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Social media adoption, usage and impact in business-to-business (B2B) context: A state-of-the-art literature review
Get PDFYesSocial media plays an important part in the digital transformation of businesses. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of social media by business-to-business (B2B) companies. The current study focuses on the number of aspects of social media such as the effect of social media, social media tools, social media use, adoption of social media use and its barriers, social media strategies, and measuring the effectiveness of use of social media. This research provides a valuable synthesis of the relevant literature on social media in B2B context by analysing, performing weight analysis and discussing the key findings from existing research on social media. The findings of this study can be used as an informative framework on social media for both, academic and practitioners
Identifying cohorts using isotope mass spectrometry: the potential of temporal resolution and dietary profiles
Get PDFYesArchaeological skeletal material from most sites represents a cross-sectional, opportunistic sample of the burials. These are influenced by the proportion and area of the site which is excavated, the taphonomic conditions and survival of tissues. This may not be representative of the population, and in an attritional cemetery may represent a long period of use, during which humans will have differing life-courses. Here we describe a commingled skeletal assemblage, the only human remains recovered from the historically significant medieval site of St Stephen’s Chapel, Palace of Westminster, London. Using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios of bulk bone collagen and incremental dentine to investigate dietary life histories from 5 individuals, we combine the evidence with radiocarbon dating to assign them to two different temporal cohorts
Worker wellbeing and productivity in advanced economies: Re-examining the link
Get PDFYesLabour productivity is a key concept for understanding the way modern economies use resources and features prominently in ecological economics. Ecological economists have questioned the desirability of labour productivity growth on both environmental and social grounds. In this paper we aim to contribute to ongoing debates by focusing on the link between labour productivity and worker wellbeing. First, we review the evidence for the happy-productive worker thesis, which suggests labour productivity could be improved by increasing worker wellbeing. Second, we review the evidence on ways that productivity growth may undermine worker wellbeing. We find there is experimental evidence demonstrating a causal effect of worker wellbeing on productivity, but that the relationship can also sometimes involve resource-intensive mediators. Taken together with the evidence of a negative impact on worker wellbeing from productivity growth, we conclude that a relentless pursuit of productivity growth is potentially counterproductive, not only in terms of worker wellbeing, but even in terms of long-term productivity.UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in particular through grant no: ES/M010163/1 which supports the Centre for the Under-standing of Sustainable Prosperity and ES/S015124/1 which supported the project “Powering Productivity”
Supply chain agility responding to unprecedented changes: empirical evidence from the UK food supply chain during COVID-19 crisis
Get PDFYesPurpose: The COVID-19 outbreak has imposed extensive shocks embracing all stages of the food supply chain
(FSC). Although the magnitude is still unfolding, the FSC responds with remarkable speed, to mitigate the
disruptive consequences and sustain operations. This motivates us to investigate how operationalising supply
chain agility (SCA) practices has occurred amid the COVID-19 crisis and expectations for how those practices
could transform the supply chain in the post-COVID-19 era.
Design: Following an exploratory case-based design, we examine the various agile responses that three supply
chains (meat, fresh vegetables and bread) adopted and elaborate using the dynamic capability (DC) theoretical
lens.
Findings: First, the findings demonstrate how, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, each affected case
pursued various agile responses through sensing and seizing capabilities. Sensing includes identifying and
assessing the relevant opportunities and threats associated with the specific supply chain context. Seizing
involves acquiring, combining and modifying the tangible and intangible resources at the firm and supply chain
levels. Second, supply chain transformation is likely if firms and their supply chain develop the sustaining
capability to ensure that the desirable changes outlast the crisis.
Originality: This study provides a novel and unique perspective on the role of SCA in crisis—in this case, the
pandemic. We synthesise the empirical stories of the agile responses in the FSC and elaborate on the DC
framework, to identify theoretical and practical implications. We establish the sustaining capability as the
missing DC capability for enabling transformation in the post-COVID-19 era.
Practical contribution: This study provides an actionable guide for practitioners to develop agile responses to
systemic changes in times of crisis and to sustain favourable changes so as to enable their outlasting the crisis.Project 777742: EC H2020-MSCA-RISE-201
A complex intervention to reduce avoidable hospital admissions in nursing homes: a research programme including the BHiRCH-NH pilot cluster RCT
Get PDFYesAn unplanned hospital admission of a nursing home resident distresses the person, their
family and nursing home staff, and is costly to the NHS. Improving health care in care homes, including
early detection of residents’ health changes, may reduce hospital admissions. Previously, we identified four
conditions associated with avoidable hospital admissions. We noted promising ‘within-home’ complex
interventions including care pathways, knowledge and skills enhancement, and implementation support.
Objectives: Develop a complex intervention with implementation support [the Better Health in
Residents in Care Homes with Nursing (BHiRCH-NH)] to improve early detection, assessment and
treatment for the four conditions. Determine its impact on hospital admissions, test study procedures
and acceptability of the intervention and implementation support, and indicate if a definitive trial
was warranted.
Design: A Carer Reference Panel advised on the intervention, implementation support and study
documentation, and engaged in data analysis and interpretation. In workstream 1, we developed a
complex intervention to reduce rates of hospitalisation from nursing homes using mixed methods,
including a rapid research review, semistructured interviews and consensus workshops. The complex
intervention comprised care pathways, approaches to enhance staff knowledge and skills, implementation
support and clarity regarding the role of family carers. In workstream 2, we tested the complex intervention
and implementation support via two work packages. In work package 1, we conducted a feasibility study
of the intervention, implementation support and study procedures in two nursing homes and refined
the complex intervention to comprise the Stop and Watch Early Warning Tool (S&W), condition-specific
care pathways and a structured framework for nurses to communicate with primary care. The final
implementation support included identifying two Practice Development Champions (PDCs) in each
intervention home, and supporting them with a training workshop, practice development support group,
monthly coaching calls, handbooks and web-based resources. In work package 2, we undertook a cluster
randomised controlled trial to pilot test the complex intervention for acceptability and a preliminary
estimate of effect.
Setting: Fourteen nursing homes allocated to intervention and implementation support (n = 7) or
treatment as usual (n = 7).
Participants: We recruited sufficient numbers of nursing homes (n = 14), staff (n = 148), family carers
(n = 95) and residents (n = 245). Two nursing homes withdrew prior to the intervention starting.
Intervention: This ran from February to July 2018.
Data sources: Individual-level data on nursing home residents, their family carers and staff; system-level
data using nursing home records; and process-level data comprising how the intervention was implemented.
Data were collected on recruitment rates, consent and the numbers of family carers who wished to be
involved in the residents’ care. Completeness of outcome measures and data collection and the return
rate of questionnaires were assessed.
Results: The pilot trial showed no effects on hospitalisations or secondary outcomes. No home
implemented the intervention tools as expected. Most staff endorsed the importance of early detection,
assessment and treatment. Many reported that they ‘were already doing it’, using an early-warning tool;
a detailed nursing assessment; or the situation, , assessment, recommendation communication
protocol. Three homes never used the S&W and four never used care pathways. Only 16 S&W forms and
eight care pathways were completed. Care records revealed little use of the intervention principles. PDCs
from five of six intervention homes attended the training workshop, following which they had variable
engagement with implementation support. Progression criteria regarding recruitment and data collection
were met: 70% of homes were retained, the proportion of missing data was < 20% and 80% of individuallevel data were collected. Necessary rates of data collection, documentation completion and return over
the 6-month study period were achieved. However, intervention tools were not fully adopted, suggesting
they would not be sustainable outside the trial. Few hospitalisations for the four conditions suggest it an
unsuitable primary outcome measure. Key cost components were estimated.
Limitations: The study homes may already have had effective approaches to early detection, assessment and
treatment for acute health changes; consistent with government policy emphasising the need for enhanced
health care in homes. Alternatively, the implementation support may not have been sufficiently potent.
Conclusion: A definitive trial is feasible, but the intervention is unlikely to be effective. Participant
recruitment, retention, data collection and engagement with family carers can guide subsequent
studies, including service evaluation and quality improvement methodologies.
Future work: Intervention research should be conducted in homes which need to enhance early
detection, assessment and treatment. Interventions to reduce avoidable hospital admissions may be
beneficial in residential care homes, as they are not required to employ nurses.This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research programme and will be published in full in Programme Grants for Applied Research; Vol. 9, No. 2. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information
Social media analytics for end-users’ expectation management in information systems development projects
Get PDFYesThis exploratory research aims to investigate social media users’ expectations of information systems (IS) products that are conceived but not yet launched. It specifically analyses social media data from Twitter about forthcoming smartphones and smartwatches from Apple and Samsung, two firms known for their innovative gadgets. Tweets related to the following four forthcoming IS products were retrieved from 1st January 2020 to 30th September 2020: (1) Apple iPhone 12 (6,125 tweets), (2) Apple Watch 6 (553 tweets), (3) Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2 (923 tweets), and (4) Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 3 (207 tweets). These 7,808 tweets were analysed using a combination of the Natural Language Processing Toolkit (NLTK) and sentiment analysis (SentiWordNet). The online community was quite vocal about topics such as design, camera and hardware specifications. For all the forthcoming gadgets, the proportion of positive tweets exceeded that of negative tweets. The most prevalent sentiment expressed in Apple-related tweets was neutral but in Samsung-related tweets was positive. Additionally, it was found that the proportion of tweets echoing negative sentiment was lower for Apple compared with Samsung. This paper is the earliest empirical work to examine the degree to which social media chatter can be used by project managers for IS development projects, specifically for the purpose of end-users’ expectation management
Hypothalamic Rax+ tanycytes contribute to tissue repair and tumorigenesis upon oncogene activation in mice
Get PDFYesHypothalamic tanycytes in median eminence (ME) are emerging as a crucial cell population that regulates endocrine output, energy balance and the diffusion of blood-born molecules. Tanycytes have recently been considered as potential somatic stem cells in the adult mammalian brain, but their regenerative and tumorigenic capacities are largely unknown. Here we found that Rax+ tanycytes in ME of mice are largely quiescent but quickly enter the cell cycle upon neural injury for self-renewal and regeneration. Mechanistically, Igf1r signaling in tanycytes is required for tissue repair under injury conditions. Furthermore, Braf oncogenic activation is sufficient to transform Rax+ tanycytes into actively dividing tumor cells that eventually develop into a papillary craniopharyngioma-like tumor. Together, these findings uncover the regenerative and tumorigenic potential of tanycytes. Our study offers insights into the properties of tanycytes, which may help to manipulate tanycyte biology for regulating hypothalamic function and investigate the pathogenesis of clinically relevant tumors
Analytical model for the suspended sediment concentration in the ice-covered alluvial channels
Get PDFYesIce cover formed on an alluvial channel can significantly alter the flow characteristics, such as the vertical distributions of streamwise velocity and shear stress, and hence the water and sediment transport process. The vertical profile of the suspended sediment concentration in the ice-covered alluvial channels with steady uniform flows is investigated in this study. To calculate the suspended sediment concentration, we are based on the Schmidt O’Brien equation and deduce an analytical model that employs an existing eddy viscosity model and a modified formula of the sediment fall velocity considering the common effects of the upper and lower boundaries. The proposed analytical model is then validated by using available experimental data reported in the literature. The predicted accuracy of the proposed model is evaluated through error statistics by comparing to previous modeled results. The relative concentration profiles of the suspended sediment are subsequently simulated by applying the validated analytical model with different characteristic parameters. Results show that the relative concentration decreases with the increase of both the ice cover roughness and the sediment fall velocity. The uniformity of the relative concentration distribution is closely related to the value of the proportionality parameter σ, revealing the physical mechanism that the more prominent the turbulent diffusion effect is, the more uniform the relative concentration profile is.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 604 numbers 52020105006 and 11872285) and the Open Funding of State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science (WRHES), Wuhan University (Project number 2018HLG01)
USP11 controls R-loops by regulating senataxin proteostasis
Get PDFYesR-loops are by-products of transcription that must be tightly regulated to maintain genomic
stability and gene expression. Here, we describe a mechanism for the regulation of the Rloop-
specific helicase, senataxin (SETX), and identify the ubiquitin specific peptidase 11
(USP11) as an R-loop regulator. USP11 de-ubiquitinates SETX and its depletion increases SETX
K48-ubiquitination and protein turnover. Loss of USP11 decreases SETX steady-state levels
and reduces R-loop dissolution. Ageing of USP11 knockout cells restores SETX levels via
compensatory transcriptional downregulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, KEAP1. Loss of USP11
reduces SETX enrichment at KEAP1 promoter, leading to R-loop accumulation, enrichment of
the endonuclease XPF and formation of double-strand breaks. Overexpression of KEAP1
increases SETX K48-ubiquitination, promotes its degradation and R-loop accumulation.
These data define a ubiquitination-dependent mechanism for SETX regulation, which is
controlled by the opposing activities of USP11 and KEAP1 with broad applications for cancer
and neurological disease.Wellcome Trust Investigator Award, Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine Fellowshi
A study to assess the feasibility of using a novel digital animation to increase physical activity levels in asylum seeking communities
Get PDFYesThe mental health benefits of physical activity and exercise are well-documented and asylum seekers who may have poor mental health could benefit from undertaking recommended levels of physical activity or exercise. Digital mobile applications are increasingly seen as feasible to precipitate behaviour change and could be a means to encourage asylum seekers to increase their levels of physical activity and exercise. This paper reports on a study that aimed to assess the feasibility of asylum seekers using the digital animation as a tool to change behaviour and increase their physical activity and exercise levels. A feasibility study underpinned by the principles of the COM-B behaviour change model was undertaken in West Yorkshire, UK, in 2019. Thirty participants were purposively recruited and interviewed. Peer interpreters were used as necessary. Deductive thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data. Overall, participants were positive about the feasibility of asylum seekers using the application as a behaviour change intervention. All expressed the view that it was easy to follow and would motivate them to increase their physical activity levels. Participants identified facilitators to this as the simplicity of the key messages, the cultural neutrality of the graphics and the availability of the mobile application in different languages. Identified barriers related to the dialect and accents in the translations and the over-simplicity of the application. This study has identified that a targeted digital animation intervention could help asylum seekers change their behaviour and hence improve their health and well-being. In designing such interventions, however, researchers must strongly consider co-design from an early stage as this is an important way to ensure that the development of an intervention is fit for purpose for different groups.University of Bradford Research Development Fun