bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The long tail thesis
Authors: Dai Shuanping , Taube Markus
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the functionality of long tail markets (LTM), where the consumers cannot be reached or are ignored by the traditional mainstream businesses, in new products and business development.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors review two Chinese entrepreneurial practices in the Fintech sector and low-speed electric vehicles (LSEV) and describe their stylized facts; second, they explore a possible theoretical LTM framework to underscore these practices; third, they make a connection between LTM and existing business models and analyze its significance and practical implications in business, in particular, in developing economies.

Findings

The LTM business approach has helped Chinese companies in the Fintech sector and LSEVs gain global attention. The success factors of LTM for businesses are identifying a specific customer base, being aware of localization products and playing skillfully with regulations; the LTM approach has several overlaps with existing studies on niche products and base of the pyramid market.

Originality/value

Based on some emerging and attractive business practices in China, this paper offers a valuable attempt to theorize them as long tail phenomenon. The LTM thesis provides a potential framework to reference for similar methods elsewhere and may illuminate entrepreneurship to be explored in similar markets.
Initial entry speed and international performance of INVs
Authors: Huang Sheng , Ye Guangyu , Shen Suqin
Published: December 2019

Purpose

In the literature concerning international new ventures (INVs), there has been a tension between the learning advantages of newness and absorptive capacity perspectives for explaining the performance influence of initial entry speed. To address this tension, this paper, through integrating both the motivation and ability to acquire foreign knowledge, proposes a theoretical model about the nonlinear relationship between INVs’ initial entry speed and international performance. Drawing upon upper echelons theory and the institution-based view, this study aims to extend the literature by developing two boundary conditions for this relationship: the moderating role of executives’ individual learning orientation and sub-national institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used the latent moderated structural equations approach specific to Mplus to test the hypotheses with data on 322 Chinese INVs.

Findings

The findings indicate that INVs’ international performance will increase initially and then decrease, as they accelerate initial entry speed (an inverted U-shaped relationship), and that INVs managed by executives with a higher learning orientation and located in better sub-national institutional environments achieve greater international growth gains from moderate initial entry speed.

Originality/value

This study mainly makes contributions to the INV literature by integrating the motivation and ability to acquire foreign knowledge to offer full understanding of the effect of initial entry speed on international performance, and by elaborating on the moderating effects of executives’ individual learning orientation and sub-national institutions on this relationship.
Exploring the relationship between network position and innovation performance
Authors: Li Min , Xiao Fangbin , Cheng Yang , Xie Bi-Jun , Liu Chen-Yun , Xu Baoni
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to attempt to explore the influence of network position on innovation performance, specifically for companies from a less-developed area in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a social network analysis method based on the data of high and new tech companies from Jiangxi province, China. It relies on Ucinet 6.212 software for data processing.

Findings

The present work, on the one hand, reveals that a high and new tech company from Jiangxi province tends to achieve better innovation performances if it is in the central position of its social network. On the other hand, it indicates that the same type of company from the same area does not always accomplish better innovation performance, even it possesses more structural holes.

Originality/value

The conclusions of this paper suggest that a high and new tech company from a less-developed area in China should build up its position closer to the center when constructing a social network. Meanwhile, the company should also exert more effort into managing its networks, as only building structural holes offers little help with operations besides showing that it has a broad social network.
A machine-learning based approach to measuring constructs through text analysis
Authors: Tsao Hsiu-Yuan (Jody) , Campbell Colin L. , Sands Sean , Ferraro Carla , Mavrommatis Alexis , Lu Steven (Qiang)
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a novel and generalizable machine-learning based method of measuring established marketing constructs through passive analysis of consumer-generated textual data. The authors term this method scale-directed text analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The method first develops a dictionary of words related to specific dimensions of a construct that is used to assess textual data from any source for a specific meaning. The method explicitly recognizes both specific words and the strength of their underlying sentiment.

Findings

Results calculated using this new approach are statistically equivalent to responses to traditional marketing scale items. These results demonstrate the validity of the authors’ methodology and show its potential to complement traditional survey approaches to assessing marketing constructs.

Research limitations/implications

The method we outline relies on machine learning and thus requires either large volumes of text or a large number of cases. Results are reliable only at the aggregate level.

Practical implications

The method detail provides a means of less intrusive data collection such as through scraped social media postings. Alternatively, it also provides a means of analyzing data collected through more naturalistic methods such as open-response forms or even spoken language, both likely to increase response rates.

Originality/value

Scale-directed text analysis goes beyond traditional methods of conducting simple sentiment analysis and word frequency or percentage counts. It combines the richness of traditional textual and sentiment analysis with the theoretical structure and analytical rigor provided by traditional marketing scales, all in an automatic process.
Kinematics-searched framework for quadruped traversal in a parallel robot
Authors: Guo Fei , Wang Shoukun , Wang Junzheng , Yu Huan
Published: December 2019

Purpose

In this research, the authors established a hierarchical motion planner for quadruped locomotion, which enables a parallel wheel-quadruped robot, the “BIT-NAZA” robot, to traverse rough three-dimensional (3-D) terrain.

Design/methodology/approach

Presented is a novel wheel-quadruped mobile robot with parallel driving mechanisms and based on the Stewart six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) platform. The task for traversing rough terrain is decomposed into two prospects: one is the configuration selection in terms of a local foothold cost map, in which the kinematic feasibility of parallel mechanism and terrain features are satisfied in heuristic search planning, and the other one is a whole-body controller to complete smooth and continuous motion transitions.

Findings

A fan-shaped foot search region focuses on footholds with a strong possibility of becoming foot placement, simplifying computation complexity. A receding horizon avoids kinematic deadlock during the search process and improves robot adaptation.

Research limitations/implications

Both simulation and experimental results validated the proposed scenario available and appropriate for quadruped locomotion to traverse challenging 3-D terrains.

Originality/value

This paper analyzes kinematic workspace for a parallel robot with 6-DOF Stewart mechanism on both body and foot. A fan-shaped foot search region enhances computation efficiency. Receding horizon broadens the preview search to decrease the possibility of deadlock minima resulting from terrain variation.
The nexus between financial development and trade performance
Authors: Arora Puneet Kumar , Mukherjee Jaydeep
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This study aims to empirically examine the relationship between financial development and trade performance for the Indian economy through a time-series analysis with annual data over the period 1980-2016.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses new econometrics techniques such as unit root tests in the presence of endogenous structural breaks and autoregressive-distributed lag bounds test for the analysis.

Findings

Empirical results reveal that the level of financial development has a significant positive impact on the exports, imports and trade balance of manufactured goods for the Indian economy.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that the positive effect of financial development on trade performance is a potential mechanism through which the former may affect overall income and growth rates. It also implies that standalone trade liberalisation policies are insufficient to increase Indian exports. Indian policymakers should, therefore, consider the implications of the next set of financial sector reforms on the country’s trade flows, besides their positive impact on the economic performance. The findings are particularly relevant in the present scenario when the export growth is decelerating and there is a marked slowdown in private credit flows because of the problem of non-performing assets.

Originality/value

This study is the first of its kind which provides a holistic analysis of the relationship between financial development and trade performance for the Indian economy and also investigates the direction of causality between financial development and international trade by considering the possible presence of multiple endogenous structural breaks in the data. Moreover, in contrast to the available literature, the present study focuses on net exports as a key indicator of trade performance rather than trade openness.
How bank regulations impact efficiency and performance?
Authors: Hassan Mohamad
Published: December 2019

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of regulation and other micro- and macro-economic factors on banks’ productivity growth. It investigates the impact of different regulatory reforms on banks’ performance of total factor productivity (TFP) and its component efficiencies, along with their association with bank-specific variables of profitability and equity, and with macro-level variables of economy and freedom. That is, through analysing the influence of regulatory and supervisory policies related to Basel accords pillars of capital and market discipline through private monitoring; restrictions on bank activities; and economic and financial freedoms on TFP growth and year-end performance in banking.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine TFP for commercial banks in response to regulatory reforms on an international scale. To estimate the TFP, the authors use a non-parametric frontier technique by calculating the Malmquist output-oriented index, following Delis et al. (2011) and Worthington (1999). The components of the Malmquist index are ratios of distance functions making its estimation a straightforward technique using activity analysis or data envelopment analysis methods. This allows controlling for efficiency changes depending on the reallocation of production frontiers signalling the technical change and the technical efficiency at once.

Findings

Results show that high capital requirements enhance productivity growth in North and Latin American banks, but not in European African or Asian banks. Supervisory powers drive bank productivity growth in all regions except Europe and Central Asia. Restrictions on real estate, insurance and securities activities impede productivity change in all income level groups but not in high-income economies. The results also show that market volatility and Z-score drive technological change and scale efficiency growth, but negatively impact pure technical efficiency.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between the implementation of regulatory standards and the performance of the banking sector following a structural model of the banking firm and the concept of optimisation. An additional contribution of this study is that it examines economies with different levels of income based on the gross national income per capita. The study summarises bank-specific data used to synthesise the banks’ productivity (inputs and outputs) and country-specific economic and regulatory compliance data over 19 years (1999-2017). The extent of this data set coverage makes it most recent and most conclusive of variables to provide a significant contribution to the literature on bank regulation and efficiency effect.
The effects of voluntary GDPR adoption and the readability of privacy statements on customers’ information disclosure intention and trust
Authors: Zhang Yibo , Wang Tawei , Hsu Carol
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of companies’ voluntary adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as the readability of privacy statements on US customers’ intention to disclose information and their trust in a company.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the construal level theory and psychological distance, the authors conduct a 2 × 2 + 2 between-participants experiment with 255 participants.

Findings

The findings show that a company’s voluntary adoption of the GDPR has positive effects on customers’ intention to disclose information to and their trust in that company. In addition, the effects of GDPR adoption are stronger when the adopting company’s privacy statements possess a higher level of readability.

Originality/value

The authors believe this study poses policy implications for the outcomes of GDPR adoption and the recent debate on both a stricter data breach and privacy regulation.
Threshold behavior of optimal safety stock coverage in the presence of extended production disruptions
Authors: Strohhecker Jürgen , Größler Andreas
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of extended production disruptions because of process quality breakdowns on operational and financial performance. The investigation is conducted over the market cycle of a highly profitable product, e.g. a patented pharmaceutical. In particular, the study evaluates performance effects of different inventory level policies. The paper considers different degrees of availability of a substitute product.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses simulation experiments based on system dynamics methodology to derive inventory policies on handling infrequently happening but severe production process breakdowns. The simulation model is inspired by empirical case study research and is based on standard modeling formulations from the literature.

Findings

The scenario analyses show that the optimal level of safety stock coverage time depends in a highly non-linear manner on various economic parameters and shows threshold behavior.

Research limitations/implications

In subsequent studies, the effect of the degree of backlogging and the effect of the repeated occurrence of quality breakdowns on the results can be investigated.

Practical implications

The critical importance of safety stock and its non-linear relationship to economic product characteristics is emphasized.

Originality/value

Motivated by a real-world case study, the paper uses standard model formulations to derive insights for a specific business situation after considering uncertainty in the environment.
A visual tool for identity communication strategy
Authors: Elikan Dina , Pigneur Yves
Published: December 2019

Purpose

Being able to communicate a clear identity to different stakeholders is crucial for SMEs and startups in today’s world, which is characterised by accelerated innovation, growing competition and increasingly connected consumers. However, this can be a complex task for small organisations. The purpose of this paper is to propose a visual tool that supports entrepreneurs in SMEs and startups to collaboratively develop their identity communication strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper follows a design science research approach. The authors propose the design of a tool as well as some preliminary qualitative evaluations. The authors conducted three iterations between design and evaluation, where the results of the evaluations are implemented in the design.

Findings

The authors demonstrate how to design strategic tools for allowing teams to co-design their identity communication strategy and present the tool. The authors also evaluate its use and find out through the preliminary evaluations that it could be easy to use and useful for practitioners.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lays in the novelty of the tool and its development. Such a tool addressing identity communication strategy has not been developed with a scientific approach until now.
The conceptual understanding of nutrikinetics
Authors: Riar Harsimran , Khatkar Sunil K. , Khatkar Anju Boora , Arora Nishant , Mann Sandeep , Panghal Anil , Kumar Sanjeev
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to highlights the conceptual and scientific knowledge regarding bioavailability of food bioactive components which is essential for the thorough understanding of their role in disease prevention and factors that limit their absorption.

Design/methodology/approach

Nutrikinetics is an extended version of pharmacokinetics that is used for studying the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of components through different techniques such as metabolic profiling, multi-level data analysis and population-based modeling.

Findings

There are different phases of nutrikinetics study of the bioactive components. The initial stage of nutrikinetics is starting from simplest in-vitro assay which is applicable in the early stage of functional foods development. Thereafter, the next stage of nutrikinetics studies are related to human intervention studies as designed by European Food Safety Authority. The aim of such studies are to develop dose-exposure and exposure response study of a bioactive component.

Originality/value

This paper will enlighten the concept of nutrikinetics, its requirement and the future perspectives of nutrikinetics study including long-term efficacy studies and multi-compartmental analysis of the different bioactive components.
Deer‐mediated ecosystem service versus disservice depends on forest management intensity
Authors: Stokely Thomas D. , Betts Matthew G.
Published: December 2019

As global terrestrial biodiversity declines via land‐use change, society has placed increasing value on non‐commercial species as providers of ecosystem services. Yet, many deer species and non‐crop plants are perceived negatively when they decrease crop productivity, leading to reduced economic gains and human‐wildlife conflict.

We hypothesized that deer provide an ecosystem service in forest plantations by controlling competition and promoting crop‐tree growth, although the effects of herbivory may depend on forest management intensity. If management negatively affects foraging habitat at local and landscape scales, then we expected browsing to shift to less nutritious crop trees. To test these hypotheses, we established a 5‐year experiment that manipulated early forest management intensity via herbicide treatments and access of two deer species to vegetation via exclosures.

Contrary to our hypothesis, deer provided an ecosystem service at high management intensities and a disservice occurred with low‐intensity management. Crop‐tree growth and survival was greatest when herbivory and herbicides suppressed broadleaf regeneration. In contrast, crop‐tree growth was lowest when broadleaf vegetation was retained and crop trees were subject to both browse damage and competition.

We found a positive, yet variable, association between deer detections and stand – and landscape‐scale broadleaf habitat, and despite initial reductions in forage, herbivory pressure was similar among management intensities. When broadleaf vegetation was suppressed by herbicides and herbivory, selection of herbaceous forage by deer intensified, likely aiding in the service. Overall, our findings indicate that the effects of vegetation management for promoting timber production are highly dependent on the presence of large herbivores.

Synthesis and applications. Although deer are thought to reduce crop productivity in many systems, we found that herbivory switched from reducing crop‐tree growth where non‐crop vegetation was retained, to promoting crop‐tree growth when both herbivory and herbicides suppressed competing vegetation. However, the provision of this ecosystem service is likely contingent on the amount of forage available in the landscape and subsequent foraging pressure. We conclude that nature's capacity to provide ecosystem services depends on the intensity of management at local and landscape scales.
A systematic review of occupational therapy intervention for handwriting skills in 4–6 year old children
Authors: Kadar Masne , Wan Yunus Farahiyah , Tan Eileen , Chai Siaw Chui , Razaob@Razab Nor Afifi , Mohamat Kasim Durratul Husna
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Handwriting skills play a significant role in all stages of an individual's life. Writing interventions should be considered at a younger age to ensure proper development of writing skills. Hence, the aims of this study is to evaluate the current evidence of occupational therapy interventions in handwriting skills for 4–6 year old children.

Methods

Published literature was systematically searched according to PRISMA guidelines using specific key terms. Initial search identified 785 studies; however only seven met the inclusion criteria and were assessed for final review. Studies were methodologically appraised using the McMaster Critical Review Form–Quantitative Studies.

Results

The review found no randomised control trial study design pertaining to the reviewed area. However, it can be seen that occupational therapy interventions for writing skills in 4–6 year old children managed to increase the targeted skills. The results were similar across samples with or without disabilities. An effective integration of occupational therapy interventions into educational curriculum was found to save both time and cost.

Conclusion

The long‐term benefit from these interventions and the effects of these interventions on a broader spectrum of fine motor abilities need to be explored further with stronger research designs. However, the lack of studies adopting high level study designs, i.e., RCT designs means, results need to be approached with caution by occupational therapists when implementing handwriting skills intervention in practice.
Role of telomerase in the tumour microenvironment
Authors: Liu Ning , Guo Xue‐Hua , Liu Jun‐Ping , Cong Yu‐Sheng
Published: December 2019

Telomeres are specialized genomic structures that protect chromosomal ends to maintain genomic stability. Telomeric length is primarily regulated by the telomerase complex, essentially consisting of an RNA template (TERC), an enzymatic subunit (telomerase reverse transcriptase, TERT). In humans, telomerase activity is repressed during embryonic differentiation and is absent in most somatic cells. However, it is upregulated or reactivated in 80%–90% of the primary tumours in humans. The human TERT (hTERT) plays a pivotal role in cellular immortality and tumourigenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms of telomerase functioning in cancer have not been fully understood beyond the telomere maintenance. Several research groups, including ours, have demonstrated that hTERT possesses vital functions independent of its telomere maintenance, including angiogenesis, inflammation, cancer cell stemness, and epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT). All these telomere‐independent activities of hTERT may contribute to the regulation of the dynamics and homeostasis of the tumour microenvironment (TME), thereby promoting tumour growth and development. Cancer progression and metastasis largely depend upon the interactions between cancer cells and their microenvironment. In this review, the involvement of TERT in the tumour microenvironment and the underlying implications in cancer therapeutics have been summarized.
Capitalism, Technology and Work: Interrogating the Tipping Point Thesis
Authors: Thompson Paul
Published: December 2019

Post‐work politics, with a focus on universal basic income, rather than an agenda of saving jobs and improving the quality of work, has been a growth area on the left. This article challenges the views of proponents that their claims are ‘on trend' with developments in markets and technology. It does so by examining two supposed ‘tipping points' concerning crises in the production of value in capitalism and in the availability of and attachment to work. Through a rigorous examination of available evidence, the article demonstrates that the stories contained in post‐work discourses about business models, technologies, labour markets and workers are not empirically sustainable. Suggestions are then made about what more credible accounts of actually existing capital, technology and labour might look like, and what the direction of alternative, progressive policy agendas might be.
Growth‐related micromorphological characteristics of the porcine common carotid artery
Authors: Nies Andrea , Proft Lilly , Nehring Marie E. , Gruber Christian , Sievers Henrieke , Hünigen Hana , Gemeinhardt Ole , Richardson Kenneth C. , Hiebl Bernhard
Published: December 2019

The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge about the micromorphology of the porcine common carotid artery (CCA) during the period of growth over the bodyweight range of 10–40 kg. CCA samples from German landrace pigs (DL) aged either 2 or 3 months (DL‐2 and DL‐3) were compared with samples from Göttingen minipigs (GM) aged either 18 or 40 months (GM‐18 and GM‐40) using transmitted light (phase‐contrast mode) and transmission electron microscopy. The GM‐18, GM‐40 and the DL‐3 groups had typical muscular artery histological characteristics. Contrasting to this, the 2‐month‐old DL pigs had a transitional artery type being characterized by a significantly higher proportion of elastic fibres and a significantly lower number of smooth muscle cells than did the 1 month older DL‐3. During the period of maturation, the tunica media of the CCA in GM animals thickened by 1.3× and in DL animals by 2.5× resulting in an overall increased vessel wall thickness. The cumulated thickness of the tunica interna (endothelium, stratum subendotheliale and internal elastic lamina) and the tunica media (including the external elastic lamina) of DL‐3 and GM‐40 pigs were similar to each other and comparable to that of humans. With an increasing vessel wall thickness, the luminal diameter decreased in GM by 19% and in DL by 11%. Additionally, in the older age groups, GM‐40 and DL‐3, the internal elastic lamina principally was continuous, but there were also interrupted large segments of elastic lamina separated by gaps. In addition, the principal internal elastic lamina was duplicated in several places.
Laparoscopic vs open surgery for patients with strangulated small bowel obstruction
Authors: Kohga Atsushi , Yajima Kiyoshige , Okumura Takuya , Yamashita Kimihiro , Isogaki Jun , Suzuki Kenji , Kawabe Akihiro
Published: December 2019

Background

Recent reports revealed that laparoscopic adhesiolysis is a feasible procedure for patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction (SBO). However, the feasibility of laparoscopic surgery for strangulated SBO has not been investigated in detail.

Methods

Ninety‐six patients who underwent surgery for strangulated SBO between April 2008 and September 2019 were included. Of these, 49 patients were intended to undergo laparoscopic surgery, while the other 47 underwent open surgery from the first. Comparisons were made between the patients who underwent laparoscopic and open surgery in the patients with intestinal resection and without resection, respectively.

Results

In the resection group, eight patients (50.0%) who underwent laparoscopic surgery required conversion to open surgery. Perioperative outcomes were not statistically different between laparoscopic and open surgery except for postoperative use of continuous infusion of an analgesic agent or epidural anesthesia (P = .008). In the non‐resection group, five patients (15.1%) who underwent laparoscopic surgery required conversion. Time from surgery to ingestion (P = .025) and postoperative use of continuous infusion of an analgesic agent or epidural anesthesia (P < .001) were significantly favorable in the laparoscopic group. In the patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery, white blood cell count was >12 000/μL (P = .024, odds ratio = 7.569) and intestinal resection (P = .026, odds ratio = 5.19) were found by logistic regression analysis to be independent risk factors for conversion to open.

Conclusions

Laparoscopic surgery yields superior outcomes in patients without a requirement of intestinal resection. Laparoscopic surgery was considered as a first‐choice strategy in selected patients with strangulated SBO.
Collection of ear corn residue and its utilization as a bulking agent for cow manure composting
Authors: Hanajima Dai
Published: December 2019

This study examined the collection, storage, and utilization of ear corn residue as a bulking agent for composting. Ear corn residue left in fields was collected by a sequence of windrowing and round baling operations, which showed a collection efficiency of 53%−56%. More than 70% of the corn stalks had lengths shorter than 15 cm. The moisture content of corn residue collected in late October was approximately 58%; it decreased to 23% during storage. Dried corn residue was mixed with raw manure in two different ways, namely using complete mixing (CM) treatment or creating a bottom layer of residue, and a total of 3.4 t of the manure and ear corn residue mixture were composted using a pilot‐scale composting apparatus. The results showed that the CM treatment resulted in higher temperature generation and produced less odorous and well‐degraded compost after 2 months of composting, while the odorous compounds in the compost with corn residue as the bottom layer remained similar to those of the initial compost. To sufficiently utilize the advantages of the ear corn residue, thorough mixing of the corn residue with raw manure is preferable; this procedure produced well‐degraded and safety compost in a shorter time period.
Standard vs customized healing abutments with simultaneous bone grafting for tissue changes around immediate implants. 1‐year outcomes from a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Perez Alexandre , Caiazzo Alfonso , Valente Nicola A. , Toti Paolo , Alfonsi Fortunato , Barone Antonio
Published: December 2019

Background

Immediate implants have shown risks of esthetic complications. The hypothesis was that a customized healing abutment could improve the peri‐implant tissue healing.

Purpose

To evaluate and compare the soft and hard tissue healing around immediate implants that received bone grafting and a customized vs a standard healing abutment.

Materials and Methods

Patients, who required tooth extraction and who received an immediate implant (with an alloplastic graft material) were randomly assigned to a customized or a standard healing abutment group. Clinical and radiographic examinations were taken at baseline, at 4 and 12 months.

Results

Twenty‐five patients out of 61 were excluded from the study because unsuitable for immediate implantation. In total, 36 patients were randomized in the two groups. There were 17 females and 19 males (age range 23‐77). No prosthetic or implant failure was registered during the study period. The Papilla Index was significantly higher in the customized than in the standard group at 4 and 12 months (P = .0002). The bone loss at mesial sites was significantly higher in the control than in the test group (P = .0014).

Conclusion

The customized healing abutment group showed the most favorable outcomes (in terms of PI and MBL) in case of immediate implant that received a peri‐implant bone grafting procedure.
Gap or prehistoric monster? A history of the humanitarian–development nexus at UNICEF
Authors: Shusterman Jeremy
Published: December 2019

Why has bridging the humanitarian–development divide been such a long‐running endeavour, and why have so many frameworks to do so been proposed and picked apart over the years? Rather than contributing yet another ‘mind the gap’ approach, this paper seeks to articulate why such a lacuna emerged in the first place, and to explore how to exit a debate that has grown increasingly circular. To provide one possible answer to the questions above, the paper draws on the history of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) in working across the ‘humanitarian–development’ nexus. Suggesting that the gap is more artefact than fact, derived from the institutionalisation of aid, the paper argues that focusing on the challenges and the concepts that inherently transcend humanitarian–development silos may enhance understanding of what it means—and what is needed—to operate at the intersection of humanitarian and development action on behalf of children.
Treatment with low‐level sodium fluoride on wound healing and the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Bhawal Ujjal K. , Li Xiaoyan , Suzuki Masatoshi , Taguchi Chieko , Oka Shunichi , Arikawa Kazumune , Tewari Nitesh , Liu Yi
Published: December 2019

Background/Aims

Lacerations of the oral mucosa and fractures of alveolar processes commonly occur in traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). Impaired wound healing and tissue regeneration have severe consequences on the quality of life. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) possess the ability of self‐renewal and multipotential differentiation. Treatment with low‐level sodium fluoride (NaF) has emerged as a promising approach to enhance wound repair. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of low‐level NaF on soft tissue healing and on the proliferation, migration and extracellular matrix synthesis of BMMSCs.

Material and Methods

BMMSCs derived from mice were treated with 50 μM, 500 μM, or 5 mM NaF for 12, 24, and 48 hours, and cell proliferation was assessed by the MTS assay. Cell motility was detected at 12 and 24 hours by a wound healing assay, and osteoblastic differentiation for 21 days by 1% Alizarin Red S staining in 50 μM NaF‐treated BMMSCs. Gene expression of Runx2 and Osteocalcin was evaluated by quantitative real‐time PCR. An experimental rat skin wound model was employed, and levels of c‐Myc, Ki67, fibronectin, and vimentin were assessed by immunohistochemistry.

Results

There was a significant induction in the proliferation and migration of BMMSCs treated with 50 μM NaF. The expression of Ki67 and c‐Myc protein was increased in tissues treated with 50 μM NaF, and the expression of fibronectin and vimentin in the 50 μM NaF‐treated tissues was stimulated. Alizarin Red staining revealed enhanced mineralization in 50 μM NaF‐treated BMMSCs with increased expression of Runx2 and Osteocalcin, indicating their upregulated osteogenic differentiation.

Conclusion

Low‐level NaF could promote soft tissue healing and hard tissue regeneration.
Moisture‐driven shift in the climate sensitivity of white spruce xylem anatomical traits is coupled to large‐scale oscillation patterns across northern treeline in northwest North America
Authors: Lange Jelena , Carrer Marco , Pisaric Michael F. J. , Porter Trevor J. , Seo Jeong‐Wook , Trouillier Mario , Wilmking Martin
Published: December 2019

Tree growth at northern treelines is generally temperature‐limited due to cold and short growing seasons. However, temperature‐induced drought stress was repeatedly reported for certain regions of the boreal forest in northwestern North America, provoked by a significant increase in temperature and possibly reinforced by a regime shift of the pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). The aim of this study is to better understand physiological growth reactions of white spruce, a dominant species of the North American boreal forest, to PDO regime shifts using quantitative wood anatomy and traditional tree‐ring width (TRW) analysis. We investigated white spruce growth at latitudinal treeline across a >1,000 km gradient in northwestern North America. Functionally important xylem anatomical traits (lumen area, cell‐wall thickness, cell number) and TRW were correlated with the drought‐sensitive standardized precipitation–evapotranspiration index of the growing season. Correlations were computed separately for complete phases of the PDO in the 20th century, representing alternating warm/dry (1925–1946), cool/wet (1947–1976) and again warm/dry (1977–1998) climate regimes. Xylem anatomical traits revealed water‐limiting conditions in both warm/dry PDO regimes, while no or spatially contrasting associations were found for the cool/wet regime, indicating a moisture‐driven shift in growth‐limiting factors between PDO periods. TRW reflected only the last shift of 1976/1977, suggesting different climate thresholds and a higher sensitivity to moisture availability of xylem anatomical traits compared to TRW. This high sensitivity of xylem anatomical traits permits to identify first signs of moisture‐driven growth in treeline white spruce at an early stage, suggesting quantitative wood anatomy being a powerful tool to study climate change effects in the northwestern North American treeline ecotone. Projected temperature increase might challenge growth performance of white spruce as a key component of the North American boreal forest biome in the future, when drier conditions are likely to occur with higher frequency and intensity.
Translating new science into the community to promote opportunities for breast and cervical cancer prevention among African American women
Authors: Rodriguez Elisa M. , Jandorf Lina , Devonish Julia A. , Saad‐Harfouche Frances G. , Clark Nikia , Johnson Detric , Stewart Anika , Widman Christy A. , Erwin Deborah O.
Published: December 2019

Background

New evidence has found breast and cervical cancer risk factors unique to African American women. Thus, there is a significant need to increase their knowledge and understanding of relevant risk factors and the potential protective benefits associated with breast‐feeding and HPV vaccination. The National Witness Project is a robust, evidence‐ and community‐based lay health advisor programme that uses group education, navigation and survivor narratives to increase cancer screening among diverse underserved women.

Methods

A multi‐phase, community‐based participatory research study was conducted across three sites in Buffalo, NY, New York City and Arkansas between October 2016 and January 2017. Pre‐/post‐test surveys were administered during volunteer trainings and community programmes. An evaluation survey was also administered at the Annual Meeting for Education and Networking. Paired sample t tests were used to compare pre‐/post‐test survey scores.

Results

Trainee survey results showed the overall mean per cent correct pre‐/post‐test scores were 47.7% (SD: 21.87) and 79.2% (SD: 16.14). Altogether, 31 educational programmes reached 332 community participants. Participants’ breast and cervical cancer knowledge scores were significantly higher after the education programme (84.4%) than before (55.3%) with a mean change score of 29% (P ≤ .001).

Conclusion

This paper reveals the underlying complexities to update the educational curriculum content of a multi‐site, community‐based outreach organization. The new curriculum significantly improved African American women's knowledge about breast and cervical cancer by 10%‐36%, clearly demonstrating that this information was new to them. The need for education programming in African American communities to disseminate cancer prevention and risk information remains high.
Comparison of extraction methods for chemical composition, antibacterial, depigmenting and antioxidant activities of Eryngium maritimum
Authors: Traversier M. , Gaslonde T. , Lecso M. , Michel S. , Delannay E.
Published: December 2019

Objective

The objective is to develop a natural cosmetic ingredient from Eryngium maritimum regarding the high interest of consumer in these ingredients for cosmetic use.

Methods

Five eco‐friendly techniques of extraction were applied to Eryngium maritimum aerial parts among conventional reflux extraction (with green solvent) and alternative techniques (supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) and ultrasound combined with microwave extraction (UAE + MAE)). Several criteria were evaluated to allow the optimal choice for an industrialized ingredient: yield of extraction, chemical composition and biological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti‐collagenase and anti‐tyrosinase activities. The extracts were analysed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐HRMS), and the hierarchical Pearson classification (HCA) allowed to highlight the group of metabolites preferably extracted depending on the technique of extraction used.

Results

The biological results highlight that SFE and 80% ethanol reflux extracts have the best responses to biological activities such as antimicrobial, depigmenting and antioxidant activities, followed by water reflux extraction. Their activities might be due to the presence of different groups of metabolites favourably extracted by these techniques.

Conclusion

Among these extractions, water reflux extraction provided the optimal results considering the compromise between extraction yield and biological activities for the development of a cosmetic ingredient.
Rookesv.Barnardand the trade union question in British politics
Authors: Smith Paul
Published: December 2019

In the 1950s, given the scope of the Trade Disputes Act 1906 that had granted immunity against specific torts (civil wrongs) to organisers of industrial action, the courts had little role in industrial relations. Hence, the importance of the House of Lords decision in 1964 that, in threatening to strike to secure Douglas Rookes's removal from the Heathrow design office of the British Overseas Aircraft Corporation after his resignation from the union, Alfred Barnard and others had used unlawful means because a threat to break a contract of employment came within the tort of intimidation that was unprotected by the Trade Disputes Act's statutory immunities, and thus, they were liable to pay damages to Rookes. The legal arguments deployed are analysed within growing unease in the Conservative Party and among employers at the emergence of workplace union organisation and national strikes. Despite being partially neutralised by the Trade Disputes Act 1965,Rookeswas a harbinger of a new judicial activism that outflanked trade unions' tort immunities by creating novel common law liabilities. This in turn laid the political basis for subsequent Conservative legislation to restrict and regulate trade unions and industrial action, a project that is ongoing.
Mechanical properties of illite‐based ceramics with controlled porosity studied by modern in situ techniques
Authors: Knapek Michal , Kušnír Jakub , Húlan Tomáš , Minárik Peter , Csáki Štefan , Lukáč František , Dobroň Patrik , Chmelík František
Published: December 2019

Deformation tests combined with modern in situ acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques were applied to monitor low strain rate compressive behavior of illite‐based ceramics with controlled porosity (P). A strong effect of porosity on the mechanical performance was observed: Young's modulus decreased linearly from 29.4 ± 1.1 GPa (P = 14 vol%) to 3.0 ± 0.5 GPa (P = 55 vol%) and compressive strength decreased from 307 ± 13.6 MPa (P = 14 vol%) to 27.7 ± 1.0 MPa (P = 55 vol%). The AE and DIC techniques revealed a transition from brittle fracture to gradual localized crushing with increasing porosity. The AE signals possessed high‐energy burst‐like characteristics typical of brittle fracture and (micro)cracking. The AE data showed continuous activity from the beginning of loading, suggesting that true elasticity does not occur in this material. The combination of mechanical tests with in situ techniques, therefore, proved to be particularly effective in providing additional information on the deformation dynamics in ceramics.
microRNA‐143‐3p attenuated development of hepatic fibrosis in autoimmune hepatitis through regulation of TAK1 phosphorylation
Authors: Tu Hanxiao , Chen Dazhi , Cai Chao , Du Qianjing , Lin Hongwei , Pan Tongtong , Sheng Lina , Xu Yuedong , Teng Teng , Tu Jingjing , Lin Zhuo , Wang Xiaodong , Wang Rui , Xu Lanman , Chen Yongping
Published: December 2019

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver disease due to autoimmune system attacks hepatocytes and causes inflammation and fibrosis. Intracellular signalling and miRNA may play an important role in regulation of liver injury. This study aimed to investigate the potential roles of microRNA 143 in a murine AIH model and a hepatocyte injury model. Murine AIH model was induced by hepatic antigen S100, and hepatocyte injury model was induced by LPS. Mice and AML12 cells were separated into six groups with or without the treatment of miRNA‐143. Inflammation and fibrosis as well as gene expression were examined by different cellular and molecular techniques. The model was successfully established with the elevation of ALT and AST as well as inflammatory and fibrotic markers. Infection or transfection of mir‐143 in mice or hepatocytes significantly attenuated the development of alleviation of hepatocyte injury. Moreover, the study demonstrated phosphorylation of TAK1‐mediated miRNA‐143 regulation of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis as well as hepatocyte injury. Our studies demonstrated a significant role of miRNA‐143 in attenuation of liver injury in AIH mice and hepatocytes. miRNA‐143 regulates inflammation and fibrosis through its regulation of TAK1 phosphorylation, which warrants TAK1 as a target for the development of new therapeutic strategy of autoimmune hepatitis.
Eco‐efficiency assessment of calcium sulfoaluminate clinker production
Authors: Gálvez‐Martos José‐Luis , Valente Antonio , Martínez‐Fernández Mathías , Dufour Javier
Published: December 2019

Calcium sulfoaluminate‐based cements (CSA) are proposed as a cement alternative with a low carbon footprint. The nature of CSA makes the manufacturing process to require lower temperature, less fuel, and less calcite. However, it requires aluminum oxide, Al2O3, which would be originated from bauxite and bauxite‐derived wastes, and sulfur, coming from calcium sulfate or elemental sulfur. An eco‐efficiency assessment of CSA cements, benchmarked against the conventional Portland cement, has been performed following the principles of ISO 14045 on eco‐efficiency for a total of 240 CSA clinker production scenarios. The eco‐efficiency indicator relates an environmental indicator with a product system value indicator, and it is calculated for each of the studied parameters: bauxite geographical origin, the fuel used for clinkering, the source of sulfur, and the composition of the clinker. Eco‐efficiency results show a strong dependence on the origin of bauxite, while other parameters, as the fuel used, its content in sulfur, or the supply of other raw materials, are of less importance. The most eco‐efficient solutions are those with certain closeness to bauxite sources. To achieve global solutions, that is, cement‐making based on CSA independently of the origin of the raw materials, the amount of bauxite needs to be minimized and CSA composition restricted.