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Implementing seating guidelines into clinical practice and policy: A critical reflection and novel theory
Get PDFYesA significant proportion of healthcare that is delivered is wasteful, harmful and not evidence based. There are many wound care related guidelines, but their implementation in practice is variable. The Society of Tissue Viability (SoTV) published updated seating guidelines in 2017, but there is a lack of theoretical and conceptual clarity about how these guidelines are being utilised to inform clinical practice. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to generate a theory that can be used to incorporate the SoTV seating guidelines into policy and clinical practice.
Methods: We critically reflected on data from an evaluation study utilising systems-thinking approach, informed by implementation and safety science using wider literature as well as our expertise to generate a guideline implementation theory.
Discussion: Factors that facilitate or hinder the incorporation of the SoTV guidelines into policy and practice were characterised. We conceptualised the implementation of these guidelines into policy and practice into a Translation or Implementation into Policy or Practice (TIPP) theory with distinct stages, that we called liminal spaces. Knowledge of the guidelines, and the agency or authority to effect change, are key factors in the translation of these guidelines into clinical practice.
Conclusion: Our theory is that there are liminal spaces in the implementation trajectory of these guidelines into practice, which have their own characteristics. This theory provides a framework that can be used to underpin guidelines strategies to embed skin and wound care guidelines into policy and clinical practice in order to improve patient care
Entrepreneurial strategic posture and new technology ventures in an emerging economy
Get PDFYesPurpose: Although start-ups have gained increasing scholarly attention, we lack sufficient understanding of their entrepreneurial strategic posture (ESP) in emerging economies. The purpose of this study is to examine the processes of ESP of new technology venture start-ups (NTVs) in an emerging market context. Design/methodology/approach: In line with grounded theory guidelines and the inductive research traditions, the authors adopted a qualitative approach involving 42 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Ghanaian NTV entrepreneurs to gain a comprehensive analysis at the micro-level on the entrepreneurs' strategic posturing. A systematic procedure for data analysis was adopted. Findings: From the authors' analysis of Ghanaian NTVs, the authors derived a three-stage model to elucidate the nature and process of ESP Phase 1 spotting and exploiting market opportunities, Phase II identifying initial advantages and Phase III ascertaining and responding to change. Originality/value: The study contributes to advancing research on ESP by explicating the process through which informal ties and networks are utilised by NTVs and NTVs' founders to overcome extreme resource constraints and information vacuums in contexts of institutional voids. The authors depart from past studies in demonstrating how such ties can be harnessed in spotting and exploiting market opportunities by NTVs. On this basis, the paper makes original contributions to ESP theory and practice
The role of power-based behaviours in pharmaceutical supply chain resilience
Get PDFYesPurpose
This study explored the effect of power-based behaviours on pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC) resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a mixed-method approach to explore the role of power-based behaviours in PSC resilience. Qualitative interviews from 23 key PSC stakeholders, followed by thematic analysis, revealed the underlying perceptions regarding PSC resilience. Quantitative propositions were then developed based on the themes adopted from PSC resilience literature and the qualitative findings. These were tested via a survey questionnaire administered to 106 key stakeholders across the various levels in the PSC. Structural equation modelling with partial least squares was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The data analysed identified proactive and reactive strategies as resilience strategies in the PSC. However, power-based behaviours represented by quota systems, information and price control influenced these resilience strategies. From a complex adaptive system (CAS) perspective, we found that when power-based behaviours were exhibited, the interactions between PSC actors were mixed. There was a negative influence on reactive strategies and a positive influence on proactive strategies. Our analysis also showed that PSC complexities measured by (stringent regulations, long lead times and complex production) moderated the effect of power-based behaviour on reactive strategies. Thus, the negative impact of power-based behaviours on reactive strategies stemmed from PSC complexities.
Research implications
Our research particularly reveals the role of power-based behaviours in building PSC resilience. By evaluating the nexus from a CAS perspective, the analysis considered powerbased behaviours and the moderating role of PSC complexities in developing resilience strategies. The study considers the interactions of PSC actors. It shows that power asymmetry is a relational concept that inhibits the efficacy of reactive strategies. This study thus advocates the importance of power in achieving a more resilient PSC from a holistic perspective by highlighting the importance of the decision-making process among supply chain partners. Our findings are particularly relevant if PSC resilience is viewed as a complex adaptive system (CAS). All the interactions and decision-making processes affect outcomes due to their inherent complexities. Although this study focused on the PSC, its implications could be extended to other SCs (supply chains).
Practical implications
We identified that power-based behaviours influenced resilience strategies. It was detrimental to reactive strategies due to the complexities of the PSC but beneficial to proactive strategies through resource-sharing. PSC actors are therefore encouraged to pursue proactive strategies as this may aid in mitigating the impact of disruptions. However, power-based behaviours bred partner dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction may occur even within strategic alliances indicating that power could be detrimental to proactive strategies. Therefore, it is pertinent to identify conditions that lead to dissatisfaction when pursuing strategic partnerships. This study provides insight into actual behaviours influencing resilience and quantifies their effects on the PSC. These insights will be valuable for all supply chain partners wanting to improve their resilience strategies.
Originality/value
Previous PSC management and resilience studies have not examined the role of power in building resilience in the PSC. This paper thus provides a unique contribution by identifying the role of power in PSC resilience, offers empirical evidence and a novel theoretical perspective for future practice and research in building PSC resilience strategies
A mechanism for oxidative damage repair at gene regulatory elements
Get PDFYesOxidative genome damage is an unavoidable consequence of cellular metabolism. It arises at gene regulatory elements by epigenetic demethylation during transcriptional activation1,2. Here we show that promoters are protected from oxidative damage via a process mediated by the nuclear mitotic apparatus protein NuMA (also known as NUMA1). NuMA exhibits genomic occupancy approximately 100 bp around transcription start sites. It binds the initiating form of RNA polymerase II, pause-release factors and single-strand break repair (SSBR) components such as TDP1. The binding is increased on chromatin following oxidative damage, and TDP1 enrichment at damaged chromatin is facilitated by NuMA. Depletion of NuMA increases oxidative damage at promoters. NuMA promotes transcription by limiting the polyADP-ribosylation of RNA polymerase II, increasing its availability and release from pausing at promoters. Metabolic labelling of nascent RNA identifies genes that depend on NuMA for transcription including immediate-early response genes. Complementation of NuMA-deficient cells with a mutant that mediates binding to SSBR, or a mitotic separation-of-function mutant, restores SSBR defects. These findings underscore the importance of oxidative DNA damage repair at gene regulatory elements and describe a process that fulfils this function
Flexural behavior of UHPC beam reinforced with steel-FRP composite bars
Get PDFYesThis paper numerically investigates flexural performance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) beam reinforced with Steel-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composite Bars (SFCBs) in terms of flexural stiffness, moment capacity, deflection, ductility and energy dissipation. The effect of various parameters, include the inner steel core area ratio of SFCB, yield strength of inner steel core, elastic modulus and ultimate strength of outer-wrapped FRP, reinforcement ratio, type and strength of concrete were studied. The results demonstrate that the inner steel core area ratio of SFCB, reinforcement ratio and the elastic modulus of SFCB's outer FRP have significant effect on the overall flexural performance of SFCB reinforced UHPC beam. The overall flexural performance of SFCB reinforced UHPC beam is slightly improved by increasing the yield strength of inner steel core of SFCB, but not affected by the ultimate strength of SFCB's outer FRP when specimen occurred compression failure. The results also exhibit that the flexural performance of UHPC beam reinforced with SFCBs is significantly improved when compared to those of reinforced high strength concrete (HSC) beam and normal strength concrete (NSC) beam. The flexural stiffness and the moment capacity of SFCB reinforced UHPC beam at the ultimate point were 2.0 and 2.4 times, respectively, of those of reinforced NSC counterpart.Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20201436), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M642335), the Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Construction System, China (2018ZD047, 2021ZD06), the Science and Technology Project of Gansu Construction System, China (JK2021-19), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678514), the Science and Technology Innovation Fund of Yangzhou University, China (2020-65), the Open Foundation of Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Prefabricated Building and Intelligent Construction, China (2021), the Science and Technology Cooperation Fund Project of Yangzhou City and Yangzhou University, China (YZU212105), the Practice and Innovation Plan for Postgraduates in Jiangsu Province, China (SJCX21_1589), the Blue Project Youth Academic Leader of Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province, China (2020) and the Deputy General Manager Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Province, China (FZ20200869). Reference
Climate policy uncertainty and firm-level total factor productivity: Evidence from China
Get PDFYesUsing 2605 Chinese A-share listed companies in the mining, manufacturing, and energy production and supply sectors from 2009 to 2020, we examine the relationship between climate policy uncertainty (CPU) and firm-level total factor productivity (TFP). The main findings are as follows: First, CPU significantly reduces firm-level TFP, with a greater impact on low-productivity firms than on high-productivity firms; second, the negative effect of CPU on firm-level TFP is most pronounced for non-state-owned, labor-intensive, and capital-intensive companies; third, CPU hinders research and development investment and reduces the amount of free cash flow. These results indicate that CPU exerts negative impacts on firm-level TFP mainly via its effects on the capital status of the companies. Our findings remain valid after a series of robustness tests and controlling for endogeneity. The government should introduce forward-looking climate policies to reduce the negative impact of policy uncertainty.This research was supported by the Natural Science Fund of Hunan Province (2022JJ40647) and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No: LZ20G010002
Membrane Computing Models: Implementations
No full textNoPresents comprehensive descriptions of the most significant membrane computing tools developed for various models
Describes the most relevant applications, facilitating a better understanding of how the tools are used in building, experimenting with and analysing membrane computing models of complex problems arising in robotics, automatic design of P systems, image processing, ecosystem modelling, systems and synthetic biology, and bioinformatics
Discusses efficient software and hardware solutions, together with the algorithms and platforms use
Detection and Diagnosis of Stator and Rotor Electrical Faults for Three-Phase Induction Motor via Wavelet Energy Approach
Get PDFYesThis paper presents a fault detection method in three-phase induction motors using Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT). The proposed algorithm takes a frame of samples from the three-phase supply current of an induction motor. The three phase current samples are then combined to generate a single current signal by computing the Root Mean Square (RMS) value of the three phase current samples at each time stamp. The resulting current samples are then divided into windows of 64 samples. Each resulting window of samples is then processed separately. The proposed algorithm uses two methods to create window samples, which are called non-overlapping window samples and moving/overlapping window samples. Non-overlapping window samples are created by simply dividing the current samples into windows of 64 sam-ples, while the moving window samples are generated by taking the first 64 current samples, and then the consequent moving window samples are generated by moving the window across the current samples by one sample each time. The new window of samples consists of the last 63 samples of the previous window and one new sample. The overlapping method reduces the fault detection time to a single sample accuracy. However, it is computationally more expensive than the non-overlapping method and requires more computer memory. The resulting window sam-ples are separately processed as follows: The proposed algorithm performs two level WPT on each resulting window samples, dividing its coefficients into its four wavelet subbands. Infor-mation in wavelet high frequency subbands is then used for fault detection and activating the trip signal to disconnect the motor from the power supply. The proposed algorithm was first implemented in the MATLAB platform, and the Entropy power Energy (EE) of the high frequen-cy WPT subbands’ coefficients was used to determine the condition of the motor. If the induction motor is faulty, the algorithm proceeds to identify the type of the fault. An empirical setup of the proposed system was then implemented, and the proposed algorithm condition was tested under real, where different faults were practically induced to the induction motor. Experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed technique. To generalize the proposed meth-od, the experiment was repeated on different types of induction motors with different working ages and with different power ratings. Experimental results show that the capability of the pro-posed method is independent of the types of motors used and their ages
Cement paste modified by nano-montmorillonite and carbon nanotubes
No full textYesThis paper investigates the coupled effect of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH), nanomontmorillonite (NM), and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) anionic surfactant on compressive and flexural strengths of cement paste. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the content of the two nanomaterials and surfactant, and to analyze the effect of their interactions on mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of the paste. Test results indicate that the simultaneous use of NM and MWCNT can lead to 30% gain in compressive strength and 40% increase in flexural strength. Using analysis of variance, it was possible to predict the optimal weight percentage of nanomaterials. Atomic Force Microscope observations showed that the use of NM and MWCNT can reduce the surface roughness of cement paste and refine porosity, thus reducing the risk of cracking at the cement matrix and improving the homogeneity of the microstructure
Wake flow field of a wall-mounted pipe with spoiler on a rough channel bed
No full textYesThis research work focuses on the wake flow region of a cylinder with a spoiler on a rough bed under steady flow conditions. The acoustic Doppler velocimetry was used for the measurement of three-dimensional velocity data for two Reynolds numbers in a fully developed turbulent flow around the cylinder with a spoiler. The mean flow velocities, second-order turbulence structures, and conditional statistics were investigated in the wake region of the spoilered cylinder. The flow was separated from the spoiler with the formation of two shear layers between free surface flow and recirculating flow. It is observed that the flow is reattaching to the bed at 11D irrespective of the Reynolds number. Downstream of the cylinder, the mean velocity distributions are asymmetric due to the wall–wake effect, and the point of inflection is observed for each velocity profile at z = 0.40ẟ. The turbulence intensities, Reynolds stresses, and TKE are highly enhanced in the wake region of the cylinder as compared to their respective upstream values for both runs. The turbulence intensities, Reynolds normal stresses, Reynolds shear stresses, and turbulent kinetic energy are attaining peaks at z = 0.4 ẟ for all the streamwise locations, and the peaks are found to be highest at x = 10D. The quadrant analysis results indicate that the sweeps are dominating bursting events in the inner and intermediate layers, while ejections are dominating in the outer layer of the wake region. As the hole size, H increases ejections stress fraction rises as compared to that of the sweeps in the wake region for z = 0.2–0.7 h