Are Good Industrial Relations Good for the Economy?

Recent US microeconomic analysis indicates that good industrial relations might improve firm performance. Of late, it has also been claimed that the benefits of industrial relations quality - proxied inversely by a strikes variable - could also extend to the macroeconomy. Using cross-country data, we find that, independent of other labor market institutions, a lower strike volume is associated with lower unemployment. Although there is a separate line of causation running from unemployment to strikes, our analysis suggests that this is not dominant. That said, support for the notion that macro performance owes something to good industrial relations is, however, weakened once we formally control for strike endogeneity.

Soil resource supply influences faunal size-specific distributions in natural food webs

The large range of body-mass values of soil organisms provides a tool to assess the ecological organization of soil communities. The goal of this paper is to identify graphical and quantitative indicators of soil community composition and ecosystem functioning, and to illustrate their application to real soil food webs. The relationships between log-transformed mass and abundance of soil organisms in 20 Dutch meadows and heathlands were investigated. Using principles of allometry, maximal use can be made of ecological theory to build and explain food webs. The aggregate contribution of small invertebrates such as nematodes to the entire community is high under low soil phosphorus content and causes shifts in the mass-abundance relationships and in the trophic structures. We show for the first time that the average of the trophic link lengths is a reliable predictor for assessing soil fertility responses. Ordered trophic link pairs suggest a self-organizing structure of food webs according to resource availability and can predict environmental shifts in ecologically meaningful ways.

Polyomavirus enhancer activator 3 protein promotes breast cancer metastatic progression through Snail-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Polyomavirus enhancer activator 3 protein (Pea3), also known as ETV4, is a member of the Ets-transcription factor family, which promotes metastatic progression in various types of solid cancer. Pea3-driven epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been described in lung and ovarian cancers. The mechanisms of Pea3-induced EMT, however, are largely unknown. Here we show that Pea3 overexpression promotes EMT in human breast epithelial cells through transactivation of Snail (SNAI1), an activator of EMT. Pea3 binds to the human Snail promoter through the two proximal Pea3 binding sites and enhances Snail expression. In addition, knockdown of Pea3 in invasive breast cancer cells results in down-regulation of Snail, partial reversal of EMT, and reduced invasiveness in vitro. Moreover, knockdown of Snail partially rescues the phenotype induced by Pea3 overexpression, suggesting that Snail is one of the mediators bridging Pea3 and EMT, and thereby metastatic progression of the cancer cells. In four breast cancer patient cohorts whose microarray and survival data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, Pea3 and Snail expression are significantly correlated with each other and with overall survival of breast cancer patients. We further demonstrate that nuclear localization of Pea3 is associated with Snail expression in breast cancer cell lines and is an independent predictor of overall survival in a Chinese breast cancer patient cohort. In conclusion, our results suggest that Pea3 may be an important prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for metastatic progression of human breast cancer. © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

C5a-mediated neutrophil phagocytic dysfunction is RhoA-dependent and predicts nosocomial infection in critically ill patients.

Critically ill patients are at heightened risk for nosocomial infections. The anaphylatoxin C5a impairs phagocytosis by neutrophils. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs and the relevance for acquisition of nosocomial infection remain undetermined. We aimed to characterize mechanisms by which C5a inhibits phagocytosis in vitro and in critically ill patients, and to define the relationship between C5a-mediated dysfunction and acquisition of nosocomial infection. In healthy human neutrophils, C5a significantly inhibited RhoA activation, preventing actin polymerization and phagocytosis. RhoA inhibition was mediated by PI3Kd. The effects on RhoA, actin, and phagocytosis were fully reversed by GM-CSF. Parallel observations were made in neutrophils from critically ill patients, that is, impaired phagocytosis was associated with inhibition of RhoA and actin polymerization, and reversed by GM-CSF. Among a cohort of 60 critically ill patients, C5a-mediated neutrophil dysfunction (as determined by reduced CD88 expression) was a strong predictor for subsequent acquisition of nosocomial infection (relative risk, 5.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-22; P = .0007), and remained independent of time effects as assessed by survival analysis (hazard ratio, 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-8.3; P = .01). In conclusion, this study provides new insight into the mechanisms underlying immunocompromise in critical illness and suggests novel avenues for therapy and prevention of nosocomial infection.

Stress, coping and satisfaction in nursing students

Aim. This article is a report of a study conducted to explore the relationship between sources of stress and psychological well-being and to consider how different sources of stress and coping resources might function as moderators and mediators on well-being.


Background. In most research exploring sources of stress and coping in nursing students, stress has been construed as psychological distress. Sources of stress likely to enhance well-being and, by implication, learning have not been considered.


Method. A questionnaire was administered to 171 final year nursing students in 2008. Questions were asked to measure sources of stress when rated as likely to contribute to distress (a hassle) and rated as likely to help one achieve (an uplift). Support, control, self-efficacy and coping style were also measured, along with their potential moderating and mediating effects on well-being, operationalized using the General Health Questionnaire and measures of course and career satisfaction.


Findings. Sources of stress likely to lead to distress were more often predictors of well-being than were sources of stress likely to lead to positive, eustress states, with the exception of clinical placement demands. Self-efficacy, dispositional control and support were important predictors, and avoidance coping was the strongest predictor of adverse well-being. Approach coping was not a predictor of well-being. The mere presence of support appeared beneficial as well as the utility of that support to help a student cope.


Conclusion. Initiatives to promote support and self-efficacy are likely to have immediate benefits for student well-being. In course reviews, nurse educators need to consider how students’ experiences might contribute not just to potential distress, but to eustress as well.

Understanding New Product Project Performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarize the accumulated body of knowledge on the performance of new product projects and provide directions for further research. Design/methodology/approach – Using a refined classification of antecedents of new product project performance the research results are meta-analyzed in the literature in order to identify the strength and stability of predictor-performance relationships. Findings – The results reveal that 22 variables have a significant relationship with new product project performance, of which only 12 variables have a sizable relationship. In order of importance these factors are the degree of organizational interaction, R&D and marketing interface, general product development proficiency, product advantage, financial/business analysis, technical proficiency, management skill, marketing proficiency, market orientation, technology synergy, project manager competency and launch activities. Of the 34 variables 16 predictors show potential for moderator effects. Research limitations/implications – The validity of the results is constrained by publication bias and heterogeneity of performance measures, and directions for the presentation of data in future empirical publications are provided. Practical implications – This study helps new product project managers in understanding and managing the performance of new product development projects. Originality/value – This paper provides unique insights into the importance of predictors of new product performance at the project level. Furthermore, it identifies which predictor-performance relations are contingent on other factors.

Childhood Trauma and Hippocampal and Amygdalar Volumes in First-Episode Psychosis

Objective: A history of childhood trauma is common in individuals who later develop psychosis. Similar neuroanatomical abnormalities are observed in people who have been exposed to childhood trauma and people with psychosis. However, the relationship between childhood trauma and such abnormalities in psychosis has not been investigated. This study aimed to explore the association between the experience of childhood trauma and hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in a first-episode psychosis (FEP) population. Methods: The study employed an observational retrospective design. Twenty-one individuals, who had previously undergone magnetic resonance imaging procedures as part of the longitudinal Northern Ireland First-Episode Psychosis Study, completed measures assessing traumatic experiences and were included in the analysis. Data were subject to correlation analyses (rand rob). Potential confounding variables (age at FEP and delay to scan from recruitment) were selected a priori for inclusion in multiple regression analyses. Results: There was a high prevalence of lifetime (95%) and childhood (76%) trauma in the sample. The experience of childhood trauma was a significant predictor of left hippocampal volume, although age at FEP also significantly contributed to this model. There was no significant association between predictor variables and right hippocampal volume. The experience of childhood trauma was a significant predictor of right and total amygdalar volumes and the hippocampal/amygdalar complex volume as a whole. Conclusions: The findings indicate that childhood trauma is associated with neuroanatomical measures in FEP. Future research controlling for childhood traumatic experiences may contribute to explaining brain morphology in people with psychosis.

Age-related changes in energy efficiency of gait, activity, and participation in children with cerebral palsy

Aim
The aim of this study was to use a prospective longitudinal study to describe age-related trends in energy efficiency during gait, activity, and participation in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method
Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), and Lifestyle Assessment Questionnaire-Cerebral Palsy (LAQ-CP) scores, and energy efficiency (oxygen cost) during gait were assessed in representative sample of 184 children (112 male; 72 female; mean age 10y 9mo; range 4–16y) with CP. Ninety-four children had unilateral spastic CP, 84 bilateral spastic CP, and six had other forms of CP. Fifty-seven were classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level I, 91 as level II, 22 as level III, and 14 as level IV). Assessments were carried out on two occasions (visit 1 and visit 2) separated by an interval of 2 years and 7 months. A total of 157 participants returned for reassessment.

Results
Significant improvements in mean raw scores for GMFM, PEDI, and LAQ-CP were recorded; however, mean raw oxygen cost deteriorated over time. Age-related trends revealed gait to be most inefficient at the age of 12 years, but GMFM scores continued to improve until the age of 13 years, and two PEDI subscales to age 14 years, before deteriorating (p<0.05). Baseline score was consistently the single greatest predictor of visit 2 score. Substantial agreement in GMFCS ratings over time was achieved (?lw=0.74–0.76).

Interpretation
These findings have implications in terms of optimal provision and delivery of services for young people with CP to maximize physical capabilities and maintain functional skills into adulthood.

Generalized social trust across 22 European countries: A multi-level analysis of four competing models

Concern with what can explain variation in generalized social trust has led to an abundance of theoretical models. Defining generalized social trust as a belief in human benevolence, we focus on the emancipation theory and social capital theory as well as the ethnic diversity and economic development models of trust. We then determine which dimensions of individuals’ behavior and attitudes as well as of their national context are the most important predictors. Using data from 20 countries that participated in round one of the European Social Survey, we test these models at their respective level of analysis, individual and/or national. Our analysis revealed that individuals’ own trust in the political system as a moral and competent institution was the most important predictor of generalized social trust at the individual level, while a country’s level of affluence was the most important contextual predictor, indicating that different dimensions are significant at the two levels of analysis. This analysis also raised further questions as to the meaning of social capital at the two levels of analysis and the conceptual equivalence of its civic engagement dimension across cultures.

Anger, aggression, and self-harm in PTSD and complex PTSD

This study examined the contribution of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and symptomatology to the difficulties of anger, aggression, and self-harm in a Northern Ireland clinical community sample. A "current complex PTSD" (CCPTSD) group (n = 11) was compared with a "current PTSD" group (n = 31) on self-report measures of these variables. The CCPTSD group demonstrated significantly higher levels of physical aggression and selfharm than the PTSD group. The complex PTSD symptom of 'alterations in self-perception' was a significant predictor of aggression and history of self-harm, suggesting the potential role of posttraumatic shame and self-loathing in PTSD theoretical models of these destructive behaviors. Social desirability was a notable confounding influence in the assessment of anger, aggression, and self-harm in traumatised individuals.

Geographical Influences on Long-Run Development

We show that geographical factors influence long-run per capita income directly, as well as indirectly, through the quality of institutions. The direct influence of geography on per capita incomes is robust to the inclusion of a sub-Saharan Africa dummy and other tests. We obtain our results by replacing the usual instrument (settlers’ mortality (SM)) by stronger instruments for institutional quality (latitude, the share of the country in the temperate climatic zone). We also provide evidence that SM suffers from endogeneity with respect to institutional quality for early colonies, because of its dependence on nineteenth-century mortality data.

Importance of consumers on exposed and sheltered rocky shores.

It is often suggested that the relative importance of biotic processes, such as recruitment, competition and predation of marine benthic species, varies predictably along a gradient of exposure to wave action. Several established models of community dynamics on rocky shores predict that top-down processes are more important for structuring communities on sheltered than on exposed shores. To test the relative dominance of top-down processes, we first measured the establishment of key benthic species (mussels, barnacles and algae) on 3 sheltered and 3 exposed rocky shores in southwest Ireland over two 6 mo periods. We then manipulated the presence of consumers (e.g. grazing gastropods, crabs, whelks), using caged exclosures, on 2 sheltered and 2 exposed shores to test for an interaction between effects of consumers and shore exposure on the establishment of benthic species. In contrast to predictions, we found that consumers strongly affected establishment of all species regardless of shore exposure. We also found that shore exposure was not a reliable predictor for spatial and temporal variation in rates of establishment of sessile benthic species. Our findings provide experimental evidence which demonstrates the importance of consumers in early post-settlement stages of benthic species-essential for the development of benthic-pelagic models. © 2011 Inter-Research.


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Reaxys Database Information|

Behavior-Based branch prediction by dynamically clustering branch instructions

Conditional branches frequently exhibit similar behavior (bias, time-varying behavior,...), a property that can be used to improve branch prediction accuracy. Branch clustering constructs groups or clusters of branches with similar behavior and applies different branch prediction techniques to each branch cluster. We revisit the topic of branch clustering with the aim of generalizing branch clustering. We investigate several methods to measure cluster information, with the most effective the storage of information in the branch target buffer. Also, we investigate alternative methods of using the branch cluster identification in the branch predictor. By these improvements we arrive at a branch clustering technique that obtains higher accuracy than previous approaches presented in the literature for the gshare predictor. Furthermore, we evaluate our branch clustering technique in a wide range of predictors to show the general applicability of the method. Branch clustering improves the accuracy of the local history (PAg) predictor, the path-based perceptron and the PPM-like predictor, one of the 2004 CBP finalists.

Clustered indexing for branch predictors

As a result of resource limitations, state in branch predictors is frequently shared between uncorrelated branches. This interference can significantly limit prediction accuracy. In current predictor designs, the branches sharing prediction information are determined by their branch addresses and thus branch groups are arbitrarily chosen during compilation. This feasibility study explores a more analytic and systematic approach to classify branches into clusters with similar behavioral characteristics. We present several ways to incorporate this cluster information as an additional information source in branch predictors.

XOR-based hash functions

Bank conflicts can severely reduce the bandwidth of an interleaved multibank memory and conflict misses increase the miss rate of a cache or a predictor. Both occurrences are manifestations of the same problem: Objects which should be mapped to different indices are accidentally mapped to the same index. Suitable chosen hash functions can avoid conflicts in each of these situations by mapping the most frequently occurring patterns conflict-free. A particularly interesting class of hash functions are the XOR-based hash functions, which compute each set index bit as the exclusive-or of a subset of the address bits. When implementing an XOR-based hash function, it is extremely important to understand what patterns are mapped conflict-free and how a hash function can be constructed to map the most frequently occurring patterns without conflicts. Hereto, this paper presents two ways to reason about hash functions: by their null space and by their column space. The null space helps to quickly determine whether a pattern is mapped conflict-free. The column space is more useful for other purposes, e. g., to reduce the fan-in of the XOR-gates without introducing conflicts or to evaluate interbank dispersion in skewed-associative caches. Examples illustrate how these ideas can be applied to construct conflict-free hash functions.