bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leading through the ‘new normality’ of health care
Authors: Lega Federico , Palumbo Rocco
Published: February 2021

Health care institutions are witnessing a ‘new normality’, which profoundly reshapes the strategic and management challenges faced by health professionals in their attempt to achieve excellence in the design and delivery of care. This ‘new normality’ triggers a transformation of conventional managing models and leadership styles, which have proved to be unfit with the changed attributes of the external and internal contexts of health care organizations. The ‘new normal’ leadership style relies on the ability of leaders to make sense out of the new challenges that are faced by health care organizations and on their capability to act managerially, sticking to an empowering approach which enables followers. However, the transformation of conventional leadership style is impossible if a rethinking of training activities and learning experiences delivered to health professionals is missing. The article provides an overview of the issues that health leaders and managers encounter in the ‘new normality’ of health care, identifying several unanswered questions which should be addressed to thrive in the changed landscape of health services’ delivery.
Successful implementation of ehealth interventions in healthcare: Development of an ehealth implementation guideline
Authors: Cremers Henricus-Paul , Theunissen Luc , Hiddink Julia , Kemps Hareld , Dekker Lukas , van de Ven Ramon , Monroy Monica , van Waes Liedewei , Scheele Karin , van Veghel Dennis
Published: February 2021

Introduction

eHealth interventions have the potential to improve the quality of healthcare and reduce costs. However, to implement eHealth interventions successfully instruments are needed to facilitate this process. This study aims to develop an eHealth implementation guideline for implementation of eHealth interventions in daily practice.

Methods

In June and July 2019 a literature research was conducted and, subsequently, a two-round Delphi study including 13 international eHealth experts in the field of healthcare, ICT & technology, and research was performed. Within the Delphi study, experts scored specific determinants using an online survey. Based on mean scores and interquartile ranges (IQRs) in the online survey, consensus between the experts was assessed.

Results

A total of five domains (i.e., Technology, Acceptance, Financing, Organizational, and Legislation & Policy) with 24 corresponding determinants were assessed by the experts. After the second Delphi round, consensus was achieved on the five domains and 23 determinants (mean scores ≥ 8; IQR ≤ 2). Only for the determinant ‘Evidence-Based Medicine’ was no consensus reached (mean score < 8; IQR = 2). Based on the 23 determinants, the eHealth implementation guideline is developed for eHealth implementations in healthcare in order to increase their effectiveness.

Conclusion

The eHealth implementation guideline developed in this study may help healthcare providers/researchers assess the determinants of successful eHealth intervention prior to the implementation of the eHealth program
Effect of ZrB2 nanopellets on microstructure, dielectric, mechanical and thermal stability of polyimide
Authors: Pan Lin , Yin Jinghua , Li Jialong , Li Yanpeng , Zhao He , Zhu Congcong , Yue Dong , Liu Xiaoxu , Feng Yu
Published: February 2021

Zirconium boride (ZrB2) with high electrical, thermal conductivity, chemical stability and low coefficient of thermal expansion has been considered promising boride ceramic. In this study, the new type polyimide(PI)-based composites filled with ZrB2 nanopellets were prepared via in-situ polymerization. The results show that the ZrB2 nanopellets are dispersed uniformly in the PI matrix and the ZrB2/PI composites with 0.5 wt.% loading exhibits outstanding dielectric, mechanical properties and thermal stability. A mechanism related to the microstructure is proposed to explain the performance improvement. ZrB2 with strong electron affinity could trigger charges to accumulate on its surface, which promotes the interface polarization and consequently enhance dielectric constant. The strong interactions between ZrB2 and PI beneficial to stress effectively transfer from the PI matrix to the ZrB2. The dense structure of the composites and the intrinsically high thermal conductivity of ZrB2 are conducive to heat transfer in the matrix and reduce heat accumulation. The dielectric constant, tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites are increased by 17.5%, 63% and 59.4% compared to pure PI. Meanwhile, the ZrB2/PI composites possess superior electrical insulation property. The comprehensive performance improvement of the composites share a broader prospect for its application in engineering.
Study on the eccentric jet-flow characteristics induced by the opening regulation with a gate valve
Authors: Chen De-sheng , Wang Yong-xiang , Liu Qi , Lin Zhe , Zhu Zu-chao , Mao Wei
Published: February 2021

Valve-induced flow characteristics were often concerned in many fluid transportation and control industries. In this paper, the eccentric jet-flow characteristics induced by a gate valve have been studied by considering the influence of valve opening regulation. The experimental setup of monitoring the downstream pressures along the pipeline was developed, and corresponding numerical simulation was employed. The downstream-monitoring pressure distribution caused by valve opening regulation was investigated to verify the flow simulation. The generation mechanism of eccentric jet-flow was revealed as a strong pressure gradient caused by the throttling effect at the valve throat. It was found that the eccentric jet-flow evolved in the pipeline was accompanied by shearing vortices, extremely under a small valve opening. The pressure and axial velocity distributions at various downstream cross-sections of the eccentric jet-flow evolving in the pipeline were analyzed. The axial velocities on four monitoring lines in downstream cross-sections were extracted, and the radial location of the maximum axial velocity was derived to assess the eccentric characteristics of jet-flow. A dimensionless parameter of velocity eccentric ratio was introduced to quantify the eccentric intensity of the evolving jet-flow in the downstream pipeline, and its correlation with the pipeline length could be adequately expressed by a natural decreasing exponential curve via fitting analysis. By virtue of that correlation, the critical pipeline length was proposed that can be used as the judgment to the terminal of the eccentric jet-flow evolving in the downstream pipeline. This study was helpful to characterize the valve-induced flow characteristics in scientific research and provide useful insight into fluid and mechanical engineering.
A cascaded scheme for high-performance estimation of vehicle states
Authors: Chen Jianfeng , Hu Shulin , Ye Yicai , Huang Haoqian , Langari Reza , Tang Chuanye
Published: February 2021

Vehicle active safety control is bonded tightly with the accurate acquirement of vehicle states. This paper presents a cascaded scheme to realize high-performance estimation of vehicle states. To achieve the estimation with good performance, an adaptive sliding mode observer is designed for determining four longitudinal tire forces independently, and the Kalman filter is used for alleviating the inherent chattering effect. On this basis, lateral tire forces are calculated via a simplified formula based on the Dugoff tire model. Lastly, utilizing the obtained tire force information, the key states of vehicle motion are estimated through the smooth variable structure filter. Numerical experiments are conducted to testify the effectiveness of the presented estimation scheme. The results of performance comparison in different case studies show that the chattering effect can be suppressed to a great extent, and the accuracy, robustness and real-time performance to modeling uncertainty and unexpected measurements can be effectively guaranteed for vehicle state estimation by means of the proposed scheme.
Combustion optimization for fuel economy improvement of a dedicated range-extender engine
Authors: Wu Zhenkuo , Han Zhiyu , Shi Yongsheng , Liu Wei , Zhang Junwei , Huang Yongcheng , Meng Shuo
Published: February 2021

In this study, the combustion system of a dedicated range-extender engine was optimized based on a production engine for fuel economy improvement with the use of enhanced tumble flow, higher compression ratio, Atkinson cycle and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). First, the shape of the intake port was optimized to improve in-cylinder tumble and turbulence for combustion enhancement. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results showed that compared to the original intake port, the peak tumble ratio during the compression stroke of the new port is improved by 74.0%, and the turbulent kinetic energy at the spark timing is increased by 33.0%, and the results were verified through the flow test bench experiment. The dyno experiment showed that, with the new intake port, the engine brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was improved for all test conditions. Then, the late intake valve closing (IVC) and a higher compression ratio were used in combination to adopt the Atkinson cycle. The IVC timing was set to 642° ATDC based on the preset power target. And the compression ratio was set to 12 to balance knock tendency and BSFC improvement. Finally, the cooled EGR was optimized to further suppress the knocking tendency to improve fuel consumption. The results showed that, with the cooling Strategy 2, the attainable maximum EGR ratio at 2400 rpm full load and 70 Nm conditions was increased, the spark timing could be significantly advanced, and the BSFC was improved. The improvement of BSFC is between 6 g/kW·h and 13 g/kW·h for the load range from 40 Nm to the full load. After the optimization, the minimum BSFC of the range-extender engine reaches 233 g/kW·h, while it is around 242 g/kW·h for the base engine. The operation area where fuel consumption is lower than 240 g/kW·h becomes much wider.
A nonlinear fractional-order H∞ observer for SOC estimation of battery pack of electric vehicles
Authors: Yue Wei , Liu Cong-zhi , Li Liang , Chen Xiang , Muhammad Fahad
Published: February 2021

This work is focused on designing a fractional-order [Formula: see text] observer and applying it into the state of charge (SOC) estimation for lithium-ion battery pack system. Firstly, a fractional order equivalent circuit model based on the fractional capacitor is established and identified. Secondly, the SOC estimation method based on the fractional-order [Formula: see text] observer is proposed. The nonlinear intrinsic relationship between the open-circuit voltage and SOC is described as a polynomial function, and its Lipschitz proposition has been discussed. Then, the nonlinear observer design criterion is established based on the Lyapunov method. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified with high accuracy and robustness by the experiment results.
Possible risk compensation, attitudes, and beliefs among Brazilian individuals potentially eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis
Authors: Villela Larissa M , Veloso Valdiléa G , Hoagland Brenda , Fernandes Nilo M , Kallas Esper G , Madruga Jose V , Moreira Ronaldo I , Grinsztejn Beatriz , De Boni Raquel B
Published: February 2021

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) who are the groups that presents the high incidence risk in Brazil. This cross-sectional secondary analysis describes possible risk compensation, attitudes, and beliefs regarding the use of PrEP among 723 MSM and TGW evaluated in the PrEP Brazil study pre-screening phase. Possible risk compensation was reported by 31.6% individuals. In the multivariate model, factors that increased the likelihood of possible risk compensation were: self-referring as white vs. Black (AOR 2.05; CI 1.09, 3.85), perceiving high likelihood of getting HIV in next 12 months (AOR 1.78; CI 1.23, 2.56), being less afraid of HIV infection if using PrEP (AOR 1.93; CI 1.19, 3.14), feeling liberated to have more partners if using PrEP (AOR 2.93; CI 1.92, 4.49), and believing closest friends would use PrEP (AOR 2.51; CI 1.1, 5.71). We found that possible risk compensation was more common among individuals who presented high-risk perception for HIV infection, probably reflecting they feel at risk and could benefit from PrEP use.
Regulating “untrustworthy patients”: Constructions of “trust” and “distrust” in accounts of inpatient treatment for anorexia
Authors: Holmes Su , Malson Helen , Semlyen Joanna
Published: February 2021

Trust has been seen as a lynchpin of therapeutic relationships. Yet due to perceptions that anorexia is one of the most difficult illnesses to treat and that patients are “treatment resistant”, achieving trust between patient and treatment provider may be challenging. This article draws on qualitative data from 14 semi-structured interviews with women who have experience of inpatient treatment for anorexia in order to analyse how trust and distrust figured in treatment contexts. In so doing, the article draws upon feminist approaches which are critical of conceptions of the “devious” “anorexic” and of the clinical discourses within which these constructions are produced. Our analysis suggests a lack of trust shown toward patients in inpatient contexts – particularly a disqualification of “voice” – which has a number of consequences for participants’ subjectivities, including the erosion of self-esteem; demotivation; dropping out/termination of treatment; and triggering experiences of trauma. As such, our analysis raises serious questions about what participants described as routine treatment practices in inpatient treatment for anorexia, and about the serious consequences of constructing “anorexics” as manipulative and untrustworthy.
Toward a feminist psychological theory of “institutional trauma”
Authors: Thompson Lucy
Published: February 2021

Public discussions about trauma are circulating exponentially in the wake of global movements against structural violence, and efforts to mainstream “trauma-informed” approaches in mental health, human services, and organizational contexts. Within these discussions, the term “institutional trauma” is increasingly being deployed to make sense of structural violence and its impacts. However, such discussions typically reproduce highly individualistic understandings of trauma. Recent feminist advances in trauma theory articulate trauma as a distinctly socio-political form of distress, and critical feminist psychological work argues that gender and other institutions play a substantial role in defining and mediating experiences of trauma. However, the role of institutions in the (re)production of trauma remains under-theorized in the psychological literature. This paper applies feminist, critical mental health, and decolonial perspectives to identify the limitations of mainstream psychological perspectives on trauma and proposes a critical psychological theory of “institutional trauma”. I apply this critical analytic to argue that dominant biomedical and neoliberal frameworks fail to adequately account for the socio-political dimensions of trauma. I then consider institutional theory as a useful feminist psychological analytic through which to expand trauma theory and subvert pathologizing accounts of trauma as disordered and maladaptive.
He kākano ahau – identity, Indigeneity and wellbeing for young Māori (Indigenous) men in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors: Hamley Logan , Grice Jade Le
Published: February 2021

This article examines how dominant Eurocentric approaches to mental health are unable to address the diverse needs of young Māori men in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Drawing on current health inequities facing Māori and young Māori men in particular, this commentary explores how colonisation has impacted young Māori men in negative ways. Through shaping current health structures in Aotearoa/New Zealand, dominant Eurocentric approaches foreground individualised conceptualisations of Māori ill-health, and then apply predominantly Western therapies to resolve this. These approaches are ill-equipped to address the intergenerational and structural issues which are at the root of mental health disparities for young Māori men. This article adds to a growing body of Indigenous psychology literature that speaks to the inadequacies within (mental) health systems for addressing the ongoing challenges that Māori experience due to colonisation. It further highlights how the intersections among ethnicity/race, class, age and masculinity for Māori men are shaped by colonial discourses. These inadequacies reflect a broader issue of the constraints placed on Māori self-determination by the colonial systems of power in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The article closes by proposing some alternative approaches to supporting Māori wellbeing that centre the needs and aspirations of Māori.
Long-term human impact and forest management in the Phoenician and Roman city of Utica (Tunisia) (900 BC−500 AD)
Authors: Rodríguez-Ariza María Oliva , López Castro José Luis , Jerbania Imed Ben , Martín Alfredo Mederos , Ferjaoui Ahmed , Hahnmüller Victor Martínez , Barrionuevo Carmen Ana Pardo , Moreno Amparo Sánchez , Khalfali Walid , Jendoubi Khaouter
Published: February 2021

Human Colonization of new lands implied historically the diffusion of new plant species and the exploitation of local plant resources and forests by human communities. Phoenician colonization in the 1st millennium BC had important consequences in Mediterranean agriculture and the exploitation of vegetation in colonized areas. Later, Roman agriculture introduced new changes. The anthracological analysis or charcoal analysis of the archaeological record of the site of Utica can inform us about the long term transformations in vegetation in North Africa. The original vegetation, consisting mainly of Pistacia lentiscus, would see its population reduced due to the implantation of non-intensive olive production in Phoenician and Punic periods. Nevertheless, since the Roman Imperial Period there was a strong decline of natural vegetation, in correlation of the important increment of olive trees, which indicate the presence of intensive oil production, mainly to be exported to Rome. Furthermore, the appearance of walnut trees presents novel data regarding the expansion of arboriculture throughout the Mediterranean in hand with the Phoenicians during the 1st millennium BC. The anthracological analysis of Utica presents important information regarding the natural vegetation that existed when the Phoenicians arrived, and the transformation that happened throughout time, corresponding to the management of the surrounding landscape during the Phoenician, Punic, and Roman periods.
Tectorigenin attenuates the OGD/R-induced HT-22 cell damage through regulation of the PI3K/AKT and the PPARγ/NF-κB pathways
Authors: Yao Li , Yang Meili , Zhang Juanli , Wang Fei , Liu Qing , Xie Xiaojun , Liu Zhuo , Guo Qiang , Su Hang , Zhai Jiemin , He Jianbo , Xue Sha , Qiu Zhengguo
Published: February 2021

Tectorigenin (TEC) is an effective compound that derived from many plants, such as Iris unguicularis, Belamcanda chinensis and Pueraria thunbergiana Benth. Evidence suggested that TEC has anti-tumor, anti-oxidant activity, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, there has some evidence indicated that TEC is a potential anti-stroke compound; however, its specific roles and associated mechanism have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant activity and anti-apoptosis effects of TEC on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced HT-22 cells, and clarified the relevant mechanisms. Here, we observed that TEC significantly promoted cell survival, impeded cell apoptosis, inhibited ROS and inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α production in OGD/R-induced HT-22 cells. Moreover, TEC activated PI3K/AKT signal pathway, increased PPARγ expression and inhibited NF-κB pathway activation in OGD/R-induced HT-22 cells. Further studies indicated that PPARγ inhibitor GW9662 activated NF-κB pathway after TEC treatment in OGD/R-induced HT-22 cells. Also, PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002, PPARγ inhibitor GW9662 and NF-κB activator LPS both reversed the effects of TEC on OGD/R-induced HT-22 cell biology. Taken together, this research confirmed that TEC benefit to HT-22 cell survival and against OGD/R damage through the PI3K/AKT and PPARγ/NF-κB pathways. These results indicated that TEC might be an effective compound in the treatment for ischemic brain injury.
Personal information management through ubiquitous devices: Students’ mobile self-efficacy and PIM practices
Authors: Ali Irfan , Warraich Nosheen Fatima
Published: February 2021

This study aims to explore personal information management (PIM) practices of undergraduate university students on ubiquitous devices such as mobile phones. The purpose was to investigate the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and mobile-based PIM practices of the respondents in terms of finding/re-finding, keeping and organizing information. This study was the offspring of a PhD project. The quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data from undergraduate students Regression analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and their mobile based PIM practices. The findings revealed that undergraduate students search, browse, and scan information through mobile phones. They used keywords, searched from recently opened file, and from send item to find/re-find information. They save their personal information in folders, use mobile applications, and take screen shot of information to keep it for future use. Current study reported “ Sharing as keeping ‘as a new phenomenon in mobile based personal information keeping (ubiquitous environment). This study also reported ‘ Ubiquity’ as an emerging trend in PIM among young generation. Study found positive correlations between mobile self-efficacy and mobile based PIM. Current study developed a model of mobile self-efficacy and PIM. Based on new phenomena “ sharing as keeping’ (which occurred in current study), a model “mobile based personal information keeping” may be developed. This study helps software developers of smartphones to develop mobile phone applications according to users’ needs. This study provides better understanding of PIM model (finding/re-finding, keeping and organizing information) through ubiquitous devices (smart phones). Although studies have been conducted to know the impact or relationship between mobile self-efficacy and PIM, but no comprehensive study has been conducted to explore the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and the holistic picture of mobile based PIM (finding/re-finding, keeping, and organizing information) especially in developing countries like Pakistan.
Incidence and prevalence of immune thrombocytopenia under the copayment waiver policy for pediatric patients in Korea: Data from the National Health Claims Database
Authors: Park Sung-Hoon , Kwak Sang Gyu , Kim Ji Yoon
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) under the copayment waiver policy for pediatric patients in Korea. The data were collected from the National Health Insurance Claims Database of Korea. ITP was identified based on the diagnostic code D69.38 from the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases. Patients between one and 18 years old, who had at least one health insurance claim for ITP as a final diagnosis, from 1 January 2016, to 31 December 2017, were analyzed. Prevalent cases were defined as patients who used, at least one time, any medical services coded as D69.38. Incident cases were defined as patients who did not use D69.38 coded medical services during the prior year and were newly registered in 2017. The prevalence and incidence of ITP were 24.53 and 13.39 per 100,000 persons. The peak rates were observed in 1-year-old patients. The gender-specific prevalence of ITP was significantly higher in one-year-old males than females. According to the change–point analysis, we found that the prevalence and incidence diminished rapidly at the ages of four and three, respectively. This Korean population-based epidemiological study of ITP provided meaningful insights into the current epidemiology of ITP and demonstrated the implications of interpreting epidemiologic studies to reflect age categorizing and health care system characteristics.
‘Black and white and every wrong colour’: The medical history of Jane Austen and the possibility of systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Sanders Michael D , Graham Elizabeth M
Published: February 2021

Jane Austen died 200 years ago at the age of 41 and authors have attributed her premature death to a wide variety of causes, which include Addison’s disease and lymphoma.

We have reviewed all of her available letters and extricated relevant medical information which reveal rheumatism, facial skin lesions, fever and marked fluctuation of these symptoms. The severity of these symptoms increased, leading to her death within a year.

This range of clinical features fulfils the most recent classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus.
The nature and origins of political polarization over science
Authors: Rekker Roderik
Published: February 2021

People have a tendency to disregard information that contradicts their partisan or ideological identity. This inclination can become especially striking when citizens reject notions that scientists would consider “facts” in the light of overwhelming scientific evidence and consensus. The resulting polarization over science has reached alarming levels in recent years. This theoretical review conceptualizes political polarization over science and argues that it is driven by two interrelated processes. Through psychological science rejection, people can implicitly disregard scientific facts that are inconsistent with their political identity. Alternatively, citizens can engage in ideological science rejection by adhering to a political ideology that explicitly contests science. This contestation can in turn be subdivided into four levels of generalization: An ideology can dispute either specific scientific claims, distinct research fields, science in general, or the entire political system and elite. By proposing this interdisciplinary framework, this article aims to integrate insights from various disciplines.
Safety of Intraovarian Injection of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Mouse Model
Authors: Park Hang-Soo , Chugh Rishi Man , Elsharoud Amro , Ulin Mara , Esfandyari Sahar , Aboalsoud Alshimaa , Bakir Lale , Al-Hendy Ayman
Published: February 2021

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a condition in which there is a loss of ovarian function before the age of 40 years, leads to amenorrhea and infertility. In our previously published studies, we demonstrated recovery of POI, correction of serum sex hormone levels, increase in the granulosa cell population, and restoration of fertility in a chemotherapy-induced POI mouse model after intraovarian transplantation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). While hBM-MSC may be a promising cell source for treatment of POI, there are few reports on the safety of stem cell-based therapy for POI. For future clinical applications, the safety of allogenic hBM-MSCs for the treatment of POI through intraovarian engraftment needs to be addressed and verified in appropriate preclinical models. In this study, we induced POI in C57/BL6 mice using chemotherapy, then treated the mice with hBM-MSCs (500,000 cells/ovary) by intraovarian injection. After hBM-MSC treatment, we analyzed the migration of engrafted cells by genomic DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a human-specific ALU repeat and by whole-body sectioning on a cryo-imaging system. We examined the possibility of transfer of human DNA from the hBM-MSCs to the resulting offspring, and compared the growth rate of offspring to that of normal mice and hBM-MSC-treated mice. We found that engrafted hBM-MSCs were detected only in mouse ovaries and did not migrate into any other major organs including the heart, lungs, and liver. Further, we found that no human DNA was transferred into the fetus. Interestingly, the engrafted cells gradually decreased in number and had mostly disappeared after 4 weeks. Our study demonstrates that intraovarian transplantation of hBM-MSCs could be a safe stem cell-based therapy to restore fertility in POI patients.
No Tumorigenicity of Allogeneic Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Major Histocompatibility Complex-matched Cynomolgus Macaques
Authors: Ishigaki Hirohito , Pham Van Loi , Terai Jun , Sasamura Takako , Nguyen Cong Thanh , Ishida Hideaki , Okahara Junko , Kaneko Shin , Shiina Takashi , Nakayama Misako , Itoh Yasushi , Ogasawara Kazumasa
Published: February 2021

Tumorigenicity of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is anticipated when cells derived from iPSCs are transplanted. It has been reported that iPSCs formed a teratoma in vivo in autologous transplantation in a nonhuman primate model without immunosuppression. However, there has been no study on tumorigenicity in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched allogeneic iPSC transplantation with immune-competent hosts. To examine the tumorigenicity of allogeneic iPSCs, we generated four iPSC clones carrying a homozygous haplotype of the MHC. Two clones were derived from female fibroblasts by using a retrovirus and the other two clones were derived from male peripheral blood mononuclear cells by using Sendai virus (episomal approach). The iPSC clones were transplanted into allogenic MHC-matched immune-competent cynomolgus macaques. After transplantation of the iPSCs into subcutaneous tissue of an MHC-matched female macaque and into four testes of two MHC-matched male macaques, histological analysis showed no tumor, inflammation, or regenerative change in the excised tissues 3 months after transplantation, despite the results that iPSCs formed teratomas in immune-deficient mice and in autologous transplantation as previously reported. The results in the present study suggest that there is no tumorigenicity of iPSCs in MHC-matched allogeneic transplantation in clinical application.
Curcumin Supplementation Enhances Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Promote the Anabolism of Articular Chondrocytes and Cartilage Repair
Authors: Zhang Rui , Zhang Qiaoxia , Zou Zhiyu , Li Zheng , Jin Meng , An Jing , Li Hui , Ma Jianbing
Published: February 2021

Mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrows (BMSCs) and curcumin derived from turmeric were used for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment, respectively. We invested the effects of curcumin supplementation for BMSC therapeutic effects. In vitro, rat BMSCs were identified by dual-immunofluorescent staining of CD44 and CD90, and flow cytometry. Primary articular chondrocytes were identified by toluidine blue staining and immunofluorescent staining of Col2a1. EdU incorporation, migration assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analyses were performed to evaluate the alterations of chondrocytes cocultured with BMSCs. In vivo, the rat model of OA was established by monoiodoacetic acid. After intra-articular injection of allogeneic BMSCs, articular cartilage damage and OA progression were evaluated by histological staining, and Osteoarthritis Research Society International and Mankin score evaluation. Although curcumin alone did not improve cell viability of primary articular chondrocytes, it promoted proliferation and migration of chondrocytes when cocultured with BMSCs. Meanwhile, the expression of anabolic genes in chondrocytes was remarkably increased both at mRNA and protein levels. In OA rats, curcumin and BMSCs cooperated to greatly promote articular cartilage repair and retard OA progression. Therefore, curcumin supplementation enhanced the BMSC function for the proliferation and migration of articular chondrocytes, and anabolic gene expression of extracellular matrix in articular chondrocytes in vitro, and the generation of articular cartilage in vivo. Our study shed light on the potential clinical application of curcumin cooperated with BMSCs in cartilage repair for OA treatment.
Co-Transplantation of Haploidentical Stem Cells and a Dose of Unrelated Cord Blood in Pediatric Patients with Thalassemia Major
Authors: Wang Xiaodong , Zhang Xiaoling , Yu Uet , Wang Chunjing , Yang Chunlan , Li Yue , Li Changgang , Wen Feiqiu , Li Chunfu , Liu Sixi
Published: February 2021

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is a cure for patients suffering from thalassemia major (TM). Historically, patients were limited by the selection of donors, while the advancement of haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) has greatly expanded the donor pool. However, the outcomes of haplo-SCT in TM recipients vary between different programs. In this study, we retrospectively studied 73 pediatric TM patients (median age, 7 years; range, 3 to 14 years) who underwent haplo-cord transplantation. Both the estimated overall survival and transfusion-free survival were 95.26% (CI 95.77% to 96.23%). Neither primary nor secondary graft failures were observed. The median follow-up period was 811 days (range, 370 to 1433 days). Median neutrophil and platelet engraftment times were 22 days (range, 8 to 48 days) and 20 days (range, 8 to 99 days), respectively. Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was observed in 52% of patients and of these, 25% developed grade III to IV aGVHD. Cord blood engraftment was associated with delayed immune recovery and increased aGVHD severity. Viral DNAemia occurred in a relatively high proportion of patients but only 7% of patients developed CMV disease, while another 7% of patients had post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder. Long-term complication outcomes were good. Only one patient developed extensive chronic GVHD. No surviving patients were reliant on blood transfusion by the time this manuscript was submitted. This is one of the largest studies on the outcomes of pediatric TM patients who received stem cell transplantations from alternative donors. The haplo-cord program is safe and practical for TM patients that do not have matched donors.
Direct and Mediated Associations Among Ownership Structure, Cash Holdings and Firm Value: The Case of Jordanian Insurance Firms
Authors: Afifa Malik Abu , Saleh Isam , Haniah Fadi
Published: February 2021

This study aims to investigate the direct and mediated associations among ownership structure (OS), cash holdings (CHs) and firm value (FV). It provides empirical evidence from insurance firms listed in Jordan over the period from 2009 to 2018 using panel data analysis method. The findings conclude that ownership concentration positively affects CHs, whilst the board of directors’ ownership, organizational ownership and foreign ownership do not. Additionally, the CHs negatively affect FV. At the same time, the board of directors’ ownership, organizational ownership and foreign ownership as proxies for OS directly affect FV, and these proxies also have an indirect effect on FV by the mediation of CHs. Finally, this study recommends future research to study more determinants of FV, especially in different countries, such as MENA countries.
Employee Job Satisfaction and Business Performance: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment
Authors: Ahmad Mir Rouf , Raja Rameez
Published: February 2021

Purpose:

The aim of this research article is to scrutinize the influence of employee job satisfaction on organizational commitment and business performance in the context of retail banking sector in northern India.

Design/methodology/approach:

A research design of quantitative in nature was used via a structured questionnaire on a sample of 440 Indian commercial bank employees. Research hypotheses were tested by using the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to evaluate and test the proposed model.

Findings:

The result of the present study confirms that all facets of job satisfaction affect the satisfaction of employees significantly and, thus, influence the employee’s organizational commitment and business performance, respectively. The significance of the indirect path of employee job satisfaction on business performance through organizational commitment has also been tested with the Sobel test, which exhibited significant results.

Research implications:

This study provides insight into the influence of employee job satisfaction on the organizational commitment and business performance in the Indian commercial banking context in particular, which could benefit management and policymakers as well as other enterprises operating in the same segment. The results suggest that employee job satisfaction strongly contributes to employees’ organizational commitment and business performance. Therefore, organizations require that their employees must be contented and pleased with what they do.

Originality/value:

This research study contributes one more brick to the existing body of knowledge by investigating the casual relation of employee job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as a mediator with business performance, as these causal relations with business performance are very scarce in the context of commercial banking context.

Research limitations:

This research survey was restricted to commercial banks operating only in northern India. Thus, it limits the generalizability of the results for the context specified only.
How Are Destination Image and Travel Intention Influenced by Misleading Media Coverage? Consequences of COVID-19 Outbreak in China
Authors: Yang Shaohua , Isa Salmi Mohd , Ramayah T.
Published: February 2021

Although the constructs of country image and destination image are useful in predicting tourists’ travel intentions as evidenced by prior research, less academic attention has been paid to the role of the media in tourism literature, especially to negative or misleading media coverage. Due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan city, China has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. Since then, the widespread disease has filled major international media channels. However, a large proportion of media coverage surrounding COVID-19 has negatively affected China’s destination image and potential visitors’ travel intentions due to headlines such as ‘Chinese virus pandemonium’. Such language may diminish tourists’ intentions to visit China and tarnish the country’s image. By proposing an image model, we delineate a direct association between China’s country image, destination image, and travel intention in this article. We further consider misleading media coverage as a moderating role in this relationship. Academic and practical implications are also discussed based on the proposed framework.
Sport, social inclusion and the logic of assimilation in Prato (Italy)
Authors: Ricatti Francesco , Dutto Matteo , del Bono Andrea
Published: February 2021

In this article we discuss the extent to which sport might effectively encourage processes of integration and civic participation in Prato, one of the most multicultural cities in Italy. A discourse analysis of recent policies that aim to foster social inclusion of migrants and their children through sport in the city and in the broader region of Tuscany is conducted in the first half of the article; this is followed by the analysis of qualitative interviews and focus groups with city councillors, sport operators and educators. Framed by theories of transculturation, we argue that sport may provide great opportunities for intercultural communication and transcultural socialization – mostly in its informal manifestations and in some of the more progressive and innovative public initiatives carried out in the city. Yet we also suggest that processes of social inclusion through sport promoted at a policy level are often hindered ‘on the ground’ by assimilationist attitudes and practices.
The advanced producer services complex as an obligatory passage point: Evidence from rent extraction by investment banks
Authors: Pažitka Vladimír , Bassens David , Meeteren Michiel van , Wójcik Dariusz
Published: February 2021

Advanced producer services have long been theorized as pivotal in organizing the global economy. Finance takes centre stage in the advanced producer services complex as orchestrator of global flows, particularly in underwriting investment and evaluating corporate performance. The ascent of financialized globalization raises the suspicion that key advanced producer services act as rent-extracting ‘obligatory passage points’ in the orchestration of global financial flows. Competition within the financial sector is contentious given the sustained profits by globally connected banks operating in concentrated markets. Investment banks and other advanced producer services play key roles in underwriting of securities, raising questions whether underwriting is a competitive process. This paper interrogates the microeconomic foundations for the role of investment banks in investment chains to shed light on their rent extraction practices. Using a sample of 2940 initial public offerings for the USA, Canada, and Europe in the 1998–2017 period, we examine the structure of fees charged by investment banks for underwriting of equity securities. Our results are consistent with the proposition that investment banks with more market power and stronger network ties with institutional investors utilize their dominant position in the marketplace to extract rents from both issuers and institutional investors. Taken together, at times of spatial and sectoral consolidation, these results show compelling evidence for the status of investment banks and by extension the wider advanced producer services complex as obligatory passage points under financialized globalization.
Development of a piezoelectric pump with ball valve structure
Authors: Pan Qiaosheng , Jiang Haiyang , Huang Ziliang , Huang Bin , Li Ruijun , Wang Biao , Feng Zhihua
Published: February 2021

This study designs, fabricates and tests a piezoelectric pump with the structure of a polystyrene ball check valve. The structure of the check valve consists of three layers of specially designed polymethylmethacrylate plates and six polystyrene balls, which forms a particular three-layer constraint mechanism to limit the lateral and vertical displacement of the balls. The assembly of the ball valve can be completed with a simple placing operation, which simplifies the assembly process of the entire pump. The balls are lightweight, which is beneficial for working at high frequencies. The current design adopts two compressible spaces, and the equivalent analogue circuit of compressible spaces is established and analysed. Experimental results indicate that compressible spaces can alleviate the burden in the actuator and smoothen the flow rate pulsation in the long flow channel. The theoretical analysis and experimental tests reveal that this new piezoelectric pump is self-priming. A high flow rate of 99.6 mL/min and the maximum back pressure of 15.3 kPa are obtained when the pump is driven with a sinusoidal voltage of 448 Vpp at the resonant frequency of 790 Hz.
Unpacking the Relationship Between Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Counterproductive Work Behavior: Moral Licensing and Temporal Focus
Authors: Griep Yannick , Germeys Lynn , Kraak Johannes M.
Published: February 2021

Traditionally, scientific- and practitioner-oriented publications tend to categorize employees in groups of either “good” or “bad” employees, thereby omitting that one category of employees might engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB-O) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB-O). In this study, we concurrently examine the mediating role of moral credits and credentials, as well as the moderating role of subjective temporal focus. Specifically, we argue that when employees enact OCB-O, they obtain moral credits and credentials, which in turn might make employees more likely to enact CWB-O. Moreover, we argue that the latter relationships depend on an employee’s subjective temporal focus, resulting in an OCB-O—CWB-O relationship that is (1) positive for a past temporal focus, (2) negative for a future temporal focus, and (3) non-significant for a present temporal focus. We examined these hypotheses by means of a multilevel weekly survey study and largely found support for our hypotheses, especially with regard to the role of moral credentials as the mediating mechanism and the aggravating versus attenuating effect of past versus future temporal focus, respectively. We end with a discussion on implications, suggestions for future research, and recommendations for practice.
Evolution of coordination in pairwise and multi-player interactions via prior commitments
Authors: Ogbo Ndidi Bianca , Elragig Aiman , Han The Anh
Published: February 2021

Upon starting a collective endeavour, it is important to understand your partners’ preferences and how strongly they commit to a common goal. Establishing a prior commitment or agreement in terms of posterior benefits and consequences from those engaging in it provides an important mechanism for securing cooperation. Resorting to methods from Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT), here we analyse how prior commitments can also be adopted as a tool for enhancing coordination when its outcomes exhibit an asymmetric payoff structure, in both pairwise and multi-party interactions. Arguably, coordination is more complex to achieve than cooperation since there might be several desirable collective outcomes in a coordination problem (compared to mutual cooperation, the only desirable collective outcome in cooperation dilemmas). Our analysis, both analytically and via numerical simulations, shows that whether prior commitment would be a viable evolutionary mechanism for enhancing coordination and the overall population social welfare strongly depends on the collective benefit and severity of competition, and more importantly, how asymmetric benefits are resolved in a commitment deal. Moreover, in multi-party interactions, prior commitments prove to be crucial when a high level of group diversity is required for optimal coordination. The results are robust for different selection intensities. Overall, our analysis provides new insights into the complexity and beauty of behavioural evolution driven by humans’ capacity for commitment, as well as for the design of self-organised and distributed multi-agent systems for ensuring coordination among autonomous agents.