Short Encounters Research Articles

Time Motion Study of Tuberculosis Patients Attending a Hospital in an Indian State

Abstract Objectives: To analyse the time taken in availing various services by a patient of cardinal symptoms of Tuberculosis in TB Hospital, Bhopal, India and to determine the satisfaction of patients regarding care. Methods: This is a time–motion observational study of patients who came with symptoms of TB. A sample of 210 was calculated using Cochran’s formula. Results: Amongst the 210 patients studied, the majority were males, i.e. 123 (58.6%). A striking feature was found during this study that reports of sputum were given 2–5 days after collection. Conclusion: This busy hospital dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare pertaining to TB had multiple patient queues, long clinical visits and short clinical encounters. Although the patients were satisfied with the clinical consultations from the doctors, they found difficulty in availing laboratory and X-ray services.

Choosing where to work: an empirical study of collaborative activities’ impact on workspace choice behavior

Purpose In today’s rapidly evolving work landscape, the design of office spaces is a crucial concern for organizations. Companies are redefining offices as collaboration hubs to entice employees back to in-person work. However, the understanding of how employees choose their workspaces, especially for collaborative activities, and how this should inform office design is lacking. Workers’ collaborative activity patterns can help better understand workspace choice behavior (WCB). In two studies, this paper aims to explore which characteristics of collaborative activities to consider when reshaping offices. Design/methodology/approach Data collected in a cross-sectional study design at a research institution (n = 285) and a university (n = 352) were used for confirmatory factor analyses and regression analysis. Findings The first study shows that collaborative activities can be classified into three distinct types: coordinative activities (planned and formal), deep collaboration (planned and complex) and spontaneous communication (informal and short encounters). The second study revalidates this classification and reveals patterns impacting WCB. Frequency and location preference of spontaneous communication and work environment satisfaction are strong predictors of on-site work. Personal characteristics like gender, age, managerial position or commute time are less consequential than assumed. Practical implications The results pinpoint guidelines for office designers and leaders in shaping effective workspaces and policies. Originality/value This paper provides new insights into classifying collaborative activities and personal characteristics, activity characteristics and environmental factors influencing WCB.

Self-Service Hotel Check-In: Is There Still a Role for the In-Person Experience?

ABSTRACT This study investigated the short service encounters of hotel guests’ in-person versus self-service technology (SST) check-in experiences based on their perceptions of the check-in significance and impact on service and relationship outcomes. Guests (n = 378) completed an intercept survey at four mega-resorts immediately after check-in. Based on social cognitive theory, a research model was developed and tested using PLS-SEM. Check-in significance was an important personal psychological factor in customer perceptions, influencing their service quality evaluation, satisfaction, intention to engage, and trust the service provider. Emotional engagement intention served as a partial mediator. Multi-group analysis showed a significantly higher effect of in-person check-in on customer satisfaction and intention to emotionally engage with employees compared to SST check-in. Theoretical and practical contributions to customer relationship management are presented.

Negotiating parental agency in daily encounters with educators

In this paper, we reflect on the relationships between parents and professionals in early childhood education, as they unfold on a daily basis when parents drop off children in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. The paper seeks to understand how parents exert agency in such contexts, and how professionals respond to such agency by facilitating or negotiating active contributions from parents during these short encounters. We adopt a situated and interactional perspective on agency in professional practice informed by a multimodal approach to discourse and interaction, presenting an empirical research design consisting of tangible face-to-face encounters between parents and professionals through audiovisual recordings in the context of Switzerland. The paper explores a collection of four case studies extracted from a dataset comprising over a thousand video-recorded encounters between parents and professionals, and identifies various expressions of parental agency as they occur in interactions during the drop-offs and pick-ups. It also describes and elaborates how professionals respond to such expressions and contribute to a joint accomplishment of parental agency at work. The findings show that parents and educators play an active role in how these encounters unfold, in the sorts of actions, frames and participation frameworks collaboratively accomplished during drop-offs and pick-ups and in establishing rapport in interaction. The findings are discussed from the perspective of professional practice in the field of early childhood education, especially ‘transitional encounters’ related to educational practices in early childhood education.

자각증진 프로그램에 참여한 기혼여성 직장인의 대인관계 스트레스 변화 경험에 대한 현상학적 연구

In this study, eight sessions of self-awareness promotion programs and one follow-up session were provided to six married female office workers in Chungcheongnam-do. One-on-one, in-depth interviews about their experiences were conducted with program participants. The interviews were analyzed based on Giorgi (2004) 's research and analysis method based on phenomenology. From the analysis, seven themes were emerged including “interpersonal stress”. “interpersonal stress” and “vicious cycle” mutually affect each other, leading to “short encounters like an oasis.” Through the “short encounters like an oasis,” “self-awareness experience” could occur, and “self-awareness experience” directly affects “mind and body relaxation.” “new me, a different-looking world,” and “daily life changed by self-awareness” In addition, the above three themes were directly affected by the “self-awareness experience.” The interaction among the three themes was identified as the structure of experiences that directly affect “daily life changed by self-awareness.” Further discussion based on the findings was stated.

자각증진 프로그램에 참여한 기혼여성 직장인의 대인관계 스트레스 변화 경험에 대한 현상학적 연구

In this study, eight sessions of self-awareness promotion programs and one follow-up session were provided to six married female office workers in Chungcheongnam-do. One-on-one, in-depth interviews about their experiences were conducted with program participants. The interviews were analyzed based on Giorgi (2004) 's research and analysis method based on phenomenology. From the analysis, seven themes were emerged including “interpersonal stress”. “interpersonal stress” and “vicious cycle” mutually affect each other, leading to “short encounters like an oasis.” Through the “short encounters like an oasis,” “self-awareness experience” could occur, and “self-awareness experience” directly affects “mind and body relaxation.” “new me, a different-looking world,” and “daily life changed by self-awareness” In addition, the above three themes were directly affected by the “self-awareness experience.” The interaction among the three themes was identified as the structure of experiences that directly affect “daily life changed by self-awareness.” Further discussion based on the findings was stated.

Use of proximity loggers to Estimate Affiliative and Agonistic Relationships among Group-housed Holstein calves.

We used proximity loggers to map the social network of 15 group-housed suckling Holstein calves over a 70-day period divided into five trial periods. Tag ID, encountered tag ID, and encounter start time and length were collected from the proximity loggers. Use of 3D matrices and trendlines distinguished three encounter types: "rapid decline" (up to ~ 120 s), "moderate decline" (~120 to ~ 600 s), and "exponential decline" (longer than ~ 600 s). We hypothesized that a random encounter between two calves with an agonistic relationship would terminate quickly, whereas affiliative encounters would linger. Quadratic assignment with 5000 random permutations revealed a significant negative correlation between short encounters ("agonistic") and long encounters ("affiliative") matrices in periods 1 and 5 (r = -0.490 and -0.767, respectively), tendency toward negative correlation in period 3 (r = -0.141, p = 0.104), and no significant correlations in periods 2 and 4. These results were in accordance with the social network analyses revealing agonistic (short encounters) relationships in those periods. We suggest using this method in further studies on the effects of various factors on social network dynamics and its effect on health, intake, growth, and efficiency.

On the multi-scale dynamics and energy flow near reconnection regions in the magnetopause and magnetotail using the MMS, Cluster and THEMIS observations during the geomagnetic storm of 31 December 2015

Magnetic reconnection is a very important energy conversion process that plays a vital role in solar wind-magnetosphere coupling. This study presents a unique analysis of the coordinated observations from MMS, Cluster and THEMIS spacecraft during a geomagnetic storm on 31 December 2015. The analyses are aimed to understand the intricacies of the short-scale processes during 4 different short (20 min) encounters and a long duration (8 h) traversal of all the satellites covering the main and the recovery phase of the storm. The main results show that at the reconnection sites in the magnetotail, the FAC density is majorly contributed by the electrons moving anti-parallel to the magnetic field. Significantly, the FACs estimated from the Curlometer method and plasma (or local) method agree well and authenticate the interpretations. The majority of the electron population is found to shift towards the mid (0.2–2 keV) and high-energy (2–30 keV) range during the reconnection, wherein higher (∼one order more) ion and electron energy flux is observed under the effect of the intense storm compared to non-storm cases. The Hall electric field is found to be the major contributor to the total electric field during magnetic reconnection whereas, we observe the growing significance of the pressure divergence term during later phases of the storm. Longer duration (8-hour) continuous observations from the unique alignment of the four spacecrafts show a dominance of magnetic (plasma) properties over plasma (magnetic) properties in the magnetotail (magnetopause). The magnetotail (magnetopause) is found to be highly dynamic with higher (lower) levels of the electric and magnetic field, ion and electron temperature, and simultaneous lower (higher) levels of plasma density, energy flux, and FACs. The drastic enhancements of the plasma and field parameters happen in the sun-earth plane and during different crossings at the magnetopause and magnetotail. The simultaneous observations from magnetopause and magnetotail during a moderate geomagnetic storm indicate further needful coordinated investigations on the nature of reconnections on the day and night side and variations during the intense category of storms.

Patient participation in tele-emergencies - experiences from healthcare professionals in northern rural Sweden.

Telemedicine provides opportunities for access to health care in remote and underserved areas. In parts of northern rural Sweden telemedicine is used to connect a remote physician by a video-conference system to an emergency room, staffed by nurses during on-call hours. This can be called 'tele-emergency'. Patient participation, often described as mutual information exchange, a trustful relationship and involvement in decision-making, is challenged in emergency care by short encounters, deteriorating patients and a stressful work situation. Nevertheless, patient participation may be important for the patients' experience. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have been identified as 'gatekeepers' for patient participation, therefore putting their perspective in focus is important. As emergency care in rural areas is increasingly turning toward telemedicine, patient participation in tele-emergencies needs to be better understood. The aim of this study was to explore and characterise HCPs' perspectives of patient participation in tele-emergencies in northern rural Sweden. A qualitative design based on interviews was used. HCPs working in cottage hospitals in northern rural Sweden were included. Semi-structured interviews were performed, first, in multidisciplinary groups of three informants. Later, because of limited experience of tele-emergencies in the groups, individual interviews with HCPs with substantial experience were added. A qualitative content analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted. A total of 44 HCPs from northern inland Sweden participated in the interviews. The content analysis resulted in two themes, six categories and 19 subcategories. Theme 1, 'To see, understand, and to build trust through the digital barrier', contains descriptions of the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the HCPs, and the challenges when interacting with the patient during a tele-emergency. The informants also described a need for boundaries between the professional team and the patient. The categories in theme 1 are 'understanding the patient's point of view', 'building a trustful relationship', and 'needing a private space without the patient'. Theme 2, 'The (im)balance of power - tele-emergency reinforces the positions', mirrors the power asymmetry in the patient-professional relationship, and the potential impact of the tele-emergency on the different roles. Tele-emergencies were described as a risk that potentially could weaken the patient's position, but also as providing an opportunity to share power. Categories in theme 2 are 'medical conditions limit patient participation', 'patient involvement in decision-making requires understanding' and 'the inferior patient and the superior professionals'. This study sheds light on patient participation in tele-emergencies in a remote rural setting from the HCP's perspective. The tele-emergency set-up affected patient participation by interfering with familiar patient-HCP relationships and changing group dynamics in interactions with the patient. Due to the extensive changes of the conditions for patient participation imposed in tele-emergencies, suggestions for actions improving patient participation are made.

More support, knowledge and awareness are needed to prepare emergency department nurses to approach potential intimate partner violence victims.

Intimate partner violence is a global health issue. In the emergency department, patients seek help for health problems that may be related to exposure to physical, psychological or sexual violence, or controlling behaviour from a current or former partner. Of the many victims that seek care in an emergency department, few are identified, especially among those whose chief complaint is not clearly related to recent physical abuse. Not having all the facts about a patient can jeopardise patient safety and delay treatment. The aim of this study was to describe experiences of caring for adults, subjected to intimate partner violence, from an emergency nurse perspective. A qualitative semi-structured interview study of nine emergency care specialist nurses was conducted using content analysis. Two categories emerged: 'Subtle signs' and 'Not being enough'. The short encounters in emergency care do not allow for deep conversations. The informants highlighted the need for more knowledge about what and how to ask in that specific context. Some mentioned situations where the question had been avoided due to lack of time to handle the answer. The interviews revealed the importance of regular discussions to increase awareness of intimate partner violence and its prevalence among patients. The organisation plays an important role in putting the question about intimate partner violence on the daily agenda and giving time to emergency nurses and other professions for training and reflection.

Development of productive language skills through language exchange in primary schools in Switzerland – An exploratory intervention study

Abstract The present study examined the effect of language exchange activities on the development of productive foreign language skills of primary school pupils. The sample comprised a total of 392 pupils from German- and French-speaking Switzerland, attending 5th and 6th grade. The pupils’ speaking and writing skills were examined longitudinally using a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design with an intervention and control group. The intervention lasted one school year and included two physical reunions with the partner class, as well as preparatory and follow-up activities. The German-speaking pupils’ productive skills were assessed at the beginning and end of the school year using communicative tasks. The data was analysed by means of multiple regression analysis. Results show that the intervention had a positive impact on the pupils’ speaking skills and their general language competence, as measured by a C-test. However, the intervention had no significant impact on their writing skills. The findings suggest that even short encounters at primary school level with beginners have the potential to spur language development if they are didactically well embedded.

At the Roots of the Tree of Life: Marija Gimbutas among the Family Women

At the Roots of the Tree of Life: Marija Gimbutas among the Family Women

Assessing communication skills in student pharmacists—Psychometric validation of Global Communication Rubric

Assessing communication skills in student pharmacistsPsychometric validation of the Global Communication Rubric. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to perform psychometric validation of the Global Communication (GC) rubric. MethodsThe GC rubric was developed and used for the past 10 years at the institution to assess level of communication skills in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in the PharmD program. The rubric consisted of 6 questions with the scoring criteria of 0 (failure), 1 (needs improvement), 2 (satisfactory), and 3 (excellent). Data from GC rubric scores for Classes 2010 to 2020 (1,100 students) was used to perform psychometric validation by assessing the following properties: scale reliability; face, content, construct, and predictive validity; and responsiveness. ResultsInternal consistency reliability was acceptable at Cronbach’s alpha of 0.78. Construct validity showed that all six items loaded highly onto one component. Responsiveness was demonstrated using uptrend of the score improvement as the students advance in the curriculum from P1 to P3 levels. ConclusionThe result of this study confirmed reliability and validity of the GC rubric in evaluating communication skills of student pharmacists. Practice implicationsThe GC rubric is valuable in evaluating short encounters in an easy and expedited manner.

18-OR: Joslin Home: An Innovative Integrated Digital-Health Model of Diabetes Care in the Technology Era

Despite major advances in diabetes care and technology, the current clinic-based model is costly and at times inefficient with limited scalability. Joslin Home model (JH) includes 5 new pillars of diabetes interactions: short visits of 5-15 min conducted by telehealth, more frequent visits with a multidisciplinary team (MD, NP, RD, CDE, exercise physiologist (EP), and behavioral therapist (BT)), direct 2-way electronic scheduling, brief documentations and easy one-step billing. In this 6-month pilot study, we tested the feasibility of JH among 17 patients with critically high A1C (average 9.5±1.6%), age 62±14 yrs, weight 225±35 lbs and 70.6% treated with insulin. Cellular glucose meter, body-weight scale and BP kit were delivered to subjects’ homes for self-reporting. Patients were instructed to self-schedule/cancel appointments using an electronic calendar. Five precise questions were asked before each encounter. Providers were asked to briefly document encounters. Results: Virtual visits were completed in an average of 16 min, MDs and NPs concluded them in <15 min (∼11 min), but BT needed the longest time (20-30 min). Patients had an average of one encounter/week. Higher visit frequency was only seen in <25% of patients. Around 76% of scheduled encounters were completed (range 56-100%). Visit cancellation was the lowest with RD and EP (10-18%) and highest with BT and CDE (29-31%). A1C dropped significantly by 1.2% (to 8.2±1.5%, p<0.001). Patients’ satisfaction was high and they were willing to pay out-of-pocket of $50-200/encounter. We conclude that JH model is potentially acceptable alternative to clinic-based model and that is potentially scalable for remote and underserved areas where multidisciplinary approach is lacking. Frequent and short encounters of <20 min resulted in significant A1C improvement. JH may be ideal for high-risk patients who require frequent encounters with a diabetes team. Larger adoption in a randomized clinical study warrants consideration. Disclosure O. Hamdy: Consultant; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. Research Support; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Healthimation, LLC. J. Mitri: Consultant; Spouse/Partner; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., kymera. Consultant; Self; national dairy council/local dairy council. Research Support; Spouse/Partner; AbbVie Inc., beigene, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Research Support; Self; Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., national dairy council. Research Support; Spouse/Partner; pharma cyclic, TG therapeutics. A. Barrett: None. R.A. Gabbay: Advisory Panel; Self; FormHealth, Health Reveal, Lark, Onduo, Vida Health. Funding Joslin Diabetes Center

Analysis of community pharmacist recommendations from a transitions of care study

AbstractObjectiveCommunity pharmacists are often the first healthcare professional encountered following discharge from a hospital, but what extent of services provided is not fully described across a variety of community pharmacy settings. Our objective was to capture and report recommendations made by community pharmacists during a transitions of care interventional study and to determine if visit‐related factors affected the risk of readmission.MethodsThe content of pharmacists' notes were analyzed from encounters during a transitions of care interventional study for patients discharged from a hospital with five high‐risk conditions (heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, diabetes, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), where the primary purpose of the intervention was to enhance inpatient and community pharmacist communication to improve patient care. Summary statistics were utilized to describe the content of pharmacist notes and actions, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to test for the impact of several patient or visit‐related characteristics on the risk of 90‐day readmissions.ResultsAs part of an interventional study, patients spent an average of 9 minutes (standard deviation [SD] 6.9) with pharmacists during each visit and had three visits on average within 90‐day of discharge. Responses to checklist questions were documented on 99% of notes, and pharmacists provided recommendations 58% of the time. Recommendations varied by condition with the most frequent being adherence (10%), vaccinations (8%), and disease monitoring (7%). In multivariate models, readmission was higher among patients with highest comorbidity (hazard ratio [HR] = 10.18, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.53‐29.36), two or more medications added at discharge (HR = 3.83, 95% CI, 1.49‐9.82), or vaccine gaps (HR = 3.51, 95% CI, 1.09‐11.33).ConclusionsIn a transitions of care service, community pharmacists actively engaged patients and caregivers at regular intervals, providing largely patient‐oriented recommendations during relatively short consultation encounters. Patient and visit‐related items associated with higher readmission risk such as higher comorbidity, medication additions, and incomplete vaccinations signal opportunity for community pharmacist‐led interventions to improve care of patients in the postdischarge period.

Clinic flow for STI, HIV, and TB patients in an urban infectious disease clinic offering point-of-care testing services in Durban, South Africa

BackgroundMany clinics in Southern Africa have long waiting times. The implementation of point-of-care (POC) tests to accelerate diagnosis and improve clinical management in resource-limited settings may improve or worsen clinic flow and waiting times. The objective of this study was to describe clinic flow with special emphasis on the impact of POC testing at a large urban public healthcare clinic in Durban, South Africa.MethodsWe used time and motion methods to directly observe patients and practitioners. We created patient flow maps and recorded individual patient waiting and consultation times for patients seeking STI, TB, or HIV care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 clinic staff to ascertain staff opinions on clinic flow and POC test implementation.ResultsAmong 121 observed patients, the total number of queues ranged from 4 to 7 and total visit times ranged from 0:14 (hours:minutes) to 7:38. Patients waited a mean of 2:05 for standard-of-care STI management, and approximately 4:56 for STI POC diagnostic testing. Stable HIV patients who collected antiretroviral therapy refills waited a mean of 2:42 in the standard queue and 2:26 in the fast-track queue. A rapid TB test on a small sample of patients with the Xpert MTB/RIF assay and treatment initiation took a mean of 6:56, and 40% of patients presenting with TB-related symptoms were asked to return for an additional clinic visit to obtain test results. For all groups, the mean clinical assessment time with a nurse or physician was 7 to 9 min, which accounted for 2 to 6% of total visit time. Staff identified poor clinic flow and personnel shortages as areas of concern that may pose challenges to expanding POC tests in the current clinic environment.ConclusionsThis busy urban clinic had multiple patient queues, long clinical visits, and short clinical encounters. Although POC testing ensured patients received a diagnosis sooner, it more than doubled the time STI patients spent at the clinic and did not result in same-day diagnosis for all patients screened for TB. Further research on implementing POC testing efficiently into care pathways is required to make these promising assays a success.

Making Every Police–Citizen Interaction Count

Procedural justice policing is considered to be central to better policing (President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015). To implement procedural justice policing, police need to understand and build four key principles into their interactions with members of the public: (1) treating people with respect, (2) being neutral in their decision making, (3) conveying trustworthy motives, and (4) giving citizens a voice during the encounter. Drawing on these principles in a genuine manner underpins the quality of the dialogic interaction (Bottoms and Tankebe, 2012). It is not just enough to say polite things; the manner in which polite phrases and directives are communicated in both short and long encounters makes the difference between people believing the procedures used by police to reach an outcome are fair or not (Tyler, 2006 [1990]; Tyler, Fagan, and Geller, 2014).

BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIFE OF ANOTHER HUMAN BEING

A common feature of prehospital emergency care are short and fragmentary patient encounters with in­creased demands for efficient and rapid treatment. Crucial decisions are often made, based on the premise of the ambulance staff`s ability to capture the situation instantaneously. The assessment is, therefore, a pre-requisite for decisions about appropriate actions. However, a low exposure to severe trauma cases leads to vulnerability for the ambulance staff, which makes the assessment more difficult. Assessment of severe trauma patients at the scene of accident is difficult and complicated. No trauma scenarios are alike and practical skills, training, and feedback are therefore necessary.

Patient Use of the Electronic Communication Portal in Management of Type 2 Diabetes.

High incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes require urgent attention to the management of this chronic disease. The purpose of this study was to explore electronic communication (e-communication) between patients with type 2 diabetes and their providers within the patient portal. Qualitative design with conventional content analysis techniques was used. A purposive random sample of 90 electronic medical record charts of patient-portal users with type 2 diabetes was subjected to a retrospective review. The sample mainly consisted of patients between the ages of 50 and 70 years, who were white, non-Hispanic, and English-speaking. The three major themes that emerged in e-communication via patient portal were inform theme, which was the most frequently identified theme; instruct/request theme, which was mainly used in initiation of e-communication; and the question theme. The patient portal was used primarily for requests by patients and instruction by providers, showing relatively short e-message encounters with a high number of partially completed encounters, frequent lack of resolution, and a low level of involvement of diabetes specialists in e-communication. There is a need to revise healthcare system guidelines on initiation and use of e-communication via patient portal and develop standardized templates to promote diabetes education in type 2 diabetes.

Volatility and Market Risk of Rubber Price in Malaysia: Pre- and Post-Global Financial Crisis

The volatility in rubber price is a significant risk to producers, traders, consumers and others who are involved in the production and marketing of natural rubber. Such being the case, forecasting the rubber price volatility is desired to assist in decision-making in this uncertain situation. The 2008 Global Financial Crisis caused some disruptions and uncertainties in the future supply or demand for natural rubber and thus leading to higher rubber price volatility. Using ARCH-type models, this paper intends to model the dynamics of the price volatility of Standard Malaysia Rubber Grade 20 (SMR 20) in the Malaysian market before and after the Global Financial Crisis. Additionally, Value-at-Risk (VaR) approach is implemented to evaluate the market risk of SMR 20. Our empirical result denotes the existence of volatility clustering and long memory volatility in the SMR 20 market for both crisis periods. Leverage effect is also detected in the SMR 20 market where negative innovations (bad news) have a larger impact on the volatility than positive innovations (good news) for post-crisis period. When tested with Superior Predictive Ability (SPA) test, FIGARCH model is the best model across five loss functions for short- and long-term forecasts for pre-crisis period. Meanwhile, over post-crisis period, FIGARCH and GJR GARCH indicate the superior out-of-sample-forecast results and better forecasting accuracy over short- and long-term horizons, respectively. In terms of market risk, the short trading position encounters higher risk or greater losses than the long trading position at both 1 and 5 % VaR quantile for pre-crisis period. In contrast, over post-crisis period, long traders of rubber SMR 20 tend to face limited gains but unlimited losses.