bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of extremely steep residual stress gradients based on a combined approach using laboratory-scale equipment
Authors: Fischer Andreas , Degener Sebastian , Liehr Alexander , Niendorf Thomas
Published: November 2021

Surface treatments characterized by rapid heating and cooling (e.g. laser hardening) can induce very steep residual stress gradients in the direct vicinity of the area being treated. These gradients cannot be characterized with sufficient accuracy by means of the classical sin2Ψ approach applying angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction. This can be mainly attributed to limitations of the material removal method. In order to resolve residual stress gradients in these regions without affecting the residual stress equilibrium, another angle-dispersive approach, i.e. the universal plot method, can be used. A novel combination of the two approaches (sin2Ψ and universal plot) is introduced in the present work. Prevailing limits with respect to profiles as a function of depth can be overcome and, thus, high-resolution surface layer characterization is enabled. The data obtained are discussed comprehensively in comparison with results elaborated by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements.
Prediction of cold rolling gas based on EEMD-LSTM deep learning technology
Authors: Zhai Hui , Xiong Wei , Li Fujin , Yang Jie , Su Dongyan , Zhang Yongjun
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The prediction of by-product gas is an important guarantee for the full utilization of resources. The purpose of this research is to predict gas consumption to provide a basis for gas dispatch and reduce the production cost of enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a new method using the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and the back propagation neural network is proposed. Unfortunately, this method does not achieve the ideal prediction. Further, using the advantages of long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network for long-term dependence, a prediction method based on EEMD and LSTM is proposed. In this model, the gas consumption series is decomposed into several intrinsic mode functions and a residual term (r(t)) by EEMD. Second, each component is predicted by LSTM. The predicted values of all components are added together to get the final prediction result.

Findings

The results show that the root mean square error is reduced to 0.35%, the average absolute error is reduced to 1.852 and the R-squared is reached to 0.963.

Originality/value

A new gas consumption prediction method is proposed in this paper. The production data collected in the actual production process is non-linear, unstable and contains a lot of noise. But the EEMD method has the unique superiority in the analysis data aspect and may solve these questions well. The prediction of gas consumption is the result of long-term training and needs a lot of prior knowledge. Relying on LSTM can solve the problem of long-term dependence.
Understanding dynamic distribution capabilities to enhance supply chain performance: a dynamic capability view
Authors: Kazmi Syeda Wajiha , Ahmed Waqar
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and understand the factors that contribute to the enhancement in the process of supply chain activities, specifically among manufacturing industries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows the quantitative approach by disseminating a structured questionnaire to supply chain practitioners working in manufacturing industries. A sample of 109 responses is gathered from senior employees involved in sales and operations planning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are performed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the model. Lastly, SmartPLS is used to test the hypotheses proposed in the study.

Findings

The findings revealed that demand sensing and managing practices positively impact supply chain performance by creating dynamic distribution capabilities. It is observed that distribution capabilities integrate both efficient and effective handling of resources. However, demand management practice has insignificant relationship with supply chain performance.

Research limitations/implications

The authors suggest that supply chain management must expand in firms, and importance must be given as supply chain performance can provide competitive advantage in order to sustain in today's competitive market.

Practical implications

The findings can help decision-makers working in the planning process by identifying the right tools to sense the market and react accordingly.

Originality/value

This paper is an initial effort to understand the dynamic distribution capabilities by establishing the link with the studied variables, especially in the manufacturing industries in Pakistan.
Does doing good pay off?
Authors: Marwan Syed , Haneef Mohamed Aslam
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the world’s first social impact bond (SIB) and the lessons that can be learned for the Islamic finance industry to fulfil its true objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The Peterborough SIB was recently announced to be successful in achieving its targeted social and investment outcomes, reducing recidivism by 9 per cent and paying back investors a 3 per cent pa return. The paper compares Peterborough SIB with socially responsible investment (SRI) sukuk in terms of form and substance, and finds that there are various lessons from the Peterborough SIB that can be useful for future development of Islamic financial products.

Findings

Innovative social financial tools such as SIB exemplify the true spirit of risk sharing and social responsibility, which is arguably missing in current practices of the Islamic finance industry. With the growing interest towards SRI strategies and increase in socially motivated investors, such financial tools may not only help the sustainable growth of the Islamic finance industry, but also fill in the gap between its theory and practice.

Practical implications

As such, the paper also proposes a social impact sukuk model which integrates the key aspects learned from Peterborough SIB. This includes prioritising social impact, measurable success indicators, data and management systems, flexible contracts, third sector integration, risk sharing and fostering the culture of innovation.

Originality/value

The findings can offer some practical insights in dealing with the issue of Islamic finance practice being overly concerned with its formal adherence with Islamic legal rules whilst neglecting its true fundamental values.
Reciprocity, self-interest and reputation: debt vs equity contracts
Authors: Shah Syed Munawar , Abdul-Majid Mariani
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether reputation element affects the decision relative performance of trust, bonus and incentive contracts using social laboratory experiments.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducts the following lab experiments bonus–incentive treatment without reputation, bonus–incentive treatment with reputation and trust–incentive treatment with reputation.

Findings

The study finds that the reputation and fairness concerns, in contrast to self-interest, may have a decisive impact on the actual and optimal choices in the reciprocity-based contracts. The principal pays higher salaries in the bonus contract as compared to an incentive contract.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the behavioral economic literature in the following dimensions. The existing literature on lab experiments considers a bonus contract as better than the debt contract; however, it does not consider the trust contract better than the debt contract.
Economic growth and financial performance of Islamic banks: a CAMELS approach
Authors: Ledhem Mohammed Ayoub , Mekidiche Mohammed
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between the financial performance of Islamic finance and economic growth in all of Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Turkey and Saudi Arabia within the endogenous growth model framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied dynamic panel system GMM to estimate the impact of the financial performance of Islamic finance on economic growth using quarterly data (2014:1-2018:4). CAMELS system parameters were employed as variables of the financial performance of Islamic finance and gross domestic product (GDP) as a proxy of economic growth. The sample contained all Islamic banks working in the five countries.

Findings

The findings demonstrated that the only significant factor of the financial performance of Islamic finance, which affects the endogenous economic growth, is profitability through return on equity (ROE). The experimental findings also indicated the necessity of stimulating other financial performance factors of Islamic finance to achieve a significant contribution to economic growth.

Practical implications

The analysis in this paper would fill the literature gap by investigating the link between financial performance of Islamic finance and economic growth, as this study serves as a guide for the academians, researchers and decision-makers who want to achieve economic growth through stimulating Islamic finance in the banking sector. However, this study may well be extended to investigate the link between the financial performance of Islamic finance and economic growth over the Z-score model as another measure for the financial performance of Islamic finance.

Originality/value

This paper is the first that investigates the link between financial performance of Islamic finance and economic growth empirically using CAMELS parameters within the endogenous growth model to provide robust information about this link based on a sample of the top pioneer Islamic finance countries.
Human well-being, morality and the economy: an Islamic perspective
Authors: Kader Haithem
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study argues that in order to address the problems associated with the modern market economy at their core, such as persistent poverty, growing inequality and environmental degradation, it is imperative to re-assess the well-being and moral philosophy underpinning economic thinking. The author attempts to offer a preliminary way forward with reference to the Islamic intellectual tradition.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs content analysis of classical and contemporary Islamic texts on human well-being and economic ethics to derive a conceptual well-being model. The paper is structured in four sections: section one provides an overview of relevant secondary literature on moral economic approaches; section two outlines the main well-being frameworks; section three discusses the concept of human well-being in Islam informed by the Islamic worldview of tawḥīd, the Islamic philosophy of saʿādah, and the higher objectives of Islamic Law (maqās.id al-Sharīʿah); and finally, section four discusses policy implications and next steps forward.

Findings

A conceptual model of human well-being from an Islamic perspective is developed by integrating philosophical insights of happiness (saʿādah) with an objective list of five essential goods: religion (Dīn), self (Nafs), intellect ('Aql), progeny (Nasl) and wealth (Māl) that correspond to spiritual, physical and psychological, intellectual, familial and social, and material well-being, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is needed to translate this conceptual model into a composite well-being index to inform policy and practice.

Practical implications

This model can be used to review the performance of the Islamic finance sector, not solely in terms of growth and profitability, but in terms of realising human necessities, needs and refinements. It can also provide the basis for the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) countries to jointly develop a well-being index to guide national and regional co-operation. More generally, this study highlights the need for research in Islamic economics to be more firmly rooted within Islamic ontology and epistemology, while simultaneously engaging in productive dialogue with other moral schools of economic thought to offer practical solutions to contemporary challenges.

Originality/value

This study offers three aspects of originality. First, by outlining well-being frameworks, it highlights key differences between the utilitarian understanding of well-being underpinning modern economic theory and virtue-based understandings, such as the Aristotelian, Christian and Islamic approaches. Second, it provides a well-being model from an Islamic perspective by integrating the Islamic worldview of tawḥīd, the Islamic philosophy of saʿādah, and the higher objectives of Islamic Law (maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah). Third, it proposes an ethical framework for informing economic policy and practice.
The determinants of Sukūk issuance in GCC countries
Authors: Guermazi Imene
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper focuses on Ṣukūk issuance determinants in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Given the dual characteristic of debt and equity of Ṣukūk as well as their unique benefits of social responsibility, the author questions whether the theories of capital structure, the trade-off and the pecking order are able to well explain the Ṣukūk issuance.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the author verifies these theories using capital structure determinants and regresses the Ṣukūk change on these determinants. Second, the author tests the trade-off theory with the target debt model and third, verifies the pecking order theory using the fund flow deficit model.

Findings

The empirical results show that capital structure determinants fail to explain both theories. The author confirms that the Ṣukūk change is significatively linked to the deviation from a Ṣukūk target. So, issuing firms balance the marginal costs of Ṣukūk and their benefits of religiosity and social responsibility toward a target debt. The author finds no evidence of the pecking order theory.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to corporate finance theory and corporate social responsibility. It verifies if capital structure theories proved in conventional financing can well explain Islamic bonds issuance given their social responsibility benefits.

Practical implications

Managers and investors would pay attention to the social factors explaining Ṣukūk issuance in their finance and investment decisions. They would be enhanced to use this financing tool knowing its social unique benefits. This also should encourage governments to enhance this socially responsible financing. Rating agencies would be motivated to evaluate Ṣukūk and firms would improve the quality and relevance of disclosure to get the best rating.

Social implications

The author highlights the social factors explaining Ṣukūk issuance and enhances corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Originality/value

The author extends the few literature testing capital structure theories for Islamic bonds and highlights the specific social responsible features of Ṣukūk that would bridge their issuance to capital structure theories. So the author enhances the concept of Islamic CSR. Tying capital structure theories to CSR would also help developing Islamic finance theory as a unique social responsible framework.
Exploring residential characteristics as determinants of household adaptation to climate change in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Okunola Olasunkanmi Habeeb , Bako Abdullateef Iyanda
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing residents’ adaptation strategies to climate change effects in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The metropolis was stratified into low, medium and high residential densities. Across the residential densities, questionnaires were administered on 384 residents. The questionnaire addressed issues on resident’s socio-economic and demographic attributes, awareness of climate change and factors influencing residents’ adaptation to climate change. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings

Result indicated that the adaptation strategies adopted by residents in the different residential areas were similar but varied in magnitude as denoted by the resident response index RRI (RRIh = 3.32, RRIm = 3.39 and RRIl = 3.41). The multiple regression analysis computed indicated the residential characteristics such as education, average monthly income, age, house type and house ownership (p< 0.05) were significant factors influencing resident’s level of climate change adaptation strategies adopted.

Research limitations/implications

The study could be strengthened by looking at specific climate change effects such as floods or drought in major cities of Nigeria. Hence, the view presented in this paper may not be considered generalizable to the impacts of climate change in the study area.

Originality/value

In recent years, research studies on human adaptation and coping strategies to climate change have generated considerable development interest. This study contributed to this growing area of research by examining the factors influencing residents’ adaptation strategies to climate change in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria.
Performance and service quality enhancement in a healthcare setting through lean six sigma strategy
Authors: Noronha Ajay , Bhat Shreeranga , Gijo E.V. , Antony Jiju , Laureani Alessandro , Laux Chad
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The article intended to excavate the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment challenges, Critical Success Factors (CSF), tools and techniques, and managerial implications in an Indian healthcare setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The article illustrates a case study established using Action Research (AR) approach. Further, the case study is based on the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) phases of LSS. The performance and service quality of the Endodontics department of a dental college attached to a hospital is enhanced and sustained through the LSS strategy.

Findings

The processing time of Root Canal treatment is reduced by determining the root causes for delay and implementing sustainable solutions. The structured deployment of the LSS strategy helped the Endodontics department to reduce the processing time from an average of 116 min–84 min. Thus, the process's sigma level is enhanced from 0.06 to 4.17 and assisted in sustaining the results.

Research limitations/implications

The case study's findings are based on the single AR carried out at an Endodontics department of a dental college hospital based on LSS strategies. Even though this study's results cannot be generalized, the deliverables of the case study can be used to develop the LSS roadmap for the dental colleges to enhance the service quality and safety of the patients.

Originality/value

The article provides step-by-step details for implementing LSS in dental college hospitals with critical analysis based on robust statistical tools and techniques. The case study provides evidence of the adoption of LSS in medical college education and provides the confidence to adopt the same through novice users. The study's findings may persuade the policymakers to add LSS in the medical education curriculum to reinforce safety and reduce errors in the healthcare system.
Exploring the impact of gender on challenges and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Krase Kathryn , Luzuriaga Leina , Wang Donna , Schoolnik Andrew , Parris-Strigle Chantee , Attis Latoya , Brown Petra
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Repercussions to everyday life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted certain segments of the population, including older adults, communities of color and women. The societal response to reduce the impact of the pandemic, including closing schools and working from home, has been experienced differentially by women. This study explored how individual challenges and coping mechanisms differed for women as compared to men.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used an anonymous, cross-sectional, online survey early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Convenience, snowball and purposive sampling methods were used. Data were collected in June 2020 targeting adults living in Canada and the USA, with a total of 1,405 people responding, of which, the respondents were primarily women, White and with high education levels.

Findings

The results of this study confirm previous research that women struggled more to adapt to the pandemic and felt less prepared than men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study found significant differences in the sources of information and support used by women as compared to men.

Originality/value

The findings of this study not only confirm past research but also highlight that practice and policy responses to this pandemic, and future research on national level crises need to be targeted by gender, so that different needs are effectively addressed. Additionally, this article also identifies sources or challenges, as well as support, in order to inform and strengthen such responses.
Lifting the veil on HRIS adoption: the role of vendors and consultants in the diffusion of HR innovations
Authors: Jemine Grégory , Guillaume Kim
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the adoption process of human resource information systems (HRIS) from a supply-side perspective emphasizing the practices of HRIS vendors and consultants. It aims to counterbalance the existing literature on HRIS, which has overwhelmingly studied HRIS adoption from the customer organization's viewpoint, hence systematically downplaying the active role of vendors and consultants in adoption processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The research has been conducted on the HRIS market of the Benelux (Belgium–The Netherlands–Luxemburg) from a constructionist and exploratory perspective. The structure and dynamics underlying the market are gradually unveiled through open interviews with HRIS vendors and consulting firms (n = 22).

Findings

The paper reveals how the social shaping of HR innovations takes place and identifies nine types of pressures exerted by HRIS vendors and consultants on customer organizations: assessing, advising, advertising, case-building, demonstrating, configuring, accompanying, sustaining and supporting. Taken together, these pressures demonstrate the systematic presence and active role of external actors throughout the adoption process of HRIS within firms.

Research limitations/implications

It is suggested that further supply-side studies of innovation diffusion processes of HRIS should be conducted to complement the existing, demand-side literature. In this view, emphasis should be set on technology providers and their ongoing interactions with customer firms.

Originality/value

The analytical precedence given to supply-side actors allows to conceptualize HRIS adoption as the dynamic result of negotiations between three groups of actors (HRIS vendors, HRIS consultants and customer firms), hence resulting in a more comprehensive and holistic view of HRIS adoption processes.
Gender attributes of the impact of informal savings and loans associations on food security in rural Zimbabwe
Authors: Kairiza Terrence , Kembo George , Magadzire Vengesai , Pallegedara Asankha
Published: December 2021

Purpose

In the absence of well-developed financial markets, Informal Savings and Loans Associations (ISLAs) provide rural households with an alternative consumption coping mechanisms when confronted by transitory and seasonal food insecurity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the household food consumption coping strategies and gendered importance of ISLAs in improving household food security in rural Zimbabwe.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses household panel data on rural livelihoods from the 2019 and 2020 household surveys conducted by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC). Employing propensity score matching approach to cater for the self-selection bias associated with household ISLA membership, the study estimates average treatment effect of household ISLA membership on food security and gendered importance of the propensity of the household to engage in consumption coping strategies.

Findings

Results shows that the ISLA membership increases household food security and reduces the household propensity to apply non-ISLA consumption coping mechanisms. Female-headed households with ISLA members are more able to increase food security as well as reduce reliance on non-ISLA consumption coping mechanisms than their male counterparts with ISLA members.

Research limitations/implications

Use of household dietary diversity score and food consumption score as two proxies to measure household food security.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on food consumption coping strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa using recent household panel data.
Super‐resolution imaging detects BP180 autoantigen in immunoglobulin M pemphigoid
Authors: Hirano Yoko , Iwata Hiroaki , Tsujuwaki Masumi , Mai Shoko , Mai Yosuke , Imafuku Keisuke , Izumi Kentaro , Koga Hiroshi , Ujiie Hideyuki
Published: November 2021

Bullous pemphigoid is generally caused by immunoglobulin (Ig)G autoantibodies against hemidesmosomal BP180 and/or BP230. Recently, the concept of IgM pemphigoid has been proposed. A 23‐year‐old Japanese woman presented with a 4‐month history of severely itchy papules showing subepidermal separations with mild neutrophil infiltration. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) revealed IgM deposits at the dermoepidermal junction, but neither IgG nor IgA deposits. Indirect immunofluorescence on 1 M NaCl‐split skin demonstrated deposits on the epidermal side. The optical density (OD) value of a modified IgM enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for full‐length BP180, but not for BP180‐NC16A, was increased. The patient was diagnosed with IgM pemphigoid and was treated with diphenyl sulfone at 50 mg/day without recurrence. To confirm the precise autoantigen, we tried to obtain super‐resolution imaging. The deposition pattern of IgM autoantibodies seemed to be oriented parallel to that of BP180. The detailed images detect DIF deposits apart from BP180‐NC16A staining, but are close to type VII collagen‐NC1 staining. This result suggests that the IgM autoantibodies in the patient might target the C‐terminus of BP180. IgM pemphigoid is still not a widely accepted concept, and the clinical course remains unknown. We will carefully follow‐up the patient. Super‐resolution images may help to detect precise autoantigens in autoimmune blistering diseases.
Decrease in soil pH has greater effects than increase in above‐ground carbon inputs on soil organic carbon in terrestrial ecosystems of China under nitrogen enrichment
Authors: Lu Xiaofei , Gilliam Frank S. , Guo Jieyun , Hou Enqing , Kuang Yuanwen
Published: November 2021

Impacts of nitrogen (N) enrichment on soil carbon (C) budgets in terrestrial ecosystems have been well documented by numerous field experiments and syntheses. Although previous studies have largely attributed this phenomenon to the increased organic C inputs, the potential mechanisms of how N enrichment increases soil organic C (SOC) remain contentious.

In this study, we conducted a meta‐analysis comprising 234 published field N‐addition experiments from multiple terrestrial ecosystems across China to evaluate the impacts of N enrichment on the SOC budget.

Although the meta‐analysis revealed that N‐addition significantly enhanced plant biomass and SOC concentration across the selected studies, we found that SOC concentration was independent of, or even decreased with, the enhanced plant biomass due to increased soil C loss as increasing organic C inputs. The negative correlation between plant C inputs and SOC under N enrichment, meanwhile, appeared reversible by the concomitant changes in soil pH, which depended on the magnitude of soil acidification. Increased SOC in terrestrial ecosystems was closely associated with decreased soil pH, which reduced soil C losses by limiting microbial degradation.

Synthesis and applications. We suggest that soil carbon (C) budget is determined by the trade‐off between plant C inputs and nitrogen (N)‐induced soil acidification. In contrast to other studies, our findings demonstrate that N‐mediated soil acidification, rather than increased above‐ground C inputs, is the main driver increasing soil organic C (SOC) under elevated N inputs in terrestrial ecosystems of China.
The Covid‐19 app and the fire spirit: Receiving messages in Britain and Siberia
Authors: Laptander Roza , Vitebsky Piers
Published: December 2021

The UK's National Health Service Covid‐19 ‘track and trace’ app was designed as a critical public health technology. So why has it encountered so much resistance? The authors compare alerts on the phone regarding exposure to possible Covid‐19 infection with messages from a Siberian nomad's domestic fire, which sometimes crackles warnings of potential illnesses or accidents. Though these prediction technologies may seem radically different, they are both instruments for thinking about possible futures and adjusting behaviour. The authors interpret them as forms of divination that differ not so much in their logic as in their embeddedness in wider cosmologies of person, fate and society. The Siberian fire generates meaning as a focal point of coherence within many narrative strands concerning family and landscape; acceptance of its messages is rooted in intimacy and entanglement. This highlights how the Covid‐19 app belongs to a state of emergency and exception. Its statistical idiom of risk and its culturally hyper‐valued focus on privacy conceal the identities of people caught in the chain of infection, blocking social and narrative coherence and thereby encouraging suspicion and cynicism.
Francisella novicida can utilize Paramecium bursaria as its potential host
Authors: Watanabe Kenta , Motonaga Akane , Tachibana Masato , Shimizu Takashi , Watarai Masahisa
Published: November 2021

Francisella novicida is a facultative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of tularemia. Although cases of infection caused by exposure to contaminated water have been reported, its natural host and ecology in the environment remain unclear. In this study, we investigated in vitro the possibility that Paramecium bursaria may be a useful tool as a protist host model of F. novicida. Experimental infection with F. novicida resulted in a stable intracellular relationship within P. bursaria. This symbiotic intracellular relationship was not observed in experimental infections with other Francisella species and Legionella pneumophila. We found that F. novicida showed similar behaviour to that of the eukaryotic endosymbiont of P. bursaria, the green algae Chlorella, in the internalization process. In addition, stable intracellular localization of F. novicida was possible only when Chlorella was not present. Although we investigated the type VI secretion system of F. novicida as a candidate for the bacterial factor, we found that it was not involved in the establishment of an intracellular relationship with P. bursaria. These results suggested that P. bursaria is potentially a protist host model for F. novicida and may be a useful tool for understanding the relationship between protist hosts and their symbionts.
Accessing specialist support to stop smoking in pregnancy: A qualitative study exploring engagement with UK‐based stop smoking services
Authors: Griffiths Sarah Ellen , Naughton Felix , Brown Katherine E.
Published: December 2021

Objectives

Specialist stop smoking services can be effective for supporting women with smoking cessation during pregnancy, but uptake of these services is low. A novel theoretical approach was used for this research, aiming to identify barriers to and facilitators of engaging with specialist smoking cessation support using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

Methods

Semi‐structured interviews and a focus group (n = 28) were carried out with pregnant women who smoke/recently quit smoking, midwives and Stop Smoking in Pregnancy advisors from two local authority commissioned services in the UK. Inductive thematic analysis was used to code interview transcripts and deductive thematic analysis used to match emerging themes to TDF domains.

Results

Themes corresponded to seven domains of the TDF: Knowledge: Knowledge of available services for pregnant smokers; Environmental context and resources: Uptake of referral to cessation services by pregnant smokers; Social Influences: Smoking norms and role of others on addressing smoking in pregnancy; Beliefs about Capabilities: Confidence in delivering and accepting pregnancy smoking cessation support; Beliefs about Consequences: Beliefs about risks of smoking in pregnancy and role of cessation services; Intentions: Intentions to quit smoking during pregnancy; Emotions: Fear of judgement from healthcare professionals for smoking in pregnancy.

Conclusions

These novel findings help to specify factors associated with pregnant women’s engagement, which are useful for underpinning service specification and design by public health commissioners and service providers. Addressing these factors could help to increase uptake of cessation services and reduce rates of smoking in pregnancy.
An experimental framework for evaluating loss minimization in multi‐label classification via stochastic process
Authors: Henrique Sousa Mello Lucas , Varejão Flávio M. , Rodrigues Alexandre L.
Published: November 2021

One major challenge multi‐label classification faces, are the conditions for evaluating multi‐label algorithms. Simplistic experimental setups based on artificial data may not capture crucial situations for analyzing these algorithms. This article introduces an experimental framework for evaluating multi‐label algorithms by artificially generating the probabilistic label distributions. The proposed framework has the benefits of considering a wide variety of labels distributions, and enables users to simulate probability label distributions with a better control of the label dependence and the difficulty of the problem. An experimental study was conducted using the framework where new findings with respect to five methods, binary relevance, classifier chain, dependent binary relevance, calibrated label ranking by pairwise comparison and probabilistic classifier chain, were revealed. This framework will facilitate conducting new experimental studies for analysing the effects of changing label dependence and the difficulty of the problem on the performance of new multi‐label algorithms.
A decade implementing ecosystem approach to fisheries management improves diversity of taxa and traits within a marine protected area in the UK
Authors: Davies Bede F. R. , Holmes Luke , Bicknell Anthony , Attrill Martin J. , Sheehan Emma V.
Published: November 2021

Aim

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management has highlighted the importance of studying ecosystem functions and services, and the biological traits that drive them. Yet, ecosystem services and the associated benefits that they provide are rarely the motive for creating marine protected area (MPA). Therefore, many MPA monitoring projects do not explicitly study these functions and services or the underlying biological traits linked to them.

Location

Lyme Bay MPA, located in the SW of England, was established in 2008 to protect the reef biodiversity across a 206‐km2 area, which includes rocky reef habitats, pebbly sand and soft muddy sediments. Mobile demersal fishing was excluded across the whole site to allow the recovery of the reef habitats.

Methods

Using a combination of towed underwater video and Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems changes in diversity (taxonomic and trait), and traits affected by mobile demersal fishing were assessed in Lyme Bay MPA over 10 years.

Results

There was a consistent increase in the number of taxa and the trait diversity they provide within the MPA as well as an increase in functional redundancy, which may increase community resilience to perturbations. Outside of the MPA there was an increase in the abundance of mobile species, while the MPA showed an increase in filter feeders.

Main conclusions

The MPA showed a trend towards more diverse and potentially resilient rocky reef habitats. This study constitutes a novel MPA assessment using multiple sampling methods to encompass a wide range of taxa. It also reinforces the importance of effective MPA monitoring, which has demonstrated changes in trait diversity and trait composition driven by changes in taxonomic diversity.
Ischemic stroke in COVID‐19 patients: Mechanisms, treatment, and outcomes in a consecutive Swiss Stroke Registry analysis
Authors: Strambo Davide , De Marchis Gian Marco , Bonati Leo H. , Arnold Marcel , Carrera Emmanuel , Galletta Santi , Nedeltchev Krassen , Kahles Timo , Cereda Carlo W. , Bianco Giovanni , Kägi Georg , Luft Andreas R. , Bolognese Manuel , Lakatos Lehel‐Barna , Salmen Stephan , Correia Pamela , Sturzenegger Rolf , Sylvan Albert , Medlin Friedrich , Berger Christian , Lindheimer Florian , Baumgärtner Markus , Schelosky Ludwig , Bonvin Christophe , Mono Marie‐Luise , Rodic Biljana , von Reding Andrea , Schwegler Guido , Massini Federico , Tarnutzer Alexander A. , Taheri Shadi , Peters Nils , Beyeler Morin , Altersberger Valerian , Engelter Stefan T. , Fischer Urs , Michel Patrik ,   for the Swiss Stroke Registry Investigators
Published: November 2021

Background

Most case series of patients with ischemic stroke (IS) and COVID‐19 are limited to selected centers or lack 3‐month outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency, clinical and radiological features, and 3‐month outcomes of patients with IS and COVID‐19 in a nationwide stroke registry.

Methods

From the Swiss Stroke Registry (SSR), we included all consecutive IS patients ≥18 years admitted to Swiss Stroke Centers or Stroke Units during the first wave of COVID‐19 (25 February to 8 June 2020). We compared baseline features, etiology, and 3‐month outcome of SARS‐CoV‐2 polymerase chain reaction‐positive (PCR+) IS patients to SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR− and/or asymptomatic non‐tested IS patients.

Results

Of the 2341 IS patients registered in the SSR during the study period, 36 (1.5%) had confirmed COVID‐19 infection, of which 33 were within 1 month before or after stroke onset. In multivariate analysis, COVID+ patients had more lesions in multiple vascular territories (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.08–5.14, p = 0.032) and fewer cryptogenic strokes (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.14–0.99, p = 0.049). COVID‐19 was judged the likely principal cause of stroke in 8 patients (24%), a contributing/triggering factor in 12 (36%), and likely not contributing to stroke in 13 patients (40%).

There was a strong trend towards worse functional outcome in COVID+ patients after propensity score (PS) adjustment for age, stroke severity, and revascularization treatments (PS‐adjusted common OR for shift towards higher modified Rankin Scale (mRS) = 1.85, 95% CI 0.96–3.58, p = 0.07).

Conclusions

In this nationwide analysis of consecutive ischemic strokes, concomitant COVID‐19 was relatively rare. COVID+ patients more often had multi‐territory stroke and less often cryptogenic stroke, and their 3‐month functional outcome tended to be worse.
Effective forest‐based climate change mitigation requires our best science
Authors: Anderson‐Teixeira Kristina J. , Belair Ethan P.
Published: November 2021

California's Cap‐and‐Trade Program sets a limit on the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions and allows a portion of excess emissions to be offset through purchase of credits for climate benefits accrued elsewhere. Badgley et al. (2021, Global Change Biology, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15943) describe how the use of mean forest carbon stocks from ecological supersections can create perverse incentives for project developers, potentially leading to over‐crediting and nonadditional offsets. Carbon markets remain a valuable tool in combating climate change, but ensuring projects’ additionality is of critical importance to effective carbon mitigation. Badgley’s article should serve as a call to action to redouble efforts at integrating the latest carbon science into effective and timely policy solutions.
Coal exploitation and income inequality: Testing the resource curse with econometric analyses of household survey data from northwestern China
Authors: Wen Qi , Li Jin , Mwenda Kevin M. , Ervin Daniel , Chatterjee Maya , Lopez‐Carr David
Published: November 2021

Coal resources have always been an important driving force for macroeconomic growth and GDP growth in resource‐rich regions. However, this growth has also caused inequality of household income in developing regions. Using survey data on rural household livelihoods in Shenmu county, Shaanxi Province, in northwestern China, this paper analyzes the relationship between coal exploitation and income inequality. Four multivariate econometric analyses are developed. We find evidence for the resource curse theory of natural resource exploitation leading to inequality: the Gini coefficient for household revenue is discovered to be markedly related with the location of and participation in coal exploitation. Nevertheless, this correlation is not linear. Rather, household income inequality primitively rises with environmental and resource subsidies. We analyze the impacts of household income inequality and contrast the characteristics of household livelihood and location characteristics in the coal exploitation site of northern Shenmu with those in the whole survey site. Our statistical analysis shows that out‐migration, the level of total household income, and convenience of household transportation are the important elements devoting to household income in northern Shenmu, the coal resources endowment region. However, the environmental damage and pollution caused by coal exploitation has substantial negative impacts upon household income, especially for households not participating in coal activities. Overall, we found that coal exploitation did not develop local industries. Adversely, the ecological environment problem and the high subsidy for coal mining caused by the exploitation of coal resources have aggravated the inequality of household income in the sample areas. Additionally, the development of coal resources attracted youth labor from agriculture to the coal industry, which exacerbated the lack of labor force and weakened village agricultural productivity.
Association analysis of MALAT1 polymorphisms and risk of psoriasis among Iranian patients
Authors: Ghafouri‐Fard Soudeh , Gholipour Mahdi , Abak Atefe , Hussen Bashdar Mahmud , Kholghi Oskooei Vahid , Taheri Mohammad , Rakhshan Azadeh
Published: November 2021

MALAT1 is a long non‐coding transcript that affects immune reactions, thus being involved in the pathoaetiology of immune‐related conditions. We investigated the associations between two genetic variants in MALAT1 and susceptibility to psoriasis in the Iranian population. The G allele of rs619586 has been shown to be less common among cases versus controls (odds ratios (OR; 95% confidence intervals (CI)) = 0.57 (0.36–0.9)), adjusted p = .02). This single nucleotide polymorphism has been associated with the risk of psoriasis in a dominant model (AG + GG vs. AA: OR (95% CI) = 0.56 (0.35–0.92), adjusted p = .04) as well as log‐additive model (OR (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.38–0.92), adjusted p = .04). The rs3200401 was not associated with psoriasis in any of the supposed inheritance models. This study potentiates rs619586 as a risk locus for psoriasis in the Iranian population.
‘We can't do it alone’: Perceived social support in parents of children with a significant cognitive and motor developmental delay
Authors: Van Keer Ines , Van Leeuwen Karla , Maes Bea
Published: November 2021

Background

It is generally acknowledged that parent social support is an important target for intervention. To explore the specific needs of parents of young children with a significant cognitive and motor developmental delay (SDD), we aim to chart the sources and perceived sufficiency of the social support they receive.

Method

Within the context of a broader project, 42 parents of a young child with SDD filled out a questionnaire on contextual factors, including information on social support.

Results

The majority of parents reported to receive (more than) sufficient support. Insufficiency is primarily reported with regard to practical support. Apart from the partner, grandparents of the child were the most common source of support.

Conclusions

This study confirms the importance of professional support and work‐life balance within this specific target group. Specific attention for practical support needs seems warranted considering the high basic care needs of these children.
The association between growth patterns and blood pressure in children and adolescents: A cross‐sectional study of seven provinces in China
Authors: Chen Manman , Ma Ying , Ma Tao , Li Yanhui , Gao Di , Chen Li , Liu Jieyu , Zhang Yi , Jiang Jun , Wang Xinxin , Dong Yanhui , Ma Jun
Published: November 2021

Aimed to investigate the associations between different growth patterns with high blood pressure, and further examine the mediation effect of BMI between growth patterns and high blood pressure among children and adolescents. A total of 31581 children and adolescents aged 7–18 years were selected based on the stratified cluster sampling method. Logistics regression models were used to calculate the odds rations (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of the association between different growth patterns and high blood pressure. Mediation effect analyses were applied to estimate the effect of BMI on the increase of blood pressure levels in different growth patterns. In different sex and ages, compared to reference group of normal growth, blood pressure levels and prevalence of high blood pressure of the catch‐up growth were higher, but that of the catch‐down growth were lower. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 11.69%, 16.06%, and 9.68% in normal growth, catch‐up growth, and catch‐down growth, respectively. In total, compared with the normal growth pattern, the ORs (95%CI) of high blood pressure, high systolic blood pressure and high diastolic blood pressure in the catch‐up growth were 1.171(1.073,1.280), 1.110(1.001,1.230) and 1.141(1.025,1.270) (p < .05), respectively. Additionally, the mediation effect of current BMI existed in the association between blood pressure levels and different growth patterns, particularly in boys. Our findings suggested that different growth patterns after birth could modify blood pressure, and the potential risks of high blood pressure could be increased by catch‐up growth at childhood and adolescence.
From salt to hypertension, what is missed?
Authors: Ma Zhiyi , Hummel Scott L. , Sun Ningling , Chen Yuanyuan
Published: November 2021

Excess salt intake is viewed as a major contributor to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and dietary salt restriction is broadly recommended by public health guidelines. However, individuals can have widely varying physiological responses to salt intake, and a tailored approach to evaluation and intervention may be needed. The traditional sodium related concepts are challenging to assess clinically for two reasons: (1) spot and 24‐hour urine sodium are frequently used to evaluate salt intake, but are more suitable for population study, and (2) some adverse effects of salt may be blood pressure‐independent. In recent years, previously unknown mechanisms of sodium absorption and storage have been discovered. This review will outline the limitations of current methods to assess sodium balance and discuss new potential evaluation methods and treatment targets.