bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic transmission of oil film in soft-start process of HVD considering surface roughness
Authors: Xie Fangwei , Zhu Jie , Cui Jianzhong , Zheng Xudong , Guo Xinjian , Wang Yun , Agarwal Ramesh K.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic transmission of the oil film in soft start process of hydro-viscous drive (HVD) between the friction pairs with consideration of surface roughness, and obtain the distribution law of temperature, velocity, pressure, shear stress and viscous torque of the oil film.

Design/methodology/approach

The revised soft-start models of HVD were derived and calculated, including average Reynolds equation, asperity contact model, load force model and total torque model. Meanwhile, a 2D model of the oil film between friction pair was built and solved numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique in FLUENT.

Findings

The results show that the maximum temperature gradually reduces from the intermediate range (z = 0.5 h) to the inner side of the friction pair along the direction of oil film thickness. As the soft-start process continues, pressure gradient along the direction of the oil film thickness gradually changes to zero. In addition, tangential velocity increases and yet radial velocity decreases with the increase of the radius.

Originality/value

In this paper, it was found that the viscous torque calculated by the numerical method is smaller than that by the CFD model, but their overall trend is almost the same. This also demonstrates the effectiveness of the numerical simulation.
Evaluation of tribological properties of Ceiba pentandra (kapok) seed oil as an alternative lubricant
Authors: Shankar S. , Manikandan M. , Raja G.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The decrease in availability of mineral oils and their environmental hazards created the need to search for alternate bio-based oils. The aim of this study is to investigate the friction and wear characteristics of kapok (Ceiba pentandra) oil as a bio-lubricant.

Design/methodology/approach

The wear and friction characteristics between steel-steel contact under lubrication were found using a pin-on-disk tribometer under different loads and sliding speeds, respectively. The corrosion and oxidation stability of the test lubricants were also analyzed. The worn surfaces of the specimen are analyzed with the help of an optical microscope. The obtained results were compared with palm oil and mineral oil (SAE20W 40).

Findings

From the investigation, it is found that the kapok oil possess a lower coefficient of friction and wear rate than palm and mineral oil. It is also found that the coefficient of friction varies proportionally and the wear rate varies inversely with the sliding speed as expected.

Originality/value

The present results confirm that the kapok oil can be used as an alternative lubricant to reduce the demand for mineral-based oil lubricants.
Study on the tribological behaviors of copper nanoparticles in three kinds of commercially available lubricants
Authors: Li Yanhong , Liu TianTian , Zhang Yujuan , Zhang Pingyu , Zhang Shengmao
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the tribological properties of Cu nanoparticles (NPs) as lubricant additives in three kinds of commercially available lubricants.

Design/methodology/approach

A four-ball machine is used to estimate the tribological properties of Cu NPs as lubricant additives in three kinds of commercially available lubricants. Three-dimensional optical profiler and electrical contact resistance are evaluated to investigate the morphology of the worn surfaces and the influence of Cu NPs on tribofilms.

Findings

Wear tests show that the addition of Cu NPs as lubricant additives could reduce wear and increase load-carrying capacity of commercially available lubricants remarkably, indicating that Cu NPs have a good compatibility with the existing lubricant additives in commercially available lubricants.

Originality/value

The tribological properties of Cu NPs as lubricant additives in three kinds of commercially available lubricants were investigated in this paper. These results are reliable and can be very helpful for application of Cu NPs as lubricant additives in industry.
Study on the relationship between extreme pressure properties and component contents of high pressured sulfurized isobutylene
Authors: Shen Jiawei , Cheng Jia , Jiang Haizhen , Li Jiusheng
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Compared with traditional industrial processing technologies of sulfurized isobutylene, the one-step synthesis method involving high pressure is more environment-friendly and leads to better product performance. However, products from various sources perform differently because of the difference in the contents of their components. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between sulfide components of high-pressure sulfurized isobutylene and load carrying capacities.

Design/methodology/approach

A typical high-pressure sulfurized isobutylene was chosen, and the structure and contents of its sulfide components were characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography (GC). Extreme-pressure properties of the sample at different concentrations were evaluated using a four-ball tribometer.

Findings

A multiple regression equation model was established, and tert-butyl trisulfide made the greatest contribution to the extreme-pressure properties according to the equation coefficient, while tert-butyl tetrasulfide had no effect. The results can be attributed to the fact that the structure of a sulfurized additive having an impact is application-specific.

Originality/value

A precise and fast way to predict weld load values of high-pressure sulfurized isobutylene by using GC and the established equation model were successfully developed. Moreover, the empirical equation shows the relationships between sulfide component concentrations and load carrying capacities.
With a little help from the miners: distributed ledger technology and market disintermediation
Authors: Zamani Efpraxia D. , Giaglis George M.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the role of the blockchain, i.e., distributed ledger technology, in building innovative business models, including machine money, autonomous economic agents and decentralised organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is conceptual/argumentative. As such, it draws on research on (e-)commerce, theories of markets, disruptive innovation and extant studies and conceptual work at the intersection of cryptocurrencies, machine-to-machine commerce and the Internet of Things.

Findings

The authors highlight three application areas for blockchains, whereby they can function as applications, can help develop autonomous economic agents and can lead the development of decentralised autonomous organisations. With regards to the question of market disintermediation, the authors suggest that, rather than complete disintermediation, the most probable scenario is that of new types of intermediaries finding previously unthinkable roles to play in mediating blockchain-based economic transactions. With regards to the inhibitors that slow down the technology’s adoption and, therefore, the development of new business applications, the authors posit that these relate mainly to the inherent risk of the technology, infrastructure requirements, scepticism of early decision makers and the lack of required new skills and competencies.

Originality/value

The authors examine how new forms of digital money and technologies embedding trust in decentralised networks will alter markets and commerce, at a time when many regulatory issues remain unresolved; in doing so, the authors focus on how blockchain-enabled technologies can be used to enable and further develop decentralised trusted peer-to-peer transaction ledger systems and applications and lead to sustainable business models.
Institutional interactions and foreign firms’ strategies under tribal rule complexities in emerging markets
Authors: Oyedele Adesegun , Firat Fuat
Published: February 2018

Purpose

International marketing (IM) researchers have underscored the need for scholars to develop more studies to investigate institutional interactions (II) and sources of complexities in emerging markets (EMs). In response to these calls, the purpose of this paper is to propose a framework that classifies the dominant conditions firms are likely to confront as they enter EMs. Further, using exploratory data, the study evaluates potential strategies that foreign firms can follow when they encounter one of the most challenging condition (tribal rule (TR)) identified in the framework. The primary research question explored is: what strategies do foreign firms adopt to succeed under conditions of TR in EMs?

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is exploratory qualitative research. The authors conducted extended interviews to produce rich case study data from CEOs and executives who have experience doing business in countries with strong TR conditions, such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The interview data/transcripts were evaluated using open, axial, and selective coding (Strauss and Corbin, 1998) to discover macro-narratives that guide entry strategies in EMs.

Findings

Overall, foreign firms successful strategies under TR conditions revolve around knowledge of tribal networks, understanding of their common interests, co-creation of commonality of interests and goals and internal assimilation of tribal leaders. Based on the findings, the authors argue strategies emphasizing co-creation of commonality of interest and goals and absorption of political risk environment perspective will outperform traditional standardization and relational trust approaches.

Practical implications

The findings from the study provided preliminary insights about relevant managerial strategic choices under conditions of tribal complexities.

Originality/value

This study is the first known study to expand the recent IM debate on II and sources of complexities to TR context. The recognition of a co-creation of commonality of interest dimension is an important contribution. The strategy of co-creation of commonality of interests is unique to this study.
What is in a name? Cross-national distances and subsidiary’s corporate visual identity change in emerging-market firms’ cross-border acquisitions
Authors: Liou Ru-Shiun , Rao-Nicholson Rekha , Sarpong David
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Addressing the unique challenge facing emerging-market firms (EMFs) of branding and marketing in their foreign subsidiaries, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the foreign subsidiary’s corporate visual identity (CVI) transitions during the post-acquisition period.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on 330 cross-border acquisitions from five emerging markets, namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) are used. The cross-sectional multivariate analyses are used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Utilizing a sample of worldwide acquisitions conducted by EMFs originated from BRICS, this study establishes that various cross-national distances do not consistently cause the targets to take on the parent’s CVI. While economic distance and formal institutional distance increase the likelihood of an acquired subsidiary’s CVI change, cultural distance decreases the likelihood of CVI change.

Practical implications

Lacking international experience and shaped by national differences between the host and home markets, EMFs often grant foreign subsidiaries substantial autonomy to respond to diverse stakeholder demands in subsidiary branding. Contrary to extant literature, the findings show that some distances are more pertinent to CVI transformation in the subsidiaries than others in the context of the EMFs.

Originality/value

This research shows that the formal institutional distance and economic distance will increase the likelihood of CVI changes in the subsidiaries, whereas, the cultural distance requiring soft skills like the cultural adaptability from the EMFs will decrease the CVI change possibility. The findings presented in the paper have significant implications for future research and strategic application.
Emerging market multinationals’ international equity-based entry mode strategies
Authors: Surdu Irina , Mellahi Kamel , Glaister Keith
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the theories used to study the international equity-based entry mode strategies of emerging market multinationals (EMMs) and the contribution of these studies to extant literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature. A total of 73 articles were identiﬁed from key management, international business and international marketing journals published between 2000 and June 2015. Articles were analysed according to the theory(ies) used, thematic area, methodology, home/host countries studied and findings.

Findings

Despite the great interest around the topic of how the antecedents and outcomes of EMMs’ international entry mode strategies may challenge and amend existing theories, the findings that come out of this research mirror patterns observed in the entry mode literature in general. Whilst traditional perspectives such as internalisation theory and the OLI paradigm remain prevalent, a growing number of studies draw on institutional theory and combine multiple theoretical perspectives. Newer theories developed specifically to study EMMs (e.g., the springboard perspective) are used in only five studies and challenged to differentiate their theoretical underpinnings from extant literature. Overall, the theoretical contribution of EMM studies is simply a change in emphasis from the role of firm-specific factors towards the influence of home country institutions on entry mode strategies. The authors conclude that the literature has only made tweaks at the edge of theories with no significant changes to extant theorisations.

Originality/value

This is the first systematic review of the literature focusing specifically on the international equity-based entry mode strategies of EMMs.
SME international innovation and strategic adaptiveness
Authors: Nyuur Richard B. , Brecic Ružica , Debrah Yaw A.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) domestic network structural attributes on theirex postinternationalisation strategic innovation and adaptiveness in the host country.

Design/methodology/approach

The model fit of SME domestic network structural attributes and theirex postinternational performance was examined using structural equation modelling on data gathered from a sample of 263 SMEs from Croatia, a transition and emerging economy. Hierarchical regression analysis was further performed to test both the direct and moderating effects.

Findings

The study revealed that domestic network informality (DNF) moderates the link between SME domestic network centrality and their international innovation. Similarly, the findings show that DNF strengthens the negative association between domestic network density and SME international innovation and strategic adaptiveness. Moreover, the study did not find any direct impact of these domestic networks’ structural attributes (density and centrality) on SME international innovation and strategic adaptiveness.

Originality/value

Scholars have emphasised the importance and urgency for further research attention on the role of networks on SMEs’ internationalisation activities from emerging economies. This study responds to this call, and to the knowledge of the authors, is the first to examine the role of domestic network attributes on SME international performance in emerging economies. The findings provide new insightful contributions to the social network perspective and the international entrepreneurship literatures.
Operational capabilities and entrepreneurial opportunities in emerging market firms
Authors: Miocevic Dario , Morgan Robert E.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The academic inquiry of operational capabilities (OCs) has claimed focal interest in mainstream strategy research. Recent theoretical advances suggest these capabilities are a fundamental trigger to the identification and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. However, the extant literature has been, at best, partial with regard to empirical insights that integrate OCs with entrepreneurial opportunities. Addressing this theoretical lacuna from the standpoint of organisational learning theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the interplay between OCs and entrepreneurial opportunities and their overall impact on exporting SME’s growth.

Design/methodology/approach

To realise the empirical aims a descriptive research design employing a survey methodology was used. The authors are generated data from a sample of 117 exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Croatia. Ordinary least squares regression was employed to test the conceptual model and five derived hypotheses.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that market-sensing capabilities are vital in enhancing exporting SME’s opportunity recognition capacity and the rate of international opportunity exploitation that leads to increased firm growth. Also, study findings show that the link between the increased rate of international opportunity exploitation contributes more to the growth when exporting SMEs have highly developed adaptive and innovation capabilities.

Research limitations/implications

This study brings to surface some novel insights about how exporting SMEs can better design their export marketing strategy. The results suggest, OCs occupy key role in the exporting SMEs international venturing efforts by delivering higher growth.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the export marketing strategy field by offering empirical evidence that both capability and opportunity-based views should be assessed simultaneously in explaining exporting SME’s competitiveness. Finally, we offer valuable theoretical and practical implications as well as avenues for further research that should extend our knowledge in the field.
Board diversity and total directors’ remuneration: evidence from an emerging market
Authors: Effiezal Aswadi Abdul Wahab , Madah Marzuki Marziana , Jaafar Syaiful Baharee , Masron Tajul Ariffin
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationship between board diversity and total directors’ remuneration in Malaysia. The authors have operationalised two variables to represent board diversity: the proportion of women directors on the board, to present gender diversity and the proportion of Bumiputras directors, to represent ethnic diversity.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has used a panel least squares to test the relationship between board diversity and total directors’ remuneration.

Findings

Based on a 1,094 firm-year sample from 2007 to 2009, the authors found a positive and significant relationship between gender-diverse boards and remuneration, but a negative and significant relationship between ethnically diverse boards and remuneration. The interaction between gender and ethnically diverse boards results in a weaker negative relationship between ethnically diverse boards and remuneration with an increased presence of women directors. Finally, the authors found a positive and significant impact on remuneration when there are at least three women and three Bumiputras directors. The findings are robust after controlling for corporate governance variables, institutional variables and firm characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

The main implication of this finding is the positive effect of firms hiring more women in top management roles on remuneration. In addition, the negative effect of Bumiputras suggests that their role is to offer political expedience to the board and thus provide economies of scale through their status to the country.

Originality/value

This study tests the effect of both gender and ethnicity simultaneously on directors’ remuneration.
Commentary on “Fall prevention for people with learning disabilities: key points and recommendations for practitioners and researchers”
Authors: Freiberger Ellen
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Age-related processes are marked by physiological, psychological and social decline, threatening health, quality of life, functional status and the mobility of individuals. As the impact of demographic change also begins to affect persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), issues and needs regarding the aging process are slowly entering the field of ID research. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In the population of older people with ID, important, age-related events such as falls have prompted increasing research. Falls may lead to several negative health outcomes, require that an individual receives higher levels of care sometimes including hospitalisation and, in the worst case, hasten death. Falls also lead to psychological consequences such as fear of falling which fuels a vicious circle in which older persons afraid of falling reduce their physical activity, in turn hastening their functional decline.

Findings

Fall prevention in persons with ID is just evolving and further research is clearly necessary. This research can draw on the existing evidence from other fall prevention areas, especially the work carried out with the general older population.

Originality/value

As stated by Finlayson, a useful next step would be the development of a consensus on the definitions and methodology that should underpin future fall prevention research with persons with ID.
Paid employment amongst adults with learning disabilities receiving social care in England: trends over time and geographical variation
Authors: Hatton Chris
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine trends over time and geographical variation in rates of paid employment amongst working age adults with learning disabilities receiving long-term social care in England.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were drawn from NHS Digital adult social care statistics examining paid/self-employment for working age (18-64 years) adults with learning disabilities known to social care (2008/2009 to 2013/2014) or receiving long-term social care (2014/2015 to 2016/2017).

Findings

In 2016/2017, councils reported that 5.7 per cent of working age adults (7,422 people) with learning disabilities receiving long-term social care were in paid/self-employment, with higher employment rates for men than women and most people working less than 16 hours per week. Paid employment rates seem to be slightly declining over time, and there is wide variation across councils in reported paid/self-employment rates.

Social implications

Despite good evidence for the cost effectiveness of supported employment support, employment rates for adults with learning disabilities receiving long-term social care remain extremely low.

Originality/value

This paper presents in one place statistics concerning the paid employment of working age adults with learning disabilities in England.
Evaluating service users’ experiences using Talking Mats®
Authors: Stewart Kitty , Bradshaw Jill , Beadle-Brown Julie
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the effectiveness of Talking Mats® (TM) in evaluating service users’ experiences, and explore their views of the implementation of person-centred active support (PCAS).

Design/methodology/approach

This is a mixed-methods study, employing qualitative interviewing and observational measures.

Findings

Both qualitative and quantitative measures indicated inconsistent implementation of PCAS. It was possible to effectively gain participants’ views on positive and negative aspects of quality of support and quality of life, using TM, across three themes, My life, My support and Self-determination.

Research limitations/implications

Generalisability of the research may be limited due to the sample, and the potential for researcher and interviewer bias is acknowledged.

Practical implications

TM provides a mechanism that may facilitate the inclusion of the views and experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disability (PWIDD) who have limited verbal skills. Their views need to be reflected in adaptions made to PCAS.

Originality/value

This study included a population who are often left out of qualitative research because of the methodologies adopted. It also included older PWIDD, where there has been less research about the effectiveness of TM.
Toward data-based clinical decision making for adults with challenging behavior using the Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S)
Authors: Bowring Darren L. , Totsika Vasiliki , Hastings Richard P. , Toogood Sandy
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S) is a shorter version of the Behavior Problems Inventory-01. In this paper, BPI-S population norms are reported from a total administrative population of adults with intellectual disability (ID). To facilitate the use of the BPI-S in clinical services to assess behavior change, the purpose of this paper is to describe how to use BPI-S clinically significant and reliable change (RC) scores.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered on 265 adults with ID known to services. Proxy informants completed the BPI-S on challenging behaviors over the previous six months. Clinically significant cut-off values and RC scores were calculated using the Jacobson and Truax’s (1991) method.

Findings

BPI-S clinical reference data are presented to provide benchmarks for individual and group comparisons regarding challenging behavior. Examples demonstrate how to use clinical norms to determine change.

Practical implications

Behavior change is a major goal of researchers and practitioners. Data from the present study can make the BPI-S a valuable tool for determining change in challenging behavior following service input or intervention.

Originality/value

Whilst well used in research, the BPI-S may be less extensively used in practice. This present study provides data to enable researchers and practitioners to use the BPI-S more widely in assessing clinical outcomes, such as intervention research and service evaluation.
Principal component analysis image fusion of TOF-SIMS and microscopic images and low intensity secondary ion enhancement by pixel reduction
Authors: Takahashi Kazuma , Yamagishi Takayuki , Aoyagi Satoka , Aoki Dan , Fukushima Kazuhiko , Kimura Yoshishige
Published: February 2018

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) provides chemical images with a high spatial resolution, approximately 100 nm, and detailed chemical information. It is, however, often necessary to obtain images of higher spatial resolution and to detect high mass secondary ions with greater sensitivity, higher than several 100 Da. In this study, in order to improve the TOF-SIMS spatial resolution, image fusion using an image with a higher spatial resolution was evaluated based on principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, in order to effectively detect important secondary ions with lower intensity, the intensity of one pixel was enhanced by integrating neighboring several pixels. According to the pixel reduction, the rank of the TOF-SIMS data matrix should be reduced. Due to the sparsity of TOF-SIMS data, sparse modeling techniques such as robust PCA were employed to the decomposition of the original data. In terms of image data fusion, PCA score distribution images of the model samples indicate the improvement of the spatial resolution without significant changes in PCA loadings after data fusion of TOF-SIMS and microscopy images. Regarding the improvement of low intensity secondary ion detection, PCA results before and after pixel reduction suggested that the pixel reduction was useful in detecting important low intensity secondary ions effectively.
A study of kinetic friction: The Timoshenko oscillator
Authors: Henaff Robin , Le Doudic Gabriel , Pilette Bertrand , Even Catherine , Fischbach Jean-Marie , Bouquet Frédéric , Bobroff Julien , Monteverde Miguel , Marrache-Kikuchi Claire A.
Published: February 2018

Friction is a complex phenomenon that is of paramount importance in everyday life. We present an easy-to-build and inexpensive experiment illustrating Coulomb's law of kinetic friction. The so-called friction, or Timoshenko, oscillator consists of a plate set into periodic motion through the competition between gravity and friction on its rotating supports. The period of such an oscillator gives a measurement of the coefficient of kinetic friction μk between the plate and the supports. Our prototype is mainly composed of a motor, LEGO blocks, and a low-cost microcontroller, but despite its simplicity, the results obtained are in good agreement with values of μk found in the literature (enhanced online).
Every isochronous potential is shear-equivalent to a harmonic potential
Authors: Cross Daniel J.
Published: February 2018

Harmonic oscillations are isochronous, but so are oscillations in any potential that is shear-equivalent to a harmonic potential. We demonstrate the converse: that every possible isochronous potential is shear-equivalent to a harmonic potential. To do this we show that every potential is shear-equivalent to a unique symmetric potential, and that every isochronous symmetric potential is harmonic. Shearing is thus the only possible period-preserving transformation for potentials with fixed energy.
Twelve years before the quantum no-cloning theorem
Authors: Ortigoso Juan
Published: February 2018

The celebrated quantum no-cloning theorem establishes the impossibility of making a perfect copy of an unknown quantum state. The discovery of this important theorem for the field of quantum information is currently dated 1982. I show here that an article published in 1970 [J. L. Park, Found. Phys. 1, 23–33 (1970)] contained an explicit mathematical proof of the impossibility of cloning quantum states. I analyze Park's demonstration in the light of published explanations concerning the genesis of the better-known papers on no-cloning.
A compact disc under skimming light rays
Authors: De Luca R. , Di Mauro M. , Fiore O. , Naddeo A.
Published: February 2018

The optical properties of a compact disc (CD) under “skimming” light rays have been analyzed. We have noticed that a clear green line can be detected when the disc is irradiated with light rays coming from a lamp in such a way that only those skimming the CD, held horizontally, are selected. We provide a physical interpretation of this phenomenon on the basis of elementary optics concepts. Extension of these concepts to digital versatile discs (DVDs) is given.
Role of short-time acoustic temporal fine structure cues in sentence recognition for normal-hearing listeners
Authors: Hou Limin , Xu Li
Published: February 2018

Short-time processing was employed to manipulate the amplitude, bandwidth, and temporal fine structure (TFS) in sentences. Fifty-two native-English-speaking, normal-hearing listeners participated in four sentence-recognition experiments. Results showed that recovered envelope (E) played an important role in speech recognition when the bandwidth was > 1 equivalent rectangular bandwidth. Removing TFS drastically reduced sentence recognition. Preserving TFS greatly improved sentence recognition when amplitude information was available at a rate ≥ 10 Hz (i.e., time segment ≤ 100 ms). Therefore, the short-time TFS facilitates speech perception together with the recovered E and works with the coarse amplitude cues to provide useful information for speech recognition.
Science gets modest reprieve in Trump budget
Authors:   Science News Staff
Published: February 2018

Late changes leave major agencies flat, but 2019 request still cuts many research programs.
The carbon harvest
Authors: Rosen Julia
Published: February 2018

Vast bioenergy plantations could suck up carbon and stave off climate change. They would also radically reshape the planet.
Natural noncanonical protein splicing yields products with diverse β-amino acid residues
Authors: Morinaka Brandon I. , Lakis Edgars , Verest Marjan , Helf Maximilian J. , Scalvenzi Thibault , Vagstad Anna L. , Sims James , Sunagawa Shinichi , Gugger Muriel , Piel Jörn
Published: February 2018

Protein backbone, broken and mended

Small, posttranslationally modified peptides are produced by microorganisms as antimicrobial agents or to communicate with neighboring cells. Alterations to the peptide backbone can change the structure of peptides or introduce reactive chemical moieties. Morinaka
et al.
characterized a bacterial enzyme that excises the side chain and α-carbon of a tyrosine residue from a short peptide, leaving behind an α-ketoamide. This backbone functional group is found in some protease inhibitors and is a valuable handle for bio-orthogonal chemistry. The enzyme accepts peptide substrates with a short recognition motif, suggesting that it could be used to generate libraries of modified peptides.

Science
, this issue p.
779
Structures of C1-IgG1 provide insights into how danger pattern recognition activates complement
Authors: Ugurlar Deniz , Howes Stuart C. , de Kreuk Bart-Jan , Koning Roman I. , de Jong Rob N. , Beurskens Frank J. , Schuurman Janine , Koster Abraham J. , Sharp Thomas H. , Parren Paul W. H. I. , Gros Piet
Published: February 2018

Recognizing danger signals

In the classical complement pathway, the C1 initiation complex binds to danger patterns on the surface of microbes or damaged host cells and triggers an immune response. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies form hexamers on cell surfaces that have high avidity for the C1 complex. Ugurlar
et al.
used cryo–electron microscopy to show how a hexamer of C1 complexes interacts with the IgG hexamer. Structure-guided mutagenesis revealed how C1 is activated to trigger an immune response.

Science
, this issue p.
794
Lipopolysaccharide is transported to the cell surface by a membrane-to-membrane protein bridge
Authors: Sherman David J. , Xie Ran , Taylor Rebecca J. , George Alexander H. , Okuda Suguru , Foster Peter J. , Needleman Daniel J. , Kahne Daniel
Published: February 2018

How lipopolysaccharides bridge the gap

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is composed of lipopolysaccharide, a large glycolipid that prevents drugs from entering the cells. Disrupting lipopolysaccharide assembly hypersensitizes bacteria to antibiotics. Sherman
et al.
used biochemical tools to observe lipopolysaccharide transport. Seven proteins, which are conserved in all Gram-negative bacteria, appear to form a protein bridge that uses adenosine triphosphate to power transport of lipopolysaccharide from one membrane to another. The ability to monitor intermembrane transport of lipopolysaccharide will help in efforts to develop and characterize inhibitors.

Science
, this issue p.
798
The changing face of urban air pollution
Authors: Lewis Alastair C.
Published: February 2018

Volatile organic compounds in U.S. urban air increasingly derive from consumer products
Look to the locals
Managing the Wild: Stories of People and Plants and Tropical Forests
Charles M. Peters
Yale University Press, 2018. 208 pp.
Authors: Reid J. Leighton
Published: February 2018

A field scientist reflects on how indigenous knowledge can enhance tropical forest management
Staged implementation of a two-tiered hospital-based neonatal care package in a resource-limited setting in Eastern Uganda
Authors: Burgoine Kathy , Ikiror Juliet , Akol Sylivia , Kakai Margaret , Talyewoya Sara , Sande Alex , Otim Tom , Okello Francis , Hewitt-Smith Adam , Olupot-Olupot Peter
Published: February 2018

Neonatal mortality remains a major global challenge. Most neonatal deaths occur in low-income countries, but it is estimated that over two-thirds of these deaths could be prevented if achievable interventions are scaled up. To date, initiatives have focused on community and obstetric interventions, and there has been limited simultaneous drive to improve neonatal care in the health facilities where the sick neonates are being referred. Few data exist on the process of implementing of neonatal care packages and their impact. Evidence-based guidelines for neonatal care in health facilities in low-resource settings and direction on how to achieve these standards of neonatal care are therefore urgently needed. We used the WHO-Recommended Quality of Care Framework to build a strategy for quality improvement of neonatal care in a busy government hospital in Eastern Uganda. Twelve key interventions were designed to improve infrastructure, equipment, protocols and training to provide two levels of neonatal care. We implemented this low-cost, hospital-based neonatal care package over an 18-month period. This data-driven analysis paper illustrates how simple changes in practice, provision of basic equipment and protocols, ongoing training and dedicated neonatal staff can reduce neonatal mortality substantially even without specialist equipment. Neonatal mortality decreased from 48% to 40% (P=0.25) after level 1 care was implemented and dropped further to 21% (P<0.01) with level 2 care. In our experience, a dramatic impact on neonatal mortality can be made through modest and cost-effective interventions. We recommend that stakeholders seeking to improve neonatal care in low-resource settings adopt a similar approach.
Impact of dietary patterns and the main food groups on mortality and recurrence in cancer survivors: a systematic review of current epidemiological literature
Authors: Jochems Sylvia H J , Van Osch Frits H M , Bryan Richard T , Wesselius Anke , van Schooten Frederik J , Cheng Kar Keung , Zeegers Maurice P
Published: February 2018

Objective

To determine whether there is an association between dietary patterns/indices and foods from the main food groups (highest vs lowest intakes) prior to or after cancer diagnosis and mortality and cancer recurrence in cancer survivors.

Participants

Survivors of common cancers with a 10-year survival rate of ≥50%: bladder, bowel, breast, cervical, kidney, laryngeal, prostate, testicular, uterine cancer, malignant melanoma and (non-)Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Outcome measures

Mortality (overall, cancer-specific, from other causes) and cancer recurrence.

Information sources

PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to April 2017. Additional studies were identified by searching reference lists. Two authors independently screened titles and abstracts, assessed study quality and extracted the data.

Results

A total of 38 studies were included. The risk of bias was rated low for the included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and moderate for the cohort studies. The quality of evidence was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach and was rated moderate (RCTs), and (very)low (cohort studies). Reducing the amount of fat after diagnosis appears to decrease the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Adherence to a high-quality diet and prudent diet after diagnosis appears to decrease the risk of death from other causes (and overall mortality for high-quality diet) in breast cancer survivors. Adherence to a Western diet, before and after diagnosis, appears to increase the risk of overall mortality and death from other causes among breast cancer survivors. Evidence from studies among other cancer survivors was too limited or could not be identified.

Conclusion

For many cancer survivors, there is little evidence to date to indicate that particular dietary behaviours influence outcomes with regard to recurrence and mortality. Notwithstanding, limited evidence suggests that a low-fat diet, a high-quality diet and a prudent diet are beneficial for breast cancer survivors, while a Western diet is detrimental for breast cancer survivors.
Domestic violence: a cross-sectional study among pregnant women in different regions of Sri Lanka
Authors: Muzrif Munas M , Perera Dinusha , Wijewardena Kumudu , Schei Berit , Swahnberg Katarina
Published: February 2018

Objectives

The aims of this study were to assess the regional differences in domestic violence among pregnant women in the capital district and in the tea plantation sector of Sri Lanka, to explore potential contributory factors and to assess whether healthcare workers addressed domestic violence and disclosure among survivors.

Design

A cross-sectional study was carried out using interviewer-administered Abuse Assessment Screen.

Setting

Fifty-seven antenatal clinic centres in the capital district and 30 in the tea plantation sector.

Participants

Pregnant women between 6 and 40 weeks of gestational age. In the capital district, 1375 women were recruited from antenatal clinic centres in the urban (n=25) and in the rural areas (n=32), and 800 women from 30 centres in the tea plantation sector. The response rate in the capital district was 95.6% and 96.7% in the tea plantation sector.

Results

Among the total sample of pregnant women (n=2088), the prevalence of ‘ever abused’ was 38.6%, and the prevalence of ‘currently abused’ was 15.9%. ‘Ever abused’ (31.5% vs 50.8%) and ‘currently abused’ (10% vs 25.8%) were significantly higher (P<0.001) among the women living in the tea plantation sector. ‘Ever abused’ was associated with living in the tea plantation sector, being employed, living far from gender-based violence care centre and of Muslim ethnicity, after adjusting for age, education and family income. Only 38.8% of all participants had been asked by healthcare workers about abuse. Living in the tea plantation sector and lower level of education were associated with not being asked. Among those who reported ‘ever abused’, only 8.7% had disclosed the experience to a healthcare worker.

Conclusion

Domestic violence was prevalent and highest among women in the tea plantation sector compared with the capital district. The capacity of healthcare workers in addressing domestic violence should be increased.
Randomised clinical trial of an early palliative care intervention (SUPPORT) for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and their caregivers: protocol and key design considerations
Authors: Lindell Kathleen Oare , Nouraie Mehdi , Klesen Melinda J , Klein Sara , Gibson Kevin F , Kass Daniel J , Rosenzweig Margaret Quinn
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive life-limiting lung disease affects approximately 128 000 newly diagnosed individuals in the USA annually. IPF, a disease of ageing associated with intense medical and financial burden, is expected to grow in incidence globally. Median survival from diagnosis is 3.8 years, and many of these patients succumb to a rapid death within 6 months. Despite the fatal prognosis, we have found that patients and caregivers often fail to understand the poor prognosis as the disease relentlessly progresses. Based on feedback from patients and families living with IPF, we developed the S-Symptom Management, U-Understanding the Disease, P-Pulmonary Rehabilitation, P-Palliative Care, O-Oxygen Therapy, R-Research Considerations and T-Transplantation (‘SUPPORT') intervention to increase knowledge of the disease, teach self-management strategies and facilitate preparedness with end of life (EOL) planning.

Methods

This study is a randomised trial to test the efficacy of SUPPORT intervention compared with routine care in patients with IPF and their caregivers delivered after three clinical visits. We are recruiting a cohort of 64 new IPF patient/caregiver dyads (32 for each dyad).

Results

The trial will evaluate whether the SUPPORT intervention decreases stress, improves symptom burden, quality of life, preparedness and advance care planning for patients and caregivers, quality of dying and death for caregivers if the patient dies during the course of the study, as well as assess the impact of primary palliative care on healthcare resource use near the EOL.

Conclusion

By increasing knowledge of the disease, teaching self-management strategies and facilitating preparedness with EOL planning, we will address a critical gap in the care of patients with IPF.

Trial registration number

NCT02929017; Pre-results.
An injured man with acute altered mental status
Authors: Chuang Hung-Yu , Kung Lu-Chih , Huang Ming-Yuan
Published: February 2018

Clinical introduction

A 58-year-old man sustained injuries due to accidental fall from a height of 5 m onto a solid floor while operating a crane. He was fully conscious without external evidence of head injury when presented to the ED. The patient had multiple fractures involving the fourth, fifth and seventh of the left ribs, left iliac wing and superior ramus of the pelvis, comminuted fracture of the left femur shaft, and an open fracture of the mandible. Two hours after ED presentation, the patient developed acute confusion and lethargy, which rapidly progressed to coma and respiratory distress, and was subsequently intubated with mechanical ventilation support. Emergent CT scan of the head is shown (figure 1).

Figure 1

CT scan of the head without contrast.

Question

What is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Cerebral haemorrhage

B. Brain metastasis

C. Cerebral fat embolism

D. Diffuse axonal injury
A diagnostic red herring
Authors: Martin-Bates Alexander J , Martin-Bates Charles , Withnall Richard
Published: February 2018

Clinical introduction

A 29-year-old keen parachutist presented to the emergency services in Cyprus complaining of sudden-onset facial flushing, dizziness and a widespread rash. The episode began on a hot day, 1 hour after she had eaten a breakfast of tinned tuna, and while she was ascending in an aircraft to parachute from 10 000 ft. She completed her jump uneventfully. She had no significant medical history (figure 1).

Figure 1

Patient’s legs on presentation; this rash was generalised.

Question

Based on the history and rash, which ONE of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

Fish allergy

Heat-related eruption

Scombrotoxin poisoning

Stress-induced urticaria
How can emergency physicians harness the power of new technologies in clinical practice and education?
Authors: Carley Simon , Laing Simon
Published: February 2018

As the Royal College of Emergency Medicine looks back on 50 years of progress towards the future it is clear that new and emerging technologies have the potential to substantially change the practice of emergency medicine. Education, diagnostics, therapeutics are all likely to change as algorithms, personalised medicine and insights into complexity become more readily available to the emergency clinician. This paper outlines areas of our practice that are already changing and speculates on how we might need to prepare our workforce for a technologically enhanced future.