bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management strategies for sustaining Lesson Study
Authors: Cheng Eric C.K.
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is explore the relative effectiveness of people-based and information technology-based knowledge management (KM) strategies as implemented by principals in Hong Kong schools to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study for teachers’ knowledge sharing and internalization.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 184 principals in Hong Kong were collected by a cross-sectional quantitative survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests have been used to examine the constructed validity and reliability of the instrument. A structural equation model was applied to confirm the predictive effect of people-based and information technology-based KM strategies on teachers’ knowledge sharing and internalization through Lesson Study.

Findings

Results show that people-based KM strategy predicts knowledge sharing and internalization by and among teachers. However, while information technology-based knowledge management strategies predict teachers’ knowledge sharing, they do not predict how effectively they internalize knowledge.

Practical implications

Cultivating communities of practice, professional learning communities and mentoring schemes in schools can nurture a knowledge-sharing culture to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study for teacher learning. Institutionalizing an information technology system can help teachers to retrieve, share and store the school’s explicit knowledge.

Originality/value

The paper not only suggests school management strategies and practices for school leaders to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study, but also brings a new research dimension, KM, to the research area.
Neoliberal corporate governance mechanisms
Authors: Nwoke Uchechukwu
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and analyze the neoliberal, Anglo-American corporate governance mechanisms which embed shareholder value in Nigeria, and assess how they constitute major “practical barriers” to effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the country. While some of these mechanisms operate internally – performance-related pay (executive remuneration) – the use of non-executive directors – others operate externally – the markets for corporate control and the stock markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts the doctrinal approach through a critical evaluation of concepts. Using existing literature in the subject area, it evaluates the nature of these mechanisms and argues that their operations amount to “practical barriers” to effective CSR in the country.

Findings

The paper finds that the existence of these mechanisms incentivizes corporate managers to maximize shareholder value and raise the share price of corporations as high as possible. It also leads to the financialization of corporate governance, rent seeking and the pursuit of short-term profits by corporations. In this context, within the Nigerian corporate governance framework, the existence and operations of these mechanisms amount to “practical barriers” to effective CSR.

Originality/value

The paper offers a fresh insight into the existence and operations of the neoliberal corporate governance mechanisms which embed shareholder value. By critically assessing the operations of these mechanisms in the Nigerian situation, it extends the body of knowledge in this area by showing how they amount to practical barriers to effective CSR in the country.
Examining the influence of expatriates’ social capital and knowledge-sharing behavior on financial performance
Authors: Wu Wann Yih , Lee Li Yueh , Pham That Thi
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of expatriate’s social capital and knowledge sharing on multinational companies’ (MNCs) financial performance, with a specific focus on the influence of trust, commitment, organizational support and the four elements of balanced scorecard (BSC).

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted using expatriates of MNCs in Taiwan as the respondents.

Findings

Trust and organizational support are significant predictors of knowledge sharing and social capital, which further facilitate their influence on learning and growth, customer satisfaction, internal process improvement and financial performance of MNCs. Besides, social capital serves as an accelerate agent to promote the influence of trust on knowledge sharing, and customer satisfaction serves as a catalyst on the influence of learning and growth and internal process on a firms’ financial performance.

Practical implications

This study provides a clear articulation of the role of knowledge sharing on the financial performance and its moderation effect on the elements of BSC. Trust and organizational support are essential for knowledge sharing and expatriates’ social capital. The roles of social capital and knowledge sharing are critical for expatriates to be success in the overseas market places.

Originality/value

Since the evidences regarding expatriate performance rarely integrate the variables of social capital, knowledge sharing and BSC into a more comprehensive framework, the results of this study can be an important reference for academicians to do further validation. These results are also critical for practitioners to develop dispatching policies for the expatriates in the oversea market places.
Decent work’s contribution to the economy for the common good
Authors: Pereira Susana Alves , dos Santos Nuno Rebelo , Pais Leonor
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to relate conceptually decent work and the economy for the common good describing the main contributions of the former to the latter.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper analyses the relationships between the values of the economy for the common good that have been explicitly stated and the psychological dimensions of the decent work concept.

Findings

Four conceptual propositions concerning the contributions of decent work to the economy for the common good are presented.

Research limitations/implications

Because the four conceptual propositions were not submitted to empirical research, future studies are suggested.

Practical implications

The pursuit of decent work is aligned with the economy for the common good, which contributes to reinforcing both proposals.

Social implications

Both decent work and the economy for the common good are synergistic and values-based approaches that consider the social system as a whole instead of proposing strategies to improve the competitive advantage of one over the other. This synergistic idea through cooperation contributes to overcoming the limitations of “business as usual”.

Originality/value

This is the first paper discussing the relationships between decent work and the economy for the common good.
Study on the correlation between the running-in attractor and the wear particle group
Authors: Ding Cong , Zhou Zhen-Yu , Yuan Zhi-Peng , Zhu Hua , Piao Zhong-Yu
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the correlation between the dynamic features of the running-in attractor and the wear particle group, so as to characterize the running-in attractor by means of the wear particle group.

Design/methodology/approach

Wear particles are collected in phased wear experiments, and their dynamic features are investigated by the equivalent mean chord length L. Then, the correlation between the equivalent mean chord length L and the correlation dimension D of the running-in attractor is studied.

Findings

In the wear process, the equivalent means chord length L first decreases, then remains steady, and finally increases, this process agrees with the increase, stabilization and decrease of the correlation dimension D. Therefore, the wear particle group has a dynamic nature, which characterizes the formation, stabilization, and disappearance of a running-in attractor. Consequently, the dynamic characteristics and evolution of a running-in attractor can be revealed by the wear particle group.

Originality/value

The intrinsic relationship between the wear particle group and the running-in attractor is proved, and this is advantageous for further revealing the dynamic features of the running-in attractor and identifying the wear states.
Research on the shared control technology for robotic wheelchairs based on topological map
Authors: Wang Fei , Liu Yuqiang , Zhang Yahui , Gao Yu , Xiao Ling , Wu Chengdong
Published: December 2019

Purpose

A robotic wheelchair system was designed to assist disabled people with disabilities to walk.

Design/methodology/approach

An anticipated sharing control strategy based on topological map is proposed in this paper, which is used to assist robotic wheelchairs to realize interactive navigation. Then, a robotic wheelchair navigation control system based on the brain-computer interface and topological map was designed and implemented.

Findings

In the field of robotic wheelchairs, the problems of poor use, narrow application range and low humanization are still not improved.

Originality/value

In the system, the topological map construction is not restricted by the environment structure, which helps to expand the scope of application; the shared control system can predict the users’ intention and replace the users’ decision to realize human-machine interactive navigation, which has higher security, robustness and comfort.
Vancouver pre-1940 houses: a cache for old-growth forest wood
Authors: Teshnizi Zahra
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Single-family houses in Vancouver that were built prior to 1940 are a cache of wood from British Columbia (BC) old-growth forests. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the environmental and heritage values of maintaining this finite resource, assess the current policy and regulatory efforts of the City of Vancouver to save this resource and recommend further opportunities to improve and expedite these efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the City of Vancouver as a case study, this paper identifies effective policy practices to encourage and facilitate salvaging and reusing old wood resources. Additionally, the paper discusses the key challenges and risks that need to be addressed for these policy approaches to succeed.

Findings

Pre-1940 houses constitute about 40 percent of single-family houses that have been demolished in Vancouver in the past few years. The City of Vancouver enacted the Green Demolition Bylaw in 2014 requiring a minimum of 75 percent diversion of demolition waste. However, wood from these houses has been mainly chipped and recycled as biomass fuel or landscape mulch rather than reused. The result shows that regulatory enforcement along with support for infrastructure development may be crucial to protect the remainder of this valuable heritage resource.

Originality/value

This paper considers the environmental and heritage values of wood elements used in old houses and recommends further policy and regulatory interventions to maximize wood salvaging and reuse. Since protecting entire houses may not be always feasible, retention of wood elements is proposed as an alternative path for maintaining and cherishing this ancient and irreplaceable heritage.
Creating with traces of life: waste, reuse and design
Authors: Appelgren Staffan
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to adopt posthumanist perspectives on waste as traces of life to investigate how the alternative heritage work of redesigners transforms discarded building materials into reuse interior designs. It combines recent research on waste, shifting focus from representational and symbolic aspects to its material and indexical relations to human life, with critical perspectives emphasising heritage as encompassing different and ambiguous ways of engaging with material transformation over time.

Design/methodology/approach

Anthropological fieldwork involving participant observation was conducted over six months to closely examine the entanglement between redesigners and reuse materials in interior design work.

Findings

The sensory ethnographic approach reveals how materials are approached as unfolding processes rather than closed objects. Tracing how redesigners capitalise on the ambiguity of traces of life in building materials, the paper shows how uncertainty and risk are inevitable companions when working with reuse. To rehabilitate used things, and reassociate with materials classified as waste or heritage, means following their trajectories of becoming and responding to their signs of life. While involving important benefits, this often leads to the inconvenient and risky mess characteristic of an interconnected and entangled multispecies world.

Originality/value

Ethnographic analyses of reuse design are few. In particular, there is a lack of studies informed by posthumanist theories recognising the social and ecological embeddedness and mutual entanglement of humans and materials. By studying practices for extending the lifespan of salvaged materials external to formal heritage management this paper contributes with perspectives to revitalise heritage practices, while highlighting the neglect of socio-historic values of materials within circular economy.
Real estate agent dynamism and licensing entry barriers
Authors: Ingram Samuel J. , Yelowitz Aaron
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the labor market entry of real estate agents in the USA and the potential effect of occupational licensing on entry.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from the 2012 to 2017 American Community Survey are linked to local housing price fluctuations from the Federal Housing Finance Agency for 100 large metro areas. The cost of entry associated with occupational licensing for new real estate agents is carefully measured for each market and interacted with housing fluctuations to investigate the role for barriers to entry.

Findings

A 10 percent increase in housing prices is associated with a 4 percent increase in the number of agents. However, increased license stringency reduces the labor market response by 30 percent. The impact of licensing is stronger for women and younger workers.

Originality/value

This work contributes to the growing literature investigating the impact of occupational licensing on labor supply and entry in the USA, as well as potential impacts of regulation on dynamism and entrepreneurship. To the authors’ knowledge, this study is also the first to quantify the cost of occupational licensing in the real estate industry.
Operating performance of acquirers after acquisition: evidence from India
Authors: Dixit Bipin Kumar
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the operating performance of Indian using difference-in-difference (DD) methodology. It, further, examines whether there is a difference in the operating performance of acquirers doing partial and full acquisitions.

Design/methodology/approach

Four different benchmark criteria are used to select control firms, namely, size, size and industry, size and leverage, and size and book-to-market ratio. To measure the operating performance, return on assets (ROA) is calculated as the ratio between earnings before depreciation, interest, tax and amortization (EBDITA) and total assets (TA), expressed in percentage. This paper examines the ROA of event and control firms for three years in each pre- and post-acquisition period and finally compares them using the DD method.

Findings

Using a sample of Indian acquirers, the results show that the operating performance of Indian acquirers neither improves nor deteriorates after accounting for an appropriate benchmark. Operating performance of event firms significantly reduces in the post-acquisition period. However, non-acquiring firms of similar size and pre-operating performance also exhibit similar results. Finally results show that, the operating performance of acquirers making full acquisitions deteriorates.

Originality/value

It provides insights into the operating performance of Indian acquirers with an improved methodology, which accounts for the performance of control firms. The author also uses multiple matching criteria to find control firms to overcome the possible bias of the results dependent on the matching criteria. To the best of the author’s knowledge, the author could not find other studies comparing the operating performance of acquirers making partial and full acquisitions.
The role of controlling shareholders in determining investments of intellectual capital among Taiwanese semiconductor companies
Authors: Hsieh Chin-Hsien , Ting Irene Wei Kiong , Asif Jawad , Le Hanh Thi My
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Although intellectual capital (IC) has been proven to be value-added for companies, the drivers of IC performance remain an under-researched area. From the perspective of corporate governance, the purpose of this paper is to examine how controlling the ownership of shareholders would influence IC performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized value-added intellectual capital (VAICTM) and its subcomponents, namely human capital, structural capital and capital employed efficiencies, to proxy for IC performance and regression analyses to assess the association between controlling the ownership of shareholders and the IC performance of Taiwanese listed semiconductor firms for the years 2009–2017.

Findings

Results show that controlling the ownership of shareholders is nonlinearly related to IC performance. Specifically, controlling their ownership positively affects the level of IC performance up to an optimal point before it turns to be a negative relationship thereafter.

Practical implications

The results of this study can help policy makers and other stakeholders understand the role of controlling shareholders in determining IC performance. The findings of this study suggest a nonlinear relationship between controlling the ownership of shareholders and IC.

Originality/value

This study provides an extended perspective in studies related to the determinants of IC by considering the resources provided by controlling shareholders. The definitions of controlling interests and IC applied in this study are compared and aligned with those found in the International Financial Reporting Standard 10 – Consolidated Financial Statements and the International Integrated Reporting Council, respectively.
How do innovation and sustainability contribute to generate retail equity? Evidence from Spanish retailing
Authors: Marín-García Antonio , Gil-Saura Irene , Ruíz-Molina M. Eugenia
Published: December 2019

Purpose

In the current dynamic and competitive environment in which retail companies operate, store equity is a differentiating factor. In view of the scarce research found regarding the links between the variables traditionally related to brand equity (store awareness, store image, store perceived quality and store loyalty) and innovation, sustainability and the global retail equity, this study aims to examine these links in depth.

Design/methodology/approach

For a sample of 510 customers of grocery retail establishments and with the help of a structured questionnaire, the relationships between the variables defined in this research were examined using a structural equations model.

Findings

The authors find evidence in favor of the positive influence of innovation and sustainability on the variables related to brand equity. Likewise, store loyalty to the establishment, influenced by store image and perceived quality, emerges as a key variable in the construction of global brand equity.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows that innovation and sustainability have a significant impact on the variables traditionally linked with brand equity.

Practical implications

This research shows that new business models should be created through more innovative and sustainable businesses. In this sense, the managers of retail stores should direct their efforts toward actions aimed at implementing innovation, as well as provide evidence of the sustainability of the store’s activities, with the purpose of improving the perception that consumers have of the store.

Originality/value

The results of this research support the role of store loyalty as key element of brand equity. Also, to the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that addresses the relationship that innovation and sustainability have with the variables linked to store equity.
The use of performance-based contracting in managing the outsourcing of a reliability-centered maintenance program
Authors: Ahmed Mirghani N.
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the use of performance-based contracting in the outsourcing of a reliability-centered maintenance program of a Gulf oil refinery.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study method is used whereby data are collected through semi-structured interviews, informal discussions with executives from the participant companies, in addition to official documents and secondary materials.

Findings

The case analysis reveals the use of a risk–reward payment scheme and key performance indicators (KPIs) deployed to support the management of the outsourced maintenance function. The financial incentive scheme was clearly designed to motivate the outsourcing contractor to achieve more financial benefits when meeting a defined set of KPIs while also delivering operating cost savings and other qualitative benefits to the outsourcing company. Managing the outsourced function also involved the use of routine budgetary control systems, in addition to other informal control mechanisms such as trust, knowledge sharing, mutual understanding and co-operation between the two collaborative partners.

Practical implications

The evidence presented in the case description and analysis may assist in increasing the understanding of how outsourcing relationships in maintenance business are managed and evaluated. The case findings may also provide the opportunity for further research investigating the use of performance measurement systems and incentive-based schemes in a variety of maintenance contracts.

Originality/value

The case study presents new empirical evidence on the use of performance risk–reward payment schemes in the management of an outsourcing relationship. Findings reported in the study will add to the existing literature on maintenance performance measurement and management practices in outsourcing relationships.
Self-evaluation of knowledge sharing through the lens of social comparison theory
Authors: Heo Misook , Toomey Natalie , Song Jung Sook
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how different types of contribution awareness information influence knowledge sharing motivation and contribution persistence.

Design/methodology/approach

The independent variable of this experimental study was contribution awareness information with four levels: self-contribution, absolute social-comparison, relative social-comparison and control. The dependent variables were self-rated knowledge sharing motivation measured on a six-point Likert scale and contribution persistence measured by number of contributions. A total of 182 knowledge workers voluntarily completed online participation. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four intervention groups.

Findings

The study found that the self-contribution group outperformed the other groups in both knowledge sharing motivation and contribution persistence; this observation was significant compared with the absolute social-comparison and control groups. The impact of self-contribution frequency information was stronger for contribution persistence than for self-evaluated knowledge sharing motivation, highlighting the gap between perception and behavior. It is also noteworthy that comparative information negatively influenced knowledge sharing motivation and contribution persistence, implying that social comparison played a role in priming individuals to focus on dissimilarities between the comparison target and themselves.

Originality/value

This study provides behavior-based evidence supporting social comparison theory and the selective accessibility model in the field of knowledge sharing outside of an organizational context. This study also offers the practical advice that participants’ knowledge sharing motivation and contribution persistence, especially newly joining members, can be increased by the inclusion of self-contribution information and conversely decreased by comparative information.
Debates around the nature of knowledge transfer: how well do we know about the construct?
Authors: Thomas Nobin
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Studies have shown that organizations that are capable of effectively transferring knowledge are often more productive than others. At the same time, there is increasing ambiguity regarding how the nature of knowledge transfer affects performance. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the nature of knowledge transfer and to understand why it remains a hindrance to most organizations, even now. This conceptual paper tries to identify the major debates surrounding the nature of knowledge transfer in an organization. The challenges and opportunities facing research on knowledge transfer are also elaborated.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper is structured to first provide a brief summary of the construct of knowledge transfer and then provide a detailed account of research that highlights the major findings regarding the nature of knowledge transfer and their relation to the current themes. A selective review of the literature was carried out in this paper instead of a meta-analysis. The papers were identified through popular databases. The authors also examined the references of selected papers to provide a comprehensive review of the construct.

Findings

The debate about codification of knowledge that has stimulated the academic community in organizational studies is still in its infancy. The other debates that have been discussed in this paper have either reached their peak or have given way to newer debates. A clear understanding of the significance of the nature of knowledge transfer is very important at this juncture. The model developed toward the end of the paper assumes a path in this direction. The authors also discuss how research on knowledge has both deepened and expanded the authors’ understanding of knowledge transfer since March and Simon (1958).

Originality/value

The debate in the field of organizational studies around the nature of knowledge transfer has been occurring for some time. However, there has not been any final consensus on the nature of knowledge transfer. While looking at these debates with a critical eye, the authors may appear to be cynical about the prospect of an end to these deliberations. The authors conclude the paper with a model that examines knowledge transfer from a broader perspective that encompasses the various theoretical perspectives.
Sharpening Occam’s razor: developing theory to explain the persistent abuse of older people living in care homes
Authors: Moore Steve
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relevance and importance of developing and making use of robust theory to explain and counter the tenacious social anomaly of the abuse of older people who live in care homes.

Design/methodology/approach

The activities of theorising and conducting research to gain revised theoretical comprehension of why abuse occurs in care homes, along with the enduring over reliance of those with an interest in safeguarding on existing theories borrowed from other fields to guide their activities are considered and discussed.

Findings

There is a pressing need for theory based understandings of the continuing abuse of older people and it is apparent that the development of such theory will be more productive if theorising and theory development are specific to certain types of abuse perpetrated in delineated settings.

Practical implications

The paper offers the opportunity for the reader to consider the significance of theorising and developing new theory in order to improve of the protection of potentially vulnerable adults by virtue of the guidance it can provide to the activities of policy makers, managers and practitioners.

Originality/value

This is a conceptual paper from which future theorising and research may arise to better understand the most fundamental causes of the abuse of older people in care homes (and elsewhere) in order to develop feasible and effective measures to overcome it.
Novel AP3B1 compound heterozygous mutations in a Japanese patient with Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome type 2
Authors: Nishikawa Takuro , Okamura Ken , Moriyama Mizuki , Watanabe Kenji , Ibusuki Atsuko , Sameshima Seiji , Masamoto Izumi , Yamazaki Ieharu , Tanita Kay , Kanekura Takuro , Kanegane Hirokazu , Suzuki Tamio , Kawano Yoshifumi
Published: December 2019

Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome type 2 (HPS2) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive inherited disease characterized by partial oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), bleeding diathesis due to a storage pool deficiency and immunodeficiency. The disorder is caused by disruption of the adapter protein 3 complex, which is involved in impaired intracellular vesicle transport. Here, we report the first case of a 1‐year‐old girl with HPS2 in Asia. She had no specific symptoms other than OCA and neutropenia. We analyzed her platelet function using transmission electron microscopy and a platelet aggregation test, cytotoxic degranulation assay of her natural killer (NK) cells and bleeding time, the results of which led to the diagnosis of HPS2. Although her NK‐cell cytotoxic degranulation was impaired, she had not developed signs of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) or fibrosing lung disease. Molecular genetic analyses showed novel heterozygous mutations (c.188T>A [p.M63K] and c.2546>A [p.L849X]) in AP3B1. When examining patients with OCA, blood tests should be performed to confirm neutrophil count, bleeding time and platelet agglutination. When HPS2 is suspected, detailed immunological tests should be considered, and attention should be paid to HLH and pulmonary lesions immediately and over the long term.
Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry as a tool for the rapid determination of the five major minerals (Na, Mg, K, P and Ca) in skim milk powder
Authors: McCarthy William P , Daly Karen , Fenelon Anna , O'Connor Christine , McCarthy Noel A , Hogan Sean A , Tobin John T , O'Callaghan Tom F
Published: December 2019

Milk and dairy products are comprised of a complex matrix of components that can interfere with analysis and, as a result, are often not suitable for direct introduction into analytical instruments. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) can bypass time‐consuming preparation steps, with potential for rapid, onsite analysis of minerals. In this study, five major milk minerals, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and calcium, were quantified in dairy powders, using EDXRF, and the systemic bias of the method was evaluated by Bland–Altman analysis. No significant systemic bias was observed for the quantification of sodium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, meaning that EDXRF has potential to be used as a rapid offline analytical technology suitable for the analysis of these minerals in skim milk powders.
Review article: End‐of‐life care for older people in the emergency department: A scoping review
Authors: Huang Ya‐Ling , Alsaba Nemat , Brookes Gemma , Crilly Julia
Published: December 2019

Older people are increasingly utilising emergency services, often at the end of their life. This scoping review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of available research regarding end‐of‐life (EOL) care for older people in the ED. The Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology guided this review. Databases of CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, SocINDEX and Google Scholar were searched using a combination of terms, including older/aged/geriatrics/elderly, palliative/terminal/end‐of‐life and emergency/emergency service. The search was limited to articles published in English from 2007 to 2018. The level of evidence of included articles was assessed using the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) criteria. Fourteen articles were included. Definitions pertaining to EOL care in the ED vary. Older people presenting to ED at EOL were mostly female, triaged in urgent or semi‐urgent category, presented with diagnoses of advanced cancer, cardiac and pulmonary disease, and dementia with symptoms including pain and breathlessness. Multiple tools pertaining to EOL exist and range from predicting mortality, and assessing functional status, co‐morbidities, symptom distress, palliative care needs, quality of life and caregiver's stress. Outcomes for older people enrolled in specific EOL intervention programmes included lower admission rates, shorter ED length of stay, increased palliative care referral and consultations, and decreased Medicare costs. The NHMRC evidence level of included articles ranged from II to IV. Limited evidence exists regarding the definition, clinical profile, care delivery and outcomes for older people requiring EOL care in the ED. Future research and clinical practice that uses current evidenced‐based policies and guidelines is required.
Raman–deuterium isotope probing to study metabolic activities of single bacterial cells in human intestinal microbiota
Authors: Wang Yi , Xu Jiabao , Kong Lingchao , Liu Tang , Yi Lingbo , Wang Hongjuan , Huang Wei E. , Zheng Chunmiao
Published: December 2019

Human intestinal microbiota is important to host health and is associated with various diseases. It is a challenge to identify the functions and metabolic activity of microorganisms at the single‐cell level in gut microbial community. In this study, we applied Raman microspectroscopy and deuterium isotope probing (Raman–DIP) to quantitatively measure the metabolic activities of intestinal bacteria from two individuals and analysed lipids and phenylalanine metabolic pathways of functional microorganismsin situ. After anaerobically incubating the human faeces with heavy water (D2O), D2O with specific substrates (glucose, tyrosine, tryptophan and oleic acid) and deuterated glucose, the C–D band in single‐cell Raman spectra appeared in some bacteria in faeces, due to the Raman shift from the C–H band. Such Raman shift was used to indicate the general metabolic activity and the activities in response to the specific substrates. In the two individuals' intestinal microbiota, the structures of the microbial communities were different and the general metabolic activities were 76 ± 1.0% and 30 ± 2.0%. We found that glucose, but not tyrosine, tryptophan and oleic acid, significantly stimulated metabolic activity of the intestinal bacteria. We also demonstrated that the bacteria within microbiota preferably used glucose to synthesize fatty acids in faeces environment, whilst they used glucose to synthesize phenylalanine in laboratory growth environment (e.g. LB medium). Our work provides a useful approach for investigating the metabolic activityin situand revealing different pathways of human intestinal microbiota at the single‐cell level.
Immune and nutritional responses of Podisus nigrispinus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymphs sprayed with azadirachtin
Authors: Silva Cristiane T S , Wanderley‐Teixeira Valéria , Cruz Glaucilane S , Cunha Franklin M , Teixeira Álvaro A C
Published: December 2019

Azadirachtin is an efficient biopesticide, and it is considered safe for natural enemies because its mode of action is mainly by ingestion. The predator, Podisus nigrispinus Dallas, is found in various agroecosystems as a potential tool for biological control. However, there is much debate on the safety of this stinkbug if azadirachtin is used. Thus, we evaluated the cellular and humoral responses as well as biochemical parameters of the fifth‐instar nymphs of P. nigrispinus treated with azadirachtin. The insects were divided into three treatment groups and sprayed with azadirachtin (Azamax®), deltamethrin (Decis®), and water (control). After 24 h, total and differential hemocyte counts were performed. The analysis of phenoloxidase activity and quantification of nitric oxide, lipids, sugar, glycogen, and protein were performed after an interval of 24 and 72 h. Azadirachtin was found to affect the immune system of this stinkbug and decrease the number of hemocytes, especially pro‐hemocytes and oenocytoids, and it may have caused a reduction in phenoloxidase activity and nitric oxide level. In addition, the decrease in protein levels indicated the interference of azadirachtin in protein synthesis. We conclude that damage caused by the botanical insecticide has been less harmful than that caused by the synthetic insecticide, but use of azadirachtin may still interfere with biological control due to undesirable immune system damage reducing predator efficiency.
Flexural deformation controls on Late Quaternary sediment dispersal in the Garo‐Rajmahal Gap, NW Bengal Basin
Authors: Grimaud Jean‐Louis , Grall Celine , Goodbred Steven , Steckler Michael S. , Sincavage Ryan , Pickering Jennifer L. , Paola Chris , Seeber Leonardo , Hossain Md. Saddam
Published: December 2019

Subsurface deformation is a driver for river path selection when deformation rates become comparable to the autogenic mobility rate of rivers. Here we combine geomorphology, soil and sediment facies analyses, and geophysical data of the Late Quaternary sediments of the central Garo‐Rajmahal Gap in Northwest Bengal to link subsurface deformation with surface processes. We show variable sedimentation characteristics, from slow rates (<0.8 mm/year) in the Tista megafan at the foot of the Himalaya to nondeposition at the exposed surface of the Barind Tract to the south, enabling the development of mature soils. Combined subsidence in the Tista fan and uplift of the Barind Tract are consistent with a N‐S flexural response of the Indian plate to loading of the Himalaya Mountains given a low value of elastic thickness (15–25 km). Provenance analysis based on bulk strontium concentration suggests a dispersal of sediment consistent with this flexural deformation—in particular the abandonment of the Barind Tract by a Pleistocene Brahmaputra River and the current extents of the Tista megafan lobes. Overall, these results highlight the control by deeply rooted deformation patterns on the routing of sediment by large rivers in foreland settings.
Increasing normality–persisting barriers: Current socio‐demographic characteristics of 350 individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria
Authors: Meyer Gesine , Mayer Moritz , Mondorf Antonia , Herrmann Eva , Bojunga Jörg
Published: December 2019

Introduction

The number of individuals requesting medical treatment for gender dysphoria has increased significantly within the past years. Our purpose was to examine current biographic and socio‐demographic characteristics and aspects of legal gender reassignment.

Design

Medical files from n = 350 individuals of a German Endocrine outpatient clinic were collected from 2009 to 2017 and analysed retrospectively.

Results

Ratio of transwomen to transmen equates to 1:1.89 with a remarkable increase of transmen by the year 2013, showing a reversal of gender distribution compared with previous studies for the first time. Use of illegal substances or self‐initiated hormone therapy was rare (4.6 and 2.1%). Satisfaction with gender‐affirming hormone therapy was significantly higher in transmen than in transwomen (100% vs 96.2%, P = .005). Use of antidepressants declined significantly after onset of hormone treatment in transmen (13% vs 7%; P = .007). The number of individuals with a graduation diploma was only about half as high as in the general population (14.3% vs 27.3%), whereas unemployment rate was more than twice as high (14% vs 6.9%). Median latency between application for legal gender reassignment and definitive court decision was 9 months.

Conclusions

Our data provide possible indications for a decline of psychosocial burden in individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria over the last years. However, affected individuals are still limited in their occupational and financial opportunities as well as by a complex and expensive procedure of legal gender reassignment in Germany.
The Effect of Prominence and Cue Association on Retrieval Processes: A Computational Account
Authors: Engelmann Felix , Jӓger Lena A. , Vasishth Shravan
Published: December 2019

We present a comprehensive empirical evaluation of the ACT‐R–based model of sentence processing developed by Lewis and Vasishth (2005) (LV05). The predictions of the model are compared with the results of a recent meta‐analysis of published reading studies on retrieval interference in reflexive‐/reciprocal‐antecedent and subject–verb dependencies (Jäger, Engelmann, & Vasishth, 2017). The comparison shows that the model has only partial success in explaining the data; and we propose that its prediction space is restricted by oversimplifying assumptions. We then implement a revised model that takes into account differences between individual experimental designs in terms of the prominence of the target and the distractor in memory‐ and context‐dependent cue‐feature associations. The predictions of the original and the revised model are quantitatively compared with the results of the meta‐analysis. Our simulations show that, compared to the original LV05 model, the revised model accounts for the data better. The results suggest that effects of prominence and variable cue‐feature associations need to be considered in the interpretation of existing empirical results and in the design and planning of future experiments. With regard to retrieval interference in sentence processing and to the broader field of psycholinguistic studies, we conclude that well‐specified models in tandem with high‐powered experiments are needed in order to uncover the underlying cognitive processes.
What Determines Visual Statistical Learning Performance? Insights From Information Theory
Authors: Siegelman Noam , Bogaerts Louisa , Frost Ram
Published: December 2019

In order to extract the regularities underlying a continuous sensory input, the individual elements constituting the stream have to be encoded and their transitional probabilities (TPs) should be learned. This suggests that variance in statistical learning (SL) performance reflects efficiency in encoding representations as well as efficiency in detecting their statistical properties. These processes have been taken to be independent and temporally modular, where first, elements in the stream are encoded into internal representations, and then the co‐occurrences between them are computed and registered. Here, we entertain a novel hypothesis that one unifying construct—the rate of information in the sensory input—explains learning performance. This theoretical approach merges processes related to encoding of events and those related to learning their regularities into a single computational principle. We present data from two large‐scale experiments with over 800 participants tested in support for this hypothesis, showing that rate of information in a visual stream clearly predicts SL performance, and that similar rate of information values leads to similar SL performance. We discuss the implications for SL theory and its relation to regularity learning.
RETRACTED: Tanshinone I attenuates the malignant biological properties of ovarian cancer by inducing apoptosis and autophagy via the inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway
Authors: Zhou Jin , Jiang Yuan‐yuan , Chen Huan , Wu Yi‐chao , Zhang Li
Published: December 2019

Objectives

Tanshinone I (Tan‐I) is one of the vital fatsoluble monomer components, which extracted from Chinese medicinal herb Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. It has been shown that Tan‐I exhibited anti‐tumour activities on different types of cancers. However, the underlying mechanisms by which Tan‐Ⅰ regulates apoptosis and autophagy in ovarian cancer remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to access the therapy effect of Tan‐Ⅰ and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

Ovarian cancer cells A2780 and ID‐8 were treated with different concentrations of Tan‐Ⅰ (0, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8 and 9.6 μg/mL) for 24 hours. The cell proliferation was analysed by CCK8 assay, EdU staining and clone formation assay. Apoptosis was assessed by the TUNEL assay and flow cytometry. The protein levels of apoptosis protein (Caspase‐3), autophagy protein (Beclin1, ATG7, p62 and LC3II/LC3I) and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were determined by Western blot. Autophagic vacuoles in cells were observed with LC3 dyeing using confocal fluorescent microscopy. Anti‐tumour activity of Tan‐Ⅰ was accessed by subcutaneous xeno‐transplanted tumour model of human ovarian cancer in nude mice. The Ki67, Caspase‐3 level and apoptosis level were analysed by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining.

Results

Tan‐Ⅰ inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells A2780 and ID‐8 in a dose‐dependent manner, based on CCK8 assay, EdU staining and clone formation assay. In additional, Tan‐Ⅰ induced cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy in a dose‐dependent manner in ovarian cancer cells by TUNEL assay, flow cytometry and Western blot. Tan‐Ⅰ significantly inhibited tumour growth by inducing cell apoptosis and autophagy. Mechanistically, Tan‐Ⅰ activated apoptosis‐associated protein Caspase‐3 cleavage to promote cell apoptosis and inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to induce autophagy.

Conclusions

This is the first evidence that Tan‐Ⅰ induced apoptosis and promoted autophagy via the inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway on ovarian cancer and further inhibited tumour growth, which might be considered as effective strategy.
A high C‐reactive protein level and poor performance status are associated with delayed sputum conversion in elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Japan
Authors: Komiya Kosaku , Goto Akihiko , Kan Takamasa , Honjo Kokoro , Uchida Sonoe , Takikawa Shuichi , Yoshimatsu Tetsuyuki , Hiramatsu Kazufumi , Kadota Jun‐ichi
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Although the aging population had been increasing in many countries, the factors associated with sputum conversion in elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis have not been fully elucidated.

Objectives

We aimed to identify the predictors of delayed sputum conversion and to assess the impact of non‐conversion on mortality during tuberculosis treatment in elderly patients.

Methods

Elderly patients (>65 years) admitted at our hospital in Japan for sputum smear‐positive pulmonary tuberculosis were included. The risk factors for sputum non‐conversion after 2 months of treatment were determined using multiple logistic regression. Cox hazard regression was used to assess the influence of non‐conversion on mortality.

Results

We included 185 patients, with median age of 82 years (IQR, 79‐88 years). The median time to conversion was 47 (95% CI 43‐51) days, and 62 (34%) were identified as non‐converters. Multivariate analysis showed that high pretreatment smear grade, high C‐reactive protein level and poor performance status were associated with non‐conversion. Non‐conversion did not contribute to death during treatment.

Conclusions

In elderly patients, inflammation level and physical activity level, along with initial smear grade may have a significant impact on delayed sputum conversion. Non‐conversion after two months of treatment might not be related with mortality.