bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decreasing Resource Utilization Using Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs)
Authors: Luther Gaurav , Miller Patricia E. , Mahan Susan T. , Waters Peter M. , Bae Donald S.
Published: September 2016

Background:

Standardized clinical assessment and management plans (SCAMPs) are a novel quality improvement initiative shown to improve patient care, diminish practice variation, and reduce resource utilization. Unlike clinical practice guidelines, a SCAMP is a flexible algorithm that undergoes iterative updates based on periodic data collection and review. We recently implemented a SCAMP for the closed treatment of pediatric torus fractures. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of SCAMP implementation on resource utilization, practice variability, cost of care, and outcomes.

Methods:

This study was a retrospective review of prospectively collected data on 273 patients with pediatric torus fractures. The pre-SCAMP cohort included 116 subjects from 2008 to 2010. The SCAMP cohort included 157 subjects from 2011 to 2013. The pre-SCAMP cohort was treated according to the judgment of attending fellowship-trained pediatric orthopaedic surgeons. The SCAMP cohort was treated with a standardized algorithm including radiographs and splint application at initial presentation, with a single follow-up at 3 weeks. Patient demographics were analyzed to verify comparability between cohorts. Follow-up data including clinic visits, x-rays and practice variability was recorded. Costing analysis was conducted using time-derived activity-based costing methodology. Outcomes were compared using Poisson regression analysis. Incident rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence limits were estimated.

Results:

No differences in clinical results were observed between the pre-SCAMP and SCAMP cohorts, and all patients demonstrated return to baseline activity at final follow-up. Patient demographics were comparable across cohorts. The SCAMP cohort had a 48% reduction in clinic visits [IRR, 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-0.60; P<0.001], 60% reduction in x-rays (IRR, 0.40; CI, 0.33-0.47; P<0.001), and a 23% reduction in x-rays per clinic visit (IRR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.65-0.91; P<0.001). Furthermore, SCAMP implementation resulted in a 49% reduction in the overall cost of care.

Conclusions:

SCAMPs provide a novel alternative to CPGs to implement cost effective changes in Orthopaedic practice. For pediatric torus fractures, SCAMP implementation resulted in decreased practice variability, resource utilization, and overall cost of care while maintaining clinical outcomes.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.
Who and Where Are Kentucky’s Remaining Uninsured?
Authors: Benitez Joseph A. , Creel Liza M. , Jennings J’Aime C.
Published: September 2016

Background:

While most research has focused on insurance uptake and describing the makeup of the newly insured, less is known about the characteristics among the remaining uninsured in expansion states.

Objectives:

Using Kentucky as a case study, we evaluate individual and contextual characteristics to learn more about groups who—despite expanded access to coverage options through US health care reform—reported being uninsured at the end of 2014.

Research Design:

Cross-sectional data from Kentucky’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was linked to county data from the Area Health Resource File, and we used logistic regression models to assess relationships between both person-level and county-level characteristics with uninsured status.

Subjects:

The study sample included nonelderly adults aged 18–64 residing in Kentucky during the time of the survey.

Results:

Before the implementation of the Medicaid expansion and rollout of the state-based health insurance marketplace, adults who were younger (aged 18–47), unmarried, had lower levels of educational attainment, and considered to be low income were more likely to be uninsured. However, many but not all of these differences faded away by the end of 2014 when only unemployment, low-income status, and Hispanic ethnicity were positively correlated with being uninsured.

Conclusions:

At the end of 2014, Kentucky’s adult uninsured rate was below 5% and few statistically meaningful coverage gaps remain, suggesting Kentucky’s experience under health reform may contribute to long-run closures in disparities in health care access and outcomes.
Enhancing Nurses’ Oral Therapy Practice in 4 Latin American Countries
Authors: Truant Tracy L. , Green Esther , Ayala de Calvo Luz Esperanza , McCarthy Sarah M. , MacDonald Donalda , Patel Komal , Stewart Janice , Brunelli Maria Victoria , Cullen Clara , Estrada de Ellis Silvina , Nunes Lailah M.P. , Salles Patricia
Published: September 2016

Background:

Oral therapy (OT) use for cancer is increasing globally. Yet, nurses in 4 Latin American countries lacked knowledge and educational opportunities to safely care for people receiving OTs. Global partnerships to contextualize education and create local capacity may enhance nursing practice.

Objective:

Within 4 Latin American countries, this study aims to (1) develop, deliver, and evaluate an OT cancer nursing education program and (2) evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using an integrated knowledge translation (iKT) framework to develop the program and foster nurses’ capacity for OT care.

Methods:

Using the iKT framework, a “train the trainer” model was used to develop, contextualize, pilot test, implement, and evaluate the OT education program. An online survey evaluated nurses’ perceived benefits, ease of use, barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for improvement. Nurses’ self-reported OT practices were evaluated 9 months after the final workshop.

Results:

One hundred nineteen nurses across 4 countries participated in a pilot and/or final OT educational workshop, facilitated by 6 local nurse champions. The nurse champions found the program easy to use and modify. Participants reported using the curriculum to teach other nurses and patients and networking opportunities for problem solving. Barriers included nurses’ role clarity and time for education.

Conclusions:

The iKT approach was an effective method to develop the OT curriculum and build OT capacity among nurses and leaders within the 4 countries.

Implications for Practice:

The iKT approach may be useful in low- or middle-income countries to enhance nursing education and practice. Future OT education projects should strengthen strategies for ongoing support after education intervention.
Obesity and Weight Loss in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Narrative Review
Authors: Subramaniam Suresh , Fletcher William A.
Published: September 2016

Background:

Most patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) are obese. Weight loss is felt to be an important factor in improving IIH. The mechanism by which weight loss leads to a reduction in elevated intracranial pressure is unclear. Evidence from prospective studies evaluating the role of weight loss in IIH is lacking.

Evidence Acquisition:

We performed a detailed review of the published literature regarding the association of IIH and obesity, including proposed pathogenetic mechanisms, and the effect of weight loss and weight-loss interventions in IIH. References were identified by searching PubMed with the terms idiopathic intracranial hypertension and weight loss. Additional citations were found in the identified references.

Results:

Over 90% of IIH patients are obese or overweight. The risk of IIH increases as a function of body mass index (BMI) and weight gain over the preceding year. The risk of IIH-induced vision loss also increases with increasing BMI, especially with BMI >40 kg/m2. Several mechanisms have been proposed linking obesity to the development of IIH but the pathophysiology remains unknown. Published studies and clinical observations strongly support weight loss as an effective treatment, although there are no prospective controlled trials. Weight loss in the range of 6%–10% often leads to IIH remission. Weight loss of ≥5% at 1 year is achieved in roughly 50%–70% of patients if they are enrolled in a high-intensity lifestyle modification program and in 20%–35% of patients if they direct their own weight loss. Weight is typically regained over 1–3 years but about a third of patients maintain ≥5% weight loss over the long term. Patients treated initially with lifestyle modification therapy show a modest persisting benefit over self-directed patients. Selected commercial weight loss programs also may improve long-term maintenance of weight loss. New antiobesity drugs significantly improve the proportion of obese patients who have ≥5% loss of weight at 1 year.

Conclusions:

Obesity is an important contributing factor for the development of IIH, although the pathophysiological mechanism linking obesity to IIH is unknown. The risk of developing IIH and associated visual loss increases with increasing BMI. Weight loss is an effective treatment for IIH. Long-term maintenance of initial weight loss is helped modestly by lifestyle modification programs and possibly by selected commercial weight loss programs. New antiobesity drugs may provide further options for IIH therapy in the future.
Consumer control, dependency and satisfaction with online service
Authors: Chan Shiu Fai , Barnes Bradley R. , Fukukawa Kyoko
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a new conceptual model in an online service context. The model focuses on an important, yet often neglected customer-oriented construct, i.e., user “control”, which is embedded in consumer behaviour when accessing the internet. The study examines the relationship between control, online dependency, online encounter satisfaction and overall satisfaction. It explains the strategic implications surrounding customer control and online dependency as means for enhancing customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was developed drawing on a combination of existing and new measurement items for the constructs in question. The instrument was later pilot tested on two consecutive occasions ahead of the main survey. A random sample of Hong Kong banking consumers was approached and interviews were undertaken via telephone. The data were analysed via confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses relating to the model.

Findings

The findings reveal positive relationships between control and online dependency, and control and online encounter satisfaction. Meanwhile control, online dependency and online encounter satisfaction lead to overall satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study proposes a counterintuitive argument that while online service customers gain control of the online service process, they become more dependent on it, and their control and dependency also lead to their satisfaction, at both the online service encounter level and corporate level. Drawing on the pertinent literature, this is the first study to examine the importance of two information system constructs, i.e., control and online dependency, as predictors of consumer psychological fulfilment, i.e., satisfaction. The findings confirm that control as an initiator and driver of customer satisfaction in an online context, and online encounter satisfaction, further contributes to overall satisfaction at the corporate level.
Realizable value of the MLIS: insights from a new professional
Authors: White Philip Bradley
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the value of the Master of Library and Information Science degree from the perspective of a recent graduate and practicing academic librarian.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a viewpoint supported by current literature and practical experience.

Findings

The author presents ideas for integrating theory into skills-based education and advocates for greater emphasis on technical skill development in Library and Information Science (LIS) education.

Practical implications

LIS educators may benefit from a recent graduate’s evaluation of LIS education because it relates to hireability and job performance.

Originality/value

The paper represents the author’s points of view.
Bringing value to the library science degree in a changing environment
Authors: Duangudom Suvanida , Bird Nora
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion on the added value of a library science degree in a community college setting.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a viewpoint supported with research from current field literature.

Findings

This is demonstrating the variances of perceived value of LIS degrees in different library settings. Recommendations are made for individuals to lead their own career needs.

Originality/value

This is the author’s own points of view.
Library culture and the MLIS: the bonds that unite librarianship
Authors: Holley Robert P.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to show the importance of the Master’s degree in the library and information sciences in learning the essential values of library and information science culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a discussion based upon the author’s decades of experience as a librarian and library science professor.

Findings

Cultural values help unify the diverse profession of librarianship. Librarians working in different types and sizes are able to cooperate because of these shared values.

Research limitations/implications

The paper does not build upon any research studies.

Practical implications

The paper provides ways in which library and information science schools can help students learn the important elements of library culture.

Social implications

Library culture helps librarians bond together and work toward common goals to benefit the profession.

Originality/value

The value of library culture as a unifying factor has not often been systematically investigated. This paper also integrates current trends in librarianship including the increased focus on information technology.
Post-crisis bank behavior: lessons from Mercosur
Authors: Mlachila Montfort , Sanya Sarah
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to answer one important question: in the aftermath of a systemic banking crisis, can the expected deviations in credit supply, liquidity, and other bank characteristics become entrenched in that they do not converge back to “normal”?

Design/methodology/approach

Using a panel data set of commercial banks in the Mercosur during the period 1990-2006, the authors analyze the impact of crises on four sets of financial indicators of bank behavior and outcomes – profitability, maturity preference, credit supply, and risk taking. The authors employ convergence methodology – which is often used in the growth literature – to identify the evolution of bank behavior in the region after crises.

Findings

A key finding of the paper is that bank risk-taking behavior is significantly modified leading to prolonged reduction of intermediation to the private sector in favor of less risky government securities and preference for high levels excess liquidity well after the crisis. This can be attributed to the role played by macroeconomic and institutional volatility that has nurtured a relatively high level of risk aversion in banks in the Mercosur.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, using convergence methodology is a relatively novel approach in this area. An added advantage of using this approach over others currently used in the literature is that the authors can empirically quantify the rate of convergence and the institutional and macroeconomic factors that condition the convergence. Moreover, the methodology allows one to identify – in some hierarchical order – factors that condition persistent deviation from “normality.” The lessons learned from the Mercosur case study are useful for countries that suffered systemic banking crises in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
When users offer up ideas: how to evaluate them
Authors: Ponnamma Divakaran Pradeep Kumar
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for identifying the most promising user-generated ideas in user communities.

Design/methodology/approach

To develop the framework, each user-generated idea is first classified into a specific category depending on its source, such as market trend-, need-, solution- or mental ideation-based ideas. The degree of shared identity (shared agreement minus shared disagreement) based on user votes for each idea within the user community is then evaluated.

Findings

This study argues that unlike need-based user-generated ideas, trend-based ideas will not succeed in the marketplace even if they receive the highest ratings or the most votes from community members, and that hence such trend-based ideas should not be implemented. Moreover, solution- and mental ideation-based user ideas, even though they receive the lowest ratings or fewest votes from community members, are more likely to succeed in the marketplace, and thus, such ideas should not be discarded.

Originality/value

Community- and idea-level variables are combined to identify the most promising user-generated ideas for firms. This prevents overlooking the most promising ideas simply because their popularity is low within the user community. Moreover, this method prevents selecting the least promising ideas even though their popularity is high with the user community.
The impact of Chinese direct investments on employment in Africa
Authors: Nabil Khodeir Aliaa
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Chinese direct investments play a very prominent role in economic interactions with many African countries and result in many economic effects. This study aims to identify the employment effect of Chinese direct investments in Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper empirically investigates the employment effects of Chinese direct investments using a panel data approach over the period 2007-2012.

Findings

The results suggested that for Africa as a whole, represented in 38 countries, Chinese direct investments had a significant positive effect on employment. They also indicated that the education level supported employment. In southern Africa, represented in 32 countries, the results were the same. So, there is a need to encourage and diversify Chinese investments. However, in northern Africa, represented in six countries, the results indicated that Chinese direct investments had an insignificant effect on employment, while education still had its positive effect. Therefore, it is important for northern African Governments to ensure issues like job creation and technology transfer in any future investment projects with China.

Originality/value

This study is characterized by the following contributions: it deals with a gap in the economic knowledge concerning the impact of Chinese investments on employment. Most of the previous studies have focused on the determinants of these investments or on their economic growth effects. It is the first study that measures the employment impact of Chinese investments in Africa at both macro and regional levels. The study deals with the period of financial crisis and its ensuing repercussions on the movement of investments, and this makes it more reflective of current developments through the most recent data available.
Dodd-frank implementation update: key differences between the CFTC and SEC final business conduct standards and related cross-border requirements
Authors: Architzel Paul M. , Berkovitz Dan M. , Bernstein Gail , Davis Seth , Serafini Ted
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To analyze the differences between the SEC’s newly adopted final business conduct rules for security-based swap dealers and major security-based swap participants under Section 15F(h) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the parallel rules promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act by the CFTC with respect to swap dealers and major swap participants.

Design/methodology/approach

This article discusses select rules under each regulatory regime and highlights the major differences and potential effects of each.

Findings

This article concludes that while the SEC’s intent was to harmonize its final rules with the parallel CFTC rules, there are substantive differences between the two sets of rules that firms should consider when deciding how to structure their security-based swap dealer activities.

Originality/value

This article contains insightful analysis of the newly adopted SEC Business Conduct Rules and highlights some of the ways firms will likely be affected moving forward.
Sun capital: PE funds face increased ERISA exposure
Authors: Bintz Edward , Pelley Douglas , Hughes Gregory
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To explain the implications of a March 2016 US District Court decision in Sun Capital concerning two private equity funds’ joint and several liability for the withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan by a bankrupt portfolio company.

Design/methodology/approach

Explains controlled group liability under Title IV of ERISA, strategies employed by private equity funds to avoid such liability, two earlier stages of the Sun Capital litigation, and the rationale for the current court decision. Makes observations.

Findings

The court held that two private equity funds were jointly and severally liable under Title IV of ERISA for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability incurred by a bankrupt portfolio company that was jointly owned by the funds based on the novel (and troubling) rationale that a “partnership in fact” existed between the funds, despite neither fund separately owning a sufficient percentage of the portfolio company to be exposed to joint and several liability under Title IV’s controlled group rules. The decision is disturbing because it marks a significant change in the law; it upsets longstanding strategies used by funds and other investors to insulate themselves from ERISA liabilities.

Originality/value

Expert analysis from experienced employee benefits and compensation lawyers.
Current data security issues for financial services firms
Authors: Sipes Elizabeth Kemery , James Joshua , Zetoony David
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To provide a roadmap for financial services firms in designing some key policies and procedures relating to their cybersecurity programs, including document retention policies, creating incident response plans, and starting or evaluating a bounty program.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is divided into three parts: how to design a document retention policy, how to draft an effective incident response plan, data privacy considerations for starting or evaluating a bounty program. The information is presented in narrative form as well as through a series of practical checklists, questions for consideration and tables to represent data collected from other sources or analyzed by the authors.

Findings

This article identifies best practices for data security with respect to document retention policies, incident response plans and bounty programs.

Originality/value

This article includes practical guidance regarding document retention policies, incident response plans and bounty programs from lawyers with experience in data privacy and security, investment management and fund formation. This information is of value to financial services firms, which face potential financial implications and increasing regulatory ramifications, including enforcement actions, fines and penalties, for the failure to adopt tailored cybersecurity programs.
Do banks react to earnings quality in a privately-dominated context?
Authors: Sánchez Santiago , Dallo Fermín Lizarraga , Ajona Laura Arnedo , Rodriguez Manolo Cano
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Taking into account that debtholders bear most of the risks in the case of failure (Jensen and Meckling, 1976), earnings quality is valuable for debtholder decision makers as a monitoring mechanism and as a signal of credibility that reduces information asymmetries. In this sense, this paper aims to analyze whether banks carry out an earnings quality analysis in their lending decision processes and, in particular, how carefully they do it.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors focus on data from pre-bankruptcy companies because both earnings management and the potential costs faced by auditors increase considerably during the process towards failure. To test the hypotheses, the authors run separate multivariate regressions of price (cost of debt) and non-price (credit availability) lending decisions on different proxies for earnings quality. The authors use Big N and modified audit reports as a proxy for audit quality. Additionally, they use discretionary accruals as a proxy of accounting numbers quality.

Findings

The results show that banks do consider their borrowers’ quality of earnings, but they do it quite cursorily, that is, without taking advantage of all the possibilities offered by an effective combination of external and internal proxies.

Research limitations/implications

The inferences apply only to financially distressed private firms, so they are not generalizable to other contexts with low ownership concentration or with a less severe risk of failure.

Practical implications

The language used by the auditors in the audit report, particularly in generally accepted accounting principles violations, might not be clear enough for the user to undo the specific distortions in the financial statements.

Originality/value

The authors provide evidence of how banks incorporate earnings quality into their lending decisions, prior research has analyzed them either separately or from an equity market perspective. Moreover, the authors also add to the debt-covenant literature by explicitly showing that manipulation helps managers to achieve better lending conditions.
Direct laser deposition of Ti-6Al-4V from elemental powder blends
Authors: Yan Lei , Chen Xueyang , Li Wei , Newkirk Joseph , Liou Frank
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to achieve Ti-6Al-4V from Ti, Al and V elemental powder blends using direct laser deposition (DLD) and to understand the effects of laser transverse speed and laser power on the initial fabrication of deposit’s microstructure and Vickers hardness.

Design/methodology/approach

Two sets of powder blends with different weight percentage ratio for three elemental powder were used during DLD process. Five experiments with different processing parameters were performed to evaluate how microstructure and Vickers hardness change with laser power and laser transverse speed. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, optical microscopy and Vickers hardness test were used to analyze deposits’ properties.

Findings

This paper reveals that significant variance of elemental powder’s size and density would cause lack of weight percentage of certain elements in final part and using multiple coaxial powder nozzles design would be a solution. Also, higher laser power or slower laser transverse speed tend to benefit the formation of finer microstructures and increase Vickers hardness.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates a new method to fabricate Ti-6Al-4V and gives out a possible weight percentage ratio 87:7:6 for Ti:Al:V at powder blends during DLD process. The relationship between microstructure and Vickers hardness with laser power and laser transverse speed would provide valuable reference for people working on tailoring material properties using elemental powder method.
Lean and green synergies in supply chain management
Authors: Campos Lucila M.S. , Vazquez-Brust Diego A.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how synergies between lean and green supply chain practices emerge. In particular, the authors explore which practices identified in the literature are actually implemented in a synergic way and determine what synergic results they bring.

Design/methodology/approach

An in-depth case study of the Brazilian subsidiary of a large multinational company was conducted using interviews, in-plant observations and document analysis.

Findings

The majority of the practices (26 out of 31) bring synergic results to lean and green performance. Synergies can emerge spontaneously (rather than being strategized) even when the implementation of green and lean practices is compartmentalized in different areas, with no department or supportive management team to treat them in a joined way. The strongest synergic results are found in practices related to suppliers and customers because these supply chain actors act as bridges between the lean and green areas.

Research limitations/implications

The authors did not have access to the company customers and suppliers. This restriction made the analysis of drivers skewed towards the perspective of the focal company and the way they framed their interactions. Second, the assessment of synergies was in the majority of cases qualitative.

Originality/value

Empirically, it is the first time that all synergic practices identified in the literature are explored through a case study. Theoretically, the authors developed a model of determinants of lean and green synergies based on constructs emerging from the data; behavioural literature in synergies and research on synergies in mergers and acquisitions.
Who’s to blame or praise? Performance attribution challenges in outsourced service provision in supply chains
Authors: Selviaridis Kostas
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand the antecedents and effects of performance attribution challenges arising in the provision of business-to-business (B2B) services in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on three in-depth case studies of logistics service providers (LSPs) offering supply chain solutions to their clients in Sweden. The analysis of performance attribution challenges and their antecedents and effects is based on 38 semi-structured interviews and review of 43 documents, including contracts and performance monitoring records.

Findings

Three key antecedents of performance attribution challenges are stressed. Two of these, the inseparability and contestability of service inputs, are closely related to the notion of service co-production. The third antecedent is the limited provider capability in performance data collection and analysis. Performance attribution challenges may result in provider aversion to performance-related risk and have a harmful effect on client relationships, for example, in terms of provider perceptions of opportunism and unfair allocation of gains. These effects can be mitigated through contracting, interventions in performance measurement system design and deployment of relational mechanisms.

Research limitations/implications

The paper extends the service management literature that emphasises on service co-production by suggesting that inputs of the client firm and its supply chain partners may not only vary in quality but also can be inseparable from provider inputs and highly contestable. It also empirically demonstrates how performance attribution challenges and their antecedents and effects manifest themselves in B2B service provision, as opposed to supply chain settings where the main user of logistics services is the consumer.

Practical implications

LSP managers should contract for performance based on high-quality and incontestable external inputs they rely upon. Contractual specifications (performance indicators and related incentives) should explicate and consider the inputs required by clients and their supply chain partners to minimise their contestability.

Originality/value

The study proposes an empirically based framework of the antecedents and effects of performance attribution challenges, an issue that has received scant attention in logistics outsourcing research and the business services literature more broadly.
A strategy for an accurate estimation of the basal permittivity in the Martian North Polar Layered Deposits
Authors: Lauro S.E. , Gennarelli G. , Pettinelli E. , Soldovieri F. , Cantini F. , Rossi A.P. , Orosei R.
Published: September 2016

This paper deals with the investigation of the Mars subsurface by means of data collected by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding working at few megahertz frequencies. A data processing strategy, which combines a simple inversion model and an accurate procedure for data selection is presented. This strategy permits to mitigate the theoretical and practical difficulties of the inverse problem arising because of the inaccurate knowledge of the parameters regarding both the scenario under investigation and the radiated electromagnetic field impinging on the Mars surface. The results presented in this paper show that it is possible to reliably retrieve the electromagnetic properties of deeper structures if such strategy is accurately applied. An example is given here, where the analysis of the data collected on Gemina Lingula, a region of the North Polar layer deposits, allowed us to retrieve permittivity values for the basal unit in agreement with those usually associated to the Earth basaltic rocks.
How individual Montagu's Harriers cope with Moreau's Paradox during the Sahelian winter
Authors: Schlaich Almut Ellinor , Klaassen Raymond H. G. , Bouten Willem , Bretagnolle Vincent , Koks Ben Johannes , Villers Alexandre , Both Christiaan
Published: September 2016

Hundreds of millions of Afro‐Palaearctic migrants winter in the Sahel, a semi‐arid belt south of the Sahara desert, where they experience deteriorating ecological conditions during their overwintering stay and have to prepare for spring migration when conditions are worst. This well‐known phenomenon was first described by R.E. Moreau and is known ever since as Moreau's Paradox. However, empirical evidence of the deteriorating seasonal ecological conditions is limited and little is known on how birds respond.

Montagu's HarriersCircus pygargusspend 6 months of the year in their wintering areas in the Sahel. Within the wintering season, birds move gradually to the south, visiting several distinct sites to which they are site‐faithful in consecutive years. At the last wintering site, birds find themselves at the southern edge of the Sahelian zone and have no other options than facing deteriorating conditions.

We tracked 36 Montagu's Harriers withGPStrackers to study their habitat use and behaviour during winter and collected data on the abundance of their main prey, grasshoppers, in Senegal. Since grasshopper abundance was positively related to vegetation greenness (measured as normalized difference vegetation index,NDVI), we usedNDVIvalues as a proxy for prey abundance in areas where no field data were collected. Prey abundance (grasshopper counts and vegetation greenness) at wintering sites of Montagu's Harriers decreased during the wintering period.

Montagu's Harriers responded to decreasing food availability by increasing their flight time during the second half of the winter. Individuals increased flight time more in areas with stronger declines inNDVIvalues, suggesting that lower food abundance required more intense foraging to achieve energy requirements. The apparent consequence was that Montagu's Harriers departed later in spring when their final wintering site had lowerNDVIvalues and presumably lower food abundance and consequently arrived later at their breeding site.

Our results confirmed the suggestions Moreau made 40 years ago: the late wintering period might be a bottleneck during the annual cycle with possible carry‐over effects to the breeding season. Ongoing climate change with less rainfall in the Sahel region paired with increased human pressure on natural and agricultural habitats resulting in degradation and desertification is likely to make this period more demanding, which may negatively impact populations of migratory birds using the Sahel.
Woody plant biomass and carbon exchange depend on elephant‐fire interactions across a productivity gradient in African savanna
Authors: Pellegrini Adam F. A. , Pringle Robert M. , Govender Navashni , Hedin Lars. O.
Published: September 2016

Elephants and fire are individually well‐known disturbance agents within savanna ecosystems, but their interactive role in governing tree‐cover dynamics and savanna–forest biome boundaries remains unresolved. Of central importance are the mechanisms by which elephants vs. fire affect tree biomass and cover, and how – over long time periods – both factors interact with rainfall and soils to govern tree biomass and carbon dynamics.

Here, we evaluated the response of woody vegetation to 56 years of fire manipulation in South Africa's Kruger National Park, with three fire regimes (annual, triennial and unburned) replicated across a productivity gradient and subject to two periods of contrasting elephant abundances (generated by the cessation of culling in 1994).

Higher fire frequencies had a negative effect on woody biomass in the low‐elephant period, but this effect was weak to negligible in the high‐elephant period as the difference among fire treatments diminished. Moreover, elephants removed increasing amounts of woody biomass as productivity increased across study sites, but fire did not. We infer that elephant‐induced tree mortality could overcome increases in woody‐plant productivity, while fire‐induced mortality alone could not.

Elephants caused woody‐plant carbon to shift from a sink to a source; this effect was independent of fire treatment, with highest rates of net carbon removal in the wettest and most productive site.

Synthesis. Our results reveal a context‐dependent interaction between fire and elephants as disturbance agents in savanna: the influence of fire on woody plants was sensitive to the abundance of elephants and diminished with increased plant productivity. In contrast, elephants were capable of shifting landscapes from relatively dense woodland to open savanna, even in unburned sites, and exerted strong impacts irrespective of site conditions and plant productivity.
Endogenous Growth and Intellectual Property Rights: A North–South Modelling Proposal with Population Ageing
Authors: Azevedo Mónica L. , Afonso Óscar , Silva Sandra T.
Published: September 2016

This paper studies the effect of intellectual property rights (IPR) on economic growth, in the light of population ageing, i.e., in a more realistic context. The analysis is motivated by the implications of population ageing on economic growth. Moreover, this study analyses this relationship in a north–south framework where there is a healthcare sector. We conclude that population ageing has no impact on the sign of the IPR effect on economic growth. However, it positively affects the steady‐state growth rate. Finally, under some conditions, the presence of the healthcare sector also increases the steady‐state growth rate.
Word catheter and marsupialisation in women with a cyst or abscess of the Bartholin gland (WoMan‐trial): a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Kroese JA , van der Velde M , Morssink LP , Zafarmand MH , Geomini P , van Kesteren PJM , Radder CM , van der Voet LF , Roovers JPWR , Graziosi GCM , van Baal WM , van Bavel J , Catshoek R , Klinkert ER , Huirne JAF , Clark TJ , Mol BWJ , Reesink‐Peters N
Published: September 2016

Objective

To compare recurrence of a cyst or abscess of the Bartholin gland after surgical treatment using a Word catheter or marsupialisation.

Design

Multicentre, open‐label, randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Eighteen hospitals in the Netherlands and one hospital in England.

Population

Women with a symptomatic cyst or abscess of the Bartholin gland.

Methods

Women were randomised to treatment with Word catheter or marsupialisation.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was recurrence of the cyst or abscess within 1 year of treatment. The secondary outcomes included pain during and after treatment (measured on a 10‐point scale), use of analgesics, and time from diagnosis to treatment. Analysis was by intention‐to‐treat. To assess whether marsupialisation would reduce the recurrence rate by 5% (from 20 to 15%) we needed to include 160 women (alpha error 0.05, beta error 0.2).

Results

One hundred and sixty‐one women were randomly allocated to treatment by Word catheter (n = 82) or marsupialisation (n = 79) between August 2010 and May 2014. Baseline characteristics were comparable. Recurrence occurred in 10 women (12%) allocated to Word catheter versus eight women (10%) allocated to marsupialisation: relative risk (RR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64–1.91; P = 0.70. Pain scores after treatment were also comparable. In the first 24 hours after treatment, 33% used analgesics in the Word catheter group versus 74% in the marsupialisation group (P < 0.001). Time from diagnosis to treatment was 1 hour for placement of Word catheter versus 4 hours for marsupialisation (P = 0.001).

Conclusions

In women with an abscess or cyst of the Bartholin gland, treatment with Word catheter and marsupialisation results in comparable recurrence rates.

Tweetable abstract

Comparable recurrence rates for treatment of Bartholinic abscess/cyst with Word catheter and marsupialisation.
Fiscal consolidation under electoral risk
Authors: HÜBSCHER EVELYNE , SATTLER THOMAS
Published: September 2016

The European debt crisis has uncovered serious tension between democratic politics and market pressure in contemporary democracies. This tension arises when governments implement unpopular fiscal consolidation packages in order to raise their macroeconomic credibility among financial investors. Nonetheless, the dominant view in current research is that governments should not find it difficult to balance demands from voters and investors because the economic and political costs of fiscal consolidations are low. This would leave governments with sufficient room to promote fiscal consolidation according to their ideological agenda. This article re‐examines this proposition by studying how the risk of governments to be replaced in office affects the probability and timing of fiscal consolidation policies. The results show that governments associate significant electoral risk with consolidations because electorally vulnerable governments strategically avoid consolidations towards the end of the legislative term in order to minimise electoral punishment. Specifically, the predicted probability of consolidation decreases from 40 per cent after an election to 13 per cent towards the end of the term when the government's margin of victory is small. When the electoral margin is large, the probability of consolidation is roughly stable at around 35 per cent. Electoral concerns are the most important political determinant of consolidations, leaving only a minor role for ideological concerns. Governments, hence, find it more difficult to reconcile political and economic pressures on fiscal policy than previous, influential research implies. The results suggest that existing studies under‐estimate the electoral risk associated with consolidations because they ignore the strategic behaviour that is established in this analysis.
Trends in fluid consumption and beverage choices among adults reveal preferences for ayran and black tea in central Turkey
Authors: Nergiz‐Unal Reyhan , Akal Yildiz Emine , Samur Gülhan , Besler H. Tanju , Rakicioğlu Neslisşah
Published: September 2016

Aim

Beverages are globally significant sources of water in the diet. There is a lack of knowledge about fluid intake from beverage and water consumption in Turkey. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the type of drinks preferred at meals and snacks as well as the daily fluid, beverage and water intakes based on age and gender.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey was administered to 3411 randomly chosen adult participants (n = 1522 male, n = 1919 female) representing the general profile of central Turkey. The survey consisted of a demographic/personal information questionnaire, 24‐hour dietary recalls and mealtime‐based beverage frequency questionnaires. Body weights and heights were measured.

Results

Daily average total fluid consumption was 2270 mL/day, of which water was 1470 mL/day, and other beverages were 800 mL/day. More than 90% of the participants drank black tea at breakfast and snacks. For lunch and dinner, young participants’ major choices were carbonated soft drinks followed by ayran (diluted salty plain yoghurt); middle aged and older participants’ choices were ayran followed by black tea. Carbonated soft drinks were preferred over ayran in subjects aged 19–39 years.

Conclusions

Older participants prefer healthy, traditional choices such as ayran and black tea, but younger participants prefer high energy‐containing drinks with low nutritional value. Thus, this unique information contributes to the data on beverage consumption patterns in different countries and might be useful for increasing consumption of nutritious fluids and decreasing sugar usage in Turkey.
Shared Decision Making in the Emergency Department Among Patients With Limited Health Literacy: Beyond Slower and Louder
Authors: Griffey Richard T. , McNaughton Candace D. , McCarthy Danielle M. , Shelton Erica , Castaneda‐Guarderas Ana , Young‐Brinn Angela , Fowler Donna , Grudszen Corita
Published: September 2016

Although studies suggest that patients with limited health literacy and/or low numeracy skills may stand to gain the most from shared decision making (SDM), the impact of these conditions on the effective implementation of SDM in the emergency department (ED) is not well understood. In this article from the proceedings of the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on Shared Decision Making in the Emergency Department we discuss knowledge gaps identified and propose consensus‐driven research priorities to help guide future work to improve SDM for this patient population in the ED.
First records of Uroleucon erigeronense (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Conyza (Asteraceae) from Australia, with descriptions of morphological variation, biological notes and an update for commonly used keys
Authors: Brumley Cameron , Watson Luke
Published: September 2016

We provide the first records of the aphid Uroleucon (Lambersius) erigeronense (Thomas, 1878) on Conyza (Asteraceae) from Australia, within New South Wales (including Norfolk Island), the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Western Australia. This is the second recorded species of the genus Uroleucon and the first recorded species of the subgenus Lambersius from Australia. We also present biological and morphological information on these Australian records, collate known geographic distribution and known host plants, suggest changes to widely used identification keys and discuss the potential impact of the aphid in Australia.