How “A stress analysis of a strapless evening gown” became a bestseller

Crane, Russak & Company was a small, independent publishing establishment created in 1973 at 52 Vanderbilt Avenue in New York City. It was a creation of Ted Crane, a former head of VNR Publishing Co., and Ben Russak, then recently retired president/founder of the American Elsevier Publishing Company. Its opening-day list consisted of 400 British-import titles for which the founders had acquired U.S. rights. It was, through its short life, a tiny operation with only a few employees. Nat Bodian helped organize the start-up operation for Crane, Russak and during its early years wore most of the ‘hats’ in the company including marketing, publicity, promotion, and production. He served under Ben Russak, who was its active president. Ted Crane, at that time, was active with Boutwell, Crane, Mosely & Associates—publishing consultants—at the same address. Excerpted fromThe Joy of Publishing: Fascinating Facts, Anecdotes, Curiosities, and Historic Origins … about Books and Authors, Editors and Publishers … Bookmaking and Bookselling. By Nat Bodian. Published June 1996 by Open Horizons Publishing Co., P.O. Box 205, Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Approx. 250 pp., cloth. ISBN 0-912411-47-3, $29.95.     

Intensity and physiological strain of competitive ultra-endurance exercise in humans

The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude and pattern of intensity, and physiological strain, of competitive exercise performed across several days, as in adventure racing. Data were obtained from three teams of four athletes (7 males, 5 females; mean age 36 years, s = 11; cycling .VO(2 peak) 53.9 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1), s = 6.3) in an international race (2003 Southern Traverse; 96 - 116 h). Heart rates (HR) averaged 64% (95% confidence interval: +/- 4%) of heart rate range [%HRR = (HR - HR(min))/(HR(max) - HR(min)) x 100] during the first 12 h of racing, fell to 41% (+/-4%) by 24 h, and remained so thereafter. The level and pattern of heart rate were similar across teams, despite one leading and one trailing all other teams. Core temperature remained between 36.0 and 39.2 degrees C despite widely varying thermal stress. Venous samples, obtained before, during, and after the race, revealed increased neutrophil, monocyte and lymphocyte concentrations (P < 0.01), and increased plasma volume (25 +/- 10%; P < 0.01) with a stable sodium concentration. Standardized exercise tests, performed pre and post race, showed little change in the heart rate-work rate relationship (P = 0.53), but a higher perception of effort post race (P < 0.01). These results provide the first comprehensive report of physiological strain associated with adventure racing.     

An assessment model for virtual communities of practice: a study in the oil and gas industry

This paper proposes a model to assess the level of maturity in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs). The model is based on a theoretical construction attained from the analysis of previous frameworks proposed in literature. Using this construction, we have proposed eight main organizational, managerial and technological levers to improve the performance of VCoPs. Additionally, the model presents the analysis of four performance metrics obtained from these VCoP management levers. The model presented can be used as a benchmarking tool for analysing how companies perform in their management of VCoPs. After developing the model, we applied it to a benchmarking study of four global oil and gas companies. Our results include a performance comparison among these companies as well as the main practices and technologies they use to achieve success in the management of VCoP.     

Intercultural Communication Competence Scale: Invariance and Construct Validation in Portugal

ABSTRACT

This article explores the psychometric validation of an Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) scale. Three studies were performed: (1) psychometric evidence pertaining to the scale’s reliability and factor structure and an analysis of the measurement invariance; (2) assessment of convergent and predictive validity; and (3) analyzes the association between ICC and affective and cognitive dimensions of cultural empathy. A three-factor model with eight items yielded the best fit to the data. The scale showed non-invariance between genders, but proved to be a predictor of intercultural contact. Convergent validity were demonstrated.