bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The DGCR8 E518K mutation found in Wilms tumors leads to a partial miRNA processing defect that alters gene expression patterns and biological processes
Authors: Vardapour Romina , Kehl Tim , Kneitz Susanne , Ludwig Nicole , Meese Eckart , Lenhof Hans-Peter , Gessler Manfred
Published: November 2021

Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal tumor in childhood. We and others have previously identified oncogenic driver mutations affecting the microprocessor genes DROSHA and DGCR8 that lead to altered miRNA expression patterns. In the case of DGCR8, a single recurrent hotspot mutation (E518K) was found in the RNA binding domain. To functionally assess this mutation in vitro, we generated mouse Dgcr8-KO embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines with an inducible expression of wild-type or mutant DGCR8, mirroring the hemizygous mutant expression seen in WT. RNA-seq analysis revealed significant differences of miRNA expression profiles in DGCR8-E518K compared with DGCR8-wild-type mESCs. The E518K mutation only led to a partial rescue of the reported miRNA processing defect in Dgcr8-KO, with selectively reduced expression of numerous canonical miRNAs. Nevertheless, DGCR8-E518K retained significant activity given its ability to still process many miRNAs. Subsequent to altered miRNA levels, the expression of mRNA targets was likewise changed. Functional assays showed that DGCR8-E518K cells still have a partial proliferation and differentiation defect but were able to rescue critical biological processes in embryoid body development. The stem cell program could be shut down and all three germ layers were formed. These findings suggest that the E518K mutation leads to a partial reduction of microprocessor activity and altered specificity with selective impairment only in certain developmental contexts, apparently including nephrogenesis.
Effective connectivity and criminal sentencing decisions: dynamic causal models in laypersons and legal experts
Authors: Asamizuya Takeshi , Saito Hiroharu , Higuchi Ryosuke , Naruse Go , Ota Shozo , Kato Junko
Published: November 2021

This magnetic resonance imaging study is designed to obtain relevant implications for criminal justice and explores the effective connectivity underlying expertise. Laypersons and experts considered sentences for remorseful and remorseless defendants, respectively, with and without mitigation, in hypothetical murder cases. Two groups revealed no differential activation. However, dynamic causal modeling analysis found distinct patterns of connectivity associated with subjects’ expertise and mitigating factors. In sentencing for remorseful defendants, laypersons showed increased strength in all bidirectional connections among activated regions of Brodmann area (BA) 32, BA23, the right posterior insula, and the precuneus. In contrast, legal experts sentenced based on mitigation reasoning, showed increased strength only in the bidirectional connection between the insula and the precuneus. When sentencing for remorseless ones without mitigation, both laypersons and experts increased the connection strength, but with reverse directionality, between regions; legal experts strengthened connectivity from BA10 to other regions, that is, the right anterior insula and BA23, but the directionality was reversed in laypersons. In addition, the strength of connection to BA32 and BA10 was correlated with changes in punishments by mitigating factors. This is a crucial result that establishes the validity of the connectivity estimates, which were uninformed by the independent (behavioral) differences in the severity of punishment.
From hearth to hard drive: well-being benefits of online Irish traditional singing sessions during COVID-19
Authors: Thompson Ciara , O’Brien Kara Shea
Published: November 2021

This article explores the impact of online Irish traditional singing sessions on health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Singing sessions are unique facets of Ireland’s music tradition that saw dramatic closure, interruption and digital transition in response to COVID-19 social distancing measures. This study highlights a gap in health promotion literature with regard to traditional singing sessions as a group singing activity and examines the potential for online group singing activities to have positive impacts on the health and well-being of participants. While traditional singing sessions foreground solo performances, they are quintessentially group activities, and include community engagement and active participation from singers and listeners alike. Through an online survey (n = 108), and ethnographic interviews (n = 3), this study explores potential health and well-being implications of online traditional singing sessions, and reveals four main areas of impact: social connection, enjoyment, cognitive motivation and timekeeping. The study suggests that online traditional singing sessions can promote health and well-being in participants, particularly during times of isolation.
Disease-associated c-MYC downregulation in human disorders of transcriptional regulation
Authors: Pallotta Maria M , Di Nardo Maddalena , Sarogni Patrizia , Krantz Ian D , Musio Antonio
Published: November 2021

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a rare multiorgan developmental disorder caused by pathogenic variants in cohesin genes. It is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous dominant (both autosomal and X-linked) rare disease. Increasing experimental evidence indicates that CdLS is caused by a combination of factors, such as gene expression dysregulation, accumulation of cellular damage and cellular aging, which collectively contribute to the CdLS phenotype. The CdLS phenotype overlaps with a number of related diagnoses such as KBG syndrome and Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome both caused by variants in chromatin-associated factors other than cohesin. The molecular basis underlying these overlapping phenotypes is not clearly defined. Here, we found that cells from individuals with CdLS and CdLS-related diagnoses are characterized by global transcription disturbance and share common dysregulated pathways. Intriguingly, c-MYC (subsequently referred to as MYC) is downregulated in all cell lines and represents a convergent hub lying at the center of dysregulated pathways. Subsequent treatment with estradiol restores MYC expression by modulating cohesin occupancy at its promoter region. In addition, MYC activation leads to modification in expression in hundreds of genes, which in turn reduce the oxidative stress level and genome instability. Together, these results show that MYC plays a pivotal role in the etiopathogenesis of CdLS and CdLS-related diagnoses and represents a potential therapeutic target for these conditions.
Domiciliary medication review (ReMeDo): development, reliability and acceptability of a tool for community pharmacists
Authors: Quintana-Barcena Patricia , Sinner Caroline , Berger Jérôme
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Polymedication and medication hoarding in patients’ homes may increase the risk of drug-related problems (DRPs). Community pharmacists can prevent DRPs through medication reconciliation and review. This study aims to (1) develop a tool for community pharmacists to perform domiciliary medication review (ReMeDo) and (2) assess the interrater and test–retest reliability and acceptability of the tool.

Methods

The ReMeDo tool was first developed 6 years before this study to perform medication review during pharmacist home visits. A literature review was performed to update the content of the existing tool. Ten pharmacy students participated in the assessment of the interrater and test–retest reliability using three vignettes based on former ReMeDo patients. Test–retest reliability coefficients were calculated for the entire tool and each segment. Global and individual interrater reliability coefficients were also computed. Acceptability was assessed through a satisfaction survey.

Key findings

The ReMeDo tool was structured to guide the collection of information before, during and after the pharmacist home visit. The global kappa coefficients for interrater and test–retest reliability were 0.70 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.67 to 0.73) and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.74), respectively. The test–retest reliability coefficients for each segment and the interrater reliability coefficients for participants were higher than 0.60 (except for one participant), demonstrating a moderate to substantial level of agreement. The tool was deemed acceptable by participants.

Conclusions

The ReMeDo tool proved to be reliable and acceptable for use by community pharmacists to perform medication review in patients’ homes.
The glaring omission in hospital ranking and quality grading programs: emergency department boarding
Authors: Weiner Scott G , Salmasian Hojjat , Mendu Mallika L
Published: November 2021

Hospitals in the United States are assessed and ranked by several agencies and services, including U.S. News & World Report. Frequently, though, the key hospital throughput metric of inpatient boarding time in the emergency department (ED) is not considered when ranking hospitals. As a result, there is a discordance in which highly ranking hospitals may be poor performers in boarding of patients, a practice with known adverse safety effects. This article outlines the rationale for considering ED boarding in hospital ranking and quality assessments.
Looking through a Different Lens: Microhistory and the Workhouse Experience in Late Nineteenth-Century London
Authors: Jones Peter
Published: November 2021

This article uses a microhistorical approach to investigate the “workhouse experience” of a single pauper in late nineteenth-century London. Its subject is Frank Burge, a remarkably prolific (though by no means unique) correspondent who wrote several lengthy letters of complaint from the Poplar workhouse to the Local Government Board (the central poor law authority) between 1884 and 1885. It places these letters, and the official responses they stimulated, alongside other public and official documents and uses a blended methodological approach to uncover a rich narrative of hardship, struggle, and personal agency. In doing so, it argues that, in contrast to more orthodox histories of welfare, it is only through this kind of painstaking and sensitive historical reconstruction that we truly can understand the nature, and the legacy, of poverty and the “workhouse experience” on the nineteenth-century poor.
Hookworm infection presenting as recurrent severe anaemia requiring blood transfusion in a Pakistani migrant to Italy
Authors: Barbarisi Giorgia , Piccica Matteo , Zavagli Martina , Bandini Giulia , Di Lauria Nicoletta , Antonelli Alberto , Spinicci Michele , Rossolini Gian Maria , Bartoloni Alessandro , Moggi Pignone Alberto , Zammarchi Lorenzo
Published: November 2021

We report a case of hookworm infection presenting as recurrent severe anaemia in an adult Pakistani migrant to Italy. Clinicians working in non-endemic countries should be aware of this possible cause of anaemia, approachable by a microscopic stool examination that could avoid invasive and time-consuming diagnostic work-up.
The SAMI Galaxy Survey: the drivers of gas and stellar metallicity differences in galaxies
Authors: Fraser-McKelvie A , Cortese L , Groves B , Brough S , Bryant J , Catinella B , Croom S , D’Eugenio F , López-Sánchez Á R , van de Sande J , Sweet S , Vaughan S , Bland-Hawthorn J , Lawrence J , Lorente N , Owers M
Published: November 2021

The combination of gas-phase oxygen abundances and stellar metallicities can provide us with unique insights into the metal enrichment histories of galaxies. In this work, we compare the stellar and gas-phase metallicities measured within a 1Re aperture for a representative sample of 472 star-forming galaxies extracted from the SAMI Galaxy Survey. We confirm that the stellar and interstellar medium (ISM) metallicities are strongly correlated, with scatter ∼3 times smaller than that found in previous works, and that integrated stellar populations are generally more metal-poor than the ISM, especially in low-mass galaxies. The ratio between the two metallicities strongly correlates with several integrated galaxy properties including stellar mass, specific star formation rate, and a gravitational potential proxy. However, we show that these trends are primarily a consequence of: (a) the different star formation and metal enrichment histories of the galaxies, and (b) the fact that while stellar metallicities trace primarily iron enrichment, gas-phase metallicity indicators are calibrated to the enrichment of oxygen in the ISM. Indeed, once both metallicities are converted to the same ‘element base’ all of our trends become significantly weaker. Interestingly, the ratio of gas to stellar metallicity is always below the value expected for a simple closed-box model, which requires that outflows and inflows play an important role in the enrichment history across our entire stellar mass range. This work highlights the complex interplay between stellar and gas-phase metallicities and shows how care must be taken in comparing them to constrain models of galaxy formation and evolution.
Exploring the consequences of chromatic data excision in 21-cm epoch of reionization power spectrum observations
Authors: Wilensky Michael J , Hazelton Bryna J , Morales Miguel F
Published: November 2021

We explore how chromatic radio frequency interference (RFI) flags affect 21-cm power spectrum measurements. We particularly study flags that are coarser than the analysis resolution. We find that such RFI flags produce excess power in the EoR window in much the same way as residual RFI. We use Fast Holographic Deconvolution (fhd) simulations to explain this as a result of chromatic disruptions in the interferometric sampling function of the array. We also use these simulations in conjunction with Error Propagated Power Spectrum with InterLeaved Observed Noise to show that without modifying current flagging strategies or implementing extremely accurate and complete foreground subtraction, 21-cm EoR experiments will fail to make a significant detection. As a mitigation strategy, we find that circumventing the chromatic structure altogether by flagging the entire analysis band when RFI is detected is simple to implement and highly successful. This demands a detection strategy with a low false-positive rate in order to prevent excessive data loss.
Spectrally resolved cosmic rays – II. Momentum-dependent cosmic ray diffusion drives powerful galactic winds
Authors: Girichidis Philipp , Pfrommer Christoph , Pakmor Rüdiger , Springel Volker
Published: November 2021

Cosmic ray (CR) feedback has been identified as a critical process in galaxy formation. Most previous simulations have integrated out the energy dependence of the CR distribution, despite its large extent over more than 12 decades in particle energy. To improve upon this simplification, we present the implementation and first application of spectrally resolved CRs, which are coupled to the magnetohydrodynamics in simulations of galaxy formation. The spectral model for the CRs enables more accurate CR cooling and allows for an energy-dependent spatial diffusion, for which we introduce a new stable numerical algorithm that proves to be essential in highly dynamical systems. We perform galaxy formation simulations with this new model and compare the results to a grey CR approach with a simplified diffusive transport and effective cooling that assumes steady-state spectra. We find that the galaxies with spectrally resolved CRs differ in morphology, star formation rate, and strength and structure of the outflows. The first outflow front is driven by CRs with average momenta of $\sim 200-600\, \mathrm{GeV}~c^{-1}$. The subsequent formation of outflows, which reach mass loading factors of order unity, are primarily launched by CRs of progressively smaller average momenta of $\sim 8-15\, \mathrm{GeV}~c^{-1}$. The CR spectra in the galactic centre quickly approach a steady state, with small temporal variations. In the outer disc and outflow regions, the spectral shape approaches steady state only after $\sim 2\, \mathrm{Gyr}$ of evolution. Furthermore, the shapes of the approximate steady-state spectra differ for individual regions of the galaxy, which highlights the importance of actively including the full CR spectrum.
Viruses
Authors: Crawford Dorothy H.
Published: November 2021

All around us are minute entities that can damage and kill: the millions of viruses that pervade the natural world. Our bodies harbour many that we have long tolerated, but a new one, which jumps into humans from another species, can be lethal. But what are viruses, how do they cause disease, and how can we fight them? This new edition of Viruses: The Invisible Enemy explores these questions. It describes our long history of living with viruses, considering those behind diseases such as smallpox, polio, various cancers, AIDS, Ebola, and, most recently, COVID-19; how they emerged; why we can expect new killer viruses in the future; and how we can win the battle against such an enemy.
Time and tone
Authors: Bleich Erik , van der Veen Maurits
Published: November 2021

This chapter definitively demonstrates that long-term coverage of Muslims was just as negative prior to September 11, 2001, as after. The tone of articles immediately following prominent terrorist attacks almost always drops measurably, but the effect is typically short-lived. Terrorist attacks such as 9/11 generate spikes in the amount of articles mentioning Muslims or Islam, as well as shifts in the prevalence of different topics. The raw number of Muslim articles jumped dramatically in the wake of 9/11 and has not receded to pre-9/11 levels. There has also been much greater coverage of terrorism and extremism than before. Corresponding positive events, such as a major speech by President Obama or the celebration associated with the annual Islamic holy month of Ramadan, do not have as much of an influence on either the amount or the tone of coverage.
The Geography of Value Creation
Authors: Dougal Casey , Parsons Christopher A , Titman Sheridan
Published: November 2021

Over the last 20 years, the stock market indicates that value creation has become heavily concentrated in a few headquarter cities. At the same time, firms in value-creating cities have experienced declines in their profitability, because of large increases in wages and rents. Our findings thus highlight the difference between flow-based (e.g., operating profits) and stock-based (e.g., securities prices) indicators of local productivity. Conventional proxies for a city’s appeal to high value-added workers, such as education rates and weather, are positively related to stock market valuations, but negatively related to near-term operating performance.
The Hilditch–McGill Chinese Palace Temple: Exhibitions, Mass Culture, and China in the British Imagination in the 1920s
Authors: Ryder Lewis
Published: November 2021

In February 1926, Chinese art collector John Hilditch opened the Hilditch–McGill Chinese Palace Temple in Manchester. Filling a garage with Chinese objects and performing what he claimed to be Buddhist rituals, Hilditch insisted the temple offered visitors a chance to see Chinese art in ‘actual Chinese fashion and atmosphere’. This article analyses Hilditch’s attempts to construct an authentic temple and visitor accounts of its realism to analyse the relationship between high and low culture, and how China was understood and imagined in the 1920s. It shows how Hilditch’s combination of sensory effects adopted from mass culture and claims to museum notions of scientific verification, in addition to the projection of well-established stereotypes of China, skewed understandings of authenticity and invited faith—albeit most likely ‘ironic’ faith—in the temple’s legitimacy. Scholars have argued that the rise of mass culture prompted art museums to restructure on high cultural values but interpretation of the temple as a museum shows that the lines between mass culture and museums were blurred. The temple thereby encourages a broader definition of museums and complicates our understanding of interwar culture more generally by showing how the categories of high and low culture were less stable than some scholars have presumed.
Neonatal Eye Shielding during Phototherapy: What Protects the Eye Better?
Authors: Abdulkadir Isa , Slusher Tina M
Published: November 2021

Background

Phototherapy remains an important component of the management of unconjugated neonatal jaundice, a major cause of newborn morbidity. During phototherapy the toxic unconjugated form of bilirubin is converted to nontoxic form through action of light delivered by phototherapy. An important possible complication of phototherapy is retinal damage and therefore eye protective measures are taken during therapy to prevent this from occurring. Devices currently in use for phototherapy are capable of providing intensive phototherapy with the attendant increased risk of eye injury. The materials used in providing eye protection are varied among care providers. A dearth of information exists on shielding provided by the commonly used eye protectors during phototherapy, more so during intensive phototherapy.

Objective

To evaluate the shielding provided by the different eye protectors commonly used in our setting under intensive phototherapy.

Materials and method

Five materials in use for eye shielding were obtained. Using an institutional built light emitting diode phototherapy device, intensive phototherapy was provided and the irradiance at varying distances of 35 cm, 25 cm, 15 cm and 10 cm was measured using an Olympic bili meterTM Natus. At the distance of each measured irradiance the different eye protective materials were then placed one after the other over the surface of the measuring sensor of the meter and the irradiance measurement was recorded. Two measurements were taken for each material at each distance and the average irradiance measurement was then recorded for each of the materials tested at that distance.

Results

Five eye shielding materials in use were identified: black cotton fabric, white cotton fabric, black cotton fabric with foam, white cotton fabric with foam and gauze. The black cotton fabric with or without foam at the phototherapy device irradiances of 30, 46.3, 58.7 and 75.4 µw/m2/nm recorded 0 irradiance.

Conclusion

Black cotton fabric with or without foam pad provided the most shielding under intensive phototherapy.
Measuring the Impact of Patient Engagement From the Perspective of Health Professionals Leading Quality Improvement Projects
Authors: Morassaei Sara , Campbell Mikki , Di Prospero Lisa
Published: November 2021

Introduction:

The value of engaging patients and families in health care quality improvement (QI) initiatives is to help align health care system efforts with patient priorities. Meaningful evaluation of engaging with patients and families within QI may promote future collaboration. The aim of this study was to identify the experiential impact of patient engagement from the perspective of health professionals who were leading health care QI projects.

Methods:

Point-of-care health professionals who completed a fellowship capacity building program between 2014 and 2018 that provided an opportunity to learn about patient engagement concepts and to engage patients, families, and caregivers in their QI projects were invited to participate in the study. The Most Significant Change technique was used as a participatory approach to obtain qualitative evaluative data from semistructured interviews with health professional fellows. Significant change stories were curated from self-narratives grounded in the experiences of health professional fellows.

Results:

The stories demonstrated that gaining new knowledge on concepts related to patient engagement as part of a structured curriculum is effective in both supporting engagement in practice and cultivating the importance of patient engagement among health professionals. The early and ongoing involvement of patients was a key factor in shaping the project while fostering a patient-centered focus. Seeking out the patient voice throughout the QI project led to improvements in patient care experiences.

Discussion:

The findings of this study can inform programs seeking to promote patient engagement in health care QI. The positive changes that stem from aligning capacity building programs with patient-oriented priorities support the vision that patient engagement should be at the foundation of health care QI.
Remission of functional motor symptoms following esketamine administration in a patient with treatment-resistant depression: a single-case report
Authors: Moccia Lorenzo , Lanzotti Pierluigi , Pepe Maria , Palumbo Laura , Janiri Delfina , Camardese Giovanni , Bentivoglio Anna Rita , Di Nicola Marco , Calabresi Paolo , Sani Gabriele
Published: November 2021

Functional movement disorders (FMD) involve a broad range of abnormal involuntary movements not consistent with neurological diseases. These conditions often occur in combination with mood and anxiety disorders and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. We report the case of a 57-year-old woman diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and comorbid FMD treated with weekly intranasal administrations of esketamine over a six-month follow-up period. A comprehensive clinical and psychometric assessment was carried out at different time points. After 2 months of treatment, a complete remission of motor and axial functional disturbances (athetosis, trunk torsion and genuflections) was detectable, along with a progressive improvement in depressive symptoms during follow-up until full remission. According to novel lines of evidence, glutamatergic transmission might play a role in the pathophysiology of FMD through aberrant limbic-motor interactions. We report that treatment with esketamine, a noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamatergic receptor antagonist, was associated with remission of FMD symptoms in a patient with TRD. Pharmacological compounds modulating brain glutamatergic activity may be of potential benefit in the clinical management of FMD.
Tetrahydrocannabinol fails to reduce hair pulling or skin picking: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of dronabinol
Authors: Grant Jon E. , Valle Stephanie , Chesivoir Eve , Ehsan Dustin
Published: November 2021

Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as trichotillomania and skin picking disorder are associated with decreased self-esteem and poor quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate dronabinol, a cannabinoid agonist, for the reduction of BFRB symptoms. Fifty adults with either trichotillomania (n = 34) or skin picking disorder (n = 16) were recruited for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants received 10-week treatment with dronabinol (5–15 mg/day) or placebo. The primary efficacy outcome measure was the change on the clinician-rated National Institute of Mental Health scale for hair pulling or skin picking. Both dronabinol and placebo treatment were associated with significant reductions in BFRB symptoms. Dronabinol did not significantly separate from placebo on any efficacy measure. At week 10, 67% of the treatment group were classified as responders (Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Score of very much or much improved) compared to 50% in the placebo group (P value = 0.459). This study assessed the efficacy of dronabinol, a synthetic form of tetrahydrocannabinol, in the treatment of BFRBs, and found no differences in symptom reductions between dronabinol and placebo.
Willing but Unable: Physicians’ Referral Knowledge as Barriers to Abortion Care
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth M. , Cowan Sarah K , Higgins Jenny A. , Schmuhl Nicholas B. , Wautlet Cynthie K
Published: November 2021

Abortion care is a crucial part of reproductive healthcare. Nevertheless, its availability is constrained by numerous forces, including care referrals within the larger healthcare system. Using a unique study of physician faculty across multiple specialties, we examine the factors associated with doctors’ ability to refer patients for abortion care among those who were willing to consult in the care of a patient seeking an abortion (N=674). Even though they were willing to refer a patient for an abortion, half (53%) of the physicians did not know how and whom to make those referrals, though they care for patients who may need them. Those with the least referral knowledge had not been taught abortion care during their medical training and were in earlier stages of their career than those who had more knowledge. This research exposes another obstacle for those seeking an abortion, a barrier that would be overcome with a clear and robust referral system within and across medical specialties.
A questionnaire-based musculoskeletal disorder assessment for aircraft maintenance technicians
Authors: Yazgan Ebru , Ozkan Necmettin Firat , Ulutas Berna Haktanirlar
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) is the most critical profession in the aircraft maintenance system. The tasks of a licensed AMT require expertise and involve repetitive physical tasks such as tightening or loosening aircraft parts, carrying or removing parts during long working hours under time pressure and day/night shifts. This study aims to attract attention to the difficult working conditions of AMTs and identify the body parts that are at risk of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD).

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire is developed by the authors to gather demographic information, use of hand tools, equipment, use of fall protection, manual material handling (lifting, pushing, pulling), load weight, environmental factors, and MSD discomfort level perceptions. The questionnaire is applied to 150 AMTs during six months period, and the obtained data are analyzed by sequential ordinal logistic regression (OLR) models.

Findings

The ORL results confirm that the use of equipment (lift platform, scissors lift), safety belt attached to the platform, manual material handling, environmental factors (humidity, vibration and illumination) and resting periods have a significant effect on MSD risks. On the contrary, age, experience level, use of small hand tools, temperature and noise are not identified as statistically significant.

Originality/value

The study is original for it considers the working conditions and perceived discomfort levels of AMTs. A questionnaire is introduced to assess the consequences of the use of tools, equipment, fall protection equipment, environmental conditions and work organization on various body parts (neck, shoulder, elbow, back, lower back, wrist-hand, hip, knee, and ankle-feet), and strain level is identified. The study contributes to the theoretical aircraft maintenance literature and managers in practice.
The development and evaluation of an integrated intensive support service
Authors: Dodd Karen , Laute Vicky , Daniel Selven
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of integrated intensive support service (ISS) for adults with learning disabilities who have complex needs and are at risk of admission to an inpatient unit.

Design/methodology/approach

Existing services were remodelled. The service explored external service models and established an integrated ISS comprising intensive community support and intensive support beds.

Findings

Data indicates that the majority of people referred to the service avoid both admission to an inpatient unit and placement breakdown. Most people admitted to the inpatient unit are not known to community services. Length of stay has significantly reduced.

Practical implications

Other services can use the information to remodel how to provide intensive support and avoid admission to an inpatient unit.

Originality/value

It demonstrates how remodelling can drive improvements to reduce placement breakdown and risk of admission.
Reconstruction of heritage in Bhaktapur, Nepal: examining tensions and negotiations between the “local” and the “global”
Authors: Arora Vanicka
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Cultural heritage, specifically built heritage – including monuments, urban ensembles, religious and palatial complexes – has emerged as a central focus of tensions and negotiations within the post-disaster recovery landscape in Nepal following the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. This not only reflects a growing recognition of heritage within international disaster risk management frameworks, but also responds to the critical role played by heritage at national, regional and local levels. The paper aims to examine the entangled realities of “local” and “global” operating in ongoing reconstruction of built heritage in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an account of reconstruction practices observed in Bhaktapur between 2018 and 2020. It is based on data collected by layering ethnographic methods with textual and historical analysis. In seeking to analyse manifestations of global and local, the author presents reflections from fieldwork carried over seven months in Bhaktapur and describes the micro-politics enacted out between researcher, heritage custodians, translators, intermediaries and participants.

Findings

Reconstruction of built heritage in Bhaktapur negotiates between developmentalist-paradigms of post-disaster recovery, heritage conservation discourses as well as religious and quotidian practices of care. It is simultaneously informed by global institutions and policy and local politics and aspirations that operate in constant tension and negotiation.

Originality/value

The current study responds to the call for reframing research agendas and practices set out in the Disaster Studies Manifesto by critically engaging with ideas of local and global. The study builds on the growing body of research linking heritage with disaster risk management.
A numerical algorithm to find optimum parameters of a flexible-link manipulator arm for performing payload launching
Authors: Alipour Khalil , Tarvirdizadeh Bahram
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The aim of the current study is proposing a novel framework to attain the optimum value of a flexible arm manipulator parameters for payload launching missions.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed scheme is based on optimal control approach and combines direct and indirect search methods while considering the actuator capacity.

Findings

Three nonlinear parameter-optimization problems will be solved to illustrate how the proposed algorithm can be exploited. Employing variational based nonlinear optimal control within the suggested framework, the answer of these problems is highly intertwined to the solution of a set of differential equations with split boundary values. To solve the obtained boundary value problem (BVP), the related solver of MATLAB® software, bvp6c, will be employed. The achieved simulation results support the worth of the developed procedure.

Originality/value

For the first time, the optimal parameters of a flexible link robot for object launching are found in the current research. In addition, the actuator saturation limits are considered which enhances the applicability of the suggested method in the real world applications.
Artificial intelligence in customer-facing financial services: a systematic literature review and agenda for future research
Authors: Hentzen Janin Karoli , Hoffmann Arvid , Dolan Rebecca , Pala Erol
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The objective of this study is to provide a systematic review of the literature on artificial intelligence (AI) in customer-facing financial services, providing an overview of explored contexts and research foci, identifying gaps in the literature and setting a comprehensive agenda for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

Combining database (i.e. Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, ScienceDirect) and manual journal search, the authors identify 90 articles published in Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journals for investigation, using the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics and Methodology) framework.

Findings

The results indicate a split between data-driven and theory-driven research, with most studies either adopting an experimental research design focused on testing the accuracy and performance of AI algorithms to assist with credit scoring or investigating AI consumer adoption behaviors in a banking context. The authors call for more research building overarching theories or extending existing theoretical perspectives, such as actor networks. More empirical research is required, especially focusing on consumers' financial behaviors as well as the role of regulation, ethics and policy concerned with AI in financial service contexts, such as insurance or pensions.

Research limitations/implications

The review focuses on AI in customer-facing financial services. Future work may want to investigate back-office and operations contexts.

Originality/value

The authors are the first to systematically synthesize the literature on the use of AI in customer-facing financial services, offering a valuable agenda for future research.
Situational ethnicity and identity negotiation: “indifference” as an identity negotiation mechanism
Authors: Banerjee Madhumita , Shukla Paurav , Ashill Nicholas J.
Published: November 2021

Purpose

While the literature on migration highlights the reshaping of host and immigrant population in countries, there is a paucity of research in marketing investigating the evolving dynamics for acculturation. The purpose of this study is to further the understanding of the emerging phenomenon of acculturation and identity negotiation.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments examined situational ethnicity, self-construal and identity negotiation in home and host culture work and social settings. Study 1 and Study 2 were conducted in the United Kingdom (UK), where the host country is the majority population. Study 3 was conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the host country is the minority population. Study 4 utilized qualitative interviews in both countries.

Findings

Results from all four studies show that ethnic consumers deploy “indifference” as an identity negotiation mechanism when the host society is the majority population (UK) and when the host society has the minority population (UAE).

Originality/value

The authors offer new insights into identity negotiation by ethnic consumers when the host society is the majority population as well as the minority population. “Indifference”, i.e. preferring to neither fit in nor stand out as an identity negotiation mechanism, is deployed in work and social settings of home and host societies. The authors also advance the existing literature on acculturation by examining whether independent and interdependent self-construal influence identity negotiation.
Impact assessment of political administrations on the performance of the construction sector: a time series analysis
Authors: Saka Najimu , Saka Abdullahi Babatunde , Akinradewo Opeoluwa , Aigbavboa Clinton O.
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The complex interaction of politics and the economy is a critical factor for the sustainable growth and development of the construction sector (CNS). This study aims to investigate the effects of type of political administration including democracy and military on the performance of CNS using the Nigerian Construction Sector (NCS) as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

A 48 year (1970–2017) time series data (TSD) on the NCS and the gross domestic product (GDP) based on 2010 constant USD were extracted from the United Nations Statistical Department database. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models were used to analyze the TSD. The ANCOVA model includes the GDP as correlational variable or covariate.

Findings

The estimates of the ANOVA model indicate that democratic administration is significantly better than military administration in construction performance. However, the ANCOVA model indicates that the GDP is more important than political administration in the performance of the CNS. The study recommends for a new national construction policy, favourable fiscal and monetary policy, local content development policy and construction credit guaranty scheme for the rapid growth and development of the NCS.

Originality/value

Hitherto, little is known about the influence of political administration on the performance of the CNS. This study provides empirical evidence from a developing economy perspective. It presents the relationships and highlights recommendations for driving growth in the construction industry.
A study of consumers’ pre-purchase evaluation of apparel products in Ethiopia
Authors: Bizuneh Berihun , Hailemariam Shalemu Sharew , Tsegaye Selam
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore pre-purchase apparel evaluation cues and examine the effect of demographic variables empirically in the context of a developing country. The initiation for the study was driven by the absence of such prior research and supplemented by the big market opportunity for clothing products in the country under investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-administered online survey was used for data collection. Demographic questions, 23 apparel measurement items composed of 17 product-based and 6 sustainability-based items, and an open-ended question were included in the questionnaire. Factor analysis was used for dimension reduction and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for hypotheses testing.

Findings

Garment fit, design features, colour, fabric type and seasonality are the five important characteristics most Ethiopian consumers consider while buying apparel products. Factor analysis resulted in five important factors used for pre-purchase apparel evaluation amongst which the design and extrinsic cue is found to be the most important. Environmental factors in the apparel industry got higher emphasis than social factors. While age and educational background made differences in apparel evaluation, gender did not show a significant difference.

Originality/value

The paper provides a founding insight in exploring apparel evaluation cues by considering product- and sustainability-based cues in a developing country context. It also examines the effect of three demographic variables which are rarely studied in such combination.
Knowledge management for extreme public health events COVID-19: based on Tiktok data
Authors: Xu Dandan , Yan Shuo , Zhang Yuhan , Zhang Si , Nakamori Yoshiteru , Chen Lili
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Taking the COVID-19 as the background, this study aims to investigate the direct influencing factors regarding knowledge sharing behavior (KSB) on new media platforms and discuss how the characteristics of the users could enhance the KSB through moderation effect, and provide empirical evidences.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the social exchange theory and after the text analysis of the data collected from the Tiktok platform in 2020, this paper uses the quantitative method to evaluate the factors influence KSB on short video social platform during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Findings

KSB on new media platform could be enhanced by richer knowledge content of the video posted and the attribute of the platform users directly. Platform users could affect the trustworthiness of the knowledge shared, thus influence the knowledge sharing. On the early stage of the COVID-19, the richer content of the knowledge released by users could effectively enhance the KSB. On the early stage of the emergency events, the official users could play a significant role on KS. During the mitigation stage of COVID-19, the KSB of the knowledge shared by unofficial users with richer content could be enhanced and the moderation effect is relatively stronger.

Originality/value

The research extends the social exchange theory to a disaster management context. The authors provide an effective reference for future governments to effectively cope with the epidemic and spread public knowledge in an emergency response context. By analyzing the influence of knowledge content and influencer characteristics, it could help the social media platform to improve content management and optimize resource allocation.
The mediating role of entrepreneurial intention between creativity and social innovation tendency
Authors: Cunha Jorge , Ferreira Carla , Araújo Madalena , Nunes Manuel Lopes
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between creativity, entrepreneurial intention and social innovation tendency within academic community members (namely, students and professors/researchers).

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was administered to nearly 300 students and professors/researchers in Portuguese higher education institutions, whereupon a mediation analysis was performed to understand the aforementioned relationship.

Findings

The results indicate a positive relationship between individual creativity, entrepreneurial intention and social innovation tendency and that entrepreneurial intention mediates the relationship between creativity and social innovation tendency.

Research limitations/implications

Firstly, the results obtained to fit the specific characteristics of the sample used, suggesting that it would be risky to extrapolate to other contexts. Secondly, although the constructs used to measure variable creativity are based on the extant literature, these may be open to debate and possibly, therefore, alternative measures could have been used.

Practical implications

The findings of the paper have important practical implications within the university context, namely: that study programmes should be designed to address the entrepreneurial potential of their students, teaching and research staff; that social entrepreneurship, volunteering activities and the development of creativity skills should be stimulated; and, finally, that social innovation should be at the core of a university’s mission.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first time that the relationship between creativity, entrepreneurial intention and social innovation tendency has been empirically tested. To do this, a conceptual framework is proposed which suggests that individual creativity can be perceived by means of three interconnected constructs (the self, family and university creativity), which, in turn, predict entrepreneurial intention and social innovation tendency.