Contributors to the High-impact IS Journals (1977-2014): An Aid for Setting Research Standards

Interest in the rankings of contributors to academic literature is evidenced by the numerous publications across most business and economic disciplines. This study presents the most prolific authors 1) over the entire history of the 11 high-impact IS journals and 2) over the ten most recent years for each of the journals. We include the number of authors who have published in the journals but who may not be considered prolific based on our classification; this data is important and especially critical for IS departments that set research standards. Identifying and ranking authors in the IS discipline is interesting for several reasons. While some may be curious to see how they perform compared to these researchers, a more beneficial application of the findings in this paper pertains to establishing realistic promotion and tenure standards. Although 11,204 authors published in the 11 high-impact journals, 7,734 (69%) of those authors published only once in these journals in the 1977-2014 period. This fact is essential for any IS department that sets promotion and tenure guidelines. Using our findings will help colleges and IS departments establish reasonable and attainable promotion and tenure standards based on the actual performance of others in the discipline

Effect of venting range hood flow rate on size-resolved ultrafine particle concentrations from gas stove cooking

Cooking is the main source of ultrafine particles (UFP) in homes. This study investigated the effect of venting range hood flow rate on size-resolved UFP concentrations from gas stove cooking. The same cooking protocol was conducted 60 times using three venting range hoods operated at six flow rates in twin research houses. Size-resolved particle (10–420 nm) concentrations were monitored using a NanoScan scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) from 15 min before cooking to 3 h after the cooking had stopped. Cooking increased the background total UFP number concentrations to 1.3 × 103 particles/cm3 on average, with a mean exposure-relevant source strength of 1.8 × 1012 particles/min. Total particle peak reductions ranged from 25% at the lowest fan flow rate of 36 L/s to 98% at the highest rate of 146 L/s. During the operation of a venting range hood, particle removal by deposition was less significant compared to the increasing air exchange rate driven by exhaust ventilation. Exposure to total particles due to cooking varied from 0.9 to 5.8 × 104 particles/cm3·h, 3 h after cooking ended. Compared to the 36 L/s range hood, higher flow rates of 120 and 146 L/s reduced the first-hour post-cooking exposure by 76% and 85%, respectively. © 2018 Crown Copyright. Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Mapping quantitative trait loci for seizure response to a GABAA receptor inverse agonist in mice

To define the genetic contributions affecting individual differences in seizure threshold, a beta carboline [methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (beta-CCM)]-induced model of generalized seizures was genetically dissected in mice. beta-CCM is a GABAA receptor inverse agonist and convulsant. By measuring the latency to generalized seizures after beta-CCM administration to A/J and C57BL6/J mice and their progeny, we estimated a heritability of 0.28 +/- 0.10. A genome wide screen in an F2 population of these parental strains (n = 273) mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on proximal chromosome 7 [logarithm of the likelihood for linkage (LOD) = 3.71] and distal chromosome 10 (LOD = 4.29) for seizure susceptibility, explaining approximately 22 and 25%, respectively, of the genetic variance for this seizure trait. The best fitting logistic regression model suggests that the A/J allele at each locus increases the likelihood of seizures approximately threefold. In a subsequent backcross population (n = 223), we mapped QTLs on distal chromosome 4 (LOD = 2.88) and confirmed the distal chromosome 10 QTLs (LOD = 4.36). In the backcross, the C57BL/6J allele of the chromosome 10 QTL decreases the risk of seizures approximately twofold. These QTLs may ultimately lead to the identification of genes influencing individual differences in seizure threshold in mice and the discovery of novel anticonvulsant agents. The colocalization on distal chromosome 10 of a beta-CCM susceptibility QTL and a QTL for open field ambulation and vertical movement suggests the existence of a single, pleiotropic locus, which we have named Exq1

BiblioBouts: A Scalable Online Social Game for the Development of Academic Research Skills

Researchers at the School of Information of the University of Michigan are designing, developing, and evaluating BiblioBouts, an online game that helps students learn academic research skills. Players practice using online library research tools while they work on an in-class assignment and produce a high-quality bibliography, at the same time as they are competing against each other to win the game! While librarians are experts at helping students who want to learn about academic research, most students are reluctant participants because they want just-in-time personal assistance that is tailored to their unique information needs, and faculty are reluctant to cede class time. The BiblioBouts project enlists games to teach undergraduate students information literacy skills and concepts in the classroom. Social gaming reinforces principles of good learning, including getting results by trial and error, self-discovery, following hunches and reinforcement through repetition. BiblioBouts also incorporates collaborative problem solving and participation in a community of learning. The project aims to explore how games can be utilized to achieve information literacy goals and to yield open-source game software that libraries could use immediately to enhance their information literacy programs. The LOEX presentation will incorporate a live interactive demo of the game, as well as videos demonstrating gameplay. We will discuss challenges in situating the game into the classroom and integrating it into existing course syllabi. The presentation will describe how we have adapted the game in response to feedback from students and instructors during the pilot process

Can changing the timing of outdoor air intake reduce indoor concentrations of traffic-related pollutants in schools?

Traffic emissions have been associated with a wide range of adverse health effects. Many schools are situated close to major roads, and as children spend much of their day in school, methods to reduce traffic‐related air pollutant concentrations in the school environment are warranted. One promising method to reduce pollutant concentrations in schools is to alter the timing of the ventilation so that high ventilation time periods do not correspond to rush hour traffic. Health Canada, in collaboration with the Ottawa‐Carleton District School Board, tested the effect of this action by collecting traffic‐related air pollution data from four schools in Ottawa, Canada, during October and November 2013. A baseline and intervention period was assessed in each school. There were statistically significant (P < 0.05) reductions in concentrations of most of the pollutants measured at the two late‐start (9 AM start) schools, after adjusting for outdoor concentrations and the absolute indoor–outdoor temperature difference. The intervention at the early‐start (8 AM start) schools did not have significant reductions in pollutant concentrations. Based on these findings, changing the timing of the ventilation may be a cost‐effective mechanism of reducing traffic‐related pollutants in late‐start schools located near major roads

Glenohumeral joint capsular tissue tension loading correlates moderately with shear wave elastography: a cadaveric investigation

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the mechanical properties of capsular tissue using shear wave elastography (SWE) and a durometer under various tensile loads, and to explore the reliability and correlation of SWE and durometer measurements to evaluate whether SWE technology could be used to assess tissue changes during capsule tensile loading. Methods The inferior glenohumeral joint capsule was harvested from 10 fresh human cadaveric specimens. Tensile loading was applied to the capsular tissue using 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-kg weights. Blinded investigators measured tissue stiffness and hardness during loading using SWE and a durometer, respectively. Intraobserver reliability was established for SWE and durometer measurements using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The Pearson product-moment correlation was used to assess the associations between SWE and durometer measurements. Results The ICC3,5 for durometer measurements was 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 0.96; P<0.001) and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.88 to 0.98; P<0.001) for SWE measurements. The Pearson correlation coefficient values for 1-, 3-, and 5-kg weights were 0.56 (P=0.095), 0.36 (P=0.313), and -0.56 (P=0.089), respectively. When the 1- and 3-kg weights were combined, the ICC3,5 was 0.72 (P<0.001), and it was 0.62 (P<0.001) when the 1-, 3-, and 5-kg weights were combined. The 8-kg measurements were severely limited due to SWE measurement saturation of the tissue samples. Conclusion This study suggests that SWE is reliable for measuring capsular tissue stiffness changes in vitro at lower loads (1 and 3 kg) and provides a baseline for the non-invasive evaluation of effects of joint loading and mobilization on capsular tissues in vivo