bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurial doctors and consumerist patients: #plasticsurgery on Instagram
Authors: Joa Claire Youngnyo , Park Sung-Yeon
Published: July 2021

Purpose

There is an increasing need for a better understanding of healthcare service marketing in social media. This paper aims to examine Under the framework of positioning theory, popular Instagram posts related to #plasticsurgery and their accounts were analyzed and the relationships between the posts’ attributes and the number of user comments and likes were examined.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 272 posts associated with #plasticsurgery and their account profiles were analyzed.

Findings

Plastic surgery procedures were positioned on Instagram primarily by doctors and celebrity patients who were motivated by self-promotion. Doctors often omitted their medical credential information from their account profile and posts while featuring their vanity photos, emojis and consultation solicitations. They showed patients as the objects of surgery. On the other hand, patients positioned themselves as individuals with the agency by showing their faces rather than focusing on their body parts. Instagram users responded better to the doctors who positioned themselves more as business owners than medical professionals by soliciting consultations, offering discounts, displaying surgery photos and using emojis. In responding to patient posts, Instagram users liked under-dressed images more than fully clothed images and commented more on before-and-after photos than others.

Social implications

In Instagram, doctors positioned themselves as self-interested providers of plastic surgery services, whereas patients positioned themselves as active consumers. Medical professionals’ social media activities should be more closely monitored to protect patient safety and the trust between patients and doctors.

Originality/value

This study shed light on how doctors and patients position themselves on social media and how they are received by social media users in the context of #plasticsurgery on Instagram.
The distributional impact of tax and benefit systems in five African countries
Authors: Gasior Katrin , Leventi Chrysa , Noble Michael , Wright Gemma , Barnes Helen
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to assess the effects of taxes and benefits on inequality and poverty in five African countries: Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use newly developed micro-simulation models to analyse the distribution and composition of incomes.

Findings

The study's results suggest that income-based measures result in higher levels of poverty and inequality than consumption-based measures. The country with the most effective system in terms of reducing income inequality and poverty is South Africa; in Ghana, the tax-benefit system was found to have the smallest impact on inequality. The systems of Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia were estimated to have no poverty-reducing properties; many individuals remain largely unaffected by them as they are too poor to pay direct taxes, and benefits are very modest and narrowly targeted.

Originality/value

While consumption data are crucial for measuring poverty, income data are becoming vital for assessing the extent to which tax-benefit policies achieve redistribution in economies where own-consumption is becoming less significant and the share of people in employment is increasing. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study where poverty and inequality are measured in both terms, for several African countries in a common framework.
A multicriteria model for evaluation of Brazilian wineries from a tourism destination perspective
Authors: Maracajá Kettrin Farias Bem , Batista Schramm Vanessa , Schramm Fernando , Valduga Vander
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a multicriteria model for the evaluation of tourist service quality in Brazilian wineries from a tourism perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The model is comprising two phases: structure of the problem and application of the method. First, the selection of wineries in a given region, the identification of decision-makers that will perform the evaluation according to a set of 19 criteria based on the Tourqual protocol and the construction of the evaluation matrix in the next phase. Then, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is applied and a rank of wineries is provided.

Findings

The model is applied to evaluate the seven most important wineries in South Brazil and the results provided by the AHP method, considering the categories of Tourqual protocol, are consistent with the opinion of specialists in wine tourism.

Research limitations/implications

The model needs to be applied to other case studies to evaluate the consistency of the results and their acceptability by the tourism sector.

Practical implications

The model has the potential to be applied as a formal tool for evaluation of wineries, support decision-making processes in different wine tourism management structures: private wine and tourism organizations; public managers of tourism activity and managers of governance structures.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel AHP-based model for evaluation of service quality in the winery’s tourism domain, an empirical application of the model for evaluation of wineries in one of the most important regions that produce grapes and wine in South America.
Work-related technoference at home and feelings of work spillover, overload, life satisfaction and job satisfaction
Authors: McDaniel Brandon T. , O'Connor Kimberly , Drouin Michelle
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether work-related technology use outside of work and around family members could produce technoference or phubbing, where time spent with family members is interrupted by or intruded upon by technology use. The authors also examined its impact on work-to-family spillover, feelings of overload, life satisfaction and job satisfaction for workers.

Design/methodology/approach

Via an online survey, the authors assessed the frequency of technoference due to work, work-to-family spillover, feelings of overload, life satisfaction and job satisfaction. The authors’ analytic sample included US parents (95 fathers and 88 mothers) who worked for pay and experienced technoference in their relationships, which was at least sometimes due to work.

Findings

Results reveal possible impacts of technoference related to work on employee feelings of work-to-family spillover, greater feelings of overload, lower life satisfaction and lower job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Data are from a cross-sectional online survey, and results are correlational. Although the authors have theoretical/conceptual evidence for the impacts of technoference, it is possible that the direction of effects could be reversed or even bidirectional. Experimental/intervention work could further examine whether changes in technology use at home due to work improve employee well-being.

Practical implications

The authors’ findings suggest that organizational policies which promote healthy boundaries and work-life balance are likely fundamental to employee well-being and that employers should be mindful of employees' work-related technology use at home.

Originality/value

This study examines technoference and phubbing due to work while at home, as opposed to focusing on the at-work context.
The power to voice my hate! Exploring the effect of brand hate and perceived social media power on negative eWOM
Authors: Sharma Isha , Jain Kokil , Gupta Ritu
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Consumer brand relationship literature has recently seen a surge of studies on brand hate, its antecedents and outcomes. Hate alone will not drive consumers to engage in negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and indicates the interplay of other social relationship factors that can strengthen the effect of brand hate on negative eWOM. The purpose of this study is to integrate the emerging concept of brand hate and perceived social media power with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to expand the understanding of negative eWOM.

Design/methodology/approach

Data is collected through a survey conducted among university students based in the National Capital Region of Delhi in India. The research model is empirically tested using structural equation modeling in AMOSv23.

Findings

The three TPB dimensions, including brand attitude, subjective norms and individual’s propensity to anthropomorphize, are found to influence brand to hate significantly. The other perceived control factors included in the model, perceived homophily and social media self-efficacy, were found to affect perceived social media power, which, in turn, is crucial in predicting consumers’ engagement in negative eWOM behavior, both directly and through interaction with brand hate.

Originality/value

The study contributes to brand hate literature and offers a novel perspective by advocating the role of consumers’ propensity to anthropomorphize in augmenting feelings of brand hate.
Life of the Bangladeshi construction workers: an insight observation from the reality of the quality of an isolated community
Authors: Rahaman Md. Saidur , Rahman Md. Mizanur
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Construction workers contribute significantly to the economic development of a country, but the working conditions and the living standard for construction workers in Bangladesh are inhumane. This study aims to focus on the actual scenario of the quality of work-life (QWL) of the construction workers who work without meeting basic human needs.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, researchers used a mixed-method approach. An inclusive one-to-one (F to F) interview has operated at the beginning of the research; later on, focus group discussion (FGD) and a structured questionnaire have been used to investigate the construction workers' QWL workers in Bangladesh.

Findings

The findings showed that construction workers are highly dissatisfied with their position, working hours and leaves, payment system, accommodation, food, sanitation and drinking water, education, leisure, entertainment and religious freedom, health safety and security. Consequently, that hinders the natural growth of the said sector where there is no initiative to implement these rights.

Practical implications

Based on this study's findings, the construction industry's higher authority can make some policies to make workers' lives a little happier. Besides, this study will play a vital role in improving academic literature regarding the workers' current condition in Bangladesh's construction industry.

Originality/value

To best the authors' observation, this is the first study in the Emerald Insight publishers on the overall inhuman quality of construction workers' work-life in Bangladesh.
CSR ads matter to luxury fashion brands: a construal level approach to understand Gen Z consumers' eWOM on social media
Authors: Youn Song-yi , Cho Eunjoo
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction effect of perceived psychological distance toward the luxury brand and construal level of the CSR ad content on young consumers' perceptions toward the CSR ad (i.e. ad-brand congruency and perceived trust on CSR ad). This study also investigates the mediation effects of ad-brand congruency and trust on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intention on social media.

Design/methodology/approach

A two (low vs great psychological distance) by two (low vs high construal level) between-subjects experimental study is conducted with samples of social media users (n = 570) in the United States. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of the four CSR ads and instructed to respond to questions in the survey. The proposed hypotheses are tested using moderated serial mediation.

Findings

The interaction between psychological distance and construal level significantly influences ad-brand congruency. When participants view detailed information content (i.e. low construal level) with an accessible luxury brand (i.e. low psychological distance) in the CSR ad, they are more likely to perceive the ad is congruent with the brand compared to the CSR ad with abstract information content. There is no difference in ad-brand congruency for the aspiration luxury brand according to different content (i.e. low vs great construal level). Importantly, however, for both brands, the results reveal dual roles of the ad-brand congruency which increases eWOM intention directly and indirectly through trust. Findings confirm serial mediation effects of ad-brand congruency and CSR trust on the eWOM intention on social media.

Originality/value

By uncovering the interaction effect of psychological distance and construal level on ad-brand congruency, this study implicates how luxury fashion brands need to differently create CSR ad content. Our findings confirm dual ways of information processing that lead to positive engagement (i.e. eWOM) on social media, particularly among young consumers.
An examination of the influence of business environments on the attraction of globally mobile self-initiated expatriates
Authors: Ryan Jason , Silvanto Sari
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study examines which dimensions of a business environment are most important for attracting globally mobile self-initiated expatriates to a country. The authors use secondary data from the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, IMD and the World Population Review to test eight hypotheses involving six macro-contextual factors that prior studies suggest attract internationally mobile skilled professionals, such as self-initiated expatriates, to a country's business environment. The macro-contextual factors examined are socio-cultural, economic, natural, ecological, technological clusters and legal and regulatory.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use secondary data from the World Bank, IMD, World Population Report and the World Economic Forum to test eight hypotheses concerning macro-contextual factors that attract self-initiated expatriates to a country's business environment.

Findings

The study finds that factors such as the ease of hiring foreign labor, the use of English, macroeconomic stability, the diversity of the workforce and the quality of life in a country positively influence the attractiveness of its business environment to self-initiated expatriates. The study also finds that a business environment's socio-cultural, natural, economic and legal and regulatory macro-contextual attributes make it attractive to self-initiated expatriates.

Originality/value

To reduce common source bias, the authors use secondary data from four sources to examine which of six macro-contextual factors make a sample of 63 national business environments attractive to self-initiated expatriates. This study is one of the few to examine the impact of business environments on global mobility.
The co-evolution of knowledge management and business model transformation in the post-COVID-19 era: insights based on Chinese e-commerce companies
Authors: Li Honglei , Hu Qianqian , Zhao Guangzhi , Li Bin
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to answer the question of how business models (BMs) maintain stability while coping with environmental uncertainties. This study proposes a dynamic co-evolution of knowledge management and business model transformation based on a comparative analysis of the focal firms’ BMs and their main partners in two e-commerce ecosystems in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The open data of listed companies regarding the introduction of emerging topics on the transformation tendency of BMs in the post-COVID-19 business world is qualitatively analysed. The theoretical foundation is based on a critical review of the literature.

Findings

Three aspects of the co-evolution between knowledge management and business model transformation are introduced. These three aspects are as follows: knowledge integration helps with multi-system business integration and decision-making collaborations; knowledge sharing helps to enhance cognitive ability and network value based on businesses; and the creation of new knowledge helps enrich the knowledge base and promote the transformation of BMs.

Research limitations/implications

Solely attributing a firm’s ability to cope with environmental uncertainties to its business model weakens the importance of its knowledge management. This study argues that the co-evolution between knowledge management and business model transformation also plays a key role in a firm’s response to issues post-COVID-19.

Originality/value

This study calls for the development of a normative theory of co-evolution between knowledge management and business model transformation, implying uncharted territories of knowledge management based on interaction with business model designs in e-business ecosystems.
Data management efficiency: major opportunities for shared value innovation
Authors: Lichtenthaler Ulrich
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to underscore major opportunities for shared value innovation based on data management efficiency, which has often been overlooked so far. By integrating prior research about digital transformation, shared value creation, entrepreneurial marketing and the innovation-based view of firm performance, it addresses a major gap in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The innovation-based arguments illustrate how efficient data management may lead to different types of innovation, which provide opportunities for growth and efficiency gains after the coronavirus pandemic.

Findings

Many companies’ digitalization programs have concentrated on strengthening the efficiency of current business processes. Thus, these initiatives have contributed to the efficiency of traditional analog activities by using data and smart algorithms. In contrast, the efficiency of the underlying data management was largely neglected, but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted its importance. To overcome the limited emphasis on sustainability and efficiency in the digital context, this paper focuses on data management efficiency. After detailing this concept, it is linked to the growing literature about creating shared value, and a process segmentation for implementing shared value innovations in the field of digital efficiency is developed.

Originality/value

The paper extends research into digital transformation by emphasizing that the distinction of effectiveness and efficiency is as relevant in the digital context as in the traditional analog environment. It further provides new insights into creating shared value because it increases the awareness of researchers and managers to consider data management efficiency as a basis for shared value innovation with positive effects on the triple bottom line. The paper also contributes to entrepreneurial marketing research because data management efficiency provides significant opportunities for entrepreneurs, startup firms and innovators in established organizations to develop entirely new markets based on new services, solutions and business models. Finally, the paper deepens the understanding of the innovation-based view of firm performance.
A mediating and moderating role on employee performance appraisal
Authors: Kusumah Adie Irwan , Haryadi  , Indrayanto Adi , Setiawan Iwan
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to determine the relationship between transformational leadership, self-efficacy, gender, intrinsic motivation and employee performance in mediating and moderating roles.

Design/methodology/approach

Respondents in this study were 531 hotel employees (human resources development staff, financial, relationship) in Yogyakarta who were led by women. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses using AMOS 22.0.

Findings

The results show that transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, self-efficacy acts as a mediating variable on the relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance. The results also indicate that gender acts as a moderating variable by strengthening the relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance and intrinsic motivation acts as a moderating variable by strengthening the relationship between self-efficacy and employee performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study has two limitations. First, the research results cannot conclude the company in general because the sampling of this study is limited to the hotel business which is led by women only. Future research is needed to explore more deeply to compare the performance of employees in companies led by women and those led by men. Second, this study uses only one independent variable. Future research needs to be done to explore the effect of other variables on company performance, such as work culture, work environment and job satisfaction.

Practical implications

The main managerial contribution of this study is directed to companies that are interested in developing employee performance. First, self-efficacy is able to mediate transformational leadership in achieving employee performance. Besides this research offers a clear strategy for companies to stimulate their employees to strengthen leadership individually so as to improve the quality of their work. Thus, companies can carry out leadership training that is focused on being able to recognize employees who have low self-efficacy. If this is done, the company can reduce expenses that are not small but can make a significant contribution.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the mediating and moderating role of transformational leadership, employee performance, self-efficacy, gender and intrinsic motivation, especially in a hotel business led by women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Aesthetically clean to clinically clean – A study on new housekeeping practices in Delhi hotels beyond COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Sharma Sharda , Kaushik Tanuja
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine new housekeeping procedures introduced in response to COVID-19. The pandemic has required hotels to reassess their standard operating procedures, especially in housekeeping to retain the confidence of guests in the hotel/brand via high standards of sanitization, hygiene and the maintenance of social distancing.

Design/methodology/approach

The article draws on publications and announcements made by major brands and associations about their updated standards of cleaning, hygiene and sanitisation, social distancing and workplace protocols arising from the pandemic. Further, a survey was used to determine the impact of new processes on housekeeping teams and their perceptions of its effect on service quality, guests and employee safety.

Findings

Some key new processes are: keeping the hotel room vacant for several hours after departure, the sanitisation of every room, cleaning and sanitisation of high touch points, linen and waste management and low frequency or complete avoidance of the cleaning of occupied rooms. The survey questionnaire establishes that housekeepers value their new standard operating procedures (SOPs) and agree that “clinically clean” is the new normal and essential to avoid cross-contamination and keep guests and employees safe.

Research limitations/implications

As the pandemic is a current phenomenon, the guidelines and protocols are rapidly evolving. Hotels are innovating and looking for new processes to manage infection control. This study has mainly focused on cleanliness and hygiene protocols and procedures prevalent in the industry. Currently, future work could be useful to evaluate the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the new processes and procedures that have been deployed.

Practical implications

In order to recover from the pandemic, the Indian hotel industry faces a colossal task. Even when the virus peaks have passed and hotels can safely reopen, the fear of infection will continue and so guest trust and confidence is essential. Given this, the paper should be of interest to hoteliers and policymakers seeking to implement the best possible post COVID-19 housekeeping practices.

Originality/value

This paper identifies and analyses best practice in hotel housekeeping in response to COVID-19. The new standards that are being adopted aim to assure hotel guests and employees about the hygiene and safety measures and standards that have been adopted.
Structural characteristics and improved in vitro hepatoprotective activities of Maillard reaction products of decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK and ribose
Authors: Han Jia‐Run , Du Yi‐Nan , Song Liang , Song Yu‐kun , Yan Jia‐Nan , Jiang Xin‐Yu , Wu Hai‐Tao , Zhu Bei‐wei
Published: July 2021

Here, a novel decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK with Maillard reactivity derived from scallop Chlamys farreri mantle was identified. The structural characteristics and in vitro hepatoprotective effects of IVTNWDDMEK conjugated with ribose were further investigated. The changes in decapeptide structures were determined by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the modification sites induced by Maillard reaction of IVTNWDDMEK and ribose were monitored by high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS). Maillard reaction products (MRPs) of IVTNWDDMEK‐ribose demonstrate hepatoprotective benefits through the suppression of DNA damage and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress in human HepG2 cells in addition to enhancing the antioxidant activities. Moreover, after treatment with decapeptide‐ribose MRPs, the activities of cellular antioxidative enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), and glutathione reductase (GSH‐Rx) were remarkably increased, while the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased compared with H2O2‐treated group, thereby enhancing the intracellular antioxidant defenses. These findings demonstrate the potential utilization of decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK‐ribose MRPs as food antioxidants to suppress oxidative damage.

Practical Application

In recent years, several food‐derived bioactive peptides and their derivatives are regarded as good dietary antioxidants for reducing oxidative stress and improving liver function. Here, a novel Maillard reactive decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK, identified from scallop mantle hydrolysates by peptidomics in the previous study was synthesized. Then, the correlation between intercellular antioxidant activities and chemical structure changes of IVTNWDDMEK‐ribose Maillard reaction conjugates was further studied. The preferable hepatoprotective activities of decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK‐ribose MRPs indicated that these MRPs could be potentially utilized as food antioxidants or additives in the production of nutritional foods.
A new joint species distribution model for faster and more accurate inference of species associations from big community data
Authors: Pichler Maximilian , Hartig Florian
Published: July 2021

Joint species distribution models (JSDMs) explain spatial variation in community composition by contributions of the environment, biotic associations and possibly spatially structured residual covariance. They show great promise as a general analytical framework for community ecology and macroecology, but current JSDMs, even when approximated by latent variables, scale poorly on large datasets, limiting their usefulness for currently emerging big (e.g. metabarcoding and metagenomics) community datasets.

Here, we present a novel, more scalable JSDM (sjSDM) that circumvents the need to use latent variables by using a Monte Carlo integration of the joint JSDM likelihood together with flexible elastic net regularization on all model components. We implemented sjSDM in PyTorch, a modern machine learning framework, which allows making use of both CPU and GPU calculations. Using simulated communities with known species–species associations and different number of species and sites, we compare sjSDM with state‐of‐the‐art JSDM implementations to determine computational runtimes and accuracy of the inferred species–species and species–environment associations.

We find that sjSDM is orders of magnitude faster than existing JSDM algorithms (even when run on the CPU) and can be scaled to very large datasets. Despite the dramatically improved speed, sjSDM produces more accurate estimates of species association structures than alternative JSDM implementations. We demonstrate the applicability of sjSDM to big community data using eDNA case study with thousands of fungi operational taxonomic units (OTU).

Our sjSDM approach makes the analysis of JSDMs to large community datasets with hundreds or thousands of species possible, substantially extending the applicability of JSDMs in ecology. We provide our method in an R package to facilitate its applicability for practical data analysis.
Intra and extragenomic variation between 16S rRNA genes found in 16SrI‐B‐related phytopathogenic phytoplasma strains
Authors: Zwolińska Agnieszka , Borodynko‐Filas Natasza
Published: July 2021

Phytoplasmas are bacterial pathogens that pose a threat to cereal and vegetable production worldwide. However, there is limited information regarding the occurrences of phytoplasmas in Central Europe. In this study we examined samples taken from crop and ornamental plants showing symptoms indicative of phytoplasma infection. Phytoplasmas related to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' were detected in eight plant species (carrot, lupine, pea, cauliflower, mustard, maize, juniper and marigold). Based on the restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the 16S rDNA, the phytoplasmas were classified as subgroup 16SrI‐B, 16SrI‐L or a complex strain, which harboured the I‐B and I‐L‐type 16S rRNA genes. Individual 16S rDNA sequences were analysed from those heterogeneous strains and as many as five genetic variants were distinguished. By operon‐specific amplification of the 16S rRNA genes with primers complementary to RP166 phytoplasma genome, we detected 16SrI‐L/B phytoplasma strains in the multivariant samples. The I‐L‐type sequences were amplified from rrnA and the I‐B‐type sequences were amplified from rrnB. Molecular phylogeny based on the 16S rRNA showed that all the detected phytoplasma variants were clustered with a 'Ca. Phytoplasma asteris' subclade and were closely related to the 16SrI‐B subgroup. Despite the variability of 16S rDNA, the strains from all the eight crops shared identical tuf gene sequences. We report, for the first time, 16SrI‐B phytoplasma infecting lupine, field pea, cauliflower and mustard, 16SrI‐L phytoplasma infecting maize and field pea and 16SrI‐L/B phytoplasma infecting carrot, lupine and marigold. We further demonstrate variability in the 16S rRNA genes found in the 16SrI‐B‐related phytoplasma genomes worldwide. For clearer and more unambiguous nomenclature, we propose that in the future, the more intuitive subgroup 16SrI‐L/B be used for heterogenic phytoplasma strains instead of 16SrI‐(B/L)L.
When Do UN Peacekeeping Operations Implement Their Mandates?
Authors: Blair Robert A. , Di Salvatore Jessica , Smidt Hannah M.
Published: July 2021

Under what conditions do UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs) implement the tasks in their mandates? Contemporary PKOs are expected to fulfill increasingly fragmented mandates in active conflict zones. We argue that these two trends—increasingly fragmented mandates, increasingly implemented amidst violence—exacerbate delegation and coordination problems that hinder PKOs from pursuing mandated tasks, potentially undermining their legitimacy in the eyes of the Security Council, troop‐contributing countries, and host governments. Combining new data sets on PKO activities and mandates in Africa (1998–2016) and using instrumental variables and two‐way fixed effects models, we find that mandate fragmentation is negatively correlated with mandate implementation, especially for peacebuilding tasks. Ongoing violence is also negatively correlated with implementation of peacebuilding tasks, but not with security tasks. We show that this is likely due to the offsetting effects of violence perpetrated by governments and rebels, as PKOs are better equipped to respond to the latter.
Camp Abolition: Ending Carceral Humanitarianism in Kenya (and Beyond)
Authors: Brankamp Hanno
Published: July 2021

Refugee camps are among the most prevalent institutional responses to global displacement. Despite a quasi consensus among scholars, activists, and humanitarians that camps are undesirable, and should only ever be temporary, little work has charted the political project and practices of camp abolition that challenge their spatial unfreedom. Rather than life‐supporting spatial technologies of care that unwittingly signal political failures of inclusion, camps form part of a calculated system of “carceral humanitarianism”. This article draws on experiences from Kenya where aid interventions have shaped politics, social dynamics and economic life since the 1990s. Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement serve as empirical windows to explore the limits of institutional decampment and reform policies, while demonstrating that more radical, abolitionist struggles are enacted through everyday mobilisation and acts of fugitivity among refugees themselves. Advancing critical studies of humanitarianism and forced migration, this article contends that only abolishing camps and their carceral logics helps to build more viable, safe, and humane futures for people on the move.
The application of computer vision to visual prosthesis
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhu Haiyi , Liu Jianyun , Li Heng , Han Yanling , Zhou Ruyan , Zhang Yun
Published: July 2021

A visual prosthesis is an auxiliary device for patients with blinding diseases that cannot be treated with conventional surgery or drugs. It converts captured images into corresponding electrical stimulation patterns, according to which phosphenes are generated through the action of internal electrodes on the visual pathway to form visual perception. However, due to some restrictions such as the few implantable electrodes that the biological tissue can accommodate, the induced perception is far from ideal. Therefore, an important issue in visual prosthesis research is how to detect and present useful information in low‐resolution prosthetic vision to improve the visual function of the wearer. In recent years, with the development and broad application of computer vision methods, researchers have investigated the possibility of their utilization in visual prostheses by simulating prosthetic visual percepts. Through the optimization of visual perception by image processing, the efficiency of visual prosthesis devices can be further improved to better meet the needs of prosthesis wearers. In this article, recent works on prosthetic vision centering on implementing computer vision methods are reviewed. Differences, strengths, and weaknesses of the mentioned methods are discussed. The development directions of optimizing prosthetic vision and improving methods of visual perception are analyzed.
Combined trabeculotomy−trabeculectomy for primary congenital glaucoma: long‐term experience from a tertiary referral centre in a developing nation
Authors: Mandal Anil K. , Gothwal Vijaya K. , Khanna Rohit
Published: July 2021

Purpose

To evaluate the long‐term visual and surgical outcomes, and associated risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG).

Methods

Retrospective review of medical records of children who underwent combined trabeculotomy−trabeculectomy (CTT) without mitomycin‐C as the first surgical procedure by a single surgeon between January 1990 and December 2010. Success was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) <16 mmHg without (complete) or with (qualified) one glaucoma medication. We used the WHO criteria of vision loss to categorize the levels of vision impairment (VI). For purposes of statistical analysis, we randomly chose one eye of patients for bilateral PCG and affected eye in unilateral PCG.

Results

The cohort included 653 consecutive PCG patients (1128 eyes; mean age, 26 months), of whom 475 (73%) underwent simultaneous bilateral CTT. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis revealed 1‐, 5‐, 10‐, 15‐, and 19‐year complete success rates of 92.6% (n = 372), 75.5% (n = 173), 55.9% (n = 72), 44.7% (n = 19), and 21.6% (n = 3), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed independent associations between failure, preoperative corneal clarity, and prior glaucoma surgery. Mean follow‐up was 41 ± 51 months (range, 6 months to 19 years; median, 1 year). Of the visual acuity (VA) data in the affected eyes obtained at last follow‐up (n = 333, 51%), seventy‐four patients (22%) had VA of ≥6/12. Of the remaining 259 patients, 18 (7%) had mild VI, 87 (34%) had moderate VI, 58 (22%) had severe VI, and 96 (37%) were blind. No serious complications were noted.

Conclusions

Primary CTT may be safely employed to control IOP and may provide long‐term benefits in PCG patients.
Luminescence signals of quartz and feldspar as new methods for stratigraphic discrimination and provenance analysis of siliciclastic successions: The case of the Parnaíba Basin (Brazil) of West Gondwana
Authors: del Río Ian , Sawakuchi André O. , Góes Ana M. , Hollanda Maria Helena B. M. , Furukawa Laura Y. , Porat Naomi , Jain Mayank , Mineli Thays D. , Negri Francisco de Assis
Published: July 2021

Luminescence characteristics of quartz and feldspar allow to discriminate sediments from different source areas. Particularly, sensitivity of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) signals of quartz and infrared‐stimulated luminescence (IRSL) of feldspar from Quaternary sediments has been used for provenance analysis. These properties change due to source area denudation rates and sediment reworking, which drive the number of burial irradiation‐solar exposure cycles of sediment grains in surface systems. Here, we use for the first time a similar approach to interpret the geomorphic conditions of source areas of Silurian to Triassic siliciclastic sedimentary units of the intracratonic Parnaíba Basin in northeast Brazil. Luminescence measurements were performed on sand grains, and statistical tests were applied to evaluate differences in luminescence properties within and across stratigraphic units. We explored the position of well‐known “110°C” (TL110) and “325°C” (TL325) TL peaks of quartz as proxies to discriminate stratigraphic units with similar lithological assemblages. OSL and TL sensitivities as well as the dominance of the so‐called fast OSL component increase from Silurian to Triassic sedimentary units, while the IRSL sensitivity decreases towards younger stratigraphic units. These patterns point to source areas with decreasing denudation rate and higher sediment recycling over basin filling time, leading to decreasing feldspar concentration and quartz luminescence sensitisation. Major changes in luminescence properties coincide with regional unconformities. This is attributed to physical landscape changes leading to shifts in the relief of source areas and basin sediment recycling. The TL110peak position is similar across stratigraphic units, but the TL325peak position has significant variation, with values between 324°C and 334°C, allowing its use for stratigraphic discrimination. Changes in OSL and TL characteristics of quartz sediment grains are preserved during long‐term burial (108 Ma), representing a new tool for interpreting basin evolution and to perform stratigraphic analysis of ancient siliciclastic successions.
Development of a nomogram for predicting clinical outcome in patients with angiogram‐negative subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Zhang Anke , Zhang Zeyu , Zhang Wen‐Bo , Wang Xiaoyu , Lenahan Cameron , Fang Yuanjian , Luo Yujie , Liu Yibo , Mei Shuhao , Chen Sheng , Zhang Jianmin
Published: July 2021

To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest clinical retrospective study in AN‐SAH patients, and is the first time to establish accurate predictive models paired with bleeding pattern.

Background

Angiogram‐negative subarachnoid hemorrhage (AN‐SAH) has a definite incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and poor clinical outcomes. The purpose is to screen independent factors and establish a nomogram to guide the clinical therapy and assess post‐discharge prognosis.

Methods

We identified 273 consecutive patients referred to our institute from 2013 to 2018 for AN‐SAH. A nomogram to predict poor outcomes was formulated based on the multivariable models of independent risk factors. The accuracy and discrimination of nomograms were determined in training and internal validation cohorts.

Results

The overall poor outcome rates of AN‐SAH were 14.3% and 8.7% at 3 months and 12 months, respectively. In addition, perimesencephalic AN‐SAH (PAN‐SAH) presented with a more unfavorable prognosis compared with non‐perimesencephalic AN‐SAH (NPAN‐SAH). The clinical prognosis was associated with the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies scale (WFNS) (odds ratio, 3.82 [95% CI, 1.15‐12.67] for 3‐month outcome; and odds ratio, 31.69 [95% CI, 3.65‐275.43] for 12‐month outcome), Subarachnoid hemorrhage Early Brain Edema Score (SEBES) (odds ratio, 10.39 [95% CI, 1.98‐54.64] for 3‐month outcome; odds ratio, 10.01 [95% CI, 1.87‐53.73] for 12‐month outcome), and symptomatic vasospasm (odds ratio, 3.16 [95% CI, 1.03‐9.70] for 3‐month outcome; odds ratio, 5.15 [95% CI, 1.34‐19.85] for 12‐month outcome). The nomogram was constructed based on the above features, which represented great predictive value in clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Symptomatic vasospasm, high WFNS, cerebral edema, and NPAN‐SAH after hemorrhage were associated with poor outcome of AN‐SAH. The nomogram with WFNS (3‐5), SEBES (3‐4), vasospasm, and NPAN‐SAH represented a practical approach to provide individualized risk assessment for AN‐SAH patients.
Phase I study in healthy participants to evaluate safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of inhaled nezulcitinib, a potential treatment for COVID‐19
Authors: Pfeifer Nathan D. , Lo Arthur , Bourdet David L. , Colley Kenneth , Singh Dave
Published: July 2021

Nezulcitinib (TD‐0903), a lung‐selective pan–Janus‐associated kinase (JAK) inhibitor designed for inhaled delivery, is under development for treatment of acute lung injury associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). This two‐part, double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, single ascending dose (part A) and multiple ascending dose (part B) phase I study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of nezulcitinib in healthy participants. Part A included three cohorts randomized 6:2 to receive a single inhaled dose of nezulcitinib (1, 3, or 10 mg) or matching placebo. Part B included three cohorts randomized 8:2 to receive inhaled nezulcitinib (1, 3, or 10 mg) or matching placebo for 7 days. The primary outcome was nezulcitinib safety and tolerability assessed from treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The secondary outcome was nezulcitinib PK. All participants completed the study. All TEAEs were mild or moderate in severity, and none led to treatment discontinuation. Overall (area under the plasma concentration‐time curve) and peak (maximal plasma concentration) plasma exposures of nezulcitinib were low and increased in a dose‐proportional manner from 1 to 10 mg in both parts, with no suggestion of clinically meaningful drug accumulation. Maximal plasma exposures were below levels expected to result in systemic target engagement, consistent with a lung‐selective profile. No reductions in natural killer cell counts were observed, consistent with the lack of a systemic pharmacological effect and the observed PK. In summary, single and multiple doses of inhaled nezulcitinib at 1, 3, and 10 mg were well‐tolerated in healthy participants, with dose‐proportional PK supporting once‐daily administration.
Crisis management in practice: a dynamic process intertwined with daily work performance
Authors: Oscarsson Olof
Published: July 2021

This paper explores how a social services unit in Sweden coped with the large influx of unaccompanied children during the refugee situation in 2015. Crisis management is approached using social practice theory to examine how everyday work practices and their constituent resources informed personnel's management of the chaotic circumstances. The research data consist of practice‐based interviews with managerial staff from social services and operational staff at homes for unaccompanied children, as well as manuals and printed routines. The analysis demonstrates that they coped with the challenges posed by the refugee situation by adopting competences, mobilising meanings, and adapting material resources belonging to different practices of everyday work. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of studying crisis management from a practice‐based perspective as a complement to framing it as a static asset of organisations—governed by institutionalised practices—which has implications for defining what constitutes crisis management and who can become crisis managers.
Legitimation in post‐revolutionary Egypt: Al‐Sisi and the renewal of authoritarianism
Authors: Yefet Bosmat , Lavie Limor
Published: July 2021

Drawing from scholarship on authoritarian adaptation and on insight from legitimacy theory, we seek to examine to what degree the renewal of authoritarianism under ‘Abd al‐Fattah al‐Sisi in post‐revolutionary Egypt can be understood as the establishment of a new political order with its own patterns of legitimation. The main focus of the discussion is al‐Sisi's adaptation of legitimization strategies designed to justify his rule and ensure stability under severe repression and economic reforms. We discuss al‐Sisi claims of personal legitimacy as a substitute for institutional legitimacy, his missionary role as a substitute for ideology, and his reshaped eudaemonic legitimacy. All these strategies of legitimation are formulated while rejecting the 2011 revolutionary legitimation and its promises for democracy. Such analysis, which goes beyond coercion or institutional explanations for authoritarian adaptation, scrutinizes the conceptual reconstruction of authoritarianism as a tool to ensure the consent of the citizens and their legitimacy to the renewal of authoritarianism.
Ketogenic diet prevents paclitaxel‐induced neuropathic nociception through activation of PPARγ signalling pathway and inhibition of neuroinflammation in rat dorsal root ganglion
Authors: Zhong Shanshan , Zhou Zhike , Lin Xinyu , Liu Fangxi , Liu Chang , Liu Zhouyang , Deng Wenyun , Zhang Xiuchun , Chang Hongtao , Zhao Chuansheng
Published: July 2021

Chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect during the course of cancer treatment, which is mainly manifested as a series of sensory abnormalities. At present, there are no recommended prevention or treatment strategies, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. The ketogenic diet (KD), a special diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrate intake, shows good therapeutic potential in children with epilepsy. In this study, it was found that KD significantly prevented paclitaxel‐induced neuropathic nociception. Using the GSE113941 database, 281 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in an animal model of CIPN and controls. The DEGs were mainly enriched in peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) and oxidative phosphorylation signalling pathways. As a main regulatory pathway of lipid metabolism, the PPARγ signalling pathway was significantly upregulated in the KD model. In addition, KD also inhibited the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and the TLR4/NF‐κB signalling pathway in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in paclitaxel‐treated rats. In vitro, rat primary DRG neurons were used to investigate the role of PPARγ in paclitaxel‐induced neurotoxicity. It was found that PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone significantly protected DRG neurons against cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species generation induced by paclitaxel administration. Therefore, KD is a prospective treatment option when applied as a dietary intervention in the prevention and treatment of paclitaxel‐induced neuropathic nociception, possibly through the activation of PPARγ and its neuroprotective functions.