bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An optimum multiple outcomes sharing model with multiple risk-averse agents
Authors: Hosseinian S. Mahdi , Farahpour Elham , Carmichael David G.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an optimum form of incentive contracts with multiple outcomes and multiple agents.

Design/methodology/approach

Utility theory and principal-agent theory provide the underlying basis for this paper. A sample of 60 practitioners from public organizations and private companies participated in an exercise to validate the proposed model.

Findings

The paper shows that, in outcome sharing contracts, the contributions of agents toward outcomes are positively related, while agent effort costs, outcome uncertainty, outcome correlation and agent level of risk aversion are negatively related. The paper further demonstrates that outcome sharing is positively associated with the level of effort selected by the agents.

Originality/value

Outcome sharing models might be used in construction contracts to encourage the agent to act in the interests of the principal. However, few studies have looked at contracts with multiple outcomes and multiple agents. This paper contributes to the current practice of contract management through simplifying the complex nature of multiple incentive contracts and providing theoretical guidance for multi arrangements.
Autonomous vehicles: a review of the ethical, social and economic implications of the AI revolution
Authors: Banerjee Shweta
Published: November 2020

Purpose

There are ethical, legal, social and economic arguments surrounding the subject of autonomous vehicles. This paper aims to discuss some of the arguments to communicate one of the current issues in the rising field of artificial intelligence.

Design/methodology/approach

Making use of widely available literature that the author has read and summarised showcasing her viewpoints, the author shows that technology is progressing every day. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are at the forefront of technological advancement today. The manufacture and innovation of new machines have revolutionised our lives and resulted in a world where we are becoming increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence.

Findings

Technology might appear to be getting out of hand, but it can be effectively used to transform lives and convenience.

Research limitations/implications

From robotics to autonomous vehicles, countless technologies have and will continue to make the lives of individuals much easier. But, with these advancements also comes something called “future shock”.

Practical implications

Future shock is the state of being unable to keep up with rapid social or technological change. As a result, the topic of artificial intelligence, and thus autonomous cars, is highly debated.

Social implications

The study will be of interest to researchers, academics and the public in general. It will encourage further thinking.

Originality/value

This is an original piece of writing informed by reading several current pieces. The study has not been submitted elsewhere.
Legal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks in Nigerian Islamic finance industry: a review of the literature
Authors: Mustapha Zakariya , Kunhibava Sherin Binti , Muneeza Aishath
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on Islamic financevis-à-vislegal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks in its transactions and judicial dispute resolution in Nigeria. This is with a view to putting forward direction for future studies on the duo of legal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks and their impact in Islamic finance.

Design/methodology/approach

This review is designed as an exploratory study and qualitative methodology is used in examining relevant literature comprising of primary and secondary data while identifying legal risk and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks of Nigeria’s Islamic finance industry. Using the doctrinal approach together with content analysis, relevant Nigerian laws and judicial precedents applicable to Islamic finance practice and related publications were examined in determining the identified risks.

Findings

Undeveloped laws, the uncertainty of Sharīʿah governance and enforceability issues are identified as legal gaps for Islamic finance under the Nigerian legal system. The gaps are inimical to and undermine investor confidence in Nigeria’s Islamic finance industry. The review reveals the necessity of tailor-made Sharīʿah-based regulations in addition to corresponding governance and oversight for a legally safe and Sharīʿah-compliant Islamic finance practice. It brings to light the imperative for mitigating the legal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks associated with Islamic finance operations as crucial for Islamic finance businesses, Islamic finance institutions and their sustainable development.

Research limitations/implications

Based on content analysis, the review is wholly doctrinal and does not involve empirical data. Legal safety and Sharīʿah compliance are not to be compromised in Islamic finance operations. The review would assist relevant regulators and investors in Islamic financial enterprises to understand and determine the impact and potential ramifications of legal safety and Sharīʿah non-compliance on Islamic Finance Institutions.

Practical implications

This study provides an insight into the dimensions and ramifications of legal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks of Nigeria’s Islamic finance industry. This study is premised on the imperative for research studies whose outcome would inform regulations that strike a balance between establishing Islamic financial institution/business and ensuring legal certainty and Sharīʿah compliance of their operations. This study paves way for this kind of research studies.

Originality/value

The findings and discussions provide a guide for regulators and researchers on the identification and mitigation of legal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks in Islamic finance via a literature review. This study, the first of its kind in Nigeria, advances the idea that research into legal and Sharīʿah non-compliance risks of Islamic financial entities is key to mitigating the risks and fostering the entities and their businesses.
Exploring public mood toward commodity markets: a comparative study of user behavior on Sina Weibo and Twitter
Authors: Chen Wenhao , Lai Kin Keung , Cai Yi
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Sina Weibo and Twitter are the top microblogging platforms with billions of users. Accordingly, these two platforms could be used to understand the public mood. In this paper, the authors want to discuss how to generate and compare the public mood on Sina Weibo and Twitter. The predictive power of the public mood toward commodity markets is discussed, and the authors want to solve the problem that how to choose between Sina Weibo and Twitter when predicting crude oil prices.

Design/methodology/approach

An enhanced latent Dirichlet allocation model considering term weights is implemented to generate topics from Sina Weibo and Twitter. Granger causality test and a long short-term memory neural network model are used to demonstrate that the public mood on Sina Weibo and Twitter is correlated with commodity contracts.

Findings

By comparing the topics and the public mood on Sina Weibo and Twitter, the authors find significant differences in user behavior on these two websites. Besides, the authors demonstrate that public mood on Sina Weibo and Twitter is correlated with crude oil contract prices in Shanghai International Energy Exchange and New York Mercantile Exchange, respectively.

Originality/value

Two sentiment analysis methods for Chinese (Sina Weibo) and English (Twitter) posts are introduced, which can be reused for other semantic analysis tasks. Besides, the authors present a prediction model for the practical participants in the commodity markets and introduce a method to choose between Sina Weibo and Twitter for certain prediction tasks.
Innovation and firm growth in agricultural inputs industry: empirical evidence from India
Authors: R L Manogna
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Innovation strategy and its outcomes may be different for agricultural input firms in developing countries than those operating in developed countries; hence, a study of developing economy should be an important addition to the literature which has earlier focussed mainly on developed countries. Indian firms which were previously catering to domestic demand are now the exporters of major agricultural machinery such as tractors and pesticides.

Design/methodology/approach

Rapid growth in demand for the agricultural inputs and improvement in technology implementations have led us to study the performance and transformation of these input industries. An empirical analysis was performed on the listed agricultural input firms during 2001–2019 to investigate the relationship between the R&D efforts and growth of firms in the seed, pesticide, fertiliser and agricultural machinery industries using the system-generalised methods of moments (GMM) technique on the panel of 1,320 firm-year observations.

Findings

The findings reveal that investments in innovations have a positive and lagged effect on the growth of firms in the Indian agricultural inputs industry. A further analysis reveals that younger firms grow faster when they invest in R&D. More specifically, the author finds evidence in the case of the agricultural inputs industry that import of raw materials negatively affects the firms' growth (FG) and export intensity (EI) positively affects the growth in the case of R&D firms. Investments in R&D are also seen to enable firms to reap benefits from externalities present in the industry.

Research limitations/implications

This study suggests that the government should encourage the industries to invest optimally in R&D projects by providing favourable fiscal treatments and R&D subsidies which are observed to have positive effects in various developed countries.

Originality/value

There are very few studies that have explored the impact of R&D expenditure on the firm performance in agricultural inputs industry, especially in an emerging economy context like India.
Inspiring winery experiences to benefit destination branding? Insights from wine tourists at Yantai, China
Authors: Lee Kyuho , Kladou Stella , Usakli Ahmet , Shi Yunxia
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of service quality on the formation of destination brand equity through customer satisfaction at a winery, from the perspective of Chinese wine tourists.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized a survey research design. A convenience sample of 311 visitors to a major winery located in Yantai, China, was surveyed, and 265 useable questionnaires were analyzed. To analyze the data, the study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results of the study reveal that service quality at a winery is a significant determinant of winery satisfaction among Chinese wine tourists, which in turn affects the brand equity of a wine tourism destination.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the growing body of literature focusing on identity-based branding in the context of wine tourism. As such, this study brings together knowledge of a place branding dimension (i.e. destination brand equity), satisfaction and tourism experience at a winery.

Practical implications

The results suggest that the road to favorable assessments of a wine destination brand (macro level) go through a satisfying experience at a winery (micro level). Therefore, the need to co-create the wine experience through various stakeholders' involvement is crucial for the success of wine tourism.

Originality/value

Extant wine studies often highlight western wine tourists' behavior and examine central behavioral constructs such as winery service quality and satisfaction. This study extends previous research by: (1) investigating the issue from Chinese wine tourists' perspective and (2) integrating the destination brand equity of a wine region to current investigations that commonly focus on the service quality of a winery and wine tourists' satisfaction.
“Green” practices as antecedents of functional value, guest satisfaction and loyalty
Authors: Moise Mihaela Simona , Gil-Saura Irene , Ruiz-Molina María-Eugenia
Published: November 2020

Purpose

To respond to the environmental demands of consumers, more and more hotels are increasingly striving to implement sustainable practices to satisfy the requests of environmentally conscious consumers. This paper aims to propose and test the relationship between these “green” initiatives and functional value as perceived by tourists, guest satisfaction and intentions to revisit the hotel and to spread positive word-of-mouth (WOM).

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 378 guests who stayed in a three- and four-star hotel was used. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equational modeling were used to test the proposed model.

Findings

The results of the data analysis indicated that the impact of “green” practices on perceived value, satisfaction, intention to revisit and WOM. In addition, the positive effects of functional value on guest satisfaction and WOM are also confirmed.

Practical implications

Customers' revisit intention is not only created when hotels implement “green” practices, but also when the degree of customer satisfaction with the hotel increases. In this sense, managers are encouraged to pay more attention to environmental initiatives as an essential tool to increase the level of guests' satisfaction.

Originality/value

The study yields several implications that can be helpful for managers while devising green marketing strategies for the hotel sector. The results show that guests tend to develop greater levels of loyalty to a specific hotel when they are satisfied with the services offered by the hotel. In this sense, the environmental measures implemented by companies are a key strategic tool, given their essential role in the construction of perceived value, guest satisfaction as well as WOM and revisit intention.
Commentary on a “unified approach to behaviours that challenge”: implementing evidence-based practice – a clinician’s perspective
Authors: Carnaby Steven
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a commentary on papers in this special edition concerning the implementation of evidence-based practice from a clinician’s perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The commentary makes a number of points drawing on both recent literature and the author’s own experience working as a clinician with children and adults with learning disabilities including those who are autistic whose behaviours can challenge themselves, their parents, carers and support networks.

Findings

Effective implementation requires clinical expertise to operate within a context of collaboration and partnership working, where co-production with those who have lived experience ensures that what clinicians offer resonates and contributes to improvements in quality of life for all.

Originality/value

The paper will be of value to clinicians working alongside children and adults with learning disabilities and their families, particularly clinical psychologists and behaviour specialists, and to other stakeholders wanting to enable and facilitate the development of high-quality support.
Implementation of FCAUP – a framework for conformity assessment inspired by the uncertainty principle
Authors: Moraes Celso Francisco de , Silva Messias Borges , Sawhney Rapinder
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the first practical applications of FCAUP (Framework for Conformity Assessment inspired by the Uncertainty Principle) carried out using a pilot implementation in a boat trailer manufacturer company in Maryville, Tennessee, USA and a practical application in a metrology company in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

Field studies have been conducted in two different companies: a pilot implementation during the preparation activities of the acceptance inspection of finished products and a practical application during the internal audit related to the quality management system.

Findings

(1) partial double inspection is advantageous in conformity assessment; (2) a structured procedure tends to reduce the risks arising from the use of partial double inspection; (3) the recommended amount of double inspections is directly proportional to the uncertainty involved in the process and it is inversely proportional to the degree of trust in a presumed conformity status.

Research limitations/implications

This novel framework is for practitioners in manufacturing industries and test laboratories.

Practical implications

The results of these practical applications suggest that FCAUP is a consistent approach to be used in several categories of conformity assessment in manufacturing industries and test laboratories due to the balance between result and time (cost).

Originality/value

This new framework, named FCAUP, for planning and executing conformity assessment activities has been introduced in a theoretical study published by Moraes and Silva (2018) and it is based on an analogy with the Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Mechanics.
Mental health presentations to a paediatric emergency department
Authors: Tolentino Angelo , Symington Linda , Jordan Faye , Kinnear Frances , Jarvis Mairi
Published: November 2020

Objective

To explore trends in presentation and key performance indicators with respect to children seeking mental health services at The Prince Charles Hospital Children's Emergency Department (TPCH‐CED), Brisbane.

Methods

A retrospective audit was performed utilising data obtained from the local Emergency Department Information System for all mental health presentations between 1 January 2013 and 1 January 2018 to TPCH‐CED.

Results

A total of 1078 children presented to TPCH‐CED requiring mental health review between 2013 and 2018. Mental health presentations almost doubled over the 5 years (185 attendances in 2013; 342 in 2017); however, as a proportion of overall presentations, there was no significant increase. The percentage of mental health presentations meeting the National Emergency Access Target criteria dropped from 63% in 2013 to 39% in 2017 (P < 0.0001). Those requiring a mental health inpatient stay were more likely to have very extended length of stay within the CED. Suicidal ideation was the most common presenting complaint (72% of mental health presentations). Violence and aggression were noted in a consistent proportion of mental health presentations (4.4–12%).

Conclusions

Despite failing to demonstrate an interval increase in the proportion of children presenting to TPCH‐CED requiring mental health services, it is clear that children with mental health needs, like their adult counterparts, disproportionately experience delays to appropriate care when compared with children presenting with other emergency conditions. Ongoing research is warranted to assess standards of care and the impact of mental health presentations on CEDs.
Development of a highly efficient 50K single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping array for the large and complex genome of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) by whole genome resequencing and its transferability to other spruce species
Authors: Bernhardsson Carolina , Zan Yanjun , Chen Zhiqiang , Ingvarsson Pär K. , Wu Harry X.
Published: November 2020

Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) is one of the most important forest tree species with significant economic and ecological impact in Europe. For decades, genomic and genetic studies on Norway spruce have been challenging due to the large and repetitive genome (19.6 Gb with more than 70% being repetitive). To accelerate genomic studies, including population genetics, genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS), in Norway spruce and related species, we here report on the design and performance of a 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping array for Norway spruce. The array is developed based on whole genome resequencing (WGS), making it the first WGS‐based SNP array in any conifer species so far. After identifying SNPs using genome resequencing data from 29 trees collected in northern Europe, we adopted a two‐step approach to design the array. First, we built a 450K screening array and used this to genotype a population of 480 trees sampled from both natural and breeding populations across the Norway spruce distribution range. These samples were then used to select high‐confidence probes that were put on the final 50K array. The SNPs selected are distributed over 45,552 scaffolds from the P. abies version 1.0 genome assembly and target 19,954 unique gene models with an even coverage of the 12 linkage groups in Norway spruce. We show that the array has a 99.5% probe specificity, >98% Mendelian allelic inheritance concordance, an average sample call rate of 96.30% and an SNP call rate of 98.90% in family trios and haploid tissues. We also observed that 23,797 probes (50%) could be identified with high confidence in three other spruce species (white spruce [Picea glauca], black spruce [P. mariana] and Sitka spruce [P. sitchensis]). The high‐quality genotyping array will be a valuable resource for genetic and genomic studies in Norway spruce as well as in other conifer species of the same genus.
Geochemistry and Geochronology of OIB‐type Early Jurassic Magmatism in the Zhangguangcai Range, NE China, as a Result of Continental Back‐arc Extension
Authors: FENG Guangying , DILEK Yildirim , NIU Xiaolu , LIU Fei , YANG Jingsui
Published: November 2020

The Zhangguangcai Range in the Xing'an(Hinggan) Mongolian Orogenic Belt, NE China, contains Early Jurassic (c. 188 Ma) Dabaizigou (DBZG) porphyritic dolerite. Compared with other island‐arc mafic rocks, the DBZG dolerite is characterized by high trace‐element contents, relatively weak Nb and Ta enrichments, and no Zr, Hf or Ti depletions, similar to OIB‐type rocks. Analysed rocks have (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.7033–0.7044, relatively uniform positive ∊Nd(t) values of 2.3–3.2 and positive ∊Hf(t) values of 8.5–17.1. Trace‐element and isotopic modelling indicates that the DBZG mafic rocks were generated by partial melting of asthenospheric mantle under garnet‐to spinel‐facies conditions. The occurrence of OIB‐like mafic intrusion suggests significant upwelling of the asthenosphere in response to lithospheric attenuation caused by continental rifting. These processes occurred in an incipient continental back‐arc environment in the upper plate of a palaeo‐Pacific slab subducting W–NW beneath East Asia.
Peperites Associated Pillow Lavas within Ophiolites and New Insight to Tectonic Setting: Comparative Study between Oman and West Junggar of China
Authors: GUO Zhaojie
Published: November 2020

Peperites are generated by magma intruding and mingling with wet unconsolidated or poorly consolidated sediments. Late Paleozoic peperites have been identified in the Darbut and Baijiantan ophiolitic belts at West Junggar, NW China. The peperites form successions up to 500 m thick interbedded with basaltic lava (sometimes pillow lava) and sedimentary rocks (i.e. limestones). The peperites are described and interpreted as resulting from basaltic lava bulldozed into wet, unconsolidated sediments at their basal contacts. The peperite‐bearing units are generally undeformed, occurring in continuous stratigraphic sections distributed regionally over a distance of 100 km on either side of the Darbut and Baijiantan ophiolitic belts, in contrast to the highly deformed slices of ophiolite. They demonstrate that the Darbut and Baijiantan ophiolitic belts should not be interpreted as significant plate boundaries and represent the underlying ocean crust uplifted along tectonic lineaments within a continuous shallow remnant ocean basin. Jordan et al. (2008) reported an occurrence of peperite in the Oman—United Arab Emirates (UAE) border region. In this border area the field relations of the pillow lavas surrounded by limestone with deformed bedding and peperite boundaries between the pillows and the limestone are consistent with the pillow lavas forming directly within carbonate sediments. The pillow lavas in Oman‐ UAE border area likely have formed as intrusions into water‐saturated carbonate sediments deposited along the edges of seamounts. Based on the comparative study on the peperites associated pillow lavas within ophiolites between West Junggar and Oman, this paper proposes that the ophiolites with peperites associated pillow lavas surrounded by limestone were not formed in a typical ocean basin, but a shallow remnant ocean basin.
Distribution of the Pan‐African Domains in East Antarctica and Adjacent Areas
Authors: REN Liudong , ZONG Shi , WANG Yanbin , LI Chong
Published: November 2020

The Pan‐African event is widely distributed in East Antarctica craton. Many terranes or outcrops of the craton bear more or less signs of the event. From characteristics of the shear zones, granites, pegmatites, feature and time of high grade metamorphism and detrital zircon ages peaks of the downflowing sediments from the plateau, the Pan‐African event in the East Antarctica and adjacent areas in the Gondwana reconstruction, like SE Africa, southern India and SW Australia, wasdistributed as special zones or areas in many localities, including both the coastal regions and interior of the East Antarctica. In geochemistry, the granites are generally anorogenic, ocassionally with some gabbros or dolerite dykes, showing sign of bi‐modal feature. The water or fluid available along the shear zones were responsible for retrogression of the earlier, e.g., Grenville age, high grade outcrops to later Pan‐African amphibolite facies metamorphism. Meanwhile, the Pan‐African event has influenced most isotopic systems, including the U‐Pb, Sm‐Nd, Rb‐Sr and Ar‐Ar systems, giving younger apparent ages. Manifestation of the Pan‐African event is distributed from possibly locally granitic magmatism, to wider medium‐high grade metamorphism, and mostly widespread in resetting for some isotope systems, suggesting the prevailing thermal effect.

Before Gondwana formation, local depressions in the East Antarctica could be filled with sediments, implying the initial breakup period of the Rodinia. The later Pan‐Gondwana counterrotating cogs shaped the interstitial fold belts between continent blocks and formed a set of shear zones. The mafic underplating in the Gondwana may be responsible for the widespread granites, pegmatites and more or less isotopic resetting due to strong thermal effect from the deep. That is, the Pan‐African event is a possible response of the plate movement surrounding the continent swarms in the non‐stable interior of theyet consolidated Gondwana. The Pan‐African event may be an overwhelmingly extensional and transcurrent tectonics in mechanism.
From Mantle Transition Zone with Microstructures: A New Paradigm in Ophiolite Studies
Authors: DAS Souvik
Published: November 2020

The SE Ladakh (India) area displays one of the best ‐preserved ophiolite sections in this planet, in places up to 10 km thick, along the southern bank of the Indus River. Recently, in situ ultra‐high pressure (UHP) microstructural evidences from mantle transition zone (MTZ ∼ 410–660 km) with diamond and reduced fluids were discovered from two peridotite bodies in the basal mantle part of this Indus ophiolite (Das et al., 2015; 2017). Ultrahigh‐pressure phases were also found by early workers from podiform chromitites of another equivalent Neo–Tethyan ophiolite in southern Tibet (e.g., Yang et al., 2007; Yamamoto et al., 2009). However, the MTZ phases in the Indus ophiolite are found in silicate peridotites not metallic chromitites and the peridotitic UHP phases show systematic and contiguous phase transitions from the MTZ to shallower depth, unlike the discrete ultrahigh‐pressure inclusions, all in Tibetan chromitites. The gradual change in oxygen fugacity (fo2) and fluid composition from (C‐H + H2) to (CO2 + H2O) in the upwelling peridotitic mantle causing melting to produce MORB. At shallow depths (< 100 km) the free water stabilizes into hydrous phases, such as amphiboles and serpentines, capable of storing water and prevent melting (Fig. 1). The results from Indus ophiolite provide unique insights into deep sub‐oceanic mantle processes, and link deep mantle upwelling and MORB genesis (Fig. 1).

The tectonic setting of Neo‐Tethyan ophiolites has been a difficult problem since the birth of plate tectonics concept. This problem for the origin of ophiolites in mid‐ocean ridge versus supra subduction‐zone settings clearly confused the Geoscience community. However, Indian Ocean –type isotopic characteristics are present in Neo‐Tethyan ophiolites (Zhang et al., 2005). Recently, continental materials (quartz, k‐feldspar etc.) bearing old zircons (up to 2700 Ma) are also recovered from UHP chromitite of Tibetan ophiolite (Yamamoto et al., 2013). Eventually, the presence of older continental material can produce non‐MORB like basalts in Neo‐Tethyan ophiolites in mid‐oceanic‐ridge following the “historical contingency” model (Moores et al., 2000).
The Ren Co MOR‐type Ophiolite in the North‐central Tibetan Plateau: A Fast‐spreading Ridge Segment of the Meso‐Tethys Ocean?
Authors: TANG Yue , ZHAI Qingguo , HU Peiyuan , XIAO Xuchang
Published: November 2020

The Meso‐Tethys Ocean is generally considered to have opened in the late Early Permian as a result of the Cimmerian continental block drifting away from the Gondwana supercontinent. This ocean is also termed the north branch of the Neo‐Tethys Ocean, and is now represented by the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone in the north‐central Tibetan plateau. However, it is still unknown for the evolutionary history for as such a huge ancient ocean basin.

Ophiolites are remnants of oceanic lithosphere and preserve key information in rebuilding the evolutionary history of ancient oceans. In this study, we undertook detailed geological mapping for the Ren Co ophiolite in the middle part of the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone, and a typical Penrose‐type ophiolite sequences was newly documented in the Ren Co area. The Ren Co ophiolite comprises serpentinized peridotite, cumulate rock, gabbro/diabase, sheeted dike, massive and pillow lavas, and minor red chert. These rocks exhibit well‐preserved mantle and crust rock suites, and show close similarities to oceanic lithospheres at modern fast‐spreading ridges. Zircon U–Pb dating for gabbro and plagiogranite yielded ages of 169–147 Ma, which suggest that the Ren Co ophiolites were formed during the Middle to Late Jurassic. Harzburgite in the Ren Co area shows similar features to those of abyssal peridotite indicating the residues of the oceanic mantle. Mafic rocks (basalt, diabase and gabbro) of the Ren Co ophiolite show geochemical features similar to those of typical N‐MORB. Moreover, all samples have positive whole‐rock ∊Nd(t), and zircon ∊Hf(t) and mantle‐like δ18O values. These features suggest that these rocks were derived from a depleted mantle source, thus the Ren Co ophiolite was typical MOR‐type ophiolite. We suggest that the Ren Co ophiolite was formed in a fast‐spreading mid‐ocean‐ridge (MOR) setting, and they most likely represented the ridge segment of the Bangong‐Nujiang Meso‐Tethys Ocean. The Bangong–Nujiang Meso‐Tethys Ocean was a wide paleo‐ocean, and experienced continuous oceanic spreading, subduction, accretion before final Lhasa and South Qiangtang continental assembly.
Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphism and Tectonic Evolution of Southwestern Tianshan Orogenic Belt, China: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: ZHANG Lifei , WANG Yang , ZHANG Lijuan , LÜ Zeng
Published: November 2020

Recently, a huge ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt of oceanic‐type has been recognized in southwestern (SW) Tianshan, China. Petrological studies show that the UHP metamorphic rocks of SW Tianshan orogenic belt include mafic eclogites and blueschists, pelitic garnet phengite schists, marbles and serpentinites. The well‐preserved coesite inclusions were commonly found in eclogites, garnet phengite schists and marbles. Ti‐clinohumite and Ti‐chondrodite have been identified in UHP metamorphic serpentinites. Based on the PT pseudosection calculation and combined U‐Pb zircon dating, the P‐T‐t path has been outlined as four stages: cold subduction to UHP conditions before∼320 Ma whose peak ultrahigh pressure is about 30 kbar at 500 °C, heating decompression from the Pmax to the Tmax stage before 305 Ma whose peak temperature is about 600 °C at 22 kbar, then the early cold exhumation from amphibolite eclogite facies to epidote‐amphibolite facies metamorphism before 220 Ma and the last tectonic exhumation from epidote amphibolite facies to greenschist facies metamorphism. Combining with the syn‐subduction arc‐like 333‐326 Ma granitic rocks and 280‐260 Ma S‐type granites in the coeval low‐pressure and high‐temperature (LP‐HT) metamorphic belt, the tectonic evolution of Tianshan UHP metamorphic belt during late Cambrian to early Triassic has been proposed in this paper.
Teawords: Experiments with Quality in Indian Tea Production
Authors: Besky Sarah
Published: November 2020

The identification of distinguishing characteristics of commodities—a process known as “qualification”—frequently involves the use of specialized lexicons. Before Indian teas are auctioned, brokers evaluate them using a glossary of some one hundred and fifty English words. This glossary was devised at the end of the British colonial period by industrial chemists who aimed to subject the aesthetic judgments of brokers to experimental scrutiny. “Teawords” formed part of a late colonial effort to ensure the circulation of “quality” tea from plantation to market. After India's independence, Indian brokers and plantation managers continued this effort. Like other vocabularies for describing comestible commodities, teawords performatively reproduce gendered and classed distinctions, but they do much more. When they circulate among brokers and managers, teawords subject plantation conditions to experimental adjustment. As a form of linguistic and material experimentation, qualification extends colonial norms of valuation—and the institution of the plantation itself—into contemporary capitalist circuits. [capitalism, food, taste, value, India]
Law, politics, and efficacy at the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: GREENBERG JESSICA
Published: November 2020

Why do people experience legal institutions as effective sites for political and social transformation? How do people translate political and ethical goals into modalities of law? In Europe many have responded to a widespread sense of political crisis by turning to legal remedies and judicial institutions. One of these institutions, the European Court of Human Rights, provides shared frameworks for combating people's sense of impasse or decline. People experience the Court as a successful rights institution because it shapes and generates shared semiotic forms and repertoires. Through these, lawyers, judges, and rights advocates construct and recognize their actions as efficacious. Yet the experience of efficacy is an unequally shared resource. For some, legal frameworks are the condition of possibility for ethical and professional engagement. But for others, engaging with the law produces frustration and exclusion. Moreover, engaging in judicialized politics shapes some harms as legally legible and actionable, while it shapes others as tragedies beyond reach. [law,politics,liberalism,judicialization of politics,justice,human rights,efficacy,metapragmatics,Europe]
The history of the Higher Education Research Group of the UK Royal Geographical Society: The changing status and focus of geography education in the academy
Authors: Healey Ruth L. , France Derek , Hill Jennifer , West Harry
Published: November 2020

The opening paper in our special section sets the scene for the discussions that follow by evidencing and reflecting on the history of the Higher Education Research Group. We report on the purpose of the Group when it was established in the late 1970s as the Higher Education Learning Working Party, and trace its development to late 2019 when its members voted to change the name of the Group to the Geography and Education Research Group. Through a systematic analysis of the annual reports published in Area (from 1980 to 1994) and the minutes of the Annual General Meetings (from 1998 to 2019), alongside personal correspondence with former members of the Committee, we explore the history of the Group. We contend that the Group has passed through four distinct phases related to the broader geography and education context. The recent re‐naming of the Group to publicly codify and celebrate the diversity of links between geography and education represents a fifth phase in the Group’s evolution. Throughout its history, the Group has had strong connections with geographies (and geographers) of education across a range of sectoral levels, indicating that this fifth evolutionary phase aligns well with the Group’s original purpose and vision.
Sulfate conjugation may be the key to hepatotoxicity in paracetamol overdose
Authors: Li Jingyun , Chiew Angela L. , Isbister Geoffrey K. , Duffull Stephen B.
Published: November 2020

Paracetamol‐induced hepatotoxicity is the leading cause of acute liver failure in many countries, including North America and the United Kingdom. Among the three dominant paracetamol metabolism pathways (i.e. glucuronidation, sulfation and oxidation), the importance of sulfation is often underestimated because of the general thinking that the sulfation pathway is saturated at therapeutic doses and ultimately accounts for a limited proportion of the fate of a paracetamol dose. We illustrate that insufficient sulfation leads to a shift in biotransformation of paracetamol to toxic oxidation pathways and patients with low sulfate reserves are at higher risk of paracetamol toxicity. Here, we propose that sulfation is of critical importance in understanding the risk of liver toxicity secondary to paracetamol overdose. Serum inorganic sulfate, a measurable substrate on the causal path of paracetamol‐induced liver toxicity, should be considered a biomarker for potential toxicity as well as a target for treatment.
Diagnostic characterization of respiratory allergies by means of a multiplex immunoassay
Authors: Millen J L M , Willems I , Slingers G , Raes M , Koppen G , Langie S A S
Published: November 2020

Allergic sensitization is commonly assessed in patients by performing the skin prick test (SPT) or determining specific immunoglobulin (IgE) levels in blood samples with the ImmunoCAP™ assay, which measures each allergen and sample separately. This paper explores the possibility to investigate respiratory allergies with a high throughput method, the Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) multiplex immunoassay, measuring IgE levels in low volumes of blood. The MSD multiplex immunoassay, developed and optimized with standards and allergens from Radim Diagnostics, was validated against the SPT and the ImmunoCAP assay. For 18 adults (15 respiratory allergy patients and three controls), blood collection and the SPT were performed within the same hour. Pearson correlations and Bland–Altman analysis showed high comparability of the MSD multiplex immunoassay with the SPT and the ImmunoCAP assay, except for house dust mite. The sensitivity of the MSD multiplexed assay was ≥78% for most allergens compared to the SPT and ImmunoCAP assay. Additionally, the specificity of the MSD multiplex immunoassay was ≥ 87% – the majority showing 100% specificity. Only the rye allergen had a low specificity when compared to the SPT, probably due to cross-reactivity. The reproducibility of the MSD multiplex immunoassay, assessed as intra- and interassay reproducibility and biological variability between different sampling moments, showed significantly high correlations (r = 0·943–1) for all tested subjects (apart from subject 13; r = 0·65–0·99). The MSD multiplex immunoassay is a reliable method to detect specific IgE levels against respiratory allergens in a multiplexed and high-throughput manner, using blood samples as small as from a finger prick.
Odontoma associated with mandibular transmigrated canine in a geriatric patient: Second case report
Authors: Brooks John K. , Kim Eunlim , Tran Linh T. , Vieira Christopher A. , Price Jeffery B.
Published: November 2020

Objective

This report discusses the clinical relevance of a novel case of an odontoma and transmigrated canine in the setting of florid cemento‐osseous dysplasia (COD), hypercementosis and moderate to severe periodontitis in a 66‐year‐old patient.

Background

An odontoma may infrequently impede tooth eruption and rarely has been implicated with canine transmigration. COD is a benign fibro‐osseous lesion associated with decreased vascularity and poorer surgical intervention.

Materials and methods

A partially edentulous woman, in no acute distress, underwent clinical and radiographic evaluation in pursuit of comprehensive dental care.

Results

Radiographic assessment demonstrated multiple occult pathologies of the mandible, including compound odontoma, canine transmigration, florid COD, hypercementosis and moderate to severe periodontitis, a concurrence thought to be previously unreported. Furthermore, the presence of the odontoma and transmigrated canine is apparently the second reported case in the geriatric population.

Conclusions

The attending clinician should carefully weigh removal of an impacted and transmigrated canine associated with an odontoma in the setting of COD and compromised bone, particularly in older individuals. When surgical intervention is deferred in these clinical situations, patients should continue to be monitored for clinical and radiographic development of pathologic processes.
Kinetics of ultrasonic extraction of polyphenols, anthocyanins and tannins from five different New Zealand grape pomaces
Authors: Zhao Yanqiao , Tran Khanh , Brennan Margaret , Brennan Charles
Published: November 2020

Polyphenols were extracted from five kinds of New Zealand grape pomace (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gerwurztraminer, Merlot and Pinot Noir) at 30, 50 and 70 °C in an ultrasonic generator. The extraction kinetics for total phenol, anthocyanin and tannin were determined. The results of dynamics study showed that the extraction of total polyphenols, anthocyanin and tannin followed first‐order reaction kinetics during the extraction at 30, 50 and 70 °C. The total phenolic content, anthocyanin conten, and tannin content of water–ethanol extracts from grape pomaces were compared, and the parameters in the extraction kinetics equations were determined. The extraction results showed that the Pinot Noir pomace extract had the highest total phenolic content of 59.95 mg GAE g−1 pomace and tannin content of 79.93 mg EE g−1 pomace. The anthocyanin content in Merlot pomace extract was the highest, which was 4.50 CE g−1 pomace. The results might be of great significance for the development of grape pomace or its polyphenol and/or anthocyanin components as an antioxidant source with natural and inexpensive benefits.
Time to Stop the Tragedy in Spanish Nursing Homes During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Bernabeu‐Wittel Maximo , Gómez‐Huelgas Ricardo , Nieto‐Martín Dolores ,   SEMI‐COVID‐19 Network
Published: November 2020

This letter comments on the article by Joseph Ouslander.
Novel complex of cosmetic ingredients with promising action in preventing hair loss and follicular aging through mechanism involving enrichment of WNT/signaling, mitochondrial activity, and stem cells maintenance
Authors: Honda Igarashi Mamy , da Silva Sheila Gomes , Mercuri Maurizio , Zuardi Flávia Macedo de Oliveira Neves , Facchini Gustavo , da Silva Gustavo Henrique , Lucia Tabarini Alves Pinheiro Ana , Eberlin Samara
Published: November 2020

Background

Mechanisms involved in hair metabolism are diverse, and the availability of ingredients that normalize dysfunctions or mitigate the effects of extrinsic stress suffered daily is greatly desired by consumers to improve the aesthetic appearance of hair.

Aims

In this work, we carried out a preclinical exploratory approach to evaluate the effects of a complex of nanoencapsulated active ingredients (AcPi), as well as a cosmetic formulation containing AcPi (ShPi and HtPi) in mechanisms involving hair loss and follicular aging.

Methods

Human hair follicle dermal papilla cells and human scalp culture were treated with AcPi, ShPi, or HtPi and stimulated with UV radiation or testosterone for further measurement of mitochondrial biogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), β‐catenin, dyhidrotestosterone (DHT), collagen XVIIα1 (COL17A1), and cutaneous permeation.

Results

Our results demonstrated that AcPi prevents oxidative stress and balances mitochondial activity disturbed by exposure to UV radiation. AcPi also promoted an enrichment of WNT/β‐catenin signaling pathway, stimulating hair growth, and lengthening the anagen phase of hair cycle. ShPi and HtPi were able to prevent hair aging, minimizing the excessive degradation of COL17A1 in hair follicle exposed to UV radiation, in addition to controlling androgenic metabolism by reducing DHT production.

Conclusion

The integral effects of AcPi have not been completely elucidated; however, these results, associated with clinical evidences, allow us to infer that this ingredient prevents follicular aging, miniaturization, and consequently hair loss by mechanisms involving energetic homeostasis maintenance, antioxidant, and anti‐androgenic actions.
Evaluating Telehealth Adoption and Related Barriers Among Hospitals Located in Rural and Urban Areas
Authors: Chen Jie , Amaize Aitalohi , Barath Deanna
Published: November 2020

Purpose

To assess telehealth adoption among hospitals located in rural and urban areas, and identify barriers related to enhanced telehealth capabilities in the areas of patient engagement and health information exchange (HIE) capacity with external providers and community partners.

Methods

We used the 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey and IT Supplement Survey. We applied state fixed effects multivariate analyses and Oaxaca decomposition to estimate the variation of outcomes of interest by hospital geographies.

Findings

Our research showed substantial differences in telehealth adoption among hospitals located in rural, micropolitan, and metropolitan areas, where adoption rates increase with urbanicity. Rural hospitals were least likely to have telehealth systems with patient engagement capabilities such as the ability to view their health information online and electronically transmit medical information to a third party. They were also the least likely to report that clinical information was available electronically from outside providers. Our model explained 65% of the rural/urban difference in telehealth adoption, 55% of the number of telehealth services adopted, and 43%‐49% of the rural/urban difference in telehealth barriers.

Conclusion

Findings demonstrated significant barriers to telehealth use among hospitals located in rural and urban areas. For rural hospitals, barriers include lack of HIE capacity among health care providers in the community, and lack of patient engagement capability.