Explore the vast range of titles available.

This paper investigates how coercive and non-coercive power impacts on the successful diffusion of sustainability within supply networks. The paper reports on four in-depth case studies of the development of sustainability initiatives, each case based on data collection from focal companies and suppliers. The four case studies are based on 38 semi-structured interviews in total and supported by secondary data. The case studies indicate that both coercive and non-coercive power impact suppliers' engagement in sustainability initiatives and its wider diffusion in supply networks. However, where the use of coercive power facilitates diffusion to immediate suppliers, the use of non-coercive (reward and expert) power leads to sustainability diffusion beyond the dyadic level into wider supply networks. The study provides rich insights into understanding sustainability diffusion in supply networks and the perceptions of multiple supply network actors on the role of different types of power on the diffusion process. We elaborate existing theory and formulate propositions to guide future research into the role and coexistence of different types of power in diffusing sustainability in supply networks.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of monitoring and mentoring strategies on sustainability diffusion within supply networks through focal companies and how suppliers engage in implementing these strategies. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on three in-depth case studies conducted with focal companies and their suppliers. An interaction approach was adopted to guide the analysis of focal companies’ strategies for implementing and diffusing sustainability in supply networks. Findings The monitoring strategy impacts sustainability diffusion at the dyadic level, while the mentoring strategy is a prerequisite for the diffusion of sustainability at the supply network level. The findings suggest that coupling monitoring with mentoring can lead to diffusion beyond first-tier suppliers. Interaction intensity, supplier proactiveness and mindset change facilitate sustainability diffusion in supply networks. Research limitations/implications The authors suggest more research be conducted on specific practices within monitoring and mentoring, as some of these imply very different levels of commitment and interaction. Practical implications The paper suggests that in the future, companies will be increasingly called upon to adopt cooperative initiatives to enable the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks. Originality/value The contribution of the paper lies in its identification of the impacts of monitoring and mentoring strategies on the diffusion of sustainability in networks, revealing different supplier engagement in these strategies, which may foster or hinder sustainability diffusion.

The dynamics of bubbles inertially collapsing in water near solid objects have been the subject of numerous studies in the context of cavitation erosion. While non-spherical bubble collapse, re-entrant jet dynamics and emitted shock waves have received significant interest, less is known about the temperatures thereby produced and their possible connection to damage. In this article, we use highly resolved numerical simulations of a single bubble inertially collapsing near a rigid surface to measure the temperatures produced in the fluid and estimate those in the solid, as well as to identify the responsible mechanisms. In particular, we find that elevated temperatures along the wall can be produced by one of two mechanisms, depending on the initial stand-off distance of the bubble from the wall and the driving pressure: for bubbles initially far from the wall, the shock generated by the bubble collapse is the source of the high temperature, while bubbles starting initially closer migrate towards the wall and eventually come into contact with it. A scaling is introduced to describe the maximum fluid temperature along the wall as a function of the initial stand-off distance and driving pressure. To predict the temperature of the solid, we develop a semianalytical heat transfer model, which supports recent experimental observations that elevated temperatures achieved during collapse could play a role in cavitation damage to soft heat-sensitive materials.

In a variety of recently developed medical procedures, bubbles are formed directly in soft tissue and may cause damage. While cavitation in Newtonian liquids has received significant attention, bubble dynamics in tissue, a viscoelastic medium, remains poorly understood. To model tissue, most previous studies have focused on Maxwell-based viscoelastic fluids. However, soft tissue generally possesses an original configuration to which it relaxes after deformation. Thus, a Kelvin–Voigt-based viscoelastic model is expected to be a more appropriate representation. Furthermore, large oscillations may occur, thus violating the infinitesimal strain assumption and requiring a nonlinear/finite-strain elasticity description. In this article, we develop a theoretical framework to simulate spherical bubble dynamics in a viscoelastic medium with nonlinear elasticity. Following modern continuum mechanics formalism, we derive the form of the elastic forces acting on a bubble for common strain-energy functions (e.g. neo-Hookean, Mooney–Rivlin) and incorporate them into Rayleigh–Plesset-like equations. The main effects of nonlinear elasticity are to reduce the violence of the collapse and rebound for large departures from the equilibrium radius, and increase the oscillation frequency. The present approach can readily be extended to other strain-energy functions and used to compute the stress/deformation fields in the surrounding medium.

The prognosis for patients multiple myeloma (MM) has improved substantially over the past decade with the development of new, more effective chemotherapeutic agents and regimens that possess a high level of anti-tumor activity. In spite of this important progress, however, nearly all MM patients ultimately relapse, even those who experience a complete response to initial therapy. Management of relapsed MM thus represents a vital aspect of the overall care for patients with MM and a critical area of ongoing scientific and clinical research. This comprehensive manuscript from the International Myeloma Working Group provides detailed recommendations on management of relapsed disease, with sections dedicated to diagnostic evaluation, determinants of therapy, and general approach to patients with specific disease characteristics. In addition, the manuscript provides a summary of evidence from clinical trials that have significantly impacted the field, including those evaluating conventional dose therapies, as well as both autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Specific recommendations are offered for management of first and second relapse, relapsed and refractory disease, and both autologous and allogeneic transplant. Finally, perspective is provided regarding new agents and promising directions in management of relapsed MM.

Background Antipsychotic treatment may improve clinical insight. However, previous studies have reported inconclusive findings on whether antipsychotics improve insight over and above the reduction in symptoms of psychosis. These studies assessed homogeneous samples in terms of stage of illness. Randomised studies investigating a mixed population of first- and multiepisode schizophrenia spectrum disorders might clarify this disagreement. Methods Our data were derived from a pragmatic, rater-blinded, semi-randomised trial that compared the effectiveness of amisulpride, aripiprazole and olanzapine. A sample of 144 patients with first- or multiepisode schizophrenia spectrum disorders underwent eight assessments during a 1-year follow-up. Clinical insight was assessed by item General 12 from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). We analysed latent growth curve models to test if the medications had a direct effect on insight that was over and above the reduction in total psychosis symptoms. Furthermore, we investigated whether there were differences between the study drugs in terms of insight. Results Based on allocation analysis, all three drugs were associated with a reduction in total psychosis symptoms in the initial phase (weeks 0–6). Amisulpride and olanzapine were associated with improved insight over and above what was related to the reduction in total psychosis symptoms in the long-term phase (weeks 6–52). However, these differential effects were lost when only including the participants that chose the first drug in the randomisation sequence. We found no differential effect on insight among those who were antipsychotic-naïve and those who were previously medicated with antipsychotics. Conclusions Our results suggest that antipsychotic treatment improves insight, but whether the effect on insight surpasses the effect of reduced total psychosis symptoms is more uncertain. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01446328, 05.10.2011.

Background Workplace violence in emergency primary health care is prevalent, but longitudinal studies using validated assessment scales to describe the characteristics of workplace violence in these settings are lacking. The aim of the present study was to determine the characteristics of aggressive incidents in emergency primary health care clinics in Norway. Methods Incidents of workplace violence were reported with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale – Revised Emergency (SOAS-RE). The study was conducted in ten emergency primary health care clinics over a period of one year. Results A total of 320 aggressive incidents were registered. The mean overall SOAS-RE score for reported aggressive incidents was 9.7 on a scale from 0 to 22, and 60% of the incidents were considered severe. Incidents of verbal aggression accounted for 31.6% of all reported incidents, threats accounted for 24.7%, and physical aggression accounted for 43.7%. Verbal aggression was most often provoked by long waiting time. Physical aggression was most often provoked when the patient had to go through an involuntary assessment of health condition. Almost one third of the aggressors were females, and nurses were the most frequent targets of all aggression types. No differences in psychological stress were found between types of aggression. Conclusions This study shows that workplace violence in emergency primary health care clinics is a severe problem. Patterns in provocation and consequences of aggressive incidents can be used to improve our understanding of and prevention and follow-up procedures of such incidents.

Purpose - This paper provides a structured literature review of sustainability in purchasing and supply management, moving beyond the traditional environmental and social sustainability. The paper reviews the concept of sustainability at three levels of inter-organizational analysis - i.e. dyad, supply chain and network. The paper distils the nature and scope of existing research and synthesizes measures used to research sustainability across organizational boundaries.Design methodology approach - This literature review systematically analyzes existing literature. In particular, the review focuses on definitions and measures of sustainable purchasing and supply management to obtain an accurate view of current research.Findings - This paper uncovers two distinct trends in the type of research carried out. First, internal or dyadic issues are in focus and second, a tendency to deal with environmental, as opposed to social, sustainability. Despite the need to look beyond the dyad given the risks associated with the extended network, few studies do so in any of the sustainability dimensions.Research limitations implications - This review is limited by the method employed focusing on definitions and measures. Although the review considers supply chain and network research, it does so purely from a purchasing perspective, thus excluding issues such as logistics and transport.Practical implications - The paper identifies areas open to future research and provides practical insights into how sustainable purchasing and supply are measured. It also synthesizes existing measures of sustainability at different levels and organizes these into a taxonomy.Originality value - The paper examines studies across multiple levels of analysis and integrates multiple fields of knowledge to show how research on sustainability in purchasing and supply is structured.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the bridging role of first-tier suppliers in diffusing sustainability in supply networks and how this role is facilitated by the procurement function.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on an embedded case study of two supply networks of a coffee beans roasting company. The embedded cases focus on coffee beans and packaging supply networks.FindingsThe findings reveal less than expected involvement of the focal company and its procurement function in sustainability implementation with first-tier suppliers. Instead, sustainability diffuses upstream to lower-tier suppliers but also downstream, against the tide, as a result of the various bridging roles performed by first-tier suppliers.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper provides two theoretical contributions. First, it contributes to the sustainable supply network management literature by providing rich insights on sustainability diffusion to lower-tier suppliers and the role of first-tier suppliers in this process. Second, the paper contributes to structural hole theory by revealing a typology of bridging roles that actors, such as suppliers, undertake in the sustainability context.Practical implicationsThe paper provides managers with practical insights on how sustainability can be diffused in the supply network and the different roles that first-tier suppliers can play in this direction.Originality/valueThis paper shows that sustainability diffusion to lower-tier suppliers is possible in the absence of focal company procurement involvement when bridging roles are undertaken by first-tier suppliers and their procurement functions are involved in the implementation process. These bridging roles facilitate sustainability diffusion both upstream and downstream.

Background Many emergency primary health care workers experience aggressive behaviour from patients or visitors. Simple incident-reporting procedures exist for inpatient, psychiatric care, but a similar and simple incident-report for other health care settings is lacking. The aim was to adjust a pre-existing form for reporting aggressive incidents in a psychiatric inpatient setting to the emergency primary health care settings. We also wanted to assess the validity of the severity scores in emergency primary health care. Methods The Staff Observation Scale - Revised (SOAS-R) was adjusted to create a pilot version of the Staff Observation Scale – Revised Emergency (SOAS-RE). A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was added to the form to judge the severity of the incident. Data for validation of the pilot version of SOAS-RE were collected from ten casualty clinics in Norway during 12 months. Variance analysis was used to test gender and age differences. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relative impact that each of the five SOAS-RE columns had on the VAS score. The association between SOAS-RE severity score and VAS severity score was calculated by the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results The SOAS-R was adjusted to emergency primary health care, refined and called The Staff Observation Aggression Scale - Revised Emergency (SOAS-RE). A total of 350 SOAS-RE forms were collected from the casualty clinics, but due to missing data, 291 forms were included in the analysis. SOAS-RE scores ranged from 1 to 22. The mean total severity score of SOAS-RE was 10.0 (standard deviation (SD) =4.1) and the mean VAS score was 45.4 (SD = 26.7). We found a significant correlation of 0.45 between the SOAS-RE total severity scores and the VAS severity ratings. The linear regression analysis showed that individually each of the categories, which described the incident, had a low impact on the VAS score. Conclusions The SOAS-RE seems to be a useful instrument for research, incident-recording and management of incidents in emergency primary care. The moderate correlation between SOAS-RE severity score and the VAS severity score shows that application of both the severity ratings is valuable to follow-up of workers affected by workplace violence.