Fever, febrile seizures, and epileptogenesis

Febrile seizures (FS) are common and are associated with increased probability of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, whether FS can provoke TLE in the nonpredisposed brain is unknown. Using an immature rat model, we established that long FS cause TLE, and that duration of FS governed the severity of epilepsy. Epileptogenesis was accompanied, perhaps causally, by ion channel dysfunction and inflammatory changes. Because FS are a prevalent antecedent of TLE, studying the epileptogenesis that follows them provides powerful insight and potential therapies for epilepsy. For an expanded treatment of this topic see Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies, Fourth Edition (Noebels JL, Avoli M, Rogawski MA, Olsen RW, Delgado-Escueta AC, eds) published by Oxford University Press (available on the National Library of Medicine Bookshelf [NCBI] at). © 2010 International League Against Epilepsy

Exploring the concept of the (future) mobile office

This video shows a concept of a future mobile office in a semi-automated vehicle that uses augmented reality. People perform non-driving tasks in current, non-automated vehicles even though that is unsafe. Moreover, even for passengers there is limited space, it is not social, and there can be motion sickness. In future cars, technology such as augmented reality might alleviate some of these issues. Our concept shows how augmented reality can project a remote conversant onto the dashboard. Thereby, the driver can keep an occasional eye on the road while the automated vehicle drives, and might experience less motion sickness. Potentially, this concept might even be used for group calls or for group activities such as karaoke, thereby creating a social setting. We also demonstrate how integration with an intelligent assistant (through speech and gesture analysis) might save the driver from having to grab a calendar to write things down, again allowing them to focus on the road

Reversible Luminescent Reaction of Amines with Copper(i) Cyanide

Copper(I) cyanide exposed to various liquid or vapor-phase amines (L) at ambient temperature produces a variety of visible photoluminescence colors via reversible formation of amine adducts. The adducts show phase matches to authentic (CuCN)Ln, n = 0.75–2.0, produced by heating CuCN with liquid amine

Understanding the global refugee crisis: managerial consequences and policy implications

The number of refugees is predicted to increase continually this century. We tackle the topic of the global refugee crisis and, in particular, its business and management implications. We investigate the dynamics of refugee integration and settlement processes, and present evidence for the specific challenges associated with the refugee crisis. Drawing on the organizational justice and inclusion literatures, we present the benefits of using organizational justice theory as a template for understanding refugee inclusion and for developing organizational practices and policies that support refugee inclusion. Supporting the UN’s call for more company participation in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, we argue for more active involvement of host country organizations as part of the solution to this global crisis. We also call for greater attention from business and management scholars to issues related to forced migration and refugee inclusion in the workplace. We discuss implications for theory, business practices, and public policies

Pimp My Ride: Designing Versatile eHMIs for Cyclists

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) must communicate their intentions to nearby road users and may use external Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs). Most eHMIs have focused on interaction with pedestrians at crossings. However, these may not work for cyclists, who can be anywhere around vehicles and encounter them in diverse traffic scenarios. We used participatory design with cyclists and AutoUI researchers (N = 12) collaborating in a real-world setting to design eHMIs around an actual vehicle. Participants preferred eHMIs that co-exist with traditional vehicle signals and use a single design language across traffic scenarios to communicate awareness and intent quickly without distracting their attention from the road. We used our findings to develop a taxonomy of eHMI features for cyclists, allowing us to synthesise the designs and contribute versatile eHMI concepts catered to cyclists’ needs. This is important to ensure AVs can safely navigate and interact with cyclists in all road scenarios

The Impact of Human Resource Practices on Actual and Perceived Organizational Performance in a Middle Eastern Emerging Market

This is a study centered on the impact of the specific set of HRM practices on organizational performance (OP) within an emerging-market setting. It seeks to explore which HR practices are most closely associated with better OP within the financial services industry in Jordan based on a survey of managers and the annual reports of the companies encompassed by the study. It was found that the only HR practice seen to consistently impact on OP was training; in other words, we did not encounter any recognizable "bundle" of HR practices that optimized OP across the sector. We argue that this reflects the weaker and more partially coupled nature of institutions in many emerging markets, which makes it difficult to generate the type of complementarities associated between regulation and practice in mature markets. It also reflects the limited transferability of perceived best practice models in the context of emerging-market settings. Although belied by objective firm performance data, many respondents believed that it was not only training but also the extensive usage of extrinsic incentives (pay and promotion) that would translate into superior results. This highlights the limitations of relying on managerial reported performance data in exploring the consequences of specific HR practices