bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of pull-based print advertising with QR codes
Authors: Trivedi Rohit , Teichert Thorsten , Hardeck Dirk
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Despite quick response (QR) codes’ prominence, little is known about their embedding in pull-based communications. This study aims to measure QR code effects in print advertising along five different stages of consumer decision making, using advertisement appeals with moderating effects of product category involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were derived from a German market research initiative with 326,212 consumer evaluations for 792 real print advertisements from 26 product categories. Multinomial logit models were used to investigate the effects of QR code presence on consumer reactions.

Findings

QR codes steer purchase intention in a low-involvement product category if used alongside an emotional appeal. Advertisements for high-involvement products benefit if QR codes are combined with an overall informational appeal. QR codes do not enhance the persuasive effects of advertisements’ informational appeals in a low-involvement product category.

Research limitations/implications

The effects of QR codes on consumers’ responses cannot be analysed in isolation but depend on advertisement context. They interact with advertisements’ informational and emotional appeals and product category involvement.

Practical implications

Marketers should not use QR codes indiscriminately but should carefully consider advertisement context. QR codes should be used alongside an emotional appeal if the marketer’s objective is to induce purchase intention in low-involvement settings. Advertisements for high-involvement products need to combine QR codes with an informational appeal.

Originality/value

This study highlights the interplay of effects in print advertisements, which are typically considered push-based when they are combined with QR codes as pull-based communications in the digital marketing area.
Speaking right: HRDs role in mediating good boardroom conversations
Authors: Beech Nick , Gold Jeff , Beech Susan , Auty Tricia
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the impact discourse has on decision making practices within the boardroom and considers how personal proficiency in micro-language use can enhance an individual’s personal efficacy in influencing boardroom decisions. The work uses Habermas’ theory of communicative action to critique board talk, highlighting the need for greater understanding of the power of everyday taken for granted talk in strategy shaping. It illuminates the contribution that human resource development (HRD) professionals can make to the management of such behaviour and minimising dysfunctional behaviour and enabling effective boardroom practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Traditional governance theory from a business and organisational perspectives are provided before considering the boardroom environment and HRD’s role. The authors undertake ethnographic research supported by conversation analysis to explore how directors use talk-based interpersonal routines to influence boardroom processes and enact collective decision making. The authors provide one extract of directors’ talk to illustrate the process and demonstrate what the data “looks like” and the insights it holds.

Findings

The analysis suggests that the established underlying assumptions and rationale ideologies of corporate governance are misplaced and to understand the workings of corporate governance HRD academics and professionals need to gain deeper insight into the employment of talk within boards. Armed with such insights HRD professionals can become more effective in developing strategies to address dysfunctional leadership and promote good governance practice throughout their organisation.

Social implications

The work raises a call for HRD to embrace a societal mediation role to help boards to become a catalyst for setting good practice which is strategically aligned throughout the organisation. Such roles require a more dialogical, strategic and critical approach to HRD, and professionals and academics take a more holistic approach to leadership development.

Originality/value

The paper considers the role of the development of HRD interventions that both help individuals to work more effectively within a boardroom environment and support development to shape a boardroom culture that promotes effective governance practice by influencing boardroom practice thereby promoting strong governance and broad social compliance throughout the organisation.
Act your age? Age, intrapreneurial behavior, social capital and performance
Authors: Ben Hador Batia , Klein Galit
Published: December 2019

Purpose

With increases in life expectancy, age diversity has emerged as a common feature of organizations. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the connection between employee age, intrapreneurial behaviors (i.e. introducing new ventures inside an organization), intra-organizational social capital (SC) and their connection to employee performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper-based survey was distributed among 617 participants from five organizations. Three organizations operate in the industrial industry, while the other two operate in the service field.

Findings

The findings show that intrapreneurial behaviors moderate the positive connection between age and performance. That is, among employees engaged in intrapreneurship, older workers evaluated their performance more highly compared to their younger counterparts. However, among workers who did not participate in intrapreneurship, younger employees evaluated their performances as higher compared to older workers. The authors also found that age was negatively connected to intrapreneurial activities, and this connection was mediated by intra-organizational SC.

Originality/value

The results of this study highlight the contribution of older employees to intrapreneurial activities and organizational performance while pointing to obstacles that may inhibit them from participating in intrapreneurship. The results have both theoretical and practical implications, which can aid HR managers in their attempt to establish a positive age-diversity climate.
Assessing the current state of information security policies in academic organizations
Authors: Weidman Jake , Grossklags Jens
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Colleges and universities across the USA have seen data breaches and intellectual property theft rise at a heightened rate over the past several years. An integral step in the first line of defense against various forms of attacks are (written) security policies designed to prescribe the construction and function of a technical system, while simultaneously guiding the actions of individuals operating within said system. Unfortunately, policy analysis is an insufficiently discussed topic in many academic communities with very little research being conducted in this space.

Design/methodology/approach

This work aims to assess the current state of information security policies by analyzing in-use policies from 200 universities and colleges in the USA with the goal of identifying important features and general attributes of these documents. The authors accomplish this through a series of analyzes designed to examine the language and construction of these policies.

Findings

To summarize high-level results, the authors found that only 54 per cent of the top 200 universities had publicly accessible information security policies, and the policies that were examined lacked consistency with little shared source material. The authors also found that the tonal makeup of these policies lacked a great deal of emotion, but contained a high amount of tentative or ambiguous language leading toward policies that could be viewed as “unclear.”

Originality/value

This work is an extension of a paper that was presented at ECIS 2018. The authors have added additional analyzes including a cross-policy content and tonal analysis to strengthen the findings and implications of this work for the wider research audience.
Internationalization in higher education: faculty tradeoffs under the social exchange theory
Authors: Romani-Dias Marcello , Carneiro Jorge
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Although faculty members are regarded as one of the main agents of internationalization in higher education (IHE), research has focused on the upper levels of analysis (e.g. country or educational institution) rather than the individual. The purpose of this paper is to draw from social exchange theory (SET) to examine how the perceptions of costs and expected rewards affect faculty members’ choices of international activities.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study adopted as main methods a review of the literature on IHE and in-depth interviews based on a semi-structured script with an international sample. A sample of 16 researches was selected for interview using the snowball technique of sample selection.

Findings

The authors verified that faculty may seek internationalization in search of job opportunities, greater social approval, greater autonomy and greater security. On the other hand, temporal, monetary, psychological and physical costs discourage faculty members from seeking international insertion. Based on these tradeoffs, our findings suggest that although the basic tenets of SET do apply, the theory does not explicitly address two issues: the fact that costs and rewards are intricately related, and the apparent mismatch between (short-term) costs and (long-term) expected rewards.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the IHE literature by highlighting the crucial role of faculty – that is, the level of analysis of the individual – which has been under-researched and by setting out the reasoning that supports the decision of faculty members to seek (higher) international insertion. Furthermore, this study extends SET as a plausible explanation for the self-internationalization decision by scholars.
Two-phase approach to an integrated reverse logistics network considering different qualities of returned products
Authors: Tarin Nasser , Azar Adel , Ebrahimi Seyyed Abbas
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Some essential issues about modeling of reverse logistics (RL) systems and product recovery networks include consideration of the qualities of the returned products, taking into account uncertainty and integrating the forward and reverse flows. The purpose of this paper is to develop the integrated RL model, which focuses on the control of inventory and production planning problems in a case of uncertainty in demand, quantities and qualities of returns.

Design/methodology/approach

The model involves a forward production route, three alternative recovery routes and a disposal route. Various levels of qualities are considered for returned products. A fuzzy mixed integer programming model (FMIP) is developed to provide a solution for the problems of production planning and inventory control. After maximizing the satisfaction degree, different solutions can have the same maximum. Moreover, policies that use all recovery routes and reduce the overall uncertainty have no chance to be chosen. To tackle these problems, a two-phase approach method is applied.

Findings

According to the results of the numerical example, using different and appropriate recovery options based on the quality of returns can significantly decrease the recovery costs. Similarly, it is shown that the two-phase approach can be an effective and efficient method to reach a satisfactory solution for such problems.

Originality/value

In this study, after maximizing the FMIP model, a two-phase approach ‒ as a novel optimization technique in this research ‒ is employed to achieve a desirable solution.
How and when does the brand orientation-market orientation nexus matter?
Authors: Lee Wai Jin (Thomas) , O'Cass Aron , Sok Phyra
Published: December 2019

Purpose

While extant research highlights the importance of both market orientation and brand orientation in brand success, it is still unclear how they actually combine to contribute to brand performance. Grounded in the theoretical perspectives of the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities, this study unpacks how, and when, brand orientation and market orientation link systematically to influence brand performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In testing the research hypotheses involving mediation and moderation effects, survey data were gathered from a sample of business firms in the manufacturing sector and analyzed through regression analysis.

Findings

The results suggest brand orientation manifests through market orientation to influence brand performance via the intervening mechanism of brand management capability. The results also suggest at high levels of competitive intensity, the systematic combination of market orientation and brand orientation is critical in facilitating brand management capability enhancement and subsequent brand performance.

Originality/value

This study extends current literature by providing a more detailed account of how brand orientation and market orientation systematically combine to yield superior brand performance via the mediating role of brand management capability. This study also provides further insights into how, in response to different levels of competitive intensity, the systematic combination of brand orientation and market orientation is managed to facilitate brand management capability enhancement and subsequent brand performance.
Financing housing and house prices in China
Authors: Arestis Philip , Jia Maggie Mo
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the evolution of house prices in China and especially the effects of different financing channels on China’s house prices.

Design/methodology/approach

The author use the own theoretical framework and proceed to test the testable hypotheses by using the autoregressive distributed lag bounds test approach for cointegration analysis and the unrestricted error correction model. Quarterly time series data from Q1 2002 to Q2 2016 are used.

Findings

The results suggest that in the short run, bank loans to real estate development and scale of shadow banking have significant positive effects on house prices. In the long run, the scale of shadow banking and disposable income affects house prices positively and significantly.

Originality/value

This study provides more insights into how and to the extent different financing channels affect China’s house prices, particularly the impact of shadow banking on the house prices.
Model for an integrated health system
Authors: Martin Livia , Knowles Evelyn Everett
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Theoretically, a health system has been described in terms of integration being the coordination of health services and collaboration amongst provider organizations. The components of an integrated health system remain inconclusive. Although senior healthcare executives establish structures and designs which facilitate the delivery of integrated care, their perspectives of a health system have not been explored. The purpose of this paper is to present senior healthcare executives’ perspectives of a health system which, when combined, form a model for developing an integrated health system.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative methodology and a multi-case study design, 11 presidents and 4 senior vice presidents of major healthcare organizations or systems in Ontario Canada were selected from a target population of 246 senior healthcare executives to engage in 1 h interviews each. Critical case sampling was applied in the selection of the study sample. Interviews were conducted between December 2017 and February 2018.

Findings

Senior healthcare executives expressed four distinct perspectives of a health system: systems, institutional, clinical and governance. When combined, the four perspectives form an original research-based concept or model for an integrated health system.

Originality/value

This paper conveys results of personal interviews with senior healthcare executives and presents a proposed model for an integrated health system based on their four distinct perspectives of a health system.
Developing a contemporary measure of employee perceptions of their work unit’s psychological sense of community
Authors: Arnold Wade , Arnold Danny , Neher Alain , Miles Morgan P.
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to develop and psychometrically assess an individual’s perception of their work unit’s psychological sense of community (PSOCw) scale. This new scale is designed to capture the unique characteristics of a contemporary work unit that might include current practices such as hot-desking and workers located in physically separate locations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops and then psychometrically accesses a new scale designed to better capture the psychological sense of community in a contemporary work unit.

Findings

The managerial implications for the PSOCw scale that is a psychometrically sound measure of work engagement, civility and collegiality in a work unit allow managers to audit a work unit based on these three dimensions and then take corrective actions to enhance the work unit’s sense of community.

Originality/value

The present study adapts previous work on PSOCw to a contemporary work environment where members of a work unit are often in physically separate locations and largely connect virtually.
Effective resource management in digital forensics
Authors: Wilson-Kovacs Dana
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Building on the findings of a British Academy-funded project on the development of digital forensics (DF) in England and Wales, the purpose of this paper is to explore how triage, a process that helps prioritise digital devices for in-depth forensic analysis, is experienced by DF examiners and police officers in four English police forces. It is argued that while as a strategy triage can address the increasing demand in the examination of digital exhibits, careful consideration needs to be paid to the ways in which its set-up, undertaking and outcomes impact on the ability of law enforcement agencies to solve cases.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological approach adopted here builds on the ethnographic turn in criminology. The analysis draws on 120 h of ethnographic observations and 43 semi-structured interviews. Observational data of the working DF environment at each location and a systematic evaluation of internal documents, organisational settings and police priorities helped refine emergent analysis threads, which were analytically compared between sites and against the testimonies of members of different occupational groups to identify similarities and differences between accounts.

Findings

The findings emphasise the challenges in the triage of digital exhibits as they are encountered in everyday practice. The discussion focusses on the tensions between the delivery of timely and accurate investigation results and current gaps in the infrastructural arrangements. It also emphasises the need to provide police officers with a baseline understanding of the role of DF and the importance of clearly defined strategies in the examination of digital devices.

Originality/value

This paper aims to bridge policy and practice through an analysis of the ways in which DF practitioners and police officers in four English constabularies reflect on the uses of triage in DF to address backlogs and investigative demands. Highlighting the importance of digital awareness beyond the technical remit of DF units, it offers new insights into the ways in which police forces seek to improve the evidential trail with limited resources.
Establishing link between quality management and supply chain risk management
Authors: Ganguly Kunal
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive framework for quality-related performance measures linked to supply chain risk (SCR) by analyzing and framing them into a hierarchical structure.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, quality-related performance measures (QM) are identified on the basis of literature survey and expert opinion. The quality measures are formulated as hierarchy structure and fuzzy AHP as a multi attribute decision-making tool is applied to judge the viable candidates.

Findings

Based on a fuzzy AHP approach, a revised risk matrix with a continuous scale was proposed to assess the QMs’ classes. The result classifies the QMs in different categories (extreme, high, medium and low). Based on this result, some management implications and suggestions are proposed.

Originality/value

The present work proposes an assessment methodology for quality-related performance measures linked to SCR. The revised risk matrix with continuous scale for risk assessment in this field is a novel approach. This study contributes to the supply chain management and quality management literature, and provides suggestions for managers to adopt different strategies for different risk classes.
Regional Integration and Energy Sustainability in Africa: Exploring the Challenges and Prospects for ECOWAS
Authors: Akinyemi Opeyemi , Efobi Uchenna , Osabuohien Evans , Alege Philip
Published: December 2019

This study explores the extent to which regional integration can be a viable tool in driving energy sustainability in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub‐region of Africa and vice versa. It examines the existing opportunities and the attendant challenges for improved firm productivity in the region through the appraisal of the ECOWAS West African Power Pool. Using three measures of energy sustainability, namely energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability; the study presents the performance of the ECOWAS sub‐region in ensuring regional integration for energy sustainability. The findings from the study reveal, inter alia, that there are prospects and benefits for energy integration for sustainable development in the region. However, even though some progress had been made, there are many challenges. Also, where progress had been made, it is not uniform across the region, though factors such as rising population and political instability could be responsible. It is recommended that the political economy surrounding regional energy integration should be given a priority among member states to ensure that there is positive political will for speedy achievement of set goals. Also, investment in human capital to manage the different projects and maintain the facilities cannot be overemphasized.
Revenue Implications of Continental Free Trade Area: A Short‐run Perspective of Malawi
Authors: Masiya Michael
Published: December 2019

The study estimates, in the short run, the tax revenue implications of Malawi joining the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) using liberalization approaches and the SMART Model. The results show that Malawi is likely to benefit from joining the AfCFTA through trade creation. However, revenue losses are imminent and more pronounced for capital goods. The study recommends that Malawi should join the AfCFTA and liberalize while keeping a substantial portion of tariff lines for sensitive products and excluded products over a longer period of liberalization. The exclusion list should contain a significant amount of capital goods to minimize short‐run negative revenue impacts.
In‐vitro spermatogenesis through testis modelling: Toward the generation of testicular organoids
Authors: Richer Guillaume , Baert Yoni , Goossens Ellen
Published: December 2019

Background

The testicular organoid concept has recently been introduced in tissue engineering to refer to testicular cell organizations modeling testicular architecture and function. The testicular organoid approach gives control over which and how cells reaggregate, which is not possible in organotypic cultures, thereby extending the applicability of in‐vitro spermatogenesis (IVS) systems. However, it remains unclear which culture method and medium allow reassociation of testicular cells into a functional testicular surrogate in‐vitro.

Objective

The aim of this paper is to review the different strategies that have been used in an attempt to create testicular organoids and generate spermatozoa. We want to provide an up‐to‐date list on culture methodologies and media compositions that have been used and determine their role in regulating tubulogenesis and differentiation of testicular cells.

Search method

A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to select studies reporting the reorganization of testicular cell suspensions in‐vitro, using the keywords: three‐dimensional culture, in‐vitro spermatogenesis, testicular organoid, testicular scaffold, and tubulogenesis. Papers published before the August 1, 2019, were selected.

Outcome

Only a limited number of studies have concentrated on recreating the testicular architecture in‐vitro. While some advances have been made in the testicular organoid research in terms of cellular reorganization, none of the described culture systems is adequate for the reproduction of both the testicular architecture and IVS.

Conclusion

Further improvements in culture methodology and medium composition have to be made before being able to provide both testicular tubulogenesis and spermatogenesis in‐vitro.
On continuous‐time capture‐recapture in closed populations
Authors: Zhang Wei , Bonner Simon J.
Published: December 2019

Schofield et al. (2018, Biometrics 74, 626–635) presented simple and efficient algorithms for fitting continuous‐time capture‐recapture models based on Poisson processes. They also demonstrated by real examples that the standard method of discretizing continuous‐time capture‐recapture data and then fitting traditional discrete‐time models may lead to information loss in population size estimation. In this article, we aim to clarify that key to the approach of Schofield et al. (2018) is the Poisson model assumed for the number of captures of each individual throughout the study, rather than the fact of data being collected in continuous time. We further show that the method of data discretization works equally well as the method of Schofield et al. (2018), provided that a Poisson model is applied instead of the traditional Bernoulli model to the number of captures for each individual on each sampling occasion.
Clonal hierarchy of main molecular lesions in acute myeloid leukaemia
Authors: Herudkova Zdenka , Culen Martin , Folta Adam , Jeziskova Ivana , Cerna Jana , Loja Tomas , Tom Nikola , Smejkal Jiri , Semerad Lukas , Dvorakova Dana , Mayer Jiri , Racil Zdenek
Published: December 2019

Genetic mutations in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are assumed to occur in a sequential order; however, the predominant hierarchical roles of specific mutated genes have not been fully described. In this study, we aimed to determine the clonal involvement of the most frequent AML‐associated mutations. Using a targeted sequencing panel for 18 genes, we traced changes and relative clonal contribution of mutations in 52 patients. We analysed 35 pairs of diagnosis and relapse samples, 27 pairs of primary samples and corresponding patient‐derived xenografts, and 34 pairs of total leukocytes and corresponding isolated primitive cells or blast populations. In both relapse and xenografts, we observed conservation of main leukaemic clones and variability was limited to subclones with late‐acquired mutations. AML evolution thus mainly involved modification of subclones while the clonal background remained unchanged. NPM1 mutations were identified as the most probable leukaemia‐transformation lesion, remaining conserved in contrast to high variation of accompanying subclonal FLT3 and NRAS mutations. DNMT3A mutations represented the most stable mutations forming a preleukaemic background in most samples. Mutations in genes IDH1/2, TET2, RUNX1, ASXL1 and U2AF1 were detected both as preleukaemic and as subclonal lesions, suggesting a non‐specific order of acquisition.
Multimodality imaging of a left atrial calcified amorphous tumor
Authors: Tian Fangyan , Zhang Li , Wang Jing , Li Yuman , Xie Mingxing
Published: December 2019

A cardiac calcified amorphous tumor (CAT) is an extremely rare non‐neoplastic cardiac mass composed of calcium nodules in an amorphous background of fibrin materials. Herein, we report a case of CAT in the left atrium of an asymptomatic 72‐year‐old man who underwent multimodality imaging and successful resection of the CAT. Results of the present case suggest that multimodality imaging plays an important role in detecting cardiac CAT, determining the treatment plan and serial follow‐ups for the patients after the treatment.
First record of Psylla buxi (L., 1758) (Hemiptera, Psylloidea) from Luxembourg
Authors: Eickermann M. , Ronellenfitsch F. K. , Rapisarda C.
Published: December 2019

The ornamental use of boxwood (Buxus sempervirens L.) is threatened by the gall‐forming psyllid Psylla buxi (L.) (Hemiptera, Psylloidea). Individuals of P. buxi were found as well as its symptoms for the first time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in several locations, which indicates that this pest species has spread and is already established on boxwood across the country.
Life history and genetic characterisation of sea troutSalmo truttain the Adriatic Sea
Authors: Splendiani Andrea , Fioravanti Tatiana , Ruggeri Paolo , Giovannotti Massimo , Carosi Antonella , Marconi Mario , Lorenzoni Massimo , Righi Tommaso , Nisi Cerioni Paola , Caputo Barucchi Vincenzo
Published: December 2019

The brown troutSalmo truttais characterised by both anadromous (sea trout) and resident populations, naturally occurring in Atlantic and Ponto‐Caspian rivers. Sea trout are currently considered absent from rivers of the Mediterranean area, probably because of the non‐optimal chemical–physical characteristics of the Mediterranean Sea. However, the occasional bycatch of smoltifiedS. truttain the Adriatic Sea is well known among fishermen and the biological explanation of this phenomenon is still controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the genetic diversity of freshwater and marine brown trout to try to understand the factors underlying the presence of putative anadromous brown trout in the Adriatic Sea.

In this study, we analysed the genetic diversity of: (1) wild brown trout collected from the Esino River (central Italy); (2) a domestic strain of brown trout used for stocking the study area; and (3) a sample of Adriatic sea trout collected near the outlet of the Esino River. Together with genetic analysis, we carried out scale analysis in order to track the freshwater/marine stages of the life cycle in the sea trout samples. The genetic characterisation was carried out by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the mtDNA fragmentND‐5/6and the nuclear locusLDH‐C1*and by genotyping 15 microsatellite loci. The genetic polymorphism obtained was used to investigate intra‐ and inter‐population genetic diversity, rates of genetic introgression between wild and domestic samples and the origin of sea trout specimens by using assignment tests.

Our genetic analyses demonstrated that the sea trout analysed in this study are from the domestic strain of Atlantic origin used in central Italy for stocking activities. The level of genetic introgression between native and domestic samples is high in the Esino River. The populations more resilient to introgressive hybridisation appeared to be those living in the portion of the river network dominated by carbonate rocks. Assignment tests (GeneClass) suggest the existence of a link between stocking efforts and the freshwater origin of the sea trout. In addition, data obtained from the analysis of scales, size measurement, and sex determination showed a pattern of smolt age, size, and sex ratio very similar to those observed in other anadromous populations.

In conclusion, the present study highlighted that sea trout from the central Adriatic Sea originated from brown trout of Atlantic origin inhabiting the Esino River. Their seaward migratory behaviour could represent a consequence of an active migration instead of a passive displacement by water flow. Our results also showed that traditional stocking practices represent a negative activity for the conservation of the last Mediterranean nativeS. truttapopulations.
Landscape connectivity affects individual survival in unstable patch networks: The case of a freshwater turtle inhabiting temporary ponds
Authors: Serrano Filipe , Pita Ricardo , Mota‐Ferreira Mário , Beja Pedro , Segurado Pedro
Published: December 2019

The loss of connectivity is among the main threats for species occupying freshwater pond networks. Landscape connectivity can impact the persistence of patchy populations by reducing movement rates among ponds, thereby increasing the likelihood of local extinctions in source–sink systems, and reducing the probability of colonisation following extinctions. In addition, loss of connectivity may also reduce survival rates if individuals have to cross a hostile matrix, though this hypothesis has been rarely tested. Here, we address these issues by evaluating how individual survival and inter‐patch movement probabilities of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) are influenced by patch connectivity.

The study was carried out in a network of temporary ponds embedded in a heterogeneous agricultural matrix in southwestern Portugal, encompassing a period associated with a severe drought (2003–2005) and another with wetter climatic conditions (2010–2014). We mapped the location of ponds and land uses around each pond, and quantified connectivity among ponds using least‐cost distances based on patch location and resistance to movement of different land uses. We then used multistate capture‐recapture modelling to quantify how survival and movement of this freshwater turtle were related to different metrics of landscape connectivity, in the wet and dry periods.

We captured 221 pond turtles, including 89 juveniles, 58 females, and 74 males. Survival was higher in ponds more connected with other ponds, especially for juvenile turtles. The probability of movement between ponds decreased with increasing least‐cost distances. Movement probabilities tended to be higher in the dry than in the wet period.

Our results support the idea that landscape connectivity affects both movement and survival rates in a patchy population inhabiting a temporary pond network. These effects are likely to be particularly marked in unstable freshwater systems like ours, where individuals may have to move widely to escape drying ponds during particularly dry years.

Overall, our findings suggest that focusing conservation efforts solely on protecting discrete freshwater habitats such as temporary ponds may be insufficient, requiring also due consideration of landscape connectivity offered by the surrounding agricultural matrix to assure long‐term persistence of patchy populations inhabiting such habitats.
Exclusive B‐cell phenotype of primary prostatic lymphomas: a potential role of chronic prostatitis
Authors: Péricart Sarah , Syrykh Charlotte , Amara Nadia , Franchet Camille , Malavaud Bernard , Gaulard Philippe , Girard Jean‐Philippe , Ysebaert Loic , Laurent Camille , Brousset Pierre
Published: December 2019

Aims

Primary prostatic lymphomas (PPL) is exceedingly rare. The aim of this study was to investigate the largest series of PPL obtained from a nationwide expert pathologist network, and thus try to understand the pathophysiology of these tumours.

Methods and results

Up to 66 000 lymphoma cases have been collected and submitted for central expert review by the French Lymphopath network. We confirm the low frequency of PPL (n = 77; 0.12%), all cases being of B‐cell origin. Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma and small lymphocytic lymphoma were the most frequent subtypes, comprising 31% and 26% of cases respectively, followed by mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT)/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (19%), follicular lymphoma (12%), mantle cell lymphoma (6%), Burkitt lymphoma (4%), and unclassified lymphoma (1%). Clinical data obtained in 25 cases suggests that PPLs are rather indolent tumours. Our hypothesis for B‐cell recruitment in the prostatic tissue was derived from the observation in chronic inflammation (prostatitis) of frequent heterotopic proliferation of high endothelial venules (HEVs). The latter are dedicated to lymphocyte entry into secondary lymphoid organs, here putatively driving circulating clonal B‐lymphocytes from the blood into the inflamed prostate. This may account for the relatively high incidence of small lymphocytic lymphoma consistently reported in series of primary or secondary prostatic lymphoma. As in other organs or glands, chronic inflammation may promote antigen‐dependent intraprostatic MALT lymphoma and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma development.

Conclusions

PPLs are exclusively of B‐cell origin, and chronic inflammation resulting from the proliferation of high endothelial venules could play some role in their development.
HETEROTEMPORALITY, THE ISLAMIC TRADITION, AND THE POLITICAL: LAROUI'S CONCEPT OF THE ANTINOMY OF HISTORY1
Authors: RIECKEN NILS
Published: December 2019

If tradition has often figured as modernity's other, the Islamic tradition has long played the role of the modern constitutive other par excellence. Modern secularizing practices of timing and spacing feed this grounding of the political beyond the conceptual grip of tradition. The works by the Moroccan historian and philosopher Abdallah Laroui (b. 1933) put forward a concept of heterotemporality that distances itself from secularizing practices of timing and spacing, and, importantly, also from theological ones. His critique enables us to understand each of these practices as viewing heterotemporality through one master temporality, a view that represents temporality as, in Laroui's words, “absolute” time. First, this privileged temporality is the homogeneous time of secular progress, and second, it is the homogeneous time of theological truth. Laroui unsettles both practices of timing and spacing by discussing heterotemporality as governed by what he calls the antinomy of the concept of history. For Laroui, this antinomy refers to a specific temporal dynamic that results from the tension between the fundamental discontinuity and incoherence of history, on the one hand, and the production of continuity and coherence through human observers, on the other. Laroui thus reveals that the claims about continuity and coherence that sustain groundings of the political within homogeneous time—either secular or theological—must always be understood in relation to their position within the temporal dynamic of the antinomy of the concept of history. In revealing the temporal dynamic of this antinomy within the Islamic tradition, Laroui reworks the architecture of difference that keeps the secular modern and the Islamic theological conceptually separated from each other.
Expression of Th1/Th2 cell–related chemokine receptors on CD4+ lymphocytes under physiological conditions
Authors: Watanabe Satoru , Yamada Yoshiyuki , Murakami Hirokazu
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Chemokine receptors (CRs) and the prostaglandin D2 receptor, CRTH2, have been used as surrogate markers for cytoplasmic Th1 and Th2 cytokines. The presence of regulatory T (Treg) and Th17 cells may affect the analysis of such surrogate markers, as they share several CRs with Th1 and Th2 cells. This study aimed to determine the optimal surrogate markers of Th1 and Th2 cells under physiological conditions.

Methods

Surface and cytoplasmic markers of CD4+ peripheral lymphocytes were analyzed in healthy volunteers by flow cytometry. Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells were identified as IFN‐γ+, IL‐4+IL‐13+, IL‐17+, and CD25+FoxP3+CD4+ lymphocytes, respectively.

Results

The percentages of CXCR3+ and CCR5+CD4+ lymphocytes clearly correlated with those of Th1 cells. The percentage of CRTH2+CD4+ lymphocytes showed the closest correlation with that of Th2 cells. The percentages of Th2 cells correlated with those of CCR3+ or CCR8+CD4+ lymphocytes, with the majority of CCR3+ and CCR8+ cells unlikely to be Th2 cells, themselves. The proportions of CCR4+ or CCR7+CD4+ lymphocytes did not correlate with those of Th2 cells, possibly due to their expression on the surface of Treg and Th17 cells. Th2‐related receptors were classified into three different groups for better understanding.

Conclusion

CXCR3 and CCR5 are useful markers of Th1 cells. With the exception of CCR4 and CCR7 expressed at measurable levels on Treg and Th17 cells, CRTH2 and CRs, CCR3, and CCR8 may be employed as surrogate markers of Th2 cells. The proposed surrogate markers may help physicians in interpreting the disease state.
Anonymous résumés: An effective preselection method?
Authors: Lacroux Alain , Martin‐Lacroux Christelle
Published: December 2019

During the preselection process, recruiters use cues from résumés to form attributions about applicants’ suitability. They rely on visible characteristics (e.g., origin) that activate stereotypes that can lead to discriminatory decisions. The anonymization of application forms is a possible intervention to avert discrimination. The few studies on this topic led to inconsistent conclusions. The present study aims to extend previous findings by comparing decisions on anonymous and standard résumés that differ in quality. Recruiters (N = 1,031) assessed a series of application forms whose profile (Caucasian, Moroccan, overweight, normal stature) and résumé content (experience, spelling errors) differed. Results show that anonymous application forms are rated more severely than standard forms, and are effective in neutralizing discriminatory behaviors toward overweight applicants.
Sublingual Gland Sialolithiasis: A Case Report
Authors: Liao Li‐Jen , Hsiao Jong‐Kai , Hsu Wei‐Chung , Wang Cheng‐Ping
Published: December 2019

Sublingual gland sialolithiasis is rare and may be misdiagnosed as submandibular gland sialolithiasis, which is more common. It is important to preoperatively determine which gland is involved, because they require different surgical approaches. Computed tomography (CT) is useful for distinguishing between sublingual gland and submandibular gland sialolithiasis. In this paper, we report the case of a 50‐year‐old man with left sublingual gland sialolithiasis that was treated with excision of the left sublingual gland and the stone via a transoral approach, 6 weeks after the infection was controlled. The differential diagnosis between sublingual gland and submandibular gland sialolithiases, by use of CT images, is discussed from an anatomic viewpoint.
Clinical anisotropy: A case for shared decision making in the age of too much data and patient dis‐integration
Authors: Konstantinidis Menelaos , Lalla Emmanuel A.
Published: December 2019

Today, in the age of big data, we are more capable than ever before. But even having the world at our disposal with naught but the touch of a button, we find ourselves exceedingly vulnerable in the patient chair. With insurmountable amounts of knowledge being published and disseminated around the world, how can clinicians keep up and what can be done about it? And sitting in the patient chair, bewildered by the ever‐changing landscape of medicine at the blink of an eye, how can we, as patients, ever hope to be part of the conversations revolving around our own health? In this work, we explore the present‐day problems of big data in the clinical context, how failing to integrate patients can result in detrimental outcomes, and what shared decision making can do about it.
Training supervisors to support veterans at work: Effects on supervisor attitudes and employee sleep and stress
Authors: Hammer Leslie B. , Brady Jacquelyn M. , Perry MacKenna L.
Published: December 2019

The present study evaluates the effectiveness of a supervisor support training programme on both supervisor attitudes and employee sleep and stress outcomes by drawing on a multi‐level rigorous randomized controlled trial in 35 organizations. Utilizing theory from the social support and training literatures, the purpose of the current study was to understand ways to improve the transition, and ultimately the health and well‐being, of military veteran employees in the workplace via a supervisor support training intervention. Drawing on a sample of 982 supervisors and a subsample of 189 matched supervisor–employee dyads, the current study demonstrated that supervisor support training led to improved supervisor attitudes towards veteran employees. Additionally, supervisors’ attitudes towards veteran employees at baseline significantly moderated the effects of the training on employee sleep and stress outcomes, suggesting that the training was more effective when supervisors started out with more positive attitudes towards veterans. These results demonstrate the importance of training supervisors to support employed veterans and employees more generally, and have implications for research, practice, and theory development.

Practitioner points

The Veteran Supportive Supervisor Training (VSST) promotes more positive supervisor attitudes towards veteran employees.

When supervisor attitudes towards veteran employees are more positive, the supportive supervisor training improves sleep and stress outcomes for veteran employees.

The VSST effects suggest that the training has promise to be extended to other leadership support domains, such as supervisor support for health; to other types of vulnerable and underserved workers, such as those with disabilities; and to other employee well‐being outcomes, such as engagement and satisfaction at work and at home.
Towards a Psychology of the Food‐Energy‐Water Nexus: Costs and Opportunities
Authors: Dreyer Stacia J. , Kurz Tim , Prosser Annayah M.B. , Abrash Walton Abigail , Dennings Kelley , McNeill Ilona , Saber Deborah A. , Swim Janet K.
Published: December 2019

Scholars, government scientific research institutions, and public policy‐making entities are increasingly focusing on environmental issues from a food‐energy‐water (FEW) nexus perspective. This nexus represents the interconnection of these three systems, which are essential to human life. The FEW nexus is inherently and inescapably interdisciplinary. However, to date, there have been relatively few academic contributions to understanding the nexus from the social sciences, particularly from psychology. In this article, we suggest an extended framing of the nexus (food‐energy‐water x human) to explicitly recognize how human actions in the form of both consumption practices and population size and distribution impact the FEW nexus. We outline important contributions that psychology researchers could make in FEW nexus focused research teams. In doing so, we acknowledge difficulties and potential risks for psychology researchers engaging in FEW nexus based research, but suggest that, while such difficulties can create barriers, they can also present opportunities for psychologists.