bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge-based HRM practices as an antecedent to service innovative behavior
Authors: Noopur Noopur , Dhar Rajib Lochan
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to try to profess that human resource management and knowledge are key antecedents, the amalgamation of which helps in developing the human capital (HC) which in turn generates employee’s service innovative behavior. Previous researches have studied the combination of human resource management (HRM) and knowledge perspective but not explicitly, there remains a significant gap and the HRM-innovative behavior literature remains unexplored.

Design/methodology/approach

SPSS 21, AMOS 21 and SAS 9.1 software were used to calculate the reliability of the scales, convergent, discriminant validity and overall ﬁtness of the proposed model. SPSS macro called PROCESS was used to determine the indirect effect if any. Further, hierarchical linear modeling was performed to test the group level effect on the proposed model.

Findings

The research work confirms the role of knowledge-based human resource management (KHRM) practices as a precursor to HC, thus influencing the employee service innovative behavior when the person–organization fit is high rather than low. The literature has also elaborated on the central role of knowledge mechanisms in influencing a firm’s capability to support novel ideas and creative work patterns.

Originality/value

The present study has tried to investigate a very novel topic, i.e., KHRM practices whose literature are negligible. The research work has highlighted as to how KHRM practices which are basically non-tangible, rare, non-imitable can influence the innovative work-behavior of employees in a less knowledge-intensive industry such as the tourist hotels.
Flight motion tracking with new configuration of hybrid inertial sensors
Authors: Wang Xin , Yan Jie , Feng Dongzhu , Fan Yonghua , Yang Dongsheng
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a novel hybrid inertial measurement unit (IMU) for motion capturing via a new configuration of strategically distributed inertial sensors, and a calibration approach for the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors mounted in a flight vehicle motion tracker built on the inertial navigation system.

Design/methodology/approach

The hybrid-IMU is designed with five accelerometers and one auxiliary gyroscope instead of the accelerometer and gyroscope triads in the conventional IMU.

Findings

Simulation studies for tracking with both attitude angles and translational movement of a flight vehicle are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Originality/value

The cross-quadratic terms of angular velocity are selected to process the direct measurements of angular velocities of body frame and to avoid the integration of angular acceleration vector compared with gyro-free configuration based on only accelerometers. The inertial sensors are selected from the commercial microelectromechanical system devices to realize its low-cost applications.
Representations of New Public Management in Australian Public Service gender equality policies
Authors: Williamson Sue , Carson Lisa , Foley Meraiah
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Governments have demonstrated a renewed interest in progressing gender equality for their workforces, including in Australia. This refocusing has resulted in a tranche of new gender equality policies being introduced into the Australian Public Service (APS). The purpose of this paper is to examine how New Public Management (NPM) is reflected in these gender equality policies and consider whether NPM may assist or hinder gender being “undone” or “redone” in APS organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

A content analysis was conducted to assess the strategies contained within the gender equality policies of all 18 Australian government departments.

Findings

The content analysis reveals that the policies strongly reflect an NPM framing, except in one important area – that of monitoring and evaluation. The lack of attention to this crucial element of NPM may hinder effective implementation of many of the policies. The authors also conclude that while good intent is evident in the policies, they may “redo” rather than “undo” gender in organisations.

Practical implications

The paper will assist organisations which are developing and implementing gender equality policies. Even though NPM is specific to the public sector, the research highlights the potential and pitfalls when developing such policies in an environment focused on increasing efficiencies and reducing costs.

Originality/value

While gender equality and public sector reforms occurred simultaneously in Australia, few researchers have examined the interactions between the two.
Free convection of a hybrid nanofluid past a vertical plate embedded in a porous medium with anisotropic permeability
Authors: Bibi Aneela , Xu Hang , Sun Qiang , Pop Ioan , Zhao Qingkai
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This study aims to carry out an analysis for flow and heat transfer of a new hybrid nanofluid over a vertical flat surface embedded in a saturated porous medium with anisotropic permeability at high Rayleigh number. Here the hybrid nanofluid is considered as the working fluid, with different kinds of small particles in nanoscale being suspended.

Design/methodology/approach

The generalized homogenous model is introduced to describe the behaviors of hybrid nanofluid. Within the framework of the boundary layer approximations, the governing equations embodying the conservation equations of total mass, momentum and thermal energy are reduced to a set of fully coupled ordinary differential equations via relevant scaling transformations. A flow stability analysis is performed to examine the behavior of convective heat energy. Accurate solutions are obtained by means of a very efficient homotopy-based package BVPh 2.0.

Findings

Results show that the linear correlations of physical quantities among the base fluid and its suspended nanoparticles are adequate to give accurate results for simulation of behaviors of hybrid nanofluids. Heat enhancement can be also fulfilled by hybrid nanofluids. A flow stability analysis suggests the heat-related power index m > −1/3 for satisfying the increasing behavior of convective heat energy.

Originality/value

Free convection of a hybrid nanofluid near a vertical flat surface embedded in a saturated porous medium with anisotropic permeability is investigated for the first time. The simplified hybrid nanofluid model is proposed for describing nanofluid behaviors. The results of this proposed approach agree well with those given by the traditional hybrid nanofluid model and experiment. It is expected that, by using different combinations of various kinds of nanoparticles, the new generation of heat transfer fluids can be fabricated, which possess similar thermal-physical properties as regular nanofluids but with lower cost.
AppAware: a policy visualization model for mobile applications
Authors: Paspatis Ioannis , Tsohou Aggeliki , Kokolakis Spyros
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Privacy policies emerge as the main mechanism to inform users on the way their information is managed by online service providers, and still remain the dominant approach for this purpose. The literature notes that users find difficulties in understanding privacy policies because they are usually written in technical or legal language even, although most users are unfamiliar with them. These difficulties have led most users to skip reading privacy policies and blindly accept them. This study aims to address this challenge this paper presents AppAware, a multiplatform tool that intends to improve the visualization of privacy policies for mobile applications.

Design/methodology/approach

AppAware formulates a visualized report with the permission set of an application, which is easily understandable by a common user. AppAware aims to bridge the difficulty to read privacy policies and android’s obscure permission set with a new privacy policy visualization model. Thus, we propose AppAware parser, a mobile add-on that acts complementary with AppAware and helps mobile device users to monitor the applications they installed to their smart device.

Findings

To validate AppAware, the authors conducted a survey through questionnaire aiming to evaluate AppAware in terms of installability, usability and viability-purpose. The results demonstrate that AppAware is assessed above average by the users in all categories.

Originality/value

In the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no such approach as AppAware as an application nor AppAware parser as add-on.
Multi-criterion analysis based on integrated process-risk optimization
Authors: Derradji Rima , Hamzi Rachida
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a process optimization approach showing how organizations are able to achieve sustainable and efficient process optimization, based on integrated process-risk analysis using several criteria to a better decision-making.

Design/methodology/approach

Several approaches are used (functional/dysfunctional) to analyze how processes work and how to deal with risks forming multi-criteria decision-making. In addition, a risk factor is integrated into the structured analysis and design techniques (SADT) method forming a novel graphical view SADT-RISK; it identifies process’s failures using the traditional failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) and economic consideration “failure mode and effect, criticality analysis-cost FMECA-C” making a multi-criterion matrix for better decision-making. Subsequently, some recommendations are proposed to overcome the failure.

Findings

This paper illustrates a methodology with a case study in a company, which has a leading brand in the market in Algeria. The authors are integrating a varied portfolio of approaches linking with each other to analyze, improve and optimize the processes in terms of reliability and safety to deal with risks; reduce the complexity of the systems; increase the performance; and achieve a safer process. However, the proposed method can be readily used in practice.

Originality/value

The paper provides a new approach based on integrated management using new elements as an innovative contribution, forming a novel graphical view SADT-RISK; it identifies process’s failures using the traditional FMECA and economic consideration “a new multi-criterion matrix for better decision-making and using the SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats – as a balance to decide about the process improvement”. The authors conclude that this methodology is oriented and applicable to different types of companies such as financial, health and industrial as illustrated by this case study.
Growth through export: evidence from Iran’s manufacturing plants
Authors: Yousefi Kowsar , Madnanizdeh Seyed Ali , Sobhani Fateme Zahra
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Does the long-term growth rate of a firm increase by exporting? If yes, how large is that increase in a developing economy? The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors incorporate data from the manufacturing plants in Iran as a developing economy for 2003–2011 to address this question. Using fixed effect panel and propensity score matching method, the authors examine whether exportation can affect a firm’s growth rate to test for the learning to grow hypothesis.

Findings

The findings document that: not only the exporters are larger and more productive than non-exporters, but they also grow faster in size and productivity measures as well. Additionally, the authors find that the rise in the growth rate is a short-term phenomenon and it disappears in the second year; meaning that exportation does not have a permanent growth effect. The findings are consistent with a spot effect of learning, compared to a permanent growth engine. Results are robust to different analysis tests.

Originality/value

The authors investigate the learning effect of exporting within recently released firm-level data of a developing country.
Entrepreneurial orientation and burnout among healthcare professionals
Authors: Kearney Claudine , Dunne Padraic , Wales William J.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Among healthcare professionals, burnout is one of the key challenges affecting organizational outcomes, employee productivity and quality of care. The knowledge of burnout and its root causes and primary contributors continues to grow yet remains limited. In many environments, an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has been shown to dramatically improve organizational outcomes and performance. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate critical research areas at the intersection of organizational EO and employee burnout within the healthcare sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual model which considers how EO has the potential to provide an operational context that may negate, lessen or delay the negative effects of burnout among healthcare professionals, is advanced as a useful focal point to foster research exploring connections between organizational orientation and employee well-being.

Findings

Insights into how an opportunity-embracing EO characteristic of high-tech firms may shape how stress is experienced and address burnout when applied to healthcare organizations. A decrease in burnout stands to improve quality of care as well as the satisfaction of staff and patients alike, including a greater sense of autonomy, engagement, motivation and passion.

Originality/value

This research agenda proposes new insights and the need for additional research into how the manifestation of organizational EO may contribute to the field of medicine, influence burnout and enhance the well-being among healthcare professionals.
Nurses’ work practices in design: managing the complexity of pain
Authors: Cerna Katerina , Weilenmann Alexandra , Ivarsson Jonas , Rysedt Hans , Sigridur Islind Anna , Lundin Johan , Steineck Gunnar
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the activities in nurses’ work practices in relation to the design process of a self-monitoring application.

Design/methodology/approach

A design ethnographic approach was applied in this study.

Findings

To solve the problem of translating highly qualitative phenomena, such as pain, into the particular abstract features of a self-monitoring application, design participants had to balance these two aspects by managing complexity. In turn, the nurses’ work practices have changed because it now involves a new activity based on a different logic than the nurses’ traditional work practices.

Originality/value

This study describes a new activity included in nurses’ work practices when the nurses became part of a design process. This study introduces a novel way on how to gain a deeper understanding of existing professional practice through a detailed study of activities taking place in a design process. This study explores the possible implications for nurses’ professional practices when they participate in a self-monitoring application design process.
What about learning?
Authors: Berg Jansson Anna , Engström Åsa , Parding Karolina
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss conditions for workplace learning (WPL) in relation to temporary agency staffing (TAS), focusing on temporary and regular nurses’ experiences of social relations.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered using qualitative semi-structured interviews with five agency nurses and five regular nurses. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings

Similarities and differences regarding conditions for WPL among “temps” and “regulars” emerged, pointing towards both challenges and opportunities for WPL on various levels. Moreover, although challenges stood out, the context of professional work provides certain opportunities for WPL through, for example, knowledge sharing among nurses.

Research limitations/implications

Results are valid for the interviewees’ experiences of WPL conditions. However, the findings may also have currency in other but similar workplaces and employment circumstances.

Practical implications

Client organisations and temporary work agencies could benefit from developing management and HR strategies aimed at strengthening the opportunities for WPL, related to professional work, to ensure that these opportunities are leveraged fully.

Originality/value

This study adopts a WPL perspective on TAS in the context of professional work, which is still rare.
Rapid climate change has increased post‐breeding and autumn bird density at the eastern limit of Europe
Authors: Askeyev Oleg , Askeyev Arthur , Askeyev Igor , Sparks Tim
Published: January 2020

We investigated how the densities of birds in the post‐breeding and autumn phase (hereafter called autumn) were changing and how they were influenced by a changing climate in a study region that experienced about 5 months of snow cover each winter and summer temperatures that varied greatly from year to year. Bird densities during autumn were estimated between 1991 and 2018 using distance sampling along transects. Densities were compared to various temperature variables in preceding months and to densities in the following winter. The study region has experienced rapid temperature change in May–August, and autumn densities of six of the nine studied species increased significantly during the study period. Autumn densities of all but one bird species were significantly related to one or more of the temperatures in the preceding January–February, affecting adult survival, and in the preceding May–August, affecting nestling survival. Long‐term trends of autumn densities and densities in the first half of winter were similar for practically all bird species. The results of our study of seasonal dynamics based on eight‐month intervals in each of the 28 years of research emphasize that understanding the influence of climatic parameters on changes in the density of individual bird species requires such long‐term monitoring throughout the year. In a period of climate warming, and in spite of the severity of the winter and the variability of summer, we found that most species of birds showed a clear increase in density.
Sub‐seafloor biogeochemical processes and microbial life in the Baltic Sea
Authors: Jørgensen Bo Barker , Andrén Thomas , Marshall Ian P. G.
Published: January 2020

The post‐glacial Baltic Sea has experienced extreme changes that are archived today in the deep sediments. IODP Expedition 347 retrieved cores down to 100 m depth and studied the climate history and the deep biosphere. We here review the biogeochemical and microbiological highlights and integrate these with other studies from the Baltic seabed. Cell numbers, endospore abundance and organic matter mineralization rates are extremely high. A 100‐fold drop in cell numbers with depth results from a small difference between growth and mortality in the ageing sediment. Evidence for growth derives from a D:L amino acid racemization model, while evidence for mortality derives from the abundance and potential activity of lytic viruses. The deep communities assemble at the bottom of the bioturbated zone from the founding surface community by selection of organisms suited for life under deep sediment conditions. The mean catabolic per‐cell rate of microorganisms drops steeply with depth to a life in slow‐motion, typical for the deep biosphere. The subsurface life under extreme energy limitation is facilitated by exploitation of recalcitrant substrates, by biochemical protection of nucleic acids and proteins and by repair mechanisms for random mismatches in DNA or damaged amino acids in proteins.
Payments for outpatient joint replacement surgery: A comparison of hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers
Authors: Carey Kathleen , Morgan Jake R.
Published: January 2020

Objective

To compare commercial insurance payments for outpatient total knee and hip replacement surgeries performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).

Data Sources

A large national claims database that contains information on actual prices paid to providers over the period 2014‐2017.

Data Collection

We identified all patients receiving total knee replacement surgery and total hip replacement surgery in HOPDs and in ASCs for each of the 4 years.

Study Design

For each year, we conducted descriptive and statistical patient‐level analyses of the facility component of payments to HOPDs and to ASCs.

Principal Findings

For each procedure and for each year, ASC payments exceeded HOPD payments by a wide margin; however, the gap across settings declined over time. In 2014, knee replacement payments to HOPDs (n = 67) were $6016 compared to $23 244 in ASCs (n = 68). By 2017, payments to HOPDs (n = 223) had grown to $10 060 compared to $18 234 in ASCs (n = 602). Similarly, for hip replacements, HOPD payments (n = 43) rose from $6980 in 2014 to $11 139 in 2017 (n = 206) and in ASCs fell from $28 485 in 2014 (n = 82) to $18 595 in 2017 (n = 465).

Conclusions

Results suggest that for total joint replacement, common perceptions of cost savings from transition of services from hospitals to ASCs may be misguided.
Comprehensive identification of medication‐related problems occurring prior to, during and after emergency department presentation: An Australian multicentre, prospective, observational study
Authors: Taylor Simone E , Mitri Elise A , Harding Andrew M , Taylor David McD , Weeks Adrian , Abbott Leonie , Lambros Pani , Lawrence Dona , Strumpman Dana , Senturk‐Raif Reyhan , Louey Stephen , Crisp Hamish , Tomlinson Emily , Manias Elizabeth
Published: January 2020

Objective

Patients present to EDs with various medication‐related problems (MRPs). MRPs are also associated with ED care, occurring during ED presentation or shortly afterwards. The aim of the present study is to describe the prevalence and nature of MRPs that occur prior to, during or shortly after leaving ED.

Methods

We undertook a prospective, observational study in nine Australian EDs. Blocks of 10 consecutive adult patients who were not seen by a pharmacist in ED and who presented at pre‐specified times were identified. Within 1 week of ED discharge, a pharmacist interviewed patients and undertook a medical record review to determine their medication history, patients' understanding of treatment, potential MRP risk factors and manage any identified MRPs.

Results

A total of 904 patients were recruited: 14.8% aged ≥80 years, 18.9% taking more than eight regular medications; 581 MRPs were identified; 287 (49.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 45.3–53.5%) of moderate‐high significance. Most highly significant MRPs involved high‐risk medications, particularly strong opioids, insulin and anti‐coagulants. The most common types of MRPs were prescribing errors (46.8%), patient adherence/knowledge issues (31.2%) and adverse drug reactions (7.4%). Of all patients, 381 (42.1%, 95% CI 38.9–45.5%) had at least one MRP; 31.4% (95% CI 28.4–34.6%) had MRPs that could be identified or managed by screening at ED presentation and 12.4% (95% CI 10.4–14.8%) had MRPs that could be identified or managed by screening at ED discharge.

Conclusions

Patients experienced a range of MRPs throughout the ED continuum of care. From these data, screening tools will be developed so that ED clinicians may identify patients at greatest risk of MRPs.
Genomic features of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (J.E. Smith) yield insights into its defense system and flight capability
Authors: Zhou Chuang , Wang Lei , Price Megan , Li Jing , Meng Yang , Yue Bi‐Song
Published: January 2020

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is an agriculturally important insect pest and causes significant economic loss due to its resistance to insecticide and high dispersal ability (i.e. long‐distance flyer). We performed comparative genomics analysis based on the recently released chromosome‐scale genome of the FAW to investigate the genetic mechanisms of FAWs defense system and flight ability. The gene families encoding receptors for bitter or toxic substances and detoxification enzymes, such as cytochrome P450, carboxylesterase and glutathione‐S‐transferase, were expanded in FAW, enabling its ability to detect and detoxify many plant secondary compounds. The chromosomal locations of five detoxification‐related genes (i.e. ABC, CCE, GST, P450, and UGT) were analyzed, which revealed the density of these genes across the FAW genome. Several genes like Mio, Sik2, CRTC, and Lpin were positively selected in FAW, which were associated with energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, and/or muscle development, and thus possibly contributed to the high flight ability of FAW. We also analyzed the homologs to antimicrobial genes reported in the Drosophila genome, and identified 2 attacins, 6 cecropins, 3 gloverins, and 2 moricins in FAW. The findings of this study will broadly expand our knowledge on the biology of the devastating FAW, and contribute to the development of new pest management strategies for the control of major agricultural pests like FAW.
Genomic analyses of a “living fossil”: The endangered dove‐tree
Authors: Chen Yang , Ma Tao , Zhang Lushui , Kang Minghui , Zhang Zhiyang , Zheng Zeyu , Sun Pengchuan , Shrestha Nawal , Liu Jianquan , Yang Yongzhi
Published: January 2020

Davidia involucrata Baill, also known as the dove‐tree, is a living fossil and an endangered species currently restricted to the mountains of southwestern and central China. It has a beautiful and innovative trait of high horticultural value: two white bracts covering the flower caputila. Here, we report on the chromosome‐scale genome of this species using single‐molecule real‐time long reads and chromosome conformation capture (Hi‐C) techniques. This species has a larger genome size of 1,169 Mb and contains relatively more genes (42,554) than the closely related species Camptotheca acuminata (397 Mb and 31,825 genes). Both species shared one recent whole genome duplication before their divergence. The expansion of the repetitive elements after their divergence contributed greatly to the increase in the genome size of the dove‐tree. Photosynthesis‐related genes were almost absent or showed reduced expression in the bracts of the dove‐tree, while defence‐ and chemical‐related genes increased greatly, highlighting the important roles of the bracts in protecting flowers and attracting pollinators. The effective population size of the dove‐tree continuously decreased during the climate changes of the Quaternary. Such climate sensitivity should be fully considered in conservation efforts for this relict endangered species in the context of continuous climate warming in the future.
Misconduct and Risk Climate in Banking: Development of a Multidimensional Measurement Scale
Authors: Fernández Muñiz Beatriz , Montes Peón José Manuel , Vázquez Ordás Camilo José
Published: January 2020

Misconduct and risk culture are two critical issues in bank supervision today. This paper reviews recent studies and regulatory documents on both topics to further our understanding of the dimensions that underlie these new, distinct risks to the global banking sector. Based on this review, a multidimensional measurement scale for misconduct and risk climate (M&R climate) is subsequently developed and validated. The scale obtained provides a tool in line with the leading guidelines and recommendations issued by international standard‐setting bodies aimed at assessing M&R climate and monitoring the prevalence of misconduct and excessive risk‐taking behaviours in banking.
Recommendation for the diagnosis and management of immune checkpoint inhibitor related infections
Authors: Lu Minya , Zhang Li , Li Yue , Wang Hanping , Guo Xiaoxiao , Zhou Jiaxin , Duan Lian , Si Xiaoyan , Xu Yingchun , Zhang Li
Published: January 2020

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been widely used in the management of malignant tumors. Programmed death 1 (PD‐1)/PD‐1 ligand (PD‐L1) inhibitors have been introduced to treat non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in recent years. Currently, PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors are considered to have minor side effects and do not independently increase the risk of infection. However, they may cause immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) that require immunosuppressive therapy with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants, leading to opportunistic infections. Furthermore, there have been reports describing reactivation of chronic/latent infections without irAEs or having received immunosuppressants. Thus, immune checkpoint inhibitor related infections have received more attention worldwide. In this paper, we review available clinical data, describe the potential mechanism, and propose recommendations for the diagnosis and clinical management of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitor‐related infections.
Management of immune checkpoint inhibitor‐related adverse events: A review of case reports
Authors: Si Xiaoyan , Song Peng , Ni Jun , Di Mingyi , He Chunxia , Zhang Li , Liu Xiaowei , Li Yue , Wang Hanping , Guo Xiaoxiao , Zhou Jiaxin , Duan Lian , Yang Xu , Wang Mengzhao , Zhang Li
Published: January 2020

Immune checkpoint inhibitors represent a major breakthrough in cancer therapy. Immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) may occur during treatment due to their unique mechanism of action. Management of irAEs is based on clinical experience because it is not easy to conduct prospective trials to evaluate the best treatment strategy. Using a combination of search terms in the PubMed and Embase databases, we reviewed all cases in the English language citing toxicities associated with either pembrolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab, atezolizumab, tremelimumab, durvalumab, avelumab or any combination of these agents published before 20 May 2019. A total of 128 reports with 239 cases were included in the study. Here, we summarize the spectrum of toxicities, safety in special patients, rechallenging after irAEs and agents used for treatment of irAEs in those reports.
Leukocyte profiles of two neotropical anuran species affected by anthropogenic habitat alteration
Authors: Garcia Neto P. G. , Nowakowski A. J. , da Silva A. F. C. , Oliveira O. C. C. , Guerra R. N. M. , de Andrade G. V.
Published: January 2020

Many amphibian species are vulnerable to environmental changes, especially in the tropics where presumably a large number of species have evolved narrow niches. Rapid environmental changes, such as deforestation, may promote stress responses in anurans that could affect population viability. The stress response in vertebrates is highly conserved, often involving the liberation of glucocorticoids hormones and the recruitment of immune competent cells. The objective of this work was to evaluate leukocyte profiles among individuals of two neotropical anuran species affected by anthropogenic habitat alteration. We took blood samples from adult individuals of Physalaemus cuvieri and Scinax x‐signatus in natural and converted habitats in NE Brazil. We analyzed differential leukocyte counts, where increases in neutrophils and decreases in lymphocytes are indicative of a stress response. Specimens of S.  x‐signatus captured in highly altered habitats presented a higher neutrophil:lymphocyte (N:L) ratios than individuals from natural habitats. In contrast, P.  cuvieri individuals exhibited no difference in N:L ratios between habitat types. These results suggest that the immune response depends on the species and the level of habitat alteration. Although S.  x‐signatus can be considered a generalist species, individuals from this species exhibited increased stress response associated with habitat alteration. The lack of a strong stress response of P.  cuvieri, may suggest that this species is more tolerant of habitat alteration or that those individuals have acclimated to anthropogenic stressors more rapidly than S.  x‐signatus. These variable responses of immune function in highly altered habitats suggest avenues for future experimental work that examines responses to multiple stressors, including disease, which could scale to population trends in altered habitats.
Comparison of Allen Carr's Easyway programme with a specialist behavioural and pharmacological smoking cessation support service: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Frings Daniel , Albery Ian P. , Moss Antony C. , Brunger Helen , Burghelea Meda , White Sarah , Wood Kerry V.
Published: January 2020

Background and Aims

A combination of behavioural and pharmacological support is judged to be the optimal approach for assisting smoking cessation. Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) is a single‐session pharmacotherapy‐free programme that has been in operation internationally for 38 years. We compared the effectiveness of ACE with specialist behavioural and pharmacological support delivered to the national standard in England.

Design

A two‐arm, parallel‐group, single‐blind, randomized controlled trial.

Setting

London, UK, between February 2017 and May 2018.

Participants

A total of 620 participants (310 in ACE and 310 in the combined behavioural and pharmacological support condition) were included in the analysis. Adult (≥ 18 years) smokers wanting to quit were randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio. Mean age for the total sample was 40.8 years, with 53.4% being male. Participant baseline characteristics (ethnicity, educational level, number of previous quit attempts, nicotine dependence) were evenly balanced between treatment groups.

Intervention and comparator

The intervention was the ACE method of stopping smoking. This centres on a 4.5–6‐hour session of group‐based support, alongside subsequent text messages and top‐up sessions if needed. It aims to make it easy to stop smoking by convincing smokers that smoking provides no benefits for them. The comparator was a specialist stop smoking service (SSS) providing behavioural and pharmacological support in accordance with national standards.

Measurements

The primary outcome was self‐reported continuous abstinence for 26 weeks from the quit/quit re‐set date verified by exhaled breath carbon monoxide measurement < 10 parts per million (p.p.m.). Primary analysis was by intention to treat. Secondary outcomes were: use of pharmacotherapy, adverse events and continuous abstinence up to 4 and 12 weeks.

Findings

A total of 468 participants attended treatment (255 ACE versus 213 SSS, P < 0.05). Of those who did attend treatment, 100 completed 6‐month measures (23.7% ACE versus 20.7% SSS). Continuous abstinence to 26 weeks was 19.4% (60 of 310) in the ACE intervention and 14.8% (46 of 310) in the SSS intervention [risk difference for ACE versus SSS 4.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) = –1.4 to 10.4%, odds ratio (OR) = 1.38)]. The Bayes factor for superiority of the ACE condition was 1.24.

Conclusion

There was no clear evidence of a difference in the efficacies of the Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) and specialist smoking cessation support involving behavioural support and pharmacotherapy.
Using digital and social media for health promotion: A social marketing approach for addressing co‐morbid physical and mental health
Authors: Mehmet Michael , Roberts Russell , Nayeem Tahmid
Published: January 2020

Objective

This study examines consumer engagement with a social marketing digital media strategy designed to support the implementation of Equally Well—a program to improve the physical health of people living with mental illness.

Design

A four‐stage strategic analysis and intervention mix were used as the theoretical framework to assess stakeholder needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Setting

Online and digital media.

Participants

Mental health consumers, carers, clinicians and service managers.

Interventions

A digital media, social marketing intervention to support those seeking to improve the physical health of people living with mental illness. The strategy was developed using a co‐design methodology and provided links to self‐care resources, access to service providers, clinical tools for health professionals and links to existing successful rural programs.

Main outcome measures

The main outcome measures were the number of people from each category accessing the media, making connections and downloading resources.

Results

The program has resulted in more than 24 500 website hits per annum, 3500 tweets and 14.5 million Twitter impressions with good bounce and download rates. The analysis suggested the materials were mostly used by clinicians and service managers using desktop computers.

Conclusions

Using a co‐design approach, the study demonstrated the potential of a social marketing digital media strategy as a health promotion methodology. The paper has provided a framework for implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of digital social media campaigns that can help consumers, carers, clinicians and service planners address the challenges of rural health service delivery and the tyranny of distance.
Interpersonal violence and violent re‐injury in the Northern Territory
Authors: Lim Kah Heng Alexander , McDermott Kathleen , Read David J.
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To analyse incidence of prior emergency department presentations for interpersonal violence and demographics for a series of hospital admissions for interpersonal violence injuries.

Design

Retrospective analysis of trauma registry.

Setting

A tertiary hospital and primary referral centre for trauma in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Participants

Patients hospitalised from 2010 to 2015 for injuries due to interpersonal violence with an injury severity score > 9.

Main outcome measures

Patient demographics, injury location, assault mechanism, alleged perpetrator, time/day of event, alcohol involvement, clinical outcome and prior emergency department presentations for interpersonal violence.

Results

A total of 248 admissions for patients with Injury Severity Score > 9 due to interpersonal violence were identified. Indigenous females over‐represented non‐Indigenous females (35.4% vs 5.0%, P < .001). The majority of victims had evidence of alcohol intake at presentation. Victims of single‐punch head injuries were mostly male and non‐Indigenous, whilst Indigenous persons experienced significantly more blunt and penetrating weapon injuries (66.7% and 68.1%). Forty‐three per cent of patients had a preceding emergency department presentation for interpersonal violence; female gender, Indigenous ethnicity, evidence of alcohol intake, and urban location of injury were independent risk factors for prior interpersonal violence presentation.

Conclusions

Interpersonal violence is a recurring disease for a just under half of those presenting to a Top End hospital with moderate to severe injuries. Indigenous ethnicity, female gender and evidence of alcohol intake are predictive of prior interpersonal violence presentations. Patient under‐reporting and incomplete data may underestimate the true prevalence of interpersonal violence presentations in rural and remote locales.
Design and evaluation of puborectalis‐like artificial anal sphincter that replicates rectal perception
Authors: Zhou Zerun , Yan Guozheng , Wang Zhiwu , Jiang Pingping , Hua Fangfang , Yao Shengjian , Ding Zifan
Published: January 2020

While fecal incontinence (FI) is not fatal, it can dramatically decrease the patient’s quality of life. An artificial anal sphincter (AAS) is an implantable device that treats FI by replacing a diseased or damaged anal sphincter, thus allowing the patient’s continence to be maintained. Here, we report a novel implantable puborectalis‐like artificial anal sphincter (PAAS) that replicates rectal perception and has a low risk of ischemia necrosis. Using the pressure sensors embedded in the PAAS, the relationship between the mass of feces and the pressure was determined, and a feces mass estimation model was developed based on in vitro studies. Rectal perception is provided through the real‐time monitoring of rectal feces, and the feeling of defecation is quantified based on a comparison between the feces mass and a preset threshold mass. In vivo studies were performed for validation, and the accuracy of the model was determined to be as high as 90%. The performance of the PAAS in the real‐time monitoring of rectal feces and its in vivo biocompatibility were also evaluated. The device should further the functionality of existing AAS systems while improving their biosafety and thus expand the applicability of implantable AAS systems in the treatment of FI.
The geopolitical economy of Thailand's marine plastic pollution crisis
Authors: Marks Danny , Miller Michelle Ann , Vassanadumrongdee Sujitra
Published: January 2020

Currently approximately 9 million tons of plastic enter the world's oceans annually. This is a major transboundary problem on a global scale that threatens marine wildlife, coastal ecologies, human health and livelihoods. Our concern in this paper is with the environmental governance of marine plastic pollution that emanates from Thailand, the sixth biggest contributor globally. By zooming in on land‐based polluters in Thailand, we highlight both the systemic nature of the marine plastic problem and the relative impunity with which drivers of transboundary environmental harm function at all levels of governance. Drawing from 19 interviews conducted with actors from the public, private and non‐profit sectors, we examine three stages of the problem: production, consumption and waste management. We found that three major barriers prevent Thailand's government, private sector and citizens from engaging in the sort collective action needed to reduce marine plastic pollution. They are: (i) insufficient incentives to enact political change; (ii) scalar disconnects in waste management; and (iii) inadequate public and private sector ownership over plastic waste reduction. As the state alone cannot change corporate and consumer behaviour, we argue that multi‐stakeholder efforts across organisational scales of governance and administrative boundaries are needed to address the barriers.
Work and struggle of fishing livelihoods in the Delta: Development and ‘new’ change along the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, Myanmar
Authors: Radford Stella , Lamb Vanessa
Published: January 2020

Fishing constitutes a key source of income and food for rural communities worldwide. This is the case in predominantly rural Myanmar (World Fish, 2019), particularly in the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River Delta. Fishing has long been a central livelihood strategy and valuable source of food security in the Delta, and now also generates a substantial contribution to the gross domestic product. However, the livelihood practices of the fishers, particularly small‐scale fishers, are largely ‘invisible’ in the literature and policy. In this article, we advance understanding of the significant but understudied livelihoods of small‐scale fishers through interviews with fishers and a range of other actors in 2018. Taking a careful examination of the challenges, practices and responses of fishers in the Delta, our research underlines that fishers are important actors in the ‘making’ of the Delta as a geographical scale and concept, yet they are being pushed out of the very landscape they have helped co‐create and have lived in for generations. At this crucial point in Myanmar's development and change, we contend that a better understanding of the livelihoods of fishing households, as some of the nation's most vulnerable, is important for inclusive policy development, economic reforms and research strategy going forward.
Nonnegative decomposition of functional count data
Authors: Backenroth Daniel , Shinohara Russell T. , Schrack Jennifer A. , Goldsmith Jeff
Published: January 2020

We present a novel decomposition of nonnegative functional count data that draws on concepts from nonnegative matrix factorization. Our decomposition, which we refer to as NARFD (nonnegative and regularized function decomposition), enables the study of patterns in variation across subjects in a highly interpretable manner. Prototypic modes of variation are estimated directly on the observed scale of the data, are local, and are transparently added together to reconstruct observed functions. This contrasts with generalized functional principal component analysis, an alternative approach that estimates functional principal components on a transformed scale, produces components that typically vary across the entire functional domain, and reconstructs observations using complex patterns of cancellation and multiplication of functional principal components. NARFD is implemented using an alternating minimization algorithm, and we evaluate our approach in simulations. We apply NARFD to an accelerometer dataset comprising observations of physical activity for healthy older Americans.
Location decision of managerial firms in an unconstrained Hotelling model
Authors: Wang Leonard F. S. , Buccella Domenico
Published: January 2020

This paper applies an unconstrained Hotelling linear city model to study the effects of managerial delegation on the firms’ location/product differentiation level in a duopoly industry. It is shown that managerial delegation strongly affects firms’ location/product differentiation choice, both in the simultaneous and sequential moves in one of the three‐stage location‐incentive‐pricing game structure of the model. While sequential moves in the location distance/quality differentiation stage decrease the distance among firms, sequential moves in the incentive‐pricing stages increase it. The social welfare consequences are analysed.
Opioid presynaptic disinhibition of the midbrain periaqueductal grey descending analgesic pathway
Authors: Lau Benjamin K. , Winters Bryony L. , Vaughan Christopher W.
Published: January 2020

Background and Purpose

The midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) plays a central role in modulating pain through a descending pathway that projects indirectly to the spinal cord via the rostroventral medial medulla (RVM). While opioids are potent analgesics that target the PAG, their cellular actions on descending projection neurons are unclear.

Experimental Approach

Patch clamp recordings in voltage‐ and current‐clamp mode were made from acutely prepared PAG slices from animals that received retrograde tracer injections into the RVM.

Key Results

The μ‐agonist DAMGO reduced GABAergic evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in retro‐labelled, RVM‐projecting neurons to a greater extent than in unlabelled neurons. The κ‐opioid agonist U69593 reduced evoked IPSCs to a similar extent in both neuronal groups, while the δ‐opioid agonist deltorphin‐II was without effect. DAMGO and U69593 both produced a reduction in the rate, but not amplitude of spontaneous miniature IPSCs and asynchronous evoked IPSCs in retro‐labelled neurons. DAMGO and U69593 also suppressed glutamatergic EPSCs in retro‐labelled and unlabelled neurons. The DAMGO inhibition of evoked EPSCs, however, was less than that for evoked IPSCs in retro‐labelled, but not unlabelled neurons. In current clamp, DAMGO produced a depolarizing increase in evoked postsynaptic potentials in retro‐labelled neurons, but directly inhibited unlabelled neurons.

Conclusion and Implications

These findings suggest that μ‐opioids activate the descending analgesic pathway from the midbrain PAG by a combination of presynaptic disinhibition of RVM‐projecting neurons and postsynaptic inhibition of presumptive interneurons.