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The role of peer effects in corporate employee welfare policies
Get PDFYesThis paper investigates the role of peer effects in the employee welfare policies of organizations. Using US panel data for a sample of 11,451 firm-year observations from 1996 to 2017, we find that firms’ employee welfare decisions are driven by their peers and show that peer firms play a significant role in defining corporate employee welfare policies. Our findings are robust to various sensitivity checks, including alternative definitions of employee welfare, alternative peer proxies, and several identification strategies. Our additional analysis shows that herding behavior is prevalent in followers, who mimic leaders' behavior, but we do not find any such relationship for industry leaders. Further, we show the evidence suggesting that mimetic and normative isomorphic pressures are driving the peer effects. Finally, we document the economic consequence of peer mimicking in employee welfare policies. Our findings on firms’ peer effects and herding behavior have policy implications
Targeting the TGF-β signaling pathway for resolution of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Get PDFYesAberrant transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling activation is linked to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). BMPR2 mutations perturb the balance between bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and TGF-β pathways, leading to vascular remodeling, narrowing of the lumen of pulmonary vasculature, and clinical symptoms. This forum highlights the association of the TGF-β pathway with pathogenesis and therapeutic approaches.Research carried out at Nasim laboratories is funded by GrowMedtech, the Royal Society, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and the University of Bradford (UoB). N.S. is funded by the CSC and C.C.N. is partly funded by the UoB
The scope of carer effects and their inclusion in decision-making: A UK-based Delphi study
Get PDFYesand Health and social care may affect family carers’ health and wellbeing in addition to patients’ lives. It is recommended that such impacts (carer effects) are considered in decision-making. However, the scope of carer effects and range of decisions where carer effects should be considered is uncertain. This study aimed to identify (i) how different categories of healthcare and social care were perceived to impact on family carers and (ii) whether there was consensus about when carer effects should be formally considered in decision-making contexts.
Methods: A Delphi study was conducted with 65 UK-based participants with expertise in dementia, mental health, and stroke. Participants considered two broad forms of ‘interventions’ (patient treatment and replacement care) and two broad forms of ‘organisational change’ (staffing and changes in timing/location of care). Participants assessed the likely impacts of health and social care on family carers and whether impacts should be considered in decision-making. The survey was conducted remotely at two time points.
Results: Participants predicted widespread impacts from interventions and organisational changes on different domains of family carers’ lives, with ‘emotional health’ the most likely outcome to be affected. Patient treatment and replacement care services (‘interventions’) were associated with positive impacts across all domains. Conversely, timing/location changes and staffing changes (‘organisational changes’) were perceived to have mixed and negative impacts. There was widespread support (80-81%) for considering carer effects in research studies, funding decisions, and patient decision-making.
Conclusion: This study highlights a perception that carer effects are widespread and important to consider in economic evaluation and decision-making. It highlights the particular need to measure and value effects on carers’ emotional health and the need to use a societal perspective to avoid cost shifting to family carers when introducing interventions and making organisational changes.This work was funded by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Career Development Fellowship (CDF-2015-08-025) awarded to HA for this research project
Delivering informed measures of patient centred care in medical imaging: what is the international perspective?
Get PDFYesFocus on patient experience and patient centred approaches within healthcare has substantially increased since the Picker Institute (a not for profit organisation) was established in the 1980′s [ [15] ]. The Picker Institute's vision for ‘the highest quality person centred care for all, always’ outlines eight principles of person-centred care which health care providers should strive for [ [15] ]:
(1) Fast access to reliable healthcare advice [15].
(2) Effective treatment delivered by trusted professionals [15].
(3) Continuity of care and smooth transitions. [15]
(4) Involvement and support for family and carers [15].
(5) Clear information, communication and support for self-care [15].
(6) Involvement in decisions and respect for preferences [15].
(7) Emotional support, empathy and respect [15].
(8) Attention to physical and environmental needs [15]
The effect of photoperiod and high fat diet on the cognitive response in photoperiod-sensitive F344 rats
Get PDFYesIn many species, seasonal changes in day length (photoperiod) have profound effects on physiology and behavior. In humans, these include cognitive function and mood. Here we investigated the effect of photoperiod and high fat diets on cognitive deficits, as measured by novel object recognition, in the photoperiod-sensitive F344 rat, which exhibits marked natural changes in growth, body weight and food intake in response to photoperiod. 32 male juvenile F344 rats were housed in either long or short photoperiod and fed either a high fat or nutrient-matched chow diet. Rats were tested in the novel object recognition test before photoperiod and diet intervention and re-tested 28 days after intervention. In both tests during the acquisition trials there was no significant difference in exploration levels of the left and right objects in the groups. Before intervention, all groups showed a significant increase in exploration of the novel object compared to the familiar object. However, following the photoperiod and diet interventions the retention trial revealed that only rats in the long photoperiod-chow group explored the novel object significantly more than the familiar object, whereas all other groups showed no significant preference. These results suggest that changing rats to short photoperiod impairs their memory regardless of diet. The cognitive performance of rats on long photoperiod-chow remained intact, whereas the high fat diet in the long photoperiod group induced a memory impairment. These findings suggest that rats exposed to long photoperiod have different cognitive responses to rats exposed to short photoperiod and high fat diet
Probing cytochrome P450 (CYP) bioactivation with chloromethylindoline bioprecursors derived from the duocarmycin family of compounds
Get PDFYesThe duocarmycins belong to a class of agent which has great potential for use in cancer therapy. Their exquisite potency means they are too toxic for systemic use, and targeted approaches are required to unlock their clinical potential. In this study, we have explored seco-OH-chloromethylindoline (CI) duocarmycin-based bioprecursors for their potential for cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated cancer cell kill. We report on synthetic and biological explorations of racemic seco-CI-MI, where MI is a 5-methoxy indole motif, and dehydroxylated analogues. We show up to a 10-fold bioactivation of de-OH CI-MI and a fluoro bioprecursor analogue in CYP1A1-transfected cells. Using CYP bactosomes, we also demonstrate that CYP1A2 but not CYP1B1 or CYP3A4 has propensity for potentiating these compounds, indicating preference for CYP1A bioactivation
Bond behaviors between nano-engineered concrete and steel bars
Get PDFYesThis paper investigated the bond characteristics between eight types of nanofillers modified reactive powder concrete (RPC) and plain steel bars, aiming to explore the modifying mechanisms and establish a bond-slip relationship model for nanofillers modified RPC and steel bar interface. The experimental results indicated that the incorporation of nanofillers can increase the bond strength and reduce the slip between RPC and plain steel bars. It was shown that a 2.15 MPa/20.5% of absolute/relative increase in cracking bond strength, a 1.25 MPa/10.3% of absolute/relative increase in ultimate bond strength, a 2.35 MPa/22.4% of absolute/relative increase in residual bond strength, a 0.592 mm/56.5% of absolute/relative reduction in ultimate bond slip, and a 1.779 mm/52.1% of absolute/relative reduction in residual bond slip were the best achieved due to the addition of various nanofillers. The enhancement of nanofillers on RPC-steel bar interface has been mainly attributed to RPC microstructure improvement, optimization of intrinsic compositions, and elimination of defects in the interface, especially the underside near steel bar, due to the nano-core effect of nanofillers enriched in the interface. In addition, the bond-slip relationship of nanofillers modified RPC-steel bar interface can be accurately described by the proposed model considering an initial branch.National Science Foundation of China (51978127 and 51908103), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT21RC(3)039)
Stressors and coping mechanisms of family care-givers of older relatives living with long-term conditions in mainland China: A scoping review of the evidence
Get PDFYesAs the ageing population in China continues to grow, more people will be living with long-term health conditions and require support from family care-givers. This scoping review therefore aims to explore sources of stress and coping mechanisms adopted by care-givers of older relatives living with long-term conditions in mainland China. Literature searches were conducted in English (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SCOPUS) and Chinese (CNKI, WANFANG DATA, CQVIP and CBM) databases between October and November 2019. The searches focused on the stressors and coping mechanisms utilised by family care-givers residing in the community. Narrative synthesis was used to identify themes within the data. Forty-six papers were included: 20 papers from English and 26 from Chinese databases. Six themes captured stressors: care-giving time (N = 22), financial resources (N = 17), role and personal strains (N = 42), preparedness (N = 4), social roles (N = 10) and lack of adequate formal support (N = 22); and one theme captured coping (N = 14). Unmet needs of care-givers of older relatives in mainland China were found to be extensive. Only a few studies had attempted to explore the causal link between stressors, coping and the influence of culture. Findings underscore the significance of adequately capturing intricacies around care-givers’ unmet needs, rather than generalising on the basis of culture. Qualitative studies are critical to providing a better understanding of the relationship between stressors, coping and resources afforded to care-givers by their cultural environment. Having such understanding is crucial to inform the development of competent care, which promotes self-efficacy and self-actualisation in care-givers in mainland China.Research England: Quality Related Global Challenge Research Fund (QR-GCRF)
New composite flooring system for the circular economy
No full textNoCircular economy is an economic system aimed at minimizing wastes and making the most of the current resources. This regenerative approach contrasts with the traditional linear economy, which has been adopted by the construction industry. Developing new construction technologies for sustainable built environment is a top priority for the construction industry throughout the world. Much of the environmental impact from the construction industry is associated with the consumption of resources and generation of waste. The construction industry in Europe consumes over 70,000 million tonnes of materials each year and generates over 250 million tonnes of waste. Composite flooring formed by connecting the concrete slabs to the supporting steel beams has been widely used for many years and is well established as one of the most efficient floor systems in multi storey steel frame building structures. However, shear connectors are welded through the steel decking to the steel beams and cast into the concrete; this made deconstruction and reuse of these components almost impossible. A new composite flooring system which allows for the reuse of the steel beams and composite floor slabs is developed and tested to assess its potential and suitability for reuse. This paper presents the results of a series of full scale beam tests and demonstrates the reusability of this new form of composite flooring systems. Simplified hand calculations are also provided and compared against beam testsEPSRC, Structural Metal Deck Ltd
Wise up to cancer'; adapting a community-based health intervention to increase UK South Asian women's uptake of cancer screening
Get PDFYesUK South Asian women are less likely to engage with cancer screening than the general population and present later with more advanced disease. Tailored interventions are needed to address barriers to these women accessing screening services. 'Wise up to cancer' is a community-based health intervention designed to increase cancer screening uptake. It has been implemented within the general population and a study was undertaken to implement it within a South Asian female community. This paper explores one workstream of the wider 'Wise up to Cancer' study which involved working out how best to adapt the baseline questionnaire (the first part of the intervention) for South Asian women in an inner-city location in Northern England. The aim of this workstream was to evaluate what worked well when implementing the adapted 'Wise up to Cancer' with South Asian women. In 2018, we conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus group with 14 key stakeholders; women who had received the intervention, health champions and community workers to explore their perspectives on how the adapted intervention worked within a South Asian female community. The interviews were audio recorded or (notes taken), data were transcribed verbatim and the dataset was thematically analysed. We found that training peers as community health champions to deliver the intervention to address language and cultural barriers increased participant engagement, was beneficial for the peers and supported participants who revealed difficult social issues they may not have otherwise discussed. Accessing women in established community groups, following planned activities such as English language classes worked but flexibility was needed to meet individual women's needs. Further research is needed to explore the impact of adapting 'Wise up to Cancer' for this community in terms of engaging with cancer screening.Tampon Tax, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Gov UK (Grant number A1967