bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Post-diagnostic support for dementia
Authors: Levin Kate Ann , Lithgow Stephen , Miller Martine , Carson Jill 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine three interpretations of post-diagnostic support (PDS) for dementia, to understand how best to support people recently diagnosed with dementia.

Design/methodology/approach
A sequential mixed-method approach was used which included analysis of the data collected by each sector, a focus group and interviews with PDS linkworkers and other staff.

Findings
All three sectors used a mix of supported self-management workshops and one-to-one PDS, however sectors varied by linkworker’s affiliation, caseload management and client group. Caseload varied greatly between sectors. Stage of disease and socioeconomic make-up of the local population were raised as factors determining the form of PDS offered. Some pillars appeared to be more easily achieved than others. There was a general agreement among all staff that “caseload” was misleading and that a measurement of workload would be preferable. Agile/mobile working was preferred by linkworkers. Even within teams there was variation in perceptions of PDS; some felt the linkworker role to be one of signposting, while others felt more involved with their client group, and for longer than 12 months.

Practical implications
Guidance at the outset of the PDS programme was sparse. The findings of this study should inform future development of the PDS model and a supporting guidance framework.

Originality/value
There is a growing interest in PDS for dementia. However, little is known about what a model of PDS should look like. This study attempts to capture the most important aspects of PDS delivery.
Recursive least squares identification for piecewise affine Hammerstein models
Authors: Hong Wang Jian , Wang Daobo 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to probe the recursive identification of piecewise affine Hammerstein models directly by using input-output data. To explain the identification process of a parametric piecewise affine nonlinear function, the authors prove that the inverse function corresponding to the given piecewise affine nonlinear function is also an equivalent piecewise affine form. Based on this equivalent property, during the detailed identification process with respect to piecewise affine function and linear dynamical system, three recursive least squares methods are proposed to identify those unknown parameters under the probabilistic description or bounded property of noise.

Design/methodology/approach
First, the basic recursive least squares method is used to identify those unknown parameters under the probabilistic description of noise. Second, multi-innovation recursive least squares method is proposed to improve the efficiency lacked in basic recursive least squares method. Third, to relax the strict probabilistic description on noise, the authors provide a projection algorithm with a dead zone in the presence of bounded noise and analyze its two properties.

Findings
Based on complex mathematical derivation, the inverse function of a given piecewise affine nonlinear function is also an equivalent piecewise affine form. As the least squares method is suited under one condition that the considered noise may be a zero mean random signal, a projection algorithm with a dead zone in the presence of bounded noise can enhance the robustness in the parameter update equation.

Originality/value
To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first attempt at identifying piecewise affine Hammerstein models, which combine a piecewise affine function and a linear dynamical system. In the presence of bounded noise, the modified recursive least squares methods are efficient in identifying two kinds of unknown parameters, so that the common set membership method can be replaced by the proposed methods.
On active synchronization of fractional-order Bloch chaotic system and its practical application in secure image transmission
Authors: Tirandaz Hamed , Karami-Mollaee Ali 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a novel and secure image transmission based on the unpredictable behavior of the chaotic systems.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed approach includes two main contributions: synchronization scheme and transmission scheme. The synchronization scheme benefits the advantage of the fractional-order active synchronization method. A new control law is derived to asymptotically synchronize the underlined fractional-order Bloch chaotic system. The validity of the proposed synchronization scheme is proved by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Then, a novel image transmission scheme is designed to transfer image data via chaotic signals, which modulates the encrypted data in the sender signals and demodulates it at the receiver side.FindingsNumerical simulations are provided to show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed image transmission system. Furthermore, the performance of the image transmission system is evaluated using some illustrative examples and their corresponding statistical tests. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison with other proposed methods in this subject.Originality/valueA new chaos-based image transmission system is developed based on the synchronization of Bloch chaotic system. The introduced transmission system is interesting and could be applicable to any kind of secure image/video transmission.
Causes of government construction projects failure in an emerging economy
Authors: Damoah Isaac Sakyi , Kumi Desmond Kwadjo 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that cause government construction projects failure in a developing economy.

Design/methodology/approach
The study used the sequential data collection approach through an in-depth semi-structured interview (16 participants) and questionnaire survey (230 participants) to solicit their perceptions from project management practitioners (PMP), contractors and client (government officials) about the factors that lead to Ghanaian Government construction projects. The relative importance index was used to determine the relative importance of the factors identified. This was followed by Spearman rank correlation coefficient and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance to measure the degree of agreement among the participants on their perceptions.

Findings
In total, 34 factors were identified as the main factors that lead into Ghanaian Government construction projects failure. The top ten most important factors that cause Ghanaian Government construction projects failure are: political interferences, delays in payment, partisan politics, bureaucracy, corruption, poor supervision, lack of commitment by project leaders, poor planning, starting more projects than the government can fund and change in government. The failure factors were grouped into four main themes and found that the most important failure factors are leadership. This is followed by management and administrative practices, resources and external forces, respectively.

Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to only the public sector, and therefore the findings may not be applicable in the private sector.

Practical implications
Policy makers and construction PMP would be able to use the findings as a guide during the implementation of government projects in order to reduce and/or avoid government construction projects failure.

Originality/value
Construction projects failure in developing countries is high. Accordingly, the extant literature has been devoted to identifying the factors that lead to failure; however, they have mainly been discussed from a generic point of view or individual case studies. Researches that focus exclusively on government construction projects in developing countries are rare despite the dynamics in which these projects are implemented. This research extends the construction project management literature by focussing on government construction projects in a developing economy, where there are weak public institutional systems coupled with partisanship politics and bad cultural orientation towards government sector work inherited from a colonial rule.
Exploring the therapeutic potential of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia in rat experimental models
Authors: Abbas Munawar , Saeed Farhan , Arshad Muhammad Umair , Nadeem Muhammad Tahir , Bader-Ul-Ain Huma , Hassan Zohaib , Suleria Hafiz Ansar Rasul 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia, i.e. decrease in platelet count.

Design/methodology/approach
Male Sprague Dawley rats were used to evaluate therapeutic potential of apple extracts. Diets enriched with apple fruit and seed’s ethanolic extract were provided to normal and KBrO3-induced thrombocytopenic rats for 60 days. KBrO3 was administered at level of 85 mg/Kg of body weight of rats to intentionally decrease the platelet count. Platelet count and other hematological parameters were monitored at monthly intervals to evaluate therapeutic effect of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia.

Findings
The results of current research portrayed that both apple seed and fruit extracts enriched diets increased the platelet count significantly (p < 0.05) in thrombocytopenic rats. It was observed that apple fruit extract-enriched diet (AFE) raised the platelet count to 14.72 and 33.07 per cent in normal and thrombocytopenic rats, respectively. Apple seed extract-enriched diet (ASE) raised the platelet count to 11.08 and 32.90 per cent in normal and thrombocytopenic rats, respectively. Other hematological parameters including white blood cells, red blood cells and hemoglobin were also significantly increased.

Originality/value
Thrombocytopenia is uprising problem in developing world including India and Pakistan accompanied by different diseases especially dengue and related complications. Because of questioning on therapies against thrombocytopenia, research on diet-based therapies, as a substitute to synthetic one, is increasing. Diet rich in antioxidant compounds including apple fruit and seeds are the limelight of manuscript.
Post‐War Recovery and the Role of Markets: Policy Insights from Six Years of Research
Authors: Mallett Richard , Pain Adam 
Published: April 2018

AbstractMarkets and private sector development are considered central to the recovery of economies and people's livelihoods after conflict. But the specific ways in which they shape this process, and the question of how governments and development partners might best support market resuscitation, are patchily evidenced and poorly understood. The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium was established in 2011 as a cross‐country research programme tasked with asking and answering questions about state‐building, service delivery and livelihoods in conflict‐affected situations. As part of its broad agenda of livelihoods research from 2011 to 2017, the Consortium undertook a specific investigation of the role that markets, and people's engagement with them, play in processes of post‐conflict livelihood recovery, ultimately with a view to informing policies and programmes that are fit for purpose. This Policy Insights paper summarises the main findings and policy recommendations emerging from a synthesis of the Consortium's market studies, drawing also on key evidence and insights from the wider literature.
Generalization and representativeness of phase III immune checkpoint blockade trials in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Yoo Shin Hye , Keam Bhumsuk , Kim Miso , Kim Tae Min , Kim Dong‐Wan , Heo Dae Seog 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundStrict eligibility criteria for patient enrollment in phase III trials raise questions regarding generalization to ineligible patients. We evaluated whether pivotal phase III trials of immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) represent the overall population of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.MethodsWe reviewed the inclusion and exclusion criteria of three phase III trials (CheckMate057, CheckMate017, and KEYNOTE‐010). Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC patients diagnosed from 2011 to 2013 at Seoul National University Hospital (cohort 1) were reviewed. We also analyzed the criteria in 53 patients with NSCLC who were treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab as routine practice (cohort 2).ResultsAmong the 715 patients in cohort 1, 499 (69.9%) were ineligible for the three trials. Reasons for ineligibility included: no prior platinum doublet treatment (23.6%), lack of tissue availability (22.7%), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status > 1 (14.1%), steroid use (18.2%), active cerebral nervous system metastasis (8.3%), hepatitis B/hepatitis C/human immunodeficiency virus (8.0%), and no measurable lesion (7.3%). EGFR mutations were more common in the ineligible group. In cohort 2, 67.9% of patients were classified as ineligible. Treatment outcomes of ICB in cohort 2 appeared inferior to those in the three pivotal trials, with a response rate of 11.3% and median progression‐free survival of 1.67 months.ConclusionOnly 30% of NSCLC patients were eligible for ICB phase III trials. The actual efficacy in the 70% of ineligible patients is unknown. These findings suggest a huge gap between practice‐changing phase III trials and the overall population of NSCLC patients.
Structural characteristics, above‐ground biomass and productivity of mangrove forest situated in areas with different levels of pollution in the Niger Delta, Nigeria
Authors: Numbere Aroloye O. , Camilo Gerardo R. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractProductivity is a major driver of carbon sequestration in mangrove ecosystems worldwide. It is hypothesized that hydrocarbon pollution can accelerate litter fall and increase productivity through detoxification. We studied structural characteristics, above ground biomass (AGB) and productivity of mangroves in higher and lower polluted locations in the Niger River Delta, Nigeria. We established four 400 m2 plots in a random block design to test the effects of pollution on mangrove productivity. A total of 1,089 mangrove tree structural characteristics and importance values (IV) were estimated. For productivity, ten litter traps (0.1521 m2) were established within each plot, and emptied monthly for three years, June 2010 – June 2013. Total productivity was significantly different between treatments (F1, 1378 = 9.673, p < .001), with highly polluted having higher total productivity. Flowers (F1, 1378 = 9.673, p < .001) and fruits (F1, 1378 = 9.673, p < .001) productivity varied between treatments too, again with the highly polluted being significantly greater. Our results indicate that pollution increased litter fall, and thus altered productivity in the Niger Delta mangrove. To the best of our understanding, this is the first time productivity has been reported in the primary literature for the Niger Delta mangrove ecosystem.
Clinical Obesity Services in Public Hospitals in Australia: a position statement based on expert consensus
Authors: Atlantis E. , Kormas N. , Samaras K. , Fahey P. , Sumithran P. , Glastras S. , Wittert G. , Fusco K. , Bishay R. , Markovic T. , Ding L. , Williams K. , Caterson I. , Chikani V. , Dugdale P. , Dixon J. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryWe aimed to describe the current state of specialist obesity services for adults with clinically severe obesity in public hospitals in Australia, and to analyse the gap in resources based on expert consensus. We conducted two surveys to collect information about current and required specialist obesity services and resources using open‐ended questionnaires. Organizational level data were sought from clinician expert representatives of specialist obesity services across Australia in 2017. Fifteen of 16 representatives of current services in New South Wales (n = 8), Queensland (n = 1), Victoria (n = 2), South Australia (n = 3), and the Australian Capital Territory (n = 1) provided data. The composition of services varied substantially between hospitals, and patient access to services and effective treatments were limited by strict entry criteria (e.g. body mass index 40 kg/m2 or higher with specific complication/s), prolonged wait times, geographical location (major cities only) and out‐of‐pocket costs. Of these services, 47% had a multidisciplinary team (MDT), 53% had an exercise physiologist/physiotherapist, 53% had a bariatric surgeon and 33% had pharmacotherapy resources. Key gaps included staffing components of the MDT (psychologist, exercise physiologist/physiotherapist) and access to publicly funded weight loss pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery. There was consensus on the need for significant improvements in staff, physical infrastructure, access to services, education/training in obesity medicine and targeted research funding. Based on the small number of existing, often under‐resourced specialist obesity services that are located only in a few major cities, the vast majority of Australians with clinically severe obesity cannot access the specialist evidence based treatments needed.
Community Conservation and the (Mis)appropriation of Taboo
Authors: Osterhoudt Sarah R. 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTCommunity conservation initiatives have long struggled to forge productive relationships with the people living in and around protected areas. Currently, there is enthusiasm among conservation researchers and practitioners regarding local cultural taboos, which often appear to conserve species and landscapes of ecological importance. However, in incorporating local taboos into conservation programmes, there is the risk that these culturally sophisticated institutions are used in a highly reductionist manner. Drawing from ethnographic work in Madagascar, this article highlights how the simplification of cultural taboos can exasperate already fraught relationships between communities and conservation organizations, and undermine the very environmental outcomes that groups seek to promote. This reductionist approach can also lead to the harmful appropriation of local meanings and resources. Overall, while working with local taboos may potentially offer an alternative to neoliberal models of conservation, scholars and practitioners should recognize the dynamic and interconnectedprocessesconnected with taboos, instead of regarding them as static and interchangeableproducts.
Root herbivore performance suppressed when feeding on a jasmonate‐induced pasture grass
Authors: Johnson Scott N. , Glauser Gaëtan , Hiltpold Ivan , Moore Ben D. , Ryalls James M.W. 
Published: April 2018

1. Plants defend themselves from insect herbivore attack using a range of physical and chemical defences which are in many cases regulated by phytohormones such as jasmonates. While much more is known about how jasmonates regulate defence against above‐ground herbivores (e.g. herbivores of leaves), there is increasing interest in how they influence below‐ground defences.2. For the Poaceae, most below‐ground studies focus on highly domesticated cereals. Here it is demonstrated how exogenous application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) to the leaf blades of a non‐domesticated pasture grass (Microlaena stipoides) caused a more than two‐fold decrease in relative growth rate (RGR) of a root‐feeding chafer (Dermolepida albohirtum). MeJA treatment did not affect root consumption rates, but substantially reduced the efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body mass.3. Non‐targeted metabolomics identified significant changes in the metabolome of MeJA‐induced plants, with three compounds (a galactolipid, a trihydroxy fatty acid and a lysophospholipid) found to be correlated with herbivore RGR, although their roles in herbivore defence remain uncertain.4. This study suggests that an important Australian pasture grass can become better defended against root herbivores via enhanced jasmonate activity.
Organic matter coatings of soil minerals affect adsorptive interactions with phenolic and amino acids
Authors: Gao J. , Jansen B. , Cerli C. , Helmus R. , Mikutta R. , Dultz S. , Guggenberger G. , Vogel C. , Kalbitz K. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryPhenolic (PAs) and amino acids (AAs) contribute potentially to the stabilization of organic matter (OM) in soil by forming mineral–organic associations (MOAs). However, little is known about how natural OM coating affects the adsorption of these compounds and their mutual interaction upon adsorption. Therefore, batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study how coatings of minerals with dissolved organic matter (DOM) obtained from forest leaf litter (L‐DOM) and from the O horizon (O‐DOM) affect the adsorption of phenolic acids (salicylic, syringic, ferulic and vanillic acid) and amino acids (lysine, glutamic acid, leucine and phenylalanine) at pH 6. Moreover, the adsorption of PAs on OM‐coated minerals was tested after preconditioning by AAs and vice versa. Adsorption of DOM depended on the mineral (goethite ≫ kaolinite > montmorillonite) and sources of DOM (O‐DOM > L‐DOM for goethite). Coatings of all minerals with both DOM sources reduced the adsorption of PAs and the acidic glutamic acid but enhanced that of the basic lysine. The adsorption of PAs decreased with increasing OM coating of the minerals. Strong bonds between AAs and OM‐coated minerals generally enhanced adsorption of PAs with preconditioning by AAs. This indirectly indicates a multilayer model of MOA. Adsorption of AAs, however, was rarely influenced by preconditioning with PAs. Competition between AAs and PAs generally suppressed the adsorption of AAs on coated minerals, whereas the PAs were hardly affected. These results emphasize that the amount and composition of OM coating must be considered when studying the adsorption of PAs and AAs in soil.Highlights
Adsorption of DOM on minerals followed the order: goethite ≫ kaolinite > montmorillonite.
Adsorption of O‐DOM (O horizon) on goethite was larger than that of L‐DOM (leaf litter).
Coatings of DOM reduced adsorption of PAs and acidic AAs and enhanced that of basic AAs.
The amount and composition of OM coating affected the adsorption of PAs and AAs.