bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Propensity-matched Analysis Demonstrates Long-term Risk of Respiratory and Cardiac Mortality After Pneumonectomy Compared With Lobectomy for Lung Cancer
Authors: Jones Gregory D. , Caso Raul , Tan Kay See , Dycoco Joseph , Adusumilli Prasad S. , Bains Manjit S. , Downey Robert J. , Huang James , Isbell James M. , Molena Daniela , Park Bernard J. , Rocco Gaetano , Rusch Valerie W. , Sihag Smita , Jones David R. , Bott Matthew J.
Published: June 2020

Objective:

We sought to quantify and characterize long-term consequences of pneumonectomy, with particular attention to nononcologic mortality.

Summary of Background Data:

Pneumonectomy is associated with profound changes in cardiopulmonary physiology. Studies of long-term outcomes after pneumonectomy typically report generalized measures, such as disease-free and overall survival.

Methods:

Patients undergoing lobectomy or pneumonectomy for lung cancer at our institution from 2000 to 2018 were reviewed. Propensity-score matching was performed for 12 clinicopathologic factors. Ninety-day complications and deaths were compared. Five-year cumulative incidence of oncologic and nononcologic mortality were compared using competing risks approaches.

Results:

From 3339 lobectomy and 355 pneumonectomy patients identified, we derived 318 matched pairs. At 90 days, rates of overall complications were similar (46% for pneumonectomy vs 43% for lobectomy; P = 0.40), but rates of major complications (21% vs 13%; P = 0.005) and deaths (6.9% vs 1.9%; P = 0.002) were higher the pneumonectomy cohort. The cumulative incidence of oncologic mortality was not significantly different between cohorts (P = 0.9584). However, the cumulative incidence of nononcologic mortality was substantially higher in the pneumonectomy cohort for both date of surgery and 1-year landmark analyses (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0002, respectively). Forty-five pneumonectomy patients (18%) died of nononcologic causes 1–5 years after surgery; pneumonia (n = 21) and myocardial infarction (n = 10) were the most common causes. In pneumonectomy patients, preexisting cardiac comorbidity and low diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide were predictive of nononcologic mortality.

Conclusions:

Compared to lobectomy, excess mortality after pneumonectomy extends beyond 1 year and is driven primarily by nononcologic causes. Pneumonectomy patients require lifelong monitoring and may benefit from expeditious assessment and intervention at the initial signs of illness.
The Prevalence of Pelvic Floor Hematoma After Vaginal Delivery
Authors: Denson Lindsay E. , Terrell Deirdra R. , Vesely Sara K. , Peck Jennifer D. , Quiroz Lieschen H. , Shobeiri S. Abbas
Published: June 2020

Objective

The goal of this study was to evaluate differences in levator ani hematoma formation within 3 days of delivery between adult women after their first vaginal delivery and adult women who have had multiple vaginal deliveries.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study at a single institution from 2013 to 2015 using a high-resolution endovaginal ultrasound transducer to identify postvaginal delivery hematoma formation. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between hematoma formation and vaginal parity while considering potential confounders including induction, vaginal operative delivery, vaginal birth after cesarean, fetal weight, fetal head circumference, race and ethnicity, body mass index, age at delivery, gestational age, and length of second-stage labor.

Results

Ninety women (46 vaginal-primiparous; 44 vaginal-multiparous) were included in this study. After adjusting for oxytocin use, length of second-stage labor, and body mass index, the odds of pelvic floor hematoma of 1000 mm3 or greater were 2.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.78–10.91) times greater in women after their first vaginal delivery compared with women with a history of multiple vaginal deliveries. The adjusted odds of pelvic floor hematoma of 1500 mm3 or greater were 6.02 (95% confidence interval, 1.09–33.24) times greater in vaginal-primiparous compared with vaginal-multiparous women.

Conclusions

Although the prevalence of pelvic floor hematoma was higher in vaginal-primiparous women than vaginal-multiparous women after vaginal delivery, hematomas were present in both groups. Future prospective studies are needed to evaluate the additive effect of multiple vaginal deliveries on the pelvic floor.
Design of a Randomized Clinical Trial of Perioperative Vaginal Estrogen Versus Placebo With Transvaginal Native Tissue Apical Prolapse Repair (Investigation to Minimize Prolapse Recurrence of the Vagina using Estrogen: IMPROVE)
Authors: Rahn David D. , Richter Holly E. , Sung Vivian W. , Larsen Wilma I. , Hynan Linda S.
Published: June 2020

Objectives

To provide the rationale and design for a randomized, double-blind clinical trial of conjugated estrogen vaginal cream (applied for at least 5 weeks preoperatively and continued twice-weekly through 12 months postoperatively) compared with placebo in postmenopausal women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse undergoing a standardized transvaginal native tissue apical repair.

Methods

Study population, randomization process, study cream intervention, masking of participants and evaluators, placebo cream manufacture, standardized surgical intervention, and collection of adverse events are described. The primary outcome of surgical success is a composite of objectively no prolapse beyond the hymen and the vaginal cuff descending no more than one third the vaginal length; subjectively, no sense of vaginal pressure or bulging; and no retreatment for prolapse at 12 months. Time-to-failure postoperatively will be compared in the 2 groups with continued surveillance to 36 months. Secondary outcomes assessed at baseline, preoperatively (ie, after at least 5 weeks of study cream), and postoperatively at 6 month intervals include validated condition-specific and general quality-of-life metrics, overall impression of improvement, sexual function, vaginal atrophy symptoms, and body image. Challenges unique to this study include design and manufacture of placebo and defining and measuring study drug adherence.

Results

Recruitment of 204 women is complete with 197 randomized. There have been 174 surgeries completed with 15 more pending; 111 have completed their 12 month postoperative visit.

Conclusions

This trial will contribute evidence-based information regarding the effect of perioperative vaginal estrogen as an adjunct therapy to standardized transvaginal native tissue prolapse surgical repair.
Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Donation After Circulatory Death: A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal
Authors: van de Leemkolk Fenna E.M. , Schurink Ivo J. , Dekkers Olaf M. , Oniscu Gabriel C. , Alwayn Ian P.J. , Ploeg Rutger J. , de Jonge Jeroen , Huurman Volkert A.L.
Published: June 2020

Background.

Abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (aNRP) for donation after circulatory death is an emerging organ preservation technique that might lead to increased organ utilization per donor by facilitating viability testing, improving transplant outcome by early reversal of ischemia, and decreasing the risk of unintentional surgical damage. The aim of the current review is to evaluate the recent literature on the added value of aNRP when compared to local standard perfusion technique.

Methods.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline for systematic reviews was used, and relevant literature databases were searched. Primary outcomes were organ utilization rate and patient and graft survival after 1 year. Secondary outcomes included delayed graft function, primary nonfunction, serum creatinine, and biliary complications.

Results.

A total of 24 articles were included in this review. The technique is unanimously reported to be feasible and safe, but the available studies are characterized by considerable heterogeneity and bias.

Conclusions.

Uniform reported outcome measures are needed to draw more definitive conclusions on transplant outcomes and organ utilization. A randomized controlled trial comparing aNRP with standard procurement technique in donation after circulatory death donors would be needed to show the added value of the procedure and determine its place among modern preservation techniques.
Low-dose Aripiprazole Induced Enuresis Continuum in a Child
Authors: Karatoprak Serdar , Uzun Necati
Published: June 2020

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic commonly used in the treatment of childhood disorders, such as bipolar disorder, psychosis, and irritability associated with autism spectrum disorder. Common side effects of its use include extrapyramidal side effects, somnolence, tremor, fatigue, nausea, and akathisia. Enuresis is an additional and rare side effect of aripiprazole use. There is limited data on the subject of enuresis induced as a result of treatment with aripiprazole. To our knowledge, there are no reports in the literature on aripiprazole-induced enuresis continuum in children. In this report, we present the case of a 9-year-old boy who developed enuresis continuum after the initiation of a low dose of aripiprazole and describe his rapid improvement when administration of the drug was ended.
Patterns of pharmacological treatment of patients with migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache in a large group of patients in Colombia, 2019
Authors: Machado-Alba Jorge Enrique , Gaviria-Mendoza Andres , Machado-Duque Manuel Enrique
Published: June 2020

The objective was to determine the pharmacological treatment patterns of headache disorders in a Colombian population. Cross-sectional study. The dispensations of drugs for the management of tension-type headache, migraine, and cluster headache in the first trimester of 2019 were reviewed from a national medication dispensing database. Sociodemographic, diagnostic, and treatment variables (acute or prophylactic; concomitant drugs) were analyzed. During the study period, 7450 patients were identified: 68.5% with migraine, 25.1% with tension-type headache, and 6.4% with cluster headache. A total of 79.7% (n = 5937) were women, and the mean age was 38.6 ± 14.7 years. The 87.8% (n = 6539) were prescribed drugs for acute pain management, mainly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 3559; 47.8%), acetaminophen (n = 3390; 45.5%), ergotamine (n = 2158; 29.0%), and opioids (n = 1750; 23.5%). The 50.3% (n = 3750) received at least one drug used for prophylaxis, mainly antidepressants (n = 1769, 23.7%), flunarizine (n = 927; 12.4%), and β-blockers (n = 764; 10.3%). The main comedication was proton pump inhibitors (n = 921; 12.4%). Patients with tension-type headache, migraine, and cluster headache receive mainly medications for acute management, some with low therapeutic value or not recommended, such as opioids or ergotamine. Prophylactic management is mainly directed to migraines, although patients with other kinds of headache also used it, even though it was not indicated.
Rhodococcus cavernicola sp. nov., isolated from a cave, and Rhodococcus degradans is a later heterosynonym of Rhodococcus qingshengii
Authors: Lee Soon Dong , Kim In Seop , Kim Young-Ju , Joung Yochan
Published: June 2020

A Gram-reaction-positive, strictly aerobic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, non-motile actinobacterium, designated C1-24T, was isolated from a soil sample collected inside a natural cave. The organism exhibited a rod–coccus developmental cycle during its growth phase. Results of 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis showed that the novel strain belonged to the genus

Rhodococcus

and formed a distinct sublineage at the base of the radiation including a Rhodococcus enclensis–Rhodococcus kroppenstedtii–Rhodococcus corynebacterioides–Rhodococcus trifoli cluster. In the results of phylogenomic analysis, the novel strain was loosely associated to

Rhodococcus corynebacterioides

. The closest relatives were

Rhodococcus qingshengii

(98.01 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and

Rhodococcus degradans

(98.01 %). The genome size was 5.66 Mbp and the DNA G+C content was 64.30 mol%. Whole-cell hydrolysates contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose and galactose as the diagnostic diamino acid and sugars. MK-8(H2) was the predominant menaquinone. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, an unidentified glycolipid and three unidentified phospholipids. Mycolic acids were present. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, C18 : 1
 ω9c, C16 : 1
 ω7c and/or C16 : 1
 ω6c and 10-methyl C18 : 0. Digital DNA–DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values revealed that the novel strain should be assigned to a different species. Based on the combined data obtained here, strain C1-24T (=KACC 19964T=DSM 109484T) represents a new species of the genus

Rhodococcus

, for which Rhodococcus cavernicola sp. nov. is proposed. Also, it is proposed that

R. degradans

is a later heterosynonym of

R. qingshengii

based on analyses of 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequences.
CTDPathSim: Cell line-tumor deconvoluted pathway-based similarity in the context of precision medicine in cancer*
Authors: Bose Banabithi , Bozdag Serdar
Published: June 2020

In cancer research and drug development, human tumor-derived cell lines are used as popular model for cancer patients to evaluate the biological functions of genes, drug efficacy, side-effects, and drug metabolism. Using these cell lines, the functional relationship between genes and drug response and prediction of drug response based on genomic and chemical features have been studied. Knowing the drug response on the real patients, however, is a more important and challenging task. To tackle this challenge, some studies integrate data from primary tumors and cancer cell lines to find associations between cell lines and tumors. These studies, however, do not integrate multi-omics datasets to their full extent. Also, several studies rely on a genome-wide correlation-based approach between cell lines and bulk tumor samples without considering the heterogeneous cell population in bulk tumors. To address these gaps, we developed a computational pipeline, CTDPathSim, a pathway activity-based approach to compute similarity between primary tumor samples and cell lines at genetic, genomic, and epigenetic levels integrating multi-omics datasets. We utilized a deconvolution method to get cell type-specific DNA methylation and gene expression profiles and computed deconvoluted methylation and expression profiles of tumor samples. We assessed CTDPathSim by applying on breast and ovarian cancer data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and cancer cell lines data in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) databases. Our results showed that highly similar sample-cell line pairs have similar drug response compared to lowly similar pairs in several FDA-approved cancer drugs, such as Paclitaxel, Vinorelbine and Mitomycin-c. CTDPathSim outperformed state-of-the-art methods in recapitulating the known drug responses between samples and cell lines. Also, CTDPathSim selected higher number of significant cell lines belonging to the same cancer types than other methods. Furthermore, our aligned cell lines to samples were found to be clinical biomarkers for patients’ survival whereas unaligned cell lines were not. Our method could guide the selection of appropriate cell lines to be more intently serve as proxy of patient tumors and could direct the pre-clinical translation of drug testing into clinical platform towards the personalized therapies. Furthermore, this study could guide the new uses for old drugs and benefits the development of new drugs in cancer treatments.

CCS CONCEPTS

Computational biology

Genomics

Systems biology

Bioinformatics

Genetics

ACM Reference format

Banabithi Bose, Serdar Bozdag. 2020. CTDPathSim: Cell line-tumor deconvoluted pathway-based similarity in the context of precision medicine in cancer.
Orthotopic Transplantation and Engraftment of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Alveolar Progenitor Cells into Murine Lungs
Authors: Weiner Aaron I. , Fernandez Rafael , Zhao Gan , Palashikar Gargi , de Mello Costa Maria Fernanda , Adams Stephanie , Lengner Christopher J. , Johnson F. Brad , Vaughan Andrew E.
Published: June 2020

Humanized mice possessing human cells, tissues, or organ systems provide an unparalleled platform for preclinical studies in oncology, immunology, and infectious diseases. While the lungs are a vital organ subject to a wide variety of pathologies, exemplified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, discrete differences in murine and human lungs can obfuscate interpretation of murine models of lung disease. Here we provide proof-of-concept methodology for the potential humanization of murine lungs via orthotopic transplantation of human NKX2.1+ progenitor cells and alveolar type 2 cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. We show that these cells engraft readily into highly immunocompromised mice after pharmacological injury with bleomycin, which presumably generates “space” for human cells to access denuded basement membrane and engraft. Transplanted cells stably retain their pulmonary lineage restriction and persist as superficially differentiated alveolar type 2 and type 1 cells. Future work should focus on strategies to promote xenorepopulation of most / all of the murine lung with human cells while retaining appropriate regio-specific epithelial differentiation and normal physiological function.
Evaluation of Field Sampling Techniques for Environmental Microbial Exposure: Assessing Efficacy and Feasibility
Authors: Dalton Kathryn R. , Spicer Kristoffer , Ludwig Shanna , Clemons-Erby Dorothy , Green Timothy , Rule Ana M. , Koehler Kirsten , McCormack Meredith C. , Davis Meghan F.
Published: June 2020

Environmental exposures in schools, including microbial exposures, can lead to detrimental childhood health outcomes. We evaluated two sampling techniques – standard flocked swabs versus sterile electrostatic cloths – to quantifyStaphylococcusbacterial burden from school surfaces. Electrostatic cloths demonstrated higher test sensitivity and yielded higher surface area-standardized colony forming units compared to swabs. Despite protocol standardization, consistently larger surface areas were sampled with electrostatic cloths. This suggest that electrostatic cloths were more effective and practical for fieldwork.
Evolutionary phenome-genome analysis of cranial suture closure in mammals
Authors: Esteve-Altava Borja , Barteri Fabio , Farré Xavier , Muntané Gerard , Pastor Juan Francisco , Navarro Arcadi
Published: June 2020

Cranial sutures are growth and stress diffusion sites that connect the bones protecting the brain. The closure of cranial suture is a key feature of mammalian late development and evolution, which can also lead to head malformations when it occurs prematurely (craniosynostosis). To unveil the phenotypic and genetic causes of suture closure in evolution, we examined 48 mammalian species searching for (i) causal links between suture patency, brain size, and diet using phylogenetic path analysis; and (ii) instances of genome-phenome convergence amino acid substitutions. Here we show that brain size and the anteroposterior order of ossification of the skull are the two main causes of sutures patency in evolution. We also identified three novel candidate genes for suture closure in evolution (HRNR,KIAA1549, andTTN), which have never been reported in clinical studies of craniosynostosis. Our results suggest that different genetic pathways underlie cranial suture closure in evolution and disease.
Consumer preferences for three dimensions of country of origin of a processed food product
Authors: Aizaki Hideo , Sato Kazuo
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The production process of processed food products may involve several countries. This multi-dimensionality of the country of origin (COO) may affect consumer preferences for the products. We apply Case 2 best–worst scaling to measure Japanese consumers’ preferences for three dimensions of the COO of a vegetable juice product.

Design/methodology/approach

The three dimensions of the COO include these: the country where the raw materials of the product were grown (the country of growing), the country where the raw materials were processed (the country of processing) and the country where the food company producing the product is headquartered (the country of the company). Japan, Australia, Thailand and China are the countries considered for the three COO-related attributes. Sixteen juice products (profiles) were created from the three four-level attributes. A survey queried 416 consumers to select the best and worst ones from among the three attribute levels shown in each profile.

Findings

The average utility of the country of growing is the highest among those of the three COO-related attributes. However, consumers evaluate the country of growing as the least preferred among the three attributes with respect to a country with a negative food quality reputation.

Originality/value

This is the first Case 2 best–worst scaling study to measure consumer preferences for the three dimensions of the COO of processed food products. It suggests marketing strategies for domestic and international juice companies.
Food-related lifestyle segmentation and beverage attribute' selection: toward understanding of sugar-reduced beverages choice
Authors: Yeo Ga Eun , Cho Mi-Sook , Oh Jieun
Published: June 2020

Purpose

As the risks associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increase, various policies require sugar to be reduced in beverages. This paper segmented consumers according to food-related lifestyle (FRL), analyzed beverage selection attributes and preference for sugar-reduced beverages (SRBs) for each group and presented basic data for the strategies of SRBs for each consumer group.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 1,000 Korean consumer panels responded to the online survey. The questionnaire consisted of FRL, beverage selection attributes and attitude toward SRBs.

Findings

Consumer groups were divided according to FRL: rational, value seeking and careless consumer. Rational consumers tended to be in their 30s or 50s and women, and they focused on product quality/hygiene when choosing beverages. Value seeking consumers were mainly in their 40s and 50s and were characterized by high education and income. They showed high scores in quality/hygiene, economy and sensory traits. Careless consumers were more likely to be in their 20s–30s, unmarried men and considered sensory traits as the most important factor.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is the lack of generalization of consumer panels to represent the entire population because they were part of an online research firm.

Originality/value

This study implies that segmenting consumers according to FRL allows detailed analysis of consumer attitudes and behaviors. Using this analysis, the complex consumer pattern can be used as basic data for promoting sugar-reduced beverages.
A new conceptual framework for identifying the factors influencing the effectiveness of competitive intelligence
Authors: Asghari Somayeh , Targholi Sahar , Kazemi Ali , Shahriyari Saeed , Rajabion Lila
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Competitive intelligence (CI) collects data through the distribution of knowledge to make decisions in a competitive environment. To better comprehend the concept of CI, the purpose of this paper is to determine the role of effective factors (knowledge sharing, competitor information, information technology (IT) and organizational culture) and their impact on CI. In addition, the paper provides a conceptual framework for determining the practical factors on CI.

Design/methodology/approach

For evaluating the elements of the model, a questionnaire is considered. Questionnaires were reread by specialists with significant experiences in the CI field. For statistical analysis, the SPSS 22 and SmartPLS 3.2 software package is also used.

Findings

Findings from the study showed the validity of the model for a CI assessment. Furthermore, the results confirmed that the competitor information significantly influenced CI. In addition, the obtained results implied that IT has a significant and positive influence on CI. The effect of organizational culture on CI also proved to be positive and significant.

Research limitations/implications

This paper makes significant contributions for both researchers and practitioners; however, the authors determine some limitations, which are as follows: First, the authors showed the result in a single region. It cannot be assured that the results are generalizable to other areas. Second, because of time and financial constraints, the authors gathered the data using a sample from a single location. Third, the use of variables to depict CI may be not exhaustive. The authors, therefore, encourage future research to study these CI dimensions.

Practical implications

This study meaningfully contributes to the knowledge and literature by focusing more on CI, examining other significant aspects and applying advanced statistical analysis method. Also, current research results suggest practical implications for marketing practitioners and managers who implemented tools and made strategic plans to enhance the organization’s performance. From a practical perspective, the statistical results support the crucial role of the following factors: IT, competitor information, organizational culture and knowledge sharing on CI.

Originality/value

Experts in the area of knowledge management, CI and strategic management can use this study to gain a competitive advantage based on knowledge and information resources. Organizations must have knowledge management function and CI to support the strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation.
Exploring the intellectual structure and evolution of 24 top business journals: a scientometric analysis
Authors: Wei Fangfang , Zhang Guijie
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to present a longitudinal and visualizing study using scientometric approaches to depict the historical changes in the academic community, intellectual base and research hotspots within the business domain.

Design/methodology/approach

Two mapping methods are used, namely, co-citation analysis and co-occurrence analysis. Both the co-citation analysis and co-occurrence analysis in this study are conducted using CiteSpace, a Java-based scientific visualization software.

Findings

This paper detects changes in academic communities in 24 business journals chosen by the University of Texas at Dallas as leading journals (UTD24) and identifies the research hotspots such as corporate governance, organizational research and capital research. Many authors and academic communities appear in two or even three periods, which indicates the lasting academic vitality of scholars in this field. This paper determines the evolution of scholars' research interests by identifying high-frequency keywords during the entire period.

Originality/value

This paper reveals a systematic and holistic picture of the developmental landscape of the business domain, which can provide a potential guide for future research. Furthermore, based on empirical data and knowledge visualization, the intellectual structure and evolution of the business domain can be identified more objectively.
A Clark-Wilson and ANSI role-based access control model
Authors: Tsegaye Tamir , Flowerday Stephen
Published: June 2020

Purpose

An electronic health record (EHR) enables clinicians to access and share patient information electronically and has the ultimate goal of improving the delivery of healthcare. However, this can create security and privacy risks to patient information. This paper aims to present a model for securing the EHR based on role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC) and the Clark-Wilson model.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted which resulted in the collection of secondary data that was used as the content analysis sample. Using the MAXQDA software program, the secondary data was analysed quantitatively using content analysis, resulting in 2,856 tags, which informed the discussion. An expert review was conducted to evaluate the proposed model using an evaluation framework.

Findings

The study found that a combination of RBAC, ABAC and the Clark-Wilson model may be used to secure the EHR. While RBAC is applicable to healthcare, as roles are linked to an organisation’s structure, its lack of dynamic authorisation is addressed by ABAC. Additionally, key concepts of the Clark-Wilson model such as well-formed transactions, authentication, separation of duties and auditing can be used to secure the EHR.

Originality/value

Although previous studies have been based on a combination of RBAC and ABAC, this study also uses key concepts of the Clark-Wilson model for securing the EHR. Countries implementing the EHR can use the model proposed by this study to help secure the EHR while also providing EHR access in a medical emergency.
Retirees and motivation to work by the type of employment contract: impact of the Czech reform
Authors: Pertold Filip , Lakotova Lenka
Published: June 2020

Purpose

In this paper, the authors analyse a 2010 legal reform in the Czech Republic, which allowed retirees to simultaneously receive regular pension benefits and to work on a permanent contract for a period longer than one year. Previously, concurrence of employment and receipt of retirement benefits were only allowed in conjunction with a temporary work contract with a maximum duration of one year.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ the difference-in-differences method. The authors include only males in the analysis because it is not possible to identify the legal retirement age for women from available data. Men in the workforce 1–3 years prior to the statutory retirement age are in a control group, while men 1–3 years older are in a treatment group.

Findings

The authors show that the reform significantly increased the share of permanent contracts held by retirees (by 22.5–27.6 percentage points), though we do not find any aggregate short-term change in employment of retirees. Heterogeneity analysis shows a significant increase in the employment of retirees with only elementary school education (by 17.9 percentage points) and a significant decrease in the number of hours worked by retirees (by 2.5 h weekly for low-educated workers).

Practical implications

The policy conclusion is that the regulation of employment contract does not affect aggregate employment, but may improve employment of low skilled workers.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, there are no studies directly analysing motivation of retirees by types of employment contracts. The authors, thus, add to the literature that studies dealing with the general fixed-term versus permanent contracts (Engellandt and Riphahn, 2003) and motivation to work.
Adapting guided inquiry learning worksheets for emergency remote learning
Authors: Howley Iris
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) is a series of learning activities building on student prior knowledge guiding them to construct their own understanding of new concepts in collaborative roles. This paper aims to illustrate how POGIL worksheets can be adapted for low bandwidth and low-computing environments to accommodate the largest swathe of learners in higher education, as was the case during the switch to emergency remote learning in 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

The POGIL worksheets in this paper scaffold the discovery of new concepts while providing sample computer program output, guiding students to make predictions about the connection between program input and program output. Answers are provided to these questions after completion so that students may check their understanding or look to the answers as worked examples. These POGIL worksheets were used for the past two years in an in-person classroom situation with minimal computing resources, replacing 4/5 of a classroom lecture doing POGILs collaboratively. In the midst of emergency remote learning, these worksheets were adapted to complement asynchronous lecture videos, and also serve as lecture replacement as needed.

Findings

This paper discusses an approach to adapting POGIL worksheets for introduction to computer science for students who may not have the necessary digital tools (programing software, bandwidth for streaming video, etc.). While the context for this paper is computer science, POGIL has a deep history in chemistry education and other natural sciences, suggesting an approach that may be adapted for situations where hands-on laboratory experiments may not be possible.

Originality/value

CS-POGIL has many materials available for computer science, but this paper discusses 23 new worksheets and how to adapt them to the novel situation of emergency remote teaching.
The role of psychological ownership in consumer happiness
Authors: Li Dan , Atkinson Lucy
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of psychological ownership on consumer happiness, which is mediated through basic psychological needs satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected by means of two online experiments. Study 1 tested and validated the hypotheses by examining post-consumption on a sample of 252 college students. Study 2 investigated the impact of psychological ownership in a pre-consumption scenario.

Findings

The results show that consumers feel happier when they have a higher psychological ownership over an item after consumption. Furthermore, consumers anticipate greater happiness from a product before consumption due to increased psychological ownership through customization. This effect is mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.

Practical implications

The study will help marketers make their products or services as a better candidate for the target of psychological ownership through user experience design. Furthermore, the study encourages new business and marketing models, such as the sharing economy, that exploit the effect of psychological ownership.

Originality/value

The core contribution of this study is that it extends self-determination theory by distinguishing the effect of legal and psychological ownership on consumer happiness. It provides a better understanding of the psychological mechanism behind happiness.
Evaluating financial stress indicators: evidence from Indian data
Authors: Mundra Sruti , Bicchal Motilal
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess alternative financial stress indicators for India in terms of tracing crisis events, mapping with the business cycle and the macroeconomic effect of stress indices.

Design/methodology/approach

The study constructs the composite indicator of systemic stress of Hollo, Kremer and Lo Duca (2012) for India using two different methods for computing time-varying cross-correlation matrix, namely, exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and dynamic conditional correlation-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (DCC-GARCH). The derived indices are evaluated with widely used, equal variance and principal component weighting indices in terms of tracing stress events, mapping with the business cycles and the macroeconomic effect. For this purpose, the study identifies various episodes of financial stress and uses the business cycle dates in the sample covering from January 2001 to October 2018.

Findings

The results suggest that stress indices based on EWMA and DCC-GARCH accurately identify the well-known stress periods and capture the recession dates and show an adverse effect on economic activity. Primarily, the DCC-GARCH-based stress index emerges as a better indicator of stress because it efficiently locates all the major-minor events, traces the build-up of stress and reverts to the normal level during stable times.

Practical implications

The DCC-GARCH-based stress index is a very useful indicator for policymakers in regularly monitoring India’s financial conditions and providing timely identification of systemic stress to avoid adverse repercussion effects of the financial crisis.

Originality/value

The 2007–2008 financial crisis and subsequent recurrent instability in the financial markets highlighted the requirement for an appropriate financial stress indicator for a timely assessment of the system-wide financial stress. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that incorporates the systemic nature of financial stress in the construction of stress indices for India and provides a holistic evaluation of the financial stress from an emerging country’s perspective.
Identifying the influence of the Halal logo on Muslim consumers’ attitudes using fMRI technology
Authors: Al-Kwifi Osama Sam , Gelaidan Hamid Mahmood Hamid , Fetais Abdulla Hamad M. A.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Halal markets are rapidly growing in terms of market size and global coverage; therefore, there is a critical demand to have a deeper understanding of the consumption behavior of Muslim consumers. This study aims to explore the influence of using the Halal logo on Muslim consumers’ attitudes toward food products using the neuroscience technology of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Design/methodology/approach

The theory of planned behavior represents the foundation of this research, where consumer attitudes during an fMRI experiment were evaluated based on two different groups of images: images of just the Halal logo and images of meat labeled with the Halal logo. The study used the blocked design approach to track brain responses produced from displaying the two groups of images to study participants, where brain activity represents participants’ attitudes toward selecting the products.

Findings

There were no significant variations in brain activity when participants viewed Halal and non-Halal logos; in contrast, there were significant brain changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex region when meat images were labeled with Halal and non-Halal logos. This suggests that the Halal logo only has an influence on perception when it co-occurs with a product.

Research limitations/implications

Tracking Muslim consumption patterns is important for managers to be able to establish strategies to target Muslim consumers. This study uses a unique technique to study the behavioral attitude of a rapidly growing market segment, which can help marketing managers tailor their advertisement strategies to be more effective.

Originality/value

Previous research on the consumption of Halal products uses conventional approaches to study the influence of the Halal logo; however, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the influence of the Halal logo on Muslim consumers’ attitudes using fMRI technology.
Combatting economic crimes in Nigeria through whistleblowing: a shift from policy to legal framework
Authors: Yakubu Sirajo , Dikwa Mohammed Kyari
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is a holistic assessment of the impact of whistleblowing policy adopted by the Nigerian Government in fighting corruption and an evaluation of the whistleblowing and witness protection bill.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a critical analysis of the whistleblowing policy and the draft whistleblowing and witness protection bill. The paper combines both qualitative and quantitative methods. It is conducted through the study of the policy and the draft bill and the critical examination of the data released by the federal Ministry of Finance. Moreover, the personal experience of the authors in the civil service and in formulating and implementing the whistleblower policy account significantly.

Findings

The whistleblowing policy adopted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria is promising in controlling corruption and other economically motivated crimes. However, while efforts to give whistleblowing a legal backing will strengthen the fight against corruption in Nigeria, the National Assembly must subject the bill to rigorous debate to avoid having many lacunas in would be act.

Research limitations/implications

The use of whistleblowing in combatting corruption in Nigeria is still at its infancy. A policy document backs implementation of the policy – there is no legislation or case law to consider. Thus, analysis is based on the policy document, the bill, statistics from the FMF and personal experience of the authors.

Originality/value

There is no comprehensive study on the adoption of and efforts to give legal backing to, the whistleblowing policy adopted in Nigeria. This paper is of value to the Nigerian Government and the National Assembly considering the latest efforts to institutionalise whistleblowing in Nigeria.
Uncertainty avoidance culture, cash holdings and financial crisis
Authors: Tran Quoc Trung
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how the global financial crisis affects the relationship between uncertainty avoidance culture and corporate cash holdings.

Design/methodology/approach

This study develops a research model in which cash holdings ratio is a function of post-crisis period dummy, Hofstede’s cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance, their interactive term and control variables. The research sample includes 188,264 observations from 26,509 firms incorporated in 44 countries between 2003 and 2016.

Findings

This study finds that the effect of uncertainty avoidance culture on firm cash holdings is stronger in the post-crisis period from 2008 to 2016. This effect is stronger for financially constrained firms. In addition, the research findings show that uncertainty avoidance culture is more effective in cash–cash flow sensitivity over the post-crisis period.

Originality/value

Prior studies show that uncertainty avoidance culture positively affects corporate cash reserves. However, the authors only examine the effect of uncertainty avoidance culture on cash holdings in a static environment. This paper investigates this effect under the impact of the global financial crisis – an exogenous shock.
Gender, race and power: an intersectional reading of “opting out”
Authors: Meléndez Georgianna , Özkazanç-Pan Banu
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper considers the phenomenon of “opting out” from an intersectional lens, bringing in hitherto undertheorized dimensions of gender, race and power into the conversation related to why and how some women of color may make the “choice” to leave an organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a single case study approach, our research elucidates how identity-connected experiences unconnected to work/life balance constraints and tensions caused one immigrant woman of color to leave the workplace. We expand upon the current use of intersectionality in management and organization studies by applying it as a lens to bring into consideration power relations in organizations and structural inequality as the context for understanding why and how some women of color may leave their places of employment.

Findings

Based on our in-depth case study, we demonstrate that microaggressions, power relations, and structural inequities contribute to some women of color opting out.

Originality/value

This paper is of value to scholars interested in intersectionality framework applications.
Sensitivity of the tetraaminodiphenyl based pyroelectric sensor from visible to sub-THz range
Authors: Paulish Andrey G. , Gusachenko Anatoly V. , Morozov Alexander O. , Golyashov Vladimir A. , Dorozhkin Kirill V. , Suslyaev Valentin I.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the spectral sensitivity characteristics of new pyroelectric sensor based on tetraaminodiphenyl film within the wavelength range of 0.4-10 µm and 300-3,000 µm.

Design/methodology/approach

Mylar film with the thickness of about 70 µm was used as the input window. The MDR-41 monochromator-based spectrometric complex and the quasi-optical spectrometer with the set of backward-wave oscillators were used for measurements of the pyrodetector spectral characteristics within the 0.4-10 µm and 300-3,000 µm ranges, respectively.

Findings

Mylar was found to have absorption lines within the range of 0.4-10 µm, which must be taken into account when broadband detectors developing. The noise equivalent power in the visible and infrared ranges was less than 6 × 10–10 W/Hz1/2, which is about five times lower than for analogue ones. In the sub-THz range, the pyrodetector sensitivity is 2-8 times higher than the Golay cell. The sensitivity of such pyrodetector weakly depends on the wavelength in the total measured range.

Practical implications

The pyroelectric sensor has good prospects for use in super wide spectral range, from ultraviolet to millimeter radiation, in spectrometers for scientific research, in industry for the operational control of THz radiation sources, as well as in security THz-systems.

Originality/value

The spectral sensitivity characteristics of the pyroelectric photosensor based on TADPh in the visible, infrared and terahertz ranges were measured. The prospects for the use of such sensors were determined.
Classy Styles Ltd., Inc.: shifting production overseas
Authors: Gonzalez George C. , Han Qin
Published: June 2020

Theoretical basis

The main theoretical models used in the instructor manual analysis are SWOT and institution-based view. Founder’s syndrome is also used as a foundation for analysis and discussion.

Research methodology

Primary source data acquired by the authors through one of the author’s actual experience working in the family business that is the subject of the case.

Case overview/synopsis

Classy Styles Ltd., Inc. is a small wholesaler of women’s apparel. It outsources production and sells to small retail stores. Classy Styles has grown steadily during its short existence, but is not on track to reach the CEO and majority shareholder’s profitability goal. The COO has determined that the only realistic way to achieve the goal is to shift manufacturing from North America to Asia. The decision creates tension between profitability and the CEO’s desire for tight supervision and control of the outsourced production shops.

Complexity academic level

Introductory undergraduate courses in general management would be sufficient, while a basic strategy course and/or entrepreneurial business course would be of benefit.
Vacant yet invasible niches in forest community assembly
Authors: Gauzere Pierre , Morin Xavier , Violle Cyrille , Caspeta Ivanna , Ray Courtenay , Blonder Benjamin
Published: June 2020

It is controversial whether communities are saturated with species, or have vacant niches. The prevalence of vacant niches and the processes likely to promote their existence are poorly known.

We used a process‐based forest gap‐model to simulate plant community dynamics in 11 sites along a climatic gradient across central Europe. We then used hypervolume analyses to study the existence of vacant niches (seen as empty volumes in the trait space of local species pools and communities), and we tested for the effect of abiotic (environmental filtering) and biotic (competition) processes on the functional hypervolumes along the climatic gradient. Last, we performed invasion simulations to assess the invasibility of detected vacant niches.

Our results suggest that empty volumes in trait space are common, can arise from both abiotic and biotic processes and are more likely in cold climates. We also showed that most vacant niches are invasible.

Synthesis. Our work supports the view that niche space is unsaturated, and that many viable ecological strategies are absent from these forest communities.

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