bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Financial literacy among youth
Authors: Garg Neha , Singh Shveta
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the level of financial literacy among youth in the world based on previous studies. The study, particularly, focus at how socio-economic and demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status and income influence financial literacy level of youth and whether there is any interrelationship between financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour. Strong endeavour of the world economies to improve the financial well-being of their citizens has contributed to the rising importance of financial literacy as it equips the individuals to take quality financial decisions to enhance their financial well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

This literature review consists of seven key sections. The first section of this paper reviews the conceptual definitions of youth. Second part summarises the literature on financial literacy. Third, fourth and fifth section summarises the literature on the components of financial literacy, i.e. financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour, respectively. Sixth section reviews the empirical studies on the influence of socio-economic and demographic factors on financial literacy level. Seventh section summarises the literature on interrelationship between financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour.

Findings

The study reveals that the financial literacy level among youth is low across the most part of the world that has become a cause of concern. Also, it has been observed that various socio-economic and demographic factors such as age, gender, income, marital status and educational attainment influence the financial literacy level of youth and there exists an interrelationship between financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour.

Originality/value

Youth have to live a longer life ahead, thus, the decisions taken by them are going to affect them for a longer period of time, making it imperative for them to develop an understanding of the world of finance so as to avoid wrong choice of financial products. Thus, financial literacy is of significant relevance. This paper aims to understand the influence of various factors influencing the financial literacy as understanding the factors that contribute to or detract from the acquisition of financial literacy among youth can help in making policy interventions targeted at youth to enhance their financial well-being.
A cross-national study of intergenerational influence: US and PRC
Authors: Mandrik Carter , Bao Yeqing , Wang Sijun
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the intergenerational influence across dyads of mothers and daughters from the USA and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), with a particular interest in discovering the cross-national differences in terms of the level of mother–daughter brand preference agreement, the directional influence from daughter to mother and leading factors for the observed differences.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a parallel survey method, responses were obtained regarding participants’ brand preferences, as well as their perceptions of their dyad partners’ preferences, for 20 product categories. A total of 76 dyads in the USA and 114 dyads in the PRC were collected.

Findings

Results not only confirmed the existence of intergenerational influence in mother–daughter dyads’ brand preferences after removing the nominal bias that previous studies commonly suffered but also suggested two interesting cross-national differences. Specifically, the authors find that US mother–daughter dyads possess a higher level of brand preference agreement than their PRC counterparts; however, the influence from daughters to mothers in the PRC is greater than in the USA. The authors further find that two potential leading factors contribute to the observed cross-national differences; mother–daughter communication is stronger but less influential in the USA than in the PRC, while children’s peer influence, measured as information influence of peers, is weaker but more influential in the USA than in the PRC.

Research limitations/implications

Understanding intergeneration influences in different cultural contexts may be applicable in developing communication strategies leading to brand preference.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the consumer socialization literature by examining the cross-national differences of intergenerational influence in brand preferences and their leading causes of such differences in the context of the two biggest economies.
Spirituality, consumer ethics, and sustainability: the mediating role of moral identity
Authors: Rodriguez-Rad Carlos J. , Ramos-Hidalgo Encarnacion
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of moral identity on the relations between the independent variable of spirituality and the original consumer ethics scale (OCES) and attitudes towards doing good and recycling practices of the consumer.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the various hypotheses of the model, the methodology used is that of partial least squares (PLS) path-modelling, which is a variance-based structural equation modelling (SEM).

Findings

This research reveals a full mediation of the construct of moral identity in the relationship between spirituality and doing good/recycling practices, and the rejection of those who do not perform these practices that are responsible from the point of view of sustainability. In addition, the existence is shown of a partial mediation of the construct of moral identity in the relationship between spirituality and consumer ethics scale (CES).

Practical implications

It is demonstrated that the main effect on the attitude of consumers towards the consumption of products and services of companies whose behaviour is responsible towards sustainability is mainly motivated by having a high standard of ethical and moral values and such strong beliefs, such as those of honesty, kindness, generosity and compassion. The main implication of this investigation is that the authors’ results suggest that the identification of these types of consumers would constitute an effective marketing strategy and an important variable of segmentation.

Originality value

This research is unique in two ways. First, this study proposes a model that provides a solution to the research problems caused by the incorporation of a fifth dimension into the OCES. Second, this paper is the first to investigate the role played by the moral identity as a mediator between the relationship of spirituality and attitudes towards unethical behaviour and doing good/recycling practices.
Labor at the Taylor Society
Authors: Schachter Hindy Lauer
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add information on which voices contributed to the scientific management narrative from Frederick Taylor’s 1915 death to the early 1930s with a focus on the role of labor union representatives. The strategy is to analyze the role of labor representatives as participants in Taylor Society meetings and publications. The research contributes to the management history literature by bolstering the picture of the Taylor Society as a liberal, pro-labor organization. The research also shows that the Taylor Society was an early proponent of the idea that assembling diverse groups for dialogue improves organizational problem-solving.

Design/methodology/approach

The research analyzes historical sources including all issues of the Society’s bulletin from 1914 to 1933 and unpublished material from the Morris Cooke papers and the papers in the Frederick Taylor archive at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Findings

Taylor Society leaders took a proactive view of encouraging labor voices to join managers and academics in society meetings. At the beginning, few labor leaders spoke at the society, and often, at least some of their comments were critical of scientific management. By 1925, labor participation increased with William Green, American Federation of Labor (AFL) president appearing several times. In addition, labor leaders became positively inclined toward having scientific management experts working in industrial settings. The labor leaders who participated at Taylor Society meetings in the late 1920s and early 1930s considered scientific management insights as useful for labor and wanted to cooperate with the researchers.

Originality/value

The paper augments a revisionist view of interwar scientific management as progressive and pro-labor, a contested point in the management history literature. The research also shows how the Taylor Society was an early proponent of the importance of diversity, at least in the areas of gender and socioeconomic status, for effective problem-solving.
Self-harm: from risk management to relational and recovery-oriented care
Authors: Morrissey Jean , Doyle Louise , Higgins Agnes
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the discourses that shape nurses’ understanding of self-harm and explore strategies for working with people who self-harm in a relational and a recovery-oriented manner.

Design/methodology/approach

Self-harm is a relatively common experience for a cohort of people who present to the mental health services and is, therefore, a phenomenon that mental health nurses will be familiar with. Traditionally, however, mental health nurses’ responses to people who self-harm have been largely framed by a risk adverse and biomedical discourse which positions self-harm as a “symptom” of a diagnosed mental illness, most often borderline personality disorder.

Findings

This has led to the development of largely unhelpful strategies to eliminate self-harm, often in the absence of real therapeutic engagement, which can have negative outcomes for the person. Attitudes towards those who self-harm amongst mental health nurses can also be problematic, particularly when those who hurt themselves are perceived to be attention seeking and beyond help. This, in turn, has a negative impact on treatment outcomes and future help-seeking intentions.

Research limitations/implications

Despite some deficiencies in how mental health nurses respond to people who self-harm, it is widely recognised that they have an important role to play in self-harm prevention reduction and harm minimisation.

Practical implications

By moving the focus of practice away from the traditional concept of “risk” towards co-constructed collaborative safety planning, mental health nurses can respond in a more embodied individualised and sensitive manner to those who self-harm.

Originality/value

This paper adds further knowledge and understanding to assist nurses’ understanding and working with people who self-harm in a relational and a recovery-oriented manner.
Violence risk assessment and management in mental health: a conceptual, empirical and practice critique
Authors: Callaghan Patrick , Grundy Andrew
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirical, epistemological and conceptual challenges and clinical narratives in the application of risk assessment and management in mental health.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a narrative review of empirical, conceptual and clinical literature.

Findings

The worldwide prevalence of violence in mental health settings remains high. Risk assessment and management approaches, while well intentioned as an attempt to reduce harm and increase people’s safety, have negligible effect on both. They are invariably individual centric, ignore wider environmental, societal and behavioural influences that foment violence and have a stigmatising effect on people using mental health services. They also reinforce the myth that people who are mentally unwell threaten society and that through current risk assessment and management approaches, we can minimise this threat.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need to reconsider the study and application of violence risk assessment in mental health.

Practical implications

The practice of risk assessment and management in mental health is marred by an overuse of risk assessment measures that are limited in their predictive efficacy. As a result, they have little value in preventing, reducing and/or managing harm. The language of risk punishes and stigmatises service users and reinforces the image of menace. An alternative language of safety may nourish and protect. A collaborative approach to safety assessment based upon recovery-focussed principles and practices may fuse professionals and service users’ horizons. Combining service users’ self-perception, professionals’ sound clinical judgement, assisted by electronically derived risk algorithms and followed by evidence-based risk management interventions, may lessen the threat to service users, reduce harm and transform the practice of violence risk assessment and management.

Social implications

Risk appraisals discriminate against the small number of people who have a mental illness and are risky, an example of preventive detention that is ethically questionable. On the basis of the limitations of the predictive efficacy of actuarial measures, it is ethically dubious to subject people to interventions with limited benefits. Risk assessment processes tend to reinforce stigma by classifying individuals as risky, sanctioning society’s prejudices and fear through scientific authority.

Originality/value

The increasing focus on risk assessment and management to tackle violence in mental health is fraught with empirical, conceptual and practical concerns; the authors have suggested ways in which these concerns can be addressed without compromising people’s safety.
Rethinking risk: a narrative approach
Authors: Felton Anne , Stickley Theo
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The assessment and management of risk is central to contemporary mental health practice. The emergence of recovery has contributed to demands for more service user centred approaches to risk. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of narrative as a framework for understanding risk and safety in mental health care.

Design/methodology/approach

Narrative theory is adopted to structure a debate examining the potential role of a narrative approach to risk assessment and inform future practice.

Findings

There is a danger that even within services, people with mental health problems are understood in terms of their riskiness perpetuating an image of service users as “dangerous others”. This is confounded by a disconnection with individual context in the risk assessment process. Narrative centralizes the persons’ subjective experience and provides a contemporaneous self-account of their identity. This situates risk within a context and creates possibility for greater understanding of coping, strengths and resilience.

Originality/value

There has been a call for new ways of working with risk in mental health which facilitate safety and recovery. There is limited examination of what this might actually look like. This paper presents narrative as an approach that may achieve these aims.
How leadership matters in organizational innovation: a perspective of openness
Authors: Jia Xiao , Chen Jin , Mei Liang , Wu Qian
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to answer the following two questions: What are the influences of the top managers’ different leadership styles on organizational innovation? What is the mechanism by which the different leaderships exert different effects on organizational innovation?

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypothesized model, a data set based on 133 MBA part-time students from Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University in China was built, after interviewing several top managers as a pilot study. With the help of SPSS macro, hierarchical regression and bootstrapping analysis, the paper analyzes the effects of two leadership styles on innovation performance, through the mediation mechanism of openness involving open breadth and open depth.

Findings

The results indicate that transformational leadership enhances, while transactional leadership reduces, the organizational innovation performance. The openness breadth and openness depth not only mediate the beneficial effect of transformational leadership on innovation, but also mediate the deleterious effect of transactional leadership on innovation.

Originality/value

This study empirically explores the different functions of transformational leadership and transactional leadership for leading organizational innovation performance. Furthermore, a new form of organization is an open design or strategy that allows more external knowledge and resources to be absorbed, which is claimed as a new paradigm for organization innovation. This study integrates the concepts of breadth of openness and depth of openness on the basis of open innovation literature, as an intermediate mechanism to explain the different effects of the two forms of top managers’ leadership.
Are new organisations at the cutting edge of employment relations innovation?
Authors: Peetz David , Muurlink Olav , Townsend Keith , Wilkinson Adrian , Brabant Madeleine
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in the degree of innovation in employment relations (ER) between emerging and established firms,

Design/methodology/approach

A large national telephone survey (N=1,416) of both emerging (<5 years) and established firms was conducted.

Findings

Emerging firms were more casualised, less unionised, and experiencing higher levels of market expansion and unpredictability. Despite these differences, younger firms showed otherwise remarkable similarity to older firms across a range of ER practices, and both categories showed a reliance on business networks, rather formal training, for ER knowledge. While introducing ER changes more rapidly than older (and larger) firms, they were converging towards a suite of ER practices similar to that adopted by older firms. The results suggest that, if anything, established firms may have been engaged in greater innovation in more unusual ER practices.

Research limitations/implications

Only managers were surveyed. The data are cross-sectional rather than longitudinal. As the study was undertaken in only one country, replication in other settings would be desirable.

Originality/value

The results raise major doubts about the notion that new firms represent the cutting edge of innovation, and highlights the degree to which newer firms match or mimic older firms’ ER architecture.
Strategic flexibility, innovative HR practices, and firm performance
Authors: Xiu Lin , Liang Xin , Chen Zhao , Xu Wei
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of innovative HR practices as an important mechanism through which strategic flexibility affects firm performance as well as the role of female leadership in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from a sample of 113 firms in China. The authors collected information on organizational strategy, HR practices, CEO information, corporate social responsibility and other firm characteristics in terms of firm age, location, and financial performance. Conditional procedural analysis was conducted to test the model.

Findings

The authors found strong evidence in support of the mediation relationship in which organizations with a strong focus on strategic flexibility are more likely to adopt Innovative HR Practices. Furthermore, the authors found that the extent to which firms have adopted innovative HR practices has a strong effect on employee productivity. In addition, the authors found that female leadership enhances strategic flexibility-performance relationship.

Research limitations/implications

Information on strategic flexibility, HR practices and firm performance was collected at the same time. Future studies based on panel data would be helpful to establish the causal relationships in the model.

Practical implications

The authors’ findings suggest that practitioners should put more emphasis on developing innovative HR practices, as they are required by strategic flexibility.

Social implications

Firms pursuing strategic flexibility should feel more confident when appointing a female CEO, because the results show that female leadership may enhance the positive impact of strategic flexibility on firm performance.

Originality/value

This research study is the first empirical examination of the mediating influence of innovative HR practices on the relationship between strategic flexibility and firm performance. The study also shows that female leadership benefits an organization in implementing strategic flexibility. The results are of value to researchers, human resource management managers, employees, and executives who are seeking to develop practices that are flexible and innovative in order to stay competitive in dynamic environments.
A novel method to apply Neumann boundary conditions in the Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) of beam with 1-D formulation
Authors: Mondal Subrata Kumar , Gondegaon Sangamesh , Voruganti Hari Kumar
Published: November 2017

Purpose

This paper proposes a novel approach to impose the Neumann boundary condition for isogeometric analysis (IGA) of Euler–Bernoulli beam with 1-D formulation. The proposed method is for only IGA in which it is difficult to handle the Neumann boundary conditions. The control points of B-spline are equivalent to nodes in finite element method. With 1-D formulation, it is not possible to accommodate multiple degrees of freedom in IGA. This case arises in the analysis of beams. The paper aims to propose a way to work around this issue in a simple way.

Design/methodology/approach

Neumann boundary conditions, which are even-order derivatives (example: double derivative) of the primary variable, are inherently satisfied in the weak form. Boundary conditions with an odd number of derivatives (example: slope) are imposed with the introduction of a new penalty matrix.

Findings

The proposed method can impose a slope boundary condition for IGA of a beam using 1-D formulation.

Originality/value

From the literature, it can be observed that the beam is formulated in 1-D by considering it as either a rotation-free element or a 2-D formulation by considering shear strain along with the normal strain. The work represents 1-D formulation of a beam while considering the slope boundary condition, which is easy and effective to formulate, compared with the slope boundary conditions reported in previous works.
Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman and Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques for Quality Determinations of Powdery Foods: A Review
Authors: Su Wen‐Hao , Sun Da‐Wen
Published: November 2017

Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) and Raman and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques have emerged as reliable analytical methods for effectively characterizing and quantifying quality attributes of different categories of powdery food products (such as milk powder, tea powder, cocoa powder, coffee powder, soybean flour, wheat flour, and chili powder). In addition to the ability for gaining rapid information about food chemical components (such as moisture, protein, and starch), and classifying food quality into different grades, such techniques have also been implemented to determine trace impurities in pure foods and other properties of particulate foods and ingredients with avoidance of extensive sample preparation. Developments of corresponding quality evaluation systems based on FT‐IR, Raman, and HSI data that measure food quality parameters and ensure product authentication, would bring about technical and economic benefits to the food industry by enhancing consumer confidence in the quality of its products. Accordingly, a comprehensive review of the mushrooming spectroscopy‐based FT‐IR, Raman, and HSI literature is carried out in this article. The spectral data collected, the chemometric methods used, and the main findings of recent research studies on quality assessments of powdered materials are discussed and summarized. Providing a review in such a flourishing research field is relevant as a signpost for future study. The conclusion details the promise of how such noninvasive and powerful analytical techniques can be used for rapid and accurate determinations of powder quality attributes in both academical and industrial settings.
Nutritional screening and dietitian consultation rates in a geriatric evaluation and management unit
Authors: Dent Elsa , Wright Olivia , Hoogendijk Emiel O. , Hubbard Ruth E.
Published: November 2017

Aim

Nutritional screening may not always lead to intervention. The present study aimed to determine: (i) the rate of nutritional screening in hospitalised older adults; (ii) whether nutritional screening led to dietitian consultation and (iii) factors associated with malnutrition.

Methods

In this prospective study of patients aged ≥70 years admitted to a Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit (GEMU), malnutrition was screened for using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA‐SF) and identified using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).

Results

Of the 172 patients participating in the study, 53 (30.8%) patients were malnourished, and 84 (48.8%) were at risk of malnutrition. Mean (SD) age was 85.2 (6.4 years), with 131 patients (76.2%) female. Nutritional screening was performed for all patients; however, it was incomplete in 59 (34.3%) because of omission of the anthropometric measurement. Overall, 62 (36.0%) of the total number of patients were seen by the dietitian, which included 26 (49%) of malnourished patients, 27 (32%) of at‐risk patients and 9 (26%) of the well‐nourished patients. No patients lost >1% of body weight during GEMU stay. Malnourished patients were more likely to be frail, have poor appetite, depression, and have lower levels of: albumin, cognition, physical function, grip strength and quality of life.

Conclusions

The full benefits of nutritional screening by MNA‐SF may not be realised if it does not result in malnourished patients receiving a dietitian consultation. However, it is possible that enrichment of the foodservice with high protein/high‐energy options minimised patient weight loss in the GEMU.
Effect of Sorbitol Plasticizer on the Structure and Properties of Melt Processed Polyvinyl Alcohol Films
Authors: Tian Huafeng , Liu Di , Yao Yuanyuan , Ma Songbai , Zhang Xing , Xiang Aimin
Published: November 2017

Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) possesses wide applications as food packaging materials, but is difficult to melt process for its strong inter/intra hydrogen bonding. In this work, flexible PVA films with different content of sorbitol plasticizers were prepared by melt processing with the assistance of water. And the influence of sorbitol plasticizer content on the crystallinity, optical transparency, water‐retaining capability, mechanical properties, thermal stability and oxygen and water permeability were investigated. The results indicated that sorbitol dramatically improved the melt processing ability of PVA. Sorbitol could interact with PVA to form strong hydrogen bonding interactions, which would decrease the original hydrogen bonding of the matrix, resulting in the decrease of crystallinity degrees. The glass transition, melting and crystallization peak temperatures decreased with the increase of sorbitol. All the films exhibited fine optical transparency. The water retaining capability were improved with the increase of sorbitol. Especially, an increase in elongation at break and decrease in Young's modulus and tensile strength were observed indicating good plasticizing effect of sorbitol on PVA films. In addition, the PVA films prepared in this work exhibited fine barrier properties against oxygen and water, suggesting wide application potential as packaging materials.
The effect of corporate diversification on credit risk: new evidence from European credit default swap spreads
Authors: Rojahn Joachim , Zechser Florian
Published: November 2017

This article investigates the impact of corporate diversification on credit risk. To our best knowledge, this is the first paper to use credit default swap (CDS) spreads instead of bond yield or revalued book values to test the risk‐reduction hypothesis. The analysis relies upon a sample of STOXX® EUROPE 600 index members and covers the years 2010–2014. After controlling for various CDS‐ and firm‐specific variables, we find that diversification strategies do not significantly lower CDS premiums. Multilevel mediation analysis further shows that information asymmetries overcompensate the risk‐reducing effects resulting from corporate diversification.
Reports of adverse health effects related to synthetic cannabinoid use in New York State
Authors: Papadopoulos Eleni A. , Cummings Karen R. , Marraffa Jeanna M. , Aldous Kenneth M. , Li Lingyun , Ahmad Nina
Published: November 2017

Background/Objectives

We assessed synthetic cannabinoid (SC) outbreaks from 2011–2012 and 2015.

Methods

The National Poison Data System was utilized to collect reports of SC adverse effects in New York State from 2011–2012 and 2015 (N = 713).

Results

Cases from 2015 were more likely to be admitted to intensive care units and had different symptoms than those in 2011–2012. We identified two new SC structural classes from 2015 samples.

Discussion/Conclusions

The 2015 outbreak was associated with more severe SC‐related illnesses than in 2011–2012.

Scientific Significance

New SC compounds may pose a different or more severe risk than those previously identified. (Am J Addict 2017;26:772–775)
Enduring the Awkward Embrace: Ontology and Ethical Work in a Ugandan Convent
Authors: Scherz China
Published: November 2017

The first phase of anthropology's turn toward ethics called our attention to freedom, evaluative reflection, and projects of intentional self‐cultivation. While the inclusion of such moments of intentionality and freedom provided a helpful corrective to overly determinist frameworks for the study of morality and social life, we lost sight of other aspects of ethical life and personhood that are less easily controlled. Drawing on an ethnographic case that might otherwise be considered exemplary of a Foucauldian “care of the self,” this article draws on texts from Africanist anthropology and Franciscan theology to explore how members of a community of Ugandan, Kenyan, and Tanzanian Franciscan nuns living and working at a residential home for orphans and children with disabilities in central Uganda understand and engage with the uncertain potential of moral transformation. [ethics, personhood, ontology, Christianity, Africa]
Bioarchaeology, Bioethics, and the Beothuk
Authors: Pullman Daryl
Published: November 2017

The Beothuk of Newfoundland and Labrador have been extinct since the early nineteenth century, but skeletal remains of twelve Beothuk individuals are in storage at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland, and those of another ten are in the archives of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. However, the best‐known and most widely discussed Beothuk remains reside in the stores of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. These are the skulls of Nonosabasut and his wife Demasduit, both of whom came to untimely ends through contact with European colonizers. In recent years, efforts have been made to repatriate these skulls to Newfoundland and Labrador. However, Canada has no equivalent legislation to the US NAGPRA, which provides direction with regard to “unaffiliated remains.” Who then speaks for the Beothuk? This article explores some of the ethical and legal challenges associated with repatriating the remains of now‐extinct peoples, especially when those remains reside in a foreign territory. The ongoing ethical tension between the interests of science and those of justice are addressed, and a compromise solution is proposed. [bioarchaeology, bioethics, repatriation, justice, Beothuk]
Market share and costs of biologic therapies for inflammatory bowel disease in the USA
Authors: Yu H. , MacIsaac D. , Wong J. J. , Sellers Z. M. , Wren A. A. , Bensen R. , Kin C. , Park K. T.
Published: November 2017

Background

Real‐world data quantifying the costs of increasing use of biologics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are unknown.

Aim

To determine the outpatient IBD drug utilization trends, relative market share, and costs in the USA during a 9‐year period.

Methods

The Truven MarketScan® Database was analysed for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) during 2007‐2015. National drug codes were used to identify prescription drugs; Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System J‐codes were used to capture biologic out‐patient infusions. Proportion of drug usage, relative market share and per‐member per‐year (PMPY) costs were analysed for biologics, immunomodulators, 5‐ASAs and corticosteroids.

Results

In 415 405 patients (188 842 CD; 195 183 UC; 31 380 indeterminate colitis; 54.67% female), utilization trends show a consistent rise in the market share of biologics during the 9‐year study period. The proportion of patients using biologics increased from 21.8% to 43.8% for CD and 5.1%‐16.2% for UC. This contrasts a small decrease in immunomodulator and 5‐ASA use for CD and relative constancy of other classes including corticosteroids‐only use as primary IBD medication from 2007 to 2015. The average biologic‐taking patient accounted for $25 275 PMPY in 2007 and $36 051 PMPY in 2015. The average paediatric biologic‐taking patient accounted for $23 616 PMPY in 2007 and $41 109 PMPY in 2015. In all patients, the share of costs for biologics increased from 72.9% in 2007 to 85.7% in 2015 (81.7% in 2007 to 94.9% in 2015 in paediatrics).

Conclusion

The vast majority of costs allocated to out‐patient IBD medications in the USA is attributed to increasing use of biologic therapies despite the relative minority of biologic‐taking patients.
Metageographies of coastal management: Negotiating spaces of nature and culture at the Wadden Sea
Authors: Walsh Cormac
Published: November 2017

Coastal management and nature conservation may be regarded as sets of profoundly spatial practices with decisive influence on the material and societal construction of coastal landscapes and seascapes. In this context, practices of coastal management are active in the spatial ordering of the land and the sea, oftentimes producing sharp lines of demarcation in place of a fluid boundary zone. Similarly, practices of nature conservation can play a significant role in the socio‐spatial separation of nature and culture at the coast. This paper places analytical focus on the diverse socio‐spatial imaginaries or metageographies and processes of boundary‐making underlying practices of coastal protection and nature conservation. Interpretative analysis of a climate adaptation strategy for the Wadden Sea coastal landscape of Schleswig‐Holstein, northern Germany and interviews with key participants demonstrate the relevance of attention to multiple socio‐spatial constructions of the coast in a policy‐making context. It is concluded that policy strategies need to engage more explicitly with multiple cultural geographies of the coast, and the spatial implications of distinct stakeholder perspectives. It is further evident that both coastal protection and nature conservation constitute regionally specific and culturally situated practices, which cannot be addressed solely from technical perspectives, specific to individual disciplines and professional ways of working. Providing space for the emergence of new and alternative socio‐spatial imaginaries of the coast may facilitate the future management of coastal change.
Regulation of intestinal health by branched‐chain amino acids
Authors: Zhou Hua , Yu Bing , Gao Jun , Htoo John Khun , Chen Daiwen
Published: November 2017

Besides its primary role in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, the intestine also interacts with a complex external milieu, and is the first defense line against noxious pathogens and antigens. Dysfunction of the intestinal barrier is associated with enhanced intestinal permeability and development of various gastrointestinal diseases. The branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) are important nutrients, which are the essential substrates for protein biosynthesis. Recently, emerging evidence showed that BCAAs are involved in maintaining intestinal barrier function. It has been reported that dietary supplementation with BCAAs promotes intestinal development, enhances enterocyte proliferation, increases intestinal absorption of amino acids (AA) and glucose, and improves the immune defenses of piglets. The underlying mechanism of these effects is mediated by regulating expression of genes and proteins associate with various signaling pathways. In addition, BCAAs promote the production of beneficial bacteria in the intestine of mice. Compelling evidence supports the notion that BCAAs play important roles in both nutrition and intestinal health. Therefore, as functional amino acids with various physiological effects, BCAAs hold key roles in promoting intestinal development and health in animals and humans.
Contrasting species responses to continued nitrogen and phosphorus addition in tropical montane forest tree seedlings
Authors: Cárate‐Tandalla Daisy , Camenzind Tessa , Leuschner Christoph , Homeier Jürgen
Published: November 2017

Global changes in nutrient deposition rates are likely to have profound effects on plant communities, particularly in the nutrient‐limited systems of the tropics. We studied the effects of increased nutrient availability on the seedlings of six tree species in montane forests of southern Ecuador in situ. After five years of continued N, P, or N+P addition, naturally grown seedlings of each of the two most common species at each elevation (1000, 2000, and 3000 m asl) were harvested for analyses of leaf morphology, nutrient content, herbivory, and tissue biomass allocation. Most species showed increased foliar N and P concentrations after addition of each respective element. Leaf tissue N:P ratios of >20 in the control plants of all species suggest that P is more growth‐limiting in these forests than N. Leaf morphological responses to nutrient addition were species and nutrient specific, with some species (Hedyosmum purparescens, Graffenrieda emarginata) exhibiting increased specific leaf area (SLA), and others (Graffenrieda harlingii) increased leaf area ratios (LAR). Pouteria torta (1000 m) had lower SLA and LAR after P addition. Increased herbivory was only evident in G. emarginata (after N and N+P addition). Only the species from 3000 m asl modified biomass allocation after nutrient addition. In general, N and N+P addition more strongly affected the species studied at the upper elevations, whereas P addition had a similar range of effects on the species at all elevations. We conclude that the responses of the studied tropical montane forest tree seedlings to chronic N and P addition are highly species‐specific and that successful adaptation to increased nutrient availability will depend on species‐specific morphological and physiological plasticity.
Stereo‐Consistent Contours in Object Space
Authors: Bukenberger Dennis R. , Schwarz Katharina , Lensch Hendrik P. A.
Published: November 2017

Notebook scribbles, art or technical illustrations—line drawings are a simplistic method to visually communicate information. Automated line drawings often originate from virtual 3D models, but one cannot trivially experience their three‐dimensionality. This paper introduces a novel concept to produce stereo‐consistent line drawings of virtual 3D objects. Some contour lines do not only depend on an objects geometry, but also on the position of the observer. To accomplish consistency between multiple view positions, our approach exploits geometrical characteristics of 3D surfaces in object space. Established techniques for stereo‐consistent line drawings operate on rendered pixel images. In contrast, our pipeline operates in object space using vector geometry, which yields many advantages: The position of the final viewpoint(s) is flexible within a certain window even after the contour generation, e.g. a stereoscopic image pair is only one possible application. Such windows can be concatenated to simulate contours observed from an arbitrary camera path. Various types of popular contour generators can be handled equivalently, occlusions are natively supported and stylization based on geometry characteristics is also easily possible.
Sinus augmentation and concomitant implant placement in low bone‐density sites. A retrospective study on an undersized drilling protocol and primary stability
Authors: Arosio Paolo , Greco Gian Battista , Zaniol Terry , Iezzi Giovanna , Perrotti Vittoria , Di Stefano Danilo Alessio
Published: November 2017

Background

Recently, a torque‐measuring micromotor has been shown to provide a reliable, quantitative intraoperative evaluation of bone density and implant primary stability. This may be particularly useful for determining bone quality of residual bone and consequently the most appropriate site preparation in the posterior maxilla, where bone often is of low density and quality.

Purpose

This work aimed to assess the medium‐term success of implants placed during 1‐stage sinus augmentations using an undersized drilling protocol. In case of low bone density, the relationship between residual bone height (RBH) and primary stability was also investigated.

Materials and Methods

Clinical records of patients who underwent sinus augmentation and concomitant implant placement following a 12.5% undersized drilling protocol were retrospectively analyzed. In all patients, bone density measured intraoperatively was ≤ 0.45 g/cm3. A minimum of 60 months of follow‐up was required for inclusion.

Results

Records of 106 patients who received 253 implants were reviewed. No significant difference in the implant success rate was found for patients who had less than 4 mm of RBH and those who had more.

Conclusions

Underpreparation of the implant‐placement sites enabled achievement of successful implant‐supported rehabilitation of the posterior maxilla even when both RBH and bone density were low.
Spatializing Emotion: No Evidence for a Domain‐General Magnitude System
Authors: Pitt Benjamin , Casasanto Daniel
Published: November 2017

People implicitly associate different emotions with different locations in left‐right space. Which aspects of emotion do they spatialize, and why? Across many studies people spatialize emotional valence, mapping positive emotions onto their dominant side of space and negative emotions onto their non‐dominant side, consistent with theories of metaphorical mental representation. Yet other results suggest a conflicting mapping of emotional intensity (a.k.a., emotional magnitude), according to which people associate more intense emotions with the right and less intense emotions with the left — regardless of their valence; this pattern has been interpreted as support for a domain‐general system for representing magnitudes. To resolve the apparent contradiction between these mappings, we first tested whether people implicitly map either valence or intensity onto left‐right space, depending on which dimension of emotion they attend to (Experiments 1a, b). When asked to judge emotional valence, participants showed the predicted valence mapping. However, when asked to judge emotional intensity, participants showed no systematic intensity mapping. We then tested an alternative explanation of findings previously interpreted as evidence for an intensity mapping (Experiments 2a, b). These results suggest that previous findings may reflect a left‐right mapping of spatial magnitude (i.e., the size of a salient feature of the stimuli) rather than emotion. People implicitly spatialize emotional valence, but, at present, there is no clear evidence for an implicit lateral mapping of emotional intensity. These findings support metaphor theory and challenge the proposal that mental magnitudes are represented by a domain‐general metric that extends to the domain of emotion.
Enrolling girls without learning: Evidence from public schools in Afghanistan
Authors: Niaz Asadullah M. , Alim Md. Abdul , Anowar Hossain M.
Published: November 2017

While more girls are now attending school in Afghanistan than prior to 2010, there is a lack of evidence on how school attendance is helping their cognitive development. We use data from a large sample of all‐girls state‐funded school students to estimate for the first time the “learning profile” for Afghanistan. Students enrolled in grades 4 to 9 were assessed using the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) test items. We find that higher grade progression (particularly in grades 6–9) leads to almost no gain in numeracy (addition and subtraction) skills that should have been achieved in early grades. Similar results follow from the analysis of student performance in the EGRA test, particularly in oral reading fluency (correct words read per minute) and oral reading comprehension (number of correct answers out of 12). These findings warn that simply enrolling girls in school without improving the relationship between grade completion and learning is unlikely to transform the lives of women in Afghanistan.
Risk and returns of sustainable crop intensification: The case of smallholder rice and potato farmers in Uganda
Authors: Van Campenhout Bjorn , Bizimungu Emmanuel
Published: November 2017

The use of modern inputs such as synthetic fertilizers is often put forward as the best way to increase crop yields in an ecologically sustainable way. However, such inputs can be perceived as risky, and adoption may depend on how much extra risk a farm household can afford. This article describes the potential for fertilizer and pesticide use among Ugandan smallholder rice and potato farmers. In addition, it documents patterns observed in socioeconomic data that suggest that risk is an important barrier to sustainable crop intensification practices. We find that households that engage in risk‐management strategies, such as investing in risk‐reducing technology or engaging in precautionary savings, are more likely to practise intensified cropping. We also elaborate on the policy consequences.
Factors related to duration of untreated psychosis of first episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder
Authors: Qiu Yong , Li Leijun , Gan Zhaoyu , Wang Jihui , Zheng Liangrong , Zhao Jiaoshi , Guan Nianhong , Wei Qinling
Published: November 2017

Aim

Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with outcome and functioning. It is expected that scientists will find factors that modulate DUP, but thus far, research on this topic has shown inconsistent results. Furthermore, similar studies in China are insufficient. This study aims to explore social and clinical factors for DUP in South China and to learn the influence that family plays on DUP through their awareness of psychosis.

Methods

Participants included 216 patients with first episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder. The Nottingham Onset Schedule was used to assess DUP. The relationship between DUP and social and clinical characteristics were then analysed by correlation analysis, survival analysis and Cox regression analysis. The awareness of the patient's family for the cause of psychosis, the reason for treatment and the cause for delay of treatment were investigated using a questionnaire.

Results

The median DUP was 64.5 days. Insidious onset and being unemployed were found to be risk factors for a long DUP. The family attributed the main cause of psychosis to stress. The main cause for the delay of treatment was because families misjudged the patients’ disease. More family members of long DUP patients compared to short DUP patients thought the causes were due to ideological problems or puberty, rather than to mental health.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicated that some social or clinical characteristics influence DUP. The family's awareness plays an important role when seeking help. To reduce DUP, the public needs more knowledge of mental illness.