bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Work-related use of information and communication technologies after hours and employee fatigue: the exacerbating effect of affective commitment
Authors: Lee Soohyun , Zhou Zhiqing E. , Xie Julan , Guo Hao
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Work-related use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) after hours can be potentially detrimental to employee well-being. In the current study, we examine whether psychological detachment mediates the link between work-related use of ICTs after hours and fatigue and whether affective commitment exacerbates this mediated relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

We collected two waves of data from 295 employees in Vietnam, with 51% being female and an average age of 37.81 years old (SD = 7.93).

Findings

Work-related use of ICTs after hours was positively related to employees' fatigue via psychological detachment. The negative relationship between work-related use of ICTs after hours and psychological detachment was stronger for employees with higher affective commitment.

Practical implications

Organizations are encouraged to set policies and procedures to reduce work-related use of ICTs after hours to protect employee health; when work-related use of ICTs after hours is necessary, organizations should provide employees, especially those with higher affective commitment, with resources and strategies to better detach from this experience.

Originality/value

Our findings contribute to the understanding of how work-related use of ICTs after hours might adversely affect employee well-being through psychological detachment and that more committed employees can be more affected in this process.
Discriminant analysis application to understand the usage of digital channels while buying a car
Authors: Dahiya Rekha , Sachar Dimpy
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Role of digital channels in car buying has increased manifold and consumers are making significant use of various digital channels throughout the decision-making process. However, there are very less number of studies available if one wishes to understand the specific reason(s) for the use of a particular digital channel of communication. This study deals with the identifications of the reason(s) leading towards the usage of particular digital channel of communication while buying a car.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative methodology was adopted for the study. A total of 10 digital channels namely the websites, social networking sites, YouTube, Smartphones, Online communities, Digital TV, Digital Outdoors, e-mails and others were considered in the study. Data was collected from 603 car buyers from Delhi using digital channels of communication.

Findings

The results of the study revealed that Website and YouTube were used for being compatible. Social networking sites, smartphones, digital outdoors and e-mails were used for being informative. Online communities were used for offering customers and experts' reviews. Digital TV was used for being easy to use.

Research limitations/implications

The study considers the respondents from Delhi only. A more representative sample covering various parts of the country would offer more relevant results for the marketers as digital divide existing between rural and urban India cannot be simply ignored.

Practical implications

The study reveals that car buyers are making ample usage of digital channels wherein website is the most used digital channel and smartphones are the most used digital devices used by the car buyers.

Social implications

Study also reveals that car buyers might use search engines to reach the marketer's website, so effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategies should be adopted. Important keywords used in the search engines should be used in the website as well as in the links.

Originality/value

Majority of the available studies use digital as an umbrella term for myriad digital channels. So understanding about the usage of specific channel of communication remains an under-researched area. Such understanding strengths and broadens the existing knowledge about technology mediated consumer behaviour especially in extended problem-solving product category.
Impact of digital financial inclusion on ASEAN banking stability: implications for the post-Covid-19 era
Authors: Banna Hasanul , Alam Md Rabiul
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how digital financial inclusion (DFI) can be a potential factor to maintain banking stability in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and whether the relationship could bring a possible implication for the post-Covid-19 pandemic era.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an unbalanced panel data of 213 banks of 4 ASEAN countries, the study has deployed principal component analysis, ordinary least square, two-step dynamic system generalised method of moments and panel corrected standard errors techniques.

Findings

The empirical study finds that the full-fledged application of DFI accelerates the ASEAN banking stability which not only decreases the default risk of the banks but also upturns the financial mobility in the region. The results also suggest that ASEAN banks are, with the implementation of DFI, likely to uphold the banking sector stability by reducing liquidity crisis and non-performing loans during and in the post-Covid-19 era. Therefore, accelerating digital finance in ASEAN countries is considered as one of the significant means for the banking sector stability that subsequently leads to economic and financial resilience even in the face of any crises.

Originality/value

Prevailing studies have mostly investigated the association between financial inclusion and banking stability in different contexts. However, this study is unique to empirically investigate the association between DFI and the ASEAN banking stability.
Creating a sustainable tourism model in North Cyprus during the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Ertac Murude , Cankan Erel
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore the strategies adopted by tourism and hospitality businesses in North Cyprus during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis also points to sustainable tourism approaches that could be adopted in the post-Covid-19 period.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative methodology was used to collect detailed information from 20 tourism and hospitality business owners operating in North Cyprus.

Findings

The findings illustrate the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on tourism and hospitality operations in North Cyprus and reveal how businesses have coped and responded to these challenges. Some operators have been able to adapt and their actions provide indicators for a sustainable tourism business model in North Cyprus.

Practical implications

The study draws on the experiences of business owners and reveals how they have sought to sustain their operations during the uncertain conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Social implications

The findings of this study could assist government agencies in the construction of sector-specific support programs for tourism and hospitality businesses.

Originality/value

The adverse effect of Covid-19 on tourism and hospitality operations is a current topic that needs to be analyzed. This study draws on the experiences of practitioners to analyze the competitive strategies used by tourism and hospitality businesses in North Cyprus.
Achieving sustainable development goals through agritourism in Algeria
Authors: Ait-Yahia Ghidouche Kamila , Nechoud Lamia , Ghidouche Faouzi
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on the concept of agritourism and how its development and promotion can contribute to the achievement of a number of sustainable development objectives, including those related to reducing inequalities, fighting poverty, sustainable consumption and production and ensuring food security.

Design/methodology/approach

Professionals and experts in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture and tourism were interviewed to better understand the challenges of agritourism and how it could contribute to the achievement of sustainable development objectives in mountainous and arid regions.

Findings

The results highlight the environmental, economic and social benefits that can be derived from the practice of agritourism and how this can be a distinguishing feature for a country in which conventional tourism is struggling to develop. participation in farm life for various activities is a key element of any agritourism activity. The results also confirmed the various benefits of the practice, both for farmers and tourists and that it contributed directly to the achievement of certain objectives such as poverty alleviation, reduction of inequalities, food security and preservation of water resources.

Research limitations/implications

This research has certain limitations, the first being the fact that it is a qualitative study and the results cannot be extrapolated; second, it only took into account the point of view of a certain category of people, namely, experts and tourism professionals.

Originality/value

New elements were also identified, in particular, concerning certain perceived risks related to the practice of agritourism such as bio-piracy or damage to national heritage, as well as the appropriation and use of ancestral practices for commercial purposes by other countries.
Gamma4: a genetically versatile Gammaproteobacterial nifH phylotype that is widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean
Authors: Cheung Shunyan , Zehr Jonathan P. , Xia Xiaomin , Tsurumoto Chihiro , Endo Hisashi , Nakaoka Shin‐ichiro , Mak Wingkwan , Suzuki Koji , Liu Hongbin
Published: May 2021

Despite the increasing reports of non‐cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs) in pelagic waters, only one NCD (GammaA) has been relatively well described, whose genome and physiology are still unclear. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the biogeography and ecophysiology of a widely distributed NCD, Gamma4. Gamma4 was the most abundant Gammaproteobacterial NCD along transects across the subtropical North Pacific. Using quantitative PCR, Gamma4 was detectable throughout the surface waters of North Pacific (7°N–55°N, 138°E–80°W), whereas GammaA was detected at <2/3 of the stations. Gamma4 was abundant during autumn‐winter and positively correlated with chlorophyll a, while GammaA thrived during spring‐summer and was positively correlated with temperature. Environmental clones affiliated with Gamma4 were widely detected in pelagic waters, oxygen minimum zones and even dinoflagellate microbiomes. By analysing the metabolic potential of a genome of Gamma4 reconstructed from the Tara Oceans dataset, we suggest that Gamma4 is a versatile heterotrophic NCD equipped with multiple strategies in scavenging phosphate (and iron) and for respiratory protection of nitrogenase. The transcription of nitrogenase genes is putatively regulated by Fnr‐NifL‐NifA and GlnD‐GlnK systems that respond to intracellular oxygen and glutamate concentration. These results provide important implications for the potential life strategies of pelagic NCDs.
Abuse of Rights in English Contract Law: Hidden in Plain Sight?
Authors: Rowan Solène
Published: May 2021

The article argues that the fetters on the exercise of unilateral contractual discretionary powers that were defined in Braganza v BP Shipping Ltd and the limits on damages clauses as redefined in Cavendish Square Holding BV v Talal El Makdessi are imposed to prevent the abuse of contractual rights or freedoms and this is suggestive that a broader principle against the abuse of rights might be at work in English contract law. Whilst English law has traditionally been understood as rejecting a free‐standing and general doctrine of abuse of rights, the article explains why this should not be regarded as an obstacle to the proposed analysis. In both the context of contractual discretion and damages clauses, the central importance of abuse is evident from the tests that are applied, the factors that the authorities tell us are relevant to their application and both the high bar for the court to intervene and the flexibility of the relevant standards, which filter out only the most egregious and inadmissible cases.
Overseas immigration of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), invading Korea and Japan in 2019
Authors: Wu Ming‐Fei , Qi Guo‐Jun , Chen Hui , Ma Jian , Liu Jie , Jiang Yu‐Ying , Lee Gwan‐Seok , Otuka Akira , Hu Gao
Published: May 2021

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), spread rapidly in Africa and Asia recently, causing huge economic losses in crop production. Fall armyworm caterpillars were first detected in South Korea and Japan in June 2019. Here, the migration timing and path for FAW into the countries were estimated by a trajectory simulation approach implementing the insect's flight behavior. The result showed that FAWs found in both South Korea and Japan were estimated to have come from eastern China by crossing the Yellow Sea or the East China Sea in 10–36 h in three series of migrations. In the first series, FAW moths that arrived on Jeju Island during 22–24 May were estimated to be from Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian Provinces after 1–2 nights’ flights. In the second series, it was estimated that FAW moths landed in southern Korea and Kyushu region of Japan simultaneously or successively during 5–9 June, and these moths mostly came from Guangdong and Fujian Provinces. The FAW moths in the third series were estimated to have immigrated from Taiwan Province onto Okinawa Islands during 19–24 June. During these migrations, southwesterly low‐level jets extending from eastern China to southern Korea and/or Japan were observed in the northwestern periphery of the western Pacific Subtropical High. These results, for the first time, suggested that the overseas FAW immigrants invading Korea and Japan came from eastern and southern China. This study is helpful for future monitoring, early warning and the source control of this pest in the two countries.
Authoritarian exclusion and laissez‐faire inclusion: Comparing the punishment of men convicted of sex offenses in England & Wales and Norway*
Authors: Ievins Alice , Mjåland Kristian
Published: May 2021

Comparative penologists have described neoliberal and social democratic jurisdictions as though they exist at opposite ends of a continuum of inclusion and exclusion, and as though neoliberal states are inactive and social democratic states are invasive. This article, which is based on more than 129 interviews with men convicted of sex offenses in England & Wales and Norway, uses Cohen's work on inclusion and McNeill's typology of rehabilitative forms to complicate this simplistic binary. It argues that the punishment of men convicted of sex offenses in England & Wales was demanding but exclusionary; it imposed strict legal restrictions on these men during and after their imprisonment, blocking them from engaging in social and moral rehabilitation and providing a limited and treacherous route to change. In Norway, punishment operated in a way that was formally inclusionary but surprisingly laissez‐faire: Prisoners retained their legal rights during and after their incarceration, but the lack of opportunities to discuss their offending meant that their sentences were rarely experienced as meaningful, and their formal inclusion was not enough for them to feel substantially included after release.
Artificial intelligence in clinical decision support and outcome prediction – applications in stroke
Authors: Yeo Melissa , Kok Hong Kuan , Kutaiba Numan , Maingard Julian , Thijs Vincent , Tahayori Bahman , Russell Jeremy , Jhamb Ashu , Chandra Ronil V. , Brooks Mark , Barras Christen D. , Asadi Hamed
Published: May 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making a profound impact in healthcare, with the number of AI applications in medicine increasing substantially over the past five years. In acute stroke, it is playing an increasingly important role in clinical decision‐making. Contemporary advances have increased the amount of information – both clinical and radiological – which clinicians must consider when managing patients. In the time‐critical setting of acute stroke, AI offers the tools to rapidly evaluate and consolidate available information, extracting specific predictions from rich, noisy data. It has been applied to the automatic detection of stroke lesions on imaging and can guide treatment decisions through the prediction of tissue outcomes and long‐term functional outcomes. This review examines the current state of AI applications in stroke, exploring their potential to reform stroke care through clinical decision support, as well as the challenges and limitations which must be addressed to facilitate their acceptance and adoption for clinical use.
Do Foreign Component Auditors Harm Financial Reporting Quality? A Subsidiary‐Level Analysis of Foreign Component Auditor Use*
Authors: Docimo William M. , Gunn Joshua L. , Li Chan , Michas Paul N.
Published: May 2021

We hypothesize and find that financial reporting quality at the foreign subsidiaries of US multinational companies (MNCs) is higher when the MNC's principal auditor engages a component auditor to audit the foreign subsidiary on its behalf. An important innovation of this study is that we focus on comparing the financial reporting quality of equivalent subsidiaries with and without component auditor work. Our approach contrasts with extant studies that examine the consequences of variation in the total amount of component auditor work at the MNC level. Our results are important for two reasons. First, we provide an alternative view on the consequences of component auditor use compared to the emerging literature in this area, which typically finds a negative association between the extent of component auditor use and financial reporting quality at the MNC level. Thus, we show that a different research design, conducted at the level at which component auditors actually perform their work, yields different inferences. Second, we demonstrate that using component auditors on US MNC group audits is an avenue through which US auditing institutions can affect financial reporting quality in foreign locations. We also reconcile our subsidiary‐level results to the MNC level by introducing a new MNC‐level component auditor “coverage” variable. Overall, we highlight that the best way to audit a foreign subsidiary is likely to be with a component auditor in the local country, which informs the debate surrounding recently proposed PCAOB guidance.
Role of color flow Doppler ultrasound in the evaluation of acute scrotal pain
Authors: Gupta Akshya , Dogra Vikram
Published: May 2021

Color flow Doppler ultrasound is a critical tool in the assessment of the scrotum. Ultrasound is the first‐line imaging modality and can rapidly differentiate between surgical and nonsurgical conditions, allowing for appropriate and prompt patient management. We review the role of color flow Doppler in the evaluation of acute scrotal pain, highlighting some of the most commonly seen pathologies such as epididymo‐orchitis and testicular torsion.
Sex and age differences in lower urinary tract dysfunction in healthy children
Authors: Salö Martin , Nejstgaard Malin Carvahlo , Hambraeus Mette , Graneli Christina , Börjesson Anna , Hagelsteen Kristine , Stenström Pernilla
Published: May 2021

Aim

Information about healthy children's urinary tract symptoms is scarce but would be helpful in children with congenital urinary tract conditions. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction (LUTD) questionnaire.

Methods

A 15‐item questionnaire based on definitions by the International Children's Continence Society (ICCS) about urinary tract function, was given to children 4–15 years old with no gastrointestinal or urinary tract conditions. The study was approved ethically.

Results

The response rate was 82% (311/377), 50% (n = 155) were girls. Children were of the age groups 3.5–7 years (n = 136), 8–12 years (n = 127), and 13–15 years (n = 48). More girls than boys reported urinary tract infections (20% vs 3%, p < 0.001), while prevalences of incontinence and enuresis were equivalent in both sexes. In the youngest age group, enuresis was the most frequently reported symptom (11%), then daytime incontinence (10%). The older children more frequently reported previous urinary tract infections (12% and 17% in respective groups) and daytime incontinence (9% and 6%, respectively).

Conclusion

A LUTD questionnaire is developed and evaluated within this study. Daytime urinary incontinence is the overall most common lower urinary tract symptom and girls report infections more frequently than boys.
Oral health: Epidemiology and concordance in Australian children and parents
Authors: Stormon Nicole , Clifford Susan , Lange Katherine , Mangoyana Clare , Ford Pauline , Wake Melissa , Lalloo Ratilal
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Studying parent‐child pair health provides the opportunity to identify risk factors and opportunities for oral health prevention and intervention focusing on the family context. The aim of this study was to describe the oral health of children aged 11‐12 years and their parents in a national sample of parent‐child dyads in Australia.

Methods

The Child Health CheckPoint is a study of 11 to 12‐year‐old children and one parent nested within the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, a nationally representative cohort study. In 2015‐16, the study collected two‐dimensional photographic intra‐oral images and was scored using visual assessments of the teeth, oral hygiene and malocclusion.

Results

Of the 1874 CheckPoint families, 1396 biological parent‐child pairs had at least one oral health measure recorded. Over two‐thirds of children had moderate to severe gingival inflammation (69.7%, 95%CI 64.7‐74.9). Parents had a lower proportion of poor oral hygiene (2.1%, 95% CI 1.4‐3.0) than children (13.0%, 95% CI 11.3‐14.9). High concordance was seen in the Modified Gingival Index correlation coefficient 0.49 (95%CI 0.44‐0.53).

Conclusion

The high concordance in gingival health between child‐parent pairs supports the familial and behavioural links established in previous studies. Children had poorer oral hygiene but fewer visible dental caries lesions than their parents. As dental caries is a chronic and cumulative disease, preventive interventions targeting children's oral hygiene are needed.
Novel STAT-3 gain-of-function variant with hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent infection phenotype
Authors: Erdős Melinda , Tsumura Miyuki , Kállai Judit , Lányi Árpád , Nyul Zoltán , Balázs György , Okada Satoshi , Maródi László
Published: May 2021

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) gain-of-function (GOF) syndrome is an early-onset monogenic inborn error of immunity characterized by multi-organ autoimmune disorders, growth failure and lymphoproliferation. We describe that STAT-3 GOF syndrome may be presented with hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent severe upper and lower respiratory tract infections. In addition, the patient had lymphoproliferation, short stature and interstitial lung disease. Chest computerized tomography examinations showed mild bronchiectasis with areas of non-fibrosing alveolar-interstitial disease and maldevelopment of bilateral first ribs. Using Sanger sequencing, we revealed a novel c.508G>C, p.D170H STAT-3 variant affecting the coiled coil domain of STAT-3. Functional studies confirmed that p.D170H was a GOF variant, as shown by increased phosphorylated STAT-3 (pSTAT-3) and STAT-3 transcriptional activity. Our observation suggests that STAT-3 GOF syndrome can manifest in early childhood with hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent severe respiratory tract infections. We suggest that patients with lymphoproliferation, hypogammaglobulinemia and severe recurrent infections should be screened for STAT-3 variants, even if autoimmune manifestations are missing.
Strategies for engaging policy stakeholders to translate research knowledge into practice more effectively: Lessons learned from the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project
Authors: Vallance Kate , Stockwell Tim , Wettlaufer Ashley , Giesbrecht Norman , Chow Clifton , Card Kiffer G. , Farrell‐Low Amanda
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Evidence‐based alcohol policies have the potential to reduce a wide range of related harms. Yet, barriers to adoption and implementation within governments often exist. Engaging relevant stakeholders may be an effective way to identify and address potential challenges thereby increasing reach and uptake of policy evaluation research and strengthening jurisdictional responses to alcohol harms.

Methods

As part of the 2019 Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project, we conducted interviews with government stakeholders across alcohol‐related sectors prior to a second round of researcher‐led policy assessments in Canada's 13 provinces and territories. Stakeholders were asked for feedback on the design and impact of an earlier policy assessment in 2013 and for recommendations to improve the design and dissemination strategy for the next iteration. Content analysis was used to identify ways of improving stakeholder engagement.

Results

We interviewed 25 stakeholders across 12 of Canada's 13 jurisdictions, including representatives from government health ministries and from alcohol regulation, distribution and finance departments. In providing feedback on our stakeholder engagement strategy, participants highlighted the importance of maintaining ongoing contact; presenting results in accessible online formats; providing advance notice of results; and offering jurisdiction‐specific webinars.

Discussion and Conclusions

This study offers important insight into the engagement preferences of government stakeholders involved in the health, regulation, distribution and financial aspects of alcohol control policy. Findings suggest that seeking input from stakeholders as part of conducting evaluation research is warranted; increasing the relevance, reach and uptake of results. Specific stakeholder engagement strategies are outlined.
Environmental range per unit space determines a unimodal pattern of species richness along a heterogeneity gradient
Authors: Zhou Qing Shi , Gao Yang , Ma Zong Cheng , Tang Long
Published: May 2021

Although many studies have focused on the effects of the environment and area on local patterns of species richness, few studies have demonstrated how to reconcile the availability of more niches with smaller habitat areas in heterogeneous localities. Here, the environmental range that a species prefers was defined as a niche; a space was defined as an available space if the environmental range of the space matches a niche; and the metric ‘environmental range per unit space (ERUS)' was presented to describe the heterogeneity of localities. Because the spaces with stressful environmental ranges, outside the niche, increased with increasing heterogeneity, available spaces did not continue to indefinitely increase, but the proportion of available spaces in spaces was low at high heterogeneous localities. Consequently, the probability of species occurring in their respective available spaces was unimodal. Due to the presence of large spaces in homogenous localities and more spaces in heterogeneous localities, the interval distances between nonadjacent spaces were large in these localities. Together, the changes in the number and proportion of available spaces and distance between spaces determined the unimodal probability of species dispersing into their respective available spaces. Thus, the probability of species coexisting was unimodal because it is important for coexisting species to grow in their respective available spaces. The probability of population extinction increased with increasing heterogeneity because the available spaces became narrower. In this way, the ERUS strongly influence species richness: a unimodal richness along the heterogeneity gradient occurred in suitable, suboptimal and stressful environments and a unimodal algae richness occurred in a lake and river. These results challenge the viewpoint that richness increases with heterogeneity, providing information about the conservation of richness in very homogeneous and heterogeneous regions, and highlighting the importance of balancing the roles of environment and space in understanding and predicting richness.
Time to integrate oral health screening into medicine? A survey of primary care providers of older adults and an evidence‐based rationale for integration
Authors: Vernon Lance T. , Teng Kathryn A. , Kaelber David C. , Heintschel Gregory P. , Nelson Suchitra
Published: May 2021

Objective

Primary care providers were assessed regarding their training and interest to screen oral conditions in patients ≥55 years old.

Background

Oral health (OH) is an essential component of overall health and can affect systemic health. Medical/dental integration in older adults is underdeveloped.

Methods

A brief survey assessed primary care providers' self‐reported skills, practices and barriers towards integrating OH screening into adult primary care. Data were collected using Survey Monkey®. Respondents were physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) working at a large mid‐western safety‐net hospital. Descriptive statistics, T‐tests and Chi‐squared tests were reported.

Results

Eighty‐two of 202 participants (41%) completed the survey. Most respondents were female (75%). A majority were physicians (68%); the remainder APPs. All providers (100%) reported OH was important or extremely important to overall health. More physicians (93%) reported not being well‐trained to address adult OH issues and perceived less medical‐oral health integration in their practice (16%) compared to APPs (P < .05). Time was more of a barrier with APPs (74%), compared to physicians (51%), to integrate OH screening activities (P < .05). Most providers reported other barriers such as inadequate OH training and insurance coverage. Providers endorsed that OH should be assessed frequently (56%) including providing referrals to dentists (77%) and educating patients on oral‐systemic issues (63%). More female than male providers endorsed dental referrals and educating patients (P < .05).

Conclusion

Primary care providers embraced greater medical/dental integration for older adults. Instituting OH activities appears to be supported. Future interventions that are feasible in primary care settings are examined.
Chemical composition and calorific value of elephant grass varieties and other feedstocks intended for direct combustion
Authors: Marafon Anderson Carlos , Amaral André Felipe Câmara , Machado Juarez Campolina , Carneiro Jailton da Costa , Bierhals Adriana Neutzling , Guimarães Victor dos Santos
Published: May 2021

Perennial grasses display several positive attributes as suitable energy crops for use as a solid fuel for direct combustion, such as high annual production of dry matter per unit area, perennity and high harvest flexibility. This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition and calorific value of 18 elephant grass (EG) varieties (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) and 10 other potential bioenergy feedstocks intended for direct combustion. Samples were obtained from 6‐month‐old EG and sorghum and 3‐year‐old eucalyptus, Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia, and bamboo plants. Sugarcane bagasse and straw, rice husk, corn stover, coconut husk, and fiber samples were also evaluated. The elemental composition, lower heating value (LHV), and cellulose (CEL), hemicellulose (HCEL), lignin (LIG) and ash contents (% dry matter) were analyzed. The results indicated that the EG genotypes showed significant differences when compared with other evaluated biomasses, but showed no differences among themselves. The EG varieties showed a mean LHV (16.7 MJ/kg) superior to that of rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, and sorghum and similar to that of sugarcane straw, coconut fiber, and corn stover. The EG varieties showed a mean ash content (4.74%) inferior to that of rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, coconut fiber, and sorghum; a mean CEL content (36.0%) similar to that of sugarcane straw, coconut fiber, corn stover, sorghum, and Mimosa caesalpinifolia; HCEL; a mean HCEL content (30.3%) superior to that of rice husk, bamboo, eucalyptus, M. caesalpinifolia, coconut husk, and fiber; and a mean LIG content (8.80%) superior to that of corn stover and similar to that of sorghum, sugarcane bagasse, and straw biomass. The significant capacity of EG to accumulate dry matter was associated with the biomass quality attributes (LHV and CEL, HCEL, LIG, and ash contents), thereby making it an excellent alternative to lignocellulosic feedstock for direct combustion.
Report of the 22nd nationwide follow‐up Survey of Primary Liver Cancer in Japan (2012–2013)
Authors: Kudo Masatoshi , Izumi Namiki , Kokudo Norihiro , Sakamoto Michiie , Shiina Shuichiro , Takayama Tadatoshi , Tateishi Ryosuke , Nakashima Osamu , Murakami Takamichi , Matsuyama Yutaka , Takahashi Arata , Miyata Hiroaki , Kubo Shoji
Published: May 2021

In the 22nd Nationwide Follow‐up Survey of Primary Liver Cancer in Japan, data from 21 155 newly registered patients and 43 041 previously registered follow‐up patients were compiled from 538 institutions over a 2‐year period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. Basic statistics compiled for patients newly registered in the 22nd survey were cause of death, past medical history, clinical diagnosis, imaging diagnosis, treatment‐related factors, pathologic diagnosis, recurrence status and autopsy findings. Compared with the previous 21st survey, the population of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was older at the time of clinical diagnosis, had more female patients, more patients with non‐B non‐C HCC, smaller tumor diameter and was more frequently treated with hepatectomy. Cumulative survival rates were calculated for HCC, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (combined HCC and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma) by treatment type and background characteristics for patients newly registered between 2002 and 2013 whose final outcome was survival or death. Median overall survival and cumulative survival rates for HCC were calculated by dividing patients by combinations of background factors (number of tumors, tumor diameter or Child–Pugh grade) and by treatment type (hepatectomy, radiofrequency ablation therapy, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and systemic therapy). The same values were also calculated according to registration date by dividing patients newly registered between 1978 and 2013 into five time period groups. The data obtained from this nationwide follow‐up survey are expected to contribute to advancing clinical research and treatment of primary liver cancer worldwide.
User involvement in the making: Positions and types of knowledge enacted in the interaction between service users and researchers in user panel meetings
Authors: Koren Solvang Per , Sveen Unni , Søberg Helene Lundgaard
Published: May 2021

Background

Numerous studies of user involvement in research have been conducted. However, there is a lack of studies applying observational methods and addressing the concrete practice of involvement.

Objective

To determine what knowledge types and competences users apply when involved in the research process through user panel meetings.

Design

User panel meetings in a qualitative project in rehabilitation were sound‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis applied an abductive approach framed by positioning theory.

Setting and participants

Six rehabilitation service users and a similar number of researchers met 20 times during a six‐year project period. They discussed various issues in the research process such as interview guides, analysis and dissemination of results.

Findings

The service users combined their respective knowledge and competence into six positions enacted in the panel interactions. They engaged as co‐researchers, based their contributions on their respective personal histories, represented an NGO and peers, applied their respective professional and educational backgrounds and, finally, engaged as concerned citizens.

Discussion and conclusion

The findings add to the discussion of professionalization of user involvement by introducing a wider array of positions enacted than do the findings of previous studies. Researchers recruiting user panel members, as well as NGOs appointing candidates for user panels, are advised to consider a wide competence profile for possible candidates. A panel is also considered as a resource in confirming and elaborating on a study's findings.

Patient and public contribution

A service user panel contributed to the study.
Health literacy: The role of NHS library and knowledge services
Authors: Naughton Joanne , Booth Kerry , Elliott Paula , Evans Morag , Simões Maria , Wilson Suzanne
Published: May 2021

Health literacy is key to person‐centred, preventative healthcare and is both a societal and individual responsibility. This feature describes work undertaken by Health Education England, the Community Health and Learning Foundation and NHS Library and Knowledge Services to raise awareness among NHS staff and other key partners of the impact of low health literacy. It highlights a range of health literacy resources and ideas for developing and adapting these tools for remote delivery during and post‐pandemic.

D.I.
Expanding conceptual understanding of interview anxiety and performance: Integrating cognitive, behavioral, and physiological features
Authors: Constantin Kaytlin L. , Powell Deborah M. , McCarthy Julie M.
Published: May 2021

Interview anxiety is common among interviewees and has the potential to undermine an applicant's interview performance. Nevertheless, there is much that we do not understand about the role of anxiety in job interviews. In this paper, we advance a conceptual model that highlights the multidimensional nature of interview anxiety by incorporating its cognitive, behavioral, and physiological components, termed the Tripartite Interview Anxiety Framework (TIAF). This model highlights the role of person, interviewer, and contextual characteristics in shaping interview anxiety, elucidates the underlying relations between interview anxiety and performance, and delineates critical moderators of these important relations. In doing so, the TIAF simultaneously advances the theory of interview anxiety, promotes further work in this area, and highlights implications for practice.
“I am making good money, but …”: The precarious situation of Polish nurses in Norway
Authors: Goździak Elżbieta M. , Main Izabella
Published: May 2021

Precarity is defined as precarious existence, lacking in predictability, job security, material or psychological welfare. In migration studies, precarity is often associated with low wages, “illegality” and “deportability.” Based on field research, this article focuses on Polish nurses working in Norway. As health professionals and citizens of the European Union, they do not possess the stereotypical characteristics of precarious workers. They are neither low skilled or poorly compensated nor unauthorised. Our findings emphasise multiple sources of Polish nurses’ precarity in Poland – multiple low‐wage jobs, poor life‐work balance – and in Norway – short‐time assignments, variable working hours, high levels of mobility and challenges in family reunification. Precarity in Norway stemmed from policies that left recruitment of foreign‐born nurses in the hands of private agencies acting without an oversight of the Norwegian Health Directorate. Norway subscribes to the WHO ethical recruitment principles, but it falls short in monitoring private recruitment agencies.
Hair glucocorticoids in adults with intellectual disabilities and depressive symptoms pre‐ and post‐bright light therapy: First explorations
Authors: Hamers Pauline C. M. , Savas Mesut , van Rossum Elisabeth F. C. , de Rijke Yolanda B. , Bindels Patrick J. E. , Festen Dederieke A. M. , Hermans Heidi
Published: May 2021

Background

Depressive symptoms and stress are common in adults with intellectual disabilities. Our aim was to explore long‐term biological stress levels, assessed by hair cortisol (HairF) and cortisone (HairE) concentrations, in adults with intellectual disabilities and depressive symptoms and to investigate the effects of bright light therapy (BLT) on hair glucocorticoids.

Method

Scalp hair samples (n = 14) were retrospectively examined at baseline and post‐BLT (10.000 and 300 lux). Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure hair glucocorticoids.

Results

A significant correlation was found between baseline HairF and depression scores (r = .605, p = .028). Post‐intervention HairE levels were significantly increased ([95% CI: 11.2–17.4 pg/mg], p = .003), in particular after dim light (300 lux) ([95% CI: 10.0–18.3 pg/mg], p = .020).

Conclusions

This study showed that retrospectively examining biological levels of stress in adults with intellectual disabilities seems a potentially promising and objective method to gain insight in the stress level of adults with intellectual disabilities.
GLCCI1 reduces collagen deposition and airway hyper‐responsiveness in a mouse asthma model through binding with WD repeat domain 45B
Authors: Xun Qiufen , Kuang Jiulong , Yang Qing , Wang Wei , Zhu Guofeng
Published: May 2021

Asthma is a serious public health problem worldwide, without effective therapeutic methods. Our previous study indicated that glucocorticoid‐induced transcript 1 gene (GLCCI1) knockout reduces the sensitivity to glucocorticoid in asthmatic mouse. Here, we explored the role and action mechanism of GLCCI1 in asthma development. In ovalbumin‐sensitized mice, airway resistance and tissue damage increased, the production of inflammatory cytokines were up‐regulated, GLCCI1 expression was reduced and autophagy was activated. Increasing of GLCCI1 inhibited human and mouse airway epithelial cell (AEC) autophagy, while decreasing of GLCCI1 promoted autophagy. Furthermore, we found that GLCCI1 bound with WD repeat domain 45B (WDR45B) and inhibited its expression. Increasing of WDR45B partly reversed the inhibition of GLCCI1 to autophagy‐related proteins expression and autophagosome formation in vitro. Increasing of WDR45B in vivo reversed the improvement of GLCCI1 on airway remodelling in asthma and the inhibition to autophagy level in lung tissues. Overall, our data showed that GLCCI1 improved airway remodelling in ovalbumin‐sensitized mice through inhibiting autophagy via combination with WDR45B and inhibiting its expression. Our results proved a new idea for asthma treatment.
Movement ecology of black marlin Istiompax indica in the Western Indian Ocean
Authors: Rohner Christoph A. , Bealey Roy , Fulanda Bernerd M. , Everett Jason D. , Richardson Anthony J. , Pierce Simon J.
Published: May 2021

The black marlin Istiompax indica is an apex marine predator and is susceptible to overfishing. The movement ecology of the species remains poorly known, particularly within the Indian Ocean, which has hampered assessment of their conservation status and fisheries management requirements. Here, we used pop‐up archival satellite tags to track I. indica movement and examine their dispersal. Forty‐nine tags were deployed off Kenya during both the north‐east (November–April) and south‐west (August–September) monsoon seasons, providing locations from every month of the year. Individual I. indica were highly mobile and track distance correlated with the duration of tag attachment. Mean track duration was 38 days and mean track distance was >1800 km. Individuals dispersed in several directions: north‐east into Somalian waters and up to northern Oman, east towards the Seychelles, and south into the Mozambique Channel. Their core habitat shifted seasonally and overlapped with areas of high productivity off Kenya, Somalia and Oman during the first half of the year. A second annual aggregation off the Kenyan coast, during August and September, did not coincide with high chlorophyll‐a (chl‐a) concentrations or thermal fronts, and the drivers of the species' presence and movement from this second aggregation was unclear. We tested their habitat preferences by comparing environmental conditions at track locations to the conditions at locations along simulated tracks based on the empirical data. Observed I. indica preferred cooler water with higher chl‐a concentrations and stayed closer to the coast than simulated tracks. The rapid and extensive dispersal of I. indica from Kenya suggests that there is likely a single stock in the Western Indian Ocean, with individuals swimming between areas of high commercial catches off northern Somalia and Oman, and artisanal and recreational fisheries catches throughout East Africa and Mozambique.
Rapid re‐transplantation safety following early kidney graft loss
Authors: Rodríguez‐Espinosa Diana , Broseta José Jesús , Hermida Evelyn , Cuadrado Elena , Guillén‐Olmos Elena , Montagud‐Marrahi Enrique , Diekmann Fritz
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Early graft loss is a devastating kidney transplant complication associated with high mortality and an increased risk of sensitization to antigens from the failed graft. Moreover, if rapid re‐transplantation were to occur, given that the human leukocyte antigen antibodies identification may not be reliable until several weeks after transplantation, the recipient's immunological status would be uncertain. Hence, there could be an increased immunological risk. To date, there is no information on whether a rapid re‐transplantation after early graft loss, without a new reliable anti‐HLA determination, is safe.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed the number of rejections and the graft survival of re‐transplanted patients with early graft loss (defined as graft failure before 30 days from transplant) from our centre between June 2003 and November 2019. The studied population was divided into rapid re‐transplantation (performed within 30 days of early graft loss) and late re‐transplantation (performed beyond those 30 days).

Results

Forty‐seven patients were re‐transplanted after early graft loss. There were nine rapid re‐transplantation cases with an 89% five‐year graft survival and one antibody‐mediated rejection episode. Furthermore, we identified 38 cases of late re‐transplantation with a 69% five‐year graft survival, 4 T cell‐mediated, and 11 antibody‐mediated rejections.

Conclusions

Rapid re‐transplantation appears to be safe and does not entail increased rejection risk, nor does it impact long‐term graft survival when compared to late re‐transplantation.