bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of supervisory delegation on employee voice behavior: role of felt obligation for constructive change and voice climate
Authors: Rubbab Um-e , Naqvi Sayyed Muhammad Mehdi Raza , Irshad Muhammad , Zakariya Ramsha
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The research linking organizational change-oriented activities with employee voice behavior is still in its initial stages. This study aims to contribute to this line of research by proposing felt obligation for constructive change, an underlying mechanism through which supervisory delegation enhances teachers’ voice behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This study tested the interactive effect of felt obligation for constructive change and voice climate on teachers’ voice behavior. The proposed model is supported by proactive motivation theory which states that environmental factors lead to motivational states which further result in employee proactive behaviors. In this study, 415 teachers with their 74 supervisors (head of departments) from educational institutes completed the surveys. Structural equation modeling was used to find the results.

Findings

The results supported the mediation and moderation hypotheses, which proved that felt obligation for constructive change mediates the relationship between supervisory delegation and teachers’ voice behavior, and voice climate moderates the relationship between felt obligation for constructive change and teacher voice behavior.

Practical implications

This paper will provide an insight to the practitioners about the role of supervisory delegation for engagement in employee voice. This paper will also help managers understand that the workplace effectiveness can be enhanced by creating opportunities for employees to voice their concern.

Originality/value

This study recommends that head of departments at the workplace should cultivate an environment that is conducive for their faculty for engaging in voice behavior for improved functioning of educational institutes. Findings provide an insightful approach on organizational strategies in the form of supervisory delegation to trigger voice behavior among employees to meet the uncertainty of the ever-changing business environment.
Do financial markets price UEFA Champions League competition events?
Authors: Soana Maria Gaia , Lippi Andrea , Rossi Simone
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This paper investigates the stock market reaction to three different events related to the UEFA Champions League – the announcements of draws, odds and match results. The aim of the paper is to test whether these events are informative for stock market operators, i.e. whether they produce abnormal returns.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying the event study methodology, the authors investigate the stock market reaction before (at two events: the draw date and on the release of betting odds) and after the matches of 11 listed soccer teams in the period 2003–2019. The authors also conduct OLS regression analyses in order to disentangle the impact of firm specific variables and match characteristics on cumulative abnormal returns.

Findings

This paper finds that match outcomes affect the stock market performance of listed teams, while the announcements of draws and odds do not. More specifically, the market does not consider match outcomes involving wins and ties as informative events, while it penalizes losing teams. Moreover, investor reactions to events related to the UCL competition depend more on match characteristics than on company specific variables.

Originality/value

The study enriches the ongoing debate about the impact of soccer team results on stock market performance in several ways: using the widest time span ever adopted in this area; focusing on UCL, which is the most important soccer competition played by private clubs; disentangling for the first time the effects of draws, odds release and sporting outcome on stock returns of listed soccer clubs.
A case study: using an appreciative inquiry model to co-produce a gender-informed women’s only access to drug and alcohol treatment space
Authors: Randall Karen , Tayleur Sarah , Allamby Winston
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aims to report on the experience of using a strengths-based, solution-focused methodology for co-producing a gender-informed drug treatment service using an appreciative inquiry (AI) model (Cooperrider and Srivastva, 1987).

Design/methodology/approach

An AI model was used to facilitate a series of six workshops. Participants had a mixture of lived experience (n = 4, experience of accessing drug and alcohol services) and learned experience (n = 3, practitioners from a local drug service), with co-facilitators from Fulfilling Lives Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham (n = 2). The aim of the workshops was to understand barriers, identify solutions and co-create a service design offer. Data for this paper was collected using a series of focus groups, reflection logs and surveys, which sought to understand participants’ perceptions of using this model and the impact it had on them. Data was analysed manually using coded thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006).

Findings

Participants successfully co-created a women’s access to drug and alcohol service design and recommendations. Participants found the process of using the model a very positive experience with benefits, including increased self-esteem, group cohesion and balanced power. This study provides evidence of the AI model as an effective, practical tool for co-production work.

Originality/value

This case study considers a shift in approach to co-producing services with both lived and learned experience, which moves away from problem-focused consultations, towards solution-focused co-design. Consequently, providing evidence to support such a change.
Evaluating social media’s communication effectiveness on travel product promotion: Facebook for college students in Hong Kong
Authors: Cheung Venessa Suet Yee , Lo Joey Chung Yi , Chiu Dickson K.W. , Ho Kevin K.W.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate social media’s communication effectiveness on travel product promotion among college students in Hong Kong. As traveling has become a popular activity, promoting travel products via social network sites (SNSs) has become common. Thus, identifying factors that affect shopping decisions is vital to tourism businesses. While the number of people using social communication tools has increased quickly, social media marketing provides a new strategy for the local travel business to sell and promote their products online.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts the attention, interest, desire and action (AIDA) marketing communication model to explore the influence of Facebook on the marketing of travel products among youngsters. Because Facebook is the most widely used social media platform in Hong Kong, it was selected for this study. An online survey was conducted via Google Form to collect responses from students of different local universities.

Findings

The findings indicate that our respondents consider purchasing travel products according to brand, discount and customer comments. They generally perceived Facebook advertising as a platform that could deliver various updated travel promotions and discounts, which can be adequately explained based on the AIDA model. However, respondents were unwilling to recommend the travel company to their friends on Facebook, even if they were satisfied with the travel products after purchase. Also, Facebook promotion could positively influence, draw the attention and make travel desire of the customer, but no positive influence to arouse their interest.

Originality/value

Although there are many studies on the travel industry’s marketing and social media, scant studies have investigated the influence of social media on the promotion of travel products with the AIDA model. In particular, it is crucial to explore what factors can affect young people’s decision-making, their perception of social media advertising and how marketers can make good use of this channel.
House prices and COVID-19 pandemic shocks in India: a nonlinear ARDL analysis
Authors: Mehta Niharika , Gupta Seema , Maitra Shipra
Published: June 2022

Purpose

India is one of those countries that are severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the upsurge in the cases, the country recorded high unemployment rates, economic uncertainties and slugging growth rates. This adversely affected the real estate sector in India. As the relation of the housing market with the gross domestic product is quite lasting thus, the decline in housing prices has severely impacted the economic growth of the nation. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to gauge the asymmetric impact of COVID-19 shocks on housing prices in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Studies revealed the symmetric impact of macroeconomic variables, and contingencies on housing prices dominate the literature. However, the assumption of linearity fails to apprehend the asymmetric dynamics of the housing sector. Thus, the author uses a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model to address this limitation and test the existence of short- and long-run asymmetry.

Findings

The findings revealed the long- and short-run asymmetric impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and the peak of the COVID-19 on housing prices. The results indicate that the peak of COVID-19 had a greater impact on housing prices in comparison to the outbreak of COVID-19. This can be explained as prices will revert to normal at a speed of 0.978% with the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. Whereas the housing prices rise at a rate of 0.714 as a result of government intervention to deal with the ill effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, it can be inferred that both the outbreak and peak of COVID-19 will lead to a minimal decline in housing prices, while with the decline in the number of cases and reduction in the impact of the outbreak of COVID, the housing prices will rise at an increasing rate.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to understand the impact of the outbreak and peak of COVID-19 on the housing prices separately.
On the 20th governance reform anniversary: revisiting corporate governance and transparency nexus after two decades of change in Malaysia
Authors: Nahar Hairul Suhaimi , Mohamad Maslinawati
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to fill the governance literature void by answering the seemingly unanswered vintage questions regarding governance reform effectiveness towards ensuring a firm’s financial reporting transparency (FRT) in an emerging country of Malaysia. It involves an assessment of the specific maintained assumption in its governance code (Code) introduced two decades ago that the Code would improve FRT through the direct channel of governance practices improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

The measured FRT as proxied by the firm’s accruals quality is examined across different governance regimes of pre- and post-Code periods. This paper conjectures that the firm’s FRT should improve post-Code period, evidencing reform effectiveness towards ensuring enhanced governance practices.

Findings

The results indicate that while governance reform improves governance practices, it did not, however, bring improved FRT of firms. The interaction analysis provides evidence of the Code’s ability to favourably moderate the link between the firm’s FRT and several board attributes, suggesting improvement in governance practices in ensuring the firm’s FRT pursuant to the introduction of a formally written and legally backed governance code.

Practical implications

This paper contributes to the extent of governance and FRT literature in developing economies in at least two specific ways. First, the paper presents evidence on public policy implications towards governance practices and the firms’ FRT. Second, it contributes to the public policy debate concerning governance reform effectiveness from the specific angle of the firms’ FRT, thereby confirming the potential conditions upon which the “maintained assumption” would be valid.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the extent of governance and FRT literature in emerging economies by studying the dynamic roles of governance in influencing firms’ FRT across governance regime change, something which governance literature repertoire seems to neglect. It also contributes to the public policy debate concerning governance reform effectiveness from the specific angle of the firm’s FRT by evidencing the strategic role of governance reform in influencing the financial reporting behaviour of Malaysian listed firms.
Make me act rapidly: identity perspective to the dynamics of start-up creation process
Authors: Karpinskaia Emilia
Published: June 2022

Purpose

High-tech start-up creation is associated with complex challenges originating from quick transformations in technologies and markets. To raise start-up survival and success chances, founders need to ensure a rapid conversion of a venture idea into a working business. This paper aims to explore how identity-related characteristics of founders influence the speed of the start-up creation process.

Design/methodology/approach

For this study, a longitudinal multiple-case-study design was selected to identify a vivid flow of decisions and actions taken by high-tech start-ups for analysis in depth. Over 20 months, a series of interviews were organized with founders of six start-ups located in the same business incubator in Russia. Also, a set of additional data sources was engaged, including publicly available data and internal documents provided by businesses.

Findings

The findings reveal contrasting dynamics of start-up creation processes among founders with differing role identities. Identity fit and identity misfit are suggested to be serious pull and push factors in the process of organizational becoming through the impact they have on the situational regulatory focus of founders.

Originality/value

The current research contributes to the entrepreneurship stream of research by extending the knowledge of how cognition affects the process of new venture creation.
Future challenges in humanitarian operations and the role of partnerships with academia
Authors: Van Wassenhove Luk Noel
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Engage scholars and humanitarian organizations to collaborate on impactful problems.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 20 years of experience working with Humanitarian Organizations and doing research in partnership with them.

Findings

A set of recommendations.

Originality/value

Knowledge sharing.
Budget transparency and financial sustainability
Authors: Cuadrado-Ballesteros Beatriz , Bisogno Marco
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study investigates the transparency of budgets by examining its relationship with financial sustainability, which is a central area of research in the public-sector context.

Design/methodology/approach

Referring to the public value framework, a large sample of 110 countries has been investigated, implementing econometric models where the dependent variable is the Open Budget Index (OBI), published by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), and the test variables are different indicators of financial sustainability.

Findings

The results that emerge from the analysis suggest that budget transparency could be positively associated with the financial sustainability of governments, beyond the traditional aims of enhancing citizens' trust and participation.

Originality/value

This research offers important insights for policy areas, suggesting that improving budget transparency could be beneficial for public administrations because of the positive association with financial sustainability.
Corporate social responsibility and future bankruptcy
Authors: Brooks Li (Lily) Zheng , McGuire Jean B.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the cross-sectional differences on the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and future bankruptcy along the dimensions of political connection and corporate governance strength. This study intends to provide evidence on the tangible benefits for firms to invest in social capital of CSR activities and offer insights on what firms may benefit more from CSR expenditure.

Design/methodology/approach

Running a logistic regression on the determinants of bankruptcy model after controlling for financial stress factors based on prior literature, this study examines the moderating effect of political connection and corporate governance on the association between corporate social responsibility and future bankruptcy.

Findings

Current study documents that the negative association between corporate social responsibility and future bankruptcy is only significant for politically connected firms, but insignificant for non-politically connected firms. Specifically, the authors find that one standard deviation increase of CSR expenditure significantly reduces the propensity of future bankruptcy by 53.20% for politically-connected firms. Conversely, the negative relation between CSR only exits for firms with weak corporate governance but do not exit for firms with strong corporate governance.

Research limitations/implications

Current study provides evidence on the tangible benefits for firms to invest in social capital of CSR activities and offers additional insights on what firms may benefit more from CSR expenditure.

Originality/value

Current study extends the research to examine the cross-sectional variations in the negative association between CSR performance and the propensity of bankruptcy. The positive moderating effect of political connection on CSR and bankruptcy suggests that political connection and CSR are complements in reducing the propensity of future bankruptcy. A more pronounced negative association between CSR and bankruptcy for firms with weaker governance suggests that firms with weak corporate governance benefits more in engaging CSR activities than firms with strong corporate governance.
Do glycemic index and glycemic load of diet contribute to early childhood caries in preschool children?
Authors: Inan Eroglu Elif , Ozkalayci Ruveyda Esra , Ozsin Ozler Cansu , Uzamis-Tekcicek Meryem , Buyuktuncer Zehra
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential association between the glycemic index (GI) and the glycemic load (GL) with early childhood caries in preschool children.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study collected data from 225 children aged 37–71 months in governmental nursery schools within the Altindag district of Ankara, Turkey. GI and GL values of foods and beverages were calculated using 2008 international tables of GI and GL. Dental examinations were done under daylight and by using a headlight. The prevalence of caries was obtained by calculating the number of the decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) index score or decayed, missing and filled surface (dmfs) index score.

Findings

There were significant differences in the dmft and dmfs scores according to GI groups (p = 0.022 for both). The multivariate models showed that children who consumed a high-GI diet had higher dmft scores compared to children who consumed a medium-GI diet (ß 1.48, 95% CI −1.48, 4.44), whereas children who consumed a high-GL diet had lower dmft score compared to children who consumed low-GL diet (ß 0.55, 95% CI −0.97, 2.07), however, they were not statistically significant.

Originality/value

Dietary total GI and GL did not significantly influence the caries experience of preschool children. Future studies should focus on the different age groups with a broader perspective.
Effect of knowledge management on innovative performance with the mediating effect of unlearning
Authors: Samie Mohammad Ebrahim , Jazghani Farshad
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of knowledge management (KM) on innovative performance with the mediating effect of unlearning (UNL) in Iran Water Resources Management Company.

Design/methodology/approach

In terms of data collection, this study has elements of library study and field study. To collect the data, a researcher-made questionnaire with three subscales of KM, UNL and innovative performance was used. The population of this study was 800 employees of Iran Water Resources Management Company, from whom a sample of 256 participants was selected through random sampling. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses through smart PLS software.

Findings

The results of data analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between KM and innovative performance, with UNL having a positive mediating effect.

Research limitations/implications

Recent research complements existing knowledge in the field of organizational KM.

Practical implications

This study provides a good view of the impact of using KM in improving innovative performance by applying the UNL process.

Originality/value

This study can be a beacon for decision-makers in the optimal use of KM in the organization. In the continuation of this study, managers can plan with special attention to KM processes, by removing barriers to organizational learning to achieve better innovative performance.
Physiological responses of narwhals to anthropogenic noise: A case study with seismic airguns and vessel traffic in the Arctic
Authors: Williams Terrie M. , Blackwell Susanna B. , Tervo Outi , Garde Eva , Sinding Mikkel‐Holger S. , Richter Beau , Heide‐Jørgensen Mads Peter
Published: June 2022

Limited polar geographical range, narrowly defined migratory routes, and deep‐diving behaviours make narwhals exceptionally vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances including oceanic noise. Although behavioural studies indicate marked responses of cetaceans to disturbance, the link between fear reactions and possible injury from noise exposure is limited for most species.

To address this, we deployed custom‐made heart rate‐accelerometer‐depth recorders on 13 adult narwhals in Scoresby Sound, East Greenland across a five‐year period (2014–2018). Physiological responses of the cetaceans were monitored in the absence (n = 13 animals) or presence (n = 2 animals across 3 acoustic events) of experimentally directed, seismic airgun pulses and associated vessels (full volume source level = 241 dB re 1 μPa‐m).

We found that anthropogenic noise resulted in marked cardiovascular, respiratory and locomotor reactions by two narwhals exposed to seismic pulses across three acoustic events. The general behavioural response to seismic and vessel noise included an 80% reduction in the duration of gliding during dive descents by seismic‐exposed narwhals compared to controls, and the prolongation of high intensity activity (ODBA > 0.20 g) with elevated stroke frequencies exceeding 40 strokes per minute. Noise exposure also resulted in intense (<10 bpm) bradycardia that was decoupled from stroking frequency. This decoupling instigated increased variability in heart rate, with the heart switching rapidly between bradycardia and exercise tachycardia during noise exposure. The maximum respiratory frequency following seismic exposure, 12 breaths/min, was 1.5 times control levels.

Overall, the effect of seismic/ship noise exposure on Arctic narwhals was a 2.0–2.2‐fold increase in the energetic cost of diving, which paradoxically occurred during suppression of the cardiac exercise response. This unusual relationship between diving heart rate and exercise intensity represents a new metric for characterizing the level of fear reactions of wild marine mammals exposed to different environmental stressors. Together, the multi‐level reactions to anthropogenic noise by this deep‐diving cetacean demonstrated how a cascade of effects along the entire oxygen pathway could challenge physiological homeostasis especially if disturbance is prolonged.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Authenticity in the Pursuit of Mutuality During Crisis
Authors: Nayani Rachel , Baric Marijana , Patey Jana , Fitzhugh Helen , Watson David , Tregaskis Olga , Daniels Kevin
Published: June 2022

Employee wellbeing activities constitute a space for organizations to realize a shared agenda with employees, and therefore a means to pursue mutuality. The pursuit of mutuality draws on assumptions of reciprocity in social exchange theory (SET) but is dynamic and put under pressure by external shocks. The first UK COVID‐19 lockdown provided the setting to explore how organizations addressed employee wellbeing concerns under conditions of crisis. Using qualitative data from five organizations, we identify authenticity‐building, which is the constellation of past and present activities through which organizations channel efforts to be authentic in their concern for employees. Attributions of authenticity emerge as fundamental to authenticity‐building, while authenticity work (the organization noticing, understanding and acting on shifts in interests) is enabled by dialogic processes. Authenticity‐building shifts the quality of the exchange relationship to allow for mutual benefits and is therefore a vital and dynamic component of mutuality. Our findings contribute to the mutuality literature by providing a theoretically embedded extension of SET and show how organizations may become more (or less) authentic within the context of the employment relationship. We highlight the complexity of organizational endeavour for mutuality and show how mutuality need not be compromised during external shocks.
An indirect comparison of automated indirect immunofluorescence vs automated solid‐phase immunoassays for antinuclear antibody detection: A meta‐analysis and adjusted indirect comparison of diagnostic test accuracy
Authors: Zhang Minjie , Zhang Xiaoyan
Published: June 2022

Objective

The primary aim of this study was to conduct a meta‐analysis to compare the diagnostic accuracy of automated indirect immunofluorescence (automated‐IIF) and fully automated solid‐phase immunoassays (solid‐phase assays), compared with gold standard conventional manual indirect immunofluorescence (manual‐IIF) for antinuclear antibody (ANA) detection.

Methods

Indirect meta‐comparison was performed using prospective studies reporting comparative data between automated‐IIF and fully automated solid‐phase assays individually to conventional manual‐IIF. Diagnostic tests regarding different automated solid‐phase assays and automated‐IIF for ANA detection were retrieved from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Biological Medicine Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WANFANG electronic databases from their inception to January 2022. Assessment of the quality of the studies was undertaken using a second version of the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS‐2) tool. The investigated diagnostic indices including pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, pooled positive likelihood ratio (PLR), pooled negative likelihood ratio (NLR), pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of automated‐IIF and solid‐phase assays, respectively. Relative diagnostic odds ratio (RDOR) was calculated to indirectly compare the diagnostic accuracy of automated‐IIF and solid‐phase assays. To visualize results, we provide forest plots showing the RDOR with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the 2 methods against the “gold standard” manual‐IIF by R software. Deeks' funnel was used to investigate the publication bias.

Results

A total of 16 studies involving 6111 subjects were included in the analysis. The pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, pooled PLR, pooled NLR, pooled DOR and the AUC were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.84‐0.86), 0.82 (95% CI 0.81‐0.84), 14.22 (95% CI 8.55‐23.65), 0.06 (95% CI 0.03‐0.12), 287.0 (95% CI 124.30‐662.68) and 0.983 for automated‐IIF respectively, and as for solid‐phase assays those were 0.73 (95% CI 0.70‐0.75), 0.87 (95% CI 0.85‐0.89), 5.66 (95% CI 3.33‐9.62), 0.30 (95% CI 0.20‐0.47), 19.14 (95% CI 8.00‐45.79) and 0.894. The results of indirect comparison indicated that automated‐IIF had statistically significant higher accuracy for the detection of ANA.

Conclusion

This meta‐analysis and indirect comparison suggest that automated‐IIF should be recommended as an alternative assay for ANA screening under the condition of increased demand for ANA testing in clinical immunology laboratories.
The impact of different WHO reference criteria for semen analysis in clinical practice: Who will benefit from the new 2021 thresholds for normal semen parameters?
Authors: Boeri Luca , Fallara Giuseppe , Pozzi Edoardo , Belladelli Federico , Corsini Christian , Raffo Massimiliano , Schifano Nicolò , Capogrosso Paolo , d'Arma Alessia , Montorsi Francesco , Salonia Andrea
Published: June 2022

Background

In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided the latest update on processing and evaluating semen analysis.

Objectives

To assess (i) the rate of discordance in semen parameters categorization across three different WHO reference values (namely WHO21, 2010 and 1999) and (ii) the clinical differences among discordant semen analyses from a cohort of primary infertile men.

Materials and methods

Data from 788 infertile men were analyzed. Semen parameters were interpreted based on WHO21, WHO10, and WHO99 reference criteria. Pregnancy outcomes with assisted reproductive techniques (ART) were available for 110 (14%) patients. Descriptive statistics was applied to describe potential differences among the three consecutive WHO references criteria.

Results

Semen parameters categorizations were highly different across the three groups (p < 0.001). Of all, 271 (42.2%) patients had normal semen parameters according to WHO10 but were pathologic when considered with WHO21 reference criteria (namely, men with increased semen abnormalities). Infertile men with increased semen abnormalities had lower testicular volume (p < 0.001) but higher FSH (p < 0.01) and LH (p < 0.001) values than those who had no change in terms of semen parameters categorization. Negative ART outcomes were more frequently reported in men with worsening semen parameters compared with those with confirmed semen parameters at WHO21 versus WHO10 (26.8% vs. 49%, p = 0.03). Conversely, infertile men with worsening semen parameters at WHO21 versus WHO99 were similar in terms of clinical and hormonal characteristics compared with those with the same rate of semen abnormalities.

Conclusions

One out of three infertile men showed worsened semen categorization according to WHO21 versus WHO10. Infertile men with worsening of semen parameters had worse clinical and hormonal characteristics than those with confirmed numbers of semen abnormalities. Moreover, live birth rates were lower in men with worsening semen abnormalities as for WHO21.
Interesting electrophysiological phenomenon during positioning of the lead deep inside the septum
Authors: Shen Jiabo , Jiang Longfu , Wu Hao , Pan Lifang
Published: June 2022

Left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) is a developing physiological pacing technique. Wu et al. proposed that direct LBB capture could be confirmed by recording retrograde His potential (PoReHis) and mapping of the left conduction system potential. The transventricular‐septal electrophysiological phenomena deserve further study. Here, we used a continuous uninterrupted pacing technique to confirm the LBB capture by dynamically observing changes in PoReHis and stimulus to left ventricular activation time.
Virtual arthroplasty clinic: a single centre experience: commentary on progress, cost savings and patient retention
Authors: Lim Reuben , Du John , Calligeros Kosta
Published: June 2022

Background

The COVID pandemic highlights utility of remote patient follow‐up. We observe a Virtual Clinic (VC) follow‐up model for arthroplasty used at a metropolitan hospital. Patients aged <70 that exhibit no issues in face‐to‐face review (F2F) progress to VC. We aimed to review VC's cost‐effectiveness, and identify potential improvements to patient allocation and retention.

Method

A retrospective database was collated of all hip and knee joint arthroplasties performed at Frankston Hospital over a 12‐month period in 2017–2018. Patient encounters were followed from operation to discharge from F2F and, if appropriate, VC (involving imaging and a paper‐based qualitative questionnaire). VC attendance was compared to that of the year in which it was introduced (2014). The Clinical Costings Department provided average hospital spending for each of these modes of follow‐up.

Results

Of 516 joint arthroplasties performed, 500 attended outpatient clinic (OPC). There were 884 F2F appointments (average 1.7 per person, range 0–12). One‐hundred‐and‐fifty‐four arthroplasties were correctly assigned to subsequent VC as per protocol (30%). Completed VC responses were received for 86 arthroplasties (56% response rate). In the period studied, VC attendance increased significantly compared to the year following introduction (36–56%, p < 0.05), with the questionnaire revealing a high‐level of patient satisfaction for this method of follow‐up. Over the period studied, we estimate VC has saved $250 000 and 300 review hours from OPC.

Conclusion

Implementing VC for follow‐up of arthroplasty may demonstrate a method of saving hospital resources. Appropriate early enrolment of patients to reduce F2F burden, and VC retention, should be encouraged.
“Bringing Your Full Self to Work”: Fashioning LGBTQ Bankers on Wall Street
Authors: Kaplan Spencer
Published: June 2022

This paper examines the project of US corporate diversity and inclusion as it is experienced by LGBTQ‐identified employees on Wall Street. It draws on ethnographic research among junior bankers who participate in Wall Street’s LGBTQ recruitment events and employee networks. Attending to their claims that queer difference affords them valuable workplace skills, this paper situates these claims within the gendered ideals of Wall Street, models of entrepreneurial selfhood, and ethical projects of self‐fashioning. It argues that diversity and inclusion is not simply a novel means for corporations to extract value from workers. On Wall Street, LGBTQ bankers use diversity and inclusion to, as they say, “bring their full selves to work” and fashion themselves as queer and financial subjects. Starting from their first experiences at the banks’ recruitment events, they are incited to pursue this project of self‐fashioning by exemplary senior LGBTQ leaders. They learn that by managing queer difference as human capital today, they can achieve professional success in the future. In pursuit of this payoff, they engage with queer difference as an object of speculation.
Glut: Affective Labor and the Burden of Abundance in Secondhand Economies
Authors: Berry Brieanne
Published: June 2022

This paper explores the interlinkages between the abundance of stuff moving through community‐based reuse organizations and the labor needed to manage this material. The glut of donations is due to the sheer volume of materials moving through a wasteful linear economic system, as well as the practice of donation dumping, where unusable used goods move through reuse economies, washing their previous owners free of guilt while entangling laborers in messy relationships with objects. I draw on theories of gendered, social reproductive labor to explore how the work of localized reuse, disproportionately borne by unpaid women, reproduces communities. Following calls for work that explores the social dimensions of circular economies, this research uses a qualitative approach that draws on two main methods: participant observation in reuse establishments and in‐depth interviews with reuse participants. This qualitative data provides a picture of reuse activities at a local scale and helps us understand the complex relationships formed and perpetuated through reuse. I find that the labor of volunteers is often unseen and undervalued and suggest that policies designed to address material surplus do so with these laborers in mind.
The Ambivalence of Autonomy: Skills, Trust, Tactics, and Status on a Construction Site in Belize
Authors: Troccoli Giuseppe
Published: June 2022

This article focuses on the autonomy of construction workers informally employed in Belize City, Belize, as emerging from the labor processes and material conditions that characterize construction work in this ethnographic setting. I argue that the notion of ambivalence can be fruitfully applied in order to understand how autonomy acts in contradictory ways in reproducing the relationships amongst workers, and between them and their contractors. In a context characterized by personal relationships, minimized managerial control, and flexible employment, the article employs an ethnography of the workplace which focuses on the role of trust, status and tactics used by builders to their own advantage, in order to show the relevance of their autonomy for how they meaningfully engage with their work, with each other and their employers. The article asks how workers differentially positioned within the skills‐based hierarchy of the workplace act ambivalently, simultaneously reinforcing and negating their unequal place within it while striving to make their conditions less precarious.
Initiation of antihypertensive drugs to patients with confirmed COVID‐19—A population‐based cohort study in Sweden
Authors: Mousa Salar Issa , Nyberg Fredrik , Hajiebrahimi Mohammadhossein , Bertilsson Rebecka , Nåtman Jonatan , Santosa Ailiana , Wettermark Björn
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Hypertension is an important risk factor for severe outcomes in patients with COVID‐19, and antihypertensive drugs may have a protective effect. However, the pandemic may have negatively impacted health care services for chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess initiations of antihypertensive medicines in patients infected by COVID‐19.

Methods

A cohort study including all Swedish residents 20–80 years old with a COVID‐19 positive test compared with an unexposed group without COVID‐19 matched for age, sex, and index date (date of confirmed COVID‐19). Data were collected within SCIFI‐PEARL, a study including linked data on COVID tests, hospital diagnoses, dispensed prescriptions, and socioeconomic data from Swedish national registers. Initiations of different antihypertensive drugs were studied from March 2020 until October 2020. Associations between COVID‐19 and initiation of antihypertensives were assessed by a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

A total of 224 582 patients (exposed and unexposed) were included. After adjusting for cardiovascular comorbidities and education level, ACEi was the most commonly initiated antihypertensive agent to patients with COVID‐19. Hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for initiation of drug therapy was 1.83 [1.53–2.19] for ACEi, followed by beta‐blockers 1.74 [1.55–1.95], calcium channel blockers 1.61 [1.41–1.83], angiotensin receptor blockers 1.61 [1.40–1.86], and diuretics 1.53 [1.32–1.77].

Conclusion

All antihypertensive medicines were initiated more frequently in COVID‐19 patients. This can either be associated with hypertension caused by the COVID‐19 infection, more frequent diagnosis of hypertension among people with COVID‐19 since they consult health care, or residual confounding factors not adjusted for in the study.
New biomarker paves the way for a clinical trial for neurodegeneration in Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Shioda Yoko , Sakamoto Kenichi , Morimoto Akira
Published: June 2022

Neurodegeneration in Langerhans cell histiocytosis (ND‐LCH) is a major clinical issue requiring urgent resolution. Sveijer et al. showed that plasma neurofilament light protein is a promising biomarker for screening patients with ND‐LCH and determining the therapeutic effect of a mitogen‐activated protein kinase inhibitor. Therefore, this can be a powerful tool for conducting clinical trials for ND‐LCH.

Commentary on: Sveijer M, von Bahr Greenwood T, Jädersten M, Kvedaraite E, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, et al. Screening for neurodegeneration in Langerhans cell histiocytosis with neurofilament light in plasma. Br J Haematol. 2022;198:722–729
Impact of centralization of prostate cancer services on the choice of radical treatment
Authors: Aggarwal Ajay , Han Lu , Tree Alison , Lewis Daniel , Roques Tom , Sangar Vijay , van der Meulen Jan
Published: June 2022

Objective

To assess the impact of centralization of prostate cancer surgery and radiotherapy services on the choice of prostate cancer treatment.

Patients and Methods

This national population‐based study used linked cancer registry data and administrative hospital‐level data for all 16 621 patients who were diagnosed between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018 with intermediate‐risk prostate cancer and who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) or radical radiation therapy (RT) in the English National Health Service (NHS). Travel times by car to treating centres were estimated using a geographic information system. We used logistic regression to assess the impact of the relative proximity of alternative treatment options on the type of treatment received, with adjustment for patient characteristics.

Results

Of the 78 NHS hospitals that provide RT or RP for prostate cancer, 41% provide both, 36% provide RT and 23% provide RP. Compared to patients who had both treatment options available at their nearest centre where overall 57% of patients received RT and 43% RP, patients were less likely to receive RT if their nearest centre offered RP only and the extra travel time to a hospital providing RT was >15 min (52% of patients received RT and 48% RP%, odds ratio [OR] 0.70 (0.58–0.85); P < 0.001). Conversely, patients were more likely to receive RT if their nearest centre offered RT and the extra travel time to a hospital providing RP was >15 min (63% of patients received RT and 37% RP, OR 1.23 (1.08–1.40); P < 0.001). There was a negligible impact on the type of treatment received if centres providing alternative treatment options were ≤15‐min travel time from each other.

Conclusion

The relative proximity of prostate cancer treatment options to a patient's residence is an independent predictor for the type of radical treatment received. Centralization policies for prostate cancer should not focus on one treatment modality but should consider all treatments to avoid a negative impact on treatment choice.
Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the burnout rates of graduating Canadian Urology residents
Authors: Johnstone Jeannette , Gabara Adam , Hopman Wilma M. , Touma Naji J.
Published: June 2022

Objective

To assess the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on burnout rates in Canadian Urology trainees.

Subjects and Methods

A total of 37 chief residents representing all 12 Canadian Urology residency programmes attended a preparatory examination in December 2019 pre‐pandemic and 39 chief residents attended virtually in November 2020 during the pandemic. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for medical professionals’ questionnaire was administered anonymously to both groups. The MBI covers emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal accomplishment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.

Results

There was a 100% response rate in the convenience sample (n = 37) in 2019 and 64.1% response rate (n = 25) in 2020. Overall, 70% of chief residents in Canadian Urology programmes showed evidence of burnout in 2019 compared to 88% in 2020 (P = 0.101). There was a statistically significant difference between the two cohorts in emotional exhaustion (mean [sd] 16.2 [5.6] in 2019 and 20.2 [6.2] in 2020, P = 0.011) and personal accomplishment scores (mean [sd] 32.2 [4.5] in 2019 and 30.6 [3.6] in 2020, P = 0.039).

Conclusions

This study is the first to examine the impact of the pandemic on burnout rates in Urology trainees. Burnout rates are high in trainees at baseline, and the pandemic appears to have exacerbated emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment, but not overall burnout rates. Vigilance and proactive steps need to be implemented to alleviate this crisis.
Limonin stabilises sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) by activating ubiquitin specific peptidase 10 (USP10) in cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Liu Li‐Bo , Huang Si‐Hui , Qiu Hong‐Liang , Cen Xian‐Feng , Guo Ying‐Ying , Li Dan , Ma Yu‐Lan , Xu Man , Tang Qi‐Zhu
Published: June 2022

Background and Purpose

Limonin, a naturally occurring tetracyclic triterpenoid, has extensive pharmacological effects. Its role in cardiac hypertrophy remains to be elucidated. We investigated its effects on cardiac hypertrophy along with the potential mechanisms involved.

Experimental Approach

The effects of limonin on cardiac hypertrophy in C57/BL6 mice caused by aortic banding, plus neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (NRCMs) stimulated with phenylephrine to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro were investigated.

Key Results

Limonin markedly improved the cardiac function and heart weight in aortic banded mice. Limonin‐treated mice and NRCMs also produced fewer cardiac hypertrophy markers than those treated with the vehicle in the hypertrophic groups. Sustained aortic banding‐ or phenylephrine‐stimulation impaired cardiac sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) protein levels, which were partially reversed by limonin associated with enhanced activity of PPARα. Sirt6 siRNA inhibited the anti‐hypertrophic effects of limonin in vitro. Interestingly, limonin did not influence Sirt6 mRNA levels, but regulated ubiquitin levels. Thus, the protein biosynthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide and proteasome inhibitor, MG‐132, were used to determine SIRT6 protein expression levels. Under phenylephrine stimulation, limonin increased SIRT6 protein levels in the presence of cycloheximide, but it did not influence SIRT6 expression in the presence of MG‐132, suggesting that limonin promotes SIRT6 levels by inhibiting its ubiquitination degradation. Furthermore, limonin inhibited the degradation of SIRT6 by activating ubiquitin‐specific peptidase 10 (USP10), while Usp10 siRNA prevented the beneficial effects of limonin.

Conclusion and Implications

Limonin mediates the ubiquitination and degradation of SIRT6 by activating USP10, providing an attractive therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy.
The effect of the use of proton pump inhibitors, serotonin uptake inhibitors, antihypertensive, and anti‐inflammatory drugs on clinical outcomes of functional dental implants: A retrospective study
Authors: Corbella Stefano , Morandi Paolo , Alberti Alice , Morandi Benedetta , Francetti Luca
Published: June 2022

Objective

The present retrospective study investigated the effect of chronic intake of proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, anti‐inflammatory, and antihypertensive drugs on the survival of dental implants and on the occurrence of peri‐implantitis.

Materials and methods

Survival analyses for implant failure and peri‐implantitis were performed patient level for each drug subcategory and for risk factors. The HR for each drug was calculated with adjusted models as compared with a control group made of subjects not assuming the specific drug. Multilevel logistic regression was used to explore the influence of implant‐level and patient‐level variables on the outcomes.

Results

A total of 270 subjects receiving 1118 dental implants were included, with a mean follow‐up time of 5.19 ± 4.22 years. After 10 years, the survival rate was 86.9% (patient level), and according to survival analysis, 61.3% of subjects were free from peri‐implantitis. The use of anti‐inflammatory medicines produced a significant effect (p = .04) on peri‐implantitis as compared to subjects not using the drug, with a 2.7‐year drop in the mean survival time. The HR was slightly above the level of significance in a semiadjusted model (p = .058). The multilevel analysis found a significant effect on the entire sample and not when considering only subjects with implants with more than 1‐year follow‐up.

Conclusions

We found a possible relationship between anti‐inflammatory drug use and the occurrence of peri‐implantitis in the examined cohort of patients, and no correlation for the other drugs.