Reading your Counterpart: The Benefit of Emotion Recognition Accuracy for Effectiveness in Negotiation

Using meta-analysis, we find a consistent positive correlation between emotion recognition accuracy (ERA) and goal-oriented performance. However, this existing research relies primarily on subjective perceptions of performance. The current study tested the impact of ERA on objective performance in a mixed-motive buyer-seller negotiation exercise. Greater recognition of posed facial expressions predicted better objective outcomes for participants from Singapore playing the role of seller, both in terms of creating value and claiming a greater share for themselves. The present study is distinct from past research on the effects of individual differences on negotiation outcomes in that it uses a performance-based test rather than self-reported measure. These results add to evidence for the predictive validity of emotion recognition measures on practical outcomes.

Analysis and Implications of Retraction Period and Coauthorship of Fraudulent Publications

Studies have indicated that the number and frequency of fraudulent publications being retracted are not subsiding even with greater awareness of such incidents in the recent decades. In this study, the trends of retraction period, number of citations and coauthors of 5 selected researchers who had ≥ 15 fraudulent publications retracted were analyzed. The obtained results shows that the retraction period is 48.96 ± 32.16 months for the 113 publications affiliated to the 5 studied researchers. There are a total of 180 coauthors with 6.40 ± 3.26 coauthors per researcher's retracted publication. The linear regression analysis indicates that there is limited correlation (R² = .008) between the citation counts and retraction period. The p value for multiple F-tests to assess the number of coauthors to a fraudulent publication on an interresearcher basis is found to be ranging from < .001 to .458. It is also found that a better correlation (R² = .592) exists between the likelihood of a researcher to involve different individuals for isolated fraudulent publications while only selecting very few to be their frequent coauthors of their mischievous acts. With this study, the possible use of coauthors as a strategy for publishing fraudulent work and a potential approach to tighten coauthorship are discussed.     

Medical students' exposure to formaldehyde in a gross anatomy dissection laboratory.

The authors studied 150 first-year medical students exposed to formaldehyde during the dissection of cadavers in a gross anatomy laboratory. As a reference group, they used 189 third- and fourth-year medical students matched for sex, ethnic group, and age. Environmental and personal samples were collected to determine the exposure to formaldehyde among the first-year students. The mean concentration of formaldehyde in parts per million (ppm) in the area was 0.50 ppm (range = 0.40-0.60 ppm) and the personal sample was 0.74 ppm (range = 0.41-1.20 ppm). No significant differences were noted in the pre- and post-exposure mean FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) and FVC (forced vital capacity) among the 22 randomly selected exposed male and female subjects. Significant differences, however, were observed in the exposed group for symptoms of decreased ability to smell, eye irritation, throat irritation, and dry mouth in comparison with the reference group. These symptoms were also significantly related to the time and place of occurrence. Medical schools should take more concrete measures to reduce students' exposure to formaldehyde. Meanwhile, although it is not now the practice in most medical schools, students should have ready access to goggles and respirators when working in dissection laboratories.     

A general method to determine sampling windows for nonlinear mixed effects models with an application to population pharmacokinetic studies

Optimal design methods have been proposed to determine the best sampling times when sparse blood sampling is required in clinical pharmacokinetic studies. However, the optimal blood sampling time points may not be feasible in clinical practice. Sampling windows, a time interval for blood sample collection, have been proposed to provide flexibility in blood sampling times while preserving efficient parameter estimation. Because of the complexity of the population pharmacokinetic models, which are generally nonlinear mixed effects models, there is no analytical solution available to determine sampling windows. We propose a method for determination of sampling windows based on MCMC sampling techniques. The proposed method attains a stationary distribution rapidly and provides time-sensitive windows around the optimal design points. The proposed method is applicable to determine sampling windows for any nonlinear mixed effects model although our work focuses on an application to population pharmacokinetic models.     

The Informal ‘Guanxi’ Institutional Culture of the Malaysian Housing Development Industry

There has been limited understanding of the relationship between private developers and the housing delivery mechanism in Malaysia. This paper seeks to bridge the research gap by analysing the social relationships and informal institutions embedded in the Malaysian housing development industry. Empirical data were collected for Kuala Lumpur and Johor to compare and contrast developers’ views and their working relationships with government departments. Informed by various arguments that ‘guanxi’ can reduce transaction costs and supplement/complement the formal legal regime, this paper examines the ways developers are engaged in such transaction cost reduction activities. Policy and theoretical implications of the informal cultural practice in the housing development industry are then drawn out.     

A retrospective analysis of 10-year authorship trends in biomedical engineering journals

Studies have indicated that academic research has become increasingly complex and multidisciplinary. There seems to be an increasing trend of multiple author articles published across most journals. As the field of biomedical engineering also encompasses multidisciplinary-based knowledge, it is interesting to understand the authorship trend over time. In this study, six journals were carefully chosen from the Journal Citation Report of the Thomson Scientific based on predefined criteria (year 1999 to 2008). The data pertaining to authorships for the articles published in these journals were then acquired from the PubMed database. The results show that there is a general upward trend for the number of author per article, but it is not significant (p > .01) despite a 64.5% increase in the total number of article published in the six chosen journals. Thus, the expected increase is not observed in this field, and it may be due to the stringent guidelines by journals in defining the contributions of an author. Particularly, contributing factors like the impact of authorship irregularities is discussed herein.     

Experiences from Singapore''s park-and-ride scheme (1975–1996)

The Park-and-Ride Scheme (PRS) is a demand management instrument used to help alleviate the problem of traffic congestion in Singapore. After an abortive launch as a bus-based PRS in 1975, it was revived in 1990 as a mass-transit-based PRS and subsequently fine-tuned over the years. A survey of 122 PRS users in 1996 found that cost savings were a major incentive for participating in the PRS. It is suggested that to attract more users, tighter financial restraints such as higher charges for entering and parking in the CBD (Central Business District) should be employed. Operational problems faced by users such as restrictive operating hours and unsuitable car park locations should also be attended to.