The Complementary Perspective of System of Systems in Collaboration, Integration, and Logistics: A Value-Chain Based Paradigm of Supply Chain Management

The importance and complexity of the problems associated with coordinating multiple organizations to configure value propositions for customers has drawn the attention of multiple disciplines. In an effort to clarify and consolidate terms, this conceptual research examines both supply chain management (SCM) and system of systems (SoS) literature to postulate, from a value-chain perspective, what roles integration and collaboration play in helping supply chains satisfy customer requirements. A literature review analysis was used to identify the commonalities and differences between supply chain management and system of systems approaches to examining interfirm coordination of value creation efforts. Although a framework of integration and collaboration roles in value creation is proposed, further empirical testing of the concept is required to substantiate initial conclusions. The concepts proposed may help clarify where strategic and operational managers need to focus their efforts in coordinating supply chain member firms. The incorporation of SoS engineering into the supply chain field will draw the linkage between the constituent principles, and concepts of Systems Theory as appropriate for the supply chain management field. This is the first effort to reconcile two separate but parallel scholarship streams examining the coordination of multiple organizations in value creation. This research shows that there are some methodologies, principles, and methods from the SoS field that can supplement supply chain management research. Mainly due to a unit of analysis issue, systems based approaches have not been in the mainstream of supply chain management field development

Self-control and Mental Health? Exploring Perceptions of Control from the Experiences of Black and Minority Communities

Although the disparities in mental health outcomes for ethnic minorities are well-documented, very little is known regarding service user perspectives and experiences from locus of control ambit.  The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of African and Caribbean service users, from the context of their Locus of Control (LOC). Informed by an Interpretivist approach, this study was conducted via in-depth interviews (N=10) and two focus groups (N=14). Purposive sampling methods were used to recruit mental health service users from a South London Borough to participate in the study. Data was collected through a semi-structured interview schedule and a focus group guide. Data analysis was informed by an Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis approach in the examination of the LOC profiles and service user perspectives. The study found that the drivers of LOC for the respondents were: perceived racism; perceived loss of control due to challenges pertaining to accessing employment, work stressors, lack of career advancement, socio-economic challenges; discrimination at work, identity challenges and entry to and exit pathways from mental health services, all of which promotes LOC externality. The findings suggest that mental health services need to take an active interest in factors that constitute externality in the LOC in assessment of the needs of A & C groups in clinical and community interventions. A holistic approach to psycho-social and socio-cultural issues are highly needed to improve the mental health outcomes for members of African and Caribbean communities with experience of mental health challenges

Improving Mental Health Outcomes for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities: A Quantitative Study into Perception of Control

Background: Although the disparities in mental health outcomes for ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom are well-documented, little is known about the role perception of control plays in the experiences of service users and its role in perpetuating or improving health inequalities. This quantitative methods study investigated the perspectives of the members of these communities from the Locus of Control domain. Methods: A small-scale survey (N=50), applied a purposive sampling method to recruit mental health service users of African and Caribbean origin from a South London Borough to complete two structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using SPSS in the examination of the scores, various demographic variables, linear relationships, and other reliability tests. Results: Key findings indicate a moderate to high externality in LOC scores for participants, in general and mental health milieus, with some remarkable differences in ethnicity, gender, and age.  Conclusion: The results present some implications and opportunities for mental health services, policy, and professionals in engaging with clients from this target group towards addressing the inequality of outcomes

An evaluation of group reminiscence arts sessions for people with dementia living in care homes

Dementia has been identified as one of the major challenges in the 21st Century. The detrimental effects of dementia can jeopardise personhood, thus person-centred interventions including reminiscence and arts practice have been recommended as tools to promote social inclusion and improve the quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group reminiscence arts sessions for people living with dementia in care homes (residential and nursing homes) using a comparative and time series design to collect data on quality of life. The intervention was conducted in six care homes in London over a period of 24 weeks and compared with six care homes not receiving the intervention (control). Dementia Care Mapping was used as the primary data collection instrument to measure positive behaviours and rate quality of life before, during and after group reminiscence arts sessions. The evaluation team observed the sessions at three-weekly intervals. Statistical modelling found that positive behaviours and quality of life of care home residents participating in group reminiscence arts sessions increased over the 24-week period. Well-being increased sharply during each session and plateaued at 50 minutes with a sustained positive effect after the sessions. On a longer timescale, well-being and quality of life increased slowly and steadily from one session to the next. The findings were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The study concludes that group reminiscence arts sessions can have a positive and sustained impact on the quality of life of people with dementia. However, the evidence on the sustainability of the effect over time remains unknown. More research is needed to assess in much greater depth the association between quality of life and group reminiscence arts sessions

The Meanings of Mental Health Recovery for African and Caribbean Men in the UK

Racial disparities for African and Caribbean men are nowhere as stark as in mental health services and outcomes. Men from these communities who have been in contact with mental health services seemed to be stuck in a stalled cycle of recovery. This paper reports the findings from a study that aimed to explore how African and Caribbean men and their supporters conceptualise mental health recovery at the intersections of masculinity, racialised identities and mental distress. It illuminates the perspectives of service users,family, carers and practitioners on recovery in relation to ethnicity and culture.Owing to the exploratory nature of this study, a qualitative design using a phenomenological approach was adopted to capture the dynamics of recovery processes and outcomes for African and Caribbean men across two study sites. Interviews were conducted with African and Caribbean men, their supporters and service providers. Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis (IPA; Smith J, Flowers P, Larkin M. Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory method and research. London: SAGE; 2009) was used to offer insights into how recovery was understood and experienced by study participants.Seven overarching themes emerged from the data in relation to the meanings of recovery: recovering from social suffering, leading a normal life, (re)gaining control and agency, a sense of hope, (re)gaining identity, reduced medical involvement, and recovery being a healing journey. The paper concludes that recovery is an ongoing process, not merely a narrow outcome to be achieved for men. The paper advances previous understandings by conceptualising mental health recovery for African and Caribbean men as a journey towards addressing individual and collective “social suffering” that occurs at the intersections of masculinity, “race” and mental distress, and moving to a better social location.</jats:p

Exploring the mediating role of relationship quality in online services

This paper is the first to examine the mediating role of relationship quality in the online context. By investigating this major tenet of customer relationship management theory in this nascent service setting, this paper clarifies the interaction between service quality and relationship quality, as they impact on customer loyalty. The findings reveal some fundamental differences in the way that strong relationships and loyalty develop in the online setting vis-à-vis the offline setting. The findings of this empirical research support the existence of a partial mediating relationship. While effective service delivery was found to enhance the quality of customer-firm relationships, and consequently, the customer’s perceived loyalty to their main financial institution; there was also evidence of a concurrent link between service quality and loyalty. This finding suggests that a strong relationship does not make customers immune to poor future services, and that firms operating in the online environment should maintain high service standards if they are to enjoy continued loyalty from their customers

SBML Level 3 package: Render, Version 1, Release 1

Many software tools provide facilities for depicting reaction network diagrams in a visual form. Two aspects of such a visual diagram can be distinguished: the layout (i.e.: the positioning and connections) of the elements in the diagram, and the graphical form of the elements (for example, the glyphs used for symbols, the properties of the lines connecting them, and so on). This document describes the SBML Level 3 Render package that complements the SBML Level 3 Layout package and provides a means of capturing the precise rendering of the elements in a diagram. The SBML Level 3 Render package provides a flexible approach to rendering that is independent of both the underlying SBML model and the Layout information. There can be one block of render information that applies to all layouts or an additional block for each layout. Many of the elements used in the current render specification are based on corresponding elements from the SVG specification. This allows us to easily convert a combination of layout information and render information into a SVG drawing

Using participatory action research methods to address epistemic injustice within mental health research and the mental health system

open access articleIn this paper, we describe a model of research practise that addresses epistemic injustice as a central objective, by valuing lived experience and addressing structural disadvantages. We set out here the processes we undertook, and the experiences of those involved in an attempt to transform research practise within a study known as Co-pact. We do not discuss the findings of the research. Rather, we wish to build expertise on how to address epistemic injustice and offer examples of participatory research processes, central values, and practical procedures that we implemented

Methodological Standardization for the Pre-Clinical Evaluation of Renal Sympathetic Denervation

Transcatheter ablation of renal autonomic nerves is a viable option for the treatment of resistant arterial hypertension; however, structured pre-clinical evaluation with standardization of analytical procedures remains a clear gap in this field. Here we discuss the topics relevant to the pre-clinical model for the evaluation of renal denervation (RDN) devices and report methodologies and criteria toward standardization of the safety and efficacy assessment, including histopathological evaluations of the renal artery, periarterial nerves, and associated periadventitial tissues. The pre-clinical swine renal artery model can be used effectively to assess both the safety and efficacy of RDN technologies. Assessment of the efficacy of RDN modalities primarily focuses on the determination of the depth of penetration of treatment-related injury (e.g., necrosis) of the periarterial tissues and its relationship (i.e., location and distance) and the effect on the associated renal nerves and the correlation thereof with proxy biomarkers including renal norepinephrine concentrations and nerve-specific immunohistochemical stains (e.g., tyrosine hydroxylase). The safety evaluation of RDN technologies involves assessing for adverse effects on tissues local to the site of treatment (i.e., on the arterial wall) as well as tissues at a distance (e.g., soft tissue, veins, arterial branches, skeletal muscle, adrenal gland, ureters). Increasing experience will help to create a standardized means of examining all arterial beds subject to ablative energy and in doing so enable us to proceed to optimize the development and assessment of these emerging technologies