bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental analysis of influence of double-layer bump foils on aerodynamic thrust foil bearings performance
Authors: Xu Fangcheng , Dong Zeda , Chu Jianhua , Wang Haoming , Wang Yongliang
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Gas thrust foil bearings (GTFBs) are used to balance the axial load of engines. However, in some working conditions of large axial force, such as the use of single impeller air compressor, the load capacity of GTFBs is still insufficient. To solve this problem, the load capacity can be improved by increasing the stiffness of bump foil. The purpose of this paper is to explore a scheme to effectively improve the performance of thrust foil bearings. In the paper, the stiffness of bump foil is improved by increasing the thickness of bump foil and using double-layer bump foil.

Design/methodology/approach

The foil deformation of GTFBs supported by three different types of bump foils, the relationship between friction power consumption and external force and the difference of limited load capacity were measured by experimental method.

Findings

The variation of the foil deformation, bearing stiffness, friction power consumption with the external force at different speeds and limited load capacity are obtained. Based on experimental results, the selection scheme of bump foil thickness is obtained.

Originality/value

This paper provides a feasible method for the performance optimization of GTFBs.
Impacts of a saline water control project on aquaculture livelihoods in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
Authors: Ngo Thu Trang Thi , Nguyen Hong Quan , Gorman Timothy , Ngo Xuan Quang , Ngo Phuong Lan Thi , Vanreusel Ann
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Drought and salinity intrusion aggravated by climate change threaten agricultural livelihoods in Viet Nan's Mekong Delta. In response, authorities have built water management infrastructure for irrigation and salinity protection. This study assessed the impact of one such project, the Ba Lai dam in Ben Tre province, on the livelihoods of aquaculture farmers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to assess the impact of the Ba Lai dam on the livelihood capitals of 18 farming households in four communes, located both upstream and downstream of the dam.

Findings

The authors find that, apart from some positive effects, the dam has also brought negative environmental consequences, such as increased water pollution. The authors also find that farmers have responded to the changes by adapting their livelihood practices.

Research limitations/implications

The samples were relatively small, encompassing four communes in Ben Tre province. On the other hand, this case study is instructive to the many ongoing infrastructure projects in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.

Social implications

The project have caused an increase in water-related social conflict.

Originality/value

The case of the Ba Lai dam provides a cautionary example for infrastructure-based water management plans, both in Viet Nam and more broadly. The study suggests the need to strengthen community participation and prioritize impacts of farmers' capital assets when constructing water management infrastructure for climate change adaptation.
MFS usage intention during COVID-19 and beyond: an integration of health belief and expectation confirmation model
Authors: Saima Farjana Nur , Rahman Md. H. Asibur , Ghosh Ratan
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The usage rate of mobile financial services (MFS) has shown an uptick since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This study aims to reveal the underpinning reasons for such MFS surge and its continuance by integrating health belief model (HBM) and expectation confirmation model (ECM).

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyzes 529 MFS users' responses during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh using the partial least square method.

Findings

Satisfaction is more predictive than perceived usefulness in explaining continuance usage intention. Expectation confirmation also indirectly affects continuance intention. Among the HBM constructs, the indirect effect of perceived severity on continuance intention via perceived usefulness and satisfaction is significant. Besides, the impact of self-efficacy on continuance intention is also significant. Moreover, perceived credibility significantly affects satisfaction and indirectly affected continuance usage intention via satisfaction.

Practical implications

The study projects boosting customers' satisfaction is critical for the successful retention of existing MFS customers. MFS service providers should emphasize the factors that amplify satisfaction. They must evaluate preadoption factors so that customers can have positive confirmation. Especially, the service providers, the policymakers and the regulators should take an active role in improving the users' self-efficacy and the system's credibility. Undertaking the MFS literacy program, installing hotline service to provide emergency help will boost users' confidence in using the system.

Originality/value

The study is a unique contribution in the context of Bangladesh. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous MFS studies in Bangladesh explored MFS continuance usage intention during COVID-19 and beyond. Besides, the inclusion of “perceived credibility” in the framework will supplement the earlier studies conducted on this aspect.
Examining the awareness and usage of cyber physical systems for construction projects in Nigeria
Authors: Adeosun Femi Emmanuel , Oke Ayodeji Emmanuel
Published: January 2022

Purpose

In recent times, the construction industry is being influenced by technological innovations when delivering a better, more effective and efficient desired project, cyber-physical systems (CPSs) offer a coupling of the physical and engineered systems by monitoring, coordinating, controlling and integrating their operations. This study aims to examine the level of awareness of professionals and usage of CPSs for construction projects in Nigerian construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The target population for this study was the professionals in the construction industry consisting Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Engineers and Builders. Data collection was through the use of a structured questionnaire administered to the target population. The data was analyzed by using statistical tools.

Findings

This study concluded that the construction professionals in the Nigerian construction industry are mostly aware about the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, global positioning system, microphone, speakers and camera as the most widely used CPSs in construction industry. HVAC systems was also found to be the mostly adopted technologies in the construction industry.

Originality/value

This study recommended that platforms that increase the awareness and encourage the usage of CPSs in construction industry should be encouraged by stakeholders concerned with management of construction projects. Such include electronic construction and adoption of blockchain technology.
Reframing whistleblowing intention: an analysis of individual and situational factors
Authors: Nuswantara Dian Anita
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to reframe the whistleblowing process by examining the individual and situational factors that have been overlooked by prior studies. Ethical climate, public service motivation (PSM), organisation identification and psychological safety are inquired.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study sample was drawn from a population of Indonesian local governments located in east Java, Indonesia. Particularly, self-administered questionnaires were hand-distributed to the employees in the four local governments. Of 2,169 questionnaires distributed to the employees, 1,687 questionnaires were returned to the researcher. However, the researcher removed 33 returned questionnaires because of poor data quality, such as incomplete answers. Thus, only 1,654 questionnaires were analysed in this study.

Findings

The findings support the idea of an ethical climate that can encourage the individual to blow the whistle. However, its effect is indirect. The predictive power of ethical climate on the individual’s whistleblowing intentions depends on the meditating roles of PSM, psychological safety and organisation identification. Interestingly, the mediating effects of PSM, psychological safety and organisation identification are extremely acknowledged when individuals have an opportunity to choose internal or external disclosures.

Originality/value

This study produces a different approach to understanding people’s intentions to report any wrongdoings. This study is dissimilar from prior studies in terms of the theoretical paradigm and research design. Previous studies mostly used students as their experiments. In contrast, the current study recruited employees who work in local governments. This situation fundamentally affects the understanding of the impact of an ethical climate on the individual intention to blow the whistle.
SME’s disinclination towards subcontracting in the public sector markets: an attributional perspective
Authors: Akenroye Temidayo , Owens Jonathan D. , Oyegoke Adekunle Sabitu , Elbaz Jamal , Belal H.M. , Jebli Fedwa
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the causes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) disinclination towards subcontracting in public sector markets. Previous studies have revealed that UK SMEs are reluctant to do business with the public sector through the subcontracting route, but the reasons for this lack of enthusiasm have not been widely researched.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on semi-structured interviews with SMEs competing for public contracts in North West England, a qualitative study was performed, from which several themes emerged.

Findings

The findings were synthesised into a framework underpinned by attribution theory, to portray situationally and dispositionally caused factors that were used to interpret SMEs’ behaviour.

Social implications

The findings can guide policy development and government interventions in developed and developing countries, aimed at using public procurement as a policy tool to develop the small business sector.

Originality/value

This paper contributes in a unique way to an emerging discourse on how subcontracting can facilitate the access of SMEs to government procurement spending. It adds to knowledge regarding the explanatory power of attribution theory – from its base in social psychology.
Understanding consumer perceptions and attitudes toward smart retail services
Authors: Lin Chen-Yu
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to identify the antecedent factors influencing consumer attitudes and patronage intentions toward an intelligent unmanned convenience store (IUCVS) in Taiwan. The IUCVS is a new smart service that offers customers a novel shopping experience, given that it avoids queues and physical contacts with cashiers. However, studies discussing IUCVS remain scant owing to its brief history.

Design/methodology/approach

This research develops a synergistic model combining original unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) constructs with perceived risk and value to test differences between unexperienced and experienced customers’ attitudes and patronage intentions toward IUCVSs. Data collected from 268 experienced and 156 unexperienced consumers were tested against the proposed research model using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis (PLS-MGA).

Findings

In line with expectations, three UTAUT variables (i.e. performance, effort expectancy and social influence) and perceived value significantly and positively influence consumer attitudes toward IUCVSs. This research confirms the significant and negative direct effect of perceived risk on consumers’ patronage intentions toward IUCVSs. Furthermore, the PLS-MGA results unveil that a significant difference exist in the effects of perceived convenience value on attitudes toward IUCVS between consumers who had experience of using self-service machines and those who have not.

Originality/value

This research successfully fills the research gap by offering a synergistic model for evaluating consumers’ attitudes and patronage intentions toward a new smart service. Several important theoretical and practical implications are provided to help retail managers develop service strategies.
Continuous learning and employee performance: a moderated examination of managers' coaching behavior in India
Authors: Budhiraja Sunil
Published: January 2022

Purpose

By integrating organizational support theory (OST) and social cognitive theory, this study investigates types of managers' coaching behavior as experienced by the employees. Furthermore, the study examines whether employees would exhibit greater task and contextual performance when organizational learning is blended with a specific coaching behavior of their manager.

Design/methodology/approach

Using primary data from 298 software engineers working in select information technology companies across India, the current study attempts to assess moderating effect of managers' coaching behavior in two relationships, including continuous learning and employees' task performance (CL-TP) and continuous learning and employees' contextual performance (CL-CP).

Findings

Result of exploratory factor analysis suggests that managers of select organizations exhibit two major types of coaching behavior: inspiration-based coaching behavior and facilitation-based coaching behavior. On the moderating role of coaching behavior, it is documented that facilitation-based coaching behavior significantly positively moderates both stated (CL-TP and CL-CP) relationships, whereas inspiration-based coaching behavior of supervisors has positive significant effect on CL-TP relationship but negatively moderates the CL-CP relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The extent to which the findings of this study can be generalized is constrained by the limited sample and organizational context.

Practical implications

The most important managerial implication for all learning organizations is that both kinds of coaching behaviors help improving the task performance of the employees, but managers should prefer facilitation-based coaching style in order to generate higher contextual performance of employees.

Originality/value

This study contributes to practitioners and existing literature by explaining how individual performance of employees is affected by the investment made by organizations in facilitating continuous learning.
Managing institutional complexity in a state-owned enterprise – the role of explicated values and other management controls
Authors: Mo Idun Garmo
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate efforts to manage institutional complexity in a state-owned enterprise, the roles of explicated values in these efforts and how these values interact with each other and other influential management controls.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory case study in StateEnt, a state-owned enterprise that faces institutional complexity. The analysis is based on interviews, observations and documents and concepts from the management control literature and institutional logics are applied.

Findings

Findings from this study suggest that a structural differentiation have separated two logics in different departments and two of the explicated values have become symbols of these logics taking on various roles in negotiations. Tension between the departments is heightened because the departments legitimize logic enactment through mobilizing different socio-technical dyads of management control. The division of responsibility between these departments still ensures that they need to collaborate and make compromises. The study also finds that exogenously imposed constraints have a significant influence on organizational activities, which is further strengthened due to internally developed management controls embedded in the same logic.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes with deeper understanding of values as control, and how these interact with other control forms to influence organizational activity. Herein, the importance of regulatory controls in state-owned enterprises is also highlighted. A limitation of this study is the limited size of the organization under investigation.

Originality/value

The explicit emphasis on values as a control in studies on management control issues in institutionally complex environments is underemphasized in the literature.
The study of knowledge employee voice among the knowledge-based companies: the case of an emerging economy
Authors: Hosseini Elahe , Saeida Ardekani Saeid , Sabokro Mehdi , Salamzadeh Aidin
Published: January 2022

Purpose

A review of previous studies on the voices of employees and knowledge workers clarifies that paying attention to employees' voice is critical in human resource management. However, limited studies have been conducted on it, and much less emphasis has been placed compared to other human resource management activities such as human resource planning. Therefore, the voice of knowledge employees has been one of the critical issues that have attracted a great deal of attention recently. Nonetheless, there is no evidence of various comprehensive and integrated voice mechanisms. As a result, this study aims to design knowledge workers' voice patterns in knowledge-based companies specialising in information and communication technology (ICT) in Iran in May and June 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a qualitative grounded theory research. We collected the data from a target sample of 15 experts in knowledge-based ICT companies using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Since all the participants had practised the employee voice process, they were regarded as useful data sources. Data analysis was also performed using three-step coding (open, axial and selective) by Atlas T8, which eventually led to identifying 14 components and 38 selected codes. We placed identified components in a paradigm model, including Personality Characteristics, Job Factors, Economic Factors, Cultural Factors, Organisational Policies, Organisational Structure, Climate Of Voice in the Organisation, Management Factors, Emotional Events, Communications and Networking, Contrast and Conflict and, etc. Then, the voice pattern of the knowledge staff was drawn.

Findings

The results showed that constructive knowledge voice influences the recognition of environmental opportunities and, additionally, it helps the competitive advantages among the employees. By forming the concept of knowledge staff voice, it can be concluded that paying attention to knowledge staff voice leads to presenting creative solutions to do affairs in critical situations. The presentation of these solutions by knowledge workers results in the acceptance of environmental changes, recognition and exploitation of new chances and ideas, and sharing experiences in Iranian knowledge-based companies.

Practical implications

Strengthening and expanding the voice of employees in knowledge-oriented companies can pave the way to growth and development towards a higher future that prevents the waste of tangible and intangible assets.

Originality/value

Companies' ability to engage in knowledge workers is a vital factor in human resource management and strategic management. However, the employee voice has not been involved integrally in the context of corporate.
The effects of working agile on team performance and engagement
Authors: Peeters Tina , Van De Voorde Karina , Paauwe Jaap
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between the agile way of working and team performance and engagement. Furthermore, psychological safety climate was investigated as a mediator of this relationship. As organizations are increasingly adopting the agile way of working method beyond the information technology (IT) setting, the authors researched its effects in teams across a variety of functional domains.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data was collected from 97 agile teams working in various functional domains in a multinational bank. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results indicated that the agile way of working is directly and positively related to team engagement and performance. Moreover, psychological safety climate acted as a partial mediator of each of the respective outcomes.

Originality/value

This study illustrated that the agile way of working is beneficial for teams beyond the IT setting, as it is positively associated with psychological safety climate, engagement and performance across functional domains.
Temperature-dependent variable viscosity and thermal conductivity effects on non-Newtonian fluids flow in a porous medium
Authors: Florence Ayegbusi Dami
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the simultaneous flow of Casson Williamson non Newtonian fluids in a vertical porous medium under the influence of variable thermos-physical parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

The model equations are a set of partial differential equations (PDEs). These PDEs were transformed into a non-dimensionless form using suitable non-dimensional quantities. The transformed equations were solved numerically using an iterative method called spectral relaxation techniques. The spectral relaxation technique is an iterative method that uses the Gauss-Seidel approach in discretizing and linearizing the set of equations.

Findings

It was found out in the study that a considerable number of variable viscosity parameter leads to decrease in the velocity and temperature profiles. Increase in the variable thermal conductivity parameter degenerates the velocity as well as temperature profiles. Hence, the variable thermo-physical parameters greatly influence the non-Newtonian fluids flow.

Originality/value

This study considered the simultaneous flow of Casson-Williamson non-Newtonian fluids by considering the fluid thermal properties to vary within the fluid layers. To the best of the author’s knowledge, such study has not been considered in literature.
Metabarcoding of canopy arthropods reveals negative impacts of forestry insecticides on community structure across multiple taxa
Authors: Leroy Benjamin M. L. , Seibold Sebastian , Morinière Jérôme , Bozicevic Vedran , Jaworek Jessica , Roth Nicolas , Vogel Sebastian , Zytynska Sharon , Petercord Ralf , Eichel Peter , Weisser Wolfgang W.
Published: January 2022

Insecticides used to combat outbreaks of forest defoliators can adversely affect non‐target arthropods. Forestry insecticides typically suppress Lepidoptera larvae which are the cornerstone of the canopy community of deciduous oak forests. The abrupt removal of this dominant component of the food web could have far‐reaching implications for forest ecosystems, yet it is rarely investigated in practice owing to several methodological shortcomings. The taxonomic impediment and the biased nature of arthropod sampling techniques particularly impede the assessment of insecticide impacts on diverse communities.

To tackle this issue, we propose an experimental approach combining sampling by pyrethrum knockdown and species determination via DNA metabarcoding, using community subsampling to derive estimates of species abundances. We applied this protocol to investigate the short‐term effects of the insecticides diflubenzuron (DFB) andBacillus thuringiensisvar.kurstaki(BTK) on canopy‐dwelling arthropod communities in German oak woodlands.

Our approach allowed us to detect most of the diversity and integrate species abundances in our analyses. By classifying arthropod species into assemblages based on their expected sensitivity rather than coarse taxonomic groupings, we could unveil substantial effects of DFB across multiple taxa 5 weeks after application.

Although strong effects on single species appear related to direct toxicity, substantial impacts of DFB on parasitoids and xylophagous beetles suggest that anti‐defoliator treatments can have previously unsuspected indirect effects on some components of forest arthropod communities. The impacts of BTK on community structure were consistent with that of DFB though much weaker.

Synthesis and applications. Comparing diversity patterns in the arthropod communities of sprayed and unsprayed oak canopies, our results show that selective insecticides can alter species diversity in presumably non‐sensitive taxa. Even though the ecological significance of these impacts has yet to be assessed in an operational setting, their existence calls for increased regulatory scrutiny on indirect effects. As community approaches become more attainable with the rapid development of DNA metabarcoding, we suggest the inclusion of community‐level end points as regulatory requirements for the approval of forest‐use insecticides.
Quantifying the checks and balances of collaborative governance systems for adaptive carnivore management
Authors: Cusack Jeremy J. , Nilsen Erlend B. , Israelsen Markus F. , Andrén Henrik , Grainger Matthew , Linnell John D. C. , Odden John , Bunnefeld Nils
Published: January 2022

Recovering or threatened carnivore populations are often harvested to minimise their impact on human activities, such as livestock farming or game hunting. Increasingly, harvest quota decisions involve a set of scientific, administrative and political institutions operating at national and sub‐national levels whose interactions and collective decision‐making aim to increase the legitimacy of management and ensure population targets are met. In practice, however, assessments of how quota decisions change between these different actors and what consequences these changes have on population trends are rare.

We combine a state‐space population modelling approach with an analysis of quota decisions taken at both regional and national levels between 2007 and 2018 to build a set of decision‐making models that together predict annual harvest quota values for Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Norway.

We reveal a tendency for administrative decision‐makers to compensate for consistent quota increases by political actors, particularly when the lynx population size estimate is above the regional target. Using population forecasts based on the ensemble of decision‐making models, we show that such buffering of political biases ensures lynx population size remains close to regional and national targets in the long term.

Our results go beyond the usual qualitative assessment of collaborative governance systems for carnivore management, revealing a system of checks and balances that, in the case of lynx in Norway, ensures both multi‐stakeholder participation and sustainable harvest quotas. Nevertheless, we highlight important inter‐regional differences in decision‐making and population forecasts, the socio‐ecological drivers of which need to be better understood to prevent future population declines.

Synthesis and applications. Our work analyses the sequence of decisions leading to yearly quotas for lynx harvest in Norway, highlighting the collaborative and structural processes that together shape harvest sustainability. In doing so, we provide a predictive framework to evaluate participatory decision‐making processes in wildlife management, paving the way for scientists and decision‐makers to collaborate more widely in identifying where decision biases might lie and how institutional arrangements can be optimised to minimise them. We emphasise, however, that this is only possible if wildlife management decisions are documented and transparent.
Nitrogen fertilization differentially affects the symbiotic capacity of two co‐occurring ectomycorrhizal species
Authors: Plett Krista L. , Snijders Fridtjof , Castañeda‐Gómez Laura , Wong‐Bajracharya Johanna W.‐H. , Anderson Ian C. , Carrillo Yolima , Plett Jonathan M.
Published: January 2022

Forest trees rely on ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi to obtain growth‐limiting nutrients. While addition of nitrogen (N) has the potential to disrupt these critical relationships, there is conflicting evidence as to the mechanism by which ECM:host mutualism may be affected. We evaluated how N fertilization altered host interactions and gene transcription between Eucalyptus grandis and Pisolithus microcarpus or Pisolithus albus, two closely related ECM species that typically co‐occur within the same ecosystem. Our investigation demonstrated species‐specific responses to elevated N: P. microcarpus maintained its ability to transport microbially sourced N to its host but had a reduced ability to penetrate into root tissues, while P. albus maintained its colonization ability but reduced delivery of N to its host. Transcriptomic analysis suggests that regulation of different suites of N‐transporters may be responsible for these species‐specific differences. In addition to N‐dependent responses, we were also able to define a conserved ‘core’ transcriptomic response of Eucalyptus grandis to mycorrhization that was independent of abiotic conditions. Our results demonstrate that even between closely related ECM species, responses to N fertilization can vary considerably, suggesting that a better understanding of the breadth and mechanisms of their responses is needed to support forest ecosystems into the future.
Monetary integration in West Africa: Are business cycles converging?
Authors: Gammadigbe Vigninou , Dioum Sokhna Bousso
Published: January 2022

The aim of this paper was to test the hypothesis of business cycle convergence in member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) engaged in a monetary union process. We applied the concepts of beta‐convergence and sigma‐convergence to business cycles in the region in the period 1990–2018. Two analytical approaches suggested that during this period, the hypothesis of the convergence of business cycles cannot be rejected. The study highlighted the positive effect of trade intensity on the convergence of member countries’ business cycles, in line with the theory of the endogeneity of optimum currency area criteria. These results imply that the initial asymmetric nature of the business cycles of ECOWAS countries does not represent an economic obstacle to the creation of a monetary union in the zone. This cyclical convergence is likely to accelerate with the intensification of trade resulting from the newly created union owing to deeper financial integration and the elimination of transaction costs and uncertainty associated with exchange rate volatility.
Duration of the second stage of labour and risk of subsequent spontaneous preterm birth
Authors: Kleinstern Geffen , Zigron Roy , Porat Shay , Rosenbloom Joshua I. , Rottenstreich Misgav , Sompolinsky Yishay , Rottenstreich Amihai
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To determine the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) associated with the length of second stage of labour in the first term delivery.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

University hospital.

Population

Women with first two consecutive singleton births and the first birth at term. Those who did not reach the second stage of labour in the first delivery were excluded.

Methods

Charts from 2007 to 2019 were reviewed.

Main outcome measures

Rate of sPTB (<37 weeks of gestation) in the second delivery.

Results

Of 13 958 women who met study inclusion criteria, 1464 (10.5%) parturients had a prolonged second stage (≥180 min) in their first term delivery. The rate of sPTB in the second delivery was similar in those with and without a prolonged second stage in first delivery (2.8% versus 2.8%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.35, 95% CI 0.96–1.90). After adjustment for mode of delivery, prolonged second stage was also not associated with subsequent sPTB in those who delivered by spontaneous and operative vaginal delivery. Those delivered by second‐stage caesarean section in the first delivery had a higher risk of sPTB in the second delivery (25/526, 4.8%; aOR 2.66, 95% CI 1.71–4.12; p < 0.001), with a more pronounced risk in those with second‐stage caesarean following a prolonged second stage of labour (15/259, 5.8%; aOR 3.40, 95% CI 1.94–5.94; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Second‐stage duration in a first term vaginal delivery is not associated with subsequent sPTB. The risk of sPTB is increased following second‐stage caesarean section, particularly if performed after a prolonged second stage.

Tweetable abstract

Second‐stage caesarean delivery, particularly after prolonged second stage, increases the risk of preterm birth.
Chlorhexidine skin cleaning to reduce clean‐catch urine contamination in infants: A pilot study
Authors: Gursanscky Jared , Klim Sharon , Krieser David , Tagg Andrew , Kaufman Jonathan
Published: January 2022

Objective

Clean‐catch urine (CCU) samples are frequently contaminated. Our aim was to determine if cleaning with 0.1% chlorhexidine before CCU is a safe and feasible method to reduce contamination.

Methods

Prospective interventional pilot study. Children 1–24 months underwent perigenital skin cleaning with 0.1% chlorhexidine. Primary outcome was contamination rate, and secondary outcomes were parent and clinician satisfaction with the procedure.

Results

Twelve of 54 urine samples were contaminated (22%, 95% CI 13–35). Over 90% of parents and clinicians were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’. No adverse events were recorded.

Conclusion

Cleaning with chlorhexidine solution before CCU is safe and feasible.
The war against sustainable development theory: Public interest as the ethical order for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Gale Robert
Published: January 2022

The concept of environmentally sustainable development (ESD) has its origins in 1987, with the publication of the World Commission on Environment and Development’s (WCED) landmark report, Our Common Future. Drawing on earlier research I have done, I re‐evaluate the ongoing challenges ESD faces as a theory of development given fractious debates about development from opposing interests. My original research identified a substantial divide in support for a WCED‐styled theory of sustainable development and, alternatively, for that promulgated by business‐as‐usual economic growth advocates. I showed that the developmental changes advocated by the WCED would be vigorously opposed or resisted by vested interests. Some 30 years later, opposition and resistance continue. The purpose of this commentary is to examine aspects of this divide with regard to prospects for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. I aim to discuss prospects for implementing the SDGs by that year because the goals provide a context and potential measure of how sustainable development will fare as a theory. Three questions are posed to examine different attitudes to economic, social, and environmental policy fields. Thereafter, I conclude that environmental foundations of development address the agency of polluter pays, resource user pays, precautionary principle, and environmental standards regulation; economic foundations address economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness; and social foundations address social inclusion via human rights. I argue that all need to be systematically integrated into policy making for development to be sustainable; this means making the environmental foundations of sustainable development operational by incorporating them in the decision centres of business strategy and public policy. Measuring performance to address SDGs provides a sound place to start operationalising this integration process.
Applicability of explicit potentially inappropriate medication lists to the Australian context: A systematic review
Authors: Lee Georgie , Lim Joy‐Francesca , Page Amy T. , Etherton‐Beer Christopher , Clifford Rhonda , Wang Kate
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To determine i) the similarity of potentially inappropriate medications specified in and between existing explicit lists and ii) the availability in Australia of medications included on existing lists to determine their applicability to the Australian context.

Methods

This systematic review identified explicit potentially inappropriate medication lists that were published on EMBASE (1974 – April 2021), MEDLINE (1946 – April 2021) and Elsevier Scopus (2004 – April 2021). The reference lists of seven previously published systematic reviews were also manually reviewed. Lists were included if they were explicit, and the most recent version and the complete list were published in English. Lists based on existing lists were excluded if no new items were added. Potentially inappropriate medications identified on each list were extracted and compared to the medications available on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes.

Results

Thirty‐five explicit published lists were identified. A total of 645 unique potentially inappropriate medications were extracted, of which 416 (64%) were available in Australia and 262 (41%) were subsided by the general Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Applicability of each explicit list ranged from 50–96% according to medications available in Australia and 25‐83% according to medications available under subsidy.

Conclusions

Pooling data from different lists may help to identify potentially inappropriate medications that may be applicable to local settings. However, if selecting a list for use in the Australian context, consideration should also be given to the intended purpose and setting for application.
Mapping rangeland ecosystems vulnerability to Lantana camara invasion in semi‐arid savannahs in South Africa
Authors: Dube Timothy , Maluleke Xivutiso Glenny , Mutanga Onisimo
Published: January 2022

We mapped and modelled the potential areas vulnerable to Lantana camara (L. camara) invasion in semi‐arid savannah ecosystems in the communal lands of Bushbuckridge and Kruger National Park, South Africa. Specifically, we modelled potentially vulnerable areas based on remotely sensed data and environmental variables. The Maximal Entropy (Maxent) algorithm was used to model the vulnerable area. The reliability of the modelled results was assessed using Skills Statistic (TSS), Area Under Curve (AUC) and Kappa statistics. According to the results, Bushbuckridge communal lands are more susceptible to L. camara invasions than Kruger National Park. The risk of L. camara invasion in the study site was modelled with high accuracy (AUC score of 0.95) using the best model (Model 7), which is a composite of all model variables (remote sensing and environmental variables). The spatial distribution maps derived from Maxent showed that L. camara was more likely to invade communal lands than protected areas. Using remotely sensed spectral indices as standalone model variables (Model 4) showed the lowest accuracy, with an AUC score of 0.85. Overall, model input variables such as elevation had a significant influence on the spatial distribution of L. camara in the study area.
Early diabetes treatment is associated with improved outcomes in pregnant women with a first antenatal HbA1c of 41–46 mmol/mol
Authors: Rowan Janet A. , Sadler Lynn
Published: January 2022

Background

It is unclear whether early treatment of women with a first antenatal HbA1c of 41–46 mmol/mol improves pregnancy outcomes. Our Hospital Guideline (HG) recommends early treatment, but the New Zealand GDM Guideline (NG) recommends lifestyle advice and a 75 g OGTT at 24–28 weeks’ gestation.

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare, at a single centre, pregnancy outcomes in women who were treated before 24 weeks (HG group) with women who were managed according to the NG. Our hypothesis was that earlier treatment was associated with lower rates of pre‐eclampsia and preterm birth.

Materials and Methods

Women who had a first antenatal HbA1c of 41–46 mmol/mol between January 2016 and December 2019 and delivered at our institution before August 2020 were included. Baseline characteristics, management of GDM and pregnancy outcomes were collected. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed.

Results

There were 141 women in the HG group and 67 women in the NG group. The NG group had fewer Indian/Chinese/Other Asian women (P = 0.004) and BMI was higher (P = 0.05). Women in the NG group, compared with the HG group, had more infants with a customised birthweight >90th centile (19.4% vs 7.8%, P = 0.014). In addition, after adjusting for ethnicity and BMI, women in the NG group had higher rates of pre‐eclampsia (ORa (95th CI), 3.7 (1.1–13.3), P = 0.04) and preterm birth (2.8 (1.1–7.0), P = 0.03).

Conclusions

Management according to our Hospital Guideline, compared with the National GDM Guideline, was associated with lower rates of pre‐eclampsia, preterm birth and infants with a customised birthweight >90th centile.
Rethinking Italian Autonomist Marxism: Spatial Composition, Urban Contestation, and the Material Geographies of Social Reproduction
Authors: Gray Neil
Published: January 2022

Class composition was the most important concept to be developed within the rich milieu of Italian autonomist Marxism, acutely addressing subject‐object dichotomies and organisational problems of internal differentiation in and between classed, raced and gendered social formations. Yet “compositionist” analysis has received remarkably little attention within urban‐geographical literatures. This paper reviews and develops the class composition concept, offering the first fully developed theorisation of spatial composition and underscoring its relevance for a contemporary politics of space. It stresses the importance of immanent, reflexive non‐teleological periodisations of capitalist relations for anti‐capitalist struggle through the intertwined concepts of spatial composition and the tendency. Through this theoretical lens it narrates the innovative and under‐examined spatial praxis of often women‐led urban movements in 1970s Italy, arguing that these remarkable struggles provide vital lessons for thinking through the diverse modalities of organisation and class recomposition emerging in the material geographies of social reproduction today.
Parental psychological problems were associated with higher screen time and the use of mature‐rated media in children
Authors: Pulkki‐Råback Laura , Barnes Joel D. , Elovainio Marko , Hakulinen Christian , Sourander Andre , Tremblay Mark S. , Guerrero Michelle D.
Published: January 2022

Aim

Parents’ psychological problems may affect children's screen time, but research has been scarce. We examined the association between parental psychological problems and children's screen media behaviours in a nationally representative sample.

Methods

The participants were from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, recruited by probability sampling from the USA population. Children reported their use of TV, videos, video games, social media and mature‐rated media. The parents (85% mothers) reported psychological problems using the Adult Self‐Report questionnaire.

Results

In 10,650 children (5112 girls, 5538 boys) aged 9.9 ± 0.6 years, the presence of parental psychological problems was associated with children spending more daily time on screen media and with meeting the recommendation of ≤2 daily hours less often than children whose parents did not have psychological problems. Parental psychological problems were associated with children's TV watching, video watching and gaming but not with using social media. Parental internalising problems were associated with children watching mature‐rated movies (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00, 1.30) and playing mature‐rated games (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.11, 1.45).

Conclusion

Presence of parental psychological problems is associated with higher screen time and use of mature‐rated media in children. This cross‐sectional study was not able to examine causal associations.
Gender stereotypes, class, and race in attributions of blame for women's gender‐linked mistreatment
Authors: Kiebler Jessica M. , Stewart Abigail J.
Published: January 2022

In two survey experiments, three types of gender‐based mistreatment, social class and race of the target, and gender‐linked stereotypes of respectability (sexualization and irresponsibility) were assessed in relation to victim blame attribution. U.S. participants (Study 1: N = 416; Study 2: N = 300) read a vignette about a woman described as working‐ or middle‐class, as Black or white, and as having experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, or incivility in the workplace. Based on the ambiguity of the intent of the perpetrator, we anticipated that incivility would result in more victim blame; this was confirmed. Additionally, in both studies, perceived victim respectability mediated the relationship between class and blame. The working‐class woman was seen as less respectable compared to the middle‐class woman, and this was associated with greater blame attribution for mistreatment. Results confirm the importance of more attention to social class in research on perceptions of women exposed to mistreatment, as well as interventions to mitigate victim‐blaming.
18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in PET is associated with the tumor microenvironment in metastatic lymph nodes and prognosis in N2 lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Nomura Kotaro , Nakai Tokiko , Nishina Yukino , Sakamoto Naoya , Miyoshi Tomohiro , Tane Kenta , Samejima Joji , Aokage Keiju , Kojima Motohiro , Sakashita Shingo , Taki Tetsuro , Miyazaki Saori , Watanabe Reiko , Suzuki Kenji , Tsuboi Masahiro , Ishii Genichiro
Published: January 2022

Positron emission tomography is a useful technique for diagnosing lymph node (LN) metastasis. This study aimed to elucidate the association between fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation and the microenvironment in metastatic LNs in lung adenocarcinoma. We retrospectively analyzed 62 patients with surgically resected pathological N2 lung adenocarcinoma who underwent preoperative PET. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in the metastatic LNs was measured. Lymph node specimens were immunohistochemically analyzed for CD8+, FoxP3+, and CD79a+ lymphocytes, CD204+ tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs), and alpha‐smooth muscle actin‐positive cancer‐associated fibroblasts (αSMA+ CAFs). We compared the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical characteristics between two groups with high and low LN SUVmax. Using novel 3D hybrid spheroid models, we investigated the change in invasiveness of cancer cells in the presence of CAFs. In the multivariate analyses, LN SUVmax was an independent prognostic factor. The overall survival in the LN SUVmax high group was significantly worse than in the low group (P = .034). In the LN SUVmax high group, metastatic cancer cell invasion of extranodal tissue was more frequent (P = .005) and the number of CD204+ TAMs and αSMA+ CAFs in metastatic LNs was significantly higher than in the low group (P < .001 and P = .002, respectively). Hybrid spheroid models revealed that cancer cells coexisting with CAFs were more invasive than those without CAFs. Our results indicated a strong association between LN SUVmax and poor prognosis in patients with N2 lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, LN SUVmax was suggested to be associated with the presence of tumor‐promoting stromal cells in metastatic LNs.