bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Osmotic Swelling Responses are Conserved Across Cartilaginous Tissues with Varied Sulfated-Glycosaminoglycan Contents
Authors: Baylon Eva G. , Levenston Marc E.
Published: November 2018

The interactions between the negatively charged sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) chains and the ionic interstitial fluid in articular cartilage and meniscal fibrocartilage give rise to an osmotic swelling stress that is critical for the load-bearing capability of both tissues. This osmotic swelling stress is altered when the sGAG content is changed, as during progression of degenerative joint disease; understanding the influence of sGAG concentration on the osmotic swelling stress of cartilage and meniscus is important to enhance our understanding of physiology and disease. This study compared the effect of altered osmotic environments on the confined compression swelling behavior of bovine tissues spanning a range of sGAG concentrations: juvenile articular cartilage, juvenile and adult meniscus, and juvenile cartilage degraded to reduce sGAG content. The transient response to changes in bath conditions was evaluated for explants assigned to one of three compressive offsets (5%, 10%, or 15% strain) and one of three bath conditions (0.1X, 1X, or 10X Phosphate Buffered Saline). Our results show that relative responses to alterations to the osmotic environment are consistent across tissue types, demonstrating that the role of sGAG in the swelling properties of the tissues tested is conserved, even when sGAG is present at low concentrations. Additionally, this study found unexpected correlations across tissue types between sGAG and collagen contents and between the aggregate modulus and both sGAG and collagen contents. These results suggest some conservation of composition-function relationships across a range of tissue types.
Chimpanzee SIV Envelope trimer: structure and deployment as an HIV vaccine template
Authors: Andrabi Raiees , Pallesen Jesper , Allen Joel , Song Ge , Zhang Jinsong , de Val Natalia , Gegg Gavin , Porter Katelyn , Su Ching-Yao , Pauthner Matthias , Newman Amanda , Bouton-Vervelle Hilary , Garces Fernando , Wilson Ian A. , Crispin Max , Hahn Beatrice H. , Haynes Barton F. , Verkoczy Laurent , Ward Andrew B. , Burton Dennis R.
Published: November 2018

Epitope-targeted HIV vaccine design seeks to focus antibody responses to broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) sites by sequential immunization. Chimpanzee SIV Envelope (Env) shares a single bnAb site, the V2-apex, with HIV, suggesting its possible utility in an HIV immunization strategy. Accordingly, we generated a chimpanzee SIV Env trimer, MT145K, which displays selective binding to HIV V2-apex bnAbs and precursor versions, but no binding to other HIV specificities. We determined the structure of the MT145K trimer by cryo-EM and showed its architecture was remarkably similar to HIV Env. Immunization of an HIV V2-apex bnAb precursor Ab-expressing knock-in mouse with chimpanzee MT145K trimer induced HIV V2-specific neutralizing responses. Subsequent boosting with an HIV trimer cocktail induced responses exhibiting some virus cross-neutralization. Overall, the chimpanzee MT145K trimer behaves as expected from design both in vitro and in vivo and is an attractive potential component of a sequential immunization regimen to induce V2-apex bnAbs.
Limited dispersion and quick degradation of environmental DNA in fish ponds inferred by metabarcoding
Authors: Li Jianlong , Lawson Handley Lori-Jayne , Harper Lynsey R. , Brys Rein , Watson Hayley V. , Hänfling Bernd
Published: November 2018

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a promising tool for rapid, non-invasive biodiversity monitoring. In this study, eDNA metabarcoding is applied to explore the spatial and temporal distribution of eDNA in two ponds following the introduction and removal of two rare fish species. When two rare species were introduced and kept at a fixed location in the ponds, eDNA concentration (i.e., proportional read counts abundance) of the introduced species typically peaked after two days. Thereafter, it gradually declined and stabilised after six days. These findings are supported by the highest community dissimilarity of different sampling positions being observed on the second day after introduction, which then gradually decreased over time. On the sixth day, there was no longer a significant difference in community dissimilarity between sampling days. The introduced species were no longer detected at any sampling positions 48 hrs after removal from the ponds. The eDNA signal and detection probability of the introduced species were strongest near the keepnets, resulting in the highest community variance of different sampling events at this position. Thereafter, the eDNA signal significantly decreased with increasing distance, although the signal increased slightly again at 85 m position away from the keepnets. Collectively, these findings reveal that eDNA distribution in lentic ecosystems is highly localised in space and time, which adds to the growing weight of evidence that eDNA signal provides a good approximation of the presence and distribution of species in ponds. Moreover, eDNA metabarcoding is a powerful tool for detection of rare species alongside more abundant species due to the use of generic PCR primers, and can enable monitoring of spatial and temporal community variance.
White Matter Microstructure Correlates of General and Specific Second-Order Factors of Psychopathology
Authors: Hinton Kendra E. , Lahey Benjamin B. , Villalta-Gil Victoria , Meyer Francisco A. C. , Burgess Leah L. , Chodes Laura K. , Applegate Brooks , Van Hulle Carol A. , Landman Bennett A. , Zald David H.
Published: November 2018

Increasing data indicate that prevalent forms of psychopathology can be organized into second-order dimensions based on their correlations, including a general factor of psychopathology that explains the common variance among all disorders and specific second-order externalizing and internalizing factors. Despite this organization, and high levels of comorbidity between diagnoses, most existing studies on the neural correlates of psychopathology employ case-control designs that treat diagnoses as independent categories. Thus, for instance, although perturbations in white matter microstructure have been identified across a range of disorders, the majority of such studies have used case-control designs, leaving it unclear whether observed relations reflect disorder specific characteristics, or transdiagnostic patterns. Using a representative community twin sample of 410 young adults, we tested the hypothesis that some relations between white matter microstructure properties in major tracts are related to second-order factors of psychopathology. We examined fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD). White matter correlates of all second-order factors were identified after controlling for multiple tests, including the general factor (FA in the body of the corpus callosum), specific internalizing (AD in the fornix), and specific externalizing (AD in the splenium of the corpus callosum, sagittal stratum, anterior corona radiata, and internal capsule). These findings suggest that features of white matter within specific tracts are associated with broad transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology rather than being restricted to individual diagnostic categories.
GenPipes: an open-source framework for distributed and scalable genomic analyses
Authors: Bourgey Mathieu , Dali Rola , Eveleigh Robert , Chen Kuang Chung , Letourneau Louis , Fillon Joel , Michaud Marc , Caron Maxime , Sandoval Johanna , Lefebvre Francois , Leveque Gary , Mercier Eloi , Bujold David , Marquis Pascale , Van Patrick Tran , Morais David , Tremblay Julien , Shao Xiaojian , Henrion Edouard , Gonzalez Emmanuel , Quirion Pierre-Olivier , Caron Bryan , Bourque Guillaume
Published: November 2018

With the decreasing cost of sequencing and the rapid developments in genomics technologies and protocols, the need for validated bioinformatics software that enables efficient large-scale data processing is growing. Here we present GenPipes, a flexible Python-based framework that facilitates the development and deployment of multi-step workflows optimized for High Performance Computing clusters and the cloud. GenPipes already implements 12 validated and scalable pipelines for various genomics applications, including RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, DNA-Seq, Methyl-Seq, Hi-C, capture Hi-C, metagenomics and PacBio long read assembly. The software is available under a GPLv3 open source license and is continuously updated to follow recent advances in genomics and bioinformatics. The framework has been already configured on several servers and a docker image is also available to facilitate additional installations. In summary, GenPipes offers genomic researchers a simple method to analyze different types of data, customizable to their needs and resources, as well as the flexibility to create their own workflows.
Atypical Functional Connectivity in Tourette Syndrome Differs Between Children and Adults
Authors: Nielsen Ashley N. , Gratton Caterina , Church Jessica A. , Dosenbach Nico U.F. , Black Kevin J. , Petersen Steven E. , Schlaggar Bradley L. , Greene Deanna J.
Published: November 2018

Background

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics that typically change over development. Whether and how brain function in TS also differs across development has been largely understudied. Here, we used functional connectivity MRI to examine whole brain functional networks in children and adults with TS.

Methods

Multivariate classification methods were used to find patterns among functional connections that distinguish TS from controls separately for children and adults (total N = 202). We tested whether the patterns of connections that classify diagnosis in one age group (e.g., children) could classify diagnosis in another age group (e.g., adults). We also tested whether the developmental trajectory of these connections were altered in TS.

Results

Patterns of functional connections that distinguished TS from controls were generalizable to an age-matched independent test set, but not to other age groups. While diagnostic classification was successful in children and adults separately, the connections that best distinguished TS from controls were age-specific. When contextualized with typical development, some functional connections exhibited accelerated maturation in childhood TS, while others exhibited delayed maturation in adulthood TS.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that brain networks are differentially altered in children and adults with TS, and that the developmental trajectory of affected connections is disrupted. These findings further our understanding of neurodevelopmental trajectories in TS and carry implications for future applications aimed at predicting the clinical course of TS in individuals over development.
TLR3 deficiency exacerbates the loss of epithelial barrier function during genital tractChlamydia muridaruminfection
Authors: Kumar Ramesh , Gong Haoli , Liu Luyao , Ramos-Solis Nicole , Seye Cheikh I. , Derbigny Wilbert A.
Published: November 2018

Problem

Chlamydia trachomatisinfections are often associated with acute syndromes including cervicitis, urethritis, and endometritis, which can lead to chronic sequalae such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, and tubal infertility. As epithelial cells are the major cell type productively infected during genital tractChlamydiainfections, we investigated whetherChlamydiahas any impact on the integrity of the host epithelial barrier as a possible mechanism to facilitate the dissemination of infection, and examined whether TLR3 function modulates its impact.

Method of Study

We used wild-type and TLR3-deficient murine oviduct epithelial (OE) cells to ascertain whetherC. muridaruminfection had any effect on the epithelial barrier integrity of these cells as measured by transepithelial resistance (TER) and cell permeability assays. We next assessed whether infection impacted the transcription and protein function of the cellular tight-junction (TJ) genes for claudins1-4, ZO-1, JAM1 and occludin via quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and western blot.

Results

qPCR, immunoblotting, transwell permeability assays, and TER studies show thatChlamydiacompromises cellular TJ function throughout the course of infection in murine OE cells, and that TLR3 deficiency significantly exacerbates this effect.

Conclusion

Our data show that TLR3 plays a role in modulating epithelial barrier function duringChlamydiainfection of epithelial cells lining the genital tract. This proposes a role for TLR3 signaling in maintaining the integrity of epithelial barrier function during genital tractChlamydiainfection, a function that we hypothesize is important in helping limit the chlamydial spread and subsequent genital tract pathology.
Single-molecule imaging of DNA gyrase activity in livingEscherichia coli
Authors: Stracy Mathew , Wollman Adam J.M. , Kaja Elzbieta , Gapinski Jacek , Lee Ji-Eun , Leek Victoria A. , McKie Shannon J. , Mitchenall Lesley A. , Maxwell Anthony , Sherratt David J. , Leake Mark C. , Zawadzki Pawel
Published: November 2018

Bacterial DNA gyrase introduces negative supercoils into chromosomal DNA and relaxes positive supercoils introduced by replication and transiently by transcription. Removal of these positive supercoils is essential for replication fork progression and for the overall unlinking of the two duplex DNA strands, as well as for ongoing transcription. To address how gyrase copes with these topological challenges, we used high-speed single-molecule fluorescence imaging in liveEscherichia colicells. We demonstrate that at least 300 gyrase molecules are stably bound to the chromosome at any time, with ∼12 enzymes enriched near each replication fork. Trapping of reaction intermediates with ciprofloxacin revealed complexes undergoing catalysis. Dwell times of ∼2 s were observed for the dispersed gyrase molecules, which we propose maintain steady-state levels of negative supercoiling of the chromosome. In contrast, the dwell time of replisome-proximal molecules was ∼8 s, consistent with these catalyzing processive positive supercoil relaxation in front of the progressing replisome.
Laboratory Culture of Hypsibius exemplaris
Authors: McNuff Robert
Published: November 2018

I have reared a culture of the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris for 30 years, since 1987. Here, I present my culture protocol.
Live Imaging of Tardigrade Embryonic Development by Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
Authors: Heikes Kira L. , Goldstein Bob
Published: November 2018

The tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris was chosen as a model system in part because embryos and animals are optically clear at all stages, facilitating the viewing and filming of internal processes. Multiplane video recordings under differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy have allowed early embryonic cell lineages to be reconstructed through seven rounds of division and have revealed invariant patterns of asymmetric cell divisions, nuclear migrations, and cell migrations. Here, we present a protocol for filming embryonic development of H. exemplaris by DIC microscopy.
Total RNA Extraction from Tardigrades
Authors: Boothby Thomas C.
Published: November 2018

Purification of high-quality total RNA from specimens is essential for many molecular techniques. In tardigrades (water bears), disruption of the cuticle is an important step in obtaining a good yield that is representative of all tissues of the animal. As with all single-stranded RNA methods, sterile technique, proper storage conditions, and handling are required for maintaining the quality and integrity of the material. This procedure will result in high-quality total RNA suitable for downstream applications such as cDNA synthesis, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), RNAseq library generation, and northern blots.
Fluorescent Cell Staining Methods for Living Hypsibius exemplaris Embryos
Authors: McGreevy Kristen M. , Heikes Kira L. , Kult Shiri , Tharp Marla E. , Goldstein Bob
Published: November 2018

The tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris was chosen as a model system in part because animals and embryos are optically clear at all stages, facilitating the visualization of events in living material. Here we report new methods for introducing fluorescent dyes into developing H. exemplaris embryos, including methods for fluorescently marking mitochondria, lysosomes, membranes, and nuclei. The development of these techniques suggests approaches for attempting to introduce other molecules into embryos.
Diffraction from twisted nanowires: helicity revealed by anisotropy
Authors: Gailhanou Marc , Roussel Jean-Marc
Published: November 2018

The helical nature of twisted nanowires is studied by simulated X-ray diffraction. It is shown that this helicity is revealed by the anisotropy, which can be both an elastic anisotropy, through the warping displacement generated by torsion, or a shape anisotropy of the cross section. To support the analytical calculations, based on the kinematic theory of diffraction by helices, atomistic simulations of copper nanowires are performed.
Study of a multi-pinhole collimation system based small-angle neutron scattering instrument at the Compact Pulsed Hadron Source
Authors: Wang Zhiyuan , Wu Huarui , Chen Liang , Sun Liangwei , Wang Xuewu
Published: November 2018

The neutron flux of the Compact Pulsed Hadron Source (CPHS) is about 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than that of large neutron sources, which means that the beam intensity should be improved to achieve good statistics. Multi-pinhole collimation can be used to obtain a lower Q with an acceptable beam intensity in a very small angle neutron scattering (VSANS) instrument and a higher beam intensity for a larger sample size in a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument. A new nine-pinhole structure is used in a SANS instrument at CPHS to achieve an acceptable range and resolution of Q and a higher beam intensity compared to single-pinhole collimation. The crosstalk issue associated with multi-pinhole collimation is addressed using an optimized algorithm to achieve a higher safety margin and a larger pinhole size with a higher beam intensity at the sample. Different collimator aperture structures are compared on the basis of their noise production. Experiments are performed to verify the theory of calculating reflection noise from the inner surface of the collimator's aperture and parasitic noise from the beveled collimator structure. From a simulated SANS experiment using cold neutrons in the SANS instrument, it is clarified that multi-pinhole collimators with an opening angle on the downstream side have better performance than those with an opening angle on the upstream side and straight-cut collimators. Compared with a single-pinhole collimation system, a nine-pinhole collimation system increases the intensity at the sample by approximately sevenfold when the sample size is increased by 20-fold for CPHS-SANS, and the signal-to-noise ratio is improved by exploiting a specific collimator aperture structure. Our goal is to install a multi-pinhole collimator based SANS instrument at CPHS in the future, and it is hoped that these results will serve to promote the utilization of multi-pinhole collimation systems at other facilities.
Collaboration between housing, health and social care
Authors: Brown Tim
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Comment on the contribution that housing can make to delivering better health and wellbeing outcomes. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is threefold: summarise recent evidence that makes the case for housing in helping to address health and social care issues; comment on the challenges and opportunities of partnership working; and describe examples of interesting and innovative local joint provision.

Design/methodology/approach

Draws on the author’s briefing papers on housing, health and social care for housing quality network, which is a national housing consultancy organisation as well as the author’s role as Chairperson of East Midlands Housing Care and Support, which is a regional housing association.

Findings

Collaboration between housing, health and social care is making slow progress at the national level in England. This is despite an ever-increasing evidence base highlighting that good housing can help to address issues, such as delayed discharges. Nevertheless, there are an increasing number of interesting examples of successful local initiatives on housing, health and adult social care. The way forward is to facilitate joint working at a local level.

Originality/value

Focusses on the success of examples of local joint working between housing, health and social care to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable people.
Hospital discharge planning for Canadians experiencing homelessness
Authors: Buccieri Kristy , Oudshoorn Abram , Frederick Tyler , Schiff Rebecca , Abramovich Alex , Gaetz Stephen , Forchuk Cheryl
Published: November 2018

Purpose

People experiencing homelessness are high-users of hospital care in Canada. To better understand the scope of the issue, and how these patients are discharged from hospital, a national survey of key stakeholders was conducted in 2017. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness distributed an online survey to their network of members through e-mail and social media. A sample of 660 stakeholders completed the mixed-methods survey, including those in health care, non-profit, government, law enforcement and academia.

Findings

Results indicate that hospitals and homelessness sector agencies often struggle to coordinate care. The result is that these patients are usually discharged to the streets or shelters and not into housing or housing with supports. The health care and homelessness sectors in Canada are currently structured in a way that hinders collaborative transfers of patient care. The three primary and inter-related gaps raised by survey participants were: communication, privacy and systems pressures.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are limited to those who voluntarily completed the survey and may indicate self-selection bias. Results are limited to professional stakeholders and do not reflect patient views.

Practical implications

Identifying systems gaps from the perspective of those who work within health care and homelessness sectors is important for supporting system reforms.

Originality/value

This survey was the first to collect nationwide stakeholder data on homelessness and hospital discharge in Canada. The findings help inform policy recommendations for more effective systems alignment within Canada and internationally.
The GP role in improving outcomes for homeless inpatients
Authors: Khan Zana , Haine Philip , Dorney-Smith Samantha
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Homeless people experience extreme health inequalities and high rates of morbidity and mortality (Aldridge et al., 2017). Use of primary care services are low, while emergency healthcare use is high (Mathie, 2012; Homeless Link, 2014). Duration of admission has been estimated to be three times longer for homeless patients who often experience poor hospital discharge arrangements (Mathie, 2012; Homeless Link, 2014). This reflects ongoing and unaddressed care and housing needs (Blackburn et al., 2017). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reveals how GPs employed in secondary care, as part of Pathway teams, support improved health and housing outcomes and safe transfer of care into community services. It draws on published literature on role of GPs in working with excluded groups, personal experience of working as a GP in secondary care, structured interviews with Pathway GPs and routine data collected by the team to highlight key outcomes.

Findings

The expertise of GPs is highlighted and includes holistic assessment, management of multimorbidity or “tri-morbidity” – the combination of addictions problems, mental illness and physical health (Homeless Link, 2014; Stringfellow et al., 2015) and research and teaching.

Originality/value

The role of the GP in the care of patients with complex needs is more visible in primary care. This paper demonstrates some of the ways in which in-reach GPs play an important role in the care of multiply excluded groups attending and admitted to secondary care settings.
Sharīʿah-compliance ratings of the Islamic financial services industry: a quantitative approach
Authors: Hanif Muhammad
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This study aims to develop a Sharīʿah-compliance rating mechanism for the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI), with a special focus on banking. The banking sector is taken as the area of focus due to its leadership role in the volume of global Sharīʿah-compliant assets.

Design/methodology/approach

The objectives of the Islamic financial system (IFS) are selected as the basis for ratings. A range of performance indicators (leading to achievement of the objectives) is grouped into four broader categories and used in the study to allocate scores with a sum total of 100. Special considerations – including the amount of resources required in performing an activity, suitability of prevailing business conditions, the degree of compulsion/discretion in performing a task and linkage with the essence of the IFS – were taken into account in the allocation of scores.

Findings

This study groups multiple performance measures into four categories, including portfolio construction (deposits mechanism, participatory and asset-based modes of financing), access to finance (service to the less-privileged and sector screening), reputation (disclosures and stakeholders’ survey) and Sharīʿah governance (Sharīʿah supervision and controls, charitable operations, human resources, product development and organization). The Portfolio, Audit, Reputation and System (PARS) rating system is then developed.

Practical implications

A Sharīʿah-compliance rating system is helpful in measuring the progress towards goal achievement of the IFS and in gaining stakeholders’ trust. It is also important for Sharīʿah boards and regulators in policy formulation, for management in addressing weaknesses and taking corrective measures and potentially for standard-setting bodies.

Originality/value

This study presents a comprehensive quantitative Sharīʿah-compliance rating mechanism, taking into consideration the objectives of the IFS – equitable distribution of wealth and financial stability, in addition to Sharīʿah-compliance in operations. Development of Sharīʿah-compliance quality ratings for Islamic banking is essential to gain customers’ trust; the suggested methodology is thus a contribution to the literature on Islamic finance.
Does more accessibility lead to more disclosure? Exploring the influence of information accessibility on self-disclosure in online social networks
Authors: Zhang Shanshan , Kwok Ron Chi-Wai , Lowry Paul Benjamin , Liu Zhiying
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Given the importance of online social network (OSN) media features, many studies have focused on how different types of OSNs with various media features influence users’ usage and engagement. However, a recent literature review indicates that few empirical studies have considered how different types of OSNs with different information accessibility levels influence users’ beliefs and self-disclosure. By comparing two OSN platforms (OSNs with high-level information accessibility vs OSNs with low-level information accessibility), the purpose of this paper is to address this opportunity by investigating the differential impacts of the two platforms on individuals’ psychological cognition – particularly users’ social exchange beliefs – and explaining how these beliefs translate into OSN self-disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a factorial design approach in an experimental setting to examine how different levels of information accessibility (high vs low), influence the social exchange beliefs (i.e. perceived social capital bridging, perceived social capital bonding and perceived privacy risks) of OSN users and subsequently influence OSN self-disclosure.

Findings

The results show that users on OSNs with high-level information accessibility express significantly higher perceived social capital bridging and perceived privacy risks than users on OSNs with low-level information accessibility. However, users on OSNs with low-level information accessibility express higher social bonding beliefs than users on OSNs with high-level information accessibility, indicating that there are different effect mechanisms toward OSN self-disclosure.

Originality/value

The focus of this research helps unveil the complex relationships between OSN design features (e.g. information accessibility), psychological cognition (e.g. social capital bridging, social capital bonding and privacy risks) and OSN self-disclosure. First, it clarifies the relationship between information accessibility and self-disclosure by examining the mediating effect of three core social exchange beliefs. Second, it uncovers the distinct effects of high-level information-accessible OSNs and low-level information-accessible OSNs on OSN self-disclosure.
CSR orientation of future top managers in India
Authors: Holtbrügge Dirk , Oberhauser Marc
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how future top managers in India develop their corporate social responsibility (CSR) orientation. Based on socialization theory, this paper investigates how individual determinants influence CSR orientation by focusing on the two main drivers of CSR in India – the philanthropic and strategic imperatives.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 204 students currently enrolled in a post-graduation program at an Indian Institute of Management was conducted via an online questionnaire. By applying a logistic regression analysis, determinants of CSR orientation are revealed.

Findings

The results of the study indicate the influence of different factors of primary and secondary socialization on an individual’s CSR orientation. The study finds that women and younger individuals have a tendency toward a strategic CSR orientation. Alternatively, religiousness and emotional stability predict a philanthropic CSR orientation. Furthermore, business school education leads to a strategic CSR orientation.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses on a number of determinants that were evaluated to be important. Future research should broaden the scope and include additional, and more sensitive, factors.

Practical implications

The study provides insights that organizations can incorporate in their recruiting processes to strengthen their CSRO development.

Originality/value

The study addresses the gap that exists in current literature on CSRO in India by not just describing but diving deeper and investigating the demographic and psychographic determinants of individuals’ CSRO. A step further is taken to identify individuals’ inclinations toward either a strategic or a philanthropic approach to CSR.
Electronic waste management and sustainable development goals
Authors: Bhaskar Kalyan , Kumar Bipul
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is, first, to understand if the firms are displaying integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability and, second, is there a business case for linking e-waste management with sustainable development goals (SDGs) pronounced by the United Nations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducts an extensive literature review to gather perspective from multiple disciplines and also carries out content analysis of annual reports/sustainability reports of the firms.

Findings

Bulk consumers have sustainability policies and/or strategies but many of these firms have not linked their e-waste management with their sustainability strategies practices. Also, based on the elaboration of different perspectives, this study provides an integrative framework that suggests focus of a particular perspective on a given SDG and commensurate business approach by the firms to find a synergy between the two.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides a wider perspective on the subject of electronic waste management and its linkage with SDGs to create business case, thus opening up many theoretical avenues.

Practical implications

The policy like extended producers’ responsibility has a clear practical implication in terms of creating reputational capital for the firms by linking electronic waste management and SDGs.

Social implications

The SDG, detailing clean water and sanitation by asking firms not to pollute water bodies by dumping the waste, has clear social implications.

Originality/value

This study is first of its kind to explore the linkage between electronic waste and SDGs to understand the business case. It also throws good insights on whether the firms use integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability.
Challenges facing green space: is statute the answer?
Authors: Dickinson Jill , Bennett Ellen , Marson James
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Against a backdrop of austerity, characterised by public-sector funding cuts and a devolutionary agenda, this paper aims to explore how legislation might address two inter-related challenges which public urban green space (“greenspace) faces in England and Wales, namely, responsibility for provision and identification of supporting funds. It focuses on two proposals: first, the introduction of legislative powers to enable local authorities to create user-charging schemes, and second, the imposition of a local authority statutory duty to provide greenspace.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a traditional doctrinal approach, this exploratory study provides a synthesis and analysis of statutory materials.

Findings

While the study considers debates around user-charging schemes, it suggests that the imposition of a statutory duty to provide greenspace would provide a more equitable and effective solution.

Research limitations/implications

This paper calls for further research to establish the detail of such a statutory duty and how it might operate in practice.

Practical implications

There is an appetite amongst local authority stakeholders in England and Wales for such a statutory duty to better enable them to access the requisite underpinning funding.

Social implications

Imposing a statutory duty would help in protecting the well-established social, economic and environmental benefits associated with greenspace.

Originality/value

This multi-disciplinary research considers the inter-relationship between two key greenspace challenges: responsibility for provision and funding. It identifies and evaluates a potential model for imposing a greenspace statutory duty, which could address some of these issues.
The complexity continuum, part 2: modelling harmony
Authors: Yolles Maurice
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Complex systems adapt to survive, but little comparative literature exists on various approaches. Adaptive complex systems are generic, this referring to propositions concerning their bounded instability, adaptability and viability. Two classes of adaptive complex system theories exist: hard and soft. Hard complexity theories include Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) and Viability Theory, and softer theories, which we refer to as Viable Systems Theories (VSTs), that includes Management Cybernetics at one extreme and Humanism at the other. This paper has a dual purpose distributed across two parts. In part 1 the purpose was to identify the conditions for the complementarity of the two classes of theory. In part 2 the two the purpose is to explore (in part using Agency Theory) the two classes of theory and their proposed complexity continuum.

Design/methodology/approach

Explanation is provided for the anticipation of behaviour cross-disciplinary fields of theory dealing with adaptive complex systems. A comparative exploration of the theories is undertaken to elicit concepts relevant to a complexity continuum. These explain how agency behaviour can be anticipated under uncertainty. Also included is a philosophical exploration of the complexity continuum, expressing it in terms of a graduated set of philosophical positions that are differentiated in terms of objects and subjects. These are then related to hard and softer theories in the continuum. Agency theory is then introduced as a framework able to comparatively connect the theories on this continuum, from theories of complexity to viable system theories, and how harmony theories can develop.

Findings

Anticipation is explained in terms of an agency’s meso-space occupied by a regulatory framework, and it is shown that hard and softer theory are equivalent in this. From a philosophical perspective, the hard-soft continuum is definable in terms of objectivity and subjectivity, but there are equivalences to the external and internal worlds of an agency. A fifth philosophical position of critical realism is shown to be representative of harmony theory in which internal and external worlds can be related. Agency theory is also shown to be able to operate as a harmony paradigm, as it can explore external behaviour of an agent using a hard theory perspective together with an agent’s internal cultural and cognitive-affect causes.

Originality/value

There are very few comparative explorations of the relationship between hard and soft approaches in the field of complexity and even fewer that draw in the notion of harmony. There is also little pragmatic illustration of a harmony paradigm in action within the context of complexity.
Integrated SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations
Authors: Büyüközkan Gülçin , Ilıcak Öykü
Published: November 2018

Purpose

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is a powerful approach for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of an organization with an internal perspective. The approach also takes into account the opportunities and the threats from an external point of view. These features make SWOT a commonly used approach in strategic management. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations technique, to show the application of the proposed methodology, to prioritize the strategic factors and to present alternative strategies for ABC, a case company, which is targeting to use social media more effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, expert opinions are used to identify SWOT factors of ABC on social media. The obtained findings are evaluated and each factor is prioritized by means of the multiple preference relations technique.

Findings

The proposed evaluation model has four main groups, namely, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, under which 17 factors are identified. As a result of the evaluations, “O2: Opportunity to contact a large number of users simultaneously at affordable cost” has the highest importance level among other factors. Alternative strategies are developed based on the obtained results.

Originality/value

Decision-makers who have different backgrounds or ideas can state their preferences in different formats. Multiple preference relations technique is used to combine different assessments. SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations technique with a group decision-making perspective is proposed. This is the first time the method is used in the social media-related literature. With this study, the most appropriate social media strategic factors are selected for ABC and alternative strategies are determined based on the results.
Welcoming peer workers in NHS settings: facilitating readiness with an Early Intervention in Psychosis team
Authors: Proctor Kyt , Wood Rachael , Newman-Taylor Katherine
Published: November 2018

Purpose

A pilot project commissioned to assess feasibility and impact of peer support in an Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service highlighted the importance of team readiness. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the lessons learned in recognising and facilitating team readiness in an NHS setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature suggests that mental health teams need to be ready to implement peer support, if this is to be done successfully. The authors describe the process of preparing for peer support, obstacles that arose and ways that the team found to address these.

Findings

The team had actively sought to develop peer support for some time, and negotiated with Trust managers to agree these roles in principle. However, initially unspoken concerns about duty of care emerged as a key obstacle. An arguably paternalistic desire to protect potential peer worker colleagues from stress and distress could have resulted in unnecessary risk aversion and a narrowing of the role. Willingness and opportunity to reflect on the change in relationship from service user/professionals to colleagues enabled these concerns to be aired, and practical solutions agreed.

Practical implications

Team enthusiasm is not the same as team readiness. The team’s willingness to identify and reflect on implicit concerns facilitated an acceptance of the change in relationship with peer workers, which in turn enabled the development of standard operating procedures to ensure safe and effective peer support as “business as usual.”

Originality/value

This paper considers the process of welcoming peer workers in an EIP team and offers practical suggestions that may be of value to other teams seeking to implement peer support in similar adult mental health settings.
Improving the adoption of PBS and ABA using diffusion of innovations theory
Authors: Hayward Brent A. , Poed Shiralee , McKay-Brown Lisa
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the variables which have contributed to the adoption of positive behaviour support (PBS) and applied behaviour analysis (ABA). Differences and similarities are highlighted, applications to contemporary issues in the UK and Australia are emphasised, and considerations posed for their improved adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework for diffusion of innovations theory is used to guide the analysis of three sets of articles, and application of the framework is guided by narrative analysis.

Findings

Eight variables from the conceptual framework were identified, and the communication networks for PBS and ABA are argued to be distinct. There has been a positive change in the perception of PBS by the ABA field, but PBS has leveraged diffusion more successfully. ABA appears to have been separated from PBS in the UK while Australia is yet to fully benefit from the contributions of ABA. Those working in the fields of PBS and ABA should further collaborate for their mutual benefit.

Practical implications

Greater attention to the factors which promote diffusion can assist PBS and ABA to improve their adoption.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to use diffusion of innovations theory to analyse the adoption of PBS and ABA.
A semi‐empirical approach to model pressure dependence of elastic moduli in granular media accounting for variations of coordination‐number and Poisson‐ratio
Authors: Sajeva Angelo , Scarpellini Davide , Tempone Pamela , Capaccioli Simone
Published: November 2018

The effective medium theory based on the Hertz–Mindlin contact law is the most popular theory to relate dynamic elastic moduli (or elastic velocities) and confining pressure in dry granular media. However, many experimental results proved that the effective medium theory predicts pressure trends lower than experimental ones and over‐predicts the shear modulus. To mitigate these mispredictions, several evolutions of the effective medium theory have been presented in the literature. Among these, the model named modified grain contact theory is an empirical approach in which three parametric curves are included in the effective medium theory model. Fitting the parameters of these curves permits to adjust the pressure trends of the Poisson ratio and the bulk modulus. In this paper, we present two variations of the modified grain contact theory model. First, we propose a minor modification in the fitting function for the porosity dependence of the calibration parameters that accounts for non‐linearity in the vicinity of the critical porosity. Second, we propose a major modification that reduces the three‐step modified grain contact theory model to a two‐step model, by skipping the calibration parameter–porosity fit in the model and directly modelling the calibration parameter–pressure relation. In addition to an increased simplicity (the fitting parameters are reduced from 10 to 6), avoiding the porosity fit permits us to apply the model to laboratory data that are not provided with accurate porosity measurements. For this second model, we also estimate the uncertainty of the fitting parameters and the elastic velocities. We tested this model on dry core measurements from literature and we verified that it returns elastic velocity trends as good as the original modified grain contact theory model with a reduced number of fitting parameters. Possible developments of the new model to add predictive power are also discussed.
Reproducible, flexible and high‐throughput data extraction from primary literature: The metaDigitise r package
Authors: Pick Joel L. , Nakagawa Shinichi , Noble Daniel W. A.
Published: November 2018

Research synthesis, such as comparative and meta‐analyses, requires the extraction of effect sizes from primary literature, which are commonly calculated from descriptive statistics. However, the exact values of such statistics are commonly hidden in figures.

Extracting descriptive statistics from figures can be a slow process that is not easily reproducible. Additionally, current software lacks an ability to incorporate important metadata (e.g. sample sizes, treatment/variable names) about experiments and is not integrated with other software to streamline analysis pipelines.

Here we present the r package metaDigitise which extracts descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviations and correlations from four plot types: (a) mean/error plots (e.g. bar graphs with standard errors), (b) box plots, (c) scatter plots and (d) histograms. metaDigitise is user‐friendly and easy to learn as it interactively guides the user through the data extraction process. Notably, it enables large‐scale extraction by automatically loading image files, letting the user stop processing, edit and add to the resulting data‐frame at any point.

Digitised data can be easily re‐plotted and checked, facilitating reproducible data extraction from plots with little inter‐observer bias. We hope that by making the process of figure extraction more flexible and easy to conduct, it will improve the transparency and quality of meta‐analyses in the future.