Regional differences in business ethics in the People's Republic of China: A multi-dimensional approach to the effects of modernisation

This paper investigates the influence of modernisation on the moral judgements of 211 managers in the People's Republic of China, based on their responses to a series of vignettes depicting potentially unethical behaviour in organisations. Since modernisation can take many forms, this paper takes a multi dimensional approach to examining levels of modernisation in different provinces in China. Three different measures are used, believed to represent different aspects of the modernisation process. These include the level of industrialisation of various provinces, the level of marketisation, or progress toward a market-based economy, and a new measure of Westernisation, or the extent to which individuals adopt aspects of Western lifestyle and materialism. This latter measure is developed and tested in the present study. Statistically significant associations between these three measures of modernisation and managers' moral judgements were observed and the implications of these findings are discussed. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

MEDication reminder APPs to improve medication adherence in Coronary Heart Disease (MedApp-CHD) Study: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The growing number of smartphone health applications available in the app stores makes these apps a promising tool to help reduce the global problem of non-adherence to long-term medications. However, to date, there is limited evidence that available medication reminder apps are effective. This study aims to determine the impact of medication reminder apps on adherence to cardiovascular medication when compared with usual care for people with coronary heart disease (CHD) and to determine whether an advanced app compared with a basic app is associated with higher adherence. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Randomised controlled trial with follow-up at 3 months to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of medication reminder apps on medication adherence compared with usual care. An estimated sample size of 156 patients with CHD will be randomised to one of three groups (usual care group, basic medication reminder app group and advanced medication reminder app group). The usual care group will receive standard care for CHD with no access to a medication reminder app. The basic medication reminder app group will have access to a medication reminder app with a basic feature of providing simple daily reminders with no interactivity. The advanced medication reminder app group will have access to a medication reminder app with additional interactive and customisable features. The primary outcome is medication adherence measured by the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include clinical measurements of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and medication knowledge. A process evaluation will also be performed to assess the feasibility of the intervention by evaluating the acceptability, utility and engagement with the apps. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the Western Sydney Local Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee (AU/RED/HREC/1/WMEAD/3). Study findings will be disseminated via usual scientific forums. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12616000661471; Pre-results

'Not to Be Harsh but Try Less to Relate to 'the Teens' and You'll Relate to Them More': Co-Designing Obesity Prevention Text Messages with Adolescents.

Text messages remain a preferred way for adolescents to communicate, and recent evidence suggests adolescents would like access to digital healthcare options. However, there is limited evidence for text messages to engage adolescent populations in obesity prevention behaviors. We aimed to co-design a bank of text messages that are evidence-based, acceptable, and engaging for adolescents. An established iterative mixed methods process, consisting of three phases, was used to develop the text message program. The first bank of 145 text messages was drafted based on current evidence, behavior change techniques, and input from researchers and health professionals. A survey was then administered to adolescents and professionals for review of text message content, usefulness, understanding, and age-appropriateness. An adolescent research assistant collaborated with the research team on all three phases. Forty participants (25 adolescents and 15 professionals) reviewed the initial bank of 145 text messages. On average, all reviewers agreed the text messages were easy to understand (13.6/15) and useful (13.1/15). In total, 107 text messages were included in the final text message bank to support behavior change and prevent obesity. This study may guide other researchers or health professionals who are seeking to engage adolescents in the co-design of health promotion or intervention content. Effectiveness of the text message program will be tested in a randomized controlled trial

A smartphone app to assist smoking cessation among aboriginal Australians: Findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial

© David Peiris, Lachlan Wright, Madeline News, Kris Rogers, Julie Redfern, Clara Chow, David Thomas. Background: Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to increase smoking cessation, but little research has been conducted with Aboriginal communities in Australia. Objective: We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability and explore the effectiveness of a novel mHealth app to assist Aboriginal people to quit smoking. Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) and process evaluation comprising usage analytics data and in-depth interviews was conducted. Current Aboriginal smokers (>16 years old), who were willing to make a quit attempt in the next month, were recruited from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and a government telephone coaching service. The intervention was a multifaceted Android or iOS app comprising a personalized profile and quit plan, text and in-app motivational messages, and a challenge feature allowing users to compete with others. The comparator was usual cessation support services. Outcome data collection and analysis were conducted blinded to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was self-reported continuous smoking abstinence verified by carbon monoxide breath testing at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included point prevalence of abstinence and use of smoking cessation therapies and services. Results: A total of 49 participants were recruited. Competing service delivery priorities, the lack of resources for research, and lack of support for randomization to a control group were the major recruitment barriers. At baseline, 23/49 (47%) of participants had tried to quit in recent weeks. At 6-month follow-up, only 1 participant (intervention arm) was abstinent. The process evaluation highlighted low to moderate app usage (3-10 new users per month and 4-8 returning users per month), an average of 2.9 sessions per user per month and 6.3 min per session. Key themes from interviews with intervention participants (n=15) included the following: (1) the powerful influence of prevailing social norms around acceptability of smoking; (2) high usage of mobile devices for phone, text, and social media but very low use of other smartphone apps; (3) the role of family and social group support in supporting quit attempts; and (4) low awareness and utilization of smoking cessation support services. Despite the broad acceptability of the app, participants also recommended technical improvements to improve functionality, greater customization of text messages, integration with existing social media platforms, and gamification features. Conclusions: Smoking cessation apps need to be integrated with commonly used functions of mobile phones and draw on social networks to support their use. Although they have the potential to increase utilization of cessation support services and treatments, more research is needed to identify optimal implementation models. Robust evaluation is critical to determine their impact; however, an RCT design may not be feasible in this setting. Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616001550493; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371792 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/76TiV7HA6)

British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Race Equality Review

Racism continues to be widespread, subtle and often ignored or selectively attended to within organisations. This review sought to evaluate the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO)’s existing race equality practices, to further support its movement towards becoming an antiracist organisation. The review arose from a commitment by BABAO to interrogate its current structures and redress problematic cultures within the organisation, following a member of colour expressing concerns. In itself, this provides an encouraging example both of the reflexivity of the organisation and the power of a single voice. Through focus groups and surveys, insights were gained with regards to the organisational culture and in response to issues concerning equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), particularly regarding the need for BABAO to become a more racially literate organisation. The review attempted to glean members’ understanding of anti-racism and how some cultures within the organisation may be racially exclusive or marginalising. In addition to this, the reviewers engaged with stakeholders about where areas could be improved within BABAO in continuing their work towards becoming a racially cognizant organisation. Responses gleaned from the focus groups and survey questionnaire distributed to members revealed that BABAO as an organisation has made some tentative first steps towards race equality, but has some way to go. The paucity of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic members made gaining perspectives a challenge in relation to experiences of racial discrimination. In itself, this is an indicator that inclusion is an area for growth and reflection. Other key findings included issues with reporting structures and governance processes, with a need for strong and courageous leadership to drive forward conversations around race and racism; a need for training and work to improve racial literacy of the organisation and its members; and a lack of engagement and participation from current members in EDI issues. Nevertheless, the review also indicated that the organisation has made significant strides towards establishing anti-racist practices and are working diligently to engage all members in this endeavour. To this end, the conclusions and recommendations provided aim to enhance current action and further enable BABAO to achieve an anti-racist, inclusive organisational culture.Based on the considerations outlined throughout the report, there were twenty-seven recommendations made. They reflect the need to build a foundation of awareness, understanding and safety upon which to develop a culture of learning, reflection and shared, collective action. High-level recommendations are synthesised below, with further detail in the body of the report

Structure and elastic properties of Mg(OH)2_2 from density functional theory

The structure, lattice dynamics and mechanical properties of the magnesium hydroxide have been investigated with static density functional theory calculations as well as \it {ab initio} molecular dynamics. The hypothesis of a superstructure existing in the lattice formed by the hydrogen atoms has been tested. The elastic constants of the material have been calculated with static deformations approach and are in fair agreement with the experimental data. The hydrogen subsystem structure exhibits signs of disordered behaviour while maintaining correlations between angular positions of neighbouring atoms. We establish that the essential angular correlations between hydrogen positions are maintained to the temperature of at least 150 K and show that they are well described by a physically motivated probabilistic model. The rotational degree of freedom appears to be decoupled from the lattice directions above 30K

H2O and the dehydroxylation of phyllosilicates: an infrared spectroscopic study

As shown by in situ infrared spectroscopy and analysis of quenched samples, phyllosilicates (muscovite, sericite, pyrophyllite, and talc) under dehydroxylation conditions lack the characteristic bands near 1600 cm–1 (bending) and 5200 cm–1 (combination) of H2O, and they contain virtually no H2O but an abundance of OH. This observation appears to be at variance with the formal description of dehydroxylation in bulk samples as 2(OH) -> H2O + O, whereas it is suggested that hydrogen diffuses in the form of (OH) – or/and H+ in dehydroxylation. The upper limit of H2O in the dehydroxlated bulk is likely to be at the parts per million level in phyllosilicates that contain structural OH ions equivalent to 4–5 wt% H2O. The observations suggest that H2O molecules are probably formed near the surface of the sample

The coordination and distribution of B in foraminiferal calcite

The isotopic ratio and concentration of B in foraminiferal calcite appear to reflect the pH and bicarbonate concentration of seawater. The use of B as a chemical proxy tracer has the potential to transform our understanding of the global carbon cycle, and ocean acidification processes. However, discrepancies between the theory underpinning the B proxies, and mineralogical observations of B coordination in biomineral carbonates call the basis of these proxies into question. Here, we use synchrotron X-ray spectromicroscopy to show that B is hosted solely as trigonal BO3 in the calcite test of Amphistegina lessonii, and that B concentration exhibits banding at the micron length scale. In contrast to previous results, our observation of trigonal B agrees with the predictions of the theoretical mechanism behind B palaeoproxies. These data strengthen the use of B for producing palaeo-pH records. The observation of systematic B heterogeneity, however, highlights the complexity of foraminiferal biomineralisation, implying that B incorporation is modulated by biological or crystal growth processes.We would like to acknowledge David Nicol, Iris Buisman and Martin Walker for invaluable technical assistance, and James Bryson for his help with synchrotron data collection. Wewould like to thank Jean DeMouthe (California Academy of Sciences) and Mike Rumsey (Natural History Museum, London) for provision of B-containing minerals for use as reference materials. This work was funded by ERC (grant 2010-ADG-267931 to HE), NERC, Jesus College (Cambridge)and the US Department of Energy (via ALS).This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X15000849

A healthy lifestyle text message intervention for adolescents: protocol for the Health4Me randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence presents a window of opportunity to establish good nutrition and physical activity behaviours to carry throughout the life course. Adolescents are at risk of developing cardiovascular and other chronic diseases due to poor the complex interplay of physical and mental health lifestyle risk factors. Text messaging is adolescents main form of everyday communication and text message programs offer a potential solution for support and improvement of lifestyle health behaviours. The primary aim of this study is to determine effectiveness of the Health4Me text message program to improve adolescent's physical activity or nutrition behaviours among adolescents over 6-months, compared to usual care. METHODS: Health4Me is a virtual, two-arm, single-blind randomised controlled trial, delivering a 6-month healthy lifestyle text message program with optional health counselling. Recruitment will be through digital advertising and primary care services. In total, 330 adolescents will be randomised 1:1 to intervention or control (usual care) groups. The intervention group will receive 4-5 text messages per week for 6-months. All text messages have been co-designed with adolescents. Messages promote a healthy lifestyle by providing practical information, health tips, motivation and support for behaviour change for physical activity, nutrition, mental health, body image, popular digital media and climate and planetary health. Virtual assessments will occur at baseline and 6-months assessing physical health (physical activity, nutrition, body mass index, sleep), mental health (quality of life, self-efficacy, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, eating disorder risk) and lifestyle outcomes (food insecurity and eHealth literacy). DISCUSSION: This study will determine the effectiveness of a 6-month healthy lifestyle text message intervention to improve physical activity and nutrition outcomes in adolescents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12622000949785 , Date registered: 05/07/2022