bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on temperature field and surface damage characteristics of railway brake disc/pad at low temperatures
Authors: Ma Lei , Shi Hanbo , Ding Siyuan , Zhang Chao , Yuan Haibing , Pan Junlin
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the wear of railway brake disc/pad in low-temperature environment and to explore the damage form of brake disc/pad materials and the law of temperature rise in braking process and its influence on friction pair material damage.

Design/methodology/approach

The influence of ambient temperature on tribological properties of brake materials was studied by using low-temperature environment simulation device and MM-1000 high-speed brake testing machine. The law of temperature rise in the braking process was simulated by temperature field module of COMSOL.

Findings

The damage of disc sample increases with the decrease of ambient temperature, and the main damage form is furrow. With the decrease of ambient temperature, pitting corrosion, wear, spalling and cracks appear successively. The maximum temperature of brake disc decreases linearly with the decrease of ambient temperature. However, when the ambient temperature is 0 in the experiment, the surface temperature of the disc will increase abnormally because of the increase of abrasive particles caused by the toughening and brittleness transformation of the material.

Originality/value

In this paper, through the study of train braking in low-temperature environment, the damage mechanism and law of train braking pair in low-temperature environment are found, which provide some basis for the development of high-speed railway in low-temperature environment.
Management accounting and the concepts of exploratory data analysis and unsupervised machine learning: a literature study and future directions
Authors: Nielsen Steen
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This paper contributes to the literature by discussing the impact of machine learning (ML) on management accounting (MA) and the management accountant based on three sources: academic articles, papers and reports from accounting bodies and consulting companies. The purpose of this paper is to identify, discuss and provide suggestions for how ML could be included in research and education in the future for the management accountant.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper identifies three types of studies on the influence of ML on MA issued between 2015 and 2021 in mainstream accounting journals, by professional accounting bodies and by large consulting companies.

Findings

First, only very few academic articles actually show examples of using ML or using different algorithms related to MA issues. This is in contrast to other research fields such as finance and logistics. Second, the literature review also indicates that if the management accountants want to keep up with the demand of their qualifications, they must take action now and begin to discuss how big data and other concepts from artificial intelligence and ML can benefit MA and the management accountant in specific ways.

Originality/value

Even though the paper may be classified as inspirational in nature, the paper documents and discusses the revised environment that surrounds the accountant today. The paper concludes by highlighting specifically the necessity of including exploratory data analysis and unsupervised ML in the field of MA to close the existing gaps in both education and research and thus making the MA profession future-proof.
Cross-currency credit spreads: harvesting the idiosyncratic basis as a source of ARP
Authors: Henide Karim
Published: March 2022

This paper identifies the “idiosyncratic basis”, the residual premia computed from stripping away the hypothetical cross-currency basis (CCB) from the cross-currency credit spread (CCCS) of eligible senior corporate dollar-denominated bonds relative to their hypothetical euro-denominated comparator of identical seniority, duration, credit risk and issuer. The adherence of the idiosyncratic basis to the no-arbitrage condition is subsequently evaluated through the application of an indicative market-neutral credit strategy that is designed to harvest the apparent static arbitrage opportunities. The success of the strategy, which systematically captures the idiosyncratic basis as it adheres to the no-arbitrage conditions, is validated retrospectively to frame the basis as an additional class of alternative risk premia (ARP), which investors can seek to optimise exposure to in a long-only context.
Stability characteristics and experiment of hydraulic drive four-wheel chassis
Authors: Lv Ying , Feng Jinlong , Wang Guangbin , Li Hua
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study aims to improve the maneuverability and stability of four-wheel chassis in a small paddy field; a front axle swing steering four-wheel chassis with optimal steering is designed.

Design/methodology/approach

When turning, the front inner wheel stops and the rear inner wheel is in the following state. The hydraulic drive system of the walking wheel adopts a driving mode in which two front-wheel motors are connected in series and two rear wheel motors in parallel. The chassis uses a combination of a gasoline engine with a water cooling system, a CVT continuously variable transmission and a hydraulic drive system to increase the control capability. The front axle rotary chassis adopts a step-less variable speed engine and a hydraulic control system to solve the hydraulic stability of the chassis in uphill and downhill conditions so as to effectively control the over-speed of the wheel-side drive motors. Through the quadratic orthogonal rotation combination design test, the mathematical models of uphill and downhill front-wheel pressures and test factors are established.

Findings

The results show that the chassis stability is optimal when the back pressure is 0.5 MPa, and the rotating slope is 4°. The uphill and downhill pressures of the front wheels are 2.38 MPa and 1.5 MPa, respectively.

Originality/value

The influence of external changes on the pressure of hydraulic motors is studied through experiments, which lays the foundation for further research.
Curbing corruption and promoting a more efficient corporate governance regime in Nigeria
Authors: Nwoke Uchechukwu , Ekwelem Chinwe Martha , Agbowo-Egbo Henrietta Chibugo
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of corruption not as it concerns corruption generally but specifically in relation to corporations in Nigerian. It examines the corporate sector and how a good legal regime can be used to prevent frauds and promote a more efficient corporate governance structure in the country.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts the doctrinal approach through a critical evaluation of concepts. Using existing literature in the subject area, it evaluates the prevalence of corruption in Nigeria’s corporate sector and the relationship between a sound legal system (through application of the rule of law) and the establishment of a good corporate governance regime.

Findings

This paper finds that there have been numerous corrupt practices involving corporations in Nigeria. Notwithstanding the prevalence of corporate corruption in this sector, there has been no serious interrogation of these anomalies, leading to stultification in the growth and development of this sector of the Nigerian economy.

Originality/value

Against the background that very little has been devoted to examining the causes of corporate corruption in developing economies (for instance, Nigeria) and what can be done to reduce its occurrence, this paper offers a fresh insight into the causes of corruption and the correlation between good corporate governance anchored on law and the development of a corporate sector. It extends the body of knowledge in this area by offering suggestions that can help reduce the occurrence of corruption in the Nigeria’s corporate sector.
Subcontractor trust issues on payment and valuation practices in UK private projects
Authors: Omotayo Temitope Seun , Danvers-Watson Oskar , Oyegoke Adekunle Sabitu
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Construction project delivery is hinged on the performance of the contractor and subcontractors. In many private construction projects in the UK, there are trust issues between the subcontractor and contractor, especially when there are no collateral warranties to protect the rights of the subcontractors. The purpose of this study is to investigate and identify the causations of distrust between subcontractors and contractors and proffered panaceas.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative open-ended questions were used. Twenty respondents, mainly supervisors, tradesmen, subcontractors and main contractors in the UK, were interviewed. The thematic analysis approach was used to identify the dominant themes.

Findings

The interview findings were presented descriptively, and the frequency approach identified more occurring themes from the interviewees’ responses. The six themes contributing to distrust between subcontractor and contractor are financial pressures, partnering approach, payment and trust, nature of trust, internal influence and unfair payment.

Practical implications

The findings of this study revealed that many subcontractors have limited knowledge of the clauses in contracts they are entering into. Thus, in addition to obtaining collateral warranties, subcontractors must carefully understand their contractual obligations and payment arrangements before agreeing to be part of a construction project.

Originality/value

Although this study aimed to shed light on the distrust between subcontractors and contractors in private UK construction projects, improvements in contract administration, subcontractors continued professional development and improved valuation processes can reduce distrust between subcontractors and contractors.
Influence of attitude on mobile banking acceptance and factors determining attitude of end-users in Ethiopia
Authors: Kejela Abera Bekele , Porath Daniel
Published: March 2022

Purpose

In this paper, the authors explore the reasons for reluctance to use mobile banking with the help of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and modifications proposed by the literature that is particularly adequate for developing countries and mobile banking: the theory of trying (TT) and the concept of attitude strengths.

Design/methodology/approach

This study intends to shed more light on the acceptance of mobile banking in Ethiopia from the banking industry's perspective. To this end, the authors identify models used in the literature for explaining acceptance and fit them to a sample of Ethiopian bank customers. The authors' sample of 394 mobile banking subscribers does not include non-banked individuals, because the authors' main intention is to help banks understanding why banks' platforms are not used as desired.

Findings

The authors' findings suggest that attitude is the most significant factor determining acceptance, a multi-dimensional approach to attitude is more recommendable to understanding how mobile banking users shape users' attitude and combining TAM and TT is impactful and better explains the factors influencing attitude.

Research limitations/implications

The authors' analysis suggests focusing on improving the attitude of users toward mobile banking since users' attitude is the integral component for acceptance decisions. In doing so, banks shall concentrate on making mobile banking services/platforms easy to use than promoting the usefulness of mobile banking, because the perception of ease of use has a more significant influence on attitude than usefulness.

Originality/value

Practical application of the authors' findings may guide future marketing decisions while individuals can elucidate where individuals stand on mobile banking.
Predicting value cocreation behavior in social media via integrating uses and gratifications paradigm and theory of planned behavior
Authors: Zadeh Arash H. , Farhang Maryam , Zolfagharian Mohammadali , Hofacker Charles F.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This research (1) investigates value cocreation behavior and the underlying activities on social media; (2) examines the motivational values and psychological predictors of cocreation intention on social media via uses and gratification paradigm (U&G) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB); (3) investigates an underlying mechanism linking the motivational values to cocreation intention, via attitude.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the mediation analysis are used to test the data from 417 Facebook users.

Findings

Cocreation intention is (1) robustly influenced by extrinsic motivational values, such as purposive value; (2) indirectly affected, through attitude, by intrinsic motivational values such as entertainment and social enhancement; and (3) not associated with subjective norms, behavioral control and self-discovery. The latter is a likely result of this study's focus on explaining value cocreation rather than social media usage.

Research limitations/implications

This study is one of the first to identify antecedents of cocreation intention on Facebook, using an integrative model of TPB and U&G. Attitude serves as a key construct, mediating the effects of motivational values on cocreation intention, with mediation being partial for some values and complete for others. The existence of direct and indirect effects of motivational values and the mediating role of attitude points to the illustrious yet contested value–attitude–behavior hierarchy and offers explanations as to why some of the motivational values were not linked to the cocreation behavior on Facebook (Pelletier et al., 2020).

Practical implications

Firms should strive to influence the attitude of their users toward cocreation intention as it links the influence of motivational values on value cocreation. Managers should strive to prepare an appropriate platform where customers can easily interact with one another and communicate different value propositions. The goal should be to enable customers to derive extrinsic values as they interact with corporate-sponsored social media content. More specifically, purposive value, followed by socializing value, should be emphasized during social media content design. For example, the content should feature concrete and convenient informational and instrumental benefits (purposive value) and provide customers with tools that enable them to create social support, friendship and intimacy (socializing value). In addition, entertainment value should not be dismissed.

Originality/value

This research builds upon the emerging social media literature and a robust decision-making model to investigate value cocreation, predictors and an underlying mechanism explaining the relationships.
The mediating role of innovative climate on the relationship between transformational leadership and firm performance in developing countries: the case of Ghana
Authors: Puni Albert , Hilton Sam Kris , Mohammed Ibrahim , Korankye Eric Sanford
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Innovative climate has now become a necessity to developing creative behaviours amongst employees. Hence, this study examines the mediating role of innovative climate on the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational performance in a developing context, Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs quantitative research approach and cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 400 employees in 10 selected manufacturing companies in Ghana. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and macro-PROCESS regression techniques in SPSS.

Findings

It is established that all the dimensions of transformational leadership have direct positive and significant effect on organizational performance. At the same time, innovative climate significantly mediated the causal relationship between all the dimensions of transformational leadership and organizational performance, thus creating indirect effect of transformational leadership on organizational performance which is greater than the direct effect.

Originality/value

This study provides new findings to bridge the gap in the general leadership literature by revealing that innovative climate is an effective mediator in the relationship between the dimensions of transformational leadership and organizational performance in a developing country context. Therefore, this study provides evidence for enhancing organizational performance with transformational leadership through innovative climate.
Sociodemographic variables and ethical decision-making: a survey of professional accountants in Nigeria
Authors: Oboh Collins Sankay , Omolehinwa Eddy Olajide
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of selected sociodemographic variables in the ethical decision-making (EDM) process of professional accountants in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The study obtained data from 329 professional accountants with the aid of a structured questionnaire containing four dilemmatic ethical vignettes. The data were analysed using Kendall correlation, Kruskal–Wallis and Jonckheere–Terpstra tests.

Findings

The results revealed that upbringing, especially parental discipline, and education are significant sociodemographic determinants of EDM. Religion and experience played little or no significant role in predicting accountants’ EDM in the face of ethical dilemmas.

Research limitations/implications

The study used a questionnaire to measure its variables, which may bias and somewhat inflate the findings. Hence, caution should be applied regarding its conclusion.

Practical implications

The evidence in this study could stimulate policy change and review to include a separate ethics course in the accounting education curriculum, which could enhance the ethics training of future accountants. This is important for countries like Nigeria, where no provision is made for a discrete ethics course in the curriculum for accounting under-graduate education.

Social implications

The study draws attention to the fact that ethical conduct among professionals and in society could be enhanced through proper upbringing and formal education.

Originality/value

The study adds some uniqueness in focusing on professional accountants in Nigeria, a developing country with high corruption profile and weak government institutions, and, as such, contributes to the limited research output on accounting ethics in developing countries.
Determinants of SMEs liquidation: board heterogeneity and applicability of survival models
Authors: Nguyen Ba Hung , Pham Nhat Bao Quyen , Do Thi Hong Ha
Published: March 2022

Purpose

As small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) rely on board heterogeneity to raise capital and establish credit relationships with suppliers, it is crucial to investigate the board heterogeneity effect on their survival. In this study, the first research objective is to provide further insights on the discriminatory power of survival approaches, specifically on semiparametric approaches in survival analysis that take into consideration both fixed and time-varying covariates. The second objective is to examine the relationship between board size and SME liquidation by using resource-based theories that focus on measuring board heterogeneity through board size.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses survival approaches for modelling SMEs survival by examining the survival of more than 68,000 SMEs in the UK covering the before, onset and post 2008 crisis periods and with firms’ demographic characteristics and financial indicators. Survival analysis is effective to examine multiple causes of default/failure and how do particular circumstances or characteristics increase or decrease the probability of survival. Survival analysis brings more advantages than linear-based regression approaches by effectively handling the censoring of observations.

Findings

Motivated by resource-based theories, the authors find that the likelihood of a firm being liquidated robustly increases with a reduction in its board heterogeneity measured through board size. This finding is held under non-parametric, parametric, and semiparametric approaches using survival analysis. The research shows better causal explanation and discriminatory power on using the semiparametric-based survival analysis approach considering both fixed and time-varying covariates.

Practical implications

This study demonstrates the better performance and causal explanation of the survival model using time-varying covariates compared with those using fixed covariates. In addition, the authors delve into board heterogeneity, measuring through the board size to investigate how the number of board directors affects the firm liquidation, it is also a factor worth considering when a small and medium firm is forming its board.

Originality/value

This research investigates the board heterogeneity effect on firm survival using survival analysis approaches. The authors contribute to the knowledge on board heterogeneity of SMEs. Specifically, the size of more than three directors could help reduce SMEs liquidation risk. This result gives a recommendation to firms or start-ups when forming their director board. This research also provides further insights on the applicability of survival models with unique UK SMEs data covering the before, onset and post 2008 crisis periods.
Advancing the mechanistic understanding of the priming effect on soil organic matter mineralisation
Authors: Bernard Laetitia , Basile‐Doelsch Isabelle , Derrien Delphine , Fanin Nicolas , Fontaine Sébastien , Guenet Bertrand , Karimi Battle , Marsden Claire , Maron Pierre‐Alain
Published: March 2022

The priming effect (PE) is a key mechanism contributing to the carbon balance of the soil ecosystem. Almost 100 years of research since its discovery in 1926 have led to a rich body of scientific publications to identify the drivers and mechanisms involved. A few review articles have summarised the acquired knowledge; the last major one was published in 2010. Since then, knowledge on the soil microbial communities involved in PE and in PE + C sequestration mechanisms has been considerably renewed.

This article reviews current knowledge on soil PE to state to what extent new insights may improve our ability to understand and predict the evolution of soil C stocks. We propose a framework to unify the different concepts and terms that have emerged from the international scientific community on this topic, report recent discoveries and identify key research needs.

Seventy per cent of the studies on the soil PE were published in the last 10 years, illustrating a renewed interest for PE, probably linked to the increased concern about the importance of soil carbon for climate change and food security issues. Among all the drivers and mechanisms proposed along with the different studies to explain PE, some are named differently but actually refer to the same object. This overall introduces ‘artificial’ complexity for the mechanistic understanding of PE, and we propose a common, shared terminology. Despite the remaining knowledge gaps, consistent progress has been achieved to decipher the abiotic mechanisms underlying PE, together with the role of enzymes and the identity of the microbial actors involved. However, including PE into mechanistic models of SOM dynamics remains challenging as long as the mechanisms are not fully understood. In the meantime, empirical alternatives are available that reproduce observations accurately when calibration is robust.

Based on the current state of knowledge, we propose different scenarios depicting to what extent PE may impact ecosystem services under climate change conditions.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Diplomatic Residents in England and Approaches to Reporting Parliament in the First Years of George I*
Authors: Littleton Charles
Published: March 2022

This article seeks to enrich understanding of the conditions for news‐gathering in the early 18th century by focusing on three of the most frequently referenced sources for reports on parliamentary proceedings: the diplomatic residents Louis‐Frédéric Bonnet and René de Saunière de l'Hermitage, who compiled their despatches of political intelligence in manuscript, and the print journalist Abel Boyer. It will show that although frequently presented together as parallel, and equally reliable, observers of parliament, each one's interpretation and presentation of what he observed could vary according to his professional position, perception of his duties and the audience for which he was writing. In examining some of the characteristics that distinguish each one's work, this essay will raise questions about what constituted parliamentary reporting in this period and what standards of accuracy can be expected from such accounts.
Wodrow's News: Correspondence and Politics in Early 18th‐Century Scotland*
Authors: Raffe Alasdair
Published: March 2022

This article examines the creation and consumption of scribal news by the early 18th‐century Scottish Presbyterian minister Robert Wodrow (1679–1734). It argues that Scottish news culture depended on the interaction of printed newspapers, professionally produced newsletters from London, personal letters and oral communication. For Wodrow, at least, personal letters were the most important source. No widely circulated commercial newsletter was produced in Scotland, and personal letters were vital for communicating information about the Scottish parliament, the church courts and the Westminster parliament after the Anglo–Scottish Union. News provided as a gift, rather than a commodity, served social functions. The article explores two moments at which Wodrow paid particular attention to parliamentary news: the ratification of the Union in 1706–7, and the passage of the Episcopalian Toleration, Patronage and Yule Vacation Acts in 1712.
Reporting Trials and Impeachments in the Reign of George I: The Evidence of the Wigtown and Wye Newsletters*
Authors: Eagles Robin
Published: March 2022

This article will examine how two newsletter collections reported the impeachments of the former ministers of Queen Anne in 1715, the trial of the earl of Oxford in 1717 and that of Francis Atterbury, bishop of Rochester in 1723. It will also consider how the two collections relate to one another and touch on the way the newsletters’ reporting of proceedings across parliamentary business during the reign of George I compares with that presented in the printed press. It will thus attempt to offer insights into why people continued to subscribe to manuscript news services in a period where print had traditionally been seen to be rapidly overtaking the older, more intensive news form.
Philip Yorke and Thomas Birch: Scribal News in the Mid 18th Century*
Authors: Ellis Markman
Published: March 2022

This article examines the newsletter‐writing practices of the Hardwicke circle, the intellectual coterie centred on Philip Yorke, 2nd earl of Hardwicke (1720–90), and Thomas Birch (1705–66). It begins by examining the ‘Weekly Letter’ written between Birch and Yorke from 1741–66 (BL, Add. MS 35,396‐35,400). This comprised a letter written by Birch every Saturday when Yorke was not in London, describing the political and literary events of the week, together with Yorke's less regular replies. In form the Weekly Letter was modelled on a historical example of the scribal newsletter, itself a significant focus of the historical research of the Hardwicke circle. Yorke and Birch collected and preserved historical collections of 17th and 18th century scribal newsletters, as well as conducting research into the history of printed news. Yorke's interest in scribal news, encouraged by Birch's regular Weekly Letter, saw him subsequently establish an extensive network of newsletter correspondents on parliamentary affairs. As a case study of those interests, the article examines Yorke's ‘Paris alamain’, a commercial nouvelle à la main he secured from Paris through personal connections in France.
“Reframing” dopamine signaling at the intersection of glial networks in the aged Parkinsonian brain as innate Nrf2/Wnt driver: Therapeutical implications
Authors: Marchetti Bianca , Giachino Carmela , Tirolo Cataldo , Serapide Maria F.
Published: March 2022

Dopamine (DA) signaling via G protein‐coupled receptors is a multifunctional neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine–immune modulator. The DA nigrostriatal pathway, which controls the motor coordination, progressively degenerates in Parkinson's disease (PD), a most common neurodegenerative disorder (ND) characterized by a selective, age‐dependent loss of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) neurons, where DA itself is a primary source of oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairment, intersecting astrocyte and microglial inflammatory networks. Importantly, glia acts as a preferential neuroendocrine–immune DA target, in turn, counter‐modulating inflammatory processes. With a major focus on DA intersection within the astrocyte–microglial inflammatory network in PD vulnerability, we herein first summarize the characteristics of DA signaling systems, the propensity of DA neurons to oxidative stress, and glial inflammatory triggers dictating the vulnerability to PD. Reciprocally, DA modulation of astrocytes and microglial reactivity, coupled to the synergic impact of gene–environment interactions, then constitute a further level of control regulating midbrain DA neuron (mDAn) survival/death. Not surprisingly, within this circuitry, DA converges to modulate nuclear factor erythroid 2‐like 2 (Nrf2), the master regulator of cellular defense against oxidative stress and inflammation, and Wingless (Wnt)/β‐catenin signaling, a key pathway for mDAn neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and immunomodulation, adding to the already complex “signaling puzzle,” a novel actor in mDAn–glial regulatory machinery. Here, we propose an autoregulatory feedback system allowing DA to act as an endogenous Nrf2/Wnt innate modulator and trace the importance of DA receptor agonists applied to the clinic as immune modifiers.
Effect of iron deficiency without anaemia on days alive and out of hospital in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery
Authors: Kim H. B. , Shim J. K. , Ko S. H. , Kim H. R. , Lee C. H. , Kwak Y. L.
Published: March 2022

Comprehensive evidence regarding the treatment of non‐anaemic iron deficiency in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the association between non‐anaemic iron deficiency and postoperative outcomes in these patients. We retrospectively analysed 321 patients of which 180 (56%) had iron deficiency (defined as serum ferritin < 100 ng.ml‐1 or < 300 ng.ml‐1 with transferrin saturation < 20%). While the iron‐deficient group had lower pre‐operative haemoglobin levels than the non‐iron deficient group (median (IQR [range]) 134 (127–141 [120–172]) g.l‐1, 143 (133–150 [120–179]) g.l‐1, p = 0.001), there was no between‐group difference in allogeneic red blood cell transfusion. Median (IQR [range]) days alive and out of hospital at postoperative day 90 was 1 day shorter in the iron‐deficient group (80 (77–82 [9–85]) days vs. 81 (79–83 [0–85]) days, p = 0.026). In multivariable analysis, only cardiopulmonary bypass duration (p = 0.032) and intra‐operative allogeneic red blood cell transfusion (p = 0.011) were significantly associated with reduced days alive and out of hospital at postoperative day 90. Iron deficiency did not exert any adverse influence on secondary outcomes except length of hospital stay. Our findings indicate that non‐anaemic iron deficiency alone is not associated with adverse effects in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery when it does not translate into an increased risk of allogeneic transfusion.
Seeing Luanda from Salvador: Lineaments of a Southern Atlantic Urbanism
Authors: Cardoso Ricardo
Published: March 2022

This paper analyses the oceanic character of Luanda’s contemporary urbanism as a way of undoing continental entrapments in the study of cities. Tracing the lineage of an urban development initiative in the Angolan capital back to Brazil’s Salvador da Bahia, the paper provides a look into how a Brazilian construction company turned to real estate to forge, export, and implement a distinctive mode of being and becoming urban across the Southern Atlantic. In doing this, the paper also makes emphatic the critical role played by oil extraction in the devising of urban development strategies on both sides of the Atlantic, which then opens up an enquiry into the direct and profound impact that sugar and slavery had in the making of Salvador. By seeing Luanda from Salvador, the aim of this paper is to flesh out enduring features of what is presented as a form of Southern Atlantic urbanism.
Substantial increase in the incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in Western Norway over 20 years
Authors: Achour Hamida , Thomseth Vilde Marie , Kvaløy Jan Terje , Krohn Jørgen , Utheim Tor P. , Forsaa Vegard Asgeir
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To investigate the incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and describe characteristics of the RRD population.

Methods

Retrospective, observational case series. Data on residents of South Rogaland, Norway, diagnosed with primary RRD in the period 2000–2019 were obtained by medical chart review. Patient demographics and prior intraocular surgery were documented. Incidence rates adjusted to the Norwegian population were calculated for 5‐year periods and stratified by age, sex and lens status.

Results

The RRD incidence increased from 12.6 per 100 000 person‐years in 2000–2004 to 20.2 in 2015–2019. The RRD incidence increased by 2.9% per year (p < 0.0001) corresponding to an accumulated increase of 77%. Demographic changes accounted for 30% of the increase. The pseudophakic RRD incidence increased yearly by 4.9% (p < 0.0001), over double the rate of the phakic RRD increase of 2.3% (p = 0.0005). In individuals ≥50 years old, the annual RRD incidence increase was 4.5% (p = 0.019) for pseudophakic females, 3.9% (p = 0.001) for pseudophakic males and 2.6% (p = 0.03) for phakic females. Males were younger compared with females when undergoing lens exchange surgery, 58.5 (SD 12.5) versus 62.4 (SD 13.2) years, (p = 0.013) and when diagnosed with pseudophakic RRD, 61.9 (SD 12.5) versus 68.2 (SD 12.9) years, (p < 0.0001). There was no significant increase in subjects under 50 years of age.

Conclusion

The RRD incidence increased dramatically over 20 years, of which 30% was attributed to demographic changes. The most pronounced change occurred in pseudophakic RRD, which calls for raised awareness of the individual risk related to lens exchange surgery.
Schizophrenia and risk of new‐onset inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide longitudinal study
Authors: Sung Kuan‐Yi , Zhang Bing , Wang Hohui E. , Bai Ya‐Mei , Tsai Shih‐Jen , Su Tung‐Ping , Chen Tzeng‐Ji , Hou Ming‐Chih , Lu Ching‐Liang , Wang Yen‐Po , Chen Mu‐Hong
Published: March 2022

Background and Aims

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disorder with increasing global prevalence. The risk of IBD in patients with schizophrenia remains unclear. We aim to investigate the risk of new‐onset IBD in patients with schizophrenia compared with matched controls.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, population‐based cohort study utilising patient data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database collected between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2011. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia by board‐certified psychiatrists without prior diagnosis of IBD were enrolled and matched to controls in 1:4 fashion by age, sex, residence, income level and medical comorbidities. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for new‐onset IBD and sub‐analyses were determined using Cox regression analysis with adjustments.

Results

Among 116 164 patients with schizophrenia and 464 656 matched controls, overall incidence of IBD among patients was significantly higher (1.14% vs. 0.25%). Average age of IBD diagnosis was 46.82 among patients with schizophrenia, versus 55.30 among controls. The HR of developing IBD among patients was 3.28, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.49–4.33. IBD risk was higher among patients with psychiatric admissions more than once per year (HR 7.99, 95% CI 5.25–12.15) compared to those hospitalised less frequently (HR 2.72, 95% CI 2.03–3.66).

Conclusions

This population‐based cohort study demonstrates a significant association between schizophrenia and subsequent IBD development. Patients with schizophrenia develop IBD at a younger age, and the risk increases with inadequately controlled schizophrenia. Physician vigilance and awareness of this correlation will improve IBD diagnosis and management among this vulnerable patient population.
Sustainable neighbourhood gastronomy: Tokyo independent restaurants facing crises
Authors: Farrer James
Published: March 2022

Neighbourhood gastronomy, the agglomeration of restaurants and smaller eateries in residential urban areas, contributes to the lives of residents and visitors economically, culturally, and socially. Since winter 2020, neighbourhood gastronomy in Asian cities has been severely disrupted by COVID, compounded by many other long‐term stressors. In urban Japan these stresses include gentrification, the aging of proprietors, urban renewal, and corporatisation of gastronomy. Empirically, this paper discusses how independent restaurants in Tokyo contribute to community life by supporting grassroots creative industries, small business opportunities, meaningful artisanal work, convivial social spaces, local cultural heritage, and a human‐scale built environment. The study uses intensive single‐site urban ethnography to discuss how restaurateurs face immediate and long‐term crises at the community level. By using the “neighbourhood as method,” a concept of sustainable neighbourhood gastronomy is developed that should be applicable in other urban contexts.
The consequences of mandatory corporate social responsibility expenditure: An empirical evidence from India
Authors: Gupta Ritika , Chakradhar Jadhav
Published: March 2022

The transition in governmental approach towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) from voluntary to mandatory has received much attention in the recent literature, mainly because the delegation of its role in social development has rarely been provided. In this context, the questions we raise are: Does mandatory CSR leads to higher expenditure? How does it affect business leaders' intrinsic motivation to spend on CSR? The case of India's section‐135 of Companies Act, 2013 shows that mandatory CSR has made companies more responsible by raising the level of CSR expenditure and positively affecting business leaders' intrinsic motivation to incur CSR expenditure. However, this gain has come at a cost as CSR expenditure has become more sensitive to profit, which is undesirable from society's perspective. The study uses instrumental theory and motivation‐crowding theory to explain the CSR behavior of NIFTY 100 companies from financial year 2009–2010 to 2018–2019. Overall, results of the present study suggest that government should prefer the approach of mandatory CSR with some precautions to instrumentalize the rising success of corporate sector for addressing the environmental and social issues in country.
Promoting virtual, informal learning now to thrive in a post‐pandemic world
Authors: Zajac Stephanie , Randall Jason , Holladay Courtney
Published: March 2022

A significant practical and ethical challenge that societies, governments, and organizations face in response to COVID‐19 is how to support individual learning and development during times of operational challenge. We address two key challenges the pandemic poses to learning. First, safety measures to mitigate the virus' spread closed physical spaces where most learning traditionally occurs, and significant portions of the workforce have moved to remote work. Taken together, this requires learning to be virtual. Second is how the shift to virtual or hybrid working structures impacts the inherently social nature of learning at work and particularly of informal learning. Thus, as society grapples with ways of supporting student learning, we must not neglect organizations' role in supporting virtual, informal employee learning during the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond as remote work becomes the new normal. Toward this end, we present five tips to promote informal learning in a virtual world to preserve the socially supported, continuous learning required for an agile workforce post‐pandemic. Tips provide actionable advice on how to create spontaneous connection, support virtual mentoring, be inclusive in offering developmental activities, capture lessons learned, and create a culture of lifelong learning. Future research directions for virtual, informal learning are provided.
Expert advice for prescribing cannabis medicines for patients with epilepsy—drawn from the Australian clinical experience
Authors: Lawson John , O'Brien Terry , Graham Myfanwy , Renaud Elianne , Jones Dean , Freeman Jeremy , Lawn Nicholas , Martin Jennifer H.
Published: March 2022

There is international interest for consensus advice for prescribers working in the field of drug resistant epilepsy intending to trial potential therapies that are nonregistered or off‐label. Cannabinoids are one such therapy. In 2017, the New South Wales State Government (Australia) set up a cannabinoid prescribing guidance service for a wide variety of indications, based on known pharmacology together with the relevant new literature as it became available. Increasing interest in cannabis medicines use outside this State over the following 5 years together with a paucity of registration‐standard clinical trials, lack of information around dosing issues, drug interactions and biological plausibility meant there remained a large unmet need for such advice. To address the unmet need in epilepsy, and until medicines were registered or regulator quality data were available, it was agreed to bring together a working group comprising paediatric and adult epilepsy specialists, clinical pharmacists., clinical pharmacologists and cannabis researchers from across Australia to develop interim consensus advice for prescribers. Although interim, this consensus advice addresses much of the current practice gap by providing an informed overview of the different cannabis medicines currently available for use in the treatment of epilepsy in paediatric and adult settings, with information on dose, drug interactions, toxicity, type of seizure and frequency of symptom relief. As such it supplements the limited evidence currently available from clinical trials with experience from front‐line practice. It is expected that this consensus advice will be updated as new evidence emerges and will provide guidance for a subsequent Guideline.
Mastering balance: The use of balance bicycles promotes the development of independent cycling
Authors: Blommenstein Biko , van der Kamp John
Published: March 2022

Children who learn to cycle at a young age do this by using training bicycles that simplify control requirements compared with regular bicycles, such as bicycles with training wheels or balance bikes without pedals. The primary purpose of the current study was to investigate whether the two types of training bicycles result in a different age of onset of independent cycling on a regular bicycle. We asked parents of 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children (n = 173) to complete a questionnaire regarding their child's bicycling history. The results showed that children who had practised with a balance bicycle started practising at a younger age, had shorter practice duration, and were able to cycle independently at a younger age in comparison to children who had practised with a bicycle with training wheels (or with both training bicycles). We argue that the observed advantage of balance bicycle is associated with the balance bicycle actively challenging postural control. Further research is needed to uncover the impact of training bicycles on the further development of the foundational skill of cycling.
Immigration, amnesties, and the shadow economy
Authors: Bracco Emanuele , Onnis Luisanna
Published: March 2022

This paper investigates the effects of immigration and immigration amnesties on the shadow economy. We make use of an array of Italian immigration data and original shadow economy estimates for the years 1996–2006, comprising a panel of local‐level aggregate statistical information, and a microlevel survey of representative households. We find a robust and positive relationship between the presence of immigrants and the unobserved economic activity at the local level. Nevertheless, the impact of immigration on the Italian unofficial economy is relatively small in magnitude. We also exploit the discontinuity created by the implementation of the 2002 immigration amnesty, which increased the stock of documented migrants by almost 50%. According to our results, the Italian 2002 immigration policy only slightly weakens the link between immigration and the extent of the unobserved economic activity.
Associations between hyperthyroidism and adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes: A study of a population database including almost 17,000 women with hyperthyroidism
Authors: Hizkiyahu Ranit , Badeghiesh Ahmad , Baghlaf Haitham , Dahan Michael H.
Published: March 2022

Objective

Large population‐based studies on maternal hyperthyroidism's effect on antepartum, intrapartum, and neonatal complications are few. Most of these studies were small or did not evaluate a broad scope of possible complications. Therefore, a large population‐based cohort study was conducted to study the associations between maternal hyperthyroidism and pregnancy and perinatal complications.

Design

This is a retrospective population‐based cohort study utilizing data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project‐Nationwide Inpatient Sample over 11 years from 2004 to 2014.

Patients

16,984 deliveries to women with hyperthyroidism and 9,079,804 deliveries to mothers who did not suffer of hyperthyroidism.

Methods

A cohort of all deliveries between 2004 and 2014 inclusively was created. Within this group, all deliveries to women with hyperthyroidism were the study group (n = 16,984) and the remaining deliveries were categorized as nonhyperthyroidism births and comprised the reference group (n = 9,079,804). The main outcome measures were pregnancy and perinatal complications.

Results

Maternal hyperthyroidism was associated with several pregnancy and perinatal complications, including increased risks of gestational hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.236, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.045–1.462, p = .013) and preeclampsia (aOR: 1.190, 95% CI: 1.006–1.408, p = .042). These patients are more likely to experience preterm premature rupture of membranes (aOR: 1.322, 95% CI: 1.007–1.735, p = .044), preterm delivery (aOR: 1.287 95% CI: 1.132–1.465, p < .001), placental previa (aOR: 1.527, 95% CI: 1.082–2.155, p = .016), and suffer from venous thromboembolism (aOR: 2.894, 95% CI: 1.293–6.475, p = .010).

As for neonatal outcomes, small for gestational age and stillbirth were more likely to occur in the offspring of women with hyperthyroidism (aOR: 1.688, 95% CI: 1.437–1.984, p < .001 and aOR: 1.647, 95% CI: 1.109–2.447, p = .013, respectively).

Conclusions

Women with hyperthyroidism are more likely to experience pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal complications. We found an association between hyperthyroidism and hypertensive disorders, preterm delivery, and intrauterine fetal death.