bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding employee turnover in humanitarian organizations
Authors: Dubey Rameshwar , Gunasekaran Angappa , Altay Nezih , Childe Stephen J , Papadopoulos Thanos
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– At a time when the number and seriousness of disasters seems to be increasing, humanitarian organizations find that besides their challenging work they are faced with problems caused by a high level of turnover of staff. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the 24 variables leading to employee turnover identified by Cotton and Tuttle (1986) the authors analyse the work-related, external and personal factors affecting employee turnover in humanitarian organizations, using a survey of members of the Indian National Institute of Disaster Management.

Findings

– Results indicated that the three factors are present. Of the external factors, only employment perception had a factor loading over 0.7; of the work-related factors, all were significant; of the personal factors, biographical information, marital status, number of dependants, aptitude and ability and intelligence had the highest loadings. It was also shown that behavioural intentions and net expectation were not significant.

Originality/value

– Only a few studies reported on employee turnover and its reasons are not well understood in the context of humanitarian organizations. To address this need, the aim of this paper is to explore the personal reasons impacting employee turnover in humanitarian organizations. In the study the authors have adopted 24 variables used in Cotton and Tuttle (1986) and classified into constructs to explain turnover, and further tested the model using data gathered from humanitarian organizations.
Winning ways: what the world’s best poker players and entrepreneurs have in common
Authors: Carnihan Lee
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Regardless of whether we are a successful business leader, a middle ranking manager or an apprentice learning the ropes, we all want to make good decisions and deliver good results at work. To achieve that we need the right knowledge, skills and attitude. And we do not just need those things once, we need them throughout the course of our lives and careers. We all need continual development if we are to grow and perform at our best. But when our existing options for improving our performance run dry, who can we turn to? Looking more deeply into how someone else improved their performance, and achieved their goals, can be a source of inspiration and practical ideas. Outliers are the obvious first choice. Their extreme level of success is likely by design, not by accident. Take the world’s most successful poker players as an example. Believe it or not, their skills and attitude are worth serious consideration. Just like any successful person there is a reason they got to where they are: they have something the rest of us do not, or if we do have it then it is less well developed. There is much more to their success than meets the eye! The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author reviewed Greg Dinkin’s work and summarised the principles and results in the form of a useful article describing the skills shared between the most successful poker players and entrepreneurs.

Findings

– The best poker players and entrepreneurs share 13 skills, although this is not to imply these are the only common skills between these two groups. There could be more and the ones identified could also evolve over time.

Originality/value

– The value of Greg’s work is that it not only reveals the connections and common skill set shared between these two groups, but also that these skills are not difficult to understand or exclusive to those two groups: they could be learned by anyone with the determination and desire to.
The ubiquitous influence of regulation on entrepreneurial action
Authors: Kitching John
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to theorise, and demonstrate empirically, how regulation generates indirect impacts on small companies that arise through the medium of relationships with stakeholders whose actions affect them. Specifically, the paper explores how relations with stakeholders shape the process of small company adaptation to statutory financial reporting obligations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis draws principally on qualitative interview data from small company preparers of abbreviated accounts and their accountants, but also uses survey data to demonstrate the prevalence of the account filing and advisory practices reported in interview.

Findings

– Small companies’ relations with accountants mediate the influence of financial reporting regulation by shaping how firms discover, interpret and adapt to their statutory obligations. Where accountants inform small companies of the option to file abbreviated accounts, or advise them to file such accounts, and clients act on that advice, then relations with accountants mediate the impact of regulation on that business. Accountants typically advise small company clients to file abbreviated accounts as the “default position”, one departed from only in very specific circumstances. Accountants are complicit, therefore, inadvertently or otherwise, in the production of the effects of clients’ filing decisions.

Originality/value

– The study expands the conception of how regulation contributes to entrepreneurial action by focusing on the indirect effects arising for small firms via their relations with the stakeholders with whom they interact. Regulatory regimes are a condition of all forms of entrepreneurial action and the ensuing performance outcomes. Regulation therefore exerts a ubiquitous influence on entrepreneurial action that is substantial, pervasive and enduring. Without reference to the necessary enabling functions of regulation, explanations of entrepreneurial processes remain incomplete.
Entrepreneurial skill and regulation
Authors: Deakins David , Bensemann Jo , Battisti Martina
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to undertake a qualitative case-based analysis of the factors affecting the capability of primary sector rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation. The authors suggest a conceptual framework to aid understanding of their skill and capability when managing regulation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a multiple case study approach the entrepreneurial skill of rural entrepreneurs is examined in light of three sets of factors: institutional regulatory, social capital and economic market.

Findings

– The case analysis indicates diversity in the skill of rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation across sub-sectors including dairy and stock farming, fruit growers and vegetable/horticultural producers. The conceptual framework indicates that there are three areas that influence entrepreneurial skill: relationships with national cooperatives, relationships with the institutional regulatory environment and relationships with the economic market environment. This provides the authors with a conceptual framework to aid understanding of the interplay of factors affecting entrepreneurial skill and capability to manage regulation.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the emerging stream of literature highlighting the importance of industry sector context for understanding the complex and differing regulatory effects on entrepreneurs’ skill and hence capability to manage. Case comparisons allow the authors to explain and understand why entrepreneurs that operate similar businesses within the same sector respond differently to regulation.
Proposal of a method for selecting suppliers considering risk management
Authors: Cagnin Fernanda , Oliveira Maria Celia , Simon Alexandre Tadeu , Helleno André Luis , Vendramini Matheus Phelipe
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Due to the warming at the automotive market in the last years and consequently the growth of vehicle production has been moved and placed emphasis on the segment. In recent years, some have known, for example, as the earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 was able to disrupt the suppliers of the country. Due to these events, supply chain risk management has become essential to the supply chain operations success. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the supplier’s systematic selection at the automotive industry compared with the identified models in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study applied at the automotive to propose a method for selecting suppliers considering the risk management.

Findings

– These results indicate that the organization has established criteria for suppliers selection, this systematic aims to identify the potential risks in the supply chain before the supplier award the project but it’s also the current practice can be improved using as reference the comparative method as applied in this study.

Originality/value

– The risk management, a few discussed topic but on the rise among researches, show that the companies, especially those inserted in the automotive segment has been used different techniques for selecting suppliers to focus in a better supply chain control. Establish criteria for selecting suppliers means identifying in advanced the potential risks that the suppliers may offer to the organization during the supply to avoid any interruptions to supply.
Varieties of capitalism in Europe: an inter-temporal comparison of HR policies
Authors: Pedrini Giulio
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the attitude of European firms towards human resource management (HRM) configuration and HRM practices on a country-level basis. Assuming the persistent relevance of institutional framework, the paper investigates the applicability of the varieties of capitalism (VoC) theory to these domains in European countries and their evolution between 1999 and 2005.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper selects and groups together variables that are related to both HRM configuration and HRM practices using data coming from the survey performed in 2005 by the Cranfield Network on International HRM. Then, a hierarchical cluster analysis among 16 European countries is performed. Relevant varieties are obtained through the combined application of two stopping rules.

Findings

– Evidence shows that the evolution of HR policies over time is in line with an extended VoC approach that divides Europe in four VoC. One of these varieties (the “State” model), however, is not validated after a robustness check.

Practical implications

– For HR managers, the implementation of common personnel policies within the same variety of capitalism could represent a potential fertile ground for beneficial interactions and mutual learning among HR functions. In particular, the classification suggested in the paper does matter if an intervention on HRM practices is accompanied by a change in the participation of the HR department to the decision-making process and/or in the delegation of responsibilities between the HR department and the line management.

Originality/value

– The authors’ results contribute to the debate on the relationship between HRM and institutional context in two ways. First, they show that an extended VoC framework can explain the differentiation among European countries with regard to HRM domains. Notably, the correlation between the structure of the HR function and the intensity of HRM practices generates a clusterization of European countries based on at least three models of capitalism. Second, it emerges from the analysis that a substantial shift occurred with respect to the previous wave of the survey together with an increase of similarities between countries.
Self-rated and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior, affective commitment, and intention to leave in a Malaysian context
Authors: Lau Patricia Yin Yin , McLean Gary N. , Lien Bella Ya-Hui , Hsu Yen-Chen
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine if self-rated and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior mediated the relationship between affective commitment and intention to leave in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey yielded 516 responses from multiple locations in Malaysia across varied industries for a response rate of 64.5 percent. Validity based on confirmatory factor analysis and reliability were confirmed.

Findings

– Affective commitment influenced self- and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior and intention to leave. Only self-rated organizational citizenship behavior partially mediated affective commitment and intention to leave. While self-rated organizational citizenship behavior increased intention to leave positively, peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior did not influence intention to leave.

Practical implications

– The findings confirm earlier research that self-ratings and peer-ratings are different, and, surprisingly, organizational citizenship behavior is not a factor supporting talent retention. Human resource practitioners need to shift their focus to affective commitment that reduces intention to leave and increases organizational citizenship behavior.

Originality/value

– Past studies on organizational citizenship behavior relied on self-ratings, supervisor-ratings, or both ratings used in Western contexts. Little was known about the assessment of organizational citizenship behavior from peer perspectives and its relationship between affective commitment and intention to leave. Moreover, the relationships between affective commitment and self-rated and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior were inconsistent. This study responded to those gaps by integrating affective commitment, self-rated, and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior, and intention to leave into a single hypothesized model.
Job-related antecedents of team resilience and improved team performance
Authors: Meneghel Isabella , Martínez Isabel M. , Salanova Marisa
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– It is increasingly important for organizations to respond effectively and promote positive outcomes under adverse and unstable conditions. Resilience is salient because reflects the dynamic process that enables successful results under stressful conditions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential role of team resilience as the psychological mechanism that explains how job demands and job social resources are related to and enhance team performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Self-reported questionnaires were distributed to 1,633 employees, nested in 275 teams from 52 Spanish small and medium enterprises. Aggregated scores were employed for a team-level structural equation modeling analysis.

Findings

– Results support a partial mediation model in which job social resources affect team resilience, and in turn impact team performance. No significant effects were found for job demands affecting team resilience. However, the demands×resources interaction influences team resilience, and thus the impact of resources on team resilience was attenuated by demands. In the same way, the demands×resources interaction influences team performance.

Research limitations/implications

– Job social resources are related to team performance, but team resilience is a significant mediator. Further research should investigate the effects of different job demands on team resilience.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that managers should focus on developing job social resources to augment team resilience and team performance.

Originality/value

– Managers could benefit from understanding how team resilience could be developed, given that team resilience aids to achieve positive team outcomes.
Job burnout of security guards of aviation company
Authors: Rosenbloom Tova , Malka Yoav , Israel Shay
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on a unique population of airport security guards who work for a specific airline and are frequently sent abroad with short advance notice. The current study deals with the job burnout of these employees.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 100 airport security guards, employees of a specific airline completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Burnout Questionnaire and Demographic Questions.

Findings

– Results indicated that the employees with the preoccupied style suffered more burnout than did those with secure and dismissive-avoidant styles. One of the possible explanations is that people with dismissive-avoidant style enjoy these multiple travels which enable them to be uninvolved with people surrounding them.

Research limitations/implications

– This study was based mainly on self-report of both the independent and the dependent variables, with all the disadvantages known to self-report methods.

Practical implications

– Points for practitioners are: first, it is recommended to use a selection tool for airport security guards in line with the results of this study; and second, people with avoidance attachment style should potentially be suitable employees for short and multiple travel abroad.

Originality/value

– Theoretically, this study contributes a new perspective of the Job Demands-Resources model, that is, the notion that in certain jobs and in specific situations (job demands) insecure attachment style may serve as a job resource rather than as an obstacle.
Ageing fears and concerns of gay men aged 60 and over
Authors: Robinson Peter
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– In light of the fact that the “baby boomer” generation is moving into early old age, the purpose of this paper is to examine what aspects of ageing and old age concerned an age cohort of 25 gay men aged 60 plus.

Design/methodology/approach

– The primary data for this paper came from interviews with 25 men aged 60 and older who were recruited in Auckland, London, Manchester, Melbourne, and New York. Interviewees were contacted by a variety of means, such as by e-mail introductions, advertisements placed on social media, and recommendations of mutual friends or acquaintances. Once contacted, the men were sent a plain-language statement outlining the purpose of the study and the intention to publish the results and were asked to sign and return a consent form. Narrative identity was central to understandings of the men’s lives got from analysing their interview transcripts.

Findings

– Analysis of extracts from their life stories showed the men interviewed for this paper drew on two principal narratives when discussing their apprehensions about growing old. The first related to general fears or concerns about old age that would be fairly common among members of the general population. The second narrative related to gay-specific fears or concerns. Significant claims: that class affects gay men’s experience of old age just as it does for everyone else; and that fears of being ostracised because of their sexuality were strongest when the men spoke about aged-accommodation settings.

Research limitations/implications

– More research is needed on gay men’s experience of in-home supported care and residential care to see if the reality of the heterosexism and/or homophobia matches the fears of some in this sample.

Originality/value

– This is a relatively new field and there is a growing number of researchers examining the ageing concerns and experiences of the GLBT population. The originality of this paper lies in the international sample on which it is based, its use of narrative analysis, and its relevance to policy makers as well as to members of the GLBT population, carers, and owners/managers of aged-care accommodation facilities.
Bonds, bridges and ties: applying social capital theory to LGBT people’s housing concerns later in life
Authors: King Andrew , Cronin Ann
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to debates about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) housing later in life by placing these in a theoretical context: social capital theory (SCT).

Design/methodology/approach

– After a discussion of SCT, emanating from the works of Robert Putnam and Pierre Bourdieu, the paper draws on existing studies of LGBT housing later in life, identifying key concerns that are identified by this body of literature.

Findings

– The paper then applies SCT to the themes drawn from the LGBT housing later in life literature to illustrate the usefulness of putting these in such a theoretical context.

Originality/value

– Hence, overall, the paper fills an important gap in how the authors think about LGBT housing later in life; as something that is framed by issues of social networks and connections and the benefits, or otherwise, that accrue from them.
The impact of surface‐wave attenuation on 3‐D seismic survey design
Authors: Ishiyama Tomohide , Blacquière Gerrit , Mulder Wim A.
Published: March 2016

Three‐dimensional seismic survey design should provide an acquisition geometry that enables imaging and amplitude‐versus‐offset applications of target reflectors with sufficient data quality under given economical and operational constraints. However, in land or shallow‐water environments, surface waves are often dominant in the seismic data. The effectiveness of surface‐wave separation or attenuation significantly affects the quality of the final result. Therefore, the need for surface‐wave attenuation imposes additional constraints on the acquisition geometry. Recently, we have proposed a method for surface‐wave attenuation that can better deal with aliased seismic data than classic methods such as slowness/velocity‐based filtering. Here, we investigate how surface‐wave attenuation affects the selection of survey parameters and the resulting data quality. To quantify the latter, we introduce a measure that represents the estimated signal‐to‐noise ratio between the desired subsurface signal and the surface waves that are deemed to be noise. In a case study, we applied surface‐wave attenuation and signal‐to‐noise ratio estimation to several data sets with different survey parameters. The spatial sampling intervals of the basic subset are the survey parameters that affect the performance of surface‐wave attenuation methods the most. Finer spatial sampling will reduce aliasing and make surface‐wave attenuation easier, resulting in better data quality until no further improvement is obtained. We observed this behaviour as a main trend that levels off at increasingly denser sampling. With our method, this trend curve lies at a considerably higher signal‐to‐noise ratio than with a classic filtering method. This means that we can obtain a much better data quality for given survey effort or the same data quality as with a conventional method at a lower cost.
Invasive plant species are locally adapted just as frequently and at least as strongly as native plant species
Authors: Oduor Ayub M.O. , Leimu Roosa , van Kleunen Mark
Published: March 2016

Concerns over the ecological impacts of invasive alien plant species have generated great research interest in understanding the mechanisms that underlie the capacity of such plants to occupy a broad range of habitats. It has been repeatedly suggested that rapid evolution of local adaptation to novel environments may enable invasive plants to occupy a broad range of habitats. However, the classical Darwinian view on evolution by natural selection is that the process is slow and gradual, occurring over thousands of years. Invasive plants typically have a relatively short residence time in their introduced ranges (decades or just a few centuries). Besides the time constraint, founder effects (reduction in population size and genetic diversity) may also limit the capacity of invasive plants to rapidly evolve local adaption. Thus, invasive plants may be less likely than native plants to evolve local adaptation. Interestingly, however, an expanding body of literature documents the existence of local adaptation in invasive plant species within their exotic ranges.

Here, we did a phylogenetically controlled meta‐analysis to compare invasive and native plant species for differences in the frequency and magnitude of local adaptation. The meta‐analysis was based on different experiments performed in various habitats including grasslands, steppes, deserts, forests, mountains, wetlands and dunes, and used a total of 134 plant species in 52 families. Forty seven of these species (in 24 families) are alien invaders in the region where the studies were undertaken, while the other 91 species (in 38 families) are native.

On average, local plants performed better than foreign plants, and invasive plant species expressed local adaptation just as frequently, and at least as strongly as that exhibited by native plant species. An analysis performed while taking into account different plant life‐history traits showed that self‐incompatible invasive plants exhibited significantly higher frequencies of local adaptation than native plants characterized by the same breeding system.

Synthesis. The present results support the suggestion that rapid evolution of local adaptation may enable invasive plant species to occupy a broad range of novel habitats.
Too much or not enough? An examination of special education provision and school district leaders’ perceptions of current needs and common approaches
Authors: Cameron David Lansing
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between special education provision in Norway and school district leaders’ perspectives regarding (a) the need for special education and (b) the importance and prevalence of integrated and segregated approaches. Findings indicate that the percentage of students perceived as being in need of special education was significantly higher than the percentage of students who actually receive this support. However, districts in which an increased need was reported did not have lower enrolment in special education than regions in which participants felt that the level of special education provision was appropriate. No relationship was found between the percentage of students receiving special education and the importance placed on either segregated or integrated approaches. Whereas virtually all participants valued integrated solutions, segregated approaches received higher ratings of importance in districts where these practices were prevalent.
Dis(en)abled: legitimating discriminatory practice in the name of inclusion?
Authors: Atkins Liz
Published: March 2016

This article explores tensions between the policies and practice of inclusion and the lived experiences of disabled young people in education. Drawing on the narratives of two young men who participated in a small pilot study, it utilises theoretical concepts related to disability, structure and agency, and power and control, as it explores the ways in which inclusion can create subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) forms of exclusion. Focusing on the young men's experiences of further and higher education, it is argued that inclusive practices and policies, however well intentioned, can create new and subtle forms of marginalisation through the structures and discourse intended to address exclusion. I conclude by questioning whether, in a diverse and disparate society, in which all our lives are defined by the extent to which we are more or less equal than others, inclusion can ever be anything other than an illusory concept.
Using symbolic interactionism insights as an approach to helping the individual with Asperger's syndrome overcome barriers to social inclusion
Authors: Hughes Paul
Published: March 2016

This article outlines a case for using symbolic interactionism as a tool to help individuals with Asperger's syndrome reconcile situations in which communication might prove challenging. This study builds on previous work carried out by the author which describes an autoethnographical approach to help the individual with Asperger's syndrome gain insights into ways to engage effectively with the social situations they encounter. It is well documented that those with Asperger's syndrome find many social situations challenging and that commonly understood verbal and non‐verbal communication ‘signs’ and ‘symbols’ may be difficult for them to interpret in ways intended by others. It is within this context that the work seeks to examine communication issues in terms of the symbolic interactionism notion of the ‘Me’ and how this understanding can help the individual with Asperger's syndrome model their own behaviour from a symbolic interactionism point of view. The article begins with a discussion of the background to the research and how an inability to read the communication ‘signs’ and ‘symbols’ around them can make it difficult for the learner with Asperger's syndrome to have a commonly held understanding of the social setting in which he or she operates. The work gives a personal insight from a person with Asperger's syndrome into how symbolic interactionism coupled with autoethnography can be used as tools to enable the learner with Asperger's syndrome to explore the nature of communication patterns under such circumstances. The work includes vignettes which highlight experience from such a personal perspective.
The mating system of the true fruit flyBactrocera tryoniand its sister species,Bactrocera neohumeralis
Authors: Ekanayake Wasala M. T. D. , Jayasundara Mudalige S. H. , Peek Thelma , Clarke Anthony R. , Schutze Mark K.
Published: March 2016

The frugivorous “true” fruit fly,Bactrocera tryoni(Queensland fruit fly), is presumed to have a nonresourced‐based lek mating system. This is largely untested, and contrary data exists to suggestBactrocera tryonimay have a resource‐based mating system focused on fruiting host plants. We tested the mating system ofBactrocera tryoni, and its close siblingBactrocera neohumeralis, in large field cages using laboratory reared flies. We used observational experiments that allowed us to determine if: (i) mating pairs were aggregated or nonaggregated; (ii) mating system was resource or nonresource based; (iii) flies utilized possible landmarks (tall trees over short) as mate‐rendezvous sites; and (iv) males called females from male‐dominated leks. We recorded nearly 250Bactrocera tryonimating pairs across all experiments, revealing that: (i) mating pairs were aggregated; (ii) mating nearly always occurred in tall trees over short; (iii) mating was nonresource based; and (iv) that males and females arrived at the mate‐rendezvous site together with no evidence that males preceded females.Bactrocera neohumeraliscopulations were much more infrequent (only 30 mating pairs in total), but for those pairs there was a similar preference for tall trees and no evidence of a resource‐based mating system. Some aspects ofBactrocera tryonimating behavior align with theoretical expectations of a lekking system, but others do not. Until evidence for unequivocal female choice can be provided (as predicted under a true lek), the mating system ofBactrocera tryoniis best described as a nonresource based, aggregation system for which we also have evidence that land‐marking may be involved.
Association Between Thrombophilic Gene Mutations and the Risk of Vascular Access Thrombosis in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Fekih‐Mrissa Najiba , Sayeh Aycha , Baffoun Anis , Beji Maher , Mrad Meriem , Hmida Jalel , Nsiri Brahim
Published: March 2016

The cause of thrombosis in hemodialysis vascular access is considered to be of a multifactorial nature, including stenosis of the venous or arterial connection. Therefore, identification of relevant thrombotic risk factors could lead to an improved antithrombotic therapy. This case control study was performed to evaluate the relationship between Factor V (G1691A and A4070G) and Factor II polymorphisms and vascular access thrombosis in hemodialysis patients. One hundred and twenty‐one patients undergoing dialysis were selected as subjects. This sample was divided into two groups; a case group of 60 patients who had sustained one or more thrombotic events that resulted in vascular access failure and a control group of 61 patients, who never had a thrombotic occlusion of a functioning permanent dialysis access. Our data demonstrated a significantly increased risk of vascular access thrombosis in carriers of the mutant FV (G1691A and A4070G) polymorphisms (P < 0.05).Further studies on a large‐scale population and other genetic variants will be needed to find candidate genes for vascular access thrombosis in hemodialysis patients.
Preterm cranial ultrasound scanning is both feasible and effective in a middle‐income country
Authors: Mazmanyan Pavel A. , Nikoghosyan Knarik V. , Kerobyan Varsenik V. , Mellor Kathy J. , Diez‐Sebastian Jesus , Martinez‐Biarge Miriam , Cowan Frances M.
Published: March 2016

Aim

Cranial ultrasound is seldom used in middle‐income countries, and the burden of preterm brain injury and its relationship to perinatal data is unknown. We assessed cranial ultrasound abnormalities in very low‐birthweight (VLBW) infants and correlated the findings with perinatal data.

Methods

VLBW Armenian infants receiving neonatal intensive care in 2012 were scanned from birth to term‐equivalent age (TEA). Clinical data were collected prospectively.

Results

We studied 100 VLBW infants with a median gestation of 30 weeks. Periventricular white matter echogenicity (PVE) lasting more than two weeks was seen in 34 infants, grade III intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) in 10, haemorrhagic parenchymal infarction (HPI) in seven and cystic periventricular leukomalacia in two. Caudothalamic notch echogenicity appeared in 36 infants after two to three weeks, with cystic transformation in 22. At TEA, 17 infants had persisting PVEs and 55 had increased basal ganglia/thalamic (BGT) echogenicity. Lack of antenatal steroids was significantly associated with IVH and HPI and intubation at birth with IVH. Late BGT echogenicity was generally seen in infants without perinatal problems.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that cranial ultrasound can be used effectively in a middle‐income country to identify high‐risk infants and monitor quality of care.
Low socio‐economic status associated with unhealthy weight in six‐year‐old Swedish children despite higher levels of physical activity
Authors: Beckvid Henriksson Gabriella , Franzén Sofie , Elinder Liselotte Schäfer , Nyberg Gisela
Published: March 2016

Aim

Socio‐economic status is an important determinant of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and body mass index, but these associations are contradictory in younger children. We investigated the associations between parental socio‐economic status, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and body mass index in six‐year‐old children, to identify possible differences in physical activity between socio‐economic groups.

Methods

The study comprised 621 children from Stockholm suburbs, recruited from, A healthy school start, a cluster‐randomised controlled intervention study. A cross‐sectional study was performed using baseline data. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were assessed by accelerometry, body weight and height were measured, and body mass index was calculated. Sedentary behaviour was also assessed using a questionnaire.

Results

We found that 12% of the study population were overweight and 9% were obese. Children from families with low socio‐economic status were more physically active and slightly less sedentary, but were almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese than children from high socio‐economic status, irrespective of the child's sex.

Conclusion

Low socio‐economic status was associated with higher physical activity, lower sedentary behaviour and an unhealthier weight status compared to high socio‐economic status, suggesting a role of diet as a cause of the higher overweight and obesity prevalence.
Isolation of Enterobacter aerogenes carrying blaTEM‐1 and blaKPC‐3 genes recovered from a hospital Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Pulcrano Giovanna , Pignanelli Salvatore , Vollaro Adriana , Esposito Matilde , Iula Vita Dora , Roscetto Emanuela , Soriano Amata Amy , Catania Maria Rosaria
Published: March 2016

Enterobacter aerogenes has recently emerged as an important hospital pathogen. In this study, we showed the emergence of E. aerogenes isolates carrying the blaKPC gene in patients colonized by carbapenem‐resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Two multiresistant E. aerogenes isolates were recovered from bronchial aspirates of two patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit at the “Santa Maria della Scaletta” Hospital, Imola. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed the high resistance to carbapenems and double‐disk synergy test confirmed the phenotype of KPC and AmpC production. Other investigation revealed that ESBL and blaKPC genes were carried on the conjugative pKpQIL plasmid. This is a relevant report in Italy that describes a nosocomial infection due to the production of KPC beta‐lactamases by an E. aerogenes isolate in patients previously colonized by K. pneumoniae carbapenem‐resistant. In conclusion, it's necessary a continuous monitoring of multidrug‐resistant strains for the detection of any KPC‐producing bacteria that could expand the circulation of carbapenem‐resistant pathogens.
Fenethylline (Captagon) Abuse – Local Problems from an Old Drug Become Universal
Authors: Katselou Maria , Papoutsis Ioannis , Nikolaou Panagiota , Qammaz Samir , Spiliopoulou Chara , Athanaselis Sotiris
Published: March 2016

Fenethylline is a theophylline derivative of amphetamine having stimulant effects similar to those of other amphetamine‐type derivatives. Fenethylline was used as medicament for hyperactivity disorders in children, narcolepsy and depression, but it has also been used as a drug of abuse under the common name of ‘captagon’. Unlike other drugs of abuse, the clandestine synthesis of fenethylline is simple, using inexpensive laboratory instrumentation and raw materials legal to obtain. A review of all the existing knowledge of fenethylline is reported, concerning its chemistry, synthesis, pharmacology and toxicology, legislation, its prevalence and use as drug of abuse, as well as its analysis in biological or seized samples. Published or reported captagon‐related cases and seizures are also presented. All the reviewed information was gathered through a detailed search of PubMed and the Internet. The primary drug market for fenethylline (as captagon) has traditionally been countries located on the Arabian Peninsula but also North Africa since 2013. In Arab countries, millions of captagon tablets are seized every year which represents one‐third of global amphetamines seizures within a year. Furthermore, three of four patients treated for drug problems in Saudi Arabia are addicted to amphetamines, almost exclusively in the form of captagon. Significant information on fenethylline is provided for pharmacologists, toxicologists and forensic pathologists. Fenethylline, although old, has recently been introduced to the drug market, especially in Arab countries. Continuous community alertness is needed to tackle this current growing phenomenon.
The Lithium Battery: assessing the neurocognitive profile of lithium in bipolar disorder
Authors: Malhi Gin S , McAulay Claire , Gershon Samuel , Gessler Danielle , Fritz Kristina , Das Pritha , Outhred Tim
Published: March 2016

Objective

The aim of the present study was to characterize the neurocognitive effects of lithium in bipolar disorder to inform clinical and research approaches for further investigation.

Methods

Key words pertaining to neurocognition in bipolar disorder and lithium treatment were used to search recognized databases to identify relevant literature. The authors also retrieved gray literature (e.g., book chapters) known to them and examined pertinent articles from bibliographies.

Results

A limited number of studies have examined the effects of lithium on neurocognition in bipolar disorder and, although in some domains a consistent picture emerges, in many domains the findings are mixed. Lithium administration appears to reshape key components of neurocognition – in particular, psychomotor speed, verbal memory, and verbal fluency. Notably, it has a sophisticated neurocognitive profile, such that while lithium impairs neurocognition across some domains, it seemingly preserves others – possibly those vulnerable to the effects of bipolar disorder. Furthermore, its effects are likely to be direct and indirect (via mood, for example) and cumulative with duration of treatment. Disentangling the components of neurocognition modulated by lithium in the context of a fluctuating and complex illness such as bipolar disorder is a significant challenge but one that therefore demands a stratified and systematic approach, such as that provided by the Lithium Battery.

Conclusions

In order to delineate the effects of lithium therapy on neurocognition in bipolar disorder within both research and clinical practice, a greater understanding and measurement of the relatively stable neurocognitive components is needed to examine those that indeed change with lithium treatment. In order to achieve this, we propose a Lithium Battery–Clinical and a Lithium Battery–Research that can be applied to these respective settings.
Caregiver burden as a predictor of depression among family and friends who provide care for persons with bipolar disorder
Authors: Perlick Deborah A , Berk Lesley , Kaczynski Richard , Gonzalez Jodi , Link Bruce , Dixon Lisa , Grier Savannah , Miklowitz David J
Published: March 2016

Objectives

Over one‐third of caregivers of people with bipolar disorder report clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. This study examined the causal relationship between depression and caregiver burden in a large sample of caregivers of adult patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods

Participants were 500 primary caregivers of persons with bipolar disorder enrolled in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP‐BD).This study evaluates the strength and direction of the associations between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms at baseline and at six‐ and 12‐month follow‐up using cross‐lagged panel analyses, controlling for the clinical status of patients and sociodemographic variables.

Results

Higher levels of overall caregiver burden at baseline were associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms among caregivers at follow‐up (F = 8.70, df = 1,290, p < 0.001), after controlling for baseline caregiver depression, gender, race, age, social support, and patients’ clinical status. By contrast, caregiver depression at baseline was not significantly associated with caregiver burden at follow‐up (F = 1.65, p = 0.20).

Conclusions

Caregiver burden is a stronger predictor of caregiver depressive symptoms over time than the reverse. Interventions that help alleviate caregiver burden may decrease depressive symptoms.
Trait‐ and state‐dependent cortical inhibitory deficits in bipolar disorder
Authors: Ruiz‐Veguilla Miguel , Martín‐Rodríguez Juan Francisco , Palomar Francisco J , Porcacchia Paolo , Álvarez de Toledo Paloma , Perona‐Garcelán Salvador , Rodríguez‐Testal Juan Francisco , Huertas‐Fernández Ismael , Mir Pablo
Published: March 2016

Objectives

Euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have deficits in cortical inhibition. However, whether cortical inhibitory deficits are trait‐ or state‐dependent impairments is not yet known and their relationship with psychiatric symptoms is not yet understood. In the present study, we examined trait‐ and state‐dependent cortical inhibitory deficits and evaluated the potential clinical significance of these deficits.

Methods

Nineteen patients with bipolar I disorder were evaluated using the paired‐pulse transcranial stimulation protocol, which assessed cortical inhibition during an acute manic episode. Cortical inhibition measures were compared with those obtained in 28 demographically matched healthy controls. A follow‐up assessment was performed in 15 of these patients three months later, when there was remission from their mood and psychotic symptoms. The association between cortical inhibitory measures and severity of psychiatric symptoms was also studied.

Results

During mania, patients showed decreased short‐interval intracortical and transcallosal inhibition, as well as a normal cortical silent period and long‐interval cortical inhibition. These findings were the same during euthymia. Symptoms associated with motor hyperactivity were correlated negatively with the degree of cortical inhibition. These correlations were not significant when a Bonferroni correction was applied.

Conclusions

The present longitudinal study showed cortical inhibitory deficits in patients with BD, and supports the hypothesis that cortical inhibitory deficits in BD are trait dependent. Further research is necessary to confirm the clinical significance of these deficits.
Alterations in pharmacological and behavioural responses in recombinant mouse line with an increased predisposition to catalepsy: role of the 5‐HT1A receptor
Authors: Kulikova E A , Bazovkina D V , Akulov A E , Tsybko A S , Fursenko D V , Kulikov A V , Naumenko V S , Ponimaskin E , Kondaurova E M
Published: March 2016

Background and Purpose

One important syndrome of psychiatric disorders in humans is catalepsy. Here, we created mice with different predispositions to catalepsy and analysed their pharmacological and behavioural properties.

Experimental Approach

Two mouse lines, B6‐M76C and B6‐M76B, were created by transfer of the main locus of catalepsy containing the 5‐HT1A receptor gene to the C57BL/6 genetic background. Behaviour, brain morphology, expression of key components of the serotoninergic system, and pharmacological responses to acute and chronic stimulation of the 5‐HT1A receptor were compared.

Key Results

B6‐M76B mice were not cataleptic, whereas 14% of B6‐M76C mice demonstrated catalepsy and decreased depressive‐like behaviour. Acute administration of the 5‐HT1A receptor agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT resulted in dose‐dependent hypothermia and in decreased locomotion in both lines. Chronic 8‐OH‐DPAT administration abolished the 5‐HT1A receptor‐mediated hypothermic response in B6‐M76C mice and increased locomotor activity in B6‐M76B mice. In addition, 5‐HT metabolism was significantly reduced in the hippocampus of B6‐M76C mice, and this effect was accompanied by an increased expression of the 5‐HT1A receptor.

Conclusions and Implications

Our findings indicate that transfer of the main locus of hereditary catalepsy containing the 5‐HT1A receptor from CBA mice to the C57BL/6 genetic background led to increased postsynaptic and decreased presynaptic functional responses of the 5‐HT1A receptor. This characteristic establishes the B6‐M76C line as an attractive model for the pharmacological screening of 5‐HT1A receptor‐related drugs specifically acting on either pre‐ or postsynaptic receptors.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Updating Neuropathology and Neuropharmacology of Monoaminergic Systems. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v173.13/issuetoc