bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Awareness and support: students’ views about the prevention of sexual assault on UK campuses
Authors: Camp Sarah-Jayne , Sherlock-Smith Anna C. , Davies Emma L.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Sexual assault is prevalent on UK University campuses, and prevention efforts are being increased. However, at present there is limited evidence about UK students’ attitudes towards sexual assault prevention and what they think should be done to effectively address the issue. The purpose of this paper is to explore these views to provide a foundation for the development of a new intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was completed by 515 students (73 per cent women; M age: 21.56; 79 per cent heterosexual; and 82.9 per cent white). There were quantitative questions about experiences of sexual assault, attitudes towards sexual consent and victim blaming. Qualitative data were collected regarding participants’ views on what universities should do to target sexual assault.

Findings

In line with previous studies, the authors found evidence of commonplace and normalised sexual assault behaviours. Women had more positive attitudes towards explicit consent than men, and were less likely to blame victims of sexual assault who had been drinking. Consent behaviour was predicted by positive views towards consent and lower levels of blaming. Themes relating to “awareness”, “attitudes”, “environment” and “opposition” were identified in the qualitative data.

Practical implications

Findings highlight the importance of engaging with students to develop effective prevention measures. Students are likely to find university-led prevention strategies acceptable, but this topic needs to be addressed in the context of the prevailing culture, which may provide an environment where certain behaviours are tolerated. New prevention programmes need to treat the issue as one that is relevant to all students and not just target men as perpetrators and women as victims. Such strategies need to do more than treat this as an isolated issue, to which the solution is re-education about the meaning of consent.

Originality/value

There is at present a lack of research evidence about UK students’ views on sexual assault prevention. This exploratory survey highlights areas for consideration when developing new interventions.
#CondomEmoji
Authors: Ridlo Ilham Akhsanu , Zein Rizqy Amelia
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore participants’ attitudes and receptivity to a #CondomEmoji campaign insofar as investigating whether attitudes and receptivity were important predictors for brand impression and intention to buy.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involved 206 research participants who live in Jakarta and Surabaya and who answered online questionnaires to measure attitudes, receptivity to #CondomEmoji advertising, brand impression and intention to buy condoms. Questionnaires were circulated on several social media platforms and instant messaging apps. The participants were asked to watch the #CondomEmoji advertising video before proceeding to fill out the questionnaires.

Findings

Research findings suggested that participants mostly held negative attitudes and receptivity to the campaign. Non-sexually active participants were more likely to perceive the advertising as offensive. Attitudes and receptivity were good predictors for brand impression, yet attitude was not significantly attributed to intention to buy condoms. The result was stronger in sexually active participants.

Research limitations/implications

Non-sexually active young people need to be more informed about healthy sexual behavior so that they would not feel embarrassed to discuss and ask about sexual behavior. A socially acceptable condom-use advertising campaign needs to be conducted to lessen the resistance of conservative audiences.

Originality/value

This paper offers an insight into how conservative audiences may respond to social-media-based campaign of safer sex.
Qatar family, school, and child effects on reading
Authors: Chiu Ming Ming
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test an ecological model of family, school and child links to reading outcomes in an extremely rich but developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a multi-level, plausible value analysis of item response model-estimated test scores and survey responses from 4,120 children and their parents’ survey responses in 166 schools in Qatar.

Findings

The results show that family attributes (socio-economic status (SES), books at home, parent reading attitude and reading activities) are linked to children’s superior reading attitudes, reading self-concept and reading test scores. In contrast, teacher attributes and teaching methods show no significant link to reading test scores. Also, Qatari children report a poor school climate linked to lower reading self-concept and lower reading test scores.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include parent reports rather than pre-tests, testing in only one domain, and cross-sectional data rather than longitudinal data.

Practical implications

As family support is strongly linked to children’s reading performance, the Qatari Government can explore early childhood interventions at home (e.g. more books at home, support parent-child reading activities, etc.), especially for families with lower SES. As teacher attributes and lesson activities were not linked to children’s reading outcomes, the Qatari Government can study this issue more closely to understand this surprising result.

Originality/value

This is the first study to test an ecological model of Qatar’s fourth-grade children’s reading scores with a representative sample.
Development of leanness index for SMEs
Authors: Yadav Vinod , Khandelwal Garvit , Jain Rakesh , Mittal M.L.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the concept of leanness and provide an effective assessment tool for measuring leanness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid interpretive structural modelling–analytical network process (ISM-ANP) approach is used to develop leanness index for SMEs. The parameters for leanness are extracted from the literature survey, and the inter-relationships among them are identified through ISM approach. Further, the ANP tool is used to derive the weights of the parameters, and the leanness index is developed for SMEs.

Findings

A leanness assessment model is developed, which considers the interdependencies among leanness parameters. Continuous improvement, Just in Time and active management participation, respectively, get first, second and third ranks for leanness measurement in SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

This study is based on the expert’s opinion, and it may tend to be biased. However, future study will be performed as empirical research to catch more explicit concept and more insights of leanness in context of SME sector.

Practical implications

This paper provides guidelines to the managers of SMEs for measuring the leanness index and planning for future. This leanness index gives information regarding the degree of lean adoption in the organization.

Originality/value

The proposed model has been developed by the expert opinion of academicians and practitioners. The proposed model can provide guidelines and directions for managers for leanness assessment in SME context.
Top ten reasons for process improvement project failures
Authors: Antony Jiju , Gupta Sandeep
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide the top ten reasons of process improvement projects termination or failure to Lean and Six Sigma professionals and researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

The top ten reasons of process improvement projects termination or failure are based on literature, interaction of authors with Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belts, consultants, practitioners and trainers on various topics of Lean, Six Sigma, general quality management and continuous improvement along several years’ experience of the authors.

Findings

The top ten reasons in our opinion include lack of commitment and support from top management; poor communication practices; incompetent team; inadequate training and learning; faulty selection of process improvement methodology and its associated tools/techniques; inappropriate rewards and recognition system/culture; scope creepiness; sub-optimal team size and composition; inconsistent monitoring and control; and resistance to change.

Research limitations/implications

The top ten reasons mentioned in this study are based on only literature and authors’ opinion. The authors of this paper have been pursuing a global study to critically evaluate the reasons behind process improvement projects failure based on a case-study approach.

Originality/value

The chief operations officers and senior executives of various businesses can use these top ten reasons to develop project failure risk mitigation strategies and save significant cash-savings associated with such project terminations or failures in some other cases.
The vanishing point? – notes on conceptual colonization and epistemological emptying
Authors: Rehn Alf
Published: July 2018

Purpose

“Entrepreneurship” and “projects” both represent concepts with somewhat hazy boundaries. Interestingly, they also both represent fields of study in which academics representing those fields have worked very hard so as extend rather than delineate the same. In fact, some parts of the debate on, e.g., entrepreneurship could be criticized for engaging in “conceptual colonization,” insofar as it actively attempts to fit more and more activities under the umbrella term of entrepreneurship and/or projects, with the attendant implicit inference that they are thus fodder and resource for studies of the same. The purpose of this paper is to seek to inquire into this phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

In and of itself this could be seen as merely a case of academic (over-)branding, but the author will in the following paper argue that this also leads to “epistemological emptying,” i.e., a state where terms such as entrepreneurship and project start becoming less and less meaningful as they become more and more general, and that the strive among researchers to extend their fields can be seen as a form of symbolic violence against the same.

Findings

The author argues that the author can find conceptual colonization and epistemological emptying by paying critical attention to the manner in which key contributions in the field(s) consistently and uncritically try to extend the boundaries of said field(s).

Originality/value

By reflection on the manner in which field(s) attempts to make themselves more general may backfire and bring about epistemological emptying, the author might develop a more robust discussion regarding the importance of field boundaries and also more critically note power/knowledge ambitions in the field(s).
Effects of surface topography on hydrodynamic performance of liquid film seals considering cavitation
Authors: Hao Mu-ming , Wang Yun-lei , Li Zhen-tao , Sun Xin-hui
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of surface topography, including surface roughness, circumferential waviness and radial taper, on hydrodynamic performance of liquid film seals considering cavitation.

Design/methodology/approach

A mathematical model of liquid film seals with surface topography was established based on the mass-conservative algorithm. Liquid film governing equation was discretized by the finite control volume method and solved by the Gauss–Seidel relaxation iterative algorithm, and the hydrodynamic performance parameters of liquid film seals were obtained considering surface roughness, circumferential waviness and radial taper separately.

Findings

The results indicate that the values of load-carrying capacity and frication torque are affected by the surface topography in varying degrees, but the effect is limited.

Originality/value

The results presented in the study are expected to aid in determining the optimum value of structural parameters for the optimum seal performance because of the realistic model which considers both surface topography and cavitation.
The emotional ecology of school improvement culture
Authors: Demerath Peter
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how high-performing schools develop and sustain improvement culture. While school culture has consistently been identified as an essential feature of high-performing schools, many of the ways in which culture shapes specific improvement efforts remain unclear. The paper draws on new research from social cognitive neuroscience and the anthropology and sociology of emotion to account for the relative impact of various meanings within school culture and how school commitment is enacted.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis here draws on three years of ethnographic data collected in Harrison High School (HHS) in an urban public school district in River City, a large metropolitan area in the Midwestern USA. Though the school’s surrounding community had been socioeconomically depressed for many years, Harrison was selected for the study largely because of its steady improvement trajectory: in December, 2013, it was deemed a “Celebration” school under the state’s Multiple Measurement Rating system. The paper focuses on a period of time between 2013 and 2015, when the school was struggling to implement and localize a district-mandated push-in inclusion policy.

Findings

Study data suggest that the school’s eventual success in localizing the new inclusion policy was due in large part to a set of core interlocking feedback loops that generated specific emotionally charged meanings which guided its priorities, practices and direction. Specifically, the feedback loops explain how staff members and leaders generated and sustained empathy for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, optimism in their capabilities and motivation to help them learn and flourish. Furthermore they show how school leaders and staff members generated and sustained confidence and trust in their colleagues’ abilities to collaboratively learn and solve problems.

Originality/value

The model of the school’s emotional ecology presented here connects two domains of educational practice that are frequently analyzed separately: teaching and learning, and organization and leadership. The paper shows how several key features of high-performing schools are actually made and re-made through the everyday practices of leaders and staff members, including relational trust, academic optimism and collective efficacy. In sum, the charged meanings described here contributed to leaders’ and staff members’ commitment to the school, its students and each other – and what Florek (2016) has referred to as their “common moral purpose.”
Fashion attributes preferred by young Bangladeshi consumers while buying casual clothes
Authors: Chowdhury Tamgid Ahmed , Akter Tania
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to identify a list of fashion attributes preferred by young Bangladeshi consumers while buying casual clothes; second, to test the applicability of Kano’s quality theory in the apparel industry; and, finally, to explore the differences in fashion priorities between male and female consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on primary data collected through a survey from 1,177 young consumers of urban Bangladesh. Structural equation modeling was used to develop the attribute index. Also, convergent and discriminant validity and construct reliability of the index were tested.

Findings

The study offers a four-dimensional 19-item index representing the desirable fashion attributes. This paper also confirms the applicability of Kano’s theory in the apparel industry. Results revealed that “well-designed casual attires” and “discount offers” are top-ranking attributes as perceived by both male and female consumers. However, there are differences in the preferences. Women prioritized irritation-free, durable and soft fabric, whereas men preferred attributes such as suitability of color and functionality in the workplace.

Practical implications

The findings of the study provide clothing suppliers of Bangladesh with information that may be utilized while preparing their options. For instance, as casual clothes are frequently worn and washed, a quality fabric that looks good even after several washes is highly recommended. Dress manufacturers need to offer colorful attires to women, whereas for men, more color options should be available. Casual clothes should be made in a way that they are acceptable in the community and workplace.

Originality/value

As research on exploring desirable fashion qualities in developing markets (especially in South Asian region) is rare, this study is contributing to the literature by offering validated apparel attribute index.
“8A” framework for value stream selection – an empirical case study
Authors: Narayanamurthy Gopalakrishnan , Gurumurthy Anand , Moser Roger
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Before initiating the implementation of change for transforming and improving an organization through lean thinking (LT), it has to first select a right value stream. Several implementation studies have been documented in literature, but not many studies have addressed this issue of value stream selection. The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically validate a framework for selecting a value stream to implement LT.

Design/methodology/approach

8A framework is proposed by reviewing the literature on LT implementation case studies. Single case study methodology has been adopted to validate the application of 8A framework for selecting a value stream in an Indian educational institute. Since multiple qualifiers are considered simultaneously, a multi-criteria decision-making approach has been employed for choosing the value stream.

Findings

Utility of the proposed 8A framework for value stream selection was confirmed through its successful application in an educational institute. Out of three alternatives in the case organization, the teaching alternative was chosen for further LT implementation based on the application of 8A framework. Qualitative cross-validation and sensitivity analysis also confirmed the robustness of the value stream selection made using the 8A framework.

Research limitations/implications

Framework proposed in this study comprehensively captures the important qualifiers that were overlooked by the widely adopted first tenet of LT. Future research can attempt to generalize the applicability of 8A framework in different contexts including manufacturing, healthcare, software development, etc. A further study can be carried out in two similar case organizations or in two value streams of the same case organization (say in two different plants) to compare the differences in the outcome of lean implementation when one chooses its value stream for LT implementation without the application of the proposed framework, while another chooses it by applying the 8A framework.

Practical implications

Through structured evaluation of the comprehensive set of qualifiers in 8A framework using a multi-criteria decision making model, an informed decision can be taken by the practitioners in selecting a value stream from the available alternatives before proceeding with the implementation of LT.

Originality/value

After questioning the existing procedure of value stream selection for LT implementation, this study is the first to propose and validate an 8A framework that overcomes the limitations of the existing procedure. Study is also unique in the choice of the case organization as not many research papers have documented implementation of LT from the context of educational institutes.
The thinking behind the action (learning)
Authors: Kelliher Felicity , Byrne Seán
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on an action learning (AL) approach to curriculum design and delivery of a two-year part-time executive masters program, facilitated in part through a longitudinal work-based action research project. Program participants were a mix of mid- to senior managers operating in both the public and private sector and business owners, and all were in full-time employment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents findings relating to participant and tutor perspectives of the program design, structure, and content. It also chronicles an AL tutor initiative run in conjunction with the inaugural program delivery, established to provide a collegial approach to learner facilitation, and to enable a research informed model of practice.

Findings

Findings suggest that the program allowed for greater action-reflection among and across all contributors (students, tutors, and program managers), and facilitated cross-pollination of AL perspectives, thus strengthening the interaction between practitioner and academic, and among academics themselves. Furthermore, the early involvement of tutors informed the work-based research project and larger AL program, and facilitated a matching of research interests between practitioner and tutor.

Originality/value

These findings suggest that an action-based model of knowledge transfer and development offers significant learning benefits to those partaking in an executive development program, resulting in the following insights: executive needs better served using a learner-centric approach; problem-oriented work-based assessment affords theory–practice balance; there is evidence of action-reflection “contagion” among all contributors; and the presented AL cycle has potential value in the conceptualization of reflective action.
A research on the use of business intelligence for academic research
Authors: Dadkhah Mehdi , Lagzian Mohammad
Published: July 2018

Purpose

At the moment, business intelligence (BI) is known as the way for analyzing data in an organization. Simple search in the literature shows that there are many papers which discuss about BI applications and related matters. In addition, there are different approaches and tools that support using BI in organizations. This paper aims to focus on the use of BI tools for academic applications, and it describes how the academic area will benefit from using BI.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on using BI tools and other library studies.

Findings

A process for using BI tools in academic applications has been presented. Also, two cases are stated about activities of e-learning participants and literature analysis, for which BI tools are used to analyze data and simplify difficult tasks.

Originality/value

This paper shows how BI tools can be used for research and academic applications.
A 7 Cs model of effective service leadership
Authors: Zou Tracy X.P. , Snell Robin S. , Y.L. Chan Maureen , Wong Amy L.Y.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify attributes and practices that are salient for effectiveness in middle- and senior-level service leadership positions.

Design/methodology/approach

Critical incident interviews were conducted with 17 key informants, who were service leaders in various service sectors in Hong Kong, and with ten stakeholders.

Findings

Grounded theory analysis generated a 7 Cs model with seven categories of service leadership attributes and practices: character, choreography, care, creativity, charisma, collaborating and competence self-improvement, and 24 constituent concepts. There was concordance between pairs of key informants and stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

Further research could investigate the impact on frontline service leaders’ performance if one or more of the 7 Cs are perceived to be absent or deficient among leaders at more senior levels, and whether there are acceptable substitutes for particular Cs.

Practical implications

The 7 Cs model identifies service leadership attributes and practices across diverse sectors.

Originality/value

The 7 Cs model provides a map for orienting the developmental preparation of individuals, who are aspiring to become middle- and senior-level leaders in economies that have become highly dependent on service.
Extending the understanding of bridge employment: a critical analysis
Authors: Mazumdar Bishakha , Warren Amy M. , Dupré Kathryne E.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Few studies aim to uniquely conceptualize the experiences of bridge employees after they enter the workforce. Supported by the psychological contract theory and the self-determination theory, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the bridge employment experience by examining how the expectations of bridge employees shape their experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper first reviews the extant literature on bridge employment. It then discusses the psychological contract theory and the self-determination theory, and examines the expectations of bridge employees through the theoretical perspectives of these two theories, to examine experiences in bridge employment.

Findings

Discord in the bridge employment relationship may be attributed to a lack of understanding of the implicit expectations of bridge employees. More specifically, unmet expectations may be detrimental to the bridge employment experience, and ultimately jeopardize both employer and employee outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

This paper examines expectations and experiences of bridge employees from a theoretical perspective. Theoretical tenets are utilized to analyze how and why implicit expectations may influence bridge employees in ways that result in detrimental outcomes for both employers and employees.

Practical implications

This paper sheds light on why bridge employment arrangements may result in adverse outcomes. Specifically, when there is a lack of understanding between bridge employees’ expectations and experiences, both individual and organizational outcomes may be impaired. An improved understanding of the bridge employment experience will likely result in an enhanced working relationship between bridge employees and employers, and minimize misunderstandings about this cohort of the workforce.

Originality/value

Using the guidelines of the psychological contract theory and the self-determination theory, we develop a model to examine how expectation of bridge employees may affect the experiences and ultimately, the outcomes of bridge employment. The authors also identify factors uniquely applicable to bridge employees. This is the first paper that examines the experiences of bridge employees through such theoretical perspectives.
Management accounting information and the board meeting of an English further education college
Authors: Fletcher Neil J. , Ridley-Duff Rory J.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the intersection between corporate governance and management accounting information within the board meeting of an English further education college.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical fieldwork uses an interventionist approach. Board members’ mental models of a management accounting boundary object are analysed.

Findings

The paper supports Parker (2007) and Cornforth and Edward’s (1999) observation that within a board meeting, collaborative “micro-management” type talk is considered to lie outside the acceptable remit of non-executive and executive board member interaction. Such an attitude can prevent an intertwining of management accounting information and other mental models of an organisation occurring. This can preclude management accounting information from rendering an organisation visible, in an expansive manner, within a boardroom.

Research limitations/implications

Interventionist researchers working within the black box of the board are encouraged to design more radical and collaborative interventions than the interview/report format used here.

Practical implications

Non-executive directors might benefit from being offered the opportunity to interact with management accounting information outside the formal board meeting and committee structure.

Originality/value

A deeper understanding of how directors’ mental models, boardroom behaviours and attitudes influence their interaction with management accounting information is offered. Insight into the limitations of using management accounting information in the boardroom is developed.
Excess offer premium and acquirers’ performance
Authors: Woo Won-Seok , Cho Suhyun , Park Kyung-Hee , Byun Jinho
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the causes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals that acquiring firms pay excess premium beyond the market-expected level and examine the relation between the announcement return and long-term performance of the acquiring firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 1,767 US firms’ M&A deals from 2000 to 2014, the authors use the expectation model used by Ang and Ismail (2015) to measure normal offer premium in an M&A deal. They conduct the standard event study methodology to observe the market reaction for acquiring companies on the announcement day. Buy-and-hold abnormal returns are used for the main explanatory variable so as to find the impact of the premium paid on the long-term performance of the acquirer.

Findings

First, acquiring firms are faced with negative market returns when acquiring firms pay excess premiums. Second, poor long-term performance of the acquiring firms is observed if acquiring firms pay excess premium. Finally, the negative relation between excess premium and acquiring firms’ long-term performance weakens, as the sample period becomes longer.

Research limitations/implications

The hypotheses and results of the empirical study are as follows. First, the acquirer’s market reaction on the announcement day is negative when it pays an excess offer premium. This is because the market perceives the premium to be greater than the value of the deal, which damages the value of the market, as it is not perceived as a proxy for future synergy. Second, the acquirer’s long-term performance is low when it pays the excess offer premium. It is the same result as the acquirer’s market reaction on the announcement day. This shows that the excess premium does not result in either a short-term positive reaction or a long-term profit for the acquiring shareholders. However, it is found that the relationship between the excess premium and the long-term performance of the acquirer decreases with time. This is because the long-term performance of the acquirer is more affected by management and other events after the deal.

Originality/value

The authors divide the total premium paid into the normal offer premium and the excess premium, and their focus is on the excess premium part. The main contribution of this paper is that it analyzes how the excess premium affects the market reaction on the announcement day and the long-term performance of acquiring firms.
Grand parenting by the pool
Authors: Mikkelsen Marie Vestergaard , Blichfeldt Bodil Stilling
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Holidays are often conceptualized as an opportunity for individuals to escape everyday life responsibilities, roles and relations. However, families bring with them domestic, everyday life responsibilities, bonds and relationships while holidaying. So far, research on family holidays has emphasized the nuclear family, largely assuming that holidays include a husband-wife-child(ren) constellation. However, family holidays come in many different forms, and this paper aims to focus on the under-researched issue of grandparents and grandchildren vacationing together.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on 81 qualitativein situinterviews with grandparents, who vacation together with their grandchildren at Danish caravan sites, this paper explores how grandparents and grandchildren “do” family during joint holidays. Although attempts were made to give voice to children, the paper predominantly uses data from interviews with grandparents.

Findings

Although grandparent–grandchildren holidays resemble nuclear family holidays in a number of ways, significant differences are also identified. Key differences are that these holidays enable grandparents and grandchildren to interact both more intensively and in ways they cannot do (as easily) at home; are a means for grandparents to help and support their children; allow for grandparents and grandchildren to be both together and apart; and are critical to how contemporary families enact and “do” family across generations.

Originality/value

The paper deepens knowledge on the under-explored topic of extended family consumption in tourism and points to grandparent–grandchild holidays as an important element of how grandparents “do” family.
Globally consistent impact of tropical cyclones on the structure of tropical and subtropical forests
Authors: Ibanez Thomas , Keppel Gunnar , Menkes Christophe , Gillespie Thomas W. , Lengaigne Matthieu , Mangeas Morgan , Rivas-Torres Gonzalo , Birnbaum Philippe
Published: July 2018

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are large‐scale disturbances that regularly impact tropical forests. Although long‐term impacts of TCs on forest structure have been proposed, a global test of the relationship between forest structure and TC frequency and intensity is lacking. We test on a pantropical scale whether TCs shape the structure of tropical and subtropical forests in the long term.

We compiled forest structural features (stem density, basal area, mean canopy height and maximum tree size) for plants ≥10 cm in diameter at breast height from published forest inventory data (438 plots ≥0.1 ha, pooled into 250 1 × 1‐degree grid cells) located in dry and humid forests. We computed maps of cyclone frequency and energy released by cyclones per unit area (power dissipation index, PDI) using a high‐resolution historical database of TCs trajectories and intensities. We then tested the relationship between PDI and forest structural features using multivariate linear models, controlling for climate (mean annual temperature and water availability) and human disturbance (human foot print).

Forests subject to frequent cyclones (at least one TCs per decade) and high PDI exhibited higher stem density and basal area, and lower canopy heights. However, the relationships between PDI and basal area or canopy height were partially masked by lower water availability and higher human foot print in tropical dry forests.

Synthesis. Our results provide the first evidence that tropical cyclones have a long‐term impact on the structure of tropical and subtropical forests in a globally consistent way. The strong relationship between power dissipation index and stem density suggests that frequent and intense tropical cyclones reduce canopy cover through defoliation and tree mortality, encouraging higher regeneration and turnover of biomass. The projected increase in intensity and poleward extension of tropical cyclones due to anthropogenic climate change may therefore have important and lasting impacts on the structure and dynamics of forests in the future.
Open‐source 3D printed sensors for hand strength assessment: Validation of low‐cost load cell and fabric sensor‐based systems
Authors: Cutler Claudia R. , Hamilton Anita L. , Hough Emma , Baines Cheyenne M. , Clark Ross A.
Published: July 2018

Background/aim

Pinch and grip strength assessment is commonly performed in occupational therapy practice. However, the typically utilised methods are limited to pinch or grip dynamometers and do not readily translate to handling everyday objects. With the advent of consumer‐grade 3D printing and low‐cost sensor systems, the possibilities for creating customised assessment devices are expanding. As a first step in determining the validity of low‐cost sensor systems, their data must be compared to a gold standard. Consequently, this study examined the criterion validity of two such systems for measuring pinch strength, specifically a small load cell and pressure‐sensing fabric, with a mechanical pinch gauge.

Methods

A total of 33 participants performed strength tests using a mechanical pinch grip device, which had a plastic 3D printed cover with a pressure‐sensing fabric overlaid on it to allow for simultaneous criterion validation, and a small load cell with a plastic 3D printed casing designed for comfortable pinch grip assessment.

Results

The simultaneously assessed fabric sensor and mechanical pinch grip device showed excellent absolute (ICC2,k = 0.94) and relative (Pearson's R = 0.90) agreement. Both devices showed similar excellent relative (R > 0.75) agreement with the load cell despite non‐simultaneous assessment. These findings indicate that 3D printed sensors incorporating a load cell and a pressure‐sensing fabric can be used to replicate a pinch grip assessment performed with a mechanical pinch gauge.

Conclusions

This study lays the foundation for these sensor systems to be modified for use as assessment tools during the performance of functional tasks using everyday objects. Additionally, because both systems generate real‐time force data they could be used for biofeedback as part of rehabilitation and strengthening programs. To aid uptake and future research using these systems, the 3D print models, step‐by‐step hardware design and software programs used are provided in an open‐source format at www.rehabtools.org/otsensors.html.
Transient bottom water oxygenation creates a niche for cable bacteria in long‐term anoxic sediments of the Eastern Gotland Basin
Authors: Marzocchi Ugo , Bonaglia Stefano , van de Velde Sebastiaan , Hall Per O. J. , Schramm Andreas , Risgaard‐Petersen Nils , Meysman Filip J. R.
Published: July 2018

Summary

Cable bacteria have been reported in sediments from marine and freshwater locations, but the environmental factors that regulate their growth in natural settings are not well understood. Most prominently, the physiological limit of cable bacteria in terms of oxygen availability remains poorly constrained. In this study, we investigated the presence, activity and diversity of cable bacteria in relation to a natural gradient in bottom water oxygenation in a depth transect of the Eastern Gotland Basin (Baltic Sea). Cable bacteria were identified by FISH at the oxic and transiently oxic sites, but not at the permanently anoxic site. Three species of the candidate genus Electrothrix, i.e. marina, aarhusiensis and communis were found coexisting within one site. The highest filament density (33 m cm−2) was associated with a 6.3 mm wide zone depleted in both oxygen and free sulphide, and the presence of an electric field resulting from the electrogenic sulphur oxidizing metabolism of cable bacteria. However, the measured filament densities and metabolic activities remained low overall, suggesting a limited impact of cable bacteria at the basin level. The observed bottom water oxygen levels (< 5 μM) are the lowest so far reported for cable bacteria, thus expanding their known environmental distribution.
Ecologically realistic model of infection for exploring the host damage caused by Vibrio aestuarianus
Authors: Parizadeh Leila , Tourbiez Delphine , Garcia Céline , Haffner Philippe , Dégremont Lionel , Le Roux Frédérique , Travers Marie‐Agnès
Published: July 2018

Although vibrios are frequently associated with marine organisms mortality outbreaks, knowledge on their ecology and pathogenicity is sparse, thus limiting disease management and prophylactic strategies. Here, we investigated V. aestuarianus infection onset and progression in the wild, taking advantage of a ‘claire’ pond: a semi‐closed system with limited seawater renewal, theoretically more adapted to disease transmission. We showed a positive association of the bacteria with oysters, which can constitute a reservoir for the bacteria in the winter. Moreover, passage through oysters was found to be necessary for experimental disease reproduction as vibrios shedding from diseased oysters have higher infectivity than from in vitro grown. We next developed an experimental ‘ecologically realistic’ infection model in a mesocosm, allowing infection by natural route. By means of this non‐invasive protocol, we analysed the pathogenesis of the bacteria and demonstrated the importance of haemolymph for initial colonization and the septicaemic nature of this disease.
(Non‐)Enforcement of Directors’ Duties in Corporate Groups: Goh Chan Peng v Beyonics Technology Ltd
Authors: Koh Alan K.
Published: July 2018

Corporate groups, a ubiquitous feature of modern business, pose formidable challenges for common law courts relying on traditional corporate law doctrine. Arising out of a corporate group's recent bid to recover millions of dollars in lost profits from a former director and CEO who had diverted a core business, Goh Chan Peng v Beyonics Technology Ltd raised thorny issues of separate legal entity doctrine, single economic unit theory, and reflective loss shared by common law legal systems. Despite finding that the defendant had breached his duties to the ultimate holding company, the Singapore Court of Appeal absolved the faithless director from most of his liabilities, relying on limited domestic precedent to the exclusion of a rich body of Commonwealth jurisprudence – including the House of Lords’ landmark Johnson v Gore Wood decision. This note explores the paths not taken by the court, and highlights the pitfalls of a narrow, autochthonous approach to problems of common law doctrine.
Engaging food service providers to change food service practices in aged care facilities
Authors: Matwiejczyk Louisa , Roberts Rachel , Farrer Olivia , O'Dea Gabrielle , Bevan Georgia , Nairn Laura , Miller Michelle
Published: July 2018

Aim

The present study describes the impact of a novel education program for food service staff from Australian aged care facilities (ACF) to facilitate improvements in food service practices. The purpose was to explore; (i) the impact of the intervention (ii) barriers and facilitators of the program from food service providers’ perspectives and (iii) make program planning and practice recommendations.

Methods

Participants completed pre‐ and post‐program questionnaires, attended two focus groups on program process and impact and 4 months later reported through individual interviews on changes they had implemented. Results were triangulated between the questionnaires, focus groups and interviews and impacts and outcomes identified through directed content analysis.

Results

Thirty senior‐level chefs and a cook participated from 27 ACF from Victoria, Australia. Participation impacted on the menu, dining experiences and food service practices. All of the participants were enacting changes in their workplace 4 months later as change agents. A focus on skilling the participants as ‘change agents’, brokering ongoing peer‐support and the celebrity and/or expert status of the facilitators were attributed to the success of the intervention.

Conclusions

This novel intervention empowered Victorian food service providers to make positive changes in ACF. Further research is required to measure if these self‐reported changes are sustainable and relevant to other facilities and to establish the effect on food experience, satisfaction and well‐being of residents.
Safety and efficacy of nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Ge Zhen , Faggioni Michela , Baber Usman , Sartori Samantha , Sorrentino Sabato , Farhan Serdar , Chandrasekhar Jaya , Vogel Birgit , Qadeer Abdul , Halperin Jonathan , Reddy Vivek , Dukkipati Srinivas , Dangas George , Mehran Roxana
Published: July 2018

Aims

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a transitory increase in the risk of both thromboembolic and bleeding events. Evidence on the use of nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients undergoing AF ablation mostly comes from small observational studies, underpowered to detect differences in clinical outcomes between NOACs and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) treated patients. This updated meta‐analysis aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of periprocedural anticoagulation with NOACs compared with VKAs in AF patients undergoing catheter ablation.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane library, and web sources for randomized and observational studies comparing periprocedural treatment with NOACs and VKAs in patients undergoing AF ablation. The primary safety endpoint was major bleeding events, and the primary efficacy endpoint was thromboembolic events (a composite of systemic thromboembolism, transient ischemic attack, and stroke).

Results

A total of 29 studies with 12 644 patients were included in the meta‐analysis. Overall, patients on NOACs had a significantly lower risk of major bleeding compared to VKAs either in observational studies (Peto OR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.48‐0.95; P = 0.022; I2 = 20%) or in RCTs (Peto OR 0.30; 95% CI: 0.14‐0.62; P = 0.001; I2 = 28%). Uninterrupted NOACs reduced the risk of major bleeding when compared to uninterrupted VKAs (Peto OR 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45‐0.96; P = 0.028; I2 = 1%), similarly, interrupted NOACs lowered the risk of major bleeding compared to interrupted VKAs (Peto OR 0.29; 95% CI: 0.13‐0.66; P = 0.003; I2 = 0%; Pinteraction = 0.076). The rate of thromboembolic complications was very low and did not significantly differ between the study groups either in observational studies (Peto OR 0.91; 95% CI: 0.49‐1.67; P = 0.755; I2 = 0%) or in RCTs (Peto OR 0.14; 95% CI: 0.01‐1.30; P = 0.083; I2 = 0%).

Conclusions

Use of NOACs compared to VKAs significantly reduced the risk of bleeding in patients with AF ablation. Similarly, the risk of bleeding was lower with uninterrupted NOACs than with uninterrupted VKAs, and with interrupted NOACs than with interrupted VKAs. The rate of thromboembolic complications was extremely low in both study groups without any differences.
Catastrophic Climate Change and Forest Tipping Points: Blind Spots in International Politics and Policy
Authors: Pereira Joana Castro , Viola Eduardo
Published: July 2018

Scientists believe that humanity has already crossed the core planetary boundary for climate change, and is closer to crossing thresholds that trigger abrupt and irreversible environmental changes. Consequently, academia and the international political community should not disregard the prospect of a catastrophic environmental event. However, discussions about climate change usually assume the resilience of potentially deteriorating terrestrial‐biosphere carbon sinks and rarely acknowledge catastrophic climate risk. Reviewing the latest scientific evidence on anthropogenic climate change, as well as the current and projected threats to the resilience of key large forest biomes, and combining them with the profound political frailties of the Paris Climate Agreement, this article argues that catastrophic climate risk is much more serious and likely than most of humanity is able to perceive and should thus be seriously considered. It emphasizes the massive gap between science and political action and how cognitive, cultural, institutional, and political limitations hinder our capacity to envisage, prevent, and ultimately manage catastrophic climate change. The article concludes by briefly raising awareness regarding the role that academia should play in catastrophic climate risk reduction.