bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Glucose Predicts Postoperative Complications After Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
Authors: Marxen Troy , Su Shannon , Brown Ciara , Faulkner Heather R. , Losken Albert
Published: July 2023

Background

Despite advances in surgical methods, complication rates after complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR) remain high. Identification of preoperative risk factors can assist surgeons with risk stratification and patient counseling. The deleterious effects of hyperglycemia on wound healing are well established. With the increasing prevalence of diabetes (diabetes mellitus) and prediabetes, a greater proportion of patients are likely to have increased blood glucose levels that may contribute to poor surgical outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative hyperglycemia predicted surgical outcome. The secondary aim was to establish glucose thresholds to assist with surgical risk stratification.

Methods

All patients who underwent CAWR by the senior author at a single institution from 2002 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified into 4 groups based on preoperative blood glucose: <100 mg/dL (n = 184), 100–140 mg/dL (n = 207), 140–180 mg/dL (n = 41), and >180 mg/dL (n = 16). Patient demographics, risk factors, surgical techniques, complications, and outcomes were recorded and compared.

Results

The study cohort comprised of 478 patients. Mean age was 53.9 ± 12.3 years. Mean body mass index was 32.1 ± 7.8 kg/m2. Higher age (P= 0.0085), higher body mass index (P= 0.0005), the presence of diabetes (P< 0.0001), and hypertension (P= 0.0004) were significantly associated with higher glucose. Overall complication rates ranged from 26% (glucose <100 mg/dL) to 94% (glucose >180 mg/dL), whereas recurrence rates ranged from 10% (glucose <100 mg/dL) to 37% (glucose 140–180 mg/dL). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed preoperative glucose to have a significant, independent effect on overall complication rate (P< 0.0001), major complication rate (P< 0.0001), and recurrence rate (P< 0.0031).

Conclusions

Preoperative hyperglycemia is an important predictor of postoperative complications and recurrence after CAWR. Point-of-care glucose levels are routinely gathered before surgery and may help to establish thresholds for which elective CAWR might be deferred. Strategies to lower preoperative glucose should be part of an optimization protocol for improving outcomes.
A Surgical Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) Reveals Complex Relationships between Race/Ethnicity, Insurance Type and Neighborhood Deprivation
Authors: Jacobs Michael A. , Schmidt Susanne , Hall Daniel E. , Stitzenberg Karyn B. , Kao Lillian S. , Brimhall Bradley B. , Wang Chen-Pin , Manuel Laura S. , Su Hoah-Der , Silverstein Jonathan C. , Shireman Paula K.
Published: July 2023

Objective:

Develop an ordinal Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) for surgical outcomes to examine complex associations of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH).

Summary background data:

Studies focused on single or binary composite outcome may not detect health disparities.

Methods:

Three healthcare system cohort study using NSQIP (2013-2019) linked with EHR and risk-adjusted for frailty, Preoperative Acute Serious Conditions (PASC), case status and operative stress assessing associations of multi-level SDoH of race/ethnicity, insurance type (Private 13,957; Medicare 15,198; Medicaid 2,835; Uninsured 2,963) and Area Deprivation Index (ADI) on DOOR and the binary Textbook Outcomes (TO).

Results:

Patients living in highly deprived neighborhoods (ADI>85) had higher odds of PASC (aOR=1.13, CI=1.02-1.25, P<0.001) and urgent/emergent cases (aOR=1.23, CI=1.16-1.31, P<0.001). Increased odds of higher/less desirable DOOR scores were associated with patients identifying as Black versus White, and on Medicare, Medicaid or Uninsured versus Private insurance. Patients with ADI>85 had lower odds of TO (aOR=0.91, CI=0.85-0.97, P=0.006) until adjusting for insurance but increased odds of higher DOOR (aOR=1.07, CI=1.01-1.14, P<0.021) after adjusting for insurance but similar odds after adjusting for PASC and urgent/emergent cases.

Conclusions:

DOOR revealed complex interactions between race/ethnicity, insurance type and neighborhood deprivation. ADI>85 was associated with higher odds of worse DOOR outcomes while TO failed to capture the effect of ADI. Our results suggest that presentation acuity is a critical determinant of worse outcomes in patients in highly deprived neighborhoods and without insurance. Including risk adjustment for living in deprived neighborhoods and urgent/emergent surgeries could improve the accuracy of quality metrics.
Parathyroidectomy and the Risk of Major Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Events in the Elderly
Authors: Grant Robert R.C. , Moroz Brian E. , Nilubol Chanigan , Cahoon Elizabeth K. , Pfeiffer Ruth M. , Nilubol Naris
Published: July 2023

Objective:

We aimed to determine the incidence of major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in elderly patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) and the impact of parathyroidectomy.

Summary Background Data:

pHPT is under-diagnosed and under-treated in the United States. It is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk but its association with cerebrovascular disease risk is not well-established. It is also unknown if parathyroidectomy reduces these risks.

Methods:

The incidence of major cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events in 108,869 patients with pHPT diagnosed in the Medicare database between 2008 and 2018 and a matched comparison group of 1,088,690 Medicare subjects was prospectively evaluated. We estimated hazards ratios (HR) for the association of pHPT and parathyroidectomy for the risk of these outcomes from Cox proportional hazards models. Survival curves were calculated to obtain five-year disease-free survival (DFS) estimates.

Results:

For patients with pHPT, five-year DFS was lower and HRs were higher than the comparison group for any outcome (75.9% vs. 78.4; HR 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.13), major cerebrovascular events (84.5% vs. 86.3%; HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.12-1.17), and major cardiovascular events (87.7% vs. 88.8%; HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.08). However, in patients who had parathyroidectomy, the risks of major cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events did not differ from the comparison cohort. The lower risk in patients who had parathyroidectomy were maintained in subgroup analyses.

Conclusions:

Older patients with pHPT have an increased risk of major cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events compared to patients without the disease. Physicians treating older patients with primary hyperparathyroidism should consider parathyroidectomy.

Ruth M. Pfeiffer, Naris Nilubol These authors contributed equally to the preparation of this manuscript.
Predicting Long-term Disease-free Survival After Resection of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: van Goor Iris W.J.M. , Schouten Thijs J. , Verburg Daphne N. , Besselink Marc G. , Bonsing Bert A. , Bosscha Koop , Brosens Lodewijk A.A. , Busch Olivier R. , Cirkel Geert A. , van Dam Ronald M. , Festen Sebastiaan , Koerkamp Bas Groot , van der Harst Erwin , de Hingh Ignace H.J.T. , Intven Martijn P.W. , Kazemier Geert , Los Maartje , Meijer Gert J. , de Meijer Vincent E. , Nieuwenhuijs Vincent B. , Roos Daphne , Schreinemakers Jennifer M.J. , Stommel Martijn W.J. , Verdonk Robert C. , van Santvoort Hjalmar C. , Daamen Lois A. , Molenaar I. Quintus ,   for the Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group
Published: July 2023

Objective:

To develop a prediction model for long-term (≥5 years) disease-free survival (DFS) after resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Summary Background Data:

Despite high recurrence rates, approximately 10% of patients have long-term DFS after PDAC resection. A model to predict long-term DFS may aid individualized prognostication and shared decision-making.

Methods:

This nationwide cohort study included all consecutive patients who underwent PDAC resection in the Netherlands (2014-2016). The best performing prognostic model was selected by Cox-proportional hazard analysis and Akaike’s Information Criterion, presented by hazard ratio’s (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Internal validation was performed, and discrimination and calibration indices were assessed.

Results:

836 patients with a median follow-up of 67 months (interquartile range 51-79) were analyzed. Long-term DFS was seen in 118 patients (14%). Factors predictive of long-term DFS were low preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (logarithmic; HR1.21; 95%CI 1.10-1.32), no vascular resection (HR1.33; 95%CI 1.12-1.58), T1 or T2 tumor stage (HR1.52; 95%CI 1.14-2.04, and HR1.17; 95%CI 0.98-1.39, respectively), well/moderate tumor differentiation (HR1.44; 95%CI 1.22-1.68), absence of perineural and lymphovascular invasion (HR1.42; 95%CI 1.11-1.81 and HR1.14; 95%CI 0.96-1.36, respectively), N0 or N1 nodal status (HR1.92; 95%CI 1.54-2.40, and HR1.33; 95%CI 1.11-1.60, respectively), R0 resection margin status (HR1.25; 95%CI 1.07-1.46), no major complications (HR1.14; 95%CI 0.97-1.35) and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR1.74; 95%CI 1.47-2.06). Moderate performance (concordance index 0.68) with adequate calibration (slope 0.99) was achieved.

Conclusions:

The developed prediction model, readily available at www.pancreascalculator.com, can be used to estimate the probability of long-term disease-free survival after resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
The 2023 MANCTRA Acute Biliary Pancreatitis Care Bundle
Authors: Podda Mauro , Di Martino Marcello , Ielpo Benedetto , Catena Fausto , Coccolini Federico , Pata Francesco , Marchegiani Giovanni , De Simone Belinda , Damaskos Dimitrios , Mole Damian , Leppaniemi Ari , Sartelli Massimo , Yang Baohong , Ansaloni Luca , Biffl Walter , Kluger Yoram , Moore Ernest E. , Pellino Gianluca , Di Saverio Salomone , Pisanu Adolfo
Published: July 2023

Objective:

To generate an up-to-date bundle to manage acute biliary pancreatitis using an evidence-based, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted GRADE method.

Summary Background Data:

A care bundle is a set of core elements of care that are distilled from the most solid evidence-based practice guidelines and recommendations.

Methods:

The research questions were addressed in this bundle following the PICO criteria. The working group summarized the effects of interventions with the strength of recommendation and quality of evidence applying the GRADE methodology. ChatGPT AI system was used to independently assess the quality of evidence of each element in the bundle, together with the strength of the recommendations.

Results:

The seven elements of the bundle discourage antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with acute biliary pancreatitis, support the use of a full-solid diet in patients with mild to moderately-severe acute biliary pancreatitis, and recommend early enteral nutrition in patients unable to feed by mouth. The bundle states that ERCP should be performed within the first 48-72 hours of hospital admission in patients with cholangitis. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be performed in patients with mild acute biliary pancreatitis. When operative intervention is needed for necrotizing pancreatitis, this should start with the endoscopic step-up approach.

Conclusions:

We have developed a new care bundle with seven key elements for managing patients with acute biliary pancreatitis. This new bundle, whose scientific strength has been increased thanks to the alliance between human knowledge and AI from the new ChatGPT software, should be introduced to emergency departments, wards, and ICUs.
Detailed Analysis of Simultaneous Renal and Liver Allografts in the Presence of DSA
Authors: O’Leary Jacqueline G. , Farris Alton B. , Gebel Howard M. , Asrani Sumeet K. , Askar Medhat , Garcia Vanessa , Snipes George J. , Lo Denise J. , Knechtle Stuart J. , Klintmalm Goran B. , Demetris Anthony J.
Published: July 2023

Background.

Liver allografts protect renal allografts from the same donor from some, but not all, preformed donor specific alloantibodies (DSA). However, the precise mechanisms of protection and the potential for more subtle alterations/injuries within the grafts resulting from DSA interactions require further study.

Methods.

We reevaluated allograft biopsies from simultaneous liver-kidney transplant recipients who had both allografts biopsied within 60 d of one another and within 30 d of DSA being positive in serum (positive: mean florescence intensity ≥5000). Routine histology, C4d staining, and specialized immunohistochemistry for Kupffer cells (KCs; CD163) and a C4d receptor immunoglobulin-like transcript-4 were carried out in 4 patients with 6 paired biopsies.

Results.

Overt antibody-mediated rejection was found in 3 of 4 renal and liver allografts. One patient had biopsy-confirmed renal and liver allograft antibody-mediated rejection despite serum clearance of DSA. All biopsies showed KC hypertrophy (minimal: 1; mild: 2; moderate: 1; severe: 2) and cytoplasmic C4d KC staining was easily detected in 2 biopsies from 2 patients; minimal and negative in 2 biopsies each. Implications of which are discussed. Control 1-y protocol liver allograft biopsies from DSA– recipients showed neither KC hypertrophy nor KC C4d staining (n = 6).

Conclusions.

Partial renal allograft protection by a liver allograft from the same donor may be partially mediated by phagocytosis/elimination of antibody and complement split products by KCs, as shown decades ago in controlled sensitized experimental animal experiments.
Systems immunology reveals the molecular mechanisms of heterogeneous influenza vaccine response in the elderly
Authors: Kumar Saumya , Zoodsma Martijn , Nguyen Nhan , Pedroso Rodrigo , Trittel Stephanie , Riese Peggy , Botey-Bataller Javier , Zhou Liang , Alaswad Ahmed , Arshad Haroon , Netea Mihai G. , Xu Cheng-Jian , Pessler Frank , Guzmán Carlos A. , Graca Luis , Li Yang
Published: July 2023

Vaccination-induced protection against influenza is greatly diminished and increasingly heterogeneous with age. We investigated longitudinally (up to five timepoints) a cohort of 234 elderly influenza vaccinees across two independent seasons including up to six modalities (multi-omics and immunological parameters). System-level analyses revealed responders exhibited time-dependent changes attributed to a productive vaccine response across all omics layers whereas non-responders did not follow such dynamics, suggestive of systemic dysregulation. Through multi-omics integration, we identified key metabolites and proteins and their likely role in immune response to vaccination. High pre-vaccination IL-15 concentrations negatively associated with antibody production, further supported by experimental validation in mice revealing an IL-15-driven NK-cell axis with a suppressing role on antibody production. Finally, we propose certain long-chain fatty acids as modulators of persistent inflammation in non-responders. Our findings highlight the potential for stratification of vaccinees and open avenues for possible pharmacological interventions to enhance vaccine responses.

HIGHLIGHTS

Pre-vaccination pro-inflammatory status impedes vaccine responsiveness in the elderly.

Multi-omics integration reveals key molecules involved in vaccine response.

High pre-vaccination concentrations of IL-15 suppresses vaccine response through NK cell activation.

Certain long-chain fatty acids may act as modulators against chronic inflammation and are potential targets to improve vaccine response.
Engineering cGAS-agonistic oligonucleotides as therapeutics and vaccine adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Zhou Shurong , Su Ting , Cheng Furong , Cole Janet , Liu Xiang , Zhang Bei , Alam Shaheer , Liu Jinze , Zhu Guizhi
Published: July 2023

Current cancer immunotherapy (e.g., immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)) has only benefited a small subset of patients. Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) activation holds the potential to improve cancer immunotherapy by eliciting type-I interferon (IFN-I) responses in cancer cells and myeloid cells. Yet, current approaches to this end, mostly by targeting STING, have marginal clinical therapeutic efficacy. Here, we report a cGAS-specific agonistic oligonucleotide, Svg3, as a novel approach to cGAS-STING activation for versatile cancer immunotherapy. Featured with a hairpin structure with consecutive guanosines flanking the stem, Svg3 binds to cGAS and enhances cGAS-Svg3 phase separation to form liquid-like droplets. This results in cGAS activation by Svg3 for robust and dose-dependent IFN-I responses, which outperforms several state-of-the-art STING agonists in murine and human immune cells, and human tumor tissues. Nanocarriers efficiently delivers Svg3 to tissues, cells, and cytosol where cGAS is located. Svg3 reduces tumor immunosuppression and potentiates ICB therapeutic efficacy of multiple syngeneic tumors, in wildtype but neithercGas-/-nor goldenticketSting-/-mice. Further, as an immunostimulant adjuvant, Svg3 enhances the immunogenicity of peptide antigens to elicit potent T cell responses for robust ICB combination immunotherapy of tumors. Overall, cGAS-agonistic Svg3 is promising for versatile cancer combination immunotherapy.
Pooled tagging and hydrophobic targeting of endogenous proteins for unbiased mapping of unfolded protein responses
Authors: Sansbury Stephanie E. , Serebrenik Yevgeniy V. , Lapidot Tomer , Burslem George M. , Shalem Ophir
Published: July 2023

System-level understanding of proteome organization and function requires methods for direct visualization and manipulation of proteins at scale. We developed an approach enabled by high-throughput gene tagging for the generation and analysis of complex cell pools with endogenously tagged proteins. Proteins are tagged with HaloTag to enable visualization or direct perturbation. Fluorescent labeling followed byin situsequencing and deep learning-based image analysis identifies the localization pattern of each tag, providing a bird’s-eye-view of cellular organization. Next, we use a hydrophobic HaloTag ligand to misfold tagged proteins, inducing spatially restricted proteotoxic stress that is read out by single cell RNA sequencing. By integrating optical and perturbation data, we map compartment-specific responses to protein misfolding, revealing inter-compartment organization and direct crosstalk, and assigning proteostasis functions to uncharacterized genes. Altogether, we present a powerful and efficient method for large-scale studies of proteome dynamics, function, and homeostasis.
Strain-dependent assessment of Powassan virus transmission to deer ticks
Authors: McMinn Rebekah J. , Courtney Samantha , Telford Sam R. , Ebel Gregory D.
Published: July 2023

1.

Powassan virus (POWV) is an emergent tick-borne encephalitis virus of Lyme disease endemic sites in North America. Due to range expansion and local intensification of deer tick vector (Ixodes scapularis) populations in the northeastern and upper midwestern U.S., encephalitis cases are increasingly being reported. A better understanding of the transmission cycle of POWV may allow for predicting the eventual public health burden. Recent phylogeographic analyses of POWV have identified geographical structuring, with well-defined northeastern and midwestern clades of the deer tick virus subtype (lineage II); sublineages exist within each clade. It may be that the local sublineages differ in their capacity to be transmitted by the deer tick vector. Accordingly, we determined whether there are strain-dependent differences in transmission. Five recent, low passage POWV isolates were used to measure aspects of vector competence, using viremic and artificial infection methods. Infection rates in experimental ticks remained consistent between all five isolates tested, resulting in 12-20% infection rate and no clear differences in viral load. We conclude that there is a genotype independent ability of POWV to infect deer ticks, and that differences in transmission efficiency are not likely to serve as the basis for regional differences in apparent public health burden.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of (E)-1-(2,4-dimethylfuran-3-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one
Authors: Khalilov Ali N. , Khrustalev Victor N. , Samigullina Aida I. , Akkurt Mehmet , Rzayev Rovnag M. , Bhattarai Ajaya , Mamedov İbrahim G.
Published: July 2023

The title compound, C15H14O2, adopts an E configuration about the C=C double bond. The furan ring is inclined to the phenyl ring by 12.03 (9)°. In the crystal, pairs of molecules are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming dimers with R
2
2(14) ring motifs. The molecules are connected via C—H...π interactions, forming a three dimensional network. No π–π interactions are observed.
N-(2,6-Dichlorophenyl)-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carboxamide
Authors: Tu Ni , Long Sihui
Published: July 2023

Crystals of the title compound, C12H8Cl2N2O2, were obtained by slow evaporation of an ethanolic solution. An intramolecular amideN—H...O=Clactam hydrogen bond is observed. In the crystal, two molecules pair up to form a centrosymmetric lactam–lactam dimers (LLD) by N—H...O=C hydrogen bonds, whereas the O=Camide group of the molecule does not participate in hydrogen bonding.
Bis(tetrabutylammonium) tetrachloridomanganate(II) dichloromethane disolvate
Authors: Hay Michael T. , Yennawar Hemant P.
Published: July 2023

The title compound, (C16H36N)2[MnCl4]·2CH2Cl2, is an ionic organic–inorganic hybride compound consisting of a tetrabutylammonium cation and a tetrachloridomanganate(II) anion in a 2:1 stoichiometric ratio. The cation contains a central nitrogen atom bonded to four n-butyl groups in a tetrahedral arrangement, while the anion contains a central MnII atom tetrahedrally coordinated by four chlorido ligands. It co-crystallized with two equivalents of dichloromethane solvent, CH2Cl2, to give the following empirical formula: [(C4H9)4N]2[MnCl4]·(CH2Cl2)2. The crystal structure is mainly stabilized by Coulombic interactions.
Influence of robots service quality on customers' acceptance in restaurants
Authors: Shah Tejas R. , Kautish Pradeep , Mehmood Khalid
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of AI service robots on restaurant customers' engagement and acceptance and the moderating role of robot anthropomorphism on the relationship between AI robot service quality and customer engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a three-wave time-lagged design, 416 customers of service robots-enabled restaurants participated in the study. Mplus was used to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

The results confirmed that customers' perception regarding automation, personalization, efficiency and precision of robot service quality determine customer engagement, which further influences customer acceptance of AI service robots. Additionally, robot anthropomorphism moderates the relationships between AI robot service quality in terms of automation, personalization, efficiency and precision and customer engagement. This study confirms that AI service robots-customer engagement contributes to better acceptance of AI service robots.

Practical implications

The proposed framework can be used as a diagnostic tool to enhance customer acceptance of AI service robots in restaurant settings. This research provides guidelines to restaurant owners to employ AI service robots in front-line services that provide better quality, ultimately enhancing customer engagement and acceptance.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap in the literature by investigating the influence of AI robot service quality on customer engagement and customer acceptance with the moderating effect of robot anthropomorphism in an emerging market context.
The multilevel intelligent career framework: an exploration and application to skilled migrants
Authors: Crowley–Henry Marian , Almeida Shamika , Bertone Santina , Gunasekara Asanka
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Skilled migrants' careers are heterogeneous, with existing theories capturing only some of their diversity and dynamic development over time and circumstance. This paper aims to draw out the multilevel (macro, meso and micro levels) influences impacting skilled migrants' careers by using the lens of the intelligent career framework. Furthermore, structuration theory captures the agency of skilled migrants facing different social structures at and across levels and explains the idiosyncratic nature of skilled migrants' careers.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an abductive approach, this paper examines the career influences for a sample of 41 skilled migrants in three different host countries. Individual career stories were collected through qualitative interviews. Important career influences from these narratives are categorised across the intelligent career competencies (knowing why, how and whom) at the macro, meso and micro levels.

Findings

Findings illustrate the lived reality for skilled migrants of these interrelated multilevel career influences and go some way in elucidating the heterogeneity of skilled migrants' careers and outcomes. The interplay of individual agency in responding to both facilitating and challenging social structures across the multilevels further explains the idiosyncratic nature of skilled migrants' careers and how/whether they achieve satisfying career outcomes. Some potential policy implications and options arising from these findings are suggested.

Originality/value

By considering multilevel themes that influence skilled migrants' career capital, the authors were able to better explain the complex, relational and idiosyncratic shaping of their individual careers. As such, the framework informs and guides individuals, practitioners and organisations seeking to facilitate skilled migrants' careers.
A generalized CAS wavelet method for solving ψ-Caputo fractional differential equations
Authors: Saeed Umer
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of the present work is to introduce a wavelet method for the solution of linear and nonlinear psi-Caputo fractional initial and boundary value problem.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have introduced the new generalized operational matrices for the psi-CAS (Cosine and Sine) wavelets, and these matrices are successfully utilized for the solution of linear and nonlinear psi-Caputo fractional initial and boundary value problem. For the nonlinear problems, the authors merge the present method with the quasilinearization technique.

Findings

The authors have drived the orthogonality condition for the psi-CAS wavelets. The authors have derived and constructed the psi-CAS wavelets matrix, psi-CAS wavelets operational matrix of psi-fractional order integral and psi-CAS wavelets operational matrix of psi-fractional order integration for psi-fractional boundary value problem. These matrices are successfully utilized for the solutions of psi-Caputo fractional differential equations. The purpose of these operational matrices is to make the calculations faster. Furthermore, the authors have derived the convergence analysis of the method. The procedure of implementation for the proposed method is also given. For the accuracy and applicability of the method, the authors implemented the method on some linear and nonlinear psi-Caputo fractional initial and boundary value problems and compare the obtained results with exact solutions.

Originality/value

Since psi-Caputo fractional differential equation is a new and emerging field, many engineers can utilize the present technique for the numerical simulations of their linear/non-linear psi-Caputo fractional differential models. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present work has never been introduced and implemented for psi-Caputo fractional differential equations.
The role of social media marketing and social support in developing value co-creation intentions: a Couchsurfing community perspective
Authors: Rafi Arslan , Rehman Mohsin Abdur , Sharif Shahbaz , Lodhi Rab Nawaz
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study aims to empirically investigate the pathway to value co-creation intentions through social media marketing, social support and COVID-19 perception in the tourism context with a specific focus on Couchsurfing community.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted from foreign and domestic travellers who used Couchsurfing platform for their recent travel, and were approached using an online survey (n = 229) and structural equation modelling used for hypothesis testing.

Findings

The findings indicate that value co-creation intentions follow a pathway through social media marketing and social support. Moreover, Couchsurfing community social support mechanisms play a crucial role in value co-creation intentions.

Originality/value

This study significantly contributes by taking Couchsurfing as a social networking application that provides both informational and functional support to the hardcore and active tourism and hospitality community.
Co-design for connected learning at scale: a cross-cultural review of guidance
Authors: Huber Elaine , Lê Ngoc Chi , Nguyen Thi-Huyen , Wall Tony
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Digital technologies can enable engagement online as well as in physical infrastructures like large lecture theatres. Avoiding a tech-first approach to curriculum design, this article reviews a key resource for the use of a pedagogy-first, co-design approach in a specific instance of developing curriculum for connected learning at scale.

Design/methodology/approach

This article summarises key guidance for applying a co-design approach to a large educational transformation project (connected learning at scale) and reflects on the application in the UK (a developed economy) and in Vietnam (one of the fastest growing economies).

Findings

The guidance is found to reflect similar co-development processes in the UK and Vietnam, but adds additional layers of infrastructure and support to enable rich co-design processes. These are seen as proportionate given the impact of large-scale curricula.

Originality/value

This is the first time a review has been conducted from the perspective of different countries.
Invisible and yet hypervisible: gendered misconduct and the U.S. military
Authors: Erwin Stephanie K. , Cseh Maria
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The representation of women throughout all levels of military service and the experiences of women in military service remains a challenge for the U.S. military. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the gendered experiences of active-duty senior enlisted women in the U.S. military. In particular, this paper addresses gendered misconduct and its implications for training and human resource development.

Design/methodology/approach

Informed by gendered organizations theory, feminist institutional theory and social learning theory, this interpretive qualitative study used document reviews and in-depth interviews with 12 active-duty senior enlisted women representing various occupational specialties within the four branches of the Department of Defense.

Findings

Findings included compelling stories of the gendered experiences of the participants’ related to organizational structures, institutional culture, gendered misconduct and learning to navigate as a woman. Gendered misconduct, to include sexual assault, sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination, particularly reflected the simultaneous visibility and invisibility of women in military service.

Originality/value

The findings of this study are consistent with extant literature and may be used to inform policy and regulatory efforts regarding gendered misconduct in the military. Otherwise, women in the military will remain invisible and yet hypervisible.
A roadmap focused on customer citizenship behavior for fast-food restaurants during COVID-19
Authors: Akgunduz Yilmaz , Nisari Mehmet Alper , Sungur Serpil
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study proposes a model that influences customer citizenship behavior during COVID-19, and empirically tests the effects of fast-food restaurant customers' perceptions of justice (price and procedural justice) on trust; trust on satisfaction and loyalty; and trust, satisfaction and loyalty on customer citizenship behavior. Furthermore, it was questioned whether there was a disparity between customer expectations based on the restaurant's image and consumption experience.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were gathered from customers of fast-food restaurants in the shopping centers in Turkey. The data set, which included 437 valid questionnaires, was subjected to CFA for validity and reliability, SEM analysis for hypothesis and paired sample t-Tests for the research questions.

Findings

The findings of the study indicate that perceived justice affects customer trust, which, consequently, affects customer loyalty and satisfaction during the COVID-19 period. Findings also demonstrate that, while customer loyalty and trust increase customer citizenship behavior, customer satisfaction alone is insufficient to increase customer citizenship behavior. The study also shows that during the COVID-19 period, fast-food restaurants should have raised awareness of employees’ fair behaviors toward the customers and provided additional services to differentiate themselves in the market. Also, it indicates that customer expectations related to price, cleanliness and professional appearance of staff are not met after taking service.

Originality/value

No research has been found in the literature focusing on the expectations, justice, trust, satisfaction, loyalty and citizenship behaviors of fast-food restaurant customers in the COVID-19 pandemic process. Therefore, the results can fill the gap in relevant literature by testing the relationships between justice, trust, satisfaction, loyalty and citizenship during the pandemic and provide inferences for fast-food business owners.
Can nudging affect tourists’ low-carbon footprint travel choices?
Authors: Song Haiyan , Wu Hongrun , Zhang Hanyuan
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate low-carbon footprint travel choices, considering both destination attributes and climate change perceptions, and examine the impacts of nudging (a communication tool to alter individuals’ choices in a predictable way) on tourists’ preferences for carbon mitigation in destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

A discrete choice experiment questionnaire was administered to a sample of 958 Hong Kong respondents. Hybrid choice modeling was used to examine the respondents’ preferences for destination attributes and to explain preference heterogeneity using tourists’ climate change perceptions. The respondents’ willingness to pay for the destination attributes was also calculated to measure the monetary value of the attributes.

Findings

Destination type, carbon emissions and travel cost had significant effects on tourists’ choices of destination. Nudging increased tourists’ preference for low-carbon footprint choices. Tourists with higher climate change perceptions were more likely than others to select low-carbon destinations with carbon offset projects.

Practical implications

The findings of this study provide an impetus for destination management organizations to support local carbon offset projects, implement policies that mitigate carbon emissions and develop sustainable tourism to fulfill tourists’ demand for low-carbon footprint travel choices. Based on the findings, policymakers could promote sustainable tourism by publishing relevant climate change information on social media.

Originality/value

This study addressed a gap in the literature on tourist travel choice by considering carbon emission-related attributes and climate change perceptions and by confirming the role of nudging in increasing the choice of low-carbon destinations.
Sustainable green logistics and remanufacturing: a bibliometric analysis and future research directions
Authors: Nikseresht Ali , Golmohammadi Davood , Zandieh Mostafa
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study reviews scholarly work in sustainable green logistics and remanufacturing (SGLR) and their subdisciplines, in combination with bibliometric, thematic and content analyses that provide a viewpoint on categorization and a future research agenda. This paper provides insight into current research trends in the subjects of interest by examining the most essential and most referenced articles promoting sustainability and climate-neutral logistics.

Design/methodology/approach

For the literature review, the authors extracted and sifted 2180 research and review papers for the period 2008–2023 from the Scopus database. The authors performed bibliometric and content analyses using multiple software programs such as Gephi, VOSviewer and R programming.

Findings

The SGLR papers can be grouped into seven clusters: (1) The circular economy facets; (2) Decarbonization of operations to nurture a climate-neutral business; (3) Green sustainable supply chain management; (4) Drivers and barriers of reverse logistics and the circular economy; (5) Business models for sustainable logistics and the circular economy; (6) Transportation problems in sustainable green logistics and (7) Digitalization of logistics and supply chain management.

Practical implications

In this review, fundamental ideas are established, research gaps are identified and multiple future research subjects are proposed. These propositions are categorized into three main research streams, i.e. (1) Digitalization of SGLR, (2) Enhancing scopes, sectors and industries in the context of SGLR and (3) Developing more efficient and effective climate-neutral and climate change-related solutions and promoting more environmental-related and sustainability research concerning SGLR. In addition, two conceptual models concerning SGLR and climate-neutral strategies are developed and presented for managers and practitioners to consider when adopting green and sustainability principles in supply chains. This review also highlights the need for academics to go beyond frameworks and build new techniques and instruments for monitoring SGLR performance in the real world.

Originality/value

This study provides an overview of the evolution of SGLR; it also clarifies concepts, environmental concerns and climate change practices, particularly those directed to supply chain management.
Assessment of corporate social responsibility performance for Vietnamese construction organizations
Authors: Nguyen Minh Van
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance is critical to address construction activities’ environmental and social impacts. This study aims to evaluate the level of CSR implementation across various categories within the context of the Vietnamese construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature review and semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine Vietnamese construction organizations’ most commonly implemented CSR activities. A total of 252 valid responses were then obtained through a questionnaire survey. In addition, the fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) method was used to evaluate the extent to which CSR categories have been implemented in construction companies.

Findings

The findings revealed 31 commonly implemented CSR activities of the Vietnamese construction firms, which were grouped into four categories. Of the four categories, the FSE analysis showed that stakeholder CSR was the most critical category, followed by ethical CSR, philanthropic CSR and environmental CSR.

Originality/value

This research provides valuable CSR activities to construction companies that intend to develop sustainably. Moreover, the proposed prioritization methodology offers practitioners a reliable and easy-to-use evaluation tool that clearly understands CSR performance within their organizations.
The effect of institutional environment on entrepreneurship in emerging economies: female entrepreneurs in Bangladesh
Authors: Sobhan Nawreen , Hassan Abeer
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Female entrepreneurs have made increasing contributions to entrepreneurial activity and economic development worldwide, especially in emerging economies. It is well acknowledged that Bangladesh is one such South Asian emerging economy with many institutional and sociocultural challenges. This study aims to examine the effect of the institutional environment (formal and informal institutional factors) that influences female entrepreneurs in an emerging country, namely, Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a quantitative research method using a questionnaire. The authors established the conceptual framework reflecting a model so that they could test their assumptions among female entrepreneurs from an institutional perspective. The conceptual framework was empirically tested and validated. Consequently, this study comprised 324 usable survey responses. To analyse the quantitative data, partial least squares-structural equation modelling was used.

Findings

The findings highlight that social networks, access to finance and non-economic support have negative and insignificant effects on informal female entrepreneurs. Conversely, entrepreneurial attitudes, cultural context, institutional policy, family roles and education were positive and significant and found to be more important for female entrepreneurship in Bangladesh.

Originality/value

The results of this study offer empirical evidence of institutional factors as well as focus on three dimensions, women’s experiences from an institutional perspective, Asian culture and the operation of female entrepreneurial activity in an emerging economy (contextual perspective).
Brexit and the Death of Devolution
Authors: Morgan Kevin , Jones Richard Wyn
Published: July 2023

Devolution was almost universally regarded as heralding a fundamental shift in the nature of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But, since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the UK government has become increasingly hostile—not only towards the Labour and SNP‐run administrations in Scotland and Wales, but to the very existence of devolution. Recent legislative changes—particularly the UK Internal Market Act—have given central government carte blanche to intervene in what were previously regarded as areas of devolved competence. The inevitable result has been to render the governance arrangements for the devolved countries more adversarial and less stable than was previously the case. One immediate consequence of ‘the death of devolution’ has been to trigger calls by devolutionists for more far‐reaching changes to the state than were achieved in the late 1990s. It is far from clear, however, that such changes are politically achievable, raising the prospect of an extended period of stasis in which the current arrangements persist, not because they have any real supporters, but rather, because no alternative is possible.
A statistical approach to aid examiners in the forensic analysis of handwriting
Authors: Crawford Amy M. , Ommen Danica M. , Carriquiry Alicia L.
Published: July 2023

We develop a statistical approach to model handwriting that accommodates all styles of writing (cursive, print, connected print). The goal is to compute a posterior probability of writership of a questioned document given a closed set of candidate writers. Such probabilistic statements can support examiner conclusions and enable a quantitative forensic evaluation of handwritten documents. Writing is treated as a sequence of disjoint graphical structures, which are extracted using an automated and open‐source process. The graphs are grouped based on the similarity of their shapes through a K‐means clustering template. A person's writing pattern can be characterized by the rate at which graphs are emitted to each cluster. The cluster memberships serve as data for a Bayesian hierarchical model with a mixture component. The rate of mixing between two parameters in the hierarchy indicates writing style.
Evaluating the performance of genomic prediction accounting for effects of single nucleotide polymorphism markers in reproductive traits of Japanese Black cattle
Authors: Nishio Motohide , Arakawa Aisaku , Inoue Keiichi , Ichinoseki Kasumi , Kobayashi Eiji , Okamura Toshihiro , Fukuzawa Yo , Ogawa Shinichiro , Taniguchi Masaaki , Oe Mika , Takeda Masayuki , Ishii Kazuo
Published: July 2023

We examined the prediction accuracies of genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP), various weighted GBLUP according to the degrees of marker effects (WGBLUP) and machine learning (ML) methods, and compared them with traditional BLUP for age at first calving (AFC), calving difficulty (CD), and gestation length in Japanese Black cattle. For WGBLUP, firstly, BayesC and FarmCPU were used to estimate marker effects. Then, we constructed three weighted genomic relationship matrices from information of estimated marker effects in the first step: absolute value of the estimated marker‐effect WGBLUP, estimated marker‐variance WGBLUP, and genomic‐feature WGBLUP. For ML, we applied Gaussian kernel, random forest, extreme gradient boost, and support vector regression. We collected a total of 2583 animals having both phenotypic records and genotypes with 30,105 markers and 16,406 pedigree records. For AFC, prediction accuracies of WGBLUP methods using FarmCPU exceeded BLUP by 25.7%–39.5%. For CD, estimated marker‐variance WGBLUP using BayesC achieved the highest prediction accuracy. Among ML methods, extreme gradient boost, support vector regression, and Gaussian kernel increased prediction accuracies by 28.4%, 19.0%, and 36.4% for AFC, CD, and gestation length compared with BLUP, respectively. Thus, prediction performance could be improved using suitable WGBLUP and ML methods according to target reproductive traits for the population used.
Impact of age >70 years on oncological outcomes in patients with non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer treated with Bacillus Calmette–Guérin
Authors: Contieri Roberto , Grajales Valentina , Tan Wei Shen , Martini Alberto , Sood Akshay , Hensley Patrick , Bree Kelly , Lobo Niyati , Nogueras‐Gonzalez Graciela M. , Guo Charles C. , Navai Neema , Dinney Colin P. , Kamat Ashish M.
Published: July 2023

Objective

To evaluate the impact of age on oncological outcomes in a large contemporary cohort of patients with non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) treated with adequate Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG).

Patients and Methods

We performed an Institutional Review Board‐approved retrospective study analysing patients with NMIBC treated with adequate BCG at our institution from 2000 to 2020. Adequate BCG was defined as per United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines as being receipt of at least five of six induction BCG instillations with a minimum of two additional doses (of planned maintenance or of re‐induction) of BCG instillations within a span of 6 months. The study's primary outcome was to determine if age >70 years was associated with progression to MIBC cancer or distant metastasis. The cumulative incidence method and the competing‐risk regression analyses were used to investigate the association of advanced age (>70 years) with progression, high‐grade (HG) recurrence and cancer‐specific mortality (CSM).

Results

Overall, data from 632 patients were analysed: 355 patients (56.2%) were aged ≤70 years and 277 (43.8%) were >70 years. Age >70 years did not adversely affect either cumulative incidence of progression or HG recurrence (P = 0.067 and P = 0.644, respectively). On competing‐risk regression analyses, age >70 years did not emerge as an independent predictor of progression or HG recurrence (sub‐standardised hazard ratio [SHR] 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87–2.81, P = 0.134; and SHR 1.05, 95% CI 0.77–1.44, P = 0.749). Not unexpectedly, patients in the older group did have higher overall mortality (P < 0.001) but not CSM (P = 0.057).

Conclusion

Age >70 years was not associated with adverse oncological outcomes in a large contemporary cohort of patients receiving adequate intravesical BCG for NMIBC. BCG should not be withheld from older patients seeking for bladder sparing options.