bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can intermediary and disintermediary be compatible in coordination management: affordance, fusion and actualization of blockchain and conventional systems
Authors: Sun Daojun , Deng Limin , Ying Wenchi
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This study investigates into how organizations enable the compatibility between intermediary role of conventional systems with disintermediary potentials of blockchain toward the coordination of multiple actors in operations management.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from 31 interviewees of the case organizations. We conduct an in-depth case study of successful BC implementation in operations management, by using affordance-actualization (A-A) theory as the theoretical lens.

Findings

This study identifies the incompatibility between the affordances of conventional systems and blockchain in coordination/operations management and offers a process model in which a fusion phase enables the affordances to be compatible and then to be actualized. The fusion phase extends A-A theory by transposing and connecting in the context of operations management. The result also shows that blockchain technology has decentralized potentials to address the issues caused by centralized organizations or information systems, while not to replace the intermediary roles of centralized organizations or information systems.

Originality/value

This study makes important theoretical contributions to the literature on blockchain used in operations management, the roles of blockchain enablement and affordance-actualization theory. The findings can also help IT practitioners to implement BC-based applications effectively.
Bringing risk back in: managers' prioritization of the work environment during the pandemic
Authors: Reineholm Cathrine , Ståhl Christian , Lundqvist Daniel
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to investigate managers' experiences of managing work environment and risks during the Covid-19 pandemic and to explore how managers might use these experiences to develop future risk management.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 Swedish managers at different hierarchical levels working in 11 different organizations. A directed content analysis was carried out, informed by theory on risk management.

Findings

The results point to the pandemic as a societal crisis which workplaces needed to manage through large means of improvisation. Regular work environment routines were put to the test, and several deficiencies in the work environment and risk management were identified. Organizations that handle occupational safety and risks on a daily basis through established routines were less affected and could easier adjust work environment and risk management, compared to organizations prioritizing the social and organizational work environment, which had to re-prioritize and start paying more attention to the physical work environment and to bring risk management into their daily routines.

Originality/value

The study offers an account of how managers in different labor market sectors in Sweden have acted in the midst of the pandemic by handling real-time crises, how these experiences can be used for engaging in retrospective learning and how this may imply changes to their prospective risk management.
Organizational support and perceived environment impact on quality of care and job satisfaction: a study with Pakistani nurses
Authors: Ahmad Muhammad Shakil , Barattucci Massimiliano , Ramayah Thurasamy , Ramaci Tiziana , Khalid Narmeen
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Referring to the theory of organizational empowerment, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of organizational support and perceived environment on quality of care and job satisfaction, with organizational commitment as a mediator for the first variable.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a cross-sectional research design and data was collected from seven private and public sector hospitals in Pakistan, involving 352 nurses on a voluntary basis through a self-administered survey.

Findings

The results showed that organizational commitment mediates the relationship between organizational support and job satisfaction with the quality of care. Moreover, the perceived environment has an impact on job satisfaction and quality of care.

Originality/value

Healthcare service quality seems strictly dependent on the perceived quality of care and job satisfaction among healthcare workers. Theoretical and practical implications for policymakers and HR management are discussed.
Developing a prescriptive decision support system for shop floor control
Authors: Kumari Minakshi , Kulkarni Makarand S.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The reported study aims at connecting the two crucial aspects of manufacturing of future, i.e. advanced analytics and digital simulation, with an objective to facilitate real-time control of manufacturing operations. The work puts forward a framework for designing prescriptive decision support system for a multi-machine manufacturing environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The schema of the decision support system design begins with the development of a simulation model for a manufacturing shop floor. The developed model facilitates prediction followed by prescription. As a connecting link between prediction and prescription mechanism, heuristics for intervention have been proposed. Sequential design and simulation-based demonstration of activities that span from development of a multi-machine shop floor model; a prediction mechanism and a scheme of intervention that ultimately leads to prescription generation are the highlights of the current work.

Findings

The study reveals that the effect of intervention on the observed predictors varies from one another. For a machine under observation, subject to same intervention scheme, while two of the predictive measures namely penalty and desirability stabilize after a certain point, a third measure, i.e. complexity, shows either an increase or decrease in percent change. The work objectively establishes that intervention plans have to be evaluated for every machine as well as for every environmental variable and emphasizes the need for dynamic evaluation and control mechanism.

Originality/value

The proposed prescriptive control mechanism has been demonstrated through a case of a high pressure die casting (HPDC) manufacturer.
Antecedents and consequences of supply chain agility: a competence-capability-performance paradigm
Authors: Zhang Yanming , Gu Minhao , Huo Baofeng
Published: July 2022

Purpose

An agile supply chain (SC) is critical in achieving competitive advantages in the vulnerable environment. Based on the competence–capability–performance paradigm, this study aims to investigate how information technology (IT) usage and employee multi-skilling influence internal, supplier and customer agility that are the three dimensions of SC agility. It further explores relationships between SC agility dimensions and SC performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a survey method to collect primary data and sampled 216 Chinese manufacturing firms in different industries. Construct validity and reliability were confirmed. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses.

Findings

The findings indicate that internal agility is the baseline of SC agility, which improves supplier and customer agility. IT usage is more important than employee multi-skilling in facilitating SC agility. The former improves all three dimensions, whereas the latter only improves internal agility. Both internal and supplier agility can improve SC performance, whereas customer agility has no significant effect.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the SC agility literature in two folds. On the one hand, based on the dynamic capability perspective, this research clarifies three dimensions of SC agility and their interrelationships. On the other hand, integrating competence–capability–performance paradigm with information processing view, this research investigates the antecedent and outcome of SC agility. In addition, to date, this is one of the first studies to simultaneously examine the effect of two critical competencies, namely, IT usage and employee multi-skilling on SC agility.
“Do you eat insects?” Acceptance of insects as food by children
Authors: Hémar-Nicolas Valérie , Pantin-Sohier Gaëlle , Gallen Céline
Published: July 2022

Purpose

While recent academic research on entomophagy has predominantly focused on adults, the purpose of this child-centred research is to obtain a better understanding of young consumer acceptance of insect-based foods.

Design/methodology/approach

Two qualitative studies were conducted with a total of 43 French children aged 8–13 years. Study 1 (n = 22), based on semi-directive interviews, and Study 2 (n = 21), based on focus groups, included projective techniques and exposure to different types of insect-based products to help children express their feelings and thoughts.

Findings

The evidence shows that in Western children’s minds, insects are considered as culturally non-edible. Children predominantly reject insects as food because of their sensory properties and the disgust they arouse. However, their interest in eating insect-based food is embedded within experiential contexts specific to childhood, in particular the peer group, which makes insect-eating fun and challenging, and the family, which offers a protective and reassuring setting.

Practical implications

The authors advocate changing children’s sensory perception of insect-eating food through sensory and participatory activities. Manufacturers and policymakers should also draw on children’s peer culture to associate insect-eating with positive social experiences and foster peer influence.

Originality/value

Drawing on cognitive psychology theories and the literature in food science on food rejection, the authors contribute to emerging consumer research on alternative food consumption (AFC) focusing on cognitive, emotional and social factors of acceptance or rejection of insect-based foods by children.
The effect of institutional CSR on brand advocacy during COVID-19: the moderated mediation effect of CSR expectancy and value-driven motivation
Authors: Kim Taeyoung , Yang Jing , Yim Myungok Chris
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This research aims to understand consumer responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR) during an unprecedented public health crisis. Specifically, two studies were conducted to investigate how companies’ different CSR initiatives in the early stage of COVID-19 would influence consumers’ advocacy intention according to their focus (i.e. targets of institutional CSR). The first study examined the moderating role of individuals’ CSR expectancy on the effects of companies’ CSR initiatives on consumers’ brand advocacy intention. The second study further extends the findings of Study 1 by examining the mediating role of perceived brand motive.

Design/methodology/approach

Two between-subject online experiments were conducted to explore the impact of three types of institutional CSR initiatives (i.e. community, employee and consumer-centered CSRs) on brand advocacy. Study 1 (N= 380) examined the moderating role of CSR expectancy in influencing consumer responses to institutional CSR initiatives. Study 2 (N= 384) explored the underlying mechanism through examining the mediating role of a company’s value-driven motivation in the process.

Findings

Study 1 indicated that institutional CSR, regardless of type, was more effective in generating a more significant brand advocacy intention than a promotional message, measured as a baseline. The impact of different kinds of institutional CSR on consumers’ brand advocacy intentions was significantly moderated by their CSR-related expectations. Specifically, individuals with moderate to high CSR expectancy showed higher brand advocacy intentions in both consumer- and employee-centered CSR initiatives than the promotional message. In comparison, those with low CSR expectancy only showed higher brand advocacy intentions in the community-centered CSR initiative. In addition, as individuals’ CSR expectations rose, the mediation effect of the perceived value-driven motivation became stronger.

Research limitations/implications

The current study includes guiding principles to help companies effectively respond to COVID-19 as corporate citizens by demonstrating the importance of individuals’ CSR expectancy across three CSR initiatives. This study used real-life examples of how leading companies were stepping up CSR efforts and suggested an approach that aligns CSR behaviors with the urgent and fundamental human needs of COVID-19.

Originality/value

In line with the CSR goal of maximizing benefits for stakeholders, this study’s findings signal that situational changes determine CSR expectations and that companies must be highly susceptible to the changes in consumers’ expectations of CSR and their appraisal process of CSR motives to maximize its CSR value.
Trainers’ learning conditions, informal and formal learning and barriers to learning
Authors: Anselmann Sebastian
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study is to unveil how professional trainers and training managers describe the learning conditions of their workplaces, what informal and formal learning activities they intend to accomplish and what barriers to learning at work they encounter.

Design/methodology/approach

Barriers to learning in the workplace fall under individual, team or organizational aspects that hinder the initiation of or interrupt successful learning, delay proceedings or end learning activities much earlier than intended. Professional trainers (N = 16) and training managers (N = 10) participated in this interview study. Their answers were recorded, transcribed and analyzed via qualitative content analysis.

Findings

The participants assessed their work tasks as highly complex and balanced between new challenging tasks and routines. Their formal and informal learning activities were also fundamental to maintaining high performance. The trainers described a broad range of situations in which they suffered barriers to learning at their workplace, with most identifying external learning barriers such as vague supervisor requirements or disruptions from others.

Originality/value

The results of this study describe workplace complexity, which offers stimuli for learning through learning conditions, possibilities to engage in learning and also barriers to learning. To understand workplace complexity, all of these dimensions have to be understood and addressed.
To register or not to register for value-added tax? How tax rate changes can influence the decisions of small businesses in South Africa
Authors: Schoeman Anna Herculina Anculien , Evans Christopher C. , Du Preez Hanneke
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Correct registration for the value-added tax (VAT) is a key aspect of tax compliance; it is vital in ensuring adequate tax revenue collection in all countries but particularly in developing countries such as South Africa. Non-registration hinders sufficient tax revenue collection, stifles economic growth and causes unfair competition with formal businesses. The purpose of this study is to determine whether changes in the VAT rate affect the registration decisions of businesses, ultimately impacting upon tax compliance behaviour and tax revenue collection.

Design/methodology/approach

An online 2 × 2 between-subjects field experiment was conducted, as part of a broader study, to consider compliance with registration requirements by small business entities in South Africa, specifically when there are changes in the VAT rate.

Findings

Although the study establishes that changes in the VAT rate tend not to have a significant impact on the registration decisions of such taxpayers, it nonetheless indicates that the magnitude of the change in the VAT rate may be influential on registration decisions, whether relating to compulsory or voluntary registration. More particularly, the greater the magnitude of the VAT rate decrease (increase), the more likely it is that taxpayers will register (deregister) for VAT purposes, indicating that the magnitude of changes in the VAT rate do have an impact on VAT registration decisions and therefore on tax compliance more generally.

Research limitations/implications

Not only does the study add to the limited knowledge available on registration decisions of small businesses, but also gives valuable guidance to policymakers in terms of determining the VAT rate for the country.

Originality/value

Not only does the study add to the limited knowledge available on registration decisions of small businesses, but it also gives valuable guidance to policymakers in terms of determining the VAT rate for the country.
Leadership and anti-corruption reforms in Taiwan: a comparison of Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou
Authors: Ko Ernie
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This article analyzes the implementation of anti-corruption reforms in Taiwan by two former presidents, Chen Shui-bian (2000-2008) and Ma Ying-jeou (2008-2016).

Design/methodology/approach

A three-tier research approach, including in-depth interviews, questionnaire survey, and descriptive and inferential analysis, is adopted. In addition to Chen and Ma, 11 senior anti-corruption officials who served under both presidents were interviewed by the author. The survey questions cover 12 factors which are later grouped into the five dimensions of ethical leadership, considerate leadership, delegating leadership, participatory leadership, and performance to illustrate the causal relationship between these dimensions and performance.

Findings

Ma’s personal ethics are distinct from Chen’s in kind but Ma’s overall leadership and performance outshine Chen’s in degree rather than in kind. While the gap of ethical leadership between two Taiwan presidents is significantly wider than other dimensions of leadership, the outcome of the national integrity is not proportionate to the ethical leadership gap. In other words, personal ethics are not automatically transformed into political will for enhancing anti-corruption effectiveness. Three popular forms of corruption, red envelopes (bribing), influence-peddling, and vote-buying are analyzed in the context of changing political culture through national leadership. Unfortunately, both Chen and Ma produce insignificant contributions based on public surveys.

Originality/Value

Policy-makers and scholars can use these research findings to further explore how ethical leadership can enhance a country’s anti-corruption performance.
Experiment and theoretical analysis of electromagnetic interference on communication systems in multi-rails environment
Authors: Jin Xuwei , Huang Shize , Liu Xiaowen , Zhou Jing , Qin Jinzhe , Dong Decun , Li Xingying
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) on communication systems of unban rail transit can hardly be clarified because of complicated factors around railways. This paper aims to target this issue and extend experimental and theoretical analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper take the Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge as an example, because it carries the most tracks in the world and bears three kinds of trains running through, providing a perfect complex environment. First, it investigates the three communication systems, terrestrial trunked radio, communications-based train control (CBTC) and passenger information system (PIS) that Nanjing Metro uses, and select appropriate devices accordingly. Second, it establishes a system level platform and conduct three tests to analyze their respective operating principles and performance difference under common electromagnetic environments. Third, it adopts theoretical formula to verify test results.

Findings

The experiment results and theoretical analysis mutually corroborate each other and present practical recommendations: an 8 m or more distance between two tracks will ensure no obvious EMI created by a passing train on communication systems; two certain communication systems should not share the same frequency band; interference level is more related to field strength than weathers and building materials; and CBTC DSSS waveguide mode as well as PIS LTE mode are preferred.

Originality/value

This research also provides a practical method of investigating EMI for other complex situations.
The role of organisational commitment and leader-member exchange in knowledge application during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ishak Nurul Amirah , Naqshbandi M. Muzamil , Islam Md. Zahidul , Haji Sumardi Wardah Azimah
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of organisational commitment (affective, normative, continuance) in influencing employees’ knowledge application behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also probes the moderating role of leader–member exchange (LMX) in the association between organisational commitment and knowledge application.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a sample of 206 employees working in various private sector organisations in Brunei Darussalam. Structural equation modelling using Smart-PLS was used to test the hypothesised relationships.

Findings

The findings show that affective and normative organisational commitment spurred employees’ knowledge application behaviour significantly during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the moderating effect of LMX could not be established in this study.

Practical implications

The findings provide managers with insights into the crucial role organisational commitment can play in encouraging knowledge application in an organisation.

Originality/value

Studies exploring the enabling factors of knowledge application are scarce, especially in the context of a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study develops a model and empirically validates the importance of organisational commitment for knowledge application amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also provides insights for managers into how LMX can affect knowledge application outcomes, particularly during uncertain times.
Shield wall: Kelps are the last stand against corals in tropicalized reefs
Authors: de Vargas Ribeiro Felipe , Pessarrodona Albert , Tucket Chenae , Mulders Yannick , Pereira Renato Crespo , Wernberg Thomas
Published: July 2022

Communities inhabiting biogeographic transition zones are shifting in composition as a result of progressive warming and heatwaves. In the marine environment, corals are expanding onto higher latitude reefs historically dominated by temperate kelp forests, initiating a shift towards warm affinity coral‐dominated states.

Although these coral expansions are a global phenomenon, the mechanisms that are underpinning the expansion process remain poorly understood, which limits the projections of the rate and extent of ecosystem reconfiguration.

Here, we investigated the interaction between the kelp Ecklonia radiata and the high latitude scleractinian coral Plesiastrea versipora in several of Western Australia's temperate reefs, where coral colony abundance has increased by 50% in recent years. Combining field surveys with field and laboratory experiments, we test the importance of physical (abrasion and light reduction) and chemical (allelopathic) effects of kelp canopies on coral tissue cover, photosynthetic parameters and calcification rates.

In the field, kelp cover had a negative effect on coral density that was overwhelming in comparison to other dominant macroalgal taxa. Abrasion by kelp whiplash was the predominant mechanism by which kelp exerted a negative effect on P. versipora fitness, scraping up to 80% of live coenosarc from experimental colonies. In contrast, canopies had no effects on P. versipora photochemical efficiency and laboratory incubations showed that there were no allelochemical effects from kelp on P. versipora.

We conclude that E. radiata inhibits P. versipora establishment and development through abrasion, and the survey data confirmed that recent climate‐driven kelp loss released corals from this effect, facilitating their expansion on high‐latitude reefs in Western Australia. This shows how competitive interactions actively shield against species expansion in biogeographic transition zones and suggests a continued decline of kelp canopies will increase the permeability of temperate reefs to warm affinity species such as scleractinian corals.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
The revenue efficiency consequences of the announcement of a tax transition reform: The case of WAEMU countries
Authors: Adandohoin Kodjo , Gammadigbe Vigninou
Published: July 2022

Does the revenue replacement strategy of border taxes with domestic revenue collection (tax transition) increase efficiency in collecting revenues in developing countries? This article attempted to answer the question, by assessing the efficiency consequences of announcing a tax transition reform program in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries. Through an impact evaluation framework with propensity score matching and synthetic control method, we find that the announcement of this reform in WAEMU countries increases efficiency in mobilizing resources at the community level as compared to their counterfactual. Efficient mobilization of resources increases by 4.3% around the reform agenda and is achieved 3 years following the announcement of the reform in these countries. We also find that the achieved efficiency in mobilizing resources goes hand in hand with an improvement in tax‐oriented Doing Business indicators at the community level, by increasing the contribution rate score of firms by near 22 scales and reducing collection time scores by 4.2 scales as compared to the best Doing Business practices on these indicators. The article also evidenced that the reform is overall working through the tax discipline channel rather than tax morale in these countries. Furthermore, having adopted value added tax (VAT), implemented semi‐autonomous revenue agencies (SARAs) and large taxpayers' units (LTUs) contribute to foster the revenue efficiency effect of the reform in above‐mentioned countries.
Increasing teachers' use of communication‐supporting strategies: findings from an exploratory study using the Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool (CSCOT) in primary schools in Brunei
Authors: Badar Siti Rafizah , Clegg Judy , Spencer Sarah
Published: July 2022

The Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool (CSCOT) is used in the UK to identify how teachers support children's communication development. This study evaluates the feasibility and impact of collaborative training for teachers using the CSCOT, delivered by specialist teachers and a speech and language therapist. Classroom practice was observed twice using the CSCOT before the collaborative training (repeated baseline). Five teachers then received the collaborative training, informed by their baseline CSCOT results. The training consisted of detailed feedback, target setting and support from the school Special Educational Needs Assistant (SENA) over a period of 20 weeks. Five further teachers did not participate in this training but acted as a control group. The CSCOT observations were then repeated for all 10 classroom teachers. The total score of the CSCOT significantly increased for the five teachers who received training only. There was no increase during the repeated baseline phase, suggesting that the increase was due to the training. All five teachers who participated in training increased their use of their targeted communication‐supporting strategies. The CSCOT can be used as part of collaborative training to increase teachers' use of communication‐supporting strategies in primary schools in Brunei.
Reconceptualising dyslexia provision in a primary school by applying the five ‘special educational needs in mainstream school’EEFrecommendations: meeting identified need in order to thrive
Authors: Hellawell Beate
Published: July 2022

This article reports on an action‐research improvement project undertaken in a primary school setting in London in collaboration with local authority advisors and a reference school. It describes the journey towards the goal of becoming a dyslexia‐friendly school framed by the five key recommendations of the Education Endowment Fund recently published guidance reportSpecial Educational Needs in Mainstream School. I argue that this framing supports the thriving of individuals, rather than perpetuating a reliance on outdated diagnosis‐led support. I conclude that the EEF recommendations can support practitioners to embed inclusive practices that take individual needs seriously but reject deficit models of disability.
‘I'm going to feel stressed, but now I know how to handle it’: reducing test anxiety and improving student well‐being at GCSE
Authors: Brown Kerry , Woods Kevin , Nuttall Clare
Published: July 2022

Test anxiety has become a widespread issue in many contemporary societies, having a significant detrimental effect on the attainment, health and well‐being of many young people. This paper evaluates a school‐based, multimodal test anxiety intervention framework, ‘Every Little Helps’ (ELH), developed by educational psychologists and delivered to small groups of GCSE students (aged 15–16) in two secondary schools in the North West of England. A quasi‐experimental, mixed methods approach was adopted. Findings suggest that ELH is helpful in reducing test anxiety amongst GCSE students. Participants report a range of helpful outcomes including an increased sense of control and competence through increased academic attainment, enhanced control of emotions and more helpful ways of thinking. Participants also report beneficial wider impacts as a result of being able to generalise learnt skills and techniques to other aspects of their lives. Implications for educational policy and practice and future research are considered.
Brothers, friends, and enemies: averting intimacy on Facebook in western India
Authors: Advani Rahul
Published: July 2022

Anthropological studies of the internet have traced the emergence of new forms of intimacy in various arenas of life, including friendship. Drawing upon an ethnography of Facebook and its use among young lower‐middle‐class men in Pune, Maharashtra, western India, the article investigates the discourse of friendship young men deploy on the platform. Although moulded in the image of their intimate friendships, their interactions with one another on‐screen function to perform the ties of kinship. The distinctions young men draw between Facebook and their friendships off‐screen reveal the particular forms male friendships take, the egalitarian ideal they contain, the privacy they require, and the care taken to foster them. Through examining the tensions between local articulations of intimacy and the publicity Facebook affords, I show how possibilities for online friendship, rather than being propelled by their freedom from external social conditions, are limited by the constraints of kinship.
A review of multistage membrane filtration approaches for enhanced efficiency during concentration and fractionation of milk and whey
Authors: Blais Herehau N , Schroën Karin , Tobin John T
Published: July 2022

This review considers the impact of combining discrete membrane filtration configurations in a multistage or sequential configuration to improve processing performance, energy efficiency and component selectivity in dairy processes. The review focuses on the impact of multistage membrane filtration on (i) concentration processes, through the examination of fouling accumulation and its impact on flux and energy efficiency, and (ii) fractionation processes, whereby the yield/purity of dairy components is assessed. Observations from single‐stage and batch microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes reported in the literature are compared to the continuous multistage filtration processes common in commercial dairy installations.
Oral healthcare attendance and the effectiveness of referrals for rural antenatal women
Authors: Ragade Anjali , Yiannis Callisthenis , Opie Cynthia A.
Published: July 2022

Objectives

To analyse the effectiveness of targeted stakeholder engagement strategies and the impact they have on antenatal referrals, oral health admission, attendance and education of pregnant women in a rural public dental clinic.

Method

Key stakeholders (obstetric trained general practitioners [GPs] and midwives) were educated and motivated to refer pregnant women to the rural public dental clinic via priority referral pathways. A 10‐month pre‐ and post‐intervention period of oral health assessments and treatments was compared and contrasted.

Design

Quasi‐experimental study.

Setting

A rural health service in the Loddon Mallee region, Victoria.

Participants

Local pregnant women, 18 years of age or older, eligible for public dental care.

Main outcome measures

Increased oral health admission, attendance and education of pregnant women.

Results

Active engagement with key stakeholders significantly increased the oral health referral, admission and attendance of eligible antenatal women. Prior to the intervention, only 15.04% of eligible antenatal women sought oral health treatment, in comparison with 40.37% post‐intervention. Of the 62 women referred, 44 actively received dental care.

Conclusion

Active engagement with key stakeholders has demonstrated a clinically effective method of increasing antenatal referrals of socially disadvantaged women to a rural public dental clinic. Further collaboration between healthcare professionals can improve the oral health admission rates, attendance and education of antenatal women and their children.
E‐government and the hurdle of the “digital divide”? Rethinking the responses of the underprivileged in COVID‐19 Hong Kong
Authors: Wong Natalie W. M. , Ho Lawrence Ka‐ki
Published: July 2022

The digital divide and insufficient social capital of aging, undereducated, and low‐income nonnetizens are usually explained by the underpopularization of e‐government. This review article moves beyond the mainstream concern over resources and technicalities and seeks to explore the reasons for reluctance, from digital vulnerabilities to e‐service. We examine the varying responses to the three e‐services launched by the Hong Kong government during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, online vaccination registration, electronic consumption vouchers, and social distancing apps in smartphones, and find that their perception of trust and security could be the major reservation of e‐service users. How could we understand the “values” they harbor, and in what circumstances would they be more accepting of the new inventories? Our findings from this developed society in the Asian context might assist policymakers in pushing e‐government forward in the post‐COVID era.
Language‐agnostic pharmacovigilant text mining to elicit side effects from clinical notes and hospital medication records
Authors: Kaas‐Hansen Benjamin Skov , Placido Davide , Rodríguez Cristina Leal , Thorsen‐Meyer Hans‐Christian , Gentile Simona , Nielsen Anna Pors , Brunak Søren , Jürgens Gesche , Andersen Stig Ejdrup
Published: July 2022

We sought to craft a drug safety signalling pipeline associating latent information in clinical free text with exposures to single drugs and drug pairs. Data arose from 12 secondary and tertiary public hospitals in two Danish regions, comprising approximately half the Danish population. Notes were operationalised with a fastText embedding, based on which we trained 10 270 neural‐network models (one for each distinct single‐drug/drug‐pair exposure) predicting the risk of exposure given an embedding vector. We included 2 905 251 admissions between May 2008 and June 2016, with 13 740 564 distinct drug prescriptions; the median number of prescriptions was 5 (IQR: 3–9) and in 1 184 340 (41%) admissions patients used ≥5 drugs concomitantly. A total of 10 788 259 clinical notes were included, with 179 441 739 tokens retained after pruning. Of 345 single‐drug signals reviewed, 28 (8.1%) represented possibly undescribed relationships; 186 (54%) signals were clinically meaningful. Sixteen (14%) of the 115 drug‐pair signals were possible interactions, and two (1.7%) were known. In conclusion, we built a language‐agnostic pipeline for mining associations between free‐text information and medication exposure without manual curation, predicting not the likely outcome of a range of exposures but also the likely exposures for outcomes of interest. Our approach may help overcome limitations of text mining methods relying on curated data in English and can help leverage non‐English free text for pharmacovigilance.
Infectious issues of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
Authors: Tagawa Asako
Published: July 2022

Various effective monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been approved for both multiple sclerosis (MS) and anti‐aquaporin‐4‐seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders worldwide, including in Japan. As these newer mAbs have distinct modes of action that effectively suppress the recurrence of inflammation and slow disability progression, they can modulate and interfere with the protective immune response against pathogens, resulting in various infectious complications. Among various mAbs, natalizumab (NTZ) has the highest risk of causing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but fatal opportunistic brain infection caused by John Cunningham polyomavirus. Switching from NTZ to B‐cell‐depleting mAbs, such as ocrelizumab, is also a possible risk factor for PML development. Alemtuzumab carries the risk of reactivation of varicella‐zoster virus (VZV); therefore, prophylactic acyclovir treatment is required. NTZ has also been associated with VZV reactivation. Eculizumab can cause severe meningococcal infection due toNeisseria meningitis, and vaccination prior to treatment induction is required. Attention to the reactivation of hepatitis B orMycobacterium tuberculosisis also needed during mAb therapy. Additionally, in the era of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (COVID‐19), the risk for of developing severe COVID‐19 may be associated with some mAbs, such as B‐cell‐depleting agents. Thorough understanding and mitigation strategies for infectious risks are essential.
Validation of predicted heart mass equations by measurement of donor heart mass at time of heart transplantation
Authors: Cheshire Caitlin , Quigley Richard , Claydon Sarah , Von Joel Sadie , Osman Mohamed , Kaul Pradeep , Rafiq Muhammad , Tsui Steven , Jenkins David P. , Berman Marius , Pettit Stephen
Published: July 2022

Predicted heart mass (PHM) equations may be used in donor–recipient size matching in heart transplantation. We compared PHM and actual heart mass in 25 consecutive DBD heart transplants. There was a moderate positive correlation between actual heart mass and PHM. There was a similar moderate correlation between actual heart mass and donor weight or donor body surface area but not donor height. PHM was lower than actual heart mass for all donor hearts. Bland–Altman analysis showed a systematic bias between PHM and actual heart mass, with a mean difference of 190.9 ± 66.4 g. The utility of PHM equations is likely to be part of a multi‐parametric assessment of the relative differences between donor and recipient, so the absolute difference is likely to be unimportant.
Recent warming causes functional borealization and diversity loss in deep fish communities east of Greenland
Authors: Emblemsvåg Margrete , Pecuchet Laurene , Velle Liv Guri , Nogueira Adriana , Primicerio Raul
Published: July 2022

Aim

We assessed temporal trends in functional diversity of the deep‐sea demersal fish communities of East Greenland to characterize ecological responses to rising sea temperatures.

Location

The study region encompasses a shelf and slope area located offshore between 63°N and 66°N, east of Greenland.

Methods

A unique dataset of demersal fish abundance covering a depth range of 1500 m over 18 years was combined with a fish trait dataset which included a mix of quantitative and categorial traits that characterized species' morphology, feeding strategy, habitat, and life history. We analysed the species by trait matrix using principal component analysis (PCA). To investigate trait patterns across the communities (sites), community weighted mean (CWM) traits were calculated and analysed using PCA. Further, depth specific and temporal trends in functional diversity indices were calculated.

Results

We found signs of a taxonomic and functional borealization, associated with a loss in functional diversity, down to 1000 m, characterized by an increase in mobile generalists and a decrease in bottom dwelling benthivores.

Main conclusions

The increased dominance of boreal species traits was not sufficient to compensate for the loss of Arctic species traits leading to declining functional diversity. The decrease in functional diversity may negatively affect ecosystem robustness to environmental change. These responses are most likely not unique to this study area and call for more attention to ecosystem considerations in climate change management strategies in the deep‐sea.
Enhanced mismatch negativity in harmonic compared with inharmonic sounds
Authors: Quiroga‐Martinez David Ricardo , Basiński Krzysztof , Nasielski Jonathan , Tillmann Barbara , Brattico Elvira , Cholvy Fanny , Fornoni Lesly , Vuust Peter , Caclin Anne
Published: July 2022

Many natural sounds have frequency spectra composed of integer multiples of a fundamental frequency. This property, known as harmonicity, plays an important role in auditory information processing. However, the extent to which harmonicity influences the processing of sound features beyond pitch is still unclear. This is interesting because harmonic sounds have lower information entropy than inharmonic sounds. According to predictive processing accounts of perception, this property could produce more salient neural responses due to the brain's weighting of sensory signals according to their uncertainty. In the present study, we used electroencephalography to investigate brain responses to harmonic and inharmonic sounds commonly occurring in music: Piano tones and hi‐hat cymbal sounds. In a multifeature oddball paradigm, we measured mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a responses to timbre, intensity, and location deviants in listeners with and without congenital amusia—an impairment of pitch processing. As hypothesized, we observed larger amplitudes and earlier latencies (for both MMN and P3a) in harmonic compared with inharmonic sounds. These harmonicity effects were modulated by sound feature. Moreover, the difference in P3a latency between harmonic and inharmonic sounds was larger for controls than amusics. We propose an explanation of these results based on predictive coding and discuss the relationship between harmonicity, information entropy, and precision weighting of prediction errors.
Polarisation‐induced covalent interactions between H+ and surface O atoms promote clay aggregation
Authors: Liu Dian , Tian Rui , Feng Bo , Zhang Yekun , Liu Xinmin , Yu Zhaoxuan , Zhang Runhua , Li Hang
Published: July 2022

Accumulation of H+ can cause soil acidification, affect soil particle interactions, and alter soil processes. In this study, aggregation kinetics of montmorillonite colloids induced by monovalent ions of Li+ and H+ were determined by dynamic light scattering. The experimental results indicated that the critical coagulation concentration (CCC) value of Li+ was 4.5 times that of H+, indicating that H+ can strongly promote montmorillonite colloids aggregation. Joint analysis of the adsorption force type and energy of Li+ and H+ as well as the infrared spectroscopy of Li+ and H+ montmorillonite indicated that there was only electrostatic adsorption for Li+, while there was not only electrostatic adsorption but also a new type of covalent adsorption for H+: polarisation‐induced covalent adsorption. The total adsorption energy of H+ is thus much higher than that of Li+ on montmorillonite surfaces. Moreover, the polarisation‐induced covalent adsorption energy of H+ increased linearly with increasing electric field strength, which is consistent with the quantum mechanical analysis of the asymmetric orbital hybridisation of surface O atoms on montmorillonite. On this basis, the polarisation‐induced covalent adsorption energy of H+ was employed to predict the CCC value of H+ induced montmorillonite aggregation, and it was 7.40 mmol L−1. The high agreement with experimental results (7.26 mmol L−1) proved that the polarisation‐induced covalent interactions between H+ and surface O atoms promotes montmorillonite aggregation. This polarisation induced covalent effect between H+ and surface O atoms might further affect the formation and stability of soil aggregates and the pore status of soil structure, especially as soil acidification is currently becoming a global issue. The discovery from this study will improve our understanding of the effects of soil acidification on soil properties and processes.

Highlights

H+ greatly promoted clay aggregation.

Polarization‐induced covalent between H+ and surface O presented at clay surface.

Polarization‐induced covalent bonding energy increase with increasing electric field.

Electrostatic and covalent bonding forces jointly determined clay aggregation.
A modern two‐layer hypothesis helps resolve the ‘savanna problem’
Authors: Kulmatiski Andrew , Beard Karen H.
Published: July 2022

For over a century, deep roots have been assumed to allow trees to avoid competition with grasses (i.e., the two‐layer hypothesis). Yet, in part because it remains difficult to measure water uptake in the field, there has been a shift in savanna ecology away from the two‐layer hypothesis and towards alternative explanations of tree‐grass coexistence. Here, we combine hydrologic tracer experiments and soil water flow models to demonstrate how the distribution of active roots affects water uptake across a range of savanna conditions. Grass roots were shallower and provided pre‐emptive access to enough soil water to allow nearly continuous grass cover, but slightly deeper roots provided trees with more total water under most conditions. This ‘some water now or more water later’ tradeoff varied with precipitation amount, soil texture, and tree and grass relative root abundance in ways that helped explain tree and grass landscape abundance.
Isolation‐by‐distance and isolation‐by‐oceanography in Maroon Anemonefish (Amphiprion biaculeatus)
Authors: Fitz Kyra S. , Montes Humberto R. , Thompson Diane M. , Pinsky Malin L.
Published: July 2022

Obtaining dispersal estimates for a species is key to understanding local adaptation and population dynamics and to implementing conservation actions. Genetic isolation‐by‐distance (IBD) patterns can be used for estimating dispersal, and these patterns are especially useful for marine species in which few other methods are available. In this study, we genotyped coral reef fish (Amphiprion biaculeatus) at 16 microsatellite loci across eight sites across 210 km in the central Philippines to generate fine‐scale estimates of dispersal. All sites except for one followed IBD patterns. Using IBD theory, we estimated a larval dispersal kernel spread of 8.9 km (95% confidence interval of 2.3–18.4 km). Genetic distance to the remaining site correlated strongly with the inverse probability of larval dispersal from an oceanographic model. Ocean currents were a better explanation for genetic distance at large spatial extents (sites greater than 150 km apart), while geographic distance remained the best explanation for spatial extents less than 150 km. Our study demonstrates the utility of combining IBD patterns with oceanographic simulations to understand connectivity in marine environments and to guide marine conservation strategies.