bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organic pioneers and the sustainability transformation of the German food market: a politically structuring actor perspective
Authors: Stöhr Johanna , Herzig Christian
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper examines the socio-ecological co-evolution and transformation of organic pioneers and the organic food market from a politically structuring actor perspective. It aims to identify strategies and activities used to contribute to the change of structures in the organic market and how the companies, in turn, reacted to the structural influence of the changing environment to position their company successfully in the market.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on interviews with four managing directors who were responsible over several decades for the strategic corporate management of the pioneer companies they founded as (or converted to) organic. Content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings

Strategic challenges regarding building up, maintaining and using resources, shaping actor constellations, and professionalising management are explained. The analysis demonstrates that also small pioneers have the possibilities and scope to influence and change markets and structures.

Originality/value

The results are significant for developing sustainable transformation strategies for markets, considering the interaction of the micro and meso-levels over time and the role of small businesses that might be struggling with growth and loss of values. The study answers recent calls in the literature to empirically investigate sustainability transformations from a practice perspective and gain insights into the roles of corporate actors.
An Argentine ant system algorithm for partial set covering problem
Authors: Liu Xiaofan , Zhou Yupeng , Yin Minghao , Lv Shuai
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The paper aims to provide an efficient meta-heuristic algorithm to solve the partial set covering problem (PSCP). With rich application scenarios, the PSCP is a fascinating and well-known non-deterministic polynomial (NP)-hard problem whose goal is to cover at least k elements with as few subsets as possible.

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, the authors present a novel variant of the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm, called Argentine ant system (AAS), to deal with the PSCP. The developed AAS is an integrated system of different populations that use the same pheromone to communicate. Moreover, an effective local search framework with the relaxed configuration checking (RCC) and the volatilization-fixed weight mechanism is proposed to improve the exploitation of the algorithm.

Findings

A detailed experimental evaluation of 75 instances reveals that the proposed algorithm outperforms the competitors in terms of the quality of the optimal solutions. Also, the performance of AAS gradually improves with the growing instance size, which shows the potential in handling complex practical scenarios. Finally, the designed components of AAS are experimentally proved to be beneficial to the whole framework. Finally, the key components in AAS have been demonstrated.

Originality/value

At present, there is no heuristic method to solve this problem. The authors present the first implementation of heuristic algorithm for solving PSCP and provide competitive solutions.
A comprehensive risk assessment model based on a fuzzy synthetic evaluation approach for green building projects: the case of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Hung Duy , Macchion Laura
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Risks in implementing green building (GB) projects have emerged as a significant obstacle for GB development, especially in developing countries. In recent years, both academics and construction practitioners have paid considerable attention to the risks associated with GB. In this study, the authors aimed to create a comprehensive risk assessment model that considers three crucial risk features: impact level, probability of occurrence and risk manageability.

Design/methodology/approach

In the research, authors adopted the mean scoring and fuzzy synthetic evaluation method to assess GB risks. Based on expert assessments, this model can determine the significance of risk factors, risk groups and overall risk. Notably, this research applied the proposed model to assess GB risks in Vietnam by surveying 58 GB experienced professionals.

Findings

The findings revealed that GB risks are relatively high in Vietnam, implying that risk management is essential for GB projects to succeed. The results also showed that “lack of experience of GB designers” is the most critical factor, and “human resources risk in the design phase” is the top crucial risk group.

Originality/value

This study contributes a novel and practical model to help practitioners assess risks in GB projects. In addition, this research offers detailed GB risk evaluations in Vietnam and thus could be a valuable reference for construction practitioners and future studies.
Impact of ambidextrous human resource practices on employee innovation performance: the roles of inclusive leadership and psychological safety
Authors: Zhao Fuqiang , Hu Wei , Ahmed Fawad , Huang Haoyu
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Human resource practices are transforming at a varying pace for different businesses to meet the increasingly intensified external challenges. The pursuit of innovation while balancing the tensions between flexibility and efficiency has become a core challenge for survival in this globally competitive era. The literature identifies ambidexterity as a realistic choice to manage these tensions during transformation towards diversified and innovative human resource practices. Based on social exchange theory (SET), this study explores the impact of ambidextrous human resource practices (AHRPs) on organization members' innovation performance while examining the mediating effect of psychological safety.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected for this cross-sectional study in three waves, and the final sample included 788 employees from 32 companies across different industries in China.

Findings

The results of data analysis indicate support for all the hypothesized relationships. AHRPs positively affect employee innovation performance; employee psychological safety mediates this relationship; inclusive leadership moderates the direct effect of AHRPs on employee psychological safety and the indirect effect of AHRPs on employee innovative performance through psychological safety. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are also presented.

Originality/value

This study examines AHRPs’ influence on employee innovation performance mediated by psychological safety and the moderating role of inclusive leadership in the above relationship to clarify the boundary conditions of AHRPs' effect on innovation performance.
How do non experts think about cyber attack consequences?
Authors: Jones Keith S. , Lodinger Natalie R. , Widlus Benjamin P. , Siami Namin Akbar , Maw Emily , Armstrong Miriam E.
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Nonexperts do not always follow the advice in cybersecurity warning messages. To increase compliance, it is recommended that warning messages use nontechnical language, describe how the cyberattack will affect the user personally and do so in a way that aligns with how the user thinks about cyberattacks. Implementing those recommendations requires an understanding of how nonexperts think about cyberattack consequences. Unfortunately, research has yet to reveal nonexperts’ thinking about cyberattack consequences. Toward that end, the purpose of this study was to examine how nonexperts think about cyberattack consequences.

Design/methodology/approach

Nonexperts sorted cyberattack consequences based on perceived similarity and labeled each group based on the reason those grouped consequences were perceived to be similar. Participants’ labels were analyzed to understand the general themes and the specific features that are present in nonexperts’ thinking.

Findings

The results suggested participants mainly thought about cyberattack consequences in terms of what the attacker is doing and what will be affected. Further, the results suggested participants thought about certain aspects of the consequences in concrete terms and other aspects of the consequences in general terms.

Originality/value

This research illuminates how nonexperts think about cyberattack consequences. This paper also reveals what aspects of nonexperts’ thinking are more or less concrete and identifies specific terminology that can be used to describe aspects that fall into each case. Such information allows one to align warning messages to nonexperts’ thinking in more nuanced ways than would otherwise be possible.
Influence of fuel price, electricity price, fuel consumption on operating cost, generation and operating income: a case study on PLN
Authors: Adi Tri Wahyu
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study aims to explore the influence of fuel price, electricity price, fuel consumption (FC) on operating cost, generation and operating income (OI), and how to get the optimized electricity generation (EG) through the operation plants mix economically.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is the kind of explanatory research that describes the influence of dependent variable on the independent variable through hypothesis testing. The unit of analysis in this study is PT PLN (Persero) data, and the data is represented by the company’s statistical data from 2004 to 2019. The inferential statistical method is used to analyse the variance in this study-based or component-based with partial least square using the software of SmartPLS 3.2.9.

Findings

The fuel price of generation has a positive significant effect on the average electricity price in both models, a negative significant effect on the FC in model A and a positive significant effect in model B, a positive significant effect on the EG in the model A and negative significant effect in the model B, a positive significant effect on the operating cost of generation in both models, and a positive significant effect on OI in both models also.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to study the influence of generation fuel price, electricity price, FC on operating cost, EG and OI of the power company and using a complex research design with partial least square.
Employee proactivity and proactive initiatives towards creativity: exploring the roles of job crafting and initiative climate
Authors: Kilic Eren , Gök Mehmet Şahin
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Although previous research has shown that proactive initiatives are mostly related to performance- and creativity-related outcomes, the questions of “how” and “when” proactivity brings about creativity are not still fully answered. This conceptual investigation aims to explain the intervening role of job crafting by conceptualising it as a behavioural mechanism that employees engage in to increase their functioning. Besides, this study examines initiative climate as a contextual factor that shapes this intervening mechanism.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, we put forward propositions explaining how proactive employees engage in promotive and preventive forms of job crafting, which results in creative outcomes. This study’s theoretical approach also illuminates the person–context interaction in creativity research by incorporating initiative climate.

Findings

This study underscores the behavioural and contextual determinants of the employee proactivity and creativity relationship. This study discussed how proactive employees reveal their creative potential by engaging not only in promotive job crafting but also in preventive job crafting. Besides, this study suggested that a sufficient level of initiative climate might be a prerequisite for enacting proactive behaviour.

Originality/value

This study attempted to contribute to the current understanding of employee proactivity and creativity literature by conceptually investigating this relationship from the JD-R perspective. Therefore, in addition to the predictable outcomes of promotive job crafting, we also underscored the temporal role of preventive job crafting on employee creativity. Besides, this study stressed that initiative climate reflects a crucial contextual determinant in this relationship.
Highly dispersed dialkyl dithiophosphate-functionalized ZIF-8 particles as additives of the lubricating oil
Authors: Ma Hongxia , Wu Wei , Zhang Heng , Wang Zeyun
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a new strategy to functionalize zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) to improve its dispersion stability and tribological properties in lubricating oil.

Design/methodology/approach

Dialkyl dithiophosphate polydopamine ZIF-8 (DDP@PDA@ZIF-8) was prepared via mussel-inspired chemistry and the Michael addition reaction. The tribological properties of DDP@PDA@ZIF-8 as an additive in the white oil were evaluated with four-ball friction and wear tester at different temperatures. The worn surface was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS).

Findings

The as-prepared DDP@PDA@ZIF-8 shows high dispersion stability in the white oil. Tribological results confirmed that the DDP@PDA@ZIF-8 exhibited a small wear scar diameter at 25°C. However, excellent friction reduction and anti-wear properties were observed at 75°C. The XPS result indicates that a series of tribochemical reactions occurred on the worn surface, forming the complex protective film.

Originality/value

This paper provides a study of highly dispersed ZIF-8 as lubrication additives.
Does service recovery matter? Relationships among perceived recovery justice, recovery satisfaction and customer affection and repurchase intentions: the moderating role of gender
Authors: Ali Muhammad Asghar , Ting Ding Hooi , Isha Ahmad Shahrul Nizam , Ahmad-Ur-Rehman Muhammad , Ali Shoukat
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study/paper is first to determine the impact of perceived recovery justice (PRJ) (as a second-order construct) on recovery satisfaction and repurchase intentions; secondly, to investigate the mediating impact of customer affection and recovery satisfaction (on the relationship between PRJ and repurchase intentions and satisfaction and repurchase intentions, respectively); and thirdly, to examine the moderating effect of gender on the relationships between PRJ–recovery satisfaction–repurchase intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a self-administrated survey technique for data collection. Afterwards, partial least square structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the data from 300 respondents (the automotive insurance industry in Punjab, Pakistan).

Findings

The findings show that PRJ, recovery satisfaction and customer affection positively predict repurchase intentions. PRJ also indirectly predicts repurchase intentions through the mediating effect of recovery satisfaction. Gender has a contingent effect on the PRJ–customer satisfaction–repurchase intentions relationship, such that the effect is higher for females than males. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications. To counter service failure, this study helps to draft effective strategies and policies for the insurance industry to make customers loyal patrons.

Practical implications

These findings have important theoretical and practical implications. To counter service failure, this study helps to draft effective strategies and policies for the insurance industry to make customers loyal patrons.

Originality/value

This study also tested a novel relationship, in that the authors used customer affection as a mediating factor between the satisfaction and repurchase intentions relationship. Moreover, the authors also tested the moderating role of gender in PRJ–recovery satisfaction–repurchase intentions associations.
The impact of electronic word-of-mouth management in hotel ecosystem: insights about managers' decision-making process
Authors: Berné Manero María del Carmen , Moretta Tartaglione Andrea , Russo Giuseppe , Cavacece Ylenia
Published: April 2022

Purpose

There is a lack of research proving how electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is a valuable source of information in the hospitality industry for developing hotels' intellectual capital. To fill this gap, this study aims to examine hotel managers' decision-making processes regarding the acceptance and management of eWOM and its impact on the Italian hotel ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

This work takes advantage of the previous contributions to present a hotel's decision-making process model regarding structural capital. It includes eWOM as a context variable and changes implemented as a dependent variable in a comprehensive model. The structural equation modelling applies to a database obtained through a survey addressed to Italian hotel managers.

Findings

The results show that eWOM plays an essential role in managers' motivations to explain hotel changes implementation. The hotel leverages eWOM information and interaction through structural, relational and human capital to enhance products, services and strategies.

Research limitations/implications

This work contributes to the extant literature by providing a comprehensive framework to explain the consequences of eWOM knowledge management from the intellectual capital view in the Italian hotel ecosystem.

Practical implications

For practitioners, this research demonstrates how hotel managers should accept and manage eWOM knowledge through intellectual capital to make determinant decisions that improve hotel performance.

Originality/value

There is a scarcity of research on modelling the acceptability and management of eWOM in the hotel ecosystem from practitioners' perspectives. This work is the first attempt to determine how eWOM knowledge management boosts hotel intellectual capital and improves service innovation and performance.
Technological innovation management through root cause prioritization
Authors: Kumarapeli Udeni , Ratnayake Vijitha , Jayawardana Thantirige Sanath Siroshana
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Technological innovation has become a significant part of textile and apparel industries. To become distinguished from competitors, it is essential to harness the potentials of the organizations in achieving higher speeds, faster delivery times, more precise research and development processes followed by modern manufacturing techniques, lower inventory and lower costs. This paper aims to present the risk factors, root causes and their impact related to technological innovation. This uncovers deeper problems inherent to the technological innovation process while providing insight to develop a more robust risk management strategy in marking the survival and growth of the organizations in the textile and apparel trade.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review and structured interviews with industry experts were conducted to identify the risk factors and root causes associated with technological innovations related to textile and apparel industries. The impact of root causes to the risk factors was determined through priorities, derived according to analytic network process using Super Decision software.

Findings

Impact of the root causes on risk factors take different priorities, highlighting the most alarming root causes, which contribute more to the outcome. This provides insight for a more precise decision-making on the order of prioritization of root causes in managing risks involved.

Originality/value

Findings of this research provide insight on the most influential competencies of any textile and apparel organization for a thriving innovation. Profound knowledge on risk factors, root causes and their contribution to the outcome enhances complex decision-making. This ultimately leads to “credible performances’’ of the technological innovation and optimizing the resources available, which bridges the gap that exists in the current literature.
Glassdoor best places to work: how do they work for shareholders?
Authors: Filbeck Greg , Zhao Xin
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This research explores whether Glassdoor's annual rankings of the Best Places to Work provide meaningful information to shareholders in identifying companies with the potential for superior future performance. Because their website reaches over 64 million unique visitors monthly, Glassdoor rankings can influence trading patterns. Glassdoor’s awards offer a unique way to analyze employees' feedback as there is no self-nomination process or cost involved, differentiating it from other measures of job satisfaction such as Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For survey.

Design/methodology/approach

We compare holding period returns of the Best Companies firms to the performance of the S&P 500 index and three separately constructed matched benchmark portfolios. We calculate cumulative raw, risk-adjusted, and abnormal returns based on a buy-and-hold strategy as well as by using the Fama-French (1993) 3-factor and 4-factor models. We also analyze whether selected companies have higher performance one year after the announcement. We control for possible endogeneity problems.

Findings

We find mixed evidence regarding the superiority of the Best Company firms in holding period returns and risk-adjusted measures compared to appropriate benchmarks. Longer-term cumulative raw returns show that they have higher annual returns compared with its benchmarks. The differences are not statistically significant on a raw or risk-adjusted basis.

Research limitations/implications

The Best Companies sample is much larger than the matched sample, even with multiple matching methodologies. This difference is limited by the survey design as the employees of larger companies tend to post in Glassdoor survey. Also, since companies in the small Best Companies sample are private companies, comparing their stock performance with comparable companies is challenging.

Practical implications

Human resource management theories argue that job satisfaction results in enhanced corporate performance. However, verification of such satisfaction by a Glassdoor, as a third-party survey, does not necessarily lead to higher risk-adjusted share price performance.

Originality/value

We extend previous work that focuses on analyzing employee reviews to consider the impact of being ranked among the best companies on the survey. Second, we employ an extended set of financial performance measures to assess impact. Our analysis also employs a wider range of financial performance metrics and robustness tests.
Vegetation‐memory effects and their association with vegetation resilience in global drylands
Authors: Kusch Erik , Davy Richard , Seddon Alistair W. R.
Published: April 2022

Vegetation memory describes the effect of antecedent environmental and ecological conditions on the present ecosystem state and has been proposed as an important proxy for vegetation resilience. In particular, strong vegetation memory has been identified in dryland regions, but the factors underlying the spatial patterns of vegetation memory remain unknown.

We aim to map the components and drivers of vegetation memory in dryland regions using state‐of‐the‐art climate reanalysis data and refined approaches to identify vegetation‐memory characteristics across dryland regions worldwide.

Using a framework which distinguishes between intrinsic and extrinsic ecological memory, we show that (i) intrinsic memory is a much stronger component than extrinsic memory in the majority of dryland regions and (ii) climate reanalysis datasets change the detection of extrinsic vegetation memory in some global dryland regions.

Synthesis. Our study offers a global picture of the vegetation response to two climate variables using satellite data, information which is potentially relevant for mapping components and properties of vegetation responses worldwide. However, the large differences in the spatial patterns in intrinsic vegetation memory in our study compared to previous analyses show the overall sensitivity of this component to the initial choice of extrinsic predictor variables. As a result, we caution against using the oversimplified link between intrinsic vegetation‐memory and vegetation recovery rates at large spatial scales.
Metagenomic evidence of a novel family of anammox bacteria in a subsea environment
Authors: Suarez Carolina , Dalcin Martins Paula , Jetten Mike S.M. , Karačić Sabina , Wilén Britt Marie , Modin Oskar , Hagelia Per , Hermansson Malte , Persson Frank
Published: April 2022

Bacteria in the order ‘Candidatus Brocadiales’ within the phylum Planctomycetes (Planctomycetota) have the remarkable ability to perform anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). Two families of anammox bacteria with different biogeographical distributions have been reported, marine Ca. Scalinduaceae and freshwater Ca. Brocadiaceae. Here we report evidence of three new species within a novel genus and family of anammox bacteria, which were discovered in biofilms of a subsea road tunnel under a fjord in Norway. In this particular ecosystem, the nitrogen cycle is likely fuelled by ammonia from organic matter degradation in the fjord sediments and the rock mass above the tunnel, resulting in the growth of biofilms where anammox bacteria can thrive under oxygen limitation. We resolved several metagenome‐assembled genomes (MAGs) of anammox bacteria, including three Ca. Brocadiales MAGs that could not be classified at the family level. MAGs of this novel family had all the diagnostic genes for a full anaerobic ammonium oxidation pathway in which nitrite was probably reduced by a NirK‐like reductase. A survey of published molecular data indicated that this new family of anammox bacteria occurs in many marine sediments, where its members presumably would contribute to nitrogen loss.
Migration of Acanthamoeba through Legionella biofilms is regulated by the bacterial Lqs‐LvbR network, effector proteins and the flagellum
Authors: Hochstrasser Ramon , Michaelis Sarah , Brülisauer Sabrina , Sura Thomas , Fan Mingzhen , Maaß Sandra , Becher Dörte , Hilbi Hubert
Published: April 2022

The environmental bacterium Legionella pneumophila causes the pneumonia Legionnaires' disease. The opportunistic pathogen forms biofilms and employs the Icm/Dot type IV secretion system (T4SS) to replicate in amoebae and macrophages. A regulatory network comprising the Legionella quorum sensing (Lqs) system and the transcription factor LvbR controls bacterial motility, virulence and biofilm architecture. Here we show by comparative proteomics that in biofilms formed by the L. pneumophila ΔlqsR or ΔlvbR regulatory mutants the abundance of proteins encoded by a genomic ‘fitness island’, metabolic enzymes, effector proteins and flagellar components (e.g. FlaA) varies. ∆lqsR or ∆flaA mutants form ‘patchy’ biofilms like the parental strain JR32, while ∆lvbR forms a ‘mat‐like’ biofilm. Acanthamoeba castellanii amoebae migrated more slowly through biofilms of L. pneumophila lacking lqsR, lvbR, flaA, a functional Icm/Dot T4SS (∆icmT), or secreted effector proteins. Clusters of bacteria decorated amoebae in JR32, ∆lvbR or ∆icmT biofilms but not in ∆lqsR or ∆flaA biofilms. The amoeba‐adherent bacteria induced promoters implicated in motility (PflaA) or virulence (PsidC, PralF). Taken together, the Lqs‐LvbR network (quorum sensing), FlaA (motility) and the Icm/Dot T4SS (virulence) regulate migration of A. castellanii through L. pneumophila biofilms, and – apart from the T4SS – govern bacterial cluster formation on the amoebae.
The effect of financial knowledge on asset allocation for Chinese households
Authors: Yang Tsung‐Yu , Tsai Pi‐Han , Chiang Tsun‐Feng
Published: April 2022

This paper investigates the association and causality between household financial knowledge and their corresponding financial behaviours in financial asset allocation and financial market participation. The 2014 data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) is used to examine the financial behaviours of Chinese households. Our empirical results suggest that the level of financial knowledge is positively correlated with the number of various types of financial assets. Additionally, by utilizing a multivariate probit model with binary responses, allowing for pairwise correlations among unobservable factors, it is found that household heads with higher financial knowledge are more likely to participate in certain financial markets, such as term deposits, mutual funds and stocks. When using the instrumental variable approach, it confirms that financial knowledge has some positive impacts on the number of assets and ownership of mutual funds and stocks. We argue that financial knowledge can be a predictor of financial behaviour, but it has its limitation for market participation. The removal of institutional barriers and the improvement in information discourse in China should also be implemented to help Chinese households participate the financial market.
The Patasola: archetypal roots of feminine identity in exile in a Colombian myth
Authors: De la Ossa Izquierdo Inés
Published: April 2022

Civilization in Transition, the sociological writings of Carl Gustav Jung referring to processes of social transformation in the first half of the 20th century, is a source of inspiration to reflect on the social upheaval that we are facing in the second decade of the 21st century: crises such as the depredation of our natural resources with subsequent climate change; high incidence of feminicide and violence against women and children. The ‘Mother Earth’, women, the feminine and the dynamics of connection, solidarity and inclusion are being threatened and destroyed. Using the myth and symbolism of the image of Patasola as a starting point, this study seeks to unravel the archetypal roots that have led to exile both to the dark dimension – destructive and self‐destructive – as well as to the luminous dimension – autonomy, authority and independence – of the feminine identity. From a psychological standpoint, this paper explores the way that feminine identity, that inhabits the collective unconscious, has been expressed in various patterns since our beginnings as a nation, throughout our history, and how it is still in force through the cultural complex of the undervaluation of the feminine. Finally, we will look at the potential for redemption implicit in the myth.
Clinical management of uterine contraction abnormalities; an evidence‐based intrapartum care algorithm
Authors: Gülümser C , Yassa M ,   the WHO Intrapartum Care Algorithms Working Group
Published: April 2022

Aim

To develop algorithms as decision support tools for identifying, managing and monitoring abnormal uterine activity during labour.

Population

Women with singleton, term (37–42 weeks) pregnancies in active labour at admission.

Setting

Institutional birth settings in low‐ and middle‐income countries (the algorithm may be applicable to any health facility).

Search strategy

PubMed was searched up to January 2020 using keywords. We also searched The Cochrane Library, and international guidelines from World Health Organization (WHO), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and French College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF).

Case scenarios

Algorithms were developed for two case scenarios: uterine hypoactivity and excessive uterine contractions. Key themes in the algorithm are: diagnosis, identification of probable causes, assessment of maternal and fetal condition and labour progress, monitoring and management.

Conclusion

The algorithms for uterine hypoactivity and excessive uterine contractions have been developed to facilitate safe and effective management of abnormal uterine activity during labour. Research is needed to assess the views of healthcare professionals and women accessing healthcare to explore the feasibility of implementing these algorithms, and impact on labour outcomes.

Tweetable abstract

An evidence‐based algorithm to support clinical management of abnormal uterine activity during labour.
Intrapartum care algorithms for liquor abnormalities: oligohydramnios, meconium, blood and purulent discharge
Authors: Liabsuetrakul T , Meher S ,   the WHO Intrapartum Care Algorithms Working Group
Published: April 2022

Aim

To construct evidence‐based algorithms for the assessment and management of common amniotic fluid abnormalities detected during labour.

Population

Low‐risk singleton, term pregnant women in labour.

Setting

Birth facilities in low‐ and middle‐income countries.

Search Strategy

We searched international guidelines published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (SOGC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). We also searched The Cochrane Library and MEDLINE up to 20 January 2020 using keywords for relevant systematic reviews and randomised trials.

Case scenarios

We developed evidence‐based intrapartum care algorithms for four case scenarios: oligohydramnios; meconium‐stained amniotic fluid; bloody amniotic fluid or vaginal bleeding; and purulent amniotic fluid or discharge. These conditions may be associated with fetal and /or maternal morbidity. Differential diagnosis includes uteroplacental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction, fetal distress, abruption, placenta or vasa praevia, uterine rupture and intra‐amniotic infection, respectively. Algorithms include how to assess for, diagnose and manage these conditions.

Conclusions

Four algorithms are presented, to provide a systematic approach and guidance on the clinical management for the following amniotic fluid abnormalities: oligohydramnios; meconium‐stained liquor; bloody amniotic fluid or vaginal bleeding; and purulent amniotic fluid or discharge. These algorithms may be beneficial in supporting clinical decision making, particularly in low‐resource settings.

Tweetable abstract

Evidence based algorithms for management of common amniotic fluid abnormalities seen during labour.
Clinical algorithms for management of fetal heart rate abnormalities during labour
Authors: Cheung KW , Bonet M , Frank KA , Oladapo OT , Hofmeyr GJ ,   the WHO Intrapartum Care Algorithms Working Group
Published: April 2022

Objective

To construct algorithms with a sequential decision analysis pathway for monitoring of the fetal heart rate and managing fetal heart rate bradycardia, late decelerations and tachycardia during labour.

Population

Low‐risk pregnant women in labour with singleton cephalic term pregnancies.

Setting

Institutional births in low‐ and middle‐income countries.

Search strategy

We sought relevant published clinical algorithms, guidelines and randomised trials/reviews by searching the Cochrane Library, PubMed and Google on the terms: “fetal AND heart AND rate AND algorithm AND (labour OR intrapartum)”, up to March 2020.

Case scenarios

The two scenarios included were fetal heart rate bradycardia or late decelerations (potentially related to uterine rupture, placental abruption, cord prolapse, maternal hypotension, uterine hyperstimulation or unexplained) and fetal heart rate tachycardia (potentially related to maternal hyperthermia, infection, dehydration or unexplained). The algorithms provide pathways for definition, assessment, diagnosis, interventions to correct the abnormalities and ongoing monitoring leading to mode of birth, and linking to other algorithms in the series.

Conclusions

The algorithms provide a framework for monitoring and managing fetal heart rate bradycardia, late decelerations and tachycardia during labour. We emphasise the inherent diagnostic inaccuracy of fetal heart rate monitoring, the tendency to over‐diagnose fetal compromise, the need to consider fetal heart rate information in the context of other clinical features and the need to engage in informed, shared, family‐centred decision‐making. We note the need for further research on methods of fetal assessment during labour including clinical fetal arousal testing and the rapid biophysical profile test.

Tweetable abstract

Decision analysis algorithms for fetal bradycardia, late decelerations and tachycardia highlight diagnostic limitations.
Rural households' food security and its determinants in coastal regions of Bangladesh
Authors: Panezai Sanaullah , Moniruzzaman  , Saqib Shahab E. , Rahman Md. Sadique , Ferdous Zannatul , Asghar Sobia , Ullah Ayat , Ali Niaz
Published: April 2022

The coastal zone of Bangladesh is suffering from a wide range of climate change‐driven hazards. Limited attention has been given to these zones' food security assessment. Therefore, this study aims to assess the status of food security and its determinants among different groups of Bangladeshi coastal households. It also identifies their livelihood risks and coping strategies during stressed situations. Data were collected from 1350 households from coastal districts through a questionnaire survey. Food security was calculated and compared with the recommended average (2400 kcal/capita/day). A binary logit model was used to identify the determinants of food security among rural coastal households. Livelihood risks and coping mechanisms were recorded through open‐ended questions. The findings of this study revealed that although on average, sampled households were food secure (2753 kcal/capita/day), 81% of landless households and 72% of marginal landholders within the sample appeared food insecure. Among various food items, rice supplied the greatest total daily calorie intake (1841.47 kcal), second was the edible oil (172.27 kcal). The regression model revealed that farm size, farm income, off‐farm income, and crop production had positive impacts on households' food security. Floods, salinity, heavy rainfall, and reduction of land productivity were high risks to the large farm households, while heavy rainfall, floods, and salinity were high risks to the landless farm households. To cope with these risks, the majority of large farm households used their savings and sold livestock and poultry as coping strategies. The landless and marginal farmers were mostly helped by nongovernmental and government‐run organizations, moved elsewhere to find work, sold their labor, and were involved in fishing. It was concluded that different groups of farmers face different challenges. Our findings indicate that in order to protect landless and marginal farmers, government should implement policies aimed at increasing crop production by means of prioritizing saline‐tolerant crop varieties and the creation of more job opportunities.
Heterogeneous farm‐size dynamics and impacts of subsidies from agricultural policy: Evidence from France
Authors: Saint‐Cyr Legrand D. F.
Published: April 2022

This article aims at investigating the impact of financial supports from agricultural policy on farm‐size dynamics. Since not all farms may behave alike, a non‐stationary mixed‐Markov chain modelling (M‐MCM) approach is applied to capture unobserved heterogeneity in the movements of farms across economic size (ES) classes. A multinomial logit specification is used for transition probabilities and the parameters are estimated by the maximum likelihood method and the Expectation‐Maximisation (EM) algorithm. An empirical application to an unbalanced panel from 2000 to 2018 shows that French farming consists of ‘almost stayers’, with a high probability of remaining in the same ES class over time, and ‘likely movers’, which present a higher probability of a change in size. The results also show that the impact of subsidies and other economic factors depends greatly on the type that a farm belongs to. These findings confirm that individual characteristics of farmers may be relevant for policy efficiency and more attention should thus be paid to unobserved farm heterogeneity in both policy design and the assessment of their impacts on farm‐size dynamics.
Global Governance in an Era of Pluralism
Authors: Johnstone Ian , Lincoln Joshua
Published: April 2022

As the range of actors, issues and levels of negotiation at the COP26 meeting in Glasgow demonstrates, the defining feature of global governance today is pluralism. Geopolitics, including swings in US global leadership and surging US–China competition, are part of the picture, but do not adequately explain the complexity of contemporary multilateralism. Deeper, systemic forces are at work – the birth pains of a more plural global system. This article identifies and examines four dimensions of pluralism: multipolarity, multiple issues, multi‐level governance, and multiple stakeholders. The effect is that all states – including middle and small states – must be more active, more agile, more self‐reliant, more willing to lead, and more oriented towards issues than ideology. The article illustrates the four dimensions through reviews of multilateral responses to COVID‐19, cyber attacks, and mass migration, before asking how states and non‐state actors can effectively manage a more plural system of governance. Three capacities for success are discussed: to act early and decisively by finding partners and fora for success; to embrace adhocracy internally and externally; and to rebalance effectiveness and trust through greater technocratic expertise, transboundary scientific cooperation, and a more inclusive diplomacy.
Clinical efficacy of dacomitinib in rechallenge setting for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutant non–small cell lung cancer: A multicenter retrospective analysis (TOPGAN2020‐02)
Authors: Tanaka Hisashi , Sakamoto Hiroaki , Akita Takahiro , Ohyanagi Fumiyoshi , Kawashima Yosuke , Tambo Yuichi , Tanimoto Azusa , Horiike Atsushi , Miyauchi Eisaku , Tsuchiya‐Kawano Yuko , Yanagitani Noriko , Nishio Makoto
Published: April 2022

Background

Dacomitinib is the second‐generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR‐TKIs are often re‐administered in Japan after the disease progression prior EGFR‐TKI. There is little evidence of dacomitinib in rechallenge setting. This study evaluated clinical outcomes of dacomitinib in rechallenge setting.

Methods

Patients who received dacomitinib for advanced EGFR‐mutant NSCLC who had progressed after EGFR‐TKI in nine institutions in Japan were included in the analyses.

Results

In total, 43 patients were analyzed. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 4.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5–5.6). The overall survival (OS) was 10.5 months (95% CI, 7.4–not reached). The overall response rate was 25.5% (95% CI, 13.1–33.7). Subset analysis indicated that patients with EGFR exon 21 L858R showed longer PFS than those with EGFR exon 19 deletion (5.8 vs. 4.1 months) (p = 0.018). The most common adverse events leading to dose modification were diarrhea, paronychia, rash, and oral mucositis.

Conclusion

In the real practice in Japan, dacomitinib showed a worthwhile treatment option for NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation after failure of previous EGFR‐TKI. The benefit was especially pronounced in patients with the exon 21 mutation.
Regulation of Cdc42 signaling by the dopamine D2 receptor in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Ying Li , Zhao Jinlan , Ye Yingshan , Liu Yutong , Xiao Bin , Xue Tao , Zhu Hangfei , Wu Yue , He Jing , Qin Sifei , Jiang Yong , Guo Fukun , Zhang Lin , Liu Nuyun , Zhang Lu
Published: April 2022

Substantial spine loss in striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and abnormal behaviors are common features of Parkinson's disease (PD). The caudate putamen (CPu) mainly contains MSNs expressing dopamine D1 receptor (dMSNs) and dopamine D2 receptor (iMSNs) exerting critical effects on motor and cognition behavior. However, the molecular mechanisms contributing to spine loss and abnormal behaviors in dMSNs and iMSNs under parkinsonian state remain unknown. In the present study, we revealed that Cell division control protein 42 (Cdc42) signaling was significantly decreased in the caudate putamen (CPu) in parkinsonian mice. In addition, overexpression of constitutively active Cdc42 in the CPu reversed spine abnormalities and improved the behavior deficits in parkinsonian mice. Utilizing conditional dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) or D2 receptor (D2R) knockout mice, we found that such a decrease under parkinsonian state was further reduced by conditional knockout of the D2R but not D1R. Moreover, the thin spine loss in iMSNs and deficits in motor coordination and cognition induced by conditional knockout of D2R were reversed by overexpression of constitutively active Cdc42 in the CPu. Additionally, conditional knockout of Cdc42 from D2R‐positive neurons in the CPu was sufficient to induce spine and behavior deficits similar to those observed in parkinsonian mice. Overall, our results indicate that impaired Cdc42 signaling regulated by D2R plays an important role in spine loss and behavioral deficits in PD.
CVIS: Automated OCT‐scan‐based software application for the measurements of choroidal vascularity index and choroidal thickness
Authors: Yang Jiarui , Wang Xinglin , Wang Yuchen , Li Zihan , Xia Huaqin , Hou Qingyi , Ge Yimeng , Lei Kexin , Liao Yanfeng , Luan Zhongzhi , Li Xuemin
Published: April 2022

Purpose

To develop an automated image recognition software for the objective quantification of choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choroidal thickness (CT) at different choroidal locations on images obtained from enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI‐OCT), and to validate its reliability and investigate the difference and correlation between measurements made by manual and software.

Methods

A total of 390 EDI‐OCT scans, captured from 130 eligible emmetropic or myopic subjects, were categorized into four grades in terms of their accessibility to identify the choroidal‐scleral interface (CSI) and were further assessed for CT and CVI at five locations (subfoveal, nasal, temporal, superior and inferior) by the newly developed Choroidal Vascularity Index Software (CVIS) and three ophthalmologists. Choroidal parameters acquired from CVIS were evaluated for its reliability and correlation with ocular factors, in comparison to manual measurements. Distribution of difference and correlation coefficient between CVIS and manual measurements were also analysed.

Results

Choroidal Vascularity Index Software (CVIS) demonstrated excellent intra‐session reliability for CT (ICC: 0.992) and CVI (ICC: 0.978) measurements, compared to the relatively lower intra‐ and inter‐observer reliability of manual measurements. Choroidal Vascularity Index Software (CVIS) and manual assessments had the highest correlation at nasal choroid (CT: r = 0.829, p < 0.001; CVI: r = 0.665, p < 0.001). Choroidal parameters identified with CVIS showed stronger correlations with axial length than manual measurements.

Conclusion

This automated software, CVIS, exhibited excellent reliability compared to manual measurements, which are subject to image quality and clinical experience. With its validated clinical relevance, CVIS holds promise to serve as a flexible and robust tool in future vitreoretinal and chorioretinal studies.