bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arbuscular cotton-associated mycorrhizal fungi in Yeola region of Maharashtra, India
Authors: PATALE SUDAM W
Published: December 2018

Mycorrhizae are a mutual symbiotic link between the plant root and a fungus that colonizes the cortical tissue of the roots during active plant growth periods. Both the host plant and the fungus have the potential to benefit.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in cotton crops with AM fungal population density in rhizosphere soils, investigate the qualitative composition of AM fungal species and the percentage of root colonization. The results showed that the number of AM fungal propagules collected from different locations in cotton crops ranged from 235 to 1580 spores per 100 g of soil. The distribution of spores, density and composition of AM fungi are observed to be influenced by environmental and physicochemical factors. The AM spore number, root colonization percentage and distribution vary depending on the seasonal fluctuations in moisture, temperature, pH and soil mineral nutrient status such as OC, P2O5, K2O, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, etc. The obtained data shows that nitrogen-deficient soils had more AM fungal propagules. The soils with a high concentration of phosphorus and potassium had the least AM fungal spores. Depleted zinc, copper and manganese levels have also been positive for more fungal occurrence and distribution. The presence of high iron levels in the soil, however, encourages more AM spores and a percentage of root colonisation.
Trends and projections of universal health coverage indicators in Ghana, 1995-2030: A national and subnational study
Authors: Zhang Cherri , Rahman Md. Shafiur , Rahman Md. Mizanur , Yawson Alfred E , Shibuya Kenji
Published: December 2018

Ghana has made significant stride towards universal health coverage (UHC) by implementing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003. This paper investigates the progress of UHC indicators in Ghana from 1995 to 2030 and makes future predictions up to 2030 to assess the probability of achieving UHC targets. National representative surveys of Ghana were used to assess health service coverage and financial risk protection. The analysis estimated the coverage of 13 prevention and four treatment service indicators at the national level and across wealth quintiles. In addition, this analysis calculated catastrophic health payments and impoverishment to assess financial hardship and used a Bayesian regression model to estimate trends and future projections as well as the probabilities of achieving UHC targets by 2030. Wealth-based inequalities and regional disparities were also assessed. At the national level, 14 out of the 17 health service indicators are projected to reach the target of 80% coverage by 2030. Across wealth quintiles, inequalities were observed amongst most indicators with richer groups obtaining more coverage than their poorer counterparts. Subnational analysis revealed while all regions will achieve the 80% coverage target with high probabilities for prevention services, the same cannot be applied to treatment services. In 2015, the proportion of households that suffered catastrophic health payments and impoverishment at a threshold of 25% non-food expenditure were 1.9% (95%CrI: 0.9-3.5) and 0.4% (95%CrI: 0.2-0.8), respectively. These are projected to reduce to less than 0.5% by 2030. Inequality measures and subnational assessment revealed that catastrophic expenditure experienced by wealth quintiles and regions are not equal. Significant improvements were seen in both health service coverage and financial risk protection as a result of NHIS. However, inequalities across wealth quintiles and at the subnational level continue to be cause of concerns. Further efforts are needed to narrow these inequality gaps.
Effect of diets containing whole or ground corn with and without soybean hulls on feeding calves during the suckling phase
Authors: Santana Aline Evangelista Machado , Neiva José Neuman Miranda , Bozorg Vera Lúcia de Araújo , Restle João , Bilego Ubirajara
Published: December 2018

This work evaluated the use of soybean hulls and whole or ground corn in the diets of suckling calves. Diets containing two levels of soybean hull inclusion (0 and 400.1 g/kg) and corn in different physical forms (whole or ground) were evaluated in the diets of newborn crossbred dairy calves that were housed and received experimental diets plus four liters of milk per day over 56 days. Weekly samples of food, diets and leftovers were taken to determine dry matter and nutrient intake. To evaluate the apparent digestibility, samples were taken from the diets, leftovers and feces for three consecutive days using titanium dioxide as an indicator. Blood samples were also collected to evaluate the blood indicators. Including soybean hulls in the diet increased the consumption of neutral detergent fiber but reduced the consumption of non-fibrous carbohydrates, which was also reduced by using whole corn in the diet. Total digestible nutrient consumption did not vary, although its value was reduced by using whole corn and including soybean hulls. The apparent digestibilities of the dry matter and crude protein were similar, resulting in similar performances between the animals, regardless of the factors analyzed. Using soybean hulls or whole corn did not affect blood indicators or feeding costs. Soybean hull or whole corn usage did not affect the performance of crossbred dairy calves during rearing.
Mutational analysis of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
Authors: Hoyos-Manchado Rafael , Jimenez Juan , A. Tallada Victor
Published: December 2018

Forward genetics has boosted our knowledge on genic function in a multitude of biological models and it has significantly contributed to the understanding of genetic bases of development, ageing and human diseases. With the advent of the next generation sequencing and use of powerful bioinformatic tools, this traditional genetic strategy has acquired a new impulse. At present, whole genome sequencing assisted by in silico analysis allows the rapid and efficient identification of gene variants that are responsible for a particular phenotype. In this experimental pipeline, it is crucial to start by provoking a large number of random changes in the genome of the model organisms to be screened. A range of chemical mutagens are used to this end because most of them display particular reactivity properties and act differently over DNA. Here we use N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) as a mutagen for the first time to our knowledge in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. By comparison to the extensively used Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) in a phenotype-based study, we conclude that ENU is a very potent and easy-to-use mutagen. Judging from DNA sequence analysis of the identified mutants, ENU induces base changes rather than indels and the mutational spectrum in the fission yeast seems similar to that found in mice but different to that described in other single-celled organisms such as budding yeast and E. coli. Using ENU in S. pombe, we have gathered a collection of 49 auxotrophic mutants including two deleterious alleles of ATIC human ortholog. Defective alleles of this gene are causative of AICA-Ribosiduria, a severe genetic disease. We have also identified 5 aminoglycoside-resistance inactivating mutations in APH genes. All these mutations reported here may be of interest in the metabolism and antibiotic resistance research fields.
Computational framework for targeted high-coverage sequencing based NIPT
Authors: Teder Hindrek , Paluoja Priit , Salumets Andres , Krjutškov Kaarel , Palta Priit
Published: December 2018

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) enables accurate detection of fetal chromosomal trisomies. The majority of existing computational methods for sequencing-based NIPT analyses rely on low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and are not applicable for targeted high-coverage sequencing data from cell-free DNA samples.

Here, we present a novel computational framework for a targeted high-coverage sequencing-based NIPT analysis. The developed methods use a hidden Markov model (HMM)-based approach in conjunction with supplemental machine learning methods, such as decision tree (DT) and support vector machine (SVM), to detect fetal trisomy and parental origin of additional fetal chromosomes. These methods were tested with simulated datasets covering a wide range of biologically relevant scenarios with various chromosomal quantities, parental origins of extra chromosomes, fetal DNA fractions and sequencing read depths. Consequently, we determined the functional feasibility and limitations of each proposed approach and demonstrated that read count-based HMM achieved the best overall classification accuracy of 0.89 for detecting fetal euploidies and trisomies. Furthermore, we show that by using the DT and SVM methods on the HMM state classification results, it was possible to increase the final trisomy classification accuracy to 0.98 and 0.99, respectively.

We demonstrated that read count and allelic ratio-based models can achieve a high accuracy (up to 0.98) for detecting fetal trisomy even if the fetal fraction is as low as 2%. Currently existing methods require at least 4% fetal fraction, which can be an issue in the case of early gestational age (<10 weeks) or elevated maternal body mass index (>35 kg/m2). More accurate detection can be achieved at higher sequencing depth using HMM in conjunction with supplemental methods, which significantly improve the trisomy detection especially in borderline scenarios (e.g., very low fetal fraction) and can enable to perform NIPT even earlier than 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Christmas disease in a Hovawart family resembling human hemophilia B Leyden is caused by a single nucleotide deletion in a highly conserved transcription factor binding site of the F9 gene promoter
Authors: Brenig Bertram , Steingräber Lilith , Shan Shuwen , Xu Fangzheng , Hirschfeld Marc , Andag Reiner , Spengeler Mirjam , Dietschi Elisabeth , Mischke Reinhard , Leeb Tosso
Published: December 2018

Hemophilia B is a classical monogenic X-chromosomal recessively transmitted bleeding disorder caused by genetic variants within the coagulation factor IX gene (F9). Although hemophilia B has been described in 32 dog breeds hitherto, it has not yet been reported in the Hovawart. Here we describe the identification of a Hovawart family transmitting typical signs of an X-linked bleeding disorder. Five males had been reported to suffer from recurrent hemorrhagic episodes, four of them had to be euthanized finally and one died due to severe blood loss. A blood sample of one of these males with only 2% of the normal concentration of plasma factor IX (FIX) together with samples of seven relatives including the mother and grandmother were provided for further analysis. Next generation sequencing of DNA of the mother and grandmother revealed a single nucleotide deletion in the F9 promoter (NC_006621.3:g.109,501,492delC; CanFam3.1). Genotyping of the deletion in 1,298 dog specimens (83 different breeds) including 720 Hovawarts revealed that the mutation was only present in the aforementioned Hovawart family. The deletion is located 73 bp upstream of the F9 start codon in the highly conserved overlapping DNA binding sites of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and androgen receptor (AR). The deletion only abolishes binding of HNF4α as demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) using purified recombinant human HNF4α and a transient overexpression lysate of human AR with double-stranded DNA probes encompassing the mutated promoter region. Luciferase reporter assays using wild type and mutated promoter fragment constructs transfected into Hep G2 cells showed a 65.3% reduction in expression of the mutated promoter. The data presented here provide evidence that the deletion identified in the Hovawart family caused a rare type of hemophilia B resembling human hemophilia B Leyden.
Sampling and Preparation of Rabbit Serum
Authors: Greenfield Edward A.
Published: December 2018

Periodic test bleeds collected from immunized animals should be checked for the desired antibodies. For rabbits, test bleeds normally are performed from the marginal ear vein. Five to 10 mL can be collected conveniently and will provide more than enough serum for most tests.
Central Manufacturing: Using Cash to Cash to Strategically Manage the Supply Chain
Authors: Farris Ted
Published: December 2018

This case introduces offers the concept of cash-to-cash (C2C) and extension of the concept to facilitate supply chain finance improvements between trading partners by harvesting the inherent advantages (lower WACC, lower ICC) of one trading partner to reduce cost and benefit the entire supply chain.
ConSort Inc.: Utilizing Consolidation to Lower Transportation Costs
Authors: Farris Ted
Published: December 2018

This case illustrates the concept of consolidation and how freight forwarders use it to reduce transportation costs. The student must compare a ship-direct model against vehicular consolidation, then consider temporal consolidation, investigate the differences between a freight broker and a freight forwarder, and develop a rate analysis for use in negotiation.
Farmco: The Complexity of Evaluating Suppliers
Authors: Gerschberger Markus , Manuj Ila
Published: December 2018

This case focuses on supplier management through quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from a real company. In the process of solving the case, students determine and operationalize what constitutes a critical supplier, analyse the data provided, and identify the most critical suppliers.
Making the Leap: CrèmeCo's Russian Expansion
Authors: Hübner Denis , Thakur-Weigold Bublu , Wagner Stephan M.
Published: December 2018

When established markets in the West are stagnating or in crisis, companies increasingly look to emerging markets, especially the so-called BRICs, for growth potential. However, these new markets also pose unique challenges, for which the best practices and assumptions of Western managers are not automatically suited. Setting up supply chains in new regions confronts firms with multiple challenges in terms of regulation, resources, culture, and infrastructure. In this case study, students will accompany a successful German FMCG manager as he plans his company’s expansion into Russia, and is forced to look at the opportunities and challenges from a new perspective.
Building employees’ organizational citizenship behavior for the environment
Authors: Luu Tuan Trong
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Mechanisms behind employees’ pro-environmental behaviors have increasingly been attracting scholarly attention. The purpose of this study is to examine how environmentally specific servant leadership contributes to employees’ organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (employee OCBE).

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, employees from resort hotels in Central Vietnam were selected as participants. The data analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling and bootstrapping test.

Findings

Environmentally specific servant leadership exhibited the positive association with employee OCBE through employee environmental engagement as a mediator. Two moderation mechanisms – organizational support for green behaviors and person-group fit – were also found to serve as enhancers for the effect of environmentally specific servant leadership on employee OCBE.

Practical implications

The research results provide hospitality organizations with a premise for the focus of servant leadership and organizational support around pro-environmental values. It is also vital for practitioners to build the fit between employees and the organization’s pro-environmental values so as to further promote their positive reaction to environmentally specific servant leadership and engagement in pro-environmental behaviors.

Originality/value

The present study marks the confluence between environmentally specific servant leadership and employee OCBE research streams and provides a moderated mediation mechanism to shed light on such a relationship.
Utilizing the Push-Pull-Mooring-Habit framework to explore users’ intention to switch from offline to online real-person English learning platform
Authors: Chen Yu-Hsin , Keng Ching-Jui
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an extended Push-Pull-Mooring-Habit (PPMH) framework in order to better understand users’ intention of switching from offline to an online real-person English learning platform service.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on 301 valid responses collected from an online survey questionnaire, structural equation modeling was employed to examine the research model.

Findings

The causal model was validated using SmartPLS 3.0, and all study hypotheses were supported. The results show that push effects (learning convenience, service quality and perceived price), pull effects (e-learning motivation, perceived usefulness), mooring effects (learning engagement, switching cost and social presences) and habit effects (relationship inertia) all significantly influence users’ switching intentions from offline to an online real-person English learning platform.

Practical implications

The findings should help online English learning service providers and marketers to understand the intention of offline English learning users to switch to an online real-person English learning platform, and develop related theories, services and regulations.

Originality/value

The present study extends the prior research of an online real-person English learning platform by providing PPMH as the general framework and demonstrating its efficacy in explaining user switching intentions.
The informational value of feedback choices for performance and revision in a digital assessment game
Authors: Cutumisu Maria
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of the informational value of feedback choices (confirmatory versus critical feedback) on students’ performance, their choice to revise and the time they spend designing posters and reading feedback in a computer-based assessment game, Posterlet.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical correlational study was conducted to collect the choices to seek confirmatory or critical feedback and to revise posters in a poster design task from 106 grade 8 students from a middle school in California via Posterlet.

Findings

The results of the study show that critical uninformative feedback is associated with students’ performance, and critical informative feedback is associated with their learning strategies (i.e. feedback dwell time and willingness to revise), while confirmatory informative feedback is negatively associated with both performance and learning strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The study controlled the choice students were given regarding the valence of their feedback but not regarding the informational value of their feedback. Additionally, the study was conducted with middle-school students, and more research is needed to ascertain whether the results generalize to other populations.

Practical implications

The findings can be used to balance the design of the informational content of feedback messages to support student performance in an open-ended, creative design task. This study may also inform the design and implementation of agents (e.g. virtual characters) able to provide user-adaptive feedback for online interactive learning environments.

Originality/value

This study constitutes the first research to examine the informational value of feedback that is chosen rather than received, the latter being the prevalent model of delivering feedback in education.
Incorporating risk into technical efficiency for Vietnam’s and ASEAN banks
Authors: Ngo Tra Thanh , Le Minh Quang , Ngo Thanh Phu
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to incorporate risk in technical efficiency of ASEAN banks in a panel data framework for the period 2000 to 2015.

Design/methodology/approach

The directional distance function and semi-parametric framework are employed to estimate efficiency scores for two scenarios, one with only good outputs and the other with a combination of good and bad outputs.

Findings

The findings show there is no evidence of technological progress for banks in ASEAN and concerns about the outperformance of Vietnam’s banks. In addition, performance of Vietnam’s banks tends to be distorted by low level of loan loss reserves.

Practical implications

To reflect the true performance and shorten the period of removing bad assets, the State Bank of Vietnam can request banks in Vietnam to book more loan loss reserves.

Originality/value

By examining such a new approach, this study makes an early attempt to incorporate credit risk into the banking efficiency in ASEAN region.
Information self-disclosure on mobile instant messaging applications
Authors: Mouakket Samar
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework, which identifies intrinsic, social and extrinsic gratification factors as essential individual factors influencing users’ disclosure of personal information via mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications (apps). In addition, the author has examined whether gender affects those different factors of gratification.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected via paper-based survey from university students who use MIM in the United Arab Emirates. Structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses that are presented in the model.

Findings

The findings show that intrinsic gratifications (entertainment and escapism) and social gratifications (social interaction) have positive effects on the depth and breadth of self-disclosure via MIM apps. Additionally, women’s self-disclosure of personal information is positively affected by social influence, while men are not influenced by this type of gratification.

Originality/value

The study aims to enhance the current understanding of the limited research on the uses and gratifications approach within the context of MIM apps to identify the gratifications that motivate MIM apps users to disclose personal information.
Reducing emergency department visits among older adults
Authors: Chen Daniel , Torstrick Alex M. , Crupi Robert , Schwartz Joseph E. , Frankel Ira , Brondolo Elizabeth
Published: December 2018

Purpose

There is mixed evidence regarding the efficacy of low-intensity integrated care interventions in reducing the use of emergency services and costs of care. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of a low-intensity intervention formulated for older adults and delivered in an urban medical center serving low-income individuals.

Design/methodology/approach

The intervention included an initial evaluation of stress, psychiatric symptomatology and health habits; potential referrals for lifestyle management and psychiatric treatment; and training for physicians about the impact of lifestyle change in older adults. Participants included older adults (at or above 50 years of age) seen as outpatients in an urban medical center serving a low-income community (n=945). Participants were entered into the intervention at any point during this two-year period. Mixed models analyses examined all visits for all enrolled individuals over a two-year period, comparing visits before the individual received the initial intervention evaluation to those received after this evaluation. Outcomes included total health care costs incurred, average cost per visit, and emergency department (ED) usage within the facility.

Findings

The intervention was associated with reduced likelihood of emergency department use and reduced costs per visit following the intervention. These effects were seen across all participants.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the study include the lack of control group.

Practical implications

This program is easy to disseminate and could improve the quality of care and costs.

Originality/value

This study is among the few available to document a decrease in medical costs, as well as decreased ED utilization following a low-intensity integrated care intervention.
HealthPathways implementation on type 2 diabetes
Authors: Chow Josephine S.F. , Gonzalez-Arce Veronica Eugenia , Tam Chun Wah Michael , Neville Ben , McDougall Alan
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to appraise the development, implementation and acceptance of HealthPathways (HP), specifically in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), at different levels of the health system in a large metropolitan Local Health District in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a programmatic approach and mixed methods including literature reviews, site visits, semi-structured interviews of stakeholders and General Practitioners (GPs), and surveys (GPs and patients) to better understand the development, implementation and acceptance of T2DM pathways.

Findings

Results from this study indicate that 63 percent (n=37) of all survey respondents use HP and nearly half (47 percent) use HP in caring for a patient with diabetes. More than 80 percent of the health professionals found HP a useful tool, which has improved the quality of care, keeps them informed and supports diagnostics process. The use of website has led to an improvement in referral quality (69 percent), has assisted in the provision of more healthcare in the community (87 percent) and made their job easier. Thematic analysis from stakeholder interviews (n=12) emphasizes the importance of established collaborations and the need for standardized tools with common priorities and transparency in processes.

Practical implications

This study has provided insight into the details of delivery of integrated healthcare using HP. It provides a preliminary analysis of the lessons learnt for the implementation of HP.

Originality/value

The results of this study will be ideally placed to inform future policy amendments in the area of integrated healthcare as well as serving as a guide on implementing HP in the future.
From summative to developmental
Authors: Steele Gray Carolyn , Shaw James
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Models of integrated care are prime examples of complex interventions, incorporating multiple interacting components that work through varying mechanisms to impact numerous outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to explore summative, process and developmental approaches to evaluating complex interventions to determine how to best test this mess.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint draws on the evaluation and complex intervention literatures to describe the advantages and disadvantages of different methods. The evaluation of the electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO) mobile application and portal system is presented as an example of how to evaluate complex interventions with critical lessons learned from this ongoing study.

Findings

Although favored in the literature, summative and process evaluations rest on two problematic assumptions: it is possible to clearly identify stable mechanisms of action; and intervention fidelity can be maximized in order to control for contextual influences. Complex interventions continually adapt to local contexts, making stability and fidelity unlikely. Developmental evaluation, which is more conceptually aligned with service-design thinking, moves beyond these assumptions, emphasizing supportive adaptation to ensure meaningful adoption.

Research limitations/implications

Blended approaches that incorporate service-design thinking and rely more heavily on developmental strategies are essential for complex interventions. To maximize the benefit of this approach, three guiding principles are suggested: stress pragmatism over stringency; adopt an implementation lens; and use multi-disciplinary teams to run studies.

Originality/value

This viewpoint offers novel thinking on the debate around appropriate evaluation methodologies to be applied to complex interventions like models of integrated care.
Investigating dynamic capabilities, agility and knowledge management within EMNEs-longitudinal evidence from Europe
Authors: Pereira Vijay , Mellahi Kamel , Temouri Yama , Patnaik Swetketu , Roohanifar Mohammad
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the impact of dynamic capability (DC) of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) on their firm technological performance by teasing out the concepts of agility and knowledge management (KM) through DC.

Design/methodology/approach

Evidence from this study is contextualised on EMNEs that operate in the UK, Germany and France. This study examines the investment in intangible assets which EMNEs use to develop their DC over the period 2005-2016 and how this leads to increased firm technological performance.

Findings

Results show that higher investments in DC allow EMNEs to be more agile and gain competencies through KM and thereby sustain competitiveness in the three leading European countries. This research also identifies which EMNE groupings show greater technological performance and how such EMNE groupings are able to translate dynamic capabilities into greater technological performance compared to others over time. In summary, the role of DC during of the global financial crisis was also examined, where they are required to be more agile.

Originality/value

This paper sheds light on a novel way and motivation of successful EMNEs in using developed host countries as a location for generating DC through agility and KM.
Risk and responding to self injury: is harm minimisation a step too far?
Authors: Sullivan Patrick Joseph
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider some of the legal implications of adopting a harm minimisation approach in supporting people who self-injure within inpatient mental health units. It is argued that a focus on risk and the increasing influence of the law and legal styles of thinking often associated with the allocation of blame have produced a more risk adverse clinical environment. As a result health professionals are more likely to err on the side of caution rather than engage in practices that although potentially therapeutic are not without their risks.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis draws on the clinical, philosophical and legal literature to help understand how harm minimisation may support people who self-injure. It considers some of the complex medico-legal issues that arise in a clinical environment dominated by risk.

Findings

A focus on risk and accountability has produced an environment where the law and legal styles of thinking have come to influence practice. This is often associated with blame in the minds of the health professional. Given the legal obligation to prevent suicide, health professionals may take a conservative approach when working with people who self-injure. This makes the adoption of harm minimisation difficult.

Originality/value

This paper provides a legally informed analysis of some of the challenges associated with using harm minimisation techniques with people who self-injure. It adds to the literature regarding this area of clinical practice.
Student interprofessional mental health simulation (SIMHS): evaluating the impact on medical and nursing students, and clinical psychology trainees
Authors: Attoe Chris , Lavelle Mary , Sherwali Susan , Rimes Katharine , Jabur Zaina
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Mental health simulation is the educational practice of recreating clinical situations in safe environments using actors, followed by structured debriefing, to foster professional development and improve care. Although evidence outlines the benefits of simulation, few studies have examined the impact of interprofessional mental health simulation on healthcare trainees, which is more reflective of clinical care. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of mental health simulation training on students’ confidence, attitudes, knowledge and perceived professional development and anticipated clinical practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants (n=56) were medical (41 per cent) and mental health nursing students (41 per cent), and clinical psychology trainees (18 per cent). Six simulated scenarios, involving one to three trainees, were followed by structured debriefs with trained facilitators. Scenarios, using actors, reflected patient journeys through emergency, medical and psychiatric settings. Participants’ confidence, knowledge and attitudes were measured quantitatively using pre- and post-course self-report questionnaires. Perceptions of impact on professional development and clinical practice were assessed using thematic analysis of post-course questionnaire responses.

Findings

Knowledge, confidence and attitudes scores showed statistically significant increases, with large effect sizes. Thematic analyses highlighted themes of: interprofessionalism, communication skills, reflective practice, personal resilience, clinical skills and confidence.

Research limitations/implications

Further research should clarify the impact of interprofessional simulation training on mental health practice in the context of other training received.

Practical implications

Simulation training may begin to influence participants’ professional development and future clinical practice and subsequently care delivered, supporting its increased use in mental health.

Originality/value

This study adds to nascent understandings of the use and potential of interprofessional mental health simulation, outlining innovative training, its positive outcomes and implications.
Investigation of electronic-word-of-mouth on online social networking sites written by authors with commercial interest
Authors: Tan Wee-Kheng , Lee Bo-Yuan
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the credibility assessment and adoption of electronic word-of-mouth on online social-networking sites, social word-of-mouth (sWOM), where the author writes product reviews on Facebook and hopes their Facebook friends will buy these products. The readers of the sWOM message are aware of the author’s commercial intentions. sWOM messages on search goods and experience goods are considered separately.

Design/methodology/approach

Author of sWOM messages invites their closed circle of Facebook friends to participate in a survey. The respondents are randomly assigned to read a product review of a search good (i.e. a laptop computer) or an experience good (i.e. a moisturizer cream (beauty product)). The partial least squares method is used to analyze the data from 339 returns (166 for the search good and 173 for the experience good).

Findings

The sWOM readers’ assessments of the messages’ credibility remain free from commercial influence. While the traditional factors of credibility and author-reader tie strength continue to influence the adoption of sWOM message, readers’ perceptions of the sWOM author’s marketing skills is also a factor. The relationships between the constructs depend on whether the products are search or experience goods.

Originality/value

Few studies investigate the type of sWOM considered here. Commercially influenced sWOM messages are effective since the author’s marketing skills, and other often-cited factors, affect the credibility and adoption of sWOM. Thus, the equality-matching (friendship) relationship and the market-pricing (sales) relationship can work hand-in-hand in the sWOM context.
Influence of informational factors on purchase intention in social recommender systems
Authors: Yang Xue
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Social recommender systems have recently gained increasing popularity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of informational factors on purchase intention in social recommender systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Specifically, this study validated the mediating effect of trust in recommendations and the perceived value between informational factors and consumers’ purchase intention.

Findings

The results confirm that recommendation persuasiveness was a strong predictor of trust in recommendations and perceived value. Recommendation completeness was positively related to trust in recommendations and perceived value as well. Trust in recommendations and perceived value was found to be strong drivers of purchase intention.

Originality/value

The author identifies two sets of informational factors, i.e. recommendation persuasiveness and recommendation completeness, which are relevant to consumer attitudes. The current study proved that informational factors on consumers’ purchase intention are fully mediated through trust in recommendations and perceived value.
Sklair, L.The Icon Project: Architecture, Cities and Capitalist Globalization2017New York: Oxford University Press352 pp. £26.49 (hardback) ISBN: 9780190464189
Authors: Jones Paul
Published: December 2018

Architecture embeds capital. Theoretical and empirical sociology has addressed a wide variety of social contexts with the aim of illuminating how architecture provides both i) the sites and settings in which labour relations are manifest; and ii) a symbolic intervention that sees accumulation and power celebrated. Against this backdrop, Leslie Sklair's book The Icon Project: Architecture, Cities and Capitalist Globalization contributes significantly to our understanding of how architecture is entangled with the contemporary operation of international capital. Sklair's account argues that iconic architecture ‐ those landscape‐dominating buildings designed by so‐called ‘starchitects’ who are famous in their own right and have a strong aesthetic brand‐exists through and for the further generation of surplus value. Particularly sociological in orientation, The Icon Project adds much to our understanding of the architectural celebration of the transnational consumption and production practices that underpin deeply uneven cities the world over.
Rural‐urban disparities in health care costs and health service utilization following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury
Authors: Graves Janessa M. , Mackelprang Jessica L. , Moore Megan , Abshire Demetrius A. , Rivara Frederick P. , Jimenez Nathalia , Fuentes Molly , Vavilala Monica S.
Published: December 2018

Objectives

To compare health care costs and service utilization associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in rural and urban commercially insured children.

Data Source

MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Data, 2007‐2011.

Study Design

We compared health care costs and outpatient encounters for physical/occupational therapy, speech therapy, and psychiatry/psychology encounters 180 days after mTBI among rural versus urban children (<18 years).

Principal Findings

A total of 387 846 children had mTBI, with 13 percent residing in rural areas. Adjusted mean total health care costs in the 180 days after mTBI were $2778 (95% CI: 2660‐2897) among rural children, compared to $2499 (95% CI: 2471‐2528) among urban children (adjusted cost ratio 1.11, 95% CI 1.06‐1.16). Rural‐urban differences in utilization for specific services were also found.

Conclusions

Total health care costs were higher for rural compared to urban children despite lower utilization of certain services. Differences in health service utilization may exacerbate geographic disparities in adverse outcomes associated with mTBI.
Imputation of race/ethnicity to enable measurement of HEDIS performance by race/ethnicity
Authors: Haas Ann , Elliott Marc N. , Dembosky Jacob W. , Adams John L. , Wilson‐Frederick Shondelle M. , Mallett Joshua S. , Gaillot Sarah , Haffer Samuel C. , Haviland Amelia M.
Published: December 2018

Objective

To improve an existing method, Medicare Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding (MBISG) 1.0 that augments the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) administrative measure of race/ethnicity with surname and geographic data to estimate race/ethnicity.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Data from 284 627 respondents to the 2014 Medicare CAHPS survey.

Study Design

We compared performance (cross‐validated Pearson correlation of estimates and self‐reported race/ethnicity) for several alternative models predicting self‐reported race/ethnicity in cross‐sectional observational data to assess accuracy of estimates, resulting in MBISG 2.0. MBISG 2.0 adds to MBISG 1.0 first name, demographic, and coverage predictors of race/ethnicity and uses a more flexible data aggregation framework.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

We linked survey‐reported race/ethnicity to CMS administrative and US census data.

Principal Findings

MBISG 2.0 removed 25‐39 percent of the remaining MBISG 1.0 error for Hispanics, Whites, and Asian/Pacific Islanders (API), and 9 percent for Blacks, resulting in correlations of 0.88 to 0.95 with self‐reported race/ethnicity for these groups.

Conclusions

MBISG 2.0 represents a substantial improvement over MBISG 1.0 and the use of CMS administrative data on race/ethnicity alone. MBISG 2.0 is used in CMS’ public reporting of Medicare Advantage contract HEDIS measures stratified by race/ethnicity for Hispanics, Whites, API, and Blacks.
Modifying emergency department electronic prescribing for outpatient opioid analgesia
Authors: Schwartz Grace D , Harding Andrew M , Donaldson Síne R , Greene Shaun L
Published: December 2018

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine how changing the electronic ordering sequences for opioid analgesics affected ED outpatient prescribing, and subsequent unused opioid tablets remaining in the community available for diversion.

Methods

A descriptive before and after study in adult patients prescribed an opioid analgesic by an ED prescriber for use in the outpatient setting. The hospital electronic prescribing system (FirstNet™) was modified to include smaller quantities of opioid analgesics for discharge. The change in quantity of opioid prescribed and change in quantity of opioid analgesic remaining in the community at follow up was measured pre‐ and post‐intervention using a structured telephone interview.

Results

Pre‐ and post‐intervention, 102 and 106 patients were interviewed, respectively. Percentage of prescriptions for oxycodone quantity five tablets increased from 3% to 32% and for quantity 20 tablets fell from 40% to 24% post‐intervention. For paracetamol with codeine, prescriptions for quantity 10 tablets increased from 2% to 24% while for quantity 20 tablets fell from 98% to 76%. Mean number of tablets prescribed per patient fell from 13.8 (SD = 5.1) to 10.8 (SD = 5.6) for oxycodone and from 19.8 (SD = 1.5) to 17.6 (SD = 4.2) for paracetamol with codeine. Fifty‐eight percent of patients in both pre‐ and post‐intervention groups used half or less of the medication prescribed.

Conclusion

Modification of an ED electronic prescribing system reduced overall quantities of opioid analgesics supplied and subsequently stored in the community but did not change the proportion of patients (>50%) who reported using half or less of their prescribed opioid medication.
Effect of Hydrocolloids on Rheological Properties and Printability of Vegetable Inks for 3D Food Printing
Authors: Kim Hyun Woo , Lee Jang Ho , Park Sae Mi , Lee Min Hyeock , Lee Il Woo , Doh Han Sol , Park Hyun Jin
Published: December 2018

In food ink systems in which the particles are dispersed in a hydrocolloid matrix, the source of the particles and the particle content are the main factors affecting the printability and rheological properties of the system. In this study, different contents (10% and 30% w/w) of vegetable (broccoli, spinach, or carrot) powders were added to hydrocolloid matrices with different hydration properties, and their influence on the printability and rheological properties was investigated. At low powder contents (10%), slight differences in the printability and rheological values were observed between the different vegetable sources in all hydrocolloids. When the powder content was increased to 30%, the hydrocolloid with the lowest water hydration capacity, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, showed the greatest differences in rheology and printability when different vegetable sources were used. Xanthan gum, with its higher water hydration capacity, inhibited the swelling of the particles, thus minimizing the increase in the rheological values at high volume fractions of powder and reducing the differences in printability between different vegetable sources. Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of the vegetable inks showed that xanthan gum inhibited swelling of the particles regardless of the vegetable powder source. The mixtures using xanthan gum could be smoothly extruded from the nozzle due to their low extruded hardness (2.96 ± 0.23 to 3.46 ± 0.16 kg), and the resulting objects showed high resolution without collapse over time.

Practical Application

The powder‐based texturization technology introduced in this study provides a standardized method of preparing food ink that can be universally applied to all food materials that can be powdered. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a 3D printing technique in which a powder and a hydrocolloid matrix are independently stored and mixed immediately before printing. This technique can minimize the inherent rheological differences between formulations with different food sources and compositions.
Rock‐crushing derived hydrogen directly supports a methanogenic community: significance for the deep biosphere
Authors: Parkes Ronald John , Berlendis Sabrina , Roussel Erwan G. , Bahruji Hasiliza , Webster Gordon , Oldroyd Anthony , Weightman Andrew J. , Bowker Michael , Davies Philip R. , Sass Henrik
Published: December 2018

Microbial populations exist to great depths on Earth, but with apparently insufficient energy supply. Earthquake rock fracturing produces H2 from mechanochemical water splitting, however, microbial utilization of this widespread potential energy source has not been directly demonstrated. Here, we show experimentally that mechanochemically generated H2 from granite can be directly, long‐term, utilized by a CH4 producing microbial community. This is consistent with CH4 formation in subsurface rock fracturing in the environment. Our results not only support water splitting H2 generation as a potential deep biosphere energy source, but as an oxidant must also be produced, they suggest that there is also a respiratory oxidant supply in the subsurface which is independent of photosynthesis. This may explain the widespread distribution of facultative aerobes in subsurface environments. A range of common rocks were shown to produce mechanochemical H2, and hence, this process should be widespread in the subsurface, with the potential for considerable mineral fuelled CH4 production.
Targeted metagenomics approach to capture the biodiversity of Saccharomyces genus in wild environments
Authors: Alsammar Haya F. , Naseeb Samina , Brancia Lorenzo B. , Gilman R. Tucker , Wang Ping , Delneri Daniela
Published: December 2018

The species of the genus Saccharomyces are commonly inhabiting tree bark and the surrounding soil, but their abundance have likely been underestimated due to biases in culturing methods. Metagenomic studies have so far been unable to detect Saccharomyces species in wild environments. Here, we sequenced the mycobiome of soils surrounding different trees at various altitudes in the Italian Alps. To survey for yeasts species belonging to Saccharomyces genus rather than other fungal species, we performed a selectivity step involving the isolation of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region that is specific to this yeast group. Reads mapping to Saccharomyces species were detected in all soil samples, including reads for S. mikatae and for S. eubayanus. ITS1 alignment of the S. cerevisiae, S. paradoxus and S. kudriavzevii sequences showed up to three base pair polymorphisms with other known strains, indicating possible new lineages. Basidiomycetous fungi were still the dominant species, compared to the Ascomycota, but the selectivity step allowed for the first time the detection and study of the biodiversity of the Saccharomyces species in their natural environment.