supported stemmed not only from Aristotle's zoology or Pythagorean mathematics, but had many allies among twentieth-century naturalists.
Habitat fragmentation reduces occupancy of nest boxes by an open-country raptor
Authors: BROWN JESSI L. , COLLOPY MICHAEL W. , SMALLWOOD JOHN A. 
Published: February 2014

SummaryDespite the recent rapid decline of many grassland bird species, the relative importance of habitat configuration to population persistence is unclear. We used Southeastern American KestrelsFalco sparverius paulusin north-central Florida as a model system to explore the relative influence of landscape structure components on site occupancy patterns at two spatial scales, and for two different time periods. We focused on the dynamic processes of site-level population expansion or contraction. We modelled the occupancy of 131 American Kestrel nest boxes with Bayesian state-space dynamic occupancy models that considered both the partially observed process of true occupancy and the probability of detection of occupancy. We used reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithms to identify variables that described the continued occupancy of nest boxes, or ϕ, and the probability of colonisation of nest boxes between time periods, or γ3. Changes in open habitat patch isolation at a fine scale, as estimated by the variability of nearest neighbour distance, predicted site colonisation between decades, and patch shape variability was related to ϕ during the early time period (1992–93). We found no strong effects of landscape structure on ϕ during the later time period (2008–2010). We also found no evidence for effects of loss of open habitat on box occupancy or colonization. Our results indicate that continued habitat fragmentation would be deleterious for this threatened subspecies. Additionally, certain land cover management practices recommended for the Florida sandhills, such as frequent low-intensity controlled burns, will likely help conservation attempts.
‘Suitable lodgings for students’: modern space, colonial development and decolonization in Nigeria
Authors: LIVSEY TIM 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis article argues that development and modernity have had spatial manifestations. It considers understandings of modern space in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria through the study of University College Ibadan, the country's first university institution founded in 1948. It contends that the university was shaped by existing West African conceptions of modern space and university buildings took on new meanings with the shifting politics of decolonization. The article also suggests that colonial development involved a range of groups and forms of knowledge. It seeks to recognize the strength of colonial institutions and cultures but also the limits to and contingencies in late colonial power.
Jumping off of the Great Gatsby curve: how institutions facilitate entrepreneurship and intergenerational mobility
Authors: BOUDREAUX CHRISTOPHER J. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract:Income inequality is often attributed to declines in income mobility following the Great Gatsby curve, but this relationship is of secondary importance in determining the factors of income mobility if one considers that changing rules is more important than changing outcomes under defined rules. Rather, improvements in institutional quality are hypothesized to increase income mobility by allowing entrepreneurs the freedom to pursue their dreams. This paper is the first to empirically analyze the institutional determinants behind entrepreneurship, and their effect on income mobility. The findings from a cross-country analysis suggest that secure property rights and less corruption are associated with less income persistence, leading to higher income mobility, independent of the Great Gatsby effect. This suggests that reducing corruption and protection of property rights increase income mobility through the channels of entrepreneurship.
Gut microbiome composition and function in experimental colitis during active disease and treatment-induced remission
Authors: Rooks Michelle G , Veiga Patrick , Wardwell-Scott Leslie H , Tickle Timothy , Segata Nicola , Michaud Monia , Gallini Carey Ann , Beal Chloé , van Hylckama-Vlieg Johan E T , Ballal Sonia A , Morgan Xochitl C , Glickman Jonathan N , Gevers Dirk , Huttenhower Curtis , Garrett Wendy S 
Published: February 2014

AbstractDysregulated immune responses to gut microbes are central to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and gut microbial activity can fuel chronic inflammation. Examining how IBD-directed therapies influence gut microbiomes may identify microbial community features integral to mitigating disease and maintaining health. However, IBD patients often receive multiple treatments during disease flares, confounding such analyses. Preclinical models of IBD with well-defined disease courses and opportunities for controlled treatment exposures provide a valuable solution. Here, we surveyed the gut microbiome of the T-bet−/−Rag2−/− mouse model of colitis during active disease and treatment-induced remission. Microbial features modified among these conditions included altered potential for carbohydrate and energy metabolism and bacterial pathogenesis, specifically cell motility and signal transduction pathways. We also observed an increased capacity for xenobiotics metabolism, including benzoate degradation, a pathway linking host adrenergic stress with enhanced bacterial virulence, and found decreased levels of fecal dopamine in active colitis. When transferred to gnotobiotic mice, gut microbiomes from mice with active disease versus treatment-induced remission elicited varying degrees of colitis. Thus, our study provides insight into specific microbial clades and pathways associated with health, active disease and treatment interventions in a mouse model of colitis.
Lexical and Phonological Variability in Preschool Children With Speech Sound Disorder
Authors: Macrae Toby , Tyler Ann A. , Lewis Kerry E. 
Published: February 2014

Purpose
The authors of this study examined relationships between measures of word and speech error variability and between these and other speech and language measures in preschool children with speech sound disorder (SSD).

Method
In this correlational study, 18 preschool children with SSD, age-appropriate receptive vocabulary, and normal oral motor functioning and hearing were assessed across 2 sessions. Experimental measures included word and speech error variability, receptive vocabulary, nonword repetition (NWR), and expressive language. Pearson product–moment correlation coefficients were calculated among the experimental measures.

Results
The correlation between word and speech error variability was slight and nonsignificant. The correlation between word variability and receptive vocabulary was moderate and negative, although nonsignificant. High word variability was associated with small receptive vocabularies. The correlations between speech error variability and NWR and between speech error variability and the mean length of children's utterances were moderate and negative, although both were nonsignificant. High speech error variability was associated with poor NWR and language scores.

Conclusion
High word variability may reflect unstable lexical representations, whereas high speech error variability may reflect indistinct phonological representations. Preschool children with SSD who show abnormally high levels of different types of speech variability may require slightly different approaches to intervention.
Reliability of Broadband Middle-Ear Power Reflectance in Younger and Older Adults: Application of Generalizability Theory
Authors: Mahoney Marty J. , McFarland Dennis J. , Carpenter MiChelle S. , Rizvi Sabahet , Cacace Anthony T. 
Published: February 2014

Purpose
To assess the reliability of broadband middle-ear power reflectance (BMEPR) and transmittance profiles for chirp and tonal stimuli using generalizability theory (GT).

Method

In adults without a history of middle-ear disease, the authors assessed the reliability of BMEPR to chirp and tonal stimuli using a multivariate approach based on an analysis of variance model (GT). For comparisons with other published studies, Pearson's product–moment correlation coefficients (Pearson's
r
) also were used.

Results

Based on GT with chirp stimuli, overall BMEPR measures had good reliability; however, the reliability of individual profiles across frequencies and ears was less than optimal. Lower generalizability coefficients were found when transmittance was evaluated. Test–retest reliability using Pearson's
r
was better for right versus left ears, and mid-frequencies were generally more reliable than those at either extreme of the frequency range. In contrast, tonal stimuli had higher generalizability coefficients and Pearson's
r
values than chirps for all frequencies tested; Pearson's
r
values were also higher for right versus left ears.

Conclusion
The authors extended the use of GT as a preferred way to evaluate reliability of BMEPR and transmittance profiles for chirps and tones because it allows for a more comprehensive evaluation compared with unidimensional pairwise correlations.
Noise Levels Among Spectators at an Intercollegiate Sporting Event
Authors: England Beau , Larsen Jeffery Blythe 
Published: February 2014

Purpose
The intensity of noise levels in a basketball arena during games, as well as the hearing sensitivity of attendees, was measured for the purpose of assessing the impact of the noise on hearing thresholds.

Method
Noise levels at 10 intercollegiate basketball games were measured with a dosimeter affixed on the shoulders of attendees. Hearing thresholds and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were measured for 20 participants just before attending a basketball game and within an hour of the end of the game to determine whether changes in hearing thresholds resulted from exposure to the sound levels within the arena during the games.

Results
Participants demonstrated temporary shifts in pure-tone thresholds and reductions in the intensity of their otoacoustic emissions after attendance at 1 of the basketball games. Dosimeter measurements showed that noise at 6 of the 10 basketball games exceeded acceptable intensity levels when compared with a national workplace noise exposure standard.

Conclusion
Although noise intensities, on average, did not exceed workplace exposure standards, universities would be wise to be proactive in warning spectators about the potential dangers of noise exposure at sporting events, make earplugs available to interested spectators, and implement a hearing conservation program for employees working in noise.
Is Central Auditory Processing Disorder Present in Psychosis?
Authors: Iliadou Vasiliki (Vivian) , Apalla Kalliopi , Kaprinis Stergios , Nimatoudis Ioannis , Kaprinis George , Iacovides Apostolos 
Published: February 2014

Purpose
The scope of this study was to trace central auditory processing issues in patients with first-episode psychosis using a psychoacoustic test battery approach.

Method

Patients (
n
= 17) and volunteer control subjects (
n
= 17) with no personal or family history of schizophrenia were included in the study on the basis of normal hearing sensitivity. The authors implemented a central auditory processing battery consisting of monaural and binaural tests with verbal and nonverbal stimuli.

Results
Perceptual deficits in both nonverbal and verbal auditory stimuli are reported in this study, with temporal central auditory processing deficits and a mean left-ear advantage documented in the patient group.

Conclusion
This study points to the possibility of the existence of central auditory processing deficits in first-episode psychosis leading to schizophrenia. Audiologists should be aware of the psychiatric research pointing to enhanced verbal memory as a result of auditory training, linking bottom-up remediation with top-down improvement.