bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neoliberal postfeminism, or some other, sexier thing: Gender and populism in the Spanish context
Authors: Martínez-Jiménez Laura
Published: May 2020

The project of developing a contemporary critical populism requires us to discriminate between uncritical populisms that ultimately reinforce unequal social relations and popular discourses capable of generating counter-hegemonic projects. In the field of popular feminisms, this means discriminating between the pseudo-feminist discourses that saturate popular culture and the feminisms that are radically committed to social justice. From this point of view, what has been called neoliberal feminism or postfeminism are clear examples of how culturally populist feminisms can be developed in decidedly uncritical ways. As a new populist narrative, neoliberal postfeminism has gobbled up feminism to regurgitate it as merely some other thing, which is sexier and more profitable in political, commercial and symbolic terms and which adapts the rhetoric of neoliberal entrepreneurial subjectivities – free, empowered, sovereign of themselves and their choices – to these new post-recessionary times. Against this, and with a particular focus on the Spanish context, this article makes the case for a truly critical popular/populist feminism, capable of normalising the values of equality, justice, diversity, wellbeing and freedom, as well as of developing an intersectional and progressive social project for everyone.
She’s so vain? A Q study of selfies and the curation of an online self
Authors: Lazard Lisa , Capdevila Rose
Published: May 2020

Selfie posting is now a well-established practice, particularly for young women. However, it is nevertheless much maligned in popular discourses. As a counterpoint to digital narcissism, selfie posting is also constituted as relational. This Q methodological study explored how young women make sense of selfie practices. Twenty-seven young women aged 18–23 sorted a set of statements about selfies into a quasi-normal grid. These sorts were factor analysed to identify shared patterns. Four factors were identified which were subsequently analysed qualitatively, producing a narrative for each. These included (1) ‘Presenting . . . Me!’, (2) ‘I am what I am’, (3) ‘Sharing is caring’ and (4) ‘The In-crowd – beautiful and popular’. The complexity of identity curation evidenced in this study highlights the importance of moving beyond both polarised characterisations and the pathologisation of young women selfie takers in order to explicate the interplay between normative femininities and the digital self.
Development of an experimental test bench and a psychrometric model for assessing condensation on a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation cooler
Authors: Galindo Jose , Navarro Roberto , Tarí Daniel , Moya Francisco
Published: May 2020

A test bench has been designed to assess condensation formation produced on the interior of a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation cooler working with hot stream of humid air representing an engine warm-up stage, when its coolant starts from very cold conditions. An experimental campaign has been conducted with three different exhaust gas recirculation mass flow rates, four exhaust gas recirculation inlet temperatures and three different coolant initial temperatures, covering common conditions found in the low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system of internal combustion engines under cold starts. The transient experimental results are analyzed and compared with a simple psychrometric condensation model, obtaining a good correlation and reproducing the trends of the condensation, even though an overprediction of the condensates of around 20%–40% exists due to the strong hypotheses assumed. The warm-up tests are most sensitive to the initial coolant temperature. For example, an engine starting at –10 °C ambient temperature could require 10 min to stop producing water in the low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation cooler, with an accumulated quantity during the warm-up of about 100 mL of condensates.
The interweaving of diaries and lives: diary-keeping behaviour in a diary-interview study of international students’ employability management
Authors: Cao Xuemeng , Henderson Emily F.
Published: May 2020

This article explores ‘diary-keeping behaviour’, or the ways in which participants conduct the completion and submission of diaries in diary research. There is a paucity of methodologically oriented literature on diary method and as such this article makes a contribution to extending the existing knowledge of this method. The primary aim of this article is to set out in detail the key issues relating to diary-keeping behaviour, in order to provide a foundation for future critical explorations of this facet of diary research. The research that this paper is based on involved a 12-month diary-interview study. This project explored the employability management of Chinese international Master’s students in social sciences studying in the UK during one academic year. The article sets out key facets of diary-keeping behaviour and explores specific considerations for diary studies in higher education contexts, where diary research has been particularly neglected.
Why European mayors emphasize urban security: Evidence from a survey in 28 European countries
Authors: Kübler Daniel , de Maillard Jacques
Published: May 2020

Urban security has become a pressing political issue in many European cities. This study seeks to understand why some city governments consider urban security to be a policy priority, whereas others do not. Using data from a recent survey of 2674 city mayors in 28 European countries, we test four hypotheses on factors associated with the prioritization of urban security by local politicians. The results show that European mayors’ emphasis on urban security as a policy goal varies strongly across countries, as well as across cities within countries. Besides contextual factors related to national political culture, welfare regimes and local autonomy, we find that mayors’ preferences on security policy are most strongly associated with political ideology, that is, their self-placement on the left–right spectrum. In addition, crime trends and public opinion about crime play a role. The study demonstrates that there is no convergence of political agendas on urban security issues across European cities.
The Fragmented Inclusion of Gender Equality in AU-EU Relations in Times of Crises
Authors: van der Vleuten Anna , van Eerdewijk Anouka
Published: May 2020

Facing internal and external crises, the European Union and the African Union have revitalized their interregional cooperation. This article theorizes interregional norm dynamics and explores how, in times of crises, gender equality norms are shaped in interregional relations between the African Union and the European Union. The question is all the more relevant because gender equality is shaped very differently in the European Union and the African Union policies. The African Union has adopted a rather holistic understanding of gender equality, while the European Union approach is constrained by a market-making logic. Also, since the 2008 economic crisis, gender equality policies within the European Union seem to stagnate while they seem to expand in the African Union. Our analysis of core texts shows that at interregional level attention to gender equality is fragmented. Even though in some respects the African Union gender equality norms are more encompassing, and gendered effects of crises in the European Union would merit renewed attention to gender equality, the European Union norms and interests dominate the agenda. Showing how power asymmetries between and disjointed logics of regional organizations impact interregional gender equality norms, the article contributes to the scarce literature on interregional norm dynamics.
Comparative study on compressional recovery performance of vertically laid and cross-laid highloft nonwovens
Authors: Zhang Lizhe , Chen Jonathan Y
Published: May 2020

Vertically laid nonwoven fabrics are structurally different from conventional cross-laid nonwoven fabrics, resulting in an exceptional bulkiness and unique compressional recovery performance. In this paper, two testing methods (manual procedure vs. machine procedure) to determine bulky nonwoven thickness were first studied and statistically analyzed. Then, pore sizes of selected nonwoven samples were measured by a porosimeter to examine relationship between the pore size and nonwoven structural parameters. Finally, compressive properties of the nonwoven samples were measured by an Instron tester for assessment of main effects of nonwoven structural parameters in terms of thickness, gram weight, bulk density, and porosity on nonwoven compressional properties. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the two thickness measurement methods, and the manual measurement was basically consistent with the machine measurement. Bubble point pore size and average flow pore size were correlated with the structure parameters in varied correlation coefficients. Compared to cross-laid nonwovens, vertically laid nonwovens exhibited a greater compressive energy and linearity and a lower compressive resilience.
Color image steganalysis based on embedding change probabilities in differential channels
Authors: Yang Chunfang , Kang Yuhan , Liu Fenlin , Song Xiaofeng , Wang Jie , Luo Xiangyang
Published: May 2020

It is a potential threat to persons and companies to reveal private or company-sensitive data through the Internet of Things by the color image steganography. The existing rich model features for color image steganalysis fail to utilize the fact that the content-adaptive steganography changes the pixels in complex textured regions with higher possibility. Therefore, this article proposes a variant of spatial rich model feature based on the embedding change probabilities in differential channels. The proposed feature is extracted from the residuals in the differential channels to reduce the image content information and enhance the stego signals significantly. Then, the embedding change probability of each element in the differential channels is added to the corresponding co-occurrence matrix bin to emphasize the interference of the residuals in textured regions to the improved co-occurrence matrix feature. The experimental results show that the proposed feature can significantly improve the detection performances for the WOW and S-UNIWARD steganography, especially when the payload size is small. For example, when the payload size is 0.05 bpp, the detection errors can be reduced respectively by 5.20% and 4.90% for WOW and S-UNIWARD by concatenating the proposed feature to the color rich model feature CRMQ1.
Network dynamic defense system based on holographic transformation
Authors: Tan Jinglei , Lei Cheng , Zhang Hongqi , Hu Hao , Zhang Hengwei
Published: May 2020

Aimed at the problem of the boundary defense easily being out of availability caused by the static network structure, a novel dynamic enterprise network defense system based on holographic transformation is designed and implemented. To increase the uncertainty of network structure and the position of target nodes, the network view is dynamically changed by constantly transforming endpoint information. Virtual endpoint mutation and hopping period selection are achieved by the hopping address generation module. It takes the advantages of anti-collision and good randomicity of the Chinese national SM3 hash algorithm. The full-cycle hopping period is managed and controlled by the hopping period management mechanism based on the ciphertext policy attribute-based broadcast holographic transformation. Experiments show that the system achieves expected security goals and has good interactivity and high stability.
Preamble time-division multiple access fixed slot assignment protocol for secure mobile ad hoc networks
Authors: Mohammadani Khalid Hussain , Memon Kamran Ali , Memon Imran , Hussaini Nazish Nawaz , Fazal Hadiqua
Published: May 2020

Mobile ad hoc networks are the “spontaneous networks” which create a temporary network in any place and any time without using any extra fixed radio device of a full infrastructure network. Each device in this network works as a router to develop end-to-end communication connections and move independently in any direction. Mostly, mobile ad hoc networks use the IEEE 802.11b protocol with carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance medium access control layer protocol for sharing a common medium among the nodes simultaneously. Due to this distributed medium, the routing and medium access control layer of the mobile ad hoc network are prone to attacks. Among several attackers, blackhole attacker is the dangerous one which causes the loss of all data packets of devices in the network. Efficient medium access control protocol designs in this respect play a key role in determining channel utilization, network delay, and, more importantly, network security. In the proposed work, preamble information is used with time-division multiple access medium access control. The preamble time-division multiple access uses time synchronization for each time slot and does not assign much time to the blackhole attacker due to a fixed time slot. As a result, blackhole is not stable in all communications and such an attack is effectively defended. Simulation results show that, in the presence of the blackhole attacker, carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance has a high packet loss ratio and low network throughput as compared to the proposed preamble time-division multiple access.
Trigger Finger From Ocean Rowing: An Observational Study
Authors: Welman Ted , Young Kieron , Larkin Jo , Horwitz Maxim D.
Published: May 2020

Background: Trigger finger has a prevalence of 2% to 3% in the general population. Although anecdotal evidence exists, there is a lack of conclusive data that prove a relationship between repetitive power grip and flexion with triggering. Ocean rowing is becoming a popular sport, with the race across the Atlantic alone attracting more than 100 participants annually. Anecdotal reports suggest ocean rowing may be a significant cause of trigger finger. We aimed to identify whether the sport causes an increased prevalence of triggering, whether there were any alleviating or compounding factors, and, finally, whether there was any effect on performance. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out. A questionnaire was sent to all participants of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2018, which included a trigger finger self-scoring system and the Oslo Sports Trauma Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire. Results: Responses were received from 67 rowers (83% response rate). Age ranged from 21 to 62 years, with a mean of 40 years. In all, 49.3% had clinical triggering, with 79.3% reporting bilateral symptoms. The length of continuous rest time had a significant impact on the incidence of finger triggering and disease stage ( P = .0275 and .0353, respectively; multivariate logistic regression). High-grade triggering had a more negative effect on rowing performance than low grade or no triggering (not significant). Conclusion: Ocean rowers suffered a 15-fold increase in trigger finger prevalence compared with the general population. This was increased in those who took shorter, more frequent rest periods. This study provides new conclusive evidence that the repetitive power grip and flexion involved in rowing increase the prevalence of trigger finger.
Study on the stress of micro-S-shaped folding cantilever
Authors: Liu Shuangjie , Hao Yongping , Zou Xiannan
Published: May 2020

Micro-cantilever has shown wide application prospect in the field of micro-sensors, actuators, gyroscope, and so on. There are abundant research studies on simple cantilever beam models, but there are few on S-shaped folding cantilever with complex structure, although it is widely used. In order to study the deformation failure of S-shaped folding cantilever, the force analysis of S-shaped folding cantilever was carried out in this article, and the stress values of different positions under the external load of the cantilever were deduced. The finite element model about S-shaped folding cantilever was built based on software ANSYS. The theoretical calculation was compared with the finite element calculation, and the results showed that the max stress is 681 MPa based on the derived theoretical formula, the max stress is 673 MPa based on the ANSYS, the error is 1.18%, which can prove formula is accurate. To further validate the stress predicted by the mathematical modeling, a micro-force testing platform was built to test the cantilever. Since the stress value cannot be measured directly in the test, the force corresponding to the stress was taken as standard and compared it with the simulation. The tested external force was corresponding the yield limit. The results showed that the experimental force was 0.06462 N before the plastic deformation occurred, the theoretical outcome was 0.065231 N corresponding the yield limit, the error was 0.94%. Both simulation and experimental results depict that the theoretical model is effective for predicting the stress of the S-shaped folded cantilever. The theoretical model helps to enhance the efficiency, and improve the performance, predictability, and control of the S-shaped folding cantilever.
Adjusting for adherence in randomized trials when adherence is measured as a continuous variable: An application to the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial
Authors: Wanis Kerollos Nashat , Madenci Arin L , Hernán Miguel A , Murray Eleanor J
Published: May 2020

Background:

Clinicians and patients may be more interested in per-protocol effect estimates than intention-to-treat effect estimates from randomized trials. However, per-protocol effect estimates may be biased due to insufficient adjustment for prognostic factors that predict adherence. Adjustment for this bias is possible when appropriate methods, such as inverse probability weighting, are used. But, when adherence is measured as a continuous variable, constructing these weights can be challenging.

Methods:

In the placebo arm of the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial, we estimated the 7-year cumulative incidence of coronary heart disease under 100% adherence and 0% adherence to placebo. We used dose-response discrete-hazards models with inverse probability weighting to adjust for pre- and post-randomization covariates. We considered several continuous distributions for constructing the inverse probability weights.

Results:

The risk difference estimate for 100% adherence compared with 0% adherence ranged from −7.7 to −6.1 percentage points without adjustment for baseline and post-baseline covariates, and ranged from −1.8 to 2.2 percentage points with adjustment using inverse probability weights, depending on the dose-response model and inverse probability weight distribution used.

Conclusions:

Methods which appropriately adjust for time-varying post-randomization variables can explain away much of the bias in the “effect” of adherence to placebo. When considering continuous adherence, investigators should consider several models as estimates may be sensitive to the model chosen.
‘The time where the British took the lead is over’: ethical aspects of writing in complex research partnerships
Authors: Pelikan Kristina , Jeffery Roger , Roelcke Thorsten
Published: May 2020

Writing reflects some of the different characteristics of the language being used and of the people who are communicating. The present paper focusses on the internal written communication in international and inter-disciplinary research projects. Using a case study of an international public health research project, it argues that the authorship and the languages used in internal project communication are not neutral but help to generate or reinforce power hierarchies. Within research partnerships, language thus raises ethical issues that have so far been neglected. Current ethics guidelines often focus on interactions between scientists and participants of social research and clinical trials, with less attention paid to the interactions among the scientists themselves. Describing all the different project phases based on writing within a research project, the paper distinguishes different influences on the distribution of power that emerge through a focus on written communication. The focus of the present paper is to illuminate the issues of ethics, power and the dimensions of hierarchy, physical location and native versus non-native English speakers that arise from paying attention to such communications.
Anatomic versus reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a mid-term follow-up comparison
Authors: Schoch Bradley S , King Joseph J , Zuckerman Joseph , Wright Thomas W , Roche Chris , Flurin Pierre-Henri
Published: May 2020

Background

Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty improves pain and function with a reported reoperation rate of approximately 1% per year. With improved glenoid fixation, reverse shoulder arthroplasty implants may outperform anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty. We evaluate the functional outcomes and reoperation rate of anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty versus reverse shoulder arthroplasty at a minimum eight-year follow-up or revision.

Methods

Between 2005 and 2010, 187 shoulders (137 anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty, 50 reverse shoulder arthroplasty) were retrospectively reviewed at a mean of 8.8 years. The mean age at surgery was 67 years. Females were more commonly treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Both groups had similar body mass index and comorbidities. Outcome measures evaluated included abduction, forward elevation, external rotation, internal rotation, Simple Shoulder Test, Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Score, University of California Los Angeles Shoulder score, and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index.

Results

At follow-up, anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty demonstrated greater overhead range of motion and external rotation. All patient-reported outcomes remained similar between groups. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty patients were more likely to rate shoulders as much better or better after surgery (90% versus 67%, p = 0.004). Complications were observed in 24% of anatomic total shoulder arthroplasties and 8% of reverse shoulder arthroplasties (p = 0.02). Reoperation was more common in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasties (23% versus 4%, p = 0.003).

Discussion

At mid-to-long-term follow-up, reverse shoulder arthroplasties demonstrated significantly fewer complications and reoperations than anatomic total shoulder arthroplasties. Despite similar patient-reported outcomes, reverse shoulder arthroplasty patients were more likely to be satisfied with their shoulder.
Nucleos(t)ide analogues and Hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A literature review
Authors: Abd El Aziz Mohamed A , Sacco Rodolfo , Facciorusso Antonio
Published: May 2020

Hepatitis B virus is mainly considered to cause hepatocellular carcinoma which is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Treatment of Hepatitis B virus with nucleos(t)ide analogues can decrease the progression of the disease and subsequently decreases the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review, we have discussed the different classes of nucleos(t)ide analogues used in the treatment of Hepatitis B virus and their relationship with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, we discussed the effect of treatment of Hepatitis B virus with Nucleoside analogues (NAs) before, during and after surgery, chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation, and chemotherapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Cardiac patient care during a pandemic: how to reorganise a heart failure unit at the time of COVID-19
Authors: Agostoni Piergiuseppe , Mapelli Massimo , Conte Edoardo , Baggiano Andrea , Assanelli Emilio , Apostolo Anna , Alimento Marina , Berna Giovanni , Guglielmo Marco , Muratori Manuela , Susini Francesca , Palermo Pietro , Pezzuto Beatrice , Salvioni Elisabetta , Sudati Anna , Vignati Carlo , Merlino Luca
Published: May 2020

To date, the pandemic spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has involved over 100 countries in a matter of weeks, and Italy suffers from almost 1/3 of the dead cases worldwide.

In this report, we show the strategies adopted to face the emergency at Centro Cardiologico Monzino, a mono-specialist cardiology hospital sited in the region of Italy most affected by the pandemic, and specifically we describe how we have progressively modified in a few weeks the organization of our Heart Failure Unit in order to cope with the new COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, on the background of the pandemic, cardiovascular diseases still occur frequently in the general population, but we observed consistent reduction in hospital admissions for acute cardiovascular events and a dramatic increase of late presentation acute myocardial infarction. Despite a reduction of healthcare workers number, our ward has been rearranged in order to take care of both COVID-19 and cardiovascular patients. In particular according to a triple step procedure we divided admitted patients in confirmed, suspected and excluded cases (respectively allocated in “red”, “pink” and “green” separated areas).

Due to the absence of definite guidelines, our aim was to describe our strategy in facing the current emergency, in order to reorganize our hospital in a dynamic and proactive manner. To quote the famous Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni ‘It is less bad to be agitated in doubt than to rest in error.’
Life on Earth is hard to spot
Authors: Lenton Timothy M , Dutreuil Sébastien , Latour Bruno
Published: May 2020

The triumph of the Gaia hypothesis was to spot the extraordinary influence of Life on the Earth. ‘Life’ is the clade including all extant living beings, as distinct from ‘life’ the class of properties common to all living beings. ‘Gaia’ is Life plus its effects on habitability. Life’s influence on the Earth was hard to spot for several reasons: biologists missed it because they focused on life not Life; climatologists missed it because Life is hard to see in the Earth’s energy balance; Earth system scientists opted instead for abiotic or human-centred approaches to the Earth system; Scientists in general were repelled by teleological arguments that Life acts to maintain habitable conditions. Instead, we reason from organisms’ metabolisms outwards, showing how Life’s coupling to its environment has led to profound effects on Earth’s habitability. Recognising Life’s impact on Earth and learning from it could be critical to understanding and successfully navigating the Anthropocene.
Roma Inner Migration Tradition Between Social Inclusion and the Protection of Natural Resources
Authors: Valjarević Aleksandar , Petrović Jasmina , Marković-Savić Olivera , Filipović Dejan , Ristić Dušan , Radovanović Dragan , Azdejković Marijana
Published: May 2020

Using the existing knowledge about the social and cultural characteristics of the Roma in Serbia, possible connection between Roma population and preserving of natural resources was established. This analysis acquired in social and other related studies, as well as the data obtained through the GIS (geographical information system) methodology, was used for determining the spatial distribution of Roma settlements and activities of the Roma community in the space. The Toplica District has one of the high percentages of Roma population and their daily migrations. This article investigates the possibility to raise the level of their economic activity and social integration, while simultaneously preserving natural resources and improving environmental safety. With the specific GIS, and numerical and sociology analysis, we try to address main problems in the District, hoping to find a connection between inner migration of Roma and better preservation of nature.
External Shocks, Institutional Quality, and Macroeconomic Performance in Nigeria
Authors: Abere S. S. , Akinbobola T. O.
Published: May 2020

The study examines the relative contributions of external shocks and institutional quality to macroeconomic performance in Nigeria, using Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) approach. The study establishes the dominance of the relative contributions of external shocks measures over institutional quality to macroeconomic performance in the country. Even though the dominance of terms of trade and foreign aid is highlighted, the role of institutional quality is equally important as it also has significant positive effect on performance. The study concludes that both external shocks and institutional quality play significant roles, and hence, posits the existence of favorable institutional environments as a panacea to successfully absorbing the influence of external shocks which are exogenous to the economy.
User Acceptance of Shuttle Bus Decision Support System Based on Smartphone Probes
Authors: Engin Melih , Kasap Nihat , Sivrikaya Berna Tektas
Published: May 2020

One of the most common procedures in service transport is to adjust the service location information of the passengers or the bus stops. Service companies assign a staff to update service information. These staff prepare lists of passengers and give them to service drivers. In this study, a model is proposed to facilitate the process of updating the service. With the smartphone application, a platform has been prepared in which passengers can automatically update their service information by selecting one of the three closest stops offered to them before the service hour. After development and implementation, its user acceptance is tested and validated via the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model and structural equation modeling. The main purpose of this study is to determine the acceptance and use of the mobile passenger application by the passengers. In this context, the moderator effect of the frequency of mobile use of passengers, education levels, genders, and ages on the performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, behavioral intention, and use behavior of passenger mobile applications was examined. As a result of the research, it was found out that the frequency of mobile usage has a moderator effect on both the effect of facilitation conditions on the actual use and the effect of behavioral intention on actual use. And also, it appears that the education level has a moderator effect on the effect of facilitating conditions on the actual use, and gender has a moderator effect on the effect of behavioral intention on the actual use. The proposed decision support system reduces the workload of service companies and facilitates the process, which is normally long and painful. Thus, customer satisfaction also increases. Hence, position and stop information between the service firm, passengers, and the drivers is easily and instantly shared.
Innovation Capabilities, Innovation Types, and Firm Performance: Evidence From the Banking Sector of Ghana
Authors: YuSheng Kong , Ibrahim Masud
Published: May 2020

Innovation is considered a key driver for long-term success of firms in today’s competitive markets. This study explored the effect of innovation adoption on performance of banks in Ghana. Data for the study were obtained from 450 respondents comprising bank employees and customers in the Kumasi metropolitan area in Ghana. An exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data via SmartPLS 3 and SPSS V.22. Findings from this study revealed that the innovation dimensions that contribute to bank innovation are organizational, product, process, and marketing innovations. The study further revealed a direct and positive relationship between innovation dimensions (product, marketing, and organizational innovations) and bank performance. In addition, findings from this study showed a positive relationship between innovation capability and the four dimensions of innovation (organizational, product, process, and market innovations). Also, the findings revealed a significant and positive relationship between the dimensions of innovation (market, process, and product innovations) and firm performance. The practical implication is that, choosing the appropriate innovation types can enhance bank performance as well as satisfy customer needs. This study extends the literature on innovation adoption and organizational performance in the financial services from an emerging market context.
Environmental Leadership, Green Innovation Practices, Environmental Knowledge Learning, and Firm Performance
Authors: Su Xiaofeng , Xu Anxin , Lin Wenhe , Chen Youcheng , Liu Songtao , Xu Wenxing
Published: May 2020

Environmental leadership has received continuous attention from the business sector in recent years, yet few studies have examined the internal mechanisms and contingent conditions that link environmental leadership to firm performance. The aim of this article is to advance research by investigating the relationship between environmental leadership and firm performance by considering the mediating role of green innovation practices and the moderating role of environmental knowledge learning. A questionnaire survey is used to collect data from 353 agricultural products corporations in China. Empirical results show that environmental leadership has a positive relationship with the two dimensions of firm performance, namely, environmental performance and financial performance. Results also indicate that green innovation practices (including green innovation strategy and actions) play a mediating role between environmental leadership and firm performance. Meanwhile, it is also found that environmental knowledge learning positively moderates the effect of environmental leadership on green innovation practices. This study adds value to the environmental management literature by introducing leadership style as an antecedent variable to examine the impact of environmental leadership on firm performance in China. And the study also highlights the important moderating effect of environmental knowledge learning on the relationship between environmental leadership and green innovation practices. The findings of this article could be important in terms of both management and policy implications.
Determinants of Vehicle Ownership in Nigeria
Authors: Ukonze Frances Ifeoma , Nwachukwu Maxwell Umunna , Mba Harold Chike , Okeke Donald Chiuba , Jiburum Uloma
Published: May 2020

Vehicle ownership has increased tremendously in Nigeria for the past decades. This study determined factors that influence vehicle ownership intending to develop a more appropriate basis for forecasting vehicle ownership in the country. Multiple linear regression technique was used to identify the factors that influence vehicle ownership using national data from secondary sources. The results showed that four socioeconomic factors, namely, gross domestic product, per capita income, fuel price, and literacy level, as well as one physical factor, namely, stock of public transport vehicles, have significant effects on vehicle ownership at .01 significance level. Vehicle ownership was 35.3 million in 2018. It will increase to 48.7, 66.2, and 76.1 million in 2030, 2040, and 2050, respectively. Consequently, the formulation of appropriate policy that will be useful for monitoring key parameters is germane for predicting vehicle ownership in the country.
Understanding the Influence of Belief and Belief Revision on Consumers’ Purchase Intention of Liquid Milk
Authors: Hoque Mohammed Ziaul , Hossan Mohammad Akter
Published: May 2020

An unsustainable milk value chain can make consumers’ retention of preferences fragile, leading to a reduction in belief. One of the major ways of changing this belief is “belief revision” which accounts an interaction between a change in an individual’s preference with reference to its source and a belief expectancy and affects consumers’ behavioral intentions effectively. As there is little research on belief revision, the present study aims to investigate the impact of belief revision on purchase intention under an extended model for the theory of planned behavior. In doing so, the data were collected via a survey design regarding buying and drinking of liquid milk (LM) of the urban area. Principal component analysis and the binary logit model were the main research methods employed to analyze the data. The results of the study show that in a high level of belief expectancy, consumers’ behavioral belief revision and control belief have a negative effect, and the strength of behavioral belief has a positive significant effect on the purchase intention of LM. Moreover, among three social cognitive factors (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control [PBC]), only the PBC is associated positively and significantly with the purchase intention of LM, while no modal salient belief (beliefs, belief expectancies, belief values) affects the social cognitive factors. The study fundamentally adds to the literature, in that it first demonstrates the significance of belief revision in assessing the purchase intention.
Self-Caging or Playing With the Edge? News Selection Autonomy in Authoritarian China
Authors: Kuang Xianwen
Published: May 2020

This article studies how the political affiliation and administrative rank of news organizations in a nondemocratic setting affect news selection autonomy. While existing studies have found that further commercialization contributes to more news selection autonomy, the extent to which political affiliation and administrative rank of news media explain autonomy remains unknown. Eight Chinese news organizations of varying political affiliations and administrative ranks were thus selected to compare their news and frame selection strategies. The findings reveal that political affiliation largely explains news selection autonomy: Party-affiliated outlets generally have lower news selection autonomy than nonparty outlets. Administrative rank has some effect on news selection autonomy in the highly competitive media markets, where news organizations with a lower administrative ranking must play more with propaganda control to compete with their higher ranking counterparts.
Firm-Determined or Consumer-Determined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? Examining the Effects of Choice-of-Cause in Cause-Related Marketing
Authors: Tao Weiting , Ji Yi Grace
Published: May 2020

As a widely practiced form of corporate social responsibility (CSR), cause-related marketing (CRM) programs have been considered effective in generating reputational, relational, and financial returns for companies. This study examines a new form of CRM: choice-of-cause programs, in which companies empower consumers to determine which social causes to support. Based on self-determination theory, reputation management literature, and CSR research, this study proposes a conceptual framework that theorizes the effectiveness of the choice program, mapping out consumers’ psychological experiences and consequential attitudinal and behavioral intention responses toward companies and their nonprofit partners. Results of an online experiment offer partial support to the framework. They showed the relative advantage of the choice program over traditional cause-without-choice practice and highlighted the importance of creating an autonomy-supportive CSR program environment where consumers can exercise self-determination. Furthermore, results demonstrated the crucial role of corporate reputation in influencing consumer responses in CSR programs.
Entrepreneurial Learning at the Boundary: How to Learn From a Local Cheese Maker
Authors: Lans Thomas , Lubberink Rob , Ploum Lisa , Ammann Marie , Gondwe Sera
Published: May 2020

The learning innovation we report in this article is an international rapid-prototyping event (48 hours) in which teams of international BSc and MSc students from two universities (Western Europe and South-East Africa, respectively) jointly designed and developed a prototype for a local small-business owner in a developing economy. The learning innovation has its origin in the simple observation that the majority of the current theories, cases, and learning activities that characterize entrepreneurship education have their origin in western-oriented epistemologies and ontologies. The goal of this entrepreneurial learning activity was to develop students’ entrepreneurial competencies through interaction and cross-boundary entrepreneurial problem-solving between university students from western and non-western origin. The results underpin that it is very worthwhile for higher education teachers—who look for new, cost-effective “wide” entrepreneurship education programs—to adopt such events. The results show that the program not only contributes to short-term impact (e.g., joy of learning and collaborating, confidence in the own expertise, and seeing where to contribute) but also enables longer term impact (e.g., moving from intention to an actual start-up). Moreover, the activity produces actual solutions that, in this case the cheese maker can implement, can help the business to grow and survive.
Assessment of Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents’ Knowledge of Basic Obstetric Sonography and Psychomotor Evaluation With Motion Analysis Using a Computer-Based Simulator
Authors: Mohammad Sundus H. , Sommerich Carolyn M. , Butwin Angela N. , Evans Kevin D.
Published: May 2020

Purpose:

Evaluate obstetrics and gynecology (OB/Gyn) residents’ current obstetric sonography knowledge, confidence, and psychomotor skills to provide clinical preceptors with a greater understanding of how to approach teaching sonography to residents.

Methods:

Ten OB/Gyn residents were assessed on their sonographic performance by measuring psychomotor skills and evaluating diagnostic accuracy of images. At the conclusion of the assessment, residents received feedback and completed a survey to establish their current confidence level in performing and interpreting sonograms.

Results:

Motion analysis revealed excessive transducer movements made by the residents when acquiring images, particularly in terms of angular movement. The median score on the assessment template was 33 out of 66 points (interquartile range, 26.75–42.5), where residents had difficulty acquiring all required criteria for first-trimester dating and biometry views/measurements, determining fetal situs, and identifying landmarks to ensure intended anatomy is visualized.

Conclusions:

Absence of formalized sonography training creates a need for clinical preceptors to teach basic anatomy/landmarks, transducer movements, and criteria for dating and biometry views/measurements. This poses a challenge for preceptors at high-volume sites; thus, high-fidelity simulation could be part of a solution. Simulation can provide residents with the opportunity to develop basic sonography skills outside of clinical, then refine and build upon those skills with preceptors.
Tight versus standard blood pressure control on the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke: an observational retrospective cohort study in the general ambulatory setting
Authors: Park Bumsoo , Budzynska Katarzyna , Almasri Nada , Islam Sumaiya , Alyas Fanar , Carolan Rachel L. , Abraham Benjamin E. , Castro-Camero Pamela A. , Shreve Maria E. , Rees Della A. , Lamerato Lois
Published: May 2020

Background

The 2017 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guideline defined hypertension as blood pressure (BP) ≥ 130/80 mmHg compared to the traditional definition of ≥140/90 mmHg. This change raised much controversy. We conducted this study to compare the impact of tight (TBPC) versus standard BP control (SBPC) on the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke.

Methods

We retrospectively identified all hypertensive patients in an ambulatory setting based on the diagnostic code for 1 year at our institution who were classified by the range of BP across 3 years into 2 groups of TBPC (< 130 mmHg) and SBPC (130–139 mmHg). We compared the incidence of new MI and stroke between the 2 groups across a 2-year follow-up. Multivariate analysis was done to identify independent predictors for the incidence of new MI and stroke.

Results

Of 5640 study patients, the TBPC group showed significantly less incidence of stroke compared to the SBPC group (1.5% vs. 2.7%, P < 0.010). No differences were found in MI incidence between the 2 groups (0.6% vs. 0.8%, P = 0.476). Multivariate analysis showed that increased age independently increased the incidence of both MI (OR 1.518, 95% CI 1.038–2.219) and stroke (OR 1.876, 95% CI 1.474–2.387), and TBPC independently decreased the incidence of stroke (OR 0.583, 95% CI 0.374–0.910) but not of MI.

Conclusions

Our observational study suggests that TBPC may be beneficial in less stroke incidence compared to SBPC but it didn’t seem to affect the incidence of MI. Our study is limited by its retrospective design with potential confounders.
Knowledge, attitudes and skills of dementia care in general practice: a cross-sectional study in primary health settings in Beijing, China
Authors: Wang Meirong , Xu Xiaojingyuan , Huang Yafang , Shao Shuang , Chen Xiaolei , Li Jing , Du Juan
Published: May 2020

Background

General practitioners (GPs) play a significant role in dementia care. However, the knowledge and attitudes of them towards dementia care are poorly characterized. The present study aimed to investigate GPs’ knowledge, attitudes and skills of dementia care in primary health settings in Beijing.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 27 community health service centers (CHSCs) in Beijing. The GPs’ knowledge, attitudes and skills were assessed utilizing the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), Dementia Care Attitude Scale (DCAS) and self-designed questionnaire, respectively.

Results

A total of 341 participants returned the questionnaire. The overall mean score of GPs’ dementia knowledge measured by the ADKS was 21.42 (SD = 2.73) out of 30 (71.4%), GPs’ attitudes to dementia care was 36.25 (SD = 5.12) out of 50 (72.5%), and GPs’ self-confidence on dementia care skills was 53.93 (SD = 9.57) out of 75 (71.9%). GPs’ overall knowledge towards dementia care was limited and the attitudes were generally positive. They had low level recognition of their roles towards dementia care. The majority of GPs believed that dementia care was within a specialist’s domain not that of general practice.

Conclusion

GPs demonstrate low levels of dementia knowledge and skills, but express generally positive attitudes towards dementia in this study. It is much needed to translate detailed dementia care handbook, and adequate dementia knowledge training for GPs into practice to improve care outcomes for people with dementia in China. In addition, dementia management should be covered in the national basic package of public health services in primary care.