Past Research Studies Research Articles

Reflection on the Development of Concept Map

The main objective of this study was to reflect on the process involved in the development of a concept map. This paper qualitatively analysed the thinking process and the related action taken by the investigator to develop the concept map on science topics, and these stages were graphically represented in the form of a concept map. This paper has argued that there are many important factors to consider for developing an effective concept map in its various forms as a supplement to teaching and learning activities in the educational context. In this study, the investigator went through an experience of an initial stage of construction of concept map by using an approach of surface level strategy and later on, reconstructs the concept map by using deep level strategy. These have been illustrated in the paper through examples. Surface strategies focus on memory and knowledge gathering, whereas deep strategies are those that help students to develop understanding of the relationship between different concepts and provide a holistic view of the concept. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes on the importance of collaborative style of development of concept map by considering the opinion of experts, co-teachers and the information from past research studies.

A literature review on peer assessment

The use of peer assessment as an alternative form of assessment is reported to be helpful in learning and is increasingly being adopted in higher education overseas and even in primary schools in Singapore. People had been talking about peer assessment way back in the 20th century 1980s. Drawing on literature until end January of 2013, we reviewed past empirical research studies and peer–reviewed articles on peer assessment in the educational settings. This review is organised into two topics: the implementation strategies of peer assessment and the problems encountered and potential problems during implementation of peer assessment. The conclusions suggest that peer assessment can be implemented and its benefits are evident. Several limitations of previous literature were discussed. We conclude by providing some recommendations to some of the discussions and also some recommendations for future research related to peer assessment in the educational settings.

Effect of over-scheduled involvement in co-curricular activities on the academic achievement of secondary school students

Purpose – The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of over-scheduled involvement in co-curricular activities on the academic achievement of the secondary school students. Design/methodology/approach – All the students at secondary school level in Kohat Division (Pakistan) constituted the population of the study. The study was delimited to students of 10 th class of Govt. High School Khurram (Karak). Fifty students from class 10 th were selected as sample through simple random sampling technique. The study was experimental in nature and therefore, “Pre-test-Post-test Equivalent Groups Design” was used. The students of experimental group were involved in co-curricular activities for 40 minutes in school and 2 hours after school time. The students of the control group were only involved for 40 minutes in school. Data was collected though pre-test and post-test technique. After collection of data, it was organized, tabulated and analyzed. Statistical tools i.e., mean, standard deviation and differences of means were computed for each group. Significance of difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups were tested at 0.05 levels by applying t-test. Findings – The current research findings indicate that there is significant negative effect of over-scheduled involvement in co-curricular activities on the academic achievement of the secondary school students. Originality/value – Past research studies reveal that involvement in co-curricular activities is directly proportional to the achievement level of the students. There is a strong connection between student’s participation in co-curricular activities and excellent academic performance. The current study negates the findings of past research studies regarding involvement in co-curricular activities and students’ academic achievement. The current paper shows that how over-scheduled involvement in co-curricular activities affect the academic achievement of secondary school students negatively. Therefore the findings of this research study will prove more fruitful and productive in strengthening student’s academic achievement at secondary school level.

The Influences of Optimal Matching and Social Capital on Communicating Support

The optimal matching and social capital perspectives frame present research expectations and interpretations of the network, esteem, informational, and emotional support communication of 3 computer-mediated communication social support groups, each having a different health-promoting purpose. Past research has shown differences in the support communication provided by different groups but has offered little explanation for these differences. The present study uses a comparative analysis of optimal matching and social capital influences to compare and analyze differences in the support communication provided by Alcoholics Anonymous, cancer caregivers, and transgender identity support groups. Results show different patterns of support communication enacted in each. These results provide support for optimal matching and social capital predictions, indicating that the life stressor and group structure affect the social support provided. However, results also demonstrate a need for greater refinement in interpreting the effects of these influences. Each group communicates network, esteem, informational, and emotional support somewhat differently in response to the life stressor and in enacting bridging and bonding social capital. The present comparisons provide a fuller analysis of the optimal matching and social capital influences upon the support communicated in groups than afforded by past research studies and suggests research opportunities for future research.

Self-regulating the effortful “social dos”.

In the current research, we explored differences in the self-regulation of the personal dos (i.e., engaging in active and effortful behaviors that benefit the self) and in the self-regulation of the social dos (engaging in those same effortful behaviors to benefit someone else). In 6 studies, we examined whether the same trait self-control abilities that predict task persistence on personal dos would also predict task persistence on social dos. That is, would the same behavior, such as persisting through a tedious and attentionally demanding task, show different associations with trait self-control when it is framed as benefitting the self versus someone else? In Studies 1-3, we directly compared the personal and social dos and found that trait self-control predicted self-reported and behavioral personal dos but not social dos, even when the behaviors were identical and when the incentives were matched. Instead, trait agreeableness--a trait linked to successful self-regulation within the social domain--predicted the social dos. Trait self-control did not predict the social dos even when task difficulty increased (Study 4), but it did predict the social don'ts, consistent with past research (Studies 5-6). The current studies provide support for the importance of distinguishing different domains of self-regulated behaviors and suggest that social dos can be successfully performed through routes other than traditional self-control abilities.

A Meta Analysis of stress causing factors among the employees in paper Industry, TamilNadu

This paper takes a look at the stress which is an inevitable concomitant of organizational life causing many problems directly and indirectly to the employees in all organizations. Many past research studies proved that stress is an important factor, which minimizes interest and performance of workers. This paper deals with finding out of major sources, level and impact of occupational stress of employees in paper industry, TamilNadu and provides ways to overcome it. Design/methodology/approach: This study used survey methodology to examine stress causing factors of the employees in paper industry, TamilNadu with the help of direct interview, observations, structured questionnaire consisting of questions related to factors causing stress and management of stress by the employees. Questions were being implemented by Likert Five Point Scale. The sample size is 1000. Findings: Study found that the demographic variables like age, gender, salary, experience, marital status, qualification; designation has direct influence to the occupational stress. The research also found that perception of the job and level of occupational stress with demographic variables through Multiple Regression and Factor Analysis. Research limitations/implications: Very limited number of units will be taken. Inconvenience of respondents (leads to biased response) to deliver the truth (due to organizational forces.) The behavioural symptoms of stress were excluded from the study. The study is confined to the factory employees only in the paper industry. Practical implications: This study may throw light to minimize the stress level of employees in the organization. The study will give a feedback to the management and help them to take remedial measures if necessary. Originality/value: The research finds out the level of stress among employees in paper industry and the research also gave suggestions to reduce the level of stress and in turn improve the performance of in their task.

Modeling of the seismotectonic provinces of Iran using the self-organizing map algorithm

Various studies have been conducted thus far to classify the seismicity regions of Iran into zones that share similar seismic characteristics. In these studies, seismotectonic models have been presented that implement various information layers based mostly on human expert judgment. The purpose of the present research is to develop a seismotectonic model using all of the available information about the layers along with an automated smart clustering algorithm. In this paper, based on a review of past research studies, a combined model is presented, which involves the combination of the four most-referenced seismotectonic models.To build upon past studies, a smart algorithm called the self organizing map (SOM) was selected for clustering the seismotectonic data of provinces. Input layers, such as earthquake coordinates, seismicity, faults distribution, topography, gravity, and magnetism, were used to execute the SOM smart algorithm. Based upon previous studies, the number of clusters was selected in the range of 5–25. Three of the SOM algorithm outputs, which were more compatible with the combined model, were selected for use in this study. According to the clustering validation methods and expert judgments, the highest compatibility belongs to the models that were produced either by all of the information or by the combination of seismicity, faults, and topography layers. Implementation of the clustering validation methods indicated that the optimum number of seismotectonic zones is between 9 and 13.This study emphasizes that the application of smart methods along with various geological, structural, subsurface, and aerial information layers will produce informative and reliable results.

Implication of SOX Compliance for HRM: Enhancing Internal Controls with E-HRM

IntroductionAt the beginning of the 21st century, various corporate scandals brought heightened scrutiny of organizations by their internal and external stakeholders (Evans, Novicevic, Buckley, & Buckley, 2008). The increasing pressures stemming from these multiple constituent groups eventually resulted in the U.S. Congress passing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002. This legislation was passed with the aim of regaining general confidence of publicly traded firms by mandating greater transparency and more stringent internal controls of critical financial and operational events (BNA, 2006; Donaldson, 2005). In particular, SOX demands strict corporate governance, including the conduct of company executives, auditors (both internal and external), middle and lower-level managers, and financial analysts. The Act's far-reaching tenets have resulted in major changes in organizational functions and processes, not only in publicly traded firms, but also in private companies and non-for-profit organizations that voluntarily followed suit in order to attract quality stakeholders (Fletcher, 2005; Lieber, 2007). For all of these organizations, the more stringent demands of SOX require tighter internal controls, emphasizing the need to implement effective information systems and processes (Sherman, 2005).HR departments have increasingly taken a protagonist role within organizations (Shilpa & Gopal, 2011) and are particularly instrumental in establishing organizational compliance with SOX due to their centrality within the organizational structure (Ready, Novicevic, & Evans, 2009). The purview of HR departments spans throughout the organization and includes the responsibility of establishing and controlling policies and procedures (e.g., compensation and training) directly addressed by SOX. Such boundary-spanning has necessitated the move to electronic human resource management systems within the HR function.Despite the increased public interest (Stone & Dulebohn, 2013), as well as the growing academic literature concerning the benefits of electronic human resource management (e-HRM) (Ruel & van der Kaap, 2012), there is surprisingly little research on the strategic benefits of e- HRM (Marler & Fisher, 2013; Stone & Dulebohn, 2013). E-HRM has been defined as organization-wide information systems (i.e., internet or intranet) that allow stakeholders to access HR information and perform HR functions (Stone & Dulebohn, 2013). While past research studies on SOX compliance have addressed the benefits of implementing organization- wide information systems, little is known specifically about how e-HRM systems enable organizations to integrate HR management with internal controls for compliance with SOX demands. Towards that end, we explain how e-HRM facilitates SOX compliance by assisting HR departments to: 1) pursue more stringently the general guidelines of the new proposed COSO framework (developed by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission for enhancing internal controls - see Appendix) and 2) follow more efficiently the prescriptions offered by Dailey and Brookmire (2005) concerning the role of HR in SOX compliance. Therefore, we contribute to the extant literature by explaining how human resource departments can enhance SOX compliance through the implementation of e-HRM systems.This article is structured as follows: first, we discuss the regulatory framework of organizational conduct and the related implications of SOX for internal controls and HRM policies and practices. Second, we offer a brief overview of the e-HRM literature followed by an explanation of the newly proposed COSO framework and how e-HRM can complement the general guiding principles and contribute to the initiatives of strengthening internal controls. Third, we discuss the five behaviors suggested by Dailey and Brookmire (2005) for how HR departments can enhance SOX compliance and extend their work by explaining how e-HRM can play an instrumental role by making this process more effective and efficient. …

An Alternative Formulation of the Dynamic Transmission Error to Study the Oscillations of Automotive Hypoid Gears

A new modeling approach on the torsional dynamics of hypoid gear pairs is presented in this work. The current formulation is characterized by an alternative expression of the dynamic transmission error (DTE), accounting for the variation of the effective mesh position. Speed dependent resistive torque is introduced on the gear wheel, enabling the system to reach dynamic equilibrium based on realistic vehicle operating conditions. The above are supplementing past research studies, where simplifications were introduced in the calculation of DTE, while the operating angular velocity was defined a priori. The analysis is accompanied by numerical results, indicating the rich dynamic behavior captured by the new formulation. The dynamic complexity of the system necessitates the identification of the various response regimes. A solution continuation method (software AUTO) is employed to follow the stable/unstable periodic response branches over the operating range of the differential under examination.

Sustainability of digital information services

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a model which serves to illustrate that a number of factors are responsible for, and contribute to, the different forms of sustainability of digital information services. It also seeks to identify some areas of information research and their interrelationship in the context of sustainability of digital information services. Design/methodology/approach – This research is based on critical analysis of a range of research and policy documents, and an environment scan, in different aspects of sustainability of information systems and services. Recent and relevant past research studies as well as some relevant government policies and initiatives have been critically analyzed in order to identify various factors that are said to contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of information services. Findings – It is noted that the sustainability of information has not been studied within the mainstream information science research. However, several previous research studies have produced findings and models that can be used to achieve some aspects of sustainability of information. It is also noted that various parameters of sustainability are inter-related and hence a proper research agenda has to be prepared, and concerted research efforts are needed in order to be able to develop and manage sustainable digital information services. Practical implications – A model has been proposed showing the various factors to be studied for achieving the economic, social and environmental sustainability of information services. Interrelations among the different factors and their implications for sustainability of digital information systems services are also discussed. Originality/value – The model is expected to open new vistas for research in the economic, social and environmental sustainability of digital information systems and services. It will develop new tools, technologies and applications for building sustainable information systems and services appropriate for the digital era.

Damage Assessment of Structures Using only Post-Damage Vibration Measurements

Damage to many structural systems (including bridges, offshore platforms, airplanes and aerospace systems) can occur during normal service due to fatigue loading, a corrosive environment, collisions with extraneous objects, etc. For such structures, in order to guarantee safety, periodic inspections and maintenance are essential: Since undetected damage may result in catastrophic structural failure, the realisation of an accurate and trustworthy damage detection technique is fundamental.Vibration-based inspection offers the potential for detecting faults by monitoring the dynamic response of a structure, exploiting the fundamental principle that structural damage affects the stiffness distribution and hence the presence of the fault will change the dynamic properties of the structure under investigation.Many vibration-based inspection techniques have been developed over recent years which require knowledge of the baseline modal responses of the structure in the original undamaged state.However, for the vast majority of existing structures in operation, such data are simply not available. This keynote presentation reviews past and present research studies in which the author has been involved that aim to detect the presence of structural damage and identify its approximate location, using only post-damage vibration measurements. The techniques presented analyse either the mode shapes, operating deflection shapes or principal orthogonal modes and their corresponding derivatives. These features have been found to be good indicators of damage due to the spatial information that can be provided with respect to location of damage. The methodologies proposed are applied to isotropic/orthotropic uni/bi-dimensional structures and corresponding numerical and experimental results are presented.

An Investigation of Constraints Restricting Urban Nigerian Women from Participating in Recreational Sport Activities

Recreational sport participation is valued as a way to improve overall quality of life. However, in developing countries such as Nigeria, past research studies have focused on factors attributed to recreational sport participation of men. Research has yet to investigate factors contributing to recreational sport participation of women. Thus, the purpose of this study was to highlight the experiences of Nigerian women's recreational sport constraints and factors that facilitate their participation. Using data from interviews with women in Lagos, the findings suggest that women experience structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal constraints, as well as negotiate constraints through prioritizing, compromising, and anticipating. This study contributes to the limited body of research on constraints as it relates to recreational sport of Nigerian women.

Variances and variance estimators of the improved ratio estimators under adaptive cluster sampling

Although not design-unbiased, the ratio estimator is recognized as more efficient when a certain degree of correlation exists between the variable of primary interest and the auxiliary variable. Meanwhile, the Rao–Blackwell method is another commonly used procedure to improve estimation efficiency. Various improved ratio estimators under adaptive cluster sampling (ACS) that make use of the auxiliary information together with the Rao–Blackwellized univariate estimators have been proposed in past research studies. In this article, the variances and the associated variance estimators of these improved ratio estimators are proposed for a thorough framework of statistical inference under ACS. Performance of the proposed variance estimators is evaluated in terms of the absolute relative percentage bias and the empirical mean-squared error. As expected, results show that both the absolute relative percentage bias and the empirical mean-squared error decrease as the initial sample size increases for all the variance estimators. To evaluate the confidence intervals based on these variance estimators and the finite-population Central Limit Theorem, the coverage rate and the interval width are used. These confidence intervals suffer a disadvantage similar to that of the conventional ratio estimator. Hence, alternative confidence intervals based on a certain type of adjusted variance estimators are constructed and assessed in this article.

An Investigation of Justice in supply chain relationships and their performance impact

Justice is important in improving performance of supply chain relationships. However, the role of justice in improving performance in supply chain relationships is an under-investigated subject in the literature. In studying the joint impact of justice dimensions, the traditional assumption is that the three forms of justice interact with each other in a multiplicative manner. However, this assumption creates a managerial problem as discussed in this paper. We outline a different view of how the justice dimensions interact with one another utilizing the constraining factor model (CFM). We show that the CFM resolves some of the problems arising from the choice of multiplicative interaction of justice measures on performance. Specifically, we demonstrate that an increase in procedural, distributive or interactional justice results in a significant and positive improvement in performance only if the specific justice dimension is the constraining factor in the relationship. Overall, our analysis suggests that all three dimensions are important and a high level of one of the justice elements will not compensate for a low level of another, a view that is put forward by a number of past research studies in justice. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.

Risk Management Instruments, Strategies and Their Impact on Project Success

Risk is an inseparable event or occurrence to any project and it is a consequence of uncertainties and unknowns associated with the project and its execution. Past research studies generally focused on types of risks and risk management processes. This research effort, using a survey questionnaire, is an attempt to understand types of specific risk mitigation approaches that are commonly employed and their dependency with the type of an organization. This research effort also addressed relation between risk mitigation strategy of an organization and individual project manager’s propensity to risk. Research results show that project risk management plan and it development is likely to be influenced by cost and time aspects of a project but not on the project scope. Further, results revealed that many organizations depend on contingency budget rather than a formalized risk management plan.

MENTORYSTĖ IR PASITENKINIMAS DARBU: MAŽŲ IR VIDUTINIŲ ĮMONIŲ MALAIZIJOJE TYRIMAS

Background. Mentoring plays a significant role in bridging the relationship between supervisors and subordinates. Past research studies found that job satisfaction had significant impact on organizations. This study endeavours to investigate mentoring and satisfaction of employees in Malaysian organizations. This study examines mentoring and employees’ job satisfaction in the Malaysia context. Methods and Results. This research attempts to test empirically and to validate a conceptualization of mentoring, namely, career functions and psychosocial functions, with the presence of supervisors’ gender as moderator on job satisfaction. Data was gathered through a survey using a structured questionnaire from a sample of 156 executive level employees employed in small and medium enterprises in Sarawak, Malaysia. Conclusions. This study revealed the positive connection between mentoring and job satisfaction was partially supported. Gender was found to have direct impact on employees’ job satisfaction. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study, and directions for future research are further suggested. keywords: job satisfaction, mentoring, Malaysian executives, gender. Human resource management encounters the daunting tasks of employing essential employees into the organizations to match the organization’s requirements and expectations. As a result, there is 1 Address for correspondence: Faculty of Economics and Business, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Sarawak; phone: +(60) 164491009, e-mail: mclo@feb.unimas.my. May-Chiun Lo, T. Ramayah, Lim Chin Kui 70 a pronounce need to create suitable ideas, develop appropriate strategies to enhance the interactions between supervisors and workers, and to detailed a broad insight that can assist managers of human resource increased results and enhanced performance. Knippenberg and Steensma (2003) postulated that the expectation of a future interaction between the supervisors and subordinates would reduce the usage of hard influence tactics as this may endanger the relationship and make it less attractive. Previous research have evidenced the impact of mentoring in professional and personal development of young members in the organizations. Extant research has shown that mentoring is one of the best ways in organizational learning and has demonstrated positive results with support (Ortiz-Walters and Gilson, 2005; Okurame, 2008; Simmonds & Zammit Lupi, 2010) and job satisfaction (Bahniuk et al., 1990; Seibert, 1999). It was noted that protege’s that received mentoring support were able to demonstrate better job performance and career development (Liden, Sparrowe, & Wayne, 1997) and reduce turnover intention among the employees in the organization mentorship (Bverly & Sharon, 2005; Branch, 1999). In addition to that, companies that have proper mentoring programs in place are able to attract job seekers and retain good employees (Allen & O’Brien, 2006). Past studies have elucidated that, the rapport between supervisors and subordinates could be strengthened through mentoring (Dawley, Andrews, & Bucklew, 2010). Researchers in the past have evidenced that committed protege demonstrated high job satisfaction and hence unlikely to look for other jobs (Iverson & Buttigieg, 1999). Previous researchers have not found consistent evidence concerning the effect of mentor’s gender on an individual’s job satisfaction. Some studies have confirmed that gender is the foremost important traits that could have a strong effect on how men and women perceived themselves and as perceived by others (Korabik, 1997; Ridgeway, 1992). Hence, there appears to be a gap in extant literature as there shows little evidence of research being done to examine the possibility of mentoring as a predictor of subordinates’ job satisfaction and if gender of the mentors has a significant impact in moderating the relationships of these variables. This research attempts to determine the effect of mentoring on job satisfaction among executives working in Malaysian manufacturing industry. This research endeavours to shed lights on the following issues on: International Journal of Psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach Tarptautinis psichologijos žurnalas: biopsichosocialinis požiūris 71 2013, 13, 69–90 p. (i) Does mentoring positively influence employees’ job satisfaction? (ii) Does gender of the mentors moderate the relationship between mentoring and employees’ satisfaction?

The Role of Perceptual Information in Familiarity-Based Scene Recognition

A method to analyze the role of familiarity in recognizing pictures of everyday scenes is introduced. The idea is to manipulate two within-subjects conditions: an experimental condition where the scenes repeat perceptual information (e.g. buildings and/or vehicles) and a control condition. The results show the two conditions did not differ in terms of hit rates, but in the experimental condition there were significantly fewer false alarms, yielding better results, which supports the findings of past research studies that have used verbal materials. This perceptual facilitation was maintained throughout a week-long retention interval. Finally, a detailed analysis of this facilitation shows it was due to a significant reduction in false alarms on know judgments, emphasizing familiarity's role in explaining this effect.

Perceptions of Iranian English Language Teachers towards the Use of Discourse Markers in the EFL Classroom

This study attempts to examine Iranian English language teachers’ perception towards the use of discourse markers (DMs) in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. It is the contention of this study that past research studies have not paid sufficient attention to how teachers perceive the use of discourse markers in the English language classroom. This research extends on Fung’s (2011) study and further includes the listening and speaking skills together with the role of DMs in teaching the reading and writing skills. Three research questions are posed in this study. They are 1) What is the perception of Iranian English teachers toward the use of discourse markers? 2) How do Iranian English teachers perceive DMs? 3) Do Iranian English teachers exhibit high, moderate, or low attitudes toward the use of discourse markers? The descriptive method to the data analysis in this study provides better understanding of teacher’s perception towards the use of DMs. Forty five Iranian English teachers participated in the study via a questionnaire survey. Results from the analysis of data showed that Iranian English teachers seem to have a moderate attitude toward DMs. Findings also suggest that teachers tend to believe in the pragmatic and practical value of DMs.

MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING IN SOIL QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Abstract. Information of spatial and temporal variations of soil quality (soil properties) is required for various purposes of sustainable agriculture development and management. Traditionally, soil quality characterization is done by in situ point soil sampling and subsequent laboratory analysis. Such methodology has limitation for assessing the spatial variability of soil quality. Various researchers in recent past showed the potential utility of hyperspectral remote sensing technique for spatial estimation of soil properties. However, limited research studies have been carried out showing the potential of microwave remote sensing data for spatial estimation of various soil properties except soil moisture. This paper reviews the status of microwave remote sensing techniques (active and passive) for spatial assessment of soil quality parameters such as soil salinity, soil erosion, soil physical properties (soil texture & hydraulic properties; drainage condition); and soil surface roughness. Past and recent research studies showed that both active and passive microwave remote sensing techniques have great potentials for assessment of these soil qualities (soil properties). However, more research studies on use of multi-frequency and full polarimetric microwave remote sensing data and modelling of interaction of multi-frequency and full polarimetric microwave remote sensing data with soil are very much needed for operational use of satellite microwave remote sensing data in soil quality assessment.

Accessory foramen in the human mandible: anatomical and clinical considerations

We read with interest the published article ‘Anatomical classification of accessory foramina in human mandibles of adults, infants, and fetuses’ by Przystanska and Bruska (2012). The authors performed a meticulous study of the accessory foramen in the mandible. We wish to share few scientific facts related to the published topic. It is always better to visualize an accessory foramen in a radiograph. The best possible means is to insert a wire and visualize the continuity of the canal. An accessory foramen is meant for passage of the neurovascular structures. It would be better to interpret the concerned neurovascular structures according to the position of the accessory foramen. A past study cut the mandible in the midline and measured the dimensions of the canal under dissecting microscope (Liang et al. 2007). Even though the accessory foramina were discussed, no speculation was made about the blood vessels or nerves traversing it. The authors mentioned in their discussion that the accessory foramen was connected to the mandibular foramen. Radiographic investigations may provide exact evidence continuity of the accessory foramina with the mandibular canal but it is quite difficult to believe such in the absence of radiographic studies. The accessory foramen has also been reported to have continuity with the incisive canal (von Arx et al. 2011). If there is continuity of the accessory foramen with the mandibular canal, one wonders if the mental nerve emerges out through this foramen. This raises serious issues for successful nerve blocks. Previous studies have described consideration of additional locoregional anaesthesia in the case of failed mandibular block anesthesia (von Arx et al. 2011). In the second paragraph of the results section, under the subheading Adult mandibles, it was mentioned that four different types of foramina were found but only three were mentioned in pointwise form. We wonder if this really refers to types of foramina or do the authors mean different positions of the foramina. Contrary to the present findings, past research studies depict the accessory foramen varying according to age and race (Kaufman et al. 2000). Interestingly, an earlier study speculated that eruption of wisdom teeth may require additional neurovascular nourishment (von Arx et al. 2011). The present study should have discussed the eventualities of eruption of wisdom teeth or even additional dental spurs. Calculation of the mean distance of this canal with respect to a bony point may have been more beneficial to maxillofacial surgeons. These may be needed for planning graft implants. We congratulate the authors for their valiant effort, and thank the editors for publishing an interesting topic.