bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An acoustic valve within the nose of sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus
Authors: Huggenberger Stefan , André Michel , Oelschläger Helmut H. A. 
Published: November 2013

Abstract
Sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus emit impulsive sound signals in short series of rhythmic clicks (codas) for communication, and in long series of single acoustic events (usual clicks) for echolocation. Both click types are generated pneumatically within the hypertrophied nasal complex, at the ‘monkey lips’ at the rostral end of the right nasal passage. Each individual click comprises repetitive pulses decaying in intensity. However, the decay rate is distinctly higher in usual clicks than in coda clicks.
The mechanism of decay rate control in the clicks is still unclear, and it is unclear why the right nasal passage crosses the nasal acoustic pathway between two hypertrophied acoustic fat bodies (spermaceti organ, junk), so that it resembles a ‘bent acoustic horn’.
We present a new concept to explain how the flat right nasal passage can serve as a variable acoustic valve, and how the amount and distribution of its air filling can be controlled by muscle action. This mechanism allows the whale to determine the pulse decay rate and thus switch between the two modes of click production. Coda clicks are generated by reverberations within the spermaceti organ (partial trapping of sound) and by the release of sound energy in fractions through the air‐filled right nasal passage. In contrast, echolocation clicks as single events are released during the partial collapse of the right nasal passage between the spermaceti organ and the junk.
This interpretation of the right nasal passage as an adaptive acoustic valve elucidates why the spermaceti organ and the junk are separated from each other by an air‐filled space of variable volume crossing the sound path of the ‘bent acoustic horn’ in the posterior part of the nasal complex.
Practical guidance for the use of a pattern‐matching technique in case‐study research: A case presentation
Authors: Almutairi Adel F. , Gardner Glenn E. , McCarthy Alexandra 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis paper reports on a study that demonstrates how to apply pattern matching as an analytical method in case‐study research. Case‐study design is appropriate for the investigation of highly‐contextualized phenomena that occur within the social world. Case‐study design is considered a pragmatic approach that permits employment of multiple methods and data sources in order to attain a rich understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. The findings from such multiple methods can be reconciled in case‐study analysis, specifically through a pattern‐matching technique. Although this technique is theoretically explained in the literature, there is scant guidance on how to apply the method practically when analyzing data. This paper demonstrates the steps taken during pattern matching in a completed case‐study project that investigated the influence of cultural diversity in a multicultural nursing workforce on the quality and safety of patient care. The example highlighted in this paper contributes to the practical understanding of the pattern‐matching process, and can also make a substantial contribution to case‐study methods.
Change in Spinal Alignment after Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Radcliff Kristen E , Orozco Fabio , Molby Nicholas , Delasotta Lawrence , Chen Eric , Post Zachary , Ong Alvin 
Published: November 2013

ObjectiveThe study hypotheses were that: (i) there would be a difference in sagittal plane alignment between patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip and those with lumbar degenerative disk disease; and (ii) that sagittal plane lumbar alignment would change following total hip arthroplasty (THA).MethodsIn this prospective study, a series of patients without back pain or lumbar complaints who were scheduled to undergo THA underwent lateral lumbar radiography prior to and nine months after elective THA. Radiographic measurements of lumbar alignment included sacral slope, lumbar lordosis, and L1 axis S1 distance (L1 ASD). All measurements were performed on upright, standing, lateral radiographs. A control group of patients underwent serial radiography over the same period for evaluation of lumbar degenerative disease. The independent sample t‐test was used to compare the mean sacral slope, lumbar lordosis, and L1 ASD in the THA and control groups.ResultsThere were 12 patients in the THA group and 34 in the control group. Mean follow‐up was 9 months. Average age in the control group was 63 years and in the THA group 64.2 years. The sacral slope was greater in the THA group (mean, 23°) than in the lumbar patients (control group) and this difference was statistically significant (mean, 11°, P = 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between THA and control patients in lumbar lordosis or L1 ASD. Change before and after THA was measured. There were no statistically significant differences in assessed radiographic variables preoperatively versus postoperatively.ConclusionThere is no significant change in spinal alignment after unilateral THA. At baseline, patients with symptomatic spine complaints have less sacral slope than their hip arthroplasty counterparts.
Courage, regulatory responsibility, and the challenge of higher‐order reflexivity
Authors: Perez Oren 
Published: November 2013

AbstractContemporary regulators must respond to ever‐increasing societal demands in various domains. Regulators must cope with these demands under conditions of extreme epistemic scarcity and ideological divide. This leaves regulators perplexed about what action they should take. Regulatory praxis offers two primary responses to this moral and epistemic dilemma: technical canonization and reflexive regulation. While these two approaches represent contrary regulatory philosophies, they suffer from two common blind spots: (a) disregard of the critical role of discretionary judgment in regulatory action; and (b) disregard of the dilemma of higher‐order reflexivity. The article explores the idea of higher‐order reflexivity in the regulatory context. This exploration renders visible the abysses that are faced by regulators as they attempt to resolve regulatory dilemmas through a cognizant and introspective process. The article argues that the Socratic concept of courage and the idea of forward‐looking responsibility provide a plausible framework for thinking about the challenge of regulatory judgment. It concludes with a discussion of the legal and institutional mechanisms that could both facilitate and put to scrutiny the realization of this ideal (but noting also several features of the contemporary regulatory system which constitute potential barriers).
Cross‐national variations in industry regulation: A factor analytic approach with an application to telecommunications
Authors: Perkins Susan 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis study applies factor analytic techniques to 131 telecommunications regulatory agencies in 80 countries to develop a comparative framework for better understanding the cross‐national institutional variation in industrial regulation. While some of these measures are specific to the telecom industry (i.e. World Trade Organization Basic Telecom Agreement participation), most of these regulatory variables can be applied to other regulated industries. After analyzing 30 variables, these techniques identify and quantify six distinct dimensions of industry regulation, namely, the competitive market structure rules, industry standards rules, entry barrier rules, institutional stability, political appointment process, and the regulatory governance structure. Despite the conventional wisdom that suggests the “rules of the game” are key to industry regulation, this study finds that the single largest source of cross‐national variation is the level of regulatory institutional stability (accounting for 16 percent of the total variation in cross‐national industry regulation). This suggests that more focus and attention should be given to the role formal institutions play in industry regulation. This study also finds differences in industry regulation between developed, developing, and least developed nations. Developed countries on average have significantly higher regulation, with the US being the highest. This suggests that regulation is a critical component of industrial regimes and the competitiveness of developed economies.
Continuity of care in day surgical care – perspective of patients
Authors: Suominen Tarja , Turtiainen Ann‐Marie , Puukka Pauli , Leino‐Kilpi Helena 
Published: November 2013

BackgroundThe realisation of continuity in day surgical care is analysed in this study. The term ‘continuity of care’ is used to refer to healthcare processes that take place in time (time flow) and require coordination (coordination flow), rapport (caring relationship flow) and information (information flow). Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy or inguinal hernia day surgery are ideal candidates for studying the continuity of care, as the diseases are very common and the treatment protocol is mainly the same in different institutions, in addition to which the procedure is elective and most patients have a predictable clinical course.AimThe aim of the study was to describe, from the day surgery patients' own perspective, how continuity of care was realised at different phases of the treatment, prior to the day of surgery, on the day of surgery and after it.MethodThe study population consisted of 203 day surgical patients 10/2009–12/2010 (N = 350, response rate 58%). A questionnaire was developed for this study.ResultsBased on the results, the continuity of care was well realised as a rule. Continuity is improved by the fact that patients know the nurse who will look after them in the hospital before the day of surgery and have a chance to meet the nurse even after the operation. Meeting the surgeon who performed the operation afterwards also improves patients' perception of continuation of care.ConclusionsContinuity of care may be improved by ensuring that the patient meets caring staff prior to the day of operation and after the procedure. An important topic for further research would be how continuation of care is realised in the case of other patient groups (e.g. in internal medicine). On the other hand, realisation of continuation of care should also be studied from the viewpoint of those taking part in patient care in order to find similarities/differences between patients' perceptions and professionals' views. Studying interventions aimed to promote continuity of care, for example in patient guidance, would also be of great importance.
The Persistence of Workplace Gender Segregation in the US
Authors: Cohen Philip N. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractOccupational gender segregation remains one of the defining elements of gender inequality in modern societies. Recent trends for the United States show that occupational segregation remains high and did not substantially decline in the decade of the 2000s for the first time since 1960. Men and women work in different occupations because of a combination of forces, including culturally defined choices by workers themselves, discrimination by employers, and differences in skill levels and qualities. Research has shown that occupational segregation is an important aspect of gender inequality in earnings and contributes to other forms of inequality as well. The prospects for reducing gender segregation in the short term appear slim, based on the weak effects of educational attainment, cultural attitudes, and state intervention in the current period.
Phylogeny of a new supertribeCephenniitae with generic review ofEutheiini and description of a new tribeMarcepaniini (Coleoptera:Staphylinidae:Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ 
Published: November 2013

AbstractGenera ofEutheiini are reviewed andEutheimorphusis removed from this tribe of ant‐like stone beetles (Scydmaeninae) and transferred toCephenniini. A monogenericMarcepaniinitrib.n.is described to accommodateMarcepaniagen.n.fromMalaysia, with five species:M. semengohensissp.n.(the type species ofMarcepania),M. tuberculatasp.n.,M. seramaensissp.n.,M. minutissimasp.n.andM. elongatasp.n.A phylogenetic analysis of all genera ofCephenniini,Eutheiini andMarcepaniini based on adult morphological characters resulted in recovering a well‐supported monophyletic cladeEutheiini + (Marcepaniini + Cephenniini) and these tribes are included inCephenniitaestat.n.(Eutheiini andCephenniini are therefore removed fromScydmaenitae). Only a weak support for monophyly ofEutheiini was found, but morphological characters allow for maintaining this presumably relic group as a separate tribe. Previously proposed monophyletic groups withinCephenniini were recovered as such, but after inclusion ofEutheimorphus, a sister taxon to the ‘Cephennomicrusgroup’, the latter lineage gained weak statistical support. The evolutionary history ofCephenniitae is discussed, with focus on known northern hemisphere fossils classified inScydmaenitae andHapsomelitae, but possibly closely allied toCephenniitae. Establishing the supertribeCephenniitae is the first step toward a profound reclassification ofScydmaeninae on a robust phylogenetic basis.This published work has been registered in ZooBank,http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B0E1B12D-9587-4C4F-A908-A12A0C424A8C.
Our Policies, Their Text: German Language Students' Strategies with and Beliefs about Web‐Based Machine Translation
Authors: White Kelsey D. , Heidrich Emily 
Published: November 2013

AbstractMost educators are aware that some students utilize web‐based machine translators for foreign language assignments, however, little research has been done to determine how and why students utilize these programs, or what the implications are for language learning and teaching. In this mixed‐methods study we utilized surveys, a translation task, and interviews to discover some of the students' beliefs and strategies in using such tools. Our results suggest that students hold a range of beliefs about the usefulness of machine translators for writing assignments, and that many of them can articulate and reflect upon the strategies that they use. We discuss implications for the use of machine translation in the foreign language curriculum based on the example of university German.
International communication in a technology services call centre in India
Authors: LOCKWOOD JANE 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTThe data for this study was gathered from a US multinational company information technology enabled services (ITES) worksite offshored to India. The focus of the study is the exploration of the nature of English communication between professional support engineers across ‘Inner, Outer and Expanding Circles,’ and in particular the use of accommodation strategies used by the support engineers in the process of getting their professional work done on the phones with colleagues from all over the world. To date, little research into the needs and nature of English communication has been completed in this important industry in offshored destinations such as the Philippines and India. Such Outer Circle destinations are increasingly being selected by multinationals for offshoring and outsourcing due to the perception that these societies speak good English. But what does good English mean in globalized settings?
Phage ϕC2 Mediates Transduction of Tn
6215
, Encoding Erythromycin Resistance, between Clostridium difficile Strains
Authors: Goh Shan , Hussain Haitham , Chang Barbara J. , Emmett Warren , Riley Thomas V. , Mullany Peter 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACT

In this work, we show that
Clostridium difficile
phage ϕC2 transduces
erm
(B), which confers erythromycin resistance, from a donor to a recipient strain at a frequency of 10
−6
per PFU. The transductants were lysogenic for ϕC2 and contained the
erm
(B) gene in a novel transposon, Tn
6215
. This element is 13,008 bp in length and contains 17 putative open reading frames (ORFs). It could also be transferred at a lower frequency by filter mating.

IMPORTANCE
Clostridium difficile
is a major human pathogen that causes diarrhea that can be persistent and difficult to resolve using antibiotics.
C. difficile
is potentially zoonotic and has been detected in animals, food, and environmental samples.
C. difficile
genomes contain large portions of horizontally acquired genetic elements. The conjugative elements have been reasonably well studied, but transduction has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we show for the first time transduction as a mechanism for the transfer of a novel genetic element in
C. difficile
. Transduction may also be a useful tool for the genetic manipulation of
C. difficile
.
Improving the practice of child death overview panels: a paediatric perspective
Authors: Allen Luke , Lenton Simon , Fraser James , Sidebotham Peter 
Published: November 2013

ObjectiveIn England, every death in childhood is reviewed by a local multidisciplinary Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) with the intention of understanding causation and implementing interventions to reduce future deaths. This study aimed to establish how well panels work from the perspective of the paediatricians involved and to ascertain whether they deliver good value and identify areas for improvement.DesignA questionnaire was sent to every CDOP paediatrician in the country (n=93). Questions focused on the quality of CDOP case discussions as well as examples of effective and significant recommendations. Responses were analysed using simple quantitative and qualitative methods.Results84/93 (90%) of the paediatricians responded. Among the respondents, 60 (71%) believe that investment in CDOPs is offering good value, 73 (87%) feel that case discussions are rigorous and consistent and over 90% believe that the correct issues are emerging from discussions. However, responders noted many areas for improvement: 40 (48%) suggested devolving the discussion of specialist deaths (eg, neonates) to hospital-based review meetings or holding themed meetings with invited specialists, 11 (13%) suggested filtering out cases where learning is unlikely before full CDOP meetings and 13 (15%) called for national integration and analysis of data.ConclusionsIn this time of economic austerity it is vital that the CDOPs add value to the invested resources. Although CDOP paediatricians feel that panels are working well, there is scope for improvement through enhancing relationships with commissioning bodies, aggregate review and analysis of CDOP data at a national level and consideration of specialist and/or network review of certain categories of deaths such as cardiac surgery, oncology and neonates.
MRI observations at return to play of clinically recovered hamstring injuries
Authors: Reurink Gustaaf , Goudswaard Gert Jan , Tol Johannes L , Almusa Emad , Moen Maarten H , Weir Adam , Verhaar Jan A N , Hamilton Bruce , Maas Mario 
Published: November 2013

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that MRI of fresh hamstring injuries have diagnostic and prognostic value. The clinical relevance of MRI at return to play (RTP) has not been clarified yet. The aim of this study is to describe MRI findings of clinically recovered hamstring injuries in amateur, elite and professional athletes that were cleared for RTP.MethodsWe obtained MRI of 53 consecutive athletes with hamstring injuries within 5 days of injury and within 3 days of RTP. We assessed the following parameters: injured muscle, grading of injury, presence and extent of intramuscular signal abnormality. We recorded reinjuries within 2 months of RTP.ResultsMRIs of the initial injury showed 27 (51%) grade 1 and 26 (49%) grade 2 injuries. Median time to RTP was 28 days (range 12–76). On MRI at RTP 47 athletes (89%) had intramuscular increased signal intensity on fluid-sensitive sequences with a mean longitudinal length of 77 mm (±53) and a median cross-sectional area of 8% (range 0–90%) of the total muscle area. In 22 athletes (42%) there was abnormal intramuscular low-signal intensity. We recorded five reinjuries.Conclusions89% of the clinically recovered hamstring injuries showed intramuscular increased signal intensity on fluid-sensitive sequences on MRI. Normalisation of this increased signal intensity seems not required for a successful RTP. Low-signal intensity suggestive of newly developed fibrous tissues is observed in one-third of the clinically recovered hamstring injuries on MRI at RTP, but its clinical relevance and possible association with increased reinjury risk has to be determined.
Cancer incidence among Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel production workers in 1967–2011: a cohort study
Authors: Huvinen Markku , Pukkala Eero 
Published: November 2013

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to assess the risk of cancer among workers employed in the Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel industry since the beginning of production in 1967.MethodsThe study cohort was made up of all persons employed by the Finnish stainless steel production chain from chromite mining to cold rolling of stainless steel during the period 1967–2004, and it was divided into subcohorts by production units with specific exposure patterns of the subcohorts assessed in previous studies. Follow-up for cancer through the files of the Finnish Cancer Registry was performed using the personal identity code as key. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated as the ratios of observed numbers of cancer cases and numbers expected on the basis of incidence rates in the population of the same region.ResultsThe overall cancer incidence was at the expected level. The lung cancer risk was decreased in the whole cohort (SIR 0.79; 95% CI 0.65 to 1.08). The incidence of prostate cancer was significantly increased (1.31; 1.05 to 1.61) and that for kidney cancer was significantly decreased (0.38; 0.14 to 0.82). None of the department-specific SIRs for lung cancer were significantly different from 1.0. No cancers of the nose and nasal sinuses were observed among workers in the ferrochromium smelter or the stainless steel melting shop.ConclusionsIt is not likely that the occupational exposures in the Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel industry would have increased the risk of cancer.