Covid-19 response of an additive manufacturing cluster in Australia

Purpose The sudden arrival of Covid-19 severely disrupted the supply chain of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Australia. This paper aims to examine the development of a geographical cluster, which, through the application of additive manufacturing (AM), responded to the PPE supply crisis. Design/methodology/approach This longitudinal case study focuses on an AM cluster, which was developed to supply PPE in a responsive and flexible manner from 2019/2020. The study gathered data over three stages of cluster evolution: pre, during and post-peak Covid-19. Findings The type and nature of exchanges between organizations involved in the cluster established important insights into success factors for cluster creation and development. Using an established complexity framework, this study identifies the characteristics of establishing a cluster. The importance of cluster alignment created initially by a common PPE supply goal led to an emerging commercial and relational imperative to address the longer-term configuration after the disruption. Practical implications Clusters can be a viable option for a technology-driven sector when there is a “buzz” that drives and rapidly diffuses knowledge to support cluster formation. This research identifies the structural, socio-political and emergent dimensions, which need to be considered by stakeholders when aiming at improving competitiveness using clusters. Originality/value Covid-19 has rapidly and unexpectedly disrupted the supply chain for many industries. Responding to challenges, businesses will investigate different pathways to improve the overall resilience including on-/near-shoring. The results provide insights into how clusters are formed, grow and develop and the differentiating factors that result in successful impacts of clusters on local economies.

Explaining withdrawal’s persistence: correlates of withdrawal use in Albania, Armenia, Jordan, and Turkey observed in a cross-sectional study

Background: Withdrawal dominates the contraceptive method mix in a geographical cluster of countries in South-Eastern Europe and Western Asia that have, in part, reached low fertility. This study examines the socio-demographic determinants associated with withdrawal use in Armenia, Albania, Jordan and Turkey that could explain withdrawal’s persistence and inform contraceptive programs in these unique settings. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 31,569 married women 15 to 49 years were drawn from the Demographic and Health Surveys in Albania (2017-2018), Armenia (2015-2016), Jordan (2017-2018), and Turkey (2013). For each country, multinomial regression models estimating withdrawal use among all women and logistic regression models estimating withdrawal use among contraceptive users were used to evaluate the association with age, marital duration, parity, education, residence, and household wealth. Results: The socio-demographic determinants associated with withdrawal use varied by country among all women and among all contraceptive users. While these associations were not all significant for all four countries general trends included that women were more likely to use withdrawal than not use contraception, but less likely to use withdrawal than other methods with increasing parity, higher education, and greater household wealth. Measures of association are reported by country for each correlate. Conclusions: Despite the similar contraceptive mix in these four countries, no single set of factors was found to explain withdrawal’s persistence. Withdrawal’s prevalence in this geographical cluster may instead result from different balances of intertwined circumstances that include couples’ fertility decisions, access to modern contraception and availability of abortion services.

Comparative effectiveness of two adalimumab biosimilars in 1318 real-world patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease mandated to switch from originator adalimumab: nationwide observational study emulating a randomised clinical trial

Objectives In 2018, a nationwide mandatory switch from originator to biosimilar adalimumab was conducted in Denmark. The available biosimilar was GP2017 (Hyrimoz) in Eastern regions and SB5 (Imraldi) in Western regions. We aimed to assess the comparative effectiveness of GP2017 versus SB5 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)/psoriatic arthritis (PsA)/axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). Methods Observational cohort study based on the DANBIO registry with geographical cluster pseudo-randomisation, analysed by emulating a randomised clinical trial. Main outcome was adjusted 1-year treatment retention (Cox regression). Furthermore, 6 months’ remission rates (logistic regression), reasons for withdrawal and back-switching to originator were investigated (overall and stratified by indication). Results Overall, of 1570 eligible patients, 1318 switched and were included (467 RA/321 PsA/530 AxSpA); 623 (47%) switched to GP2017, 695 (53%) to SB5. Baseline characteristics of the two clusters were largely similar, but some differences in registration practice were observed. The combined 1-year retention rate for the two biosimilars was 89.5%. Compared with SB5, estimated risk of withdrawal for GP2017 was lower (HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.86) and 6 months’ remission rate was higher (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.25 to 2.37). Stratified analyses gave similar results (statistically significant for RA). During 1 year, 8.5% and 12.9% withdrew GP2017 and SB5, respectively (primarily lack of effect and adverse events), of whom 48 patients (3.6%) back-switched. Conclusion This head-to-head comparison of GP2017 versus SB5 following a mandatory switch from the originator indicated differences in effectiveness in routine care. This may reflect a true difference, but other explanations, for example, differences in excipients, differences between clusters and residual confounding cannot be ruled out.

Cross-sectional analysis of the microbiota of human gut and their direct environment (exposome) in a household cohort in northern Vietnam

Comprehensive insight into the human gut microbiota and the interaction with their environment in communities with a high background of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance genes is currently largely lacking. In a cohort (Vietnam), individuals within the same household, also individuals within their geographical cluster share more bacterial taxa than individuals from different households or geographical clusters. The microbial diversity among individuals who used antibiotics in the past four months was significantly lower than those who did not. Fecal microbiota of humans was more diverse than non-human samples, shared a small part of its amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) with feces from animals (7.4%), water (2.2%) and food (3.1%). Sharing of ASVs between humans and companion animals was not associated with household. There is a correlation between an Enterobacteriaceae ASV and the presence of blactx-m-2 in feces from humans and animals, hinting towards an exchange of antimicrobial resistant strains between reservoirs.

The influence of clustering on HR practices and intrapreneurial behavior

Purpose This study aims to explore how the fact of belonging to clusters of dissimilar form or characteristics modify the application of human resource management (HRM) practices, as well as those knowledge-sharing processes that guide and encourage the intrapreneurial behavior of employees (IPB) in firms belonging to the cluster. The main thesis is that the application of HRM practices and some knowledge management processes are strongly conditioned by the form or characteristics of the cluster, all this in a knowledge-intensive context that requires a contingent application of such practices. Design/methodology/approach The research strategy chosen was a qualitative case study, given that the insight the authors were seeking could only be obtained through a fine-grained analysis inside the firm where it is very difficult to decouple the phenomenon to be observed from the context where it takes place. Two cases were selected to analyze the phenomenon in-depth and compare their results; they were big and technologically advanced firms but belonging to clusters of different forms and characteristics. Findings Results show that the influence of the cluster based on location is greater than the effects of the cluster formed by networks, where globalization and external ties play an important role. HRM practices and knowledge sharing processes that lead to intrapreneurial behavior are conditioned, only in part, by the characteristics of the cluster. Particularly, the geographical cluster encourages knowledge sharing with competitors and customers, mainly for technical training processes and because of belonging to a sectoral association. However, HRM practices, with the exception of training and compensation policies, are mainly conditioned by the company's culture and internal factors, rather than by belonging to a specific cluster. Practical implications Firms belonging to an organized cluster should encourage the development of practical training-oriented programs, not only on technical aspects but also on other skill and competence-based areas. In addition, training based on strategic issues both for top and middle managers could be an interesting initiative. Additionally, clustered firms should develop more knowledge-retention policies to limit the degree of rivalry in the sector, as it is very common for a firm to search for new and specialized talent in the rest of competing firms in the cluster. Social implications Considering the economic impact of the geographical cluster, its effect on the employment and development of a region and taking into account the relevant and dynamic role of research institutions and associations, policymakers should support and facilitate the activity of those institutions, reinforcing the relevance of industrial districts or geographical clusters that are threatened by the pressures of globalization. Originality/value This study brings new insight into the effect of the form and characteristics of the cluster on HRM practices and knowledge sharing processes that lead to intrapreneurial behavior. The study may open the field for additional studies that, from a qualitative and quantitative perspective, analyze this topic in depth. The paper shows that IPB depends not only on the support of the institutions created in the cluster but also on the culture and competitive strategy of the company. Belonging to a geographical cluster can have an influence on firms’ behavior and can, through the trust generated among its members, facilitate knowledge-sharing processes and intrapreneurial behavior.

GEOGRAPHICAL TOPONYMIC LEXICON OF THE MOKSHA-MORDOVIAN POPULATION OF STARAYA BINARADKA VILLAGE, SAMARA REGION

The article deals with the analysis of the geographical toponymic lexicon existing among the Moksha-Mordovian population of the village of Staraya Binaradka in the Krasnoyarsk district of the Samara region. The Moksha-Mordovia geographical toponymic lexicon is characterized by a significant variety even in the dialects of neighboring settlements. It is shown that the formation of a geographical cluster of toponymic vocabulary in the dialects of the Moksha-Mordovian language is primarily influenced by the following factors: local phonetic, morphological and accentual features of the dialect; the historical and modern ethno-linguistic environment of the carriers of the studied dialect; natural and geographical conditions of the environment of the territory of residence of the carriers of the studied dialect. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the starobinaradsky geographical terminology area close to the Moksha-Mordvin dialects. Special attention is paid to the bakhilovsky dialect of the Moksha-Mordovian language, as it is known from archival materials that a significant part of the Mordovian population of the Staraya Binaradka was made up of immigrants from the village of Bakhilovo on the left Bank of the Volga river in the first half of the 18th century. The novelty of the research consists in the fact that up to the present time, the geographical toponymy vocabulary of the starobinskoe dialect of the Moksha-Mordvin language has not been introduced into the scientific circulation and has not been analyzed in the context of toponymic research. The study is based on field materials of the author.