The selection, appraisal and retention of digital scientific data: dighlights of an ERPANET/CODATA workshop

CODATA and ERPANET collaborated to convene an international archiving workshop on the selection, appraisal, and retention of digital scientific data, which was held on 15-17 December 2003 at the Biblioteca Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal. The workshop brought together more than 65 researchers, data and information managers, archivists, and librarians from 13 countries to discuss the issues involved in making critical decisions regarding the long-term preservation of the scientific record. One of the major aims for this workshop was to provide an international forum to exchange information about data archiving policies and practices across different scientific, institutional, and national contexts. Highlights from the workshop discussions are presented

Evidence for regulatory diversity and auto-regulation at the TAC1 locus in sensory neurones

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effects of Weight Loss Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Men and Women

OBJECTIVE — Weight loss among metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals may be unnecessary or result in elevated cardio-metabolic risk. We studied the effects of exercise- or diet-induced weight loss on cardio-metabolic risk among MHO and metabolically abnormal obese (MAO) adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — Participants were 63 MHO and 43 MAO adults who took part in 3 to 6 months of exercise- or diet-induced weight loss intervention. Changes in anthropometry, adipose tissue distribution, and cardio-metabolic risk factors were assessed. RESULTS — Body weight, waist circumference, and total abdominal and visceral adipose tissue were reduced in all subjects (P 0.05). Improvements in insulin sensitivity were observed in MHO and MAO men and women (P 0.05), but were greater in the MAO individuals (P 0.05). Fasting insulin was the only other cardio-metabolic improvement among MHO individ-uals (P 0.05). CONCLUSIONS — Lifestyle-induced weight loss among MHO subjects is associated with a reduction in total and abdominal obesity and improvement in selected cardio-metabolic risk factors. Diabetes Care 33:1957–1959, 2010 W eight loss among metabolicallyhealthy obese (MHO) individu-als characterized by low cardio-metabolic risk and low prospective risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease may be unnecessary and paradoxically may actually increase health risk (1,2). That weight reduction may be contraindi-cated for MHO individuals is at odds with the standing recommendation from lead-ing health authorities that weight loss be the primary treatment strategy for all obese patients, regardless of cardio-metabolic status (3). We sought to inves-tigate the effects of exercise- and diet-induced weight reduction on cardio-metabolic risk factors among MHO and metabolically abnormal obese (MAO) adults

The Expatriate's Experience in China: An Exploration of the Expatriate's Satisfaction in Their International Organization Setting

This research wanted to know why expatriates left their assignments in China. Since finding expatriates who had quit their international assignment was impossible, to understand why they left, this research used satisfaction as a proxy and asked expatriates ‘what affected their satisfaction in their international organization setting. ’ By understanding what constructs differentiated satisfied and dissatisfied expatriates in their organization setting, insights maybe offered about why the expatriate leaves. To achieve this, this research drew upon the Framework of International Adjustment and ASA/PO fit, two frameworks that propose how a person adjusts or fits into their organization. Much of the research has described the expatriate’s adjustment or fit in the organization in reference to culture. The perspective of this research was culture is a factor; however, it is the person interacting with their organization which may offer insights. This research suggested underpinning both frameworks was social cognition; that is, the person’s interpretation of their satisfaction in the international organization was the focus. A unique mixed approach consisting of a satisfaction/intention to quit survey, causal mapping, and a semi-structured interview was used. Upon completion of the exploration of what expatriate’s identified as important to their satisfaction, this research addressed the second objective. Were the two frameworks describing similar phenomena except from different perspectives? If so, could these frameworks be wed? Findings from this research suggest the expatriate is often caught between two incompatible solitudes, the home office expectations and the abilities of the China operations, to deliver. Although, most expatriates were satisfied with their situation, what was described in detail is dissatisfaction was often a result of the home office falling short in supporting the expatriate in the field. Interrogation of the two frameworks suggests the frameworks may in fact be presenting similar processes except from different research perspectives. Finally, this research suggests employing mixed methods is a valuable tool in the arsenal of the expatriate researcher. Employing this protocol has allowed their complex story to be revealed which may otherwise remain hidden

Re-estimation of argon isotope ratios leading to a revised estimate of the Boltzmann constant

In 2013, NPL, SUERC and Cranfield University published an estimate for the Boltzmann constant [1] based on a measurement of the limiting low-pressure speed of sound in argon gas. Subsequently, an extensive investigation by Yang et al [2] revealed that there was likely to have been an error in the estimate of the molar mass of the argon used in the experiment. Responding to [2], de Podesta et al revised their estimate of the molar mass [3]. The shift in the estimated molar mass, and of the estimate of kB, was large: -2.7 parts in 106, nearly four times the original uncertainty estimate. The work described here was undertaken to understand the cause of this shift and our conclusion is that the original samples were probably contaminated with argon from atmospheric air.
 In this work we have repeated the measurement reported in [1] on the same gas sample that was examined in [2, 3]. However in this work we have used a different technique for sampling the gas that has allowed us to eliminate the possibility of contamination of the argon samples. We have repeated the sampling procedure three times, and examined samples on two mass spectrometers. This procedure confirms the isotopic ratio estimates of Yang et al [2] but with lower uncertainty, particularly in the relative abundance ratio R38:36.
 Our new estimate of the molar mass of the argon used in Isotherm 5 in [1] is 39.947 727(15) g mol-1 which differs by +0.50 parts in 106 from the estimate 39.947 707(28) g mol-1 made in [3]. This new estimate of the molar mass leads to a revised estimate of the Boltzmann constant of kB = 1.380 648 60 (97) × 10−23 J K−1 which differs from the 2014 CODATA value by +0.05 parts in 106.&#13

Safety leadership practices for organizational safety compliance: developing a research agenda from a review of the literature

Safety leadership is asserted to positively influence safety compliance amongst employees. We examine this assertion by conducting a systematic literature review of the available academic literature on safety leadership practices and observed safety outcomes. We identified 25 empirical studies, the majority of which measured leadership through generic scales (MLQ and LMX). Closer scrutiny of the outcome measures suggested that these were mainly aligned to the implementation and operations phases of the OHSAS 18001 safety management systems framework. We conclude that safety compliance has been narrowly defined in academic study, but in practice embraces a much wider range of activities. While safety leadership may contribute to successfully achieving these other actions, there is no empirical evidence for this. Moreover, there is considerable critique of transformational and transactional leadership, so that the specification of desired leadership practices is problematic. We propose that a broader conceptualization of safety compliance requires safety leadership to embrace ‘plural’ forms of leadership. We draw attention to the narrow range of contexts in which safety leadership has been empirically studied and suggest other settings for investigation. Alternative methods for investigating safety leadership other than scales of leadership behaviour are suggested to enrich our understanding of safety leadership and so improve safety compliance

A STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL EVIDENTIAL VALUE OF PERFUMES, ANTIPERSPIRANTS AND DEODORANTS IN FORENSIC SCIENCE

Perfumes and other fragranced products are abundant in our environment and are therefore likely to be abundant in a crime scene environment. They have properties which make them ideally suited to chemical detection and analysis but are currently underutilised as a potential source of evidence and intelligence. This work provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that such products have the potential to be forensically useful when analysed using modern analytical instrumentation. Gas Chromatography (GC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) were each evaluated for their ability to distinguish between perfumes, deodorants and antiperspirants. GC analysis proved to be straightforward and provided sufficient detail to distinguish between products using visual pattern matching and statistical tools such as principal component analysis. FTIR was also able to discriminate between products with some success but it was felt that HPLC produced results with insufficient product detail to distinguish between perfumes. Using GC as the primary analytical technique, further experiments explored the most appropriate ways to store samples, recover liquid deposits from a crime scene and analyse a suspect or victim’s garments. It was also demonstrated that the change in composition of perfumes with evaporation follows a predictable pattern with forensically significant implications. This research has also established vital groundwork for future study into individual chemical profiles and lifestyle indicators

Production of massive stable particles in inflaton decay

We point out that inflaton decays can be a copious source of stable or long--lived particles $\chi$ with mass exceeding the reheat temperature $T_R$. Once higher order processes are included, this statement is true for any $\chi$ particle with renormalizable (gauge or Yukawa) interactions. This contribution to the $\chi$ density often exceeds the contribution from thermal $\chi$ production, leading to significantly stronger constraints on model parameters than those resulting from thermal $\chi$ production alone. For example, we all but exclude models containing stable charged particles with mass less than half the mass of the inflaton.Comment: 4 revtex pages, 1 figure (uses axodraw). Slightly modified for better clarification, few changes in references. Final verssion published in Phys. Rev. Let