bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The determinants of mutton consumption-at-home in urban China using an IHS double-hurdle model
Authors: Chen Yongfu , Zhu Wenbo , Chen Ziyuan
Published: March 2018

Purpose

China is not only the biggest mutton consumer, but also the top mutton importer in the world. China’s urban households are becoming the key driving force behind a surge in mutton consumption. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of mutton demand in urban China.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 32,910 urban households across six provinces and autonomous regions, an inverse hyperbolic sine (IHS) double-hurdle model is estimated, by maximum likelihood estimation, to reveal the determinants of mutton consumption-at-home.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that, first, household income has a positive effect on mutton consumption, and higher income households have a higher income elasticity; second, wet weather increases probability, but reduces conditional level and unconditional level; finally, minority group households consume more mutton than Han group households.

Practical implications

It is necessary for policymakers to develop a long-term outlook in relation to the increase of China’s mutton appetite and to shift from a domestic perspective to a global one and develop diversified import strategies. Furthermore, policymakers require to make a practicable emergency preplan for tackling short-term agglomeration of demand for mutton, attributed to festivals, and religious events of a minority ethnic group.

Originality/value

This is a major work based on a large sample of 32,910 urban households conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China. This paper uses an IHS double-hurdle model to quantify the determinants of mutton consumption; it sheds light on the climatic, regional, and ethnic characteristics of mutton consumption in urban China.
General image, perceptions and consumer segments of luxury seafood in China
Authors: Wang Ou , Somogyi Simon , Ablett Richard
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore Chinese consumers’ perceptions towards a luxury seafood – lobster, and identify the important perceptions that influence Chinese consumers’ general image of lobster. It also recognises Chinese consumer segments based on their perceptions towards lobster.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through an online survey (n=882, in two Chinese cities: Shanghai and Qingdao). The surveys explored consumer’s perceptions and general image of lobster. Descriptive analysis, partial least squares regression and cluster analysis were conducted for data analyses.

Findings

Findings show that the most important perceptions regarding lobster by Chinese consumers are umami, delicious, high in protein, expensive, nutritious, upscale, red colour and bring back appetite. Chinese consumers’ general image of lobster is positively linked to perception items, such as delicious, western flavour, umami, nutritious, high in protein, enjoy, upscale and appetite; and is negatively linked to perception items: spicy/hot, Chinese flavour and risk in illness. Three consumer segments are identified: western-flavour-lovers (35.4 per cent), Chinese-flavour-lovers (32.8 per cent) and negative-believers (31.8 per cent). Significant differences were recognised in the socio-demographic distribution among these three segments including, city, income, marital status, educational level, occupation and age.

Originality/value

This is the first study to present information regarding consumers’ perceptions, general image and segments towards luxury seafood in the world’s largest East-Asian country – China. The findings from this study can help global seafood marketers and exporters to better understand Chinese consumers which should assist them in developing effective marketing strategies for their luxury seafood products in this major market.
Transformation of quality aspects throughout the chicken meat supply chain
Authors: Djekic Ilija , Skunca Dubravka , Nastasijevic Ivan , Tomovic Vladimir , Tomasevic Igor
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze perceptions of quality in the chicken meat supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

This survey covered 74 different farms, slaughterhouses, meat processors, and retailers and 500 consumers, using two methods. From the farm to retail, analysis covered “customer – supplier” viewpoints in different stages of the supply chain. From the consumers to the farms, the quality function deployment method was used. Five houses of quality have been developed using the Delphi method to synthesize the opinions of experts.

Findings

Farm-slaughter comparison shows that final weight at farm gate and animal welfare are the most important quality attributes. The quality aspect important for slaughterhouses and meat processors is the cold chain. Retailers and meat processors highlight the portfolio of various chicken meat products as their most important quality attribute. At the points of sale, shelf illumination and product placement are prevailing.

Research limitations/implications

The results suggest that there are different views on quality by all actors in the supply chain, from quality of chicken meat, food safety and quality of service in retail to profitability and animal welfare.

Practical implications

The paper enhances simplicity in analyzing quality aspects of different types of meat supply chains. This methodology enables a synergy of value chain promotion with other quality development approaches. It also creates possibilities for policy makers to improve competitiveness strategies.

Originality/value

Application of a similar approach to other parts of the food chain could offer a better insight into the transformation of quality.
Parents’ and young adults’ perceptions of secondary school food education in Australia
Authors: Nanayakkara Janandani , Burton Melissa , Margerison Claire , Worsley Anthony
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Secondary school food education provides students with opportunities to build lifelong healthy dietary practices. A number of stakeholder groups are important for the success of this form of education. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to examine young adults’ and parents’ opinions of secondary school food education.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was administered to 1,086 respondents drawn from a commercial research panel.

Findings

In total, 50-60 per cent of all respondents agreed that food education should be compulsory for years seven to ten and 31-32 per cent of respondents agreed that it should be compulsory for years 11 and 12. Almost 69 per cent suggested one to three hours per week for food education. More than 75 per cent of respondents agreed that there should be a non-compulsory food and nutrition subject for year 11 and 12 students and believed that this subject would help students to develop their food-related knowledge and skills.

Practical implications

There is a gap between parents’ and young adults’ views of school food education and what is actually practiced in Australian secondary schools. Obtaining their opinions in future food-related education and policy reforms could help design and deliver food education to better meet the expectations of its recipients: students and their families.

Originality/value

The examination of large number of young adults’ and parents’ opinions of school food education makes this study unique.
Dimensions of food choice process of older consumers in Brazil
Authors: Quevedo-Silva Filipe , Lima-Filho Dario de Oliveira , Fagundes Mayra Batista Bitencourt
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess dimensions of the food choice process among older consumers. Based on Gains’ model (1994), the study focuses on the dimensions: consumer, food and context, and investigates these consumers’ heterogeneities through the identification of possible market segments.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study was conducted with 401 respondents in Brazil. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis.

Findings

The results highlighted four factors related to characteristics of food (appearance, price, packaging and quality), and four related to characteristics of the context/environment of the store (staff characteristics, external shopping environment, internal store environment and ease of access). The results also showed that older consumers liked to make food purchases, even though their options were restricted by health issues. Two segments were identified. “Older with a restricted diet” comprised consumers with lower education levels. They had fewer daily meals (three) and chose food with more regard to health. The second segment “Younger and better educated” comprised respondents with higher education levels and higher income. They had more daily meals, and health was less of a restriction on food choice than it was for the first cluster.

Originality/value

This study applies Gains’ three dimensions’ food choice model, with the variables adjusted in detail to enable a description of the purchasing behaviors of older adults in Brazil.
Sustainability practices in tourism supply chain
Authors: Babu Deepak Eldho , Kaur Arshinder , Rajendran Chandrasekharan
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide strategic recommendations for Indian hotel administrators for improving sustainability practices: environment, economic and social with respect to the supply chain members by analyzing performance dimensions and the importance attached to them.

Design/methodology/approach

Importance performance analysis is a tool to analyze the perception of top-level, middle-level and first-level managers in hotels. Questionnaire is developed to collect the hotel manager’s perceptions. The snowball sampling method is used for data collection.

Findings

The paper introduces specific sustainability practices, namely, environment, economic and social factors, at the interface of the tourism supply chain (TSC). This will allow the hotels to identify the importance and performance of various sustainability practices to achieve a long-term competitive advantage. The present work finds that the responding hotel managers have given highest importance to the sustainability practices within the organization and the hotel manager’s perception of sustainability practices in the TSC will vary with respect to the supply chain members.

Research limitations/implications

The effort has been made to capture specific sustainability practices across the supply chain. The paper reinstates the fact that sustainability practices are not firm specific and should be practiced at the supply chain interface. The data for the study were taken from focal organizations perspective which is the hotels.

Practical implications

Results provide the hotel administrators to develop appropriate strategies to improve their practices and functions by analyzing their strengths and weakness regarding their tangible and intangible assets. The identified sustainability practice attributes can act as a benchmark and drive the hotel industry toward possible cost-saving conditions by prioritizing the allocation of the resources while taking care of overall performance.

Social implications

Results will help the hotel administrators to identify the better sustainability practices which will reduce the negative effects and protect the Mother Nature.

Originality/value

The study included hotels/resorts from tourism locations: hill station, backwaters and coastal areas, specifically in the Indian context.
Exploring the success factors for examining the potential of manufacturing system output
Authors: Kumar Raman , Singh Harwinder
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the success factors for the assessment of manufacturing system output.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory factor analysis and second-order confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyze data and test hypotheses, respectively. A total of 36 observed variables were transformed into nine success factors, namely role of management (ROM), technical strength, employee strength, organizational strength (OS), resources (RS), production system, market research, effective planning, and research and development (RD).

Findings

The finding indicates that only four success factors, namely ROM, RS, OS, and RD, are positively related to all four outputs. Moreover, all nine success factors are positively associated with profit.

Research limitations/implications

The outcomes of the present work provide meaningful implications for researchers and practitioners as well.

Originality/value

Earlier studies have laid focus on single output only in the manufacturing system. In the present study, an effort has been made to focus on four output dimensions, namely final product, customer relationship, reputation, and profit, which are further strengthened by incorporating the concept of performance in manufacturing systems.
Cognitive diversity and creativity in teams: the mediating roles of team learning and inclusion
Authors: Chow Irene Hau-Siu
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the mechanisms through which cognitive diversity affects creativity. It explores how and in what ways cognitive diversity affects team members by examining the mediating roles of team learning and inclusion.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire survey data were collected from matched supervisor and employee pairs from a direct sales company in the health-care industry in China. The final sample consisted of 216 employees from 48 teams, with a response rate of 90 per cent. Each employee’s immediate supervisor rated his or her creativity and in-role performance.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that team learning and inclusion mediate the effect of cognitive diversity on creativity.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted in a single organisation in China and used subjective self-reported measures.

Practical implications

The results suggest that diversity training reduces the negative consequences of team diversity and offer practical insights into the effectiveness of diversity management and the ways to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. The study should help human resource professionals to identify human resources strategies that stimulate an inclusive environment and leverage the benefits associated with higher levels of diversity.

Social implications

The findings have significant implications for developing and maintaining social harmony.

Originality/value

The uniqueness of this study is its simultaneous investigation of diversity and inclusion and how they lead to creativity.
Research data management in the French National Research Center (CNRS)
Authors: Schöpfel Joachim , Ferrant Coline , André Francis , Fabre Renaud
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present empirical evidence on the opinion and behaviour of French scientists (senior management level) regarding research data management (RDM).

Design/methodology/approach

The results are part of a nationwide survey on scientific information and documentation with 432 directors of French public research laboratories conducted by the French Research Center CNRS in 2014.

Findings

The paper presents empirical results about data production (types), management (human resources, IT, funding, and standards), data sharing and related needs, and highlights significant disciplinary differences. Also, it appears that RDM and data sharing is not directly correlated with the commitment to open access. Regarding the FAIR data principles, the paper reveals that 68 per cent of all laboratory directors affirm that their data production and management is compliant with at least one of the FAIR principles. But only 26 per cent are compliant with at least three principles, and less than 7 per cent are compliant with all four FAIR criteria, with laboratories in nuclear physics, SSH and earth sciences and astronomy being in advance of other disciplines, especially concerning the findability and the availability of their data output. The paper concludes with comments about research data service development and recommendations for an institutional RDM policy.

Originality/value

For the first time, a nationwide survey was conducted with the senior research management level from all scientific disciplines. Surveys on RDM usually assess individual data behaviours, skills and needs. This survey is different insofar as it addresses institutional and collective data practice. The respondents did not report on their own data behaviours and attitudes but were asked to provide information about their laboratory. The response rate was high (>30 per cent), and the results provide good insight into the real support and uptake of RDM by senior research managers who provide both models (examples for good practice) and opinion leadership.
Entrepreneurial women’s networks: the case of D’Uva – Portugal wine girls
Authors: Santos Gina , Marques Carla Susana , Ratten Vanessa
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess women winemakers’ motivations for and objectives in creating a formal, horizontal, and inter-organizational network in Portugal. To this end, an analysis was carried out of the practical case of a network of women wine producers from some of the main wine regions of Portugal (i.e. D’Uva – Portugal Wine Girls).

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative data analysis was carried out of in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven wine producers and the network manager. The content analysis of interviews was done with QSR International’s NVivo Version 11 software.

Findings

The results support the conclusion that the D’Uva – Portugal Wine Girls network promotes the creativity and innovation fundamental to communicating unique features to consumers. These are narrated in a feminine, cohesive, and united voice and supported by a passion for winemaking. The network is open to adding other women producers, which could contribute to its growth and further sharing of knowledge, contacts, and experiences.

Research limitations/implications

The findings provide a better understanding of the processes of internationalization and networking among women winemakers in Portugal.

Practical implications

The benefits of this network in terms of relationships were examined, showing that the stimulation of better performance and the effects of antecedents were important in the creation and formalization of the network.

Originality/value

This research sought to contribute to the literature on female entrepreneurship and, more specifically, networks of entrepreneurial women. The findings stress that, through the formalization of networks, women can gain more advantages, namely, sharing knowledge and experiences, increasing their level of internationalization, and expanding their networks.
An investigation into respiratory health problems of workers at stone crushing industries in Bangladesh
Authors: Kabir Ehtesham , Islam Aminul , Taufikuzzaman Md.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Occupational exposure to dust is a major health and safety concern for workers in developing countries. Such laborers are often exposed to dust without being aware of its threat to their health. In the process of crushing stone, mineralogical materials are released into the environment. The material includes dust, fumes, ashes or other industrial waste which may constitute toxic elements. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the respiratory health problems of stone crushing industry workers in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional descriptive research study was conducted by adopting a multi-method approach. Data were collected by use of a questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, in-depth interview and spirometric examinations. Focus group discussions and questionnaire surveys were conducted among 240 workers. The respondents were divided in six groups for the spirometric examination. The questionnaire was formulated by following standards set by the American Thoracic Society Division of Lung Disease questionnaire and European Coal and Steel Community. Data on respondent’s height, weight and smoking habits were collected by using a structured checklist. Meanwhile, lung functions were assessed by spirometry. A Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results show that there was a significant relation between respiratory problems and inhalation of dust and particulate matter and cigarette smoking. It also shows that coughing was the most common problem among the respondents. The majority of respondents suffered from obstructive types of respiratory problems.

Originality/value

Findings of the study reveals that chronic exposure to dust at stone crushing plants increases the risk of respiratory problems and the impaired lung function of workers. It also reveals that there is a significant relation between respiratory problems and inhalation of dusts and cigarette smoking. Raising awareness about health risks amongst workers could reduce these health hazards. The government should make a national policy for the prevention, control and elimination of silica exposure and silicosis. The results would help to raise awareness of the issue. Finally, it would raise awareness on respiratory health problems of workers at stone crushing industries in Bangladesh and help the government to make a policy for the prevention, control and elimination of silica exposure and silicosis, and thus enhancing public health policy and practices in the country.
A proposed scheme for sentiment analysis
Authors: Tofighy Sajjad , Fakhrahmad Seyed Mostafa
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a statistical and context-aware feature reduction algorithm that improves sentiment classification accuracy. Classification of reviews with different granularities in two classes of reviews with negative and positive polarities is among the objectives of sentiment analysis. One of the major issues in sentiment analysis is feature engineering while it severely affects time complexity and accuracy of sentiment classification.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a feature reduction method is proposed that uses context-based knowledge as well as synset statistical knowledge. To do so, one-dimensional presentation proposed for SentiWordNet calculates statistical knowledge that involves polarity concentration and variation tendency for each synset. Feature reduction involves two phases. In the first phase, features that combine semantic and statistical similarity conditions are put in the same cluster. In the second phase, features are ranked and then the features which are given lower ranks are eliminated. The experiments are conducted by support vector machine (SVM), naive Bayes (NB), decision tree (DT) and k-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithms to classify the vectors of the unigram and bigram features in two classes of positive or negative sentiments.

Findings

The results showed that the applied clustering algorithm reduces SentiWordNet synset to less than half which reduced the size of the feature vector by less than half. In addition, the accuracy of sentiment classification is improved by at least 1.5 per cent.

Originality/value

The presented feature reduction method is the first use of the synset clustering for feature reduction. In this paper features reduction algorithm, first aggregates the similar features into clusters then eliminates unsatisfactory cluster.
An evaluation of the design and construction of energy management platform for public buildings based on WSR system approach
Authors: Ji Boya , Liu Yuming , Jin Zhanyong
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to utilise a “Wuli-Shili-Renli (WSR)” system approach to create models for complex smart building energy management and evaluate the establishment of a building energy management platform.

Design/methodology/approach

The complexity and diversity of the data and demands of the energy management platform mean that it is necessary to analyse comprehensively. This paper uses a WSR system approach to handle, and optimise, the relationship between demands and participants and improve the whole platform. Then, this paper establishes comprehensive evaluation models to analysis the current energy management platforms by using the best integration platform as the baseline.

Findings

The WSR conceptual model clarifies the relationship between the elements and elements of the energy management platform clearly and provides the appropriate analytical methods with which to resolve key platform construction issues. The comprehensive evaluation based on a WSR system approach can take into account the systematic effect, so it is more accurate.

Research limitations/implications

The correlation degree between the layers of the energy management platform is rarely reflected.

Originality/value

This paper improves the modelling method used in the WSR system approach and demonstrates that the comprehensive evaluation based on the WSR system approach analyses the energy management platform for public buildings in a synthetic approach.
Gender and propensity to risk in advanced countries
Authors: Lago Maria , Delgado Catarina , Castelo Branco Manuel
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the way in which gender and propensity to risk are associated in two samples, one of entrepreneurs and the other of non-entrepreneurs, while controlling for other factors, namely, national cultures.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of data from 19 advanced countries, and by using two different samples, one of entrepreneurs and the other of non-entrepreneurs, the authors have used logistical regression analysis to analyse the relation between gender and propensity to risk has been used.

Findings

Findings suggest that gender and culture are much stronger in influencing risk propensity among non-entrepreneurs than among entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

Instead of analysing the effects of propensity to risk in entrepreneurship, as is usually done, the authors study some of its determinants, highlighting the differences between men and women.
The importance of individual heterogeneity for interpreting faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in wildlife studies
Authors: Coppes Joy , Kämmerle Jim‐Lino , Willert Mirjam , Kohnen Annette , Palme Rupert , Braunisch Veronika
Published: March 2018

As a non‐invasive and inexpensive method, the use of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) analysis in wildlife research is increasing. Various environmental factors have been shown to influence FGM levels, or faecal corticosteroid metabolites (FCM) levels in birds, but most studies do not account for inter‐individual variance, which we hypothesized may substantially affect results.

We combined FCM analysis with genetic analysis to identify the sex and individual's identity in samples collected in three consecutive winters; with repeated samples per individual, across the entire range of an endangered population of capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in south‐western Germany. Using generalized additive mixed models, we modelled FCM levels as a function of sex, season and environmental covariates at two spatial scales: location and home range. We compared two models: one including information on the individual animal and the other excluding this information (i.e. naïve model) to assess the influence of individual heterogeneity on the results obtained.

Models accounting for inter‐individual differences explained 44.0% and 45.1% (at the location and home‐range scale respectively), while only very little (4.0% and 5.1%, respectively) was explained by the environmental predictors. When ignoring individual effects, the model results changed considerably with other, previously non‐informative predictors, becoming significant.

In the full models, accounting for inter‐individual variance, weather conditions had no effect at either scale. FCM levels were negatively correlated with habitat quality at the sampling location, while human recreation at the home‐range scale led to elevated FCM levels. In the naïve models, two additional predictors appeared significant: one weather variable at the local scales and two at the home‐range scale. In all models, seasonal FCM patterns differed significantly between males and females.

Synthesis and applications. By combining faecal corticosteroid metabolites (FCM) analysis with genetic individual assessment, we demonstrate that individual heterogeneity can explain most of the variance in faecal corticosteroid metabolites levels and that ignoring this information can lead to erroneous conclusions when testing for environmental stressors. We therefore stress the importance of identifying individuals when studying faecal corticosteroid metabolites in wildlife and recommend combining faecal corticosteroid metabolites analyses with genetic analyses to adequately address this issue.
Projecting the recovery of a long‐lived deep‐sea coral species after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using state‐structured models
Authors: Girard Fanny , Shea Katriona , Fisher Charles R.
Published: March 2018

Deepwater coral communities are hotspots of diversity and biomass. Most deep‐sea coral species are long‐lived and slow‐growing and are, thus, expected to recover slowly after disturbance. A better understanding of the recovery potential of these organisms is necessary to make appropriate management decisions.

We used data from high‐resolution monitoring of individual coral colonies that were impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (April 2010) to parameterize and validate an annual, impact‐dependent, state‐structured matrix model to estimate the time to recovery for each coral colony. We projected the dynamics of three branch states: visibly healthy, unhealthy and hydroid‐colonized. Although we implicitly included branch loss in the model, we focused on the short‐term return of extant, damaged branches to a visibly healthy state and did not consider the far longer term regrowth of lost branches.

Our model estimates that, depending on the initial level of impact, corals impacted by the spill will take up to three decades to recover to a state where all remaining branches appear healthy, though the majority of corals are projected to reach that state within a decade. By that time, some of these colonies will have lost a significant number of branches, leading to approximately 10% reduction in total biomass at all impacted sites.

Overall, our model overestimates recovery, but branch loss estimates were reliable. Thus, the available growth rate data suggest that hundreds of years may be necessary for impacted communities to grow back to their initial biomass.

Policy implications. Our study quantifies the very slow recovery rate of deep‐sea corals impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and demonstrates the imperative of prioritizing a precautionary approach for deep‐sea ecosystems over restoration after the fact. As anthropogenic pressure on the deep sea is likely to increase, we suggest the establishment of coral monitoring sites implemented as part of Marine Protected Areas to limit and detect impact to deep‐sea corals. Furthermore, our model may be used to plan shorter‐ and longer‐term monitoring programmes after impact and to provide a timeline for policy.
A unified model for optimizing riverscape conservation
Authors: Erős Tibor , O'Hanley Jesse R. , Czeglédi István
Published: March 2018

Spatial prioritization tools provide a means of finding efficient trade‐offs between biodiversity protection and the delivery of ecosystem services. Although a large number of prioritization approaches have been proposed in the literature, most are specifically designed for terrestrial systems. When applied to river ecosystems, they often fail to adequately account for the essential role that landscape connectivity plays in maintaining both biodiversity and ecosystem services. This is particularly true of longitudinal connectivity, which in many river catchments is highly altered by the presence of dams, stream‐road crossings, and other artificial structures.

We propose a novel framework for coordinating river conservation and connectivity restoration. As part of this, we formulate an optimization model for deciding which subcatchments to designate for ecosystem services and which to include in a river protected area (RPA) network, while also deciding which existing river barriers to remove in order to maximize longitudinal connectivity within the RPA network. In addition to constraints on the size and makeup of the RPA network, the model also considers the suitability of sites for conservation, based on a biological integrity index, and connectivity to multiple habitat types. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach using a case study involving four managed river catchments located in Hungary.

Results show that large increases in connectivity‐weighted habitat can be achieved through targeted selection of barrier removals and that the benefits of barrier removal are strongly depend on RPA network size. We find that (i) highly suboptimal solutions are produced if habitat conservation planning and connectivity restoration are done separately and (ii) RPA acquisition provides substantially greater marginal benefits than barrier removal given limited resources.

Synthesis and applications. Finding a balance between conservation and ecosystem services provision should give more consideration to connectivity restoration planning, especially in multi‐use riverscapes. We present the first modelling framework to directly integrate and optimize river conservation and connectivity restoration planning. This framework can help conservation managers to account better for connectivity, resulting in more effective catchment scale maintenance of biological integrity and ecosystem services delivery.
The Effect of Medicaid on Management of Depression: Evidence From the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment
Authors: BAICKER KATHERINE , ALLEN HEIDI L. , WRIGHT BILL J. , TAUBMAN SARAH L. , FINKELSTEIN AMY N.
Published: March 2018

Policy Points:

We take advantage of Oregon's Medicaid lottery to gauge the causal effects of Medicaid coverage on mental health care, how effectively it addresses unmet needs, and how those effects differ for those with and without a history of depression.

Medicaid coverage reduced the prevalence of undiagnosed depression by almost 50% and untreated depression by more than 60%. It increased use of medications and reduced the share of respondents reporting unmet mental health care needs by almost 40%.

There are likely to be substantial mental health consequences of policy decisions about Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.

Context

Expanding Medicaid to previously uninsured adults has been shown to increase detection and reduce the prevalence of depression, but the ways that Medicaid affects mental health care, how effectively it addresses unmet needs, and how those effects differ for those with and without a history of depression remain unclear.

Methods

We take advantage of Oregon's Medicaid lottery to gauge the causal effects of Medicaid coverage using a randomized‐controlled design, drawing on both primary and administrative data sources.

Findings

Medicaid coverage reduced the prevalence of undiagnosed depression by almost 50% and untreated depression by more than 60%. It increased use of medications frequently prescribed to treat depression and related mental health conditions and reduced the share of respondents reporting unmet mental health care needs by almost 40%. The share of respondents screening positive for depression dropped by 9.2 percentage points overall, and by 13.1 for those with preexisting depression diagnoses, with greatest relief in symptoms seen primarily in feeling down or hopeless, feeling tired, and trouble sleeping—consistent with the increase observed not just in medications targeting depression but also in those targeting sleep.

Conclusions

Medicaid coverage had significant effects on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of a population with substantial unmet mental health needs. Coverage increased access to care, reduced the prevalence of untreated and undiagnosed depression, and substantially improved the symptoms of depression. There are likely to be substantial mental health consequences of policy decisions about Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.
Transformation of the Health Care Industry: Curb Your Enthusiasm?
Authors: BURNS LAWTON R. , PAULY MARK V.
Published: March 2018

Policy Points:

Policymakers seek to transform the US health care system along two dimensions simultaneously: alternative payment models and new models of provider organization.

This transformation is supposed to transfer risk to providers and make them more accountable for health care costs and quality.

The transformation in payment and provider organization is neither happening quickly nor shifting risk to providers. The impact on health care cost and quality is also weak or nonexistent.

In the longer run, decision makers should be prepared to accept the limits on transformation and carefully consider whether to advocate solutions not yet supported by evidence.

Context

There is a widespread belief that the US health care system needs to move “from volume to value.” This transformation to value (eg, quality divided by cost) is conceptualized as a two‐fold movement: (1) from fee‐for‐service to alternative payment models; and (2) from solo practice and freestanding hospitals to medical homes, accountable care organizations, large hospital systems, and organized clinics like Kaiser Permanente.

Methods

We evaluate whether this transformation is happening quickly, shifting risk to providers, lowering costs, and improving quality. We draw on recent evidence on provider payment and organization and their effects on cost and quality.

Findings

Data suggest a low prevalence of provider risk payment models and slow movement toward new payment and organizational models. Evidence suggests the impact of both on cost and quality is weak.

Conclusions

We need to be patient in expecting system improvements from ongoing changes in provider payment and organization. We also may need to look for improvements in other areas of the economy or to accept and accommodate prospects of modest improvements over time.
Geographic Variation in Household and Catastrophic Health Spending in India: Assessing the Relative Importance of Villages, Districts, and States, 2011‐2012
Authors: MOHANTY SANJAY K. , KIM ROCKLI , KHAN PIJUSH KANTI , SUBRAMANIAN S.V.
Published: March 2018

Policy Points:

Per‐capita household health spending was higher in economically developed states and was associated with ability to pay, but catastrophic health spending (CHS) was equally high in both poorer and more developed states in India.

Based on multilevel modeling, we found that the largest geographic variation in health spending and CHS was at the state and village levels, reflecting wide inequality in the accessibility to and cost of health care at these levels.

Contextual factors at macro and micro political units are important to reduce health spending and CHS in India.

Context

In India, health care is a local good, and households are the major source of financing it. Earlier studies have examined diverse determinants of health care spending, but no attempt has been made to understand the geographical variation in household and catastrophic health spending. We used multilevel modeling to assess the relative importance of villages, districts, and states to health spending in India.

Methods

We used data on the health expenditures of 101,576 households collected in the consumption expenditure schedule (68th round) carried out by the National Sample Survey in 2011‐2012. We examined 4 dependent variables: per‐capita health spending (PHS), per‐capita institutional health spending (PIHS), per‐capita noninstitutional health spending (PNHS), and catastrophic health spending (CHS). CHS was defined as household health spending exceeding 40% of its capacity to pay. We used multilevel linear regression and logistic models to decompose the variation in each outcome by state, region, district, village, and household levels.

Findings

The average PHS was 1,331 Indian rupees (INR), which varied by state‐level economic development. About one‐fourth of Indian households incurred CHS, which was equally high in both the economically developed and poorer states. After controlling for household level factors, 77.1% of the total variation in PHS was attributable to households, 10.1% to states, 9.5% to villages, 2.6% to districts, and 0.7% to regions. The pattern in variance partitioning was similar for PNHS. The largest interstate variation was found for CHS (15.9%), while the opposite was true for PIHS (3.2%).

Conclusions

We observed substantial variations in household health spending at the state and village levels compared with India's districts and regions. The large variation in CHS attributable to states indicates interstate inequality in the accessibility to and cost of health care. Our findings suggest that contextual factors at the macro and micro political units are important to reduce India's household health spending and CHS.
On matters of mind and body: regarding Descartes
Authors: Urban Elizabeth
Published: March 2018

In this paper the author considers Descartes’ place in current thinking about the mind‐body dilemma. The premise here is that in the history of ideas, the questions posed can be as significant as the answers acquired. Descartes’ paramount question was ‘How do we determine certainty?’ and his pursuit of an answer led to cogito ergo sum. His discovery simultaneously raised the question whether mind is separate from or unified with the body. Some who currently hold that brain and subjectivity are unified contend that the philosopher ‘split’ mind from body and refer to ‘Descartes’ error’. This paper puts forward that Descartes’ detractors fail to recognise Descartes’ contribution to Western thought, which was to introduce the Enlightenment and to give a place to human subjectivity. Added to this, evidence from Descartes’ correspondence with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia supports the conclusion that Descartes did in fact believe in the unity of mind and body although he could not reconcile this rationally with the certainty from personal experience that they were separate substances. In this Descartes was engaged in just the same dilemma as that of current thinkers and researchers, a conflict which still is yet to be resolved.
No System Is Perfect: Understanding How Registration‐Based Editorial Processes Affect Reproducibility and Investment in Research Quality
Authors: BLOOMFIELD ROBERT , RENNEKAMP KRISTINA , STEENHOVEN BLAKE
Published: March 2018

The papers in this volume were published through a Registration‐based Editorial Process (REP). Authors submitted proposals to gather and analyze data; successful proposals were guaranteed publication as long as the authors lived up to their commitments, regardless of whether results supported their predictions. To understand how REP differs from the Traditional Editorial Process (TEP), we analyze the papers themselves; conference comments; a survey of conference authors, reviewers, and attendees; and a survey of authors who have successfully published under TEP. We find that REP increases up‐front investment in planning, data gathering, and analysis, but reduces follow‐up investment after results are known. This shift in investment makes individual results more reproducible, but leaves articles less thorough and refined. REP could be improved by encouraging selected forms of follow‐up investment that survey respondents believe are usually used under TEP to make papers more informative, focused, and accurate at little risk of overstatement.
Analyzing Approaches to the Backlog of Untested Sexual Assault Kits in the U.S.A.
Authors: Wang Can , Wein Lawrence M.
Published: March 2018

Motivated by the debate over how to deal with the huge backlog of untested sexual assault kits in the U.S.A., we construct and analyze a mathematical model that predicts the expected number of hits (i.e., a new DNA profile matches a DNA sample in the criminal database) as a function of both the proportion of the backlog that is tested and whether the victim–offender relationship is used to prioritize the kits that are tested. Refining the results in Ref. (Criminol Public Policy, 2016, 15, 555), we use data from Detroit, where government funding was used to process ≈15% of their backlog, to predict that prioritizing stranger kits over nonstranger kits leads to only a small improvement in performance (a 0.034 increase in the normalized area under the curve of the hits vs. proportion of backlog tested curve). Two rough but conservative cost‐benefit analyses—one for testing the entire backlog and a marginal one for testing kits from nonstranger assaults—suggest that testing all sexual assault kits in the backlog is quite cost‐effective: for example, spending ≈$1641 to test a kit averts sexual assaults costing ≈$133,484 on average.
Frequency of Respiratory Nursing Diagnoses and Accuracy of Clinical Indicators in Preterm Infants
Authors: Avena Marta José , Pedreira Mavilde da Luz Gonçalves , Bassolli de Oliveira Alves Lucas , Herdman T. Heather , de Gutiérrez Maria Gaby Rivero
Published: March 2018

PURPOSE

To identify the frequency of the nursing diagnoses,ineffective breathing pattern, impaired gas exchange and impaired spontaneous ventilationin newborns; and, to analyze the accuracy of diagnostic indicators identified for each of these diagnoses.

METHODS

This was a cross‐sectional study conducted with a nonprobability sample of 92 infants. Data collected were represented by demographic and clinical variables, clinical indicators of the three respiratory nursing diagnoses from NANDA International, and were analyzed according to frequency and agreement between pairs of expert nurses (Kappa).

FINDINGS

Ineffective breathing patternwas identified in 74.5% of infants;impaired gas exchangewas noted in 31.5%;impaired spontaneous ventilationwas found in 16.8% of subjects.Use of accessory muscles to breatheshowed the highest sensitivity forineffective breathing pattern; abnormal blood gaseshad the best predictive value forimpaired gas exchange. Use of accessory muscles to breathehad the highest sensitivity forimpaired spontaneous ventilation.

CONCLUSIONS

Ineffective breathing patternwas the most frequently identified;use of accessory muscles, alteration in depth of breathing, abnormal breathing, anddyspneawere the most representative signs/symptoms.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Early recognition of respiratory conditions can support safe interventions to ensure appropriate outcomes.