bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Labour 4.0: developing competences for smart production
Authors: Heidemann Lassen Astrid , Waehrens Brian Vejrum
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine how companies develop and acquire competences to capture the benefits of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. The authors argue that this is a fundamental and often overlooked prerequisite for industrial transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct a process study of 33 small- and medium-sized companies engaged in the transformation of a manufacturing industry from the different perspectives of manufacturers or manufacturing solution providers.

Findings

Key findings indicate a strong link between the specific competence development approach, the specific intricacies of the application domain and the process outcomes. On this basis, a competence development framework is proposed.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions are drawn from a Danish population of companies in the manufacturing industry and are based on particular contingencies, such as low volume/high mix, high skill, low tech and high cost. However, the findings are believed to be applicable across different sets of contingencies where the need to combine legacy and emerging technologies is present, and where the human factor is central to leveraging technology beyond predefined supplier specifications.

Practical implications

In a time of extraordinary investments in the manufacturing of technologies in support of digital transformation, the development of strategic and operational competences to support these investments is lagging behind. This paper develops a conceptual outset for closing this gap.

Originality/value

The research is based on the fundamental argument that to efficiently apply new technology, a strategic approach to the acquisition of new knowledge and skills is required. The empirical research demonstrates that new skills and knowledge are often assumed to follow automatically from the use of new technologies. However, we demonstrate that this perspective in fact limits the ability to capture the potential benefits ascribed to I4.0 technologies. The authors propose that the competence strategy needs to be expansive and cover not only the technological competences but also the organizational- and individual-level competences. These results add to our understanding of how the digital transformation of manufacturing companies unfolds.
The whistleblower stages model in British National Health Service Inquiries
Authors: Powell Martin
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This article applies the whistleblowing stages model to whistleblowing journeys as seen in British National Health Service (NHS) Inquiries.

Design/methodology/approach

It provides a qualitative analysis of Inquiry Reports since 2001, using Interpretive Content Analysis to allocate material to stages.

Findings

It is found that the Inquiry Reports show a wide variety of reporting mechanisms, but that most persons initially report internally. It seems to confirm recent suggestions that WB is often not a “one off” or simple and linear process, but a protracted process. While the simple stages model may be appropriate for individual “whistle-blowing incident” by a single whistleblower, it needs to be revised for the protracted process of raising concerns in a variety of ways by different people as shown in the Inquiry Reports.

Research limitations/implications

The evidence is confined to the publicly available material that was presented in the Inquiry Reports.

Practical implications

It provides a template to apply to cases of whistleblowing, and provides some baseline material.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to explore the whistleblowing stages model using qualitative material to one setting over time.
Mental health support needs within Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities: a qualitative study
Authors: Thompson Rebecca May , Stone Bridie Victoria , Tyson Philip John
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) people within the UK and the Republic of Ireland are underrepresented within research and policies despite high rates of mental illness and suicide. This study aims to explore the mental health (MH) support needs for GRT people within the British Isles.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with nine self-identified GRT people.

Findings

The analysis revealed a longing for acceptance, both within and outside the GRT community; barriers to help seeking, specifically unsuitable services, poor awareness, stigma and distrust; and increased vulnerability owing to participants’ perceived lack of prospects and adverse life events.

Originality/value

Despite increased vulnerability, MH services are underutilised by GRT people for a variety of cultural and practical reasons. To reduce the current inequality, it is imperative that services take steps to increase accessibility. This study expands upon previous research by using the voices of GRT people themselves, creating a narrative built from their own emic perspectives. Unlike previous research, this study focuses exclusively on the MH of participants and includes participants from across the British Isles.
Untangling innovation: an examination of compensation, corporate social responsibility, and corporate financial performance
Authors: Miles Patti Collett , Angelis John N.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine how highly innovative firms behave differently from their peers to become profitable. The authors investigate this through two distinct groups, one group of firms that have appeared on the Forbes 100 most innovative firms for 5 out of the past 10 years and a carefully curated control group.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a matched sample of 190 distinct firms, all with 10 years of historical data, the authors conduct a series of regressions and two mediated models. This method enables the examination of several possible differentiators for highly innovative firms, namely, CEO Pay, CEO Pay Ratio, Median Employee Pay and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Findings

In all, the authors conducted five separate hypothesis tests, all with statistical significance. Of note, the authors find innovative companies do pay employees more, engage in more CSR acts and are more profitable than peer companies. In a mediated regression model, the authors also find that the median employee pay fully mediates the relationship between firm innovation and corporate financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study first shows that these highly innovative firms do not reach a position to rely merely on their innovation reputation to be profitable or attract eager employees. The authors find no relationship between years on the Forbes 100 list and profitability, median pay or total CSR in the data.

Practical implications

This research uses commonly available data to explore how innovative firms behave. Rather than being single-mindedly focused on innovation, results indicate that innovative elite firms are more generous (in employee pay) and concerned about non-profit factors (CSR) than their peers. Innovative firms are then able to do all this and remain profitable. An additional implication of this research is that managers should prioritize CSR. CSR is not just a tool for less innovative companies to distinguish themselves or firms with low reputations to rehabilitate themselves.

Social implications

As a society, we are living through unprecedented times concerning how we treat one another in the world. Often, the argument is made that firms should specialize, optimize and be strategically focused. However, highly innovative firms (often regarded as focused, specialized and optimized) in the sample show that paying people more and carrying out CSR is highly compatible with their success.

Originality/value

To the best of the researchers’ collective knowledge, this study is the only one of its kind to create and use such a robust data set, obtaining data from four different sources, namely, 10 years of Forbes top 100 innovative companies, SEC filing of the DEF 14 A for each company for two years, the Kinder, Lyndenberg and Domini database for 10 years and Compustat data for 10 years.
Seagrass biomass and sediment carbon in conserved and disturbed seascape
Authors: Reyes Angeli Gabrielle B. , Vergara Ma. Camille S. , Blanco Ariel C. , Salmo Severino G.
Published: October 2021

Despite the Philippines having one of the widest extents and most diverse seagrasses, there are limited reports on the contribution of seagrass vegetation health to organic carbon (OC). Comparative assessments of OC between conserved and disturbed seagrass meadows in a seascape are also lacking. Conservation programs (e.g., marine protected area [MPA]) contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem health and OC storage in seagrass. However, disturbances may negate the effects of MPAs. Disturbances are often due to coastal development pressures linked to the need for industry, food production, and human settlement. Here, we assessed and compared the aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), and OC between conserved and disturbed seagrass meadows, then, tested its correlation with vegetation and water quality variables. The study was conducted in Oyon Bay (northwest Philippines), one of the key seascape MPAs in the Philippines. The bay experienced disturbances from a coal power plant, aquaculture, and human settlements for approximately 30 years. Results showed 7× higher AGB, 11× higher BGB, and 1.7× higher OC in conserved sites. The low biomass and OC values in the disturbed sites were correlated to poor vegetation and water quality conditions (particularly high turbidity [ρ = 0.38], high phosphates [ρ = −0.19], and low dissolved oxygen [ρ = −0.31]). Our study showed the effectiveness of MPAs in maintaining ecosystem health and OC in seagrass, but the magnitude of disturbances lessened the benefits from MPAs. Our results have implications on the over‐ or under‐estimation of carbon sequestration not just in Philippine seagrasses but also in most Southeast Asian countries facing similar coastal development pressures.
A perspective on insect–microbe holobionts facing thermal fluctuations in a climate‐change context
Authors: Iltis Corentin , Tougeron Kévin , Hance Thierry , Louâpre Philippe , Foray Vincent
Published: October 2021

Temperature influences the ecology and evolution of insects and their symbionts by impacting each partner independently and their interactions, considering the holobiont as a primary unit of selection. There are sound data about the responses of these partnerships to constant temperatures and sporadic thermal stress (mostly heat shock). However, the current understanding of the thermal ecology of insect–microbe holobionts remains patchy because the complex thermal fluctuations (at different spatial and temporal scales) experienced by these organisms in nature have often been overlooked experimentally. This may drastically constrain our ability to predict the fate of mutualistic interactions under climate change, which will alter both mean temperatures and thermal variability. Here, we tackle down these issues by focusing on the effects of temperature fluctuations on the evolutionary ecology of insect–microbe holobionts. We propose potentially worth‐investigating research avenues to (i) evaluate the relevance of theoretical concepts used to predict the biological impacts of temperature fluctuations when applied to holobionts; (ii) acknowledge the plastic (behavioural thermoregulation, physiological acclimation) and genetic responses (evolution) expressed by holobionts in fluctuating thermal environments; and (iii) explore the potential impacts of previously unconsidered patterns of temperature fluctuations on the outcomes and the dynamic of these insect–microbe associations.
Clinical predictors of nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin: Meta‐analysis and meta‐regression
Authors: Hirai Toshinori , Hosohata Keiko , Ogawa Yukari , Iwamoto Takuya
Published: October 2021

Teicoplanin is a glycopeptide antibiotic against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. However, the impact of clinical characteristics on nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin has not been determined. This meta‐analysis aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical characteristics and nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin. We identified clinical research published from January 1975 to June 2021 using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus, which described the nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin. Meta‐analysis determined the incidence of nephrotoxicity. Using meta‐regression analysis, we evaluated the impact of clinical characteristics on outcomes. Of the 567 articles, eight articles including 634 patients were analysed. The overall incidence of nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin was 11.0% (95% confidence interval: 8.0–13.0) for the fixed‐effect model. Additionally, patients with >65 years had a high trend for the risk of nephrotoxicity compared to those with ≤65 years (>65 years; 12.0% [95% confidence interval: 9.0–15.0] vs. ≤65 years; 7.0% [95% confidence interval: 3.0–12.0], p = 0.09) for the fixed‐effect model. Meta‐regression analysis demonstrated that only serum albumin level negatively correlated with the risk of nephrotoxicity (y = −17.0 x + 56.7, r = 0.74, p = 0.01). This meta‐analysis ascertained that hypoalbuminemia leads to nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin.
Inside the meetings: The role of managerial attitudes in approaches to information and consultation for employees
Authors: Kougiannou Nadia K. , Wilkinson Adrian , Dundon Tony
Published: October 2021

Managerial attitudes are often seen as critical to sustainable employee participation practices, yet very little is known about how managers act within employee voice fora. We examine managements’ decision to actively consult with employees, and by doing so contribute to industrial relations debates concerning the role of managerial prerogative and trust to better understand the attitudes of managers towards elected employee representatives. Using evidence from a 2‐year longitudinal study of non‐union employee representation, we report on how managements’ perception of risk about sharing information with employee representatives influences their decision as to how to consult with employees. The findings show that managers can be unwilling to share information with employee representatives, which constrains the depth and scope of consultation. The role of management decision‐makers, typically the I&C fora Chairperson, is highlighted as champion for, or obstacle to, consultation. Lastly, the data illustrate that I&C is viewed by management as a lower strategic organizational priority, and how extending worker voice is constrained by the importance management place on maintaining their presumed prerogative of control. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Expanding the genotypic spectrum of TXNL4A variants in Burn‐McKeown syndrome
Authors: Wood Katherine A. , Ellingford Jamie M. , Thomas Huw B. ,   Genomics UK Research Consortium, Douzgou Sofia , Beaman Glenda M. , Hobson Emma , Prescott Katrina , O'Keefe Raymond T. , Newman William G.
Published: October 2021

The developmental disorder Burn‐McKeown Syndrome (BMKS) is characterised by choanal atresia and specific craniofacial features. BMKS is caused by biallelic variants in the pre‐messenger RNA splicing factor TXNL4A. Most patients have a loss‐of‐function variant in trans with a 34‐base pair (bp) deletion (type 1 Δ34) in the promoter region. Here, we identified two patients with BMKS. One individual has a TXNL4A c.93_94delCC, p.His32Argfs *21 variant combined with a type 1 Δ34 promoter deletion. The other has an intronic TXNL4A splice site variant (c.258‐3C>G) and a type 1 Δ34 promoter deletion. We show the c.258‐3C>G variant and a previously reported c.258‐2A>G variant, cause skipping of the final exon of TXNL4A in a minigene splicing assay. Furthermore, we identify putative transcription factor binding sites within the 56 bp of the TXNL4A promoter affected by the type 1 and type 2 Δ34 and use dual luciferase assays to identify a 22 bp repeated motif essential for TXNL4A expression within this promoter region. We propose that additional variants affecting critical transcription factor binding nucleotides within the 22 bp repeated motif could be relevant to BMKS aetiology. Finally, our data emphasises the need to analyse the non‐coding sequence in individuals where a single likely pathogenic coding variant is identified in an autosomal recessive disorder consistent with the clinical presentation.
Idol Ads in the Seoul Metro: K‐pop Fandom, Appropriation of Subway Space, and the Right to the City
Authors: Fedorenko Olga
Published: October 2021

In the 2010s, a new phenomenon was spotted in the Seoul Metro. K‐pop fans began adorning subway stations with large ads congratulating their heroes—so‐called K‐pop idols—on their birthdays and other anniversaries. Not only have these fandom‐produced ads transformed the visual landscape of the Seoul Metro, they also invited novel spatial practices when fans, primarily young women, toured the ads to take photographs of and with them. Based on ethnographic observations, this article explores how fandom ads and fans visiting them make the Seoul Metro social and public in new ways. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, the article frames fans’ ads themselves and engagements they invite as assertions of the “right to the city,” and relates them to spatial interventions that reclaim urban spaces based on symbolic—not legal—ownership, such as murals and graffiti. The article argues that K‐pop idol ads recapture the Seoul Metro from domination by commercial advertisers’ interests and appropriate it as a space of fandom, particularly female fandom. It also contends that this reorganization of space carries implications for a broader reclamation of subway surfaces as urban resources.
Product attributes affecting the substitutability of saiga horn drinks among young adult consumers in Singapore
Authors: Lockwood Doughty Hunter , Lim Nicholas , Carrasco Luis Roman , Milner‐Gulland Eleanor Jane , Veríssimo Diogo
Published: October 2021

Globally, illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade can drive biodiversity loss. Understanding which product attributes consumers consider when deciding between products of threatened species or alternatives, is key for conservation interventions. Labeled Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) are underutilized in wildlife trade literature but can aid this understanding. In labeled DCEs, the alternatives presented to respondents have specific names (e.g., paracetamol) as opposed to being generic bundles (e.g., option A). We used a labeled DCE to assess young adult preferences toward “cooling water” used to treat fever and heatiness (a traditional Chinese medicine state of illness) in Singapore. One popular cooling water contains saiga horn, made from Critically EndangeredSaiga tataricaantelope. Data from 639 university‐enrolled respondents were analyzed using latent class models. Middle‐ to high‐income Chinese Singaporeans were the respondents most likely to choose saiga horn. Overall, however, respondents significantly preferred lower price products sold in nearby outlets—suggesting that for young adults in Singapore, saiga horn cooling water may be substitutable if its physical and financial availability is reduced.
Functional biogeography of marine vertebrates in Atlantic Ocean reefs
Authors: Waechter Luiza S. , Luiz Osmar J. , Leprieur Fabien , Bender Mariana G.
Published: October 2021

Aim

Marine vertebrates play key functional roles on reef ecosystems. Despite their phylogenetic distance, different vertebrate lineages could play similar functions on reefs, which has been overlooked by current research on marine functional biogeography. We provide the first comprehensive assessment of the functional structure and inventory of ecosystem functions delivered by 224 vertebrates—marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks, rays and bony fish—in Atlantic Ocean reefs.

Location

Atlantic Ocean reefs.

Methods

We compiled six species‐level traits and investigated geographical patterns of functional richness (FRic), functional uniqueness (FUn) and specialization (FSpe) in 83 assemblages. Additionally, we simulate the effects of marine vertebrate species’ extinction on functional diversity metrics.

Results

Sharks, rays and bony fish species had the highest overlap in functional space (30.94%), while turtles overlapped mainly with bony fishes (1.76%). The functional structure of vertebrate assemblages is not homogeneous across the Atlantic. While functional richness peaks in the Caribbean (a “functional hotspot”), this region depicts low‐to‐intermediate functional uniqueness and functional specialization levels. Despite the large proportion of threatened top predator species (53.1%), mainly large‐bodied sharks, it is the loss of mesopredator species that will severely impact (up to 94% of functional loss) the functional space of vertebrate assemblages in Atlantic Ocean reefs.

Main conclusions

Our study reveals that functional richness patterns of vertebrate assemblages differ across Atlantic Ocean reefs. Despite the low values of functional uniqueness and specialization in some reef assemblages, reef functioning can still be compromised due to species’ extinctions. The impact of mesopredators’ loss over the functional structure of vertebrate assemblages is worrisome since this group holds a considerable proportion of threatened species (20.1%) and is next in line considering the anthropogenic impacts over high trophic level species.
Survival, causes of death, and the prognostic role of comorbidities in chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the pre‐ibrutinib era: A population‐based study
Authors: Steingrímsson Vilhjálmur , Lund Sigrún H. , Dickman Paul W. , Weibull Caroline E. , Björkholm Magnus , Landgren Ola , Kristinsson Sigurður Y.
Published: October 2021

Objective

To evaluate temporal trends in survival and causes of death in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a nationwide study.

Methods

The cohort consisted of 13,009 Swedish CLL patients diagnosed 1982–2013. Relative survival (RS) and excess mortality rate ratios (EMRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using flexible parametric survival models. Cause‐specific hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for the linear effect of 10‐year increase in year of diagnosis.

Results

The excess mortality decreased comparing 2003–2013 to 1982–1992 (EMRR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.48–0.58). The 5‐year RS increased between 1982 and 2012 for patients >51 years at diagnosis and improved for patients ≤51 years after 2002. The rate of CLL‐specific deaths decreased over time (HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.75–0.81). Compared to patients with no comorbidity, patients with 1 and 2+ Charlson Comorbidity Index points had HR = 1.35 (95% CI 1.25–1.45) and HR = 1.47 (95% CI 1.37–1.57) for CLL‐related mortality, respectively.

Conclusion

Survival in CLL patients improved in the era of chemoimmunotherapy, and this was largely explained by reduced CLL‐related mortality. The increased rate of CLL‐related mortality in patients with comorbidities emphasizes the importance of the newer and better tolerated targeted therapy.
N2O hot moments were not driven by changes in nitrogen and carbon substrates or changes in N cycling functional genes
Authors: Barrat Harry A. , Charteris Alice F. , Le Cocq Kate , Abadie Maider , Clark Ian M. , Chadwick David R. , Cardenas Laura
Published: October 2021

If a dry soil is wetted it can produce a large flush of nitrous oxide (N2O), which can be 10 times above the background rate, this phenomenon is called a hot moment. However, there is uncertainty in the literature regarding the mechanisms that cause hot moments. Therefore, this study aimed to induce two different hot moments on soil cores to investigate changes in nitrogen (N) cycling functional genes, and correlate these changes with subsequent N2O emissions, and transformations in soil chemistry. We induced a ‘pre‐dry’ treatment which wetted soils from 50% to 90% water‐filled pore space (WFPS) and ‘pre‐wet’ treatment which wetted soils from 70% to 90% WFPS to analyse changes in gas fluxes (N2O, nitric oxide [NO] and carbon dioxide [CO2]), soil chemistry (pH, dissolved organic carbon [DOC], total oxidised nitrogen [TON], ammonium [NH4+]) and microbiology (bacterial 16S, fungal ITS and nitrogen cycling functional genes associated with denitrification). The soil produced emissions of N2O that were significantly higher for the pre‐dry treatment compared with the pre‐wet treatment (p = <0.001; 9 times that of the pre‐wet). The pre‐dry treatments did not prime the soil any more than the pre‐wet treatments for CO2 and NO emissions, and the results showed that the soils TON and DOC concentrations were significantly higher in the pre‐wet conditions despite its lower N2O emissions. This suggests that the cause of the hot moment was not as dependant on the soil's substrate concentrations as previously thought. Moreover, the amount of denitrification genes in the pre‐dry soil was statistically similar to the pre‐wet (nirK, norB, nifH, nosZI, nxrA), apart from nirS which was marginally higher (p = 0.03). Contrary to other experiments, this study provides evidence that changes in soil substrates and functional gene abundance are not the cause of N2O hot moments. We therefore suggest that future studies should investigate changes in mRNA abundance related to N cycling genes.

Highlights

Rewetting following drought caused a significant release of N2O.

The pre‐dry soil produced higher N2O fluxes but contained less key substrates (TOC, NH4+ and DOC) than the pre‐wet soil.

The pre‐dry and pre‐wet soil had a similar quantity of denitrification functional genes.

Differences in soil chemistry and denitrification functional genes between the pre‐dry and pre‐wet soil cannot explain the differences in N2O emissions.
Variation in insulin response to oral sugar test in a cohort of horses throughout the year and evaluation of risk factors for insulin dysregulation
Authors: Karikoski Ninja P. , Box Justin R. , Mykkänen Anna K. , Kotiranta Veikko V. , Raekallio Marja R.
Published: October 2021

Background

The oral sugar test (OST) is commonly used to diagnose insulin dysregulation (ID) and equine metabolic syndrome; however, possible seasonal changes in OST results have not been evaluated.

Objective

To determine the possible variation in insulin response to OST throughout the year and risk factors associated with maximum insulin concentration (InsMax) and ID.

Study design

Prospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Methods

The OST was performed on 29 Finnhorses every other month six times. Serum total adiponectin concentration and phenotypic variables related to obesity were also measured. Changes in InsMax, adiponectin, scale weight, body condition score, cresty neck score (CNS), and fasting glucose concentration were assessed. Risk factor analyses were performed on InsMax and ID status, and ID groups were compared with each other.

Results

Fourteen horses were categorised with non‐ID each time and 15 as having ID at least once during the follow‐up period. The ID status of 12 horses varied throughout the year, but neither the insulin variables measured during the OST nor adiponectin expressed significant seasonal variation. Increasing age and CNS, and decreasing adiponectin were observed as risk factors for a high InsMax after OST. The risk of ID was higher in horses with no exercise compared to horses with exercise (OR 7.6, 95% CI 1.2‐49.3, P = .03). Horses with ID had lower serum adiponectin concentrations, longer neck circumference and larger height than horses in the non‐ID group.

Main limitations

The environmental conditions (feeding, exercise) were not constant for all horses throughout the study and only one breed was used.

Conclusions

Neither OST results nor adiponectin varies with season; however, there were a substantial number of horses with variable ID status throughout the year, in which repeated OSTs may be beneficial. Lack of exercise was a risk factor for ID.
Improved multi‐criteria group decision‐making method considering hesitant fuzzy preference relations with self‐confidence behaviours for environmental pollution emergency response process evaluation
Authors: Liu Jun , Zhang Shengkai , Tu Yan , Li Liang , Li Zongmin
Published: October 2021

Environmental pollution is one of the major challenges in China, which seriously affects people's life, economy and society. This paper proposes a multi‐criteria group decision‐making method based on hesitant fuzzy preference relations with self‐confidence (HFPRs‐SC) behaviours and applies it to the evaluation of the environmental pollution emergency response process. Firstly, a comprehensive evaluation system is proposed that covers the environmental pollution emergency response process. Moreover, is utilized to obtain the normalized hesitant fuzzy preference relationship, and an algorithm that considers both the hesitant fuzzy preference value and the self‐confidence level is proposed to improve the consistency of HFPRs‐SC. In addition, combined with subjective and objective weights of experts, a weighted average operator based on the confidence level is applied to aggregate individual HFPR‐SC. Furthermore, the score function of HFPRs‐SC is designed to get the best ranking. Finally, a case study on an explosion accident in Fujian Province of China is conducted to verify the practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method with comparative analysis and sensitivity analysis. Based on the analysis, some suggestions are put forward for improving environmental pollution emergency response.
Warming increased bark beetle‐induced tree mortality by 30% during an extreme drought in California
Authors: Robbins Zachary J. , Xu Chonggang , Aukema Brian H. , Buotte Polly C. , Chitra‐Tarak Rutuja , Fettig Christopher J. , Goulden Michael L. , Goodsman Devin W. , Hall Alexander D. , Koven Charles D. , Kueppers Lara M. , Madakumbura Gavin D. , Mortenson Leif A. , Powell James A. , Scheller Robert M.
Published: October 2021

Quantifying the responses of forest disturbances to climate warming is critical to our understanding of carbon cycles and energy balances of the Earth system. The impact of warming on bark beetle outbreaks is complex as multiple drivers of these events may respond differently to warming. Using a novel model of bark beetle biology and host tree interactions, we assessed how contemporary warming affected western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis) populations and mortality of its host, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), during an extreme drought in the Sierra Nevada, California, United States. When compared with the field data, our model captured the western pine beetle flight timing and rates of ponderosa pine mortality observed during the drought. In assessing the influence of temperature on western pine beetles, we found that contemporary warming increased the development rate of the western pine beetle and decreased the overwinter mortality rate of western pine beetle larvae leading to increased population growth during periods of lowered tree defense. We attribute a 29.9% (95% CI: 29.4%–30.2%) increase in ponderosa pine mortality during drought directly to increases in western pine beetle voltinism (i.e., associated with increased development rates of western pine beetle) and, to a much lesser extent, reductions in overwintering mortality. These findings, along with other studies, suggest each degree (°C) increase in temperature may have increased the number of ponderosa pine killed by upwards of 35%–40% °C−1 if the effects of compromised tree defenses (15%–20%) and increased western pine beetle populations (20%) are additive. Due to the warming ability to considerably increase mortality through the mechanism of bark beetle populations, models need to consider climate's influence on both host tree stress and the bark beetle population dynamics when determining future levels of tree mortality.
Trajectories of neighbourhood inequality in Britain: Unpacking inter‐regional socioeconomic imbalances, 1971−2011
Authors: Patias Nikos , Rowe Francisco , Arribas‐Bel Dani
Published: October 2021

Persistent spatial inequalities represent a menace to economic progress, social cohesion and political stability. The UK stands out as one of the most unequal countries in the industrialised world. This paper investigates intra‐regional and inter‐urban inequalities at the neighbourhood level in Britain during a 40‐year period, 1971−2011. Using a novel dataset containing a temporal classification of neighbourhoods, we analysed seven representative trajectories of neighbourhood persistence and change unveiling pathways of socioeconomic progress, decline, persistent affluence and disadvantage. Results highlight the extent of geographic unbalance in the distribution of these trajectories. Socioeconomic progress trajectories have been widespread across British cities. Yet a small handful of cities have concentrated persistent affluent neighbourhoods, and persistent struggling neighbourhoods have prevailed in northern cities.
Reducing cytogenetic testing in the era of next generation sequencing: Are we choosing wisely?
Authors: Kawata Eri , Hedley Benjamin D. , Chin‐Yee Benjamin , Xenocostas Anargyros , Lazo‐Langner Alejandro , Hsia Cyrus C. , Howson‐Jan Kang , Yang Ping , Levy Michael A. , Santos Stephanie , Bhai Pratibha , Howlett Christopher , Lin Hanxin , Kadour Mike , Sadikovic Bekim , Chin‐Yee Ian
Published: October 2021

Introduction

In most laboratories, next generation sequencing (NGS) has been added without consideration for redundancy compared to conventional cytogenetics (CG). We tested a streamlined approach to genomic testing in patients with suspected myeloid and plasma cell neoplasms using next generation sequencing (“NGS first”) as the primary testing modality and limiting cytogenetics (CG) to samples with morphologic abnormalities in the marrow aspirate.

Methods

Based on morphologic interpretation of bone marrow aspirate and flow cytometry, samples were triaged into four groups: (a) Samples with dysplasia or excess blasts had both NGS and karyotyping; (b) Samples without excess blasts or dysplasia had NGS only; (c) Repeat samples with previous NGS and/or CG studies were not retested; (d) Samples for suspected myeloma with less than 5% plasma cell had CG testing cancelled.

Results

Seven hundred eleven adult bone marrow (BM) samples met the study criteria. The NGS first algorithm eliminated CG testing in 229/303 (75.6%) of patients, primarily by reducing repeat testing. Potential cost avoided was approximately $124 000 per annum. Hematologists overruled the triage comment in only 11/303 (3.6%) cases requesting CG testing for a specific indication.

Conclusions

Utilizing NGS as the primary genomic testing modality NGS was feasible and well accepted, reducing over three quarters of all CG requests and improving the financial case for adoption of NGS. Key factors for the success of this study were collaboration of clinical and genomic diagnostic teams in developing the algorithm, rapid turnaround time for BM interpretation for triage, and communication between laboratories.
George Yancy’s Across Black Spaces Before and During the Corona Disaster
Authors: Zack Naomi
Published: October 2021

George Yancy’s existential analyses of Black life in anti‐Black and anti‐intellectual US society have been evocative and magisterial. The different parts of his Across Black Spaces both reprise his earlier work and take it further with new notes of concern. I suggest that COVID‐19 is metaphysical, that Yancy’s work is uniquely important for studies of race in the United States and as an intervention in our collective intellectuality. However, I suggest that we might move discussions of race ahead by considering the intransigent nature of White racial status. (I begin and end this symposial review with discussion of my own existential situation.)
The Canada Trademarks Dataset
Authors: Sheff Jeremy N.
Published: October 2021

This article discloses and describes a new research dataset representing the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's historical archive of trademark applications. This individual‐application‐level dataset includes all applications since approximately 1980, and many preserved applications and registrations dating back to the beginning of Canada's trademark registry in 1865, totaling over 1.6 million application records. It includes comprehensive bibliographic and lifecycle data; trademark characteristics; goods and services claims; identification of applicants, attorneys, and other interested parties (including address data); detailed prosecution history event data; and data on application, registration, and use claims in countries other than Canada. Both the dataset and the code used to build and analyze it are presented for public use on open‐access terms at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4999655. This article uses the dataset to generate novel descriptive analyses of the performance of Canada's trademark registration system and the behavior of applicants for registration, both independently and in comparison to the United States and Australia. These analyses suggest that Canada's trademark registration system is substantially underperforming other nations with respect to efficiency of examination, and that recent statutory and regulatory changes in Canadian trademark law may have the effect of masking or even exacerbating this underperformance while decreasing the reliability of the Canadian trademark registry as an authoritative guide to trademarks used in Canadian commerce.
Diet and feeding behaviour of albacore Thunnus alalunga in the western Mediterranean Sea during the spawning period
Authors: Valls Maria , Saber Sámar , Gómez María José , Reglero Patricia , Mele Salvatore
Published: October 2021

Mature albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) are expected to have high energy requirements at the time of breeding. However, there are no descriptions of the diet of albacore in the Mediterranean Sea that can help us to understand if such requirements can be obtained from feeding during reproduction. In this study, we analysed the stomach contents of reproductively active albacore captured from 2010 to 2015 in the oligotrophic waters of the western Mediterranean Sea, one of their main spawning grounds. Estimates of stomach fullness revealed intense feeding activity, and prey composition indicated important consumption of mesopelagic fish, including barracudinas, myctophids and small pelagic crustaceans. Plastic debris occurred in 25%–53% of the stomachs sampled across all years. Prey composition was not different between males and females. However, females fed at higher rates and had higher hepatosomatic index values than males, suggesting that increased feeding could contribute to meet their higher energy demand associated with offspring production. We observed a diet shift from small crustaceans to fish prey along fish size. During the spawning period, albacore showed a specialist feeding behaviour by preying on aggregations of vertically migrating myctophids and small crustaceans, probably when they were near the surface. This study provides information and biological data to support ecosystem modelling and to increase the understanding of albacore ecology.
Ricardo Tapia (1940 – 2021)
Authors: Tovar‐y‐Romo Luis B. , Massieu Lourdes , Arias Clorinda
Published: October 2021

image
Capitalist trajectories in agrarian mountain societies of east and south‐east Arunachal, India
Authors: Harriss‐White Barbara , Mishra Deepak K. , Upadhyay Vandana
Published: October 2021

While the mountainous frontier regions of Arunachal have generated a literature celebrating their exceptional social diversity, less is known about Arunachal's rural political economy. Following village fieldwork in 2007 in northern districts, research in 2015 in East and South‐east Arunachal enables two aspects of agrarian transformation to be explored. First a comparison of the institutional transformation of land‐based resources between regions and over time. Second the identification of co‐existing accumulation trajectories: the forms taken by rural accumulation when the engines of capital accumulation are non‐agrarian transfers of state capital into the state and commercial capital originating outside the state, which exports profits. Since non‐Arunachali people are not allowed to own property in Arunachal, local accumulation is dominated by a socially‐segmented, multi‐tribal, rentier class, interlaced with Indian and global capital through extractions from state resources and extractive commodity exchange. The state's three roles: security, developmental and welfare, support these ethnicised accumulation trajectories.
Cashing in or driving development? Cross‐border traders and maize contract farming in northeast Laos
Authors: Cole Robert
Published: October 2021

Contract farming is receiving renewed attention in research and policy in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia, as countries continue to undergo varied agrarian transitions and agri‐food production has become increasingly regionalized. In northeast Laos, previously isolated upland communities have experienced rapid transformations resulting from contract production of hybrid maize, mainly for industrial feed processing and livestock in Vietnam. Based on extensive qualitative fieldwork in the Lao‐Vietnamese borderlands, this article explores the quasi‐“developmental” functions assumed by cross‐border traders, in the context of unfulfilled rural policy objectives, in which these “micro‐investors” provide informal extension and infrastructure to enable agricultural commercialization. The article examines the extent to which this dynamic is adequately captured by notions of patronage, or whether subtle mutual dependencies are at work, as livelihoods are rebalanced between subsistence and commodity crops in remote border landscapes.
Impact of introducing a lactation consultant into a neonatal unit
Authors: Broom Margaret , Youseman Mary‐Ellen , Kent Alison L
Published: October 2021

Aim

Benefits of mothers' own milk (MOM) for premature and sick neonates are well documented. To increase access, many neonatal units have a lactation consultant (LC) on staff. This study aimed to assess the impact of a permanent LC on (i) maternal access to LC support; (ii) staff confidence in providing Breast Feeding (BF) education and (iii) provision of MOM.

Methods

Study included a staff survey and chart audit. Questions provided feedback on access to lactation support and meeting maternal needs. Audit data included: gestational age, birthweight, intention to breastfeed, documentation of LC appointment, provision of MOM at 12 hours, days 3, 7, 28 and discharge. Student's t‐tests were used for numerical data and chi‐squared tests for categorical variables.

Results

Ninety‐one staff surveys were returned, (pre 35/75 (47%), post 56/85 (66%) with staff reporting organising an LC appointment was significantly easier (P < 0.0001). Staff perceived maternal lactation needs and confidence to breastfeed post‐discharge had significantly improved post‐LC. The chart audit showed a significant increase in maternal access to LC appointments (15% vs. 80%; P < 0.01), breast pump education by day 3 (65% vs. 81%; P < 0.01), and an increase in MOM provision by 12 h (46% vs. 61%; P < 0.01) post‐LC but not at days 7, 28 or discharge.

Conclusion

A dedicated LC increases staff and maternal access to lactation education and support, improving provision of early MOM. Further research is required to assess the effect of LCs in improving breastfeeding rates in neonatal units.
Salt marsh vegetation and secured woody debris facilitate the recolonization of Avicennia germinans
Authors: Pranchai Aor , Jenke Michael , Vogt Juliane , Berger Uta
Published: October 2021

Questions

Does the presence of salt marsh vegetation affect the long‐term regeneration of the pioneer mangrove species Avicennia germinans in a degraded dwarf forest? Does immobilized coarse woody debris (CWD) affect regeneration similarly? Do larger trees suppress or facilitate intraspecific saplings?

Location

Dwarf mangrove forest in the high intertidal zone on the Bragança peninsula in northern Brazil.

Methods

The spatial patterns of A. germinans, the herbaceous halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum, and CWD were mapped in three sample plots (each 400 m2) during two consecutive vegetation surveys, conducted in 2011 and 2014. Inhomogeneous Poisson and Thomas point process models were used to assess the distribution of A. germinans life‐history stages (seedlings, saplings, and adult dwarf trees), conditioned on the presence of S. portulacastrum and CWD. In addition, intraspecific interactions between trees and regeneration were assessed based on crown projection mapping. Bivariate point pattern analyses were used to assess the dependence of advance regeneration on dwarf A. germinans trees and S. portulacastrum.

Results

Avicennia germinans saplings and trees were positively associated with S. portulacastrum and CWD, whereas seedlings were located around tree crowns. The density of fruit‐bearing trees was positively associated with sapling density, indicating that regeneration relied on locally dispersed propagules.

Conclusions

Herbaceous vegetation and CWD have an important ecological function in degraded mangroves by retaining tidally dispersed propagules. Here, we show that herbaceous vegetation does not suppress the growth of seedlings but facilitates mangrove recolonization. Due to limited tidal dispersal, regeneration relies on local propagule supply. In addition to hydrological restoration, the observed vegetation patterns suggest that, in the absence of propagule‐retaining vegetation, restoration of high‐intertidal mangroves can be facilitated by establishing nuclei of planted trees and installing secured logs.
A fresh look at mycobacterial pathogenicity with the zebrafish host model
Authors: Varela Monica , Meijer Annemarie H.
Published: October 2021

The zebrafish has earned its place among animal models to study tuberculosis and other infections caused by pathogenic mycobacteria. This model host is especially useful to study the role of granulomas, the inflammatory lesions characteristic of mycobacterial disease. The optically transparent zebrafish larvae provide a window on the initial stages of granuloma development in the context of innate immunity. Application of fluorescent dyes and transgenic markers enabled real‐time visualization of how innate immune mechanisms, such as autophagy and inflammasomes, are activated in infected macrophages and how propagating calcium signals drive communication between macrophages during granuloma formation. A combination of imaging, genetic, and chemical approaches has revealed that the interplay between macrophages and mycobacteria is the main driver of tissue dissemination and granuloma development, while neutrophils have a protective function in early granulomas. Different chemokine signaling axes, conserved between humans and zebrafish, have been shown to recruit macrophages permissive to mycobacterial growth, control their microbicidal capacity, drive their spreading and aggregation, and mediate granuloma vascularization. Finally, zebrafish larvae are now exploited to explore cell death processes, emerging as crucial factors in granuloma expansion. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of mycobacterial pathogenesis contributed by zebrafish models.