Ultracompact fluorescence smartphone attachment using built-in optics for protoporphyrin-IX quantification in skin

Smartphone-based fluorescence imaging systems have the potential to provide convenient quantitative image guidance at the point of care. However, common approaches have required the addition of complex optical attachments, which reduce translation potential. In this study, a simple clip-on attachment appropriate for fluorescence imaging of protoporphyrin-IX (PpIX) in skin was designed using the built-in light source and ultrawide camera sensor of a smartphone. Software control for image acquisition and quantitative analysis was developed using the 10-bit video capability of the phone. Optical performance was characterized using PpIX in liquid tissue phantoms and endogenously produced PpIX in mice and human skin. The proposed system achieves a very compact form factor (\u3c30 cm3) and can be readily fabricated using widely available low-cost materials. The limit of detection of PpIX in optical phantoms was \u3c10 nM, with good signal linearity from 10 to 1000 nM (R2 \u3e0.99). Both murine and human skin imaging verified that in vivo PpIX fluorescence was detected within 1 hour of applying aminolevulinic acid (ALA) gel. This ultracompact handheld system for quantification of PpIX in skin is well-suited for dermatology clinical workflows. Due to its simplicity and form factor, the proposed system can be readily adapted for use with other smartphone devices and fluorescence imaging applications. Hardware design and software for the system is made freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/optmed/CompactFluorescenceCam)

Driver Management that Drives Carrier Performance

T he trucking industry provides the majority of transportation services in the United States. Truck drivers, particularly their driving performance, which influences how customers perceive motor carriers, are integral to the success of their firms. Hence, driver management is a topic of great interest to the trucking industry, logistics practitioners, and logistics researchers. Although the logistics literature does address issues relating to driver management, advice is scarce regarding how motor carriers might manage drivers to improve operational performance and thus the bottom line. Our results shed light on the processes whereby some formal controls directly influence operational performance, whereas others indirectly influence operational performance; that is, in the latter case, the influence of formal controls on operational performance is mediated by certain informal controls. According to our findings, motor carrier firms that employ a combination of formal and informal controls perform better operationally than firms that do not do so. And, thus, those employing such a combination of controls will realize a larger market share. Keywords: survey; structural equation modeling; mediation; trucking; logistics; control theory; truck driver INTRODUCTION The trucking industry provides the majority of transportation services in the United States (U.S. Department of Transportation 2012) and is almost always the service provider in the "last mile" solution to the customer. According to previous research, firms that provide both reliable and on-time delivery services and are responsive to customer requests will ultimately increase their market share The central thesis of this study is that the key to improving drivers' performance and thus operational performance and eventually carrier market performance lies in implementing a combination of formal and informal controls. Formal controls are written management-initiated mechanisms designed to align employees' behavior with firm objectives, whereas informal controls are unwritten, employee-initiated, and influence their behavior The purpose of this research is to answer the question of how formal and informal management strategies designed to control truck drivers' performance affect carriers' operational and market performance across a large and diverse cross-section of motor carrier operations. We build on Mello and Hunt's (2009) theoretic control framework by integrating complementary theoretical perspectives from signaling, social exchange, and social identity theories to empirically test our proposed model for driver control. Next, we develop a theoretical basis for our driver control framework and present a research model with specific hypotheses for testing the effects of driver control strategies on motor carriers' performance. We then present our methodology, including our approach to data collection, scale development, and hypotheses testing using state-of-the-art structural equation model mediation analyses. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our results and consider directions for future research. THEORY AND HYPOTHESES The logistics literature concerning driver control discusses various methods that motor carriers use to influence the actions of their drivers. Some of these methods, for example, standards setting and performance rewards We propose a model ( Formal controls Formal controls are written management-initiated mechanisms designed to increase the probability that employees will behave in ways that support the firm's objectives Activity controls Activity controls reduce opportunism by specifying rules and detailing behaviors The theoretical tradition on formal management control suggests a strong link between activity control and market performance Social Exchange Theory Support Culture of Accountability Management Ac on Output controls Output controls include setting standards, then monitoring and comparing results with those standards in order to evaluate performance (Jaworski and MacInnis 1989). Management uses output controls to evaluate the extent to which employees meet set standards of performance in terms of results rather than in terms of whether employees exhibit specific behaviors (Jaworski and MacInnis 1989). Output controls ensure that employees receive feedback on their performance from the firm, which itself may lead to higher profits Operational and market performance Stank Operational performance as a mediator As discussed in the theoretical conceptualization and as proposed in H 1a and H 2a , it is reasonable to expect operational-level formal activity and output control variables to have a more salient relationship with operational performance than with market performance. In addition, the literature shows that operational performance has an effect on market performance Informal controls Informal controls are unwritten, often employee-initiated, mechanisms that influence employees' behavior Perceived organizational support Eisenberger Professional controls Representing the degree of interaction, feedback, and evaluation among peers, professional controls thus stress group discussion and cooperation ). The fundamental concept of professional control is that employees evaluate each other (Jaworski and MacInnis 1989), which Mello and Hunt Research suggests that formal control systems predict high levels of professional controls According to The effect of informal control on performance As illustrated in Norm of reciprocity SET proposes that actors in exchange relationships attempt to obtain desirable results from these relationships by maximizing rewards and minimizing costs Enhanced firm reputation According to SIT, individuals classify themselves on the basis of various social factors including where they work, and membership in these social categories influences their self-concept The mediating effect of informal controls Findings pertaining to establishing a direct relationship between formal controls and performance are inconsistent Hayes Using our theoretical framework, we argue that when a firm uses activity controls, such as setting drivers' work procedures and using output controls to measure drivers' performance and reward them accordingly, it sends a strong signal of support to its drivers. Such perceived support should motivate drivers to reciprocate by performing in such a way as to meet the firm's objectives, which in turn improves operational performance. We, therefore, posit that H 9a : POS mediates the effect of activity control on operational performance. H 9b : POS mediates the effect of output control on operational performance. We use Figure 2 summarizes our hypotheses with regard to the structure of dependence relationships developed through our discussion of the theoretical concepts in the management control literature. METHODOLOGY The objective of this research is to test a theory of management strategies for controlling driver activities to achieve desired outcomes. Therefore, the unit of analysis is the motor carrier firm. We conducted a national survey to measure carrier performance and the formal and informal driver controls used by firms to manage their drivers. Empirically verifying the impact of driver control on performance across a large and significantly more diverse sample than has been used before will expand the field's ability to understand these relationships and to generalize strategies for effectively dealing with performance issues. We, therefore, follow Garver et al. 's (2008) recommendation to include drivers from a variety of contexts. Hence, this study includes motor carriers providing over-the-road, for-hire road-haulage services, and carriers that maintain a private truck fleet for their in-house transportation requirements. The principal informants for this study are professionals responsible for driver management at each firm who are well-placed to respond to questions about the firm's driver control practices and operational and market performance. Scale development The measurement instrument was developed using existing scale items from the literature. See Appendix A for detailed information regarding the sources, measures, and scales used for each item. We used a 7-point Likert-type scale to measure all the control items and a 7-point semantic differential scale ranging from "much better" to "much worse" to measure the performance items. We adapted the items through a series of iterations for the trucking industry. First, we consulted 12 driver-management experts from the trucking industry. We asked them to record their responses using a draft online survey instrument. Over subsequent discussions, we used their feedback to refine the language of the measures to more appropriately capture the measurements of driver control and carrier performance in the trucking industry. For example, we ensured that the language used for the items measuring market performance would convey the correct meaning to private fleets. On the surface, private fleet managers do not have any obvious competitors or market-or revenue-growth aspirations. However, through our conversations with the industry experts, we became aware that carriers with private fleets frequently benchmark their practices against those of national motor carriers. In fact, it is a common practice in large private fleets (typically over 50 vehicles) to compete with bids from national motor carriers for a share of the parent firm's business. Consequently, we refined the language of the marketperformance items to ensure accurate measurement of both forhire and private-fleet performance. In addition, to accommodate private fleets and maintain a diverse sample, we limited our sample to firms with more than 50 vehicles. The items used to measure POS were modified to report POS provided by the firm to the drivers from the manager's perspective. In making this modification, we limited our survey to a single principal informant from each company who was knowledgeable about both driver-control practices and firm-level performance, thus keeping the survey administration within our budget constraints. Our use of a single key informant is consistent with the protocol used by most research studies in the field-a protocol followed largely because of budget constraints Pilot test After refining the measurement items and scales based on the initial interviews, we conducted a pilot test. Our sampling frame was developed with a systematic random sample drawn from FleetSeek (http://www.FleetSeek.com), the U.S. National Motor Carrier database, and the Private Fleet database. Professional phone interviewers prequalified the potential respondents. Trained and retained by a university research center responsible for research with human subjects, the interviewers were required to adhere to strict protocols. For example, they were trained not to interpret or reword items, such that when asked to clarify an item they simply repeated the item in its entirety. All clarifications and inquiries were logged to aid with measurement refinement, if necessary, after the pilot was complete. To qualify the respondents for participation, interviewers asked them to confirm that they were responsible for driver management at the firm and, therefore, able to respond to questions about the firm's driver-control practices and market performance. Qualified respondents were asked to complete the survey over the phone with an interviewer. To accommodate the respondents' schedules, the interviewers scheduled callbacks and as a last resort allowed respondents to independently complete an identical survey online. The interviewers' central purpose was to prequalify principal informants and administer the survey in a way that would be most convenient to the respondents. We designed this data collection strategy consistent with Armstrong and Overton's dictum whereby the "most commonly recommended protection against nonresponse bias [is] … the reduction in nonresponse itself" (1977, 396 cited in Wagner and Kemmerling 2010, 359). The interviewers had contacted 1,254 firms by the end of spring 2011. Of these, the driver managers of 680 firms were qualified as principal informants. Of the managers from these 680 firms, 121 completed the survey for an effective response rate of 17.8%. The interviewers recorded disposition codes for the other prequalified participants who had not responded either because of a company policy against such participation, because they were not interested in the study, or because they did not have time to take part, among other stated reasons. In addition, a number of prequalified respondents scheduled callbacks, but proved unreachable after the initial contact and thus were recorded as nonrespondents. We used the data from the pilot to conduct a variety of tests. We conducted an ANOVA to determine whether there were differences in measurement across what turned out to be four groups based on combinations of response formats and populations within our sample: interviewer-administered for-hire, interviewer-administered private fleet, self-administered for-hire, and self-administered private fleet. None of the measures showed significant differences among the groups, indicating a minimal risk of using the two response formats and combining private and for-hire fleets in the sample. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to ensure measurement validity. All measures exhibited unidimensionality, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. After reviewing the logged feedback from the interviewers during the pilot test, we consulted five of the original 12 industry experts to further refine the language of a few measures before commencing the main data collection. On the basis of the logged feedback from the interviewers and from the five industry experts, we made slight alterations to the wording of the three output control measures, not to change the meaning of the items, but to achieve greater precision and clarity (Appendix A). Main survey We drew a second systematic random sample from the FleetSeek database to develop our sampling frame for the main survey. By the end of summer 2011, we had contacted a total of 3,838 firms, of which 2,464 respondents were prequalified and 573 responded to the survey for an effective response rate of 23.25%. The nonrespondents did not respond for reasons already outlined for the pilot test. As the measures used for the pilot test do not differ substantively from the instrument used for the main data collection, the pilot test responses are included in the analysis. The effective response rate for the combined data set is 22.1%. The use of data collected from different groups, that is, response formats, populations, and waves, for structural equation modeling raises the concern of measurement equivalence-a concern that arises because item measures and factor loadings may differ across groups (J€ oreskog 1971; Steenkamp and Baumgartner 1998). Thus, it is necessary to establish the invariance of factor loading pattern and the measurement invariance or configural and metric invariance among the groups, as the absence of these gives rise to the risk that systematic biases will be introduced (Steenkamp and Baumgartner 1998). Steenkamp and Baumgartner (1998, 78) Response bias We used the characteristic comparison method demonstrated by Chi-square tests of association among the respondents and nonrespondents for region (v 2 = 12.07, df = 8, p-value = .148), fleet size (v 2 = 2.70, df = 6, p-value = .845), and revenue (v 2 = 2.40, df = 6, p-value = .879) are reported in In addition, in an effort to rule out informant bias, we looked at the characteristics of the principal informants to check for respondent competency RESULTS Measurement model We used LISREL 8.8 (Scientific Software International, Inc., Skokie, IL) to perform a CFA to determine construct validity, including testing for unidimensionality, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity (see Appendix B for the covariance and correlation matrix). To assess unidimensionality and convergent validity, we considered the direction, magnitude, and significance (a .05) of each item and its focal construct All item loadings were significant at a .05. One item (ProfC1) was dropped because of very low standardized loadings (.33) and an erratic pattern of high modification indices and standardized residuals. Two other scale items (OC2, ProfC4) exhibited standardized loadings lower than the .5 minimum recommended by Hair et al. 15 . All the chi-square difference tests were significant, including for the three correlations in question (q OC,POS : Dv 2 (1) = 110.8, q OC,ProfC : Dv 2 (1) = 83.6, q POS,ProfC : Dv 2 (1) = 69.9); thus, we rejected H 0 , which held that Notes: AVE, average variance extracted; CFI, comparative fit index; IFI, incremental fit index, NFI, normed fit index; NNFI, nonnormed fit index; RMSEA, root mean square error of approximation; SRMR, standardized root mean square residual. *Sqrt(AVE). **All correlations are significant at p < .01 except when indicated by ‡ where p < .05. Driving Carrier Performance 23 any of these three pairs of constructs would be the same. Overall, the measurement model shows good convergent and discriminant validity. Structural model Without informal controls We first specified the structural model of the theoretical framework without the informal controls (ProfC and POS). The model is specified with direct structural relationships between the formal controls (AC, OC) and carrier performance (MktPerf, OperPerf). The structural model The nonnormal sampling distribution of the product of the two indirect pathways used to estimate the indirect mediation effect precludes the use of Sobel's z test to establish mediation Consequently, we used Shrout and Bolger's (2002) bias-corrected bootstrap methods implemented in AMOS 19.0 (Preacher and Hayes 2008). Five thousand resamples with replacement were used to empirically represent the sampling distribution of the indirect effects (Hayes 2009). By this method, we determined the product of the constituent mediation pathways by estimating the indirect effect in the population sampled and thereby generate a 95% confidence interval. According to The paths for output control to operational performance and market performance and those from operational performance to market performance (H 3 ) are all significant. In addition, the indirect effect from output control to market performance through operational performance (H 4b ) is significant, indicating complementary mediation With informal controls In These results confirm our conclusions from the results of the previous model In summary, the results of our analysis show that activity control through its effect on operational performance affects market performance. And, output control affects POS (H 5b ) and professional control (H 6b ), the latter of which is the only mediator necessary to explain the effect of output control on operational performance and, therefore, market performance. DISCUSSION The findings from our study extend the literature by demonstrating empirical support for the relationships between specific driver control strategies and carrier performance. Our study provides a theoretical rationale for how the combinations of formal and informal controls in our study influence motor carrier performance. In addition, the current study informs practitioners of the impact that management actions in support of formal and informal driver control can have on carrier performance across diverse motor carrier settings. Although we examined the phenomenon of management control in the trucking industry, our results may also be applicable to other logistics contexts, such as managing autonomous vehicle operators of other transportation modes and managing remote autonomous employees and business units. Theoretical implications This study represents the first effort to integrate complementary theoretical perspectives to explain the antecedent effect of formal controls on informal controls and ultimately firm performance. Research from marketing and logistics suggests that formal controls influence informal controls Driving Carrier Performance 25 performance has not been investigated before. The results of our analyses provide the first empirical evidence that formal control (output control) affects informal controls (POS and professional control). On the other hand, despite theoretical support, our results do not indicate that there is a direct effect of activity control on informal controls. The results of our analyses present a new process whereby formal and informal controls affect market performance. To explain how formal and informal controls affect market performance, we integrated logistics knowledge about the operational performance effects on market performance into our model Previous research examining activity control does not show evidence of a link between activity control and market performance This study constitutes the first endeavor to empirically test the effects of informal control on operational performance. It is surprising that POS does not affect operational performance; however, we did find that professional control has a significant effect on operational performance. Professional control effects on organizational performance are well understood in the marketing and sales literature In addition, our study examines the mediating effects of informal controls, such as how professiona

Proposing new variables for the identification of strategic groups in franchising

The identification of strategic groups in the Spanish franchising area is the main aim of this study. The authors have added some new strategic variables (not used before) to the study and have classified franchisors between sectors and distribution strategy. The results reveal the existence of four perfectly differentiated strategic groups (types of franchisors). One of the major implications of this study is that the variables that build a strategic group vary depending on the respective sector the network operates in and its distribution strategy. This fact indicates that including sector and distribution strategy is absolutely necessary to achieve good classifications of franchisor type

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15ka sequence of multi-sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand.

We document the stratigraphy, composition, and chronology of a succession of 16 distal, silicic tephra layers interbedded with lateglacial and Holocene peats and muds up to c. 15 000 radiocarbon years (c. 18 000 calendar years) old at a montane site (Kaipo Bog) in eastern North Island, New Zealand. Aged from 665 +/- 15 to 14 700 +/- 95 14C yr BP, the tephras are derived from six volcanic centres in North Island, three of which are rhyolitic (Okataina, Taupo, Maroa), one peralkaline (Tuhua), and two andesitic (Tongariro, Egmont). Correlations are based on multiple criteria: field properties and stratigraphic interrelationships, ferromagnesian silicate mineral assemblages, glass-shard major element composition (from electron microprobe analysis), and radiocarbon dating. We extend the known distribution of tephras in eastern North Island and provide compositional data that add to their potential usefulness as isochronous markers. The chronostratigraphic framework established for the Kaipo sequence, based on both site-specific and independently derived tephra-based radiocarbon ages, provides the basis for fine-resolution paleoenvironmental studies at a climatically sensitive terrestrial site from the mid latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Tephras identified as especially useful paleoenvironmental markers include Rerewhakaaitu and Waiohau (lateglacial), Konini (lateglacial-early Holocene), Tuhua (middle Holocene), and Taupo and Kaharoa (late Holocene)

Tephrochronology and its application: A review

Tephrochronology (from tephra, Gk ‘ashes’) is a unique stratigraphic method for linking, dating, and synchronizing geological, palaeoenvironmental, or archaeological sequences or events. As well as utilising the Law of Superposition, tephrochronology in practise requires tephra deposits to be characterized (or ‘fingerprinted’) using physical properties evident in the field together with those obtained from laboratory analyses. Such analyses include mineralogical examination (petrography) or geochemical analysis of glass shards or crystals using an electron microprobe or other analytical tools including laser-ablation-based mass spectrometry or the ion microprobe. The palaeoenvironmental or archaeological context in which a tephra occurs may also be useful for correlational purposes. Tephrochronology provides greatest utility when a numerical age obtained for a tephra or cryptotephra is transferrable from one site to another using stratigraphy and by comparing and matching inherent compositional features of the deposits with a high degree of likelihood. Used this way, tephrochronology is an age-equivalent dating method that provides an exceptionally precise volcanic-event stratigraphy. Such age transfers are valid because the primary tephra deposits from an eruption essentially have the same short-lived age everywhere they occur, forming isochrons very soon after the eruption (normally within a year). As well as providing isochrons for palaeoenvironmental and archaeological reconstructions, tephras through their geochemical analysis allow insight into volcanic and magmatic processes, and provide a comprehensive record of explosive volcanism and recurrence rates in the Quaternary (or earlier) that can be used to establish time-space relationships of relevance to volcanic hazard analysis. The basis and application of tephrochronology as a central stratigraphic and geochronological tool for Quaternary studies are presented and discussed in this review. Topics covered include principles of tephrochronology, defining isochrons, tephra nomenclature, mapping and correlating tephras from proximal to distal locations at metre- through to sub-millimetre-scale, cryptotephras, mineralogical and geochemical fingerprinting methods, numerical and statistical correlation techniques, and developments and applications in dating including the use of flexible depositional age-modelling techniques based on Bayesian statistics. Along with reference to wide-ranging examples and the identification of important recent advances in tephrochronology, such as the development of new geoanalytical approaches that enable individual small glass shards to be analysed near-routinely for major, trace, and rare-earth elements, potential problems such as miscorrelation, erroneous-age transfer, and tephra reworking and taphonomy (especially relating to cryptotephras) are also examined. Some of the challenges for future tephrochronological studies include refining geochemical analytical methods further, improving understanding of cryptotephra distribution and preservation patterns, improving age modelling including via new or enhanced radiometric or incremental techniques and Bayesian-derived models, evaluating and quantifying uncertainty in tephrochronology to a greater degree than at present, constructing comprehensive regional databases, and integrating tephrochronology with spatially referenced environmental and archaeometric data into 3-D reconstructions using GIS and geostatistics

Health and population effects of rare gene knockouts in adult humans with related parents.

Examining complete gene knockouts within a viable organism can inform on gene function. We sequenced the exomes of 3222 British adults of Pakistani heritage with high parental relatedness, discovering 1111 rare-variant homozygous genotypes with predicted loss of function (knockouts) in 781 genes. We observed 13.7% fewer homozygous knockout genotypes than we expected, implying an average load of 1.6 recessive-lethal-equivalent loss-of-function (LOF) variants per adult. When genetic data were linked to the individuals' lifelong health records, we observed no significant relationship between gene knockouts and clinical consultation or prescription rate. In this data set, we identified a healthy PRDM9-knockout mother and performed phased genome sequencing on her, her child, and control individuals. Our results show that meiotic recombination sites are localized away from PRDM9-dependent hotspots. Thus, natural LOF variants inform on essential genetic loci and demonstrate PRDM9 redundancy in humans.The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust (WT102627 and WT098051), Barts Charity (845/1796), Medical Research Council (MR/M009017/1). This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for Yorkshire and Humber. Core support for Born in Bradford is also provided by the Wellcome Trust (WT101597). V.N. was supported by the Wellcome Trust PhD Studentship (WT099769). D.G.M. and K.K. were supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01GM104371. E.R.M. is funded by NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. H.H. is supported by awards to establish the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, London, from the Medical Research Council, Arthritis Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Chief Scientist Office, Economic and Social Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, NIHR, National Institute for Social Care and Health Research, and Wellcome Trust.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Association for the Advancement of Science via https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aac862

The absence of the queuosine tRNA modification leads to pleiotropic phenotypes revealing perturbations of metal and oxidative stress homeostasis in Escherichia coli K12

Queuosine (Q) is a conserved hypermodification of the wobble base of tRNA containing GUN anticodons but the physiological consequences of Q deficiency are poorly understood in bacteria. This work combines transcriptomic, proteomic and physiological studies to characterize a Q-deficient Escherichia coli K12 MG1655 mutant. The absence of Q led to an increased resistance to nickel and cobalt, and to an increased sensitivity to cadmium, compared to the wild-type (WT) strain. Transcriptomic analysis of the WT and Q-deficient strains, grown in the presence and absence of nickel, revealed that the nickel transporter genes (nikABCDE) are downregulated in the Q- mutant, even when nickel is not added. This mutant is therefore primed to resist to high nickel levels. Downstream analysis of the transcriptomic data suggested that the absence of Q triggers an atypical oxidative stress response, confirmed by the detection of slightly elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the mutant, increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and paraquat, and a subtle growth phenotype in a strain prone to accumulation of ROS.This work was funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) grant GM70641, by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) grant ES002109, by the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant CHE-2002950, by the National Research Foundation of Singapore under the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, and by Stellate Therapeutics.Peer reviewe

Towards a New Paradigm of Non-Captive Research on Cetacean Cognition

Contemporary knowledge of impressive neurophysiology and behavior in cetaceans, combined with increasing opportunities for studying free-ranging cetaceans who initiate sociable interaction with humans, are converging to highlight serious ethical considerations and emerging opportunities for a new era of progressive and less-invasive cetacean research. Most research on cetacean cognition has taken place in controlled captive settings, e.g., research labs, marine parks. While these environments afford a certain amount of experimental rigor and logistical control they are fraught with limitations in external validity, impose tremendous stress on the part of the captive animals, and place burdens on populations from which they are often captured. Alternatively, over the past three decades, some researchers have sought to focus their attention on the presence of free-ranging cetacean individuals and groups who have initiated, or chosen to participate in, sociable interactions with humans in the wild. This new approach, defined as Interspecies Collaborative Research between cetacean and human, involves developing novel ways to address research questions under natural conditions and respecting the individual cetacean's autonomy. It also offers a range of potential direct benefits to the cetaceans studied, as well as allowing for unprecedented cognitive and psychological research on sociable mysticetes. Yet stringent precautions are warranted so as to not increase their vulnerability to human activities or pathogens. When conducted in its best and most responsible form, collaborative research with free-ranging cetaceans can deliver methodological innovation and invaluable new insights while not necessitating the ethical and scientific compromises that characterize research in captivity. Further, it is representative of a new epoch in science in which research is designed so that the participating cetaceans are the direct recipients of the benefits