bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual Healthcare Simulation
Authors: Hoelscher Gretchen L. , Morton Darla S. , Sanderson Brittney N. , Noble Jennifer F. , Bullard Mark J. , Swiderski Dawn
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19 resulted in many simulation centers temporarily closing or adopting virtual simulation-based education (SBE). This mixed methods study aimed to evaluate our center's readiness to implement virtual SBE, the preferred method of delivery (virtual vs. nonvirtual), and any reported distractions.

Methods

Educators and simulation operations specialists (SOSs) used by our simulation center completed a survey focused on our center's implementation readiness for virtual SBE at 3 time points over a 3-week period. Three virtual simulation-based styles were developed: observer, vignette, and hybrid. All styles combined the use of Zoom and LearningSpace. Upon the completion of each session, learners, facilitators, and SOSs completed a survey focused on the preferred method of simulation delivery (virtual vs. nonvirtual) as well as any reported distractions during sessions.

Results

While some important lessons were learned, simulation team survey scores suggested an overall agreement in the center's preparedness during the 3-week implementation period. Most learners, facilitators, and SOSs preferred a nonvirtual delivery due to the “hands-on” component. Learners participating in the vignette style, however, significantly preferred virtual SBE due to “learning environment comfort” such as reduced anxiety, “better discussion,” and “convenience.” Reported distractions focused on “challenges with technology,” “interruptions at home,” “program logistics,” and the “remote atmosphere.”

Conclusions

Most learners, facilitators, and SOSs preferred nonvirtual SBE; however, virtual SBE may prove beneficial for learners participating in the vignette style or particularly those experiencing anxiety. Future distractions may be mitigated for the simulation team and learners with proper preparedness.
Identification of a novel gene required for competitive growth at high temperature in the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus
Authors: Montini Noemi , Doughty Tyler W. , Domenzain Iván , Fenton Darren A. , Baranov Pavel V. , Harrington Ronan , Nielsen Jens , Siewers Verena , Morrissey John P.
Published: March 2022

It is important to understand the basis of thermotolerance in yeasts to broaden their application in industrial biotechnology. The capacity to run bioprocesses at temperatures above 40 °C is of great interest but this is beyond the growth range of most of the commonly used yeast species. In contrast, some industrial yeasts such as Kluyveromyces marxianus can grow at temperatures of 45 °C or higher. Such species are valuable for direct use in industrial biotechnology and as a vehicle to study the genetic and physiological basis of yeast thermotolerance. In previous work, we reported that evolutionarily young genes disproportionately changed expression when yeast were growing under stressful conditions and postulated that such genes could be important for long-term adaptation to stress. Here, we tested this hypothesis in K. marxianus by identifying and studying species-specific genes that showed increased expression during high-temperature growth. Twelve such genes were identified and 11 were successfully inactivated using CRISPR-mediated mutagenesis. One gene, KLMX_70384, is required for competitive growth at high temperature, supporting the hypothesis that evolutionary young genes could play roles in adaptation to harsh environments. KLMX_70384 is predicted to encode an 83 aa peptide, and RNA sequencing and ribo-sequencing were used to confirm transcription and translation of the gene. The precise function of KLMX_70384 remains unknown but some features are suggestive of RNA-binding activity. The gene is located in what was previously considered an intergenic region of the genome, which lacks homologues in other yeasts or in databases. Overall, the data support the hypothesis that genes that arose de novo in K. marxianus after the speciation event that separated K. marxianus and K. lactis contribute to some of its unique traits.
Bacterial pore-forming toxins
Authors: Ulhuq Fatima R. , Mariano Giuseppina
Published: March 2022

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are widely distributed in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. PFTs can act as virulence factors that bacteria utilise in dissemination and host colonisation or, alternatively, they can be employed to compete with rival microbes in polymicrobial niches. PFTs transition from a soluble form to become membrane-embedded by undergoing large conformational changes. Once inserted, they perforate the membrane, causing uncontrolled efflux of ions and/or nutrients and dissipating the protonmotive force (PMF). In some instances, target cells intoxicated by PFTs display additional effects as part of the cellular response to pore formation. Significant progress has been made in the mechanistic description of pore formation for the different PFTs families, but in several cases a complete understanding of pore structure remains lacking. PFTs have evolved recognition mechanisms to bind specific receptors that define their host tropism, although this can be remarkably diverse even within the same family. Here we summarise the salient features of PFTs and highlight where additional research is necessary to fully understand the mechanism of pore formation by members of this diverse group of protein toxins.
WinXPRO, 3DPlot and TrajPlot computer software: new options for orbital-free quantum crystallography studies
Authors: Stash Adam I. , Tsirelson Vladimir G.
Published: March 2022

A multipurpose computer software package for orbital-free quantum crystallography has been developed. Based on multipole experimental electron-density parameters, this software allows users to extract the chemical-bonding information that was previously unavailable for X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis.
An innovative big data framework for exploring the impact on decision-making in the European Mediterranean healthcare sector
Authors: El Samad Mahmoud , El Nemar Sam , Sakka Georgia , El-Chaarani Hani
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new conceptual framework for big data analytics (BDA) in the healthcare sector for the European Mediterranean region. The objective of this new conceptual framework is to improve the health conditions in a dynamic region characterized by the appearance of new diseases.

Design/methodology/approach

This study presents a new conceptual framework that could be employed in the European Mediterranean healthcare sector. Practically, this study can enhance medical services, taking smart decisions based on accurate data for healthcare and, finally, reducing the medical treatment costs, thanks to data quality control.

Findings

This research proposes a new conceptual framework for BDA in the healthcare sector that could be integrated in the European Mediterranean region. This framework introduces the big data quality (BDQ) module to filter and clean data that are provided from different European data sources. The BDQ module acts in a loop mode where bad data are redirected to their data source (e.g. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, university hospitals) to be corrected to improve the overall data quality in the proposed framework. Finally, clean data are directed to the BDA to take quick efficient decisions involving all the concerned stakeholders.

Practical implications

This study proposes a new conceptual framework for executives in the healthcare sector to improve the decision-making process, decrease operational costs, enhance management performance and save human lives.

Originality/value

This study focused on big data management and BDQ in the European Mediterranean healthcare sector as a broadly considered fundamental condition for the quality of medical services and conditions.
Study on fibre reinforced composites developed by using recycled fibres from garment cut waste
Authors: Rajesh kumar C. , Vidya T. , Kanimozhi J. , Raja D. , Balaji J. , Jayakumari M. , Prakash C.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Recycled fibres used as reinforcements are obtained from garment cut wastes of cotton, polyester and cotton/polyester fabrics to develop these composites. These composites are developed by using Epoxy resin, Kaolinite, Polypropylene sheet as matrices. Reinforcements and matrices have been used in different compositions and combinations to develop these composites. The main advantages of this type of composites are to combine the different properties of different materials to obtain unique and high-performance material.

Design/methodology/approach

Garment cut wastes from apparel industries are used for various applications in various industries. Normally, garment cut wastes and recycled fibres from garment cut wastes are used in textile, furniture, carpet, paper, automobile, construction and agricultural industries in low mechanical performance applications. In this research, composites are developed by using recycled fibres obtained from garment cut wastes as reinforcement and with different types of matrices.

Findings

Technical properties like thickness, mass per unit area, Tensile strength, Flexural strength, Impact strength, Water absorbency and Scanning Electron Microscope of developed composites were tested and analyzed. The outcome of the results demonstrates that many of the composite proportions with different blend, reinforcement and matrcies show superior mechanical performances when compared with each other, and it can be recommended for many potential applications.

Originality/value

The properties of composites are dependent on the different blend proportions of recycled fibres with reinforcement and matrices. Based on the result of tensile strength, polyester/cotton fibre reinforced composites show superior strength compared to other recycled fibre reinforced samples and it can be suitably tailored further by appropriate design of different lay-up angle and orientation with the number of different preformed layers of reinforcements to suit the intended applications.
Blockchain announcements and stock value: a technology management perspective
Authors: Liu Weihua , Wang Jingkun , Jia Fu , Choi Tsan-Ming
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study aims to explore the impact of blockchain announcements on enterprises' stock market value.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on resource-based theory, this study constructs a complete framework of the impact mechanism of blockchain announcements on the stock price of the announcing firm using the data of 143 blockchain announcements. An event study methodology is used in this research, and the market model, market-adjusted model and Carhart four-factor model are used to estimate stock abnormal returns after the blockchain announcement; and the cross-sectional regression model is used to test the influencing factors.

Findings

Blockchain announcements elicit a significantly positive market reaction on the release day. Compared to announcements not pertaining to technical innovation, blockchain technical innovation announcements exhibit a more positive market reaction towards the announcing companies. Strategic-level announcements exhibit a more positive market reaction than operational-level announcements. Enterprise characteristics, such as enterprise-scale and enterprise innovation ability, do not affect stock market reactions to blockchain announcements.

Practical implications

The findings reveal the economic value of conducting blockchain activities in the Chinese stock market. Findings of this study can help managers understand the value of implementing blockchain activities in a different market environment and guide them on how to improve the market value of their enterprises through the active implementation of blockchain activities.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first event study to focus solely on the value of pure blockchain announcements in an emerging market. This study considers multiple resource and capability factors that would influence blockchain technology adoption, improve the current understanding of how blockchain announcements affect corporate stock prices and provide directions for future comparative studies of market reactions to blockchain announcements in different stock markets.
Exploring institutional competing logic for sustainability implementation of retail chains
Authors: Dagilienė Lina , Varaniūtė Viktorija , Pütter Judith Maja
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Taking into account retailers' critical position in the value chain, their sector's economic significance and environmental externalities, in addition to the institutional agenda, this paper aims to explore the drivers influencing retailers to shift to more sustainable business models.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilises the institutional competing logic, including in-depth interviews with major supermarket retail chains and one expert group discussion. The data gathered in Germany and Lithuania were complemented by desk research analysis, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports and management reports.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights into how multiple drivers through institutional competing logic are brought about influencing the shift to more sustainable business models. The results show that retail chains in both countries implement their sustainability based on triple environmental-legal-financial drivers. However, different types of retail chains–namely premium retailers, typical retailers and discounters–implement their sustainability discourse differently.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.

Social implications

Interestingly, retailers “shift” their responsibility to the consumers rather than encourage themselves to make more sustainable choices. The authors observe a more passive and responsive role of retailing chains because of the inherent trade-off between revenue growth and sustainable consumption.

Originality/value

The original contribution lies in exploring how retail chains adapt institutional competing logic and are influenced by multiple drivers when implementing their sustainability activities. In addition, the authors propose a conceptual model for retailers' sustainability management, as well as formulate three research propositions.
Marketplace measurement: farmers, farmers markets and ecosystem services
Authors: DeMets Catie , Morales Alfonso
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Farmers markets act as a nexus between farmers, community members and social values, and can foster significant community and environmental benefits. However, some of these benefits, including agricultural sustainability, are rarely measured or publicized, restricting the full potential of markets and their associated actors to generate public benefits. This study aims to consider how markets, planners and policymakers might address this gap to promote a healthy environment and climate change mitigation.

Design/methodology/approach

In this article, the authors discuss their efforts to advance the above opportunity by developing, in collaboration with 20 farms across the USA, a citizen science data collection tool that measures and translates farm “ecosystem services” into accessible, public-facing formats to support informed farmer and consumer decision-making.

Findings

The authors present takeaways from exploratory interviews with three farmer-collaborators, which illustrate how tools like ours can help farmers in myriad ways: setting benchmarks to measure on-farm improvement over time, legitimizing their work through scientific grounding, communicating environmental impacts to public audiences, increasing sales to fund sustainability efforts, gaining competitive edge and others.

Practical implications

More broadly, the article exemplifies how marketplaces can strengthen symbiotic linkages between individuals, community allies and social goals through data measurement and communication, and reflects on how planners and policymakers might support these connections to advance public purposes.

Originality/value

This research responds uniquely to a critical need identified by practitioners and academics to expand understanding and awareness of the ecosystem services farms provide.
Integrating online and offline channels for online customer loyalty: the moderating role of retailer credibility
Authors: Ma Tianyi , Wu Xia , Li Yang
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Understanding customer behavior from the perspective of channel integration has become a major stream of research in multi-channel retailing literature. Yet, despite recent advancements in scholarship, how retailers can most effectively sustain customers in online retailing remains unclear. Scholars have suggested online–offline channel integration (OOCI) as an effective multi-channel approach for increasing online loyalty; yet, few studies have explored OOCI's influencing mechanism. This study addresses that gap by investigating how OOCI helps achieve customer loyalty online and further examines the moderating role of retailer credibility in the influencing mechanism of OOCI.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model driving this study draws upon the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model and cue consistency theory. The authors collected a sample of 259 customers in China with experience making multi-channel purchases from retailers that have implemented OOCI in online retailing. Structural equation modeling and response surface analyses were employed to conduct data analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that the relationship between OOCI and customers' online channel loyalty was mediated by customers' perceptions of the usefulness and risks of online channel usage. The results also found that congruence and incongruence between informational OOCI (IOOCI) and fulfillment OOCI (FOOCI) had different curvilinear associations with perceived online channel usefulness and perceived online channel risk. In addition, retailer credibility weakened the effects of IOOCI on perceived online channel usefulness and FOOCI on perceived online channel risk but strengthened the effect of IOOCI on perceived online channel risk and had no impact on the effect of FOOCI on perceived online channel risk.

Originality/value

Theoretical and practical implications of this study are also discussed.
The mobile technological era: insights into the consequences of constant connectivity of personal devices by knowledge workers
Authors: Seedoyal Doargajudhur Melina , Hosanoo Zuberia
Published: March 2022

Purpose

As employees’ adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has increased, so has research interest into the impact of BYOD on human resources outcomes. The present study aims at understanding the relationship between BYOD and human resources outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs the inductive data-driven content analysis approach to analyze the data collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with a sample of 28 knowledge workers from different occupational sectors in Mauritius.

Findings

The results show the double-edged sword brought about by BYOD implementation. This trend is associated with perceived job performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and work motivation while also having an effect on work-life conflict and stress.

Practical implications

This study has implications for organizations that are concerned about formulating guidelines and policies in relation to workers' adoption of BYOD in the workplace. This trend permits employees to continue to communicate and work irrespective of new working conditions and social distancing since the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way organizations operate around the globe.

Originality/value

Driven by the JD-R theory, themes and sub-themes were linked by the emerging relationships to present a conceptual framework to understanding employees' well-being since this is a pertinent research area for scholars and practitioners, as well as a topic of growing prominence for modern organizations.
Hate towards brands of educational institutions: she hates for ideology, and he hates for previous experiences
Authors: Gois Arquimedes Martins , Moura Luiz Rodrigo Cunha , Gonçalves Filho Cid , Chinelato Flavia Braga
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Despite the growing competition between higher education institutions and the empirical evidence that the brand is a relevant determinant of consumer preference, research studies on negative consumer–brand relationships (CBRs) are still scarce. Thus, this research intends to fill this gap, determining the antecedents of brand hate in educational institutions and identifying gender differences regarding the determinants of brand hate.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was carried out with 450 current students from higher education institutions. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS3.

Findings

According to the results, previous negative experiences are the most significant driver of brand hate, with higher emphasis on male students. In this sense, investment in customer experience management (CXM) consists of a relevant strategy for higher education institutions. It was also observed that female students develop hate for ideological incongruity (ethical/moral behavior) and symbolic incongruence (lack of brand identity), revealing unprecedented facets of the phenomenon.

Originality/value

This research extends the studies’ negative CBRs to educational institutions. It explores gender differences related to brand hate; a topic not explored before, but that enables a targeted approach of brand strategies. Finally, it provides managerial implications allowing the strategy to reduce negative CBRs and their consequences in educational institutions.
A review of coopetition and future research agenda
Authors: Meena Abhilasha , Dhir Sanjay , Sushil Sushil
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This research aims to conduct a systematic review of the literature on coopetition to assess its impact on firm performance in various contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis of 144 papers from 1999 to 2021 and analysis of literature under the premise of theory, context, characteristics and methodology using the Theory–Context–Characteristics–Methodology (TCCM) approach was conducted using Institute for Scientific Information Web of Sciences data on coopetition literature.

Findings

The study enlists the influential journals, evolutions and citations of the articles and particularly identifies six research streams under the domain of coopetition and additionally charts out the future research agenda.

Practical implications

The results highlighted in this study may be helpful for managers and practitioners to understand the dynamics of a strategic alliance with their competitor organizations. Moreover, managers may utilize the coopetition strategy to enhance customer value and leverage this relationship for more excellent firm performance. Furthermore, the results obtained through cluster analysis can be considered as a start point to develop frameworks for a business relationship with competitors. This study utilizes content analysis and bibliometric analysis to assess the diverse view and understand the development of the field that may help the researchers increase the rigor and transparency of reviewing the literature and answer various questions that may arise to assess competitors’ interorganizational relationships.

Originality/value

No systematic literature review has analyzed the literature on coopetition using the TCCM approach and identified various research streams under the perspective of different contextual settings.
Secured platform for healthcare data: privacy preservation based blockchain environment
Authors: Raghav Nidhi , Bhola Anoop Kumar
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To make more smart health-care system, the health-care data should be shared in the secure manner, and it improves health-care service quality. This paper aims to implement a modern decentralized blockchain, safe and easy-to-use health-care technology application in the cloud.

Findings

On observing the graph, the convergence analysis of proposed Levy Flight-integrated moth flame optimization method at 80th iteration was 4.59%, 2.80%, 3.316%, 8.92% and 2.55% higher than the traditional models MFO, artificial bee colony (ABC), particle swarm optimization (PSO), moth search algorithm (MSA) and glow worm swarm optimization (GWSO), respectively, for Hungarian data set. Particularly, in best case scenario, the adopted method attains low cost value (5.672671) when compared to all other traditional models such as MFO (5.727314), ABC (5.711577), PSO (5.706499), MSA (5.764517) and GWSO (5.723353).

Originality/value

The proposed method achieved effective performance in terms of key sensitivity, sanitization effectiveness, restoration effectiveness, etc.
The unsolicited proposal and performance of private participation infrastructure projects in developing countries
Authors: Ayat Muhammad , Ullah Azmat , Kang Changwook
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the unsolicited proposal (USP) and the performance of private participation infrastructure (PPI) projects in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The main data set for this study was collected from the World Bank database consisting of 8,951 PPI projects that occurred in developing countries from 1996 to 2020. Hierarchical logistic regression was applied for investigating the effects of USPs on project success. Three moderators, namely, control of corruption, presence of local sponsor and project size were also included in the model to test the impact of their interactions with the USP on the performance of PPI projects. Further, to assess the impact of the effect of USPs, the average marginal effect was calculated. The framework used in this study consists of 18 control variables, three moderators and one noncontrolled independent variable (the USP).

Findings

The results of hierarchical logistic regression indicate that USPs have a significant and negative effect on the success of PPI projects occurring in developing countries. The negative effect of a USP weakens with the presence of local sponsors and stronger control of corruption in the host country. However, contrary to the authors’ expectations, the results show that project size does not significantly affect the association between USPs and the success of PPI projects. Moreover, the results of average marginal effects show that the negative impact of USP on the success of PPI projects ranges between 2.4% and 3.8%.

Originality/value

This study quantifies the negative impact of USP on the success of PPI projects in developing countries, which will be helpful for the practitioners to understand the associated risk with USP projects. Furthermore, it also identifies the moderating roles of control of corruption and the presence of local sponsors on the relationship between USP and the success of PPI projects.
Universal design for learning principles and students with learning disabilities: an application with general education teachers in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Mohamed Abeer Toson , Alqurashi Malak Abdrabuha , Alshmmry Sara
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study aims to identify the degree to which general education teachers use the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) in teaching and evaluating students with learning disabilities, moderated by gender, experience and qualification. Ethical approvals were requested and reported from teachers prior to their participation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected questionnaire data from male and female teachers from the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between 2019 and 2021.

Findings

General education teachers were devoted to using UDL principles for teaching and assessing students with learning disabilities. The one used most often was “Providing multiple tools for presenting information by the teacher.” Moreover, there were statistically significant differences between participants whose experiences were 5–10 and < 5 years toward the third principle (providing learning opportunities that suit individual differences among students). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences possibly ascribed to qualification. However, there were statistically significant differences between those who held postgraduates and diploma holders, also showed that there were no statistically significant differences at <0.05 that could be ascribed to qualification variable.

Originality/value

Teachers use UDL principles specifically. The current research is distinguished from previous studies as it targets teachers of general classes and measures how much they use UDL in teaching and evaluating students with learning disabilities. To the knowledge of the researcher, no Arab studies have examined this subject.
The effects of relational and psychological capital on work engagement: the mediation of learning goal orientation
Authors: Rozkwitalska Malgorzata , Basinska Beata A. , Okumus Fevzi , Karatepe Osman M.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This paper proposes a research model in which learning goal orientation (LGO) mediates the impacts of relational capital and psychological capital (PsyCap) on work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Data obtained from 475 managers and employees in the manufacturing and service industries in Poland were utilized to assess the linkages given above. Common method variance was controlled by the unmeasured latent method factor technique.

Findings

LGO mediates the impact of PsyCap on work engagement. More specifically, employees high on PsyCap are more learning goal-oriented, and therefore are work-engaged at elevated levels. Employees also exhibit higher work engagement as a result of their relational capital.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends the research stream on the interrelationships of relational capital, PsyCap, LGO and work engagement to Poland. It fills a void in the relevant literature. Yet, the authors collected cross-sectional, self-report data in a single country.

Practical implications

Manufacturing and service companies in Poland should create and maintain a work environment where managers and employees develop trust and high-quality relationships with their managers and coworkers and invest in their personal resources. In addition, management should arrange continuous training programs so that employees can continue developing themselves. Such practices are critical in an organization where employees' work engagement is triggered by relational capital, PsyCap and LGO.

Originality/value

This paper enhances the current literature by exploring relational capital, PsyCap and LGO simultaneously as the predictors of work engagement, which have been subjected to limited empirical inquiry. The paper also extends the research stream about the above-mentioned predictors of engagement to Poland, which is an underrepresented country in the field of human resource management.
Online student engagement and place attachment to campus in the new service marketplace: an exploratory study
Authors: Huang Yuying , Finsterwalder Jörg , Chen Ning (Chris) , Crawford Fraser Robert Liam
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The pandemic has accelerated the use of virtual learning spaces and led to rethinking post-pandemic course delivery. However, it remains unclear whether students’ online engagement in e-servicescapes can influence attachment to a place, i.e. a physical servicescape. This study conducted an exploratory study to inform place attachment and actor engagement literature in an online service context.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative survey design was used and 98 usable responses were collected from undergraduate and postgraduate students at a major New Zealand university during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 23 items relating to three dimensions of online student engagement and 19 items referring to six dimensions of campus attachment.

Findings

Results of the exploratory study indicate that classmate community in online lectures, referring to student–student interactions, can positively influence five of the dimensions of campus attachment, including place identity, place dependence, affective attachment, social bonding and place memory, even though students are physically not on campus. However, it cannot influence place expectation. Moreover, instructor community (student–instructor interaction) and learning engagement (student–content interaction) in online lectures have insignificant impact on campus attachment.

Research limitations/implications

This study emphasises the social dimension when interacting in e-servicescapes. Person-based interactions are more influential than content-based interactions for student engagement. Educational service providers should integrate the e-servicescape and the physical servicescape by encouraging more student–student interactions to contribute to service ecosystem well-being at the micro, meso and macro levels.

Originality/value

This study indicates that customer-to-customer interaction serves to integrate customer engagement across the digital and physical realms for process-based services like education.
Supervisor expectations regarding work-related messages: their differential effects among remote and on-site workers
Authors: Gillet Nicolas , Morin Alexandre J.S. , Austin Stéphanie , Huyghebaert-Zouaghi Tiphaine , Fernet Claude
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Research suggests that supervisor expectations regarding the need to respond quickly to work-related messages (SE) tend to be positively related to employees' levels of emotional exhaustion. In the present research paper, the authors examine the indirect – through emotional exhaustion – effects of these expectations on employees' levels of family satisfaction, life satisfaction and sleep quality. They also explore whether and how these associations differ between employees working on-site (n = 158) or remotely (n = 284).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 442 employees completed an online survey that covered measures on SE, emotional exhaustion, family and life satisfaction and sleep quality.

Findings

As hypothesized, the results of the study revealed that the indirect effects of SE on family satisfaction, life satisfaction and sleep quality were significantly mediated by emotional exhaustion. Finally, the relations between SE and the mediator (emotional exhaustion) were stronger among employees working on-site than among employees working remotely.

Practical implications

SE prevention could be encouraged to decrease employees' emotional exhaustion, in turn increasing their sleep quality, family satisfaction and life satisfaction.

Originality/value

These results revealed that working remotely helped buffer the undesirable effects of SE on emotional exhaustion.
2D problem of nonlocal rotating thermoelastic half-space with memory-dependent derivative
Authors: Said Samia M.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The present study discussed wave propagation in a nonlocal generalized thermoelastic half-space with moving an internal heat source under influence of rotation.

Design/methodology/approach

Normal mode analysis is introduced to obtain the analytical expressions of the physical quantities.

Findings

Numerical results are presented graphically to explore the effects of rotation, the nonlocal parameter, and the time-delay on the physical quantities. It is found that the physical quantities are affected by rotation, the nonlocal parameter, and the time-delay.

Originality/value

The problem is solved based on the classical-coupled theory, the Lord–Shulman theory, and the Green–Lindsay theory with memory-dependent derivative (MDD).
The importance of facilitation on community assembly disappears under severe drought stress
Authors: Zhang Gefei , Zhao Wenzhi , Wang Xiaofen
Published: March 2022

Despite the recognition of positive interactions as an important driver of species coexistence and community structure, the underlying mechanism of how facilitation affects assembly processes along stress gradients is poorly explored. Understanding the responses of functional diversity to benefactor species at the extreme end of the stress gradient could provide valuable insight about facilitation‐involved assembly mechanisms and contribute to the predictions of species coexistence under climate change.

In the drought‐stressed community in the Badain‐Jaran Desert, the responses of the local community to the nurse shrub species Calligonum mongolicum Turcz. were evaluated using hierarchical Bayesian models. For the 3‐year experiment, summer rainfall in each year formed a natural gradient of drought stress. To evaluate the shrub's effects on the assembly process along that gradient, individual samples were collected in pairwise under‐shrub and open habitats, and four traits related to stress tolerance and resource acquisition were measured simultaneously.

Under moderate drought stress, we observed shifting community‐weighted means, broadening ranges and reducing overlaps of functional traits under shrubs. These effects were partly driven by a distinct microenvironment created by shrub plants, in particular the improvement and heterogeneity of soil moisture conditions. However, this influence on trait distributions was strongly dependent on the environmental context, and generally disappeared as drought stress shifted towards its driest end, almost in line with the decreased positive interaction assessed by plant density and species diversity.

This study focused on water‐limited community that lies at the driest end of drought gradient and confirmed that facilitation can drive the assembly process through both environmental filtering and niche differentiation. More importantly, these assembly mechanisms are proven to become less efficient under extreme drought stress, which may suggest the occasionally disappearing role of benefactor plants on community assembly and an increasing risk of biodiversity loss in the context of climate change.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Real‐time deep‐learning inversion of seismic full waveform data for CO2 saturation and uncertainty in geological carbon storage monitoring
Authors: Um Evan Schankee , Alumbaugh David , Lin Youzuo , Feng Shihang
Published: March 2022

Deep‐learning inversion has recently drawn attention in geological carbon storage research due to its potential of imaging and monitoring carbon storage in real time, significantly improving efficiency and safety of carbon storage operations. We present a deep‐learning full waveform inversion method that after the neural network has been trained can image CO2 saturation and its uncertainty in real time. Our deep‐learning inversion method is based on the U‐Net architecture with the neural network trained on pairs of synthetic seismic data and CO2 saturation models. Accordingly, our training establishes a mapping relationship between seismic data and CO2 saturation models and once fully trained directly estimates CO2 saturation as a function of subsurface location. We further quantify uncertainties of CO2 saturation estimates using the Monte Carlo dropout method and a bootstrap aggregating method. For this proof‐of‐concept study, the CO2 training models and data are derived from the Kimberlina 1.2 model, a hypothetical 3D geological carbon storage model that is constructed based on various geological and hydrological data from the Southern San Joaquin Basin, California. We perform deep‐learning inversion experiments using noise‐free and noisy training and test data sets and compare the results. Our modelling experiments show that (1) the deep‐learning inversion can estimate 2D distributions of CO2 fairly well even in the presence of Gaussian random noise and (2) both CO2 saturation imaging and uncertainty quantification can be done in real time. Our results suggest that the deep‐learning inversion method can serve as a robust real‐time monitoring tool for geological carbon storage and/or other time‐varying reservoir/aquifer properties that result from injection, extraction, and/or other subsurface transport phenomena.
DNA profiling from human bone cells in the absence of decalcification and DNA extraction
Authors: Le Thien Ngoc , Muratovic Dzenita , Handt Oliva , Henry Julianne , Linacre Adrian
Published: March 2022

Bone cells are a suitable substrate for DNA analysis if required to identify the person from whom a sample was taken. Osteocytes, the most abundant cell type in bone, are embedded within mineralized bone matrix. To release DNA from osteocytes for subsequent analyses, either demineralization of the mineral matrix or an overnight incubation is routinely carried out. In this study, we report on a simplified and rapid approach to analyze preserved bone samples that omits this lengthy decalcification process. Nine tibial bone samples were processed to release matrix‐free bone cells after fragmentation without the use of liquid nitrogen. Cell morphology was assessed by microscopy at 220× magnification following staining with Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye. Based on the presence of stained nuclei, samples were processed either using a DNA extraction process or by a semi‐direct PCR process. The analysis of the quantity and quality of DNA isolated by both methods was carried out by real‐time PCR and STR profiling to assess inhibition of PCR and DNA degradation. All samples resulted in informative STR profiles with minimal indication of inhibitors. These results demonstrate a potential approach of STR profiling from matrix‐free bone cells within 8 hours without decalcification and DNA extraction.
Exploring equality, diversity, and inclusion in multiethnic settings: A context‐sensitive approach
Authors: Umeh Chidozie , Cornelius Nelarine , Wallace James
Published: March 2022

Organisations, worldwide, have introduced human resource management (HRM) and equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by employees with diverse social identities in different national contexts. In this study, we draw on McCall's comparative intersectional framework and Chadwick's narrative methodologies on materiality and voice, to investigate employees' experiences of EDI policies in a multiethnic setting. Vignette and interview data were obtained from employees in two banks, in the ethnically extremely diverse country of Nigeria, and analysed. Our findings suggest that EDI policies require a universal, widely acknowledged, core alongside specificities reflecting the context in which the EDI is to be enacted. Furthermore, we integrate and build on intersectionality, materiality, and voice to nuance and challenge EDI approaches and mutually supportive HRM policies in the Global South that may, in turn, have implications for the Global North and, particularly, multinational companies.
How to handle a delayed or missed dose of edoxaban in patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation? A model‐informed remedial strategy
Authors: Yin Yi‐wei , Liu Xiao‐qin , Gu Jia‐qin , Li Zi‐ran , Jiao Zheng
Published: March 2022

Aims

Edoxaban is a non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) widely used for the long‐term prevention of stroke in patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Adherence to NOAC therapy has been unsatisfactory and decreases over time. Remedial strategies are currently used to address the non‐adherence events. Current recommendations, however, are generic and not well supported by evidence. The aim of this study was to explore appropriate remedial dosing regimens for non‐adherent edoxaban‐treated NVAF patients through Monte Carlo simulation.

Methods

Six regimens were compared with the current recommendations of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) guide based on total deviation time. Both edoxaban plasma concentration and intrinsic Factor Xa activity were considered. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using RxODE based on a published population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model.

Results

The proposed remedial strategies were different than the EHRA recommendations and were related to the delay time. However, it was found that the missed dose can be administered immediately if the delay time is within 11 h. When the delay is between 12 and 19 h, a half dose followed by a regular dosing schedule is recommended. When the delay time exceeds 19 h, a full dose followed by a half dose is preferred.

Conclusion

PK/PD modelling and simulation are effective in developing and evaluating the remedial strategies of edoxaban, which can help maximise its therapeutic effect.
Pharmacodynamic modelling and exposure–response assessment of inebilizumab in subjects with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
Authors: Yan Li , Wang Bing , She Dewei , Mitchell Ben , Criste Ryan , Cimbora Daniel , Katz Eliezer , Rees William A.
Published: March 2022

Aims

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is an autoantibody‐mediated, B cell‐driven disease. Inebilizumab is a humanized, affinity‐optimized, afucosylated IgG1 κ monoclonal antibody that binds to the B‐cell specific surface antigen CD19, resulting in rapid, profound and sustained depletion of circulating peripheral B cells in NMOSD subjects (pivotal study). The objective of this study was to conduct population modelling of B‐cell response following inebilizumab treatment in adult subjects with NMOSD, and to assess the impact of drug exposure to outcome.

Methods

A haematopoietic transit model was developed to describe the joint effects of reducing influx from pro‐B cells and accelerating CD20+ B‐cell depletion in the blood by inebilizumab. Furthermore, the relationships between inebilizumab pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure and the primary efficacy endpoint and key secondary efficacy endpoints were evaluated.

Results

At the 300‐mg dose, there was no apparent relationship between efficacy (reduction in disease attack risk, risk of worsening from baseline in Expanded Disability Status Scale, cumulative total active MRI lesions, and the number of NMOSD‐related in‐patient hospitalizations) and PK exposure. Subjects with low, medium and high PK exposure had a similar hazard ratio of NMOSD attack vs. placebo group.

Conclusion

The pharmacodynamic modelling confirmed effective depletion of B cells is achieved with a 300 mg intravenous dose of inebilizumab administered on Day 1 and Day 15 and every 6 months thereafter. The PK variability between patients had no apparent effect on clinical efficacy.
Against COVID‐19 vaccination of healthy children
Authors: Kraaijeveld Steven R. , Gur‐Arie Rachel , Jamrozik Euzebiusz
Published: March 2022

COVID‐19 vaccination of children has begun in a number of countries with provisional regulatory approval and public support. This article provides an ethical analysis of COVID‐19 vaccination of healthy children. Specifically, we present three of the strongest arguments that might justify COVID‐19 vaccination of children: (a) an argument from paternalism, (b) an argument from indirect protection and altruism, and (c) an argument from global eradication. We offer a series of objections to each of these arguments to show that none of them is currently tenable. Given the minimal direct benefit of COVID‐19 vaccination for healthy children, the potential for rare risks to outweigh these benefits and to undermine vaccine confidence, the substantial evidence that COVID‐19 vaccination confers adequate protection to risk groups whether or not healthy children are vaccinated and that current vaccines do not provide sterilizing immunity, and given that eradication of the virus is neither feasible nor a high priority for global health, we argue that routine COVID‐19 vaccination of healthy children is currently ethically unjustified. Since mandates for children have already been implemented in some places (e.g., California) and may be considered elsewhere, we also present two additional arguments explicitly against making COVID‐19 vaccination mandatory for children.