Purpose This paper aims to identify and systematically analyze the causal-effect relationships among barriers to circular food supply chains in China. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in multiple organizational theories, this paper develops a theoretical framework for identifying relevant barriers to integrating circular economy philosophy in food supply chain management. The study uses 105 responses from Chinese food supply chain stakeholders including food processors, sales and distribution channels, consumers and government officials. It applies a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to examine the causal-effect relationships among the identified barriers. Findings Overall, the results suggest two key cause barriers: first, weak environmental regulations and enforcement, and second, lack of market preference/pressure. Meanwhile, lack of collaboration/support from supply chain actors is the most prominent barrier. The key cause and prominent barriers are also identified for each of the supply chain stakeholder involved. Research implications The study offers practical insights for overcoming barriers to integrating circular economy philosophy in the management of supply chains in the Chinese food sector, as well as in other contexts where similar challenges are faced. It also sheds light on which organizational theories are most suitable for guiding similar studies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first barrier study on circular food supply chains. The use of multiple organizational theories for the development of the theoretical framework is unique in barrier studies. The study offers insights from multiple stakeholders in the Chinese food supply chains.

How does a word's within-sentence predictability influence saccade length during reading? An eye-movement experiment manipulating the predictability of target words indicates that, relative to low-predictability target words, high-predictability targets elicit longer saccades to themselves. Simulations using computational models that respectively instantiate the targeting of saccades to default locations (Yan, Kliegl, Richter, Nuthmann, & Shu in Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 705-725, 2010) versus the dynamic adjustment of saccade length (Liu, Reichle, & Li in Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition, 41, 1229-1236, 2015, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 1008-1025, 2016) indicate that the latter model provides a more accurate and parsimonious account of saccade-targeting behavior in Chinese reading. The implications of these conclusions are discussed with respect to current models of eye-movement control during reading and the necessity to explain eye movements in languages as different as Chinese versus English.

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This article utilizes Savitzky-Golay (SG) filter to eliminate seismic random noise. This is a novel method for seismic random noise reduction in which SG filter adopts piecewise weighted polynomial via leastsquares estimation. Therefore, effective smoothing is achieved in extracting the original signal from noise environment while retaining the shape of the signal as close as possible to the original one. Although there are lots of classical methods such as Wiener filtering and wavelet denoising applied to eliminate seismic random noise, the SG filter outperforms them in approximating the true signal. SG filter will obtain a good tradeoff in waveform smoothing and valid signal preservation under suitable conditions. These are the appropriate window size and the polynomial degree. Through examples from synthetic seismic signals and field seismic data, we demonstrate the good performance of SG filter by comparing it with the Wiener filtering and wavelet denoising methods.

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ObjectiveHumour is a powerful resource in medical education. The purpose of this study is to investigate what students and teachers think about the use of humour. What challenges do teachers face in using humour and how they address them are also the subject of the present study.DesignSeparate cross-sectional questionnaire surveys.SettingTongji Medical College and Tongji Hospital in China.Participants327 students at Tongji Medical College and 165 physician teachers at Tongji Hospital in China.Main outcome measuresThe primary study outcome was assessed by proportion.Results87% of student and teacher respondents agreed with using humour in the didactic setting. They felt humour fostered a positive didactic atmosphere. Interesting clinical case was the most frequently used humour type by teachers and considered the most effective by students. Lack of humorous materials related to the lecture subject was the main challenge to humour use cited by teachers. Collecting humorous materials in teacher’s daily work and life, observing teachers with a reputation for successfully using humour, and efficiently using the internet-enhanced humour use ability.ConclusionThe present study confirms that most medical students and physician teachers support the use of humour in medical didactics, with particular strategies aiding its use and positive impact.