bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility-guided bismuth quadruple therapies for resistant Helicobacter pylori infections
Authors: Yang Tiankuo , Hu Renwei , Tang Xiaoqiong , Shen Yalin , Tay Alfred , Pi Xuenan , Wang Gang , Debowski Aleksandra W , Stubbs Keith A , Benghezal Mohammed , Marshall Barry J , Li Hong , Tang Hong
Published: March 2020

Increasing Helicobacter pylori resistance to antibiotics has ledthat molecular testing is appropriate as a sub to adoption of seven different bismuth quadruple therapies (BQT) in China without differentiation of first-line or second-line regimens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of susceptibility-guided BQT for patients who had experienced previous treatment failures. A total of 133 patients was included and H. pylori was successfully cultured from 101 patients (75.9%) for subsequent antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Based on the AST results, 88 patients completed one of five AST-guided 14-day BQT regimens: esomeprazole and bismuth colloidal pectin, along with either, amoxicillin and clarithromycin (EBAC), amoxicillin and levofloxacin (EBAL), amoxicillin and furazolidone (EBAF), amoxicillin and tetracycline (EBAT), or tetracycline and furazolidone (EBTF). H. pylori eradication rates were 100% for EBAC (5/5), EBAL (13/13), EBAF (14/14), and EBTF (43/43), but 76.9% for EBAT (10/13). The three patients that failed the EBAT regimen were all cured after subsequent treatment with the EBTF regimen. Our study demonstrates the excellent efficacy of the AST-guided BQT for referred H. pylori patients, and that the current EBAT regimen, used in clinics, needs to be optimized. In addition, 57 of the isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Analysis of the sequences revealed that point mutations in 23S rRNA correlated well with the phenotypic clarithromycin resistance with a concordance of 91.2%, while the concordance between phenotypic levofloxacin resistance and gyrA point mutations was 82.3%. This suggests that molecular testing is appropriate as a substitute for AST as a more rapid and cost-effective method for determining clarithromycin and levofloxacin resistance in Chinese patients.
What is Public? Big Questions Emerging from the Clash of Legal and Policy Paradigms
Authors: Merritt Cullen C , Malatesta Deanna , Carboni Julia L , Wright James E , Kennedy Sheila Suess
Published: March 2020

This article draws on three main sources to define the constitutional boundaries for outsourcing public goods and services in the age of new governance: (1) public administration research related to public–private distinctions; (2) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76, federal policy on “inherently governmental” functions; and (3) the State Action Doctrine, the judiciary’s approach for distinguishing state actors from non-state actors for the purpose of redressing constitutional infringements. While these three sources have developed independently, approach the public–private debate from different vantage points, and allow significant ambiguities to remain, we contend that common ground can be leveraged theoretically to derive criteria to resolve many government outsourcing decisions in a way that is efficient and effective. Our main contribution is in providing first steps toward the development of a modern legal and administrative framework that aligns outsourcing theory and practice with the realities of new governance.
Random Inspections and Periodic Reviews: Optimal Dynamic Monitoring
Authors: Varas Felipe , Marinovic Iván , Skrzypacz Andrzej
Published: March 2020

We study the design of monitoring in dynamic settings with moral hazard. An agent (e.g. a firm) benefits from reputation for quality, and a principal (e.g. a regulator) can learn the agent’s quality via costly inspections. Monitoring plays two roles: an incentive role, because outcomes of inspections affect agent’s reputation, and an informational role because the principal directly values the information. We characterize the optimal monitoring policy inducing full effort. When information is the principal’s main concern, optimal monitoring is deterministic with periodic reviews. When incentive provision is the main concern, optimal monitoring is random with a constant hazard rate.
Does the Transition to Grandparenthood Deter Gray Divorce? A Test of the Braking Hypothesis
Authors: Brown Susan L , Lin I-Fen , Mellencamp Kagan A
Published: March 2020

The gray divorce rate, which describes divorce among individuals aged 50 and older, has doubled since 1990. Extending prior research that showed the transition to parenthood has a “braking effect” on divorce, we examined whether the transition to grandparenthood, an emotionally meaningful midlife event that typically renews midlife marriages, exerts an analogous “braking effect” on gray divorce. Using panel data from the 1998–2014 Health and Retirement Study, we found that becoming biological grandparents has a large deterrent effect on gray divorce that persists even after accounting for a host of other factors known to be associated with divorce. However, the transition to step grandparenthood has no protective effect on gray divorce. Our study demonstrates the importance of the larger family system and in particular the life webs connecting the generations for promoting marital stability among midlife couples.
Automation, Occupational Earnings Trends, and the Moderating Role of Organized Labor
Authors: Parolin Zachary
Published: March 2020

Routine-biased technological change has emerged as the dominant explanation for the differential earnings growth of occupations at greater risk of automation, such as machine operators or office clerks, relative to less routine occupations. In contrast, this paper finds that the declining earnings returns to an occupation’s routine task intensity (RTI) can largely be attributed to the decline of organized labor. Using individual-level data on 3.3 million employed adults across the United States from 1983 to 2017, this paper finds that organized labor has two countervailing effects on occupations at greater risk of automation. First, higher union coverage within a state and industry inhibits the decline in earnings returns to an occupation’s RTI. Second, higher union coverage hastens the decline in employment shares of occupations with higher RTI. The result is that occupations at greater risk of automation experience more favorable earnings growth where unions are more resilient, but at the cost of accelerated declines in their employment shares. Counterfactual analyses demonstrate that if union coverage in the United States had remained stable at 1983 levels, the earnings returns to an occupation’s RTI might not have declined from 1983 to 2017, and the observed pattern of occupational earnings polarization in the 1990s might not have occurred. However, the mean RTI of occupations might have declined by an additional 21 percent from 1983 to 2017 relative to the observed decline. The findings suggest that the social consequences of automation are conditional on the strength of organized labor.
Rapid Quantification of Fungicide Effectiveness on Inhibiting Wheat Stripe Rust Pathogen (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici)
Authors: Peng Furong , Si Miu , Zizhu Yang , Fu Yuhang , Yang Yuheng , Yu Yang , Bi Chaowei
Published: March 2020

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the most important and devastating diseases of wheat; therefore, it is necessary to rapidly and accurately quantify fungicide effectiveness to monitor Pst sensitivity and manage the disease. In this study, a rapid method of quantifying the fungicide effectiveness with detached leaves was developed. The results showed that 0.5% water agar containing 75 μg/ml of 6-benzylaminopurine and filter paper worked the best for maintaining wheat leaves. The disease incidences of different concentrations of spore suspension were compared. When the spore concentrations were 5 and 10 mg/ml, the disease incidences had no significant differences at 12 and 15 days after inoculation (P < 0.05). Fungicide treatment tests revealed that there were no significant differences in the efficacies of triadimefon on rust suppression between detached leaves in the culture dishes and direct spray on seedlings. We also developed a Photoshop software method that can replace the current classification method and accurately measure the proportion of sporulation area on infected leaves. The sensitivity baseline of Pst to triadimefon was estimated as 0.1453 ± 0.0081 μg/ml, and all the values of EC50 were tested for normal distribution using the Shapiro–Wilk test (W = 0.204). The baseline can be used to test the sensitivity of different Pst isolates to triadimefon.
Resistance of the SoyNAM Parents to Seed and Root Rot Caused by Four Pythium Species
Authors: Lerch-Olson Elizabeth R. , Dorrance Anne E. , Robertson Alison E.
Published: March 2020

Some Pythium spp. cause damping off and root rot in soybeans and other crop species. One of the most effective management tools to reduce disease is host resistance; however, little is known about resistance in soybean to Pythium spp. The soybean nested associated mapping (SoyNAM) parent lines are a set of germplasms that were crossed to a single hub parent to create recombinant inbred line populations for the purpose of mapping agronomic traits. The SoyNAM parents were screened for resistance to Pythium lutarium, Pythium oopapillum, Pythium sylvaticum, and Pythium torulosum in separate assays to evaluate seed and root rot severity. Of the 40 SoyNAM parents, only ‘Maverick’ was resistant to the four species tested; however, 13 were resistant to three species. Other lines were resistant to two, one, or none of the species tested. Correlations between seed and root rot severity for the lines assessed were weak or insignificant. Results indicate that mechanisms of resistance to seed and root rot caused by Pythium spp. may not necessarily be the same.
A Yield and Cost Comparison of TB Contact Investigation and Intensified Case Finding in Uganda
Authors: Kakinda Michael , Matovu Joseph K. B
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Resource constraints in LMICs limit TB contact investigation despite evidence its benefits outweigh costs, with increased efficiency when compared with intensified case finding (ICF). However, there is limited data on the yield and cost per TB case identified in low resource-settings. We compared the yield and cost per TB case identified for ICF and TB-CI in Uganda.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study based on data from 12 Ugandan hospitals was done between April and September 2017. Two methods of TB case finding (i.e. ICF and TB-CI) were used. Regarding ICF, patients either self-reported their signs and symptoms or were prompted by health care workers, and those suspected to have TB were requested to produce a sputum sample. On the other hand, TB-CI was done by home-visiting and screening contacts of TB patients for TB; with those found with signs and symptoms requested to produce sputum samples for examination. TB yield was defined as the ratio of diagnoses to tests, and this was computed per method of diagnosis. The costs per TB case identified (medical, personnel, transportation and training) for each diagnosis method were computed using the activity-based approach, from the health care perspective. Cost data were analyzed using Windows Excel.

Results

454 index clients’ cases and 2,707 of their household contacts were investigated. Thirty-one per cent of contacts (840/2707) were found to be presumptive TB cases. A total of 7,685 tests were done, 6,967 for ICF and 718 for TB-CI. ICF had a yield of 18.62% (1297/6967) at a cost of USD $120.60 to diagnose a case of TB while TB-CI had a yield of 5.29% (38/718) at an average cost of USD $ 877.57 to diagnose a case of TB.

Conclusion

Regarding case-finding, the yield of TB-CI was four-times lower and seven-times costlier compared to ICF. These findings suggest that ICF can improve TB case detection at a low cost, particularly in high TB prevalent settings.
A nondegenerate convective-reaction-density-dependent diffusion model of in vitro glioblastoma tumor growth
Authors: Stepien Tracy L. , Rutter Erica M. , Kuang Yang
Published: March 2020

We propose a model for in vitro glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor growth, which uses density-dependent diffusion to capture both the proliferative and migratory behavior of the cancer cells. The model is compared to well-known experimental data and is analyzed for the existence of traveling wave solutions.
Impact of city and residential unit lockdowns on prevention and control of COVID-19
Authors: Shao Peng
Published: March 2020

With respect to the asymptomatic transmission characteristics of the novel coronavirus that appeared in 2019 (COVID-19), a susceptible-asymptomatic-infected-recovered-death (SAIRD) model that considered human mobility was constructed in this study. The dissemination of COVID-19 was simulated using computational experiments to identify the mechanisms underlying the impact of city and residential lockdowns on controlling the spread of the epidemic. Results: The implementation of measures to lock down cities led to higher mortality rates in these cities, due to reduced mobility. Moreover, implementing city lockdown along with addition of hospital beds led to improved cure and reduced mortality rates. Stringent implementation and early lockdown of residential units effectively controlled the spread of the epidemic, and reduced the number of hospital bed requirements. Collectively, measures to lock down cities and residential units should be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition, medical resources should be increased in cities under lockdown. Implementation of these measures would reduce the spread of the virus to other cities and allow appropriate treatment of patients in cities under lockdown.
Dynamics of COVID-19 pandemic at constant and time-dependent contact rates
Authors: Kochańczyk Marek , Grabowski Frederic , Lipniacki Tomasz
Published: March 2020

We constructed a simple Susceptible–Infected–Infectious–Excluded model of the spread of COVID-19. The model is parametrised only by the average incubation period,τ, and two rate parameters: contact rate,rC, and exclusion rate,rE. The rates can be manipulated by non-therapeutic interventions and determine the basic reproduction number,R=rC/rE, and, together withτ, the daily multiplication coefficient at the early exponential phase,β. Initialβdetermines the reduction ofrCrequired to contain epidemic spread. In the long-term, we consider a scenario based on typical social behaviours, in whichrCfirst decreases in response to a surge of daily new cases, forcing people to self-isolate, and then slowly increases when people gradually accept higher risk. Consequently, initial abrupt epidemic spread is followed by a plateau and slow regression. This scenario, although economically and socially devastating, will grant time to develop, produce, and distribute a vaccine, or at least limit daily cases to a manageable number.
Gain-of-function mutations amplify cytotoxic FAM111 protease activity in human genetic disorders
Authors: Hoffmann Saskia , Pentakota Satyakrishna , Mund Andreas , Haahr Peter , Coscia Fabian , Gallo Marta , Mann Matthias , Taylor Nicholas M. I. , Mailand Niels
Published: March 2020

Dominant missense mutations in the human serine protease FAM111A underlie perinatally lethal gracile bone dysplasia and Kenny-Caffey syndrome1–3, yet howFAM111Amutations lead to disease is not known. We show that FAM111A proteolytic activity suppresses DNA replication and transcription by displacing key effectors of these processes from chromatin, triggering rapid programmed cell death by Caspase-dependent apoptosis to potently undermine cell viability. Patient-associated point mutations in FAM111A exacerbate these phenotypes by hyperactivating its intrinsic protease activity. Moreover, FAM111A forms a complex with the uncharacterized homologous serine protease FAM111B, point mutations in which cause a hereditary fibrosing poikiloderma syndrome4, and we demonstrate that disease-associated FAM111B mutants display amplified proteolytic activity and phenocopy the cellular impact of deregulated FAM111A catalytic activity. Thus, patient-associatedFAM111AandFAM111Bmutations may drive multisystem disorders via a common gain-of-function mechanism that relieves inhibitory constraints on their protease activities to powerfully undermine cellular fitness.
Gene Balance Predicts Transcriptional Responses Immediately Following Ploidy Change in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Song Michael J. , Potter Barney I. , Doyle Jeff J. , Coate Jeremy E.
Published: March 2020

The gene balance hypothesis postulates that there is selection on gene copy number (gene dosage) to preserve the stoichiometric balance among interacting proteins. This presupposes that gene product abundance is governed by gene dosage and that gene dosage responses are consistent for interacting genes in a dosage-balance-sensitive network or complex. Gene dosage responses, however, have rarely been quantified, and the available data suggest that they are highly variable. We sequenced the transcriptomes of two synthetic autopolyploid accessions of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and their diploid progenitors, as well as one natural tetraploid and its synthetic diploid produced via haploid induction, to estimate transcriptome size and dosage responses immediately following ploidy change. Similar to what has been observed in previous studies, overall transcriptome size does not exhibit a simple doubling in response to genome doubling, and individual gene dosage responses are highly variable in all three accessions, indicating that expression is not strictly coupled with gene dosage. Nonetheless, putatively dosage balance-sensitive gene groups (Gene Ontology terms, metabolic networks, gene families, and predicted interacting proteins) exhibit smaller and more coordinated dosage responses than do putatively dosage-insensitive gene groups, suggesting that constraints on dosage balance operate immediately following whole-genome duplication and that duplicate gene retention patterns are shaped by selection to preserve dosage balance.
Crystal structure of (R,S)-2-hydroxy-4-(methylsulfanyl)butanoic acid
Authors: Mawhinney Thomas P. , Li Yiyi , Chance Deborah L. , Kelley Steven P. , Mossine Valeri V.
Published: March 2020

The title compound, a major animal feed supplement, abbreviated as HMTBA and alternatively called DL-methionine hydroxy analogue, C5H10O3S, (I), was isolated in pure anhydrous monomeric form. The melting point is 302.5 K and the compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with two conformationally non-equivalent molecules [(I

A
) and (I

B
)] in the asymmetric unit. The crystal structure is formed by alternating polar and non-polar layers running along the
bc
plane and features an extensive hydrogen-bonding network within the polar layers. The Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed a significant contribution of non-polar H...H and H...S interactions to the packing forces for both molecules.
Crystal structures of trans-acetyldicarbonyl(η5-cyclopentadienyl)(1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane)molybdenum(II) and trans-acetyldicarbonyl(η5-cyclopentadienyl)(3,7-diacetyl-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane)molybdenum(II)
Authors: Anstey Mitchell R. , Bost John L. , Grumman Anna S. , Kennedy Nicholas D. , Whited Matthew T.
Published: March 2020

The title compounds, [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)(C6H12N3P)(CO)2], (1), and [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)(C9H16N3O2P)(C6H5)2))(CO)2], (2), have been prepared by phosphine-induced migratory insertion from [Mo(C5H5)(CO)3(CH3)]. The molecular structures of these complexes are quite similar, exhibiting a four-legged piano-stool geometry with trans-disposed carbonyl ligands. The extended structures of complexes (1) and (2) differ substantially. For complex (1), the molybdenum acetyl unit plays a dominant role in the organization of the extended structure, joining the molecules into centrosymmetrical dimers through C—H...O interactions with a cyclopentadienyl ligand of a neighboring molecule, and these dimers are linked into layers parallel to (100) by C—H...O interactions between the molybdenum acetyl and the cyclopentadienyl ligand of another neighbor. The extended structure of (2) is dominated by C—H...O interactions involving the carbonyl groups of the acetamide groups of the DAPTA ligand, which join the molecules into centrosymmetrical dimers and link them into chains along [010]. Additional C—H...O interactions between the molybdenum acetyl oxygen atom and an acetamide methyl group join the chains into layers parallel to (101).
2,5-Bis[(E)-2-phenylethenyl]-3,6-bis(pyridin-2-yl)pyrazine
Authors: Detert Heiner , Jochem Matthias , Schollmeyer Dieter
Published: March 2020

The molecule of the title compound, C30H22N4, exhibits inversion symmetry adopting the shape of a St Andrew's Cross. It shows dihedral angles between adjacent aryl units of around 50° whereas torsion angles of ca 10° are found along the arylene vinylene path.
A critical discourse analysis to explain the failure of BoP strategies
Authors: Landrum Nancy E.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight differences between business and non-business literature regarding base of the pyramid (BoP) and subsistence contexts and reveal discourse’s powerful role in influencing goals, solutions and outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses critical discourse analysis to review a convenience sample of business versus non-business literature on the BoP and subsistence contexts.

Findings

Discourse used in business literature on the BoP is oriented toward hegemonic Western capitalist approaches that result in the depletion of resources, resource inequalities, poverty and increased consumption, dependence and environmental degradation and, therefore, cannot alleviate poverty.

Research limitations/implications

There are two primary limitations: the study relied on a convenience sample that was not random and comparatively, the business BoP literature is not as mature as the non-business subsistence literature and, therefore, the BoP field of study is not yet fully developed.

Practical implications

Discourse has a powerful role in revealing assumptions and guiding actions. A change in BoP discourse toward a strength-based approach can serve as a model of sustainability and can help powerful entities enact structural and systemic change.

Originality/value

This paper reveals the role of discourse in business BoP literature and how it perpetuates and even exacerbates the problems they were designed to alleviate: depletion of resources, resource inequalities, poverty and increased consumption, dependence and environmental degradation. The paper challenges researchers, economists and powerful guiding entities to reorient their discourse of the BoP to be more aligned with those of non-business researchers of subsistence markets.
Adaptive reuse of open spaces in historical buildings
Authors: Kıran Çakır Hatice , Aydın Dinçer , Arabulan Selin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the use of open and green spaces (OGS) of a historical building after the adaptive reuse of the building. The relationship between the use of OGSs and the perceived environments of the users is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

To determine the OGS use preferences of the users and to obtain quantitative data, a survey was conducted. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics in SPSS. Also, observation method was used to determine the frequency measurements of OGS. Thus, the relationships between the results were identified statistically.

Findings

It has been determined that the outdoor space features of a historical building should be arranged following its new function. The use of OGSs was affected by the physical properties of the spaces, accessibility and time spent in the settlement.

Originality/value

The historical building itself and its interior spaces, as well as the open, semi-open and green spaces of the building, are affected by the adaptive reuse process. However, the fact that only a few studies in the literature focus on the outdoor environment of the re-functionalized historical buildings makes this study original and unique.
Climate for innovation and employee creativity
Authors: Liu Jieqiong , Wang Yanfei , Zhu Yu
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study proposes a moderated mediation model that examines the roles that openness to change and psychological capital (PsyCap) may play in the relationship between climate for innovation and employee creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

Path modeling analysis with software Mplus 7 is conducted to test our moderated mediation model.

Findings

The results show that climate for innovation promotes openness to change, which in turn encourages employee creativity, and PsyCap moderates not only the relationship between climate for innovation and openness to change but also the indirect effect of climate for innovation on employee creativity through openness to change.

Research limitations/implications

Although we attempt to avoid common method bias by collecting data in two waves, the six-month time interval separating the two waves of data collection may not be long enough to detect the causal relationship between climate for innovation and employee creativity. In addition, this study is conducted in companies located in China, which may raise the question of generalizability to other cultures.

Originality/value

The main contribution is building a moderated mediation model to uncover the potential mediating mechanism and boundary conditions associated with the influence of climate for innovation on employee creativity.
A decision-making model for the rework of defective products
Authors: Soares João Cláudio , Tereso Anabela Pereira , Sousa Sérgio Dinis
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper proposes a decision support model that can be used to help decide the destination of defective products, for mass production industries. The objective of this model is to reduce the cost of the defect, and consequently reduce the total quality costs.

Design/methodology/approach

The decision model was developed based on the theory of quality costs and decision-making models, considering the practical aspects of reality through data collection, observation and experience in Industrial Pole of Manaus (Brazil) industries. A decision model adjusted to reality assists in the construction of the decision process, indicating the facts, data collection and the planning of the actions to choose the best alternative.

Findings

The specific contributions of this research are: (1) define a sequential structure of actions, effects and costs associated with defective items; (2) allow a comprehensive approach to failure costs, including various elements of lost opportunity costs; (3) minimize failure costs, and consequently reduce total quality costs, without necessarily investing in prevention and assessment; (4) describe the use and application of the built theory; (5) identify the quality cost elements most representative in existence of defective items; and (6) identify improvement points in the management of possible future defective items.

Originality/value

Much of the work of implementation of quality cost models do not emphasize the analysis of the destination of defective items. Also, there are no studies that use decision models with identification, accounting and evaluation of effects and criteria of quality, productivity and cost to define the destination of manufacture defective items.
An integrated HFMEA-DES model for performance improvement of general hospitals
Authors: Ershadi M.M. , Ershadi M.J. , Niaki S.T.A.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Healthcare failure mode and effect analysis (HFMEA) identifies potential risks and defines preventive actions to reduce the effects of risks. In addition, a discrete event simulation (DES) could evaluate the effects of every improvement scenario. Consequently, a proposed integrated HFMEA-DES model is presented for quality improvement in a general hospital.

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed model, HFMEA is implemented first. As any risk in the hospital is important and that there are many departments and different related risks, all defined risk factors are evaluated using the risk priority number (RPN) for which related corrective actions are defined based on experts' knowledge. Then, a DES model is designed to determine the effects of selected actions before implementation.

Findings

Results show that the proposed model not only supports different steps of HFMEA but also is highly in accordance with the determination of real priorities of the risk factors. It predicts the effects of corrective actions before implementation and helps hospital managers to improve performances.

Practical implications

This research is based on a case study in a well-known general hospital in Iran.

Originality/value

This study takes the advantages of an integrated HFMEA-DES model in supporting the limitation of HFMEA in a general hospital with a large number of beds and patients. The case study proves the effectiveness of the proposed approach for improving the performances of the hospital resources.
The fiscal policy and the dynamic of the economic cycle
Authors: Alqaralleh Huthaifa
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study seeks to determine in some detail whether the state of the economic cycle matters in considering the effects of fiscal policy shocks on output.

Design/methodology/approach

This issue leads us to two primary objectives: to define the economic cycle measuring the gap with the unobserved component model with a smoother trend, which can be used efficiently to generate gap measures for use in real-time decision-making and avoids the criticisms of measures based on contentious structural models; and to look empirically at the fiscal policy stance over the phases of the cycle, bearing in mind the short time variation and smooth change between the cycle regimes.

Findings

This paper provides evidence that the fiscal policy rule seems to operate with varied coefficients depending on whether the transition variable is below or above the estimated threshold value.

Originality/value

The asymmetric response gives policymakers the impetus to reconsider the fiscal policy framework because of specific circumstances, such as shocks that can dramatically affect the nominal features of the business cycle. Put differently, stable and moderate fiscal policies would at least not contribute to cyclical fluctuations, and therefore would be better than what we have typically experienced. There would, therefore, seem to be a distinct need to address the properties of economic cycles under different fiscal policy rules.
The symbolic meaning of luxury-lite fashion brands among younger Chinese consumers
Authors: Wang Ye , Qiao Fei
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is uncovering the connotative and symbolic meaning of “luxury-lite brands” [轻奢].

Design/methodology/approach

Applying mixed methods, this study conducted two studies: (1) a semiotic analysis of a focus group discussion and 10 interviews on luxury-lite brands and (2) a content analysis of 248 Weiblog posts from 10 luxury-lite brands in a two-month period.

Findings

Study 1 showed that luxury-lite brands are interpreted as foreign brands that serve people's needs for social presence, and symbolize youthfulness, tastefulness, and aspirations. Other descriptors of luxury-lite brands included unique design, and less than the best quality offered by luxury brand. Study 2 suggested brands are missing out on a wide range of stories that resonate with their core segments in their social media advertising.

Practical implications

Based on the definition of luxury-lite brands in the context of China proposed by the researchers, we recommend that managers broaden topics of stories, make more effort to create desirable symbolic brand meaning, and use social media to excite these young crowds.

Originality/value

Luxury-lite brands have been a cultural sign in the Chinese market projected to grow into an over 90 billion USD business by 2025. Therefore, an insightful understanding of the masstige market of China is a must for any Western masstige brand to be successful and competitive.
Digitizing the field: designing ERP systems for Triple-A humanitarian supply chains
Authors: Falagara Sigala Ioanna , Kettinger William J. , Wakolbinger Tina
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore what design principles need to be considered in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for humanitarian organizations (HOs) to enable agile, adaptive and aligned (Triple-A) humanitarian supply chain capabilities and digitize humanitarian operations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study follows an embedded case study approach with a humanitarian medical relief organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which engaged in a multiyear ERP design at its humanitarian field missions.

Findings

This research shows that ERP systems for humanitarian organizations should be designed as unique systems addressing humanitarian organizations' challenges and unique missions, their value generation processes, and resource base in an effort to improve organizational performance. This study presents 12 general design principles that are unique for humanitarian organizations. These design principles provide a high-level structure of guidance under which specific requirements can be further defined and engineered to achieve success.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study are based on a single case study limiting generalizability. However, the case study was analyzed and presented as an embedded case study with five autonomous subunits using different business processes and following different adoption and implementation approaches. Therefore, the findings are derived based on considerable variance reflective of humanitarian organizations beyond MSF.

Practical implications

This study recognizes that HOs have unique routines that standard commercial ERP packages do not address easily at the field level. The primary contribution of this research is a set of design principles that consider these unique routines and guide ERP development in practice. National and international HOs that are planning to implement information systems, private companies that are trading partners of HOs as well as vendors of ERP systems that are looking for new opportunities would all benefit from this research.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap in the humanitarian literature regarding the design of ERP systems for humanitarian organizations that enable Triple–A supply chain capabilities and it advances the knowledge of the challenges of ERP design by HOs in the context of humanitarian operations.
Implications of government subsidies for waste cooking oil considering asymmetric information
Authors: Yang Rui , Tang Wansheng , Zhang Jianxiong
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Without proper treatment, waste cooking oil (WCO) will bring serious environmental and health hazards, which can be effectively alleviated by converting it into biofuel. Subsidies from the government usually play a significant role in encouraging recycling activities and supporting sustainable supply chain. This paper aims to quantitatively investigate the incentive effects of government subsidies under asymmetric information.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies the principal–agent contract to compare the incentive effects of the two widely used subsidy modes (raw material price subsidy [MS] and finished product sale subsidy [FS]) in a management system which consists of the government and a bio-firm where the bio-firm’s conversion rate of the WCO remains as private information.

Findings

Results indicate that the two subsidy modes have the same performance under symmetric information, while under asymmetric information, the government always prefers the MS mode which is more environment-friendly. Besides, if the average conversion rate is large or the uncertainty level of the asymmetric information is moderate, the MS mode is Pareto-improving compared with the FS mode for the government and the high-type bio-firm. Only when the average conversion rate is small or the uncertainty level is very small/very large, the high-type bio-firm welcomes the FS mode.

Originality/value

Different from the existing literature, this paper applies the principal–agent contract into the WCO management system and quantitatively compares the two subsidy modes taking the practical problem of asymmetric information into consideration.
Coping with workplace ostracism: the roles of emotional exhaustion and resilience in deviant behavior
Authors: Jiang Hongyan , Jiang Xianjin , Sun Peizhen , Li Xiuping
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explicate the relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior, and further test the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 409 first-line production workers from four manufacturing enterprises in China was collected. A moderated mediation analysis was employed to test the hypotheses and examine the relationships proposed in the research framework.

Findings

The findings indicate that emotional exhaustion could mediate the relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior. Moreover, the results from the moderated mediation analysis suggest that the mediation of emotional exhaustion is moderated by resilience such that with a higher level of resilience, the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion becomes weaker.

Research limitations/implications

The participants of this study are limited to manufacturing enterprises, and thus our findings may not be equally valid for other types of industries. Meanwhile, this study is a cross-sectional research that could not explain the causal relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior.

Practical implications

The present research can offer some managerial implications about how to avoid the occurrence of workplace ostracism and deviant behavior for organizations.

Originality/value

This study constructs a moderated mediation model by introducing the potential mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating effect of resilience in order to reveal the mechanism through which workplace ostracism relates to deviant behavior. Our research not only integrates and enriches the ideas of the Stress-Non-Equilibrium-Compensation Approach and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping Theory but could also inform future management practices for mitigating the negative consequences of workplace ostracism.
What affects the export entrepreneurship of SMEs?
Authors: Santhosh Channappa
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the different drivers’ and its impact on the export entrepreneurship (EE) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed conceptual framework has been tested through analysis of a sample of 102 internationalized (exports) SMEs of the Engineering industry in the Bangalore district, Karnataka, India.

Findings

Results reveal that firms with younger entrepreneurs who have industry-specific experience and different social ties are able to achieve higher performance.

Practical implications

Overall, results facilitate understanding of the importance of entrepreneurial capabilities to successfully formulate and strategize their international efforts to achieve better performance in the international market.

Originality/value

The study enhances the importance of understanding the role of different drivers on EE in the context of an emerging economy where studies are limited and largely unexplored till date.
Market orientation and women-owned SMEs performance
Authors: Rashid Muhammad Amir , Kalyar Masood Nawaz , Shafique Imran
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This research aims to investigate the contingent effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and strategic decision responsiveness (SDR) on the link of market orientation (MO) and performance of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (WSMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 909 WSMEs of Punjab province Pakistan through survey questionnaire. Hierarchical regression is employed to perform the analysis.

Findings

Results reveal that although higher-level dimensions of MO directly affect the WSMEs performance, however this linkage becomes stronger under SDR and higher-level dimensions of EO.

Practical implications

Managers should emphasis on the demonstration of EO's dimensions and SDR to utilize the full potential of MO to promote WSMEs performance.

Originality/value

To study the contingent effect of SDR and EO's dimensions in the MO–WSMEs performance nexus is the novelty of this study.
Differences in dermoscopic findings between early and mature clear cell acanthoma
Authors: Iseki Kozue , Negishi Mayuko , Nakano Michiyo , Togawa Yaei , Matsue Hiroyuki
Published: March 2020

Clear cell acanthoma (CCA) is a rare benign epidermal tumor that is difficult to diagnose by visual inspection. Conversely, its diagnosis by dermoscopy is relatively easy owing to the characteristic serpiginous arrangement of coiled vessels, sometimes described as the “string‐of‐pearls” formation. However, in few published reports, the dermoscopic diagnosis of mature CCA has been reported. Here, we report the histopathological and detailed dermoscopic findings of two CCA cases. Between these, one case was of early (~6 months) CCA exhibiting the characteristic vascular string‐of‐pearls formation, whereas the other was of a more mature (~10 years) CCA; although the latter case showed combined thick and thin white intersecting lines with large coiled vessels and/or red clods, it had the string‐of‐pearls formation. Thus, regardless of CCA maturity, the string‐of‐pearls formation was present. We propose that the combination of combined thick and thin white intersecting lines along with the vascular string‐of‐pearls formation reflecting large coiled vessels and/or red clods on dermoscopy is a diagnostic clue to mature CCA.
Using the State for Change: Towards an Effective Labour Government
Authors: Phillipson Bridget
Published: March 2020

The capacity of the state to deliver transformative social and economic change appears more limited today than since Labour was last in government. A future Labour government will therefore need to reckon with the challenges this presents when it comes to harnessing the power of the state to distribute power, wealth, and opportunity, effectively. This article considers two aspects of state power. The first is the ability of the state to enforce laws, and in doing so shape social and economic norms. With reference to past successes and failures, there is discussion of how laws and regulations could be made more effective. The second aspect is state intervention in the economy, and the circumstances in which it is possible and desirable to nationalise key industries. The case is made for a thorough assessment of the efficiency and efficacy of such interventions in the economy, especially when weighed against other policy priorities.
Welfare‐to‐Work, Structural Injustice and Human Rights
Authors: Mantouvalou Virginia
Published: March 2020

This article discusses welfare‐to‐work schemes, places schemes with strict conditionality in the theoretical framework of structural injustice, and argues that they may violate human rights law. Welfare‐to‐work schemes impose obligations on individuals to seek and accept work on the basis that otherwise they will be sanctioned by losing access to social support. The schemes are often presented as the best route out of poverty. However, the system in the UK, characterised by strict conditionality, coerces the poor and disadvantaged into precarious work, and conditions of in‐work poverty. Forcing people to work in these conditions creates and sustains widespread and routine structures of exploitation. The article further argues that a framework of ‘state‐mediated structural injustice’ is the best way of explaining the wrong. It finally claims that this injustice violates principles that are enshrined in human rights law, which the authorities have an obligation to examine and address.
Increasing obstetric intervention for fetal growth restriction is shifting birthweight centiles: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Selvaratnam RJ , Davey M‐A , Mol BW , Wallace EM
Published: March 2020

Objective

To assess the impact of increasing obstetric intervention on birthweight centiles.

Design

Retrospective cohort study of births in five 2‐year epochs: 1983–84, 1993–94, 2003–2004, 2013–2014 and 2016–2017.

Population

665 205 singleton births at ≥32 weeks' gestation.

Setting

All maternity services in Victoria, Australia.

Methods

For each epoch, we calculated the birthweight cutoffs defining each birthweight centile at 34, 37 and 40 weeks' gestation. We calculated rates of iatrogenic delivery over time. We then calculated the number of babies whose birthweight would have classified them as ≥3rd centile based on 1983–84 centile definitions but as <3rd centile based on 2016–2017 centile definitions.

Main outcome measures

Birthweight centile, and gestation at delivery.

Results

From 1983–84 to 2016–2017, the rate of iatrogenic delivery for singleton pregnancies increased at all term gestations: 1.6–6.4% at 37 weeks', 4.5–18.3% at 38 weeks', 7.6–23.9% at 39 weeks' and 18.4–25.1% at 40 weeks' (all P < 0.001). Over the same period, the birthweight cutoffs defining the 3rd, 5th and 10th centiles increased significantly at term, but not preterm, gestations. This led to increasing numbers of term births being classified as small for gestational age (SGA). Of the 2748 babies born in 2016–2017 at 37–39 weeks' gestation with a birthweight <3rd centile in that period, 1478 (53.8%) would have been classified as ≥3rd centile based on 1983–84 centile definitions.

Conclusion

Increasing intervention is shifting the birthweight cutoffs that define birthweight centiles and thereby redefining what constitutes SGA. This undermines the use of population‐derived birthweight centiles to audit clinical care.

Tweetable abstract

Increasing obstetric intervention is shifting birthweight centiles and therefore definitions of normality.
Invasive thymoma with intravascular growth into the great veins and right atrium: A case report
Authors: Shen Wang , Cao Yang , Wang Xinyun , Zhang Peng , Zhou Qinghua
Published: March 2020

Here, we present a case of invasive thymoma with intraluminal growth into the left and right brachiocephalic veins, superior vena cava and the right atrium. Resection of the mass, double partial upper lobe lobectomy and superior vena cava, and left and right brachiocephalic vein replacement were performed. Pathological diagnosis indicated a mixed histological pattern indicative of type B1 and type B2 thymoma, predominantly type B2 thymoma. The patient was well and without local recurrence or distal metastasis after 50 months of follow‐up.
Middle Range Theory for the Nursing Diagnosis of Dysfunctional Ventilatory Weaning Response
Authors: Lemos Larissa de Araújo , Cavalcante Layana de Paula , Lopes Marcos Venícios de Oliveira
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To propose a middle range theory (MRT) that establishes the theoretical basis for the nursing diagnosis dysfunctional ventilatory weaning response (DVWR) (00034).

Data Sources

Integrative literature review.

Data Synthesis

The MRT includes the main concepts, pictorial diagrams, propositions, and causal relationships for use in clinical practice.

Conclusions

The MRT developed for the DVWR allowed us to list 13 clinical antecedent and 21 consequent findings related to this nursing diagnosis that occurs when ventilatory weaning fails.

Implications for Nursing Practice

The clinical indicators and causal relationships described in the MRT may serve as a basis for nurses to understand the dysfunctional weaning process.