bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Governing embedded partner networks
Authors: Storey Chris , Kocabasoglu-Hillmer Canan , Roden Sinéad , de Ruyter Ko
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The complexity of supplier-partner networks in the information technology (IT) sector where large suppliers utilize thousands of authorized partners requires that organizations reconsider their approach to governing and managing the relationships involved. Traditional dyadic approaches to governance are likely to prove inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between network governance mechanisms and relationship performance. Specifically, the authors examine the contingent effect of certification of partners and the use of partner communities (as formal and informal mechanisms of network governance, respectively), on complex and embedded networks of relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A model examining the effect of formal and informal network governance on the relationship between embeddedness (structural and relational) and relationship performance is developed. Data were collected from a sample of partners of leading IT suppliers in the UK and Ireland. Three-way interactions assess the contingent effect of certification and partner communities on the relationship between embeddedness and relational performance.

Findings

Results support the use of a combination of certification and partner communities to strengthen the link between network structure (structural embeddedness) and relational embeddedness, as well as relationship performance. Certification requires the sharing of explicit knowledge with partners whereas partner communities aid the creation and dissemination of more tacit, contextual knowledge. Furthermore, partner communities reinforce positive perceptions of fairness in suppliers’ network management practices, overcoming any perceptions of lock-in or coercive control that certification may suggest.

Practical implications

Certification, despite all its procedural and reputational benefits, damages partner relationships and needs to be supported by partner communities, which themselves show particularly strong benefits in enhancing network relationships.

Originality/value

Despite the emerging prevalence of certification and partner communities in business-to-business relationships, to date there is a paucity of research on their effects on partner relationships and performance. Organizations with an extensive network of similar partners may suffer network overload. This research shows that such organizations can manage their partner network more effectively through network governance mechanisms, thereby addressing the challenge of overload.
Balancing theoretical and practical relevance in supply chain management research
Authors: Stentoft Jan , Rajkumar Christopher
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The discussion of rigor vs relevance is an ongoing debate in academic environment. Ambitions to fulfill one of these two objectives might not exclude the other. Instead, they could and should be achieved simultaneously. However, what seems to be missing in supply chain management (SCM) research is the unfolding of symmetrical balance between the two dimensions of relevance – theoretical vs practical relevance. The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of this symmetrical balance and to change the conversation to also include the practical relevance dimension.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on literature studies as well as the results of a questionnaire survey distributed to the Danish Supply Chain Panel consisting of 113 supply chain executives (as per the beginning of 2017). A short interview about the questionnaire results was also carried out with three panel members.

Findings

With an increased focus on journal rankings, there is a risk of pursuing more theoretically relevant SCM research at the expense of practically relevant SCM research. Both types of relevance are important for growing the discipline. But the current development seems to favor theoretical relevance, further widening the gap with respect to practical applications. Practical relevance is important both in the knowledge production and in the knowledge transfer stages.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need to further explore different resources to close the gap between theoretical and practical relevance in SCM research. Researchers ought to follow an ambidextrous research strategy. This paper advises to bring back the core of the profession – the research process. This paper encourages researchers to be more creative and intensify the focus, equally, on both the theoretical and practical relevance in their research.

Practical implications

This research showcases a variety of different approaches for researchers to engage with practice so as to reduce any prejudices from both sides and enhance SCM decision-making processes. This paper recommends adding a new type of paper “practical paper” and including practitioners in the review board to evaluate the practical content of the research paper. This initiative would strengthen the interaction between researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

This paper provides new insights on the need for symmetrical balance between theoretical and practical relevance being important for both academia and practice.
An assessment of the emotional intelligence of health workers
Authors: Asiamah Nestor , Mensah Henry Kofi , Danquah Emelia
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This study aims to assess health workers’ level of emotional intelligence (EI) in Accra North and recommend a simple but robust statistical technique for compulsorily validating EI measurement scales.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers used a self-reported questionnaire to collect data from 1,049 randomly selected health workers. Two non-nested models, BNK MODEL and CMODEL, were compared to see which of them better fits the study population and yields a better level of EI. The one-sample and independent-samples t-tests, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to present results.

Findings

The study found that health workers were appreciably emotionally intelligent for both models at the 5 per cent significance level. However, EI was higher for the CMODEL. The CMODEL also better fits the study population (χ2 = 132.2, p = 0.487, Akaike information criterion = 124.932) and thus better underlies EI in it. This study recommends proper validation of the two EI scales evaluated in this study, and possibly other scales, before the use of their data in research, as failure to do so could lead to unrealistic results.

Originality/value

Apart from its contribution to the literature, this study provides a robust statistical approach for assessing health workers’ EI and validating EI scales. By comparing two models of EI in the validation process, this paper suggests that the researcher’s choice of a measurement scale can influence his/her results.
Patient readiness for discharge after total hip replacement: an integrative review
Authors: Changsuphan Supattra , Kongvattananon Puangpaka , Somprasert Chomchuen
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reduce or eliminate pain while enabling full advantage and function of daily living activities after hospital discharge. Readiness for discharge depends largely on prior healthcare team preparations for both patients and their families.

Design/methodology/approach

This integrative review was conducted using the Whittemore and Knafl method, and synthesized published research concerning patients’ readiness for discharge, particularly those who had undergone total hip replacement (THR) surgery.

Findings

Results were categorized into five main themes as physiological experiences, psychological experiences, coping ability, needs from the healthcare team, and family support influential to the readiness of THR patients for discharge.

Originality/value

The preparation for discharge of THR patients should be fully engaged and addressed. Moreover, healthcare professionals should provide care for patients at both the pre- and post-operation phases as well as during the transitional phase from hospital to home.
Online shopping experience in an emerging e-retailing market
Authors: Izogo Ernest Emeka , Jayawardhena Chanaka
Published: March 2018

Purpose

While e-commerce has been widely cited as the new marketing frontier, thus necessitating the need to deliver seamless shopping experiences across various online channels to achieve success, very few firms have the well withal to clearly tie customer experience investments to marketing outcomes. Theoretically speaking, the understanding of the drivers and outcomes of online shopping experience especially group behavior is imprecise. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the drivers and outcomes of online shopping experience (OSE).

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of netnography and conversation analysis was used on a pool of qualitative data generated from the Facebook page of a leading online retailer that has online presence in 11 African countries.

Findings

Two broad categories of OSE under seven drivers and five distinct behavioral outcomes of OSE emerged from the study. The two categories of OSE drivers, though unique, widely fit into the existing frameworks of OSE. The study also indicates that shoppers seize other shoppers’ reviews as a suitable platform to engage in a wide range of behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

The main theoretical implications include the following: complaint handling is not only a behavioral construct but also a stimulator/driver of online shopping experience; consumer behavior is stimulated more by cognitive drivers; trust is an outcome of OSE which leads to not only electronic word of mouth but also external response to service failure; and shoppers perceive external response to service failure as the last resort and this last resort can be activated by regrets and poor internal response to service failure. The major limitation of this study is that the proposed conceptual model was not empirically tested. Future research is required to validate the model.

Practical implications

The managerial implications of the findings are that in addition to providing superior shopping experience through enhancing the drivers of OSE identified in this study, online retailers must work assiduously to reduce incidents leading to service failures and promptly undertake service recovery actions whenever service failure occurs. Online retailers especially those operating in emerging markets will therefore benefit from their service recovery investments if they proactively install processes that enable them to promptly and satisfactorily recover failed services.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to service science research by proposing a unique belief-attitude-intention model of the drivers and outcomes of OSE on a relatively underexplored field. The proposed conceptual model advances the stimulus-organism-response framework, theory of planned behavior, satisfaction theories and shopping behavior literature in several directions.
International franchise presence and intensity level: profile of franchisors operating abroad
Authors: Baena Verónica
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the driving variables in the franchise decision to expand abroad. It also explores the effect of a set of factors on the intensity of the internationalization process pursued by franchise companies. To achieve this goal, the author considered the following variables: the role of management and franchising experience, brand awareness and the sector of activity (product versus service). The international franchise ratio and the size of the chain were also considered.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a quantitative approach applied to the Spanish franchise system, which occupies the second position in Europe in terms of the number of franchisee outlets (65,810) and the first position in Europe in terms of the number of franchisors (1,232). Moreover, in early 2016, a total of 302 Spanish chains were doing business in 137 foreign countries with 20,891 outlets established abroad. Data were obtained from secondary sources (i.e. the Spanish Franchise Association, the leading Spanish franchising Consultant Group, etc.) The most important international franchising associations were also considered. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

Results conclude that that franchisor’s brand awareness plays an important role in the decision of becoming a global franchise chain. In addition, the franchising experience, business orientation (product versus service), the international franchise ratio and the company size have significant impacts on the intensity of the internationalization process pursued by the franchisors.

Originality/value

The scant attention given to this topic has usually been examined from the US and British base and has focused on a reduced number of sectors of activity such as hospitality and manufacturing doing business in a single region (i.e. developed or emerging nations). To fill this gap, this work analyzes the international spread of the entire Spanish franchise system, which in early 2016 had presence in 137 foreign countries and operated in a total of 52 different sectors of activity.
Stress among reference library staff in academic and public libraries
Authors: Petek Marija
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore stress among reference library staff in academic and public libraries in one of the European countries. The study has been conducted to ascertain whether members of the reference staff undergo stress, whether they consider the reference work stressful, how often they are exposed to stress, which situations are most stressful and how they cope with stress in the workplace and in their private lives.

Design/methodology/approach

A semi-structured interview is applied as a data collection technique so that interviewees are able to express their opinions on stress and to describe stress as an individual experience. A convenience sample of members of the reference library staff in ten academic and ten public libraries is prepared.

Findings

The reference library staff in the academic and public libraries is aware of stress causing damage to one’s health and work performance. The reference staff in the public libraries is more frequently exposed to stress than those in the academic libraries. The users are considered the main stressor owing to their complex reference questions, vague information needs and requests, wanting information and materials immediately, not following the library rules, etc.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is small and not representative, including only two types of libraries. The research may serve as a preliminary study, as it offers insights into the work-related stress among the reference staff in the academic and public libraries.

Originality/value

This is the first research on the stress of the reference library staff in the academic and public libraries in the country. It contributes to the understanding of the work-related stress in the libraries. Identifying stressful situations can help the reference staff and employers take appropriate strategies to cope with stress.
Importance of soil legacy effects and successful mutualistic interactions during Australian acacia invasions in nutrient‐poor environments
Authors: Le Roux Johannes J. , Ellis Allan G. , van Zyl Lisé‐Mari , Hosking Nicholas D. , Keet Jan‐Hendrik , Yannelli Florencia A.
Published: March 2018

Non‐native plants often alter environments they invade, favouring their own performance through positive feedbacks. Plant–soil interactions represent one such mechanism, but their complexity (e.g. invader‐induced changes in soil nutrients, microbial communities, etc.) makes inferences of the precise mechanisms that benefit invaders difficult. Here we aimed to determine: (1) whether invasion by Australian acacias (genus Acacia Mill.) changes nitrogen‐fixing soil rhizobial community diversity and structure, and (2) the importance of available rhizobia and overall invader‐induced soil changes as significant facilitators of acacia performance.

We sampled soils from various invaded and nearby uninvaded areas in South Africa's Core Cape Subregion and, using next generation sequencing, compared rhizobial communities between invaded and univaded soils. We then determined the relative importance of soil status (invaded vs. uninvaded), in conjunction with rhizobial addition, to the performance of invasive acacias under common garden conditions.

Next generation sequencing data revealed that invaded soils generally harboured lower rhizobial diversity and were compositionally more homogenous compared to uninvaded soils. Bradyrhizobium strains, the most common known rhizobia associated with acacias, were more abundant in invaded than uninvaded sites. Our greenhouse experiment found significantly reduced growth performances of acacias in uninvaded relative to invaded soils for most species by site comparisons, and almost no influence of additional rhizobial inoculum. However, the overall relationship between nodulation and growth kinetics was much steeper for plants grown in uninvaded compared to invaded soils.

Despite invasive acacias homogenizing nitrogen‐fixing rhizobial community composition and reducing diversity, it appears that mutualist availability poses no significant barrier to acacia establishment. Although acacia‐induced changes to soil conditions enhance plant performance, successful nodulation seems important to early growth performance when encountering novel soil conditions.

Synthesis. We provide evidence that invasions by Australian acacias affect the diversity and structure of soil rhizobial communities. Although overall soil changes benefit their performance independent of rhizobia addition, forming successful mutualistic interactions is critical during the establishment phase under novel environmental conditions. Taken together, our results indicate that interactions between soil abiotic and biotic conditions work in concert to enhance invader performance through positive feedbacks.
Assembling the forest herb community after abandonment from agriculture: Long‐term successional dynamics differ with land‐use history
Authors: Holmes Marion A. , Matlack Glenn R.
Published: March 2018

Cultivation and pasturing, both historically common forms of agriculture in eastern North America, differ in their long‐term environmental legacies. We ask whether successional reassembly of the forest herb community differs between second‐growth stands with contrasting agricultural histories. We predicted that herb communities would diverge through a process of environmental filtering as colonist species responded to the agricultural histories of individual sites and to underlying edaphic gradients.

Thirty‐five second‐growth stands were grouped into a replicated chronosequence of formerly cultivated and pastured sites spanning 80 years after canopy closure. Five long‐established stands without signs of agricultural history were included as controls. Herbaceous vegetation and soil and environmental variables were recorded at each site.

Forest herb species accumulated through the chronosequence. Community composition changed through successional time, transitioning from open‐forest species to shade‐tolerant perennial herbs, and differed significantly between pastured and cultivated sites. A high degree of similarity among control sites suggests eventual convergence, although chronosequence sites at 80 years had not yet reached the richness and composition observed in the controls. Agricultural practices were initially distinguishable in species richness, evenness, and composition but agricultural influence receded as the stands approached 80 years.

Synthesis. Community assembly in post‐agricultural forests appears to be a process of site‐level convergence driven by gradual accumulation of species from the regional species pool, relatively rapid conformity to soil gradients and growth of the forest stand. This result is scale‐dependent; distributions are controlled by topographic filtering at coarser and finer scales.
Trends in Opioid Use and Prescribing in Medicare, 2006–2012
Authors: Axeen Sarah
Published: March 2018

Objective

To determine characteristics and trends in opioid use, questionable use, and prescribing in Medicare.

Study Setting

Opioid prescriptions filled through Medicare Part D for beneficiaries with full‐year, fee‐for‐service Medicare coverage during 2006 to 2012.

Study Design

Retrospective analysis of a 20 percent sample of Medicare claims data. Estimates are adjusted using multivariable regression analysis.

Data Collection

Opioid use, opioid abuse, questionable opioid use, and opioid prescribing by specialty.

Principal Findings

Opioid use in Medicare was stable from 2006 to 2012 on average. More than 1 in 3 beneficiaries filled an opioid prescription annually; about 1 in 10 were chronic opioid users. The distribution of opioid users shifted in favor of diagnoses often associated with chronic pain. Opioid users were increasingly likely to abuse opioids or display patterns of questionable use from 2006 to 2010, with a slowdown in later years. Average outcomes mask significant variation as the distribution of opioid use widened over the analysis period. Prescribing quantity and intensity varied by specialty. The largest quantity increases were among nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Conclusions

Opioid utilization and prescribing are increasingly heterogeneous from 2006 to 2012. Future research should focus on explaining differential trends in utilization and prescribing.
Chrysomya megacephala larvae feeding favourably influences manure microbiome, heavy metal stability and greenhouse gas emissions
Authors: Wang Xiaoyun , Wang Wanqiang , Gao Qiao , Wang Xiaoping , Lei Chaoliang , Zhu Fen
Published: March 2018

Chrysomya megacephala is a saprophagous fly whose larvae can compost manure and yield biomass and bio‐fertilizer simultaneously. However, there are concerns for the safety of the composting system, that is risk of diseases spread by way of manure pathogens, residue of harmful metals and emission of greenhouse gases. Microbiota analysis and heavy metal speciation by European Communities Bureau of Reference were evaluated in raw, C. megacephala‐composted and natural stacked swine manure to survey pathogenic bacterial changes and mobility of lead and cadmium in manure after C. megacephala feeding; the emission rate of CH4 and N2O from manure during C. megacephala composting and natural stacking was also measured. C. megacephala composting altered manure microbiota, reduced the risk of pathogenic bacteria and maintained the stability, and microbiota changes might be associated with heavy metal fractions, especially in Pseudomonas and Prevotella. In addition, C. megacephala‐composting significantly reduced the emission rate of CH4 and N2O in comparing with natural stacking situation and the first two days should be the crucial period for CH4 and N2O emission measurement for manure treatment by C. megacephala. Moreover, OTU26 and Betaproteobacteria were changed after C. megacephala composting which might play a role in emission of CH4 and N2O, respectively.
Consequences of dispersal limitation and habitat fragmentation for the Brazilian heart‐tongued frogs (Phyllodytes spp.)
Authors: Mageski Marcio Marques , Varela Sara , Roper James Joseph
Published: March 2018

Poorly known species may be cryptically endangered, especially when they inhabit fragmented and threatened habitats. Heart‐tongued frogs (genus Phyllodytes, family Hylidae, Lophyohylinae) comprise 17 species of poorly known frogs that have obligatory associations with tank bromeliads. The distributions of all species are restricted to a small, extremely fragmented, region of Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil. We model climate and tank bromeliad distributions to better understand frog distribution limits. Using records from several sources for frogs and bromeliads with climate data from WorldClim, we modelled the distribution of Phyllodytes using maximum entropy. We compared climate and altitude within the distribution and nearby to test how climate may limit distribution. Climate together with bromeliad distributions provided the best model and predicted the smallest suitable area for Phyllodytes that was larger than that occupied, from the state of Paraíba in the north to Rio Grande do Sul in the south. Phyllodytes occurs in lower elevations that are warmer, wetter and less variable than the surrounding regions where it does not occur, and dispersal is apparently limited by the surrounding, inhospitable, region. Dispersal limitation and habitat fragmentation have relegated Phyllodytes to many very small habitat fragments. With many species in this genus being known from a single or few samples, this unfortunate combination of limitation and fragmentation suggests that some or all species of Phyllodytes may be threatened with extinction, especially if habitat fragmentation continues at its present pace in eastern Brazil.
Shifting Global Literacy Networks: How Emigration Promotes Informal Literacy Learning in Latvia
Authors: Vieira Kate
Published: March 2018

A study of migrants' homeland family members in Latvia, a country undergoing drastic political change, this article examines migration‐driven literacy‐learning in shifting transnational contexts. Building from critiques of place‐based literacy ethnographies, it documents three kinds of informal literacy learning—print literacy learning, digital literacy learning, and anticipatory literacy learning— resulting from the movement of people across shifting spatial and temporal fields.
Impact of primary antibiotic resistance on the effectiveness of sequential therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection: lessons from a 5‐year study on a large number of strains
Authors: Gatta L. , Scarpignato C. , Fiorini G. , Belsey J. , Saracino I. M. , Ricci C. , Vaira D.
Published: March 2018

Background

The increasing prevalence of strains resistant to antimicrobial agents is a critical issue in the management of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.

Aims

(1) To evaluate the prevalence of primary resistance to clarithromycin, metronidazole and levofloxacin (2) to assess the effectiveness of sequential therapy on resistant strains (3) to identify the minimum number of subjects to enrol for evaluating the effectiveness of an eradication regimen in patients harbouring resistant strains.

Methods

Consecutive 1682 treatment naïve H. pylori‐positive patients referred for upper GI endoscopy between 2010 and 2015 were studied and resistances assessed by E‐test. Sequential therapy was offered, effectiveness evaluated and analysed.

Results

H. pylori‐primary resistance to antimicrobials tested was high, and increased between 2010 and 2015. Eradication rates were (estimates and 95% CIs): 97.3% (95.6‐98.4) in strains susceptible to clarithromycin and metronidazole; 96.1% (91.7‐98.2) in strains resistant to metronidazole but susceptible to clarithromycin; 93.4% (88.2‐96.4) in strains resistant to clarithromycin but susceptible to metronidazole; 83.1% (77.7‐87.3) in strains resistant to clarithromycin and metronidazole. For any treatment with a 75%‐85% eradication rate, some 98‐144 patients with resistant strains need to be studied to get reliable information on effectiveness in these patients.

Conclusions

H. pylori‐primary resistance is increasing and represents the most critical factor affecting effectiveness. Sequential therapy eradicated 83% of strains resistant to clarithromycin and metronidazole. Reliable estimates of the effectiveness of a given regimen in patients harbouring resistant strains can be obtained only by assessing a large number of strains.
Grey networks: The contradictory dimensions of Australia's immigration detention system
Authors: Neil David , Peterie Michelle
Published: March 2018

The notion of dark networks has recently received attention in the literature on policy network analysis. Dark networks are defined as illegal and covert, in contrast to bright networks which are legal and overt. In this article, we suggest a third category – grey networks – which are characterised by their use of secrecy and concealment despite their ostensibly legal status. These networks are subject to contradictory imperatives. They employ methods that cannot be openly acknowledged within the larger legal and social framework in which they function. In this article, we illustrate this concept through an interview‐based study of Australia's immigration detention network. This network enacts a deterrence policy which has been widely condemned as breaching Australia's obligations under international law. At the same time, it is required to maintain a façade of lawfulness and respect for human rights.
Digital archives, e‐books and narrative space
Authors: Revill George , Hammond Kim , Smith Joe
Published: March 2018

In this paper we are concerned with the capacity of digital media to enable publics to tell their own environmental stories using digital broadcast archives (DBAs). We consider how digital media afford different ways of telling stories in relation to digital media archives. Central to this discussion is our experience of writing e‐books as part of the AHRC‐funded project “Earth in Vision: BBC coverage of environmental change 1960–2010.” The e‐book format has been adopted in order to explore some of the possibilities for writing environmental history and politics using DBAs.
A place to grow older … alone? Living and ageing as a single older lifestyle migrant in the Azores
Authors: Sampaio Dora
Published: March 2018

International retirement migration has been typically regarded as a couple's project. Much less is known about single lifestyle migrants who settle and age abroad and those who, after the loss of their spouse, decide to stay put. Informed by a larger pool of 36 life‐narrative interviews with later‐life lifestyle migrants in the Azores, and structured around four selected portrayals, this paper seeks to explore meanings of place in later life and to unpack the complex set of negotiations that the ageing self undergoes in a context of migration. Drawing on relational and unbound understandings of place, I question traditional assumptions that see single older migrants abroad as vulnerable and dependent, emphasising a more complex set of needs, desires and expectations in (and for) later‐life. For these migrants, emplaced living and ageing experiences are ambiguously mixed. The islands are described as places of freedom and self‐actualisation, and also “safe ports” in later‐life. Yet, this does not prevent intermittent feelings of isolation and loneliness, including the desire to restore some sense of companionship and romantic life.
The ethics of collaboration with museums: Researching, archiving and displaying home and migration
Authors: Wilkins Annabelle
Published: March 2018

Collaboration has become an increasingly important aspect of higher education policy agendas in which impact and public engagement are regarded as crucial elements of publicly funded research. Collaborative research raises ethical issues relating to the collection, archiving and dissemination of data, but also in regard to the complex and emotional nature of relationships between participants, practitioners and academics, that are currently under‐explored. This paper examines ethical considerations raised by collaborative research with museums, drawing on doctoral research conducted in collaboration with the Geffrye Museum that examined home, work and migration among Vietnamese communities in East London. The paper examines the challenge of balancing the interests of participants with the museum's aim to document and display testimonies and images of participants’ homes. It explores the ambivalent response of participants to the archiving of their research at the museum. I examine my positionality as a researcher, reflecting on the emotions involved in collaborative research. The paper identifies contributions from museum studies that account for the multiple viewpoints involved in collaboration. In the conclusion, I suggest that the ethical issues in collaboration speak to wider challenges of reflecting critically on research relationships that are complex, emotional and underpinned by differing needs and priorities.
Empathy, social media, and directed altruistic living organ donation
Authors: Moorlock Greg , Draper Heather
Published: March 2018

In this article we explore some of the ethical dimensions of using social media to increase the number of living kidney donors. Social media provides a platform for changing non‐identifiable ‘statistical victims’ into ‘real people’ with whom we can identify and feel empathy: the so‐called ‘identifiable victim effect’, which prompts charitable action. We examine three approaches to promoting kidney donation using social media which could take advantages of the identifiable victim effect: (a) institutionally organized campaigns based on historical cases aimed at promoting non‐directed altruistic donation; (b) personal case‐based campaigns organized by individuals aimed at promoting themselves/or someone with whom they are in a relationship as a recipient of directed donation; (c) institutionally organized personal case‐based campaigns aimed at promoting specific recipients for directed donation. We will highlight the key ethical issues raised by these approaches, and will argue that the third option, despite raising ethical concerns, is preferable to the other two.
Therapeutic strategies for afatinib‐resistant lung cancer harboring HER2 alterations
Authors: Torigoe Hidejiro , Shien Kazuhiko , Takeda Tatsuaki , Yoshioka Takahiro , Namba Kei , Sato Hiroki , Suzawa Ken , Yamamoto Hiromasa , Soh Junichi , Sakaguchi Masakiyo , Tomida Shuta , Tsukuda Kazunori , Miyoshi Shinichiro , Toyooka Shinichi
Published: March 2018

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various cancers. HER2 alterations have been suggested to be a therapeutic target in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC), just as in breast and gastric cancers. We previously reported that the pan‐HER inhibitor afatinib could be a useful therapeutic agent as HER2‐targeted therapy for patients with NSCLC harboring HER2 alterations. However, acquired resistance to afatinib was observed in the clinical setting, similar to the case for other HER inhibitors. Thus, elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the development of acquired drug resistance and exploring means to overcome acquired drug resistance are important issues in the treatment of NSCLC. In this study, we experimentally established afatinib‐resistant cell lines from NSCLC cell lines harboring HER2 alterations, and investigated the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of drug resistance. The established cell lines showed several unique afatinib‐resistance mechanisms, including MET amplification, loss of HER2 amplification and gene expression, epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and acquisition of cancer stem cell (CSC)‐like features. The afatinib‐resistant cell lines showing MET amplification were sensitive to the combination of afatinib plus crizotinib (a MET inhibitor), both in vitro and in vivo. The resistant cell lines which showed EMT or had acquired CSC‐like features remained sensitive to docetaxel, like the parental cells. These findings may provide clues to countering the resistance to afatinib in NSCLC patients with HER2 alterations.
The phylogenetic and functional diversity of regional breeding bird assemblages is reduced and constricted through urbanization
Authors: La Sorte Frank A. , Lepczyk Christopher A. , Aronson Myla F. J. , Goddard Mark A. , Hedblom Marcus , Katti Madhusudan , MacGregor‐Fors Ian , Mörtberg Ulla , Nilon Charles H. , Warren Paige S. , Williams Nicholas S. G. , Yang Jun
Published: March 2018

Aim

Urbanization broadly affects the phylogenetic and functional diversity of natural communities through a variety of processes including habitat loss and the introduction of non‐native species. Due to the challenge of acquiring direct measurements, these effects have been studied primarily using “space‐for‐time” substitution where spatial urbanization gradients are used to infer the consequences of urbanization occurring across time. The ability of alternative sampling designs to replicate the findings derived using space‐for‐time substitution has not been tested.

Location

Global.

Methods

We contrasted the phylogenetic and functional diversity of breeding bird assemblages in 58 cities worldwide with the corresponding regional breeding bird assemblages estimated using geographic range maps.

Results

Compared to regional assemblages, urban assemblages contained lower phylogenetic diversity, lower phylogenetic beta diversity, a reduction in the least evolutionary distinct species and the loss of the most evolutionarily distinct species. We found no evidence that these effects were related to the presence of non‐native species. Urban assemblages contained fewer aquatic species and fewer aquatic foraging species. The distribution of body size and range size narrowed for urban assemblages with the loss of species at both tails of the distribution, especially large bodied and broadly distributed species. Urban assemblages contained a greater proportion of species classified as passerines, doves or pigeons; species identified as granivores; species that forage within vegetation or in the air; and species with more generalized associations with foraging strata.

Main conclusions

Urbanization is associated with the overall reduction and constriction of phylogenetic and functional diversity, results that largely replicate those generated using space‐for‐time substitution, increasing our confidence in the quality of the combined inferences. When direct measurements are unavailable, our findings emphasize the value of developing independent sampling methods that broaden and reinforce our understanding of the ecological implications of urbanization.
Late adulthood mortality among African‐American and white American people with Type 1 diabetes according to age at diabetes diagnosis
Authors: Conway B. N. , Lopes‐Virella M. F. , Blot W. J.
Published: March 2018

Aims

To estimate the overall and cause‐specific mortality in a population of African‐Americans and white Americans with a low socio‐economic status who had young‐onset insulin‐treated diabetes and had survived beyond the age of 40 years, and to examine whether any excess risk varied according to age at diabetes onset.

Methods

Using the Southern Community Cohort Study, we conducted a mortality follow‐up of a cohort of mostly low‐income participants aged 40–79 years (mean 50 years) at cohort entry with insulin‐treated diabetes diagnosed before age 30 years (n=475) and without diabetes (n=62 266). Childhood onset was defined as diabetes diagnosed before age 20 years (n=162), while young‐adulthood onset was defined as diabetes diagnosed between ages 20 and 29 years (n=313). Cause‐specific mortality was based on both underlying and contributing causes of death, obtained from death certificates. Multivariable Cox analysis was performed.

Results

During follow‐up (mean 9.5 years), 38.7% of those with and 12.9% of those without diabetes died. Compared with those without diabetes, increases in mortality rate were generally similar among those with childhood‐ and young‐adulthood‐onset diabetes for deaths from: all causes (childhood: hazard ratio 4.3, CI 3.3–5.5; young adulthood: hazard ratio 4.9, CI 4.0–5.8); ischaemic heart disease (childhood: hazard ratio 5.7, CI 3.5–9.4; young adulthood: hazard ratio 7.9, CI 5.6–11.0); heart failure (childhood: hazard ratio 7.3, CI 4.2–12.7; young adulthood: hazard ratio 5.4, CI 3.3–8.9); sepsis (childhood: hazard ratio 10.3, CI 6.1‐17.3; young adulthood: hazard ratio 8.8, CI 5.7–13.5); renal failure (childhood: hazard ratio 15.1, CI 8.6‐26.5; young adulthood: hazard ratio 18.2, CI 12.3–27.1); respiratory disorders (childhood: hazard ratio 3.9, CI 2.3‐6.7; young adulthood: hazard ratio 5.3, CI 3.7–7.7); suicide/homicide/accidents (childhood: hazard ratio 2.3, CI 0.72–7.0; young adulthood: hazard ratio 5.8, CI 3.4–10.2); and cancer (childhood: hazard ratio 2.1, CI 0.98–4.4; young adulthood: hazard ratio 1.2, CI 0.55–2.5).

Conclusions

We observed high excess long‐term mortality for all‐cause, renal failure, ischemic heart disease and heart failure mortality in African‐American and white American people with early‐onset insulin‐treated diabetes.
Mediators of medication adherence and glycaemic control and their implications for direct outpatient medical costs: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Lum Z. K. , Tsou K. Y. K. , Lee J. Y.‐C.
Published: March 2018

Aims

To investigate the effects of diabetes‐related distress and perception of hyperglycaemia on self‐reported medication adherence and glycaemic control, as measured by HbA1c, and to compare the cost outcomes in patients with sub‐optimally vs uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cross‐sectional study that involved the review of a chronic disease database in Singapore. Data on clinical characteristics, diabetes‐related distress, perception of hyperglycaemia, self‐reported medication adherence and costs were obtained from the database. Mediation analyses were conducted using a linear regression‐based approach. A final path model was built to illustrate the sequential mediating effects of diabetes‐related distress and perception on the association of medication adherence and HbA1c concentration.

Results

Diabetes‐related distress and perception of hyperglycaemia were significantly associated with medication adherence and HbA1c concentration. Mediation analyses showed a significant indirect effect of diabetes‐related distress and perception of hyperglycaemia on medication adherence and HbA1c concentration. People with uncontrolled diabetes were found to incur significantly higher total direct medical costs than those with sub‐optimally controlled diabetes (P = 0.034), with medication cost as the main cost driver (66.6%).

Conclusions

Identifying the influence of the sequential mediating effects of distress and perception was important in understanding the pathway between medication adherence and glycaemic control. This suggests the importance of a team‐based approach to address these mediators and thus improve glycaemic control. Poor glycaemic control was also found to be associated with higher direct medical costs.
Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass compared with equivalent diet restriction: Mechanistic insights into diabetes remission
Authors: Pop Laurentiu M. , Mari Andrea , Zhao Tong‐Jin , Mitchell Lori , Burgess Shawn , Li Xilong , Adams‐Huet Beverley , Lingvay Ildiko
Published: March 2018

Aims

To investigate the physiological mechanisms leading to rapid improvement in diabetes after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and specifically the contribution of the concurrent peri‐operative dietary restrictions, which may also alter glucose metabolism.

Materials and methods

In order to assess the differential contributions of diet and surgery to the mechanisms leading to the rapid improvement in diabetes after RYGB we enrolled 10 patients with type 2 diabetes scheduled to undergo RYGB. All patients underwent a 10‐day inpatient supervised dietary intervention equivalent to the peri‐operative diet (diet‐only period), followed by, after a re‐equilibration (washout) period, an identical period of pair‐matched diet in conjunction with RYGB (diet and RYGB period). We conducted extensive metabolic assessments during a 6‐hour mixed‐meal challenge test, with stable isotope glucose tracer infusion performed before and after each intervention.

Results

Similar improvements in glucose levels, β‐cell function, insulin sensitivity and post‐meal hepatic insulin resistance were observed with both interventions. Both interventions led to significant reductions in fasting and postprandial acyl ghrelin. The diet‐only intervention induced greater improvements in basal hepatic glucose output and post‐meal gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) secretion. The diet and RYGB intervention induced significantly greater increases in post‐meal glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1), peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon levels.

Conclusions

Strict peri‐operative dietary restriction is a main contributor to the rapid improvement in glucose metabolism after RYGB. The RYGB‐induced changes in the incretin hormones GLP‐1 and PYY probably play a major role in long‐term compliance with such major dietary restrictions through central and peripheral mechanisms.
Long‐term sustainability of glycaemic achievements with second‐line antidiabetic therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes: A real‐world study
Authors: Montvida Olga , Shaw Jonathan E. , Blonde Lawrence , Paul Sanjoy K.
Published: March 2018

Aims

To inform patients and their carers about both the probability of reducing glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) to clinically desirable levels and the sustainability of such control over 2 years with major second‐line antidiabetic therapies, in individual risk scenarios, with and without third‐line intensification.

Materials and Methods

From US Centricity Electronic Medical Records, 163 081 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 18 to 80 years, who had initiated metformin, intensified their treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors, glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) receptor agonists (GLP‐1RAs), sulphonylureas (SUs), insulin or thiazolidinediones (TZDs), and continued second‐line treatment for ≥6 months, were selected. Treatment groups were balanced with regard to baseline characteristics, and glycaemic achievements were estimated using logistic regression analysis.

Results

With HbA1c concentrations of 58–63.9 mmol/mol (7.5–7.9%) at second‐line treatment initiation, the adjusted probabilities of achieving HbA1c <53 mmol/mol (<7%) at 6 months were 32%, 38%, 39%, 26% and 38% in the SU, DPP‐4 inhibitor, GLP‐1RA, insulin and TZD groups, respectively, while with baseline HbA1c concentrations of 64–75 mmol/mol (8–9%), the corresponding probabilities of reducing HbA1c to <58 mmol/mol (<7.5%) were 38%, 44%, 40%, 34% and 42%, respectively. In these baseline HbA1c categories, the adjusted probabilities of sustaining HbA1c achievements over 2 years were higher in the GLP‐1RA and TZD groups, compared with the SU and insulin groups (P < .01). With baseline HbA1c concentrations of 75.1–108 mmol/mol (9.1–12%) 38% of patients achieved an HbA1c concentration <58 mmol/mol (<7.5%) at 6 months. The adjusted probability of sustaining this control over 2 years was higher in the incretin and TZD groups (range 62%‐75%), while insulin and SUs offered lower chances of sustainable control (range 54%‐56%).

Conclusions

Patients treated with second‐line incretins and TZDs had a significantly higher probability of achieving and sustaining glycaemic control over 2 years without further intensification, compared with those treated with SUs or insulin.