bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eco-evolutionary dynamics of Plasmodium genotypes under mass drug administration
Authors: Bargués-Ribera Maria , Reeves R. Guy , Gokhale Chaitanya S.
Published: October 2019

Mass Drug Administration (MDA) is regarded as a potential strategy for locally interrupting transmission of human malaria under specific circumstances. However, insights on how MDA affects the eco-evolutionary dynamics of different Plasmodium species are not well known. We provide a computational model where the ecologically explicit life cycle of the parasite is implemented. Since the parasite inhabits two different ecological niches – human host and the mosquito – it undergoes different selection pressures during its reproduction. We use the model to perform an evolutionary analysis of the dynamics of resistance alleles under atovaquone, chloroquine and combined atovaquone-chloroquine drug treatments. Our study shows how the reduced viability of resistant parasites in the mosquito affects the spread of resistance and transmission interruption in treated human populations. Overall, results confirm that the disadvantage of drug-resistant genotypes in the mosquito vector is a good tool to achieve malaria control goals under MDA programmes.

Author summary

Every year there are millions of new malaria cases reported worldwide. The cause of the disease is the infection by Plasmodium, a protozoan which is transmitted between humans through the bite of a mosquito. Antimalarials have existed since long, but Plasmodium has evolved resistance to the treatment, making it necessary to develop new strategies to heal the infected humans. Lately, it has been pointed out that mosquitoes could be our allies when using drugs such as atovaquone, which resistant parasites have difficulties to reproduce in the mosquito. Here we study the scenarios in which these drugs, used in Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programmes, can interrupt the transmission of malaria in local treated populations.
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of two human atrial cardiac cell models using Gaussian process emulators
Authors: Coveney Sam , Clayton Richard H.
Published: October 2019

Cardiac cell models reconstruct the action potential and calcium dynamics of cardiac myocytes, and are becoming widely used research tools. These models are highly detailed, with many parameters in the equations that describe current flow through ion channels, pumps, and exchangers in the cell membrane, and so it is difficult to link changes in model inputs to model behaviours. The aim of the present study was to undertake sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of two models of the human atrial action potential. We used Gaussian processes to emulate the way that 11 features of the action potential and calcium transient produced by each model depended on a set of. The emulators were trained by maximising likelihood conditional on a set of design data, obtained from 300 model evaluations. For each model evaluation, the set of inputs was obtained from uniform distributions centred on the default values for each parameter, using latin-hypercube sampling. First order and total effect sensitivity indices were calculated for each combination of input and output. First order indices were well correlated with the square root of sensitivity indices obtained by partial least squares regression of the design data. The sensitivity indices highlighted a difference in the balance of inward and outward currents during the plateau phase of the action potential in each model, with the consequence that changes to one parameter can have opposite effects in the two models. Overall the interactions among inputs were not as important as the first order effects, indicating that model parameters tend to have independent effects on the model outputs. This study has shown that Gaussian process emulators are an effective tool for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of cardiac cell models.

Author summary

The time course of the cardiac action potential is determined by the balance of inward and outward currents across the cell membrane, and these in turn depend on dynamic behaviour of ion channels, pumps and exchangers in the cell membrane. Cardiac cell models reconstruct the action potential by representing transmembrane current as a set of stiff and nonlinear ordinary differential equations. These models capture biophysical detail, but are complex and have large numbers of parameters, so cause and effect relationships are difficult to identify. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in uncertainty and variability in computational models, and a number of tools have been developed. In this study we have used one of these tools, Gaussian process emulators, to compare and contrast two models of the human atrial action potential. We obtained sensitivity indices based on the proportion of variance in a model output that is accounted for by variance in each of the model parameters. These sensitivity indices highlighted the model parameters that had the most influence on the model outputs, and provided a means to make a quantitative comparison between the models.
CNLLRR: A Novel Low-Rank Representation Method for Single-cell RNA-seq Data Analysis
Authors: Yu Na , Liu Jin-Xing , Gao Ying-Lian , Zheng Chun-Hou , Shang Junliang , Cai Hongmin
Published: October 2019

The development of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology has enabled the measurement of gene expression in individual cells. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to explore the biological mechanisms at the cellular level. However, existing scRNA-seq analysis methods are susceptible to noise and outliers or ignore the manifold structure inherent in the data. In this paper, a novel method called Cauchy non-negative Laplacian regularized low-rank representation (CNLLRR) is proposed to alleviate the above problem. Specifically, we employ the Cauchy loss function (CLF) instead of the conventional norm constraints in the noise matrix of CNLLRR, which will enhance the robustness of the method. In addition, graph regularization term is applied to the objective function, which can capture the paired geometric relationships between cells. Then, alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is adopted to solve the optimization problem of CNLLRR. Finally, extensive experiments on scRNA-seq data reveal that the proposed CNLLRR method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods for cell clustering, cell visualization and prioritization of gene markers. CNLLRR contributes to understand the heterogeneity between cell populations in complex biological systems.

Author summary

Analysis of single-cell data can help to further study the heterogeneity and complexity of cell populations. The current analysis methods are mainly to learn the similarity between cells and cells. Then they use the clustering algorithm to perform cell clustering or downstream analysis on the obtained similarity matrix. Therefore, constructing accurate cell-to-cell similarity is crucial for single-cell data analysis. In this paper, we design a novel Cauchy non-negative Laplacian regularized low-rank representation (CNLLRR) method to get a better similarity matrix. Specifically, Cauchy loss function (CLF) constraint is applied to punish noise matrix, which will improve the robustness of CNLLRR to noise and outliers. Moreover, graph regularization term is applied to the objective function, which will effectively encode the local manifold information of the data. Further, these will guarantee the quality of the cell-to-cell similarity matrix learned. Finally, single-cell data analysis experiments show that our method is superior to other representative methods.
Immunoglobulin profile and B-cell frequencies are altered with changes in the cellular micro-environment independent of the stimulation conditions
Authors: Moore Dannielle K , Leisching Gina R , Snyders Candice I , Gutschmidt Andrea , van Rensburg Ilana C , Loxton Andre G ,   the SU-IRG Consortium
Published: October 2019

B-cells are essential in the defense againstMycobacterium tuberculosis. Studies on isolated cells may not accurately reflect the responses that occurin vivodue to the presence of other cells. This study elucidated the influence of microenvironment complexity on B-cell polarisation and function in the context of TB disease. B-cell function was tested in whole blood, PBMC’s and as isolated cells. The different fractions were stimulated and the B-cell phenotype and immunoglobulin profiles analysed. The immunoglobulin profile and killer B-cell frequencies varied for each of the investigated sample types, while in an isolated cellular environment, secretion of immunoglobulin isotypes IgA, IgG2 and IgG3 was hampered. The differences in the immunoglobulin profile highlight the importance of cell-cell communication for B-cell activation. In contrast, increased frequencies of killer B-cells were observed following cellular isolation, suggesting a biased shift in augmented immune responsein vitro. This suggests that humoral B-cell function and development was impaired likely due to a lack of co-stimulatory signals from other cell types. Thus, B-cell function should ideally be studied in a PBMC or whole blood fraction.
Intermittent Starvation Extends the Functional Lifetime of Primary Human Hepatocyte Cultures
Authors: Davidson Matthew D. , Khetani Salman R.
Published: October 2019

Primary human hepatocyte (PHH) cultures have become indispensable to mitigate the risk of adverse drug reactions in human patients. In contrast to de-differentiating monocultures, co-culture with non-parenchymal cells maintains PHH functions for 2-4 weeks. However, since the functional lifespan of PHHs in vivo is 200-400 days, it is desirable to further prolong PHH functions in vitro towards modeling chronic drug exposure and disease progression. Fasting has benefits on the longevity of organisms and the health of tissues such as the liver. We hypothesized that a culturing protocol that mimics dynamic fasting/starvation could activate starvation pathways and prolong PHH functional lifetime. To mimic starvation, serum and hormones were intermittently removed from the culture medium of micropatterned co-cultures (MPCC) containing PHHs organized onto collagen domains and surrounded by 3T3-J2 murine fibroblasts. A weekly 2-day starvation optimally prolonged PHH functional lifetime for 6+ weeks in MPCCs versus a decline after 3 weeks in non-starved controls. The 2-day starvation also enhanced the functions of PHH monocultures for 2 weeks, suggesting direct effects on PHHs. In MPCCs, starvation activated adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase and restricted fibroblast overgrowth onto PHH islands, thereby maintaining hepatic polarity. The effects of starvation on MPCCs were partially recapitulated by activating adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase using metformin or growth-arresting fibroblasts via mitomycin-C. Lastly, starved MPCCs demonstrated lower false positives for drug toxicity tests and higher drug-induced cytochrome-P450 activities versus non-starved controls even after 5 weeks. In conclusion, intermittent serum/hormone starvation extends PHH functional lifetime towards enabling clinically-relevant drug screening.
Maize nested introgression library provides evidence for the involvement ofliguleless1in resistance to northern leaf blight
Authors: Kolkman Judith M. , Strable Josh , Harline Kate , Kroon Dallas E. , Wiesner-Hanks Tyr , Bradbury Peter J. , Nelson Rebecca J.
Published: October 2019

Plant disease resistance is largely governed by complex genetic architecture. In maize, few disease resistance loci have been characterized. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) are a powerful genetic tool to dissect quantitative trait loci (QTL). We analyzed an introgression library of maize near-isogenic lines (NILs), termed a nested NIL (nNIL) library for resistance to northern leaf blight (NLB) caused by the fungal pathogenSetosphaeria turcica. The nNIL library was comprised of 412 BC5F4NILs that originated from 18 diverse donor parents and a common recurrent parent, B73. Single nucleotide polymorphisms identified through genotyping by sequencing (GBS) were used to define introgressions and for association analysis. NILs that conferred resistance and susceptibility to NLB were comprised of introgressions that overlapped known NLB QTL. Genome-wide association analysis and stepwise regression further resolved five QTL regions, and implicated several candidate genes, includingLiguleless1(Lg1), a key determinant of leaf architecture in cereals. Two independently-derived mutant alleles oflg1inoculated withS. turcicashowed enhanced susceptibility to NLB. In the maize nested association mapping population, leaf angle was positively correlated with NLB in five recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations, and negatively correlated with NLB in four RIL populations. This study demonstrates the power of a nNIL library combined with high density SNP coverage to resolve QTLs. Furthermore, the role oflg1in leaf architecture and in resistance to NLB has important applications in crop improvement.

Significance Statement (120 words)

Understanding the genetic basis of disease resistance is important for crop improvement. We analyzed response to northern leaf blight (NLB) in a maize population consisting of 412 near-isogenic lines (NILs) derived from 18 diverse donor parents backcrossed to a recurrent parent, B73. NILs were genotyped by sequencing to detect introgressed segments. We identified NILs with greater resistance or susceptibility to NLB than B73. Genome-wide association analysis, coupled with stepwise regression, identified 5 candidate loci for NLB resistance, including theliguleless1gene. The LIGULELESS1 transcription factor is critical in development of the leaf ligular region and influences leaf angle. We found thatliguleless1mutants are significantly more susceptible to NLB, uncovering a pleiotropic role forliguleless1in development and disease resistance.
Governmentality and performance for the smart city
Authors: Argento Daniela , Grossi Giuseppe , Jääskeläinen Aki , Servalli Stefania , Suomala Petri
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of performance measurement systems as technologies of government in the operationalisation of smart city programmes. It answers the research question: how do the development and use of performance measurement systems support smart cities in the achievement of their goals?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a longitudinal case study that uses an interventionist approach to investigate the possibilities and limitations of the use of performance measurement systems as technologies of government in a smart city. Interpretations are theoretically informed by the Foucauldian governmentality framework (Foucault, 2009) and by public sector performance measurement literature.

Findings

The findings address the benefits and criticalities confronting a smart city that introduces new performance measurement systems as a technology of government. Such technologies become problematic tools when the city network is characterised by a fragmentation of inter-departmental processes, and when forms of resistance emerge due to a lack of process owners, horizontal accountability and cooperation among involved parties.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on a case study of a single smart city, and outlines the need for both comparative and multidisciplinary analyses in order to analyse the causes and effects of smart city challenges.

Originality/value

This paper offers a critical understanding of the role of accounting in the smart city. The ineffectiveness of performance measurement systems is related to the multiple roles of such technologies of government, which may lead to a temporary paralysis in the achievement of smart city goals and programmes.
Online learning behavior analysis based on machine learning
Authors: Yan Ning , Au Oliver Tat-Sheung
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make a correlation analysis between students’ online learning behavior features and course grade, and to attempt to build some effective prediction model based on limited data.

Design/methodology/approach

The prediction label in this paper is the course grade of students, and the eigenvalues available are student age, student gender, connection time, hits count and days of access. The machine learning model used in this paper is the classical three-layer feedforward neural networks, and the scaled conjugate gradient algorithm is adopted. Pearson correlation analysis method is used to find the relationships between course grade and the student eigenvalues.

Findings

Days of access has the highest correlation with course grade, followed by hits count, and connection time is less relevant to students’ course grade. Student age and gender have the lowest correlation with course grade. Binary classification models have much higher prediction accuracy than multi-class classification models. Data normalization and data discretization can effectively improve the prediction accuracy of machine learning models, such as ANN model in this paper.

Originality/value

This paper may help teachers to find some clue to identify students with learning difficulties in advance and give timely help through the online learning behavior data. It shows that acceptable prediction models based on machine learning can be built using a small and limited data set. However, introducing external data into machine learning models to improve its prediction accuracy is still a valuable and hard issue.
Benchmarking publication metrics for Indian business researchers
Authors: Behl Abhishek , Chavan Meena , Dutta Pankaj , Sheorey Pratima Amol
Published: October 2019

Purpose

There is no particularly efficient way to measure research output, but effectual assessment of research output is necessary to motivate and encourage researchers to enhance their research performance and disseminate knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the exacerbating pressure on Indian academics to deliver incessantly in terms of research output and identify an agreeable way to increase research output. The metric explores trends in management publications by Indian academics and presents an overview of collaborative practices by Indian management researchers that could shine a light on the trends of collaborative publishing future.

Design/methodology/approach

The study focuses on publications in the area of Business and Management. Scopus was used with advanced filters to draw relevant research papers. Data were then sorted and filtered on the basis of quality determined through Australian Business Deans Council rankings and diverse bibliometric information to understand the pattern of research output of Indian academics.

Findings

The research found that the rate of collaboration with researchers from the home country is low for top rated publications. Majority of publications were listed in Scopus indexed journals, whereas a handful featured in A and A* journals. A and A* journals were predominantly co-authored with academics from universities outside the country. Tradeoff was achieved by majority of authors by getting published in B, followed by C category journals to achieve research outputs.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to publications in the area of Business and Management and may be extended to other disciplines such as economics, engineering, law, medical sciences, etc., to understand publishing trends at universities in the country. The study can also be conducted in understanding a similar dilemma with academics at other countries that are evolving in research culture.

Practical implications

The study would help management researchers to dig deep into the root cause and understand why and how collaborations within and outside the country impact the quality of publications. The results would further encourage ranking agencies to award suitable grades to colleges that promote collaboration within the country as well as international collaboration. The study also conducts a benchmarking exercise of the institutions in the country that would be useful for researchers, journals and colleges.

Originality/value

While earlier studies have highlighted the importance of foreign collaborations in academic publishing, there are a handful of studies that have focused on the role of collaboration within the home country. The practice of Indian authors collaborating with Indian counterparts at other universities would help understand the expertise of researchers at different universities and encourage the collaboration process and quality of publications in the country.
“Please tidy up before leaving”: nudging Airbnb guests toward altruistic behavior
Authors: Ranson Paul , Guttentag Daniel
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate whether increasing the social presence within an Airbnb lodging environment could nudge guests toward altruistic cleaning behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based around a theoretical framework combining the social-market versus money-market relationship model, nudge theory and social presence theory. A series of three field experiments were conducted, in which social presence was manipulated to test its impact on guest cleaning behaviors prior to departure.

Findings

The experimental results confirmed the underlying hypothesis that an Airbnb listing’s enhanced social presence can subtly induce guests to help clean their rental units prior to departure.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine behavioral nudging in an Airbnb context. It is also one of the first field experiments involving Airbnb. The study findings offer clear theoretical and practical implications.
Sustainable family business
Authors: Alwadani Rawa , Ndubisi Nelson Oly
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Family centered non-economic (FCNE) goals, such as environmental and social goals, are sometimes strenuous to “sell” to non-family members in a family business, and are often open to resistance. The purpose of this paper is to identify socio-psychological mechanisms for achieving FCNE goals because, in addition to economic goals, they are the other two components of the triple bottom line.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a juxtaposition of the literature on family businesses, and the theories of mindfulness and psychological ownership, this paper argues for the facilitating roles of family involvement and mindful organizing in the achievement of FCNE goals. An example of how a Kuwaiti oil company implements these ideas is appended.

Findings

A moderated link between family involvement, mindful organizing and FCNE goal of environmental sustainability. Besides its direct effect on environmental sustainability, mindful organizing also has a potential mediating role in the relationship between family involvement and environmental sustainability. Psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness will moderate the relationship between mindful organizing and the achievement of environmental sustainability goals.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents ten propositions and argues that three types of family involvement (ownership, management and inter-generational), together with non-family engagement (through mindful organizing) would lead to success in achieving the FCNE goal of environmental sustainability. Psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness are potential moderators.

Practical implications

The paper suggests some key drivers of FCNE goal of environmental sustainability as well as several contingent factors. Applicable to family businesses, owners and/or managers of similar firms can apply knowledge from this study in the pursuit of environmental sustainability.

Originality/value

The paper’s model advances the current understanding of the link between family involvement, mindful organizing, environmental sustainability, psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness in the context of family business. The paper further suggests new future research directions.
Assessing the synergy status of TQM and SCM initiatives in terms of business performance of the medium and large scale Indian manufacturing industry
Authors: Kaur Mandeep , Singh Kanwarpreet , Singh Doordarshi
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an insight into the prevalent quality and supply chain practices adopted in the contemporary Indian manufacturing industry, and compare business performance measurements between transfusion of total quality management (TQM)–supply chain management (SCM) companies and only SCM implementing companies.

Design/methodology/approach

To meet the goals of this work, i.e., to ascertain contributions made by TQM–SCM practices, a reasonably large number of Indian manufacturing organizations have been extensively surveyed, through a specially designed TQM–SCM questionnaire. And the design of TQM–SCM questionnaire has been finalized through extensive literature review. Finalized TQM–SCM questionnaire was sent to around 720 industries that are implementing TQM and SCM with other related lean manufacturing practices.

Findings

The leading Indian manufacturing organizations have taken proactive initiatives to effectively improve the manufacturing by transfusing various lean manufacturing philosophies like TQM, SCM, TPM, 5S, Six Sigma, etc., for realizing enhanced manufacturing performance. The study reveals that Indian entrepreneurs have been reasonably successful in improving the business performances in the organizations by implementing combination of TQM and SCM, as TQM support to SCM is much effective and this improvement initiative has significantly contributed toward enhancing the overall manufacturing performance.

Practical implications

Synergy of TQM and SCM in the context of Indian manufacturing industry has been proved beneficial in terms of competitive image as well as business performance. Therefore, the whole Indian manufacturing entrepreneurs must continue to make an earnest effort in their endeavour to realize enhanced competitiveness through synergizing different business improvement initiatives. A major implication is that only SCM implementing companies should develop their supply chain through synergy of TQM–SCM after analyzing the business environment and their future plans.

Originality/value

Much of the attention has been given to TQM practices and SCM practices, and very few studies have been undertaken to integrate TQM and SCM practices. But as far as the authors know till now there is no study undertaken to analyze synergy status of TQM and SCM and then comparing with only SCM implementing companies in India for medium- and large-scale manufacturing class. Therefore, this study compares the transfusion of TQM–SCM with only SCM companies and can be, thus, treated as filling a gap in the extant literature. Therefore, the findings of this research paper will contribute to future research.
Game-based structural debriefing
Authors: Kim Yoon Jeon , Pavlov Oleg
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The authors developed a pedagogical framework called the game-based structural debriefing (GBSD) to leverage the affordances of video games for teaching systems thinking. By integrating system dynamics visualization tools within a set of debriefing activities, GBSD helps teachers make systems thinking an explicit goal of the gameplay and learning when they use available educational games in the classroom.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a design-based research methodology with the goals of validating GBSD and investigating the utility of GBSD across different contexts as a design source to develop game-based curriculum. Over the course of 12 months, the authors conducted one focus group interview and three design workshops with participating teachers and master teachers. Between the workshops, the team rapidly iterated the framework, as well as curricular materials, in collaboration with the teachers.

Findings

The authors developed a curriculum unit that integrates systems dynamics visualization tools and a video game for middle school life science ecosystem curriculum. The unit was implemented by the three teachers who participated in the co-design. The implementations confirmed the flexibility of the unit because teachers created additional instructional materials that supplemented the GBSD protocol and addressed the unique limitations and needs of their classrooms.

Originality/value

GBSD builds on system dynamics, which is a distinct academic discipline and methodology, and it uses its visualization tools, which are not widely used in the systems thinking educational literature. GBSD is also unique, in that it applies these tools within the debriefing activities developed for an off-the-shelf educational game. This paper illustrates how a design framework can be used to support teachers’ thoughtful integration of games in curriculum development.
Knowledge recommendation for workplace learning: a system design and evaluation perspective
Authors: Geng Shuang , Tan Lijing , Niu Ben , Feng Yuanyue , Chen Li
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Although digitalization in the workplace is burgeoning, tools are needed to facilitate personalized learning in informal learning settings. Existing knowledge recommendation techniques do not account for dynamic and task-oriented user preferences. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new design of a knowledge recommender system (RS) to fill this research gap and provide guidance for practitioners on how to enhance the effectiveness of workplace learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs the design science research approach. A novel hybrid knowledge recommendation technique is proposed. An experiment was carried out in a case company to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system design. Quantitative data were collected to investigate the influence of personalized knowledge service on users’ learning attitude.

Findings

The proposed personalized knowledge RS obtained satisfactory user feedback. The results also show that providing personalized knowledge service can positively influence users’ perceived usefulness of learning.

Practical implications

This research highlights the importance of providing digital support for workplace learners. The proposed new knowledge recommendation technique would be useful for practitioners and developers to harness information technology to facilitate workplace learning and effect organization learning strategies.

Originality/value

This study expands the scope of research on RS and workplace learning. This research also draws scholarly attention to the effective utilization of digital techniques, such as a RS, to support user decision making in the workplace.
Serious games for information literacy: a scoping review and design recommendations
Authors: Urban Alex C.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature on digital games designed or adapted for information literacy instruction, as well as practical design recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents an analysis of a compiled set of peer-reviewed articles on games in the provision of information literacy instruction published between 2013 and 2018, categorized by game mechanics utilized.

Findings

Application of the inclusion criteria led to 12 papers considered relevant. Synthesis of the papers suggests that although studies indicate positive outcomes for information literacy games, such games continue to rely on transcription of declarative tasks to digital environments.

Originality/value

While previous literature reviews provide summaries on information literacy digital games, this paper not only presents an up-to-date review but also provides step-by-step instructions and worked examples for aligning information literacy learning mechanics with game mechanics.
Our transformational leader might be replaced, we are extremely stressed out!
Authors: Mattar Dorine Maurice
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This study aims to tackle employees’ stress and emotions in periods of changes in leadership positions, especially if the leader to be replaced is previously found to be transformational.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative data are collected from WhatsApp conversations between different subordinates, hours around the declaration of the appointment decision. Data presentation includes messages exchanged, as well as photos, emojis and voice notes.

Findings

The participants’ messages reflected their stress. They are drained, desperate and praying God so their transformational leader is reappointed. Fear and sadness are the two types of emotion experienced by employees during the anticipation and confirmation stages of the change process, respectively. The emotional contagion among subordinates is revealed in the way the messages and the replies are very close in content.

Research limitations/implications

The low number of participants makes the results obtained specific to the case itself. However, this study triggers future research addressing same research propositions under different leadership styles and in different cultures.

Originality/value

The value of this research lies in the topic addressed, as no literature is found discussing employees stress in periods of change in a transformational leadership position, specifically. Moreover, its originality lies in the method of data collection which depicts the participants’ live and real feelings and emotions on that moment.
Verbal Suppletion in Romance Synchrony and Diachrony: The Perspective of Distributed Morphology
Authors: Pomino Natascha , Remberger Eva‐Maria
Published: October 2019

This article studies the various suppletive patterns found with respect to the Romance movement verbgo, both under a diachronic and a synchronic perspective, within the framework ofDistributed Morphology(DM). The Romance varieties all started with the loss of verbal forms of Lat.īre– indeed, there is no Romance variety that retained the full paradigm – but reached different solutions in diachrony. A particular case, implemented by underspecifiedVocabulary Itemsin DM, is overlapping suppletion, as found in Spanish, where the absolute default auxiliarybeshares part of its forms withgo. In this article, different types of suppletion are distinguished and selected aspects of suppletion are analysed in order to illustrate how DM can systematically account for them. From the perspective of DM, we discuss why non‐categorial suppletion is restricted to the present tense, how resistance to innovation of 1/2pl can be modelled and how subsequent analogical levelling can be formalised. Finally, we show why, as in Ibero‐Romance, forms ofbecan be used forgo.
Examining options for reading comprehension assessment in international contexts
Authors: Zuilkowski Stephanie Simmons , Piper Benjamin , Kwayumba Dunston , Dubeck Margaret (Peggy)
Published: October 2019

Background

Governments in low‐income countries and donors have invested the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars in enhancing reading outcomes. Although reliable measures exist to assess emergent literacy skills in international contexts, there is little consensus on the assessment of reading comprehension.

Methods

Using data from 5,389 Kenyan children attending low‐cost private schools, we compared the reading comprehension measure from the Early Grade Reading Assessment to two alternatives. We examined relationships among children's outcome scores and the degree to which children's scores on the three measures drew on the same skills.

Results

Scores on the three assessments were strongly correlated, and the assessments appeared to draw on the same abilities. The patterns observed in the exploratory factor analyses held for subgroups, including fluent and nonfluent readers and across testing languages.

Conclusion

The alternatives did not provide more information on reading comprehension, and we therefore recommend continued use of the Early Grade Reading Assessment standard measure.

Highlights

What is already known about this topic

Large‐scale reading interventions in developing countries have focused on foundational skills, such as decoding.

Reliable assessments of foundational skills are available and have been used at scale in these contexts.

However, the debate continues regarding how reading comprehension should be assessed, in populations with low skill levels and in contexts where tools must be straightforward and inexpensive to implement.

What this paper adds

We compare the standard reading comprehension measure used on the Early Grade Reading Assessment to two others.

The first alternative is similar in structure but gives students more time to read the associated passage.

The second alternative uses sentences rather than a passage to assess comprehension.

Implications for theory, policy or practice

All three measures are strongly correlated, and exploratory factor analyses suggested that they are measuring the same ability.

Therefore, as the standard Early Grade Reading Assessment measure is less expensive to implement on a large scale, we see no reason to prefer one of the alternatives.

However, the standard measure is not perfect, and future research should explore other options for reliably measuring assessment, particularly at very low literacy levels.
Suicide by Close‐Range Gunshot Wound to the Bridge of the Nose
Authors: Pawsey Sydney C. , Wilson Catherine G. , Gunther Wendy M. , Fantaskey Amy P.
Published: October 2019

Suicidal gunshot wounds to the nasal bridge are rare, particularly at close range (defined as muzzle of the weapon not touching the skin surface, but near enough to deposit soot and stippling). Previously reported suicidal gunshot wounds to the nose have been through the left nostril (Forensic Sci Int 1995;71(1):25–31; J Forensic Radiol Imag 2013;1(2):63–7). The death of a 26‐year‐old man with a close‐range gunshot wound to the bridge of the nose was deemed suicide due to history, scene, and autopsy findings. These findings included previous suicidal ideation, texted and written notes, the decedent's cross‐legged position seated on the floor, the trajectory of the bullet through his head and into the ceiling fan and roof above him, and acute alcohol intoxication. This decedent may have been intending a hard contact forehead location but inadvertently fired the gun into the bridge of his nose while bending forward, prior to contact.
Association between body composition and osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Long Huizhong , Xie Dongxing , Zeng Chao , Wei Jie , Wang Yilun , Yang Tuo , Xu Bei , Qian Yuxuan , Li Jiatian , Wu Ziying , Lei Guanghua
Published: October 2019

Objectives

To examine the association between body composition and osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

An extensive literature review was performed to identify studies that examined the association between body composition and OA. The mean difference (MD), odds ratio (OR), relative risk (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined using RevMan statistical software.

Results

A total of 19 studies were included. The combined MD showed the fat mass of the subjects with knee OA was higher than that of the control group (MD 4.38, 95% CI: 2.84‐5.92). Both fat mass and fat mass percentage were positively associated with knee OA (ORs ranged from 1.49, 95% CI: 1.15‐1.92, to 2.37, 95% CI: 1.18‐4.74). Similar findings were observed in hip and hand joints as well (ORs ranged from 1.20, 95% CI: 1.08‐1.32, to 1.87, 95% CI: 1.11‐3.15), and such results were also confirmed by most cohort studies of knee and hip OA (RRs ranged from 0.98, 95% CI: 0.95‐1.01, to 3.60, 95% CI: 2.60‐5.00). Lean mass was also positively associated with knee OA (OR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.13‐1.94). However, lean mass percentage was negatively associated with knee OA (OR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46‐0.92).

Conclusions

Both fat mass and fat mass percentage were likely to be risk factors for knee, hip and hand OA. Similarly, lean mass also seemed to be a risk factor for knee OA, while lean mass percentage seemed to be a protective factor.
A practical method to account for variation in detection range in acoustic telemetry arrays to accurately quantify the spatial ecology of aquatic animals
Authors: Brownscombe Jacob W. , Griffin Lucas P. , Chapman Jacqueline M. , Morley Danielle , Acosta Alejandro , Crossin Glenn T. , Iverson Sara J. , Adams Aaron J. , Cooke Steven J. , Danylchuk Andy J.
Published: October 2019

Acoustic telemetry is a popular tool for long‐term tracking of aquatic animals to describe and quantify patterns of movement, space use, and diverse ecological interactions. Acoustic receivers are imperfect sampling instruments, and their detection range (DR; the area surrounding the receiver in which tag transmissions can be detected) often varies dramatically over space and time due to dynamic environmental conditions. Therefore, it is prudent to quantify and account for variation in DR to prevent telemetry system performance from confounding the understanding of real patterns in animal space use. However, acoustic receiver DR consists of a complex, dynamic, three‐dimensional area that is challenging to quantify.

Although quantifying the absolute DR of all receivers is infeasible in the context of most acoustic telemetry studies, we outline a practical approach to quantify relative variation among receiver DR over space and time. This approach involves selecting a set of sentinel receivers to monitor drivers of variation in detection range. Each sentinel receiver is subject to a range testing procedure to estimate detection efficiency (DE; the proportion of total transmissions detected by the receiver), at a range of distances from the receiver, to derive the maximum range (MR; distance from the receiver where DE is 5%) and Midpoint (distance from the receiver where DE is 50%). A reference transmitter is then placed at the Midpoint, providing a standardized measure of long‐term variation in DE, with each station having similar freedom of variance. Variation in reference tag DE is then combined with MR to calculate a DR correction factor (DRc). A modelling approach is then used to estimate DRc for all receivers in the array at spatial and temporal scales of ecological interest, which can be used to correct animal detection data in various ways.

We demonstrate this method with a hypothetical dataset, as well as empirical data from an acoustic telemetry array to delineate spatio‐temporal patterns of fish habitat use.

This is a flexible and practical approach to account for variation in acoustic receiver performance, allowing more accurate spatial and temporal patterns in aquatic animal spatial ecology to be revealed.
The Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic: Improving time to colonoscopy for eligible positive faecal occult blood test patients in Broken Hill NSW
Authors: Whitelaw Laura , Hammond Kellie , Cumming Melissa , Mansfield Kylie , Saurman Emily
Published: October 2019

Objective

This pilot project aimed to assess whether the Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic is an effective and safe model to reduce the time from a positive faecal occult blood test referral to a gastroenterologist‐performed colonoscopy, and its effect on meeting the 120‐day recommendation.

Design

Before/after clinical practice and patient file audit.

Setting

Broken Hill Health Service.

Participants

De‐identified data from all positive faecal occult blood test colonoscopies performed in the Broken Hill Health Service in October 2016‐January 2017 (Pre‐Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic) and October 2017‐January 2018 (Post‐Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic).

Main outcome measures

Variables included referral date, indication, initial appointment date, colonoscopy date, colonoscopy finding, bowel preparation and adverse events. Colonoscopies indicated by positive faecal occult blood test results were the focus.

Results

The nurse‐consulted Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic cohort (n = 22) had a significant 139‐day reduction from positive faecal occult blood test referral to colonoscopy compared to the Pre‐Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic cohort. All Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic patients met the new 120‐day recommendation for wait‐time from referral to colonoscopy. Following the introduction of the Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic, no immediate adverse events were documented for patients using either the conventional or Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic pathways.

Conclusions

The Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic offers a safe and effective intervention that reduces wait‐time to colonoscopy in eligible patients with positive faecal occult blood test within the recommended 120 days. Further research is recommended, but Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic has the potential to improve timely access to colonoscopy services and outcomes for all positive faecal occult blood test patients.
The mental health of former refugees in regional Australia: A qualitative study
Authors: Smith Laura A. , Reynish Tamara , Hoang Ha , Mond Jonathan , Hannah Chona , McLeod Kim , Auckland Stuart , Slewa‐Younan Shameran
Published: October 2019

Objective

To examine the resettlement experiences of former refugees living in regional Australia, focusing on mental health and mental health and support services, including barriers to access.

Design

A phenomenological approach utilising a combination of six qualitative, semi‐structured, face‐to‐face focus groups (n = 24) and seven individual interviews. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo 10 software.

Setting

Launceston, Tasmania.

Participants

Adult and youth former refugees from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Iran, and essential service providers, residing in Launceston.

Main outcome measures

Participants were asked about experiences of resettlement and mental health.

Results

Participants reported that their mental health had improved since resettlement; however, major stressors impacted mental health and resettlement included employment and housing access and mastering the English language. Past experiences continued to impact current functioning, with trauma commonly experienced intergenerationally through parenting and attachment and ongoing trauma and feelings of guilt and responsibility experienced with families left behind. Participants noted barriers to accessing services: (a) Language difficulties including lack of interpreters; and (b) lack of culturally sensitive and trauma‐informed practices. Discrimination was experienced through the inconsistent provision of interpreters and lack of due consideration of cultural and religious differences. The use of children as interpreters enhanced a number of risk including miscommunication of medical information, exposure to age‐inappropriate information and the resulting increased risk of trauma for the child.

Conclusion

Culturally sensitive, trauma‐informed and discrimination‐free practices should be employed across services, where Western‐views surrounding this medical model are not imposed, cultural differences are respected, and timely access to interpreters was provided.
Hygienisation, Gentrification, and Urban Displacement in Brazil
Authors: Garmany Jeff , Richmond Matthew A.
Published: October 2019

This article engages recent debates over gentrification and urban displacement in the global South. While researchers increasingly suggest that gentrification is becoming widespread in “Southern” cities, others argue that such analyses overlook important differences in empirical context and privilege EuroAmerican theoretical frameworks. To respond to this debate, in this article, we outline the concept of higienização (hygienisation), arguing that it captures important contextual factors missed by gentrification. Hygienisation is a Brazilian term that describes a particular form of urban displacement, and is directly informed by legacies of colonialism, racial and class stigma, informality, and state violence. Our objective is to show how “Southern” concepts like hygienisation help urban researchers gain better insight into processes of urban displacement, while also responding to recent calls to decentre and provincialise urban theory.