bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Killing two birds with one stone: 2D+2D→3D parallel stacking and 3D self-penetrating structures in one reaction and their crystal-to-crystal transformation
Authors: Mi Xiuna , Sheng Dafei , Wang Suna , Lu Jing , Yang Lu , Zhou Zhen
Published: May 2019

Reaction of the flexible phenolic carboxylate ligand 2-(3,5-dicarboxylbenzyloxy)benzoic acid (H3
L) with nickel salts in the presence of 1,2-bis(pyridin-4-yl)ethylene (bpe) leads to the generation of a mixture of the two complexes under solvolthermal conditions, namely poly[[aqua[μ-1,2-bis(pyridin-4-yl)ethylene-κ2
N:N′]{μ-5-[(2-carboxyphenoxy)methyl]benzene-1,3-dicarboxylato-κ3
O
1,O
1′:O
3}nickel(II)] dimethylformamide hemisolvate monohydrate], {[Ni(C16H10O7)(C12H10N2)(H2O)]·0.5C3H7NO·H2O}
n
or {[Ni(HL)(bpe)(H2O)]·0.5DMF·H2O}
n
, 1, and poly[[diaquatris[μ-1,2-bis(pyridin-4-yl)ethylene-κ2
N:N′]bis{μ-5-[(2-carboxyphenoxy)methyl]benzene-1,3-dicarboxylato-κ2
O
1:O
5}nickel(II)] dimethylformamide disolvate hexahydrate], {[Ni2(C16H10O7)2(C12H10N2)3(H2O)2]·2C3H7NO·6H2O}
n
or {[Ni2(HL)2(bpe)3(H2O)2]·2DMF·6H2O}
n
, 2. In complex 1, the NiII centres are connected by the carboxylate and bpe ligands to form two-dimensional (2D) 4-connected (4,4) layers, which are extended into a 2D+2D→3D (3D is three-dimensional) supramolecular framework. In complex 2, bpe ligands connect to NiII centres to form 2D layers with Ni6(bpe)6 metallmacrocycles. Interestingly, 2D+2D→3D inclined polycatenation was observed between these layers. The final 5-connected 3D self-penetrating structure was generated through further connection of Ni–carboxylate chains with these inclined motifs. Both complexes were fully characterized by single-crystal analysis, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, FT–IR spectra, elemental analyses, thermal analysis and UV–Vis spectra. Notably, an interesting metal/ligand-induced crystal-to-crystal transformation was observed between the two complexes.
Identifying currency crises indicators: the case of Egypt
Authors: Adams John , Metwally Ali
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the indicators of currency crises in Egypt. Using the annual data over the period 1977–2017, the paper attempts to establish which economic variable(s) are more useful in predicting currency crises and to improve the predictability of such crises.

Design/methodology/approach

Probit analysis is employed to identify the indicators that are most effective in predicting the probability that a currency crisis episode will occur. This is enabled through the estimation of a market turbulence index (MTI) which measures currency crises in terms of eight “threshold” points at which a crisis is detected or not detected.

Findings

The estimates of the probit model suggest that five variables: the domestic interest rate spread; domestic current account; USA interest rate; real exchange rate; and the real interest rate have the strongest predictive power among the 16 indicators identified in the empirical literature.

Research limitations/implications

There are a number of limitations associated with this paper. First the data are annual and not monthly which limits the ability of the estimated model to accurately predict the crisis episodes. There is limited open access to monthly data on the Central Bank of Egypt website especially for the period before the 2000s. Were such data available this would allow for much more robust in-sample and out of sample forecasts.

Practical implications

The analysis and results in the paper suggest that the modelling strategy employed represents a potentially useful tool for Central Banks and policy makers in forecasting currency crises.

Social implications

There are several such implications but mainly in relation to the possibility of avoiding high social costs resulting from a currency crisis that may have been avoided if forecast correctly.

Originality/value

The paper builds on previous theoretical and empirical work in this field while adding to the literature in terms of the problems in previous literature and modelling approaches. It also strongly advocates the use of the MTI instead of other indices to identify such crises.
Honey: food or medicine? A comparative study between Slovakia and Romania
Authors: Šedík Peter , Pocol Cristina Bianca , Horská Elena , Fiore Mariantonietta
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate different profiles of honey consumers in Slovakia and Romania by using a segmentation approach, thus supporting honey producers from both countries and promoting the consumption of honey for both food and health benefits.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper and online survey was conducted in two representative regions of Slovakia (n=2,138) and Romania (n=1,100), between November 2017 and February 2018. By carrying out a two-step cluster analysis, several segments of honey consumers based on consumption patterns, demographic profile, purchasing behaviour and honey preferences were defined.

Findings

In both countries, honey is mostly consumed as food product and medicine and the majority of consumers think honey has healing effects. Based on the data, the authors identified similar segments in Slovakia and Romania, in terms of frequency and annual consumption (“maniacs” or “loyal consumers”, “regular consumers”, “occasional consumers” or “sporadic consumers” and “irregular consumers”), but, at the same time, those segments are different in terms of the way in which honey is consumed (multipurpose or direct consumption, spreads, beverages and ingredients for cooking).

Originality/value

The findings provide honey producers–beekeepers a wider information base, which can increase effectiveness of price, distribution and marketing communication strategies. Furthermore, knowledge from results will allow producers to specialise and place the production by designing different marketing strategies in different segments.
Sensitivity analysis using Sobol indices for the thermal modelling of an electrical machine for sizing by optimization
Authors: Le Guyadec Mathias , Gerbaud Laurent , Vinot Emmanuel , Delinchant Benoit
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The thermal modelling of an electrical machine is difficult because the thermal behavior depends on its geometry, the used materials and its manufacturing process. In the paper, such a thermal model is used during the sizing process by optimization of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). This paper aims to deal with the sensitivities of thermal parameters on temperatures inside the electrical machine to allow the assessment of the influence of thermal parameters that are hard to assess.

Design/methodology/approach

A sensitivity analysis by Sobol indices is used to assess the sensitivities of the thermal parameters on electrical machine temperatures. As the optimization process needs fast computations, a lumped parameter thermal network (LPTN) is proposed for the thermal modelling of the machine, because of its fastness. This is also useful for the Sobol method that needs too many calls to this thermal model. This model is also used in a global model of a hybrid vehicle.

Findings

The difficulty is the thermal modelling of the machine on the validity domain of the sizing problem. The Sobol indices allow to find where a modelling effort has to be carried out.

Research limitations/implications

The Sobol indices have a significant value according to the number of calls of the model and their type (first-order, total, etc.). Therefore, the quality of the thermal sensitivity analysis is a compromise between computation times and modelling accuracy.

Practical implications

Thermal modelling of an electrical machine in a sizing process by optimization.

Originality/value

The use of Sobol indices for the sensitivity analysis of the thermal parameters of an electrical machine.
Extended Kalman filter-based state estimation of MOSFET circuit
Authors: Bansal Rahul , Majumdar Sudipta
Published: May 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to present the estimation of the output voltage of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) using the extended Kalman filter (EKF) method.

Design/methodology/approach

The method uses EKF for MOSFET output voltage estimation. To implement the EKF method, the state space model has been obtained using Kirchhoff’s current law and Enz-Krummenacher-Vittoz model of the MOSFET circuit.

Findings

The proposed method can be used for any mode of MOSFET operation besides near the quiescent point region. The nonlinearity that occurs in the saturation region of MOSFET can also be considered in the proposed method. The proposed method can also be used for a large input signal. Though Kalman filter can be used for the small amplitude input signal, it results in inaccurate estimation due to the linearization of the nonlinear system.

Research limitations/implications

The method is able to track the parameters when they are slowly changing with time.

Originality/value

The proposed method presents maximal precision of simulation as the maximal precision of simulation requires modeling of the circuit in terms of device parameters and circuit elements.
Improvements of bat algorithm using crossover technique and hybridization with Nelder-Mead simplex method
Authors: Kheireddine Bourahla , Zoubida Belli , Tarik Hacib
Published: May 2019

Purpose

This study aims to improve the bat algorithm (BA) performance for solving optimization problems in electrical engineering.

Design/methodology/approach

For this task, two strategies were investigated. The first one is based on including the crossover technique into classical BA, in the same manner as in the genetic algorithm method. Therefore, the newly generated version of BA is called the crossover–bat algorithm (C-BA). In the second strategy, a hybridization of the BA with the Nelder–Mead (NM) simplex method was performed; it gives the NM-BA algorithm.

Findings

First, the proposed strategies were applied to solve a set of two standard benchmark problems; then, they were applied to solve the TEAM workshop problem 25, where an electromagnetic field was computed by use of the 2D non-linear finite element method. Both optimization algorithms and finite element computation tool were implemented under MATLAB.

Originality/value

The two proposed optimization strategies, C-BA and NM-BA, have allowed good improvements of classical BA, generally known for its poor solution quality and slow convergence rate.
Measuring installation productivity in prefabricated timber construction
Authors: Forsythe Perry John , Sepasgozar Samad M.E.
Published: May 2019

Purpose

A problematic issue for new approaches to prefabricated timber construction is simply that there is insufficient productivity measurement data to assist estimation of resource usage, speed onsite and best practice. A lack of information potentially results in increased pricing behaviour which may slow the uptake of prefabricated construction. The purpose of this paper is to measure installation productivity onsite for prefabricated timber floor cassette panels and develop sufficient understanding of the process to suggest improved practices.

Design/methodology/approach

A time and motion approach, paired with time-lapse photography was used for detailed capture of prefabricated cassette flooring installation processes onsite. An emphasis was placed on work flow around crane cycles from three case study projects. Time and date stamping from 300 crane cycles was used to generate quantitative data and enable statistical analysis.

Findings

The authors show that crane cycle speed is correlated to productivity including gross and net crane time scenarios. The latter is refined further to differentiate uncontrolled outlying crane cycles from normally distributed data, representing a controlled work process. The results show that the installation productivity rates are between 69.38 and 123.49 m2/crane-hour, based on normally distributed crane cycle times. These rates were 10.8–26.1 per cent higher than the data set inclusive of outlier cycles. Large cassettes also proved to be more productive to place than small.

Originality/value

The contribution of this research is the focus on cranage as the lead resource and the key unit of measure driving installation productivity (in cassette flooring prefabricated construction), as distinct from past research that focuses on labour and craft-based studies. It provides a different perspective around mechanisation, for resourcing and planning of work flow. Crane cycles provide a relatively easy yet reliably repeatable means for predicting productivity. The time-lapse photographic analysis offers a high degree of detail, accuracy and objectivity not apparent in other productivity studies which serves to enable quantitative benchmarking with other projects.
Value creation, innovation practice, and competitive advantage
Authors: Battisti Enrico , Miglietta Nicola , Nirino Niccolò , Villasalero Diaz Manuel
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse companies listed on the FTSE MIB, in order to investigate the introduction of different types of open innovation practice as a key factor to develop a competitive advantage to pursue value creation.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. A quantitative study was conducted to determine the firms listed on the FTSE MIB that for more than 10 years have paid dividends and beat the yield of the market. The qualitative analysis was designed to provide insights into the adoption of at least one open innovation practice by the listed companies selected in the quantitative phase.

Findings

This work is based on an empirical analysis undertaken with 40 Italian companies listed on the FTSE MIB. In particular, the authors highlight 16 companies that for more than a decade have regularly paid dividends and, at the same time, have beat the FTSE MIB Index. All of these companies implemented at least one open innovation practice during the period investigated.

Originality/value

This is among the first pioneer research works based on the potential relationship among value creation, innovation practice and competitive advantage in the Italian market. This study highlights the fact that 16 out of 40 companies listed on the FTSE MIB create more value for shareholders over a long period, and all of these firms adopt different open innovation practices (e.g. partnership and collaboration with external entities; mergers and acquisitions and alliances; investment in start-ups; hackathons and call for ideas; outsourcing R&D) as a key factor to develop a sustainable competitive advantage.
How ethical leadership influences creativity and organizational innovation
Authors: Shafique Imran , Ahmad Bashir , Kalyar Masood Nawaz
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to answer two questions. What is the impact of ethical leadership on followers’ creativity and organizational innovation? What are the mechanisms through which ethical leadership influences creativity and organizational innovation?

Design/methodology/approach

Considering a market-oriented criterion to measure organizational innovation, the data were collected from 322 small-sized information technology firms working in Pakistan. Multilevel modeling and hierarchical regression analyses were used to explore the direct and indirect effects of ethical leadership on creativity and innovation, respectively.

Findings

The results show that ethical leadership is an important predictor of both individual and organizational creativity. For the individual level, the results of multilevel modeling indicate that there is a positive link between ethical leadership and employee creativity. Furthermore, ethical leadership affects employee creativity through knowledge sharing and psychological empowerment. At the organizational level, the results reveal that ethical leadership is positively associated with organizational innovation directly.

Practical implications

The findings imply that ethical leadership is an important tool to promote creativity and for the advancement of innovation for developing countries as well as for newly developed industries.

Originality/value

This study is first to highlight the role of ethical leadership for organizational innovation. The main contribution of the study is to explore creativity as potential mediator for ethical leadership–organizational innovation nexus; where a market-oriented criterion is taken as proxy of organizational innovation.
The associativity evaluation between open data and country characteristics
Authors: Wen Yean-Fu , Hwang Yi-Ting
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review the levels of open government data (OGD) among various countries that are not consistent with the development levels of those countries. This study evaluates the associativity between OGD Index (OGD) and the characteristics of those countries as well as to compare the degree of OGD among countries. Accordingly, an advanced discussion to explore how a country’s characteristics affect how that country’s government opens data was presented.

Design/methodology/approach

The stakeholder relationships of OGD is analysed with the characteristics of a country. The usage data are compared with the data availability according to nine indicators. These data collected from the statistics and OGDI websites are grouped for comparative statistical analyses based on basic descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance and a regression model with variance inflation faction.

Findings

The results 1) revealed the reasons some countries have high-ranking indexes and 2) verified the high index values of countries in terms of their degrees of development. This study, thus, attempted to derive a balanced appraisal of national development and OGD.

Research limitations/implications

The study sample is limited only to countries 1) which open the statistical data; and 2) are of uneven population density and development degree. The OGDI is limited to expert evaluation. The score might be vary to experts and users with diverse countries at different evaluation period. The limitations can be attributed to the differences between OGDI and real open levels. These differences might influence the reliability and validity.

Practical implications

Government departments with OGD policies provide raw data in various formats and with application interfaces for user access. This study, thus, attempts to derive a balanced appraisal of national development and OGD. The factors that evaluate which types of countries open the level of data are explored.

Originality/value

This study establishes stakeholder relationships of OGD and extends to analyse the characteristics of a country and OGD that affect the government data open level. The relationships are evaluated through the OGDI with design score scheme. The measurement results indicated that a country possesses high relation to open data with high DI and nature resource.
How the changing relationship between labour and political party influenced growth of autonomous labour unions in Taiwan
Authors: Sarkar Santanu , Liu Meichun
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find how the changing relationship between labour and political parties influenced the growth of reasonably independent labour unions in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have drawn on data collected through in-depth interviews of union officials, labour activists and members of legislature from two major political parties in Taiwan.

Findings

The authors found that the breach between labour and political parties was affected by the eventualities contemplated in democratisation. Though the DPP (Minchin-tang/Democratic Progressive Party) provided the initial “shot in arm”, autonomous unions have not necessarily grown underneath DPP’s dominion. Political liberalisation of Taiwan’s industrial relations systems has gained more momentum when the DPP was in opposition than in power. Anti-incumbency pushed independent unions to sway the opposition’s backing when Kuomintang (KMT/the Chinese Nationalists) was in power and not to that extent when the KMT stepped down. The autonomous labour movement in Taiwan was initially influenced by the changing relationship between labour and ruling parties. However, the movement was subsequently shaped by the ethnic and political characteristics based on the historical divide between the mainlanders and Taiwanese and Taiwan’s changing economic landscape.

Research limitations/implications

Specific limitations include the subjectivity of the inference and lack of generalisability of the findings that are based on interviews with two out of three players of industrial relations system.

Practical implications

Because of globalisation and global financial crisis that brought together a new generation of workforce who hold individualistic values, have lesser faith in collectivism and perform new forms of work where unionisation is no more relevant, the autonomous labour movement in Taiwan was hugely impacted.

Originality/value

Growth of independent unions is not being shaped by democratisation alone. If we refocus the debate about democracy’s implied relationship with the rhetoric of national identity, one can see the crucial role played by the changing economic landscape and ethnic divisions ingrained in political origins.
The importance of good behavior in college football teams in the USA
Authors: Alvarado-Vargas Marcelo J. , Zou Qi
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on two internal organizational factors in college football teams (team powerfulness and team reputation) and their combined relationship on game attendance. Authors aim to validate new data published byWall Street Journal(WSJ) and NCAA websites; and to develop a new conceptual model to examine the interaction effect of team powerfulness and team reputation on game attendance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on secondary data collected from theWSJ’s “College Football’s Grid of Shame” publication and the NCAA official website. Data for 123 US college football teams are collected representing 13 conferences for seasons 2010–2014. Multi-level regressions are utilized for statistical analyses.

Findings

Results reveal that not only team’s powerfulness is required for more public attendance to games, but also team reputation strengthens this relationship. In other words, team reputation plays an important role in increasing games’ attendance. Team reputation alone does not bring more attendees to games.

Originality/value

This paper studies the relevance of team reputation in the field of sports management. This paper argues that in order to achieve superior financial benefits in college football games, it is important to properly manage team powerfulness and its legal and ethical behavior. In this way, a positive reputation can leverage game attendance to a larger extent.
Study on thermo-mechanical coupling characteristics of angle contact ball bearing with fix-position preload
Authors: He Pingping , Gao Feng , Li Yan , Wu Wenwu , Zhang Dongya
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Under fix-position preload, the high rotation speed of the angular contact ball bearing exacerbates the frictional heat generation, which causes the increase of the bearing temperature and the thermal expansion. The high rotation speed also leads to the centrifugal expansion of the bearing. Under the thermal and centrifugal effect, the structural parameters of the bearing change, affecting the mechanical properties of the bearing. The mechanical properties of the bearing determine its heat generation mechanism and thermal boundary conditions. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of centrifugal and thermal effects on the thermo-mechanical characteristics of an angular contact ball bearing with fix-position preload.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of operating conditions, elastic deformation occurs between the ball and the raceway. Assuming that the surfaces of the ball and channel are absolutely smooth and the material is isotropic, quasi-static theory and thermal network method are used to establish the thermo-mechanical coupling model of the bearing, which is solved by Newton–Raphson iterative method.

Findings

The higher the rotation speed, the greater the influence of centrifugal and thermal effects on the bearing dynamic parameters, temperature rise and actual axial force. The calculation results show that the effects of thermal field on bearing dynamic parameters are more significant than the centrifugal effect. The temperature rise and actual axial force of the bearing are measured. Comparing the calculation and the experimental results, it is found that the temperature rise and the actual axial force of the bearing are closer to reality considering thermal and centrifugal effects.

Originality/value

In the past studies, the thermo-mechanical coupling characteristics research and experimental verification of angular contact ball bearing with fix-position preload are not concerned. Research findings of this paper provide theoretical guidance for spindle design.
It’s not fake, it’s biased: insights into morality of incentivized reviewers
Authors: Rynarzewska Ania Izabela
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to uncover morality and dynamics of community of incentivized reviewers who primarily review products on Amazon.com. and, as of late, on various social media platforms. This study is important because it uncovers unknown dynamics that shapes consumer morality and drives reviewer’s ethics. Given the fact that consumers heavily rely on reviews, findings of this paper are of great values to practitioners, consumers and policymakers and highlight potential area of research particularly related to morality.

Design/methodology/approach

This study, conducted over a period of 1.5 years, relying on a netnography to collect data and thematic analysis to make sense of data, uncovered behaviors that contribute to the J-shape distribution of reviews on Amazon.com and questionable reviewer ethics.

Findings

Findings of this study suggest suppressed consumer morality driven by desire to gain benefits in form of free products and manipulation of the review system in an attempt to boost sales and the prevalence of biased reviews. The findings shed light on overconsumption driven by an opportunity to receive free products, introduction of review bias into the public domain and attempts to manipulate Amazon’s algorithms.

Research limitations/implications

Findings of this study carry tremendous implications for average consumer who relies on consumer-generated reviews without realizing the presence of bias. Furthermore, the findings shed light of unfair business practices of sellers who demand high ratings. Finally, the findings suggest that there is opportunity for policymakers to address a loophole because incentivized reviewers, regardless of Federal Trade Commission regulations, may be operating in gray area, much less controlled than advertising.

Originality/value

This study is unique because while other studies may conduct similar netnographies of reviewing communities, this community was examined during a span that covered the incentivized reviewing boom, Amazon’s ban on incentivized reviewing, and the revival of reviewing activity post ban. Given recent changes to Amazon’s Terms of Service, the researcher documented changes that future studies will not be able to examine unless data have already been collected. However, post ban activity continues and is likely affecting purchasing decisions of unsuspecting consumers all around.
Corporate performance volatility and adverse macroeconomic conditions
Authors: Abaidoo Rexford
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the extent to which volatility associated with corporate performance could be attributed to specific adverse macroeconomic conditions in a bivariate causality analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the Toda–Yamamoto Wald test approach to Granger causality analysis in verifying significant causal interactions if any, between corporate performance volatility and seven macroeconomic conditions or variables.

Findings

This study finds that economic policy uncertainty and macroeconomic uncertainty tend to have bidirectional causal interaction with corporate performance volatility. In addition, estimated results further suggest significant unidirectional causal interaction between corporate performance volatility and inflation expectations, exchange rate volatility, inflation and inflation uncertainty, with direction of causality running from the macroeconomic variables toward corporate performance volatility. This study, however, found no significant causal interaction between corporate performance volatility and recessionary probability or likelihood of recession.

Practical implications

This study’s conclusions could have significant and critical policy implications for key corporate policymakers responsible for corporate performance strategy. Various causal interactions identified could inform policy framework and, subsequently, strategies geared toward minimizing volatility associated with performance during episodes of any of the various macroeconomic conditions examined in this study.

Originality/value

The uniqueness of this study stems from its focus on corporate performance volatility instead of corporate performance and potential causal interactions it might have with key adverse macroeconomic conditions, some of which have not been examined in previous studies according to reviewed literature.
Cognitive analytic team formulation: learning and challenges for multidisciplinary inpatient staff
Authors: Stratton Rose , Tan Ranil
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand staff experiences of cognitive analytic team formulation, within an inpatient unit for women with a diagnosis of personality disorder.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 16 staff completed an online questionnaire, rating their views on how helpful formulation sessions had been in regards to ten domains. Following this, six staff participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their experiences of the process and impact of cognitive analytic team formulation. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Responses from questionnaires indicated the general process of team formulation was helpful across each domain. Interviews highlighted benefits such as an increased capacity to think and work relationally. This was impacted upon by staff’s confidence in using the model and the practicalities of attending sessions.

Practical implications

Team formulation has been described as the facilitation of a group of professionals to create a shared understanding of service-users’ difficulties. Team formulation continues to demonstrate benefits for staff working within complex mental health. The challenges of this are considered, however overall, a cognitive analytic framework seems to offer staff the opportunity to integrate learning from a service-user’s history, and current relational difficulties, in a way that develops reflective capacity and informs intervention.

Originality/value

Limited research has explored the theoretical models underpinning team formulation, and the impact for staff learning and practice. The current study develops previous work by specifically focussing on the contribution of cognitive analytic theory to team formulation.
Toward a systems approach to social impact assessment
Authors: Hervieux Chantal , Voltan Annika
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to propose a systems change lens to current approaches to assessing social impact in social ventures. Many existing tools for measuring social impact are limited in their capacity to assess the inherent complexities and interconnected nature of the work done by social enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses in-depth interviews with sector experts to gain insights into their needs related to impact assessment, as well as issues they face when attempting to understand and measure their impact.

Findings

Expert interviews provide insights into how social impact occurs through interconnected systems. It also highlights the need for impact assessment to better consider interaction within systems and networks. Results support previous work concerning the need for methods that can better account for complexity, interacting problems and the place of power in influencing actions.

Research limitations/implications

Following results from interviews and review of existing literature, symbolic interactionism and Social Worlds/Arenas theories are used to gain insight as to how impact can be conceptualized in terms of systemic shifts in social equilibria. The model proposes to capture the contested definitions of problems and their negotiation in social structures.

Originality/value

Grounded in sociological theory, the model brings a new theoretical approach to social impact assessment, one that provides a different view of social structures than existing models that are grounded in economic metrics. The proposed model, therefore, provides a new lens for the detailed assessment of the complex interactions between systems.
Are populations like a circuit? Comparing isolation by resistance to a new coalescent‐based method
Authors: Lundgren Erik , Ralph Peter L.
Published: May 2019

A number of methods commonly used in landscape genetics use an analogy to electrical resistance on a network to describe and fit barriers to movement across the landscape using genetic distance data. These are motivated by a mathematical equivalence between electrical resistance between two nodes of a network and the ‘commute time’, which is the mean time for a random walk on that network to leave one node, visit the other, and return. However, genetic data are more accurately modelled by a different quantity, the coalescence time. Here, we describe the differences between resistance distance and coalescence time, and explore the consequences for inference. We implemented a Bayesian method to infer effective movement rates and population sizes under both these models, and found that inference using commute times could produce misleading results in the presence of biased gene flow. We then used forwards‐time simulation with continuous geography to demonstrate that coalescence‐based inference remains more accurate than resistance‐based methods on realistic data, but difficulties highlight the need for methods that explicitly model continuous, heterogeneous geography.
Depositional Age, Provenance Characteristics and Tectonic Setting of the Ailaoshan Group in the Southwestern South China Block
Authors: JI Lei , LIU Fulai , WANG Fang , TIAN Zhonghua
Published: May 2019

The depositional and metamorphic ages and provenances of the Ailaoshan (ALS) Group in the Ailaoshan‐Red River (ALS‐RR) shear zone, southwestern South China Block (SCB), were investigated to constrain the tectonic history of the southwestern SCB. In this study, we use petrology, geochemical analysis, zircon cathodoluminescence imaging and U‐Pb geochronology to analyse samples of quartzite, garnet‐bearing two‐mica schist and metapelite. The age spectra of detrital zircon grains from these metasediments show two dominant age peaks at 550–424 Ma and 876–730 Ma and two subordinate peaks at 970–955 Ma and ∼2450 Ma. The youngest peak, corresponding to the early Palaeozoic, accounts for more than 20% of the total dates and constrains the deposition of the ALS Group to the Palaeozoic rather than the Palaeoproterozoic as traditionally thought. Moreover, two peaks of metamorphic ages corresponding to the Permo‐Triassic and Cenozoic were also identified, and these ages document the tectonothermal events associated with the Indosinian collision between the Indochina Block and the SCB and the Himalayan collision between the Indian and Asian plates. Geochemical data suggest that the provenances of the ALS Group were dominated by continental arc and recycled metasedimentary rocks. The comparison of probability density distribution plots of the detrital zircon U‐Pb age data indicates that the Neoproterozoic detritus in the ALS Group was probably derived from the arc‐related Neoproterozoic intrusive bodies in the northwestern and southwestern SCB. Furthermore, the early Palaeozoic detritus might have been sourced from eroded early Palaeozoic strata and magmatic plutons in Cathaysia and volcanic rocks in the western Indochina Block.
Three‐dimensional custom‐made carbon‐fiber prosthesis for sternal reconstruction after sarcoma resection
Authors: Wang Bin , Guo Yuanwei , Tang Jingqun , Yu Fenglei
Published: May 2019

Radical resection is the preferred therapy for primary malignant sternal tumors. Sternal reconstruction is required to guarantee the best preservation of respiratory mechanics, and adequate mediastinal protection and acceptable cosmetic results after extensive tumor resection. A wide variety of methods and materials have been described for sternal reconstruction. Titanium implants are preferred by many surgeons because of their optimal features. However, the smooth surface of the metal prostheses does not facilitate the inward growth of the tissue, and the high density of metal can block the X‐ray and cause adverse effects on postoperative imaging and radiotherapy. Therefore, in this article we present a case of sternal reconstruction by means of a three dimensional (3D) custom‐made carbon‐fiber prosthesis following extensive resection of a sternal synovial sarcoma. The microporous structure on the surface of the carbon fiber composite material facilitates the inward growth of the tissue. Low density (1.5 g/cm3) of carbon‐fiber implant will not block the X‐ray and eliminates the adverse effects caused by metal material of postoperative imaging and radiotherapy. The 3D custom‐made carbon‐fiber prosthesis matched the thoracic defect perfectly and the chest wall reconstruction was stable for more than 24 months.
Multicategory Individualized Treatment Regime Using Outcome Weighted Learning
Authors: Huang Xinyang , Goldberg Yair , Xu Jin
Published: May 2019

Individualized treatment regimes (ITRs) aim to recommend treatments based on patient-specific characteristics in order to maximize the expected clinical outcome. Outcome weighted learning approaches have been proposed for this optimization problem with primary focus on the binary treatment case. Many require assumptions of the outcome value or the randomization mechanism. In this paper, we propose a general framework for multicategory ITRs using generic surrogate risk. The proposed method accommodates the situations when the outcome takes negative value and/or when the propensity score is unknown. Theoretical results about Fisher consistency, excess risk, and risk consistency are established. In practice, we recommend using differentiable convex loss for computational optimization. We demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method under multinomial deviance risk to some existing methods by simulation and application on data from a clinical trial.
Comparative molecular cell biology of phototrophic euglenids and parasitic trypanosomatids sheds light on the ancestor of Euglenozoa
Authors: Vesteg Matej , Hadariová Lucia , Horváth Anton , Estraño Carlos E. , Schwartzbach Steven D. , Krajčovič Juraj
Published: May 2019

Parasitic trypanosomatids and phototrophic euglenids are among the most extensively studied euglenozoans. The phototrophic euglenid lineage arose relatively recently through secondary endosymbiosis between a phagotrophic euglenid and a prasinophyte green alga that evolved into the euglenid secondary chloroplast. The parasitic trypanosomatids (i.e. Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp.) and the freshwater phototrophic euglenids (i.e. Euglena gracilis) are the most evolutionary distant lineages in the Euglenozoa phylogenetic tree. The molecular and cell biological traits they share can thus be considered as ancestral traits originating in the common euglenozoan ancestor. These euglenozoan ancestral traits include common mitochondrial presequence motifs, respiratory chain complexes containing various unique subunits, a unique ATP synthase structure, the absence of mitochondria‐encoded transfer RNAs (tRNAs), a nucleus with a centrally positioned nucleolus, closed mitosis without dissolution of the nuclear membrane and nucleoli, a nuclear genome containing the unusual ‘J’ base (β‐D‐glucosyl‐hydroxymethyluracil), processing of nucleus‐encoded precursor messenger RNAs (pre‐mRNAs) via spliced‐leader RNA (SL‐RNA) trans‐splicing, post‐transcriptional gene silencing by the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway and the absence of transcriptional regulation of nuclear gene expression. Mitochondrial uridine insertion/deletion RNA editing directed by guide RNAs (gRNAs) evolved in the ancestor of the kinetoplastid lineage. The evolutionary origin of other molecular features known to be present only in either kinetoplastids (i.e. polycistronic transcripts, compaction of nuclear genomes) or euglenids (i.e. monocistronic transcripts, huge genomes, many nuclear cis‐spliced introns, polyproteins) is unclear.
The choice not to undergo genetic testing for Huntington disease: Results from the PHAROS study
Authors: Anderson Karen E. , Eberly Shirley , Marder Karen S. , Oakes David , Kayson Elise , Young Anne , Shoulson Ira ,   for the PHAROS Investigators
Published: May 2019

Rates of genetic testing in Huntington disease (HD) are lower than was predicted before direct DNA testing became available. Clinicians often do not have in‐depth conversations with people at risk who chose not to test. We queried 733 research subjects who chose not to learn their HD gene status when enrolling in the Prospective Huntington At‐Risk Observational Study, carried out between 1999 and 2008. Lack of an effective cure or treatment (66% of subjects) and inability to undo knowledge (66%) were the major reasons cited for choosing not to undergo HD DNA testing. Most subjects were not concerned about the length or burden of the testing process (61% and 59%, respectively). Subjects were optimistic that a treatment to improve symptoms or postpone onset would be developed within the next 10 years (56% and 53%, respectively), but they had less certainty about the prospects to prevent HD onset (36%). This is the first large, systematic study of why people at risk for HD choose not to undergo genetic testing. Attitudes about how people at risk for HD approach this life‐altering choice should be reassessed as new treatments develop, and as clinical trials now require genetic testing at entry.
Efficacy of mechanical debridement with adjunctive probiotic therapy in the treatment of peri‐implant mucositis in cigarette‐smokers and never‐smokers
Authors: Alqahtani Fawaz , Alqahtani Mana , Shafqat Syed S. , Akram Zohaib , Al‐Kheraif Abdulaziz A. , Javed Fawad
Published: May 2019

Background

Efficacy of mechanical debridement (MD) with adjunctive probiotic therapy (PT) in the treatment of peri‐implant mucositis (PiM) in cigarette‐smoking and never‐smoking subjects remains uninvestigated.

Purpose

The aim was to assess the efficacy of MD with adjunctive PT in the treatment of PiM in cigarette‐smoking and never‐smoking individuals.

Materials and Methods

Patients with (group I) and without PiM (group II) were included. Demographic data was collected using a questionnaire. Treatment‐wise, patients in groups I and II were subdivided into: (a) Patients that underwent MD with adjunct PT (using Lactobacillus reuteri); and (b) MD alone. In all groups, probing depth (PD), plaque index (PI), and bleeding on probing (BOP) were measured at baseline and compared after 3‐ and 6‐months. Baseline peri‐implant crestal bone levels were also measured. Sample‐size estimation was performed, and statistical comparisons were done using one‐way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post‐hoc adjustment tests. P values under .05 were deemed significant.

Results

Eighty individuals (group I: 40 cigarette‐smokers and group II: 40 never‐smokers) with PiM participated in this study. At all‐time intervals, no significant difference in PD, PI, and BOP were observed in all patients in group I. At 3‐months' follow‐up, the differences in BOP (P < .05), and PI (P < .05) were significantly higher in group II that underwent MD + PT than MD alone. At 6‐months' follow‐up, there was no difference in the changes in BOP and PI among subjects that underwent MD with and without adjunct PT.

Conclusion

On a short‐term basis, MD with adjunct PT is more effectual in the treatment of PiM than MD alone in never‐smokers. Cigarette‐smoking compromises peri‐implant soft tissue healing following MD with or without adjunct PT.
Methanol content in homemade alcohol from a province in North Vietnam
Authors: Lao Yvonne , Pham Bich Diep , Le Huong Thi , Nguyen Van Hien , Hovda Knut Erik
Published: May 2019

Introduction and Aims

Methanol poisonings pose a major risk especially where illegal alcohol is consumed. The source of the methanol in the drinks are debated. We aimed to evaluate whether home distillation of alcohol made from rice was capable of producing toxic amounts of methanol.

Design and Methods

Twenty households with homemade alcohol production in Phu Tho province in Vietnam were included in this pilot study. We followed the whole production process and an alcohol sample from each household was analysed for methanol content.

Results

17 (85%) of the samples contained detectable levels of methanol. The median concentration was 9 mg/L (range 2–37 mg/L). To develop clinical symptoms of methanol poisoning from the sample with the highest concentration would require drinking more than 424 L.

Discussion and Conclusions

Homemade alcohol from rice did not contain sufficient amount of methanol to cause toxicity in our study. This supports the theory of methanol being added to ethanol post production for economical purposes as the main source of mass poisonings.
A Kantian solution to the problem of imperceptible differences
Authors: Albertzart Maike
Published: May 2019

There are cases such as climate change where the cumulative effects of the actions of several agents lead to grave harm but where no individual agent can make a perceptible difference for the better or worse. According to Derek Parfit, dealing with such imperceptible difference cases requires substantial changes to the way we think about morality. InOn What Matters, Parfit builds on Kantian Ethics to address the problem of imperceptible differences, but the transformation that Kant's theory undergoes in his hands is radical. I argue that Parfit's changes to Kant's theory are not only unnecessary but also detrimental to making sense of the ethical dimensions of action in collective contexts. Building on the notion of imperfect duties, I offer an alternative solution to the problem of imperceptible difference cases that remains closer to Kant's original theory and avoids the difficulties of Parfit's approach.