bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Auricular acupuncture for migraine
Authors: Chen Yuqin , Liu Bingyang , Gong Weina , Liu Guoqiang
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Migraines are caused by neurological and vascular dysfunction, with a side or both sides of the head pain recurrent attack, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, light, and sound allergy as the characteristics, is the clinical common disease, frequently occurring disease. The incidence of migraine is 8.4% to 28% worldwide (highest in Germany), and the lifetime incidence is about 14.0%. About 18.2% for women and 6.5% for men, About 23 percent of families have at least one migraine sufferer.
[1]
It can occur at any age, and more than half of patients have headaches that interfere with work or school, while nearly a third may miss work or school because of the headache.
[2]
Therefore, how to relief headache immediately and reduce the impact on life and work, becomes the basic clinical appeal of many patients. Analgesics are the main treatment for migraine in western medicine, many patients, who worried about the side effects of drugs, often take them only when the pain is unbearable, which can only treat the symptoms rather than the root causes.
[3]
Auricular acupuncture as a form of acupuncture therapy which is proved to be effective in RCTs and very suitable for patients, has been used in patients who suffer from migraine for a long time, therefore a systematic review is necessary to provide available evidence for further study.

Methods and analysis:

The following databases will be searched from their inception to September 2020: Electronic database includes PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Nature, Science online, VIP medicine information, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure). Primary outcomes: Score of migraine symptoms. Additional outcomes: The overall effective rate. Data will be extracted by two researchers independently, risk of bias of the meta-analysis will be evaluated based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. All data analysis will be conducted by data statistics software Review Manager V.5.3. and Stata V.12.0.

Results:

The results of this study will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of auricular acupuncture intervention for people with migraine.

Conclusion:

The systematic review of this study will summarize the current published evidence of auricular acupuncture for the treatment of migraine, which can further guide the promotion and application of it.

Ethics and dissemination:

This study is a systematic review, the outcomes are based on the published evidence, so examination and agreement by the ethics committee are not required in this study. We intend to publish the study results in a journal or conference presentations.

Open Science Fra network (OSF) registration number:

October 2, 2020 osf.io/q6arf. (https://osf.io/q6arf/.)
Global Status in Chronic Pancreatitis Research
Authors: Yang Huai-Yu , Wang Dan , Liu Yu , Han Chao , Xin Lei , Li Zhao-Shen , Liao Zhuan , Hu Liang-Hao
Published: October 2020

Objective

The aim of the study was to investigate the global research levels in chronic pancreatitis (CP) fields.

Methods

The term “chronic pancreatitis” was used to retrieve articles published between 2009 and 2018 from the Web of Science database. The 15 highest-output countries' gross domestic product was retrieved to analyze the correlation between output and economic development. The 5 top-ranking countries were compared in quantity and quality. The frequently used terms of all articles were retrieved to conduct co-occurrence analysis to reveal research highlights for CP.

Results

There were 6094 articles included and 6007 articles were from 15 highest-output countries. There was a positive correlation between output and gross domestic product (r = 0.928, P < 0.001). The United States, China, and Japan had increasing trends in total output (P = 0.022, P < 0.001, and P = 0.021, respectively). China and Japan had increasing trends in output per capita (P < 0.001 and P = 0.023). However, in average impact factor, all 5 countries did not show increasing trends (all P > 0.05). For research highlights, mass lesion and autoimmune pancreatitis were the notable aspects.

Conclusions

The global output for CP will continue increasing and research quality will be stable.
Effects of Prophylactic Antibiotics on Length of Stay and Total Costs for Pediatric Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Ikeda Kurakawa Kayo , Okada Akira , Jo Taisuke , Ono Sachiko , Bessho Kazuhiko , Michihata Nobuaki , Matsui Hiroki , Yamaguchi Satoko , Fushimi Kiyohide , Kadowaki Takashi , Yasunaga Hideo
Published: October 2020

Objectives

Acute pancreatitis (AP) guidelines for adult patients do not recommend routine prophylactic use of antibiotics because of no clinical merit on mortality, infectious complications, or length of stay. Although the mortality of pediatric AP is low, no studies have explored the rationale for antibiotic use in pediatric patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of early prophylactic antibiotics on length of stay and total costs in pediatric patients.

Methods

Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database from 2010 to 2017, we used the stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting method using propensity scores to balance the background characteristics in the antibiotics group and the control group, and compared length of stay and total costs between the groups.

Results

We found significant differences between the antibiotics group (n = 652) and the control group (n = 467) in length of stay (11 days vs 9 days; percent difference, 15.4%; 95% confidence interval, 5.0%–26.8%) and total costs (US $4085 vs US $3648; percent difference, 19.8%; 95% confidence interval, 8.0%–32.9%).

Conclusions

Prophylactic antibiotics were associated with longer length of stay and higher total costs. Our results do not support routine use of prophylactic antibiotics in pediatric AP populations.
Therapeutic Strategies Toward Lactate Dehydrogenase Within the Tumor Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Moir John A. G. , Long Anna , Haugk Beate , French Jeremy J. , Charnley Richard M. , Manas Derek M. , Wedge Steve R. , Mann Jelena , Robinson Stuart M. , White Steve A.
Published: October 2020

Objectives

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a key metabolic role within the tumor microenvironment (stroma) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), being glycolytic and associated with protumorigenic acidification from excess lactate. This study investigates the clinical significance of glycolytic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and determines efficacy of the novel pan-LDH inhibitor Galloflavin.

Methods

An in vitro Transwell system was adopted for coculture of PSCs and 3 PDAC cell lines (MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, and BxPC-3). Cells were treated with Galloflavin, and outcomes were analyzed regarding proliferation, apoptosis, lactate production, and glycolytic enzyme protein expression. Immunohistochemical staining for lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB) was performed on 59 resected PDAC tumors annotated for clinical outcome.

Results

Galloflavin reduced PDAC proliferation in monoculture (P < 0.01); however, in co-culture with PSCs, an antiproliferative effect was only evident in PANC-1 (P = 0.001). An apoptotic effect was observed in MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3 in coculture (P < 0.05). A reduction in media lactate was observed in coculture (P < 0.01) with PSCs. Immunohistochemistry revealed stromal and tumoral LDHB expression had no impact on survival.

Conclusions

Galloflavin has the potential to neutralize the acidic PDAC microenvironment and thereby reduce tumor invasiveness and metastasis. Patients with lower LDHB expression are more likely to be beneficial responders.
Predicting dengue outbreaks at neighbourhood level using human mobility in urban areas
Authors: Bomfim Rafael , Pei Sen , Shaman Jeffrey , Yamana Teresa , Makse Hernán A. , Andrade José S. , Lima Neto Antonio S. , Furtado Vasco
Published: October 2020

Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the
Aedes
genus mosquito. It causes financial burdens on public health systems and considerable morbidity and mortality. Tropical regions in the Americas and Asia are the areas most affected by the virus. Fortaleza is a city with approximately 2.6 million inhabitants in northeastern Brazil that, during the recent decades, has been suffering from endemic dengue transmission, interspersed with larger epidemics. The objective of this paper is to study the impact of human mobility in urban areas on the spread of the dengue virus, and to test whether human mobility data can be used to improve predictions of dengue virus transmission at the neighbourhood level. We present two distinct forecasting systems for dengue transmission in Fortaleza: the first using artificial neural network methods and the second developed using a mechanistic model of disease transmission. We then present enhanced versions of the two forecasting systems that incorporate bus transportation data cataloguing movement among 119 neighbourhoods in Fortaleza. Each forecasting system was used to perform retrospective forecasts for historical dengue outbreaks from 2007 to 2015. Results show that both artificial neural networks and mechanistic models can accurately forecast dengue cases, and that the inclusion of human mobility data substantially improves the performance of both forecasting systems. While the mechanistic models perform better in capturing seasons with large-scale outbreaks, the neural networks more accurately forecast outbreak peak timing, peak intensity and annual dengue time series. These results have two practical implications: they support the creation of public policies from the use of the models created here to combat the disease and help to understand the impact of urban mobility on the epidemic in large cities.
On the Wiener–Hopf solution of water-wave interaction with a submerged elastic or poroelastic plate
Authors: Smith M. J. A. , Peter M. A. , Abrahams I. D. , Meylan M. H.
Published: October 2020

A solution to the problem of water-wave scattering by a semi-infinite submerged thin elastic plate, which is either porous or non-porous, is presented using the Wiener–Hopf technique. The derivation of the Wiener–Hopf equation is rather different from that which is used traditionally in water-waves problems, and it leads to the required equations directly. It is also shown how the solution can be computed straightforwardly using Cauchy-type integrals, which avoids the need to find the roots of the highly non-trivial dispersion equations. We illustrate the method with some numerical computations, focusing on the evolution of an incident wave pulse which illustrates the existence of two transmitted waves in the submerged plate system. The effect of the porosity is studied, and it is shown to influence the shorter-wavelength pulse much more strongly than the longer-wavelength pulse.
Nasal airflow engages central olfactory processing and shapes olfactory percepts
Authors: Yao Fangshu , Ye Yuting , Zhou Wen
Published: October 2020

Binding of airborne odour molecules to olfactory receptors at the top of the nasal cavity gives rise to our rich olfactory experience. Whether airflow plays a role in human olfactory perception beyond the transportation of odorants is scantly known. Combining psychophysical measures with strict controls of nasal flow parameters, we demonstrate in four experiments that the perceived intensity of a unilaterally presented odour decreases systematically with the amount of contralateral nasal airflow, in manners that are independent of odour flow rate, nasal pressure, perceived sniff vigour or attentional allocation. Moreover, the effect is due to the sensed rather than the factual amount of nasal flow, as applying a local anaesthetic to the contralateral nostril produces the same effect as physically blocking it. Our findings indicate that nasal flow spontaneously engages central olfactory processing and serves as an integral part of the olfactory percept in humans.
Microplastic exposure interacts with habitat degradation to affect behaviour and survival of juvenile fish in the field
Authors: McCormick Mark I. , Chivers Douglas P. , Ferrari Maud C. O. , Blandford Makeely I. , Nanninga Gerrit B. , Richardson Celia , Fakan Eric P. , Vamvounis George , Gulizia Alexandra M. , Allan Bridie J. M.
Published: October 2020

Coral reefs are degrading globally due to increased environmental stressors including warming and elevated levels of pollutants. These stressors affect not only habitat-forming organisms, such as corals, but they may also directly affect the organisms that inhabit these ecosystems. Here, we explore how the dual threat of habitat degradation and microplastic exposure may affect the behaviour and survival of coral reef fish in the field. Fish were caught prior to settlement and pulse-fed polystyrene microplastics six times over 4 days, then placed in the field on live or dead-degraded coral patches. Exposure to microplastics or dead coral led fish to be bolder, more active and stray further from shelter compared to control fish. Effect sizes indicated that plastic exposure had a greater effect on behaviour than degraded habitat, and we found no evidence of synergistic effects. This pattern was also displayed in their survival in the field. Our results highlight that attaining low concentrations of microplastic in the environment will be a useful management strategy, since minimizing microplastic intake by fishes may work concurrently with reef restoration strategies to enhance the resilience of coral reef populations.
Early life variations in temperature exposure affect the epigenetic regulation of the paraventricular nucleus in female rat pups
Authors: Lauby Samantha C. , McGowan Patrick O.
Published: October 2020

Early life maternal care received has a profound effect on later-life behaviour in adult offspring, and previous studies have suggested epigenetic mechanisms are involved. Changes in thyroid hormone receptor signalling may be related to differences in maternal care received and DNA methylation modifications. We investigated the effects of variations in temperature exposure (a proxy of maternal contact) and licking-like tactile stimulation on these processes in week-old female rat pups. We assessed thyroid hormone receptor signalling by measuring circulating triiodothyronine and transcript abundance of thyroid hormone receptors and the thyroid hormone-responsive genes DNA methyltransferase 3a and oxytocin in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. DNA methylation of the oxytocin promoter was assessed in relation to changes in thyroid hormone receptor binding. Repeated room temperature exposure was associated with a decrease in thyroid hormone receptor signalling measures relative to nest temperature exposure, while acute room temperature exposure was associated with an increase. Repeated room temperature exposure also increased thyroid hormone receptor binding and DNA methylation at the oxytocin promoter. These findings suggest that repeated room temperature exposure may affect DNA methylation levels as a consequence of alterations in thyroid hormone receptor signalling.
Robust demarcation of 17 distinct Bacillus species clades, proposed as novel Bacillaceae genera, by phylogenomics and comparative genomic analyses: description of Robertmurraya kyonggiensis sp. nov. and proposal for an emended genus Bacillus limiting it only to the members of the Subtilis and Cereus clades of species
Authors: Gupta Radhey S. , Patel Sudip , Saini Navneet , Chen Shu
Published: October 2020

To clarify the evolutionary relationships and classification of

Bacillus

species, comprehensive phylogenomic and comparative analyses were performed on >300 Bacillus/Bacillaceae genomes. Multiple genomic-scale phylogenetic trees were initially reconstructed to identify different monophyletic clades of

Bacillus

species. In parallel, detailed analyses were performed on protein sequences of genomes to identify conserved signature indels (CSIs) that are specific for each of the identified clades. We show that in different reconstructed trees, most of the

Bacillus

species, in addition to the Subtilis and Cereus clades, consistently formed 17 novel distinct clades. Additionally, some

Bacillus

species reliably grouped with the genera Alkalicoccus, Caldalkalibacillus, Caldibacillus, Salibacterium and

Salisediminibacterium

. The distinctness of identified

Bacillus

species clades is independently strongly supported by 128 identified CSIs which are unique characteristics of these clades, providing reliable means for their demarcation. Based on the strong phylogenetic and molecular evidence, we are proposing that these 17

Bacillus

species clades should be recognized as novel genera, with the names Alteribacter gen. nov., Ectobacillus gen. nov., Evansella gen. nov., Ferdinandcohnia gen. nov., Gottfriedia gen. nov., Heyndrickxia gen. nov., Lederbergia gen. nov., Litchfieldia gen. nov., Margalitia gen. nov., Niallia gen. nov., Priestia gen. nov., Robertmurraya gen. nov., Rossellomorea gen. nov., Schinkia gen. nov., Siminovitchia gen. nov., Sutcliffiella gen. nov. and Weizmannia gen. nov. We also propose to transfer ‘

Bacillus kyonggiensi

s’ to Robertmurraya kyonggiensis sp. nov. (type strain: NB22=JCM 17569T=DSM 26768). Additionally, we report 31 CSIs that are unique characteristics of either the members of the Subtilis clade (containing the type species

B. subtilis

) or the Cereus clade (containing

B. anthracis

and

B. cereus

). As most

Bacillus

species which are not part of these two clades can now be assigned to other genera, we are proposing an emended description of the genus

Bacillus

to restrict it to only the members of the Subtilis and Cereus clades.
Active palpation underlying shape perception is shaped by physiological thresholds and experience
Authors: Mizrachi Neomi , Nelinger Guy , Ahissar Ehud , Arieli Amos
Published: October 2020

Hand movements are essential for tactile perception of objects. However, why different individuals converge on specific movement patterns is not yet clear. Focusing on planar shape perception, we tracked the hands of 11 participants while they practiced shape recognition. Our results show that planar shape perception is mediated by contour-following movements, either tangential to the contour or spatially-oscillating perpendicular to it, and by scanning movements, crossing between distant parts of the shapes’ contour. Both strategies exhibited non-uniform coverage of the shapes’ contours. We found that choice of strategy during the first experimental session was strongly correlated with two idiosyncratic parameters: participants with lower tactile resolution tended to move faster; and faster-adapting participants tended to employ oscillatory movements more often. In addition, practicing on isolated geometric features increased the tendency to use the contour-following strategy. These results provide insights into the processes of strategy selection in tactile perception.

SIGNIFICANCE STATMENT

Hand movements are integral components of tactile perception. Yet, the specific motion strategies used to perceive specific objects and features, and their dependence on physiological features and on experience, are understudied. Focusing on planar shape perception and using high-speed hand tracking we show that human participants employ two basic palpation strategies: Contour-following and scanning. We further show that the strategy chosen by each participant and its kinematics depend strongly on the participant’s physiological thresholds – indicative of spatial resolution and temporal adaptation - and on their perceptual experience.
Leukemia stemness and co-occurring mutations drive resistance to IDH inhibitors in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Wang Feng , Morita Kiyomi , DiNardo Courtney D , Furudate Ken , Tanaka Tomoyuki , Yan Yuanqing , Patel Keyur P. , MacBeth Kyle J. , Wu Bin , Liu Guowen , Frattini Mark , Matthews Jairo A. , Little Latasha D. , Gumbs Curtis , Song Xingzhi , Zhang Jianhua , Thompson Erika J. , Kadia Tapan M. , Garcia-Manero Guillermo , Jabbour Elias , Ravandi Farhad , Bhalla Kapil , Konopleva Marina , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Futreal P. Andrew , Takahashi Koichi
Published: October 2020

Allosteric inhibitors of mutant IDH1 or IDH2 induce terminal differentiation of the mutant leukemic blasts and provide durable clinical responses in approximately 40% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with the mutations. However, primary resistance and acquired resistance to the drugs are major clinical issues. To understand the molecular underpinnings of clinical resistance to IDH inhibitors (IDHi), we performed multipronged genomic analyses (DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing and cytosine methylation profiling) in longitudinally collected specimens from 68 IDH1-orIDH2-mutant AML patients treated with the inhibitors. The analysis revealed that leukemia stemness is a major driver of primary resistance to IDHi, whereas selection of mutations inRUNX1/CEBPAorRAS-RTKpathway genes was the main driver of acquired resistance to IDHi, along withBCOR, homologousIDHgene, andTET2. These data suggest that targeting stemness and certain high-risk co-occurring mutations may overcome resistance to IDHi in AML.
Oral administration of a dual ETA/ETBreceptor antagonist promotes neuroprotection in a rodent model of glaucoma
Authors: McGrady Nolan R. , Stankowska Dorota L. , Jefferies Hayden B. , Krishnamoorthy Raghu R.
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease associated with elevated intraocular pressure and characterized by optic nerve axonal degeneration, cupping of the optic disc and loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The endothelin (ET) system of vasoactive peptides (ET-1, ET-2, ET-3) and their G-protein coupled receptors (ETAand ETBreceptors) have been shown to be contributors to the pathophysiology of glaucoma. The purpose of this study was to determine if administration of the endothelin receptor antagonist, macitentan, after the onset of IOP elevation, was neuroprotective to retinal ganglion cells in ocular hypertensive rats.

Methods

Brown Norway rats were subjected to the Morrison model of ocular hypertension by injection of hypertonic saline through episcleral veins. Macitentan (5 and 10 mg/kg body wt/day) was administered orally following the elevation of IOP and rats with IOP elevation were maintained for 4 weeks. RGC function was determined by pattern electroretinography at 2 and 4 weeks post IOP elevation. Rats were euthanized by approved humane methods and retinal flat-mounts generated were immunostained with RGC-selective markers RBPMS and Brn3a. RGC counts were conducted in a masked manner.

Results

A significant protection of retinal ganglion cells against cell loss was found following oral administration of macitentan (5 and 10 mg/kg body wt/day) in rats with elevated intraocular pressure. In addition, treatment with macitentan was able to preserve RGC function as measured by pattern ERG analysis.

Conclusions

Macitentan was able to promote neuroprotection independent of IOP-lowering suggesting that this could complement existing treatments to prevent neurodegeneration during ocular hypertension. The findings presented have implications for the use of macitentan as an oral formulation to promote neuroprotection in glaucoma patients.
Older eastern white pine trees and stands sequester carbon for many decades and maximize cumulative carbon
Authors: Leverett Robert T. , Masino Susan A. , Moomaw William R.
Published: October 2020

Pre-settlement New England was heavily forested, with some trees exceeding 2 m in diameter. New England’s forests have regrown since farm abandonment and represent what is arguably the most successful regional reforestation on record; the region has recently been identified as part of the “Global Safety Net.” Remnants and groves of primary “old-growth” forest demonstrate that native tree species can live for hundreds of years and continue to add to the biomass and structural and ecological complexity of forests. Forests are an essential natural climate solution for accumulating and storing atmospheric CO2, and some studies emphasize young, fast-growing trees and forests whereas others highlight high carbon storage and accumulation rates in old trees and intact forests. To address this question directly within New England we leveraged long-term, accurate field measurements along with volume modeling of individual trees and intact stands of eastern white pines (Pinus strobus) and compared our results to models developed by the U.S. Forest Service. Our major findings complement, extend, and clarify previous findings and are three-fold: 1) intact eastern white pine forests continue to sequester carbon and store high cumulative carbon above ground; 2) large trees dominate above-ground carbon storage and can sequester significant amounts of carbon for hundreds of years; 3) productive pine stands can continue to sequester high amounts of carbon for well over 150 years. Because the next decades are critical in addressing the climate crisis, and the vast majority of New England forests are less than 100 years old, and can at least double their cumulative carbon, a major implication of this work is that maintaining and accumulating maximal carbon in existing forests – proforestation - is a powerful near-term regional climate solution. Furthermore, old and old-growth forests are rare, complex and highly dynamic and biodiverse, and dedication of some forests to proforestation will also protect natural selection, ecosystem integrity and full native biodiversity long-term. In sum, strategic policies that grow and protect existing forests in New England will optimize a proven, low cost, natural climate solution for meeting climate and biodiversity goals now and in the critical coming decades.
Design principles of acidic transcriptional activation domains
Authors: Staller Max V. , Ramirez Eddie , Holehouse Alex S. , Pappu Rohit V. , Cohen Barak A.
Published: October 2020

Acidic activation domains are intrinsically disordered regions of transcription factors that bind coactivators. The intrinsic disorder and low conservation of activation domains have made it difficult to identify general rules governing their function. To address this problem, we designed thousands of variants in seven acidic activation domains and measured their activities with a new high-throughput assay in human cell culture. From these data we identify three design principles of acidic activation domains: hydrophobic motifs must be balanced by acidic residues; acidic residues make large contributions to activity when they are adjacent to motifs; and motif composition reflects the structural constraints of coactivator interactions. These design principles motivated a simple predictor of activation domains in the human proteome: scanning for clusters of aromatic and leucine residues embedded in regions of high acidity identifies known activation domains and accurately predicts new ones. Our results support a flexible model in which acidic residues solubilize hydrophobic motifs so that they can interact with coactivators.
“The dual diagnosis attitudes survey”: understanding the attitudinal impact of training across mental health and alcohol and drug service systems
Authors: Foster Gavin
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Anecdotal feedback obtained from alcohol and drug and mental health staff across the eastern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia suggests that attitudes towards working with people experiencing a dual diagnosis are becoming more positive. The purpose of this paper is to understand if dual diagnosis-specific training delivered to staff within mental health and alcohol and other drug services was a factor positively influencing attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

No formal evaluation assessing the impact of dual diagnosis-specific training on staff attitudes had previously occurred within this region of Australia. Access to staff on two occasions from three distinct sectors provided an opportunity to examine if and, to what degree, attitudes can be influenced by dual diagnosis-specific training. Using a co-designed attitudes survey, information was gathered from mental health and alcohol and drug staff on their attitudes to working with people with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems.

Findings

Two surveys were conducted involving 186 staff in 2012 and 110 staff in 2016. The dual diagnosis attitudes survey showed that positive attitudes to working with people experiencing a dual diagnosis were associated with recency of training. While attitudes may be improved by dual diagnosis training, these findings cannot exclude the impact of other dual diagnosis capacity building activities.

Originality/value

This study highlights the benefits of a regional partnership between mental health and alcohol and drug services and people with lived experience of dual diagnosis and the benefit of recent co-designed dual diagnosis training on longitudinally assessed worker attitudes.
Digital technology utilisation decisions for facilitating the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies
Authors: M.E. Sepasgozar Samad
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Emerging Construction Industry 4.0 technologies raise serious questions for construction companies when deciding whether to adopt or reject emerging technologies. Vendors seek to understand what factors are involved in how construction companies make these decisions and how they might vary across different companies. This paper aims to present a systematic, technology adoption decision-making framework for the construction industry which includes the key steps required for the final decision being made by companies up to the commencement of the operation of the technology.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 123 experienced practitioners were interviewed to identify a broad range of tasks relevant to decision-making. Participants known as customers or vendors were chosen to validate the findings of each group by using data triangulation methods. A systematic thematic analysis method was applied in the NVivo environment to analyse the data.

Findings

This study identifies the active role of vendors who need to understand how their customers arrive at decisions to increase the rate of technology adoption. This paper also provides insights to new companies and late adopters (reported greater than 50%) about how others arrived at their decisions.

Originality/value

Unlike other technology adoption models, this paper investigates vendors’ corresponding interactions during the decision-making process. This paper also goes beyond previous studies, which focussed on the individual customer’s intention to use a specific technology at a single-stage by developing a multi-stage framework to enable understanding the details of the decision process at the organisational level.
The effects of health on the wages of Australian workers: gender differences and the impacts of macroeconomic conditions
Authors: Cai Lixin
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of health on wages of Australian workers, with a focus on gender differences and the role of macroeconomic conditions in the effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The first 15 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey are used to estimate a wage model that accounts for the endogeneity of health, unobserved heterogeneity and sample selection bias.

Findings

The results show that, after accounting for the endogeneity of health, unobserved heterogeneity and sample selection bias, better health increases wages for Australian male workers, but not for female workers. The results also show that accounting for the endogeneity of health, unobserved heterogeneity and potential sample selection bias is important in estimating the effects of health on wages. In particular, a simple ordinary least squares estimator would underestimate the effect of health on wages for males, while overestimate it for females, and simply addressing the endogeneity of health using instrumental variables could overestimate the effect for both genders. It is also found that the effects of health on wages fall under depressed macroeconomic conditions, perhaps due to reduced job mobility and increased presentism during a recession.

Originality/value

This study adds to the international literature on the effects of health on wages by providing empirical evidence from Australia. The model applied to estimate the effects takes advantage of a panel dataset to address the bias resulting potentially from all the sources of the endogeneity of health, unobserved heterogeneity and sample selection. The results indeed show that failing to address these issues would substantially bias the estimated effects of health on wages.
Coupled transient heat and moisture transfer investigation of facade panel connections
Authors: Abediniangerabi Bahram , Shahandashti Mohsen , Makhmalbaf Atefe
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of panel connections on the hygrothermal performance of facade panels using a coupled, transient heat and moisture transfer analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

A coupled, transient heat and moisture transfer analysis has been conducted to investigate the effect of panel connections in the hygrothermal behavior of facade panels. Governing partial differential equations for the coupled heat and moisture transfer were formulated. Four panel connections proposed by pre-cast/pre-stressed concrete institute were modeled for the ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete facade panel as illustrations and a finite element method was used to solve the numerical models.

Findings

The results of heat transfer analysis showed that steel connections could significantly reduce the thermal resistivity of facade panels by converging heat fluxes and acting as thermal bridges within facade panels. The results also showed that the maximum heat flux in the steel connector of the panel to foundation connection was 10 times higher compared to the other connections. Also, the results of moisture transfer showed that air gaps between the panels had higher moisture flux compared to the other layers in the models. The results show the significant importance of panel connections in the energy performance analysis of facade systems. They also highlight the importance of devising novel connection designs and materials that consider the transient, coupled heat and moisture transfer in the connections to effectively exploit the potential opportunities provided by innovative facade systems to improve building energy efficiency.

Originality/value

This paper, for the first time, investigates the effect of panel connections in the hygrothermal performance of building facade systems using a coupled, transient heat and moisture transfer analysis.
Market structure and knowledge acquisition by firms
Authors: Hemsley Pedro , Morais Rafael , Di Iulio Karinna
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Recent models in firm theory assume that problems have to be solved for production to take place and that knowledge is the main input for problem-solving. This paper characterizes the relationship between the predictability of production prcesses and investment in knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a theoretical model of firm theory to study investment in knowledge by a simplified one-layer firm with a stochastic technology, across different market structures, and develops a calibration exercise to illustrate the results.

Findings

Firms working closer to the production frontier (those with a larger efficient scale in perfect competition, facing a higher demand in monopoly or more competitive internationally in an open economy) react more in terms of investment in knowledge when problem predictability changes. Investment in knowledge becomes nearly insensitive to such changes for firms with a low output, i.e. those far from the frontier. A calibration exercise suggests that the elasticity of knowledge with respect to the predictability of problems was around 0.59 for the US economy for the period 1980–2020.

Originality/value

These are the first nonambiguous results on the relationship between the predictability of production processes and investment in knowledge and help understanding knowledge acquisition by different firms in distinct competitive environments.
A co-citation study of information security patents in the USPTO database
Authors: Janavi Elmira , Emami Maryam
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The goal of this study was to investigate the co-citation of information security patents in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is a scientometrics study that has been conducted using the co-citation analysis. The statistical population of the present study includes all patents of information security filed in the USPTO database from 1971 to 2015. As a result of this search, 30,736 patents were retrieved. In this investigation, UCINET software and its complementary package (NetDraw) were employed to plot scientific maps.

Findings

The findings of this study indicated an upward trend of patents in the field of information security between 1971 and 2015. The “California State” has the top world rank in information security inventions, followed by “Japan” and the “Washington State.” “VAN WIE, DAVID M” is the most cited inventor in the field of information security. The analysis of inventors' co-citation data indicated that “ADAMS, NEIL- LITTLE” and “HERBERT ANTHONY” had the highest co-citation rates with each other and were ranked first. The survey of high-citation inventors based on centrality indices indicated that “LEACH, PAUL J” graded first in degree centrality, “BENALOH, JOSH D” in betweenness centrality and “BENALOH, JOSH D” in closeness centrality.

Originality/value

The co-citation analysis of patents can show the most important patents and the relationships between them. Such analyses can be useful for large-scale policymaking or identification of existing gaps and attempting to address them.
Corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, well-being and the task performance of frontline employees
Authors: Kim Minseong , Kim Jihye
Published: October 2020

Purpose

This research examines the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the workplace and its impact on frontline employees’ work-related outcomes. Based on the CSR and human resource management literature, this research formulates and tests a model of perceived management support for CSR, perceived customer support for CSR, work engagement, organization engagement, well-being and task performance, with an emphasis on the moderating role of the importance of CSR to employees.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey data were collected from 409 frontline employees of service enterprises, such as hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, airlines, in May and June 2015. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS and AMOS for frequency, reliability, correlation, confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that perceived management support for CSR significantly influences work engagement and organization engagement. Perceived customer support for CSR significantly affects work engagement, which increases organization engagement and enhances task performance. Organization engagement has a significant impact on perceived well-being, which, in turn, enhances task performance. Finally, the importance of CSR to employees significantly moderates the path from perceived management support for CSR to organization engagement.

Originality/value

This study formulates a conceptual model focusing on CSR to investigate drivers of well-being and the two aspects of employee engagement in a workplace. This study also considers employees’ perceptions of the importance of CSR as a moderator in the model.
Interorganizational learning between knowledge-based entrepreneurial ventures responding to COVID-19
Authors: Haneberg Dag Håkon
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The COVID-19 crisis has significantly affected entrepreneurial ventures, where knowledge resources are limited and contextual uncertainty is heightened. This paper aims to identify if and how interorganizational learning (IOL) may assist entrepreneurial ventures adapt, survive and grow in a crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The following research question is asked: How may responding to the adversity induced by the COVID-19 pandemic affect IOL between entrepreneurial ventures? Four hypotheses were developed to carry out a quantitative study of 228 knowledge-based entrepreneurial ventures in Norway.

Findings

The results illustrate how different combinations of adversity from COVID-19 and the active responses conducted by entrepreneurial ventures influence IOL. Four clusters representing different behaviors are developed accordingly as follows: “collaborators”, “supporters”, “responders” and “victims.” The findings provide empirical support for the importance of engaging in interactive and collaborative activities for IOL.

Research limitations/implications

The findings can help in understanding how COVID-19 influences IOL between entrepreneurial ventures. Policymakers may use these findings to promote organizational continuity in entrepreneurial ventures by creating and nurturing support systems that promote IOL during a crisis.

Originality/value

Studying a contemporary and critical situation – the COVID-19 pandemic – the present paper provides an empirical study of the antecedents to IOL, adding to the currently scarce body of research on IOL in and between entrepreneurial ventures.
The COVID‐19 crisis and complexity: A soft systems approach
Authors: El‐Taliawi Ola G. , Hartley Kris
Published: October 2020

The COVID‐19 pandemic is a crisis with high complexity and should be understood as such by scholarship. A complexity science approach situates increasingly divergent ideological and epistemological perspectives about the crisis within the practical exigencies of containment and mitigation measures. We ask which of the seven stages of soft systems methodology contributes to deeper understandings about COVID‐19 as a policy issue, beyond the contributions of current and conventional perspectives. The discussion outlines implications for practice and places them within broader debates about tensions between scientific facts and political values.
A rapid and nondestructive approach for forensic identification of car bumper splinters using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics
Authors: Wei Chenjie , Wang Jifen
Published: October 2020

The proper identification of car bumper splinters at hit‐and‐run crime scenes is imperative to forensic investigations, as splinters yield crucial pieces of vehicle information that can lead to subsequent investigation resolution and criminal justice. A method based on attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) combined with Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) and support vector machine (SVM) is reported to classify car bumper splinters. The FDA and SVM models were constructed based on full spectrum, fingerprint spectrum, and characteristic spectrum data from 156 car bumper splinter samples. The characteristic spectrum data were extracted by principal component analysis. The classification results for different types of data were compared, and the classification models were analyzed. In the FDA, the model based on the spectral data of the characteristic spectrum yielded the highest classification accuracy, and the classification accuracy based on 10 brands was 88.5%. For polypropylene type; polypropylene, talcum powder, and calcium carbonate type; and polypropylene and talcum powder type bumper samples, the classification accuracy rate reached 97.4%. The classification results were ideal for the SVM, for 10 brands and 3 types of samples, the classification accuracy of the model constructed based on both full spectrum and characteristic spectrum data reached 100%. The results suggest that the SVM model is superior to the FDA model. The SVM model is also suitable for the classification of high‐dimensional data. ATR‐FTIR combined with the chemometrics methods of FDA and SVM is a rapid, nondestructive, and accurate method for the differentiation of car bumper splinters.
The Differential Impact of Brexit on Banking: UK vs. Europe
Authors: Vázquez‐Ordás Camilo J. , García‐Olalla Myriam
Published: October 2020

The objective of this study is to analyse the differential impact that the main events in the implementation of Brexit have had on the European banking sector, and attempt to identify whether said impact has been different for UK and European banks. To do this, we selected a sample of UK banks listed on the stock exchange and a control group composed of banks belonging to European countries of a similar size to the UK banks. We used event study methodology to determine the impact, which was measured by the market reaction. The obtained results allow us to state that UK banks reacted differently from European banks in response to the same events that have defined the path of Brexit, and generally more negatively.
Does local government proliferation reduce maternal mortality? Evidence from Indonesian sub‐national government
Authors: Halimatusa’diyah Iim
Published: October 2020

This study aims to examine the effect of local government proliferation on maternal mortality in Indonesia. Despite the large body of literature on the determinants of local government proliferation, little is known about the consequences of district proliferation on public health services and outcomes. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with local government officials, health providers, and non‐state actors as well as observations of health care provision in four districts in Indonesia, this study reveals that the lack of local state capacity in the newly created districts contributes to higher rates of maternal mortality in the new districts compared to those of old districts. Not only does the lack of state capacity increase the dependency of local government on central government resources, it also discourages the development of local initiatives and policies to reduce maternal mortality.
Diverse sensory cues for individual recognition
Authors: Chung Myung , Wang Mu‐Yun , Huang Ziyan , Okuyama Teruhiro
Published: October 2020

To be social, the ability to recognize and discriminate conspecific individuals is indispensable in social animals, including primates, rodents, birds, fish, and social insects which live in societies or groups. Recent studies using molecular biology, genetics, in vivo and in vitro physiology, and behavioral neuroscientific approaches have provided detailed insights into how animals process and recognize the information of individuals. Here, we review the most distinct sensory modalities for individual recognition in animals, namely, olfaction and vision. In the case of rodents, two polymorphic gene complexes have been identified in their urine as the key and essential pheromonal components for individual recognition: the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and the major urinary protein (MUP). Animals flexibly utilize MHC and/or MUP, which are detected by the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and/or the vomeronasal organ (VNO) for various types of social recognition, such as strain recognition, kin recognition, and individual recognition. In contrast, primates, including humans, primarily use facial appearance to identify others. Face recognition in humans and other animals is naturally unique from genetic, cognitive, developmental, and functional points of view. Importantly note that nurture effects during growth phase such as social experience and environment can also shape and tune this special cognitive ability, in order to distinguish subtle differences between individuals. In this review, we address such unique nature and nurture mechanisms for individual recognition.