bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bioactive glass in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis—a valid option?
Authors: Ziegenhain Franziska , Neuhaus Valentin , Pape Hans-Christoph
Published: June 2021

Chronic osteomyelitis continues to represent a challenge both for patients and the treating physician, especially in the presence of multiple germs. We performed a literature review assessing the current role of the indications of bioactive glass. We included studies about patients with chronic osteomyelitis that were treated with S53P4. A literature review of Medline via PubMed was performed. After the exclusion of case reports, 7 studies were included in the narrative review. Recurrence of infection was defined as the main outcome parameter. Six of 7 studies were retrospective, or case studies with a relatively small sample size (total patient number N = 274). The overall recurrence rate was 10.6%. Studies that compared the outcome of the treatment with S53P4 versus antibiotic-loaded polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) revealed no significant difference. The data reviewed indicate that in cases of multiple bacteria and resistance to antibiotic treatment, bioglass may be a valuable treatment alternative to other forms of spacers (e.g., PMMA). This statement is limited by the fact that the number of described cases is very low. Therefore, a definitive statement of its effectiveness cannot be made at this point.
Coated nails: is their use supported by the literature?
Authors: Liu Jane Z. , Crist Brett D.
Published: June 2021

Antibiotic-coated intramedullary nails have been popularized in recent decades for treating long-bone infections. They are especially useful in treating diaphyseal infections requiring stability, such as those involving fractures and nonunions. The nails are made by injecting antibiotic-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate or “cement” around a metal core using a silicone tube as a mold. There are a variety of techniques that can be used to customize the nail to the affected site. Antibiotic cement has long been demonstrated as an effective local antibiotic delivery system. It is able to elute high concentrations of antibiotics while having little systemic toxicity. Several case series have reported good outcomes using this technique, defined by bone union and infection control. Further research is needed to determine the amount of weight that can safely be transferred through the nail and to optimize antibiotic elution.
Collagen fleece in orthopaedic infections
Authors: Ge Susan M. , Harvey Edward J.
Published: June 2021

Collagen fleece is a relatively new development. It represents another option in the battle against infection. It is a cheap, biocompatible, and resorbable local antibiotic delivery mechanism with favorable drug release kinetics and low risk of adverse effects or toxicity. Benefit may be conferred when used in contaminated cases. Significantly more research is still needed before the adoption of collagen fleece as the standard of care. However, we can likely conclude that there are no major adverse effects and it can be safely used as an adjunct in addition to conventional therapies for the prophylaxis and treatment of infections.
Immune amnesia induced by measles and its effects on concurrent epidemics
Authors: Morales Guillermo B. , Muñoz Miguel A.
Published: June 2021

It has been recently discovered that the measles virus can damage pre-existing immunological memory, destroying B lymphocytes and reducing the diversity of non-specific B cells of the infected host. In particular, this implies that previously acquired immunization from vaccination or direct exposition to other pathogens could be partially erased in a phenomenon named ‘immune amnesia’, whose effects can become particularly worrisome given the actual rise of anti-vaccination movements. Here, we present the first attempt to incorporate immune amnesia into standard models of epidemic spreading by proposing a simple model for the spreading of two concurrent pathogens causing measles and another generic disease. Different analyses confirm that immune amnesia can have important consequences for epidemic spreading, significantly altering the vaccination coverage required to reach herd immunity. We also uncover the existence of novel propagating and endemic phases induced by immune amnesia. Finally, we discuss the meaning and consequences of our results and their relation with, e.g. immunization strategies, together with the possibility that explosive types of transitions may emerge, making immune-amnesia effects particularly dramatic. This work opens the door to further developments and analyses of immune-amnesia effects, contributing also to the theory of interacting epidemics on complex networks.
Detecting internal resonances during model reduction
Authors: Nicolaidou Evangelia , Hill Thomas L. , Neild Simon A.
Published: June 2021

Model order reduction of geometrically nonlinear dynamic structures is often achieved via a static condensation procedure, whereby high-frequency modes are assumed to be quasi-statically coupled to a small set of lower frequency modes, which form the reduction basis. This approach is mathematically justifiable for structures characterized by slow/fast dynamics, such as thin plates and slender beams, and has been shown to provide highly accurate results. Nevertheless, selecting the reduction basis without
a priori
knowledge of the full-order dynamics is a challenging task; retaining redundant modes will lead to computationally suboptimal reduced-order models (ROMs), while omitting dynamically significant modes will lead to inaccurate results, and important features such as internal resonances may not be captured. In this study, we demonstrate how the error associated with static condensation can be efficiently approximated during model reduction. This approximate error can then be used as the basis of a method for predicting when dynamic modal interactions will occur, which will guide the reduction basis selection process. Equivalently, this may serve as a tool for verifying the accuracy of ROMs without the need for full-order simulations. The proposed method is demonstrated using a simple oscillator and a finite element model of a clamped–clamped beam.
Accurate artificial boundary conditions for semi-discretized one-dimensional peridynamics
Authors: Ji Songsong , Pang Gang , Zhang Jiwei , Yang Yibo , Perdikaris Paris
Published: June 2021

The peridynamic theory reformulates the equations of continuum mechanics in terms of integro-differential equations instead of partial differential equations. In this paper, we consider the construction of artificial boundary conditions (ABCs) for semi-discretized peridynamics using Green functions. Especially, the Green functions that represent the response to the single wave source are used to construct the accu2rate boundary conditions. The recursive relationships between the Green functions are proposed, therefore the Green functions can be computed through a differential and integral system with high precision. The numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed ABCs. The proposed method can be applied to modelling of wave propagation for other non-local theories and high-dimensional cases.
Cervical Cancer Screening in South Florida Veteran Population 2014-2020: Cytology and High-Risk HPV Correlation and HPV Epidemiology
Authors: Syler Lee B. , Stobaugh Corinne L. , Foulis Philip R. , Carlton George T. , DeLand Lauren A. , Borkowski Andrew A.
Published: June 2021

Objective

This project aims to use our robust women’s health patient data to analyze the correlation between cytology and Hr-HPV testing, study performance of Hr-HPV testing for detecting cytology lesions, and examine epidemiologic measures of HPV infections in the women’s veteran population.

Methods

We collected patient data from 2014 to 2020 from our computerized patient record system. We performed HPV assays using the ROCHE 4800 system. The COBAS HPV assay detects HPV 16, HPV 18, and 12 other HPV types (31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68). We organized cytology results and Hr-HPV assays with Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel for analysis.

Results

A total of 9437 cervical specimens were co-tested. High-grade cytology lesions (HSIL or higher and ASC-H) were overwhelmingly positive for Hr-HPV (94.1% and 87.2%, respectively). Low-grade cytology lesions (LSIL and ASC-US) were positive for Hr-HPV in lower percentages (72.6% and 54.9%, respectively). Hr-HPV testing had a sensitivity of 91.3%, a specificity of 93.1%, a positive predictive value of 16.4%, and a negative predictive value of 99.8% for detecting high-grade cytology lesions. Hr-HPV testing had a lower performance for detecting low-grade cytology lesions. Ten (10) cases had high-grade cytology and negative Hr-HPV test. Nine out of ten (9/10) of these patients showed no dysplasia (6) or low-grade dysplasia (3) on subsequent biopsy. Overall, 14.4% of tests were positive for Hr-HPV. The highest positive Hr-HPV test rates were in the second and eighth decades of life, 25.1% and 22.0%, respectively. In women over age 30, HPV types 16 and 18 were present in 11.7% and 6.4% of tests, respectively. Other HPV types were present in 82.3% of tests.

Conclusions

Hr-HPV testing has high performance for detecting high-grade cytology lesions. We believe our findings are in accordance with recent studies and guidelines that recommend primary Hr-HPV testing as the preferred screening method. The percentage of positive Hr-HPV tests and rates for age and HPV types 16 and 18 in our women’s veteran population suggest similar HPV prevalence to that of the general US population.
Maternal cigarette smoking and cleft lip and palate: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Fell Matthew , Dack Kyle , Chummun Shaheel , Sandy Jonathan , Wren Yvonne , Lewis Sarah
Published: June 2021

Objectives

A systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between active maternal smoking and cleft lip and palate etiology.

Data Sources

Medline, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane database from inception to November 2020.

Study selection

Observational studies of cigarette smoking habits in pregnant women. Outcomes included cleft lip and/or palate, cleft lip ± palate and cleft palate only.

Data analysis

Publication bias analyses were performed and the Newcastle Ottawa scales were used to assess study quality. Fixed or random effect models were used in the meta-analysis, dependent on risk of statistical heterogeneity.

Results

Forty-five studies were eligible for inclusion of which 11 were cohort and 34 were case-control studies. Sixteen studies were of sufficient standard for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The summary odds ratio for the association between smoking and cleft lip and/or palate was 1.42 (95%CI 1.27 to 1.59) with a population attributable fraction of 4% (95%CI 3% - 5%). There was limited evidence to show a dose-response effect of smoking.

Conclusions

This review reports a moderate association between maternal smoking and orofacial cleft but the overall quality of the conventional observational studies included was poor. There is a need for high quality and novel research strategies to further define the role of smoking in the etiology of cleft lip and palate.
Quarantine and testing strategies to reduce transmission risk from imported SARS-CoV-2 infections: a global modelling study
Authors: Quilty Billy J , Russell Timothy W , Clifford Samuel , Flasche Stefan , Pickering Suzanne , Neil Stuart JD , Galão Rui Pedro , Edmunds W John ,   CMMID COVID-19 Working Group
Published: June 2021

Background

Many countries require incoming air travellers to quarantine on arrival and/or undergo testing to limit importation of SARS-CoV-2.

Methods

We developed mathematical models of SARS-CoV-2 viral load trajectories over the course of infection to assess the effectiveness of quarantine and testing strategies. We consider the utility of pre and post-flight Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and lateral flow testing (LFT) to reduce transmission risk from infected arrivals and to reduce the duration of, or replace, quarantine. We also estimate the effect of each strategy relative to domestic incidence, and limits of achievable risk reduction, for 99 countries where flight data and case numbers are estimated.

Results

We find that LFTs immediately pre-flight are more effective than PCR tests 3 days before departure in decreasing the number of departing infectious travellers. Pre-flight LFTs and post-flight quarantines, with tests to release, may prevent the majority of transmission from infectious arrivals while reducing the required duration of quarantine; a pre-flight LFT followed by 5 days in quarantine with a test to release would reduce the expected number of secondary cases generated by an infected traveller compared to symptomatic self-isolation alone, Rs, by 85% (95% UI: 74%, 96%) for PCR and 85% (95% UI: 70%, 96%) for LFT, even assuming imperfect adherence to quarantine (28% of individuals) and self-isolation following a positive test (86%). Under the same adherence assumptions, 5 days of daily LFT testing would reduce Rs by 91% (95% UI: 75%, 98%).

Conclusions

Strategies aimed at reducing the risk of imported cases should be considered with respect to: domestic incidence, transmission, and susceptibility; measures in place to support quarantining travellers; and incidence of new variants of concern in travellers’ origin countries. Daily testing with LFTs for 5 days is comparable to 5 days of quarantine with a test on exit or 14 days with no test.
An integrative analysis to predict the Active Ingredients and explore Polypharmacological Mechanisms of Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. for human health
Authors: Wang Xingqiang , Zhao Weiqing , Zhang Xiaoyu , Wang Zongqing , Han Chang , Xu Jiapeng , Yang Guohui , Peng Jiangyun , Li Zhaofu
Published: June 2021

Background

Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. was a dietary supplement or a traditional folk herb with widespread clinical application, but it was lack of comprehensive understanding of its active ingredients and polypharmacological mechanisms. The aim of this work was to systematically study its natural compounds and the molecular mechanisms of the O. stamineus via network pharmacology.

Methods

Compounds from O. stamineus were collected by literature retrieval and evaluated by SwissADME with the physicochemical property (ADMET model) and the likelihood for a natural medicine. The connection of active ingredients and target genes was built and confirmed by Cytoscape and AutoDock vina. Then, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were separately performed to obtain a more in-depth understanding of O. stamineus. Finally, the relationship among active ingredients, targets, and diseases was built to clarify the polypharmacological mechanisms and found relevant active substances for further drug discovery.

Results

A total of 159 compounds of O. stamineus were collected, and 22 potentially active ingredients were screened out. The Ingredient-Target Interaction Network was built with 12 flavonoids, 3 diterpenes, 3 phenols, and 4 volatile oils, and 65 targets. The Docking analysis indicated that the ingredient-target interaction network was reliable; most ligand-receptor had a strong binding affinity (lowest binding energy: −6.9 kcal/mol). After pathway analysis, 185 significant biological processes and 36 signal pathways were found, and the ingredient-target-disease network of O. stamineus was constructed for polypharmacological mechanisms.

Conclusion

Our study clarified the polypharmacological mechanisms via the relationship among active ingredients, targets, and diseases and provided better guidance for subsequent experiments and potential active ingredients for drug discovery or health promotion.
A qualitative study exploring the experience of the Medical Intern Programme: Supportive transition for international doctors working in the NHS
Authors: Lavallée J. F. , Conen S. , Corfield D. R. , Howells J. , Pugh M. , Hart J.
Published: June 2021

Background

The UK is experiencing a shortage of doctors. Consequently, the Medical Intern Programme, a unique two year programme consisting of an observership, four clinical rotations at the level of a foundation doctor within an NHS Trust and a postgraduate diploma from a university in the north of England, was set up to enhance the NHS workforce by facilitating the entry of international medical graduates into UK medicine via a supported transitional programme. We aimed to explore the experiences of the doctors enrolled on the Medical Intern Programme.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted via the telephone with seven doctors enrolled on the programme. The interview guide was informed by the research questions and data were analysed using a thematic analysis.

Results

We identified four themes that were important in the experiences of the doctors: preparing to work in the UK, feeling supported, weighing up the pros and cons of the programme and comparisons between countries.

Conclusions

The Medical Intern Programme successfully facilitated international doctors’ transition to the UK and working in the NHS. Support needs to be provided at the organisational, team and individual level including a period of observing and shadowing to enable the doctors to understand the systems and multidisciplinary team working in the NHS.
Engineered small extracellular vesicles as a FGL1/PD-L1 dual-targeting delivery system for alleviating immune rejection
Authors: Tsai Hsiang-i , Wu Yingyi , Liu Xiaoyan , Xu Zhanxue , Liu Longshan , Wang Changxi , Zhang Huanxi , Huang Yisheng , Wang Linglu , Zhang Weixian , Su Dandan , Khan Fahim Ullah , Zhu Xiaofeng , Yang Rongya , Pang Yuxin , Eriksson John E. , Zhu Haitao , Wang Dongqing , Jia Bo , Cheng Fang , Chen Hongbo
Published: June 2021

There is an urgent need for developing new immunosuppressive agents due to the toxicity of long-term use of broad immunosuppressive agents post organ transplantation. Comprehensive sample analysis revealed dysregulation of FGL1/LAG-3 and PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoints in allogeneic heart transplantation mice and clinical kidney transplant patients. In order to enhance these two immunosuppressive signal axes, we developed a bioengineering strategy to simultaneously display FGL1/PD-L1 (FP) on the surface of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). Among various cell sources, FP sEVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) not only enriched FGL1/PD-L1 expression but also maintained the immunomodulatory properties of unmodified MSC sEVs. Next, we confirmed that FGL1 and PD-L1 on sEVs were specifically bound to their receptors LAG-3 and PD-1 on target cells. Importantly, FP sEVs significantly inhibited T cell activation and proliferationin vitroand a heart allograft model. Furthermore, FP sEVs encapsulated with low-dose FK506 (FP sEVs@FK506) exerted stronger effects on inhibiting T cell proliferation, reducing CD8+T cell density and cytokine production in the spleens and heart grafts, inducing regulatory T cells in lymph nodes, and extending graft survival. Taken together, dual-targeting sEVs have the potential to boost the immune inhibitory signalings in synergy and slow down transplant rejection.
Application of ATAC-Seq for genome-wide analysis of the chromatin state at single myofiber resolution
Authors: Sahinyan Korin , Blackburn Darren M. , Simon Marie-Michelle , Lazure Felicia , Kwan Tony , Bourque Guillaume , Soleimani Vahab D.
Published: June 2021

Skeletal myofibers are the main components of skeletal muscle which is the largest tissue in the body. Myofibers are highly adaptive in nature and they can vary in different biological and disease conditions. Therefore, transcriptional and epigenetic studies on myofibers are crucial to discover how chromatin alterations occur in the skeletal muscle under different conditions. However, due to the heterogenous nature of skeletal muscle, studying myofibers in isolation proves to be a challenging task. Single cell sequencing has permitted for the study of the epigenome of isolated myonuclei. While this provides sequencing with high dimensionality, the sequencing depth is lacking, which makes comparisons between different biological conditions difficult. Here we report the first implementation of single myofiber ATAC-Seq, which permits for the sequencing of an individual myofiber at a depth sufficient for peak calling and for comparative analysis of chromatin accessibility under various physiological, physical and disease conditions. Application of this technique revealed significant differences in chromatin accessibility between resting and regenerating myofibers. This technique can lead to wide application in identifying chromatin regulatory elements and epigenetic mechanisms in muscle fibers during development and in muscle-wasting diseases.
Regulation of auditory fear discrimination by the novel Kv3 voltage-gated potassium channel modulator AUT00206
Authors: Stubbendorff Christine , Hale Ed , Day Harriet L.L. , Smith Jessica , Alvaro Giuseppe S. , Large Charles H. , Stevenson Carl W.
Published: June 2021

Psychiatric diseases like anxiety-related disorders and schizophrenia are characterized by impaired cognition and emotional regulation linked to corticolimbic disinhibition. Restoring the balance between excitation and inhibition in corticolimbic circuits may therefore ameliorate certain features of these disorders, such as inappropriately attributing affective salience to innocuous cues. Corticolimbic activity is tightly controlled by parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneurons, which also regulate fear discrimination. The voltage-gated potassium channels Kv3.1 and Kv3.2 are highly expressed in these neurons, therefore Kv3.1/3.2 modulation may have potential for treating disorders associated with cognitive and emotional dysregulation. We determined the effects of the novel Kv3.1/3.2 positive modulator AUT00206 on fear discrimination. Female rats underwent limited or extended auditory fear discrimination training that we previously showed leads to discrimination or generalization, respectively, based on passive fear responding (i.e. freezing). We also assessed darting as an active fear response. We found that limited training resulted in discrimination based on freezing, which was unaffected by AUT00206. In contrast, we found that extended training resulted in generalization based on freezing and the emergence of discrimination based on darting. Importantly, AUT00206 had dissociable effects on fear discrimination and expression with extended training. While AUT00206 mitigated generalization without affecting expression based on freezing, it reduced expression without affecting discrimination based on darting. Our results indicate that Kv3.1/3.2 modulation regulates the attribution of affective significance to threat- and safety-related cues in a response-specific manner. This suggests that targeting Kv3.1 and Kv3.2 channels may provide a promising avenue for treating cognitive and emotional dysregulation in psychiatric disease.
Action inhibition revisited: a new method identifies compromised reactive but intact proactive control in Tourette disorder
Authors: Indrajeet Indrajeet , Atkinson-Clement Cyril , Worbe Yulia , Pouget Pierre , Ray Supriya
Published: June 2021

Tourette disorder (TD) is characterized by tics, which are sudden repetitive involuntary movements or vocalizations. Deficits in inhibitory control in TD patients remain inconclusive from the traditional method of estimating the ability to stop an impending action, which requires careful interpretation of a parameter derived from race model. One possible explanation for these inconsistencies is that race model’s assumptions are often violated. Here, we used a pair of metrics derived from a recent alternative model to address why stopping performance in TD patients is unaffected by impairments in neural circuitry. These new metrics distinguish between proactive and reactive inhibitory control and estimate them separately. When these metrics were contrasted with healthy controls (HC), we identified robust deficits in reactive control in TD patients, but not in proactive control. The patient population exhibited difficulty in slowing down the speed of movement planning, which they compensated by their intact ability of procrastination.

TEASER

Tourette disorder patients inhibit action by means of strategic postponement to compensate impaired slowness in preparation.
Prediction of survival after partial hepatectomy using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of indocyanine green liver function tests
Authors: Köller Adrian , Grzegorzewski Jan , Tautenhahn Hans-Michael , König Matthias
Published: June 2021

The evaluation of hepatic function and functional capacity of the liver are essential tasks in hepatology as well as in hepatobiliary surgery. Indocyanine green (ICG) is a widely applied test compound that is used in clinical routine to evaluate hepatic function. Important questions for the functional evaluation with ICG in the context of hepatectomy are how liver disease such as cirrhosis alters ICG elimination, and if postoperative survival can be predicted from preoperative ICG measurements. Within this work a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of ICG was developed and applied to the prediction of the effects of a liver resection under various degrees of cirrhosis. For the parametrization of the computational model and validation of model predictions a database of ICG pharmacokinetic data was established. The model was applied (i) to study the effect of liver cirrhosis and liver resection on ICG pharmacokinetics; and (ii) to evaluate the model-based prediction of postoperative ICG-R15 as a measure for postoperative outcome. Key results are the accurate prediction of changes in ICG pharmacokinetics caused by liver cirrhosis and postoperative changes of ICG-elimination after liver resection, as validated with a wide range of data sets. Based on the PBPK model, individual survival after liver resection could be classified, demonstrating its potential value as a clinical tool.
The TR locus annotation and characteristics of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
Authors: Zhou Hao , Ma Long , Liu Longyu , Yao Xinsheng
Published: June 2021

T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) in vertebrate could be divided into αβ or γδ, which are encoded by TRA/D, TRG and TRB loci respectively. TCRs play a central role in mammal cellular immunity, which are functionally produced by rearrangement of V gene, D gene, J gene and C gene in the loci. Bat is the only mammal with flying ability, and is considered as the main host of zoonotic virus, which occupies an important position in the field of public health. At present, little is known about the composition of bat TRs gene. According to the whole genome sequencing results of the Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, and referring to the TR/IG annotation rules formulated by IMGT. We make a complete annotation on the TRA/D, TRG and TRB loci of the Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. A total of 128 V segments, 3 D segments, 85 J segments and 6 C segments were annotated, in addition to compared with the known mammalian, the characteristics of the TRs locus and germline genes of the Rhinolophus ferrumequinum were analyzed.
3-(4-Methylphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one
Authors: Yoo Miri , Koh Dongsoo
Published: June 2021

In the title compound, C16H12O2, the dihedral angle formed between the plane of the chromenone ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.031 Å) and the pendant benzene ring is 31.09 (5)°. In the crystal, weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into C(6) chains propagating along the a-axis direction.
Imaging of small penetrable obstacles based on the topological derivative method
Authors: Fernandez Lucas , Prakash Ravi
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present topological derivatives-based reconstruction algorithms to solve an inverse scattering problem for penetrable obstacles.

Design/methodology/approach

The method consists in rewriting the inverse reconstruction problem as a topology optimization problem and then to use the concept of topological derivatives to seek a higher-order asymptotic expansion for the topologically perturbed cost functional. Such expansion is truncated and then minimized with respect to the parameters under consideration, which leads to noniterative second-order reconstruction algorithms.

Findings

In this paper, the authors develop two different classes of noniterative second-order reconstruction algorithms that are able to accurately recover the unknown penetrable obstacles from partial measurements of a field generated by incident waves.

Originality/value

The current paper is a pioneer work in developing a reconstruction method entirely based on topological derivatives for solving an inverse scattering problem with penetrable obstacles. Both algorithms proposed here are able to return the number, location and size of multiple hidden and unknown obstacles in just one step. In summary, the main features of these algorithms lie in the fact that they are noniterative and thus, very robust with respect to noisy data as well as independent of initial guesses.
College majors and wages in Turkey: OLS and quantile regression with sample selection correction
Authors: Ciftci Cemil , Ulucan Hakan
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the wage differentials of the majors in college education in Turkey, which is a country implementing an ongoing expansion in college education in recent years.

Design/methodology/approach

The study implements Mincreian wage regression using ordinary least squares, Heckman two-step estimation and quantile regression with sample selection correction by using household labor force surveys of TurkStat from the years 2014–2017.

Findings

The findings indicate one of the highest heterogeneity, close to 0.50 log points, between majors in the literature. The within-heterogeneity created by majors is highest among the graduates of social-behavioral sciences, law, biology, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer, engineering and manufacturing, as shown by a 90–10 difference, which is almost 700% for some of these majors. This study shows that the natural science and technical majors that are expected to be more productive and to be paid more fall behind in the wage distribution.

Research limitations/implications

Estimation results show that natural science majors, except for subjects allied to medicine and engineering, are paid lower than law and service-sector-related majors. This indicates that the predictions of the skill-biased technical change hypothesis are not valid in the wage profiles in Turkey and that some majors supply more than the sectoral needs. This casts doubts on the effectiveness of the ongoing higher education expansion process of the country.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on wage differentials of college majors, an area with limited studies. This is the first study analyzing wage differentials of the field of studies by correcting sample selection bias for the Turkish case.
Participation of nongovernmental organizations in Iran's health-care system: challenges and suggestions for improvement
Authors: Ebrahimi Parvin , Rajabi Mohanna , Aryankhesal Aidin
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in modern health-care systems complementing state organizations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges of NGOs' participation in Iran's health-care system.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study was conducted in 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 26 participants: 11 managers and experts at the office of NGOs in the Ministry of Health (MOH) and universities of medical sciences and 15 chief executive officers (CEOs) of health-related NGOs in Tehran, Iran. The participants were chosen using the non-probabilistic approach of purposive sampling with maximum variation. Data analysis was performed using the thematic analysis method and MAXQDA 10 software.

Findings

Challenges of NGOs' participation in Iran's health-care system are categorized into external and internal challenges. Financial issues, the process of getting permissions, lack of trust in NGOs, weak relationships with the public sector and lack of law are identified as main challenges. Building trust in NGOs, passing the NGOs' law, making people more familiar with NGOs and capacity development are the most important measures that improve the role of NGOs and resolve barriers to their participation in Iran's health-care system.

Originality/value

In this study, for the first time, the challenges of NGOs' participation in Iran's health-care system are investigated by examining the views of both the public sector and NGOs. Improving the participation of NGOs in the health-care system provides Iran's MOH with the opportunity to make use of the NGOs' capacities to eliminate public health issues.
Are artificial intelligence and machine learning suitable to tackle the COVID-19 impacts? An agriculture supply chain perspective
Authors: Nayal Kirti , Raut Rakesh D. , Queiroz Maciel M. , Yadav Vinay Surendra , Narkhede Balkrishna E.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This article aims to model the challenges of implementing artificial intelligence and machine earning (AI-ML) for moderating the impacts of COVID-19, considering the agricultural supply chain (ASC) in the Indian context.

Design/methodology/approach

20 critical challenges were modeled based on a comprehensive literature review and consultation with experts. The hybrid approach of “Delphi interpretive structural modeling (ISM)-Fuzzy Matrice d' Impacts Croises Multiplication Applique'e à un Classement (MICMAC) − analytical network process (ANP)” was used.

Findings

The study's outcome indicates that “lack of central and state regulations and rules” and “lack of data security and privacy” are the crucial challenges of AI-ML implementation in the ASC. Furthermore, AI-ML in the ASC is a powerful enabler of accurate prediction to minimize uncertainties.

Research limitations/implications

This study will help stakeholders, policymakers, government and service providers understand and formulate appropriate strategies to enhance AI-ML implementation in ASCs. Also, it provides valuable insights into the COVID-19 impacts from an ASC perspective. Besides, as the study was conducted in India, decision-makers and practitioners from other geographies and economies must extrapolate the results with due care.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first that investigates the potential of AI-ML in the ASC during COVID-19 by employing a hybrid approach using Delphi-ISM-Fuzzy-MICMAC-ANP.
Comparing education for sustainable development in initial teacher education across four countries
Authors: Evans Neus (Snowy) , Inwood Hilary , Christie Beth , Ärlemalm-Hagsér Eva
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to undertake a cross-comparative inquiry into Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) related to governance, initiatives and practices in initial teacher education (ITE) across four countries with very different contexts – Sweden, Scotland, Canada and Australia. It provides insights into issues arising internationally, implications for ESD in ITE and offers learnings for other countries and contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-comparative study design with overarching themes and within-case descriptions was applied to consider, compare and contrast governance characteristics, initiatives and practices from each context.

Findings

The approaches to governance, initiatives and practices that each country adopts are unique yet similar, and all four countries have included ESD in ITE to some extent. Comparing and contrasting approaches has revealed learnings focussed on ESD in relation to governance and regulation, practices and leadership.

Research limitations/implications

Making comparisons between different contexts is difficult and uncertain and often misses the richness and nuances of the individual sites under study. However, it remains an important endeavour as the challenges of embedding ESD in ITE will be better understood and overcome if countries can learn from one another.

Originality/value

Scrutinising different approaches is valuable for broadening views about possibilities and understanding how policies and initiatives translate in practice.
Retail atmospherics and retail store patronage of supermarkets in emerging economies: mediating role of perceived service quality
Authors: Dokcen Charles , Obedgiu Vincent , Nkurunziza Gideon
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to establish the mediating role of Perceived Service Quality on the relationship between Retail Atmospherics and Retail Store Patronage of Supermarkets in Emerging Economies using empirical evidence from Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a cross-sectional research design and quantitative approach to understand stand the structured reality of Retail Store Patronage of supermarkets in context of emerging economies. In the context of this study, the data were drawn from Uganda's supermarkets. A sample of 1,504 customers were selected from 136,270 customers. Data was collected from supermarket customers using closed ended questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were derived to describe the behavior of customers and draw conclusions on population using sample statistics. Correlation analysis was used to establish the degree of association between the variables. Hierarchical regression was applied to assess the unique contribution of each variable; control variables-income and age, predictor variables – Retail Atmospherics and Perceived Service Quality on dependent variable – Retail Store Patronage. Mediation was done following the four-step procedures of mediation of Baron and Kenny (1986).

Findings

The results revealed significant positive relationship between Retail Atmospherics, Perceived Service Quality and Retail Store Patronage, confirming the direct hypotheses. Perceived Service Quality partially mediated the relationship between Retail Atmospherics and Retail Store Patronage. The findings depict that Retail Store Patronage is influenced directly by Retail Atmospherics and indirectly through Perceived Service Quality as a mediating variable. However, in situations where the atmospherics is good but perceived service quality is poor, Retail Store Patronage may not be fully realized.

Originality/value

The study provides information that is relevant for filling the practical and theoretical gap in the Retail Store Patronage in Ugandan supermarkets. Previous research studies investigated patronage behavior of shoppers in single retail units yet there is paucity of research on patronage behavior across different retail formats in the world. This study can be generalized and have strategic implications to developing economies that seek to grow and sustain their businesses. It points to the gaps that are normally overlooked and could lead business failure. The focus of most previous studies were on developed economies more especially Europe and America. This study in particular focused on the role of perceived service quality in the relationship between retail atmospherics and customer retail store patronage in emerging economies like Uganda as a testing ground.
Addressing the COVID-19 challenges by SMEs in the hotel industry – a Czech sustainability message for emerging economies
Authors: MacGregor Pelikanova Radka , Cvik Eva Daniela , MacGregor Robert Kenyon
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Emerging economies have to address positive challenges such as sustainability, digitalization, entrepreneurial readiness and planning and behavioral strategies and negative challenges, such as corruption and bureaucracy. The COVID-19 pandemic hit all economies and arguably made hotel businesses that are from less typical emerging economies, such as the Czech Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to deal with similar challenges to that of their counterparts from typical emerging economies. How do Czech hotel SMEs address the COVID-19 challenges and what sustainability message can be extracted from that with the relevance for not only businesses from emerging economies? The purpose of this paper is to explore how Czech hotel SMEs address the COVID-19 challenges and what sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

A consolidated parsing of the literature, legislative and analytical framework, along with an investigative case study of 11 Czech hotel SMEs was performed, based on the questionnaire survey and semi-structured in-depth direct interviews. The holistic thematic analysis processed this fresh data and allowed Socratic questioning and glossing while addressing both research questions.

Findings

The performed case study reveals that typical challenges faced by entrepreneurs in emerging economies became, via COVID-19, universal challenges, these challenges are a valuable impulse for digitalization and changes of entrepreneurial strategies, but not so much for sustainability, and the omnipresent negative impact of corruption and bureaucracy.

Originality/value

This paper presents a pioneering study regarding the addressing COVID-19 and sustainability concerns by SMEs in a less typical emerging economy and offering a universal, partially comparative and sadly not so sustainable, message which is not just limited to emerging economies.
Impacts of psychological behaviors of managers on money laundering: evidence from Iran stock exchange
Authors: Saeidi Hadi
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impacts of the psychological behaviors of managers, including entrenchment, myopia, narcissism and overconfidence, on money laundering at Iranian companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study is descriptive-correlational in terms of methodology and applied research in terms of objectives. The statistical population consisted of all companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during 2013–2019. A total of 150 companies were selected as samples via screening. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses in EViews v10.

Findings

The findings revealed that management entrenchment, managerial myopia, managerial narcissism and managerial overconfidence have significant impacts on money laundering.

Originality/value

This study pioneer investigating the impacts of psychological behaviors among managers on money laundering in Iran. As an economic crime, money laundering poses an adverse impact on economic growth in countries. The continuous monitoring of manager performance and the deployment of performance measurement systems could prevent the negative impacts of manager behavior on money laundering.
Branding Nordic indigeneities
Authors: Ren Carina , Thisted Kirsten
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The study aims to explore the concept of the indigenous and how Greenlandic and Sámi indigeneities is expressed, made sense of and contested within a Nordic context by using the Eurovision Song Contest as a branding platform.

Design/methodology/approach

Initiating with an introduction of the historical and political contexts of Sámi and Greenlandic Inuit indigeneity, the study compares lyrics, stage performances and artefacts of two Sámi and Greenlandic contributions into the European Song Contest. This is used to discuss the situated ways in which indigenous identity and culture are branded.

Findings

The study shows how seemingly “similar” indigenous identity positions take on very different expressions and meanings as Arctic, indigenous and global identity discourses manifest themselves and intertwine in a Greenlandic and Sámi context. This indicates, as we discuss, that indigeneity in a Nordic context is tightly connected to historical and political specificities.

Research limitations/implications

The study argues against a “one size fits all” approach to defining the indigenous and even more so attempts to “pinning down” universal indigenous issues or challenges.

Practical implications

The study highlights how decisions on whether or how to use the indigenous in place or destination branding processes should always be sensitive to its historical and political contexts.

Originality/value

By focusing on the most prevalent European indigenous groups, the Sámi from the Northern parts of Norway and Greenlandic Inuit, rather than existing nation states, this study expands on current research on Eurovision and nation branding. By exploring the role of the indigenous in place branding, this study also contributes to the existing place branding literature, which overwhelmingly relates to the branding of whole nations or to specific places within nations, such as capital cities.
Female representation on the board of directors and accrual quality within the context of cultural dimensions and accounting values
Authors: Yousuf Asma , Aldamen Husam
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to bridge the gap in the scarce and inconclusive literature concerning the impact of gender diversity on earnings quality by positioning this relationship within an institutional context. It aims to investigate the moderating effect of different cultural dimensions and accounting values on the relationship between board gender diversity and earnings quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses an international sample from 46 countries (3,092 public firms) for the year 2017. A two-level hierarchical linear regression model is used to test the moderating effect of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Gray’s accounting values on diversity and accruals quality relationship.

Findings

The findings suggest a positive relationship between board gender diversity and earnings quality. Results hold valid after controlling for endogeneity effect. More importantly, regarding national culture, results indicate that power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, professionalism, uniformity, secrecy and conservatism moderate the relationship between female directors and accruals quality. Furthermore, different levels of female representation are essential on boards of different societies to use the benefits of gender-diversified boards in enhancing earnings quality.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of various worldwide movements toward increasing board gender diversity. Additionally, the results speak directly to gender quota regulatory bodies suggesting that “no size fits all” for gender quota requirement.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the stream of literature concerning gender diversity and earnings quality by investigating this relationship through the lens of national culture and emphasizing the importance of considering institutional factors in examining social interactions.