bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization and Prediction of Clinical Pathways of Vulnerability to Psychosis through Graph Signal Processing
Authors: Sandini Corrado , Zöller Daniela , Schneider Maude , Tarun Anjali , Armando Marco , Nelson Barnaby , Mallawaarachchi Sumudu Rasangi , Amminger G. Paul , Farhall John , Bolt Luke K. , Yuen Hok Pan , Markulev Connie , Schäfer Miriam R. , Mossaheb Nilufar , Schlögelhofer Monika , Smesny Stefan , Hickie Ian B. , Berger Gregor Emanuel , Chen Eric Y.H. , de Haan Lieuwe , Nieman Dorien H. , Nordentoft Merete , Riecher-Rössler Anita , Verma Swapna , Thompson Andrew , Yung Alison Ruth , Allott Kelly A. , McGorry Patrick D. , Van De Ville Dimitri , Eliez Stephan
Published: June 2020

There is a growing recognition that psychiatric symptoms have the potential to causally interact with one another. Particularly in the earliest stages of psychopathology dynamic interactions between symptoms could contribute heterogeneous and cross-diagnostic clinical evolutions. Current clinical approaches attempt to merge clinical manifestations that co-occur across subjects and could therefore significantly hinder our understanding of clinical pathways connecting individual symptoms. Network approaches have the potential to shed light on the complex dynamics of early psychopathology. In the present manuscript we attempt to address 2 main limitations that have in our opinion hindered the application of network approaches in the clinical setting. The first limitation is that network analyses have mostly been applied to cross-sectional data, yielding results that often lack the intuitive interpretability of simpler categorical or dimensional approaches. Here we propose an approach based on multi-layer network analysis that offers an intuitive low-dimensional characterization of longitudinal pathways involved in the evolution of psychopathology, while conserving high-dimensional information on the role of specific symptoms. The second limitation is that network analyses typically characterize symptom connectivity at the level of a population, whereas clinical practice deals with symptom severity at the level of the individual. Here we propose an approach based on graph signal processing that exploits knowledge of network interactions between symptoms to predict longitudinal clinical evolution at the level of the individual. We test our approaches in two independent samples of individuals with genetic and clinical vulnerability for developing psychosis.
An international assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic using ensemble data assimilation
Authors: Evensen Geir , Amezcua Javier , Bocquet Marc , Carrassi Alberto , Farchi Alban , Fowler Alison , Houtekamer Peter L. , Jones Christopher K. , de Moraes Rafael J. , Pulido Manuel , Sampson Christian , Vossepoel Femke C.
Published: June 2020

Abstract

This work shows how one can use iterative ensemble smoothers to effectively estimate parameters of an SEIR model with age-classes and compartments of sick, hospitalized, and dead. The data conditioned on are the daily numbers of accumulated deaths and the number of hospitalized. Also, it is possible to condition on the number of cases obtained from testing. We start from a wide prior distribution for the model parameters; then, the ensemble conditioning leads to a posterior ensemble of estimated parameters leading to model predictions in close agreement with the observations. The updated ensemble of model simulations have predictive capabilities and include uncertainty estimates. In particular, we estimate the effective reproductive number as a function of time, and we can assess the impact of different intervention measures. By starting from the updated set of model parameters, we can make accurate short-term predictions of the epidemic development given knowledge of the future effective reproductive number. Also, the model system allows for the computation of long-term scenarios of the epidemic under different assumptions. We have applied the model system on data sets from several countries with vastly different developments of the epidemic, and we can accurately model the development of the COVID-19 outbreak in these countries. We realize that more complex models, e.g., with regional compartments, may be desirable, and we suggest that the approach used here should be applicable also for these models.
The global viralization of policies to contain the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic: analyses of school closures and first reported cases
Authors: Nazif-Muñoz José Ignacio , Peña Sebastián , Oulhote Youssef
Published: June 2020

Background

With the exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries swiftly implemented a variety of health policies. In this work we examine how rapid countries responded to this pandemic using two events: the day in which the first case of COVID-19 was reported, and first day in which countries used school closure as one of the measures to avoid outbreaks.

Methods

We compiled information from multiple sources, from December 31st 2019 to June 1st 2020, to trace when 172 countries reported their first COVID-19 case and implemented school closure to contain outbreaks. We applied cross-national Weibull survival analysis to evaluate the global speed of detection of first COVID-19 reported cases and school closure. We also assessed how countries’ health systems, globalization, economic development, political systems, and economic integration to China, Republic of Korea and Italy increased the speed of adoption.

Results

Ten days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be an international emergency, countries were 28 (95% CI: 12,77) times more likely to report first COVID-19 cases and 42 (95% CI: 22,90) times more likely to close schools. One standard deviation increase in the epidemic security index rises the rate of report first cases by 37% (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.37 (95% CI: 1.09,1.72) and delays the adoption for school closures by 36% (HR 0.64 (95% CI:0.50,0.82). One standard deviation increase in the globalization index augments the adoption for school closures by 74% (HR 1.74 (95% CI:1.34,2.24).

Conclusion

After the WHO declared a global emergency, countries were unprecedently acting very rapidly. While countries more globally integrated were swifter in closing schools, countries with better designed health systems to tackle epidemics were slower in adopting it. More studies are needed to assess how the speed of school closures and other policies will affect the development of the pandemic.
They stumble that run fast: the economic and COVID-19 transmission impacts of reopening industries in the US
Authors: Zimmermann Marita , Benefield Amy E , Althouse Benjamin M
Published: June 2020

COVID-19 has laid bare the United States economically and epidemiologically. Decisions must be made as how and when to reopen industries. Here we quantify economic and health risk tradeoffs of reopening by industry for each state in the US. To estimate total economic impact, we summed income loss due to unemployment and profit loss. We assess transmission risk by: (1) workplace size, (2) human interactions, (3) inability to work from home, and (4) industry size. We found that the industry with the highest estimated economic impact from COVID-19 was manufacturing in 40 states; the industry with the largest transmission risk index was accommodation and food services in 41 states, and the industry with the highest economic impact per unit of transmission risk, interpreted as the value of reopening, was manufacturing in 37 states. Researchers and decision makers must work together to consider both health and economics when making tough decisions.

O, let us hence; I stand on sudden haste.

Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.

-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, scene 3
Comorbidity and Sociodemographic determinants in COVID-19 Mortality in an US Urban Healthcare System
Authors: Wang An-Li , Zhong Xiaobo , Hurd Yasmin L
Published: June 2020

Background

New York City is the US epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Early international data indicated that comorbidity contributes significantly to poor prognosis and fatality in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. It is not known to what degree medical comorbidity and sociodemographic determinants impact COVID-19 mortality in the US.

Methods

Evaluation of de-identified electronic health records of 7,592 COVID-19 patients confirmed by SARS-CoV-2 lab tests in New York City. Medical comorbidites and outcome of mortality, and other covariates, including clinical, sociodemographic, and medication measures were assessed by bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models.

Results

Of common comorbid conditions (hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, obesity, diabetes, HIV, cancer), when adjusted for covariates, chronic kidney disease remained significantly associated with increased odds of mortality. Patients who had more than one comorbidities, former smokers, treated with Azithromycin without Hydroxychloroquine, reside within the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens Higher had higher odds of death.

Conclusions

Increasing numbers of comorbid factors increase COVID-19 mortality, but several clinical and sociodemographic factors can mitigate risk. Continued evaluation of COVID-19 in large diverse populations is important to characterize individuals at risk and improve clinical outcomes.
Estimation of global case fatality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using meta-analyses: Comparison between calendar date and days since the outbreak of the first confirmed case
Authors: Ghayda Ramy Abou , Lee Keum Hwa , Han Young Joo , Ryu Seohyun , Hong Sung Hwi , Yoon Sojung , Jeong Gwang Hun , Lee Jinhee , Lee Jun Young , Yang Jae Won , Effenberger Maria , Eisenhut Michael , Kronbichler Andreas , Solmi Marco , Li Han , Jacob Louis , Koyanagi Ai , Radua Joaquim , Shin Jae Il , Smith Lee
Published: June 2020

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December of 2019 in China, the estimation of the pandemic’s case fatality rate (CFR) has been the focus and interest of many stakeholders. In this manuscript, we prove that the method of using the cumulative CFR is static and does not reflect the trend according to the daily change per unit of time. A proportion meta-analysis was carried out on CFR in every country reporting COVID-19 cases. Based on the results, we performed a meta-analysis for global COVID-19 CFR. Each analysis was performed on two different calculations of CFR: according to calendar date and according to days since the outbreak of the first confirmed case. We thus explored an innovative and original calculation of CFR concurrently based on the date of the first confirmed case as well as on a daily basis. For the first time, we showed that using meta-analyses, according to calendar date and days since the outbreak of the first confirmed case were different. We propose that CFR according to days since the outbreak of the first confirmed case might be a better predictor of the current CFR of COVID-19 and its kinetics.
A novel mosaic variant on SMC1A reported in buccal mucosa cells, albeit not in blood, of a patient with Cornelia de Lange–like presentation
Authors: Gonzalez Garcia Aixa , Malone Julia , Li Hong
Published: June 2020

Mosaicism in Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) has been reported in clinically diagnosed CdLS patients with negative molecular testing using blood as the specimen, particularly in the NIPBL gene. Here we report a novel mosaic variant in SMC1A identified in the buccal swab DNA of a patient with a mild CdLS phenotype. Our patient presented with global developmental delay, dysmorphic features, microcephaly, and short stature, with no limb defect. Face2Gene, a digital tool that analyzes facial morphology, demonstrated a 97% match between our patient and the CdLS gestalt. An initial next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based CdLS panel test, including NIPBL, HDAC8, RAD21, SMC1A, and SMC3, completed using DNA isolated from leukocytes, was negative, and subsequent trio exome sequencing was nondiagnostic. The exome identified biallelic variants of uncertain significance in a candidate gene, NSMCE2. In the pursuit of a molecular diagnosis, a second NGS-based CdLS panel test was ordered on a buccal swab specimen and a novel variant, c.793_795delGAG (p.Glu265del) in SMC1A, was detected at 60% mosaicism. Retrospective analysis of the former panel and exome data revealed the SMC1A variant at 4% and 2%, respectively, both far below standard reporting thresholds. Given that mosaicism has been frequently reported in CdLS, we suggest selecting a different tissue for testing in clinically suspected CdLS cases, even after negative molecular results via blood specimen.
Structures of collagen IV globular domains: insight into associated pathologies, folding and network assembly. Corrigendum
Authors: Casino Patricia , Gozalbo-Rovira Roberto , Rodríguez-Díaz Jesús , Banerjee Surajit , Boutaud Ariel , Rubio Vicente , Hudson Billy G. , Saus Juan , Cervera Javier , Marina Alberto
Published: June 2020

The article by Casino et al. [IUCrJ (2018). 5, 765–779] is corrected.
The role of social solidarity in the rise and decline of the South Korean student movement in the 1970–1990s
Authors: Park Sung-Lim
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the cause how the student movement in South Korea enjoyed the golden age in the 1970–1990s and could not be revived since the late 1990s and cannot be played a pivotal role again.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts historical analysis as primary methodology, traced the historical evolution of South Korean student activism in the 1970–1990s through analyzing secondary Korean literature and newspaper on the particular struggle cases in the period.

Findings

Social solidarity between society and student had played a pivotal role in the South Korean students' long activism in the struggle of the 1970–1990s. In the 1970–1980s, democratic election and constitutional reform set in the main purpose of struggle that attracted wide support from society and enjoyed maintaining a new member supply and their commitment despite authoritarian government's persistent oppression. When the sixth constitution was passed in 1987 with Democratization, the student decided to choose continuing struggle and set social cooperation with North Korea as the new goal, the sensitive issue in South Korea that confronted fierce criticism. Society chose to withdraw their support to the activism in the Yonsei University incident of 1996, rung a knell of long struggle since the 1970s.

Originality/value

The research identified the cause how South Korean students in university could persist long strike without particular internal resource production during three decades and ended the long struggle in the late 1990s; the existence of social solidarity between student and society was the main reason of continued new member supply and their commitment in the battle.
Homo moralis and Homo economicus: scale development and validation of consumers' moral preferences
Authors: Lee Jihyun
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate scales measuring two consumer moral preferences: Homo moralis and Homo economicus.

Design/methodology/approach

This research includes four sequential studies. Before the first study, items were established through a comprehensive literature review and pre-test. Four studies were then conducted to verify the validity and reliability of the scales following the scale validation methodology suggested by Churchill (1979) and Anand and Kaur (2018). Study 1 employed exploratory factor analysis to extract the underlying factor structure of the scale. This led to a two-factor structure with sufficient evidence of internal reliability. Study 2 and Study 3 were conducted to confirm the reliability and the validity of the scale using confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. The final study established the predictive validity of the scale using a structural equation model.

Findings

Finally, seven items were developed measuring consumers' moral preferences for Homo moralis and Homo economicus.

Research limitations/implications

This research has some limitations that should be addressed in future research. First, the scale was only tested in a Korean context. Second, this study was not conducted in the context of a specific industry.

Originality/value

This study extends the range of research to an empirical field by practically verifying how these two preferences are independent, can be generalized and can influence human behavior. This study empirically demonstrates that the preferences affect human behavior such as purchase intention. This study extends the current knowledge on Homo moralis and Homo economicus by providing a scale for empirical validation of the concepts.
The role of entrepreneurship education and training programmes in advancing entrepreneurial skills and new ventures
Authors: Galvão Anderson , Marques Carla , Ferreira João J.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This study aims to understand how entrepreneurship education and training programmes (EETPs) influence the development of entrepreneurial competencies and creation of business ventures.

Design/methodology/approach

The study included a questionnaire distributed to 103 EETP participants. The data were processed using SmartPLS software to construct a structural equation model.

Findings

The results show, first, that the respondents’ motivations have a positive impact on participation in entrepreneurship education programmes and company creation. Second, participation in these programmes positively influences individual entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial skills. The findings also include that the entrepreneurship education programme under study has strengthened its participants’ capacities and competencies, making these people more autonomous and facilitating their creation of new businesses.

Originality/value

This study sought to contribute to a fuller empirical understanding of how EETPs affect their participants’ individual entrepreneurship orientation and capacities (human resource development), thereby fostering company formation and regional development. Theoretical and practical implications are presented, with an emphasis on what needs to be done to improve EETPs.
The impact of information security management practices on organisational agility
Authors: Zaini Muhamad Khairulnizam , Masrek Mohamad Noorman , Abdullah Sani Mad Khir Johari
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This study aims to determine the extent to which information security management (ISM) practices impact the organisational agility by examining the relationship between both concepts.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative method research design has been used in this study. This study was conducted throughout Malaysia with a total of 250 valid questionnaires obtained from managers and executives from the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)-status companies. Structural equation modelling (SEM) using partial least square was used to analyse the data and to test all nine hypotheses developed in this study.

Findings

Findings from this study indicate that operational agility (OA) is significantly related to ISM practices in MSC-status companies. The validation of the structural model of nine hypotheses developed for this study has demonstrated satisfactory results, exhibited six significant direct relationships and three insignificant relationships.

Research limitations/implications

This study has addressed the needs for a comprehensive, coherent and empirically tested ISM practices and organisational agility framework. The current theoretical framework used in this study emphasised on the ISM–organisational agility dimensions that are predominantly important to ascertain high level of ISM practices and perceived agility level among the information technology (IT) business companies in Malaysia. With the application of SEM for powerful analysis, the empirical-based framework established in this study was validated by the empirical findings, thus contributing significantly to the field of information security (InfoSec).

Originality/value

This study has filled the research gap between different constructs of ISM practices and OA. The model put forth in this study contributes in several ways to the InfoSec research community. The recognition of InfoSec practices that could facilitate organisational agility in the IT industry in Malaysia is vital and contributes to more value creation for the organisations.
The 2D lumped wake vortex method applied to unsteady flapping
Authors: Talarico David J. , Mazzeo Aaron , Denda Mitsunori
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Advancements in aerospace technologies, which rely on unsteady fluid dynamics, are being hindered by a lack of easy to use, computationally efficient unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Existing CFD platforms are capable of handling unsteady flapping, but the time, money and expertise required to run even a basic flapping simulation make design iteration and optimization prohibitively expensive for the average researcher.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present paper, a remedy to model the effects of viscosity is introduced to the original vortex method, in which the pitching moment amplitude grew over time for simulations involving multiple flapping cycles. The new approach described herein lumps far-field wake vortices to mimic the vortex decay, which is shown to improve the accuracy of the solution while keeping the pitching moment amplitude under control, especially for simulations involving many flapping cycles.

Findings

In addition to improving the accuracy of the solution, the new method greatly reduces the computation time for simulations involving many flapping cycles. The solution of the original vortex method and the new method are compared to published Navier–Stokes solver data and show very good agreement.

Originality/value

By utilizing a novel unsteady vortex method, which has been designed specifically to handle the highly unsteady flapping wing problems, it has been shown that the time to compute a solution is reduced by several orders of magnitude (Denda et al., 2016). Despite the success of the vortex method, especially for a small number of flapping cycles, the solution deteriorates as the number of flapping cycles increases due to the inherent lack of viscosity in the vortex method.
Prediction of user interest fluctuation using fuzzy neural networks in web search
Authors: N C Senthilkumar , Ch Pradeep Reddy
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The user interest in content searching in the web will be changed over by time.

Design/methodology/approach

The system is in need to find the content of user over the temporal aspects.

Findings

So, predicting the user interest over the time by analyzing the fluctuations of their search keyword is important.

Research limitations/implications

So, predicting the user interest over the time by analyzing the fluctuations of their search keyword is important.

Practical implications

In this work, fuzzy neural network techniques are used to predict the user interest fluctuation in different times in different scenarios.

Social implications

In this proposed work, both the long-term and short-term interest are evaluated using the specialized user interface designed to retrieve the user interest based on the user searching activities.

Originality/value

This work also categorizes the future needs of users using this proposed system.
Does earnings transparency affect corporate payout decisions?
Authors: Chauhan Yogesh , Pathak Rajesh
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The paper examines how earnings transparency affects dividend payouts for Indian firms. The authors also explore the channels through which earnings transparency affects dividend payouts.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ panel data estimation with fixed effects to examine the role of earnings transparency on dividend payouts. The authors also use path analysis to explore causation. The paper uses a sample of more than 2000 Indian listed firms, over the period 2001–2016.

Findings

The authors report that firms showing grater earning transparency pay more cash dividend. Their results do not support the signaling hypothesis about the dividend. However, these results provide explicit support to the theory that corporate dividend policy is an outcome of information asymmetry. Moreover, the path analysis reveals the effect of earnings transparency on corporate payout through the financial constraint channel. The results are robust to idiosyncratic controls; alternate measures of payout; alternate models; endogeneity concerns; and the alternate channel of returning money to stockholders.

Practical implications

Managers should also examine earnings transparency while formulating an adequate dividend policy for their firms. This study also helps investors to identify dividend-paying stocks.

Originality/value

This study particularly contributes to the literature examining the effect of earnings quality on dividend payouts through its effect on financial constraints. We, therefore, connect two streams of research that contemplate the relation between accounting-based information variables and dividend payouts and the relationship between financial constraints and dividend payouts. Moreover, using path analysis uniquely, the authors provide evidence on the relative importance of both the direct and the indirect link.
Quality management for microenterprises and start-ups – is the ISO 9001 suitable?
Authors: Klute-Wenig Sandra , Refflinghaus Robert
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Quality management systems are well established in multinationals and SMEs. For establishing and improving such systems, there is a variety of guidelines. Furthermore, there are software tools allowing a self-assessment of the current state of the implemented systems. However, these approaches do not fit for micro-enterprises and start-ups. Their processes are rather informal or not yet specified. Moreover, these companies are often in a phase of strong growth and have only one person in charge. Hence, they face the difficulty to decide if and how a (quality) management system should be implemented. This paper aims to show a first guideline for implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The first step comprises a definition of microenterprises and start-ups and an analysis of their specific characteristics. Following, an overview of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and its requirements is given. Next, it is analysed which requirements are relevant for or can be implemented in microenterprises and start-ups. Based on this, a guideline for decision-making is developed to examine if an application of the analysed standard is useful or necessary for the regarded companies. Also, the guideline illustrates how the requirements can be implemented.

Findings

A literature review, an analysis of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, the standards for project management, microenterprises and start-ups have been carried out. Thereby, the need to decide whether to implement implement a quality management system and assistance for the implementation process has been revealed as essential for the companies considered. Literature mostly deals with implementing a quality and/or project management system in multinationals and SMEs but not in very small companies. Furthermore, first practical examples have shown that microenterprises face difficulties when choosing and implementing a quality management system. A practical implementation guideline for these companies is lacking.

Originality/value

Although there is a lot of research dealing with quality management in SME, research about quality management in microenterprises and start-ups is scarce. This paper offers a first approach for a guideline of implementing an appropriate quality and possibly an additional or alternative project management in microenterprises and start-ups. This should facilitate the process of deciding if and how to implement an adequate management system for the regarded companies.
Psychological distress in Afghan journalists: a descriptive study
Authors: Osmann Jonas , Khalvatgar Abdul Mujeeb , Feinstein Anthony
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists. There are, however, no data on the mental health of Afghan journalists covering conflict in their country. The study aims to determine the degree to which Afghan journalists are exposed to traumatic events, their perceptions of organizational support, their rates of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, their utilization of mental health services and the effectiveness of the treatment received.

Design/methodology/approach

The entire study was undertaken in Dari (Farsi). Five major Afghan news organizations representing 104 journalists took part of whom 71 (68%) completed a simple eleven-point analog scale rating perceptions of organizational support. Symptoms of PTSD and depression were recorded with the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), respectively. Behavioral comparisons were undertaken between those journalists who had and had not received mental health therapy.

Findings

The majority of journalists exceeded cutoff scores for PTSD and major depression and reported high rates for exposure to traumatic events. There were no significant differences in IES-R and CES-D scores between journalists who had and had not received mental health therapy. Most journalists did not view their employers as supportive.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to collect empirical data on the mental health of Afghan journalists. The results highlight the extreme stressors confronted by them, their correspondingly high levels of psychopathology and the relative ineffectiveness of mental health therapy given to a minority of those in distress. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Cognitive processes, rewards and online knowledge sharing behaviour: the moderating effect of organisational innovation
Authors: Nguyen Tuyet-Mai , Malik Ashish
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Online knowledge sharing is a critical process for maintaining organisational competitive advantage. This paper aims to develop a new conceptual framework that investigates the moderating impacts of innovation on self-efficacy, extrinsic and intrinsic rewards on employees’ online knowledge sharing behaviour in public and private sector companies.

Design/methodology/approach

This research analysed 200 responses to test the moderating effects of organisational innovation on the relationship between self-efficacy and rewards and online knowledge sharing behviours. The analysis was carried out using component-based partial least squares (PLS) approach and SmartPLS 3 software.

Findings

The results reveal that self-efficacy significantly affects online knowledge sharing behaviour in firms, regardless of the organisation type. Extrinsic rewards encourage employees in private companies to share knowledge online, whereas intrinsic rewards work effectively in public companies. Additionally, the study found the moderating role of organisational innovation in examining the relationship between rewards and online knowledge sharing behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may consider different dimensions such as knowledge donating and collecting behaviours as well as motives, such as self-enjoyment, reciprocity or social interaction ties, which may be investigated to get a deeper understanding of online knowledge sharing behaviour.

Practical implications

Firms must tailor training and rewards to suit employees’ abilities and needs so as to align with organisation type and innovation.

Originality/value

The study’s distinctive contribution is the under-researched context of Vietnamese public and private sector banks for investigating the moderating effects of organisational innovation on micro and meso factors on online knowledge sharing behaviour.
Investigating the tectonic effects of openings as ‘built-things’: case of Çavuşoğlu house
Authors: Ghelichkhani Milad
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to trace the tectonic effects of openings as Heideggerian “built-things”.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has been organized in two phases. The first phase attempts to set up the theoretical framework through exploring the links between Heidegger’s notion of “built-thing” and contemporary tectonic discourses on dialectics between the values of matheme (construction, technology) and poetics (representation, meaning) to identify the key indicators in tectonic effects of openings. Accordingly, as the term “tectonic effects” is concerned with feelings and emotions that tectonics may evoke in people, the author searches for the indicators based on the poetic aspects of tectonic values and applies them within the phenomenological method implemented in the second phase of the research to explore the indicators in the designated case of the “Çavuşoğlu house”.

Findings

The results of this study indicate the significance of ontological nexus between tectonics as “poetic revealing” and the ability of the “built-thing” to generate tectonic effects within the embodied experience of dwellers. In fact, an opening can generate ontological tectonic effects in space only if it is brought about through a truthful build-dwell process which responds in a poetic way to the daily-life needs of the dwellers. The tangible examples of this fact are evident in the openings of the Çavuşoğlu house.

Originality/value

The theory of tectonics of openings as a separate “built-thing”, which is put forward in the present study, is a subject that has not been sufficiently studied so far and has the potential to be developed through further research. In light of this, the theoretical results of this study can contribute to tectonic thinking during the design process.
Determinants of public–private partnerships: a state-level empirical analysis of India
Authors: Kaur Simrit , Malik Sakshi
Published: June 2020

Purpose

In view of the significance of public–private partnerships (PPPs) as a tool for bridging infrastructure deficits, it becomes imperative to study its determinants. The objective of this paper is to empirically study the determinants of PPPs in India at a subnational level, in terms of both number and value of PPP projects.

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigates the determinants of value and number of Indian PPPs at a subnational level for the period 2008–2017. The determinants are analyzed using two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) and negative binomial regression. Select correlates examined are market size, fiscal compulsions, institutional quality, financial sector development and physical infrastructure.

Findings

The results indicate that fiscal compulsions, financial sector development and physical infrastructure influence PPPs favorably, whereas low institutional quality impacts PPPs adversely. A pertinent finding of this study is that the past value of PPPs lowers the current year's PPP value.

Practical implications

The findings are expected to assist subnational governments and policymakers in formulating policies that attract more PPP projects (in terms of both value and number).

Originality/value

This is the first study that analyzes the determinants of infrastructure PPPs at a subnational level in India.
Subaltern Urbanization: Indian Insights for Urban Theory
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Partha , Zérah Marie‐Hélène , Denis Eric
Published: June 2020

The concept of subaltern urbanization is about vibrant smaller settlements—outside the metropolitan shadow—sustainably supporting a dispersed pattern of urbanization. We propose a theoretical framework which draws on an empirical research collective using both large statistical and land‐use data sets and detailed case studies in non‐metropolitan Indian geographies. Anchored in postcolonial urban studies, it looks beyond the logic of agglomeration and questions our understanding of settlement hierarchies and the location of social and economic innovation processes, opening up an alternative reading of urbanization that could be valuable for other regions. Local agency is core to this concept, transporting the arguments of the ordinary and the subaltern beyond large cities. Our findings, apart from emphasizing the agency of smaller settlements, highlight their multiple local and translocal flows, shaping an autonomous external engagement that could exist independently of relationships with large cities. Further, even though the rural and the urban seep into each other, they do so organically, unlike the process in planetary urbanization. Additionally, the rural‐urban dichotomy remains performative, in that governance regimes influence the urbanization process. Appreciation of these dynamics can provide insights towards a better understanding of the system of human settlements, which is our goal in advancing this framework.
The metastatic potential of seminomatous germ cell tumours is associated with a specific microRNA pattern
Authors: Ernst Simone , Heinzelmann Joana , Bohle Rainer M. , Weber Georg , Stöckle Michael , Junker Kerstin , Heinzelbecker Julia
Published: June 2020

Background

Seminomatous germ cell tumours (SGCT) are the most frequent malignancy in young men. Reliable prognostic biomarkers for the prediction of metastasis at diagnosis and the risk of relapse in clinical stage I (CSI) are lacking. Adjuvant therapies carry a risk of overtreatment, whereas salvage therapies have a risk of high toxicities. Thus, the identification of reliable prognostic biomarkers is highly desirable to identify patients who will benefit from early adjuvant treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate tumour development and progression, and their potential as biomarkers has already been proven in a variety of malignancies.

Objectives

The aim of our study was to define a specific miRNA expression pattern that discriminates metastatic from non‐metastatic primary SGCT.

Materials and methods

Total RNA was isolated from 24 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) primary SGCT tumours (10 non‐metastatic, five metachronously and nine synchronously metastatic) and from 10 normal testicular tissue samples. Microarray analysis was performed for global miRNA expression profiling. The results were validated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.

Results

Microarray analyses revealed a specific miRNA pattern that distinguishes metastatic from non‐metastatic SGCT. Sixty‐three miRNAs were differentially expressed in metastatic compared to non‐metastatic tumours (P < .01). Microarray results were confirmed by qRT‐PCR for three out of five selected miRNAs (miR‐29c‐5p, miR‐506‐3p and miR‐371a‐5p; P < .05). All five miRNAs (miR‐29c‐5p, miR‐506‐3p, miR‐1307‐5p, miR‐371a‐5p and miR‐371a‐3p) showed differential expression between tumour and normal tissues (P < .05).

Conclusion

Metastatic primary SGCTs are characterized by a specific miRNA expression pattern. Therefore, specific miRNAs could represent a new tool to predict the metastatic potential in SGCT patients.
Effect of left ventricular assist device implantation on right ventricular function: Assessment based on right ventricular pressure–volume curves
Authors: Kanemaru Eiki , Yoshitani Kenji , Fukushima Satsuki , Fujita Tomoyuki , Ohnishi Yoshihiko
Published: June 2020

Right ventricular (RV) failure is significantly associated with morbidity and mortality after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. However, it remains unclear whether LVAD implantation could worsen RV function. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of LVAD implantation on RV function by comparing RV energetics derived from the RV pressure–volume curve between before and after LVAD implantation. This exploratory observational study was performed between September 2016 and January 2018 at a national center in Japan. Twenty‐two patients who underwent LVAD implantation were included in the analysis. We measured RV energetics parameters: RV stroke work index (RVSWI), which was calculated by integrating the area within the RV pressure–volume curve; RV minute work index (RVMWI), which was calculated as RVSWI × heart rate; and right ventriculo–arterial coupling, which was estimated as RV stroke volume/RV end‐systolic volume. We compared RV energetics between before and after LVAD implantation. Although RVSWI was similar [424.4 mm Hg · mL/m2 (269.5‐510.3) vs. 379.9 mm Hg · mL/m2 (313.1‐608.8), P = 0.485], RVMWI was significantly higher after LVAD implantation [29 834.1 mm Hg · mL/m2/min (18 272.2‐36 357.1) vs. 38 544.8 mm Hg · mL/m2/min (29 016.0‐57 282.8), P = 0.001], corresponding to a significantly higher cardiac index [2.0 L/min/m2 (1.4‐2.2) vs. 3.7 L/min/m2 (3.3‐4.1), P < 0.001] to match LVAD flow. Right ventriculo–arterial coupling was significantly higher after LVAD implantation [0.360 (0.224‐0.506) vs. 0.480 (0.343‐0.669), P = 0.025], suggesting that the efficiency of RV performance improved. In conclusion, higher RVMWI with higher cardiac index to match LVAD flow and improved efficiency of RV performance indicate that LVAD implantation might not worsen RV function.
Retinal oxygen saturation and vessel diameter in patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Liu Ruibao , Jian Wenyuan , Zhao Ying , Lu Xuejing , Wu Yanxia , Duan Junguo
Published: June 2020

Purpose

To investigate changes in retinal oximetry and the diameter of retinal vasculature in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and relationships between retinal vasculature and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), provide a scientific basis for the early detection and diagnosis of CKD.

Methods

Eighty‐three patients with CKD and 103 healthy individuals were included after providing informed consent. All participants were examined using a noninvasive technology (Oxymap Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland) for measuring the arterial (SaO2) and venous (SvO2) oxygen saturation and the arteriovenous difference in oxygen saturation (Sa‐vO2). The corresponding retinal vessel diameters of these arterioles (D‐A) and venules (D‐V) were measured. The eGFR of patients with CKD was calculated from the serum creatinine concentration.

Results

In general, patients with CKD had higher mean SaO2 values than healthy individuals (100.15 ± 4.68% versus 97.14 ± 4.22%; p < 0.001, mean ± SD). The mean SaO2 in the superior temporal, superior nasal and inferior nasal quadrants significantly increased. There was no significant difference measured in the SvO2 when patients with CKD (63.66 ± 5.29%) and healthy individuals (62.70 ± 5.27%) were compared. The mean Sa‐vO2 of the CKD group (36.49 ± 4.98%) was increased compared with normal subjects (34.44 ± 4.76%) (p = 0.005). The retinal arteriole diameter was narrower in patients with CKD than in normal individuals (117.53 ± 14.88 μm versus 126.87 ± 14.98 μm; p < 0.001, mean ± SD), and the arteriovenous ratio was smaller than in normal individuals (0.71 ± 0.09 versus 0.77 ± 0.09; p < 0.001, mean ± SD). Pearson’s two‐tailed correlation showed a significant correlation between the SaO2 and eGFR (R = −0.363, p = 0.001), and narrower retinal arterial calibre was significantly associated with a lower eGFR (R = 0.415, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Based on our results, there were alterations in retinal oxygen saturation and vascular diameter in patients with CKD. Further studies are needed to determine whether such changes play a role in the development of CKD.
Factors associated with serious vehicular accidents: A cross‐sectional study in hospital emergency rooms
Authors: Forest Karelle , Valdenaire Guillaume , Lorendeau Jean‐Paul , Sagaspe Patricia , Contrand Benjamin , Durand‐Teyssier Charlotte , Sakr Dunia , Gil‐Jardine Cédric , Boutreux Sébastien , Lagarde Emmanuel , Peyrouzet Hélène , Lassalle Régis , Moore Nicholas , Philip Pierre , Girodet Pierre‐Olivier
Published: June 2020

Aims

Pictograms on medicine boxes warn of potential drug‐related driving hazard; we studied their association with serious accidents.

Methods

Prospective study in emergency departments of the hospitals in Bordeaux and Périgueux (France), of drivers with serious (admitted at least 24 hours) or nonserious vehicular accidents. Minors, passengers, pedestrians or subjects incapable of answering an interview were excluded. Interviews ascertained driver and accident characteristics, use of drugs with or without pictograms, use of alcohol and abuse substances, sleepiness, distractions, and mind wandering at the time of the accident,

Results

Between 18 October 2016 and 26 December 2018, 1200 of the 6212 drivers admitted to the hospital emergency rooms, 741 nonserious, 459 serious, were interviewed. Serious accidents were associated with male sex (odds ratio 1.89, 95% confidence interval [1.36–2.64]), age above 60 years (3.64 [2.21–6.00]), driving on local roads (3.34 [2.34–4.76]), driving a motorcycle (3.39 [2.29–5.00]), having drunk alcohol within 6 hours (2.89 [1.85–4.51]) and using a drug with a pictogram during the 24 hours previous to the accident (1.57 [1.06–2.32]). From 207 police reports, 101 drivers were not responsible, and 106 were responsible, associated with age below 40 years, driving in overcast or rainy weather (2.62 [1.29–5.33]), on local roads (3.89 [1.90–7.95]), and use of at least 1 pictogram drug in the previous week (3.12 [1.31–7.41]).

Conclusion

The known risks of alcohol and pictogram drugs, of riding motorcycles and using local roads were confirmed. As measured, behavioural sleepiness did not predict accidents.
The effect of initiation of renin–angiotensin system inhibitors on haemoglobin: A national cohort study
Authors: Greenhall George H.B. , Mansfield Kathryn E. , Nitsch Dorothea , Iwagami Masao , Leyrat Clémence , Johnston Rosalynd , Smeeth Liam , Tomlinson Laurie A.
Published: June 2020

Aims

To determine whether initiation of treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEI/ARBs) is associated with a subsequent reduction in haemoglobin in the general population.

Methods

We undertook a national cohort study over a 13‐year period (2004–2016), using routine primary healthcare data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. We compared ACEI/ARB initiation with calcium channel blocker (CCB) initiation, to minimise confounding by indication. We included all first ACEI/ARB or CCB prescriptions in adults with at least 1 haemoglobin result in the 12 months before and 6 months after drug initiation. Our primary outcome was a ≥1 g/dL haemoglobin reduction in the 6 months after drug initiation.

Results

We examined 146 610 drug initiation events in 136 655 patients. Haemoglobin fell by ≥1 g/dL after drug initiation in 19.5% (16 936/86 652) of ACEI/ARB initiators and 15.9% (9521/59 958) of CCB initiators. The adjusted odds ratio of a ≥1 g/dL haemoglobin reduction in ACEI/ARB initiators vs CCB initiators was 1.15 (95% confidence interval 1.12–1.19).

Conclusion

ACEI/ARBs are associated with a modest increase in the risk of a haemoglobin reduction. For every 100 patients in our study that initiated a CCB, 16 experienced a ≥1 g/dL haemoglobin decline. If the effect is causal, 3 additional patients would have experienced this outcome if they had received an ACEI/ARB. This may have implications for drug choice and monitoring for many patients in primary care. Further research could identify patients at higher risk of this outcome, who may benefit from closer monitoring.