bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hedonic, emotional and willingness-to-pay response to beers of a different type in Brazil
Authors: Zanetta Luis D'Avolgio , Umebara Matheus Takamori Costa , Costa João Paulo , Takeda Douglas Koji , Da Cunha Diogo Thimoteo
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the differences between common Brazilian beer and pure malt beer in the responses of hedonic scaling, willingness to pay and emotional response.

Design/methodology/approach

Two types of beer were selected to be tested – a common beer: Pilsen Skol and pure malt beer: Pilsen Eisenbahn. All the analysis was conducted under three labeling conditions: blind; labeled; inverted label with 70 participants in each test. A nine-point hedonic scale evaluated the acceptance. The consumer was questioned how much he/she would be willing to pay for a bottle of beer that he/she tasted. A questionnaire was elaborated based on the EsSense profile to evaluate emotions; 25 emotions were evaluated using a five-point scale. The socioeconomic status was defined based on consumer's household characteristics.

Findings

The acceptance score, positive emotions and willingness to pay were higher for pure malt beer in the labeled test and for common beer (labeled as pure malt) in the inverted test. The findings highlight that information, such as beer type and socioeconomic status, could influence consumer responses by altering hedonic perceptions, emotions and commercial value attributed to different beers. In general, the beer type did not affect the evaluated variables.

Practical implications

Brewing industry should explore in their marketing strategies and state clearly the pure malt label. In restaurants, owners can explore pure malt beers as a strategy for garnering different customer profiles. Technological and production investments should be encouraged to reduce the product price, favoring the final consumer.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understanding the growth in the consumption of pure malt beers in Brazil. Moreover, it brings an overview of the influence of the label/information on regular Brazilian consumers.
Re-emergency of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo: synergizing the preparedness and response measures with the sustainable development goals
Authors: Balikuddembe Joseph Kimuli
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper attempts to discuss the synergies between the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Ebola preparedness and response – with a specific outlook about how the five (5) targets in SDG.3 can be prioritized and integrated into the measures taken against the battle of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) as well as any other sporadic health disasters and emergencies elsewhere.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on the published literature, including reports, peer-reviewed articles, statistical data and relevant documents identified from authenticated sources.

Findings

Sustainable development, which is the nitty-gritty of SDGs, is underscored as a germane in almost all regional and international frameworks. However, as traditional natural hazards persist, alongside the persistence of civil conflicts and instability, socioeconomic challenges such as EVD pose serious hindrances to SDGs, and achieving them by 2030 might be a deferred dream, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as DRC.

Practical implications

This paper will help to inform the decisions of bureaucrats at different levels, especially those aimed at promoting and integrating health into sustainable development.

Originality/value

The recent 2018 EVD outbreaks in DRC, which galvanized the regional and global attention, call for an approach that elucidates an interaction between the SDGs and countermeasures of responding to this deadly disease in the DRC and elsewhere.
Mainstreaming DRM into subnational development policies in Mexico
Authors: Maurizi Valeria , Santis de la Torre Adelfo , Escalante Solís Luis Mauricio , Quezadas Barahona Ana Luisa , Villalobos Sánchez Gontrán , Colorado González Felipe de Jesús , Moya García Xavier
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The present study proposes the analysis of DRM strategies that had been implemented into subnational development plans and public policy instruments in the States of Chiapas and Tabasco, located in Southeast Mexico. It describes the methodological phases for the implementation of those strategies and the participatory process, with a multi-level approach, carried out with multiple stakeholders and UNDP advisory.

Design/methodology/approach

For this research, two case studies were developed to highlight the factors which make successful DRM in development plans and policies. It included the compilation and review of documents generated by UNDP-PMR program on the mainstreaming process in the past four years, interviews with key actors in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, such as governmental officers, national and international ONG's, UN agencies and rural communities' leaders.

Findings

The review of these case studies demonstrate that for developing countries like Mexico, the process to strengthening institutions setting, needs being present in the field and creating alliances and synergies to generate advocacy processes from a capacity development approach. Having not only an output approach in projects but also mainly an impact strategy, both at the local and the sectoral levels, along with a mid-term timeline and budget, are some of the hallmarks of UNDP-PMR program work.

Originality/value

This study showed two original experiences of mainstreaming DRM into subnational development policies in high risk contexts. These experiences had the participation of multiple stakeholders from local governments and communities. Nowadays, these two experiences are being implemented in the territories despite political administration changes in the last years.
A symbiotic organisms search algorithm-based design optimization of constrained multi-objective engineering design problems
Authors: Ustun Deniz , Carbas Serdar , Toktas Abdurrahim
Published: July 2020

Purpose

In line with computational technological advances, obtaining optimal solutions for engineering problems has become attractive research topics in various disciplines and real engineering systems having multiple objectives. Therefore, it is aimed to ensure that the multiple objectives are simultaneously optimized by considering them among the trade-offs. Furthermore, the practical means of solving those problems are principally concentrated on handling various complicated constraints. The purpose of this paper is to suggest an algorithm based on symbiotic organisms search (SOS), which mimics the symbiotic reciprocal influence scheme adopted by organisms to live on and breed within the ecosystem, for constrained multi-objective engineering design problems.

Design/methodology/approach

Though the general performance of SOS algorithm was previously well demonstrated for ordinary single objective optimization problems, its efficacy on multi-objective real engineering problems will be decisive about the performance. The SOS algorithm is, hence, implemented to obtain the optimal solutions of challengingly constrained multi-objective engineering design problems using the Pareto optimality concept.

Findings

Four well-known mixed constrained multi-objective engineering design problems and a real-world complex constrained multilayer dielectric filter design problem are tackled to demonstrate the precision and stability of the multi-objective SOS (MOSOS) algorithm. Also, the comparison of the obtained results with some other well-known metaheuristics illustrates the validity and robustness of the proposed algorithm.

Originality/value

The algorithmic performance of the MOSOS on the challengingly constrained multi-objective multidisciplinary engineering design problems with constraint-handling approach is successfully demonstrated with respect to the obtained outperforming final optimal designs.
Battle of the glitters in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Almheiri Mana Khalifa , Ahmad Syed Zamberi , Abu Bakar Abdul Rahim
Published: July 2020

Learning outcomes

Expected learning objectives students will be able to examine the possible reasons for a company’s poor performance using relevant business tools. Students will be able to critically assess the role of technology and social media in the gem and jewellery industry in Dubai. Students will be able to analyse the customer segmentation approach used by five diamonds and to critically analyse its advantages and disadvantages. Students will be able to use the SWOT framework to identify the key weaknesses of and threats to five diamonds and identify the strengths and opportunities that the company needed to capitalize on, to be more competitive in the industry and generate high profitability. Students will be able to critically analyse the fit between the firm’s current business strategy and its business environment and develop a “turnaround” strategy.

Case overview/synopsis

Five diamonds were a trading company that dealt in gems and jewellery, natural pearls and branded watches. The company had been founded by Mustafa Al Fardan in 2003 and was currently run by his son Mohammed Al Fardan who held the position of General Manager. The company was based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) with two local branches and eight international branches in China, France, India, Switzerland, Hong Kong and the UK. The branches were located in Palm Strip Jumeirah and in the Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel, in the Umm Sequim area. The Palm Strip Jumeirah region is one of the largest and crowded areas in Dubai with world-class facilities such as hotels, clinics, restaurants, beaches and clubs, making it a perfect location for tourists. The Umm Sequim region is in the same area where the iconic seven-star hotel, Burj Al Arab, is located. The place is also a “must be” place for tourists and has recorded a significant increase in traffic at different times of the year. Despite their strong presence locally and internationally, the firm was facing fierce competition from the hostile business environment. Industry trends and the business environment were changing the local and global gems and jewellery industry landscape. These changes had offset five diamonds’ business strategy and its long-held business tradition. As a result, the company yearly profit had started to plummet. The company needed to revise its existing business strategy and the way it operated in the market. Failure to do so would have resulted in the firm missing the huge growth opportunity and also put itself into jeopardy.

Complexity academic level

This case is useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in marketing, business management and/or strategic management.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.
Building maintenance practices in Malaysia: a systematic review of issues, effects and the way forward
Authors: Hauashdh Ali , Jailani Junaidah , Abdul Rahman Ismail , AL-fadhali Najib
Published: July 2020

Purpose

In recent years, there have been many concerns about issues surrounding building maintenance, which are continually increasing. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies on building maintenance issues, their effects and the way forward. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to carry out a comprehensive review of building maintenance issues, their effects and the way forward. It also aims to develop a conceptual model that can support future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the literature published from 2009 to 2019 was carried out. Five relevant databases were searched, based on this study's search terms, and a narrative synthesis of the results from the included studies was carried out. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this systematic review.

Findings

This study has identified and classified building maintenance issues, their effects and the way forward, and also developed a conceptual model that demonstrates the association between issues, their effects and the way forward. The way forward of the conceptual model focuses on effective management, technical capability, development of human resources and cost optimisation.

Originality/value

This paper addresses an important topic: the aspect in which it differs from existing studies is that, in the latter, the researchers studied a single sub-issue, whereas this systematic review includes a comprehensive study of building maintenance issues. Furthermore, this review has demonstrated how the way forward can moderate issues and their effects.
Employers' perspectives on work readiness in construction: are project management graduates hitting the ground running?
Authors: Borg Jessica , Scott-Young Christina M.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

There is a need for graduates who can quickly adjust and thrive within the current increasingly dynamic project-based workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to present the employers' perspectives on the work readiness of project management graduates entering the Australian construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

To gain the industry's perspective, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants from 18 different construction companies that employ project management graduates.

Findings

Thematic analysis revealed that from the employers' perspective, work readiness constitutes (1) empathic communication, (2) passion and (3) technical construction knowledge. Graduates' areas of strength (e.g. application of technology) and weakness (e.g. responding to confrontational situations) were identified.

Practical implications

The findings provide valuable insights into employers' perspectives of the work readiness of project management graduates which can serve as feedback to universities to assist in aligning their educational programmes with industry needs.

Social implications

While employers recognize that the responsibility for fostering work readiness should be shared between themselves and universities, this research highlights that currently adequate collaboration does not occur. This paper advocates for both universities and employers to be open to engaging in the conversation to enhance graduate work readiness.

Originality/value

No research to date has investigated the work readiness of project management graduates, nor whether their work readiness levels meet employers' requirements. This paper addresses this gap.
Adoption, diffusion and consumer behavior in technopreneurship
Authors: Bhardwaj Broto Rauth
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the adoption and diffusion of technology including SAAS software and cloud computing for facilitating knowledge management (KM) in product innovation based on understanding of consumer behavior. Technopreneurship can drive sustainable product innovation by studying the patterns of consumer behavior. Sharing of consumer intelligence on cloud using SAAS is being used by several companies to drive innovation such as call centers in South Asia. However, there is no understanding role of knowledge management for understanding consumer behavior for product innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology uses case method of action research technique coupled with grounded theory development. Further, the study uses interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique for interpreting the results for understanding consumer behavior patterns for enabling product innovation.

Findings

The findings suggest that enhancement of creative design based on consumer's study can lead to sustainable product development. The findings revealed that consumer behavior patterns embedded in the firm's intelligence captured in KM portal including customers' preferences and choices that can be developed into products. Knowledge management facilitated flexible manufacturing process, optimized capital expenditure using agility principles as per the study. Techniques and processes such as reactive scaling top down and bottom up and applying flexible APIs (Application Programming Interface) allowed the efficient automation of infrastructure orchestration and resource allocation. The involvement of vendors’ knowledge base facilitated creation of market ready product offers leading to sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

The implications include the adoption of inter-disciplinary and inter country understanding of knowledge management application for understanding consumer behavior to lead to sustainable product development.

Originality/value

The scope and scale of technology entrepreneurship include the application of knowledge management for consumer behavioral studies that have huge contributions to make product development sustainable using greener planet, purpose and product (3P model).
Millennials' attitude toward chatbots: an experimental study in a social relationship perspective
Authors: De Cicco Roberta , Silva Susana C. , Alparone Francesca Romana
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Chatbots represent an innovative channel for retailers to meet young customers' needs anywhere and at any time. Being an emergent technology, however, it is important to investigate more thoroughly how users perceive it, and which are the variables that enhance a positive attitude towards this technology. On this premise, this study applies a social relationship perspective to the design of chatbots addressed to younger consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts a between-participants factorial design to investigate the effects of visual cues (avatar presence vs avatar absence) and interaction styles (social-oriented vs task-oriented) on social presence and how this, in turn, enhances millennials' perceived enjoyment, trust and, ultimately, attitude towards the chatbot. A survey experiment was employed to conduct the study on data collected from 193 Italian millennials.

Findings

The results show that applying a social-oriented interaction style increases users' perception of social presence, while an insignificant effect was found for avatar presence. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis further confirms the hypothesised model.

Originality/value

The adoption of new digital technologies such as chatbots is likely to have a far reaching effect on retailers, consumers, employees and society. For this reason, a broad understanding of the phenomenon is needed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to provide results from an experimental design in which both interaction style (social- vs task-oriented) and avatar (presence vs absence) of a chatbot are manipulated to directly explore social presence and its effect on trust, perceived enjoyment and millennials' attitude towards a chatbot applied for retailing purposes.
Do digital celebrities' relationships and social climate matter? Impulse buying in f-commerce
Authors: Zafar Abaid Ullah , Qiu Jiangnan , Shahzad Mohsin
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Growing evidence asserts that individuals are inclined to buy impulsively in the social commerce environment due to interactive elements. However, extant literature does not reveal the influence of emerging digital celebrities and their communities on impulse buying, although users may encounter them synchronously. Hence, this study explores the impact of parasocial relationships and social climate on impulse buying following the stimulus–organism–response framework with the incorporation of the urge to buy. Besides, this research investigates the role of hedonic and utility gratification-seeking behavior in parasocial relationships following uses and gratifications theory (UGT).

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical research study was conducted on Facebook, and data were collected from Pakistani users who followed digital celebrities. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was employed to analyze the valid data of 231 respondents.

Findings

The results indicate that integrated constructs significantly influence impulse buying with complementary partial mediation of urge to buy. Besides, social climate significantly interacts the relationship of parasocial relationships and impulse buying. Further, passing time, enjoyment and information seeking has a significant impact on parasocial relationships, except for self-presentation.

Originality/value

This research provides key knowledge to comprehend the overall phenomenon of emerging digital celebrities through the integration of their parasocial relationships and the social climate of their communities, with potential intervening and interaction effects. This study also unveils the role of gratifications in building digital celebrities' parasocial relationships.
“God is my doctor”: mindfulness meditation/prayer as a spiritual well-being coping strategy for Jamaican school principals to manage their work-related stress and anxiety
Authors: Walker Annette Rosemarie
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This article explores Jamaican secondary school principals' use of mindfulness meditation as a spiritual well-being strategy to manage their work-related stress and anxiety.

Design/methodology/approach

The author used qualitative semi-structured interviews to collect the data from 12 Jamaican secondary school principals working in schools supporting rural, urban and inner-city school communities. Thematic coding of the analyzed data was used to understand how principals deal with their work-related stress and anxiety.

Findings

The findings indicate that Jamaican school principals are experiencing work-related stress and anxiety as a result of work intensification, and use mindfulness meditation/prayer as a spiritual coping strategy. The data indicate that principals' primary source of support is their spiritual belief – faith in God and mindfulness meditation/prayer – when dealing with issues related to well-being.

Originality/value

This article explores the use of mindfulness meditation as a non-secular coping strategy, and focuses on an understudied area of educational administration research: Jamaican school principals' well-being. The findings can help inform future education and health policy around occupational health and well-being for professionals, and lay the foundation for greater studies on principal well-being in Jamaican and the Caribbean more generally.
Explaining the cash-in-hand consumer culture in the European home repairs and renovations sector
Authors: Williams Colin , Kosta Brunilda
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain who purchases undeclared home repairs and renovations and their motives to tackle the cash-in-hand consumer culture. The conventional view has been that undeclared home repairs and renovations are sought by those consumers needing to save money and desiring a lower price. Here, this is evaluated critically.

Design/methodology/approach

To do so, evidence from a 2019 Eurobarometer survey involving 27,565 face-to-face interviews in 28 European countries is reported.

Findings

The finding is the need for a nuanced and variegated understanding of who purchases undeclared home repairs and renovations and why. Lower price is their sole rationale in just 25% of purchases, one of several rationales in 34% of cases and not a reason in the remaining 42% of purchases. Besides a lower price, consumers purchase undeclared not only unintentionally but also to circumvent the failings of formal sector provision in terms of its availability, speed and quality, as well as for social and redistributive rationales.

Practical implications

To reduce the cash-in-hand consumer culture, not only are incentives needed to persuade consumers to purchase declared along with awareness-raising campaigns about the benefits of purchasing declared services but initiatives are also needed to improve the availability, speed, reliability and quality of formal provision and to address undeclared purchases conducted for social and redistributive purposes.

Originality/value

This paper improves understanding of how governments can stop consumers asking “how much for cash” and reduce demand for undeclared home repair and renovation services.
Screening prisoners for cognitive impairment – literature review
Authors: Catalano Grazia , Mason Jonathan , Brolan Claire Elise , Loughnan Siobhan , Harley David
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The authors reviewed studies of validated tools to screen for cognitive impairment among prisoners. The purpose of this paper is to assist organisations in identifying cognitive impairment in correctional facilities.

Design/methodology/approach

A targeted literature review identified peer-reviewed articles on screening of adults in jails, prisons, police watch-houses, custody suites, rehabilitation facilities and forensic settings or community settings for offenders. Validation of screening tools in secure settings, psychometric properties and cultural discrimination is included in this review.

Findings

Eight screening tools are considered suitable for use in correctional settings. Two screening tools are recommended for cognitive impairment, one is recommended for adaptive functioning assessment and one is recommended for screening of brain injury. Two screening tools are noted to be subject to piloting and further development for use with First Nations people, and two screening tools for cognitive impairment are noted for positive consideration.

Research limitations/implications

Recommendations for screening tools are based on review only and evaluation was infeasible.

Practical implications

Short, reliable measures of cognitive ability for use in correctional facilities are needed. Such tools must be appropriate with respect to their purpose, feasible within the clinical capability of staff and sufficiently cheap to administer to allow widespread use.

Originality/value

Screening of prisoners for cognitive impairment allows early detection to facilitate rehabilitation and therapy. This research is at the systems level. Therefore, the authors do not purport to provide guidance for individual clinicians.
An enhanced lexicon-based approach for sentiment analysis: a case study on illegal immigration
Authors: Mehmood Yasir , Balakrishnan Vimala
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Research on sentiment analysis were mostly conducted on product and services, resulting in scarcity of studies focusing on social issues, which may require different mechanisms due to the nature of the issue itself. This paper aims to address this gap by developing an enhanced lexicon-based approach.

Design/methodology/approach

An enhanced lexicon-based approach was employed using General Inquirer, incorporated with multi-level grammatical dependencies and the role of verb. Data on illegal immigration were gathered from Twitter for a period of three months, resulting in 694,141 tweets. Of these, 2,500 tweets were segregated into two datasets for evaluation purposes after filtering and pre-processing.

Findings

The enhanced approach outperformed ten online sentiment analysis tools with an overall accuracy of 81.4 and 82.3% for dataset 1 and 2, respectively as opposed to ten other sentiment analysis tools.

Originality/value

The study is novel in the sense that data pertaining to a social issue were used instead of products and services, which require different mechanism due to the nature of the issue itself.
The mediating role of visitor satisfaction in the relationship between museum experience and word of mouth: evidence from Italy
Authors: Vesci Massimiliano , Conti Emanuela , Rossato Chiara , Castellani Paola
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the quality of experience in the Italian art museum context and to understand the mediating role of satisfaction between museum experiences and visitors' word-of-mouth (WOM) behavioural intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory study adopted a quantitative methodology. Visitors to Italian art museums were interviewed, and the results were examined using exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis.

Findings

The analysis shows that the following museum experience dimensions were present in the Italian art museum context: aesthetics, escapism and “edumotion”. Further, these dimensions positively affected visitors' overall satisfaction which mediates on WOM behavioural intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample limits the generalisability of findings, and further research on the topic is recommended.

Practical implications

Museums should allocate resources to improve visitor experience, visitor satisfaction and museum attractions. Specifically, museum managers should invest in the three dimensions that emerged from this study.

Originality/value

This study enriches the empirical evidence on experiential marketing in the museum context by focussing on the mediating role of overall satisfaction in the relationship between museum experience and WOM behaviours. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study investigating this phenomenon in Italian museums.
Can knowledge hiding promote creativity among IT professionals
Authors: Zakariya Ramsha , Bashir Sajid
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Knowledge sharing is believed to enhance creativity; however, the purpose of this study is to find out how and when knowledge hiding perception of target affects creativity of IT professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a temporally segregated survey based data from IT professionals, this study investigates a three-way interplay of knowledge hiding, supervisor support for creativity and creative self-efficacy to examine employee’s creativity. Time lagged data were collected from 253 respondents working in IT-based organizations across Pakistan.

Findings

Findings provide interesting insights revealing that knowledge hiding perception of target enhances target’s creativity through the mechanism of benign envy. Another appealing finding is that the three-way interaction effect of supervisor support and creative self-efficacy is found to weaken the effect of knowledge hiding perception on employee creativity.

Originality/value

This is first of its kind study which is specifically related target’s knowledge hiding perception with their own creativity among IT professionals. This study further explores the mechanism of benign envy as a motivational drive through which target’s knowledge hiding perception enhances creativity. The cumulative role of conditional factors that affect knowledge hiding perception to creativity link from target’s perspective has also been clarified. Most of the studies focus on benefits of knowledge sharing and ignoring the outcomes of knowledge hiding.
Optimum size and density of surface grid arrays for retrieving accurate shear‐tensile fracturing of microearthquakes
Authors: Ren Yi , Gao Yongtao , Wu Shunchuan , Vavryčuk Václav
Published: July 2020

Surface arrays became an important tool for monitoring the induced seismicity in hydraulic fracturing experiments and for assessing the impact of fluid injection on the fracturing process of microearthquakes. The layout of sensors plays a key role in this task because it controls the accuracy of event locations and retrieved seismic moment tensors. We simulate various configurations of grid sensor arrays characterized by a different number of sensors, array span, sensor spacing, depth of sources and various shear/tensile source mechanisms of events. The moment tensor inversion is carried out using synthetically calculated P‐wave amplitudes with added random noise. A bias in the solutions is evaluated by errors in the double‐couple percentage of inverted moment tensors because the double‐couple errors inform us about the sensitivity of the network to detect the shear/tensile fracturing mode of induced microearthquakes. The results show that the accuracy of the double‐couple percentage is mostly controlled by the offset‐to‐depth ratio R defined as the ratio of half of the network size to the event depth. The optimum value of R is in the range of 0.75–1.5 irrespective of the type of the focal mechanism. If 121 (11 × 11) sensors are distributed in a regular grid and recorded data are characterized by a 10% random noise, the double‐couple error is less than 6%. This error increases, if R is not optimum or if the number of sensors is reduced. However, even sparse arrays with 49 (7 × 7) or 16 (4 × 4) sensors can yield a reasonable accuracy, provided the surface grid arrays are designed to have an optimum size.
Contemporary adaptive divergence of plant competitive traits in urban and rural populations and its implication for weed management
Authors: Fukano Yuya , Guo Wei , Uchida Kei , Tachiki Yuuya
Published: July 2020

Competition among neighbouring plants plays essential roles in growth, reproduction, population dynamics, and community assembly, but how competition drives local adaptation and the traits underlying the adaptation remain unclear. Here, we focused on populations of the aggressive weed Digitaria ciliaris from urban and rural habitats as low‐ and high‐competition environments for light resources and examined how competitive interaction drove contemporary adaptive divergence of competitive traits.

To examine local adaptation to different competitive environments in D. ciliaris and the specific traits that have been selected for, we compared growth rate and competitive traits in plants from farmland and urban populations between high‐ and low‐competition treatments. Furthermore, we conducted a field tillage experiment with drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) monitoring to examine the possibility that trait evolution in farmland habitats might influence weed management practices in crop fields.

Plants from farmland populations had higher growth rates than plants from urban populations in high‐competition treatments, and vice versa in low‐competition treatments. Among populations, those with larger height/width ratios (farmland populations) were more tolerant of above‐ground competition in high‐competition treatments, but among individuals, those with larger ratios had lower growth rates in low‐competition treatments. More plants from farmland populations, which had thicker stems (and larger height/width ratios), survived after experimental tillage than plants from urban habitats with thinner stems.

Synthesis. Our study empirically demonstrated adaptive divergence in competitive traits in above‐ground competitors and its underlying traits. Moreover, contemporary adaptive divergence between urban and rural plant populations has practical implications for weed control. The urban–rural model system can thus contribute to both basic and applied research in plant evolutionary ecology. Further research is required to understand adaptive divergence in plants between urban and rural environments, and the traits underlying the adaptation, not only above‐ground but also below‐ground.
Governing Under Pressure: German Policy Making During the Coronavirus Crisis
Authors: Dostal Jörg Michael
Published: July 2020

The global threat of the coronavirus pandemic has forced policy makers to react quickly with totally new policy‐making approaches under conditions of uncertainty. This article focuses on such crisis‐driven policy learning, examining how the experiences of China and South Korea as early responder states influenced the subsequent coronavirus crisis management in Germany. The first reaction of the German core executive was the quick concentration of decision‐making power at the top of the political hierarchy. Asserting the prerogatives of the executive included the radical simplification of the relationship between politics, law and science. State actors took emergency measures by recourse to a single piece of legislation—the ‘infection protection law’ (Infektionsschutzgesetz)—overriding other elements of the legal order. They also limited the government’s use of scientific expertise to a small number of advisors, thereby cutting short debates about the appropriateness or otherwise of the government’s crisis measures. Finally, German actors failed to understand that some of the earlier Chinese and Korean responses required a precondition—namely public willingness to sacrifice privacy for public health—that is absent in the German case.
Gut microbiota composition before infection determines the Salmonella super‐ and low‐shedder phenotypes in chicken
Authors: Kempf Florent , Menanteau Pierrette , Rychlik Ivan , Kubasová Tereza , Trotereau Jérôme , Virlogeux‐Payant Isabelle , Schaeffer Samantha , Schouler Catherine , Drumo Rosanna , Guitton Edouard , Velge Philippe
Published: July 2020

Heterogeneity of infection and extreme shedding patterns are common features of animal infectious diseases. Individual hosts that are super‐shedders are key targets for control strategies. Nevertheless, the mechanisms associated with the emergence of super‐shedders remain largely unknown. During chicken salmonellosis, a high heterogeneity of infection is observed when animal‐to‐animal cross‐contaminations and reinfections are reduced. We hypothesized that unlike super‐shedders, low‐shedders would be able to block the first Salmonella colonization thanks to a different gut microbiota. The present study demonstrates that (i) axenic and antibiotic‐treated chicks are more prone to become super‐shedders; (ii) super or low‐shedder phenotypes can be acquired through microbiota transfer; (iii) specific gut microbiota taxonomic features determine whether the chicks develop a low‐ and super‐shedder phenotype after Salmonella infection in isolator; (iv) partial protection can be conferred by inoculation of four commensal bacteria prior to Salmonella infection. This study demonstrates the key role plays by gut microbiota composition in the heterogeneity of infection and pave the way for developing predictive biomarkers and protective probiotics.
Cultural Industries in the Era of Protectionism
Authors: Messerlin Patrick , Moon Hwy‐Chang , Parc Jimmyn
Published: July 2020

The approaches taken in these articles for this Special Issue are interdisciplinary and seek to be innovative by offering public and private solutions to globalization and protectionism in the cultural industries. We believe that it will be useful to practitioners and policy makers while also providing meaningful results to academics. In particular, it is our aim that the articles in this Special Issue will open a new forum to discuss approaches toward developing effective cultural policies.
Evaluation of the 3‐minute chair rise test as part of preoperative evaluation for patients with non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Azzi Mathilde , Debeaumont David , Bonnevie Tristan , Aguilaniu Bernard , Cerasuolo Damiano , Boujibar Fairuz , Cuvelier Antoine , Gravier Francis‐Edouard
Published: July 2020

Background

Peak oxygen uptake () measured by a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) is the gold‐standard for predicting surgical risk in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The 3‐minute chair rise test (3CRT) is a simple test requiring minimal resources. This study aimed to determine the ability of 3CRT to predict in patients with NSCLC.

Methods

Retrospective data from CPX and 3CRT carried out in 36 patients with NSCLC between March 2018 and February 2019 were included. A multivariate analysis was undertaken to derive a predictive equation based on performance on the 3CRT. In addition, sensitivity‐specificity analysis was carried out to estimate a threshold 3CRT value for the prediction of  ≥ 15 mL/kg/minute.

Results

The following equation was obtained: predicted = (0.04765 × FEV1) ‐ (0.207 59 × BMI) ‐ (0.115 89 × age) + (0.386 09 × vertical distance) + 16.628 69; r2 = 0.75, P < 0.01. The bias between the values predicted and measured during CPX was 0.0 ± 1.7 mL/kg/minute (95% limits of agreement [−3.5 to 3.5]). A performance ≥49 chair rises predicted  ≥ 15 mL/kg/minute with a sensitivity of 0.75 and a specificity of 0.81.

Conclusions

The level of error in the prediction of from 3CRT performance was too great to recommend that 3CRT should replace CPX as the sole measurement of . Nevertheless, the 3CRT could help to identify those patients that require CPX prior to lung resection surgery for NSCLC, larger prospective study is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Key points

Significant findings of the study

Cardiopulmonary exercise tests can stratify the surgical risk. Prediction of the peak oxygen uptake () value from the 3CRT yields an unacceptable level of error. However, a performance of 49 chair rises or more during the 3CRT could indicate a ≥ 15 mL / kg / minute.

What this study adds

The 3CRT is a useful screening tool to determine the necessity for a comprehensive cardiopulmonary exercise test, whose access is limited in clinical practice. It could also allow early screening of patients requiring specific prehabilitation programs.
Adolescent chronic intermittent toluene inhalation dynamically regulates the transcriptome and neuronal methylome within the rat medial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Dick Alec L.W. , Zhao Qiongyi , Crossin Rose , Baker‐Andresen Danay , Li Xiang , Edson Janette , Roeh Simone , Marshall Victoria , Bredy Timothy W. , Lawrence Andrew J. , Duncan Jhodie R.
Published: July 2020

Inhalants containing the volatile solvent toluene are misused to induce euphoria or intoxication. Inhalant abuse is most common during adolescence and can result in cognitive impairments during an important maturational period. Despite evidence suggesting that epigenetic modifications may underpin the cognitive effects of inhalants, no studies to date have thoroughly investigated toluene‐induced regulation of the transcriptome or discrete epigenetic modifications within the brain. To address this, we investigated effects of adolescent chronic intermittent toluene (CIT) inhalation on gene expression and DNA methylation profiles within the rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which undergoes maturation throughout adolescence and has been implicated in toluene‐induced cognitive deficits. Employing both RNA‐seq and genome‐wide Methyl CpG Binding Domain (MBD) Ultra‐seq analysis, we demonstrate that adolescent CIT inhalation (10 000 ppm for 1 h/day, 3 days/week for 4 weeks) induces both transient and persistent changes to the transcriptome and DNA methylome within the rat mPFC for at least 2 weeks following toluene exposure. We demonstrate for the first time that adolescent CIT exposure results in dynamic regulation of the mPFC transcriptome likely relating to acute inflammatory responses and persistent deficits in synaptic plasticity. These adaptations may contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with chronic toluene exposure and provide novel molecular targets for preventing long‐term neurophysiological abnormalities following chronic toluene inhalation.
Perforation of the maxillary sinus floor during apical surgery of maxillary molars: A retrospective analysis using cone beam computed tomography
Authors: von Arx Thomas , Käch Simon , Suter Valerie G. A. , Bornstein Michael M.
Published: July 2020

This retrospective analysis assessed a possible correlation of perforation of the maxillary sinus floor during apical surgery of maxillary molars and the distances from the treated apices/periapical radiolucencies to the sinus floor. The material included 168 apical surgeries of maxillary first or second molars performed from 1999 to 2016. In 22 (out of 33) perforation cases, a preoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was available. These cases were defined as the test group. From the pool of operated cases without sinus floor perforation, matching cases – that is, same treated tooth, similar age and same gender – were selected as a control group (N = 26). Mean linear distances from root apices or radiolucencies to sinus floor were significantly shorter in the test group compared to the control group. In conclusion, perforation cases were significantly closer to the sinus floor than cases without perforation.
Hydroxychloroquine treatment for Alopecia Universalis: Report of six cases
Authors: Akdogan Neslihan , Ersoy‐Evans Sibel
Published: July 2020

Recent reports indicate that hydroxychloroquine is a potential new treatment option for alopecia universalis; thus, we aimed to report on the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in 6 patients with refractory alopecia universalis that were treated with 400 mg/d continuously for ≥6 months. The treatment outcome was retrospectively evaluated using the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT), and at the end of 6 months, patients with a ≥50% decrease in the SALT score were considered as strong responders, a 5%‐50% decrease as intermediate responders and a <5% decrease as non‐responders. The present findings indicate that hydroxychloroquine is not an effective treatment since in 5 of the 6 patients it was discontinued at the end of 6 months due to lack of hair regrowth, whereas only a 6‐year‐old boy responded with a SALT score change of 8% after the 12th month.
Using different definitions affected the reported prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment in children born very preterm
Authors: Setänen Sirkku , Fredriksson Kaul Ylva , Johansson Martin , Montgomery Cecilia , Naseh Nima , Holmström Gerd , Strand‐Brodd Katarina , Hellström‐Westas Lena
Published: July 2020

Aim

We investigated the impact of varying definitions on the prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in children born very preterm at 6.5 years of age.

Methods

Cognitive development and neurosensory impairments were assessed in 91 children (40/51 girls/boys) born <32 gestational weeks, in 2004‐2007 in Uppsala county, Sweden. The results were compared with data from a reference group of 67 children born full term. The prevalence of NDI in the present cohort was reported according to definitions used by seven contemporary studies of children born very or extremely preterm.

Results

The prevalence of severe NDI varied from 2% to 23% depending on the definition used. The prevalence of cognitive impairment varied from 2% (−3 SD according to test norms) to 16% (−2 SD according to control group), the prevalence of cerebral palsy from 0% (severe) to 9% (any) and the prevalence of severe visual impairment from 0% (blindness) to 1% (visual acuity < 0.3). There were no children with severe hearing impairment.

Conclusion

A high variability in definitions affects the reporting of the prevalence of NDI in long‐term follow‐up studies of very or extremely preterm born children. There is a need for a better consensus to enable comparisons across studies.