bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is a smiling model better? A study based on apparel e-retailers
Authors: Wu Ruijuan , Ou Xiaoqian , Li Yan
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of human model facial presentation (a smiling facial expression vs a neutral facial expression vs no facial presentation) on consumers' approach behavior and to determine the mechanism and boundary conditions behind such effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The research consisted of four laboratory experiments.

Findings

The results of four studies showed that a smiling facial expression led to the highest score for approach behavior. Pleasure and arousal mediated the effect of facial presentation on approach behavior. In the relationship between facial presentation and approach behavior, the moderating effects of emotional receptivity and the situation were significant. To be specific, for participants with high emotional receptivity, smiling facial expressions led to the highest approach behavior; for participants with low emotional receptivity, neutral expressions led to the highest approach behavior. In a browsing situation, the approach behavior of participants in response to a smiling facial expression was the highest. However, no significant differences were found in approach behavior under the three conditions regarding a purchasing situation.

Originality/value

This study supplements the literature on human model presentation and enriches the study of facial expressions.
The bones are the same: an exploratory analysis of authentic communication with LGBTQ publics
Authors: Ciszek Erica L. , Pounders Kate
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this work is to identify the components of authentic communication with LGBTQ publics and to examine if there is a difference in what constitutes authentic communication for LGBTQ publics compared to other publics.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted in-depth interviews with professionals who both identify as LGBTQ and are instrumental in developing content targeted to this public.

Findings

Authenticity is synonymous regardless of the target public; however, differences emerge in the manifestation of authenticity with historically marginalized groups, like LGBTQ publics.

Practical implications

Practitioners working with historically marginalized communities need to make sure they are walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

Social implications

Authentic communication arises from an organization's broader holistic commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Originality/value

The insights derived by our participants are unique, as they are perspectives traditionally “written out” of research.
Exploring the renaissance of wayfinding and voyaging through the lens of knowledge representation, organization and discovery systems
Authors: Buente Wayne , Baybayan Chad Kālepa , Hajibayova Lala , McCorkhill Mallory , Panchyshyn Roman
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis from an ethical perspective of how the concept of indigenous wayfinding and voyaging is mapped in knowledge representation, organization and discovery systems.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the Dewey Decimal Classification, the Library of Congress Subject Headings, the Library of Congress Classifications systems and the Web of Science citation database were methodically examined to determine how these systems represent and facilitate the discovery of indigenous knowledge of wayfinding and voyaging.

Findings

The analysis revealed that there was no dedicated representation of the indigenous practices of wayfinding and voyaging in the major knowledge representation, organization and discovery systems. By scattering indigenous practice across various, often very broad and unrelated classes, coherence in the record is disrupted, resulting in misrepresentation of these indigenous concepts.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a relatively limited research literature on representation and organization of indigenous knowledge of wayfinding and voyaging. This study calls to foster a better understanding and appreciation for the rich knowledge that indigenous cultures provide for an enlightened society.
Islamic banking selection criteria: a multi-ethnic perspective
Authors: Abdul Hadi Noradilah , Muwazir Mohd Rizal
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine selection factors among multi-ethnic customers in Malaysian Islamic banking industry. The information is important to reinforce the argument that ethnicity could become significant factor in determining customer behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses quantitative approach by using questionnaire (Likert scale) to measure respondents ranking of 25 selection factors. A total of 272 valid responses were generated from 450 questionnaires distributed, with 60.4% response rate. The methods of analysis used are descriptive analysis, factor analysis and Kruskal–Wallis test.

Findings

The findings revealed five selection factors (religious and ethical, services and convenience, service quality and benefit, external and operational and charges), with religious and ethical factor as the most important criteria for Malay customers. As for Chinese and Indian customers, they chose services and convenience factor.

Originality/value

This study is conducted to gain new insights on the perception of multi-ethnic banking customers in Malaysia towards Islamic banks and how cultural differences might affect their decisions. The findings are important for further development of the Islamic banking industry in Malaysia considering ethnicity has a major impact on the society. The acknowledgement of similarities and differences between the ethnic groups could strengthen the relationship with the Islamic banking customers. Furthermore, incorporation of ethnicity factor in bank’s marketing strategies is important to secure competitive advantage particularly in dual banking system such as in Malaysia.
Partner opportunism and willingness to engage in project relationships
Authors: Chaudhry Smita
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The paper seeks to understand the implications of partner opportunism for project relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the theoretical literature, the paper presents a conceptual model considering the perspective of the organization impacted by partner opportunism.

Findings

The model proposes that partner opportunism lowers willingness to engage by creating perception of loss. The undesirable impact of opportunism on perceived loss is less if the partner has made high relation-specific investments. Also, the negative impact of perceived loss on willingness to engage is less if the partner is difficult to substitute.

Research limitations/implications

The model can be tested in the context of information technology (IT) relationships because of scope for opportunism in IT project relationships. Data can be collected through experimental vignettes.

Originality/value

The model contributes by investigating novel aspects of governance, behavioral consequences of opportunism and relation-specific investments in project relationships. The paper suggests that organizations can protect themselves against the ill effects of partner opportunism by enabling their stakeholders to invest substantial time and effort in the relationship and fortify relational quality and bonding.
Destructive leadership in crisis management
Authors: Fors Brandebo Maria
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to increased knowledge of destructive leadership in crisis management. The specific research questions are: (1) What types of destructive leadership behaviours can be identified in leaders in crisis management? and (2) Why are these behaviours considered destructive in this context?

Design/methodology/approach

About 21 informants involved in crisis management at regional, local and operational levels in Sweden were interviewed. They were selected since they had recently been involved in severe accidents and/or crises (e.g. terror attacks, forest fires). A grounded theory analysis of interview data yielded two core variables: destructive leadership behaviours, and appraisal: interpretation of leader behaviour.

Findings

The study identified seven different destructive leadership behaviours: four task-related and three relationship-related. Task-related behaviours primarily led to negative consequences for the task/crisis. Relationship-related behaviours have negative consequences for subordinates' job satisfaction, well-being and/or sense of meaningfulness. The paper relates the identified behaviours to existing leadership ideals within crisis management and discusses behaviours that appear to be unique for the crisis management context.

Practical implications

The paper highlights the fact that great crisis managers are not always good at managing relationships, which may have negative implications for crisis management in the long term.

Originality/value

Destructive leadership is a research field that is rapidly expanding. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the nature of destructive leadership behaviours and what makes an individual appraise a leader as destructive in crisis management.
A contingency theory perspective on the analysis of central government accounting disclosure under International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)
Authors: Mnif Yosra , Gafsi Yosra
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent of central government financial information disclosed in accordance with accrual-based International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and to investigate the environmental factors affecting this level, drawing on the contingency theory framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a self-constructed checklist of 116 items to measure the IPSAS disclosure level by 100 public sector entities from different countries across the globe during the period 2015–2017. Panel regressions have been used.

Findings

The results show significant differences in compliance levels with IPSAS disclosures across nations. They reveal a positive influence of the degree of government openness (political culture), quality of public administration and management and prior experience with International Accounting Standards (IAS)/International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the public sector on this level, whereas government financial condition is a nonsignificant factor.

Practical implications

The research findings are potentially relevant to academics, researchers, practitioners, standard-setters and government policymakers. By examining the influencing factors of IPSAS disclosure level, this paper paves the way for further investigation of this topic with a more extensive set of micro and macroeconomic variables whether at the central or local government level in other jurisdictions

Originality/value

This study provides new insights into the assessment of the transparency and completeness of government accrual-based financial statements. Based on the contingency theory, this paper is the first to empirically investigate the factors affecting the level of disclosure under accrual-based IPSAS by central government entities in a cross-country analysis.
International students’ service quality evaluations towards Turkish universities
Authors: Bozbay Zehra , Baghirov Fakhri , Zhang Ye , Rasli Amran , Karakasoglu Meltem
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate international students’ perception and satisfaction towards Turkish universities’ service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper used modified version of SERVQUAL questionnaire for education purpose to collect data. Data were collected from 168 international students studying in public and private universities in Turkey.

Findings

Based on findings of this study, there is negative gap between perception and expectation for all 35 items in questionnaire among international students.

Practical implications

This study adds on educational service quality literature in developing country, specifically in Turkey. Additionally, decision-makers, institutions, etc. can use findings of this study to overcome the dissatisfactions and difficulties faced by international students in Turkey.

Originality/value

This study fulfills identified need to study international students’ perception and satisfaction towards Turkish universities.
Fusion monitoring of friction temperature rise of mechanical brake based on multi-source information and AI technology
Authors: Yin Yan , Zhou Heng , Bao Jiusheng , Li Zengsong , Xiao Xingming , Zhao Shaodi
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to overcome the defect of single-source temperature measurement method and improve the measurement accuracy of FTR. The friction temperature rise (FTR) of brake affects braking performance seriously. However, it was mainly detected by single-source indirect thermometry, which has obvious deviations.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-point temperature measurement system was built based on three kinds of single-resource thermometry. Temperature characteristics of these thermometry were analyzed to achieve a standard FTR curve. Two fusion-monitoring models for FTR based on multi-source information were established by artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM).

Findings

Finally, the two models were verified based on the experimental results. The results showed that the fusion-monitoring model of SVM was more accurate than that of ANN in monitoring of FTR.

Originality/value

Then the temperature characteristics of the three single-source thermometry were analyzed, and the fusion-monitoring models based on multi-source information were established by ANN and SVM. Finally, the accuracy of the two models was compared by the experimental results. The more suitable fusion-monitoring model for FTR monitoring was determined which would be of theoretical and practical significance for remedying the monitoring defect of FTR.
Identifying factors affecting the acceptance of government to government system in developing nations – empirical evidence from Nepal
Authors: Kirat Rai Shyan , Ramamritham Krithi , Jana Arnab
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the factors that might influence the acceptance of government-to-government (G2G) systems in the Government of Nepal (GoN), to enhance the communication for coordination among government agencies.

Design/methodology/approach

After reviewing the Unified Model for E-Government Acceptance (UMEGA), interviews, focus group discussions with government officials and interviews with the retired senior government officials, a conceptual model has been proposed. The model is empirically tested with 234 responses collected from the government officials working in the central ministries of GoN using the structural equation modeling technique.

Findings

The result showed that factors considered from UMEGA such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and attitude have a significant influence on the behavioral intention to use the system in the GoN. Also, the identified factors such as a commitment from leadership, awareness among leadership and transparency have a significant influence on the behavioral intention of the users to accept the system.

Research limitations/implications

The low sample size is one of the major limitations of this research.

Practical implications

The findings show that the identified factors have a significant influence on the acceptance model and provide useful insights to policymakers, government officials and system developers to achieve the successful implementation of the e-government system in Nepal. The findings can be used by the academicians and e-government practitioners to extend it to other developing nations.

Originality/value

This research work explores the factors affecting the acceptance of a G2G system in GoN through the modification of the UMEGA model. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a novel research in the context of Nepal, where the implementation of e-government has been analyzed from the perspectives of acceptance models to support the better implementation of e-governance systems.
Organizational forgetting Part I: a review of the literature and future research directions
Authors: Mariano Stefania , Casey Andrea , Olivera Fernando
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and synthesize the literature on organizational forgetting.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review approach was used to synthesize current theoretical and empirical studies on organizational forgetting.

Findings

The review and synthesis of the literature revealed that the organizational forgetting literature is fragmented, with studies conducted across disparate fields and using different methodologies; two primary modes (i.e. accidental and purposeful) and three foci (i.e. knowledge depreciation, knowledge loss and unlearning) define current organizational forgetting literature; and the factors that influence organizational forgetting can be grouped into four clusters related to individuals, processes, tools and organizational context.

Research limitations/implications

This literature review has limitations related to time span coverage and journal article accessibility.

Originality/value

This paper offers an integrative view of organizational forgetting that proposes a holistic and multilevel research approach and systematic synthesis of organizational forgetting research.
The relationship between soft and hard quality management practices, innovation and organizational performance in higher education
Authors: Sciarelli Mauro , Gheith Mohamed Hani , Tani Mario
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aims to empirically investigate the effects of both soft and hard quality management (QM) on innovation and organizational performance. It also examines the mediating role of hard QM, administrative innovation and technical innovation on the relationship between soft QM and organizational performance in higher education (HE).

Design/methodology/approach

The approach of this study is quantitative. The data used to test the hypotheses were obtained through online questionnaire sent to the academic staff of public universities in Naples (Italy). The hypothesized relationships are tested with data collected from 356 respondents by using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results show that quality practices improve innovation and organizational performance, while innovation positively impacts organizational performance. The findings also indicate that soft QM affects organizational performance directly and indirectly through hard QM. Hard QM and innovation show a partial sequential mediating effect on soft QM-performance relationship

Practical implications

In order to implement quality management properly in HE, directors need to recognize the different roles that soft and hard QM can have on innovation and organizational performance. It is important that higher education institutions (HEIs) allocate resources to establish both types of QM practices to achieve the effectiveness of the whole QM system.

Originality/value

Despite the existence of numerous studies on the relationship between QM, innovation and organizational performance in manufacturing and services, studies conducted in higher education are still few. This is one of the earliest studies that adopt the multidimensional approach of QM in HE which could help directors understand the interdependencies and different roles of soft and hard quality practices.
Entrepreneurial leadership: a missing link between perceived organizational support and organizational performance
Authors: Imran Rabia , Aldaas Raghad Ezzeldin
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The current research is aimed at exploring entrepreneurial leadership (EL) as a mediator in perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational performance (OP) relationship. Furthermore, it also examined the impact of POS and entrepreneurial leadership on the performance of an organization.

Design/methodology/approach

A purposively selected sample of 216 respondents from the SME sector of Oman was chosen for the study.

Findings

The results revealed that POS and entrepreneurial leadership positively and significantly have an effect on organizational performance. Moreover, the hypothesized role of entrepreneurial leadership as a mediator between POS and OP relationship was also supported.

Research limitations/implications

In spite of the novelty of the research, it was limited due to a few reasons. First, the research design is cross-sectional. Second, the research only focused SME sector. This research only focused on entrepreneurial leadership as a mediator, whereas, other mediators could have been explored as well.

Originality/value

The research on POS and organizational performance relationship is still in its exploration stage. Past research indicate that POS has an effect on different outcomes within an organization, including its performance. However, still, the research on the entrepreneurial leadership process is quite scarce. The current research will explore it in the context of Oman, where there is a dire need to establish SME sector performance. The unique combination between POS, entrepreneurial leadership and performance in the SME sector of Oman marks the novelty of the current research. This study contributes to the SME’s literature and it is among the pioneer studies exploring the mediating role of entrepreneurial leadership in the relationship between POS and OP.
Participation in change, job characteristics, and hedonic well‐being of senior public managers: The moderation effect of change information
Authors: Teo Stephen T. T. , Nguyen Diep , Shafaei Azadeh , Pick David
Published: May 2020

This study contributes to Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory by testing a moderated mediation model of the relationship between participation in change and senior managers’ hedonic well‐being. Using data collected from 266 Australian senior managers employed in the Commonwealth and State public sector, we tested the interaction of participation in change and change information with job satisfaction, an example of hedonic well‐being at work. Findings from the path analysis produced two new insights. First, both participation in change and information about change are key resources that senior managers can deploy to protect and enhance their job satisfaction. Second, information about change has a buffering effect on the indirect relationship between participation in change and job satisfaction through job control. These two findings have practical implications indicating that it is important to train and equip senior managers in the adoption of effective strategies to acquire job resources in assisting them deal with change induced job demands.
State of the Field: Digital History
Authors: ROMEIN C. ANNEMIEKE , KEMMAN MAX , BIRKHOLZ JULIE M. , BAKER JAMES , DE GRUIJTER MICHEL , MEROÑO‐PEÑUELA ALBERT , RIES THORSTEN , ROS RUBEN , SCAGLIOLA STEFANIA
Published: May 2020

Computing and the use of digital sources and resources is an everyday and essential practice in current academic scholarship. The present article gives a concise overview of approaches and methods within digital historical scholarship, focusing on the question ‘How have the digital humanities evolved and what has that evolution brought to historical scholarship?’ We begin by discussing techniques in which data are generated and machine searchable, such as OCR/HTR, born‐digital archives, computer vision, scholarly editions and linked data. In the second section, we provide examples of how data is made more accessible through quantitative text and network analysis. The third section considers the need for hermeneutics and data‐awareness in digital historical scholarship. The technologies described in this article have had varying degrees of effect on historical scholarship, usually in indirect ways. With this article we aim to take stock of the digital approaches and methods used in historical scholarship in order to provide starting points for scholars seeking to understand the digital turn in the field and how and when to implement such approaches in their work.
Analytic attitude – focus or embodiment? Subtle communications in the transference/countertransference relationship
Authors: Wright Susanna
Published: May 2020

The paper considers a ‘befallment’ that occurred in the course of analysis at a time when the focus of work was too much at a conscious level, dissociated from the patient’s embodied and visceral depths. A rigidly held attitude of focal attention is considered as potentially a defence against embodied experiences of overwhelm and vulnerability that may haunt shadowy realms which remain unlit by the narrow beam of conscious awareness. Rather as a dream drifts in from the unconscious, an enactment by the analyst brought neglected aspects of the transference and countertransference relationship into the room. Later, the patient’s own dreaming mind offered images that suggested an underlying dynamic. These subtle communications, alongside the patient’s attitude toward the analyst’s lapse, are considered as factors in the achievement of greater embodied integration. The analyst’s difficulty in arriving at a formulation of such events is discussed, along with the necessity of holding such ‘befallments’ in mind over long periods of time before any explanation can be adumbrated.
Four Dimensions of Quality in Australian Jobs
Authors: Ribar David C. , Wooden Mark
Published: May 2020

We develop and analyse comprehensive, multi‐item scales of the quality of Australian jobs, using the rich measures of job characteristics from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. Through exploratory methods and multidimensional item response theory modelling, we uncover four gender‐specific scales that describe the autonomy, demands/engagement, compensation adequacy and security of jobs. From 2001 to 2016, women’s job demands/engagement and compensation adequacy grew noticeably, and men’s job demands/engagement grew somewhat. Since the mid‐2000s, job security has fallen for both women and men. Job quality rises with job tenure, work experience and health, and falls following involuntary job changes.
Treatment of High Risk Resected Melanoma in Australia: Current Landscape and Practises
Authors: Bhave Prachi , Haydon Andrew
Published: May 2020

Stage III melanoma involves regional lymph nodes and/or in‐transit or satellite disease, without spread to distant metastatic sites. Stage IIIA melanoma includes a T1a‐T2a primary lesion with N1a or N2a nodal involvement, whilst stage IIID melanoma includes a T4b primary lesion with N3a‐N3c nodal involvement. With surgery alone, patients with stage IIIA melanoma have 10‐year survival rates of ~88%; however, patients with stage IIID melanoma have 10‐year survival rates of only ~24%. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are being explored in stage III disease as adjuvant therapy after surgical resection, to eliminate micro‐metastatic disease and thereby prevent relapse of melanoma and increase patient survival. A number of pivotal trials published in the last two years have shown improved relapse‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival in patients with stage III melanoma treated with adjuvant therapy. COMBI‐AD showed adjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib improving RFS compared with placebo (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.40–0.59). Checkmate‐238 demonstrated an improvement in RFS of adjuvant nivolumab over ipilimumab (HR 0.68, P < 0.001) whilst Keynote‐054 demonstrated an improvement in RFS with adjuvant pembrolizumab over placebo (HR 0.57, P < 0.001). Many nuances need to be considered when interpreting this data, including implications of an updated staging system, which patients are suitable for adjuvant therapy and the choice between adjuvant targeted therapy and immunotherapy in BRAF mutant patients. This review article summaries the currently available literature on adjuvant targeted therapy and provides a guide on applying this data in everyday practise.
Supply Chain Linkages and the Extended Carbon Coalition
Authors: Cory Jared , Lerner Michael , Osgood Iain
Published: May 2020

Which firms oppose action to fight climate change? Networks of input sourcing and sales to downstream customers ought to propagate and reinforce opposition to decarbonization beyond direct emitters of CO2. To test this claim, we build the largest data set of public political activity for and against climate action in the United States, revealing that the majority of corporate opposition to climate action comes from outside the highest‐emitting industries. We construct new measures of the carbon intensity of firms and show that policy exposure via carbon‐intensive inputs and sales to downstream emitters explains this large volume of opposition from non‐emitting industries. Sixty‐six percent of U.S. lobbying on climate policy has been conducted by an extended coalition of firms, associations, and other groups that have publicly opposed reducing carbon emissions. Public opposition to climate action by carbon‐connected industries is therefore broad‐based, highly organized, and matched with extensive lobbying.
Blood plasma miR‐20a‐5p expression as a potential non‐invasive diagnostic biomarker of male infertility: A pilot study
Authors: Cito Gianmartin , Coccia Maria Elisabetta , Salvianti Francesca , Fucci Rossella , Picone Rita , Giachini Claudia , Cocci Andrea , Falcone Patrizia , Micelli Elisabetta , Verrienti Pierangelo , Minervini Andrea , Carini Marco , Pinzani Pamela , Natali Alessandro
Published: May 2020

Background

Recently, alterations in miRNAs expression profile in semen have been linked to damaged spermatogenesis, suggesting miRNAs could be used as potential infertility biomarkers. In previous animal studies, miR‐20a‐5p was found to be down‐expressed in low motile spermatozoa, implying its potential target of genes associated with cell apoptosis.

Objective

To investigate miR‐20a‐5p expression in blood plasma of patients suffering from non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA), compared to normozoospermic controls.

Materials and Methods

Between January 2018 and December 2019, from 52 infertile couples eligible for the study, 24 couples were finally enrolled in this monocentric observational prospective pilot study. Patients were included into two groups: Group 1 comprised men with NOA (n = 14) and Group 2 fertile men partners of women with female tubal factor infertility (n = 10). All NOA patients underwent testicular sperm extraction. The expression of circulating miR‐20a‐5p in plasma samples was assessed by RT‐qPCR. A relative quantification strategy was adopted using the 2−ΔCq method to calculate the target miR‐20a‐5p expression with respect to miR‐16‐5p as endogenous control.

Results

Median blood plasma miR‐20a‐5p was significantly higher in patients affected by NOA (0.16 2−ΔCt, range: 0.05‐0.79 2−ΔCt) than in fertile controls (0.06 2−ΔCt, range: 0.04‐0.10 2−ΔCt), P < .001. MiR‐20a‐5p was positively correlated with follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) (rrho = −0.490, P = .015) and luteinizing hormone (LH) (rrho = −0.462, P = .023), and negatively correlated with serum total testosterone (TT) (rrho = −0.534, P = .007) and right and left testicular size (rrho = −0.473, P = .020 and rrho = −0.471, P = .020, respectively). Successful sperm retrieval (SR) rate was 50.0%. Median value of miR‐20a‐5p did not differ significantly among patients with successful SR and those with negative SR. Testicular histological examination showed: hypospermatogenesis in 6/14 (42.8%), maturation arrest in 4/14 (28.6%), sertoli cell‐only syndrome in 4/14 (28.6%). No significant differences in miR‐20a‐5p were found between histopathological patterns (P > .05).

Conclusions

MiR‐20a‐5p could represent a novel non‐invasive diagnostic biomarker of male infertility.
Ethnic variability in post‐mastectomy breast reconstruction in Counties Manukau District Health Board in 2017: a retrospective review
Authors: Allan Jessica , Locke Michelle , Wagener Jenny
Published: May 2020

Background

Post‐mastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) is associated with greater quality of life and psychological well‐being. However, rates of PMBR may not be equivalent across all ethnicities which contributes to disparities in health outcomes.

Methods

A retrospective review of patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 1 January and 31 December 2017 at Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) was performed. Data regarding patient demographics, cancer stage, breast cancer treatment and whether reconstruction took place were collected. These data were analysed to assess the rates of reconstruction by ethnic group.

Results

A total of 365 patients were diagnosed with cancer in CMDHB breast cancer clinic in 2017. Of these, 177 were treated with mastectomy and 26 (15%) of these patients received PMBR. Thirty‐four percent of patients receiving mastectomy were of Māori or Pasifika ethnicity. Of these patients, one‐third met the eligibility criteria for PMBR at CMDHB, having body mass index <35 and being non‐smokers. Māori women represented only 4% of the PMBR performed at CMDHB in 2017. European women comprised 50% of all mastectomies but received 77% of all PMBR. There was a significant difference in eligibility between the different ethnic groups for PMBR, due to higher body mass index and higher rates of smoking in Māori and Pasifika patients.

Conclusion

Eligibility rates for post‐mastectomy reconstruction are significantly lower (P < 0.05) in Māori and Pasifika women when compared with European and Asian populations. Strategies to address smoking and obesity may help increase rates of PMBR in Māori and Pasifika women.
Exercise‐dependent increases in protein synthesis are accompanied by chromatin modifications and increased MRTF‐SRF signalling
Authors: Solagna Francesca , Nogara Leonardo , Dyar Kenneth A. , Greulich Franziska , Mir Ashfaq A. , Türk Clara , Bock Theresa , Geremia Alessia , Baraldo Martina , Sartori Roberta , Farup Jean , Uhlenhaut Henriette , Vissing Kristian , Krüger Marcus , Blaauw Bert
Published: May 2020

Aim

Resistance exercise increases muscle mass over time. However, the early signalling events leading to muscle growth are not yet well‐defined. Here, we aim to identify new signalling pathways important for muscle remodelling after exercise.

Methods

We performed a phosphoproteomics screen after a single bout of exercise in mice. As an exercise model we used unilateral electrical stimulation in vivo and treadmill running. We analysed muscle biopsies from human subjects to verify if our findings in murine muscle also translate to exercise in humans.

Results

We identified a new phosphorylation site on Myocardin‐Related Transcription Factor B (MRTF‐B), a co‐activator of serum response factor (SRF). Phosphorylation of MRTF‐B is required for its nuclear translocation after exercise and is accompanied by the transcription of the SRF target gene Fos. In addition, high‐intensity exercise also remodels chromatin at specific SRF target gene loci through the phosphorylation of histone 3 on serine 10 in myonuclei of both mice and humans. Ablation of the MAP kinase member MSK1/2 is sufficient to prevent this histone phosphorylation, reduce induction of SRF‐target genes, and prevent increases in protein synthesis after exercise.

Conclusion

Our results identify a new exercise signalling fingerprint in vivo, instrumental for exercise‐induced protein synthesis and potentially muscle growth.
Review article: COVID‐19 and liver disease—what we know on 1st May 2020
Authors: Garrido Isabel , Liberal Rodrigo , Macedo Guilherme
Published: May 2020

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), became a global threat to human health. Liver impairment has been frequently reported as a common manifestation, although its clinical significance is still unclear, particularly in patients with underlying chronic liver disease (CLD).

Aims

To summarise the changes in liver function tests during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and the impact of COVID‐19 in patients with underlying CLD.

Methods

A literature review using online database PubMed was done using the search terms “SARS‐CoV‐2”, “COVID‐19”, “liver”, “cirrhosis” and “liver transplantation”.

Results

COVID‐19 is frequently associated with different degrees of abnormal liver function tests, most notably transaminases, which are usually transitory and of mild degree. Available evidence suggests that liver injury may result from direct pathogenic effect by the virus, systemic inflammation or toxicity from commonly used drugs in this subset of patients. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in children is associated with minimal or no increase in liver enzymes, thus the presence of abnormal liver function tests should trigger evaluation for underlying liver diseases. Although it seems that patients with CLD are not at greater risk for acquiring the infection, those with cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver diseases or liver transplant may have a greater risk for severe COVID‐19.

Conclusions

Abnormal liver function tests during the course of COVID‐19 are common, though clinically significant liver injury is rare. Further research is needed focusing on the effect of existing liver‐related comorbidities on treatment and outcome of COVID‐19.
A part‐dependent account of biological individuality: why holobionts are individuals and ecosystems simultaneously
Authors: Suárez Javier , Stencel Adrian
Published: May 2020

Given one conception of biological individuality (evolutionary, physiological, etc.), can a holobiont – that is the host + its symbiotic (mutualistic, commensalist and parasitic) microbiome – be simultaneously a biological individual and an ecological community? Herein, we support this possibility by arguing that the notion of biological individuality is part‐dependent. In our account, the individuality of a biological ensemble should not only be determined by the conception of biological individuality in use, but also by the biological characteristics of the part of the ensemble under investigation. In the specific case of holobionts, evaluations of their individuality should be made either host‐relative or microbe‐relative. We support the claim that biological individuality is part‐dependent by drawing upon recent empirical evidence regarding the physiology of hosts and microbes, and the recent characterization of the ‘demibiont’. Our account shows that contemporary disagreements about the individuality of the holobiont derive from an incorrect understanding of the ontology of biological individuality. We show that collaboration between philosophers and biologists can be very fruitful in attempts to solve some contemporary biological debates.
Review: Alleviating loneliness in young people – a meta‐analysis of interventions
Authors: Eccles Alice M. , Qualter Pamela
Published: May 2020

Background

Loneliness is common among youth and is associated with poor physical and mental health, and poor educational outcomes. To date, there have been no meta‐analyses of interventions aimed at reducing loneliness among young people.

Methods

We conducted meta‐analyses of single group and randomised control trials (RCTs) of studies published between 1980 and 2019, which measured loneliness as an outcome in youth ages 25 years or younger. Moderators, including sample demographics and intervention characteristics, that might affect intervention success, were examined.

Results

A total of 39 studies (14 single group and 25 RCTs) were included, and we found evidence that youth loneliness could be reduced via intervention. Moderator analysis – including intervention characteristics, study quality and sample demographics – was also examined.

Conclusions

While interventions were shown to reduce loneliness among youth, the interventions included in the meta‐analyses often targeted youth viewed to be at risk – for example those with health concerns – and rarely did the interventions target youth who reported loneliness. There is also no indication of whether youth experienced chronic or transient loneliness. In future work, interventions should be designed specifically for loneliness, with universal programmes helping youth manage their transient feelings of loneliness, and targeted interventions for those suffering from chronic loneliness. There is also a need to look at socioeconomic and other risk factors outside the individual for targeted interventions.

Key Practitioner Message

There have been no meta‐analyses that have evaluated the effect of interventions for reducing loneliness among children and adolescents.

We found intervention programmes targeted at youth are successful at reducing loneliness.

Future interventions should be designed specially with loneliness in mind, with (a) universal programmes to help youth manage their experiences of transient loneliness, and (b) targeted interventions for youth reporting chronic loneliness. They should also examine the longer‐term outcomes of the interventions.

Future interventions should be designed, evaluated and then documented using guidelines on how to write up an intervention evaluation.
Cultural Responses to the War on Drugs: Writing, Occupying, and ‘Public‐ing’ in the Mexican City
Authors: O’Hare Patrick , Bell Lucy
Published: May 2020

Cardboard publishers (editoriales cartoneras) are small, independent publishers linked by the recovered cardboard that covers their books, a commitment to the promotion of local authors, and a drive to make literature accessible. This cultural movement, whose actors often form part of broader social movements, has spread across Latin America and beyond, with other 250 active collectives. Drawing on ethnography conducted with some of Mexico’s thirty cartoneras, and literary analysis of their texts, this paper contributes to debates on violence and public space in the context of the brutal Mexican “war on drugs”. Dialoguing with a body of scholarship spanning from Setha Low’s pioneering urban anthropology to Jacques Rancière’s art theory, we argue that cartoneras might be considered “public‐ers”, in that their book‐making labor involves the production not just of books, but of new social relations, communities, and publics. By analyzing aesthetic materials in relation to the social contexts in which they are embedded, we demonstrate that decisions to denounce violence and perform its alternatives on the written page, and in the public plaza, are inseparable and intertwined cultural forms of action that create affective encounters, contact zones, and spaces of dissensus in the city.
Addressing social attitudes toward lethal control of wildlife in national parks
Authors: Martínez‐Jauregui María , Delibes‐Mateos Miguel , Arroyo Beatriz , Soliño Mario
Published: May 2020

The extraordinary population growth of certain ungulate species is increasingly a concern in agroforestry areas because overabundance may negatively affect natural environments and human livelihoods. However, society may have negative perceptions of killing wildlife to reduce their numbers and mitigate damage. We used an online survey that included a choice experiment to determine Spanish citizens’ (n = 190) preferences toward wildlife population control measures related to negative effects of ungulate overabundance (negative impacts on vegetation and other wildlife species and disease transmission to livestock) in 2 agroforestry national parks in Spain. We used latent‐class and willingness‐to‐pay in space models to analyze survey results. Two percent of respondents thought a national park should have no human intervention even if lack of management may cause environmental degradation, whereas 95% of respondents favored efforts to reduce damage caused by overabundant ungulate species. We estimated human well‐being losses of survey respondents when sustainable effects of deer overabundance on the environment became unsustainable effects and well‐being gains when sustainable effects transitioned to no visible effects. We found that the type of wildlife‐control program was a very relevant issue for the respondents; indirect control in which killing was avoided was the preferred action. Sixty‐six percent of respondents agreed with the option of hunters paying for culling animals to reduce ungulate impacts rather than management cost coming out of taxes, whereas 19% of respondents were against this option and willing to pay for other solutions in national parks. Our results suggest that killing wildlife in national parks could be a socially acceptable tool to manage overabundance problems in certain contexts, but it could also generate social conflicts.
Emergent conservation outcomes of shared risk perception in human‐wildlife systems
Authors: Carter Neil H. , Baeza Andres , Magliocca Nicholas R.
Published: May 2020

Human perception of risks related to economic damages caused by nearby wildlife can be transmitted through social networks. Understanding how sharing risk information within a human community alters the spatial dynamics of human‐wildlife interactions has important implications for the design and implementation of effective conservation actions. We developed an agent‐based model that simulates farmer livelihood decisions and activities in an agricultural landscape shared with a population of a generic wildlife species (wildlife‐human interactions in shared landscapes [WHISL]). In the model, based on risk perception and economic information, farmers decide how much labor to allocate to farming and whether and where to exclude wildlife from their farms (e.g., through fencing, trenches, or vegetation thinning). In scenarios where the risk perception of farmers was strongly influenced by other farmers, exclusion of wildlife was widespread, resulting in decreased quality of wildlife habitat and frequency of wildlife damages across the landscape. When economic losses from encounters with wildlife were high, perception of risk increased and led to highly synchronous behaviors by farmers in space and time. Interactions between wildlife and farmers sometimes led to a spillover effect of wildlife damage displaced from socially and spatially connected communities to less connected neighboring farms. The WHISL model is a useful conservation‐planning tool because it provides a test bed for theories and predictions about human‐wildlife dynamics across a range of different agricultural landscapes.
Short‐term skin reactions following use of N95 respirators and medical masks
Authors: Hua Wei , Zuo Ying , Wan Ruoyu , Xiong Lidan , Tang Jie , Zou Lin , Shu Xiaohong , Li Li
Published: May 2020

Background

In the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, cases of adverse skin reactions related to the wearing of masks have been observed.

Objectives

To analyze the short‐term effects of N95 respirators and medical masks, respectively, on skin physiological properties and to report adverse skin reactions caused by the protective equipment.

Methods

This study used a randomized crossover design with repeated measurements. Twenty healthy Chinese volunteers were recruited. Skin parameters were measured on areas covered by the respective masks and on uncovered skin 2 and 4 hours after donning, and 0.5 and 1 hour after removing the masks, including skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema, pH, and sebum secretion. Adverse reactions were clinically assessed, and perceived discomfort and non‐compliance measured.

Results

Skin hydration, TEWL, and pH increased significantly with wearing the protective equipment. Erythema values increased from baseline. Sebum secretion increased both on the covered and uncovered skin with equipment‐wearing. There was no significant difference in physiological values between the two types of equipment. More adverse reactions were reported following a N95 mask use than the use of a medical mask, with a higher score of discomfort and non‐compliance.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that skin biophysical characters change as a result of wearing a mask or respirator. N95 respirators were associated with more skin reactions than medical masks.