bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A leadership model for high-intensity organizational contexts
Authors: Stone Thomas H. , Jawahar I.M.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a new leadership perspective based on the premise that leader effectiveness depends on the context in which leadership behaviors are enacted.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature in the areas of abusive supervision and leadership were reviewed. Using social learning and attribution theories, this study develops propositions regarding the role of perceived abusive supervision in high vs low-intensity organizations.

Findings

In this theoretical account, this paper distinguishes between low and high-intensity work organizational contexts articulating a rationale for conditions appropriate for directive leadership. This paper posits that while directive leadership will be more prevalent in high-intensity contexts, it will be specifically targeted toward poor performers, those with personality characteristics that are tied to poor performance and those engaging in deviant behaviors. This study proposes that outcomes of directive leadership will depend on how it aligns with organizational norms and culture and the causality attributed to such behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

Recent leadership theories focus on nurturing and providing support to followers. This paper posits that such theories are suited to low-intensity organizations. This study offers a counterintuitive perspective in proposing that directive leadership which involves inducing stress, will lead to better outcomes in high-intensity organizational contexts. This paper offers testable propositions and avenues for future research on directive leadership in high-intensity organizational contexts.

Practical implications

Based on the premise that leadership is context-dependent, this study proposes that directive leadership is best suited in high-intensity organizational contexts, which is a novel proposal. Even within these high-intensity contexts, such leadership, this paper proposes will be targeted toward poor performers and employees with characteristics that are tied to poor performance and violation of organizational norms.

Social implications

Examination of the role of directive leadership in high intensity, clan culture organizations may facilitate understanding that effective leadership styles may differ depending upon the organization context.

Originality/value

Based on the premise that leadership is context-dependent, this study presents a novel proposal that directive leadership is most suited to high-intensity organizational contexts. Even within these high-intensity contexts, such leadership, this paper posits will be targeted toward poor performers and employees with personality characteristics associated with poor and deviant performance.
COVID-19 pandemic and connectedness across financial markets
Authors: Naeem Muhammad Abubakr , Sehrish Saba , Costa Mabel D.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This study aims to estimate the time–frequency connectedness among global financial markets. It draws a comparison between the full sample and the sample during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the connectedness framework of Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) and Barunik and Krehlik (2018), both of which consider time and frequency connectedness and show that spillover is specific to not only the time domain but also the frequency (short- and long-run) domain. The analysis also includes pairwise connectedness by making use of network analysis. Daily data on the MSCI World Index, Barclays Bloomberg Global Treasury Index, Oil future, Gold future, Dow Jones World Islamic Index and Bitcoin have been used over the period from May 01, 2013 to July 31, 2020.

Findings

This study finds that cryptocurrency, bond and gold are hedges against both conventional stocks and Islamic stocks on average; however, these are not “safe havens” during an economic crisis, i.e. COVID-19. External shocks, such as COVID-19, strengthen the return connectedness among all six financial markets.

Research limitations/implications

For investors, the study provides important insights that during external shocks such as COVID-19, there is a spillover effect, and investors are unable to hedge risk between conventional stocks and Islamic stocks. These so-called safe haven investment alternatives suffer from the similar negative impact of systemic financial risk. However, during an external shock such as COVID-19, cryptocurrencies, bonds and gold can be used to hedge risk against conventional stocks, Islamic stocks and oil. Moreover, the findings imply that by engaging in momentum trading, active investors can gain short-run benefits before the market processes any new information.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the emergent literature investigating the connectedness among financial markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides evidence that the return connectedness among six global financial markets, namely, conventional stocks, Islamic stocks, bond, oil, gold and cryptocurrency, is extremely strong. From a methodological standpoint, this study finds that COVID-19 pandemic shock has a significant short-run impact on the connectedness among financial markets.
Idealized influence and commitment: a granular approach in understanding leadership
Authors: Afshari Leila
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between the idealized influence component of transformational leadership (TL) and employee organizational commitment in two different cultural contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from the members of two manufacturing organizations, one in Australia and one in Iran. Questionnaires were distributed to all levels of the two organizations. In total, 189 completed questionnaires were returned from the two countries, representing a response rate of 56.7%. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results demonstrated statistically significant relationships between two forms of idealized influence –attributed and behavior – and the employees' organizational commitment in the Iranian sample. However, in the Australian sample, only idealized influence behavior showed a significant impact on employee commitment. Furthermore, the findings showed that identified motivation mediates the relationship between idealized influence behavior and organizational commitment.

Practical implications

The findings of the current research point to additional ways of increasing identified motivation that, in turn, enhances organizational commitment through leadership practices that are culturally informed. These findings are especially salient in culturally diverse and multinational organizations.

Originality/value

This paper has arrived at a deeper explanation of the processes through which leader behavior can produce employee commitment by clarifying the mediation role of identified motivation between idealized influence behavior and organizational commitment.
Examining the determinants and consequences of financial constraints faced by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises' owners
Authors: Mittal Vibhuti , Raman T.V.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) counter numerous financial obstacles concerning business financing and cash flow management. The study, therefore, intends to examine the level of perceived severity of financial constraints on the business growth of enterprises, in terms of sales, profitability and asset growth. An attempt is made to study the influence of owner and firm attributes as the determinants of financial constraints faced by MSMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from MSME owners of Northern India through a self-administered questionnaire. In total, 213 responses were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique through SmartPLSv2.

Findings

The findings advocate the role of owner and firm attributes in the severity of financial constraints experienced by the MSME owners. Most importantly, the study establishes a strong link between owner and firm attributes and cash flow constraints. Further, the paper confirms the negative influence of financing and cash flow problems on the growth of the firm.

Research limitations/implications

The evaluation and categorisation of perceived financial challenges into meaningful dimensions generate value to the problematic area of MSME operations. Thus, the findings are useful for the policymakers and researchers to contemplate the financial vulnerability of MSMEs.

Originality/value

The empirical findings of the present study add worth to the limited evidence of the relationship between owner and firm attributes and severity of cash flow constraints faced by the Indian MSME owners.
Dermatological manifestations during COVID‐19 and histological picture: Description of two clinical cases
Authors: Mencarini Paola , Scarabello Alessandra , Del Nonno Franca , Lalle Eleonora , Falasca Laura , Gualano Gina , Nardacci Roberta , Mosti Silvia , Musso Maria , Libertone Raffaella , Di Bari Virginia , Rosati Silvia , Colombo Daniele , Castilletti Concetta , Palmieri Fabrizio
Published: February 2021

It is not yet entirely clear what is the relevance of skin symptoms and what clinical implications are related to their appearance in COVID‐19 patients. We describe two cases of COVID‐19‐associated pneumonia, which presented skin manifestations in advanced stage of illness, when nasopharyngeal swabs became negative for SARS‐CoV‐2. The first case presented erythematous, maculopapular lesions; the second developed petechial, vesicular and blood‐encrusted lesions on the limbs. Histopathology documented perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates, with prevalent CD4+ T‐cells in both patients. The research of SARS‐CoV‐2 in tissues with real time RT‐PCR was negative. Basal keratinocytes displayed C4d deposits in one case, who developed laboratory signs indicative of a procoagulative condition at the same time as the skin rash. Skin manifestations during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection seem to be clinically relevant and further studies are necessary to assess if they are linked to systemic complications, lack of viral clearance or cascades of immune responses induced by the virus, even in patients affected by mild pneumonia.
Nonlinear thresholds in the effects of island area on functional diversity in woody plant communities
Authors: Zhang Aiying , Zheng Shilu , Didham Raphael K. , Holt Robert D. , Yu Mingjian
Published: February 2021

Threshold nonlinearities in the relationship between island area and species richness can result in dramatic declines in richness with a seemingly small decline in area near the threshold. What is not known, is whether threshold declines in richness are also accompanied by nonlinear changes in functional trait space and non‐random shifts of trait group composition in response to declining area.

Plant species richness was recorded, and four functional diversity (FD) indices calculated based on 12 traits for 76 tree species in 5,082 plots (5 × 5 m) on 29 islands in the Thousand Island Lake region, Zhejiang, China. We tested for threshold nonlinearities in richness and FD relationships using segmented regression, with randomized resampling using a null model to account for potential sampling artefacts. We clustered tree species into trait groupings based on trait dissimilarity, and used multinomial segmented models to test whether threshold area effects on FD were associated with shifts in trait group composition.

Species richness and three of the four FD indices showed significant threshold nonlinearities with declining island area below a threshold of ca 1.16–6.88 ha. K‐means clustering identified two trait groups, reflecting species at the ‘fast’ versus ’slow’ ends of the trait spectrum. Significant area thresholds in trait group composition were driven by increasing relative richness, but decreasing relative abundance, of species with resource‐conservation traits on islands below the threshold.

Synthesis. We found a threshold collapse in richness on islands below c. 1 ha, resulting in a significant decrease in functional trait space (functional richness) and an increase in the degree of niche differentiation among species in the community (functional divergence) on small islands. Threshold effects were associated with non‐random re‐assembly of trait group composition, favouring the relative richness of species at the ‘slow’ resource‐conservation end of the trait spectrum, but the relative abundance of a few species with ‘fast’ resource‐acquisition traits. These results suggest that disturbance‐driven dynamics potentially drive a functional shift in the ecosystem state at a critical threshold. We show that a minimum critical habitat area is required to maintain functional diversity in woody plant communities.
Is speech and language therapy effective at improving the communication of adults with intellectual disabilities?: A systematic review
Authors: Wood Siȃn , Standen Penny
Published: February 2021

Background

A significant proportion of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience speech, language and communication difficulties which are associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes. Speech and language therapy (SLT) interventions are an important way to address these communication difficulties, yet there is limited available evidence to provide information about the effectiveness of the different approaches used for this heterogeneous group.

Aims

To review the evidence available for the effectiveness of SLT interventions aimed at improving communication for adults with ID.

Methods & Procedures

A systematic search across relevant databases was performed. Information on methodological details of each relevant study, along with descriptions of the SLT interventions employed, were extracted and the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT) was used to assess quality. Findings were discussed in a narrative synthesis grouped by target communication skill.

Outcomes & Results

A total of 10 relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. These were predominantly interventions aimed directly at adults with ID to improve speech, increase augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) use and develop interaction skills, with one study addressing work with carers. The included studies were all rated as low quality. There is weak preliminary evidence that SLT input can improve the communication skills of adults with ID.

Conclusions & Implications

There is insufficient evidence to draw strong conclusions about the effectiveness of SLT in this population. Further high‐level evidence across speech, language and communication domains is urgently needed.

What this paper adds

What is already known on the subject

There is limited evidence for community health interventions used with adults with ID. Previous reviews of SLT interventions found a lack of evidence base for this population. Some areas of SLT practice such as AAC have demonstrated potential benefits and other areas including speech work, social communication skills and training for communication partners have some evidence base for children with ID but there is currently insufficient evidence for adults with ID.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge

The study systematically reviews the current evidence base available when considering the effectiveness of SLT intervention for adults with ID. It provides weak evidence to suggest SLT intervention can improve communication in this population and highlights the need for clinically relevant, robustly designed studies to be undertaken in this field.

What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?

The lack of high‐quality studies with sufficient power to draw conclusions about effectiveness means SLTs are not able to base their intervention choices on firm evidence. There is an urgent need to conduct robust research into the effectiveness of SLT interventions for adults with ID.
Freshwater input drives invasion success of exotic plants in saltmarsh communities
Authors: Geedicke Ina , Manea Anthony , Oldeland Jens , Leishman Michelle R.
Published: February 2021

While saltmarsh communities are endangered in many parts of the world due to anthropogenic impact, the risk of invasion by exotic plants is considered to be low because of their saline conditions. However, in urban areas, saltmarshes receive high nutrient freshwater input through stormwater discharge. We tested if invasion of saltmarsh by exotic plant species was facilitated by increased nutrients and reduced salinity associated with urban stormwater input. In a manipulative glasshouse experiment, we grew saltmarsh communities under four treatments: high salinity–low nutrients (control), high salinity–high nutrients, low salinity–low nutrients and low salinity–high nutrients. We then invaded the saltmarsh communities with four common invasive exotic plants. Their survival rates were monitored weekly for seven weeks before final harvesting. All exotic species showed significantly higher survival in the ‘low salinity’ treatment compared to the ‘high salinity’ treatment. There was variability among species, with three of four having low survival rates (0–3%) under ‘high salinity’ conditions, while survival ofProtasparagus aethiopicuswas reduced to only 53–59%. Our findings suggest that under natural conditions of saltmarshes, the establishment of exotic plant seedlings is restricted. Additional freshwater increased the survival of invading exotic species significantly, whereas adding nutrients increased biomass production but not necessarily survival of exotics. However, the results can be highly species dependant as shown by the unexpected salinity tolerance ofP. aethiopicus. Reduction in salinity of saltmarsh due to stormwater input facilitates invasion by exotic plant species that would otherwise be unable to tolerate the highly saline environment.
Temporalities of Resettlement: Date‐Waiting for an American Future in a Bhutanese Refugee Camp in Nepal
Authors: Adhikari Retika
Published: February 2021

Nepali‐speaking southern Bhutanese citizens, who resisted cultural homogenization policies of Bhutan in the late 1980s, were expelled from Bhutan and forced to live in United Nations–managed refugee camps in Nepal. After nearly two decades of camp living, Bhutanese refugees found themselves in the middle of a large‐scale resettlement project where the majority would eventually be relocated to the United States. The relocation process put refugees in a unique position to concretely imagine life outside of a protracted camp situation. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with Bhutanese refugees awaiting resettlement, I explore refugee anxieties about their “American futures,” as they prepare for their own travel and learn about resettlement from their relocated friends, relatives, and “cultural orientation” classes. This article extends recent anthropological debates on displacement to show that resettlement for Bhutanese refugees is less about imagining a hopeful future and more about critically apprehending one's marginal position within the US and global labor economy, revealing how disillusionment with resettlement precedes their arrival in the United States. [temporality, uncertainty, futurity, refugee camps, refugee resettlement]
Gang Graffiti as Totemism
Authors: Phillips Susan A.
Published: February 2021

In Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States, gangs demonstrate a profound interrelationship between street life, mass incarceration, gang cartographies, and the development of meaning, which together act as a form of totemism. Long used in anthropology, the concept of totemism remains powerful analytically because of its ability to describe how intentional oppositions are hinged to surrounding environments. Gang writing allows members to infuse themselves into neighborhoods by spatializing the tie of sympathy between signature, person, and landscape. Gang totemic practices originate from similarity in form as well as shared history, and from the contradiction of knowing a system is constructed while continuing to treat it as if it were primordial. Showing how social meaning is tied to the built environment contributes to decolonizing discourses by further eroding the binary between nature and culture. When combined with critical frameworks that look at power and inequality, the concept of totemism may be revitalized in a manner that respects local understandings, is distilled to its essential component parts, and gains relevance across wide swaths of ethnographic cases. The framework of totemism enables understanding of how urban environments become a locus of gang sentiment, moving away from simplistic ideas of gang territoriality. [gangs, totemism, prison, graffiti, critical structuralism]
Immobile Global: Christian Globalism at Home in the United States
Authors: Kaell Hillary
Published: February 2021

Drawing on research with Christian child sponsors in the United States, this article explores the everyday techniques that work global commitments into being. It argues that global projects are compelling in how they tack back and forth between states associated with differing scales: the “immensity” of a God's‐eye view and a grounded view of human relatedness. Both are emotive and often embodied forms; however, the former lifts one outside humanness, while the latter seems to deepen connections with people far away. These modes are illustrated through the Christian use of statistical aesthetics and foodways. In the process, this article seeks to undo the persistent assumption that being global is natural to contemporary US evangelicalism. At a broader level, it contributes to a growing body of work that positions “transcendental orientations” (Keane 2015) as integral to the “world‐making” (Tsing 2005) through which people make and imagine global connections, whether they travel or not. [globalization, embodiment, humanitarianism, Christianity, United States]
Conspecific negative density dependence of trees varies with plant functional traits and environmental conditions across scales in a 60‐ha tropical rainforest dynamics plot
Authors: Zang Lipeng , Xu Han , Li Yide , Zang Runguo
Published: February 2021

Conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) is an important mechanism facilitating species coexistence in plant communities. Yet, which factors influence CNDD is still not clear. Here, we examined the factors influencing CNDD in tree species within a 60‐ha tropical rainforest dynamics plot. Point pattern analysis was used to test the existence and strength of CNDD. The relationships between strength of CNDD and plant functional traits, as well as abiotic factors, were assessed by stepwise regression analysis. Results showed that 89% of the examined species exhibited CNDD, and the strength of CNDD decreased with increasing spatial scales and species abundance. The maximum strength of CNDD (dmax) was negatively related to leaf dry matter content and positively related to potential maximum height. Soil water content, available nitrogen, and total potassium were the major abiotic factors determining dmax. Our study suggests that CNDD is prevalent in most tree species and that both abiotic (soil) and biotic (species abundance, plant functional traits) factors constrain the strength of CNDD in our tropical montane rainforest.

Abstract in Chinese is available with online material.
Emotion‐oriented coping and parental competency: An evidence‐based parenting intervention for parents of children with special educational needs
Authors: Ho Man Yee , Liang Siya
Published: February 2021

This study examines a promising new coping and parental competency (CPC) intervention for parents of children with special educational needs that targets parents' mental health outcomes. Coping and parental competency impact parents' mental health, but no studies have rigorously assessed whether CPC is an effective strategy for cultivating emotional wellness in these parents. A seven‐week skills‐based CPC parenting programme was developed and administered in groups. One hundred twenty‐four parents in Hong Kong were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the wait‐list control group. Parents in the intervention group (a) showed reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress, (b) used fewer emotion‐oriented coping strategies and (c) exhibited an increased sense of parenting competency compared to the wait‐list control group. The serial multiple mediation of emotion‐oriented coping and parental competence in the relationship between treatment condition and mental health outcomes was found to be statistically significant. The discussion highlights the potential usefulness of a CPC intervention for populations at risk for parenting and coping challenges.
Otological manifestations in branchiootorenal spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Chen Anhai , Song Jian , Acke Frederic R. E. , Mei Lingyun , Cai Xinzhang , Feng Yong , He Chufeng
Published: February 2021

Branchiootorenal spectrum disorder (BORSD) is a group of rare autosomal dominant entities characterized by branchiogenic malformations, hearing loss (HL) and renal anomalies. It comprises branchiootorenal syndrome and branchiootic syndrome, distinguished by the presence or absence of renal abnormalities. Pathogenic variants have been discovered in the following genes: EYA1, SIX5, SIX1 and SALL1. As the otological phenotype in BORSD is inconsistently reported, we performed a systematic review to provide an up‐to‐date overview, correlated with the genotype. Forty publications were included, describing 295 individual patients. HL was diagnosed in 95%, usually bilateral and mixed‐type, and differed among the different genes involved. Mixed moderate‐to‐severe HL was the predominant finding in patients with EYA1 involvement, regardless of the presence of renal abnormalities. The sensorineural HL of profound severity was more prevalent in patients with SIX1 mutations. No significant differences among different mutation types or location within the genes could be observed. Structural otological manifestations, ranging from periauricular to inner ear anomalies, were common in both genes. Especially periauricular anomalies were more common and more severe in EYA1. In summary, otological differences among the different genes involved in BORSD are observed, so the molecular analysis is strongly advised.
Clustered into control: Heterogeneous causal impacts of water infrastructure failure
Authors: Cunningham Brandon , LaRiviere Jacob , Wichman Casey J.
Published: February 2021

We estimate economic impacts from decaying water infrastructure in the United States. Using water main breaks in Washington, DC, and a yearlong panel of hourly traffic speeds, we estimate causal effects of water main failures on traffic congestion. We use k‐means clustering to create clusters of streets that are similar to each other: treated observations are compared to other units in the cluster. We identify heterogeneous treatment effects algorithmically while retaining straightforward standard error calculations. We find strong evidence of heterogeneous treatment effects across clusters but small welfare impacts of water main breaks on traffic patterns overall.
Outcomes after intensive care unit admission in newly diagnosed diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma patients: A real‐life study
Authors: Zduniak Alexandra , Mihailescu Sorina‐Dana , Lequesne Justine , Lenain Pascal , Contentin Nathalie , Pepin Louis‐Ferdinand , Ménard Anne‐Lise , Leprêtre Stéphane , Lemasle Emilie , Lanic Hélène , Stamatoullas‐Bastard Aspasia , Tilly Hervé , Tamion Fabienne , Jardin Fabrice , Camus Vincent
Published: February 2021

We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the prognostic factors impacting the overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients undergoing first‐line therapy and admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) compared to a control cohort who did not required ICU admission. Between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2018, 828 patients were diagnosed with DLBCL at our institution, including 72 patients who were required ICU admission during disease course. Among them, forty‐five patients undergoing homogeneous first‐line therapy with /R‐CHOP‐like regimen and ICU‐admitted were selected for the present analysis. Control “non‐ICU” DLBCL patients were matched by age, IPI score and treatment received. The median age at ICU admission was 65 years, 97.8% of patients displayed advanced‐stage disease (III/IV), and 84.4% had a high IPI score (3‐5). The main reasons for ICU admission were acute respiratory failure (40.0%) and septic shock (33.3%). The ICU mortality rate was 33.3%. The 2‐year PFS was lower in ICU survivors patients than in non‐ICU patients: 31.7% (95% CI 18.5‐54.1) vs 60.8% (95% CI 51.2‐72.1, P = .00049). Admission to the ICU is an event that clearly impacts the outcomes of patients with DLBCL, until 2 years after the event. ICU prognosis seems mainly related to critical patient severity at admission rather than lymphoma‐related prognostic factors (IPIs), suggesting that ICU admission criteria should not be based only on the lymphoma prognosis.
Social interaction targets enhance 13‐month‐old infants' associative learning
Authors: Thiele Maleen , Hepach Robert , Michel Christine , Gredebäck Gustaf , Haun Daniel B. M.
Published: February 2021

Infants are attentive to third‐party interactions, but the underlying mechanisms of this preference remain understudied. This study examined whether 13‐month‐old infants (N = 32) selectively learn cue–target associations guiding them to videos depicting a social interaction scene. In a visual learning task, two geometrical shapes were repeatedly paired with two kinds of target videos: two adults interacting with one another (social interaction) or the same adults acting individually (non‐interactive control). Infants performed faster saccadic latencies and more predictive gaze shifts toward the cued target region during social interaction trials. These findings suggest that social interaction targets can serve as primary reinforcers in an associative learning task, supporting the view that infants find it intrinsically valuable to observe others’ interactions.
Leadership, adequate staffing and material resources, and collegial nurse–physician relationships promote better patients, professionals and institutions outcomes
Authors: Cristina Gasparino Renata , Daiana Mendonça Ferreira Thelen , Ceretta Oliveira Henrique , Fernanda dos Santos Alves Daniela , Pazetto Balsanelli Alexandre
Published: February 2021

Aim

To test a theoretical model aiming to understand which characteristics of the professional nursing practice environment most affect patients, professionals and institution outcomes.

Design

A cross‐sectional and correlational study, using a structural equation model.

Methods

One thousand seven hundred and seventy‐three staff nurses were recruited using convenience sampling in five Brazilian hospitals from November 2017 to July 2018. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the relationship between the characteristics of the nursing work environment and patients (climate of safety and quality of care), nursing professionals (job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion) and institutions (intention to leave the job) outcomes. The model was tested using the partial least squares method, considering the bootstrapping technique to estimate the results. The path coefficients and their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The quality of fit of the structural model was assessed by calculating the coefficient of determination (R2), the predictive validity coefficient (Q2) and the effect size (f2).

Results

The characteristics that most affected the outcomes for patients were Nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses (λ=0.27), and Staffing and resource adequacy (λ=0.26); for nursing professionals, Staffing and resource adequacy (λ=−0.19), and Collegial nurse–physician relations (λ=0.19); and for institutions, Nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses (λ=−0.10), and Collegial nurse–physician relations (λ=−0.10).

Conclusion

The characteristics of the professional nursing practice environment that most contribute to achieving better outcomes include nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses, staffing and resource adequacy, and collegial nurse–physician relations.

Impact

This study allowed us to assess which strategies should be prioritized in the professional nursing practice environment to achieve better results. Thus, investment in the training of leadership, in the adequacy of resources, and in physician–nurse relations will bring better results for patients, nursing professionals, and institutions.
The Maternal Attachment Inventory: Development and validation of a short form
Authors: López‐Fernández Gemma , Barrios Maite , Gómez‐Benito Juana
Published: February 2021

Aims

To translate and adapt the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI) into Spanish; to develop a short form of the instrument that can be used during early childhood; and to test its psychometric properties in a large sample of Spanish mothers.

Design

Cross‐sectional study of adaptation and cultural validation of instruments.

Methods

Data were collected between February and September 2018. In Stage I, the instrument was culturally adapted using a standardized translation and back‐translation method. In Stage II, the factor structure of the Spanish version was tested in a sample of 300 mothers with children aged between 2 and 7 years, and on the basis of the findings a short form of the instrument was developed. Finally, in Stage III, in a second sample of 356 mothers, confirmatory factor analyses of first‐, second‐order and bi‐factor structure were conducted to find the optimal factor structure of the short form of the Spanish MAI. Convergent validity, internal consistency and test–retest reliability were also examined.

Results

A bi‐factor structure with four sub‐scales and 17 items emerged from the factor analyses conducted in Stages II and III. Scores on the short form were negatively correlated with mother‐to‐infant bonding disorders. The short form presented adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability.

Conclusions

The Spanish MAI short form is a valid and reliable measure for assessing maternal attachment in mothers of children aged between 2 and 7 years.

Impact

We present a short version of the MAI for healthcare professionals, adapted for application in a new age range and validated for use with Spanish mothers.
Different methods of enhancing the efficacy of topical tacrolimus in extra‐facial vitiligo: A comparative study
Authors: Esmat Samia M. , Gawdat Heba Ismail , Hegazy Rehab A. , Ahmed Farah Sayed , Said Eman Raafat
Published: February 2021

Background

Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentation disorder due to loss of melanocytes. Topical tacrolimus is effective in vitiligo treatment with minimal effect on extra‐facial lesions.

Objective

To assess different methods of enhancing the absorption of topical tacrolimus in extra‐facial vitiligo sites using microneedling and occlusion.

Methods

This study included 20 adult patients of both sexes with non‐segmental vitiligo. Four extra‐facial vitiligo lesions in each patient were randomly labeled A, B, C, and D and treated as follows: area A: tacrolimus ointment (0.03%) application twice/day, area B: microneedling once/week and tacrolimus ointment application directly after microneedling and twice/day the rest of the week, area C: microneedling once/week alone, and area D: tacrolimus ointment application twice/day under occlusion by polyethylene foil. The evaluation was done clinically by calculating the re‐pigmentation percent after 6 months of treatment.

Results

Responders in area B were 45%, and 35% in area C, and 25% in both areas A and D. No statistically significant difference was detected regarding the re‐pigmentation percent between the four areas (p > 0.05). No correlations were detected between re‐pigmentation percent and patientsˈ data.

Conclusion

Combination of microneedling and topical tacrolimus has an edge over monotherapy in vitiligo, and further studies are needed to verify such results.
The Inheritable Characteristics of Monoecy and Parthenogenesis Provide A Means for Establishing A Doubled Haploid Population in the Economically Important Brown Alga Undariapinnatifida (Laminariales, Alariaceae)
Authors: Shan Tifeng , Pang Shaojun , Wang Xuemei , Li Jing
Published: February 2021

Monoecy and parthenogenesis exist in certain male and female gametophytes of the brown alga Undaria pinnatifida. The inheritance of these traits is not known. In this study, we made a cross between a male and a female gametophyte clone which could exhibit monoecy and parthenogenesis phenotypes, respectively, and obtained their next‐generation gametophyte offspring. We found that under conditions suitable for gametogenesis, all of the male offspring (n = 100) exhibited monoecy phenotype and all of the female offspring (n = 100) only formed oogonia and underwent parthenogenesis, suggesting that monoecy and parthenogenesis phenotypes are inheritable. Then, we established a doubled haploid (DH) population through monoecious selfing and parthenogenesis, and evaluated the young sporophyte growth and the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of 10 “male” and 10 “female” DH lines. On day 60, the average length of the “male” DH lines was significantly larger than that of the “female” DH lines, while their average Fv/Fm values were not significantly different. Monoecious selfing seemed superior to parthenogenesis as the sporophyte formation efficiency, and the young sporophyte growth was better in the former than in the latter. We also crossed two monoecious gametophytes with another male gametophyte, and a parentage analysis showed success of obtaining hybrid sporophytes, indicating that the female gametes released by the monoecious gametophyte can actually be fertilized by sperm. The approach of establishing a DH population proposed here will be useful in genetic breeding and quantitative trait loci mapping in U. pinnatifida and may be applicable to other kelp species.
Environmental Stress Tolerance and Antioxidant Response ofPalisadaperforata(Rhodophyta) from a Tropical Reef1
Authors: Vasconcelos Juliane B. , Vasconcelos Edson R. T. P. P. , Urrea‐Victoria Vanessa , Bezerra Patricia S. , Cocentino Adilma L. M. , Navarro Daniela M. A. F. , Chow Fungyi , Fujii Mutue T.
Published: February 2021

In this study, we analyzed the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the intertidal seaweedPalisada perforatacollected from different reef microhabitats (sheltered site, tide pool, plateau, and exposed site) along the coast of Pernambuco (Brazil). Both parameters were compared with the same parameters of this species grown in the laboratory under two experiments simulating temperature, salinity, and desiccation conditions found in the reef. After both experiments (temperature x salinity and desiccation), the algal photosynthetic performance was measured through chlorophyll fluorescence parameters using a pulse–amplitude modulation fluorometer to test their stress response.Palisada perforatalikely underwent stress by desiccation due to tidal fluctuations rather than to temperature or salinity changes. This conclusion agrees with our observations of the plateau site´s specimens, which were exposed to both air and UV radiation during low tides and exhibited higher antioxidant activity to avoid oxidative damage. However, despite the environmental stress, the antioxidant activity remained low, suggesting that photoinhibition is a crucial protection mechanism against oxidative damage.
Bioeconomic modeling of oyster farming in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Authors: Kamiyama Ryutaro , Miyata Tsutom , Takahashi Hideyuki
Published: February 2021

Rational management is required for the profitability of the Japanese aquaculture industry and to promote investment in the industry. Although bioeconomic modeling could facilitate rational aquaculture management, it has not been applied in Japanese marine aquaculture. In the present study, we developed a bioeconomic model for oyster farming in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, and determined the optimal harvest schedules under labor constraints. Low, moderate, and high temperature scenarios were simulated to investigate the effects of changes in seawater temperature on farm productivity. Early initiation of harvest, particularly from late October or early November, achieved the maximum profit under the environmental and economic conditions in the present study. The moderate temperature scenario (current temperature conditions) had a high total profit (962,890 JPY) when harvest was initiated on October 29. The high temperature scenario had lower profits than the profits under current conditions, indicating that climate change could have adverse effects on oyster farming profitability in Miyagi prefecture.
Assessing the threats facing wetland mammals in India using an evidence‐based conservation approach
Authors: Chatterjee Arnab , Bhattacharyya Sabuj
Published: February 2021

Environmental change and anthropogenic pressure are primary drivers of biodiversity loss, particularly in wetland ecosystems that have been modified significantly. Among wetland specialists, mammals may be particularly vulnerable to extinction. We aimed to increase understanding of threats and knowledge gaps faced by 11 mammal species inhabiting wetlands throughout India.

We adopted a systematic literature search protocol following an evidence‐based conservation approach to obtain information on conservation threats and identify knowledge gaps for each species. Each species received threat scores based on the occurrence and magnitude of ecological and anthropogenic threats, a score based on its International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List category, and a knowledge gap score. A cumulative conservation threat score based on the four individual scores was calculated for each species to assess overall conservation threats.

Only about 10% of the literature search results were relevant. Of the major research categories, ecology was the most well‐studied, whereas the impact of anthropogenic pressure on wetland mammals was the least studied. Pressing ecological and anthropogenic threats, scientific knowledge gaps, and conservation needs contributed to a high cumulative threat score for the sangai Rucervus eldii eldii (cumulative threat score = 34), followed by the wild Asian buffalo Bubalus arnee (threat score = 33) and the Bengal marsh mongoose Herpestes palustris (threat score = 32). Poaching/hunting, habitat loss due to development, and changes in land‐use practices were found to be the major anthropogenic threats resulting in decreasing population trends. We identified knowledge gaps concerning the ecology of wetland mammals (e.g. population abundance). It is essential that these knowledge gaps are filled for effective conservation planning.

We identified important areas (population ecology, disease ecology, human–wildlife conflict, changes in land use) that should be considered as research priorities for wetland mammals in India, in order to make conservation efforts more effective and enable management planning, to ensure the long‐term survival of these mammals.
Reasoning beyond belief acquisition
Authors: Drucker Daniel
Published: February 2021

I argue that we can reason not only to new beliefs but to basically any change in attitude we can think of, including the abandonment of belief (contra John Broome), the acquisition of non‐belief attitudes like relief and admiration, and the elimination of the same. To argue for this position, which I call generalism, I defend a sufficient condition on reasoning, roughly that we can reason to any change in attitude that is expressed by the conclusion of an argument we can be convinced by. I then produce examples of such arguments, and argue that they are indeed arguments. To produce examples of the elimination of non‐doxastic attitudes, I develop the idea of a state of attitudinal constraint acceptance, and show how it is useful for solving this problem, and useful in other parts of philosophy as well.
The politics of neoliberalism in Latin America: dynamics of resilience and contestation
Authors: Rodríguez Juan Pablo
Published: February 2021

Over the last two decades, academic debates around neoliberalism in Latin America have shifted from evaluations of the drawbacks and virtues of the application of neoliberal policies for achieving socioeconomic development, towards discussions imagining and implementing alternatives. After thirty years of neoliberal reform, even neoliberal advocates have increasingly recognised the pernicious effects that the process of neoliberalization have had on people's lives. The fleeting left and centre‐left moment brought renewed hopes and expectations of a post‐neoliberal future. However, post‐neoliberal states could not solve the contradictions of neoliberalism and told us much about its resilience and adaptability. This article offers an overview of the dynamics of neoliberalism's resilience and contestation in Latin America as treated by extant literature as a way to account for the politics of neoliberalism in the region, its rise and its current status.
Jessie Bernard, Feminism, and “Her” Marriage to Luther Bernard
Authors: Williams Christine L.
Published: February 2021

This essay is part of a special section entitled “Legacies of Sociology’s Past.” My work addresses the contributions of Jessie Bernard.
Pumping Patterns and Work Done During Peristalsis in Finite-Length Elastic Tubes
Authors: Acharya Shashank , Kou Wenjun , Halder Sourav , Carlson Dustin A. , Kahrilas Peter J. , Pandolfino John E. , Patankar Neelesh A.
Published: February 2021

Balloon dilation catheters are often used to quantify the physiological state of peristaltic activity in tubular organs and comment on their ability to propel fluid which is important for healthy human function. To fully understand this system's behavior, we analyzed the effect of a solitary peristaltic wave on a fluid-filled elastic tube with closed ends. A reduced order model that predicts the resulting tube wall deformations, flow velocities, and pressure variations is presented. This simplified model is compared with detailed fluid–structure three-dimensional (3D) immersed boundary (IB) simulations of peristaltic pumping in tube walls made of hyperelastic material. The major dynamics observed in the 3D simulations were also displayed by our one-dimensional (1D) model under laminar flow conditions. Using the 1D model, several pumping regimes were investigated and presented in the form of a regime map that summarizes the system's response for a range of physiological conditions. Finally, the amount of work done during a peristaltic event in this configuration was defined and quantified. The variation of elastic energy and work done during pumping was found to have a unique signature for each regime. An extension of the 1D model is applied to enhance patient data collected by the device and find the work done for a typical esophageal peristaltic wave. This detailed characterization of the system's behavior aids in better interpreting the clinical data obtained from dilation catheters. Additionally, the pumping capacity of the esophagus can be quantified for comparative studies between disease groups.